Touch (Denazen #1)(83)

“Thanks.” I coughed. Above our heads, only a thin trail of smoke lingered.

He helped me off the ground, smiling. “No worries. This is fun, aye?” He had a thick Australian accent, brilliant smile, and deep brown eyes that screamed troublemaker. “I’m Panda.”

“Dez,” I said, ducking to the side as more darts sailed by.

Panda frowned. “Not nice to fire that thing at a lady, mate!” He turned and started across the room. With each step, his skin seemed to shimmer. His body widened in bulk and shortened in length. Skin paling, his sandy blond hair darkened until it was black. One final shimmer, and Panda was, well, a panda. With a snarl, he leapt at the Denazen man as he fired off another shot. They went down, and I had to look away. The man’s screams and the ripping flesh was bad enough. So didn’t need a visual.

Back to Alex and Kale. They were further away now. Still circling each other like caged animals. Alex was getting annoyed. Each time he’d make a swipe, Kale skirted effortlessly out of reach. Like a child playing keep away.

I rushed forward. Over a fallen Denazen suit. Around Barge’s sleeping form. An entire room of carnage in between us. “Alex, stop this!” I called, tripping over a fallen chair.

Kale turned toward the sound of my voice, and Alex, being the sneaky, dirty fighter he’d always been, used the distraction to his advantage.

On my feet again, I ran. The distance seemed impossible. All the noise was gone, leaving an empty, sucking vacuum of silence. All I heard was the pounding of my bare feet as they hit the floor frustratingly slow. Something tugged at the shoulder of my shirt. A Denazen suit as I passed. Spinning, I twisted out of his grip and kept going. Almost there.

Alex lunged forward, burying the knife deep in Kale’s stomach.

Something exploded behind my right knee. The smell of burning denim and flesh filled the air, but the pain barely registered. All I saw was Kale. All I felt was cold.

Still watching me, Kale crumpled to the floor. Alex stepped away, pale and looking sick. The knife had fallen to the floor at his feet. Something inside cracked. Barreling past Alex, I slid across the last few feet on my knees.

“Get up,” I screamed, shaking his shoulders. The stain spreading across his black shirt was only slightly darker than the shirt itself, but undeniably there. No matter how many ways my brain tried to tell me differently.

Kale’s eyes opened, but they were unfocused. Dim. He looked up, but I could tell he didn’t see me. “My blood…”

I looked down at my hands, coated in red. Like his touch, Kale’s blood seemed to have no effect on me. His hand found mine, and he pulled it over his chest—over his heart and right above the wound. The thumping under my palm was too fast. Erratic.

“Do you see?” he whispered. “What you do? It shouldn’t do that anymore.” His grip on my fingers went slack as his eyes closed.





32


Kale’s name a whisper on my lips, strong arms pulled me back and dragged me away. Dad. So the coward had finally come out of hiding?

On the other side of the room, the bar was completely engulfed in flame, and the fire had begun creeping through the rest of the room. The tables along the edge were starting to catch, as well as the overturned chairs scattered about the floor. One of the fallen Denazen suits was lying close to the edge. As I watched, the corner of his jacket caught fire. None of his co-workers moved to help him.

Alex stood to the side, staring from Kale to me, looking sick. After a moment, he cleared his throat. He was still pale, but his I-don’t-give-a-shit-about-anything mask had slipped back in place. Tone even, he said, “As interesting as this has been, do you mind if we hit the road now? Dez doesn’t need to see this and I have no desire to be baked alive.”

Dad adjusted his grip on my arm and waved at the door. “You’re free to go, Alex.”

Alex took a step closer to me, but Dad’s hand shot out.

“Alone.”

Alex’s eyes went wide for a moment before narrowing. “We had a deal.”

Dad shook his head. “If you remember correctly, I never agreed to anything. You offered your aid in reacquiring 98. He hasn’t been ‘reacquired’. He’s dead.”

At his sides, Alex’s fists clenched. Several chairs on either side of us started to rattle. The two suits left standing glanced at each other nervously.

“It’s done, Cross,” Ginger said, coming up behind Alex.

She and Dad eyed each other. Gesturing behind her, she said, “As you can see, I have an army at my back.”

Dax flanked her on one side, bruised but still standing tall, and the bouncer from the party that I’d flirted with stood on the other. Sira was behind them, soaking wet, but with a satisfied smile on her face. I didn’t see Water Girl anywhere. Next to her, Panda growled quietly as Ginger rested a hand atop his head, scratching behind his ear. One of the men I didn’t know stood to the side, Barge in his arms. His fingers sparked, tiny currents of electricity skating up and down his body.

Dax smiled. “All you have is a few firearms and a single human matchstick. I think it’s fair to say we have the upper hand.”

Dad laughed and gave my arm a rough shake. “You won’t touch me as long as I have her.”

“They don’t have to,” Alex’s voice came, cool and dangerous. The gun flew from Dad’s hand, shot into the air, then hovered for several seconds in front of us. “Let go of her and get out before I kill you with your own piece.” The gun shot forward, jamming itself into Dad’s forehead.