Payback

CHAPTER ONE

Rae Voight had an impulse to stop dead in the middle of the hallway, fling her arms out wide, and cry, Just look, okay? Just take a good long look and stop giving me all those sneaky, out-of-the-corner-of-your-eye glances.

But she didn’t. When everyone at school recently found out your mother was a murderer who died in a mental hospital and everyone already knew that you had spent your summer vacation in, yes, a mental hospital, it wasn’t that smart to draw more attention to yourself.

Except … at this point, all of that barely seemed to matter. How bizarre was that? The possibility that even her best friend might find out the truth about Rae’s mom used to be Rae’s biggest fear. And now everybody knew. She was sure even the janitor had heard. She was sure the AV guys, who usually didn’t talk about anything except how bad they wanted a plasma TV, were gossiping about her. And she cared … some. That’s it. She wasn’t even close to being destroyed the way she’d always thought she would be if anyone found out about her mom.

Maybe it was because she knew her mother hadn’t killed anyone. She’d been convinced of that ever since she’d touched a letter with her mother’s fingerprints on it and used her psychic ability to pick up the thoughts her mom had been having when she wrote the letter. But now she had proof—Aiden’s confession. Aiden had finally admitted to Rae that her mom had been set up to take the blame for her best friend’s death. Rae wasn’t the daughter of a killer.

And she also wasn’t being stalked by her own best friend anymore. Yana Savari had turned out to be the one after her all along, but now Aiden had Yana tucked away somewhere where she couldn’t hurt Rae.

So her mom was innocent, and Rae was safe. But even with all of that, the other major reason why Rae didn’t really care what anyone here in school thought of her was that Anthony Fascinelli had kissed her—kissed her until her lips got all puffy and sore in a good way. Who could care about anything after that? The kiss hadn’t even been after a crisis situation, either. He hadn’t kissed her because she’d almost died. Or because he almost had. So it totally counted. A little smile broke across Rae’s face as she thought about the kiss and all the kisses that had come after that kiss in the past week. The smile earned her a few more what’s-your-deal looks. Clearly people thought Rae should never smile again now that the so-called truth about her mom was out. But forget them. She had to smile. Because school was over for the day, and as soon as she found Anthony, they’d be kissing again.

As if her thoughts had conjured him up, Rae felt Anthony’s hands slide around her waist. She twisted around to face him, impatient to feel his mouth on hers, to become RaeAnthony instead of Rae and Anthony. They’d kissed hundreds of times in the week since the kiss, but Rae still felt starved for the taste of him. When his lips met hers, God, it was like everything she’d ever wanted in her whole life had been dumped in a pile at her feet with a big bow and whipped cream and a cherry on top.

Car, Anthony said into her mouth, and he started backing her down the hall, his face inches apart from hers. Rae locked her arms around his shoulders and easily matched her steps to his. No, it wasn’t even like she was trying to match him. When they were RaeAnthony, her body and his body moved together perfectly, like they were two halves that had been rejoined as soon as Rae and Anthony kissed.

They made it out of the school and through the parking lot to Anthony’s Hyundai, still holding on to each other. Anthony backed Rae up against the passenger side door, then slowly, reluctantly let go of her with one arm to slide his hand into his pocket. Rae heard the jangle of keys; then she felt Anthony fumbling to unlock the door behind her. Wonder how many times I can make him drop them today? she thought. She eased away from him, just the tiniest bit, then smiled and leaned in to kiss him again.

And the keys hit the asphalt. Rae loved that she could do that to Anthony—make him tremble so bad, he couldn’t keep his grip on a set of keys. Of course, he could do it right back to her, which she loved just about as much.

Anthony bent her back at the waist—like a tango dancer—as he reached to retrieve the keys. There wasn’t a fraction of an inch of space between their bodies. Rae opened her eyes, needing to look at Anthony. His eyes, his melted-Hershey’s-Kiss brown eyes, opened a second later. It was like that with them. They were so in sync. RaeAnthony. AnthonyRae.

Got ’em, Anthony said, his lips sliding off hers and onto her cheek. He straightened up, pulling Rae with him.

Anthony, she gasped.

He gave her a shy smile, about to lean in for another kiss.

No, Anthony, Rae blurted out as she tightened her hands on his shoulders. She could feel her nails starting to dig into his skin, but she couldn’t loosen her grip. There’s someone in the backseat of the car, she said, a familiar waver entering her voice. One week. She’d gotten one week free of fear, and now it was all rushing back. On the floor, she managed to get out.

Anthony jerked his head toward the back window, already pushing Rae behind him to make his body a kind of shield for her. Rae held her breath, and then Anthony looked back at her, reassurance in his eyes. It’s Aiden, he told her.

Rae let out a shaky sigh of relief. Aiden Matthews had saved her life more than once. If that didn’t mean she could trust him, what did? Anthony unlocked Rae’s door, and she climbed in. Don’t look at me, Aiden ordered. He repeated the instruction when Anthony got behind the wheel. Just drive, he continued. Not fast. It should look like the two of you are just off to the mall or wherever it is you go.

What’s wrong? Anthony demanded as he pulled out of the parking space and headed out of the lot.

Yana escaped, Aiden answered.

Rae felt like her blood had been replaced by novocaine. Her body went all thick and heavy … and dead. Yana, she whispered, her tongue stumbling over the name.

Anthony reached over and grabbed her hand. She could barely feel the warmth and strength of his fingers. Nothing’s going to happen to you, he said fiercely.

Rae flashed on the cabin, the cabin where Yana—Yana, who had been her very best friend less than a month ago—had taken Rae to kill her. Rae saw herself holding a knife, being forced by Yana’s thought-implanting ability to run it across her throat, lightly, lightly. Yana had wanted Rae to die slowly. She’d wanted to watch Rae suffer. And now Yana was out there somewhere. And what else would she be doing but coming after Rae, wanting to make sure Rae ended up dead this time?

Did you tell Yana the truth? Anthony asked, glaring at the road in front of him. He jerked the car to a stop at a red light. Did you tell her that Rae’s mom didn’t kill her mother? Did you tell her that it’s your friggin’ secret government agency she should be going after?

"It was never my agency. And I’m not a part of it anymore," Aiden answered.

Did you tell her? Anthony insisted, pulling across the intersection.

Rae tried to tighten her grip on Anthony’s hand, but she was too numb, frozen all the way to her bones.

I tried, Aiden said.

What does that mean? Anthony shot back.

It means I tried, Aiden answered, a slight edge to his voice. I explained it all, but I don’t know how much she understood. I had to keep her heavily sedated so she wouldn’t be able to use her power, so she was only semiconscious. But I told her that the agency killed her mother because her mother was going to expose them for the experiments they’d done on her and the other women in the group. The experiments that gave Rae’s mother and Yana’s mother their powers.

That ended up mutating Rae and Yana, too. Don’t forget that side effect of the experiments, Anthony reminded him.

Did she…? Anthony and Aiden waited while Rae struggled to get the words out of her deadened mouth. Did she believe you? About my mom?

There was a long silence from the back of the car. I don’t know, Aiden finally admitted. I planned to explain everything to her again when I thought it was safe to lower the doses of her drugs. But—

But she escaped, Anthony interrupted. How in the hell did that happen?

There was a power surge. It messed up the security system on the doors to her room—the locks opened when they weren’t supposed to, Aiden explained. She got out the back while I was trying to get the system running again.

She could be in Atlanta already, Rae said. You are. So she could be. She turned her head, the cold muscles in her neck almost creaking, and stared out at the people on the sidewalk closest to the car. No Yana. Not yet.

She didn’t have any money or— Aiden began.

Are you insane? Anthony burst out. She doesn’t need money. She can inject thoughts into people’s heads.

Let’s just figure out how we can find her, Rae said, eyes still searching the sidewalk. Before she finds me.

We don’t know that she’s coming for you, Aiden answered.

She is, though, Rae thought. I can feel her out there. Coming closer.

Where exactly were you keeping her? Anthony demanded. How far out of town? We need to retrace her steps.

I can’t tell you that. I can’t tell you anything more. I shouldn’t even be talking to you now, Aiden said. If they knew—

So you don’t care if they kill me? Rae asked, the novocaine in her veins heating up, turning to acid.

Of course I care. That’s why I’m here. To warn you, Aiden protested. Rae wished she could see his face. She wished she could make him look into her eyes while he pretended to care so much. But he was still crouched on the floor of the backseat.

And that’s it? A warning? That’s all you plan to freakin’ do? Anthony exploded. He answered his own question before Aiden could. There’s no way that’s happening. You are not getting out of this car until we find Yana.

Red light, Rae warned Anthony. Red light!

Anthony slammed on the brakes. The back door swung open, and Aiden scrambled out into the street. He zigzagged across the lane of oncoming traffic.

He’s gone, Rae said, watching Aiden disappear around a corner.

Bastard, Anthony muttered. He squeezed Rae’s hand so hard, she felt the small bones rub together. Don’t worry, he said. We don’t need him to find Yana.

Maybe we shouldn’t be trying to find her, Rae thought. Maybe it’s a mistake, a huge mistake where Rae Anthony ends up dead.

Yana Savari stopped at the red light. Red means stop. Green means go, she muttered. Like on the door. Green. So go.

Do you need help crossing the street? a voice asked. You can cross with me.

Are you … me? Yana replied, turning toward the voice and peering down at the striped blobby thing that stood next to her. Are you … me? she repeated when the blobby didn’t answer. The words … not right. The right ones … stuck in the sticky stuff inside her brain.

I can go get my mommy, the blobby said. Why could Yana understand the blobby words but not make the right words herself? She gave a little growl of frustration, and the blobby backed away. Then the light turned green.

Green, go. Like the door. In the room. Red, red, red, red. Watching, watching. Red, red, red. Then green. Green for go. Like now. Green light. Yana bolted across the street, leaving the blobby behind her. Go, go, go. Something red. Over there. She hesitated, peering at it. No.