The Lethal Agent (The Extraction Files Book 2) Read online

  “Oh, uh, I’ve never met him. He’s in the Planetary Colonies department, I think. Comes from a good family and all. I think his name’s Sal.”

  “It’s kind of weird, don’t you think? That Scholars get married and have kids and all that, but never really have families. Like, she got married, and you’ve never met the guy.”

  Theo shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

  Neither of them mentioned how they were married now—how no one in their families knew. Well, except his sister, of course.

  A moment later, he wrapped his hand around Mable’s and added, “You’re right, he really loves her. She loves him, too.”

  The warmth of his hand entwined with hers was more pleasant than she would let herself believe. She reminded herself that they were married, that holding hands would blow their cover more than help it. But here on the LRF, she knew no one would notice.

  And Ramona said she should get to know him. She should give him a fighting chance.

  Mable looked up at him, wondering what he was up to. Instead, she saw a familiar look. Theo knew exactly what he was talking about. He didn’t wonder if Aida and Calvin loved each other, he knew it. That begged the question, “Did you ever love anyone? From before?”

  Theo smiled. “No.”

  It wasn’t the answer she expected. “Then, what?”

  “I had some friends.”

  “What happened to them?” Clearly there was a story here, and Mable was determined to get it out of him. After dinner at Calvin’s, she knew there was far more to Theo than she’d ever bothered to learn.

  Theo put his free hand in the pocket of his body suit as if it was safer there. “Casey was a painter. Nate was a mathematician. They were going to break up the day of Selection, but Nate changed his mind last minute and went Artisan. I never saw either of them again.”

  Mable recognized his expression, the tight set of his jaw, his eyes straight ahead and unflinching. Theo had just told her something precious to him, something he didn’t share with others.

  Theo had let her in to a little piece of himself.

  She had to see more.

  “You think it was the right choice?”

  “Yeah, I do. I was upset at first. But Nate did what I was too scared to do. I think he did the right thing.”

  Mable stared up at him in shock. “You would have gone Artisan?”

  Theo looked down at her as a sly grin crept across his cheeks. “I thought you didn’t care about class and rank and all that bullshit.”

  Mable bristled under his accusation. She wanted to pull her hand from his, to show him that she didn’t care, but she was afraid. He’d never reached out to her that way. What if he never did again? Instead, she said, “I don’t care. I’m just surprised.”

  “It doesn’t really matter, does it?” he asked, his grey eyes swimming as they took her in.

  No, it didn’t matter. Then again, it mattered entirely.

  “Do you love Dasia?”

  Mable set her mouth to a frown. “I don’t know.”

  “That’s fair.”

  “How so?”

  “You were honest. That’s all I can ask.”

  “What else do you want to ask?”

  “Does she have your loyalty?”

  Mable laughed quietly. “Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking.”

  Theo wrinkled his forehead, his Scholar brain failing to recognize other lifestyles. Ramona had taken it in stride, but she was hardly the norm.

  It wasn’t his fault he hadn’t seen much of the world.

  “I don’t think it has to be so hard. If I like being with Dasia, and she likes being with me, then that’s really all that matters, right? If she likes being with Osip, that doesn’t mean she’s unfaithful to me. It means she’s worthy of affection from two people. It means she’s worth it.”

  “And what about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “Are you worth the affection of two people?” Theo grinned and cocked an eyebrow at her, taunting her to answer.

  “It wouldn’t be the first time.” She hated to say it. It felt like bragging, though she didn’t mean it that way.

  “Hadley?” he asked.

  Mable twisted her mouth. “No, she was too young. She was only fourteen when I found her. She wasn’t ready.”

  “What about Rowen?”

  Mable pushed back the pain that rose up at the sound of his name. “We had a thing for a while. He got in too deep, so we went back to being friends.”

  “What do you mean, he was in too deep?”

  She looked up at him, her blue eyes on his grey ones so he would know she was serious. “Love is hard. Love is crooked and cruel and greedy. It’s not the fantasy you think it is. Some people are really happy in love…”

  “But not you?”

  Mable only shook her head. She shouldn’t have said so much. She didn’t want to talk about what love had cost her. She didn’t want to talk about how she wouldn’t change it for the world.

  The rest of the walk passed in silence. They reached the door of their new home, one that seemed open and spacious after an evening in Calvin’s apartment.

  Theo rushed in and pulled clothes from his closet before darting into the bathroom. Mable couldn’t help but laugh at him, so desperate to strip from the horrid body suit. She tossed hers in the corner and sat on the bed waiting for her chance at the bathroom. A moment later, he flung open the door to reveal a dark-blue shirt with grey pants, breathing in a dramatic sigh of relief.

  Mable fell back on the bed laughing at him.

  “Can we just agree that we don’t wear those at home?” He threw his body suit in a pile on top of hers in the corner of the room.

  “Agreed. You look ridiculous in it. T-shirt is a much better look for you,” she said before she could stop herself, a verbal landslide that tumbled its way out.

  She didn’t expect to feel the bed move under his weight, to see the room grow dark as his shadow consumed her. She could smell him, not pungent cologne or salty sweat, but the scent of him through his shirt. Theo crawled over her, a leg on each side of her, not touching her but impossibly close. Mable froze, heart pounding. What the hell was he doing?

  Then she heard him whisper, “You looked amazing tonight.” His lips skimmed her cheek ever so slightly before he left a kiss so small and gentle she barely felt it. “And you are worth it.”

  He kissed her then, good and hard, so that she tasted the sweetness of strawberries. Theo wasn’t nervous like Dasia or rough like Rowen. He moved with a slow, steady confidence that sent her heartbeat into her throat. She wrapped her legs around him to spur him on.

  It had been a good, long while since Mable had been with a man. It made her miss Dasia in many ways, but mostly Theo was exciting. He looked at her with an intensity she couldn’t begin to withstand. He put her in a trance with those smoke-grey eyes of his.

  His hands held her with strength, but also with great care, like he was afraid he would hurt her. Then again, he had hurt her once.

  As if he remembered, he ran his fingers through her hair where once the scar had been.

  “Still feel bad about that?” She pulled his hand down and kissed the center of his palm.

  “Always will.”

  “Is that what this is about?” she asked.

  Theo’s breath heaved with a small laugh. “No, but I could see how you would think that. I thought you were with Dasia. I didn’t want to interfere.” He pushed up the thin fabric of her shirt and kissed her exposed skin. His lips skimmed the area below her belly button, where she had once had tattoos to hide the stretch marks. Now, it was smooth.

  “I can have two lovers,” she reminded him.

  Then, his hands were on the waist of her pants. They were loose fitting and slid off with considerable ease. Theo ran his hands across the tops of her thighs. “I know you can. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

  “You’re okay with that? That you won’t get my whole heart?” />
  He tipped forward again and consumed her with his kiss. Her heart raced at his touch, his words, his strength. “I’m perfectly okay with it. But you’ll get all of mine.”

  DASIA

  CPI CORRIDOR

  SEPTEMBER 12, 2232

  Osip, Jane, and Dasia stood with crossed arms along the corridor wall as three women from cleaning strapped Georgie to a gurney and walked him to the elevator. He’d never so much as twitched a finger, but they were all convinced he was still alive.

  Dr. Arrenstein watched the women leave and, when they were gone, turned to his three silent recruits. He paced back and forth for a while, hands in his pockets as he liked. Finally, he said, “I don’t like to interfere with what goes on between you all. You’re all capable young adults who can make your own decisions, but when one of you almost kills the other, I need to know what’s going on.”

  Dasia stepped forward. “We had an issue, and we handled it.”

  “So you had your boyfriend attempt to murder one of my agents?”

  “I attacked him. I take full responsibility. Osip pulled me back.”

  Dr. Arrenstein looked at Osip, at the blood on his knuckles, at his ruined slacks and silk shirt. “I expect better from you. I didn’t reassign you to work with Georgie so you could attack him ten minutes later. I thought you were friends.”

  Osip didn’t crack. He only replied, “We used to be friends.”

  “What happened?”

  “He hurt one of my friends. So I hurt him.” Osip stared up with full confidence. He was right, and they all knew it.

  Dr. Arrenstein looked at Jane, who had yet to say a word.

  “Why didn’t you just tell one of us? You know you can notify us if there’s a problem.”

  Dasia answered. “Nick was notified of the problem several weeks ago. He didn’t take it seriously, so we handled it. Is that all?”

  Dr. Arrenstein’s eyes widened as he learned Nick knew about it. He nodded and let them go.

  Dasia headed back to Jane’s room but Osip caught her hand. “I’m going to go get cleaned up. I’ll be there in a few.”

  She nodded and continued. By the time she got into Jane’s room, Jane was waiting with a damp washcloth in her hand. “You didn’t have to do that,” Jane said as she handed it over.

  Dasia ran it over the splatters of blood on her forearms, the back of her hands, and between her fingers. “I know. But now he’ll never hurt you again.”

  Dasia continued wiping until the futility was clear. She walked to the bathroom and rinsed most of Georgie’s blood down the sink. Then, she caught sight of her shirt.

  When she turned around, Jane was waiting with a clean one.

  Osip arrived a few minutes later, his hair fresh and his suit pressed. Aside from the few cuts on his knuckles, there was no indication of what had transpired that morning.

  Dasia smiled at him in the doorway. He strode in with his tablet and set it on the desk. To Jane, he said, “I wish you would have told me. I’d have beat his sorry ass weeks ago. There’s no reason you had go through that.” He reached out for her hand and kissed the top of it. “Now, who’s ready to catch some bugs?”

  Dasia saw a hint of familiarity she hadn’t noticed before, though it wasn’t as though she’d seen them together much. She pushed the thoughts away and concentrated on their work.

  Osip and Dasia spent the day bringing Jane up to date on everything they knew about bugs and hosts. In the process, Dasia realized how much she’d learned. Bugs were no longer the scary monsters she’d thought them to be. Now, they were a challenge, a puzzle to solve. A puzzle without all the pieces.

  By evening, they’d reviewed the files and made a few small changes to the chart, but otherwise, hadn’t accomplished much. Dasia, for one, had had enough for one day.

  “I think that’s about it. When we get started tomorrow, we can work on expanding the matrix. Sound good?” Osip asked, clearly on the same page.

  Jane and Dasia agreed. Before they could leave, Jane gave them each a hug. For Dasia, she nearly squeezed the air out of her.

  “You let us know if you need anything,” Dasia said with a smile. Jane nodded and closed the door.

  She knew that’s how Cole had done it, had such a deep impact and personal connection with each and every person he met. Cole had been doing his whole life what Dasia had only just now figured out.

  It was enough to convince her to keep doing it, to keep being brave and strong and kind. Dasia didn’t want to go back.

  Hands held, Osip tugged Dasia back to his room like he couldn’t wait to get there. Once inside, he engulfed her with his arms, his whole body wrapped around hers, holding her tight for several seconds.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “I can’t believe you did that. Remind me not to piss you off,” he said with a laugh as he released her. “Mable taught you all that?” Osip rolled up the sleeves of his shirt so that they formed a cuff below his elbow.

  Dasia laughed. “Yeah. She’s pretty brutal. You think I hit hard, you should see her. She’ll knock the air straight out of you.” If Mable had seen it, she’d no doubt tell Dasia all the times she dropped her block or missed a sweet shot. Anger had kept Dasia from her peak performance, but she’d gotten the job done.

  A moment later, she asked, “Were you ever with Jane?”

  Osip made no attempt to deny it. “Yeah, back when it was just the two of us. We got together a little. Does that bother you?”

  Dasia thought maybe it should, but it didn’t. “No. Does it bother you that I’m with Mable?”

  Osip smiled and shook his head. “No. I’m not dumb enough to try to catch the firefly.”

  Dasia laughed and rolled her eyes. “Why didn’t you stay with her?”

  Osip sank to the bed and pulled her against him. She stood between his legs and looked down at his face, his hair falling easily to the side. In that moment, she felt the storm of his energy.

  He looked up and smiled as he said, “Because of you.”

  Dasia leaned her head back and laughed. “You can’t blame it on me. I wasn’t even here.”

  “Yeah, but they sent me your file before I went to pick you up.”

  Dasia froze. She soaked it in and let the words seep into her bones.

  Osip continued as she gaped. “I saw your picture—your red hair and your curls. These big brown eyes you have.” He pulled at her hand and kissed her bruised and cut knuckles, a kiss lighter than air. “I was hooked before I even met you.”

  ABRAHAM

  LUNA COLONY

  SEPTEMBER 12, 2232

  Charlene had Renner in his bed in the boy’s room. If she hadn’t said a word, Abraham probably wouldn’t have noticed the slight paleness of his skin, the hint of sweat on his brow.

  But now that she had pointed it out, the boy looked sick.

  Abraham wanted to help, but he didn’t know the first thing about treating illnesses. “How are you doing, Ren?” he asked, kneeling next to the bed.

  “I want to go play, but Charlie said I have to stay in bed,” he pouted. His dark hair stuck to his forehead.

  “That’s okay, bud.” Abraham smiled. “We’ll get you a few toys to keep you busy until dinnertime, okay?” He patted Renner’s small arm and returned to Charlene and Siya in the corridor.

  “He doesn’t look that bad,” Abraham told them.

  Charlene crossed her arms. “That’s not the problem.”

  “Then what?”

  “It’s my fault,” Siya said.

  “No, how could it be—” Abraham began. Before he finished, the realization set in.

  Charlene nodded. “We were all inoculated. There was no way for us to infect each other. But if Renner is sick—”

  “Then they’re all going to get sick,” Abraham finished for her.

  The three moved to the kitchen to discuss the new development. “What do we have in the way of treatments? Antibiotics? Fever reducer
s?” Abraham asked.

  Charlene shook her head and said, “We don’t have anything. We weren’t supposed to need anything. We have some basic first-aid equipment and a small amount of antibiotics for more serious injuries, but nothing that would last more than a few weeks.”

  “Do we know what he has? Could we request something to be sent?” Even as he asked, Abraham knew. They were alone on Mars. No one would help them.

  “It could be anything. Viral. Bacterial. Fungal. There are a few protists. You know, malaria type stuff. There’s no way to know until we can get a full list of symptoms.”

  “What is there so far?”

  “Mild fever, lethargy. He didn’t eat a great dinner last night, but that might be unrelated. He says his throat hurts.”

  “Is there anything we can do?”

  She shook her head in defeat.

  “Hey, it’s okay. He’ll be fine. We’ll keep him isolated as much as possible. You just let us know what you need help with.”

  “Can you get him something to eat? I’ll get him some books set up on the tablet.”

  Abraham got Siya started on dinner while he made a plate of fruit and fresh vegetables for Renner. The boy was sleeping when he went in, so Abraham set the plate beside his bed and went back to the kitchen.

  Dinner was noticeably quieter without Renner. He was just one child out of their dozen, but the others seemed affected by his absence. Noa, Posey, and Sander all picked at their dinners. Alana and Lorde fought over which was the best side dish, grilled asparagus or roasted tomatoes.

  Siya kept most of them occupied with stories of Earth—of the school he attended where they would bring in animals sometimes. A frog, a worm, a mouse. Whatever they could find outside the dome.

  Still, it wasn’t the same.

  Charlene disappeared halfway through dinner to check on Renner while Siya and Abraham kept the others occupied. When she returned, she walked straight to the sink to wash her hands.

  It was then Abraham knew it was bad.

  He looked up at her, refusing to articulate his fears in front of the kids, but she only shook her head. “Posey, aren’t you hungry?” she asked instead.