Edward

by Marcus LaGrone

“How fast does this thing go?” asked Tatiana. She was making idle conversation to hide her nervousness, but Edward didn't mind.

  “When they open it all the way, it can maintain about 150 km/h on level ground. They'll end up swapping out the engine with a new one tonight due to all the stress. But it gets the job done in the meantime.”

  Tatiana nodded. She was out of questions. She was scared and it showed.

  Edward smiled, “We'll be there is just a few minutes. Hang on.”

  The next five minutes dragged by in an uneasy silence as they all sat huddled together in the back of the car. They could have turned on more lights, but no one really seemed inclined. They just wanted it over. Edward strained his ears to hear the comm chatter upfront. He wanted to know what had happened with the other vehicle, but it was just too confusing to sort out. Finally, the car pulled into the parking garage, under the comforting watch of four very perturbed Shukurae. Well, they were comforting to Edward, not to anyone trying to enter the garage.

  “Ladies, this is our stop. Zoë, we'll have to drop you off a little later this evening.” Edward quickly stepped out and made eye contact with the Shukurae. They quickly nodded back. Patuk, the Shukurae that had been riding escort in the front seat of the car, got out and joined Edward as the ladies carefully exited the car.

  “Alex here yet?” asked Edward.

  “Negative, five minutes out. Jake is side eyes, Eric is top.”

  “Have you heard what happened?”

  “Unclear.”

  Edward nodded, Shukurae weren't the kind to pass rumors. Facts or not at all. “Okay, stay together on the stairs. Once we hit topside, we should be home free.” Edward led the way with the ladies close on his tail, while Patuk brought up the rear with his pulse rifle at the ready. They quickly mounted the stairs and crossed the lobby and headed toward the elevator. A police officer nodded to Edward as they crossed the room.

  Half way across the room, just as the girls were starting to calm down, Edward suddenly let out a short whistle and launched a reverse roundhouse at the police officer. It connected, not cleanly, but enough for Edward to maintain initiative. In a blue shower of sparks a pair of night sticks formed in each hand and Edward closed again with a furious exchange while Patuk quickly got between the dueling pair and the ladies.

  The cop's attempt to draw his sidearm was met with a violent strike to his forearm that sent the weapon sliding across the floor. As he grimaced in pain, he went for his own night stick with his off hand. It wasn't going to be a fair fight; Edward was faster, more skilled, and had already gotten in two very crippling blows, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try. The cop's pupils dilated as he launched into a furious exchange with Edward.

  Edward expertly parried the blows and carefully struck back. The police officer was swifting; Edward could tell that from his frenetic pace. But that meant time was on his side. It also meant higher brain functions were on his side as well, so Edward took his time and just let the man wear himself out. Sure enough three minutes later, the cop's internal reserves depleted, he collapsed to the floor and blacked out. Edward quickly secured the cop with his own restraints as the rest of his own team finally gathered around him.

  Edward stood there catching his breath as Alex caught up to him, “Good job, you took him alive.”

  “How did you know he was crooked?” asked Gillian from the edge of the crowd.

  “Under lockdown, no police were supposed to be here. Then there is the problem of the smell of gunpowder and blood in the air. That's a big warning sign there too.” Edward nodded over to where the concierge was always present.

  “The concierge,” gasped Gillian.

  12

  Neither the concierge nor the hotel security officer had survived. But the police officer in question did, and he was going to have a lot to answer for. But that was for Trevor and his crew to worry about. Alex and Meeka were able to get Zoë safely home. It was the end of a long day, and Edward just sat in a chair in the penthouse and stared at nothing in particular.

  “You okay?” asked Tatiana as she walked through the living room. She looked radiant. Well, she always did. But now she looked relaxed for a change and actually happy as opposed to just acting.

  “Everyone in our team did their job perfectly. As a result, we were able to prevent an attack on you, yet still, two innocent people were killed.”

  Tatiana sat on the couch next to Edward and frowned, “A police officer of all people was involved. No wonder they were getting nowhere before you showed up. It is because of you and your team that it has come to an end. The loss of life is his fault, not yours. So don't you go all moody. Besides, I've claimed all the moodiness around here.” She smiled, “You can't have any.”

  Edward tried to smile back, “Yes ma'am.”

  “Oh, don't you dare start to 'ma'am' me,” she groused.

  That finally got a real smile out of Edward. “You are quite the trooper, Tatiana.”

  She wrinkled her nose, “I'm not sure I want to know, but what happened with the other armored car?”

  “Roadside bomb, pretty much where Kestrel and Trevor guessed it would be too. It rolled the car, but both gals got out with only cuts and scrapes.”

  “What would have happened if we had been in that car?”

  “Probably just a sprained wrist or dislocated shoulder. Those are darn tough cars.”

  “Do they know why the cop went psycho?”

  Edward shook his head, “Trevor has some loose theories, but we probably won't get any good answers for a day or two. It will take a day at least for him to come to.”

  “They worried about his partner or anything?”

  “His partner is on voluntary leave, but there is nothing linking them at this point. It's all a big mess.”

  “So it's all hurry-up-and-wait.”

  Edward laughed, “Yep."

  “I guess that is why you are all stressed out.”

  Edward laughed again, “I'm sorry. Does it show that bad?”

  “It has been a long day for both of us. You can always just spend the night here with me, and I'm sure we could both work out the stress.”

  Edward looked into Tatiana's eyes. He half expected her to be making a joke, but there she was with her big wistful eyes staring back at him. There was both a warmth and a sincerity there that he hadn't expected, and that made things very uncomfortable.

  “I... I'm going to have to decline your offer. I'm flattered, don't get me wrong. We can talk about this a few weeks from now when there isn't stress in our systems, and, well, then there is the problem of you being a client.”

  Tatiana sat back and smiled, “Too sudden is it? You being professional and all. I can respect that!” She suddenly reached forward and kissed him on the forehead. “Well, I'm going to bed alone then. I'll see you in the morning.” With a smile and a twirl she got up and sashayed off to her bedroom.

  Edward just sat there in awe. What was he supposed to do? What could he do? Was she being serious? A flirt? What had he gotten himself into? What would happen if this got out?

  “I continue to be impressed with you,” Gillian's voice caught Edward by surprise.

  “Do you often spy on her?” asked Edward as he fought for composure.

  Gillian stepped into the light of the room. “Quite often I have to, or get to, play the role of mother for her. As such, well, yes, I spy a bit. For her own good. I think you two would make a wonderful couple. She is comfortable around you and you don't have to do any stupid testosterone laden stunts to get her attention.”

  “Being a guard isn't testosterone laden?”

  “I think Kadu would say otherwise.”

  Edward had a good laugh at that, “Yes. Yes, she would.”

  “You do your job well and you do it with poise. You are driven from within, not to show off. Don't get me wrong, you do have your flourishes, we both know that. But the respect of your team means far more to you than the media. That is far far different than a
nyone else she has been around.”

  “Even the real estate guy?”

  Gillian laughed, “Oh, bringing him up are you. He was more interested in money than anything else, but at least he wasn't a narcissist. I can tell you are still driven. You still think you have something left to prove. But it is something you have to prove to yourself, not Tatiana, and that is a big difference. You are trying to be the best you can be, for better or worse.”

  “How can it be 'for worse'?”

  Gillian laughed again. “I'm in the music business. It is all about pushing yourself to be the best. To stand out and be noticed. And often, even as people are discovering exactly what makes them the best that they can be, they also push themselves too far and succumb to a horrible mess of ills that make the tabloids, oh, so hungry. Take Tatiana, for example. She is a child star ready to start transitioning. She is at a crossroads with three obvious paths: she breaks through as a superstar on her own and in control, she becomes a star in name only and becomes a personal and emotional ruin, or she quietly fades into the background and finds a new path. I've been with her for three very long and very successful years. I wish her the best, and the best for her may be to fade from the limelight and find something new to do.” Gillian laughed, “Heavens knows she's made enough money to last her a lifetime. But if she really wants to truly break out and shine, I'll comb my fur backwards if that’s what it takes to make sure she has that opportunity.”

  “Anything but tabloid bait.”

  Gillian smiled, “Exactly. Well, I'm probably keeping you up past your bedtime. Just do me a favor and try to consider yourself as a person, to both her and the cast. Heck, I think I saw you making eyes at Zoë too.”

  Edward blanched. “Oh, it is so past my bedtime!” He scrambled to get up and headed toward the door.

  “Edward, just do yourself a favor: don't sell yourself short as a person. You are far too young.”

  “Now you are starting to sound like my brothers.”

  “That doesn't make it any less true. Good night, Edward.”

  “Goodnight, Mom.”

  “Don't you dare,” laughed Gillian.

  13

  The trek out to the armored car was as it had been the previous day, with Shukurae keeping the fans well clear of the trio as they approached. Tatiana was initially put out at the continued heightened security, but as quickly as Gillian went to smooth her nerves, she found Tatiana was already grinning like a school girl: she wasn't holding Edward's arm, she was holding his hand. Edward sheepishly grinned back, more than a little confused. Gillian just laughed and enjoyed the upbeat morning after such a dreadful previous day.

  Trevor met them at the car, “Ma'am, do you mind if I ride with you this morning? I'll try to fill you in on what all we know.”

  Gillian smiled and opened with her traditional admonishment, “You may only ride with us if you don't call me 'ma'am'.”

  Trevor smiled broadly, “Gillian then?”

  “Yes, please.”

  The four of them quickly found their seats in the car and it quietly and effortlessly pulled away. Far more quietly and smoothly than previously. Apparently there had been even more work done on the car overnight than expected. They had done far more than just simply change out the engine!

  “First of all, the bomb attacks over the last few days we believe were the solo work of Police Constable Johann Talvis. The first bombing, he used a mule to drop the bomb...,”

  “Mule?” interrupted Gillian.

  “Pardon me for the jargon. A mule is an unsuspecting person that unknowingly carries some form of contraband. In this case, it was a fan who had recently been picked up on a drug violation.”

  “So the cop lets him go if he takes a package to his favorite star.”

  “Pretty much. He then killed the guy to cover his tracks.”

  “Eww!” Tatiana was more than a little creeped out.

  “Yeah, not a nice guy.”

  “I don't understand,” began Gillian, “He was a police officer, constable, whatever. Why attack Tatiana?”

  Trevor took a deep breath, “From what we can tell, he was trying to put pressure on her father, the governor. A recent task force had nailed Talvis's parents for involvement in organized crime. The problem with Talvis's plan is that the threats never made it up the food chain; neither the Governor nor any of his security knew that any of this was related.”

  “So the threats were being made in a vacuum,” grumbled Gillian. “Bureaucracy at its finest.”

  “Excuse me,” piped up Tatiana timidly, “but does that mean he is not related to the earlier bombings or the shooting?”

  Trevor looked at Tatiana square in the eyes, “We are unsure about the shooting. But we know for certain that he wasn't responsible for the earlier pipe bomb attacks.”

  “So we are back to where we were a week ago,” groused Gillian.

  “On one hand, yes, we are back to having a bomber on the loose. But on the other hand, that bomber was much less dangerous, and we have a lot of security and surveillance that has been brought to bear.”

  Gillian forced a smile, “Well, you never said it would be all good news. But I do appreciate the candor. Besides, I think we have one of the best at our disposal.” She smiled broadly and honestly at Edward.

  “I know you have one of the best!” retorted Trevor.

  Edward would have been embarrassed, but with Tatiana still holding his hand, he wasn't sure which of the two situations was more embarrassing.

  The morning’s rehearsal, however, did not go near as well as the drive in. Once again, the fourth number proved to be the downfall of the troupe. What little progress they had made the day before seemed to fall by the wayside. Gillian was beyond livid. Tatiana was exhausted. As Edward watched from the side, Zoë caught up with him.

  “So, I heard you caught the bad guy!”

  “Only one of the bad guys, unfortunately.”

  “Oh. Quick question: why did the guy attack the hotel if he bombed the car that he thought Tatiana was in?”

  “That was an odd one. Jake figured it out in a heartbeat. There was a camera watching us leave and there were four of us in the back of the car. But when we swapped, they only put in three mannequins.”

  “Oh, man! They give me a lift and then the guy... oh, that's terrible. I should have just ridden home with Tomish.”

  Edward shook his head, “You had no way of knowing. Never blame yourself for the actions of an evil person. If he hadn't gotten desperate and attacked the hotel, we wouldn't have stopped him when we did. Things may have been worse.”

  Zoë stuck out her tongue as if it had a bitter taste, “Yuck... I think I was happier not knowing.”

  Edward smiled, “You're strong, you'll pull forward. Can I ask you a question?”

  Zoë pantomimed scrubbing her tongue. “Huh? Sure. Anything to change the subject.”

  “Why did you take this gig? It seems way off in the wilderness for you.”

  Zoë smiled, “It pays very well! I have a scholarship to the prefecture university, free ride. But I've been supporting my little brother for the last two years, so I'm trying to save up so I can go to school and not have to work.”

  “That is terribly practical.” Edward thought about that a bit. Support her little brother? What was that all about? It wasn't really his business. “You have a heck of a motorbike; you could probably sell it and buy something more modest...”

  Zoë laughed, “I've thought about that a dozen times, but I just can't bring myself to do it. My big brother bought it for me when I was sixteen, and he is gone now. It's all I have left of him.”

  “I'm sorry about your loss...”

  Zoë looked confused and then laughed again, “No! Not gone gone, he just went off planet. To get away from here....” The last part wasn't quite as jovial. Time to change the subject!

  “I meant to ask, did I damage your bike suit? There when you really laid on the power I had to extend my claws in order to
hold on.”

  That brought a smile back to Zoë, “Nah, it'll take a bit more than claws to damage one of those things. Hey! I think Gillian has finally beaten them into shape. Time to get back to work!”

  “Good luck, Zoë!”

  She smiled back at him, “You too, Edward!”

  Zoë bounded back onto the stage and quickly seated herself behind the large ebony piano. The fifth piece was getting ready to kick off and it was Edward's favorite. Or at least it was his favorite in spite of himself. He loved the piece, how it made him feel, how easily he got lost in it. But he hated that it always seemed to take his guard down!

  As the piece slowly launched, Kadu walked up behind Edward.

  “I didn't turn into a zombie today, Kadu.”

  “Not yet. It is early in practice.”

  Edward thought that was a joke, so he took it as such. But as the piece continued, Kadu's warning was showing closer to the truth. But then suddenly, Tatiana stopped the piece.

  “Gillian, can we try something different with the piece?”

  Gillian looked confused, but for only about two heartbeats. “That piece is going solid, so now is a reasonable time to experiment. What did you have in mind?”

  Tatiana walked over to Zoë and her piano, “Do you still have the music, as it was originally scored?”

  “As a duet? Yes,” replied Zoë with eager curiosity.

  Tatiana smiled broadly, “How about we do it as a duet. Just a simple duet. The two of us and the piano. No other instruments or backing vocals until the very last verse.”

  Gillian nodded, “We can give that a try. Zoë, are you up for singing?”

  Zoë beamed, “I'd be delighted!”

  “Tatiana, if we bill the piece as a duet, you have to share more of the royalties,” warned Gillian with a grin.

  Tatiana blew a raspberry, “It's part of one song. Wah! Heck, she's already getting a cut for writing it. Why not a piece for performing it?”

  Gillian smiled and nodded. With that nod came a brief flurry of movement as another microphone was positioned for Zoë. Just as quick as the motion had started, it was over. It was a very good stage crew!