Deviation (Clone Chronicles #2)(38)

Linc’s breath is warm and fast where it hits my cheeks. I meet his eyes, searching their depths for some clue of what to do next. His flash with what must be possibilities, escape routes, plans. None seem to satisfy him. His gaze is pleading with mine, almost desperate as it flicks to my mouth and away again. Something in his expression clicks.

I don’t know what it means but there’s no time to ask. The voices are closer despite the distance we ran. We have only seconds before—

“Sir, I found them!”

Linc crushes his mouth to mine just as Deitrich walks into view. “What the …?” The guard stops short at the sight of Linc and I locking lips.

I shove against him but Linc doesn’t release me. Boots pound against the asphalt as they rush up. Each of them stops short when they catch sight of us. Linc’s hands are in my hair and at the base of my neck, making sure my lips don’t leave his. One of the guards snickers. A few mutter but I don’t hear the words. Despite the danger, I can’t help but enjoy the promise and warmth of Linc’s kisses. Slowly, I begin to respond to him.

Another set of footsteps approach. These do not scuff like rushing boots, but rather click cleanly against the rough pavement. They stop and there is a collective pause where all of the mutterings cease. I keep my eyes shut, choosing to focus on the soothing way Linc’s lips move over mine, comforting me and protecting me from whatever comes next. I cling to his shirt, soaking it all in.

“What the hell is going on?”

My blood runs cold and Linc stills, pulling back far enough to meet my eyes. His are reassuring but nerves show through.

“I said what the hell is going on? Crawford! Turn around and answer me or you won’t like what happens next.”

Slowly, Linc turns to face the crowd gathered. He keeps his feet planted in front of me. I angle myself so that I can see over his shoulder. “Mr. Rogen,” Linc says stiffly.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Titus asks. The level of calm in his voice is terrifying.

“Sorry, sir. I realized it was a false alarm. I was about to bring her back. We just stopped for …”

My breath is shallow, too fast. I try to think of what to say to fix this, but my thoughts won’t cooperate. “I can see exactly what you stopped for,” Titus snaps. I flinch. Linc must feel it because he reaches around his back and grazes my arm with his fingertips.

“False alarms don’t involve scrambled GPS coding, soldier.” Titus holds out his hand. “I’ll take your remote.”

Linc holds it out and Titus steps closer to snatch it away. It takes everything in me not to throw myself in front of Linc. To beg for mercy. Or my life for his. Titus stops, eyeing both of us before finally locking eyes with Linc. “You’ve got some nerve bringing my daughter out here like this,” Titus tells him. “You were given instructions to back off and instead you pull something like this? Do you have any idea the danger you’ve put her in, exposing her this way?”

“She is never in danger with me, sir. I would die before I let anything harm her.”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Titus snaps. He leans in, intent on delivering the blow caused by his words. “I should kill you for this.”

A small cry of protest escapes my lips before I can hold it back. And then the words tumble from my lips, “It was my idea, Father. Not his. I convinced him to bring me here.”

Titus glances at me, then back to Linc. Finally, he snarls at Linc, “Get in the damn car and go back to Rogen Tower. We will speak later.”

Linc hesitates, and Titus narrows his eyes. I nudge Linc forward and take his place in front of Titus before he can change his mind about letting Linc leave. And before Linc says something stupid. “Go,” I whisper.

In the end, I know he does it only because I’ve asked. The moment he steps clear of me, a handful of guards surround and grab him, leading him away.

“You are an idiot if you think what you’ve done doesn’t have consequences,” Titus says when Linc’s gone.

I’m not an idiot. I keep silent, waiting for the consequences.

“You and I have an understanding. Maybe I didn’t make myself clear. I will let him live only if you comply with my rules. Whoring yourself to that boy in a filthy alleyway is non-compliance.”

“I wasn’t whoring—”

His hand whips across my cheek faster than I can predict. My head snaps sideways and I squeeze my eyes shut against the intense stinging that rings in my ears. His voice is a mask of calm as he says, “Don’t argue with me. This is your last chance to understand and comply with these terms. If you violate them again, I will kill everything he loves, one by one, and then I will kill him. Do I make myself clear, daughter?”

Bile rises, at the threats he’s made, and most of all, at his use of the word “daughter.” All of my fight drains away at the thought of Linc losing any more of his family to this man. I can’t let that happen, no matter what. Titus might call me daughter, but Linc is my family.

Tears sting my eyes and I curse myself for always resorting to such a show of weakness when I want desperately to be tough. “I understand,” I say, a sniffle escaping.

Titus curls a lip in disgust. “Your weakness in caring for that boy is a disappointment. I should kill him now and spare you its effects in the future.”