The Embers Of My Heart, page 34
"He's letting Kevin go, while keeping his hands as clean as he can," Todd said. "That's why we're here, to make an offer to help out."
"Help out?"
"I can move a cell here," he said. "We can provide an extra buffer of protection, as long as enough of your people overlook their presence."
"Why?"
"He's my nephew."
Star drifted back toward the door and reached out for my hand. I took hers and squeezed. My mom looked at me. "It's not that I don't appreciate it, but there isn't much I can offer you in exchange."
"I'm not asking for much besides costs of living here."
"Any deal we may or may not make is going to be completely under the table." Her head turned toward Absynthe. "And if Alistair finds out about it, you and I are going to take the fall for it. Are you fine with that?"
"I understand the risks," she said.
Mom nodded. "All right. Absynthe, please call our people together for a meeting tomorrow morning. We can't make this decision between just the two of us."
"Understood."
For some reason, I hadn't expected my mom to be involved with Absynthe's faction. I felt silly. For all I knew, she was the one who started it. She looked up at me and gave me a smile. "Todd, I believe that your aide will be in charge of whatever cell you place in the area, yes?"
"That was my intention, yes," Todd said.
Star looked at me, eyes gone wide. "No way."
"I'm pretty sure she'd murder me in my sleep if I didn't place her here," he added.
Star looked toward him and stuck her tongue out, but she was smiling from ear to ear. I found myself grinning as well.
"All right," Mom said. "I presume you have a place to stay tonight?"
"We have hotel rooms," Todd said. Star winked at me.
"Good. Absynthe will pick you up in the morning. Now get out of here, Todd. Stay safe."
"See you in the morning, Pat."
We left campus the same way we entered, hand in hand until meeting Absynthe at the designated meeting place. She drove us to the hotel Todd had booked and we waited for them to check in. "You kids go have fun for the day," Todd said to us. "Alex and I have a lot of work to do in preparation for tomorrow."
"Work," Star said. "Is that what it turns into when you get older?"
"Work. Actual work. Go away."
Star and I left to wander the city of Troy. Over the afternoon, we walked past dozens of tiny restaurants and shops, ducking in whenever she pointed out something interesting. I found myself carrying a couple of bags of trinkets. We almost decided to stop at an Indian restaurant for dinner, but she pointed out that we'd pay for it later. Instead, we decided on Greek. Their gyros were good but nothing compared to her favorite place in Seattle, or so she claimed.
After dinner, we continued our exploration. The sun dipped below the horizon and the city glowed. She suggested dropping by a bar or two, but I didn't want to run into anyone from school. Her pouting only lasted a moment before she tugged me onward. Instead of beer, we stopped by a liquor store and picked up a bottle of wine. If it had been summer, I would have suggested drinking it on the waterfront.
We headed back to her hotel room and entertained ourselves with a movie and the bottle of wine. Watching the movie quickly devolved into making out, and making out quickly devolved into making love. Hours later, we fell asleep in her bed together, limbs still wrapped around each other.
Her phone rang while the skies were still dark. "Yeah?" she mumbled into the phone. I tried to listen in, but my head wasn't in the game quite yet, and one of my arms was numb and sending unpleasant tingles down to my fingers.
"Sure. Got it." She laid the phone down and rolled over to face me. "Alex will be here in a half hour. Time to get up."
She didn't make a single move. "You first," I said.
"It's cold."
"You can have the shower first."
"Of course I can." She pushed herself up. "I'd say we should save time and shower together, but a half hour just isn't enough time."
"You're something, you know that?"
She got out of bed and ran her fingers through her hair, letting me get a good look at her naked body in profile. "Don't stare," she said. "You've seen it before."
"I like it more each time."
"Yeah, yeah." She tossed me a smile and headed into the bathroom.
We took quick showers, resisted our hormonal urges, dressed, and made it down to the lobby before the half hour was up. Todd was already there. I sat next to him while Star checked out. "You're wearing the same clothes you did yesterday," he said. "Isn't that like a walk of shame?"
I tilted my chin toward her. "Nothing shameful about that."
He chuckled and let the subject drop. Absynthe pulled up outside within a few minutes and we headed out. She took a different route than she did the last time we had gone to the safehouse. Star leaned on my shoulder again and was asleep in moments. Todd and Absynthe yawned all the way there. I wondered if they were tired for the same reason we were.
We pulled into the driveway of the nondescript house. Three cars were already there. I shook Star gently to wake her up and we headed inside. Establishment agents were sitting around the living room, many of them drinking coffee. When Todd walked in, silence fell. He paused in the doorway and I saw uncertainty in his eyes. "Good morning, everyone," he said.
"It's been a long time since you left us." said one of the older agents. He stood up and walked to my uncle, eye to eye. "A long time. It's good to see you again, Todd." They shook hands warmly and I felt some of the tension in the room fade. Others followed suit and soon enough, Todd was sitting on a couch with a cup of coffee in his hands and a group listening to him tell stories of his days in the Establishment.
Star pressed a cup into my hands and we sat in the kitchen, apart from the rest of the group. The front door opened and closed repeatedly and new voices joined the crowd. "I don't understand why anyone tries to get things accomplished at this hour," she said.
"Some people are morning people," I said.
She grunted and focused on her coffee. "Some people are wrong."
The door opened and closed again and the conversation faded to a stop. "Good morning," my mom's voice rang out. "Good to see you all here. We're pressed for time, so let's get this moving. The basement should have the space we need for this."
We followed the collection of agents downstairs. My mom took a seat at the table and gestured for Todd, Star, and myself to join her. Absynthe stood close by while the rest of the agents sat or stood around the rest of the room. "Todd, Absynthe, have you finished the draft agreement?"
"Hashed it out overnight," he said, handing a piece of paper to my mom. "The gist of it is that I'm going to provide some of my people as a second line of defense for Kevin. We're here to deal with the details."
My mom wasn't paying attention to him; she was scanning the paper like a machine. "A cell of six people will be deployed to Troy," she said. "All college age or slightly older, enrolled in local colleges. At our expense?"
"I feel that's fair," Todd said.
"I do as well," she said. "But it'll take some creative accounting to pull that sort of funding without anyone noticing. It should be within my capabilities, even if I have to use my personal funds. I hope you appreciate the educational benefits, Sarah."
She shrugged. "I guess. Traditional education hasn't been a focus for me lately."
"Even so." She continued reading. "This is good, but I do have a concern, Todd. If all six agents are based at schools away from here, they'll be far too late to defend Kevin in case of emergency."
Todd nodded. "They're not going to be bodyguards, Pat. They're going to be a secondary line of security that you can call on in emergencies. We both know if they act, their cover is blown, and that's best case. Worst case is Alistair figures out why they're here and who invited them."
"This might be a dumb question, but would we have any chance of getting them into Ripley?" I asked.
My mom shook her head. "While we're grateful to Todd for providing assistance, we want to keep them out of sensitive areas as much as possible."
"Your mom doesn't trust me," Todd broke in.
She frowned at him. "Knock it off. It's much more difficult to bring students into this school without vetting them for potential. Alistair would flip shit, so to speak, if he found out."
"So that's out," I said. "I'm concerned about it too. Is the plan for them to live on campus?"
Todd nodded. "Aside from those attending the community college."
"Why not have them live off campus in apartments closer to Ripley?" I asked. "Split the difference. Might even be cheaper than dorm living."
My mom looked thoughtful. "That's not a bad idea."
Todd gave me a grin. "You just want an excuse to move in with her."
"I don't think I could pull that off," I said as a ripple of laughter rolled around the room.
"Unfortunately," Star mumbled.
My mom nodded and pulled out a pen, scribbling something on the paper. "We'll pay the security deposit and first month of rent. All other expenses would be your responsibility."
"That's fine," Todd said, pulling out his own pen. "I'll initial that."
"I don't think we need much more. This is just a loose understanding. One more thing, Todd." Mom tapped her pen on the table. "We give each other notice. If you're pulling your people out, or if we need them to leave, whatever the situation. Give as much notice as is reasonable, minimum of twenty-four hours outside of clear emergencies. I don't want to wake up one morning and find out your team vanished in the middle of the night like you did. Understood?"
Todd winced. "Yeah. I understand. We'll do that."
"Good."
"So, I'm going to be in charge of the team?" Star asked. "Am I going to get to pick my own people?"
"Yes," Todd said. "Divide them into pairs, we'll break down the assignments when we get back. Just for the record, Sage is girls-only, and that's the one you're going to."
"Like hell."
"That's an executive order."
"Your executive order can kiss my ass."
"Children, please," I said. "Let's calm down."
My mom finished marking up the agreement and passed it over to Todd. "Absynthe, do you have anything to add?" she asked.
"Nothing specific," Absynthe replied. "We'll have to discuss means of communication between our respective teams. Obviously, it'll need to be kept quiet."
"We've got a system to handle that," Todd said as he initialed the margin. "Star will set it up when she arrives."
"All right," my mom said. "We have an understanding. Ladies, gentlemen, please be aware that this agreement is high treason by Establishment regulations, and you're putting your lives on the line by witnessing it."
"We already committed when Absynthe called for help," one of the agents called out.
"We're with you, Patricia."
"Sign it and let's get this done."
Mom and Todd shared a smile and signed the papers. Agents walked past, looked at the signatures, and headed out. I felt tiny flickers of power from each of them. "Go ahead and witness it," Todd said as the room emptied out. "Just commit it to memory."
I flicked my power on just enough to do so and felt Star and Absynthe do the same. The last of the agents walked by us and up the stairs. Mom picked up the agreement and turned it to ash with a surge of power. "And that's that," she said. "We're all set."
"I guess we have flights to catch," Todd said. "Pat, do you want to give Star and I a ride to the airport? That way Absynthe and Kevin can head back and avoid raising any suspicions."
Star's face fell. I wanted to see her off too. "I can do that," my mom said. "But I do have one other proposal for you, Todd."
"What's that?"
"Come home for Christmas. Both of you." Mom looked over her shoulder at Absynthe. "You as well, Alex. We'll have you as a family friend, protecting Kevin while he's off campus."
"Are you sure?" Todd asked. "What if Alistair finds out?"
"It's been a long time since I've had a holiday with the family. Even Alistair can't complain too much if you suddenly show up and I don't have the forces to apprehend you." She looked across the table at me. "It'll be nice to have a couple of days off."
"Then we'll be there." Star's eyes lit back up as Todd spoke. "Thanks, Pat."
"Whatever happened, we're still family, Todd." My mom smiled.
Chapter Twenty Nine
"You don't have any illusions about what it'll be like while I'm there, do you?" she asked. We lay together in my bed, cuddled together for warmth. "Don't think it'll be all fun and games."
Todd, Star, and Absynthe had come for Christmas as planned. My dad seemed unsurprised to see Mom and all of our entourage. It made me wonder again just how much he knew. I pulled Star closer, drawing a grunt from her. "Not all fun and games, but I'm looking forward to introducing you to my friends."
"That won't happen, Kevin." She burrowed into my shoulder. "It can't. I can't come and visit."
"Why not?"
"It's too dangerous. Todd hammered that into my head. If they figure out I'm hanging around you all the time, they might take a deeper look, and if they peg me as Resistance, game over. I'll have to run for my life. You'll be back where you started, protected by wishes and prayers, if they don't just kill you on the spot."
I frowned. "There's more than that, isn't there?"
"Stop it."
"Tell me."
"I can't meet my sister."
"What?" I sat up. She rolled away, but I saw tears in her eyes. I put a hand on her shoulder and rolled her back to look up at me. "Why not? Don't you want to?"
"I can't. She can't know I'm here. Bad enough she knows I'm alive. If she meets me, she'll tell our parents, all of our family, they'd all freak out. I can't do that to them. They'd be in danger again. That's why I had to leave in the first place. Besides, they think I'm dead. They've already mourned me and moved on." A tear broke free of her lashes. "I can't just reappear out of nowhere. I can't turn their lives upside down like that."
"I'm sure they'd be overjoyed to find out you're alive," I said.
"Maybe. They'd be surprised. Angry. Sad. I don't know. I just can't put them in danger. We faked my death to protect my family from the Bureau, from your Establishment, everyone. Now they'd be in danger from Shade's people too. They won't just threaten my family. They'll torture them, just to get to me, just to get to you."
"Does your family know you're gifted?" I asked.
She shook her head slightly. "I don't think so. Maybe they suspected something. I hope not."
"Is it really worth it?" She looked up at me. "You're leaving them in pain. I can't even imagine how it must feel for them. You're not supposed to outlive your child."
"It's not just pain for them. It's pain for me too!" She pulled away from me. "I want to see them, Kevin? I want to hang out with my Jessy again? She's my twin sister! I miss them! I've missed them for years! I love my family and I never wanted to hurt them. I made my choice to protect them. I made that sacrifice. I don't want to undo it until I'm sure they're safe!"
She had never come so close to shouting at me. I let out a deep breath and forced myself to relax. "I'm sorry."
She shook her head and rubbed at her cheeks. "No, I'm sorry. It bothers me. I'm sensitive about it. I shouldn't get upset with you, I know you mean well."
"I understand why," I said.
"There's more, though. I've never been to college. Hell, I just got my GED last year. It'll be interesting to learn something outside of psionics. I figure that as long as someone's footing the bill for me, I'll have to take advantage of it. Right?"
"I'd do the same. Any idea what you'd want a degree in?"
"I have no idea." She let out a tiny laugh. "I love the sciences, but I'm not too great at math. I guess I'll just take a few different courses until something clicks. Isn't that how it works?"
"Some people do that," I said. "Others know exactly what they want to do and go for it. Or they think they know, find out they don't, and have to go crazy changing their major two years in."
"I doubt I'll ever get a degree. I'll just do whatever I feel like."
"That sounds like you."
"Doesn't it?" She held her arms out. I wrapped my arms around her again. "You know, you can't come down to my place all the time either, right? My sister will notice, and she'll get suspicious. She's too smart. She'll figure out I'm here, or she'll think you're seeing someone on the side. Either way, she'll castrate you with a butter knife for not telling her."
"One that's been scraped dull for a couple hours," I said.
"Exactly. She's always been the protective one. Always getting me out of trouble, always coming up with the cover stories."
"You? Getting into trouble?"
"Unbelievable, right?"
"Still, I can make something up as a cover story. I can be your tutor, right?"
She giggled against me. "You? Tutor? Kevin, dear, I don't love you for your brains, you know."
"I'll have you know I only failed one course last trimester."
"I'm so impressed. So what's your average now? One? Two?"
"Two point three, thank you very much."
"My bad. So you are a little smarter than the average bag of rocks."
"I'll give you a bag of rocks."
"Promise?"
The Christmas holiday sped by despite my best attempts to stretch it out and spend just one more day with her. Todd and Absynthe worked out the schedule for the arrival of the Resistance agents, which would just be a couple days after our classes started. Ripley always started promptly on the first Wednesday of January, while other schools started two or three weeks into the month. Mom had already taken care of renting their apartments. I bid farewell to Star for the second time that month and Absynthe gave me a ride back to campus the day before New Year's Eve.
