Inescapable (Talented Saga #7) (56 page)

The top tier was smaller than the other
three and raised high above them. One wraparound sofa curved the
perimeter of the dais like a giant python. The ice bucket on the
accompanying platinum table was solid gold.

“
Best seat in the house,”
Riley informed us needlessly, pointing to the top tier. “Only place
you can see the show down below.” This time he gestured to the
empty space below the railing at the front of the balcony. I peered
down. Ten stories below me was a giant stage, surrounded by a bar
and dance floor on each side. It seemed the main part of the club
was actually underground, since we’d entered this floor from
street-level.

“
What’s above the
nightclub?” I asked.

“
Bryn keeps a flat for
herself up there. It’s huge. If we weren’t so worried about Kenly
being spotted by UNITED, we’d stay there, too. Right now, the
bunker’s a much better hiding spot.” Pushing aside a heavy curtain
of black and gold velvet between the third and fourth tiers, Riley
opened a black door that blended almost seamlessly with the wall.
If not for the gold handle, I wouldn’t have noticed it at
all.

“
The lift only stops three
places,” Riley informed us as he motioned for Kip, Emma, and I to
board the elevator. He pointed towards the ceiling. “Bryn’s place.”
He nodded towards the open door. “VIP lounge.” He tapped his foot
three times on the floor of the elevator. “And the storeroom. Very
few people have access to it, so no worries on the unexpected
visitor front.”

The elevator was the kind with buttons and
levers as opposed to bio scanners and voice commands. In order to
make the car move, Riley first needed to insert another of his
brass keys into a slot beneath the single row of buttons. Then, he
pulled the lever to one side and hit the button marked SR.

Emma and Kip might have had more experience
with supposedly extinct powers, such as teleportation, but
elevators were a revelation for them. Emma clung tightly to her
boyfriend, eyes round as pool balls, when the car started its
descent. Kip tried to play it cool, patting Emma’s back and
promising her that it would be okay, but he was just as uneasy
about the mode of transportation.

“
It’s just a lift,” Riley
grumbled.

“
A lift?” Emma squeaked.
“But it feels like we’re going down, not up.”

“
Let it go,” I told Riley
as the car came to stop.

“
Bunker level, where you’ll
find techno equipment, bedding, and fugitives,” Riley said,
speaking in a falsetto.

“
Show me the fugitives
first,” I deadpanned.

“
Right this way, Miss
Escaped Convict.” Riley bowed deeply.

Emma and Kip did not find our banter funny.
This being their first foray into the murky pool of morality and
even murkier pool of legality, I couldn’t blame them. Being a
wanted criminal and skirting ethical lines was something I was used
to, as was Riley.

The lift opened into a
large storage closet with boxes of pricey alcohol. Riley dragged a
large box with
DeHallow Whiskey
emblazoned on the side from one corner. Then, he
bent and pulled a silver handle I hadn’t noticed right away. The
trapdoor popped open. Voices speaking all different languages
drifted up through the opening.

“
Last stop, guys. Welcome
to the bunker.” With that, Riley dropped through the
trapdoor.

I looped one arm through Kip’s and one
through Emma’s and half-dragged the pair to the opening. Riley was
halfway down a metal ladder. When he saw me peering down at him, he
jumped the last several feet to the ground. His boots made a dull
thud when the soles connected with the carpet.

“
Riley! Where is she?” I
heard Kenly call, and then her big brown eyes were gazing up at
me.

A tremendous weight lifted from my chest at
the sight of my former mentee. She looked good. Paler than normal,
which was saying something, but lack of sunlight did that to
people. Kenly had always been tall and thin, but the last time I’d
seen her she was emaciated. Not anymore. She’d put on a good
fifteen pounds and looked much healthier for it.

Tears shimmered on her lashes, and she waved
excitedly. I didn’t bother with the ladder, since the drop was only
about ten feet. As soon as I landed, Kenly’s arms encircled my
shoulders in a crushing hug.

“
Oh my gosh, you have to
tell me everything.” She pushed me away gently and examined me.
“Prison life must have been awful.” She squeezed my biceps. “Did
you spend all your time working out? I’m so sorry. This is all my
fault. I can’t believe they put you in jail for helping me! That
Victoria lady is such a wench! Are you hungry? I’ll have something
special sent down and you can tell me everything. Nice clothes by
the way. Oh, is this them?” Kenly spoke so fast that my head spun
with the effort of keeping up with her. Only the sight of Emma and
Kip, who had joined us in the bunker, was enough to staunch the
flow of verbal vomit Kenly was expelling.

“
Wow. One question at time,
okay? First, yes, this is Emma and Kip.” I pointed to the two
islanders. They waved hello. “Life on Vault wasn’t so bad. Quiet.
Very quiet. Which was nice. And, no, Kenly, it wasn’t your
fault.”

Guilt wafted off of her, the aroma
reminiscent of overripe fruit.

“
I made a decision, and I
had to live with the consequences. Besides, my list of infractions
had a lot more on it than letting you guys go.” I glanced around
the bunker, impressed by the size and amenities. “Nice
digs.”

“
It’s not much, but I like
it,” Kenly replied, grinning.

Not much was an understatement. The fallout
shelter consisted of one enormous oval room—seriously, it spanned
two city blocks—with screen dividers spread throughout. It reminded
me of office cubicles, but way nicer.

“
Is this where you live?”
Emma asked, speaking for the first time. “I was expecting something
a lot more primitive.”

“
Pays to have connections,
particularly when those connections have money,” a deep voice
interjected. From behind one of the dividers, James stepped into
the open. His handsome face offered me a tentative smile, his
silver eyes apprehensive.

“
How are you James?” I
asked Kenly’s boyfriend. To my surprise, James opened his arms for
a hug. I obliged him.

“
Doing well, thanks to
you.” James stepped back and looked me over. “How are you? We’ve
been worried.”

I waved off the comment. “I’m good. Swear.
Though it is nice to be off Vault.”

“
I’ll bet. That was some
escape you pulled. How’d you manage to make it to London?” James
asked.

“
It’s a long story. These
two,” I gestured to Emma and Kip, “had a lot to do with the second
leg of my trip.”

During our brief exchange, James had visibly
relaxed. But when his silver gaze found the two imports, his
expression turned anxious again. Taking several steps towards the
newcomers, he extended his hand to Emma first. “James
Wellington.”

Smiling shyly, Emma returned the handshake.
“Emma Montague. It’s nice to meet you.”

“
You, too.” Releasing
Emma’s hand, James turned his attention to Kip and repeated the
introduction.

“
Vester Ozolos, but you can
call me Kip,” the islander replied.

Beside me, Kenly froze, the vibes emanating
off of her a mix of fear and concern. I got the distinct impression
that neither that fear nor that concern was over her own safety, or
that of her bunker-mates. James and Riley exchanged pointed
glances, and both boys’ expressions turned grim. Jaw set in a hard
line, James rose his brows in question at Kenly.

“
What?” I demanded as the
trio of Kenly, James, and Riley continued to send a myriad of
silent signals back and forth.

“
Maybe I should tell you
everything first,” Kenly said. “Or better yet, I’ll show
you.”

Kenly walked through the maze of dividers to
a large open space at one end of the expansive room. The entire
area was covered in monitors, each showing a different image from
around the world. The volumes were all on low, but the voices I’d
been hearing were coming from the screens.

One long holo desk sat in the middle of the
area, with several chairs situated behind it.

“
This is quite the setup
you’ve got here,” I commented.

“
Yeah, well, the Chrome
trade is lucrative,” James replied bitterly. “I’d love to see the
looks on my parents’ faces when they learn their bunker, with all
of its expensive techno gear and 1000-threadcout sheets, has been
turned into a hideout for the very people they’ve been selling into
slavery.” His laugh was derisive. “My grandparents are probably
rolling over in their graves. Soulless gits.”

Kenly rested a comforting hand on her
boyfriend’s arm. The tension in James’s muscles lessened instantly
under her touch. Ever the gentleman, James pulled out the center
chair at the holo table for Kenly. With an appreciative smile that
reminded me a lot of the way I’d seen Emma gazing at Kip, Kenly
sat. But as soon as she turned to face the wall of monitors, her
expression was all business.

With three quick taps to the tabletop, a
holo keyboard appeared. Kenly’s fingers flew across the keys at
lightning speed, muting the volume on all of the monitors
simultaneously. Then, on the center screen, which was larger than
the rest, a computer desktop with hundreds of file folders
appeared.

“
You might want to sit,”
James suggested, indicating the other chairs at the
desk.

Emma, Kip, and I sat.

“
Probably you should start
at the beginning, Kenly,” Riley said, perching on the far left side
of the table.

James stood behind Kenly, gently rubbing her
shoulders as she worked.

“
Right. The beginning.”
Absently, Kenly tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and
cracked her knuckles. “So, I infiltrated UNITED’s digital system,”
she announced without preamble.

“
I heard, and I am
impressed,” I said with a proud grin.

Kenly blushed. “It wasn’t that hard. Anyway,
I’ve installed a bunch of programs for a bunch of different
reasons. One is an alert for mentions of you.” She gestured towards
me.

“
Riley told us,” I
replied.

“
Oh, he did? Did he tell
you what I found?”

“
Only the basics,” Riley
chimed in helpfully. “I thought it best you tell her about
Nightshade.”

My insides began to squirm. I’d never heard
of Nightshade, but just the way Riley said the name gave me
goosebumps.

“
Okay, so there is the
mercenary organization called Nightshade,” Kenly began. “Have you
heard of them?”

I shook my head.

“
I have,” Emma piped up,
surprising everyone including Kip. She shrugged and explained, “My
dad’s had dealings with them.”

Cue more pointed glances between Kenly,
Riley, and James.

The mushy feeling in my stomach intensified.
NS—that had been the signature on the fax Jeb received my last
night on Pelia. I’d assumed that NS was a person. But what if the
initials stood for Nightshade?

“
What sort of dealings?”
Kenly asked Emma cautiously.

“
I don’t really know. I’ve
just heard him mention them before, like when he’s talking to some
of the other elders in our tribe,” Emma replied nervously,
obviously having picked up on the atmosphere change.

“
Emma,” I began slowly, “is
it possible the NS from that fax was Nightshade?”

Emma’s eyes went wide. “Oh my gosh. I’m so
sorry, Talia. I didn’t even—I should have, but I didn’t. It just
never—I’m sorry.”

“
It’s okay,” I told
Emma.

“
What are you two talking
about?” Kenly asked. “What fax?”

I blew out a breath and repeated the short
communication verbatim.

“
So they knew you were on
Pelia?” Kenly asked, furrowing her brow. “How? Who tipped them off?
Because it doesn’t sound like it was Emma’s father, not if they
wanted confirmation from him that you were there.”

“
Freedom Beach is in the
free lands,” Kip interjected. “News of a mainlander washing up in
no-man’s territory spreads quickly on Pelia. Even though Emma found
Talia, it’s likely that someone from another tribe saw Talia first.
And while the various tribes don’t get along as a whole,
individuals from different tribes do socialize in the free lands.
My best friend has even dated a girl from a rival tribe. So once
Talia’s presence in our village was known, I’m sure people started
gossiping to their friends in other parts of the
island.”

“
Why is Nightshade looking
for me?” I asked, directing my question to Kenly. “Do you
know?”

“
Not exactly,” Kenly
hedged. “Given the way their organization works, I can tell you
that they were hired to find you. I can also tell you that their
orders are to capture you and deliver you to the client alive. No
exceptions.” Her eyes flitted briefly to Kip. “And you, too,
Kip.”

Now I understood the collective reactions
from Kenly, Riley, and James upon hearing Kip’s real name. The fact
a mercenary organization was after me was not surprising in the
least. And the client who’d hired Nightshade could be any number of
unsavory people or groups. But Kip was from a remote island in the
middle of nowhere. Why did they want him? How did they even know
about him?