“Yeah, well, if Jesus hadn’t just tried to poke my eye out, I wouldn’t have said it. So really, it’s his fault I said it in the first place,” Jared fired back at her.
It wasn’t a very large room we were crowded into. No one could move much or they’d bump into something. Or like in Jared’s case, get poked in the eye by one of the various-sized statues set about the place.
“Follow me,” Aiden said, pulling open a well-aged door across the room. “We’ll get our stuff put in our rooms and then go find a place to eat. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m just about starved.”
“I know just the place,” Airen said as she went about describing food until we were all salivating.
“Ouch! What was that for?” Mark said as Paige giggled.
“With all this talk of food, I got hungry enough to take a bite out of you,” she answered.
“Airen, stop talking about food before Paige goes full-on cannibal,” Riley said, stifling a laugh when Paige gave her the middle finger.
“Excuse me,” Jared said, slapping at her hand. “But in case you haven’t noticed, we’re in a church.”
“No, we’re not. We’re under the church, so it doesn’t count,” Paige said, giving him a smug look.
“How long did Oliver say we were going to be here for?” Ace asked.
“A few weeks,” Mark answered. “Why?”
Ace put his arm around Riley’s shoulder and sighed. “It’s gonna be a long few weeks.”
“Oh, please, like it’s any different from when we’re in Chicago,” Paige said.
Aiden brought our group to a halt and opened the first door we came to. “Riley and Ace, this is you.”
Down the hall we went, Aiden stopping at each room and directing people off in pairs until it was just me, him, and Airen.
“Momentary peace,” he said, pulling Airen in and tucking her close to his side as we rounded a corner. “And this is you, Nova. Airen and I will be on the other side of the hallway, first door on the right.”
I let myself into the room, noticing how much it looked just like the one in Chicago. I dumped my bag beside the bed and stretched out, waiting for the others to tell me when they were ready to head out to eat.
The heat kicked on and the room warmed slowly, blowing soft tendrils that felt like the slightest touch of someone’s fingertips against my cheek. It was soothing after such a long day of traveling.
I dreamed about him. We were sitting side by side as a kaleidoscope of colors bounced around the sky as if dancing. Neither of us spoke, yet it was oddly comforting. Having his jacket brush against my own was enough. The sky changed as if dawn were breaking. The light gathered into a circle like a giant flashlight. It was almost blinding.
He rose to his feet, smiling when the outline of a person stepped in front of the light, dimming it. The form took on an ethereal glow along the shoulders and head, but didn’t come any closer. And then Eli was no longer beside me; he was standing in front of a woman. She smiled at him. I could see the curve of her lips as she spoke words only he could hear.
When she stepped back, he tried to follow her, but she shook her head. With radiant fingers, she brushed the side of his face just like Noni used to do to me when I was little. He nodded and backed up a step, and then she was gone. Taking the light with her.
He turned then and walked toward me, but he didn’t stop. He kept walking until the edges of his jacket blurred and his body wavered as if he was no more than a projected image.
“Eli?” His name came from me, but I hadn’t spoken it.
He turned in a full circle, looking. His lips moved, but there was no sound.
It felt as though I’d been anchored to the ground. I fought an invisible hold. His name bounced between us, and he spun in the opposite direction.
I was paralyzed, unable to move. Unable to go to him and make him see me.
I’m here. I’m right here. See me, Eli. Look at me.
He stopped, took what looked like a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
I felt the tears escaping from the corners of my eyes. I’m right here, my thoughts whispered between us.
He turned and looked right at me… right through me. And then he was rushing toward me, carried by some unseen force that propelled him across the ground without touching it. When he was mere feet away, his image distorted and then exploded, leaving nothing but sharp flashes of color like glitter that faded into the velvet darkness of the stars. Night had fallen again, and it had taken him with it.
“Let me get this straight… they sent us to Scotland to archive files and clean?” Murphy huffed.
Aiden just shrugged. “That’s what Oliver said when he called.”
“Did we do something to piss someone off?” Riley asked, making a face at the stacks of paperwork she prodded with her finger.
“I think they’re trying to get us all out of Chicago for something,” Jared said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
“It doesn’t matter why they sent us. They sent us, so we’ll do what they asked us and get it over with,” Ace said, coming to the middle of the room. “Let’s figure out who’s going to do what, so we can get started.”
“I’m allergic to dust,” Jared said. “Guess that means you’re on your own.”
Mark laughed. “Leave it to you to try to wiggle out of doing actual labor.”
“Remember that time Riley made Jared do the laundry, and he put dish soap in the washing machine?” Josh asked.
The room broke out in laughter.
“Ha-ha, very funny,” Jared said, rolling his eyes as they kept on.
“Oh, come on, Jared. You know it was funny. Well, it was funny until Eli came through the door and slipped. You gave him a concussion, if I remember correctly,” Mark said, wincing as he shook his head. “I’m sorry, guys.”
“You shouldna be sorry for talking about Eli. He was family, and family shouldna be forgotten,” Airen said, pulling a filling cabinet drawer open. “People we love die all the time. That’s life. It sucks, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Here, put it on, dickhead,” Aiden said, tossing a surgical mask at Jared.
He caught it in one hand, and then spun the elastic band around his finger. “Hey, Murph… wanna go play doctor?”
“Oh my God, Jared… really?” she asked, blushing.
“Beats cleaning,” he answered, pulling it over his nose and wiggling his eyebrows at her.
“Nova, come help me with the shredding,” Paige said, gesturing to the pile stacked along the wall beside the paper-chewing beast.
I found it odd that we’d been sent to Scotland to clean. It seemed a waste of money to send so many people for a project that could have been done by two people over the course of a week.
“I think that might be a record,” Riley said, leaning on the broom handle as she surveyed the floor.
“Of what? How much dust was collected, or how much was inhaled?” Josh asked.
“Oh, inhaled… definitely inhaled. I think I have a dust bunny stuck in my throat,” Riley answered.
“Man, I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat,” Jared said.
“Hey, can we go to some place that serves haggis? I want to try it,” Aiden asked.
Riley turned clammy looking, dropped the broom, and bolted.
“Was it something I said?” Aiden asked, looking at the confused faces around us.
Ace picked up the broom and carried it over to the corner where he leaned it against the wall. “Nah, she thinks she might be coming down with something. She hasn’t felt well for the last couple of days.”
“Okay, no haggis then, so who else has any ideas?” Aiden asked.
“I don’t care as long as it’s food,” Jared said, rubbing his hand over his stomach.
Chapter 21
Nadia
Cole punched in a series of numbers on the keyboard of his laptop. The effect of the keystrokes happened in succession as one machine turned
off and another turned on.
“I’d like to say ‘here comes the tricky part,’ but there’s really nothing tricky to it,” he said, peeling the backing off a small transmitter and then pressing it to Eli’s temple.
Before he was done, Eli had one on each temple, and three across his forehead. There was also one on each side of his neck and two hidden at the back of his scalp where his hair had been shaved to accommodate them.
I forced myself to remain calm, but my heart wouldn’t comply as it banged around inside my chest like it was looking for a way to get free. My stomach rolled, twisting in on itself and making me want to curl up in a ball to ease the pain. I didn’t move. I wasn’t going to until I knew if Cole’s last step worked. And if it did… we’d cross that bridge once we’d made it there.
“Ready?” Cole asked, plugging the last of the wire leads into the transmitter on Eli’s temple. He stepped back and then added, “He’ll be a bit confused. That’s to be expected for a few days.”
I nodded.
Cole’s fingers tapped out keystrokes that never seemed to end. Minutes passed by, but his fingers continued moving in rapid succession until they stilled for the count of two heartbeats and tapped the final key.
It was like stepping into Mary Shelley’s mind as she envisioned Frankenstein come to life. Only the body twitching before my eyes wasn’t a monster; it was someone I cared for as if he were my own son.
Cole began a countdown from twenty seconds. No matter what happened, neither of us could touch Eli until Cole gave the all clear. To touch him would do something or other to the magnetic field being created and the balanced electrical current set at exactly the right calibration to make it all work. One touch would take all of that and wipe it away like a computer virus. It would crash his system to the point where there would be no bringing him back.
I kept my hands locked behind my back, fingers laced tight.
Seconds later, Eli’s eyes opened. Wide and sightless, they darted left to right. His mouth moved as a paper-thin word escaped him. “Nova.”
I sat right there on the floor and bawled like a baby.
Cole had done it. He’d brought him back to us.
Eli
* * *
“I feel weird, but not in a bad way,” I said when Cole came to visit me the following morning.
“Try to explain it so I can keep everything documented,” Cole said, pen hovering over a fresh pad of paper.
“It sort of feels like my skin is too tight. Or like maybe I’ve slept for too long. You know that heavy feeling you get, but after a while it goes away?” I answered, trying my best to explain the physical part of it. The mental part, even I couldn’t wrap my mind around.
Cole tipped his head, giving me a brief smile. “That will pass soon. Other than that, is there any confusion, missing memories… headaches?”
I shook my head as he continued down a list of ailments that might occur due to being in a coma for any length of time. But a coma didn’t seem like the right description to the way I felt. There was something more there that I couldn’t connect. I was certain Nadia and Cole both knew it, only they weren’t saying anything.
“So, do I pass inspection?” I asked, moving to swing my legs over the side of the bed.
“Whoa, you’re on bed rest for a few days until we make sure your vitals stay stable,” Cole said, stopping me.
“Fine, but can I least see everyone? And can I have a phone so I can call Nova? She has to be worried,” I said, trying to keep a steady grip on the anxiety of needing to hear her voice.
“They’re in Scotland right now, but we’re planning on getting with them to bring them home soon,” Nadia said, taking my hand in hers and avoiding my request to talk to Nova.
The sadness in her eyes hadn’t left, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been when I first woke.
“You need to focus on getting better, and I’ll make sure you get to see them soon.”
I nodded because there wasn’t anything more I could do or say to change either of their minds.
“Good,” she said, pulling the blanket up and smoothing out a nonexistent wrinkle.
Thoughts zipped through my head faster than I could think about them. That, in itself, was odd, but I let it go and settled back against my pillow.
“Tomorrow, we’ll move you into your room, so long as your vitals stay like they are,” Cole said, bending down to look at one of the machines beeping cheerfully along with the beating of my own heart.
The following morning, Cole made it in to see me before Nadia. He gave me a warm smile, nodding as he said, “Good morning. How are you feeling today?”
“Like an invalid,” I answered, getting another smile before he went down a checklist of items he held in his hands.
“Well, it seems the only thing you don’t have back yet is your strength,” Cole said, chuckling.
“Being confined to a bed seems to sap it out of you,” I replied, hoping he’d catch my meaning.
“First, we get you back to your room, and then we’ll talk to Oliver about starting you off slow. Okay?” His fingers pushed and prodded along my temples, and then ran over my forehead as if looking for something.
“What really happened?” I asked before he could take his hands away. I was glad I did, because I felt the hesitation… the brief pause to collect his thoughts before he continued moving his fingertips down the side of my face to my neck and then pulled his hands back.
“What can you tell me?” Cole asked.
Giving him an odd look, I said, “Well, I guess that depends, doesn’t it? I can tell you a lot of things, so in order to answer you correctly I’d have to know what it is you’d like me to tell you.”
Cole smiled widely enough that I could see his molars, and then he laughed. “I suppose you’re right. Okay, Eli, what do you remember about Siberia?”
I snorted. “Not a whole lot since I wasn’t there all that long.”
Cole nodded. “And how did you leave Siberia?”
“Ivanov’s Ukrainian thugs tied me to the back of one of their snowmobiles. Something happened on the way there. When I came to I was in a cell. Where was that by the way?”
“Mongolia,” Cole answered as he grabbed the rolling stool and moved it beside the bed.
“Mongolia?” Where the hell was—and then it was there as if a browser tab had been opened. The distance didn’t look that far seeing it on the map that sprang to mind. “Where in Mongolia?”
“Right along the border. Roughly nine hundred miles, give or take a few, considering where you were in Siberia,” Cole answered. “Remember anything else?”
I dove into my memories. Before long, every detail sprang back into my head, popping up like mushrooms in a cow patty. I relayed them to Cole in order. The cell, the hellish cold. Sucky food, and the sense of feeling as if I were underground. Bits and pieces like the hollow emptiness that stretched outside of my cell, and then the confusion when Nadia had shown up.
“Why was she there all by herself?” I asked. That never happened with the operatives. They always went in pairs in case something went wrong.
“She shouldn’t have been, but she did anyway. What else can you tell me?” Cole asked, prompting me.
I prodded my shoulder at the muscle that had dug into the bars while I was trying to reach the keys. It didn’t feel nearly as sore as it should have. “There were keys, but I couldn’t reach them.”
Cole listened without interruption as I explained how I’d made it out of my cell.
“It was personal, or so it seemed, between Nadia and Ivanov… why?” I hadn’t had time to think of it then.
“Ivanov has been on our list for some time now. Each time an opportunity came up to take him down, he always managed to slip through our fingers. Nadia was on each of those missions and, as you say, took it personally, because she’s a perfectionist when it comes to her job. Kind of like me,” he answered, smirking.
“She was hurt. He hit her, and I…” F
lashes of the struggle robbed me of the ability to continue.
Cole rolled the little stool back a few feet and tipped his head as he squinted. “What else do you remember, Eli?”
“I’ve never seen a man’s eyes so full of hate. He didn’t just want to hurt her… he wanted her dead. You could see it. I never want to see that look in anyone’s eyes again.” I could call up the image of Ivanov as if he stood right in front of me.
Nadia’s blood had made a soft dripping noise as it hit the floor. I shouldn’t have been able to hear it over my own labored breathing, but I had. The same way I remembered the air stirring when Nadia and I lunged at Ivanov at the same time.
“He was going to kill her right in front of me, so I did the only thing I knew to do… I put myself between her and the gun.” The rough texture of the blanket covering me was fisted in both of my hands as if the feel of it would anchor me so I could finish telling Cole all that I remembered.
“Not many would do that,” Cole said as he stood.
“I don’t know about the many. I only know about me. Nadia took a bunch of kids into her home and treated all of us like her own from day one. Who does that? She’s been as much of a mother as my own is. I wasn’t going to let her die for me.” I forced my aching hands to unclench and then let go of the blanket. The worst of what I had to say was over. The memories were something I’d always have to live with. I’d remember them, but I’d also remember it was over.
Cole went around the room, stopping at each machine as he fiddled with knobs, switches, and buttons. His back was to me as he asked, “Do you remember anything else?”
I’d felt anxious talking with Cole up until that point. I’d braved my way through it as best I could, trying to stay as calm as possible. I knew, as he did, that the body reacted to its mental state. Get overly upset and blood pressure would rise. The heart would pick up speed and put a lot of stress on the inner workings of the body.
The weakness I’d felt meant I’d been in bed for more than a handful of days. But what did that mean? What was I missing? The memory tickled at the back of my mind, teasing me.
Under Northern Lights (The Six Series Book 6) Page 16
