The Protectors Series Bundle (A superhero romance anthology) (13 page)

Seth lumbered back several steps. “Lisa, I—”

“This is my choice to make.” Lisa repeated.

Cassie fought the jealousy rising like bile in her throat. She did not need to witness this moment of intimate apologies. When Seth sighed, Cassie knew they wouldn’t be seeing the doctor again. Lisa’s mind was made up. With a weary sigh, Cassie said, “How much do you want me to erase?”

“Enough so I only remember you showed up. Erase Seth’s transformation, obviously, if you can. And erase memory of where you’re going.”

Before Cassie began, she tried pleading once more. “Dr. Tren—, Lisa, are you sure you won’t—”

“Time’s a wasting, Cassie. Let’s get this over with.”

***

Maybe she made a mistake taking Seth with her. Cassie slid a glance toward the driver's seat. He was angry, and he had every right to be. This was another impossible situation of her making. She should have just mind pushed him into staying. But she made the best decision she could. She changed his life forever and she hadn’t asked his permission. She was no better than her brother.

“You need to think of next steps, Cassie. You can’t just run forever.”

She sighed, and desperation dripped from her simple breath. “If I can shake these Trackers for a minute, I can get the information I need. The flash drive Annabel gave me. It has information about the other Gentech facilities. I tried checking at Lisa’s house, but the files are encrypted. I need to find someone who can decrypt them.” She shrugged. “The only other thing I have to go on is the town of Riddenwell.  Annabel mentioned it before I ran. It’s a little north of here on the coast, but I need more information to go on. All I know is it’s got a population of a hundred thousand and is a science and tech hub. Smaller haystack, but still a tiny needle.”

Seth tightened his jaw. “I know someone who can help with the decryption. It’s a long shot, but I can try and track him down. You can’t keep running. Even after you free the others. You all can’t keep running forever. Peter has to be stopped before anyone else dies.”

She frowned. He was pissed, but she couldn’t have changed Lisa’s decision any more than she could Annabel’s. “Look, give me another couple of days and I’ll be out of your hair. Then you can do whatever you want with the information you have about me.”

He took his eyes off the road to glare at her. “You really think I would turn you in? You seriously think that's the kind of person I am? Let's get something straight. I'm pissed about all kinds of things.  I’m pissed Lisa wouldn’t listen to me and pulled the guilt card. I’m pissed about you trying to leave me behind and how you never got to live your life. And that with all my new found Superman skills, I still don’t know how to use them. What’s happened to me isn't something I planned. At least not since I was ten years old and dreamed about being able to fly and see through walls. But I'm not going to hang you out to dry because I've got abs that put Billy Blanks to shame. Once you figure out what to do about your brother, I can get back to my life.”

“I promise I will clear your name. Whatever it is I have to do. If there’s a cure, I’ll find it.  I won’t be responsible for ruining your life.”

“Yeah, now where have I heard that before?” The corners of his lips turned up in a smirk.

Cassie knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but his comment still pricked her conscience. “I—”

He slammed on the brakes. They met each other’s gazes and the fear swirled between them. “Seth, did you flash? Any images?”

He shook his head. “But I hear something.” His eyes narrowed and he cocked his head as if listening for something.

The sounds finally filtered through her shields. Cars, lots of them. Muted voices. Clanging machinery. They had company on the road. Police maybe? “How much further until the cabin?”

He checked the GPS on Lisa’s car. “A couple of miles, but how did they find out about it? They can’t have had time to get to Lisa’s and be already after us.”

Peter had all kinds of resources at his disposal. He could find anything. “Not likely. They could have just hedged their bets and be putting up a barricade in case we did come this way.” But she didn’t believe in coincidences.

He blanched and slowed down. “Cassie, I’m sorry. I—”

“No time. How are you feeling?” She scanned their surroundings. He wouldn’t be as useful if they had to fight, but at least he would be less likely to get killed.
She
had
asked Seth to drive
to
help him get accustomed to his new body. As training went it was minimal, but she’d take what she could get.

“Strong enough, I think. The driving helps with my hand-eye coordination.”

Cassie breathed deep as they approached the police checkpoint. Seven officers.
Holy shit.
She never pushed so
many at once before
without seriously incapacitating herself. She risked a glance at Seth. His jaw was set and his eyes narrowed. They didn’t have any other options. If she failed, her brother would yank her back to his house of horrors faster than she could ask, ‘“Can I get a phone call?”’

Seth pulled up to the barricade and rolled down his window. “Morning officers. Is there a problem?”

Cassie blocked out all distractions and focused on being invisible and erasing her image from the men present. Luckily, no dogs were present. Dogs might not see her, but they would smell her. Seth’s answered the officer’s questions in a reassuring voice while she concentrated.

“Looks like you have all the state troopers out here.”'

The cop flashed a light at the car, but he seemed not to notice her. “We’re looking for a woman, traveling with a man. She's a kidnap victim. Her name is Cassie Reeser.” He paused. “Dark hair, green eyes, about five feet tall. Have you seen anyone matching that description?”

Seth casually shook his head and asked a couple of questions. The lies rolled off his tongue with ease. Cassie felt the heat of the cop move further away from her.

“Go ahead on. If you see anyone matching the description, we recommend you call the police immediately. We’re holding an ongoing investigation.”

Cassie waited a full minute after the barricade before she took a breath.  She sat back against her seat, unable to fathom that they just avoided a huge problem.

“How did you do that?”

Cassie's didn’t answer until she did a mental check of her abilities. “Practice.”

Just as Seth picked up speed, a tingle ran up the back of her neck. Something wasn't right. Seth’s tight
,
grim expression said it all. “What do you hear?”

“Trackers. In the woods. Six of them.” She listened again. Definitely six. Could they fight off six? It didn’t matter. If the Trackers knew they were here, they would find them again. Better deal with this batch first. “We'll have a better advantage on foot. At least we won’t be sitting ducks.”

“Are you kidding me? You really want to get out and fight these assholes?”

She kept her expression neutral. “If we stay in the car, we’re toast.”

Seth followed Cassie's lead as they alighted from the car. She hiked north, but it wasn't long before she put up a hand signaling him to wait. He strained to hear any sound—footsteps to their right. Every step gave away the Trackers’ position. Cassie held the gun out to him. “You’re sure your aim is good? Your shoulder feels okay?”

He nodded once, swiftly. “I managed to avoid hitting that douche bag the other night, didn't I?”

She rolled her eyes. “Remember, that gun is for protection only. Do not engage. Let me know their movements. If you need me, call out.” 

“It’s easier for you to read me now, huh?” He opened the magazine and counted his bullets before shoving the clip back in.

She nodded. “Ever since you changed. Although you’re still pretty thick-skulled. Reading you still takes some effort, but if I’m listening for you, I can hear you.”

In a fight, her mind pushing abilities would come in handy. Didn’t mean he had to like it though. “How do you want to do this?”

“I'm going to take out the guys on the left. See if you can distract the guys to the east. Just keep them out of my hair until I can get back to them.”

The fuck he would stand by and twiddle his thumbs while she risked her life. Stepping lightly, he used the trees as cover. The first Tracker he came upon was headed back toward the police barricade. For several moments, Seth wondered if he'd be able to pull the trigger. This time his aim had to be true. One mistake and that meant trouble for Cassie. A gunshot would also bring this asshole's buddies running.

Lifting his arm, he leveled the gun and fired.  The Tracker turned toward Seth just as the bullet hit the right side of his chest. His body flew back made a soft thud in the sodden grass. “That's one.”

He reached out to Cassie with his mind even as he approached the downed Tracker.
One is down. How many left?

Her answer was like a soft brush against his skin.
I told you not to engage them.
He smirked as her irritation filtered through.
I took one out. About to engage another. You've got two heading south west in your direction. Will you listen to me if I tell you to leave them be?

Nope
.  He isolated his hearing. As leaves rustled in the direction Cassie warned him about, Seth wondered how far her powers could reach.

As he approached the Trackers, he cursed. They converged in a clearing and cover was sparse. When he spotted the ubiquitous black military boots and head-to-toe black camouflage, he aimed his weapon. He was so focused on his one target he didn’t hear the one behind him until Cassie screamed in his head.
Watch your six, Seth!

He managed squeeze a shot off before he got slammed in the side by something the size of a refrigerator. The fall he anticipated. What he didn't expect were his automatic reflexes. He executed backward summersault into a fight stance. The mountain man in front of him grinned in that sinister way of douche bags everywhere.

Seth sneered at him. “Game on Asshole.”

The Tracker might have been huge, but the brute was quick. He sprang into action, launching himself at Seth. Seth braced for the weight, but ended up on his ass.

The two of them rolled around on the ground, arms and legs flailing. Seth was unaccustomed to his new bigger body. The first image flashed, catching him unaware, and he staggered backward. Seth’s mind filled with a visual of the mountain man bracing himself on a nearby rock, leveraging himself to sit on Seth’s chest. It wasn't hard to guess the rock. In the clearing, only one was big enough to support either of them.

As they rolled in that general direction, Seth forced his body to go limp. His assailant seemed temporarily surprised by the move and let up on his hold for the barest moment. Seth flipped him onto his back, pinning him to the ground. Two feet away, Seth’s discarded gun lay in a pile of wet leaves. Could he get to it fast enough? Another picture filled his vision—Mountain man jumping on his back spider-monkey style, braining his head into the rock. Going for the gun was a bad choice.

Seth rained punches in the brute's face, hoping one of them would knock the guy out. But the behemoth beneath him writhed and flailed his arms trying to get a punch in. Finally, Seth used all his strength and pressed his arm like a bar across the guy’s neck. It seemed like hours. Like weeks. Like months, but finally the Tracker stopped struggling.

Leaning back, Seth checked for a pulse. It was weak, but present.

Dragging in deep breaths, he refused to acknowledge his shaking hands. He almost killed three men. What the hell had he become? Before he could get too maudlin, Cassie called for him.

Seth, I need you. Been shot.

On instant alert, he mentally called out for her, but she didn't respond.
Shit
. Forcing his body to a stand, he turned in the direction he'd last seen her and ran through the trees. Before he went three hundred meters, he picked up the scent of citrus and vanilla. As powers went his heightened sense of smell was certainly handy. Running faster, he followed the trail, coming upon one downed Tracker. He checked for a pulse, but didn't find one. He was smarter this time and snatched the guy’s weapon and ammo. Even if
Nisulin
wasn’t lethal to people without powers it would slow anybody down.

When he finally stumbled upon Cassie, he found her propped against a tree, two dead Trackers at her feet. Kneeling before her, he checked her for wounds. There was a hole just above her knee. Thick red blood slowly seeped from the wound in time with her pulse. She also had a few bruises, but no other gunshot wounds.

He held her face in his hands. “Cassie. I need you to wake up.” She didn't budge.

Shit
. He should have insisted they stay together. Instead, he’d let her go off on her own.

He scooped her up in his arms. Stepping over the bodies, he ran as fast as he could back to the car. He couldn't lose her like this.

Deafening cries ricocheted in Cassie’s mind. Her head shrieking with pain, thudding, pounding, threatening to consume her from the inside out. She knew what they were going through. Every visceral scream pierced her soul. The pain of the injections. The slice of the surgeon’s blades. She wasn’t the only one who suffered at Peter’s hands.