It was a good gig, even with the guilt and anxiety that came with it. Despite the money, organizing each game made it all worth it. The feeling that she was like a god, picking the cars that would be tested, the cities and roads that would be the testing ground, and the players to the game.
After narrowing it down to several locations, she’d picked rural Arkansas for the next game. The winding roads would make for ideal testing conditions, and would make the game even that much more interesting. She picked the cars that would be involved, as well as the tow truck. It was the first time the manufacturers had wanted a massive truck involved in the games, and it was there for one purpose only: broadside collision. She’d checked the specifications for each car involved in this particular game and ensured that each was well equipped with steel side bars and side airbags. Although the manufacturers would probably chomp at the bit for the data involved in a massive wreck where the sedan crumpled under a tow truck, the last thing she wanted were more corpses.
When the games were completely organized, she would send an invite to the players she’d hand selected—one driver, and one navigator for each vehicle. They would receive an encrypted email with a link that would take them to a protected site. There, the players would download the information about where to find the vehicles, the maps, the date and start time, and the rules specific to that particular game.
Heather would then have each vehicle delivered to a specified address, where it would be covered with a piece of canvas until the games commenced.
A message suddenly appeared on the lower right-hand corner of Heather’s screen, interrupting her thoughts. Heather glanced down and couldn't help feeling a burst of exhilaration as she saw that it was a new message from the Duke.
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
How u doing?
ANONX^17
Another day in paradise. Pretty cold today.
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
Yeah, here too. Snowing again. Been snowing for what seems like a couple weeks straight now. I see some activity with your dragon thingy. You setting up a new game?
Heather was tempted to ask him where he was that it was snowing so much, but it went against their etiquette. If he wanted her to know, he would tell her. If she wanted to, she could probably figure it out, but like her, he would know if she were looking.
Yet despite all that, she wanted to know more about the Duke. There was an attraction there, and she knew it was ridiculous because she’d only just met him, and only through the internet at that. She thought about for several seconds until realizing that she hadn’t responded. Her cursor blinked in the message box, waiting for her to type.
ANONX^17
Yep, starts in a couple of days.
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
Cool. How’s the reporter? Paul.
ANONX^17
Still kicking. Checked hospital records and saw that he was released a few days ago. Got the first flurry of internet activity on his personal computer.
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
Anything interesting?
ANONX^17
Weird stuff. Looked at maps online some county parks, some bus routes and stuff.
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
U think its connected?
ANONX^17
Probably. The guy’s obsessed, but you would think that he would cool it a little after getting shot, you know?
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
Yeah. Keep an eye on him though. Thought about making contact?
ANONX^17
Not unless it gets crazy. So far I haven’t seen anyone tracking him, and he hasn’t stumbled across anything big. Doesn’t use the web for much but checking in on his ex wife on FB.
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
Sad. We found some records of military activity that happened several years ago—before the attack in Miami. Might be related to the Contionum. Covert operations in Kandahar, a city in Afghanistan. Two militant leaders with Al Qaeda connections were assassinated, along with wives and children. No one is taking responsibility.
ANONX^17
Maybe drones?
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
No, not possible. These guys were on their feet, and we found the encrypted communications before they were deleted, sent via text message. Orders didn’t come from any government, and there was a guy named “Harrison” referenced. You hear that name in connection with the Chicago stuff.
ANONX^17
No. Sounds like it’s just coincidence.
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
I thought so too, but there was a corresponding attack in the same city. Suicide bomber and first blush, market place was decimated. Completely wiped out. but NO EVIDENCE OF BOMB.
Heather felt a chill run down her spine. A bomb without a bomb was the mantra that Paul had repeated in his article. An explosion with no evidence of an explosive. She sat forward in her computer and began typing.
ANONX^17
Interesting. Bomb without a bomb, like our friend the reporter would yammer on about.
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
Exactly.
ANONX^17
Any other connection?
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
The text messages for both the assassination and the ‘bomb’ originated from the same source. Whoever the Harrison guy is, it seems that he was calling the shots.
ANONX^17
Okay, so we plug in ‘Harrison’ and ‘Morales,’ see if we come up with some hits? The two have obviously got to be working together.
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
I would think so. And u need to be careful. Whoever these people are, they are powerful. They’ve got military connections, and we’ve seen that they aren’t opposed to domestic attacks. Be careful and watch your back.
ANONX^17
Any indication that they’re watching us?
DukE_of_DarkNEss_83
No. I’ve got a guy keeping watch for any searches related to both u and me, but nothing yet. I’ll check back with u in a few.
Chapter Fifteen
Mae thought often about the night her mom died, knowing it was one of the events that had changed her life forever. First, there was Miami, where her dad had died. Then it was Chicago, when her mom had died. She didn't like to think of it, but in both cases, she was probably the cause of their deaths. When you got right down to it.
She thought about that snowy night in Chicago, how'd she been stalked through the floating forest and followed to the airport.
She had been alone in the world, and then the boy had swept her off her feet and saved her. She hated to think of it like that. She didn't like to think that she needed saving, but he came at the right time and place into her life, when she needed it most.
His name was Ryan, and she had to keep telling herself that he was real. They'd met on the airplane, and before that, she'd never seen or talked to him. The boy was a complete stranger to Mae, and it scared her a little, to think that she'd given in so easily to a stranger. After all, she hadn't known the people who'd put her in that tank, or the people who'd studied and probed her, or the people who'd killed her mother, or the people who were maybe still hunting her. They were strangers, and so was he, and she should have been more afraid of him than she was.
Something about him though, reminded her of the only other boy she'd ever been close to, the only boy she'd ever kissed—on top of the mountain ridge overlooking the autumn spiced mountains below.
Ryan’s eyes could be so cold one minute, but so warm and happy the next, and the way he looked at her, she turned to mush inside. The night they met, Ryan set her up in a hotel, paid for the room indefinitely, and walked her to her room. She was so tired and worn that if he'd wanted to come inside her room and stay, she could not have put up much of a protest.
Even now, after several weeks, Ryan was still a stranger to her, and she to him, and he respected that. Ryan never crossed the threshold into her hotel room, just stood there and smiled at her as she waved goodbye and shut the door
.
Ryan didn't call or check in on her for a full two days, letting her sleep as much as she wanted. And Mae would probably have slept the entire time, if it hadn't been for room service delivering. The food was usually very good, though she was so hungry that she probably would have eaten anything. For the first dinner, however, after her appetite was satiated from breakfast and lunch, she found that she couldn't eat what was brought. The first course was a pile of stiff foam atop slivered mushrooms, with a dabbling of purple sauce on the plate. She stared at it, then called down to the restaurant to ask what it was. The foam was made from blended bean sprouts set atop shiitake mushrooms, with a plum and bone marrow sauce. She almost gagged at this and didn't feel like eating much more than the tiramisu that was sent for dessert.
On the morning of the second day in the hotel, when Mae was just getting used to this lifestyle, a woman who Mae didn't know dropped off a change of clothes. The clothes were too big, but they were cute. She wondered why Ryan was being so nice to her, yet keeping his distance. Admittedly, she had very little experience with boys, but this behavior was odd, and a little frightening when she thought about it for long. She still had no idea who this guy was, or why he'd even started talking to her on the airplane. For all she knew, he was simply keeping her at the hotel until the men who hunted her caught up, feeding and taking care of her. Kind of like the last meal before the electric chair routine.
But she was sure that if the hunters knew where she was, they would not wait. They would crash the hotel room and finished what they’d started.
In the afternoon of the second day, after taking a long nap and feeling wholly rejuvenated, she decided that if Ryan hadn't called by that evening, she would leave. Like a thief in the night, and like she had so many times before, she would disappear.
You can never stop, because they will never stop, her mother would say, and she had to make those words her own now. The hunters were out there, and if they didn't know where she was now, they would soon. And they would never stop.
Mae paced the hotel room, squishing her toes into the thick carpet and almost swooning at the velvety richness of it beneath her feet. She thought about where she would go next, to the place where they would be least likely to look, and immediately her thoughts went to France. She thought of the orange groves, of the cafes and bridges, of the rows of lavender, but immediately dismissed the idea. It was, and had been, a dream of hers to visit that country, so far away and magical, but they would know.
They. Those who hunted her knew everything about her, and had demonstrated that knowledge time and time again. They would know.
No, she had to pick a place where they would never guess, where they would never look.
But isn't that why I came here? She asked herself, and considered the idea. Mae was close to where she'd been born and spent most of her young life
before the laboratories ... before the tank
but she didn't know anyone here, and had no ties to the place, except for memories.
Mae thought of Adam, the boy from the mountain ridge, the guy who'd leaned in and kissed her mouth while holding her body close to his. There was Adam, and she was sure that they did know about him. Of course, so much time had passed since that kiss, and it had only been a kiss and passing childhood crush, and probably he wouldn't remember her at all. But hadn't that been why she'd come, to see him?
The phone rang and she jumped, startled from her thoughts. After several rings, she walked quickly to the bedside table and picked up the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Well, hello there, sleepyhead,” Ryan said, and Mae couldn't help but smile.
“Ryan?”
“In flesh and blood, although you'll have to take my word for it, considering.”
“Considering, of course.”
“You up for a drive?” he asked.
“Only if you tell me why in the world you ordered that disgusting foam with bone marrow stuff last night.”
“Oh, not a fan?” Ryan laughed. “I thought you'd like a little adventure after being cooped up in that hotel room. Did you at least get some rest?”
“I did, thank you.”
“Well, you were looking a little tattered the other day, and I thought you might need some down time, away from everything.”
“It was perfect.”
“I'm glad,” he said.
“Why?” Mae hesitated, thinking carefully about how she should ask this. If he was working with the hunters, she hoped that she'd be able to tell from how he answered her question. Then again, if he was as good as the hunters had been, he'd probably have a canned response ready for this very question.
“Why what?” he asked.
“Why did you bring me to the hotel, why are you paying for all this, why are you picking out crazy food for me to eat, and having strange women bring me clothes—”
“Oh, did you like the clothes?” he interrupted.
“They're a little big, but yeah, they're cute.” She waved her hand as if brushing this away, even though he couldn't see her. “That's not the point. I'm asking you why you bought me clothes, and why you put me up in this hotel. Why?”
He didn't answer right away, and she bit her lower lip, waiting for his response.
“You didn't have anywhere to go,” he said finally. “I thought you might want to eat at some point, and I'm pretty sure that you don't have any money, and I thought you might appreciate a change of clothes.”
“People aren't nice like that, not nowadays,” she said, and he grunted. She pictured him shrugging his shoulders with that grunt, as if to say, 'well, I am.’
“There's nothing else?”
“What do you want me to say?” he asked. “That you're beautiful and I'm attracted to you? Yes, I am. But that's not why I did that. You're right, I probably wouldn't have put some homeless guy up in a hotel like that, but you know what, I've got the money and I wanted to help.”
She smiled and stared out the big glass door that opened onto a snow covered balcony. Her footsteps were still out there, little pock marks in the white powder, remnants from her short venture outside the day before.
“Okay,” she said.
“Okay?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
She rolled her eyes and said, “Are all guys as frustrating as you?”
“That, my dear, is something about which I haven't a clue. Now, what do you say? Wanna go for a drive?”
She glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table and saw that it would be dark soon. Being out with Ryan after dark and driving on unfamiliar roads was a little unnerving to her, but the way he asked ...
Move before the devil gets ya
Mae wondered if all that she'd been running from was finally catching up in that moment. She wondered if all the work she'd done with her mom to avoid the hunters, to cover their tracks and seek complete anonymity was crashing down around her as she contemplated Ryan's request.
His eyes. His smile, mysterious and complex. She wanted to see him, to smell him again, and to hear his voice. She knew that she wanted it, but also knew that she was being stupid, that if she didn't move, the devil would get her, that they would never stop hunting her. But the way he looked at her …
“Yeah,” Mae said, “I'd like that.”
“I'm downstairs when you're ready.”
Chapter Sixteen
Move before the devil gets ya
Mae wasn't moving, and she prayed the devil was sleeping.
The snow started soon after they drove, falling in the car's headlights and against the windshield, little ballerinas in frilly white dresses, dancing with the wind, twirling and whirling as they raced up the winding road. The sky was dark and covered with grey clouds, and they were alone on the roads. At first, the road was straight and wide, cutting through New England forests and open fields. They drove north into the mountains, and the winter storm grew heavier, pelting their speeding car with bigger and fatte
r flakes of snow.
They drove in silence, listening to a soft song on the radio, and she stole glances at him as he drove, taking in every detail. His chiseled features, the steely gaze and intense focus. His dark hair was cut short and was messy, but still looked better than it had on the airplane, when they'd first met. Mae liked the way his shirt fit around his arms and shoulders and chest, and she could tell that he was muscular and strong.
“I like this song,” she said, and he raised his eyebrow as he gave her a sideways glance. He looked back at the road, his head cocked to the side, his expression still curious.
“But you have heard it before, right?” he asked, and she shook her head. He looked at her again, more shocked than curious.
“You've never heard Crash by Dave Matthews Band?”
“Is that really hard to believe? I've never even heard of that band.” She laughed and pushed her hair behind her ears. “I think you might be surprised by a lot of things, Mr. Ryan.”
“I guess so.” He reached forward and turned the knob on the stereo, and the vibrant sound of the plucking guitars and soft vocals filled the car.
The road was empty of other cars ahead, and the snow left a clean and soft blanket across the asphalt. Street lamps marked the way through the winding mountain roads, shedding their soft yellow light over the sprinkling flakes of snow, dancing almost in time with the song.
“It's beautiful,” she said.
And it was.
After driving through a small city set in the mountains, they turned into a canyon. Street lamps didn't line this street, and the way ahead was lit only by their headlights. Mae wondered where they were going, but she was no longer afraid. The warm air in the car and soft music on the stereo were more than enough to put her at ease, although alarms were clearly sounding in the back of her mind. She leaned back and enjoyed the rumble of the big engine and the smooth ride over the roads.
The Snow Swept Trilogy Page 30