Chapter 14
Nullify [ nuhl -uh-fahy ] verb
To prevent a Talent from accessing their power, either by temporary means using a dampening field, or by permanently severing their channel.
– Excerpt from A Treatise on Talents , Third Edition
“As long as there have been Talents there have been those who fear and resent the abilities thrust upon us. The most virulent of them are the Sons of the Messiah. Their doctrine espouses that our creation was what caused the Surge, and only with our utter destruction can the world be restored to its former state. Whether our origins predate, postdate, or were simultaneous to the event is irrelevant. There is no putting the genie back into the bottle, regardless of how, or when, it escaped. However, reason is ill suited to their zealotry, and the more savage their crimes, the more revered the perpetrators are within their deluded cult.”
– Lord Talos, Preceptor of History,
Academy of Glynfyls
Kara smoothed out the grinder’s grease-stained paper, watching Flynn finish her last half. A smile tipped up her lips, and he glanced over with that grin of his. She shook her head. He was such a puzzle. All that business with the cuff, his shady cousins, everything in the garage, the scars, guilt… Who was he?
“We gotta leave after this. I got a buyer coming to pick up, and there’s a storm set to move down through Ryfsbane tomorrow,” Leo said around the last of his grinder. “You don’t wanna be on the causeway when it hits. Drive’s gonna eat up a couple hours.”
Flynn scratched his jaw, his unease coloring their bond. At least this time it wasn’t directed at her. Not that she could blame him. There was no good way to explain what she’d done to Mick, coercion was horrible. No one deserved that, not even after seeing inside his rotten skull.
She didn’t feel good about it, especially since it wasn’t really gone.
All that nastiness was like a pulsing sore inside of her now, joining her own festering memories. She’d bound it up with them and shoved it back into the darkest recesses of her brain, but it would always be part of her.
That was the real danger of using coercion. Everything you took tainted who you were if you couldn’t compartmentalize it. A seeping poison in your psyche, slowly driving you mad…
A door at the end of the long hallway flashed through her mind?—
And opened.
Nora’s dam, Veronica, stately and disheveled, scrawling on thick cream vellum with a feathered quill, bizarre in a world of electronics. Her silken voice, brittle like old porcelain.
“If I can get it all down, they’ll live here, instead of in my head…but there’s always one detail I’ve forgotten, and they won’t leave without them all…”
She held up a sepia stained finger, tapping her temple with a sad laugh. Discarded reams littered the floor, a fascinating combination of flowing script, frenetic splatters of ink, and macabre sketches. One bore a striking resemblance to Kara surgically disemboweled?—
She slammed the door shut.
Stupid vectors. Why did she have to think of that now, when she couldn’t use the amount of talent it would take to forget again? Flickers of Nora’s face, watching the upper stories of Albanach’s tower burn after the woman had lost control of her talent and imploded like a tiny super nova. Their entire House, gone?—
Flynn put his arm around her shoulders, and Kara looked up to see them all staring at her.
She wiped the sweat from her brow. “Sorry, did you say something?”
“Yeah, we’re gonna get going. You good?” Flynn rumbled with a wave of anxiety.
She tried not to laugh. Why was he always on eggshells around her? It was like he was waiting for something terrible to happen. She had the worst urge to jump at him and yell “Boo!”
“Yeah, just got a little lost in the past.” She grabbed his wrapper, folding it up.
He didn’t look like he believed her, but let it go. “You talk to Cal?” he asked his cousin.
Leo nodded, still chewing. “This morning to get our marching orders. He wants us running interference. Mass recall went out last night. They’re shutting down the border at the end of the month. Stonefist’s building up troops, trying to draw attention from Talents coming back. Word has it they’re installing nullifiers at checkpoints.”
The level of Flynn’s anxiety coming through their bond spiked. Kara grabbed the rest of the wrappers, needing to do something with her hands.
Graham smiled. “I like her.”
Flynn looked at his cousin and gave a sharp laugh. “Yeah, me too.”
Kara blew him a kiss and went to collect the stuff they’d left in the loft. When she came down, Graham was there with a backpack. He winked at her exclamation over the weight.
“There’s water, and I know how Flynn eats.”
She groaned. “Please tell me it’s not all io-bars.”
“Uh…”
“Yeah, what kind?” Flynn flipped up the top and rummaged around, pulling out a few. He shoved them into his pocket. “Nice, I haven’t had the orange ones in a while. ”
She made a gagging sound, and he grinned at her.
“You ready?” Leo asked.
The twin’s halos flared at Flynn’s nod, and colors ran as they shifted.
A sudden blast of cold knocked the breath out of her. Flynn swore, turning and jacking Leo up against a rusty dumpster before Kara had even gotten her bearings. They were at the edge of a crumbling parking lot. A lone, dilapidated building at the far side sprawled over the hilltop like a bad toupee. She wrapped her arms around herself, hiding her hands in her sleeves. Glory, it was freezing?—
“The Cross and Pinion’s where you set up the drop?” Flynn snarled. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
Leo flipped his sunglasses down like he wasn’t dangling three feet in the air. “Don’t worry, car should be right up front.”
“And if it’s not?”
He shrugged. “We wait.”
Kara felt Flynn’s struggle not to pummel his cousin, a growl escaping as he reined in his temper. His grip on Leo tightened, and then he dropped him, snatching an envelope out of the smaller man’s coat. It was the one Flynn had grabbed from the coop, but nowhere near as thick as it had been.
“Where the fuck’s the rest of it?”
Leo shrugged, righting his coat. “Think of it as a conveyance fee.”
Flynn crushed the envelope in his hand, stomping off past the weed-choked asphalt, his emotions a mess. She went over and leaned against him. He sighed, some of his tension bleeding out as he put his arms around her. The wind picked up. It scoured across the bald hilltop, thrashing the trees below like waves. She burrowed into his coat. How was it so miserable? The sky was overcast, and everything looked like it’d been washed in browns and greys. The twins were speaking together furiously in low tones. It was obvious only Leo was happy with his choice of venue. He was such a jerk.
Flynn glanced down at her, then snorted like he knew what she was thinking. His gaze moved past her and the dumpster to the ramshackle building. It was one big shaggy rectangle faced in brown shingles, five stories tall. Part of it anyway. A corner of the roof was caved in, like a giant had stomped on it. Windows were boarded up, and a clothesline of women’s undergarments was threaded through one of the gaps to a thick rust-pitted post. Someone had creatively placed two big boulders at its base.
Flynn’s trepidation was so thick she could taste it.
Leo rolled his eyes. “What the fuck’s the big deal? Christ, we’re picking up a car, not staying for drinks.”
“Too many people know me here.”
“Only in the biblical sense, and she’s gonna have to get used to that, isn’t she?” Leo shot back over his shoulder, starting across the parking lot. Graham shadowed him. “Fine wait here, we’ll be back.”
Kara put her hand on Flynn’s chest, feeling his anger. She wasn’t familiar with the term ‘biblical sense,’ but could hazard a guess as to what it meant. Her stomach cramped at the thought of him with someone else.
“Are you all right?” she asked. He held her closer, his tension receding. Her anxiety dropped in response, and she laughed. A fine pair they made. Forcing a smile, he nodded. “Liar.” She laughed again at his temper jumping and pulled his face down to hers. “Oh, stop. Omitter doesn’t have the same ring to it.”
His lips were soft and the last of his irritation was short lived. He slid his hand up her spine, and she lost herself in the echo between them.
“Gonna fuck her behind the dumpster?” Leo snarked. “That’s classy.”
Kara pushed away, her cheeks burning. How did he sneak up on them like that? Her heart pounded, and Flynn chuckled at her embarrassment. Why did he think it was so funny? After a lifetime of seeing sex on display, there was no way anyone was going to catch her—he pulled her back, and she felt his arousal. Jerk was getting off on it. She glowered at him, and he grinned.
Leo cleared his throat. “Uh, so, the car’s not here—” He held up his hands as Flynn took a step toward him. “Chill out! There’s another coming up from Lind we were gonna take.”
Flynn ran a hand over his jaw, glancing around the parking lot. “That’s six hours south, when the fuck did it leave? ”
“Deal with it. We got about half that left…give or take. All this shifting’s gonna bite us, they moved a vector north, and I think they’re tracking the voids. Graham got a room.” Leo’s mouth turned down as he said it. “He should’ve gotten two.”
Flynn riffled his hair, and Kara wrapped her arms around his waist, burrowing into his coat as the wind gusted through. No matter how awful that place looked, it had to be warmer than out here. She sniffled, her nose runny.
“That’s not gonna work.” Flynn furrowed his brow.
“It’s gonna have to work, guy bringing it up’s got the blanks for papers.”
“So? Dollar to a fucking donut Mulligan’s right inside.”
Leo snorted. “You don’t have the cash for that.”
“Yeah, I do. Fork it over.” He thrust out his hand, glaring at him. Leo set his jaw, returning the look. Kara stepped aside and Flynn got in his face.
“Now, Arileo, or I swear to fucking Christ, I’ll make you swallow those goddamned teeth again, and Miriam isn’t here to shift them back into your pointed little skull.”
Kara’s jaw dropped at the menace Flynn was projecting, her knees weak. How was Leo not on the ground? The smaller man narrowed his eyes, then reached into his coat and handed Flynn a thick wad of bills.
“There, happy? I don’t know what the fuck your problem is, it’s not like a couple of hours is gonna make that much difference. Storm’s not set to hit till morning.”
Flynn flipped through them with a grunt, then shoved the units in with the rest. “Yeah, I’m fucking ecstatic over this entire situation. Stay with her a minute.” He jammed his beanie on, took a step back, and was gone.
Kara stared at the spot where he’d been. He really could just disapp—She jumped as a hand goosed her rear, Flynn’s laugh hung in the frigid air. What a jerk. The wind kicked up again, and she wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she had a coat. His sweater was warm, but not enough for this.
“Plenty of room in here,” Leo offered, holding open his puffy jacket .
There was, and she’d rather freeze to death. What was with the two of them? Neither one of them liked the other, and Leo was just begging for Flynn to beat the crap out of him. If he came back and found her cozied up to his cousin, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind the smaller man would be smeared across the pavement—Actually, that might be worth it…
“I’m fine.” Her teeth chattered. “What’s he doing?”
Leo shrugged, zipping back up. “Casing cars.”
“Casing…?”
“Looking for one to steal.” He said it like she was an idiot.
Flynn was a thief? But not a scavenger, or a smuggler. How did that work? Kara chewed her thumb, trying to fit it with the other bits she’d gleaned about him. Like the rest, it was incongruous, and not. He was like one of those dang Ash’a boards, and it was impossible to figure out what piece went on which level.
“Didn’t tell you about that, huh?” Leo was way too pleased with the revelation. He’d edged closer to her, and she took a step back. The wind gusted, and Kara gasped, the breath knocked out of her. “Come on, let’s get you inside if you won’t huddle up. You’re gonna get frostbite.” He held his hand out, sounding sincere for once.
She bit her lip, considering it. Graham was inside?—
“Found one, but it’s on E, and needs a jump,” Flynn said, popping back into view and opening his coat for her. “Shit, you’re cold,” he murmured, running his hands over her.
“What’s the plan?” Leo asked.
Sighing, Flynn scratched his jaw. “She can’t stay out here, and it’s gonna take me some time… Which room?”
“Eight.”
“They’ve got a nullifier running,” Flynn said, looking down at her. “Field starts at the flagpole, your halos are gonna be visible the entire time we’re inside.”
She reached up and tousled her bangs over her eyes. Riegel had smashed her glasses back at the coop. “I’ll keep my head down. What about yours?”
“They’re only there when I pull talent. That’s why Graham got the room. ”
Kara glanced at Leo, and he winked at her over the rims of his sunglasses. His dull pewter halos were stark against the brown of his irises. A nullifier. Her stomach was a mess just thinking about it.
“Hey, I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.” She smiled at the ridiculous sentiment. Flynn was so sweet. Laughing, he ran a hand up the back of his neck. “Shit, I probably should be more concerned with you letting something happen to me.”
She pulled him down for a kiss. There was hope for him yet…
“Jesus fucking Christ, it’s too cold for this shit, let’s go.”
“Hold up, Leo.” Flynn held Kara back, his anxiety bleeding into her. “This is the last stop before the border, and everyone in there’s on the take.” He grimaced, staring at the building. “Keep your head down and let me do the talking.”
She nodded, and he took her hand in his, following Leo across the parking lot. The building loomed in front of them, foreboding against the clouds. She tried not to grimace as they stepped into the nullifying field. Her footsteps slowed, and Flynn squeezed her hand. The dissonance was jarring, bringing with it too many unpleasant memories.
Leo skipped up the steps ahead of them and held the riveted steel door open with a grin. It was the same as Flynn’s, but on him it made her stomach flip with an entirely different emotion. They stepped into the gloom of the building, and she focused on the floor.
The front room was filthy. Weak sunlight fought its way through the dingy window, and piles of leaves and garbage sat moldering in the corners of the room. An open archway gaped directly in front of them, a staircase to the right, and a curtain of faded pink beads hung across a doorway to the left. Flynn headed straight in.
“Hey, don’t you want me to take her up?” Leo asked.
Flynn stopped mid-stride, a muscle in his jaw popping. “No. But you can take these.” He pulled the bag from her shoulder and tossed it and the one he was carrying at his cousin. The smaller man fell back a step, grunting as he caught them.
“She’s not leaving my side while we’re here. We’ll be up as soon as I take care of this.”
“That’s just fucking stupid. ”
“That is what it is,” Flynn growled.
Leo’s mouth curdled. Turning, he stomped up the warped wooden steps. From behind them came the tinkling of beads, and a thread of cheap perfume.
“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. There’s only one man whose voice scrapes the barrel like that. How you been, Wolf?”
Flynn tensed. He turned slowly, pulling Kara against him. “Sally.”
Kara got a quick glimpse of a scantily clad blonde before Flynn’s hand was on the back of her head, pressing her face to his chest. His heart thumped loudly.
“Damn. Don’t you clean up. I’m almost sorry to see you brought your own.”
“You made it clear I’d need to if I ever came back.”
Sally laughed. “Surprised you remembered, considering how drunk you were when they threw you out.” His fingers tightened in Kara’s hair. “Suggest you make it quicker than usual. Pru’s wrist never did heal right, and you know how Sean is. I’ll keep him busy for a few.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
The beads fell back across the doorway, and Flynn sighed. Kara pushed away from him as he started moving toward the back room again.
“Wolf?”
“Long story,” he muttered, walking through the archway and making a beeline between the haphazardly placed tables and chairs.
Her stomach lurched at the malaise brought on by the stench of spilt beer and unwashed bodies. The low ceiling was held up by roughly hewn beams, just shy of making Flynn duck. Smoke from the oil lamps had stained them a greasy black, and cobwebs thick with dust festooned the recesses.
They walked across the scarred floor, boots crunching over peanut shells and less recognizable detritus. The tables were empty, but there were a few men at the bar spanning the back wall. None of them looked up from their drinks. She kept her eyes down all the same, knowing they were being watched. A streak of brown fur zipped past their feet, and Kara’s mouth went dry .
Flynn led her to a man sprawled across the far end of the bar. She hadn’t even noticed him. He wasn’t moving, and his shirt was the same dirty brown as everything else. The smell was bad enough that she raised the collar of the sweater over her nose. How could people stand to be in here?
Flynn kicked the man’s stool. There was a pause, then the empty glass clenched in his hand slowly tapped the sticky bar. It was like a gavel in the guarded silence of the room.
“After.” Flynn grunted.
The man’s head tilted off his arm as he cracked a rheumy eye.
“No fuckin’ shit. What the hell’re you doin’ here, Wolf? Decide t’finally have that death wish granted?”
The atmosphere got thick, everyone’s attention on them. Giving a low belch, the man’s eyes flicked to her, and he barked out a laugh. It dribbled into a cough. He hacked and spat on the floor. Was this Mulligan? He was horrible, whoever he was. She moved closer to Flynn.
His hand tightened on her hip. “Need a favor.”
“Don’ do them.”
“The paying kind,” Flynn gritted out.
The man’s eyes ran over his face then flicked to Kara again. “I’ll bet.” Mulligan slapped down his glass with a crack, and the man behind the bar filled it. He set out another, and Flynn flipped it upside down before he could pour.
Mulligan snorted into his drink, then took a loud slurp from it, smacking his lips.“S’gonna cost ya.”
“What are we talkin’?”
“Ten.”
“You shitting me?”
“That I am not.” He chuckled, then hawked up something else, spat it to the side, and drained his glass. Slapping it back down on the bar, he scrubbed at his greasy hair, getting up without another word, and staggered through a shadowed doorway. Flynn nudged her to follow.
The next room was presumably a kitchen. Before she could wrap her head around the fact that people actually prepared food in a place like this, he started down a rickety staircase .
The steps ended in a dank stone-lined basement lit by the glow of an office pod straight out of the Source. It backlit the cobwebs, casting splintery shadows across piles of things best not examined. Kara gave a little laugh at the incongruity of the sterile cream cube amidst all this squalor. Her feet slowed picking through the muck, and Flynn took her hand.
They stepped inside the pod, the door sliding closed behind them.
She blinked at the bright plaz lights. Mulligan was sitting at a Lucite and chrome desk flipping through holos. Flynn sat in one of the chairs across from him, brushing webs off his beanie. Rows of equipment were placed exactingly around the pristine cube. A sani-maton zipped out and removed the filth they’d tracked in, pulsing ultrasonics at their boots. Dazed, she took the chair beside Flynn. What was this place?
He glanced over at her. “We can’t cross the border without papers. Mulligan’ll get us square,” he said, not particularly happy about it, but without any doubt in his voice.
She snuck another look at the man. He was as nondescript as his mousy shirt. His greasy hair could’ve been brown or grey, and his irises were just as muddled. He blew out a breath, pushing back in his chair.
“Two?”
“Just me. Use what you did last time.”
“You really think I leave that shit on my system?” The man grinned at the look Flynn gave him, then motioned to his face. “Gonna be extra to touch up the still. New’ll be cheaper.” His smile promised that term was relative.
“Use one of Lot.”
Mulligan’s eyes narrowed. “Just how short are you gonna be?”
“I got seven,” Flynn flipped the envelope onto the desk, and Mulligan thumbed through it. “You know I’m good for the rest.”
“And I don’t know what I don’t know.” He slapped a pad with a stylus down in front of him. “Write it up.”
“Not a fucking chance.” Flynn laughed, riffling his hair. “You got a transmitter? I’ll call it in. Short of that, you’ve got my word. ”
Mulligan’s eyes snapped to Flynn’s cuff. “Holy shit. You’re finally gonna challenge the prick.”
“Yeah.” He pulled his sleeve down over it.
“It’s about fucking time. Suspect I know where to find ya, then.” Kara felt the man’s gaze move to her, lingering. He turned back to his holos, and one of the machines to his right began to hum. “Chapter house in Wellsly’s been busy the past few days. Word has it somethin’ went down in Lyden that has the Sons all riled up and now Victor’s on the warpath.” The burst of anxiety from Flynn made her jump.
“Any guesses as to what?”
“Nope.” Mulligan’s lips made a little pop as he said it. He pulled a sheet of paper off the machine and looked it over. Flipping it around, he set it down in front of Flynn and held out a pen. “But I can guess the who.”
There was a long moment before he took it and signed. Snorting, he glanced back up at him. “Bob Smith?”
Mulligan shrugged. “Creativity’s extra.” The man took it back from him and made some more entries. A different machine started humming. “You got a vehicle?” He took a case out of his desk and flipped it open. “Right index finger.”
“Something’s on the way, but I wasn’t gonna wait. They need bio-scans now?”
Mulligan shrugged and hit a button on the case. There was a bright flash, and Flynn sat back. “This build-up on the border’s no joke. They’re clamping down on us hard… I’m pulling out in the next few days. Papers’ll be for shit if they’ve got nullifiers at the checkpoints. Once that happens, I’m obsolete, and everyone still south is fucked.”
Kara brushed a lock of hair from her eyes, glancing over at Flynn’s anxiety.
Mulligan gave a low whistle. “There ya are, darlin’… Damn you’ve got a set.”
Flynn shot up out of his seat, putting himself between her and the man with a low growl.
“No shit, that how it is, Wolf?” Mulligan laughed. “Line’s gonna have a goddamned field day?— ”
“Name’s Flynn,” he spat. “I suggest you fucking remember it and forget the other.”
Kara’s breath sped, a piece abruptly fitting. Wolf…that dangerous thing inside him… He had a pet name for his temper. Lovely. Well, she suspected it was tangible enough to demand one. She laughed, and the tension broke, the two of them looking at her like she was crazy.
Mulligan leaned back in his chair, a grin jagging over his face to show the rotten teeth at the back of his mouth. He pulled a stack of papers off the printer and tapped them even on the desk. “Little premature to be pullin’ rank… How much is me keepin’ mum worth to ya?”
Flynn dragged a heavy hand through his hair, sitting back down. “How much you want?”
The man pursed his lips, folding the pages and affixing them inside a navy leather binding. “Well now, I don’t wanna be greedy… Bounty they’re offering for your sweet young thing’s half a mil. How ’bout ya double it?”
“Who the fuck’s offering that up?”
Mulligan absently stamped the inside of the little booklet, then embossed it with an official-looking seal. “Someone at the Source wants her returned, along with anyone she’s with. You sure as hell know how to piss people off.”
“Yeah, it’s a fucking gift. Fine, but I want a goddamned car.”
“There’s a blue hatchback?—”
“It needs a jump and is on E.”
Mulligan tapped the side of his nose. “I’ll put her out by the dumpster when she’s ready. We have a deal?”
“If it gets us over the border, you know where to collect.”
He flipped the book at Flynn. “That I do, Lord Scot. Gimme twenty minutes. It’ll take a while to fill up those modified tanks enough to get you to Hamlin. Rub some dirt on that in the meantime. Sure you’ll be able to find plenty out there.”
Standing, he held out his hand, and they shook. Kara followed them both out of the cube, feeling like she was going to throw up. Having a squad of Peacekeepers after her was bad enough, but a bounty too? Could Albanach be responsible for it? She chewed on her thumb, watching Flynn toss the little booklet on the ground. He stomped on it a few times, grinding it into the floor.
“Lord Scot?” Leo had been serious.
Flynn tensed. “Ah…just forget about that for now.” He ran a hand down his face. “Shit. A fucking bounty. That and the Sons… This isn’t good, Kara.” He picked up the booklet and went to pull her close.
She pushed him away. “You gotta give me more than?—”
“What’s the word, my man?”
Flynn froze at the shout from above. The sound of boots on the floor and chairs scraping back followed. A lot of them.
“Round o’ whiskies! Got three o’ them fuckin’ freaks this mornin’, an’ I feel like celebratin’!” A cheer came from at least a dozen throats.
Flynn swore softly, putting his lips close to her ear. “Those guys that just walked in, they’re Sons.”
Her stomach dropped. They were sitting ducks with that nullifier running. She moved to his side, peering up at the floorboards. They flexed, trickles of dust and sand filtering down as someone paced above.
“Where the fuck’s the stamp?”
“Maybe he had to piss.”
“Don’t smell like he gets up to do that.” Someone laughed and glasses clinked.
“Went downstairs with Wolf.”
There was a pregnant silence, and Kara staggered beneath the wave of dread from Flynn.
The man laughed. “No shit. An’ it ain’t even my birthday. Let’s go interrupt ’em.” Chairs scraped across the floor again.
Flynn grabbed her shoulders. “You need to trust me and play along. You’ve gotta act like you’re terrified.”
She opened her mouth to argue, and he kissed her fiercely. The sound of footsteps approaching made her stomach churn. He pushed her against the cube.
“Scream,” he murmured, just before sinking his teeth into her.
Kara screamed.
They were fucked. Flynn would recognize that asshole Sam’s drawl anywhere. The severity of the shit show they were engaged in had just increased exponentially. Forget about needing to get north, they had to get out of this damn basement.
His eyes rolled back in his head at Kara’s ear-piercing shriek. Goddamn, he loved that. The noise from above cut out, then there were answering yells and more boots on the floor. He put his hand around her throat.
“Pretend I’m Jake,” he breathed into her ear. She gave a little nod, struggling against him as footsteps tore down the stairs.
“As I live an’ fuckin’ breathe, where the hell ya been hidin’, Wolf?”
Flynn kept his gaze on Kara, licking his lips like she was prey. He ground himself into her, not having to fake his reaction to her struggling against him. Christ, it got him off.
“Around. What the hell d’you want?” He groped at her like there weren’t a half dozen Sons watching, and she whimpered. His grin got wider, feeling her fight the urge to kick his ass.
“Man hears a scream like that?—”
“He should mind his own fucking business. Get out of my way, I don’t do porn.” He picked Kara up, throwing her over his shoulder like a caveman. She screamed again, and he pulled at his crotch, muscling through the snickering men.
Sam watched him pass, scratching at a tuft of greying hair behind his ear. His lobes had been stretched out so far that he could probably tie them behind his goddamned head if he popped out those stupid plugs.
“Don’t plan on goin’ too far, Wolf. Victor’s been wantin’ a word.”
Flynn laughed up the steps. Not a fucking chance that was happening.
The taproom was packed. Several of the tables were full, and all the seats at the bar were taken. Fuck. Not one unfamiliar face and every last one a Son. His fingers tightened on Kara, and she sobbed raggedly. How the hell was he going to explain all this? His temper spiked, and the few men standing between him and the door made themselves scarce.
He passed Mulligan as they exited the room. Man was flustered. Shit. That was never good. Flynn frowned and kept walking. The two men with semiautomatics in the foyer explained the stamp’s anxiety. One of them met Flynn’s eye and racked his piece. They weren’t getting out that way.
The steps upstairs weren’t lit, but he’d been up and down them enough to navigate them blindfolded. He stepped around the drunk passed out on the landing and into a dismal hallway reeking of vomit. Edging around the greasy slick, he went a couple of rooms down to eight and pounded on the door.
“Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on,” Leo griped, opening the door a crack.
Flynn shouldered past him and set Kara on her feet. She wobbled, looking lightheaded. Her face was a study in disgust as she took in the room. Other than the sagging bed and a radiator beneath the window, there wasn’t much to see. He shrugged, having been in worse places. Leo closed the door behind them, throwing the bolt.
“Not my first choice,” Flynn murmured. He pulled one of the io-bars out of his pocket and offered it to her. Grinning at her expression, he tore into it, leaning against the drab brown wall. He rubbed his temple as he chewed. Fucking nullifier. “Bar’s full of Sons and there’s two guys with semis at the door.”
“Yeah, I heard some of your friends showed up,” Leo quipped.
Flynn snorted. That they were not.
The room brightened as Kara pulled up the tatty mini blinds. A cloud of dust roiled out from them, and she backed away coughing and waving at the air. If she thought this was bad, she should check out the bathroom at the end of the hall. Flynn tried not to laugh. The fact that they were on the third floor and the damned sill was nailed shut helped. She glared at him, gasping for breath. Leo shot them both a look of disgust and went to talk with Graham in the far corner.
“It’s not there,” she managed after a moment.
Flynn gave a little nod, chewing. He hadn’t expected the car to be, fat bribe or no. Not this soon, anyway.
He balled up his wrapper, tossing it into the corner. It bounced down the pile of shit already there. He sighed, his breath coming out in a faint cloud, and walked over to vent the chippy radiator. It hissed and spat, a steady drip starting from one of the welds near the base, adding to the rusty brown stain beneath it. “And it might never be with the Sons here. Leo, stay with?—”
“No fucking way. I got better shit to do than eating a bullet when those assholes come looking for you. We’re getting clear while we can.” He headed for the door, dropping his sunglasses.
Flynn couldn’t blame him, but why did he always have to be such a miserable dick?
“You’ll figure something out,” Graham said somewhat apologetically, following his brother. He paused before leaving. “You need to tell her about Julia.”
Flynn’s stomach dropped, and Kara shot him a glance.
Goddamn it, why the hell did Graham have to bring that up now? The door slammed shut. Nail, meet coffin.
“If he stayed you would’ve killed him,” she said, lowering the blinds back down.
“Which one?”
She laughed, coming over and putting her arms around his waist. “So, who’s Julia, Lord Scot?”
The question made him nauseous. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Kara rolled her eyes. What a brat. His lips twitched up, and she glared at him. Damn, the way the light was hitting the gold of her halos…
She laughed. “Are you kidding? You had a better chance getting me naked behind that dumpster. I’m positive it was cleaner.”
“Think so?”
She threaded her arms around his neck. “I’m going to bet that the garbage transport Nora smuggled me out in had fewer communicable diseases than whatever’s on that coverlet.”
Flynn looked over at the stained paisley bedspread. “So? You’re a Binder.”
“That’s disgusting, and you’re deflecting.”
“Did you ask me something?” he murmured into her neck, sliding his hands over her hips. Christ, she felt good…
“I did, and I thought we had to look for a car?—”
“We gotta give them a chance to get out, then we’ll head out one of the second-floor windows. Maybe by then Mulligan’ll pull through. Damn, woman.” He kissed along her jawline. “Sure I can’t change your mind? Nullifier guarantees no bugs…”
Kara laughed. “That’s the absolute worst pickup line I’ve ever heard.”
He pulled back to cock an eyebrow. “That a no?”
“That’s a no.”
She said that, but it wasn’t what he was feeling from her. She gave a little moan, his fingers tangling in her hair, her hands at his belt. The echo between them all consuming, wrapped up in that perfume, time slipped. Him, feeling her, feeling him. Blood, sweat, and her skin on his…
BAM, BAM, BAM! The door rattled in its frame.
“Wolf! Get up, you sorry son of a bitch!”
Flynn’s eyes sprang open, and his hand went for a knife that hadn’t been beside him for years. The light from the setting sun eked past the blinds into the room. Damn that fucking compulsion… He rocked his swollen jaw. Kara had one hell of a hook. She started scrambling out of bed, and he tightened his arm around her.
“Gimme a goddamned minute,” he yelled back, mussing his hair as he sat up. Shit. They should’ve been long gone. Swiping his jeans off the floor, he pulled them on and went to peer out the window. Car was right where Mulligan had said it’d be. It was about fucking time something went right. Not that whatever was about to go down would. He zipped up, turning to Kara. She sat there disheveled, clutching the bedsheets to her breast. Damn, she was beautiful.
“Same as before, act terrified,” he murmured, kissing her swollen lips. Christ, all he wanted to do?—
BAM, BAM, BAM!
Motherfucker. He needed to get her north. She nodded at his look and curled up facing the wall.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Flynn went over and threw the door open. “What?”
Sam stood there with six other guys. Shit.
“Victor’s here. Wants to see ya. Now. ”
“You gonna let me get dressed, or does he want to see my dick, too?”
“He ain’t interested in that, but he said to bring the slat…” Sam peered around him, into the room. “She dead?”
“You care?”
“Sally said she ain’t one of hers. How beat to shit is she?”
Flynn raised his arms up over his head, leaning on the jamb at the man. Sam and the others took a step back. Guess his reputation was good for something. He sure as hell didn’t have to try to look pissed. “Why, you feelin’ like sloppy seconds?” If the asshole did, he had another thing coming.
“Ain’t a damn thing sloppy about that one.” He stared past Flynn to where Kara was curled up, her hair cascading behind her. The sheet draped over her hip left her back and one tawny shoulder bare.
Flynn ran a hand over his jaw, trying to keep his temper in check as the man ogled her. This was about to go bad fucking fast, and he didn’t have a goddamn clue how to play it so it wouldn’t. Knuckling a bruise, he winced, needing more time.
“I’ll be down in ten.”
“We’ll wait.” Sam motioned, and one of his guys peeled off, going back downstairs. Shrugging like it didn’t matter, Flynn slammed the door closed.
Fuck. He riffled his hair. By the time he looked up, Kara was already half-dressed. She tossed his shirt over to him. He tugged it on, then found his boots.
“What’s the plan?”
“I need to get you north.” He went over to the window and pulled up the shade. Didn’t look like Victor had anyone out there, it was too damn cold. He inspected the sash. Wouldn’t take much to bust through it, but that would bring people running, and God help them if the car didn’t start.
He rubbed his temples. That goddamn nullifier, his head was pounding?—
Shit.
“You up for doing something incredibly fucking stupid? ”
Kara laughed softly, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I don’t have any other plans.”
“Right.” He kissed her. “That guy downstairs, Victor? He wants me dead but will grandstand first. Nullifier’s somewhere behind the bar.” She nodded, following his train of thought. Putting his forehead against hers, he brushed her hair back.
“Kara, I?—”
Everything he wanted to say got stuck in his throat.
“I know.”
He gave a little snort, and her cheek dimpled. Brat. Flynn pressed his lips to her brow, then pulled away with a sigh. “Good, because I mean it.”
Sam pounded on the door. “Let’s go!”
“Calm the fuck down.” Flynn shrugged into his coat and handed Kara her bag. She peered up at him through her heavy bangs, halos barely visible. Goddamn. There was nothing fucking for it. Taking a deep breath, he wrapped his hand around her arm and opened the door.
“Jesus Christ, you timing me?” He pulled Kara after him, muscling past Sam and the other men in the hall.
“Ya know he don’t like to wait.”
“Since when do I give a shit?”
The two men with semis were still standing in the front room when they came down. Damn it. That was gonna complicate things. He steered Kara toward the bar. Everyone looked up as they entered. No doubt about it, Victor had primed the crowd.
“There he is! Man of the hour…been lookin’ for ya, Wolf. Knew you’d poke your ugly head up sooner or later. Now I’m gonna take it right the fuck off your shoulders.”
“Figured that’s what you wanted to see me about.” Flynn dragged Kara past them and pushed her behind the bar. “Whiskey. Now.”
He turned to Victor. Man was as broad as he was tall, only coming up to the center of Flynn’s chest, and that was with the twelve-inch mohawk. He must’ve had it done recently, his scalp was pale as a dead fish’s underbelly. The rest was dyed coal black and tipped fluorescent green .
He slid a bolo knife from the sheath on his back and spat out a stream of chew. The stinking brown jet splattered over Flynn’s boots. Asshole.
“Heard they fucked you up in Kensbot, but you don’t look too bad to me. I’m glad. S’gonna make this even more satisfyin’.” He tested the edge of his blade, his eyes narrowing. “What, no wiseass comments?”
“Why bother? Half the time you’re too fucking stupid to understand them.”
“That a fact?” Victor grinned, stepping toward him. Several hammers cocked, and his smile got bigger. “Funny, I’m not the dumb fuck who just delivered himself to the chopping block.” He stuck the point of his knife up under Flynn’s chin. It sliced into him, dull enough to sting. “But you always were an arrogant son of a bitch. Tell me, shithead. How the fuck do you plan on getting out of this?”
He grimaced, holding Victor’s eyes with his. Kara needed to find that goddamned nullifier, fast.
Kara fumbled around behind the bar, her head throbbing. Where was it? She tried to covertly glance at the bottles against the wall. A filthy mirror was behind them, and she caught more than one pair of eyes on her. How was she going to find the nullifier without them seeing her halos?
Flynn laughed behind her. “A plan? Nah. I’m here. You’re here. Let’s get this shit over with.”
A rough arm snaked around Kara’s waist, and she screwed her eyes shut at the sour breath on her cheek. “Come ’ere love, Wolf ain’t gonna miss ye fer a bit.”
He was horribly mistaken.
A massive surge of rage shot through their bond. Kara stumbled beneath its onslaught, and the man pushed her to the floor.
Flynn saw one of the Sons force Kara down, and a black wave of fury crashed over him. His stomach spasmed like he’d been hit, wrath scrabbling up out of him, claws rending and tearing in their rush to exact retribution. Fuck! She can handle it!
His head said that, but that other part of him wasn’t listening.
Kara landed on all fours, her palms splatting into a mound of something gelatinous. She cried out in disgust, unable to catch herself. The man’s hands wrenched at her waistband, trying to rip her jeans off. Her knees slipped from under her, and she landed on her belly in muck.
“Goddamned things’re painted on…” A switchblade snicked open. Her muscles went weak at the cold metal slipping between the fabric and her skin. Panic consumed her, and she froze. The sound of fabric ripping drowned out everything else, and in her mind, it was a different pair of hands on her.
She couldn’t fucking handle it.
That red haze seared the room, and the animal in Flynn surged forward. Time sped and slowed, his senses gaining a predatorial sharpness, Sons becoming prey. His body exploded into motion, reflexes automatic?—
A fury of quick blows, clatter of the knife. Fists sink into cloth, heave. Glass shatters. Duck, flip the table. Hold. Gunshots. Splinters spray, sling it. Men scatter. Reek of kerosene and whomp of flame?—
Kara shook off the memory amidst pandemonium. The mirror above her exploded, a shower of glass and bottles raining down. A body followed, bowling into her assailant. She scrambled back. Guns fired, men yelled, the smell of smoke and cordite thick. Furniture skittered and snapped, and boots retreated in a mass exodus?—
That stupid block had slammed down over her link to Flynn… Was he hurt?
More gunfire. She panted, trying to get her bearings, shaken from that man’s hands on her. Kara’s eyes fell on a silver cylinder peeking from beneath his body.
The nullifier.
The animal delights. Flesh on flesh, crack of bone. Men scream. Blood and Smoke. Knife in hand, crouching, stink of fear. Pupils wide, rictus grin, eyes burning cobalt?—
The man quails. Pushes back.
“No.” Flynn panted, throwing the bolo to the ground. The room was choked with smoke and littered with bodies. He scrubbed at his face.
Goddamn it, he fucking promised he wasn’t doing that again.
The animal prowled in the back of his mind, agitated. It wasn’t done.
Flynn gripped his temples…needing air…time… motherfucker, get out of my head!
He staggered from the room.
Kara clicked off the nullifier, peeking from behind the bar. She looked around, bewildered.
The place was destroyed, and Flynn was nowhere in sight. Another burst of rapid gunfire sounded from the front room, and the block slipped long enough for Kara to feel his rage. Her knees buckled.
What the heck…?
She hitched up her pants, stepping over the bleeding men sprawled amidst the broken bottles and shards of mirror. One of them groaned, and she kicked him .
Jerk.
Her bag was at the end of the bar. She scooped it up and crossed the blood-slicked floor. Something heavy scraped across the floor behind her, and she spun, pulling her knife. The blade was pitted, as if eaten by acid. Her stomach clenched and a cold sweat pricked her skin.
Ielle.
“Hey, nah, ain’t like that! Look, you…you need to stay down!” Mulligan hissed at her, eyes wide. He hunkered behind an overturned table. There was another scream, and he flinched. “Wolf’s hunting, it ain’t safe.”
She heard the words come out of his mouth, but they didn’t register. “What?”
“Wolf… Shit darlin’, don’t you get who—what he is?”
Crap. This is what happened when Flynn let go.
She didn’t care, and they needed to get out of here. Kara dropped the knife and bent to pull the other bag from under a bullet-riddled tabletop. It looked like every Son in the bar had trampled over it in their rush for the door. Maybe it’d improved those stupid io-bars’ texture.
The dumb thought made her laugh, and she immediately regretted it, acrid air searing down her throat. Coughing, she went in the direction of their bond, grateful for it. The taut mental cord led her through the smoke and destruction he’d left in his wake. Groping past broken furniture and bodies, she pitched forward into the front room. One of the men that’d been standing there was on the floor, his head at an unnatural angle. The other was nowhere to be seen. The steel door hung off its hinges. She shivered in the arctic blast pouring through the gaping hole, sucking in great lungful’s of frigid air. After a moment’s thought, she wrestled off the dead man’s coat. He didn’t need it anymore.
She stumbled outside. The clouds had thinned, and the setting sun gave everything a weird amber cast. Flynn was standing at the end of the parking lot, his breath streaming from him in rapid puffs. Except for a little blue car by the dumpster, the lot was deserted.
Her boots crunched across the snow, and his shoulders went rigid.
That barrier was thrown up over his emotions again. Why did he do that? Kara’s chest ached, not being able to feel him. She stood at his back and dropped the bags. The sound of them hitting the ground was very loud. The wind picked up, and she shivered. How long was he going to stand there? She took the last few steps to face him.
His clothes were torn and spattered with blood. Jaw set, he stared blankly out over the hillside. She stopped just out of arm’s reach. Something about his expression…
She reached down to hitch up her ruined pants again, and his eyes snapped to her.
Kara stopped cold.
That dangerous thing looked out.
“Bad things happen when I lose my temper…”
Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure her assertion that he couldn’t hurt her was true.
She laughed at the rush of heat that came with the thought, running a hand over her face. What was wrong with her? It didn’t matter, he wouldn’t. She closed the distance between them.
“Flynn… Hey, who am I?” She searched his eyes, her thumb running over his cheek.
Motes of electric blue churned hypnotically in the depths of his irises, drowning out the hazel. Blinking lazily, the dangerous thing held her gaze.
“Our mate.”
Her mouth went dry. She reached up, her fingers trailing across his brow. It had to be shock. If she could just feel him… “Flynn, I need you here, with me. Let me in, love…”
Her words snapped him out of his stupor. His face crumpled, and he scrunched his eyes shut. When he opened them again, the blue had receded, that thing replaced by a desperate fear, so much fear. Emotions trickled from him—guilt, shame, and a horrible self-loathing oozing beneath it all. Her arms floated around his neck, wanting to take it from him.
His gaze slid from hers. “You saw.”
“Enough.” The aftermath, at least. Kara burrowed into his coat, close against his chest, listening to the slow beat of his heart. She knew he could feel everything she wanted to say, and that seemed more profound than words.
His arms tightened around her, and she looked up. The intensity on his face stole her breath away. “I won’t let anything happen to you Kara. I-I won’t lose you…this.” Tipping her chin up, he went to kiss her and pulled back with an offended sniff. “What the hell is that?”
She laughed. “Whatever I landed in behind the bar. Awful, isn’t it? Can you cloak my talent? I’ll take care of it and bind my jeans.”
“Bind your—” His hands moved down past her waist, fingers spreading over her exposed tailbone. A muscle in his jaw jumped. Kara laughed again at how horrific it all was. She fought to push the memory of those hands on her away, pressing against him, willing her lashes to hold back the tears. He dipped his head to hers, his breath warm on the crown of her head. She tried to lose herself in the torrent of anger coming from him, wanting to feel what he did, instead of her own tangle.
“I swear to God, Kara, I’m gonna fucking kill that son of a bitch.”
He wasn’t talking about the man in the bar. There was no judgement in his eyes, only a righteous, simmering fury. He ran a thumb over her cheek, brushing away the dampness. The intimacy of his touch sloughed away the last hard layer of cultivated numbness from the Source, leaving her brittle and exposed.
Flynn held her as she wept. The warmth she felt from him filled up all the barren places inside of her. Was this what it was like to belong to someone, not just in body, but in soul? The thought of being broken from him and having all of this ripped away… No. She wouldn’t lose this either. Kara leaned against his broad chest, enjoying the feeling of safety in his arms?—
She pulled back, wiping her eyes. Ugh, could she be any sappier? “I got your shirt all wet.”
He shrugged. “Not the worst thing on it. You ready?” She nodded, and his halos flared.
Kara pulled talent, her jeans conforming to her like they’d been zipped up the back. The fetidness smeared over her condensed into a nasty ball of sludge and slapped onto the ground. She bound the memory of that man’s hands on her with everything else that’d been bubbling up, shoving it all deep into her psyche until the barest whisper remained, not caring about how much talent she pulled. If Ielle had found her, the Source knew where they were.
Numbed, she turned her attention to Flynn and frowned. He’d taken a bullet and didn’t even seem to notice. He just kept rubbing at his chest, but she couldn’t sense anything wrong. Putting a hand over his, she healed the wound in his arm and cleaned him up. A much redder splat fell on the ground beside hers.
“You’ve been standing here all this time bleeding? Why didn’t you tell me you’d been shot?”
He shrugged. “It didn’t hit anything important.”
“You’re an idiot.”
Flynn snorted, not disagreeing. “Come on, we need to make up some time.” He scooped up the bags and held out his free hand. She took it, crossing the parking lot to the car.
He tossed the bags into the back seat, waiting until she was settled, then closed the door after her. The courtly gesture made her smile. Maybe he really was a lord. ( Do you take honey in your tea?) Those pieces were starting to form a picture, but they sure didn’t fit with everything else that’d happened today, or the way he was swearing about there not being a key.
He crouched to peer under the steering column, then reached around it, jammed something into a hole, and fiddled with a bunch of wires. The engine roared to life. Leo hadn’t been kidding about him stealing cars. Flynn rocked back on his heels and gave a massive sigh at the interior. Kara couldn’t blame him. She had no idea how he was going to fit, and by the look on his face, neither did he.
Blowing out another heavy breath, he wedged himself into the crappy pleather seat. She couldn’t keep the smirk off her face while he puffed and swore. Finally getting situated enough to slam his door shut, he shot her a furious glance, and she laughed.
“Goddamn, this fucking clown car’s gonna suck. I didn’t even ask, can you drive a stick?”
She laughed again at the plaintiveness in his voice. “I’ve never driven, period.”
“You’re learning once we get up there.” Grimacing, he put the car in gear and started across the parking lot. Flames flickered through the Pinion’s boarded windows, the wind batting away the belching black plumes of smoke.
“Flynn, I know how the Peacekeepers found us… It was that knife Riegel jammed into the table at the coop. I pulled it back there, and the blade was corroded. That’s Ielle’s flaw, she must’ve gotten the imprint from him. I’m sorry, I didn’t even think?—”
“Stop. It’s my fault for not cloaking your stuff.” His halos pulsed brighter. “You ditch it?”
“Yes, back in the bar.”
“Good. When a squad gets there, I hope they raze whatever’s left of that pit to the fucking ground. They’ll be doing everyone a favor.”
Kara leaned back in her seat, rubbed raw emotionally, and from all the talent she’d used the past few days. It shouldn’t be so hard to pull, especially for a little thing like that bullet hole and binding gunk, but she was so tired…
She just needed sleep. Flynn reached over and put a hand on her knee. His thumb slowly rocked across it, back and forth. Relaxing beneath his touch, she closed her eyes and drifted off.