“What did Ken and Jon say?” Vincent asked. As the healers and medics took their injured away, Elijah joined James and Vincent. Quinn stuck to his side like glue, and Elijah threw an arm over his shoulder.
“Well…” James sighed. “Nothing that was helpful.”
“What?”
“I’ll explain later, but let’s just say, it’s bad.” James shook his head as he let that trail off. “Let’s get all of you to a hospital first…”
Elijah didn’t like the sound of that. He didn’t like it at all.
27
VINCENT
Vincent was angry: at himself, at his brother, and at the unconscious woman in the hospital bed.
“You,” he whispered. “How did I not see it?”
Twenty-four hours since they captured Axel, and she hadn’t moved, not even a twitch. None of the healers could figure out where she’d gone. Her body was alive, and her Source was strong. She could wake up, but nothing would rouse her.
He needed answers. He needed her story like his life depended on it. While his didn’t, hers did. He always figured catching Axel would just be… the end of it. Vincent was realizing that it was nowhere close to over.
“Wake up, Sawyer,” he whispered and couldn’t keep the desperation out of his voice.
She was his brother’s lover and killer. Ex-lover, he reminded himself. Ex-killer. In the years since she supposedly died, she’d done nothing that warranted the IMPO to even care about her existence.
Vincent didn’t want her to die and didn’t want her dragged off to prison. He was running out of time to stop that from happening. Axel was in solitary. No one was allowed to speak with him on Vincent’s orders, but that could only last so long. Once Axel could tell someone about her, he would. He would make sure that she went down with him, a final act of revenge against the woman who betrayed him.
“Vincent,” James called into the room. “Any changes?”
“No,” Vincent sighed, looking at his handler. Vincent wasn’t sure if James would be on his side. He’d become their handler after his last team was murdered.
By Axel. Because of her.
James had sought him out to finally let Vincent go after his brother. He had let Vincent build the team for that goal. He was on his own vengeful quest for a team he’d been with for over a decade.
“I have those files you wanted,” James sighed. “Come here.”
“Shadow’s files,” Vincent whispered.
“I don’t know why you want them. It’s over.” James sat down at a small table and pulled the files from his briefcase.
“It’s never over with Axel, and we need to nail him for the murder of those agents.” Vincent kept his tone professional and gave nothing away. “Plus, I don’t think you and I have ever talked about it.”
“And you like to know everything about everyone,” James groaned. “Sit down boy. Sometimes I wonder if it was good idea to give you the amount of power I did.”
“Well, it’s paid off, now, hasn’t it?” Vincent gave him a wry smile and sat down. He slid the papers in front of him and began reading.
Strangely, he’d never actually read the original files on the Shadow incident.
“She cut a deal, didn’t she?” Vincent asked, looking up from the files. They were all the hits she’d done for Axel.
“This file is her deal with the IMPO and the WMC,” James sighed, pushing the other file to him. “What do you want to know about it?”
“Everything, obviously,” Vincent answered.
“February 2013, my team received a package,” James launched into a story that Vincent had never heard. James had never wanted to tell him before, and Vincent had never asked. It had never been pressing, since Vincent knew how the story ended. It hadn’t been a part of his game with Axel. Vincent flicked a look to Sawyer. That had changed. Now, it was the most important thing he’d ever hear. “It contained an offer.”
“Shadow wanted out and would betray Axel to do it,” Vincent mumbled.
“No.” James’ voice went hard. Vincent looked up at him and frowned. “Shadow wanted to betray Axel. Period.”
“What?” Vincent frowned.
“Let me tell you the entire story. Let me paint you the picture,” James closed all the files, stopping Vincent from reading them while he spoke. “Something must have happened because the initial contact was only about Shadow wanting to change sides and betray him. Period. She didn’t try to cut a deal. We offered it to her, not the other way around.” James took a deep breath. “The WMC was being kept up-to-date on everything. They figured if she was willing to change sides to get back at him or something, that she could be convinced to remain on our side. So, they had the team make a deal. She would betray Axel to us. She would help the team take him down, and then get her pardon and go free. On conditions.”
“What conditions?” Vincent leaned back in the uncomfortable blue chair. Hospitals needed to invest in better furniture.
“She would be a consultant for the IMPO and be on the WMC’s call if they felt her expertise was needed. They wanted to use her,” James was whispering. “You need to remember, Vincent, that we work for power hungry people. Someone like Shadow wasn’t someone they would feel comfortable giving the death sentence or letting walk free.”
“Why were they uncomfortable with catching her and giving her the death sentence?” Vincent narrowed his eyes.
“The WMC had a certain faction that believes they need more than just their army and police force. Someone like Shadow could make problems disappear for them in exchange for ongoing freedom. If she had the chance to live up to the deal, she would be their killer, instead.”
“Did she accept?” Vincent asked softly.
“Yes,” James sighed, rubbing his scruffy beard, “but I don’t think she ever really knew what the implication was. I think she figured she would just continue to help them take down other criminals as a consultant and informer. Not an assassin.”
“Like you were trying to have us lead Sawyer into,” Vincent groaned. “Oh, James…”
“What?”
“Do you hate her? Shadow? For what happened in Charlottesville?” Vincent needed to know. Everything from here had to be done carefully and with allies he knew he could trust.
“No,” James sounded mournful. “You know, I had the team ask her why. Why was someone like her doing this after everything. Her response had been a little heartbreaking.”
“What did she say?”
“This was never what I wanted,” James whispered. “And with Axel…”
“Yeah.” Vincent swallowed and nodded. He was desperate to hear her story. From general orphan with a couple close friends to brutal assassin to the woman who saved children from their own families. “James, what would you do if she were alive?”
“Catch her?” James shrugged. “Maybe just let her hide. After all of that… The deal she made with the WMC is magically binding for the WMC. They are required to honor it, but now she can’t help catch Axel. They would have no reason to keep the deal and would probably put her in a worse position. If she was still alive and not active, hiding somewhere, then she isn’t harming anyone. There’s no reason to drag her back in now.”
“She did honor the deal,” Vincent growled softly. “She did.”
“She’s dead, Vincent,” James reminded him.
“A body was never recovered. We all took Axel’s word on it because he also killed the several IMPO agents that were involved. But she might be,” he mumbled, nodding towards Sawyer. James turned to her and narrowed his eyes in confusion. “No one really knows what’s going on with her right now.”
“Are you saying the little thief is Shadow?” James asked softly. “And if she is, when did you find out?”
“She told me in the hangar bay at Atlanta International, right after the team got there. She wanted to help with taking him down. She killed Colt and incapacitated Talyn once I took the inhibitor off her. I’m assuming she killed the wom
an she had been standing over, but the body wasn’t recovered, so I don’t know.” Vincent gave a dark chuckle. “I’m mad at myself for not figuring it out sooner. You should have seen it, James. She was everything you would think from her reputation. Cold, emotionless, and intelligent. She didn’t lose her cool as she stalked the building for her targets. You know, I figured out that she and Axel had been a couple while she was in the house, but I just didn’t realize she was Shadow. Like you and everyone else, I lived on the fact that Shadow was dead. That the assassin no one could catch, or defeat, was dead. Instead, my team caught her using fucking Elijah as bait. Elijah!” Vincent couldn’t stop the dark laughter now. It was funny in a completely fucked up way.
“My God,” James whispered.
“She’s been a vigilante, a thief, and to some, a hero,” Vincent gasped, wiping his eyes. “The scariest assassin to walk the earth, and she taught children to fight for free. She found them homes, pays for their college. She’s decent, if a bit arrogant. She’s a decent human being, and now I need to figure out what to do with her.”
“She honored her deal with the WMC,” James murmured. “What do you need from me?”
“Keep everyone away from Axel. This isn’t over. I need to find out how he knew we were in Atlanta and how to grab her. On top of that, I want to tell the WMC about her. I don’t want him to be the one who exposes her,” Vincent said it quickly, laying his problems on the table for James.
“I’ll keep everyone from Axel and the other Ghosts,” James agreed, nodding. He was still looking towards Sawyer in her coma. “Let me approach the WMC as well. I know everything about her in terms of the situation she’s in legally. Tell me one thing though.”
“Anything.” Vincent meant it. If James was going to help, he would tell James anything.
“Would you be comfortable if she’s permanently attached to your team?”
“Why?” Vincent frowned. “She should be able to go back to New York and live her life until we need her.”
“No,” James sighed, shaking his head. “I have to give the WMC something, and I know what that needs to be. They won’t fuck with me if I give them something more than they originally wanted.”
“What are you thinking, James?”
“I’m thinking that she won’t get the pardon immediately. She’ll need to continue to prove herself to them, and she’ll need an avenue to do that.” James was speaking softly and shoving the files back in his briefcase. “I think we should make a play for her to become a probationary IMPO agent. Say a five-year enlistment into the organization. If she survives the entire five years, she walks free at the end. If she does something truly extraordinary, they can grant it earlier. That’s all. Failure would be her dying or running. Obviously.”
“But, she would need a team to work with,” Vincent groaned, “and you want it to be us.”
“It has to be you all.” James’ voice was firm. “No other team will give her a chance. Between you and Quinn, you all have no reason to hold her past against her. You can push her to become better and understand why she needs to.”
Vincent nodded silently, looking back to her. That was the truth.
“We’ll do it,” he finally whispered. “We’ll take her as a teammate.”
“We need her agreement.” James waved at her as he said it.
“She’ll agree.” Vincent was certain of it. “Handle it. Thank you, James.”
“Not a problem.” James sounded tired and stood up. He patted Vincent’s shoulder as he left the room.
Vincent looked around the room, finally breaking his locked stare on Sawyer. Kaar sat outside the window, a constant presence. Kaar normally didn’t stick so close to him. The raven was much more independent than Quinn’s wolves and handled himself. Vincent flicked a look to said wolves. Both were curled up in a corner, watching and waiting. Vincent had a feeling they wouldn’t move until she was awake, a sign that Quinn wasn’t taking this well.
At least she had protectors in them. Not that she needed them, he sighed. She was more than capable of protecting herself, it seemed, as long as she had a sharp blade and her magic.
“Jasper is awake,” Elijah softly whispered in Vincent’s ear.
“Good,” Vincent sighed. Twenty-eight hours since they had captured Axel. “I made a decision on Sawyer I think everyone on the team can agree to.”
“So, it’s time to shatter Zander and Jasper’s perception of their old friend, huh?” Elijah shuffled around, looking uncomfortable.
“Better us than Axel or the WMC,” Vincent whispered. “Better us. James is with us. He’s helping put my plan into action.”
“That’s good,” Elijah nodded slowly.
They left Sawyer in the dark hospital room, Vincent throwing one more glance at her as he closed the door.
They moved, two shadows of imposing figures in black, through the pristine white hospital. The lights were too bright for Vincent after so long in the dark.
They slipped into Jasper’s room silently. Zander and Quinn were already there, waiting.
Zander looked like a wreck. Dark circles under his eyes, his skin paler than normal, and his cheekbones were pronounced, causing dark shadows to fall over his face.
The repercussions of using one’s life force to do magic past a Magi’s Source limit. Vincent knew he would need a good chunk of time off to recover. With Jasper also out of commission until he adjusted to his new life, that wouldn’t be hard to make happen.
Thinking of Jasper, Vincent turned and saw the quiet man staring down at his leg. Jasper’s left leg had to be amputated from the knee down. It was a painful thing to see.
“How are you feeling?” Elijah asked quietly, moving to Jasper’s bedside. Better him than Vincent. Vincent wasn’t good at the touchy-feely part of being on a team, and they needed Elijah’s good nature around if they were going to survive this intact.
“Well,” Jasper sighed, “my knee won’t hurt anymore. Maybe a prosthetic will help with my limp.”
“Looking on the bright side, huh?” Elijah chuckled. “Good. I’m going to look into making you one and enchanting it. I’ve got a few ideas, but I need some time to research options.”
“Thanks, man.” Jasper gave a weak smile and looked to Vincent. “What’s been going on? Zander and Quinn didn’t know what you’ve been planning.”
“I have a few things to talk about. First and foremost, Sawyer,” Vincent started, keeping his voice down. He locked the door before moving closer to the bed. “Quinn and Elijah already know this, but you and Zander have to be informed, as well.”
“Well,” Zander growled weakly. “Get on with it.”
“Sawyer is Shadow,” Vincent whispered. “She admitted to it in the hangar bay at the airport when I told her to run for it.”
“No,” Zander snarled, standing up. Quinn grabbed him as he swayed and forced him back into his seat. “No. She’s not that type of person.”
“That makes so much sense,” Jasper groaned, rubbing his face.
“Oh?” Vincent frowned at him.
“It’s not important,” Jasper said, waving a hand around in dismissal. “You have a plan. I know you do.”
“I do,” Vincent confirmed. “But if any of you disagree with it, I’ll halt it and we’ll work something else out.”
“Tell us,” Zander growled. “I can’t fucking believe this.”
Vincent let them know what he and James had decided. What he had learned from their handler about Sawyer’s situation. He watched faces change. Some, like Zander, became triumphant. Jasper looked thoughtful the entire time. Quinn was the only unreadable face in the group, but Quinn was normally unreadable, and those emotions he did show were often acts to cover up his real feelings.
“Yes,” Zander snapped. “Fuck yes we’re doing it. Damn right, she’s joining this team.”
“I concur,” Jasper whispered.
“Do you really need my answer?” Elijah chuckled. “Please.”
Three do
wn. Vincent looked to Quinn, who turned away and looked out a window. He wondered where Quinn’s thoughts were. Vincent would probably never know, but he still wondered.
“Quinn?” Vincent asked, low and cautious.
“Yes… but I want answers, about this,” Quinn’s growl wasn’t aggressive, but rather, a little hurt. Vincent felt a wave of confusion over it, and watched Quinn pull that picture out of his pocket. “I want to know who they are.” He pointed at the cat and the little boy. “If she won’t tell me, I’m changing my answer. I won’t be a teammate to someone who keeps huge secrets like this. I understand why she didn’t tell us who she is, but I want to know where they are. Who they are.”
“She’s going to be required to tell us everything if she wants to stay out of prison,” Vincent informed him, reaching for his shoulder and holding it. “She’ll tell us who they are.”
Vincent actually didn’t want the same answers as Quinn. He had a bad feeling about what might have happened to the young boy and the house cat in the picture. If he knew anything about his brother, the answers Quinn would get would be nightmare-inducing.
“Anything else?” Jasper changed the subject.
“Yes,” Vincent went back to his professional, team leader voice. “We can’t leave Atlanta until we figure out how Axel knew we were here and where to hit us.”
“Yup,” Elijah fell onto the small bed next to Jasper, making Jasper groan. Vincent nearly smiled. It was much too small for both of them, but Elijah didn’t give a single fuck about that. “We need to root out what happened, and you obviously have an idea. You’ve been brooding for over a day on it now, haven’t you?”
“I do but it’s not something I think should be said out loud,” Vincent said tentatively, “and Elijah, when this note makes it to you, burn it.”
He pulled out his small notepad and looked at the top sheet. It was a wild guess, but he was nearly certain he was right. It was the exact type of thing that his brother would do.
Jon Aguirre
He ripped the note out and passed it to Zander, who cursed as he handed it to Quinn. Quinn’s growl was something Vincent never wanted to hear again. Wild animal in a human form. Jasper and Elijah both read it at the same time. Vincent was happy to see that Jasper agreed with him, nodding once. Elijah burned the paper, and Jasper blew the ashes away.
The Redemption Saga Box Set Page 28
