Freefall (New Reality Series, Book Three) by Bella St. James

by St. James, Bella

  “You’re sleeping tonight.” Nadine waved a cheesecake-filled fork at him.

  “We can make our destination by nightfall.”

  “Your mother should have named you Stubborn,” she retorted. “You said yourself that we’d be safe here. Besides, I’d like to rest for a while. My incision and all.”

  Damn. Nate had figured where they were thanks to that earlier conversation. But what if the phone he used had been compromised? What if whoever was out to get Clancy was already on the way?

  On the other hand, Nadine might not be able to keep going. She wasn’t used to pushing hard. Good food and solid rest were two tools to help her body fight the infection he feared had already begun.

  He scrubbed a hand across his face. Vince had been right. He should never have let her in, never should have put that implant in himself instead of shipping her out.

  But it was a little too late for regrets.

  “Think about it,” Nadine urged. “Nice hot shower, cozy bed and an early start. What’s so bad about that?”

  Under normal circumstances, nothing. No, he didn’t do transports. But the conduit the Underground had created was solid. Without the crack in the system, he’d jump at the chance to stay. He pushed his chair back and stood, planting both palms on the table as he looked from one to the other.

  “Okay, you win.” He blew out a breath. “This place better be as secure as you claim, Thorne, or you’re going to be one sorry sucker.”

  Clancy grabbed clean clothes off the pile on the nearby couch and headed for the bathroom. He could go another twenty-four without hitting the point of exhaustion, but he wasn’t going to turn down a nap. He’d trust Thorne to stand watch for a couple of hours and hope he hadn’t made a deal with the devil.

  Stepping behind the curtain and into the hot stream of water made him think of Nadine standing there naked an hour earlier. He’d learned to keep his libido in check, yet he had wanted her badly. He wanted her now. Closing his eyes, picturing her beautiful body in that bed last night, he began to stroke himself, to imagine that he was deep inside her, pleasuring her the same way he was pleasuring himself right now.

  “You know he’s going to want to leave in an hour or two.” Thorne offered Nadine more wine, which she waved off.

  “Don’t care. Whatever happens, good or bad, it will wait until tomorrow. He’s been sketchy on details, but he really does believe someone is trying to grab me. Although I figure if we’re not safe here, we’re not safe anywhere.”

  She had no intention of telling this man how the site on her spine was beginning to throb. This was the first surgery she’d ever had; she’d never even had the flu. So what she was feeling might be a perfectly normal side effect, or it could be the start of something bad like Clancy suspected. The very idea of getting into a car, pressing her back against the seat and rolling on made her half-sick. Thorne seemed to understand, because he went into the warehouse room and came back with a pair of cozy women’s pajamas.

  Telling her to take her choice of beds, he turned away and began to wash the dishes. Nadine took advantage of the gentlemanly behavior to pick out her sleeping spot and change her clothes for the PJs. They were a far cry from the silk gowns she usually slept in and made her feel like a kid at a sleepover. Or what she thought a kid at a sleepover would feel like, since she’d never experienced that either.

  Dropping onto the twin bed, she settled down cross-legged to brush her hair. The bristles felt good against her scalp as she repeated stroke after stroke, a ritual she began as a kid to get smooth, shiny hair. Now, it was part of her pre-sleep preparations, one of the few parts she intended to keep. The pills she took at bedtime, the satin eye mask to shut out the light, the time spent to smooth her body with expensive creams belonged to a life she planned to forget.

  The aroma of buttered popcorn wafted to her, and she looked over to see Thorne walking her way with two bowls of the fluffy snack. Announcing that it was movie time, he handed her one then pointed the remote toward what she had assumed was a closet front. The doors opened to expose a large screen TV. A few more buttons and the opening credits began to roll for a space thriller that had just been released on video.

  Absorbed in the movie, she didn’t notice Clancy until the bed went down, and he grabbed a handful of her popcorn. She smiled up at him. This really was becoming a sleepover.

  “Don’t fall asleep,” he whispered. “I want to change your bandage before you do.”

  “You just did,” she whispered back.

  “Gonna do it again.” He settled against the wall behind her and turned his attention to the screen. As soon as the popcorn was gone, he took her hand and tugged her against him, her back against his chest. He smelled like soap and shaving cream, very manly without the overlay of expensive cologne worn by most men she knew.

  By the time the movie ended, she was curled up against him, wrapped in his arms and creating another new memory to supplant the hated ones. Each moment with Clancy was a treasure to be preserved and cherished.

  “Okay, no more stalling.” Clancy wiggled out from behind her. “Pull that shirt up and let me take a look.”

  Nadine held her breath as he took down the bandage bit by bit. It hurt more this time than it had earlier. She was pretty sure that wasn’t good.

  “It’ll do.” Clancy smoothed the tape back into place.

  The resignation in his voice said a whole lot more than his words. He definitely wasn’t happy with her insistence on staying here. He genuinely wanted her at a hospital.

  Well, tough noogies.

  “Sleepy time.” She pointed toward the double. “You get the big bed and everything.”

  “In a while. I need to talk to Thorne.”

  “Nah, you need to sleep.” The other man rolled off the bed he’d been sprawled across. “And so do I. There’s an engine out there calling my name. I’ve got to have it pulled and ready to go by ten in the morning.”

  Nadine looked from one man to the other. She was pretty sure they knew each other, given the familiar way they spoke to one another, but maybe everyone in the Underground acted like that. They wore nearly identical expressions, which she interpreted as their “I’m right” faces. She was in no mood for chest-thumping contests.

  She flounced off the bed, grabbed the pillow she’d been lying against, and slid under the sheets on the wider mattress. She patted the place next to her and said, “You’re both big and bad. Clancy, get in here before I kick your butt. Thorne, you can either join us or sleep over there. I’ve decided it’s time for lights out and mouths shut.”

  Thorne looked at Clancy with raised eyebrows and said, “She always like this?”

  Clancy shrugged. “Tries to be. An hour after I put that thing in her, she announced she was leaving.”

  “Ah.”

  “She’s told me at least twice since then that she doesn’t need me anymore.”

  “Because you’re an ass with an ego,” Nadine said through clenched teeth. “It’s late. Let’s go to bed.”

  To her surprise, both men obeyed. Clancy pulled off his jeans and boots before climbing in next to her while Thorne lay fully clothed on the bed he’d used before. Nadine smothered a smile. All that fuss for nothing.

  Turning onto her side, she curled against Clancy, whispered “Sleep tight” and closed her eyes. She wondered as he stretched an arm around her waist if he knew this was another first for her. She’d never before spent a night with a man simply sleeping and feeling comforted.

  Chapter Seven

  Clancy woke with a start, disoriented in the total dark and near silence. The shifting in the bed next to him set his heart beating faster until he remembered where he was and who he was with. Nadine had invited him into her bed, and he hadn’t been able to resist the offer.

  “Morning.” Thorne’s voice held a morning rasp. “I’m putting coffee on right now.”

  Clancy yawned and stretched. “Sounds good,” he lied. He didn’t want to leave the bed or Na
dine’s warm body yet. He didn’t want to face whatever lay out there. He wanted to find a place where no one could find them and stay there forever with the woman beside him. But this life didn’t leave room for what he wanted, only for what had to be done.

  Taking care not to wake Nadine, he left the bed and pulled on his clothes. By the time he poured a cup of java, Thorne had pulled bacon and eggs from the refrigerator. One thing he’d learned was that every supply house had a great cook.

  He hadn’t realized he was hungry until he dug into his breakfast. The eggs were perfectly fried, the bacon crispy as he liked it, and Thorne had given him four slices of toast, apparently anticipating that he needed to fuel his body for whatever lay ahead.

  “You sure you don’t want to leave her behind?” Thorne took the chair across from him and started in on his own food. “I’ll keep her safe until a transport arrives, and you can ask for reassignment.”

  “Nope.” Clancy forked a bite of eggs into his mouth. After he swallowed, he added, “You’ve got an engine to pull, remember? You do your job, I’ll do mine.”

  Thorne answered with a shrug and the offer of more coffee. Clancy was grateful the man hadn’t argued. When he’d made that turnaround and headed west, he’d made his choice. He was in this for the long haul. Until Nate figured out who the bad apple in the operation was, Clancy planned to keep Nadine where he could see her.

  That taken care of, they settled into a discussion of the upcoming football season and the virtues of their favorite NFL teams. As if by mutual agreement, the movement that had brought them both to this place at this moment wasn’t mentioned.

  Nadine heard the murmur of male voices but stayed still under the blankets. There was no way to tell what time it was in this windowless room, but it felt early like just before sunrise early. The familiar aroma of coffee and bacon drifted to her, almost enticing her to get up. But letting Clancy know she was awake also meant leaving this place and the welcome bit of security it offered. She closed her eyes and let sleep take her away again.

  Gentle shaking of her shoulder brought her back awake. She looked up at Clancy smiling down at her.

  “What time is it?” she asked through a yawn.

  “Time to get up.” He reached for the blankets, but Nadine grabbed them tightly before he could pull them down.

  “Do I smell food?” she asked.

  Clancy nodded. “Thorne cooked and saved you some.”

  Nadine tossed the covers off and sat up. “Now there’s a man who knows how to anticipate a woman’s desires.”

  By the time she’d hit the bathroom and dressed, a hot plate of food waited for her. She ate with considerable pleasure, enjoying every bite. Thorne’s cooking was so much better than the veggie and egg white omelet and sliced tomatoes with which she usually started each morning. Her dad had been the Saturday breakfast cook when she was a kid, producing pancakes, waffles and bacon made exactly like this.

  The memory was bittersweet. She was grateful she’d had those ordinary years with her working-class parents, yet the pain of losing it all still ached like an old injury. Knowing her family was taken from her deliberately only intensified the emotion.

  Maybe, that was why she felt such a connection to Clancy. He’d suffered the same way. He was the first person she’d met who understood what it was like to be molded into someone totally different.

  She finished the last bit of toast and carried her plate to the sink before joining the men in the supply room.

  “Shopping?” she asked Clancy.

  He grabbed some ready-to-eat meals and waved toward the shelves with a flourish. “I’m done. It’s your turn now.”

  “Small or extra-small?” Thorne asked.

  “Small.”

  “Good. We’re limited in what we can offer, but we have more smalls than anything else right now.”

  He pointed her toward the shelves that held a small supply of women’s clothing. She decided that if Clancy could go all guerilla, so could she. She picked out several pieces of camouflage clothing and cargo pants and a tee in olive drab.

  When Clancy raised an eyebrow, she offered a bright smile and said, “Girls like to play soldier, too.”

  “Do girls know how to use guns?”

  “Stun or the real kind?”

  “Ones that go bang.”

  “Yes. Find me a range, and I’ll show you just how good I am.”

  “I’ll take your word for it. Just don’t disappoint me.”

  Nadine realized, despite the light words, he was serious. She had to be ready to defend herself whether it turned out to be normal gun play or Armageddon. A shiver ran through her at the idea of actually shooting another human being. That was what she’d been trained to do, yes, but she’d never expected it to happen. Of course, she’d never planned on running across the mid-South in a beater car with the government trying to take her back.

  Life had been so much easier when she was ten and trying to decide if she wanted to be a circus horseback rider or a veterinarian when she grew up. Although, she supposed, she had that choice again.

  If she wasn’t found and taken back to her old career. Or worse.

  “Take your choice.” Thorne slid open the door on a large metal garage. “I’ve tweaked them all to give fine highway performance.” He banged on the side of the first vehicle they came to. “Gave them a little armor, too.”

  Clancy walked around the five vehicles. Speed and protection were more important than gas efficiency now; he dismissed a small sedan. Since he had no idea what kind of roads he’d find at the end of this run, the mini-van was out, too. He finally chose an older Jeep with solid rubber tires after opening the door, looking at the engine and checking for blind spots in the mirrors. Dark gray with tinted windows, it was as neutral a vehicle as he could ask for.

  He opened the back and loaded their supplies and duffels. He slid on a shoulder holster and adjusted it so the Glock fit comfortably before handing Nadine a can of pepper spray. She might be a better shot than Annie Oakley, but he still didn’t want her handling a handgun unless she had to. He strapped on an ankle holster and slipped the Ruger into it.

  She’d switched into the camouflage clothing and looked nothing like the woman in the red dress who’d begged for help only a few days ago. He was certain her calm acceptance was a façade; after all, the government had trained her to obey and show no emotion. He wondered how many others were out there, trained to do as told without question and with no idea how corrupt their government truly was. The seeds of revenge and distrust planted after the Second World War had germinated, their roots reaching deep into so many agencies.

  Citizens had been indoctrinated to give their information to anyone who asked. How many forms did the average person fill out in a year that asked for their ID number, birthdate, place of residence and so much more?

  “Thanks for everything, man.” He offered his hand to Thorne, who turned the gesture into a guy hug.

  “It’s what I do.” Thorne offered a wry smile. “That and rip apart cars. Man’s gotta stay busy.”

  He waved after them as they returned to the bumpy driveway that would lead them to what Clancy hoped would be an easy handoff. But if Vince Madison was tracking them like Nate said, he didn’t expect easy. He figured on violence.

  “Why are they so hot for you?” he asked after they hit the state highway. “I’m sure you’re great at what you did, but they have others doing the same thing.”

  “Ask someone else,” Nadine answered. “Yeah, I ‘visited’ some powerful people from generals to scientific geniuses to presidents of countries I’ll never see, but like you said, I can’t be the only one.”

  “Maybe you always delivered.”

  “That I did. I’m your classic overachiever. I never came back without what my advisors wanted to know.”

  There it was, an answer so simple he shouldn’t have had to ask. All those secrets that went into her brain were still there. And the anti-terrorism crews were prob
ably shitting their pants, wondering what she was revealing and to who. Their houses of cards would collapse if the ordinary working stiff ever found out where his tax money was going.

  “Knowledge is a powerful thing,” he said. “Dangerous, too, if the wrong people get hold of it. They’re not looking to put you back in the program, beautiful. They’re intending to destroy the repository.”

  “Kill me?”

  “Yeah. Feel better about that gun now?”

  “Marginally. However, I’d feel better if you could create a slip in the space-time continuum so I could go back and plan better.”

  Clancy grinned. “If I could do that, they never would have let me leave the military. I’d be in a cage in some secret laboratory while they tried to figure out how I did it.”

  Snapping on the radio for noise, he concentrated on both driving and paying attention to the traffic around him. He envied the oblivious who still believed the government had their best interest at heart. Being plugged into the pilot program had opened his eyes to how expendable everyone was. Top of his training class, high awards in marksmanship, recommended for officer’s school – the flattery had spurred him to jump at the chance to be among the select few offered a chance in the super soldier project. Of course, no one had told him ahead of time what was involved. If he’d known the powers-that-be were trying to turn him into a marauding robot, he would have turned them down flat.

  He glanced at Nadine. He was just jaded. She wore a target on her back. There was a saying that success was the best revenge. Keeping her alive and getting her into a new life would be one small blow for the cause.

  “Have any idea what you want to do?”

  Nadine looked at him in surprise. “I get a choice?”