by J. Andersen
Our eyes meet, and I see something in the way she looks at me, but I can’t decipher what it is.
“Okay, if you’re sure.” I pull the blanket up over Brody’s head and dash for the car waiting at the curb.
“You’re seriously gonna bring an infant to the Committee in the middle of the night?” Jaxon asks when he sees me.
“Yes. He’s my son. I need to be with him right now, okay?”
Hunter leans over to look at me from the front seat. “Did Ally stay?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“She can’t stay away from that child for more than an hour without going insane.” He smiles and sits back.
“I know the feeling.” I glance at Jaxon. “Drive.”
I hold Brody close to me as we cruise the few blocks to where Jaxon has set up a meeting with the Committee. When we arrive, lights are shining in the front room of the building. The same building where I met the Committee for the first time. They’re gathered around the table, some still in their robes and slippers from a recent awakening, but their attire doesn’t lessen the intimidation I feel standing before them. In a few short minutes, these people will decide the fate of Micah and my son. It’s hard to trust they’ll make the right decision.
Once they all take their seats, Jaxon steps forward to explain the situation. “Thanks for coming, especially in the middle of the night. You all look wonderful in your jammies.”
Silas gives him a stern look and shakes his head.
“Right,” Jaxon continues. “Not a good time. Sorry. Let me explain this as best I can. We have evidence that Micah Pennington is alive. But he’s in the custody of The Institute, and they’re having a heyday with him. Luckily, we have the ability to get him out, but it’ll take an unconventional strategy to pull it off.”
As if on cue, Brody’s eyes open, and he wails. I fix a bottle while Jaxon chuckles and continues. “Apparently, the little man knows he’s part of the plan.”
This comment gets a rise out of our audience. Murmurs go round the table before Silas speaks. “Explain how Kate’s son would be a part of the plan because I fail to see how an infant has anything to do with rescuing Micah.”
I step forward, holding the bottle to Brody’s mouth as I gather the courage to tell them what we’re devising. May as well do it fast and leave the details for later. “Brody’s father wants him back.”
Rather than the gasp I was expecting, there’s silence as ten pairs of eyes stare at me in shock. “As you know, I found out that Saul is Brody’s father a few days ago,” I continue. “But you need to know that he’s high in their military. And I kind of pissed him off a while ago—long before I knew he was my son’s father. He’s been watching the area, waiting for me to emerge, and while Ally and I were at the junkyard the other day, he found me. Long story short, he has power. Lots of power, and he’s promised to release Micah if I give him Brody.”
Mr. Suthers clears his throat. “He’s been watching the area?”
“Yes, but something tells me he won’t attack. He’s plotting something.” The old man leans back in his chair. “What makes you think he’ll keep his word? If he’s as angry as you say, he has no reason to follow through. Just the opposite. He could use this to get back at you.”
“Good point. Honestly, I can’t say for sure. But if it’s a chance to save Micah from the things The Institute is capable of, I’m willing to try.” Marie, an older woman with white hair, crinkles her nose in disgust.
“You’re willing to give up your child to save Micah?”
Then I recognize that look on her face. Judgment. “No!” I say. “And yes. I mean, I’ll never let him actually have Brody. I won’t let anyone hurt my son. But we’ll make it look like that so we can save Micah.” The mere thought of giving up Brody churns my stomach, and I find myself swaying and patting his behind in an effort to comfort myself.
Jaxon leans over and whispers, “You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that. I thought you were really going to give him Brody. I mean, I was willing to support you, but I did think you were kind of insane.”
“You really thought I’d give up my own child? What kind of sadistic mother do you take me for?”
“A nice one?” It comes out as a question. Jaxon offers a sheepish grin as an apology before we’re interrupted by the Committee again.
“So what then? What’s the plan?” Virginia asks as she brushes a loose lock of her red hair back into its ponytail. She’s eyed me curiously since I walked through the door. “Your plan, I should say. As for us, it looks like we’ll be beefing up security for whatever this man’s schemes might be.”
“We aren’t exactly sure yet,” Jaxon says, glancing at me again. All ten heads cock in question. “Saul will propose his idea tomorrow at noon, and we’ll respond accordingly. But there’s a catch.”
“Go on,” Suthers urges.
“He wants to come here to speak with you.”
Heads shake and objections fly over the table. All except for Virginia, whose gaze rests on the baby. When she sees me watching her, she lowers her eyes silently.
I kiss Brody’s head for reassurance and bury my face in the space between him and my chest to hide.
The white-haired woman speaks first, breaking through the noise of protests. “There’s no way we’re letting an Institute military man into Arcanus. It’s ludicrous and downright stupid.”
“I agree, Marie,” Hunter says. “He knows the general area, or he wouldn’t have found Kate. But Saul isn’t stupid. He knows we’ll never show him exactly where the entrance to the city is or the city itself. It’d be too easy for him to relay information about the layout of the town. We’ll insist on blindfolding him if he’s going to have a chance to talk to you. He’s done this sort of thing before, so he’ll be expecting it.”
Then I remember. He already knows where the entrance is. He admitted that to me himself. But these people don’t know he knows. My mouth opens, and I almost blurt it out, but something holds me back. Saul’s playing a game here, and I have to figure out what it is.
The mumbles hush until Silas waves his hands in the air. “So that’s it then? He comes here tomorrow to tell us his plan. That’s all you’re asking?”
I nod. “I just want a chance to hear him out. If there’s the slightest opportunity to save Micah, we have to take it.”
“And if it means giving up your son?” Virginia nods toward the bundle in my arms. The way she’s looking at me it’s like she’s searching for something. Some deep hidden character trait even I don’t know I possess.
I bury my head into Brody again. “It won’t.”
“But if it does?”
I can’t let myself think that way. Even if we have to make a deal with Saul, we’ll figure out a way to keep Brody from him. No one’s going to lay a hand on my son. I’ll stop anyone who gets in the way, even if it means killing them myself.
“It won’t.”
Suthers dismisses them. “Tomorrow then. Get some rest and be here ready to negotiate with the enemy.”
Jaxon crosses the room as I gather Brody’s bag and swing it onto my shoulder. “That went well,” he says.
“Mmm hmm.”
“You okay?”
I tighten my grip on Brody and meet Jaxon’s inquiring gaze. “I think it’s time for you to teach me how to use a gun.”
His face brightens, and his cheeks pull back in the biggest grin I’ve ever seen. “Awesome. When do we start?”
“There’s no time like the present.”
TEN
GUN CONTROL
(KATE)
Jaxon is practically bouncing as he leads me to the car. “We obviously have to leave the baby somewhere if you’re going to learn to shoot.”
“You think?”
“Sarcasm. Nice. I knew I liked you for some reason.” He smiles as he opens the back door for me. Hunter plops into the front seat.
“Yes,” he sighs. “You can leave the baby with us.” He knew I’d ask
anyway. “Thank you, Hunter.”
“Better than having you wield a gun without knowledge of how to use it. At least this way I’ll get some rest tonight.”
I crawl in, still holding my baby close. I’m doing this for him, I remind myself. To keep him safe. With one hand, I wipe the exhaustion from my face. There’ll be no sleep tonight. Not if I’m going to learn to defend myself.
With Brody finally nestled in a crib at Ally’s house, I sneak back out to Jaxon’s waiting car.
“Aren’t you tired?” I ask upon seeing his bright smile.
“Are you kidding? I get to teach you how to shoot. I don’t need to sleep. Guns … sleep. Guns … sleep.” He tilts his arms back and forth like he’s weighing the options then his hand drops to his waist, and his eyes light up. “Guns!” he nods.
I manage a groggy smile. “You’re so strange.”
“So they tell me.”
****
I must have dozed off because the next thing I know, Jaxon is nudging me awake. “We’re here.”
“Where’s here?”
“My shooting range.”
“Your shooting range?” A quick glance reveals the car lift that took Ally and me topside. “Isn’t this your garage?”
He gets out of the car and struts toward the back wall of his garage. “Yeah, don’t say anything. It’s kind of a secret. The Committee wouldn’t approve, but hey, a guy has to have a place to let loose, ya know? Man cave.”
“Your garage isn’t a man cave enough for you?” Jaxon just grins.
The shelves are covered with oil-soaked rags and tools of all sorts. He moves a can from a back shelf and feels around on the wall. Before I realize what he’s doing, a small door about three feet high recesses into the wall below the bottom shelf. A hidden room. Crouching over, he shimmies on his haunches through the secret entrance and motions for me to follow.
I copy his movements and end up in a wider hallway where I glance around in awe.
“This is your man cave?”
“Awesome, isn’t it? Now, do you want to learn to shoot or not?” He takes the pistol from the holster on the side of his belt and hands it to me. “Never leave home without it.”
In that moment, I decide Jaxon’s an okay guy. He’s a little insane and impulsive, for sure, but there’s something likable about him. Maybe it’s the best friend feel I get from him every time I’m around him, a comfort and ease in his presence. And his long nose, angular jaw, and muscled physique don’t hurt any either.
The gun is small and black, only a few inches longer than my hands. It feels strange, heavier than I thought it’d be. I bounce it lightly on my palm as I follow Jaxon to the far side of the room where a partition made of some sort of thick plastic separates a long narrow corridor from the rest of the space.
“Won’t they hear us? Shooting, I mean.”
“Nah,” he bangs on the wall a few times. “Soundproof.”
“How the heck did you get soundproof material?”
“Don’t ask questions, Kate. Just appreciate the genius of my secret room.”
“Does Micah know about this place?”
“Who do you think helped me build it?”
I shake my head and smile. “I should’ve known.”
Mentioning Micah brings sadness to my heart. I see it in Jaxon, too, when he holds my gaze for a few seconds.
“We’ll get him out, you know,” he says.
“I know.” I look down at my feet, take a deep breath, and shake it off. “Okay. Let’s shoot some stuff.”
Jaxon grins. “No wonder Micah loves you.” I laugh. “Micah’s never seen this side of me.”
Placing a hand on my shoulder, he says, “When he finds out, he’ll fall even harder for you.” When he lifts his hand off my arm, it’s in slow motion, and the awkward way he looks at me doesn’t help. He clears his throat and turns his head toward the picture.
At the end of the shooting range is a silhouette of a man. Upon closer inspection, a face becomes clear. It’s Fishgold. Correction, Fishgold with a bullet hole in his forehead.
Jaxon pushes a button on the wall, and the greenish silhouette moves toward us. As it gets closer, I see it’s not paper but some sort of hologram.
Amazing. “I didn’t realize Arcanus had this sort of technology.”
“If The Institute has fun stuff, so should we, right?” He clicks some more buttons beneath Fishgold’s picture. “I have many tricks up my sleeve, Kate. Don’t ask, just appreciate.” The screen flickers images as Jaxon continues to push. “Pick a creep, any creep. Tier three? Tier two?” Flick. Flick. Flick.
I gasp. “Wait, go back.”
The images slow and the faces change from a moving blurred image to individuals. I gasp again. “Oh.”
“See one you like?”
“Uh uh.” I shake my head. The man staring at me from the screen is Saul.
I bite my lip and peer at the image again. It looks just like him. I reach out to touch it, and my fingers flow right through the space, distorting Saul’s face. There’s no screen to stop my touch, just a frame that sends the picture from top to bottom.
“You know him?” Jaxon asks, flicking through some data screens on the computer. “He’s Tier Two. They’re all in here. Every one of them. As soon as they are approved for a tier, they enter the database. My hack gives me information updates from the main system and sends it to this program. I use it for inspiration during my shooting practice.” A huge grin appears on his face again. Clearly, he’s quite amused with himself.
“Don’t you recognize him? It’s Saul.”
His smile disappears. “As in, Saul, like, the Saul? The guy with the old video equipment-meet in the woods-coming here tomorrow Saul?”
“Yep.”
He stares at the screen with Saul’s face and cocks his head to the side, examining the photo in front of him.
“Like the father of Brody, Saul?”
“Yep.”
“Are you sure? Doesn’t look like the guy we met in the forest.
“I’m sure. He’s younger, perhaps, and he’s thinner, but it’s him. I’ll never forget those eyes.”
“Huh.” He stands dumbfounded for an eternity before he whistles. His eyes flick over the distraught look on my face, and he says, “Shall we choose someone else for your target practice?”
“Yep.” I take a breath of relief. As much as I’d like to be able to, I can’t shoot Saul. Fake or otherwise. Not unless it’s absolutely necessary. He’s the father of my son, after all.
A few more beeps and the image changes to a face I don’t recognize. “Better?”
My head bobs up and down. “Yes. Thank you.”
The frame retreats to the end of the corridor. “Okay then. Let’s be-gin. Let’s see what you got before I show you what I know.”
Holding my right arm out, I curl my left hand around the gun handle to steady my arms. My balance is off with my bad leg aching a bit, but I manage to right myself. I close one eye to get a better aim and gently squeeze the trigger. Nothing happens.
I must look confused because Jaxon chuckles under his breath. “Here,” he says, taking the gun. “You have to rack the slide first. It puts a bullet in the chamber.” Then he clicks a button on the side of the gun, holding it so I can see what he’s doing. “The safety’s still on. And keep both eyes open. You’ll shoot better if you do it with both eyes.” He hands it back to me and steps aside.
“Right.” This time when I pull the trigger, the gun fires and explodes against my grip.
A computerized voice calls from a distance. “You missed your target. Ha. Ha. Ha.”
Figures. The stupid computer just laughed at me.
Jaxon clicks something, and the image travels the distance to where I stand. It’s weird. I know there’s not actually a screen there. I put my hand through it earlier, but the image shows a man with short hair and a crooked smile, peering at me, a hole just above his left shoulder.
“Let’s try again
.” Jaxon steps behind me as the image retreats. His legs straddle mine. “Like this.” He resets my stance by knocking my good ankle with one of his feet, widening my legs until they touch his thighs. His long arms surround me, and his hands grasp mine, holding the gun steady. All I can think about is the feeling of his hot breath on my neck.
When I turn to look at him, to tell him to step away, that I got it, he moves back a half a step. It’s not far enough. His eyes focus on my face and rest on my lips for a split second before he retreats further and clears his throat. “Hold yourself steady.”
I blink and look at the picture thirty feet away. I pull the trigger, and the gun jumps in my hand again, but this time, it feels steadier.
The computer voice speaks again. “I’ve been shot! Ouch, that hurts! Ouch, that hurts!”
I can’t help but laugh. Even the computerized people have Jaxon’s personality.
He clears his throat again and smiles. “Nice job. Do it again.”
We practice until the wee hours of the morning … until the feel of the gun in my hands is natural. I don’t hit the target every time, but by the end, I’ve improved. At least enough to feel like I might be able to defend myself if I had to.
Hopefully, I won’t.
ELEVEN
A NOSE JOB
(MICAH)
It’s the middle of the night when the noise at my cell door wakes me. At least, I think it’s the middle of the night. Time is difficult to track when I can’t see sunlight. For all I know, it could be noon. My muscles ache from lying on the hard floor. Yesterday’s beatings didn’t help either. Needless to say, I’m in desperate need of rest and health. And maybe a nice vacation somewhere warm … or even a bit more sleep.
A stream of light filters through the open door. Standing on the other side is a woman. Her heeled shoes and curved legs stick out beneath the long white lab coat.
I yawn and roll my eyes at the interruption of my slumber but pull myself into a sitting position as best I can. My ribs protest against the movement with a fresh shot of fire through my side. Maybe leaning against the wall will help.
