Avenged (The Altered Series) (2 page)

He turned the corner, toward the high security wing. The bored guard sat on the other side of the gate, flipping through a
Men’s Health
magazine. Nick touched his fingers to his brow and flashed his badge.

The guy reached under his desk. A buzzer sounded, and the gate’s locking mechanism triggered. Nick pulled it open, held it with his hip, and pushed his bucket through. The guard’s brow furrowed. “You new?”

“Yeah, man. Started a couple weeks ago.”

“Huh. Well, only one prisoner right now. Down at the end.” He jerked his thumb in that direction. “Let me watch her door while you clean in there. She’s not much of a physical threat. But don’t talk to her,” he warned. “She knows things.” He tapped his temple, obviously meaning to scare him. Instead, the way he said it pissed Nick off. She was a person, for Christ’s sake.

The guy—Leon, his badge read—stood then and turned his back, digging into his pocket for his keys.

From his own pocket, Nick pulled the tranquilizer gun he’d lifted from a distracted guard two days ago. Leon made a satisfying thud as he crumpled to the ground. Working fast, his eye on the camera in the corner, Nick hoisted the guy the best he could, dragging him across the floor. He was heavier than he looked, but Nick got him propped in the seat behind the desk. Leon’s head lolled, but he hoped it would buy him some time. If anyone glanced at the security camera, maybe they would think the guard had nodded off.

The keys had slipped out of Leon’s grasp when he fell, skating across the floor. Nick snagged them on his way by. Damn, so many.

Only one door was closed at the end of the hall. He tried three keys before one turned in the lock. The door swung open.

Inside, the room was dark. Nick didn’t know if that was by Kitty’s choice or an enforced punishment. He’d heard she’d been involved in some sort of scuffle in the medical wing yesterday morning.

Not sure what he might find, he reached for the light switch.

“You should leave that off, Nick. There are cameras in here, too.” Her soft whisper crept out of the shadows.

“Kitty?” Relief made his voice squeak when he needed to be quiet. He squinted, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. He’d found her. She was really here.

She stepped closer, edging into the light that seeped in from the corridor. She looked thinner, but it might be the shapeless jumpsuit she wore. Her hair hung around her face, and dark smudges marred the skin under her eyes.

He remembered she was pretty—strikingly so—but the force of her bright blue gaze caught him in the gut.

She crossed her arms over her chest and whispered, “Of all of them, Nick, you’re the last one I expected to come for me.”

He smiled and whispered back. “Yeah, well, you’re welcome.”

Chapter Two

Nick was here.

The sight of him unhinged her, left her chest tight and her heart racing. Someone she knew. In the beginning, it consumed her thoughts, hoping that someone would come. After awhile, she’d stopped hoping. It was too painful.

But he was here, in her doorway, as big and imposing as ever. After all this time.

Kitty touched her index finger to her lips, the universal sign to be silent. She motioned to the corner, where the camera was mounted. Nick nodded, the smile leaving his face. He closed the door. The only illumination that remained in the room trickled through the miniscule window at the top of the door.

She’d been honest. He wasn’t who she expected to come, if she’d expected anyone at all. Not that she was picky. She’d take whatever rescuer she could get.

In the dim light, he tapped the side of his head, pointed two fingers at his eyes, then at her. He wanted her to listen to him. That made sense. Then at least one of them didn’t have to speak.

He shuffled backward into the corner, under the camera so they couldn’t see him, and he walked her through their escape.

We’ll climb through the ducts to get out of the building. I’ve memorized the ventilation layout.
He glanced above her door, at the air vent
. Damn. That one’s too small, though. We can’t get in that thing. It will have to be the vent opening in the janitor’s closet, then.
The vent there was apparently bigger, but his thoughts told her he hated to risk her being out in the open on the way there.
It’s the only option.

She nodded to let him know she understood.

Offhand, his focus turned to her and worry laced through him.
She’s lost weight. She’s too thin.

At that, she lifted her chin, defiant. Three months ago, she might have shrunken from that assessment, back when her father’s disapproval of her appearance still rang in her ears. But not now. She’d survived. It hadn’t been pretty, but she’d survived. That was good enough.

And no shoes. Not good. How am I going to get her out of here with no shoes?

She wiggled her toes, took in the rest of her outfit. She wore an orange jumpsuit and a pair of dark blue socks with rubber treads on them, the kind her mom had worn at the hospital when she’d had her gall bladder removed. Nick couldn’t see them, but the ensemble also included a pair of standard-issue, size-too-large panties. No bra. Every two days, someone came and dropped off another sterile packet containing a clean version of the same outfit. She was allotted fifteen minutes to shower and change into it.

This wasn’t ideal escape attire. And no shoes would definitely be a detriment.

The bed
. His gaze took in the only furniture in the room. It was a cot, not a real bed. When she arrived, she’d been given two flat sheets and a thin blanket to dress it. She’d used one as a fitted sheet, tucking it under her mattress, and she’d pulled the other over her. The blanket was folded neatly at the foot of the bed.

He ran through a whole range of tourniquets he could tie. Tourniquets? She might be thin, but she wasn’t hurt.

That might work
. Decided, he yanked the sheet off the bed and, gripping the corner, ripped a strip along the edge. The sound startled her, even though she’d known what he would do. She’d become too accustomed to her own silence.

As he tore another strip, she watched the fascinating play of his forearm muscles, bare below his rolled sleeves. He must be in marvelous shape, if he could do something like that so easily.

When she glanced up, his eyebrows were high, the two strips of fabric in his hands.

He’d caught her staring. Thank goodness for the darkness. Maybe it hid her flush.

Obviously he would be in good shape. He was an elite Special Forces soldier. Men like him, they were fit, and fit men were good-looking. That was all.

Nick motioned for her to sit on the cot, and her face heated further. Having him see her bed, the place she’d slept for a month…it felt weird. More, it was him. He was so big, and he had such an air of authority about him. Add in the attractive part and… It made her uncomfortable.

Not that
she
found him attractive.

He wanted to wrap her feet. She shook her head. “Treads are better until we’re outside,” she whispered.

He nodded.
True.
He wound the strips into a ball and tucked them into his pocket
. You ready, then?

Was he really asking? This place was her dungeon. She opened the door, but he gently pushed past her. He looked out, his mind full of protection. Then, he slipped through first.

That’s right. She rolled her eyes. She’d forgotten who he was. This was Nick, the one who wanted to save the day.

But though she desperately wanted to go, she hesitated at the doorway.

What was the matter with her? This room contained the worst month of her life. Yet, walking into the hall seemed more dangerous.

She shook her head. That was stupid. She couldn’t stay, didn’t want to stay. She forced herself to step forward, into the garish fluorescent light of the hallway. She blinked, disoriented by the sudden brightness.

Fast
, he thought to her.
We need to move. Try to keep up
. Even his mental tone was bossy.

She nodded. As he set off down the hall, and she followed as close as she could, she couldn’t help scowling at his back.

She’d only met Nick once. They’d had one conversation, when he’d tried to warn her away from his roommate, Jeremy. She’d taken offense. After spending her entire life under her parents’ thumb, she hated being told what to do. His little chat had been the last straw. She could manage herself. She’d told him as much.

Turned out, she hadn’t managed herself well after all.

His roommate, Jeremy, had turned her over to Goldstone, the company that had funded Fields’s research. Dr. Fields had stolen her back. She ended up here because she trusted Jeremy.

No, she ended up here because she trusted herself.

No time for that. For now, she and Nick could work together. They wanted the same thing: to get out of here.

They passed the guard, slumped over at his desk. Nick fingered his pocket, thinking about the tranquilizer gun there. Poor Leon had met the wrong end of that weapon.

He peeked around the corner before gesturing her to follow. They hurried into the empty hallway, his eyes scanning ahead, hers watching behind, all while listening around them.

They made it past three doors before she heard the guards in her head, coming toward them.

She tugged on Nick’s sleeve, and he stopped, his brow furrowed in a question. She pointed ahead of them and held up two fingers. Times like this she wished everyone could hear thoughts like her.

That’s when the sound of the guards’ voices carried to them.

Nick’s eyes flared in understanding. Before she saw him move, Nick yanked her into the nearest open door.

A moment later, she was backed up against a wall of shelves stacked with linens. She barely registered where she was—a closet, maybe—before Nick pressed against her. They touched from knee to chest, miles of male body pushed against hers. He anchored an arm on each side of her head.

Her damn orange jumpsuit is too bright
. He shifted closer, curving himself around her, doing his best to hide her.

He was taller than she was, by at least six inches, and covered in acres of muscle. He didn’t only conceal her; he swallowed her up.

It wasn’t an embrace. Not that she knew much about embraces from men. But embraces were full of emotion, weren’t they? They meant something—attraction or affection. This wasn’t even a hug. Mostly, he created a cocoon around her. A shield. But it was the first real physical contact she’d had with anyone in months. Maybe longer.

The men in the hall passed. Their voices drifted in the open door. “He fell asleep, I bet. Not the first time. Leon…that dude’s going to get himself fired.”

The other guy snorted. “How hard is it to do that job? You sit there, read a magazine, and stay awake. Not hard.”

“Yeah, man. What a loser.”

They chuckled, maligning poor unconscious Leon further as they trudged down the hall.

Nick stayed where he was, though, after their voices faded. Kitty’s eyes flickered around the room, at the metal shelving, the tidy rows of toiletries. Anywhere but at the expanse of warm male body in front of her.

“They’re gone.” Her voice sounded breathy, like she’d been running or something.

He dropped his head. “Yeah. I was listening for more.” His lips were next to her cheek, close enough that his response floated over her skin, making gooseflesh lift on her neck.

It was too much. He was big, completely overwhelming. “You don’t have to listen. I can hear everything. Remember?” She turned her head, trying to meet his gaze.

Except the shift brought his mouth closer to hers. She hadn’t noticed he had such full lips the last time they met. When her eyes met his, he was searching her face.

Her eyes are pale. Really pale.
He seemed surprised. She glanced away.

What was going on? She pressed her palms against his chest. “We need to go. They’re going to figure out that Leon’s tranked in a second.”

“Right.” He pushed away from her, shaking his head a little.
What’s the matter with me? Focus, Degrassi
. “Is there anyone else around?”

She checked. “No. We’re clear.”

“Follow me.”

She caught his sleeve. “No. You follow me.” She tapped her temple. “I’m better at this than you are.”

That made him scowl. Nick Degrassi didn’t like to be any less than the best. As it had been a long time since she had felt like she was better than anyone at anything, she smiled.

“Then let’s go.” He swept his arm ahead of him, as if ushering her out of the closet. “After you.”

Still smiling, she saluted. But, approaching the door, she paused.

She didn’t hear anyone. No one was nearby, yet she hesitated. She’d never been in charge. Not of anything. She’d never even been asked to choose a team in gym class. What if she did it wrong?

She shook her head. It had to be her. She was the right choice to go first. Time to get on with it, because the guards
would
be after them soon.

She squared her shoulders, checked again for anyone nearby. It was nighttime, so most of the people who lived at the complex were in their barracks, located in the adjacent building. The hallway was empty, and she only sensed three other people, a hallway away.

Go left
. Nick’s voice drifted into her mind. She nodded.

Even when he wasn’t in the lead, Nick didn’t follow well.

They hurried through the halls, weaving their way until she had completely lost track of where they were going. She moved as fast as she could, as quietly as she could. A few minutes later, a shout drifted from the holding unit.

They knew.

She hazarded a glance at Nick and nodded.

We have to go faster
, came his immediate thought.
It’s a left ahead, then two doors on the right.

She slid around the corner, running outright, not caring how much noise they made. Her heart beat loudly in her ears and the exertion made her pant, gasping for air. She hadn’t run anywhere in months. As they pounded down the last hallway, the alarms sounded. The siren wailed and blue lights flashed from two different points in the corridor. She skidded to a stop, covering her ears.

Don’t stop
. Nick grabbed her on his way by, throwing open the door to their destination, a janitor’s closet. He pushed her inside and closed the door.

“Anyone coming?” he asked, as he jumped on top of an overturned utility bucket that had been positioned in the center of the tiny space.

“They’re figuring it out.” She closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to expel the ache there as she sifted through dozens of thoughts in the immediate area. “But they’re going to watch the security cameras. They’ll know where we went soon.” She dropped her hands. “We might have five minutes.”

“Then up we go.” He removed the grate that covered the duct opening above their heads, setting it aside. Hopping down, he placed his hands on her waist, preparing to hoist her up and into the vent.

She covered his hands with hers, stopping him. “Whoa. Wait.”

Above her, there was only darkness. Even here, in this tiny closet, the walls began to press in on her. She’d never experienced claustrophobia before being taken hostage, but after months of being stuck in a cell, the prospect of crawling through metal tunnels barely wide enough to fit her body…well, it wasn’t appealing.

She met Nick’s impatient gaze. “I…I can’t…” She swallowed. “I mean, it’s…” She glanced helplessly at the ceiling. Her eyes stung.

Oh goodness. She wasn’t going to cry, was she? Just when she thought nothing would make this more mortifying.

He studied her face. His thoughts were quiet, his face unreadable. Finally, he reached around her. Standing this close, he was once again pressed against her. She closed her eyes, her head dropping.

“Here. You’ll need this.” He pressed something into her hand. “This is the only way out.”

She opened her palm to find a tiny flashlight. He got it. He knew. Whatever mess was going on in her mind, he seemed to understand. Her head jerked up. But he was studying her waist again, trying to get a good grip on her jumpsuit.

Her fingers tightened around the light as if it held oxygen and she couldn’t breathe. Thanks caught on the tip of her tongue.

“When you get up there, go that way.” He pointed to the left. Then he lifted her from a bent-knee press and unceremoniously tossed her up into the opening.

Definitely too thin. Thank God I brought food.

With that, the gratitude she felt a moment ago diminished slightly.

She caught the edge of the duct and pulled herself up. Awkwardly, she shimmied the rest of the way into the cool metal tube that ran through the ceiling. She was panting by the time she reoriented onto her hands and knees. Creeping forward, she ducked her head, watching under her armpit as Nick hoist himself up and into the opening behind her.