“He is trying to keep her alive long enough,” Drew answered.
“Long enough for what?” Tristan asked.
“Long enough for him to die,” Drew answered.
Tristan turned to look at them again. The connection between Geoffrey and Emily felt too personal to witness. He felt embarrassed and turned to look out the road again. He saw them pulling into the emergency entrance of a hospital. Drew stepped out and barked orders. People didn't think twice about responding. Within a minute, Emily was on a stretcher and heading into surgery. Drew followed them. Tristan stood outside the car, confused. He realized that Geoffrey was still in the car.
He looked inside and saw Geoffrey was really ill. Tristan suddenly felt an enormous amount of compassion for the old fool. After all, Tristan had known him for a long time and was his primary employer.
He bent down and took Geoffrey’s hand, “Come on. I know you want to be inside instead of sitting out here.”
Geoffrey grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. He whispered, “Don’t let them take me inside to get checked. I will be fine. I just need a little time.”
“Yes, yes, whatever. Let’s just go see what’s happening with Emily.” Tristan maneuvered Geoffrey out of the car and helped him into the hospital. He sat him down in a chair in the waiting room.
Tristan sat down next to him and picked up a magazine. It was in Spanish. He flipped through the pages. A nurse walked up to him. “Does your father need help?”
Tristan laughed at the reference, “No, my father is fine. It was just a shock to see his friend hurt. He’ll be fine. Do you have maybe some coffee or soda that I could have?”
The nurse walked away and came back with a can and a straw. She handed it to Geoffrey.
Geoffrey took it with difficulty and sipped, “This stuff is awful.”
“Glad to know you are feeling better,” Tristan answered. “Why didn’t you say you were ill? Cancer?”
Geoffrey laughed, spilling some of the soda on him, "No, old age. Dying is complicated for me."
“You are fifty at most, maybe fifty-five.”
“I am closer to three thousand years old,” Geoffrey said quietly as he sipped his soda.
"Really?" Tristan said. "I always thought that Emily was too young for you but damn, Geoffrey, that's just wrong. You are a walking corpse."
"Thanks," he said, laughing. "Emily is not my significant other. She only has one purpose in my life. Don't take me wrong. The feelings I have for her are genuine. Our relationship will be over soon enough."
Tristan sat, letting his mind move through the options. He thought of Tom and what Drew had said. "You want to die, and you want her to do it."
Geoffrey nodded.
"She won't do it, you know," Tristan said.
“Eventually, she will.”
“She loves you,” Tristan said.
“Because she loves me, she will,” he said.
“What does she get out of it?” Tristan asked.
“She is like me,” Geoffrey answered. “She will be invincible. She will get a very long life.”
Tristan sat with the information. He had days at most if he wanted his revenge. This complicated matters. It felt stupid to keep with the plan when she might not live through the night anyway. He wasn’t going to give up. An eternal Emily was the last thing he wanted.
Drew walked out of surgery with the cell phone in hand, talking to someone. A nurse attempted to tell him to turn off the phone, and he ignored them. Drew hung up the phone as he stood in from of them.
“She came out of surgery fine. She should be in a room shortly. You should be able to stay with her until she’s better. Are you going to be okay? Do you need me to fly someone in to keep guard?” Drew said.
“I’ll be fine. Has something happened?” Geoffrey asked.
“Scout decided to take an early trip to the gate. I can’t imagine she’ll go through it. When Cassandra got back, both Sam and Scout were gone. They left a note. I want to shake some sense into both of them.” Drew replied.
Geoffrey stood up and almost lost his balance. “You have to stop them. Sam had the crystal. They can’t go to the gate together with that crystal. The consequences will be terrible.”
Drew was already moving fast out of the hospital before Geoffrey finished speaking. As Tristan was about to ask, the nurse came out and told them that Emily was in recovery, and she could see them. Tristan did not follow Geoffrey. He had no clue what to say to Emily once he saw her again.
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Emily opened her eyes, surprised at her surroundings, but not surprised to see Geoffrey looking down at her with concern in his face. It was still night outside. Not that much time had passed. She tried to figure out the events in her head, but the pain was intense. She remembered drinking with Tristan. Then they were standing outside. There was an elegant blond man. He bumped into her. She felt the pain, and she couldn't remember much else. Her hand moved down her side, and she felt the bandages.
“You look like hell,” she said.
“I’m happy you are still among the living,” he replied.
“I’m glad you are too,” she said.
He rolled his eyes. Tristan laughed. It was so painful, she regretted instantly.
“I am not sure you really understand your level of risk,” he said.
“Don’t lecture me. It is totally in bad taste to lecture someone who has just been stabbed.” Emily said. “Where’s Tristan?”
“Probably trying to decide whether he should hate himself for doing something selfless, like trying to protect you,” he said. “My guess is that he will return to the hotel and mope.”
Geoffrey took a moment, and Emily waited for him to say whatever he needed to say.
"I couldn't find you at the hotel. I was worried sick searching all over town for you. I thought Tristan had hurt you." He said.
"You are suffocating me. You are asking things from me. I can't in good conscience deliver. And I flat out refuse to fight about this when I am sitting in this bed feeling like some asshole tried to cut me in half. Why aren't I dead?" She asked.
“Because I was able to heal you a bit before you made it to the hospital.”
“You can do that?” She asked curiously.
“To you? Yes, but at a cost.”
The doctor interrupted the conversation. He came in and spoke to Emily in fluent English. What Emily got from the doctor was that she was in pain, would be in pain, and eventually, if she didn't do anything stupid would stop feeling pain. When he was done, a nurse came in to make a couch bed next to Emily. When she left, Emily saw Geoffrey get up from the chair and balancing on her bed for support made his way to the couch bed. He laid down and closed his eyes. Emily felt her heart rip out of her chest. She failed. Geoffrey was hurting.
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The next day, Tristan was sitting in his hotel, figuring out what he should do when Geoffrey knocked on the door. Tristan let him in, promising to himself that he would not ask about Emily. Of course, it didn't matter.
“She is better. She should be able to come back here in a day or two.” Geoffrey volunteered.
“You left her alone in the hospital?” Tristan asked suspiciously.
“No, I didn’t leave her alone in the hospital. I was contacted by Goliath earlier this morning. Something happened last night, and he is desperate to hand over the crystal. Get ready. We leave in ten minutes. I’ll meet you in the lobby.” Geoffrey grabbed onto the doorframe for balance before heading out.
Tristan took note of that as well. Geoffrey was really, really weak. Something happened last night that drained him entirely of his energy. He was pushing himself more than he could cope. Within minutes, Tristan was in the lobby. Soon, he would have the crystal back. He could deliver it and be done with this mess.
Geoffrey was waiting in the car in front of the lobby sitting in the passenger's seat. Tristan walked around the car and got
into the driver's seat, turned on the ignition and began to drive.
“Where am I going?” Tristan asked.
“Back to the hospital,” Geoffrey replied.
As Geoffrey gave him directions, Tristan negotiated the streets. As they pulled into the hospital parking lot, he saw Sam waiting alone.
“Park the car, and go get what you lost. Sam has already been paid.” Geoffrey said.
“Aren’t you coming with me?” Tristan asked.
“No. It is best if I don’t handle the item.”
Tristan’s curiosity was at a bursting point. Was this what had made him weak? Could this tool hurt Geoffrey or Emily? He walked towards Sam.
“Do you have it?” Tristan asked, and then he realized that Sam also didn’t look too good. He had a black eye. “What happened to you?”
Sam handed him a box. Tristan opened it, and the spiral crystal was there exactly as he remembered it. “Don’t ever ask me to do something like that again.”
“The women?”
“No, that was easy. I’m a thief. That thing is dangerous. I should have charged triple. I can’t…“
“What did it do?” Tristan asked.
“Just don’t.” Sam turned and walked away.
Tristan put the box in his front pocket and walked back to the car. When he got to the car, Geoffrey was no longer in it. He saw a note on the windshield. It said, “Go back to the hotel. We will be there as soon as Emily is better. Stay away until you return the spiral. The sooner you do that, the better it will be.”
He thought about driving to the address right away. If the crystal did something to Geoffrey, then it was possible to get his revenge before he returned it. He would lie to them. With their guard down, he could strike.
Instead of driving towards the delivery point, Tristan drove back to his hotel and hid the spiral in the safe. Then he went to the different hotels asking for James Watson. The man was staying at another five-star hotel in the city. When Tristan asked them to phone his room to request a meeting, James Watson appeared shortly after. This time Tristan had more time to study the man. He was delicate. His balding blond hair was brushed perfectly over his skull. There was enough product in it to make every hair visible and distinct. He was dressed in very fashionable and expensive clothes. The whole bearing screamed East Coast.
Tristan stood up to meet him. The man spoke first, “Is Geoffrey ready to negotiate?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Tristan replied. “I am not up to date with your organization or Geoffrey’s work. I just know you tried to kill my target. I figured we could negotiate.”
James stood silently studying Tristan. When he finally spoke, he extended his hand out to Tristan. "I apologize. I misunderstood your relationship with the girl. I am James Watson. I am the general manager of an auction house in New York. And you are?"
"Tristan Jasper," Tristan shook his hands. "I am an odd-jobs man."
James nodded. “How come she is your target?”
“It is personal,” Tristan replied.
"We have no time for personal in our organization. The attempted forced me to step out of hiding. The consequences will be drastic. I don't have the luxury of waiting for you to have your personal items in order. Geoffrey has been out of our grasp for years. He is untouchable. We have good information confirming that if Emily Brown is out, then Geoffrey becomes vulnerable. He has been our biggest stumbling block for years. We don't even know where he lives, and we know he can't be hurt. We have tried more times than I dare to count." James said.
“I want in,” Tristan said.
“What?” James asked.
“I want in. Whatever you are planning, I want in. I know you are aware of the little item I brought back with me from distant lands. I still have the bruises from your associates. I don’t know what it does, but I know that Geoffrey fears it. He won’t touch it. If you include me and leave me Emily, I will hand you Geoffrey.” Tristan said.
“We know the item is connected to the DNA that allows travel through the gates. We figure it removes their alien DNA.” James said.
"It would make Geoffrey powerful, and Emily unable to kill," Tristan said.
James nodded.
“My plan is perfect then,” Tristan said. “I get them to touch the spiral, and then Geoffrey is yours.”
James Watson extended out his hand. “You got yourself a deal.”
“I will text you when to meet us at Ek-Balam," Tristan added as he walked out of the hotel. He saw James watching him until he drove off.
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Two days later, Emily was walking into the hotel room. She made it as far as the bed and laid down again. It had been a miserable two days, and Geoffrey didn't look much better. She didn't want to talk about what happened, and he didn't want to share what was happening with him. They were in a weird neutral space again. Neither could really deal with the present situation, and what they wanted was so different, so there was no middle ground to negotiate.
When Tristan came in to talk to them, Emily figured he would be long gone. She had not spoken to him since the day at the restaurant. Geoffrey blocked his entrance to the room. There was a change in Geoffrey’s attitude.
“Did you deliver the item?” Geoffrey asked.
“Yes, of course, I did.” Geoffrey let him into the hotel room.
Emily sat up with difficulties. “Hey.”
“I am glad you are better,” Tristan replied. “Did you ever catch up with the James guy?”
"I haven't been to a place where I could do it, and Goliath had his hands full," Geoffrey replied.
“Will they come after us again?” Tristan asked.
"You can guarantee it. The Order might wait a month or even a year, but they will not leave us alone. You are at equal risk if they find out you know about the gates. James Watson was a double spy. He has now shown his true colors. Goliath said he would be going after the man. For him, it is much more personal.” Geoffrey said.
“Don’t you think we need a plan? Maybe we can call them out, and then take them out, like in a movie.” Tristan said.
Geoffrey said somberly, "This isn't a movie. People die, and the death toll produced in that organization is enormous. It is not something to be taken lightly. I trust Goliath to deal with it."
"We can at least try. You can't just let The Order get away with what they did to Emily." Tristan said. "Emily, you have to agree with me. It isn't like you to just wait for death to come knocking."
"I am in no condition to call The Order out. It is ridiculous. Both of you will be dead before the plan takes off. It is best, for now, to leave it to Goliath." Geoffrey repeated.
Tristan added, “Goliath has his hands full. You said so yourself.”
“It would be nice not to live in fear of this happening again,” Emily said.
“There is an easier solution to that,” Geoffrey said.
“Don’t!” Emily answered. “What’s your plan, Tristan?”
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A week had passed since Tristan had suggested the plan, and he couldn't believe that they actually agreed. It would happen today. By the end of the day, Geoffrey and Emily would both be dead. Tristan had texted James Watson to wait for them outside the archeological site. Emily, Geoffrey, and Tristan were driving towards Ek Balam, an archeological center on the way to Cancun. If all went well with his plan, he would be enjoying drinks surrounded by beautiful women soon at the beautiful resort city. It was late. They would be there by nightfall.
Geoffrey was driving. He looked a little better, but not much. Emily did look better. She should be severely injured from the knife wound, but she had recovered as if it had been a minor set of stitches on her side. Hopefully, this new healing would not damage his plan. He told them that the Order had contacted him. It was mostly true.
Geoffrey had actually armed himself because he didn't want to take any chances. Tristan had made sure none of the weapons
Geoffrey found actually worked. He was not planning to die. There was a massive fight outside the hotel, as Geoffrey attempted to convince Emily to stay behind. In the end, Tristan suggested that leaving Emily alone would put her at greater risk. As long as she was with them, Geoffrey could protect her. As long as they were the ones calling the shots with The Order, then Emily was safe.
As they pulled into the parking lot, Geoffrey said, “Be careful, they could be anywhere.”
Night made everything look unnerving. The stone structures of the site were shadows in the jungle. Emily stepped out of the car, looking at Geoffrey with concern. Under most circumstances, she trusted him to deal with anything. He couldn't really get hurt anyway, but now, he could barely walk a block without needing to stop and rest. Tristan observed Emily's concern and shared her view that he was not ready for anything.
Dance of Life: The Belief Chronicles: Book One (Chronicles of a Planet's End) Page 21
