The Price of Disrespect (Gray Spear Society Book 6) (15 page)

"What sort of room would you like, ma'am?" Rosenblum said.

"Big, I guess," Tawni said. After a moment of thought, she added, "But not close to Mr. Berrycloth's other friends. They're not my friends."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I have a question. How many floors does this hotel have?"

"Twenty," he replied.

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely. Why?"

"Just checking," she said.

Chapter Six

As Aaron walked past his kitchen, he glanced through the door. Leanna and Wesley were seated close together at the table again. Loose papers littered the area around them.

Aaron walked in. "More math?"

"Yes, sir," Wesley said. "I love it. The truth is so pure. It's not messed up with human emotion and weakness."

Aaron took a closer look at the math problems. Wesley was still working on algebra, but it was even more advanced than before, bordering on calculus. Leanna was smiling proudly at him.

"Make sure to eat dinner," Aaron said.

"Yes, sir," Leanna said. "In a few minutes."

"Leanna..."

"I won't forget this time. I promise."

Aaron left the kitchen and continued down the hallway. He was looking for Smythe. Aaron found him in the computer room next to Bethany's workstation. Bethany was in her chair, typing on her keyboard.

"What's up?" Aaron said.

"We're picking who I'm going to examine tomorrow, sir," Smythe said.

Lists of names were displayed on Bethany's screens. A short description beside each name included details like whether the person was in jail.

"Take a break from that. You and I have to call L.A.," Aaron said.

Smythe followed Aaron back to his office. Smythe began to reconfigure the video conference system to connect to Los Angeles instead of San Francisco. Both men used the same equipment to talk to their girlfriends.

While Smythe fiddled with the controls, Aaron said, "We can't tell Yule about Wesley."

"Why not, sir?" Smythe said. "That seems like the most important thing to mention."

"The location of the Child is very sensitive information. Too sensitive."
And I already made that mistake with Marina,
Aaron added silently.

"Then I'll just be quiet."

Aaron sat on the stool in front of the camera, and Smythe stood behind his commander.

Odelia appeared at the other end of the video link first. Her skin was a delicate pink color that made it seem like she was always blushing slightly. Her hair was so white and straight it looked artificial. The odd color of her eyes always reminded Aaron of dried blood.

Smythe sighed.

"Aaron?" she said. "What are you doing on the line, sir?"

"Get your boss," Aaron replied.

She frowned and disappeared from view. A short time later, she reappeared, accompanied by Yule.

The commander of Los Angeles had the most remarkable eyes of anybody in the Society as far as Aaron knew. They were three times larger than normal and looked like they had come from a cat. The pupils were vertical slits as large as a camera lens. Not only did Yule have fantastic night vision, but he could see details at extreme distances.

"Aaron!" he said. "It's good to see you again. I presume this unexpected call is regarding Odelia's visit tomorrow?"

Aaron nodded. "We have a chaotic situation here. We just moved into our new headquarters. I have a troublesome new recruit. We have an ongoing investigation that could easily turn into a full scale mission. And there's something else so important I can't even tell you about it."

"You don't want Odelia to come?"

"That's not true at all. I could really use her help right now. However, she'll be walking into a dangerous, messy situation. It will be a business trip. She'll go out on assignments with the rest of my team. In other words, I can't guarantee she'll come home safely. If you don't want to expose her to that risk, I'll understand. I know how valuable she is to you."

"I see." Yule nodded.

Aaron waited for a response. Yule could be a deep thinker at times.

"I have several answers," Yule said. "First, I have complete confidence that you and Smythe will take very good care of my Odelia. I see no reason not to trust you with her safety. I know for a fact Smythe would sacrifice his own life to save her. And, of course, few commanders are as brilliant as you."

"Thank you," Aaron said.

"And I still owe you my life. If Odelia's services can serve as a token of repayment, then so be it. Finally, she's a
legionnaire
. It's not her job to be kept safe. If the Lord's enemies are active in Chicago, then she must be there. In fact, I demand it."

Aaron smiled. "You're a good friend. If you need Smythe's help with an emergency situation, or my help, don't hesitate to call. Odelia, I can't tell you what you'll find when you get here, but expect some big surprises."

Odelia grimaced. "Yes, sir. I'll try to get a good night's sleep."

"That's all. Good bye." He stood up and turned off the conference system.

* * *

A knock on the door of her hotel room made Tawni jump up with excitement.

"I'll be right there!" she yelled.

She ran to the door and opened it. A man in a tuxedo was waiting outside with two rolling carts full of food.

"Come in." She stepped out of the way.

The carts were pulled in. Savory aromas were already making her mouth water. She had gone through the room service menu and had ordered every single item that had appealed to her. The bill had totaled over a thousand dollars, but she had just charged it to "Mr. Berrycloth."

There was far too much food. In retrospect, she realized she had gone overboard, and most of it would go to waste. She didn't care though. It was Aaron's money, not hers. Screw him.

The waiter laid out a place setting for her at the desk. After everything was arranged properly, he stood with his hand out.

"Oh," she said. "A tip."

She took the cash roll from her pocket and peeled off a hundred dollar bill. She felt like a real player.

The waiter accepted it and bowed slightly. "Thank you, ma'am." He left the room.

She sat at the desk and rubbed her hands together. There were almost too many good ways to start her feast. A five pound lobster tempted her, but the shell looked tough, and she didn't want to fight with it. That would be a project for later. She went for the crispy duck instead. One bite of the succulent skin confirmed she had made an excellent choice.

She admired the hotel suite as she chewed. It was bigger than her mother's entire apartment. A king-sized bed was in a separate bedroom with its own bathroom. All the furnishings were upholstered in plush black, gold, or blue fabric. Giant televisions were visible from every spot. There was even plenty of space to entertain guests. She could easily get used to living here.

By the time she reached her third course, she was slowing down. She could feel her stomach bulging. Most of the food hadn't been touched, and that lobster was still waiting.

She noticed a pair of large, black shoes on the floor in front of her. A man was standing in them. She raised her head and saw a black, shaggy beard and black sunglasses.

She gulped. "Carlos."

Somehow he had entered her room and had walked up to her without her noticing. She had a clear view of the door. She was fairly certain it had never opened. He blocked out the light with his huge body.

"Hello, Tawni," he said in a voice that sounded like wind blowing through the streets of the city. It wasn't a human voice.

Her hands were shaking as she put her fork down, but she kept a steak knife. "How did you get in here?"

"I go where I want to go. I came to give you a message."

"What?"

"Protect the Child," he said. "His life is more important than yours."

She didn't like the message or how he had delivered it. She thrust out her chin and put on a brave face. "I've met guys like you before. Your tough attitude doesn't scare me. I bet you're soft. What are you hiding behind those sunglasses? Pretty blue eyes?" She sneered.

He took off his sunglasses. She screamed in terror and fell off her chair. He didn't have eyeballs or even flesh. Behind the sunglasses were the bony eye sockets of a dry human skull.

"Protect the Child." He took a step forward.

She scrambled backwards until she bumped against a wall. He continued forward and walked through the desk as if it didn't exist. His joints didn't bend in the usual places.

"Protect the Child," Carlos stated again.

Tawni lurched forward and stabbed him in the thigh with her knife. It felt like she was punching through hard leather. There was no blood. He didn't flinch or show any other reaction. She yanked out the knife and left a gaping hole in his thick hide. There was only dark emptiness inside him. His body was completely hollow.

"Protect the Child!" His voice sounded like a tornado ripping apart a house.

She shielded her face with her hands. "Yes, I will! Yes, sir! Whatever you want, sir! I'll protect him." She whimpered. "Please, go away."

He walked off. He left the room through the door without bothering to open it. He simply passed straight through it.

She remained curled in a fetal position, shaking with terror. Gradually, her heart rate slowed down. She wasn't dead. She forced herself to stand up even though her legs felt like overcooked noodles. It took all her self-control to not throw up.

Anger slowly replaced her fear. It wasn't fair. She hadn't volunteered to work for Aaron. She didn't deserve to be bullied by him or monsters like Carlos. Everybody in the Gray Spear Society was treating her like yesterday's garbage.

She wasn't garbage. She kicked over one of the carts full of food, and plates flew half-way across the room.

"Enough of this bullshit!" she yelled. "I'm out of here."

She ran to the door and left.

* * *

Aaron stood in the darkened security booth of his headquarters. He was looking over Jack's shoulder at a video monitor. Both of them had just witnessed the conversation between Carlos and Tawni.

Aaron pressed a button on the console and spoke into a microphone. "Smythe, come to the security booth immediately."

Half a minute later, Smythe walked into the booth. He was wearing a gray sweat suit, and there was perspiration on his forehead.

"What's happening, sir?"

"Tawni just had a meeting with Carlos," Aaron said.

Smythe widened his eyes. "Was she hurt?"

"Just scared half to death. She ran off."

"Do you want me to stop her?"

"No," Aaron said. "I ordered her to stay, and she's disobeying me. She needs to learn a lesson."

"Are you going to teach her a lesson?"

"God will be her instructor tonight."

"How do you know that, sir?" Smythe said.

"This equation has only one solution."

Smythe gave his boss an odd look. "What do you want me to do?"

"Follow her," Aaron said. "Make sure she doesn't die, but don't be too quick to save her. Wait until she pays a price for her disrespect. You had to pay a similar price as I recall."

Smythe looked down. "I still have the scars on my back."

"You could ask Odelia to heal them."

"No. They make sure I don't forget." Smythe took a deep breath and nodded. "I know what to do, sir."

"She still has her phone, so she'll be easy to follow. Go."

Smythe rushed out the door.

* * *

Tawni stood in front of the yellow brick apartment building where her mother lived. She mashed on the door buzzer repeatedly.

"Hello?" Ladona's voice sounded tinny through the speaker.

"Mom!" Tawni said. "It's me. Open the door."

She heard footsteps coming down the stairs. The door opened.

As soon as Ladona saw her daughter, she said, "What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you inside."

Tawni hurried up the stairs and entered her mother's apartment. Seeing tokens from her childhood scattered around the room calmed her down a little. A watercolor painting of a squirrel was framed and hung on the wall. She had made out with a boy for the first time on this couch. Every time she had received an "A" on a test in school, Ladona had taped it to the old-fashioned, steel fridge until the metal had been completely covered. Some papers were still there.

Tawni sat on a chair. Her mother stood with her arms crossed.

"You look like you saw a ghost."

"I think I did." Tawni sniffed and nodded.

"What's going on? Why were those military police with you this afternoon?"

Tawni didn't know where to begin. It had been the craziest day of her life. She still didn't believe some of the stuff that had happened even though she had seen it with her own eyes.

"They weren't really military police."

"Who were they?" Ladona said.

"It's hard to explain. They're called the Gray Spear Society. They act like spies but I don't think they work for the government. They told me they work for God. They own a nice hotel by the airport, and the top floor is their secret headquarters. And they have a lot of money."

"Strange. What do they want with you?"

"They made me join," Tawni said. "I'm one of them now."

"Maybe you should talk to the police."

Ladona walked over to the window and looked outside. She furrowed her brow.

"I don't think that would help," Tawni said. "They're friends with the cops. What are you looking at?"

"A green car is parked across the street. Two guys were sitting in it all day, but I don't see them now."

"What kind of guys?"

"They looked like gangsters," Ladona said.

Tawni went over to the window. She spotted a big, green Cadillac with chromed rims. "Sweet ride."

Smoke was puffing from the tailpipe even though nobody was in the car. That detail troubled her. She decided to stay by the window and watch.

"How did you meet these spies?"

"I was out with some friends the other night," Tawni said. "Aaron saw me and talked to me. He's the boss."

"Does he want to sleep with you?" Ladona said.