Serpenti

by Brooke Sivendra

  Abi tilted her head to the side slightly. “Do you really think it’s a prison?”

  “Sometimes, yes. At other times, it all seems manageable,” he said thoughtfully.

  “Do you know what I think?” she asked playfully.

  The corner of Asher’s lips turned up. “I think you’re going to tell me.”

  Abi chuckled. “I think you put too much pressure on yourself. You said your father lived in the moment—in the present—and that’s where you need to learn to live too. Yes, you need to plan ahead, but let tomorrow worry about tomorrow.”

  Asher’s eyes dropped to the newspapers. He pushed one aside, revealing the paper with the full picture of them walking side by side. “Hmm,” he said, his eyebrows weaving together.

  Abi frowned. “You don’t like the photograph?”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s not that. I like the photo, actually. But look at this person in the background,” he said, pointing.

  Abi’s eyes followed his finger. She studied it for a moment, wondering where she’d seen him before. “That’s the colonel’s driver,” Abi said quickly, thinking back to that dreaded night on the side of the highway.

  “Captain Lewis Spencer,” Asher said, sounding far away.

  “Is it odd he attended?” Abi asked, unsure.

  “Not really, but look at all of these pictures,” Asher said, spreading out the newspapers. They were all similar photographs taken from slightly different angles—not surprising, given that security had allowed only one photo opp.

  “His eyes are focused on you in all of them, and he’s not smiling,” Asher said.

  Abi looked again. “Huh,” she said, trying to make sense of it. The more she looked at the photographs, the more she didn’t like it, but she couldn’t exactly accuse this Captain Lewis of throwing daggers her way.

  Asher returned his focus, perhaps having similar thoughts. “I’m untrusting of almost everyone,” he said, looking pained.

  “I have a good feeling about this security team,” Abi said. “They’re going to get to the bottom of this. When you know who you can trust, you’ll be able to sleep at night.”

  Asher looked up as Abi heard footsteps beside her. James entered, making no apology for his interruption.

  “Hello,” he said, dragging a seat over to sit beside them.

  “Hello,” Asher said, picking up the newspaper. “Look into this guy—Captain Lewis Spencer. I don’t like the way he’s looking at Abi.”

  Abi watched James carefully. His eyes darted from one photograph to the next. “Okay,” he said simply.

  Abi frowned. “He’s not exactly shooting daggers.”

  James shrugged. “Criminals usually aren’t that obvious, and I’ve learned the hard way to trust your gut instincts. I admit I wouldn’t have paid it much attention, but if you don’t like it, Asher, we’ll look into it.”

  Abi thought it was a waste of time, but supposed it couldn’t hurt. Captain Spencer did know what happened that night and he could use it to his advantage if he had any malintent.

  “He was there that night on the side of the highway,” Abi said quietly, even though Asher already knew at least some of the details.

  Now James perked up. “That might change things,” he said, taking another look. He made a phone call. “Samuel, Captain Lewis Spencer. Run a full report for the past twelve months—I want to know everywhere he’s been, who he’s spoken to, and a full list of his assets. Thanks,” he said before ending the call. James looked to Asher. “We’ll have the information in a few hours.”

  Abi’s jaw dropped open. “Doesn’t that take more time?”

  James smirked. “Not for Samuel. Now, the reason for my visit,” he said, handing her a box. Abi opened it to reveal a small pistol. “Remember—keep it on you at all times. Take it even into the bathroom. I don’t want to see you without it.”

  “Hang on, why are you giving her a weapon?” Asher asked, alarmed.

  James’s expression remained impassive. “I’m giving Abi a weapon because I know that no building in this world is impenetrable. Even my home was attacked once, and I thought I had every protection possible. I don’t think it’s likely that the palace would be attacked—if I did, I would’ve moved you out of here—but I won’t take that risk. Abi knows how to shoot, so I’m giving her a pistol that I intend for her to never use. If you knew how to shoot, I’d give you one too. Given that you don’t, a pistol will only be more harm than good.”

  “Perhaps you should teach me how,” Asher said tersely.

  “I’m planning on it, but not today. You have enough shit to deal with right now,” James told him seriously. “There’s one more thing you need to know: Lamberi is in Santina. I had an additional six teams fly in this morning, and my staff is on high alert. We don’t know how Lamberi entered the country, but someone cleared him, and we’ll find out who that was.”

  “How did you know?” Asher asked, his voice tight.

  James crossed his arms like he was settling in for a long conversation. “We caught him on CCTV, but he’s disappeared, gone underground, as we call it. There’s a reason IFRT was never able to get a photo of him. He knows how to hide. We’re good at finding ghosts, however, and in this world, with cameras on every street and communication devices monitoring every conversation, it’s hard to hide for long.”

  Asher pinched the bridge of his nose. “Every time I think things can’t get worse, they do.”

  “Actually, catching Lamberi on CCTV footage was a blessing. We don’t know where he is, but we know he’s close, and that’s a good advantage to have.”

  Asher scoffed. “That’s grasping at straws.”

  “In my world it’s not,” James said flatly. “Let me handle this. You stay beside Abi,” he said, smirking now, “and she’ll protect you with that pistol.”

  Asher raised an eyebrow. “Does your wife know how to shoot?”

  James grinned and his eyes sparkled. “Of course she does. We have a weekly contest, but I still have the best shot—for now.”

  Asher gave a strained laugh. “You’re a strange guy.”

  James chuckled properly now. “I’ve been called much worse things. Do yourself a favor and take the day off. You need some time off, Asher. Watch a movie or something,” he said before turning to leave.

  Asher smiled. “Let’s go on an adventure.”

  “Within the palace?” Abi asked quickly.

  A smile lit up his face. “Come with me,” he said, standing and holding out his hand.

  Asher

  Abi reached for his hand and he helped her up, making sure she was steady on her ankle. She took the pistol out of the box and tucked it into the back pocket of her jeans. Asher couldn’t decide if he liked the idea of her having a pistol or not, but James was right: she knew how to shoot.

  “How did you learn to use that?” Asher asked.

  “I took self-defense and weapon training classes—a ton of them—after my mentor was murdered. I made all IFRT staff go through that training,” she said with a sad smile.

  Asher knew Rachel had agreed to take on the role of administering IFRT, but he wondered what would become of it without Abi’s leadership. He knew it was hard for Abi to let it go too, even though she didn’t feel like she had any other option.

  He cupped her cheeks and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. “IFRT is going to survive,” he said.

  She looked up at him with troubled eyes. “We were just starting to make real progress.” She looked away, shaking her head. “Those women don’t have anyone else. Few groups will do the rescues IFRT was prepared to do. And I worry about Rachel . . . I love her, but I don’t know if she has it in her. She always preferred more of a background role.”

  He didn’t know Rachel well enough to say, but he knew one thing: “Sometimes we’re pushed into situations that make us grow and become the people we’re meant to be.”

  She sighed before looking up at him with a bittersweet smile. “You’re right.
I just—it’s hard—I’m so used to controlling everything and right now I’m . . . I feel lost.”

  “You need something to work on,” Asher said, nodding. “Luckily for you, Santina has a list of problems you can help solve. We’ll talk about it tonight, but right now I want to show you something.”

  She beamed a smile and his chest warmed. It was like the night he’d taken her to the ruins—he loved her sense of adventure.

  He led her into the hallway, walking slowly beside her, monitoring how badly she was limping. She seemed okay, so he continued on as security teams followed closely behind them.

  As they approached the elevator, they filed in, jammed like sardines between security guards.

  Asher was surprised to see security already in the tunnels when they stepped out into the underground level.

  “What is this?” Abi asked as her head arced, taking in the series of tunnels that led out from the elevator.

  “Secret passages,” Asher said with a wink. “They were originally built to bring in supplies, and likely for people to come and go discreetly. They were closed off by my great-grandfather and restored when the palace underwent its latest renovations,” he said as they walked. “As children Noah and I spent hours down here, exploring the tunnels and playing hide and seek.”

  His heart ached to think of Noah. He thought again of the image he’d been shown—the picture of an angry Noah that Asher couldn’t reconcile—and wondered what had become of that lead. Asher supposed they were still working on it and focused on returning his attention to better times.

  It had been a long time since they’d run carefree through the tunnels, but he could still remember the way Noah’s laugh echoed through them, always giving him away.

  “Did you ever get lost down here?” Abi asked, her eyes dancing.

  Asher chuckled. “I don’t know about lost, exactly, but there was more than one occasion when we’d spent a few more hours down here than intended.” Despite the ache in his heart, it felt good to be in the tunnels and away from his office. He felt like Asher, not King Asher. Maybe that was why his father had always come down here.

  “What are you thinking?” Abi asked gently.

  Asher wasn’t sure what his expression was, but his poker face was definitely not on, given the concern in Abi’s eyes.

  Asher shook his head. “My father built something down here a long time ago, before all the wars started and Santina was struggling. Some time ago he closed it down because it was a luxury that wasn’t needed when our people were starving. It just occurred to me that was probably a bigger sacrifice than I realized, because I think it was his escape from the pressures of his title.”

  As they turned the corner, Asher saw his father’s joy in the dark corner.

  “Is that glass? What is that?” Abi asked, squinting.

  “It was an aquarium,” Asher said of the floor-to-ceiling glass structure built into the rock wall of the tunnel. “It was beautiful. It was lit up, bright blue, and was filled with colorful fish. My father had a big armchair down here and he would sit for hours. We used to watch him and laugh, thinking he’d lost his mind.” Asher gave a guilty smile. “We would call him The Mad King. Now that I reflect on it, it was probably his form of meditation.”

  “It must’ve been amazing. It’s enormous,” she said, her head tilting up.

  “But that was the problem, the cleaning and maintenance fees were exorbitant, and when the budgets were tight—or in the red—he couldn’t justify his fish tank.”

  “Maybe one day it’ll come back to life,” Abi said with a genuine smile. She seemed to really believe that, and that meant she believed in Santina.

  “Maybe one day,” Asher said, knowing that if it did, that day was a long time from now. But maybe he could resurrect his father’s pride and joy; maybe his own kids would call him The Mad King.

  “What did the armchair look like?” Abi asked, her eyes still on the old aquarium.

  “What?” Asher asked. “What color was it?”

  “Yeah, what color was it? What shape?” she asked casually.

  “It was blue velvet, like the chairs in his office. And it had a winged back,” Asher said as a vivid memory of his father sitting in the chair flashed in his mind.

  Abi squeezed his hand. “That’s how you should remember your father.”

  “Sitting in his chair?” Asher asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Happy,” she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  He looked at the fish tank one last time before continuing his tour. He led Abi deeper into the tunnels, wishing security wasn’t so close behind, but also grateful they were.

  The walls were lit with small lights, so they didn’t need flashlights, but still the tunnels were dark. Asher felt the same buzz feeding through his body that he’d felt as a kid.

  “We’re underneath the gardens now, near the palace entrance,” he said.

  Abi’s head snapped to him. “Huh? I thought we were going in the other direction,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t leave me here, Asher, I’ll never find my way out.”

  Asher laughed. “You should be on your best behavior then,” he said as she swatted his shoulder.

  “I am always on my best behavior. Angel Abigail is what they call me,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

  Asher laughed heartily. “Now that is the biggest lie I’ve heard in a long time.”

  Abi chuckled, but there was no humor in her voice. “No, seriously, they call me the Night Angel. She who comes in the night and rescues people.”

  Asher paused. He didn’t know that. “The Night Angel . . .” he mused, drawing her in, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “You’re the bravest angel I know,” he said quietly before he kissed her—not giving a thought to the security standing close by. If they were going to follow him everywhere, they’d better get used to it. Stolen moments like these with Abi would be rare, and he was going to take advantage of every single one of them.

  “Excuse me, Asher,” Reed said.

  Asher pulled back, annoyed, before he realized that Reed hadn’t initially been with them. When had he come down to the tunnels?

  “Yes,” Asher said, his tone sharper than intended.

  “You need to look at something. Now,” he said unapologetically.

  Asher cleared his throat. “What is it?”

  Reed paused for a moment, like he was debating telling Asher here in the tunnels. “We’ve picked up communication about a terrorist attack on Santina. James wants to speak to you immediately.”

  His stomach churned violently and he turned, striding toward the elevator.

  It took him a moment to realize Abi wasn’t beside him. He turned back, seeing her walking with security. She motioned for him to go ahead without her as she hobbled along.

  “Do we know the timing for this attack?” Asher asked as Reed strode beside him.

  “Imminent. James deployed teams to the site a minute ago,” Reed said.

  “You’re not going?” Asher asked, not sure if that was a good thing or not.

  “No, James and I are staying at the palace. This could be a legitimate attack, or it could be a setup to get us out of the palace and away from you. We’re not prepared to take that chance. The deployed teams can handle it,” Reed said.

  Asher nodded, pressing the elevator button with more force than necessary. The doors opened.

  “What communication did you intercept, precisely?” Asher asked.

  “I don’t know,” Reed admitted. “I’d actually just arrived in the tunnels to relieve one of the security guards when the instruction came from James to bring you up. I’ll be briefed at the same time as you.”

  Asher nodded. The elevator seemed to be moving impossibly slow but he was sure it was just in his mind.

  He all but ran to his office.

  James was there with the television on, and Asher could see Samuel and Deacon there, ready.

  James started talking the second t
hey entered.

  “As Reed has informed you, we have intercepted communication regarding a series of terrorist attacks planned for Santina. We’ve verified the recordings and I’ve deployed teams to the sites involved, but we can’t be sure if this is a setup as yet.”

  “How many sites?” Asher asked, feeling the acrid bile rise in his throat.

  “Three. Town Hall, a subway station, and Rainbow Street—restaurant district,” he said.

  “Oh God,” Asher said quickly, pacing. “We’re talking about thousands of casualties.”

  “If the data we have is correct, we still have a few hours until the bombs are detonated,” Samuel said.

  “How long, exactly?” Asher demanded.

  “Eight hours. I’ve identified six individuals involved,” Samuel said, and then hesitated. “But the fact that I’ve been able to do that concerns me.”

  “How so?” Asher asked, his mind reeling.

  “Because it’s almost like they wanted us to know. They made careless mistakes—mistakes criminals below their pay grade would make,” Samuel said.

  Asher looked to James, and he knew he wasn’t going to like what was said next.

  “My gut feeling is that this is going to be a blackmail attempt,” James said, seeming to choose his words carefully.

  “Blackmail? For what? What do they think Santina has that’s worth anything of value?” Asher asked, his mind going to Alistair’s deal. “The oil well,” he said, answering his own question.

  “Possibly,” James said, but Asher knew by the tone of his voice he didn’t believe it was that.

  “Then what?” Asher demanded.

  James looked past Asher, to the closed door.

  “It’s potentially who you have, not what you have,” James said, seeming to tense for his reaction.

  It took a moment for the realization to hit him. And when it did, he felt like he had when Abi had sleepily punched him in the throat.

  “No!” Asher said, his voice a wheeze.

  James nodded. “It’s the perfect storm, Asher. If I were Lamberi, I’d make this move too. If he blackmails you, and you refuse to hand over Abi, he’ll initiate the attacks. If there are casualties, he will tell Santina you chose to save Abi instead of—potentially—thousands of innocent Santinians.”