Deviation (Clone Chronicles #2)(69)

The man nods. “Good night, then.”

We mumble a reply and hurry out. I’m three steps from the door when someone calls my name. “Raven!” The smooth, confident voice isn’t hard to recognize. I debate whether to turn.

I’ve just decided to pretend I didn’t hear when my name is called again, closer now. I grimace. “Hi, Caine.”

His brows wrinkle as he looks back and forth between Obadiah and Linc. “Where are you going?” he asks.

“Home. I don’t feel well. Obadiah is escorting me,” I tell him by way of explanation. I know in Caine’s world, Linc’s presence is inconsequential and requires no explanation.

As predicted, he ignores the boy on either side of me and says, “Let me take you.” He leans down and adds, “Bet my car is faster than yours.”

I give him a tight smile. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ve already called for the car. It’s waiting outside. Rain check?”

Caine nods, clearly disappointed but musters a smile. “Sure. When you’re feeling better we’ll go for a ride.”

“Deal,” I say.

Linc growls.

Caine shoots him a look but doesn’t comment. “I hope you feel better soon. And I hope it wasn’t all that spinning on the dance floor that made you ill. I had a lot of fun with you,” he says.

I tilt my head as I realize the truth in my words. “Me too,” I agree. There’s something different about Caine Rafferty tonight. Maybe Daniel’s absence and the lack of competition brought out a better side of him.

The reminder of Daniel is all it takes. “I have to go now. See you,” I say.

“See you,” Caine calls from behind me as I push the doors open and hurry to the car waiting at the curb.

When we’re settled inside the car, Linc knocks on the partition and the driver eases forward. “Can’t you tell him to go faster?” I ask.

“Not without him asking for an explanation,” Linc says.

I sigh and resign myself to the next few minutes feeling like years. Linc takes my hand and wraps it in both of his.

Across from me, Obadiah is watching me intently and chewing his lip.

“What is it?” I ask.

“I don’t know. Probably nothing,” he says.

“Tell me anyway.”

“Taylor was watching us before we left. Well, you mostly, but she had a really weird look on her face. Not the normal Taylor look, but like she was thinking hard about something.”

“She and I had a fight. She told me we aren’t friends anymore,” I explain.

“About what?”

“She’s convinced I’m different since I hit my head. That there’s more going on than I’m telling her. She’s been bugging me about it for a while. I thought I could distract her with something else but she didn’t believe me. She said she won’t be my friend unless I tell her the truth.”

“What did you tell her to distract her?” Linc asks.

“I told her about you.”

“You told her about you and Linc?” Obdiadah asks.

“It’s not like Titus doesn’t already know. I figured it was the lesser of two evils. And she’d know if I tried to lie again.”

“Yeah, you kind of suck at that under pressure,” Obadiah says. I glare at him. “Well, you do. In the meantime, we need to discuss what we’re going to do with golden boy, provided we beat the police to the house.”

“Do you think they’ll already be there?” I ask.

“Let’s pretend we’ll get there first,” Linc says.

“And the suits?” Obadiah asks.

“We’ll have the element of surprise, at least at first,” Linc says. “I doubt any of them expect us to actually attempt to go there.”

“We can fight the suits. We can’t fight the police,” Obadiah says. “Besides, you’re forgetting about one thing. She’s got a kill switch still inside her.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Linc says quietly.

“And you don’t look worried because …?” Obadiah’s brows raise.

Linc doesn’t answer. Our eyes meet. I remember what Obadiah said the day they tried to kidnap me and get me to run away. Linc had brought the supplies with him then. Obadiah had expected him to remove my GPS by the time we got there. I think of Anna’s arm. Red and swollen after her own chip had been removed. I had no idea how it was done on her but I suspected my own removal was going to be even less comfortable.

“Do it,” I say.

Linc slides a brown leather pouch out of his pocket and nods at Obadiah. “Hand me the bottle of vodka in the cabinet behind you,” he says.

Obadiah hands it over, his mouth closed and eyes wide. Linc uncaps the vodka and douses the small, thin blade he’s unwrapped from the leather pouch. No one says a word. I resist the urge to shift in my seat. I’ve never inflicted pain on myself willingly. I am determined to get through this as bravely as possible. Linc rubs the blade clean and then turns to me, sorrow in his eyes.

“You ready?” he asks.

I nod and bite my lip. He takes my arm lightly in his hands and turns it over, exposing my forearm. His fingers curl over my wrist. Slowly, he lowers the blade toward my skin. No one speaks. I can hear my own breath, ragged and heavy already. I force it slower, quieter, and stare at the shiny metal in Linc’s hand. It’s so small, slim enough to be innocent looking. But I know it is not. It is deadly. It is pain. I suck in a breath as Linc lowers it and presses lightly against my flesh.