There appeared to be some sort of an evacuation going on, with pairs of people carrying kids out of the room on their cots. I gripped my throat and muttered, “Oh, shit,” under my breath. The tear gas must’ve passed through the gateway. Those poor kids . . .
Garth stared at the living drawing on his wall, his eyes saucers and his expression rapt. “What is this?”
I figured it was best to work with a minimalistic approach, explanation-wise. “Think of it like a doorway,” I said, right before I pushed him through the wall. He stumbled onto the other side, then turned around and marched right back toward me. And then he disappeared.
I smirked, though my heart wasn’t in it. One-way gateways, and all that . . .
“Find Dorman,” I called through the gateway, hoping he could hear me. “I’ll join you soon.” A moment later, I retrieved the can of touch-up paint from the shelf above the washer and drier in the laundry closet and splashed the entire can on the wall above the ink-drawn gateway. The moment the off-white paint dripped across the drawing, the whole thing crackled like a live wire touching water, and in a blink, it reverted to being just a picture. Just lines drawn in black permanent ink. Nothing more.
I rushed back to the couch and opened up my backpack, pulling out a wad of freshly washed clothing. I dressed as quickly as possible, ignoring the singed state of my skin, shoved my feet into my boots without bothering to tie the laces, strapped on the sword harness without buckling it, then grabbed my backpack and leather jacket and the bag filled with my soiled clothes from the Carmichael incident. Hands full, I ran to the broken-in door.
“Garth has a personal vehicle, does he not?” Dom said. That Dom, always the voice of sound thinking and clear reason.
I paused, then backpedaled to grab the set of car keys sitting in a carved wooden bowl on the kitchen island. Driving out of here would be a whole lot less conspicuous than leaving by foot.
A muffled feline yowl brought me up short just as I was passing through the doorway. Eva. I’d forgotten about her in all the chaos. From the sound of her desperate cry, she was somewhere back in the bedroom.
I hesitated. I could just go. I should go. Eva would probably be fine, and I sure as hell didn’t have time to wrangle a terrified cat. But even as I took a step into the hallway, I thought of Garth and how devastated he would be if I let something happen to her.
“Oh, come on,” I grumbled, dropping my burdens and rushing back into the condo. I grabbed the cat carrier from the laundry closet and ran into the bedroom. The gas was still pretty thick in there, and my eyes stung anew. “Eva?” I called out, coughing as I scanned the ripped-up, body-strewn space. “Here, kitty kitty . . .”
Another yowl. I was pretty sure it came from the cabinets under the bathroom counter.
I dashed into the bathroom and crouched down, opening one of the cabinet doors. Sure enough, there was the little calico cat, huddled in the back corner, relatively unharmed. Thank the gods . . .
I didn’t have time for caution. If she bit me, so be it. I would heal. I reached into the cabinet and yanked her out by the scruff. Thankfully, Eva was little more than a tense, trembling dead weight. I shoved her into the carrier and tucked the whole thing under my arm like an oversized football, then fled from the condo, snagging my leather coat, sword, and the trash bag on my way out.
I took the stairwell down to the basement and was already clicking the disarm button on the car alarm’s key fob before I’d even opened the door to the underground garage. I didn’t know what Garth drove when off duty, but not knowing didn’t make me miss a beat. I pressed the button over and over as I jogged farther into the garage, following the beep-beep beep-beep.
“Hot damn,” I said with a breathy laugh when I finally honed in on his car.
I’m not sure what I was expecting—maybe an SUV or a truck. Not the case. Garth owned a classic beauty, a black and chrome Mustang. The muscle car had clearly been restored and retrofitted with modern amenities like an alarm, because it couldn’t have been a day older than 1967.
Pushing stringy, tangled wet hair out of my face, I unlocked the driver’s side door and flung my bag, jacket, and the condemning trash across the center console to the passenger seat. I strapped in Eva’s carrier in the backseat before sliding into the car myself. After I stuck the key into the ignition, I shot a quick glance around, then twisted my wrist. The engine roared to life in the cavernous space.
After a second or two, the Mustang settled on a low, thrumming rumble . . . until I put her into gear and maneuvered her out of her parking spot. I was surrounded by thunder and vibrating power, which only increased as I pulled out of the garage and onto the street. When I shifted into second and pressed on the gas pedal once more, a thrill rushed through me. The old girl had kick, and I kind of loved her.
I was tempted to really let her open up on the freeway, but it was too risky. I needed to fly under the radar, and getting pulled over was pretty much the opposite of that. My face was all over the news, after all. There was no doubt that any traffic cop would recognize me, and then I’d have to fight my way out of yet another sticky situation, and I really didn’t want to beat up anyone else for just doing their job. Everybody needs money, after all. It’s the world we live in.
Traffic was shitty pretty much everywhere, not that it was really any surprise—weekdays from two thirty to seven in the evening are pretty much the worst times to drive in Seattle. Aside from the mornings. And any time there was an accident. Or just someone getting pulled over for speeding.
Most times are the worst times for driving in Seattle, and this time was no different.
I lasted on the freeway for a single stretch between exits before getting off and navigating my way through the maze of stoplights and one-way streets downtown. It took a ridiculous amount of time for me to make it a few miles, but finally I was parking the Mustang in an abandoned gravel lot beside the freeway, maybe a quarter mile southeast of the Tent District’s eastern gate. I was so close to meeting back up with Garth. So close to sending him away, for good.
I must’ve been sleepwalking the past twelve hours. It was the only explanation for why I’d let anything happen between us. For why I’d thought any kind of an anything between us was a possibility. He was good and pure, and his life had been free and easy before I’d come along. His life had been safe. I was toxic to him, as bad as the tear gas, and the longer he hung around me, the more likely it was that he’d get dead. I’d let my heart take over, and that had been a mistake. It was time to start thinking with my brain . . . and only with my brain.
I buckled my sword harness, shrugged into my leather coat, still splattered with sticky blood, zipped it almost up to my neck, and settled my backpack on my shoulders. Hands in my pockets and head down, I hurried toward the Tent District’s eastern gate.
“Would you mind unzipping a bit so I can see where we’re going?” I sucked in a breath, startled by Dom’s voice. He’d returned to the Bainbridge mirror for the drive to get Lex and the others up to speed and to get an update on Carmichael, and I always felt antsier when he wasn’t the voice of reason in my head.
“Please tell me keeping that sick fuck alive was worth it,” I said as I unzipped my coat a good six inches.
“Neffe did a rough patch job on his”—Dom cleared his throat—“wound. She loaded him with morphine, and he’s been very chatty ever since. He might not have been directly involved with the infection, but his dirty little fingers were dipped into enough other projects to make him a wealth of information, not only on what Ouroboros is up to, but Initiative Industries as well.”
I pressed my lips into a thin, grim smile. “That’s something, at least.” The reality that Carmichael might be able to do more good alive than dead—for now—eased some of the regret and disgust knotted up in my belly. Some, but nowhere near all of it. I still wanted him to suffer, and a morphine-induced haze was a far cry from that.
“You must be more cautious, little sister,” Dom sa
id. “It would seem the board of directors took your threat more seriously than we’d expected. They must have extra eyes on the board members.” It was his argument for how the mercenaries had found me in the first place—they’d seen me leaving Mitch Carmichael’s building.
I stopped across the street from the eastern opening in the razor wire–topped chain-link fence surrounding the Tent District and placed my hands on my hips, shaking my head. “But then wouldn’t they have stopped me when I was actually working on Carmichael?” I started pacing, a dozen steps down the sidewalk, then a dozen back up. “Maybe it was an anonymous tip? Someone easily could’ve spotted me leaving his place. I looked like hell . . .”
“Perhaps,” Dom said. “But that would suggest that the Senate and/or Ouroboros or Initiative Industries have people inside the police force, which is just as disturbing.”
I paused, considering his words, then continued pacing. “We have to assume they do. Which means Garth can’t go back to work. They know he’s involved now.” I wasn’t sure if “they” was the Senate, the pharmaceutical giant, Ouroboros, or its conglomerate parent company, Initiative Industries. I’d pissed off all three with my revenge stunt a week ago—totally worth it—so it could be any of them. Or all of them. Regardless, Garth now had a big fat target on his back, too, thanks to me. “They’ll kill him,” I told Dom.
“I’m in agreement. This just goes to show how recognizable you are now.” He was quiet for a moment. “Perhaps it is time to move out of the Seattle area. There are many other neutral Nejerets to visit outside of Seattle. You know Heru will provide any resources you might require.”
But I was shaking my head before he’d even finished what he was saying. Not that he could see me. “I can’t go anywhere until we stop this disease. Otherwise, all of Dorman’s people are as good as out. We have to show them that Heru’s side is the right side . . . that human lives mean something to us.”
Dom was quiet for a long moment.
I picked up the mirrored pendant and held it away from my chest so I could see his face. “You know I’m right. I can’t stop until the board tells me what I need to know. Dorman may have the infection contained for now, but who’s to say that’ll last? And if it gets out . . .”
“Perhaps you are right,” Dom acceded, his shadowed, silvery stare hard. “But taking on the Ouroboros board on your own is suicide. They’ll be watching for you now. They’ll be waiting.”
I smirked. “Who said anything about taking them on alone?”
“I don’t count.”
I sent him an air kiss. “Come on, Dom, you’re worth a thousand allies.” I shrugged one shoulder. “But I wasn’t talking about you.”
Dom shook his head slowly. “Then to whom, may I ask, were you referring?”
I blinked my lashes several times, eyes opened wide with mock innocence. “Why, the most powerful Nejeret on earth, of course.”
“You can’t trust Nik,” Dom said, voice flat and cold. “He’s unstable. His mind snapped when he fought with Re.”
“Pffft,” I said, waving a hand dismissively. “‘Unstable’ is my middle name.”
“I’m serious, Kat.”
I stared at him for a moment, considering his warning. He only used my name when shit was about to get real. Or had already gotten real. Or was in the middle of the whole “real” situation. Regardless, his use of my name was really fucking notable. Plus, he kind of had a point about Nik and the whole “instability” thing.
Nik had shared his body with the old god Re for thousands of years. Their coexistence had been peaceful, collaborative, even, until two decades ago, when the two beings had their first—and last—disagreement. Over whether I should die. Re snapped—like, literally lost his marbles and went full-on psycho—and Nik entered into some sort of an internal battle with him, leaving their souls deadlocked and his physical body comatose. When the new gods finally pulled Re’s soul from Nik’s body a few years back, Nik regained consciousness . . . and promptly vanished. He’d been in the wind ever since. Until two weeks ago, when he showed up in my shop with news of Dom’s disappearance. Part of me was still holding my breath, waiting for him to disappear once more.
Nik might be the most powerful living being on earth, but it was entirely possible that Dom was right and that his mind was broken. Which would also make him the most dangerous being on earth.
“I need him,” I told Dom. “There’s no one else.”
“There’s you,” he said. “In this case, going it alone might be the better option.”
I shook my head slowly, sadly. “Not this time.” My partnership with Mari had soured near the end, leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I preferred to work alone. Thrived on it. But this time, I knew I wouldn’t be enough, and my days of suicide missions were over. I gave a shit about what happened to me.
I was ready for a partner. I was ready for Nik.
16
I didn’t bother with zipping up my coat to hide Dom this time. I wanted him with me, ears and eyes; I needed every weapon I had for what was to come. The board of directors would give me the cure, end of discussion. I was done pussyfooting around.
Decision about working with Nik made—assuming he’d agree to it—I marched across the street and through the eastern gate into the Tent District, making a beeline for the former air control tower, where I hoped to find Dorman and Garth.
They were in Dorman’s office, just the two of them, as I’d hoped. They stood side by side with identical stances—feet shoulder-width apart and arms crossed over their chests, Garth nearly a foot taller than the compact Nejeret. Their backs were to me as they stared at the wall, or rather, at the gateway I’d drawn on the wall earlier that day. The one that was still active, giving a clear-as-day window into Garth’s condo.
I paused in the doorway, hand on the doorknob and eyes narrowed at Dorman’s back. “Funny . . . I could’ve sworn I told you to destroy that thing.”
Dorman turned his head enough that he could just see me out of the corner of his eye. Garth, on the other hand, spun around, hands extended, and stared at me for a few seconds. His eyes were rounded, his lips parted. As soon as the momentary shock wore off, he rushed me. He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me off the ground, burying his face in my hair, his nose firmly lodged in the crook of my neck. I could feel his breaths, quick and hot against my shoulder.
His reaction took me by surprise, and for a moment, I was a stunned rag doll, arms and legs dangling. I knew he cared, but this was some serious giving-a-shit. Way more than I’d been prepared for. It only took a moment for my heart to warm, the sheer, overwhelming mass of his concern for me thawing my stupor and seeping into my soul. I wrapped my arms around his broad torso and squeezed my eyes shut, fighting the sudden sting of welling tears caused by the avalanche of emotions.
Garth was gripping my jacket so hard that his knuckles were digging into my back. It was far from comfortable, but I hardly minded. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” he said, his gravelly voice hoarse. After several more heartbeats, he set my feet back on the floor.
I glanced up at him, meeting his rich brown eyes for only a moment. His skin was red and irritated from the tear gas, worse than it had been before, and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot. I wouldn’t apologize for shoving him through the gateway to safety and leaving myself at risk. It had been my choice, and I would make the same one again, a million times over.
As I stared at the scuffed floor, I felt the corner of my mouth lift. I finally understood my mom’s decision all those years ago. For the first time ever, I could relate to her sacrifice. Garth’s life mattered to me, just as much as my own. Maybe more.
The realization was shocking, and I raised my eyes to meet his once more. What was happening to me? What were these thoughts I was having? These things I was feeling? I searched his eyes, looking for some explanation. All I found was a troubling sense of contentment, of hope and joy and peace. And it gave rise to a fear that threatened to consu
me me completely.
I couldn’t fall in love with a human. It was the ultimate form of self-destruction for a Nejeret. It was setting myself up for guaranteed, unavoidable failure. For heartbreak. For soul-destroying devastation.
And yet there didn’t seem to be any way to stop it. I was a train, hurtling toward a half-completed trellis, and I had no brakes.
Garth licked his lips. “Kat, I—”
It’s just the adrenaline from the fight, I told myself. Stressful situations cause heightened emotions. That’s all. I lowered my gaze and cleared my throat. “I borrowed your car,” I said, interrupting him and redirecting us away from any impromptu declarations. Not ready, not now . . . not ever. “And your cat’s in there,” I added. The corner of my mouth lifted once more, and I glanced up at him through my lashes. “Gotta say, sweet ride, copper.”
Garth’s eyes widened, whatever he’d been about to say catching in his throat, and the faintest smile touched his lips. “Dorman told me you took Eva with you. Thank you, Kat, really.” He shook his head ever so slowly. “So what do you think of Lola?”
My eyebrows rose. “Lola? You named your car Lola?”
He shrugged.
I met his shrug with a single raised shoulder. “She’s alright,” I said, mock nonchalance thick in my voice.
Dorman coughed purposefully and took a step toward us. “So . . .” He gestured to the one-way gateway. “This is a clusterfuck.”
I glanced at him, then shifted my focus beyond him to the gateway and the scene taking place in Garth’s condo. Cops and paramedics swarmed the place, wheeling a couple of the injured mercenaries out on stretchers and escorting a few more out in cuffs. A few more would follow in body bags, once the scene was processed. The scene that was Garth’s condo. His home.
“I’m so sorry,” I told Garth, watching him out of the corner of my eye.
He turned his attention from me to the gateway, blowing out a breath. “I knew there’d be risks when I offered to help you.” His words were exactly the right thing to settle my guilt and doubt, but his tone was tight, and his expression was weary. I didn’t think he’d fully processed the implications of all that had happened.
Outcast Page 11