Sacrifice

by Denise Grover Swank

  Will pulled out of the hospital parking lot onto a four-lane road, the other cars gaining on them. “About a mile ahead, there’s an abandoned industrial park full of alleys between the buildings. We might be able to lose them there.”

  One of the cars pulled up behind them. Emma raised the shotgun and aimed for the windshield, squeezing the trigger. The sedan made a sharp jerk and then righted itself.

  “Can you do something to it with your power?” Will asked, swerving between two trucks in front of them.

  “I don’t know.” It wasn’t like when they’d escaped in the plane and she had to worry about exploding the gas tanks in the wings. But she hated to take a chance sending her power through the car. “I need to climb into the back.”

  “No!” He sounded panicked as he grabbed her arm. “If you climb over, they’re going to shoot you.”

  “Then I guess I’m stuck with a gun unless I try something out the side window.”

  “I can slow down and let them pull up beside us.”

  Her heart tripped. It was risky but would probably work. “Okay, let’s try it.”

  Will found a gap and moved to the left lane. The car slowed and the sedan pulled behind and rammed the back bumper.

  Emma braced herself with her hand on the dashboard and mumbled sarcastically. “I forgot how fun this was,” she grumbled.

  The sedan edged closer. Will jerked the wheel to try to hide the ruse.

  Emma focused on her anger as gunshots hit the side of their Toyota. She aimed for the front of the sedan and released her energy. Smoke poured out of the hood and the car swung to the side of the road, crashing into a speed limit sign.

  “One down,” she said. But two were left.

  The industrial park came into view and Will turned into the first opening in the parking lot, driving at an angle toward the buildings. He drove into a gap between the buildings, turned right, and shot down a narrow alley. Both cars pulled in behind them.

  Will pulled into the other side of the lane, barely missing a dumpster as he maneuvered around it. The car pitched as it flew through a pothole.

  An opening between two warehouses appeared ahead and Will turned left, skidding around the corner. Pulling out into a parking lot, he sped through the lot, turning onto a narrow road between two more buildings and back into the alley. They were now headed in the opposite direction. One of the cars pulled in behind him. He swerved onto a cut-through to the opposite parking lot again, backtracking to the beginning.

  Sirens sounded in the distance and Emma’s stomach knotted. “Pull into that road between the buildings and stop the car.”

  “What?”

  “Will, the police are on their way. We can’t outrun the police. Stop the car.”

  “Emma, there’s no fucking way—”

  The cars turned into the alley from opposite ends, both headed their direction. “Listen to me. I can do this. Trust me.”

  He turned onto the one-lane road and screeched the car to a halt. “What the hell are you planning to do?”

  “I’m saving our asses.” She opened the door and climbed out of the car.

  Will followed with his shotgun.

  “Will, you’re going to get yourself killed. Get back in the car.”

  “I’m not leaving you out here.”

  Emma shook her head in frustration, letting her anger at Will grow so that it overshadowed her fear. “Then get behind the dumpster over there and be my backup.”

  “But—”

  “They can’t hurt me, Will, but they can hurt you. Please, go over there.”

  He relented and aimed his gun toward the closest car. “If you can, don’t destroy both cars. We need a replacement.”

  Emma nodded and moved to the middle of the alley, surrounded by her golden glow.

  ***

  What the hell was she doing and more importantly, what the hell was he doing letting her stand out there?

  The glow around her thickened and she raised her hands, her face expressionless.

  Will took a shot at the sedan’s tire, but it was still too far away to be effective.

  Two golden orbs flew from her outstretched palms to the closest approaching sedan, which showed no signs of slowing down. The vehicle exploded, shaking the dumpster next to him and shooting flames into the sky. The car continued toward her, now as a fast-moving fireball. She jumped toward the dumpster as it flew past, nearing the oncoming sedan.

  Will ran to a chained sliding door on the warehouse next to them and gave it a jerk. He looked up at Emma. “Can you open it?”

  She nodded and stared at the lock, sending a small burst of energy toward it. The padlock flew to the ground.

  Will pulled the chain away from the door and shoved the rusted door open enough for them to slide through.

  Her eyes flew open and she dragged her feet as he pushed her toward the opening. “You said you had the book. Is it in the car?”

  Wrapping his fingers around her arm he pulled her harder. “Forget the book.”

  “No! Our lives might depend on that book! I have to get it.”

  His grip tightened as she fought against him.

  “Will!”

  “I’m not letting you get shot over a fucking book. Now get your ass in there.”

  A glow surrounded her again as her face contorted from her effort. Her skin singed his fingers and he released his hold. Emma ran into the alley as Will cursed under his breath, raising his gun to shoot anything that looked like a threat.

  The burning car had stopped in the middle of the narrow road. The other sedan was nowhere in sight, which meant they were circling around. “Emma! Hurry!”

  She opened the back door and leaned inside as the other car pulled in front of the Toyota. The sedan’s doors opened before it stopped.

  “Emma!”

  Her head popped up as the men spilled out with guns. She lowered beneath the seat backs and began tugging a bag out of the car.

  Groaning, he ran behind the Toyota before the first shots rang out.

  The open back door was her shield as she pulled out two bags and backed up behind the car.

  “Emma, just blow up their car!”

  “No, we need it. I can blow up our car, but we have to get our stuff out.”

  Will reached for both bags as two more cars pulled up. “Shit.” His heart plummeted. “Now we have two more options. Blow it up!”

  Emma looked through the back window, closing her eyes with a heavy sigh as she slid down. She opened them, determination hardening her jaw, and she flashed him a tight smile. “Piece of cake. But Will…” She looked out the window again. “I’m still learning things and I don’t have total control yet.”

  His singed fingers were proof of that.

  “I used my power several times and I’m weak. I want you to be aware that I might pass out.”

  He found the box of shotgun shells on top of the contents of his bag and reloaded his gun.

  “Then we’ll do this the old-fashioned way. With guns.”

  “But the police—”

  “We’ll deal with one thing at a time.” Balancing on the balls of his feet, he looked through the window again. “You stay behind this car and don’t move.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Eliminate the threat.”

  ***

  Will moved to the passenger side and planted himself behind the open back door.

  Well, this is bullshit. Did he really expect her to sit here? Sure, she’d been helpless back in the woods of Colorado, but she’d come a long way since then. Not that he remembered any of it. Damn it. But he’d seen what she could do, so that wasn’t it. She never should have told him about passing out, yet she wanted to warn him in case it happened.

  Nevertheless, she was torn. She trusted Will’s judgment. Usually. But he’d been overprotective in the past.

  He was going to be pissed.

  The car was less than twenty feet away, which was probably too close. She ha
d to make the explosion powerful enough to kill the men around it yet not ignite the Toyota. Yet.

  A heaviness filled her bones as she ignited her anger. She was tired. She’d used her power multiple times and hadn’t eaten anything. And although she felt stronger, she was sure there were still some residual effects from her contact with Raphael. She needed to be careful. If she passed out, she not only put herself in danger, but imperiled Will as well. Will, who’d move instantly to her side to protect her.

  She rose up to peer through the window. Four gunmen hid behind the open doors of the car in front of them. Pushing her energy through the Toyota seemed like a bad idea. She wasn’t sure she was strong enough to manage that trick in addition to making a fire. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the car, imagined it exploding. A peace filled her as she extended her hand, and aimed for the engine. As if firing a gun, she released her energy in a quick burst.

  The car erupted, violently shaking the Toyota.

  Drained, she sank to the ground, her back to the bumper.

  Will’s voice boomed in her ear, faint and far away. “Goddamn it, Emma!”

  She smiled, but it seemed slow in response. “You’re welcome.”

  He looped his bag over his shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist, hauling her up. “Come on. We’ll move into the warehouse while they’re regrouping.” Dragging her to the opening, he shielded her body as he held out his gun. They slipped into the darkness of the building moments before shots rang out in the distance.

  Chapter Nineteen

  She was conscious, but something wasn’t right. It was as though she’d been drugged. Will was pissed that she’d gone against his orders, yet he knew why she’d done it and he had to admit that it had bought them several precious seconds to hide.

  But if anything happened to her…

  Pushing the thought away, he concentrated on finding a place to hide as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Endless rows of shelves filled with sunken cardboard boxes lined the space. It was a perfect place to hide and pick off his pursuers one by one, but his priority at the moment was hiding Emma.

  She seemed to regain her strength, putting more weight on her legs while he pulled her down an aisle.

  “I thought I told you to sit still,” he whispered in her ear.

  “And let you have all the fun?”

  “Now I’m stuck dragging your ass around.”

  “And your reward is that you can do other things with it later.”

  They were about to fight for their lives and she teased him. She’d defended him multiple times, even saved James’s ungrateful ass. He didn’t think it was possible, but he loved her even more.

  A four-foot concrete wall jutted out, parallel to a door in the back corner. He couldn’t ask for a more perfect hiding place. He set the bag down in the corner and lowered her to the floor. “Emma, are you okay? Really?”

  “Yeah, I just need to eat something. Besides, I feel better already.” In spite of her words, she blinked, trying to focus on him. “This is going to sound crazy, but could you do something for me?”

  “What?” He would have promised her anything, but after her stunt, he was afraid of what she’d ask for.

  “Would you kiss me? I know it sounds desperate and needy at a time like this, but it’s an experiment.”

  He knelt on the floor in front of her, his ears straining for sounds that the warehouse had been breached. Satisfied they were safe for the moment, he leaned forward and caressed her neck, his mouth hovering over hers. “An experiment?”

  “I told you it sounded desperate and needy.” Her head lifted so her lips lightly touched his.

  His hand slid up to cup her head as he kissed her, barely touching her mouth.

  She moaned, igniting an unexpected wave of need in his gut. His arm reached around her back, crushing her chest to his as her lips demanded more.

  God, now was not the time for this, but his body responded to her with an intensity that caught him off guard. He felt electrified and the ring on his finger grew cold on his skin.

  What the hell?

  The screech of metal echoed throughout the building. They were here.

  Emma stiffened as she pulled away. “Will, please be careful. I can’t lose you.”

  The need to protect her was overwhelming. Was this what it had been like before? The thought of something happening to her nearly paralyzed him. “Emma, I thought I was insane. I didn’t even know you, yet you were in here.” He pressed her hand to his chest. “Most of my life, a huge chunk of me was missing and somehow, I know you fill it. I just found you and I can’t lose you, either. I don’t want to live like that again.” His mouth brushed her cheek and he whispered into her ear. “Stay here. I mean it this time. I don’t want to worry about you while I’m out there.”

  “I’m better. It worked.”

  He had no idea what she meant and he didn’t have time to find out. Instead, he pressed his pistol into her hand. “Shoot anything that comes around that corner. Do not use your power again.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Lure them away from you.”

  ***

  She shook her head, terrified to let him out of her sight. “No. We stick together. We did this once before. I got shot and you beat yourself up about it for weeks.” So she neglected to tell him that he stood next to her when it happened.

  His eyes looked haunted in the dim light filtering through the cracks in the roof.

  “If you were here alone, what would you do?”

  He exhaled twice before he answered, his tone gruff. “I’d climb up on a shelf and pick them off one by one, but that isn’t an option.”

  “Then we stay.”

  Shaking his head, he took the weapon out of her hand and examined the clip before handing it back. “Use your gun. Not your powers.”

  They didn’t have time for this argument. “I’ll save it as a last resort.”

  Scowling, he held his finger to his lips and pointed out into the warehouse. She nodded.

  A rustle came from the middle of the room. Will held up the shotgun, staring down the sight while Emma crouched behind the wall.

  He leaned down to her ear. “I know you don’t like this, but there’s too many of them and they’re too spread out. My first shot and they’ll rush us. I have to move around.”

  She choked on fear as it trickled down her throat. Anything could happen to him out there.

  “Emma, I trusted you. Now I’m asking you to trust me.” His eyes pleaded with her to understand.

  The corners of her mouth lifted slightly. “Be careful.”

  He nodded and reached into his bag, pulling out a knife before he disappeared around the corner.

  She scooted back into the corner, her heart slamming against her rib cage. If only she knew how many men he was facing. Not that it mattered. She was stuck behind the wall and wouldn’t know the difference anyway.

  The room was filled with an eerie silence that lasted several minutes. With each passing second, her tension grew. Other than an occasional rustle or muffled grunt, there was nothing. She knew what Will was doing with the knife, but the thought turned her stomach.

  After several minutes she heard the first gunshot, close to her hiding spot. Her finger curled around the trigger. It amazed her that in such a short time, using her power felt more reliable than protecting herself with a gun. But Will was right. She was still too weak. Will’s kiss had given her energy, confirming that he hadn’t lost that ability, despite the fact that he no longer had his mark.

  A man appeared in the opening, a gun pointed at her. She reacted on instinct, sending a small blast of energy at him. The gunman screamed as his shirt caught fire, panic in his eyes. He beat at his shirt, then he jerked, his limbs twisted at odd angles. He fell to the ground, silent and unmoving, while the flames licked his clothing.

  She froze. Only a handful of men were capable of doing that to someone. Emma swung the tip of her gun blindly as he
r heart raced.

  Raphael stepped over the body, disappointment contorting his mouth. “You’re not going to actually shoot me, are you?”

  Her panic ignited. “How did you find me?”

  “It wasn’t that difficult after you let your guard down. Imagine my surprise when I returned home last night to find you gone. Even more curious was the fact that I couldn’t find any traces of your power. So I tracked Alex, thinking he might have convinced you to go with him. You let your guard down about twenty minutes ago and I easily found you. I must say, I saw your handiwork outside. You’ve been a busy girl.”

  She stood, thrusting the gun at him. “Leave me alone, Raphael.”

  “Emma, you know I can’t do that. I want you to know that I don’t blame you. I haven’t been as understanding as I should have been and I’m sure Alex showed up offering you the moon. How could you resist? So we’ll just go back home now and forget this ever happened.”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  He tilted his head, forcing a patient look that made him look annoyed instead. “Emma, you need to train, and while I didn’t find what I was looking for yesterday, I did come up with some ideas to try.”

  “No, Raphael. I’m not going. I’m done. Now get the fuck out of my way.”

  “You won’t shoot me, Emmanuella.”

  “The hell I won’t.”

  He took a step toward her, his mouth lifting into a patronizing smile.

  She lowered the gun and pointed at his foot, squeezing the trigger.

  He jumped and released a growl. “What the hell, Emma?”

  She pointed the gun at his chest. “I’ll shoot you again if I have to.”

  He lunged, grabbing her arm. She pulled the trigger, but missed him. The draw to him seeped through her skin and her head fought for control.

  “Let her go, Raphael,” Will’s voice called out.

  Raphael laughed, but tensed. “Well, if it isn’t Lazarus himself, back from the dead.”