Repercussion: The Clandestine Saga Book 3 (16 page)

              She laughed. "Elliott, you know I'm just teasing. I'm sure you're a hit with the ladies. I love you."

              "As well you should. As well you should..." he answered, feigning offense.

              After a long pause, Cadence asked, "Uh, so how many ladies have you been a hit with, anyway?"

              "You did not seriously just ask me that," he said appearing to be shocked.

              "I just wondered..." Cadence replied, trying to appear innocent.

Elliott was shaking his head. "What if I asked you that question? How would you feel about that?"

              "Ask!" she insisted. "Go ahead!"

"Fine! How many ladies have you been with?"

              Cadence burst out laughing, and it took her a few minutes to regain her composure. She had not been expecting that particular question at all. When she was finally done laughing, she said, "None, smart ass. But, counting Jack, I've been with exactly one guy. So there. I'm not embarrassed about that at all."

"Really?" Elliott asked, a shocked expression on his face.

              "Really," Cadence replied.

              "Really?" he asked again.

"Yes! Good God, it's not like I'm a virgin. But I'm not even twenty yet, you know. I will be in a couple of months. Still, I was only at college for, like, half a semester. I'm a ... good girl... I guess."

Elliott nodded his head sharply. "Well, little sister, I am very proud of you," he said, wrapping his arm around her.

              "Thank you," Cadence replied. "Now, if you don't want to tell me how many ladies' hearts you've broken, tell me this, other than your wife, how many times have you been in love?"

              He was quiet for a second and she couldn't tell if he was thinking or if he just didn't want to answer. Finally, he said "One other time."

              Cadence smiled and nodded.

"What about you?" he asked, nudging her in the shoulder with his burly one.

Cadence looked at him surprised. "How many times have I been in love?"

              "Yeah--forget the wife part."

She chuckled before regaining a serious expression. "You already know that," she replied.

              "Not necessarily..."

              She shook her head. "No, just twice. At this point."

              "Good," he agreed.

              Cadence was quiet and introspective again before she asked, "So, what was her name?"

              A small smile curled the edges of his lips. For a moment, she thought maybe he wouldn't tell her, but eventually he did. "Her name was Amanda Keen, and she had the prettiest red, curly hair you ever saw."

Cadence smiled. "Ah, how sweet! How long did you date her?"

              He had a far off look in his eyes, and the smile began to fade. "I didn't. Just... one night, that's all."

"Really?" Cadence asked confused. "But you knew you loved her?'

"Oh, yes," he replied with certainty. "Sometimes you just know, you know?"

              "I do," she concurred. "So, what happened? How come you never saw her again?"

"Oh, it was complicated. It was like... almost twenty years ago. I was really busy with work, just trying to make sure I did everything I was supposed to. We met in a club in Tulsa of all places. I don't know. I guess... part of me was afraid..."

              "Afraid of what?" she asked her hand on his knee, a serious expression on her face.

The usual happy-go-lucky Elliott was gone, and this more thoughtful, introspective one appeared to be carefully considering her question. "I guess I was afraid she might not feel the same way."

              Cadence frowned. After a moment, she said, "But wouldn't it have been worth it to try, to find out?" He just shrugged, and she continued. "I mean, what if you would have had the most epic love story in history, but you never got to find out because you gave up?"

Slowly, he turned and looked at her, a knowing look on his face, and she realized he had set her up. "Jackass," she mumbled.

              "Hey, you're absolutely right," he admitted. "Aren't you?"

"It's not my decision, Elliott," she reminded him.

              "I think it is," he replied. "I think if you dump what's his ass and tell Aaron how you really feel, then you'd have that epic love story yourself."

Cadence shook her head. "It's so... complicated."
              "Yeah, I know," he agreed. "It always is."

              "So Amanda--that was true?" she clarified.

"Hell, yes," he replied, honestly a bit offended. "I didn't make that up just to set your trap. You did that yourself."

              She was quiet for a second before saying, "I'm sorry." He nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, without speaking. "How about this... you call Amanda, tell her you'd like to see her again, and I'll reconsider our situation."

              "Oh, no," Elliott protested, removing his arm.

"Why not? You just said you loved her! Give it a chance!" Cadence implored.

"Cadence, she'd be a little confused as to why I still appear to be in my mid-twenties and she's in her forties," he reminded her.

"So? Talk to her online, get to know her again, and then tell her you're a superhero. If she's as amazing as the Amanda you remember, she'll be fine with it."

              He was shaking his head slowly. Finally, he said, "I don't know, kid. That's a big step."

              "Just think about it, okay?" she asked.

              "Okay," he promised. "I will."

"Awesome. Now, where the hell is Aaron? I'm so tired."

              "I noticed. Not sleeping again?" he asked.

"I haven't been. In months. I wish you could do that sleeping thing again," she said, remembering when he had put her under some sort of sleeping hypnosis to help her finally get some good rest after days of being awake upset about Jack.

              "I wish I could, too, but at this rate, you might sleep for four or five days straight, and you'd miss the hunt," he explained.

              "I know," she admitted. "But if I don't get some sleep, I'm going to be worthless anyway."

              "Maybe it would help if I stayed with you?" he suggested.

              She thought about it for a second. "I don't think it would, honestly," she admitted. "I mean, I fell asleep earlier, but it wasn't restful. I don't know what I'm going to do. I've tried every over-the-counter everything, every home remedy. Nothing works. The only decent night sleep I've gotten in months was..."

              "What?" Elliott asked as her face changed before his eyes.

Cadence shook her head. "Nothing. It... doesn't matter. Aaron's here."

              There was a knock on the door, and Elliott looked at her oddly. "How do you two always know where the other one is?" he muttered as she went to let him in.

              Before she could even say anything, Aaron said, "I'm so sorry."

              She laughed and ushered him in. "It's fine. It's not like I would be asleep anyway."

"What’s that?" he asked, but she didn't answer. He sat down in a chair near the couch and declined the pizza Elliott offered.

              Cadence couldn't help but remember that was the chair he was sitting in when he told her about Aislyn. He was still wearing the gray pants and light blue shirt he had been wearing earlier, but he actually looked tired for once as well, which was unusual. "Everything okay?" she asked.

              "Yeah," he replied. "Eliza came in after you two left."

"Eww," Elliott vocalized, hoping his reaction was similar.

              "Don't worry... I learned my lesson. I got her out of there before she could try any of her little tricks. I think she's after power more than she's after me at this point. Something's definitely going on between her and Laura," he explained. "Other than that, I'm just having a hard time sorting all of this out. I got a ton of reports of Giovani and Zabrina sightings tonight, but they're almost completely from ex-Hunters and ex-Guardians. I'm just not sure what's going on."

              Cadence crossed her arms and nodded her head. "That is odd. But some of them are coming from actives?"

He nodded. "Yes, a few. Not people who usually report. Has Cale been hearing much?"

She was a little surprised he'd asked. "Some," she admitted. "Has he been talking to you?"

              Aaron shook his head. "Not much. I've been trying to leave him alone, but that may not be possible. Especially since you mentioned the helicopters."

              "When did you talk about that?" Elliott asked, suddenly very interested and afraid he'd missed something.

"We haven't. I just mentioned it very quickly during the Skype. This is what I was thinking," Cadence explained. "Cale's information is that the Giovani spottings are centered around Sierraville, California, which is only twenty minutes by air from Reno. If that is the case, he can offer us support in several ways. Tracking, spotlights, even taking the shot, if need be."

              "That's a game changer," Elliott concluded.

"It is a good idea. Here's my problem. Eliza's clearly not being straight with us. She's obviously talked to Laura without notifying me--or letting me listen in," Aaron said, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, fingers bridged in front of his mouth. "Also, did you notice I said Eliza would call her--and neither of them seemed to object?"

              "I did..." Cadence said.

              "Yes," Elliott exclaimed at the same time.

"So, she has a contact number." Aaron verbalized what they were all thinking.

"God, I kind of want to do it now just to make Eliza fall on her face when we take her off," Elliott admitted.

              "I don't know..." Cadence began, "I have a lot of reservations about working with those people, especially Laura."

"Didn't buy the apology, huh?" Elliott asked, laughing.

              "Uh, no," Cadence replied. "She's a lying bitch."

              "Believe me, I have my reservations, as well," Aaron admitted. "If we decide to do it, I think we go ahead and let them think Eliza's leading it--even let her believe that--then yank her at the last minute. And I don’t want any of her people on the ground either. Meanwhile, Cadence, you'd have to coordinate with Cale's team in secret. The renegades use only weapons we issue to them and we do pat downs looking for titanium bullets beforehand. And, when this is over, I'll let them re-Transform if that's what they want, but Laura will either do the same, or spend some time in the makeshift cells in the basement of the staging building."

              "So you do have a Hunter prison," Cadence asked, narrowing her left eye at him sheepishly.

              He grinned at her, returned the expression and said, "Maybe. I don't tell all of my secrets, lady."

"Works for me," Elliott shrugged, interrupting their staring contest.

              "But, wait a minute," Cadence said, finger in the air, "they need titanium to kill Hunters, but you guys are vulnerable to regular bullets. What about that?"

              "Bullet proof vests?" Elliott suggested.

              "Head shot?" she replied sharply.

              "I've been thinking about that, too," Aaron admitted. "Why do they have to be armed at all?"

              "Good point," Cadence agreed. "Take their guns away, or at least limit their bullet count, cut down on the vulnerability--I mean they still might over-power some of our weaker members," she said slyly, winking at Elliott, who just shook his head at her, "and I think we've minimized the risk. Haven't we?"

              "Hey, I'm just here for the pizza," Elliott replied, right before she elbowed him in the ribs.

              "I think this might actually work," Aaron said, the look of contemplation still on his face.

              "Tell you what, let's sleep on it--not that any of us will--and talk it over in the morning, and then we'll let Ms. Sassy Pants produce the phone number she doesn't have, to call the person she doesn't like," Elliott proclaimed.

              Cadence nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me."

              "Why aren't you sleeping?" Aaron asked, a worried expression on his face.

As much as Cadence wanted to give a sarcastic answer, she was too tired to think of one. "I don't know. I guess my mind thinks I should start transitioning to needing less sleep already while my body completely disagrees. But then, even when I do fall asleep, I always dream about Jack."

"I'm sorry," he said, clearly genuinely concerned. "That's not good. If we go on this hunt in a few days, it's not going to go well if you are exhausted."

"I know," she admitted. "But I can only think of two nights since Jack died, besides when Elliott put me out, when I slept for more than a few hours--tops."