Reign of evil, p.13
Reign of Evil, page 13
“After we got up here.”
“It’s your phone.” He reached over, taking it from me and punching the screen. “You were in the RV when I tried to reach you?”
“Safe and secure with the hatches battened down, just as you instructed.” I resisted the urge to throw in a salute, but I thought about it. “That explains why I didn’t get the calls, but not about your tardiness with the text. Or why you sent Talon in the first place.”
“I didn’t send him in the first place. I sent your team. Then I lost contact with them and you didn’t answer, so I called Talon. It wasn’t my first choice, Taylor, but it was the only option available to me at the time. I couldn’t come myself, and I needed to make sure you were safe while we dealt with the situation.”
“And just what was the situation?”
“A perimeter breach. A couple of college kids out hiking. They saw the fence and got curious. Decided to check it out. Or at least that’s what they claimed when we caught them.”
“You believe them?”
“I have no reason to believe otherwise. If you could have seen the terror on their faces when the drones cornered them…” He let out a chuckle. “They thought they were goners for sure.”
“Where are they now?”
“In a detention cell, waiting for Rivers to show up and put the fear of the FBI in them. He can check out their story and see if it’s legit. If it is, we’ll turn them loose. They can go back and report to their friends that coming up here is a bad idea and is highly discouraged.” He paused, suddenly turning serious. “As annoying and inconvenient as this was, it was a good thing it happened. The fact is, they got in. It showed us where the gaps are in our security, and thankfully we have time to fix them.”
“If their story checks out,” I reminded him. “They could be lying.”
“They could be,” he agreed. “If they are, we’ll know soon enough. In the meantime, we’ll get you a new phone with better reception and figure out a way to communicate when you’re in the RV. Set up additional safeguards on the fence. Then we’ll run drills and test things out. Make sure all the bases are covered.”
In other words, Stone Hill had become a battle zone. A stronghold in the war between “us” and “them”. I thought of the armored R.V. I was now living in, the security teams and canine patrols manning the gates and the fences and inwardly cringed. Then I thought of Connors, Jenny and Abby on the other side of the complex, outside the safety of the gates. Thought of Mama D and Trinity and what could have happened if this had been the real deal with me on the mountain without a clue as to what was going on. What happened today couldn’t happen again. If that meant working with Talon, then so be it. I’d do it. But not before I taught him a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget.
13
“I’m not wearing that.”
“Yes, you are.” Duke threw the padded helmet at Talon, striking him hard in the chest. “We wear them. You’ll wear them. Got it?”
“Now boys,” I said, walking through the door in time to see them squaring off. “Let’s not fight.”
“We’re not fighting. Yet,” Duke informed me, his eyes never leaving Talon. “It’s just a disagreement.”
“I take it he’s refusing to wear the padding.”
“You would be correct in that assessment. He’s been advised of the wisdom in doing so, but he’s chosen to ignore our advice.”
I looked at the rest of my team who were standing nearby and got nods of agreement all the way around. They were uneasy with the situation, as was I. My training sessions with Lars and my team revolved around normal everyday hand-to-hand combat and self-defense. Any training involving my abilities was restricted to practice dummies —not my team members. My control was sketchy at best, and taking aim at a non-enemy was something I wasn’t prepared to do, but with Talon, there was no choice. If we used a practice dummy or just did a demonstration, he’d never buy it. He’d think it was a trick – an illusion of some kind. There was only one way Talon could understand what I could do, and that was if he experienced it on a personal level. After the events of the morning, I was more than ready to make an exception to the rule, but not like this. Wearing pads and protective gear, there was still a good probability that he was going to get hurt, but without them…That he refused to do so was bad enough, but even worse was the division between him and the rest of my team.
“You’re not exactly winning friends and influencing people here, Talon. They’re trying to help you, and you just won’t listen. You think you know better, but you don’t. You’re worried about me listening to you and taking your advice, but you’re the one that’s a problem here. Not me.” I shook my head in frustration with the man. The grunt from Lars, who was standing behind me —evidence that he was just as frustrated as I was. “This isn’t going to work. Not like this.”
“Put the pads on,” Lars ordered from behind me. “That’s not a request, Talon. You do as you’re told or hit the road now.”
Lars’s command earned him a cold, stony glare. “I don’t need them,” he shot back, even as he began donning the padded suit. “She’s the one who needs the padding. I can’t test her skills or see what she knows if I have to worry about hurting her.”
“Hurting her?” Lars let out a chuckle. “You’ll never lay a hand on her. I guarantee it.”
“Oh, really?” Talon scoffed as he rammed the protective helmet onto his head and took the mouthpiece from Stitch. “Care to place a wager on that? Everyone else around here has been placing bets; you might as well get in on the action.”
“Bets?” I looked at my team members, who were looking everywhere except back at me. They were up to something all right. Something they thought I wouldn’t approve of. “Are you betting for or against me?”
“Neither,” Joel said, hurriedly stepping forward to explain. “We’re betting on how many rounds it will take for you to knock some sense into him. He’s pretty stubborn and not real quick on the uptake, so I’m betting on ten rounds. Of course, if he’d refused to wear the padding, we’d all have to reassess our positions as he’d go down a lot faster.
“Everyone’s betting?” I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing.
“Everyone but Stitch,” Jimmy informed me. “He thinks it’s a conflict of interest, him being a medic and all, so he’s keeping the book for us. I think he goes down in five.”
“Three,” Lars cut in. “He may not be the brightest bulb in the package, but he’s not a fool.”
“Got it,” Stitch muttered as he scribbled away in a little book he held in his hands.
“I don’t believe this.” I stood there, shaking my head, wondering where I had gone wrong with the kids.
This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. We were all supposed to play nice and get along with each other. Instead, they were placing bets — the air rife with excitement at the event about to commence.
“What did you bet on?” I asked Mac, giving him an accusing look. If he was going to be taking over Jace’s position, he needed to set an example — not be part of the problem.
“One,” he grinned in reply, not in the slightest bit cowed by my disapproval of his actions.
“You think he’s that smart?” I asked.
“No, I think you’re that irritated,” Mac said, his tone suddenly serious. “Plus, you have things to do. Sterling called. She needs to see you ASAP.”
“Foul!” Scotty’s voice roared from the back of the pack. “No fair fanning the flames in your favor.”
“I’m not fanning the flames. I’m just giving her information,” Mac informed him, his eyes on me as he gave me a look of warning. He knew exactly how angry I was at being put in this position. And he was worried. As he probably should have been.
Before I could issue false assurances that I wasn’t going to do something I’d regret later, the door opened and Jonas, Trinity, and — of all people, Mama D — walked in.
“What are you doing here?” I gasped out, aghast at the thought of her being present to witness what was about to happen. “You should leave, Mama D. You don’t need to be here.”
“I beg to differ. Am I not part of this team? Have I not been from the very beginning? If this man is going to be one of us, I want to see what he’s made of. See if he measures up.”
She looked me straight in the eye, daring me to argue, which I wasn’t about to do. Then she turned that knowing gaze on Talon, conveying in no uncertain terms that she had her doubts about his meeting the mark she had set for him.
I looked over at Trinity for assistance, but she just shrugged at me. “Don’t look at me like that. I happen to agree with her. We’re here, and we’re not leaving. What happens now concerns the future of everyone in this room. He’ll know the truth when you’re through with him. How he handles that truth will determine his future.”
The threat was there, made even more evident as Jonas leaned back against the door, his massive frame blocking the only exit from the area as my team fanned out encircling Talon. He watched quietly, almost calmly, as they deployed to protective positions — protective for me and the team. Not for Talon. A fact not lost on him. He realized the danger he was in and for the first time, the look of arrogance that usually graced his features was gone.
“They’re loyal to you,” he said softly. “I’ll give them that.”
“That they are,” I agreed, feeling my anger slip away at the show of support. All my original team was present, along with my family. Everyone in the room had been with me from the beginning, and they were with me now. I owed them something better than anger. I owed them the best chance I could give them. If Talon was that best chance, then who was I to argue?
“You’re sure about this?” I asked Lars one last time.
“I wouldn’t risk them, or you, if I wasn’t,” he assured me. “But if there is a problem, I’ll be the one to take care of it. That I promise you.”
I nodded, knowing it was the truth. Lars was my guardian, destined to protect me. I knew it, and more importantly, my team knew it. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep me safe. I just hoped it didn’t come to that.
“Pad the back wall,” I instructed, worried about a repeat of New Orleans and the unconscious men piled in a heap on the floor after I’d sent them crashing into the crates. Having mats up to soften the impact might not make much difference, but it would make me feel better.
Talon watched quietly as the mats were placed against the wall behind him. I waited quietly as well, trying to determine the best way to reveal my power to him. Now that the anger had dissipated, I was able to be a little more objective in plotting my strategy. By the time the mats were in place and my team had retaken their positions, I was ready.
“You said this should have never happened.” I pointed to the bruises on my neck and watched as Talon nodded his head slowly in agreement. “So come for me. Do what he did and go for my throat. Give it everything you have, and I’ll show you what I did to try to fend him off. Pussyfoot around, and I’m leaving. I have people waiting for me. Things I need to attend to. If you want to know the truth about me, put your mouthpiece in and let’s get on with it.”
I motioned for my team to move away to a safe distance while Talon shoved in the mouthpiece that I hoped would protect his pearly whites. I held up my hand for him to wait until everyone was grouped behind and far to the side of me. Then I motioned for Talon to bring it on — hoping with every ounce of my being that he’d do exactly that.
I wasn’t disappointed. I watched him brace, planting his feet firmly on the floor mats beneath him seconds before he launched his body at me. I didn’t move a muscle. Not a hair. Didn’t even breathe. I just sent out a surge of power that sent him flying a good fifteen feet onto his back. He laid there a second, then spit out the mouthpiece before propping himself up on his elbows to look at me. It was there in his face. Recognition of what had just happened. He’d just seen the truth. Now it was just a question of whether he could accept it.
“How did he get to you?” he asked, a look of confusion on his face. “If you can do this, how did he get his hands on you?”
“I’m not the only one,” I answered back. “There are others who are stronger. He was one of them.”
“How many others?”
“We don’t know,” Lars answered for me. “All we know is there are others. Some with this power. Some with others. She needs to know how to defend herself from them. That’s where you come in.”
“You’re asking the impossible.”
“Am I? My apologies then. I thought you’d be up for the challenge.”
“Oh, don’t play that card with me, Larson. I’m the one that taught it to you.” He rolled to his feet and turned his attention back to me. “Do it again,” he ordered. “This time, don’t hold back.”
“No.”
“Yes. I need to know what you can do. What I have to work with.”
With that he came at me again, only this time he was faster — the look on his face one of determination. Apparently, I hadn’t been the only one holding back. I felt my power snap in the air as he neared and let it out, directing it right at him, knocking him back again. He rolled to his feet and I hit him again, then again, until I slammed him into the padded wall and held him there with nothing more than the power from my mind. Eventually he quit struggling to escape and held up his hands in surrender. I released him, relieved that it was over. And that he was still in one piece.
“The force is strong in this one,” Talon gasped as he bent over, drawing in deep breaths of air.
“Not strong enough, Obi-Wan,” Lars replied, eliciting a number of chuckles from around the room. Lars let out the gruff growl, that served as his laugh. Then his eyes cut to the bruises on my neck, and his face became grim. “Not nearly strong enough.”
“Strength has nothing to do it.” Talon straightened up, having finally caught his breath. “You’re stronger and bigger than I am, but I can take you down in a minute, and you know it. It’s about using what you have to your best advantage. Knowledge and strategy. You have that and the odds even right up. That’s what we work on.”
“So you’ll take the job?”
“Yes, Yoda. I’ll teach her in the ways of the Jedi.”
“Oh, we are so not doing this,” I informed them both firmly. “First off, this isn’t some movie with special effects, and secondly, you’re assuming that I have some control over my power. I don’t.”
“You don’t?” Talon looked confused. “If you have no control, how come you didn’t let me have it up on the mountain? You were mad. You wanted to hit me. I could tell.”
“I didn’t want to hit you.”
“Sure you did. You just won’t admit it. You’re afraid that if you do, you’ll lose control.”
“Yes, I’m afraid. I have this incredible power that can kill people.”
“How many people have you killed? I mean accidentally — not the ones who deserved it.”
Deserved it? No one deserved it, but I saw the point he was trying to make. “None,” I admitted grudgingly. “But I’ve hurt people. Innocent people.”
“On purpose?”
“No, but…”
“But nothing. Collateral damage doesn’t count. Things happen in the heat of battle.”
“Not like this. This is different.”
“It’s not different. You just think it is.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clearly frustrated with me. “I’m just saying you have more control than you think you do. It may not be what you want it to be, but it’s there. We can build on that. Hone your skills.”
“We’ve tried honing my skills,” I argued. “It doesn’t work.”
“Then you’ve been doing it wrong,” he shot back. “What say we try it my way? It may surprise you what we can do.”
“I don’t know about that,” Trinity said with a grimace. “You might be the one surprised. I mean, you haven’t seen her whole repertoire yet. She’s pretty good at pushing and throwing, but don’t ask her to pass you the salt or she’s liable to bean you with it. Precision is not her forte, and no matter what they do, she isn’t getting any better. Maybe she can’t do it. Maybe she can’t learn to control it.”
“Seriously, Trinity?” I asked, unable to believe my ears. It was one thing to think it myself, but to hear Trinity voice my own fear out loud was hard to take. I knew she was using her lawyer tactics to back me into a corner and make me see reason, but I didn’t like it.
“Hey, I’m just helping you make your point. You’re trying to talk him out of helping you, right? Convince him you’re hopeless? It’s too bad Sterling’s not here. She’d be more than happy to fill Talon in on all of your mishaps. She thinks they’re a riot.”
There she went, driving the knife home. As well she should. I’d been convinced that showing him my power was a mistake. That it would endanger everyone. Then I was convinced that he’d never buy it once he did see it or, if he did, that there was nothing he could do to help me. And the thought of that — that this was as good as it would get, wasn’t something I could accept. Maybe I’d resisted Lars’s proposal because Talon was right. I was scared. Scared of failing — because there was another Karl out there somewhere and sooner or later, we were going to meet up.
It was time to sink or swim. I couldn’t continue in what was essentially a state of limbo, with fear guiding my every move, but I’d done everything I could to ensure that was exactly where I stayed. Talon’s approach might work, or it might not. I didn’t know. The only thing I knew for sure was something had to change, and this was the best shot I had. Depending on and trusting someone else with my power — relying on Talon to guide me… the very thought made me queasy and suddenly, I had trouble breathing. It had been a stressful morning, and I needed to get away and decompress before it escalated into a full-blown panic attack. A little fresh air, along with a shower and some breakfast, sounded just like what Jenny would prescribe. The mention of Sterling reminded me of Mac’s heads-up that she needed to see me ASAP, providing me with the perfect excuse to vacate the premises.
