“Yes, sir.” The words feel like arsenic, and I’m cursing myself for getting tied up in this. I can’t help thinking I’ve made a grave error in judgment in aligning myself with this movement, but I can’t see any way out. I’ll just have to act smart. Give them enough tidbits to keep them happy while ensuring I don’t do anything to jeopardize Logan or any of my alien friends’ safety.
“Excellent. We require you to prepare a file with copies of all government documentation that come into your possession. Include everything you are privy to. On a weekly basis, place this file in a manila envelope, take the elevator to the ninth floor, and proceed to room nine-four-zero-one. The access code is seven-seven-three-two-five. Once inside the room, place the envelope in the second drawer of the black cabinet. The cabinet will be secured, but the key is taped to the underside of the shrub resting on the desk in the room. Lock the drawer afterwards. Same routine, once a week. Please repeat these instructions.”
Lucky I have a knack for total recall, and the directions spool fluidly off my tongue, word perfect.
“Excellent. That deals with that. We have another task for you, but I’ll explain that in a moment.”
“Jarod.” G turns his attention to my best friend. “Solid work in Thalassic City, truly well done. Have you learned any more about the plans for the underwater worker colonies?”
“I’m still digging, sir.”
“We’ve been hearing rumblings of something covert going down in Sector Twenty. Can you investigate and identify what’s happening?” G asks. A chill creeps over my entire body. If they find out I know and I’m deliberately concealing it from them …
I shudder, and Vin flinches at my back.
“I’ll check it out, sir.”
“Perfect. So, on to the main matter at hand,” G says, moving closer to me. “We have a very special task for you, Sadie. One that will require preparation and timing. You are ideally positioned to carry this out, the only one with sufficient opportunity.” He pauses for a moment.
I swear my heart stalls a beat.
“When the opportunity presents itself, we want you to kill the king and his two sons.”
CHAPTER 2
“You can’t be serious!?” Jarod speaks up before I’ve had time to unscramble my brain. “That’s far too risky! They’ll kill her!”
“Jarod!” A man’s gruff voice reprimands. “It is not your place to question our leader.”
“But, Dad—”
“That’s enough.” The condemning censure in his tone is enough to stop the whole room in its tracks, not solely Jarod.
“No one said anything about killing anyone. I didn’t sign up for that,” I say quietly, shock reverberating through me.
“Are you refusing my command?” G’s tenor is glacial.
“Perhaps Sadie could be given some time to consider the request? This isn’t something anyone could take on lightly,” Vin suggests.
Silence fills the awkward air. My leg starts to wobble of its own accord, and I think I might puke.
“Okay. Take some time to think about it. But not too long. You’ll be brought back within the week and I expect an answer. The right answer. Now, go,” G instructs.
Vin places the bag back over my head and starts to move me forward.
“Ms. Owens.” G halts our progress. “Don’t forget what’s at stake. These aliens are not our friends. They are conspiring with the government to entomb the lower classes at the bottom of the sea. And I highly doubt their sole motivation is the opportunity to live among us. There is something else at stake here, and I intend to find out what it is. Don’t forget you are human, and you have agreed to help us protect humans, protect your fellow stars, fight for their freedom. No matter how distasteful the thought of killing another being might seem, they aren’t human. That’s all you need to consider. Good day to you.”
I storm back to my office, my head throbbing. Jarod runs after me. “Wait up.”
“I don’t want to talk to you right now.” I’m mad at him for not preparing me for that little meet and greet, and okay, yes, I’m venting all my frustration in his direction. That’s hardly fair, I know. But I’m close to self-combustion, and woe betide anyone in the vicinity when I blow. I can’t guarantee against casualties.
Jarod grabs my elbow and hauls me off to the side. “Stop. Running.” I glare at him. “I should’ve told you about the meeting. I’m sorry.” He smooths a hand over his bleached blond hair. It’s grown out in the last few months, and the longer style he’s sporting these days suits him.
“Yes. You should have,” I shoot out through gritted teeth.
“I didn’t know they were going to ask you to do that,” he whispers. “You can’t agree to it. It’s far too dangerous.”
I share his sentiment but for different reasons. I can’t kill the love of my life or his dad. But Dante? That’s debatable. I think I’d be doing womankind and the world a favor by taking him out.
“You heard him!” I hiss. “He isn’t giving me a choice!”
“Look, we’ll figure something out. I promise.” He smiles but it’s strained, and it pretty much mirrors how I feel on the inside.
Thankfully, the VP is offsite at a meeting, so he isn’t around to notice my tardiness, or my agitation, nor the way my tummy rumbles with gnawing hunger all afternoon. When five p.m. arrives, I drag my weary, weak body outside and meet up with Haydn.
He takes one look at the state of me and wastes no time in whisking me back to the apartment. I don’t object when he contacts Neve to rearrange the time of our dinner date and then tucks me into bed for a nap. Mercifully, I conk out the minute my head hits the pillow.
Haydn rouses me a couple of hours later with another muffin and a glass of juice.
I feel semi-human with some food in my belly and freshened up thanks to an invigorating shower and clean set of clothes. Forcing all thoughts of G and his hideous request from my mind, I snatch my coat and hurry to the living room.
The screen springs to life as we’re walking toward the door, and we both halt on the spot. Cheers and screams pierce my eardrums as the image loads on the TV. We drop down on the couch in sync and watch. The roadshow has hit Alaska, and the people of Anchorage are enthusiastically welcoming President Bane, King Adjani, Logan, and Dante.
Predictably, my heart skips to its own beat at the sight of Logan. He is wearing a customary suit—inky black this time—which perfectly matches the color of his carefully coiffed hair. He could easily be mistaken for a male model or the latest Hollywood star, but I can tell that he’s uncomfortable with his attire and the unwanted attention, because his posture is stiff, his expression solemn.
The president and the king both make impassioned speeches, but they can hardly be heard over the screams of the adoring crowd. A slim blonde-haired girl somehow manages to evade security and she races across the stage, flinging herself at Logan. Caught off guard, he stumbles backward and the girl falls into his arms. I grind my teeth all the way down to my molars. Security attempts to pry the girl from Logan as she clings to him, sobbing and yelling “I love you.”
I can’t tolerate watching another second. “Sleep.” The screen dies at my command. “Let’s go,” I tersely tell Haydn.
We take the elevator to the parking garage, and Haydn silently powers up the Autovee. I slide in the passenger seat and try to snap out of my bad mood. What a pity G hadn’t requested I take aim at one of Logan’s many lurkers. Considering what I’ve just witnessed, I’d happily take out the blonde and anyone else who manhandled my Eterno intended. I sigh. No, I wouldn’t. I don’t have it in me to kill anyone, not even annoying groupies or Logan’s Hulk-like detestable older brother. I honestly don’t know how the hell I’m going to extricate myself from the mess I’ve gotten myself into.
Grateful for the tinted glass, I stare out the window, absorbed in thought, as we exit the building and head out on the quiet back roads. Fern and her alien BF—Rylan—are joining us tonight, so we are meeting
them on the outskirts of the Core Circle. It lessens their travel time.
“You’re the only one he cares about. He’s crazy about you.” Haydn jolts me back into the present.
“I know,” I acknowledge quietly. “Doesn’t mean it’s any easier to stomach.” No girl wants to witness other girls casually throwing themselves at her boyfriend, no matter how much she believes him when he says he loves her. “If we stay together, this is what my life is going to be like, isn’t it?” I swivel my head to look at Haydn. “Girls trying to elbow me out of the way to get to him. Women pawing at him everywhere we go.” I chew on the inside of my cheek, more pissed than I’d care to admit.
“What do you mean, if you stay together?” He risks a quick glimpse at me.
I support my head against the side window. “Everything’s up in the air, Haydn. I barely know what’s going to happen tomorrow let alone next month or next year. And who knows what’s going to happen with the Amaretti and the Tor,” I say, leaning forward and staring out at the sparkling lights of the alien craft illuminating the nighttime sky. A customary shiver whips through me.
Haydn’s lack of response is telling, and it does nothing to appease the expanding knot in my stomach. He remains quiet the rest of the journey. Even quieter than normal. Somehow, I seem to have transferred my sullen mood to him.
Fern smothers me in a hug the minute we appear at the table, and I linger for longer than my usual two seconds. I’ve missed my friend.
Fern had to return to her sector after she arrived back from Thalassic City. While she didn’t secure an administration position in Government Buildings, she and Rylan were appointed to a special mixed-species project team. They are responsible for traveling around the factories and talking to them about “The Experimento” and the natural integration between our two kinds. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than returning to her monotonous factory life. Some of the normal restrictions have been revoked, so we can stay in regular contact.
Neve and Alex are the last to join us. Once we are all seated, we place our orders and chat among ourselves. “So, Fern, what’s the latest from the factories? What’s the mood like?” I ask as I take a noisy slurp of my soda.
Fern and Rylan exchange wary expressions. “It’s not going well. At all,” she cryptically replies.
Rylan presses his elbows into the table and tilts forward. “The upper and middle classes may be throwing adoring arms around the crown prince and Dante, but the stars are not proving easy to win over.” He flicks strands of light brown hair out of his eyes.
“That’s the understatement of the year,” Fern adds, linking her fingers with his. “They are naturally suspicious of any ally of the governments, and the only reason they aren’t organizing full-scale riots is the tiny matter of those nasty alien ships sucking up our airspace. People are scared, and at this minute the Saven and the government are the lesser evil, so that’s the only way we’re being tolerated. But it’s tense, and you can tell people aren’t really buying into what we’re telling them.”
“There are rumors flying around about Sector Twenty.” Rylan’s eyes meet mine, and Haydn and Neve trade startled looks. Fern and Alex frown in confusion.
“What’s being bandied about?” I ask, trying to quell my rising nausea.
“People want to know why some of their family members are being taken there,” Fern says.
I sit up ramrod straight. “What?” My panicked eyes flit to Haydn. Logan didn’t mention anything about this.
“And why some of them are returning home and others are being kept. Not only that, the people returning home appear to have no knowledge of what transpired when they got there, even though some of them were gone for days,” she supplies.
An uneasy tension settles over the table.
“You know what they’re doing there, don’t you?” Fern directs that question at me, but there’s no malice behind her words. Only morbid curiosity.
“Partly,” I whisper. Under the table, Haydn takes my hand and my fingers thread gratefully with his.
“Is this something to do with what you told me that day in the auditorium?” She’s referring to the last day we were in Thalassic City when I asked her not to sleep with Rylan. There wasn’t time to elaborate any further, but I think it’s time she knew the full truth.
I nod. “Neve?” Neve flips her chin up and pins me with a quizzical look. “Is Alex aware?”
She pauses momentarily before shaking her head. Alex visibly stiffens beside her. “I was only trying to protect you,” she says, reaching for his hand.
I snort. Another episode of misplaced Saven protection. “I think it’s time Alex and Fern know the truth.”
I press my mouth to Fern’s ear. Quickly and quietly, I update her, making sure she understands how explosive this information is and that she can’t breathe a word to anyone else. Across the table, Neve is similarly filling Alex in.
The waitress emerges with our drinks and food, but my appetite is effectively slaughtered, and I can only pick at my chicken dish.
One look at Alex and Fern’s ghost-like complexions proves they are struggling as much as I did to grasp the implications of the reprehensible conscience transfer plan. I know full well that it’s a lot to take in.
“You need to eat, Sadie.” Haydn bumps me.
“I’m not hungry anymore.”
“You’ve barely eaten anything today. Eat.” He picks up my fork and forces it into my hand.
I brandish the fork through the air as if it’s a deadly weapon. “Or what? You’ll report me!” I lash out, expelling my simmering frustration.
Haydn plucks the fork from my stiff fingers and places it back down on the table. “Or you’ll get ill. That’s all I meant.”
Every pair of eyes at the table is focused on our conversation. I exhale loudly as I knot and unknot my hands in my lap. “I’m sorry, Haydn. I know you’re only looking out for me.” Neve stares at Haydn in that intense, glazed way that tells me they are silently conversing.
My chair scrapes the floor as I get up. “If you’ll excuse me.”
I all but sprint to the ladies’ room and padlock myself in one of the cubicles. Stress has corded my muscles into compact strips across my shoulders, adding to the anxiety hijacking my mind. Each worry intensifies the pressure I feel. I’m petrified for Logan, and concern for my sister is a new layer I’ve added to the pile.
The door swings inward and light footsteps enter the room. “Sadie? Are you all right?” Fern calls out.
I flush the toilet and open the door. “Not really.”
“What’s bothering you, besides the obvious?” she asks, hauling herself up onto the counter.
“An easier question would be what isn’t?” I wash my hands and scrutinize my reflection in the mirror. I’ve practically gained worry lines overnight. I look beyond exhausted, and it does nothing for me.
“Is it Logan? I saw the broadcast earlier.” She crosses her legs at the ankles.
“Kinda. I miss him so much, but it’s more than that. I’m fed up of being a virtual prisoner in the apartment, and there’s some work stuff going on, and now I’m worried about my sister. Logan never mentioned they were already moving people to Sector Twenty for processing. Why wouldn’t he tell me that?” I yank my hair out from behind my ears, hoping to deflect from the bruising shadows under my dull gray eyes and the sickly pallor of my skin. Even my normal cherry red lips lack their habitual luster.
“Ask him,” she says, hopping down in front of me. “You still speak with him at night, yeah?”
“Yup. And don’t worry, I fully intend to.”
I’m quiet the rest of the meal, but if Haydn notices, he doesn’t say anything. I think he’s afraid to open his mouth now. I’ve noticed the aliens fare far better when I’m yelling and mouthing off. Quiet Sadie is an unknown beast that sends them running for the proverbial hills.
When we get back to the apartment, I change into my sleep clothes and head out into the living are
a. Haydn has hot chocolate ready for me. He’s somehow managed to find some tiny little marshmallows and chocolate shavings to put on top. Tears glisten in my eyes when I think of all the ways he looks after me. “Thank you, Haydn. And not only for this,” I say, accepting the mug. “Thank you for everything you do for me.”
A faint blush blooms in his cheeks. “It’s my job.” He fidgets with the collar of his shirt, clearly embarrassed.
“Nuh-uh.” I shake my head as we both plop down on the couch. “You go above and beyond: You are freaking amazing at looking after others. I’m sorry if I snap at you sometimes. It’s still a lot for me to deal with. I’ve never had anyone take care of me before.”
“You deserve to be treated like a princess.” He says this so sincerely that I very nearly believe him. Instead, I roll my eyes, and he laughs.
“Let’s not go there. Not after the day I’ve had,” I plead. “Besides, I have something to ask you.” The mood turns solemn. “I need to go and see my sister tomorrow. Please. I need to ensure she’s okay. I haven’t been able to contact her these last couple of weeks, and now I’m terrified that I know why.” A messy ball of emotion travels up my throat, threatening to choke me. Tears prick the edges of my eyes.
Haydn takes my hand. “Okay. We can go tomorrow. But I think we should keep this between us.”
“Sure. Thank you.” I fling myself at him, hugging him tight. “I miss my sister so much. It feels like I’ve haven’t seen her in years.”
“I know the feeling.” Silence engulfs him.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen your family?” I ease out of our embrace.
“Eleven years, three months, and four days.”
I’d been expecting him to say nine or ten months or whatever amount of time he’s been away on Earth. Not eleven years. “Oh my God. That’s awful. How come?”
“I told you I made my choice. To serve my crown prince.” A muscle pops in his jaw.
Saven Disclosure (The Saven Series Book 2) Page 3
