Unhidden (The Gatekeeper Chronicles Book 1) (6 page)

“That was just pure luck,” Jason answered. “You know we had a chopper on standby about five miles away, so we radioed the guy. He picked us up within ten minutes, and we flew in a spiral, increasing our distance, and looked for signs of life. It was hard to see through the canopy, but as the sun started to come up, we saw Jeeps parked in a clearing. I guess, even if the guy who had you could travel instantaneously, his hired muscle couldn’t. So we rappelled from the chopper and tracked them on foot until we found the cave. About six, heavily-armed guards stood on patrol, but we had the element of surprise, camouflage and long-range rifles. The rest is history,” he said with satisfaction, leaning back in his seat and putting his arms behind his head. I thought he even used the movement to flex his biceps for a quick, obnoxious display of his musculature.

“Okay,” I nodded, satisfied I at least knew as much as they did about what had happened. “Daniel, in the future, we’ll need a way to track each other in the event something like this happens again.”

“Sure,” he responded, perking up at the prospect of a new project. “I can have GPS chips sewn into our armor, or maybe affixed to our weapons. I’ll have to think of the best place to put them, but I’m on it.”

I had first come across Daniel Parkson when he was a twelve-year-old kid being fostered in the same home I had been assigned. The first day I had met him, he was wearing a
World of Warcraft
T-shirt, playing X-Box in the dingy basement, and in desperate need of a haircut. I would soon learn that every day was pretty much identical to that one.

Daniel was also a computer genius. He had hidden behind his electronics as a way of shutting himself away from our foster father. I soon became Daniel’s protector and surrogate mother, and when I had turned eighteen, I promised him I would get him out. As soon as I had finished basic training and was assigned to my first military base, I had kept that promise.

Daniel pointed at my hands and the amulet that I was absently caressing with my thumbs. “What’s that? You were clutching it with a death grip when we found you. We couldn’t pry it out of your fingers.” His line of questioning brought my attention back to the object.

“I have no idea,” I whispered, turning it over in my hands for the thousandth time, getting lost in its etchings.

Daniel’s voice broke into my thoughts. “Can I see it?” He asked it innocently enough, and I had absolutely no reason to question handing it over for his inspection, but a shadow welled up in my mind that was suspicious, possessive. It caused me to clutch the amulet tighter and lean slightly away from Daniel.

This is ridiculous
, I thought. Next thing I knew, I’d be calling it “My Precious.”

I forced my fingers to relax and handed it over.

Daniel inspected it in the same manner I had, then shrugged and handed it back. “I have no clue, either, but maybe you can take it to an expert.”

I raised my eyebrows. “What, like a museum or Sotheby’s?” I had no intention of putting it on display or auctioning it off to the highest bidder, no matter how ancient and priceless it was.

“Hell no. What would they know about something like this? It’s clearly tied to ritualistic magic. I was thinking you should take it to that shop on 53rd, Alfreda’s Antiquarian Bookshop. The owner is very knowledgeable. She has a large collection of ancient texts that might contain some relevant information.”

With a sparkle in his eye, as if he was trying to hold back a laugh, Jason said, “Isn’t that a witch store that sells crystals and shit like that?”

“Yes,” replied Daniel, offended, “but they sell a lot more than that. They have a whole section in the back where they sell legitimate mystical objects. I’m telling you, the owner is the real deal, an expert. What can it hurt to stop in and have the necklace checked out?”

Not wanting to cause an argument, I simply told Daniel I would think about it. He seemed satisfied by that response and all but stuck his tongue out at Jason in a childish “I win!” gesture. Daniel then excused himself to get to his Friday night XBox Live gaming session of Halo.

As soon as the curtain closed behind Daniel, I could all but feel Jason’s artificially inflated ego deflate. The real man came out as his piercing gold eyes met mine with something sincere behind them, and even more than the crazy Mexico mission, it utterly terrified me.

“R
emember going through basic training together?” he asked with a smile

“Yeah, of course,” I responded, unsure where he was going with this.

“Man, I really didn’t like you back then,” he recalled with a smirk.

“That’s just because you couldn’t handle being beaten by a girl,” I quipped in return. “I bet I can still do more pull-ups than you.”

“Maybe,” he laughed. “You know, it wasn’t until we were forced to team up for Sandhurst that I really started to respect you. I realized then that we were far better together than we were apart.”

“Mmm,” I responded noncommittally, staring down at my drink.

Sandhurst Military Skills Competition was a two-day competition among international military teams in activities such as obstacle course navigation, weapons handling, and rifle marksmanship. Jason and I had known that, in order to win, teamwork was going to be an essential element of the challenge. We had entered the competition as enemies and finished it as allies, the competition bringing us together like nothing else ever could. We had learned to trust and rely on each other and became inseparable after that.

“Emma, we’ve been together a long time, and most of that time has been really good, then it became amazing … or, at least I thought so. I know things haven’t been that way between us lately, but you know how I still feel about you.”

I took a long pull of my drink, eyes laser-focused on the ring of condensation my glass had left behind on the table.

When I didn’t respond, he continued, “I was really worried about you this time, Em. I’ve never seen you hurt before. I didn’t think it could ever happen. I don’t want to lose you.”

I knew he was no longer talking about the mission.

“You’re not going to lose me, Jason. We’ve been friends for a long time, and that’s not going to change. We’re just going through a rough patch. We’ll get past it.”

He turned away momentarily, although not before I saw the flash of frustration and disappointment in his eyes. That was not what he had wanted to hear.

“Look, Em, we moved past friendship a while ago. I know getting close to people isn’t easy for you, but this is me we’re talking about. I’ve always had your back. You know you can trust me.”

“Jason, it’s not about trust.”

“Then what is it about?” he said, his voice rising. In the next instant, he looked slightly apologetic at the outburst and brought the volume back down. “I just want things to be like they were before.”

“So do I, Jason. I made a mistake when …”

Just then, the curtain swung open and a new waitress appeared, all tall and leggy. She took one look at Jason and her demeanor changed from professional to sultry. She put a hand on her hip and took a deep breath to accentuate her ample assets, tossing her blond hair behind her shoulder.

“Hi, Jason. I haven’t seen you in a few days. I’ve missed you,” she said with a pout on her bright pink lips.

“Hey, Lacey. How ya doing?” He couldn’t stop from eyeing her up and down appreciatively; however, his voice held annoyance at the interruption.

“Oh, I am doing fantastic. Is there anything I can get for you?” She shifted her hips provocatively.

“Sure, how about another beer?” Jason shook his empty bottle.

“It would be my pleasure.” She took his empty and turned to leave when I stopped her.

“I would love another drink, too. Thanks, sweetie,” I said with a saccharin smile. She shot me a look that she had probably used a million times in high school to bully and intimidate the less than popular girls. I simply blew her a kiss and added, “Now I know why you’re Jason’s favorite waitress. You’re so attentive.”

She stormed off in a huff.

“Was that really necessary?” Jason asked.

“She brought it on herself. Next time, maybe she’ll stop being such a dick tease and just take my damn drink order.”

He knew better than to argue with me, instead conceding the point.

“So, what were you saying before we were interrupted?” he asked.

“I was going to say I made a mistake taking our relationship to the next level. I knew it wouldn’t work out. I guess I just wanted to see whether it was possible to thaw my inner ice princess. Now I know.”

“You didn’t give us a chance. If I did something wrong, just tell me what it is and I’ll fix it. We can make this work.”

I sat there in silence, unable to look him in the eye. Shouldn’t I feel loss, or guilt, or even jealousy? For the most part, I only felt uncomfortable with continuing this conversation. Jason meant the world to me, and I would die to protect him, but I didn’t want to date him.

“Is this because of Lacey?” he asked.

I really didn’t care about Lacey, or any of the other women who threw themselves at him, so I merely shook my head, fidgeting with my empty glass.

“Goddamn it, Em! Just say something, anything. I can’t stand the brick wall treatment.”

“I’m sorry, Jason. As much as I want to —as much as I tried to —I just can’t.” Not wanting to be the cause of all of that hurt, I tried to soften the blow. “I don’t know… Maybe I just need some more time. It’s been one hell of a week, and I have a lot to think about.” That seemed to have given him the small crack in my armor that he was looking for.

“Yeah, I can do that. I can give you more time. I’m not saying you need to fall head over heels in love with me immediately, but I know that, if we spend more time together, you’ll get there.” Of course he would think that. No woman had ever not fallen for him.

“Maybe, but I think we should keep it to friendship for the time being.” That set him off again.

“This is bullshit, Em. You would rather go around fucking strangers than spend time with me? How does that make any goddamned sense?” Trying to regain control over himself, Jason took a deep, calming breath. “Just come home with me instead. I promise I won’t rush you into a serious relationship you’re not ready for. I only want us to spend time together.”

I wanted to say yes. I really did. Jason was amazingly good-looking, funny, charming, and I didn’t have to hide from him. We did the same thing for a living, so I didn’t have to lie to him about who I was … so why did I?

“I can’t do that to you, Jason. I can’t lead you on like that, not knowing if I will ever be able to return your feelings. It wouldn’t be right.”

With a bitter laugh, Jason responded, “Since when do you ever care about what is right? You’re the most amoral person I’ve ever met. It always amazed me that you joined the military when you have such a hard time doing the right thing and following orders.”

“Well, sometimes those orders are stupid. Anyway, that’s why I’m my own boss now, and I’m really good at what I do, morals be damned.”

“I don’t know if I find that hot or disturbing,” he deadpanned.

We both smiled, enjoying the momentary truce.

“Look, Em,” he said quietly. “I told myself I would be patient—I would wait for you to be ready. I wanted to let you come to me, but after this week … I don’t know. Maybe I just need to grab life by the balls and make it happen. So … So I thought I would try the more direct approach tonight.”

“I understand. Mexico was … different. It was strange and downright terrifying, like nothing we have ever experienced before.” I stared at the dark curtain in front of the table, losing myself in the memory. “Jason, when they had me tied down to that table, I thought that old woman was going to plunge a dagger through my heart, and my greatest fear wasn’t the actual dying part. It wasn’t even the pain, however fleeting that would be. It was the powerlessness. I was completely vulnerable and helpless, immobilized like that. I had no options left.”

While I began to drown in those feelings, Lacey chose to return with our drinks. As much as I disdained her, I could have given her a big sloppy kiss for her perfect timing. She didn’t offer any pleasantries, just roughly placed the drink on the table before me and spun away with a flip of her platinum hair. I greedily drained my entire glass, feeling like I needed it to swallow those roiling emotions that had threatened to overtake me.

It seemed to work. The heat of the alcohol burned through the worst of those feelings, leaving them a hard pit in my stomach. My head started to have a pleasantly fuzzy sensation, and those fears, inhibitions, and uncertainties began to fade into the background. I had a few drinks in me, and it had been a very long and insane week, capped by an emotionally charged conversation with Jason. I was feeling particularly weak in that moment.

Regardless of everything I had just said to Jason, I had a need to connect with someone who knew what I was going through, to have someone on my side telling me they were there for me and it was going to be okay. I was getting tired of holding up the wall between myself and the rest of the world. It would feel incredibly good to give in to him, to feel his warmth against me, his strong arms wrapped around my body, his full lips on mine. Perhaps I should just go home with him tonight and not worry about hurting his feelings. He was a big boy, after all.