Part 14 (2/2)

The moment the pain pa.s.sed, Leah pushed herself to her feet and ran for John's door. When she got to it, a sick feeling ran through her. Although he was still standing at the window, watching everything, his face was drawn and pale, and a heavy sheen of sweat covered his skin. Worse, a heavy bilious green glow covered him, a glow she knew no one else could see.

The poison's kicking in. Not much time left. ”Hang on!” she shouted.

She grabbed the k.n.o.b but it wouldn't move. Her fear kicked up another notch. It wasn't fair! She was there to save him, but couldn't get in.

John banged on the gla.s.s and pointed past her.

Leah turned and looked. All she saw were dead bodies and a couple of the stranger's men helping him to his feet. Then it hit her.

One of the dead guards had to have the keys.

Leah dropped to the floor and tore through the dead guards' pockets until she located the keys. It took her three tries to find the right key, and even then her hands shook so bad she had trouble inserting the key and turning it. As soon as she unlocked the door, John pushed it open and stumbled out. He went to put his arms around her, and instead ended up clutching at her shoulders as his legs gave out underneath him.

Staggering under his weight, Leah did her best to lower him to the floor without dropping him. He tried to speak, but she put a finger to his lips. ”Quiet. You'll be better in a minute.”

She focused on John's pallid face, thinking only of Curing him. The moment she put her hands on his cheeks, the pain of the Cure hit her like a heavy fist to the stomach. She cried out and nearly fell over. At the same time, John's body convulsed so hard his shoulders and head left the floor and then crashed down again. Nausea filled Leah's body, and she barely managed to turn her head before her coffee came up in violent fas.h.i.+on. Before she could regain her breath, a second round of vomit exploded out.

After her spasms subsided, she found the nausea had faded to a manageable level. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and turned back to John, just in time to find him pus.h.i.+ng himself to a sitting position.

”Thank G.o.d you're all right!” She wanted to throw her arms around him, cradle her head against his chest, but she knew better than to touch him.

It never occurred to her that she'd already touched him after Curing the gunman, and nothing had happened.

”No, thank you. Again.” His voice sounded weak, but the green glow had disappeared and color was already returning to his face. ”What about you? Are you okay?”

”I'll be fine. I'm just a little shaky.” She stood up. ”We should get out of here before Tal's men come back.”

”Sorry, you folks aren't going anywhere.”

Leah turned, saw the mousy-haired man and one of his men standing nearby, both with guns in their hands. She silently kicked herself; in her frantic hurry to cure John, she'd forgotten about the men who'd tried to kidnap her.

The mousy-haired man's companion stepped forward and took Leah by the arm. ”Let's go, little lady.”

Before she realized what was happening, the Power surged up inside her, begging for release. Leah grabbed the man's hand and let the sickness flow out of her. This time the electric shock of the transfer was even worse, wrenching a scream of pain from her that the armed man echoed as they both fell to the floor.

”What the...?” For a moment, the mousy-haired man just stood there, his eyes wide, as blood exploded from his partner's leg and vomit spewed from his mouth. But the man's surprise didn't last long. He brought his gun up and around, his expression already changing from shock to anger.

And found John kneeling on the floor, pointing a gun back at him.

”Drop it,” John said, his voice no longer weak.

The man's hand twitched ever so slightly, just enough to point the gun at Leah, who was still trying to sit up. ”I'll kill her.”

Instead of answering, John pulled the trigger. The sound of the gun drowned out the man's cry, but Leah saw the effects as the man dropped his gun and clutched his arm.

”Next time it'll be in the chest.” John's hand stayed perfectly still as he spoke. ”You've got five seconds to get the h.e.l.l out of here and never come near us again. One...two...”

Before John reached three, the mousy-haired man turned and ran for the loading-dock door. The moment the door closed, John pulled Leah to her feet. ”Let's get out of here before anyone else shows up.”

”Why didn't you kill him?” Leah asked as they stepped around the bodies and headed for the door. ”He would have killed both of us.”

”If I'd thought that, he'd be dead right now. But he was bluffing.”

”How could you know that?”

John opened the door an inch, peered outside. ”Because you're no use to them dead, and you're no use to them if I'm dead. C'mon, it's clear.”

They stepped out onto the loading dock and Leah saw the van was gone. ”What do we do now?”

With a tired smile, John pointed at the stairs. ”First, we start walking. As soon as we find a phone, we'll get ourselves a ride, and we'll do what you should have done in the first place.”

”And that is?”

He gave her a look that was part joking and part serious. ”Get the police involved. All of this could have been prevented if you'd just told me the whole story from the beginning.”

Leah shook her head. ”It would've meant telling the whole world about my secret. I couldn't do that. I still can't. If Tal or those other people get caught, their testimonies, the films, it'll all end up as evidence and get made public.”

John took her hand as they walked across the loading-dock parking lot. ”Maybe, maybe not. The important thing is that you'll still be alive, and the people who're after you will be behind bars.”

”You really think that would be the end of it? Look how much trouble I've caused with only a few people knowing. Now imagine if the whole world knew. How many people would be after me then? How many governments? I'd never be safe.”

Leah pulled her hand away and rubbed tears from her eyes. He doesn't understand. He can't; no one can. I'd rather be dead than live my life on the run or like a lab animal.

”Leah, I-”

The sound of squealing tires interrupted John as a police car tore around the corner, lights flas.h.i.+ng, and then skidded to a stop at the end of the lot. Two Hispanic officers, both of them in plain clothes and NYPD windbreakers, opened their doors and waved. The driver called to them.

”Hurry up, you two. Nova's men are on the way and we want you out of here before the shooting starts. Rapido!”

John waved back and then took Leah's hand again. ”Let's go. For once, it looks like something's going our way.”

Following John, Leah had to admit the sight of the police car was an unexpected comfort. Then thoughts of her secret getting out to the world returned.

We're safe now. But for how long?

Chapter Twenty-Two.

Emilio Suarez shut the back door of the police cruiser and silently congratulated himself. He'd come up with the idea for stealing the car after learning that Nova had kidnapped the lady vet's boyfriend, who was a local cop in her hometown.

Who's a cop gonna trust, no questions asked? A fellow cop! he'd thought, and, sure enough, the cabrn had gotten right into the car, smiling and saying thank you all the while. At least the lady had the brains to look nervous, even though she'd followed her boyfriend like a dog on a leash.

As soon as Emilio climbed into the front pa.s.senger seat and shut his door, Hector Reyes, the man Emilio had chosen as his driver, put the car in gear and headed away from the warehouse as fast as possible.

<script>