Absolution: The Clandestine Saga Book 4

by ID Johnson

  Whether it was the sensation of someone watching her or the noise of his stirring that caused her to open her eyes he wasn’t sure, but even in the dark of the interior room, he could see her brown eyes looking at him. “Hey there,” she said quietly, leaning up a bit off of the pillow. “Are you awake?”

  “I guess so,” Brandon croaked before clearing his throat.

  “Oh, here,” Cassidy said, jumping up. “Jamie sat some water next to your bed. I’ll get it.” She retrieved the cup and straw and gently helped him take a sip. “Better?” she asked.

  “Yeah, thanks,” he said as she put the cup back down and sat down on the edge of her bed.

  “How do you feel?” she asked.

  Brandon considered the question for a moment. He raised his hand and stared at it as if it were a foreign object. “Weird,” he finally began. “Like I’ve been electrocuted or something. It’s so bizarre. I feel like my hands are moving a lot faster than they should be.”

  “They are,” Cassidy agreed. “Does it hurt at all?”

  “No,” he assured her. “It hurt a little bit when Jamie put the first dose in, but I think I was already out by the time he gave me the second one, the pain medicine. What time is it?”

  Cassidy grabbed her phone out from underneath her pillow. “It’s just after midnight.”

  “Just after midnight Sunday morning, or just after midnight the third week of April?” Brandon asked, scooting up a bit so he could see her better.

  Giggling, Cassidy said, “Sunday morning. You really weren’t out that long.”

  Brandon was surprised. “Huh. I expected to be out until at least Monday.”

  “I know, right?” Cassidy agreed, swinging her crossed legs back and forth slowly. “I did, too. I’m glad you’re up though. You missed some stuff.”

  “Really?” Brandon asked, sitting up even more. “Like what?”

  “Well, my friends found Giovani at Heathrow getting on a plane earlier today. Aaron thinks he’s on his way to Philadelphia, so they’re checking footage for that right now.”

  “Why Philadelphia?” Brandon asked, his brow wrinkled.

  With a sigh, Cassidy explained, “They think he’s going to turn the Jogging Path Killer into a Vampire so he can take out my sister.”

  “Shut up!” Brandon exclaimed, up on one elbow now. “Why would he need to do that?”

  “I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I guess that’s, like, the only guy who would be powerful enough to do it.”

  “Unbelievable,” Brandon said laying back down. “So if they find out Giovani’s in Philly, will they go there?”

  “Yeah,” Cassidy assured him. “And my sister will have to kill the Jogging Path Killer—I mean destroy him. I guess he’d be dead already. Or whatever.”

  Staring at the ceiling, Brandon contemplated her story. “That sounds kind of dangerous,” he finally said, quietly.

  “I know,” Cassidy agreed, tossing herself backwards onto her pillow. “She said she’s not worried about it, that she can take anyone. Maybe she can. I don’t know.”

  He leaned up on one elbow so he could look at her. Even in the dim light he could see the nervous expression on her face, the way she was chewing on the inside of her mouth. “Hey, Cass, I’m sure she’ll be fine,” he assured her.

  She turned her head to look at him. Offering him a small smile, she finally said, “I guess so. I just wish we could go with them.”

  “You and me both,” he agreed laying back down. “Maybe they will at least let us go to the planning meeting, you know? Get us some experience that way.”

  “That would be good, but not the same as going on the hunt. I really want to be part of bringing Giovani down,” Cassidy replied.

  “Why is that again?” he asked peering at her through the darkness.

  “He made my sister kill Jack!” she said leaning up quickly and looking at him as if he was an idiot. “I loved Jack. If it weren’t for Giovani, Jack would still be here. He’d be a Vampire, but at least he wouldn’t be dead. I’d rather have a Vampire Jack than no Jack at all.”

  “Right,” Brandon remarked, turning his attention back to the ceiling. After a few moments he said, “Remind me who Jack is again.”

  “Oh, good grief!” Cassidy exclaimed, pulling her pillow out from behind her head and hitting him with it. “He was my sister’s ex-boyfriend.”

  “That’s right,” Brandon replied, still not sure why he was so important to Cassidy. As she readjusted her pillow and threw herself back down, he decided to change the subject. “Well, I don’t think we should ask to go right now. Let’s just focus on getting into the meeting, okay?”

  “All right,” Cassidy agreed, yawning. “They said Christian isn’t due back until Monday, so you won’t be able to get you IAC until then.”

  “I figured I’d have to wait on him,” Brandon nodded. “You met him?”

  “Yes,” Cassidy replied. “At… the last time I was here.”

  “At my dad’s funeral?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s okay. I know he died. And I know there was a funeral,” Brandon assured her.

  “I know,” Cassidy said, stifling another yawn. “I just didn’t want to say anything that might upset you.”

  “In my delicate condition?”

  She giggled again. “Sorry. I’ve had a lot of people die lately, and people never know what to say to me either.”

  “Well, that sucks,” he muttered. “What kind of a guy is he? Christian—I mean.”

  Cassidy seemed to ponder the question for a moment. “I don’t know. He’s weird,” she finally admitted. “I mean—I think he’s really good at his job, just seems kind of… out of place, maybe?”

  Brandon considered that response for a few moments before saying, “I guess I’m glad he’s good at his job, at least.”

  “Yeah, he does all of the IACs, so he’s good at it,” Cassidy assured him. She yawned again and readjusted her pillow.

  “You seem pretty tired,” he said, rolling on his side to face her.

  “I am,” she agreed. “I’m more of a morning person.”

  He laughed. “That might need to change.”

  She cracked a smile. “I guess so,” she admitted as she finally let her eyelids close.

  “I’m really surprised your sister let you stay in here with me,” he said quietly. She was only a few feet away, and he was tempted to reach over and brush her hair away from her face, but he didn’t do it. He still wasn’t sure what she thought of him, and he didn’t want to press the issue.

  Without opening her eyes, Cassidy began, “She didn’t want to, but I’d told you I’d be here when you woke up. So Aaron said I could stay.”

  “I always liked that guy,” Brandon mumbled.

  “I didn’t,” Cassidy said, her eyes fluttering open for a moment. “But I guess he’s not so bad.”

  Brandon didn’t bother to ask any questions about what she meant by that considering she was nearly asleep, but he did say, “He loves your sister. That’s for sure. He won’t let anything happen to her.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Cassidy whispered. As she began to drift off, she added, “Good night, Brandon. See you in the morning.”

  “Good night, Cassidy,” he said quietly. As her breathing evened out, he gently leaned over and brushed a few loose strands of brown hair away from her face; her smile was enough to confirm things were moving in the right direction.

  ***

  Cadence bolted up right, almost knocking Aaron’s phone out of his hand as she did so. She looked around her own living room like she wasn’t sure where she was or how she got there. The last thing she knew, she’d been talking to Aaron about strategy, and then she was being chased. By Jack.

  “Are you all right?” Aaron asked, setting his phone down on the table next to the couch and cautiously putting his hand on her back.

  Taking a deep breath, Cadence replied, “Yeah, I guess so.” She looked behind her and then at him, p
utting the puzzle pieces together. She was beginning to remember tossing a throw pillow on his lap as they went over their game plan. She must have fallen asleep. “Sorry,” she muttered, sitting up and putting her feet on the floor. “It was Jack. Again.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, smoothing her long hair down her back. “Chasing you again?”

  “Yeah,” she confirmed, massaging her temples, her elbows resting on her knees. “God, it gets old.”

  “Maybe once we get Giovani it will all stop,” Aaron offered.

  Cadence spun around, turning to face him, tucking one leg under her as she did so. “Ugh, I can’t believe I fell asleep.”

  “You were pretty tired. You never got caught up after the hunt the other night, remember?” he said taking her hand.

  “I know,” she agreed, absently playing with his fingers in both of her hands. “We just have so much to do.”

  “We’ve already talked to the team in Philly, and they’re mobilizing to get to the hospital as quickly as they can. Hannah is handling the local hunt, and Brandon just woke up, and he’s fine. I’ve called all of our teammates together for a meeting at 8:00 in the morning. There’s really not much else we can do tonight. You might as well get some sleep.”

  “Brandon’s awake? Already?” she asked, wrapping his arm around her waist and forcing him to move closer.

  “Uhm hmm,” he said as he leaned in towards her.

  “How do you know that?”

  Before he answered, he took the opportunity to kiss her, and she let him. After a moment, he pulled back and said, “I know everything, remember?”

  She smiled at him and shook her head. “Okay, but how do you know?”

  “I don’t know. Just a change in vibration,” he shrugged.

  “So you don’t really know—you just have a feeling.”

  “Cadence,” he sighed with a lopsided grin. “He’s awake. He’s fine. We’ll talk to him in the morning, and he’ll let you know that he woke up around midnight, okay?”

  “Okay,” she replied, deciding to let it go. After all, he was probably right. He usually did know these things—somehow. “I hope my sister is still asleep.”

  Aaron laughed. “They’re fine. She doesn’t even know if she likes him or not.”

  Cadence knew he could use his abilities to read other people’s emotions to determine that. “He definitely likes her.”

  “She’s your sister. What’s not to like?”

  “I know. But she’s not me,” Cadence reminded him.

  “Can’t disagree with you there. And she’s getting a little—feisty.”

  Nodding, Cadence said, “I know. What’s up with that?”

  “I don’t know. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

  “She’s just so eager to get on with everything. I wish she’d just slow down. Everything will change once she’s out there with us,” Cadence said, staring off across the room at nothing.

  “It’ll be all right. We’ll figure it out,” Aaron assured her.

  “Do you think Christian will get back in time to do Elliott’s IAC before we have to leave? Cadence asked.

  “Do you mean Brandon?” Aaron corrected her.

  “Shit,” Cadence mumbled. “I have go to get my head straight.”

  “They are not the same person, sweetheart.”

  “I know. They are very different, actually. And I’ve got to stop treating him like he’s his dad.”

  “I think that will get easier over time,” Aaron assured her. “And to answer your question, I don’t know. I’m thinking we may need to tell Christian to go straight to Philly. Brandon may have to wait a few days. He can start his training without it. You did.”

  “Are you planning on leaving Shane here to do that?”

  “Yes, I don’t think we need him. I suppose we need to bring the best of the best with us, and unfortunately, he really isn’t on that list.”

  “Globally?” she asked, fidgeting with his fingers again.

  “Don’t you think?” Aaron asked.

  Cadence nodded. “At least everyone we can get in the US. We might not have time to wait for international leaders.”

  “True. We’ll just have to see what our timeline is,” Aaron agreed with her. “Are you still feeling antsy?” he asked, noticing her knee bouncing again.

  “I wish I knew what was going on,” Cadence sighed. “It’s really starting to get on my nerves.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, brushing back a stray lock of hair from her face. “You are still taking your birth control right?”

  “Not you, too!” she muttered. “Yes. It’s not that.”

  “Okay,” he said defensively. “Just making sure.” After a few moments, he changed the subject, saying, “It will be better if we can get Christian to Philly in time to help us, though, considering he grew up there.”

  “He did?” Cadence asked, surprised.

  Aaron sighed. “You know, you really should try talking to your teammates about their lives from time to time. It might help you understand them a little better.”

  Cadence wanted to be defensive, but she knew he was right. “I know. It’s just—I always feel like I’m prying. And when I do ask, people go on and cover hundreds of years’ worth of history.”

  “I think that’s the problem. You don’t want to hear all of that, so you don’t ask.”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s really not. I mean, I know about Aurora and Meagan. And Meagan’s told me all about Shane. I guess, growing up we didn’t talk about our family’s history. And now I know why. So, I’m just not used to asking. And everyone already knows everything about me. So… I just don’t ask. But I’ll try to be better, I promise,” Cadence explained, running her fingers through her hair.

  “Okay,” Aaron shrugged, leaning down to kiss her.

  She returned the kiss quickly, but cut him off to ask, “You don’t believe me, do you?”

  “Maybe,” he said. “But no. Not really.”

  Now she was offended. “I will! I will try harder. I’ll ask Jamie something tomorrow—about the Civil War or something.”

  “Uhm, that ended three years before he was born, but that’s the spirit,” Aaron corrected her.

  “Fine—then World War I, then.”

  “For a human, that would be way off—but that will work. He can talk about that.”

  “Okay, then I will do it. You will see,” she said, crossing her arms with conviction.

  Aaron just laughed and shook his head. “Anyway, it would be better if Christian can get back here in time. I’m going to go ahead and get him on a plane.”

  “I could have sworn he was British,” Cadence mumbled, realizing he was likely sending Christian an IAC to get him on a plane.

  It took him a moment, but eventually Aaron said, “Please don’t ever say that to Christian. He would be very offended.”

  “Why?” Cadence asked, a puzzled look on her face.

  “Because he fought the British, and he’s not a fan,” Aaron explained.

  “He fought the British? Oh, should I ask him about World War I?”

  “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that and get you a history book for Christmas. No, in the Revolutionary War.”

  “Hey, I know a lot about history. I got an A in all of my history classes,” Cadence shot back. “Right—World War I was Germany. The first time, right? So Christian fought the…” she thought for a moment before saying, “red coats?”

  “That’s it,” he confirmed, a bit relieved that she knew more than he originally thought.

  “Wow,” Cadence replied, shaking her head. “Then he’s like… what? Two hundred and some odd years old?”

  “Yes, he’s… two hundred fifty-nine, I believe,” Aaron said, thoughtfully.

  Cadence shook her head back and forth slowly. “I really cannot wrap my head around that.”

  “And you thought I was old,” Aaron muttered.

  “Man, he’s a lot older than you.”

&nbs
p; “Yep, and you made out with him,” Aaron smiled.

  “Don’t remind me!” Cadence said punching him in the arm. “Regardless of how old he is.”

  “On this very couch….”

  “Stop or else I will bring up someone from your past!”

  One thought of Eliza—who had already been in his brain too much for one day—stopped him. “Okay—I’ll stop.”

  “Aaron…” Cadence whined in her best Eliza impression.

  “I said I’ll stop!” he exclaimed gently grabbing her arm.

  “Can I go with you to Montana?” Cadence continued.

  “Stop! Seriously!”

  “Why don’t you make me?” she threatened, a wicked glint in her eye.

  He did the only thing he could think of to make her stop talking. He pulled her into his arms and began to kiss her. She immediately began to respond to his sweet caresses and climbed onto his lap, straddling him as she did so. He wound his hands through her hair but kept his mouth on hers, afraid she hadn’t quite let it go just yet.

  “I can still annoy you, you know?” she asked through her IAC.

  “I can turn your feed off, you know?” he replied.

  He moved his hands to her waist underneath her shirt, and she caught her breath as he did so, moving her lips to his neck. Just as he was about to carry her into the other room, they both received a message they couldn’t ignore. It was Andrew, the head of the Philly Area. “It’s going down,” he said through the IAC, clearly out of breath. “And I think we might be too late to stop it.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Dixon had dozed off in his seat in the waiting room outside Steven Gibbon’s hospital room. He knew the officers at the door would let him know if there was any change in Gibbon’s condition. So after a quick call to his girlfriend to let her know he’d be home sometime tomorrow, he nodded off, sure that the hardest part of his day was over.