“Me too.” Willow scooted over and laid her head against his arm. “We’ve seen what they can do. And I’m still trying to wrap my head around Helena killing Bryce. How is that even possible? We all loved him. It’s just vile.”
“Yeah, I know.”
The two of them sat in silence, mourning the death of one friend and the loss of three more. It was too much pain for any person to endure, especially in such a short amount of time. Silently, Teddy prayed for their safety. He couldn’t lose anyone else. Laura was like a big sister. Though Myers teased Teddy, he always had his back. Looking high up into the star-filled sky, Teddy whispered, “Please God, watch over our friends.”
“Amen,” Willow’s hushed tone answered. They sat there for a while in silence, and then she broke it. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course, anything.” He thought about that. “Well, almost anything. Nothing about my childhood. Super embarrassing. I was quite the nerd. I know, hard to believe, but so true.”
She touched her lips to his and smiled. “You’re babbling.”
“Sorry, I do that when I’m nervous, and I guarantee that doesn’t help.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“What did you want to ask me?”
“Will you be my boyfriend?”
A loud laugh escaped his mouth before he could stop it.
She frowned.
“Sorry, that was… I didn’t mean, yes, I would love that.”
A grin replaced her frown. “I know that is way more formal than most people today get, but hey, we’re still young. We should act young sometimes.”
“I agree wholeheartedly.” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.
“So why don’t you want to share your childhood story. You know my awful tale,” Willow said. “How did you end up in Harding’s clutches?”
“Sad story actually. My mom passed away. My dad stopped working. We couldn’t pay the rent, and I ended up on the street. I began hanging out with dog fighters.”
“Dog fighters?”
“People who fight for money. Sometimes with real dogs. Sometimes people against people.”
“Awe, go on.”
“Well, I started fighting just to eat. One day, one of Harding’s men was there recruiting. Saw me and promised me a better life.”
“And you took it?”
He shrugged. “I was hungry.”
“Yeah, I guess I get that.” She turned her face up to see his. “Would you still do it knowing what you know now? Ending with these people?”
“Knowing I’d be with you?” He kissed her softly on the nose. “It is possible.”
She pushed into his shoulder and closed her eyes. Soon, he did the same and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Helena stared at the monitor with clenched teeth. After over an hour of torture, Laura now lay with her head in Myers’ lap. Gently, he stroked her hair, whispering non-discernable words in her ear. “Why must we let them stay together? It doesn’t make sense.” Helena turned from the monitors and glared at Harding. “Wouldn’t it make more sense and be much better in the long run to keep those two apart?”
“No, it wouldn’t. Though I do not owe you an explanation, I need them thinking as a single unit. Either they are both broken together or one will always rebel and try to free the other. And I can’t have that, now can I?” Harding nudged her from the chair. “Your feelings for this man are distracting, and honestly, super annoying.”
His gaze hardened. A vein pulsated on his forehead as his eyes narrowed. “I hope you haven’t forgotten the stakes here. This is not about you at all. Nothing here has anything to do with you. Myers will never be yours, even if he turns. Remember there is no fraternization in S.I.U., so get your mind right, or you’ll be joining them down there, chained to a wall. Do I make myself coherent in that insignificant brain of yours?”
Queasiness swept through Helena’s stomach. She felt ill. This mission continued to get worse. She had no delusions of regaining Myers’ trust, but maybe, somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she hoped.
Alicia pranced in wearing a low-cut top and tight, black jeans. She wrapped her arms around Harding’s shoulders and leaned to whisper something in his ear. A seductive smile played on his lips as he whispered something back.
“No fraternization, right,” Helena mumbled under her breath, moving toward the door. “I’m taking my break.”
They didn’t seem to hear her as she left. But who cares? Over all the years she had been with S.I.U., not once did any of the leaders appreciate her devotion or her sacrifice to the so-called cause. She gave this place more than just her physical being—every ounce of who she was seeped into this life. All the decisions and lies, they were all for what she saw as the perfect retribution.
Without any complaint, she buddied up to her father’s assassin. For what? To find out they weren’t even going to kill her? And to find out her friendship and entire cause with Alicia was just one big lie. That she would never experience love again. How much more could Helena take? Not that it mattered. Life with S.I.U. was “until death do we part”—a true marriage. It was no wonder the Black Squad chose to flee from this place two years ago.
Helena sighed as she neared the end of the hallway and pushed open the control room door. How stupid were Laura and Bryce back then to think they could escape all of this? There was no escaping the S.I.U.—not really. Everyone knew this organization would always come for their people, as was evidenced by the blood trickling from Black’s and Myers’ bodies onto the cement floor downstairs. If they couldn’t break them, they would kill them.
The long, dim hallway from the control room seemed to go on forever. This place was crazy hot. Sweat poured down her face and back as she reached the end by the boiler room. She lifted a small plate revealing a light panel and punched in the code. The wall slid to the right, exposing a service elevator.
She stepped inside and inhaled the cool rush of air, before punching the fourth floor button. The door closed, and the elevator rose. It stopped short and opened, revealing she was home. The hallway was flooded with teenagers gabbing about stupid stuff, messing around. Some were flirting, others studying. If someone didn’t know any better, it could be any college dorm or military barracks.
“Helena?” someone said behind her.
She spun around, coming face to face with Deshawn. Her heart skipped. She was the one who knocked him out in Mexico and saw when Alicia and another man took him. But she assumed he was dead. “Deshawn, you’re here. Why? I mean… What are you doing here?”
“Good to see you, too,” he said sarcastically with a raised eyebrow “Of course, I could ask you the same question.”
“Right. Of course. Good to see you, man. I was just surprised. That’s all.” Helena gave him an awkward smile, then glanced around the hallway, before stepping closer so no one could hear them. “I meant, why aren’t you with Black’s team anymore? What happened? How did you end up here?”
“Someone, I’m assuming an S.I.U. agent, grabbed me in Mexico, and brought me back here. I don’t know why I’m not locked up.” He scratched a small goatee forming on his chin. “Did the same happen to you?”
“Not exactly.” Helena leaned to one hip and crossed her arms. “I’ll admit, I don’t quite understand why you aren’t locked up either. After all, you’re good friends with the enemy.”
He looked at her sideways, obviously confused. “Aren’t you?”
Did she tell him the truth? A part of her wanted to tell him everything. To somehow gain his trust and have a friend again. But that isn’t what would happen. She knew it. It was better she got him in line with the program. “It’s important to know who the real enemy is, Deshawn.” She glanced up at a camera and made sure he saw it, too. “S.I.U. is your family now. Don’t forget that.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but she didn’t wait for him to express his thoughts. Nothing he said would make her feel good. Besides
, it was time to sleep. After over twenty hours awake, her bunk called her name.
At the end of the hall, she slid her barrack’s access open. When she turned to shut it, she noticed Deshawn standing outside the open doorway. She stared at him a moment, then closed the door without a word. He would not be easy to shake. Maybe she should speak to Harding about rethinking his decision to not lock him up. Once Deshawn realized her betrayal, he could become a huge problem. And worse, if he got wind of their captives in the basement, he would likely side with Laura and Myers. It was no secret Myers and he were good friends.
Sitting on a chair next to the small desk in her room, Helena unlaced her boots. Why was Harding keeping him out in the open? None of this made sense to her. In one swift motion, she tossed her body on the bunk and stared at the ceiling. Smoke rings stained the ceiling from years of smokers using this room. Supposedly, this station was the first S.I.U. outpost. Most thought S.I.U. started in Puerto Rico, but actually, it began on the border of El Paso, Texas and Mexico. It made it easy for Greenstone to get away with stuff, without having to travel so far from the U.S.
Her mind whirled with all that had happened lately. Harsh thoughts about Harding’s behavior drifted through her memory. She worked to piece all the weird decisions together. He had said something about wanting Laura and Myers to be broken together. Some of it started to make more sense. He was right. If one of them were still against S.I.U., they would be a hindrance to the other. Maybe Deshawn was there to remind them of what they had before and to make this place home again. Or maybe Harding wanted him to know about them and test his loyalty. If he failed, he would die as an example. One more nail to Laura’s psyche.
Deshawn may try to help Laura escape, but then, he would be where they were. If he passed and they were assimilated back into this place, then they would be a strong unit. But Helena didn’t want that. She wanted them all to fail. Better yet, she yearned for Laura to die trying to escape. Deshawn was just one more distraction to Helena’s end game. He had to go as soon as possible.
She rolled over on her bunk and squeezed her eyes shut. Visions of Myers holding her, caressing her, kissing her beset her mind. A part of those gave her warmth. But they were quickly replaced with how he would speak to her now. The few words they had exchanged had been bitter, full of disgust and fury. He would never forgive her, and if he did by some chance, there was no fraternization at S.I.U.
Her heart hurt. She needed to find peace, but that was long ago taken by Laura’s hand. All of this was her fault. All of it. A new rage flooded Helena’s system. She swung her legs to the floor and hopped up. She dropped to the floor and began pressing out push-ups. Every fiber of her body tingled with rile. She had to find a way to kill Laura that wouldn’t get her killed. Maybe then, and only then, would Helena finally find peace.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Teddy slowly opened his eyes, unsure of where he was. Stiff pain clenched his neck as he labored to sit up. Willow lay next to him on the swing, her head resting on his thigh. In the distance, rays of purple and orange rose over a clump of trees. Birds chirped announcing the new day. Yawning, Teddy stretched in some effort to clear his aching muscles.
“Good morning,” Willow croaked next to him. “How did you sleep?”
He glanced at her and smiled. “Good morning. As well as to be expected on a porch swing. You?”
“Same,” she giggled. Slowly, she slid up and away from him. Marks from the fabric of his sweats lined her face, but even then, she was beautiful. “To be honest, I can’t believe we fell asleep out here.”
“I don’t even remember falling asleep.”
Willow smiled. “You were telling me some story about a yeti. When I asked you what a yeti was, you started to make fun of me, then mumbled something incoherent. I believe that was when I lost you.”
“A yeti is a hairy creature that lives in the Himalayas.”
She giggled. “But it’s mythical, right?”
“Some would say about as mythical as the Loch Ness Monster.”
“Which is also mythical?”
Teddy raised an eyebrow. “What, you don’t believe in him? There are real pictures. Real sightings of both.”
A cute, amused smile formed on her lips. He started to lean forward, when the screen door creaked open and Charlie peeked around. “Good morning, you two. You guys are up early.”
“Had to escape the snoring,” Teddy joked.
Charlie turned a cup of coffee in his hand and took a sip before replying, “Be glad Myers isn’t here. That boy could snore the rafters off a barn.”
“True that.” Teddy laughed.
The elderly host poked her head around Charlie. “Breakfast is on the table. Help yourself, dears.”
The three nodded and followed her in.
“Where is Eri?” Teddy asked as he sat at the dining room table filled with orange juice, soft buttermilk biscuits, sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and a watermelon salad.
“I assume she is still sleeping.” Willow asked, walking toward the staircase. “Should I wake her?”
“Nah.” Charlie popped a piece of bacon in his mouth. “She isn’t much of a breakfast person anyway. We can let her sleep some more. I’ll take her a plate of fruit and biscuits when we’re done.”
As they each filled their plates, a sense of nostalgia rushed through Teddy’s being. He tried to remember the last time he had this kind of meal. His grandmother was from Oklahoma and often made breakfast for him growing up. It felt so comforting.
He missed that. He missed her. “Man, this takes me back to old times. Do you ever think about those we left behind?”
Charlie and Willow looked up simultaneously mid-bite.
“I try not to.” Willow picked up her napkin and dabbed the corners of her mouth. “It hurts too much.”
Charlie shrugged. “I didn’t leave much back there, really.”
“Yeah, in all honesty, neither did I.” Willow reached for the jam. “That’s why we were all targets.”
“I have some good memories,” Teddy said.
Eri walked in, kissed Charlie’s head, and slid into the empty chair. “No one woke me.”
Willow pointed at Charlie. “He said to let you sleep.”
Eri looked at her husband sideways. “He did, did he?”
“As far as missing those from our past, what I have here is much more important.” Charlie kissed her hand and their eyes locked. There was no doubt the love they shared. “How did you sleep?”
“Dead to the world.” Eri reached for a biscuit and tore it open. “You?”
“Same.”
Eri slathered some butter on her biscuit and then said, “It’s so peaceful here. I think our next home needs to be some place like this. Quiet with trees, and honestly, I like the birds a lot. So peaceful.”
“There are many backyard birds that make those sort of noises. Doves are the ones who coo. The rattling noise is likely a ruby-throated hummingbird.” Teddy glanced out the screen door. “And the whistle is probably a blue jay, or it could be a meadowlark, though they tend to have pretty territorial sounds.”
“That’s kind of fascinating.” Willow grinned. “How do you know so much about birds?”
“How do I know much about anything? I read a lot.” He wiped a corner of a biscuit across the plate to get the last drop of gravy. “And I try to listen when people say interesting things. It is a great way of absorbing strange facts. Well, that and hours of watching the nature channel.”
“What about the melodious sound?” Willow asked.
Teddy listened for a moment. “I think that’s a robin.”
“Fascinating.”
Charlie slid back from the table with his plate in hand. “As soon as we finish up, we need to find a web café or something. There doesn’t seem to be any Internet connection here.”
The host must have overheard them and entered. “You should be able to find one in Vinton. It’s just about thirty miles east.”
“Thanks.” Charlie smiled and turned to them. “Let’s get ready and go.”
Once showered with new clothes, the group piled in the car. Willow started closing the passenger door, when out of nowhere shots pelted the side of the car. Everyone ducked down. Hunched as low as he could go, Teddy placed the car in reverse, slammed the gas, and spun the wheel. The vehicle squealed around in a donut shooting rocks out from the tires. He jammed it in drive and pushed the accelerator, rocking them forward. More bullets ricocheted off the back and the window. Glass splintered across the back seat. Eri screamed.
“You okay, Eri?” Charlie asked.
“Yeah, you?”
“Yeah, good. Just get me a gun!”
Eri tossed him an M-16, just as a pair of motorcycles came into view. Charlie twisted in his seat with the rifle in his hand and began shooting semi-automatic bursts.
Eri reached for two handguns under the seat and followed suit.
Shared blasts echoed in the sky. Teddy could only watch from the rearview mirror as he tried to outrun the two bad guys. “Suggestions?”
“Where did they come from?” Willow asked from behind the passenger seat.
“Not important right now. I need to know where to go,” Teddy shouted.
Charlie pointed to a freeway ramp just ahead. “There!”
“Are you sure? Freeways can be slow and insane.”
“Not sure, but it’s our only real choice.” Charlie slammed a new magazine in his weapon and twisted around in his seat to fire.
Teddy turned for the interstate. A bullet whizzed by his head, just missing his left ear, landing in the front windshield. One motorcycle accelerated and came on Willow’s side.
“Gun,” Willow yelled.
Eri tossed one of the Glocks her way.
“Ready?” Teddy asked.
Willow nodded.
Teddy slid the window down.
Willow fired, dropping the man from his bike. The bike traveled with them for a few feet, before toppling over and down the embankment. The other bike drove to the driver’s side and fired at Teddy. One bullet caught him in the left wrist. Sharp pain and then numbness, as it went straight through. Blood dripped in his lap. He blinked to stay conscious, but his head spun. The car swerved.
The Hidden Two Page 13
