by Lila Dubois
“No, but I know…it’s something they taught us.” He divorced himself emotionally from what he was saying. The world had narrowed, focused to just him and the small, blurry screen. He found the pressure plate, hidden under the corner of an industrial-style rug, a mat put down to keep the floors from becoming wet or muddy when it rained.
It took him several tense minutes, but he carefully disconnected the det cord from the pressure plate.
“You step on the pressure plate and the det cord explodes. The door collapses. You’re trapped inside. Then…”
He flipped the rug aside and followed four thinner ignition wires. It took some maneuvering before he found where they went up the walls, where they were connected to long black boxes mounted where wall met ceiling. They looked like they could have been some odd heating or cooling element, the wires added to an older building, on the walls rather than in them.
“Then the fire bombs ignite. They’re filled with gas that drops even as it ignites. You’re trapped inside a burning building.”
Luca pulled the robot back and, one by one, cut the wires.
“It wasn’t enough for you to die. They wanted you to burn.” Luca looked up, blinking to focus his eyes. Around him, people were looking back with expressions ranging from grim to horrified. “To suffer as you died. To burn in hell for your sins.”
Chapter Eighteen
Oscar sat on the floor of the van, his feet on the ground outside the open door. Jennika, the woman from NSA, had outfitted both him and Selene with earpieces so that they could hear what was happening on the compound after Oscar had apparently hit the limit on times he could ask her “what the fuck is going on now?”
After that, he’d begun pacing outside the van, listening with his heart in his throat as Luca and Langston drove their robots through the compound to the buildings. He’d spent every single second holding his breath, waiting for an explosion, fearing one misstep that might steal his brother or his lover from him forever.
He’d never liked Langston’s chosen career path, though he’d never said as much to his brother. He, Langston, and Walt were all too much alike, marching to the beat of their own drums. So Oscar understood that, like it or not, he had no choice but to accept that Langston was going to spend his life working with bombs. Reckless fucker.
And because fate was a heartless bitch, she decided to have even more fun at Oscar’s expense, ensuring he fell in love with a man who did the exact same goddamn thing.
Oscar’s legs had finally given out when he heard Luca describe how the Bellator Dei had intended to kill them all with fire.
He’d sunk down in the open door of the van, sitting with his elbows on his knees, staring at the ground.
Selene had been silent and intent throughout the entire operation, standing as he paced, and now sitting next to him. Though she hadn’t said a word, he felt bolstered by her presence, drawing strength from her closeness.
He wasn’t sure how she knew he didn’t want to talk. Their time together had been ridiculously short, yet he felt like this amazing woman knew him better than people he’d known his entire life. She definitely understood him better than Faith.
Faith.
Up until a month ago, he couldn’t think of her name without a piercing pain stabbing at his heart. Now…now it was as if the blinders had been lifted and he was suddenly seeing things he’d never noticed before.
Faith couldn’t stand the times when he went quiet as he dealt with anxiety or stress. He wasn’t the type of guy who talked out his emotions. Talking about shit like that just made him more anxious and pissed him off. He’d always preferred to deal with the bad stuff on his own, in his own head, working through it until it went away.
Faith never got that, always accusing him of shutting her out, of being a moody bastard, emotionally distant. He could never make her understand that his feelings had nothing to do with her—or with them as a couple—and that he just needed some time and space to work it out.
Somehow, Selene got that. She could see that he was barely holding his shit together. Rather than push him to talk about it, she was simply remaining close. Letting him know she was here if he needed her. Otherwise, she was letting him deal with it in his own way.
The minutes crept by slowly as Oscar listened to Luca and Langston and their teams make their way through the buildings. He could tell from the frustrated tones no one was finding anything of use.
Finally, a decade and a half later, Oscar heard Owen tell Luca and Langston to lead them out, the bots going first, even though they’d retrace their steps.
Oscar didn’t move, didn’t even bother to breathe. He wasn’t going to feel easy again until both Langston and Luca were off that fucking compound and in his line of sight. They were in the van at the front gate, so they saw Luca first, though Oscar heard Langston’s voice through the comm, reporting his team was heading for the back rear entrance. The plan, based on the chatter, was for everyone to reconvene at the front where he and Selene were.
Oscar saw the robot, and then Luca. Rather than lead the party out, Luca stood off to the side, robot controller in hand as he watched the rest of his team steadily walk out. Only when the last person—Owen—had cleared the gate did Luca himself actually leave the compound.
When he took off his helmet, he looked completely wiped out, despondent. In addition to facing down death for the past hour, they were still no closer to finding his sister.
Owen placed a hand on Luca’s shoulder, halting him just outside the gate. Oscar couldn’t hear what the man was saying, but he could read body language well enough to know Owen was offering reassurance.
Luca nodded, but the heaviness in his face didn’t lift. Oscar suspected Luca wasn’t going to find peace until he had his sister back.
Considering the unbearable stress he’d suffered this past hour, Oscar could relate.
Owen walked on, while Luca put the robot controller and helmet down so that he could pull off his heavy vest.
Selene found her sea legs first, rushing over to Luca, pulling him to her in a shaky embrace that proved Oscar hadn’t been the only person terrified out of their wits at the van. He’d been so wrapped up in his own fears, he’d failed to see how scared Selene had been too.
Oscar rose and followed, taking a moment to hug Luca as well. After a few moments of silent reassurance, Oscar pulled back a bit to look at Luca. “Did you find anything?”
“Files, papers.” Luca sighed. “They’re going to look through it, but everything important was gone.” He looked up. “There was a box of old laptops. Would you…”
“Of course. Whatever you need,” Oscar assured him.
“We’ll find her,” Selene assured him.
Caught up in the moment, Oscar ignored the sound of a vehicle pulling up and stopping somewhere behind him. He needed to touch them again, so he wrapped Selene and Luca up in a bear hug, gripping them tightly.
They returned the embrace, the three of them locked together. If Oscar could freeze time right here, he would. They were all together, safe, alive.
“What. The. Fuck?”
And just like that, fate stepped in to kick Oscar in the teeth.
He released Luca and Selene, turning so that they were both tucked safely behind him.
God only knew what Langston was going to do. Of the three of them, Langston was the most cheerful and easygoing, but the flip side of that coin was his fucking explosive temper. And right now, Langston was pissed. Whatever his brother was about to do, Oscar didn’t question for a moment it would involve violence. His brother was gunning for Luca, but he wouldn’t hesitate to take Oscar down as well if he stood in the way.
“Langston,” Oscar said, holding his hands up in front of himself. The position was one where he could either hold Langston back or return a punch if his brother wasn’t in the mood to talk first.
They were evenly matched when it came to fighting, which meant, while there wouldn’t be a winner, they’d both be bloody
and beat to hell at the end.
Langston was a smart guy, observant, so it didn’t take him more than three beats to put one plus one plus one together and come up with the right answer.
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Langston yelled, his attention focused solely on Oscar.
He was glad. As long as his brother was looking at him, tossing his anger in his direction, Luca was safe.
“I just need a minute to explain.”
Langston shook his head. “Not gonna be anything you can say that’ll explain this.”
Oscar hoped that wasn’t true, but when Langston was this pissed off, his ability to listen and reason vanished completely.
“Goddammit, Langston. Calm the fuck down and let me—”
That was all Oscar managed to say before Luca threw a monkey wrench in the works, stepping to the side and around Oscar, putting himself directly in the line of fire.
Langston and Oscar moved at the exact same time.
Oscar shoved Luca out of the way and met his brother in the middle. Langston had been mid-swing, but he didn’t bother to pull back when his original target was no longer there.
Oscar was ready.
He reared backwards, Langston’s fist glancing off his jaw. If it had connected, he probably would have broken Oscar’s nose.
Though he’d managed to avoid most of the force, his ears were ringing from the hard blow. Oscar pulled his arm back, looking for revenge, when strong arms circled him from behind.
Oscar fought against the restraining grip, but Luca wasn’t letting go.
Owen had appeared from somewhere and now had Langston in a similar grip.
“What the fuck is going on?” Owen yelled, struggling to maintain his hold as Langston fought like the devil to get back to…fuck…Oscar didn’t know who Langston was gunning for at the moment. Didn’t look like he cared who he got to first, either. His brother was out for blood.
“Let. Go,” Langston said through gritted teeth when it became obvious he wasn’t going to be able to break free of Owen’s grip. Oscar had stopped fighting, but Luca still held him tightly, apparently not trusting his sudden stillness.
“No,” Owen said.
“This doesn’t have anything to do with you,” Langston said. “This is between me, my brother, and that fucking psychopath.”
“He’s not a psychopath,” Selene said. Oscar growled when she put herself between him and Langston.
He was going to have a little word with his lovers once all this was over, make sure they understood they never stepped between the Hayden men when tempers were high.
“Get behind me, Selene,” Oscar said darkly.
She glanced at him over her shoulder and—fuck—rolled her eyes. Then she turned her attention back to Langston. “Your brother asked for a minute to explain.”
“And I told him—” Langston started, his voice raised.
Selene cut him off with a wave of her hand. “Langston. Stop now. You don’t have the whole story.”
Langston stopped trying to break free of Owen’s grip, his breathing heavy from his exertions. His face was flushed and his eyes still flashed murder, but at least he didn’t resemble a runaway train barreling toward the station anymore.
Owen slowly released him, though Oscar knew the man was on the offensive, ready to reclaim his hold if Langston made even the slightest move.
“Somebody going to explain what’s going on to me?” Owen asked.
“It’s a family matter,” Selene said simply.
Owen nodded slowly, his gaze traveling from Langston to Luca. “I’m guessing this is the first time you two have seen each other since Boston.”
Owen Fraser was thorough. While he hadn’t been involved in the operation to save Mina, who’d been kidnapped by Luca, it was clear he knew the story, knew what Luca had done to Langston’s wife.
“If you know about Boston,” Langston said, “then you understand why I’m angry.”
Owen didn’t respond. Instead, he turned his attention to Selene. “You got this, Dr. Tanaka?”
Selene nodded. “I do.”
“Then I’ll leave you to it. But just in case,” Owen pointed at Langston, Luca, and Oscar in turn, “I’m reloading the beanbag rifles and I won’t hesitate to shoot.” With that, the FBI man turned and walked away from them.
Langston took a step toward Luca, but Selene and Oscar moved together, placing themselves in front of him.
Langston shook his head, his anger giving away to something worse. He looked genuinely hurt by what he viewed as their betrayal. “You too, Selene? You were both there…you know what he did to her.”
Once again, Luca tried to step around them. Oscar stopped him, but he knew Luca wasn’t the type of man who could hide behind another, let someone else fight his battles. Oscar stepped to the side so that Luca could stand between him and Selene.
“Langston—” Luca began, his face etched with guilt.
“She still has nightmares,” Langston said. “Wakes up in a cold sweat in the dead of night, trembling. You strapped a bomb to her.”
Luca nodded miserably. “I never would have detonated the bomb. I swear to you, I—”
“Fuck that!” Langston yelled. “And fuck you!”
The last he hadn’t directed just at Luca. Langston’s gaze traveled to Oscar as well. “Mina’s family now, Oscar. I don’t…I can’t…”
Oscar couldn’t stand to see his brother’s pain. Or Luca’s. “He did it for his sister,” he blurted out.
“What?” Langston asked, confused.
Oscar continued. “The Bellator Dei has his sister. They’ll hurt her if he doesn’t deliver the plans for that bomb. He had to get the tablet back. He had no choice.”
Luca took a step closer to Langston, and Oscar got the sense he was inviting Langston to throw another punch. Not that it would be a true fight. Luca would never hit back. He would stand and take the beating, thinking it was his due. “That still doesn’t excuse what I—” Luca started, but he stopped talking when Selene placed her hand on his arm and drew him back.
“Luca,” she said softly. “Don’t.”
“His…sister?” Langston shook his head, though Oscar wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t believe them or because he was struggling to maintain his anger. There was nothing—absolutely nothing—he, Langston, and Walt wouldn’t do for their sister, Sylvia.
“Her name is Joli,” Selene said. “And she’s in danger. Luca did what he did to save her.”
Langston ran a frustrated hand through his hair, cursing steadily under his breath. “Goddamn, motherfucking, son of a bitch.” Finally, he looked back at Oscar. “I gotta hit something.”
“I see you and your brother share the,” Selene air-quoted her next words, “smash-stuff gene.”
Langston studied her face for a moment, then finally, the tension broke and his brother grinned…or maybe grimaced. Either way, he didn’t appear as angry as he’d been a few minutes earlier.
Luca, however, couldn’t let it go. “You should hit me. I…want you to hit me. I deserve it.”
Langston appeared to consider the invitation, his fists clenching by his side.
Oscar shook his head. “No. If you’ve gotta throw a punch, I volunteer as tribute.”
Langston snorted and said, “Jesus,” at the same time Luca asked, “Tribute?”
Selene smiled, amused by his literary allusion, and shook her head. “Hunger Games? Seriously?”
“We lost a bet to our sister, Sylvia, a couple summers ago. She made us watch all four of those damn movies with her. An all-day marathon,” Langston explained, and the memory of spending the day with Sylvia, devouring platter after platter of what their sister referred to as “fun food” like wings, cheesy tater tots, pepperoni rolls—wiped away the last of his brother’s anger.
“I hope I get to meet your sister one day,” Selene said. “She sounds very cool.”
“You put a fail-safe in your own bomb,” Langston said, looking
at Luca. Now that he was calm, he was starting to recall that he’d been the one to figure out Luca’s Galen Erso move.
“I did. Not that it matters. The math was wrong. The bomb won’t work.”
Langston’s eyes widened as that fact sunk in. Then he smiled in relief. “Rich and Mina are going to be damn happy to hear that.”
Luca sighed sadly. “I would like to…if you think…I would like to tell Mina how sorry I am for what I put her through.”
Langston considered his request, then shrugged. “Might need to let a little more time pass. I’m not sure she’s ready, and Rich wouldn’t fight fair like me. He’s from Texas. Shoot first, ask questions later.”
Luca nodded. “Okay.” He bent down to pick up his robot as Selene grabbed his helmet. The two of them walked back to the van, but Oscar held back with Langston. The two of them still had things to say to each other.
“I figured out you and Selene were hooking up before I left, but where does Luca Campisi fit in that?” Langston asked.
Oscar stroked his jaw, drawing his brother’s attention to where he’d punched him.
Langston grinned. “Not gonna apologize for that. You had it coming.”
Oscar narrowed his eyes but decided to let it go. He’d get revenge one of these days. He was a fan of the “when you least expect it” model. He was going to reorganize everything in Langston’s lab and then switch the language of his computers’ OSs to Mandarin.
Langston narrowed his eyes suspiciously when Oscar merely gave him a menacing smile.
“It’s a long story, bro, that started right after you left for Texas with Rich and Mina. Selene and I kind of stumbled into some shit that meant spending time in a safe house. Luca showed up looking for you. Then there were these mercenaries, a blizzard, butt stuff—I’m a fan, by the way—and this impromptu trip to Italy to defuse a bunch of bombs set by a cult full of psychopathic religious nutjobs. Oh, and Luca and I are now members of the Trinity Masters.”
Langston stared at him, speechless for nearly a full minute. Oscar got the sense his brother was waiting for him to say “gotcha!”