Cal rolls the trolley onto the stealth-craft while I stumble after him. Together we secure Zane to one of the cots in the small med-bay. Cal lifts me up and places me carefully on the other cot. Wordlessly, he steps out into the main cabin. Dad’s voice throws out instructions. A shot rings out followed by a slight thud and then loud cursing. A second shot rings out, and I think I’m going to vomit. I try to sit up, but I’m restrained in three places, and I can’t move my arm enough to reach the clasps. I call out for Cal and he enters the room a couple of minutes later.
“What happened? Is Dad …”
“Your father is fine.” He swallows and the Adam’s apple in his throat enlarges. “We lost Agent Leena.”
“What? Oh no!” Sorrow brims inside me as I press down on the bed. The rumbling of the engine vibrates underneath my body as the stealth-craft prepares to take off. Cal straps himself into the seat behind me, his hand resting lightly on my uninjured arm.
We are a subdued bunch when we arrive back in the underwater compound. Zane is still unconscious, and I can’t connect to his mind so I’m dangling precariously on the sanity ledge. A waiting medical team whisks him away, and I offer up a silent prayer that he’s okay. The sight of Dad carrying Agent Leena’s lifeless form throws me off the cliff. I double over as if winded, pain attacking me from all sides. That such a beautiful, kind, strong woman should leave this world in such a manner is more than tragic. It’s cruel. My heart weeps.
Cal’s arm wraps around my back and he helps me straighten up. Neither of us speaks, but I slant into him and gratefully accept his unspoken support. He escorts me to the Medical Wing and waits while they remove the bullet and place me on the medi-scan. Once it’s confirmed that the baby is okay, I breathe a sigh of relief. Cal visibly relaxes at the news.
“You could’ve lost the baby or been killed,” Cal says as we walk back to our apartment. His voice is level but I hear the depth of the emotion hidden behind it.
“I know. I’m sorry.” Exhausted from my injury and subsequent treatment, I’ve no energy to fight. Besides, my actions were careless and it could have ended badly. While my heart was in the right place, my head hadn’t been switched on.
“Please, promise me that you won’t do anything so thoughtless again. I know you can take care of yourself, but you have to act rationally.” I almost cower under the weight of his serious expression.
“I know, and I promise.”
Ben is still awake when we reach our apartment, anxious to hear about Zane. Cal updates him and his crest-fallen look mirrors how I feel. Stripping off my uniform, I pull on my sleep clothes and crawl into bed. An intense shiver takes hold, its tendrils creeping slowly up my body until I feel icy all over. Cal slides into bed beside me. Incapable of speaking to each other, we offer the only other comfort possible.
He draws me into his arms and I go willingly. I snuggle into his chest, my fingers idly tracing the wounds and marks on his skin. His hand traces up and down my spine and gradually warmth overpowers the icy feeling. And I cling to him, fearful that these moments are drawing to a close.
Micha Kloon sits rigidly in a wooden-backed chair, nursing a beer. Her hair is matted and unkempt, her clothes creased and dirty. Her gaze is firmly fixed on a dog-eared photo lying on the table in front of her. She stares at it and then tilts back her head and drains the beer in one go. Lifting her head, she stares numbly ahead and then her look changes, darkens, and a deep-seated resolve replaces the lines on her face.
Even in sleep, my body shudders. Though I’m still locked in Cal’s sleep-drenched arms, I feel no warmth. The vision of Micha has completely unnerved me. Back in Florida, Calista Corr had insinuated that Micha had some form of personal agenda and her intense dislike of me was something more than the fact I was withholding precious information. At the time, I was totally clueless.
But not now.
I suspect I know what it is, but I need to talk to Zane to confirm my suspicions.
And I can’t wait any longer.
I try connecting through our minds, but there’s no response so I ease out of the bed, very carefully, so as not to disturb Cal. Once I’m dressed, I tiptoe out of the room.
I’m stonewalled the minute I reach the Medical Facility. The nurse on duty has Ziploc lips, and she’ll barely divulge anything, let alone permit me to see him. However, she has confirmed that he is fine, just sleeping. Grateful relief washes over me.
I’m way too wired to go back to bed so I spend a couple of hours ambling around the compound like I’m homeless. I can appreciate the facility more like this, when most people are still asleep and it’s empty and quiet.
I’m wandering down near the Velo station when a loud ruckus reaches my ears. Flattening my back to the wall, I step aside as a mixed team of medics and soldiers swarm the passageway. Several people are injured, clutching various body parts, and two men drag an unconscious colleague under the arms, his feet squeaking across the tiled floor, a line of blood trailing behind. This concrete reminder that we’re at war is a harrowing reality check. Instant concern for Cal arrests me. I know he’ll receive his orders soon and I’m overcome with immense fear for him.
I journey to our apartment like there’s a rocket up my ass, an overwhelming need to restore peace between us powering my muscles. I couldn’t bear it if he went out on assignment with so much tension between us, with so many unspoken things left unsaid.
Cal is sitting at our small table drinking a coffee when I step inside the apartment. Ben is nowhere to be seen. He lifts his head and looks up at me. His face is devoid of emotion and impressively neutral.
I’m suddenly terrified of what he’s going to say.
“Were you with him?”
“No. Yes. I mean I went to speak to him earlier, but he’s still asleep. They wouldn’t let me see him.” I sink into the seat beside him.
“What are we doing?” he asks, placing his cup down on the table.
“What do you mean?” My foot taps restlessly off the floor.
“Us? Is there even an ‘us?’”
“Do you want there to be an ‘us?’” I ask the question even though I’m scared of the response.
He pauses considerably and a bitter taste floods my mouth. It’s too late. I’ve pushed him away. “Yes, I still want that,” he eventually says. Tentatively taking my hand, his gaze is unblinking.
My body almost folds in on itself in relief. “Me too.” The need to cling to him is intense and the desire to press my lips to his almost more than I can tolerate. But I don’t feel like I can. “I know we have lots to talk about, but for now, can you just hold me? Please?”
“You don’t have to plead, Ariana. I love the way you feel in my arms. Come on, let’s lie down together.” Pulling me up, he hauls me to his chest and buries his face in my hair. And I latch onto him tightly, needing the comfort that only his body can provide.
Encased in the soothing warmth of his arms, I can almost forget the outside world.
But at some point, reality always intrudes, like an unwelcome guest at a party.
A loud banging on the door wakes us both up at the same time. Cal climbs out of bed and hastily throws on his pants. He lets Dad into the room. Dad takes one look at Cal and another at me in the bed and scowls, but he wisely decides to keep his thoughts to himself.
“Were you looking for me?” I ask.
“Actually, I was looking for Cal.” He turns and faces him. “There’s been a slight change in your assignment. You’ll now report in to Commander De Luca as part of the Louisiana unit. Evac in two days.”
“Okay. I’ll be ready.”
“Prepare yourself. Things are rough up there. A unit arrived back this morning heavily injured thanks to a government-deployed ambush. According to our eyewitnesses, the authorities have doubled and tripled their troops on the ground. Our team managed to evacuate a large group from the Clementia compound in New York before the government wiped it out. But there was still significant loss of life. We’ve
also received rather alarming news in relation to the Vita implants.”
“What news?”
He turns and looks at me. “Our teams are equipped with a high-tech scanner which confirms Vita deactivation before the medical teams operate on individuals to remove the chips. Through use of this technology, we’ve discovered that a large percentage of the Vitas implanted in people on Earth are still active. We can only assume that the new chips deployed on Earth weren’t catalogued on the information vial I took. This changes things, considerably.”
Yanking the covers up under my armpits, I sit up in the bed, my arms and upper chest bare except for the straps of my bra. “All those people are still at risk?” I plant a hand over my mouth as bile rises up my throat. A stern look crosses Dad’s face and he shoots Cal a murderous look. Cal backs up toward the bed.
“If we only had codes for the original Vita implants, then it means that most of the deactivated chips belong to those on Novo,” Cal says, balancing on the bottom edge of the bed. “That’s not very useful.”
“Agreed,” Dad admits, rubbing the taut curve of his jaw. “The aim was to take back control of Earth and its inhabitants and prevent further Vita implantation. This forces us to rethink our strategy. At least we are assured that all our Novo sympathizers are protected. And when the time comes to take control of the Planet, the government won’t be able to invoke the kill switch. So, it’s still helpful. But there’s no denying that this is a massive setback.” He clasps his chin in his hand.
“Any news on Zane yet?” I ask. Cal stiffens in front of me.
“That was the other thing I came to say. He’s awake and asking for you. He should be discharged in the next half-hour, and you can see him then.”
A wide smile smears my face. This is the first piece of happy news I’ve had in days and I latch onto it like it’s oxygen. Cal stands abruptly and reaches for his shirt. Dad quickly excuses himself and leaves us to it.
“We need to talk first, Ariana,” Cal says.
“I know. Let’s take a trip to the observation deck.”
Twenty minutes later and I’m back in my favorite spot. Cal hunkers down beside me, picking at his nails. Reaching out, I unfold his fingers and take his hand in mine. “What do you want to talk about first?” A wayward giggle escapes my throat and he stares at me. There’s a stupid grin on my face, and as much as I try to stop smiling, I can’t. I’m too full of nervous energy and it’s my body’s way of combating the stress.
“Why are you smiling?” He looks confused.
“Sometimes I smile when I’m nervous,” I admit.
He goes deathly quiet and my heart races in my chest. “I don’t want you to be nervous of me,” he says, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “You have nothing to fear from me.”
He’s totally taken me up wrong. “I’m not nervous or afraid of you, Cal. But I’m scared of this gulf that has opened up between us and how we can’t seem to go more than a few hours without disagreeing over something. I’m worried that there’s far too many reasons to fight and not enough reasons to just be happy.”
“So, how do we resolve it?”
“You could just agree with everything I say?” I cock my head to the side, a sly smile on my face.
He laughs. “I’ve never been much of a ‘yes’ man, so I don’t think that’s a likely solution.”
“Ben said something to me yesterday that made sense. He said that…”
“Wait up.” He strokes my arm and a tingling sensation skates over my skin. “You spoke to Ben about us?” He looks totally pissed.
See? We can barely string two words together without clashing. “Not like that, Cal. He overheard us arguing the previous night and he asked me if I was okay. Then he asked about Deacon. And I, um, I asked him about Amber.” If we’re going to try to deal with our issues, then I might as well put her on the table as well.
“If you wanted to know about Amber, you should’ve asked me. She was my girlfriend, not his.” His tone is cutting and it hurts. Is he afraid of what Ben might tell me? And if so, what is it that he’s afraid I’m going to find out?
“Ben’s your best friend. Why does it matter if I speak to him? I don’t understand why you’re getting so pissy about it.” I release his hand and wrap my arms around my chest. The air is fraught with unspent tension, and I’m beginning to despair that we’ll ever find neutral ground to sort out our differences.
“I don’t like the fact that you’d rather talk to him instead of talking to me. Why won’t you talk to me? I’m sick of you shutting me out.”
I can practically see the steam billowing out of his ears. And just like that, the thread on my control snaps. “Hang on here a second, buddy. You walked out on me again.” I jab my finger in the air. “You didn’t come back home and you”—I double jab my finger for extra emphasis—“sought her out instead of talking to me. Double standards, Cal.”
“You’re hardly in any position to throw accusations at me. You crept out in the middle of the night to talk to your ex-boyfriend. Or should I say boyfriend?” He spits out the word like it’s poisonous. “Considering that’s what you basically referred to him as last night.”
“That was just a slip of the tongue, and I was only worried about Zane. I needed to know that he was all right,” I yell.
“Hearing ‘slip of the tongue’ and ‘Zane’ in the same sentence doesn’t exactly fill me with a lot of confidence, Ariana!” Cal shouts, and I’m taken aback at how venomous he sounds.
“Now who is being childish,” I retort, pulling myself to my feet.
He jumps up so quickly that I gasp. Angling himself, he gets right up in my personal space. “I’m sick to death of Zane. Do you hear me? You’ll have to make a choice. Him or me? Because I’m not sticking around if he is.”
“What?” I step back, aghast. “You can’t make me choose. He’s my best friend! Why volunteer to be part of his rescue team if that’s the way you feel? Or were you hoping it would go wrong and you had some sick perverted urge to be there to witness it for yourself?”
Casting a quick glance over my head, he scowls and his face scrunches up. “I went last night because I hate how things are between us right now, and I know I haven’t been very nice to you lately. I thought if I helped bring him back that it would somehow make amends. Do you think I genuinely wanted to be there? Because I didn’t.” I cross my arms protectively over my chest and glare at him. He shakes his head in frustration. “I only did it because I was thinking of you,” he roars.
I flinch and shrink back as an arm circles my waist from behind. The familiar citrusy smell wafts in the air and emotion swells in my chest. “Don’t shout at her like that,” Zane says over my head. His voice is steady and calm, but I know him all too well. He’s seething inside, pumped to explode.
“Get your hands off my fiancée,” Cal demands, his eyes firmly locked on Zane’s arm. It’s only then I realize that my hands are curled around his arms. Awareness floods my senses and I release him, but Zane’s hold on me doesn’t falter.
“He’s on the verge of losing it. Let me go, please.”
“If he steps out of line again, I won’t be responsible for my actions, Ari.”
“Do it now!” Cal is puce with rage, and I’m afraid he’s going to throw a punch at Zane. I can’t imagine that would be good after his recent operation. Zane removes his arm and steps around me. As I look up at him, a truckload of feelings hit me all at once. I never thought I’d see him alive again, and now that I truly know who he is and what he has meant to me, I can’t control the urge to wrap myself around him. I don’t stop to think about anything else as I fling my arms around his neck and hug him tightly. “Oh God, Zane!” The tears flow unchecked down my face. “I thought you were dead.” I’m sobbing freely now. My hands wrap around his, and I forget everything and everyone else. “It’s so good to see you.” He looks at me in a way that is now achingly familiar, adoration written all over his face.
“Screw this,” Cal sna
rls. Breaking free of Zane, I twist around, wincing when I catch sight of Cal. “This,” he spits, gesturing with his hand between us, “whatever it was, it’s over. We’re done.”
CHAPTER 7
My heart turns over in my chest. “Wait, no.” I reach out and take his arm, but he pushes me away. Zane stiffens behind me. “Don’t interfere!”
“I told you to make a choice. You’ve made it.” He walks away, shoulders drooping, and I momentarily feel like pitching myself over the edge of the railing. I stand rooted to the spot, unable to drag my eyes away even after he’s fully out of sight.
“Ari?” Zane asks gently.
Desperately trying to control my wobbling lip, I turn and face him. Eyes smoldering with yearning penetrate mine and unspoken questions demanding answers stir under the surface. He’s totally justified in asking those questions, and he deserves to receive a truthful reply, but as happy as I am to see him, I’m emotionally anesthetized right now. Trying to decipher what my head and my heart want is too difficult, and I feel like I’m torn in two. “I’m really pleased you’re here, Zane, and I know there’s much that needs to be said. But I can’t do that now.”
God, I’m like a broken record. How sick and tired he must be of me.
“Baby, come here.” He reaches out and I go into his arms without hesitation. Laying my head on his chest, I’m jolted by the unfamiliar regular beat of his heart. That’ll take some getting used to. Even though I know it’s so wrong to let him hold me like this when I was wrapped in Cal’s embrace only a couple of hours ago, I can’t let go.
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