Unleashed (23 page)

"I'll be waiting," she said and slid into the backseat.

"Lock the doors and honk if you see anything strange." He was about to close the door, but paused and stuck his head back into the car. "I hope your boys don't show up tonight. You told them to stay home, right?"

"Sure. Ethan and Logan are home safe in their comfy beds while I'm stuck in a car that smells of stale donuts and bad coffee."

"Good." Smith closed the door, which she locked.

Around Smith, and everyone else for that matter, she tried to put on a brave face, but the truth was she was terrified. If Kate hadn't been hurt in the accident, she probably wouldn't be doing this.

Claire took a deep breath and relaxed into the seat. The hard metal of the gun pressed against her back, reminding her that she wasn’t helpless. Ethan had spent every possible second with her the last few days teaching her how to shoot. Surprisingly, it came naturally for her. Even Logan was silenced when he saw how accurately she shot the targets.

Claire was about to pull the gun out to inspect it for the tenth time that day when her phone vibrated. She looked down at its lit up screen.
Ethan.
She answered it. "I'm so glad you called," she blurted. "I'm so nervous."

"You should be," a deep voice said, sending a paralyzing chill throughout her whole body. Even through a wireless connection she felt his dark power.

"You didn't do what I asked,” he said and waited. “Are you listening, Claire?"

Claire's brain tried to reason why Gage would be on Ethan's phone. "Where's Ethan?" she managed to ask.

"I'm following him right now. He's on his way to make sure his beloved is safe."

She closed her eyes and tried to think of something to say that would keep Gage’s focus on her and not on Ethan. "What do you want?"

"You lied to me." Gage paused, as if waiting for her to disagree with him, but she remained silent. "I told you not to tell anyone about our secret rendezvous. Don’t you know what the word
secret
means? Now you've put the people you love at risk. In three seconds I could have your lover’s neck in my hands. In four he'll be dead. Is that what you want?"

Claire didn't hesitate. "Tell me what to do."

"I want a private meeting, and I want it in exactly ten minutes."

"Where?"

"At the top of the cliffs, near the trail where we first met. And, Claire, keep your pretty little mouth shut."

The phone went dead.

She stared at the phone. The glowing time stared back. She'd have to sprint to make it there in time.

Claire didn't think. She threw open the door and ran.

THIRTY-TWO

Gage stepped on the edge of the cliff and looked out over the sea. The moon was full and cast its light in a never-ending trail across the dark ocean. He felt so good he actually believed he could run on that lit-up path.

This was all
so
easy,
Gage thought.  He tilted his head back and inhaled the sea, feeling as if he were Poseidon. In minutes, Claire would come. If Bodian wanted him to do their bidding, he didn't want to do it alone. What's the fun in that? Claire would make the perfect accomplice and together they'd be unstoppable.

The thought of unleashing her sent a wave of pleasure rippling across his body.
Calm down. Not yet, but soon.

In the distance, his super sensitive hearing heard pounding on pavement. The steps were fast and hard, as if someone were running for their life. Or running to save one.

He smiled, and retreated into the shadows of the forest.

A few moments later, Claire appeared, out of breath and glistening with sweat. She didn't glance around frantically like anyone else would. Instead she returned to the steady stillness he loved. She stared out to sea, as if she knew he would come to her when he was ready.

She was right.

Gage paused a minute longer to ensure she was alone before he approached her. While he waited, he thought of Bodian and Albert’s father. Gage had yet to be contacted, but every once in awhile he had the feeling he was being watched. He didn't like the idea of having a boss, but he hated the thought of a cure even worse. As it was, he loathed the small amount of time he needed to retreat back into Albert’s mind to recuperate.

But not for long. Soon he wouldn’t need Albert at all. Poor Albert. He was trying so hard to take back control, but his efforts were useless.

"Gage?" Claire whispered. A gentle breeze carried her voice to him. The sound tickled his ears.

In a matter of seconds he stood soundlessly behind her.  The smell of her hair was a mixture of sweat and strawberries. "Behind you," he whispered.

Claire jumped and turned around. "I’m here. What do you want?"

He smiled, loving how she always got straight to the point. "First thing first,” he said. His hand snaked out toward her and touched her stomach. She didn't flinch, but panic flashed in her eyes. Especially when his fingers slid under her shirt and touched her smooth skin. His hand continued its progression until it was all the way behind her back. Cold metal. He took hold of it and pulled it out. "You won't be needing this." He tossed the gun off to the side, far out of her reach.

Any strength she might’ve had was gone. He saw it drain from her eyes, leaving behind only fear.

"What do you want?" she said again. She began moving backwards off the trail and toward the cliffs. He followed closely, purposely steering her away from where she’d jumped from before. At her back was a cluster of tall bushes and a large pine tree. She was trapped.

"How’s Kate?" he asked.

Claire’s nostrils flared. "Don’t say her name. Ever. I can’t wait for Smith to get his hands on you."

This made him laugh. "And what do you think Smith can do to me? Do you really think he stands a chance? I'll break his bones, every last one of them."

At this, Claire stopped moving. In fact, she leaned toward him, challenging him with fists clenched tight.  "If you hurt him, I'll—”

"What?" he said, as her eyes searched his, probably looking for any sign of weakness. She wouldn't find any.

She stepped away from him again. "Just tell me what you want.”

"I want to help you."

"Help me?"

He reached up to touch the skin on her face, wondering if it was as smooth as her stomach. "I want to release you from your suffering. The darkness hiding inside you, threatening to suffocate you every time you breathe."

She jerked away from his touch. "You're crazy."

He gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him. "You and I are more alike than you think, Claire. I see the pain in your eyes, hear it every time you speak. The hurt is festering inside you and if you don't release it soon, you'll become like the rest of them—ruled by emotions, unable to really experience life.”

Claire cocked back a tight fist and propelled it forward, but he caught it before impact and brought it to his lips. "The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Denial is a dollar store Band-Aid."

She snatched her hand back and moved backwards. One step. Two steps. Three. "And how do you plan on ridding me of this darkness?"

This was the part he was waiting for. Gage reached into his pocket and removed a syringe. "A magic potion. Three full injections are all it takes and then you're hooked. And a few more after that and you'll be free. With me. Together we'll do what Bodian wants."

Claire kept moving backwards. He pursued.

“And what exactly does Bodian want?" she asked, glancing behind her.

"They're having some staffing issues."

"I don't understand."

He flicked the plastic cover off the needle’s tip. "It doesn't matter. Not now, anyway. I’m going to need you to hold still, okay?"

He attempted to close the distance between them, but she backed up into the bushes, lifting branches as she went. He laughed. "Where do you think you're going?"

Her eyes drew down thin. "I will never let you change me." She moved even more into the bush. Leafy branches twisted all around her.

"You don't have a choice," he said and frowned. "What are you doing?" She was almost covered by the thick foliage.

Claire looked at him once, then turned and disappeared.

"What the hell?" he said. He moved to follow her, but he was only halfway in before he almost lost his balance and fell off the cliff’s edge, his feet dangling below. He grabbed onto a branch just in time and used it to pull himself back onto solid ground.

A hundred feet below was the sea, waves crashing against a rocky cliff face. He punched the tree and growled. How had he missed it? He knew the trail ran parallel with the cliffs, but because of the large pine and brush, half hanging over the edge, he missed how close the cliff’s border actually came. But Claire must've known. He chuckled. So full of surprises.

Gage peered over the edge, this time being more mindful of the sharp drop-off. He couldn't see her, but knew she had to be down there. Hopefully she wasn't drowning. That would really mess up his plans.

THIRTY-THREE

Claire's stomach heaved into her throat. She swallowed hard and forced her eyes open. The ocean water rushed up at her, dark and swirling. Better it than Gage.

She hit the water hard; the impact ignited her skin with a cold fire. She ignored the sting and swam hard. The ocean was more turbulent than she expected, and it tossed her in every direction until she didn't know which way was up. It had been three years since she'd jumped from the same cliff on a dare, and although she had obviously survived the first time, she swore she wouldn't do it ever again.

Claire kicked her legs hard, hoping the motion would propel her up. Her lungs were burning, and if she didn't reach the surface soon...just then her head broke through to air. She inhaled deeply, but only managed to get half a breath before a wave crashed over her head, sending her back into the ocean’s murky depths. She kicked up again, and this time when she broke the surface she tried to get a clear view of her location. The cliffs were behind her. If she could only swim to the right about thirty yards she'd reach a small beach.

Using the breaststroke, Claire swam hard, but the current fought back. Her arms and legs ached, and she was desperate for one solid breath, but the unrelenting waves over her head wouldn’t allow it.

"Keep moving," she told herself over and over, even when she felt the ocean claim its victory.

Just when she thought she couldn't go any further, someone took hold of her hand. "You're almost there! Keep going!" The sound of Ethan's voice yelling over the ocean's loud roar spurred her on. She wasn't alone. Ethan tugged on her, helping her forward, until her knees bumped onto the sandy shore.

"We're here, Claire," Ethan said, gasping for air. They stumbled onto the shore and collapsed.

She rolled onto her back, her mind reeling. How had Ethan known where she was? When he reached for her hand, she casually moved it away, a sickness spreading in her gut.

Ethan rolled onto his side, facing her. "Are you okay?"

She forced a smile and struggled to sit up. "That was some dive, for sure."

"That's not what I'm talking about. I saw you. With Him."

Claire turned to him, eyes wide. "You did? How did you know where we were?"

"I followed you." When Claire opened her mouth to speak, he spoke quickly. "I know Smith said to stay away, but I couldn't. I was watching you in the car, when all of a sudden you bolted. I tried to catch up to you, but I lost you at the beach. That’s where I saw you just as you dove off the cliff. I ran as fast as I could to get to you."

"What happened to Gage?"

"He ran off."

Claire searched his eyes. All she saw was an endless blue sky. Warm. Safe. She threw her arms around him, and he embraced her back.

"Something's got to change," he whispered. "This is killing me." He pulled her back. "Not to mention almost killing you."

“I agree," she said, thinking specifically of the syringe Gage had been holding. She couldn't keep living in fear, and if Gage was someone close to her then leaving would be the best thing for everyone. "My Aunt Mary lives—”

"Claire!" a voice shouted.

She and Ethan turned around.

Logan was jogging toward them, his face red. "Are you okay? What happened?" he asked in between heavy breaths.

Claire stood up, her legs barely holding her weight. She noticed Logan was holding Ethan's phone. The black cover with a yellow lightening bolt was unmistakable. "Where did you get that?"

"Huh?" Logan looked confused.

"The phone," she said.

"How did you get it?" Ethan asked.

Logan handed it to him. "I found it up top and recognized it. Are you okay, Claire? We've been looking everywhere for you!"

She stepped closer to Ethan. "How did you know to come here?"

He shrugged. "I just knew. This is the place Gage first attacked you." He frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

She glanced at Ethan and then back at Logan. "When I was in the car, waiting for Smith to come back, I got a call. From Ethan."

Ethan looked at her, surprised. "But I didn't call you. I didn't even have my phone. I left it in my car."

"It wasn't you. It was Gage. On your phone," Claire said. Both she and Ethan turned to Logan at the same time.

He held his hands up as if they had a gun pointed at him. "Look, I just found the phone and thought Ethan would want it."

Claire didn't know how to answer. Behind her, more waves crashed to shore.

"Come on, guys! You can’t be serious. I just found the stupid thing. It doesn't mean I'm Gage." Logan motioned to Ethan. "How do you know it wasn't him, and he's just lying?"

"Whatever, Logan,” Ethan said. “I followed her here and helped her to shore when she jumped from the cliff. If I was Gage, I don't think I'd be trying to save her."

Claire lowered her head, her stomach swirling with ocean water and something else.

"You know I'd never hurt you.” Logan stepped toward her, his eyes pleading. “You’re my best friend. I love you."

His words warmed her heart. What would she do without Logan? No. He couldn’t be Gage either. "I know. Where's Smith?"

Logan motioned behind him. "Still looking for you. He's completely freaking out."

"Let's go," Ethan said.

Claire moved to take a step, but her leg gave out and she stumbled. "Man, I'm wasted," she said and tried to laugh.

Ethan and Logan both came to help her.

"Just stay here. I'll call Smith." Ethan took a few steps away and pressed buttons on his phone.

While he spoke low to Smith, Logan sat down next to her. "So what happened? Why didn't you stay with Smith?"

"Like I said, I got a call from Gage. He said if I didn't sneak away, he'd kill Ethan. Apparently he had followed Ethan, who had followed me."

Ethan lowered his phone and turned to Claire. "He used me to lure you out?"

She nodded. "Is Smith coming?"

"He'll be here in a sec," he said.

"What happened after that?" Logan asked.

"Gage had me meet him here."

"But why?" Ethan asked. 

She looked into each pair of concerned eyes, wondering how much to share. "He wanted me to go away with him," she said, deciding to tell only half the truth. She needed more time to think about what had happened and what exactly it meant.

"Go away with him?" Ethan said. "Is he crazy?"

"Very," she said.

"So why'd you jump?” Logan asked. “That was dangerous."

"Not as dangerous as staying with him," Claire said. "Trust me when I say I had to get away from him and that was the only way."

A screech of tires drew their attention to the road near the beach. Smith's car had slammed on the brakes. He was out of the vehicle and jogging toward them while his car was still jerking from the stop.

"He looks pissed," Claire said.

Ethan took her hand. "It’ll be okay."

Smith approached her with his finger drawn like a gun. "I told you to stay put!" he barked.

Her eyes widened. "Sir, I wanted to, but—”

Smith put up his hand. "I don't want to hear it. This was our chance to get this guy. We had everyone in place! All of us were there to protect you, Claire. To finally end this nightmare for you, but what do you go and do? You run off with the very guy we're trying to protect you from!"

"I can explain—”

But Smith wasn’t finished. "Sometimes I wonder if you really do like this guy, and I'm caught up in some messed up teenage girl drama!"

Claire lunged at him, but Ethan held her back. "You think I want this?" she yelled. "You think I like having a guy threaten my life and the lives of everyone I love?"

Smith's face softened, but she let him have it. "I get that I'm screwing up everyone's lives!" Ethan moved to put his arm around her, but she shrugged it off. "But I didn't ask for this, and I sure didn't ask for everyone to worry about me. If there's one thing all of you should know, it's that I can take care of myself. I did it when I endured my father’s drunken abuse, I did it when my sister died, and I did it again when I sent my dad to jail even though it shattered my mother.” She took a deep breath and looked at each of them.  “And I’m going to do it again right now. I think it's best for everyone if I leave town. For good." She ignored Ethan and Logan's open mouths and stormed off.

Smith jogged after her. "Wait up, Claire!"

Claire kept walking even though every part of her bled with exhaustion.

"Where are you going?" Smith asked. He slowed up and walked next to her.

"I'm walking home."

"You know it’s not safe."

"Nowhere is safe," she said, her strides becoming longer.

"I'm sorry about what I said. I let my temper get the best of me."

"It’s fine. I get it."

Smith was silent, then, "You mind telling me what happened back there? Why you ran off?"

Claire stopped walking. In one breath she told him exactly what she had told Ethan and Logan. She finished by saying, "Don't talk me out of leaving. As soon as I get home I'm going to call my aunt and get everything arranged. Hopefully I'll be gone within a few days."

"I'm not going to talk you out of it," he said.

"You're not?"

"No. I think its best. It's too dangerous for you here, and I don't even know what I'm up against."

She nodded, knowing he was right.

Smith put his arm around her. "Come on. Let me give you a ride home."

The next day at school, Claire avoided both Logan and Ethan. Ethan had tried calling several times, but she didn't want to see him. Mostly because she didn't think she was strong enough to leave if he asked her to stay. By third period, however, he finally cornered her.

"What's going on? Why are you avoiding me?" he asked.

She began spinning the combination on her lock. "I can't stay, Ethan."

"I didn't ask you to and I won't."

Claire stopped moving. She didn't know whether to be relieved or slightly let down. He took hold of her hand. "It's not that I want you to go, but I think you're safer if you do."

"You’re wrong," a voice said from behind her. Claire turned around.

"You can't leave," Logan said. "He'll just follow you."

"You don't know that," she said.

"And you don't know that he won't. Leaving won't accomplish anything. We need to end this here."

She let go of Ethan's hand and crossed her arms to her chest. "How? By killing someone I know?"

"Anne said that's the only way," Logan said.

"There’s got to be something we’re missing. An option we haven’t thought of yet."

"And what about Gage?"

Claire returned to spinning the dial on her locker. "What about him? Once he realizes I've left, he'll forget about me and move on."

"To what?"

"Lay off,” Ethan said. “She's made up her mind."

Logan took hold of her arm. "Please, Claire. You need to stay. Gage has to be stopped."

Ethan knocked his hand away. "She said no."

She couldn't look at him. "I'm sorry, Logan." Why couldn't she remember her combination?

Logan stared at her for a moment before he turned around and walked away.

"Don't worry about him," Ethan said. "He'll get over it."

"Uh-huh.” The locker door opened just as the bell rang.

Ethan grimaced. "I've got to go. You going to be okay?”

"Sure."

He kissed her on the cheek and rushed down the hall toward class.

Claire didn't bother hurrying like everyone else. Her English teacher, Mr. Erickson, already didn't like her. Last year she'd gotten in a fight with another girl while in his classroom. It didn't matter to him that she'd caught the girl cheating. He only cared about
Little Women
, the book Claire had thrown at the girl to stop her.

She was about to close her locker, when she saw the corner of a black envelope sticking out from under her jacket. She slid it out and turned it over in her hands. No markings anywhere to indicate whom it could be from. She brought it close to her and inhaled. The ocean. She slipped her finger into it and broke the seal. Inside was a letter on fancy stationary that read:

My Dearest Claire,

Have you already forgotten that you belong to me? Try leaving Bandon and I will kill everyone you love. I do not make threats. You are mine.