The Escape by Teyla Branton Read Free Book Online Page A

the emergency room that he became ill. Hopefully it will be enough so he won’t lose his job.”
    “Should I go with you?” Ritter asked. “Or Jace?”
    She shook her head. “Marco and I can handle it. The Emporium doesn’t know where we’re heading, and if I sense anyone nearby, we know how to avoid them.” Her sensing ability might not be evolving as mine was, but she had three centuries of experience that I envied.
    Marco was already walking to the front of the ambulance, his dark hair and olive skin blending into the night. He looked to either side as he moved, his eyes constantly roving. He might be mortal, but his time in black ops with the government had made him as tough as they came.
    “Will Stella be able to get a hold of that video recording from the hotel?” I asked. “If not, our faces will probably be plastered on the late evening news.” Whatever happened at the hospital, there were going to be questions at our disappearance.
    Ava gave a short laugh. “I’m betting the Emporium will get to it before we do. They have just as much at stake and a lot more plants in the police department.” She turned and strode after Marco.
    “We can’t wait any longer,” Dimitri said as I climbed into the back of the van. He was slathering his arms with antiseptic, his jaw twitching in exactly the same way mine did when I was forced to confront something I wanted to reject. “I’ll have to put a clamp on that artery. We’re lucky it was only partially severed or he’d be dead already. Erin, help me take off his shirt. Cort, I’ll need some of your blood. You’re the same type, right? You others, stand guard. If they come on us now, we’re sitting ducks.”
    “Jace, get ready to start the van on my signal.” Ritter pulled an automatic rifle from the back of the van and stalked to the end of the street. Jace grabbed another gun and went to stand halfway between the van and Ritter.
    I couldn’t sense anything suspicious nearby, so I dropped my blanket and grabbed a pair of scissors from my supplies and began cutting Keene’s shirt, keeping pressure with one hand on the cloth over his wound. A sort of desperateness crept over me. I felt guilty that he might die of a wound that in the rest of us would eventually heal by itself. Removing the shirt revealed an ugly scar curving from Keene’s left kidney to the middle of his chest. I’d seen it once before, but I hadn’t learned the details of what had happened, only that it had occurred in a fight with the Renegades when he’d worked for the Emporium. It was a wonder he’d survived. After tonight he’d have more scars to add to his collection.
    Cort had grabbed two needles from the supplies I’d brought. In seconds, he had a makeshift infusion taking blood from his arm into a bag, which in turn filtered down to Keene.
    Dimitri injected Keene with a sedative before removing my hands and the cloth from his wound. “Dab away as much blood as you can,” he told me, “but don’t be too concerned. I’ll be working mostly through my gift not sight. For now I’ll clamp it off and stitch it up once we arrive. Get ready to let the others know when to go. This shouldn’t take long.”
    He cut the wound open another two inches and sank his fingers inside. He wasn’t wearing gloves and I remembered that he needed direct contact for his gift to work best. I understood because my ability was enhanced the same way. I watched in gruesome fascination as he delved inside Keene’s stomach, at one point closing his eyes.
    “There it is. Hand me that clamp.”
    I ripped open the top of the package and held it out on my palm. The clamp disappeared inside Keene’s body.
    “Let’s go,” Dimitri said, his bloodied hands spread over the wound. “Put the blanket on him and tell the others. Jace needs to turn up the van heater as high as it will go.”
    “Is he going to be okay?” Cort’s worry seemed to deepen his physical resemblance to his brother, though his