The woman in question was reclining on a beige leather couch in the family room, a blanket covering her legs. A paperback book lay on her lap, closed. Her eyes met Jordan’s, and the crease that had been working its way between her eyebrows seemed to relax slightly.
“So you got babysitting duty?”
“I wouldn’t call it that,” Jordan protested. “Katelyn thought someone should be checking on you. Actually, I’m sort of surprised your nurse would let you stay up here by yourself. It’s kind of far from the center of town.”
Lindsay pointed at the folding tray that had been placed next to the sofa. On it was a glass of water and a pitcher, and next to the pitcher was the same walkie-talkie Lindsay had in the lab with her the day before. “I’ve got it covered. Miles can be here in just a few minutes. Not,” she added, taking the paperback and setting it down on the tray, “that I think this kid is going to be anything like that speedy. No, he’s kicking around and fussing up a storm, but despite all that, I think I’ve still got some time.”
“So Brent might still win the pool.”
A lopsided smile. “Maybe. Although I hope things don’t get stretched out that long. Anyway, go ahead, pull up a chair.” She inclined her head toward a blond-wood side chair set up against the wall by one of the windows.
Jordan went and retrieved it, then put it down by the couch, taking care not to bump the tray with the water and the walkie-talkie. “Can I get you anything? I see you have water, but — ”
“No, I’m good. I had some toast earlier. It was about all I could manage to keep down. I keep getting these weird flashes of nausea. Too fun.”
Since Jordan didn’t know much about pregnancy or childbirth, she had no idea whether that was normal or not. Presumably, Ellen had been keeping track of these symptoms and hadn’t been too concerned, or she would’ve had Lindsay moved to the hospital already. “Well, just let me know.”
“I will.” She shifted against the pile of pillows that held her upright against the arm of the sofa. “Miles told me that Mitch brought in a friend of yours last night.”
Wow, news really did get around. But then, Lindsay was probably looking for anything that would keep her distracted. “Yes,” Jordan said carefully. “Hank.”
“I thought you were hiding something.”
That comment made Jordan start, so much that she almost bumped her chair into the tray next to the couch. “What do you mean?”
“When we were talking at the lab. I got the distinct impression there was something you weren’t telling me. I wasn’t going to pry, because we’d just met. But….” Lindsay let the words trail off, then cocked her head and fixed Jordan with a steady look, even as she winced slightly as another kick sent its shockwaves through her. “Why wouldn’t you want us to know you’d met another survivor?”
“Well, he….” Jordan hesitated, thoughts racing as she tried to piece together a plausible story. “He was dead set on staying on his land. He said he’d made it two years without the djinn finding him, and he didn’t see any reason why that should change. That’s actually why we quarreled. I wanted him to come down here to Los Alamos with me, and he wanted me to stay there. It wasn’t like I could force him, so in the end I left on my own. But I guess he started to worry, started to feel guilty about letting me go, and so he came after me.”
“Hmm.” From the way Lindsay had responded, Jordan found it almost impossible to tell whether the other woman believed this tale or not.
Since she was already in deep, Jordan decided she’d better plow ahead. “He’s resting now. It’s not a fun journey, that’s for sure, especially when you don’t dare drive because it’ll attract too much attention.”
Lindsay nodded. “Yeah, we have spare devices that people can take with them if there’s some reason to travel outside the area protected by the field. That way, they can take a vehicle and not have to worry about whether the djinn have noticed them.”
“You have a lot?” Jordan asked. “Of the devices, I mean.”
“Thirty of them now. That’s why we have most of Española covered, in addition to Los Alamos. We allow the field to die out about halfway down the 502, just so we don’t get too close to Santa Fe. It’s only fair, since the people there have helped us out a lot.”
“I’m surprised.”
A pause as Lindsay shifted her weight, clearly trying to find a more comfortable position, and then she lifted an eyebrow at Jordan. “Why should you be surprised?”
“Well…they’re djinn.”
“Djinn who have human partners. At first they were a little standoffish, but since then we’ve learned to work together. Everybody wins. That’s why Miles is so dead set on trying to alter his devices so there’s a way to let the good djinn into the protected areas while still keeping the bad guys out.” She sighed and reached for her glass of water, took a sip. “He still hasn’t been able to figure it out, though. I think the tough part is that he knows inventing the original devices was kind of a fluke. Lightning in a bottle. That sort of thing is very hard to replicate.”
Jordan didn’t know that about Miles’s invention, but again, back in the early days after the Heat, the survivors in Colorado Springs had been more interested in knowing they weren’t alone in the world and getting tips on how to avoid mankind’s destructors than the nitty-gritty of how Miles Odekirk’s devices worked. There hadn’t been anyone in that group who could have built them, anyway.
“Anyway,” Lindsay went on, “we’ve been making as many as we think we need. It’s gotten easier and faster as time wears on. But re-engineering them to do something entirely different? That part’s a lot rougher.”
“I can imagine.” Jordan knew she sounded absent, and she told herself that she needed to focus, to keep acting as if everything was normal. But it wasn’t. How could it be when Hasan was a mile away, fighting with every breath to live with the effects of the devices that protected Los Alamos? She was supposed to be getting them a car so they could flee, not sitting here and chatting as if she didn’t have a care in the world. There wasn’t any way she could have turned down Katelyn’s request to come here and check on Lindsay without looking suspicious, but still….
“Jordan.”
“What?” God, she sounded guilty.
“What’s going on? Really?” Lindsay pushed herself as upright as she was able, probably so she could better look Jordan in the eye. “We don’t know each other that well, but I’m still getting the feeling there’s something you haven’t told me. Is it something about Hank? Was there another reason why you left, the real reason? If he’s stalking you, or trying to hurt you in some way — ”
“Oh, no,” Jordan cut in quickly. “It’s nothing like that.”
“But there is something.”
“Yes.” She knew she should put on her big-girl panties and keep lying, do whatever she had to, if it meant keeping Hasan safe. She didn’t want to, though. Not with Lindsay looking at her like that. No, they weren’t friends, but there was something about the other woman’s no-nonsense attitude and matter-of-fact way of looking at the world that told Jordan they could have been friends, if circumstances had been different. A deep breath, and then she said in a rush, “If I tell you, do you promise you won’t tell anyone?”
Lindsay frowned slightly. “I can’t make that kind of promise. Not if it might endanger the community here, or — ”
“No, there’s no danger to Los Alamos or anyone in it. I swear.”
A long pause. Lindsay fiddled with the blanket that covered her lap, callused fingertips playing with its frayed edges. She let out a breath and said, “All right, I promise.”
Now it was Jordan’s turn to hesitate. The secret was eating her up inside, but the lies were tearing at her even more. These people didn’t deserve to be lied to. And, as she’d told Lindsay, Hasan didn’t represent any danger to the community.
Also…and she hated to admit it to herself, but it was only the truth…she wanted someone to talk to, someone sh
e could tell about Hasan, if only so they could tell her that she wasn’t absolutely crazy for wanting to be with him. For loving him.
Fingers clenched on the knees of her jeans, Jordan said, “Hank isn’t…Hank. He’s a djinn named Hasan.”
Lindsay’s green eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”
“No. We did meet in Chama. I wasn’t lying about that part. It’s the land he was given. He found me in his house, searching for food.”
“And he didn’t blast you off the face of the earth right then and there? Most of the djinn who aren’t part of the One Thousand aren’t exactly what I’d call forgiving souls.”
“No, he didn’t. He did…he did make sure I knew I couldn’t get away. But soon afterward we became friendlier — and he helped me save the goats — and I realized there was something between us. Not enough, though. Or at least, that’s what I thought at the time. That’s why I left.”
Through all of this semi-incoherent explanation, Lindsay remained silent. Once Jordan was done, however, she shook her head. “I don’t get it. I mean — don’t get me wrong. You’re very pretty. But usually ‘pretty’ isn’t enough to stop a djinn.”
Jordan knew that. She still wasn’t quite sure what had caused Hasan to show her such mercy. All she could do was be grateful that he’d still possessed some inner grace, something that had prevented him from taking her life the same way he’d taken so many others. “I know. I kept thinking he was going to kill me. But….”
“But he didn’t.”
“No.” Maybe that was enough. Maybe she shouldn’t say anything else. She’d told enough lies, though — both to herself, and the people here in Los Alamos. “And it’s not — it’s not as if he hasn’t.”
“Killed people, you mean.”
She couldn’t meet Lindsay’s eyes. “Yes,” came out in little more than a whisper.
“So he’s one of the djinn who hunted down the immune survivors.”
“Yes.”
“Well, shit.” Lindsay pushed a lock of dark blonde hair away from her brow but kept her hand on her head, as if trying to prevent it from aching. “You know this, and still care about him?”
Jordan nodded because she couldn’t quite trust herself to speak. Put that way, the whole situation did sound terrible.
“I should tell Miles…” Lindsay began, and Jordan’s heart began to beat a little faster. Did she have the courage to snatch the walkie-talkie away from the pregnant woman, if she decided to reach for it? God, that was even worse. “…but I won’t.”
Jordan blinked at her, not sure she’d heard correctly. “You won’t?”
“No. If this Hasan cares enough about you to come here, knowing he’ll be in a place where his powers are stripped away and he’ll have trouble just breathing, let alone fighting back, then clearly he must have changed in some way. You must have changed him.”
“I don’t know about that — ”
“Well, I do.” With a faint groan, Lindsay pushed herself up against the pillows once again. “I was with a djinn, remember? And my djinn — the one who made me his Chosen — he was all about trying to change me, to make me be the woman he wanted.” Her brows pulled together, and she went on, “I told you about the djinn glamour. Has Hasan — ”
“No,” Jordan said quickly, then hesitated. Would she even be able to tell for sure if Hasan was using his powers on her? Maybe not, but she knew deep in her heart that he hadn’t. There hadn’t been one moment spent with him where she’d felt fuzzy or befuddled, or couldn’t remember what had happened, except maybe the time when she’d gone upstairs after he’d kissed her. Even then, she knew the lapse was because her brain was trying to come to terms with what had happened. Other than that single instance, most of the moments she’d shared with Hasan were almost too painfully clear. “No, he didn’t try anything like that with me. I didn’t even know about this djinn ‘glamour’ until you and I talked yesterday. Really.”
“All right, I believe you.” Lindsay went quiet then, as though she was thinking over what she should say next. “So…what’s your plan? I can’t imagine that Hasan would want to stay here. I saw the effects of dealing with Miles’s devices when I was in Taos. Those djinn were suffering.”
“He wants to take me back to Chama,” Jordan told her. “Problem is, there’s no way he can walk far enough to get away from the energy field, and I don’t have a car. Just a scooter.”
To Jordan’s surprise, Lindsay grinned. “Well, that part I can help you with. When I came here, Shawn gave me a Volvo crossover vehicle, all-wheel drive. I never use it, though, because Miles insists on driving that damn Subaru of his all the time. The Volvo’s in the garage now. The keys are hanging on a hook in the kitchen.”
“I couldn’t — ” The protest was a hollow one, though. Jordan knew she’d begun to utter it only because that was what you did in situations like this. What she really wanted to do was run to the kitchen and snatch up the keys before Lindsay changed her mind.
“Yes, you can. Like I said, I never drive it.”
“I won’t need it after we get to the edge of the field. Once we’re there, Hasan can blink us back to Chama. You can send someone to get it.”
“Where?”
“On the 582, where it intersects with the main highway just below Velarde.”
“It’s a plan. So go on, get the keys. The rack is attached to the side of the cupboard near the entrance to the laundry room.”
After sending Lindsay a grateful smile, Jordan got up from her chair and went into the kitchen. It was very clean and neat, with what looked like acres of granite countertops. As described, the keys dangled from a hook on a little wooden plaque with a hand-painted “KEYS” across the top. Probably a relic from the previous owners; it didn’t seem like Lindsay’s style. But there was a leather key fob with the Volvo logo, and an electronic key, one of the fancy kind that you didn’t even need to put in the ignition.
Jordan lifted the fob from the hook and went back into the family room. Lindsay was lying back against the pillows, eyes closed.
“Are you okay?” Jordan asked, faintly alarmed. If the baby was coming, she’d have to stay here and wait until help arrived — and hope that no one noticed the missing key to the Volvo.
At once Lindsay’s eyes snapped open. “I’m fine. Just tired, and wanting this to be over — and scared about it at the same time.”
Jordan could only imagine. For herself, kids and a family had been relegated to a far-off, misty future, not something she’d contemplated happening anytime soon. Lindsay didn’t seem that much older than she; two or three years at the very most. And yet she was married and about to have a baby. “It sounds like you’re in good hands with Ellen.”
A tired little smile. “True. She’s already delivered five babies. All healthy, everyone happy, no complications. Mine’s been an uneventful pregnancy, so I don’t have any reason to think it’ll be different. And it does help that Miles has already gone through this. He’ll know what to do.”
That’s right — the scientist had been married before, had a wife and child. It was still hard to imagine Miles Odekirk as a husband, let alone a father, but he did have experience that Lindsay lacked. That must be reassuring…even if Miles seemed to Jordan to be one of the least reassuring people on the planet.
As she nodded, Lindsay went on, “Anyway, I’m fine. Take the car and go.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. As long as it’s okay for me to tell people the truth once you’re safely away. I mean, I’ll have to give some sort of explanation for why my car was abandoned on the highway up to Taos.”
“Oh, that’s fine. They won’t — they won’t try to come after us, will they?”
“No. I mean….” Lindsay let the words trail off and fell silent, as though weighing what to say next. When she continued, her brows were drawn together in a worried little frown. “I won’t lie. There are a few people here who probably would want to come after you, try to kill Hasan,
just to get some form of revenge. But….”
“But what?” The other woman’s words had sent a hideous chill through Jordan, and all she wanted to do was get up and flee, get Hasan out of here, but she also needed to hear what Lindsay had to say.
“What would be the point? Killing one djinn isn’t going to bring anyone back. Besides, the only way to effectively get rid of a djinn would be to bring one of our devices along so he’d have all his powers neutralized, and Miles doesn’t exactly hand those things out like candy. We need every device we have. So I think you’ll be okay.”
While Lindsay’s words couldn’t rid Jordan completely of her worry for Hasan, she had to take them at face value. But she also knew she needed to go. Every minute they lingered here was an additional risk.
Still, Jordan hesitated. She’d been sent up here to keep an eye on Lindsay. It seemed terrible to run out on a woman who could go into labor at any second.
However, Lindsay didn’t seem to harbor any doubts about her situation. She made a shooing motion with her hand and said, “Go. Get out of here. Help is just a walkie-talkie call away.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. Although if you keep standing there and arguing with me, you might just send me into labor, and then you really will be stuck.”
Jordan couldn’t help chuckling. “All right, all right.” She began to head toward the kitchen, then paused. “Thanks, Lindsay.”
“De nada. I want everyone to get their happy ending. Now shoo.”
This time, Jordan didn’t argue. She went into the kitchen and through the utility room, and on into the garage. As promised, a shiny dark blue Volvo XC60 sat on the far side. She went over to it, opened the door, and got in. A minute to adjust the mirrors and familiarize herself with the layout, and then she pressed the button to start it up.
If the car really had been sitting unused for a while, you’d never know it. The engine turned over right away. Thank God. Jordan reached up to push the remote, which was clipped to the visor, and the garage door began to open. Some paranoid part of her worried that she’d see Miles Odekirk’s white Subaru pulling up just as she was leaving, but the driveway and the street beyond it were equally empty. She backed out, then closed the garage door. Obviously, no one was going to tell the Odekirks that they couldn’t use their electric door, although whether that was out of deference to Miles’s position in the community or Lindsay’s advanced pregnancy, Jordan didn’t know.
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