Rising smoke was already visible from afar when we hit the hilly way up to the southern entrance of the compound. My heart sank when we came to a halt directly in front of a gaping hole in the ground.
“Jesus,” Chris mumbled as we took in the destruction.
Concrete, stone, and metal were scattered everywhere, some surfaces blotted with bloodstains. Chris pressed a hand to his mouth when both our eyes fell on the same thing—a severed arm crushed under a rock—bone and sinew visible. The fingernails were painted with nail polish. A woman’s arm. Kim or Patricia…
Grief filled me, clawing at my heart. I’d seen my fair share of torn body parts in battles, but no matter how often you see it, it always strikes you dead center.
Ian was still in his massive Shifter form and lifted heavy rocks to free the entrance. Gathering from the greenish tint on his face, he was having a hard time not to throw up. I couldn’t blame him.
Slapping Chris on his shoulder, I indicated to get going. He nodded before we both stepped out of the car, the scent of burned flesh hitting us. Cole jogged toward us, his clothes dirty with blood and dust.
“The others?” I wanted to know as soon as he was in hearing range.
“I told them to stay inside. There’s no exiting through here, anyway,” he added with a nod to the tunnel in ruins. “Lauren is taking care of Scott and Sarah.”
“Good.” My jaw hardened as I asked in a less steady voice, “Haylie?”
Cole gave me a pitiful look, slowly shaking his head. I nodded, my eyes finding the ground before I lifted my head again, taking in the destruction. Tamara wore a nose clip as she helped Ian to get rid of the mess. Understandable. A Tracer would certainly go insane smelling the scent of burned body parts.
“You should join the others and make sure they’re okay. I’ve got this,” Chris said as he tore off a strip of his T-shirt to wrap it around his injured knee. I nodded and sprinted off, crossing the cemetery to enter the compound through the northern wing.
When I rushed into the control room, Scott sat in a chair, his head tilted back, and a handkerchief pressed onto his nose. Sarah hovered over him with her hands on either side of his head as she took care of his injury.
“Dylan,” Lauren exclaimed with audible relief, jumping out of her seat and hurrying toward me. Her eyes were swollen from crying and her hair disheveled from ruffling through it too many times. She crashed into me, hugging me tightly and taking me completely off guard. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whined into my torn shirt.
After the shock wore off, I rested a hand on her head in a comforting gesture. I knew she was as worried about Haylie just as I was. “I’m fine.”
She pulled away, sniffing. “Chris?”
“Outside with the others.” She nodded, hanging her head.
“Ow!” Scott yelled at Sarah, his voice muffled by the handkerchief pressed against his nostrils.
“Uh, shut up. Healing a broken bone is painful. And you want this one to heal properly if you want to keep your ability sharp,” Sarah snapped, and it sounded as if she’d already gotten an earful from Scott.
“Are you two okay?” I asked.
Sarah slapped Scott’s hand away to get a better view of his nose, checking it from every angle before facing me. Her eyes were bleary, most likely the after-effects from the narcotic.
“Sure. Just made a face-plant that broke my nose and took a nap while the compound blew up,” Scott muttered sarcastically, scrunching his nose to test that it sat correctly. He made a sour face as if disgusted by the smell of blood in his nostrils.
Sarah rolled her eyes, clearly running low on patience with nursing Scott. “Any idea who managed to break into the compound to drug us?”
“No one. But there’s one person missing, isn’t there?” I smacked my lips, watching as Sarah’s eyes grew wide.
“Phil,” she concluded in horror.
“No way,” Scott yelled. Jumping out of his seat, he rushed to the corner where the attacker had used the camera’s blank spot. He sniffed, going over every inch of the wall. “That bastard,” he muttered after a minute. “His scent lingers here.”
“This also explains how the explosives were placed without us noticing,” Sarah mused.
“But what about Cassie?” Lauren interjected, her voice turning darker at saying her name. I, myself, found it difficult to keep my temper in check.
“She was in cahoots with Phil. He used the explosion to draw the guards away from the northern entrance so Cassie could snatch Haylie and escape with her.”
“But why set off a second bomb?”
“The second went off just in time as the other guards arrived at the southern entrance. It was meant to dispose of them. Whoever is behind this wants to see our numbers reduced.” Just like we reduced Dorian’s.
“Do you think it’s more than the two of them behind it?”
“Believe it or not, but this reeks of Dorian.”
“Cassie and Phil are working for Dorian? Please tell me this is a joke.”
I heaved a deep sigh rubbing three fingers over my forehead. “I don’t know. Listen, we need to get things in order quickly. Jimmy gave me the responsibility for now. He’s in the hospital, and Josh and Jared are staying with him. We don’t have enough guards left. This compound isn’t safe anymore. We need to get the students out of here. Could you two inform the parents and see to it that the students leave as soon as possible?” I addressed Lauren and Sarah, who both nodded. “Scott, have a look at Jimmy’s files. He was in contact with other compounds nearby. Make some calls and see if they can spare some Roes for us. And I wouldn’t mind getting one more Regenerator.”
“Why not ask Serena for more?”
“And wait days for her department’s approval?” I shook my head. “We need proper security quickly.” Not that I anticipated another attack soon. They already had what they wanted…
“Understood,” Scott said, turning to Jimmy’s desk and getting to work.
I heaved another sigh as I deflated into my usual seat in front of the monitors and frustratingly raked my hands through my hair. I was fucking tired, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to close an eye before I found her.
Going through the recent footage, I watched what had happened inside the compound over the last few hours. I replayed the recordings a dozen times, but nothing gave me a clue where to start.
How could Cassie have played us like that? How could she have played me like that? I refused to believe that she resented Haylie so much to want her out of the picture like this.
And what about her pregnancy? Wouldn’t it be wise to keep low and put battling on pause for the next few months? Or did she not care if her unborn baby was put in danger? Doubtful. Cassie could be cruel, but she had a good heart when it mattered.
My phone vibrated in my pocket—a text message from Josh. “Surgery went well. Jimmy is okay, he’ll be able to leave in a few days.”
I sighed in relief. At least one good piece of news today.
“I’ve found two compounds nearby that would be willing to help us out,” Scott announced.
“Good. See to it that the guards will be stationed before nightfall,” I ordered before heading to Lisa’s room. I hoped the others had already filled her in on what happened to Jimmy. I didn’t want to be the one to break it to her.
Just as I was about to knock, the door flew open, and Lisa swung herself at me. “Dylan, thank God!”
“I’m fine,” I told her, just as I’d told Lauren, returning her hug and drawing comfort from her soothing aura.
“Not really,” Lisa sadly remarked as she pulled back. “One more ounce of this rage wreaking havoc inside you, and you’re gone for good.”
Of course, she’d feel my turbulent vibrations. I needed to keep it together. This time, Haylie wasn’t around to save me from the Bluster. Actually, she was the only reason I was still on the sane side. If I lost focus, if I lost myself now, I’d lose her.
“I’m trying,” I mumbled in desperation, letting my guard down for a moment. Lisa put a comforting hand on my cheek, giving me a sad smile. “Did the others tell you about Jimmy?”
Her smile faded as she nodded. “How is he?”
I managed to curl my lip slightly. “Surgery went well. You know Jimmy, he won’t let that get to him.”
“Of course not,” she agreed, her smile returning.
“I need to ask you something,” I started in a serious tone. “Haylie told me you didn’t recognize Cassie the other day when you were training. Was it… I mean, did it feel as if it was a different person standing there, or was it just a slight change in her vibes?”
Lisa furrowed her brows, her pale eyes roaming from left to right as if trying to memorize what she’d felt. “It wasn’t just a slight change. Their frequency and color were completely different. More aggressive. Dangerous. Then again, after training hours with Haylie, I assumed my body was just too exhausted to read the vibes properly.”
“Scott smelled something strange about her. When I spoke to her about it, she told me she was pregnant.”
Lisa lifted her brows in surprise. “By whom?”
“No idea. Do you think the change in hormones could have such an effect?”
“I can’t tell you. I’ve never met a pregnant woman up close since I developed my ability. Still, vibes are unique and attached to the person. They don’t change that drastically.”
I remembered Scott saying something similar. “Any idea what might have caused it, then?”
Lisa seemed to contemplate something for a second, her eyes narrowing. “Did you ever consider the possibility that a Shifter was behind it?”
It took me a second to get what she was saying. “What, you think someone shifted to Cassie to get to Haylie?” Lisa shrugged. “No way. Shifters can change their appearance slightly, some more than others, but cloning an existing person is impossible. She had Cassie’s voice. I’ve never heard of a Shifter who can change their vocal chords.”
Lisa shook her head. “You’re right. Sorry, I’m at a loss just as you are.”
I swallowed down my disappointment. “Okay. You can move to Jimmy’s room as long as he’s gone. We’re sending the students home for the time being. There will be just a few of us, so you should feel comfortable. I’d like to have you close by, just in case. If there’s another attack on the compound, it will take too long to reach you at the end of this wing.”
“Sounds about right.”
After my chat with Lisa, I returned to my room. I deliberately averted my eyes as I passed Haylie’s room as I didn’t want to be reminded of the night that resulted in its destruction. Yet, her scent still lingered in my space, and I allowed myself to draw comfort from it for a little while before heading to the bathroom.
Stripping out of my clothes, I stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away blood, dirt, and shame. The high temperature stung my wounds, but I bit down the pain feeling I deserved it.
I stayed in the shower until the water ran cold before stepping out and tending to my injuries. As I cleaned a slash over my hipbone, my mind flashed with a memory of Haylie’s soft hands trailing a path over my stomach, stitching the cut Cole had inflicted with accuracy. As her hands had started to shake, clearly affected by our proximity, I’d been so close just to grabbing her, plopping her onto the basin, and devouring her with a demanding kiss that was long overdue.
Lifting my head, I looked at my reflection in the mirror, taking in the rippling muscles of my torso and bulging upper arms. What use was all this strength if I couldn’t even keep one person alive?
God, Haylie, where the hell did they take you?
With an outcry of rage, my hand shot out on its own accord, my fist connecting with the mirror and shattering it in a heartbeat. I welcomed the sting of pain in my knuckles, but it didn’t ease the pain in my heart as I’d hoped.
Defeated, I headed back to my room, my eyes falling on the picture of Jenna and me, the sight only adding to my sorrow. Next to it lay some sheets of paper. It took me a second to recall they were Haylie’s hospital files we’d taken from Doctor Simmons’ office all that time ago.
Only then it struck me that I’d never had a closer look at them. After Haylie had found out about her ability, I’d forgotten all about them.
Snatching the papers, I read through the file. Most of it was medical jargon I didn’t understand, but a handwritten note attached to the last page caught my attention.
Hydrochloridiumpholene, it said. Not that I knew what it meant as my knowledge of chemistry was next to nonexistent, but I swore I’d read the same term on one of the bottles I’d found in the truck before the explosion hit. I’d just seen a shard where only half of the letters were visible, but I’d bet this was no coincidence.
Fishing out my phone, I googled the term, cursing the damn line for lagging from the bad reception down here. When the hits finally popped up, the first thing the search engine spat out was Natcos Pharmaceuticals—the same company name as the label on the bottle. They produced high-quality natural cosmetics and made billions with their flagship product Serum of Youth which was sold at a ridiculously high price.
What the heck? I wracked my brain in an attempt to put the puzzle pieces together. Doctor Simmons, Haylie’s stay in the hospital all those years ago, the note on the file, the empty bottles in the truck...
Did Haylie become a test subject for beauty products? She was a Natural, after all. Who knew what her DNA was capable of?
Well, I knew one… Doctor Simmons himself.