by Valia Lind
He's surprised and he's not fast enough to cover that up. It takes him a split second, but he recovers.
"I don't know anyone by that name."
"Oh, John. You're a terrible liar. Barbara. Katherine. Whatever name she decides on today. I want her, and you, at this address," I slide a piece of paper across the table to him, still watching him closely. "Six o'clock tonight. Be there, or we go public."
I don't wait for a response, standing up just as Armstrong comes back into the restaurant. I receive another menacing glare, but I don't pay him any mind. I could snap his neck in a second, but I don't. I have to keep my cool, no matter how difficult that is when being so close to him.
"See you there," I throw over my shoulder and proceed to leave the restaurant without a backwards look.
This is risky. Every part of it. Of course Foster can refuse to show up. He and Katherine can go into hiding and it'll take all of our resources to find them. But I don't think he will. He's proud enough to think that he can handle this. He'll bring his best army. A part of me really hopes so, because I'm itching for a fight. A proper fight.
"You think he'll come?" Logan asks, falling into step beside me as we head back to the car. This time, I'm the one who reaches for his hand, brining him closer to me.
"I think so. He's too full of himself not to. I just hope Katherine comes. We need all of them to be there." I squeeze his hand at that, as his eyes grow distant. "Are you ready to talk to him?"
"I have to. If you can brave the lion's den, then so can I."
Logan sent a message to the general while I was with Foster. He has to talk to him, to get him to come to the loading docks, just like I had to do with Foster. It's a grandstanding action, but it's the best we got.
With all of my heart I'm praying that we're making the right choice.
27.
LOGAN
"Where have you been?" the general's voice sounds too loud in my ears. We're at the recently made command center and the general finally replied to my text for contact. The white walls behind me give nothing away, and the others in the room have stopped moving so they can listen.
"I have intel for you."
"I asked you where have you been?" the general snaps, not missing my avoidance of the question. I'm supposed to pretend that I'm still on his side, but I doubt he believes the ruse anymore. He looks exhausted, more so than I've ever remember him being before.
"You gave me a job. I've been doing it." It's my turn to snap and it takes everything in me not to completely lose it on him. He attacked my girl. And while she might have a problem with me calling her that, I won't stop feeling protective over her.
The general studies me for a long tense minute, before he finally concedes. "What intel?"
"A huge shipment is coming in, tonight at 6 o'clock. Foster is scheduled to be there. If you want him, he's yours."
"You're sure about this?"
"Yes."
"Send me the address." The general doesn't wait for a reply, terminating the communication. As usual. I make sure it's truly severed, before I send the address to him.
"That was easy," Calen comments, getting up from his position on the couch.
"Not as easy as you think," I reply, going over the way the general looked at me. He's definitely up to something. "He's planning."
"Aren't we all?" this comes from Freddie and I have to agree there. We can't be sure where anyone stands at this point, except for us. Calen was talking to Blake earlier, and I saw how the small conversation affected all three of them. Tasia especially. She blames herself, as she usually does, and I know I won't be able to talk her out of feeling that way. Even thought I hope one day, she'll forgive herself, I know it won't be today.
"Do we have everything?" she asks now, looking over at her uncle. They had a long talk last night and I know she feels better at least about that relationship. The other ones are still a bit shaky.
"We do."
Pushing them into a confrontation may not be the smartest move on our part, but it's the plan. We get the parties together, we get them fighting and hopefully, they'll take each other out. I know we won't come out of this without casualties, but I'll do my best to make sure it's not Tasia.
"We'll head there now then," I say, reaching for my bag and swinging it over my shoulder. Calen and Freddie are staying here. They're not hand to hand fighters. Their job is to get the video edited and sent to every news network, as well as the online social and blogging community. If the media doesn't run it, the social media will grab it and run with it. The finishing touches of the video will come from the meeting. I'm not naive enough to think that's all that's going to come from the meeting.
I watch Tasia as she walks over to where Calen is standing. I know he wants to go with us, but he's more useful here. I don't want to eavesdrop but it's difficult not to in the small room.
"You know I love you, right?" Tasia says, reaching over to poke Calen in the stomach. The other boy takes a second to reply, but when he does, I hear the emotion behind his words.
"Not as much as I love you, T. Please be careful. I need both of my sisters, you hear?" He swallows her in his arms and I look away, not wanting to intrude on the moment.
I know Tasia hasn't always been up front with her feelings. She's kept them buried so far down, she hardly seemed human at times. That's how she was when I met her as an adult. So different from the girl I knew as a kid. But now she's opening up again, like a flower seeking the sun. And I hope and pray that whatever happens at this meeting doesn't make her go into hiding again.
She heads over toward Freddie, as Calen comes up to stand beside me. "Bring her back, mate," he says, watching her hug Freddie.
"I will," I reply. We don't say anything else, we don't hug, but I hear everything he doesn't say. In the past months, Calen and I have become like brothers. Tasia is not the only one he's worried about.
When I move to follow Tasia to the door, Freddie stops me. He doesn't say anything, but he embraces me for a split second, before moving back and smacking me on the shoulder. I hear everything he doesn't say also.
I follow Tasia to the car without a word, but I feel the sadness weighing on her. But she doesn't allow that to slow her down. She holds it like a precious stone, before she puts it away. Since I know her so well, I can see the moment she pushes it all away. Just like that, she compartmentalizes in a way that's always been fascinating to me.
"The moment we get there, we'll have to separate," she says, getting into the car, allowing me to drive once more. When we first met, I wasn't allowed anywhere near the drivers side door. But now, the trust she has in me, it's showing through in the smallest ways.
My nod is curt and we drive in silence. I have a million things to say to her, but I won't be one of those people who confess their undying love and devotion at the bring of death. At the end of it all, I don't want this to be a relationship that doesn't survive because the life or death situation is no longer a part of it. We're deeper than that and I intend to keep it that way.
It takes us less than an hour to navigate our way to the docks. Ditching the car a few blocks away, we walk the rest of the way in silence. Right before we get to the docks, I grab Tasia's hand, pulling her to a stop. She looks up at me quizzically, and waits for me to say whatever I need to say.
"When this is over," I begin, looking for just the right words to tell her what I mean, "We're going on a proper date, before we take a long vacation, just you and I. No weapons, no training, no rich corporations to take down. Just you and me."
She smiles fully, placing a hand over my hear and leaning closer. "Just you and me." She repeats.
I catch her smiling mouth with my own for a quick kiss and realize, once again, that an eternity with her will never be enough. The kiss is over before it even begins and there's a million words on my tongue, but she beats me to it.
"I love you," Tasia says and without waiting for a reply, turns on her heels and races off into the distance. I
want to shout I love you back, but I just whisper it for now. I know she hears me through her comm and it's enough. I'll be shouting from the rooftops later.
Right now, we had the world to save.
TASIA
Even though I'm possibly running to my eminent death, there's lightness in me I don't remember feeling for a very long time. Stopping every so often, I place the camera's Uncle Freddie provided, to cover the whole area. Everything that's about to happen in this place will be recorded. From every angle. We're not taking any chances.
When everything is in place, I head toward the meeting spot, staying to the shadows. It's close to two hours before the scheduled time, but we all know they'll be getting here early. Can't really blame them for thinking ahead, even though it won't help them in this situation.
Waiting is the worst part. I lean against one of the crates, hidden in the shadows but with a good view of the little clearing between the containers. No one wants to talk, so we stay silent and ready. I'm itching for them to get here and right as I'm about to lose it completely, I hear tires on gravel.
"Foster is here," Calen says over the comm, from the command center. We made sure to have camera's on all entrance and exit points first. Calen is our eyes and ears if something goes south. Which honestly, I'm expecting. Foster is about thirty minutes early.
The dark sedan pulls up to the clearing, parking and sitting idly. They're waiting for me to show up, but they're about to be surprised. I hear the tires on the gravel one more time, this time coming from a different direction.
"The general," Calen says, without farther elaboration. My body tenses more so at the title, knowing the kind of a man behind the rank. I would do anything to spare Logan this pain, but we don't exactly chose our parents.
When the SUV stops at the meeting spot, both of the cars seems to sit there, staring at each other. After a few minutes, the general gets out and Foster follows suit. But only after the general's soldier surround the sedan, ordering Foster to get out.
"What is the meaning of this?" he asks, outraged.
"I've been waiting for this moment for a while," the general replies, coming closer to the sedan. I still can't tell if Katherine is inside or if she didn't bother showing up. But my question is answered next, when the soldiers pull her out of the car.
Neither one of them knows what's going on, as the general stalks over.
"I think it's about time we had a business arrangement, Foster," the general says, keeping his gaze on Foster and ignoring Katherine completely.
"Who are you?"
"The Company. I think you've heard of us."
Foster's face pales for just a second, before he's in control of his emotions once again. You don't get to be a face of a large company without a few acting skills up your sleeve. But he knows exactly who The Company are and he knows how they operate.
"What do you want?" it's Katherine who asks, standing tall beside the car. She carries herself taller than she is, but pride does that to people.
"I want the drug. As much as I want, whenever I want." Katherine's laugh rings out, cutting off whatever else the general was going to say. He doesn't look happy at the interruption, but it doesn't faze her.
"We're not making any deals," Katherine says, her voice cool. "So you can take your band of merry men and get out of here."
"Not sure what kind of authority you think you possess," the general growls so low I almost don't catch his words. "But as you can see, you're outnumbered. I brought a rather large group of friends. If you value your life, I suggest you do as I say."
"Oh, men. They're always so focused on the size," Katherine tsk tsk's and the hairs at the back of my neck stand tall. Something isn't right. Her next words prove me right. "You're not the only one to travel with an entourage." She raises her hand, snapping her fingers and that's when I see them. They seem to come out of the shadows, surrounding the clearing fully, their vantage point an advantage to whatever the general may want to do.
"Are you seeing this?" Logan breaths in my ear, but I'm at a spot where I can't answer. There's a man too close, right above me.
"Who are you?" the general asks, after assessing the situation. If it's possible, Katherine grows even more smug.
"I'm the real brains of the operation, of course." Even Foster looks a bit perplexed by the number of bodyguards he suddenly has. She must've made these plans without consulting him and that really does prove she's the brains. "Now," she continues, looking around, "As you might have notices, we both have been set up. I assume by the same person."
The general doesn't take the bait, keeping his mouth shut, but watching her closely. He's trying to come up with a plan now, much like I would.
"Find her!" Katherine suddenly roars, making me jump. Her minions spring into action right away. I'm in a position that will make sure that I'll be discovered soon. I had to move. I back away from the clearing, staying as quiet as I can. But still, not quiet enough.
One of Katherine's goons drops on the ground in front of me, gun raised. But I don't wait for him to recover from the jump. I attack with precision, running at him, a knife gleaming in my hand. I swipe at his leg, drawing blood and making him drop to his knees. He howls in pain, but my arm is already around his windpipe, crushing it as hard as I can. His neck doesn't snap, but he does pass out. That's all I need.
"I'm compromised," I state over the comm. A huge part of me just wants to go back in there and fight, but I know a battle like that won't last. And it definitely won't end good for me. I turn to head back toward the exit, when someone grabs me from behind. I butt of a rifle is smashed against my face, stunning me for a second, before I'm picked up by my arms.
I'm recovering fast, but before I can make a decision on how to proceed, we're in the clearing and I'm forced to play weak.
"Look what we have here," Katherine coos, coming to stand in front of me. I notice that she doesn't come too close, not like Foster always tends to do. "You thought you could outsmart me, girl. I've been doing this for a lot longer than you."
I allow my smile to blossom, before I deliver my punch line. "I'm not the one who outsmarted you, Katherine," I throw in her face and her eyes flash at my use of the name. "Remember your darling Frederick?" Something skitters across her face at his name and I can see that she wasn't expecting that. "He's much smarter than you will ever be. And guess what? You lose."
When she slaps me, I see it coming but I don't flinch away. Instead, I turn my face right back to her, grinning.
"You stupid girl!" she roars, all pretense of decorum gone as her own anger takes over. "You think you know what you're playing at?"
"I know that you and Foster murdered my parents. They were getting too close to the truth, to close to telling everyone how you're stealing children right under parents noses, drugging the parents up so they don't even remember they had children, before using those kids for human experiments." I'm obnoxiously loud, yelling in her face and I see that it's working. She gets more and more worked up with every word.
"No one would believe you. You can tell everyone and they'd still sell their newborn baby to us when we tell them we can cure cancer."
"Easy now," Foster speaks up, reaching for Katherine, but she'll have none of it. Her self control has seemingly snapped with the use of the real name.
"Don't tell me what to do, John," she snaps, glaring at him. "I'm the mastermind behind Kallos, not you."
Gone is the calculating woman and all that's left is the passion that Uncle Freddie talked about. I can see why he would've fallen in love with her. There's a sort of a fire under all of her perfectly put together bravado.
"Whatever drama I just walked into, I don't care," the general roars, bringing our attention back to him. "I'll take her and the shipment. That should suffice for now."
He grabs me by the arm, tugging me away from my other captors, but I stay put. I need them to war against each other. Katherine is getting close to that by the second. Now I just need the rest of th
em to get there.
"You're not taking anyone," Foster finally speaks up, keeping a cautious attitude, but knowing this is about to get a lot worse. "We're leaving. Now." He motions for Katherine, but before he can take a step toward the care, the general speaks up.
"I'm done playing games. If this is how you want to do this, then that's how it'll go." He raises his hand and his men attack.
28.
LOGAN
The moment the fighting begins, I look for Tasia.
I see her being dragged by two men, Katherine and Foster fast on her heels. The general isn't letting them leave here until he has his way, but I'm sure he'll soon realize just how much that's not happening.
I make my way to follow Tasia when one of the Company's men attacks. The first blow lands squarely in my gut, before I'm ducking. My own training kicks in and I smash my fist across his face, before kneeing him in the stomach. The man falls to his knees and I kick him in the head, knocking him out.
"Where is she?" I shout into my comm, feeling like this is the repeat of my life. I'm always looking for her.
"Directly west of your position," Calen replies, anxiety clear in his voice. I race toward the indicted direction, nearly avoiding another Company guy fighting with one of Katherine's men. We shouldn't have underestimated her. She brought her own army. Even I have to admit that's impressive. I'm almost to Tasia when the general steps in front of me.
"How did I always know you'll betray me?" he says and there's no emotion in his voice. He might as well be telling me the sky is blue. However, I expect to feel something, and I'm almost surprised I don't. But then I remember just how much of a monster my father is and the almost turns into not at all.
"You raised me to be a soldier, but you also raised me to be a smart soldier. I just listened well." I grin, unable to suppress the impulse to throw it in his face. After all, he nearly killed Tasia and me the last time we were at the same place together. I will never not hold that against him.
