Endless (34 page)

“Let’s go,” Ben said.

Nikolai’s hand was strong and sure around her own as they cut across the courtyard, staying as far back as possible from the trees and flowering shrubs that they knew concealed the pond. Their footsteps crunched across gravel and stone until they hit the grass that stood between the center’s main building and the woods.

They were almost within the confines of the forest when the shadows were suddenly illuminated. The periphery of the property lit up as a bank of harsh blue lights went on all around the main building. Despite Nikolai’s tugging on her hand, Jenny stopped, her eyes sweeping the area, anticipating the pursuers who were surely coming.

“Don’t look back!” Nikolai pulled harder on her hand. “Just run.”

The words shattered her stupor. She turned and ran. They headed for the cover of the woods as voices rose behind them, angry, urgent, and way too close.

“Over there!” The shout came from behind them.

They reached the edge of the property. Nikolai and Jenny followed Ben, jumping over the low stone fence without bothering to slow down. Jenny slid a little as she landed on the leaf-covered forest floor but managed to right herself without losing too much speed. She could hear footsteps behind them, and though it was impossible to know exactly how many people were chasing them, it sounded like a lot.

Ben barreled down the slope leading to the road. Nikolai crashed along behind him, pulling Jenny along, half running, half sliding, behind him. She lost all sense of time and distance, unsure how much further they had to go and if they would get there before their pursuers caught up to them. The footsteps were unrelenting, but it didn’t sound as if they were gaining on them.

The stone wall at the bottom of the incline came upon them so fast that they almost smacked into it before skidding to a stop. It was taller than the one at the top of the hill. Too tall to jump or climb. She followed Ben as he ran alongside it, looking for the opening that would lead them to the road. She had one panicked moment when she imagined that members of the Order would be waiting at the car, expecting her and Ben to make a run for the driveway. But when the break came into sight, no one was there. They made straight for it, turning onto the road without slowing down at all.

“Where are we going?” Nikolai yelled.

“To the left. At the trailhead.”

They ran along the side of the road, heading for the car. Jenny hoped Tiffany was there, waiting for them.

A shout sounded from behind them. “There they are!”

Jenny turned to look over her shoulder, expecting to see the robed men giving chase. Instead, she saw four men in suits running about fifty feet behind them. She’d been foolish to think that they were only being chased by a bunch of out-of-shape people in robes. She picked up her speed and Ben hurried to catch up to her.

"We’ re almost there.”

Almost. Almost. Almost. It was like a mantra.

Jenny’s lungs burned, her legs growing heavier with each stride, but she and Ben kept their pace.

They were about fifty yards from the trailhead when something burst through a clearing. It took Jenny a second to realize it was Nikolai’s car. It screeched to a stop next to them.

“Get in!” Tiffany yelled through the open window.

Ben jumped in the passenger side while Jenny and Nikolai piled into the back.

“Go, go, go!” Ben screamed.

The car lurched forward, the locks depressing with a
thunk
. Jenny jumped as a noise exploded behind them. Swiveling in her seat, she saw that it was one of the men hitting the back of the car as Tiffany sped ahead. The man’s eyes met Jenny’s as the car fishtailed just before it found traction and sped off down the road.

Jenny held her breath, eyes glued to the passenger side mirror as the car sped down the mountain. The men who had chased them grew smaller as Tiffany put more and more distance between them and the car. Finally, she rounded a corner on the mountain road and the men disappeared from view.

Adrenaline was still pumping through Jenny’s body as they sped down the mountain. She leaned forward in the seat.

“Drive around for a bit, Tiff, okay? Take a roundabout way to the cemetery or something. I want to make sure we’re not being followed.”

“The cemetery?” Nikolai asked. “Why are we going to the cemetery?”

She realized Nikolai knew nothing about her conversation with Morgan. Had no idea that the plan was for him to leave Stony Creek via the underground.

She turned to him while Tiffany drove. “It turns out that Morgan wasn’t really a spy for the Order. Well, she was, but only so she could help me if I needed it.”

Suspicion darkened Nikolai’s eyes. “I don’t understand.”

“She’s part of the underground,” Jenny said. “A big part. She took over for my mom after she died.”

“What does this have to do with the cemetery?” he asked.

They were off the mountain. Tiffany turned left, away from the cemetery, and Jenny gave her attention back to Nikolai.

“We haven’t found the book,” she said softly. “And even though the full moon will pass, it will come again. The Order will just keep looking for you.”

Understanding shadowed his eyes. “I have to leave you. Again.”

“Morgan says she can get you into the underground from Stony Creek. I don’t … ” Her throat closed and she had to wait a minute, forcing herself to continue. “I don’t want you to go, but I don’t see any other way. At least you won’t be in the bardo. We can keep looking for the book, trying to find a way for you to stay.”

He pulled her into his arms. “I’ve only just found you again.”

She buried her face in his chest, inhaling the scent of him, trying to memorize it. For a few minutes, she was almost able to convince herself that there was no world outside of the car. That she could stay in Nikolai’s arms while they drove and drove, the Order disappearing with the rest of the world beyond the windows.

“Jen?” Tiffany said from the front. “How long do you want me to wait to meet up with Morgan?”

Jenny lifted her head to look at Ben. “Anybody following us?”

“Not that I can see.”

She took a deep breath. “Head to the cemetery. But take that back road. The one that takes you past the field that runs behind the graveyard. I don’t want to risk the main entrance.”

“Will do,” she said.

Jenny pressed herself closer to Nikolai, wanting to stop the clock. Time was suddenly moving too fast. She had the sense of it, rushing and rushing to the moment when Nikolai would step away from her. She could already feel his absence like a cold wind.

“I see the field up ahead,” Tiffany said. “Where do you want me to park?”

“Still nobody behind us, Ben?”

Ben shook his head. “Not that I’ve seen.”

“Just pull off to the side of the road,” Jenny instructed, “as far into the long grass as you can without getting stuck.”

The car slowed, the passenger side dipping as the car hit the shoulder.

“Ready?” Nikolai whispered to her when Tiffany turned off the engine.

She shook her head, clinging to him. “No.”

“Me, either.” He kissed her head. “But we have to go.”

She nodded reluctantly, reaching for the door handle.

“I didn’t even know you could get to the cemetery through here,” Tiffany said when they were all out of the car.

“I’ve never tested the theory,” Jenny admitted. “But this field backs up to the graveyard and there’s no fence on that side, so we should be able to reach it.”

Nikolai held out a hand to Tiffany. “May I have the keys?”

Tiffany looked surprised by the request, but she handed him the keys. He went to the back of the car and opened the trunk, pulling out the duffel bag he’d packed earlier. He walked back to Jenny’s side and gave her the keys.

“But … I can’t take your car.”

He opened her palm and kissed it before placing the keys in her hands. Then he closed her fingers around them. “Take care of it—and the house—for me while I’m gone.”

She nodded, blinking back the tears that were already forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Let’s get off this road,” Ben said. “We’re too exposed here.”

They started off across the field. Jenny held tight to Nikolai’s hand. She looked back every couple of minutes, half expecting one of the Order’s cars to pull up behind the Audi, but no one came.

“Do you think Morgan’s already here?” Ben whispered as they stepped into the trees that acted as a border for the rear of the cemetery.

The answering voice came to them from a large granite monument carved in the shape of an angel. “I’m over here.” Morgan stepped out from behind the statue, relief visible on her face. “You all made it.”

Jenny nodded. “It was a close call, though. We don’t think they followed us, but they know we were there.”

Morgan nodded. “We better get moving then.”

She ushered them to the back corner of the cemetery, the beam of her flashlight bouncing off the ground as they walked. Jenny couldn’t help wondering where they were going, if she’d been right to trust Morgan or if she was leading them into some kind of trap. She’d laid everything out for Morgan. Brought Nikolai right to her.

“Here we are.” Morgan stopped at a massive rectangular mausoleum with elaborate angel statues standing guard at all four corners.

“Here?” Jenny whispered. “What are we doing here?”

“Just trust me,” Morgan said. She handed Tiffany the flashlight. “Hold this for me and point it at the lock, will you?”

Morgan pulled a familiar key ring from her pocket. Jenny recognized it from all the times she’d helped Morgan at the cemetery, but she’d had no idea Morgan possessed keys to the mausoleums.

Choosing one of the keys, Morgan bent forward, slipping it into the lock. It sprang open. Jenny held her breath when Morgan opened the door to the crypt. She expected it to squeak, probably because she’d seen too many scary movies, but the enormous iron door swung open without a sound.

Morgan waved them in. “Hurry. We need to get out of sight.”

She followed them in, shutting the door. Morgan took the flashlight back from Tiffany and waved it around the enclosed space. The light ricocheted off the walls.

“Hamish?” Morgan whispered. “Are you here?”

A second later, an older man in a bowler cap and tweed pants stepped into the flashlight beam, his face eerily distorted by the flashlight.

“Right here. I wanted to make sure it was safe.”

Jenny heard relief in Morgan’s exhale. “Come here, Jenny. Bring Nikolai.”

Jenny stepped forward, her hand clammy in Nikolai’s. She didn’t know what she’d expected when sending Nikolai away with the underground, but it hadn’t been a hand-off in a creepy mausoleum.

“This is Hamish, Jenny,” Morgan said gently. “We’ve worked together many times. He’s the one who will take Nikolai to the first stop. After that, he’ll transfer Nikolai twice more to other members of the underground, just to be sure the trail is cold for the Order. You’ll have to send messages through me until we know it’s safe. Do you understand?”

Jenny nodded, then shook her head. “Yes. I mean, not really. Why are we meeting here? And how will I know Nikolai is safe?”

Morgan shone a light on the far wall of the mausoleum. A door hung open, built right into the granite. When Jenny leaned in for a closer look, she saw that torches lit the walls on either side of a staircase leading downward.

“This is the gateway from Stony Creek to the rest of the underground,” Morgan explained. “I’m the only one with a key. As for knowing Nikolai is safe, I think it’s a good bet that he’d be safer anywhere but here in Stony Creek.”

She was right. The Order had already gotten Nikolai once. If he stayed in Stony Creek, it was only a matter of time before he was discovered again. They would have to find the book, and Nikolai would have to stay away until they did.

Jenny nodded. “So now what do we do?”

“Now you say goodbye,” Morgan said simply.

Jenny’s heart felt like lead in her chest as Nikolai pulled his hand away. He approached Tiffany, said thank you, and extended a hand to Ben.

“Thank you, Ben. Will you look after Jenny while I’m gone?”

Ben shook Nikolai’s hand. Jenny couldn’t read the expression on his face. “I will.”

Nikolai turned to Jenny. He took her hand, putting a few feet between them and everyone else by pulling her toward the staircase.

He rubbed her shoulders. “You’ll have to take care of yourself while I’m gone, too.”

She wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself to his chest. “I don’t want you to go.”

“This is the only way to protect what we have,” he said, smoothing her hair. “It’ll buy us some time. Time to find the book and figure all this out. And who knows? Maybe someone in the underground will remember your mother, have some idea where she hid the book.”

“What will I do without you? I don’t think I was even breathing before.” It was true, she realized. She’d been going through the motions, living life with the imprint of Nikolai on her heart.

His smile was sad. “You’re stronger than you know.” He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “You’ll go on as before. You’ll watch over the house for me and learn about your mother and the gifts she may have given you. And someday, before you know it, I’ll be back.”