The Pursuit (The Permutation Archives Book 2) Read online

  I could only imagine it, stifling the giggle that wanted to pop out of my mouth. And that was because it was true. Cecilia wasn’t made for violence.

  I nodded in agreement. She was right. Neither Gaia nor Cecilia was cut out for war, and I hadn’t been either. Not until now. King had turned me into the monster he wanted me to be and would now reap what he had sown.

  Chapter

  TWO

  After hiking through the forest for another three miles, we had come upon a small group of soldiers dressed in the same fashion as Ajax and armed with the same weapons. Cargo pants, boots, and black t-shirt were all these people wore, and my eyes were on the verge of crossing. Even my mother was wearing the same garb. Me? I still wore my scrubs, and I was getting tired of them. I pulled at the tight shirt that was now sticking to my body from sweat and humidity, the blood that had crusted on them beginning to turn liquid again. I sighed and dropped my hand to my side, knowing introductions were coming my way when all I wanted was air conditioning and a shower. I was sure the rest of the group felt the same way. There were two massive Humvees behind them waiting to take us to our new home.

  Ajax came to my side, gun poised and ready for anything just in case. He had been ready since we left the forest’s edge and I didn’t think that would be changing anytime soon. He opened his mouth and motioned toward the other soldiers around us. There were two men and one woman, the woman looking strangely at home with the massive weapon in her hands, her red hair floating on the slight breeze.

  “Those two strapping young men are Liam and Noah.” He smiled at the woman whose copper hair glinted in the sunlight and winked at her, a blush overtaking her face as she beamed in return. “This beauty is Famke. All three of them have been with us since the beginning.”

  One man slicked his dark hair back, and the other was staring at me with deep, almost black eyes.

  “And how far back does the beginning go exactly?” Julius inquired as he took a step forward, scanning each of them with incredulity.

  I had to admit I felt the same way. King didn’t exactly inspire trust unless you were on his side of things, and even then you never knew where you stood.

  “They’ve been working for me for five years now. Like I said in the message to you, Mila, I had no idea what would happen and when, but I did have a feeling that something would. Mother’s intuition is never wrong. I just didn’t think he would go this far. Kidnapping and now we can add murder to the list. Mass murder at that. I knew he was a sick man, but I had no idea how far that went until you guys went missing,” my mother explained, taking a few tentative steps toward us.

  She was nervous about something. I saw it in how her hands fidgeted with the belt loop of her pants and I couldn’t help but wonder why. Was she nervous about what I’d think of the headquarters and her plan to save the rest of our kind? My kind? Or was it the looming threat of that despicable man?

  “So once they went missing you knew the Harvest was in full effect?” Caius asked a tone in his voice that I couldn’t recognize.

  All I knew was that his brow furrowed, and his stance became defensive with arms crossed over his chest. He was closing himself off as quickly as possible to avoid a letdown when we got to headquarters just in case there was disappointment waiting for us. I could say in all honesty I didn’t blame him for any of it because I felt the same way.

  “That’s correct,” my mother said as she turned to Caius, her motherly tone taking over, sounding just like when she would scold me as a child. “When the testing started I knew something was happening, but I didn’t think King was truly ready to begin the Harvest until people started disappearing.” She turned to me then. “Until you disappeared. I came the next morning to check on you, and your apartment was a mess, and you were gone.”

  “How did you know where the compound is?” Doctor Aserov asked. “You had been dismissed from the assignment before the plans for the compound were finalized.”

  My hand shot up to my chest where my tracking necklace still hung over my heart, fingering its curves underneath my shirt. And it all made sense. Doctor Aserov hadn’t spoken in the last few miles, and I was beginning to miss her smooth voice and her steady demeanor. Even when faced with my scrutiny and the harsh tones of my mother she was calm and well-mannered, never once acting out on her anger. Not like I had when King had finally pushed me beyond my limit, and I envied her for that. The only moment I had seen her out of sorts at all was when she was flooded with fear just before I cracked wide open at the threat of King’s serum enterig my veins.

  “Does that matter now, Madeline? We need to get a move on, and I suggest we do it now before whatever King sends after us catches up.”

  “The tracker,” I whispered as I pulled it out on its long chain from underneath my shirt, holding it up, so the small ball in the center caught the light. “Mom…”

  “Let’s go,” my mother interrupted.

  “Mom, I think …” I began.

  She held up a hand to stop me and moved toward the Humvee, turning her back to me in frustration for the first time since we left the compound. Rage filled me, but I pushed it down and swallowed it. I couldn’t let it control me like I had with King and Nero. I was in control. I took a deep breath and pushed it out, feeling my lungs expand and ache with the effort in the dense air. My heart was breaking into even more tiny pieces as I watched her walk away and jump into one of the Humvees, not even taking one glance back at me to make sure I followed. The only ones who did were Ajax, Liam, Noah, and Famke. Famke watched us carefully as she did so, her eyes turning back to look at us every few seconds as they all walked toward the Humvees.

  A heavy hand landed on my shoulder, and I turned to find Ryder there, his gun back in its holster on his hip and his green eyes dancing in the sunlight.

  “What should we do, Mila? I know it’s your mom, but I do not like the secrecy, and I have a feeling neither do you,” Julius said, pointing at me with an index finger to make his point, and he was right.

  In her message to me in the hologram before she had seemed so open to sharing information, but now she would barely divulge a single word. Something had changed, and I wasn’t sure if she had always intended for it to be this way or if it was my mere presence.

  I sighed in frustration and kicked at the foliage littering the ground at our feet, not certain what I was feeling at the moment besides that same frustration mixed with confusion. Because of the lack of an answer, I kept my eyes averted to the ground, not wanting them to see the confirmation of my doubt in them.

  “Let’s see what this is all about before we make a decision on whether to stick around. We can do what we need to do either way. It won’t be easy on our own if it comes to that, but we can do it,” Ryder said, looking at Caius, Julius, and the good doctor and nodded. “We all can.”

  When I looked at the others, I saw a flurry of nods of agreement. We would do what it took with or without my mother’s help. It would all depend on what we found when we got there and how we felt about it. Well, how I felt about it from what it seemed. According to Cato’s vision that he passed to me before his death, I was the one who would beat King at his own game, with the help of those around me. Mainly Julius and Ryder. Doctor Aserov would do whatever I needed her to. That much was clear, but how far did her loyalties go? My mother seemed to hate her even though Doctor Aserov had worked for her for the last five years, keeping me as safe as she possibly could while still working under King and bringing me into the fold. My mother was giving Ryder strange looks the entire walk to the rendezvous point, making the connection once she saw our joined hands. She had even stated that his past was darker than I had believed, but how much more? Little did she know that fate had our relationship etched in stone, and I didn’t dream of changing it. Even if it meant that past reared its ugly head.

  “Yes,” I breathed, letting the word roll aroun
d in my mouth and my head. It didn’t feel right at the moment, but there was nothing else I could say. “We’ll see what they have to offer. Then we’ll make our decision. My mother seems so different I’m not even sure who she is anymore. I’m so sorry, Doctor Aserov. I don’t know why she’s being that way toward you.”

  “I do,” she said as she watched me, glancing toward the Humvees once our eyes met. “I didn’t choose my placement on the Harvest assignment, and I hope one day she will forgive me for whatever way she believes I have wronged her.”

  “Have you gotten any kind of link with anyone? My mother?” I asked as I studied her.

  All Doctor Aserov did was shake her head. Her blonde hair brushed her shoulders as she did and her eyes turned glum.

  “It only works with another clairvoyant. I’m so sorry.”

  Silence fell upon us as we stood there. I looked up and glanced at each face in our group and all I saw there was pure terror. And distrust.

  “So, we’re doing this?” Julius asked as his muscles bunched underneath his skin with unease, his jaw clenching.

  He was in a hurry to get out of the open and so was I. I mirrored his tension, knowing that the nervousness we were all feeling was palpable. I would’ve been surprised if the others didn’t feel it as well.

  “We are,” I answered.

  I plastered a fake grin on my face, taking Ryder’s hand in mine and began to head toward the vehicles waiting for us as the others followed. My mother was impatiently waiting inside one with Liam and Famke while Noah was in the other sitting behind the wheel with the door open and a foot hanging out, Ajax waited outside of it. Noah was the picture of relaxation, but I could see the predator lurking underneath waiting to pounce as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Caius and Julius split off to go in the Humvee with my mother, Liam, and Famke while the rest of us went with Noah, Ajax slipping his gun into a holster on his hip. I was perfectly content with not riding with her for now and I figured it would give Doctor Aserov and her a little while apart to work on themselves before they either reconciled or continued to be angry with one another. Once we were nearing the driver’s side door, Noah’s foot moved back inside, and he peeked out from within it, a broad smile splashed on his face.

  “Need a ride?” he joked as he winked, chewing a piece of gum that I could only assume was spearmint flavored based on the color I could see toward his back teeth.

  “Only if you’re driving,” I responded.

  With a guffaw, he said, “You’re in luck, little lady. No one drives this bad boy but me.” He patted the steering wheel with a gloved hand, continuing to beam at me with amusement.

  “Then let’s get a move on.”

  I moved to the back driver’s side door and climbed inside, hoping Doctor Aserov got the hint that she would be sitting up front. She had to know Noah previously. After having just met him, I wasn’t exactly comfortable sitting up front with him, but perfectly content to joke around with him to keep the mood as light as possible. Granted, Ajax sat in back with Ryder and me, but I’d had some interaction with the large man, and that was more than what little I’d had with Noah. Ryder slid in beside me and the good doctor in the front passenger’s side just as planned with Ajax slouching in on the other side of me. I loved it when a plan came together, no matter how small. Made me feel victorious in even a tiny way.

  Noah started the vehicle once we were all tucked inside and we began to move in the direction of their headquarters, weaving swiftly through the dense trees despite the size of it. I would’ve said I felt like they would welcome us into our new home with open arms, but I couldn’t slow the butterflies fluttering inside of my gut. None of this seemed right. Nothing was the same, and everything had changed, and all the weight was resting on my shoulders.

  Chapter

  THREE

  “Mila.”

  Ryder’s voice pulled me out of the deep dark hole of sleep. I had fallen asleep leaning against his shoulder and was stiff, my joints popping as I sat up and stretched within the confined space. I was groggy and felt like I had been in that position for hours even though I knew that hadn’t been the case. My internal clock screamed that it had only been around forty-five minutes or so.

  “You alright? You were whispering in your sleep,” he asked as he regarded me with apprehension.

  Ajax made no noise from beside me, leading me to believe he was trying to give us even a modicum of privacy despite being in such close quarters.

  “I’m all right,” I nodded, “well, as fine as I can be. You?”

  I leaned back against the seat and crossed my arms over my chest. He placed his arm around my shoulders and brought me in tight to his side. I felt just a tiny bit safer being tucked against him like his arm was a protective shelter.

  “I’m okay. Tired and scared. Scared mostly.”

  “You should be afraid. You’re in deeper than you think,” Ajax said, a slight hint of the same terror in his voice seeing as in he was in the same position as we were.

  I knew the feeling all too well. Even though I had been relaxed enough to sleep, my heart was still racing like the adrenaline never stopped pumping through my bloodstream. King was beginning to have an effect on me that I didn’t much care to experience, and all of his cronies that had helped the process along were still at the forefront of my mind. Everything went silent as I took in our surroundings. Doctor Aserov was looking forward, not taking her eyes off of the horizon. Or at least, what narrow horizon we could see. Trees and bushes still encircled us, the green enveloping us with no end in sight. Then a sound came from nowhere. A soft sound that I didn’t think I’d ever hear again.

  Noah started to whistle. It was a somber tune that I didn’t recognize, but knew it would be ingrained in my memory forever. I would always associate it with this moment. A moment where everything that was wrong with the world was my responsibility to change. Wrapped in Ryder’s arms, I began to drift again into an uncomfortable and restless sleep once more. The nightmares would start soon, and I wanted to log as many hours as I could before I was kept up at night by images of blood and death. Black, dead blood that flowed over sterile walls. Blood I had taken the life from. I could handle a lot of things, but seeing Cato’s demise at my hand replayed in my mind every night wasn’t one of those things. Not by a long shot. And out of all the deaths of those, I had killed thus far, Jones had been the one to actually deserve what had been done to him. I could still see the entrance wound of the bullet Ryder had fired into his skull when I closed my eyes.

  A new sound drowned out Noah’s whistles. A high-pitched squeal of something moving through the air at such a speed it rocked the Humvee as it passed by. My eyes shot open in enough time to see a streak of white smoke out of my peripheral vision followed by flames bursting to life underneath the front tire of the Humvee in front of us. The vehicle was launched into the air, flipping onto the roof with a sickening crunch. I jerked to a sitting position and screamed as shouts filled the empty air. Noah pulled the steering wheel to avoid hitting the overturned vehicle, slamming on the breaks, so we came to a stop next to it. Before I even realized it, Ryder opened the door, and I was climbing over him to get outside. I jumped out, landing on the ground with a thud, and ran toward the Humvee as fast as my legs would carry me.

  “Mom,” I cried over the roaring fire and engine noise. “Julius! Caius!”

  Pieces of the Humvee littered the forest floor in all directions. I swerved to avoid as many of them as I could, almost tripping over a piece of flaming black hose that had managed to sneak its way under my feet. I righted myself, pushing to make it to the overturned vehicle as the fire blazed underneath the front driver’s side tire. Car doors slammed shut behind me, but I didn’t look back. Bullets began to whiz past me, piercing the metal of the Humvee in a straight line. Automatic weapons. I whispered a curse under my breath, but continued to run a
t breakneck speed, not slowing down for even a second as bullets penetrated the ground at my feet.

  Ryder and Noah reached my back first with Doctor Aserov following close behind. There was no Ajax, and I wasn’t entirely sure why. Chaos wasn’t the good doctor’s scene. An orderly, controlled lab was where she belonged, and we had wrenched her out of it. Well, my mother had. The white coat made her look out of place except for the occasional smudges of black and green from our long hike. The air hissed around us. I knew what was coming next, so I began to push myself even harder. Another missile was barreling in our direction, and there was no telling where its wielder aimed. I felt a whoosh of air whip past my back and more shouting from behind me as the missile struck a tree to my right. The impact of the explosion tore me off of my feet, sending me yards away from the blast. The air left my lungs in a rush, and my ears began to ring, everything else sounding muffled as bullets whirred past us, striking the ground next to me. I curled into the fetal position just long enough to miss a few shots, and then sprang back into action as Ajax finally appeared with a massive gun aimed and at the ready, eyes a mask of urgency.

  I rose onto my hands and knees as my ears rang, seeing the others on the ground in all directions except for Ajax’s sturdy frame. They had been slightly closer to the blast than I had. There was a trickle of something warm coming from my right ear. I reached up and pulled back slick red fingertips. The force of the blast ruptured my eardrum and the other ear rang loudly. Rising to my feet on unsteady legs, I made my way as best as I could to the downed Humvee, a few stray bullets moving past me like they were running out of steam. The others were moving around me, and I heard someone call my name, but I kept running, pushing past Ajax. I collapsed on my knees next to the driver’s side passenger door and moved to look inside that was only lit by the flames outside.