Charlie rolled her blue eyes. “Glitch and me.” She raised her arms out and rested them triumphantly behind her head. “Just so you know, I won.”
I crossed my arms, arching a brow. “I’m glad my love life is profitable to you. So when should I bet on you and Dozer making it official? I don’t want Glitch running off with my cash.”
Charlie’s cheeks suddenly blazed bright red with embarrassment and glee. She climbed underneath her covers. “Goodnight, Liv.”
I crawled under my own covers. She snapped off her bedside lamp. We stayed in silence for a while, both awake. I could feel her biting back a response, until finally she couldn’t take it anymore.
“I’d say a couple weeks. Maybe less. Don’t bet Glitch any more than a ten spot, though. I tapped him out.”
Satisfied, I reached over and turned off my light, too.
“Goodnight, Charlie.”
Chapter Seventeen
The next morning, the Nomads were busy setting up plans to head back on the road. Cash was on his cell phone setting up hotel arrangements. I was just finishing up showering and packing the last of my belongings when Dozer poked his head into my room.
“Hey, Liv. You see Charlie today?” he asked.
“No, not yet. She woke up earlier than I did, but Headset and Bebe are gone, too. She mentioned yesterday that she wanted to hit the grocery store around the corner. She wants the kids to get healthy snacks for the road.” I zipped up my duffel bag and started to pack up Bebe’s things.
“Yeah, I just wish she waited for me to wake up. All those weirdos and ACT agents crawling around make me nervous.”
His worry was palpable, clear in his features. I finished packing Bebe's things and gave him a shoulder nudge and my best confident smile. “She probably didn’t want to wake you. She’ll be back any minute.”
“How have you been?” he asked, still hovering in my doorway.
“As good as one can be, I guess.” A dull ache echoed in my heart. It was something I was going to have to get used to.
“I won’t pretend to know what happened to your relationship with Jason or your friends, but at least your sister’s okay. She’s got the others," he said.
“I feel stupid for dragging you all out here when they obviously didn't need or want my help."
"Look, I know I was against this whole thing, but they're all alive. At least you know that now.” He leaned in my doorway, his hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans.
Out of nowhere, fear unexpectedly radiated through my limbs and right into the pit of my stomach. The world felt as though it dropped out from under me, and my grin faded.
“Liv? Are you okay? Liv!” Dozer’s voice sounded far away.
“Bebe,” I whispered, catching my breath. It was her terror that pulsed through me, turning the blood in my veins to ice. I ran out of the room, almost knocking Dozer over in the process. I flew past a confused Cash in the living room, hitting the street only moments later with Dozer on my heels.
The second my eyes adjusted to the glaring morning sun, I saw her. She rounded the corner of the street, sprinting toward us at a dead run. Her hair flew behind her in pigtails and tears were streaming down her full cheeks.
I reached her first, and scooped her up. From a quick once-over, I was relieved to see she was uninjured, but she was alone.
“Bebe, where are Charlie and Headset?” Dozer asked her urgently as I carried her back to the suite.
“They took Headset," she said panting, wide eyed and cheeks flushed.
My heart froze. “Who took him, Bebe?”
She shook her head and held on tighter to me. “Charlie told me to run.”
As we entered the hotel room, Dozer yelled for Glitch. “Glitch! Glitch, get out here!”
Cash hung up the phone and rushed over to us as I set Bebe down on the couch. “What happened?”
Glitch poked his head out of his room, a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. Seeing the stricken looks on our faces, he quickly wiped away the toothpaste foam and joined us. “What’s going on?”
“Something happened to Charlie. Someone took Headset,” I said quietly, my mind racing.
Glitch was pacing at a dizzying speed. Worry was rolling off of him, but it was Cash and Dozer that overwhelmed my senses. They were a mixture of anger and worry boiling together and when I looked at them they were practically squaring off with one another, arguing back and forth about what to do. It was scaring Bebe more, making her cry harder.
“Enough!" An unbidden blast of telekinetic power rippled away from me and pushed them backward. They both stumbled, but appeared unharmed. I apologized and took a deep breath.
Cash nodded, but I felt a tremble of fear flash through him. He shook it off and took a step forward, placing his hand on my shoulder.
Dozer knelt down in front of Bebe, taking her hand in his. “Did they take Charlie, too?”
She looked up at him and shook her head slowly. “No, she’s still there.”
A look between Glitch and Dozer.
“Let’s go get her,” Dozer said. Glitch nodded and they were gone.
“I ran away,” Bebe hugged me closer and whispered against me. Helpless anger burned through her, something I recognized all too well.
“You did the right thing, baby doll.” I tipped her face up to mine.
With a deep sigh, she put her head back down on my chest. I met Cash’s eyes over the top of Bebe’s head. They were dark with the worry that rose higher with each second that ticked away.
Glitch burst through the door minutes later. His face was pale and I felt his stomach churning. “We need Bebe.”
“What happened?” Cash asked, coming to his feet.
He looked from Bebe to Cash, and then to me, choosing his next words carefully. “It’s bad.”
“And Headset?” I asked.
Glitch dropped his eyes to the floor. “We couldn’t find him.”
Dozer came through the door, carrying Charlie. I gasped loudly at the sight of her, my hand flying to my mouth in horror. Her body hung limply in Dozer’s arms. Her hair was singed nearly to her scalp on one side, and her skin was blistered and burnt. Parts of her flesh seemed like they’d been healing for weeks, as if Bebe had tried to help her, but hadn’t been able to finish.
My heart was racing and heat pushed up through my body as I realized what must have happened. Those burns were my sister's signature. Mia had done this to Charlie. Jason and the other's had taken Headset.
Dozer moved into our room and placed Charlie gently in her bed. “She’s still breathing, but it's shallow,” Dozer said, pushing her hair away from her face. His voice was shaking as he turned back toward us. “Bebe, do you think you can help her?”
Bebe climbed on the bed and placed her hands on Charlie’s arms and face. Tiny beads of sweat gathered on Bebe’s forehead and trickled down her face, but she stayed strong, focused. Charlie’s skin was healing, but the burns were deep and her left arm was dangling out of its socket. As Bebe's hand moved toward Charlie's shoulder, Charlie's arm adjusted and I felt the joint click back into socket with a loud pop and a sharp pang. I sucked in a quick breath and grit my teeth. The pain lessened almost instantly, but her burns and other broken limbs were still tearing through me. It was going to take Bebe a lot of time and energy to heal her. I wanted to run out of there and put as much distance between us as I could, but I couldn't leave Bebe and Charlie in that state.
Bebe’s eyes were shut tight in concentration, and although it had only been a few minutes, her little body started to quiver. She was pouring all her energy into Charlie, but she was fading fast, having already been tapped from trying to heal her in the street.
“Dozer, Bebe can't,” Glitch said gently, careful of Dozer's reaction. “It’s too much for her all at once.”
Dozer looked up at him, and there were tears in his eyes. Pain was thundering through him, and he was doing his best to hold it all together, but he knew Glitch was right. “It’
s okay, Bebe. Stop for a while. You did great,” he conceded.
Bebe wouldn’t move. Glitch came over and carefully picked her up. She struggled for a moment, trying to get back to Charlie, before her exhaustion won out and she relaxed in Glitch’s arms.
“I’m going to take her to lay down for a bit,” Glitch said.
“Thank you,” I told him as he passed us, leaving the room. Dozer had gone back to holding Charlie’s hand, his head hung low.
“What happened?” Cash asked.
Dozer was bent over Charlie, holding her hand. "What do you mean, what happened?" Dozer's anger flared and his body began shaking with rage. "You know who did this! I told you. I told you this was too much of a risk. We should have never come out here!"
I curled into myself and avoided looking at him, but his rage filled me so completely that it stung my insides and forced tears to well in my eyes. Cash looked at me, and then back at Dozer. Cash felt angry, protective and helpless all at once. I felt it vibrating through his limbs and up through his chest. "Stop it. We couldn't have known this would happen, Dozer," Cash growled.
Dozer's eyes shot to Cash. "I did."
"You didn't. You know we couldn't just leave Mia here if she was in trouble."
"She left us! She left her own sister to die in the ruins of that lighthouse!"
"I said stop!" Cash was right in Dozer's face.
"You stop. Liv was wrong. We followed her blindly and Charlie and Headset paid for it."
I squeezed my eyes shut. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to shake away Dozer's pain and my own guilt, but they both burned through me like acid.
“This isn't Liv's fault.”
"You're right. It's yours." Dozer's jaw clenched tightly. "We all look to you. We always have. You haven't thought straight since the day she showed up. Of course she wants to risk everything to save her family. It was your job to protect our family."
Cash looked at me again and I felt it hit home. The guilt he felt mirrored mine and his anger receded, but he didn't let Dozer see it. Cash's pride was too hurt to give him the satisfaction. They just stared at one another, letting the divide between them grow.
"Guys, placing blame isn't getting Headset back and it sure as shit isn't healing Charlie any faster." Glitch poked his head out of the room and scolded them. "Bebe can hear you in there. You're freaking her out."
Dozer broke first. “They took Headset. They saw him walk through that wall. I’d bet anything they’re going to use him to break into the ACT facility,” Dozer growled through tightly gritted teeth. “We need to go after him.”
Cash held up his hands, trying to reason with Dozer. “We need to think this through. We can’t just run back in there.”
“They’ve got Headset!” Dozer started to yell, but caught himself mid-sentence and lowered his voice to a low growl. "We can't leave him with them."
"We aren't going to leave him, we just need to be smart about going after him." Cash tried to reason with him, but he was so afraid for Headset, he couldn't hear any of it.
“They aren’t going to hurt him,” I tried to ease his fear, but it sounded weak and only angered him more.
“Oh, like they didn’t hurt Charlie?” Dozer snapped harshly, pinning me with a searing glare.
I quickly went into the bathroom and splashed water over my face. My skin felt hot and my throat was tight. Cash came in behind me and stood in the doorway waiting for me to tell him what I needed.
"I knew they were hiding something. I felt it. If I had just paid attention, this wouldn’t have happened. Charlie wouldn’t be hurt, and Headset—”
“Stop it. Charlie is going to be fine and we’re going to get Headset back.”
“I feel responsible.”
“Liv, I get that you can’t help but feel for everyone, especially with your empathy, but you don’t have to carry the burden of everything too. You don’t control other people’s actions. You had nothing to do with this, and I doubt you could have stopped it from happening.”
“But Dozer…”
“He’s angry and scared, and he’s not handling it well." Cash sighed and stepped forward, reaching out to me. He stroked my hair back, kissing my forehead. “We’re going to fix this, Liv.”
I hoped he was right.
“Guys, get in here!” Glitch yelled out to us. Cash and I ran back into the room to find that Charlie was beginning to stir. I sat by her side.
“Charlie?” I slipped my hand into her good hand.
She let out a startled cry, screaming for Headset. She struggled to sit up against the blankets, panic twisted on her swollen face.
I calmed her as best as I could. I murmured in a low, soothing voice, brushing back her hair and holding her gently. After a time, she squeezed me back fiercely. Her blue eyes were pale in their bruised sockets; the confusion in them cleared as she gradually realized where she was.
“Hey,” I said softly, letting her go. I was so relieved to see her awake.
“Can you tell us what happened? Do you remember?” Cash asked.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I was just leaving the store with the kids. Jason and the others had cornered us below the overpass. Lexa tried to take Headset, and when I went to stop her, Jason grabbed me. They took him, and when I tried to run after them, Mia...she..." Charlie trailed off. Her breath hitched and tears brimmed in her eyes as she looked down at her battered body. She swallowed hard and continued. “I couldn’t stop them. I told Bebe to run.” Suddenly, she seemed to remember something. “Where is she? Where’s Bebe?” Her eyes darted around the room frantically. I moved out of the way and Glitch brought Bebe forward.
“She’s here,” he told her. “She’s fine, Charlie. She came back and told us what happened to you. We couldn’t have found you without her.”
As Bebe climbed into the bed, Charlie held her as best she could, hugging her hard.
“Thank you,” she whispered, kissing Bebe’s cheeks. “You brave, brave girl. Thank you.” She looked up as Bebe nuzzled close to her, her brow furrowing. “Where’s Dozer?”
We all looked around and Glitch sped to the adjoining room and back in a flash. "He's not there."
I sent feelers out for him, but didn’t pick up on him.
“He went after them, didn’t he?” Glitch asked.
Cash let out a curse under his breath and became a whirlwind of motion, grabbing the keys to the Beast, trying over and over again to call Dozer on his cell.
“They’ll hurt him, Liv,” Glitch said quietly, trying to convey his point without alarming Charlie, but it was too late. The look on her face belied her intentions.
“Charlie, no. You’re not coming with us,” Cash told her gently.
“There’s no way I’m staying here. They have my brother and they could kill Dozer!” she said between gritted teeth, pulling the blankets away with shaking hands.
“You can’t move, Charlie,” I reminded her. “You haven’t healed yet.”
She didn’t listen. She slowly swung her legs over the side of the mattress, but she had hardly put any weight on them before she let out a shriek of pain, nearly collapsing. I flinched and held my ribs as Cash caught her, and helped ease her back down.
I gave Cash a look and he nodded. “Come on Glitch, let’s leave them be for a few.”
Glitch gathered up Bebe and then Charlie and I were alone. I smoothed the covers over her ravaged legs, mindful of her hurt arm. She was crying silently, her whole body trembling with the effort.
“Charlie, I know you’re scared right now. We're all scared, but you have to trust me. I won't let them hurt Dozer or Headset,” I said solemnly.
“I don’t know what I’ll do if...” She searched my eyes, and I felt her give in. Fear swept through her. It felt like a hard knot that settled in her chest
I put my arms around her carefully and hugged her as hard as I dared to, mindful of her tender skin. “We’ll bring them both home. I promise.”
I released
her from my embrace and kissed Bebe's forehead before stepping out the meet Cash and Glitch. “We should go back to the Islander,” I looked at Cash. “Just you and me. I’m hoping that we can negotiate this. If we go with too many people, they’re going to think we’re attacking.”
Cash turned to Glitch. “Will you stay with them?”
“Yeah, of course,” Glitch said, nodding. His nerves fluttered inside of him, zipping around like a hummingbird. I pulled me in for a hug. His arms wrapped tightly around me, and he didn't let go right away. "It's not them, Liv," he whispered in my ear. It sounded like a warning, but felt like a prayer.
I pulled back and gave him my best smile, trying to swallow the emotion that threatened to spill over. My fingertips left Glitch's as I made my way to the Beast, but I still felt him with me. His strength and optimism took root inside of me. I didn't realize how badly I needed it until I felt it, and the thought of going back to the Islander without it was terrifying.
As Cash turned the key in the ignition, he glanced over at me. “Do you think this is actually going to work?”
I let out the breath I’d been holding and met his gaze. “I don’t know, but if it doesn’t, I need you to get out of there.”
“You aren’t serious.” he scrunched his brow and stared at me like I'd cut him.
“I can take them if I have to, Cash, but it will be so much harder if I have to look out for you at the same time.” I could feel how my words hurt him, but he didn’t say anything. He looked forward and put the Beast in drive.
Chapter Eighteen
Nothing about the Islander seemed out of place from the outside as we drove up to it and parked, but I still had the feeling we were getting ready to walk onto a battlefield. We hurried up to their suite and were surprised to find that the door was already cracked open.
Cash and I shared a look; his brows were low over his dark eyes as he gave me a solemn nod. I took point, slowly pushing open the door, my telekinesis poised and at the ready as we pushed through the door.
I could tell immediately that we weren’t alone. I rushed in, expecting to see Dozer beaten to a pulp or worse, but nothing could have prepared me for the scene before us.
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