The Defiant: An Unbeaten Path

by John W. Vance

The distinct sound of a match striking then the orange glow startled him. He turned and saw her now naked form standing a few feet away. In her hands she held the flaming match and used it to light a small candle. When the candle’s wick took the flame, she brought the match close to her lips and just before she blew it out, she looked at him.

  The light from the match enhanced the seductiveness of her gaze for him.

  Pouting her lips, she blew out the candle.

  Michael’s eyes took in all of her slender curves and asked, “Exactly whose idea was this, yours or Anatoly’s?”

  She stepped up to him and began to strip him of his clothes. She unbuttoned his pants, pushed them down and said, “Stop talking and make love to me like you used to.”

  Wellsville, Utah

  Nicholas arrived on time for an impromptu meeting with Chad, the mayor, but found him busy when he arrived. Sitting in a chair outside his office, he heard loud talking and an occasional yell. Whatever the topic was inside, it was definitely heated.

  The door opened and the man he recognized as Chuck Summers stood in the doorway, his face flush and his jaw clenched.

  “Chuck, you square that boy away, you hear me! I don’t want to hear anything else about him or what he thinks he knows,” Chad barked.

  Chuck leered at Chad and replied, “Mr. Mayor, remember who helped get you elected. Okay, this isn’t my mess to begin with, it’s yours, and sending your son out there to clean up loose ends isn’t the way we should be dealing with this.”

  Chad looked past Chuck and saw Nicholas sitting in the hall. “Close the door, would you? We’re not done.”

  Chuck looked at Nicholas and then shut the door.

  Again they went back and forth until everything went silent. The door opened again and Chuck rushed out. His face was still flush and his hands were curled up into fists.

  Nicholas watched him march out of the city offices, slamming the exterior door behind him.

  “Mr. McNeil, come in, come in,” Chad said.

  Nicholas did as he said and stepped into the office, closing the door behind him. “I can come back another time.”

  “No, just some city business, politics. Anyways, thank you for coming on short notice. I wanted to see how your first night was,” Chad said as he wheeled around his desk and stopped just in front of Nicholas.

  “It was good, thank you. It’s always nice to sleep in a bed,” Nicholas replied, a bit disturbed that he only wanted to ask about his first night.

  “Can I get you a drink?” Chad asked, making his way past Nicholas, who was standing at the front of his desk.

  “I thought Mormons didn’t drink.” Nicholas snorted.

  “Who said we were all Mormons?” Chad asked as he poured a couple fingers of whiskey into a glass.

  “You’re not?”

  “I’ll be honest with you, Nicholas, and I hope you’ll be so with me.”

  “Honest?”

  “Yes, honesty is the best policy,” Chad said and spun around in his wheelchair while balancing the glass in his lap.

  “Sure.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Chad said and took a sip. “I’ll be very sad when I run out of the good stuff,” he continued as he admired the glass. “You sure I can’t get you some?”

  Nicholas felt tempted to have a glass but resisted. He wanted to stay clear and focused. “None for me.”

  “I guess you could call me a Jack Mormon.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s had a couple meanings over the years, but now it mainly represents someone who was once devoted to the faith but is no longer. I was born and raised in this great little town, and the only time I left her was when I went to college at BYU. Upon graduation I came back and worked for my family’s business. My grandfather started and operated a small gravel pit not far from here. My father inherited the business and made it into one of the largest operations in Utah. I then took over for him and turned it into one of the largest in the West. I would have passed it onto my children, but someone offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse,” Chad said and paused to take another sip. He again looked at his glass and continued, “They say everyone has a price; I’m an example of that. I sold my children’s legacy, but I gave them a trust fund most would only dream of.”

  Nicholas could see the disappointment in his eyes.

  “And you know what they did with it? They took the money and went somewhere else to live; no reason to stay here when there wasn’t a company to help run. Nope, they took the cash and left, except my eldest, he stayed.”

  “I’ve always heard [PN8] the eldest is the most loyal.”

  “What about you, any siblings?”

  “Just an older brother,” Nicholas replied. He was growing weary of the conversation and his side was aching.

  “How come your brother is not with you?”

  “Is there something you wanted? I don’t like being away from my family. I don’t mean to be abrupt, but if this was just about having a casual conversation, could we do it another time?” Nicholas declared.

  Chad acted as if he hadn’t heard Nicholas. He tipped his glass back and finished it. “Have you spoken to your group about staying?”

  “Yes, and we want to wait until the other two get back here before we make any final decision.”

  “I can understand wanting to wait. Hopefully, we’ll find your friends soon; I’ve got my best trying to find them.”

  “And for that, I thank you.”

  “Would you care to join me, my son and some other townsfolk for a welcoming picnic tomorrow night in the park across the street? We have some steaks, fresh from a ranch I have just outside of town. I’d love to sit and just chat, more personal like,” Chad offered.

  Nicholas didn’t care much for social time with people he didn’t know, but he figured it was necessary to placate his hosts; after all, they had helped him and were looking for Bryn. “Sure, I assume that invite goes out to my wife and daughter?”

  “Of course, in fact, bring the whole group. Brock will come and get you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting,” Chad said as he wheeled past Nicholas and out of the office.

  Nicholas watched him go and took a moment to look around the ornate office. On the wall behind is massive oak desk hung a large framed oil painting of Mormon pioneers heading into the Great Salt Lake area. On top of file drawers beneath it were framed photos of Chad with people. Nicholas leaned in to take a closer look, but he stopped when he heard someone enter the office.

  “Can I help you?” said Sally, Chad’s secretary.

  “Oh no, sorry, was just leaving. I always like to look at family photos.”

  “It’s so sad what happened to his family, so very sad.”

  Nicholas raised his eyebrows and asked, “What happened?”

  Sally was about to tell him but stopped short, “That’s a conversation for you and the mayor to have; it’s not my place to discuss private matters.”

  “Quite right.”

  “I need to close up his office, do you mind?” Sally asked.

  “Sure thing,” Nicholas replied and swiftly left only to walk into a small group of people. By the looks of them, they were fellow travelers like him. He could tell by the weary and disheveled look on their faces.

  They were being escorted down the hall towards the same conference room where he’d first met Chad yesterday.

  Nicholas thought the highway must bring many prospects in for Chad and his town. He understood Chad’s desire to have more people, and the offer to stay in a safe and seemingly robust town was tempting, but he still needed to make sure it was the right move. So far all appeared about right, even the odd meeting this morning wasn’t too out of sorts. He chalked it up to Chad doing his own due diligence on Nicholas.

  Tomorrow they’d have more time to talk and ask questions. Until then, he needed to make sure they were ready to bounce at a moment’s notice.

  Undisclosed Bunker Facility, Superstition Mountains, East of Apac
he Junction, Arizona

  “Oh my God,” Michael said, gleaming.

  “Looks like you haven’t forgotten how to do that,” Karina purred and kissed his neck.

  Michael looked at Karina, who was now cradling his torso, and asked, “Were we really close?”

  She lifted her head and shot him a look of irritation. “You really can’t remember?”

  “Like I’ve said before, things are familiar, but the details aren’t there. It’s as if I remember you, but you aren’t really my memory. Does that sound strange?”

  “What did Viktor do to you?”

  “Apparently a lot,” Michael said and shifted in the bed. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. We will get this working again,” she said and placed her index finger on his lips. “I’m just glad we don’t have to find a way to get this working.” She then placed her other hand on his crotch.

  He smiled but quickly shifted it to a frown. Her renewed sexual attention wasn’t enough to stop him from being troubled. “I was thinking about my brother and was curious if you ever met him?”

  “No.”

  “When we were together, did I ever talk about him?”

  “Yes, but all I know is he lived in San Diego. Nothing more than that,” Karina answered as she propped herself up.

  “I know what you’re doing here. You’re hoping that if we reconnect, that it will somehow jog my memory.”

  “Yes, but don’t think I don’t want you, I do. We were engaged before all this happened.”

  “We were?”

  “Yes, you gave me this,” Karina said, holding up a ring that hung from a gold necklace.

  He exhaled deeply and said, “I don’t remember any of that.”

  She looked at the ring and cracked a smile, but her smile turned down. Tears welled in her eyes and she fell onto the pillow next to him.

  “What I don’t understand is why didn’t I give you the coordinates before if we were working together?”

  Karina didn’t answer; she lay next to him, staring at the ring.

  He looked over and saw she was crying. “Why are you crying?”

  “You don’t remember anything; especially the night you told me you loved me. You don’t remember the day you proposed to me. It just makes me sad.”

  Michael rolled onto his side and took her hand. “I will do everything I can to remember those details, but what I can tell you for sure is I feel close to you. I feel in my heart you were someone I cared about deeply. Just give me a bit more time.”

  “We don’t have time, Michael.”

  “Was there anything you can tell me about the last time we were together?”

  She thought and replied, “The last time I saw you was six months ago. You left to go undercover to stop Viktor’s plan.”

  “I didn’t say anything about the coordinates?”

  “You didn’t know them then.”

  “Then why do you think I know them now?”

  “Because your last communication to me was that the coordinates were in your possession but that you were sending them somewhere safe so Viktor wouldn’t get them.”

  Michael chewed on his lip as he pondered where that might be. He knew of no place safe, at least that he could remember. He had no parents, but he did have family and that was Nicholas. Suddenly, like a light bulb going off, he spat out, “I gave them to Nicholas. I gave the coordinates to my brother!”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt

  Wellsville, Utah

  Chad had honored his word a second time and provided not only beautiful wildflowers but also a casket, burial plot and stone for Proctor’s funeral.

  All of this went way beyond what Nicholas expected and even impressed him. However, Nicholas was having a difficult time emotionally dealing with the loss of his old friend. And the thought of going to a funeral for someone he cared for was not something he wanted to experience. If it was his doing, he wouldn’t have had one for Proctor, not because he didn’t care or respect him but for the fact that funerals had a way of making it final. Nicholas kept this little secret hidden from most, he disliked with a passion saying goodbye, and for him a funeral was the ultimate goodbye. From an early age, Nicholas would not come out to kiss his grandparents goodbye when they were gathering their belongings to leave, he’d hide so no one could find him.

  Becky had tried multiple times to dig and find the why, but Nicholas knew and didn’t care to share. The loss of his parents at a young age and the experience at their funeral forever changed him. To him as a boy, he remembered seeing them one day, then the next he was told they were dead. Nicholas hadn’t wanted to believe it, for days after he’d tell himself that they were still gone on a trip and would be back one day, but when he saw their cold corpses lying in the casket, he knew he couldn’t lie anymore. The cold hard truth was right there in front of him, and no matter how much he tried to blot out the vision of them at the funeral home, he couldn’t. They were dead and never coming back. And now he knew today that Proctor was also dead and would never be there by his side; he’d never hear his laugh or listen to him explain his theories over beers, especially the signature slur he’d get after one too many. Looking at his body in the casket told him that Proctor was gone forever.

  Becky found herself not only consoling Katherine and Evelyn but giving extra attention to Nicholas.

  “What time is the picnic?” she asked, referring to Chad’s town picnic he was organizing for the new arrivals. The two were walking slowly back to the Suburban. The rest of the group was following closely behind.

  “I have zero desire to go to that. Do you think if we skipped it, they’d notice?” Nicholas answered, his tone obviously somber.

  “Believe me, it’s the last thing I want to do, but we should.”

  Nicholas didn’t hear Becky, his thoughts were on Katherine. He stopped and turned back towards the cemetery. “I think I should stay with her.”

  “I asked her if I could stay and she flatly said no.”

  “I feel bad just leaving her here,” Nicholas moaned.

  “She said for us to go and that’s what we should do. We can’t go around imposing ourselves on others.”

  The roar of cars traveling at high speed broke the quiet.

  Nicholas turned to see what was going on. In the distance he could see two older trucks speeding at breakneck speed down the main road, their tires squealing when they were making turns.

  “That doesn’t look good,” Colin said.

  “No, it doesn’t,” Nicholas replied.

  The crack and whine of a handheld radio suddenly sounded from their vehicle.

  Colin and Nicholas both sprinted towards it. Their curiosity piqued as to what emergency was occurring.

  “Get the ER up and ready. We’re bringing two in!” a voice said from the handset.

  “This is the hospital. We copy, two coming in. What’s their conditions?” the hospital replied.

  “Multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen, bleeding badly. We’ll need extra blood for sure!”

  “Okay, do we need to contact next of kin?” the hospital replied.

  “Yes, contact the mayor on the secondary channel and contact…” the radio crackled and broke up.

  “You broke up; you said, contact the mayor and who?” the hospital asked.

  “Contact Nicholas McNeil. We found his friends.”

  Undisclosed Bunker Facility, Superstition Mountains, East of Apache Junction, Arizona

  “Anatoly, you keep repeating over and over again that you don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go with you. You doing so doesn’t make me change my mind any more than it did the first time. I’m going, and Karina is on my side,” Michael snapped at Anatoly.

  Michael’s revelation last night was a critical clue to them finding the coordinates to the location of t
he Spear, but Anatoly felt it best for Michael to stay. The bunker provided security, and if he was captured by Viktor, all could be lost.

  “Mikhail, you need to stay. We cannot risk losing you again,” Anatoly said.

  “It doesn’t make sense. The trip to my brother’s will likely help my memory,” Michael said defensively.

  “I agree with Michael,” Karina added.

  “And how is it that you don’t have any support? You have this enormous bunker but no people or assets?” Michael challenged.

  “Most of our people are either dead or out fighting against Viktor,” Anatoly explained.

  “That’s true,” Karina confirmed.

  “Anatoly, I’m going, so let’s get going. We don’t have much time,” Michael said.

  Anatoly stared at Michael; he had the power to stop him but decided to give in.

  “I’ll have clothes and equipment sent to your room; get yourself ready. We leave in two hours,” Anatoly said and marched off, leaving Karina and Michael standing in the conference room.

  “I hope my brother is there. Seeing him will help me, I know it,” Michael said, his face clearly showing his happiness.

  Karina leaned in gave him a kiss on the lips. “I’m happy for you; I hope your brother is there too.”

  Michael returned the kiss. He then pulled back and asked, “What did Anatoly mean when he said I was more than a CIA agent?”

  “I was curious when you were going to ask about that,” Karina said.

  “Well?”

  “For someone who lost their memory, everything we’ve told you sounds strange, so this will just add to it. You are more than anything you’ve ever been in your life. It’s in your blood to serve and protect,” she said and chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Just that I’m having this conversation with you once again. I told you about your legacy a couple years ago when we met in Budapest. I remember when I first saw your handsome and beautiful face. Now look at you, it’s covered in bruises and cuts, and that wonderful strong nose of yours is broken,” she said and again laughed.