by Maddie Wade
“Really?” she asked. Her face was easily readable now as the grin split her face from ear to ear and her hands came back to rest on his chest.
“Yes, really.” He couldn’t say anymore as she was kissing him. Heat flooded him as she pressed her body to his and her tongue flicked at his bottom lip. He growled and pulled away.
“Is that a yes, you agree we should move into your place?”
“That’s a yes. Let’s go pack,” she answered, and his heart felt full with the love he felt for her.
“We need to attend this de-brief, and then we can pack my shit up,” he answered as he stood, settled her on her feet, and turned to Samson. “Let’s go, boy,” he said as they headed back to Fortis.
~~~
The Conference room felt empty without Zenobi and Eidolon, but Zenobi had retreated back to their base, which Celeste was surprised to hear was in Barcelona. Eidolon had their hands full with the fall-out from the bombing.
Celeste was sitting close to Zin, her smile still in place after his surprise announcement at lunch. She had been wondering what would happen and hadn’t wanted to broach the subject in case he said he didn’t want them to live together. Despite knowing how he felt about her, old habits were hard to break, and she’d always felt not enough. It would take time before that habit was broken.
Lucy was sitting across from her with Jace beside her, and Celeste smiled as she caught her eye. Lucy had been a different person since her sister had been rescued. The mantle of grief that had been weighing her down had lifted, and the fun-loving woman was back. It would take time for them all to heal from what they had been through, but the Bennett family was finally catching a break.
Kanan walked in and instantly his eyes found her before he walked her way and sat beside her. “Hey sweetie-pie,” he greeted.
“Hey K.”
“You doing okay?” he asked ever watchful since her return. She knew it had been hard for him and he was still worried about her.
She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “I’m fine, honestly.”
“Okay, and you would tell me if you weren’t?” he questioned.
She lied to him then because she knew the truth would hurt him, and she never wanted to do that. But the truth was, they weren’t there yet. She loved him, but their relationship was still new and would take time. She was confident they would get there though. “Yes, I would tell you,” she replied and was gratified by her decision when he smiled.
Dane and Lauren came in next, followed by Nate, Drew, Emme, Megan, Daniel, and Will. Zack and Ava were last. Everyone grabbed water or coffee from the machine and settled in for the de-brief.
“I will make this a brief as I can, but we have a lot to get through,” Zack began. “Firstly, I would like to thank Celeste for the incredible bravery she showed in a very difficult situation. I think I speak for us all when I say that you are a huge asset to the team and we are very grateful to have you safely back with us.” Celeste felt colour singe her cheeks at his praise, and when everyone started murmuring their gratitude her face flamed more. She laughed and shook her head, before burying it in Zin’s arm that had come around her shoulders.
“Now we have embarrassed Celeste enough, let’s move on to the rest. I have been in close contact with Jack since our return. He has assured me that the Donatus soldiers are being held in a safe, secure unit until they can each be weaned off the drugs Rhea Winslow and her cronies pumped them with. Evaluations are being done on them, and all the men understand their rights.”
His face went cold before he carried on. “We now have the final death count from the explosion, 1232 people dead and 600 more seriously injured.” He held up a hand as people started to talk. “I know that sounds bad, and it is, but although Angel did not manage to disarm the bomb before she was so callously murdered, she did manage to reduce the blast radius, which saved thousands more.”
“Do we know when the service for Angel is?” Will asked, and Celeste turned to watch him, he was clearly very upset by her death.
“The service will be a family only affair held by her parents in their hometown, in France. Ava will be organising something to celebrate her life though, but not yet. Now, what we didn’t find in the list of dead was Rhea Winslow, Dr Margo, or Usov Denisovich. That is not to say they survived, but DNA analysis will take time. What we do know is that The Divine Watchers suffered a huge blow and their organisation is in turmoil with no clear leader. We expect to dismantle it completely within the next six months.”
“That’s fantastic news,” said Lauren with a smile. Zack looked at her and returned her smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Celeste knew why when he continued.
“It is good news. However, we still have more to deal with. We need to monitor the situation with Denisovich, Winslow, and Margo which Will will continue to do over chatter and the dark web, and we will continue with our contacts. There is also the small matter of retrieving the Phial of Jesus Blood that we lost.”
Zack took a sip of water before he continued, “Nazareli Holt is an ongoing investigation. Her issue with Drew is unclear, but it seems she holds him and Marcus Preedy responsible for her mother’s death. We will, however, keep a careful watch on things there until we are sure that the threat has gone.”
“I feel sorry for her,” Celeste said. All eyes came to her, and she shrugged her shoulders before she continued. “She is clearly overcome with grief and is being manipulated by someone,” she finished and felt Zin squeeze her shoulder.
“You are too soft,” he said with a chuckle.
She poked her tongue out at him. “That’s why you love me,” she giggled, and he whispered in her ear, causing her to blush.
“Get a room, you two!” Nate called, and Zin shot out his arm, finger extended as he kissed her neck.
“We got a house,” she grinned.
“You guys are moving in together?” Lauren asked with a look of glee on her face.
“Yep,” Her smile filled her face.
“This is fantastic news, we need to celebrate!” Lauren replied clapping her hands.
“Girls night.” Celeste grinned, and groans echoed through the room from the men as the girls laughed.
“Please no,” Dane said as Lauren dug him in the ribs.
“Well, as wonderful as this all is, we have one more order of business before we can celebrate.” Zack’s voice was serious. The room instantly quieted, and he looked to them all as he spoke but not before he glanced at Ava, who nodded her encouragement.
“We had the DNA results from Rhea Winslow’s residence, and the DNA we now know is hers has a familial match to people in this room.
The atmosphere in the room became stifling as everyone’s emotions became charged with electricity. Everyone seemed to brace in the split second before Zack made the huge revelation. “I’m sorry Lauren, Drew,” he said as he looked at them both with genuine regret in his eyes. “Rhea Winslow was born Joanne Preedy, and she is your aunt.”
Celeste’s eyes cut to Lauren who had drawn in a shocked breath and paled at Zack’s words. Drew’s look had turned thunderous, and his jaw twitched as he ground his teeth.
“We aren’t sure of where she went after she ran away, but Rhea Winslow appeared about five years later.”
“That explains it,” Drew said, and each word sounded as if it was dragged from him.
“Explains what?” Lauren asked as she gripped his hand in hers.
“She told me I was nothing like my father. I guess she would know being his sister,” he said. He looked up suddenly and looked cornered. “Are we done?” he asked, and Zack nodded
With that Drew stood and strode from the room letting the door slam behind him.
“I’m sure this is hard for you, but know that you have our support,” Zack finished as he looked at Lauren.
“I’m okay, actually. Don’t get me wrong, it is a shock, but it kind of makes sense and I didn’t know her any more than you did. I would like to be kept in the loop by wh
at you find though,” she said as she looked at him then Dane who was stoic.
“Of course.” Zack inclined his head.
“Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I need a pint!” exclaimed Nate.
“Me too,” chimed Daniel and they stood.
“Why don’t we take the afternoon off and all go back to the Estate and have an impromptu BBQ?” Zack asked as he threw an arm around Ava.
“Oh yeah,” said Nate. “I’ll sort the beer.”
“I’m on meat,” called Zack
“I will call mom and get her and Mimi on salads and stuff,” Ava said and laughed.
“Celeste?” Zin asked and nodded at Nate and Daniel.
“Sounds good to me,” she stood and followed as they all walked from the conference room.
~~~
“Pixie,” he called as he plated up pancakes and blueberries. It had been three weeks since he had moved in and it was as if he had always been here. The darkness within him seemed to be easing by the day, and every morning he awoke feeling lighter.
He had slotted in and integrated into her home as if he had always lived there. His clothes hung next hers, the bike was in the garage behind the house. He had never felt happier.
“Pixie,” he called again as he poured coffee for them both, adding cream and sugar to his and leaving hers black.
“I’m coming,” she called as she walked into the kitchen, her hair wet and her face clean of make-up just how he loved it. She was wearing a pale-yellow sundress and flip-flops, and she looked like a cat-walk model, well in his opinion anyway.
Stepping closer he ran his finger under the strap of her dress. “I like this,” he said as she looped her arms over his shoulders and came up on tiptoes, pressing into him and raising her head for his kiss. He didn’t disappoint her and kissed her long, wet, and hard until they were bumping into the kitchen table.
“Umm, sweet as sugar,” he said as he let go and pulled her chair out, rolling his arm in a flourish.
“Thank you,” she replied with a sweet smile that made his dick twitch. They sat and started to eat. Pancakes were her favourite and had somehow become a Sunday tradition already.
“So, I had a vision this morning,” she said and looked at him as she forked a mouthful of pancakes into her mouth and chewed delicately. He judged her mood and realised she didn’t seem upset, so he wasn’t worried that it was a bad vision.
“What did you see?” he asked. She didn’t reply, and he looked up to find her playing with her food now, which made him pause. “Celeste?” he said laying down his fork and crossing to lift her from her chair and place her on his lap on the sofa.
“Zin,” she said half-heartedly. He knew she didn’t really mind when he did it if she did he wouldn’t do it.
“Talk to me!”
“It was about us.”
“Okay,” he said carefully.
“We were on a beach. It was beautiful. White sandy beaches, with palm trees and a gorgeous house, set back slightly. We were walking down the beach, holding hands, and you,”
He cut her off then. “I was walking down the beach holding your hand as I carried our young blonde-haired son in my arms. You had a beautiful little bump where our other child nestled. You were laughing as you threw a stick for a much older Samson,” he finished and watched her face go slack.
“You? But how? Why? Oh, my God,” she laughed. “Yes, exactly as you describe it.”
“I didn’t see it, but I dreamt it last night. I thought it was just a dream or wishful thinking, but it seems not.” Zin struggled to contain his excitement and joy at the thought that his future contained that kind of beauty.
“Are you happy?’ she asked as she looked at him intently.
He cupped her face in his hands and looked into her gorgeous green eyes and hoped that the child she carried in the dream was a daughter who looked just like her. “I can’t put in to words how I feel, but happy is just one of them. You have given me a beauty I never thought I would have or deserve. Loving you is the greatest gift of my life, and I promise you, Pixie, you will never regret loving me.” He kissed her then as a tear fell from her eye, a tear of joy.
He was home. For the first time in his life, he was home.
Epilogue
Trudging through the deep snow, Roz cursed the hateful stuff. It was an operative’s worst nightmare. Trying to cover your tracks in this shit was impossible. Lifting the binoculars, she watched as the guards patrolled. They were well trained and working in pairs.
This would not be an easy kill, but it would be the most satisfying. If she came out of it alive, great. If she didn’t, she considered it a sacrifice she was willing to make. Zin was happy now, and Celeste was good for him. They would go on to have a good life with lots of rug rats running around.
She felt a pang in the region of her long-dead heart as she realised that she would never have that. Some people were not meant to have a happy ever after, and she had come to terms with that
Her job now was to secure the future her brother was building and avenge her friend’s death. She watched as a large black Hummer pulled up to the gate and stopped. The gates opened, the vehicle entered and drove up to the door.
The high powered bino’s allowed her to see as Usov got out and strode to the door. He stopped as if sensing her and turned around. He looked directly at her, even though she knew he couldn’t see her.
I’m coming for you, Usov. Soon you, sick bastard, soon. She watched until he went inside and then grabbing her sleeping bag and the tent she used for shelter, she hiked back to the road and the vehicle she had hidden there.
She stopped short when she saw tracks in the snow leading to her snowmobile. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she realised they were fresh. With lightning speed, Roz ducked for cover behind a tree as a bullet whizzed past her arm, nicking the insulation on her jacket.
Her breathing calmed as she looked for a way to her snowmobile. Movement to her left caught her eye, and she turned, shooting, and hitting her target with deadly accuracy. One down, one to go if her estimate was correct, which it always was.
Scanning the snow for a glimpse of movement she remained silent, hardly breathing as she listened. Her patience paid off because she heard a branch drop snow and turned, firing at the same time. The man dropped to the snow but not before he got off a shot of his own that tore through her jacket and into the flesh of her abdomen.
Fucking bitch, that hurt! Knowing she needed to move, she stood and walked as quickly as she could towards the snowmobile. She made it and climbed on hissing a painful sound as she did.
This was worse than she thought. Her vision was blurry, and her jacket was soaked in blood as she pushed the button and started the vehicle. Turning it the way she had come, she leaned on the throttle.
Her strength was going as she neared the 4x4 she had stashed, but she didn’t have the energy to get to the car and lay slumped on the snowmobile as the snow came down around her. She thought absently how pretty and peaceful it was and that maybe this wasn’t such a bad way to die.
She was pissed that she hadn’t killed Usov though. She also regretted not letting Kanan into her bed one last time. She’d had some lovers in her time, but none had made her feel like he did. He always made her feel special and beautiful as if he could slay all her dragons. That was why she had let him go.
Her poison ran deep, and she ruined everything she came into contact with. Despite his rough exterior, Kanan was a good man, and she would not hurt another person she respected. It didn’t matter now, though.
Closing her eyes, she felt warmth float through her as she felt lighter than ever. So this was death, it isn’t so bad. In fact, it felt like a relief. She was so tired. Her last thought was of Zin and Celeste, and what could have been with her and Kanan if she had been a different kind of woman.
Sneak Peak
He paced the shit hole of a room that Roz had been holed up in for the last two nights and his temper e
scalated. It had taken him two weeks to track her to this hell on earth, and he was cold, tired, and hungry.
Why hadn’t he just stayed on his beach by the water and enjoyed the fishing and the cold beer? But, oh no, he’d had to ride in like a fucking hero and save the day when he’d found out his sister knew of his existence and was pissed at him.
Thinking of Celeste made him smile. She was such a beautiful person both inside and out. He wondered not for the first time how she had become that way when both her birth parents were assholes.
He sat down on the bed as he looked at his watch. It was starting to get dark, and his anger turned into worry. She was behaving recklessly, and he should just leave her to it. She had pushed him away more times than he could count. Maybe it was time he accepted defeat and left her alone.
So, his life would be a boring one without her to fight with and annoy. Just being in her vicinity made him feel more alive than he ever had without her. He was, he realised, fucked because he would rather have a life fighting with her, than a peaceful one without her.
Popping a Korovka candy in his mouth, he walked to the window and noticed it was nearly dark now. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was Celeste. “Hey baby girl,” he answered.
“Oh K, thank god!”
Kanan’s entire body tightened at the fear in her voice. “What’s the matter?” he asked and buried the fear he felt in gruffness.
“It’s Roz. She’s in trouble. I had a vision. She’s bleeding. All I can see is snow and trees,” she spewed out information quickly, and he could hear the panic in her voice.
“Okay, describe it more,” he said as he grabbed his go bag from the bed where he had dumped and left, taking the stairs two at a time.
“I don’t know., It’s snowy, and there are trees. I can see a really big mountain to her left. Please, K, you have to find her,” she begged.