Harder Than Stone

by Jacey Ward

Slowly, he sat on a high-backed leather stool at the counter and waited for the bartender to notice him.

  “Dr. Landry, right?” the young man asked, a warm smile forming on his lips. “I heard you speak last night. Your views are very progressive and thought-provoking, sir.”

  Jameson barely heard him, his eyes darting over the liquor bottles behind the kid.

  “Do you serve this early in the morning?” Was that really his voice sounding so monotone?

  The bartender’s face broke into a broad beam, before stating “This is Amsterdam, Dr. Landry. We serve at all hours of the morning. What can I get for you?”

  Jameson shook his head slightly.

  “Nothing,” he muttered, sliding off the chair and turning away.

  “Nothing?” the bartender echoed in confusion.

  “No. I don’t drink.”

  Jameson hurried away before any more questions could come at him and he made his way toward the elevators, jabbing the button impatiently.

  He was disturbed by what had happened for more reasons than one.

  What Jameson had said to the bartender was true; he didn’t drink. Never had, not even in his teens to sample at a frat party.

  So where had the insurmountable desire come from?

  The elevator opened and Jameson hurried in, as if trying to escape the lingering uneasiness from drowning him.

  But it was never that easy to escape the ghosts which chased, not when they had all the answers and he had only a memory full of holes.

  Chapter 3

  She slid around to the back entrance stealthily, her hair tucked discretely into a black cap to match her stretchy bodysuit. There was no one around but Audrey knew that the peace was fleeting. Someone was bound to surface and demand to know what she was doing there if she didn’t work fast.

  I hope Danica knows what she’s talking about, she thought tersely. I’m not in the mood to be shot at tonight.

  Stealing against the shadows of the brick, Audrey made her way down the alleyway, toward the caged window near the metal fire door.

  Her heart was pounding loudly but she managed to regulate her pulse before slipping onto the balls of her feet and peering through the window.

  Of course it’s blacked out. How am I going to get in there?

  Audrey knew she should turn around and get back to the hotel but the intense feeling of curiosity was overcoming her and she refused to give up so easily.

  Her aunt had been certain that Oculus had a lab of sorts in the city and Danica had never been wrong yet. Her own ties to Oculus had given the Conways an advantage in the past but this was the first time Audrey had ever used Danica for her own knowledge.

  “Why are you asking about Oculus in Berlin?” Danica demanded, her eyes wide with fright. “You can’t get involved with all that, Audrey, your dad—”

  “Doesn’t need to know about this. No one needs to know about this but it’s important, Dan. I wouldn’t have asked you if it wasn’t.”

  In the end, Danica reluctantly told her niece what she knew, and promised to remain silent, but Audrey wasn’t convinced she’d keep it quiet from Xavier.

  It won’t matter if she’s right.

  On a whim, she tried the door and to her shock, it opened easily. Alarm bells chimed through her mind in a blare and again, Audrey had to pace her heartrate before following the long, black hallway through the abandoned warehouse.

  As the door closed at her back, she froze, plunged into pure darkness but the concern only lasted for a split second before the auras took over.

  White light illuminated her way over the hall, the uncertainty it depicted almost blinding.

  But at least I can see, she reasoned, silencing the warnings screaming at her to run in the opposite direction.

  There was nothing to indicate that anyone else was in the warehouse, no colors other than the white of her own nervousness.

  Yet some inherent sense told her that there was certainly something going on there, something she couldn’t see.

  At least not yet.

  At the end of the hall, she found herself at another door and again, she paused, pressing her hand against the cold steel.

  NO!

  The single word reverberated through her mind and Audrey gasped by the sheer intensity of it. She wasn’t sure where it had come from, an external source or her own head but suddenly, she knew she had to get out of there.

  Without checking what was beyond the door, Audrey fled, her breaths escaping in jagged gasps and she pushed her way back into the alleyway, gulping back the night air as if she’d just escaped a throttling.

  But she didn’t give herself a moment to rest.

  They’re here. Oculus is here.

  It was the first time she’d physically come so close and even though she hadn’t seen anyone, the feeling lingered that she had almost come face-to-face with them.

  Almost colliding with a man as she scurried through the lobby of her hotel, Audrey raced up to her room, peeling off her suddenly suffocating clothes as she dug out the burner phone, her breasts heaving wildly, her lungs hungry to breathe.

  “Peterman.”

  “I-it’s me,” she wheezed. “Aud—”

  “Audrey. What the hell happened?”

  “I have an address in Berlin,” she mumbled. “They’re there. They’re there now. You have to go.”

  “Send me the address.”

  She exhaled and texted out the information with trembling fingers.

  “You went there, didn’t you?” Peterman demanded.

  “Did you get the information?” she asked, her words steadier now.

  “Did anyone see you—yes, it’s coming through now. I’m sending a team in right now, Audrey.”

  “No one saw me,” she sighed. “But I know they’re there.”

  “I’ve dispatched a strike as we speak. You’re sure it’s them?”

  “Has my intel ever been wrong before?”

  “No…but you’ve also never gone to a site before, have you?”

  “It was a mistake,” she told him. “It won’t happen again.”

  Peterman inhaled deeply.

  “Audrey, when you’re feeling better, we should have a talk.”

  “About what? I’m fine, Peterman,” she insisted quickly. “It was stupid and I regretted it the minute I went there. I’m not really an ‘on the scene’ kinda girl.”

  She laughed nervously but she meant what she had said.

  Despite the training you received at the compound, you’re really not the kind of person who should be front and center. Your place is behind the scenes, collecting intel and giving it to people who can do something about it.

  “Wait…” Peterman told her and Audrey realized she’d been muted. A feeling of dread overwhelmed her and she waited for Peterman to come back on the phone.

  What did they find? Did someone get hurt? Could the team have already been that close?

  Audrey had learned a while back not to underestimate the CIA. There had probably been an active team waiting for word before she’d even gotten to Berlin.

  “Audrey?”

  “What happened?”

  “There’s nothing at the warehouse.”

  Her heart sank and she shook her head.

  “Someone was there, nearby, I’m sure. Just stay there and—”

  “No, you don’t understand,” Peterman sighed. “You were right. There was definitely activity there and it looks like Oculus is responsible but they left in a hurry. Almost like they’d been tipped off.”

  Defensiveness fused through her spine.

  “I’m not sure what you’re suggesting, Peterman but I hope it’s not that I had something to do with them not being there.”

  “I don’t know what to think right now,” Peterman replied shortly. “But things don’t add up, Audrey. You’ve refused our protection but you’re going into buildings which is both dangerous and goes against protocol. If you aren’t helping Oculus, you are inadvertently obstructin
g our investigations.”

  “Your…are you kidding me right now? You wouldn’t have known where to go if it wasn’t for me!”

  “Actually,” Peterman countered. “We brought this to you and not vice versa.”

  “You…what is happening right now?” Audrey snapped. “Are you dropping me?”

  “I think we both need to re-evaluate our relationship,” he replied shortly. “Dispose of that phone now. It’s going dead in twenty minutes.”

  “Peterman—”

  “That’s all, Audrey.”

  The phone went dead in her ear and she gaped at it in disbelief.

  Did that just happen? Did that really just happen?

  She tossed the burner aside and sank against the wall, shaking her head in disbelief.

  The CIA isn’t going to just let me go, are they? Not when I know as much as I do…

  Immediately, she thought about calling her father and the idea made her nauseous.

  If I do that, he’ll insist that I return to the compound with Drake. I can’t do that. I have a life, one I built away from the Conways. I swore I wasn’t going to run from Oculus, that I was going to flush them out my own way without being afraid. Instead, I’ve made an enemy out of the CIA now.

  She willed herself to think rationally, to use her head and not let her past or emotions rule her.

  I need to meditate on this. Assuming I have time to meditate before Peterman sends in a strike team to take me out too.

  The house phone rang from beside the sofa and Audrey almost jumped out of her skin.

  “H-hello?” she breathed, her eyes and ears alert for any sudden movements. She was developing a plan for escape in her mind’s eye.

  “Frau McMahon? This is Mauro at the desk. I have a man here to see you.”

  “No! No, no men!” Audrey choked. “Do not let him up here!”

  “No, Fraulein, he wishes for you to come down and join him at the bar. His name is Herr…uh…” She listened through the phone, channeling her telepathy to hear the thoughts of the man on the other end of the line.

  “Bennet,” she heard a man say. “John Bennet.”

  Audrey honed in on his thoughts. There was nothing. Not a word of exasperation, not a sigh of impatience, nothing.

  “Herr John Bennet.”

  “I don’t know him,” Audrey insisted. “What does he want?”

  “Would you care to speak with him yourself, Frau McMahon?”

  “Ja. Bitte,” she agreed, waiting with sweating palms for the man to take the phone.

  “Forgive the intrusion on your speaking tour, Dr. McMahon,” he said cordially, and Audrey noted the English accent. “You are a difficult woman to find.”

  The words filled Audrey with a new terror.

  “W-what do you want?” she breathed. “Just come and finish me if that’s what you’re here for.”

  She willed him to have a silent thought, at that comment, but there was nothing readable.

  “Finish you?” he asked. The confusion in his voice was evident.

  “I think, perhaps, I may have alarmed you, Dr. McMahon, and I assure you, that was not my intention at all. You are Dr. Audrey McMahon, author of the MOPs method?”

  “I…” It was Audrey’s turn to be confused.

  Is this a case of bizarre timing? Could it be?

  Again, she tried to probe into his mind but he seemed to be waiting for her response.

  “I am,” she replied softly. “What is it you want from me?”

  “Ah, good. For a moment there, I thought perhaps I had mistaken you for someone else.”

  John Bennet laughed and oddly, the sound was surprisingly reassuring to Audrey.

  “Could we meet briefly for a drink? Again, I am sorry to have alarmed you but I was hoping the element of surprise might be to my advantage.”

  Is this a trap? Is this the CIA trying to flush me out? But why in a public place? It would be so much easier to do it in private.

  “I can’t consent to meeting you for a drink, Mr. Bennet, until you tell me what this is about,” Audrey told him firmly. “I’m not in the habit of meeting strange men under these circumstances.”

  “Oh!” He laughed again and sounded embarrassed. “I’ve neglected to explain myself properly.”

  “You certainly have!”

  “Let’s start again, shall we? Dr. McMahon, I’m John Bennet, chief of staff at Hospital de los Ninos Heurfanos.”

  “I-I’ve never heard of it,” Audrey said slowly.

  “You wouldn’t for two reasons—a, it’s not officially opened and b, it’s in Nicaragua.”

  “Oh.”

  John chuckled again.

  “Bringing me back to why I’m here, Dr. McMahon,” he offered quietly. “We’d like you to come work for us in Nicaragua at the orphaned children’s hospital. Naturally, you will be compensated for your selfless work but the good you’ll be doing is insurmountable.”

  Is this for real — she pushed away the thought that Oculus or the CIA had anything to do with this. She felt a sense of relief wash over her ...

  “When?” she blurted out, her heart thudding with such intensity against her ribcage, she wondered if her bones might crack. “When would we leave?”

  “Of course, I understand that you’re on a tour right now. No one expects you to drop anything, should you choose to accept this—”

  “I’ll take the job if you can get me out of here tonight,” she told him – she’d rather take a chance on the sensation of calm she got from speaking with Bennet than deal with Oculus or the CIA.

  “What?”

  “Those are my terms.”

  “I…I’ll s-see what I can do, Doctor,” he choked. “C-could we meet and sign the paperwork?”

  “We’ll sign it on the plane,” Audrey told him. “I’ll be down in five.”

  Chapter 4

  “Obviously, the quarters are not what you’re used to,” Bryan told him. “But unfortunately—”

  Jameson held up his hand and smiled at the man.

  “Bryan, you don’t need to be embarrassed. I’ve been in active combat. This is luxury to me, being surrounded by all this green. Believe me, I don’t even need this hut to sleep in.”

  Bryan smiled.

  “That is all fine and well, Dr. Landry, until you are bitten by a venomous spider.”

  Jameson grinned at him.

  “Maybe I’ll sleep inside then,” he agreed, setting his bag down. “Thank you, Bryan.”

  He looked around as Bryan hovered near the door of the small cottage and Jameson could feel the villager’s nervousness.

  “Is something wrong, Bryan?”

  “No, no, Dr. Landry. I…is there anything else I can get for you? The others will be arriving soon and I should see to them also.”

  “I’m good, Bryan. Gracias.”

  Bryan ducked out of the hut, leaving Jameson alone to consider his new surroundings.

  A small burst of excitement sizzled through him as he thought about the prospects to come.

  Tonya had seemed surprised by his decision to come.

  “You really don’t know what’s waiting for you in Central America, Jameson,” she told him worriedly. “Isn’t this all a little suspicious? I mean, this guy pops up out of nowhere and offers you a job…”

  “Obviously I did my due diligence on the matter, Tonya. Dr. Bennet was the chief of pediatrics at Seattle Pres until last year when he began doing his own work in third world countries, setting up hospitals and staffing them before moving on to others. So far, he’s managed to find funding for three hospitals in different countries.”

  “Don’t you think that’s odd?” Tonya insisted. “He’s finding money to build hospitals? Just like that?”

  “I think that the man is a very talented magician,” Jameson retorted. He checked himself, knowing that Tonya was speaking out of desperation. It would be the first time they’d been apart in their co-dependant relationship.

  “I don’t feel right ab
out this,” she muttered and Jameson stifled a sigh.

  “Tonya, I know it will be weird but you’ll still have a job while I’m gone. I’ll only be gone for about a year while I train the new doctors.”

  She didn’t reply.

  “I’ll need you to stay as my secretary and book speaking gigs for when I return,” he continued, wishing her face would lighten some but there was no indication of that happening.

  “You really need to think about this before you agree to it, Jameson,” she told him flatly. “I have a bad feeling.”

  “I did think about it, Tonya and I’m going. I’ve already signed the paperwork. I leave next week.”

  Oddly enough, shortly after that conversation, Tonya had changed her tune dramatically and supported his decision whole-heartedly. In fact, she almost seemed to push him out the door, so to speak.

  Women, he had thought to himself, I’ll never understand how their minds work.

  And now I’m here.

  Jameson had to admit, he’d felt a strange peace from the moment the small plane had landed in San Antonio, as if he was home finally.

  This is just what the doctor ordered, he thought ironically. Getting away from civilization, getting back in touch with nature and helping those who have never had the benefit of the things I’ve had. This is where I belong.

  As he thought it, a spider scurried past and it was almost the size of Jameson’s hand.

  “I guess I’m not going to be sleeping too easily inside either, huh?” he commented as the monster moved past him.

  There was a tentative knock at the door and he spun to call out.

  “Come in.”

  Dr. Bennet popped his head through and grinned disarmingly at Jameson.

  “Oh, wonderful. You’re here,” he said, smiling. “I was hoping that you’d settled in.”

  His eyes fell on the spider who was looking for cover and he winced.

  “I know they shouldn’t shock me,” he muttered. “But I cannot get used to them, no matter how much time I spend in the wilderness.”

  Jameson laughed.

  “We all have our fears, I imagine.”

  “Indeed,” Bennet sighed. The smile reappeared on his face.

  “If you need some time, I understand but there is a doctor here already that I would like you to meet. She’s a neuropsychiatrist, one of the best in the field.”