After Thought

by P. A. Crenshaw

  Adam also knew that facing the KTP was dangerous, and there was a good probability that they would all be killed if the meeting went badly. With so many thoughts going through his head, he was really starting to feel stressed. He and Maddie hadn’t been able to talk about how they both felt about the situation. He recalled when she told him the story of her sons being killed. The trauma had caused her to enter into her own little, mental world unable to function for months. Adam feared that the current events might do the same damage to her, and that it might be months before their relationship could be repaired. He feared that she was angry at him for killing Paul. He feared that she hated him. They hadn’t kissed or been intimate, or even held hands, since the incident occurred. He feared that she was just tolerating him long enough to meet with the KTP. She hadn’t told him to go to hell and leave, but she hadn’t been affectionate either. He didn’t know what to make of it. It hurt him to think they might not ever be the same again, because he loved her with all his heart. His life would not be worth living if she wasn’t a part of it. So he decided that if she told him she didn’t love him anymore, he would fight to the death if the meeting with the KTP went south. He hoped that, by fighting for freedom, eventually his death would give her a better life.

  Suddenly, Adam became aware that his thoughts were those of fear and doubt. He reminded himself that he needed to get the negative thoughts out of his mind and only think positively. He told himself that she was just having a hard time dealing with Paul’s death. Maddie had loved Paul. She bore his children—even though he turned out to be a monster. Adam could see why she might still care for him, if only somewhere in the recesses of her heart. She was probably also afraid of what the future held for her and Adam. Knowing her, she was more fearful for the lives of the ones she loved than for her own life. Adam knew they needed to talk, but he didn’t know when the time would be right. So until then, he continued to give her space.

  Sancha and Mel invited Maddie and Adam to stay at their house until the meeting was over, but they decided it would be best for all of them if they split up. If the KTP decided to go ahead and seek revenge, it would be better to be spread out in different locations. Maddie and Adam booked a suite across town. When they got to the hotel, Maddie was still not talking to him. She immediately started making phone calls and telling people about the upcoming meeting. Adam didn’t know any practitioners of Refined Transcendent Power other than the ones Maddie had introduced him to, so he didn’t have any phone calls to make. Instead, he got online, using the secure laptop and VPN connection that Jonathan had provided him, and started searching some secure websites that Maddie had given him for possible ways to contact people. He tried to think of positive thoughts of thousands of people from all over the world attending the meeting. He imagined people of all races, ages, and beliefs with one thing in common—they were all peaceful practitioners.

  Maddie asked each person that she contacted to spread the word and ask their friends to do the same. Adam found a few interesting hits on the internet. He had never Google searched for “Refined Transcendent Power” before, but he actually found some groups, chats, and blogs that could possibly be visited by practitioners of RTP. He posted anonymous messages just in case KTP hackers were watching. If the KTP hackers did happen to intercept the communications, by the time they could figure out his location, he and Maddie would have already moved on. Worst-case scenario, he could leave the laptop in the hotel if they needed to leave in a hurry. That would throw them off for a little while. They continued trying to reach people for most of the day until they were both exhausted.

  Adam found his thoughts wandering frequently. He couldn’t clear his mind. He wondered if he would ever see the band members or his family again and what they would do without him if he got killed or had to go into hiding.

  Chapter 46

  Adam tried to refocus on thoughts of summoning all of the peaceful practitioners to the meeting. But try as he might, his thoughts would drift back to thinking about the implications of the upcoming meeting with the KTP. He thought of the possible outcomes: One, they would all end up in a battle and die; two, they would reach a peaceful resolution with the KTP that would free the peaceful practitioners; or three, they would all end up having to go back into hiding for the rest of their lives, with Adam being a wanted man for killing their leader.

  He rubbed his face and eyes. He had to believe that he had already received the outcome he wanted and show sincere gratitude for it. He and Maddie were so intent on contacting the others that they didn’t notice how quickly the day went by. They didn’t even stop to eat. Adam didn’t as much as glance at the clock until his stomach started grumbling and his eyes grew heavy. By the time he realized how hungry and sleepy he was, he didn’t know which he wanted to do first—sleep or eat. He decided they should eat to keep their strength up. Neither one of them had eaten much in the past few days. Since they were still in their disguises, he took the liberty of ordering room service.

  The food arrived but remained untouched, as neither one of them wanted to stop what they were doing. Maddie continued calling, texting, and e-mailing. He continued searching the internet for possible leads and ways to alert others without alerting the KTP of their plans. Around midnight, when they were both finally exhausted, Maddie stopped what she was doing and lay down on the bed. She rolled on her side and stared at Adam. Feeling the weight of her stare on his back, he turned to look at her. It was the first time in several days she had actually stopped to look at him.

  Although she smiled, her eyes betrayed her sadness as she said, “Adam, will you please hold me?”

  Surprised, Adam returned her stare. He was so glad to hear her say those words. She didn’t hate him. She needed him to comfort her. He lay down behind her and wrapped his arms around her, spooning her back to his chest. She turned her head to look at his face, her eyes searching his.

  “I can’t stand the silence any longer. I know you probably hate me, but I haven’t had a chance to thank you for saving my life,” she said softly.

  Once again she surprised Adam. He didn’t know how to respond. Was that how she saw it? That he hated her? He started to say something, but she cut him off.

  “Please, let me finish,” she said. “I truly believe that if you hadn’t done what you did, we would both be dead right now. And I’m sorry if I haven’t been coping well with this whole situation. I never dreamed our vacation to visit friends would turn out this way. I’m so sorry that I dragged you along and put you in danger—yet again.”

  It was then that the realization hit him. She had not been quiet and aloof for the last few days because she was angry at him or because she didn’t love him anymore. She was, once again, blaming herself and feeling guilty for putting him in danger. She thought he was mad at her. She believed that she was the one who put him at risk, not the other way around. He almost laughed aloud at the irony of the situation. He released a sigh of relief.

  Apparently, all this time, she had been beating herself up inside, worrying that she was putting Adam at risk and feeling guilty about it. He should have known. That was why she had left him after the avalanche. She had said she couldn’t live with herself if something had happened to him. How could he have been so foolish?

  He pulled her closer to him and said, “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear you say those words.”

  She looked puzzled as if that was the craziest thing she had ever heard.

  “You don’t hate me?” she said.

  “I thought you were angry at me for killing Paul and the other man.”

  She furrowed her brow.

  “Angry at you for saving my life and for acting in self-defense? I could never be angry at you for that.”

  “Well,” he said, “I could never be angry at you for bringing me here and introducing me to your wonderful friends. I love you, Maddie, and I’d rather die than for us to be apart.”
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  Relief flooded her face as she said, “I love you too, Adam. And I will be putting you in danger once again at the meeting next week.”

  He winced and said, “You can’t blame yourself for that one. I was the one who opened my big mouth and told them my ideas about meeting. So I could turn it around and say that I’m putting you at risk.”

  She smiled and even giggled a little. It was such a relief to hear her laughter and to see her smile a genuine smile for the first time in days. He pulled her closer. She rolled over to face him, hugged him tightly, and wrapped her legs around him. She pulled back and looked at him, her eyes searching his.

  “You actually thought I was mad at you?”

  “I couldn’t help but wonder. You told me you loved Paul like you had never loved anyone before. I thought maybe you still loved him, and that you hated me for killing him.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “How could you believe that? When I said I loved Paul more than I had ever loved anyone before, I meant over a century ago. It was true then, and it is true at some basic level now. I do love him—well, did love him—but only in the way I would love a family member or a longtime friend. I haven’t had any romantic feelings for him in as long as I can remember. I only love one person, and that person is you. I can truly say I have never loved anyone more than I love you, Adam.”

  Everything was right in the world again. Forget worrying about the outcome of the meeting. That was all Adam needed to hear to keep going. He would learn to deal with the guilt for taking the lives of two people. It would all be okay as long as he and Maddie had each other. Now that he knew the truth, he would face anything to protect the love between them. He became even more determined to summon a positive, peaceful result for the meeting.

  He hugged her tightly and kissed her gently. They kissed for several moments, gently at first, and then the familiar passion overtook them. When he was with Maddie, Adam could be fully in the moment. He could believe that everything was going to be okay.

  They clung to each other for the rest of the night, sleeping peacefully for the first time in days. Adam only woke up a couple of times with the hauntingly familiar nightmares. But this time Maddie was by his side in his dreams. We he awoke, he no longer had a feeling of dread.

  Chapter 47

  The next day, Adam, Maddie, and what was now the 10-L, met in the secret lair to review the objectives and strategize. Everyone knew the main objective was to come to a peaceful agreement with the KTP. But they also knew they had to be prepared in case the meeting turned out to be a trap and took a violent turn. They all agreed that they would do everything in their power to avoid physical violence, but they also had to be prepared to defend themselves. If they did end up having to fight, it would not be because the peaceful ones provoked it.

  As they were concluding the meeting, an incoming connection request from “Fire and Ice” appeared on the monitor. Mel looked surprised, as did everyone else in the room. Jonathan accepted the connection request.

  A square on the monitor lit up with the faces of the two council members who had declined to join them—Caragh and Callum.

  Callum said, “We’ve prayed and put much thought into your proposal. And, although we were fearful in the beginning, we’ve since realized that it is the right thing to do. We want to join you in the peaceful protest.”

  Caragh nodded her agreement.

  Roxy said, “Yes!” and started clapping. Others followed suit. Everyone was smiling. This gave them even more confidence. They had a unanimous agreement. Mel quickly filled the two newcomers in on the plans and they all adjourned.

  Chapter 48

  The Hummingbird Ranch was located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico on almost 500 acres of lush land, high forested valleys, and meadows surrounded by trees, shrubs, and various other forms of vegetation. There was a large horse pavilion, and behind it, acres of grassy meadows with room enough for the number of people that they were expecting. The venue had been reserved for the private event with guards stationed at the entrances to ensure no access to the general public.

  Adam’s nerves were surprisingly calm on the morning of the meeting with the KTP. He had done all of the mental preparation possible, and he knew without a doubt that the outcome of the meeting would be a good one. They were as ready as they were ever going to be.

  When Maddie and Adam arrived at the expansive gravel and dirt parking lot, they were encouraged to see that there were already a lot of vehicles. Adam hoped that many of them belonged to peacekeepers. They walked hand in hand toward the grassy meadow, looking for familiar faces.

  Already, there were people everywhere, from all walks of life, all cultures, and all ages. It made Adam think of images he had seen of the 1969 Woodstock festival, with an estimated 400,000 spectators, and what he imagined it would have been like to attend. Although there weren’t nearly that many people here yet, he hoped there would be—at least on the peacekeepers’ side.

  Since they had never seen many of the people they were expecting, the peacekeepers devised a way to distinguish between friend and foe. The 12-L decided that the signal would be a Namaste greeting with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upward, thumbs close to the chest. Adam and Maddie followed a trail of people giving Namaste greetings until they saw a small group of familiar faces gathered around Mel on one end of the meadow. Across the meadow Adam noticed that the KTP had begun to arrive in full force—some in buses, some in large all-terrain, military-like vehicles. Their presence was unnerving.

  As they approached the group, Jonathan ran up beside them.

  “Hey guys. Big day.” If he was nervous he didn’t let on.

  Maddie said, “Adam, let me do some quick introductions. You’ve met on the telecom, but I’d like you to meet them in person.”

  She pointed toward each person as she said their names, “This is Roxy, Tarek, Wyndolyn, Roman, Shannel, Caragh, and Callum.”

  Each person shook Adam’s hand as Maddie said their name. He then hugged Sancha and shook Mel’s hand. Adam was surprised to see their older son, Luis, with them. He shook Luis’ hand and said, “Luis, thanks for joining us, man. We can really use your help.”

  Luis looked pleased at the comment. At that moment Adam heard a familiar voice say, “High five, Mr. Adam.”

  He turned to see Mannie emerge from behind his father with his hand held high. Adam glanced at Maddie. She looked just as shocked as he figured he looked himself.

  Adam gave Mannie a high-five and said, “Hey, big guy. I’m surprised to see you here.”

  Mannie looked a little disappointed.

  Sancha said, “This sly one was supposed to stay home. Imagine our surprise when we opened the trunk of the car to get our supplies and found this stowaway.”

  She made a fake mad face at Mannie and tousled his hair.

  He shrugged and said, “No way was I going to miss out on the action.”

  Maddie and Sancha exchanged worried glances.

  “Just stick close to all of us,” said Mel. “You’ll be fine.”

  “Where’s Albert?” asked Maddie, using her hand for a sun visor as she scanned the area.

  “He’s over there being Albert,” said Roxy sarcastically, pointing in the direction of the horse pavilion.

  Adam turned in time to see Albert, who looked to be in his mid-seventies, wheeling a large cart with several cases of bottled water stacked high on it. Adam’s manners kicked in, and he started to walk toward Albert to offer a hand. He felt a large hand on his arm and turned to look up into the face of Roman, the hulk.

  “Trust me. He won’t take kindly to you offering him help,” said Roman with a slight grin on his face.

  Adam turned back to look at Albert more closely. Although Albert’s face was that of an old man, he didn’t appear to be having any trouble pushing the h
eavy cart. In fact, the more he watched, the more he realized that Albert seemed quite fit and wasn’t struggling at all.

  As if reading his thoughts, Roman said, “I know. He’s a strange old bird. Strong as an ox. He could appear any age that he wanted, but he likes his current form. Thinks it gives him an added advantage. People underestimate him.”

  Adam cocked his head. “Hey, if it works, power to him. I guess.”

  Roman laughed and gave Adam a single pat on the back as he walked past him toward Albert. Adam watched as he tried to take the cart from Albert. Albert shook his head, aggravated, and pushed Roman away. Instead, Roman walked side by side with Albert until they both joined the group—Roman grinning all the way.

  Adam glanced across the field again and saw Jeremy and at least twenty others huddled together.

  This was like a giant football game with hundreds of players.

  Based on the files that Adam had seen on the KTP, he recognized several of the top leaders in the group. He tried to focus his attention on what Mel was saying as he gave the last-minute game plans.

  At precisely ten o’clock, Jeremy motioned for Mel and company to join them. By then, the field was lined with so many of the KTP that it gave the appearance of a military force—an army of sorts. There were thousands of them all over the field.

  Some of the other peacekeepers followed Mel onto the field. Jeremy walked to the center of the field carrying a bullhorn. As Mel started walking to meet him, he motioned for Adam to join him. Jeremy shook both of their hands and announced through the bullhorn, “This is a momentous occasion.”