Locked Out of Love

by Mary K. Norris

  Melanie quickly committed everything to memory.

  “What are the other two powers you have?” Joel asked, his voice carefully neutral.

  “Super strength and the ability to enlarge anything I touch.”

  For a moment the nerdy little boy inside of Joel came out. His mouth opened in awe, his midnight eyes wide with wonder.

  She couldn’t help it. She reached out and cupped his face.

  Wrong move.

  He jerked away, his expression shutting down instantly.

  Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest, the hurt radiating through her body with every beat.

  “We need to hurry.” Joel stepped from the car and Melanie was happy to see that he didn’t topple over. His equilibrium seemed to return, and she hoped he was strong enough to help her. She hadn’t counted on him getting injured at the clinic.

  Maybe that had been Juliet’s plan all along, a safety measure to make sure Melanie didn’t stick her nose into their business anymore?

  Well, too bad, bitch, ’cause here I am.

  Juliet didn’t know Melanie knew the whereabouts of this place. That’s where Niella had come in handy. The last couple of sessions together had been devoted to Melanie forcing Dream upon Dream on herself in an effort to glimpse as much of today’s events as possible. Including where they would be taking place.

  Melanie made sure to park a safe distance from the location to avoid detection, and together she and Joel walked the half block to the warehouse. A semi-truck took up most of the front parking lot and the warehouse stood dark and empty, the wooden exterior worn and weather-beaten. It looked ready to collapse with the slightest breeze. No lights shone in the windows, but that didn’t mean no one was home.

  “You’re sure this is the right spot?” Joel stared up at the abandoned building. The smell of fish greeted them, and Melanie quickly switched to breathing through her mouth.

  Joel gagged.

  Melanie reached the front door, which was actually a large, wooden planked slider with a padlock.

  Game time.

  She reached for her powers, felt the tingle in the back of her neck, and focused on the lock. Taking a deep breath, she held it and waved her hand.

  The lock vanished.

  She exhaled in relief.

  “Nicely done.” Joel’s voice held a hint of reluctant admiration. Melanie ignored it. She couldn’t let her fantasies of winning Joel’s trust sidetrack her concentration.

  “Thanks. I had a pretty amazing mentor.”

  Joel’s eyes glittered. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

  Maybe there was still a chance for them after all.

  Inside the stench of fish was worse. Twice, Melanie had to stop and breathe into the sleeve of her shirt. The warehouse had been divided into different sections using large, pleated metal sheets; from the back she could see a faint yellow glow and hear voices. She kept her powers on high alert, using Cali’s at the moment to keep Joel and herself quiet as they crept over wrappers and dried fish bones and God knew what else that littered the floor.

  A long conveyor belt lined the right side of the building. Melanie used it as cover and hunched down to walk along it. Her heart raced in her chest and she turned some of Cali’s abilities on herself so that she couldn’t hear her own heart. She was grateful for the silence; it helped her think. But she could still feel the pounding against her ribs.

  The voices were growing louder.

  Joel’s hand on her shoulder gave her pause.

  “What’s our plan of action?” he whispered.

  Melanie thought for a moment. “I’ll surprise them, distract as many as I can, you sneak around and free any of the guild you find.”

  “What? I’m not going to leave you to take care of everyone.”

  “I’ll be fine. I have super healing and super strength, so I’m pretty much—”

  “Golden,” he finished for her in a defeated tone. “Fine, but as soon as I’m capable, I’m helping you. Got it?”

  She nodded. “Fair enough. I have a score to settle with these people, and just to give you a heads up, I’ll be using Sydney’s powers from time to time.”

  “I’ll try to keep my power usage to a minimum.”

  They reached the end of the conveyor belt. The back of the warehouse was a large empty space, probably where most of the fish packing happened if all the broken box pieces were any indication. Melanie could make out Juliet and the others standing on the opposite end.

  Shit.

  There was no way she’d be able to reach them without being seen. Behind them was more metal sheeting and beyond that the sound of metal being shaken. “Let us out.” Felix’s strong voice was slurred, as if he were pumped full of too many drugs. “We’re not fucking animals.” Whatever cage they had him in rattled again.

  Juliet massaged her temples. “Would you take care of that?” she ordered Mr. Richardson. “And give another dose to Luke. His system has probably already burned through the other shots by now.”

  Mr. Richardson smiled and picked up a large tranquilizer gun that rested against a nearby box. “My pleasure.”

  At least Melanie knew the guild hadn’t been stripped of their powers. They wouldn’t be keeping them sedated if they didn’t. Trina hadn’t gotten to them yet, which meant they were only suffering from the lingering effects of her powers. Their powers would come back shortly, giving Melanie a small window for the different abilities to run in her system.

  Melanie could feel the waves of rage coming off Joel. “We act now.” He started to move.

  “Wait, I’ll make a distraction then you run in, okay?”

  He hesitated. “Make it snappy.”

  “Right.” She glanced around to find something of use. Her eyes landed on a large fish head below the conveyor belt. Her stomach turned over.

  Well, if it made her squirm, she could only hope it’d freak Juliet out when enlarged to five times its size.

  Melanie squatted down even lower and reached for the head. It squished under her fingers and she swallowed down the food that rose up her throat. Once she had it firmly in hand, she dropped Cali’s powers and focused on making the fish head larger. Slowly at first and then progressing in speed, the head grew. Joel watched in sick fascination until it was the size of a watermelon.

  “How are you going to throw that?”

  “Super strength, remember?” And luckily for her, growing up with an older brother made her a little more athletically inclined, which meant she could aim.

  She threw the fish head, but no one noticed until it got within a few feet.

  “What the fuck is that?” one of the suited men near Juliet shouted. He pulled a Taser and fired.

  The small electrodes embedded themselves into the fish head and together they crashed into Juliet.

  She screamed.

  Melanie smiled as the fish hit its target, splattering all over Juliet’s immaculate blouse and dress slacks. And if she got a few electrical shocks, all the better.

  “Go,” Melanie ordered Joel as she pulled at one end of the conveyor belt. The metal groaned beneath her strength and a large piece broke off into her hand. “Now!” She launched the object, catching a guard in the shoulder and sending him flying.

  Joel took off at a run. Melanie left the cover of the conveyor belt as the back door sliders were thrown open.

  Trina came into view and Melanie instantly imagined shooting up those invisible walls.

  Trina’s eyes lit on Melanie. “Now you will get what you deserve for your cowardice.”

  “Bring it.” Melanie charged her. She had a lot of rage to let loose.

  Trina shot an arm out. Nothing happened.

  Confusion registered on her face before Melanie dropped her Shield and called forth her strength. She punched Trina right in the jaw, heard a satisfying crack, and sent her flying.

  “What in God’s name?” A man next to Trina pulled another Ta
ser from his jacket.

  Looked like they weren’t carrying anything lethal.

  Good.

  Melanie didn’t even have to think. She waved her hand. It disappeared. She punched him and sent him spiraling through the air.

  “End of the line, bitch,” a voice spoke up from behind her.

  Melanie started to turn, but something sharp stabbed into her shoulders and suddenly pain tore through her body, causing her muscles to convulse as shock after shock went through her.

  She dropped to the floor, spasming.

  A new suited man dropped the Taser. The electrical shocks stopped. Melanie lay there, trying to catch her breath.

  The new suit ran to Juliet. “We need to get out of here, ma’am.”

  Juliet grabbed the lapel of his jacket. “I am not leaving here. We haven’t finished loading the cargo.”

  “B-but … ” The young man started to stammer out reasons why they needed to leave. Melanie lost track of their conversation.

  Cargo.

  There were people in the semi-truck. She had to get out there.

  Repressing a groan, she rolled to her side and flexed her hands. Her muscles were coming back under her control.

  That was fast.

  Then she remembered Luke’s ability.

  Grinning to herself, she pushed up to her hands and knees and crawled her way toward the door. She heard commotion coming from the back, where she prayed Joel had freed some of the prisoners.

  The sea air slapped at her face when she exited the warehouse. She got to her feet and ran for the semi. The doors were closed but not locked. She wrenched them open and stared into the dark recesses.

  A few faces lifted at the sight of her.

  Then a chorus of “Help!”

  Melanie didn’t waste any time. She tore open cage after cage.

  “Is that all of you?” she asked of the last prisoner. There were still more cages deeper in the semi, but none looked filled.

  The man stopped. “Yeah, there’s an old guy at the very end, no one was supposed to go near him. From what I’ve heard, you should leave him.” The man took off.

  Melanie stood alone in the back of the truck.

  The sound of the ocean echoed inside the metal container. Melanie hesitantly made her way farther down. The hair on the back of her neck prickled and thrice she turned to find no one there.

  Her senses were on high alert, palms sweating, heart thundering.

  She stopped near the end of the cargo bin where she could see the last prisoner. The man she’d freed had been right—it was an old man in the last cage. Why was he being kept isolated? He certainly didn’t look terrifying.

  White hair and deep wrinkles around his eyes, forehead, and mouth placed him somewhere around the eighty- to ninety-year mark if Melanie had to guess.

  Still, she would heed the other prisoner’s warning. She eased closer.

  “Sir?” she called to get his attention. His chin was resting on his chest, possibly sleeping.

  Her voice echoed off the metal walls and Melanie shivered at the sound. She wrapped her arms around herself as the wind swept inside the storage unit.

  “Sir, are you awake? I’m here to help.” Only a few feet separated them now.

  His head jerked and a pair of dark, ancient eyes stared back at her.

  Melanie stumbled to a stop. Something in his eyes shot a bolt of fear straight to her toes.

  Leave him.

  She shook her head. She was not like Juliet and her group. She would never leave someone to whatever fate Juliet had in store for them.

  Pushing one foot in front of the other, she wrenched the door of the cage open.

  The man watched her with those worldly eyes, still sitting.

  “Come on, we need to get you out of here before some of those goons come back. Can you stand?”

  The man shook his head.

  Melanie ducked into the cage with him and bent in front of him. “Okay, put one of your arms around my shoulders—”

  He moved like lightning.

  His hands grasped either side of her face.

  Melanie tried to jerk away, but he held tight. “What—?”

  Her words cut off as pain ripped through her body. She choked on a scream while a strange sense of fatigue took hold of her.

  Her eyes locked with the old man’s.

  Her lips parted.

  No words came out.

  As suddenly as it had started the man let go. Melanie staggered back and fell into the bars of the cage. She grasped them like a lifeline, her heart racing a mile a minute. She blinked a few times to clear the spots that had appeared in her vision.

  When she could see clearly, the old man stood before her, his face unreadable. He nodded once. “Thank you for freeing me. In exchange I will spare your life.”

  Was it just her or had his wrinkles faded?

  Melanie didn’t know what to say. Out of nowhere a young man suddenly appeared. Melanie jumped with a squeak.

  The old man didn’t even blink. The young man held out his arm and the old man took it. Together they walked out of the semi-truck, but not before the young one spared a glance over his shoulder, his mismatched eyes connecting with Melanie’s before they were both gone.

  She shivered.

  She touched her face where the old man had grasped her. Something Joel had said niggled at the back of her mind.

  Those powers.

  Her heart ceased beating.

  Vander Donahughe.

  Could it be possible that she’d just rescued the Guild of Truth’s most hated enemy?

  Her evening was just getting better and better.

  It took her a few moments to collect herself. When her legs stopped shaking and could support her weight again, she stumbled from the semi-truck.

  Only to be blasted off her feet.

  The force hit with a whomp, causing her ears to ring.

  Disoriented, Melanie shook her head and found Trina standing a few feet away, revenge blazing in her eyes.

  She started to advance on Melanie.

  Melanie shot her Shield up, but nothing happened.

  The powers are fading.

  Trina was upon her, her hands grasping Melanie around the neck.

  Instinctively Melanie’s hands wrapped around Trina’s. She reached for her super strength, but the next second her entire body froze.

  Panic flooded her and she reached for Sydney’s Shield. Again, nothing.

  “What’s the matter?” Trina drawled. “Terror got you immobilized?”

  Her eyes, the only thing Melanie seemed to be able to control, latched onto Trina’s smirking face.

  This was all her doing. She could immobilize Melanie with nothing but a touch!

  Then something worse started to happen. Melanie’s neck started to go numb, the pins and needles sensation climbing down her throat, along her arms, into her chest, everywhere.

  Horror gripped Melanie. She knew this feeling—was usually on the other end of it. She reached for her strength, willed it into her fingers, willed her fingers to move, but couldn’t.

  Helpless, tears pricked the backs of her eyes.

  Just as the pins and needles became unbearable, her back bowed off the floor, the air leaving her lungs, as she felt something torn from her body.

  Her vision went black. All sensation left her body and she floated down into the comfortable abyss of unconsciousness.

  Chapter 32

  Joel watched as Melanie’s body rose off the ground like someone being possessed. Her bright, crystal-blue eyes were wide in terror.

  His chest burned and he put his hand over his heart were the bond between him and Melanie usually radiated warmth.

  Something was wrong.

  He scanned for something to use as a weapon but found none.

  Without thinking, he charged the Asian woman holding his Mirror Mate and tackled her. Melanie’s body dropped to the ground with a thud. The woman screamed and clawed at Joel’s face. He
Locked her to the asphalt and scampered off of her, his cheek stinging where she’d got in a swipe.

  She tried to lunge but didn’t get very far. She screamed in rage and fought against his Lock over and over again.

  Good luck.

  He crouched next to Melanie, his gaze snagging on the open end of the semi-truck and all the open cages within.

  She’d saved them all.

  He gathered her into his arms. “Melanie?” She didn’t respond. He shook her. “Melanie, come on, open your eyes for me.” His heart lodged in his throat, he turned to the Asian woman. “What did you do to her?” he barked.

  She smiled at him, seeming to have given up on breaking his Lock. She sat back and feigned nonchalance. “I did to her what she didn’t have the courage to do to others.”

  His heart stuttered in his chest at the implication. “No.” The word slipped out of him as he rocked Melanie in his arms.

  Not Melanie. Her powers …

  His arms tightened around her. All she wanted was to save the guild. Something Joel had been too preoccupied to notice. He’d been so obsessed with his own grief, his feelings of betrayal, that he’d shunned Melanie, let her go off on her own and now she paid the ultimate price.

  “Joel.” Merrick’s voice rang out behind him.

  The rest of the guild made their way from the warehouse, a few of them unstable on their feet, clinging to one another for support.

  Niella wheeled over to Melanie. “What happened?” Her hazel eyes shot to the Asian woman and narrowed.

  Joel looked down into Melanie’s pale face. The circles under her eyes stood out against her skin. She’d been losing sleep, worrying about Joel and her plans against Juliet, no doubt.

  “I think she was,” he swallowed, “stripped of her powers.”

  The guild remained silent.

  “Do you need help carrying her?” Luke offered, stepping forward. He swayed on his feet.

  Joel repressed a smile. “I can manage. Thank you, though.”

  He scooped Melanie into his arms, tucking her head safely beneath his chin. Her skin was sticky from the moisture in the air, the awful scent of fish from the warehouse clinging to her clothes, but he pulled her close anyway.