Vendetta Nation (Enigma Black Trilogy #2) (8 page)

Ian carefully rolled onto his right side, putting us face-to-face. “You know, I’m not afraid of death,” he said, looking me in the eyes. “There were days when I would sit in my apartment welcoming it, in fact. I hadn’t accomplished much with my life, and I never really thought I ever would. Being here has changed that. It’s given me purpose. I think this is what I was born to do, and I’m not going to miss any opportunity to catch the man who murdered my father, whether I’m in pain or not.”

“I thought you’d say that,” I sighed. I closed my eyes in the hope that he would follow suit and get some rest.

“So…” his voice forced my eyes back open.

“What?”

“We still haven’t discussed that whole CPR thing. I know I was unconscious and all, but seriously, was it as good for you as it was for me?”

“Call me picky, but I usually prefer men with a pulse.”

“You and your high standards.” He rolled over so that his back faced me, and I stayed in the bed next to him until I heard the familiar rhythmic breaths of slumber, when I carefully climbed back over him and left his room.

My mission changed today. Not only would I be seeking to destroy The Man in Black, but now I had Victor in my sights as well.

*****

“He has at least one underground bunker—maybe several for all we really know for sure,” Jeremiah Delaney said, observing the map of Washington, D.C. spread out on a workbench. “It’s hard telling where he’ll run to after he’s surrounded.”

“All that matters is that he’ll be running,” Marshall stated. “And that we get it streamed live for the rest of the country to see. No matter what the cost.”

“Brooks will put his own spin on things, Marshall. He’ll have the address streamed so that he can control what the public sees, and he’ll use every angle he can to garner sympathy from the viewers. You’d better make sure your technicians are at the top of their game. Their interference with the broadcasting system will be met with solid resistance.”

“I think you’d be surprised by how many friends in high places we have, Senator.”

“And I think you’re going to be surprised by how many supporters Brooks actually has. Ignorance is bliss, and the public has been shrouded in it. What do our numbers look like, anyway?” Jeremiah asked.

“Somewhere around two thousand total; one thousand, nine hundred eighty-four to be exact. There will be four hundred from our group, and others from New York, Virginia, Michigan, California, and Texas.”

“What about fire power?”

“Most will be armed, but they’ve all been instructed not to fire unless fired upon.”

“This is all going to be about how you sell it, Marshall. You’ll never be able to turn Brooks, but if you can convince enough of the right people or just sheer volumes of them, we may be able to make a difference at this rally.”

“Either way, this is going to be a suicide mission.” Marshall stared stoically at the map.

“Yes, but nothing good was ever accomplished by sitting back and doing nothing. Sacrifices are a requirement for change.”

“If there is change, that is. It’s going to take more than just a spark to ignite it with the damage that’s already been done and continues to be done by the Brooks Administration.”

“Yes,” Jeremiah agreed. “The riots as of late have been blamed on the rebellion by the media. The public is beginning to sour on your cause, Marshall.”

“The times are changing, my friend. And this rally will be a further catalyst. Whether it’s a catalyst for war or a catalyst for good remains to be seen.”

“Nothing remains to be seen, Marshall,” Jeremiah said, picking the map up from the workbench and folding it. “There will be a war whether the country wants it or not.”

*****

I walked down the corridor in the direction of Victor’s office, pressing my ear to the door when I came to it. Just as I’d suspected, there was no sound coming from inside. Pressing my thumb to the plate next to the door, I figured I’d try to see whether it would open. It didn’t budge. Inside that office were answers. Answers to questions I didn’t know, but answers nonetheless. There had to be a way in, and I would figure it out one way or another.

“Trying to break into Victor’s office?” Cameron’s voice appeared out of nowhere, startling me.

“Jeez, Cameron, what are you still doing up?”

“You guys aren’t the only insomniacs around here.” He ran his fingers through his shaggy red hair. On his pale skin, the dark circles under his eyes stuck out like sore thumbs. There was something about him, something different, something un-Cameron like.

“You look like hell. Are you okay?”

“You don’t know the half of it.” His expression flattened, all traces of the mischief-maker I’d come to know cast aside.

“What is it, Cameron?”

“Nothing…nothing at all.”

“Is it Victor? It’s Victor, isn’t it? What has he done to you?”

“Just drop it, Celaine,” he said, visibly upset. “I owe Victor my life. He’s my mentor, almost like a father to me.”

“What happened to your real father?”

“I don’t know, and quite frankly, I don’t care. Knowing how much he liked the bottle, he’s probably in a ditch somewhere. Victor’s the only person to have ever given me a chance. He found me on the streets after my father kicked me out, took me in, and offered me a job when he found out I had knowledge of computer programming.”

“What exactly do you know about him, though?”

“Enough. For instance, I know that he keeps his office locked up tight. He only allows people in there when he’s with them. Unless, of course, it’s me we’re talking about. I have unlimited access to his office.” A glimmer of a smile appeared on Cameron’s face, showing me a hint of the boy he still was.

“And I don’t suppose you’d be willing to give me a quick tour?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Sorry, I’m not in the business of betraying those who’ve been loyal to me. If I were you, I would just drop whatever fishing expedition you’re on. Those who cross Victor tend not to do it a second time.”

“Point noted, but then again, those who cross me tend not to be able to do it a second time,” I said, hoping I sounded somewhat menacing.

“Celaine, in order to do bodily harm to me, you’d most likely have to touch me, and, honestly, I think that’s worth the risk.”

Chase surveyed the still smoldering ruins of what had once been his home and what had once been the block it stood on.

“They weren’t kidding when they said there was nothing left,” Paige said, following him closely.

“That’s what happens when the closest fire department is twenty miles from here,” he replied. “It’s a wonder the fire only confined itself to this one block. For all intents and purposes, half the town should have been ablaze.” He closed his eyes, allowing the heat from the rubble to absorb into his skin, erasing the hope of finding anything salvageable.

“I don’t get why the rebels would pick such an obscure place to hold a riot,” she wondered aloud.

“Rioting is popping up all over. It would be foolish to think that anywhere is safe. Besides, we’re close to a major highway, with a hospital nearby and the Capitol just a couple of hours away. In essence, it’s the perfect place to hold a demonstration.”

“I think calling it a demonstration is putting it lightly. Chase, there was an all-out war here.”

“It was only a war because Brooks made it that way.”

“Shh!” Chase turned around to see her horrified expression. “You need to keep your opinions to yourself out on the streets,” she said in almost a whisper as she looked around the vacant block. “Being seen as a sympathizer is liable to get you thrown in jail.”

“The day I’m not allowed to speak what’s on my mind is the day I join the rebellion myself.”

“How could you possibly say that?” she said, pulling her flaxen locks away from her face and the breeze assaulting them. “Have you not seen all of the destruction they’ve caused? You’re homeless now because of them.”

“Honestly, Paige, I don’t believe it’s their fault entirely. Their rallies are their response to being pushed, and I’m not buying the whole ‘things got out of hand’ excuse that pins the arson solely on their shoulders. Things going wrong and getting out of hand at each of their demonstrations is all too convenient, if you ask me. Especially for a group who wants to garner support from the public, not contempt.”

“Well, I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree on that one.” She stepped onto the broken sidewalk from the roadway. “I really wish you would reconsider my offer to move in with Dad and I. I really don’t like the idea of you staying with Trey.”

“It’s only until I find another place. Besides, I’m wondering whether I even want to stay around here. There are too many…memories.”

“Where would you go?” she asked, concerned.

“Not too far.” He put his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes. “Don’t worry,” he said, kissing her forehead. “There are plenty of memories to be made elsewhere.”

“It’s getting late,” she said, the smile returning to her face. “We should probably get going before dusk.”

Chase nodded in agreement. “Yeah, probably.” He stepped onto the roadway, pausing when something caught his eye. A photograph, its outside edges singed, but otherwise intact, sat wedged in between felled bricks. Recognizing the images on its glossy exterior, he bent down to retrieve it.

“What is it?” Paige asked.

A slight smile crept over his face, but pain creased his brow. “Just some old memories,” he replied, tucking the photograph away in the pocket of his jacket.

“Good ones?”

“Ones that hardly exist anymore.”

*****

“You could have stayed last night, you didn’t have to take off, you know,” Ian said, wincing as I applied balm to the raw skin on his chest.

“Look who’s talking,” I said, drawing my hand back when Ian winced once more after the balm penetrated a particularly reddened area. “I thought I was doing you a favor. You know, in case Becca came back.”

“Why would Becca come back?”

“You two have gotten pretty close lately. I really don’t think I need to spell it out for you.” I wiped my hand on my jeans and closed the lid around the jar of medication.

“Whatever you believe is going on isn’t.”

I couldn’t quite explain it, but his denial made me feel somewhat relieved, like sharing my partner really hadn’t set well with my subconscious all along.

“So, next time, stay.” He slid his white t-shirt over his head.

“Who said there’s going to be a next time?”

“Oh, there will be a next time. Once the ladies sleep next to Ian Grant, they always come back for more.”

“You’re incorrigible,” I said, holding back laughter.

“Incorrigible? That’s the first time someone’s used a fancy word to describe me. Usually my descriptors involve a series of four-letter words thrown around in various combinations.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’ve probably run through each and every combination imaginable in my head during our brief time together.”

“And I bet I deserved most of them.”

“I’m going to assume so,” I yawned.

“You didn’t get any sleep last night, did you?”

“No. I had something pressing on my mind that kept me awake.”

“Was it Victor or Chase?” His knowing stare told me that he knew me all too well.

“Victor.”

“Hmm. Find anything out?”

“Only that Cameron considers him somewhat of a father figure and refuses to help me break into his office.”

“That certainly explains why Cameron is the way he is. Any person who would consider Victor a father figure obviously had a pretty screwed up childhood.”

“At any rate, his loyalty ruined my plans last night. I want to get into that office, Ian. If anything, just for piece of mind about Victor.”

“We’ll figure it out,” he promised. “Cameron may be a genius when it comes to electronics, but even geniuses have their flaws.”

“That’s what I’m betting on. It’d be nice to actually be able to sleep soundly at night.”

Ian’s face softened. “Seriously, Celaine, I’m here for you any time you need me.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Ian, but Kara hasn’t been able to look me in the eyes since she found out about our first sleepover.” I stood up to leave, knowing that Victor wanted to see us both in the simulation room soon for a briefing.

“She can come, too,” he called out after me right as the door to his room slid closed behind me.

*****

Victor’s voice was strained, raspy, as though it were fighting a losing battle with the rest of his body and, given the events of the day before, I couldn’t help but feel a small amount of satisfaction over his struggle.

“You will be going to the outskirts of the Capital to the suburbs. There you will stay hidden while conducting some surveillance work. Our intelligence team has placed The Man in Black there recently, but it’s not exactly based on solid leads.” He looked at me, his eyes hardening a little, his gaze trailing down to my neck. “Regardless, it’s still a lead we should follow up on, and it will give Ian a chance to spread his wings a little.”