The Anomaly Trilogy Boxed Set

by Hackett, Anna

  “I’m going to get you out of here.”

  “We’re going to get each other out of here. And then I think I’ll take you up on that offer to come to Haven. I want to check it out, see if it’s as good as you say.”

  “It is.” His hands tightened on her. He didn’t realize how much he wanted her to come. He slid his hands down her arms, swirling his fingers over her tattoos.

  “I want to see your gardens.”

  “I’ll show you.”

  She straddled his lap, shifting her hips against him. “I think we still have a few hours until the sun sets.”

  “To sleep.”

  Her smile was very feminine. “Of course. What did you think I meant?”

  He dragged her closer and took her lips with his. He snaked a hand up under her shirt. “Exactly what I know you meant.” He pulled her down to the floor with him.

  After they devoured each other, they did sleep. John tried to move away from her, worried he’d hurt her again in the claws of a nightmare. But she clung to him, stubborn as a thorny vine of roses.

  John fell asleep with a warm, sleeping Eve wrapped around him.

  But it wasn’t much later he was jolted awake. He stayed still, listening for what had woken him. Eve was still asleep, her breath puffing softly against his chest.

  Then he heard it. A sound that chilled him.

  “Eve, get up. We have to go.” He shook her.

  “What? What’s wrong?” She sat up, blinking tired eyes.

  “Hear that?”

  She cocked her head, her eyes widening.

  A distant whump, whump, whump that was unmistakable.

  Helicopter.

  Chapter Six

  John hunkered in the window, searching the afternoon blue sky with Eve crouching behind him. She could only see faint wisps of clouds travelling across the sky, but the rhythmic sound of the helicopter’s rotors was getting louder.

  “We can’t stay here. They’ll be checking any shelter in the area,” John said.

  “Where the hell can we hide from them?” Keene would never stop coming. He saw her as a weapon, as something to be used.

  “Hey.” John gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. “We are getting out of here. I promise you.”

  She stared into the deep brown of his eyes. And she believed him.

  “Head out the door,” he said. “Stick close to the house.”

  She followed him out and they stood for a moment with their backs against the wall. Finally they spotted the helicopter. It was a black speck, like a mosquito hovering in the air above. Still a fair way out.

  But coming straight at them.

  “Behind the shack. It’ll give us a bit of cover.

  Eve ran faster than she’d ever run. They crested the first dune, then leaped over the top. She wind-milled her arms as she sprinted down the slope. She pushed for more speed.

  She was sick and tired of running.

  They crossed over another dune. Eve glanced over her shoulder. “Fuck, John.”

  The helicopter had changed course. It had spotted them.

  “Keep running.” His voice was grim.

  Nowhere to go. Just featureless dunes. Nothing to hide them.

  “The sand,” she panted. “We can cover ourselves again.”

  “They know our general area. They’ll search for us.” His face was grim. “I’ll steal time. You run and I’ll draw them toward me.”

  “No way.” She shook her head wildly. “Forget it. You promised we’d get out of this.”

  “No, I promised I get you out.”

  “We keep running. I won’t leave you.”

  John stared at her for a second. “Okay, run.”

  But as they sprinted, arms pumping, she knew they weren’t going to make it. The sound of the helicopter rotors grew louder and louder.

  She stumbled to a halt at the base of a dune. “John?”

  He stopped, his hands pressed to his thighs. “Damn it. Damn it!” He kicked at the sand.

  It was too late. She swallowed the lump in her throat and arched her neck.

  The helicopter hovered overhead for a moment before setting down in front of them.

  She stared at the sleek little machine and the fatigue-clad guards with rifles trained on them. One guard leaped to the ground. “Stay where you are.”

  Helplessness filled Eve. She looked around, desperate for something. Anything that could save them from going back. The veins in John’s neck stood out and his mouth was pressed into a hard line.

  “No one look her in the eye.” Keene stepped down from the chopper. “Jones, fire.”

  One guard stepped forward. Before Eve knew what happened, she felt a sting in her neck. John grunted as well. Eve grabbed at the tiny dart in the side of her neck and John did the same.

  “Don’t worry, it’s just an experimental drug that dulls your ability to steal time.” Keene’s smile was sharp as his gaze swung to John. “Gabe, I would never have guessed you would have survived out here. I know you were always a bit of an adventurer, climbing cliffs, scaling mountains, extreme skiing, but out here?” Keene shook his head. “Nope, didn’t think you had it in you.”

  He was dressed in a lightweight suit that looked ridiculous in the desert. He noticed Eve eyeing him and gripped his lapels. “Excuse my lack of outdoor attire, I just flew in from a meeting.” His smile sharpened on her. “I have some people very interested in you, Ms. Myles. They’re willing to pay a lot of money for your unique…skills.”

  Eve gritted her teeth so hard her jaw hurt. “I am not a thing. I can’t be bought and sold.”

  “My bank account proves differently. Unfortunately for you, my associates don’t care if you survive their experiments. They are a little heavy handed with their tests…as long as they get the results they want which is how to trigger all three anomaly abilities in others.”

  No. She wanted to fly at him and scratch that grin off his face.

  Strong fingers gripped her arm. She glanced at John and his nearness steadied her. She reached for his hand and his fingers closed around hers.

  Keene laughed. “Gabe, I would never have picked the skinny, tattooed Eve as your type. You always preferred statuesque blondes, as I remember.”

  “I don’t have a type. And my name is John.”

  Keene cocked his head. “Changing your name doesn’t change who you are. And if she knew who you were, she wouldn’t be anywhere near you.”

  Eve shook her head. “You’re full of crap, Keene.”

  Keene’s nostrils flared. “Eve, you’re going to come over here and get in the helicopter. Then my men are going to shoot John in the legs.” Keene’s dark gaze bored into John. “You’ve caused me enough trouble. I think lying out here in the blazing sun bleeding to death is a fit way to go.”

  Eve’s heart leaped into her throat. No. No. No. “I’m not going anywhere.” She looked to the guard beside Keene. He was younger than the others, still tough looking, probably ex-military. But most importantly, he was looking at her.

  She took control of his mind and his jaw went slack. “Fire at Keene.”

  “No!” Keene reacted quicker than she expected. As rifle fire echoed around them, Keene dove to the side.

  The other guards shot at the raided man and blood splattered across the sand.

  At the sharp sound of the rifle bursts, Eve jolted, but there was no time for regret. The guards then turned their weapons on her and John.

  They were both diving, bullets ripped into the sand around them. Eve hit the ground and saw John’s body jerk.

  “John!” Blood bloomed on his arm. She crawled over to him.

  He slapped a hand over the wound. Shadows streaked over them and they both froze.

  Eve kept her gaze on John and he stared back at her. She’d wanted her freedom, a chance to make a life for herself. She would have liked to have spent some more time with this man, but it looked their time had run out.

  The long barrel of a weapon pre
ssed hard against John’s temple. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She scrambled to grab his hand. In his eyes she saw a mix of violent emotions.

  But everything changed in a single heartbeat. She blinked, still staring into those brown eyes. But the gun was gone and screams echoed around them.

  What the hell?

  Someone had stolen time.

  ***

  John bounded to his feet, pulling Eve up beside him. People dressed in black were fighting with Keene’s guards. Some with weapons, others hand-to-hand, and some with their anomaly abilities. Dotted around on the sand were discarded parachutes and the whine of jet engines whistled through the sky.

  The team from Haven had arrived.

  Something bright burst inside of John. They’d come for him.

  A man appeared in front of them. A dark, dangerous man with eyes like darkest midnight.

  “Okay, John?” The man clasped John’s shoulder.

  John nodded. “Glad to see you, Cal.”

  “Took us a while to find you.”

  A tall redhead stalked up beside Cal. “Johnnie, you sure know how to get yourself into trouble.”

  “Old sins caught up with me, Mara,” John said.

  The woman shrugged. “We all have those.” Her green eyes alighted on Eve. “And who do we have here?”

  Eve straightened, wiping a hand down her tattered, dusty jeans. “Eve Myles.”

  Mara smiled. “I’m Mara and this is Cal. Thanks for rescuing our man here.”

  Eve glanced at John. “We kind of rescued each other.”

  He smiled back. Yeah, they had.

  “I’ll destroy you. I’ll destroy you all and that insignificant dot of an island you hide on.”

  They all turned at Keene’s hysterical cries. Two Haven guards had the crime boss held between them, his wrists and ankles bound. The rest of his henchmen were either dead or cuffed and on their knees in the sand. Keene was dumped on the ground beside them. One of his captors, Sean Archer, a former Navy SEAL, aimed a pistol at the man’s head. “Behave, because I would just love to have a reason to make a mess. I detest shit like you.”

  John knew the man’s wife, Bay, a time thief, had been through a lot. He knew because he— Leven—had been responsible for it.

  “Easy, Sean.” Cal stepped forward. “Mr. Keene, we’re well aware of you and your penchant for messing with anomalies. It ends today.”

  “Really?” Keene sneered. “Aren’t you going to welcome me to the family? Give me a cozy beach cottage with an ocean view?”

  John stiffened.

  Eve sprang forward. “You deserve so much worse than what you’ll get. These people won’t torture you, experiment on you.” She kicked him, catching him in the belly.

  John grabbed her and pulled her back. “Easy.”

  She struggled against him, then turned to press her face to his chest. John tightened his arms around her.

  Keene straightened. “You hate me, but you turn to a man who’s far worse than I am.”

  Eve raised her head. “You’re delusional, I—”

  “Who pumped you full of drugs? Who put the first scars on your arms? Who turned you into the ultimate freak?” Keene smiled, his teeth smeared with blood. “Gabriel Leven. Or John Brown, as he now calls himself.”

  Shock reverberated through John. When Eve had mentioned her past, he’d never given any thought to the fact that maybe, just maybe, he had been the one who’d hurt her.

  “You’re lying.” Her voice wavered.

  It was a knife to John’s gut. But as her green eyes swung around to face him, they were like the sharpest blades to his skin.

  “Tell me it isn’t true,” she whispered.

  “Eve—”

  “Tell me it isn’t true.” She slammed her palms against his chest. “Tell me.”

  “I’m sorry.” God, he’d hurt her again. “I was and am Gabriel Leven.”

  “No!” She pummeled him with her hands. He saw tears in her eyes. Then her jaw clenched. She reared her fist back and punched him in the face.

  John fell to his knees. He didn’t try to stop her, didn’t try to escape. She kept hitting him and maybe a part of him knew he deserved it.

  When Cal stepped closer, John warned him off with a look.

  Eve’s next punch sent him flying onto his back. She straddled his chest and kept hitting him. The last view he had before he lost consciousness was of Eve, her tattoos bold beneath the desert sun, and tears streaming down her cheeks.

  Chapter Seven

  “Good work, Danny. Now just pat the soil in around the roots.” John leaned over the young boy and demonstrated. “Great. You’re a natural.”

  The young time thief beamed. “Thanks, John. You’re a good teacher.”

  For the first time three days, John felt a small ray of sun peek through his misery. He glanced at the other young anomalies helping in the new garden plot he’d created. All the kids were new to their powers, afraid and unstable.

  He’d found over the last year that working in the gardens could soothe some of them, help them learn patience and restraint. He’d been collaborating with the island teacher, Cate, on a more formal program, and judging by the calm—and the smiles—it was working.

  Pity it didn’t make him feel any better. He glanced at his dirt-covered hands. Usually the gardens provided him with all the calm he needed.

  But it hadn’t worked since his time in the desert.

  Not since Eve.

  A blonde girl with huge brown eyes looked up. She was a soul stealer, who until a few days ago, had refused to come out of her room. “Why are you planting all these roses?”

  John swallowed. “Just to have something different from vegetables.” He picked up one of the mature plants he’d purchased on the mainland. Already, deep-red rosebuds filled the bush, threatening to reach full bloom.

  “They’re a lot prettier than carrots,” the girl added.

  “And they smell good too.” This from the time thief.

  “Yeah.” John shot a small smile at the kids and then set the bush in the hole one of the kids had dug. His finger snagged on a thorn and he muttered a curse under his breath. When he glanced up, he saw a flash of movement in the nearby trees.

  Red ink on slender arms.

  She’d been watching him again. He patted down the dirt with more force than necessary. Probably planning a way to murder him.

  Laughter made him glance over his shoulder. He saw Cate Walker heading his way with her husband Gage. The doctor bent his head close to his wife and then pressed a hand to her belly. She wasn’t really showing yet, but she was four month’s pregnant with their first child.

  “Hi, John.” Cate sent him a sunny smile.

  It still shocked him. Leven had done such terrible things to her. Cate had fought hard for her happiness and for a long time, she’d been extremely cautious around him. But John had so much to thank her for. She’d been the one who’d stolen Leven’s soul—or most of it, anyway—and removed what was Leven from inside John.

  “Hi, Cate. How you feeling?”

  “Great, thanks.” As she studied his face, her smile dimmed. “Better than you by the looks of things.”

  He dusted off his hands. “I’m fine.”

  Cate turned to the kids. “Okay, everyone. We’re finished for the day. Back to the classroom to get your things and then head off home.”

  The kids ran off with excited whoops, yelling their thanks to John as they went. Cate followed behind them to the small school building not too far from the gardens.

  “Nice roses.”

  John looked at Gage. “Want one for Cate?”

  Gage pushed his wire-framed glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose. “Sure. I hear ladies like roses.”

  John grunted and snipped off one perfect bud. He handed it to the doctor.

  Gage twirled the stem in his hands. “I finished with the tests I ran on you.”

  John stiffened. “And?”

&nbs
p; “I’m not certain I can reverse your time thief ability.”

  John closed his eyes. “You have to find away. If I revert back to Leven…”

  “That isn’t going to happen.” Gage gripped John’s shoulder. “All my tests have shown that the wipe you suffered during the steal…that part of you is gone. For good. Leven isn’t coming back, John. You are John Brown. Gabriel Leven is, for all intents and purposes, dead.”

  John turned, staring out at the beautiful ocean view. The island was a jewel of green leading down to white sand and crystal-clear, blue waters. A haven in every sense of the name. “The things I…the things Leven did, they still exist to the people he hurt. They’ll never go away.”

  “They fade every day.” Gage stood quietly at John’s shoulder. “Some of the people here are some of those hurt worst by Leven. They’re healing, moving on. They’re happy. It’s time you were too.”

  Happy. John shook his head. That was dream far from his reach.

  Gage stepped in front of him. “Listen to me. It’s time you forget about Leven. Stop punishing yourself for things you can’t change. Enjoy your life. You’ve been given a second chance. It’s time to make the most of it.”

  John swallowed and glanced at the trees. “What if you can’t have what you want most?”

  “Then you fight for it.” The normally reserved doctor’s words were forceful. “Fight. Like Bay and Sean. Like Cal and Mara. Hell, look at what Cate and I went through.” Gage shook his head, a wry smile touching his lips. “You sure as hell picked a tough nut to crack.” With a shake of his head, he slapped John on the back. “I’m not sure you realize, but you have friends here. Friends who care, who love you, and who want to see you happy.”

  John just stared at him.

  Gage’s smile was lopsided. “Believe me, some of them are just as surprised as you.” He handed the rosebud back to John. “I think you need this more than I do.”

  John took the stem and then Gage walked toward the school. John stared at the red petals, tucked in tight, but wanting to unfurl, to reach their full potential. He had friends. Friends who’d come for him, rescued him.