Jasmine (Teumessian Trilogy Book 3)

by Ana Elise Meyer

  Jasmine bent down in front of her, locking her eyes on Ming's. “No, I am nothing like you. I have always been better than you.” Jasmine sheathed the knives and smiled. “There is a cage waiting for you,” and with a punch to the face, Jasmine knocked Ming unconscious.

  Greg stood watching the situation and covering in case of any attack, but it did not come. Instead, it was Sarah and Franklin who came charging down the hallway. Greg waved at them. “Hey, over here.”

  Sarah turned, lowering her gun as she reached Greg at the doorway. Sarah stepped in, seeing Jasmine standing over the unconscious Ming. “Is she dead?”

  “No, she's all yours,” Jasmine replied, walking away from Ming and out the door.

  Greg was silent. “Come on. We need to set the charge,” Jasmine ordered to Greg. Greg followed her out.

  James, Rose, and Mitchel also had their work cut out for them. As they headed to their destination, the fight was fierce, and they got bogged down near the end of the corridor.

  “We are so close,” Rose called, firing another arrow. Bullets lodged in paintings along the wall; the carpet was soaked with blood.

  “We can't back down now,” Mitchel said, ignoring the gunfire and charging in. A bullet found Mitchel's calf, knocking him down as he cried out in pain.

  “No,” Rose yelled, running after him.

  James did as well, only running faster than Rose. He stood in front of them, firing an electric arrow, his last one, at the four guards. James pulled his gun and continued to fire, using his body as a shield for Rose and Mitchel. Two bullets ripped through James' right arm and left leg, dropping him to one knee, but he didn't budge and found his mark on the last guard standing in their way, hitting him in the forehead. James was breathing heavily as he turned around to see Rose bandaging Mitchel's leg with the ripped off sleeve of her shirt. James looked at his own wounds as they healed. James reached out his hand to Rose. “Hand me the charge. I will set it,” he said firmly.

  Rose reached in her bag and pulled it out and handed it to James. James ran the short distance to the point Greg had designated. James secured the charge under the small wood table and flipped the switch. James rushed back to Mitchel and Rose. James reached down and helped Mitchel up on his good leg. Rose started to try to hold Mitchel's other arm, but James stopped her.

  “No, I need you to cover us. I have him,” James said confidently.

  Rose followed orders, pulling her gun and starting down the hallway, with James helping Mitchel. They were met by Warren and Ray, along with several soldiers.

  “The charges are set, and Mitchel's wounded. We need to get him out,” Rose called as Warren approached, with Ray in tow.

  “We will cover you out. Rose, lead them,” Ray ordered, re-loading his gun. Rose led the team down the hall and back to the grand foyer, where they were met by Franklin and Sarah and their team of soldiers, carrying an unconscious, restrained Ming.

  “Where is Jasmine and Greg?” James questioned, looking around.

  “We're here.” Jasmine came running into the foyer with Greg right behind.

  Ray touched his ear piece, “I need status on everyone else.”

  “I have Marcus, Olivia, Ping, Bradley, Liam, and Nathan with me. They set their charges,” Dovia called back.

  “Let's go; everybody out,” Warren ordered.

  “Where's Mom?” James asked.

  “She was in the hallway when we were trying to get to our spot. She was fighting guards the last we saw her,” Jasmine called back at him as she was following the group. James had to continue out of the palace. He had to get Mitchel out safely.

  Marie had taken the guards with ease, tearing down each of them in quick succession. She then charged her way into Sergei's office. As she burst through the door, she felt the ceiling coming down on her. In fact, it was a metal cage. She was trapped. Marie turned frantically to look for an escape, but there was none. The gold glittered off the walls as she saw the red carpet below her that led to Sergei's desk. “You work where the Tsar would reign. How pathetic,” Marie snapped.

  Sergei laughed as the door to the office slammed behind her. Pushing another button on his desk, metal panels began to fall from the ceiling, sealing the entire room within them. Sergei clapped, stepping out from behind his desk.

  “I knew you would come for me and, of course, alone. Only you would be so bold to come through the door. I designed this just for you.”

  “So what’s your plan, now?” Marie sneered.

  “Well, if you don't think I know about your little explosive party, you are wrong, and we are nice and safe from it here. So, your little children will set off the explosives. They will think we are both dead, and then, we will escape through the tunnel system, and I will have you all to myself. I can always rebuild.” Sergei laughed.

  “Sounds like a great plan,” Marie said flatly.

  Through her earpiece, she heard what she had been waiting for. “Everyone is clear. What is your status, Marie?” Dovia's voice came through loud and clear.

  Marie smiled at Sergei. “You have everything all planned out. You and me, face to face, only I am in a cage. Did you ever consider that I knew it would end this way?” Marie touched her ear piece. “To the stars,” she said as she stretched out her arms.

  “That's it; that's the code to blow it,” Dovia said, typing into her laptop.

  “Wait, where is she?” James questioned in a panic.

  “I don't know. She said to blow it when she gave that code,” Dovia replied, hitting enter. As Dovia hit enter, Marie's red outfit began to glow. Sergei's eyes widened in fear. “Boom baby,” she said as the explosives concealed within the lining of her outfit exploded. The explosion rocked the building.

  “That was the first one, the one she planted,” Dovia said, staring at her screen.

  Within moments, the remainder of the explosives detonated, causing the glorious mansion to implode on itself. The ground shook, and the crumbling rubble struck the earth.

  James watched in horror as the building came down. “Where is she?” he asked as he started to tear up.

  Dovia typed feverishly, trying to locate her tracker.

  Dovia felt her heart fall. “Her last location was Sergei's office.”

  “Where was the initial blast?” James didn't want to know the answer, but couldn't stop himself from asking.

  Dovia took a deep breath. “Sergei's office.” Dovia felt weak. That's why she had thanked her. She was setting up Dovia to end her life for her. Dovia was devastated that she had been compliant in Marie's suicide plan, without her knowledge. She sat in silence as she began to shake with the weight of what she had just done.

  The words rocked James as he dropped to his knees.

  Jasmine gasped as she held her hand over her mouth, only letting go to cry out, “She was the bomb.”

  Greg rushed to Jasmine, who turned and grabbed onto him. What Marie had said to him was coming true. He had hoped she would change her mind, but she didn't.

  “It was what she wanted,” he said, trying to comfort Jasmine.

  James heard him and turned his head. “What did you say?” his teeth gritted.

  Greg realized what he had said and was afraid to speak again.

  “You knew!” James barked, getting up and charging at Greg.

  Greg pushed Jasmine away as James tackled him to the ground. “You let her die!” James screamed, trying to choke Greg.

  Greg didn't fight back; it wouldn't help.

  Jasmine rushed to them, with Liam and Dovia joining them. Grabbing James, they fought to pull him off of Greg.

  “You let her die!” he continued to yell as they pulled him off, throwing him back.

  “I tried to stop her. She was determined that it was the only way,” Greg gasped, trying to catch his breath.

  Despite her tears, Jasmine stayed by Greg's side, checking to make sure he was ok. “She wouldn't listen and made me promise not to tell any of you to protect you from trying to stop he
r,” Greg pleaded with Jasmine.

  She nodded; she understood.

  James did not. “I hate you!” he barked, turning back to catch his eyes on the rubble that was the mansion.

  “James, he's right; he's right,” Jasmine cried. “If she wanted it, it was going to happen. Please.”

  James just walked away from them towards the rubble.

  Jasmine raced after him, stepping in his way of going any further towards it. “Stop! This isn't going to change anything. Even she couldn't have survived that. She wouldn't want you digging through rubble and endangering yourself.”

  “Let me through. I have lost everything. Don't you get that? It doesn't matter.”

  James pushed against Jasmine, but she pushed back. “You haven't lost me,” she sobbed.

  James froze.

  “You haven't lost me,” Jasmine repeated. James' eyes filled with tears as he broke down again, grabbing and hugging Jasmine. She hugged back tighter. “We have each other,” she sobbed. James nodded. Jasmine pulled away and led James back to the group and past them to their encampment and sat down around the fire Nathan had started. Everyone else followed them, except Greg, who just stared at the rubble sitting on the ground.

  Chapter

  37

  Warren and Franklin had led the troops, along with Sarah and Ray, out of the palace and up the hill. They all turned to see the palace go down. The sight of the palace going down hit both Warren and Franklin hard as they looked to each other.

  “It's over,” Warren said confidently.

  “Not completely. We still have Russian troops threatening to invade Georgia,” Sarah replied, checking her gun.

  “They will back down, once we contact the Russian government to discuss Sergei's demise and a way for them to back down, without looking weak,” Warren retorted.

  Franklin nodded. “Yes, he's right. They'll back down.”

  “I'm glad both of you are so confident in that. I need to keep my troops ready in case of attack,” Sarah replied, walking towards her troops, giving instructions for them to spread out and cover the rest of their new encampment.

  “She's a tough one; good luck taming her,” Warren said with a playful shove to Franklin.

  “Why would you want to tame that? She is amazing,” Franklin replied, staring at Sarah giving orders and directing soldiers.

  “I'm with the Prime Minister,” Ray added with a laugh. “I will join her,” Ray said with a nod, but before he could walk away, the commotion between Greg and James drew his attention. “What the hell?” Ray called out, running towards the group as Jasmine was leading James towards the set up encampment. Ray found Greg sitting on the ground by himself. “What happened?” Ray questioned.

  “She's dead,” Greg replied as Warren and Franklin, who had followed Ray, joined him.

  “Wait, who's dead?” Warren questioned.

  “Marie, she was the first bomb,” Greg barely let out.

  “No, that's not possible. She can't die,” Ray argued.

  “Her outfit was laced with explosives. It was enough to take down Sergei's office and destabilize the palace. She couldn't have survived that. There would be nothing left,” Greg replied.

  Shock fell over Ray, Warren, and Franklin. She was gone, really gone, this time.

  “Excuse me,” Franklin said, stepping away. Warren saw him wipe a tear and followed him.

  “Hey, are you ok?” he asked

  Franklin took a deep breath. “You know, I can remember as a kid, her being picked on, but it didn't matter, because Michael would always stand up for her. The day they took us, she was the only one who cried for us and begged for us not to be taken away. I know she was crying for Tommy, but she was the only one who fought for any of us.”

  Warren nodded. “She was one of kind. She was a victim, just like all of us. She made her choice. We have to make ours.”

  Franklin looked towards the team as they were gathering around a fire. “We have to take care of them, especially James and Jasmine. We owe that to her,” Franklin said firmly.

  “I agree. That is, if we can stay in office,” Warren said with a smile. “I think we should work the war hero angle.”

  Franklin cracked a slight smile. “Oh no, you're getting impeached.”

  “Probably, but we did what was right, and in the end, the world is safer as a result, so it was worth it,” Warren said proudly.

  “I agree,” Franklin replied.

  Chapter

  38

  Greg sat with Ray standing over him, still in shock. “What do we do next?” Ray asked, looking at Greg, staring at the ground.

  Greg lifted his head and looked to his inner chest pocket. Marie had been right. Greg knew exactly what to do with the letter. He walked over to the group as they sat around the fire, Jasmine resting her head on James' shoulder. They had won, but they all looked so defeated. Greg pulled the letter out of his pocket and held the crumbled white envelope in his hands. He walked straight up to James and Jasmine. Jasmine looked up to him with lost eyes.

  “I know why she gave this to me. It was so I could give it to you two,” Greg said sweetly, handing the little envelope to Jasmine. She reached out and took it. Tears filled her eyes. She knew who Greg was talking about. It was from Marie. Jasmine unfolded the flap and pulled out the note. James watched.

  As she unfolded the letter, she sat up straight and wiped a tear from her eyes. “It's addressed to all of us.” Everyone’s eyes gazed upon Jasmine as she began to read.

  “I know this is not how any of you planned for this to end, but it is how I always knew it would. My generation has truly made a mess of things, and your generation had to clean it up. I have thrown your world into chaos, and for that, I am sorry. No technology, weapons, or training could compare to the one gift I was able to give to all of you, each other. You are family, now. You have fought and grown together. Don't ever stop learning from one another, supporting each other, loving each other. You are a blessing to a world that does not deserve you. Stay together and stay strong, and if you ever need me, just look up. I will be watching. Lelaps.” Jasmine paused, “Lelaps?”

  Greg smiled as he looked up to the sky, “The hound, Canis Major.” He pointed to the sky. Everyone looked up to see Canis Major shining brightly in the sky.

  Liam smiled. “I think our orders are clear,” he said confidently.

  Greg smiled. “I'm with Liam. We're family.”

  Jasmine nodded, holding the letter to her heart. Her eyes turned to James as he stared, teary-eyed, at the constellation above him.

  James lowered his eyes to look at Jasmine and gave her a tight hug. “Count me in.”

  James and Jasmine will return...........

  About the Author

  This is Ana Meyer’s third novel and the final book in the Teumessian Trilogy.

  Ana was born and raised in St Louis, Missouri, where she still resides today. Ana graduated from the University of Missouri-St Louis with a degree in Criminology/Criminal Justice. Ana’s primary work hasn’t been in writing, but in working with at risk youth and children with disabilities. Ana sees the struggles that these children face every day and wants to stress how those struggles can affect the person you become. Her characters are flawed and their struggles with those flaws make them relatable to any young adult. The children she works with are her inspiration to follow her own dreams and never stop dreaming and creating.

  She enjoys reading many types of literature, but prefers historical fiction. She is an avid film fan, who loves action adventure films. Ana lives with her three rescue dogs and a cat.

 

 

 
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