Consumed by fire, p.14
Consumed by Fire, page 14
“Hi! Mind if I come in?” Before I can agree, he walks in, closing the door behind him. “I’m Dagger; we met the other day.” He half-smiles, but it doesn’t hold much humor. “Shadow sent me to talk with you. We don’t have much time, so I am going to make it quick.”
“Where is Octane?”
“In a meeting with Shadow. He’s in huge trouble. Deep, deeeeep shit.” The male is in a full leather uniform. I’ve seen the guys in them before. The guards wear them as well.
“What did you want to talk about?” I fold my arms across my chest. “Why the urgency?” I don’t like it.
Divide and conquer. They’re doing it to us now. I’m not stupid.
“Shadow sent me to offer you a one-time deal.”
“I’m all ears,” I deadpan.
“There is a helicopter being fueled as we speak. Come with me now, and I’ll escort you anywhere on the island, essentially assisting you wherever possible in an escape. I will drop you off. It will be up to you to make your way off the island. There are two caveats to this offer. It has to be right now. You have five minutes to decide if you are in or out. And then, you need to leave Draig and return to Mistveil. If we find you on our soil, we will turn you in to HQ, which would surely spell your death. If you are taken down by our frontline, we will deny having any knowledge of your existence.” He presses a button on his watch, which beeps. “Your five minutes start now.”
“Why would I agree to this? Where is Octane? He doesn’t know about this offer, does he?”
“No, he doesn’t. As I said, Octane is in huge shit. He has enough to deal with right now without having to worry about you.”
“Huge shit…” I nod a few times. “So, you said.” I narrow my eyes. “Back to my first question. Why on earth would I agree to this?”
“I thought you’d jump at the chance to escape. Octane doesn’t know about the offer because I don’t think he would agree to it at all. In fact, I think he plans on keeping you or trying to, at any rate. You realize that it isn’t possible. The two of you can’t possibly be together.”
“You’re wrong. He doesn’t plan on keeping me at all. That would be crazy.” I snort, but my heart races at Dagger’s words. I like the idea of Octane wanting me…wanting us. I have to stop myself from putting a hand to my belly. “Besides, you heard Shadow; she instructed him to get friendly with me so that he could milk me for information. That’s all it was to Octane.” Even as I say the words, I struggle to believe them to be true. It isn’t him at all. Octane wouldn’t do that. At least, I don’t think he would.
Dagger snorts. “You’re wrong. I’ve known Octane for a long time…he’s sweet on you, Red. You need to do what’s right for the both of you and leave now while you are being offered an out. And while you can still leave. It’s going to get tougher…not just to leave, but to stay. You don’t belong here. Just like he doesn’t belong on Mistveil soil. I’m sorry, but this is for the best. You need to think of your baby. Know that if you stay, it will end in disaster. You will end up dead. Octane would end up in trouble he won’t be able to get out of. He could be jailed for this. They will throw away the key. If you care anything for him, then get up right now and follow me.” His icy blue gaze bores into me. His frown is deep, with his brows drawing together. “Please…it would be the right thing to do.” His watch alarm goes off, and he silences it. “My friend is a good judge of character, so I’m hoping you’ll make the right decision. Do the right thing, if not for him, then for yourself…for your unborn child. Go back to where you belong before it’s too late.”
I look at him. My mind is going about a mile a minute.
“What will it be, Red? Yes or no?” Dagger asks, his eyes narrowing.
18
Octane
“You’ve said your piece. You gave me until tomorrow. We’ll talk again then,” I say.
“Dammit, Octane! I can see that I’m not getting through to you. How can I be any clearer? The Red needs to leave. She needs to go back to her own kind. This needs to end right now!”
“Oh, you’ve made your feelings crystal clear. I assure you.”
“Only you’re not listening to me. You cannot keep the Red. She can’t stay here. You’re putting her in grave danger. If you care anything for her, even a little bit, you’ll say your goodbyes and let her go. She will die if she stays. Surely you must know that?”
“I will protect her,” I snarl. Then I narrow my eyes, fisting my hands. “Unless one of you plans on outing us. Are you going to tell HQ? Will you—” I start to say through gritted teeth.
“It won’t be anything I do…or anyone else here at camp, but you will be found out. HQ could send someone. The patrols sometimes come around here. We are not in a vacuum.”
“I will hide her—”
“Listen to yourself. You sound deranged. If someone sees her… All it will take is one person, and we are all screwed. Her life will end. It will be on you. Would you be able to live with yourself?”
I feel my whole body tighten. Fuck! Shadow is right.
“Okay…fine…okay…you win,” I push out. “I’m going to need money. I have plenty. I will need to go to the city to make a withdrawal. I’m not sending her back without it. She’s all alone and desperate. Right now, she is reliant on her ex’s brother, who is a colossal prick.” I get angry just thinking about Titan.
Shadow laughs and shakes her head. “Holy fuck, but she has you completely wrapped around her little finger. She’s not your problem.”
“I’ve made her my problem. She’s a pregnant woman who is afraid for her future and for the future of her unborn child. I will do that small thing for her. I don’t need the cash.”
“You might change your mind about that one day. What if you meet someone? What if you want a family? That money could come in handy.”
Children.
A family.
All I can think about is Trinity’s face, her eyes, her smile. I can still feel those sweet kicks beneath my hand.
The enemy… Yes, she is…unfortunately.
“No, I don’t want those things.” The words don’t feel right, but they’re true. I can’t have them.
Shadow sighs heavily. “Okay…fine. I will organize the cash. How much do you need?” then she makes a face. “How do you even know that they have money on Mistveil?”
“They do.” I sound frustrated. “They’re far more civilized than we give them credit for. I told you this already. They live very much like us.”
“I find it hard to believe.” She shakes her head. Her eyes cloud in thought.
“Well, believe it. That’s why I need cash. Are you going to help me or not?”
“How much?”
“30k,” I say quickly. “I have enough in my account.”
Her brows shoot up. “That much? Really?” She gives a chuckle. “Holy shit, Octane.”
“Yes. She’ll need it to start a new life.”
“Okay…whatever. It’s your money. Then there’s the business of filling in a report.” She hands me a piece of paper. “You can take a seat over there. I want it all down on paper.”
“No. It can wait.” I start to hand it back, but she shakes her head.
“No. If you want the money and for all of this to go away, you need to fill in a report. I want you to state that all of this was your idea. All of it needs to be on there. How you captured the Red. Her escape. The things she told you. All of it. You can leave out the sex, but the rest needs to be in there.” She flicks at the page in my hand. “If this ends up going belly up, I need a safety net. This report will be my safety net.” She flicks the page again. “You can take a seat over there.” She points at a desk in the corner. “And start writing.”
“It’ll take me an hour or more to get this done.”
“You have somewhere you need to be?” She lifts her brows.
“Actually, yes, I do. I’ll sort it out in the morning.”
“Now is as good a time as any. You look healed up. From the racket you were making earlier, I’d say you were fit as a damned fiddle. Fill in the report, Octane. There’s a pen on the desk. Make sure your writing is neat and legible.” Her eyes widen. “What are you waiting for? It’s an order.”
“A report like this would implicate you, not clear you of wrongdoing. Why would you want this in writing?” I tap on the paper with the back of my hand in much the same way as she did. “It doesn’t make any sense. Unless…unless… Fuck! Unless you are using the excuse of a stupid report to keep me busy long enough to…to… No!” I crumple up the paper and toss it at her feet. “Fuck you!” I yell as I turn away.
“Do the right thing!” she shouts at my retreating back. “Write the report and forget the female.”
I don’t listen. I run all the way to my bungalow. Goliath looks sheepish, he won’t meet my gaze, choosing to look at his feet instead.
“She isn’t in there, is she?”
“I’m not supposed to say,” Goliath says. “Please don’t make me.”
“Where is she?” I stalk over to him.
He shakes his head, getting a panicked look.
“You’re a nice guy, but I won’t hesitate to take your head from your shoulders. Where is the Red? My Red! Where is she?”
“Dagger came to fetch her earlier. They left.”
“Dagger?” It’s the last thing I expected to hear. I sound shocked because I am…to my core.
“Where did they go? Which direction? Tell me right now.” I grab him by the throat and throw him against the wall.
Goliath’s eyes fill with fear. He makes a choking noise, and his face starts to turn red. I let the male go.
He coughs a few times, grabbing hold of his throat and breathing deeply. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I will kick your ass from here until next week, so help me—”
“Okay, fine! I overheard something about him taking your female…taking the Red to the airstrip. There is a chopper waiting. He left in his SUV.”
I start running. I’m in mid-shift when he says, “She went willingly.”
No!
I stop dead in my tracks. My blood runs a little cold. I turn. “What was that?” My voice is deep and growly, more animal than human.
“Dagger spoke to her for a few minutes, and then they left. The female went willingly. It was her choice. He is letting her go. Shadow wants her to return to Mistveil, and she agreed to leave.”
“It’s a mistake,” I growl. Trinity wouldn’t just up and leave like this.
No! Not like this.
It can’t be.
“I’m sorry, Octane,” Goliath mutters. “I know you like her. It isn’t a mistake. I know what I saw. Your female left on her own steam.”
Trinity
The SUV races along a dirt road, kicking up dust behind us. Dagger is at the wheel. He hasn’t said so much as a word since we left. There is jungle on either side of us. It slowly opens up the further we go, the trees thinning out and making way for grass.
“We’re nearly there,” he tells me.
I nod once, feeling apprehension grow inside of me. Am I making a mistake? No! Dagger is right. I don’t belong here. I need to return to Mistveil. My presence is harmful to Octane. The longer I stay, the more my life is at risk, too.
I’m doing the right thing.
I must leave.
We drive on for a while longer before arriving at the airstrip. I see a light aircraft and two choppers. One of the helicopter’s doors is open. A pilot is standing beside it.
“Not a word,” Dagger tells me as we drive up to a gate.
I nod when he glances at me. “Okay. I won’t say a thing,” I add when he doesn’t seem to buy it.
“You will be killed if they find out that you are a Red,” he growls.
“I know.” I sigh.
We pull up to the gate, and one of the guards approaches us, scanning Dagger’s ID before letting us through. Thankfully, he barely even looks at me. We drive into a large parking lot, where three other SUVs are parked.
My heart does a somersault and skips several beats as Dagger pulls up next to one of the vehicles.
I look down. I’m wearing a pair of sweatpants that are a little big for me, one of Octane’s shirts, and a pair of yellow flip-flops that fit me just right. Who wears yellow shoes? Especially flip-flops. I’m guessing that Dagger got them from Lost and Found or something.
“Let’s go,” he tells me. “The pilot is human. It will be better if you don’t say anything while we are in his company. No one else can be trusted. You show us where to go, and we’ll drop you off there. If we are stopped by anyone for any reason, you let me do the talking. As long as you are covered, they won’t know your true identity.” He glances at my shirt.
My true identity?
Namely, that I am a Red.
The enemy.
Dagger starts to turn toward the chopper when I grab his arm. “Please tell Octane that I said goodbye. Please explain why I left. I’m doing it to protect him. I…” I shake my head. “Please, will you tell him that? I don’t want him to be upset…hurt…you know?”
He nods. “I know, and I will tell him. You have my word. Now, let’s go. The sooner we get you off Draig, the better. Do you have a plan? Are you going to be able to get back to Mistveil?”
“I’ll be fine,” I say.
Dagger looks at me for a few seconds. He looks like he is at war with himself. Then he nods. “Good.” He walks to the chopper, and I follow.
“This is Gavin,” he says as we approach the helicopter.
The human smiles broadly at the two of us.
“Gavin, meet Trinity. She needs a ride. Thank you for agreeing to help out at the last minute.”
“No problem. Shadow has offered to pay me extra for my troubles.” He grins. “Truth be told, I can use the money right now.” If Gavin suspects anything, he doesn’t show it. “Climb aboard.” He points into the chopper.
We both do as he says. I’ve never been inside one of these things before. The seats are sleek leather. It’s more spacious than I thought it would be.
“Put on your seatbelts. Those are headsets over there,” Gavin says, pointing at where they are hanging. Then he starts flicking switches and pushing buttons.
I buckle up, feeling nervous. The sound of the rotors spinning is loud in my ears.
“Ready?” Gavin asks through the headset.
I nod and then realize he won’t see me. “Y-yes,” I stammer, hearing myself in my ears, which is weird. I sound tinny and far away, yet loud.
“We’re ready,” Dagger says.
Gavin starts the engine, and it doesn’t take long before we’re lifting off the ground.
I can feel the vibrations through my entire body, and I grip the seat tightly.
Dagger looks at me before staring out the window.
“Where to?” Gavin asks as soon as we are airborne.
“Northwest,” I tell him. “Go toward the mountain. You can drop me as close to the southern base as possible. It’s the side closest to the beach.”
“The jungle is thick on that side of the island, but I’ll do my best to get you as close as possible to where you want to be. You might need to hike to get to the exact point.”
“No problem, and thank you,” I say, once again hearing my own voice through the headset. It sounds robotic and cold. Pretty much how I feel inside.
I look out the window, trying to make sense of this whole situation. I know that leaving Octane is the right thing to do, but my heart aches at the thought of never seeing him again. Of leaving like this. I wish I could have seen him one last time. I pray that Dagger will give him my message. I glance across at the male and decide that he will. He seems like the honorable type. I think he cares about Octane.
I look out of the window. Below us, the jungle terrain is lush and green. I’m pretty sure that the jungle on Mistveil would look much the same. That from up here, the people on both islands would look the same, too. Sometimes, it takes moving away from something to bring it into perspective.
We are more alike than either side cares to admit. I know that now.
We fly in silence for half an hour. I watch the mountain grow nearer and nearer. Not long now and I’ll be on my own.
There is a loud screech from behind us.
“Fuck!” Dagger says under his breath, looking out the window.
“There is a dragon behind us,” Gavin says. “It is fast approaching.”
I can’t help the smile that grows on my face.
Octane! It has to be.
It doesn’t take long before a huge black and gold dragon is flying next to us. He screeches, moving into our line of flight, his talons outstretched like he’s going to pluck us from the sky.
Gavin screams, veering to the side. “What the hell! Who is that? A riderless dragon! I need to call it in. This is bad…real bad!” he shouts, making me wince.
“No!” Dagger and I call in unison.
“Don’t do that. We know him,” Dagger says. “It isn’t what you think. He’s in full control, I swear it.”
“He can’t be!”
“He is!” Dagger insists. “This particular dragon does not turn feral. You don’t need to call it in. Stay calm, please.”
“Whoa,” Gavin says when Octane flies back into our path. We hover on the spot in a kind of standoff. “He’s going to kill us.”
“He won’t!” I say.
“What should I do?” Gavin’s voice is a little high-pitched. “I don’t like this one bit.”
“Let’s not panic,” Dagger says. “I should have known he wouldn’t fall for it,” he mutters to himself.
“We need to land,” I gasp, my eyes on the magnificent dragon before us. My heart goes nuts in my chest. I’m feeling every kind of emotion.
Relief, happiness, frustration, fear, and apprehension. I’m feeling all of them, and all at once. I can’t stop smiling, though, so perhaps happiness is right up there, even though I know that Octane is going to be all kinds of mad.
I look over at Dagger and see warring emotions on his face, too. Anger, frustration, determination, and then resignation. He sighs. “Gavin, take the chopper down to that clearing over there.” He points to the spot in question.
