AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah, no shit,” Malakai replied, unable to douse his fiery tone. All of him was fiery—even his hair felt like it was burning. About an hour ago, he’d taken off his rings, the steel so hot it burned.
Dallas hummed. “What about a business or a factory or something? Maybe one’s a front for this facility place.”
Max chewed on his sunburned lip. “She mentioned cristala power plants.”
Malakai gestured toward the SUV with wide sweeps of his arm, hoping this was the end of this shit. “Great, let’s go.”
Max frowned. “We haven’t checked over there yet—”
Malakai pointed with his empty, crushed water bottle. “Or there. Or there. Or anywhere else. You want to die out here, Reacher? Because I’m about to crisp into a nice, tasty little piece of Reaper jerky.”
He scowled. “You are the most annoying, dramatic person I’ve ever met.”
“I’m not annoying, I’m funny.” He bared his teeth. “Ha ha.”
“You’re not funny if you’re the only person who laughs at your jokes.”
“Creature laughs at them.”
“Creature doesn’t have a sense of humor.”
The bat tore out of Malakai’s shadow with an angry chirp. He flitted around Reacher’s face, wingbeats stirring his hair. Malakai laughed.
Max waved him away. “Call him off.” He ducked when Creature swept for his head. “Call him off, or I’ll get Grim to eat him.” He ducked again.
“I’d like to see him try.” But Malakai whistled, and Creature retreated into his shadow with one last angry chirp.
Reacher glanced out at the land again—rippling under the heat, as if this whole place was a barbecue and they were the unfortunate hot dogs—and swore, finally realizing how in over his head he was.
Bout fucking time.
Malakai made for the vehicle, parched earth crunching under his boiling-hot, steel-toe boots. Aspen was soon following—at least she had a sense of self-preservation. “Let’s go find these power plants,” he called over his shoulder, his fist crumpling the plastic bottle flatter, “before we all die.”
It was the second power plant that turned out to be worth their time.
Max rolled the SUV into the parking lot out front of the multilevel building. Everyone was crammed in the vehicle, which had made for a hot and tense ride full of sweating complainers. Dominic and Malakai were about three seconds from strangling each other when Max stopped the vehicle and cut the engine.
Malakai opened his door. “If I stay in here for one more second, you’re going to have to bury me out here.”
“Facility.” Blue’s voice was high and panicked. “That’s the Facility. I-I can’t—”
Dominic clasped her hand. “It’s okay, it’s okay—no one’s here. See?” He pointed at the building. He was right—it was completely abandoned. “See? No one’s going to hurt you, Blue. I promise.”
Her breathing didn’t slow. “I can’t, you guys, I am sorry. Dominic—I can’t go in there. I can’t go back—”
“You don’t have to. We’ll wait here.” He glanced at Max in the rear-view mirror, and Max nodded once. The Angel turned back to Blue, hatred for the Facility burning in his stare. “Okay?” he asked her.
She took several calming breaths. “You’ll stay with me?”
“Yes,” he promised. “I won’t leave.”
Malakai said, “Well, I’m leaving.” He got out. “I’ve about had it with this trip.” He stalked toward the building, shirt stuffed in his back pocket. “See you fuckers later.”
Max opened his door. “Nobody ever let me invite him again.”
“I heard that.” Malakai’s voice echoed as he approached the massive, empty building.
Max got out, Dallas and Aspen following.
