Skin Tight

CHAPTER 26

Killing was too good for Jasper Rowan. While the man was unconscious, Søren had rifled through his belongings, but found nothing to aid in his search for the facility’s location. When the good doctor awoke, he was a touch recalcitrant.

So Søren had had to be persuasive. His knuckles were bleeding now. He studied the bruised wretch currently at his mercy. The man’s icy, supercilious air hadn’t lasted past the first punch. After that, he sat and blubbered, but he still stubbornly refused to give any information.

It had taken half the day to find a safe spot to interrogate the son of a bitch. The building was condemned, slated for demolition. Inside, it stank of urine and rat droppings, a perfect place for this kind of business.

Damn, he hated working on the fly. His plans were always flawless and executed with Teflon smoothness. Not today. He cared fuck-all for finesse. Only results mattered.

“Travis is dead. I know you have my woman. Tell me how to get to her.”

Rowan spat blood and turned up a defiant face. “Never.”

Smiling, he knelt before the bound man. “Look into my eyes and hear me. If I don’t get the information I want in the next thirty seconds, I’ll start cutting off pieces of you.”

“You’ll kill me anyway.”

“True,” he admitted. “But I can make it quick. If you cooperate.”

“That’s incentive? You’re a real motivational speaker.”

Each second this asshole wasted, Mia could be suffering. Just because the boss wasn’t around didn’t mean the underlings would leave her alone. Maybe they even enjoyed the chance to inflict their own personal cruelties. He curled his hands into fists to hide the tremor.

“Fine. We’ll keep playing it your way.” Søren got out a blade, the light running silver on its honed surface. “Let’s see, you’re supposed to be a scientist, right? You’ll find it hard to work without your fingers, but I warned you.”

Rowan jerked, but it was no use. Søren captured the man’s right hand and went for his index finger. As the knife bit into his flesh, the doctor screamed, as his patients must scream. Still, Søren was reluctantly impressed with the man’s fortitude. He took three fingers before the man broke.

“Enough!” His breath came in rapid gulps suspiciously like moans. “Take me back to the car. I’ll give you directions as we go.”

“Give me the directions now.”

“If I tell you, you’ll just kill me here. This leaves me a small chance to win free. Besides, you can’t get to her without me. The lift requires a ret-scan and a fingerprint.”

Though he didn’t say it aloud, the other man doubtless knew; Søren only needed a finger-and he already had three-and a head to make that work. But he wasn’t interested in carrying severed body parts unless it was unavoidable. Such things tended to arouse undesirable interest.

“Give me the first turn as a good faith payment.”

“That is fair, but I don’t know where we are. I can hardly-”

Barely keeping a lid on his impatience, Søren gave their location.

“Then from here, drive out of town and get on the highway, heading west. That’s all I will tell you right now.”

Søren’s fist lashed out, catching Rowan in the jaw. The other man went limp, and Søren slung Rowan’s arm across his shoulders, as if he were a drunken friend. In that way, he dragged him down the broken cement steps to the Toyota parked outside. By the time Rowan came to, they would be well away from here-or any possible assistance.

The car zoomed out of town and Søren followed the directions. At last Rowan stirred, taking stock of his surroundings faster than Søren would’ve credited. In fact, the other man’s composure worried him a little. Søren didn’t like Rowan’s tight little smile; he was doubtless planning something. Once they got inside the facility, he would have to be careful.

He tried not to think how long it had been since he’d seen Mia. Days now. His hands tightened on the wheel.

As the green fields flew by, he glanced over at his hostage, who said, “Here. Exit now.”

Søren marked the location on a mental map, noting the proximity to a state park. “What now?”

“Left turn. Proceed ten miles, until the forest turns to field.”

The distance passed in record time. He kept waiting for Rowan to make a move, jerk the wheel, something, but in the end, he was forced to conclude whatever would happen, the other man wouldn’t risk going for it in the car while he was driving. Smart.

“Are we almost there?” His tone reflected his edginess.

“Nearly. Take the county road on your right. Half a mile more.”

Fresh air. As the doors opened, Gillie could taste it sweeping in through the cracks. Wherever they were, it wasn’t down below, and that was enough to make her heart sing. Taye snagged her hand, towing her out of the elevator behind him. Since she wouldn’t be here except for him-none of them would-she didn’t protest him taking the lead. He’d earned the chance to be a hero.

They emerged into a room that didn’t appear to have any other exit.

“Start looking for a latch or a hidden door,” the dark-haired woman said.

Silas found the panel after a minute of searching. He flipped it open, and Taye offered a jolt that popped the door. The odor of musty grain wafted in. Tentatively, they moved as a group, peering into the next room. Gillie heard her own heart beating; she was that scared.

If Rowan was the bogeyman, then she should expect to find him lurking in the shadows. He couldn’t be permitted to take any of them back. They’d won.

“Looks like a farm,” one of the male fugitives said softly. He had a faint Southern drawl.

“We need to get out of here,” Gillie said. “Right now. Rowan could be arriving any minute.”

Her words galvanized the others. Everyone jolted into motion, rushing toward the exit. They hadn’t planned any further than this. They couldn’t. But the problems were readily apparent: no money, no car, no spare clothes, no shelter, no resources at all. Hell, they didn’t even have shoes. They looked like escaped mental patients.

And if they stayed together, it would make them more memorable and easier to track. Gillie hated to cut the others loose, but there was no way in hell she was going back, ever.

Outside the silo, the sun shone high and bright overhead. It damn near blinded her. Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks, and a hard shaking set in. Taye touched her on the shoulder, steadying but gentle.

“It’s okay. We made it.”

Micor was some distance away. Søren recognized the area, but there was no way in hell he would’ve found this place on his own. Son of a bitch.

He turned down the poorly paved road and then, at Rowan’s direction, veered left onto a dusty gravel drive. A weathered white farmhouse sat at the end of the lane. There were barns and grain storage units. It looked like the fields had been tilled, for God’s sake.

“If you’re fucking with me-”

“I’m not,” Rowan said quickly. “See the silver silo? That’s where we’re headed.”

He rounded the Toyota and dragged the scientist from the vehicle. Then he marched him along like a prisoner of war. So close now. Jesus, so close to saving Mia and taking revenge for Lexie. Anticipation spiked through his veins. This wasn’t how he’d planned it over the years, but this would do.

If he could save Mia, maybe it was a sign. Maybe it meant expiation was possible. But first, he had to find her.

Getting into the silo was no problem. No special locks. And why would there be? This setup was pure genius.

“I can see you like their ingenuity.”

“They?”

“I cannot claim credit. I merely took over the project when Dr. Chapman passed.”

“So he’s the one I should thank for all of this.”

“Yes.” Rowan didn’t seem aware of his sarcasm. “You’re really quite extraordinary. In all my testing I’ve never come across anyone with powers quite like yours. Do you have full control of them?”

“You’ll never know. Get moving.”

Rowan stumbled. “Don’t push.”

The doctor fumbled along the wall, half blinded by the shift from light to shadow. At last he opened the panel and activated the secret door. Beyond, Søren saw the lift, as promised. Here it was, finally. After so long, he almost couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that it would be over at last.

He couldn’t operate as he’d planned. With Mia’s life hanging in the balance, there had been no opportunity to say good-bye to Lexie. Now, there was no way he could go forward, content in the idea he wasn’t coming back. Søren had to live; he had to bring Mia out of there. He had… other things to do.

“Open it.”

Rowan stepped forward toward the lift. “I need my hands free.”

He couldn’t argue that. But as he cut Rowan loose, he warned, “If you move on me, I’ll use your parts to get inside.”

“I know that, you imbecile.” The doctor rubbed his sore wrists and then went to work on the console. A frown blossomed. “It isn’t responding. There’s something wrong.”

Foreboding shivered through him. “What do you mean, wrong?”

“Precisely what I said. Is English your native language?”

“No. Open. The. Damn. Doors.”

“There’s a system malfunction. I cannot!”

“Surely there’s an override, and a ladder in the shaft. Don’t you want to get me down there so you can have your men try to overpower me?” Søren regarded him coolly. “That’s your plan, isn’t it?”

Rowan set his jaw, but he did go back to work. At last the lift doors popped open, but a wave of insane heat slammed upward, accompanied by the roar of flames. Backdraft. Søren dove toward the other room and rolled behind the metal wall just as the fiery wave sizzled the air to shimmering death.

The doctor wasn’t so fast or so lucky. Some might argue karma played a role. Rowan screamed like a pig in the slaughtering pen.

The other man crawled toward him, a needle in his hand. Rowan’s body had been badly burned, his flesh melted like hot wax. Horribly, the air smelled of barbecue.

And that’s justice for Noreen.

“Now you want to fight? Now?” Søren demanded.

“Gillie,” Rowan whispered. “No. Not fight. Nothing left. Nothing. My research, my Gillie. Gone. Want you to end this.” He offered Søren the hypodermic, not in aggression but in a silent plea. “End it.”

Numb. Søren knew the man didn’t deserve mercy. The bastard deserved to die in agony. All he needed to do was walk away. It would take hours, maybe even days, for Jasper Rowan to shuffle off the mortal coil. As if his hand belonged to someone else, he saw himself reach out and take the needle. Søren removed the safety cap, jabbed it into Rowan’s thigh, and depressed the plunger. A mercy killing. After all this time, that was what it came down to.

Mia was down there.

There was no one to blame anymore. No mission to hide behind. This time, he had to confront the truth. He’d failed her. Søren dropped to his knees, unable to move for the weight of fresh anguish. There he remained, locked into a place too bleak for tears or prayer or grief. His heart was a black hole and it swallowed everything.

Hours later, he staggered out of the silo and into the blue twilight. There was only one thing left to do.

Mia ran.

She’d split up from the others a while ago. After agreeing with the redhead that a large group would be easier to track, she had decided she didn’t want to throw in her lot with the big scary one or any of the others. In this seriously FUBAR situation, she would be better off alone.

Okay, she would be better off if she could get ahold of Søren; he had to be worried. Assuming she was right, and he did, in fact, give a shit. She was afraid to rely too heavily on her instincts where he was concerned. Maybe he was rejoicing right now because he didn’t have to worry about her and he could execute his revenge without distractions.

Assuming he was alive.

If he had been behind the destruction, she might’ve left him behind when she took the elevator up. But she couldn’t have waited. That would’ve been a stupid move when she didn’t even know for sure he’d been responsible. For all she knew, those escapees had done the damage.

She had to tell herself that. He wasn’t dead. Surely she’d know.

The ground was cool beneath her bare feet as she ran. Pine needles pricked her soles. Thank goodness it was a sunny day for this time of year, or her predicament would be unbearable. To make matters worse, she didn’t know where the hell she was, what direction she was headed, or where to go for help. If she ever got to civilization, she would never leave again. Paved roads were good, shopping malls even better.

Weakness clawed at her. It had been a long time since she’d eaten, drank anything, or slept. Tightly controlled fear threatened to spiral out of control. Mia fought it down and kept running. God, she hated the woods. Trees were evil. What had made her cut away from the nice, open fields and into the forest anyway? Stupid.

It seemed like she ran forever.

But at last the undergrowth began to thin. She’d long since given up on higher thought and was focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Feet bruised and bleeding, her gray pajamas ripped and torn, she stumbled out onto a country road. Unfortunately, it was deserted, and the pristine condition of the asphalt indicated it was rarely used. But surely someone lived out here.

She staggered along the shoulder of the road, verging on collapse. Then she saw a glimmer of light some distance away. No telling how far. Gathering a burst of energy, she pushed herself into a run. The house came into sight around a bend; it was pretty and picturesque, nestled in the trees like this.

Hoping she’d find kindness within, Mia came the last few feet to the door and rang the bell. God, the person who lived here would have to be an idiot to-

“What do you want?” a grouchy old man demanded through the screen door.

“Harold!” A woman’s voice filtered from the back of the house. “Who is it?”

“Some smelly hippie.”

Mia supposed that was fair enough. She didn’t have the love beads, but her overly casual attire and long, tumbled hair put her in the ballpark. “I’m sorry to bother you,” she rasped, “but I really need your help.”

The old man started to close the door, but his wife shouldered him aside. “Oh, my goodness, look at you! What happened?”

Shit. She needed a story that didn’t involve mad scientists, superpowers, or underground facilities.

“I was camping with some friends,” she said. “A get-back-to-nature thing.” Did people actually do that? “And a man attacked us in the woods. He stole everything, even my shoes. If you could take me to town, I can see about finding help. Getting my cards replaced and-”

The woman shook her head. “Well, I never. I can’t believe what the world has come to these days. In our woods!”

“It was probably a hippie after drug money,” Harold pronounced in a dour tone.

His wife sighed. She was a tiny woman with a wealth of white hair and bright blue eyes. “You blame everything on the hippies, even your vanishing MoonPies.”

For the first time, Mia saw a spark of humor in the man’s eyes. “Hippies love MoonPies. It’s a well-known fact.”

“Mercy, listen to us nattering on while you’re nigh fainting on the porch. Come in, sweetheart. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Mia said shakily.

Inside, the house was tiny but cozy, adorably decorated with kittens and angels and lots of fancy knitting. She felt too big and dirty to walk around this doll’s house, but if Harold could navigate this gingerbread cottage, surely she could. She wiped her hands on her thighs, acutely conscious of her filth.

“There’s no point in taking you to town today. Everything shuts down at five. Why don’t you spend the night? In the morning Harold will take you to see the sheriff.” The woman headed toward the back of the house, and Mia followed like a puppy.

“I will?” the man grumbled.

“Yes, sir, you will. Enough sass. This young lady’s been through enough.”

You said it, grandma. She felt content to let the motherly woman take charge of her.

“Now then,” the woman rambled on, laying out fluffy pink bath towels. “I’m Alice Dixon. You met my husband, Harold. First we’ll get you cleaned up, and then I’ve got a lovely pot of vegetable soup on. It should be done a treat by now.”

“Needs beef,” Harold muttered.

“You know what Doc Malone said about red meat. Now go set the table.”

With a sigh, the lanky old gent shambled off to the kitchen to do his wife’s bidding.

Mia said, “I can’t thank you enough. You’ve saved my life.”

“Nonsense. It’s just simple kindness. I think I have some things in the bureau from when my daughter lived at home. She’s a little taller than you-takes after Harold-but I think I can find something while I wash your… pajamas.”

“Don’t bother. Just chuck them. Please. I never want to see them again.”

Alice froze in the bathroom doorway. “Did that man-”

She shook her head. “No, he didn’t rape me, I swear.”

Just emotional torture, kidnapping, robbery, and imprisonment. Rowan was practically a saint.

“Thank goodness. We’ll be in the kitchen.”

The shower was the best thing she’d ever felt in her life. Mia probably scrubbed off a layer of dermis in trying to remove the horror of that place. If that was where they’d taken Søren, she could no longer question his single-minded obsession with getting back inside to destroy it.

She dried off and wrapped in a towel. The clothes Alice had promised were on the carpet just outside the bathroom door. Blue cotton granny panties, a sports bra, a pair of blue sweats, two inches too long, and a red T-shirt that read: “GO FALCONS.” Heavenly.

The smell of the soup lured her to the kitchen, which was every bit as well kept as the rest of the house. At their invitation, Mia sat across from Harold and dug into her food. She ate two bowls without any shame at all and then wolfed down two slices of homemade bread, slathered in butter.

“She eats like Sam,” Harold said in an almost friendly way.

“That’s our daughter,” Alice explained.

Mia ducked her head, abashed. “I haven’t had anything in a while.”

“It’s all right. You’ll take Sam’s room tonight. She’s all grown up and living in Phoenix. She teaches Phys Ed. We don’t see her much.”

As if the words invoked an irresistible sleep spell, Mia felt her eyelids growing heavy. Sleep would be a blessing. She realized belatedly that she hadn’t had the dreams since sleeping with Søren. Who said sex couldn’t cure what ailed you?

“I know it’s early, but would you mind if I crash now?”

“Not at all,” Alice said kindly. “But first I need to doctor those feet.”

Mia felt teary as the woman got her first aid kit and cleaned her wounds. In another life, she could’ve had a mom like this, one who liked to cuddle and nurture. Sam the Phys Ed teacher might be nuts for moving so far away. The woman probably thought her parents were old-fashioned and embarrassing, and Mia wanted to cry. If she didn’t get some privacy, she was going to lose it completely and scare the crap out of this nice, old couple.

“I don’t suppose you have a computer,” she said, as Alice finished wrapping the last bandage.

“Can’t say we do,” Harold answered. “Never saw the need, myself. Sam had one, but she took it with her when she moved.”

Which was a pity, because she didn’t have a phone number for Søren. He would have to wait until morning when she got to town and could find a library with free Internet; she doubted a small town like Alice had described would have an Internet café. But given Søren’s cool, controlled nature, the delay shouldn’t present much of a problem.

Right now he’s probably drawing up flowcharts and making lists. When he hears I’m okay, he’ll say, “good,” and move to phase two of his plan.

Once the bedroom door closed, and she was sure she was alone, Mia let the tears come. They soaked her pillow, muffled by the tight press of her face to old linen. She wouldn’t let anyone see her as weak. She wasn’t. In the morning, she would set things right.