She crept closer to the wide-open double doors and crouched even lower.
Seemed like there was no one here.
She ducked inside, keeping the wall to her back.
“Nate?” She knew it went against everything to whisper his name, but a terrible dread was building inside her. “Nate!”
She made for a small forklift, and tripped over something in the shadows.
Nate's pack.
She picked it up carefully, realized it was empty. Which meant . . .
A door opened directly in front of her, the light from the passageway beyond spilling out. The man silhouetted in the stark, too-white light was big, and wearing the black fatigues of a guard uniform.
She saw his hand reach out, knew it was to switch on the lights and did the only thing she could.
She flew up, going deeper into the warehouse, and found a perch on a beam that stretched across the ceiling, behind a thick metal support.
The guard walked toward the forklift, crouched down where she'd dropped Nate's pack and picked it up. He spoke into a radio attached to his collar. “His pack was where he said it was, but there's nothing in it that I can find.”
Oh. Shit.
They had Nate.
“Okay, I'll bring it back.” The guard walked to the door he'd come through, opened it.
A hard, flat punch of sound rocked the building, and Kel curled up behind the ceiling support.
Something came flying past her, skimmed along her left upper arm, and she fought back a cry of pain.
The beams shuddered beneath her, and she had to clutch the metal sides to stay on.
The stink of burning plastic, the choking black of burning oil, billowed up from below, and when she looked down, she saw the forklift was mostly gone. A few pieces lay where it had originally been parked, some of them burning.
Her hearing was gone, the world coming to her through layers of cotton wool, but she saw the guard stagger to his feet from the passageway beyond the door. He looked back into the warehouse, bracing his arm against the doorframe, a trickle of blood running down his forehead.
Then he turned and stepped out of sight, leaving the door open.
From what he said earlier, he knew where Nate was, had come to find Nate's stuff.
Kelli dropped soundlessly to the ground, running for the door and then going through it in a crouch.
People seldom looked up or down.
The guard was to her right, back to her as he leaned against a heavy security door. He was in trouble, shaking his head as if to clear it, and when he punched in the code, he did it slowly.
Her hearing was coming back, because she heard the door squeak as he pulled it open and the thunk as it swung shut behind him.
She didn't want to, but now she was in the light she forced herself to look at her arm, to see what the damage was.
It burnt like someone was pressing a brand into her skin, the thin cotton of her sleeve was torn, and it was bloody, but it was only a shallow groove. She'd live.
She stood, not worrying about keeping out of sight or making any sound now the guard was through. The cameras were useless, and she didn't have the time to play games.
Nate's little distraction would be bringing a lot of people running.
She fried the keypad with a touch, pulled the door open, and as she stepped through, she heard a door slam shut up ahead.
She moved toward it at a light jog, but had to steady herself with a hand against the wall the whole way. Her balance was off.
There was no handy window in the door to see what was going on inside when she got there, so Kel took a deep breath, and pulled.
Three men stood around Nate, who was handcuffed to a chair, one of them the guard from the warehouse.
They turned to look at her, and something like relief showed on their faces for a split second, before confusion took over.
The answer came to her in a flash.
Nina Calvados had dark hair, just like she did.
They must already know Nina was gone, and they'd thought for a moment she was Nina, walking straight back to them.
“Who the hell are——” One of the men stepped toward her, belligerent, half-lifting his gun in her direction.
Kel stared at it, used her mind to jerk it slightly left, and depressed the trigger. The shot hit the guard from the warehouse in the calf, and he went down with a scream.
She had to try hard not to look at Nate, because she could see he was hurt, and it was affecting her focus.
“What?” The third man looked at his colleague in horror. “You shot Miller——”
Kelli lifted man number one's gun again, turning it slightly, and shot man number three, hitting his upper leg.
Miller, still lying prone on the floor, pulled out his gun and Kelli didn't have to do anything as he shot the first man.
Man number one went down, and Kel depressed Miller's trigger a second time, hitting the third man again, this time in the shoulder.
“Have you all gone fucking nuts?” Man number three's scream was a mix of disbelief and anger, and he extended his own gun, crying out in pain as he lifted his arm.
Kel didn't wait for him to decide whether to shoot or not, she depressed the trigger a final time and got Miller in the chest.
Then she jerked the guns out of everyone's hands and landed them in Nate's lap.
He looked at her through already swollen eyes. There was a lump on his cheek, blood running from the corner of his mouth.
This had been her idea, and guilt stabbed at her like a knife-wielding psychopath that he'd been so badly injured.
She edged around the men so she could get behind the chair and flick the locks on the cuffs.
He ripped them off, pitching the guns onto the chair as he stood. He put his hands on her hips, pulled her close, and then released her to brush the hair back from her face.
“You were caught in the explosion.” He ripped the torn fabric of her sleeve away to look at the wound, gently traced it with a fingertip.
She could feel the warmth of his healing, but she didn't look down to see what he was doing. She closed her eyes, rested her forehead against his shoulder. “It's just a scratch.”
“You're lucky to be alive.”
Something in his voice made her open her eyes again, lean back a little.
“Fortunately, my timing was good.” She looked down at Miller's body. “He came in to the warehouse, and I was forced to hide, or I'd look a little worse for wear.”
“Damn it, Kel.” He stepped away, lifted a hand in frustration. “You were supposed to stay at the extraction point. I'd never have set the explosive if I'd thought you'd be right behind me.” He ran a hand over his face, and when he looked up again his eyes were bright with fury and fear.
The third man, the only one still conscious, stared at them from his place on the floor. “Who the hell are you?” His voice was hoarse, and his breathing was shallow and quick.
“I'm asking the questions now.” Nate switched from pissed-off to coolly in control, grabbed a gun off the chair and crouched down. “What op is going down here tonight?”
Kel crouched on the other side, and the man inched closer to Nate, wild, staring eyes fixed on her, as if he expected her to pounce at any moment.
She guessed he'd figured out she was responsible for the shooting spree.
Nate tapped him on the forehead with the gun, and he flinched, but he didn't take his eyes off her.
“Talk.”
He flicked a quick look at Nate, then went back to watching her. “Nina Calvados and another inmate are missing. Management was playing some kind of game with her, trying to force her to use her powers, and it went wrong. We're just trying to mop up the mess.”
“This happen often?” Nate frowned, catching her eye over man number three's head.
The man shook his head. “First time.”
Either they were incredibly unlucky, or somehow, Greenway had gotten wind of them. Kel rubbed h
er forehead. It went against the grain for her to believe in coincidences, but that would mean Greenway knew what they were planning ahead of time.
Unless he had a psychic, that wasn't possible.
There was a grunt, and she looked up as Nate slammed the stock of the gun onto the guard's head and then stood over his limp body. He held out his hand to help her up.
She took it, enjoying the feel of her skin sliding against his. Her heart squeezed tight at the sight of him, all bashed up and grim. She laid a hand on his neck, went on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “I'm sorry.”
She'd never been more grateful for his healing abilities, because he already looked much better.
“Sorry doesn't cut it, Kel, you could have been killed.” His voice shook as he covered her hand with his. Curled his fingers around hers.
“I'm not sorry that I came looking for you, if I think you're in trouble, I'll always do that. I'm sorry because you got hurt. This was all my idea. You didn't even want to do it.”
He made a sound like he was in pain. “Kel, if you think for a minute I would let you do this alone, while I sat nice and safe at home, you're delusional, and if I really, really didn't want you to be doing this, you wouldn't be doing it.”
She gaped at him.
He tucked the three guns into his belt, crouched down and retrieved his own from the belt of guard number one. “Let's go. Giles either has Calvados, or she's escaped solo and he's looking for her. Either way, the pawpaw has hit the fan.”
No question there.
The passage was empty and they went through the security door, Nate leading with his gun.
She loved watching him move, all fluid lines and lethal grace, his face a fierce mask of concentration.
He caught her looking, and she thought there was just a little stumble in his step before he turned back to face forward.
They said nothing as they made for the interior warehouse door. The sound of raised voices and revving engines was clear.
They both peered around it to look.
The flames were being doused with fire extinguishers by two security guards from the gate. Two quad bikes and a truck were parked nearby.
“What now?” Kel saw there were at least four people milling around, although their attention was firmly on the burning wreck.
“We sneak past them. They're too busy looking at the carnage to notice us anyway. Besides, one of the guards who took me already told the guys at the main gate that his team was busy with internal maneuvers tonight. We're dressed in black, just like them. I can talk our way out of it, if someone sees us.”
Nate was right.
They stayed close to the wall, keeping to the shadows, and were out the main doors in less than five minutes.
The throat-catching stench of burning rubber followed them out into the night.
“Did those guards report to anyone when they caught you?” Kel touched Nate's shoulder as they came to the corner of the building.
“Yeah. Someone off site.” He paused, turned back to her. “But they told whoever they spoke to that they were able to handle it, so we have some time before anyone calls the calvary.”
He went quiet, and she knew better than to speak again as he looked around the corner to make sure there were no nasty surprises waiting for them.
“We've got a problem.” He kept his eyes ahead, and jammed up next to him, she couldn't see what he could.
“What?”
“Giles didn't stick to the plan, either.”
Chapter Eight
A hard, flat bang rattled the building around them, and Giles felt the air shiver.
Nate had executed Plan B.
He overtook Nina and Simons to reach the exit first, and leant against the door, extending his senses to the outside.
Nothing.
He shouldered the door open, did a quick scan, and then stiffened when he heard the sound of running boots coming from the passage behind them.
Time to go.
He stepped out, held the door for Nina, and she jogged through, pulling Simons behind her.
Giles was careful to make no sound as he closed it.
“Where to now?” Nina whispered, her expression closed off as she scanned the parking lot.
He could feel the tension pouring off her. Escape was almost within her reach but she was having to rely on people she didn't know and didn't trust. He'd bet that didn't sit well with her.
He needed to find Kel and Nate, and for them all to get the hell out of here.
He pointed to his pickup, and then led the way, crouching down behind it. Nina followed suit, and then they both looked up, stood again, and pushed Simons down, each with a hand on a shoulder.
“I thought you said you had friends helping?” Nina kept her hold on Simons, as if afraid he would try to stand again.
“That explosion was their work.” Giles closed his eyes, tried to find them. It seemed to be harder than usual. His reach not as far.
He glanced sideways at Nina. If it was her, somehow dampening his abilities, he'd find a way to be her very best friend. The thought of not hearing the stray thoughts of passers-by . . .
He forced himself to close his eyes again. Concentrate.
He got the glimmer of something, and then Nate was almost tripping over him, Kelli on his heels.
“Glad you could join us.” He signaled Nate, the quick, unobtrusive code they'd developed on covert ops, asking if there was someone on his and Kel's tail.
Nate shook his head. Signaled back the 'what the hell?' signal used when someone had done something incredibly stupid, and then jerked his head toward Simons.
Giles raised his shoulders. “Nina wouldn't come without Dudley, and frankly, there was no way I could have left him behind anyway. We're going to have to improvise.”
Kel slithered around Nate, came up in a crouch.
“Two?” She grimaced. Then shook her head. “We'll make it work. Somehow. I'm Kelli.” She smiled at Nina and Simons.
“Nina.” Nina gave a curt, wary nod. Simons didn't look up from staring at the ground.
“He injured?” Nate asked.
Giles shook his head. “Not physically.”
“We're going to have to all go over the fence.” Kelli said it without inflection, but Giles knew it would be all on her.
With the gate out, what choice did they have?
“Well, let's get to the fence, first. We'll work out what to do when we get there.” Nate rose up, body bent double, and ran into the darkest part of the compound, the narrow area they'd discovered when they'd done their reconnaissance, where the spotlights on the fenceposts were too far apart to reach.
The black zone.
It was why they'd chosen this exit as the extraction point.
Who said economy measures and being a cheapskate were all bad news?
Kel followed Nate, and in seconds, she was swallowed up by the shadows.
“Take his other arm,” Giles whispered to Nina as he grabbed Simons.
They half-stood, hauling Simons with them.
“Come on, Dudley. We have to run from the dark.” Of course, they were going straight into the dark, but hopefully Simons wouldn't notice that. Giles thought his steps dragged less, were more deliberate, after that, but it was still hard work.
It was a long five minutes to get to the fence.
“How are we going to get over?” Nina was gasping when they stumbled to a halt.
She'd kept up every step of the way.
The fence hummed, an ominous sound, like a nest of hornets, but even worse was the sound of engines revving and the sharp cut of searchlights through the night sky.
The guards had seriously upped their search efforts.
Giles stepped away from Simons, reached for his knife to be ready for whoever came at them.
“Kel?”
Giles could hear the worry in Nate's voice.
“I'll do my best. You might have to carry me out of here, though.” Kel quirked a lopsided
grin. Then she lifted Nina and Simons, without any warning, in a smooth arc, and set them on the other side of the fence.
Simons made a strange choking sound and Nina clamped a hand over her mouth. They stumbled, unsteady, when they landed on solid ground.
Giles touched Kel's mind, he couldn't help it, and saw her doubts at being able to do it again. Her face was white with strain.
Then he was airborne, Nate with him. Up the fence. Over.
She lost her hold about a meter from the ground.
He landed hard, but safe enough.
“Damn it, Kel.”
Giles didn't need to read Nate's mind to know he was furious.
“You should have got yourself over first, then us.”
She shook her head, lifted a little way off the ground, then fell back down. “I need a bit of recharge time.” She looked over at them, tried to smile.
And then, like all of them, looked sharply left as the engine of a quad bike rumbled closer, lights bouncing wildly in their direction.
There was no recharge time left.
Chapter Nine
She'd put it all on her shoulders.
Nate stared at Kelli through the ugly wire of the fence, and wanted to tear through it with his bare hands.
This rescue had been her idea, but he hadn't understood just how much responsibility she'd taken for it in her head.
He was used to being the leader, for the final call to be on him, and he'd failed to appreciate that in this case, Kelli considered the buck stopped with her.
Now he was sitting pretty on the wrong side of an electric fence. Or the right side, as far as Kelli saw it.
She saw it wrong.
Just like she'd shaved years off his life by waltzing through a warehouse set with a live explosive.
His knees wanted to wobble and he had to fight light-headedness at the thought of it. Of how close he'd come to killing her.
Forget about Doc Greenway. He could have had her blood on his hands.
And now, the love of his life, the only one for him, crouched down and made herself as small as she could at the approach of a careening quad bike.
Fuck. That.
“Giles. Shoot to kill if they get too close.” He pulled out two of the three spare guns he'd tucked into the back of his pants and handed them to Giles, who was by far the better marksman of the two of them. “I'll draw them off.”
Breaking Out: Part II Page 5