He drank more water. "Did they get the dragon out safely?"
"Yes. She's with the authorities. Fry headed back stateside to catch his superiors up on the case. Dr. Hudson and Dr. Friedman are heading up the care and storage of the dragon. She's being kept at a high security facility here in Japan until further notice."
He nodded. "Probably best. Hudson's the foremost expert in the species. He should be able to get everything figured out."
She took the glass after he finished it. When she turned back around, Jack's face made her heart stop for a second. Regret shadowed his features. She realized he probably hadn't remembered everything at once, rather in sequence.
"Kam, I..." He took a deep, shaky breath. "I don't know how to say how sorry I am for what I did. I don't have an excuse. I was so afraid of telling you while we were on this mission because I didn't want you to be distracted and get hurt. It was killing me, but I...I couldn't figure out how to tell you and I am so sorry that it happened the way that it did. If you hate me, I understand. I--"
She touched his lips gently. "Jack...we shouldn't discuss that right now. Not here. I want you home and safe before we go down that road. You need to rest and get your strength back up."
He studied her for a long moment before slowly nodding. "Okay. Were you hurt at all?"
"No," she said. "I even had one of the doctors here take a quick look at me. The baby's fine. So am I."
"Thank God. The whole time I was out there alone, I..." He smiled weakly. "You two were kind of my north star. Getting home to you was the only thing that kept me going."
He frowned a moment later. "Wait...why do I seem to recall a killer clown in this equation somehow?"
Kamala's eyebrows rose. "Pardon me?"
Jack scratched his head for a moment. "Yeah, that doesn't add up."
"Snow said you told her Aisaka dosed you with something."
"Right. That would explain it. Been scared of those damn things ever since I was a kid. And that was normal clowns, not freaky-ass sharp-teeth-having clowns like the one Stephen King made up."
He shuddered. "If there is a God, that whole damned forest will burn to the ground someday. I don't know if anything I saw was real or if it was Aokigahara just messing with me."
"It sounds like divine intervention to me," she said. "The odds that you bumped into Snow out there alone when you had almost no chance of survival."
"Yeah, but then it cancels out since Aisaka found me too."
"Perhaps." Kamala swallowed. "Did she..."
Jack nodded. "Yeah. She's dead."
She closed her eyes. "So much death out there. It's a miracle we made it out."
"Yeah," he said, absently touching his chest again. "I'm starting to think I'm not cut out for the dragon-hunting business. How about you?"
"Well, it is the antithesis of our project."
"True enough. Irony's a bitch, isn't it?"
She smiled a little. "It is indeed. Now I think you should get some rest. I will speak to the doctors again and see if they know when you'll be well enough to go home."
"Thanks, Kam." He reached for her hand.
She stood before his fingers could brush hers. "I'll be back in a moment."
Jack watched her go, his heart heavy. He settled into the bed and shut his eyes.
"Shouldn't have kissed her, asshole."
16
A GIRL LIKE YOU
"So how'd you meet the little scientist gal?" Winston asked through a mouthful of gala apple. Her stomach hadn't felt up to real food just yet, so he'd brought them both a snack in the meantime.
"Roommate matching site," Faye said, crunching into her own.
He snorted, picking a piece from between his teeth. "Didn't know those things actually work."
"Most of them don't, but this one was through MIT and they are pretty meticulous about campus life. Builds loyalty if you can keep going through them for your personal needs."
"Did you know who she was beforehand?"
Faye shook her head and wiped her mouth. "No reason her name would have come up in my field. After we signed the lease and I talked to some of my friends, they filled me in. Why do you ask?"
He shrugged. "They make her sound like some kind of princess of the medical world, basically. You don't hear that too often. In TV, it's mostly the male doctors who people are most familiar with: Doogie Howser, House, Dr. Cox, Dr. McCoy, etcetera. Her father has a whole wing of a hospital named after him, for Christ's sake. What's it like living with her?"
"The exact opposite of what you think. Kam's humble. Always has been. I think she knows that the notability is worthless over time. People are always looking to label things and she's fine without one since she knows it'll wear off eventually."
"Not after making a prehistoric dragon, it won't."
"She didn't make that monstrosity. The people who hired you did."
"Tomato, to-mato," Winston shrugged. "She developed the technology for it to be possible, at least. I think it'll be a while before anyone forgets the Anjali name."
"It wasn't her fault. Everything she's done related to this project has been for the good of mankind, for the sake of scientific advancement. I've never seen anyone so respectful of nature before. It must be breaking her heart to know someone used what she and Jack made for such an irresponsible endeavor."
Winston fell silent for a moment, studying her. "Holy hell, blondie. Don't tell me you've fallen for both doctors."
Faye rolled her eyes and threw the apple core at him. "Butt out."
He caught the core before it hit the ground, grinning. "Boy, you just get more and more interesting. So when did that happen?"
Faye fidgeted on the bed. "Piss off."
"Oh, come on, don't stonewall me on this one. What's up with you and the little doctor?"
She glared at him, silent. Winston rolled his eyes. "Who the hell am I gonna tell? After this mess is over, we'll never see each other again. Give me something to go on."
"Why? So you can picture the two of us going at it in your perverted fantasies?"
Winston paused. "Well, I'm not going to lie, that would be pretty hot, but that's not my point. You do realize how much of your mental health is tied into the fact that you have a crush on both of your closest friends, right? I mean, that's kind of a big deal, blondie."
"It is nothing of the sort," Faye growled through clenched teeth.
"Think about it. If like you say, men are worthless, then it only makes sense that you'd fall for her. You hold women in such high esteem for having to deal with the shit men do to them and come out of the other side stronger for it. And here's the strongest woman you've ever met, and she's smart and kind and she cares about you. I don't really think you had a choice not to feel something for her in the end. Then add in the fact that you're still hung up on the beanpole and..."
He rubbed his chin. "Honestly? You could make a good case for a polygamous relationship here."
In spite of herself, Faye felt a blush climbing up her cheeks. "You really are an asshole."
"No, I mean it. I'm not messing with you. Why wouldn't you consider something like that?"
"Kam is a one-and-done kind of person. If she's with Jack, that's it for her. If they fall in love, that's it for both of them. They wouldn't stray to form some kind of permanent orgy situation."
Winston clucked his tongue. "Now, now, Faye, that's just a stereotype. Polygamy's not about mass orgies and infidelity. It's the exact same thing as a mature, respectful relationship, except it's between multiple parties who care about each other. I'm surprised at your line of thinking. You're pretty progressive, but I'm seeing some of that Middle America background coming through."
The blush deepened. "Look, first of all, you're being presumptuous. She has no idea how I feel. Hell, I don't even know how I feel. Second of all, even if she did, there's no reason to believe she'd reciprocate. I would know by now."
"You never know until you ask. Maybe you're great at reading body
language, but you can't assume to know someone's heart until you ask."
"I know enough. She wouldn't go for that. She'll have a hard enough time dealing with me after I--" Faye slammed her lips shut, realizing in her anger she'd nearly spilled the worst thing she'd ever done to a friend right in front of her kidnapper.
Winston's brown eyes brightened. "Uh-oh. After you what?"
"Goddammit," Faye muttered. "Nice job, Faye."
"Spit it out," Winston said, finishing his own apple and setting both cores aside. He sat forward in the chair. "You'll feel better after you do, I promise."
"Go to hell," she said tiredly.
Winston scowled. "We were getting somewhere, you know. Might've helped you."
He linked his fingers and scrutinized her for a while, as if trying to pull her thoughts out of thin air. A minute later, he snapped his fingers. "You kissed Jack, didn't you?"
She jerked in her restraints on impulse. "Look, you nosy asshole--"
"Let me guess," Winston said, ignoring her. "It was after I shot at you, right? All that adrenaline can have a powerful effect on you if you're not ready for it. Did he kiss you back?"
Faye seethed, saying nothing. Winston nodded. "He did. Son of a bitch. Did you sleep with him?"
She imagined his head exploding and then setting each tiny piece of his splattered grey matter on fire one by one. He cocked his head to one side, examining her. "No, I think you didn't get that far. But the kiss was probably enough to make you feel like shit. The guilt's got to be tearing you both up by now. You know this can make or break your friendship. You're at a turning point. She might just let it go, but if she doesn't..."
He whistled. "Yeah, you're over the hot coals alright. I don't envy you. These male-female relationships can be awful tricky."
"I have to pee."
Winston checked his watch. "Yeah, it's about that time."
He stood up. All humor and joviality vanished from his plain features. "Listen carefully. I know you're tough. Hell, you might even be able to take me in a fight, physically speaking. But I'm trained. I've killed a lot of people. Your impulses are going to tell you that maybe you can surprise me or catch me off-guard, but they're wrong. It's not about speed. It's about technique. You're handcuffed, weakened from being hurt, and angry. You're not going to overpower me. If you try it, I will hurt you. Do you understand me, Faye?"
She fixed her frosty blue eyes on him and remained silent. He met her gaze and then nodded. "Okay. Let's see if you've got good sense or not."
She counted the steps he made towards her. It didn't take him long until he was standing right in front of her. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a tiny key ring with two keys and undid one cuff. She lowered her arm from around the pole of the bed frame. He eyed her and then closed the cuff on her wrist again. She heard him exhale faintly in relief before he jerked his head in the direction of the door behind him. "Bathroom's through there. I'm going to count to thirty. If you're not out by thirty, I'm coming in there and I won't be nice about it."
Faye lifted her chin as she stood and stared straight up at him from an inch away. "I'm shaking in my yoga pants, asshole."
Winston stared at her and then smiled before shaking his head. "No good sense, blondie. None at all."
He stepped aside and she strode into the bathroom, her head held high, her blonde hair flicking over her shoulder carelessly as she went.
The second the door shut, Faye went to work.
"Thirty," Winston's voice said through the wall. "Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight..."
The bathroom was even tinier than she could have imagined. There was barely enough room for her to stretch her arms in either direction. As she had predicted, no windows. The toilet sat directly in front of the door, the sink to the right of it, and there was a cupboard built into the wall with two clean towels and washcloths inside it. No shower or bathtub, as it was a half-bath. She checked under the sink. Just a bottle of Lysol and nothing else. No toiletries, no tools, no nothing. Once more, she was shit out of luck with nothing but her wits.
"Twenty. Nineteen. Eighteen. Seventeen..."
Faye shut her eyes and willed herself to stay calm in spite of his count. "Think, Faye, think."
"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five..."
Faye's blue eyes snapped open.
"Three. Two. One."
Heavy footsteps. Winston's voice took on a slightly dramatic, borderline humorous tone. "Little pig, little pig, let me in or I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."
Winston pulled the door open.
Faye slammed the toilet commode lid down on his head with all her strength.
"Fuck!" Winston swore as he crashed to the ground. White spots burst over his vision, nearly obscuring the sight of the leggy blonde swinging the cracked toilet lid a second time. He reacted on instinct, bringing his forearms up to block it as it came down again. The lid shattered this time and Faye threw the broken half at him, and it hit him in the stomach. She lunged for the chair he'd been sitting in and broke the entire thing over his shoulder as he turned away from it, trying to protect his head and neck. He rolled onto his stomach, groaning, attempting to push up on his hands. Faye kicked him in the ribs once, twice, thrice, her voice ferocious with frustrated rage.
"Stay down, you son of a bitch!"
Winston growled and grabbed her ankle on the forth kick and jerked hard. She tumbled backwards onto the ground and he climbed on top of her, blood dripping from his cut scalp across one side of his face. His eye clamped shut to keep the blood out as he wrestled with the writhing captive, trying to pin her arms, but she kept squirming. She dug one knee into his heavy chest to keep him off of her and prevent him from reaching her cuffed wrists. He wrapped his hand around her neck and squeezed. Faye choked. His strength was too much. She'd black out in two minutes flat. There had to be another way.
Faye lowered her leg and instead wrapped both of hers around his waist. She brought her arms in towards her torso and grabbed a handful of the tail of his shirt with her left hand and the collar with her right, which crossed her forearms over his throat. She gripped it hard and applied every bit of her strength to pull him down into her arms, cutting off his air supply. Winston realized what she'd done a second too late, trying to shove his body up from the floor. She kept her weight centered towards the floor, too small of a target for him to land a proper punch, and he let go of her throat in favor of trying to shove her off. He tried to roll them over so she was on top, but she held fast and gritted her teeth, squeezing until her entire arms shook with the strain.
Two minutes later, Winston passed out on top of her.
Trembling violently, Faye let go of his shirt and used her knees to push him over onto his side. She lay there gasping for several seconds, but she knew there was no way to tell how long he'd be out. She rolled the unconscious hitman onto his back and went through his pockets, finding the key to her hand cuffs as well as her cell phone and his burner phone. She undid the cuffs and snapped them onto his wrists instead, securing him to the bed frame same as he'd done to her. She fled to the basement door and locked it shut, finding a short wooden stairwell in front of her. She clamored up the stairs to find herself in a small, unfinished kitchen. She fumbled for her phone only to find that the battery had been removed.
"Shit!" she spat, shoving it into her pocket and switching to the burner phone. As expected, it was password protected. She glanced around the kitchen for the remote chance that there was a landline, but no such luck. Faye took a deep breath and calmed her nerves so she could think straight. There had to be a way back into town from here. Even if she couldn't get help immediately, getting the hell away from Winston was her only shot at surviving.
She opened the kitchen door that led to a small wooden porch and saw a nondescript green towncar sitting in the gravel driveway. The yard was enormous, so much so that she could just barely see a dirt road to the east of her. Her suspicion of being on foreclosed land confirmed its
elf. No neighbors, no hope of any outside contact. She needed the car keys. They hadn't been in his pocket, so where had the bastard put them?
She checked the drawers in the kitchen. Nothing there. She went into the empty den and dining room, but no sign of anything there either, which left upstairs. She trudged up to the stairs into the first bedroom and found it empty, but the second one had signs of life. There was an enormous duffel bag, a sleeping bag, and a locked briefcase.
Faye fell to her knees and unzipped the duffel bag. Chills ran through her. It was full of weapons, from assault rifles to sniper rifles to a similar Uzi she'd seen when he came after them. Ammo was neatly stacked beside the assortment of guns, already loaded into clips. He certainly didn't mess around about being prepared. Hell, she even saw Kamala's Taser that she'd had on her when he took her.
She rooted through the pockets of the bag and nearly wept as she heard the telltale jingle of a key ring. She yanked them free of the outer pocket and then eyed the briefcase. Well, she'd need plenty of evidence to put the son of a bitch away for good. Maybe it might help.
She scooped it up and turned to leave.
"Thing about being a hitman is," the bloodied, bruised Winston said as he stood in the doorway. "You get real good at taking punishment. And you figure out how to fake being unconscious convincingly so that you have the element of surprise later."
Faye didn't move a muscle. She checked his hands. No gun. But it wasn't like that would do her much good.
"Got to admit," Winston said, still oddly calm. "That was a pretty impressive escape, blondie. Who taught you that chokehold? Effective as hell. If you'd held on for another minute, I'd have passed out for real."
"Took a class," Faye said hoarsely. "Self-defense for women."
"Nice work. Came in handy, albeit just not enough." He exhaled slowly. "Put the keys and the briefcase down or I'll hurt you. Badly."
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