“I hoped it wouldn’t come to this. I wish you could see your importance to our family, to all herds.”
I opened the door again and stepped into the hallway. There was nothing left to say to him. I made a quick left, but the enforcer closest to me stepped directly in my path. I took a step to the right to go around him, but he stepped in front of me again. “Excuse me,” I said, with as much contempt as I could pour into two words.
“Apologies, Ms. Chiron. Our orders are to escort you at all times on the property.”
“It’s Mrs. Nash,” I corrected. “Fine, escort me, but step aside so I can pass.”
The enforcer gave me a sincere smile. “My apologies again, Ms. Chi. . . Nash, I am Carlos, and I walk point. You’ll need to tell me where we’re going.”
A heavy sigh escaped me. Walked point? What the heck did that mean? “I’m looking for my friend Daniel.”
“Very well, follow me.” In a fluid motion, Carlos was two steps in front of me, and two very large enforcers fell in on either side of me. Within seconds Carlos was ten feet in front of us and the other mob of enforcers encircled us. It was difficult to walk with the group and not feel like I was marching. Every one of them was in lock-step with each other as their feet made a loud rhythm on the floor as they escorted me to Daniel’s room.
We were down the hallway, around the corner, through a stairway, down two flights of stairs, then walking in another hallway before Carlos reached a door and knocked hard three times. I tried to follow him up to the door, but my path was blocked by the enforcers who encircled me. I saw the door open and heard Daniel’s voice, “What the hell?”
It was hard to peek around the shoulders that surrounded me, but I glimpsed Carlos walk through Daniel’s opened door. Daniel’s voice was perturbed, “No, really, make yourself at home. Don’t wait for an invitation or anything!” A short pause then, “Get out of there! Put that down!” Another pause before I heard him shout, “Who the hell do you think you are?”
It was quiet for a couple seconds then Carlos popped his head out the door. “All clear.”
The circle around me walked to the door, then a gap opened up for me to escape the protective detail. Each of the enforcers took a position lining the hallway, much as they had outside Will and Gretchen’s room. When I reached the doorway, Daniel looked pissed. Tentatively I asked, “Can I come in?”
“What’s going on? What’s with the storm troopers?”
I whispered. “Inside, okay?”
He held the door open wide for me to pass. Carlos took a position inside the room. He stood at attention, his gaze fixed on something on the opposite wall. I’m sure it was his way of trying to blend in, but it didn’t work for me. “Carlos, could you go outside with the others?”
“I’m here for your safety Ms. Chir. . . Mrs. Nash.”
“I’ve known Daniel since third grade. I’m in no danger with him.”
“Orders, ma’am.”
Heat began to rise in my body, and I didn’t need a mirror to know my face was flushed. Since when did everyone else feel it necessary to make decisions for me? “Whose orders?”
“I was told not to let you out of my sight, ma’am.”
“Whose orders, Carlos?”
For the first time, Carlos made eye contact with me. “Pierre Adolcio gave the order, ma’am.”
Pierre was the reason Drake was with Zandra in the first place. He had been so kind and welcoming in the beginning, but then threatened Drake with a Blood Debt if he didn’t escort Zandra. The sound of his name made the bile rise from my stomach. Why would he send a platoon of enforcers to follow me around? Did he think I couldn’t be trusted? Or was there real danger here?
In as sweet a voice as I could find, I said, “It sounds like you and I are going to be spending a lot of quality time together. You’ll learn eventually to choose your battles with me.”
Daniel cut in and said, “Here we go. Let him have it, Cami.”
Ignoring Daniel, I continued, “I want to speak with Daniel privately. You can fight me on this one if you want to, but if we go to Pierre’s room over something like this, how do you think he’ll react? He wouldn’t actually demote you for having poor judgment, would he?”
Carlos’ eyes widened, but he said nothing, instead focusing harder on some spot on the opposite wall, as if he couldn’t hear my words. I didn’t let up, “I mean, you’ve already checked the room and pronounced it all clear. There is only one entrance and all the other enforcers are waiting outside the door. Deciding that you need to stay here feels like an invasion of privacy. I’m sure Pierre would agree with me. Are you aware that my husband is of the Adolcio herd?”
Carlos glanced toward me as he swallowed and reaffixed his gaze on the far wall. I opened the door and spoke quietly, “This is your last chance. Give me some privacy, or I’ll guarantee you will no longer be part of the enforcer detail assigned to me.”
I took a gamble. I wasn’t sure if this was an assignment enforcers got because they got in trouble or this was some sort of special detail they wanted to be a part of. Seeing as I had only been a part of Centaur society since my introduction last week at the Council Meeting, I was hoping it was the latter. Carlos did some weird move, knocked his heels together, bowed his head slightly, and answered, “As you wish, Mrs. Nash.” He sped into the hallway so fast that I only saw a blur go out the door.
Daniel grinned from one ear to the other. “Geeze, remind me again why you need those guys protecting you? What was that, like thirty seconds? I’m going to have to find a stop watch so we can see how long it takes you to get your way the next time.”
“This isn’t a game, Daniel. I need your help.”
“Oh c’mon, it’ll be fun. How about we see how long it takes before you can get one to drop and give you twenty.”
“Drake’s hurt. He needs me.”
Daniel shook his head. “He’s a Centaur, Cami. I’m sure whatever injuries Quinton showed you are long since healed.”
“What if they’re not?”
“What? Are you crazy? If he’s in that much danger, then you don’t need to be anywhere near him. He’ll come out on top.” Daniel whispered under his breath, “They always do.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means a normal Centaur like Dad can watch his skin repair itself right before his eyes. Drake’s a full-fledged Centaur Warrior. You think he heals any slower? I’m sure he’s fine.”
I tried to be stealthy and turn away from Daniel when I felt my lip quiver and my eyes cloud. The image of Drake bleeding on the ground kept replaying in my mind. Daniel didn’t see him. Daniel didn’t see the look on Drake’s face or all the wounds on his body.
Daniel sounded so sure. Could he be right? Could Drake be fine? If he were fine, why would he tell Quinton he’d see me in the pasture? I pretended to be enthralled with a vase on a table propped against a wall on the other side of the room. It was elaborately painted in reds, orange, yellows and blues. My attention fixed on the turquoise blue, just like the waters in Cancun, like the brilliant sky in Ireland, like the glacier color of Drake’s blue eyes. My breath hitched.
“Cami?” I couldn’t look at Daniel. I couldn’t speak. I held that vase in my arms and cradled it to me, not trying to pry my eyes away from the blue color staring back at me. Daniel’s hands turned me around toward him. I kept my eyes fixed on the vase and felt my knuckles turning white.
Daniel’s voice was gentle, the voice he saved just for me. Everyone else in the world got his smart aleck responses or his answers dripping with sarcasm. “What gives?”
I fought back the moisture trying to break free and steadied my voice as much as I could. “He said he’d be waiting for me in the pasture.”
Daniel returned the vase to the table and pulled me in tight. “Shit. I didn’t know.” He stood with his arms around me, gently caressing my back. It was a full minute before he added, “Dad said if a Centaur dies, they can see the people they love before they go to th
e pasture. Has he a. . . you know. . . come to see you?”
“No. I still have a chance if I go now. I need your help.”
Daniel phoned Jessica and asked her to get to his room right away. When she arrived, Brent and Katherine were with her. The three of them made it through Carlos and the other enforcers without much of a delay. To be sure that everyone knew the stakes, I told them everything I had seen in Quinton’s memories before he died.
Jessica had seen Quinton’s thoughts just as I had, so none of what I shared with the others was a surprise to her. Daniel, Katherine and Brent had pieced most of it together with Jessica after Will kicked them out of his room. Where just minutes before Daniel had been sure Drake could have healed himself by now, hearing my account from Quinton’s memory swayed him. They all understood Drake and Zandra were in real danger and no one questioned that we needed to get to them. I had no idea what we could do against Zeus or any of the gods, but we had to try something.
Jessica cleared her throat and kept her voice low. “If Will or Pierre knew what I’m about to tell you, I’m sure they would put me on the first plane out of here. You want to know why you now have that enormous security detail?”
I nodded.
“I think you already asked Gretchen the million dollar question. No one has heard from Cameron. With everything going on, he should be here or at the very least be locked down in another location. Yet, no one has seen or heard from him – it’s like he dropped off the face of the earth.”
I wasn’t following her train of thought. “Why would Will or Pierre care that you told me that?”
She looked at me like I was a moron. “Cameron. Why isn’t anyone looking for him? You may be next in line for Centaur Council, but haven’t you ever heard of an heir and a spare? If Zeus kills Zandra, Will wants you ready to step in and take over. There has always got to be a backup. Until you came into the picture it was your Uncle Angelo.” I cringed remembering my few interactions with him. “No one has seen Angelo or Cameron since the Council meeting. Herds all over the globe are preparing for a war between every living Centaur and all the gods – yet these two are nowhere to be found.”
“Do you think the two of them are together?”
“It would make sense. Everyone knows about Angelo. His first priority is always himself. I heard one of the enforcers a couple days ago talking about him and some incident in South America that had to be cleaned up. If Cameron has some sort of kinship with him, they could be together now.”
“I’m still not following.”
“Assume for a second that Angelo and Cameron know Zandra wants you to take over. Both want to be Chairman. The easiest way for that to happen is for them to strike some sort of deal with Zeus. If he can find a leader who keeps the Centaur in line, there is no reason for him to keep two troublemakers alive.”
Two troublemakers? I never considered myself to be anything like Zandra, let alone someone who would be targeted just because she and I shared the same beliefs. Betrayed by my own brother? Angelo maybe, but not Cameron. Cameron believed Mom and Angelo were trouble. He’d told me so at the resort the day before the Council meeting when he had arrived with Quinton. My final plea to him kept replaying in my mind. “Please don’t be there tomorrow. Take a bus tour. Go whale watching. See the lions in Kruger National Park. Get lost in the city – anything. Just don’t be at the Council meeting.”
I needed to find Cameron. My priority was Drake, but I couldn’t turn my back on Cameron, even if he didn’t want my help. He had been abandoned his whole life. I wouldn’t take the chance that Zeus or any other god could find him and manipulate him. He was my twin and he needed me.
“So, how do we find Cameron?”
Chapter 16
(Ben Strayer – Lost City Resort, South Africa)
Dad warned me to take it easy. He had told me I would be on a plane with Mom and the others looking for Zandra and Drake. I was happy to do it, but I couldn’t leave without seeing Cami first. She and I didn’t know each other well, but I had to see her.
As I turned down her hallway, I saw the enforcers lined up in between all the doors. I snickered. If any non-Centaurs were still on this floor, they must think they were staying near a president or something. I tried to make eye contact with a couple of the enforcers and nod a respectful hello, but not one so much as acknowledged I was here. I took a quick peek at each face, hoping to see my friend Frank, but he was not one of the enforcers on Cami’s security detail.
Maybe my stunt last week got him bounced out of the Enforcer Corps. If that was what happened, he was probably back in Charleston by now, hanging out on a boat, soaking up rays and fishing with his family. He’d done right by Cassie and had stood up to his boss in front of everyone. When word got out about what he had done, there would be Centaurs around Charleston who would give him grief for being bounced out of the Enforcer Corps, but no Centauride in the area would ever have a bad thing to say about him.
I stopped in front of Camille’s door when one of the enforcers positioned himself squarely in front of me. “Can I help you?”
“Sure. I’m her brother; I just wanted to talk to Cami.”
The enforcer eyed me suspiciously. He was taller than I was, with dark hair and dark eyes and sort of an olive complexion. His uniform was stretched tightly over his biceps, and it was obvious he didn’t miss many nights at the gym. “Are you Ben or Bart?”
“Ben. How’d you know it was one of us?”
The enforcer let out a sigh. “Brent and Katherine stopped by an hour ago with a plate of cookies, Bruce and Hannah brought her a White Mocha Latte forty-five minutes ago, Bruce and Lacey were here thirty minutes ago with a basket of fruit. That doesn’t leave many options.”
I liked this guy. “All right, if Bart shows up, cut him some slack; he’s not very chatty.”
“Noted. No snack or drink?”
“Naw, I’m getting ready to leave for a couple days and just wanted to tell her good-bye.”
“Right, Pierre told me there was to be an attempted rescue by the family. You are going after the Chairman and the warrior. Why aren’t you taking any of the enforcers with you?”
That was a good question. Dad and Mom had set everything up. We were supposed to leave in the next couple hours. “I’m not sure. Volunteering?”
“I go wherever I’m needed most.”
This was the first enforcer I’d run across in a week who did more than make eye contact with me. I was curious to know what had happened to my friend. “Hey, I know it’s none of my business, but what happened to Frank after the Council Meeting?”
“Frank Edwards?” I nodded. The enforcer smiled, “He’s okay. The Captain of the Guard was pretty pissed that night, but the Colonel stepped in and promoted Frank. He’s here, but he’s on the Adolcio detail, downstairs.”
“That’s great! I was worried I’d gotten him a fast ticket home that night.”
“I thought that was you.” A genuine smile found its way onto his face. “You five all look a lot alike, and I wasn’t sure which one of you had done it. I was on the far end of the warehouse where I couldn’t see or hear all of it.”
Chuckling at him, I answered, “The way surveillance is around here, I’m sure there is high definition video of it somewhere.”
“There probably is. Maybe that’s why the Colonel stepped in on Frank’s behalf. It could’ve gone either way. Enforcers don’t disregard orders; it’s not an option. Frank refusing to follow the Captain’s order should have gotten him a plane ticket home – I’m glad it didn’t. I’ve known Frank since the night he got here. We were roommates for a while after he checked in.”
I was glad this enforcer liked Frank; it made the fact that he was protecting Cami a little more real. I explained, “Frank and I grew up together. What he was doing was wrong.” I didn’t want to piss off the one enforcer who seemed to be normal, but I didn’t want him to think I had gone off half-cocked either. “The Centauride should never have been treated th
at way. I was only trying to remind him of that.”
“I know.” The enforcer’s words caught me off guard. He did not try to justify what had happened to Cassie, nor did he try to make me feel guilty for what I had done. The enforcer added, “You weren’t on our rolls before. Given everything that’s happened, we’re short a few enforcers.”
Wasn’t on their rolls before? I was part of the Lost Herd. No one even knew we existed. Was he seriously asking me if I wanted one of these commando uniforms? I didn’t want to make an assumption, so offhandedly I answered, “You’re going to be short a few more if things don’t improve with Zeus soon.”
The enforcer nodded, “Look, I know a lot has happened. The Chairman says no harm comes to the Lost Herd. From what Quinton said before he died, the Chairman already told Zeus that the Tak Line was being welcomed back. I’ve known her for a long time. Ms. Zandra never makes idle comments and is a woman of her word. One of the best ways to welcome your line back into the rest of Centaur society is for someone from your family to join the elite who protect our way of life. You’ve already proven you don’t back down easy.”
Stunned at his logic, I asked, “Isn’t there some big selection process with super-secret invitations?”
“Normally, yes, but this isn’t business as usual anymore. I’m Carlos, by the way.” The enforcer held out his hand. His words were unexpected and flattering. Did he seriously think the others would accept me so easily? I wiped the sweat from my palm on my trousers and took his hand.
Although I knew my answer was rash, my chest swelled with pride, and I eagerly answered, “I’d be honored. I’ll look you up when I get back with the Chairman and Drake.”
He smiled, “Hey, put a good word in with your sister for me. She’s already threatened to have me fired once today. The last thing I need is commode duty at the barracks.”
“Fired? Cami?”
He turned away from me, tapped on the door, opened it a crack and said clearly, “Your brother Ben, Mrs. Nash.” Carlos held the door open for me to pass, “I’ll tell you about it another time.”
Centaur Redemption (Touched Series) Page 16