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Dauntless

Page 14

by Thomas G. Atwood Jr.


  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “I think I caught something,” she whispered. My heart pounded as I saw crimson blood flowing down her side. I looked to see a shard of glass piercing her. I winced at the wound but gave her a reassuring smile.

  “It’s nothing,” I assured. “Kat’s going to get you patched up in no time.”

  “I want to go home,” she whimpered, clutching her wounded side.

  “We’re going to get you home.”

  “I’ve had my skull caved in by vampires,” she said, her voice trembling as she forced it out. “I’ve had my best friend’s dad bleeding out in my van, I’ve had people shoot at me, and I’m dying.”

  Her eyes glazed over and fluttered close as she glanced at me. “You’re a curse, Kacey.”

  “Come on, we have to get moving,” I said as Laurie went slack in my arms. I gave her a gentle slap. “Come on, girl, stay with me. We need you to stay awake a little longer.” I couldn’t stop the tears flowing down my face as I felt her breathing slow. Each shallow breath caused her body to shake with effort. I shook as I clutched my best friend close, with each second that passed took her further from me.

  “We have to go!” Frank announced, firing one last burst down the stairwell.

  “I’m not leaving her.”

  Frank walked over to Laurie’s unconscious body, scowling as he inspected her.

  “She’s going to be fine; the doctors will patch her up in no time. I’ve seen people live with a dozen wounds in them this size.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “No, I’m not, but we’ve pissed off Olympus security, the police; hell it wouldn’t surprise me if the National Guard are on their way. We are going to be up to our eyeballs in gunfire. The good news is that means EMT’s are on their way too. Smart money says they get to her in time.”

  “And if they don’t?”

  “Then we’ll still have to leave her; otherwise, there are going to be three corpses in this room instead of one.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I shouted.

  “Dammit, girl!”

  “I’m not leaving her,” I spat back. “This is my fault! It’s all my fault! If she never met me, if she’d been friends with someone else…” I sobbed, tears crashing on Laurie’s face like rain.

  “Give me a hand. If you help us get out of this with whatever voodoo you have planned, then I promise you we will get her back.” Frank wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tight as he helped me up. “We can’t do anything if we’re dead.”

  Something about his words pierced through the haze of guilt and grief that clouded my mind. I heard the pounding of security guards scrambling to get through whatever barricade Frank set up. Sirens rang in the distance, their piercing howl screaming straight toward us. I imagined dozens of cars streaking down the road, each one filled with police. My heart fell like an anchor as I walked away from Laurie, leaving her wounded body behind as I walked over to the balcony.

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called Kat. “Please tell me Laurie called you.”

  “She did; we’re right outside. What the hell happened? Security is pouring in from blocks away!”

  “It’s a long story,” I stated, watching as Drake tried to clamber up the building. I pulled him up, dragging him into the building before driving his head into the floor. His nose snapped, and blood pooled under his head as he slumped into unconsciousness.

  “How good are your reflexes?” I asked, standing on the railing of the balcony.

  “Not good, not good at all. Why, what are you planning?”

  “Well, a new friend of mine and I are going to jump off a fifty story balcony. So let me ask you again, how good are your reflexes?”

  “I guess we’ll find out,” Kat said, hanging up.

  “I still think this is a bad idea,” Frank shouted.

  “We have two options. Try and fight our way down the stairwell-”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Or we take the quick way down, and my friend rescues us.”

  “Who the hell is your friend, Spider-man?”

  “Right thought, wrong series. Are you ready?”

  “No!” he shouted, as the stairwell burst open. A dozen security officers stormed in, their weapons leveled at Frank’s chest. Cursing, he jumped off the edge of the balcony, plummeting down the skyscraper. The cold rush of wind blew my hair back as I plunged toward the ground. For a second, I seemed to hang there as if gravity didn’t care about me anymore and I could fly among the clouds. I fell, the ground rushing up at me with obscene speed. I saw a familiar figure in purple hold her hand out toward me, and howling wind shot up from her hand. The wind screeched like a hungry predator as it beat against Frank and I. Our descent slowed and we landed on the ground in front of a sweating and grumbling Kat.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you’re handy to have around?” I asked, dusting myself off.

  “Once or twice, but this is the first time someone’s used me for a parachute. Please don’t do that again.”

  “Sure, I’ll come up with brand new stupid plans.”

  “Won’t that be fun,” Kat said, glancing at Frank. “Hi.”

  “Thanks for the ride, miss,” he stated, snapping his rifle back onto his vest.

  “No problem. Kacey, we need to talk about how to keep a secret.”

  “If it helps, I found out about you guys existing during my third tour in Iraq. You guys are vampires, right?”

  “No. Not even close.”

  “Well, I’m a little behind. Still, don’t blame her, you guys happen to suck at keeping secrets.”

  “That’s comforting,” Kat replied in a dry voice as she rolled her eyes. We walked down the street and six black vans to surround us, each one spitting out dozens of officers. The group circled us; weapons pointed at our chests.

  “Don’t move,” they commanded as they surrounded us. “Get on the ground and keep your hands above your head.”

  “Oh, what fresh hell is this?” Kat complained, obeying as she knelt on the ground.

  “Did you come alone?”

  “No, I called Ripper. Which is something you should have done, by the way.”

  “Do you have to lecture me when we’re about to go to jail forever?”

  “Well, maybe we can be cellmates in Gitmo. That way I can spend the next sixty years telling you how you screwed up.”

  “You guys are calm about our impending arrest,” Frank grumbled.

  “Relax, we'll be all right,” I said, grinning at him. “Ripper will rescue us in three, two, one...” The security guards glanced around in confusion as nothing happened, then leveled their gaze back at me.

  “Maybe he hit traffic?” I volunteered. A quick flash of green light appeared behind the rear guard, and Ripper’s massive frame blinked into existence. He snatched the rifle from the man’s hand, bashing the butt into him. The sound of bone shattering filled the air as plastic shards exploded from the man’s helmet, and teeth fell to the ground. The other guards span in unison as Ripper blinked out of existence. He flashed from guard to guard, choking, striking and tripping each until they lay unconscious on the ground. He tossed the last guard to the ground in disdain, his eyes flashing with rage as he strode toward me.

  “Can you even fathom the extent of your screw up?” he shouted as everyone else filed into Kat’s van.

  “I didn’t…”

  “You do not get to speak yet, girl,” he barked. “You never go into a dangerous situation without backup. Ever! What the hell were you thinking?” I glared at hi
m and he ground his teeth together. “Speak!”

  “Laurie could have been in danger.”

  “And where is our resident egghead? Hmm? I don’t see her anywhere. So you decided to take a break from saving your friend to shop the latest sales? Maybe dish about which boy band member was the cutest?”

  “She’s still…she’s still up in the office,” I admitted, eyes downcast.

  “So best case scenario, your best friend is bleeding out and dying a slow and painful death. Worst case scenario, Pyrus has already gotten his hands on her and is beating the information out of her. You never, ever go into dangerous territory alone, and you never leave an ally behind. Do you understand?”

  “I understand.” He continued to glare at me, and I threw my arms up in frustration. “I've got it, alright! Can we go?”

  Ripper growled. “We’ll discuss this further at The Mansion after we’ve determined a way to salvage this situation.”

  “Wait a minute,” I replied, fishing into my jacket pocket. “This has Drake’s plan on it; it could give us information that we can use to stop him.”

  Ripper took the flash drive, turning it around his hand with an approving glance. “It appears you are not useless after all,” he grumbled, pocketing it.

  “Gee thanks. I’m touched.”

  “Go with Kat. They have the car’s information already. I’ll throw them off your trail.”

  I ducked inside the van. We drove down the streets as flashing red and blue lights raced after Ripper.

  Chapter 15

  The sound of yelling filled the hall, and it didn’t take long for me to figure out the subject. Ripper would hurl muted insults, my dad would defend me, and Kat would shout for the two of them to keep quiet so she could work. The silence would last about three seconds before the cycle restarted. I grimaced, walking out to the front stoop. The sound of a car crunching on the dirt road caught my attention. I glanced up to see Frank and a curly haired woman in the driver’s seat. Two kids sat in the back seat. The car pulled to a stop in front of me, and Frank waved as he walked up.

  “Kacey,” he said as a greeting.

  “Frank. I didn’t expect you.”

  “Your boss offered to let us stay until this is over. She thought it would be safer than our homes.”

  “She’s right.”

  “Mind giving me a hand hauling in my luggage and gear?”

  “Sure.” I grabbed a couple of the bags and hefted them over my shoulders as we walked down the halls. Frank chuckled.

  “Okay, you are way too strong.”

  Frank let out a low whistle as he took in the array of paintings, tapestries, and pictures that hung on the walls.

  “Nice place.”

  “I guess.”

  “Are you okay kid?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It sounds like you’re dealing with the weight of the world. What’s eating at you?” Ripper and Dad took that moment to resume their screaming match, and Frank’s eyes went wide as he heard. “Never mind.”

  “Everyone thinks I screwed up.” Frank cocked his head to the side and patted my shoulder as we walked into the bedroom. I set the bags on the bed and ran my fingers through my raven hair. “I take it you agree with them.”

  “You don’t want my opinion.”

  “Humor me.”

  “Alright. Yeah, you did,” he stated, his voice even and calm. He pulled a small pistol from his bag and disassembled it, running the brush over the pieces.

  “You walked into that building like you owned the place,” he explained. “You had no backup, no exit strategy; you assumed that you were smarter than everyone there. A notion I was quick to disabuse you of, by the way. You’re a smart kid, and you have some incredible gifts. That doesn’t change the fact that you never, ever, go into combat without someone to watch your back. No one person can keep their eyes on everything, and if you miss something, it can get you killed.” I sulked a little more at his statement, and he gave me a pat on the back.

  “So, are you going to do that again?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Okay then. No one can keep from making mistakes, Kacey. The important thing is to learn from them, and remember your training. You have some training, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  Frank smiled and went back to examining over the collection of weapons he brought in.

  “I left Drake alive,” I blurted out.

  “Yeah, I saw that.”

  “I guess that was a mistake too.”

  “Depends, why did you do it?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “He was hanging on the ledge, and it would have taken nothing to take him down. If I had pushed him off, everything would have been fine.”

  “You sure about that? The way I see it, one person knows where those kids are, and one person has access to whatever this virus thing is. If you killed Drake, we’d be hunting all over the city for them, without a clue where to start. Because of you, we have a lead on where to find them. All we need to do is to follow Drake.”

  “So it’s a good thing I didn’t kill Drake?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “So it’s a bad thing?”

  “I didn’t say that either.” I shot him a red hot glare, and he chuckled. “It all depends on why you didn’t kill him.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “I wasn’t older than you when they deployed me to Afghanistan. Our first mission was to track down this warlord that was terrorizing the people there. He was a drug dealer, gun runner and a grade A piece of trash. He also supplied the insurgents in the area. We had a simple mission. A group of us would rush into the cave where he was holding up. The goal was to flush him out. My job was to wait until he was trying to escape and take him out. Easy job.”

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing; the plan went off without a hitch. My unit went in, and a few minutes later he was running out like the hounds of hell were after him. I lined up my shot, adjusted for the wind, and had him dead to rights. The problem was, I couldn’t do it. Months of training and I couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger.”

  “Why not?”

  “It was something stupid. I remember reading that this guy, this subhuman piece of trash, had a family. A wife who was waiting for him to come home and kids who kept asking where daddy was. I was about to make those children into orphans and make his wife a widow. I knew I shouldn’t have hesitated, but I couldn’t do it. I let him go.

  I let out a low whistle. “I bet your bosses didn’t like that.”

  “Yeah, there’s nothing like going to a gunnery sergeant and telling him you let a warlord go. Our saving grace was that the rest of the unit managed to take out all his guards and men, so he was back to square one. So tell me, why couldn’t you take Drake down?”

  “I don’t know,” I stated, pacing back and forth in the cramped room. “It’s stupid. I looked at him, and as I was about to kick him off the ledge, I heard my mom’s voice. I could almost feel her, and I felt her disapproval at me thinking about killing him.” I shook my head. “You think I’m nuts, don’t you?”

  “I think the reason I kept my nose clean all the years was the fact that I’m still afraid of the wooden spoon my mom used to whack us with,” he returned, chuckling. “You’re not nuts. Taking a life, especially when it’s not in the heat of combat, is a huge thing. TV, movies, books, they all make it seem as easy as breathing. It’s something huge, though. Every time you take a life, it takes something precious from you. Something you can never get back. So no, you sparing Drake do
esn’t make you crazy. It makes you human.”

  “Thanks,” I walked to the door and tapped on the frame as I walked away. “Whatever happened to your guy, that warlord?”

  “Two months later he grabbed a group of mercenaries and attacked the town that was helping us. He burnt it to the ground. He killed over a thousand men, women, and children because they helped us out.”

  “Thanks. Great talk,” I returned, sarcasm dripping from my voice as I walked down the halls of the mansion. I turned a blind corner and stumbled into Aidan, smiling as I gazed into his emerald eyes.

  “Hey,” he said, hugging me close.

  “Oh God, I am so happy to see you,” I returned, wrapping my arms around him. He ran his fingers through my hair, beaming down at me.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I was chasing down a lead. Are you okay?”

  “God no, I’m not okay. I screwed up so bad, Aidan. Laurie’s captured, the cops are going to be after us, and Drake knows we’re after him.” I buried my head in his chest, a single tear rolling down my cheek. “I’ve screwed everything up.”

  “Hey, there’s still time. We’re going to get Laurie back, and you are going to kick Drake in the teeth.”

  “Yeah, right,” I snapped back.

  “Hey, I have known you all these years, and I know three facts about you. The first is that your hair gets all frizzy anytime it rains. Second, your nose wrinkles anytime someone compliments you. It’s cute.” I laughed despite myself, covering my nose as he said that.

  “Oh yeah, and what’s the third?”

  “That there is nothing in this world that can stop you when you’ve set your mind to something. You’re a rock star, and even if you screwed up, there is no doubt in my mind that you’re going to set everything right. So we’re going to get up, pull yourself together, and get Laurie back. Get me?”

 

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