Kennedy froze. “He’s here?”
Eli nodded, his expression grim. “Yeah, and he’s not the only one. A gas station blew up downtown, killing five. Cameras spotted someone looking a lot like Sheer nearby.”
“They know we’re here.” Alex squeezed her hand.
“I’d say that’s a yes.”
“Fuck.” Alex gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Where’s Gideon?”
“In the war room with the others.” Eli glanced at Kennedy. “He’s waiting for you.”
Kennedy knew things had been too good for too long. “I’ll be with you guys in a minute, okay?”
Alex gave her a hard look.You sure you’re okay?he projected. And not all that hard. So attuned to him, Kennedy easily caught his thoughts if he so much as mentioned her name or imagined her smile. She tried not to do that, because half the images in his mind involved little in the way of clothing and Alex inside her in one way or another.
I’m fine. I need the bathroom is all.
He nodded and left her, following Eli down the hall.
Left alone, she hurried to their room, needing more than a moment to see to her needs, and ditched her jacket on the bed. After she finished, she sat the bed, breathing in the scent of her mate to calm her nerves.
Yates and company had to be searching for her. Though Dr. Lang would be happy to capture his old test subjects, his A series, she had a feeling Yates wanted her more than the others. She could hear his thoughts if she listened hard enough, and that shocked her. Normally she had to be in the general proximity of those she could hear. But something in Yates boosted his mind, and it wasn’t like the soul-to-soul connection she shared with Alex. Something psychic coated Yates’s energy, masking a sickness of sorts.
You belong to me, sweetie. Come on, Kennedy. Come home and we’ll leave your new Circ friends alone. We’ll let your cousin go. I need you. You’re mine. Pack. I swear, I’ll take care of you.The sad thing was Yates sounded sincere. Lang must have done something to him, because he seemed way too intent, and she knew Yates didn’t get that way about the females he used. Nivia and Charlie had told her much about the pervert, and “nice” didn’t enter the picture.
The phone Carter had given Kennedy to use vibrated, and she took it out of her coat pocket. Who but the Circs here had her number? “Hello?”
“Kennedy, it’s me. Charlie.”
Kennedy stood, shocked, hopeful. “God. Charlie. Are you okay? Where are you? Have you gotten out yet?”
Charlie had told her that by escaping, Kennedy would in turn help Charlie escape. And that in so doing, she’d set in motion a chain of events to take down Lang for good.
“No, I’m not gone yet. But I’m getting closer.” Charlie’s low voice was hard to hear. “I need you back. You and Palmer. You’re the keys to making this work.”
“What? Okay. I’ll get him. We’ll have the team surround—”
“You don’t understand. You have to bring him alone. No other Circs. And Kennedy, you can’t tell him. If he knows, bad things will happen. He’ll die.”
“Wait.What?” The thought of Alex dead killed all the joy inside her.
“It’s a convoluted mess of events. But…do you trust me?”
“With my life.” But with Alex’s life?
“Come to the warehouse tonight. No later than eleven. I mean it. You can’t be a second over eleven p.m. or everything goes to hell.” She sent Kennedy directions. “Just you and Palmer. Yates, Myers, and Sheer will be there. They have to take you in, and you can’t fight it. Not yet.”
“But—”
“They’re going to hurt him. They’re going to hurt you.” Charlie sighed, sounding tired. Broken. “It can’t be helped. But you have to do it. And you can’t fight it, cousin. I mean it. Just surrender gracefully, no matter how much it might kill your new boyfriend not to put a few holes in those assholes.”
Kennedy had never imagined this scenario. She didn’t know what to think.Charlie? Can you hear me?She heard nothing from her cousin, but considering the distance between them, she hadn’t figured on making the connection.
“Kennedy, I need an answer,” Charlie urged.
“O-okay.”
“I have to go. Promise you’ll be careful.”
