Altered

by Marnee Blake

  Around the crushing pain, she asked, “Where did he go?”

  “Blue, come on.”

  “Tell me.”

  “He went to Fort Sam Houston. The other side of town.”

  Her fingers dug into the hotel comforter. Even as every disgusting thing she’d ever read about hotel comforters played through her mind, she had to hold on as the hurt rolled through her.

  “Listen, he had to go. He didn’t know what else to do. He’s terrified of what this thing is doing to you guys. To you.”

  She glared up at Nick. “Nice of him to leave you behind to explain. He should have explained himself.”

  But he had tried to explain. She hadn’t wanted to hear.

  She moved to get up, to flee to the bathroom, where she could be hurt all by herself. But Nick caught her arm. “He left you a note.” He nodded toward the desk and studied her for a moment before asking, “Did he tell you about Bobby?”

  “His friend, in Afghanistan?” What did this have to do with him leaving her behind?

  Nick nodded. “Bobby was a civilian who traveled with us in the ’Stan. A photographer. He and Seth got real tight. But one day, when Seth was on his detail, Bobby was killed.”

  “He told me that. But it was an accident, right?” It had to be an accident. Seth would never be needlessly negligent.

  “Of course it was an accident. But Campbell…”

  “He thinks it’s his fault.”

  Nick nodded. “Listen, Campbell…he has reasons for what he’s doing. You should know that.”

  She wasn’t sure what she knew right now. “He thinks they can help him.”

  “You.” Nick pointed at her. “He thinks they can help you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah, you.” He snorted and reached for his bag, stuffing his few items inside.

  “Because of Bobby?”

  “No.” He glanced up. “Well, maybe. Because he doesn’t want you to be another Bobby. But that isn’t all of it. If you think it is, you haven’t been paying any attention.” He zippered his bag and dropped it on the bed. “We have to get moving.”

  “To where?”

  “Seth thinks we should go to your mother’s. I think it’s as good as any place.”

  “No.” She shook her head.

  “What?”

  “I said no.” She stood, reaching for her things, sliding her feet into her shoes. “We’re not going anywhere without Seth.”

  “I told you. He’s at Sam Houston. And he’d be pissed at me that we’ve been so slow getting going.”

  “Nah, he’ll be pissed at me.” She smiled. “He knows I’m unmanageable.”

  Her gaze drifted across the room, the hideous painting of ugly flowers, the brass wall sconces, before falling on the wad of cash on the desk.

  A lot of cash. She retrieved the bills and counted. It seemed to be all the cash Luke had left them. She put her hand on her stomach, suddenly nauseous, and reached for the letter beside it all.

  She lifted it with shaking fingers.

  Blue:

  I know you’re upset. I’m sorry for that. You’re right. If you didn’t want to go, you shouldn’t have to. But I needed to find out what they know. We need their help.

  I’ve left the money. Go to your mother’s, like you planned. I’ll let you know when I have answers. I hope they can help us.

  Be safe.

  Seth

  He wanted her to go to Idaho? Now? Did he really think she’d leave him here? Idaho was only a hiding place. She’d thought they could stay with her mom, find some internet access somewhere, and try to figure out where they’d hidden Kitty.

  None of that could happen now, not with him at Sam Houston.

  She didn’t trust the army at all. She certainly wouldn’t leave him here to face it alone. It wasn’t who she was.

  He’d accused her of making her own decisions, everyone else be damned. Talk about the pot and the kettle. She snorted.

  She went to the window and glanced out, trying to get her thoughts together, figure out her next steps.

  But below, three army utility vehicles were parked at the curb. She stepped back from the window quickly, letting the curtain fall.

  A slow smile split her face, and she dropped her bag on the carpet.

  “What are you doing?” Nick demanded.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the desk. “Listen. If you want to go, you can go by yourself. But decide fast, because the military’s here to get us. And I’m going with them. I’m getting Seth back.”

  The questioning had gone on for at least an hour. It had to be after midnight, though he wasn’t sure, since the room they’d chosen for this interrogation had no windows. He rubbed his forehead, then his eyes, the exhaustion almost debilitating.

  “You can run fast, you say?” the lieutenant next to Colonel Lloyd asked again. Maybe it was all the hours of questioning, but it came off patronizingly. Seth fought the urge to stand, to pace off his growing irritation. They’d gone over this and over this. He’d explained every minute—well, almost every minute—of the last few days. Twice. Then he’d explained what he knew of his powers. He’d explained about the rest of their powers. He’d told them everything, and they made him repeat himself again and again.

  These were standard interrogation tactics. They were waiting for him to make a mistake, change his story. They were testing every facet of his knowledge and looking for holes. When they found one, they would pounce.

  “Yes. I’ve said that already. Three times. I can run fast. But I came because we are having side effects. Nosebleeds. Headaches. Lost consciousness. We need your help.” He glanced at Martins, who stared at his folded hands. Damn him. Why had he thought he could trust that guy?

  The colonel’s face darkened. “You’ve said that as well, Specialist.”

  “Beg your pardon, sir, but I thought maybe you were having difficulty hearing.” He smiled, but he was walking the thin line between cute and insubordinate.

  The colonel opened his mouth to respond, and Seth had no idea what was about to come out next, when a knock at the door saved him. A grunt came in. He stood next to Martins and whispered. The kid obviously didn’t want Seth to hear, but he shouldn’t have bothered. Seth heard everything. “We have her.”

  Martins’s mouth thinned, and he met Seth’s eyes. Seth forgot his exhaustion. “Have who, sir?”

  The men sitting across from him said nothing, but their expressions closed, became cautious. Two of the lieutenants began shuffling papers, not making eye contact. That’s when he knew. Immediately, he felt ill. “You went after Blue, didn’t you?”

  Martins’s brow furrowed. “I don’t like this.”

  He’d given Nick enough time to get moving. He hadn’t arrived at Sam Houston until 2300, as planned.

  Which meant the army must have gone after Blue before he’d even spoken to Martins.

  The taxi driver. There weren’t that many hotels in the area where the taxi had picked him up. They must have questioned the taxi driver before Martins even walked in. And Seth had given them Blue’s location.

  So, she had been right. They’d been watching Goldstone’s activities. He’d known there was a good chance of that, too, but he’d hoped they’d at least want to help them. Apparently not.

  He stared across the table. The men in front of him had gone from being wary to suspicious. They hadn’t given him an explanation. That was unacceptable. He deserved an explanation. When you double-crossed someone, you should have to stare him in the face while you did it. He glared, waiting. “You have no intention of helping us, do you?”

  The particularly smarmy fellow at the end of the table pushed his glasses up his nose and answered, “You all need to remain in our custody. You may pose a danger to society or yourselves. From what you’ve said, Miss Michaels doesn’t have complete control of her new abilities. She belongs here. All of you do.”

  “I came here so you could help us,” he gritted out.
“We need help.”

  “Some things are more important, son.” No hint of apology.

  He let that wash over him. They were a risk, something the army needed to neutralize.

  Blue was in great danger. So was he.

  He needed to get out of here, get to her. She needed help before it was too late. He should have stayed with Blue in the first place. He should have found another way.

  More, if he’d explained what he was planning to her, they could have come up with a better option…together. Like the team she’d wanted them to be. Instead, he’d insisted on doing it alone.

  And he’d ruined everything.

  Glancing around the room, he channeled his anger and allowed his brain to do the work for him. There were five of them, all armed. They really must have thought he was a threat if they had their guns on base. Of the group, only Martins looked uncomfortable. The door was locked. He thought back, his mind replaying their entrance hours ago, and realized the smarmy guy had the keys in his front pants pocket. He decided to go for the door instead and not bother with keys. His brain told him that choice had a better chance of success but remained fuzzy on how much better of a chance.

  Before, when he thought through a fight, he would see the final outcome clearly. He’d see how he would manipulate each of the participants for his own gain. Then he would see his ultimate victory.

  Here, he couldn’t see his victory. He saw numerous outcomes. There were too many variables. There were five opponents. On their breasts, they wore varying ribbons and medals, all boasting additional trainings and advanced valor. These were the army’s finest, men who could think and act. Men with no shortage of courage. Men who knew exactly what he could do now, thanks to his own mouth.

  There were other men watching, he was certain of it. He didn’t know how many or what their roles would be. That added another layer of difficulty to what would already be a nearly impossible escape.

  It didn’t matter. He had to try. He had to get to Blue.

  He spent a fraction of a second calming his mind. Telling himself that it didn’t matter that he was going to lose. Then he sprang forward.

  He jumped out of his seat and over the heads of the men seated in front of him. He spun in the air, landing behind them, and pulled two of their chairs backward with quick yanks, sending the colonel and one of the lieutenants sprawling backward. He spun, snapped Colonel Lloyd’s face against the table and tripped another lieutenant who had stumbled to his feet.

  All this happened in less than a second, but it had been enough time to allow Lt. Smarmy to get his bearings. He’d stood and was in the process of pulling his gun. Seth didn’t slow, barreling forward and catching him around the waist. They tumbled to the floor with an oomph, and Seth elbowed him in the face. He tried to scramble over him, but Smarmy squeezed. They grappled, rolling from side to side. Smarmy might not look like much, but he wrestled like an octopus. Seth twisted the lieutenant’s hand and broke past him.

  In his periphery, he watched Martins step back, his hands up. He’d chosen to stay out of the fight.

  Smart man.

  As he scurried to his feet, his chest expanded for a brief moment. If he could open the door…if he could get out into the hall, he could get going. This closed space…if he could only get out of here…

  The door opened, admitting more men, a dozen maybe, before it slammed shut again, trapping him inside. He continued to fight, but hands circled his waist, his arms, so many hands. He shook, tried to break free, but they brought him to the ground.

  There was shouting and the sound of chairs scratching against the floor. Feet shuffled nearby and grunts rent the air.

  A zip tie fastened around his right wrist. His struggles became desperate, but he was ultimately overpowered. As they took him to the ground, he lay on his stomach staring at the small table that held an ancient coffeepot and a few chipped mugs.

  As he heard movement outside—reinforcements, probably—he knew he wasn’t getting out of here.

  They dragged him to his feet, and his sense of failure was absolute.

  Then the door exploded. It didn’t open; it flew off the hinges and into the room as if hit by an explosive. The military men cowered, hitting the ground. Everyone but him.

  Blue stepped inside, her eyebrows furrowed. Nick stood behind her, pistol raised, guarding her back. Seth glanced at the officers, all in different phases of standing or falling to the ground. Blue didn’t look at him, instead staring out into room as if trying to see its entirety at once.

  “You ready?” Her tone was mild, but her voice shook. He could see the strain on her face.

  And a trickle of blood ran from her nose.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Blue ignored the headache pounding behind her eyes. So, fine, she didn’t ignore it. It would have been like ignoring a battering ram on her forehead. She refused to acknowledge it, to be mastered by it. If she lost control, she’d lose her hold on all of these guys, and she needed to get them out of here. It wasn’t only those guys, but the men in the next room who’d been watching the proceedings.

  Holding men still through a concrete wall… It was proving difficult.

  Nick swept into the interrogation room and used a knife to cut the zip tie at Seth’s wrists. Seth was on his feet in a second, snagging the gun from the nearest officer’s holster and another from the man next to him. He tossed the spare to Nick, who caught it. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Saving…your ass.” She could hardly talk through the strain of holding the men still.

  She couldn’t figure out if she was incredibly loyal or incredibly stupid. What she did know was she couldn’t leave him here, alone. He belonged with her.

  “Thank God you’re all right. I’m so glad to see you.” His whisper was full of relief. Happiness sailed through her, even as the pain behind her eyes became unbearable. She could feel herself quaking with it. Her vision blurred, and she teetered, losing grip of what was going on. As she lost her hold on the men in the room, the pain released.

  In desperation, she dived forward, to shield Seth and Nick. Vaguely, she heard a pop, and then fire exploded in her right shoulder. In her periphery, she saw Seth turn, horror on his face.

  She hadn’t been strong enough, hadn’t held them long enough. She’d failed.

  Arms circled her, and then she was moving into the hall at a run, held against Seth’s strong chest.

  She couldn’t catch her breath, and her right arm was completely numb. Had she been shot? It felt like it. God, the burn… She clung to Seth with her left arm as her head pounded with the effects of holding the men for so long, and her body began to go numb. She struggled to open her eyes, needed to get her bearings, to help. But for a few long minutes, all she caught were flashes. Painted cement block walls. Commercial doors. Ugly drop-tile ceiling and fluorescent lighting.

  Noises penetrated. The sound of fists connecting, more gunshots. Beneath her, Seth was running at breakneck speed, and she could almost taste his panic, could hear it as he barked commands at Nick.

  She dragged her eyes open. “I’m glad.”

  He glanced down at her quickly, never breaking his stride. “What?”

  “I’m glad…I came.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t.” He shook his head. “You stay awake. No sleeping.” The command was a challenge. As if he didn’t think she could stay awake.

  She would stay awake. To prove him wrong. But then she lifted her hand, to touch his face, and she saw blood on her fingers. So much blood.

  Staying awake might be harder than she thought.

  With Blue disoriented in his arms, the panic in Seth’s stomach nearly ate him from within. The wound was bleeding, but it wasn’t gushing as it would if it had hit an artery. She had time. Or so his massively logical brain said.

  She wouldn’t die. He’d refused to allow it, hadn’t he? He’d refused to let another person die because of him.

  Still, he picked up his pace. He rounded
the corner to find men lined up, blocking his path. He halted and backtracked, stopping Nick beside him.

  “We need to get her out of here.”

  “Where’s she hit?” Nick asked, checking his pistol.

  “Right shoulder. High, I think.”

  Nick peeked around the corner. “Not this way. Back the way we came?”

  “I think we need to find a window.” The doors would be blocked by now. If they had any chance, they’d have to sneak out of the building. But they would have to do it fast, while everything was still in flux.

  Even now, he heard sirens. Not good at all.

  “What is it with you guys and windows?” Nick muttered.

  Seth would have smiled if he wasn’t so worried about Blue. He nudged his head to the open door behind them. They crept backward, Nick covering him, and into the room, closing the door behind them. He pulled the string on the blinds next to the door, covering the window. It might buy them an extra second or two to get out of here.

  They appeared to be in someone’s office. He strode forward, swept his hand across the desk, and laid Blue down. A quick assessment showed both an entrance wound in back and an exit wound in front, right below her collarbone. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least the bullet wasn’t still inside.

  “Blue?”

  Full of pain, her eyes focused on him. “Yeah?”

  “I’m so sorry. You need to know that. I’m going to get you out of here.”

  “Came to get you out.” He had no idea how she managed to sound so outraged, but it tugged at his heart like nothing else could have.

  He ran one hand over his hair, the other on his hip. He’d tried to avoid this exact thing, damn it. Why hadn’t she listened to him?

  Even as he stared at her too pale face, he knew why. Blue didn’t run and hide. How had he not seen that she would come?

  He’d misjudged her, and because of that, she’d ended up bleeding and hurt. The one thing he feared the most.

  As he paced the room, he tried to work through what had to happen next.