Freak of Nature (20 page)

Switching on the phone, she browsed the map function. It took Kaitlyn almost an hour to reach the first potential address by foot. There was an older model Cadillac in the driveway, so unless Lucas lived with someone, she had a feeling this would be a bust. Although, with the way things were going, even that wouldn’t surprise her at this point.

She rang the doorbell, and an older man answered.

Smiling brightly, Kaitlyn asked, “Excuse me, is Lucas home?”

The man stared at her for a long moment before answering. “Nope. Lucas is at his friends house. What do you want with him?”

Her mind raced, trying to come up with a plausible explanation. Finally, she just went with the truth. “It was a shot in the dark. My ex-boyfriend’s name is Lucas Andrews. I looked him up, and this was one of the addresses.”

The man tsked. “Damn computers can tell you anything nowadays. Sorry, wrong house, I’m afraid. I think my Lucas is a bit too young for you. Good luck on your search.” He shut the door.

Following her instincts, Kaitlyn skipped the second name on the list and made her way to the third, even though it was further away. Something in the back of her mind told her it was the location she was searching for. When she checked the map, it gave her the distances when walking and for when traveling by car. She decided to grab a cab like they always did in the movies. After standing on the street for ten minutes, she realized the chances of catching a cab on a side street in the suburbs were not very good, so navigated to the main highway.

The first time a yellow cab rode by, she stuck out her hand, but it drove past her. She had no idea what she was doing wrong.

About ten minutes later, another came down the highway, and pulled over. She slid in the front seat and showed the driver the address on her phone. The car pulled out and neither spoke on the drive, which was fine by her. She wasn’t feeling chatty.

“Please drive past the house without stopping.”

The driver raised an eyebrow, but kept driving.

Kaitlyn recognized Lucas’s Jeep in the driveway. She stared up at the small brick house. Hopefully, he didn’t have a secret wife she wasn’t aware of.

“Can you drop me off two blocks ahead?”

The driver drove ahead without a word. She noticed a black SUV parked across the street from Lucas’s.

Walking casually she turned right and then left, and walked the two blocks until she was directly behind Lucas’s house a street over. She should wait till nightfall, but she wanted answers now.

Harrington’s security team wasn’t that large. More than likely there was only one guard watching the house and he would never see her enter.

She walked through the yard and hopped the short chain linked fence. As she suspected, there was no one in the back yard. She hurried up the back steps, and knocked on the door.

The door swung open, and Lucas stood, staring at her, his mouth agape. He was only wearing plaid pajama bottoms and nothing else. The sight of his bare skin almost made her forget what she was there for.

“Kate?” He pulled her into the dim interior and slammed the door. “What are you…how did you…what are you doing here? There’s a guard out front.”

“That’s why I came in the back door.” She looked away from his chest and met his eyes. “Why Lucas? Why all the lies?”

“Come in here and sit down. What’s happened?”

He led her into an open living room. Dark curtains were drawn and the lights were out. A worn leather couch faced a brick fire place, and a large red rug covered the hardwood floor beneath a coffee table. The walls were lined with bookshelves. A brushed metal lamp sat on a dark wooden end table. Her mind was going through the stores where they were purchased, but she ignored it. She didn’t care where Lucas shopped. She wanted different answers.

“Sit down.” Lucas motioned to the couch.

A black cat with a white patch of fur around its left eye strolled slowly into the room and sat down, flicking her tail as she stared suspiciously at Kate. She wondered if it could tell she wasn’t fully human.

“How old am I, Lucas, and… you have a cat?”

He settled in a recliner next to the couch and dropped his head. “You’re twenty, and yes, I have a cat. She came with the house, I guess you could say.”

The cat seemed to make some kind of decision, and jumped on Kate’s lap. Startled, she ran her hand down its soft fur without really thinking about it.

“Domino never goes to anyone.”

“Domino?”

“The cat. She’s very much a loner.”

“Kindred souls, I guess. Why did you let me believe I was seventeen?”

Lucas sighed. “I guess I never thought about your age. I didn’t realize you thought about your age.”

“I don’t care about my age. What I want to know is what happened to me in those lost years?”

Lucas leaned forward to take her hand, but she pulled away. His brow knitted together. “You were in a coma for almost three years.”

Kaitlyn didn’t say anything for a long time while she processed the new information. “I remember waking up and seeing you.”

“Do you?” He smiled sadly. “I sat by your bed every day. We weren’t sure you would pull through. It’s a miracle you’re alive.”

“A miracle, or science?”

He shrugged. “They often go hand in hand.”

“I’m so confused, Lucas. I thought it would help, finding out who I was, but it hasn’t helped at all.” She stared at him. “I saw someone from my past. Someone I once loved.”

Lucas tensed. “Evan.”

Nodding, she replied, “I saw Evan, and that made me even more confused.”

“What happened?”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t tell him anything. He just thought I was someone that looked like Cassidy. My name is Cassidy? That doesn’t even sound right.”

“It was Cassidy,” Lucas said gently. “You’re Kaitlyn now. Unless you want to be Cassidy?”

She shook her head. “No. Cassidy died a long time ago.”

“How did you feel when you met him?” Lucas looked away as if he didn’t really want to hear the answer.

“Strange. He’s married now. I didn’t feel a pull towards him the way I thought I would, the way I do with you.”

Lucas’s shoulders relaxed, and Kaitlyn realized he had been jealous.

“You have nothing to worry about, Lucas.” She didn’t know why she was comforting him after all the lies.

“Why are you back? You should have kept running. Everyone is looking for you. If they find out you were here…”

“I don’t want to run,” Kaitlyn cut in wearily. “Run to where? I had a lot of time to think on the train.”

“Tell me what you want, Kate, and I will do everything in my power to make it happen.”

“I thought about the woman that was raped. Cassidy was brave and wanted to help others. I want to honor the girl I used to be. I have all of these upgrades and skills that I could put to use. There is so much bad in the world, maybe I can help. Even if just a little. This is who I am, Lucas, and we should use it for good.”

He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “We can’t hand you over, they’ll just use you as a weapon. I need to think this over. If we can get Harrington to keep you… I just have to make him understand. We’ll have to tell him that you have emotions and your own thoughts, Kate.”

“That’s fine. I’m sick of hiding who I am. I’m sick of all the lies.”

He stood, coming to sit beside her, his hands gently cupping her face as if she were made of glass. “If we can’t convince Harrington, we’ll run away together. I’m not losing you again, Kate. I was going crazy without you.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” He tugged her into a tight hug, resting his head on hers as she leaned into him. The cat jumped off her lap and ran out of the room.

“I need a shower and change of clothes. But right now, I just want to sit here with you, if that’s okay?” Kaitlyn asked.

“More than okay.”

“Has the guard entered the house?”

“No, he just sits out there all day and night. They switch shifts at nine.”

“Useless.”

“I think it makes Harrington feel like he’s doing something. He’s going crazy.”

She pulled away to look into his eyes. “Can we wait till tomorrow to talk to Harrington?”

“Absolutely.” Lucas entwined his hand in Kaitlyn's and slowly rubbed his thumb along her knuckles. “Anything for you. Besides it’s Sunday anyway.”

When he leaned down and kissed her, Kaitlyn sank against him, comforted by his presence, the feel of his chest beneath her fingertips. It had been a long couple of days, and in the end, she was where she belonged.

Chapter Twenty-Five

L
ucas whistled as he tossed Kaitlyn’s clothes in the washing machine and dumped a cup of detergent inside. Everything will be okay, he told himself. Somehow, they would work it out. He wouldn’t hesitate to run away with Kate if that was what it came down to, and that fact alone brought a sense of calm to him. He would do anything to keep her safe.

Even if it meant walking away from everything he knew.

He paused, staring at the way the leftover detergent pooled in the bottom of the cup. Wasn’t that exactly what they had done to her? They had stripped her of everything that made her ‘Cassidy’ the night she lost her life.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her walk into the kitchen. She was wrapped in a grey towel that matched her eyes… and nothing else. Just the sight caused his heart to pound and his breathing to change. He put the cap back on the detergent and shut the door to the washer, but forgot to hit Start.

“Feel better?” he asked, unable to tear his gaze away.

Her hair was wet and tousled. She looked fresh-faced and innocent. Gone was the blank stare he had expected from her for so long, replaced with a look of wide-eyed wonder. She had been stuck on the compound for so long, it must have been such a stark contrast to be free, to see all the things, the knick knacks and belongings that make up a person’s home. Freedom looked so unlike her bland room on the compound. He wanted to be the one to share in her newfound freedom. There was so much for her to explore and learn. He smiled at the thought of being by her side to experience it with her.

The sight of her bare shoulders was too much. The way she clutched the towel pushed her breasts up, spilling cleavage over the top. His mind started speeding down a road he knew should be left alone. At least for now. She wasn’t ready to take their relationship to that level. Not yet.

He cleared his throat. “I left you some clothes in the bathroom.”

“I saw them.” She smiled sweetly and crossed the room until she was a few feet away.

Without another word, Kaitlyn dropped the towel and stood before him, unflinching. There wasn’t a hint of modesty or self-consciousness. She was breathtaking. Her body was strong and yet still feminine with curves that begged to be touched.

Lucas clenched his hands, focusing on deep breaths as his body responded to her. “Kate, what are you doing?”

She stepped forward, her clean citrusy scent wafting towards him, and spoke in a low voice. “When you returned my memories, I found out I wasn’t a virgin. I know you were concerned about that. So I thought we could have sex now. If you wanted to. I want to see what it feels like. I can’t remember.”

Lucas closed his eyes and then opened them, sweeping his gaze over her. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “My God, you are stunning,” he whispered.

“You don’t find me repulsive?”

“Of course not. It’s who you are Kate. You take my breath away.”

Slowly, she took a couple more steps forward.

He should probably stop it, but he really didn’t want to. Any self-control had gone out the window when the towel had hit the floor. Her fingertips touched his check. Lucas stared into her grey eyes. The color of storm clouds, he thought as he grabbed her hand from his face and moved it to his lips. He gently kissed her palm, and then each finger, relishing the way she shivered beneath his touch.

She closed the distance between them, running her hands up his arms. Her firm, naked body pressed against his, and heat radiated throughout his body.

“Not here. Upstairs,” he said roughly.

He entwined his hand with hers and showed her the way. He had wanted her for so long; he still couldn’t believe it was coming true.

His bedroom was cool, a window open to the fall breeze as sunshine spilled through the open curtains. Thankfully, his room was on the backside of the house.

He turned to face her, fighting the urge, he willed himself to put the breaks on. “Are you sure? I’m willing to wait as long as it takes. We don’t have to rush into this.”

“More than sure.”

His palms were clammy and his breathing erratic. He was nervous. Never in his life had he wanted anything more than he wanted Kaitlyn, and he was afraid he would mess things up. He pushed the thought aside and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. He waited, giving her plenty of opportunity to change her mind. When she didn’t, he pulled her body to his. Her arms snaked around his neck, and she pressed her bare chest against his.

Lightly, he trailed his lips down her throat to the hollow of her neck and down the gentle curve of her bare shoulder. A gasp escaped her full lips. He was the luckiest man alive.