Avenged (Altered #2)(59)

Catch me. Catch me.

…

Nick had seen Kitty as they crested the hill, the only woman in the circle of armed men, flanked by two guards. The second his helicopter landed at Fields’s compound, Nick bolted off, headed for her.

God, he hoped he wasn’t too late.

Though he had pistols at his hips, he didn’t need them. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he began throwing guards through the air. Next to him, Blue, Seth, and Luke had disembarked, too. Seth sped forward, faster than humanly possible, and leaped into the air, crashing down on two guards with fists to their faces.

As their reinforcements—Pike and his men, Martins and the few he trusted—folded into the throng, Nick lost sight of Kitty. Damn it. He couldn’t move her or help her if he couldn’t see her.

He needed to find her. Fast.

One second he was storming forward, the next he was tumbling through the air. Someone had thrown him. He hit the wall of the building behind him, the force knocking the wind out of him. He stood, shaking his head like a dog fresh from the bath.

Around him, the entire place had exploded into chaos. Shots were fired, so he ducked behind a dumpster. Across the field, a helicopter took off.

A slender form hung over the side, legs dangling. The sight stole his breath.

Kitty.

His heart hammered in his ears, and his brain scrambled to think of a way to stop the helicopter. He’d take it down if he hadn’t been so afraid he’d hurt Kitty.

But he could only watch helplessly as it wavered in the air then lifted higher.

One moment, he watched the helicopter leaving with the woman he loved. The next, she dove backward out of the aircraft, like she’d been shot out of a cannon. As she fell, she twisted through the air above him, clutching a suitcase to her chest.

Time slowed as she plunged toward the hard ground. Her clothes—those ridiculous clothes he’d swiped for her from Walmart—were plastered against her and flapped in the wind.

Her voice thrummed through his mind.

Catch me. Catch me.

As if he needed to be told twice.

Around him, the sounds of fighting drifted in the cold breeze, but Nick only had eyes for her.

His pulse thumped in his temple, but he took a calming breath. He couldn’t afford fear. He reached out with his mind and snagged Kitty out of the air. He had enough foresight to slow her, not grind her momentum to a halt. If he stopped her too fast, he was afraid he’d jolt her, hurt her.

Slowly, he lowered her to the ground.

When she touched down, she was running. Toward him. He opened his arms and folded her into him. In one movement, he tucked her under his chin, breathing in the scent of her, rubbing his cheek against the softness of her hair. She was safe.

Around him, the chaos looked like a scene out of an action movie.

Scratch that. A sci-fi action movie.

Other movers were tossing objects. A dumpster flew through the air, crashing into a truck. A shed broke apart, the pieces raining down on a group of three men.

Nick watched as two guards opened fire on Luke. The bullets froze in midair, dropping to the ground just before the guards lifted and flew against the side of the compound, fifty feet away.

A man ran, faster than a train, toward Blue, his jaw tight. Nick opened his mouth to warn her, but Seth dropped from a two or three story height, tackling him.

Nick leaned back. “We have to get you out of here.”

Kitty shook her head, pulling away, glancing at the still burning wreckage of the helicopter she’d tumbled from. He couldn’t read her thoughts, but whatever she was thinking wasn’t good.

She shoved the suitcase she’d been carrying into his arms. “No. Fields went inside.” She patted the suitcase. “There are a hundred doses of Solvimine in here and Fields’s research. We need to destroy it.”

She started toward the compound. Where was she going? He caught up with her in two steps. “Kitty. Stop.”

When they reached the entrance to the compound, he placed a hand on her arm. They were tucked away from the chaos on the helicopter pad. “Kitty, wait, we need a plan…”

She shook her head, her hand resting on the door pull. “We don’t have time, Nick.” Her voice was strong, but her eyes pleaded. “He’s in there. He can’t get away. We have to stop him.”

“No, we don’t.” Frankly, he didn’t give a shit about Fields anymore. He only cared about getting Kitty somewhere safe and protected. “Martins is here. He’ll handle it.”

Martins’s men were engaged behind them. The fight was out of control, no order at all.

No one was going after Fields.

“You don’t believe that, and neither do I.” She shook her head. “We have his research, but he can recreate it. He can make more Solvimine. Unless we stop him, it doesn’t end. He can’t get away.”

Staring into her pleading face, he knew she would resent it—resent him—if she didn’t do this.

It was a nightmare. The safest decision was to leave, to get her out of here and fight another day. As he held her gaze, though, the words got stuck in his throat.

Her fingers dug into his forearm. “Please.”

“We might lose him,” he warned. “He has guards. He’s a mover. Do you understand how dangerous this is?”

“I do.” She nodded. “I need to try.”