The Decaying Empire (The Vanishing Girl Series Book 2) (29 page)

The edges of his lips tipped up. “Of course.”

Well, that answered that.

While Caden hero-worshipped the motorcycle, I got to work on the door. I didn’t have bobby pins or a credit card to jimmy the lock open, but the garage contained all manner of tools. After a short exploration of the room, I found what I needed. Using a metal scraper and a couple of small nails, I managed to pop the lock.

I went inside and silently swept through the house. The place was well kept but empty, just as predicted. I headed back into the kitchen and opened a cabinet door.

A hand clasped my shoulder, and I yelped.

“Easy, angel.”

I swiveled around to face Caden, clutching my heart. For one horrifying moment, I thought a teleporter had gotten the jump on me. “God, you move so silently.”

Closing the cabinet door above me, he leaned in, placing a hand on the counter to either side of me. “Sorry, it’s become a habit.” He gave me a tender look. “Why don’t you take a shower? I’ll be in here packing things and making dinner.”

That sounded so
. . .
normal
.

“You sure you don’t need any help?”

“Surprising though it might be, I think I can manage,” he said, his voice low and rumbly.

He pushed away from the counter, freeing me. The humor in his face drained away, replaced with a deep and loving expression. “Seriously, go for it. I’ve got things under control.”

When I continued to hesitate, he grabbed a spatula hanging above the oven and swatted my butt with it.

I yelped. “Hustler,” I said, leaving the room.

He winked. “Born and bred.”

Truer words had never been spoken.

Before I’d jumped in the shower, I procured leather motorcycle jackets from the master bedroom. Mine would be a little big and Caden’s a little small, but they’d do. I’d also found a wad of cash hidden under a drawer with a false bottom, along with condoms, lube, cuffs, and an assortment of sex toys that made me blush. Seemed that the Mr. and Mrs. had a healthy sex life.

I grabbed the money
. . .
and, after hesitating, the condoms. Screw it all—I’d stolen worse. I left the more lurid objects there. Closing the drawer, I laid my finds on the bed and headed to the bathroom.

Holy Mother Mary, we’d hit the jackpot with this family. Shampoos and gels lined the edge of the shower wall, and the shower itself could easily accommodate a group of people. Considering the toys in the bedroom
. . .
Nope, I wasn’t going there.

I turned on the water and waited for it to warm up. Leaning against the tiled counter around the sink, I stared at my reflection. This was my reality. Running, fighting, death, espionage. I couldn’t see into the future beyond a couple of days. I was in way over my head. This should’ve scared me, but a strange calm settled over me.

Steam billowed from the shower, misting over my reflection until it completely disappeared.

Pushing away from the counter, I shed my clothes and stepped into the shower. I sighed as the warm water cascaded over my hair and down my back.

I’d washed quickly and was about to turn off the faucet when the shower door opened. Caden strode forward, cupped the sides of my face, and kissed me with a burning desire. He pulled away but still held my face like I was something precious. “I’ve missed this.”

“Shower parties?”

“Well,
duh
,” he said, taking on a ditsy accent and rolling his eyes. His face got serious. He reached for my hands and threaded his fingers through mine. “I’ve missed feeling your bare skin against mine.” His thumb rubbed circles against the back of my hand.

He leaned in and kissed water from my cheek, then down my jaw to the base of my throat. “When it’s just us together, I can pretend.”

“Pretend what?” I asked.

His throat worked. “That we live normal, uncomplicated lives. That we’re just two kids in love.”

“What does that even look like?” Somewhere along the way, I’d really forgotten there could be another way to live.

“Well,” Caden said, drawing a finger down my sternum, “just like most people our age, we’d be in college. You’d be a wildly hot bookworm that has no idea what she does to boys, and I’d be the obviously enviable all-star athlete”—I guffawed at that—“whose good luck landed him a string of dates with you.”

“We sound deep,” I said, trying and failing to hold back a smile.

“Extremely,” he agreed. “Our relationship would be based on mutual love and respect
. . .
and a healthy love for partying and binge drinking.”

“Oh, we’re responsible adults too!”

He smirked, fingering a wet lock of my hair. His eyes were filled with longing. “We haven’t had a lot of time to talk, to reflect on what happens next,” he said, echoing my earlier thoughts.

I swallowed hard at his words.

“You could die. I could die. We both could. Hell, the odds favor that ending.” He leaned his water-slicked torso into mine, pressing me against the wall. “So I want you to know something here and now: I am
only
on your side. I might be running from the Project, but that doesn’t mean I trust the people we’re running to,” he said.

I watched him. Just a year ago, when I first met him, he’d been a soldier through and through. Not questioning orders and not prying where he shouldn’t. At the time I’d vacillated between loving him and fearing he could never be what I needed.

The man in front of me was a different beast altogether. Gone was his naïveté and moral righteousness. The year had also taken a healthy dose of his trust and a good bit of his humor. Pain had hardened him, and when I stared into his eyes, I saw fierce protectiveness.

I reached up and brushed my fingertips down his cheek, rubbing my thumb over his lower lip. Water dripped down his face, and those intense eyes of his gazed at me almost defiantly.

“Whatever happens to us, Caden, we’re in this together.”

I tilted my head back and pressed my lips to his. It seemed to unleash the storm brewing within him. He let go of my hands to grasp the sides of my face. His leg slid between mine, and I gasped into his mouth.

Defiance laced this kiss. Defiance against time, our predicament, and the uncertain future. His tongue scorched the inside of my mouth, his strokes hungry. I kissed him back, my lips moving over his. There’d never be enough days in my life for me to fully enjoy him. This I knew.

He ran his hands down my sides, his thumbs skimming my breasts as he did so. I felt his arousal between us, and I craved that closeness. Needed it.

I broke off the kiss, staring into his turbulent eyes again. They seemed to contain an entire world within them. I breathed heavily, and my lips parted. “I love you, Caden. God, how I love you.”

He kissed the side of my cheek. His lips smiled against my skin. “I love you too, angel. I never stopped loving you, and I never will.”

My lips kissed every inch of his face as I moved against him. Caden groaned at the sensation. Cupping the back of my thighs, he lifted me, and our bodies were pressed flush against one another. Like every time our skin touched, this was ecstasy.

I wrapped my legs around him, and my fingers dragged down the fogged-up shower stall.

Reaching around me, Caden turned off the faucet. My skin prickled in the absence of hot water. Sopping wet, Caden backed us out of the shower stall and carried me to the bed.

We fell in a tangle of limbs against the mattress. Caden slid down my body, pressing a kiss against the valley between my breasts.

My breath came in short gasps as I ran my hands through Caden’s wet hair. We shouldn’t be doing this; we didn’t have time. Even as the thought crossed my mind, I pulled him closer. Hadn’t I just worried about our uncertain future? Now could be the last time, and I wasn’t willing to squander it.

Caden whispered against my skin, “As soon as this is all behind us, I’m going to spend several hours getting intimately acquainted with every square inch of you.”

He trailed kisses down, down,
down
before grabbing a condom. “For now, though, you’re going to have to trust that I find every piece of you so Goddamn lovely.”

From the look in his eye, I knew Caden wasn’t lying: every scarred inch of me was beloved to him.

“I believe you,” I whispered.

“Good.” He grinned. He spread my legs wider and entered me, holding back a shudder.

We stared at each other as he thrust into me again and again. I was beginning to realize that with Caden, it didn’t matter if the tempo was slow and sweet or fast and passionate. With me, he always made love.

And as he moved inside me, I let my worries go, giving myself over to this—love, sex, and magic.

By midmorning we’d dumped the truck and were headed for Big Sur on a motorcycle. It had taken some getting used to, leaning into turns and adjusting to the numb ache of my thighs as the bike vibrated against them.

In spite of the slight discomfort, my arms happily tightened around Caden’s torso. Every mile we trekked together brought us closer; each adversity intensified the bond between us.

We’d been on the road for hours, passing into San Francisco and then out of it. Only hours separated us from Big Sur, where Caden had stashed our fake IDs. Now, pressed against Caden’s back—with the wind whistling past us and the Pacific Ocean stretching out to our right—the world felt simple. I could pretend, like Caden had mentioned earlier, that we were just an average young couple seizing the moment.

But as the day wore on, it became a race against time. Both of us needed to teleport, and with every hour that passed, that need only increased.

I was staring at the glistening water when small tingles raced along my skin, and I knew,
knew
it was too late. I only had enough time to imagine Adrian’s face, and then,
poof,
I was gone.

CHAPTER 19

W
here a second ago I’d been drinking in the California coastline, I now found myself in a dimly lit room.

“Merde!”
a man swore above the dubstep music that pulsed beyond the walls.

I swiveled and stared at an older man. He drew back in his seat, his eyes widening with recognition.
“You.”

I tilted my head and squinted at him. “Do I know you?”

“Ember, what are you doing here?” My head turned to Adrian, who pushed out of the seat he’d been in.

I gave him a disbelieving look. “Really? I thought we’d already established that I don’t get much choice where I end up.”

He stepped up to me and leaned in close. “You need to go. Now.” The beginnings of panic shone in his eyes.

“What’s going on, Adrian?” I asked, my voice hard.

“Ember.” He said my name the same way Caden sometimes did when he was trying to get me to shut up or see reason. Those times it was usually deserved. Here and now, coming from Adrian, it wasn’t.

My eyes flicked over Adrian’s shoulder to the other man who’d also stood from his seat. “Why does that man recognize me, Adrian?”

Instead of answering, Adrian took ahold of my upper arm. Too bad for him, I’d been manhandled enough to last me a lifetime.

I wrenched my arm from his grip and backed away from him. “No,” I stated flatly. “I want answers.”

I turned to the other man. “How do you know me?”

He smiled. “I’m one of the people coordinating your escape.”

I glanced over at Adrian. “Is this true?”

He’d stilled, like a deer caught in the headlights. What was I missing? Finally he nodded.

I returned my attention to the man in front of me. “Then thank you for your help.”
Even though neither Caden nor I have seen evidence of it yet.

He inclined his head. “I believe this will be a mutually beneficial relationship.”

“Do you now?” I said, raising my eyebrows. This was news to me. What exactly had Adrian promised this man?

His gaze devoured me. “Mmm, yes, I do.”

My lips spread into what hopefully passed as a coy smile. “We’ll see.”

As expected, interest flashed in his eyes. He liked a good chase. Lucky for him; I’d give him a hell of one.

I focused my attention on Adrian once more, and all my playfulness dried up. Adrian recoiled at my response, and I realized that he had really never seen this side of me.

Someone had some explaining to do.

As soon as Adrian escorted me out of the room and the door clicked shut behind us, I shoved him up against the wall. “What the hell was that?”

Adrian glared at me. “I’d like to ask you the same thing.”

My mouth dropped open in disbelief. “Are you jealous? Seriously?” I released him and backed away.

Out here the music thumped much louder. Around us people in slinky clothing chatted under the black lights of the club. Adrian’s face glowed violet.

Adrian grabbed my wrist. Wrong move. I yanked it away. “Don’t
touch
me.”

He put up his hands. “Whoa, okay. Calm down, Ember. Pierre’s just a creep who has too much money. He’s used to getting what he wants.”

“Oh yeah? And did you promise him me? Because he seemed pretty damned proprietary in there.”

“No.” Adrian laced his hands behind his neck. “God
no
.”

My gaze bounced between his eyes. “Are we safe, Adrian? Can you promise me that?”

“Yes. Ember, I wouldn’t ever betray you or your friends.”

Truth
. I could see it in his eyes.

I blew out a breath and relaxed, taking in the scene around us. While I ran for my life, Adrian was here, at a
club
. If I were a weaker woman, I would’ve whined at that.

Seeing my change in mood, Adrian continued. “The reason I tried to get you out of there isn’t because I’m trying to cover anything up.”

“Then why did you rush me out?”

Adrian glanced at the door and lowered his voice. “It’s bad news to catch Pierre’s interest.”

I folded my arms. “I thought you said he was harmless.”

He huffed, like I wasn’t hearing him at all. “He is so long as you’re not on his radar.”

And now I was.

I backed away from Adrian and shook my head. “I think you’re in over your head.”

His eyes flickered with annoyance. “You do realize that the only way to save yourself and your friends is to rub elbows with people like him.”

I understood that. I really did. I’d long since come to terms with the fact that my entire existence and the choices it forced me to make were morally ambiguous, so I didn’t immediately judge someone else who faced a similar situation.

Still, I got the distinct impression that Adrian underestimated the other players in this game, and naïveté had no place in the machinations of devious men.

I stepped in close to him. “Do me a favor, Adrian,” I said, looking him in the eye.

He waited for me to finish my thought.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

The last thing I saw was Adrian’s irritated expression. And then I stalked out of there.

I collapsed onto the street, my naked thigh hitting the asphalt with a jolt. My jaw tensed as pain shot through me. That was going to bruise.

“Ember!” Caden’s heels slapped the pavement as he ran to me.

I pushed myself up, surprised I wasn’t more seriously injured. Naked as the day I was born, but unhurt. All in all, not bad for teleporting in the middle of the road.

The road.

My head snapped up, and all thoughts of my visit with Adrian vanished.

I was back on Highway 1, and we were still on the run.

In front of me, the motorcycle cordoned off the highway, and a line of cars had already built up. The person in the first car stared at me.

“You blocked traffic,” I stated.

“Angel, are you okay?” Caden’s touch was featherlight.

“I-I think so.” Other than my thigh hurting like a mother, I was dandy.

Rattled, I let him help me into my clothes. “They’re going to report this,” I said, nodding to the wide-eyed onlookers.

“We’ll drive fast.” Caden helped me back to the bike. “Think you can get back on?” he asked.

My throat worked. The nightmare was over again for the time being. “Yes,” I whispered hoarsely.

“Good.” He handed me my helmet, and I put it on, only belatedly realizing that the one he slipped over his own head had a crack in it.

“Caden—” I objected.

He gave me a hard look; I could see residual panic at the back of his eyes. “Save your breath—I’m not letting you wear a cracked helmet.”

He could be so infuriating.

With a shake of my head, I rounded the bike and got on the back. He settled in front of me and I chanced a glance behind me.

Bad idea. A series of black SUVs wound down the cliffs farther back. They knew our location. “Caden, they’re here.”

This couldn’t possibly be the end. Not after we’d come so far.

“Wrap your arms around me, angel.”

When I turned to face him, steely resolve shone in his eyes.

I did so.

“Hold on tight. This
. . .
is going to be interesting.” He kicked the stand out from under us and cranked the throttle. The tires squealed as the motorcycle shot forward and I held on for dear life.

I couldn’t glance back. I wouldn’t. My stomach dipped. If they caught us, we were dead—and it would all have been for nothing. All the running, the stealing, the violence. All our ephemeral dreams of the future.

The motorcycle accelerated faster and faster, and my grip on Caden tightened. The road curved along the coastal cliffs. I leaned into the sharp curve, gritting my teeth. If the Project didn’t kill us, Caden’s driving might.

Ahead of us I could see a small fishing town. Perhaps we could hide there. But once the Project figured out we were on foot, they’d send in their teleporters. Caden sped through the town, abruptly turning left. The shops and residential buildings lined the road, getting sparser and sparser the farther in we drove.

Thick patches of trees grew between the buildings. With them and the low-hanging coastal fog as cover, I figured we might have a chance.

We zoomed down it for about a mile, and then Caden pulled off the road and drove into the dense brush. A ways in, he parked the motorcycle underneath a cluster of trees and killed the engine. Beneath my fingers I could feel him breathing heavily.

“Wait for it,” he breathed.

I didn’t have to wait long. The sound of choppers sliced through the silence.

Caden reached behind him and took my hand, squeezing it. We sat there together, not daring to move. A helicopter passed over us.

Once the sound of its blades died away, Caden started up the motorcycle.

“What are you doing?” I whispered, though there was no reason for it. We were alone.

“Getting us the hell out of here. We’re not that far from Big Sur.”

My heart rate jumped. We might not be far, but our destination was along the highway we’d just fled.

Caden must’ve guessed my train of thought. “Angel, you can trust me to keep us safe.”

I nodded against him. Unlike Adrian, Caden made no empty promises.

Caden pulled into the thick copse of trees behind a weather-beaten post office and shut off the engine. We hadn’t seen any government vehicles on our way here—which deeply unsettled me—but we’d also only driven a whopping ten miles through the wilderness that bordered the coastal highway.

“Jesus.” Caden swung a leg over the seat and sauntered away, rubbing his crotch. “I don’t think I’m going to be having kids anytime soon.”

“Could be worse,” I said, hiking my bag up my shoulder.

He let out his breath and reached for my hand. “Yeah,” he agreed, “it really could.”

Neither of us bothered with a disguise, and we strolled into the building like it was just an average day for both of us. Sometimes the best way to blend in was to look absolutely normal.

I held Caden’s hand, and I knew he could feel the way mine trembled. My calm demeanor might fool everyone else, but I couldn’t fool him.

With his other hand, Caden fished out a key from his pocket. It filled me with wonder that we’d managed to carry the thing all the way from Montana.