The Switch, Debra Kayn [best books for 20 year olds .txt] 📗

She hesitated.

"Now." He shut down until she had no other option than to turn away from him and join her sons.

He stayed close enough to hear her speak with her kids, assuring him that she was doing what he told her. She gave the boys no reason for leaving, and Zach and Kenny accepted the news, wanting to go to his house. Conscious of the time getting away from him, he stayed outside the clubhouse until Bonnie backed out of her parking spot, followed by Speeder and Trina on his motorcycle.

And then he headed inside the clubhouse to face the handlers and wait for his fate.

To disobey an order would only cause pain or elimination. The risk of losing memory of Bonnie during the retraining, if they were lenient, kept him obedient.

The handler on his left clasped his hands behind his back. "We've had reports of changes within your programming. You're to report to the cave on Monday."

With that order, the handlers turned and left him, standing in the clubhouse by himself. He was the only one they'd sought out.

He walked outside, looking around the crowd. No one paid any attention to what had transpired. Finding Prez, Keenan, Johnny, and Hank watching him, he realized the depth of the repercussions of being reprimanded within the Alpha Bio Project.

He was trained to consult them immediately with any change. Not only was he experiencing emotions and gaining control of his mind, but he'd also gone against the rules knowing the outcome of his failures.

Chapter Thirty Two

Zach and Kenny sat on the couch in Trip's living room with Trina between the two boys. Bonnie paced in front of the large windows, overlooking the river. The presence of Speeder and Trina only exasperated Trip's treatment of her.

"Is Trip coming, too?" asked Kenny.

She looked at her son, then Speeder. Hoping he would answer because she had no clue what Trip had planned by sending her to the house.

Speeder remained standing near the entrance to the room without saying anything. She raised her brows, trying to convey that the kids wanted answers. That she wanted answers.

But, Speeder remained silent.

"I don't know, honey." She shrugged, helpless to calm their worries.

Everything seemed amplified tonight. It hadn't helped that she'd taken the boys on the quest to find the key—and actually had the ramblings of Grandpa Gene making everything seem too real that she now imagined Trip involved in something sinister on the mountain.

To even think the Trip she fell in love with was keeping secrets from her, or worse, was involved with something that could hurt her or the kids, left her vulnerable and second-guessing all her decisions.

"Mom?" Zach put down his phone. "Do you think Trip would care if we go hang out in the gym?"

She looked to Speeder, who dipped his chin. "Sure, just make sure you stay in the house."

The three kids got up together and left the room. Finally, alone with Speeder, she whispered, "What is going on?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Her chest tightened. "How did you know to come here with us? You weren't there when Trip told me to leave and go to the house with the boys."

"I just knew." He walked over to the kitchen area and retrieved a glass, pouring water from the faucet.

It was the only crack in Speeder's stoic actions. Her questions bothered him enough, he tried to distract her. She wasn't fooled.

All she could do was wait until Trip arrived. She had to keep reminding herself that he had no clue about Grandpa Gene's notebook or her finding the key. That what happened tonight was a completely separate thing.

Unless they were related.

Her grandfather had mentioned government officials. The two men who'd shown up at the clubhouse stood out from everyone else. They weren't locals or tourists.

There was an air about them. They carried themselves confidently and with authority.

In black trousers, buttoned dress shirts, and opened jackets— anyone would notice the strangers.

The tinkle of broken glass jerked her head toward the kitchen. Speeder stood by the sink with shards of glass falling from his hand. She stepped closer and stopped, afraid to approach him.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." Speeder stuck his hand under the water, then picked up all the broken pieces and threw them in the garbage can.

Bonnie hugged herself, wanting to check on the boys but wanting to keep them away from the tension in the house. There was no reason to stay here. She could take them home where they could talk and be comforted by familiar surroundings.

But she was worried about Trip.

The moment those men showed up, Trip turned into someone else. He was a stranger to her.

All mutual feelings and closeness that she always recognized in his gaze was gone.

Speeder brought her a glass of water. She shook her head, turning away his offer. There was nothing she wanted, except Trip.

She sniffed, unable to keep the tears from overflowing her eyelids. Turning away, she dashed her hands across her cheeks.

"I'll check on the kids," said Speeder.

Left alone, she bent at the waist and covered her face. Silently screaming her frustrations and fears.

She loved him.

There was no doubt about her feelings toward Trip. He'd become a part of her family.

She should never have hesitated when he asked her to move in. Always proud of the way she kept life spontaneous and fun for the boys, willing to travel eight hours to a home in the mountains to give them a better life and leave everything behind, she'd wavered when it came to Trip because she was scared of messing everything up.

She was afraid of losing him like she'd lost Ben, her mom, Grandpa Gene.

The thunk of Speeder's boots against the floor alerted her of his return. She straightened, turning her back to him.

"A-are the kids okay?" She dried her cheeks and faced him.

"Yeah. Trina challenged the boys to play a game of HORSE...a basketball shooting game." Speeder sat on the arm of the couch. "You okay?"

"I will be