Chapter 40

FORTY

XERO

I charge out of the catamaran, flanked by operatives. Motorcycles at the rear roar to life, preparing Jynxson and his crew to storm the asylum.

Trees whip past as I sprint toward the road where I last saw her. She’s only a hundred feet away, but it may as well be a thousand. Everything blurs into the background. My entire being concentrates on finding Amethyst. My colleagues, the gunshots firing ahead, the forest, until I reach the car barring the way between me and the bus where she’s hiding.

Emerging from the trees, I aim my gun at the car window’s integrated firing slot, squeeze the trigger and release a bullet.

It’s a direct hit. The figure behind the tinted window slumps out of sight. A bullet grazes my shoulder. Hissing, I retreat behind a tree.

The drone attacking the tires flies off toward where the helicopter landed, while the other fires at the driver, stopping him from opening his door. Seconds later, the car races away from the bus, its tires squealing against the asphalt. The drone we left follows closely, trailing the vehicle as it speeds down the road.

There’s no time for me to contemplate whether Father was inside, because I need to reach Amethyst.

I board the bus, scanning the rows of sun-bleached seats. I call out her name, my heart racing, but all I hear is the roar of blood between my ears. I walk down the aisle, checking the spaces between the seats, pausing every few rows to see if she’s curled beneath them in a tiny ball.

She’s hiding somewhere, terrified of getting caught and taken back to that hellish place. My gaze darts to another emergency exit. Could she have snuck out through that door and closed it without the notice of the drones? It’s possible.

“Amethyst,” I say, my voice hoarse. “Are you there, little ghost?”

She shifts, giving me a glimpse of a bandaged limb. My heart lurches, anger mixing with fear. What the hell did they do to her? Crouching, I feel beneath the seat at the back.

Her sweet voice reaches me from the rear of the deserted bus, making my knees buckle under a wave of relief. The tight bands of anxiety constricting my chest dissolve with an exhale, and my muscles finally relax.

She’s alive.

I step back, giving her space to crawl out from her hiding spot. She’s pale, her eyes bloodshot. Her hair is a tangled mess of leaves and twigs and curls. Plant particles cling to the bandages encasing her legs, making me wonder once again what the hell they did to her at the asylum.

“She’s in there?” an operative asks from outside.

“Affirmative,” I reply, my heart swelling so much it’s about to burst.

I move towards Amethyst, my steps hesitant. On instinct, my arms reach to pull her close, but the look in her eyes makes me pause. Her gaze is empty, unseeing, seemingly lost in terror.

“Amethyst?” I pull back my arms.

Will the touch of a man dredge up her trauma? I don’t want to make her condition worse. My breath hitches when her eyes flicker with recognition, then stills as her pretty features twist with hatred.

She charges like a wild animal, her eyes crazed, her fingers curling into claws. I step forward, my hands reaching for her wrists as she releases a primal scream.

“Amethyst!” I yell. “It’s me. It’s Xero.”

She’s so immersed in the nightmare that she can’t see that I’m not her enemy. Sobs tear from her chest, loud and guttural, each one ripping my heartstrings.

Her punches barely register, but the intention behind them stings. Is this temporary, or have I lost my little ghost to insanity?

Fingers closing around her wrists, I turn her around and pull her into my chest. She struggles against the bear hug, her movements becoming more frantic. With a sudden burst of strength, she throws back her head, hitting my nose with a sharp jerk.

Pain explodes through my skull as she kicks and thrashes to break free. I tighten my grip, blinking away a wave of dizziness.

Growling, she bites at my arms like a rabid animal. Blood trickles down my nose, but I shake it off and hold on tight, refusing to let her go. No matter what happens, I will never allow her out of my sight.

“Fuck, little ghost. You’re safe!” I yell over her shrieks.

But it’s no use. The last time she switched to berserker mode, I had to restrain her to the bed. This time, tying her up might shatter her mind beyond repair.

Her body convulses against mine as if my touch burns. The screams magnify, becoming more panicked and desperate. Her heart thrashes against my chest like a trapped animal, erratic and violent.

“Xero?” the operative at the back door yells over her screams. “Need help?”

“Stand back,” I grit out and carry her kicking, screaming, and thrashing body out of the bus and onto the road.

Cold fear flushes through my veins, and my mind dredges up everything Jynxson said about her being a sleeper agent. As I stumble into the trees with her, I can’t help but wonder if this is why her mother kept her drugged.

The Lolitas from our facility were never so volatile, but we only saw them for a short time. Whatever drugs they dosed her with must have changed her temperament, making her a possible time bomb.

I trudge through the forest, her wailing making the birds take flight. We reach the edge of the bank, and her screams drown out the crashing waves. I carry her across the ramp leading to our catamaran.

Her gut-wrenching screeches startle the skeleton crew, who stare at her through wide eyes as I take her into the vessel’s interior, where her cries echo through the hallways.

“It’s me, Amethyst.” My voice breaks. “You’re safe.”

A door bursts open, and Isabel rushes out with a syringe. “Bring her here.”

I hesitate, my arms still wrapped around her struggling form. “What’s in that?”

“A sedative.” Her face hardens the way it does when she’s ready for a fight.

My mind races. “Won’t it react with whatever they gave her at the asylum?”

Before my sister can even reply, urgent footsteps charge behind us and an operative bursts into view. “Explosion at the asylum. Two men down!”

My stomach drops like an anchor.

Jynxson.