"Now here I am, up to my neck in decisions. I am finally a judge with power to effect massive change, to send messages with genuine bite." She lowered her voice. "I feel like God."
Cori sat back in her chair and stared toward a short dresser with four orchids adorning it, and said nothing. Kaden's mind churned with Cori's words, which made a frightening amount of sense to her. Kaden had experienced that frustration with bloated systems. It's why she and Aaron had never reached out for help when Rena criminally neglected them as children. Kaden understood just wanting to bash things until they were better.
Kaden breathed a long exhale, and she also sat back against the seat and crossed her arms. She said, "What's the but here?"
Cori smiled and said, "But I’m not God; I know that. I know nothing, in fact. Every decision comes with unwanted consequences. This business with the vaccine. I failed to learn in time what the boxes carried, so I stopped a much-needed medicine. On the other hand, the arrangement was a catalyst that would have pumped more life into Sub Rosa. How much would their business flourish if Sub Rosa reached across the world?"
"More than we can guess," said Kaden.
"I won’t rest until the world is at peace, and today I've accepted that I will never know peace. I'm trying to, anyway." She laughed harshly, raised her glass to Kaden, and sipped. "I'm desperate to finish Sub Rosa, maybe blinded by it. Once we’re done here, I'll donate the rest of my fortune to nonprofits, live off my investments, and retire in Costa Rica. It's the closest I can get to rest."
How sad. Kaden said, "Who gets the donations?"
"Invisible Millions gets most, but I'm also courting a few criminal justice nonprofits."
The fire within Kaden had vanished as Cori bared her flaws. A botched order of vaccines was understandable, but one thing itched at her mind. "Your boyfriend in the story..."
"I wondered if you'd sense it. Say it." Cori's face contorted in hatred.
How embarrassing for Cori. Kaden said, "You fell for Mr. Ng."
Cori laughed. "We thought of pseudonyms for each other on a cheap date at a Chinese restaurant. I made a Chinese last name for him, and he found it hilarious. I never figured out if he used it as a jab or an attempt to honor me. Either way, I'm glad he's dead."
"Guy was a clown." Kaden despised the underworld and everything that came with it, but especially Mr. Ng for trapping her younger, more vulnerable self into it.
"Won't argue that. A handsome clown, though," Cori said. "Drink?" Cori pointed to the Don Julio and reached under her desk.
"You told me not to drink until the mission is done."
A clean glass appeared on the desk next to Cori's empty one. She popped the cork from the bottle and said, "Who cares what I said? You don’t listen anyway. You know why I put up with you?” She eyeballed two generous shots. “You remind me of my younger self. Naïve, but your heart is in the right place. Of course, I haven't destroyed lives recklessly like you have.” She slid the glass toward Kaden, and picked up hers.
The matter-of-fact statement somehow comforted Kaden. She picked up the glass and swirled the amber liquid. Perhaps Cori was right, and that was why Kaden allowed the constant barrage of flat insults. She asked, “Is that why you let me live?”
“Mostly. To reckless idealism."
Glasses clinked and the women shot the tequila.
As Cori slammed the glass down, she said, "What I would give to be your age again. Another?"
Two hours later, Kaden swayed from the office, dancing to imaginary music and buzzing with confidence about Vigilant Citizens. Sure, they messed up sometimes, but that was the cost of doing business. Keeping everyone happy and safe while progressing wasn't possible or even probable. The ultimate result mattered most.
And Sub Rosa. Who cared if their products sometimes helped people? If the website bypassed senseless bureaucracy? A vast majority of listings on the site destroyed lives and presented too-easy access to the ugly underbelly of humanity.
If Sub Rosa had been around during Kaden's teenage years, she would have overdosed trying to feel good for once. She couldn't control herself then. Not like now.
Ten p.m. The night was young, and she'd take advantage and sail on the delicious emotions that would shoot her past lingering doubts. A drop more alcohol wouldn’t hurt. She'd go dancing, because she'd always been envious of those who could dance and not worry about the dangers of being oblivious among strangers. If someone punched her, well, she'd punch them right back. If she got attacked and her brain fell from her skull, oh well!
So she headed to the club, and for once, joined the throb of people riding high on the night. Any contradiction or doubt trying to weasel into her head washed away instantly. She pretended to be someone else, someone that didn't care about anything outside the dance floor. For the rest of the night, all that mattered was the music.
"I still can't believe you ordered the double-stack of bacon," Benny said from across a blue gingham table. They rarely went out for lunch, but Kaden had halfway insisted on it today. The conversation with the Sub Rosa guy continued to nibble at her confidence, and she wanted to distract herself by hanging out with Benny. The red wine helped, too, and Benny kept stealing glances at her progress.
Kaden shrugged. "It's a double-stack of bacon kind of day. Plus, the cooks here are magicians with it."
"You should've asked for your pancakes to be cooked in lard."
Kaden snorted into the wine. "Think they already started cooking? ’Cause that's an excellent idea. And if there are bacon bits lying around, just mix it right into the batter."
Benny laughed.
Kaden said, "We need to have a serious talk about our vacation once this mess is over."
"Yes, Kay, that’s certainly our most pressing topic."
His sarcasm was her truth. A sly grin crept onto her face. "I'm thinking Fiji. As remote as we can go and not starve."
"Why Fiji?"
"Dunno. Pretty beaches, tasty water."
The server brought the food. She stared at the chocolate chip pancakes, her mouth watering, but waited for him to make a second trip to bring a plate of six pieces of bacon with the perfect amount of crisp.
The server had just turned when Kaden crunched into a greasy rasher. A satisfied warmth crept through her. She said, bacon pieces rolling around in her mouth, "That strawberry waffle looks special. This entire lunch disguised as breakfast is special."
Benny was digging through his pocket. He said, "Sorry, but someone called three times in a row."
As he tapped the screen, Kaden held her breath without realizing it, half a piece of bacon still in her mouth.
He said, "It's not life threatening, but we need to take this to go. Rose is stuck on our secret project."
"What's the project?" Usually Benny was open and overeager to talk about his creations to the last detail. At this point, the secret project stoked her curiosity simply because he wouldn’t talk about it.
Benny waved a hand to get the server's attention. "That's for me to know and you to find out. I need it done within the next couple of days though. That's the only reason I'm running off, so you best get to the point. Is there one?" He asked the server, "I'm sorry, but can we wrap this to go?"
"Oh, fine," said Kaden, reality check vanquishing the pleasant buzz. She told him the interaction with the Sub Rosa guy was eating at her. He’d made sense, and he had a puzzling passion and certainty that he was right.
Both Cori and the Sub Rosa guy agreed that laws were often morally gray. Even a well-intentioned law could hurt bystanders. Kaden had stayed tipsy since talking to Cori, to avoid feeling trapped in moral and political dilemmas.
As she talked, Benny nodded a few times but didn't react otherwise. The to-go boxes sat empty as they both munched on their lunches. When she finished talking, she sat back in her chair. Her chest felt lighter.
When he talked, it was slowly. He said, "Here's the thing. The internet takes things from real life and blows up its reach. That w
ebsite, it's like a poison with vitamins mixed in. You're going to lose out on some vitamins while removing the poison. Bummer about anyone that can't get medicine, but that website is not the answer."
"You think so?"
"Positive."
Kaden smiled as his words soaked into her. She'd decided so many times that she worked for the good guys now, but the relief didn't get old. She said, "I'm happy for you. You've got a lady and a dose of certainty. You seem to be finding yourself, post-Company."
He grinned back and said, "I'm getting there. It feels good. What about you?"
"I'm inching to a point where I can be content on occasion. Where I feel like I belong in the world. It's different."
"Getting older is a little better than they all promised, huh?"
"A smidge."
Benny gave a knowing look. "Only a smidge, huh? I see how much you drink nowadays."
"Don't we need to go?"
"Right! I have a meeting, too. Busy day. This conversation's not over."
Kaden nodded thanks to the waiter as they headed out the door, setting off the chimes. Kaden blinked into the bright afternoon sun, clutching a plastic bag of bacon and pancakes. She felt a whole lot better than when she walked in, and it wasn't only the alcohol.
Jonas sipped on his lukewarm yerba maté latte. He used to pace incessantly when his plans were in motion, but experience and this sweet latte had dampened the impulse. Maybe he'd go for a hike during his visit to Boulder. He sat in the backseat of a car with the windows cracked, in a parking lot belonging to a row of small businesses, where he found this treat.
The Wholly Fresh grocery store was across the street. It was closed on Tuesdays, otherwise he would have taken a tour and showed the flawed fortress respect before its end. Wandering in grocery stores always relaxed him, and the headquarters had disguised itself well for years. The ugly pale-yellow building seemed to want to hide, but it was huge.
Gabe jogged toward the driver door.
Jonas put on his seatbelt as chimes sounded nearby. He looked toward the sound. The woman emerging from the restaurant wore an interesting floral bomber jacket. Her movements were familiar—he dropped the latte, dumping the light green liquid onto his lap, but he didn't notice it. Gabe dove into the car and started it.
"Uh, Gabe, can you gimmie a minute? There's someone I need to say hi to."
"C'mon man, you know better than that. We don't have a minute." Gabe reversed the car to pull out of the spot. Even though Kaden's back faced Jonas now, he continued blankly staring at his sister, transfixed. His one regret stood a few feet away. What was she doing here? And who was that guy with her? His knees started shaking at the reminder of his pathetic former life.
Gabe was right, though: changing the world left a jam-packed schedule.
Kaden had never wronged him—the opposite, in fact—but Jonas had a new family now, and they needed him focused.
His entire body stiffened. Gabe paid no attention to his strange behavior, or if he did, he attributed it to their mission. They waited at a red light, and Gabe stared at Wholly Fresh.
Even though Jonas had helped orchestrate it, even though he knew it was coming, the explosion still made him jump in his seat. The grocery store disassembled outward, pushing its way onto the empty parking lot and everything around it. Concrete hit the lot and still more parts of the building flew into the air, and scorching flames flared outward. Gabe went all out to make sure the bombs vaporized the underground space of the secret headquarters.
That was a winning blow.
Gabe whooped as the light turned green. Jonas watched openmouthed as debris floated down. By the time the last bit of building dropped to the ground, Gabe accelerated hard across the intersection.
They’d finished one task, now on to the next. Busy day.
The warm dampness touched his legs through his jeans, and he panicked for a moment, assuming he'd emptied his bladder. "Aw, damn it. I spilled my drink. Can you give me time at the room to change before dropping me at the airport?"
Six
Kaden's feet rooted to the sidewalk. She stared with a dull gaze at the rising plumes of smoke. Charred produce littering the parking lot.
"Kaden!" Benny vice-gripped her arm for a moment before collapsing.
Doors all around flew open and shoppers from the little businesses spilled out. Everyone talked and no one listened.
"Never thought I'd thank God that Wholly Fresh is closed on Tuesdays."
"What's explosive inside a grocery store?"
"Why would someone blow up a grocery store?"
"I'm near the Wholly Fresh on Arizona avenue—there was a huge explosion! Please hurry."
Police. Kaden had to know more before they arrived.
Kaden glanced at Benny sitting on the curb. The wrinkles on his forehead deepened, mouth and eyes bulged.
She sprinted toward the wreckage. Benny called her name, his tone higher with every repeat. Within moments, she stood in front of the hole in the ground that used to be her place of employment, looking like someone had scooped it with a giant flaming spoon. Nothing was recognizable; no one in there could've survived, which was everything she needed to know. Vigilant Citizens’s enemies had hit it with gusto, as promised. Cars of VC employees dotted the employee parking lot.
Sub Rosa had killed her coworkers with one blow.
Kaden stifled an odd sob-scream combo. An unreadable, hot stew of emotions got shoved down, and she forced rationality to the forefront as she sprinted back to the growing crowd across the street. She and Benny could play bystanders, although the expressive Benny needed guidance. Too many eyes watched her return, and one man said, "That was dangerous to go over there, Kaden."
Her adrenaline kicked up, expecting an attack, before she remembered Benny had been screaming her name. "Yeah, I-I had to know," she said truthfully. "The back of the building is completely gone, just an enormous hole in the ground."
Everyone spoke at once. Questions bombarded her like she was the subject of an angry news conference.
"Did you see anyone running away?"
"Did you see anyone who needed medical attention?"
"Any cars in the back lot?"
Each question felt like a jab at an open wound. Kaden covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, screaming, "Stop!"
Hands gently touched both her shoulders, guiding her. She tensed at the idea of entering the cluster of bodies, before realizing Benny knew she was about to lose her marbles all over the street. Guess she needed the guidance.
She sunk in defeat. Benny's tears streamed down his round face, but many people were crying. And the spectators didn't even realize the lives lost.
The second they melded back into the crowd, so packed their shoulders touched, she whispered, "We need to get out of here." So soft that she couldn’t hear herself, "They’re watching. Our heads could be in crosshairs."
"Let's go then," he said and wiped his cheeks with his fleece sleeves. Sirens in the distance. The soft wail echoed the mood of the scene. Too many spectators.
She took his hand and led him through the growing throng, willing her talent of melting into a crowd to be contagious. She kept her eyes on people’s running shoes, hiking boots, and sneakers, and murmured, "Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me," and let her numbness bubble to the surface to become a forgettable spectator. Let the talkers take center stage.
The first fire truck appeared down the street as they broke free. Hands intertwined, they picked up the pace, but not so much that they raised suspicions. Kaden thought of Rose, and her heart fractured for Benny, and she gently squeezed his hand. No reaction from Benny, but the warmth from his hands kept her in the moment and able to keep her volcanic heat bubbling below her surface. For now.
That awkward chatty man was as vicious as he threatened. Nobody had expected that.
Without realizing it, Kaden headed straight for Greenwater.
“Goose, go into the rubble and search for survivors. Notify me at o
nce. Also destroy any paperwork left behind and double-check that none of the weapons have serial numbers. Also, please compile a list of the dead.” She squeezed Benny’s hand tighter. “If you act like a mouse, it doesn't matter if you're seen. Just… no lasering in plain sight.”
Kaden busted open the door to Greenwater. A regular she’d never talked to and a couple in the corner looked at Kaden's and Benny's shadows in the doorway. And Shelly jerked her head up. Oops.
It was too early for the explosion to be common knowledge, so she and Benny were having an ordinary day. Kaden willed coolness into every movement, starting by crossing the sticky floor and leaning an elbow on the pocked wooden bar. Shelly smiled a greeting, and Kaden ordered two double tequila shots. Shelly’s smile wavered as she said, “You okay, babe?”
Damn bartenders and their mind-reading abilities. Kaden whispered, "My buddy got dumped. So I'm good, but also treating him.”
Shelly gave the approaching Benny a sympathetic nod and said, “I hear that.” She grabbed two rocks glasses with one hand.
“I’ll buy you one, too.”
“Sure thing. I'll keep it to one shot, though.” She snatched a third glass and winked.
Benny awkwardly stood in the open space behind her, shifting his weight from foot to foot and his eyes to everything, from the glass and spirit-filled backbar, to the old tap handles that decorated the ceiling above the bar, to the brass footrail, to Shelly pouring half a tequila bottle into three glasses. Kaden gestured at him to come to the bar. With her silent instruction, he stepped to Kaden's side just as Shelly slid the glasses to them.
Shelly asked Benny, "Need a lime?" Kaden never used one.
Eyes on the salt shaker, he said, "Nah," and reached for a glass. “To friends.” They all clinked glasses and downed them. Shelly watched Benny, then raised an eyebrow at Kaden. The meaning was obvious: keep him under control at her bar.
Unleashed (End of an Assassin Book 3) Page 8