“Why do we have to be repeatedly tortured?” I asked, not expecting an answer. “It’s like we were born just to suffer.”
“We weren’t born to suffer, we were born to make a difference. Our pain is just an unfortunate consequence of becoming the people we were destined to be.”
“Well, it still sucks.”
“Yeah,” Ian yawned. “It sure does.” He removed his hand from my shoulder, resting it in his lap. “Do you want to talk about it, your dream?”
“No. As silly as it sounds, I’m afraid that if I talk about it, it’ll come true. Like my words would add some sort of validation to it, giving it life.” I paused, studying his face. There was a different look in his eyes, a thoughtful sadness that made him appear more boy than man. A sadness that projected the hell he must have gone through as a child. “It…it was just so different from the others I’ve had over the years. This one seemed more…personal.”
“Every nightmare seems personal. That’s why they bother us so much.”
I stretched out on the bed, my head resting on the pillow, my hand clasping the heart attached to the chain around my neck. “Ian?”
“Yeah?” he answered between yawns.
“Stay with me?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking you to stay here. Don’t leave…please. I’d like to try to get back to sleep, but I know I won’t be able to if I’m left alone. I need the distraction…the comfort of having someone here.”
He studied me for a moment, somewhat surprised by my request. “Okay,” he answered momentarily. “I wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight anyway. The adrenaline’s really flowing this evening.”
“Have you tried the sleeping pills from Dr. Lin?”
“Unless I want to overdose, they aren’t going to help me. Ever since Victor told us about our upcoming mission, I’ve been psyching myself up, training a little harder. This could be our chance to end our real life nightmare.”
“I wouldn’t count on it.” My eyes grew heavy as my body began to calm down from the sensory overload triggered by my nightmare.
“Scoot over closer to the edge of the bed,” Ian ordered.
“Why?”
“Because I’m not sitting in a chair for the rest of the night. If you want me here, you’re going to have to make the proper accommodations.”
“Fine.” I pushed my body a little closer to the edge of the bed, allowing Ian to climb over me to the other side. He crawled under the thin sheet, his body grazing my back. “I thought you weren’t going to fall asleep tonight?”
“Most likely not, but if I do, I do. I was always able to sleep better with someone next to me.”
“So that’s how you lured all those women back to your lair. A promise of a good night’s sleep,” I said, a yawn escaping my lips. “Pretty slick, Mr. Grant.”
“In my defense, a good share of the time sleeping was all we did.”
“What?” I asked in disbelief. “No. Say it isn’t so. Don’t let my perception of Ian Grant, ladies’ man, be shattered.”
“You’d better get a broom because you’re going to be picking up the pieces,” he chuckled. “Yeah, I took my fair share of women home from the bar after my shift was over, but it was mostly because they were either too drunk to take themselves home or it had to do with the men they were hanging around with. I mean, I know how guys can be, and I really didn’t like the thought of some moron screwing up some girl’s life because of one night of drunken idiocy.”
“You just took them home, complete strangers?”
“I know it wasn’t always a smart move on my part. Most of them were the regulars who came into the bar, so I honestly didn’t expect there to be trouble. But sometimes, when they woke up the next morning, they assumed something had happened between us. Consequently, I developed quite the reputation around town, and I did nothing to stop it from spreading.”
“Huh,” I sighed.
“What?”
“You’re full of surprises, Ian. Though I must admit, I never thought they’d be good ones.”
“Don’t worry, I’m still an asshole.”
“A part of me fails to believe that now.” I felt the heat from his body against mine, and a familiar sting came over me. I hadn’t slept next to anyone since Chase. It felt comforting, almost too comforting. I wasn’t ready for comforting.
“You should get some sleep,” he said, almost in a whisper near my ear.
“I’m working on it.”
“And no funny business either. This is a purely platonic sleeping arrangement.” I could almost feel the smirk forming across his lips on the back of my neck.
“I’ll try to keep my pants on,” I said. “Goodnight, Ian.”
“Goodnight.”
For the first time since my arrival at The Epicenter, I was overcome with peace—a peace that allowed me to fall into a restful sleep with dreams devoid of The Man in Black and Chase’s horrified expression at the moment of his demise. Wherever The Man in Black was, I would find him. His days of taunting me in my nightmares were numbered.
Chapter Six
Riots
I awoke to the alarm the next morning and rolled over to wake Ian, only to find myself alone in the bed. My hand drifted over the mattress where he’d lain. The sheets were cold, a sign that no one had been there for quite some time, and I couldn’t help but wonder how long he’d actually stayed there after I fell asleep. Scooting myself off the bed, I stood up, threw on some gym shorts and a t-shirt, pulled my hair back into a ponytail, and headed out into the hallway.
When I walked into the sitting room, I saw Kara staring blankly at the television. I strolled over to her, meeting her gaze on the screen. A cable news reporter was reading the events from the previous night off a teleprompter. Riots, orchestrated to commence just as curfew took hold, were springing up across the country. Suspected members of the rebellion were shown, clearly defiant, resisting arrest while they continued protesting everything from the curfew, to the presence of the numerous military personnel, to President Brooks himself. Surprisingly, though, their protests were strictly verbal, with not a single weapon brandished by any of the demonstrators. Any property damage that took place had been done by the counteroffensive.
Members of the rebellion were shown being thrown through storefront windows by Brooks’ men. Bullets ricocheted off the pavement, striking vehicles and buildings, forever leaving their mark.
“If they don’t expect to garner sympathy for the rebels, they’d better quit showing unarmed citizens being taken out like sitting ducks,” I said, the anger welling inside me.
“The footage was streamed into a live broadcast by members of the rebellion,” Kara said without taking her eyes off the channel. “One of them figured out how to hack into the broadcasting system and overrode the stations. Millions saw it last night right as it unfolded, and millions more will see it now thanks to the news.”
“I bet the rebels see an increase in recruits after last night.”
Kara shook her head. “This is bad, Celaine. You and Ian had better be careful. They may not have shown it last night, but they have the fire power to do some real damage.”
“You can’t honestly tell me you sympathize with Brooks’ men? If anything, this recording is showing people what’s really going on. It’s something that should be seen. There’s two sides to every story, not just the black and white picture being painted by Brooks.”
“Don’t you see?” Kara turned to face me. “This is going to throw the country into chaos, causing further restrictions, and even more oppression. We’re on the verge of something big; a revolution is knocking on our door.”
“If you ask me, it already let itself in and helped itself to a beer from the refrigerator. My concern isn’t for the rebellion, it’s for The Man in Black. That’s why I’m here, after all.”
“Then you’d better prepare yourself for one hell of an attack. They always get worse after an act of public defiance.” Kara’s ey
es began to water, her face reddened.
“Hey,” I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. “Things are bound to get worse before they get better.”
“I know,” she answered. “I’m just worried about how bad they’re going to get and who else I’m going to lose before they get any better.” She touched my hand, pressing it firmly against her shoulder.
“I’m not going to die, Kara. Ian and I, we’re pretty resourceful. We’ll come through this relatively unscathed.”
“You’d better,” she said, smiling through her tears. “Because I can’t lose another sister.”
“What’s going on?” Ian entered the room with Becca in tow.
That’s probably why he left my room last night.
“We’re just watching the news,” Kara answered him. “You and Celaine had better up your training. You’re going to have one heck of a fight on your hands soon.”
“I need to get back to the kitchen,” Becca said, rolling her eyes at the thought.
“Okay. See you later,” Ian called back after her. He walked over to our spot in front of the television screen. “Becca said it was getting bad out there.”
“Mmhmm,” Kara murmured.
“Sorry I took off on you last night,” Ian said to me, a knowing smirk forming on his face. “You fell asleep, and I figured that all of my tossing and turning would only wake you. There’s not a whole lot of room on our beds, anyway.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kara’s head whip around to look at me, her eyes widened. “No problem, Ian,” I said through gritted teeth. “I didn’t expect you to stick around in my room all night.”
“Well, if you need me again tonight, just let me know. It’s kind of nice getting to lie next to someone again. All comfort, no sex. I never thought I’d be happy about that.”
I glanced at Kara, who glared at me. Her hands were situated firmly on her hips, her foot a second away from tapping on the floor. “Our little talk was nice, Ian, but I think I’ll be okay tonight.”
“Suit yourself,” he said, stealing a glance at Kara. “I’ll be in the gym if you need me.”
“So…” Kara said after Ian was out of earshot.
“So…what?”
“You and Ian, huh?”
“Absolutely not! Honestly, Kara, do you think I’d go for someone like Ian Grant?”
“What, good looking and smart? You’re right, he’s so not anyone’s type,” she laughed.
“I’m not saying he’s not somewhat of a catch. He’s just someone else’s catch, not mine. I gave mine up to be here.”
“Oh, honey,” Kara said, “when are you going to quit punishing yourself and realize that you have a right to be happy? Just because you’re here, doesn’t mean you have to give up everything good in life.”
“I know, Kara, but it wouldn’t be fair to anyone, Ian or otherwise, if I didn’t go into a relationship with complete and total emotional investment.”
“Well, I think you need to at least try and let the investment come to you after the fact. You may find that if you wait, you’ll end up missing out on something that could have potentially been really special.”
“Hey,” Drew said, entering the sitting room. “Marcus needs to see you down in the lab.”
“Tell him I’ll be right there.” I looked at Kara, who shrugged her shoulders.
“Just think about it,” she said when I walked out of the room to head to the lab.
“Will do.”
Ian was standing a couple of feet inside the doorway when I walked in. “What’s all this about?” I asked.
“Something to do with our suits,” he answered.
“After the incident with Blake, we thought a few modifications were in order.” Victor joined us in the room. “After all, we wouldn’t want anything to happen to either one of you, now, would we?” He eyed me, the tone of his voice more condescending than concerned.
“We know our science isn’t perfect,” Marcus said, approaching us from the back of the lab. He carried something that resembled one of our suits in his arms. As he came closer, he unfolded it, allowing Ian and I to take it in.
“A jacket?” Ian asked, perplexed. “What about our suits? Why not just fix whatever is defective with them?”
“First of all, they’re not defective,” Marcus corrected him. “Theoretically, Celaine should be dead right now with as many blows as she took during her last encounter with The Man in Black. Your suits are going to help save your life, but they can only do so much. Until we can come up with a better idea or totally revamp them altogether, these jackets are going to have to work.”
“And you’ll have a chance to test them out tomorrow night,” Victor’s voice lurked from behind us.
“What’s going on tomorrow night?” I asked.
“Inez has uncovered a lead that may potentially put The Man in Black on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. It’s not much of a lead, but it’s something we should look into. Besides, Ian has never gone out on any kind of mission. It will make a nice dress rehearsal for him before the main event.”
“It’s about time,” Ian said.
“Quite.” Victor smirked. “I want the two of you to spend the majority of the day training in the gym. Develop some sort of strategy and teamwork. Your recent performance in the simulator shows that you’re still lacking in that area.”
“We’re doing what we can, Victor,” I stated. “But with all due respect, we can never know for sure what strategy we’re going to utilize until we’re in the midst of the situation for which one is needed.”
“And I understand that, Ms. Stevens, but even you can agree that any strategy is better than no strategy, and a little teamwork would have led to a much different outcome in your last encounter.”
I could feel my face flushing red. Instinctively, Ian’s arm locked around mine. “We’re on our way to work on our teamwork development now,” Ian said to Victor as he dragged me with him out of the lab.
“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” I said, freeing my arm from his.
“Of course you are. Why do you think I pulled you out of there? I was more worried about Victor than you.”
“He doesn’t have to be so crass.”
“No, but that’s Victor, and you just need to get used to it.”
“Getting used to it is not an option…” I began, but stopped short of finishing my sentence just as Ian fell to the floor, clutching his chest in pain. “Ian! Ian! What is it?” He tried to speak, but only a gasp escaped his lips; one gasp, and then nothing. “Shit!” Diving to the ground, I put my ear near his mouth. Nothing. My hand felt his chest for signs of life. Nothing. Then I did the only thing I knew how to do. Pulling Ian’s head back, I cleared his airway and began chest compressions. “Help! I need help over here!” I exclaimed before blowing two breaths past Ian’s lips.
“We’re coming,” Kara’s voice echoed down the hallway in conjunction with the sound of wheels rolling against linoleum. I looked up between compressions to see Dr. Harris and Dr. Martin at her heels, a defibrillator in Dr. Martin’s arms.
“Cardiac arrest,” Dr. Harris said. Kara pulled me off Ian so they could lift him up onto the gurney. “We need to get him back to the operating room now. Kara, we may have you start jolting him on the way there. It’s the only way he’s going to make it.”
“Yes,” Victor said, joining the chaos. “Please see to it that he does make it. We don’t have the time to train another one.”
Something inside of me snapped at that moment. A primal rage, the likes of which I’ve only felt a handful of times, erupted from within. And before I could process the full weight of my actions, my feet had left the ground, and I was running full speed at Victor, unsure of exactly what I was going to do, only knowing that I wanted to inflict damage. But before I could so much as lay a finger on him, a force grabbed hold of me in the form of a hand around my neck. In an instant, the hand closed tightly around me, throwing me against the wall with s
uch brute force that the wind was knocked out of my lungs and my head flung back into the concrete wall. Dazed, I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them again in an attempt to regain focus. Seconds later, Victor’s face came into view just inches away from my own.
“Don’t forget your place here, Ms. Stevens,” he said, a fire burning in his eyes.
With that, he loosened his grip from around my neck, and my body crumpled to the floor.
*****
“Getting ideas, Dr. Matthews?” Madison asked.
“No, no, no,” Chase answered her, continuing his counting of the infants in the nursery. “I’m just seeing where our numbers stand. We’re still well below where we were before the explosion.”
“Does that shock you?”
“Not really. I know we’re a marked institution now. The public is avoiding us like the plague.”
“They’ll come around,” Madison replied.
“Honestly, I don’t think they will,” he sighed. “This town is dying, and I’m not so sure it can ever be resuscitated. As much as I like it here, I think there may soon come a time when I’ll be looking at other hospitals for patients, if not for employment.”
“Will you be taking Miss Paige with you?”
“I’ve thought about it. Why do you ask?”
“You know I’ve always been more of a Celaine fan, Chase. I just want to see you happy.” She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should say what was truly on her mind. “There’s talk around here about Paige,” she began after a brief pause.
“What kind of talk?” Chase raised his eyebrow, irritated.
“Not to delve into all of the gossip, but there’s talk that Paige used to date some of the other doctors here. A lot of people say she’s looking for an easy break in life.”
“Well, they’re wrong, Madison. And I ask you to please stay out of my personal life from now on.”
“Yes, Dr. Matthews,” she replied sheepishly. “I just thought that you’d like to know.”
“Well, you thought wrong. Besides, if Paige was anything but honest in the past, she’s different now. She’s an honest woman. And it’s nice to have someone around who is one hundred percent up front with you. Someone who cares about you.”
Vendetta Nation (Enigma Black Trilogy #2) Page 5