Beyond These Walls (13 page)

“So you wanna tell me what’s going on? Why that mutant called you Quinn? And why the leader of the Resistance is playing babysitter?” After each question, I jabbed my finger in his side. I stabbed harder and harder until he held up a hand in surrender.

“Okay,” he said.

“Well?”

Jake gave an eye roll I would’ve missed had he not emphasized it with a sigh. “First of all, you brought this on yourself. No matter how many times Ivan asked you to leave it,” he gestured to himself and the minivan, “to leave us alone, you had to find the Resistance.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me toward him. “Well, baby, you found us. I hope both of us live long enough to regret it.”

******

“We’re here.” Jake pulled the minivan to the curb outside of the HELLO MUTANT KITTY warehouse. It looked much the same as it had a few days ago with busted windows and boarded doorways, but somehow it was more ominous now. Above the doorway the statue of Mutant Kitty stared at me with wide black eyes.

I wasn’t sure I wanted the Resistance’s help anymore, but damn it, after my latest discovery at Resden, I sure as hell needed it. If Arthur had created the plague he could stop it. I hoped like hell he could or would for that matter.

But first I needed answers from Jake.

“Why the sudden Resistance interest in me?” I frowned. “A week ago the Resistance didn’t care enough to exist for the likes of me, and now, I’ve got my own personal bodyguard. Why?”

Jake grinned, a smile designed to devastate the female senses, and ultimately turn me into brainless mush. But I’d been with Quinn long enough to develop immunity to that sort of smile. After all, Quinn had mastered that grin at birth.

“We,” Jake nodded to the warehouse, “weren’t sure you could be trusted.”

“What?!” My voice rose to a screech. “My father was a rebel fighter. He killed for the mutant way.”

“True.” He shrugged his broad shoulder. “But it doesn’t change the facts. You are Arthur Resden’s granddaughter, but even worse, you’re involved with Quinn Daniels.”

“Quinn and I are not involved.” My fists clenched as did my jaw at his implication. Again, Jake shrugged, as if my answer didn’t count. And it didn’t, not in the Resistance’s eyes. I’d slept with a traitor, had loved him, and would’ve given my life for him.

A thought occurred to me. “Is that why you kissed me? Was it some kind of sick revenge against Quinn’s perceived wrongs?” I shook my head. “Joke’s on you then. Quinn could care less about what happens to me.” Which wasn’t exactly true but I’d be dammed if I’d admit that to Jake.

“Perceived?” Jake leaned closer to me, his face inches from mine. He smelled of gunpowder and violence. “Let’s get something clear. Daniels list of crimes isn’t perceived. It’s very fucking real. You know that better than anyone.”

The anger radiating from him since Baker’s assault suddenly disappeared. “But as much as I hate Resden and Daniels I don’t fuck crazy mutant girls for revenge.”

“You know just the right thing to say.” I pressed my hand to my forehead and fanned myself like a Southern Belle. “It’s a struggle to keep my panties on.”

“It’s a gift,” Jake said and laughed. “But I will tell you this,” his voice grew cold again, “throwing around Daniels name inside,” he cocked his head toward the warehouse, “won’t make you any friends. Many of the Resistance aren’t nearly as forgiving of a traitor as me.”

Forgiving of what? I wondered. What kind of mutated bridges had Quinn set fire to when he left? I’d find out soon enough, I thought as I took Jake’s hand and allowed him to escort me into the headquarters of the mutant Resistance.

Chapter 28

“Isn’t it great?” Caren tugged on my arm for perhaps the hundredth time since Jake had escorted me into the depths of mutant hell. Or Resistance HQ as he called it. The Resistance headquarters wasn’t what I expected. In fact it appeared more like an underground dungeon complete with metal barred cells and zombie-eyed mutants than a headquarters of an organization bent on the destruction of the HOA.

While the HOA had trained, skilled, mercenary agents with weapons built for one strategic purpose, killing mutants. The Resistance had Jake and his band of desperados, most, from the looks of them, were under the age of twelve.

None of the rebels carried weapons and all had the blank-eyed stare of kids who’d seen too much. I noticed the telltale red rash of plague victims too. The Resistance was much too young and sick to help anyone, let alone save the world.

“This is it?” I motioned around the room to the bunch of kids barely out of puberty. “You’re kidding me, right?”

Jake raised an eyebrow. “What’d you expect?”

“Their just kids.” My eyes swept across the mutant army. “You can’t expect them to win against the HOA. They’ll be slaughtered,” I said low enough that only Jake could hear me. Last thing I needed was to annoy a bunch of hormonal teenagers.

“Eric’s sixteen,” Caren said, again pulling on my arm. “He’s going to be a soldier soon. Jake says I can be a soldier too.”

I smiled down at her. After Nobody’s kidnapping I’d asked Ivan to watch over her, to keep her happy and safe. Giving her to the Resistance so they could brainwash her into some kind of kiddie weapon wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind. I glared at Jake.

He held up a hand. “Caren, I said when you grow up you can be a soldier. Until then, you’re to stay down here with the rest of the,” he paused, “kids.”

A girl younger than Caren held out a curly haired blonde doll to me. The doll, much to my chagrin, wore pink combat boots. “Her name’s Shirley.” She smiled showing off a row of missing front teeth. “What’s your name?”

“Indeara.” I motioned to Caren. “I’m a friend of Caren’s.”

This seemed to satisfy the child. “My daddy’s dead,” she offered with a nod.

It was my turn to nod. “Mine too.”

“My daddy died before I’twas born.”

“How old are you, sweetheart?” My eyes lifted to Jake’s. The coldness lurking inside his gaze scared me more than her answer. In that moment I knew the truth.

“Free. I’m free years old.” She shot me another toothless grin and held up three tiny, red rashed fingers. “Today.”

******

“It wasn’t Quinn. It couldn’t have been.” I grabbed Jake’s arm spinning him around to face me. We were standing in the hallway outside a room full of orphans. Children orphaned because of my family. Orphaned by the man I had once loved, and a plague created by my own flesh and blood.

“Three years ago the HOA located our headquarters. They killed every man, woman and child they could find.” Jake’s voice went flat. “Quinn survived, thrived actually, and now lives in the human world. What do you think happened?”

I didn’t know what to think. Quinn’s shooting me and walking away made a kind of sick sense. But his being responsible for the deaths of his fellow mutants, and the orphaning of hundreds of children. That wasn’t him. Not the Quinn I’d known. If he had that much blood on his hands, it would show, wouldn’t it?

“But you survived.” I tilted my head to the side. “You and some of the others.” I motioned to the men passing through the corridors. Older men. Warriors. Their battle scars and cold eyes told more stories of war and death than any words could.

“Yeah,” Jake scoffed. “I survived. Barely. See Quinn didn’t know about the underground elevator. So the HOA didn’t either. Once they breeched the perimeter we carried as many of the dying to the shaft as we could, and we hid. For days. Do you know how many children I watched die? How many lives your lover’s betrayal cost?”

He faded into his memories, his eyes growing bleak under long-eye lashed lids. I fought my own dark demons, faces of people I loved and lost to this war. Jake shuddered, his mind returning from whatever hellish memory he’d suppressed. “Never again, Indeara.” He leaned in close to me, so close his breath tickled my cheek. “I won’t let it happen ever again. I’ll burn the place to cinders first.”

“I’m sorry.” I meant every word of it. Too many mutants had died. And for what? We were still trapped behind the wall, used as guinea pigs for vaccines and plague causing agents. Right then I vowed to stop Resden. Never again would a mutant die by my blood’s hands.

“So you see why I use Daniels name whenever I can.” His voice was hard.

“You want the HOA to believe Quinn is the leader of the Resistance so if they ever capture him, he’ll pay for his crimes against you.” I started to laugh. “That’s your revenge. The stupid part is, it’s working. The HOA believes Quinn’s the leader.”

Jake grinned. “Yeah, Ivan told me.”

“What now, Jake?” I gestured to the orphans, sick with plague, and the other mutants who relied on the Resistance for survival. “I need to find Nobody.” And destroy Resden, the vaccine, the plague, and maybe the HOA while I was at it. But I didn’t want to upset him so I remained quiet on the minor details.

“I’ve got an idea about that.”

From the look in his eyes, I knew whatever his grand idea was I wasn’t going to like it.

Chapter 29

“Are you kidding me?” I glared down at the black dress clinging to way too many of my curves, and up at Jake McClain, a man whose eyes noted every single on of them. “I look like a nightcrawler.” Again, I silently added.

“Naw.” Jake shook his stupid, blond head. “You look good.” I raised my overly plucked eyebrow. He quickly added, “Really. You do.”

“Just shut up and tell me where we’re going.” I shoved on a pair of slim, black heels and teetered down the concrete corridor of the HQ and into the murky sunlight. Jake followed behind me, his hands outstretched as if to catch me, when, inevitably, I fell on my ass.

Unlocking the passenger side door of the mutant minivan he motioned for me to enter. This was surprisingly hard to do without flashing my bare assets to any mutant on this side of the wall. Jake watched my struggle, his grin widening as seconds ticked by. Finally I’d had enough, lifted the dress above my waist, modeling pink panties borrowed from a much younger mutant girl, and climbed aboard.

When Jake didn’t respond I wondered if he was already intimately familiar with the panties in question. It wouldn’t surprise me. After all, he had the right qualifications to make a mutant girl swoon.

Thankfully I was immune to his charms.

Or that’s what I told myself when his hand brushed the side of my breast as he hefted himself into the vehicle. I had to repeat it a few times to my traitorous libido, but after a few seconds, my blood returned to my head and my brain began functioning once again.

“No more silent tough guy impersonation.” I poked him in the side causing him to swerve into the other lane. “Tell me where we’re going or let me out right here.”

Right here seemed like a poor choice of words considering we were driving through Fey-sucking territory and I was dressed like a Fey-Burger. A rare Fey-Burger in pink panties.

Jake sighed. Something he did a lot around me. “The reptoes are holding a…party tonight.”

Not good.

Jake continued, “And we’re going to crash it.”

Even worse.

“So why am I dressed up like a hooker?” I frowned. I needed guns and plenty of ammo, not clingy silk and lace. Hell, the heels on my shoes weren’t even sharp enough to cause any real damage. What I wouldn’t give for a pair of stilettos right now, I thought. Preferably black ones with a good six-inch tip.

Apparently Jake didn’t feel my question deserved an answer, so he kept quiet and continued to drive us across the city and into Reptoe territory. I watched out of the mini-mutant-van window counting the number of fast food and Liquor store signs. When the number reached four to every block we reached our destination.

“Here’s the plan.” Jake motioned to a brick building a block from our vehicle. “We slip inside, do a quick search for your friend, and get the hell out of their before anyone recognizes you.”

“Me?” I raised an eyebrow. “What about you?”

“Baby, I’m not nearly as memorable as you.” He reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and handed me a poster with my face plastered across it. It seemed reptoes held a grudge. The words wanted DEAD or DEADER made that much clear. The twenty thousand dollar reward wasn’t half-bad either.

My finger stabbed into Jake’s chest, removing the blatant monitory interest from his eyes. “Don’t even think about it.”

He smiled flashing predatory teeth. “Playing dress-up makes sense now, huh?”

I nodded. The poster carried a picture of me dressed in my standard uniform of black complete with skullcap. I looked like a boy. So much for my feminine vanity. There was no way any reptoe would recognize me dressed like I currently was. I’d bet my life on it. Hell, I was betting my life on it.

“Okay, let’s go.” I hefted my skirt up and jumped from the mini-mutated van. “So what’s your plan if Nobody’s inside?”

Lifting his jacket to one side Jake revealed a shiny nine-millimeter tucked in a holster directly under his left arm. “I have a gun. Do I really need a plan?”

Good point.

Jake slipped his arm around my waist, and together we walked up the block. From the outside the reptoe building appeared worn, its brick façade cracked and peeling. The front door opened, and a seven-foot reptoe with green lizard skin stared down at us. He wore gold chains and a Timex around his neck. A big twelve-inch Timex. Overcompensating in a big way for, I glanced at his really small feet, something.

“Whadda you want?” Mutant Flavor Flav asked, spewing digested fly breath into the air around us. A nose plug, I thought but before I could say it, Jake flashed him an invitation in the names of Douglas Miller and his lovely wife, Martha Hagernash-Miller.

Martha? Really?

The reptoe wasn’t buying my Martha impersonation either if the hard look he sent Jake was an indication. But Jake just smiled with ignorance or arrogance. I wasn’t sure which. Finally Flav stepped aside and allowed us to enter. Jake kept his hand in the small of my back as the reptoe led us down a long corridor. His hand warmed my skin, and it felt good. Not a touch of possession or protection, but like it belonged. Before I over examined that thought I stumbled, nearly falling on my face. Jake caught me, his arms wrapping around my naked flesh.