by Unknown
“Wait!” He placed his hand on my arm and commanded my attention. “I’m supposed to be protecting you. Aren’t you an art dealer from Mediterra?”
I spun to face him. “Yes, I am, but are you just a soldier?”
Harlow shook his head in confusion.
“You are part of the Resistance, aren’t you?” I knew he was, or he wouldn’t have been sent as my escort.
He nodded slowly.
My voice softened. “I told you on the plane. We’re more alike than you realize. I wasn’t always Elite. Now let’s get out of here before we’re found by the wrong people.”
-Keira-
Reunion
Eberhardt and I had been waiting along a back road near the military entrance to the airport for over an hour. Finally, I called Raquelle, our techno expert, to see if she could tell us anything. Using the latest codes from Brody, she quickly checked into it and reported that although the flight had been delayed in Parisio, the plane had landed a little over 30 minutes ago. She also discovered that no military personnel had entered or left the airport in the last three hours. I thanked her for her help and disconnected.
I turned to Eberhardt and was just about to recommend that we go in through the back, when my transceiver started to buzz. I didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?”
“Keira, it’s me.”
I turned on the vidscreen. “Aimee?” Eberhardt leaned over to see. It was mostly dark, but a soft glow filtered in from the right, lights from the airport I assumed. Silhouettes of trees stood far behind her against the twilight. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Sgt. McGraw was supposed to meet us, but she wasn’t there.”
“Where are you now?”
“We’re in a field behind the airport but not by the runways.”
“Okay, we’re not far. Do you see a gate? It’s a military entrance.”
“Yeah, I see it. Will they let us out?”
“Yes, they’re expecting you. We’ll meet you there.”
I closed the connection and pocketed my transceiver. In an instant, we were both out of the car. Eberhardt pulled his gun, but it wasn’t necessary. They weren’t being followed. I signaled the guards, and they opened the gate for Aimee and a young soldier.
“I missed you so much!” I said as Aimee practically fell into my arms. “Are you all right?”
“A little shaken, but I’m okay. This is Harlow.”
“David.” Eberhardt smiled warmly. “It’s been a while.”
“It’s been a very long time, Bruno. I wondered what had happened to you. We all did.”
I looked at Eberhardt, and one corner of my mouth curled up in amusement. Bruno? But he was already hurrying all of us toward the car.
“We need to get these ladies to safety. We’ll catch up later.”
In the car, Aimee reached out to touch my hair. It had been straightened and trimmed in a short stylish cut.
“You’ve changed it again.” She frowned. “What’s happened now?”
“Oh, no. No, it’s nothing like that. I’m not in hiding exactly, the opposite really. It should hit the newsvids by the end of the month.” I took a deep breath and stopped rambling. “I’m getting married.”
“Really?” She squealed. “When did Guy propose?”
“About a week ago. We haven’t made a public announcement yet. We haven’t told anyone. Well, except for you guys.” I looked at her and Eberhardt and smiled. Then I turned my attention to David Harlow. “Can you keep a secret?”
He turned from the front seat and winked at me. “I promise not to say a thing until the official news breaks. Why didn’t anyone tell me I was guarding someone so…well so infamous?”
I could only stare. “You must have known she was important.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. “But she was introduced to me as art dealer, Aimee LaFleur. I’ve been trained to follow orders, not ask questions. I didn’t realize she was his sister and yours. You are Keira Maddock, aren’t you? And she’s April?”
I looked at Eberhardt who nodded slightly. “Yes. Thank you for keeping her safe. Officially, her name is Aimee LaFleur, and she is an art dealer,” I said in a tight voice.
He nodded once. “Of course. I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
“I am right here, you know,” Aimee said.
I returned my attention to my sister and grinned. “I’m glad to see you took my advice.
It looks natural,” I said, referring to her hair. Shoulder-length, layered, honey brown hair with light blond highlights framed her face. “I don’t think anyone will recognize you.”
“Um, shouldn’t we go back for my luggage?”
“What did you pack? Anything important?”
“Just my clothes, some shoes and a few personal items. The important stuff is all in there.” She pointed to the carry-on at her feet.
“We’ll call the airline in the morning and have them deliver your things to the apartment. It shouldn’t be a problem. Guy always made me leave my suitcase. It’s what the Elite do. You know, anything they can have someone else do for them…”
Aimee smiled. “That sounds like something they’d do. But, why didn’t you come in to meet me? No one would question Richard Burke and his fiancee helping a new art dealer settle in, would they?”
“Like I said, nobody knows about the proposal yet. We’ve just begun setting things in motion. We need to make it look like we’ve never met before. You’ll be our connection.
Richard Burke will be working with you to help you establish your new business, and I’m your roommate.” I smiled and asked, “Don’t you remember? We met years ago when I spent the summer in Parisio visiting family.”
“Oh, but of course! How could I forget that summer?” She winked at me, and we both giggled.
“Anyway, Richard Burke and Kendra James will meet because of you. Oh, and Kendra is an only child, so would you be my maid of honor?”
Aimee squealed again and hugged me.
It was Harlow who returned our focus to the here and now. “I don’t mean to spoil the party, but what about Sgt. McGraw? Do you know what happened to her?”
I shook my head, pulled out my transceiver and contacted Guy. After I explained the situation, I closed the connection and looked at Harlow. “He’ll meet us at Eberhardt’s. He’d like you to stick around.”
When we arrived home, Eberhardt made us wait in the car with Harlow while he
checked both our apartment and his. When he was satisfied that no one else had been there during our absence, he returned and gestured for us to follow him.
“Do you have anything to drink?” I asked.
“Just beer.”
“Not really a welcome home sort of drink.” I reached for Aimee’s carry-on. “I’ll just drop this off and bring down something more festive.”
Minutes later, I stood in front of Eberhardt’s apartment with a bottle of wine in one hand and the other on the doorknob. The elevator doors swished open further down the hall. I turned and saw Guy hurrying toward me and let my hand fall away from the door. As his warm soft lips pressed against mine, and his arms wrapped around me, a glow spread from my belly to the tips of my fingers. It had only been a little more than a week since I’d moved out, but it was clear to me that I didn’t want to continue on without him. Guy tickled my lips with his tongue, and I was just about to open my mouth for more when I heard a click and turned my head.
Harlow stood in the doorway. He chuckled. “Is this how you plan to convince the world that you’ve never met before?”
Guy pulled away from me and smiled. He looked deeply into my eyes, even while he responded to Harlow. “No, it’s how we plan to convince the world that Richard Burke is finally ready to commit to one woman.”
“Hmm…” Harlow cocked his head to one side. “Yeah, you might be able to pull that off.”
They shook hands. “I’m Guy. It’s nice to finally meet you
. Thank you for keeping Aimee safe.” Harlow put his head down as Guy continued. “McGraw had only good things to say about you!”
“Thank you, sir. But I’m not sure how much help I was. Aimee is the one who took charge in the field.” He shook his head. “I didn’t even know who to call.”
He was honest and modest, both admirable traits, and he had stuck by Aimee until his mission was complete. I smiled at Guy and nodded.
Guy put his hand on the younger man’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “You did just fine, and you helped us discover a flaw without anything going terribly wrong. From now on, we’ll be sure to give all Shepherds two local numbers, in case anything like this happens again.”
Harlow nodded. “Thank you, sir!”
Guy took the bottle of wine from me and walked over to the dining table. He handed it to Eberhardt, who had already set out five glasses. Then he pulled out my chair, and I sat.
I crossed my legs at the ankles, folded my hands in my lap and kept my posture straight.
Aimee watched with interest. She looked like she wanted to laugh, so I winked at her. It felt unnatural to be acting this way in the company of soldiers and bodyguards.
However, during our trip to New London, Guy had explained the importance of the high level of etiquette I would be required to display at upcoming social events. He’d insisted that I begin practicing immediately, and in all settings, so that the behavior would become second nature. But this level of courtesy was downright frustrating! I knew how to open the door for myself and how to sit in a chair without looking like a lug. I let out a sigh, which resulted in a stern look from Guy. I looked right back at him, but then lowered my gaze. He knew what I was thinking, but I also knew he was right.
Guy took a sip of wine. “First things first. We need a new contact within the military.”
“What about McGraw?” Harlow asked. “Shouldn’t our objective be to find her? She’s your main contact.”
“Not anymore. She’s missing. Our main objective now is to make sure the movement survives. Individuals are secondary.”
Harlow countered, “That’s how the military operates. I thought the Resistance was different. We shouldn’t leave her behind, not without knowing what happened.”
“And we won’t.” Everyone turned to look at me. Elite women were taught to defer to their fathers and husbands, but this was different. Guy and I were partners. To hell with practice; this was not the time. I uncrossed my legs and leaned forward. “You’re both right.
We need to have someone in place during McGraw’s absence. Then we should try to figure out what happened to her. If we find her, and there’s anything we can do to help, we will.” I reached out and took Harlow’s hand. His eyes widened in surprise, but I held his gaze. “It’s what we do. We look out for each other.” I let go and turned to Guy, “Didn’t McGraw tell you her second, like how Scott told you she was his?”
He nodded. “Kamau, but we’ve lost contact with him as well.”
“When?”
“Just tonight.”
“Was he in Special Ops too?”
“Yes. We’ve lost our main connections to the military. I need to know why. Harlow, are you ready for a promotion?”
“Now just a minute.” Again, everyone turned toward me. Harlow needed to understand what a promotion like this meant. “In the car, you said you’d been trained to follow orders, not question them. Accepting this role will require you to do just that. You’ll need to question what you’re told and act independently, while appearing to follow military orders. Can you do that?”
David thought about it for a few minutes. He even stood up and walked around the apartment. Then he sat down and looked me in the eye. “Yes, I can.”
“Okay then, you need to know some things before we can ask you to accept such a position.” We needed to tell him about what happened at Ramsey Corps. I looked at Eberhardt, Guy and even Aimee. They all nodded in agreement.
***
So it was decided. David Harlow was our new link to the military. He wasn’t ideal. He didn’t have the clearance or leadership skills that usually accompanied such a position, but if someone was onto us, they probably wouldn’t suspect him either. Plus, the people who’d gone missing were all in Special Ops and Harlow wasn’t.
“Do you think they’re doing it again?” he asked. He meant genetic manipulations and cloning, Ramsey Corps’s specialty.
I’d wondered the same, but Guy had his own opinions about that. “If they are, it’s not Ramsey Corps. Elaine Ramsey and her partners would raise too many suspicions both here and overseas. We took them out the right way. We shared their dirty laundry with the world, and it brought them down completely. But,” he paused and looked around the table before he continued, “I’ve been following the newsvids carefully. Watching for any hint of genetic engineering, for any mention of the doctors and scientists we learned about from the Ramsey files.”
We hung onto every word.
Guy shook his head. “There’s been nothing. However, there have been some shifts in the political arena over the past few months. A couple of new ministers have been appointed, and some who had the same ideals as us have been pushed out. Prime Minister Armstrong. He’s been with the ministry forever, and now he’s at the top. I know him personally.
He’s ruthless.” Guy sat back. “That’s all I’ve got.”
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a long thin piece of paper. Handing it to Harlow, he said, “These are the military personnel who side with the Resistance. Stay here tonight and memorize those names.”
I knew the list in Harlow’s hands had been culled from the master list, of which there were only two hand-printed copies. Guy had one and Scott had the other.
“I want to know if anyone else has disappeared. I’ll expect a report by the end of the week.”
“Yes, sir!”
Before we left, I also handed Harlow a slip of paper. It had two transceiver numbers written on it, mine and Guy’s. “Memorize those too and keep in contact.”
Then Guy handed Harlow one more item, a special cufflink, a serpent striking at a gold coin. It was how the other soldiers and officers would recognize Harlow as their new link to the Resistance.
-Aimee-
Getting to Know You, Again
The next morning, streaks of sunlight splashed across the burgundy comforter. I stretched and stood, then reached for my red satin bathrobe. Tying it at the waist, I made my way into the kitchen and began rummaging through cabinets and drawers, in a search for breakfast supplies. I put a pot of water on the stove to boil before carefully spreading a white embroidered tablecloth on the dining table. Then I set three places. I found a beautiful porcelain tea set, placed a few teabags into the pot and added the boiling water. I took the pot and three teacups with saucers to the table and sat down to wait. When Keira joined me a short time later, I was surprised to see her alone.
“He didn’t stay?”
“No, it’s better for him to leave while everyone is asleep.” She sat across from me. “The neighbors think I’m single. Oh, be careful what you say to Miss Violet in 1023. She’s a gossip.”
I raised my eyebrows, but Keira only shrugged and said, “I’ve been sociable.”
“You? Sociable with the neighbors?” I laughed. “Why?”
“Practice. And besides, people are just people, no matter their social standing.”
“You really believe that?” It didn’t sound like the Keira I’d grown up with.
“Guy does, and I’m trying to.”
“I don’t get it. You two have been together for over a year, and you’ve been living with him for months. His parents really don’t know? His friends either?”
“Well, some of his friends know because they’re my friends too, but they’re all about keeping secrets.”
I rested my chin on my palm and studied her face. “You don’t agree.”
Keira stared back.
“What is it?”
“I agree that secrets can be used to keep people safe, but…I just think if everyone knew more, we could start a revolution.”
“What?” My voice was sharper than I had intended.
“Too many people believe the Resistance is just an urban legend. That keeps Resistance fighters safe because what kind of a threat are we if no one believes in us? But I keep wondering, how can we change society unless everyone knows?”
“Keira, if the wrong people hear you, they’ll take you away and do what they did to Scott, probably worse.”
“There’s always a chance of that. Just after you left, wanted posters for all three of us went up.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it didn’t affect you before.” Keira leaned forward. “They couldn’t get to you in Mediterra, and you had enough on your mind. Anyway, we don’t even know who posted them. There’s just a number, no name. We don’t know if it was because of the Palamara report or because of Beckett or some combination. We just don’t know. ” She waved her hand like it was of little concern.
I stood. “Keira, stop trying to protect me! You always do that, and you just can’t, okay?
You can’t protect me all the time.”
Her face paled a shade. “I’m sorry.”
I moved around the table and rested my hand on her shoulder. Keira looked up at me.
“We need to support each other. I need you to talk to me, to trust me to be able to handle things. Do you understand?”
Keira nodded, and I bent down to hug her. There really wasn’t anything more to say, so I simply asked, “Are you hungry? I could make crepes.”
“Toast will be fine.”
I moved toward the counter that separated the kitchen and dining areas, but Keira took a deep breath and stopped me. “No, you sit. I’ll get it. What would you like?”
“I’ll have a piece of toast too, with apple jelly.” I sat down and poured myself some tea, then gently lifted the white teacup with bluebells on it. I inhaled the sweet aroma of peaches before taking a sip. The porcelain clinked when I set the cup on the saucer.
Tea and coffee were luxuries here, reserved for the Elite, but after living abroad, I knew it wasn’t because they were terribly expensive to import. Scott said the prices on certain food items had been inflated by the Gov as a way to keep the Divide strong.