Avenged (Altered #2)(46)

He ignored her panic, yanking wires and ducking to see them.

“I’m jacking the car. The helicopter would be the best. But I don’t know how to fly one of those.” He found the wires he needed. The alarm turned off, and the truck roared to life. “So this will have to do.”

“Wait.” She put her hand on his arm. “What about the cars? The helicopter? They’ll be after us.”

“Oh. Right.” This would be easier if they weren’t followed, wouldn’t it? “What should I do?”

Kitty shrugged. “Make it so they can’t move?”

“Right.” He nodded. Make it so they can’t move. Sounded simple enough.

He opened the door and stalked around the Hummer. He stretched his neck from side to side. In front of him, alarms blared inside the compound. Red and blue lights flashed on the corners of the place, illuminating the sky. It must be dusk. The light faded into the west.

Distant shouting floated in the air between siren blasts. They would be out, soon. Following them. After them.

Not this time. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Kitty again. Not now that he could do these things.

His resolve hardening, he focused on the sedan first. With a quick thought, the tires blew out. A moment later, the truck’s tires followed suit. For good measure, he ripped the steering wheels off. There.

His eyes moved to the helicopter. A bit more difficult, but he concentrated hard, blocking out the noise around him, only seeing the bird.

The rotors bent. He’d hoped to rip the blades off, but even with a lot of effort, he could only manage to tilt them downward, so they created a cage around the cockpit. He nodded. It would have to do.

Now, the hangar. He guessed that there were troop transports in there, enough to move a lot of men. Maybe even something smaller. Something that would be faster, that would catch up to them.

They couldn’t be allowed to get to those trucks.

With a massive mental push, the sound of wood splintering echoed through the air. Then, the roof of the hangar caved in, the entire building imploding.

Nick staggered, his head pounding. Dizziness overwhelmed him, and his vision blurred. Damn, that hurt. Too much, too fast.

Small arms circled him, pulling him backward—Kitty, steadying him.

He did his best not to lean on her, but he probably failed. “Think I might have overdone it a bit.”

“Yeah,” she sounded grim in his ear. She pushed him into the Hummer’s passenger seat. “Sit here. I’ll drive.”

She slammed his door. A moment later she hopped into the driver’s seat, and they were peeling out of the parking lot, gravel spitting behind them.

The light was almost gone as they barreled down the rock-covered drive. Despite his blurry vision, a chainlink fence stretched in front of them, laced with barbed wire on the top.

Kitty didn’t slow.

They rammed the fence full speed, breaking through, and continued forward. He closed his eyes, rubbing his temple. “Anyone following us?”

“No.” Their speed increased. “I’d like to keep it that way.”

His vision started to clear. That had to be a good sign. “You okay driving the getaway car?”

“Not really.” She glanced at him as they fishtailed out onto a deserted two-lane road. She hit the gas, picking up their pace. “But we all learn to adapt.”





Chapter Fourteen


After about ten minutes, Nick insisted that he was well enough to drive. The rearview mirror was still empty. Kitty pulled over and left him to it. She had her license, but she’d only driven a car a few times—her parents usually drove—so she figured Nick had more practice at it.

They switched seats and were quickly moving again.

They drove on, following signs for Interstate 80, leading Nick to believe they might be in Wyoming. After another hour of traveling at top speeds, Nick veered off when he saw a Walmart sign. He parked.

“I think you should stay here,” he offered, his hands on the steering wheel, his eyes straight ahead.

She might have argued at another time, but she was exhausted. Holding Jeremy that long had taken a toll. Besides, Nick’s thoughts jumped around. He could use a minute alone, she suspected.

So she nodded. He left the car running and went inside.

Five minutes later, he returned in different clothes—jeans and a navy jacket. Reaching under his shirt, he yanked out a pair of leggings, a sweatshirt, and a pair of slip-on shoes. “I got you something.”

He could have presented her with flowers or diamonds, and she wouldn’t have been any happier. She realized the clothes had probably been stolen. They didn’t have any money. But if she’d learned anything, it was that sometimes people did what they had to in order to survive. They’d be less visible in these clothes than in their jumpsuits.

She scurried into the backseat and hurried into the clothes as Nick sped off again.

The shoes were too big, but she’d never been so happy to put on something that didn’t have snaps.

As Nick didn’t seem to be in a talkative mood, she remained quiet as she climbed back into the passenger seat. The silence stretched on as he thought through what they should do, watched for people following them, and worried about her.

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled off the highway at a Travelodge. Nick drove the Hummer around the back, out of sight of the street.