Bent (The Gifted Series) (29 page)

              “Don’t speak,” Leah ordered. “Just focus on Carter, Joss.”

             
 
Carter
...
 
Again a rush of emotions assaulted her, and she inhaled deeply attempting to meet his gaze.
 
Then the hypnotics pilfered through again, giving her her final order. 
Kill yourself
!  It made her want to shout with both jubilation and rage.  Jubilation because it meant one thing: they’d been infiltrated.  This was the final order hypnotics gave in situations such as these.  Her body began to jackknife in pain, and screams of agony rented her lips. This was the rage part—the fact that she was weaponless and unable to off herself. 

 
Scattered shots were heard, and Leah gasped, grabbing her heart. “Gracen’s been shot!”

              Carter wielded on her. “Leah, I need you focused.
 
Search for the hypnotics.” To emphasize this point, Joss began to choke and cough up blood.

              Carter wielded back around. “I got you, Joss.” He dropped one knee to the floor, and leaned her against him in a sitting position.  Joss coughed out the blood, and a painful sob broke through. “Kill me,” she whispered. “Pain … too great.”

              “No,
love
, that ain’t gonna happen,” he cooed, stroking her back.  He looked over his shoulder; his voice booming with irritation “
Leah
!”

              Tight as a drum and rolling her shoulders, Leah’s head fell back.  She then gave a snort. “Gotcha, fucker!”  A split second later a gunshot rang out, and a muffled yet celebratory “Fuck yeah!!” sounded from somewhere above.  “Your welcome, Cousin Bo,” Leah muttered, then stated to Carter.  “I infiltrated some dude named Clip—make that, some dead dude.” 

              Carter’s voice was shaky as he replied. “Good work but what about the hypnotics?”

              Seconds ticked, and then Leah’s eyes widened. “Found ‘em.  I’m immobilizing as we speak, Carter.”  Another pause. “Bo says they’re locked in some room—Oh Fuck!”  Leah went taught with alarm. “We got a grab and go, Carter.  The place has been set to blow.” 

              Coughing up another mouthful of blood, Joss grimaced when Carter scooped her up and took off for the door.  At the same time, a door at the opposite end flew open and Mattis charged through.  “Seconds are ticking!  Get out!”

              Manhandling Sam, Leah grunted. “I’d like to, but this guy weighs more than I can handle.”

              “Leave me,” Sam said, his breathing slow and color pallid. His blood loss was severe.  “Go … but tell Marnie … tell her she gave me something pure.”

              With her forearms locked under Sam’s armpits, Leah attempted to haul him up while gritting, “Dude, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but bend your fucking knees and help a girl out.” 

              By this time Mattis reached them, jerking Sam upright.  Each draped a limp arm over their shoulder, and they began to run for the door that Carter held open.

              “Where’s Gracen and Bo?” Leah yelled toward Mattis as they shuffled across the asphalt parking lot with Sam’s limp body between them.

              “We were separated at different ends of the building.
 
Bowen’s getting him out.”

              “There.  Over there,” Carter shouted over his shoulder. “Bowen’s got Stephan.” 

              Joss’ eyes frantically searched over Carter’s shoulder as she fervently whispered. “He’s mine.”  Pain struck again, but she managed to spit out, “Tell Bowen ... Stephan is mine.” 

              “You got that?” Carter said to Leah since she could communicate telepathically.

              “Done,” Leah said.

              Just as Carter made his way around a concrete wall, near the carport area, Joss convulsed again.  The pain an entity burning her alive.  Screams wrenched forth as she arched and began to thrash against Carter’s hold.  
Make it stop, please
! her mind pleaded. Death was the only balm she welcomed.  Vaguely she heard Carter’s attempts to sooth. “Baby, stay with me.  Look at me, love.”

              Within the next second, the building imploded—the roof collapsing as the ground shook and everyone dove for cover.  The sound thundered as a heavy layer of dust billowed upward and outward engulfing everything in its reach.

              The building was destroyed and whoever remained inside were officially no more.

              Carter firmly cupped Joss’ head in the crook of his neck as the dust swirled.  “Sweets,” he whispered the word like a prayer.  Slowly, he drew her back just enough to see her face.  Tears welled and ran freely down her blood-stained cheeks. “It’s gone,” she breathed in awe. “Their hold ... is gone.” Although elation coursed her veins at the thought of freedom, a sadness began trickling through. “Many of those people didn’t deserve such a death,” she said low. “Most were there by force, just as I.”

              “I know,” Carter replied comfortingly, slightly rocking as the dust settled around them. This in turn made her melt.  The love she felt from this man was all she’d ever desired, but her saccharine moment was short lived when she thought of the innocents who’d just needlessly perished.

              “Take me to Stephan,” she ordered and pushed off Carter to rise.  Adrenaline and determination filled her; she switched from Jocelyn Gael to the assassin Patrice Landon created. “He ensured their deaths,” she snapped. “He ensured my suffering.” She then cupped Carter’s face with her good hand. “And he ensured yours.” With that she spun, keeping her injured hand curled and pressed against her shoulder and began to stalk forward with a raw intensity to punish.  “Time for Stephan to bear the consequences,” she mumbled low. 

              Leah joined her, jogging ahead even.  Joss knew how desperate she was to have Tiago in her arms.

              As they reached the scene, Joss observed Bowen, Tiago, and Stephan.  Tiago was lying off to the side; his T-shirt tied around his right shoulder area, staunching his wound.  Leah darted to his side.  Bowen, worse for wear himself, stood next to Stephan with a gun trained on his head.  Bowen glanced Joss’ way and grumbled, “You have no idea how hard this is for me, Joss. How badly I’d like to take a few years worth of vengeance out on this man.”

              Joss stalked forward, halting mere feet from Stephan and took in his smirk.  The man was a sociopath through and through.
 
Her eyes drilled Bowen. “Did he rape you?” Her tone was so low, so full of sickened rage, she hardly recognized it as her own.

              Clearly, the brutal honesty of her question surprised Bowen.  Furrowing his brow and raising his hands, he stepped back—even offered Joss his weapon. “You win.”

              She shook off Bowen's proffered gun then barked to Stephan, “Get up.”  She flicked a glance at Carter, who stood off to her left.  He gave a curious look, but she offered no expression, just noted the blade strapped to his hip.

              Slowly, Stephan slinked upward as if bored with his surroundings.  Even with impending death drawing near, he showed no signs of begging, or maybe the arse thought himself above it—that the agency would spare him. 

              “So what now?” he questioned with a cocky air. “You take me into division headquarters and read me like you did Samuel, or will you let Joss stone me with her
magical
powers?” 

              Yep, the egotistical bastard thought himself a valuable pawn.

              His eyes lewdly glided up and down Joss’ body, and then an evil twist curled his lip as he drawled, “If you plan to read me, I suggest Carter stays out of my head.” A brazen snort. “Unless he get off on voyeuristic displays of Joss with another.”

              “Shut your fucking mouth!” Carter spit the words, stepping closer.

              Joss’ hand flew outward, halting Carter.  “No,” she stated calmly, but then swiftly and expertly swiped the blade at his hip.  Although she was right-handed, she could manage well enough with her left.

              Gripping the knife with the blade downward, she swung outward.  Stephan impulsively thrust out his right arm, attempting to halt her by catching her forearm, but she dodged his grip and the blade sliced upward, across the arteries at his wrist.  This was a practiced move.  Joss wasted not a second as she ducted under his arm, spinning fully around before planting the blade in between his ribs and straight into the liver.  Again, another practiced move; one she’d delivered before.  She found she was disturbingly handy with blades.

              Jerking the knife free, she watched as Stephan dropped to his knees, gripping the stab wound.  His shoulders curled in as he gasped for breath.  The likelihood of him surviving such a wound was high, but without medical assistance, he’d bleed out. 
 

 
Good.

              Joss stepped in front of him, expertly spinning the knife once in her hand before tossing it back to Carter. 

              He caught it, grinning ear to ear like a love-struck git.
 
Swiping the bloody blade across his dirt covered jeans, he declared, “
Damn
,
sweet thing
, if I didn’t love you before than cupid done did me in after that display.”  He glanced over at Tiago and Leah, declaring proudly, “Did y’all see that?  My woman! 
Mine
!”

              Now was not the moment to be entertained, yet Joss battled a grin at her boorish man’s reaction before turning back to Stephan.  Seeing his face drained her of any humor.
 
“I don’t need my
magic
abilities to topple the likes of you, and as far as readin’ ya goes.  Who the hell would want to.  There’s nothin’ in your mind but depravity.”  She turned to Bowen. “He’s all yers.”

              Bowen stepped forward as Mattis pulled up in the SUV.  Mattis hopped out of the vehicle, saying, “I got Samuel inside. We’re outta here.” He then met Bowen’s eye.  With the gun aimed at Stephan’s head, Bowen looked at him questioningly.

              “You’re asking my permission?” Mattis gave an amused snort, then drawled, “Life is full of firsts ...”  He studied Stephan for a second, and then stated to Bowen. “Do it. He’s of no importance to us, and I doubt Patrice wants his sorry ass returned.”

              At this, Stephan’s head jerked upward; a flicker of fear crossed his face. “I’m of great value to her.” He pressed further, “She’ll trade the girl for me. I swear it.”

              Bowen and Mattis once again locked gazes, telecommunicating. 

              Finally, Mattis sternly said, “You’re sure?”
 
Which seemed an odd question.

              Bowen simply nodded.  He then turned back to Stephan and shot him in the stomach. Stephan fell backwards, grunting and gurgling through a string of curses.  Bowen went to step forward but halted and turned to Carter. “You suffered at his hand? You want in?” 

              Joss looked up at Carter who held her wrapped in his embrace.  Surprising her, he scooped her up and spun toward the SUV.  “Nope.  I’m done with him.  I don’t ever want to think of that douche bag again,” he muttered over his shoulder. 

              Joss smiled at his tantalizing profile—a mixture of surfer-boy and rugged man.  As they reached the side of the SUV, he bent his head and gently kissed her. Reverently. As if she was the most precious thing in his life.

              Joss heard the gunshot from behind, but she didn’t spare them a glance, she only had eyes for Carter—the man she loved.

              Within minutes, everyone settled into the SUV, and Mattis was racing them out of there.  They’d planted a half pound of coke on Stephan.  The cops could spin the yarn as they saw fit, along with the building collapsing and the dead bodies within.

              The Agency’s clean up would include tracking who the dead hypnotics were and contacting the families of these missing gifted.  At the very least they would try to provide closure to their hurting families.

              “Any word from Declan?” Tiago asked from the front passenger’s seat.  Leah sat in the middle and was in the midst of redressing his wound.

              “Yeah,” Mattis nodded.  “Patrice didn’t show, but apparently her sister, Xandra, did.”

              “What?” Bowen jerked forward from the back seat where he sat with Carter and Joss.

              “She gave Reagan a cell phone and said Patrice would be in contact in the next twenty-four hours with her demands.”  He flicked Carter a glance in the rearview mirror. “She also mentioned that Jessie was healthy and safe.”

              Joss began to tremble.  She knew Patrice would want her.  Was all this for nothing?  Would she never have peace in her life?  Or a life with Carter?

              “Hey,” Carter cooed, keeping his arm snuggly around her. He kissed her forehead. “We’re not handing you over if that’s what this shivering is about.  We’ll find my sister, Joss.”

              “But how,” she barely squeaked.

              “Look at me,” Bowen said so sternly that it gave her a start.
 
She turned to meet the sober man's expression of steel. “No more harm will come to you, lass.  Do you hear me?  You will not be sacrificed to that
bitch
.”  He laid a big palm over her dainty one and squeezed.

              Joss nodded quietly, staring at his hand on top of hers.  She felt Carter nuzzle her hair, giving her a kiss, and oddly in that moment, she believed Bowen.  Maybe it was the finality in his tone or maybe it was just her brain desperate to believe, but either way she felt safe.  A feeling she hadn't felt in two years.

Chapter 19

Stuart, the agency’s techie extraordinaire, finished checking the bandages on Tiago’s shoulder.  He was also the part-time nursemaid as he was the only one who’d received EMT training in the military. 

              “Fortunately, the bullet was easily extracted and didn’t do major damage.” He winced calculatingly.  “I’d say with my limited medical training, you look good.” He smiled at Tiago as he rose from the couch in the TV room.