She turned to see the Jeep crawl into view and stop. The top was down, and Jacey saw Belle’s pale face turning robotically. The girl spotted her and jumped out of the vehicle. Jacey didn’t care. She hung her head. The door slammed. Belle’s footsteps scuffed across the gravel and stopped somewhere behind Jacey.
“Where’s Summer?” Belle asked, voice flat.
“I don’t know.”
“Did the helicopter take her?”
“I don’t think so,” Jacey said. She lifted her eyes, smiling despite the tears. “The skiff is gone. She went out to sea.”
“There’s still a chance,” Belle said. More footsteps on the gravel, retreating. They stopped. Then, as if it was an afterthought, “Are you coming?”
Belle made no offer to help Jacey up, so she got to her feet and followed after. Belle got in the driver’s side and waited. Jacey gave her a look.
Belle grimaced, reached across, and opened the passenger door for her.
Jacey didn’t get in. She looked at the pale girl, realizing the game Belle was playing.
Fine. It would cost Jacey nothing to ask.
“Belle, would you please unbind my wrists?”
Belle hesitated as if she were actually considering the question. Finally she sighed, got out of the Jeep, and opened the hatch in the rear and dug through a box.
She approached Jacey holding a small pocketknife. There was a tension in the girl’s muscles. Jacey felt a momentary chill at the thought that Belle might stab her.
“Turn around,” Belle said.
Jacey did as instructed, and in moments, Belle had cut her free.
Sucking air through her teeth, Jacey winced at the pain in her wrists and hands as circulation returned.
“Now let’s stop wasting time and get Summer. Which way would she go?”
“West, I think. We were trying to find Mother Tyeesha’s, and the forest is thicker that way.”
Jacey climbed into the passenger seat, rubbing her aching wrists. Belle confidently took her position, started the engine, threw it into gear, and swung the Jeep in a wide circle. They tore west along the gravel road, the wind whipping through their hair.
Jacey soon forgot her pains as she was forced to cling to the Jeep’s roll bar. Belle tended to steer with jerky twists of the wheel that made the vehicle swing side to side. At every corner, the whole machine leaned so hard, Jacey was sure it would tip. But she couldn’t ask Belle to slow down. If anything, she wanted to go faster.
The coastline blurred by on their left. They burst from the trees and sped along a curving road that hugged the shoreline. Huge waves crashed against black rocks, sending up spouts of mist. Sunlight cut through, sparking rainbows over the raging foam.
“There it is,” Belle said.
The helicopter hung a kilometer off shore. Beneath it bobbed a white speck. The skiff.
“Stop,” Jacey said.
Belle complied, instantly, throwing Jacey against the dashboard. Pain shocked through every muscle at the impact. Groaning, she pushed back onto her seat. “Couldn’t you stop more gradually than that?”
Belle tugged on a strap crossing her chest. “That’s what these are for.”
Jacey got to her feet and climbed onto the seat. She dug her binoculars out from her uniform top. But even with their magnification, the helicopter and the boat were small in the field of view. Jacey could barely make out the tiny figure of Summer, moving first from the bow of the boat and then back toward the motor. She made several sharp jerks with her arm.
“Out of fuel, I think,” Jacey said. “She’s doing something to the motor.”
The helicopter hovered lower. A slender white ladder unfurled, and a black-clothed figure began to descend. Summer continued her jerking movements as if she was pulling something out of the motor.
The guard neared the bottom of the ladder, and the helicopter swung around to bring him over the boat. He lowered himself farther, dangling by his arms, feet waving. Suddenly a gout of water shot up from behind the skiff, and the boat lurched forward. Summer nearly fell out the back, but she held on. The skiff carved a sharp arc in the water, turning for shore.
Jacey fell back into her seat. “She’s headed somewhere west of us. Go.”
Belle stomped the accelerator, and the Jeep shot forward. The helicopter pursued Summer, the man still dangling from the ladder.
Summer angled the skiff toward a point on shore farther ahead. The boat disappeared behind an outcrop of rock.
“Faster!” Jacey cried.
The helicopter swung in and lowered until all Jacey could see was the blur of its blades above the rock. And then it lifted off.
The Jeep topped a rise and seemed to leap into the air before descending with a crunch and swaying violently. Belle got it under control and continued down the road until the beach came into view.
The skiff lay on its side, motor still churning in the surf. Ahead of it the guard chased after Summer. Jacey saw one flash of the girl’s black hair flying behind her, and then she vanished behind a stand of trees.
“Keep going,” she ordered Belle.
Belle turned the Jeep’s wheels off the road and pressed through the thick grass that separated it from the rocky shore. The tires spun on the wet stone and, for a moment, they were perched there, one tire atop a boulder, two others suspended. But then the traction caught, and it jerked over the obstacle. Belle steered around the promontory and onto the beach.
“What the . . . ?” Belle skidded to a stop.
The helicopter circled overhead. Another figure began to descend the ladder. Jacey didn’t care. She had fixed her binoculars on a form lying face down on the sand. It was the guard.
She scanned the entire length of the beach. No Summer.
The chopper swept lower.
Belle stood in her seat next to Jacey. “He looks dead.”
“We need to get off this beach,” Jacey said.
They sat back down, and Belle turned a wide circle, this time picking more carefully through the rocks and back onto the roadway.
The helicopter descended over the fallen guard, but Jacey and Belle ignored it and continued along the road.
“Summer had to have crossed here somewhere,” Belle said. Tension drew her pale face into a tight frown. Her eyes darted nervously as she scanned the grass and trees on either side of the road.
But the road climbed steeply and came to an abrupt end. A long water-worn defile led down to a different section of beach. The helicopter lifted and began to circle.
“At least they don’t have her,” Jacey said.
“How do you know?” Belle demanded.
“If they had her, they wouldn’t stick around.”
The chopper drew near, though there was no place close by it could land. Jacey was concerned that they might use the ladder to drop a guard.
“Let’s get out of here,” she said.
Belle didn’t make a move. Instead she stood, scanning all around. “Where did she go?”
Jacey realized Belle was asking her. “I have no idea. We were separated at the . . .” She stopped herself. She didn’t know how much she could trust Belle. She didn’t want to tell her about the plantation. “We were separated. We didn’t have time to coordinate anything.”
“You were searching for her at the dock. You knew she was going to take the skiff.”
“It was a guess,” Jacey said. “Summer wouldn’t stop talking about the boat.”
Belle didn’t look convinced. Only the helicopter drawing nearer convinced her to move. She dropped into her seat, swung the Jeep around, and sped down the road.
The aircraft kept pace, but high up.
“Maybe they think she’s with us in the Jeep,” Jacey said. She glanced at the back seat, which was exposed to the sky. Farther back, the canvas top lay in a rolled up heap.
“They suspect something,” Jacey said. “They think Summer’s with us, and that’s good. We’ll lead them away from wherever she’s hiding. Head for
the rainforest.”
Belle gave Jacey a look. “I thought we’d just go to the beach and have a nice swim.”
Jacey ignored the sarcasm and turned her binoculars back to the aircraft. With the jerking of the Jeep, it was nearly impossible to frame it for more than a second. But she could see Alice’s cropped blond hair shining just inside the open side hatch.
Jacey’s breath caught. The woman was sighting down a scope attached to a sleek, black rifle.
“She has a gun,” Jacey said.
“Calm down,” Belle said. “She’s not going to shoot us. They can’t shoot us.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jacey said. “My Progenitor is dead.”
Belle said nothing more. Ahead, the road turned away from the shoreline and into the trees, and soon they were under cover. Belle wound along the road and then came to a stop. Before Jacey could ask why, Belle threw the machine into reverse and started backing off the road into a gully.
The descent was so steep Jacey was sure the Jeep would roll upside down. To Belle’s credit, she got them to the bottom safely. She jumped out. “Grab some vines. Let’s get this thing covered. I’ll put up the roof.”
In ten minutes, they were back inside the Jeep, and Jacey was confident it was completely obscured from the road. Even if the helicopter did land guards to patrol the road on foot, they would never see it.
“Where did Summer go?” Belle asked, unscrewing the lid from a water jug.
“I don’t know,” Jacey said. “I already told you that. And why do you care all of a sudden?”
“I’m not heartless, Jacey. Just practical.” She smacked her forearm and flicked away the corpse of a dead mosquito.
“How long are we going to wait here?” Jacey asked.
“The helicopter can’t run forever. It will have to go back to wherever it’s based to refuel.”
Jacey hadn’t thought of that. “How will we know?”
Belle had been staring through a gap in the vines that covered the windshield. At Jacey’s question, her eyes narrowed, and her head turned slowly until her cold gaze met Jacey’s. “We won’t. But I have no intention of sitting in this vehicle with you for longer than I have to.”
° ° °
Belle regretted her cutting remark to Jacey the moment she said it. Not that it wasn’t true, but there was nothing to gain by irritating Jacey at the moment.
Jacey stared at her for a long time, her head tilted slightly to the side, hand absently stroking her ponytail, which to Belle’s eyes appeared to be tied back with a strip of plant fiber.
The sultry girl bit her lower lip and touched Belle’s shoulder. “I know you’re in pain. But I didn’t do anything to you.”
Belle looked away. She wished she had Jacey’s guile, that ability to fake affection. But that was too much to ask of herself at the moment. Nothing had gone according to plan, and it was all Belle could do to keep from screaming and punching Jacey in the face.
“How is . . . ?” Jacey looked away. “How is Vaughan doing?”
“He’s not well,” Belle said. She knew Jacey had been going to call him Dr. Carlhagen. How deceitful she was.
“Is he sick?”
“It’s a leftover from the transfer. He seems to have Dr. Carlhagen’s addiction to pills.”
“Oh no,” Jacey said.
It sounded false. Because it was false. Jacey didn’t believe Vaughan was Vaughan, and she would love nothing more than to see him dead.
But Dr. Carlhagen was already dead. Belle had seen his old body, which was now zipped up in a black bag and lying a freezer in the medical ward.
“There must be something we can do to ease Vaughan’s discomfort,” Jacey said.
Belle saw right through that. The girl always used questions disguised as statements to extract information people didn’t want to share. She was probing, trying to learn more about Vaughan’s condition.
“I’m doing all that can be done,” Belle said. “I don’t need your help.”
A heavy silence filled the Jeep. Jacey shifted in her seat and looked behind her. She reached back, and Belle heard the shuffling of a plastic bag.
“Food,” Jacey said excitedly. “May I?”
“I have no appetite,” Belle said, shrugging. “Help yourself.”
Jacey dug into the bag and brought out two sandwiches. She offered one to Belle, but Belle declined.
Jacey glugged down more water, stopping occasionally to take gasping breaths. It reminded Belle of how Dolphins and Pelicans gulped water after being put through one of Sensei’s workouts.
“I am so dehydrated,” Jacey said. She attacked the first sandwich, taking a huge bite and chewing it with her mouth open. She swallowed and heaved a great sigh. “This needs some mustard or something.”
“What do you think I am,” Belle snapped, “a Spider on kitchen duty?”
“That’s not what I meant. The sandwich is great. I was just saying . . . forget it.” The rest of the sandwich went in her stupid mouth.
Belle leaned her head back, closed her eyes. “I’m impressed with Summer’s fighting skill. She took down that man on the beach very quickly. Did Sensei train her?”
“No,” Jacey said, mouth still full. “We all would have known if he had.”
Belle grunted in agreement. Sensei didn’t teach girls how to fight, apparently on Dr. Carlhagen’s orders.
Jacey swallowed and took a sip of water. “I’ve learned that Summer is very resourceful, though.”
Belle’s eyes popped open, and she studied Jacey’s face.
“I’m serious,” Jacey said, then started in on the second sandwich. “Maybe she found a weapon in the boat.”
That seemed utterly unlikely to Belle. Summer was a shameless flirt, a chatterbox, and a troublemaker. “Where do you think she went?”
“I told you,” Jacey said irritably. “I have no idea. Why would you think I’d keep her from you?”
“Because you don’t trust me.”
Jacey swallowed the last bite, slammed more water, then wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. She tucked the jug between her thighs and leaned her head back, yawning hugely. “You’re right, I don’t trust you. You don’t trust me, either. Though I’ve never given you any reason not to. I’m just trying to help people. I’m trying to keep everyone safe.”
“You’ve done a great job of that. Helicopters flying all over, armed men chasing after Scions.”
Jacey’s eyes had fallen closed. “You know what I mean.”
Belle said nothing more. Jacey’s breath slowed, became more even, her mouth open slightly. Belle studied that face, one she had known her entire life. She was surprised to see how young it looked. She angled the rearview mirror so she could look at herself. There was no sign of youth in her reflection.
She twisted the mirror back into position. Looking at herself always made her uneasy. The reflection never matched how she thought she looked.
Decision time.
If they left their hiding spot and went back onto the road, it would almost certainly wake Jacey up. But the girl seemed so tired, she might just fall back to sleep and that would give Belle a few moments of peace. She considered heading back to the Scion School. Maybe she could figure out some way to talk to Mr. Justin, maybe work out a trade.
Belle bit her lip. But that was far from a sure thing. Mr. Justin clearly wanted Summer, not Jacey. Belle didn’t know if Jacey was lying about not knowing where Summer was or not. It seemed like she wasn’t.
Fingers tapping the steering wheel, she considered another option. Time kept slipping by, and Vaughan would need another dose of andleprixen soon.
Belle didn’t like the idea of taking Jacey back to Mother Tyeesha’s. She didn’t want Jacey anywhere near Vaughan. Then again, Jacey was convinced Vaughan was entirely Dr. Carlhagen, so she would probably keep her distance.
The final snag was that Belle didn’t know if the senator’s guards had gone to Mother Tyeesha’s while Belle had been away. If so, the
y might have found out enough to know Belle would return. They’d lie in wait, hoping Belle had picked up Summer. If the guards hadn’t been there, they would likely show up soon.
There were no good options. But the priority was clear. She had to help Vaughan.
She got out of the Jeep, cleared away the vines, then clambered up the slope on foot to check the road. It was empty, and the rainforest sounds had all returned—the birds, the bugs, and the wind in the trees.
She skidded down the slope and got in the Jeep. Jacey didn’t awaken at the sound of the engine, and amazingly, slept through the rather harrowing climb up the slope to the road.
Decision made, Belle turned down the forest road toward Mother Tyeesha’s.
28
So the Truth Was Out
“I still don’t see why you can’t tell us more,” Wanda said, glaring at Humphrey with her bright green eyes. Wisps of red curls had escaped her ponytail and fluttered around her head like flames. The other Scions—Elias, Horace, Dajeet, Bethancy, and Tytus—sat before him in the hacienda dining room, most giving him the same glare as Wanda. Everyone except Horace, who appeared to be staring at Wanda’s chest.
Humphrey tugged at his bow tie. “I really don’t know what Mr. Justin intended to discuss with you.”
Dajeet, a Snake from Belle’s Nine, unfolded her hands and placed her palms on the long mahogany dining room table. She leaned forward slightly, drawing the eyes off all present. She rarely spoke, so people noticed when she was about to start. “Mr. Justin was going to tell us why there are armed men and women swarming over the campus. And I suspect he meant to tell us why you are wearing one of Dr. Carlhagen’s suits.”
Dajeet was small for fifteen, and her round face gave an impression of childishness. And yet Humphrey had always been shy of meeting her gaze. Her black eyes held a strange luminosity that gave her an air of elderliness. “So why are you wearing his suit?”
“It’s a long story.”
“We’ve got nothing better to do,” Elias said. He sat closest to Humphrey, separated from the others by two empty chairs. From what Humphrey had heard, the Scions’ resentment toward Elias for kicking Vaughan in the head had eased somewhat. But it seemed Elias hadn’t forgiven himself.
Child of Lies Page 18