“Trust me. I—”
“I trust you,” he interjected. “Always have. But I don’t trust him. And besides that, I have to do my job. Right now I have orders to take your gun and your badge, pending investigation. You’re on leave until further notice, and don’t give me any shit about it. This is standard procedure. You know that. You’re lucky it’s not worse.”
“I’m keeping my gun, Jack, and I’m staying active,” I said, hand tightening around the gun in question. “Legally or not.”
He blinked over at me, searching my eyes for…what? The strength of my determination? The lengths I’d endure to triumph? Whatever he saw deflated his intent.
“I knew you’d be difficult,” he said, but there wasn’t any heat to his tone. “Fine. Keep your gun. I suggest you spend your time proving your innocence and bringing me the one responsible. But by God, you were never here. Understand?”
“I didn’t see her,” Jaxon said.
“See who?” Ghost asked. “Mia’s still missing.”
“Think I’ll search for her in the Northern District,” Kittie said. “You know how that woman likes to shop.”
“Get out of here before I change my mind,” Jack commanded gruffly.
God, I loved these men. I gave each man a quick hug. When my arms wrapped around Ghost’s neck, he whispered, “You need anything, you call. Understand?”
I nodded.
I also knew what I had to do next. Even though it would make me look that much more guilty.
When I stepped into the hall, I stayed in the shadows. I’d worked here so long, I knew every secret room, every place to hide. Sweat beaded on my face and hands, and my heart raced. What I was about to do was going to piss off Jack, and maybe destroy his trust in me. But this had to be done.
Kyrin had said I had powers, that I had only to reach inside myself to find them. Atlanna, too, had said I possessed powers as strong as her own. I had felt glimmers of them over the years, and especially these last couple of days. I’d had no control of them, however.
I had to try, though. I closed my eyes and mentally reached within my mind, plucking away the walls I’d erected there. One by one the stones fell, until slowly, so slowly, the entire structure crumbled. Nothing happened at first. I stood on the precipice, hovering, waiting, the force of everything I’d buried churning like a tempest.
I realized at that moment I’d been asleep my entire life and was only just now about to awaken. With a shaky arm, I stretched out a mental hand. The moment my fingers penetrated the swirling fog, energy flooded me. My knees almost buckled from the intensity. So much power. It consumed me, ate me alive.
I trembled, and my eyelids flew open.
Focus, I commanded myself. Focus. Everything around me—the people, insects, dust—moved in slow motion. Barely moved, in fact. Almost as if they were standing still. Just like before, in the parking lot with Kyrin. I heard the tick of a clock, yet the ticks seemed to come every other minute instead of every second. The voices around me sounded deep and dragging.
I took one step, then another, and found that I moved quickly, faster than I’d ever moved before. I flew through motion detectors and across weight-sensitive floors, then checked myself into the cell hall. I had Lilla by the hand before my presence was even announced over the computer. Lilla’s expression was shocked, yet she didn’t resist me as I dragged her from the building and into Kyrin’s car.
Only when we were on the highway did I allow myself to relax. The moment I relaxed, all energy deserted me, and time kicked back into regular speed. Things no longer moved slowly, voices no longer dragged. I was the one dragging now.
A wave of dizziness assaulted me. My stomach rolled. I programmed the car to a stop, tumbled out, and emptied the contents of my stomach there on the side of the road.
Lilla opened the passenger door. I thought she meant to run, that I’d have to find the energy to chase her, but she crouched beside me. “How long have you known?” she asked.
My head felt heavy, too heavy, but I managed to turn toward her. “Known what?”
“That you are like me?”
“Two days.”
Something vulnerable flickered in her eyes. “Why did you free me?” she asked.
“For your brother. Now answer a question for me. Did you help Atlanna abduct those humans?”
Silence swelled around us.
Finally, “Yes,” she admitted. “But when I realized she planned to kill them after we had finished with them, I asked Kyrin to help me stop her. I just—I wanted a baby of my own, and I thought that was a wonderful way to have one.”
I drew in a breath. I didn’t trust this woman fully, but I had to put my life in her hands. I had no other choice. “Get us to Kyrin’s, okay. I need to close my eyes.”
She helped me back into the car, and the last of my strength deserted me. I didn’t want to sleep. I wanted to be awake when we reached Kyrin’s. But the moment the car jerked into gear, my mind went blank, and a deep haze cocooned me.
CHAPTER 22
Ribbons of awareness slipped into my conscious mind, incrementally prodding me to wakefulness. I blinked open my eyes. At first, I saw nothing more than black spiderwebs, making my surroundings appear hazy and unclear. When I focused, a sight more delicious than a smoldering ocean of coffee greeted me, and a smile played at the corners of my lips. I stretched like a contented kitten. Kyrin lounged beside me, propped on his elbows.
“Hello,” I said, a yawn at the edge of each syllable. Then I remembered what he’d done to me, how he’d shackled me. I lost my smile and punched him.
His head whipped to the side.
“That’s for trying to hold me prisoner again.”
As he rubbed his jaw, he gave me a repentant sigh. “I am sorry. I only thought to protect you. I knew you would chase after Atlanna, and I didn’t want you to do that alone. I never expected her to come to you.”
I crossed my arms over my chest.
“You have my solemn oath that I will never, never, clamp you with an armband again.”
Muted beams of light etched his frame, darkening the aura of disquiet around him. My brow furrowed together, and I frowned. “What time is it?” I asked.
“Nine P.M.”
“How did I get here?” I asked, then paused. “Wait. My memories are a bit fuzzy, but I remember bits and pieces. Lilla drove me, right?”
“Yes, she did.” He brushed his fingertips over my cheek, around my ear, then tunneled into my hair. “Thank you for freeing my sister.”