by I. T. Lucas
“How come you committed so much to memory?” Turner asked.
“I have an excellent visual memory. I can close my eyes and see the various buildings, including the number of floors and windows. Before Jin’s arrival, I was lonely and bored, and since I like jogging, I used to run the entire perimeter of the underground city every day. I was most curious about the machinery running the facility, and since the entire place is under constant surveillance, I figured that the best place for a private talk was next to the noisiest ones. So that’s where I took Jin to plan our escape.”
“What are we going to do with all this information?” Kalugal asked. “All I need to know is where Simmons’s office is.”
Jacki looked at him. “Are you still thinking about shrouding yourself to look like him or one of his superiors?”
“We need to capture the director, detain him, and then I can walk in shrouding myself as him. Before I do that, though, I will need to talk to the bastard and learn his mannerisms and inflection.”
Jacki frowned. “I just thought of something. Even though we had access cards, we mainly used them to get into our apartments. When getting into the offices or the training facilities, we just walked in. I think they scanned us somehow.”
“That complicates things,” Turner said. “They are probably using biometric scanners, and there is no way Kalugal’s shroud can fool those.”
Kalugal turned to Kian. “Can your hackers do something about that?”
Kian shook his head. “Messing with that is a sure way to attract attention. We can’t afford it.”
It seemed like his clever plan wasn’t going to work after all. “Then we need to get rid of Simmons and Roberts and maybe even the recruiter. Without them, the program will fall apart, and the trainees will be sent home. Case closed.”
“For now, maybe.” Turner tapped his pen on his yellow pad.
Kalugal arched a brow. “Do you have a better plan?”
“Not yet. But we don’t have to kill them off.” Turner reached for his bottle of water. “Roni dug up some very good dirt on the two of them. Remember my idea to find female subordinates and thrall them to accuse the two of sexual harassment?”
“Is that the dirt Roni found?” Kian asked.
Turner nodded. “Both had complaints filed against them by female coworkers, starting long before the two joined the military and continuing after. The claims were silenced, but we can find the women and have them testify or leak the original complaints to the press.”
Kalugal grimaced. “That will take too long. I say let’s get rid of the old men. They are nothing but trouble.”
“Roni and William are still working on your virus idea. They might come up with something that wouldn’t damage the entire infrastructure.”
Jacki cringed. “I don’t want to talk about viruses, even computer ones.”
Kalugal wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Then we will call it a malignant code instead.”
“That’s better.”
He turned to Kian. “You’ve just said that hacking into the government computers will call attention to you. How is infecting them with malignant code different?”
Kian chuckled. “Don’t ask me. I’m not a computer expert. My guys said that infecting specific sections can be done without leaving a trace. Something about the code destroying its own pathway.”
“How soon will they know?”
“It’s a very complicated thing. They need to learn the system first, and that in itself can lead back to them. They have to be very careful, and it will take a long time.”
Turner put his pen down and leaned back. “There is no real urgency. We shouldn’t pressure them into going too fast and triggering an alarm.”
Kian nodded. “I agree.”
Kalugal didn’t, but he couldn’t say why. It was more of a gut feeling than rational thought. The program needed to be stopped, and the sooner the better.
Fiddling with the strap of her purse, Jacki shifted in her seat. “I’m not comfortable with where this is going. I don’t want Simmons and Roberts dead.”
“If they sexually harassed their coworkers, they need to go to jail for it,” Kalugal said. “And since both of them are old, that’s like a death sentence for them. We can just hasten the end.”
She shook her head. “But then their deaths are on you. I don’t want that.”
“No one is offing anyone,” Kian grumbled. “We are not the mafia. We will find another solution.” He looked at Turner. “I think it’s time to call it a day and join our ladies.”
Lokan let out a breath. “I’m with Kian on that.” He patted his stomach. “I’m ready for dinner.”
“We will order delivery to our suite.” Kian glanced at the cuff that was still on the table where Kalugal had put it. “If you want to join us, you need to put that on.”
Reluctantly, Kalugal picked it up, put it over his wrist, but didn’t lock it in place. “Before I snap this contraption closed, I want your word that you will remove it at the end of the evening.”
“You have my word.” Kian waved his hand at the gathered men and Jacki. “In front of all these witnesses, I promise to take it off once you are in your car.”
“Not good enough. You could prevent me from ever getting into my car. I want you to promise that you’ll remove it once I’m not in the presence of your wife and the other ladies.”
“How about this. I give you my word that at the end of the evening I will walk you to your car, wait until you get in, and then remove the cuff.”
“That will do.”
42
Jacki
Jacki squeezed Kalugal’s hand. “I know that you are doing this for me. It’s very brave of you.”
He’d even dismissed Rufsur and his other two men, telling them to go home and then come pick them up when they were ready to go. In Jacki’s opinion, he was much more trusting of Kian than Kian was of him. To the point that it made her uncomfortable.
Not that she really feared that Kian would do something to Kalugal, but she would have preferred to err on the side of caution. In return, Kian also dismissed Lokan’s so-called guards. She knew that they were Kian’s men, not Lokan’s, and so did Kalugal.
His lips curved in a smirk. “I admit that climbing the stairs to the sixth floor is not an easy feat, but it doesn’t count as bravery unless we encounter rats in the stairwell.” He pretended to shiver. “If we do, you’ll have to defend me because I hate rodents.”
She elbowed the jokester. “I mean the cuff. It’s like walking around with an explosive tied to you.”
He glanced over his shoulder at Turner. “How are you doing, buddy? I hope you are not going to trip and press that remote by mistake.”
“Don’t worry. Just keep going.”
They were all taking the stairs because of her, the one human who could get infected. They were good people, all of them. Kian and his men, and Kalugal and his.
She hadn’t met all of Kalugal’s people, but those she had were decent guys and not at all like what she imagined the island’s Doomers were.
Those former members of the Brotherhood were proof that people could change.
On the other hand, they’d had the advantage of Kalugal leading them. Without him, they wouldn’t have been able to break free from his father’s compulsive influence.
“That’s our floor.” Kian pushed the emergency staircase door open. “Our suite takes up the entire top level of the hotel, so we have no neighbors.”
Jacki adjusted her wig and her glasses. In a moment, she was going to take them off again and meet her friends.
“I can feel your excitement,” Kalugal whispered in her ear.
“I won’t deny it. I thought that I was never going to see them again. This is such a treat for me.”
Kian knocked on the suite’s double doors, pushed one open, and headed straight for Syssi, embracing her as if he was returning from a month-long trip.
Jacki pulled the wig off and rem
oved her glasses.
The doctor walked up to them first. “Hello, Kalugal. I’m Bridget.”
“A pleasure to meet you.” He looked her up and down. “You look nothing like your son.”
Bridget narrowed her eyes at him. “How do you know Julian is my son?”
Kalugal tapped his nose. “Familial smell.”
“You’re good.” Bridget looked confused.
Did immortal families even share a scent? Kalugal had never mentioned it. But then there was still a lot Jacki didn’t know about immortals, and to cover it all would probably take several months. He might have just not gotten to that item yet.
Kalugal laughed. “Just joking.”
“Then how did you know?” Bridget frowned.
“You mentioned it when we were on the phone. You said that your son was coming to take care of Jin.”
“If you say so. I don’t remember mentioning that Julian was my son.”
As the bedroom door opened and Carol rushed out, Bridget stepped aside to avoid getting toppled over by the tiny torpedo.
“Jacki!” Carol shrieked and barreled into her, crushing the much taller Jacki to her ample chest. “You look amazing.” She let go and took a step back. “Like a whole new woman.”
“Thank you.”
Carol turned to Kalugal. “Hello, I’m Carol.” She offered him her hand. “I would hug you, but Lokan would get jealous.”
“I don’t blame him. You are a beautiful woman, Carol.”
He was smiling and his tone was polite, but Jacki had a feeling that Carol’s exuberance was a bit much for Kalugal.
He would have to get used to her. After all, Carol was family, so it wasn’t as if he had a choice.
“Go ahead,” Lokan said. “I don’t mind.”
He’d probably sensed his brother’s chill response, and that was why he was okay with it.
Carol glanced at Jacki. “May I?”
“Go for it.”
A wide grin split Carol’s cherubic face. “Come here, my future brother-in-law.” She pulled Kalugal down, put her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him on both cheeks.
“When are you two getting married?” Kalugal asked.
Lokan and Carol exchanged glances, and Carol shrugged. “There is no rush. We are in a precarious situation at the moment.”
Untangling herself from her husband’s embrace, Syssi turned and smiled. “That’s why you should jump ship and cross over.”
She walked over and pulled Jacki into a quick hug before offering her hand to Kalugal. “Finally, we meet. I’m Syssi, Kian’s wife.”
“That wasn’t hard to figure out.” He took her hand, shook it gently, and then smiled broadly. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you. But on what? Kian and I have been married for three years.”
He glanced at Syssi’s middle. “You are expecting a child.”
“How did you know?”
He tapped his nose. “Your scent is different.”
Bridget huffed. “I knew that I didn’t forget mentioning that Julian was my son. You did smell it.”
He lifted his hands in mock defeat. “Guilty. I have a very sensitive nose.”
Jacki wanted to find the nearest bathroom and hide. All those times she’d pretended that Kalugal had no effect on her, he’d known perfectly well that she’d been lying.
How mortifying.
But they were getting married, so that was okay. Soon, she would sample all those things she’d secretly fantasized about doing with him.
“Jacki?” Kalugal arched a brow. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is perfect.” She leaned toward him and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad that we are getting married soon.”
“Speaking of weddings ...” Syssi took her hand. “We need to plan your party.”
43
Kalugal
As Kalugal smiled, shook hands, and said all the right words, his mind struggled to process and understand the feelings that the experience was evoking in him.
The truth was that he was nearing an emotional overload.
Kian, who was usually gruff and tense, was a completely different man with his wife. The love the two felt and freely expressed for each other was practically palpable.
The same was true for Lokan and his cherubic spitfire, who, apparently, had no sense of personal space.
Kalugal wasn’t the type who enjoyed friendly hugs, especially not from attached women.
The doctor and her immune mate were more reserved in their shows of affection, but the bond between them was nonetheless obvious.
Wonder, as well as the blond Guardian’s mate, weren’t present. It was also possible that the stoic warrior didn’t have a mate or that he’d left her home.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Kalugal tried to imagine what that home might be like. He’d heard the word village mentioned several times, which implied trees and trails and couples walking hand in hand, greeting friends, maybe even pushing strollers with babies in them.
An immortal utopia.
“Where is Wonder?” Jacki asked Syssi.
“She and Callie went to get snacks from the hotel’s gift shop.”
So, Callie was the name of the blond’s mate. He wondered what kind of woman found the man-statue worthy of love. Brundar’s angelic beauty was almost feminine, but the deadly vibe he emitted was anything but.
“Come sit with Lokan and me.” Carol beckoned him to the couch across from where Syssi and Jacki were sitting and chatting animatedly.
Kalugal would have preferred to join his mate on the other couch, but refusing Carol would have been impolite.
When they were seated, he took in the size of the presidential suite Kian had secured for his people. The living room had two couches and four armchairs, and there was also a dining table with twelve chairs around. The place was big enough to host a party, and he wondered whether that was what Kian had in mind when he said he'd got it covered.
Except, Kalugal wanted all of his men to attend his wedding, and there was not enough room for every one of them to join them. He could have, however, invited Rufsur and his two other guards to come up.
He was still surprised at himself for telling them to go home. With the cuff on, he was entirely at Kian’s mercy, but he didn’t feel unsafe.
Kalugal was a good judge of character, and his cousin took great pride in his people’s high morality. He wouldn’t have gone back on his word even if he hadn’t given it in front of witnesses.
Besides, Kian was working with Lokan, which indicated that he sought cooperation rather than conflict. Lokan might not be as powerful as Kalugal, but he was still part of the Brotherhood’s leadership, and he was in a position to do much more damage to the clan than Kalugal ever could.
Except, Lokan had one big advantage over Kalugal. He was bonded to a clanswoman, and Kian considered their bond more powerful and meaningful than Lokan’s alliance to the Brotherhood.
Was he right about that?
Kalugal glanced at Jacki. Would he choose her above all others? Above his men who were like brothers to him?
Hopefully, he would never have to make that choice, but he had a feeling he would choose Jacki. And that was even before they were bonded or were officially mated.
Just observing the other couples in the room, Kalugal knew that he craved what they had.
“Who wants what to drink?” Kian asked. “The selection is Snake Venom and Perrier.”
Kalugal lifted his hand. “I would love to try that beer I’ve heard so much about.”
Next to him, Carol scrunched her pixy nose. “It’s gross. I don’t know how the guys can drink it. If you ask me, it’s just a show of machismo.” She pushed out her chest and lifted her chin. “Look at me,” she assumed a deep voice. “I’m a manly man. I can pour engine oil down my throat and pretend to like it.”
Syssi laughed. “I second that opinion. I’ll take a Perrier.”
Maybe there was something to what Carol had said
because all the ladies chose the sparkling water, while all the men chose the beer.
“It’s an acquired taste,” Lokan said.
In a move that surprised Kalugal, Kian didn’t send one of his men to bring the drinks. Instead, he opened the door to the suite’s full-sized kitchen and went to bring them himself.
“I’ll help you,” Anandur offered and followed his boss.
Interesting.
Since no one looked surprised, Kalugal deduced that it was something that Kian did often. Apparently, after his workday was done, Kian shed his role as his mother’s regent and became more friendly, acting as if they were all one big family.
Except, it was an illusion. Everyone still looked up to him and took their cues from him.
As the suite's front door opened, Kalugal turned to look, expecting his first glimpse of Wonder, aka Gulan, aka Annani’s best friend and servant.
She walked in with the one named Callie, a pretty woman with long honey-colored hair gathered in a ponytail.
They were both dressed casually, even simply, and had almost no makeup on. In fact, that was also true of Kian’s wife and the doctor. Carol was more stylish, but Jacki was by far the best-dressed woman in the room.
He liked it. But maybe she wasn’t comfortable? Humans liked fitting in.
Casting Jacki a quick glance, he saw her showing Syssi her engagement ring and grinning happily.
Good.
Kalugal returned his gaze to Wonder, but she wasn’t looking in his direction.
Anandur had just walked in from the kitchen with an armful of Perrier bottles for the ladies, and Wonder gazed at him with the same loving look that Kalugal had seen in the other couples’ eyes. Even the blond, who during the summit had worn the expression of a cyborg, lifted his lips in a ghost of a smile, got up, and walked over to his mate.
After taking the bags from both women, he carried the snacks they’d gotten to the kitchen. His mate followed, and Kalugal wondered if the two were going to steal a quick kiss in there.
