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Luke
“Wedidn’t,Liv.Youdid,” the man who calls himself Specter says. Liv’s grip on me tightens as tears roll down her face.
“I couldn’t have. I didn’t mean to… I…” she sobs and reaches for me, and I pull her in to my lap. She soaks my blood-stained shirt in seconds.
I meet everyone’s sympathetic gazes. “Who do you work for?” I ask Specter.
“Not here,” he says.
Charlie kneels in front of us. Affection for Liv shines clear in his gaze. “May I?” he asks.
I wrap my arms around her, but she nods against my neck. Charlie looks at me. “She’s used too much energy, and she’s not healing fast enough. I’m just going to help her along.”
Light came from his hands, too. He must be like her, whatever the hell that means. I’ve witnessed the impossible in the last hour. Nothing makes sense anymore. But one thing hasn’t changed. Liv is still my priority. I nod and he puts his hand on her head. She goes limp in my arms and lets out a long sigh. Her features soften and the pain and confusion I felt from her dissipates.
Specter turns to Mark, who’s struggling. He hates being in the dark more than I do. “We’re going into hiding. You should take Skye to a safe location to wait this out.”
Mark looks at me.
“Why can’t they come with us?” I ask.
“It’s not safe.”
I stand, cradling Liv against me. Her head slides onto my shoulder, and I adjust my grip under her legs. “Take Skye and Jordy to the island.”
Mark’s fists clench. “Luke, I don’t like this.” We’ve never been separated in the years we’ve worked together, especially not when shit has gone sideways like this.
“I don’t either. But they’re the only ones that can help Liv. You saw what those assholes can do. We can’t fight that on our own.”
Mark sighs and nods.
“I need you to reset your focus to Skye. She’s your priority now.”
His gaze moves to Liv’s sleeping face and his features soften. He squeezes her shoulder and places a kiss on her head. “Take good care of her. And watch your back.” He glances at Charlie and Specter, distrust in his features. Gripping my neck, he puts his forehead against mine in a rare show of affection. He swallows hard. “Stay safe, little brother.”
He steps away, and Specter reaches for him, but he puts a hand up. “I’d rather walk.”
“Sorry. No time.” Specter touches his shoulder and Mark’s curse cuts off as they disappear out of thin air. A wild wind whistles through the air, causing the nearby bushes to sway.
A heaviness sits in my chest. Mark has played the roles of both father and big brother since my dad passed. His absence is going to be tough. But I can trust him to protect Skye. Sadness fills my heart that I won’t be able to say goodbye to my sister or the guys, but this is only temporary. I’ll see my family again, but first I need to figure out what the fuck is happening to Liv.
“I only have enough energy left for one of you. Specter will return for the other two,” Charlie says. He looks exhausted. I don’t want to leave Liv’s side, but her safety comes before my comfort. I kiss Liv’s temple and pass her to Charlie. Her head bobs against his shoulder and once he has a good grip, he nods. The simple gesture communicates the understanding that Liv chose me, and my respect for him solidifies. They both blink out of existence, and my stomach clenches as the wind swirls around us.
“You can trust him. He’ll keep her safe,” Henry says.
I narrow my gaze. “Tell me what you know.”
He sighs and runs a hand over his head, wincing when he gets too close to the gash that’s still trickling blood down his neck. “Charlie never told me he was an agent,” he says.
I kneel next to him and pull off my shirt, pressing it to his head. “I don’t know what that means. Start from the beginning.”
He winces as I apply more pressure. “When I was eighteen, I took part in an experiment that was advertised as finding a cure for cancer. Infinitum offered me ten grand to participate, and it allowed me to stay in San Diego and marry Barbara. But it was a secret and illegal experiment that was trying to create super soldiers. They didn’t realize until years later that the serum they shot me up with affected my DNA and I unknowingly passed super abilities onto my children.”
“Jesus,” I mutter, as the implications sink in. “My dad…” It all clicks into place and my eyes widen.
Henry nods. “He wasn’t aware that he was funding it. The list they want contains the names of the patients from the original trials. Your dad gave them the placebo list, but it wasn’t accurate. My name was on it.”
Anger boils through me, but I don’t have time to address it because Specter reappears. “Mark is with your friends at the bar. I placed a tracker on Skye, so you’ll be able to see her.”
