No Pain: Book 1

Chapter 21: Star

             The air has never tasted better, I sprint down the streets. It's late, about sunset, the goosebumps on my arms tell me it's cold.

"Star." Najee catches up to me easily, Lucy is trailing behind.

"Najee." I can't help the smile on my face. We round the same corner without a thought and we stop. Lucy catches up. She looks angry, she grabs me by the thin material of my gown and yanks me toward her, her hands are weak. I can break her grasp easily but I don't.

"Who are you?" She demands. I peel her hand away.

"Someone you have to thank for your freedom." I remind her "now take it." She glances between me and Najee. Her eyes come back to me and she smiles.

"Thanks." She bolts. There's a clothes stand out on the street. I watch as she catches the end of a dress and disappears into the crowd.

"We should have recruited her years ago." Najee says, standing behind me.

"She was taken when she was thirteen, you must've just missed her." I say as I turn to meet his eyes. I'm smiling like an idiot, I don't care. I wait for Najee to say something, he doesn't. He grabs me and squeezes me against his chest. I wrap my arms around him.

"Star, how is someone so smart, this stupid." He growls at me still squeezing me.

"One of my charms." I shrug because I didn't expect Najee to act like this. Scold me, yeah, tell me everything I did wrong. Even dosing me and putting me on a plane, would have made so much more sense than this.

"Why didn't you leave?" Najee is still holding me.

"I found out what the Idios are planning, I couldn't just leave you guys." I try to step away but he's still got a grip on me.

"We told you to leave for a very specific reason." He says finally letting me go. He's looking at me with his stern dark eyes.

"I told you, I couldn't let you get killed." I shove him back into the wall. "I'll leave after this last mission."

"You won't live that long." Najee glances passed the wall and takes off his guard's jacket. "Here, put this on, we've gotta move." I slide my arms into the jacket, it's way too big but at least it covers the gown.

"Let's go." He takes my hand and walks ahead of me. "Put your head on my shoulder." He smiles as if I've said something funny. I do as I'm told and squeeze his hand.

The motel is cheap and low key. I walk in ahead of Najee to find John sprawled across the bed with his arm slung over his eyes.

"Not much like you." I chuckle hanging my head over John's.

"Not really, but his abnormality is completely opposite of me too." Najee takes his shirt off and trades it for his own grey t-shirt. I poke at John's belly.

"Hey, I'm back." I whisper.

"You and John get close?" Najee takes off the utility belt he got from the facility.

"As close as a babysitter and a baby get, I suppose." I cast a withering look at him. Najee shrugs but he's smiling.

"John." I whisper. Poking at his arm.

"He's a heavy sleeper, he's not going to wake up until he's ready to wake up." Najee grabs a pair of black jeans and goes to the bathroom to finish changing.

"You left me with an untrained, heavy sleeping soul reader?" I ask staring at the door.

"He's my brother, he's all of those things, yes, but he's loyal and he's trustworthy." Najee steps out "something that you need with your abnormality." Najee strides over and stands toe to toe with me. He wrinkles his nose at me.