The sewage smell was starting to fade as we entered the executive parking lot meant for elite visitors. A harassed-looking guard opened the gate for us and it was then that our new motorbikes came into view. Amongst them was a lone figure. The black motorcycle was revving as it waited, a Confederacy flag painted on the side of the engine.
“I believe that’s the friend that Argon sent,” I said frostily.
“Chill. I know their colors. It’s Fennley,” he said. “He rebuilt that speeder himself. I recognize it. Now don't change the subject. Let’s rewind to-”
When his friend pulled off his helmet and a cascade of blonde hair tumbled down, I had to wonder how the pronoun ‘him’ was apt. This ‘Fennley’ certainly didn't appear to be of the male variety. ‘He’ winked at Cain and puckered up his lips mockingly as we approached. “Well, well. Look what the desert spat up.”
I raised my eyebrows. Judging by the grating, high-pitched voice, it was definitely not a man. The feminine assets poking out of the top of his jacket weren't either. I looked over at Cain who seemed rather shocked.
“Emma Gene,” he said finally with a great deal of surprise. “Where’s Fennley?”
“He couldn’t come, so he sent me instead,” she said dismounting. She stood in front of him in what I took as a seductive pose. “Don’t I get a proper greeting? It has been such a very long time since we last saw each other.”
He gulped, looking down at her and all that she entailed.
“Nice to meet you, too, lady,” I sniffed, rolling my eyes.
Her eyes slid over to me. I could feel a half sneer come without her expression twitching an inch. “You must be the fugitive. You’re almost as pretty as your wanted poster.”
Her jibe didn't bother me. “I’ll let you two catch up. Debrief me when she’s produced a viable lead. Until then, I’ll be hanging out with comic book boy.”
“No, don't go,” Cain exclaimed a little too loudly. “We can all discuss it together.”
She pouted distastefully at the prospect of me staying there. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. There was tension between the two of them. She was coming on real strong and he was shrinking away from her with visible discomfort. Even more amusing, he was starting to edge behind me. “Rain, this is Emma Gene Crosby.”
Ah. So that’s where I knew her from. Her father was also one of the next on my list. Perhaps I would add her to my list, too. I disliked her that much already. She thrust her hand out at me like it was a privilege for me. “Call me Crosby.”
“I’ll call you whatever I please,” I sniffed as I eyed her bright red nails. “What news have you got for us, Emma?”
She squared her jaw at me, took one look at Cain who had skulked behind me entirely, and then smiled sweetly. “I found the nuke. I just need backup. It’s about twenty miles away in-”
“Micalar?” I asked, thinking of the closest town. “Odd choice because it's so heavily patrolled, but I digress, officers don't usually have radiation detectors.”
“Why did you bring her?” she addressed over my head. “She’s useless to you now.”
“Why don't you two discuss this over the radios while we travel? You can lead us in and chit chat,” I said abruptly, losing my patience. Cain sputtered but didn’t dare protest as I turned heel and strode over to where Michael was slumped over the back of the motor trike. If Cain made too much of a fuss, it would make him look pathetic and his ego was too large to allow that.
Michael looked worn out. He looked up at me with half-closed eyes. “Nice new friend you’ve got. I’ve only met the admiral’s daughter a few times. Don't worry, you’re not the only one who hates her. Everyone does. She's a power sucker. She sucks up to everyone ‘cause she wants a husband with social standing. Cain’s been her number one target for years.”
I yawned. “Good. She can have him.”
“Don't play with me. You like him,” he said sulkily. “And don’t try to ditch me. I’m coming with you no matter where you go, bomb or no bomb, even when we all make it through this.”
I kneaded my forehead with my free hand, watching the blonde bimbo inching closer to Cain. He seemed truly uncomfortable and was edging away with every inch she gained.
I shook my head. “I have no idea where I’m heading after this-”
General hot shot jogged past us agitatedly. “Wheels up immediately!”
“Cain!” the woman wailed from twenty feet away.
He shuddered as he kicked the engine off on the bike. He patted the seat behind him and mouthed the word ‘please’ at me, glancing over at the woman. I shook my head, waved at Michael, and proceeded over. I sat behind him and wrapped my arms around his back. The blonde glared from her bike.
“You alright?”
“Don't leave me alone with her,” he said in a low voice.
“Ex-girlfriend?” I asked.
“Wannabe wife,” he groaned.
“So I assume she had some useful information for us?” I asked shrewdly.
He patted my hand from the front. “Only that she’s located which city the nuke is in. She’s insisting on leading us there.”
“But how did the terrorists get past us?”
“I don't know,” he admitted. “It doesn't matter. We’ll get them. The interrogators can get the exact answers for us.”
I mumbled something in response as he jumped the bike and we all sped off. In my gut, I knew something was off still. I just couldn't pinpoint what. And I had the sinking feeling the ‘what’ could be the damn of our downfall.
* * *
The sleepy town of Micalar, twenty miles south of Nacin, was unaware of the danger it was in. I doubted the locals were aware of what was causing the power outages and mechanical failures. The nuke had become so powerful it was knocking out the city’s laser lights.
An hour back, another band of soldiers had met up with us. We were all closing in on the bomb and banding together for a more effective force. They regarded me with curious but suspicious eyes. But once Cain said that I was trustworthy, they seemed to accept it. Even so, I was left completely out of their planning.
Weirdly enough, they all seemed to respect Cain. Even though a few of them outranked him, they seemed to kowtow to his authority. But to their amusement, and mine, Cain had even gone to pains to stake his claim on me. After a few of the men sidled up to me, suddenly everywhere I went Cain was there. He even went as far as to insist that I take his share of the water from the well. There was a great deal of chuckling as we argued over it, ending with me all but throwing it in his face.
Other than that, I had left them to confer and finish planning. Right now I watched the horizon through the periscope as the soldiers geared up with bulletproof vests. I had declined mine. It would just slow me down. I loaded my gun with a round and pocketed the rest of the bullets. I probably wouldn't use it, but it never hurt to have it.
Michael was staying here at the camp to keep watch and radio if he saw anything. This was much to his displeasure, of course, but he couldn’t argue since he was no good in a fight. He had agreed with ill grace.
As the plan stood right now, we were all splitting up to locate the device. Some of us were going to the local military base to gather more forces and others were going to recruit the police. As for Cain and me, we were going looking for the nuke. Once we had mapped out its location, we would radio the rest of our group and form a sting to take down the terrorists and capture it. Everyone knew that there was a lot of room to fail, so the tension was mounting by the minute.
Right now I was scouting the edge of the city to see if any blockades had been set up. I felt a rap on my shoulder and something black clouded the view of the binoculars. I cracked my other eye open and saw a vest being waved in front of me. I sighed. “For the last time, I don't want it.”
“Could save your life,” Cain insisted. “I did not risk quick-sanding my ass or getting ‘scorpioned’ for you to croak at this late stage of the game.”
Considerin
g I could tell he wasn’t going to give in, I took it from him with a sigh. “Fine. But I have a bad feeling about this place. Something is about to go wrong. Call it hunter’s instinct but this has a bad taste to it.”
“I know,” he said. “Soldier's intuition tells me that, too. But you don’t have to go. You kept your end of the bargain. You led us through the desert. You don’t have to come with us.”
I stared at him for a second, wondering where this had come from. It had never even crossed my mind to let the soldiers go on without me. Technically I would be better off leaving altogether. Being in the jurisdiction of Nacin, it was likely that I’d be arrested and thrown in jail for my crimes. But if I didn’t go, I’d have something worse to deal with: my conscience. I had no intention of leaving him or Michael behind to face this danger alone or to leave them one hand short. I had a city to save and that was that.
But before I said anything further, I studied his expression. Was he testing me somehow? I thought I detected a little bit of disappointment that I hadn’t immediately agreed to come. Was this a personal wish for me to accompany him or just to see if I would run from the law as soon as I could?
I snatched the vest from him and pulled it on as he watched. His expression lightened and he almost smiled. That is until I poked him hard in the chest.
“If this slows me down,” I growled playfully, enjoying his reaction, “there will be hell to pay. Now, what is the plan?”
He crossed his arms and sighed. “We’ll meet Argon and the others once in the perimeter. Apparently Xorratti is already here and they came with him.”
That sounded wonderful. Knowing Xorratti, he’d be worth absolutely zilch and be nothing but a hindrance. “Right. Well, shall we be off?”
“Yes,” he said, adopting a more serious tone. “But I do believe I have to say something before we go. I have to… no, I don't have to say anything. Sometimes words just don't cut it.”
“What-?”
I swear my heart stopped as he stepped in to me, grasped me by the waist so my back bowed up toward him and leaned in. I recognized the intent even though I had experienced this only once before.
His eyes shone down at me as I breathed unsteadily, trying to drag air into my rapidly shrinking lungs. I battled with my desire to run and the desire to surrender to him entirely. I could feel my heart wildly thumping in my chest and I could have sworn it skipped a beat or two. I hoped he couldn't feel all this through the bulletproof polymer.
"You can say 'no'," he whispered, sounding as though he wished I wouldn't.
I opened my mouth to protest but the words died in my throat. Maybe they came out as a whimper; I don't know. I wasn't paying much attention to my reaction now as much as I was his rapidly descending lips. My eyes drifted closed and I could feel his breath on my face.
It was a shock to me that I wanted his contact so badly. He was right. I did like him. I did like the way his arm was holding my body and his hand gently twisted up into my hair. I so badly wanted to know what it felt like to be loved. My lips trembled with anticipation and want. But the contact I suddenly longed for never came.
“Are we going or not?! Let’s finalize the plan and be done with it.”
He sighed irritably at Emma’s shrill, pointed question and released me. I nearly stumbled out of his grip but caught myself. I smoothed out my shift and made sure the pins hadn’t fallen free from my hair. I felt my cheeks redden when I saw Michael mime-vomiting over the side of his bike. He had clearly seen the whole exchange.
“Of course,” Cain said in a monotone with dark eyes that clearly spoke volumes for what he’d wanted to do with me. I shivered and looked away as he trudged over to Emma who was glaring daggers at me.
I went to Michael and spoke urgently in an undertone. “Look, once this is over, get out of here. This place will be swarming with troops before we know it. They’ll catch you and try to take you back to your father.”
“I know. But I’m not leaving here without you,” he said with firm determination.
I cocked my head. “Your intentions may be honorable-”
“Not with you they aren’t,” Michael muttered. Then he blushed. “That didn’t come out right. I meant - oh! I don't like him touching you like that and worse, you do like it!”
I exhaled resignedly. “All the same, get out of Dodge. Do not stay here.”
He nodded, clearly still defiant enough that he probably wouldn't do it. I shook my head and ducked in and pecked him on the cheek. I drew away and he stared at me with hard, inscrutable eyes. Turning away, I ventured over to the precipice of the hill and waited for my mark. My gut was warning me not to go as I pulled my tunic over the vest, but I had to. Dusk was fading and night was falling. We couldn’t have picked a worse time to do this.
There was a muffled curse and then a declaration from behind me. Then more tromping. I rolled my eyes and smiled as I heard Michael nearly fall over again. I was about to say something when I felt his arms slap around my middle and hug me from behind. I patted his hands awkwardly.
“Be safe, okay?” he whispered in my ear. “I expect you to come back to me.”
“Sure,” I said, not attempting to extricate myself. It would appear he, like Dantenn, was a hugger. “I don't know why you’ve become so attached, but I’ll try for your sake.”
“It's nice to have a friend,” he said in a solemn voice. “I, like you, am not used to that. Plus I’m fully anticipating you’ll see what an ape McRattin is and dump him for me any minute now.”
I chuckled and tilted my head back to see him. “Stay safe.”
He kissed my forehead and smiled sadly down at me. “I’ll be here. Go kick some butt.”
His grip withdrew and he went away, muttering as he went. Another set of heavy boots approached with the rolling sound of the bike.
“That was sweet,” Cain said mockingly, probably jealous. “We’ll go down first. Emma will ride down the other side and the others will go on the opposite end of her. Is there any way to hide those? They’re a dead giveaway as to who we are.”
He pointed at my blades, all signs of playfulness gone. I shrugged and loosened the straps so the pack drifted lower on my back. I tossed a cloak over it. “If we get attacked, I’ll have a harder time reaching them, so you’ll be in charge of cover fire.”
He nodded solemnly and settled himself on the bike. I sat behind him and we rocketed off down toward the small city. Once there, I hid my face low down into the cowl of my cloak as he idled the bike into traffic. From what I could see, people weren't suspicious of us. To anyone we’d look like a normal couple.
The little city hadn’t changed much since the last time I had been there. Everything was clean but rundown. Street vendors were plentiful and the shiny chrome diners behind them looked like they could use some shining up. People were coming out of the shops and doing touristy things like taking photos. Oddly enough there was no fear, except for confusion as to why all of the lights had flickered and died.
Cain grabbed my hand and started pointing at various things after we parked, pretending like he was showing me the town as he led me along. I nodded uncomfortably, keeping my eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. There were too many people about. What were they all doing here? Shouldn’t they have all gone home already? The lights of all the shops were dark. He pulled his baseball cap down as a swarm of tourists went by. He didn’t need to be recognized right now. It would take up too much time.
I hadn’t been to this place in years, but I was far from impressed. Though the streets were clean, they were so close together it was a thief’s dream to navigate. When people were packed in together, they were easy to steal from. Pickpockets were rampant and I’m sure human dealers were waiting on every corner. This was probably one of their main kidnapping grounds.
Cain seemed to know that, too, considering I felt his hand abandon mine and snake around my waist possessively. I made no comment as he drew me closer.
“Looks like they
may know it’s here, too,” he said in an undertone, eyeing the police force lining every exit to the city. They were watching the crowds with unease.
“I don't think so,” I murmured back. “People are starting to wonder why there's a power outage. They’re here to make sure chaos doesn't erupt, I think. Let’s hope they don't recognize us.”
People were indeed starting to fret. The shuttles to the city were down and it seemed like a lot of people had come out here for dinner and sightseeing since it was Saturday. The locals were looking edgy. Doors were dead-locked shut. Business owners were trying to convince people to shop in their selections of wares, but even they were starting to give up. Cain led me toward an alley and we ducked into it.
“We’re never going to get anywhere with these crowds,” he fumed. “Let’s get out of the business district. The back streets are - someone's coming.”
I elbowed him hard when he tried to shove me behind him and flip out his switchblade. My eyes adjusted and I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw who it was.
“Whoa, I come in peace,” Argon said hastily. “Stand down, Cain. Gutting me won’t make you feel better… but we’d see if she liked me or not. Would you cry over me, Rain?”
“I doubt it,” Cain interrupted tetchily. “Where’s Xorratti?”
He noticed Cain’s less than friendly greeting. “Wooo… someone’s gotten possessive. You two slept together or something? But more importantly, we need to get undercover. Everyone in living tarnation is out here. This place is in lockdown now. No one is getting out. I’m surprised you all got in with the way Xorratti has been blocking everything off.”
I said nothing about his jibe and focused on that fact. If the troops were already here, why had Emma come to fetch us? That was odd and struck an unknown chord in my mind. It didn't make sense. “Emma Gene didn’t tell us that.”
“She must have been here before Xorratti arrived,” Cain inserted.
Argon frowned. “Emma Gene? She’s with you? I sent Fennley… I wonder where he’s at.”
War Machine: Book One in the Destiny In the Shadows Series Page 29