Resistance (The Variant Series #2) (6 page)

She growled as he let her loose and, sure enough, fell promptly on her backside.

Declan laughed again.

“Oh, shut-up, Decks,” muttered Kenzie. “I’d like to see
you
do better. I know for a fact that your spin kicks need a lot more work than mine do.”

“Any time, any place, little sister.”

Nate sighed. “Let’s just call it a night. This session was more for Alex than for us, anyway. We’ll pick up again tomorrow, provided the rain holds off.”

Nate glanced up at the unnaturally dark clouds hovering overhead. He was surprised it hadn’t started pouring already.

“Hey, Decks,” said Kenzie, gathering up her flip-flops. “Give me a lift home?”

Declan shook his head. “Not in those shorts and shoes, Red. I brought my bike.”

“Nate?” she asked. “You brought the Charger right?”

“I’m parked on the other side of the woods,” he said, tying the laces on his sneakers. “Over by the beach. But I think I’m going to hang out here a while. Get a run in before I head back.”

“You, sir, are a glutton for punishment,” Kenzie said, smiling.

Resigned, Declan held out his hand to Nate. “Keys?” he said. “I’ll take Red home and come back for you and the bike later.”

“Why don’t you just jump?” asked Nate.

“Because I’ve had a long-ass day that’s not even close to being over yet. It’d be a waste of energy. Now give me your keys.”

He tossed his car keys to Declan. “
One scratch
, Decks, and you’re a dead man.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know the drill. See you in twenty.”

As Declan and Kenzie disappeared into the tree line, Nathaniel started his run.

Less than thirty feet later, a black cloth fell over his face, blocking out his view of the field. He twisted toward his attacker and the heavy material was cinched tightly around his throat.

Nate fell to his knees.

An iron grip clamped down on his shoulder and he felt the pressure of a jump. Already short of breath, Nate struggled to overcome the agonizing pain that spread through his chest and radiated behind his eyes.

Ignoring his need for air, he grabbed hold of the hand on his shoulder. Taking his attacker by surprise, Nate yanked hard on the man’s wrist and twisted it to the left.

A sickening crack rang out beside Nathaniel’s ear.

“Son of a bitch!”

Using the distraction to his advantage, Nate tugged roughly at the fabric covering his head—and found himself kneeling on the hardwood floor of a lavishly furnished office.

The room reminded him of Grayson’s den. Bookshelves lined the walls and twin black leather seats had been placed before the desk. Richly stained mahogany furniture was scattered throughout the room.

The person seated behind the desk, however, was decidedly
not
Grayson.

“
Language
, Harrison.” The woman’s mouth was drawn down at the corners. Her attention shifted to Nathaniel. “Was that really necessary?”

With a tired sigh, Nate got to his feet. He spared a glance at the large man standing behind him. The agent, Harrison, was cradling his injured arm and staring daggers at Nathaniel.

Nate turned back around. “Was the sack over my
head
necessary?”

The older woman’s frown deepened and her gaze flicked to Nathaniel’s escort. “Harrison,” she said sternly. “Take care of that wrist.”

The large man hesitated, “Sir?”

“Get out, Harrison.”

“Yes, sir.”

Harrison jumped, vanishing from the room in a ripple of violet light.

“I would have come willingly, you know,” said Nathaniel, adjusting his disheveled shirt. “Or, better yet, I could have just
met you
somewhere. If Declan or Kenzie saw your goon jump me, it’s going to be a hell of a lot harder to explain than if I’d just disappeared for a while.”

Director Carter seemed to consider that, taking a moment to appraise him before replying. “Circumstances have changed. I couldn’t be certain of your loyalties anymore.”

It was Nathaniel’s turn to pause.

“My loyalties are exactly the same as they were two weeks ago,” he said carefully. “Nothing’s changed.”

“
Everything
has changed.”

Nathaniel tried and failed to read something behind her expression. His fists clenched. “And our deal? Has that changed as well?”

The Director’s smile was icy. “You lied to me, Nathaniel. When our deal was struck, it was under false pretenses.”

“No,” he said. “I never lied to you.”

Another pause.

Nathaniel felt the tickle of desperation begin somewhere deep in his chest. He couldn’t afford to let things fall apart. Not now.

Not when they were so close.

He squared his shoulders. “The deal was to provide you with information about John Grayson and his family. For the last two years, I have
kept
my end of the deal,” he said. “I have no intention of reneging now.”

“Two years ago, you came to the Agency asking for assistance, Nathaniel. Assistance that we graciously provided—under the provision that you kept
us
provided with important information. We were to be told everything, Nathaniel. That includes any and all information regarding Alexandra Parker.”

“She didn’t arrive at the cabin until two weeks ago,” he said firmly. “You know that. And I haven’t exactly had a chance to check in since relocating to Florida.”

The Director’s eyes narrowed. “Did you really think I wouldn’t
remember
her
, Nathaniel?”

Desperation gave way to fear. Nate swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. “I don’t know what you’re—”

“Careful, Nathaniel,” she hissed. “You’re forgetting who holds the cards here.”

“What is it you want?”

The Director smiled. “Daily updates.” She slid a disposable cell phone across her desk. “If John Grayson so much as blows his nose, I want to hear about it.”

Nathaniel reached forward and took the phone. “Fine.”

“And I want you to start including Alexandra Parker’s movements in your reports,” she added.

“That’s not going to be easy,” he hedged. “Declan’s the one shadowing her during the day. Not me.”

“Then I highly suggest you get to know Ms. Parker
outside
of school. You’re a resourceful young man. I’m sure you’ll find a way.”

Shit
.

“Sure,” he said. “You got it.”

The Director smiled and pressed a button on her office phone. Another of her faceless lackeys walked in.

“I’m so glad we were able to sort that out, Nathaniel,” she said. “I would so
hate
to be forced to dissolve our agreement. Especially knowing what that would mean for your
family
.”

Nathaniel bit back a string of curses.

“Yeah,” he said finally. “So
glad
we could sort it out.”

At a signal from the Director, the agent grabbed his arm.

“We’ll be in touch, Mr. Palladino,” she said, nodding to the agent.

They jumped.

Nathaniel fell to his knees and landed with a splash at the center of the training field. While he’d been gone, the sky had opened up.

The unidentified agent disappeared in another flash of light.

Nathaniel stood, tilting his head back as the rain crashed down around him in powerful torrents. Within seconds, he was drenched. He closed his eyes as droplets of rain fell heavily against his face.

Dancing with the devil was getting harder every day.

* * *

Declan rang the doorbell for a second—then a third—time.

Still no answer.

He stepped back from the red lacquered door, pausing to peer through a darkened window before hopping off the porch and making his way around the side of the two-story, blue Victorian.

Alex was home.

He
knew
she was home because someone had just turned off one of the upstairs lights, only to turn on another in a separate room. The faint signature of electricity emanating from behind the house had already told him that Alex’s aunt was working out back in her studio, so it couldn’t have been her.

It had become obvious that Cil only used her jumping ability when the occasion absolutely called for it and, because of that, her draw on the currents was barely noticeable.

But it was still there, provided you knew to look for it.

She and her niece had that much in common, at least. Neither of them seemed inclined to embrace the Variant side of their nature unless they absolutely had to.

Now that Alex had allowed her jumping ability to fade out, she was impossible to sense.

He wondered what bothered him more—that Alex was refusing to use an ability that could save her life down the road, or that, because of her decision, the unusual connection between them had been severed.

Jumpers, as a general rule, were rarely powerful enough to sense a fellow teleporter nearby.

Declan had always considered himself unique in that regard.

Then he met Alex.

Her jumping ability had immediately rivaled, and then very quickly
surpassed
, his own. The link between them was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

They didn’t just sense each other’s presence,
they were conscious of each other’s
emotions
as well. While she possessed his ability, Alex’s draw on the electrical field was so clear that he could immediately detect when she was nervous, when she was angry… And then there was that funny way the currents around Alex
danced
any time she laughed.

Declan told himself the loss of their bond only frustrated him on account of his new job as Alex’s bodyguard. Easier to watch over someone when you were linked in such a way that you would instantly
know
if there was trouble, right? Right.

Most days, he could convince himself that that
was the only reason he missed it.

Other days…

Declan pushed that thought from his mind. He was here for the job.

That was it.

The muffled sounds of Simon and Garfunkel carried through the evening air as he walked toward the shed. Since Alex was refusing to answer the door, he’d just have to relay his news to her aunt instead.

Kenzie had warned him that Alex was ignoring the texts she and Cassie had sent tonight. Declan had just assumed he’d be an exception. After all, it was Red that had gone digging through Alex’s head earlier, not him.

A light breeze picked up, rustling the leaves and clumps of moss hanging from the gnarled oak tree in Alex’s backyard.

Night had settled quietly over Bay View, bringing with it a short break from the rain and a welcome relief from the heat. The forecast called for more rain after midnight, but for now, the darkened sky was holding back.

Halfway across the yard, another sound reached him. Someone was singing.

Badly.

Oh, man.
Really
badly.

“Alex!” he called toward the open second floor window. “Hey, Lex!”

The singing continued.

From this angle, all Declan could see was the spinning of a ceiling fan and a rope of soft white lights strung up around the dimly lit room.

Declan stood beneath the oak tree, glancing between the shed and the open window, weighing his options.

He’d never actually seen the inside of Alex’s home, so jumping to the hall outside her bedroom and knocking on the door was out of the question.

But there
was
a second option.

Turning his back on the shed, he returned to the base of the sprawling, ancient oak. The massive branches radiated up and outward from a point only a few feet above the ground. It was the sort of tree that had been tailor-made by Mother Nature for the purpose he now had in mind—it was, quite possibly, the most
perfect
climbing tree he’d ever seen.

One of the branches had grown close enough to the second story of the home that it had been shorn off, just two feet below the open window.

Practically an invitation.

Declan carefully made his way up and into the twisted limbs of the tree, jostling smaller branches as he went. Accumulated water from the afternoon rains dripped onto his coat, down his collar, and soaked through the heavy fabric of his jeans.

The singing was louder now, a classic rock song he quickly recognized.

As he reached the edge of the branch, just outside the window, Declan was rewarded with an unobstructed view into the room.

Alex lay sprawled on her stomach on the top of her bed, clad in black yoga pants and a pale green shirt. Her legs swung back and forth through the air in time to the music blasting from her earbuds, her chin propped in one hand as she perused the textbook opened in front of her.

“Now you’re messin’ with a, a son of a
bitch
!” she sang.

Declan lost it.

He laughed so hard, in fact, that he was forced to reach out and grab a nearby branch in order to support himself.

The movement attracted Alex’s attention.

With a yelp of surprise, she yanked the headphones from her ears and sat up. “Declan, what the
hell
?!”

Slipping off the bed, she approached the window seat and knelt on the cushion beside the open center window.

“I’m sorry,” he said, fighting back another round of laughter. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Then what the
crap
are you doing in the tree outside my window?”

Grinning, he answered, “Heard you singing. Thought I’d say hello.”

“There is such a thing as a
door
.”

He shrugged. “I rang. You didn’t answer.”

“So you decided to try your hand as a peeping Tom instead?”

“What can I say, Lex?” Declan swung his leg over the side of the branch and readied himself to jump. “Your voice was like a siren’s call. Just couldn’t resist.”

He slid off the branch. Alex let out a cry as he plummeted toward the ground.

Declan smiled as he teleported, reappearing behind Alex in her bedroom.

“And by ‘siren,’ I mean an actual
klaxon
,” he continued. Alex spun, hand over her heart and mouth open slightly in surprise. “I realize it’s tough for anyone to sing Nazareth and sound
good
, but damn, Lex. I’m kind of amazed you hadn’t attracted an audience of neighborhood strays howling along beneath your window. Half those notes you were hitting were in that range only dogs can hear.”