Inescapable (Talented Saga #7) (28 page)

“
Erik, listen to
Victoria,” my father admonished.

The small smile Victoria gave my dad was
warm and full of affection.

“
I heard there were rumors
about our meeting and the decision circulating among the staff on
Vault,” she said to me, looking thoughtful. “So it very well might
have been Talia’s night guard who told her.”

“
So let’s bring her in,” I
demanded. I wanted to confront the woman who’d raised her hand to
my girlfriend, especially if she were the one responsible for Talia
going rogue. If Konterra thought she had something to fear from
Tals, I couldn’t wait for her to meet me.

Victoria shook her head, as if clearing her
thoughts from an etch-a-sketch.

“
Truly, Erik, we have
concerns right now that are far more pressing. Talia is in more
danger than either she or you know,” she began, sighing
heavily.

“
Way to be dramatic,” I
said sarcastically.

“
Erik,” my father
chastised. “Talia needs you right now. The best way to help her is
to listen. How about letting Victoria talk, and maybe save the
snide comments for a more appropriate occasion?”

“
It is okay, Earon,”
Victoria spoke up. “He has every right to be upset.”

What, are they buddies
now?
I thought irritably. When I’d left
for my first rally, the two had been cordial, though not on a
first-name basis. Now, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they
busted out friendship bracelets.

Victoria slouched back in her desk chair as
I studied her through a black haze of indignation. The dark circles
under her eyes expanded with each breath she exhaled. More than a
few of her amber locks had come loose from the chignon at the back
of her head, and her dress was a wrinkled facsimile of the stylish
frock she’d worn to our security meeting. The councilwoman’s
perfectly groomed façade was crumbling under my scrutiny. If I
hadn’t been so consumed with Talia’s safety, I might have had room
in my heart to empathize with Victoria and the weight she was
carrying on her slumped shoulders.

“
I do not even know where
to begin,” Victoria said, looking as lost as her statement implied.
Her small laugh was hollow, brittle, and very forced. “Talia’s
escape has added muck to the already muddied waters. I
guess….”

The councilwoman sighed again as she trailed
off, running her fingers through her mussed hair as she searched
for the right words to continue. When she took her hand away, a
small drop of blood welled near one of Victoria’s temples. That was
when I noticed her chipped nails had morphed into razor sharp
claws. Like many Talents, Victoria was unable to prevent her
abilities from manifesting in response to extreme stress.

She looks so
defeated,
I thought, finally feeling a
slight twinge of sympathy for the councilwoman.

“
Start at the beginning,
Victoria,” my father said gently.

During our exchange, Miles had finished the
last stitch and used a tiny pair of scissors to snip the thread. As
I waited for Victoria to discern the beginning of whatever story
she was about to tell, Miles wrapped gauze around my hand. When he
was done, he sat back and smiled, satisfied with his handiwork. I
flexed my fingers just to make sure they still moved normally,
which they did. My body healed quickly, so the injury was likely to
be no more than a scar in a matter of days.

“
Firstly, please believe
me when I say that it was with a very heavy heart that I agreed to
Amberly’s proposition,” Victoria finally began, her tone imploring.
“I never, not for a single moment, intended for Talia to be
included in the order. I left the meeting and immediately set in
motion a plan to show the council that she is a team player who can
be trusted to work towards achieving our goals. I wanted them to
see what an asset she is, and not just because of her
talents.

“
Even still, I knew it
might not be enough for the council to grant her clemency, which is
why I had an alternate plan in place. Under no circumstances was I
ever going to allow her execution. Please believe me, Erik. We were
going to get her out. I swear it.”

While Victoria’s words and beseeching gaze
softened the hardest edges of my anger towards her, I couldn’t help
but still feel that she was largely to blame for Talia’s current
predicament. Until my girlfriend was safe, I wouldn’t be letting
Victoria off the hook.

So, instead of answering, I simply nodded
once while keeping my even stare locked on the councilwoman.

“
Finding Talia immediately
is of the upmost importance,” Victoria continued. “We need to
locate her, before someone else does. Her safety is in
jeopardy.”

The councilwoman took a deep breath,
exhaling slowly through her nose.

“
Someone like who,
exactly?” I demanded. “The Vault guards? Other agents?”

“
No, no, not our people.
Everyone working with UNITED is under strict instructions to bring
Talia in alive and unharmed. Well, relatively unharmed, since we
all know that she will fight them. Nonetheless, under no
circumstances is any UNITED agent permitted to use more force than
absolutely necessary. And should it come to a situation where the
agents must choose between mortally wounding Talia or letting her
go free, they have been instructed to do the latter. I gave the
order myself, and it will be followed to the letter.” Victoria’s
amber eyes again locked with my turquoise ones. “Talia will not die
as long as I am head of UNITED. That is a promise.”

I relaxed, some of the tension leaving my
rigid body. Not because I took her words at face value. But because
Victoria gave me a rare glimpse into her mind when she met my gaze.
I felt the turmoil swirling inside of her. I felt her regret over
making an impossible decision. When she’d said she cared about
Talia, the councilwoman meant it; I felt that, too.

“
Fine. You have my
attention, Victoria,” I told her. “So, tell me, who are we worried
about finding her? Who do you believe is Talia’s greatest enemy? In
case you’ve forgotten, Talia is the most dangerous Talent out
there.” I held up my hand to halt any forthcoming protest. “I know,
I know. You all think the rogue Created and their manmade powers
are the real danger. But don’t forget, Talia actually knows how to
use her gifts. She’s had a lifetime of experience with them. And
not only is she a trained killer, but Talia has had years to
perfect and hone those abilities, as well.” I leaned back in my
chair, cradling my injured hand in my lap. “Enlighten me,
Councilwoman. Who is she supposed to fear?”

Needless to say, I wasn’t convinced that my
girlfriend had foes capable of hunting her down and killing her. I
had way too much faith in Talia and her talents to believe it,
without concrete proof.

To my surprise, amusement sparkled briefly
in Victoria’s expression.

“
You two truly are soul
mates. You both believe the other is invincible, while still going
to extraordinary lengths to prevent the other from being harmed.
Maybe it is the mental connection training you did while with
TOXIC. Maybe it is a result of your romantic entanglement. Maybe it
is due to something else entirely. Whatever the case, I am sure our
scientists would find your connection a fascinating case
study.”

I glared at her. “Thanks for the unsolicited
psych eval or whatever that was, but you didn’t answer my
question.”

“
I think what Victoria
here is trying to say,” Miles interjected, “is that you and that
girlfriend of yours are peas in a pod, kid. You think alike. You
talk alike. You act alike.”

I snorted derisively. “You don’t even know
Talia, Miles.”

“
Not up close and personal
like you,” he admitted. “But I’ve read every last scrap of intel
UNITED has on that girl. And let me tell you, that file is
thick.”

“
Agent DeSanto is
correct,” Victoria quickly agreed. “You and Talia are remarkably
similar in so many ways. Because of that, even if she continues to
block you from her mind, I believe you will still be the key to
finding her. Of course, knowing Talia, I do think she will reach
out to you once she feels that she is safe. Talia will trust that
you will not betray her whereabouts. Do not deny it,” she warned,
holding up her hand to stop me as she shook her head. “You once
endured torture rather than divulging her location to
TOXIC.”

“
Is that a threat?” I
interjected, my temper rising once more. “I promise you, there is
nothing you can do to me that hasn’t already been done. I will not
betray her, no matter what.”

“
Erik,” my father
chastised. “Victoria is on your side.”

I transferred my glare to him instead. It
had little effect on him.

“
What? Of course it is not
a threat, Erik.” Victoria actually looked hurt by the accusation.
“I want—no, I
need
for you to work with me to find her.”

I stood and leaned over Victoria’s desk,
bringing my face within inches of hers.

“
I will not betray Talia,”
I repeated slowly, stressing every word. “If you want her back,
give me a team of my choosing to find her. And you need to convince
that council of yours that if she returns to UNITED, it will be as
a free woman. I will not bring her back here only to have her
locked away again. Or worse. Even if the treaty is voted down, I
know she’d rather take her chances out there, with all those
Talent-haters, than face execution.”

Victoria swallowed thickly, the only sign
she found my proximity unnerving. My father moved around the chair
to stand by my side. He placed a comforting hand on my back, once
again intent on pulling me back from the edge. Miles stood, too,
moving to stand beside the councilwoman.

“
Sit, please, Erik,”
Victoria said, her tone calm. “It is time I was honest with you
about the larger forces in play right now. I fully admit, I should
have been honest with Talia, too. If I had been, she might have
thought twice about running.”

“
I’m listening,” I
growled, my canines elongating to sharp points.

My nails sprouted into claws capable of
slicing through flesh and bone. In the councilwoman’s dilated
pupils, I saw my own turquoise irises twist into glowing flames.
She held my gaze unflinchingly.

“
There is a bounty on
Talia,” Victoria said. “A very, very impressive bounty. She is
worth far more money to someone than I have ever seen
offered.”

This revelation came as no surprise.

As UNITED’s poster boy, the face of the
Created, I was a public figure who had plenty of haters. But my
notoriety was nothing compared to Talia’s. My girlfriend was
downright infamous. First, she’d been instrumental in bringing down
TOXIC, gaining her attention within the international Talented
community. Then, thanks to our raid on the Poachers’ auction in
London, her name had claimed even more headlines, all over the
world. Since the Poachers were well-established families—with old
money, political connections, and ridiculously wealthy clients—it
was a pretty safe assumption that they wanted Talia dead.

Then there were the hate-groups. Publicly
taking me down was symbolic. Killing my girlfriend was a better
strategy, though. Everyone knew I cared more about her life than my
own.

I shook my head and sat, fully in control
again.

“
So what?” I asked,
feeling like Victoria wasn’t telling me anything new. “Isn’t the
same true for me? For Penny? For anyone associated with or working
for UNITED?”

The increased physical distance between us
seemed to give Victoria a false sense of security, because she
relaxed visibly. Obviously she underestimated my reflexes. If I
wanted to maul her, that ancient oak desk was no obstacle. Miles,
on the other hand, had never underestimated my capabilities or my
temper. Because of that, he remained standing by the councilwoman’s
side, ready to leap between us should the need arise. Though, it
was hard to say whom he thought he was actually protecting.

“
Yes and no,” Victoria
hedged. “Both you and Penelope Crane also have very large bounties
for your deaths. As do a number of other highly skilled, extremely
powerful agents, including Frederick Kraft. The reward for your
heads, quite literally, would make someone very wealthy.

“
The pivotal difference is
this: someone out there wants you, Talia, and Penelope
alive
. Do not
misunderstand—most organizations, including the Poachers, would
prefer all three of you dead. Intel suggests the Poachers are
offering a sizable sum to the person who can make that happen. But
their desires do not concern me right now. As you said, Talia is
very capable of holding her own. She poses a greater threat to any
bounty hunter the Poachers send after her than that individual does
to her. You and Penelope are under UNITED’s protection, surrounded
by other agents at all times, which will remain true for the
foreseeable future. And, like Talia, you both are capable of
protecting yourselves. So, these are not considered imminent
threats. These groups are not what concerns me in our present
circumstances.”

“
Okay,” I said slowly,
confused as to where the conversation was going. I attempted to
peek inside Victoria’s head, but found her thoughts
well-guarded.

Guess she isn’t ready to
share
all
of her
secrets,
I thought.