Tiger Bound (17 page)

“What can I get you, sweetheart?” the waitress asked.

A question of the city and state trembled on her lips, but she bit it back in time, realizing she could have checked the stationary or other media in the motel room before she left. She’d find out when she went back. No need to draw attention to herself with idiot questions.

“Yes, can I get scrambled eggs and hash browns, please, and a cup of tea?”

“You want bacon or sausage with that, suga’?”

“No, thank you.” The south, she concluded from the woman’s dialect, and a sense of being home came over her, although she was pretty sure Heath avoided Oklahoma for the time being.

The waitress brought back her meal and a small glass of sweet tea. Definitely the south, Deja mused. “I’m sorry, I meant hot tea. Uh, never mind, I’ll take this. Thanks.”

She had a moment of panic wondering if she remembered to take money and then recalled she had. Heath always left it on the nightstand. Deja took time to section her eggs and hash browns in bite-sized pieces and then almost hurled them across the room when she swallowed. A knife of pain tore through her abdomen, and moisture broke out on her temples. Her head dropped when she curled in defense, but she put up her hand just in time to keep it from slamming on the table. For a long time, she remained that way.

The waitress wandered by and stopped at her table. Deja recognized her by the serviceable cushiony-soled shoes, but she didn’t look up. “Everything okay, suga’?”

“Fine.” Deja’s less than friendly answer couldn’t be helped. The waitress went on about her business, and Deja wished she had a cell phone to call Heath. His procurement of money, clothing, motel rooms, and vehicles hadn’t included those devices. Who would they call anyway? Who could help them?

While she waited for the pain to ease, she let the constant drone of the TV newscaster’s voice soothe her. Not that she paid much attention to what was said, but when the name Holmes caught her attention, she repositioned her heavy head on her arm so she could see the screen.

“Dr. Gail Holmes, a geneticist and former employee of Senifax Industries, was found dead in her apartment on Sunday. No word on cause of death, although the authorities are ruling it a suicide. In other news…”

Senifax?
Deja recognized the name of the doctor who had experimented on her. How could she forget? Somehow, she thought that entire experience would haunt her dreams for many years to come, but why would they report her former employer rather than Spiderweb? For that matter, she and Heath were definitely not in Nevada anymore. Why was this national news?

She pondered the situation more while pushing her uneaten food around on her plate. Had Dr. Holmes killed herself because they’d escaped? That wasn’t her fault—or did Spiderweb consider it her fault? Maybe this wasn’t the same woman. No, she’d seen the picture, and the news channel seemed intent on making her face prominent so no one would miss it.

She jerked upright in her seat and winced when nausea assailed her. Could this be a message sent to Deja and Heath, one to let them know no one screwed the company and got away with their life? Deja’s teeth clicked together with her fear, and the only way she could get them to stop was to clench her jaw. She paid for her meal and left a small tip, then worked her way back to the motel room. By the time she reached it, she puffed outside the door, leaning her face against the cold panel. When she stuck her key card in the slot, the door jerked open and she fell in. Heath dragged her into his arms and kicked the door shut. He carried her across the room and deposited her onto the bed.

“Where the hell have you been, Deja?”

She flicked a look up at him, although she was pretty sure she appeared more drunk than indignant. “Who do you think you’re talking to like that?”

“Didn’t you think I’d worry when I woke up and you weren’t here? I was about to get in the car and look for you.”

“I told you I can—”

“Don’t start that,” he railed. He paced and ran his hands through his hair. She gasped, seeing them shake before he steadied them, and his eyes, now that she studied him, displayed slitted pupils like the tiger. He really was worried. “Deja, this isn’t a game.”

“I know that.”

“Then act like it.”

“I get it, okay? Damn it, Heath, I’m not a prisoner. I needed some fresh air, and for the first time in what feels like years, I had the energy to get up and do for myself. Do you know what it’s like to have to depend on someone else to freakin’ wash you? It’s like I’m an invalid or an old woman before my time. I don’t want this any more than you do.”

On her last words, her voice cracked, and she pressed a hand to her mouth. Heath dropped to his knees in front of her and took her hands in his. He kissed one and then the other, taking her by surprise. His hot and cold attitude drove her insane and left her confused.

“Shh, baby, I’m sorry.” He ran a hand along her cheek, but she turned her face away, and he let it fall. He sighed and stood to sit beside her. “I can’t imagine how it must be, but I do understand. In some ways, I’m encouraged by how you’ve been doing all this time, and in others…” He hesitated.

“Talk to me, please. It’s not right that you shut me out and expect me to obey you.”

He gazed at her with dawning understanding, and his pupils expanded in a flash and went back to their normal roundness.
Or is the other way normal and this human side unusual?

“You’re right,” he admitted. “I’ve carried this burden alone.” She flinched, but he laid a hand over hers. “I don’t mean you. I mean what they did—to both of us, knowing I can do nothing. No, I haven’t found the solution yet, but I will. While we’re on the road, I wrack my brain for how I can get you help without alerting Spiderweb to where we are. The last time we ran into their operatives was in Arizona, but I haven’t spotted any since then.”

“Arizona? When was this? I didn’t see anyone.” Hell, she didn’t know they passed through Arizona.

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry.”

“See, that’s what I mean. You can’t keep everything from me. I can’t help if I don’t know.” His look seemed to ask how she could help anyway and she glared at him. “I might have ideas you haven’t thought of.”

“That’s true, and I apologize.” He stood up and moved away from her. When he started the pacing again, she knew he had something to say he didn’t want to share. Rather than demand he spit it out, she remained silent and let him take his time. Her impatience had her itching.

Heath stopped walking at last and faced her. “The way I understand it, none of the women survived the change, but my mother did.”

Deja brightened. “Maybe that’s because she was strong, and I am too.”

The pain in his gaze stirred her heart and made her want to cry. He must truly miss her. Deja would do anything to go back in time and save the woman somehow.

“Sweetheart, she didn’t survive at all. That doctor did something to me to make me regress into the past, to remember some things I’d let go. Sure, my mother lasted longer than the others, but she was always ill—
always
. She almost never left her bed. I think the only reason she hung on that first year was to have me, and then her health went further downhill. Tate gave her medicines to prolong her life just as he gave me the medicine to suppress what I am. If he didn’t, I suspect she would have died in the beginning like all the rest. The biggest problem we have is that I don’t have access to any meds to help extend your life. I can’t help you no matter how hard I try.”

Deja pushed to stand. He made a noise of disapproval and pulled her onto his lap. They held each other for long moments until she said, “That’s why you keep pushing me away one minute and pulling me closer the next, isn’t it? You think I’m going to die.”

“No!”

“But you feel like we can’t be together because of this situation and what happened to me.”

“Deja, this isn’t the time to talk about our relationship.”

“Then when will it be time? I sure want to know.”

He compressed his lips into a straight line and put her on the bed. “Get some rest. I’m going to go and pick up some cell phones for us. I think it’s time we can communicate with each other when we’re apart.” He glared at her. “Although you will be by my side at all times, right?”

She shrugged. “Not like you take me with you to the store—ever.”

He sighed, took the key card, and left the room. Only after he’d left did she realize she never told him about Dr. Gail Holmes’ apparent suicide.

Chapter Fourteen

Deja sat in the passenger seat beside Heath and curled her feet under the blanket he’d placed over her. He had turned the heat up sky high and must be sweating like an animal, but she just started feeling more comfortable. She hated this. She needed to get better. There had to be some way or someone out there in the world who could help her—help
them
. Here they were rolling into yet another small town with no firm destination in mind. When she grilled him, Heath admitted that his plan was to keep moving for now until he figured out what to do. He didn’t trust anyone. They never stayed in one place long.

She stared out the window, too tired to continue making suggestions. Even while she told herself not to, her mind threw out descriptions of everything she saw—hardware store, convenience store, library, hair salon. Wait, a library might be useful. She knew most allowed access to the internet, and she could do a search on Google for any information on Spiderweb. Then all the movies she’d seen in the past about people being tracked by their searches came to mind. What if she could do it without the organization knowing she searched for them? Was it possible?

“Hey, Heath, there’s a hotel.”

He shook his head. “Remember, we have to stay at the less discriminating places.”

She sighed. “I’m so over those. It’s because they don’t care if we have ID, right?” Rather than continue to complain, she clamped her teeth together. Whining about their situation would help nothing, and it would remind him of whose fault it was they were in this predicament in the first place. If she could gather information from the internet and find someone to help, he might forgive her and stop pushing her away. Then if she really was dying, they could spend what was left of her life together, if not happy, at least companionable.
Or I could leave and die on my own so he doesn’t have to see me waste away. Damn it, I’m not that brave—or selfless.
She would do this, the least she could do, and see where it took them.

When they found a place at last, which turned out to be a room rented from an old lady who needed the money, Heath left her to run errands and get food. She figured he also cased the town to be sure there were no Spiderweb operatives lurking about. She’d asked him how he could tell, and he admitted to learning to call forward the tiger a bit better. He smelled fear and nervousness by something secreted through the skin, and he heard a sudden increase in heart rate.

“Well you know, if it’s a woman, the heartbeat thing could be because you’re hot, right?” she’d teased.

He’d given her a blank stare, and she laughed.

When she was sure he was out of the general area, she pulled the bottle of pain pills from the bag he carried for her and popped a few in her mouth. Two were a joke, and if she intended to make it down the street to the library she’d seen, then she needed all the help she could get. The lucky break was, today was a stronger day healthwise than normal. Afterward, she would probably be wrung out to dry, but for now, her determination and confidence soared.

A short while later, she arrived at the library winded but alert. She arranged to use the computer and sat down at it, thankful there was no waiting line. Then again, being the middle of the day, most people were at work. After bringing up the Google homepage, she paused. How could she do this without using the name Spiderweb? For all she knew, the organization might have a supercomputer set up somewhere with twenty-four-seven surveillance on watching for their name. Then again, maybe she was overthinking this. Many people must be searching for
spider
and
web
all over the world. She refused to take the risk and typed in, “Anyone know information about an arachnid corporation?” Pages of websites came up in the list, but none relevant. She varied her wording several times and sat back in frustration. Maybe this whole idea was a bad one after all.

One more try with “spider biz” brought up entries for extermination, and she grumbled but half-heartedly scrolled through the information. On page four, her heart beat faster at the entry. Someone had created a Craigslist ad, and in clicking the link, she discovered they updated it recently.

Deja glanced over the computer screen and scanned the library. One or two people wandered among the shelves, and the librarian at the information desk had nodded off with a book in her hand. She stared at the screen. Did she even dare? What if it was a trap? What if someone at Spiderweb put up the ad, waiting for them to let their guard down? Damn it, she had to take a chance. What was the point of living if they lived like this, on the run, and imprisoned in motel rooms like criminals?

Taking a deep breath, she flipped to a new window and created a Gmail account. When she had that set up, she went back to the ad and answered. “Need help with information on arachnid biz. Can you help me?” Her hand shook when she pressed the send button. She then set up the cell phone Heath gave her to receive notifications from the email account. Now all she could do was wait.

“Deja!”

She jumped a foot from the chair and spun around. When she pitched forward, Heath caught her and waited until she got her balance and then stepped back to glare at her.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

She put her hands on her hips. “I wasn’t aware I had a curfew, Daddy.”

“Don’t hand me that. You know this is serious, Deja. Why did you leave the room?”

A million thoughts passed through her mind to complain about, but she let them go. “I was just checking the news.”