Vanessa only smiled at me. “Don’t worry, you are safe with us.”
I looked down to see what had bumped into my arm, only to see she was offering me a bottle of water. Taking a quick look around the vehicle, I noticed that the older gentleman had at some point moved from the back of the SUV to the front seat. I couldn’t complain much. Trading up from an old man to a beautiful woman was a good deal in my book. I was surprised that I hadn’t even noticed when the SUV stopped. Looking back at Vanessa, all I could mumble out were the words, “Thank you.” Sometimes water was the greatest gift you could get. That must be why they say a drop of water in the desert is worth more than gold.
I looked up to the front of the SUV and asked, “So, do you think it’s time for us to have that talk yet?”
The older gentleman turned slowly around in his seat to look at me. I could tell he was sizing me up. “First, let’s get cleaned up and get something to eat. Then we will sit down and have that talk.”
I turned to look out the window, shocked at the ease with which I let him blow me off. I felt like I deserved answers. I could feel the anger in me boiling just below the surface. I calmed myself by slowly breathing and reminding myself that without their assistance, I would be trapped in a cell somewhere. I felt the SUV start to slow down, and we took a slow right through a gate and onto a hedge-lined driveway.
To say the house was impressive would be an understatement. We stopped at a small gate for a second; while it opened, it gave me a chance to take it all in. The long driveway led up to what could only be called a mansion. Both sides of the driveway were flanked by huge lush green spaces. The owner was obviously not pretentious; the driveway was just regular asphalt instead of crushed shells or gravel. The front of the house was just a pristine green space. Large windows were placed on each side of the elaborate wrought iron and wood door. Turning around to look back out the window, I marveled at the sheer amount of grass. It was the most I had ever seen outside of a golf course, and it was completely amazing.
The house itself seemed slightly out of place for being in the Southwest. I guess, that is if we were still in the Southwest. It reminded me more of a mansion you would see in the South. The front was lined with pillars and had a covered awning over the drive. From this central position, the house rose on both sides to what seemed to me to be a towering height. It was at least three stories tall, but it looked bigger, like each floor had vaulted ceilings. You couldn’t get a real scope of its size without going inside, because there was no way to tell how deep the house was from the front. All I knew was it was the most expensive house I had seen in person.
As we pulled under the covered part of the drive, the massive front doors opened and two men came out, heading for the SUV. They were both dressed in dark suits and wore very serious expressions on their faces. I took my cue to exit the vehicle when I saw my benefactor open his door. The older gentleman spoke to both of the men as if they were old friends, but I was picking up on the vibe that they actually worked for him. He confirmed this by asking one of them to show me to the guest quarters and to bring me a change of clothes, as well as some food. Vanessa and Steven nodded once to the man standing in front of me and then disappeared into the house.
He turned to me and said, “Jackson, I’ve got some business to attend to, and I’d like to get cleaned up myself. Please take some time to relax in your room and have something to eat. Tony will bring you some food and clean clothes. I’ll have someone come and get you when I’m ready for you.”
He put out his hand and I shook it, a little confused as to how he knew my name. It was a slight slip, but something that I needed to keep in mind. “Thank you for helping me out of that place, sir. I don’t even know your name.”
He smiled, as if covering up being momentarily caught off guard, and said, “You may call me Mr. Stillman.” He smiled at me again and gently patted me on the shoulder. “Now go get cleaned up, Jackson, and have something to eat. Tony.” He motioned for the guard to lead me away as he said his name.
One of the men in the suits turned toward me and said, “Right this way.” I turned away from the remaining security and Mr. Stillman, and followed Tony into the mansion.
The mansion was even nicer inside. It had a simple elegance. The owner wasn’t trying to bash you over the head with symbols of his wealth. The house was very simply decorated on the inside, but everything was done right. I followed my guard up the centralized stairs in the main entrance. At a small landing halfway up the stairs, we had the choice of going left or right. I followed my guide to the right into a long, wide hallway. Dark wood floors were covered with thick red carpets that made the hallway look regal. I suspected if they sold one of the rugs in the hallway, the money could have put me through college. We stopped at the third door on the right side of the hallway.
The door opened into a huge room with a large sitting area and a tall four-poster bed. I was impressed right away by the double French doors in the room, one set leading to a large deck and the other into a massive bathroom. The shower in the bathroom was a masterpiece of its own. It had so many showerheads, I didn’t know which knob to turn first.
Tony gave me a slight smile, sensing my confusion, but when he spoke, all he said was, “I turned on the heated floor tiles for you. I’ll have someone bring up food from the kitchen along with fresh clothes for you. I will be just outside of the bedroom door if you need anything else. There won’t be any need to rush; Mr. Stillman won’t be long, but you probably have an hour to kill before he will be ready to see you.”
I just nodded my head in reply, still trying to get used to the feeling of not being in control of what was happening around me. Tony nodded back and headed out of the bedroom door, closing it behind him. I walked back into the bathroom and started to undress. I noticed for the first time since I had been taken that I was still wearing my father’s gloves and his necklace. I stripped off the gloves with the rest of my clothes, but couldn’t bear the thought of taking off his necklace. It felt like it was part of me now, and I didn’t want to be without it. The heated floor tiles felt warm under my feet, and I couldn’t wait to try out the shower. Stepping into the steam-filled waterfall, I finally started to relax. The shower washed away the dirt and blood that covered me, as well as some of the guilt I felt over the death of my parents.
6
Stillman
Entering my study, I was shocked to find Antovious waiting for me. It wasn’t like him to disobey a direct order and be somewhere that he knew he shouldn’t be, yet there he was perched in one of the oversized leather chairs with a crystal decanter of scotch from the bar firmly planted between his legs. He took the killings hard, ever since he was a boy. Antovious was one of the strongest mages alive and would never shirk his duty, but he hated the killings even if they were for the greater good.
He looked to be a good way into my decanter of scotch already, and I didn’t have the time to mince words with him. Not now, not when we had the boy already here. If the boy had seen him, it could have ruined everything. He shouldn’t be anywhere near here. Not tonight, not now, not when we were so close to putting our plan in place. This was one complication that I did not need.
I hoped I would be able to use the boy in a way his father would have never allowed. His father was strong-willed; so far, I had the impression that the boy was anything but. This chance to influence him could not be wasted on a careless mistake. I slowly walked around my desk, letting Antovious know that I was aware of his presence, but I also made sure not to directly acknowledge him. I wanted him to sense my displeasure.
“Antovious, I thought I gave specific orders for you to be gone before we returned. Was the order so simple that you couldn’t follow it?”
He turned his gaunt features toward me and fixed me with his best dead man’s stare, and I knew then what people looked at before he took their lives. “No, I understood the order perfectly well, but I needed some proper motivation before I headed out. Today was not
exactly what I was expecting, Director; a family with no magic is hardly worth my effort or time. That means you have something else planned, something bigger than just murdering a couple of nobodies, and I want to know what it is.”
I continued my walk slowly around the desk, making sure to take my time, to remind Antovious of his place in things. When I sat down, I took a moment to turn on my laptop and reach for the cigar case at the edge of my desk. I slowly cut the cigar and lit it, savoring the flavor before turning back to face him.
Without looking up from my laptop, I addressed him again. “One of the blessings of being the director, Antovious, is to not have to explain my decisions to you. I follow and act out orders directly for the Council. If something goes wrong, I have to explain why and how to the Council. What I do not have to do is explain it to you! You, on the other hand, damn well have to explain your actions to me! I find that I give you great leeway to complete your tasks, and you never fail me. Why would you risk everything I have been working for just to be stubborn?”
I took a few puffs of my cigar as I held the flame to it, giving what I said to him the opportunity to sink in past the alcohol. I placed the cigar in the marble ashtray and slowly stood up, taking my time to walk to the antique bar on the other side of the study. I took extra time to look at the crystal tumbler against the light, checking the glass for imperfections that I knew were not there. Again, I made sure to leisurely sit down, as if his concerns were only a secondary thought to me, knowing that moving this slowly would only infuriate him. To add a little insult to injury, once I had sat down, I motioned to my glass for him to pour me a drink while I sat back and puffed lightly at my cigar. Now that I was sure he understood his place in this conversation, I decided to continue.
“Antovious, you have earned such a high place in our organization by not only being the best at what you do but by consistently reminding us of your dedication to our cause. I know that I can trust you with more than anyone else on my staff. The reason I asked you to leave tonight is because I brought the boy you captured back here. Now do you understand how it would look if he saw you here, the person who murdered his family? How compliant do you think he would be then?”
He looked at me, anger bleeding from the corners of his eyes. “Not very.”
Normally, I wouldn’t take the time to explain myself to someone under my command, but Antovious was a special case. He had been working for me for over seventy years, and I planned on him being around another seventy. If anyone else who worked for me pulled this shit, they would be punished, and then either killed or put back to work in a lower capacity depending on how I was feeling. Antovious had proven his worth more than once, so I was willing to give him a small measure of leeway, this one time. The courtesy would not be extended again. People had to know their place. His place was to do what I asked without hesitation. Mine was to reward success and punish failure.
“You’re lucky I don’t bury you for your insolence. We should be celebrating; instead, I’m forced into giving you a lecture.”
I could see the shock on his face, but he controlled it well; the expression only showed with a slight widening of his eyes. I understood why. I had never addressed him as I was now. I had always treated him as a son. Maybe that time was over. Granted, he couldn’t have known that the boy would be here. The last time he had seen him, Antovious was locking him in a cell. I didn’t have time to tell him about the rest of the plan before I put it in motion.
“I am walking a very fine line with this plan. You being here against my orders puts everything at risk. Has what I’m telling you sunk in yet? There are a lot of moving parts here Antovious, and I need you to not be one of them. You got to the boy before anyone else could, and for that I am grateful. I needed the boy, you retrieved him, and you will be rewarded. He is more important than you know. He is the key to unlocking our future.”
“I’m sorry. I had no idea, Director.”
I paused only for a second before staring directly into Antovious’s cold dark eyes. “I know you didn’t. A small part of that is my fault, and I hope you can forgive me for it. I have big plans for you one day. You might even be sitting where I am now.” I watched him smile at the thought of moving into my position. He was ambitious, with just the right amount of loyalty to not have me looking over my shoulder. “You are the blade that I wield to cleanse my enemies from this plane. Without someone like you by my side, all my aspirations would fall to dust. Can I count on you going forward?”
“Of course you can.” He sounded almost shocked that I would even ask. “I exist only to serve you.”
“If my failure has disappointed you, say the word and I will accept whatever punishment you have for me.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
I shifted in my chair, turning away from him and looking out of the window. I puffed silently on my cigar, letting the words that had been spoken between us resonate. Antovious was still my man through and through. A little bit of insubordination could be forgiven, under the right circumstances. I was feeling good about the situation. The boy hadn’t seen him, and my plan was still intact.
“I am enrolling the boy at the academy. That decision comes with its own inherent risks. It puts him directly in the hands of Adam, but it is also the only way to unlock his full potential. I was hoping the rescue today would earn us some goodwill with him. That he would look to me as a friend in uncertain times. If Jackson had seen you here, that chance would have been ruined. I would have then been forced to make a choice between you and the future of our organization. That is a choice you would have been on the losing end of.”
I turned my chair back around so I was facing him again. He looked up at me, eyes half-lidded from the alcohol and weary from the day’s events, and simply said, “I understand, Director.”
He stood up and made to leave the room, and I stopped him by gently saying his name. As he turned to look at me, a small wad of money bounced off his chest; he caught it before it hit the ground, showing off his lightning-quick reflexes. I was impressed to see that he was still so sharp after drinking so much. “I know you despise what you had to do today. This money isn’t payment for their deaths. It is only something to help you get by while you cannot be under this roof. If you need anything more, call and it will be yours.”
Without another word, he pocketed the money and left. Several minutes later, I heard the rumble of his motorcycle leaving the property. I sat in my room, thinking about what the future would bring. The boy was the key, but it remained to be seen if placing him at the academy would bear fruit. It was a large gamble for me to take. I wondered just where I would stand after this was all over. In the end, the rewards outweighed the risk, and that was all that mattered.
7
Jackson
When I exited the shower and stepped onto the heated tiles, I couldn’t imagine why every house in America didn’t have them. It was the greatest feeling, to step out of the shower and be able to curl your toes against the warmth. I looked around for a towel and found one on the rack to my left. That was when I noticed all my clothes were gone. I felt a small moment of panic set in. I mean, who were these people, anyway? What could they possibly want with me? I dried myself off in a hurry, firmly wrapped the towel around my waist, and headed into the bedroom.
There was a set of clothes laid out on the bed, and a small note letting me know my clothes were being washed and would be returned shortly. I pulled on the laid-out pair of jeans and black T-shirt; surprisingly, they fit pretty well. Along with the jeans and shirt was a pair of black socks and black combat boots. They had to have matched the sizes to the clothes they picked up for cleaning. There was a full staff here to run the house, plus what looked like security guards. It made some sense that one of them would be close to my size. Once I finished dressing, I did a quick scan of the room, looking to see if they had already brought the food I had been promised. It was amazing the new sounds my stomach started making after a day without foo
d.
True to his word, Tony had a platter of food waiting for me. The smell alone was making my mouth water. When I lifted the top off the silver platter, there was a huge cheeseburger on the plate. The burger was covered in two kinds of cheese, along with a mountainous portion of bacon. Instead of just putting the trimmings on what I was secretly referring to as the baconator, somebody had prepared a separate plate with three small dishes of what had to be mayo, ketchup, and mustard. Then, on another plate, there was a generous side of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. It was like a build-your-own-burger bar. I lifted the top off the last silver tray and found it piled high with French fries. Mind you, these weren’t the baked-in-your-oven frozen type of fries, but freshly deep-fried bliss. They were amazing.
I loaded up the top of the burger with a layer of fries. I always did that for burgers, and a few and far between Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich. With my mouth watering, I dug into the burger and fries. I wasn’t even worried anymore about how long it had been since I had eaten. This meal was probably two days’ worth of calories, anyway, but I had earned it with my sprint the previous day. My stomach groaned as the first few bites hit the ravenous beast, but this time it was in pleasure.
The food was so good, I almost forgot about needing a drink. I didn’t look for one until I had a small cough after stuffing too many fries into my mouth at once. Did I mention how hungry I was? I found the drinks in a small bucket next to where the food had been placed. The bucket contained bottles of Coke, Pepsi, and water. I grabbed a bottle of water and a Coke. The water was so good, and the Coke should help out after the carb coma started to kick in. I had just finished up the burger and fries and started on my second bottle of water when there was a knock at the door.
The Arena Page 7