Deviation (Clone Chronicles #2)(56)

“Why?” I press as he begins leading us away.

“Because you and I are going to end him. But first, we’re going to talk to Daniel.”

“Daniel’s the other way,” I say, ignoring the thrill I get from hearing him call us a team. I can’t afford to get swept up in the excitement of Linc’s promises, not until I decide whether we actually have a shot.

“We have to stop at the guard station. I need a key card to Daniel’s cell.”

“You don’t have yours?” I ask.

“No.” He shakes his head and gives a wry, humorless smile. “Titus took it when he caught me making out with his daughter.”

His attempt at humor fans my temper. It’s only funny if it doesn’t get him killed in the end. “It’s not a joke, Linc. He could’ve done a lot worse than take your access card.”

He swipes a fingertip gently over the knot on my temple. “He already did.”

I brush his hand aside impatiently. “I meant to you. He’s always threatening to hurt you if I don’t— What if he finds out we were kissing? What if he sends another girl to see Daniel?”

“Daniel isn’t going to hurt anyone else,” Linc growls.

“How do you know?

He smacks his fist against his open palm. “I’m going to make a point to bring it up when we speak.”

When he reaches for me, I pull away, unconvinced. “I mean it. I can’t stand the thought of someone else hurting because of me.”

His temper fades into something softer. “Angel. No one is going to be hurt because of you. Including me. None of what happens is your fault. It’s Titus. He’s the monster. He’s the villain we’re going to take down.” He squeezes his eyes shut as if in pain. When he opens them again, the emotion in them is like an old scar, healed but still remembered. “But, God, if he touches you again … To hell with our plan to ruin him and free the City. If he hurts you again, I’ll kill him.”

I don’t bother trying to talk him out of it. One glance at his face tells me it’s pointless to try. “All right,” I say quietly. “So, the key card. Will he know you took another one?”

Linc shrugs. “Only if he comes home before we put it back.”

“Then let’s hurry.”

Outside the security office, I devour the muffin Linc swiped for me. When I’m done, I shift my weight back and forth, counting seconds under my breath. I’m not scared for myself, but Linc is taking an awful lot of risk for this, and I don’t want to tempt the boundaries Titus has unofficially put in place with Linc’s life.

The door opens and Linc slips through, key card in hand. He shakes it at me, plants a kiss on my nose, and takes my hand, leading us back the way we’ve come.

We meet no one on our way downstairs. The house is still and tomblike. Even Maria has vanished. I’ve never experienced such solitude inside Rogen Tower before. It’s exhilarating and eerie. Linc keeps a firm hold on my hand and we stop only once, just outside Daniel’s door, for Linc to kiss me and fold me into his arms. “I won’t let him hurt you, angel.”

“Linc.” I push away enough to look up at him. “I’m not scared of Daniel. He won’t hurt me.”

Linc looks less than convinced. “Right. Like he wasn’t going to hurt Sofia?”

“I think … Are you sure it wasn’t an act?” I ask, bracing myself for the temper I know is coming.

He pauses, his head tilting. He seems to genuinely consider my question. Finally, he says, “I’m not sure of anything where Daniel’s concerned.”

Linc swipes the key card and the light blinks from red to green. There is an audible click and then the doorknob turns beneath his grip.

When we enter, Daniel is lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling and singing softly to himself.

He looks up and his song fades, but not before a sense of familiarity washes over me at the few fleeting words I catch.

“Well, well,” Daniel says, sitting up and swinging his feet to the floor. “Back for round two?” he asks.

He’s washed up since my last visit. His T-shirt and sweatpants look fresh, and his wounds have been tended. A white bandage covers his left brow and there is a jagged scratch down his cheek, near his ear, that has been covered over with a white cream.

“That depends on you,” Linc says. He still has my hand but his moves are cautious, deliberate. A predator approaching its prey.

Daniel’s eyes flick to me and linger on my face. The knot on my temple tingles underneath his scrutiny. I stare back at him, looking for evidence of the transparency I saw before. I can’t tell whether it’s there now, or he’s showing off.

“Titus isn’t here,” I say, wondering if that will change his demeanor at all. “No one is.”

Linc shoots me a look that clearly says, “Shut up.” So I do.

Daniel quirks a brow. “He left you two lovebirds alone to guard the castle?”

Linc stops us when we reach the table. Last I saw, it was upside down near the wall. Someone has righted it again but one of the legs is bowed out and it’s not level anymore. I bump the corner lightly with my finger and it wobbles.

“You can thank your GI Joe boyfriend for that,” Daniel says.