by J. C. Hart
"I'll go by there, alone. You've only been gone a few days and your father probably has people keeping an eye on it."
"I guess." Impatience built inside her. "So what do we need?"
"Glad you asked. This is the Armoury." He swung the door open with a flourish. The walls were lined with shelving and a large man at the back was rifling through boxes. "We'll need things to override security, or break into houses, maybe some communications devices. You have no phone, remember. Can you recall your friend's number, or your sister’s?"
"Not really, no." Damn her pregnancy brain. "I say we take a bunch of different stuff with us and wing it."
"Wing it?" Garrett laughed. "From my observations, you're not the kind of girl who wings it’."
"Correction. I never used to be the kind of girl to who just ‘wings it’. I spent years doing things the right way, following the rules, doing everything that was wanted of me. And sure, ever since I started bending those rules life has gotten pretty chaotic, but for once in my life I feel like maybe I can decide what I want, instead of doing the things I know I should."
"Sounds like a good enough reason to wing it to me." Garrett grinned. "Hey Sturm," he called to the guy at the back of the room. "Come over here and meet Madea. Tahra's daughter."
Sturm grunted as he got up from his knees, dusting his palms off on his thighs as he approached. He held out a hand, which Madea grasped, his rough fingers enclosing hers.
"Nice to meet you Miss Linae. Glad to have you with us." Sturm bowed his head at her before turning to Garrett. "What are you two here for?"
"Just a few bits and bobs. Need to go and pick someone up from the domes."
"Alright, well, you know where everything is." He gave Madea another nod and then went back to work.
"Not much for small talk huh?" Madea whispered.
Garrett shrugged. "No. He's a man of few words, but he's as loyal to your mother as they come."
"Look, why don't you load up a bag for me, and I'll get out of your hair." She shrugged, hoping that maybe she could do this on her own. She had something with Garrett, or could have something with Garrett, but there wasn't enough there for her to want to introduce him to her family yet. And not like this.
"You couldn't get out of this place if you tried." He shook his head, a smug look on his face, though he grabbed a backpack and started loading it up. "And you need to rest. Sometimes it seems like you're ignoring the fact that you're pregnant."
"Sometimes it seems like you're obsessing about the fact that I'm pregnant. For the record, I only found out a week ago. Between that and other things...well, I can't say that it's the most pressing issue right this minute. Does that bother you?"
"No. I get it. I just think someone should be looking out for you, and that someone seems to be me."
"I don't need looking after," she asserted. "Really. I'm a big girl and I can look out for myself."
"Fine. I still think we should have a rest before we go. Your head must be overflowing with information, and you've done a lot of running around. It could take hours to find Jaxon and extract him, so we might as well be fresh for it. I'll send someone to monitor your place, see if there are any Enforcers hanging about."
"Okay." Madea shrugged, suppressing a sigh of frustration. "Where can I rest?"
"I'm sure Tahra's prepared some quarters for you, let me check..." He flicked through his phone, nodding when he found what he was looking for. "Come on, I'll show you the way."
Madea followed him, though they didn't have far to go. It was one hallway over, the third door down. Garrett pushed open the door and stood aside with a flourish. "Your rooms, milady. I hope they meet your expectations."
Madea laughed. "Why thank you, sir." She swept into the room and glanced around, adopting an imperious glare. "They will do for now, though I do hope you can do something about the heating situation."
"Oh, right. Sorry." He stepped inside and flicked the switch for a heating unit. "Should be good in no time."
"Thanks."
They stood there in silence for a moment. Madea felt a little uncomfortable, not sure what the appropriate goodbye was for whatever it was that they were to each other. She chewed on her bottom lip. "What time are we going?"
"A few hours, I guess. Should I come and wake you?"
"Yes, please." Her stomach felt hollow, though in reality she knew it was full, she'd eaten way too many pancakes for comfort.
"Alright then, I guess I'll see you soon." He paused before grabbing the door with one hand.
"Wait!" she called. "Don't go." Her shoulders slumped and she bit her lip again. "I...I don't want to be alone. Could you stay, please?" She took a step towards him, reached out with one of her hands. Within seconds he had shut the door and grasped her fingers in his.
"I'm here." He drew her into his arms, crushing her body against his. She buried her head in his shoulder and let loose the tears she didn't realize she'd been holding in. "I'm sorry. I..."
"You don't need to tell me. I'm here for you," he murmured. "Remember back in the transport? The night I gave you my number? I told you I would be there to help you if you ever needed me, and I meant it."
"Thank you." She sniffed, trying to staunch the flow of tears.
"Any time." He scooped her up and carried her to the bed where he placed her gently down, and sat beside her, brushing strands of hair off her face with one hand. "I'm serious now. You rest, and I'll have a lie down on the couch, okay? I'm not going anywhere, I promise."
"Thanks." She smiled weakly as he left the room. As long as she knew that someone was there, within reach if she needed them, she felt okay. But it was more than that, wasn't it? Garrett sometimes seemed to be the only one who had her best interest in mind—even when it came to the baby. He had this weird fanatical vibe about him, and yet what had seemed to be almost worship of her mother when they first met had been skewed since then. Now he was looking out for her, as much as her mother.
And then there were those kisses and the way her body trembled beneath his touch.
She wasn't going to be able to rest if she followed that train of thought. No, she had to shove that one down, ignore the temptation of his lips at least until Jaxon was safe with her.
Madea closed her eyes and tried a relaxation technique her mother had taught her back on Earth, tightening each of her muscles and relaxing them one at a time from head to toe. She hadn't made it to her calves before she had fallen asleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Fingers brushed against her cheek. Madea jolted out of sleep to find Garrett sitting on her bed.
"Did you know that you snore?" he asked.
"I do not."
"You do. I take it no one shares your bed or you'd know."
"What? Obviously someone has shared my bed or I wouldn't be pregnant," she replied indignantly.
"Maybe that didn't happen on a bed..." He smiled.
"Garrett! That's none of your business. But for the record, the father wants nothing to do with the baby. And I'm okay about that."
"Really?"
"Yes," she said firmly, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and straightening her clothes. "Any more questions?"
"No, I think I'm good for now." He shrugged as he stood, offering her his hand. She grabbed hold and pulled herself to her feet. "I made you a sandwich, and after you've eaten it, we'll get going."
"Okay," she said. Part of her wanted to protest that she didn't need feeding, but her stomach grumbled at the mention of food. She moved ahead of him into the living area and grabbed the plate off the bench, biting into the sandwich without delay. Within moments she had polished it off. "I hope you've got some food for the road."
"I packed wisely." He tapped his nose. "Can't have your stomach giving our location away."
"Hey, no fair." She slapped his arm, but it did nothing to wipe the grin off his face.
"Well, we don't, do we? Come on, put your boots on and let's get moving. I want to be back before your
mother starts worrying about what we might be up to. I told her we were going to scout out Jaxon’s whereabouts and report back before trying to extract him. My watcher says no one has been by your place, so it should be safe enough."
"Thanks," she said. "I don't want to get you in trouble, but I can't leave this any longer."
"It's okay. I figure once you've done what you need to, we can start looking at the bigger picture."
"Which is?"
"How we're going to stop the Hollowings, and show people the truth about being Touched."
"Right. Well, we can sort that out later." Madea wasn't sure what he expected her to do in regards to that. And there was no way she could give anything attention until she had Jaxon back, and had spoken to Rickard. She pulled on her boots and headed for the door. "Let's get moving."
Madea trailed behind Garrett through the tunnels, trying her best to remember the way. Despite her efforts, she soon lost track of the twists and turns.
Within ten minutes they came to an exit. Garrett flipped the keyhole open and glanced out, making sure that no one was in the building. Once he was sure it was clear, he levered open the hatch and they stepped out into another abandoned church.
"Where are we?" Madea asked. This one was smaller than the last, the pews mostly broken, though the coloured glass in the windows was still pristine.
"We're not far from your place. I figured you could wait here while I take a look. Double check," Garrett said. He too was looking around the building, though she spotted him glancing at her out the corner of his eye, waiting for her reaction.
"That's probably the best idea. We don't want anyone to spot me," she said, sounding as reasonable as she could. She had no intention of sitting behind, but it would be quicker to agree with him and then follow. "Speaking of...I thought maybe you should give me a few options, in case we need to make a quick escape and I lose you."
Garrett shook his head. "It would take too long to try and show you the entrances to below. I have a better idea." He swung the pack off his back and rummaged through it, coming up with another phone. "This one's for you. It's got a direct line to mine for quick access. These ones are off the main grid, so while they have locators, your mother won't know that we've got them in order to track us."
"Good thinking," she said. "I'm impressed. Anyone would think that subversive behaviour was your thing."
He chuckled. "That's what they keep me around for." He winked. "I wouldn't normally do this to Tahra, but I know how much it means to you. And I made a promise. If she wasn't so personally invested in you, she would support what you're doing here."
"Do you really think so?" It was strange how much that actually mattered to her. She hadn't expected it to.
"You're not so different from each other, though you might not see it."
"No, not really. Anyway, how long do you think you'll be?" she asked.
"Maybe a half hour? You'll be alright here. Keep alert, in case you need to hide."
"I'll be fine." She smiled. "Hurry up. We don't have time to waste."
"I'll see you soon, then." Garrett waved over his shoulder and headed for the door. She followed, as though she were seeing him out.
Five minutes, she would give him five minutes and then follow. If they were that close to her home, then she couldn't get lost. Time seemed to stand still as her eyes flashed to the timer on her phone every ten seconds. The slow drag came to an end. She checked there was no one outside before leaving the church and following Garrett's path.
She had never noticed this church before, but once she had entered the alley on the right, her surroundings become more familiar. If she took another left...
Madea screamed as an arm wrapped around her throat and pulled her against the wall. She lashed out with her hands, her feet, but the arms holding her were like steel. They had found her again, she was going to be Hollowed. How could she be so stupid? She knew what was at stake.
"I knew you were up to something," Garrett whispered in her ear. "You should have put up more of a fight and I might have been convinced you'd stay put." He took his arm away from her throat, though he held her tight against him.
"Let me go," she hissed.
She could feel his smirk against her cheek as he held her for a moment longer. "Can we continue now?"
"Continue this? Or our rescue of your young friend?" Garrett let out a soft laugh, the warmth of his breath heating her neck.
"Jaxon," she said, moving away from him.
"Ah well, another time." He winked again and her frustration rose.
"Can you get your mind on the task? This is important to me." Heat of her own had flashed across her face, but she couldn't risk lashing out at him or he might renege on his offer of help. She needed to be smart about this, or she really would end up back in the Hollowing chair.
"Sure," he said, shrugging off his playful attitude.
"Great," she snapped as she pushed off the wall and continued down the alley. She knew where she was going, she didn't need him to lead. She ignored him and his annoying presence and focused on the task ahead.
It wasn't until they were almost there that Garrett asserted himself again. He placed a hand on her shoulder and raised a finger to his lips. "Let me take a look first, okay? And if it's clear, I'll come back for you. Five minutes."
"Fine." She rolled her eyes at him, but leaned against the wall as he moved away from her and out onto her street. Again, those five minutes seemed like an eternity, but then he was back, beckoning for her to follow. Her heart thumped. It could have been weeks since she had last seen her house, when in reality it hadn't been more than a week, had it? Time felt warped to her now. So much had changed since she had left, so much that couldn't be undone.
But there it was, her unit, sitting silent and empty.
"Do you think it's safe to go in?"
"Only one way to find out." Garrett grinned at her with a recklessness she knew he didn't mean. Everything he did was for a cause, for a valid reason.
Regardless, she wasn't going to waste more time. She moved quickly to the door and entered her apartment. Garrett shut the door behind him and they stood in the entrance, listening.
"It doesn't seem like anyone is home," she said. It was a little anticlimactic, really. Not that she had been sure Jaxon would be here, but she hadn't expected silence and the musty smell of an unused house. "I'm going to grab a couple of things. Why don't you see if you can find a note or something."
"Sure." Garrett headed through to the lounge and Madea paused, wondering whether he had been inside her house before. She wanted to ask, but wasn't sure she really wanted the answer.
Shaking the thought off she moved down to her bedroom where she grabbed a bag and shoved in some fresh clothing and personal items. Sure, Tahra would provide for her, but there was nothing like having your own things and she needed that normalcy, that familiarity to ground her right now. She stopped when she came to one of the drawings Jaxon had done for her. It was a simple drawing, the two of them eating sandwiches, but she could remember when he had given it to her and the feelings it had evoked.
A surge of energy shot through her and she pushed herself off the bed, grabbing a few more items before heading back out into the hallway. She stopped and listened, then headed for the kitchen where she could hear Garrett rummaging around.
"Did you find anything?" she asked, swinging the bag onto her back. His head was in a cupboard and when he turned to her he had a cracker hanging out of his mouth and another held towards her.
"They left a note."
“Huh, that must have been before they tried to Hollow me.” She grabbed the cracker and bit into it but it was too stale for her to eat. "And it said?" she prompted.
"They were taking Jaxon to Rickard's place. I'm guessing you know where that is?"
"I do. Give me the note." He passed it to her and she scanned it before shredding it and shoving it into the disposal unit. "Don't need anyone else seeing that."
&n
bsp; "We should go."
"Hang on, I need to pee."
"Way too much information..."
"It's the baby." She rolled her eyes at him headed to the bathroom. She washed her hands and was peering at herself in the mirror when the front door banged open and multiple voices filled the hallway. Her heart raced, but her body froze. They seemed to be in the kitchen in no time at all, and she heard Garrett cry out.
"What are you doing here?" a man shouted.
"I was looking for Madea. Do you know where she is?"
She moved across the bathroom quietly and pressed an ear against the wall it shared with the kitchen. She wished there was another exit, but there was no way she could get out of the unit without letting them know she was here.
"You know. You're hiding her." There was a crash and Madea closed her eyes, trying not to imagine what was happening.
"If I knew where she was, why would I be here?" Garrett hissed. Another thump, but this sounded like it made contact with skin. Garrett let out a yelp.
"Secure him. He might know more than he's letting on, then give this place a once over. I'll tell Carson we've got someone." Shoes pounded on the tiles of the kitchen and Madea pushed off the wall, scanning the room for options. She pressed herself into the shower alcove, hoping that they wouldn't look too hard. The door was shoved open. Madea held her breath and tried to become one with the wall. Seconds later the door slammed shut and she exhaled through gritted teeth.
She waited ten, then twenty minutes, her muscles cramping from the awkward position. She had to let go. She crumpled to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest.
Once again she was alone. Her guide to all things Touched had been snatched. But at least she knew now, beyond doubt, that he could be trusted—he had kept her safe, kept his mouth shut. Though who knew where they were taking him, or what they might do to get him to talk.
She should return to the tunnels, she should tell Tahra what had happened, right now. But if she did, she might not get another opportunity to rescue Jaxon. He was just a boy. Garrett was a grown man, he could survive longer, survive more than Jaxon.