Chapter One #3
“Usually, you do, but with how many beers you drank tonight, I doubt it.”
“I’ll show you.”
“Sure you will.” Hansen turned toward Matthew and Franklin. “We should do it again sometime, although I’ll make sure Evan doesn’t drink as much if we do.”
“It was fun,” Franklin said.
Hansen nodded. “It was. I’ll see the two of you soon.”
Evan was still arguing that he hadn’t drunk that much as Hansen pulled him away. Matthew watched them go, amused.
“They’re nice,” Franklin said.
Matthew snorted. “Even though Evan is convinced your siblings don’t exist?”
“I understand why he’s doubtful. You guys did find me in a lab, after all. I’m sure you hear a lot of sob stories from the people who work there.”
That much was true. Especially when they were begging for their lives, they always had an excuse for what they were doing in the labs—they needed money, their mother was sick, they’d been forced to do it.
Moore and the mutants always investigated the motives, and more often than not, they found lies.
Matthew really hoped that Franklin wasn’t lying.
“We do, but usually, they’re not shifters,” he pointed out. “I’m still amazed they hired you.”
Franklin shrugged. “I’m not. The hunters wouldn’t want to work with shifters, but the people in the labs don’t care.
Actually, it’s kind of the opposite. They want shifters because they’re stronger than humans.
They’re better at controlling the shifters in the cages, and the doctors don’t care if those shifters attack the guards. ”
“That’s horrifying.” But not surprising. To the people who worked in the labs, most lives were expendable. That included their guards, especially if they were shifters.
“I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of horrifying things during your time in the labs and after you escaped.”
Matthew nodded. “I have. It’s one of the reasons I do what I do.”
“Maybe once this is over and I’ve found Leah and Gareth, I could join your group. I realize I’m not a mutant, but maybe you’d be willing to make an exception.”
“I’m not the guy in charge, but as long as you can get Moore to trust you, it shouldn’t be a problem. I hope we find your siblings soon. I’m sure your mother misses them.”
Franklin’s smile dropped. “She’d miss them if she were still alive.”
Matthew had firmly stuck his foot in his mouth. “I’m sorry. The way you were talking about her earlier, I didn’t think she was, well...”
Frankly nodded once. “She was killed when my siblings were taken. They were with her.”
Shit. Matthew understood even better why Franklin had found it necessary to infiltrate the labs now. He didn’t only want to find his siblings. He probably also wanted revenge for what had been done to his mother.
Matthew didn’t blame him. None of the mutants would. They understood what it was like to lose people they cared about because of the labs and the people who worked in them. Franklin might not be a mutant, but he wasn’t that different from them.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated.
Franklin shook his head. “It’s been a while. I’m still grieving her, but I’m focused on finding Leah and Garrett.”
“We’ll help you,” Matthew promised.
“You’ve already helped me more than you realize.” Franklin hesitated. “When my siblings were taken and our mother killed, I left everything behind—my job, my apartment, my boyfriend. I’ve been alone for a long time. I didn’t realize how much it weighed on me until I found you guys.”
“I can understand that.”
Franklin nodded. “You understand more than anyone else could. I know we’re not friends, but what would you think about shifting and going for a run?”
Matthew blinked. He hadn’t expected that. “Now?”
“Why not? Unless you have someone to go home to?”
“No one.” Actually, Matthew liked the idea. He wasn’t ready to go back to his empty house.
“Well, the offer’s on the table if you want.”
Matthew smiled. “Let’s go.”
Franklin grinned. When he did that, he looked about five years younger. Now that Matthew knew Franklin’s background, he wasn’t surprised that the man looked as tired and weary as he did. Anyone would in his position.
They quickly walked through the park to the designated shifting area. There was no one around at this time of the evening, but Matthew was still quick to undress and shift. Some of the villagers weren’t entirely comfortable with shifters, and he didn’t want to make things awkward for anyone.
He shook out his fur and grinned in Franklin’s direction.
He wasn’t surprised to see that the man’s lion form was big.
It made his own wolf form feel small, but Matthew didn’t mind.
It might make him an idiot, but he trusted Franklin.
He believed the man was here to find his siblings and wouldn’t hurt the tribe or the mutants and their mission.
He was feeling playful, so he lightly nipped Franklin’s heel. Franklin yelped and jumped, but Matthew didn’t stick around to see how he would take it. He ran away from the park and the village, deep into the forest.
Franklin ran after him.
Matthew grinned like a loon. This was fun, and it would be a good way for him and Franklin to become friends.
Franklin desperately needed someone, and Matthew didn’t mind being that someone.
He was lucky enough that his family was safe and that he didn’t have to worry about anything happening to them.
He wanted Franklin to have the same thing.
He wasn’t sure how much he could do to help, but he’d try.
The further they got away from the tribe, the freer Matthew felt.
He was smiling when they heard the screeching of a car’s wheels on the asphalt.
They were close to the road, and headlights illuminated the part of the forest they were in.
It gave Matthew the opportunity to see Franklin better than he had earlier in the park, and sure enough, the lion was impressive.
More screeching from the car’s tires distracted Matthew. Something was happening, and it didn’t sound good.
* * * *
SOMEONE WAS COMING after Alan. He couldn’t see the car well in the darkness, but he could take a guess at who it was, and he didn’t like it.
He also wasn’t surprised. Victor knew Alan had heard something he shouldn’t have. It meant that he had to stop Alan, and apparently, he was willing to do that by any means necessary. He might just be trying to reach Alan to talk to him, but Alan couldn’t trust him anymore.
Alan tried to focus on the road and be careful, but it was hard.
He was panicking because he could see the headlights of Victor’s car inching closer with every curve in the road.
Alan was driving too fast, but what choice did he have?
He wasn’t even sure he’d be able to get away from Victor, even if Victor stopped following him.
He didn’t know where to go or where to hide.
He didn’t think there was any place in the area where he could do that without Victor knowing where he was.
If Victor found him, it would be over for Alan. Hell, it was already over.
Alan didn’t know how to get away from Victor. He didn’t think he could.
He took another curve sharply, wincing at the screeching of the tires on the asphalt.
He had to slow down. He might crash if he didn’t, but slowing down meant putting himself into Victor’s hands.
Alan hoped that the time they’d spent working together would mean something to his boss, but deep inside, he knew that wouldn’t be the case.
Victor didn’t care about Alan, not really.
He’d been faking it because Alan was useful.
Knowing that made Alan angry. It wasn’t only that Victor was using his position to hurt people.
He’d used Alan, too. He’d made him research the names of people who needed help.
Had he handed off all those names to the man he was working with?
Had they hurt the people Alan had found instead of helping them?
Alan wanted to scream, and at the same time, he wanted to stop the car, wait for Victor to reach him, and punch him.
Alan wasn’t normally a violent person, but he hated Victor.
The headlights behind him came even closer—so close they disappeared for a moment. Alan sucked in breath when he felt something hit the back of his car. It wasn’t hard, but it was enough to tell him what Victor was planning.
If he couldn’t catch Alan, he’d make him crash his car.
Alan tried to keep his focus on the road and his hold on the steering wheel tight, but he couldn’t do anything about what Victor was up to. When Victor hit Alan’s car a second time, Alan swore and hit the accelerator.
It wasn’t enough. Of course it wasn’t. The third time Victor hit Alan’s car, he did it hard enough to send Alan’s car spinning.
Alan screamed, screwing his eyes shut and praying he would survive the crash.
He was pretty sure that if he did, Victor would ensure it wasn’t for long, but at least it would give him a fighting chance.
He didn’t want to die like this. He didn’t want Victor to win after everything he’d apparently done.
He wanted to stop Victor and make sure he paid for all of it.
The car slid sideways and hit something—some small bushes on the side of the road.
Fear knocked the breath out of Alan’s lungs, and he clung to the steering wheel as the car continued moving.
The bushes had slowed it down some, though, so by the time Alan hit the tree, the car wasn’t going fast enough to kill him.
The car slammed against a tree and the airbags deployed.
Alan whimpered at the impact, and everything went still.
For a moment, Alan breathed in and out. He was alive.
He wasn’t hurt beyond a few aches that might turn into bruises, or at least, he didn’t think so.
His ears were ringing, but they’d stop eventually.
He wasn’t safe, though. There was no way Victor wasn’t going to try to get to him now that he’d stopped moving.