Reluctant Protector (13 page)

Seth smirked. “I'm better.”

Peter's white teeth flashed when he grinned. “Then Mr. Great Shot, why don’t you fire?”

Seth inched closer. Cassie said her brother also had powers, but there was no way Seth could know the breadth of them. “The thing is, your sister has an aversion to killing. Why the hell do you think all those Trackers came home alive? Not because they were exemplary fighters. She left them that way on purpose. She would take offense to me putting a bullet between your eyes.”

Peter exhaled a breath on what looked like a small chuckle. “So, what? You're going to take me alive? You’re going to turn me over to the authorities?”

“If that’s what she wants. You have to answer for what you've done. Now, me,” Seth shrugged. “Could be by a bullet, could be fire, could be me beating you until your blood seeps out. It even could be jail. I know which one I'd prefer. But this isn’t my show.”

Peter looked up from his scope then and lounged against the stone wall surrounding the roof. His green eyes flashed, and for a moment, Seth was struck by how much Cassie resembled him. “Do you really think you could catch me?”

In that instant, Peter vanished from sight. Gripping his gun tight, Seth frantically swept the roof. Shit. Where did he go? If Peter could pull a trick like that, killing him was going to be all the harder.

“Should have nailed your ass when I had the shot,” he grumbled. The timer in his pocket gave him the four minute warning. He needed to find Cassie and get out.

As he turned and headed for the exit, a soft “tsk, tsk” came from behind him and the barrel of a pistol shoved his back. “Where are you off to? I thought we were just starting to have fun?” Burning pain sliced through his leg. When he glanced down, the silver handle of a blade sat lodged in his upper thigh.

Every curse Seth had learned from the moment he was old enough to talk, ran through his brain. “Do it, Shit-head. What are you waiting for?”

The air shifted around Seth and he caught a whiff of citrus.
No!
 “Cassie. Get out.” Less than four minutes before those charges went off and he didn't want her trapped.  Even if he never made it out, he wanted to make sure she did.

Peter pressed the gun deeper into Seth's back. “Showtime, Asshole,” he muttered, just loud enough for Seth.

Cassie stepped over the threshold onto the roof and froze, her eyes boring on her brother.

“Cassie, get out of here.”

She didn't look at Seth. Why wouldn't she look at him? Even though it cost him precious energy, he pushed a thought to her.
Cassie, the charges go off in less than three minutes. You have to get out of here.

She stepped forward. “I'm here, Peter. You wanted me and here I am. Let Seth go.”

Peter's chuckle edged on hysterical as he dragged Seth back several feet. “You know, little sister, I've been trying to figure out why you're so keen on this loser. You’re better than this. I made you a goddess, but you're content to throw your lot in with mere mortals.”

Cassie stepped forward a second time and Peter “
tsked
.” “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You wouldn't want me getting trigger happy now, would you?” Only then did she look at Seth. The anguish in her eyes was plain. She was here to sacrifice herself for him.

“No, Cassie. Go back. Do not do this. You have to get the others out.”

“Peter, let him go. You’re right. He's a mere mortal and not worthy of a fight. You have me. I'm the one you want.”

Her brother cocked his head. “If only that was the truth. I can smell it on him.” He shook his head. “I really should have known. It explains so much. What did you do? Steal some of the serum from the labs when you ran?”

Cassis’s face remained impassive, no lines marring the smooth texture. “I wouldn't do to anyone what you did to me.”

“But yet, look at him. He's clearly gone through the change. I don’t know what his abilities are yet, but what a wonderful lab rat he'll make once I'm done with you.”

Before Seth could blink, pressure barraged his brain he let the wall down. One word eased into his thoughts.
Roll
. In the next instant, he was airborne, flying up and over Cassie's head and landing near the door. He tried to follow her instructions, but the knife wound in his leg caused pain to slice through his body.

In muted horror, Seth watched as Cassie faced off with her brother.

She slowly circled, triumph in her eyes where there should have been fear. Power emanated from her core, swirling around them. But she was weak. Seth had sensed more powerful waves from her back at the cabin.

Some invisible force held Peter rooted to the roof. His body shook and he gritted his teeth as his gun twitched at his side.  

“Shit. What the fuck are you doing to me?” Peter bellowed.

Cassie continued to circle him not saying anything, scrutinizing him like he was an insect in under a microscope.

Peter's body glimmered in and out like a light flickering. He was trying to break the hold. Whatever was happening, Seth had a feeling Cassie was responsible for it.

When she finally spoke, her voice was calm. “Interesting how the one power you wanted me to develop didn't come into play until you wish I didn’t have it.” A haunting smile played on her lips. “Seth was the one who helped me with the telekinesis.” She stood still and met her brother’s gaze. “What’s the matter Peter? You don’t like being trapped? Too unpleasant?” With a spin, she landed a kick in his solar plexus. Pain flashed in his eyes and his body went shock still. A whimpering groan filtered through Peter’s lips. Cassie left him where he stood and hurried toward Seth.

“Are you okay?” Her voice was a whispered breath over his skin, soothing him.

He nodded. “Your brother dearest likes to play with knives.” He frowned. “How are you holding him in place?”

She glanced over her shoulder at Peter. “I don’t know. I came up and saw you with the knife in your leg and the gun at your back and the power came from somewhere deep within. All of a sudden, it doesn’t cost me anything to use the telekinesis. I don’t even have to concentrate.”

Seth stared at Peter, unblinking. “I suppose that’s going to come in handy.” His watch beeped again. “We have to get out of here. Where are the others?”

“Down at the van with Jansen. He discovered a tunnel out of here.” She eyed the door. “We’ll never make it out of this maze before those charges go off.”

Seth struggled to stand and his leg begged for relief. “Have to try.”

A small smile lit her bee-stung lips and his stomach rolled. “How do you feel about flying?” she asked.

She helped him up to the edge of the roof and shouted. “Coming down!”

From the excitement in her eyes, Seth knew he wasn't going to like what happened next. When she stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his waist, his gut clenched. “Cassie.”

When she jumped, he tried to keep her rooted, but instead, he tumbled with her into a free fall. But this one was light. Controlled. He didn’t sink like a stone, but rather like someone who sat on a deflating balloon. “What the—”

Cassie laughed and pointed at the tall blond boy, the one who looked about sixteen. “That’s Jeremy. Annabelle’s son. He's got an amazing set of gifts.”

The moment their feet hit the ground, Cassie shouted to the group standing near their van. “Everyone get back to the van.” They sprinted away from the building when the first blast rocketed them airborne.

Seth expected a hard landing in the gravel, but again, he landed lightly on his feet. He glanced over at Jeremy. The kid’s lips were flattened thin and his brow furrowed. Seth could only imagine the kind of energy he spent giving them all a safe landing. The other eleven kids looked tired and world weary.

Cassie stared back at the burning warehouse and sagged against Seth, tears welling in her eyes “Peter’s dead. I actually killed him.”

Seth wrapped an arm around her. “We have to go, Cassie. We’re in the open and the cops are coming. Let’s get the other safely back to the cabin and we can worry about Peter later.”

She sniffed and wiped at her eyes as she ushered everyone into the van. “It’s finally over.”

Epilogue

“I never thought of myself as the motherly type,” Cassie said as she descended the stairs in the cabin.

Seth glanced up from the couch. “I think you’re doing a decent job.”

She joined him and nuzzled into his chest.

He kissed her hair. “Are they all asleep?”

“Symone and Jeremy are still having a hard time trusting that this is all real and we’re not sending them back to Gentech.”

“Understandable.” He stroked her hair and she instantly relaxed. “Any luck reaching their parents?

“We’ve located about half. But after looking at the Gentech records, I found some parents signed away their rights to Peter.”

Seth muttered a low curse. “So, what happens now?”

“For years my whole life has been about escape. I never gave any thought to what my life would actually be like when I got out.”

“The good news is you have the resources and time to figure it all out.”

What the hell was he talking about? Peter had taken everything from her. “What resources?”

A slow smile spread across his face. “Honey, I guess none of it has crossed your mind yet. With Peter gone, you’re the head of Gentech. You own everything now.”

She shook her head. “I don’t—.”

He shrugged. “Sell it, carve it up, and dismantle it. You can use the money to help everyone Peter hurt. It’s up to you.”

Cassie cast a glance in the direction of the stairs. The worry was unavoidable. “I don’t know if they’ll ever recover. But I want to do something for them.”

“Gentech did some good work in the past. Work your father started. The company’s not all evil.”

Love and admiration bloomed through her chest when she thought of her father and how he’d wanted to help people. A cold chill chased away the warmth as she thought of the damage Peter had done and the lives he’d stolen. “It would take a lot of work to fix the problems. I want nothing to do with that place. Maybe I can start something new. Mostly I want to help people. Those kids, in particular. I want to give back what’s been taken.”

“We’ll do everything we can to help them. But remember, these aren’t your sins to atone for. You risked your life to save theirs. We’ll help them together, but because we want to, not because you have to make up for something.”

She nodded, but she couldn’t stem the guilt. Because of her, Peter started other experiments in his search for the perfect soldier. The news about the explosion flashed on the screen again. “It’s been three days and the explosion is still all over the news. If we want to protect the kids, we have to hide them. Symcore knows about the experiments and they will want the research. Those kids don’t need to be exposed to that. They’ve been through enough.”

“Symcore won’t get their hands on you or any of those kids, you have my word,” he growled.

A wash of purpose rolled over her like cool rain on a summer’s day. She could do something to counteract the damage her brother had done. “Maybe I can use the money to develop a cure for what I did to you.”

He shook his head. “I've got my cure. I got it the night you woke up and smiled at me. I thought I’d lost you, and when you came back, I realized I’d never have been able to save you or get out of that mess if I didn't have my powers.” He kissed her neck and her pulse quickened. “I love you. I want to be here with you. Or anywhere for that matter.”

For several moments, Cassie couldn’t breathe. He loved her. Someone loved her? She turned in his arms. “Even though I’m not quite human?”

“You’re superhuman.” He said, kissing her on the nose. “Besides, I'm dying to see what kind of practical applications this will mean for the bedroom.”

It had taken him a while to get there. She'd never met anyone like him. And probably never would. She laid her head on his chest. “What about the others?”

He nodded toward the quest quarters and wooded acreage behind it. “Way I figure it, we have a ton of space here as long as Lisa agrees. For the love of God, this place has four guest cabins. Those that want to can stay as long as they like. We can show them how to use their powers. How to control and focus them.  It really could be our lair.”

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “As for what happens now, I think that’s up to you. I, for one, will need some help figuring how to use my new powers to get women naked. I’ve always wanted to be a super villain.” He winked and waggled his eyebrows.

She laughed even as tears pricked her eyes. “You really are extraordinary.”

“No, you're the extraordinary one.”

He kissed her long and deep. Sparks of heat danced over her skin. Seth suddenly pulled back, but his hands tightened on her arms.

“Seth, what’s the matter? Are you getting a vision?”

For several heart-beats, he was silent. When he finally spoke, his voice was a tight growl. “I just had an image of Peter standing over our bodies, his hands dripping with blood.”

She shook her head. “No. He’s dead. We watched the building explode. That image has to be from the past. A future that didn’t come to pass or something. Maybe you can have false visions.”