“I’m not telling you this because I blame you for recent events. There are many other factors at work, and what happened last week was beyond the control of any one organization or individual. I just want to make sure you all know that I am fully committed to dedicating whatever resources are needed to capture Ryku and eliminate these terrorists’ ability to harm anyone else. So hold your heads high, and keep doing the excellent work you’ve been doing all along. We’ll get through this together, just like we’ve done before.”
He raised his hand to all of them before following Alma to her office. Javier and another member of the security team accompanied them, but the rest remained where they were. Once the door had closed behind them, Jared let out a long breath and went back to reviewing the footage of the prison riot that had facilitated Ryku’s escape.
About half an hour later, Bradshaw emerged from Alma’s office and began wandering around the main area, stopping to talk to some of the other SIO operatives one-on-one. Jared glanced up from his work intermittently, ready to make a hasty retreat to the ground-floor lobby if necessary. Tripp came over to ask him something, but he barely heard the question and only responded with an ambiguous grunt.
“He doesn’t bite, you know.”
Jared looked up at him. “What?”
“Chase. He’s not that bad. You don’t need to be so nervous.”
He glanced at Bradshaw one more time—he was headed in their direction now—then spun around completely to face Tripp. “I don’t see you rushing over there to shake his hand.”
Tripp rubbed the back of his neck. “I may have yelled some pretty awful things at him the last time we spoke. In a room full of people. There was a lot of swearing. I don’t think you’re supposed to swear at the president. Not to his face, at least.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t the last time something like that happened to him. He’s probably forgotten about it by now.”
“I really doubt that, but I appreciate you saying so.” He suddenly straightened and forced a polite smile, then lowered his voice. “He’s spotted us.”
Jared turned his chair back around. His eyes darted to the nearest exit, but there was a security agent standing by the door and he didn’t want to have to explain his sudden urge to leave.
Tripp kicked his shoe. “Oh no, you’re not going anywhere. I need you here for moral support.”
Bradshaw wrapped up his conversation with Nova and made a beeline for the two of them. Jared sat up straight in his chair and tried to look professional, then decided he couldn’t greet the nation’s leader sitting in his chair and hiding behind his workstation. He stood, slowly, and immediately felt like everyone in the room was watching him. It was one of the few times in his life when he wished he was smaller.
Zira came from behind to stand on his other side. She leaned in to whisper to him as Bradshaw drew closer with each step. “He’s really not so bad.”
“So I’ve heard,” Jared murmured. The monitoring device around his ankle felt tighter and heavier than before, and he tugged down the leg of his pants with his opposite foot to make sure it was completely covered.
Bradshaw stopped in front of the trio and extended a hand to Tripp first. “Tripp, it’s wonderful to see you. You look well. I hear you’ve been doing good work here.”
“I’m trying. And I, um…I think I owe you an apology for the way I left things after Ryku’s sentencing. I’m sorry.”
Bradshaw shook his head. “No need to apologize. I completely understand.” He leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice. “Between the four of us, I’m not sure we’d be having so many problems with the PRM right now if I’d listened to you a little more in the first place. Perhaps I should be the one apologizing.”
Tripp blinked a few times. “Oh. Um…that’s not necessary, but…thank you.”
The president shook Zira’s hand next. “Alma tells me you’ve been doing excellent work as well. Your team members all seem to think highly of you.”
A faint blush crept over Zira’s cheeks. “They’re just good at sucking up,” she muttered.
Bradshaw laughed, then turned to Jared. Jared searched his face for any subtle signs of harbored resentment, but the president maintained a calm, dignified expression as he extended his hand. “Jared.”
He grasped the man’s palm. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. President.”
“I trust everything here has been working out for you?”
“Yes, sir. Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity.”
“Opportunity.” Bradshaw mulled the word over for a few seconds. “Do you believe in second chances, Jared?”
It felt like a trick question, but he opted for a straightforward answer. “I do.”
“Good. I do, too. But not third.”
It wasn’t a warning or a threat. Not the way it might have been if the words had come out of Ryku’s mouth. It was simply a statement of fact, one that sought a mutual accord between two people working towards the same goal. Jared nodded his understanding. “Neither do I.”
Bradshaw smiled and looked between the three of them once more. “Thank you all for your dedication. If you need anything else, please let me know.” He moved on to speak with someone else.
As he walked away, Jared was left with a distinctly familiar feeling that took him a few moments to identify as respect—the same kind of respect he used to hold for Ryku, but strangely devoid of any sense of fear or obligation. He suddenly understood why so many rebels had been willing to trust Chase Bradshaw’s leadership. He’d earned that trust because of the kind of man he was, the kind of leader he was. The kind of man who took time to visit the people working for him when their morale was lowest, who was willing to give up his power on the principles of the democracy he’d fought for. The kind of leader who didn’t demand people’s respect through fear and obedience but earned it tenfold nonetheless.
Ryku had had it backwards all along. And that was exactly why he could never be allowed to have any kind of substantial power again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The night after Chase’s visit to SIO headquarters, Zira found herself standing against a wall in the house Dodge and Salim shared with Celeste and two other members of her team. She wasn’t exactly sure what had prompted Dodge to invite everyone to the spontaneous gathering or why she’d even agreed to come, but it seemed to be providing some much-needed stress relief for all. Upbeat music pulsed in the background as people milled about, eating and talking and watching the game of darts Zira was currently a part of. She’d only played a few times before as a kid in the compound, but somehow, she and Jared had both made it to the final round of the tournament Tripp had organized.
Jared had had a few particularly lucky throws to score some big points early on, but he’d also had some that were wide off the mark. Zira was more consistent. They were neck and neck now with just one turn left each. The objective was simply to get more points than the other person in five turns consisting of three throws each. Dodge had insisted this was the wrong way to play and not how his parents had taught him, but since no one could remember the actual rules, they’d opted for something more simplistic.
Jared threw the first dart of his final turn and hit one of the narrow segments close to the center of the board. The small group of spectators cheered as he turned to smirk at Zira. “Getting nervous yet?”
“I’ll be nervous when you can hit the same spot more than once.”
His second dart hit the edge of the board and glanced off, but the third sailed in a perfect, shallow arc and struck dead center. He gave her a lopsided shrug and raised an eyebrow. “Not quite the same spot, but I’ll take it.”
On the couch beside Zira, Salim turned to Dodge and Celeste. “You guys sure you don’t want to back out of that bet?”
Celeste cocked her head to one side as she looked at her brother. “I don’t know. There is a lot at stake here.”
Dodge shook his head. “I know. Which is why it will be so much mor
e satisfying when we win. Zira’s got this. Right?”
“Oh, absolutely,” she replied with somber conviction. She brushed past Jared as she stepped up to the strip of tape on the carpet they were using as a mark. She passed a single dart from her left hand to her right and took aim at the target. Just like shooting a gun.
Well, not really. Not at all, actually, but it seemed to help a little to think of it that way. She tested the throw a couple of times, then released the dart. It struck the outer ring of the board, earning her a few points, but not enough to significantly close the gap between her score and Jared’s.
She shifted her weight a little and threw the second dart. It hit the second ring from the center, earning her a loud cheer from Dodge. “Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about.”
She glanced over her shoulder at Jared. He stared back at her, unconcerned.
“Tripp,” she said as she raised her last dart to eye level. “How many more points do I need?”
“At least seventeen.”
Zira took aim. The dart hit a segment in the wider ring at the top of the target. Not her best throw, but the 20 points it earned her were more than sufficient.
Dodge jumped up from the couch with a victorious whoop. He gave Celeste a high five while pointing at Salim with his other hand. “Yes! Bathroom cleaning duty for three months!”
Salim sighed and turned hopefully to Zira. “Best two out of three?”
“I think I better quit while I’m ahead. Have fun with your chores, though.” She headed to the kitchen to get a drink.
Tripp and Jared came in a few seconds later. “Nice game,” Tripp said. “Both of you.”
“It was fun,” said Jared. “Probably would have been more fun if Zira hadn’t cheated, but—”
She shoved him in the side. “No one cheated.”
“Okay, fine, you didn’t cheat. But the board was way too low for me.”
“Oh, you poor thing. So big and tall and strong. You’d think someone your size wouldn’t have such a fragile ego.”
“Ouch,” he said, laughing.
Tripp shook his head. “I’m going to step outside for a minute. Let me know when you two are ready for a rematch.”
As Tripp headed for the back door, Jared leaned against the wall next to Zira. “Seriously though,” he said in a low, conspiratorial voice. “You know I had to let you win.”
“Oh really?”
“You’re our team leader. I couldn’t let you embarrass yourself by losing in front of everyone.”
She smirked. “Sure. Whatever makes you feel better.”
Talking like this, laughing together like it was the most natural thing in the world—it reminded Zira of the good old days, and it felt easy and right and beautiful. She wasn’t sure what that meant. She wanted to stay and talk to him some more and just forget about everything else, but she could see Tripp standing alone outside through the open back door, and reality came rushing back in.
“Do you think he’s okay?” Jared asked, nodding to Tripp. The genuine concern in his voice warmed Zira’s heart.
“I don’t know. The last few weeks have been a lot to handle. He seems to be doing okay, but he doesn’t have the best track record for dealing with major life catastrophes in a healthy way.” Especially if it was anything involving Ryku. The president’s visit earlier had probably triggered memories of Ryku’s trial and Chase’s refusal to have him executed, and that was just one tiny rock on top of the mountain of everything else that had happened. Zira didn’t want to overstep her boundaries, but she’d much rather be nosy and overprotective than have him relapse again.
“I’m going to go check on him,” she said.
“Sure. I’ll talk to you later.”
She walked out to the back porch and stood next to Tripp. He stared straight ahead at the vibrant orange and pink sky, seemingly deep in thought. She nudged him in the side. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He gave her a sidelong glance and raised an eyebrow. “Just thought I’d give the two of you a little space.”
Zira opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t just validate whatever point he was trying to make.
Tripp snickered. “I was just teasing, kid. No need to get flustered.”
She merely grunted in response.
“But really, what’s going on with you two?”
“Nothing.” She shoved her hands deep into her jacket pockets.
“You’ve been spending more time together. Talking. Laughing.”
“What? I’m not allowed to talk or laugh with any of my other friends?”
His grin widened. “Of course you are. But if that was all it was, I doubt you’d be getting so defensive about it.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re as bad as Aubreigh.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Moments came suddenly sometimes, like now, when Zira wished so badly that her best friend was still alive she thought the longing might break her all over again. Aubreigh would have known exactly what to say to her now, but Aubreigh was gone, and no amount of wishing was going to change that. She still had Tripp, though, and despite all his teasing, he was a good listener, too.
She sighed. “I guess I’m just tired of holding up these imaginary walls between us. What’s the point anymore?”
He shrugged. “Protecting yourself seemed like a good enough reason.”
“Before, maybe. When I was afraid.”
“And you’re not anymore?”
She considered the question for a few seconds before responding. “No. Not of him, or that he’ll hurt me or anything like that.”
“Then what are you scared of?”
She looked down at her toe scuffing back and forth across a crack in the concrete patio. Aubreigh’s face flashed through her mind again. “Getting too close to people. Losing them.”
“And your solution to that is…what? You just don’t let yourself get close to anyone?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not much of a people person anyway.”
“No, but you still deserve to have people in your life who make you happy. Doesn’t have to be the whole world, just a few friends you can rely on. And if Jared is one of them, then so be it. You could do a lot worse.”
She looked over at him. “You don’t think it’s crazy? After everything we’ve put each other through?”
He gave her a small, sad smile. “Kid, if I thought that, I’d have to cut ties with you and Alma and half the people I know, considering everything I’ve put you all through with my addiction. So no, I don’t think it’s crazy at all.”
* * *
The next day, Zira and her team continued to work on gathering whatever information they could find about Ryku’s possible whereabouts. It had been over a week since his escape, and they still hadn’t had any breakthroughs. It was as if he’d vanished into thin air, and knowing him, that wasn’t a good sign. He had a plan. He wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble of escaping prison if he didn’t have a plan. Not knowing where he was or what he was up to made Zira feel like she was falling down a dark hole, waiting for the ground to appear suddenly and break her body to pieces. They had to find him, but with every day that had passed, her doubts about whether that would happen only increased.
Late in the afternoon, her CL chimed with an incoming call from Cedric. She stood from her desk and walked to a quieter part of the office to answer it.
“Hey, Zira. I have some good news for you.” There was no video, but she could hear the excitement in his voice. “I found Ryku.”
“You did?”
“Yes. He’s been lying low at an old, abandoned school in the Mid Pacific region. It’s a rural area, mostly uninhabited. Somewhere he wouldn’t run the risk of bumping into people who could recognize him.”
Finally, a breakthrough. And a much bigger one than she had even dared hope for. “How did you find him?”
“It’s a long story, and I
only have a few minutes, but I’ll send over all the information I have. I’m not sure how long he’s going to be there. Make whatever plans you need to, but make them fast.”
She took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall. Her hands shook as some of the weight that had been pressing on her chest for days now lifted. “You’re going to be a hero when I tell the others.”
“I’m just glad I could help.”
“Hey, did you ever get those photos Tripp sent over? Of other people who might be Mallory?”
“I got them, but there was no one who looked like the woman I saw. Are you sure there’s no one else she could be?”
Zira frowned. The wider they had to cast their net to find Mallory’s true identity, the harder their search became. “We’ll keep looking. Thanks for the information.”
“Sure. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”
She hurried back to her desk and pulled up the information Cedric had sent—coordinates for the school, a count of how many people were supposedly with Ryku, how they were armed, and a written list of various other details they might need to know. Zira just skimmed over it for now, then copied everything to the rest of her team. She forwarded a copy to Alma as well before heading for her office.
Tripp already had the files up on his display when she passed by his desk. He turned to her with wide, bright eyes. “Does this mean what I think it means?”
She nodded. “Get everyone together and start going over those files. Try to find a blueprint of the school and a map of the surrounding area if you can. I want us on the road first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Will do.”
Alma waved Zira inside when she got to her office. “I just got those files you sent, but I haven’t looked at them yet. What’s going on?”
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