Read Conquest: Rise of the Fifth Horseman (The Fifth Horseman Series Book 1) Online
Authors: Richard M. Mulder
Conquest: Rise of the Fifth Horseman (The Fifth Horseman Series Book 1) (3 page)
Allan
nodded knowingly, “Thank you.”
Lily
flashed a confused look at Allan as he accepted the expensive bottle of wine.
“Are
you ready to order, sir?”
“Yes.”
he feigned a shrug at Lily, “I’ll have the Trofie al Pesto.”
“And
for you, miss?”
“I’ll
have the uhh…” she scanned the menu, “I’ll go with the Tagliatelle al Ragù. And
go light on the bolognese sauce.”
The
waiter nodded, and then winked at Allan before he turned to leave.
“What
was that all about?” Lily queried, pointing at the bottle.
“Oh,
it’s nothing.”
Several
distinct chimes could be heard from Allan’s phone in successive order.
“So
sorry.” he quickly pulled it out, “Let me silence that.”
“Who’s
that?”
“Oh,
it’s just Jen.” he waived it off.
“It’s
good to see that you two are on good terms again.” Lily smiled, “I swear.
Lately you text her more than you text me!”
“Jealous,
much?” he smirked.
“Maybe
a little.”
Allan
couldn’t help but gawk at her alluring beauty. Her lips were plump from the red
lipstick, and the rosie in her cheeks made her skin glow. Her hair glowed with
a brilliant auburn. He felt like the luckiest man alive. It wouldn’t be long
now before this gorgeous woman would be his fiancée.
Lily
caught his eye and her face blushed again, “Why are you staring at me like
that?”
“Like
what?”
“Like
you’re starstruck.”
He
looked away, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She
studied him for a long minute until the waiter returned with their entrees.
“Excellent
timing.” Allan stammered in the awkward silence, “I’m starving.”
They
ate in silence for a few minutes. Allan could feel his phone vibrating with
each of Jen’s incessant messages, and it only made him more nervous.
Here’s
your chance. Go for it.
His
pulse picked up in pace as beads of sweat accumulated on his forehead. The lump
in his jacket pocket appeared to be swelling ominously as the minutes ticked
by. Lily was distracted with her food, so she didn’t notice the several
attempts he made to speak but no words came to his mouth.
“Lily…”
he finally croaked as he wiped his forehead, “You mean the world to me. You
know that?”
“Yes,
of course sweetie.” her eyes lit up.
His
throat felt constricted. He took a long drink of water.
“Is
everything okay?” her eyes locked with his, “I thought you said you were
starving, but you’ve barely touched your food.”
Allan
forced himself to stand.
“Lily,
sweetie.” he reached into his pocket and knelt down on one knee, “You are my
whole world. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
Allan
felt confused by the disturbed look that crossed Lily’s face.
“Please…”
Lily whispered as several other diners stopped to gaze at them, “don’t do this
here.”
It
was too late to backpedal. He gritted his teeth and pushed onward.
“Lily
Thatcher, will you marry me?”
She
stared at him for a long minute. His confidence was waning as her hesitation lingered.
“Please
get up.” she spoke under her breath as they attracted the attention of more
diners, “Let’s talk about this.”
He
stumbled awkwardly as he stood, “Does that mean no?”
“I
don’t know what it means yet.” she winced, “I’ll have to think about it.”
“But…”
Allan stammered as he returned to his seat, “I don’t understand.”
“I
think we need to slow down…” she hesitated as her cell phone began to vibrate, “Hang
on. I need to take this.”
Allan
felt his stomach drop as she stood to answer the call. He opened the box and
stared at the ring in shock.
Lily
covered the mouthpiece, “I’m
so
sorry Allan. I need to take this. Let’s
have a serious conversation later.”
Allan
wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find any words before Lily had already
exited the lobby. The waiter then returned with a bucket of ice and a
corkscrew.
“Would
you like me to wait for your lady friend to return before I pop the cork?”
“No.”
he shook his head with a heavy sigh, “Go ahead. And can you bring me the check?”
“Yes,
sir.” the waiter nodded, “Would you like some boxes too?”
“No
thanks.” Allan hung his head low in defeat, “I’ve lost my appetite.”
Chapter Three: Emergency Extraction
And
God made the firmament. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of
the heaven to divide the light from the darkness, that they might ward off the
darkness of the Leviathan and give light unto the earth: and it was so…
Lily
Thatcher stood and answered the call from the unknown number, “Hello?”
“Agent
Wilson,” Commander Arlington addressed her using her real name and title, “I’m
sorry to disturb you, but it’s an emergency.”
Thank
goodness.
She
covered the mouthpiece and turned back to Allan, “I’m
so
sorry Allan. I
need to take this. Let’s have a serious conversation later.”
Lily
turned and addressed the caller as she walked back to the lobby, “What’s the
problem?”
“One
of our agents was out on assignment gathering intelligence when he accidentally
triggered the security system. Now the whole building is on lockdown and he’s
trapped inside.”
“What
kind of intelligence?”
“It’s
regarding the surveillance of Motif Global Encryption.” he spoke with a hurried
voice, “The police are on their way. You’re the only one skilled enough to get
him out of there before they arrive. I’ve got transportation zeroing in on your
location right now.”
“I’m
on it.” she recognized the unmarked van through the window of the lobby and
waved to Agent Miller in the driver’s seat.
She
rushed outside feeling relieved. Agent Miller smiled as he punched a button on
the dashboard to automatically slide open the side door, “My, my! Don’t
you
look fancy today?”
“I
had a date tonight with one of my assignments.” she stumbled as she nearly
tripped on the uneven pavement, “He proposed.”
“Oh
boy, that’s awkward.” he leaned out the window, “Did you accept?”
“Of
course not.”
She
slid the door shut as they took off with a screech of the tires. The van swayed
as Agent Miller dodged traffic. She threw on the headset and
began tapping away at
the keyboard while her eyes dodged between all six computer monitors. Despite
the swaying of the vehicle, she worked at a rapid pace while several programs
ran simultaneously.
Streams
of coding poured onto the screen as she accessed the back door that she had
long ago created to bypass the company’s security program. Most of the screens
were still running live video feed from multiple cameras hidden throughout the
headquarters of Motif Global Encryption. On each screen she could make out
flashing red strobe lights going off in alarm.
“This
doesn’t look good.” she murmured.
“Brandi?”
a familiar voice called over the headset.
“It’s
Lily now.” she corrected as her eyebrows furrowed, “Jason? Is that you?”
“Yes.”
he muttered, “But I go by Brian now. I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”
“Where
are you?” she began flipping through the surveillance footage.
“I’m
in Timur Demyan’s office.”
She
located the live video feed, “What’s with the scraggly beard? You look
terrible.”
He
jerked his head around in surprise.
“I’ve
got the whole building rigged with hidden cameras.” she explained.
“How
soon can you get me out of here?”
“I’ve
almost finished bypassing the security program. I’ll have you free in two
minutes.” she paused, “Thanks for freeing me from my date.”
“A
date, eh?” he interrogated her, “With who? Is it serious? Do I know him?”
“I
told you, save your breath. We’ll catch up later.”
“Now
you’re being evasive.”
“Now
I’m saving your life.” she corrected.
“And
also being evasive.”
“It’s
nothing serious.” she rolled her eyes, “Details later. For now, just shut up.”
Lily
continued to hammer away at the keyboard as she felt the speeding van violently
swaying through traffic. A few minutes passed before Jason finally broke the
silence.
“So... since I’m in the
area, I was hoping I could ask you out.” he suggested sheepishly, “Just like old
times.”
“Well…
umm…” she paused, “That’s going to be a bit difficult, seeing as how Allan just
proposed tonight.”
“Wait…
what?”
he stammered, “You didn’t yes, did you?”
“Of
course not.” she scoffed, “Accepting an arrangement like that would only be at my
commander’s direction.”
“Then
how about dinner tomorrow night? Just like old times.”
“I’m
afraid I’ll have to pass.”
“I’m
confused.” his eyebrows furrowed, “You told him no, correct?”
“I
told him I’d have to think about it.”
“That’s
ridiculous.” he scoffed, “You and I both know it won’t go anywhere.”
She
had no words. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t get attached to Allan, but
her heart had different plans.
“You
don’t actually plan on accepting his proposal, do you?”
“Well,
I… uhh…”
“You
can’t be serious.” he stammered, “What about
us
?”
“That
was a long time ago. I’ve moved on.”
A
look of dismay crossed his face, “But you promised!”
“I
know I did.” she sighed, “And I’m sorry.”
“What’s
gonna happen if he finds out who you really are?” he seethed.
“Well
I…” she stammered as she entered the final algorithm she needed, “I hadn’t
really thought about that.”
“Let
me tell you what will happen.” he spoke adamantly, “If he stumbles across even
the tiniest piece of your true background, you will get reassigned and you will
never see your
boyfriend
again.”
She
let those words simmer in her mind as the van screeched to a halt. She slid the
door open just a crack and recognized her surroundings. She could hear police
sirens in the distance.
“Jason,
let’s focus.” she grabbed the headset to speak clearly, “I need you to listen
to me carefully. The police are almost here.”
“Go
ahead.”
“I’ve
disabled the magnetic lock on the door to your right. Leave Timur’s office and
go to the end of the hallway.” she instructed, “I have overridden the security
protocols and have sent an elevator to meet you. Take this elevator to level C
of the parking garage, and I will meet you there.”
“Roger
that.” he saluted.
“And
most importantly, don’t get caught.”
And
God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser
light to rule the night. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to
prevent the darkness of the Leviathan from taking its desired hold upon the
earth…
Allan
Young awoke with a loud gasp of breath. Cold sweat glistened from his forehead
and the silver light emanating from his wide eyes slowly dimmed. The nightmare
had been so real. Staring at his hands, he clenched them tightly together to
fight off the swarming visions from the night.
Laying
his head in his hands, he took several deep breaths. Multiple nights in a row
he had woken up from similar overwhelming dreams. The only thing he could
sensibly attribute them to was stress.
Sitting
on his dresser was a picture of Lily. He sighed heavily and tipped the photo
face-down. His thoughts turned to the big event last night when he got down on
one knee in the middle of their favorite restaurant and proposed marriage to
her.
What
went wrong?
Every
single scenario he had envisioned over the past few weeks couldn’t have
prepared him for last night’s disaster. A pain throbbed from his core as he
stared at the empty sheets next to him, and his mind couldn’t help but imagine
running his fingers through her gorgeous red hair. He took several deep breaths
in an attempt to fill the emptiness he felt inside.
He
squinted as the digits ‘5:16’ glowed from the clock atop his dressers and
fumbled for the aspirin in his nightstand. With a large swig of the leftover
stale wine, he downed four pills and tossed the empty bottle aside. His head
continued to throb as he got out of bed and switched off the alarm that had
been set for 6:00 AM. He stretched high into the air and knocked an empty pizza
box onto the floor. He was tempted to call in today, but considering his
precarious situation at work he knew it would be extremely unwise.
Stripping
off his undershirt, he kicked aside several empty cans of beer and entered the
bathroom. He absently applied shaving cream to his face even though it was still
smooth from the night before.
His
mind was preoccupied by the disturbing dreams he had been having lately. Each
one was different in nature, but all of them had a reoccurring theme. Trapped
inside the head of one person or another, a dark voice directed and controlled
all of his actions. Every time he woke it felt like he had just returned from
some type of out-of-body experience. The dark voice seemed to echo in his mind
as if from an old memory…
Allan
studied himself in the mirror as he cupped his hands under the faucet and he
rinsed the remains of shaving cream from his face. He felt very unnerved. These
strange dreams were beginning to get the better of him. He worried that they were
even affecting him at work.
As Allan made the trip
to his office at Beckster & Lewis Law Firm, he followed his standard
routine by playing the previous evening’s messages over his car speakers via
Bluetooth. He always silenced his phone after five o’clock each evening as he
left the office in order to maintain a separation between his work life and
personal life. There were seven messages in all.
The first message was
from his secretary, “...and you have a meeting with Mr. Jenner this morning at
8:00 AM, followed by your meeting with Mr. Demyan at 9:00 AM to sign the
securities contract...”
Everything hinges on
that contract getting signed today. Nothing else matters.
The next message began,
“Allan, it’s Jeff. What ever happened to your promise that you would finish
filing the Jerry case today? I’m very disappointed in you. Meet me upstairs in
my office tomorrow morning. We need to have a chat.”
How did I forget that
again?
Allan moaned as a
sinking feeling hit the pit of his stomach. He made a mental note to add this
task to the top of his priority list. He gripped the steering wheel tighter as
he waited second-in line at the excruciatingly long stoplight. He didn’t
hesitate to slam on his horn when the car ahead of him continued to sit for a
few seconds after the light turned green.
The next message began,
“Ha! I knew you’d flake out again! Jeff just handed me the Jerry case. Sucker!”
“Arrg!” Allan slammed
his fist on his horn at the taxi driver who had just cut him off.
Of course he gave it to
Brad! He’s been gunning for my promotion ever since he got here. That
partnership is rightfully mine!
The next message began,
“This is a message for Mr. Allan Young. My name is Greg, and I’m calling from
the Pre-Legal Department of Asset Portfolio Solutions in regards to a personal
business matter of yours that requires your immediate attention. Please contact
me as soon as possible at 1-800-293-7600. This is an attempt to collect a debt
by a debt collector, and any information obtained will be used for that
purpose.”
“You’ve got to be
kidding me.” Allan scoffed as he slammed on the gas pedal and flew through a
red light, “It’s in their Pre-Legal Department already? I’m only three months
behind!”
The next message, “Hey
Allan, it’s Megan. I just heard about the Jerry case. Is everything okay at
home? You seem to be slipping from your game.” she paused and cooed, “Do you
need to talk? Maybe we can meet for lunch today? You know I’m always here for
you.”
Allan smirked at the
thought.
She’s such a little
flirt. Maybe I should…
He stared incredulously
at the two cars ahead of him that were driving slowly in tandem. He slammed on
his horn multiple times until one of them pulled off onto the shoulder. He
screeched past them, and felt slightly guilty when he realized the driver must
be in his late sixties.
The next message, “This
is a message for Mr. Allan Young. My name is Jennifer, and I’m calling from the
Loss Mitigation Department of Suburban Home Loans in regards to an important
personal business matter of yours. I can be reached directly at (773) 429-8143.
This is an attempt to collect a debt…”
“Not the mortgage too!”
Allan slammed on his breaks as another taxi driver cut him off.
I thought the bank
would clear that check. I’ve gotta get that contract signed today!
As the last message
began to play, Allan stared intently at his phone, willing it to make more
sense. The voice on the other end shouldn’t have been there.
“…I know we haven’t
spoken in a long time, but I need your help. I’ve stumbled across some
disturbing information…”
He shook his head in
disbelief as he recognized the voice of his long-forsaken best friend. He hadn’t
spoken to Jason in over ten years, nor had he any intention of gaining contact
with him ever again. Though he and Jason had practically been brothers during
their many years together at Harvard University, only a few weeks before
graduation they suffered a nasty falling-out over the same girl. They hadn’t
spoken to each other since.
Allan jolted from the
sound of a loud horn from behind. He had gotten so distracted by the disturbing
message that he hadn’t noticed when the light turned green.
The automated system
continued to play, “...To hear the message header information, press five...”
Intrigued, he pressed the number 5 on his keypad. “...Message from phone number
(630) 543-2534, received today, August third at 4:46 AM.”
Why would Jason try to
call me after all these years, let alone at such an early hour?
Troubled, Allan stewed
over his options. Buckingham Fountain wasn’t very far from his office. He was
dreading the idea of facing Jeff’s wrath anyway, so taking a slight detour
through Grant Park might be a good way to de-stress before he had to stand
before the chopping block.
This had better be
important.