Touch (Denazen #1)(14)

She held the door open and once we were inside, closed it behind us. From the other side, I heard the echo of her heels clacking on the linoleum fade.

Kale stared at the two single beds in the middle of the room. With caution, he approached the first, and dropped to his knees. Once satisfied there was nothing there, he moved to the next.

“What are you doing?”

“Checking under the beds.”

I rolled my eyes. “I can see that. Why?”

He stood, face serious, and said, “Because that’s the first place I’d hide if I wanted to kill someone.”

The way he said it made my skin crawl. Like informing me the forecast called for rain.

He sat down and nodded to the large window. “Tell me about your life. Tell me what it’s like to live out there.”

“There’s not much to tell. I’m a screwup—bad grades, always in trouble.” I laughed and sat down beside him. “Hell, Dad probably contemplated sending you to punish me on more than one occasion.”

He leaned close and ran a finger over my cheek and down to my chin. “You’re a good person.”

“So are you,” I whispered. Then, making a spur of the moment decision, I brushed the lightest of kisses on his left cheek.

He sat up straight, eyes wide, and touched the tip of his index finger to his cheek. “What was that?”

I blushed. “A kiss.”

“That’s what a kiss feels like?”

“Well, technically. There are a lot of different types of—”

“Show me.”

“Show you what?”

“Show me some of the other kinds.”

“You’re asking me to kiss you?”

He nodded, hands curled over the edge of the bed. “Is that not right?”

“I—” I didn’t know how to respond. Imagine that. Me. Speechless. Glaciers were probably popping up all over hell.

Kale was sitting next to me, eyes full of surprise and hope. Who was I kidding? The guy was gorgeous. Kissing him would by no means be an act of mercy.

I leaned in, blood pounding in my ears like the bass in the back of Brandt’s Jeep. Our lips were inches apart, breath mingling, when a noise came from the door. We both jumped as a petite redhead entered. Wow. Talk about crappy timing! “You are Dez and Kale, I presume?”

We nodded.

“Good. I am Misha Vaugn. Please, may I ask who sent you to me?”

“My cousin.” I stood. Kale did the same. “He…found your name…” …while sneaking thorough some super-secret files in my dad’s home office.

“And what exactly do you need my assistance with?”

I hesitated. If Misha wanted to help, then she was against my dad. If she was against Dad, would she really help me? Or by extension, Kale? She might see it as a trap. I probably would.

“We need help, and we don’t know where else to turn.” I took a deep breath. “I’ll be honest with you. My name is Deznee Cross. Marshall Cross is my dad. Do you know who he is?” I held my breath and waited for her to kick us out. She didn’t.

“I know of Marshall Cross,” she said, disgust evident in her tone. Oh, look. Another fan. “Continue.”

“Yesterday, Kale broke away from Denazen. He found me by accident and I helped him escape. I didn’t know about my dad and I didn’t know about Denazen. I brought Kale back to my house, but my dad came home.”

She arched a brow. “I bet that was quite a surprise.”

“He attacked Kale and we ran.”

“Come here, girl.”

Misha Vaugn might have been a slim, petite woman, but boy did she have one hell of a presence. I didn’t intimidate easily—usually I was the first one to step up and start something—but this woman freaked me out.

“Give me your hands,” she said.

I did. She took them, closing her eyes.

“You helped the boy escape,” she said, eyes still closed. I wanted to point out that we’d covered that already but decided against it. A few moments of silence passed before she opened them and released my hands. “The Denazen Corporation uses people like Kale and me for their own purposes. They steal children away from their families and brainwash them.” She eyed Kale with sympathy. “They do whatever is necessary to rid them of conscience and humanity. Some of the young ones don’t survive their methods. The ones that do are locked up and…coerced to do Denazen’s bidding. If that doesn’t work, they’re eliminated.”

Kale’s voice was whisper low, like a puff of smoke hanging in the air. “When I was younger, Sue told me to do what they wanted. She said I needed to be blank. I had to do my job or they’d keep hurting me.” He pushed the sleeve of his shirt up to reveal a nasty-looking scar. “She would cry when they hurt me. I hated when she cried.”

My stomach squeezed and acid bubbled in my throat. What the hell had they done to him? To her? Time for answers. “What are they? I mean, is it government-related or something?”

Misha frowned. “We believe the government is involved, yes, but there’s still much we don’t know.”

“The Reaper?” I asked “My mom told Kale to look for someone called the Reaper. Said he could help. Can you tell us anything about him?”