Jack of Hart- Wild Card

by Violeta Bagia

  ‘It means that the government, U.S., international, you name it, have been waiting for Ace, under the guise of keeping our people and the world safe. In reality, they need her blood to create a weapon, something biological, something that will, in one move, eradicate all Sensitives and Collectors around the world.’

  ‘Mass genocide.’ Matt whispered.

  ‘And what better way to ensure she’s around to use, than to keep her in a glass box.’

  ‘One we put her in.’ Aurel added.

  No one moved, no one said a word until Alex got up. ‘Feel free to throw up. I did.’

  Closing the laptop with a gentle thud, Aurel shook his head, dropping his gaze. Eventually, Illarion came back in and stood beside me casting his eyes over every person standing in my small kitchen. What a ride it’d been, what a way to come full circle and face the cold hard truth.

  ‘None of this would have been relevant if I didn’t evolve, that’s why he took me…’ I trailed off.

  ‘He thought having you evolved would have been advantageous to fight them from the top, the two of you would have been strong enough to end it all. But it didn’t go the way he planned.’ Alex averted his gaze.

  ‘Because she fought the Darkness and came back.’ Illarion concluded, leaning against the sliding door.

  ‘And the first time, because Daniel helped her escape.’ Aurel added.

  ‘And the second, because I killed him.’ I supplied.

  A fresh coating of tears wet my eyes and the air was punched from my lungs. It all really was my fault, in more ways than one.

  ‘How long have you known?’ Illarion asked, scrubbing his jaw.

  ‘Long enough.’

  ‘How long?’ Illarion shot back.

  This reunion was not colored in joy or relief or good memories of a friendship long lost, this was more like God and the Devil meeting face to face after being apart for reasons they’d both imposed on each other—which one was which was yet to be determined.

  ‘I had my suspicions from the beginning.’ Alex said firmly, casting a glance at me before returning his attention to Illarion. ‘Didn’t you ever wonder why she was so important, why a whole task force was assigned to her? There’d been Divines before her, there’ll be Divines after.’

  Both Aurel and Illarion looked like they were about to snap back with some dangerous remarks when Alex held up a hand defensively.

  ‘Ace is what they’ve been waiting for. Ace is something else. She’s bigger than all of us, all of this.’

  ‘How would anyone have known that?’

  Alex looked at me, a sad, almost apologetic smile filled his lips. ‘It was prophesied, written in all the Celestial writings.’ He nodded to the note Illarion had read out, the one Matt and I uncovered. ‘They founders knew and kept that hidden, that’s why Dalca wanted to get into the safe, he wanted to know for sure.’

  When no one moved or said a word, Alex continued. ‘She’s the key, she always has been.’

  ‘To what?’ Illarion was losing patience.

  ‘To ending this war that Dalca was talking about.’

  ‘The warrior’s blood will open the door and in the morrow the battle will soar. But only when the door is sealed can the human race be healed.’ I whispered.

  ‘Project Adam.’ Illarion concluded.

  ‘The end and the beginning.’

  ***

  I knew at that point what everything had meant, why it was leading us here and why Illarion’s voice rose above everything else inside my head.

  He was meant to be by my side for this, all of it, everything was preordained and fated.

  Fuck fate. Fuck destiny. I refused to sit on my ass and let those bitches dictate how much life would play out and eventually end.

  I ran my hands through my hair and stepped into the kitchen, putting a pot of coffee on.

  As they continued talking, I zoned out. My mind went a million miles away and my heart raced like it would never slow down.

  When the kettle blew out a long-winded whistle, I cut it short and set out five cups. Without realizing, I overfilled my cup and the water spilled over the edge, burning my hand. I jerked back, letting out a quick shriek.

  Illarion quickly pulled my hand back and led me to the sink, turning the cold water on. ‘Keep your hand here.’

  ‘Oh God.’

  ‘You’re okay.’ He whispered, keeping his voice low.

  ‘No.’ I shook my head. ‘No, I’m not. I don’t know how to do this.’

  Illarion looked down at my hand, bowing his head.

  ‘We’ll figure it out. We always do.’

  ‘What if we can’t this time? What if this is it?’

  ‘This isn’t it.’ Illarion shot back. ‘I know it isn’t.’

  ‘This is more than we’ve ever trained for, Illarion.’ Aurel said quietly. ‘We’ve never trained for the possibility that everyone we’ve ever had in our corner is gunning for us.’

  ‘Not everyone.’ Illarion said quietly. ‘We have a few contacts, people in the field we trust.’

  ‘And this weapon, Project Adam, how do we fight something that can take us out without warning?’

  ‘We’re going to stop it before they finish it.’ Alex said. ‘That’s the only way we get to walk away from this.’

  ‘Then we’re going to need everyone we can get.’ Aurel said firmly, dropping into our conversation. ‘Sensitives and the other guys.’

  ‘My contact is in, without question.’ Alex added. ‘What about your FBI guys?’

  ‘Not sure.’ I shrugged. ‘Belfort, maybe Riley.’

  ‘Peyton will be an asset.’

  Aurel balked beside me, but both Illarion and I knew that she could and hopefully would be someone we could count on.

  ‘How far have they gotten with the coding?’ I asked Alex making a mental note to have that conversation with Peyton at some point.

  ‘They have a prototype.’

  ‘Is that what they shot me with?’

  He shook his head. ‘That was a very small taste of what they can do. They’ve been testing other ways of dispersing it aerosol, intravenously, you name it.’

  ‘Is that what they killed the Collectors and Sensitives with?’

  He nodded.

  A shiver rolled up my spine. ‘The senator.’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘Shit.’ Aurel muttered handing out the coffees I made.

  ‘Have they coded it to anyone else?’ Illarion asked.

  ‘Not that I know of, but they have been working on it. Anyone they’ve gotten blood samples from, maybe you.’

  ‘When he was shot.’ I said, piecing it all together.

  ‘So far, that puts the two of you at risk and me, Aurel’s safe for now and I don’t know about the rest.’

  ‘Do they need blood from everyone then?’

  ‘No.’ Alex said, his eyes darkening. ‘That’s what makes this so deadly. Your DNA is the data bomb of all data bombs. Every Sensitive, every Collector; the Celestial Beings and Divine genetic coding is stored in your cells.’

  If I could have been more afraid, I would have been, but everything inside me was already coiled as tightly as it would go and a with every short breath, my chest tightened even more.

  ‘Who else knows about this?’ Illarion asked, leaning back against the counter.

  ‘No one else. My contact and now you.’

  ‘Then we keep it that way. Knowledge is power, and we have it.’ Illarion looked to each of us. ‘Everyone clear?’

  Unanimous nods greeted him.

  ‘Good.’ He nodded back. ‘You should get some rest. It’s been a long night.’

  ‘Amen to that.’ I sighed, keeping my eyes down.

  Illarion turned to Alex. ‘Leave your contact information before you leave.’

  ‘You got it.’ He nodded. ‘See you later.’

  As everyone cleared my apartment, Illarion hung back leaning against the door.

  ‘You should go.’ I said softly, look
ing up into his eyes.

  He was so exhausted, dark circles shadowed his eyes, as much as I’m sure they did mine.

  ‘I’ll stay here.’

  ‘No, Ila. You need proper rest.’

  ‘You going to be alright?’

  ‘I’m sure I’ll be fine for a few hours. I just want to shower, clear my head.’

  ‘Okay.’ He gently squeezed my shoulder. ‘Call me if you need anything.’

  ‘I’ll be fine. Go.’

  When I was finally left alone, I glanced down at the card Alex wrote his contact information on and stuck it in my purse. Well, this was certainly not how I thought my day was going to start and this was most definitely not the way I thought my life would pan out and probably end.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ace

  How my brain managed to shut off for a nap, was a miracle in itself, how I managed to get myself into a steady frame of mind was another.

  I showered again, got dressed and sat on the edge of my tub staring at Alex’s contact information. The little white card felt like a lump of coal in my hands. So much weighed on me, so much filled my heart and pushed me into the ground.

  My shoulders tensed with each thought of Alex that rolled through my mind.

  We had so much to talk about, there was too much left unsaid but as my mind raced back to Illarion and the betrayal he’d felt, I started to question myself. It wasn’t my place anymore, Alex wasn’t a part of my life, Illarion was. My loyalties lay with him. But, the more I looked at the familiar scribble, the more my heart told my mind to shut up.

  Picking up my phone, I called the number he’d scribbled down, and after a few short exchanges, he agreed to meet at his apartment after he requested a tall caramel frappe and a bagel.

  So, I stood, at his apartment wrangling a bag of food, two big ass coffees and my emotions.

  He pulled the door open before I could reach to knock, as soon as he spotted me, he chuckled, taking the coffee from me letting me in.

  ‘Thanks for grabbing this.’

  ‘No problem at all.’ I ground out, remembering quickly that he was well acquainted with my sarcasm.

  ‘You don’t have to be so tense.’ He said, closing the door with a gentle thud.

  Ignoring him, I pushed past taking my coffee from him.

  ‘Please, sit.’ He nodded to the couch.

  Keeping a deliberate foot between us, he sat down, handing me a bagel.

  For the longest time we sat in silence, eating, keeping purposefully busy with the food or sips of coffee until he finally set his cup down and looked over at me.

  And now, for the first time since seeing him again, I really looked at him, taking in every inch of the man I’d loved for so many years, the man I’d grieved for so long.

  Agony filled every pore inside me and if I didn’t turn from those vibrant, piercing green eyes, I would have crumbled.

  For so long I’d questioned myself, did my actions directly lead to his death, had it been my fault?

  Alex looked like he was doing the same. His eyes drank me in, stopping on every line across my skin, every movement I made and then he dropped his gaze.

  ‘If I could even articulate half of what I’m feeling…’

  ‘Alex don’t.’ I shook my head, making a move to get off the couch. ‘This was a mistake.’

  His hand slipped around my wrist and gently tugged me back down.

  ‘When I watched what they did to you, what Grimes did, Jesus, Ace. I can’t even describe what I felt, when I was unable to help you.’

  ‘I watched you die.’

  ‘They gave me a drug, something that slowed my heart rate down.’

  ‘You knew going in, that would be the outcome.’

  ‘We anticipated it would be, but I never wanted it to end that way. But when I saw that out, when I saw a way to get you to break through, I had to take it.’

  So there it was, the answer to the question I’d been needing an answer to, for the past four years. Not a damned thing I did, would have changed the outcome.

  ‘You played me.’

  ‘No.’ He shook his head, taking my hand. ‘I never played you, everything I told you was the truth.’

  ‘Don’t lie to me.’

  ‘I’m not, Ace, you know me.’

  ‘I don’t know you.’

  ‘Yes, you do.’ He tightened his hold on me. ‘You know who I am.’

  ‘No.’ I whispered back. ‘The man I knew, the man I loved, died in that shack.’

  Taken aback, he shifted in his seat and then repositioned himself moving slightly closer.

  ‘It was so hard for me to stay away, you have to believe that I never stopped thinking about you,’ he paused, scrubbing his jaw. ‘Ace, I never stopped caring about you.’

  ‘Don’t you try and justify this.’

  ‘I’m not.’ He held up his hands defensively. ‘There were rules. Things I couldn’t ignore and when they got to you, when Grimes started questioning you, it was over, Ace. I had to do what I did. It was the only way you would have a chance.’

  A laugh left my lips before I could stop it. ‘Christ. You really are a piece of work.’

  ‘Ace, try to understand.’

  ‘No. Alex. You try to understand. Things were messed up after Iraq but I’m sure you already know that. And I grieved you, and everything we had, everything we were meant to have…’

  ‘Then you and Illarion found each other and I knew you were in safe hands.’

  ‘I loved you!’ I shot up to my feet, and he followed.

  And for the first time in years, the feeling really hit me. I loved Alex; God knew I loved him more than I could ever express.

  For a moment, he stood silent, frozen. And then he spoke. ‘I loved you too Ace. So much, Jesus.’

  ‘I resigned; you know. After that, I gave it all up. Because that’s what you wanted for us.’

  ‘I didn’t ever expect to see you again.’

  ‘And here we are.’

  ‘Yeah.’

  A heavy stillness fell over us and I knew, deep in my heart, right where Illarion held a spot no one would ever take, Alex was still there pushing and pulling, tearing me apart from every angle reminding me of who he was.

  ‘Illarion did what I should have, what I was too afraid to do.’

  Illarion’s name sparked a fire inside me.

  Alex shook his head, like he didn’t believe what he was telling me all while keeping his eyes firmly focused on mine. ‘Illarion broke protocol, hell, he risked getting thrown out of the Agency to come to Iraq, he crossed the entire desert alone to find you. He protected you, he did what I couldn’t.’

  ‘It’s complicated now.’ I whispered. ‘Too much has changed.’

  Alex didn’t look surprised. ‘Why did you come here?’ He asked quietly, leading me back to the couch.

  ‘I don’t know.’

  He moved closer to me, diminishing the tiny space on the couch and within a heartbeat, his hand was on my cheek gently tracing his thumb along the line on my face and slipping down my lower lip.

  When I moved to pull back, his other hand slipped to the nape of my neck, turning my face to his.

  Instinct told me to remove myself from the situation, instinct told me this was a mistake, but my heart told every thought rushing through my mind to shut the hell up.

  Closing my eyes, I leaned into his touch and an eternal moment later, his lips were on mine and every warning telling me to stay away, was blown to the wind.

  My hands moved on their own, slipping under his shirt, pulling his body toward mine and seconds later, he’d lowered me on his couch, hovering above me.

  His lips were busy, never once breaking contact, his hands greedy, roaming across my clothed body until even that wasn’t enough, he swiftly pulled my sweater off, taking a quick second to pull off his, and finally we were skin to skin. Breathless gasps were caught on hungry lips and with each desperate move I grew more and more unsteady, every thought that was pu
shed back was clawing its way through the clutter of messy emotion. Every thought that started and ended with Illarion.

  As Alex moved to the button on my jeans, I clasped my hand over his.

  ‘Stop.’ I breathed. ‘Alex, stop.’

  He pulled back as soon as the words left my lips, quickly finding my eyes.

  I covered my face, shaking my head against the cushion. ‘I can’t do this. I’m so sorry.’

  ‘Don’t apologize.’ He whispered, gently grazing my cheek. ‘I’m the one who should be sorry.’

  Collecting my discarded clothes, he handed them to me with a half-smile. ‘I’ll get us something strong.’

  Sitting up, I shook my head in disbelief and dropped my gaze. What the hell was wrong with me?

  Before Alex came back from the kitchen, I collected my bag, pulled my sweater back on and rushed out of his apartment, carelessly running into a tall, hard body which quickly caught me and stopped me from falling backwards.

  Looking up, my stomach dropped. Illarion’s wide eyes found mine and without a second to register what he must have seen in my face, I rushed away.

  Perfect. Perfect move, Ace.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Illarion

  She rushed away so quickly I didn’t have a chance to call her back and ask what happened. Then the door to the apartment opened and Alex stepped out, without his shirt.

  A short breath stuck in my throat and when Alex looked up at me, he shook his head. ‘It’s not what it looks like.’

  ‘If you hurt her—’

  ‘Don’t even finish that sentence, Illarion.’

  He stepped aside letting me in. He handed me the file we’d all agreed to meet here about and when I sat down at the dining table, he pulled his shirt back on and brought over two glasses of scotch.

  ‘I’ve been doing some digging. I wanted to show you this.’

  Taking the glass, I gave him a pointed look but encouraged him to continue.

  ‘The DNA sequencing, it doesn’t stop there.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Take a look.’

  I opened the folder and read through the document. Each line got worse than the one before, each revelation was a punch to the gut. I placed the glass on the table, steadying my hand.

  ‘Illarion, I’ve been working this for years, watching from a distance, I know how far in you are, I’m sorry for keeping this from you.’