She leaned farther back in her chair. “I’m sorry, but Verity Agent Allana has committed a crime of a very serious nature. I’m sure you understand that we have to uphold law and order or risk falling into the same darkness the Confessor lived in.”
“The hell I do.” Maddox punched the desk with his fists. “What crime? She did her job. The Confessor is dead. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? Wasn’t that enough risk?”
The Director blinked slowly. “Yes, the Confessor is dead, but there’s much more going on than you know, and Agent Allana has broken our law. And it’s none of your concern.”
Motherfucker. He held his temper in check by faint threads. “I want to see her.”
“There’s nothing you can do.”
He gritted his teeth. “Tell me what she did.” Maddox lunged across the desk and yanked the Director up by the front of her skinsuit. He slammed her against the wall, just hard enough to hurt a little.
She winced and blinked.
He wrapped his fingers around her throat. “What did she do?”
“That’s private information,” she choked out. “You don’t have clearance.”
He ignored her sputtering and coughing and squeezed harder. “Tell me.”
“It doesn’t matter now.” She smiled, though tears streaked down her cheeks. “They’ve probably already put her to death. They are quite efficient.”
Chapter Six
ALLANA WAS DEAD? No. She couldn’t be. A wave of rage mixed with terror rose up through Maddox. “You’re lying.” He pressed the Director against the wall and moved his arm across her throat, pinning her more firmly. His heart raced. He didn’t hurt people. He helped people. But this bitch was messing with his mind—and was possibly responsible for hurting Allana.
The Director frowned, dampness breaking out across her wide brow. “Why do you care?” she sputtered. Her words were strong, but fear shone in her eyes.
I care about Allana. The realization sent a warmth through him that no stimshot ever had. He backed away and pulled the Lancer out of his boot. “You don’t need to worry about that.” With the weapon pointed at her head, he clicked the lock onto the stun setting with his thumb. “You should take care of her. She risked her life to save the city. To save us. Why would you have her killed? She’s a hero.”
The Director rubbed her throat, but didn’t move from the wall. “You don’t know the whole story. And I ask you again, why do you even care? You’re getting paid, as promised. But only if you put that Lancer down now.”
“That’s not happening.” He wiped his mouth and tried to still his shaking hands. The mere fact that Verity would consider killing Allana rocked him to the core. After all she’d done for the cause? It didn’t make sense. “What has Allana done?”
“That’s not information I can share. Besides, it’s too late.”
He shook his head. No. His hand shook harder, but he held his aim.
“Give me the Lancer, Maddox.” She stepped toward him. “I promise everything’s going to be okay.”
“The hell it is.” He fired the Lancer, the beam piercing the Director’s chest and spreading out in a flash to her extremities. She stumbled backward and crumpled to the floor.
Oh, fuck. He’d actually done it. No turning back now. He had to get away from camp, away from Verity.
He scanned the room for anything that might help him. He had to find Allana. With only two buildings in the makeshift camp, unless they took her offsite, he should be able to find her quickly. He grabbed the Director by the legs and dragged her around behind her desk, making sure she was concealed from casual observation if anyone peered into her office. Might buy him a little time.
She’d be out for about thirty minutes, and then all hell would break loose at the camp when she woke up and alerted everyone. He smashed her wrist screen with the butt of his Lancer, then waved his hand over the light switch to turn the room lights off.
Dammit. He should have followed his gut feeling earlier that something wasn’t right. He never should have let them separate him from Allana. He peered into the semi-dark hallway. Empty. He took a deep breath then headed out the door, pulling it closed behind him. If he had to stun everyone in the camp to save Allana, he would. He didn’t want to, but for her, he would. He hoped they wouldn’t all come at him at once.
He moved down the hallway, checking left and right, Lancer out in front and ready to fire. No one in sight. He passed an empty bunkroom and then a small office, also vacant.
Where was everyone? There were at least twenty Verity members in camp when they’d arrived. Now, the place looked like a ghost town.
He headed outside, his back to the wall, the rain pelting him in the face like tiny darts. He squinted, wiping his hair out of his face and scanning the area. No one. He moved around the perimeter of the building, Lancer drawn. His boots stuck in the mud as he walked, but he kept moving. The clouds had darkened, casting a pall over the area. The rain came down harder.
When he approached the only other building in camp, a large tent-like structure, the faint strains of music floated on the air. Coming from inside. Lancer still set to stun, he moved toward the tent’s entrance, a large flap that slid on a pole like a curtain.
She has to be in there.
Two guards stepped out of the tent, chatting, their Lancers still holstered. One of them laughed, then Maddox dropped them both with quick blasts. That was easy. He ran to the tent door, stopping to roll one guard over so that he wasn’t face first in the mud. The guard wheezed and sputtered, knocked out cold by the Lancer stun. He’d be fine in half an hour. He’ll be more than fine. He’ll be pissed.
Stepping over the other guard, he peeked into the tent. The inside was one large room filled with chairs and tables and lit by a row of dim hanging bulbs swaying from the ceiling.
Empty. Where is she?
He stepped outside, letting the door flap fall over the opening. Where had they taken her? It hadn’t been that long—they had to be around somewhere. He hadn’t heard any vehicles leaving the compound. Maybe they had an underground bunker?
Acid pooled in his stomach and gnawed at his throat. He couldn’t lose her. Not now, and not like this. He hadn’t told her how he felt or how she made him feel. Meera’s face flashed in his mind. He hadn’t told her how much he loved her before she died. If Allana was dead…
He had to find her.
“Maddox!”
Her scream pierced through him. From the direction of the sound, she had to be somewhere behind the buildings. Oh, my god, she was alive, but for how long? He clenched the Lancer and skimmed the area, looking for any sign of Verity guards or Allana. She had to be close by, but where?
Lancer fire traced the sky over the tent like green and blue strings and the music stopped. People yelled. Maddox’s heart slammed as he ran toward the commotion behind the tent. When he turned the corner, he stopped.
Allana walked toward him, a Lancer in each hand. Around her lay at least fifteen guards, on the ground and not moving.
Maybe dead.
He swallowed hard. “You okay?”
She ran, not stopping till she had her arms around his neck, the Lancers clinking as they hit together. “They said they were going to kill me, and I believe they mean it.”
“They do mean it. The Director told me they were going to kill you.”
She nodded. “I had to do it.”
“Are they…” Maddox spit the words out.
“No, not dead. Stunned.”
He heaved a sigh. Thank goodness. “We’ve got to get out of here, away from this camp. Fast.”
“I can’t, Maddox.” Her tears mixed with the raindrops.
He brushed her hair over her shoulder. “Yes, you can! You got out of the tunnels, so this is easy. We just have to run. No small spaces, just wide-open land.” He looked out over the camp. They’d have to hurry. And where would they go? Not many places to hide unless they made it to the forests, or back to the city. Never.
<
br /> “It’s not that.” She studied the bodies on the ground for a moment before continuing. “I’m not ready to die.”
“What are you talking about?” he scratched his head. “Of course you aren’t going to die. You’re being ridiculous.” Had Verity injected her with something?
“I’ve done a very bad thing.” She bent her head and stepped away from him. “I panicked.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing any one of us wouldn’t have done. We have to support Verity.”
She shook her head and stuck the Lancers in her boots. “You don’t understand.”
“Then explain it to me.”
“I’m trying. I wanted to tell you the truth, but when you asked, I panicked and didn’t.” She stepped back. “I was afraid.”
Maddox wiped at the rain. “What truth? That you’re human like the rest of us? And you’re afraid I would find out?”
“No. That’s not it.”
“What then?”
“You’ll hate me for lying.” She sighed. “I hate me for lying to you. I should’ve told you the truth from the beginning.”
Maddox’s heart iced. This was bad. He could feel it. Like a beamcar coming straight for him, but he couldn’t move out of the way. “What did you lie about?”
“Everything is a lie. All of it.”
“Like what?” He frowned. “Are you not an assassin? You sure act like one.”
“Oh, I’m definitely an assassin.” She twirled a lock of her hair, squeezing out the excess water. “That part is true.”
The rain had lightened up some, but the cool wind pressed in making him shiver. This was no time for games. The Verity guards and the Director were going to wake up soon and he and Allana had to be far from camp when that happened.
“Tell me!” He clenched his Lancer. Losing her now, after all they’d been through, was unfathomable.
She looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. “You aren’t going to like it.”
“Allana—”
She paused then took a deep breath. “The Confessor was my father.”
“What?”
“I killed my father yesterday.”
Maddox blinked. His mind filled with crazy thoughts and he didn’t know how to respond. Allana was the Confessor’s daughter? No wonder Verity wanted her dead. They knew she was the Confessor’s daughter; he had no doubt about that. They used her to get to the Confessor, and planned to take her out, too. They’d have to kill her. They couldn’t resist having the Confessor’s flesh and blood around—especially one they’d trained as an assassin. Keeping her alive would be stupid.
He rubbed a hand over his face. Oh, my god. The Confessor was her father.
“Go ahead.” Allana held her arms out. “Shoot me. I need to die. That’s what you’re feeling, isn’t it? Can’t have the Confessor’s daughter running around free. That family is evil.”
“No.” He shook his head. “No, of course not. I would never hurt you.” Not me. But Verity, yes.
She dropped her arms. “Then, what? What now? I’ve lied to you, how can you ever trust me?”
“Right now, we need to escape. Because Verity will kill you if they get the chance.”
“We’ll never get out of here. This place is in the middle of nowhere.”
“We’ll manage. As long as we’re together, we’ll be okay.”
She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and warmth spread throughout his body.
“Why Maddox, that sounded almost romantic,” she whispered.
“I can be romantic.” He straightened. “I care about you, Allana.”
She stared at him then looked at the ground. “I guess now is not the time, but I care about you too.”
“Definitely not the time now. I wish it were. But soon. I promise.” He rubbed her cheek. “And I keep my promises, too.”
She smiled, and then scowled. “I had to kill my father. He was a monster.”
“I know. It’s okay. It’s done.”
She heaved a sigh. “And I’m glad. After what he did to me and my family.”
“It’s okay.” He hugged her to him. “It’s going to be okay. But we’ve got to get out of here before everyone wakes up.”
“Yeah.”
“Looks like you took out most of the camp. Guess they trained you well.”
“The best.” This time, the smile reached her eyes.
“You are. Now let’s put that skill to the test. First, we need to get rid of these.” He popped his wrist screen off. “We aren’t going to be using them and we don’t want Verity to track us, either.”
She pulled hers off and dropped the little square to the ground. “Smart thinking. To be honest, I’m glad to be done with that screen.”
He tossed his beside hers then stomped on both. Feeling the screens that had been his lifeline to Verity—his connection to everything—crush beneath his foot was liberating. And frightening. Whatever happened now, they were on their own. “We’ve got to get away from here now.”
She wiped at the rain. “Escape Verity? To where? I’m not going back to the city.”
Maddox adjusted his pack and stuck his Lancer into his boot. “We have some rations left, and the water purifier bottle. Let’s just go—get as far from here as we can. See where the roads lead us. We can worry about a long-term plan tomorrow.”
“How? We can’t walk that far. I’m already tired, and Verity will catch up to us quickly.”
“No, they won’t.” Maddox grinned. “I know just the thing to get us out of here. You’ve got to trust me, remember?”
Chapter Seven
THE WARM WIND and rain rushed into his face, but he drove on. Allana held him around the waist, laying her head on his back as they rode, the vibration of the bike had lulled her to sleep. The scootcycle had a long range on a single charge, thankfully. They’d been riding for a few hours along a fractured stretch of highway that hadn’t been used in fifty years. Weeds had grown through the cracks in the pavement and they slapped at his legs as he maneuvered around them, sometimes having to slow to almost a crawl to get around debris. Mostly, though, the ride had been smooth.
And invigorating.
And no sign of Verity following them.
Allana slept, her warmth a comfortable weight against his back. They had to be more than a hundred miles from the city, and there wasn’t a person in sight. The rain was intermittent and the ground around him looked like it wasn’t always wet. Patches of dry land spread out along the land in increasingly larger areas.
They might actually escape. The thought both thrilled and scared him. He pulled the throttle and opened up the scootcycle to push the bike to go faster. The terrain changed to rolling green hills with patchy lakes and huge twisted trees. Old barns and houses scattered the landscape. Some looked as they must have before the city war, and some crumbled under the rain. He and Allana had nowhere to go, nowhere to be. How would she feel about that when she woke up? Would she be scared, too? Would she leave him too? She’d already lied to him. Bile crept up his throat and he swallowed it down.
No.
He had to trust that she would stay with him, hat they had something together that they would build on. Being the Confessor’s daughter was not her fault. She was nothing like that evil man. Would he have killed the Confessor if he were his own father? Maybe so. Evil ran deeper than bloodlines.
The road curved and bent, taking them into the foothills. The road was in better shape and he was able to push the bike harder. Once the charge ran out, it’d be useless. He needed to find a place to stop for the night soon.
Maddox wasn’t sure when he realized it, but the rain stopped. It had gradually gotten lighter and now it was gone completely. He pulled the bike off the main road and drove into the remains of a small town in a secluded valley.
Allana must have noticed the change in terrain under the bike because she sat up. In the rearview, he saw her push her hair, now dry, out of her face.
“Where are we?” She hugged him f
rom behind.
He shouted, “I’m not sure, but we need to find a place to stay the night and figure out what we’re going to do tomorrow.” He eased off the throttle even more, till they were barely rolling through what must’ve once been the town’s Main Street. Quaint but dilapidated homes lined the street, the yards overtaken by weeds and overgrowth. The Confessor had rounded up all the people within 250 miles and brought them to the city after the war. The houses were left to rot.
“Let’s try one of those houses over there.” Allana pointed and Maddox directed the bike over, driving into the tall grass in front of a two-story home that looked more well preserved than most.
Once grand, the house’s blue paint peeled and chalked and several of the windows had been smashed out. Who knew how long ago the last person had lived here? When everyone was relocated to cities, no one was allowed to stay, though a few people escaped into the hills. Ghost towns like this one were all over the deserted farmlands.
“This one okay?” he asked.
“Perfect.”
He turned the scootcycle off, grabbed his pack from the back and set the stand.
“Maddox?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s not raining.” She hopped off the bike.
“I know.”
“Oh, my god! It’s not raining!” She twirled, arms out and shouted, “It’s not raining!”
Maddox laughed. “I guess the rainmakers are only over the city and the vicinity.”
“I can’t believe it! I never thought I’d be outside without rain!” She put her arms around his neck and hugged. “If we die today, I die happy.”
He held her close. “Shh. No talking like that. You aren’t going to die today.”
“Let’s go inside.” She looked up at him. “I’m tired. I’m ready for bed.”
“You are? You took a nap.”
“Yes.” She smiled. “And I haven’t forgotten.”
“Forgotten?”
She leaned in close and whispered, “What I promised you. To fuck you hard.”
His dick twitched. “You still want me?” He couldn’t help the stupid grin that tugged at his face. After all they’d been through, he wanted her even more than he had the day before.
Come Undone: Romance Stories Inspired by the Music of Duran Duran Page 29