Intransigent (The After Light Saga Book 3)

by Cameo Renae

  “Do it, Kyle,” his friends cheered.

  He turned back to his friends and gave a look like he had this in the bag, while I steadied my breathing.

  Juan counted us down. “Ready?”

  We both racked our slides and raised our guns. “Aim.”

  I took in a deep breath and stabilized my arm, keeping my site directly in the center of the target. My mind focused and ready, waiting for one word.

  “Fire!”

  I emptied the clip in under five seconds and released the empty magazine before Kyle finished.

  When he was done, he turned to me and snickered. “You may have finished first, but let’s see who was more accurate. I at least know all my shots hit the target,” he said, coolly.

  I shrugged and looked over to Chase and Chloe whose faces were beaming. Chase gave me a thumbs up.

  Juan collected both targets and returned with them in his hands. When he reached us he held them up.

  Kyle cursed, ripping his target from Juan’s hand.

  He had one bull’s eye, three in the second ring, five in the third, and one in the fourth. I had three bull’s eyes, and seven in the second ring.

  I didn’t say a word and tried to keep a straight face, but my insides were having a dance party.

  “Where the hell did you pick up this chick?” Kyle prattled. “Did you guys bring her in from another bunker? I’ve never seen her before.”

  He was totally pissed and talking as if I weren’t even there.

  “Her name is Abi, and she’s the real deal,” a voice said from behind.

  My heart skipped a beat, my stomach twisted, and a surge of tingles shot through my body.

  I turned and Finn was standing a few feet behind me. He was shirtless; his sculpted chest glistening with droplets of water. His hair was wet and disheveled, and I couldn’t help but revel at how beautiful he was.

  “Finn?” I breathed, still unsure if he was actually there.

  “Hey, you.” He smiled widely, his hand brushing down the curve of my shoulder.

  “Finn, you know her?” Kyle asked.

  He paused, his passion-filled eyes locked onto mine.

  “She’s my best friend,” he replied.

  I handed Juan the gun, then turned and leapt into Finn’s arms. He caught me, lifting me off the ground and swinging me around.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” I whispered hugging him tightly, burying my face in his neck. His flesh was hot and his scent swirled around me as I breathed him in, letting it seep all the way down into my soul.

  “God, I’ve missed you too,” he whispered, his arms squeezing tightly.

  I twisted my fingers in his wet hair and pulled him close, resting my forehead against his. Tears pooled in my eyes. “You have no idea how good it is to see you.” My voice trembled and I could barely get the words out.

  Without saying a word his mouth pressed firmly against mine; his velvet tongue slipped easily between my willing lips, and everything around us went hazy.

  “Looks to me like they’re more than friends,” Kyle’s friend muttered.

  “They’re engaged,” Chloe informed.

  Juan cleared his throat. “Okay you two. I can get into a lot of trouble,” he said, clapping his hands.

  I pressed my cheek to Finn’s chest and listened to his steady heartbeat. It calmed me, letting me know this moment was real. He was real.

  His fingers skimmed over my cheek. “We’ll be together soon,” he promised.

  “Longer than forever,” I whispered.

  “Yes, longer than forever.”

  After another quick kiss, we finally parted. I couldn’t help but stare at his half-naked body. He offered me a crooked grin and wink before covering up my view by throwing on his shirt.

  “How come you never told us you had a girl?” Kyle asked Finn.

  “You never asked,” he replied. “And, don’t feel bad man.” Finn patted his shoulder a little harder than usual. “She can outshoot me too.”

  “Whatever,” Kyle sulked. “I’m hungry. Let’s get outta here.” He grabbed his bag and left without saying goodbye.

  “Don’t worry ‘bout him, Abi,” Juan said. “He just got spanked by a girl. Which was pretty amazing to watch, by the way.”

  “I’ve gotta go,” Finn said. “I’ll see you guys later.”

  The sadness in my heart must have shown on my face.

  “Hey,” he said, stepping toward me until our bodies touched again.

  “I love you, Abi.”

  “I love you too,” I whispered.

  “I’ll visit you soon, okay?” he said.

  “I can’t wait.” I smiled. He kissed my forehead then turned and walked out of the room. Watching him leave was hard. Half of me was ripped apart and leaving with him.

  “I want a Finn,” Chloe sighed.

  “Get your own,” Chase huffed.

  “You’ll find someone, Chloe,” I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. I turned to Juan and grinned. “Sometimes, love is right in front of you.”

  “Oh, please,” Chase coughed.

  “Hey. I may not have a body like Finn, but I’m a pretty damn good catch. Who doesn’t love a man who can cook and kick ass?”

  “Totally a double threat.” I giggled, nudging Chloe. Her face turned bright red.

  “If I was a chick, I’d snag you up in a heartbeat, Juan,” Chase declared with his arms out. “Wanna hug it out?”

  “What the hell is happening here?” Juan laughed. “Back to training!”

  He set up two new targets and moved Chase’s back to its original spot.

  “Juan, we want to see a shootout between you and Abi.” Chase said with a gleam in his eyes.

  “After seeing what she has to offer, I don’t know if I’m up for rejection,” he answered.

  “Shootout, shootout!” Chase and Chloe cheered.

  Juan looked at me. “I’m game if Abi’s up for it.”

  “Sure, why not,” I exhaled loudly. I didn’t really have anything to lose and it was great practice for my reflexes. I needed to stay on top of my gun game.

  “This is gonna be good,” Chase applauded. Chloe squealed with excitement, most likely because she wasn’t the one behind the gun, and it was cutting into her practice time.

  Juan gave Chase the stopwatch and explained what he needed to do. Then we both stood on the line and readied our weapons.

  Chase spoke loud and clear in a deep voice. “Ready.”

  We both racked our slides.

  “Aim.”

  We lifted our gun and aimed at the targets. Anticipation sent a current of adrenaline through me, making my hands shake.

  “Fire!”

  Both Juan and I unloaded our ten rounds at nearly the exact same time.

  “Holy crap!” Chase exclaimed, throwing his hand over his mouth. “That was just under five seconds!” He then ran and retrieved the two targets.

  As he examined them on his way back, his mouth was gaping open.

  “It’s pretty damn close,” he said shaking his head in disbelief.

  He then handed us our targets.

  Juan nearly shot out the center of his target, and had two shots on the second ring. I had six hit the bullseye and four shots on the second ring.

  I lost.

  I stuck out my hand to Juan and offered him congratulations. “Looks like you’re the new queen,” I said.

  “Just the queen of this bunker. You gave me some major rub. I’m very impressed.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “Abi, looks like you’re not undefeated anymore. I told you he was badass.”

  “He totally is, and it actually feels great to know someone who can shoot better than I can.” I bowed to Juan. “All hail, Queen Juan.” Chase and Chloe joined me.

  “Oh, stop,” he said, blushing.

  I stopped but Chase kept going.

  “No, seriously. Stop. We need to practice.”

  Chloe exhaled loudly.

&n
bsp; LATER THAT NIGHT, WHILE I was in the deepest part of my sleep, I was awoken by a loud chime.

  “Abi, this is Dr. Simon.” His voice came from the speaker on the keypad. “Abi, are you there?”

  Uncovering my face, I mumbled loudly from my bed. “Hey, Dr. Simon. What’s up?”

  “I need you to come to the training room.”

  “Right now?” I groaned.

  “The sooner the better,” he replied. “It’s urgent.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “There is something that needs your immediate attention.”

  “All right. I’ll be right there,” I yelled back, jumping out of bed. Heading to the bathroom, I quickly brushed my hair, brushed my teeth, and ran out the door.

  My mind was buzzing. What the heck could be so urgent? Was I in trouble?

  THE TRAINING ROOM SLID OPEN and I skidded to a stop. My breath seized, taking in the view before me, and after a moment of brief suspension, my body restarted.

  “Finn?” I gasped, running toward him.

  “Hey, beautiful.” He smiled, swooping me into a spinning bear hug.

  “Oh my God,” I cried happy tears. “Twice in a day? Someone upstairs must love me.”

  “I’m sorry our visit this afternoon was abrupt. I didn’t want you to get into any trouble. How are you?” He asked, pulling back to gaze deeply into my eyes, trying to read my emotions.

  “I’m okay. They’re actually treating me good here,” I replied.

  His eyes were still studying, but when he was finally satisfied with my answer, his face beamed.

  “Hey, there are other people who came to see you too.” Uncle Frank’s voice made me smile.

  I kissed Finn quickly then pulled away and focused on Uncle Frank’s friendly face. “Abi, it’s so good to see you . . . alive and well.” I hadn’t seen him since our last rooftop encounter with the Arvies.

  “Yeah, well you’re looking as strong as ever,” I said, squeezing his bicep.

  “For an old guy, I’m managing to pull through,” he laughed, then wrapped me in a hug.

  “You’ve still got a lot of years left.”

  “We’ll see. Unless one of those damn mutants bites me.” He took hold of my hand. “Hey, sorry about the hole in your hand,” he said, studying it. His eyes tightened. “It looks completely healed. How?”

  “It is. Dr. Banks used a new instrument that seals wounds. Because the bullet went straight through without damaging anything, it was an easy fix. He also shot me up with some pretty strong antibiotics. If I didn’t have that little scar, there would be no indication I was shot.

  “Amazing,” he exhaled.

  “I know. It’s definitely one positive about these big bunkers.”

  “Yes, we can’t have your shooting hand out of commission.”

  “It still works just fine,” I noted.

  “I’ll vouch for that,” Finn agreed. “I watched her shoot the hell out of a target today. She’s better than ever.”

  “Abigail,” my mom’s voice called. I peeked behind Uncle Frank. She was standing next to my dad, her eyes filled with tears.

  “Mom,” I shrieked, running toward both of them and squeezing them into a hug.

  “Oh, Abi,” she cried. “I thought I would never see you again. When they told us they couldn’t make contact with your chopper, and it never showed up at the drop-off zone, I thought you were gone. I stayed awake, praying, hoping someone would send word. And just when I thought hope was lost, your father returned and told me you were alive. I couldn’t believe it,” she sobbed. “I love you so much, and wouldn’t know what to do if I ever lost you.”

  I hugged her tight. “You should know by now it would take more than a helicopter crash to take me out,” I laughed. “Plus I had my guardian angel with me.” I turned back to Finn. “I would be dead if it wasn’t for him.”

  “That’s not completely true,” Finn said. “She also saved me.” He walked over and stood behind me, and I leaned back into him.

  “Thank you, Finn,” my mom said. “She’s lucky to have you.”

  “Nah, I’m the lucky one,” he replied, kissing the top of my head.

  My mom placed both of her hands on the sides of my face.

  “Nana and Pops send their love. They are hoping to visit next time.”

  “Where’s Dr. Simon?” I asked, realizing he wasn’t there.

  “He said he had to run to the lab, and would be back in about forty-five minutes. He seems like a nice guy.”

  “He is,” I replied. “He’s been helping me understand my gift.”

  “So, who exactly do they have in this Reader program?” my father asked.

  “Right now, there are four of us in the program, and Dr. Simon is one of them. The other two are twins. The boy’s name is Chase and his sister is Chloe. Maybe the next time we visit, you’ll be able to meet them.”

  “Were they the ones with you in the weapons room?” Finn asked and I nodded.

  “I should have introduced myself.”

  “It’s fine. They’re kind of cool. I’m sure you’ll get to meet them at some point.”

  My mom stepped forward, touching my cheek and brushing through my hair with her fingers.

  “Are you getting enough sleep? You look tired. Are you sure they’re feeding you enough?”

  “Slow down, Mom.” I giggled. “Yes, they have been feeding us well, but I’ve had some trouble sleeping. Dr. Banks did give me some medicine to help though. And I actually just woke up from a nap.”

  “I’m glad Jay is still taking care of you,” she said. “It makes me feel so much better knowing you’re in his capable hands.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” I said with a smile.

  “What are they trying to accomplish with this Reader program?” Uncle Frank asked.

  “I don’t really know. From the bits and pieces I’ve gathered, it seems like they want to use us as the main line of defense against the Arvies.”

  My mom turned to my dad and grabbed his arm. “They can’t do that, Stephen. They’re just kids,” she cried.

  “Mom, it’s okay,” I said. “They won’t send us out unless we’re ready. We’re still in training right now.”

  “What kind of training?” my dad asked.

  “An advanced form of telepathy.” I wasn’t sure if I should share anything further. I didn’t want them to get in trouble. So, I kept my answers simple and vague.

  “I thought you said the Arvies couldn’t be reasoned with?” Finn said.

  “Yes. So far the ones I’ve come into contact with have been very erratic and irrational. Maybe we just have to cause confusion in their minds long enough for the military to come in and do their job.”

  “You mean wipe them out?” Uncle Frank blurted.

  “Yeah, something like that.” I shrugged.

  “I don’t understand. How the hell did you become a telepath in the first place?” he questioned. “You never showed signs before. I never had a clue, in all the thirteen years you grew up in the hive. Were you hiding it?” He glanced back and forth to my parents and Finn.

  “We didn’t know either,” my dad replied. My mom kept her eyes down.

  “Thinking back, she used to finish all my sentences and could always tell when I was feeling down,” Finn added.

  “My wife finishes my sentences all the time. That comes when you’ve been around someone so long you understand them. But my wife can’t talk to Arvies,” Uncle Frank noted.

  “I think it started in the city when we first ran into the Arvies. Dr. Simon said when they used telepathy, it must have triggered something inside my brain; something that was already there. Apparently, I’ve had it all my life, it was just dormant.”

  Uncle Frank pushed the issue. “So is telepathy hereditary? I don’t know of anyone else in our family who has it.”

  “Because there isn’t anyone in our family who has it,” my dad answered, glancing over to my mother.

  She let out a long s
igh. “My mother was a telepath.”

  “You serious?” Uncle Frank asked.

  “Yes. We all thought she was crazy, and because of it, I–I never accepted her. I was wrong, and distanced myself from her because it was something I didn’t understand. It scared me, and now . . . I don’t even know if she’s alive.” Tears welled and spilled down her frail cheeks, making my heart break.

  I wanted to tell her Grammy was still alive, but I couldn’t. Not in this place. If the government ever found out about their community, they would push their way in and take over. I had no doubt of that.

  I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her in a big hug. “Don’t worry, Mom. I have a feeling she’s alive and we’ll see her again. We have to hold on to hope, right?”

  She wiped her tears and nodded. “Yes, we do, and you’re right. Having you back is proof of that.” She sniffled.

  My dad pulled her into his side and held her. Looking back to me he said, “I’ve been talking to Dr. Harvey and he is trying to get me some more information on the Reader program. I also want to have access to you, since you’re still a minor.”

  “I’ll only be a minor for a few more months.” I grinned.

  “I know.” He sighed. “You grew up way too fast. It seems just like yesterday, when I was tucking you in and reading you bedtime stories.”

  “Actually, it wasn’t that long ago.” I chuckled.

  He laughed and patted my mom’s back before stepping into our little circle. “Okay, I think we should all go and let Abi and Finn have a little time alone.” He wrapped me in a hug. “I’m glad we had a chance to see you and know that you’re not being mistreated. If you need anything, call Dr. Banks and he’ll get in touch with me.”

  “Sounds good,” I promised.

  “Have any of you seen Hellfire?”

  “She’s fine. Tim still has her,” Finn replied.

  “Good. I’ll still need her one of these days.”

  “Hey, if you ever decide to bust out of this place, you better let me know first,” Finn warned.

  “Let us know,” Uncle Frank corrected.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not leaving here without all of you,” I promised.