The Vanishing Girl (20 page)

Chapter 31

I rubbed my
hands together, my breath misting in the predawn light. It was almost 5:00 a.m. Saturday morning, and I waited in the middle of the woods just off the trail to meet with Caden.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. It was way too early to be scheming.

“You know, you’re awfully cute when you’re sleepy.”

I jolted at the voice, and a hand covered my mouth just as I let out a shocked yelp.

“Can’t have you blowing our cover now, princess,” Caden whispered into my ear, his voice low. The sound of it made me shiver. His body pressed into mine, and my thoughts turned carnal.

I stepped away from him, mostly to keep my hormones in check. “Then try not to scare the crap out of me,” I said.

He stepped towards me, invading my personal space, and his dimples flashed. “Chicken.”

“Creep.”

“Creep? That’s not what you called me last night.”

My face flushed at his words. “How did you manage to sneak up on me?”

A sly smile bloomed along his face. “You’re going to have to win that information off of me.” He folded his arms and leaned against a tree, giving me a long, slow look just to let me know exactly what would happen if I lost.

The look brought goose bumps to my skin. I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and forefinger, trying to focus on the subject of escape and not on how I wanted to slowly undress the man in front of me.

I removed my hand from my face, remembering the file I looked through even earlier this morning. “What do you know of the Montana facility?”

Caden hadn’t been moving, but now he stilled completely. Finally, he cocked his head and raised his eyebrows. Unlike his other features, his eyes held more than just surprise; there was curiosity there as well. He was trying to figure me out. “Reconsidering escape?” he finally said.

“No, just our method.”

His eyes grew distant, presumably to think over my words, and then he blinked and refocused on me. “That’s actually not a bad idea at all
—
escaping on our way to the Montana facility.” He rubbed his chin. “We’d have to steal one of their cars and make a beeline for Mexico.”

“I know.”

“And they’ll undoubtedly warn the border patrol about the stolen government car and our appearance.”

“If we need another car, we can just steal one. I know how to hotwire older models.”

His eyebrows rose, his dimples making an appearance. “You know how to do that?” Caden didn’t even try to hide how impressed he was.

I nodded. It was just another survival skill I’d learned.

Caden whistled low. “Damn, that’s a turn-on.”

I had the strangest urge to laugh. Instead I just shrugged.

“Humble doesn’t really suit you well, princess,” he said. “I can see right through it.”

Now I did smile.

Caden continued. “We’d need disguises, survival equipment, and money.”

I crossed my arms. “Done, done, and done.”

Caden’s eyebrows nudged up further. “Oh really, you have that all covered?”

I held up three fingers. “I have survival equipment in my room
—
so, check.” I brought a finger down. “Disguises we can easily buy, so check that off your list too.” I brought another finger down. “And lastly, we’re a fucking distract and extract team; we could become millionaires at pickpocketing. So check.” Not that I liked the thought of stealing anything. People were entitled to their well-earned money. But if it came down to it, I’d steal. I was also entitled to my freedom.

A spark of excitement lit Caden’s eyes, but beneath it was some residual hesitation. He didn’t want to leave this life, he didn’t want to lose his friends, and he sure as hell didn’t want to betray the facility’s trust.

“You don’t have to come with me,” I said softly.

He closed the distance between the two of us and ran a hand along my neck, his thumb rubbing the edge of my jaw. “Just shut up.”

“I was just giving you
—
”

“You think I hadn’t known what that favor of yours was going to be since you first won it? I’ve had a long time to decide on this. I’m coming with you.”

His lips descended on mine, and my heart thumped in my chest. The way he kissed me left no doubt in my mind that he’d stay by my side come hell or high water.

He pulled away. “I think the facility in Montana is a good idea. But
—
” he paused, watching me, “they only send teleporters who want to be domesticated.”

“Domesticated?” I said, raising my eyebrows.

“As in, making and raising lots and lots of babies.”

I felt my face redden.

“Yeah, that’s how I thought you’d react,” he said, “and that’s not going to convince anyone here that you want to move to the Montana facility.”

I wasn’t going to argue that one with him.

“So,” he continued, “I’ll take care of the convincing. They’ll probably still want to talk to you before they finalize their decision, so work on what you’re going to say
—
and try to stick to the truth where possible. They’ll try to trip you up. If this idea doesn’t go anywhere, then we’ll have to plan an escape from this facility.”

I nodded. I could do that.

He glanced at the lightening sky. “Let’s meet here a week from tomorrow
—
same time. Until then, I’ll begin convincing the project directors to consider this,” he continued. “You, meanwhile, should try to figure out some of the logistics of our escape.”

“Done.”

Caden backed away from me. As he did so, I remembered what he told me of the teleporters who tried to defect. We were going to have to execute our escape perfectly, because we had one chance and one chance only.

That Monday I
walked into the gym. I took one look at the equipment sitting next to the ring and suppressed a groan. Sparring. Even though I’d gotten better at it, I didn’t feel confident enough to perform well with an audience.

My classmates had already started to pair off.

I turned to look for Caden and watched as he walked in right after I did. I couldn’t help but notice the way his T-shirt hugged his sculpted chest and upper arms. My eyes ran up his torso before they met his gaze. His eyes twinkled; he’d caught me checking him out.

“Can’t get enough of me, can you?” Caden said, coming up to me. He didn’t wait for me to answer. Instead he cupped my face and kissed me.

When he pulled away, he smiled, his dimples coming out. “Want to practice a little before you begin?”

“Definitely.” The thought of sparring with someone other than him made me anxious; I wanted the moves fresh in my mind.

For the next half hour we warmed up together. As I dipped and lunged, evading and attacking Caden, I couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of power. I’d become formidable over the course of only a few weeks. Now I not only knew how to survive, I knew how to fight.

“Pierce!” My head snapped up when Coach Painter called my name. He had a sly smile on his face. “Why don’t we pair you with Payne again?” That sneaky bastard.

I wiped the sheen of sweat on my forehead with the back of my hand. My muscles felt loose and warm. I was ready to do this.

Caden grabbed my wrist, his eyes trained on mine. “Remember all you’ve learned. Don’t underestimate your opponent, remember your own inner strength, and let your body follow your brain,” he said.

I nodded.

“I’ll be rooting for you from the sidelines.” He loosened his hold and let my fingers slide through his.

I pulled away from him and approached the ring, where Desiree waited. Her eyes had a hard, angry look to them, but her mouth curved up. She thought this would be her opportunity to cut me in two. That, more than anything, fueled my determination to do well. 

Coach Painter handed me the foam helmet and gloves. Like last time, Desiree wrapped her hands before she put her gloves on. This time I didn’t let it get to me.

We walked into the ring and tapped gloves. I watched her shift her weight back and forth, her arms held in front of her. Her left hand was held a little low. I couldn’t tell if the opening was intentional or not. Only one way to find out.

Coach blew the whistle, and I didn’t hesitate. I moved into Desiree’s space and slammed my fist into the exposed section of her torso. She blocked it, and I used her block to deliver a punch low to her stomach, this time not worrying about whether I hurt her or not. I knew she wouldn’t hold back if given the chance.

I connected with the soft tissue of her stomach. The hit wasn’t hard, but she stumbled back and leaned over herself protectively. I followed her and delivered three more punches, all which she blocked.

“Bitch,” I heard her say under her breath. Her anger glittered in her eyes, and I barely had enough time to lift my arms when she slammed her fist at my face. My arms blocked the blow, but she threw so much force into it that I staggered back before I regained my footing.

The coach blew the whistle. “Payne, that’s a foul.”

She ignored our coach and advanced on me. Her arms were held high, exposing her lower stomach. I aimed low and hit her just below her solar plexus. Just as I did so, her fist smashed into my cheek. My head snapped back and I stumbled.

Coach Painter blew the whistle again. “Payne! Back off of Pierce.”

Ignoring him again, Payne began raining punches down on me, all aimed at my head. The attack forced me to cover my face rather than try to hit her back.

“Goddamnit Payne, stop!” Coach yelled.

Her anger fueled my own. She was too busy seeing red to think strategically. So I brought my leg up and kicked her square in the chest. The impact flung her back, and she hit the mat.

Coach was blowing the whistle like crazy. “Pierce, that’s enough. Payne, you’re disqualified.”

Desiree’s gaze shot to Coach Painter. “Coach, no,” she pleaded.

Coach shook his head, his hands propped on his waist. “You know the rules Payne. Now go practice your technique for the rest of the class, or get the hell out of here.”

I glanced at Caden, who stood on the outskirts of the ring, arms folded. His jaw was set hard, like the fight had been difficult for him to watch, but his eyes looked proud. We both knew I’d been the better fighter that round; I laid more accurate blows and managed to contain my emotions.

Carefully Desiree pushed herself to her feet and took off her helmet. She flashed me a parting glance, and what I saw in her eyes made my skin feel clammy. The hot anger I’d seen just moments ago was gone, replaced by something far more sinister. Her expression was cold and calculating.

I needed to start locking my door starting immediately, because in Desiree’s eyes was a promise
—
a promise that she would come for me and finish what she started.

Chapter 32

Two days later
I worked on my weaponry homework with Caden in one of the several study halls when Dane Richards approached our table.

“Hey Boss,” Caden said.

Dane ignored him. “Pierce, we need to talk.” His flinty eyes were trained on me.

I gave Caden a concerned look, and a crease formed between Caden’s brows. I tried not to panic when I saw the distress in his eyes.

“Sure,” I said.

With a final glance at Caden, I followed Dane Richards out of the study hall. The walk to Dane’s office was long and awkward. The silence felt like it would suffocate me.

When we finally arrived and I sat down in a guest chair, Dane still hadn’t told me why he wanted to see me.

He slid into his seat and rolled his chair forward. He placed his palms on the desk and trained his intense stare on me.

“How do you know Adrian Sumner?” he asked me.

My heart stuttered. “I’m sorry, what?”

Should I lie? Tell the truth? How could I protect us both?

“Adrian Sumner.” Dane Richards slid a black and white photo towards me. My breath caught. The photo was of me standing on the pier. Adrian stood in front of me. Adrian was looking over his shoulder, gazing at the same something I was. Jacque, when he ran after the suitcase.

“You do know him, don’t you?” he asked, his inquisitive eyes trained on me.

I realized in the silence that followed that what I said would matter. If I lied, the truth would come out eventually, and if I told the truth, Adrian would likely be captured.

I focused on my breathing. In and out. I was already a prisoner here, working for the government, so not much more could happen to me, other than death
—
and that was already my reality every time I went on a mission.

I wasn’t sure where exactly things stood with me and Adrian
—
and I didn’t exactly trust him
—
but if he told the truth, he was trying to help teleporters like me. And if he lied to me, he was still the enemy of my enemy. That counted for something.

Inside I was a mess of nerves, but that anxiety never showed up on my skin.

“No,” I said. “I don’t know him.” I gave Richards an annoyed look, just to convince him further.

He tapped the photo with his index finger. “But you’re talking to him here.

“Yeah,” I said, keeping my tone annoyed. “He was trying to talk me down. And once I threw the suitcase in the water, he was trying to make me feel guilty.”

Richards raised his eyebrows. He didn’t believe me. I tried my best to keep calm while he shuffled through some paper on his desk. I knew his actions were for my benefit. He wanted me to squirm.

From the papers in his hand he pulled out another and slid it my way.

Shit.

It was the article about Adrian Sumner that I’d looked up on the Internet. “This article was Googled from your computer.” Richards narrowed his eyes. “The date preceded your mission.”

Caught. I’d been caught.

How could I
have been so stupid? Of course the facility monitored the sites teleporters went to.

I opened my mouth, but Richards held up his hand. “Don’t bother Pierce. I went through the entire list of links, so I know how one led to the next.”

Dane pulled out another photo from the stack. It was a grainy photograph of me flipping through a file in that basement office. In the background I could see my sweatshirt pressed against the foot of the door, which meant the photo was taken during my last visit there.

“You have two files in your possession that you took from this room. From your actions, I can only assume you were holding them to use in the future as blackmail.”

I’d been sloppy. So, so sloppy. Just like Caden had told me recently, the facility was looking for defiant behavior. And I’d underestimated them. Now I had to wonder just how long they were watching me. And whether that office was just an elaborate set up
—
another simulation they wanted to see my reaction to.

The sick feeling in my stomach told me that it was. And I’d fallen for it.

Richards rubbed the skin around his mouth. “What I don’t understand is the extent of what you know.”

The hairs on my arm lifted.

His stared at me, unblinking. “But at this point, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “You’ve proven yourself to be cunning, secretive, selfish, and most of all, dishonest.”

I didn’t move, didn’t allow my face to give away the screaming inside my head, the pounding of my heart, or the clammy sweat that formed in the creases of my fingers.

Richards leaned forward even more. “You also gave away your one weakness.” He slid forward another photo, this was grainy, but I could still make out the tangle of naked limbs and my tattoo. From the looks of it, it was taken the last time Caden and I visited the lake.

Nausea rose at the thought that someone had watched us, photographed us.

“It’s a physical relationship, nothing more,” I lied.

He shook his head. “I have access to Debbie’s reports and her recordings of each session she holds. I know with certainty that your ‘physical relationship’ is far more than that.”

Richard’s brow furrowed as he stared at the photograph. His eyes flicked up to me. “He’s too good for you.” His voice was softer, gruffer than it had been.

Richards hadn’t figured out that Caden was helping me. If he knew, his tone would be different. Relief flooded through my veins. Caden hadn’t been sucked into this. Thank God.

“He is,” I agreed.

The lines on Dane Richard’s face deepened with his disapproval. “We’re at an impasse,” Dane said. “You are too valuable for us to lose, but too deviant to be reliable.”

My heart slammed in my chest. “So what happens now?” I asked. I didn’t want to know the answer to this question.

“Oh, there are plenty of things that could happen,” he said, frowning at my reaction. “But for now, nothing.” Dane’s words did nothing to reassure me.

“Can I go then?”

Richards watched me for a beat. Then he nodded once. “You’re excused.”

I placed my hands on Richard’s desk as I stood up to hide the way they trembled.

When I reached for the door, his voice cut through the silence. “Oh, and Ember?”

I looked at him over my shoulder.

“You better learn to love the project and its objectives real quick. I wouldn’t want to break Caden’s heart by making you disappear.”