“Every night.”
“Nate and Kim make a good team. Don’t you think?”
I nodded, but said nothing.
“They’ve gone out on many assignments together. He tries to get information out of her, but she tells him nothing. He has no idea if she's still with Sean.”
“They’re married!”
“I know. Maybe Doug’s getting it annulled. That will be his first act as president.” Ashley giggled.
“Can you believe my brother’s the president?” I snorted.
“No, I can’t. This is all so surreal. I feel like we’re living in one of my dystopian novels.”
My stomach flipped. “Don’t say that. Things are usually bad for many years in those books. I plan on getting out of this situation much sooner.”
“Then I wish you well,” Ashley said as she took my hand. “When the time comes, don’t worry about me or anything else. Just focus on what you’re doing so you’re not caught off guard. Please? Her eyes begged me. “Stay safe.”
* * * *
As we stood at the bus stop, I didn’t want to go back to the apartment. “Lucas, do you mind if I stay on the bus and ride to the museum? Carol offered me work, and I’d love to go there instead of cleaning the streets of New York.”
“Go ahead. I’m tied up in meetings most days, and I know you’ve been on your own a lot. I’ll see you at dinner?” He lifted his sunglasses to look at me.
“Of course.”
“I’ll ride with you but will get off at Eighty-sixth.” I took his hand as the bus pulled into the stop, and we boarded.
I almost skipped on the way to the museum I felt so happy. The sun shone in the blue sky, reminding me of the days I'd gone to Central Park when I lived here. My first stop would be the gift shop to visit my old friends, Abby and Parker. When I arrived at the museum entrance, I took a deep breath and opened the door. My feet seemed to have a mind of their own, rushing toward the store, but I came to a dead stop in front of the locked doors.
“Oh.” I jiggled the handle and peeked inside. The lights were out so I couldn’t see very far into the shop. “It’s closed.”
I heard the elevator doors open and hoped to see Carol and find out why the shop was closed. Instead, a man dressed in a crisp dark blue uniform wearing an STF ball cap emerged from inside. “Hello, Allison. I’m happy to finally get you alone.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Doug!” I swallowed hard and connected to Zak, knowing Tobias would hear.
The museum was empty despite Carol’s attempts to get the public to visit through her public service announcements. Doug headed toward me and linked his arm through mine. “Walk with me?” He guided me to the circular walkway that took guests to the paintings along the walls.
I looked over my shoulder. “Where’s the Secret Service? I can’t believe they let you slink around New York City by yourself.”
Doug let out a low chuckle. “How observant of you, sister dear. Don’t worry. They’re always with me. I’ve asked for privacy, that’s all.”
We stopped in front of a Monet. “Lovely, isn’t it?” Doug turned to me. “You have nothing to say? I thought Art History was your major in college.”
“What do you want, Doug?” I couldn’t look at him and stared at the painting, hoping the garden scene would help me stay calm.
“You know the answer.” He folded his arms. “Zak’s babysitter has been denying access to him. I’d like my Niners to visit with him. Is that too much to ask?”
I remembered Mom had said Randolph showed up at the penthouse more than once. “Yes, it’s too much to ask.”
“Don’t make me use force, Allison. It’s such nasty business. You care for the old man? Tobias?”
My heart pounded. I couldn’t give anything away. “He’s one of the Niners that came with us. Zak liked him, and we thought he’d be a good chaperone.”
“Oh.” Doug dropped his arms, folded them behind his back and continued to walk up the pathway. “I guess we’ll be here for quite some time then.”
“Wait.” I froze. “What?” Was Doug holding the people of this country hostage until I gave in and allowed access to Zak?
“You heard me.” Doug stared at the next painting. “The president might be found, people could go home and I could continue my work with the STF while I served as Speaker of the House.”
“You did all this just to get to Zak?” I cried out in disbelief.
Doug turned and looked at me, raising his eyebrows. “Not just Zak. How many Niners live at your hotel? One word from Lucas, and I’m sure they’d volunteer to work on the antidote for the nuclear bomb.”
“So we’re back to that,” I said with a sneer. “How many times do I have to tell you? They don’t have the formula, and if they did? They’d share it with the world.”
“Or keep it for themselves until the time was right. The Niners could rule the world.”
Doug’s cold gray blue eyes dug into me. He seemed to be enjoying the conversation a little too much. Then he turned and continued up the walkway as if he’d come to view the art.
Tobias’ voice spoke in my head. “End the discussion, Allison. Say you’ll think about it.”
“No!”
“You’re buying time. That’s all,” Tobias whispered.
Doug whirled around, staring at me. “What did you say?”
“I said I’ll think about it. I need to talk to Lucas.”
“Now that’s the good little sister I know and love. We could’ve had a great relationship if you’d been more compliant.”
“Agreeable under pressure?” I gritted my teeth as I heard Tobias encouraging me to end the conversation and get away from Doug. “Fine.” I waved my hand. “How do I get in touch with you?”
Doug pulled a card from his pocket. “My card.” He brushed past me as he strode toward the exit.
I looked up at the spiral walkway that wound to the seventh floor and spotted Carol on a higher level, looking over the edge of the wall. She waved, and I ran up as she headed down.
“Carol!” She’d been like a sister to me, and I needed a hug. She took one look at my face and pulled me into her arms when I reached her.
“Allie, I’m so sorry.” She leaned back and looked into my eyes. “I only heard the end of that conversation. Sound travels in here, especially when it’s empty.” She crossed her brow. “Niners? What are they?”
Carol was too intelligent not to give her a plausible explanation. “A group of very smart men, like MENSA. You know those high IQ people? The Niners have an exclusive group of one-fifty and above.”
“Why Niners? What does it stand for?”
“I’m not even sure. It might have to do with square roots or something.” I dismissed it with a wave of the hand.
“Oh.” Carol didn’t look convinced, but it was the best I could come up with at short notice. “Did you come to work?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I looked around. “But do you need me? The gift shop’s locked, and no one’s here.”
“There’s a lot to do behind the scenes. And since no one has money to spend, I had to close the gift shop … for now.”
“I was hoping to see Abby.” I sighed. Nothing was the same. I was stupid to think otherwise.
“Abby stops in to visit once in a while. I told her your real name, Allie. I hope you don’t mind. I thought she deserved to know.”
“No, it’s fine. I hope she stops in when I’m here. What about Parker?”
“Well,” Carol said as she lowered her voice. “Doug suggested he put on a ball cap and help out in the city. Abby was able to make her escape before Doug got to her.”
“Good for her!” One little victory helped.
“From what I heard, you and Doug aren’t on the same side.” Carol’s eyes widened.
“Of course not!” I shook my head. “I want to get this country back to normal. Lucas and his friends have a plan, but we don’t know if it will work. We believe that somehow Doug a
nd the STF managed to get the Vice President and President on the same plane. They’re holding them somewhere until Doug can convince the people to trust him. A terror threat is a way to keep everyone in line.”
“But there were bombings,” Carol said.
I stared at her. “Maybe.”
She let out a gasp. “You think Doug staged them to make the threat believable?”
“I wouldn’t put anything past him. He has an agenda. This may be the first step. We want to stop him before he goes any further. He’s using the weak economy to his advantage. Think. People will be put to work rebuilding the country.”
“I’ll say it again, Allie. Will and I will do anything to help. Please remember that.”
“Where is he?” I glanced around.
“In his office. I’ll get him.” Carol started for the elevator.
“No, don’t. I need to get going. I have to talk to Lucas.”
“Another time?” Carol smiled.
“Yeah.” My heart felt like a dead weight in my chest as I walked out into the warm, sunny day. Doug kept winning, but there had to be a way to end the madness, and I wasn’t going to stop until I'd found it.
* * * *
“Your mom called while you were at the museum,” Lucas said at dinner. “The good news is your dad was happy to let her take over his scheduling duties. The bad? His next trip out of the city is next week, but she’s not sure where.”
I picked at my food, trying not to feel defeated.
“Allie, we are making progress,” Lucas whispered. “It gives the guys time to work. Garrick wants to start tonight. Are you up for it?”
“I’ll stay up all night if I have to.”
“Here’s the beauty of it. We only need you in the room. You can sleep while we work.”
“That’s a little creepy.” I teased.
“You know what I mean. No other Niners are aware you have a chip, only Julian and Serena, Garrick and Clint. We have to work in our room.”
“What if the others did know? What would they do?”
“Probably nothing, but we’re not going to take a chance. Remember Stacy?”
“How can I forget your niece-in-law and pretend mother? She tried to sell you out to the STF.” I paused. “Oh. You don’t trust the family members. That’s a little biased, don’t you think?”
Lucas shrugged. “Sorry. Have to be in security mode.”
“Okay, tell them we can start tonight.”
After the first night, I got used to three men working in the room while I slept. During the day, Lucas and I would visit Zak, then head to the hospital to see Ashley. From there, I’d do an afternoon shift at the museum and meet Lucas for dinner at the end of the day. Having a routine felt good. I was almost lulled into a sense of security. Maybe that was Doug’s intention. Get people in a comfortable routine, feeling safe. For good measure, he threw in a bomb scare every few days. I heard people talk and say they were glad to be safe inside the confines of the city after one detonated in a random part of the state. Some would mention how close the bombs had come to their homes.
One night as I slept, I felt someone nudging me awake. “Allie?”
“Go away.”
“No, you have to wake up.” A hand slipped under my neck, and my body began to rise.
“Lucas! What are you doing?” My eyes flew open as I sat up, folding my legs under me.
“Your chip’s programmed with the invisibility shield. We want to try it out.”
I was suddenly wide awake and scrambled from the bed. “Tell me what to do.”
“Not much has changed, Allie, from what you remember,” Garrick said. “We still can’t figure out why the shield dissolves after five minutes.” He placed his hands on his hips. “But you do have five minutes.”
“Great,” I said as I rubbed my hands together. “Let’s go to the lobby.” I looked at Lucas. “I only have to think invisibility shield and it comes up, right?”
Lucas nodded and turned to Clint and Garrick. “Follow behind, but stay in the stairwell.”
When we reached the first floor, I gave the command. Invisibility Shield on. “Well? Can you see me?”
“No,” Clint whispered. “But remember we can hear you.”
Lucas opened the door to the lobby and I saw Greg at the desk. We walked toward him. “Hello, Greg,” Lucas said. “Have you seen my wife, by any chance?”
Greg glanced around and I felt as if his eyes connected with mine. He lifted his shoulders then dropped them. “No, I haven’t, Mr. Montgomery.”
“Thanks.” We turned back to the stairwell.
Once safely inside, I gave the command. Shield off. I bounced up and down with joy that it had worked. “Great job, guys.” I shook their hands.
“You might become our secret weapon, Allie,” Clint said with a smile. He gave a salute and ran up the stairs, taking two at a time.
“I think I’ll follow him,” Garrick said and pointed up the stairs.
We left him at the second floor and when we got into the room, I jumped into Lucas’ arms. He held me tightly, his lips kissed my shoulder and slowly traveled to my neck. I tore at his shirt as he threw me on the mattress. I felt as if we were releasing all the pent-up anxiety, anger and now victory in our kisses. My heart pounded against my chest, and Lucas’ beat just as fast. We found ourselves in that moment, and I knew nothing could ever come between us again.
* * * *
“I barely see my little girl,” Dad said as he hugged me later that morning.
“Not my fault. It seems as if you’ve been busy, Dad. Mom says you’ve become quite a help to Doug,” I answered.
“We’re going to remedy that.” Dad looked at Mom. “Family dinners. Of course, Dean won’t be here. I don’t know why he and Autumn chose Atlanta. Doug invited them to come to New York himself. Anyway, Colt comes over to play with Zak, but we haven’t all been together since the move.”
“You’re right, Dad. We do need to get together.” I cringed as I said it.
We walked into the kitchen where Dad poured his morning mug of coffee. He held up the pot with a questioning look at me.
I shook my head. “Maybe later. Thanks.” I waited for him to douse his coffee with too many spoons of sugar and a drop of cream. “So what do you do for Doug?” I asked, feigning interest.
“Mostly consultant work. Tell him if properties are worth restoring or if they should be demolished. Outside the city is a different story. Doug’s looking for places to start farms, crop and dairy, and cattle ranches. It’s a big undertaking since most of the land is industrial, retail or places to live. But if we have to live in the big cities for the time being, we’ll make due. I can analyze the soil, make suggestions. Luckily, the bombing in Palisades was close to a park, a great place to start.”
Julian was right. Doug was clearing land. I wished I could go to him and tell him. He and Serena were in the girls’ bedroom, but with Niner hearing he'd probably heard every word.
“How often do you go outside the city, Dad?”
“Not often. One place I want to get back to is Patriot Village. I wonder why I never heard of it before. It’s a beautiful place and must have been a wonderful vacation spot, situated right in the Pocono mountains.”
“Sounds great.” I dug my nails into my palms. “I’d love to go with you sometime.”
Dad shook his head. “I would love to take you, but it’s off limits except for people with the highest clearance.”
“Oh.” I hung my head.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll take lots of pictures when I go tomorrow.” He held up his cell phone.
My jaw dropped. “Why did you get to keep yours?” All cell phones were taken before people could enter the city.
“So Doug can contact me easily. My boy is President of the United States, but finds time for his dad.” He beamed with pride.
“And what about Mom? Did she get a phone?” I glanced over at Lucas who acted as if he was absorbed in an activity with Z
ak. “Does Doug come to see her?”
“Sure he sees your mom.” Dad cleared his throat. “When he drops Colt off for a visit. But no phone for her. He knows I pass along his messages.”
“So Mom’s his babysitter?” I crossed my arms. “Dad! Why are you always on Doug’s side and never ours?” Tears filled my eyes. It felt awful not to trust my father.
“I’m not, sweetie, but what he’s doing makes sense. I support him … like I support you.”
“Support me? You were willing to let him kidnap me in high school! You probably told him about the Hawaii vacation, too. Didn’t you?”
Dad cleared his throat again. “Yes, but not until we got home. That’s when he gave me this new phone.” He smiled like a kid with a new toy. “It’s really great, it—”
“I don’t care.” I stalked off and joined my family on the living room floor.
Tobias sat in a chair by the window. I longed to go to him, knowing he’d make things better. We had to keep up the façade that we were acquaintances, and it was killing me.
“Did you hear? We got what we needed.” I asked Lucas under my breath.
“What do you think?” he whispered.
Zak touched his ear as if to say he did, too. “Mommy, go?” He looked at me with wide eyes.
“Not yet.” Did he mean now or tomorrow when Dad left the city?
He got up, took our hands and pulled us toward his bedroom. Tobias followed and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Zak, would like me to interpret for him.” Tobias looked at Lucas as Zak dug through his block bag. “He wants you to have his chip while his mother is away. He’d feel better if you had contact with her rather than us.”
Zak clamped the cuff around Lucas’ wrist. “Thanks, buddy.” Lucas rubbed his head. “You know what we’re doing?”
Zak nodded.
“He knows it’s safe,” Tobias said. “I’m living proof.”
“Proof,” Zak said and clapped his hands. “Mommy.” He hugged me around the legs. “Safe.”
Tears welled in my eyes, and I pulled Zak up into my arms. “I have you to come back to, remember that. You are the smartest, bravest boy I've ever met.” I kissed his cheek. “We’ll hopefully go home to Victorian Village soon.”
29° (Twenty-Nine Degrees) (Twenty Nine Book 3) Page 22