Secret of Betrayal: Book Two of The Destroyer Trilogy (26 page)

“No, it won’t, sir,” Braden says. “The photo has
to show the diktats newly
raised
. They can spot a fake
easily. They’re checking every report very carefully these days. It will be
flagged and both you and the boy’s family will be punished.”

“But if I go the second route and tell them you
did another Inquest, they’ll suspect me of being a sympathizer and they’ll know
you’re gathering Ciphers. The boy has a chance of staying safe that way, but
it’s the most risky for everyone else,” he says.

“Put in your report that they ran and came to
me, not the other way around. It’s something of a buffer for you, at least,” I
say knowing it isn’t much.

The old Inquisitor shakes his head. “I’ll let
them decide. None of the options are great, but they’re all better than
watching this young man die. Come on in.”

He pushes the door open, and a wave of panic
blasts out of the room and hits me. I take a step back without thinking and run
into the support of Braden. He gently pushes me forward.
The
strength and calm flowing into me from him working to counteract the intense
emotions.
I pull myself together and take in the huddled group of three
sitting on a chaise against the far wall. They are terrified. Inquisitor
Rutherford ambles over to them and starts speaking with them quietly, relating
everything I just explained to him.

The parents grow even grimmer as he speaks. The
poor young man looks lost in the shock of the experience. Their discussion
seems to last forever, but in reality, Inquisitor Rutherford comes back to me
only a few minutes later. “They don’t want their son being hunted. They want to
try admitting they came to you for help and hope for the best. But if the best
doesn’t work out, they’ll call you.”

“I’ll make sure they have all my contact numbers
before I leave,” I say.

He nods and goes back to the family. He almost
has to drag the young man back to the seat. My heart breaks as I watch him
slump into the chair with a blank expression. I wonder what he was hoping to
hear tonight. What dreams of his have been crushed? Pulling away from Braden’s
steady presence, I kneel in front of him.

“What’s your name?” I ask.

It takes him a few moments to respond. “Dean
Whittaker.”

“Hi, Dean, I’m Libby Sparks. It’s nice to meet
you.” I offer him my hand. He just stares at it. I know he’s too numb even to
process being polite, but I keep my hand extended. I need him to focus and come
back to himself before I start. Inquests are ten times harder with an unwilling
body and spirit. I have to count to thirty-three before he finally shakes my
hand. He even manages to look at me.

“Dean, I know this has been a difficult morning
for you, but I need you to be strong for just a little longer, okay?”

He nods.

Pushing up from my knees, I take the seat
opposite him. He doesn’t resist when I take his hands in mine. My own nervous
anxiety begins to break through my control. Will he be the same as Milo? I have
no idea. I could certainly use more Milos. I don’t know what to expect, though.
Dean could end up with only a single talent and the lowest class and name, too.
It’s time to find out.

All of my talents, with the exception of
Perception, bury themselves deep inside me after I open the Inquest as simply
as possible. I remember having to really concentrate on pushing my Perception
into Milo when I did his second Inquest. My practice sessions must be paying
off because it is much easier this time. Or it could just be having Braden near
me. I sweep through Dean quickly and feel a smile growing on my face.

“Dean, you have been gifted with many talents,
Speed, Strength, Concealment, Spiritualism, Naturalism, and Perception. You
have been blessed with so many talents because you are meant to do great things
in your life. Your purpose is to help restore fairness and equity to a world
that has lost its way. You are a member of the Guardian Class, and your true
name comes from the Warrior line. Your name even means warrior. You are Kai.”

I keep holding his hands through the painful
experience of the diktats forming on his left wrist. His grip digs into my
hands, but I don’t let go. Slowly, the agony levels out and his fingers uncurl
from mine. The sullen, almost vacant, expression is gone. He starts to pull
away from me, but I encourage him to wait and watch. He doesn’t seem to know
what to watch for until his diktats start darkening to the obsidian color that
marks him as one of mine. Amazement lights up his features. Dean turns his
wrist back and forth as he stares at it. I don’t think the fact that he is
bound to the most hated person in the world has really sunk in yet. He’s too
shocked by the nearly complete ring of diktats on his wrist to process anything
else. That’s probably best for now.

His parents rush over to him, and I step back.
Braden is already taking care of giving Inquisitor Rutherford our contact
information. I’m ready to slip out the door and let Dean and his parents enjoy
whatever happiness that can without me hovering nearby when Dean’s voice stops
me.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” he asks.

“I’ve given the Inquisitor all my information.
You can contact me any time, Dean. I’ll definitely be checking in on you often,
as well.” I need as much help as possible. Turning new Ciphers will be much
harder than the ones who’ve been locked up for years.

“Contact you?” Dean asks. “What are you talking
about? I’m coming with you. You told Inquisitor Rutherford the Guardians might
still come after me. I can’t stay here and put my family in danger.”

His mother gasps and starts crying again. I
don’t start crying, but I’m surprised as well. “Dean, are you sure? You’ll be
leaving everyone you know behind.”

“I’ll still be able to call my parents and my
friends, but if the Guardians do come after me, being with you is going to be
the safest place for me. If they never come, I can come back home, but I think
I should go with you for now.”

I can’t argue with his reasoning. His parents
look absolutely crushed, but I think they both realize what the alternative
might be. Their son is alive, even if he won’t be with them. At the very least,
he can stay with us until we’re sure the Guardians aren’t going to snatch him.
Training with the other guys ensure sure that if he wants to go back at some
point, he won’t be an easy target. I turn to Braden for reassurance.

He nods with a sad frown. “We knew taking him
back was going to be the safest option before we came. I don’t want to make him
leave any more than you do, but if he’s willing to come … I guess we should
take him. His parents won’t be able to protect him. It will be what happened to
Milo all over again.”

I know he can’t like the idea of pulling this
kid away from his family, given how familiar he is with feeling abandoned, but
it needs to be done. Still, I hesitate. Braden wraps his hand around mine and
squeezes it tightly. At least we both understand what he’s about to go through.
Together we can help him survive this break.

“Okay, Dean, if you’re sure, we’ll take you back
with us. Go ahead and get whatever you need and say goodbye. Unfortunately we
don’t have a lot of time.” With my rigid schedule and the fact that Inquisitor
Moore needs his jet back by tonight, it’s going to be a rushed farewell for
Dean. But to be perfectly honest, leaving immediately might be better.

Two hours later, Dean’s bags are being stored on
the jet. Arrangements have been made for him to change schools and stay with a
family friend in Albuquerque. Goodbyes have been made without knowing how long they
will have to last. Dean is brave and strong through all of it. He’s only
sixteen, though. In front of his parents he holds it together, but as soon as
the jet’s doors close he asks for some privacy. The flight attendant is kind
enough to escort him to a private chamber where he probably broke down.

Even more drained than before, I find myself
sitting in my seat staring blankly ahead of me. Silent prayers drift from my
mind that there aren’t very many other Ciphers out there waiting to be found. I
don’t think I can survive having to do this very often. When Braden sits down
next to me I hesitate moving away from him. His presence calls out to me. The
promise of peace proves too hard to resist. My head falls against his shoulder
as my eyes close in search of sleep where I can forget about breaking up
families and being hunted by Guardians. My skin hums with the contact, but the
guilt for allowing myself this one indulgence surfaces as well. This has
nothing to do with Braden, I tell myself firmly as my mind drifts toward
blackness. I just really need some sleep.

Chapter 2
0

The Real Question

I don’t bother knocking. The Hanover home
adopted an open door policy a while ago. They had to. With everyone on our team
roaming in and out at random hours, I think Milo’s mom got tired of answering
the door so often. I’m not even sure if she’s here right now. Usually a little
flighty, Mrs. Hanover has really buckled down lately trying to coordinate with
the Inquisitors and Cipher families who’ve agreed to help us with getting safe
houses set up, choosing handlers to pick the Ciphers up once they’re rescued
and then look after them, figuring out how to keep their presence as secret as
possible, and dealing with the never-ending questions and phone calls from the
Ciphers’ families. Even when she is here, she’s practically always on the
phone. I really hope she has unlimited minutes on her cell phone.

Pushing the door shut behind me, the raucous
banter spilling out of the den makes me shake my head. I pause just outside the
doorway and listen to them. Lance is by far the loudest and most adamant, but
Milo is a close second. Lance has always been a bit too pushy, though. He takes
after his dad, thinking he has some God-given right to take control of every
situation. When Lance argues back it annoys me, but he usually ends up being
right. Milo will stand up for what he believes in no matter what. He isn’t
always right, but I do love his conviction.

The argument raging between the two of them is
about the route through the Guardian compound. It’s the same thing they’ve been
arguing about since we got the schematics. I’ve spent as much time going over
them as anyone, but these two have almost turned it into a competition to see
who can find the route first. Dean can’t even get two words out before one or
the other of them is talking over him. Cole, my miniature vigilante who keeps
worming his way into these kinds of meetings, is being completely ignored by
everyone but Braden. The two of them sit off to the side as Braden goes over
the schematics with him, pointing out different areas of the compound. I wonder
if Braden is even listening to Lance and Milo.

I’m fairly familiar with everything they’re
discussing, and even though I’ve only heard the tail end of the conversation I
can tell Lance’s idea is much better than Milo’s. Still, Milo keeps pushing it.
Lance sounds as if he’s about ready to punch Milo if he doesn’t shut up. I sigh
in frustration. I don’t understand why Milo is acting like this. It’s been
happening a lot more often lately. Small issues become big fights with him for
no reason at all. He argues with me often enough as he always has when he
thinks I’m wrong, but now it happens with everyone else too. He’s so focused on
getting the Ciphers out and on hurting the Guardians that he pushes and pushes
to move forward regardless of whether it’s the right path. I don’t like it.

This doesn’t look as if it’s going to end any
time soon, so I step forward to break it up just as Braden says, “Guys, that’s
enough.”

You would think Braden bossing them like that
would only make things worse. Surprisingly enough, Milo and Lance both back
down. I don’t know how long that will last, though, so I walk into the room and
the conversation dies away immediately.

Lance takes in my heels and black satin dress
with one raised eyebrow. Dean looks up from the plans and stares at me for a
second before going back to them. Cole is still absorbed in the schematics that
will hopefully help us get his brother back home. Braden, he’s a different story.
I don’t even have to look at him to know he’s watching me. I can feel the slow
caress of his emotions sliding over me from here. Not closing my eyes and
relishing it goes way beyond difficult. At least I can feel confident that Milo
has his shield up so he can’t feel what I’m feeling. I keep my shield in place
to buffer out most of the emotional noise I feel, but not all of it. I still
like to be aware of what people are feeling around me just in case I need to
prepare myself for a bad or dangerous reaction.

“What are you all dressed up for?” Lance asks.

“It’s Milo’s birthday,” I say with a smile. I’ve
been waiting for this all week. “We’re going out to dinner.”

“Huh?” Milo asks, looking over at me. My smile
falters just a bit as I realize he didn’t even notice me come in. Now he does,
though. His eyes light up as they travel up to my eyes. The argument he was
having a few minutes ago seems to have been forgotten completely. Standing, he
walks over to me and slips his arms around my waist. “You look amazing.”

“Thanks,” I say, trying and failing to keep my
eyes from flitting over to Braden. His expression is perfectly neutral, but I
know by now that only means he’s making a conscious effort not to betray
anything. The low hum of jealousy surrounding him makes me snap my eyes back to
Milo. That’s when I see what
he’s
wearing. He’s still in jeans and a
t-shirt. The corner of my mouth twitches as I realize he forgot about our date
tonight. “Do you need a minute to change? I guess I’m a little early.”

I try to say it as casually as possible, but my
disappointment in him resonates in my tone. Heads duck or turn to avoid me. I
ignore them. People forget. Milo has been busy. He’s working so hard on finding
a way to get the Ciphers out that I can hardly blame him for being distracted.