Apex Predator (63 page)

was him, his decisions. He could sense she was starting to panic and needed him to bring sense to it all, a
s he ha
d done many times before. He didn’t disappoint her, “Really, nothing, nothing besides what we were doing already. I’m going to concentrate on the trial and on working with my lawyers to put the best case forward. Obviously we have to be more vigilant now, but we were already pretty cautious and aware before any of this happened. Like I said, it’s ironic but having the media everywhere helps us in this case. Think about anyone trying to come or go without being noticed by the media, it would be virtually impossible. And if they did get past the media, think about them trying to get past the security teams in place, it would be
literally
impossible.” He knew that was technically not true, but she needed the reassurance. She took this last comment and mulled it over. She got up and headed to the kitchen, “I have to get dinner going.” Steven nodded, held on to her hand as she walked away and pulled it to his lips before she walked away. Once she was in the kitchen and out of earshot, he waited to hear from the General. The old man was most definitely turning things over in his head. Steven had seen the same expression of concentration countless times before. When he finally spoke, the old man almost knocked him out of his chair, “I already knew.” He saw no expression other than deep concentration and heard no tone of recrimination. He waited for him to explain what he meant. “I already knew about all of it, the meeting with Barlow at your office, the thing in New Jersey and I even know about your little side trip to Little Italy
to talk to that woman
. That’s what I came here to talk to you about.
I came by last night, but I couldn’t wait for you to get home. I’m glad I didn’t have to ask you
, that you did it on your own.” Steven’s mouth hung open for a half a second and then it shut. He hung his head and shook it slowly. He should have known. There had been an instant flash of resentment at the fact that Cecil and Thurman had told the General about Barlow and, he assumed, everything else that
he had
asked them to keep in confidence. But the feeling had quickly been replaced by a realization and acceptance of the fact that deep down inside
he had
always known that Art Goodman would somehow find out about everything, whether it had been the Twins or not didn’t really matter, he would have found out some other way. How many times had Steven been completely baffled by the man’s ability to get information that
he had
thought was simply impossible to get. Yeah, he should have known from the beginning. When he finally looked up at the old man there was a sideways grin on his face, “I should have known. Did know, actually, I think I always knew you’d find out somehow.” The General returned the grin and nodded, “Well, it is what it is. The question is what do you want to do now?” Steven didn’t need to think about it, “Nothing. Exactly what I said to Beth. I certainly can’t do anything about Barlow right now.” Goodman nodded, “I understand. I noticed you didn’t tell Beth about your meeting in Little Italy
.” Steven shook his head, “What for? To tell her what she’s already heard about Barlow? She doesn’t need to be convinced about how dangerous the man is, trust me. That’s what Diana, that’s the woman who I met with, was trying to do. She was trying to warn me about how far his reach extends and how many resources he has at his disposal.” The old man held up his hands, “Hey, I’m not say
ing you should have told her.
Fact is I think it was the right thing to do. What I meant was what do you want to do in the long term?” Steven hadn’t really thought about that. He was busy with his trial and with keeping his family safe
for its
duration. His only long-term g
oal was to get through it
without going to prison for the rest of his life. If he ended up going to prison whatever plans he might have would be moot. “I have to beat this charge, there’s no two ways about it. Before Barlow came along I felt that even if I lost I would have accomplished what I set out to do.” Goodman went to say something, but Steven raised his hand and kept going, “I’m not saying I was throwing in the towel. I told you before, I’m nobody’s martyr. I’ve always planned to defend myself with everything I have. I’m just saying that back then going to prison would have been what I imagine going to prison is for most. Losing their family, their job, their life. It would have crushed me, but I could have moved on. Now that I understand what Barlow is and how far it goes, I’m not so sure. My family’s safety is above everything else and if I went to prison I would go crazy worrying about them, but it would be doable because I have you and Beth’s parents and everyone else that is behind me to protect them. What about all those other people, the ones who don’t have anybody protecting them? The ones who are victimized and preyed upon every day? They have enough trying to keep safe from human predators, what about when these things come knocking?
I keep thinking about the families of the other girls that Riche took. What have things been like for them? Their lives destroyed, their little girls gone.
” Now the General did interrupt him, “Wait a minute son, you can’t put
all of that on your shoulders, nobody can. We, humanity, know the dangers out there and we do our best to protect ourselves. It was that way when we lived in caves and it’s that way now. No one man is ever going to be able to step up for humanity. Many have tried and lost their minds in the process.” Steven shook
his head in frustration, “I know that Art, I’m not diluted. But one thing that Barlow has made clear for me is that these things, these predators, have been in the shadows for a long time. They’ve done what they’ve done and preyed upon people
completely unnoticed this entire
time. We hear of disappearances and we put up our posters and eventually people just let it go, never knowing what happened and why. There are wars and riots and murders and we are fed what the media
deems we should be fed and they are guided and moved by those in power. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure most wars and riots and every other form of uprising are
exactly what we understand it to be, but now I know that there are some that are something else. There are some that were
designed
by others with a different agenda.” The General now took on a look of open skepticism, “You’re telling me that there are wars that are engineered by one of these things, these predators for their own amusement?” Steven leaned closer,
“c’mon Art, do you really think it would be that hard? We’ve seen it done many times around the world. That’s our business. Mad geniuses convincing people to go to war over their own personal agenda, to commit suicide for god’s sake!
World war II, Uganda, Rwanda, hell North Korea, it happens all the time. You think that it couldn’t be done by one of these things?” Goodman mulle
d it over. It didn’t take long; he had
seen it with his own two eyes for more decades than he cared to remember. Steven went on, “I’m not trying to be humanity’s savior, but I would be lying to you if I didn’t say that I do feel a sense of responsibility. Barlow let me know that with all of this, with the trial, the media, all of it, they would come out
from the shadows, maybe not too many
of them, but some. He let me know that they’ve been operating in the shadows because they feel power
ful;
knowing what they are and having the world think they’re just human gives them that power. That is how Barlow has been able to do everything he’s been able to do. What do you
think a senator or a CEO who has
grown up believing they are freaks or psychopaths does when Barlow soothes them and lets them know that they’re not freaks, that they’re nature’s next iteration? That they were designed to be what they are? Can you imagine their relief, their sense of empowerment and purpose? It’s no wonder they’re willing to shell out as much as they need to for him or to given him the access of power that he has. But now that I have brought the world’s attention to them some of them are going to resent being ‘outed’ and they’re going to come looking for the one who did it. It’s not them I’m worried about, though, I told you I know we’re covered. It’s the ones who relish the world being aware of them and who might take to doing things that are more brazen and deadly in order to own what they are that worry me.” Goodman nodded thoughtfully. Everything that Steven had said made sense and he knew it. He had the experience that only having lived through wars and watching men die because of one man’s madness could bring. He still tried to bring Steven back to his original point, however, “Okay, I get it. What do you want to do about your family? I’m talking about tactics now, not the end game.” Steven
had
thought about that, “I think Beth is fine here. She’s being watched 24/7 by two rotating teams. They’ve got our place under electronic surveillance as well. Anyone points a parabolic mic or tries to put fiber optics in from anywhere and we’ll know. They’re all people you know.” Steven smiled before moving on, “What am I talking about, you probably helped the Twins pick the teams.” Goodman simply nodded. “So I don’t need to tell you Beth’s parents’ place is also very well covered. I also wasn’t making it
up when I told Beth that having the media camped out everywhere was going to be helpful to us. I’m pretty comfortable with the situation right now
, as comfortable as I can be anyways. That’s why I am able to give my attention to preparing for the trial.” Goodman now
stood up to pace, a habit that Steven had also picked up over the years, “Okay, so we’re set tactically. I think it would be a good idea to begin planning for what happens after the trial right now. We need to figure out how to keep your family safe in the long term. That’s priority number one. What you decide to do after that’s acco
mplished is up to you. I agree,
you have to beat these charges no matter what. I’ve been doing some research and I’ve talked to Max. He feels, and I agree, that even if you are convicted you would almost certainly not be sentenced to life in prison. I’m not saying that to blow smoke up your ass and make you feel better. I’m saying it to put things into perspective. Even if you lose the trial, there will be an after for you. So, we’ll concentrate on keeping your family safe for now and figure out how to make it permanent after the trial. The rest we can play by ear.” Steven had heard that phrase countless times over the years. Whether he was talking to a president in one of the areas they operated or to his troops or to the janitor, he had the power to break things down into bits that could be digested and tackled. Every
thing in life came with an ever-
present dose of uncertainty, however, and Goodman had the wisdom to understand that some things you just couldn’t plan for until you knew more. This was the perfect illustration of that very point. Both men looked into each other’s eyes. As always, some of the deepest thoughts were communicated in these looks. Steven could see how much the old man truly cared about him and his family. And he could see how worried
he had
been and would continue to be for some time. Goodman could see that Steven, his best executive and the closest thing to a son
he would
ever have, was tired and worried, but still all there. It gave him immense comfort to
see that in Steven’s eyes. The General had been afraid that the loss of his daughter and the subsequent pressure of what he had done and what he was facing had served to erode the spirit that had endeared him so much to Steven. He’d seen many men, good men, beaten down over time, plodding along because they had been trained to never give in, but no longer with the spark in their eyes that had let him know they were different, that they might go on to be great in time. That spark was still very much
alive in Steven. Of course he woul
d worry about him, he looked not just physically tired, but emotionally weary and that concerned the General. But a tired body and soul could be revived with rest, deep rest, as long as the spark was still there. They were about to get up to join Beth when Steven reached out and pulled him back down, “Listen, General, I need you to help me with Beth. She’s going to need support through this and I might not be able to give it to her when she needs it. She believes me when I tell her things will be okay, that we’re safe. I’ve always proved it to her. But this, this is different. I know she believes me, but she’s still going to worry. She respects you almost as much as she respects her father and that’s saying something. She needs to hear that we’re going to be okay from someone else besides her parents and me. Someone who knows it for a fact and isn’t trying to just make her feel better. “ The General smiled a gentle smile, “I understand. My Kristy was the same way. Every time I’d leave on a deployment she’s get that look, a look that said exactly that: ‘I believe you when you say things will be fine, but I’m still going to worry.’” Steven saw deep sadness in the man’s eyes. Goodman had lost his wife five years ago and still mourned her sometimes. They had been high school sweethearts and gotten married when they had both been 20 years old. They had never had any kids. Steven had never learned why and his boss hadn’t offered. After two seconds of that far away, sad look, Goodman looked back at him, “Of course I’ll be there. You don’t ever have to ask. You may still not know this, Steven, but you and Beth and the kids are family to me.” Steven squeezed the man’s hand, “I do know it Art. Now, more than ever, I know it.”