“We’ll take it from here,” the female cop said. I could hear her striding across the lobby, one shoe squeaking with each step. She came to a stop behind me. “Hands behind your back, ma’am.”
I did as ordered, lowering my arms and pressing my wrists together behind my back, my eyes locked with the receptionist’s. I could just make out the sound of a phone ringing in her headset.
“Make it quick,” Mari said through the earpiece, her voice faint but clear. “The helicopter’s waiting.”
I raised a single eyebrow. She was pulling out all the stops to find me. I felt the corners of my lips draw up even as cold steel ratcheted around my wrists. This would work.
“There’s a woman here to see you. The police are about to take her away, but—”
“Is it Kat?” Mari asked. “Does she have a sword?”
The receptionist frowned. “She does, yes.”
“Do not let them take her!” Mari all but shouted. “Do anything, Janelle—anything! I don’t care if you have to lock the police officers in a closet yourself, do not let them take her. I’ll be on the roof in ten minutes. I want Kat there, waiting for me.”
“I understand,” Janelle said, then pressed a button on the side of her headset and stood. “I’m sorry.” She flashed that ice-queen smile at the officers. “But we actually need her.”
“This woman is under arrest for carrying illegal weapons,” the female cop said, wrapping the fingers of one hand around my arm and pulling me up to my feet.
“I’m so sorry,” the receptionist said. She came around the end of the desk, her movements graceful. “That’s our fault. We asked her to come in looking like a threat to test our security protocols. It was a drill.” She held her hands out before her. “Perhaps a poorly thought-out drill, but nothing more.” When her eyes slid over me, her cheek twitched, but her smile didn’t falter one bit. I couldn’t imagine why anyone had given this woman the job of receptionist; she was about as warm and welcoming as Neptune.
“Do you have documentation of this ‘drill’?” the policewoman asked. “We can’t release her on your word alone.”
“Of course.” The receptionist extended her arm to the side, gesturing toward the hallway to the right of the lobby. “If you’ll both follow me, I can show you.”
“Forbes,” the cop said to her partner. “Stay here.”
Her partner nodded.
The receptionist’s chilly smile became razor sharp. She was none too pleased. “Perhaps your partner would like to oversee the remainder of the drill?”
When her stare landed on me, I winked at her. She was a clever one, this Janelle. An ice queen, perhaps, but a clever ice queen.
Janelle looked past me, focusing on one of the security guards. “I believe they were just about to escort the ‘intruder’ to the helipad on the roof—it’s a transport scenario.” She flashed the lady cop a gracious smile. “Of course, they won’t actually be flying anywhere. It’s just—we’re on a bit of a tight schedule, and we’d like the drill to be completed before business hours.”
“Fine,” the officer said. She headed for the receptionist. “Let’s see this documentation.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Walking up a stairwell with your hands cuffed behind your back is awkward as hell. You’re hyperconscious of foot placement and you don’t want to look up, because if you trip, you will fall on your face. Literally. And faces and cement stairs don’t play well together. Not ever. So yeah, walking up four flights of stairs in the middle of a long train of mercenary security guards was plain torture. Especially because the guards weren’t moving nearly fast enough for me.
The counter on Dom’s life was ticking down, only I had no idea how much time he had left. Maybe days. Maybe hours. Maybe only minutes.
The seven guards tromping up the stairwell ahead of me passed through a metal fire door and onto a terraced portion of the multitiered skyscraper’s roof, one of the guards standing with his back to the door to hold it open. Cold air tunneled in through the doorway, carrying with it misty raindrops and the thwomp-thwomp-thwomp of helicopter blades chopping through the morning fog. As soon as I stepped through the doorway, wind whipped my hair around, the rain making strands stick to my face. Supremely annoying when I couldn’t do anything about it. Damn handcuffs.
A helicopter touched down on the helipad near the jutting-out corner of the terrace. A few seconds later, Mari jumped out. She appeared to be wearing the same bloodied and torn skirt and blouse from the previous day. At least she’d lost the tattered lab coat. She held her hair down as she jogged away from the helicopter, running in heels like it was no big deal.
Nik followed her out onto the helipad, his long, black leather coat flapping around his legs as he took lengthy strides to catch up to Mari. He ducked slightly, the helicopter blades slicing through the air over his head.
Seeing Nik whole and healthy eliminated one link in a whole chain of fear and dread. All Garth had been able to tell me was that Nik had been there when he’d blacked out. I felt a burst of appreciation for Nik as I realized he must’ve fought off the other Nejeret. He was likely the only reason Garth was still alive. Nik didn’t pull punches, and it dawned on me that the Nejeret might already be dead. I supposed it all depended on when exactly Mari had arrived.
My eyes locked on Mari’s, and I took a couple steps forward, putting a negligible distance between me and the line of guards behind me, and jerked my cuffed hands upwards behind my back. I gritted my teeth against the pain as my right shoulder slipped out of its socket, but I pushed through the pain, pulling my hands over my head. The discomfort of the temporary shoulder dislocation was sharp, but brief. A bargain price to have my hands in front of me. I rolled my shoulder, making sure everything had settled back where it belonged. The joint ached, but the pain would fade quickly as it healed.
The corner of Nik’s mouth lifted, just for a second. The movement caught my eye, and our stares met. His pale blue gaze was burning with worry. For me, I realized. Damn it, but seeing his concern for me warmed my shriveled little heart.
“I’m fine,” I mouthed, flashing him my palm with the marbled Eye of Horus.
His eyes widened, relief washing over his face, and a true smirk twisted his lips. He winked, his expression going blank a moment later.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Mari said, voice raised to compete with the sound of the helicopter behind her. “You should’ve come straight here.” She waved Nik forward. “Why haven’t you been answering your phone? What if it’s already too late?”
“It’s not,” I said, uncurling my fingers and showing them both my palm. The Eye of Horus glimmered in the pale dawn light, iridescent and inky. I didn’t bother telling her my phone had been collateral damage during my dip in the Sound. “I’m fine, but Dom’s not.”
I looked into her eyes, searching for the woman I’d worked with so closely all those years we’d hunted rogue Nejerets together. For the woman who’d been like a sister to me. I just hoped some fragment of her remained. “He’s going to die if we don’t stick his ba back into him, and soon. Mars, there’s no reason for Dom to suffer any longer. Nik’s here, and I’m sure he’ll agree to work with you, just like you wanted.”
My gaze flicked to Nik. He shrugged one shoulder, the movement barely perceptible.
“All you have to do is save Dom. You’re the only one who can reunite his ba with his body.” I reached for her hand, gripping it tightly with both of mine. “Please. You have to come to the hospital with me.”
Mari blinked, and it seemed like that was all it took for her mind to catch up and process what I was saying. She nodded once and gave my hands a squeeze. “Of course I’ll help. We can take the helicopter.” She pulled her hand free of mine and turned, jogging back to the helipad. “Fire it up!” she shouted to the pilot, waving one hand over her head in mimicry of the helicopter’s blades in motion.
I followed her. When I reached the helicopter, I raised my ar
ms to grip the overhead handle with both hands and lifted my right boot. Half in the helicopter’s cabin, I glanced over my shoulder.
Nik stood a dozen paces back, his phone in his hand and his face angled downward.
“Nik!” I yelled. “Let’s go!”
He lifted his face to me, his expression stricken. Slowly, he shook his head. “Kat . . .”
I dropped back down to the helipad and made my way to him, heart thumping and ears filled with the sound of the helicopter blades chopping through the air combined with my rushing blood. I could no longer feel the roof under my boots or the wind and rain swirling around me. All I felt was dread.
“My mom . . .” His pale blue eyes locked with mine. “I didn’t see it earlier—my phone was dead, but I charged it as we flew. I’m so sorry, Kat. We’re too late.”
I stared at him, heart a misshapen lump of lead. Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it.
“Dom’s dead.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dom’s dead.
My head was shaking all on its own. “I don’t understand.” My voice sounded hollow, the vibrations echoing around inside my skull. I was empty. Nik’s words didn’t make any sense.
Dom’s dead.
Nik rested a hand on my shoulder, his pale eyes filled with sorrow. With pity. With grief.
“But . . .” Awkwardly, I withdrew the anti-At orb from my jacket pocket. Through the barely translucent, obsidian-like material, I could see Dom’s soul twisting and swirling lazily. “But he’s right here.” I showed the orb to Nik, unable to take my eyes off it. “This was the plan. I—I did everything right.”
I shook my head again, my heart beating in rhythm with the helicopter’s blades. “We all agreed. It was supposed to work. I was supposed to save him.” I looked at Nik, not understanding why we weren’t flying back to the hospital right now. “We all agreed . . .”
Nik pressed his lips together into a thin, flat line, letting me work through this impossible reality.
Dom’s dead.
“This isn’t supposed to happen,” I said, steel bleeding into my voice. “This was never supposed to happen.” I clenched my jaw, breathing deeply through my nose. “He didn’t do anything wrong. He was just trying to find our people . . . trying to help, and . . .” My fingers curled around the orb containing all that was left of my best friend and mentor. Of my brother. I stuffed it back into my pocket, eyes narrowing to slits.
This was Mari’s fault. She was the one who’d trapped Dom’s ba in the anti-At orb in the first place. Without her, he’d have healed like a normal Nejeret. Without her, he’d still be alive.
“Kat . . .” Nik’s hand on my shoulder transformed from comforting to a warning grip. “Not here,” he said, shooting a sideways glance over his shoulder. Nearly a dozen Ouroboros security guards still stood back there in a line with the police officer.
“If not here, then where?” I asked, a glare not meant for him cutting through his reticence. “He’s dead, Nik. Dom’s dead, and I have to know why—now. Here.”
Nik returned my glare with a hard, measuring stare. After several seconds, he nodded. “Get your answers. I’ll keep them off your back.” Vines of crystalline At burst out of Nik’s hands, reaching the guards between one heartbeat and the next, wrapping around each man and woman, the cop included, holding them and their weapons immobile. They wouldn’t be going anywhere until he released them.
At the same time, I spun around, facing Mari and drawing my sword in one smooth motion. My hands were still cuffed together, but it wasn’t too much of a hindrance. It just meant I’d be limited to two-handed sword moves. Power moves. Fine with me.
Mari had just dropped down to the helipad. She took a backward step, her rear flush against the helicopter, and held her hands out to me in placation. “Kat—”
I stalked across the helipad toward her. “You killed him!” I yelled.
Confusion filled her jade eyes.
“Dom’s dead,” I told her, stopping just out of sword’s reach.
Mari’s lips parted, but she didn’t say anything. She just shook her head.
“Why? Why did he die? For what?” I pointed my sword at her, the tip of the katana’s blade mere inches from her throat. “Tell me!” I screamed.
She licked her lips. “He was never meant to die.” Her eyelids fluttered, tears gathering on her long lashes. “I just wanted Nik—I need him. I truly didn’t know we’d captured Dom until you told me, but once I knew, I saw it for the opportunity it was—a way to coerce you into bringing Nik to me. A way to get you to convince Nik to work with me. He’d do anything for you. But then everything went wrong. If you’d just stayed put.” A tear broke free, gliding down her perfect, pale cheek. “If you’d waited by that container like you were supposed to . . .”
“Don’t turn this around on me. You’re the one who tore out Dom’s ba.”
She shook her head vehemently. “No, Kat—”
“You’re the one who trapped it in anti-At . . . the one who dragged him into that container and left him there to suffer without his ba. For all I know, you’re the one who beat the shit out of him in the first place.”
She didn’t deny it.
“Why?”
She licked her lips, hair flying in her face. “Like I said, I needed to get to Nik, and the only way to do it was through you. He’d do anything for you.”
It was my turn to shake my head. She was delusional if she thought that.
“You were supposed to bring him to the container yard. It was supposed to be a trade—Dom’s life for Nik’s cooperation. I’d have saved Dom if you’d given me the chance. Just like I’m trying to save our people.”
“Our people don’t need saving,” I spat back at her.
“Oh, please. What would you know?” Green fire burned in her eyes. “You’ve been living with your head in the sand for years. You have no idea what’s been going on . . . what’s coming.”
I moved the tip of the sword a fraction of an inch closer to her, forcing her to lean backwards into the helicopter’s cabin. “What are you talking about?”
“They know, Kat.” Her stare was hard, challenging. “About us—about our people. Ouroboros has hard proof. If I didn’t help them by luring in Nejeret test subjects to use as lab rats, they’d have gone public. They’d have exposed us.”
“I don’t—” I shook my head. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why not come forward? The Senate—”
“Is in on it,” she snapped, cutting me off. “Where do you think Ouroboros got the proof in the first place? And the Nejerets I’ve been collecting—have you even seen the list? They’re all loyalists and supporters of Heru and my mom. The Senate cut a deal with Ouroboros.” Her jade eyes narrowed. “I was one of the first of our people they trapped; I let them take me so I could get on the inside. I’m walking on a tightrope here. If I misstep . . . if I even breathe wrong . . .” Her hands balled into fists. “I’ve found a way to save our people, but I need more time.”
I inched closer until Mercy’s razor-sharp tip was flush with Mari’s skin. “Explain.”
Mari swallowed, and the movement caused the At blade to cut into her skin. A droplet of blood snaked down her neck, leaving behind a crimson trail. “They think I’m helping them create some sort of a wonder drug based on our unique physiology.” She grinned, lips closed and eyes hard. “I have found a way to make humans live forever, but it has nothing to do with science and everything to do with souls.”
My eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“A Nejeret ba—it’s like a starfish. If you tear off a piece, it grows back. And if you extract a large enough piece, it grows back twice. The only problem is, encasing those fragments in anti-At taints them, and they become inviable. They kill their new hosts, even as they transform them. That’s why I need Nik. Don’t you see, Kat?” The feverish light of fanaticism glowed in her eyes, turning her irises radioactive. “I haven’t found a way to make humans live for
ever. I’ve found a way to turn them into Nejerets. And if I turn enough of them into us, it won’t matter when they go public with their exposé. We won’t have to fear their fear, because they’ll be us.”
Slowly, I shook my head. “You’re insane.”
Mari laughed, the sound too high and tight, and the tip of my sword cut deeper. “Maybe, but that doesn’t change the fact that our people need me . . . or that I need Nik.” Her eyes searched mine. “Let me prove to you that you can trust me. The bargain still stands—Dom for Nik.” She held out her hand. “Give me the orb. I’ll put Dom’s ba in a new body. He’ll look different, but he’ll still be him.” Her chin trembled. “Please, Kat. This is for the good of our people.”
I stared at her for so long that the strain of not blinking in the face of all that wind made my eyes burn. “Fine,” I said, sheathing Mercy, and reached into my pocket. Hesitating for only a moment, I offered the orb containing Dom’s soul to Mari.
Her fingers closed around it.
“No.” Nik’s voice was harsh behind me.
I peered back at him out of the corner of my eye.
“If you let her do this, Kat, it’ll be murder. The human—”
“Would’ve only lived for a few more decades,” Mari said. “Now he could live for millennia.”
“His human soul will die.” Nik strode closer, bringing himself into my line of sight. “Dom has lived for hundreds of years already, and his ba will continue on . . . somewhere. But whatever human she stuffs him into—Dom’s ba will overtake that person completely. This life is the only shot a human soul has. Who are you to take that away?”
I felt torn, paralyzed by indecision.
Nik glanced at my left forearm, where the list of names of my dead were etched in At ink, shielded by my leather sleeve. Nik couldn’t see it, but this close, I had no doubt that he could sense it. “Do you really want to add another name? A human life . . . with such a fleeting, fragile soul. It’ll be your first true murder. The first time you’ll end someone’s existence, absolutely and completely.”
The Kat Dubois Chronicles: The Complete Series (Echo World Book 2) Page 14