Rinse [manxman]

Chapter Fourteen

When we reached the safe house, it was pitch-black. There were no stars, no moon. Even the wind had died down, and the crickets and cicadas had gone in because of the harsh winter chill. Wyatt had a thick coat on over his plaid button-up and khakis, while I had on a leather jacket with a thick, black turtleneck, black jeans, and a pair of leather boots. Even so, we were both still walking quickly, teeth chattering from the cold.

It was a short walk from the spot where we'd arrived to the door of the small cabin. As soon as we stepped up to the entrance, I saw a series of locks running along either side of the door. Wyatt ran his hands along each side, causing the locks to fall off. He pushed the door open and went in. I followed, watching as he replaced the locks, and then went to the back wall of the one-room house.

One of the wooden panels slid back easily, glowing faint red where Wyatt's hand had been. The panel exposed a wall of computers, wires, and various codes running along the screens. As if he had done it numerous times before, Wyatt brought up a small hologram from the center computer. A red glow surrounded the blank screen before a name flashed across it, and a low voice emanated from the speakers deeper in the panel.

"It is good to see you Dr. Brenner and Agent Sabriel," Varik said. "Before you enter, you need to verify your identities. Dr. Brenner, please input your security code." The hologram expanded to display a small keypad.

Wyatt's fingers danced over it, and it disappeared.

"Thank you, Dr. Brenner. Agent Sabriel, do you mind submitting to a retinal scan?"

"It's no trouble," I said, stepping forward to the hologram, widening my eyes so Varik's scanners could get a read on me.

The panel slid closed, only for another one to open, revealing an elevator on the left wall. We walked over to it and stepped inside. Wyatt pressed the button for the first level and leaned back against the silver railing.

"Are you nervous?" he asked.

"A little." All of the scars were covered, by either clothing or magic, but my stomach still rolled. What if they knew? I walked in and they just figured it out, knew exactly what had happened. They would see me how the Qizadian soldiers saw me: a blood bag, an object, nothing more and worthless. "Are you?"

Wyatt nodded. "I don't want to hurt him."

"And I don't want to hurt my pride."

"I'm going to help you with that."

"And I said that I would help you, didn't I?"

"Yes," Wyatt sighed.

"Neither of us are completely alone, then." The elevator doors opened. "Let's go."

Wyatt stepped out first. The doors closed silently behind us, leaving us in a simple beige room with sofas and chairs scattered across the hardwood floor. A few voices came from another room, but they were getting closer. Wyatt and I glanced at one another. A hint of panic flared through Wyatt's dark eyes, and I felt certain mine did the same.

I glanced back, toward the origin of the noise. My heart pounded. The scars burned. They would know. That was the last time I would get to see them. They wouldn't want me around anymore. Dakota wouldn't want me anywhere near him, anywhere near his children. They would push me away.

A crowd spilled from the hallway, Lebeaux leading them. Holly, Bly, Katya, Luca, and Elizabeth followed. They swarmed us, questions flying through the air as well as relief and excitement and more emotions than I could possibly catalogue.

Four faces were missing, though.

Three of them made sense, it was past their bedtime, but the other one... not so much.