Hide My Soul: A Romantic Suspense Thriller Novel (Hide Me Series Book 4) (10 page)

"They can't," Dylan said firmly. "That's what happened to me when I tried to touch you. At first it was only the fingertip. They saw it and had no idea what it was. They ran a dozen tests on me already. It's not just a burn – it's like ... decay - like the tissue doesn't want to exist anymore." He hid his hand in his lap again and spoke one more time, his voice so soft she had to strain to hear him. "Whatever it is, I deserve it."

Katerina forced herself not to gag. Was this what had changed his mind about being God?

"Maybe ... What if ... Maybe they can cut it off?" She offered with trepidation, knowing it was the ultimate last resort.

Dylan pulled at his neckline with his left hand. "Too late," he said, exposing the skin there. Tiny tendrils of the same black that covered his hand were spreading across his chest. "I don't know what will happen when it reaches my heart. Or my brain."

He let his shirt go and dropped his left hand into his lap. "I may not even make it through the night," he said matter-of-factly.

His eyes suddenly speared into her and Katerina took a shaky step backwards. "Maybe you could heal it for me?" he said, his voice soft and hopeful.

Katerina shook her head. "I told you, I can't do that anymore. I've tried."

Dylan's face fell and he nodded. "I understand. I wouldn't expect you to try to help me," he said, wheeling his chair around.

Katerina made up her mind before he disappeared from her site. "Wait!" she cried. "I'll try."

Dylan's face contorted and Katerina realized he was trying to smile. He rolled back to her and lifted up the flap in her door with his left hand, then gently placed his right hand in the hole.

"Does it hurt?" Katerina asked.

"Not at all. It's like it's completely dead"

Katerina swallowed hard, and reached out her hands to touch him, swallowing her revulsion and horror. But as her hands got close, when there was only an inch between her skin and his blackened flesh, she felt the same pressure and heat she'd felt earlier when he tried to touch her.

Dylan had used the word repelling earlier, and it was exactly correct. It was as if there was some sort of an invisible barrier between them. Katerina gritted her teeth and pushed.

An unseen force flung her backwards, causing her to take two large steps to keep from falling on her behind. Electricity pulsed at her fingers and crackled there, before dissipating.

She stared at Dylan in disbelief. "I didn't do that, I swear. I was trying to help you!" she cried.

He pressed his lips together and she couldn't tell if he believed her or not. He pulled his hand back into his lap and swung his wheelchair around, disappearing from sight down the hallway.

Katerina watched the last spot she had seen him in for a long time, ceaseless internal questions battering her. Finally, she lay down on her bed and tried to sleep.

***

Sometime later, she had no way of knowing how long but it felt like at least an hour, Dylan returned. His eyes were bright and he had a new sense of purpose.

"No checks tonight. Something's up. There's been a security breach somewhere," he said, making her heart leap in her chest.

He stretched his good hand towards her door. "Let's get you out of here."

West reached his hand towards Raven, biting his fingers cruelly in the man's flesh. "Shut up. Don't make a sound," he admonished the man once again. Raven had taken to whimpering, and West's warnings only lasted twenty minutes or so before he had to do it again to stem the quiet noises of pain coming from deep in the man's throat.

The two of them lay in the back of the Humvee, still inside the airplane as far as West could tell. They hadn't moved since the plane had stopped taxiing, and every noise he could hear had a kind of echo, like they were inside a large building.

He felt awful for what he was doing to Raven. The man was sick, dying maybe, and it was all West's fault - it had to be. The man was bleeding from both nostrils and drops of watery blood dripped from his eyes. West hadn't seen any blood come from his ears yet, but he was afraid that was next. West felt his gut roil at the thought of what he had done to the man by controlling him for so long, but what choice did he have? It was this guy, for Katerina. He would choose to do it all over again if he had to. Besides, the man would have killed him.

West looked out the back of the Humvee again, seeing nothing but dark shapes, and decided it was time to make his move.

He leaned close to Raven's ear, grabbing him again on the upper arm, and whispered, "This is your final instruction. Listen good and do exactly as I tell you. Lay in here for four hours, then get up and find a doctor. Do not remember me. Say you have amnesia. No, get amnesia. Don't remember any of this."

West didn't know if the man would live for four hours, but it was the shortest time he dared tell him. In four hours, West would either be dead, escaped, or captured and Raven seeking help would no longer matter.

An idea seized him and he leaned over to share it. "Never kill anyone again. In fact, never be a government agent again. Quit your job. Go live a peaceful life as a farmer somewhere. Be happy." He didn't know if that instruction would take or not, but he had to try. In fact, he didn't know if any of these instructions would last, but he couldn't bring himself to bind and gag the already weak man.

"Nod once if you understand and you are going to follow my instructions."

Raven nodded, bloodied tears slipping out from beneath his eyes.

West looked away quickly and raised up to his knees. It had to be good enough. He had one more thing to do before he could make his move. He pulled his phone from his pocket and turned it on, praying he had a bit of battery left and a signal. Yes to both. He hadn't dared text Blaise before now, fearing Blaise would go right to the authorities and someone would inadvertently inform the wrong branch of government what he was doing. But he had to now, if he were caught, Blaise would be the only chance that he and Katerina had. Not much of a chance, he knew. What could Blaise do against the United States government?

West had two dozen text messages from Blaise and his brother and his father, but he ignored them all. He had a message to send and then had to get moving.

In Nevada. Under area 51. Katerina kidnapped by the government. I'm trying to save her. Fly out here asap. Don't tell the cops for at least a few hours, in case we can get away clean. I don't want somebody informing these guys I'm coming. I'm going in now.

West stared at the message long and hard before adding one more line.

Pray for us.

West pressed send and turned the phone off before shoving it in his pocket, trying to preserve his last bit of battery. He shuffled forward and flipped himself over the tailgate of the Humvee, dropping silently to the ground. He still had Raven's gun, but he didn't take it out. Stealth was his only weapon for now.

He had been right. The Humvee was still inside the large airplane. He could see the opening at the far end of a massive corridor and he crept slowly that way. When he finally reached the end, he dropped to the ground and looked out. The plane was in a huge building, big enough to fit a small city inside, but instead filled with supplies and vehicles.

West saw no movement, no lights, no indication that anyone was around, so he snuck into the open hangar area. He tiptoed from one pallet to another, not knowing if he was heading towards the front of the building or the back.

Anxious thoughts began to coax their way into his head. What if Katerina were somewhere miles away from here? How would he find her? West bit back the thoughts and focused on the task at hand. He would find her. He knew he would.

When he came within twenty feet of the far wall, he heard whistling. It sounded so out of place in the massive room that West came to a dead stop. He looked around slowly trying to place where it was coming from. A soldier walked past the crate West was hiding behind and West bit back a hapless gasp of surprise. The man was so close West could have reached out and touched him. If the soldier hadn't chosen that moment to carelessly whistle, West would have walked right into him.

West crouched behind the crate and tried to still his racing heart. The soldier wore a black armband on his left shoulder, the letters MP emblazoned there. A firearm was strapped to his right side.
Military Police
.

The soldier pulled something out of his pocket and West craned his neck to see what it was. A screen glowed lightly. His phone. The soldier laughed at something on the screen and focused all his attention on it. West crept up behind him, his muscles as tight as rock. He didn't dare breathe as he reached out a hand and held it an inch from the man's back.

He timed it so he began speaking the second he touched the man, but still the soldier whirled around and almost took his head off. "Don't move. Don't touch your gun. Put your hands at your sides!" West hissed, making sure his voice was clear but not loud.

The soldier did what he was told, his face taking over the now familiar robotic look.

"The woman they brought in today. Where is she?" West forced out, praying he would get an answer.

The man blinked once but didn't say anything and West had to fight back bitter disappointment. His eyes dropped to the name embroidered above the soldiers pocket. Darden. And his rank. Corporal.

"Corporal Darden, answer me," West said in a low, dangerous voice, remembering that he had to give this specific order.

"She was taken to Operation Arma."

"Where's that? Show me."

The soldier turned and headed to the other side of the massive room. West followed, kicking himself for doing this again. He would have to let this guy go before the bleeding started. He couldn't take hurting an innocent person, even to save his own skin. If Darden was innocent.

When they reached the far wall, West gave the corporal a booster. He grasped his elbow and said, "Don't touch your gun no matter what. Do exactly as I tell you. Take me to the woman they brought in today."

The soldier reached out his hand and pressed a button on the wall. Part of the wall slid upward without even a whisper of sound and West gaped. It was an elevator. An elevator massive enough to fit a double wide trailer and he had never seen such a thing before. They stepped inside and the soldier pressed another button. The door closed and West's stomach dropped, as if they were moving quickly. He couldn't tell in what direction.

Too late, West realized that he had no idea what would be waiting for them when the monster door slid back open. He was being careless already in his desire to get to Katerina quickly. He couldn't stand the thought of what evil might be happening to her. He couldn't stand the thought of her being scared and alone and wondering if she would ever get out of this place.

He dug his fingers into Darden's arm. "Will there be more soldiers wherever we are going?"

"Yes."

West's eyes rolled in his head and he almost slammed the red emergency button on the side of the elevator. "How many?" he hissed.

"One," the soldier answered as West felt the tiniest of bumps, indicating they had arrived at their destination.

The door opened and Darden stepped out into the crisp, white hallway beyond. Still, West could not tell exactly where they were, only that they were in a windowless enclosure that had a slightly antiseptic smell.

A man sat in a chair across the hallway and shot to his feet as soon as he saw West. The new guy looked at Darden, his eyebrows creased. He also had a gun on his hip and an MP armband on his shoulder. "Who is this?" He fired at Darden. "Why are you down here?"

Darden didn't respond, only turned around and faced West, his face still a strange blank.

West scrambled for an idea. He was ten feet away from the man and knew he would be shot if he tried to approach too fast. Instead he placed a haughty look on his face. "I'm Colonel Murphy, your new boss. This is a surprise inspection soldier, and so far you're failing."

The new guy snapped to attention and West tried to think of what to do next. He had to touch the guy. He should have said Sgt. Murphy. Then they could have shaken hands.

"At ease," he barked out, walking slowly out of the elevator. The new guy's nametag said Nelson. A sergeant. West tried to remember every tiny shred of army lore he had ever picked up from movies and TV. "Sgt Nelson, just what in the hell is wrong with your uniform?"

"Sir?"

West strode forward, a scowl on his face, lifting his right hand at chest level, his fingers poised to pluck an imaginary thread. He hoped he wasn't going to end up on the ground in a headlock.

He reached Nelson and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't move. Don't say a word. Don't touch your gun. Do what I tell you to do. Answer all of my questions."

Sergeant Nelson's face relaxed and he stood placidly. West breathed a sigh of relief. He walked to Corporal Darden and pulled him over next to Sergeant Nelson. "Anyone else likely to come this way in the next thirty minutes?" he asked, looking at both men.

Nelson shook his head. "Not until two a.m. checks."

"Where's the woman who was brought in today?" he asked Nelson.

"Cell 2B."

West thought seriously. He had a cell number and he was apparently in the right location. Now he just had to get to his Katerina without setting off any alarms. "Can you take me to her without anyone else knowing?"

Nelson shook his head. "No, the guys in the camera room will see us."

West felt acid-lined fear run through his veins. He looked up on the wall and saw a camera pointed right at them. "Can they see us now?"

Nelson spoke and the robotic sound of his voice just about drove West crazy, but at the same time he welcomed it. It meant the man was still under his control. "Yeah, if they are looking. The screen for this camera is on the back wall. They don't look at it much since there is always a guard here."

West prayed to a God he doubted was listening.
Please let them not be looking.
"Take me to the closest area where there are no cameras."

Nelson turned and walked swiftly down the hallway. West grabbed Darden by the sleeve and pulled him along. Not even ten feet down the hall, Nelson indicated a door. West pushed it open and saw a supply closet. He pulled both men inside.

"How can I get to the woman without security seeing me?"

The men stared at the wall behind him blankly. West touched both their forearms. "Give me suggestions. Good ones that will work."

Nelson spoke up. "You could wear a uniform. Do two o'clock checks. The cameras don't show faces very well."

"But what about the other soldiers doing two o'clock checks?" West asked.

Nelson didn't say anything. His mouth opened slightly as he looked far away.

"You could kill them," Darden said.

West shook his head. "Absolutely not. Next suggestion."

The two men didn't say anything for a while and West began to think his only option would be to steal one of their uniforms and try the two o'clock checks idea. But how would he get her out of there once he got to her? He hoped the only answer he could come up with wouldn't be to wing it.

A thought struck him. He looked at Nelson. "What did the woman do, anyway? Why is she here?"

"She's a terrorist – a spy for terrorists," Nelson said blankly.

West's mouth dropped open. "That's not true. She's innocent. She doesn't know any terrorists," he sneered. "The government, your bosses, kidnapped her because she can do things with her mind, like hurt people. Things she doesn't even want to do."

The two men stared blankly, not meeting his eyes, their expressions not changing.

West grabbed both their forearms, his anger boiling over. "Believe me!" he screamed.

Both men winced and pulled away from him. West sighed and dropped their arms, knowing a lost cause when he saw one. "Okay, say I can get her out of her cell and out of here. How do we get away from this base?"

Corporal Darden spoke first. "Take a car from the motor pool. Drive out the front gate."

Sergeant Nelson shook his head. "Thisbe scans all vehicles exiting the gate. She'll know and keep the gates shut. They won't be able to get out."

"Thisbe?"

"The computer."

West twitched, wondering if he had heard correctly. Was this some sort of sci-fi nightmare he was caught up in?