Absolute Zero (22 page)

“Jasmine thinks of everything.”

I threw on the clothes and swung open the door and followed the voices to the kitchen.

“I’ll get Jess to mess with her dad’s credit cards or maybe her college stuff. Creating some police records sounds fun. She should get the picture we can seriously screw with her if she tells,” Jasmine said.

“That seems so mean, though,” Georgia said.

“Do it,” Zach said. “She’s messed with me big-time. Ruined things with me and Mandy.”

“I can’t believe you broke up with Mandy for her. That was pretty shitty, you know?” Georgia said.

A chair skidded across the tile floor. “I was trying to protect her. To protect you all, Georgia.”

“You should have just said something. Jess and Jasmine can make almost anything happen. Those two Agents that tried to grab us, they messed with their stuff and one of them talked. We learned lots. They can take care of a light-weight like Samantha.”

“You broke my sister’s heart, man. Not cool,” Scott said.

“She rebounds quickly. Hooking up with that jerk. What’s his name?” Zach said.

“Hey,” Georgia said. “You pushed her right out the door by not calling. Then dumping her. Then dating Samantha. Nate’s a good guy, and he saved your ass back there. He’s sweet and—”

“And a liar,” Zach said.

“Oh, and you aren’t.” Georgia grunted. “Samantha? Zach, really,
Samantha
?”

I stomped into the kitchen. “Having fun talking about me while I’m not around?”

Four sets of eyes widened and stared at me. Zach stood in the entry way to the other hallway, while Georgia, Jasmine, and Scott sat huddled around the kitchen table eating something that smelled like heaven.

Cinnamon rolls.

“Look. I just want to grab some grub, sleep, then think about all this tomorrow. Oh, and Jasmine, I want to go back to the apartment and grab some stuff before we bolt.” I glanced at Scott. “I assume we’re leaving, right? New names, new everything?”

“Yep.”

“I have to go get my Mom box.”

“At daylight we’ll do that,” Jasmine said. “Georgia. Grab just a couple things, too. When we get to where we’re going, we’ll hook you up with all you need.”

“What am I going to tell Gary?”

“We’ll figure something out. For now, just what you need to bolt, we’ll figure out the divorce crap between Gary and Lois.”

I snagged a cinnamon roll and stood against the counter, furthest from Zach.

A knock at the kitchen door sent me jumping. The hairs on my arm shot up, and I dropped my pastry to the floor.

Jasmine leapt to her feet. “Nothing sounded.” She cocked her head, then turned her gaze downward. “It’s Josiah—er—Nate.” She crashed her fist against the table. “How’d he get through?”

“Nate?” My hands instantly cooled. “Jasmine, get Zach and Scott—”

“He just whispered to me that it was him and that I deserved the poor grade I got in booby trap making.” Her lips curled into a smile.

“You’re smiling? How are you smiling right now? He got through,” Georgia said.

“If he wanted to hurt us, he would have already.” Jasmine shook her head and hung it low as if in shame.

“I can’t believe this. I thought you said this place was safe?” I said.

“What can I say, he taught me most of what I know.” Jasmine shrugged.

“What do we do?”

“Mandy, I didn’t want to say this when we were at Zach’s house, but…” Georgia looked at Zach, then back to me. “I believe him.”

“What?”

“I don’t think he wants to hurt anyone. I don’t think he’s an Agent. I believe him when he says he left like Jasmine did.”

“Why?”

“Just a feeling. I mean. He saved Zach from Andrey after he knocked out Jasmine. And he didn’t try to hurt you in the woods. And—well—he just doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”

“Shit.” Zach stepped toward me. “Don’t believe him, Mandy. He’s been lying to you this entire time. Don’t—”

“You don’t get a vote.” I stepped toward Georgia as if to gather up the strength I needed to do what I knew I needed to do.

I had to talk to him.

I wasn’t sure what I’d say or ask or—hell, I didn’t know how to be nice to him right now. But one thing I did know, Jasmine was right about him hurting us. The strength and speed he’d shown so far was pretty impressive. And if he really was what Jasmine had said, he would have already hurt us.

The surprise and awe he showed when he’d called me The Daughter was genuine. I wasn’t exactly sure how I knew, but I felt it.

“Jasmine. You think I can talk to him outside, in private? Meaning, plug up those freaking ears of yours?”

“Sure. We’ll stay in here and watch over the two humans.” Jasmine smiled. “Just don’t wander too far. You’ll trip—er—maybe you won’t, Nate probably disabled them.”

I stepped toward the small door and disengaged the lock. I sucked in a deep breath, then looked at Georgia. She nodded.

Man. I hoped she was right about him because my heart was all over the place. I didn’t know who to trust.

Or who to love.

I cranked the handle and pulled open the door. Nate stood a few steps away from the door, hands clasped behind his back. His cheeks flushed. His gaze met mine, and he let out a long breath. “Mandy.”

“How’d you find us?”

“Tagged the car.”

“Tagged?”

He glanced past me in Jasmine’s direction. “Tracker. I stuck it on your bumper outside Zach’s house. Jasmine should have searched the car before bringing you here. Anyone could have tracked you.”

I turned and faced Jasmine. Red painted her cheeks. She slouched and planted her hands on her hips.

“Great.” I nodded off behind him. “Walk?”

He arched an eyebrow. “You want to walk with me?”

“You have some stuff to tell me, right?”

Sure, my first instinct was to ditch the guy, well, okay, freezing him was actually my first instinct, ditching was a close second. But, for some reason, what Georgia said, about him being a good guy, rang true to me as well, and I had to check it out.

Of course, my mind was still reeling from Zach’s little bombshell and major kiss.

In battle, everyone always stood behind me since I appeared to be the strongest freak of nature in our little Scooby gang. If that was the case, then I was going to take charge.

First order of business, to find out what the hell was going on with Nate or Josiah, or whoever he was.

I glanced at Jasmine. She dipped her head. “You’re clear.”

Georgia nodded as well but threw in a wink.

Zach, on the other hand, glared past me at Nate, eyebrow arched and arms crossed over his chest.

“I ran a perimeter check, we’re safe,” Nate said.

“That status tends to change pretty quickly around me,” I said.

“I see no other tracers on the car. I don’t believe your Agent friend planted one. But if anyone had contact with him, check their bodies and clothing,” Nate said.

I turned toward Jasmine. “Jas, check Georgia and vice versa. Scott, check Zach out. I’ll be back whenever.”

Zach straightened. “Mandy, I don’t think—”

“Remember, Zach. You don’t get a vote,” I said, then stepped through the doorway and pulled the door shut.

A cool breeze greeted me, and I drew it deep into my lungs, hoping my throbbing heart would settle down to a slow trot.

Nate stepped out of my way, and I clomped down the three stairs. Bright floodlights clicked on as I moved onto the sidewalk. A long, sprawling yard lay between the house and the trees. I couldn’t believe the grass was so green in the desert.

Regardless, I was thankful for its softness as I stepped off the cement sidewalk. It felt like walking on pillows.

Nate came in beside me. “I’m sorry, Mand—Amanda, for lying to you.”

“For the record. I still don’t trust you.” I couldn’t really fault him too much, could I? I mean, I’d lied to him from day one, too, right?

“I’m sorry. I had no choice.”

“I know. It just really sucks. I mean, an Agent?”

“I’m not. I swear.”

“But you were, Nate. You captured my mom on several occasions I understand.”

“How do you know about that?”

“I get to ask the questions tonight, buddy.” I looked at him. “And you know I’m not scared to use my powers on you.”

“I won’t make you. I promise. Hands in pockets the entire time.” He twisted his body toward me to demonstrate. “I won’t hurt you. Even if I could, which I know I can’t, I wouldn’t.”

“So, what’s your story, then?”

“The name The Center gave me was Josiah Mirius, but Josiah died three years ago when he escaped from The Center.”

“Died?”

“Me and two others had a
come to Jesus
moment and realized what The Center
and its Agents were doing to innocent people was wrong. I couldn’t be a part of it any longer.”

“Come to Jesus?”

“Just a phrase we use when things click on. Like a light bulb, right?”

I kept walking. The lights dimmed more as we navigated away from the house. Nate walked close to me, even bumped against my arm a couple times but kept his hands in his pockets. What surprised me was how my body reacted to his touch. Despite the lies and despite the fact that he had been an Agent for an organization that killed my parents and kidnapped me twice…my skin still tingled when he brushed against me.

Could I get any more effed up?

“The first Jesus Moment was when Sarah and Josh were killed.”

Okay, that stung. My chest tightened.

“Something clicked within me. I played a role in their deaths. Although it wasn’t me doing the killing, what I did at The Center aided in it.”

Tears pricked at my eyes, and I drew in a deep breath. Okay, so, the guy I started dating, really enjoyed kissing, and had just come to accept as my boyfriend had a role in killing my parents.

Not really doing very well in the dating department.

“Why didn’t you leave back then?”

“I was torn. The Center created me, I felt…obligated. When I voiced my concerns, they explained them away so efficiently, although, not entirely. They’d raised me, for that I felt loyal to them. To their cause.”

“What is their cause?”

“Further human development. Assist humans in using more of their brain. Learning. Making people better, stronger. You name it. They have many intentions and many projects.”

“Stupid scientists and their meddling.”

“Most science is helpful to the universe. But The Center? They aren’t. They’re focused on bettering humans to sell secrets for whatever reason. War. Power. Money. Political reasons.” He shook his head and scanned the grounds again. “It may have started out well-intentioned back in the 1980s, but it’s morphed into something bigger than even they know how to contain.”

“Fantastic.”

“I tried to find those who also questioned what The Center was doing. I absorbed as much as I could, information-wise, and built my case to leave.”

“You just walked out of there? How is it they don’t hunt you?”

“No. I killed myself.” He smiled.

Someone shouldn’t smile as widely as Nate did when he’d mentioned killing himself. It was creepy, yet not. Now that I thought about it, there was a little child-like innocence about Nate. His eyes were constantly filled with wonder. He never let much bother him. And he went after what he wanted. I’d seen all of that already.

The way he pursued me, then how he was with me. So tender, caring and…curious. And when Zach was being the jerk he was, Nate brushed him off. Didn’t let Zach get to him.

I cleared my throat and glanced around. “Killed yourself?”

“I went on a mission to detain another subject some Agents had found in Nebraska.” He shrugged. “I called it field study, to try out something I was developing.”

“What?”

Nate studied the ground a long few seconds. “A new tranquilizer formula for the field dart guns.”

I swallowed hard. I’d had plenty of experience with that damn stuff.

“I went with the two others who’d decided to leave with me and staged our deaths. For all intended purposes, we burned in the building explosion. With our deaths we were free to take on new lives. And we did.”

“Nice story about the college in three years, police records, crap like that.” A shiver slid down my back. The darkness held a chill that seeped into my bones. T-shirt and jeans might not have been the best attire to walk around at night in. “So, Tim’s in on this?”

Nate nodded, then slowed his pace. “We shouldn’t get too close to the trees. Want to keep walking or sit?”

“Keep walking, we’ll do a lap.”

“And yes, I’m sorry, I had to make up a story and stick to it.”

Yeah, well, he’d fooled me for sure. “So, you really taught all the spy crap to Jasmine?”

He nodded. “She was a great student.”

“How’d you learn it?”

Nate glanced at me with dark eyes. “I’m a quick study. Plus I went on a lot of missions, read a lot about it, things like that.”

“Jasmine said your IQ is off the charts.”

“You could say that. I tend to pick up on things just by reading about them. Even more so if I do them.”

We veered to the left. I glanced back at the house. It was still lit up, almost to the point where it seemed like it was mid-day instead of two in the morning. A silhouette in a window on the left side of the house shifted. It looked like Zach’s shadow.

I hated that I knew his gait. Well, I didn’t hate it. It just bugged me now because we weren’t together. I shook my head free of Zach’s image and turned my focus toward the darkness.

“You’re not eighteen are you?”

He drew in a deep breath and looked out ahead of us. We neared another bank of tall, dark, shadowy pines. Not a breeze out here, so they stood eerily still. The ink-black sky twinkled with millions of stars. I almost felt like I was at Thunderbird Trails with him again.

Although, not.

“Nate? Or, should I call you Josiah?”

“Josiah is dead. I’m Nate now.”

“Okay, Nate. How old are you?”

He grasped my elbow and gently tugged me to a stop. “I don’t really know.”

Didn’t expect that. I pulled out of his grasp and stepped back. My mind and heart warred with each other. I swear they fought with dull steak knives for how much everything hurt inside.