The Gender Plan

by Bella Forrest

  “What is it?” asked Ms. Dale, wariness worming into her voice.

  “You can’t fulfill it—only the king can.”

  Maxen jerked in his seat, surprise dancing across his features. “What can I help you with?”

  Mags’s face split into a wide, impish grin. “You have to agree to let the people who remain decide if you should continue on as their king. And if they don’t, you step down and let the people decide who will lead them.”

  Everyone turned and looked at the king, whose face was wide-eyed with shock. Even I was a bit stunned by her demand. Not that I disliked it, but for them to go straight for the throat like that, have it out in the open, was definitely unexpected.

  The king seemed to be aware of all eyes on him, and his face quickly changed.

  “Of course,” he replied smoothly. “I am but a humble servant to the will of my people.”

  “That remains to be seen,” Mags said honestly. “I gave Tiffany my contact info. Send us the coordinates and the instructions for the camera stuff. I’ll get a team on it. We’ll call you back when it’s done.” Before we could reply, she had reached down and killed the connection.

  We sat in silence, every one of us pondering the interaction.

  Finally, Ms. Dale swiveled around in her chair, a crooked smile on her face. “I like her.”

  19

  Violet

  “I really hate this idea,” I repeated for the third time as I watched Jay open the trunk of the car, revealing Desmond.

  A pillowcase covered her head—Dr. Tierney had administered a sedative before they transported her.

  “Me too,” replied Viggo, squeezing my hand. “But there was nowhere else we could put her, short of our safe house, and I don’t want to leave her there with the children and the doctors, if we can avoid it. Besides, it’s better to keep her close, but not too close, right? This is a good compromise.”

  I knew Viggo was right. But it was still unnerving. We were on the verge of a major mission, and Desmond would be kept in a shack Harry had discovered a little over a mile away from the farmhouse, near where we had parked the truck with Solomon, just to keep him safe and calm. Loud noises seemed to set him off, as evidenced by the impressive dents in the container in the back. People from several locations who weren’t leaving for the raid were already going to be coming to the shed to help feed and care for Solomon; Desmond’s guard would have plenty of backup. None of this was ideal, but we were too short on time and resources to find anything better. There was just so much on the line, and things were falling into place faster than we had imagined.

  Mags’ team had made it to Thomas’ safe house in an apartment he had rented out long term before any of this had gone down. He’d hidden his server in there, for fear of the damp interfering with it, and could remotely link with it once it was turned on. Within four hours of our conversation with her, Mags had called to report that they’d followed the instructions we’d sent her. Thomas confirmed, and the conversation with the three rebel factions continued. It seemed that they were satisfied with our exchange after all—his cameras had bought their trust, or at least their cooperation.

  Henrik explained his plan at each stage, from taking out the guard posts—specifically the ones that were particularly vulnerable and close to the water treatment plant—to the plan he had cobbled together for taking the water treatment plant, based on images from the nearby cameras pointed at the street. Questions were asked and answered, new ideas proposed and improved upon, and just like that… the time to start was now. And though it felt like we were moving at breakneck speed, it was good: if Thomas’ projections were correct, and if Elena’s forces were tampering with the water source, we had less than thirty-six hours to stop them.

  Viggo helped Jay pull Desmond out of the trunk, but Jay took the brunt of her weight, holding her on his own. My mouth pressed in a thin line, but I ignored it. It had been Jay’s choice to help with this, and I wasn’t about to stand in his way when it came to him and how he wanted to handle his mother. I just knew that if she said anything out of line to him again, I would…

  I sighed. Desmond’s stalemate had us stuck. We still had no way of knowing for sure whether or not she was telling the truth regarding the boys, and wouldn’t even be able to try to formulate a plan to check until after this current insanity was done. It was imperative that we deal with the water treatment plant first—if only by the sheer numbers of people who would be affected by anything sinister that went on there. For now, we were doing the best we could.

  Jay hefted Desmond up and carried her across the overgrown yard, stepping onto the sagging collection of boards that made up the shack’s front stoop. Lacey, a young refugee woman, was already holding the door open for him. The room was already lit—a fire burned in the small wood oven to the left of the room, generating enough heat to keep the chill outside from fully permeating the dilapidated one-room building.

  Desmond didn’t stir as Jay carried her, or when he settled her on the sagging bed in the corner of the room. Lacey held the door open for Viggo and me as well, then closed it behind us, the hinges creaking. She gave me a warm smile before moving over to a small table with a chair next to it, seating herself primly.

  I turned to find Jay and Viggo working together to loop Desmond’s chains through the bedframe. Viggo was doing the weaving, while Jay held her by her free wrist, making sure she didn’t try anything while the chains were off. Still, Desmond remained motionless. It wasn’t until Viggo moved in to pull off her pillowcase that she even started to move. Her hair clung wildly to her face as her eyes snapped open. She looked around groggily, focusing on me. She flexed her jaw as though testing her weapons, narrowing her gaze.

  “Welcome to your new, albeit temporary home,” announced Viggo. “Now, don’t let the sparse surroundings fool you—this quaint place holds a lot of charm. There’s curtains and boards on the windows for privacy, and even a bed, for the ultimate comfort.”

  Desmond gave the room a onceover and then leaned back into her pillow, the chains that once again draped around her wrists clinking together as the small amount of remaining slack slipped against the mattress. If it had just been her hands, I would have been worried about her using that slack as a weapon, but with the chain hobbled to her ankle shackles as well, there wouldn’t be much she could accomplish within her limited range of motion.

  She smiled slowly and arched an eyebrow. “I see I continue to live. How is dear Cody? I hope I didn’t upset him too badly in our discussion yesterday?”

  “Don’t get too comfortable yet,” Viggo said, ignoring the question. “We need to go over some rules. First of all, the chains remain on. Obviously, this place doesn’t have an actual bathroom, per se, but upon request, you will be given a bucket. We will not be giving you any privacy, and your guards will be changed every four hours. This is Lacey. She’ll be your first guard of the evening. The guards are in charge; if they say jump, you say nothing and do it.”

  “With this leg?” she asked, bemused.

  “With that leg,” he confirmed, not batting an eyelid.

  Desmond’s eyes studied him closely as he spoke. There was an expectant pause, and then she looked over at Jay. “You are really okay with them treating your mother like this?” she asked.

  Jay looked up at her and fidgeted, and I immediately went to grab Jay and separate them, at least visually, from each other. Viggo stopped me, nodding to Jay, who had begun to speak, his face clearing.

  “I don’t think I have a mother,” Jay announced softly. “I did once, a long time ago, but she stopped being my mother after all the horrible things she did to me and my brother.”

  “I did them for you,” Desmond sniffed at him. “I did them to make you strong. Why can’t you—”

  “They killed me,” Jay said flatly, meeting her gaze. “Over and over and over again. I’ve been drowned, suffocated, and electrocuted, all in the name of that science you volunteered me for. I lived in a ten-by-ten
box for almost ten years while they pushed me to my limits. And you know what the worst part was? Even from day one, I didn’t have any hope I would ever get out of there.”

  His eyes glittered and he shook his head at her, his lips trembling. “That’s not love. That’s not what you do to someone you care about. You don’t know how to love, and I feel sorry for you. So yes, I am okay with them doing this to you. It’s nicer than you deserve, and I am glad that I have found such good people who will still treat someone who has done only terrible things to them with such kindness.”

  Desmond stared stonily at her son. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen you be strong,” she said after a moment. “Such a shame you have it directed at the wrong person.”

  “Eventually you’ll realize that what you did to me was not love—it was selfishness. Stop acting like you were doing me any favors, and—”

  “I was doing you a favor,” she hissed. “I wanted you to be strong, so you could survive and grow up and be remarkable.”

  “Well, I was traumatized. Do you know that when people touch me, it actually hurts me? Not like Tim, just… emotionally… because it means so much to me to feel someone touching me? I cried when Viggo shook my hand when I first met him. Not in front of him, but later, alone… I didn’t realize how long I’d just been waiting for somebody to hug me. Or to touch me at all. I’m sorry if that doesn’t make me strong in your book, but I don’t care. I don’t exist for your approval.”

  Desmond stared at her remaining son, and I was surprised to see her eyes beginning to glisten, as if she were tearing up. She blinked it back and sucked in a deep breath, looking tired. “What do you want from me, Jay? I did the best I could. I didn’t even want to be a mother in the first place, and then to have boys on top of it! And still I tried. I could’ve dropped your brother off at the orphanage and never even had you, but I stayed. You may think what I did to you was selfish, but you know nothing about the world I live in, and the people I deal with. You—”

  “He knows enough to know how he feels about things,” I said calmly, interrupting her. “And I, for one, am glad that his apple fell so far from your tree.” Jay gave me an appreciative look, and I held out my hand to him. “Let’s go, Jay.”

  Jay looked at the hand, and then gave a small shake of his head. “In a minute. I’m not finished.” I lowered my arm, but nodded, knowing I needed to let him say his piece. Jay looked back over to his mother. “Mom, this is… probably going to be the last time we see each other. And while I despise everything you’ve done to me, Lee, and everyone… I’m glad that I got to find an amazing family with Viggo and Violet. Their love for me is unconditional. Limitless. And as screwed up as it is, I would’ve never found them if you hadn’t put me on this path. So, thank you. And goodbye.”

  Even I blinked in surprise as the young man excused himself and left, Desmond’s eyes burning a hole in his back on the way out. She stared after him even after the door closed, and then eventually rolled onto her side, presenting her back to the room.

  Lacey stood up from the chair. “You should go,” she said in her ever-sweet voice. “I’ll be here on guard duty. Everything is taken care of.”

  “You radio for anything,” I told her as Viggo passed over the spare keys to her cuff. “And if she talks too much, gag her.”

  “Don’t worry,” she said, beaming so wide that a dimple formed in her cheek. “Ms. Dale gave me a debriefing on her I won’t soon forget. I’ll be careful—I’ll just shoot her in the leg if she starts something.”

  It seemed odd that her voice continued to be sweet, considering the harshness of her words, yet I smiled. “You do that.”

  Viggo and I left and climbed into the car. Jay was already waiting for us in the backseat, and as soon as I got in, we exchanged a big hug through the gap between the driver and passenger seats. “I’m so proud of you,” I said as soon as I let go of him.

  “Thanks,” he said, blushing slightly. “I just… wanted to get it off my chest.”

  “Well, it was good,” said Viggo. “You really got your point across.”

  Jay flushed even deeper as Viggo turned on the car, executing a U-turn on the uneven dirt road that was more dirt than road. We drove the short distance to the house in silence. Viggo parked up front—mostly because he would be leaving soon—and we all got out.

  “I gotta pack,” said Jay, and he scampered for the stairs.

  I smiled at his exuberance, but it dimmed some when I realized he and my brother would be walking into multiple dangerous situations tonight. Anxiety suddenly struck me, and it took me a moment to pull myself together. We followed behind him at a sedate pace, heading upstairs to our room.

  Viggo’s backpack was already packed, still lying on the bed where he had left it. I entered the room first, and then went over to the bag, picking it up. Turning, I saw Viggo closing the door behind him. I handed him the bag and watched him sling it over his shoulder.

  “You packed everything you needed?” I asked.

  “Even three of those surprisingly nifty waterproof bags you found,” he replied with a smile, a slightly teasing note in his voice.

  “Everyone’s going to be super glad I included them in all the bags, considering you’re all going to a place where the stuff is practically everywhere.”

  “It’s a good idea.”

  We lapsed into silence, and a feeling of déjà vu fell upon me. It took me a minute to realize why: we had literally just done this less than a week ago. Said goodbye and had our last, lingering kisses before the mission began. I was beginning to hate it.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Viggo asked, his green gaze studying my features.

  “These damn goodbyes?” I quipped.

  He chuckled ruefully and then smiled. “I’ve been thinking about it, and… maybe we shouldn’t this time. If everything goes according to plan—” He stopped, and then shook his head.

  “Nothing ever goes according to plan,” I said, vocalizing what I was certain he was already thinking. “You’re not going to make me promise not to go into the city, are you?”

  Viggo sighed heavily. “Of course not,” he said. “I know better, and to be honest, even with a broken arm and a still healing skull, you are formidable. Besides, who knows what’s going to happen? You might wind up having to.”

  “I knew there was a reason I liked you,” I said with a smile. “You’re a smart man.”

  “I know,” he replied with a wink. I smirked at him and then rose up on my tiptoes, pressing my lips against his in a kiss. It was short, barely a peck, but it still sent a pleasant hum coursing through my body. I settled back down on the soles of my feet and opened my eyes. “We should go.”

  In response, Viggo threw open the door and moved into the hall. I followed him as he moved to the master bedroom—Henrik and Ms. Dale’s room—and raised his hand to knock. With the impact of his first knock, however, the door swung open, revealing Ms. Dale and Henrik, pressed together so closely that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

  Henrik’s face was buried in Ms. Dale’s neck, his hands around her waist, clasping her back firmly. Her eyes were closed, but she wore an expression of happiness and good humor, laughing huskily, her back arched as though she were pushing away from him, but her hands clinging firmly to his shoulders.

  My jaw dropped at the sight of them, and I looked over at Viggo to see him wearing a similarly stunned expression.

  Ms. Dale’s eyes drifted open—then she froze when she saw us standing there.

  I couldn’t help myself. “Ms. Dale, is this really the appropriate time to be making out with your boyfriend?”

  That was when Viggo and I burst out laughing. It was impossible not to. Quickly, stiffly, Ms. Dale disentangled herself from Henrik’s embrace, smoothing her hands over her shirt and hair in jerky motions. Adjusting the bag on her shoulder, she met our gazes one by one, as if we had not just walked into the make-out scene of the century.

>   She cleared her throat. “Shall we?” She pushed past us without waiting for a response, but that only made us laugh harder. The sight of Ms. Dale actually flustered, her movements hurried and tinged with the mania embarrassment had caused… It was just so not her.

  The stairs behind us creaked as Ms. Dale began to descend. “Pull yourselves together,” she said primly. It did nothing to help stop our laughter, which had simmered down to chuckles.

  “Oh, just have a laugh about it, you old woman,” Henrik called down the stairs after her, and I looked up to see him resting his shoulder against the doorframe, his arms folded across his chest. A spark of humor shimmered in his eyes.

  Without even breaking her stride, Ms. Dale called back, “I do not entertain the whims of children.”

  Henrik chuckled at that, and then gave Viggo and me a nod and a wink before disappearing back into his room and closing the door. I guessed that he still had a few things he wanted to get done before we started, which was fine. We had approximately an hour before everything hit the fan.

  Once we had pulled ourselves together and wiped the tears from our eyes, Viggo and I headed downstairs, where Tim, Jay, Ms. Dale, and Owen all stood near the front of the house, two vehicles waiting to take them to their different destinations. The rest of their teams were already on their way, being transported in every vehicle we could spare.

  Our forces had been split into three groups, led by Viggo, Ms. Dale, and Amber. Drew’s people formed a fourth team, while Mags’ and Logan’s were being brought in to bolster our remaining forces with enough people that we could splinter into several smaller groups if necessary, depending on what happened. Viggo and Ms. Dale’s teams would take on the task of entering the water treatment plant. Amber’s team and a group of Logan’s people would stay behind to refortify the position, in case we attracted any hostile action, and then leave behind a small guard and move into the city, to a third position overlooking the water plant, to provide sniper fire.