Vendetta Nation (Enigma Black Trilogy #2) (15 page)

“On it,” he said, shortening the gap between himself and zombie Brooks. “Repeating this scenario again is the last thing I want to do. It would be nice to eat today, after all.” His last statement was snide and directed toward Cameron and Victor, who were seated comfortably in the next room.

We were slowly being boxed in between warring rebels and aggravated soldiers whose every actions were being controlled by a misguided redheaded man-child. Bullets flew past our heads, meant for other lifeless avatars, while the natural beauty of the park became sullied with blood and hatred; hatred that was mostly directed at Brooks. Ian and I found ourselves having to circle around the President while we moved toward the car awaiting him on the other side of the park. That car was our ticket to completing this scenario.

Blocking attacks from rebels programmed to take out their target, Ian and I took punches, kicks, and blows from weapons, each knocking us from our feet, forcing the other to step up their protection of avatar Brooks. In one of the previous scenarios, Cameron had even included a biological attack in the form of killer bees just for shits and giggles—or so it seemed. Being deathly allergic to bees, that scenario had particularly bothered Ian.

As I fought off one of the more brazen rebels, I felt a blow from the butt of a gun across the side of my helmet. Whirling around, I grabbed the weapon that had accosted me, tossing it and its wielder off to the side. Ian groaned behind me. While he was fending off one would-be assassin, another one head-butted him in the stomach, quickly angering him. He threw the first attacker over his head, where it landed on the second attacker, wiping them both out. “Almost there,” he called to me. Sure enough, the car was steadily drawing nearer. We would soon complete the last scenario of the day successfully.

But as I looked back at the swiftly amassing crowd, my eyes caught a familiar sight; a sight that only someone who knew me would think to produce. George. My father stood among the rebels, unarmed, a sitting duck in a sea of mayhem, waiting to die.

“Dad!” I called, taking a couple of steps towards him. However, no sooner did I step away from Brooks than I felt a sudden rush of wind caress my cheek, indicating that I’d been duped. My virtual father had been used as a distraction, and my response to this distraction had left the rebel’s target unattended, allowing one of them to go in for the kill.

President Brooks fell backwards, a bullet wound to his forehead. Blood trickled from the separated skin and shattered bone, pooling at the soles of Ian’s boots. A disgusted sigh escaped my partner’s lips.

“Mission failed,” a robotic voice pierced the air around us. “Reboot program in three, two…”

*****

“My father, really?” I all but yelled at Cameron after Ian and I had managed to complete the simulation. “Is nothing sacred to you?” Tears welled in my eyes on my approach to where he sat in front of the computer that controlled the simulator.

“Celaine.” Ian grabbed my arm, but I shook off his grip.

“Where did you even find an image of him? He’s been dead for over ten years, and I almost died with him. Don’t you realize the kind of nightmares that makes a person have?” I could feel myself begin to tremble, unsure of whether I could control the urge to do bodily harm to him any longer.

“I’m sorry, Celaine,” he said. His apology took me off guard. I’d expected him to say a lot of things, but an admission of guilt was truly unexpected; not only that, he actually seemed…sincere. “It was Victor,” he spoke again. “He told me to include him in the simulation.” I looked up to see the empty chair where Victor had sat earlier.

“Why?” Ian asked, enraged.

“I don’t know,” Cameron answered quietly. “He wouldn’t tell me why. Celaine, you have to believe me when I tell you that I argued with him. Victor, he…he all but forced me to do it.”

“Then I suggest you begin searching for another mentor and father figure,” I replied. “Because the one you have now needs serious psychological help. I’d lend you mine, but he was brutally murdered when I was seventeen.” With that, I stomped out of the simulation room.

If this was the way Victor wanted to play ball, then he’d better make sure he could hit one out of the park each and every time.

*****

She wanted to be left alone—or so Ian Grant surmised. Although he couldn’t blame her for being completely withdrawn after what had happened today, a part of him was still hurt by her having shut him out. After all, hadn’t they grown closer over the past couple of weeks? Nevertheless, he lingered outside her room, hoping for a change of heart. No such luck. With a sigh, he sauntered away from her door and into the sitting room.

He slumped down in front of the television where the news was reporting on the most recent explosion perpetrated by The Man in Black. Not surprisingly, the broadcast also mentioned the appearance and subsequent failure—once again—of the country’s resident superheroes to apprehend the elusive maniac. “You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” Ian muttered, only half paying attention to the chatter on the screen. His true focus now was on her. In the almost year since he’d met her, he’d gotten to know everything and nothing about her at the same time. Sure, he knew about her family’s death, the death of her best friend, her friendship with her former partner, and the small amount he could pry out of her about her former boyfriend, but curiously, that wasn’t enough for him anymore.

As he sat absent-mindedly picking at his cuticles, he found himself worried about her. Worried and wanting to know more about her than what he’d been told in passing. What were her dreams, her hopes for the future? How has her sacrifice changed her? What does she miss the most about her former life? At this point, he’d settle for just knowing what her favorite color was.

“Here you go,” Kara said, plopping an envelope down on the end table next to where he sat, startling him. “All of them turned out great. Although the next time you decide to shoot yourself in the nude, you should at least warn me first.”

“What!” he exclaimed, ripping the envelope open. The laughter that followed as he rifled through each of the photographs stilled his swiftly beating heart. “Who would have thought that
you
had an evil side to you,” he said, raising an eyebrow at her. He flipped through the pictures more slowly this time, stopping at one in particular that caught his eye. It was the photograph he’d taken of her as she sat on his bed; the one where he’d caught her by surprise. She had the same look on her face she always wore. A look reflected in her amber eyes that spoke of a life wrought with immeasurable pain and decisions few would ever be able to understand. Yet, hidden beneath their solid exterior, her eyes also reflected a passion. Was it a passion for change, a passion for hope, a passion for love? He couldn’t tell. The only thing he knew for sure was that it had been taking over both his dreams and his thoughts as of late.

“It would appear as though somebody has a crush.” Kara’s voice startled him.

“What…no,” he said, tucking the photographs back into the envelope. “Don’t be silly. She’s my partner. I can’t…we can’t. There’s nothing going on, okay?”

“Absolutely nothing, eh?” she chuckled “Well, considering I had no idea what photograph you were so fixated on, I find your response pretty implausible.”

“Trust me, I’m plausible.” His face reddened.

“Really?” she asked, unconvinced. “So, is this why you and her have been playing sleepover lately?”

“Not exactly. I just happened to hear her screaming herself silly from a nightmare she was having one night. Since then, neither one of us has really wanted to be alone at night. It’s kind of comforting to have someone next to you again. I’m sure you know the feeling.”

Kara smiled, her lips barely moving enough to crease her face. “Yeah, I do.”

“That’s all it is, Kara, I swear.”

“Look, I really don’t care what it is or what it isn’t,” she said, studying his expression. “It is what it is, I guess. But I do have to comment on the interesting array of female in some of those photographs.”

Ian rolled his eyes. “Some of those rolls of film were years old. I’m surprised they even turned out, to tell you the truth. Besides, a good share of these photographs were taken by girls who took my camera from behind the counter and passed it around the bar. I had nothing to do with them.”

“You don’t have to convince me of your purity, Ian,” she said, standing up to walk out of the room. “Just do me one favor?”

“Sure,” he said, confused.

“You have tickets to the President’s address and you didn’t even bother telling me?” Paige asked.

Chase rubbed the back of the cell phone he had cupped to his ear with the tip of his index finger. “I didn’t realize you were such a fan,” he said. “Besides, I thought we were apartment shopping on Saturday.”

“That’s in the morning, silly. We’ll have plenty of time to do that and attend the address in the evening. Please tell me we’ll go. We can make a day of it. Get a hotel room, explore D.C. It’ll be fun.”

“Sure, that part will be fun, but then there’s the whole speech part.”

“Oh, it won’t be so bad. So it’s set, then?”

“Sure, why not?” he grumbled.

“Great! I’ll book the hotel. Oh, I’m so excited, Chase. I hear those superheroes are going to attend. Wouldn’t it be super cool to meet them?”

“Super cool,” he sighed. “Should be a blast.”

“I know,” she squealed. “Just think, this is a once in a lifetime kind of thing. We could be a part of history.”

“Technically, if Brooks somehow weasels another term out of us, we could potentially have more of these opportunities.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Chase. Listen, I’ll make all of the arrangements, and we’ll have fun, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan.” He grinned slightly at her enthusiasm despite feeling less than enthusiastic himself.

“Then I’m going to let you go and I’ll get right on it. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He ended the call, placing his cell phone in the pocket of his blue jeans.

“I love you, Chase. You hunk of man meat you.” Trey tried his hardest to contort his voice to a more feminine tone.

“Can’t a guy get some privacy, man?” Chase laughed.

“You automatically waived that right the minute you decided to crash at my apartment.” Trey walked out onto the balcony, all but collapsing down on the chair next to him. “It’s times like these I’m glad I opted for the cushioned lawn chairs. Best thrift store find I ever made.”

“You are the cheapest s.o.b. I’ve ever known.”

“Second only to you, man. Before Paige came along, anyway.”

“You and MaKayla are killing. Tell me, what’s wrong with Paige? She’s beautiful…enthusiastic…she loves life. She loves me.”

“It’s nothing personal against her,” Trey said, leaning back in his chair, propping his feet against the railing of the balcony. “She just isn’t…you. But, when it comes down to it, if she makes you happy, then I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, man.”

“So you two are going to D.C. this weekend, eh?”

“How thin are your walls exactly?” Chase chuckled.

“Painfully so. I wasn’t kidding when I told you that you waive all your rights to privacy staying here. How do you think I know so much about my neighbors? It’s not because I’m interested in their lives, that’s for sure.”

“Well, regardless of how paper thin they are, I’m pretty sure I’d still have more privacy here than with Paige at Paul’s house.”

Trey snickered, “Yeah, I’m sure that would be the very definition of awkward.”

“Tell me about it. Speaking of D.C., I have another ticket, if you’re interested.”

“Won’t that screw up your plans with Paige?”

“It’s not like you’ll be sleeping in the same room as us. Besides, I could use a voice of reason by my side during Brooks’ address.”

“Sure, why not?” he yawned, folding his arms behind his head. “I don’t think I have to work this weekend. I’m in as long as Paige is cool with the idea.”

“I’ll text her and ask her to book another room.” As Chase removed the cell phone from his pocket, he unexpectedly grabbed the photograph he’d kept tucked away within it. The photograph fell out of his hand and onto the floor of the balcony next to where Trey sat.

“Do you always keep photographs of your ex-girlfriend with you?” he asked.

“No…well, since I found it, yes. It’s the only thing that survived the fire.”

“If that’s not a sign, then I don’t know what is,” Trey muttered.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. What are you going to do with it? You can’t keep carrying it around with you. I know Paige wouldn’t be cool with that.”

“That’s just it. I wasn’t sure what to do with it, and I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. Then today, I thought of the talk that MaKayla and I had recently, and it hit me that I should put it in an envelope and mail it to her if I don’t get over to see her soon.”

“If I were you, I’d get that envelope ready. From my own experience, all reason and rationale in women are thrown out the window whenever an ex is involved.”

“You’re probably right,” he said, picking up the photograph and pushing it back into his pocket.