Wilde Omens

by S. E. Babin

  My gun hand wavered a touch. He seemed genuinely amused instead of rapey, but I still didn’t think it was a good idea to let my guard down around him.

  My gaze shifted back to Lila. Lovely, deadly Lila. She and Watson were involved in a strange stare-down, so I took a single step back. I figured Watson could take them both.

  “Stop right there,” Lila said.

  “Why are you so interested in me anyway?”

  Lila smirked. “You ask too many questions.” With a pop of sound, Lila disappeared.

  Watson spun around and stared at me in horror. “Penelope!”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What—”

  A harsh tug against the back of my shirt cut off the rest of my sentence. I smelled the scent of lilacs as I dissolved into nothingness.

  Chapter 23

  It was obvious who the other immortal was. Lila loomed over me as I struggled to come to, her cloying perfume filling my nostrils, making me want to gag. I squinted against the extreme white light streaming down from the ceiling. I turned my head to the side and noticed there was chrome. Everywhere.

  I couldn’t think of an appropriate snarky remark. My head hurt. My body hurt, and I’d just allowed myself to get kidnapped by COTO and the psychopathic Lila. It was shaping up to be a super day. I moved my arm to brush away a long strand of hair itching my nose and was met with leather resistance of the bondage kind.

  “Really, Lila?” I croaked. “If you were into that stuff, all you had to do was ask. All these theatrics were entirely unnecessary.” I tried to move my other arm and was met with the same resistance.

  If I had to guess, I’d say I was in the infirmary. My arms were restrained against my sides with leather straps. There were additional straps over my waist and legs. The only thing I could move was my head.

  Lila leaned closer. An angry brown gaze met my own. I was immobile and could only glare back if I didn’t want to give us away. She offered a cold grin. “That smart mouth won’t be so smart once I’m finished.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

  In answer, a sharp slap slammed across my face. Stinging pain and the warm gush of blood poured over my face as I blinked rapidly to stop the tears.

  Lila stared at me in distaste, stood up, and walked out of the room, leaving me cold and alone. I lifted my head a few inches and studied the room. Definitely an infirmary, but there was some equipment I hadn’t seen before. There were no windows and only one way out.

  Something about this bothered me. Why was Lila after my blood when she could have experimented with her own? Why was I so needed? I struggled against my bindings, trying anything I could to loosen them before Lila came back. After a few moments of ineffectual struggling, I realized it was no use. I was stuck at the mercy of Watson’s ex...something. I wasn’t sure what she was, but if I got out of here alive, I was going to find out.

  Not for the first time, I wondered at COTO’s involvement. My father’s discovery would be enough to make anyone kill over it, but they were supposed to be the good guys. My mind went back to that night at the bar and the regret both Cass and Aaron had when they knocked me out. If Lila was blackmailing them, it could explain things. Though, even if I got out of here alive, there would be no slowing down. If COTO was aware of Holmes’ discovery, then other people were probably aware too.

  We would never be safe as long as that serum existed. I sighed as I stared up at the bright white ceiling. Some discoveries should never be made and some experiments should never see the light of day. I was one of them. I would have been perfectly happy at home typing in data for some pain in the ass boss. Instead, I was here, strapped to a table, about to be bled out like a pig. All in the name of science. And greed. That was a big one.

  Anger flowed through me. I was the green, inexperienced one, so I got to experience kidnapping and assault. Everyone was too scared of Holmes and Watson to try something like that. Well, if I got out of here alive, I could guarantee them they’d never want to screw with me again.

  I turned my head to the right and looked around to see if I could find anything that might help me get out of my restraints. Not that I would be able to reach it being dressed up like a Christmas turkey and all, but I could hope. That always worked in the Disney movies.

  There was nothing over there except for tongue depressors and cotton swabs. I turned my head the other way and studied the sink and pedestal in front of me. There was hand sanitizer, a stethoscope, and a handful of wrapped needles lying neatly in a plastic jar. All the things you needed in a doctor’s office, but none of which could help me out of my predicament.

  I eyed the needles again. The leather against my skin was thick and wide. I didn’t think I would be able to scrape through it or cut it with the thin sliver of a blade. But if I cut myself and bled enough to make the leather slick…it was worth a try. I estimated I was about two feet away from the table. I was restrained, but the table wasn’t restrained. I rocked myself to and fro, trying to get the table over to where the needles were.

  The racket was godawful and I stilled as I realized I could be attracting attention maybe even worse than Lila. I’d moved maybe an inch. Maybe this wasn’t such a good plan after all. My neck was beginning to ache, so I laid my head back down on the bed and thought, again, about how I could get out of here.

  The door clicked open and I stilled. I couldn’t see who was there and I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

  “Penelope?”

  I froze at the sound of his voice. Aaron. He’d tried to hurt me twice now. Once by accident and once on purpose, but I also suspected he tried to save me.

  “Did you inject me with something other than those knockout drugs?”

  I heard his footsteps pause. “You really have a weird priority system considering you’re restrained to a table right now.”

  “Did you?” I needed to know.

  He sighed and walked up to the bed. I lifted my head and saw those familiar green eyes wrinkled in amusement. The straps loosened on my restraints as he tugged against them. Once he freed my first arm, I thought about punching him in the face. He stepped away with speed over to the other side of the table.

  “You can hit me later. We have to get the hell out of here before Lila gets back.”

  He released the rest of the restraints and helped me out of the bed. I rubbed my numb wrists.

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  Aaron muttered something unflattering under his breath. “Yes, I did.” His hand went to the small of my back as he escorted me to the door. From the back of his waistband, he pulled out a small gun and handed it to me. “You’re going to need this.”

  I accepted the gun with some trepidation since I had no idea what was waiting for me on the outside. “Why are you helping me?”

  Aaron cracked open the door and looked outside. “Because I am not a murderer, Penelope. Nor am I the villain in this shitstorm.” He poked his head back through the door and met my gaze. “Tell your father COTO still stands as his ally, but Lila has to be dealt with.”

  I nodded.

  “And tell your boyfriend he’s choosing the wrong woman if he keeps refusing to deal with Lila.”

  My breath hitched. I couldn’t make myself respond to him.

  With a small smile, he nodded to the gun in my hand. “It’s loaded. Go out the door to the right, take a left where the library is, and run like hell to the exit door.”

  Easy enough. “What do I do when I get there?”

  Aaron laughed. “We’re on a busy street in downtown Austin. If you make it outside, there are bound to be witnesses and no one will screw with you. I can’t be seen with you because Lila still thinks I’m on her side.”

  He pointed to my wrist. “Sorry to say your DAR is gone. Not that you need it anyway.”

  I sighed. I guess Lila filled him in. “No idea how to do that yet, otherwise I wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

  Aaron nodded in understanding. “This isn�
��t the most conducive environment to learn either.” He popped his head back outside the door and looked both ways.

  “Shoot no one, except Lila or Masters. The rest of us are on your side.”

  “Will anyone try to stop me?” My hands were slick with sweat.

  “Odds are, they won’t even bat an eye. COTO has been watching Lila for weeks now. The fact that she brought you here shows she isn’t exactly in her right mind. She thinks if she breaks the serum’s code, she’ll be able to run the place.” He grinned. “She’s delusional.”

  Something else occurred to me. “Why does she need it? Isn’t she immortal?”

  “You have to go, Penelope.” His voice was more urgent now. “But to answer your question, not exactly. She was exposed to the serum because of Watson, but it seems to be wearing off. There’s not enough serum left in her blood to test. It’s almost undetectable.”

  “And I’m her best shot.”

  “That you are. Watson and Sherlock are too smart and deadly for Lila.” He winked at me. “Give it a year or two and you will be too.” He touched my face. “Tuck that gun into your waistband. We’re a friendly lot, but seeing a woman toting a gun in the middle of the hallway is even more than we can stand.”

  I tucked the gun away and Aaron opened the door one more time. “Coast is clear,” he said after checking. “Find me if you decide Watson is too emotional for you.”

  I bit my lip to keep from smiling. “Okay,” I said after a moment. I hesitated for only a second before I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “See you around.”

  He touched my face. “Don’t die.”

  “Super motivational,” I remarked as I stepped out the door and into the hallways of COTO.

  I knew he was watching me as I swiftly walked down the hallway.

  “I like you, Penelope Wilde!” he called.

  It was a terrible time to be smiling, but I smiled anyway.

  This entire thing was so strange. I was walking down the hallways of COTO and no one said a word to me. I picked up the pace, hoping to get out of here without any kind of scene.

  It was entirely possible Lila was crazy with a capital C. I needed to find out exactly what her position was in COTO and why she thought she could work so blatantly against the goals of her organization and my father. I made it to the library, took a left, and exhaled a long, deep breath. I was almost there.

  And so was Lila. Shit on a shingle.

  She stood in the middle of the hallway, her arms crossed against her chest, a smirk on her face. How the hell could she have known? I’d been in the hallway for less than five minutes. I stopped and eyed her warily.

  I couldn’t see any weapons. In fact, her hands rested in a casual position against her sides. Her hair was loose, flowing down her shoulders and back, and her tight clothing left little to the imagination. I wasn’t sure what her position was here, but I bet I couldn’t get away with that office attire back at my old position. I could see why Watson appeared to be enamored with her.

  “So,” she said after a moment, “our little Aaron seems quite taken with you.”

  I blinked and broke into a cold sweat. “What did you do to him?”

  She moved an elegant shoulder in a slight shrug. “Nothing he wouldn’t have done to me. He’s with Masters now. You should be worried more about that than anything I could have done.” She studied a perfectly manicured fingernail. “I don’t like to get dirty on most days.” Her gaze lifted to mine. “But I’m willing to make an exception for you.” She reached behind her and pulled out a gun.

  Different scenarios sifted through my mind as I stared at Lila, but I couldn’t leave without finding out if Aaron was okay. Damn my heroic sense of self. She seemed awfully relaxed about things, though. If I shot her, I would attract a lot of attention, especially if the majority of COTO still thought she was a good guy, which seemed to be the case. If she shot me, I was completely screwed. I still wasn’t exactly sure what her capabilities were other than teleporting, but if the serum was diminishing within her blood, I wasn’t sure how long she would be able to do that for.

  I decided to do the next best thing. I turned and ran.

  Chapter 24

  The tile floor pounded against my feet as I ran down the hall like my life depended on it in a frantic effort to get away from Lila and find Aaron. As I rounded the corner by the library a gunshot rang out and plaster exploded by my head. I hissed in pain as a piece exploded across my cheek. Lila’s shriek of frustration warmed my heart as I continued to pound down the hallway.

  I didn’t want the wrath of COTO to fall around me, but I needed to find Aaron and get the hell out of here as soon as possible. Moments later, I reached the room where Lila had me strapped to the table. I opened the door and peeked in, but there was no sign of him.

  I stopped someone walking past and tried to plaster a friendly, non-crazy smile on my face.

  “Hi,” I breathed like an asthmatic. “Have you seen Aaron around here?”

  The young woman’s face was perplexed, but she pointed down the hall. “I saw him walking with Masters a few moments ago.”

  Crap. “Thanks.” I left her standing there and took off running again. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lila’s red hair streaming behind her as she ran after me.

  “Audrey!” Lila screamed. “Pull the alarm!”

  I didn’t stick around to find out what Audrey did. I flew down the hallway, frantically looking for Masters, assuming he was the same shaved-head guy who held the gun at me just a few hours ago. Cool name, psycho work ethic.

  The few people milling in the hallway gave me strange looks and a wide berth. I skidded around a corner and saw the back end of Aaron and the shiny head of Masters going into a room with an unmarked door.

  “Stop!” I screamed.

  I skidded to the door and opened it. Which, looking back, was extraordinarily stupid.

  The cold, business end of a gun rested against my forehead.

  “Well, hello, Funny Girl. We have to stop meeting this way.” Masters smiled as he kicked the door shut. “Come on in and join the party.”

  He grabbed me, zip tied my hands in front of me, and shoved me over to where Aaron sat on the ground. His face was unreadable, but his gaze burned with anger.

  “Have a seat.”

  I sat beside Aaron. He leaned over, and whispered, “Didn’t I just risk my life to help you? Why the hell are you still here?”

  “Lila knew.” I didn’t bother whispering back.

  Masters pulled up a chair. “Of course she did, you morons.”

  Aaron thunked his head back against the wall. “Come on, Masters. You’re smarter than this.”

  Masters laid his gun down on the table and studied both of us. “A truer statement has never been uttered.”

  I blinked in surprise. “Then why are we here?”

  Masters smiled sadly and ran a hand over his close-cropped hair. “Got a sick kid.”

  He didn’t elaborate. He didn’t need to.

  “So, this is it then?”

  Masters laughed. “Lila probably won’t kill you once she gets what she needs, you know. Plus, you people are extremely hard to kill and Lila doesn’t like to work that hard. She has a soft spot for Watson.”

  “What about Aaron?”

  He toyed with his gun. “What about him?”

  A plan was beginning to formulate in my head. One I felt good about. I’d been running around trying to stay alive and only succeeding because people were helping me. Maybe this time I could help myself.

  “What’s wrong with your daughter?”

  Now that I was closer to Masters, I noticed he had dark blue eyes. Friendly eyes, but I could tell he would drop me in a heartbeat if he had to.

  His mouth quirked to the side, as if he were amused. “Why do you care?”

  “No one deserves to die, Masters.”

  Aaron stilled beside me and Masters studied me with new interest.

  “Batten d
isease,” he said softly.

  I knew of it. Before I’d gone into Criminal Justice, I’d been interested in Pediatric medicine, but my mother discouraged it because she thought it might bring me undue attention. Batten disease was the result of genetic mutation that forced an imbalance in healthy cells, causing progressive brain damage and numerous other severely debilitating symptoms. Unfortunately, it was also fatal.

  “I’m so, so sorry.” And I was. Masters hadn’t yet tried to kill me and I sensed underneath that scary exterior, he was only a devastated father trying to find the best way to help his little girl.

  Aaron’s curious gaze fell on me as I thought about the repercussions of what I was about to do.

  “I can help you.” My hands started shaking. I was going down a path I could never, ever come back from. My father, and most likely Watson, would be furious.

  His gaze sharpened. “Why?” Masters was no dummy. He knew I could probably help him, just by virtue of who my father was, yet instead of questioning me about it, he wanted to know my reasoning behind it.

  “Other than because you like pointing a gun at me?”

  Amusement flashed in his eyes. “Obviously.”

  “Because I know the serum can help her. But I want to tell you that you don’t come back from immortality. It’s the end of life as you know it.” I smiled to soften that statement. “But it’s also the beginning. Although…” I paused, hoping I wouldn’t anger him with my next statement, “I would hope that you’d be open to considering other efforts which might help her.”

  Before Masters could respond, the door flung open and an angry, flustered Lila entered the room. She eyed us both sitting on the ground and her gaze lit up with avarice. “Excellent, Masters. Let’s take them both to the infirmary.”

  Masters’ gaze stayed on me for a moment longer than necessary. He nodded. “Sure thing.”

  My heart stopped. Who was he talking to? I shifted my frantic gaze to Aaron, who infuriatingly shrugged. If he took us to the infirmary, we wouldn’t make it out again. I was virtually bulletproof. Aaron was not.