“Let’s get out of here.” Allie stood and crossed the room.
“What? I don’t feel like going to the Yard.”
“Grab your things for tonight. We’re leaving this cell. You don’t deserve to be here anymore and we’re getting that collar off you tonight.”
“Allie, we should talk to Gregg and Liam about this.”
“I already have. They wanted to do this weeks ago, but I wasn’t ready. I didn’t trust you.”
“And you trust me now?”
“I can see it in your eyes, and it’s written all over your face. You love Navid and you love me. I convinced myself you were just playing him for a fool. But I was the fool. Let’s go find you a new room. We’re not sticking you in the Yard with the old people. It’s turning into a retirement home out there. I think I have just the place for you.”
“Let’s go.” Livia grabbed a few things and stuffed them in an overnight bag.
“We’ll come back for the rest tomorrow,” Allie said.
“I’m dying for a change of scenery.”
Allie felt bad for leaving Livia in her cell for so long. She still wasn’t ready to forgive her for the death of their mother or Ming Lao. But for now, she had to do the right thing and let her sister live in a proper apartment within the underground. She had to allow herself the chance to get to know Livia and see if they could be friends—enough to work together as their parents intended. She wasn’t there yet, but she knew she wanted to be.
“Where are we going?” Livia asked, following Allie up the stairs from the crypt and across the common room. “I’ve never been to this part of the underground.” She glanced around, admiring the high fan-vaulted ceilings beyond the common room. “It’s beautiful.” She gazed up at the fine Gothic relief carvings that made the vaulted ceiling erupt in an array of fans.
“Naeemah?” Allie knocked on her office door.
“Come in, Allie,” Naeemah called.
“I was wondering if you could help us,” Allie said.
“Livia.” Naeemah stood. “It’s wonderful to finally see you out of that cell.”
“Thank you,” Livia said. “It’s wonderful to be out.”
“Can she stay here?” Allie asked. “Near your garden? And can we remove the collar?”
“Of course.” Naeemah stood, taking a ring of keys from her desk drawer. “I am happy you’ve come to this decision on your own, Allie.” She twisted the key in the lock at the base of Livia’s neck.
“Thank you.” Livia breathed a sigh of relief as Naeemah removed the heavy collar. “I feel lighter already.”
“Well now, let’s see about your rooms, shall we? Follow me, girls, we’ll have your new place feeling like a home in no time.”
Allie smiled, taking Livia’s hand and tugging her down the hall after Naeemah.
“These rooms are perfect for you, Livia.” Allie stepped through a pair of sliding barn doors into a huge living space, filled with sunlight from Naeemah’s garden. “I’ve stayed here a few times. I think you’ll enjoy the garden.
“It’s beautiful, Naeemah.” Livia crossed the room to the sliding glass doors opening to Naeemah’s private garden.
“Feel free to spend as much time out there as you’d like. I can imagine you’re starved for sunshine. The Yard is nice, but I find my terrarium a little more appealing.”
“I love it.” Livia took a deep breath, inhaling the floral fragrances from the garden.
“There is a nice sized bedroom back here.” Naeemah opened a second set of barn doors. “And a lovely master bath, too. You can use the kitchen in the common room as much as you like. But we can set up a small kitchenette for you in here, too.”
“And we’ll bring up all your things tomorrow,” Allie added. “All of your pretty white furnishings will look great in here against the dark wood flooring.
“There are toiletries in the bathroom, so make yourself at home tonight,” Naeemah said. “And if there is anything else you need that we don’t have here, just make a list, and we’ll get it for you.”
“Oh Naeemah, you and your family have done more than enough for ours. We’d be lost without you and Gregg.” Livia seemed overwhelmed with her feels—not something she was accustomed to. “True kindness has been such a rare thing in my life. I never believed it existed until you people stuck me in a prison cell and forced me to see it for myself.”
“We are honored to witness the real Livia coming back to herself,” Naeemah said. “And I’m so glad to see you two getting along. There is nothing like the love of a sister.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Aidan
Milan, Italy, April
“We’ve got to shut this down,” Bennett said. Always a man of few words, his furious pacing across the back of the pub spoke volumes. “Can’t we just leave?” He dropped his hands to his sides. “Before it gets any worse. We can’t keep doing this.”
They’d all spent the afternoon watching Ivy and Neela suffer for concealing a gift from Rowan and her team. Together, they could create an odd blue mist to protect them like a shield from their enemies. The girls held out as long as they could, but Rowan pulled it out of them. They had no secrets now. She’d made an example of them, making it clear that concealing anything from her was the best way to earn a bigger punishment.
Ivy was recovering from Rowan’s blade and Neela refused to leave her side, suffering from her own stint with Spencer. The rest were laying low. But Aidan, Naomi, Sam, Bennett and Wes had left on the pretense of enjoying an aperitivo—an Italian happy hour—at the local cafe as a break from the intensity of the last few days. But they were really meeting with Pilar to discuss their options.
“Ben’s right. We need to get out. Now,” Sam said. “This is not what we signed up for.”
Aidan shared a look with Naomi. With Rowan and Spencer breathing down their necks and the Chief Justice pulling the strings, their chances of escape were grimmer than ever. If they tried to leave now, they wouldn’t make it far before Rowan hunted them down like dogs.
“They will just drag us back here and then it will be ten times worse,” Naomi said. “If we’re ever going to get out of here we need more than just a plan for escape.”
“She’s right. Running is not an option,” Pilar said. Dressed in street clothes with her braids swept back from her face, she looked like one of the team. “I can’t risk staying very long.” She glanced over her shoulder out the window before she sat down beside Aidan in the secluded booth. “I wanted to warn you all while I had the chance. They expect you to run. They’re waiting for it, so we all have to stay put for now. I have a plan. It’s not a great one, but it’s the only one that will get us out of this mess permanently.”
“I like the sound of permanent. Whatever your plan is, we’re on board,” Ben said.
“It will take time, and you’ll have to convince Rowan of your loyalty. Once she reports back that she has you all under her control, they will start sending you on assignments to prepare you for the takeover at Soma. That’s their end game. Sarah wants it so bad she can taste it. So we all have to play their game for a little while. You’ve got to convince the Initiative you are lethal soldiers willing to do whatever they ask. You will perform whatever tasks they give you to perfection, but when they send you to Soma, you don’t come back. You go in, infiltrate the system, and then you take over, but you don’t hand the reins over to the Chief Justice. You keep it for yourselves. Convince those on the inside that you’re the good guys who will actually put an end to the abuse they’ve experienced. Soma can give you the protection you’re all going to need. It’s your only way out.”
“And what do we do when the Senate comes after us at Soma?” Naomi asked. “What’s stopping them from blowing us off the map and sending us to prison for an eternity?”
“You.” Pilar said. “All of you. Your generation is so much stronger than you realize. You have the power to seize this world from the ancients and make it into something much greater
than it has ever been. That terrifies the older generations. They don’t want change. You have no idea how difficult the last three hundred years have been for Immortals. The world has evolved more in the last three centuries than in the previous millennia combined. The Senate wants to keep you under their thumb. They want to control you so you fear them, but they also hunger for your abilities to use for their own benefit. They’ll never destroy you. You’re too valuable.”
“So if we used Soma to make a stand, you don’t think they would retaliate?” Aidan asked, not sure he agreed with her.
“They would in time, of course, but if we plan this right, you’ll have time to organize. Who knows what abilities you might have at your disposal to protect the building once you’re inside? Ivy and Neela’s blue mist gave me the idea. I know they would struggle to shield an entire building on their own, but what if they had help?”
“We could work with them to enhance that ability,” Naomi said, her eyes brightening at the idea. “Once we’re inside Soma, we could find abilities like theirs and set up shifts around the clock to keep the Senate out of Sterling Tower. We could shield ourselves from outside influence.”
“It could work,” Wes said. “If we spend every moment planning the takeover to our advantage.”
“Can you get us plans of the building?” Aidan asked.
“I have a friend on the inside I can call. He is trustworthy and ready for a change,” Pilar said. “Does this mean you’re in?”
“I don’t know, Pilar.” Aidan sat back against the worn leather of the booth. “We could probably take the building by force, yeah, but keeping it? Inspiring all the people inside to stay and work with us? I don’t know.” Aidan glanced down at his hands. He didn’t want to be a leader. Not like this. “Your plan is risky. What happens if we fail to recruit the Soma residents?”
“You inspire loyalty, Aidan,” Pilar said gently. “It oozes from your ears. This group is a family, and you and Naomi are the glue that holds it together. If you step up and take over, the young people of your generation will follow you.” Pilar gave him a level stare. “Hell, you inspire me, and I’m older than dirt.”
“It has potential,” Aidan relented. “But do you really think they will send all of us to Soma together? Even if they did trust us all to be there at the same time, Rowan and her team would be there too and she’ll never go along with this.”
“Once we’re inside, we can deal with her,” Pilar said. “But right now, escape is unlikely. The Chief Justice fears the strength your bond gives you. But with Aidan in particular … they’re obsessed. They believe you are some kind of answer to an old prophecy. They’re practically giddy whenever your name comes up. There’s no way they would allow you to escape their grasp.”
“Prophecy?” Samantha scowled.
“Not the first time I’ve heard that.” Aidan sighed. It was only a matter of time before someone higher up the chain made that connection. “Whatever they might think, it’s not about me.” But if Sarah and Charles Madison were eager to find the child of prophecy, then Aidan wanted them to believe it was him to keep Allie off their radar. And if he could get inside Soma and somehow start a mutiny … and if he could find a way to protect the building and those inside, then the Senate couldn’t touch them and they wouldn’t have to hide. But it would all eventually come to a head. They couldn’t stay behind the walls of Soma forever, but Aidan couldn’t picture what that future looked like with him standing against the Senate as a criminal.
“Promise me, you will all consider the plan for Soma?” Pilar pleaded. “No matter what we do, we cannot let Soma fall into the Chief Justice’s hands. Because what you’re experiencing right now? They will do to every child inside Sterling Tower. And I promise you, those kids have already been through enough.”
“I’m in,” Samantha said. “I want out of the Initiative like yesterday, but Pilar is right, guys. We can’t let this happen to anyone else. Just look at those poor kids on Rowan’s team. It has to stop with us.”
“I’m in,” Bennett and Wes echoed.
“Aidan, I know I’m asking a lot of you and Naomi,” Pilar said. “Take some time to think about it.”
Aidan nodded, taking a sip of the watered down bourbon in his glass. She wasn’t just asking a lot. She was asking him to head an army with the sole purpose of defying their government. What she was asking was suicide. Treason and pure insanity. And it might be their only way out.
“I’ve got to go. We don’t want anyone seeing us all together like this. It’s best if you all leave soon.” Pilar slipped out of the booth and retreated to the back entrance through the kitchen.
“Do you know what we’ve just agreed to?” Naomi asked, swirling the contents of her drink with a straw.
“To staying here for at least another year?” Bennett sighed. “Yeah.”
“I never wanted to be a damn hero.” Naomi folded her arms across her chest. “Part of me just wants to go home and forget any of this is happening. And the other part of me wants to see Rowan part ways with her head.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Aidan tossed the rest of his bourbon down in one gulp, wishing it would give him courage to keep fighting. Strength to get through another day without Allie. He was beginning to wonder if he’d ever see her again. That thought alone had him searching for answers at the bottom of a bottle most nights.
“Oh God.” All the color drained from Naomi’s face. Naomi, the feisty hellcat who wasn’t scared of anything, was reduced to trembling hands and tear-filled eyes at the sight of Rowan making her way across the bar.
Their table fell silent as Rowan slid into the booth next to Wes, her face impossible to read.
“Who gave you all permission to leave the grounds?” Her voice sounded oddly normal.
“We come down here all the time,” Bennett said. “We have permission to visit the village whenever we want.
“Not anymore. Cleo and Genevieve have been far too lax with their permissions. So, I’ll say this once and only once. You are property, plain and simple. You belong to the Chief Justice, and you will abide by their rules. You are free to come and go as you please during your free time. Hell, I don’t care if you want to drive to Paris for the weekend, but in the future, if you want to leave the grounds, you will ask my permission first. But you will never … ever leave the grounds with your Syntrophos.” She shot a glare at Aidan and Naomi, Sam and Bennett. “Your partner is our insurance policy. A guarantee you will return and not have thoughts about running away together. Are we clear?”
“Yes,” Aidan and the others responded quickly. Any thought of escaping was out of the question now. Not for the first time, Aidan thought about taking her out. He and Naomi could handle Rowan and Spencer—if it was just them he had to worry about. But there was also Gemma and Ruthie, and Ace and Lola on her team, as well as Rowan’s entourage of guards, not to mention Cleo and Genevieve. There were too many outside factors standing between Aidan and his team and their freedom.
“It doesn’t have to be this difficult,” Rowan said. “Fall in line and show me your loyalty and we’ll all get along just fine.” She waved to the waitress to get her attention, rattling off her order and a round for everyone else in perfect Italian. Rowan propped her feet on the empty seat in front of her. “So what are we drinking to?”
“I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m drinking to forget the last couple of weeks,” Aidan said. Never in his whole life had he ever felt like such a coward for wanting to escape. Not that he would ever leave anyone behind to save his own skin. He was just so homesick. He missed his family and the agony of missing Allie was with him every day. He spent his waking nights imagining what her life was like now. And every now and then, he had a weak moment when he spied on her through their link. He carefully guarded his presence in her mind so she would never know he was there. But he couldn’t help himself. Sometimes she talked to him. Still, after more than a year of silence between them, when she said his name, he could
hear it. She missed him but she’d moved on. She was happy. It killed him every time he drifted a little too close to her thoughts. But it was the most bittersweet heaven in the midst of his own hell.
“I’ll drink to that,” Bennett said. “And it’d be a whole lot easier to forget if you weren’t here, Rowan,” he added bravely.
The tension hung thick in the air between Bennett and Rowan, but he didn’t back down.
The waitress brought their drinks and made herself scarce.
“It’s all an act, you know.” Rowan picked up her martini, plucking an olive from the plastic spear sitting in her glass. “A way to survive. You’ll each find your own ways of surviving, too. In a few years, you’ll be no different from me or any of my predecessors.”
“I can’t vouch for the others, but nothing could ever make me do what you did to Ivy just a few hours ago.” Bennett’s hands balled into fists like he was trying not to wrap his hands around her throat.
“You say that now. But they’ll find what makes you tick and they’ll use it. Right now, it’s your Syntrophos. But what happens when they have your Complement, too?” She sipped her drink. “Believe it or not, I don’t enjoy what I do. But doing what I do … and doing it well, keeps the man I love safe. And eventually, I will earn his freedom. Right now, he’s trapped inside Soma, experiencing the same horrors you’re all facing now. So, I whip you all into shape, and he gets a light day, a good meal, and some much needed rest. I don’t do it, and you can guess what that means.”
“I’ve heard that same song and dance before,” Aidan said. “I have a friend who struck the same deal once a few hundred years ago. He still hasn’t reunited with his Complement.” Greyson’s deal was once with the Coalition, but in Aidan’s mind they were all the same.
“Wait,” Sam said. “That doesn’t make any sense. The Chief Justice wants us to take over Soma, so they have you manipulating us to get us to do it. So, how can they also influence what happens to your Complement if he’s inside Soma? The same Soma they want to control? You’re lying.”
Emerge- The Betrayal Page 25