by S. A. Beck
“No clue.”
“Then why are you so worried?” Ginger held up the map and scanned the perimeter. “Okay, there’s only officially one way onto campus and one way off, but look here. The wall that encompasses the grounds is far enough from the house, here and here, to be out of the range of any surveillance they have set up. I sincerely doubt they’ve wired the entire grounds. So I’m guessing if you want to make a break for it, these two spots are your best shots, but you’ll have to scale the wall.”
“I can do that. I’m really strong,” Jaxon said absently. She turned away from Ginger and started packing a bag. She needed enough clothes to last her until she got somewhere to figure out her next move. Looking down at the duffel bag, Jaxon said reluctantly, “There’s one more thing. I need money. I remember you mentioned you used to pick pockets, right?” She glanced up at Ginger, who was watching her carefully.
Ginger replied, “If you can linger around until after tomorrow’s Friends and Family Day, I can get you all the money you need. But I want something from you in return.”
“I told you, I’ll pay you back,” Jaxon said, wary. Ginger was a constantly changing creature. One minute she was bursting with excitement to help, and the next she was staring at Jaxon from her desk chair. She crossed her pale arms, and she arched a slender red brow above her cornflower-blue eyes.
“I don’t need you to pay me back. I want to know why you’re running. What are you hiding, Jaxon? Why would anyone be watching you?”
Jaxon shook her head. “No, I can’t tell you that. I told you, I don’t know who sent the letter. I don’t know who’s watching me.”
Ginger rose with a casual shrug. “You don’t know? Fine. I guess you’re not hiding anything either, but that does mean I have to let Dr. Hollis know what you’re up to.”
“What?”
“What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t? If you’re in danger, he needs to know. I would’ve helped you run away just for kicks, but if you’re running from some threat, and something happens to you while you’re out there, that will be on my conscience. You can’t ask me to do that. I actually like you and consider you a friend, even though I know that you’re only trying to use me.”
“What? No, Ginger, I’ve been trying to be your friend. All right, maybe I was a little bit distant at first, but that was only because I didn’t understand your personality. I’m not trying to use you. I just need someone to help me do what I have to do!”
“If you’re really my friend, then prove it. Show me what you’re hiding,” Ginger said, rising to her feet to face her.
“I’m not hiding anything!” The radio station buzzed with static at Jaxon’s shout. The workbooks on her desk flew across the room like Frisbees, and the paintings on the wall started to rattle. Jax slapped a hand over her mouth in horror. Somehow, she knew she was to blame for the poltergeist activity. Her wide eyes flew to Ginger.
Ginger stared at the workbooks on the floor. She gave Jaxon a sideways glance. “Did you do that?” Jaxon shook her head. “What else can you do? The cat’s out of the bag now.”
Jaxon sighed, squeezing her eyes shut in defeat. She dropped her hand from her mouth and shrugged. “Lots of things, okay? I can do a lot of strange stuff. I’m learning more and more about myself with each passing day. Like, I didn’t even know I could do that.” She pointed to the workbooks.
Ginger squealed with delight. “Do you realize how absolutely super cool this is? This is epic. Do something else!”
Jaxon groaned, feeling like a circus performer, but did as Ginger requested, if for no other reason than to speed them along in planning her escape. Jax reached for the bed and lifted it completely off the floor with one hand. She gently set it back down. “I’m really strong, and I have a genius IQ. Happy now?”
Ginger squealed again, clapping her hands. “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you. I don’t know why you’d ever worry about me telling anybody anyway. They’d all think I was off my rocker if I told them you could do that.”
“Back to the matter at hand,” Jaxon prompted impatiently. “The best time to get away will be while everyone is here tomorrow. Maybe right before the event is over, you and I can meet at the greenhouse, and you can hand over the money.”
Ginger nodded. “That’s perfect. Will you tell Otto you’re leaving?”
“I can’t tell anyone, least of all him. He just wouldn’t understand.”
“But he knows about you, right? I mean, he’s your boyfriend. You probably tell him everything.”
Jaxon shut her mouth, unwilling to reveal anything more about herself than she absolutely had to, and she had no desire to drag Otto into the mix. “That’s not important. The important thing is that you stay in close contact with me tomorrow, which will be hard to do if you have to move through the crowd to get to… purses and all that.” Jaxon was embarrassed at having to steal. It went against her principles.
“What’s your cell phone number so I can text or call you when I’m ready to head to the greenhouse?” Ginger asked. Jaxon reached for the phone Ginger was handing her and keyed in her number. Ginger grinned triumphantly. “Don’t worry, Jaxon. You’ll be out of here soon.”
* * *
MAY 19, 2016, UTAH DATA CENTER
1:00 PM
“Right there, play that back again,” Gerard murmured. The tech who was looking over the group home security feeds rewound the clip and played the recording from an hour earlier. “Zoom in here. Clarify.”
A small portion of the image enlarged and grew sharper with several deft, quick keystrokes, bringing the girl in the great room into focus. She was holding an envelope. When she opened it, the tech zoomed in on the message. The words were a little fuzzy, but Gerard could make out enough of the message for his lips to tighten. He swiped a hand over his bald head in frustration.
“Get General Meade on the line,” he ordered. Gerard bustled from the control room to his corner office where he could talk in private. By the time he made it through the door, his assistant had already patched the general through.
Gerard sat at his oversized desk and snatched up the phone.
“What is it, Terrace?”
“Sir, we’ve been infiltrated. Someone’s feeding the girl information about our surveillance of her. She’s been instructed to leave the group home. We’ll have to move fast if we want to intercept her.”
“Shit!” General Meade swore. “I’ll handle it. I’ll take care of everything. Just keep your eyes and ears on her. If she leaves, we need to know where to start looking.”
“She’s a kid. There’s no way she’ll know how to lay low for long, and I’m not worried about that. I’m more concerned about the fact someone working on the project knew who to contact and how to contact her. Are you getting this, General? We have a rat.”
The general chuckled, amused and unconcerned. “Didn’t I just say I’ll take care of everything? Relax, Terrace. When I make a problem disappear, it disappears completely. You have nothing to worry about, aside from keeping Jaxon Ares Andersen where you can see her. Understand?”
Gerard smiled slightly, appreciating the general’s thoroughness and stoicism. “Perfectly, sir. I understand perfectly.”
Chapter 14
MAY 20, 2016, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
12:45 PM
Otto sat at the table with his mom and dad, but he couldn’t focus on the conversation around him. Mr. and Mrs. Heike were trying to be polite to his friends, keeping up appearances, but he could tell his parents were there only to make sure he wasn’t getting into trouble. Always looking for Otto to screw up, they had been amazed when he made resident assistant.
Otto’s eyes roamed over the crowded backyard of Forever Welcome. The place had been transformed into a garden party with balloons tied to each chair and floral centerpieces on the tables. There was a setup for pictures and a live band performing classical music. A little fewer than a hundred people were gathered in the group home’s backyard. Dr. Hollis and Mr. Vance were m
aking their rounds, shaking hands and speaking with family members. Meanwhile, Otto could barely chew through his barbecue for worrying about Jaxon. He couldn’t find her.
The Friends and Family Day had kicked off with an awards ceremony for the residents, followed by lively games and outdoor sports. Jaxon had made her way to his side earlier in the day to meet his parents, but when folks settled down to eat, she had disappeared. He knew she was supposed to be sharing a table with her caseworker and Ginger, but neither of the girls were in sight, although earlier he had seen Ginger darting around from table to table.
Loren leaned over and whispered furtively, “I don’t see her either.” He hadn’t told Loren about Jaxon’s plan to run away, but he had asked his fellow resident assistant to keep an eye on her. Loren pushed her wheat-blond bangs out of her face and shrugged. “She’ll show up eventually.”
Otto’s instincts were telling him something was wrong. He whispered back, “Keep the folks entertained. I’ll be back. I need to make sure she’s all right.” Loren gave him a solemn nod. As Otto excused himself to go to the restroom, Lo directed the attention of her mom and his parents to the patio, where artwork was on display. Otto flashed Loren a thumbs-up and disappeared into the crowd.
Jaxon pushed through the garden and rushed over to the greenhouse. She had gotten a text message from Ginger stating the “work” was done and to meet her there, but when she opened the frosted glass door and peered inside, the stifling hot room was empty. Nothing was inside but rows of plants, mulch on the ground, and a table in the middle of the floor still littered with potting soil from Ginger’s plantings days. Jaxon bit back an expletive and parked her hip against the side of the table to wait for her friend to arrive, hoping Ginger hadn’t gotten caught.
“This was so stupid,” she groaned, putting her face in her palm and thinking of how much trouble they could get into. “I never should have dragged her into this.” Jax clutched her temples and massaged. She had spent the day watching happy families reunite, siblings hang out together, and moms and dads show pride in their wayward children’s rehabilitation. Though Helen had shown up to see Jax receive her award for highest GPA, the caseworker had to leave early, which was fine by Jaxon. She preferred Helen not be present for the prison break. She wanted to save the kindly caseworker some embarrassment.
Everything had seemed as if it was going according to plan. Ginger had been a social butterfly, flitting from table to table and meeting and charming folks with her artless knack for being engaging. Jaxon had barely noticed her reaching surreptitiously into purses and back pockets—and she knew that the girl was stealing. Jax could only imagine how surprised the victims would be when they got home and realized their wallets had been emptied. No one noticed they were being robbed.
Now, it was time for her to get the money and make a run for it. The Friends and Family Day celebration would be over in a few hours. If she didn’t make a break for it, she’d miss her window of opportunity. Jaxon had already stowed the duffel bag with her belongings under the center table. She knew Dr. Hollis wouldn’t have time to review the surveillance footage before the party was over, and she would be long gone by then. She was all set to flee to the far wall surrounding the property and climb to her freedom, but where was Ginger?
There was a tap on the greenhouse door. Jaxon spun around, her hopes dashed when it wasn’t her roommate. A frisson of nervousness zinged through her when her boyfriend walked through the door and stared at her with a suspicious squint. “What are you doing here?” she asked breathlessly. Her eyes shifted guiltily. She had regretted slipping away without saying good-bye to him, but Jaxon had planned on calling him after she cleared the grounds. Just her luck, she was running behind, giving Otto the opportunity to come look for her. If he found out what she was trying to do, she knew it was the resident assistant’s job to tell on her.
He stepped closer with a soft scowl. “I should be asking you that. What are you doing in here? I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Loren noticed your caseworker leaving and figured you’d be lonesome by yourself, but then I lost track of you. Are you all right?”
“Huh? Yeah. No, I’m fine,” she said too brightly. Jaxon bit her tongue and glanced away, hating to lie to him. “I came out here to get some alone time. You know how much I hate crowds. Everything should be over soon anyway, right? Why don’t you go back out and enjoy your family?”
Otto eyed her curiously. “Well, I kind of wanted to include—”
Jaxon yelped in surprise as the greenhouse door flew open. A small stone hurled through the air, glass shattering and knocking the surveillance camera out of commission. Jaxon’s heart dropped to her feet. Otto swore soundly and threw Jax behind his back when three burly men in military fatigues burst into the small, cramped space. “Stay back, Otto! I’ve got this,” she yelled, instinctively placing herself in front of Otto, gearing up for a fight. Her forceful shove sent him skidding behind her and into a corner.
Jaxon dropped low and sprang into the air, landing in the center of the greenhouse table with a light thud. She kicked down ceramic flowerpots and planters that clattered into one another and crashed to the floor. She pivoted three hundred and sixty degrees, quickly examining each of her opponents with flinty blue eyes. Her fists were raised and her feet slightly spread, in position to take on all three men. She didn’t know who they were, but she had a good idea of why they were there. They were sent by “them,” the watchers. Guns were pointed at her torso, and she quickly determined they were tranquilizer guns. Of course—the enemy would want her alive. What use were her abilities if she was dead?
Jax stamped down on the gun nearest her hard enough to render it unusable, simultaneously crouching and turning to snatch the weapon from the man to her left and use it to bash the man to her right in the face. His head snapped back, and he cried out. Jax broke the gun she was holding in half. It all happened so rapidly that Otto thought she moved in a blur. The men weren’t out for the count, however. Martial arts training was apparent when a nimble soldier sprang up on the table behind her.
“Jax, look out!” Otto shouted.
She spun clockwise with her right leg high in the air, bringing her foot to the attacker’s face to steady it for her spin kick with the left leg. She punched with both fists, slamming into the man’s chest and throat, sending him flying. The attacker she had smashed in the face with a gun grabbed her leg and yanked her off balance. Jaxon hit the table with a painful thwack, and she scrambled backward, pushing off the edge of the table to throw her body upright.
Otto launched up from the ground, grabbing a handful of mulch that he flung into one assailant’s eyes, sending the injured soldier reeling back with an angry shout. The man Jax had sent flying into the greenhouse wall was groggily trying to stand, and an uninjured soldier sped forward. She swept aside the man’s punches, blocking kicks and jabbing out with her elbow to clip him in the nose. He reached for another weapon from the holster at his waist, and she brought her hands together in a mighty fist that crunched down on his collar bone. The man screamed and dropped to his knees.
Jaxon jerked around to help Otto, who was going hand to hand with the soldier that had brought her down. She grabbed the man around the upper torso, lifting him and throwing his body down with enough force to stun him.
When all the soldiers were disabled, Jaxon grabbed Otto’s hand and shot out of the greenhouse. They fled through the garden, Jaxon looking wildly over her shoulders to make sure they weren’t being followed. Her breath whooshed from her lungs, and her heartbeat thundered in her chest like a runaway train. Perspiration flew off her body like raindrops. She kept running.
Sliding through the archway where the purple wisteria drifted down like raindrops, Jaxon looked up with wide, fearful eyes as it seemed everyone at the party turned their attention to her grand reentrance. She skated to a halt, and Otto crashed into her, both of them going down. Startled guests of the Friends and Family Day circled around the fallen couple,
and Dr. Hollis muscled through the crowd to see what was going on.
“She’s hurt!” someone shouted in alarm. Jax suddenly realized she was bleeding. A gash in her chin from where she had fallen on the table in the greenhouse trickled crimson down her neck. She threw her hand to the wound to stanch the flow.
“Get back! Everyone get back!” Anthony ordered.
Mr. Vance dashed up to the podium and called for calm. With hands raised, he directed everyone to look at him. “I’m going to have to ask our residents, guests, and non-essential staff to return to the main building. Please don’t run. Let’s all walk in an orderly fashion. There is no cause for panic. The situation is being assessed. Essential staff members, please direct traffic. Let’s stay calm, everybody.” He beckoned for the rest of his staff, decked out in crisp gray uniforms, to assist with moving the crowd indoors.
Jaxon shakily sat up, and Otto rose to his feet. His parents rushed to his side. Dr. Hollis knelt over Jaxon. “What happened to you? Are you all right? Who did this?” Dr. Hollis fired questions. Jax shrugged, shaking her head. She didn’t know how to explain that people were after her—or why.
“Sir, some men somehow got onto the grounds and attacked her in the greenhouse. If I hadn’t been there, they might have hurt her worse,” Otto blurted. Mrs. Heike gasped in shock at the news that her son had been present during an attack of some sort. Jaxon glared at Otto, hurt by his betrayal of her secret that she was being pursued, but Otto didn’t feel he had a choice. Men had broken onto campus to harm her, and there was no way he could stand by and keep mum. Others might try to attack her again. He couldn’t let that happen.
Anthony’s eyebrows shot up, and his mouth dropped open. “What do you mean, someone attacked Jax? Who would do something like that?” It was Friends and Family Day, but not just any and every guest was allowed on campus. If an invitee had a felony or past history of crime, he didn’t make the cut. Why would anyone from the mix of parents, siblings, and family friends try to harm Jaxon Andersen?