Girl Takes Up Her Sword (22 page)

Theo was already moving to intercept Stone when he heard a commotion in the distance. “Emily,” he thought. “She’s stumbled on the second man.” As he cleared the rise on the far side of the saddleback, he saw her facing the barrel of a gun held by a man in similar tactical gear. Unfortunately, he had no clear shot with Emily standing in the way. His best option was to remain concealed and look for an opportunity.

“Don’t move, young lady,” Theo heard him say. “Now, nice and slow, step over here to me.”

If the plan had been to kill her, something in the changed circumstances must have distracted him from this purpose. Theo wondered if she would know what to do. How could she know he was there, ready to take a shot? And Connie would be here soon, too. She just needed to buy a few seconds, and maybe slide over to one side. As he made these calculations, he couldn’t help being struck by the strangeness of what he was looking at: a young girl, barefoot in a fancy dress, facing a large, heavily armed man. “Scenes like this rarely end well,” he thought.

A sound of rustling on the left—could it be Connie? A rock flew from the bushes, wide of the mark.
It must be Stone
. Emily and the second man could see him, but she didn’t turn her head to look.

“Alright, boy. Come on out, so I don’t have to shoot you,” he barked.

In the tiny instant he’d taken his eyes off her, Theo watched Emily seize the hand holding the gun, not quite able to see how she did it from his position. But somehow she managed to twist his wrist outwards. He knew a good joint lock wouldn’t require much strength on her part to flip him over—which was important, since there’s no way she could overpower him. The pain she could inflict with a thumb pressing the back of a contorted hand would induce him to supply most of the energy to follow the twisting motion—the path of least resistance, so to speak—until he had completely left his feet. But what truly surprised Theo is that in the process, she managed to eject the clip and clear the chamber.

“Whoa, that was efficient,” he muttered from his hiding place, not noticing that he now had a clear shot. The only other thought in his mind: “The women are gonna be pissed if she tears that dress.”

“Stone, stay back,” Emily commanded.

The man sprang back to his feet with a huge knife in his hand. A quick lunge and Theo realized he no longer had a shot. Emily’s arms moved in a pair of complementary curves—a move he seemed to recognize, even though he’d only ever heard it described before—as if in slow motion, her hands swirling in a wide circle around the blade. Again, he couldn’t see exactly how she gained control of the man’s wrist, but there was something almost hypnotic about the way her hands moved, as if she’d cast a spell on her attacker… and maybe on Theo, too.

Whatever it was, her technique ended with her assailant cartwheeling into a nearby tree, as she held his wrist, the force of the flip wrenching his arm and shoulder into a hideously awkward angle. Dazed by the impact, he lay on the ground helpless, groaning as she wrenched the knife from his hand and stuck it into the tree.

“C’mon, Stone. Let’s go back,” she called, as calmly as if nothing unusual had just happened. She scooped him up in stride and carried him over the saddleback and back out to the field.

Theo stood frozen in his hiding place, lost in thought. On his first SEAL team, when he was still green, some old guy pushing retirement used to regale them with stories about moves like the one he’d just seen, and about some tough little guy who could work wonders with his hands. Now maybe he’d have some stories to tell the new guys.

Connie arrived on the scene a few seconds later, approaching from the ridgeline. Theo watched distractedly as she stood over the second sniper, then bent over to collect his gun, replaced the clip and chambered a round. Before Theo realized what she was doing, Connie put two holes into his forehead.

“What the hell’d you do that for?” he yelled, bursting out of the underbrush. She turned quickly, gun trained on Theo’s chest. He pulled up and tried to assume the posture of an ally. She lowered the gun.

“Just protecting my girl,” she said, coolly.

“We might have gotten some useful intel from him, you know, like who sent him.”

“I already know who sent him. The only question is why, and why now.”

“Do tell.”

Connie eyed him suspiciously.

“The other guy was Harkness,” she finally said. “Burzynski’s lieutenant at CIA. This is Bermudez, one of Harkness’s recruits from SEAL Team Six.

“No way,” Theo exclaimed. He didn’t know everyone from Team Six, but on closer inspection, he noticed something familiar in what was left of this guy’s face. “And just how do you come to know so much about these guys?”

“It’s what I do—what I have to do to keep her safe.”

“I still don’t see how killing them after the fact keeps her safe?”

“Alive, they can be interrogated by the police. It’s unlikely they’d give up anything, but if they did, it would only bring a lot of unnecessary attention to Emily and the family. You don’t want that do you?”

He knew she was right. There was no reason to keep them alive. They’d staked their lives on a mission that couldn’t possibly be right. Now they’d paid the price. But he’d never met someone as cold as she seemed to be. Even on his SEAL team, they’d have hesitated at least a moment before killing those guys. In her case there was no hesitation, just a quick, cold calculation, and then they were dead. The first time they met, which was only a few days earlier, Theo felt that same aura of controlled violence everyone in his line of work exuded. But its intensity in Connie alarmed him. How did this stone-cold assassin end up attached to his sister’s household? And how trustworthy was she, really?

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Chapter
26

Visiting the Wounded

“I’m not sure you belong here,” Teddy’s mom said, stopping her in the hallway a few steps from the door to her son’s hospital room. “You brought this trouble down on us, didn’t you?”

A nurse bustled by carrying a tray as Emily shifted from one foot to the other, uncertain how to respond. What could she say, after all? Especially since Mrs. Wilchuk was only giving voice to all the recriminations she already felt. She
had
endangered her friends. And even Teddy, who wasn’t really a friend, just someone who orbited her circle at a distance—he put himself at risk just by standing near her. But he’d done so much more. Saved her life, even. Not many people could say that.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Wilchuk. Teddy was so brave. He protected me. I’m so sorry he got hurt in the process.” She wanted to ask if he was awake or in pain just to change the subject. But the sound of laughter coming from his room made those questions superfluous.

“Who were those men? Why were they shooting at you?”

Emily had no convincing response she could give to this perfectly reasonable question. She knew exactly who they were, and Connie had a theory about why they tried to kill her. But if she hadn’t told the Sheriff, nothing good would come of sharing that information with Teddy’s mom.

“I don’t know. My family is very upset about the whole thing, too.”

“All I know is your family comes down here from Charlottesville, and the next thing, people are shooting at our kids. And what were those bikers doing here? They came with you, too, didn’t they? They are definitely not our kind of people.”

“That’s a long story,” she said. Here was another part of her life that could not so easily be explained to anyone. “But those guys aren’t so bad. They didn’t cause any trouble, and anyway I doubt you’ll see them again. They were just visiting, I think.”

Mrs. Wilchuk scowled through watery eyes at her, but in the end couldn’t hold back an agonized little smile. Emily put a hand on her shoulder and let her look up into her face. Maybe she would find some comfort there, or at least discover sympathy in Emily’s own pain and confusion. Mrs. Wilchuk reached around to hug her, laying her head on Emily’s shoulder. They stood in silence, perfectly still, no tears. After a moment, she pushed off and stepped aside to let Emily pass.

“Don’t worry. I won’t be long… and I’m leaving town soon.”

The room went quiet as soon as she entered. Emily didn’t know most of the kids there, who were probably his friends from the A/V club—though they seemed to know exactly who she was. Two familiar faces towered over the rest, Steve and Melanie. Thankfully, Amanda wasn’t with them.

“Hey, Emily,” Teddy chirped from the bed, trussed up in bandages over, under, and around his shoulder. “I’m so glad you could come.”

“How could I not come to see my knight in shining armor?” Teddy blushed crimson at these words. “You saved me.”

All of his friends were speechless, several mouths gaped open, as if some semi-divine being had graced them with her presence.

“It was nothing, Emily.”

“It was definitely
not
nothing,” Steve roared. “You took a bullet for a friend. You’re a hero.”

“I bet your picture’ll be in the newspaper,” Melanie added.

“That wasn’t my intention,” he said shyly, though clearly very pleased to be celebrated by someone like Steve. “I saw that red laser dot and all I did was push you out of the way.”

“Well, all I know is if you hadn’t reacted so quickly, I’d probably be dead now.”

Emily was surprised how easy it was to say those words, to speculate on the possibility of her death. It had been the chief theme of her reflections these past few weeks in the aftermath of the events in Kamchatka and Seoul. Death presented itself each time as a release, promising the serenity she experienced only in her dreams and meditations. But the duty to keep her family and her friends safe made death seem a luxury she couldn’t allow herself. A restless self-assertion always brought her back to the pain of this world.

When Teddy saved her with a shriek and a shove—and again now, blushing at her, wide-eyed and innocent, from his hospital bed—the question didn’t seem nearly so vexed. Life beckoned to her, offering a world of joys. Now no longer something to be endured only, the future opened to her like a shaft of sunlight cutting through a spring storm. She suspected the feeling wouldn’t last, not with events conspiring against it.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Teddy said.

“Did the Sheriff find out who those guys were?” Steve asked

“I don’t think so,” Emily said, with a glance at Melanie, who knew better than to say a word. “What’d the doctor say about your shoulder?” she asked to change the subject before Steve could bring up the bikers.

“Looks like the bullet passed right through,” Teddy said. “It nicked a bone or two, but they got the fragments out.”

“I bet it hurts.”

“I can’t feel a thing with all the painkillers,” he laughed. “I’ll be in a sling for a few weeks to keep the weight off.”

“Does he think you’ll have full range of motion again?”

“I suppose. He said something about physical therapy. My mom says that’s when it’ll start hurting.”

Now sitting on the side of the bed, she held his hand and looked into his eyes.

“Teddy, you were very brave. You risked your life to protect me.” With one hand on the side of his face, she leaned in to kiss him on the lips. His friends, none of whom look like they’d kissed a girl yet, whooped and howled in nervous excitement. Teddy looked like he was about to faint. “I’ve got to go now,” she said as she stood up. Then she leaned over one more time to kiss him on the forehead. “Goodbye.”

Melanie and Steve followed her out. At the elevator, Melanie couldn’t hold a question in any longer.

“Were they trying to shoot you?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t think of any other targets,” Emily replied, once the doors closed.

“What were all those Navy guys doing at graduation?” Steve asked. “Were they here for you?”

“Yeah. Some of them are family, and the rest came down from Annapolis.”

“They came all that way to see your graduation? You must have some important friends.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m going to the Academy in the fall. I guess they just wanted to come down to make sure I signed the papers,” she said with a laugh.

“You’re… what?” Melanie exclaimed.

“Yeah, I changed my mind about Charlottesville. The Academy seems to make more sense to me just now.”

“But I thought we’d all go to school together,” Melanie said with a whimper.

“Don’t worry, Mel. I’ll still be around. You can come visit me, and there’ll be summers.”

“Wow, the Academy,” Steve said. “That’s pretty cool. They must really think you’re something, what with all your karate skills.”

“I think they were more interested in my grades in World History and Calculus. But one of the hand-to-hand combat instructors is someone I met at a karate tournament.”

“And who were all the bikers?” Steve finally asked. “Were they there for you, too?”

Emily could see Melanie cringe at the suggestion. Perhaps it was better to break the news to her this way.

“Yeah,” she said. “They came up from West Virginia.”

“Those weren’t the guys in the video, were they?” Steve asked.

Melanie’s face went white as a sheet. Emily smiled at him.

“Oh… sorry,” he said.

“It’s okay,” Emily said. “We’re pals now. It’s a long story, with a few grisly moments in it. But when I went to see ‘em…”

“You what?” Melanie gasped out. “You went to see them after that night at the lake?”

“I kinda had to. But we patched things up, at least the ones who survived. The nastiest ones—which was most of them—they’re dead. The rest sorta think of me as family now.”

“They’re dead?” Steve asked, now as pale as Melanie.

“Don’t worry. That had nothing to do with me.”

She watched as they digested this information, mouths agape. Melanie appeared to be mouthing the word “family.” The elevator doors parted and Emily peeked out to the right, toward the main entrance.

“C’mon guys. You can meet ‘em if you like. They’re out in the parking lot waiting for me.”

“They’re here?” Melanie whispered.

“What are they doing here?” Steve asked.

“Oh, you know, with all the commotion at graduation they weren’t able to give me a present they brought over. I think they’ve got it with them now. Let’s go see.”

“A present… from a motorcycle gang. Now this I have got to see,” Steve said, and bounded out of the elevator.

Melanie hung back, clearly unnerved by the news.

“It’s okay, Mel,” Emily said. “You can wait here.”

They could see the bikers through the sliding glass doors, As they got nearer, Emily caught a glimpse of Melanie in a reflection, creeping up behind them timidly. When the doors slid open, Luther saw her and signaled to the rest of the gang, who all rushed over.

“Princess,” he exclaimed. “Looks like we found the place.”

“I hope it wasn’t too long a ride,” she said.

“Nah,” Roxie said. “Barely enough to catch a few flies in your teeth. Besides, the bikes need to be stretched out every once in awhile.”

“And who’s this, then?” Luther roared, clamping a meaty hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Another one of your fancy men?”

“Oh stop it, Luther,” Roxie said. “Don’t you know when to hush up. You’re embarrassing her… again.”

“I’m just saying, she sure knows how to pick ‘em.”

“It’s okay,” Emily said. “This one’s just a friend. Steve, this is Luther and Roxie.”

“So the other one in the fancy uniform
was
special,” Roxie said in a teasing voice.

Emily tried to conceal a little blush as the rest of the gang gathered around to be introduced. She saw Melanie out of the corner of her eye, peering through the glass at them, and pulled Roxie aside.

“My friend Melanie, in there,” she said, tipping her head toward the hospital entrance. “She’s kinda shy. If she comes out here, don’t let anyone frighten her. Okay?”

Luther gestured to Roxie, and pulled the others over to the curb. Nate and Oscar went around the corner to the main parking lot. Nate returned a moment later with a small black helmet.

“You know we all wanted to get you a graduation present,” Luther intoned gravely. “But we don’t have much free cash most of the time. And well Nate thought we could get you a little something as a token of, you know…”

“Of our gratitude and affection, Luther,” Roxie interrupted. “Spit it out.”

“Yes, our gratitude and affection.”

All the guys cheered at these words and Nate handed her the helmet.

“Try it on,” he urged. “Let’s see if it fits.”

“You guys didn’t have to do this,” Emily said, pulling the helmet on.

“Oscar thought you might want pink, or something all girly,” Nate said. “But we told him you’d prefer black ‘cause it’s not so flashy and you don’t like to draw no attention.”

“It’s perfect,” she said, throwing her arms around Nate’s neck.

He stood there, arms out wide, not certain what to do. Finally he got up the nerve to hug her back. Just then, an engine rumbled nearby and Oscar pulled up on a sleek, black road bike, just like the one he’d built for himself, the frame sized a little smaller than the others. He revved the engine in a low, throaty growl. It wasn’t as noisy as the others.

“Yeah,” Roxie said. “They figured you’d like something a little more subdued, so they built you this.”

Steve’s jaw dropped at these words. Emily looked over at him and smiled.

“Oh my God,” she said to Oscar. “This is too much. You guys didn’t have to do all this for me.”

“Don’t be silly,” Luther roared behind her. “After all you did for us, this is practically nothing.”

“A labor of love, hita,” Oscar said, as he ushered her to the bike. “Try her out. See what you think.”

“You know how to ride one of these?” Steve asked.

“Pfffft,” she replied and stepped over the seat.

With a screech and a roar she tore out of the parking lot, and a few moments later eased the bike onto the interstate where she could really let the gears out. Zero to sixty felt practically instantaneous—if she didn’t hold on tight, it would be easy to fall right off the back in a quick start. Over sixty the engine purred and the whole machine smoothed out. It seemed to become a single unit, as if going fast was its natural state.

A swerve here and there as she weaved through traffic, a trucker tugged on his air horn for her benefit—she waved and sped off. If zero to sixty was quick, sixty to ninety felt like lightning. “Better back it down to seventy,” she thought. “Don’t need to be pulled over.” In the top gear, the engine was barely audible at highway speeds. After a few minutes, it occurred to her that it might be a good idea to turn back. “If I’m not careful, I’ll be across the state line before I know it.”