Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) (24 page)

“Not
yet. We have to find the password, too. The card won’t do us much good if we
can’t log into the system. It should be…”

Eddie
trailed off as Grace flipped the access card around so he could see the
backside. “You mean this password?” She grinned and tapped the small piece of paper
that had been taped to the back.

“That’s
the password?”

“I
assume so. It has nine figures with a combination of letters and numbers, just
like Ian said it would.”

“Well,
that’s certainly convenient. I guess they aren’t too concerned about a security
breach, are they?”

“Nope.”
Grace grinned again. “Lucky for us. Now, can we get out of here, please? I
don’t think my nerves can take much more of this spy business today.”

“I hear
ya. Let’s get out of here while luck is on our side.”

Stretched
out on the bed, Liliana leaned against a stack of pillows propped against the
headboard while they waited for Eddie and Grace to return. She had flipped
through the channels until she stopped at a classic movie but couldn’t stay
focused on it; her gaze continued to discreetly wander to Tyler. His legs
dangled over the arm of an oversized chair as he leaned back and took a nap.

Daydreams
of a future with Tyler mingled their way between her growing concern for Eddie
and Grace. She fantasized that he was running after her on a sandy beach. When
he finally caught up to her, they tumbled about in the sand as the waves teased
their bare toes. Twinges of guilt pulled at her conscience. Such a fantasy
should have no place in her mind, when worry for her two friends should be at
the forefront of her thoughts. Eddie and Grace had willingly put themselves in
danger, and all she could think about was her feelings for a boy.

“So
after I catch you and we tumble about in the sand, what happens next?”

Caught
off guard and immediately embarrassed, Liliana looked up. His eyes were still
closed, but his quirky smile revealed that he was awake.

Liliana
found herself at a loss for words. “I…uh…um…that’s not fair. Those were private
thoughts.”

He
opened his eyes and grinned. “There’s no such thing as a private thought,” he
teased. Her flushed cheeks must have been obvious, from across the room,
because he added, “Oh, come on. It’s no big deal.”

With
swift agility, he flipped himself up and over the arm of the chair and came to
sit on the edge of the bed, beside her.

Still
leaning against the pillows, Liliana felt her pulse began to race as she looked
into Tyler’s eyes. Whether it was his close proximity and her full awareness of
his presence or the fact that she was still blushing, the room suddenly grew
warmer. His body heat seemed to radiate straight toward her. The damp tips of
his hair glistened from his recent shower, and she found the fresh scent of
hotel soap to be surprisingly intoxicating.

“So tell
me, where is this beach of yours?” His eyes seemed to twinkle with amusement.

“Are you
laughing at me?”

He shook
his head. “You can hear my thoughts, Liliana. Does it sound like I’m laughing?”

She
paused for a moment to assess his thoughts and observe his aura. He wasn’t laughing;
in fact, he seemed to be fascinated with her daydream.

“The beach…It’s
um…in Seattle. There’s a place I like to go, near the Sound. It’s never
crowded. I was just imagining that I could take you there someday, just you and
I, when all of this crazy stuff is over.”

“I’d
like that. You didn’t answer my question, though. After I catch you and we
tumble about in the sand…what happens next?”

“I
didn’t get that far,” she said, with a grin.

“Well,
when you do, let me know, okay? I’d…like to know.”

“Do you
think you’ll ever get to come to Seattle? I mean, after all of this is over,
where will you go? Will you have to go back to your foster family?”

His mood
and aura visibly darkened. “I don’t know. With luck, my brother and I will be
together again. I hope to God we don’t have to go back, but if we don’t, I
don’t know where the state will send us. Will they find us a new foster family?
Maybe. But, my brother and I will both be considered runaways, so who knows…Maybe
they’ll just send us to juvie and keep us there until we turn eighteen. I don’t
know what will happen. Right now I just need to focus on getting him back, and
then I guess we’ll worry about the future after that.”

He met
her gaze with his own and leaned in closer. “I would love to come see you in
Seattle, Liliana. Other than my brother, I’ve never felt closer to anyone in my
life. I feel a connection to you.”

Her
response came out almost in a whisper. “I feel it too.”

He
leaned in close. His warm breath was almost upon her lips, and then he sat back
and said, “You have perfect timing.”

She
frowned. “Um…excuse me?”

“It’s
Toby,” he explained.

“Oh.”
Perfect
timing, indeed
, she thought.

As she
listened to their one-sided conversation, trying to make sense of it all, she
tried to fill in the blanks.

“We were
just talking about what we’re going to do after we rescue you,” Tyler explained
to his brother with what seemed like a defensive tone. He was silent for a
moment and then said, “You’ll like her. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
Another moment of silence passed, and then he said, “Eddie and Grace should be
back soon and then we’ll take a look at the maps and see what we’re up against.
If all goes as planned we should be there tomorrow.” He grew silent again as he
listened to Toby. Then he laughed. “It’s a crazy idea, but I think you’re
right. In the long run, it will probably be the best plan. Everyone else is
going to hate it, but I guess I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do. Don’t worry,
bro. No matter what, I am coming for you.” He was silent for a moment, and then
he glanced at Liliana and smiled. “Hey, you know me,” he said to his brother.
“I won’t do anything you wouldn’t do. I’ll see you soon.” She wondered if he
was talking about her or his plan. She tried to gauge his thoughts, but he was
obviously blocking them from her.

“What is
your crazy plan, and how come I’m not going to like it?” She flopped down on
the bed and repositioned herself against the pillows.

I had
hoped you wouldn’t hear that
, he thought.

So…what?
You thought that you would just rescue your brother and I would never find out
the plan? We’re all in this together
, Liliana shot back silently.

He took
a deep breath and slowly released it. “You’re right.” He sat on the edge of the
bed beside her. “It’s just that…I’ve been trying to consider the best plan of
action, and I seem to keep coming back to the same idea.”

“And
that is?”

“I think
the only way to get Toby out, is to let them kidnap me, too.”

Liliana
was silent for a moment, in an attempt to comprehend what he had just said.
“Kidnap you?—We’re going to Mexico to try to rescue your
kidnapped
brother, and you want to get yourself kidnapped as well?—You…you understand
that sounds a little crazy, right?”

“I do,
but there is actually a rhyme and a reason to my scheme. I think it just might
work.”

“Okay,
well, before you go and do anything completely crazy, let’s make sure that we
have a plan that will
definitely
work. I don’t want a plan that ‘just
might work'.” She looked into his eyes. “I want to make sure that I get you
back safely.”

“Say
that again.”

“Say
what again?”

“You
said that you want me.”

“I did
not!” She giggled and slapped his arm. “I said I want to make sure that I get
you back safely!”

He
shrugged and leaned in toward her. “Same thing.”

Just as
Liliana thought that this was finally going to be their first kiss, they both
looked up when they heard voices at the door. A few seconds later, Eddie and
Grace entered the room. They were dressed in their Air Force Blues and sported
beaming smiles.

Eddie
grinned. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything.”

Tyler
sighed. “Not at all.”

*****

From the
edge of the gas station parking lot where pavement met sand, the desert
presented itself to Liliana as a future of vast and uncertain possibilities.
She watched a large collection of tumbleweed roll past and was surprised at the
amount of greenery that dotted the terrain. A large jackrabbit darted back and
forth between prickly trees and cacti while a hawk circled overhead. According
to the map, the low lying mountains, in the distance were their final
destination. Somewhere amongst the canyons and caves was the compound.

Liliana
sighed as she thought about Tyler. He was ready to put himself in danger and
literally hand himself over to the enemy. Grace had reassured her that
everything would be okay, and Liliana knew that she spoke the truth, but she
was also aware that Grace’s visions of the future could change as other events
occurred. A vision of the future wasn’t set in stone.

She
hadn’t heard his approach and was startled when he spoke, from close behind.
“I’ll be fine.” She turned to find him directly behind her. She was surprised
that she hadn’t sensed his presence.

“You
must have been having a good daydream. I’m surprised that you didn’t hear me
thinking about you.”

“You
were thinking about me?”

“I was.”
He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Turn around and tell me what you
see out there.”

Liliana
looked out, toward the mountains. It wasn’t Seattle; the mountains weren’t as
lush and green, and there was no ocean, but it was beautiful in its own right.
“I see a desert and some cactus.”

Tyler
stepped in, close behind, and wrapped his arms around her. This was the first
time he had physically reached out to her, and she felt a slight thrill at his
touch. Wrapped tight in his embrace, she felt safe. She knew the sense of
security was a façade to her peace of mind, but she savored the moment, knowing
that this might be the last time they would be together.

“I see a
desert, too. You know what else I see? I see the future. Out there, we have the
opportunity to take back our lives. We have the opportunity to stand up to the
IIA and let them know that they aren’t going to control us. I’m done running,
and if putting myself in danger is what it’s going to take, to keep us all
safe, then that’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’m going to be fine. And one
day, hopefully soon, you can show me that beach of yours.” With his arms still
around her, he gave her a gentle squeeze.

She
turned in his embrace to face him. “I hope you’re right. I really do.” Movement
out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She glanced over and sighed.
Eddie and Grace were headed their way. Her brief moment of peaceful reverie
with Tyler was over.

“Well,
the car’s all gassed up and ready to go,” Eddie announced. Tyler released her
from his embrace but continued to stand close. If Eddie noticed the obvious
fact that she and Tyler had become more than just friends, he didn’t say
anything. “I guess we need to sit down and finalize our plan.”

Before he
could say more, an old, green Chevy truck pulled in, beside them. When the
swirling dirt cleared, Liliana noted two men in the front seat and two more in
the bed of the truck. Their dirt-smeared faces gave the appearance that they
had just come from working in the nearby fields.

The
driver called out something, in Spanish, and Eddie took a step forward. He
called something back, in Spanish, and all of the men in the truck laughed.
Their exchange of dialogue went back and forth a few more times, and then the
driver gave a final laugh and drove away.

“What
was that all about?” Grace asked.

“They
wanted to know how much they could pay to buy you girls.”

Grace
looked astonished. “
Buy
us? You’re serious?”

“Yeah,
two pretty girls like you…You’d go for a pretty penny.”

“And
they were ready to pay you?”

“Sure.
Unfortunately, a slave market does exist down here. Girls get kidnapped and
sold. They probably would have paid for you and then turned around and sold you
to someone else.”

Liliana
watched the truck drive out of sight. “What did you say?”

Eddie
smiled. “I told them that you belonged to me, of course.”

Grace
raised her eyebrows. “Belong to you?”

“It was
either that or I ask them how much they were willing to pay.”

Grace
laughed. “Well, in that case, I’m happy to belong to you. I didn’t realize that
you spoke fluent Spanish.”

“Yep.
It’s funny. When I’m around Native Americans, they assume I’m one of them, and
when I’m around Mexicans, they assume I’m Mexican, so sometimes it works in my
favor to have both sides going for me. My dad’s side of the family is Mexican,
so I grew up learning to speak English and Spanish.”

“I know
the feeling,” Liliana said. “My grandparents only speak Chinese. I like it
though. I’m glad that I can speak two languages.”

“Yeah,
me too,” Eddie agreed.

“Sorry to
interrupt,” Tyler said, “but I think I just figured out how to put our plan
into action.”

“What
are you thinking?” Eddie asked.

“Okay,
so we know that the first problem is to figure out how to get into the
compound. We know the entrance is camouflaged. It might take us all day to find
it. And besides that, we know there are cameras on the premises. As soon as
they see us wandering around, they’ll be all over us, and it won’t do any good
if we all get captured.”

“So you
have a plan that keeps us all from getting captured?”