The Garden Read online

  “How long have you been doing this, Sky?”

  “Your parents aren’t stupid. They had a backup plan if things ever went wrong. They gave me a few Sanctuary contacts for protection, but they didn’t know I’d be doing work on the side. You should know by now I don’t need much sleep. You slept a lot.” He chuckles.

  So, that’s when he went to work.

  “Found a lot of girls on the net. Sometimes Glass Districts, but most of the time, it was easier to get them from graphickers or Aphrodisiac houses. The Sanctuary has its own system. Sort of like a network of safe houses. If your parents knew you weren’t in the Sanctuary right now, they’d have my hide.”

  I press my fingers harder into the pillar, but Sky picks up on my tension and lowers his head to coax his chin onto my shoulder. I don’t flinch when he puts his hands around my waist because it feels natural. So does his chuckle vibrating into my skin like thunder. “Things change. But we’re still part of the same coin. Break one, you’ll break the other.”

  “Sky…” Against him, I hesitate, trying to pull away. “What about my sister?

  Sky’s hands tighten, twisting me to face him. “I know. She’s all that matters to you, isn’t she?” Sky appraises my inner thoughts. “Your parents have spent your entire life trying to get her out of the Temple. What makes you think you’ll do any better?”

  All I can manage is a little shrug before I peer up at him, kiss his cheek, and whisper in his ear, “Because I have you.”

  This time, Sky does let go, confounding me. I sense the sudden stab of chilly air as he trudges away from me and braces his hand against one of the pillars close by, leaning over.

  “I’m not going to turn my back now,” I say, driving my point home. “I’m in this world. I can’t hide behind hotel drapes anymore. And I won’t hide in the Sanctuary.”

  Sky’s eyes narrow, sharpening against mine like flints. For the first time when he marches right up to me and pushes his hands into the pillar above my head so he can pen me, I scoot against the stone, terrified by the dust storms in his eyes. His shadow cages me. The heat from his body becomes the bars of the cage, shoving until the stone digs into my skin beneath the wool I wear.

  His mouth thins once before he lashes out, “Damn it, Serenity, do I have to spell everything out for you?”

  “I know, Sky,” I interrupt. “I know what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling—”

  Sky’s lips come within a fraction of mine. “It’s more than that.” He slaps the pillar two inches from my cheek. “I can’t lose you again. I was there, Serenity.” Sky lowers his head, eyes wrenching tight, pained.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I saw them take you. The Glass District smugglers. And I couldn’t do anything no matter how much I wanted to. I knew if I acted then, I would’ve been shot. But to see them steal you from the pool, seeing their hands on you…” He takes the side of my neck captive. “Only thing that helped was seeing how much you fought. Damn, you were something.”

  “Didn’t help, did it? They drugged me.”

  “It helps, Ser. Don’t ever think it doesn’t.” His other hand joins the first, thumbs rubbing my collarbone. “But you think you can make it there in the Temple. I don’t want to take that risk. I promised your mother…”

  I tiptoe forward until I stand on his shoes just like I always used to do when I wanted to be eye level with him. “If you take me to the Sanctuary now, they will disappear forever. All of them. I’ll never get another chance.”

  Sky bends his head, then nudges my nose with his. “I’ll find a way.”

  I shake my head, suppressing a giggle. “Sky, you always say that before you get yourself in trouble. You need me. We need to do this together. And like it or not, we need Luc.”

  “I really did underestimate your effect on him. I won’t do it again.”

  My fingers hesitate for a moment, but I start to toy with the fabric of his shirt, easing them into the wrinkles. “He’s…” A good man, I consider saying, but he really isn’t. Whatever good parts he has, they can’t nullify all the bad, too. Luc is a virus. A virus in my head. And Sky is the virus in my heart.

  I continue. “Force won’t give up looking, will he?”

  “Officially, the Syndicate will. Luc’s winning bid is legal and binding. The board of directors won’t risk a turf war with the Guild.” Sky picks me up by the waist and sets me down, so I no longer stand on his shoes. “But you’re right. Force won’t stop searching. He’ll go through less official channels.”

  “Can we use that? Will he let his guard down? Could we get him alone?”

  “Doubtful.” Sky shakes his head, playing with my hair again. “That man has the security of a god. And he doesn’t leave the Temple that much. Unless it’s to go overseas.”

  “There are certain things not even Force can control.”

  Both Sky and I flick our heads in the direction of Luc’s voice as he invades our circle.

  With his hands behind his back, casual, Luc approaches us, and I step away from Sky as Luc explains, “There is one other place Force travels to on a routine basis.”

  “Please…” Sky makes a show of settling a hand on my lower back before urging Luc. “Share with us.”

  Luc places his hands in his pockets. He fixes his gaze on Sky as if ascertaining what will result. “The Garden.”

  Sky digs his fingers into my skin. “Out of the question. The madam there is a succubus.” He spits out the word.

  “Yes, and I hear she has a taste for certain type of men.” He eyes Sky as if hinting at something.

  Sky shakes his head adamantly. “The causeways have patrols and checkpoints, and she has a fleet of patrol boats, so there’s no access by water either. No chance of winning any allies on the inside. Every guard there is worse than a lap dog.”

  “Jade happens to be…an acquaintance of mine,” Luc says.

  “Oh? Has she sucked your blood, too?”

  “What are you two talking about?” I interrupt. “How does this Jade Madam connect to Force?”

  Luc responds, “Force and Jade are casual lovers. He goes to the Garden once a month for a retreat from the Temple.”

  “And his security is less than normal there?” I ask, my hopes rising.

  As usual, Sky dashes them. “He doesn’t need security with how much Jade has. Do you remember anything about the Garden, Ser?”

  I reflect on a few of the images from my past. The Garden is always advertised as a tourist destination. Peak season is late winter/early spring, which is now. It never interested me as much as the Aviary, so I must dig through my memory channels to remember the one magazine article on the most popular Museums in the country. The Garden is a tropical oasis. Everything centered around exotic flowers, and where do exotic flowers bloom best?

  On islands surrounded by water.

  My hopes don’t just crumple like old newspapers. They sink into a street puddle, ink running into dank water.

  “It’s an island.”

  “Ding, ding, ding,” Sky congratulates me with a sweep of his hand. “There’s no way in hell we can even hope to make it onto the island.”

  “Key actually,” Luc corrects. “And there may be just a way,” he says as we approach the pavilion table. “There are a number of small islands in the surrounding area. Wealthier clients will occasionally rent one as well as whatever Flower they desire. My father owns an island for such a purpose, but due to the past few days’ events, he will not be vacationing there any time soon. It’s not likely the system has been changed either.”

  “Even if you can go to your island for a vacation, how do you intend on getting to the main key?” Sky argues. “The waters are restricted. Jade’s got tech, water bots, and invisible electric fences. She’ll see you coming a mile away.”

  “Not if we have a scrambler.” Luc grins when Sky pauses in the middle of his angry pace.

  “And what?” Sky continues to test him, searching for holes in
Luc’s plot like he always does with anything. Sky is thorough. “Think we can just hide out and grab Force when he comes for his monthly visit?”

  “His monthly visits don’t always occur inside if you understand my meaning. Jade has a cottage with a private beach on the southern end of the key quite near my father’s island, which she sets aside for Force’s visits.”

  I rub my eyes hard, trying to sponge out the images running through my brain. It isn’t their father they are discussing. The feeling of my first meeting with Force crawls into my skin like a venomous serpent. Everything I read about him in my mother’s journal plays in my head. Considering a midnight rendezvous with a mysterious madam on a paradisiacal island is too much for me right now.

  So, while the two of them argue back and forth—nothing new there—I escape, retreating from the pavilion and wandering down a little hiking path in the woods behind the lake.

  I follow it for about a mile as it slopes upward. My thoughts are good company. Not my memories. Even now, my memories draw me back to the wrong place. To swan feathers floating all around me in warm water. To Luc swimming up against me, leg tying down one of mine, mouth becoming a chain around mine. It’s the closest he came. But a part of me will always stay a child with my Wonderland thoughts and fairy-island dreams. Sky knows that side of me, loves it, and he doesn’t try to change it. But despite Sky’s inner voice telling me that life isn’t fair, I know they both deserve a chance even if my heart’s victor really matters most.

  And damn it all if Luc does confound my feelings. I curse my hormones.

  Luc’s plan is a good one. If nothing else, we owe it to my family to try.

  I kick a stray pebble, and it knocks into another one like a game of marbles. Just like those pebbles, Sky and Luc can duke it out on their own for all I care.

  Turning, I realize I’ve walked farther than I should have. From where I stand, the trees have ebbed a little, and the trail has coiled to the east with a grassy slope on my right-hand side and a rocky outcropping to my left. Up here, I can see the valley below me with the glass retreat and pavilion. Beyond the expanse of trees is where the sun has embarked on its descent. Probably another hour or so before it will set, but my eyes catch movement near the horizon some miles beyond the retreat. Panic prickles my skin when I narrow my eyes to make out the dark blurs. Transport vehicles. All black. A convoy. In the center is one black smear, and I realize what it is.

  A limousine. Family black.

  My worst fears have come true. Force is coming.

  4

  P l A n s C h a N g e

  Scrambling down the tree-flanked slope as fast as my legs can go is no easy feat, especially with a skirt this long. It keeps snagging on branches, brush, and thorns like its life purpose is to get snared and tear. There is no way Force is going to get me this time.

  By the time I reach the pavilion, my skirt has plenty of rips and holes to go around. Why am I surprised to find them still arguing? Sky is the first to notice me hurrying toward them, and I don’t hesitate to crash into his arms, panicked eyes wide open, and shout three simple words.

  “Force is coming!”

  Immediately, Sky turns grim, eyes wolfish. Raising his finger, he addresses Luc, “I’ll find Fawn and Nightingale. Get the GHOST car. We’ll take the old access pass around the mountain.”

  I’m not surprised when Luc grabs my wrist, but I shirk out of his grip and catch up with Sky, leaving Luc behind. This time, he doesn’t pursue me because there’s no time to delay. What I don’t understand is why Sky doesn’t bother to stop me or force me to go with Luc to the GHOST.

  “I know you won’t leave without them,” he explains when I ask. “‘Sides, you’re safer with me, anyway.”

  Sky knows me very well.

  We check the house, but there’s only the Chef-bot. When I look out the window and see the convoy approaching, I feel an earthquake shudder inside my chest. Any moment now, I’m certain the seismic waves will rock my heart out of position and play ping-pong with it. It’ll bounce against my rib cage or lungs or skedaddle up my throat. Gale and Fawn are in the front yard.

  “Serenity,” Sky warns me in a furious whisper. “Now!”

  I don’t hesitate even before I hear the noise of the advancing cars. By now, Nightingale has grabbed Fawn by the hand and they’re running around the house. Sky reaches for the door closest to us, but when he tugs, nothing happens.

  Cursing, he slams his hand against the metal.

  “What’s wrong?” I whisper even though the retreat is soundproof.

  “They messed with the security system. We’re locked in.”

  It’s pointless to ask if we can break out. If this place is anything like the Aviary, then it means the windows are unbreakable glass. Nothing short of a grenade launcher will do.

  Outside, a Family security escort opens the door to the limousine for his prominent figure to step out. A security guard murmurs something low in Force’s ear, and he nods. By the way his full lips spread into a smile, I can tell he is pleased. Smug, he eyes the house. Just as before, there is no trace of order in my father. He sports his usual topknot, but his clothes remind me of a mad hatter’s. Bright fabrics—embellished and chaotic. With no rules to carry, he flings back his mad-patterned scarf and strolls up to the house with no sense of care—like he’s toppling an invisible house of cards.

  I bristle and gnash my teeth even as Sky drags me into the nearest closet. Bone-crunching panic infects my skin, raising the hairs when I hear the door open. From beyond, a familiar voice screams my name.

  “Serenity.” Sky cups my shoulder, grabbing my attention. “Don’t move!”

  Sky’s words might as well be chalk dust. My father’s voice interrupts us when he opens the front door accompanied by several guards. In the background, I can still hear Fawn’s screams, imagine black-gloved hands pinning her small body. No doubt Force will take Fawn to the Temple penthouse. Will he turn her into his mini Unicorn? How did she get caught? Where is Gale?

  I don’t cry out. Don’t reveal our hiding place deeper in the house. I’m not that ignorant, and I know my hopes of getting Fawn back are thinner than not getting cut when running barefoot across broken glass. Each broken hope slices into me, stinging me with the reminder there’s little I can do. From this distance, I can see them loading her small body into a car, but her screams have dulled—her body limp either from fainting or they knocked her out.

  “Search the house,” Force orders.

  They’re getting closer.

  Sky curses under his breath, and I watch as he withdraws a gun from his belt. The way his eyes harden almost startle me. Like the amber warmth has turned cold and solid. Sky is going to pull the trigger, and he won’t get off enough shots before they open fire. So, I observe his eyes, wait for his muscles to tense because I memorized Sky’s body language long ago. A shadow appears under the door. As soon as the muscles in his jaw tighten, I swing the door open wide and bring my hand down on his arm to prevent him from firing while using my body to shield his.

  They will never fire on me.

  Their fingers hesitate even before Force’s voice carves the air:

  “Don’t shoot,” he shouts, confirming my suspicions, and the six men lower their weapons. “Don’t you dare shoot.”

  He softens his voice and meanders down the long hallway toward us, guards parting before him.

  Sky doesn’t lower his gun. With his hand anchored around my waist, he begins to move out of the line of fire. Fortunately, the guards remain where they are even if Force pursues us.

  He directs all his attention on me. “You come with me now, daughter, and I’ll spare your friend.”

  Each one of his words is a gust of frigid wind hissing in my ears. All bitter lies and flicks of a whip. I narrow my eyes when Force steps forward again and tugs on the fingers of one black leather glove, removing it to extend a bare hand to me. I back up against Sky.

  “Serenity.”

  Inside
my chest, the seismic waves cease fire, lodging my heart into place, but my heart feels smaller and weaker after that word.

  Force didn’t say Trinity.

  There is only one way he could’ve known my real name. Luc would not have told him. Only one other person could have. Horror cavorts around the edges of my heart like a dancing needle just waiting to draw blood.

  Force has my mother!

  Force has my parents.

  I open my mouth, wishing my teeth would boomerang out and snap on Force’s jugular before returning. With just one mention of my name, I want to taste his blood. I want to dangle his heart right in front of his eyes so he can watch his own blood drip for once instead of others. Reality hits instead, but it doesn’t hit me. In the form of exploding bullets, it shoots right out of Luc’s gun and targets the security guards on either side of Force. Flawless bull’s-eyes in their temples. The sound ricochets off the walls around us, alerting more guards, but it provides enough of a distraction for Luc and Sky to drag me through the back door and into the GHOST car. Not bothering to ask how Luc got into his own house, I smirk, glancing over my shoulder to see my father’s crazed eyes as the door closes behind us.

  Within moments, I understand why it’s called the GHOST car. I’d heard of the technology that could render cars invisible, but most was superior augmented reality. Nothing like this beauty straight out of a science fiction film. A plus that it hovers! They won’t know where we’re going. No tracks or signs to follow.

  Somewhat satisfied, I glimpse out the back window to see Force’s head whipping around in every direction as he rages like a runaway horse. The last expression on his face looked like he’d just swallowed a bottle of arsenic.

  “Guess we know where she gets her temper,” Sky comments with a jerk of his head. “Was just waiting for that bastard to try something.”

  As soon as the adrenaline settles, I remember Fawn and consider how selfish I am to enjoy this moment. Nightingale is with us in the seat behind mine. At least she’s safe. Leaning into Sky, who folds his arm around me like a book spine coddling pages, I summon up the courage to ask Luc.