by Krista Cairn
Mitch shut the door and dropped down to sit beside her. “I saw it. I saw them coming. As clear as I see you right now. Odd, right?”
“You can see through things now? That’s actually kind of cool.” She looked at him, amazed. “Can you see them now?”
He turned his head and his eyes narrowed slightly. “Um, yes. There’s a van outside, with… three people inside. It was only two the first time I looked. I don’t recognize them.
They’re arguing, I think.” He shrugged.
That would be Justin, the girlfriend, and someone she didn’t know, if her theory was right. Maybe Justin was the late third one, arguing with the other two. Simone started to giggle, then laugh. She tried to stop, but the adrenaline rush was passing and she was giddy. “Sorry,” she said between gasps as she tried to stop. Something about it was infectious and soon Mitch was laughing, too.
“But how?” she wondered. It wasn’t related to anything they already did, was it? She should have paid attention in science class, but then again, this was way beyond high school science.
“I don’t know.” He let himself fall over backwards. “But I bet they won’t stop there.”
“So, now we have to stay away from windows. Like, sleep on the floor?”
“We might need security cameras and monitors. It’s giving me a headache to look through things like that.”
“I believe it.” She looked over at him, then rolled to lean up on her elbow, her head propped up on her hand. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get more interesting,” she winked.
He laughed. “And you flirt with me now? That’s what it took for you to be interested?”
She nipped at one of her lips, thinking. Confessions were a good thing, right?
“I’ve been ‘interested’ for a while. I just needed to see the real you.”
“And this is real?” He turned to face her.
“You keep risking your life for me. I still don’t understand it, but I like seeing the real you, the guy that shows up when we’re in danger, and the mask comes off.”
“Mmm, I see.”
“You’re… amazing, really. I hate that we had to meet because crazy man experimented on us, but somehow you being here, being who you are, makes it okay.”
“You’re pretty okay yourself,” he grinned.
“Are they still out there?”
He sat up and looked around in a circle. “All clear. Now what?”
She sat up, too, watching him closely. She felt a little sheepish. She wanted to let him know she’d made her mind up. That her heart was finally beating louder than her fear.
But he’d stopped asking.
Inching forward until they sat nearly side by side, facing opposites directions, she leaned, looking at him, thinking about giving him a kiss on the cheek. About waiting until he turned to face her and… then she chickened out. Her breath was on his ear, she knew.
She’d heard some guys find that arousing. Was she coming on to him?
She swallowed hard and tried to calm her breath. She closed her eyes and felt her eyelashes brush his cheek. He pressed his cheek to hers.
“What are you doing?” he whispered.
“Waiting,” she said, surprised at how airy her voice was.
She turned and caught his gaze. She saw something new in his expression. A kind of fire. Her heart raced as she the meaning of it became clear. He slid in close to her, wrapping his near arm around her waist and pulling her to him.
As their lips met, she leaned in to it, just a bit. Just enough to transmit her message.
This was as survival instinct, she reminded herself, right before she told herself to shut up.
This was what she wanted. Needed.
A little DNA swap would be good for them. Bonding. Their timing was off, though, she thought. She pulled away, needing to catch her breath. He growled and closed the gap, even as she lay back.
The thrill of being strongly desired by this man, by the one man she could see herself with forever, was intoxicating.
“We’re going to need a priest,” he whispered as he leaned down to kiss the nape of her neck, then her cheek, then lips. Pressing into her, he moved her in ways she didn’t know a kiss could. The sensation of it made her warm all over. When he sat up again, and the cold air rushing in made her shiver.
She knew what he was doing. He was giving her time to back out. Time to regain her senses. Time to think about the morality of what they could be doing right now. And she agreed, even as she lingered, letting him hold her, giving her little kisses on the neck and face.
“How long have you known?” she wondered.
“Under the window, I suspected you liked me. Maybe even needed me, if only as a friend.”
“How? Even I didn’t know.”
“The heart knows first.”
“And mine is good at keeping secrets, apparently,” she joked, sliding off to his side.
“Let’s get hitched. For real,” he said as she nestled in close to his side. He turned his head to kiss her forehead. “Marry me.”
“We win, we get married. Deal?”
“If you can wait that long,” he chuckled. “Deal.”
Mitch sat up and looked around in a circle again. “Still clear, but they will be planning something.”
“Their pattern has changed lately. They’re more aggressive,” Simone said, standing up.
“Agreed. Something must have changed.” He stood up and straightened her shirt, his expression soft and caring.
“I had a thought earlier. In high school Justin had this weird girlfriend. If she got him to give me something and that’s what changed me, it would explain why he looked after me while I was sick. And what if they’re still together?”
“Were her parents scientists?”
“Major geeks, but I’m not sure about the science part. The mom died shortly before I left home, so it would just be her and her dad.”
“Hard life.”
“I’m trying to remember his name, but I can’t. I’m going to message Justin and see what he says back.”
“Do you have a picture of him? And maybe she’s in a school year book somewhere?”
Simone nodded. “Not on this phone, though. Can I use your computer?”
He led the way into his lab and turned the computer on. “Don’t look for a minute,” he said. “Oh? You have something there I shouldn’t see?” she teased. Peeking, she saw a picture of herself as his desktop. It was taken the morning she stood out in the sun with her arms out, her eyes closed, enjoying the breeze. The morning she’d felt a slight brushing against her lips and opened her eyes to see him standing close. It was almost too sweet.
Her heart pinched when she realized his affection for her was practically love at first sight.
“Okay, I’m assuming you need to log in somewhere online?”
She nodded. “I send pictures to my email.”
She logged in and opened a file labelled “Rogue’s Gallery.”
“Here,” she pointed. “This is Justin.” She opened a new tab and leaded a different email. “This was his girlfriend.”
“You’ve been doing this a while, eh?” He leaned in to look. “Any pictures of me in there?”
She chuckled. “Of course.” She had snuck a few pictures of him, but not until he’d started popping up on a frequent basis.
“Yes, those are two of the people I saw outside,” he sighed. “I’m sorry.”
Simone didn’t want to believe him, but she’d seen Justin with her own eyes. “Any chance you saw the license plate?” She asked.
“Actually, I did.”
“Nice! Rene can look it up for us.”
“We’re going to explain to him?”
“Your idea. And I think that’s our best shot right now.”
“You’re going to be the kind of wife that remembers everything, aren’t you?” His voice held mock pain as he grinned at her.
“That’s your fault. I used to forget a lot of things,
all the time.”
“Really?”
This was going to sound corny, but she had to say it. “You took away the nightmares.”
He ruffled her hair. “That’s sweet. See, you need me.”
“Uh huh, no need to over-sell.” She stood up. “I’ll call Rene. Then I’m going to raid your kitchen, see what all that lightly veiled boasting was about.”
“That wasn’t boasting. Your kitchen really does need help.”
“Hey, they don’t know you can see through walls now. That’s going to be fun.”
“And painful. Don’t forget that part. I’m going to need to invest in a drug company if this keeps up.”
She rubbed his back a moment then pulled out her cellphone, clicking to text Rene.
“What was that license plate number?”
Chapter 26 // Press Your Number
‘342 Hollow Brook Lane.’
“We have an address,” Simone jumped up. “Ready?”
Mitch frowned. “Hang on a minute.” Sitting down in front of his computer, he searched for the address on the Internet. The images that came up were awe-inspiring. The place was styled after a castle, and had been blogged about extensively. It sat in the middle of thirty acres, just outside of town, with electrified or stone fence around the perimeter.
“Wow. Can I say I’m not surprised? I mean, I would be, but….” Simone said. “That’s wow.” Mitch clicked a different link, opening a blog that talked about “securing your castle”
and the measures this place had gone to in order to maintain their privacy.
“Most secured homes have a little sign out front saying, ‘this property is protected by this company.’ It’s the same as putting out a sign that said, ‘here’s the system you have to beat to get our stuff.’ This place doesn’t have one,” he said.
“Hey, I didn’t notice that. The sign on the door coming in here was a generic one.”
“My guess is they’re using a system that was designed specifically for that property.
Unless they are security experts, that means they hired someone.”
“I’ll bet René can find that out too.”
“Not likely. There are no laws saying you have to disclose the system you’re using.”
“So we need a back door?”
“Or an invitation. You said your brother is dating one of the people living here?”
“You think I should message him? That would kind of spoil the surprise, wouldn’t it?”
“Arrange to meet somewhere else, but only give him 10 minutes notice.”
“Clever, except for one thing – I don’t have his cellphone number.”
“Is he in contact with anyone you know? Other family members, maybe?”
“Mom! She stays in touch with all of us.” She quickly texted her mother. “I’m not sure what to say if she asks why.”
“There needs to be a why between siblings?”
“Not really, I suppose. But sometimes it gets complicated.”
“We need something else to do, while we wait.”
“You have a note pad and a pen I can borrow? I think better when I write things down.” He rummaged around in the drawers of the desk under the computer, eventually pulling out a few loose papers and a pencil. “I prefer pencils.”
“Right, right. You know when they’re going to run out.” Simone nudged him out of the way with her hip and put the papers on the desk. At the top of the page she drew a line across, then one down the middle. Above each line she wrote ‘challenges’ on one side and ‘options’ on the other.
As she got things out of her head and onto paper, their choices were starting to look clearer for her. Mitch added a couple things.
Her mother hadn’t responded yet, so they needed a plan B.
“I should go back and talk to Hemlock. That man owes me an explanation, at the very least.” She was done the duck and cover approach. “He is going to tell me everything he knows. And then, he is going to tell me where Parallax is.”
“Okay, but I don’t know these names. Who are they?”
“Hemlock was my handler when I was working as a courier. Parallax was my main competitor. It seems that he has more to do with Justin and the girlfriend than I had guessed. He’s been texting me. At least twice, anyway. That guy has always had an unhealthy interest in me.” She saw Mitch bristle at that statement and inwardly winced.
“I like your plan B. These seem to be a couple guys who need to meet me.”
“Oh, I’m sure they already know what you are. Hemlock as an old guy, very good at his research. He comes off as trustworthy, but don’t believe anything he says. Parallax is pretty much the opposite of that. He comes off as, but he won’t lie to you. I found out I had it backwards the last time I talked with Hemlock.”
Mitch stood up and headed for the door. Apparently, he’d heard enough. Simone jogged after him, feeling more than ready next challenge. When he stopped at the kitchen and pulled out his entire tackle box, it suddenly became very real to her.
“I’ll need to stop somewhere along the way first.” She needed her wig and jacket.
“Do you have any lead lined boxes, or something like that? I need somewhere to put a tracking device that’s stuck in and jacket and tell the time is right.”
With an efficiency she hadn’t expected, he opened his tackle box and pulled out a silver bag. “This will block any signals in or out. We should put our cell phones in there, as well.”
“You weren’t an Emergency Preppers at some point, were you?” she smiled. “Our cell phones will be safe, where they’ll be staying.”
“There’s a bit of overlap with what they do, and what I was looking into. A little conspiracy theory, too, for good measure.” He shrugged.
“No wall of newspaper clippings hidden away?” She joked.
He laughed. “Can we go now?”
She took a deep breath. Heading back into the lion’s den felt different this time. She was more aware of the risks but also more sure of the lengths she’d go to in order to achieve this goal. Hemlock was in for the shock of his life.
“Okay, let’s do this,” she said.
They jogged to the sea container, letting that wear off any excess adrenaline. She didn’t want to over-thinking this situation, either. The light blasting through the window had been a new thing. She hesitated to wonder what else they had come up with. People on a mission could get very creative, when they believe their cause was just and in danger.
Every movie she’d seen led her to believe this was a bad idea. This was always when things really hurt. When lives changed forever. When only one walked away, alive. She wasn’t willing to lose either Mitch or Justin. Not to some crazy woman. She pulled open the sea container and put the silver bag inside just long enough to transfer the jacket.
“Okay, time for the cell phones.” She dropped hers inside the bag and held it out for his. She pulled it shut then wrapped it into a tight bundle to carry with them.
“Anything else you can think of that we need to do? From here, it’s straight into the lions den,” she said.
“No, that should do it.”
The look on his face, his expression… it was intense. She’d never seen him like this.
It didn’t worry her, and in fact it was breathtaking. Indomitable. Straight off a movie poster.
That’s how he looked.
She flipped the wig on and straightened it. “No laughing,” she said.
“Actually, long hair suits you. You should bring that home with us,” he winked.
She rolled her eyes and relocked the container.
“Good to go?”
“Affirmative.”
She blinked. Oh, right. Kyun had mentioned that Korean guys each did a minimum of 18 months active military duty. Even their entertainment industry stars went. Her chuckle sounded menacing, even to her. This was going to get interesting.
She walked in a direct line, wanting to give people less time to think, report, or
recover.
“Objective?” she asked.
“Parallax,” he said.
“Challenge?”
“Hemlock.”
“Threat level?”
“Four.”
Was four near the bottom, and did this chart go up to ten? She shook her head. Let’s say it’s out of five, lower numbers are more dangerous, and it’s a real steep climb to three.
She should have sent a note to Rene saying what they were up to. If they needed backup, he’d be the guy to call. Oh well, too late for that.
She rapped on the door. “Open up, old man. We need to talk.” She demanded. They could probably bend the door open, but why waste the energy. She looked at Mitch, wondering if he was looking through the door.
He nodded.
The slider on the door scraped as it opened and Hemlock peeked around the edge.
When he did, she pushed her way in.
“We need to talk, old man.”
Hemlock tried to block Mitch, but he was too slow.
“I need to get to Parallax. Where is he?”
“Why? I mean, Parallax isn’t just around, you know. He doesn’t live here.”
She indicated the long, dark cement hallway that started on the other side of the room. “So, if we follow that, we’re not going to find a network of rooms and a man named Parallax sitting at computer monitor laughing at you?”
“Oh, you’d probably find someone laughing, but it wouldn’t be him. And it wouldn’t be at me.” He said.
“Good bluff, old man.” She pushed him backwards using her energy, not her strength to get him out the door. She locked it and dropped the brace bar down, tight.
He immediately started pounding on the door, the sound of the metal echoing past them and down the hall. Why bother, when security cameras would alert everyone anyway?
Unless they were dummy cameras. Simone turned.
“Let’s get going. He’ll give up soon and go get help.” She started off down the corridor. She thought about what she should ask parallax, and how she should phrase it.
That was, if he was even there. At the end of the hallway, it turned sharply and led them up a flight of circular stairs.
At the top, the hallway the same direction they had come in, then had another set of stairs at that end, also circular. Also going up one floor. This pattern repeated three more times.