The Pack-Retribution (26 page)

Hedi’s red hair lit up the night as she ran toward them. “I’ve locked on the bomb. It’s ticking fast, less than fifteen minutes to get to the Air Filtration Command Center!”

Shamira pulled herself together. “Get Mitch and Dion out! They’ll all die down there if you don’t.”

“You know I will.” Hedi nodded. “Backup’s almost here. Now go!”

Shamira hesitated a moment, and Kurt yanked at her jacket. She pulled away. “Anthony…his body, don’t leave him here.” She couldn’t bring herself to reveal Anthony’s deceit.

Hedi’s eyes started to water. “Body? Are you saying…”

Shamira eyes closed and she gritted her teeth. Pivoting from Hedi’s forlorn face, she ran to the air filtration control center. The Mons at her back, her arms pumped, her blood raged, and electrical power flared, dancing over her body.

“I’m right behind you. Don’t stop! I’m locked on the location.” Kurt sped up next to her. He pointed ahead. “There!”

Shamira’s body throbbed. Pain forgotten, her only fixation was saving the lives of those she loved as she slid up to the metal door standing between her and the bomb that would suffocate everyone on the planet. Lifting her leg, she felt a flicker of electrical power dance over her skin. Her heart racing, tears of anguish teased the corners of her eyes, she pounded on the door. One kick, two, a punch, another and the door bent, dented, but wouldn’t give.

“Get back! I’ll shoot it,” Kurt commanded barely giving her time to step out of the way before he fired on the lock. The concrete frame of the door cracked as he shot at the door over and over again.

The hinge’s hold loosened and Shamira kicked it several times, bursting it open. She stopped short, the tickling of heat and adrenaline curled up within her seeking a fight.

“Where is it?” She searched the large room of slick tan rock floors, walls of white and multiple flat-screen computer panels on the walls.

Kurt tapped the computer band on his wrist and pointed at one of the wall paneled computer screens. “Over there, behind the screen.”

Shamira rushed forward, breathing fast as prickling anticipation and fear flowed through her. “How much time we got?” She started lifting the computer screen off the wall.

Kurt grabbed the other end and they put it on the floor. “Not much…not much.” He studied the wall, a frown marring his brown features. “We have to break through the wall. It’s in there kinda deep. Damn! I hoped it was in a safe or something I could pick, not built into the damn wall. The sick son-of-a...”

“I’ll do it.” Taking several deep breaths, a wave of refreshed energy poured through her. Punch after punch landed on the wall. White lights of electrical power sprayed out of each blow until her knuckles bled. The wall cracked, crumbled, and gave way to an alcove within.

“Hold up! Careful, it might speed up if it’s jarred.”

Trembling, she fought for command of the deteriorating situation. For the first time since she’d been a blind kid with all of this built-up power she didn’t understand, it took everything within her to cool down, back the power deep within her and regain control. Her body shivered, her chest hurt as if she’d inhaled too much water, and sweat poured out of her. She clenched her fist in an effort to regain control.

Kurt reached around her and cautiously touched one of the wires exposed out of the makeshift bomb. It was a dark, thick palm-sized square with wires of various colors jutting from within. He jerked his hand away, then rummaged around in his pocket for a cylinder device about the size of a pen. “This will let me see inside it.” His other arm jerked up and he glanced down at the mini-computer on his wrist. “I don’t have time to deactivate it,” he gulped.

Shamira’s gaze left the shell of the bomb and collided with his fear-laden expression. “It’s okay. I have an idea.”

He shook his head. “No…you don’t. You can’t. You’ll die!”

Shamira grabbed the bomb. Shoving Kurt out of the way, she dashed through the door. Releasing the pent up beast within her, she ran with renewed speed.

“Faster. Faster. Don’t stop,” she chanted.

Each breath was filled with needles of pain. Tears ran unchecked down her face. The device beeped loudly, and more rapidly with each of her steps. Kurt’s yell boomed behind her.

Pouring out all the power she’d held within her, pulse after pulse drenched her entire body. The beeping bomb screeched its final alarm. Heaving gulps of air, she threw it forward into the sand swept winds, and with a powerful thundering boom, it exploded.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”

Indescribable heat engulfed her entire body. Kurt’s cries were drowned by the blast of heat, and it felt as though her entire body was on fire. Fire so intense consumed her as she flew backwards. Her head crashed against the pavement, dunking her into deathly darkness.

Chapter 41

I did it. They’re safe…safe.

Blinding light pushed Shamira forward. Air rushed into her lungs and she lunged upward from a pillowed surface. “Nooooooo!”

Her hand tangled in a soft, silky mass of waved curls and her blurry vision cleared as her hand slipped from within its soft cocoon. A fit of coughing shook her.

Valens sleepy gaze locked with hers. A smile blossomed on his face and glowed within his eyes. “Shamira! You’re awake.” He snuggled her close in a hug and showered kisses on her lips, her cheeks, her eyes and neck. Holding her as if he was afraid to let her go, he whispered, “God I love you…love you so much. You’re back…with me.” She felt moisture from his tears on the side of her face.

“Valens, I love you too. Sorry…so sorry.” Her voice croaked hoarsely, and she coughed breathlessly determined to tell him everything. “Anthony…he was the mole. My d-dad dead, Renu need codes to…kill.” Tears of distress from her weakness leaked down her face.

He held her face within his hands. “Shh…shhh.” He leaned in and kissed her deeply while she whimpered, then tangled her hands in his hair. An expression of wonder etched on his face, as if he couldn’t believe she was alive. “We know it all, everything. Your father is alive.”

“Bu-but, I didn’t mean to break up with you. I had,” she coughed, “to so…you and the others would be safe from them.”

“I figured that out after we came to get you.” A tear slipped from the crease in his eyes. Valens bent in and kissed her. “Why didn’t you tell me? You know you can tell me anything.”

“I-I’ll go with you to Earth.” Her bandaged hand pulled him close. She whispered, “If you still want me.”

“I’ll always want you.”

“Burns…so many burns.” She sniffed.

“They are almost completely gone. You’re just bandaged up to make sure your wounds are fully healed. Thanks to the nurses constantly bugging you all the time. And I love the new haircut.” He ran his fingers through her short cropped hair. “But I’m not going to Earth to stay, I put in my request to stay on Mars…with you after our training.”

“You…did,” she kissed him.

“No more doubts, I know you risked your life, and broke up with me because you do love me.”

Shamira exhaled the breath she’d been holding. “Renu, is he dead?” Her eyes watered. “Anthony…he is?” She let out a sob of relief.

“Renu, we don’t know. I guess he is. I had to get Dion out of there when Kurt warned us of the explosion.” He squeezed her hand. “About Anthony, I know what you think.” Valens pushed the button on the side of her bed. He moved her over gently and squeezed her a bit.

She sighed and cuddled up next to him. “I’m glad,” she coughed, “you’re here.”

“Me too.”

The door to her room pushed opened. Shock bloomed on her face. “Anthony? You were… Renu killed you!”

Anthony smiled from his crutches, tears rolled down his eyes as nurses rushed in the room. “He tried, but he didn’t.”

Valens argued with the nurse, refusing to leave Shamira’s side as they checked her vitals.

Shamira’s eyes widened when her father rolled in the room in a wheelchair followed by her mother, Hedi, Kurt, and Mitch, who had a cast on his arm and a brace on his back. She pushed the nurse’s hand away. “Dion? Where’s Dion?”

Hedi’s tear streaked face spoke volumes. Her head shook a negative answer and Hedi fought to hold back a sob. Anthony pulled her to him and whispered in her ear.

Her parents came up to the bed. Her father shook his head. “He didn’t make it. We didn’t want to tell you so soon, but he died from his injuries.”

Guilt thudded in her chest. A member of her team died trying to save her. She covered her face with her trembling hand. “No! No. I tried to carry him out. He wouldn’t... He wouldn’t let me.”

Her mother put her hands on Shamira’s bandaged face and kissed her softly on the portion of her exposed cheek. “It wasn’t your fault. He knew what he was doing, and sent a message to Hedi saying that saving you was the best thing he’d ever done in his life. That you were more than a leader, you were his friend.”

Valens arm tightened around her. He whispered in her ear. “It’ll be okay. I’m here. It’ll be okay.”

Her eyes closed briefly and she forced calmness to envelop her. She looked up, her stare nailed onto Anthony. “You backstabbed us—your team. Sold us out to Renu!”

Anthony stepped closer, said, “No,” and walked to her bed.

“Don’t you dare come one step closer!” her voice rumbled.

Her father’s hand went up to delay Anthony. “Anthony didn’t betray you. He did what I asked him to do. I remembered something Cal and I talked about the day that he died. He was suspicious about the dead zone at the Mons. He said he’d been monitoring that area and something didn’t seem right. He told me he still felt a connection to his brother—like his brother had never died.”

Anthony hesitantly stepped closer. “Dax put something on me when we first got interrogated. It was a tracking device. When your father called, I went straight to his room. He told me to get a folder that had a tracking of beacons or codes that were sent out from Security Elite Officers only. Those codes could also be used to locate a link into the Department of Galactic Security mega-computer because they send an encrypted sequence to connect the Elite 300 to their main system. Your dad told me to change the code numbers in the folder so no one would steal them, and take them with me to check out the Mons.”

Recognition triggered within her. “He—Dax tried to take my wrist. Hold them and I wouldn’t let him touch me. And you were always complaining about a rash on your wrist. But when you got to the Mons…”

Anthony’s rested a hand on Shamira’s shoulder. “When I got there, Renu knew I was coming. He always knew where I was and that’s why we always got ambushed by his assassins. Except for the time at the club when Freaksheep called them when he was kidnapping those kids.”

“Renu acted like he was expecting something from you though.” She wrinkled her eyebrows.

Anthony nodded. “He was. He was expecting you to be with me. Renu wanted you. So I offered him the folder with the fake passcodes. It wasn’t enough. When I delivered you by mistake, he tried to kill me. But I still had some skills from my days as a Monev runner. I remembered how to play dead when chances were I’d lose the fight.”

Her mother smoothed her shortened bangs from her face. “Dax was working for Renu. He wanted to lead the force and was willing to kill your father to do it. But one of Renu’s men got to him first and he didn’t survive.”

Her father cleared his throat. “After Anthony left my room, Dax sent a message to the guards to leave their posts. He shot me with poison, but Valens’ dad did the impossible again and saved my life. Garcia was working with Dax also, and she was taken to Earth. She had a quickie trial and was put to death in the Waters. Valens found names of others that were affiliated with the crime organization and working on a rebuild, but had to leave the data behind to get Dion and Mitch out alive.”

Shamira’s mom pointed to her father. “Your dad is now the Head of the Security Force here on Mars. I’m his deputy until you finish your final year of training on Earth. We have a suspicion that Monev is much bigger than Renu and that there may be some additional double agents on Earth.”

Her father sighed. “When Kurt made the call telling us about the explosion. We prayed you would recover, that you would come out of the coma. It was the worst month of our lives.”

Mitch limped up to her. “The worst. Why the hell did you do something so stupid? Kurt had a back-up plan. You know he always does.” He smirked down at her, his damp eyes belying his scold.

She grinned back at him. “I know, but I’m the leader and I make the biggest sacrifice because all of you mean so much to me.” She squeezed Valens’ hand. “I was out for an entire month?” A stitch of melancholy tickled her chest at the time she lost with Valens.

Valens kissed her hand. “I never left you. Not for a minute. And you cried for me, whispering how sorry you were.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. “I am.” Shamira kissed him, smelled him and huddled closer. “I’m so happy you still love me.”

Pounding feet and banter filled the hall as the door burst opened. David, Taren and Manny bounded toward her with several nurses running behind them.

“Meera!” They giggled excitedly. They pushed past her parents to smother her in hugs and sloppy kisses.

At that moment, that very moment warmth and love filled her as she squeezed her family close, feeling as though she was the luckiest girl alive to have another chance at life and get it right.