And don’t ask me any more about it, I add to myself. Please. Just be glad no one cared, and let it go.
He does. “Well, cool. It’ll be nice to have everyone closer together. It will be easier to get together now.” Someone speaks to him in the background and his voice sounds much more distant as he turns away from the phone to answer. He comes back to me a few seconds later. “Hey, Libby, I need to get going, but I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Sure, Milo. Good luck with the training. I’ll see you tonight.”
He offers a quick goodbye with Celia yelling at him in the background, and then I’m left holding a dead phone. I let it drop to the bed and collapse back onto my pillow. I don’t want to move from this spot for the rest of the day. If only. The smell of breakfast cooking in the other room eventually pulls me from my tangled sheets. I don’t bother with anything more than brushing my teeth and running a comb through my hair before leaving my room. Anything to deter Braden.
He has eggs and bacon waiting for me when I get to the kitchen. He can cook. Of course. So can Milo. Pretending to be extremely unimpressed, I slide into my seat and stab a forkful of scrambled eggs. Braden sits down next to me without a word and starts in on his own food. I’m halfway through my eggs before his mime impression bothers me enough to make me speak.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
He looks up and smiles distantly. “How are your eggs?”
“Um, fine. Thanks.”
Did he even hear my question?
“Is something wrong, Braden? You’re being unusually quiet.”
“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking.” He chews on his bacon without seeming to actually taste it.
He’s really making me work this morning. “What were you thinking about?”
“About the rescue. About what could go wrong,” he says.
Instantly, my skin prickles. He’s found a problem with the plan, something we overlooked. I knew we couldn’t have thought of everything. Before I can ask him what he’s discovered he speaks again.
“When they find out I helped you, which won’t take them very long, they’re going to come after me. They’ll despise me for turning on them, but I’ll be the weakest target, too.”
“What do you mean?” Weak isn’t a word I would usually ever associate with Braden. Milo, Lance, and Dean have improved a lot since they started training in earnest, but Braden still outdoes them in pretty much everything. His talents are fully unlocked. He’s even a challenge to me sometimes.
Braden drops the rest of his bacon and looks over at me. “The Guardians know everything about me. I’ll be the easiest for them to find. Milo and Dean both have six talents. Even without much training they’re going to be a handful for the Guardians to reign in. Forget coming after you without an entire army. They know you’ll decimate them. And Lance, well, even if his dad hates that he’s helping you, he’s still a pretty powerful leader in the Guardians. He won’t let them take Lance. That leaves me. I’m the weak link, and the Guardians aren’t stupid. They’ll try to grab me so they can find out what I know and use it against you.”
“Braden, I won’t let that happen.”
“Libby, you may not be able to stop it, and if I do get grabbed …” His voice trails off and he looks away from me.
I thought this was going to be about our plan. The idea of there being a flaw in the plan scared me, but thinking that Braden could be snatched away terrifies me. I slip my hand over his and hold on as if this single touch could prevent him from ever leaving. “Braden, I won’t let them take you. I promise.”
His hand tightens painfully around mine. “Libby, you have to promise me something.”
“What?” I ask shakily.
“If I ever get taken, you have to promise that you won’t come after me.”
I yank my hand away from his and stare at him. “What?”
He stares back, so fierce it startles me. “I mean it, Libby. You can’t come after me if the Guardians ever capture me. I don’t care what happens. You have to let me go.”
“No. Are you crazy?” The top two buttons of his dress shirt aren’t buttoned. Scars glare at me accusingly. I reach across the table and lightly touch his skin. My eyes close against the scars, but I can still feel the ruined flesh left from the last time he was punished by his so-called brothers. “I’m not going to abandon you so they can torture you again, Braden. If you or anyone else gets taken, I’ll tear the entire Guardian Compound down to find them.”
“Libby, you don’t understand. If they take me, I’m gone to you, forever. You can’t come after me. It will only get you killed,” he argues.
“No it won’t.”
“Yes,” he says, “it will.”
The absolute certainty in his voice frightens me. “What are you talking about, Braden?”
Neither of us has finished our breakfast, but Braden stands and holds his hand out for mine. I feel as if I’m suddenly floundering, so I take his hand and let him pull me up from my chair. He leads me away from the kitchen. Together we sit down on the couch in front of a laptop, which I assume must be his since it isn’t mine. Mine is hot pink. The screen is dark, but a quick tap from Braden lights it up. I don’t know what to think when I see a picture of Braden and me standing in front of the trailhead.
I remember the moment clearly. It was the moment I gave in. I am in Braden’s arms, staring up at him, looking very much as if we are about to kiss. My heart shudders and breaks. All I wanted in that moment was to be surrounded by someone who loved me and wanted to be with me. I wasn’t thinking about how much I was hurting Milo, but I am now. If he were ever to see this picture, it would crush him. What was I thinking? How could I have been so cruel? I should never have stayed here. I should have gone with him even if it meant only more training and being on the sidelines of his thoughts. At least my weakness couldn’t have hurt him if I had just gone with him.
The presence of arrows at the bottom of the photo viewing program makes me sick. I tap the screen and watch the photos slide across the screen. Image after image of us holding hands as we walk through the reserve assaults me. My guilt is attempting to strangle me, and I deserve it without a doubt, but along with that knowledge comes the realization that Milo isn’t my only concern.
“Who took these? Was it your captain? Why would he do that? You’ve been giving him reports about me just like you’re supposed to. The last one was frighteningly revealing. I thought for sure he’d be glad about what you gave him. Why is he following us around?” I ask.
Braden sighs and drops his head into his hands. His voice sounds muffled when he speaks. “I thought it was the Guardians at first, too. I thought I had been careful enough about my reasons for being around you and my interest in you, but I assumed I didn’t do a good enough job and Captain Blackwood had us followed yesterday when I saw these. It turns out I was wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
With his head hanging, he says, “The written reports I’ve been turning in have actually helped me get back into good graces with my captain … sort of, anyway. He’s been happy to give me permission to be around you whenever I ask. And he’s been incredibly eager for more information. My in-person reports have worked exactly as I’ve planned, keeping him scared enough to hold off coming after you while still letting him believe he has a chance to kill you. But when he got these pictures this morning, nothing else mattered.”
“Where did these pictures come from?” I ask quietly. My eyes close against the answer I fear is coming.
“An outside source.”
“Who.”
Braden sighs. “Your friend, Jen. Apparently she followed us yesterday and emailed the pictures to Captain Blackwood late last night.”
My head drops into my hands. Why did I have to be right? Jen, what were you thinking? I want to throttle her, grab her and shake out everything my mom has taught her and turn her back into the friend I once knew. Why would she do this to me? It’s a question I honestly want an a
nswer to. This doesn’t make sense. If she was really looking for a story, why didn’t she sell it to the news? Why send it to Captain Blackwood? If my mom had her hand in this there has to be a reason, something she herself will gain from this.
“Libby?” Braden says, breaking my concentration. I’ll have to figure out the motive behind this later. Right now I need to know what our next step is.
“What does this mean?”
He grimaces and sinks back into the couch. “It means things have gotten a lot more complicated.”
“Are they going to come after us?” Panic seizes me. My fingers start shaking as I wonder when they will try to kill me next. With Lazaro out of action since his attempt on my life at the mall, and the Cipher families going to bat for me, the Guardians haven’t been brave enough to try anything yet. I’m not the only one at risk anymore. My heart threatens to break at the idea of Braden being hurt again. I can’t stand the thought of any more scars marring his body just because he was unlucky enough to meet me. The worst feeling is that I doubt scars will be enough for them this time. I can’t see them letting him live. When will they come? I need Braden to rescue the Ciphers, but even more, I just can’t bear to lose him.
Braden’s hand closes around my shaking fingers. “Libby, they’re not coming after us. At least not yet. But we’re going to have to walk a fine line to keep it that way.”
“What do you mean?”
His movements are sluggish as he reaches back to the computer and changes the display. His work email pops up on the screen. The way he grips the side of the laptop, but then doesn’t pull it over for me to look at, makes me worry. What am I about to see? After an excruciating pause, Braden finally drags the laptop off the table and sets it in my lap. He still doesn’t let me see it.
“Libby, these photos were forwarded to me in an email from my captain, demanding I explain them. I’m supposed to be watching you for him, not screwing around, as he put it. I could tell Captain Blackwood was livid and I was afraid he was going to do something rash.” He pauses and stares at me so intently I can’t even seem to breathe. “Libby, I told him the only thing I could that would get him to back down. If you’re ever confronted with him, I don’t want him to tell you what I said without me showing you first.”
Slowly, he turns the laptop and pulls his hand away so I can see it. My eyes flit across the words and soak up every awful detail.
“Captain Blackwood,
“I apologize for you finding out about this in such a manner. I know I didn’t clear this tactic with you, but it was only because the opportunity presented itself before I could discuss it with you, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure how you would react. After all, I’m supposed to be gathering intel so we can kill her, not trying to seduce her. But when she made her interest in me obvious during one of my sessions with her I knew this might be the best way to find out what she’s really doing and to gain her trust. It’s been slow progress since she doesn’t trust me, but yesterday her traitorous friends were gone for the day and I was finally able to convince her to spend some time with me. It worked perfectly.
“She still is pretty far from trusting me, but the more she falls for me, the harder it will be to keep secrets. She’s just a sixteen-year-old girl with abandonment issues, after all. She’ll crack before too long. I know seduction isn’t usually something I employ in my work, but I wasn’t getting very far with her any other way. I’ll make her believe I’m in love with her and watch her break when I finally betray her. In fact, I’ll be close enough to her that as soon as you’re ready to give the order I’ll be able to end her threat within seconds. This is the only way to get what we want.
“Guardian Braden Hunter”
The absolute coldness of the email makes me shiver. Braden’s hands press against my face and force me to look at him. My own numbness blocked out his emotions as I read, but I can clearly see the pain in his eyes. “Libby, you know I didn’t mean any of it, right? I had to convince him that this was all some sort of plan of mine. I would never hurt you or betray you. I hope you know that.”
Betray me? Mr. Walters’ words slip back into my mind. Either Braden or Milo, those were his guesses on who would lead me to my death. I shake my head lightly. No, I trust Braden. I trust them both, but what I feel from Braden isn’t fake. I can feel the sincerity of every word, every emotion, every desire. He isn’t going to betray me any more than Milo is. What was he supposed to tell his Captain, that he fell in love with me and has decided to turn his back on his brothers? Of course he had to tell him he was using me.
“I know,” I say quietly. “I know you had to tell him that, Braden.”
Relief shudders around him. “I’m so sorry, Libby. I thought going out to the Bosque would be remote enough, and taking your car would keep anyone from realizing I was with you. I thought it was safe. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. Jen was my friend. I know she’s been shadowing me around school, but I never even thought about it yesterday. She’s never followed me off school grounds before. I should have been more careful.”
“You can’t do everything, Libby.”
“What happens now, though? Do we have to stay away from each other so she can’t take any more pictures?” I ask.
A weak, crumpled half smile twists Braden’s mouth. “Uh, no. It’s actually kind of the opposite. The Captain was pretty upset I didn’t tell him about this sooner, but he’s letting me pursue it. The problem is that I don’t think he’s totally convinced. We’re going to have to find at least a few opportunities now and then to convince the Captain I’m really trying to worm my way into your trust.”
Maybe saying I trusted him was a little premature. Not really, but I can’t help notice how this works out in his favor. His embarrassment outweighing his optimistic pleasure convinces me this is just a happy, unintentional benefit for him. That doesn’t mean I’m not worried. Yesterday was so intoxicating. I can’t put myself in situations like that again without losing control completely.
“What do you have in mind?” I ask warily.
“Please just hear me out on this,” Braden says. I immediately get that sick feeling in my stomach. I’m not going to like this. He powers on with his plan regardless. “After getting the photos, Captain Blackwood will probably keep tighter tabs on me from now on. I don’t want any tail following me to find out about this house. If we’re going to give Blackwood chances to check up on us it has to be in a place that isn’t going to compromise anyone else in the group. It has to be at my house.”
I want to be irritated, demand he choose somewhere else, but doing that turns out to be much harder than I expect. I close my eyes and berate myself. I’ve lost more ground with him than I thought. I want to see his house even though I shouldn’t. I try to tell myself that the logical sense it makes to use his townhome is the biggest reason I’m not freaking out.
“Fine,” I say, trying to sound as businesslike as possible.
Braden pauses, unsure how to react to my giving in so easily. “Are you sure? After last night I expected you to fight me more.”
“It makes sense,” I say. “We can spend the day at your house today, but I want something in return.”
“What?” Now it’s his turn to be wary.
“Teach me how to pick locks,” I say.
He just stares at me. “What? Why do you want to learn that?”
“You never know when I might need it. Maybe you can even teach me how to break into a car. With the situations I get myself into, that’s probably going to be a useful skill to have.”
“Not cars,” Braden says shaking his head. “I’ll teach you about locks, for emergencies only, but not breaking into cars. Not yet, at least.”
“Okay,” I agree, knowing I’ll change his mind about the cars soon enough.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Besides, is this even going to matter after we rescue the Ciphers? Braden, you said they’re going to find out you helped us. I mean
, I hope they don’t, because I don’t want you to get in trouble. They’re going to find out, though, aren’t they?” I hate the idea of lying to Milo about this, but it’s only a couple of days, and if I don’t play along it will put everything we’ve worked for in danger. That, at least, is something I know Milo wouldn’t want. It will only be until Wednesday, and then everything can go back to normal. Hopefully.
“Most likely, as soon as the Ciphers are rescued Blackwood will know I helped you,” he says with a slow nod. “That’s why I want you to promise me you won’t come after me if I’m captured. After lying to Blackwood about why I was with you, and him realizing I’ve betrayed them, they’re going to come after me at some point.”
I come back to my earlier frustration. I had completely forgotten about what brought us to this whole conversation in the first place. What he’s asking me is just ridiculous. “Braden, I won’t promise you that.”
“Libby, please! You don’t understand. It’s too dangerous.”
“It’s too dangerous to leave you in their hands! I won’t do it. I’ll come get you.”
“No, you can’t,” he argues.
“You’ll be in jail. How are you going to stop me?” I snap.
Braden grabs my shoulders roughly and forces me to face him. “I’m not trying to be some self-sacrificing idiot. You can’t come after me. You don’t know what the Guardians can do.”
“Then tell me!” I say. “Don’t ask me to make stupid promises without giving me any good reason.”
His hands tighten around my shoulders. I watch as his eyes close for one, two, three seconds before opening again. When they do, the hardness in them startles me. “You told me how your mom put a binding on you once to make you tell her the truth. Well, the Guardians can do something similar. It isn’t an easy thing, and they only use it in extreme situations. What they can do is force you into an Oath, one they make, usually for a specific purpose. Instead of promising to protect someone, the Oath is manipulated and turned into something terrible. This is what they’ll do to me, Libby. They’ll force me into an Oath, and it will probably be something that will hurt you, kill you most likely. If I’m taken, I won’t be part of your team anymore. I’ll be the worst kind of Guardian. I’ll be your enemy.”
Secret of Betrayal: Book Two of The Destroyer Trilogy Page 29
