A vein pulsed in Hart’s neck as he stared at me. “What makes you think you can dictate anything to me?”
To hide my shaking hands, I shoved them between my knees. “Because if you don’t agree to my demands, then I won’t do it. I won’t go to Nick’s. I won’t help you.”
He laughed. “So you’d rather return to Camp Stonewater and face Holly? With Amy by your side?” He stood. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”
Cold sweat popped out on my upper lip, and I frantically tried to think of what would give me leverage. Then a thought occurred to me. “If Holly tortures me . . .” I swallowed over the knot that formed in my throat at the thought. “. . . I won’t have any information that will help you.” A tentative smile formed on my mouth. “The only way to get the information you want is for me to go to Nick’s house.” I swallowed again. “And I won’t go unless you guarantee that Amy is in a safe and comfortable place.”
Hart’s jaw clenched as he slowly sat on his chair, his face reddening. “I suppose I can keep her out of a F.A.T. center.” He leaned back in the chair, but his voice contained barely controlled fury.
I can’t believe I won that. The realization gave me hope that I actually had a little power in this situation. “What’s going to happen to Falcon?”
His lip curled. “You mean Jacob?”
“I’ve only known him as Falcon.”
“What happens to my son is none of your concern.”
Falcon had helped me. He’d helped Amy. Yes, he’d done it because of his hatred for his father, but that didn’t change the fact that we’d stayed warm and fed for days. If he hadn’t, would Amy and I both already be in Camp Stonewater? It was impossible to know, but regardless, I didn’t want to see anything bad happen to him. “I want Falcon to come with me,” I said on impulse.
“Impossible,” he barked.
“Why? What’s so impossible about it?”
“Nick would never let my son into his group.”
“How would he know he’s your son? I only figured it out when you showed up.” What am I saying? Why do I want to make things harder for myself by having Falcon there? He’ll only complicate things. I thought about his skill with computers and his knowledge of how to break into that building. Maybe he would be handy to have around.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “His genuine hatred of me and the Enforcers would bring added legitimacy to your attempts to get into their inner circle.”
I wondered how he would make Falcon do his bidding. Hart held Amy’s fate—and mine—over me. But what could he hold over Falcon? I decided not to point that out. He’d probably already thought of something anyway. “What I should tell Nick about Amy? About where she is?”
“You can tell him that you found a safe place to hide her, but that you wanted to come back and fight.”
I didn’t like any of this, but it seemed he’d thought of everything.
“Where’s your friend Billy?” he asked.
“What?”
“Billy Foster. The boy who helped you escape Camp Willowmoss. Where is he?”
“I don’t know.” That was mostly true. True enough, anyway.
Secretary Hart seemed to believe me. “Fine.”
“And for the record, I had nothing to do with that Enforcer’s death. Nothing.”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is whether or not you come through for me. If you do, you’re in the clear. If you fail . . .” He lips flattened. “Well, let’s just say you’ll wish you had come through.” He stood. “By the way, if Jacob goes with you, it’s up to you to keep him in line.” He smirked. “If he screws things up, it’s on you.” He pulled me to my feet. “Let’s go.”
On me? I had to make him behave? How was I going to do that?
Chapter Thirty-Two
I hardly had a chance to think through this new problem before I found myself being shoved into the backseat of Enforcer Lang’s car. Amy was in the backseat of Enforcer Munroe’s car, and Falcon was with his father.
“Where are we going?” I asked as we pulled away from the curb, following Hart and Munroe.
Lang ignored me.
Will I get the chance to tell Amy good-bye? She must be freaking out right now. She probably thinks we’re both going to Camp Stonewater or some other F.A.T. center.
I could just see the top of her head through the back window of Munroe’s car. At least she’ll be in a safe place. No more running, no more hiding, no more fear of being captured. I clung to this positive development for Amy. I had to. It kept me from thinking about my own situation.
Half an hour later we arrived at a building and drove into the underground parking garage. The moment Lang opened the rear door—it was locked from the outside, so I had to wait for him to let me out—I ran to Amy, who was just getting out of Munroe’s car.
“Morgan,” she sobbed. “I was so worried about you. Are you okay?”
I drew her into my arms. “I’m fine. Everything’s going to be fine.” Why am I lying to her?
She pulled away from me and glared at Munroe, then at Hart, who walked towards us with Falcon beside him. Falcon’s hands were still bound behind his back. “Nothing’s fine,” she said. “Not anymore.”
That’s right, Amy I knew you were a smart girl.
“We need to talk,” Hart said. “Everyone follow me.”
As if we had a choice.
A few minutes later the six of us entered a large office. Secretary Hart looked at Munroe. “Cuff the young ladies, then you and Lang wait outside.”
I sat between Falcon and Amy, and across from Secretary Hart. With our hands restrained behind our backs, it was difficult to sit comfortably. However, Hart seemed quite relaxed as he settled himself in his large leather chair on the other side of the desk. When I glanced at Falcon I saw hatred shining from his eyes directed at his father. Amy looked worn out, like all the fight had left her.
I was glad I’d been able to negotiate a safe place for her, even though my own safety was in question. Not to mention Falcon’s safety. How can I be responsible for him? The idea was actually quite ridiculous. There was no way he’d listen to me, or do what I told him to do.
Maybe I should tell Hart I’ve changed my mind about having Falcon come with me. I glanced at the boy beside me, his crystal blue eyes like ice. But if he doesn’t come with me, what will his father do to him? Will he send him to Holly to find out what he knows? I couldn’t do that to him.
“Morgan and I had a little chat,” Hart said. “She’s made some decisions that affect both of your futures, so if you don’t like where you’re headed, you can place the blame squarely on her.”
Nice. I held back the glare I wanted to shoot at him, but felt the eyes of Amy and Falcon on me.
“Morgan, tell your sister good-bye,” Hart said calmly.
“Good-bye?” Amy said, her face showing alarm. “Where are you going? Where am I going?”
“Amy,” I said as I watched her face, “you’re going to stay in a safe place while I go back to Nick’s.”
“What?” Her eyes filled with tears. “No. I want to stay with you.”
Her sincerity touched me, but I had to admit I was glad she wouldn’t be anywhere near me while I deceived Nick about my real purpose in being there. Not only because I wanted to keep her out of danger, but because I was ashamed that I’d agreed to spy on Nick for Secretary Hart. For the Enforcers.
Unhappy that I couldn’t even give my little sister a hug, I turned to Secretary Hart. “Can you take off these handcuffs?” I frowned. “Or don’t you trust me?”
He scowled, then came around behind me and removed both my and Amy’s handcuffs, although he left Falcon’s on.
Now that I was no longer running from him, the fears I’d had about him were evaporating. I knew I had a tiny bit of power now, and it felt good.
He went back behind his desk, and I put my arm around Amy.
“Why are you going to Nick’s?” she asked.
I glanced at Hart and he shook his head. Clearly, he didn’t want Amy knowing any more than she had to.
“That’s not important.” I smiled at her. “The important thing is that you’ll be in a safe place.” I pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Telling my sister good-bye in front of Hart felt awkward, but I knew he wouldn’t give me the chance to talk to her alone.
“We need to move this along,” he said.
Amy shot him a dirty look, and I held back a smile at her spunkiness. “It will be okay,” I said. “I promise.” I hated that I was flat-out lying to her. I had no idea how this would go. And if I failed, well, we’d both be screwed.
She nodded, then we stood and embraced. “I love you, Morgan.”
“I love you too.”
Hart walked Amy to his office door, then handed her off to Lang. A moment later it was just him, me, and Falcon. Dried blood streaked Falcon’s chin, and I wished I had a cloth so I could wipe it off.
“Okay,” Hart said. “Let’s get down to business.
“What’s going on?” Falcon asked his father, his voice dripping with disdain. “What are you making Morgan do?”
I was glad he automatically assumed I was being coerced into doing something. Although I would hate for him to know how easily I’d agreed.
Hart smiled. “Not just Morgan. You’re going with her.”
Falcon’s head tilted and his eyebrows bunched. “You’re letting me go?” Then a grin blossomed on his face. “What’s the catch?”
“Morgan?” Hart said to me.
“The catch,” I said as I turned to Falcon, “is that if I don’t do what your father tells me to, he’ll send me to Holly. She’s the woman who tortured Du . . .” I’d almost said Duplicate Morgan. “I mean, the woman who tortured me. At Camp Stonewater.” Any confidence and power I’d felt a few minutes before vanished, replaced by the cold finger of fear. “And Amy too.” I stared right at Falcon. “He’d probably send you as well.”
Falcon looked at his father. “Is that true?” His voice held incredulity. “You’d send two girls to be tortured?”
I noticed he didn’t seem worried about himself, which sent a rush of warmth to my heart. He seems to actually care about Amy and me.
“Now, Jacob, you know I’ll do whatever is necessary to set things right.”
Falcon snorted. “No one knows your dedication to your job better than me.”
“Good. Then you know I’m absolutely serious.”
Falcon looked away from Hart. “Yeah.”
Secretary Hart explained what he wanted—for us to gather all the information from Nick and his group that we could. “I expect you to help Morgan succeed in her mission.” His lips pursed as if he’d smelled something sour. “Because if you don’t, you’ll end up in Camp Stonewater right along with her.”
Sad as it was that he had no qualms against sending his own son to be tortured and punished, I wasn’t surprised.
Falcon didn’t say anything for a minute. “There’s one thing you didn’t address that I want to clarify.”
“What is it?” Hart asked.
“Since this is a top secret mission,” Falcon said, “what will happen if Enforcers find Morgan?”
“They’ll capture her of course.” Hart’s voice was completely calm.
My eyes widened, and I was glad Falcon had thought of that. For some reason I’d assumed I was safe from capture. After all, the head of the Enforcers was sending me on a mission—surely that would protect me. This new information only made my mission doubly dangerous. Not only would I be betraying Nick—and I didn’t know what he would do to me if he found out—but I’d have to stay out of the Enforcers’ grasp.
At least I won’t have to pretend that I’m worried about being caught when I’m with Nick. I actually will be worried about it.
“How will you get your information if Morgan’s captured?” Falcon asked.
“You’ll be her backup.”
He laughed. “If she’s captured, why would I help you?”
Secretary Hart locked gazes with his son. “Because if she’s captured I can do whatever I want to her. Torture, starvation, even accidental death is a possibility.”
My mouth fell open. He would kill me? When I looked at his face and saw how cold and hard his eyes were, I had no doubt that his threats weren’t idle.
“And it would all be on you, Jacob.”
My head slowly swiveled in Falcon’s direction. Horror filled his eyes. Did he already know his father is a monster? Or was he just learning that?
Falcon slowly shook his head. “I’m ashamed that you’re my father. I wish you were the one who’d died. Not Mom. The world would be a better place.”
Almost afraid to see Hart’s reaction, I watched him out of the corner of my eye.
“Right now I’m not all that proud of you, Jacob. You’ve turned your back on me, on all that I’ve taught you.” His lips compressed. “That makes me sad.”
Somehow I didn’t believe Hart could feel sadness. Fury, yes. Irritation, definitely. A need for revenge, absolutely. But sadness? Not likely.
“I’m sure you’ll get over it soon enough,” Falcon said.
“Enough of this,” Hart said. “It’s time to go.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Now?” I was in no hurry to face Nick and my betrayal. “We’re going to Nick’s now?”
Hart laughed. “Yes. There’s no time to waste.” With a smirk, he said, “Besides, wouldn’t you prefer to to be skulking about when it’s dark? Less likely Enforcers will see you then.”
Dread coursed through me. Enforcers are still on the hunt for me. Then I realized that they wouldn’t be looking for Falcon and knew he could be a buffer between me and them. If he doesn’t ditch you the moment his father drops us off.
Icy fear stabbed at my gut at the realization that Falcon had no allegiance to me. There was nothing in this for him. Only his good heart would keep him by my side. Does he even have a good heart, or, deep down, is he just like his father?
I glanced at the boy beside me and wondered if his hatred for his father would be enough to keep him loyal to me, or if he would find his own way to get his revenge.
There was no question that I would do my part—Hart’s absolute control over Amy’s fate ensured that. “Where are you going to drop us off?”
“A few miles from Nick’s house.”
“I don’t know where he lives,” I said. “How will we find it?”
Hart sighed loudly, making it clear he thought I was an imbecile. Then he logged in to his computer and typed something on his keyboard. A moment later he turned his monitor around so that Falcon and I could both see it. “Here’s where Munroe will drop you off.” He pointed to a spot on a map. “And here’s Nick’s house.” He traced a path to a spot a distance from the drop-off point. His gaze met mine and his eyebrows rose.
I knew myself well enough to know that I would never remember where to go. “Can you print that off for us?”
Hart barked a laugh, then shook his head. “What would Nick think if you showed up with a print-out of a map leading directly to his house?”
I could see his point, but that didn’t solve my problem. In a voice filled with embarrassment, I said, “I’m not sure I can remember how to get there.”
“Don’t worry, Raven,” Falcon murmured beside me. “I’ve got this.”
His reassurance sent a wave of gratitude through me. Maybe he won’t abandon me after all. Then cynicism took its place. Unless he’s just playing along to fool his father. And me.
“Why do you call her that?” Hart spat out. “Her name is Morgan Campbell and she’s an evil influence on all of society. Don’t you understand that, son? Don’t you understand that because of her people are—” He stopped abruptly and clamped his mouth shut, like he’d said too much.
Am I making an impact on people’s opinions? Am I making a difference? Was that what he was about to say? Is that why he’s so desperate to
stop Nick’s resistance group? Desperate enough to bargain with me? His apparent slip-up boosted my hopes, but I pretended I hadn’t noticed. “Thanks, Falcon.”
Hart scowled.
“Do you have any supplies for us?” Falcon asked. “Like water or food?” Falcon’s jaw clenched. “In case we run into trouble.”
“You’re so clever,” Hart said. “I’m sure you’ll be fine without any help from me.”
I hoped he was right.
Hart stood. “Time to go.”
He walked with us out of the office where Munroe was waiting. Amy and Lang were nowhere in sight.
“When are you going to take off my cuffs?” Falcon asked.
“Munroe will remove them when he drops you off.” Hart looked at me. “Don’t screw this up.”
I didn’t want to think about the consequences of failure, so I just nodded.
“Let’s go,” Munroe said, then escorted Falcon and me to the parking garage and into the back seat of his car.
As we rode in silence I clung to my last minutes of peace. Soon enough I’d be on edge all the time, constantly watching what I said around Nick, and fearful of being captured by Enforcers.
Half an hour later Munroe pulled to the curb in an industrial part of town. The sun had set and the air was chilled.
Munroe tossed me a small pair of keys from the front seat. “Undo his cuffs.”
Falcon turned his back to me and I fumbled with the lock until I managed to unlatch it. Falcon smiled at me as he rubbed his wrists. “Thanks.”
“Give me the key,” Munroe demanded.
I handed it to him and waited for his instructions.
He climbed out of the car then opened the door closest to me. “Get out,” he said with obvious disgust. “Both of you. Now.”
I scrambled out of the car, eager to be away from him, all feelings of peace gone. Falcon followed me, and a moment later Munroe sped away, leaving us on the sidewalk.
I glanced around. No one was near.
“Notice how there are no cameras?” Falcon asked. At the look of puzzlement on my face, he added, “That way no one will suspect that we’ve had any contact with the Enforcers.”
The Other Morgan (Parallel Series, Book 5) Page 17