Chapter 52
RENEE SPRINTED TO catch up. Good thing she’d spent a lot of time
running. Jessie darted toward Aeron’s building pursued by Sawyer. Renee had
caught sight of her running and sent Jed’s sister toward Frei.
One of the guards had spotted her only to crash face first into
the floor as he tripped over something. She couldn’t stop to make sure he was
out.
She’d tried to radio Frei, but with her vest riding up, her
earpiece had come out. She shoved the dangling wire, mid-run, into her pocket.
Jessie hurtled up the few steps and yanked at the door.
Locked.
She pulled a card from her pocket. Swiped it. Renee willed the
door to open.
Nothing.
Jessie glanced behind her. Sawyer rammed into her. They clattered
to the ground. They tussled. Jessie kicked him and scrabbled to get away.
Sawyer reached out and ripped off her mask.
Jessie clutched her chest. She doubled over.
Sawyer raised his arm. Renee drew her gun. Fired.
Bam
.
The glass door beside Sawyer shattered. Whatever shiny object that
had been in his hand clattered to the floor. He gripped hold of his wrist.
Blood pulsed from the wound.
He turned. Renee charged him off Jessie. The impact smashed him
backward over the hedge. Her shoulder stung with the impact. She pulled Jessie
away. Jessie gasped for air. Renee glanced up. She had to get out of the wind.
Jessie needed her pump.
Sawyer scrambled along the ground. He turned, knife raised. Renee
shoved Jessie behind her, bracing for the blow.
Sawyer gripped his neck. Pulled a dart out. Looked at it and
slumped to the floor.
Frei burst out of the shadows and over to the door. Tools out. It
swung open in seconds. Renee and Frei lifted Jessie up and carried her inside.
Frei hurried back out and dragged Sawyer into a side room as Renee placed
Jessie onto the weight bench.
“Pump,” Renee muttered, fumbling through Jessie’s pockets. She
found it, handed it to Jessie who took it, and clamped her eyes shut.
Frei stormed over.
“Water,” Renee shot at her.
Frei pulled a bottle from her trouser pocket. “He’s out for now.
The sister got to the garage.”
Renee checked over Jessie. “He had a knife.”
Frei nodded.
“She’s unharmed.”
“Get to the garage.” Frei lifted up her mask as Jessie protested.
“You’ve done an amazing job. Go get rested. Make sure the salt and water is
ready for Miroslav.”
Jessie nodded. The wheezing cough she gave made Frei’s eyes glint
with concern.
Renee gave Jessie her mask. “Let’s get you to the bus.” She put
the radio back in as Frei glanced at the door.
“Jäger is on the move. I need to go.” She flashed a smile at them
both and strode off. Renee wanted to tell her to be careful but Frei would tell
her to get on with it.
“You ready?” she asked Jessie as she pulled herself upward.
Jessie nodded, fiddling with her mask. Renee helped her off the
bench and tiptoed around the smashed glass. It would have to stay there.
Renee glanced up in the direction of the main building. Aeron
would be playing by now. She knew the crowd would be mesmerized by her. She
needed to be kept safe.
There was no way Aeron would leave any students behind. There was
no way Renee would leave her behind.
“So get a move on,” she muttered to herself, guiding Jessie along
the path to the garage.
FREI RELOADED HER dart gun. She’d hit the guard who was
unconscious on the ground just to be sure. She’d dragged him into a closet in
the hallway of the boys’ dorm and sprinted to catch up to Jäger. She spotted
him and held back as he entered the building on the southwest corner of the
quadrant. The block set back between Aeron’s gym and Sawyer’s engineering
block.
Officially it was a medical block but held a few confinement
suites. She knew from bitter experience what they were like.
She scowled as she got to the side door and pulled out her
toolkit. Not surprisingly, Huber appeared at her side. She let him in and
pulled up her mask.
“Jäger is inside. He’ll visit Kevin so your best bet would be when
he goes to find the doctors to sedate him.”
Huber straightened his tie. “And the girl?”
“Pregnant.”
Huber rolled his eyes. “Worthless.”
She bit back her views on the subject. “The boy’s unhinged.
Violent.”
Kevin concerned her. He seemed to have buckled. She tried to feel
him out, to see if he would be interested in freedom but the kid was obsessed
with Jessie’s notes.
“I’ll break him in.”
Ursula had left out that Kevin wasn’t a genius but Huber hadn’t
asked. “Either way, I get you into the secure confinement area and I get you
out. Then you’re on your own.”
Huber smiled. “Lead the way.”
HEAT. LIGHTS. THE shimmery glow of the stage. Sweaty hands.
Thumping heart. People. There were a load of people somewhere beyond the glow.
Baby steps.
One thing at a time. Focus.
Breathing heavy in my ears. Pulsing blood. All mine. It felt
isolated up here. Miranda and I. It was just us.
Breathe.
Chaconne
. The first section was the easiest. My hands trembled. Sweat
coated my palms. Adrenaline poured through me.
Breathe. Calm.
My left knee shook like it could buckle any second. My heart loud,
heavy, so much so I could just hear the music. Miranda mimed her way through
the first section. Her pain pulsed in my wrist.
Renee’s idea had worked. Smyth had found it hilarious that I’d made
the microphones crackle with static. He chuckled as Miranda played along with
my crackly track.
Renee. Man, I wished she were here right now. I wished Nan were
here. Miranda was counting on me to pull this off. She was holding her own.
The final few notes of the first section played and I placed my
bow to the strings. She needed me to find my strength. I closed my eyes,
focusing on centering myself.
I took a deep breath. Prayed that I could do this in front of a
load of people and started to play.
Chapter 53
RENEE HAULED OPEN the door and carried Jessie into the garage. The
kid staggered and Jed rushed over to them.
“What happened?” he muttered as Jessie pulled her mask off and
took her pump again.
“Sawyer.” Renee lifted up Jessie’s top and felt along her ribs and
stomach again to be sure. Nothing broken. Nothing too worrying. Maybe she’d
cracked a rib.
“I’m okay, Professor Worthington,” Jessie mumbled, her eyes still
bright, even though they were watering. “You need to go get Miroslav, please?”
Renee smiled down at her. “Just stay close to Jed, okay? Tell him
if you are feeling unwell.”
Jed gripped Jessie in a hug and led her to the bus. “Franny said
you were awesome.”
Jessie grinned up at him. “Not half as cool as Professor
Worthington. She hit Sawyer’s hand with one shot . . . on the run!”
“Cool.” Ty was ready with a hug at the steps to the bus. Renee was
pleased to see Franny wave from inside.
Back on track.
Renee opened the door. Ducked. Rolled forward.
Clang.
An iron bar hit the stone where her head had been. Not so back on
track.
Renee sprang to her feet and faced a very groggy looking guard.
Dodged another swing.
Clang.
No weapons.
Clang.
Parried a lumbering attack.
Clang.
Thankfully he had no radio. “Urs, we have a problem. The guard is
awake.”
Clang.
“Do what you need to do Renee. There are kids on that bus.” Frei
wasn’t in the mood for compromise.
Clang.
Renee’s stomach rolled at the thought. She’d had to fire in the
line of duty before but she’d go through every other option first.
She ducked again.
Clang.
Options, right. She pulled her pistol.
The guard dropped his bar.
It would do. “Inside.”
Renee shoved him into the garage.
“Whoa, it’s Miss Worthington,” she heard Jed shout.
Frei’s group lowered their hockey sticks and appeared from either
side of the door. Guess the gym was missing some stock.
“Complication,” she offered as she took the
guard to the bike rack.
She grabbed the cable tie from her pocket—an addition Frei had
added to their mission equipment—and secured him to a solid post.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You won’t get away—”
Renee shoved tape over his mouth—another Frei addition—grateful
that one of them was sneaky.
“You’re leaving him here?” the boy, one of Jones’s group, piped up
from through the window of the bus. She felt his fear ripple over her.
Renee put on her best patient smile. “Yes, he’s in nothing but
boxer shorts and socks. He’s not hurting anyone.”
“But he can see what’s going on.” The boy hugged himself. The
others looked to him and she could tell they were as worried.
Renee pulled the cover off one of the motorcycles, winced at the
dented paint work, and threw it over the guard.
“Better?”
It earned her a few nervous chuckles.
“Stevie, if he moves,” Jed said, “I’ll knock him out myself. How’s
that?”
The boy’s fear evaporated.
“Let’s hope you don’t have to do that,” Renee said, fighting the
urge to chastise him. She was getting like her mother. The thought made her
smile.
“Professor Worthington,” Jed called as she reached the door.
She turned, trying not to let her worry show. She needed to move
not talk. “Yes?”
“You can do it.” He nodded to her, the students each nodding with
him.
She felt a wave of support crash over her and her shoulders
relaxed. Her throat tightened and all she could manage was a nod.
Aeron was right. These teenagers were incredible.
She pulled out her necklace, kissed it, and
headed into the storm.
The same St. Christopher’s Aeron had placed around her neck. The
St. Christopher’s that had once belonged to Aeron.
Her armor.
She needed to focus on her armor.
URSULA ROUNDED THE corner of the corridor and typed the code into
the keypad. It opened the first time. Jessie’s notes made things far easier.
She turned to Huber. “Make it quick.”
Huber strolled through and went into Kevin’s room. Ursula placed
the second earpiece to her ear and smiled. As if she wouldn’t have bugged him.
“Good evening, Kevin,” Huber began. His charm flowed through his
voice. “I hear you’re quite a handful.”
“You the buyer?” Kevin sounded unsure, afraid. “I haven’t been to
auction yet.”
So Kevin knew he was a slave. How? He’d been near none of the
students. He’d been in confinement since Owens’ attempted rescue.
“I don’t need to put you through an auction. What I’m interested
in is that nasty streak of yours.”
“I don’t talk to thieves.” Kevin’s tone made something pulse into
life inside her.
She heard footsteps, ducked back, and pressed the button to make
Huber’s pocket whistle.
“First thing we’ll do is teach you manners.”
Ursula wasn’t surprised to hear Kevin shriek with pain. Huber wasn’t
someone to mess around.
A few moments later Huber appeared beside her. She shut the door,
locked it, and led him down the stairs.
“He is really worth your time?”
Huber smiled at her. “Ah, Locks, he’s not you. Not every jewel is
as precious as you are. The boy’s brain is worth his fire.”
“Are you sure of that?”
Huber nodded. “Quite. Jäger had him in a simulation machine. He
kept his owner safe
and
his money. Megan won’t like him. He thought
nothing of using a mistress for a shield.”
Aeron had been right about Kevin. Ursula was glad she’d listened.
“Sounds like you’re looking for a locksmith
and
commander?”
“I doubt he could ever be a locksmith but I lost mine when she ran
off to play policewoman. Your other abilities were a bonus and I’m in need of
both.”
“He’d turn on you.” Why she was bothering to worry, she didn’t
know. But she did. Huber was the closest thing she had to a parent.
“Not by the time I’ve finished with him.” He placed his hand on
the small of her back and led her to the side entrance door. “You forget how
persuasive I can be.”
“You never laid a finger on me.” Her voice sounded quiet to her
own ears.
“Because you love me. You still do, which is why you will take
those children and leave Kevin to me.” Huber ruffled her hair. “Put on your
mask. Go, play the hero.”
She felt like a child around him and couldn’t explain it. “Jäger
won’t like it.”
“No, I don’t suppose he will but I do enjoy flattening an ego.”
Huber slapped her across the bottom, making her wince.
She disappeared into the dust. She’d done her duty to him. Now she
just had to get a load of kids out.
LIGHTS. HEAT. THE lone sound of my violin next to my ear. My heart
had slowed. Sweat still present, nerves still present but calming. Music hummed
through me.
My arm felt weaker than could be accounted for with my own nerves.
I glanced at Miranda, her face pale. Nausea whirled in my stomach. She shook
with nerves.
I looked back at my violin, tried to shut off from it.
If she fainted I would just play on because if I stopped and the
music kept going, I’d need more than Renee and Frei to get us out.
Breathe. She needed my strength. She needed me to help her. I shut
my eyes and focused on every warm happy thought I could find.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heart burst into a rhythm against my palm. His gasp in my ear.
I held on. He gripped me back. My legs buckled with the effort. Love pulsed
back from him. Energy bounced to and fro, back and forth, building. We were
healing each other.
“You scared me half to death,” he rasped in my ear. I could feel
his joy.
I buried my head in his shoulder, holding fast, every desperate
need being answered. He didn’t hate me. He’d risked everything to get me back.
He loved me.
“I thought you didn’t want me.” Tears dribbled into my mouth. “I
thought you hated me.”
My father gripped me so tight that I felt like a precious
treasure. He’d risked everything for me. “I love you, baby.” He rubbed my back.
“I love you, baby girl.”
The memory pulsed through me. Heal each other. That was it.
Miranda and I. We needed to do this together. I focused on every single person
I adored and opened my eyes.
The bar before the switch.
I shone every ounce of love I felt, picturing it flowing to her. I
fixed my eyes on hers. Every breath, every thought urging her on.
You can do this. You can do it.
Something rippled through her. Had she felt it. Could she feel it.
Either way her chin rose. She took a breath. She hovered her bow above the
strings . . .
The changeover was seamless.
I didn’t let my focus drop. I kept my eyes on Miranda. After she’d
finished her part, we’d play the coda together.
I had no idea where Renee was but I hoped she was ready. I hoped
the students and Frei were okay. Miranda was clinging on with the energy I was
sending her but it was draining me.
I caught Owens leave out the corner of my eye. Great. Where was
she going? I hoped Renee had figured out a way to keep Owens busy. There was
nothing I could do. I had to keep focused on Miranda.
I had to trust Renee and Frei to do their thing.
I felt another burst of warmth roll through me. I did. I trusted
them. I loved them. They could do it. I met Miranda’s eyes, willing her to hold
on.
We
could do it.