OSC - Snippet #9
Title: Nope, still untitled. :(
Author: Well, hi, this should be obvious. >)
Characters: See Part 1
Word count of new snippet: 5,577
Total word count: 17,007
Snippet #1
Snippet #2
Snippet #3
Snippet #4
Snippet #5
Snippet #6
Snippet #7
Snippet #8
Maleeshka looks at Mikao pleadingly. “Please. Help us.”
Mikao looks helplessly at the cargo bay of his ship and then looks back at the people. “There. . .” He looks down at the children’s faces and frowns. “There just isn’t room.”
Maleeshka looks hesitantly over the children and then turns back at Mikao. “Can you at least take the children?” she asks.
Mikao hesitates and quickly counts the number of children. He glances at the ship and licks his lips, and then looks at Maleeshka and nods. “Yes, we can take the children.”
“They’ll need someone to watch over them.” Maleeshka says.
“We might be able to carry two adults.” Mikao says, looking sympathetically at the remaining adults.
Maleeshka nods. “Thank you.”
“What are you doing?” Zatir hisses as Mikao begins motioning the children onto the ship.
“They’re children, Zatir.” Makao snaps. “We can’t leave them behind.”
“You know the ship can only hold so much weight or it will sink to the bottom.” Zatir snaps.
“We’re not taking all of them.” Mikao says, looking sad. He glances back at the remaining adults. There are nine of them, men and women, all over the age of 18, but some of them not by much. They exchange nervous glances as another explosion rocks the landing bay.
The comlink clipped to Mikao’s belt squawks and he hears Arkan shout, “Makio, we need to leave now!”
He gives one more glance at the people, and then nods and strides back onto the ship. Zatir follows him, and then frowns as Mikao approaches their cargo of weapons. “What in the hell are you doing, Mikao?” she demands as Mikao rips open a crate.
“Giving these people a fighting chance.” Mikao answers sharply as he grabs several handheld blasters and grenades out of the crate.
“You’ve lost your mind!” Zatir yells. “That’s a good waste of arms! They’re going to die anyway!”
“At least they’ll die honorably!” Mikao snaps. He carries the weapons out of the ship and begins to hand them out to the people, who looked bewildered.
“These will buy you some time.” He said. “Maybe you can find another ship.”
“They are but humble priests and priestesses.” Maleeshka said softly. “They know nothing of your weapons.”
Mikao gives her an exasperated look and then takes a blaster from a woman who was peering into the barrel as though searching for something. “This is the end you point at the enemy.” He says, pointing the blaster away from them. He played his thumb over the trigger, just barely touching it. “This is the trigger. You squeeze this, a laser bolt comes out the other end.”
The woman doesn’t appear to understand what he is saying and he groans, glancing at Maleeshka for help. She smiles and says something to the woman in a language that Mikao has never before this moment. The woman listens to Maleeshka for a moment and then nods, a look of understanding on her face. She says something to Maleeshka, motioning at Mikao.
“Mileena thanks you for your generosity.” Meleeshka says softly.
Mileena says something else to Maleeshka and pushes her toward the ship.
“Wait, the grenades.” Mikao says. He points at a silver button on the flat part of one of the grenades. “They just need to push this and then throw it. Once they push it, they’ll have about five seconds before it explodes.”
Maleeshka nods and quickly explains the grenades as Mikao hands them to some of the men. Mileena nods and speaks to Maleeshka, pushing her toward the ship again as another explosion rocks the landing bay.
“That one was a lot closer, Mikao.” Arkan warns via Mikao’s comlink. “We need to leave.”
“Yeah, yeah, Arkan, hold onto your shorts.” Mikao grumbles. He lays a hand on Maleeshka’s shoulder. “We need to leave.”
She looks up at him with tears in her eyes and he gently leads her into the ship. “Arkan, get us out of here.” He says into his comlink as he closes the ship’s hatch and secures it.
“‘Bout time, Cap’n.” he hears Arkan say, a snarky tone in his voice.
They can hear the sounds of the battle still waging outside increase as the launch doors slide open. The sound of the engines starting fills the bay and Mikao quickly pushes Maleeshka into a seat.
”Strap yourself in and stay there until we’re in calmer waters.” He instructs as he heads toward the bridge.
Some time later, once they’re safely away from the doomed city and out of danger, Mikao makes his way back to check on the passengers. He is relieved to see that most of the children have fallen asleep.
He spies Maleeshka standing near a viewport, staring out at the water. He approaches her and clears his throat to alert her to his presence. She gasps a little and sniffles, brushing her fingertips over her eyes.
“My people owe you a debt of gratitude, Captain.” She says softly.
Mikao shakes his head. “I’m only sorry that we couldn’t save them all. And please, call me Mikao.”
She smiles a little, tilting her face up to look at him. “You are an honorable man, Mikao. Your name will be remembered throughout the ages as the savior of the Last Silence of Atlantis.”
“I’m flattered, really, but that’s not necessary.” He says. “They’re just kids, ya know? You’d have to be pretty fucking heartless to leave them behind. I only wish we could’ve saved the others.”
“They will be missed, but not forgotten.” She says. “They served well but now their duties are complete. They will rest peacefully until it is their time to be born again.”
“You believe in that?” he asks curiously. “Reincarnation?”
“Do you not?” she asks, raising an eyebrow and looking at him.
Briana awoke suddenly and, for a moment, was unsure of where she was or what had woken her. Then she saw the butterfly wallpaper and smiled.
“Oh yeah.” She said softly, rolling over to cuddle up to Kiernan, only to discover that he had left the bed and headed into the bathroom.
That must’ve been what woke me, she thought. She’d always been a light sleeper.
She sighed and snuggled down into the covers, bits of her dream flashing through her mind. She’d had the dream before; she knew that Maleeshka was here, but up until recently, she’d had no clue who Mikao could be. Then she’d been shown Kiernan’s picture when her sisters and she had been briefed on their mission and she’d recognized him immediately as Mikao.
She knew he’d had a vision that mentioned the Last Silence of Atlantis, but she didn’t know if he’d had any dreams. It had all felt so vivid, as if she’d really been there, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she was dreaming about a past life.
She heard the muted flush of a toilet and then running water, and the door connecting the bedroom to the bathroom opened and Kiernan walked in, wearing only boxers. She grinned and propped herself up on her elbow, giving him a hungry once over with her eyes. “Good morning, handsome.”
He grinned and walked over to the bed. Pulling back the covers, he lay down beside him and drew the covers back up over them. “Good morning, yourself, beautiful.” He tucked her hair behind her ear and then leaned in to give her a soft kiss. She kissed him back, her eyes drifting closed as she enjoyed the tender moment.
He sighed a little as the kiss ended and he brushed the pad of his thumb over her shoulder. “I guess we should thinking about meeting the others.”
She groaned a little and snuggled close to him. “No, let’s just stay here forever, Mikao.”
He blinked, a chill going through him. “What. . .what did you call me?” he asked in disbelief.
She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head up to look at him weirdly. “. . .Kiernan?”
He shook his head. “No, no, you said Mikao.”
She frowned a little. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He stared at her for a moment. “And. . .I want to call you Maleeshka, which is really strange because I just. . .”
“You just what?” she asked curiously.
He hesitated a moment and then, recognizing the curious gleam in her eyes, he said, “I had this dream. Well, I’ve been having this dream for the past few nights, and I’m this. . .this guy, this captain of, of a smuggler ship or something. And his - my - name is Mikao. He meets - I meet - this girl - you, Maleeshka - and you’re begging me to help you, that this group of kids is the-”
“Last Silence of Atlantis.” She finished.
He blinked. “How did you know I was going to say that?”
“I’ve been having the same dream.” She said, playing with her hair. “I think it’s a past life. Like, for both of us.”
He snickered. “You believe in that? Reincarnation?”
“Don’t you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Their eyes met and then widened as they realized they’d had the same conversation in the dream.
“Freaky.” He said, shivering a little.
“Yeah.” She said as she licked her lips.
“So what now?” he asked.
“I’m not sure.” She said, scratching at the back of her neck. “I mean, I don’t know why we’re dreaming about our past lives unless it was triggered by us meeting in this life. There’s more to the dream though. I mean, there has to be; I woke up in the middle of a conversation.”
“Yeah, me too.” He said. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. “Damn, is it really after eight?”
She groaned and pulled the covers back over her head. “No wonder I don’t want to get up.”
He laughed. “Okay, okay, we can sleep in a little longer. Maybe we can figure out more of this dream.” He shifted onto his side and pulled her closer, his eyes drifting closed. She smiled and snuggled into him.
******
Meanwhile, back at the mall, Kyle blinked rapidly to clear his head after ending the mental conversation with his brothers and breathed a sigh of relief as he realized Amber and Chelsea hadn’t yet come back from their bathroom break. He was seated at a table in the middle of the food court, keeping an eye on their food and purchases.
He rubbed his eye and grabbed some of Chelsea’s fries, then glanced at his watch before casting a glance in the direction of the bathrooms. He wondered what was taking them so long. Oh well, at least I can use the time to think about what I’m going to do to get Chelsea alone. he thought, taking a sip of his soda.
He glanced up as he heard movement and sat up a little straighter as the sisters approached. Chelsea took a seat beside him and Amber sat down across from him.
“Hey ladies.” He said, flashing a grin “I thought I was going to have to come check on you. Make sure you hadn’t fallen in or something.”
Amber snickered as she rolled her eyes. “Chelsea had to freshen up her makeup. You know, to keep herself beautiful for you.”
Chelsea blushed brightly. “Amber, shut up!”
Kyle smiled, trying not to giggle. That wouldn’t be a very manly thing to do. “So, have you ladies finished shopping?”
“Yeah, I think we’re good.” Chelsea said. “What shall we do now?”
Amber glanced at her watch. “Kaleb doesn’t get off work for a few more hours.” She said with a pout.
“We’ll keep you entertained and the time will fly.” Kyle said. “You two want to go see a movie or something?”
“Sure.” Chelsea said with a grin.
“Nah.” Amber said, shaking her head. “A movie’s no good if you don’t have somebody to make out with.”
Chelsea rolled her eyes. “Yeah, ‘cause, ya know, God forbid you actually watch the movie or anything.”
Amber snorted. “Like you weren’t thinking of picking a lame movie to see just so you could suck face with Kyle?”
Chelsea blushed. “I wasn’t thinking that at all.”
Amber smirked as she saw Kyle nervously shift in his seat and avert his eyes. “Maybe not, but he sure was, weren’t you, Kyle?”
Kyle flushed and cleared his throat. “Um. . .”
Amber chuckled. “Tell you what, why don’t you two go see a movie? I’ll wander around the mall, maybe do some more shopping.”
“You sure, Amber?” Chelsea asked.
“Mmmhmm.” Amber said, grinning. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Okay.” Kyle said, thinking to himself that Amber had just made his job a whole lot easier. “I mean, if you’re sure.”
“Oh yeah, absolutely. You and Chelsea have fun.” She winked as she stood up and headed out of the food court.
As Amber disappeared from their view, Chelsea breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally, the Wicked Witch of the East is gone.”
“Wait, wasn’t that the one the house dropped on?” Kyle asked, chuckling.
Chelsea shrugged. “I wouldn’t be too upset if a house dropped on Amber.”
“I take it you don’t get along?” he asked.
She shrugged a little. “Sometimes.” She sighed. “Sometimes Amber’s just. . .a bitch. She and Briana are always fighting.”
“Yeah, same with Kaleb and Kiernan.” Kyle said. “I always thought the middle sibling was supposed to be the peacekeeper.”
She chuckled. “At least in TVLand.”
“So, listen, Chelsea, there’s somewhere I want to take you.” He said, licking his lips. “If you don’t mind. I just want you to see it.”
“See what?” she asked.
“Well, it’s kind of a secret.” He said, smiling shyly. “My secret place, where I go when I don’t want to be disturbed. My brothers don’t even know about it. I’ve never shown it to anyone.”
Chelsea smiled, flattered that he’d want to share his secret place with her. She felt a curiously warm and fuzzy feeling wash over her. “Aww, Kyle, that’s so sweet.”
He smiled and stood up, holding his hand out to her. “Shall we be on our way then?”
Chelsea grinned and gave her hand to him, and then hesitated, her smile fading a little. “But what about Amber?”
“She’ll be fine.” Kyle said. “We can swing back by and pick her up or hey, Kaleb can pick her up.”
“Well. . .” Chelsea bit her lip, looking hesitant for a moment.
“Please? I really want you to see this.” He said, giving her his best puppy dog eyes.
She smiled. “Oh, I can’t resist that cute little face! Okay, let’s go!”
He grinned and pulled her to her feet, and then they walked to his car, hand in hand.
******
Amber sighed, glancing at her watch. It had only been thirty minutes since she’d left Chelsea and Kyle and she was already bored. She’d already bought plenty of clothes. She’d browsed the jewelry store and the bookstore. She didn’t like to read, so that hadn’t taken very long at all. She supposed she could browse the music store. Kyle could use some decent CDs in his car, she thought with a snicker.
Her cell phone rang and she felt annoyance that her first thought was Ooh, I hope it’s Kaleb.
Unfortunately it was the leader of the recon team sent to capture Kiernan and Briana. She scowled and answered it. “What?”
“Our mission has failed. The eldest brother has escaped with your sister in tow.” The team leader growled. “I thought you said she would assist us in the capture.”
She cursed loudly, took a deep breath and let it out through her teeth, and then pinched the bridge of her nose. “It was a test. She didn’t know you were coming. I wanted to see which side she’d choose.”
“What are your orders?”
She sighed and released the bridge of her nose, sweeping her hand through her hair. “Can you track them?”
“We tried that. She ditched her homing beacon.”
She cursed again, causing an elderly lady walking past to give her a reproaching look. She shot the lady an evil, angry look, and the lady gasped and scurried away.
“Leave it to me.” She said. “I can find her.”
“You’ll call us once you have a location?”
Amber rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course.” She ended the call with a button and shoved the phone back into her pocket. “Dammit, Briana.” She began pacing, chewing her thumbnail, as she reached out to her sister with her mind.
{Briana?} There was no answer, only a sensation of euphoria and ecstasy that left no doubt in Amber’s mind as to what her sister was doing.
And can I really fault her? Chelsea’s smitten with Kyle and even I have to admit that Kaleb’s gotten under my skin. she thought with shame.
“But we’ve got a job to do, and that comes first.” She said with determination. “You can’t let pesky feelings get in the way of your work.”
{Chelsea? Chelsea. Chelsea!}
She groaned as her baby sister ignored her as well. Great. And I’ll bet you two to one that they’re not at the movies. Could this day get any worse?
Her cell phone rang and she yanked it out of her pocket. Without glancing at the caller ID, she answered it and snapped, “I told you that I’d handle it!”
“Huh?”
Her eyes widened a little as she realized it wasn’t the team leader. “Kaleb? Oh gosh, I’m sorry! I thought it was someone else!”
“Obviously. Man, I still can’t believe your cell phone survived that soak in the ocean.”
She laughed a little. “Waterproof casing. Custom made.”
“That’s pretty neat. Anyway, listen, I’m getting off work early and I thought we could go somewhere. Maybe dinner and dancing?”
Amber hesitated a moment, knowing that she had to find Briana, but dinner and dancing with Kaleb sounded much more appealing.
There’s plenty of time to find Briana tomorrow, she thought. I’m allowed to have a little fun. I just have to remember not to fall for him.
“Amber? You there?”
“Huh?” She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. “Oh, yeah, sorry. Yes, that sounds great.”
“Awesome. I’ll see you at home then.”
“Well, I’m kinda stuck at the mall.” She said sheepishly. “Chelsea and Kyle are at the movies, I think. I’m not really sure.”
“Oh okay. No problem. The mall’s right on my way home. I’ll see you in a few then.”
“Okay, cool. Bye.” She smiled and ended the call. Before she could tuck it back into her pocket, it rang. This time, she made a point of checking the caller ID and gasped as she recognized Roger’s number.
“Roger, hello! This is an unexpected surprised!” she said.
“Oh, cut the pleasantries, Amber.” He snapped. “What’s this I hear about Briana helping one of the Gray brothers escape?”
Amber cursed silently. I should’ve known the team leader would report to Roger. “Don’t worry, Roger, I’m handling it.”
“Are you? I wonder. After all, she is your sister.”
Amber bristled. “Have I ever let you down, Roger? No. So get off my back and let me do my job.”
“Well, you’re quite testy.” He mused.
She gritted her teeth. “Must be nearing that time of the month.”
“Must be.” He said coolly. “You have 24 hours. At this time tomorrow, I expect to see a Gray brother standing before me. Preferably the eldest but one of the others will do for now.”
“As you wish, Roger.” She said, equally cool.
“Brilliant. Don’t fail me, Amber.” There was an audible click and Amber sighed, closing the phone and returning it to her pocket.
“Great. As if things weren’t bad enough.” She muttered.
Roger would prefer Kiernan brought to him, but he’d said that one of the others would do as well. She sighed again and raked her fingers through her hair. Kaleb was the only one that she knew for sure where he was going to be, so that meant he was the lucky target.
Or not so lucky, as it were. she thought miserably. Then she frowned, realizing that she’d never reacted like this to any other marks. God, was this how Briana felt when she had to kill Scott?
For all her talk about not letting feelings interfere and Roger’s orders were to be obeyed without question, she wasn’t so confident that she could kill Kaleb if so ordered. But why him? I’ve had tons of lovers, some twice as skilled as him and ten times more handsome. What is it that draws me to him?
She shook her head. It was no use wondering. She’d never know the answer if Roger got a hold of Kaleb.
Run away with him. a voice whispered from deep inside her.
“I can’t,” she whispered. “Roger comes first. My job, above all else. That was my oath.”
An oath won’t keep you warm at night, the voice whispered again. Kaleb will, in many delicious ways.
She hesitated, biting her lip. Good point. She groaned and raked her fingers through her hair as she headed toward the mall entrance. She pushed open the door and glanced around for Kaleb.
Not seeing his car, she sighed and sat down on a bench. I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do, she thought.
The more she thought about it, the better running away sounded. A couple of years ago, unbeknownst to Roger, she’d bought a private island in the Caribbean with the intent of relaxing there one day. She and Kaleb could go there. She had more than enough money for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
But I’d be betraying him, she thought, And for what? A guy? There will be plenty more.
Even as she thought it, she knew she was lying. There’d never be another guy like Kaleb. She’d never feel the same connection again.
So what are you going to do, Cunningham?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the beep of a car horn, and she looked up to see Kaleb’s car parked by the curb. He waved at her with a grin and she felt an unfamiliar warmth in her belly. She realized with a start that it was giddiness. She was happy to see him, beyond happy.
“Hey babe,” Kaleb said as she got into the car and stowed her shopping bags in the back seat. “How’s it going?”
She smiled and buckled her seatbelt. “It’s alright. Thanks for picking me up.”
He grinned. “No problem. Besides, I can’t go dancing with myself.”
She laughed as he pulled away from the curb and then headed down the street, heading back to his house. “Well, you could, but people might look at you strangely.”
He snickered. “Oh, they do that anyway.”
“Haha, so that’d be nothing new for you, eh?” she said, laughing. She smiled, liking the way he made her feel, all bubbly and warm inside.
He glanced at her and smiled softly. “You know, you’re really beautiful when you smile.”
She laughed, playing with her hair. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Well, yeah, but with you, I really mean it.” He said with a wink.
She shook her head, looking amused and feeling flattered. She could sense that he was being honest, and she was unsure how to deal with that. In her line of work, she was used to dealing with fake emotions. He was making it really difficult for her to even think about bringing him in to Roger.
But if I don’t, Roger will find him anyway. But then, maybe I could work it so that I bring him in, make Roger think he’s won and then help him escape, and then I can vanish and meet him at a predetermined spot. Yeah, that might work.
“Hey, you okay?”
She blinked, glancing at Kaleb. “Huh?”
“I was talking to you and you kinda spaced on me.” He looked at her curiously. “So? You okay?”
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry.” She shook her head. “What did you say?”
“I asked what kind of club you wanted to go to. There’s a disco club or a hip hop club or a rock club or, well, pretty much any kind of club you wanna go to.”
“Oh. Um, rock club is fine.” She smiled. “I bought a great sparkly shirt that would be perfect.”
He grinned. “Awesome.” He pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. “Okay, lemme grab a quick shower and change, then we can go.”
She grinned, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “Want some company?”
He smirked, winking. “Oh, I’d love company.”
She smirked and got out of the car, grabbing her shopping bags from the back seat, then waited for him. He got out and headed to the front door, unlocking it and pushing it open. He made a grand, sweeping gesture, motioning her into the house. “After you, madam.”
She smiled and entered the house, carrying her shopping bags. He followed her and pulled the door closed, then headed into the kitchen to grab something to drink. “Holy shit!”
On her way to Kaleb’s bedroom, she froze in the hallway. “What’s wrong, Kaleb?”
“Son of a bitch! Somebody broke into the fucking house!” Of course, he already knew what had happened because Kiernan had told him, but he had to put on a show for Amber. He felt bad about that because he was basically lying to her and he really did like her.
She sighed, knowing exactly what happened. She hesitated a moment, warring with herself over whether or not to tell him what had happened. She licked her lips and walked into the kitchen, affecting a shocked expression. “Oh my god, are you serious?”
He scowled and gestured toward the sliding glass doors leading out onto the patio. “Yeah, busted right through the sliding glass doors.”
“That’s. . .my god.” She dropped her bags and raked her fingers through her hair. “Is anything missing? You should probably call the cops.”
He stared at her for a moment, tempted to call her bluff. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He secretly hoped that she would tell him the truth.
“I wonder when it happened.” She said.
“Dunno, but I hope Kiernan and Briana weren’t here.”
“They don’t seem to be in the house right now.” She said. “I mean, his car wasn’t parked out in the driveway.”
“Yeah, I know. Maybe Kiernan took care of things. Or maybe not, ‘cause he would’ve cleaned things up.” Kaleb mused.
“I could try to find Briana.” Amber said.
“Nah, it’s okay. I’m sure they’re fine.” Kaleb said. He picked up the phone and started to dial the number for the police.
She hesitated a moment, watching him. I should tell him. I mean, it’s not like the police are going to do anything and Briana’s probably already told Kiernan. How long will it be before they tell Kaleb? And wouldn’t it be better if he heard it from me?
He watched her, his finger hovering over the button of the third digit of the phone number. “What?”
She blinked. “Huh”
“You just looked like you wanted to say something.” He said, pressing the button for the third digit.
“Oh.” She licked her lips, watching his finger descend on the fourth digit. “I. . .just thought you ought to check to make sure nothing’s missing before you call the cops.”
“Didn’t look like anything was taken from the living room.” He said, pressing the fifth digit. “I don’t want to tamper evidence or anything in case the guys who did this left a clue or something.”
“Oh. Yeah, good idea.” She said, watching as he pressed the sixth digit.
“You sure there isn’t anything you want to say, Amber?” he asked, glancing at her.
She felt as though a ball of ice was forming in the pit of her stomach as he said that. “What do you mean?”
“I dunno, you tell me.” He said, hanging up the phone and looking at her. “You’re suddenly acting all weird.”
She tried to nonchalantly laugh. “What are you talking about, Kaleb?”
“I mean, your thoughts are jumpy and scattered.” He said, tapping a finger against his temple. “Your eyes keep shifting around, like you’re nervous about something.” He stepped closer and took her hand into his, running his thumb over her palm. “And your hands are all sweaty.”
She laughed nervously. “Just. . .afraid that something might’ve happened to Kiernan and Briana.”
“Now, why would you think that?” he asked. “I mean, people who break into other people’s houses usually don’t kidnap whoever’s there.”
“If they were just regular thieves, why wasn’t anything stolen?” she pointed out. “And you know that we’re being chased. Maybe they found us. Maybe we didn’t kill all of them like we thought. Maybe someone escaped. Or maybe they planted a tracking device on us without us realizing and they’ve been tracking our every move, waiting for the perfect opportunity to grab us.”
“Or maybe this is all an elaborate ruse to get me and my brothers to work for your ROWTAC.” He said.
She froze, staring at him with wide eyes. “What?”
“C’mon, Amber, don’t play with me.” He said, moving over to grab her by the shoulders. He gripped her shoulders tightly, shaking him a little. “Just be straight with me, okay? Just fucking be straight.”
She gulped a little, staring up at him. “I. . .how do you know about ROWTAC?”
“Kiernan. Briana told him.” Kaleb watched her, waiting for her reaction.
She sighed, dropping her gaze down to his chest. “I should’ve known that. She’s really fallen hard for him.”
“So you weren’t planning to tell me at all?” He tried not to look hurt, but she could still sense it.
“I. . .I was debating. Leaning toward telling you but still having issues.” She bit her lip, staring up at him with pleading eyes.
“I see.” He released her shoulders and backed away a step.
“Kaleb, don’t give me that look.” She said softly.
“What look?” He turned away from her and raked his fingers through his hair.
“That look of disappointment.” She answered. “I’m sorry that I was torn between telling you and not. I’ve always put my job, my oath above everything else. It’s hard to just walk away from that.”
“And what exactly is your job?” he snapped, turning to face her, anger flashing in his eyes. “Fucking guys and playing with their heads?”
She glared at him. “Fuck you.”
“I’m pretty sure you already did!” he snapped.
“Oh, don’t act all wounded, Kaleb.” She growled. “Don’t act like this meant anything but a quick fuck to you.”
“Maybe it did the first time.” He snapped. “Maybe it had the potential to become more.”
She took a deep breath, rubbing her forehead. “Look, Kaleb, I’m not used to this. I’ve never had these kinds of feelings for a guy before, so I’m trying to figure out how to deal with this, okay? It’s not that easy.”
“Looks like it was pretty easy for Briana.” He growled.
“Yeah, well, she’s more open than me.” Amber sighed, shaking her head. “Look, whatever, just forget it.”
“How can I? If these jerks are going to come after us, I’ve got to know which side you’re going to play for, ‘cause I don’t want to have to worry about a knife in my back.” He peered at her, trying to gauge her reaction.
She lowered her gaze to the floor for a moment before looking back up at him. “I. . .I don’t know, Kaleb. I can’t make you any guarantees because I just don’t know right now. My heart is telling me one thing and my head is saying something else, and I’ve always been taught to ignore whatever my heart tells me because it doesn’t work with logic and rationality.”
“Yeah, well, whoever told you that must’ve been one fucking cold bastard.” Kaleb grumbled. He glanced at her and then shook his head, a disgusted look on his face, and he began to walk out of the kitchen.
“Wait, Kaleb, where are you going?” she asked, turning to follow him with her eyes.
“Anywhere that isn’t here.” He mumbled as he reached the door.
“What about dinner and dancing?” she asked softly. “Are we still on for that?”
He glanced at her, sadness in his eyes. “How do I know we won’t be ambushed while we’re out and I’ll wake up in some lab with guys in lab coats trying to anally probe me?”
She chuckled softly, one corner of her mouth curling upward into a half-smile. “Our scientists don’t anal probe anyone.” She said softly.
“But you can’t guarantee that you’ll be on my side if we do get ambushed.” He said. “And that’s not good enough for me. Because I can’t go dancing with somebody that I don’t trust. I’m sorry.” He hesitated for a moment, looking as though he wanted to say something, and then shook his head and walked out of the room.
She closed her eyes, feeling her eyes prickle with tears. Dammit, I’m not going to cry. I’m not. she thought. But I think I’ve just really fucked up my one shot at a really great guy.
“Damn you, Roger.” She muttered, a tear spilling down her cheek. “Damn you straight to fucking hell.”
Author: Well, hi, this should be obvious. >)
Characters: See Part 1
Word count of new snippet: 5,577
Total word count: 17,007
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Maleeshka looks at Mikao pleadingly. “Please. Help us.”
Mikao looks helplessly at the cargo bay of his ship and then looks back at the people. “There. . .” He looks down at the children’s faces and frowns. “There just isn’t room.”
Maleeshka looks hesitantly over the children and then turns back at Mikao. “Can you at least take the children?” she asks.
Mikao hesitates and quickly counts the number of children. He glances at the ship and licks his lips, and then looks at Maleeshka and nods. “Yes, we can take the children.”
“They’ll need someone to watch over them.” Maleeshka says.
“We might be able to carry two adults.” Mikao says, looking sympathetically at the remaining adults.
Maleeshka nods. “Thank you.”
“What are you doing?” Zatir hisses as Mikao begins motioning the children onto the ship.
“They’re children, Zatir.” Makao snaps. “We can’t leave them behind.”
“You know the ship can only hold so much weight or it will sink to the bottom.” Zatir snaps.
“We’re not taking all of them.” Mikao says, looking sad. He glances back at the remaining adults. There are nine of them, men and women, all over the age of 18, but some of them not by much. They exchange nervous glances as another explosion rocks the landing bay.
The comlink clipped to Mikao’s belt squawks and he hears Arkan shout, “Makio, we need to leave now!”
He gives one more glance at the people, and then nods and strides back onto the ship. Zatir follows him, and then frowns as Mikao approaches their cargo of weapons. “What in the hell are you doing, Mikao?” she demands as Mikao rips open a crate.
“Giving these people a fighting chance.” Mikao answers sharply as he grabs several handheld blasters and grenades out of the crate.
“You’ve lost your mind!” Zatir yells. “That’s a good waste of arms! They’re going to die anyway!”
“At least they’ll die honorably!” Mikao snaps. He carries the weapons out of the ship and begins to hand them out to the people, who looked bewildered.
“These will buy you some time.” He said. “Maybe you can find another ship.”
“They are but humble priests and priestesses.” Maleeshka said softly. “They know nothing of your weapons.”
Mikao gives her an exasperated look and then takes a blaster from a woman who was peering into the barrel as though searching for something. “This is the end you point at the enemy.” He says, pointing the blaster away from them. He played his thumb over the trigger, just barely touching it. “This is the trigger. You squeeze this, a laser bolt comes out the other end.”
The woman doesn’t appear to understand what he is saying and he groans, glancing at Maleeshka for help. She smiles and says something to the woman in a language that Mikao has never before this moment. The woman listens to Maleeshka for a moment and then nods, a look of understanding on her face. She says something to Maleeshka, motioning at Mikao.
“Mileena thanks you for your generosity.” Meleeshka says softly.
Mileena says something else to Maleeshka and pushes her toward the ship.
“Wait, the grenades.” Mikao says. He points at a silver button on the flat part of one of the grenades. “They just need to push this and then throw it. Once they push it, they’ll have about five seconds before it explodes.”
Maleeshka nods and quickly explains the grenades as Mikao hands them to some of the men. Mileena nods and speaks to Maleeshka, pushing her toward the ship again as another explosion rocks the landing bay.
“That one was a lot closer, Mikao.” Arkan warns via Mikao’s comlink. “We need to leave.”
“Yeah, yeah, Arkan, hold onto your shorts.” Mikao grumbles. He lays a hand on Maleeshka’s shoulder. “We need to leave.”
She looks up at him with tears in her eyes and he gently leads her into the ship. “Arkan, get us out of here.” He says into his comlink as he closes the ship’s hatch and secures it.
“‘Bout time, Cap’n.” he hears Arkan say, a snarky tone in his voice.
They can hear the sounds of the battle still waging outside increase as the launch doors slide open. The sound of the engines starting fills the bay and Mikao quickly pushes Maleeshka into a seat.
”Strap yourself in and stay there until we’re in calmer waters.” He instructs as he heads toward the bridge.
Some time later, once they’re safely away from the doomed city and out of danger, Mikao makes his way back to check on the passengers. He is relieved to see that most of the children have fallen asleep.
He spies Maleeshka standing near a viewport, staring out at the water. He approaches her and clears his throat to alert her to his presence. She gasps a little and sniffles, brushing her fingertips over her eyes.
“My people owe you a debt of gratitude, Captain.” She says softly.
Mikao shakes his head. “I’m only sorry that we couldn’t save them all. And please, call me Mikao.”
She smiles a little, tilting her face up to look at him. “You are an honorable man, Mikao. Your name will be remembered throughout the ages as the savior of the Last Silence of Atlantis.”
“I’m flattered, really, but that’s not necessary.” He says. “They’re just kids, ya know? You’d have to be pretty fucking heartless to leave them behind. I only wish we could’ve saved the others.”
“They will be missed, but not forgotten.” She says. “They served well but now their duties are complete. They will rest peacefully until it is their time to be born again.”
“You believe in that?” he asks curiously. “Reincarnation?”
“Do you not?” she asks, raising an eyebrow and looking at him.
Briana awoke suddenly and, for a moment, was unsure of where she was or what had woken her. Then she saw the butterfly wallpaper and smiled.
“Oh yeah.” She said softly, rolling over to cuddle up to Kiernan, only to discover that he had left the bed and headed into the bathroom.
That must’ve been what woke me, she thought. She’d always been a light sleeper.
She sighed and snuggled down into the covers, bits of her dream flashing through her mind. She’d had the dream before; she knew that Maleeshka was here, but up until recently, she’d had no clue who Mikao could be. Then she’d been shown Kiernan’s picture when her sisters and she had been briefed on their mission and she’d recognized him immediately as Mikao.
She knew he’d had a vision that mentioned the Last Silence of Atlantis, but she didn’t know if he’d had any dreams. It had all felt so vivid, as if she’d really been there, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she was dreaming about a past life.
She heard the muted flush of a toilet and then running water, and the door connecting the bedroom to the bathroom opened and Kiernan walked in, wearing only boxers. She grinned and propped herself up on her elbow, giving him a hungry once over with her eyes. “Good morning, handsome.”
He grinned and walked over to the bed. Pulling back the covers, he lay down beside him and drew the covers back up over them. “Good morning, yourself, beautiful.” He tucked her hair behind her ear and then leaned in to give her a soft kiss. She kissed him back, her eyes drifting closed as she enjoyed the tender moment.
He sighed a little as the kiss ended and he brushed the pad of his thumb over her shoulder. “I guess we should thinking about meeting the others.”
She groaned a little and snuggled close to him. “No, let’s just stay here forever, Mikao.”
He blinked, a chill going through him. “What. . .what did you call me?” he asked in disbelief.
She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head up to look at him weirdly. “. . .Kiernan?”
He shook his head. “No, no, you said Mikao.”
She frowned a little. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He stared at her for a moment. “And. . .I want to call you Maleeshka, which is really strange because I just. . .”
“You just what?” she asked curiously.
He hesitated a moment and then, recognizing the curious gleam in her eyes, he said, “I had this dream. Well, I’ve been having this dream for the past few nights, and I’m this. . .this guy, this captain of, of a smuggler ship or something. And his - my - name is Mikao. He meets - I meet - this girl - you, Maleeshka - and you’re begging me to help you, that this group of kids is the-”
“Last Silence of Atlantis.” She finished.
He blinked. “How did you know I was going to say that?”
“I’ve been having the same dream.” She said, playing with her hair. “I think it’s a past life. Like, for both of us.”
He snickered. “You believe in that? Reincarnation?”
“Don’t you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Their eyes met and then widened as they realized they’d had the same conversation in the dream.
“Freaky.” He said, shivering a little.
“Yeah.” She said as she licked her lips.
“So what now?” he asked.
“I’m not sure.” She said, scratching at the back of her neck. “I mean, I don’t know why we’re dreaming about our past lives unless it was triggered by us meeting in this life. There’s more to the dream though. I mean, there has to be; I woke up in the middle of a conversation.”
“Yeah, me too.” He said. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. “Damn, is it really after eight?”
She groaned and pulled the covers back over her head. “No wonder I don’t want to get up.”
He laughed. “Okay, okay, we can sleep in a little longer. Maybe we can figure out more of this dream.” He shifted onto his side and pulled her closer, his eyes drifting closed. She smiled and snuggled into him.
******
Meanwhile, back at the mall, Kyle blinked rapidly to clear his head after ending the mental conversation with his brothers and breathed a sigh of relief as he realized Amber and Chelsea hadn’t yet come back from their bathroom break. He was seated at a table in the middle of the food court, keeping an eye on their food and purchases.
He rubbed his eye and grabbed some of Chelsea’s fries, then glanced at his watch before casting a glance in the direction of the bathrooms. He wondered what was taking them so long. Oh well, at least I can use the time to think about what I’m going to do to get Chelsea alone. he thought, taking a sip of his soda.
He glanced up as he heard movement and sat up a little straighter as the sisters approached. Chelsea took a seat beside him and Amber sat down across from him.
“Hey ladies.” He said, flashing a grin “I thought I was going to have to come check on you. Make sure you hadn’t fallen in or something.”
Amber snickered as she rolled her eyes. “Chelsea had to freshen up her makeup. You know, to keep herself beautiful for you.”
Chelsea blushed brightly. “Amber, shut up!”
Kyle smiled, trying not to giggle. That wouldn’t be a very manly thing to do. “So, have you ladies finished shopping?”
“Yeah, I think we’re good.” Chelsea said. “What shall we do now?”
Amber glanced at her watch. “Kaleb doesn’t get off work for a few more hours.” She said with a pout.
“We’ll keep you entertained and the time will fly.” Kyle said. “You two want to go see a movie or something?”
“Sure.” Chelsea said with a grin.
“Nah.” Amber said, shaking her head. “A movie’s no good if you don’t have somebody to make out with.”
Chelsea rolled her eyes. “Yeah, ‘cause, ya know, God forbid you actually watch the movie or anything.”
Amber snorted. “Like you weren’t thinking of picking a lame movie to see just so you could suck face with Kyle?”
Chelsea blushed. “I wasn’t thinking that at all.”
Amber smirked as she saw Kyle nervously shift in his seat and avert his eyes. “Maybe not, but he sure was, weren’t you, Kyle?”
Kyle flushed and cleared his throat. “Um. . .”
Amber chuckled. “Tell you what, why don’t you two go see a movie? I’ll wander around the mall, maybe do some more shopping.”
“You sure, Amber?” Chelsea asked.
“Mmmhmm.” Amber said, grinning. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Okay.” Kyle said, thinking to himself that Amber had just made his job a whole lot easier. “I mean, if you’re sure.”
“Oh yeah, absolutely. You and Chelsea have fun.” She winked as she stood up and headed out of the food court.
As Amber disappeared from their view, Chelsea breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally, the Wicked Witch of the East is gone.”
“Wait, wasn’t that the one the house dropped on?” Kyle asked, chuckling.
Chelsea shrugged. “I wouldn’t be too upset if a house dropped on Amber.”
“I take it you don’t get along?” he asked.
She shrugged a little. “Sometimes.” She sighed. “Sometimes Amber’s just. . .a bitch. She and Briana are always fighting.”
“Yeah, same with Kaleb and Kiernan.” Kyle said. “I always thought the middle sibling was supposed to be the peacekeeper.”
She chuckled. “At least in TVLand.”
“So, listen, Chelsea, there’s somewhere I want to take you.” He said, licking his lips. “If you don’t mind. I just want you to see it.”
“See what?” she asked.
“Well, it’s kind of a secret.” He said, smiling shyly. “My secret place, where I go when I don’t want to be disturbed. My brothers don’t even know about it. I’ve never shown it to anyone.”
Chelsea smiled, flattered that he’d want to share his secret place with her. She felt a curiously warm and fuzzy feeling wash over her. “Aww, Kyle, that’s so sweet.”
He smiled and stood up, holding his hand out to her. “Shall we be on our way then?”
Chelsea grinned and gave her hand to him, and then hesitated, her smile fading a little. “But what about Amber?”
“She’ll be fine.” Kyle said. “We can swing back by and pick her up or hey, Kaleb can pick her up.”
“Well. . .” Chelsea bit her lip, looking hesitant for a moment.
“Please? I really want you to see this.” He said, giving her his best puppy dog eyes.
She smiled. “Oh, I can’t resist that cute little face! Okay, let’s go!”
He grinned and pulled her to her feet, and then they walked to his car, hand in hand.
******
Amber sighed, glancing at her watch. It had only been thirty minutes since she’d left Chelsea and Kyle and she was already bored. She’d already bought plenty of clothes. She’d browsed the jewelry store and the bookstore. She didn’t like to read, so that hadn’t taken very long at all. She supposed she could browse the music store. Kyle could use some decent CDs in his car, she thought with a snicker.
Her cell phone rang and she felt annoyance that her first thought was Ooh, I hope it’s Kaleb.
Unfortunately it was the leader of the recon team sent to capture Kiernan and Briana. She scowled and answered it. “What?”
“Our mission has failed. The eldest brother has escaped with your sister in tow.” The team leader growled. “I thought you said she would assist us in the capture.”
She cursed loudly, took a deep breath and let it out through her teeth, and then pinched the bridge of her nose. “It was a test. She didn’t know you were coming. I wanted to see which side she’d choose.”
“What are your orders?”
She sighed and released the bridge of her nose, sweeping her hand through her hair. “Can you track them?”
“We tried that. She ditched her homing beacon.”
She cursed again, causing an elderly lady walking past to give her a reproaching look. She shot the lady an evil, angry look, and the lady gasped and scurried away.
“Leave it to me.” She said. “I can find her.”
“You’ll call us once you have a location?”
Amber rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course.” She ended the call with a button and shoved the phone back into her pocket. “Dammit, Briana.” She began pacing, chewing her thumbnail, as she reached out to her sister with her mind.
{Briana?} There was no answer, only a sensation of euphoria and ecstasy that left no doubt in Amber’s mind as to what her sister was doing.
And can I really fault her? Chelsea’s smitten with Kyle and even I have to admit that Kaleb’s gotten under my skin. she thought with shame.
“But we’ve got a job to do, and that comes first.” She said with determination. “You can’t let pesky feelings get in the way of your work.”
{Chelsea? Chelsea. Chelsea!}
She groaned as her baby sister ignored her as well. Great. And I’ll bet you two to one that they’re not at the movies. Could this day get any worse?
Her cell phone rang and she yanked it out of her pocket. Without glancing at the caller ID, she answered it and snapped, “I told you that I’d handle it!”
“Huh?”
Her eyes widened a little as she realized it wasn’t the team leader. “Kaleb? Oh gosh, I’m sorry! I thought it was someone else!”
“Obviously. Man, I still can’t believe your cell phone survived that soak in the ocean.”
She laughed a little. “Waterproof casing. Custom made.”
“That’s pretty neat. Anyway, listen, I’m getting off work early and I thought we could go somewhere. Maybe dinner and dancing?”
Amber hesitated a moment, knowing that she had to find Briana, but dinner and dancing with Kaleb sounded much more appealing.
There’s plenty of time to find Briana tomorrow, she thought. I’m allowed to have a little fun. I just have to remember not to fall for him.
“Amber? You there?”
“Huh?” She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. “Oh, yeah, sorry. Yes, that sounds great.”
“Awesome. I’ll see you at home then.”
“Well, I’m kinda stuck at the mall.” She said sheepishly. “Chelsea and Kyle are at the movies, I think. I’m not really sure.”
“Oh okay. No problem. The mall’s right on my way home. I’ll see you in a few then.”
“Okay, cool. Bye.” She smiled and ended the call. Before she could tuck it back into her pocket, it rang. This time, she made a point of checking the caller ID and gasped as she recognized Roger’s number.
“Roger, hello! This is an unexpected surprised!” she said.
“Oh, cut the pleasantries, Amber.” He snapped. “What’s this I hear about Briana helping one of the Gray brothers escape?”
Amber cursed silently. I should’ve known the team leader would report to Roger. “Don’t worry, Roger, I’m handling it.”
“Are you? I wonder. After all, she is your sister.”
Amber bristled. “Have I ever let you down, Roger? No. So get off my back and let me do my job.”
“Well, you’re quite testy.” He mused.
She gritted her teeth. “Must be nearing that time of the month.”
“Must be.” He said coolly. “You have 24 hours. At this time tomorrow, I expect to see a Gray brother standing before me. Preferably the eldest but one of the others will do for now.”
“As you wish, Roger.” She said, equally cool.
“Brilliant. Don’t fail me, Amber.” There was an audible click and Amber sighed, closing the phone and returning it to her pocket.
“Great. As if things weren’t bad enough.” She muttered.
Roger would prefer Kiernan brought to him, but he’d said that one of the others would do as well. She sighed again and raked her fingers through her hair. Kaleb was the only one that she knew for sure where he was going to be, so that meant he was the lucky target.
Or not so lucky, as it were. she thought miserably. Then she frowned, realizing that she’d never reacted like this to any other marks. God, was this how Briana felt when she had to kill Scott?
For all her talk about not letting feelings interfere and Roger’s orders were to be obeyed without question, she wasn’t so confident that she could kill Kaleb if so ordered. But why him? I’ve had tons of lovers, some twice as skilled as him and ten times more handsome. What is it that draws me to him?
She shook her head. It was no use wondering. She’d never know the answer if Roger got a hold of Kaleb.
Run away with him. a voice whispered from deep inside her.
“I can’t,” she whispered. “Roger comes first. My job, above all else. That was my oath.”
An oath won’t keep you warm at night, the voice whispered again. Kaleb will, in many delicious ways.
She hesitated, biting her lip. Good point. She groaned and raked her fingers through her hair as she headed toward the mall entrance. She pushed open the door and glanced around for Kaleb.
Not seeing his car, she sighed and sat down on a bench. I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do, she thought.
The more she thought about it, the better running away sounded. A couple of years ago, unbeknownst to Roger, she’d bought a private island in the Caribbean with the intent of relaxing there one day. She and Kaleb could go there. She had more than enough money for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
But I’d be betraying him, she thought, And for what? A guy? There will be plenty more.
Even as she thought it, she knew she was lying. There’d never be another guy like Kaleb. She’d never feel the same connection again.
So what are you going to do, Cunningham?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the beep of a car horn, and she looked up to see Kaleb’s car parked by the curb. He waved at her with a grin and she felt an unfamiliar warmth in her belly. She realized with a start that it was giddiness. She was happy to see him, beyond happy.
“Hey babe,” Kaleb said as she got into the car and stowed her shopping bags in the back seat. “How’s it going?”
She smiled and buckled her seatbelt. “It’s alright. Thanks for picking me up.”
He grinned. “No problem. Besides, I can’t go dancing with myself.”
She laughed as he pulled away from the curb and then headed down the street, heading back to his house. “Well, you could, but people might look at you strangely.”
He snickered. “Oh, they do that anyway.”
“Haha, so that’d be nothing new for you, eh?” she said, laughing. She smiled, liking the way he made her feel, all bubbly and warm inside.
He glanced at her and smiled softly. “You know, you’re really beautiful when you smile.”
She laughed, playing with her hair. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Well, yeah, but with you, I really mean it.” He said with a wink.
She shook her head, looking amused and feeling flattered. She could sense that he was being honest, and she was unsure how to deal with that. In her line of work, she was used to dealing with fake emotions. He was making it really difficult for her to even think about bringing him in to Roger.
But if I don’t, Roger will find him anyway. But then, maybe I could work it so that I bring him in, make Roger think he’s won and then help him escape, and then I can vanish and meet him at a predetermined spot. Yeah, that might work.
“Hey, you okay?”
She blinked, glancing at Kaleb. “Huh?”
“I was talking to you and you kinda spaced on me.” He looked at her curiously. “So? You okay?”
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry.” She shook her head. “What did you say?”
“I asked what kind of club you wanted to go to. There’s a disco club or a hip hop club or a rock club or, well, pretty much any kind of club you wanna go to.”
“Oh. Um, rock club is fine.” She smiled. “I bought a great sparkly shirt that would be perfect.”
He grinned. “Awesome.” He pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. “Okay, lemme grab a quick shower and change, then we can go.”
She grinned, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “Want some company?”
He smirked, winking. “Oh, I’d love company.”
She smirked and got out of the car, grabbing her shopping bags from the back seat, then waited for him. He got out and headed to the front door, unlocking it and pushing it open. He made a grand, sweeping gesture, motioning her into the house. “After you, madam.”
She smiled and entered the house, carrying her shopping bags. He followed her and pulled the door closed, then headed into the kitchen to grab something to drink. “Holy shit!”
On her way to Kaleb’s bedroom, she froze in the hallway. “What’s wrong, Kaleb?”
“Son of a bitch! Somebody broke into the fucking house!” Of course, he already knew what had happened because Kiernan had told him, but he had to put on a show for Amber. He felt bad about that because he was basically lying to her and he really did like her.
She sighed, knowing exactly what happened. She hesitated a moment, warring with herself over whether or not to tell him what had happened. She licked her lips and walked into the kitchen, affecting a shocked expression. “Oh my god, are you serious?”
He scowled and gestured toward the sliding glass doors leading out onto the patio. “Yeah, busted right through the sliding glass doors.”
“That’s. . .my god.” She dropped her bags and raked her fingers through her hair. “Is anything missing? You should probably call the cops.”
He stared at her for a moment, tempted to call her bluff. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He secretly hoped that she would tell him the truth.
“I wonder when it happened.” She said.
“Dunno, but I hope Kiernan and Briana weren’t here.”
“They don’t seem to be in the house right now.” She said. “I mean, his car wasn’t parked out in the driveway.”
“Yeah, I know. Maybe Kiernan took care of things. Or maybe not, ‘cause he would’ve cleaned things up.” Kaleb mused.
“I could try to find Briana.” Amber said.
“Nah, it’s okay. I’m sure they’re fine.” Kaleb said. He picked up the phone and started to dial the number for the police.
She hesitated a moment, watching him. I should tell him. I mean, it’s not like the police are going to do anything and Briana’s probably already told Kiernan. How long will it be before they tell Kaleb? And wouldn’t it be better if he heard it from me?
He watched her, his finger hovering over the button of the third digit of the phone number. “What?”
She blinked. “Huh”
“You just looked like you wanted to say something.” He said, pressing the button for the third digit.
“Oh.” She licked her lips, watching his finger descend on the fourth digit. “I. . .just thought you ought to check to make sure nothing’s missing before you call the cops.”
“Didn’t look like anything was taken from the living room.” He said, pressing the fifth digit. “I don’t want to tamper evidence or anything in case the guys who did this left a clue or something.”
“Oh. Yeah, good idea.” She said, watching as he pressed the sixth digit.
“You sure there isn’t anything you want to say, Amber?” he asked, glancing at her.
She felt as though a ball of ice was forming in the pit of her stomach as he said that. “What do you mean?”
“I dunno, you tell me.” He said, hanging up the phone and looking at her. “You’re suddenly acting all weird.”
She tried to nonchalantly laugh. “What are you talking about, Kaleb?”
“I mean, your thoughts are jumpy and scattered.” He said, tapping a finger against his temple. “Your eyes keep shifting around, like you’re nervous about something.” He stepped closer and took her hand into his, running his thumb over her palm. “And your hands are all sweaty.”
She laughed nervously. “Just. . .afraid that something might’ve happened to Kiernan and Briana.”
“Now, why would you think that?” he asked. “I mean, people who break into other people’s houses usually don’t kidnap whoever’s there.”
“If they were just regular thieves, why wasn’t anything stolen?” she pointed out. “And you know that we’re being chased. Maybe they found us. Maybe we didn’t kill all of them like we thought. Maybe someone escaped. Or maybe they planted a tracking device on us without us realizing and they’ve been tracking our every move, waiting for the perfect opportunity to grab us.”
“Or maybe this is all an elaborate ruse to get me and my brothers to work for your ROWTAC.” He said.
She froze, staring at him with wide eyes. “What?”
“C’mon, Amber, don’t play with me.” He said, moving over to grab her by the shoulders. He gripped her shoulders tightly, shaking him a little. “Just be straight with me, okay? Just fucking be straight.”
She gulped a little, staring up at him. “I. . .how do you know about ROWTAC?”
“Kiernan. Briana told him.” Kaleb watched her, waiting for her reaction.
She sighed, dropping her gaze down to his chest. “I should’ve known that. She’s really fallen hard for him.”
“So you weren’t planning to tell me at all?” He tried not to look hurt, but she could still sense it.
“I. . .I was debating. Leaning toward telling you but still having issues.” She bit her lip, staring up at him with pleading eyes.
“I see.” He released her shoulders and backed away a step.
“Kaleb, don’t give me that look.” She said softly.
“What look?” He turned away from her and raked his fingers through his hair.
“That look of disappointment.” She answered. “I’m sorry that I was torn between telling you and not. I’ve always put my job, my oath above everything else. It’s hard to just walk away from that.”
“And what exactly is your job?” he snapped, turning to face her, anger flashing in his eyes. “Fucking guys and playing with their heads?”
She glared at him. “Fuck you.”
“I’m pretty sure you already did!” he snapped.
“Oh, don’t act all wounded, Kaleb.” She growled. “Don’t act like this meant anything but a quick fuck to you.”
“Maybe it did the first time.” He snapped. “Maybe it had the potential to become more.”
She took a deep breath, rubbing her forehead. “Look, Kaleb, I’m not used to this. I’ve never had these kinds of feelings for a guy before, so I’m trying to figure out how to deal with this, okay? It’s not that easy.”
“Looks like it was pretty easy for Briana.” He growled.
“Yeah, well, she’s more open than me.” Amber sighed, shaking her head. “Look, whatever, just forget it.”
“How can I? If these jerks are going to come after us, I’ve got to know which side you’re going to play for, ‘cause I don’t want to have to worry about a knife in my back.” He peered at her, trying to gauge her reaction.
She lowered her gaze to the floor for a moment before looking back up at him. “I. . .I don’t know, Kaleb. I can’t make you any guarantees because I just don’t know right now. My heart is telling me one thing and my head is saying something else, and I’ve always been taught to ignore whatever my heart tells me because it doesn’t work with logic and rationality.”
“Yeah, well, whoever told you that must’ve been one fucking cold bastard.” Kaleb grumbled. He glanced at her and then shook his head, a disgusted look on his face, and he began to walk out of the kitchen.
“Wait, Kaleb, where are you going?” she asked, turning to follow him with her eyes.
“Anywhere that isn’t here.” He mumbled as he reached the door.
“What about dinner and dancing?” she asked softly. “Are we still on for that?”
He glanced at her, sadness in his eyes. “How do I know we won’t be ambushed while we’re out and I’ll wake up in some lab with guys in lab coats trying to anally probe me?”
She chuckled softly, one corner of her mouth curling upward into a half-smile. “Our scientists don’t anal probe anyone.” She said softly.
“But you can’t guarantee that you’ll be on my side if we do get ambushed.” He said. “And that’s not good enough for me. Because I can’t go dancing with somebody that I don’t trust. I’m sorry.” He hesitated for a moment, looking as though he wanted to say something, and then shook his head and walked out of the room.
She closed her eyes, feeling her eyes prickle with tears. Dammit, I’m not going to cry. I’m not. she thought. But I think I’ve just really fucked up my one shot at a really great guy.
“Damn you, Roger.” She muttered, a tear spilling down her cheek. “Damn you straight to fucking hell.”