29° (Twenty-Nine Degrees) (Twenty Nine Book 3)

  29°

  NANCY PENNICK

  Copyright © 2016 by Nancy Pennick

  All rights reserved.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing, 2016

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  ISBN-10: 0-9968106-4-1

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9968106-4-7

  This one’s for you,

  Sean

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  PREVIEW – Twenty Nine Forever

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  OTHER BOOKS BY NANCY PENNICK

  Chapter One

  My heart pounded as I dug through the dresser drawers. Not there! Tempted to throw my clothes on the floor, I realized it wasn’t a good idea. The room needed to stay neat and tidy.

  Where is it? The false identification was my only way out of the Montana compound. Lucas said it was well done so I hid it away, deep in a back corner of a drawer for safe keeping. I might need it one day, and that day was now.

  The fake ID had been a necessity when I had to run away from my life with Lucas. I'd taken our baby, changing his name from Zakary to Austin, and I'd become Carli Nelson. Those were troubling times, but I had to protect Lucas and the Niners.

  I dyed my hair blonde and got a job in New York City, working in an art museum for months. Could my natural brunette locks hold up to a dye job again? I smiled as I thought of the picture on the license, blonde twenty-one-year-old Carli Nelson with short, chopped-off hair. She didn’t look so bad. In fact, I was told I looked hot by the creepy guy who sold me the license. I dug my teeth into my top lip to keep from laughing.

  Lucas Montgomery would always be the love of my life, even if I never saw him again. I labeled myself the enemy a long time ago. I was toxic to him and to his fellow brothers, the Twenty-Niners or Niners for short. My psychopathic brother, Doug, was head of a special task force, the STF, looking for these men so he could create some type of super army. I hated thinking of Doug. It made my stomach churn, not in a good way. Even though I was his baby sister, I meant nothing to him. I was just a means to an end. He wanted my child and my husband. I had become a bargaining chip, and that was the reason I'd left Montana the first time.

  I sighed as I thought back to the days of running from Doug, running from Lucas and the life I dearly loved. I knew I had to stop blaming myself for everything that had gone wrong, but it wouldn’t happen overnight.

  “Looking for this, Mrs. Montgomery?”

  My heart flew to my throat as a tingling sensation swept through my body. I turned toward the bedroom door

  “Lucas, you scared me.” I placed my hand on my neck, feeling the pulse beat rapidly against my finger.

  He leaned against the doorframe with my license between two fingers, looking handsome and sexy as ever. He had let his hair grow out since we'd lived in California as college students and some of the dark strands fell over one eye. Those deep pools of chocolate brown stared right through me, making me want to melt right into them.

  “Yes, I was looking for that.” I walked toward him, arm outstretched to take the identification.

  He lifted his arm over his head. “Not so fast.”

  “Lucas,” I said as I placed my hands on my hips. “You still don’t trust me? Did you think I’d go on the run without you?”

  “Maybe.” He wrinkled his nose.

  In his other arm, he held our son, Zakary James. Zak was born on February twenty-ninth during a Leap Year, like his father. Since his dad was already a Niner, he became a Niner-squared, inheriting super genes—unique, even to the Niner community.

  No living Niners had sons born on that day. None that we knew of to date, and there were no handbooks to consult. Some knowledge had been passed down by word of mouth. We knew Zak would age twice as fast as a regular Niner, and his skills would be doubled. On Zak’s first Leap Year birthday he’d turn two, instead of one like regular Niners who aged every four years.

  My little super baby. I took him from Lucas, breathing in his clean fresh scent. He should look like an eight-month-old, but Zak already resembled a toddler.

  “I’ve got my ID right here.” Lucas dug in his pocket and held up the card. “Luke Nelson. Wherever you got yours, it was carefully done. I stuck with the same last name.” He put his arm around me. “Are you ready for this? Do you think you can leave the compound? I know you feel safe here. I’m sorry we have to go to all this trouble, but Sean insisted. He takes his responsibilities as Head of Security seriously.”

  “I wouldn’t want it any other way. Rosanne said I should be fine. Anyway, she’s coming with us, right?”

  “Why shouldn’t our resident counselor come on our honeymoon?” Lucas smiled.

  “It helps to know she’ll be there if I need her. While on the run, you know I had horrible nightmares about bombings and thought someone was going to kidnap Zak daily.”

  “It’s not surprising after what we went through in California. And from what you told me when you finally came home, I knew you had PTSD,” Lucas said.

  “Post-traumatic stress disorder.” I shook my head. “I thought only soldiers suffered from it.”

  “Anyone can, from any traumatic experience. What we went through in California was eerily similar to war. The STF leveled the California compound with their silent bombs. The place ceases to exist because of …” Lucas put his hand to his brow. “I shouldn’t talk about this in front of Zak.”

  I leaned my head against his arm. “We decided it’s okay, remember? He has to be part of the discussions, good and bad. We have to say it. If it weren’t for me and my brother Doug—”

  “No, no, Mommy,” Zak said, as he covered my mouth with one of his chubby hands. He had retained memories from almost the time he was born. He knew I’d say it was my fault, that I led Doug to Lucas and the Niners.

  “See,” Lucas said. “Even he knows you’re not to blame. This would have happened no matter what. As I keep telling you, technology took off in the new century. We have a tough time staying ahead in that department.”

  “That’s not true. You Niners, with your IQs and talents, will always win out when it comes to technology. You were forced into this situation, but now you need to go on the offense. The Niners are a peace-loving group. It’s not in your DNA to fight or hurt people.”

  Men, born on February twenty-ninth, were light-years ahead of us in thinking and inventions. Their humanity made me love them all the more. Doug saw them as fighting machines. They could see in the dark, needed little sleep, had acute hearing and possessed the strength of five men. The everyday world had no idea they existed.

  Lucas chuckled. “We realize we’ve been sequestered from society for centuries and needed an outside opinion. You opened our eyes. Now where were we?”

  “You told me Rosanne’s c
oming on the trip.”

  “And Oliver.”

  “Of course, I’d expect her husband to tag along.”

  Lucas laughed, and I spun Zak around as we joined in the laughter. What a difference a few months had made. In March I'd been in New York City, working at an art museum and celebrating Zak’s birthday alone. Although it wasn’t a leap year, I planned to have a birthday party each year. I'd called Lucas from Central Park, unable to resist. The Niners tried to track my call, but somehow I outsmarted them by using a prepaid phone. Sean, our dear friend and protector, ended up finding me after searching the east coast, going in one museum after another until he found me. After talking with him, I was convinced I needed to come home.

  I set Zak on the bed, letting him bounce on the mattress. I gazed up at Lucas. “Do you think this is a good idea? Leaving the compound?”

  “We deserve a honeymoon. Don’t you agree?” He winked.

  “No one takes an entourage with them. Usually it’s just two people—the bride and the groom.”

  “Well, that’s how we roll.” Lucas sat on the edge of the bed next to me. “Thank you for marrying me, Allison Sanders.”

  “Don’t you mean Allison Montgomery?” I teased.

  “Yes, I do.” He kissed my cheek. “Our wedding helped heal the wounds of the community. We were never attacked before. No one knew we existed until the military became curious.”

  “And Doug was assigned to lead the task force.” I shivered. “And now that he’s in complete control, it scares me. I never thought a private company would take over and fund his work.”

  “Yeah, he’s not part of the country’s armed forces anymore. He doesn’t answer to them.”

  “That’s what scares me, Lucas.” I looked over at Zak who had stopped rolling on the bed. His dark eyes, so like his father’s, stared at me. He sat upright, cocking his head to the side. His dark brown hair, tousled from rolling, stuck out in every direction. “We’re doing it again.” I gestured at the baby.

  “You know what, Zak?” Lucas reached for him. “We’re taking you to see two of your favorite people, Kristina and Sophie. The twins can’t wait to see you. They’ll take good care of you while we’re gone.”

  “Don’t you mean Uncle Julian and Aunt Serena?” I asked. Julian was commander of Victorian Village with Lucas being promoted to second in command from head of security.

  “I’m trying to soften the blow,” Lucas whispered. “He loves the girls. We have to bribe him.”

  “Why are you whispering?” I giggled. “He can hear you.”

  “Da!” Zak raised his hands in the air. “Zak go with you.”

  “Sorry, kid,” Lucas stood and lifted him into his arms. “Zak stays.”

  * * * *

  Beetle, our Niner transportation, zoomed into Julian’s driveway. I always loved the drive through Victorian Village. The town felt cozy and quaint with houses painted different colors from that era. Ours was barn red while others were yellow, blue or dark green.

  “Allie?” Lucas touched my arm, and I shivered at his touch. I wanted to fall into his arms and shut the world out, but we needed to deliver Zak to our friends, Julian and Serena Howard. “We’re here. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, just thinking.” I watched Lucas take Zak from his car seat. “I’ll miss him while we’re gone.”

  “He’s safer here. Besides you can see him daily from your chip.” Lucas kissed the top of Zak’s head. “Little man, you’re going to visit your favorite family. Be a good boy while Mommy and Da are gone.”

  I touched the top of my wrist, where the chip had been implanted. It took the place of our cell phones, which were really so much more. I now only had to think a command, and it happened. I could bring up a virtual screen instead of looking at a real one. I made phone calls through a command then heard the voice as if I held a cell phone to my ear.

  “Kissy! Soffie!” Zak’s baby voice rang out when he spotted the twins running from the house. Eight-year-old Kristina and Sophie loved him and thought he was the smartest baby in the world. Their parents followed behind them.

  Julian had the strong, confident look of the Niner men and the irresistibly handsome gene. He had lived for over two hundred years. I still had trouble thinking of Lucas as an eighty-four-year-old man, and here was a man who'd lived for centuries. In Niner years, Lucas was twenty-one and Julian in his forties.

  Julian had been born on a Southern plantation in a little cabin. The Niners somehow found out about the baby that didn’t grow—the first clue he was a Niner. They traveled south and snuck onto the plantation property to rescue him. Eventually, Julian’s whole family was brought to the Pennsylvania compound to live a free life.

  “There’s our little man!” Julian reached for Zak, but he clung to Lucas.

  “He wants to go with us,” Lucas said.

  “Kid’s got a mind of his own, doesn’t he?” Julian winked at us. “Hey, Zak, did you hear that?” He put his hand to his ear. “Beetle’s calling you. She wants to know if you’ll take her for a drive.” He tickled Zak’s belly, making him giggle.

  Our personal car at the compound was a futuristic-looking Beetle car that I'd named long ago. She responded to mental commands and needed no driving assistance. Suddenly her doors flipped open, and she moved closer.

  “Zak!” I called to him, knowing he gave the command. “Julian’s teasing.”

  “No, I’m not.” Julian winked at me as Zak flung his little body into Julian’s waiting arms. “I’ll take him for a spin. We’ll be right back.”

  I grabbed Zak’s bag from Beetle’s backseat. “Okay, but not for long.”

  “I just heard from Nate. They’ll meet us at the airport.” Lucas slipped his arm around me. “Happy?”

  Tears welled in my eyes. Could I truly be happy? Since my return in March, I'd tried hard to forgive myself, but a little piece of me carried a huge weight of guilt. I'd taken took my son from his father. I'd left my friends wondering if I’d ever return.

  “I love you, Lucas. More than you’ll ever know.”

  “You proved that twice, by sending me away in high school, then running away last year. I understand why you did it, but I don’t want you to ever do that again. Now it’s my turn to protect you. Trust me?”

  I nodded, unable to speak. My throat closed, and I would choke on any words.

  “You don’t have to worry, Allie. We double-checked security. We’ll never fly commercial again and only use our private jets. We’re using aliases, and I created some for Nate and Ash.”

  “I know all this, Lucas.” I finally found my voice.

  “Just going over it one more time.” He smiled at me and squeezed my hand.

  “Let me take that,” Serena said as she reached for the bag. “Zak will be fine, Allie. Go to Hawaii and enjoy yourself.”

  Hawaii. Just hearing the word made me feel serene and peaceful. It was the safest place the Niners said we could go for our honeymoon. It wouldn’t be a typical one. My best friends, Nathan Kalas and Ashley Donovan were also coming with their adopted fifteen-year-old Niner son, Ryan.

  “Allie, you heard Serena. Everything will be fine. Let’s go.” Lucas placed his hand on my back and guided me toward the Howard’s car.

  “But Beetle isn’t back. Our things are in there.” “Julian transferred them to his car when you were talking with Serena. We’ll use theirs to get to Headquarters.”

  “Oh, I get it. He’s distracting the baby so we can leave.” A pain went through my heart, not getting to say goodbye, but Julian had a great idea, and I shouldn’t ruin the plan. I climbed into the car, without saying another word. I knew I’d burst into tears, and that wasn’t the way to start a honeymoon.

  We transferred to a black van once we reached the parking garage at Headquarters, the Niner’s all-purpose vehicle. Then we drove to the giant concrete wall separating us from the rest of the world and continued through the forest to the secret passage. We burst through bushes and shrubs to wind our wa
y down a confusing maze of roads in a pine forest, dodging well-placed boulders and fir trees. We were soon on the highway traveling to our destination.

  “Lucas,” I said with a sigh. “We discussed this trip so many times, always with a positive outcome. I hope it works out as well in real life.”

  “What could go wrong?” Lucas lifted one side of his mouth. “We have twelve people, twelve different personalities coming together in Hawaii.” He winked. “Let’s hope the sea breeze and warm sun does its magic.”

  What could go wrong? My head hurt as scenes swept through it. We'd invited Nate’s parents. His mother would be heartbroken if she didn’t see him soon as he was her only child. Then she’d meet Rosanne and see the bond she had with Nate. And even though Ashley thought her parents hardly missed her, I knew the opposite to be true. She suffered from middle child syndrome. We planned to surprise her and not tell her they were coming. Would she be pleased? My parents caused the greatest difficulty. We had to think of a way to get them to Hawaii without telling Doug, and Nate had come up with the plan. But what if it didn’t work? Doug was my biggest fear and always would be.

  “My parents should be thrilled by the surprise trip,” I said. “Since it’s a free vacation and they’re flying on a private jet. What’s not to like?”

  “Nate said Ashley’s parents will be picked up first. The limo will go from his house to yours. He’s a great friend, Allie.”

  “Yours or mine?” I closed one eye as I stared at Lucas, teasing.

  “Both.” He laughed. “Thanks for sharing your best friend with me. He’s my first non-Niner friend, and I’m glad he decided to live at the Village.”

  “He and Ashley gave up a lot.” I leaned my head back and gazed up at the van’s ceiling. “Ash took to this life faster than I did. She picked out a house, became a mom to Ryan …” I bit my bottom lip.

  “Hey,” Lucas said as he brushed my face with his hand. “You’re doing it again. Being too hard on yourself.”

  “Lucas,” I said. “Ash loves Nate as much as I love you. Only we did things differently. She proves her love over and over. I run away.”