Chapter 18
Kaitlin found Janelle leaning against a nondescript black SUV.
“It’s Dave’s,” Janelle said. “Apparently, perfect for undercover work.”
“Hah,” Kaitlin replied. “Anyone sees a black SUV and the first thing they think is undercover cops. Where’s Josie?”
The front window rolled down, and Josie poked her head out. “I’m here.”
“And you’re not alone.” She’d picked up the hum of another familiar mind in the driving seat. “Detective Steve, you’re a fast worker.”
“Why waste time?” he replied. “That’s my motto.”
“I take it you haven’t sensed anything today,” Janelle said.
“Not a goddamn thing. Total waste of time.”
“Maybe they’re not here anymore.”
“Maybe.” That would explain why they hadn’t found her when she’d been all but offering herself to them on a plate.
“Kane might have some ideas,” Janelle said.
“More likely, he’s just come to whisk Kaitlin away to safety,” Josie suggested.
“No. I don’t think so,” Janelle replied. “I think he’s given up on that. I think he wants to be here to help.”
“I bet he does.” Kaitlin scowled, but she had to admit to a very faint, warm fuzzy feeling somewhere in the vicinity of her gut. It was a nice change from the everything-is-about-to-go-to-shit feeling that was usually lodged there. “Let’s get going.”
“Can’t wait to see him, huh?” Janelle grinned. “If it’s okay and you’ve finished wandering for the day, then I’m going to leave you here. I presume you can all get back to the hotel in one piece.”
“Where are you going?”
“Sightseeing. I’ve never been to London, and I have a long list of places I want to visit.”
“Yeah, because who knows how long London is going to be here.”
“Don’t be negative. I’ll see you all at dinner tonight and we can work out our next move.”
Janelle sauntered off, and Kaitlin climbed into the back seat of the SUV. She let out a huge sigh.
“What’s wrong?” Josie asked.
“Well, it would have been nice if we had something positive to tell Kane.”
“You mean like we had one of the bad guys locked in the trunk?” Josie suggested.
“That would have been good. Let’s go.”
Steve turned on the engine, and they drove out of the garage and onto the street. It was already getting dark, the Christmas lights giving the place a festive air. She found herself smiling. Weird.
“Is someone going to fill me in on what’s going on?” Steve asked. “Maybe starting with who you would like to have locked in the trunk.”
“You said I could tell him anything, but I wasn’t sure you were serious,” Josie said. “So I thought I’d wait until you were here.”
“Nice, but not needed. I’m always serious.
” She took a deep breath and thought how to condense the story.
They only had fifteen minutes to get to the hotel.
“Okay, so we have some pretty persuasive intel that there is going to be some sort of cataclysm happening this year that will result in the death of 95 percent of the Earth’s population. ”
Steve swiveled in his seat and stared at her. “What? You’re kidding, right? That’s not possible.”
“Watch the road—I’m not ready to die yet. And I never kid. It goes with my ‘I’m always serious’ trait. And unfortunately, it’s entirely possible.”
“But how do you know? Where did you get this reliable intel?”
“Well, that’s where things get a little murky. And you might want to suspend disbelief for just a few minutes.”
“You mean it’s going to be even more unbelievable than the fact that you can read my mind?”
“Oh, yeah,” Josie muttered. “This one is a real doozie.”
“You’d better tell me then.”
“We had a visit from someone from the future.”
Steve snorted. “Of course, you did. And you know this how?”
“Because they told us so. I know, not very convincing, but believe me, we were convinced. There are other things that make it a little more believable, but we’ll get into those later. For now, just accept—the world as we know it is going to end.”
Steve shook his head. They’d come to a stop at a red light, and he turned to look at her, his eyes narrowed. “I take it you have a plan?”
“Yes, but it’s a pretty crappy one and so far, it isn’t working out too well. The problem is we don’t know how, or exactly when, the world is going to end so there’s not much we can do to stop it. On the positive side—”
“There’s a positive side to all this?”
“Five percent of the population do survive. And those that do are all in Australia. So, we’re setting up a base there, complete with nuclear bunkers which are being built and stocked as we speak.”
“You can’t take everyone to Australia.”
“No, we can’t, and most people wouldn’t come any way. But the good news is—we can take you.”
“If you want to go,” Josie said.
He was silent for a moment, concentrating on driving. It was rush hour, and the roads were full of cars, black cabs, big red buses, all moving along, carrying on with ordinary life.
She stayed quiet as well; it was a lot for Steve to take in and at least he wasn’t screaming that they were all crazy. She thought about dipping into his mind but decided against it. Finding out that he thought they were all insane would not really help at this moment.
“Are you going to Australia?” Kaitlin realized he was asking Josie, and she waited for the answer.
“I’m not sure yet,” Josie said. “It depends.”
“On what?”
Josie was silent and Kaitlin decided—in her role as matchmaker—that she could legitimately butt in right now. “I suspect it depends on you, detective.”
He ran a hand through his already messy hair. She caught sight of his eyes in the rearview mirror, they looked a little wild. “I can’t just up and leave my job and everything I know. My family.”
“You can probably take them as well,” Kaitlin put in.
“We all have people we want to save. And they usually have families. We’re making room for them.
” Sadie had told them there would be space for a thousand in the bunkers.
Supplies to last for five years in case of nuclear fallout.
She didn’t even want to think about five years in a bunker.
With the colonel. And Kane. She shuddered.
What would they do all that time?
No, she had to find a way to save the world. The alternative wasn’t an option.
“I’ll go, if you go,” Josie said.
“That’s a lot of pressure to put on a person,” Steve replied.
“Well, the end of the world can force you into a corner,” Kaitlin said.
“But there’s no reason to make a decision right now.
” At least she didn’t think there was a reason.
Who knew? But they were expecting some sort of warning.
And the time machine was still counting down.
They had to presume it was something to do with the cataclysm.
“Just tell me what you’re doing to stop this thing.”
“Well, we need to know more about what causes the cataclysm. We believe the two guys who tried to take me on New Year’s Eve were working for some agents from the future—”
“Whoa, there. Back up a little. Why the hell would you think that?”
“Because we’ve met them before—or more likely some of their friends—and there were similarities.”
“That I’m guessing you won’t go into right now.”
“Not really interesting, but they do exist. Anyway, back to the plan. We’re hoping to use me as bait, to tempt them into trying to catch me again. At which point, we’ll take them instead and find out everything they know. They’re from the future so we presume they’ll know about the cataclysm.”
“You’re bait?”
“Yes, I’m wandering around my usual haunts in the hope that someone will pounce on me. But we’re being super careful.”
He shook his head. “Crazy.”
“On the positive side,” Josie put in. “If we manage to stay alive, you can help me and Kaitlin steal Kane’s time machine so we can go back in time and save her brother.”
For a moment, Kaitlin closed her eyes. She couldn’t believe Josie had just uttered those words. Josie must have sensed something as she twisted in her seat and turned to look at Kaitlin. Her eyes widened. “What?” she asked.
“I really wish you hadn’t told him that,” Kaitlin muttered.
“You said I could tell him everything.”
“Everything except that.”
“You never said. And why?”
“Because up until a moment ago, only you and I knew. Kane can’t read you, and he won’t read me, unless I give him permission. Which I won’t. But he can read Steve.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Kane has a time machine?” Steve asked.
“I don’t suppose you could wipe that from your mind,” Kaitlin said.
“Not a chance.”
She sighed. “Okay, maybe we can keep the two of you apart and not give Kane any reason to get inside your head.” Christ, she could just imagine how he would react if he found out she had designs on his precious time machine. He’d probably put her down himself.
“And you plan to steal it?”
She shrugged. “It was just an idea. I doubt I would actually do it. The stupid thing is broken anyway.” She stared out the front window. “Hey, what’s going on up there?”
“Looks like some sort of diversion. Not exactly uncommon here.”
Ahead the road was blocked, and Steve followed the arrows around to the right, off the main road and onto a smaller side road.
“I don’t like this,” Kaitlin said.
“What’s there not to like?” Steve sounded puzzled.
“I don’t know. Josie, call in and let them know exactly where we are.”
“You think this is some sort of trap?”
“Probably not, but just to be sure...”
Josie was murmuring into her phone. “I told Rose. Kane isn’t there yet, but she and Dave are heading out now. They’re only ten minutes away. We’ll be all right.”
“Good. It’s probably nothing, but better to be prepared. Talking of which, I don’t suppose either of you are armed?”
“No, I’ve never shot a gun.”
“And I’m not allowed to carry,” Steve said.
Damn. “Here, have one of mine.” She reached into her bag and pulled out the Glock 9mm and handed it to him. “I take it you know how to shoot.”
“Yeah, I’m good.” He rested the gun on the console between him and Josie. “You really think this is some sort of ambush? Maybe we should turn around.”
Except there was no room to turn. The road they were on was narrow and one-way. They were moving at a crawl. Josie sat tense in her seat, and Steve’s knuckles were white on the wheel.
“It’s probably—”
But as she spoke, she caught sight of a white van hurtling toward them down an alley at right angles to the road they were on. “Steve, speed up.”
“I can’t.”
They’d come to a standstill, and she looked out the front. A large blue truck was parked right in front of them, blocking them in. She peered over her shoulder. They were blocked at the back as well. They weren’t going anywhere.
How had they found her? She was wearing the reflector device. Or had they picked her up earlier and been following. Setting up the perfect ambush?
She looked sideways; the van was close though she couldn’t see anything or anyone through the tinted windshield. Reaching into her pocket, she pressed the panic button but knew it was too late.
Then the van slammed into them, and the SUV shunted to the side under the force of the blow. She was hurled sideways but held in place by her seatbelt.
She fumbled for the seat belt release as the SUV was shoved further until they were up against the building on one side. The van on the other.
They were in big trouble.
She grabbed her bag and pulled out the other pistol, flicked off the safety. “Are you two okay?”
“I’m fine,” Steve said. “Josie?”
“I’m good,” Josie said. “I think.”
“I hope so, because now is not the time to go to pieces.” Kaitlin cast her a quick glance, but she seemed to be keeping it together.
“I won’t.”
“Good. You’re doing great. We just need to hold them off until Rose and Dave get here.”
She slowed her breathing. The van was reversing, pulling away from them with the creak of tortured metal. A figure climbed out from the driver’s side of the van. Tall, with black hair.
“Shit.”
“What is it?” Steve asked, he was scrabbling under the seat for the pistol.
“They haven’t sent goons this time. They’ve come themselves. That is not good news.”
“He looks like you,” Steve said. “Who are these people?”
“I wish I knew.”
She raised the pistol as the door was wrenched open.
She fired a shot, but he kept coming—body armor?
A hand reached toward her and pulled off the reflector device.
Pain burst in her head and her vision turned crimson.
She tried to push them out of her mind, but they were too powerful, and she could feel her consciousness fading beneath the onslaught.
And part of her just wanted to give in, to shut down.
She was vaguely aware of the man reaching inside and dragging her out of the SUV.
Stumbling, she almost crashed to the ground but was held up by the firm grip on her arm.
She tried to struggle but her limbs wouldn’t obey her, the pain relentless.
Then she was being pushed into the back of the van.
The man was looming over her, and the pain vanished as though it had never been.
She had a single second to appreciate the sensation of being free from pain, then something jabbed her in the thigh.
Goddamn it, they’d drugged her.
Her mind grew dim, her limbs lethargic. She hovered for a moment on the edge of consciousness. Her last thought was of regret.
Kane!