Page 42 of Rescuing Air

“Yeah, we got you clothes. I suggested we forget about the underwear since some of us like to rip it off you anyway, but I got outvoted,” Micah grumbled, setting me on my feet.

Hudson grabbed a few shopping bags and handed over basic hygiene supplies and fresh clothes. “We’ll get some food. I’m sure you’re hungry after not eating for two days.”

As if on cue, my stomach rumbled at the idea, making us all laugh. “I’ll be out in a flash then we can get down to business.”

“Take your time. Cami is supposed to be meeting us in an hour,” Hudson shared. “She’s going to take us to the Elementi branch out here. Surprise, it’s located at another university in Stellenbosch.”

“Guess if the system works, then why change it. Do we think Makoto will try to hit them there?” I asked, a little hesitant with the idea.

The guys all frowned at the question but Jay was the one to share his thoughts. “What we have going for us is that he might not know Parker is alive, and we didn’t head there right away. We have to assume he has people watching the place but we need the resources there. My mother has also said she has things to share with me as well once you were awake again. Beth is doing all she can to change codes and access to something only we can get to but it’s a risk we’re gonna have to manage.”

None of this was going to be easy since we were so far behind on things. Better to cut our losses and deal with what we could while trying to put an end to this battle. “Okay, I’ll be ready to head out and face whatever happens in about fifteen minutes.”

Micah kissed me on the cheek and Jay swatted my ass as I passed by, making me glare at him over my shoulder.

“Don’t make us wait. Get a move on it, Beautiful,” Jay ordered.

Rolling my eyes, I fought to keep a grin off my face as I headed to the bathroom. He did that on purpose so I would remember what happened the last time I was in here, the bastard.

twenty-five

Lailah

“I’m beginning to think that I shouldn’t ever let you leave my sight,” Cami grumbled as she waited for us to pile into the minivan she was driving. “I’ve been gone for what, a week, and you guys end up on the most wanted list, get kidnapped, and bring back someone from the dead. What the fuck is wrong with you people?”

I was unable to hold back my laughter at hearing just how absurd our lives really were compared to the rest of the world.

“Careful there, short stack, you’re the one driving the mom mobile,” Parker teased. “Did you need to put down a few dictionaries to sit on so you can see over the wheel?”

Cami flipped Parker off and stuck out her tongue. “If you hadn’t just died and come back to life, I would kill you myself.”

My anger flared at her comment. I knew she wasn’t being serious, but it was too soon for that kind of crap. “Cami,” I warned.

Catching the look on my face, she tossed up both hands as if I was going to attack her. “My bad, I shouldn’t have gone that route. There are plenty of other ways to insult that idiot that don’t involve killing him or him being dead.”

“That is the world’s worst apology,” I pointed out.

“Oh well, that’s because it wasn’t an apology. More of a recognition that some jokes aren’t welcome at this time,” Cami reasoned, giving me a smile and a wink. “Everybody in and buckled up?”

“Yes, Mom,” Parker teased, kicking the back of her seat.

“Don’t make me come back there,” Cami growled. “Fuck, I’m glad you’re not really dead.”

Parker chuckled and reached around to slap her shoulder. “Me too, tiny-tot, me too.”

Rolling my eyes, I let them bond over their strange way of showing love as we pulled away from the motel we’d been staying in. The drive was only a half hour but I couldn’t help but feel tense, ready for something else to happen to us now that we’d left the safety of our little hideout. It was irrational, and I knew it. Besides, we needed to get Jay’s mother somewhere safe and get the chance to find out what really happened. Other than having a few conversations with Jay, she refused to share anything until she felt she was safe from her husband. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I didn’t know if that was really possible, with how deep his ties to the world around us were. Of course, I had no doubt that Jay would do whatever it took to make his mother safe. This had been too close of a call for him on top of thinking we had lost Parker.

No one really spoke as we drove. Instead, we all looked out the window lost in our own thoughts. When we finally arrived, it felt reminiscent of when I first showed up to Ryevick, only it was summer and there were no students on campus. Cami drove us to the back of the school property to a rundown warehouse that looked like it was for groundskeeping. It would just be like the Elementi to make a blind cover just as the Manor was for them back at Ryevick. Before we got out, Cami made a call, letting them know we were here. Apparently, they were sending someone out to meet us.

“Just be prepared, you guys. This facility isn’t one of our top priorities so it isn’t as fancy and updated with tech as Ryevick is as our HQ. They will be able to help us with what we need but just lower your expectations,” Cami shared, looking mostly at Jay and Parker with a cocked brow.

Before either of them could say anything, a door on the side of the building opened, and a woman dressed in jeans and a t-shirt came out to greet us. “Hello, I’m Blessing and I run this facility. It’s a pleasure to meet you all even if it is under unfortunate circumstances. Please follow me. I’ll show you where you can set up and get you situated with all you need. We might not have the fanciest of things but we still know how to get the job done.”

Grinning, I knew I was going to like Blessing with her no-nonsense attitude. She guided us into the building, which indeed was for maintaining the grounds, but led us to another door that opened to a flight of stairs leading down under the building. In true Elementi fashion, they preferred the whole underground facility vibe. The actual Elementi part of the building made me feel like I was in a normal office with offices, drab carpet, and an open space with cubicles. Blessing led us past all that into a large conference room that had long vertical blinds that could be closed if we didn’t want people to look in at us. A large whiteboard and corkboard were set up like we were in some cop shop and needed a murder board or something.

“How many computers will you need?” Blessing asked. “I didn’t want to pull from our resources until I knew who could go without for now.”

My jaw dropped at that statement and turned on Cami. “They don’t even have enough equipment for themselves, let alone us? What the hell is with that? How can they do their jobs monitoring what’s going on when they don’t have the things they need? No wonder the Dark Lord picked to have his army here with Makoto so close by.”