Hunted (A Sinners Series Book 2) (9 page)

“Knew what?” My brain is foggy from the overload of emotion and exhaustion.

“We found proof that my brother wasn’t just recruited to join the guards. He was being groomed for more than that. My brother was
chosen
to be the next Commander. But we also found something more disturbing.” Sutton gulps loudly.

“Do I really want to know?” The revelation that Wilson was chosen to lead this regime and that my father knew was already a lot to absorb.

Sutton squeezes my hand before continuing. “My brother was collaborating with Wilson to develop experiments on Sinners. In the Hole.” I nearly jump out of my skin, vaguely flashing back to the conversation I overheard my father having in the kitchen a few years ago.

“Experiments?”

“Yes, but that’s all we knew. We had no idea what the nature of the experiments were. We just knew we had to stop them. So, I made the choice to go to medical school, and your father took a very different path. He founded the resistance movement.” Sutton crosses his right leg over his left. “When my brother became Commander, I knew he’d continue the experiments. Any semblance of the boy he used to be, the one who played with us, was gone.” Sutton’s troubled eyes stare into the distance.

My head is reeling. I realize I’ve been gripping the bench with my free hand. “Why are you telling me this now?” I stand and face him.

“Because you need to know what we’re up against. And I want you to have all the facts this time.” Sutton stands and grabs my arms, stopping just short of answering the question I am about to ask. “You deserve it.”

I’m trembling, but I need to know. “Did they experiment on everyone in the Hole?” My voice is timid.

Sutton drops his hands and starts pacing. “We aren’t sure.”

“How would I know? I mean, what should I be looking for?” Panic coats my voice as the tears start to fall.

Sutton turns to me, and the look on his face contradicts his words. “You’re going to be okay, Lexi. I’ll make sure of it.” He stops and holds my arms again. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I collapse in his arms, allowing him to comfort me. He’s the closest thing I have to a dad right now.
Why do I feel like he’s saying good-bye to me?

“One last thing … I’m so sorry about Keegan.” Sutton pats my shoulder then pulls away so I can see his face. “Hurt reminds us we’re human, and we all bleed when we’re wounded. But wounds heal, slowly, not all at once. We must mend our wounds well … to make sure they don’t tear back open because infections can be deadly. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“I have to be.” I don’t want to tell him that his leaving leaves me with another wound, so I dry my tears on my shirt and smile. He seems satisfied.

“Now go. Get showered and changed. And remember, Lexi: you can overcome anything. And I mean anything … short of death.”

I’d never really given thought to Sutton’s past or the sacrifices he must have made. I don’t know if he ever married, and he’s never mentioned children. Looking at him now with his bloodshot green eyes and forced smile, I see a man who has dedicated his adult life to helping others with hardly a thought for himself. I wonder what his life could’ve been like if we’d lived in a different place, if the Commander had never come to rule. The thought makes my heart ache.

“It’s time.” Sutton emerges from the kitchen, shuffling his things, and pulls me into a strong hug. “Remember what I said: focus on the tasks at hand, and take care of yourself.” He holds his breath for a brief second and then exhales. “Blood or not, you’re my daughter, and I love you.”

I press my cheek against his chest, and his heart races in my ear. I grip his shirt in my fists and choke out, “I love you, too.”

He quickly moves to Grace and offers her a hug. I am too wrapped up in my own thoughts to hear their exchange, but I know he must be offering her words of encouragement. That’s just the way he is.

Sutton swallows hard before walking over to hug Cole. He pats Zeus on the head. My throat tightens as the tears are closer to surging.

Bruno and Sutton wave one last time before they exit the cottage, get into the vehicle, and speed away.

I am overcome with emotion. It feels like something is sucking the life out of me, and all I can do to stop the pain of it is to run. I don’t think. I bolt out the door and down the driveway. My feet pound the gravel harder than I expected and I feel my leg muscles starting to cramp. When I reach the road, I hear Cole and Grace behind me, yelling at me to stop. I keep going.

He needs to know!

Panic rises into my chest, threatening to suffocate me as I crash onto the pavement, exhausted. As a charley horse grips the back of my right thigh, I scream out in agony.

Sutton’s gone, and I don’t know when I’ll see him again. I’m heaving, crying out in pain, and dizzy. When Cole catches up to me, his eyes search mine for a sign, a reason, logic.

I should have hugged Sutton one more time. I shouldn’t have let him go without telling him how much he means to me. I had only just realized it, and now it’s too late. This selfless man has been a father to me when my father couldn’t.

I curl my arms around myself as I wrestle with my emotions, pain, and embarrassment.
Without Sutton, once again, I’m an orphan
.

Grace arrives and puts her arm around me. I turn into her, wrapping my arms around her waist. As Cole leans in and wraps an arm around us both, I realize there’s nothing we can do but hope and pray for Sutton and Bruno’s safe return.

They help me stand and walk. My leg is still sore from the cramp, and my back feels like fire is shooting up the middle. We head up the driveway in silence.

Midway to the cottage, Grace almost chokes on her words. “We’ll see them soon, I pray.”

Cole clears his throat and tightens his grip around my waist.

Grace and I release each other.

“I think Sutton’s plan is going to work, and we’ll all be together again real soon,” Cole adds.

No one responds. Everything is silent except the waves against the beach and the seagulls overhead. Cole’s words hang in the air like the smell of stale bread.

Inside, everything is quiet and amplified at the same time. The boards creak beneath my feet. Zeus has somehow made his way back into the house without anyone noticing. The couch squeaks when he jumps onto it. Grace takes a position by the back door.

“I’m going to make us something to eat before we head out to find another safe house,” Cole says. “Why don’t you wash up and get changed.”

“Into what?”

“Sutton left us clothes. He said they’re in the bathroom.”

I look over at Grace, who nods in approval. I stink.

“Okay.”

I examine my shredded shirt and blood-soaked clothes. I had completely forgotten how I looked in the midst of everything.
And Sutton still hugged me despite it.

“Make sure to leave us some hot water,” Cole says. He smiles and rubs my back before going into the kitchen.

I pull myself up the stairs and into the tiny bathroom, where the toilet is so close to the shower I can barely sit on it without my knees touching tile. Sure enough, clothing sits on the sink in several piles.

I turn on the water, and after waiting for it to warm up, I step inside. Dried blood swirls down the drain, turning pinker by the minute. When finished, I pull on a small, black cotton t-shirt with dark green cargo pants in my exact size. The socks are what bring me the most pleasure though. As I slide them on, my feet celebrate their warmth and cushiness.

“Much better,” Cole says when I reach the first floor.

“Except for the bags under my eyes.”

“God, I hate seeing you so exhausted.”

“I’m gonna try to eat something. Maybe that will help.”

Cole playfully smacks my ass as he passes me going up the staircase. “I’m gonna jump in the shower. But if Zeus starts acting up, come get me.”

“I will,” I say. “Hey, let’s not leave him behind anymore.”

“We’re not,” he says. “He’s the best weapon we have.” Cole takes the steps two at a time and disappears after the landing.

In the living room, Zeus sprawls out on the couch, sound asleep. He snorts, sneezes, and then rolls onto his back with his legs straight up.

I pick up a plate of canned beans, canned hot dogs, and canned peaches Cole prepared for me. When I lived in High Society, we always ate well. On the run, you eat what you can find—things you may never have considered eating before.

“Wake up,” he says. I hear him laughing through the fog of my head. “Only you.”

“Few more minutes,” I mumble, turning my head away from his voice.

“I’m afraid if you sleep any longer, those beans stuck on your forehead won’t come off.”

“Ew, what?”

“You face-planted in your plate.” He wipes a damp cloth over my face, and I sit up. Food tumbles into my lap. I give Cole a dirty look, and he laughs.

“I’m glad you don’t have a camera.”

“Oh, but I’ve got a great photographic memory.”

“Of course you do.” I lean into him, and he gives me a sweet kiss on my lips. Now, I’m awake.

“Why didn’t you just lie down with Zeus?”

“Have you seen him? He’s a bed hog, and wasn’t it obvious I preferred my plate?”

“And you’ve got hot dog up your nose,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes. He bends down to kiss my head.

“Shut up. I do not.” But of course, I feel my nose, making sure he’s just playing with me. I snatch his napkin and wipe my face just as I notice the dim lighting. “How long was I asleep? Where is Grace?” I look around.

“You’ve been out for two hours. Grace is outside patrolling the perimeter.”

“And you let me sleep in my food?”

“I tried to pick you up, but you kept smacking me. So yes, I left you there,” he says. “Any sleep is better than none, right?” But he’s smiling as he says it.

I groan as I stand up and stretch. The muscles in my neck feel like one tight knot.

Without warning, Zeus hops off the couch and begins pacing the room. He whines, and the hair on my neck rises.

“Maybe he’s gotta poop,” Cole says, but I know he doesn’t really think that. He raises an eyebrow.

“When was he let out last?” I ask.

“A half an hour ago.”

But Zeus’s whining grows louder and more restless. The fur on his back shoots up, making a dark track down his back. My insides jump.

“Nope, that’s not it,” Cole says. His jaw’s clenched, and I grit my teeth.

I run to the window. Cole grabs his gun, and I tug the blinds an inch to the left so I can see outside.

Just then, Grace comes tearing into the living room, gun drawn. Her eyes are wide with fear. “Someone’s coming,” she says.

“How many?” Cole asks. He presses himself along the wall next to me. “How far?”

“One car, and not far enough,” Grace says.

“Okay,” Cole says. “You guard the back door. Lexi and I will take the front.”

“Got it,” she says. I watch as she sprints down the hallway, and then I lock eyes with Cole. He presses his body against mine so he can whisper in my ear. “You and me, remember?”

I nod.

My body’s shaking, so I attempt to clamp down on my fear by glancing around the room and thinking up a plan. Nothing. I look out the tiny slit in the window. Time’s up.

Headlights rip through the darkness. I watch as Cole’s posture turns rigid. He slowly steps alongside the front door and holds his gun ready.

I slowly inch forward, but Zeus charges the front door, snarling and growling. “Zeus, halt,” Cole says in a commanding voice. Zeus immediately sits in place, anxious and ready for the next command. My head’s on a swivel between Cole and Zeus sitting at the door, his teeth bared.

The headlights flick off. A door slams. Footsteps come fast. My heart’s racing. The front door vibrates with three forceful knocks. My breath catches as I hear a muffled male voice shouting. I clench my jaw as Cole peeks out the window. I watch as his white knuckles give way to a slight headshake.