Centaur Redemption (Touched Series) (22 page)

Daniel’s voice was gentle, the voice he saved just for me.  Everyone else in the world got his smart aleck responses or his answers dripping with sarcasm.  “What gives?”

I fought back the moisture trying to break free and steadied my voice as much as I could.  “He said he’d be waiting for me in the pasture.”

Daniel returned the vase to the table and pulled me in tight.  “Shit.  I didn’t know.”  He stood with his arms around me, gently caressing my back.  It was a full minute before he added, “Dad said if a Centaur dies, they can see the people they love before they go to the pasture.  Has he a. . . you know. . . come to see you?”

“No.  I still have a chance if I go now.  I need your help.”

Daniel phoned Jessica and asked her to get to his room right away.  When she arrived, Brent and Katherine were with her.  The three of them made it through Carlos and the other enforcers without much of a delay.  To be sure that everyone knew the stakes, I told them everything I had seen in Quinton’s memories before he died.

Jessica had seen Quinton’s thoughts just as I had, so none of what I shared with the others was a surprise to her.  Daniel, Katherine and Brent had pieced most of it together with Jessica after Will kicked them out of his room.  Where just minutes before Daniel had been sure Drake could have healed himself by now, hearing my account from Quinton’s memory swayed him.  They all understood Drake and Zandra were in real danger and no one questioned that we needed to get to them.  I had no idea what we could do against Zeus or any of the gods, but we had to try something.

Jessica cleared her throat and kept her voice low.  “If Will or Pierre knew what I’m about to tell you, I’m sure they would put me on the first plane out of here.  You want to know why you now have that enormous security detail?”

I nodded.

“I think you already asked Gretchen the million dollar question.  No one has heard from Cameron.  With everything going on, he should be here or at the very least be locked down in another location.  Yet, no one has seen or heard from him – it’s like he dropped off the face of the earth.”

I wasn’t following her train of thought.  “Why would Will or Pierre care that you told me that?”

She looked at me like I was a moron.  “Cameron.  Why isn’t anyone looking for him?  You may be next in line for Centaur Council, but haven’t you ever heard of an heir and a spare?  If Zeus kills Zandra, Will wants you ready to step in and take over.  There has always got to be a backup.  Until you came into the picture it was your Uncle Angelo.”  I cringed remembering my few interactions with him.  “No one has seen Angelo or Cameron since the Council meeting.  Herds all over the globe are preparing for a war between every living Centaur and all the gods – yet these two are nowhere to be found.”

“Do you think the two of them are together?”

“It would make sense.  Everyone knows about Angelo.  His first priority is always himself.  I heard one of the enforcers a couple days ago talking about him and some incident in South America that had to be cleaned up.  If Cameron has some sort of kinship with him, they could be together now.”

“I’m still not following.”

“Assume for a second that Angelo and Cameron know Zandra wants you to take over.  Both want to be Chairman.  The easiest way for that to happen is for them to strike some sort of deal with Zeus.  If he can find a leader who keeps the Centaur in line, there is no reason for him to keep two troublemakers alive.”

Two troublemakers?  I never considered myself to be anything like Zandra, let alone someone who would be targeted just because she and I shared the same beliefs.  Betrayed by my own brother?  Angelo maybe, but not Cameron.  Cameron believed Mom and Angelo were trouble.  He’d told me so at the resort the day before the Council meeting when he had arrived with Quinton.  My final plea to him kept replaying in my mind.  “
Please don’t be there tomorrow.  Take a bus tour.  Go whale watching.  See the lions in Kruger National Park.  Get lost in the city – anything.  Just don’t be at the Council meeting
.”

I needed to find Cameron.  My priority was Drake, but I couldn’t turn my back on Cameron, even if he didn’t want my help.  He had been abandoned his whole life.  I wouldn’t take the chance that Zeus or any other god could find him and manipulate him.  He was my twin and he needed me.

“So, how do we find Cameron?”

(Ben Strayer – Lost City Resort, South Africa)

Dad warned me to take it easy.  He had told me I would be on a plane with Mom and the others looking for Zandra and Drake.  I was happy to do it, but I couldn’t leave without seeing Cami first.  She and I didn’t know each other well, but I had to see her.

As I turned down her hallway, I saw the enforcers lined up in between all the doors.  I snickered.  If any non-Centaurs were still on this floor, they must think they were staying near a president or something.  I tried to make eye contact with a couple of the enforcers and nod a respectful hello, but not one so much as acknowledged I was here.  I took a quick peek at each face, hoping to see my friend Frank, but he was not one of the enforcers on Cami’s security detail.

Maybe my stunt last week got him bounced out of the Enforcer Corps.  If that was what happened, he was probably back in Charleston by now, hanging out on a boat, soaking up rays and fishing with his family.  He’d done right by Cassie and had stood up to his boss in front of everyone.  When word got out about what he had done, there would be Centaurs around Charleston who would give him grief for being bounced out of the Enforcer Corps, but no Centauride in the area would ever have a bad thing to say about him. 

I stopped in front of Camille’s door when one of the enforcers positioned himself squarely in front of me.  “Can I help you?”

“Sure.  I’m her brother; I just wanted to talk to Cami.”

The enforcer eyed me suspiciously.  He was taller than I was, with dark hair and dark eyes and sort of an olive complexion.  His uniform was stretched tightly over his biceps, and it was obvious he didn’t miss many nights at the gym.  “Are you Ben or Bart?”

“Ben.  How’d you know it was one of us?”

The enforcer let out a sigh.  “Brent and Katherine stopped by an hour ago with a plate of cookies, Bruce and Hannah brought her a White Mocha Latte forty-five minutes ago, Bruce and Lacey were here thirty minutes ago with a basket of fruit.  That doesn’t leave many options.”

I liked this guy.  “All right, if Bart shows up, cut him some slack; he’s not very chatty.”

“Noted.  No snack or drink?”

“Naw, I’m getting ready to leave for a couple days and just wanted to tell her good-bye.”

“Right, Pierre told me there was to be an attempted rescue by the family.  You are going after the Chairman and the warrior.  Why aren’t you taking any of the enforcers with you?”

That was a good question.  Dad and Mom had set everything up.  We were supposed to leave in the next couple hours.  “I’m not sure.  Volunteering?”

“I go wherever I’m needed most.”

This was the first enforcer I’d run across in a week who did more than make eye contact with me.  I was curious to know what had happened to my friend.  “Hey, I know it’s none of my business, but what happened to Frank after the Council Meeting?”

“Frank Edwards?”  I nodded.  The enforcer smiled, “He’s okay.  The Captain of the Guard was pretty pissed that night, but the Colonel stepped in and promoted Frank.  He’s here, but he’s on the Adolcio detail, downstairs.”

“That’s great!  I was worried I’d gotten him a fast ticket home that night.”

“I thought that was you.”  A genuine smile found its way onto his face.  “You five all look a lot alike, and I wasn’t sure which one of you had done it.  I was on the far end of the warehouse where I couldn’t see or hear all of it.” 

Chuckling at him, I answered, “The way surveillance is around here, I’m sure there is high definition video of it somewhere.”

“There probably is.  Maybe that’s why the Colonel stepped in on Frank’s behalf.  It could’ve gone either way.  Enforcers don’t disregard orders; it’s not an option.  Frank refusing to follow the Captain’s order should have gotten him a plane ticket home – I’m glad it didn’t.  I’ve known Frank since the night he got here.  We were roommates for a while after he checked in.”

I was glad this enforcer liked Frank; it made the fact that he was protecting Cami a little more real.  I explained, “Frank and I grew up together.  What he was doing was wrong.”  I didn’t want to piss off the one enforcer who seemed to be normal, but I didn’t want him to think I had gone off half-cocked either.  “The Centauride should never have been treated that way.  I was only trying to remind him of that.”

“I know.”  The enforcer’s words caught me off guard.  He did not try to justify what had happened to Cassie, nor did he try to make me feel guilty for what I had done.  The enforcer added, “You weren’t on our rolls before.  Given everything that’s happened, we’re short a few enforcers.”

Wasn’t on their rolls before?  I was part of the Lost Herd.  No one even knew we existed.  Was he seriously asking me if I wanted one of these commando uniforms?  I didn’t want to make an assumption, so offhandedly I answered, “You’re going to be short a few more if things don’t improve with Zeus soon.”

The enforcer nodded, “Look, I know a lot has happened.  The Chairman says no harm comes to the Lost Herd.  From what Quinton said before he died, the Chairman already told Zeus that the Tak Line was being welcomed back.  I’ve known her for a long time.  Ms. Zandra never makes idle comments and is a woman of her word.  One of the best ways to welcome your line back into the rest of Centaur society is for someone from your family to join the elite who protect our way of life.  You’ve already proven you don’t back down easy.”

Stunned at his logic, I asked, “Isn’t there some big selection process with super-secret invitations?”

“Normally, yes, but this isn’t business as usual anymore.  I’m Carlos, by the way.”  The enforcer held out his hand.  His words were unexpected and flattering.  Did he seriously think the others would accept me so easily?  I wiped the sweat from my palm on my trousers and took his hand.

Although I knew my answer was rash, my chest swelled with pride, and I eagerly answered, “I’d be honored.  I’ll look you up when I get back with the Chairman and Drake.”

He smiled, “Hey, put a good word in with your sister for me.  She’s already threatened to have me fired once today.  The last thing I need is commode duty at the barracks.”

“Fired?  Cami?”

He turned away from me, tapped on the door, opened it a crack and said clearly, “Your brother Ben, Mrs. Nash.”  Carlos held the door open for me to pass, “I’ll tell you about it another time.”

Cami stood up as the door shut behind me.  “Sorry, Sis, Carlos told me I was the only one showing up empty-handed.”

“Hi Ben.  Bruce told me you were all heading out soon.”

“Yeah, Dad’s still working the flight plan with the pilot, but Mom says we’re leaving in the next couple hours.  I didn’t want to take off without saying bye.”  That sounded lame.  She hardly knew me.

Cami motioned for me to sit on the sofa.  The silence was a little awkward.  I wasn’t sure how I could say what I needed to.  She never asked for any of this, and I knew she was a lot tighter with Beau and Brent, so what would she think of me asking for a favor?

Luckily, Cami didn’t let the silence between us hang in the air for very long.  “I wish I were going with you guys.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll find them.  By the time we get back, hopefully you’ll have already taken over.”  Her lips pursed together so tightly, it looked like she was biting back her words.  I asked, “Did I say something wrong?”

“I don’t get why everyone is in such a rush for me to be Chairman.  I’m twenty-three.  We’re all going off the memory of an enforcer who’s dead.  Maybe he didn’t hear her right.  What if she comes back and changes her mind?”

“Enforcers don’t lie, Cami.  He wouldn’t have shared it with you and Jessica if it weren’t true.”

“If you aren’t able to find them, and the heads of families never hear it directly from Zandra, how do you know they will believe I was her choice?”

“So, you think we’re going to fail?”

“I never said that.  You didn’t answer my question.”

Could she really not see the effect she had on everyone she came in contact with?  “Look, I don’t have much time, and we could argue for days about whether the heads of families will accept you.  You’re the one who can see the future; I only know what I believe.”

“And you believe I’ll be a good Chairman?”

Surprised by her question, I answered earnestly.  “I think you have the capacity to do well at anything you set your mind to.  You’ve been through a lot.  Leaders aren’t born, they’re made.  You may have been born into a strange situation, but you kept fighting the whole time.  I’m proud to call you my sister and honored to serve you as the next Chairman.”

“Thanks, Ben.  That means a lot.” 

Cami reached out and pulled me into a bear hug.  I didn’t have much time.  While I still clung to her, I took a deep breath and told her, “I need to ask you for a favor, two really.”