The bottom line – avoiding detection was key.
“Is this really necessary?” Mica slapped on a baseball cap and aviator sunglasses.
“Hopefully not.” Di smoothed her cap over her head. “But we’re not taking any chances.”
We took the elevator down to the lower parking level. Luke walked gingerly behind us, his demeanor grouchy. He kept grumbling about how hungry he was, but every time Di slowed and tried to give him a hand, he growled and brushed her off.
Di said it would take four to six weeks for his incision to fully heal. That seemed like too long. We couldn’t hole up in a hotel for a month and hoped nobody found us. Luke was going to have to move quickly whether he liked it or not. Hopefully, his sutures wouldn’t burst.
When we reached the parking garage, I automatically walked to the van we’d driven from the airport.
Only, it wasn’t there.
“Galena,” Father called. “Those vehicles have been disposed of.”
I shook my head. “Right. Of course.”
I once again wondered how many people around the country were on Father’s payroll. It was the same after Chicago. When we’d driven to the airport to fly back to Arizona, a man had appeared on the tarmac, as if coming from the shadows. Father had whispered to him before giving him the van’s keys.
That was the last time anyone saw the van. The news clips I’d seen since then indicated the police had no leads, including never having found the escape vehicle. I wouldn’t be surprised if the van we’d driven was currently at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
I returned to Father’s side. “Do you still have the money to pay your…uh…people?”
His hazel eyes appeared tired. “For the time being, yes. My overseas accounts are still secure. If everything goes to plan, my U.S. accounts should be transferred to more secure banks by the end of the week.”
“Did you find out how Marcus accessed them?”
“It was as I expected. He knows several board members in two of the banks I use. They’re behind my frozen accounts.”
I rubbed my hands on my arms, wishing again I hadn’t forgotten a jacket. “Isn’t that illegal?”
“It’s most definitely illegal.”
“But how did Marcus know those accounts belonged to you?” I asked the question with hesitation. Father had always been so reluctant to divulge any information about his outside life. I knew it was to protect us, but I wasn’t a kid anymore. I wanted to know.
“That I can’t tell you, but perhaps I was careless during my last excursion. A security camera may have detected me. I’m not sure, but I do know Marcus is actively engaged in finding us now. That wasn’t the case prior to rescuing Luke, Susannah and Edgar.”
Di tapped her foot. “We should really get going.”
Father threw keys to Di and Flint, effectively ending our conversation. “Four people per car. We’re all to take different routes to reach the hotel. Follow the GPS instructions I’ve programmed into your vehicles. Do not remove your hats.”
Flint, Jacinda, Luke and I slid into one car. It was a new Volvo. The soft, leather seats were smooth and comfortable. Flint took the driver’s seat, I sat on the front passenger’s side, while Jacinda and Luke climbed into the back. Our small bags easily fit in the trunk.
Di, the twins and Mica took the Toyota, while Father, Amber, Edgar and Susannah opened the doors to a Lexus. Susannah stayed close to Edgar’s side. Luckily, the otter seemed to have a calming influence on her.
When Flint turned on the engine, a screen on the dash came to life. Sure enough, a pre-programmed GPS glowed with driving instructions to the hotel. Even though these cars were more modest than what Father usually bought, my guess to not draw attention, they were still extremely nice.
“You guys sure travel in style.” Luke ran his hand along the interior.
“You know a thing or two about cars?” I was surprised that he knew a Volvo was a somewhat expensive vehicle. The only reason I knew that was because of our Transportation class in our homeschooling. If Father hadn’t taught us, I wouldn’t have known the difference between a Kia and a Porsche.
“I’ve seen movies,” Luke said defensively. “I’m not completely ignorant.”
I turned in my seat to face him. “Did you watch a lot of movies in O’Brien?”
Luke fiddled with his seatbelt. “Yeah. They’d let us gather in a lab sometimes, and we’d all watch movies together. There was a projection screen, and we’d bring out our blankets and lay on the floor. One of the techs, she was pretty nice. She’s the one who always brought the movies. Sometimes, when Marcus and Albert weren’t there, she’d snuggle with us and bring snacks and drinks.” Luke’s brow furrowed. “I haven’t seen her in years.”
My throat constricted. I imagined a dozen kids crowded in an underground lab watching movies together and soaking up the love and affection from a single research tech. A part of me was relieved their lives hadn’t been devoid of any love and kindness. The other part felt sick that a simple movie was probably the highlight of their childhood. It was so opposite to how we’d been raised. Father had showered us with love. I tried to picture a life without that.
I couldn’t.
With a squeal of tires, Flint drove out of the garage onto the dark, barren street. Rain fell on the windshield. The dark sky and somber weather seemed fitting considering what we’d just been discussing.
I glanced out the back windshield. Nobody else was on the road. Neither Di nor Father followed. They’d wait at least thirty minutes before leaving. We were all to arrive at the hotel at spaced out times and check-in separately. Flint and I would check-in first.
I turned back around to face Flint. His chestnut hair looked darker in the night. “So where’s the tracking device?”
Flint flipped on the windshield wipers. “Conroy has it.”
My eyes widened.
“Don’t worry. It’s contained in a lead box. We won’t remove it until we want to lure Marcus’ men.”
“And then what?”
“And then, we wait.”
THE HOTEL WE checked into was close to Fisherman’s Wharf. Lights from restaurants and shops filled the streets. People walked on the sidewalks, laughing and talking, their faces partly hidden behind umbrellas and rain gear. Nobody seemed to mind the rain that splattered the ground.
Flint pulled down a side street, looking for a place to temporarily park. Father chose this hotel because it offered self-parking underground in addition to valet parking. He didn’t want us using the valets, and since we didn’t have access to the underground parking lot yet, we needed to find a spot on the street.
We eventually found one as someone backed out of a spot in front of a restaurant. I silently thanked the fact that we weren’t in the van. Parking that thing down here would have been a nightmare.
Jacinda and Luke didn’t say much when we left, just that they’d wait fifteen minutes before following us to the hotel.
Humid, cold air greeted me when I stepped out of the car onto the street. It smelled invigorating and fresh after all of the time in the medical unit. Another pang of sadness filled me when I remembered those children in O’Brien who’d lived daily with stale lab air. Those that had died had never experienced anything different.
I did my best to shake those thoughts off and instead remembered what Frida, a woman I’d befriended during my homeless months, had taught me. Enjoy the moment. Take pleasure in what you have. We’d all learned to enjoy simplicity when growing up in hiding in the mountains, yet my four months of homeless life had driven it into me like nothing else. When one had nothing, simple pleasures were all one could enjoy.
“Ready?” Flint asked.
He pulled his jacket collar up while I lifted the hood on my sweatshirt. At least I hadn’t forgotten a sweatshirt and had the foresight to retrieve it before we left the medical unit. I knew sooner or later, I’d have to buy a jacket, but this would have to do for now.
I clasped Flint�
��s hand and carried my bag in the other. We walked quickly down the street. I switched my vision. Clouds appeared around those we passed. I had no idea if the men employed by Marcus had ever been experimented on, but if they had, their clouds would have colors. Spotting colored clouds, especially at night, was easy. They flowed around a person’s shoulders, bright and glowing, like a lighthouse penetrating through the night.
“Are you watching?” Flint asked.
“Yes.”
“See anything?”
“Nope, everyone’s normal.”
We were mostly wet by the time we arrived at the hotel. It wasn’t exactly a good look when we walked into the impressive lobby.
Despite our sorry looking appearance, an employee opened the door and greeted us. I smiled brightly from under my cap although Flint didn’t even glance at him. I knew Flint was worried. He’d been tense ever since we left the medical unit, so I wasn’t surprised when he strode straight for the check-in desk in long, purposeful strides.
The woman behind the desk greeted us brightly, but her eyes grew wide when she got a good look at us. I’m sure seeing two soaked individuals in hats and sunglasses at ten at night wasn’t normal.
I took off my glasses.
Flint sucked in a breath. I subtly brushed against him when a wave of power rolled off him. My gesture did little to reassure him, and while I wasn’t sure that I’d made the right move either, I figured my hat would still hide my face from any cameras. Besides, making an impression by appearing too secretive wasn’t a good idea.
Power continued to radiate from Flint’s core. I welled up my energy, creating a protective bubble around me, and shielded myself from the wave after wave that came from Flint.
I rested my forearms on the counter. “Two checking in.”
“Name?” The woman seemed to visibly relax after I took off my glasses.
“Melanie Winters.” I pulled out the fake ID Father had made for me weeks ago, just in case anything like this ever happened. Luckily, Flint remembered our IDs. Otherwise, mine would still be buried in my dresser in Arizona.
As the woman took down my information, I fingered the charm bracelet on my wrist that Flint had given me years ago. It was probably the only thing I kept close track of. I still felt ridiculously proud that I hadn’t lost it, even when I woke up in Rapid City eight months ago having no idea who I was.
When the woman handed me back the fake driver’s license, she asked for my credit card. I handed over the black card. She stood up straighter and smiled brighter. I knew it was superficial, but when one has a hundred thousand dollar limit, one tends to be treated differently.
“Is there room service this late?” I asked while she typed away.
“Of course, Ms. Winters.”
After checking us in, she rattled off the other amenities and waved an employee over to carry our bags.
Flint told her that wasn’t necessary.
She visibly balked and took a step back. Despite Flint’s strikingly handsome face, he tended to have that effect on people, especially when he was in his hide and protect mode. From the energy pouring off him, which felt as strong as radiation waves from the sun, I was surprised he hadn’t thrown me over his shoulder and disappeared upstairs.
I tried to ignore the heavy feel of his swirling energy, but even with my cloud wrapped protectively around me, my hand still slipped when I put my credit card back in my wallet.
By the time we got to our room on the fifth floor, Flint was tenser than a tautly pulled rubber band. I knew the others would be arriving over the next two hours, but at the moment, there was only one thing really dominating my thoughts despite Flint’s worry and despite my newfound anxiety over my moral character. Food. We hadn’t eaten anything since the morning.
I picked up the room service menu and winced when the sharp edge brushed the cut Susannah gave me. “Hungry?”
Flint stood at the window, looking out. Rain trickled down the pane against a dark sky. Strong energy still billowed around him.
“Seafood? Burgers? Italian? Thai?” I studied the vast selection. “What sounds good?”
“Whatever.”
I sighed and picked up the phone. It could be a long night.
CHAPTER TEN
Flint had to move the car, and he wanted to make sure everyone got checked in before he finally relaxed. The fact that he had been shot never fazed him. As always, he put the safety of our family before his own needs.
By the time we fell into bed, it was the early hours of the morning. The last thing I remembered was Flint’s warm body spooning mine. The next time I opened my eyes, it was morning.
Rain greeted me. I blinked a few times, not sure what I was looking at. The clock beside the bed read just after nine. It took me a second to remember we were in a hotel and the window I stared at overlooked San Francisco.
Flint still slept soundly.
I pushed away from his sleeping form and sat up. Bright white sheets surrounded us. Turning, my breath stopped. A slash of red, the graze from the bullet wound, marred his olive skin. The granulating tissue looked like a war flag promising bloodier battles to come. Seeing it made me grow cold.
Flint had been shot.
I so easily could have lost him.
A fluttering sense of panic followed. I hastily looked away. The thought of life without Flint was incomprehensible. We’d always been together. I couldn’t imagine ever not being with him. Yet yesterday, he’d been shot, actually shot. The knowledge of how precarious life was crawled up my throat.
Flint was shot. I almost lost him.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and concentrated on calming the panic that wanted to consume me. Flint’s not dead. He’s fine. He’s absolutely fine.
I took at least ten deep breaths before the suffocating fear receded. Flint continued to sleep soundly, completely oblivious to the emotions ripping apart my insides.
With one last breath, I silently lifted the sheets and crept across the floor. The carpet was rough feeling under my bare feet. It was that industrial strength kind with short looped ends. It would probably hold up under a herd of elephants.
I padded into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. The fear still lingered, just on the threshold of my mind. It would only take one little step for the numbing, heart stopping feeling to overpower me.
Cold tiles chilled me underfoot when I ripped open the shower curtain. I turned on the shower and stepped under it before it had a chance to warm. The frigid water vanquished any sense of panic. My teeth chattered as I let the water cascade around me. Any thoughts of losing Flint vanished as I focused on the chilling water.
Eventually, the shower warmed. I lowered myself to the floor and wrapped my arms around my knees. At least the cut on my wrist was healing. I tried to relax, to lose myself in the sheer bliss of a hot shower, but my mind wouldn’t allow it. Flint’s brush with death only highlighted how precarious our situation was. We were fighting to have a normal, peaceful existence. Fighting being the only apt word to describe it.
Another worry filled my mind.
An image of me slamming an energy ball onto the two men who shot at Flint hovered just on the edge of my conscience. Sickening doubts followed.
What kind of person does that make me?
I tried to shake off that disturbing thought, and to reassure myself that Flint would always be fine, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t.
Sometimes, it was hard for me to comprehend my life. Other than Flint and everyone else in our strange family, I’d never encountered others who were constantly hiding or trying to find a way to live like normal people. And I’d certainly never met anybody who had power like we did. Power that could be dangerous.
Our entire existence had been based on secrecy, and given what we could do, I now truly understood why. Sometimes I wished I could be normal. If Father hadn’t stolen us when we were small children, if O’Brien hadn’t experimented on us and permanently changed our brain c
hemistries – we wouldn’t have these abilities.
And I wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone.
I gripped my knees tighter. Water dripped down my arms. I traced the small tattoo on my left inner wrist. A perfect circle divided into four quarters. The symbol for Earth. The symbol Father had tattooed on me eight months ago when he’d tried to free us from the confines of hiding. When he’d tried to give us normal lives.
I sighed and ran my hands over my wet curls. Ducking my head, I let the water cascade down my back. Rivulets trickled past my toes. Heavy steam filled the room.
The handle squeaked when I turned off the shower. Wrapping a thick, soft towel around myself, I stepped out and tried my best to put my thoughts and worries behind me.
FLINT WAS UP by ten. After he took a quick shower, we ordered room service and sat on the bed in silence while munching toast and eggs. His chestnut colored hair, still damp from his shower, curled at the ends. His deep set dark eyes followed my every move.
I nibbled a piece of toast. Despite having not eaten since last night, I didn’t have an appetite. Too many things still barreled through my mind.
“Want to talk about it?” Flint finished his coffee and set the cup on the tray.
I curled my legs underneath me and glanced his way. “Hmm?”
“Something’s bothering you. A lot. I can tell.”
I hastily rearranged my legs and almost tipped over my coffee in the process. “Why do you say that?” I brushed crumbs from the bedspread. It only spread them across the sheets more.
Flint grabbed my hands, stopping my movements. “Babe, talk to me.”
Reborn: A Contemporary Fantasy Romance (The Lost Children Trilogy Book 3) Page 8