Page 39 of Hansen

Hansen couldn’t regret what had been done to him because if he didn’t have the ability to cloak himself, he wouldn’t be raiding labs and saving people.Evan wouldn’t be the person he was now if he hadn’t gone through everything he’d gone through.Hansen wished he hadn’t, but there was no changing the past.He was happy to have Evan in any way he could get him.

He hoped that Evan would be able to accept his ability.Whether or not he could, Hansen would be there, helping him to control it and maybe even use it.

He pressed his lips against Evan’s.“You’ll be fine.I’ll help.”

Matthew cleared his throat.“That’s great and all, but maybe you could help us get these people to the healers?”

Evan squeezed Hansen harder and glared over Hansen’s shoulder at Matthew.“Can’tyoudo that?Hansen needs to find some clothes.I’m not letting him run around half-naked.”

Matthew barked out a laugh.“What if hewantsto run around half-naked?”

“I don’t want to, so Evan’s right.I need clothes before I can help you with anything.”Hansen turned.“Have you called Olga or Moore?”

Matthew nodded as he helped one of the mutants to her feet.“They don’t need us back at the facility.They’ll take care of gathering everyone who needs to be brought here and of the facility once it’s empty.”

They would set it on fire.It was what they always did because that way, no one could use anything inside the building again.It wouldn’t stop the people setting up in the labs, but hopefully, it would slow them down.

“What can I do?”Franklin asked.

Hansen turned to tell him that he had no idea because Moore hadn’t ordered him to do anything about Franklin, but before he could open his mouth, roots shot out of the ground and wrapped around the man.

When Rikar had been wrapped up in the roots, he’d looked amused and interested.Now that it was Franklin’s turn, the man appeared alarmed and scared.Hansen didn’t blame him.Even though he knew that Evan was doing this, he was a little scared, too.

* * * *

EVAN COULDN’T BREATHE.What was this man doing here?How had he survived the raid?He wasn’t tied up.He wasn’t even wounded.He was walking around as if his presence here was normal, wearing a guard’s uniform.

“Evan?”Hansen asked.

His tone made it obvious that he was afraid Evan would snap.Evan couldn’t blame him because it felt like he already had.He didn’t have any control over the roots that were winding their way around the guard’s body.He just wanted the man to disappear, and apparently, the roots were already working on it.

Things got even more alarming when the ground under the guard started splitting.Evan was pretty sure that if he didn’t stop, the ground would swallow the guard whole.

Wouldn’t that be a sight?

“Evan?”Hansen tried again.

Evan blinked.“He’s a guard.”

“I know.He wouldn’t be here if we weren’t sure he wouldn’t hurt anyone.Moore agreed to his presence at the village.In fact, he demanded it.”

Evan still didn’t understand.“He’s aguard.He was at one of the facilities where I was kept at.I saw him.”

Hansen frowned and looked at the guard.“Is that true?”

The guard’s eyes were wide, and he was trying to push away the roots, but they weren’t leaving.They couldn’t because Evan was controlling them.

“I already told you that I was looking for my siblings.I worked at several facilities.I don’t know you, man.I’ve seen hundreds of people in cages.”

“And you did nothing to free any of them?”Evan asked.

“I couldn’t.If I had, they would have known it was me, and I would’ve had to stop looking for my brother and my sister.Please.You know what happens in those labs.You were there, too.You know what they’re doing to my siblings and why I have to find them.”

Could Evan believe this man?He’d been a guard, but he hadn’t been one of the bad ones.He hadn’t helped Evan escape, but he also hadn’t hurt him.

Normally, Evan wouldn’t forgive the man.He was saying that he’d been looking for his siblings, though, and if they were in one of the facilities, Evan knew precisely what they were going through.He couldn’t blame this man for doing everything he could for his family.

He still wanted to hurt him.

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