Fragments of Grey [Book Five of The Alexis Stanton Chronicles]

by Phelps, J. C.

  “Am I going to be issued better accommodations?”

  “Of course.”

  The guys stopped about twenty feet from me.

  “Have your tower crews drop their weapons and I’ll consider dropping mine.”

  Jake gave me a sly smile.

  “I thought you trusted me.” He told Bud to tell the men to stand down.

  Bud didn’t hesitate to speak the order into his radio and the men in the towers complied. I pushed my prisoner forward and lowered my weapon.

  Bud cut the bonds off the guard and told him to find his rack for the night.

  “What’s with the show of force?” Eric sneered.

  “What’s with keeping me in that cell?” I imitated his expression and raised the rifle again. Eric would be the first.

  “Give me the rifle, Alex.” Jake reached out.

  I took a step backward.

  “Guys, I’ll meet you back at headquarters in a few,” Jake said to the rest of the men.

  They took the hint and left us alone.

  Jake stood in front of me quietly until the men were out of sight.

  “How’d you get out?”

  “My knife.”

  “They were supposed to have taken everything from you.”

  “The guard who frisked me was a gentleman.” I was starting to calm down.

  “We can’t have any of that,” Jake said. He smiled broadly.

  “You have a door to fix.” I hiked my head back to the prison.

  Jake laughed. “Come on. I’ll take you to your room. I made sure you were next door to me instead of in the barracks.”

  We walked in the direction Joe and the rest of the men had gone. I still carried the rifle.

  “You want to know the funny part of all this?” Jake asked.

  “What’s that?”

  “I was just about to come get you.”

  “You should have come before dinner,” I said.

  We’d made our way deeper into the refinery. I was surrounded by large, round holding tanks, so the large rectangular buildings in the middle of them looked out of place. Yet, they softened the industrial feel somewhat by adding a touch of humanity.

  We walked toward the three-story building in the middle of the shorter buildings.

  “This is what we call headquarters. It’s where the main office for the refinery is, so it sees a lot of traffic. It’s also where the higher ranking officers, like us, and the foremen bunk. It also houses a place for all employees to eat and socialize. The buildings on either side are the barracks. The two on the left are for the employees and the one on the right is for our guys, the security.”

  We walked into the building and were met immediately with men milling around a large central room. It held arcade games, a small bar, several long tables, and televisions.

  Joe, Eric, and Bud were seated at the long table nearest the door. The room quieted almost as soon as Jake and I entered and all eyes were on us. Actually, they were all on me and the rifle I still carried.

  Let ‘em come take it from me.

  I’d give anyone in this room a good fight. It looked like most of them were refinery workers and not security. But, the ones who were obviously security would still have a hell of a fight on their hands. I had the weapon.

  Eric started to approach us. I held the rifle a little closer and I watched Jake motion him back with a slight hand movement.

  “Our rooms are on the next floor.”

  Jake lightly put his hand on my shoulder. I cringed and held the rifle a little tighter.

  “Whoa. Being in that cell really got to you. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  He must have thought I might go on a shooting spree. Honestly, if anyone approached me too quickly or aggressively, I might. I didn’t realize how much I hadn’t liked being cooped up for two days in the dark. I wanted to let the tension drop away, but I just couldn’t. I was a walking bag of paranoia at the moment.

  Jake and I rode the elevator up a floor in silence.

  “This way.” He led me down the hall to the left of the elevator after we stepped out. The door he opened was only a few feet down the hall. I followed him inside.

  “This is my room. You’re next door.” He pointed to the open doors that joined the two rooms.

  “Adjoining rooms? Isn’t that a bit presumptuous?”

  “Not at all. If I had presumed anything we’d be in the same room, sharing a bed.”

  He winked.

  I walked into my room and dropped my bags onto the chair near the desk.

  I stood the rifle up in the corner, near the front door, before I started going through my things.

  Jake watched me from our shared door. I gave a slight jump when he asked, “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.” I made sure the rifle was still in its place before I asked, “You want the rifle back?”

  “Eventually.” He shrugged. “I’m in no hurry. If it makes you feel better, keep it. I had a similar reaction to my isolation training,” he said.

  “That was not isolation training. That was bullshit.”

  “You weren’t supposed to catch a ride. You were supposed to navigate your way through the jungle.”

  “You didn’t give me any rules. You just pushed me out of the boat. I shouldn’t be punished for finding my way to my destination before you could get here.”

  “Your logic makes sense, I guess. Next time, I’ll be sure to state the rules before dumping you out of the boat.”

  “I will never allow you to lock me up again. Never.” My voice was firm.

  “Noted.” He moved to my side and started to rub my shoulders. “Had I known you were claustrophobic I wouldn’t have done that to you without some warning.”

  I shook his hands off and sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m not claustrophobic. What I am is unsure of you. I’ve enjoyed working with you. I’d like to keep up a good relationship with Mesa. But I’ve been told to be leery of Mesa at every turn, then I find myself in a cell. My mind was all over the place. It still is.”

  “We decided you should have to undergo the same initiation we’ve all gone through. You didn’t. You caught a ride, so we decided to let you sweat it out in a cell for a couple days.”

  “I’ve already gone through the phase of proving myself. I won’t do it again. You either take me as I am or you don’t. I really don’t give a shit. I told you once, I’m not going to kiss anyone’s ass. I’m not here out of any obligation or any need. I’m here to keep a gun in my hands and working a job I was made for. I need to work, not be tested over and over again by people I don’t want to prove myself to.”

  I sagged onto the bed and put my head in my hands. Jake’s sudden weight on the mattress upset my balance and resulted in my body leaning into his. The physical attraction was still there for me, but I resisted and moved away from him.

  “You have nothing to prove to me,” he said.

  “Then why put me in that damn cell? I’m already on edge. I can’t trust anyone and you’ve proven that once again.”

  “You can trust me,” he sounded offended.

  I laughed. “That’s what’s got me into trouble. Trusting people like you.”

  “This work revolves around trust. If you can’t trust me to have your back, you’re out here all alone, and you won’t come out on top,” he said as he scooted closer to me again.

  I stood up and away from his grasp. Those couple days in a holding cell had scared the crap out of me. I didn’t want to be held against my will, ever. Jake’s declaration that this job required trust was exactly right.

  I paced for about thirty seconds. Trust was my main issue. With my background of being Penumbra, being my father’s daughter, and my mother’s daughter, I couldn’t trust anyone. I’d thought I could trust my partners, but now I knew I couldn’t.

  I’d felt guilt for holding back my alternate personality. I’d thought they should know, until they found out. Now I knew the Admiral and White had good reason for keeping it
secret. They knew they couldn’t trust anyone, at least not completely. Not even their own partners. But, I did trust them more than anyone else and they’d told me to be careful working at Mesa.

  I couldn’t find any specific reason for their concern, but I knew there had to be a reason. I’d been ignoring their warnings because I wanted to fit in somewhere. Penumbra didn’t fit in any group, she was an outsider. Even if I’d never do jobs as her again, I was still her. There was no getting past that fact. I had to protect my background at all costs and getting close to Jake or anyone else was not an option. White had been my only option in that department and that hadn’t worked out too well.

  “No matter how hard I try, I don’t fit in anywhere. I’m killing time until I can go back to what I was doing before,” I said.

  “Working for White and Associates? You’re definitely going back then?”

  “No. Not White and Associates.”

  What was it about Jake that made me run off at the mouth?

  “What then?”

  I shook my head. I’d said too much and didn’t know how to get out of this one.

  “What did you do, Alex?” His look had become sly.

  “Solitary jobs,” I answered.

  “What, like hit jobs? Is that why you told Posner you wouldn’t take on any hit jobs? You were trying to get away from it? Cuz, Danny— No wonder you didn’t hesitate.”

  “What about Danny?”

  “That was a setup. Posner wanted him dead and we made sure you’d take the shot.”

  Now he’d said too much.

  “Really? How did you set that up?”

  My mind went back to the job and I relived my concern that Eric did nothing to help Jake after Danny had gotten his gun. I was furious, but I managed to keep my voice calm.

  “I made sure Danny would get my gun. It wasn’t loaded.”

  “So, I shot an unarmed man?”

  “It’s not like that, Alex. He’d used the company several times for his drug deals and Posner couldn’t allow it any more. He wasn’t going to be stopped any other way.”

  “Sure he would’ve. It was only a matter of time before the people he was double-crossing caught up with him. Besides, if Posner knew he was using the company for drug deals, why did he keep taking on the jobs?”

  The memory of the dealers leaving in our SUV and Jake and Eric leaving in theirs came back to me. They were working with the dealers. The people Danny was double-crossing did catch up to him, and I was their weapon. No wonder I was told to be careful of Mesa. They were involved in some serious bad guy behavior.

  Now I was, too.

  Jake opened his mouth, but I held up my hand.

  “I don’t want to hear it. Save your breath.” I shook my head in disgust. “I didn’t take on hit jobs, until Danny. I was in data retrieval,” I lied.

  “Data retrieval? What do you mean?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m done talking to you. You set me up to kill a man, Jake.”

  “A man who deserved it,” he said.

  “Nevertheless. I should have been brought in on it.”

  “Would you have done the job?”

  “No.”

  “We needed to know if you had it in you,” he explained like it was nothing.

  “Well, now you know. And you’ve been telling me to trust you? What else have you lied to me about?”

  “Nothing else like that.”

  “What else?”

  “I can’t say. But what I can say is, you’ve passed every test, so far. Except the White and Associates test. You need to cut ties, Alex.”

  I laughed. “No way in hell are you going to tell me to cut ties with anyone.”

  “It’s not me, it’s Posner. This is going to be the last job offered unless you do.”

  “Then this will be my last job. In fact, if you can get me the hell out of here, I won’t even work this one.”

  “Stick with me through this one. I’m sorry if I pissed you off. I just wanted you to know what kind of jobs you’ve been doing. I should have told you a long time ago, but I couldn’t. I still can’t tell you everything. I just wanted you to know I understand your distrust and it’s not misplaced. Just know that you can trust me. I’ll always have your back in a fight. But, there are certain things expected of me and I have to follow orders or risk my own life.”

  “Are you saying Posner would have you killed if you didn’t follow orders?”

  “I’m sure of it,” he said.

  I hadn’t forgiven him for lying to me, but I understood it a little better.

  “I’m actually playing both sides of the coin here, Alex. And, I need your help. I’ve been told that Posner might be in for a hard fall. If that’s the case, I’m in a position to take over Mesa. All I need to do is bide my time, and I’d like to have you by my side, if push comes to shove with Eric.”

  “Is this why you’re telling me all of this? You want me in your corner when it comes to Eric?”

  “I’ve been waiting for the right time and this talk of trust— I thought now might be a good time to let you know you can trust me.”

  “Not a very good way to go about it.”

  I shook my head.

  “That, and I’ve promised White a little more than I should have. But, if you happen to stumble across something while you’re here, you can report back to him.”

  “What? Is this what you and White talked about in his office?”

  “A little bit. I told him I’d put you in a position to help his cause.”

  “What is his cause?”

  “He’s looking for more ammo against Posner. I usually try to stay even between White and Posner, but I’m loading my hand on White’s side this time. You’re my ace in the hole.”

  “If either you or White want my help, I want to know more about what’s going on between them.”

  Jake told me there was a long-standing animosity between Posner and White, but didn’t go into any detail as to why. He said he didn’t know, but I didn’t believe him.

  He’d been given some outside information that things were leaning more in White’s direction, so he’d opted to lean that way a bit more. He just had to be able to cover his ass if this didn’t turn out in his favor.

  My opinion of Jake completely changed during that conversation. I hadn’t lost my attraction to him, but I understood him a bit better. He was nothing like my partners at White and Associates. He lived an entirely different life, constantly watching his back. He and I were more alike than I had ever thought we could be.

  The bond I now felt with Jake didn’t add to my trust of him, but detracted from it. His flaws were more evident. His only motivation was himself. I’d found myself in the same position more than once since leaving White and Associates. And if I wanted to be truthful with myself, I’d been doing the same since Colin and my dad cut me off. I looked past the Danny incident. The facts were all in front of me, but I didn’t give them a second thought after my initial impression something was wrong. I should have figured it out, but I chose not to.

  No, I trusted him even less, now that I knew we were more alike.

  Jake gave me a tour later that evening and told me what my job would entail.

  The crew ran in eight hour shifts, and I’d be standing guard on the wall every second shift from here on out. That meant I’d get up on the wall early in the afternoon and I’d be relieved around ten o’clock every night.

  “I’ve gone entire stints where everything was quiet, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see any action,” Jake said.

  “What is it I’m supposed to find for White?”

  He shook his head and smiled.

  “I don’t know. You’ll have to pay attention.”

  I didn’t believe he didn’t know, but I knew I wouldn’t get it out of him.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The next afternoon, I found myself in a tower with a man I’d never met before. He introduced himself as John and we didn’t speak again.
/>   The tower air was stagnant. The bulletproof glass that separated us from the outside of the refinery stopped any air circulation. Thankfully, we had a vent near the ceiling that pushed out a little breeze. I was sure John and I would be dead from heat exhaustion if it weren’t for that little vent.

  I searched the yard for Joe and Eric, but they weren’t anywhere to be seen. I did see Jake from time to time. He didn’t have a wall position. Instead, he was roaming the grounds, making sure everything was in its place. When I asked him about it later, he confirmed that Joe had the morning shift and Eric was on the night shift.

  The heat and humidity were almost unbearable as I stood at my position. The view of the surrounding forest and the river kept the job interesting. Birds flitted through the trees, and every once in a while a swirl in the muddy river made me wonder what was below the surface.

  This continued for more than two months. Birds, heat, humidity, quiet. After my shift, I’d go to my room and stay there. Jake followed me for the first few days, but when he couldn’t persuade me to join him in the commons room, he started leaving me alone in my room. Every morning I’d rise with the sun and take a run around the refinery.

  I kept watch for something to report to White. At one point I’d tried to do a little side exploring in my time off. Most of the refinery was open to me, but there was one building that was heavily guarded. I wasn’t allowed to get within fifty feet of it. The behavior was suspicious, but it didn’t mean there was something worth reporting back to White. I suspected Jake had just told White there was something in the works in hopes of getting something in return. It worked out for Jake either way. If I failed to report anything, I was the one who failed, and, at least, he’d tried to give White the information he wanted.

  I’d given up my search for anything illicit long before the day Jake told us all to be extra diligent. Apparently, the owner of the refinery was coming in sometime today.

  I had six shifts left, then I was on my own. I still hadn’t decided what I was going to do. My mind had strayed, every day, to thoughts of White. I wondered how he was coping without Will. I had an apartment I was welcome to use that allowed me easy access to White, as well as the rest of my partners. I still hadn’t decided if I’d stay long-term at my apartment, but I had decided I would go back.