Untouched (6 page)

“You can head toward the room unseen by using your ability. When it looks clear, come in.”

“That’s it? When it looks clear, come in?”

“Yes,” I said, taking a deep breath. Dez. I needed to focus on Dez. She was the only thing keeping me from, as she’d call it,
freaking out
, because of the limited space in the duct. I didn’t like feeling confined. It brought up too many bad memories.

After several moments of darkness, I saw a light ahead. When I came to the grate, I could see Dez, Samsen, and the agents were below.

There were only three agents plus Samsen. Two in normal suits and one wearing a safe suit. Dez was right.
I had this
. She expected me to come for her, and I wasn’t going to let her down.

The one in the safe suit glared at Dez. “I say we take the little brat out to the lot and go. 98 won’t be far behind.”

Anger rumbled in my chest, and my fingers itched. Dez’s arms were behind her back—cuffed, no doubt—and the agent’s hand was clamped across her shoulder. He kicked at the wall, shaking Dez out of frustration.

The third one turned to her. He was the oldest of the three and looked uncomfortable. Arms fidgeting at his sides, he tapped his right foot continuously and kept glancing back toward the door. At the first sign of trouble, I was betting he’d run off and leave the others.

At least, I hoped.

Dez was quiet for a moment before a mischievous grin slipped across her lips. “You Denazen dudes aren’t just dickless, you’re dumb as pie, too. You really think we’re all leaving here together?
Really
? And unicorns are likely to shoot from my ass…” She thrust her chin out in defiance. “I hate to be one of
those
kinds of girls, but my boyfriend is
so
gonna kick your asses.”

The older man stood there, shocked, but his younger associate wasn’t so restrained. He lashed out, shoving Dez. She gave a surprised cry, wobbling as she tried to keep her balance. It was no use. Falling back, she hit the ground hard, and the agent was on her in the blink of an eye. “Listen up, bitch—”

I readied myself to pop the grate and drop down, but the older agent brought his foot up and nudged the other sideways. “Take it easy, Rob. Cross will have your ass if we deliver damaged goods.”

The older agent bent down and helped Dez to her feet. “You okay, kid?”

She nodded and held his gaze. No fear. That was my girl. I knew she was afraid—anyone would be—but she wouldn’t show it. She never showed it. Even during the battle at Sumrun, agents and Residents surrounding us, she’d shown no fear. I’d asked her about it one night when we were sitting outside and staring up at the stars. She’d called it her
Poker Face
. Years of practice hiding herself from the world. I could see through it, though. She’d said she was glad.

As I observed from my shadowy perch above, I could see the subtle twitch of her thumb as it tapped against her wrist. Drumming to the beat of a song in her head.

Samsen sighed. “Where’s 98? He should be here by now, don’t you think?”

The younger agent, Rob, snarled, “No clue. But it’s his loss.” He grabbed Dez’s shoulder and hauled her forward toward Samsen.

Samsen reached across and ran a finger over her cheek, and I had to bite down to keep from screaming out. I would rip his hands off for touching her. “Did 98 leave you here to rot, beautiful?”

Dez didn’t cringe or try to move away. She stood tall, keeping her eyes trained on his chest. If she could have, she would have met his gaze head-on. In any other situation, I would have been proud. Dez was one of the strongest people I’d encountered, but this time it was bad. Samsen would see her as a thing to be broken. A challenge.

And he lived for a challenge.

“I suppose you’re waiting for me to try and control you,” he said, circling her. “No doubt 98 told you all about me.”

Her voice was like acid. “That you’re a psycho who gets off on playing puppet master? Yeah, I think I heard that somewhere.”

He tilted his head and cracked his neck. The sound sent ripples of sickness rolling through my gut. He used to do that all the time. I hated it. “Keeping those big browns turned away at all costs wouldn’t do you any good if I really wanted to
play
puppet master.” He stopped walking and spread his arms. “And I
always
get what I want. Trust me... And what I
want
is a little payback.”

“Payback? For what? Shouldn’t you be carting me off to Daddy right about now?”

“This isn’t about your daddy—or what Denazen wants. Never was. I owe 98 a little sumthin’ sumthin’. A tit for tat, shall we say.” He sighed. “So to put your mind at ease, little lady, I’m not interested in controlling you. That’s not how this is going to work.”

“I think you should shove that tit and tat right up your ass,” Dez spat. “Kale is going to destroy you.”

He laughed again. “I can see why 98 is so taken with you. You’re a fiery one, aren’t you?”

“That would be awesome, right?” Shoulders squared, she snickered. “If my ability had something to do with actual fire? I could light you up like burned toast…”

Samsen clasped his hands and shimmied. “Delightful!” He turned to the other agents. “Isn’t she delightful?”

Dez glanced toward the door, then to the younger agent standing to her left. Her thumb stopped tapping. “So no control. Then, what?”

“I’m not interested in controlling you because
98
is more fun.” Samsen turned his head and glanced around the room. “And we both know he’s here now. Somewhere. He wouldn’t leave you behind.”

A small part of me—the child who remembered the feeling of complete helplessness that came from time spent with Samsen—wanted to stay hidden. To tuck myself away in the shadows and wait for this all to pass. The rest itched to face him. The dark me—the part Denazen had turned into a monster—wanted the same thing he claimed he did.

Revenge.

“Not going to come out and play?” Samsen waved a hand in the air, then turned to Dez. “So let’s pass the time and get to know each other, shall we? I know your mommy raised the pup, but he and I spent
a lot
of time together. I guess you could say I was like a father figure to him.”

“You like to hear yourself talk, don’t you?” Dez said. She was between him and Rob, who was inching closer.

“I
do
have a fabulous voice,” Samsen cooed. “But
anyway
—I’m very curious about something. How well do you know our little assassin friend?”

Dez snorted and tilted her head up. I could see she was rolling her eyes. “Oh, please! I can’t believe you’re stooping to this. Lame much?”

“I know, I know. This is a bit cliché, but really, I don’t believe you truly know your man.” Samsen glanced around the room—he was searching for me—and smiled. “There was this one time he and I went to Jersey during Christmas. Have you seen the work that boy can do with his hands?”

He was baiting me. Trying to draw me out on his terms.

“Then there was this other time,” Samsen said, circling Dez. “We drove out to Long Island where some rich oil baron wanted his wife to disappear.” He chuckled. “I thought it’d be amusing to make 98 explain to this woman—who was an absolute bitch, by the way—exactly what was going to happen when he touched her. Of course, I had him embellish a little. Ya gotta have the buildup, ya know?”

Dez shook her head and took a step back. “You’re a sicko…”

He kept going as though she hadn’t spoken. “You should have seen him, Dezzy-girl. He was
brilliant
. Delivered his lines with pure perfection. Dragged it out for over two hours. I thought she was going to piss herself by the time he was done.”

Dez didn’t respond. She was looking around the room. Searching for an opening.

Samsen didn’t notice. He stopped walking again and looked up toward the grate. He knew where I was, and his patience was gone. “No? Not enough? Well, what about the time in Southern Cali? I’m sure she’d love to hear how you—”

I kicked the grate out and jumped to the ground. “Enough.”

Everyone but Samsen looked surprised. Dez simply smiled and blew me a kiss. She knew I wouldn’t have gone far. Samsen, however, looked downright ecstatic.

“Lookie lookie, who gets a cookie?” Waggling a finger at me, he grinned and said, “I knew you wouldn’t leave your girl.”

“Of course not.” I trained my eyes on his neck and sucked in a quick breath.

The Master’s Chamber
was made up to resemble a dilapidated bedroom with vaulted ceilings. Gossamer strands of wispy material clung to the walls, covered in part by real cobwebs and dust. In the corner, a pale statue of a woman wearing a thin white gown was bent over the edge of a bed, apparently weeping, while a man stood behind her about to swing a massive ax covered in what appeared to be blood.

Across the room, a few feet from the door, there was a large platform. The Statue Man stood, looking down on the room from high up. His expression was almost sad.

Samsen bored easily. I needed to move before he got tired of the games. “You know we’re not leaving with you.”

Samsen spread his arms and stepped closer. “I know you
believe
that.” Turning, he waved at the older agent, who dragged Dez over with him. “Let’s make things interesting. What should I tell her to do? I know I said you were more fun, but I think having you watch would be even better.”

“Samsen,” I growled. “Don’t do it.”

I shouldn’t have responded. It was what he wanted. To see the torment on my face.

“I will kill you,” I promised.

He continued as though I hadn’t spoken. “Do you remember Mesher? That guy with the super brain? Had him bludgeon himself to death off the kitchen wall. Made one
hell
of a mess.” He paused, body turning toward Dez. “She’s too pretty for that, though. Don’tcha think?”

I took another step forward. The angry knot in my chest turned icy. Samsen was not only sick, but he was imaginative. I’d seen it firsthand. The possibilities rushing through my mind were enough to freeze the blood in my veins.

“Oh, I know! How about we have her do a striptease?” He turned to the agents. “What do you think, boys? Could be fun?”

Two of the three remained silent—the older one and the one wearing the safe suit—their faces drawn in fear. The youngest, Rob, grinned and nodded greedily, eyes roaming up and down the length of Dez’s body.

I’d kill him
first
.

Finally, Samsen turned back to me, smiling. Something sick twisted inside me. Something far worse than the knot in my chest. This was heavy, dragging my insides down with something I hadn’t felt in a while. True fear.

“No. Too easy. I’ve got something better in mind.” He laughed as he lunged for me.

I avoided him by stepping sideways. Samsen was a monster, but he wasn’t a fighter. He’d always relied on others to be the muscle behind his madness. As I expected, the agents came forward to fight as Samsen grabbed Dez and dragged her out of the line of fire. He’d been telling Dez the truth. This was never about Denazen business.

This was personal.

The agent with the safe suit came at me full speed. I didn’t know what to expect from him. Up until now, he’d been silent, keeping to the edge and staying uninvolved. Agile, he punched out hard, fist catching the corner of my shoulder, the blow rocking me back. I swung at his face, but he dodged it, expression morphing from cautious to cocky.

While he was distracted by the small victory, I dropped to the ground and swept his knees. He went down hard with a surprised cry, and I jumped forward. One good pull and the material of his suit ripped. I ran the tip of my finger along his jaw—and he was gone.

The second agent, the oldest of the three, approached me with hesitation. It was the single most foolish thing he could have done. If nothing else, I was a predator—and predators could sense fear. Use it against you. He swung out halfheartedly as I brought my left elbow down across the corner of his jaw. On impact, something flew from his mouth—a tooth—and he stared after it in horror.

“Leave,” I said, standing above him. He hadn’t harmed Dez. There was no reason to kill him.

With a single nod and a quick glance over his shoulder at Samsen, he was out the door without a moment’s hesitation. If only the other agent had done the same…

Samsen was still in the corner with Dez, watching the room with anticipation. Just one more agent to deal with and Samsen was mine.

I turned back to the center of the room where Rob was cracking his knuckles. That sound again. I
hated
that sound. “I’m not like the rest, freak.”

“Are you sure?” I said, folding my arms.

He grinned. “So you’re saying you’re going to kick my ass?”

I smiled. This would make Dez happy. She was always telling me I was too literal, but sometimes it was funny. “That won’t be necessary. As soon as I touch you, you won’t have an ass left to kick.”

He came at me without another word, swinging two sticks connected by a chain of some sort that he pulled from the inside of his jacket. There was a name for them—I just couldn’t remember what it was.

The first strike breezed dangerously close. I jerked to the left as he swung again and felt the sting as the metal grazed my cheek. I ducked the third swing, pivoting and punching out with my right hand. Rob dodged the blow, regrouped, and hopped back, all while swinging the sticks in a showmanship fashion. I had to admire the poetry of it. He was skilled with his weapon and artful in its wielding. It would be a shame to end him. But then the memory of his eyes on Dez, hungry and wicked, flooded my mind.

Almost
a shame.

He dove again, this time whipping the sticks in a circular motion above his head. Spinning, he swung one end down to catch me behind the knees, but I arched my back and kicked up. Feet over head, I flipped back and landed safely out of range.

“Stand still, freak. The sooner I finish with you, the sooner I can get to know your girl.”

It was just talk to distract me, but it had the opposite effect. It brought focus instead. As if I’d ever let him get near Dez. He came again, the spinning sticks creating a slight breeze and making a whirring sound as he approached. He held them in front, which made it impossible for me to reach out to him.