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

  Lucas looked so pale and still. His chest barely moved when he took a breath. I sat next to him, pushing his dark locks from his forehead and said, “I’d give anything to see your eyes one more time. They took my breath away the first time I gazed into them, those pools of dark chocolate brown. One look from you, and you had me for life.” I whispered into his ear. “Lucas, I know you can hear me. You never gave up on us, and you’re not going to now. Keep fighting, dammit! Oliver will find the answer.”

  I wove my fingers through his, lifting his hand to my lips. “You can’t leave me. I need your help raising Zak. I have no idea how to be a Niner parent. You’re so good at it. You know what he’s thinking before I do.” I let out a breath followed by a sad laugh. “And you probably always will. We finally have it all, love, family, good and loyal friends. When I met you, you were so alone and now you have all this. I’ve never seen you happier. Don’t leave me now, Lucas. Come back to me.” I rested my head on his chest and slid to his heart. “Sean!”

  “Move back, Allie. I need to stay here.” Sean began to administer CPR. “I’ve been doing it every five minutes to keep him alive while we wait.”

  Keep him alive? It’s that bad? I connected to Tobias and set the screen so he could see Lucas. “I can’t live without him,” I whispered.

  “You won’t have to, Oliver just finished. The serum will be in the transporter any minute now. Let me talk to Sean.” I moved the screen in Sean’s direction. “You know what to do. Place the syringe on the side of his neck and slowly release the serum. Serena will help you with placement. The poison is spreading through his body, immobilizing it, starting at the feet and working its way to the brain. We calculate it’s close to his heart since it’s beating so slowly.”

  “Tobias, thank you,” I said. A tear slid down my cheek as I stepped into his vision. “And for keeping Zak busy. You don’t think he knows, do you?”

  “Babies and young children are highly distractible, Allison. He hasn’t learned how to filter out all the conversations and zone in on just one, I’m sure.”

  Well, that’s a relief.

  Nate rushed into the room, followed by the rest of our friends. “It’s here!”

  Ryan had Zak in his arms and handed him to me. “When Lucas wakes up, he needs to see his family.”

  I turned to Sean. “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.” He maneuvered the screen into position. Serena’s face was now on the monitor.

  “Serena!” I wished I could hug her. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “Hang in there, Allie. You’re in charge of the screen. I’ll tell you where to move it so I can see what Sean’s doing. Sean, listen carefully.”

  I glanced at my dear friends standing motionless in the doorway. I nodded at them and turned back to Sean. “You can do this. We trust you. Lucas trusts you with his life.”

  Sean’s steady hand placed the syringe right where Serena instructed then pressed the top of it, releasing the serum into Lucas’ system.

  “Now all we do is wait,” Serena said. “Give him a few minutes and watch for movement in his hands or feet.”

  Zak squirmed away from me and dropped on the bed. “Zak!” I'd never yelled at him and his little face crumbled. He began to cry.

  “I’ll take him.” Ashley rushed to my side, but in that instant we saw Lucas’ hand move. He raised it slowly, placing it on Zak’s head.

  “Don’t cry, little man, Da’s going to be okay.” Lucas opened his eyes, staring at us. “How long have I been out?”

  I burst into tears along with Zak and fell onto the bed, placing my head on his chest. “Lucas,” I said his name over and over. “Sean, let them know he’s back.”

  “Everyone needs to clear out. Serena wants to do a check-up.” Sean waved us out of the room but not before I gave Lucas a long kiss.

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  “And I love you more,” he whispered back. “You’re right. This life is too good to give up on.”

  “You heard me?” I wiped a tear from my eye.

  “Every word, love, every wonderful word.”

  * * * *

  “But why? You just got here!” I pictured Mom’s look of shock on the other end of the phone.

  “I told you. Lucas is sick and needs to see his doctor. He’s already left. We’ll join him once I close up the rental.”

  “Doug needs you, Allie. Whoever released that scandalous article and photos to the press didn’t know the truth. That picture is completely innocent. You need to do damage control!”

  Happy she couldn’t see my smile, I answered, “I’m sorry, Mom. We did the best we could for Doug. Now I’m going home. I’m sure everything will turn out okay.” Not.

  “What should I tell Doug and your father?” Mom’s voice shook with emotion. I didn’t want to hurt her, but couldn’t avoid it.

  “Tell Dad I love him,” I said. “And tell Doug …” I paused for a second, gathering my thoughts. “Queen takes knight.”

  “Is that a chess move? I thought you didn’t know how to play.”

  “I’m learning, Mom. I’ll call you when I get home. I love you so much. You’re my rock.” Tears filled my eyes. I wanted to say so much more, but stopped.

  “Thank you, sweetie. We’ll miss you. Especially Colt. He’s become so attached to you.”

  A pain went through my heart. “Mom, I have an idea, but it has to stay between us.”

  “What is it?”

  “You swear?”

  “Allie! I know you think I tell Doug everything, but I don’t. Not since …”

  “What, Mom? Since what?”

  “He took you from me when you were in high school. It felt like a kidnapping.”

  It was a kidnapping. “Oh. I didn’t know.” In that moment, I bonded a little more with my mom. “You know the laptop I gave you when we got here? Nate’s coded it so only you and I can connect on it.” A partial lie, but Mom would accept that explanation. Niner technology would make her head spin.

  “That Nate. He’s a computer genius, isn’t he?”

  “Yes. Only your touch will turn it on.”

  “I’m not good with new gizmos, Allie. You know that.” Mom let out a breath.

  “That’s the beauty of it, Mom. You don’t have to be.” I walked through the house, checking to see if we'd left anything behind as I talked. “I can call you, tell you to open the laptop, touch the screen, and we’ll be instantly connected.”

  “You mean I can see you?” Mom’s voice rose in excitement.

  “Yes. Whenever you babysit Colt, let me know. The two boys can talk and play with each other.”

  “What a wonderful idea!” Mom went silent, then whispered. “I have to go. Doug’s here. I’ll give him your message. Queen takes knight. Right? Safe travels.”

  “Mom?” She hung up? I walked back to the bedroom where Lucas sat on the edge of the bed. “Lucas! You’re sitting up. Are you ready?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be. I feel like I have a major hangover.” He lifted one side of his mouth as he looked up at me. “Not that I’ve ever had one.”

  I sat next to him and took his hand. It felt warmer than usual, but I shouldn’t be surprised after what he went through. “I heard from Sean earlier. His crew snuck into the store to hook the phone lines up before we left. Doug will never know what we did. I called my mom and told her we’re going back to California because you’re sick.” I placed my other hand on his forehead. “Are you feeling okay? Up for traveling?”

  Lucas grabbed me around the waist, pulling me closer. “I’m fine. See?” He came in for a kiss, slowly caressing my lips.

  I pulled back and studied his face.

  “What’s wrong? he asked.

  “It’s just …” I pointed to small beads of sweat across his forehead.

  Lucas slipped off the bed, spread his arms out and spun around. “All in one piece.” He stood in front of me and took my hands. “And don’t say it’s your fault.”
/>   “Fine. I won't as long as you take me to Hawaii.”

  “I promised that?” Lucas lifted his brows.

  “After we finished our work here, you promised to take me. Don’t you remember?”

  “I second that! My family’s on board.” Ryan called from somewhere in the house. “I’ll even watch Zak so you two can have alone time.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Lucas said. “I can’t keep passing off my duties at the compound to Julian. Not fair to him.” He gave me a smile. “But I don’t think he’ll mind.”

  “Then let’s get going and put the luggage in the car,” I said as I popped off the bed. “Sean said the jet is ready whenever we are.”

  We found Ashley and Nate packing their car in the drive. Ryan had Zak on his back, bouncing him up and down as he ran around the yard.

  “All set?” Lucas asked them.

  “Just say the word,” Nate said. “I’m ready to go home.”

  Lucas slammed the trunk and turned to me. “This may sound funny coming from a Niner, but I think I need to rest before we leave.” He wiped his forehead, then his eyes glazed over as his head wobbled from side to side.

  “Let’s get you inside. Nate?” I glanced at him for help. “Ash? Do you mind?” I nodded towards Zak, now kicking a ball toward Ryan.

  “Go ahead. We’ll be fine,” she said with a worried look in her eyes.

  We steered Lucas toward the master bedroom, and I shut the door behind us. Nate and I managed to get him to the edge of the bed. He looked up at us, his body went slack and slammed down on the mattress.

  “Lucas!” I screamed as his eyes rolled back in his head, and he passed out.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sean broke the speed limit getting to the airport. Lucas had been in and out of consciousness for the last hour. We left everyone behind not wanting to waste time. Nate insisted they’d be fine and could handle anything that came their way. They convinced me to leave Zak, and the farther we drove, the more I regretted it.

  We landed on the private strip in Montana. A Niner ambulance sat on the tarmac. A crew rushed to the bottom of the steps as the plane door opened with Serena and Julian leading the way. I let out a sob when I saw Tobias.

  I scrambled down the stairs, heading straight for him. “Tobias!”

  “Everything will be all right, Allison. You need to believe me.” He held me out in front of him, looking at me with his bright blue eyes. “You look worn out.”

  “I feel like a zombie,” I answered.

  “Let’s go!” Julian shouted.

  Serena hopped in the ambulance with Julian and Lucas, and I rushed after her. She pointed me to another van. I looked at her with pleading eyes, but she shook her head.

  “That’s why they asked me to come,” Tobias said as he took me by the arm.

  “Wait!” I held up my hand. “Sean!” I ran back to the plane, which was refueling. “I trust you with my son’s life. Bring him home to me.” We hugged each other like it could be the last time, and I realized I couldn’t lose him either. “Be careful, I need you back safely, too.”

  I rushed to the assigned van and hopped in next to Tobias. “I want them home safely. We had to leave so quickly.”

  “Allison,” Tobias said in a quiet voice. “Doug is too focused on repairing his image. He doesn’t have time to make a strike against us now. Everyone will be home tomorrow safe and sound.” He patted my hand.

  “They’re my family, Tobias, like you are.” I faced him and saw his eyes glisten with tears.

  He turned away and cleared his throat. “Our shields have been greatly improved. The police will not even know we’re on the road. We should be home shortly.”

  We sat in silence as we drove through the forest and into Niner territory. The ambulance continued on to the hospital without the usual stop at headquarters.

  I focused on the gurney being lifted from the other van when we came to a stop. Two Niners had it out of the ambulance and into the hospital before I could jump from my seat. I had to run to catch up. “Wait!”

  “Allie.” Julian stopped me in the hall. “Let them examine him. I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

  “Julian,” I took his hand. “I’m scared. For the first time in my life, I’m helpless. Not even running away can save Lucas this time.”

  “You can only run to him, my dear.” Tobias came down the hall and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Take her, Julian. I’ll check in with Oliver.”

  As we walked into the room, Serena was already checking test results. “I’ve done a full body scan and am waiting for updates.” She told us. “The blood test indicates he still has some of the toxin in his system.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand it. I had Sean send me one more sample before Lucas left Virginia, and it was clean.” She looked to Julian. “Is it possible to create a serum that lies dormant in his system? Tests come back clean but the virus is still there?”

  Julian rubbed his face. “Anything’s possible.”

  I gasped and raised my hand to my mouth. “How long could this go on?”

  “We don’t know.” Julian shook his head. “We've never had to deal with something like this before. But don’t worry, Allie. We’ll find the answer.”

  “Allie.” Lucas called to me. I rushed to his side. “Trust … them.” Then he passed out again.

  “I don’t know how much longer I can take this,” I cried. “He regains consciousness for a moment, then he’s gone.”

  Oliver dashed into the room followed by Tobias. “I think I have a temporary solution. Until we have a cure, Lucas will take a dose of this medicine every four hours. He can administer it himself, right in the arm.” Oliver placed the syringe on Lucas’ arm and applied pressure to the top. The effect was instantaneous.

  Lucas’ eyes flew open, and he stared up at us. “What the?” He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the hospital bed. “Let’s go.” He hopped down, appearing normal, not realizing what had happened to him.

  “Are you really ready or do you want to wait to make sure?” I folded my arms and bit into my bottom lip.

  Oliver handed Lucas a black zipped case. “You can take him home, Allie. Just keep track of the time. Remember, every four hours.”

  Beetle had been waiting for us outside the hospital and when she saw us, she popped her doors. “Take us home, girl.”

  “Allie!” Julian ran out the doors, calling to me. “Don’t worry, everything’s fine, but contact Ashley as soon as you get home.”

  “Lucas, did you hear?” I looked over at him as I jumped in the car. “Lucas?” His eyes were closed, and I hoped he’d just fallen asleep. “Lucas,” I said a little louder as I shook his arm.

  “Yeah, let’s go. Just need some rest,” he mumbled. I stared at him. Niners didn’t need rest. They went nonstop, slept a few hours and were ready to go. This wasn't right.

  Beetle, fly us home. She made a soft landing in the drive, and I rushed to the passenger side and helped him out.

  “I’m fine.” Lucas kissed my forehead. “Put me on the couch.” He slung his arm around my shoulders.

  “Yeah, you’re great.” I dragged him up the porch stairs and into the house. “We’ve got to get Ash on the screen. I think something’s wrong.”

  “Make sure I can see.” Lucas flopped on the sofa, resting his head on a pillow. Oliver said he should be fine. Did he lie so I wouldn’t worry? I sat at the end of the couch by Lucas’ feet so my screen would be in front of us. Connect to Ashley.

  To our surprise, a crying, screaming baby appeared before us.

  “Thank goodness, you’re home.” Ashley was holding Zak and wiped his face. “He’s been like this since you left.”

  My heart pounded and guilt swept over me. I swallowed hard and tried to smile. “Hi, Zakkie. See Mommy and Da are home. You’ll be here tomorrow morning. I’ll tell Sean to make sure you guys are on the plane bright and early. He’s on his way back to get you, I promise.”

  Zak stopp
ed crying for a moment and searched my face, looking for the truth. “Toby?”

  “Yes, I saw Toby. He’s with Oliver. They’ve given Daddy vials of a serum to use every four hours until they find a cure. They’re working very hard. I’ll try to stay awake with Da as long as I can.” I just realized I hadn’t slept in thirty-six hours. “Please don’t cry, Zakkie."

  “Toby.”

  “I’ll make sure he picks you up at the airport. Would you like that?” That seemed to calm him as he smiled and nodded. “Now be a good boy for Aunt Ashley."

  “Don’t worry about us, Allie,” she said. “We’ve been taking turns with him. Even the Niners guards have been carrying him around the house trying to distract him.” Ashley gave me a weak smile.

  “I’m so sorry, Ash. He’s never been a problem. I don’t understand.”

  “Little pitchers.” She tilted her head toward Zak, reminding me of Dad’s saying, “little pitchers have big ears”. We never quite understood the meaning except that adults said it when children were listening. Ash and I would wrinkle our noses and say, “Pitchers don’t have ears,” then laugh hysterically at my dad.

  “Call me if you need me, Ash. Zak, if you go to bed soon then tomorrow will come faster! I love you.” I blew kisses to him, and he tried to catch them. “We could stay connected until he gets home,” Lucas said.

  “It sounds like a good idea, but everyone needs their rest, Lucas,” I answered.

  But the real reason? I didn’t want them to see how scared I really was that they wouldn't find a cure in time.

  * * * *

  “Lucas?” I rubbed my eyes, looking at the clock. “Oh, my God! I overslept.” I brought up my screen so I could see Tobias and Zak, then hopped from bed to check on Lucas.

  “Sorry to wake you, Allison. That’s exactly why I wanted to take Zakary with me today. We just left the airport.”

  I looked at the screen, waiting for the scream, but Zak’s eyes widened in anticipation.

  “Sure, if you think it's best.” His little face lit up at my words.

  “You don’t mind if we use Beetle when we return to the Village?” Tobias asked. “I’m getting used to the old girl.”