To go with our new hair, we also wore new clothes. He’d had a stash of different types and sizes at the safe house. Erik had chosen a black syn-leather duster and pants, which complimented the hard planes of his body.
He looked like an agent.
I wore a blood-red dress and spiked collar. Thigh-high boots hugged my legs and hid several blades. Erik had wanted me to be prepared for anything.
“See,” he muttered, drawing my attention to his mouth. “No one wants to look at us. In fact, they’re doing everything they can to avoid looking at us.”
I studied people’s faces as we passed them. Sure enough, they spied us and quickly glanced away, like we were visual poison. Plus, Outers gave Erik a wide birth, as if they feared he would arrest them.
I began to relax. We were making our way to some warehouse to get the supply of Onadyn he needed. Then we were going to distribute it to the aliens he’d promised it to. Aliens who might be dying, even now.
He’d told me the plan and had given me a chance to stay behind. I hadn’t taken it. No longer could I ignore the fact that innocent people were dying.
We walked several miles. An eternity. No more stealing cars for us. If it was called in, A.I.R. would know what vehicle to look for and we’d be caught before we could snap our fingers. We also got on and off different buses, sometimes just going in circles to make sure we weren’t being followed.
During our travels, the poor part of the city gave way to the middle class, and by the time we exited our last bus, we were in the Northern District, the wealthy part of town. Here, the houses seemed to stretch to the sky. All of them were white and chrome, probably had the latest robotic security systems.
“The lab is here? In this neighborhood?” I asked, incredulous.
“Yep.”
“But this place is…” I didn’t know how to finish that sentence.
“Perfect for an illegal lab,” Erik said. “Law enforcement, even A.I.R., usually give wealthy humans preferential treatment. They don’t bust into these houses without proper paperwork, which takes time to acquire. Time for certain underpaid individuals to alert the homeowner. How do you think Silver’s dad has survived so long in the business?”
“Ahhh.”
“Onadyn and the equipment to make it can be removed from the dwelling in minutes, leaving the agents empty-handed when they’re finally allowed to invade. Happened to me many times when I worked for A.I.R. I’d know beyond any doubt that drugs were inside a home, but by the time I got my warrant, the owner had cleaned the place out.”
Remaining in the shadows, we edged to the side of one particular house. A robodog barked in the background. A wide iron fence stretched from the center of each side and angled backward, blocking in the grounds. Two towering white columns opened to a bricked pathway, which was lined with fake trees and led to an arched entrance.
Welcome, the place seemed to say. Nothing bad happens here. Nothing illegal.
Silver had given Erik the security code before we’d left the safe house. Thankfully Onadyn operations had been shut down temporarily due to A.I.R. interest, so we didn’t have to worry about stumbling upon other employees while we “worked.”
I’m now a thief, I thought.
The closer we came to the front door, the brighter the motion light shined, pushing away the comforting shadows. That didn’t slow us down as we trekked up the steps.
“Stay here,” Erik said, depositing me on a swinging bench and striding to the French double doors. He punched a series of numbers into the ID box and the entrance opened eagerly, like it had been waiting for him all day. He disappeared inside.
I was alone.
Several minutes passed. Long minutes. Torturous minutes. What was going on in there? The robodog barked again and I gulped. A part of me feared A.I.R. agents would jump out at any second. “Erik!” I whispered fiercely.
Nothing.
“Erik!”
With a shaky hand, I withdrew a knife from my boot. The hilt was cool and heavy. Menacing. At least the neighborhood was calm and—
Headlights appeared in the distance. I shot to my feet and raced inside the house. I closed the door behind me and pressed my back against the frame, trying unsuccessfully to control my shallow breathing. My heartbeat galloped at full speed. Logically I knew A.I.R. would not announce their presence with blaring headlights. (Or would they?) They would have sneaked up on me so that I couldn’t warn Erik. (Right?)
Oh God. I didn’t know.
I turned and surveyed the house. The foyer was empty, devoid of furniture. Total silence. “Erik!” I hissed.
My voice echoed.
Where was he?
I held the knife in front of me and inched forward. Had he left the house? No, he wouldn’t have abandoned me. Right? Right. Was he hurt? Knocked out? Totally fine and simply going about his plan without any thought to the fact that I might want to throw up?
Or, what if there were people here and he’d been subdued?
Total panic filled me. Paranoia. Terror. I forced my back to straighten and my shoulders to square. All right. Here’s what you’re going to do, Robins. You’re going to search the house and incapacitate anything that moves. Yes. That’s what I’d do.
“I was just coming to get you,” a sweet, familiar voice said.
I gasped, my wild gaze searching the darkness. Erik stood beside me but I hadn’t heard or seen his approach. Scowling, I slapped his shoulder. “I was just about to do a search and rescue. You have no idea how close you came to feeling the sting of my knife.”
To his credit, he didn’t laugh.
I slapped his shoulder a second time. “I was worried about you. You didn’t tell me how long you’d be gone before you entered the house. You didn’t tell me what to do if I spotted anyone.”
He confiscated the knife and slid it back into my boot. I think I saw the hint of a smile. “On edge, are we?”
“I saw a car,” I told him.
“Camille, sweetie, people do drive through neighborhoods.”
Sweetie. I rubbed my hands up and down my forearms. “Why’d you leave me out there anyway?” I grumbled.
His hand tangled in my hair, pulling me forward for a quick kiss. “I wanted to make sure the house was safe first.”
Hmm, I forgot everything but Erik when he kissed me like that. “And is it?”
He nodded. “It’s just you and me, babe.”
“Did you find the the stuff?”
The mention of Onadyn caused his eyes to go a little flat. “Yeah. But I want you to wait here while I gather it up.”