Reece pulled out a shiny badge and waved it at the driver. “Step on it, or pull over and let me drive!” The driver dropped his foot on the gas, more out of an effort to get them to where they were going and out of his cab than wanting to actually help, Keila guessed. They swerved in and out of lanes, and Keila was happy she hadn’t eaten yet that day. If she had found the time between hunting down Emily and being hunted themselves, then her breakfast would be all over Emily’s lap. Not quite the way she wanted to start the relationship.
Despite their speed, the SUV kept pace, and when the driver turned off the highway and into a side street, the SUV increased speed, driving so close that the shiny chrome bumper was nearly touching the taxi.
“Reece!” Emily screamed, as the SUV nudged at the taxi’s trunk. Keila kept quiet. That part of running, fleeing, whatever the hell you want to call it, was not new to her. In fact, it had been pretty much a once-a-week activity lately. She always knew Zero would catch up with her eventually, and, as she always did, she forced herself to remain calm. If she couldn’t focus, then they may as well pull over and give up. She closed her eyes and pulled an image of the safe house into her mind, imagining a path from their current position. She threw her mental beacon out as wide as she could. Screw being careful; they’d obviously already found her.
As she concentrated, everything dimmed around her, and the path to safety almost glowed in her mind. “Take a left, now!” she ordered the driver. Keila felt the taxi lurch to the left, and Emily fell against her with a little squeak, but she didn’t dare open her eyes and lose her connection.
“Another left!”
“But that will take us into one-way traffic,” the driver yelled over the gunning engine. Keila felt eyes on her. “What the hell? Is she giving directions in her sleep?” The driver sounded like he was about to abandon ship.
“Left, left!” Keila shouted. They were about to pass the turn. “We need to go against traffic, it’s the only way to keep them off our tail.” She opened her eyes to see Reece grab the wheel again and turn sharply. The driver glared at him, and Reece responded by almost casually lifting up the back of his shirt, displaying the Glock sitting in his waistband.
“Okay, you crazy woman!” the driver said, throwing her a look over his shoulder. “Damned if the crazy bitch isn’t going to get us all killed,” he muttered. The taxi burst out into traffic with people swerving and horns blaring all around them. The SUV behind them also turned sharply, but its size and the surprise of their turn took hold and the SUV ran into the traffic island separating the road. The cab straightened up and they were around the corner before the SUV had managed to turn.
“Go right!” she ordered as they approached an alleyway wide enough to fit the car. It was a shortcut Keila had used more than once before. A garbage truck pulled in behind them, blocking them from view even as the driver honked at them for blocking his way. Keila heard the screeching of tires as the SUV came to a halt behind them and she pulled back into her own head before Zero could sense their hiding place.
“You can slow down now, we’ve lost them.” Beside her, Emily was a nervous wreck, one hand bunched in her lap while she chewed on the nails of her other hand. The cab driver slowed, wiping sweat from his forehead. Emily swore she heard him whisper a prayer as he drove on down the alley. Reece, unsurprisingly, traded between sending worried glances Emily’s way, and angry glares at her. Keila knew she’d be hearing exactly what his thoughts on their current situation were soon enough.
“Welcome to your first day,” she smiled at Emily. “And trust me, this was a good one.”
Emily groaned and dropped her head into her hands. Keila gave the driver the name of cross streets a few blocks away from the house and then sat back and closed her eyes again, willing away the rising headache. Sure enough, Reece would bring it right back again as soon as they were clear of the taxi, so she’d take rest where she could get it.
Fifteen minutes later, the cab dropped them off. Reece frowned at her and threw a few bills through the window at the driver before the cab pulled away from the curb, tires screeching. Keila didn’t blame him. She wouldn’t wish that life on anyone, couldn’t blame anyone escaping her as quickly as they could. She turned and walked briskly down the street. She’d well and truly had enough for the day and she still had to get Emily and Reece settled before she could take care of herself. After a short walk, she paused in front of a dilapidated old building and watched them both stare at her in disbelief.
“Umm, is this a joke?” Reece asked.
“Didn’t anyone tell you not to judge a book by its cover?”
“Yeah, but this is a building.”
She shook her head. “Come on,” she said, taking Emily’s hand. “Feel free to leave the asshole outside.”
Emily shot her a look, and then grabbed Reece’s hand with her other, pulling him with her as they walked.
“Emily, this isn’t any safer than your place,” Reece said as they climbed the dirty stairs.
Keila ignored him. True, from the outside, the building looked completely abandoned. When those hunting you could sense you through total darkness if they got close enough, she’d take every advantage she could get. Climbing the stairs to the fifth floor, she felt every push of her legs. A working elevator was obviously too much to expect in a condemned building, but some days she would have given up food for one. The building was empty apart from the occasional squatter who regularly left garbage strewn across the lower floors. She was thankful none of them could usually be bothered climbing the stairs up that high. Finally, she reached her own front door. It was just as chipped and stained as all the others, but when she opened it to reveal a reinforced door behind it, secured with a keypad, she could hear both Emily and Reece’s breath catch with surprise. Keila smiled to herself as she keyed in the passcode. She couldn’t wait until they stepped inside. She had only managed to secure money once or twice from those who hunted her, but she’d put it to good use, setting up little hidey holes in cities dotted across the US. She tried not to use them herself unless absolutely necessary, but she’d known they’d come in handy one day.
“I take it back,” Reece said, stepping inside. “I swear, I will never judge a building by its cover ever again.”
Keila laughed. “There are two rooms upstairs, and two down here.” Pausing to take a beer out of the fridge, she handed one to each of them too. “Sometimes I need to stay hidden for awhile, and it’s always preferable to hide somewhere with an actual bed and electricity.”
Whatever she said must have touched on something, as Emily reached over and pulled her into a hug.
“Thank you. I mean that.”
Reece took the beer from Keila’s hand, tipping it at her before embracing Emily himself, pulling her in for a hug. Keila smiled. He could certainly be a pain in the ass, but it was clear Emily loved him and, try as she might to fight it, Keila found herself warming to Reece, too. He was it for Emily, the person who would always be there for her, and heaven knew everyone needed that sometimes. Even she. She could take care of herself, always had, but sometimes, when it was dark and quiet outside, and even darker inside her own head, someone warm wrapped around her would be worth it. Yes, Keila was glad Emily had Reece. She was going to need him when times got rough.
“I won’t be staying here with you,” she said, and listened as they both began protesting at once.
“I can’t. I don’t know how, but Zero can track me and if I stay here too long while he’s close, I’d put you in danger. I risked my life to find you, Emily. I’m not going to lead them right to you now. Food’s in the fridge. Don’t under any circumstances order takeout,” she ripped a piece of paper off the notepad on the table and scribbled down a number. “Call that in an emergency, but don’t use your regular cell. Get a burner if you have to,” Keila looked over at Reece. “You know how to do that, I presume, G-Man?”
He nodded.
“Where will you go?” Emily’s soft voice aske
d, and Keila shrugged.
“No idea yet, anywhere but here.”
6
Keila stepped out onto the street, her eyes searching down the block ahead of her as she walked. She moved slowly, trying to make it look as though she was meandering wherever her feet took her, but all the while every step was deliberately planned. She already looked a little banged up after that morning’s activities, and she didn’t want to bring any more attention to herself. Not so close to the safe house.
She made her way over several blocks and to a hotel she knew would take her by the day, or even the hour, and not ask any questions. She didn’t want to stay too close to the house, just in case Zero decided to work some Saturday overtime, but she didn’t want to be too far away to help, either, if they skipped her entirely and went after Emily again. Why hadn’t Emily sensed them? Most of the new girls she’d found before weren’t as powerful as she was, but then something should have told her Juan was hinky. But Emily was strong. Keila wouldn’t have been able to talk to her in her dreams if she hadn’t been. Maybe Emily’s ability, while just about as powerful as her own, was somehow also different. Keila shook her head to try to clear out the cobwebs. From what she’d seen so far, the idea made sense, but on day two of no sleep, there was no way she could focus. As she arrived at the hotel, her burner phone blipped in her pocket. The message had no name attached and was just a cell number, nothing more. Keila smiled.
Good on you, Reece.
He’d gotten his hands on an anonymous burner phone and then gotten in touch with her, all within the space of half an hour.
You might just survive after all.
She threw some random bills at the woman on the front desk, took the offered key and walked up the outer steps to her room. Keila’s eyes were nearly closed as she slid the key into the lock, and she fell onto the bed as soon as the door latched behind her. Exhaustion didn’t even begin to describe it. She was sure the superheroes in the morning cartoons she watched as a kid had never felt that damn tired after saving the world. Her eyes stayed shut as her thoughts wandered back to her childhood. Oh, how deluded she’d been, and not just about her future career. She had no idea about so many things, least of all what a real family should be like. Too tired to filter her thoughts, Keila felt tears gather at the corner of her eyes as she slipped into unconsciousness.
It was a cool morning for that time of year in Chicago. Keila sat on her bed staring out into the hall, watching their sixteen-year-old son on his way to the mall. This was not a luxury that she was afforded. Her foster parents believed that if she wanted money, then she would have to work to earn it. As far as they were concerned, she lived on their dime and that was as far as the freebies went. It wasn’t as if she’d asked to be born and then dumped, her parents’ identity unknown.
She should hate them, all of them. She’d tried, but it hadn’t worked out, at least not regarding her foster parents. She did love them, in a strange sort of way. Even as a small child, she’d had an immense sense of empathy. As she grew, she was able to tell what others were feeling, but she’d quickly learned to keep her mouth shut about that. It scared people when Keila echoed their private thoughts and feelings. The first time she’d done it in her foster parents’ presence, her mother had looked at her in horror. Keila could feel the fear rolling from her, but she’d never understood it. Not, at least, until that morning.
“Keila, get down here!” Her foster father hollered up the stairs, the volume of his voice pulling her into his emotions. Keila quickly recoiled, feeling his anger from the first floor. He yelled out to her again, and she let her abilities sneak out cautiously, just a taste. The anger she was used to, but there was something else, something she couldn’t place. John had scared her that morning, and Keila should have listened to her instincts.
“If I have to call you down one more time, you’ll regret it!”
She briefly considered trying to slip out unnoticed, but her window was locked and barred shut ever since they’d caught her sneaking out at fourteen. It wasn’t as if she was going to go anywhere. She’d always just felt safer out in the open. They hadn’t agreed.
“I’m coming,” she called back, and walked hesitantly onto the landing. She’d overslept that morning, dreaming about the other girls again the night before. Girls like her. She didn’t understand the dreams, but she knew they were more than just subconscious ramblings. That’s what her foster mother had called them, but she had known then, just as she knew as she stood on the landing, that Theresa had been lying. The woman had looked at her as if she was the spawn of the devil himself. Who knew? Perhaps she was.
“What did I tell you about sleeping so late?” John asked her, with a look that said she better not try to actually answer his question.
“I’m sorry,” was all she could manage. She looked over at Theresa, who was avoiding her gaze as she washed the breakfast dishes.
“Get dressed. You don’t have time to eat. You’re going to work with me today,” John spoke and then left the room, leaving her no way to misunderstand his words. If she wasn’t showered and back at the front door before he returned, he might just make good on a threat from earlier. Not that they’d ever abused her, physically at least. Being locked away in a dark room for hours when her dreams had scared Theresa left fewer bruises and scars than broken bones would. Keila thanked the universe for that, because he did want to. She could feel his desire to hurt her every time she locked eyes with John lately. She could only hope that he wouldn’t before she turned eighteen and could finally escape.
He hadn’t always been that way. When she’d been little, he’d taught her to read and ride a two-wheeler. He’d even shown up at her school, threatening an ass-whooping to the kids teasing her about being a foster kid. She used to feel loved, but all that had stopped when she’d told him about her dreams. She hadn’t realized what was going on at first, until the first time he’d called her a freak. She’d kept her mouth shut since then, but every now and then, he’d look over at her with narrowed eyes and Keila would almost swear he could read her as easily as she now could him.
If there was a world record for showering and dressing, she would have broken it that day, even though thoughts of the girl from her dreams made it hard to concentrate. It was the third time she’d seen the same person. She’d have to find out what it meant, but that would have to wait. John ran a hardware store in the town, and it did good business. The one thing she was sure of when she was there was that she’d barely have time to think about her crappy life, or anyone else’s. It wasn’t so bad; the other staff members were always kind to her and it was nice to be able to switch off her brain, for a short time at least. She kept busy when she was at the store. She didn’t need to give John another reason to complain about her.
Keila’s thoughts trailed off as she stepped out of her room and made her way down the stairs. Her gut tightened into a hard knot. Something just didn’t feel right. In fact, it felt deathly wrong. The feeling weighed her down, but she didn’t understand it. There was almost a heavy, dark presence hanging over her as she made her way downstairs, cautiously putting one foot in front of the other.
“Theresa?” she called. The smell of freshly baked biscuits still hung in the air, but there was no answer. Keila walked down a few more stairs. “Theresa?” she called again, quieter this time. Something clinked against the tiles in the hall and stopped Keila’s descent. “John? Theresa?” Had something happened while she was upstairs? Was someone else in the house? The strange darkness was still pressing down on the entire house, and Keila pressed herself to the wall as she snuck into the kitchen. What she found made her stop where she stood.
Theresa was sitting at the kitchen table, her hands folded neatly in front of her. Her eyes were lowered to the table, but as Keila entered the room, Theresa looked up. There was nothing but hatred in her gaze.
“Are you okay?” Keila asked, but she knew she wasn’t. There was something wrong, very wrong. She took a step towar
d the woman she’d come to respect, the woman she called Mom for God’s sake, but Theresa didn’t move. Movement a few feet to her left caught her eye, and as Keila turned, arms suddenly reached around her and locked. As Theresa held her tightly, Keila saw John walking toward her from the laundry room, rope held firmly in his hands.
“You are pure evil,” John said, grabbing her chin and forcing her eyes to meet his. “I will not let you corrupt this family.”
Keila screamed and kicked out as he made a grab for her hands. John’s words echoed in her mind. She had no idea what he meant, but as he lunged toward her again, she saw a flash of a boarded-up room in their basement in his mind. Oh, hell no, there was no way she was going down there. She stepped back into Theresa, pushing all her weight into a shove, breaking Theresa’s hold as the other woman fell to the floor. Her foster father made a grab for her as she dashed around the other side of the table, and he caught her wrist in a strong grip.
Crap! What the fuck was going on?
Keila met his eyes, but saw only dead shadows within them. His grip around her arm tightened as his other arm snaked around to his back where he pulled out a kitchen knife. “This ends now.”
Screw that. Keila dodged his first swipe, jerking down his arm still holding her wrist as she dropped to the floor. On her knees before him put her at the perfect height and Keila didn’t hesitate. She curled her free hand into a fist and rammed it into his groin as hard as she could. John dropped her wrist and the knife, nearly doubling over in pain. Keila didn’t hesitate. Grabbing the bag she’d packed for the day with nothing but her sweater and her wallet, she ran.
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Keila (Dreamcatchers Romantic Suspense Series Book 2) Page 3