Thankfully, Creed returned about halfway through the second day. They walked together once more, this time, around the perimeter of the building. She assumed he thought he was keeping her away from the center of the complex so she couldn’t observe something vital and betray him, but in reality, mapping the layout of the facility was just as useful to her.
In fact, planning multiple escape routes, or figuring out possible weaknesses kept her sane, and allowed her to continue her charade of being a reformed woman.
Perhaps she should have been disappointed with how easily Creed was tricked. She had expected to need to give up valuable information about the Hunters, or whatever she might know about the Clan Leaders, but no. All the Aberrant needed were sweet words, silly puns, and an admittance that she was wrong.
How had he survived so long if he was so easy to dupe? Well, she knew the answer was one of two things: Either he saw through her completely and was just humoring her to see how far she would go, or he was so blinded by his desire not to be alone that he was willing to look past her previous transgressions.
Either way, their story was going to end in someone’s death.
As strange as it was to think that someone planning a revolution had free time, Creed never hurried when they were together. In fact, he almost seemed to relax the more they walked, talked, just enjoyed each other’s company. She could sense his walls dropping and it would only be a matter of time before he was completely in her grasp.
Too bad time was the one thing she was short on.
Nevertheless, she cleaned what information she could and flirted where appropriate until he was leading her once more to her new home. This time, there was no kiss, and she was incredibly relieved. For being a murderous, psychopathic villain, at least Creed seemed to care about whether she wanted his affections or not. Sad that some other men couldn’t wrap their non-mad minds around that concept.
Instead, he dropped her off at her cell with simply a promise to return again, and she was left with five more days to accomplish the impossible.
Actually, it was more like four. If she waited until the last day to go into the final phase of her plan, it would probably be too late.
Fortunately enough, Creed didn’t skip a day when he came to see her next. He arrived sometime after the and took her for yet another walk.
But it wasn’t just the two of them. In fact, there was a whole group of men waiting for them in a clearing between two buildings that she had previously spotted from afar.
At first, she feared some sort of execution, but she was relieved to hear them discuss weapons as they walked into the heavily guarded building behind them.
Their conversation quickly turned serious as Jaelle realized they were entering an armory. It seemed that Creed was taking advantage of Shifter’s normal disdain for firearms and planning on loading up every single one of his men.
It was ingenious, really. While a single bullet wouldn’t take out even the weakest of Shifters, a hail of bullets could bring anyone down. Plus, while most of the unarmed forces of Hunters and other paramilitary Shifters were exerting themselves trying to overcome the bullets and riot gear, the prison Shifters would be completely at ease and fresh for the one on one battle when the guns jammed and the ammunition ran out.
She was surprised he was showing her such an intrinsic part of his plans. Did that mean he trusted her? She was beginning to think so.
The guards, however, were another matter. She occasionally caught glimpses of them sizing her up when they were out of Creed’s sight. Some with a hungry sort of leer, others with an outright disdain, and still others with a curious sort of distrust. If she was in their position, she was sure she’d be the same. As far as they were concerned, she was some strange but pretty interloper who was taking up the time of their leader—who they probably didn’t feel much loyalty for to begin with.
Jaelle and Creed’s time together ended after a couple of hours, and he dropped her off without shutting her door once more. Jaelle felt like it was some kind of test, to give her the temptation of leaving, but she doubted she would get anywhere if she tried to walk out those doors.
This was a prison, after all, and there was bound to be an entire camera system set up. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had a live feed of her cell going twenty-four-seven. It made her pretty skeeved out that he might have watched her change or even go to the bathroom, but she knew that was a risk she had to take.
It was exceedingly difficult to sleep that night. It was like her body sensed time was running out and it wouldn’t allow her to rest. Every muscle seemed to vibrate with energy while her mind worked itself into a tizzy imagining every possible way the events could pan out.
But they were just that. Imaginings.
At least she didn’t dream for once. Instead, what few hours of slumber she did manage to get were filled with darkness and rest.
That rest did not last long however, as Creed arrived again with yet another change of clothes. This time, he kept her out for over half the day, and she knew that their end was drawing near. She just needed to get him somewhere alone, where a large amount of noise wouldn’t attract his guards. Sure, she could probably destroy them all if she got enough of a jump on them, but that would ruin her own grand finale.
No, if she wanted to finish this, she needed both secrecy and seclusion. Neither of which she’d get if Creed always had a personal guard and kept her going through heavily occupied places.
At least she had ace up her sleeve.
Her feet were actually sore when he dropped her off again, and this time, he lingered as if he didn’t want to say goodbye. Jaelle saw an opportunity, and gently stroked his face just once, before wishing him a good night.
She could smell his reaction almost instantly, and he looked stunned. It was a shame, really. If the man was a bit older, and a bit less completely insane, he might be wise enough to see he was getting played. But she had no doubt that she had pulled the wool completely over his eyes.
He left without a word after that, and she knew she would enact her plan the next day. Should she succeed, that would give her two days to unravel the rest of Creed’s machinations. Should she fail, well, she supposed she wouldn’t have to worry about much of anything after that because she would be very dead.
Nodding to herself, Jaelle went to her cot and lay down, allowing her mind to take her back to happier, simpler times. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they took her to the back of Bradley’s jeep, and her body could practically feel the vibrations of the engine as they chugged along. Although the pleasant memories helped soothe her, they couldn’t distract her from the one fact lingering at the end of all her thoughts.
The countdown was over. It was time to strike.
Chapter Seven: The Final Ruse
Creed wasted no time arriving the next morning, again with another outfit. Where he was getting all this women’s clothing in an all-male prison, she had no idea, but she wasn’t about to ask him about it as she didn’t think she would like the answer.
He dropped it off then told her that he would be back in an hour or so. She changed quickly, trying not to think of the cameras that were probably trained on her. It was a pretty, flowy light pink chemise and a brown pencil skirt with a slight stretch to it. The outfit looked like something a stylish, middle-aged woman would wear.
Jaelle’s stomach clenched at that revelation, and she hoped that the warden’s wife hadn’t been on a conjugal visit when Creed had first sunk his claws into this place.
True to his word, he returned shortly after, dressed again in a nice shirt and slacks. This time, however, he was sporting a tie that almost matched the color of his top.
“You clean up nicely,” she murmured, trying to look appreciative as her eyes shuttled up and down his frame.
“I would say you do as well, but we both already knew that.”
“It doesn’t hurt to reassure a lady,” she teased as he opened the door, sauntering past him with a subtle swing of
her hips.
He took her arm once more and led her back to administrative building. She was mildly surprised when he brought her to the same place where they had their first meal, but this time a delicious spread was waiting for them.
Jaelle spotted bacon, biscuits, grits, toast, over easy eggs and all sorts of fineries. It reminded her of the diner, but if it had been presented in an overly romantic manner by a man, whose only dating knowledge had come from watching television.
Just like before, he pulled her chair out for her and she sat. But unlike their first meeting, she didn’t hesitate before digging in with abandon.
“So, what,” she said around a mouthful of biscuit. “You keep the prison cook alive just so you could get some solid meals in?”
A strange expression crossed his face. “How do you always do that?”
“Do what?” she asked, swallowing her food and looking up to him.
“Sarcastically predict things that I’ve actually done. It makes me think I’m a bit of a joke to you.”
“What? No! I just… how do I explain it?” It wouldn’t be the first time her humor had gotten her into trouble, but she was sure she could extricate herself. “I think it’s a form of protection. They’re guesses based on my observation, and I suppose I’m worried about being wrong, so I phrase them as a joke so there’s no clapback for any errors.”
“Clever. But again, exhausting.”
“What can I say? I’ve got a whole lot of energy and not a ton of ways to expend it.”
“I see.”
“You see?” she parroted. “That sounds rather ominous.”
“Does it now?” He smiled back at her, looking entirely pleased with himself. “Good. Glad to know that I can still keep you on your toes. Sometimes I worry that the survivalist in you is weaving me on your loom exactly how you want me.”
“My loom?” she shot back, with a low snort. “What is this, the eighteen hundreds?”
“Heh, fair. I guess my metaphors are taking a hit with all this planning taking over my brain.”
“I think it was more like an allegory, but I get what you mean. It sounds like you could use a break.”
“And I’ll have one, a long one.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah,” he answered, smiling wanly. “After all of the Clan Leaders lie dead.”
Ugh, that again.
It took all of her strength not to blanch, roll her eyes, or otherwise object to his statement. Instead, she shoved an entire biscuit in her mouth and chewed it for a great while, giving herself time to think.
“I know we’ve had rather eclectic childhoods, but surely, you’ve heard of the phrase ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’”
“Are you calling me dull?”
She allowed herself a flirty grin. “Maybe. Just pointing out that even an hour or two of something truly enjoyable can make weeks of monotony livable.”
Jaelle could almost see his mind whipping itself around both the innuendo and possibilities of her little sentence. “I’ll, uh, have to keep that in mind I guess.”
“Good.” She continued to stuff her face and was delighted when the same lanky Shifter entered with beers once again. It was the same kind as last time—no doubt from the very same six-pack—but she certainly wasn’t complaining.
She downed it quickly, swallowing some sausage along with it. If Creed thought anything disdainful about her always-ravenous eating habits, he did not say so. Instead, he just watched her with amusement as she scarfed whatever she wanted down.
When she finally finished, she drained the last of her drink and released a single, table-shaking belch. Creed’s eyes went wide for a moment before he burst out laughing.
“You’re ridiculous,” he accused, shaking his head like she had told the most hilarious joke.
“Eh, you eat as fast as I do and you tend to swallow a lot of air. It’s gotta come back up somehow, so here we are.”
He continued to shake his head, and she didn’t know whether to be offended or relieved. Obviously, his guard was at an all-time low, but she wasn’t sure she wanted it to be at her expense. After all, for the next part of her plan, she needed him to want her badly. Maybe she should hold off on any future belching.
“So, what’s next? Another walk through the armory? A stroll around the perimeter? Going to the firing range and packing more than the recommended number of ear-plugs into our canals?”
That was one sharp downside she had noticed about using the powerful munitions. Even with solid ear protection, the loud sounds the weapons made effectively dulled Shifter hearing for a while. Even when she had only visited for an hour or so previously, her head had hurt until she had fallen asleep that night.
“No, not quite. We actually only have one thing to do today, and then the rest of the evening is yours. I figured we might watch a movie, or perhaps I could even cook for you? Believe it or not, I’ve learned a few things while hopping from state to state.
“Huh, well, color me interested.” Yes! This was it. She could feel the moment hurtling toward her, but she still needed to play it cool. “And that one thing we need to do?”
“Oh, you’re going to like this,” he said, his face taking on a maniacal glint.
“Am I?”
“We’ve been setting something up, something I would have thought was impossible before this.”
“Really? And what about this prison allowed you to do this supposed impossible thing?”
“You’d be surprised how many intellectuals there are here,” he answered. “We have programmers, scientists, engineers, laypeople. It’s actually a bit alarming, I suppose, but either way the men here are much more useful than the other location.”
“I see.” She affixed him with a curious gaze. “So, what is it then? This thing I’m supposed to be drooling over?”
“Oh, please don’t drool over it. It isn’t exactly water friendly.”
“Now, I’m really curious.”
“Good.” He stood and offered her his arm once more. “Come with me then. This might be the greatest thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve done quite a lot.”
“But I see developing a sense of humility was not one of those things.”
“Humility is a waste of time, and time is one thing I will absolutely not take for granted.”
She took his arm and allowed him to lead her back out into the complex. “It seems like we have that in common.”
They strolled along, making idle comments to avoid the silence but nothing too deep. It was like Creed was too anxious about his grand reveal and Jaelle was busy trying to figure out what could possibly have him so ruffled. While neither of them wanted to walk in complete silence, there seemingly wasn’t enough brainpower between them to have a full-fledged conversation.
And with that, he led her out of the administrative building and across the campus to the only facility she hadn’t been in yet.
It was the farthest from the center, and about as nondescript as it came. The only thing that set it apart was its relatively petite size and the long, long antenna sticking up from its roof, reaching nearly halfway up one of the massive guard towers.
Wait, antenna? It couldn’t be. Had… he? …no.
She held off on any questions or exclamations and simply waited for the Aberrant at her side to reveal his grand preparations.
They came soon enough. Once the pair had reached the door, he nodded to a guard, who opened it with a swipe of the card. They entered, and the entrance slammed closed behind them.
It took a moment for Jaelle’s eyes to adjust to the yellowish, fluorescent lights of indoors. But when she did, her jaw dropped and she couldn’t believe her eyes.
There was an impressive array set up in front of her, one that looked like it belonged in an insane TV network. There were screens, and consoles, and many other things that she didn’t have a word for.
“What is this?” she asked. She felt like she had inadvertently marched into some sort
of cyber-punk set piece, and she wasn’t sure if she should be concerned or scared or even enthused.
“This is my pièces de résistance,” Creed said, his face practically glowing with unchecked pride. “With this, we are going to send out a broadcast to anyone who will listen. It will be impossible for almost all humans to hear, but Shifters will be able to make out the message.”
Her eyes went wide as she realized the implications of everything he was saying. “And what exactly will that message be?”
“That it’s time for the Aberrants to rise. No more hiding in fear. No more lives of terror and being hunted. No more submitting ourselves to execution. We will stand together and make a new world.”
“You summoning an army,” she gasped.
“You always knew I would.”
“Yes, but I thought it would be a slow recruitment via word of mouth. I assumed many of us would die before they ever knew that times were changing. But this… even if only a fraction of us hear it, it could save hundreds, perhaps even a thousand or more.”
His eyes were gleaming as he nodded emphatically. “You get it, don’t you? What this could mean to us.”
“I do,” she answered just as enthused. Although what he didn’t know was that she had an idea for another use entirely. If her plan went as she hoped, she could use this to contact the Clan Leaders and tell them exactly what was happening.
Her eyes flicked from the machine back to Creed, who looked about as happy and proud as she had ever seen him. Well, at least he was going to spend his last day thinking she was impressed with him. It was going to sting to watch his heart break later, but all she had to do was remember any of the several massacres of his that she’d seen, and her resolve would come back in full.
“And this works? Have you tested it?”
“Not in full. We are worried that if we booted it up too early, our signal could be tracked before we are fully prepared for the siege. So in two days’ time, we will try it out, and it will be the first chime of our new era.”
The Aberrants Box Set (Books 1-5) Page 52