A heavy weight settled in her chest, and a little sob bubbled up in her throat. It didn’t matter what she did, as long as she didn’t have to go back to the house and see how bleak the future looked. Hear the tone of hopelessness in Nan’s voice. Feel Eli’s new fear with him, a fear she knew from experience he wouldn’t be able to shrug off or easily forget. Ever.
But Selene had to do something. Anything.
So she turned right and ran toward the unknown.
Katherine strode down the hallway toward the dining room, her heels sinking into the thick Persian carpet.
“Aurora,” she said, “Is Isabela on her way to dinner yet?”
“Yes, Katherine. She should be with you soon.” Aurora’s voice piped up from the speaker recessed in the hall ceiling.
One of the wait staff, an overweight brunette in the house uniform—a navy dress with white apron—stood next to the heavy wooden doors. She kept her gaze on the carpet as she opened the door.
No excuse for looking like that. Katherine hadn’t seen this fat servant before. She’d have to talk to the steward about his hiring practices. Appearances mattered—sloppy wait staff signified laziness and would make visitors believe the Raines family had low standards.
And that would never be true.
As Katherine stepped into the dining room, the scent of dinner wafted over to her from the polished wood table. Two places had been set, though the table could seat up to sixteen.
The servant pulled out a chair, and as Katherine sat, she poured rum into her glass. “Can I get anything else for you, ma’am?”
Katherine waved her away without a look. Seeing this woman stretching out the house uniform was going to make her lose her appetite. Once the servant had left, Katherine scanned the walls, sipping her rum and admiring the new tapestries hanging there.
After entertaining Coalition members in this room year after year, she’d decided to honor them appropriately. Each tapestry sported logos embroidered in metallic thread for every one of the eleven Coalition members. Four hung on each wall, and on the back wall, Infinitek’s infinity symbol logo was flanked by a cube and a gear for Calliope6 and MetaTransport. A horizontal banner featuring the Coalition triquetra hung above all three. Calliope6 had grown too powerful as of late. Had gotten too bold, moving into industries owned by Infinitek. But there were going to be lasting consequences for that. Soon.
“Aurora,” Katherine said, “Play the international public cast: latest news related to Prime Minister O’Shannon.”
A holo projector emerged from the ceiling, and a Calliope6 newscaster in a well-pressed suit appeared before Katherine in 3D. An image of the burned-out car frame hovered beside him. Katherine’s lips twitched. The car was nothing but a black, twisted hunk of metal. Carson and his team had done the job well.
“Earlier today,” the newscaster said, “a car bomb took the life of Prime Minister Tara O’Shannon. She left behind two daughters and a husband. The Prime Minister was well-loved, and her assassination has shocked the citizens of Western Europe. An investigation is pending, but early reports indicate this may be the work of EEA sympathizers, perhaps the same ones who murdered a bus full of students near the wall yesterday.”
A new image appeared—a man in his mid-forties in a pinstripe suit. A man Katherine knew well.
“While the continent mourns the loss of its leader,” the newscaster continued, “Deputy Minister Josef Miliano has taken over the Prime Minister’s duties and will fulfill the remainder of O’Shannon’s term. He is expected to run next term and will likely maintain the position as a long-time favorite in the polls.”
“That’s enough, Aurora.”
The vid disappeared, and Katherine took a satisfied bite of her salad.
The Coalition would take some heat for not having prevented the assassination… but the fear and suspicion surrounding the Eastern European Alliance question needed to be stoked and maintained.
There were families who had been cut off from one another for decades because of that wall, and they had been responsible for terrorism in the past. Twelve EEA sympathizers had planned attacks, and been thwarted, during O’Shannon’s term alone and had been executed for it. Captain Wells had ensured one of their family members would take the fall for this assassination.
Now that so much of the world was under Coalition control, it was time to dismantle the EEA. But Western European citizens were unlikely to approve of a war in the current political climate, especially with the peace treaty. There were ways to change that, though. Despite what Katherine had told O’Shannon, the Coalition wasn’t certain what the EEA was capable of. Once they had sufficient intelligence on their weapon stockpiles, they would put an end to the EEA. She’d rather raze Old Russia to the ground than let them continue embarrassing the Coalition.
The door creaked open behind her. Izzy. Finally.
“Sorry I’m late, Mom.” Isabela’s normally straight, shoulder-length blond hair had a wave to it, and the light skin beneath her freckles was flushed. But otherwise, she looked the part of Katherine’s personal assistant. She wore silver flats, dark gray pants, a navy tunic that scooped low at the neck, and a form-fitting gray button up jacket.
The servant pulled out Izzy’s chair, and she murmured a thank you as she slid into it. When the door shut behind the servant, Izzy looked at Katherine, crystal blue eyes wide with confusion. “Fettuccini Alfredo? I told the chef I wanted a salad tonight.”
Katherine took a sip of her rum. “Oh, honey, didn’t you used to love that when you were younger? I told the chef to make it for you instead. I wanted to surprise you.”
“You know I’m on a diet,” she replied softly. Her shoulders stooped, and her voice got even quieter. “I’ve lost ten pounds.”
Katherine furrowed her brow. “Have you? Maybe soon you’ll fit into my clothes.” She took another bite of her salad and shrugged, giving her daughter a pained look. “I really thought you’d appreciate me remembering how much you like that dish.”
Izzy looked back down at her plate. “I do. Thanks.” She took a reluctant bite of the high-calorie pasta.
“We’re making a trip out to the lab tomorrow, so be sure to complete your tasks early.”
Izzy went still, her fork poised over her plate. She cleared her throat. “You’re leaving the property?”
“Excuse me?” Katherine took another sip of rum.
“It’s just… It’s been a few weeks since your last trip to the lab, hasn’t it?”
“Is that the correct question, Isabela?” Katherine snapped. “You’ll never be able to lead Infinitek if you continue to ask all the wrong questions.”
Izzy looked down, her lips pursed.
“The correct question is, why are we going to the lab?”
“Why are we going to the lab?” Izzy mumbled.
Katherine sighed. “You know you sound slow when you mumble like that, honey. Speak up. We are going to the lab because Dr. Dalton has not delivered all the needed medication shipments to the quarantine zone, and his response as to why was unsatisfactory. We have no room for error in this situation.”
“No. We don’t.” Izzy swallowed a bite of food, not looking at Katherine. “I’m surprised you want me to come with you.”
“It’s time you resumed shadowing me,” Katherine said matter-of-factly. “It’s very important for you to learn how we handle things during an outbreak.” She took another bite of her salad, and they ate in silence for a few moments.
Izzy worked on her dish, chewing the pasta with her mouth closed. Why did she always sound like such a cow when she ate?
Katherine let out a breath and poured herself some more rum. “Did you send gifts to the O’Shannon family?”
Izzy’s blue eyes met Katherine’s, and she blinked slowly. “Yes. I did.”
“Excellent.” Katherine gave her a small smile of approval. Izzy understood the necessity of certain actions, and she knew why O’Shannon h
ad to go. “And your meetings today? How did they go?”
“Infinitek management acts more offended each time I show up instead of you. Though they try to hide it.”
“What did you do this time?” Katherine shook her head. “You shouldn’t allow them to disrespect you.”
“Nothing… they keep asking when you’re coming back. It’s…” Izzy shoved another forkful of pasta in her mouth.
“It’s what?”
Izzy gulped down some water and wiped her mouth with her napkin. Katherine leveled a gaze at her, and her cheeks flushed.
“It’s just that ever since…” Her voice grew quiet. “It’s been eight months, Mom.”
Katherine went rigid. “You are there as an extension of me,” she said, biting off the words. “Management knows that. What did they say?”
“Nothing,” Izzy said quickly. “It’s just… a feeling I get when I go there.”
“You expect me to make decisions based on ‘a feeling’ you have about what management thinks? Really, Izzy. Maybe we should hire a psychic to run Infinitek,” Katherine said brightly. “Then I can just retire.”
Izzy’s brows twitched, and her face went blank. “They were also planning security for the awards show today.”
“And?”
“All the Coalition CEOs will be there. I think Infinitek should have a representative.” Izzy bit her lip.
“We will. Several board members will be there with their spouses.”
“But… we’re the head of the Coalition. These are our awards…”
Katherine stabbed at her salad, grinding her teeth at the nervous way Izzy kept trailing off. Her weak personality was making Katherine feel ready for another dose of her medication. But she preferred to medicate in private.
“I’d like to go to the awards show,” Izzy said softly.
Katherine let out a laugh. “Absolutely not. The Raines family does not do red carpet events. Besides, you’re much safer out of the public eye.”
They ate in silence after that, but with each bite of pasta, Izzy’s fork scraped across the plate loudly, grating on Katherine’s nerves even worse than her sloppy chewing.
When Katherine had finished half her salad, she tossed her napkin over the plate and downed the second glass of rum. “I’m turning in. I have work to do tomorrow before we can leave for the facility, and I imagine so do you.”
Izzy scraped her plate again and didn’t answer.
“Did you hear me?” Katherine snapped.
Izzy sniffed. “Maybe management would respect me more if you let me appear in public once in a while to represent Infinitek.”
Katherine narrowed her eyes, but Izzy wouldn’t look at her. “It is not your job to attend PR events.”
“Yeah, I guess no one can plot against me if they don’t remember I exist.” Izzy’s voice cracked, and her hand shook as she twisted her fork into the pasta. She took in a shaky breath, and her words came out in a rush. “When I was younger… I understood why you kept me home. But you went to every event at my age… You were married already.” She looked up, rare defiance on her face, and her voice rose. “Eight months ago… that gunman had no chance of getting past your security! You were safe. We are safe. Yet, for some reason, I’m only allowed to leave the house to follow you around or to attend meetings you should be attending.”
Adrenaline shot through Katherine’s veins, rage sparked by her daughter’s insolence. Her heart rate spiked as she he lunged forward, grabbing Izzy’s wrist.
She squeezed, hard, forcing Izzy to drop her fork. Her daughter had gone perfectly still, her eyes riveted to Katherine’s, only her throat moving as she swallowed.
Katherine tightened her grip. “I have given my whole life for this company,” she whispered threateningly. “Your brother never would have wasted his time worrying about red carpet events. He would have done his duty for this family, as I have. I knew early on he had what it took to lead.” Katherine dug her nails in deeper, and Izzy winced. “Yet, for some reason, I was left with the inferior child. Life isn’t always fair, Isabela. If anyone knows that, it’s me.”
Katherine twisted her daughter’s wrist and let go. Izzy hugged it to her chest, the nail marks oozing bright red blood, standing out in sharp contrast to her pale skin. Her light eyes glistened, proving, once again, that Izzy’s father had contributed too much flawed DNA to her genome.
Ian had been strong from birth, the spitting image of Katherine’s great-grandfather, with the same intelligence and stubborn personality that both Katherine and her father had used to create the Infinitek empire. Her father. He wouldn’t have stood for Izzy’s ineptitude. He was a man of principle, and he expected everyone in his family to rise to his expectations.
As Katherine pushed away from the table and stood, a drop of blood seeped into Izzy’s tunic. She rubbed at it, her long blond hair hanging in her face. Katherine would give anything to see Ian in her seat right now—a guarantee that Infinitek would live on.
“It should have been you,” Katherine said, her voice dripping with disgust. She whirled and left the dining room, stomach churning, her dinner ruined. Her mouth felt too dry, her skin too hot.
The sound of Izzy shuffling out of the dining room behind her annoyed her even further. Katherine’s father would have been horrified if she had ever acted as worthless as her daughter. How had she gotten stuck with such a selfish, ungrateful child?
Once she’d turned down a few hallways, leaving the servant and Izzy behind, Katherine fumbled with her dress strap, feeling for the hidden pocket sewn into the seam.
Empty.
Her heart beat faster. She was out of grimp until she reached the master bedroom. It called to her from the east wing, but tonight, something else called to her even more loudly.
She wouldn’t be able to sleep until she’d visited the third floor.
Katherine walked faster, past the library and sitting rooms, to the old, unused staircase tucked away at the end of a poorly lit hall at the back of the house. She glanced behind her, but there was no one in sight. Nothing but silence and the same heavy rugs and wooden furniture that decorated every hall in this house. She quickly pressed her hand to the scanpad she’d had installed years ago.
The lock disengaged, and Katherine glanced behind her one more time before opening the heavy door. It was steel overlaid with a veneer of wood—a security door that guarded the only staircase in the house that led to the third floor and the original Raines family quarters.
As Katherine started up the dark staircase, the soft green glow of the luminescent steps sparkled beneath her feet. Ghost light, resurrecting the dead. Katherine tightened her hand on the banister, sliding it along the cool metal, as she floated up three levels.
She pressed her palm to the scanner at the top of the stairs and pushed through the door. Dim, round lights embedded in the floor lit up automatically, illuminating the first few feet of hallway—a wood floor overlaid with a thin runner. Katherine’s clothing suddenly felt too tight, restrictive. It was stuffy up here—hot, dusty. When had Katherine last allowed the staff up here to clean?
She could order Aurora to activate day mode, but she never would. It needed to be as it had been that night.
Katherine kicked off her heels and walked down the hall slowly. The thin, stiff carpet poked into the soles of her feet, and as more lights lit up low on the wall, she glimpsed dust motes floating through the still air.
She passed the double doors of her old master bedroom, then Izzy’s old room, then more empty rooms. She turned right and headed for the end, to the room Ian had chosen for himself.
Katherine’s heart was beating too hard when she reached his wooden door, and she took a deep breath. Ian’s room had an old-fashioned lock on it, and she could feel the outline of the key under the rug with her bare foot. She hadn’t let the staff take away his things. She’d locked the door, leaving the room as he had left it. Then she’d shut down the entire f
loor and moved the family sleeping quarters.
Katherine stepped up to the door and pressed her palm to it, swallowing, her throat in a vise. “Aurora,” she whispered. “Play.”
Aurora didn’t respond, because she’d been instructed never to respond, only to follow the order the speaker in the ceiling picked up.
Katherine leaned into the door, pressing her ear to it, and closed her eyes. There it was, the faint familiar melody. Stay, by Sara Kerrigan. It was difficult to hear through the thick wooden door, but the volume went up slightly on the second verse, just as it always did.
Because on that night, Katherine had walked through the door the moment the song reached the second verse. Ian had left his bedroom a mess, like always, and his music stream had still been playing on his speakers.
There was no way he could have known that song would be playing… but the lyrics still taunted her, reflected the horror she’d felt when she’d realized the truth.
Her son had left her, left her like all the rest, left her to pick up the pieces and shoulder everything. But he hadn’t deserved to pay the ultimate price for his one selfish mistake.
Katherine pressed closer to the door, feeling the cool wood against her heated skin, waiting for the song to end.
Can you see me as I am?
Can you love me? Say you can.
I was blind, but now I see.
You’re not what you claimed to be.
You always lie. You turn away,
destroy with what you never say.
You should’ve stayed,
stayed by my side,
but you turned away—
turned away, left me alone
when all you had to do…
was stay.
When all you had to do…
was stay.
The song stopped abruptly at the exact same second that it had stopped that night, when she’d screamed at Aurora to shut off the music.
Katherine’s pulse fluttered in her neck, and she heard her heartbeat in the silence.
Defective (Fractured Era Book 1) Page 16
