Crucible, p.30
CRUCIBLE, page 30
“After all the trouble I went to in order to get this facetime with you, I’d rather you didn’t. I’m sure that wound won’t make that an easy task either. You’ll need assistance, which I’ll happily provide you once we’re done here.”
“Done doing what?” I asked, carefully shifting my weight so I was in more of a sitting position against the pillows. “Punishing me for my attack on some Tempest assholes a few weeks back? Is that why your big boss had you bring me here?”
He shook his head to himself. “I wasn’t certain how deeply entrenched your ignorance ran from the concerted efforts of those around you. Now I see it’s worse than I’d imagined.” He walked to the foot of the bed and grasped the bedframe. “I am the big boss.”
I started.
Carl Jameson himself.
“God, I made it further up the food chain than I thought.”
“This meeting doesn’t concern your attacks on my people.”
“It should. I did that for a reason.”
“Yes, to avenge Jim Benson,” he said in a bored tone.
“You murdered my dad,” I seethed. “Does that mean anything to you, to rip a man’s life away like that? To take a father from his daughter?”
“Are you aware that Jim had a death wish?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head vehemently.
“It’s the truth. He welcomed the peace of it.”
“You’re lying, trying to justify taking his life.”
“He knew he’d been marked, yet he continued to push the limits of Adam Reid’s protection. That day at the train station, he disregarded it completely, pulling rank and forcing Adam’s hand, which was what enabled the hit to succeed.”
As I fought to absorb all of it, something in particular stood out. “Pulled rank? What does that mean?”
“Of course. Yes, you’ve been led to believe Jim was a chief informant to the CSA, treading on dangerous ground to acquire intel on my operations.”
“Something like that.”
He leaned forward on the bedframe, a haunting look in his eyes as he revealed, “Jim Benson was the CSA.”
“He… what?”
“He founded it. Over two decades ago. Back then it was a clandestine operation, a civilian vigilante group. Adam was the one who streamlined it and made it the mammoth public entity that it is now. Before those days, however, they were hidden in the shadows. Jim, Colin, Sophia, along with their cohorts.”
“Sophia? My mom was a part of it?”
“More than a part. She was instrumental.”
I barely remembered anything about her because she’d died when I was so young. My dad hardly ever spoke about her, it had been too painful for him. All I really knew was that she’d enjoyed camping—the reason behind my dad and I picking that as our recurring activity—she’d loved animals and volunteered at several shelters over her life, she’d hated the old Hollywood movies of the thirties and forties that my dad had loved, and she’d also had a thing for Greek mythology.
Something awful occurred to me then. “It wasn’t an accident, was it?”
“What wasn’t?”
“Her death. It was ruled as a car accident. But it was you… you killed her because she was a part of all of this.”
“I didn’t kill your mother.”
“Excuse me if I find that a little hard to believe, given that you’ve just revealed she was a part of the resistance against you.”
“Sophia was too valuable to become mere roadkill. She was gifted, just like you.”
I tensed. “Gifted?”
“You’re well aware of what I’m referring to. After all, it’s what’s drawn you to making the ill-advised decision to befriend Rick Walker.”
“You’ve been watching me.” I shuddered at the thought.
“There was a reason Adam didn’t want you venturing into the city. My men have been doing their due diligence on you. And, I have to say, for somebody so young and very new to all of it, you’ve managed to impress me.”
“That means nothing to me,” I spat.
“Not yet. But it will.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“All in good time.”
“Is Adam your next target? Now my dad’s out of the way?”
“Adam Reid is a different breed. He has vast connections, systems in place, that protect him from my wrath. To kill him would initiate a sequence of events that would destroy everything I’ve built. Killing him is not my strategy to win this battle of wills, to take Roburn. Besides, I didn’t order the kill on your father for his role in the CSA. It was far more personal than that.”
“What could possibly warrant murdering somebody if it wasn’t this war?”
“It came to light a few months back that he’d been keeping a secret from me.”
“Seriously? A secret? That’s why he died?”
His features hardened. “Absolutely.”
“Is that why you brought me here? You think I’m privy to it?”
“No.”
“Then, why?”
“Several reasons. The first being that Adam needed proof.”
“What proof?”
“That you’re safe from me and my organization, that I mean you no harm.” He gestured at my side through the sheets. “That accident notwithstanding. The only way to demonstrate you’re not under threat from me was to take you into my custody, then release you back to him alive and well.”
That was ridiculously twisted.
“You see,” he said, coming to stand right before me. “I don’t want you leaving Roburn. In fact, I won’t allow it. Any attempt to cross city borders will result in you being turned back around. As many times as it takes too.”
It hit me then, an awful realization. “You want to use my skills for Tempest.”
“Your skills aren’t fully developed yet. I’ll leave that task to Adam.”
“What are you talking about? He doesn’t want me getting mixed up in any of this.”
“Oh, but you already are. And with the path Walker is headed down, it’ll leave him with no choice. Once you’re ready, we’ll talk again.”
“I’d never join you. You killed my dad, you subjugate this city and harm innocents, turning the entire place into a hellhole.”
“You’re young, you still have the naïve outlook of seeing things as black and white. Hero or villain. Right or wrong. As for joining me, never say never. There’s a great deal you still don’t know and when I allow you to know it, your perspective will change.”
Before I could even begin to process that, he pulled something from his suit jacket pocket and held it out to me. Some sort of flash drive. “Give this to Adam.”
“What is it?”
“Additional proof that you’re safe from me.”
I hesitantly took it. “Put it in your pants pocket so it’s secure.”
I didn’t know why, but I actually listened and did it. “Why aren’t you hurting me or trying to intimidate me?” Why was he being… kind?
“Like I said, there’s a lot you don’t know. All in good time.”
“I won’t turn to your side. I won’t trust you. And I certainly won’t ever forgive you for killing my dad.”
“I’m aware of your current stance.”
Then what did he possibly think he could do to change that? Brainwash me? Was this all about lulling me into a false sense of security? Was it part of the conversion process?
“It’s a shame our first encounter had to be under these strained circumstances.” He brushed my hair off the side of my neck in an oddly tender gesture that had me cringing and turning my head away.
In the next second, a sharp stab permeated my skin.
I jerked my head back his way to see a syringe in his hand.
He smiled. “Until we meet again, Kara.”
A wave of weakness rolled over me, just like the one I’d felt before when they’d come for me.
My eyes grew heavy all too quickly, my limbs too.
And then everything faded away again.
44
~Adam~
“ADAM, HOLD UP!”
I shoved my secondary gun into my left holster to join my right, then spun back to Paul who’d barged his way into the armory, following on my heel. “Six hours. The dive bar location was a bust. I’m not waiting any longer.”
“So, what’s your plan? Make your way through every known Tempest haunt and torture them for intel on Kara’s location?”
“See? You do know me, after all.”
I moved to brush past him, but he grasped my shoulder, pulling me up short. “You benched Rick for the very thing you’re now about to do.”
I scoffed. “If you think that’s why he was benched, you’re seriously delusional.”
“All right, fine. But you’re also reacting off emotion here. And as you’ve drilled into our heads over and over, doing that invites a ton of risks.”
“Reacting off emotion?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m doing what needs to be done to bring her back.”
“You care about her, I get it.”
“That’s not why I’m—”
He squeezed my shoulder. “It’s okay. It’s okay to care about something, about someone.”
I pulled out of his grip and stepped back, scrubbing my hand over my face.
Fuck.
I’d kept my patience so well. I’d worked the leads calmly and concisely. I’d bottled all the rest up, how afraid I’d been for Kara, all the brutal possibilities of what Jameson was doing to her whirring around my head tormenting me, the idea of never seeing her again and witnessing that bright smile, of that light in her being snuffed out by Tempest’s brutality.
But when that lead hadn’t panned out, when we’d discovered that it’d been a well-executed fake-out, I’d snapped and it had all come rushing out. I’d managed to keep it from my agents, from Tony, but Paul had picked up on something and followed me down here.
And now he knew. Denial was futile.
“It’s not okay, not for me.” I blew out a breath. “But it is happening. I do… feel for her.”
He nodded. “Then think about what she would want here. After pulling her back from the edge with her vigilante mission, will it really sit right with you to go out there doing even worse?”
“It’s different for me.”
“How?”
“I’m already damned, Paul.”
Pain shone in his eyes and he started shaking his head.
Fortunately, before we could dive into any of that, my phone started ringing, cutting into our conversation. I reached into the inside pocket of my leather jacket and pulled it out to see a call from a blocked number coming through.
Frowning, I answered, “Reid here.”
“Commander.”
I stilled.
That voice. Not rough or grating as you’d expect it to be from a stereotypical villain type. Instead, his was silvery, a pleasant sound to the ear. It was misleading, lulling those unfamiliar with his true nature into a false sense of security. It was a complete contradiction to who he was as a person.
“Jameson.”
Paul cursed and looked on, incredulous.
“It’s been too long, old friend.”
I gritted my teeth.
But before I could get a word out, he spoke again in a clipped, no-nonsense tone, “You’ll find Miss Benson at the Dawson Motel. Room 14A. She was injured during the extraction but that’s been taken care of. She just requires rest now.”
What was happening?
“Until next time, Commander.”
With that, he hung up.
“What the hell was that?” Paul asked.
“He’s released Kara.”
“Excuse me? He seriously just let her go?”
“Apparently. He gave me the location. I’m heading out now.”
As I started for the door, he followed after me, “I’ll send in Dante and Brad to back you up in case it’s a trap.”
I nodded, my mind on that fucked-up call.
Something was seriously amiss. All of this had been severely out of character for the bastard. That call had been the icing on the cake of it all. I was missing something major.
Whatever it was, I knew one thing.
I couldn’t afford not to find out.
The keycard to room 14A had been specifically left for me at the front desk.
More creepy shit from Jameson.
I strode through the motel grounds toward the room in question, tapping my earpiece as I went to communicate with the two agents hanging back in case all hell broke loose, “All clear. No sign of hostile activity.”
“Roger that, Commander,” Dante responded.
I continued on, scanning my surroundings in a state of hyper-vigilance. Adrenaline thrummed through my veins like livewires with every step closer I came to the room. Don’t be a ruse. Please let her be inside.
What state she’d be in, I had no clue, but my mind and body alike were scrambling to prepare for the worst-case scenario, to refuse to believe Jameson’s claims that she was unharmed and simply ensconced safely inside. I couldn’t allow wishful thinking in. I’d been burned so badly by it in the past.
I rushed up the stairs that led to the second level, taking them two at a time.
I made a beeline for the room, then stopped short outside to get a lay of the land.
Listening carefully for any sign of a disturbance inside or anything even slightly suspicious, I pulled my gun and cocked it.
Nothing.
With my free hand, I slid the keycard through the reader.
The second it chirped, the lock disengaging, I carefully eased open the door, an inch at a time. When the gap was wide enough, I shoved the muzzle of my gun through.
Nobody reacted from within.
I threw the door open and rapidly scanned the interior for any hostiles.
All clear.
As I kicked the door shut behind me, my gaze fell on Kara.
She was tucked up in the double bed sound asleep.
Jameson had lived up to his word.
I secured my gun.
As I approached the bed, I noted the vial of pain meds and a bottle of water on the nightstand. There was also a plastic bag. I reached it and peered inside to find what looked like Kara’s clothes within, her size, her style. They smelled of laundry detergent. What the hell? Tempest had done her goddamn laundry?
I shook it off, along with everything else attached to it, and reached out to her, gently brushing her arm. “Kara? Wake up.”
A sleepy groan sounded from her and she turned her head.
“That’s right, wake up,” I coaxed.
She jolted, obviously hearing me properly this time, and her eyes flew open, those piercing baby blues locking on mine.
“Adam,” she gasped. “How?” She went to sit up and winced.
I moved forward and helped her, easing her into a sitting position. The silky black tank she was wearing rose up and I caught sight of the gauze taped to her side.
“Let me see.”
She nodded, blinking and still trying to get her bearings.
I carefully peeled the gauze back to get a look at the wound.
Jeez. The stitching was another level. They’d really taken care of it. The scarring would be minimal. Still. It was Jameson in question. “I’m going to take you home and I’ll have my doctor take a look at this.”
“Okay,” she murmured.
“Other than this, how do you feel? Are you hurt anywhere else? Did they harm you?”
“No. No harm.”
“Do you remember how you got here?”
“Carl Jameson tranqed me. I just remember being there and now waking up with you here.” She gazed around. “Wherever here is.”
“It’s a motel on neutral ground. Where were you? Where did Tempest take you to?”
“I’m not sure. I was out on the way there too. I woke up in a luxurious room in a four-poster bed, and that was where I stayed during my brief time there.”
One of Jameson’s private residences. Which one, I didn’t know. Not yet. I’d debrief her later when she was more cognizant and she’d had time to recover from her ordeal, to feel safe again.
She pressed her hand to her chest and grimaced. “My locket,” she breathed. “It’s gone. He must’ve… Jameson must’ve taken it. He hated my dad, it had a picture of him inside….”
“I’m sorry, Kara.”
“There’s no way to get it back,” she whispered to herself.
She looked so crestfallen, more weight on top of so much she’d already endured.
“I can—”
Her hand clamped down on my wrist. “No.”
“No?”
“Don’t do anything. I don’t want you putting yourself in danger or spreading yourself thin for me. I can let it go, I need to let it go. It’s all right.” When I moved to protest, she looked at me pleadingly, “Please, Adam.”
I took her words in, what she truly needed from me here. Peace. She wanted peace, at least for a little while. I gave a nod. “Okay, subject dropped. Let’s get you out of here.”
I went to push off the bed, but she held fast around my wrist, her grip actually tightening a little in her urgency.
“Kara?”
She pulled something from her pocket and handed it to me.
A flash drive. Off my querying look, she told me, “This is from Carl Jameson. He said it’s some sort of proof that I’m safe from Tempest threats.” A haunted look filled her eyes. “He told me things, Adam.”
She’d had an audience directly with the asshole himself? It hadn’t been a scare tactic then. There was a lot more to it.
“Things?”
“About my family. About my dad’s true role with the CSA.”
I tensed.
“I know he was the head of the entire thing before you took his place.”
“He co-founded the Vigilante Group with your uncle and your mother. As it grew, it became harder to keep it a clandestine operation and Tempest’s ferocity and influence had increased to such an extent at the time where the way the three of them had been operating was no longer sustainable. Jim didn’t want to be attached to the CSA when it stepped into the light for fear of reprisals that would come back on you. So, he sought out a successor.”
