See No More

by W B Dineen

  After a few more hours, we eat the food we managed to take from the plane, although none of us seems too interested in it. The best thing we can do is to keep our strength up, so we eat, if only out of necessity.

  Sometime later, Tony pulls the boat into a vacant slip at the marina and we get settled for the night. There are two cabins with queen-size beds. My parents take one, and Jake and I take the other. Trina insists on sleeping on a lounge chair on deck, so she can enjoy the night sky. Tony and Niko crash on couches in the living area.

  No one is pulling guard duty as we’re not currently worried about the Trēdecim. It will be some time before they discover Tony’s whereabouts, and in the interim, we’re going to enjoy a respite.

  When we wake up, we take turns showering before changing our clothes and heading into town to find breakfast. If I had to pick one word to describe our collective mood, I would choose pensive.

  Tony leads the way off the boat. He stands on the dock and offers a hand to the rest of us as we disembark. The only words he offers are, “Watch your step” and “Give yourself a minute to get your land legs.”

  We walk into the first resort we come across and get a table in the dining room. Once we’ve ordered, we finally begin to converse.

  My dad says, “We need to figure out where we go from here.”

  Tony puts his napkin in his lap. “I’ve been thinking about that all night. I think we should get back to California as soon as possible, so we can monitor the Trēdecim. I also need to check in with them soon.”

  I choke on a sip of water. “Have you decided what to tell them?”

  Staring out the window, he nods. “Yeah. I think I’ll say my last conscious memory was meeting with Stefano in Oregon. I’ll explain that I woke two days later with no sign of the Italian. Then share that I haven’t been able to get hold of my father and I’m worried Stefano has done something to him.”

  My dad interjects, “Sounds like a good place to start. The problem is we don’t know what Stefano shared and with whom he shared it. We can assume he told the two members he was meeting in Rome about the antimatter gun, but we don’t know if he told them about us.”

  Tony takes a long slow sip of coffee. “I’m guessing he was playing it pretty close to the vest. He wanted to take my father’s position and couldn’t do that until he could present evidence he had the magnified weapon. Once he did that, he would be their leader by default. I’m betting he was planning on telling them about us in person and hasn’t already done so.”

  Jake asks, “How are you going to explain your missing chip?”

  Trina answers, “Tony can claim it was taken out of him while he was unconscious. After they discover the island gone, he can make a case that Stefano was trying to set him up.”

  “But how does Tony explain Stefano being missing?”

  My dad draws lines in the condensation on his orange juice glass. “He doesn’t. He lets them assume the Italian has gone rogue with the weapon.”

  Alarmed, I ask, “But what about his chip? Won’t they be able to track him and find out his plane crashed?”

  Tony shakes his head. “GPS doesn’t work under water. The radio waves can’t travel through it. As far the Trēdecim will know, Stefano got away with the weapon and he’ll be their collective enemy.”

  The explanation is almost too neat, but since we’re the only ones with the whole truth, hopefully they’ll buy it.

  Jake asks, “Where do we go from here?”

  Tony replies, “To my house in Pasadena. I’ll tell the group I went back after regaining consciousness, so I could be in touch with them.”

  I take a bite of my pancakes, but don’t really taste them. “What about me and my mom? Do we get to go back to our lives?”

  Tony finishes his scone. “You have to lie low for a while until we can come up with a story for your friends and family about why you went missing in the first place. Once we do that, I think you’ll be safe enough.”

  Jake interjects, “What about Theo, Niko, and me?”

  Our fearless leader shakes his head, “I wouldn’t risk it, Jake. Theo and Niko are definitely in more danger than you, but it’s best if you plan on staying with me for the time being.”

  We finish our meal in relative silence, all of us pondering how our lives have changed. Mom and I are the luckiest out of the group because we could probably return to our old lives if we wanted to. But, I’m not sure I can go back. I know too much to pick up where I left off. Truthfully, I think I’m ready to make some sacrifices of my own and help defeat the Trēdecim any way possible.

  CHAPTER 94

  Dad calls the groomer, who’s watching Buddy, to let her know he won’t be back when he thought he would. He promises that if he doesn’t get back to Oregon soon, he’ll arrange to have the dog shipped.

  Landing in California is Twilight Zone weird. I grew up here, it’s my home. I should feel safe, but I don’t. Had the Trēdecim gotten their way, Pasadena would be blown off the map right about now.

  I watch as commercial airline passengers walk around with their winter tans and flip-flops, no more aware of what’s happening in the world around them than I used to be. I’m overwhelmed by how blind people are. Yet the powers that be work hard to keep the worker bees, as Tony once called us, oblivious to reality. By all appearances, they’re doing an excellent job.

  Driving through the gates of Tony’s house is surreal. The last time we left here, we were on the run. Now, we pull in like we don’t have a care in the world. But just because Tony’s dad and Stefano are dead doesn’t mean we’re safe. There are still eleven men and women out there who are making decisions for the world without our knowledge or permission.

  We unpack our suitcases and get situated in the same rooms we had during our last visit. My mom gets going in the kitchen for her cooking therapy. I join her and pull up a bar stool across the counter from where she’s working. “How’re you doing?”

  She stares at the vegetables on the chopping board in front of her. “I don’t know. I guess I’m relieved, but I’m also worried about what comes next.” Then she looks me in the eye and confesses, “I feel horrible about what I’m going to do to Chuck.”

  “You’ve decided, then?”

  She picks up a chef’s knife. “Yeah. In the long run it’ll be better for him if I leave now. There’s still time for him to meet someone to spend his life with.” Then she shakes her head. “Honestly, Chuck would probably prefer I stay and continue as we always have. It’s better for me to go. I’m just trying to make myself feel less guilty.” She looks up with tears in her eyes, “I can’t imagine how I’m going to explain this all to him. It will be singularly the cruelest thing I’ve ever done to someone I love.”

  “What about Jen?”

  She shrugs her shoulders. “Jen’s an adult. She’ll be upset, but it’s time for me to make decisions for myself. I gave away a lot of my life trying to protect you both. It’s my time now.”

  I whole-heartedly agree with her. I have no idea how I would have handled the situation if I’d been in her shoes, but I’m pretty sure I would’ve been hard-pressed to remarry solely to give my daughters a father figure. I don’t think I’m that unselfish. “When can we call Jen and tell her what’s happening?”

  “Your dad thinks we should give it a few days and let Tony check in with the Trēdecim first. If all goes well there, we’ll get to work figuring out what to tell everyone about our disappearances.”

  Tony walks into the room followed by the rest of our gang. “We looked at the map and there are no Trēdecim currently in Rome. We have no idea who Stefano was going to meet.”

  I ask, “Did you check in with them?”

  “I sent a message stating that the last time I saw the Italian he drugged me. I said I was out cold for two days and as soon as I came to, I immediately left for California. I also mentioned the wound on the back of my neck, where my chip must have been removed, and that I haven’t been able to get hold of my fath
er. Now, all we can do is wait to hear from them.”

  My dad interjects, “They’re probably going to conference with each other before getting back to you.”

  Tony nods. “That would make sense. None of us trusts each other anyway, and now, two members have gone missing. They have a lot to discuss.”

  Tony doesn’t hear back from the group for three days. During that time, we discuss where we go from here. Dad, Niko, Tony, and Jake have decided the best way to weaken the Trēdecim is from within. The only way to do that effectively is with Tony working with them from the inside. When he finally hears back from them, Tony officially learns his father’s island is no more.

  The Trēdecim are fully convinced that Stefano has turned rogue and is working on his own. They’ve called an emergency meeting in Paris in two days’ time to discuss their plan. Tony will be sworn in at the meeting and take his father’s vacant seat. They will also be voting on who to invite to be their thirteenth member.

  Jake and I make a verbal commitment to each other. We don’t know how things are going to work out with bringing down the evil thirteen, now eleven, but we’re officially a couple and we’re going to keep spending time together to see what develops.

  Trina is going to accompany Tony to Paris, as all who meet her seem to immediately fall under her spell. We’re planning on using that power to its fullest with the Trēdecim.

  All-in-all, we’ve succeeded in finding the weapon and ending the immediate threat to the world. Unfortunately, we’ve discovered that’s only the first step in a very long list of things that needs to be accomplished if we’re ever going to enjoy long-term safety.

  EPILOGUE

  Tony and Trina left this morning for France. Meanwhile, on the home front, Jen is coming by to meet our dad. I’m not sure what’s going on in her head, but I’m hoping she’ll be so relieved to see me and Mom that she’ll be on her best behavior. Not that I can imagine her being rude to Theo, but in her eyes, he’s an interloper that’s threatening the foundation of her family.

  Mom makes Jenny’s favorite sticky buns and we’re sitting by the pool waiting for her when we see her come up the driveway. When she notices us, she doesn’t continue on to the house, she abandons her car midway, and runs across the lawn in our direction.

  She goes straight to my mom and throws herself into her arms, “Oh-my-god, oh-my-god, oh-my-god, you’re okay!”

  My mom hugs her youngest for long moments before disengaging. “Oh Jenny, I’m so glad to see you!”

  Then my sister throws herself at me. This is a moment I wasn’t sure I’d live to see, and my emotions are running high. We eventually sit down at the table, and Mom serves us each a bun before looking at my sister. “I want to talk to you for a few minutes before you meet your dad.”

  Jen dismissively interrupts, “I already know my dad. You mean, before I meet Theo.”

  Okay, so not quite the reaction we were hoping for, but certainly the one we were expecting. My mom nods her head. “Right, Jenny, that’s what I meant.” She inhales deeply and continues, “Honey, Theo and I met when we were very young. We were full of hope, optimism, and possibility. We were full of love. Our lives only got better when you and Kate came along.”

  I stare out at the pool as my mom talks. When I glance up at my sister, I realize she doesn’t even seem to be listening. Instead her attention is focused behind us. She’s motionless, like a deer in the headlights. She eventually stands, almost in slow motion, before she catches herself and stops. Tears form in her eyes.

  I turn around and see Theo has arrived. He can’t take his eyes off Jenny either. He’s positively mesmerized. Finally, he takes a step forward at the same time my sister launches herself at him. Dad catches her in his arms and swings her around as though she was still a little girl. When he stops, he holds her close and cries, “My little Jenny! How I’ve missed you!”

  Jen is sobbing harder than I’ve ever seen her. Her whole body is convulsing in emotion. She doesn’t let go of Theo, she just clings to him and keeps saying, “Daddy.”

  Apparently, my sister has felt my dad’s absence far more than she’s ever let on. The two of them spend long minutes in each other’s arms, soaking in the intensity of their reunion. The atmosphere is thick with emotion, and both Mom and I are heavily affected, as well. Right here, right now, this is the family that was meant to be, had unforeseen obstacles not pulled us apart. All of us being together is as profound an experience as any I’ve ever been a party to.

  Eventually, Dad takes Jenny’s hand, and they join us at the table. With heartfelt feeling, he declares, “I never thought I’d live to see the day when I had all three of my girls with me. I could die a happy man.”

  As soon as the words escape his mouth, an ominous premonition runs through me, but I push it aside. There have been plenty of times we could have died in the last three weeks and didn’t. I choose to cling to the belief we all have a long and happy life ahead of us, together.

  About the Author

  Whitney Dineen is a national bestselling and multi award-winning author of romantic comedy, non-fiction humor, and middle reader fiction. See No More is her first thriller written as W.B. Dineen. While you’re waiting for her next thriller, check out some of her other works.