by Sherry Soule
“Hurry up, Sloane. We should ditch that burner phone when you’re done,” Jonah says.
“You’re brother’s right. We can’t take a chance of the call being traced. Only stay on the phone for one to two minutes,” Hayden says briskly. “Ask Saxton if he’ll help, and if he won’t, hang up.” He rests one hand on my thigh beneath the table and squeezes my thigh.
I bite my lip. “If ST discovers his betrayal, they’ll imprison him.”
“Just make the call,” Hayden says coldly.
Although Saxton’s a bit of a douchebag, he doesn’t deserve to get his memories wiped or share a cell with Xavier for helping us. I experience a twinge of guilt, but shake it off. This is about saving my parents and Delta. I dial Saxton’s cell number with shaky fingers. Lifting the phone to my ear, I listen to the rings.
“Hello? Who’s this?” Saxton asks.
The words clog my throat, yet I force them out. “It’s Sloane. I need your help.”
“I figured you’d call eventually,” he says.
“Yeah, well, you were right. Except, I didn’t have much choice.”
Saxton huffs out a breath. “Help with what?”
“You said Delta is alive,” I say, and Hayden’s expression turns to stone, his grip on my thigh practically cutting off circulation. “Sector Thirteen has my parents, too. I want to know where they’re keeping them.”
Saxton curses. “Why?”
My palm grows damp around the phone. “I just need to know. Please.”
“You want to bust out three people from a high-level security lab? Is that it?”
“I didn’t say it would be easy—”
“You didn’t have to, Sloane. There’s no way to rescue them. You’ll be caught and imprisoned. Do you have any idea what that’s like?”
“Well, no. I’ve never been incarcerated, but I did get stuck in a pair of skinny jeans at Hot Topic once,” I say.
“Um, that’s not quite the same thing.”
Unease grows inside my chest. “Can you help me or not?”
“Meet me at the clearing in the forest near the fire pit in one hour,” Saxton says. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thanks. See you in an hour.”
The signal goes dead. I drop the burner phone on the table.
“We are not meeting him anywhere,” Hayden declares.
“I think we can trust him. What other choice do we have?” I grind my teeth. “I-I have to get my parents out of that awful place.”
Hayden releases his grip on my thigh and his hands curl into fists. “It’ll be a trap.”
“I don’t care.” I lift my chin. “Saxton could’ve turned on me that day in the woods, but he didn’t, and he gave us info on Delta. You in or out?”
“All in, Sloane.” Hayden slides out of the booth and gets to his feet. “Only because you’ll go without me, despite my protests. I’ll let you inform Zach.” He strides out of the restaurant to his SUV.
Jonah scoots out of his seat, grabbing the phone. “Zach’s going to hate this plan.”
We walk outside to Hayden’s Range Rover. He’s already in the driver’s seat, but Zach is waiting for us near the SUV.
“Can I talk to you?” he asks.
I nod, and Jonah drops the phone, stomps on it, then hops inside the vehicle.
“What’s up?”
Zach drags a hand through his short, dark hair. “I really like Viola…well, except for that mood ring she wears. When she’s happy, it turns a bright yellow, but when she gets mad, it makes a big oval mark on my forehead. So I’m sorry if I was a jerk to you in the past.”
I snort. “Is that an apology? Or do you just fear Viola’s wrath?”
He shrugs. “Both?”
“Fine. We can call a truce. Should we hug?”
“No.” He puts out his hand and we shake instead.
I quickly fill him in on the meeting with Saxton, but he doesn’t say much. Zach gets in the back with Jonah, and I climb into the passenger seat. Twenty minutes later, Hayden pulls the SUV into the empty parking lot near a hiking trail leading into the forest.
Hayden turns in the driver’s seat to face Jonah. “Hey, buddy, can you stay here and keep an eye out for Sector Thirteen soldiers?”
“Sure,” Jonah says. “I’m not cut out for a life of crime. I don’t have your devious genes, Sloane. Give me a book to read and I’ll be fine.”
“Um, I don’t have anything to read in the Rover…” Hayden feels around under his seat. “Wait! I do have this car manual. Will that work?” He holds up a battered instruction booklet.
Jonah sighs. “Hand it over.”
Zach grunts. “Here, take my phone, I have eBooks stored on it.”
Everyone stares at him.
“What?” Zach shrugs, handing Jonah the phone. “I might be a cool jock, but I like to read, too.” In a lower voice, he says to Jonah, “I’ve got Game of Thrones, if you wanna read it.”
“One of my favorites. Thanks,” Jonah says.
Zach ruffles his hair. “Anytime, kid.”
We exit the SUV and hike into the forest. Leaves, twigs, and gravel crunch beneath our boots. The sun sits high in the sky, yet it feels chilly under the shade of the oaks. Zach, Hayden, and I stop at the fire pit.
Saxton steps away from the tree he was leaning against. “Hello, Sloane…and company,” he says, eyeing the brothers. “It’s good to see you again.”
One of those movie-length awkward pauses stretches between us. I stay on the other side of the fire pit. The Lancaster brothers flank me like bodyguards. Now I know how movie stars must feel, but Saxton’s not here for my autograph or to take a selfie.
He’s dressed in cargo-pants with a gray T-shirt and combat boots, like a military grunt. I don’t know what I expected, but it isn’t this. I assumed he’d be wearing civilian clothes, not soldier garb. It only drills home the fact that Saxton’s working with the bad guys.
“Were you able to find out anything?” I ask.
“I dug up some intel that might be useful. Delta’s being held in a cell on the first floor.” Saxton clears his throat. “Your parents are staying in the barracks…and your mom was sent to one of the labs for testing.”
A stream of air leaves my lungs. “But they’re alive? Not being tortured or getting butchered with painful lobotomies?”
Saxton shakes his head. “They’re fine, but to be honest, I don’t know for how long.”
“I need to get them out of there,” I say.
Saxton glances at his scuffed boots. “And I’m guessing you’ll need help.”
“Not from you.” Zach shuffles his feet, cracking his knuckles. “Let’s wrap this up.”
Saxton narrows his eyes at Zach. “I wasn’t talking to you, Lancaster. If Sloane wants my help, then she’s gotta ask, and you two need to play nice.”
Hayden moves forward and stands slightly in front of me. “We don’t have to do shit. You’d better tell us everything we need to know, or you’re walking out of here with a permanent limp.”
Zach coughs into his fist, muttering, “Douchebag.”
“You’re not in any position to be rude,” Saxton says.
Zach crosses the distance in a couple of strides, and hammers a fist into Saxton’s jaw. When Zach takes another swing, Saxton ducks the fist flying at his face. He grabs Zach’s forearm, flipping him over his shoulder. Zach hits the dirt with a violent crash, dirt and leaves rising in the air. Saxton places his heavy boot on Zach’s chest, pinning him down.
“Let my brother go,” Hayden warns. “Or you’ll find yourself being teleported to the moon.”
“Stop it.” I block Hayden from going after Saxton. “Save the testosterone outbursts for the real bad guys.”
“Tell your brother to stand down,” Saxton says, not moving his foot.
“Zach, chill,” Hayden orders, glaring at Saxton. “And you back off.”
Saxton lifts his foot, and Zach gets to his feet, then dusts himself off.
/> “I didn’t come here to fight,” Saxton says.
Zach’s shoulders square. “Then why did you come? It couldn’t be out of the goodness of your own heart.”
This is going to get ugly quick.
“I know why,” Hayden says through clenched teeth.
I frown at my hybrid boyfriend. “Why?”
“Because the bastard thinks he’s in love with you,” Hayden replies.
Saxton’s face goes splotchy red, and I’m pretty sure he has an agenda that might include a lame romantic love triangle. Except my heart belongs to only one boy.
“Now hold up!” I exclaim. “We’re only friends—”
Hayden grunts. “Don’t be so naïve, Sloane.” He stares at Saxton. “You’ll never be good enough for her.”
“And you are?” Saxton chuckles darkly. “She’d be safer with me. I could protect her.”
“No.” Hayden shakes his head. “You can’t. Not like me.”
“Stop it, guys,” I say. “Saxton, we need to sneak inside the base and get in and out without being caught.”
“To do that, I need to know where our people are being held and a map would be handy,” Hayden says.
“I’m already way ahead of you. Here. You’ll need this if you hope to pull off a rescue.” Saxton removes a folded piece of paper and a map from his side pocket, handing them to Zach. “I included blueprints of the Naval base. There’s a control tower being used as a lookout, so be aware of it going in.” k`1-2
Zach stalks toward us with the documents, and Hayden peeks over his brother’s shoulder at the information.
“You’re in luck because Sector Thirteen is currently updating the digital recorders for the security cameras after a storm last week knocked down the powerlines,” Saxton says. “Sloane, your parents are in the bunkers near the docks in building Z.” He glances at Hayden and Zach. “Delta is in building S.”
Zach shifts his weight. “I’ve got a question for you, Ridge. How long have you been in league with Sector Thirteen?”
Saxton swallows. “For…a while. I work directly under General Athens.”
I gape. “You’re that high up? How?”
“Because…well, he’s my father,” Saxton admits, his skin flushing even redder.
“No shit?” Zach says, slapping his thigh.
“Thank you, Saxton,” I say. “I know you’re taking a risk by helping us.”
Saxton takes a step toward me, then stops. “Good luck, Sloane.” He turns, disappearing into the forest.
We tread back along the path to the SUV. Hayden drives me home to get Jinx, and we take my cat and Jonah to Viola’s house. I call her on the way and fill her in on the backstory and the Zeta field trip. Hayden parks in Viola’s driveway beside her dad’s Honda Accord, and I get out with the cat carrier. The others stay in the SUV so I can speak to Viola alone.
She answers the door right away as if she’s been waiting for us and shuts the door. “You gotta take me with you.”
“What? No, it’s too dangerous—”
“Not on your rescue mission.” Her voice cracks and her eyes go wild. “I need to get outta here.”
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay. I’m very far from okay!”
“What happened? Did your mom find that coffin in your closet?”
“No. My parents are sending me to boarding school.”
I twist a strand of purple hair around my finger. “When?”
“Did you not hear me? An all-girls school where they have to wear uniforms. Every. Single. Day. Uniforms! It will stifle my individuality.” Viola tosses her arms in the air, waving them wildly. “And they won’t tell me when I’m coming back. If I’m ever coming back.”
My mouth goes dry as bone dust. “What do you mean? Do you have to stay there all summer, too?”
“My parents bought me a one-way ticket, Sloane. No round trip.” Tears fill her eyes. “No return ticket!”
“Are you sure?”
“I called the airlines to confirm it. I swear, they’re planning to get rid of me for good. This is worse than that boot camp for troubled teens they sent me to last year!”
I hug her. “Maybe it won’t be so bad. It might be like The Craft and you’ll make new friends—”
“It’s gonna be just like Nightmare on Elm Street where Freddie terrorizes the school.” Viola drops onto the porch steps, her hands covering her face. “Need I say more?”
“Viola, relax.”
“Weren’t you listening? I am being shipped off to boarding school!” Viola lifts her head, tears sliding down her pale cheeks.
“Yes, but you’re freaking out before you even talk to your parents.”
Her shoulders slump. “I guess this is goodbye then.”
“Let’s think this over. Is there a deal you can make with them to let you finish out the school year? Or…forget it.”
“Yeah, forget it.”
“No, I mean forget reasoning with them. You’re going with me to Reticuli.”
Viola smiles. “Thank you!”
Just leave them a note saying you’re going on vacation with me and my family.” I hand her the cat carrier. “Will your parents mind if Jinx stays here while we’re gone?”
“Nope, they love animals.” She thrusts a fist into the air. “Yay! Space trip.”
“But if we don’t return by sundown, you have to get Jonah to Tanisha so he can board the spaceship with the other Meleah,” I say. “See if you can hitch a ride while you’re there.”
I hate the idea of sending Jonah alone, but he’ll be safer with the Zetas than staying here with the ST psychos.
Twisting around, I wave at Jonah to get out of the SUV. He comes over, hanging his head. I lift his chin and place a kiss on his forehead. The Rover’s doors open, then Zach and Hayden emerge.
“I won’t be long, Brainiac Boy,” I say. “Will you keep Jinx company while I’m gone?”
“Yes,” he says with a sniffle. “Did you know cats can make over a hundred different sounds, but dogs only make around ten?”
Jinx meows, pawing at the sides of the carrier.
“Huh. I didn’t know that.” I give him a tight hug. “Love you.”
Jonah sniffles. “Love you, too. Be safe.”
Zach gives Viola a passionate kiss goodbye. Jonah and I pretend to gag ourselves while Hayden laughs at our antics. Viola tells him that she’s going with us and Zach smiles. I’m all kinds of happy to have my bestie going along to experience this epic adventure we’re about to embark on.
Except, we’ve got bigger concerns and time is not on our side.
TEN
“According to my parents,” Hayden says, “Two Zeta spaceships will covertly land eighty miles away from the island in a farm located in Modesto, California after nightfall.”
“It’ll take two hours to get there by car, and we can’t teleport to the location since we’ve never been there before.” Zach paces the length of the cottage living room where the three of us have gathered. “We don’t have enough time to haul ass all the way to Modesto to visit the site in person, then return to Grimm Haven in time to rescue our family.”
Which means the clock is ticking on: Operation Rescue.
“We need backup.” Hayden texts Arcane, informing him of our crazyass plan.
Within minutes, Arcane teleports into the cottage, and I half-expect him to try to talk us out of it, but he just solemnly agrees to help. After studying the map of the Naval base and the blueprints of the buildings Saxton provided, we form a dicey rescue mission as unpredictable as the trajectory of a popped balloon.
“There’s still one setback,” Arcane says to me. “In order to teleport, a hybrid has to have previously visited the location in person.”
“I know,” I say. “Hayden already explained how teleportation works, and I get it. Since none of us has ever been to ST headquarters, there’ll be no quick and easy teleportation inside the Naval base, but we can teleport out.
Right?”
“Yes,” Arcane says. “We’ll have to sneak into Sector Thirteen the old-fashioned way—on foot. Once we complete our mission, we can teleport here before driving to the pickup location.”
“We only have six hours to pull this off,” Zach replies.
I follow Hayden Arcane, and Zach into the bedroom where Zach stashed firearms leftover from the fight with Xavier. I stand in the doorway while the three men arm themselves with the high-tech neutralizer weapons and Taser guns courtesy of Sector Thirteen. Hopefully, we won’t need to use them or hurt anyone.
The only weapon I like to carry is a knife, but it’s just in case of cake. I got no qualms about attacking bakery goods.
Hayden places a gun into a shoulder holster. “Everyone all set?”
I nod. “Let’s do this.”
Zach marches through the door onto the porch and Arcane follows.
Hayden kisses my forehead. “We might get captured today. Hell, we might even die…and there’s so much I want to say to you, Peaches. You’re more than just my best friend, you’re my everything. I love you, and I have no regrets.”
I kiss him on the lips. “I know what you mean and I love you, too.”
After loading our supplies, the four of us pile into the Range Rover and drive across the island. The closer we get, the more my heartbeat ramps up. I can’t even let myself consider what will happen if we can’t save my parents, or that they’re being tortured. Staying focused is the only way I can keep my emotions in check. My shoulders bunch and I roll my neck to ease the kinks.
Within fifteen minutes, Sector Thirteen’s evil lair, aka the former Naval base, comes into view: a sprawling area enclosed by a cyclone fence, with landing strips, cement-block buildings, aircraft hangars, and a control tower overlooking the San Francisco Bay. The good news is that most of the base borders the forest, which provides ample camouflage.