The Rising (20 page)

“This isn't what I wanted either, Maya,” he said after a moment.

“What did you want?”

He took a moment before answering. “Contact. That's all I've wanted for years, since you got too old to be taken from the Delaneys. I just wanted to be part of your life. I won't make excuses. I allowed the Nasts to commandeer that rescue helicopter. They promised it would be temporary. They'd tell you kids what you were and, they hoped, woo you from the St. Clouds.”

“Like head-hunting new employees? Seriously?”

“That's what you are to them, Maya. Very valuable future employees. The Cabals . . . I can't get into it now, but this isn't unusual, fighting for rare supernatural types. The Nasts would have laid out the situation. Positioned themselves, not as the people who kidnapped you, but as the people who were honest with you. Told you the truth. Let you make your own choices.”

“And let me go back to my parents?”

“Yes. I know you don't believe that, but I'm really not the enemy here, Maya. I'm the guy trying to make the best of a lousy situation. An impossible situation.” He looked at me. “You understand that, don't you? The situation. You can't escape it. There's no place to go. You need the Cabals.”

“Good.”

He hesitated. Then said, slowly, “Good?”

“Yes, good, because that means we can negotiate.”

“Negotiate?”

I paused. Daniel and I had discussed this, but only briefly. Negotiate with our captors? We'd rather fight and we'd win.

Win what? Our freedom? No, because even if we got our friends and our families back, we were still held prisoner by our conditions. Corey's headaches would get worse, Annie would stop progressing, and I'd continue regressing.

I took a deep breath. “They want happy little future employees? Let's back up a step. Back to what they planned before the crash. They can pitch us their packages. We'll make our own decisions, including the decision to be reunited with our parents.”

He went quiet. Very quiet. When he tried to speak, his breath hitched and he had to take another moment. Then he looked me in the eyes. “That's a very mature solution, Maya. Remarkably mature, and you have no idea how proud I am of you right now, for even thinking of it.”

“So we can, right?” I knew the answer. I'd seen it in his face as soon as I suggested it. Pride and pain. Mostly pain.

“The Cabals would never allow that, Maya. The risk of telling your parents, after they've buried you . . .” He shook his head.

“And after they paid good money for us.”

“It wasn't money. It was a trade of resources and intelligence.”

I gave him a look. “Do you really think that matters? We're bought and paid for, whatever the currency. They say they want us happy, but they really just want us compliant.” I looked at him. “I don't do compliant.”

I
F IT WASN'T FOR
the light coming through my window, I'd have been certain it was night by now. It had to be, after everything that had happened.

I'd been in my room for about an hour, just lying on the bed, thinking. No, not thinking. Worrying. About Daniel. I couldn't see a way out of this prison, so there was nothing to think about except a very general, incredibly unhelpful
I need to get out and find him
. And, while I was getting out, I needed to take Rafe and Annie and Sam and Hayley and Kenjii and how the hell was I going to manage that, short of having an armored minivan break through the gates and rescue us?

A staccato rap at the door broke my reverie.

The door cracked open. “Decent?” Rafe asked.

“Yep.”

“Damn.” He pushed it open.

“If you're hoping to see something, the trick is to not knock first.”

“That would be wrong,” he said as he walked in. “The trick is to hope you say ‘no, but come in anyway.'”

“Ah.”

I patted the bed. He waggled his brows. I shook my head and he murmured another “Damn.” I laughed and watched him cross the room and I felt . . . lighter. Like the weight lifted, not completely but enough for me to function again.

He didn't sit, but just reached over to pet Kenjii. “I was hoping to talk you into coming up on the roof with me.”

“Lockdown is lifted?”

“My door was open. Your door was open. I take it that means we can wander and, if it doesn't, we'll just get on the roof fast, before they notice.”

“Good plan.”

I glanced at Kenjii and was about to ask if she could come when he patted his leg, and she jumped up and followed us to the door. When he motioned for her to wait, she sat.

“I do believe you've stolen my dog,” I said.

“Not quite. But we have been roomies for the last couple of days. They wanted to kennel her. I said ‘like hell.' She's a smart dog. She knew her choices were to behave or sleep on a cement floor.”

“Thank you.”

He shrugged and opened the door.

I caught it in my hand. “No, really. Thank you.” I leaned over and kissed him.

When I pulled back, he was grinning. “See, I'm not as dumb as I look. Most girls like flowers, candy, walks on the beach. But the way to your heart is through your pets.” He paused. “And your friends, but I'm not doing so well with that part of my master plan.”

We walked into the hall, Kenjii trailing.

“Are Sam and Hayley giving you a hard time?” I asked as he led me the other way down the hall.

“Sam, always. Hayley's not exactly chatty. I can't blame her. I was a real jerk to her, leading her on. I was trying to make inroads with Nicole and that seemed to be going better, until . . .”

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you.”

“No way you could have. I'm just . . . shocked. Disgusted. I keep telling myself she must be mentally ill or something, but that doesn't make it better, you know? I don't see how anyone could do that, crazy or not.” He looked over. “I'm sorry you had to go through this. Finding out. It must have been hell.” He paused. “At least you had Daniel.”

“He doesn't know.”

We'd reached the door at the hall's end. He stopped and looked over, frowning.

“How can I tell him?” I said. “She killed Serena over him.”

And, worse, he'd been about to break it off, and if he'd only done that a little faster
 . . .

“Then she went after you,” he murmured.

I nodded. “I don't get that. There's never been anything between Daniel and me. I guess it's only proof she's crazy.”

He hit the buzzer for someone to open the door. It clicked open. On the other side were stairs heading up to another door.

He waved me forward. “You're right about Daniel. That's a shitty thing to pile on anyone. He doesn't deserve it. He's a good guy.”

“He is.” I glanced back. “And thank you for saying that. I know he hasn't always been a ‘good guy' to you.”

“Hey, like I said, the way to your heart is through your friends—furred and otherwise. He's had reason to be wary of me. I'm hoping I'll get the chance to change his mind.”

“You will.”

We climbed the steps, Kenjii following. At the top, I opened the door and we found ourselves walking onto a roof.

If I'd hoped for a huge flat roof with plenty of room to roam, I was disappointed. I suppose, being the daughter of an architect, I should have known better. Putting a flat roof on a house is not only problematic, but would give it an odd, industrial look. So we only had one flat section, maybe five meters by seven. And with high walls on all sides, the patch of late-day sun was barely enough to bask in.

“Looks like a prison exercise yard, doesn't it?” He waved at the basketball net and weight deck. “Even got the cameras. There and there.” He pointed them out. “Not quite what you were hoping for, I'm sure,” he said. “But these are cool.” He walked to a set of balance beams and swung up.

I took a running leap and landed in a crouch. Then I sat straddling the beam.

“Show-off.”

I grinned. “If I was showing off, I'd have landed standing up.”

“If you could, I'm sure you would have.”

“Is that a challenge?”

I swung my leg over to jump off, but he caught a handful of my shirt.

“Not yet. Up first.”

He let go of my shirt and rose, one foot in front of the other, standing as easily as if he was on solid ground. I joined him and when I did, I let out a gasp.

I could see over the wall. Not much, but enough to catch a glimpse of our surroundings. We were on a mountainside, high enough that I could see distant treetops and roofs of other houses. The surge of happiness didn't last long, though. While it was wonderful seeing trees, it only reminded me that I was stuck in a walled compound, unable to get to them, touch them, climb them. I could barely even smell them through the overwhelming stink of new construction.

“Yeah, it's not much,” Rafe said. “Just enough of a peek to make us feel like we're doing something we shouldn't. Can't get a real sense of the place.”

Of our surroundings, he meant. Where we were and how we could escape it.

I stood there, on tiptoe, staring out, wondering where Daniel was, how he was, how I'd get to him.

“Worrying about Daniel?” There was something in Rafe's tone that made me look over sharply.

“Of course you are,” he said quickly. “Dumb question, huh?” He tried for a smile, but didn't quite find it and settled for lowering himself to the beam again, breaking eye contact.

He's jealous.

Please no. Not Rafe.

I've been dealing with jealous boyfriends since I first started dating. A lot of guys don't like their girlfriend having a male best friend. Considering I'd only dated summer boys—and dated casually at that—it wasn't usually a big problem. A couple times, though, I'd gotten an ultimatum by the second or third date—“You want to go out with me? You stop hanging out with him.” The answer was always simple. “You don't want me hanging out with him? I don't go out with you.” No exceptions.

With Rafe, though, I'd never gotten any flack over Daniel. He seemed to accept my friendship for what it was. Now I remembered his expression when Sam accused me of fooling around with Daniel.

I looked at him, sitting on the beam, gazing around as if the blank walls were fascinating.
Don't do this, Rafe. Please, please, please don't do this.

Kenjii moved closer, whining softly.

Rafe looked up. “You want to talk about it?”

My throat seized. Finally I forced out, “Talk about what?”

“Daniel. You're worried and I don't blame you. Maybe if we hash it out, you'll feel better.”

I exhaled and slid down to sit, straddling the beam, facing him. “Thanks, but I think talking will only make it worse. I'd rather be distracted.”

“Ah.” A flicker of a smile. “Like maybe . . .” He waved at the hoops. “A little one-on-one?”

“Exactly.” I slid closer. “Just not with a basketball.”

He inched back, hands going up as he struggled not to grin. “Hold on. I object to being used like that, you know.”

“Really?”

“I do. It's . . .”

He met my gaze and his sentence trailed off. I thought about kissing him, about what it felt like, the feel of him, the smell of him. Usually, that was all it took. But now, that quickening pulse took a moment longer. It did come, though, when I concentrated. I looked over and saw the answering spark in his eyes, the amber glowing, pupils dilating.

“You were saying?” I murmured.

He crossed the short space between us so fast I didn't even notice him moving, and then he was there. When we kissed, I waited for those doubts to vanish, for that feeling to return. It was there, but different. I was too distracted. I had to stop worrying about—

The roof door crashed open.

“Good God,” Sam said as she hobbled out. “Is that all you two do? No wonder she's still with you, Rafe. You're too busy making out to actually have a conversation so she can see what an idiot you are.”

Rafe stiffened. I squeezed his leg and looked over my shoulder.

“I've been sent to invite you to join us for dinner.” Sam hooked her thumb back toward the door and I saw a guard there. “He's been sent to hustle your asses if you don't move them.”

We jumped off the bar.