Annihilate (Hive Trilogy #3)(36)
He gave me a lopsided grin before leaving the door open and crossing to the passenger side. The enforcers tended to be a little old school, thinking the dude drove while the lady emulated Ms. Daisy. Time to remind them that Charlie Bennett was no lady. She was a BAMF, and she was getting her guy back.
As the engine roared to life, the front door to the house smashed open. I turned to find the entire crew descending on us. Markus, Sam, Jared, Oliver, Becca, and even number three, who I was yet to officially meet.
They all spread out across the porch and each of their faces was somber. I lifted myself up out of my seat and through the open roof. I took a moment to examine all of them. My family. My team. The best damn people I’d ever have the luck to know.
“I love you guys!” I shouted. “Except for you, number three. You, I don’t know.” There was laughter all around as I blew them kisses and all of them returned the favor. Even number three, who at least seemed to have a sense of humor.
“Be careful, wee lassie,” Marcus bellowed. “We’ll see you very soon. We’re heading off to Cellway as soon as Becca has the cure done. We’ll meet you three once we have the trucks locked and loaded.” His Scottish brogue was always stronger when his emotions were strong. Right now all of us were on emotional overload. But I liked that we were getting very close to the blood and cure being united as one.
With one final salute, I dropped back next to Kyle, and shifting the buggy into drive we took off. Snow shot out around us, and the air was freezing, but I barely felt anything. We were on our way to Ryder, and there wasn’t a damn other thing that mattered.
It took most of the day to travel to the private airfield. Losing the chopper was a huge blow, but at least this chartered plane would take us straight into Portland. No more screwing around. Kyle and I carried our bags on board, and I was surprised to find this was the fanciest plane we’d been on to date. Wide-cushioned leather, captain-style chairs, plush carpets, huge screen television that was showing an action flick. If only I could enjoy it. I was in panic, lockdown mode.
“Charlie, calm down,” Kyle said, his warm hand wrapping around mine to stop my fingers from drumming right through the arm of the chair. “We’re close now. We know it’s going to take Ryder and Sanctum time to get everything into place. I think we’ll make it before they hit. Everything will work out. The other guys will meet us as soon as Becca has the mass cure.”
I nodded a few times, my head bobbing rapid and jerky. “Yes, I know. But we’re cutting our timing so short. The cure needs to be in that blood within a week, and right now it doesn’t seem as if Sanctum is in position or anything yet.”
Kyle’s thumb rubbed across the back of my hand, over and over, the motion soothing. “Ryder would not jeopardize the plan. I know him, and there’s no way he hasn’t thought through every single facet of what he’s doing. Trust in him, Charlie. Trust that he does the right thing no matter what. That’s the guy you fell in love with. The one who cares. Too much. He has one of the best strategic minds I’ve ever encountered. That’s why Sanctum wanted him originally. That’s why he’s such a good leader. He’s got this.”
My heartbeat calmed as Kyle’s reassurance invoked a clarity which had been missing from me for days. Panic had eaten away at my common sense. The fact that Ryder had been so cold and distant, so emotionally wrecked before he left me, had caused me to forget the fundamental personality traits of the man I fell in love with.
“I trust him,” I said. “He always does the right thing.” My head drooped at little. “I shouldn’t have lost faith in him.”
Kyle chuckled. “Yeah, and he shouldn’t have left without explaining that plan to us. He still needs an ass kicking, but you can keep your faith.”
I snorted at that. “Oh, he’s getting a butt kicking, don’t you worry about that. Fugly has nothing on me when I’m pissed.”
We settled back into the plush chairs then, the engines roaring around us as the plane began to taxi down the runway. Finally, we were on our way.
Portland was cold, but compared to Alaska I felt like I could walk around in a tank and shorts. The flight had been uneventful; our new identifications passed at the airport and car rental place without question. Kyle and I both wore sunglasses and contacts to hide our eyes. I even convinced Kyle to wear a little blush with me to look more human. The chill would be reddening the humans’ cheeks and I wanted to blend in as much as possible. We needed to make sure no reports of ash traveling to Portland reached the Hive. They had their little spies everywhere. As we walked out into the cloudy parking lot, I pulled my hoodie up. I knew with that and my short hair, I was pretty incognito.
“Did Sam send coordinates for us?” I asked. He was using some sort of satellite frequency to track Ryder and the Sanctum. He hoped anyway.
Kyle powered up his phone, a special one from Sam. Then he frowned. “Nothing yet.”
I sighed. “Alright, I know a place close to the Hive where we can camp out until we get word…”
Kyle nodded and we made our way into our rental car.
An hour later Kyle and I were sitting along the Willamette River. It was about 3 P.M. The Hive would be coming alive shortly, the vampires soon to be waking up to start their day. If Ryder was going to make a move, it would be in the next two or three hours. My leg bounced nervously on the grass as Kyle finished off his hot dog. I was trying not to think of Tessa. My sweet Tessa locked away in the pit enduring God knows what. Just before I was about to lose my mind, the phone in my hand buzzed. I unlocked it and read the text from Sam.