Indestructible Read online

  “I guess not,” she said. “I mean, you planned far enough ahead to know you needed a second car. And you’ve got this cabin all set up like a bunker. It’s like your fortress of solitude.”

  “This computer signal bounces all over the world. Nobody can track it.”

  He started his Internet queries with the eight-pointed star. Thousands of entries were listed, including a rock band and a cult that claimed to be from the Horse Nebula. He narrowed his search with key words, like South Dakota and experimental research.

  What would it be like to find other people with his abilities? Drew had a strong competitive streak, and he knew it would be hard to decide who was in charge.

  He typed in the name Sykes.

  The image that appeared matched exactly with the eight-pointed star he remembered. He followed it to a Web site.

  “This looks promising,” Melinda said.

  Drew hardly dared to hope. He clicked on the contact button and typed in an innocuous comment about wanting information on experimental research near Lead, South Dakota, ten to fifteen years ago.

  The response was immediate—My name is Jack Maddox. Welcome.

  Drew typed, Do you know me?

  You’re like me. You were a subject in an experiment you never agreed to. As a result, you developed an extraordinary ability. I’ve been expecting to hear from you.

  Drew typed, Why?

  My ability is pre-cog. I see things before they happen.

  “I’ll be damned,” Drew murmured. It hadn’t occurred to him that the experiments might produce different effects.

  “Pre-cog,” Melinda said. “That’s so cool.”

  This communication will be virally destroyed within one minute after we disconnect. Turn off your computer so you won’t be affected. We need to meet.

  Drew typed, Is this site safe?

  But Drew wanted proof that this wasn’t a ploy to lure him into the open. He wrote three words on a piece of paper, then typed in his response. Since you’re pre-cog, you must know that I need a password or phrase before I trust you.

  After a brief pause, three words appeared on the computer screen—The Little Prince.

  It was a match to what he’d written. Drew arranged the meeting for seven o’clock in Rapid City at Brewster’s Pub.

  SINCE RAPID CITY was only an hour and a half away, they didn’t have to depart until much later that afternoon. Melinda convinced Drew to step outside the fortress of solitude and take a hike.

  Last night’s loving had invigorated her. She kept herself in pretty good shape with regular jogging and walking to work whenever the weather permitted, but she’d never felt so strong and vital. Her legs were so springy that she could hardly keep her sneakers on the ground as she bounded up the rocky slope.

  Maybe this sense of intense well-being came from being pregnant. Most women complained of morning sickness, and her stomach had occasionally roiled. But she hadn’t thrown up.

  She paused at the top of a rise above the cabin and leaned against a tree. Drew stood beside her. His gaze never rested. Endlessly, he searched the trees and granite rocks. She wondered if he was worried about meeting tonight with Jack.

  “I have a question, Drew. Why didn’t you arrange for Jack to come here to the cabin?”

  “This is my safe place. I spent a lot of time and money finding this cabin, refurbishing it and setting up security. Nobody gets to know the location.”

  “But Jack is like you. He was experimented on.”

  “I’m not so sure.”

  She understood how difficult it was for him to trust anyone, but Jack had proved his pre-cog ability by naming The Little Prince. What a remarkable skill that was! “I can’t wait to meet him. And there must be others. I wonder what their abilities are.”

  “Hold on.” He took her arm and turned her to face him. “I’m not taking you into that meeting. It could be a trap.”

  “But it’s not safe to split up.” If that dangerous man with the shaved head came after her, she didn’t know what she’d do. “You’re my protector.”

  He grinned. “You make it sound like I’m a knight in shining armor.”

  “It’s not that I’m helpless.” Melinda would never cast herself as a damsel in distress. “But I know my limits. I’ve fired weapons before, but I’m not a sharpshooter. And I don’t think I can outrun a motorcycle.”

  “That motorcycle is dead,” he said with grim satisfaction. “I clipped it pretty good when we were making our escape.”

  She remembered that moment. “It looked like you were going to run that guy down.”

  “I would have.”

  When he started climbing again, he made hiking up a steep incline look easy. Though she didn’t want to think of Drew as a killer, she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to fight back with whatever it took. He was a soldier in a private war, fighting for his own survival. And hers. And that of their baby.

  An edge of danger cut through the sunlit day. She couldn’t pretend that everything was all right. That Web site proved Drew’s theories.

  At the top of the last rise, she climbed up beside him onto a granite cliff. Though they were less than a mile away from the cabin, his hideout was invisible in this thickly forested landscape. The granite ledge where they stood was as high as the treetops.

  In the distance, higher mountains loomed. The pristine white snow drizzled over the peaks like marshmallow cream on chocolate ice cream. Was she hungry again? While they were in Rapid City, she hoped they could pick up groceries to supplement their food supplies.

  Drew pointed to a jutting rock formation on the opposite hill. “That’s called the Elephant, excellent for rock climbing.”

  “Have you ever climbed it?”

  “A couple of times.”

  Of course he’d be a rock climber. She considered that to be a dangerous sport, hanging from precipitous ledges from minuscule fissures and handholds. Most climbers used belaying ropes and followed safety procedures, but she figured that Drew would just set out with no fear of falling.

  She stepped closer to the edge to get a better look at the rock shaped like an elephant. Her sneaker caught on a loose bit of granite. She slipped. Her feet went out from under her. Before she could catch herself, she was falling, sliding over the edge while she clawed desperately, trying to save herself.

  Chapter Eleven

  As soon as he saw what was happening, Drew made a dive toward her. He grabbed for her hand. Their fingers barely touched.

  With a frantic yelp, Melinda slipped over the edge.

  He heard a thud. Then everything went silent.

  He should have kept a closer watch on her, should have held her hand while they climbed. Damn it, they should have stayed inside the cabin where she’d be safe.

  He heard a groan.

  “Melinda?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Don’t move. I’m coming for you.”

  He could have gone the long way around and climbed safely through the forest, but he wanted to reach her as quickly as possible. With a downward glance, he assessed the face of the granite rock wall to figure the most direct descent. He swung his legs over the edge. Though he wasn’t wearing his rock-climbing boots, his toe found a crack in the surface that was strong enough to hold his weight. He braced himself with handholds. He spied another grip and lowered himself. His muscles strained. His bulky leather jacket wasn’t the best outfit for rock climbing. He found another hold. Looking down, he saw it was only four more feet to the ground. Pushing away from the rock, he dropped.

  In seconds, he was beside her. She was already sitting up. “I’m okay,” she said.

  “Are you feeling any pain?”

  “Gosh, Drew, what do you think?”

  “Sarcasm,” he said. “That’s a good sign.”

  His unspoken fear was not only for her but for the fetus she carried. Even a relatively minor fall could do irreparable damage. “How did you land?”

  “On my feet, then I fell onto
my butt.” She forced a brave smile. “At first, I couldn’t catch my breath. I guess I knocked the wind out of my lungs.”

  He felt along her legs and pushed up her jeans to examine her ankles. He squeezed the joint. “Does this hurt?”

  “Not a bit.” She held up her hands. “I think this is the worst of it.”

  Both palms were badly abraded, oozing blood and streaked with dirt. Not serious injuries unless they got infected. He needed to get her back to the cabin so he could wash her wounds. Soap and water would have to be enough. He didn’t own a first-aid kit and had no idea how to treat another person’s injury.

  He slipped one arm under her knees and wrapped the other around her upper body. “I’ll carry you back to the cabin so we can get you cleaned up.”

  “Don’t be silly. I can walk.”

  He lifted her off the ground. “You don’t need to strain yourself.”

  But she wriggled until he let her legs drop to the ground. Though she leaned against him for a moment, she quickly stood on her own. She seemed steady enough.

  “Listen up, Drew. I’m not a fragile little creature. If we’re going to get out of this mess in one piece, you need to know that I’m not helpless.”

  But she could be hurt. And so could their child. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and rested his other hand on her belly. “Are you sure everything is all right?”

  Her sharp intake of breath sounded like the beginning of a sob. Damn it, had he said something wrong?

  She rested her injured hand atop his. “You’re thinking about our child.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I don’t have a sonogram handy, but…” Her voice faded to stillness, and she looked down at the ground. A tear spilled down her cheek.

  Gently, he wiped away the droplet. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  She gazed up at him. “I’m glad that you’re concerned about the baby. It means a lot to me.”

  She didn’t look glad. Not with her chin wobbling and her eyes leaking. He’d heard that pregnant women were kind of emotional, kind of scary. “If you’re glad, so am I.”

  “The baby was the first thing I thought about when I fell. But I didn’t land on my stomach. And I don’t feel any cramping or anything like that.”

  The fetus was tiny, less than two months old. He knew there was a chance of miscarriage. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Walk with me. It’s all downhill to the cabin.”

  He fell into step beside her, watching over her like a mother hawk with her hatchling. If she stumbled, he would catch her before she hit the ground.

  “We have a problem,” he said. “I don’t have any bandages or antiseptic at the cabin.”

  “Right. Because you don’t get injured.”

  “I never expected anybody else to come here.”

  “Let’s put first-aid supplies on the list of things that we need to get in Rapid City. By the way, I’m most definitely coming with you to the meeting with Jack Maddox.”

  He’d rather have her stay at the cabin, which was a completely secure location. “You’ll be safer here.”

  “Stranded in the forest?” She shook her head. “I don’t like the sound of that. If anybody came after me, I wouldn’t have any means of escape.”

  “I could leave the Range Rover here for you.”

  “How would you get there?” she asked. “Please don’t tell me that you can fly.”

  “Wish I could, but no. I have a Harley in the garage. I’ll ride the bike into Rapid City and be back here by ten o’clock.”

  “Unless something happens.”

  He didn’t need the dark tone in her voice to remind him of all the things that could go wrong. It was entirely possible that Jack Maddox was working for his enemies. His pre-cog skill proved that he had enhanced abilities, but it said nothing about his loyalty. Meeting with him was a risk.

  By the time they reached the cabin, she seemed to have regained the spring in her step. He took her directly to the bathroom so he could clean up her wounds.

  “Sit.” He pointed to the closed toilet seat.

  “Actually, I think I’d be better off handling this by myself. Let me wash off my hands. They don’t really hurt too much. There’s just a sting.”

  He turned on the water, adjusted the temperature and hovered over her as she carefully rinsed away the blood and dirt. The skin on the back of her hands was pink and clean. When she turned them over…

  She’d healed. The scrapes and scratches had completely disappeared. She held them up in front of her eyes. “I guess I wasn’t hurt.”

  He’d seen the abrasions. The scrapes were bad enough that he’d been worried. “You were injured. Not deep gashes, but scrapes. The skin was broken.”

  She stared at her palms, flexed her fingers. Under her breath, she muttered, “This isn’t right.”

  Her healing process was exactly the same as his. “You mentioned a stinging sensation.”

  “It’s gone. Doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  Standing behind her, he held her shoulders. “Do you have a headache?”

  Dumbly, she nodded.

  “It’ll fade,” he assured her. “You might need a short nap.”

  Her hands rose to cover her mouth as if to hold back a scream. Her eyes squeezed shut. He could feel the tension in her body. And the fear.

  “How?” she demanded. “How could this happen?”

  His ability had transferred to her. They were part of each other. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear. “It’s the baby. My DNA is part of your body. You have my abilities.”

  And that changed everything.

  MELINDA STUMBLED to the mattress and collapsed onto the sleeping bags. Drew lay beside her, cradling her against his warm chest. Though she didn’t want to sleep, her heartbeat slowed, and her body sank into a state of quiet recuperation.

  In what seemed like two minutes, she jolted awake. “How long have I been out?”

  “A little over half an hour.” Drew sat in front of the computer.

  On the screen, she saw some kind of car race. “You’re watching sports?”

  “I didn’t know how long you’d be asleep, and I—”

  “My whole life just turned upside down, and you’re catching up on NASCAR. Typical male.”

  She rose from the bed and stalked across the room to the window. Raising her hand, she studied the smooth skin on her palm. No sign of a scar. Not even redness.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  Her sense of physical well-being had returned. “Fine.”

  The baby had healed her. It didn’t seem biologically possible, but she couldn’t dispute the evidence. No wonder she didn’t have morning sickness. All along, the baby had been taking care of her. If she’d been more alert, she would have noticed the changes before now.

  Her first clue should have been when she didn’t need her glasses. Her eyesight had improved, thanks to the regenerative quality of Drew’s DNA that was now flowing through her blood. And her bruises after she’d been attacked in her apartment had vanished overnight. Another big, fat clue that she’d ignored.

  She had to face the fact that she was as indestructible as Drew himself.

  And she should have been happy. Who wouldn’t be thrilled to know they had special abilities? Me, that’s who. Having this miraculous power was unsettling.

  When Drew told her about his self-healing abilities, she hadn’t understood the implications. Being different didn’t seem like such a bad thing, especially since the trade-off meant that he could take any risk and heal himself. But I don’t want to be different.

  She’d spent her whole life fitting in with everybody else. Though she didn’t particularly value conformity, she appreciated the security. It was good to be accepted. To be a nice person, friendly and practical. People were comfortable around her.

  That normal lifestyle was gone forever. Never again would her life be an open book. She had a secret ability t
hat she couldn’t share with anyone, except Drew.

  “I can’t tell anyone.”

  “Probably not a good idea,” he said.

  But she’d always told her family everything. They shared triumphs and disasters. “My mom will know. I’ve never been able to keep secrets from her.”

  “Never? Have you told her about me? About the baby?”

  “Not yet. But I would have.”

  Clearly, the baby had inherited Drew’s genetic makeup. Raising a child that could self-heal was, in many ways, a relief. She wouldn’t have the same fears as other mothers.

  At the same time, she had to make sure no one found out. Or else her baby would be experimented on. She would never let that happen. No matter what it took, she’d keep this secret.

  “If your enemies find out about the baby,” she said, “they’ll want to take him—”

  “Or her,” Drew said. “Could be a girl.”

  “I know that.” She whipped around to face him. “It’s a good thing I have this ability because I’ll fight to the death to keep them away from my baby.”

  “Our baby.” He rose from the computer and came toward her. “We’ll go somewhere far away, somewhere they can’t find us.”

  “But I want our baby to have a fun childhood. To play with other kids. To know my parents and my sisters.” She stepped into his embrace. “All of a sudden, going back to Sioux Falls and working at the library seems like the greatest life in the world.”

  He gently stroked her back. “If that’s what you want, we can make that happen.”

  She realized that he’d said they could make it happen. “We” can. As in both of them. Did that mean he’d stay with her? On what basis?

  Last night, she’d been subconsciously hoping that he’d drop to one knee and propose. Now, she wasn’t so sure.

  Her hands drew into fists. She didn’t know what she wanted. “Is it selfish to keep this a secret? The regenerative properties in your blood might be able to heal others.”

  “I’ve thought about that,” he said. “If our privacy could be protected, we might be able to do some good.”

  There was that word again. We. Whether she liked it or not, they were bonded. “What about the baby?”