by Stacey Nash
My legs wobble, threatening to collapse. A warm grip supports my elbow, and I force myself to stand tall and strong, fighting off the nerves.
Moonlight floods through the many windows illuminating the whole foyer. Jax motions from the other side of the entrance, and I move forward, letting Will’s hand fall from my arm. No way am I giving him an excuse to think I can’t handle this. I walk across the foyer, my heart thumping in my ears like a bass drum, my muscles aching with the tension.
A muted thud makes my feet stop without conscious thought. Another thud sounds, and another. I swivel around, trying to see what the sound is coming from. Thump. Footsteps, but where? Thump, thump. Coming down the stairs.
Thump, thump, thump.
I try to swallow, but my mouth feels like not a single drop of water has ever crossed my parched lips. My position in the middle of the foyer is completely exposed. I dart the rest of the way across, sliding to a halt right next to Jax, whose long fingers slip inside his leather jacket. My tense shoulders drop ever so slightly because there’s no sign of a figure on the stairs, at least the section visible from here. I made it. Jax and I hide, safe in the shadows, but Will and Lilly are exposed. They’re like targets sitting in the middle of the open foyer.
“Hurry, someone’s coming,” I say.
Will jerks to a stop, and his head spins from side to side.
“Come on, Will, there’s someone coming.”
Lilly picks up her pace and races across the room.
“I know,” Will says, but makes no attempt to move. “Go ahead, get what you need.” He takes something out of his belt. My guess is it’s the gun.
Lilly sprints back toward him while the footsteps continue their descent. The staircase must be long. My breaths come shallow and quick. I can’t get enough air. He has to make it. I can’t go without him. “Come on!”
He raises the gun one-handed and braces his wrist with the other hand.
A figure moves down the far staircase.
He’s running out of time.
Thwack. The short, sharp clap of flesh meeting flesh makes me flinch. Lilly slaps him across the face again. “You idiot. Don’t martyr yourself.” She pulls him along by the wrist.
He moves. “That’s not what that word means.”
“Whatever.”
Quick as Marcus’s bike, she dashes across the room to join us in the shadows, dragging him behind her.
The footsteps grow closer, and the dark shape resolves itself into a man with broad shoulders and arms thick as tree trunks. A white scar puckers his face all the way from his temple to the opposite side of his jaw, pulling his features into a twisted mess. Realization dawns; he’s the man from the Council chambers. “Who’s there?”
“Behind the staircase,” Lilly says.
We jam together into the tight alcove.
He walks across the foyer. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
I lick dry lips with my tongue. It’s like a nail file drags over my mouth. We’re sprung; we’ve blown it. There doesn’t seem to be any way out, but he’s only one man. There are four of us, so we could knock him out pretty easily. Actually, that exactly what I’ll do.
Will’s shuffle of movement shoves me aside, jabbing my elbow into Lilly’s chest. Like we shared the same thoughts, Will jumps, brandishing the stun-mace like a sword. “Go on, find his office.” He swipes sideways at the man, who raises his arm and blocks the blow. His other fist connects with Will’s jaw with a loud thud, sending Will staggering. My stomach lurches, dragging me toward Will, but I need to use this moment, so I turn back to the door. Another thud sounds. No. Will. I can’t leave him. I spin back and take a step toward him.
“Come on, Mae.” Lilly tugs my arm.
I’m riveted to the spot like I’m stuck in a bad dream. My heart beats double time, my gaze is locked on Will. My mind propels my legs, but nothing actually happens. A commotion sounds above, yanking my attention away. Footsteps pound the stairs. Will grunts, tearing my gaze back to his struggle. A glint of silver catches my eye just before the man with Will raises a blade.
“No!”
I pull my dagger from the sheath on my arm, aim at the man, and run. My feet slam, hard and fast, against the marble floor.
Bright white light flashes on, suddenly surrounding me, blinding me. It’s like I’ve looked straight into the sun. I stop, but the muscles in my legs tighten, ready to spring. Casting furious glances all around, I can’t find Will through the black spots. Something hits my chest. It bounces right off. The spots fade, my eyes adjust. Pivoting, I look around, searching for whatever hit me.
My gaze lands on Will. The man has him by the collar, fist raised in the air, clutching a jagged dagger aimed right for Will’s chest.
Something whizzes through the air and pings off the marble banister. I try to look at all the threats at once. The shot came from Jax behind me, but I can’t figure out who he was shooting at. There. A man peers over the edge right where it hit, aiming a gun just to my right. A quick glance over my shoulder follows the line of his aim to Jax. Standing ready, legs splayed, pistol in his grip, and his jaw set. He lets a bullet fly. It hits the mark. The man lets out a deep guttural scream and falls behind the banister.
“Get the girl,” a female voice yells.
I spin around. Another man runs down the closest staircase with a gun in his hand. He shoots at Jax, but the bullet bounces straight off his shoulder. There’s a loud thud and a crash.
Will.
I spin around again. The man fighting Will must have been thrown back with force. Clearly Will stunned him, because Will hurtles into the side table, crashing the vase and flowers to the floor.
“Run,” Jax yells.
I bolt through the door Lilly holds open. Looking back over my shoulder, I see Jax and Will both retreat toward the door, their weapons trained on the two men advancing toward us. Jax shoots. Will pulls his gun and fires too. The bullets bounce straight off the man Will fought. A self-satisfied sneer clouds his face.
My chest rises and falls rapidly. There’s no way out. They’ve backed us into a room. Three against four. Four of us, we can still beat them. My eyes take a moment to readjust to the darkness of the room after the bright light of the foyer. There’s got to be a way out. I stand on my toes to look over Jax’s shoulder. Definitely three people there now. A woman and two men. All armed, but only one with a blade. I draw in a deep breath. Thank goodness.
A bullet flies over Jax’s shoulder. Damn agents are persistent; it’s obvious we’re wearing protect-its. What are they aiming for? A head shot? I duck, and a bullet shoots by, barely missing my head. The protect-its are certainly saving our skin. I breathe a small thanks to Marcus.
The boys stand in front of the doorway, blocking the agents’ way. “Shut it.”
“Can’t,” Will says.
My gaze flashes around the room. We need a way out. All I can see are a few indistinct shapes.
Bright light flashes on. Someone’s reading my thoughts. Probably Lilly.
She screams, and my heart jumps into my mouth. I follow the line of her gaze. Two figures stand in the corner. The second man from the room at the Council building has his face set in a mocking grin which doesn’t quite reach his cold, hard, dark eyes. His stony expression is etched onto his age-hardened face. Close-cropped brown hair covers his head. Is this Manvyke?
Behind him, wearing navy and maroon plaid pajamas and running a hand through sleep-tousled hair, is my father.
“Dad!”
My legs lurch forward, but Lilly’s hand clamped around my wrist pulls me back. I want to run to him and throw my arms around him so badly it aches, but the extra moment Lilly bought me changes everything. Something about the way the man—Manvyke—smiles makes me stop.
He rolls his hand in front of him in a pretentious gesture of downward spirals. “Welcome.”
Metal meets metal in a ringing clash.
I spin on the spot to see Jax with his blade pushe
d against a short sword held by the burly man. Now driven into the room, Will stands with the gun in his hands, aiming at the advancing agents. My gaze flicks back to Jax and snaps to Dad. He flips the pages of a book, oblivious to what’s going on. There’s something wrong with him. He’s not trying to help me and Will. Doesn’t matter now. We just have to get out. There has to be another exit.
My heart sinks, anchored by my lost hope. The only way out of this room is through the door the boys are fighting to defend.
“We’re surrounded,” I tell the boys.
Jax holds his blade to the man’s throat, his knee pinning him to the ground. Ruby red drops lick at the metal.
“Stop, Joshua,” Manvyke’s sharp, smooth voice says as his gaze pins Jax. He stands tall and regal, his expression confident and commanding.
The man’s biceps bulge as he pushes against Jax’s hand. The blade moves back from his neck, just a fraction. Jax grunts and pushes against it again.
“Joshua,” Manvyke says.
Something flashes across Jax’s face, and his mouth sets in a thin line.
“You’ve done your job. Now back down.” Manvyke’s voice remains calm.
They continue to struggle. The man kicks out, trying to throw Jax off him.
“It’s wearing off.” Manvyke glances back at his guard and turns a flat stare on Jax. “Stop, Joshua, or I’ll have your friends killed.”
Jax pulls his blade back, retracts it, and stands up straight, releasing Manvyke’s henchman.
Chapter Twenty-Three
JOSHUA? WHO THE HECK is Joshua, and what is Jax playing at? Manvyke ordered Joshua to stand down, and Jax did. No. No, no, no. Like a tidal pull, my gaze is drawn to him. “Jax?”
He stares straight at the wall, inclines his head just a fraction, and says, “Father.”
I glance from one to the other. Confusion freezes all thought.
Lilly dashes across the room, her long hair streaming behind her. An open-handed slap lands across Jax’s face. “What the hell?” She stands in front of him, her eyes wide and blinking rapidly. She raises her hand again and, when he doesn’t respond, drops it to her side. “You pretended to be one of us.” Her whisper is too calm.
A deep rumble, water cascading over rapids, comes from Manvyke. As I tear my gaze away from Jax, my tummy flutters, and I’m still not exactly certain what’s going on. Or maybe I don’t want it to add up. Laughter shakes his shoulders, and his eyes prance. “Well done, son.”
No.
“Joshua? Father? Jax, what’s going on?”
He continues to stare straight at Manvyke with an expression far less readable than the imprint of Lilly’s hand blooming red against his pale cheek.
Without turning her glaring gaze away from Jax, Lilly expertly pitches her dagger across the room right at the woman. It barely misses her.
Reaching back, Lilly draws another from a sheath over her shoulder, pointing it at Jax. “I’m coming back for you.”
The woman ducks back around the corner, and the second hurtling blade embeds in the doorframe. Lilly delves into her boot, pulling out a third dagger, and dashes to the door. Dagger extended, she brandishes it at the woman, who tries to dance around it.
“Jax?” My stomach twists like it’s tied in knots. I need to know what this is all about. He doesn’t answer.
I glance to Will, looking for the answers Jax won’t give me. His gun’s still pointed at the other henchman, and his eyes swish around the room like he doesn’t know where the greatest threat lies.
“Chocolate, anyone?” Dad’s voice pulls me away from Jax. He’s sitting in the corner now, pouring over a small purple box. The logo on the front reads: Fine Belgian Chocolates. Seriously, he’s offering chocolate in the middle of all this? My face scrunches, and ringing sounds in my ears. There’s something seriously wrong. Maybe he’s lost it.
Manvyke clears his throat, and Jax stares him down like a street brawler issuing a challenge. Jax… Joshua?
“Is it true?” My voice wavers, my eyes search his face, seeking confirmation of Manvyke’s lie. Jax is one of us. It can’t be true. I won’t believe it. His gaze finally moves from Manvyke, and his green eyes meet mine steadily. They are hard and cold. My heart shrivels and shrinks. It must be true. Everything he’s told me, everything we’ve shared, is one huge lie. Hurt spears my chest, leaving a stabbing wound.
“You lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie.” His shoulders drop.
I want to believe him.
“Trust me.” His eyes beseech mine. A glint of something good, something honest, something pure, shines from within him. Is it trust? I don’t know, but it tells me I have to believe him.
It hurts when he tears his gaze away from mine.
Jax pins Manvyke with a glare, his mouth twisting into a snarl. “You can’t control me anymore.” He spits each word out.
“Wrong, my son. I can, and I do.”
Jax’s face flushes, and a vein on his neck pulsates in a rapid, angry beat.
“It’s wearing off. We need more serum, Kratos,” Manvyke says.
The burly henchman swaggers to a lavish wooden desk with legs carved in great detail. He slides open the top drawer, his face set in an ugly smile, and pulls out a small glass vial with a long, thin needle.
“And you,” Manvyke’s cold, dark eyes comb over me, “so much like your mother. A little Annie.”
I pull my jacket closed and wrap my arms around my middle, feeling dirty on the inside. Like he’s taken in every inch of me and left nothing untarnished. How does he know my mother’s name?
“I’m glad she left us for a while.” His mouth twists in a fake smile like it’s etched on.
Like Annie. He knows my mother. She left us. My mind spins, trying to make sense of his words. At the mention of her name, Dad looks up.
Jax steps out in front of me and plants his feet wide. “Don’t look at her like that.”
Something whizzes by so close it disrupts the air, sending a slight ripple of cool air against my cheek. It ricochets off the wall between Manvyke and Dad, flinging shards of plaster like confetti.
“Don’t.” Will’s gun is trained on the Councilor.
Manvyke flicks his hand at Will like he’s shooing away a bothersome pest. “Do something with that, would you?”
The other man grabs Will from behind, his arms bunching with overtoned muscles, clinching him into a headlock.
The clatter of an object hitting the ground makes me dart a glance over my shoulder. One of Lilly’s daggers lies on the floor, and the thin woman cuffs her long, thin hands around Lilly’s right wrist. With her arm extended, Lilly pulls against her, and the woman yanks her back up by the elbow, lifting her feet off the floor. Lilly gasps.
It all happens so fast I’m glued to the spot with no time to move or help. A dark object flies through the air in the corner of my vision, a speedy, black blur. Jax grabs my arm, pulling us both down. It flies over our heads. Kratos grunts and tosses something again. It’s flying right for me. Jax pushes me out of the way, and I land face down on the floor, my cheek against the cool tiles, his back against my side. He screams.
It got him. Jumping to my feet, my hand goes straight to his arm, helping him rise beside me. Inches from my fingers, a thin needle sticks out of his. He yanks it out and spears it at Kratos, who catches it out of the air.
Manvyke cackles. “Bring her to me.”
My chest tightens like the protect-it has firmed up its hold. Pinching the netting, I pull it away from my clothes, but the tightening remains. I breathe quick, shallow breaths. Her has to mean me. Who was the order issued to? I just need to grab Dad, then we’ve got to get out of here. The hard evidence of Mavyke’s Council betrayal will have to wait until after Dad’s safe.
“No,” Jax says.
Manvkye’s brows raise, and he shoots Jax a glassy stare, but his mouth curls in a smile like he knows something nobody else is privy to. “Bring. Little Annie. To me.”
“My name is Mae.”
Dad’s head jerks up; he looks right at me like he’s seeing me for the first time, and he smiles. “Mae. Sweet Mae was born in May,” he sings and smiles.
“No,” Jax growls at Manvyke, but his body jolts to face me.
“You will do as you’re told, son.” Manvyke’s voice stays lowered, but his expression is filled with a cold rage which sets my teeth on edge.
Jax jerks out toward me with hate-filled eyes. His legs jolt like they move out of his control.
“Jax? What’s happening?” My eyes flicker over his, searching for the answer he still won’t give me.
He tears his gaze from Manvyke to look me straight in the eye. His eyes soften, and his brows pull together, forming tight lines. His arm snaps around my waist, and he pulls me to him with an iron grip. I draw in a sharp, stinging breath. The usual heat of being this close, the fluttering, the pulling tug, all of it suddenly feels bad. Wriggling in his arms, I push against him. Confusion morphs into hurt. I don’t understand. Truth definitely shined in his eyes. He told me to trust him. I could read it in his gaze, but his actions don’t match his words, and now I’m not sure what he’s doing.
My chest tightens further, squeezed by an unseen hand.
“Stop making it harder,” he says through the telcom, but something in his tone pleads with me to fight him. I read it wrong before, though, so now I don’t buy it.
“Don’t trust him, Mae,” Will yells.
A dull thud, like a fist hitting soft flesh, is followed by Will’s deep groan.
Jax’s holds me tight, my back pressed against his chest, his arms strong and unmovable. As much as I try to squirm away, it’s not possible. His legs lurch and turn us to face Manvyke, my feet grappling to stop us. The Councilor’s grin ripples shivers of dread through me.
“Let’s play a game of truth and dare, shall we?” he says. “Where is the Agia?”
I’m not playing anyone’s games, and certainly not his. My fists push against Jax’s arms. “Let me go.” His grip tightens around me, his long fingers digging into my upper arms, holding me tighter against him. He stops moving forward.