Desmoterion, page 31
“I have friends who work at the border. They said they shot several men last night, and I’m guessing you were one of them. Though he said they were all on the other side.”
Trent didn’t respond.
Dr. Mack studied Trent’s poker face. “Or maybe it wasn’t a border guard who shot you at all? They tend to use machine guns, and this was a high-powered rifle shot.”
Trent’s jaw clenched. “What do you want so you don’t share this information with anyone else? I have money on me.”
“You misunderstand me; I’m not trying to bribe you, just explaining your injury. To be honest, you’re one of only a few I’ve seen cross successfully without getting killed. I don’t know how you did it, but now you’re a wanted man.” He stopped to motion to Trent and Girish. “I’d like for you two to leave as soon as possible. Not because I’m against foreigners, but I don’t want Nikolai or Natalia to be in harm’s way. Both are very dear to me.”
Trent sat up with a grimace. “That’s what I was planning on doing. I don’t want any innocents hurt or involved. They’ve both risked their lives to help us, and I’m very grateful. I won’t forget that. In fact, whatever Girish promised to pay them for staying, I’ll double it.”
“How do you plan to get where you’re going?”
“However I can. Most likely walking. Once I can get Girish up, that is. He’s sleeping like the dead at the moment.”
“He was pretty distraught over you being shot.” Dr. Mack glanced over at Girish. “Your husband?”
“I wish.” Trent pushed himself out of bed while wondering why he gave that as an automatic reply. “No, he’s a friend who wants me to live so he can beat me to a pulp.”
Dr. Mack stared at Trent.
Trent laughed, grabbing his newly cleaned t-shirt with his left hand. “It’s a long, complicated story. Suffice it to say, we’re both competitive, and he thinks one day he’ll beat me. He won’t. And I’m not planning to fight with him; I plan to lie low and live out the rest of my life in peace.”
“I hope that will be the case.” Dr. Mack got up from the bed. “He was very worried about you, so I hope you don’t fight.”
* * *
Girish shook awake, his eyes blurry. “What?”
“Get the hell up, Kannan. There’s no time for sleeping in.”
“Trent?”
Something hit his arm. “Caleb, dumbass.”
Girish flushed and sat up, wincing at his throbbing head. “Ugh, how long did I sleep?”
“No idea, but it’s time to leave. We have to get away from here and to our destination.”
Girish got off the bed. “Why don’t we just recharge here for a while longer?”
“No, we need to leave now. I don’t want these people killed because we lingered too long in one place. Once we get to our safe house, then it’s a matter of finishing the job.”
“You’re getting soft again, Dupont.” Girish smiled and put his shoes on. He mentioned nothing of his disturbing dreams about children dying just because they lived.
“By the way, how much did you say we’ll pay if they let us stay?”
Girish winced and finished tying up his boots. “I said whatever they wanted. I already paid the doctor.”
Trent stared at him.
“Before you have a go, I was desperate, and she was about to close the door in my face. I said the first thing I could think of at the time.”
“Whatever it was, I promised to double the amount.”
Girish’s eyes widened.
“Either way, we have what we have thanks to the abandoned store. It’s enough until I can access my bank account.”
Girish grabbed the duffel with a frown on his face.
“It’s fine. I’d rather them have enough money to not tell anyone if we were here. Whatever it takes not to make them blab.”
* * *
Girish followed Trent downstairs to the front desk. He dug into his pants and pulled out almost all their cash. “Here’s what we owe you.”
The older woman, Natalia, balked at the money in front of her and said in broken English, “This is wrong.”
Trent interjected, “I can’t thank you enough for helping me, and I want to repay you.”
Natalia shoved the money back at Girish and wrote out a number on a piece of paper: 360
Girish turned to Trent. “We must’ve given her ten times as much.”
Trent looked at Natalia and shrugged. “Keep it” He pushed it back.
Natalia shook her head.
Nikolai appeared at her side and spoke to her. She said something back to him, and he pointed at the money on the counter.
Trent started to move away from the front desk. “Whatever you decide is fine with me, but I have to get out of here. Either take the money or don’t.”
Girish raised an eyebrow at Trent when he shuffled for the front door with all the cash still on the counter. To Nikolai and said, “Just keep the money. If it keeps you two safe, then it’s fine. Just don’t tell the authorities about it later. Hide it for a rainy day or something.”
Nikolai stared at Girish.
Girish smiled and headed for the front door. “Thank you for saving Caleb and letting us stay here. We won’t forget it.”
* * *
Trent stepped outside and stared at the black vehicle in front of the hotel.
Girish tried to back inside, thinking it was the border authorities coming for them, but then he noticed Dr. Mack in the passenger seat. He opened the door. “You might as well get a ride to wherever you’re going. It’s faster than walking.”
Trent shook his head. “I don’t want you to know where we’re going. It’s not that I don’t trust you....”
“Obviously, you don’t trust me. That’s a given, but I can at least get you closer to your destination and further from here. Honestly, I want you far from the hotel, and if I have to take you myself, I will.”
Trent glanced over at Girish, who headed for the truck. “If he fucks with us, we can just shoot him.”
The heartless statement coming from Girish stopped Trent in his tracks. “And now we’ve reversed roles. How the hell did that happen?”
Girish laughed and entered the passenger door next to the doctor.
Trent followed, eyeing Dr. Mack as he put his seatbelt on. “I trust there won’t be any funny business along the way. Girish is right; we can easily take you out.”
“I’m a doctor, and I saved your life. I don’t believe that’s necessary. Are you still heading south?”
“Yes, proceed south until I give you the word.”
* * *
After thirty minutes, Trent had the transporter halt at a crossroads.
“We can continue further if you want. I don’t mind,” the doctor offered.
“I do,” Trent responded. He undid his seatbelt and opened the door to step outside. “The fewer people who know where we’re going, the better. Better for us and better for you. I’m sure you mean well, but years of training and life experience have taught me not to trust anyone, not even doctors. People too often turn around and try to stab you in the back.”
“Military training?” Dr. Mack smiled.
He didn’t get his answer. Girish climbed out of the vehicle with just a thank you and goodbye. And they stood at the side of the road until the transporter had driven out of sight.
* * *
Trent continually checked over his shoulder as the two of them made a dash towards the trees. Dense forest surrounded the road on all sides.
Girish whispered, “What are you looking for?”
Trent listened out for the sound of any tires along the road or engine approaching, but there was nothing and he breathed a sigh of relief when they were safely behind the treeline. “Making sure we’re not followed. Of course, or even that no one knows what direction we travel in.”
“Is this even the right direction?”
Trent started walking through the forest. “No, I had him go more east than we needed to just to throw him off. Call me paranoid, but I’d rather that than end up dead.”
“I figured.” Girish followed him. “I’m all for being cautious. Who knows what people’s motives are here?”
“It’s the same everywhere in the galaxy: self-gain. Whether it’s for others, as the doctor proclaimed earlier, or his own, I can’t be sure, and that’s what makes me cautious.”
“But does that mean we’re hours out of the way now?”
Trent laughed. “Hardly, I’m not that paranoid. We still have a good hour or so to walk; it’s much shorter than it would be if we trudged all the way from the hotel on foot.”
* * *
Girish followed Trent through the thick woods while birds chirped at them along the way. He stopped short when he spotted houses nearby. “We’re that close?”
“No, it’s not those in the distance. We’re beyond this village and into the next one. We can either walk around it or just go straight through. What do you think?”
Girish’s eyebrow rose. “You’re asking my opinion?”
“Yes, imagine that. Just answer the damn question.”
Girish chuckled. “No idea. How far is it out of our way if we ignore the village?”
“It’ll add about another kilometer if we go around it. It’s not that big of a deal unless you want to check it out.”
Girish thought for a moment. “We might as well check it out. It’s not like we’ll stop to do anything; just walk through it.”
“If that’s the case, we’ll have to keep our eyes and ears open to what’s around us. Most of all, I don’t want to run into the doctor. He already knows too much about us.”
* * *
Trent’s eyes widened as they walked through the town, which bustled with life. Various people dressed in colorful clothes moved around the stalls of food and goods. It had been a long time since he’d enjoyed such a taste of freedom and normality.
“I wonder if this is a typical market day or some kind of fair,” Girish said.
“No idea. Just keep moving and stay close. I don’t want to lose you in this crowd of people.”
When he didn’t hear a reply from Girish, Trent turned around, and he caught a woman dragging Girish away. “Girish?” And talking to him in the local language. It was almost funny, except it wasn’t.
Girish wiggled out of the woman’s grasp. “I’m not sure who you think I am, but I’m not who you think I am.”
The woman tried to grab Girish again.
Trent intercepted the movement and grabbed the woman’s arm. “Knock it off.”
The woman frowned at Trent and said something that he didn’t quite catch from the fast-speaking woman on the noisy street.
Trent replied back in the same local dialect, “He is not Victor. Hands off him.”
The woman replied, “He’s mine, you fool. Go away.”
“Lady, he’s mine.” Trent pulled Girish’s head down to kiss his lips.
The woman’s eyes widened at the display.
Trent let go to see Girish’s eyes were also wide with surprise. And he chuckled at both of their shocked expressions.
The woman hurried away from them, and Trent laughed at it while Girish’s mouth was moving, but nothing came out.
Trent dragged Girish along again by the hand. “Come on, let’s get out of here before she sends her family on us for being gay.”
“I’m not gay.”
“Does it matter? She just saw us kissing, which not everyone approves of for some damn reason.”
* * *
Rubbing his lips together and still trying to process that kiss while holding hands, Girish followed Trent through the rest of the town.
It shouldn’t be that surprising since they’d come close to kissing before, but when it happened, it still left him stunned. He could have shrugged it off, but it came on top of so many other things.
The kiss itself was short and sweet, a simple brushing of lips and nothing more. And yet, he felt Trent’s lips on his even after it ended and Girish wanted more.
He wondered if Trent didn’t want to do it but only kissed him to get rid of the woman.
Girish was straight and confused. He shouldn’t have wanted the kiss. He shouldn’t have wanted to kiss the man back. And he shouldn’t have given the man a blow job, or keep thinking back to that incident. He shouldn’t have felt so completely devastated at the thought of losing Trent when the man was shot and almost died.
The inner workings of his mind had Girish rolling his eyes. He wasn’t into guys, and this was just a one-off thing that Trent did to get the woman to go away. Those other things, they were simply the result of the immense stress of the situation.
That devious smile on Trent’s face afterward made Girish pause; the guy was cocky, daring, and in control so much of the time that Girish admired him. He’d thought he wanted to be more like Trent, but perhaps his feelings of admiration for the bastard were something different — something that made his dick spring to life.
Whatever the case, they were almost to their destination. Would it be easy to waltz into the house, pick up a new life in a foreign country and be done?
* * *
An hour later, they were on the outskirts of yet another village. Trent took out his gun and checked the clip.
“What is it? Is something wrong?”
“No, just being cautious. I can’t imagine we’ll have trouble since I own the house, and it’s been empty for years. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that it’s been way too easy to get here with no resistance. It’s a little off-putting.”
Girish shrugged. “Maybe it’s finally time it goes our way for a change? It would be nice after what we’ve been through.”
Trent entered the village and headed to the left, around the central well in the middle. He frowned at his trusty device when he shuffled closer to a large house on the hill above.
Girish noticed. “What is it?”
“There are men surrounding my house. I don’t know why, but there’s at least twenty of them around the perimeter.”
“It might be nothing to do with us.”
“Maybe, but I’m cautious about coincidences.”
“Do you think the leader figured out you had another house?”
“Not a chance.”
They stopped to hide behind a large shrub that flanked the stone stairs leading up to the house.
Girish whispered to Trent. “What should we do? People will notice gunfire if we start shooting the guards.”
“I don’t understand why they’re there at all. Even if they were after us, they wouldn’t stand in the open like that.”
Girish moved away from Trent. “Well, there’s one way to find out. Let’s ask one of them. Thing is, I only speak one language so you need to do the talking. C’mon.”
Trent tried to reach for Girish’s arm and pull him back, but it was too late. He watched in horror as stepped out to approach the house. The man didn’t even speak the language, so that wouldn’t help anything. Trent scrambled to his side.
And spoke to the closest of the men, being the first they reached. He slipped into Orion Standard as if he spoke it on a daily basis because it was the easiest language for him to reach for with his Ruski being subpar.
“Excuse me, what is going on in this house that it’s so well guarded?” he asked as he braced himself for the worst and mentally prepared for battle.
Nothing happened.
“There is a meeting taking place here with various dignitaries attending.”
“Why here?”
“It’s the home of Senator Balogh.” The guard replied as if everyone should already know this information.
The name was unfamiliar; Trent thanked the guard and strolled by with Girish beside him. Once they were out of sight Trent whispered, “I must have the wrong house.” And he got out his mapping device once again.
“Here’s where we are, and here’s where your house is. It’s down this path further on,” Girish pointed out before laughing. “Leave it to you to try to take someone else’s house before you even find yours.”
* * *
They stopped in front of a house almost the same size as the government official’s, except this one had an overgrown front yard and broken steps and wasn’t surrounded by men.
Girish frowned at it. “It doesn’t look very good.”
“Well, it’s not like I knew when I’d be here. The other one was easier to get people to take care of. This one is practically in the woods, and I’m not sure if these rural people accept wire transfers as payment.”
“Mind your step!” Girish followed Trent up the broken stone stairs. “Those are going to need to be replaced soon. They’re almost dust.”
“Yes, make fun of me for having a rundown house. At least it’s owned outright and a hell of a lot better than where I grew up. That was a dump.”
They stopped at the door. Trent pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. They were about to enter when a man called out behind them.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”
Trent reached for his gun in his pocket as he turned around. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m coming home.”
The man who had close-cropped blond hair blinked. “Coming home?”
“Yes, this is my home. My name is Caleb Alexander.”
The man shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”
Trent held up the front door key. “How would I have this if I didn’t own it? Now quit pestering us, as it’s been a long trip home.”
“But... but this house has been empty for years. Where have you been this whole time?”
Girish’s eyebrow rose, but he said nothing.
“That’s none of your concern. Good day.” Trent was tempted to pull his gun and just be done with the interloper, but that would alert others, and he didn’t need that right now. Instead, he snorted at the man.
Girish looked between the two men after Trent pushed the front door open. He shrugged at the man and went inside.
Both waited by the door to see if the man went for the stairs.
It didn’t take long for a knock to sound on the door.
Trent pulled out his gun, intent on scaring the man away, but Girish stopped him. He whispered to Girish, “I’m done with this asshole. Time to make him go away.”
