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Hayden
An hour and a half has passed since we departed Ray’s humble abode, but my thoughts are centered on Kristina. She has not spoken. I suspect something has upset her. She tends to talk a lot. The fact that she’s quiet gives much away.
“What’s on your mind, Kristina?” I ask, hoping to hear the reason for her silence.
“Too much, I think.”
“Could you share some of it with me?”
Her eyebrows come together. “Hayden, there’s a lot you’re keeping from me. Isn’t there?” She doesn’t spare me a glance. If she did, she would see the look of surprise on my face. I wasn’t expecting her to counter with a question that holds so much power.
“Yes.” I could lie, but I opt against it. She always seems to perceive when I’m not being truthful. “There are things I have not told you, but only out of consideration for you.”
“Hayden, since I’m aware of how critical our predicament is and what we both aim to lose should we be caught, I think it’s only fair that I be filled in. Does that make sense?”
I feel trapped. Should I reveal things that might scare or scar her for life, or should I stick to being as evasive as possible? I still need her assistance. Without her, I do not have the confidence to take on such a complicated world on my own.
When I began this mission, already knowing I’d be using her to get to my destination, I never anticipated all the emotions I’d suppressed and ignored for years would surface at the most inopportune moments, and with the one person I cannot bond with.
How much should I give away? If I’m being forced to come clean about some things, it’s probably best to start with the less evil of them.
“Who is this Castiel guy you keep mentioning?” she asks, perhaps to get me talking.
“Castiel is another of Gerard’s prisoners.” I take in some air and release it quickly. “He’s a vampire.”
Kristina’s face grows ashen as she spares a glance in my direction. “A vampire? A vampire. Of course he’s a vampire.” She focuses on the road again, but the look of concentration on her face tells me she’s having difficulty working through this new piece of information.
“He’s a friend of yours?”
“A friend. A mentor. Since I was old enough to remember, Castiel has tried his best to teach me things he thought I would need to learn in order to be able to communicate with you, specifically.”
I can’t tell by her expression alone what she is thinking. Her face is a mask of solemnity but the tension in her shoulders reveals uncertainty.
“I’m going on a limb here and assume your escape plan was premeditated.”
“We planned it ahead of time, yes. As for the specification as to what day it would come to pass, we had to wait. He was unsure as to when the right time would be. Gerard was on constant watch, almost as if he sensed something. The day I escaped...things got complicated after I refused to follow orders and I just ran, taking upon myself to risk the plan. I had as much of a chance of failure as I did of success.” Something deep within me snaps as I continue to lie. I knew she would be on that road at that time, but I don’t have the courage to confess this to her yet. “When I stumbled upon that road...I did not imagine things would take the turn they did.”
Kristina’s shoulders lift. “You managed to outsmart Gerard, didn’t you?” She glances in my direction. “That’s a start. We should be able to beat him, right?”
She holds herself stiffly as she waits for my response. I would have liked to oblige her by stating that things will end well, but that may not be the case at all.
“That still remains to be seen.”
Kristina’s shoulders slump. “And here I was trying to stay positive in thinking we had this thing in the bag.”
I put aside the sarcasm I detect in her voice and try to appease her need for reassurance. “Nyall might be our only means to bring Gerard down.”
“Why is this man so important? What can he offer that will help us?”
“Castiel didn’t go into detail about that. He did mention that I’d make the connections once I met Nyall. They are old friends, I believe.”
“How does Castiel know where Nyall is going to be and when?”
“He received word.” Not entirely a lie. Castiel did receive word, but in the most unconventional way.
She furrows her brow. “But we’re basically going about this blindfolded? There is no guarantee Nyall will want to get involved?
“No.” I look away, unable to continue observing the look of pure discontent on her face. I gaze out the window and begin to be swallowed up by my own concerns.
Castiel provided the location and time, but the rest is uncertain. We will have to wait and see if Nyall will agree. Kristina can fend for herself well in her world, but she’s fleeing from Gerard. In one night, our worlds collided and now she runs the same risks I do. Only it might be worse for her. At least I’m certain Gerard won’t kill me.
“So when is this meeting supposed to take place?” she asks, the sound of her voice tearing me away from the troubled minefield in my head.
“The day after tomorrow evening, around midnight. At the Putnam Museum of History and Natural Science.”
Kristina passes through what she has called an intersection and drives by a series of cars. One of them, a black SUV with dark windows, catches my attention. Unlike the others, which are waiting for the traffic light to go from red to green, this particular car is parked to one side of the road. Inside are three individuals keeping a close watch on every single vehicle driving by them.
I look directly at the driver and swallow when he gazes at me, his upper lip curling into the most sinister smile I’ve seen in days. We have been spotted.
“Why there, of all places?”
“It is the accorded time of the meeting.” From the side-view mirror, I watch as the SUV pulls out as we drive by and falls behind the small, blue car behind us.
I keep my eyes on the SUV.
“What if Nyall refuses to help? What are we going to do then?” She cocks her head to the side and releases a puff of air.
“We will have to figure things out. Perhaps Rose has already come up with something. Ray mentioned the Legion is planning something.”
“Right. I knew things weren’t going to be easy, but they seem to keep getting harder every minute. I’m exhausted from thinking the worst all the time.” The bitterness in her voice spurs me into action.
“Kristina, pick up speed,” I say, maintaining a visual of the SUV now driving directly behind us. “We have company.”
Her eyes grow wide as her head snaps toward me. “What?”
“Black SUV behind us.”
She uses the rearview mirror to locate the vehicle in question. “Gerard’s men?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, shit.” Stepping on the accelerator, she forces the Jeep’s speed to increase to sixty. “We’re going to have to lose them. I can’t keep driving this carelessly or a cop is bound to notice.” She swerves around the car in front of us and increases speed, settling into the right lane a moment later. “Or someone might call in and report us.”
A quick assessment of our situation confirms the SUV is still right on our tail. “You drive. I’ll take care of this.” Unbuckling my seatbelt, I climb to the back and search under the driver’s seat for the crowbar I saw there earlier. It takes a moment for me to locate it, but as my fingers curl around the cold steel I pull it out and straighten up.
“Hayden!”
The panic in Kristina’s voice forces me to look up, only to find that the SUV is now side by side with us. The man in the front seat rolls down the window and points the barrel of a gun right at Kristina. Acting fast, she turns the wheel abruptly to the left. The Jeep teeters to the side and slams into the SUV with enough force to unbalance the man with the gun. He drops the weapon as he slides off his seat. The sound of metal scraping against metal rings in my ears, but the noise is brief as the SUV pulls away, trying to keep from veering off the road and crashing into another vehicle.
The only way to lose them is to disable their mode of transportation.
“Kristina, roll down the window for me.”
“What for?”
“Do it.”
She lets out a groan of frustration but rolls down the window. “How do they keep finding us?”
“We’ve been out in the open for far too long.” I clench the crowbar in my left hand. With my right, I hold on to the driver’s seat to begin slipping out the rear window. But the SUV careens into the Jeep once, twice, three times, nearly sending us barreling off the busy street. I lose my grip on the seat and slip sideways as the Jeep jolts to the right, barely missing clipping another car while plowing down the road in a battle for control with the SUV.
Kristina struggles to keep the Jeep on the road and away from oncoming traffic. In a small, two-lane street, maintaining order is practically a death race. The other driver continuously pushes the SUV into us and though Kristina keeps us centered in spite of their attempts at doing the opposite, we are quickly running out of options.
“This asshole is trying to run us off the road,” Kristina shouts, keeping her hands on the steering wheel as she turns it one way, then the other. The tires screech in protest of the numerous changes in direction.
“Keep the Jeep steady,” I request as I try once more to slip out the window, crowbar in hand. The SUV falls behind at the sight of an approaching semi. We are in such close proximity to the large truck, it takes out the driver’s side mirror.
“Shit!” she exclaims.
I glance at the SUV. They are still tailing us. “When they drive up beside us again, don’t get too close.”
“They’re relentless.” She glances over her right shoulder at me. “What are you going to do?”
“Give us a head start.” I slide closer to the door. “If I can keep them from following us—” my words are cut short when the SUV rams us from behind. I jerk forward but manage to keep from slamming into the driver’s seat by reaching out to steady myself. Kristina screams and steps on the brakes. “No. Accelerate.”
“But they’re going to run us off the road.”
The SUV rams into the back of the Jeep a second time, jolting us both forward. Kristina cries out in startled fear as she momentarily loses her grip on the steering wheel. The force of the impact sends the Jeep fishtailing from one side of the road to the other for a few unnerving seconds before Kristina takes control and accelerates.
I take a peek at the speedometer and realize we’re pushing seventy-five now. I look out the front of the Jeep to make sure there are no cars coming. With traffic momentarily clear, I slip the top half of my body out the open window. Holding the crowbar in my right hand, I eye my target—the front wheel.
I hold on tight with my left hand as I dangle halfway out of the Jeep. Raising my right arm, I take aim. The man who pointed the gun at Kristina has regained his balance and now aims the same handgun at me. The sneer on his face reveals his intention. I put a stop to his plan when in one quick but efficient move, I throw the crowbar at the front wheel. It penetrates the black rubber, which comes apart with a loud pop.
My aim is perfect, hitting its mark with one shot. The driver loses control of the SUV and veers off the road toward a ditch on the opposite side. The large vehicle speeds down a hill, crashing into an elongated, cement barrier I assume was put there to prevent cars from ending up in the river, some twenty feet away.
“Christ! What the hell?” Kristina yells in the front seat.
I slip inside the Jeep and say to Kristina, “We have to get off this road and look for some place to hide until nightfall. It will be more difficult for them to track us at night.”
“Okay, okay,” she murmurs nervously. At the next traffic light she turns to the left and then to the right at the following street. “I have no clue where I’m going but I guess it doesn’t matter. We can figure it out later.”
Every street leads to a potential hideout as Kristina drives farther away from the main road and continues to bury us deeper in the busy neighborhoods filled with houses. I’m not sure how much time has passed since we lost the SUV but it has been quite a while and still Kristina continues to push on aimlessly.
I understand her nervousness, but we are pressed for time. We must stay off the larger roads to keep from being seen. Seeking refuge in a house is out of the question, but any empty structure or lot will do.
“Kristina.” I place my hand on her right shoulder, unsettling her. She steps on the brake and brings the Jeep to an abrupt stop. I jerk forward a bit, putting my hands on the seats to keep from falling over. “Are you still with me?”
“What?” She turns in the seat to look at me.
“We need to find a place to wait it out until nightfall.”
Her face is pale; her lower lip trembles as she stares at me. “Oh. Okay. I...have no clue where we are, though.”
My eyes catch movement to my left. I glance out the window at what looks to be a stray dog running off the road and toward an abandoned building. The structure is in good condition but it’s surrounded by large, broken-down vehicles of all makes and models. An array of wheels is splattered across the front yard, which is partially overshadowed by tall, slightly discolored grass.
The front doors are padlocked and wooden boards cover the windows. “What is this place?” There’s a hint of charred wood and smoke in the air, as if something had caught fire at some point, the only evidence a lingering scent I, alone, pick up on.
Kristina gazes out the window. “I think this was some kind of mechanical repair shop.” She points to a sign erected to the left side of the building. “It says they have moved to another location five miles east while under reconstruction, but I don’t see any renovations of any kind. I think there was a fire in this place.”
“It’s a good place to hide.”
She slaps a lock of long brown hair away from her face. “We can’t stay in there. It’ll be dangerous.”
“Not in the building. We can’t take shelter among those.” I point to a set of trailers, one of which is still attached to a red semi.
“All right. I suppose we could do worse.” She drives around to the building, where we see more evidence of a fire. The entire wall of the structure, which can’t be seen from the road, is charred from top to bottom. “If we leave the Jeep here, it can’t be seen from the street.”
“Let’s leave it, then.” I reach for the bags in the rear and haul them to the seat next to me.
“We’re not staying in here?” She turns off the ignition before shifting to look at me.
“No. They’ll see if they get close enough.” I point to the trailers. “We are better off hiding in there. Let’s take everything with us. We have to make it look like we headed out on foot from here.”
Kristina climbs out and opens the door for me. “Is that wise? What if they drive by and decide to scope the place out?”
“I’ll be able to detect them, don’t worry.” I exit the Jeep and reach in to pick up the bags, softly pushing the door closed a moment later. “Let’s check this place out before we decide if we want to risk it or not.”
She pulls the strap of her bag over her shoulder and starts toward the first trailer, carefully stepping behind a few parked cars, lowering herself to the ground to keep from being seen from the road a short distance away. Traffic is slow, but I follow her lead, ducking behind her.
Once we make our way toward the first trailer, we stumble upon our first predicament. Like the building we left behind us, the doors to the trailer are also padlocked.
“What about here?” Kristina pulls open the door of the second trailer. “There are some crates in the back but it’s mostly empty.”
I stroll over to her. “Hold it open for me. I’m going to make sure there are no animals inside.” I haul myself up, toss the bags on the floor, and take several steps forward before halting beside a pile of empty cardboard boxes. I listen for any indications that any animal, be it big or small, is occupying the space, where more cardboard boxes and a wooden crates have been left in a state of disarray, but I sense nothing. “You can come in, Kristina.”
“I might need help.”
Hearing her grunt of frustration, I saunter to the door, and offer her a hand. “Come on up.” She glances up at me and grunts again, but slips her small hand in mine. I secure my fingers around hers and hoist her up. She squeals as I pick her off her feet and set her down next to me.
“Holy crap! You got one hell of an arm!” She releases a nervous laugh. “I saw what you did. How did you manage to hit the wheel? How did you not miss?”
“Take out a flashlight.” I pull the door closed, but this leaves us encased in an uncomfortable darkness. “I need to find something to prop open the door. It feels suffocating in here with the door all the way shut.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” A series of clicks fills the trailer moments before a light illuminates the interior.
“Wait here.” I march to the back of the trailer, pick up a piece of cardboard, and fold it several times. “This should do it.” I start toward her, but am distracted by the sound of voices a short distance away. “Kristina, turn off the flashlight.” I scurry to her, dropping the piece of cardboard. “Follow me, quietly.” I pick up the bags with one hand and grab her wrist with the other.
“What is...?” her protest is cut off as the sound of voices grows closer. “Oh, shit.” Kristina shoves he flashlight inside the bag again, her eyes growing wide as realization dawns. “How...?”
I guide her to the back of the trailer where three rows of crates are stacked up, and usher her behind the last one. “Kneel toward the corner.” As she goes down on her knees, I pick up a few wooden crates and pile them as quietly as I can all around the open space left between the row Kristina is hiding behind and the one in front of us.
Once I’ve aligned as many of them as I can, making a large pile in attempt to dissuade the men from exploring beyond them, I turn to Kristina. “Pull the hood of your sweatshirt over your head and face.” I drop down to my knees next to her, settle the bags to one side, and pull the hood of my sweatshirt over my head, too.
“Where are they?” she whispers.
“Nearby.” I draw her to me. “Don’t move. Don’t make a sound.”
She nods and buries her face in my chest.
“They’re here.”