Chapter 22
Kaitlin blinked and blanked her mind; she could sense their captors approaching.
“Kane’s here,” she told Josie quickly.
She could feel the excitement bubbling up inside her. And she realized she’d not really doubted him, and she wasn’t sure why. He’d let her down before with disastrous results.
But he wasn’t the same man he had been back then.
He’d been focused solely on the “mission,” unable or unwilling to let anything stand in his way.
Totally ruthless. But she’d been in his head.
She knew that his plan to destroy the Kindred had nearly broken him, that it had been a huge relief to give it up.
From the day he’d let Jake inside his mind, Kane had begun to see them as people and not potential threats. He’d changed.
Hell, they’d all changed. Maybe her, most of all. She’d been such an idealist. A world with no more lies. Hah—who was she kidding? No one but her and Sam had wanted that.
Well, she was an idealist no more. The old her would never have contemplated stealing Kane’s time machine.
“Where?” Josie asked. “Is he going to get us out?”
“He’s going to try. And Steve is okay. He was just stunned in the ambush.”
Josie had been standing by the bed, but now she sank down onto the mattress. “Thank God. I was trying not to think about it. Because if he was dead...” She put her head in her hands. “I’m not sure I could go through that again.”
“You won’t. He’s fine. We’re fine. Everyone is fine, and the rescue team is on its way.”
She hurried to the window and peered out, searching the street below, but she couldn’t see Kane anywhere. “We need to hold them up as long as we can. If we leave, they might lose us again. Go into the bathroom. I’ll tell them you’re not feeling too good.”
Josie disappeared into the bathroom just as the lock clicked.
Kaitlin hurried back and sat on the bed.
Hopefully, they wouldn’t look inside her head again.
If they did, they’d find out Kane was close, and the rescue would be over before it began.
She forced her face into blankness. Just look innocent.
The door opened. “Come,” Stella said from the doorway. “We’re leaving.”
“My friend is puking right now. I don’t think your drug agreed with her.”
Stella’s eyes narrowed, and she stepped into the room, Clyde close behind her. At that moment, a very impressive retching sound came from the bathroom. Josie was doing great. She could always be an actress if they got out of this.
“Are you okay?” the woman asked.
“I’m tough. Josie is delicate.”
It suddenly occurred to her that maybe this wasn’t the best play. They might decide to kill Josie off if she appeared to be too much of a liability. But it was too late now. Maybe she needed some distraction tactics.
“This job you’re here to complete, can’t you at least tell me what it is? It’s not as though I can do anything about it. And I’m curious. Are you here to kill us all?”
“We’re not your enemies. But if you stand in our way, you will be eliminated.”
“But what is your way? Why are you here? Is it to cause the cataclysm? Or to stop it?”
Stella glanced at Clyde, and they did that silent communication thing. “That’s information you don’t need to know.”
“Couldn’t you tell me anyway?”
They looked at each other again and Stella shook her head. “But we also need to understand why you are here, in a place you are not supposed to be, and what your role is.” She frowned. “The fact is—you shouldn’t exist in this time.”
“Except here I am.” Kaitlin thought for a moment.
“And I’m obviously like you. Has it occurred to you that we might be your ancestors?
That I could be your great-great...I’m not sure how many, but a shit-load-of-greats-grandmother.
” She grinned. “Which means you can’t kill me because then you wouldn’t exist.”
Stella looked amused, a small smile flickering across her face. “You could be right. We have no intention of killing you…unless it becomes necessary. But we have a job to do and that takes precedence over everything else. The Tel Group always completes our missions.”
Christ, that sounded familiar. If she hadn’t been sure they were related before, that doubt disappeared now. Yup, they sounded just like Kane.
“We’re wasting time,” Stella said. “Get your friend. We’re leaving.”
Another bout of retching came from the bathroom.
Something occurred to her.
“You’re not sure, are you? Something happened between the last lot of you turning up here, and now you think that, just maybe, we could be your ancestors. I’m betting that’s why you haven’t killed us off already.”
She shrugged. “Maybe. But the job will still take precedence. So don’t piss us off too much. Go get your friend.” Her hand moved to the pistol at her waist in an obvious threat.
Kaitlin blew out her breath. Where the hell was the cavalry? They’d get in here to find them all gone if they weren’t quick. She headed toward the bathroom, slowly. Just as she reached the door, she heard Kane in her head.
“We’re coming in. Looks like there’s a chopper on the roof readying for take-off. So don’t go near the roof.”
And he went quiet.
All well and good for him to say that, but how was she supposed to not go to the roof if the bad guys with all the guns decided that’s where she was going? Shit.
She searched her mind for a way to delay them and came up with a really stupid idea. Unfortunately, it was the only idea she had, so she went with it.
As she reached the bathroom, she opened the door and dived inside, slamming the lock closed as she turned.
“What’s happening?” Josie asked, her eyes wide.
“Delaying tactics.”
“Kaitlin, get out here. Now.” Stella’s voice called through the door.
“Sorry, I’m feeling sick as well.” She stared around the tiny room. The door wouldn’t hold them for long. And there was nowhere to hide. “Get to the side of the door, in case they shoot,” she said.
Josie plastered herself against the wall.
“Kaitlin, come out. We’ve told you we don’t plan to hurt you.”
Ha.
“You have five seconds then we blow out the door.”
Five seconds wasn’t very long. Shit. Kane had gone quiet again. She could really do with knowing the plan right now.
She counted the seconds off in her head. Five, four, three, two, one...