Deviation (Clone Chronicles #2)(74)

Linc roars and closes the distance.

His hand closes over Taylor’s wrist. He yanks upward and the gun fires a third time, blasting a hole in the ceiling above us. Small chunks of sheetrock rain down. Taylor screams but I can’t see why before Alton wheels me around, almost sending me to the ground as he pushes me back toward the row of cells.

Linc is somewhere behind me with Taylor and Emile. No more shots have been fired but I can’t decipher the grunts coming from their direction. My adrenaline is so thick, it’s a taste in my mouth.

Alton stops me in front of a closed door across from Daniel’s cell. It’s the same room Titus tried to force me into that first time I came down here. I didn’t go then and I refuse to be put there now. Alton adjusts his grip, freeing a hand and dipping it into his pocket.

It’s my only opening.

I wrench an arm free of his grasp and ram my elbow into his ribs as hard as I can. He grunts and his grip loosens. It’s not enough to free myself from him. I’m stuck between his body and the heavy door. I bring my elbow back again but he’s ready and blocks me. He reaches for me again but I spin around to face him. I’m close enough to feel his breath on my face and instead of twisting away like I know he expects, I lean forward. My arms come up, wrapping him in a hug. I can feel his confusion and hope it’s enough of an advantage.

When my mouth is close enough, I sink my teeth into the tender skin where his neck and shoulder meet. He lets out a yell and wrenches free. A piece of flesh comes loose, and I spit it out along with a mouthful of blood.

Alton glowers at me. “You,” he spats, “will pay for that.”

I am too overcome with determination to be afraid. I have to get to Linc. And Daniel. We have to get out. A sharp pain pierces my arm. I look down and find a small hole in my forearm welling with blood. It stings for a moment and then the pain ebbs. Blood pools before running down and dripping onto my dress.

I look up and find Alton watching me expectantly, a needle dangling from his hand. His smile falters. From the bite wound I’ve given him, a red trail of blood leaks down his shoulder and stains his crisp white shirt. His eyes are glassy as he watches me with malicious certainty that is turning quickly to disappointment. “What the hell?” he mutters.

There’s no time to understand.

I barrel forward and bring my head down, smashing into his gut with all my weight. He rocks back and, for a moment, I think he’ll recover, push me aside. But then he teeters back and gravity takes over. We tumble to the floor. I land on top of him and feel the breath whoosh from his lungs.

His hands reach for me but he can’t quite grab hold. He’s too busy gasping for air. I rise up and smash my elbow into his nose, a move Lonnie helped me perfect. I am rewarded with a soft crack and then a steady streaming of blood from both nostrils. Alton chokes and blinks. He tries to buck me off but I hold fistfuls of his shirt in my hands. I have to make this count.

I know from my self-defense lessons he will recover in a moment. And no amount of pain I’ve inflicted will make up for the fact that he weighs more than twice what I do.

Gritting my teeth against my own revulsion, I jam my fingers into his eye and shove. I feel the soft give of flesh and push again. Alton cries out, his yell turning to a curdling scream. He bucks wildly and I go tumbling sideways.

I scramble to my feet. His hand over one eye, Alton does the same. His good eye glares at me with a force of hatred I can feel. “I don’t care what he said. You’re dead.” White liquid oozes from beneath his covered eye. He makes it two steps when a shot rings out.

Alton lurches sideways, his feet taking a second too long to catch up to his body. He stumbles and then slumps to the floor in a crooked heap. His arm lies awkwardly beside him and his eyes are fastened open, unblinking. A trail of blood leaks from the one I injured.

I look up and find Linc holding Taylor’s gun, his expression so deadly my feet don’t immediately move toward him. Taylor lies motionless at his feet. Her blond hair is splayed out around her pretty head like a silky fan.

“Ven?” Linc drops his arm and tucks the gun into the back of his pants. “Are you all right?”

As soon as the gun vanishes, I blink free of my hesitation. With a cry, I rush to Linc and let him scoop me up in his arms. “I thought you were gone,” I say against his shoulder.

“Not a chance. I told you I’d come back for you.” He buries his face in my hair for a split second before releasing me and pulling me toward Daniel’s cell. He reaches into his pocket and produces a key card, swiping it over the card reader on the wall. The green light flashes. Linc shoves open the door.

Daniel’s already dressed and waiting. “What the hell took you so long?” he says, sliding out the door and into the hall.

Linc growls. “Let’s get out of here,” he says. He grabs my hand and stops when he catches sight of my arm. “You’re bleeding again.”

I glance down and am momentarily startled by the amount of blood smeared over my arm and wrist. I wipe some of it away and then wish I hadn’t. It covers my hand. Hastily, I wipe it on my dress. “I’m fine. It looks worse than it is. See?” I hold it out for him to inspect the small hole that’s producing such a mess. “It doesn’t even hurt.”

I still don’t understand Alton’s intention with the needle but I feel fine other than the ache in my arm where it penetrated and the sting from the wound where my GPS was.