Defective (The Institute Series Book 3) (29 page)

He half smiles. “And how long did you think I would last?”

“A month.”

He scoffs. “You underestimated me. I’m sure you won’t do that again, will you, Miss Daniels?”

“Of course not,” I say, still pointing my gun at him.

“I’ve been following your career, as you could imagine. What with your very public rallies and campaigns, your charity work, school visits, your speeches on equality. One would think you were
trying
to make yourself a target.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “I was very tempted, you know. Three years ago, that speech you made. It was almost too good to resist. You’re the girl who got away, after all.”

“Aww, you make it sound so romantic.” The bile threatens to creep up my throat.

“Both you and Jacobs are lucky to be alive. You know that, right? And isn’t he like your brother now? That’s a tad bit weird, isn’t it?”

I hear Jenna in my ear, “
Bastard.
”

“Technically no, he’s not my brother. But he is dating my future sister-in-law.”

We’ve laughed numerous times over the fact that if Jayce and I were to marry, which we now are, and Jenna and Drew were to marry, that Drew and I would become brother and sister in-laws. But hearing it from Brookfield’s mouth somehow makes it less funny.

“Ah yes, Sergeant Harrison. She was on my tail long before you were.”

It’s creepy how much about our lives he knows. It’s starting to scare me. This needs to end, now. Any reservations I had about killing the man in front of me are gone. I just need to bide my time until it’s justifiable homicide.

“How did you last so long?” I ask him. “Why didn’t you come back after Paxton died? There wouldn’t have been anyone to dispute your claims then. No non-Defectives anyway.”

“Do you understand the charges I would’ve been tried for? Kidnapping, torture, attempted murder. I wasn’t going to face that. I used the money Paxton gave me to live, to start a new life. And I’m not going to sit by and let you bully me again, like you did when you took everything away from me. I’m giving you the chance to do what you should’ve done five years ago.”

“I’m not here to kill you. I’m not like you,” I say, while in my head I beg him to reach for his gun.

He shakes his head. “And I thought you were smart. You do remember what happened the last time you let me get away, right? You think your co-workers out there will be quick enough to save you?”

My eyes widen as he goes for his gun. This is the moment. He’s giving me what I want. He’s giving me no choice. A simple moment of hesitation finds me hearing a gunshot going off, but the strangest thing follows. The bullet from his gun moves towards me at an impossibly slow speed. It’s like time has stopped, but not quite. The bullet flies by my head as I easily step aside to avoid it. It pierces the wall behind me.

I race towards Brookfield as fast as I can, his face not even registering that I’ve moved.
What is going on?
Without thinking it through, I holster my gun, and go for his. When my hand touches his, he quickly snaps his head around and sees me, surprised I’m suddenly by his side.

“How did you…” he stops himself when he realises I’ve got a hold of his gun. He goes to grab it back and we struggle for it.

The intensity in which he fights me grows as the seconds tick by. Sweat drops off my brow, and my breathing becomes stilted. If I let him overpower me, I’m dead.

He lets go of the gun, pushing me, and sending me flying backwards into a glass coffee table that shatters under my weight. He reaches behind him for a second gun, but I’m quicker. I ignore the stinging pain in my arm and back, grab my own gun back out of its holster, and give him what we both want. I shoot him dead.

It’s over.

That can’t be it, right?
Everything happened so fast, so quickly.
It’s really over?
My gun is still poised, pointing at his lifeless body slumped in the chair. My head falls back, glass crunching underneath it as I rest it on the floor. Trying to catch my breath, I stare up at the roof, still trying to process what just happened. It’s not the first time I’ve taken a life, but it is the first time I haven’t felt guilty.

My team rushes in, Jenna and Officer Cooper helping me off the ground while the others ensure Brookfield is permanently down.

“You’re hurt,” Jenna says, looking at my arm.

Still breathing deep and heavy from adrenaline, I look down to find a shard of glass from the table sticking out of my arm. “Shit, hey.”

Jenna’s on her handheld radio, asking for an ambulance. I’m looking at the blood oozing out, trying to assess how to get the glass out.

“Touch that arm and I will kill you,” Jenna calls out to me. I roll my eyes at her. “We’re going to get you to the hospital, and then you can explain exactly what happened in here.”

“What do you mean? Couldn’t you hear everything?”

“Up until the gunshots. We rushed in as soon as we heard them, but I don’t understand how you ended up over here,” she points to the glassy mess on the ground. “Or how you avoided being shot when he was aiming directly at you.” She points to the hole in the wall on the other side. She leans in and quietly asks, “Were you borrowing an ability of sorts?”

I shake my head. “If I was, it was unintentional. No one here is Defective, so I wouldn’t know who or how to borrow their ability. I’ve borrowed abilities in the past without realising though, so it’s possible if someone Defective is nearby. A neighbour or something.”

“We’ll talk about this later. We need to get you to the hospital. I’ll call Jayce when we get there.”

Ah, crap.

***

I’m sitting in triage at the hospital as the doctor assesses the glass in my arm. The skin is starting to feel really tight around the glass, and I don’t think that’s a good thing. Is it swelling? Why haven’t they just taken the glass out yet?

Before I know it, Jayce is running into my room looking terrified. He’s followed by Drew, Shilah, Tate, Mum, and Dad. Jenna tries to sneak in behind them.

“What are you all doing here? Where are the kids?” I ask, clear annoyance in my tone. “Didn’t Jenna tell you I’m fine?”

“The kids are with my parents,” Jayce answers. “I was so worried.” He’s approaching me with caution. I can tell he wants to touch me, but is scared I’ll break.

I roll my eyes. “I’m fine. They’re just going to take the glass out and stitch me up. Easy. Even I could do it with my six months of nursing school,” I joke.

The doctor who has been silent for a while now, looks at me. “We might have to get a CT on this. I’m worried the glass is in too deep, and we might have tendon damage.”

“For Pete’s sake. It’s fine. Just take it out,” I say exasperatedly.

“I’d feel much more comfortable if we sent you for a CT.”

Jayce and I give each other a look. “I can’t go for a CT,” I say, looking around the room, before looking down at my hands. “I’m pregnant.”

“You’re what?” Jenna yells.

Yeah, she’s reacting how I thought she would after what I did today. I didn’t really realise just how close I came to dying until I got to the hospital. That bullet should’ve hit me.

“Look, I just want to get this thing out of my arm and go home to my kids, okay? And Jenna, don’t give me that pissed-off look. I did my job today, I did it well, and we got the bad guy in the end. I didn’t tell you I was pregnant because I knew you’d act like this and wouldn’t have let me go in.”

“You went in by yourself?” Jayce asks me while glaring at Jenna. “You allowed her to do that?” he scolds her.

I use my good arm to raise my hand and rub it over my face. “It was my decision to go in by myself. You can’t blame Jenna for what I did. This is my job, you have always supported it. Why is it different now that I’m pregnant?” I let out a sigh. “You know what? Now is not the time for this conversation.”

Drew steps forward. “Where’s Brookfield now?”

“He’s dead,” I say flatly.

“You did it?” His eyes light up. Out of everyone, he’s the only person who understands. We’re both truly free now. That whole life is behind us.

“She almost got herself killed in the process,” Jenna says.

Drew and I simultaneously roll our eyes at her then laugh. Jenna and Jayce are not amused.

The doctor finally comes to my rescue when he says, “There are scans that are safe to have whilst pregnant. I really must insist we get it done as soon as possible. I’m really sorry, but all of you are going to have to wait in the waiting room. Even you, Sergeant.”

They all reluctantly leave after the doctor ushers them out. I look up at him through my lashes. “Thank you.”

“I kind of sensed you didn’t want to get into all of that here,” he says.

I half smile. “You’re right about that. So I’ll be getting that scan now?”

“I just said that to get everyone out of the room. Looking at this more carefully, I think you’re right. I’ll just go ahead and stitch you up.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

He gets everything he needs prepared, gives me a local anaesthetic, and begins to pull the glass out. Weirdest. Sensation. Ever. When it’s out, he begins the stitches, but has to stop when he’s about half way through.

“What the?” he says.

I look down at my arm, and can’t believe the sight. My arm is healing exceedingly fast. The stitches he just put in are no longer even needed. He cuts them out and examines my arm. You can’t even tell where the glass was.

“Why didn’t you just tell us your ability is to heal?” the doctor asks, confused.

“Because it’s not. Unless… is there another Defective person being treated nearby, or who works here? My ability is to borrow. Maybe I’m doing that?”

“I can check, but as far as I’m aware there are no other Defectives here.”

Thinking about it, none of it makes sense. Somehow time slowed down at Brookfield’s place, and now my skin is healing itself, all without being close to someone who’s Defective.

Dread and realisation course through me.

“Could you please send my family back in? Uh… actually, just my fiancé and the Sergeant.”

The doctor puts down his equipment and goes out to get Jenna and Jayce. When they appear, I don’t know what to say – especially when they look down at my arm with complete and utter confusion across their faces.

“I know why today was so confusing for you,” I say to Jenna. “And I have some news about the baby.” Jayce’s eyes go wide in fear and panic. “Don’t worry, she’s fine, she’s safe.” He lets out the breath he was clearly holding in. I look at them both, contemplating how to approach this. “Today when Brookfield shot at me—”

“He shot at you?” Jayce exclaims.

“Bigger issues here, Jayce,” I say before continuing. “As soon as the gun went off, it was like time slowed right down – either that, or I started moving at super-speed. Anyway, I thought that maybe someone nearby was Defective, but just now when the doctor pulled the glass out of my arm…” I reach over and grab the doctor’s scissors off the tray.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jenna asks frantically.

“Just watch.” I use the blade and slice my forearm, only a little, but it still friggin’ hurts. It begins to heal immediately. Their shocked faces says it all.

“Two abilities?” Jayce asks.

I nod. “Illyana will definitely take after her mummy.”

******

Thank you for reading my book! Please let me know what you thought by writing a review.

Acknowledgments

Sarah. I kinda don’t like you anymore. And … I stole your red pen. Good luck trying to find it.

To all of my betas, thanks for your feedback and advice. Patrick, Michelle B, Michelle L, and Kimberly, Theresa, you’re all awesome.

The usual suspects: the many friends and family who have supported me throughout this whole adventure.

To my husband, I know this book pushed our relationship to the limits with how much time I had to put into it. Thank you for understanding and only nagging me a little bit. Okay, maybe you nagged me a lot, but I probably deserved it. Maybe.

About the Author

Obsessed with YA fiction, I’m still a teenager at heart.

My love of reading and movies inspired me to start something I never dreamed possible: Writing my first novel.

One book turned into two, two turned into three, and now I have plans for another trilogy, a spin off to The Institute Series. Nuka, William, and Illyana each get their own story in The Litmus Series. Coming in 2016.

Find me at:

http://www.kaylahowarth.com

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