“Ry told me about you—”
His eyes bolted up from his plate. “What? About us?”
“Yes. It’s okay.”
Jonas shook his head. “No, it’s not. He had no right.”
Vic raised her hands in confusion. “I don’t understand. Why is it such a big secret? Everyone thinks Derrick and Michael are an anomaly—”
“And yet, Ry and I also have a human parent. In fact, I think Ry is stronger than Derrick. He’s younger and doesn’t know as many moves, but he’s strong.”
“So, why don’t you want anyone to know? What’s the big deal?”
Jonas pursed his lips, staring out the window for a few seconds before turning back to her, his eyes cold and blank. “Because our father hated us when he found out we weren’t all human. My parents had been together for years, but my mother had hidden what she was.” He bit down on his lip. “But she didn’t think about kids, about the fact that she couldn’t hide the eating habits and strength of a creatus child. He’d been in the military, so he missed a lot of our rearing. But when he was stationed in the states permanently, he saw me.” Jonas inhaled a deep breath. “Ry had thrown a ball up on the roof by accident, and I being the big brother went up to get it. When my father saw me jump off the roof, he flipped. Scared at first, but then he was excited. Thought he had some superkid for a child. My mother assumed as many years as they’d been together, he’d accept her.”
Vic reached across the table and squeezed his hand. Ryan hadn’t told her this part of the story. Maybe he hadn’t known since he was obviously younger.
Jonas shook his head. “He—my father—treated us like pariahs. He didn’t think twice about picking up the phone right in front of my mother. She had no choice. That S.O.B. was going to call his superiors in the army and turn us in as aliens. Can you believe that?”
“No,” Vic responded. She’d never been fond of humans, but his own children?
“She killed him. Right there in front of me. She snapped my father’s neck. Then she brought us here, where she said we had family. The family forged papers for us, and she stayed out of sight from all authorities.”
“I’m so sorry, Jonas,” Vic said, but he pulled his hand out from under hers.
Jonas pushed his chair away from the table and stood, throwing his napkin on his plate. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I don’t want your pity. I think I made that clear last night.” He skirted the table and pulled her to her feet. “Did you think about it? Are you gonna try? Will you leave with me and start a new family?”
She exhaled a deep breath. “I—”
“Enough said, Victoria. I get it. You’re still hung up on Derrick. Fine.” He stormed off, slamming the door behind him.
Jonas had left so quickly that his absence seemed to leave an empty vacuum in her apartment, dead space that needed filling. She just couldn’t think. Yeah, she loved Derrick. She wanted to believe that this was all subterfuge to protect Kristina, but it wasn’t Derrick’s face that she’d seen when she was with Jonas last night; it was Michael’s.
Still, she had to know. Vic glanced up at the clock: eleven a.m.
Chapter Thirty-six
The guide called up for a second time and still there was no answer. Even if Kristina had chickened out, the guide would have called before rappelling down and trekking toward them. Derrick glanced up at the man in front of him. He hated to do it, but he didn’t have a choice. Chances were the man wouldn’t even know what happened. Derrick just had to decide if he should choke him out or hit him. It wouldn’t take but a couple seconds for him to drop. The movies had it all wrong. If you knew what you were doing, a man would drop in less than three seconds.
He decided not to hit the innocent man; instead, as the guide stared up toward the higher platform, Derrick used his hand to compress his carotid arteries, hence causing cerebral ischemia and a temporary hypoxic condition in the brain. The guide dropped before he could even lift his hand to Derrick’s arm.
After lowering the man to the deck and strapping his carabiner onto the cable in the event he rolled over, Derrick grabbed his rappelling gear and hopped off the platform, hitting the ground and leaving a deep pit. He quickly covered his tracks and took off in the direction of the first platform.
As he ran, he attempted to listen to all surrounding sounds, but it was no use; there were too many tourists on the property. Every direction he turned, he heard skiers, hikers, and animals scurrying through the underbrush.
Keeping his focus, he remained within the trees so he could run. It only took him a few minutes, but he knew it’d be too late. He was faster than most creatus, but Kristina would be barely more than a backpack to the rogue, and he had the benefit of a head start and three different directions he could have taken. The only thing that Derrick could pray was that he was wrong. Nothing had happened; she’d just been terrified and rappelled down the tree instead. The other guide just hadn’t heard the transmission.
Stopping at the bottom of the platform, all his hope melted. There, lying at the bottom, his neck twisted in an unnatural position, was the other guide. Granted, the guide could have fallen, but this appeared to be the rogue’s M.O., when he wasn’t ripping their bodies to shreds to attract the family’s attention, that is.
He dropped to his knees and felt for a pulse. Nothing. Derrick held his breath and listened for anything. Any sound. His gaze dropped to the forest floor. Nothing.
As with Janelle, no tears fell. His heart ached, but he had no time for sorrow, only hatred filled his veins—and guilt. Just like Janelle. He’d failed to protect Kristina, just as he’d failed to protect her mother.
Moving on instinct, and because his mind wouldn’t allow him time to grieve, he jumped to the platform, grabbed the rappelling gear, ripped the harness as if it had broken, and dropped it over the platform. Then he darted back to the tree stand and watched as the other guide rappelled down the tree.
“What happened?” the guide called as he dropped a few feet at a time.
Derrick gave a noncommittal shrug. “I came down to find my wife, but I haven’t seen her. She must have walked back to the hotel. Probably furious with me for forcing her to go zip lining.”
The man shook his head. “I mean. How did you get down?”
“I rappelled down,” Derrick answered, as if it was the most obvious answer. Why would he have thought anything else? He dropped his gear and turned away. “I have to go find my wife.”
“Wait,” the man called. “I woke up on the deck. What happened?”
Derrick shrugged again. “You were fine when I saw you. Maybe you’re diabetic.” He trotted off before the man could ask any more questions, charging his way through the woods the moment he was out of view.
He’d left his phone in the room. He never left his phone, but he’d wanted the day to be about Kristina and him. Derrick struggled to keep his expression passive as he walked as swiftly as was humanly possible to his room, but instead of taking the elevator, he took the stairs, knowing few humans bothered. He paused only a second to listen for any sounds and then shot up to his floor.
As soon as he unlocked the door, he made a beeline for his phone. Four o’clock. Michael first, so he could track down the others. He hit “call” and then buzzed about the room, packing everything up. As much as he wanted just to run, leaving everything behind, he had to be sensible. He couldn’t give the authorities any more than they already had. Of course, who would possibly think that someone as small as Kristina could push the guide off the platform? No. They’d have to assume that the guide was in a hurry to rappel down and the harness broke. And, they couldn’t blame Derrick because he was with the other guide, who as he’d assumed, hit the deck so fast, he had no recollection of what had happened.