Feel (25 page)

“There will still be enough open to kill more than he ever has before,” I groan, glancing at Sam who’s still shaking her head, not yet having a read on a bomb.

Every table within hearing distance is focused on us, whispering and pointing like we’ve lost our minds.  We’re getting ready to chase a bomber.  They’re right.  We have lost our fucking minds.  Rushing out of the restaurant, I unlock the door and Saige starts to climb into the SUV but I put my hand out, stopping here.  “You’re not going!”

“You need me to tell you where he’s at.  Sam doesn’t have a read on the bomb, yet.  I can feel Griffin once we get close to the building.  With Stephen and Josie having a premonition almost simultaneously, we don’t have time to play with.”

Nodding towards the guys, I shake my head at Saige, “We’ll find him.  Stay here with Josie and Sam.”

“You don’t have time to argue with me, Jensen!  People are going to die.  You need my help to prevent that,” Saige insists, her chest heaving as she fights to control the terror she and the rest of the crew are feeling. 

Swearing loudly, I grab her arm and help her slide inside the passenger door as everyone else scrambles into their seats.  Stephen and Josie seem to be calming, now that the vision is over, but not much.  His death grip is now on the handle above the door and Josie’s is wrapped around herself.  I shut their doors before quickly getting in the driver’s seat of the other vehicle.  Traffic is infuriatingly slow and I jerk the wheels over the curb, blaring my horn as I floor the gas over a short section of sidewalk to bypass the traffic light, before whipping inside a gap between cars. 

We’re about five minutes away when Sam grabs my arm so tight, she about makes us crash.  “Griffin has the bomb.”

“Stephen and Josie freaking out all the people in the restaurant already established that, Sam.  What else do you have?” I give her a smartass grin, trying to ease her while I place my hand over hers reassuringly.

“He must’ve had someone else build the bomb and deliver it to him.  That’s why I couldn’t get a read before; Griffin hadn’t touched it, until now.”

“I thought Josie said he’s too narcissistic to have a partner,” James blurts.

“He was, but with us tracking him, he didn’t have another choice.”  I swear under my breath.  Every nerve ending in my body is going ballistic when I turn towards Sam, doing my damnedest to at least appear calm, “Where’s the bomb now?”

“It’s on the move with Griffin.”

A small twinge of relief eases some of the tension from knowing Griffin hasn’t arrived at the tower yet.  Slamming my foot against the gas, I veer between cars, not knowing if I should hope for cops to chase me or hope to hell they don’t.  Ignoring the blaring horns and myriad of middle fingers being thrust my way, I glance at Saige who has one foot braced against the dash and the other embedded in the floorboard as she holds herself steady with my erratic driving.  Out of all of us, my driving is scaring her the least.  I’ve always hated her thirst for adrenaline so she can overrule the foreign emotions while heightening her own.  There’s no doubt in my mind that Saige would be having the time of her life right now if we weren’t after a psychopath. 
Damn, the woman scares the shit out of me just as much as she turns me on sometimes.

Shifting gears, I quickly glance at all the mirrors before holding my breath and flooring the gas when we reach the building.  Passing it, I swerve into the next lane, cutting off two cars, missing them by a fraction. 

“You just passed the tower?” Sam yells.

“Meant to,” I respond, “hold on!”  My teeth rattle from the impact of the wheels slamming into the curb as we bounce, sliding to a screeching stop when I grind my foot against the brakes. 

  “
Ay, su puta madre!
” Andy yells, following what I’m sure wasn’t even close to decent with a string of expletives that I fully understand and know aren’t.

  “Everyone alright?” I call, ignoring Andy’s outburst. 

  “What the hell, Rider?” James grumbles, prying his fingers off the arm of Saige’s seat. 

  “Do you see any parking places?” I snap back, before glancing at Saige. “You alright?”

  She nods, her eyes wide, but a curve pulling up the edges of those full lips that makes me think of things I really shouldn’t be thinking about right now. 

  “Let’s go.”  I reach for Saige, and she grabs my hand, climbing over the console and jumping out the driver’s side. 

We’re running back towards the tower when I see Darrin, throwing my hand in the direction of where I left the SUV.  Griffin won’t know what we’re driving, but he sure as hell would notice a vehicle parked on the sidewalk in front of the building he plans on blowing up. 

“Talk to me, Sam!” I call over my shoulder as we reach the door. 

“The bomb’s still with Griffin, but he’s close,” she states in ragged breaths as we try to pull ourselves together when entering the building. 

“He’s not close enough for me to feel yet,” Saige states, pressing her hands against her head.  “This building is huge.  I don’t know if I can feel him if he’s at an opposite end. 

A few minutes later, Darrin, Axe, and Josie enter the door just as Sam turns towards me, her eyes dark with terror.  “He’s here.”

“Where?”

“Follow me,” Sam cries, taking off towards the elevator. 

I don’t want her going anywhere near the bomb.  I don’t want anyone to, but Sam locks on an object and it leads her to it.  It’s not something she can map out for anyone.  “Darrin, take Josie and Saige away from here.”

“You still need me,” Saige yells, taking off after Sam. 

“Dammit, Saige!” I yell after her before calling back to Darrin, “Pull the fire alarm, then call the bomb squad and cops.  Tell them whatever in the hell you have to when they arrive so they don’t shoot any of us.”

Darrin nods, grabbing the handle of the alarm and yanking it down. 

“C’mon!” Sam screams and I burst inside the elevator doors behind Andy, Axe, and James. 

The panel flashes that we’ve passed the fourth floor when Saige presses her hand against the elevator wall.  The further up we go, the more she digs her hand against the metal.  Three more floors flash and Saige thrashes her head vehemently, “We’ve missed him.  He’s going down, not up!”

“No!  The bomb’s a few more floors up,” Sam insists.

“He’s left it then,” I growl.  “Take James to the bomb,” I instruct Sam, before turning to Andy and Axe.  “Once James is at the bomb, you get Sam the hell out of here.  We’ll go after Griffin.”  Pushing the emergency stop, I take Saige’s hand and pull her out the door with me. 

Saige takes the lead, racing towards the door at the end of the hall.  I can see Griffin’s presence affecting her by her tight jaw and coiled fist.  His aura hurts her.  I’m going to make sure to beat the shit out of the bastard before I kill him for that. 

My phone rings and I dig it out of my backpack, answering it breathlessly as I try to keep up with Saige’s breakneck speed down the stairs. 

“We’ve got it,” Axe states.  “James thinks he can manipulate the trigger, but I don’t know how long he can hold it.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I hear James smart-off in the background.  “You build things for a living, Axe.  Can you see how this part connects and take it off?”

“I build bikes, not bombs, dumbass!” Axe snaps back. 

“Will you two stop?” I yell.  “Take Andy and Sam and get out of here, Axe!”

“Andy’s already on the elevator, heading down with Sam, but I’m not leaving James here,” Axe states in a determined tone. 

I don’t argue.  I understand.  “Just make sure James concentrates on that bomb.” 

Saige grabs the railing, propelling herself over the edge and dropping to the landing below. 

Gritting my teeth, I do the same, grabbing her elbow and yanking her backwards into me before she bursts through the door.  “I’m going first.”

Seeing she has no chance to change my mind, Saige doesn’t argue as she steps aside. 

Grabbing my gun, I raise it and open the door, catching a glimpse of Griffin as he rounds a corner.  “Stay behind me until we get to an exit, then get the hell out of here,” I demand, running down the edge of the parking deck. 

Everything seems to still when I hear a gunshot echo off the concrete walls.  We’ve just rounded the corner, when I see Sam on the ground and Andy lying in a pool of blood next to her.  Rage, fear, and pain stabs a million slices through me when I drop to my knees next to Andy.  I can hear Saige’s labored breathing behind me a fraction of a second before the shrill pitch of her scream.  The thuds of my heart pulse in my ears as I keep my gun raised, frantically scanning the deck for Griffin.

Sam slowly moves, then scrambles on her knees to Andy, kneeling on the pavement next to Saige.  Tears are streaming down both of their faces as Saige presses her hand against Andy’s chest.  The blood seeps between her fingers as she screams at him to open his eyes. 

Rage spirals through my pores as I look at my best friend fighting for his life.  The only thing making me keep my shit together is how Saige didn’t sense his death.  I hope and pray that means what I think.  “Where is he, Saige?”

The toxic mixture of emotions burning in her eyes lances my chest.  “Around the corner.  Please be careful, Jensen.” 

“Stay with Andy!”  Forcing myself to move faster, I sprint to the corner, pressing my back against the wall before quickly checking around the side. 
The bastard’s not here.
  There’s only one way he could’ve gone from here to exit the building and I say a quick prayer then turn the next corner.  My feet pound against the pavement as I push myself faster, knowing if he makes it out, I will lose him and he’ll be gone.  “Come out, you fucking coward!” I yell.

I’m shocked when he does. 

Griffin steps behind the last corner with his thumb resting on a detonator.  The dark, soulless look in his eyes bores into me.  “Jensen Rider.”  He lets out a low chuckle.  “You are definitely a thorn in my ass.  To be Sterling’s son, you’re nothing like him.  Your father encouraged us to embrace our gifts.” 

Swallowing hard, I pray to God James can keep manipulating that trigger.  From the looks of Griffin, I can’t be sure he gives a damn about self-preservation.  Aiming the barrel of the gun at Griffin’s head, I take a step forward.  “My father encouraged people to use their gifts to help, not kill.”

“Are you sure about that?” he laughs.

  Ignoring his attempt to rattle me, I make sure to keep the gun aimed for a kill shot.  He’s right about one thing.  I’m nothing like my father, but that doesn’t matter at the moment.  “That detonator won’t work.  You’re bomb is already disabled Griffin.”

“Those sirens you’re hearing.  They’re going to be too late for you,” he laughs.  “This detonator isn’t for the bomb upstairs.”  His eyes gleam as he nods his head next to me. 

Keeping my aim steady, I glance to my left, seeing a crude bomb strapped to the wall two feet away from me.  I’ve heard people say they see their life flash before their eyes when they were about to die.  That doesn’t happen to me.  I see Saige.  Her life.  Flashes of nothing but her stream rapidly through my mind.  Then, Saige’s hand covers my heart, then she’s gone.  Blinking my eyes, I look up, seeing her with the bomb in her hand as she rushes Griffin.

  “Saige, no!” Viral fear floods my veins and I react, firing a shot at the bastard’s chest before he has time to push the detonator.

  Saige drops her hand at the same time as Griffin.  Both the detonator and the bomb crash to the pavement seconds before she crumbles.  Lunging, I catch her, pulling her on top of me as we hit the ground. 

“You promised you would never leave me alone,” she murmurs before her lips pale.  “I couldn’t let you go.”

Cradling her head, I roll over, keeping her head in my hand as I shake her, trying to keep her eyes open.  I quickly scan her body, but there’s no wound.  The bullet hit Griffin.  Saige’s skin cools below my touch and I having no fucking clue of what’s going on. 

“Don’t leave me alone,” Saige pleads, her eyes fluttering closed, and my heart freezes when I realize she’s dying. 

Shaking her hard, her body rocks beneath me, but she doesn’t respond.  “Stay with me, baby.  Stay with me, Saige!”

“If you want to save her-” Griffin begins, his words sputtered between coughs.  “You have – t-to – save me.”

“Dammit, Saige!  Open your eyes.”  I shake her harder.  Her fragile body rocks violently in my arms but she still doesn’t respond.  Searching for a pulse, I feel it weakening.

“I will take her with me.”  Griffin’s words send a chill through the core of every bone as tears drip from my eyes, splashing onto Saige’s neck. 

Pushing myself up, I scramble towards Griffin, pressing my hands over his wound.  “Let Saige go, Griffin!” I growl.

His lips curve into a poisonous smile as he weakly whispers, “Keep me alive.”

The sound of thundering footsteps echoes through the garage but I keep my eyes glued between Saige and Griffin.  I see him fading, taking her along with him, and I press harder against his wound while calling to Saige, “No!  Stay with me, baby!”

Griffin’s head slowly falls to the side and my heart feels like it’s crushing inside my chest as I watch Saige’s body lying so damn still.  “Don’t you fucking die on me, Saige,” I yell, applying more pressure to Griffin’s chest.