Avenged (Altered #2)(5)

Fast, he thought to her. We need to move. Try to keep up. Even his mental tone was bossy.

She nodded. As he set off down the hall, and she followed as close as she could, she couldn’t help scowling at his back.

She’d only met Nick once. They’d had one conversation, when he’d tried to warn her away from his roommate, Jeremy. She’d taken offense. After spending her entire life under her parents’ thumb, she hated being told what to do. His little chat had been the last straw. She could manage herself. She’d told him as much.

Turned out, she hadn’t managed herself well after all.

His roommate, Jeremy, had turned her over to Goldstone, the company that had funded Fields’s research. Dr. Fields had stolen her back. She ended up here because she trusted Jeremy.

No, she ended up here because she trusted herself.

No time for that. For now, she and Nick could work together. They wanted the same thing: to get out of here.

They passed the guard, slumped over at his desk. Nick fingered his pocket, thinking about the tranquilizer gun there. Poor Leon had met the wrong end of that weapon.

He peeked around the corner before gesturing her to follow. They hurried into the empty hallway, his eyes scanning ahead, hers watching behind, all while listening around them.

They made it past three doors before she heard the guards in her head, coming toward them.

She tugged on Nick’s sleeve, and he stopped, his brow furrowed in a question. She pointed ahead of them and held up two fingers. Times like this she wished everyone could hear thoughts like her.

That’s when the sound of the guards’ voices carried to them.

Nick’s eyes flared in understanding. Before she saw him move, Nick yanked her into the nearest open door.

A moment later, she was backed up against a wall of shelves stacked with linens. She barely registered where she was—a closet, maybe—before Nick pressed against her. They touched from knee to chest, miles of male body pushed against hers. He anchored an arm on each side of her head.

Her damn orange jumpsuit is too bright. He shifted closer, curving himself around her, doing his best to hide her.

He was taller than she was, by at least six inches, and covered in acres of muscle. He didn’t only conceal her; he swallowed her up.

It wasn’t an embrace. Not that she knew much about embraces from men. But embraces were full of emotion, weren’t they? They meant something—attraction or affection. This wasn’t even a hug. Mostly, he created a cocoon around her. A shield. But it was the first real physical contact she’d had with anyone in months. Maybe longer.

The men in the hall passed. Their voices drifted in the open door. “He fell asleep, I bet. Not the first time. Leon…that dude’s going to get himself fired.”

The other guy snorted. “How hard is it to do that job? You sit there, read a magazine, and stay awake. Not hard.”

“Yeah, man. What a loser.”

They chuckled, maligning poor unconscious Leon further as they trudged down the hall.

Nick stayed where he was, though, after their voices faded. Kitty’s eyes flickered around the room, at the metal shelving, the tidy rows of toiletries. Anywhere but at the expanse of warm male body in front of her.

“They’re gone.” Her voice sounded breathy, like she’d been running or something.

He dropped his head. “Yeah. I was listening for more.” His lips were next to her cheek, close enough that his response floated over her skin, making gooseflesh lift on her neck.

It was too much. He was big, completely overwhelming. “You don’t have to listen. I can hear everything. Remember?” She turned her head, trying to meet his gaze.

Except the shift brought his mouth closer to hers. She hadn’t noticed he had such full lips the last time they met. When her eyes met his, he was searching her face.

Her eyes are pale. Really pale. He seemed surprised. She glanced away.

What was going on? She pressed her palms against his chest. “We need to go. They’re going to figure out that Leon’s tranked in a second.”

“Right.” He pushed away from her, shaking his head a little. What’s the matter with me? Focus, Degrassi. “Is there anyone else around?”

She checked. “No. We’re clear.”

“Follow me.”

She caught his sleeve. “No. You follow me.” She tapped her temple. “I’m better at this than you are.”

That made him scowl. Nick Degrassi didn’t like to be any less than the best. As it had been a long time since she had felt like she was better than anyone at anything, she smiled.

“Then let’s go.” He swept his arm ahead of him, as if ushering her out of the closet. “After you.”

Still smiling, she saluted. But, approaching the door, she paused.

She didn’t hear anyone. No one was nearby, yet she hesitated. She’d never been in charge. Not of anything. She’d never even been asked to choose a team in gym class. What if she did it wrong?

She shook her head. It had to be her. She was the right choice to go first. Time to get on with it, because the guards would be after them soon.

She squared her shoulders, checked again for anyone nearby. It was nighttime, so most of the people who lived at the complex were in their barracks, located in the adjacent building. The hallway was empty, and she only sensed three other people, a hallway away.