A Nature of Conflict (The Redemption Saga Book 3), page 10
“What did I miss?” Sawyer looked between them. Vincent was threatening James? Happened often enough, but only when their handler was the bearer of bad news. More bad news.
“Monday will be good, Tuesday will be awful, and Wednesday will be a nightmare,” Elijah said.
“Monday, we get our backs patted for Texas. Tuesday, we’ll be separated for mental health evaluations.” Jasper sighed. “Which we knew. They will ask a lot of personal questions, they always do, and you just need to get through it without acting insane.”
“And if that’s awful, what is going on Wednesday except Quinn’s meeting?” Sawyer looked from Elijah to Jasper, then Zander. Zander sank into his spot further, looking grumpy. Vincent groaned.
“They are going to review whether you should remain with the team. Based on our, and especially your, mental health evaluations.”
“Oh.” She felt the dread settle in her chest at that thought. “Is there smoking allowed in this bar?” There went her idea of cutting back.
“Yes,” James answered politely. His humor was gone.
She pulled out her pack and, with barely shaking hands, put the cigarette in her lips. She didn’t get a chance to get her lighter. The end lit up on its own. She mumbled a thanks to Elijah as she pulled something that looked like an ashtray closer to her.
“Well, that’s not going to happen,” Zander announced. “We’re keeping her. Or we’ll do what we threatened when she was in the hospital.”
“I’ll make sure to warn them,” their handler muttered, looking a bit angry now. “You do know they will eventually fire me and put someone stricter on you guys, right?”
“Shit.” Zander grunted.
“Yeah, shit,” James retorted. “I’m doing everything I can up here. Literally, they are pulling this out of their asses. You did fine in Texas. Sawyer, they will be aiming at your PTSD and your history. Looking for a way that may give them a reason to put you into care, without your magic. ‘Get you help’ is what one said. We both know it’ll be a prison sentence until the contract runs out.”
“You’re buying me another one of these,” Sawyer said, lifting her glass. Then she finished it off and left the table again. She only made it three steps.
Then security flooded the bar.
Sawyer went still as the team stood up and walked over to her as well. James said a curse as IMAS soldiers took guard positions all over the room and yelled clear as they methodically made sure there were no threats in the room.
Sawyer’s anxiety sky-rocketed. Were they here for her?
“Rome is here,” James whispered cryptically.
Rome? She had no idea what that meant.
“D’Angelo?” Vincent asked softly. “Really?”
“She’s just coming off a vacation. Why she’s here in the hotel, I don’t know. The Councilwoman has a residence here in New York. But this is definitely her entrance. She’s the only person who I can think of coming to town right now with this sort of security,” James explained quickly. “This should have nothing to do with us.”
“Should,” she repeated.
“They aren’t here to arrest or capture you. It would be a violation of the contract,” their handler continued. “Let’s just watch and wait for a moment.”
Sawyer did just that, her eyes glancing over the soldiers. They were huge and well-armed. They each were in similar all-blacks to what the team wore on cases, but with key differences. Their pants were more military or cargo in style, with huge pockets on the thighs as well. They wore long-sleeved black thermals and Kevlar vests. Each carried a type of assault rifle, and Sawyer was going to guess it was an M-4, since it was standard military fare. They used the same sidearm that Vincent had given her before Texas, the Sig. On their upper arms, there were rank patches, which were also dark grey and black in design. She had no idea which patch meant what.
“At ease,” a soldier told them as he walked closer. “We’re just securing the room. Agents, you can go back to your drinks.”
“Thank you, Captain,” James replied, seeming much more comfortable. Sawyer had no idea where ‘Captain’ lay in the IMAS rank structure. “Whose presence are we expecting?”
“Councilwoman D’Angelo,” the soldier answered professionally. Then he loosened up and smiled. “Can’t tell you anymore, but I don’t think it has anything to do with you. You can enjoy your night. Hoo-yah, brothers.” He looked to her. “And sister.”
With that, the captain walked back to a group of soldiers in the middle of the room and began barking orders about where they needed to be. Sawyer raised an eyebrow at James, then turned it on her team.
“Explanations?” She didn’t say anything more, just expected one of them to start talking - and immediately.
“Don’t know anything about IMAS?” James frowned at her and then turned a mock glare on Vincent. “You should have taught her something about them before coming to New York.”
“Captain is an officer rank in IMAS, O-2 specifically.” Vincent droned on, “Which means they are one rank over the O-1, Lieutenant. There are seven enlisted ranks and seven officer ranks. I’ll run you through them all later. That Captain is probably in charge of Councilwoman D’Angelo’s security team. It’s befitting his rank and it’s a prestigious assignment, so he must be very good at his job.”
“Or very good at kissing ass.” Zander snorted in disgust. Even Jasper was glaring at the soldiers around them. “You rise to the highest rank of your incompetence in IMAS. By the way, the brother and sister shit? Yeah, they are all super motivated like that.”
“Harsh,” Elijah mumbled. “And there she is.” He nodded towards the bar’s entryway.
Sawyer looked back over and watched the beautiful woman walk in. Some things were startling about her, right off the bat. She looked young, nowhere over forty, but her hair was a long, silky silver, like the steel of a blade. She didn’t have the wrinkles to match the hair color, which made Sawyer wonder if she went grey early in life. The councilwoman didn’t even look their way, only went straight for a booth in the very back, where a member of the waitstaff was already waiting for her.
“I think I’m going to go to bed,” Sawyer announced. “The bar seems less appealing with all of this here.”
“I’ll walk you,” Jasper offered. “I don’t want to be here either. Zander?”
“You all can go,” James said, waving them off. “I’m not comfortable with more talk about what’s going on with this many ears and one of the opposition sitting in the room.”
“Opposition?” She frowned at him.
“She was vocal that you should be executed in the hospital,” he whispered. “Go, before she notices any of you. She wanted the team disbanded, arrested, and tried for treason for sticking up for you. She threatened me a good bit too, but others convinced her I was just the messenger. You don’t shoot the messenger.”
Sawyer left at that, the team hurrying after her. This woman had wanted her dead.
New York suddenly sucked.
8
Sawyer
Sunday came quickly, and Sawyer ran out of the hotel with Jasper on her tail. She barely waited on him to get his seatbelt on before hitting the gas.
“Excited?” Jasper asked, looking over to her as he secured the seatbelt.
“Obvious?” she asked back.
“Very.” He chuckled. “Miss them?”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I have. I know everyone is doing all right, but I just…” She trailed off as they drove through New York. “You know, seeing that Councilwoman in the bar last night, what James had said about her, it freaked me out. I’m glad to be going to see my kids, and Liam and Charlie. They wouldn’t want me dead, ya know? Good people who gave me a chance. A reminder there is some good in this city.”
“I get that,” Jasper replied. “Don’t let the Councilwoman get to you though. She is going to lose this battle. The majority of the WMC is in your favor and they have little to no reason to mess with you, unless you give them one. James is just warning us that if we step wrong, they are watching.”
“They’re in my favor because the contract is in their favor,” Sawyer whispered.
“Excuse me?” Jasper frowned at her and she closed her eyes for a moment while they were at a red light. When she opened them, it was just turning green and she hit the gas.
“You know that me on this team is just something they can do until they need me, right?” She tapped her fingers on the Focus’ steering wheel. “The contract was clear. Did you read it?”
“No,” he admitted. “Only Vincent and James were allowed to look it over.”
“Jasper, they are keeping me alive and giving me my freedom in five years because I’m their assassin. One day they’ll need someone dead. And now they have someone they can call to make that happen.”
“They would never,” he sputtered.
“They are,” she pressed. “The WMC is just as corrupt as any other government. The thing is, I’m either their assassin or I’m in jail. I made the choice. Sure, it’s awesome being IMPO, learning what you guys do and helping people like in Texas, but it’s not the main goal of the contract. It’s a secondary goal. It’s their way of saying, ‘Yes, you can be useful while we don’t need you.’ It keeps me out of prison, per contract terms. But it’s not what they want.”
“Does anyone else know this?” Jasper leaned back in his seat and stared at her. She could see him from the corner of her eye and didn’t like his expression.
“I think Elijah? I might have made it clear to him on accident - or he figured it out.”
“Then why are they trying to pull you off the team?”
“Because they’re assholes?” Sawyer didn’t really and truly know. She didn’t know who all the players were and where they stood on her situation. She couldn’t make guesses as to who felt what and why. She could make one guess. “There must be factions. Pro-Sawyer puts that person as wanting the WMC to have a pocket assassin, which doesn’t look good. Anti-Sawyer means I should get locked away for my life, but the WMC doesn’t have an assassin, which looks better for them from a PR standpoint. There could be other standpoints, but those would be the main two, and there’s only fifteen people on the Council.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” he agreed. “It’s a complicated situation.”
“Yes.”
“How long is this drive?” Jasper changed the subject.
“Depends on the traffic.” She looked around. There was a lot.
It took them an hour to limp into the Bronx and get to the gym. Sawyer stretched her legs the moment she got out. Atlanta’s traffic wasn’t this bad, and she was mentally wondering when this trip had become a competition between the two cities. New York was her home. Fact. Her kids were here. Liam was here. Charlie was here.
She also knew she could never live in this city again. Not with the WMC knowing who she was. Not if she wanted her friends in the city to be safe in the long run. Her old enemies would come out of the woodwork eventually, and since she’d been caught, her identity exposed, the risk was too high.
Atlanta was safer. The plantation house far from the world was even better.
“You ready?” Jasper asked, standing next to her in front of the gym.
“Yeah,” she whispered, staring at the front doors. She walked up and pulled the front door open, a small ding announcing her arrival.
“Sawyer!” Charlie laughed, practically jogging her way.
She wrapped her arms around the older black man and they held on to each other. July was the last time they had stood in the same room. It felt like an eternity ago, even though it was only a few months.
“I’ve missed you, old man,” she whispered, tears prickling her eyes. She clung to him hard, refusing to let the moment go so easily. “The calls aren’t enough.”
“No, kid, they really aren’t,” Charlie said, his voice full of emotion. “Let me look at you.” He pulled away, his hands on her shoulders.
She smiled at him, unable to stop it. He was a good man, and the only person she’d ever even considered close to a father. He’d found her on death’s door - and his door. She had been trying to break into the gym to use the showers, anything. Her injuries had stopped bleeding during her trip up to New York, but they had gotten infected. She had been dying, and he just picked her up, put her in his bed, and got to work. He only had one power, to heal, but he was very good at it.
He looked her over for a very long time. She just waited. He would need to make sure that his decision to sell her out to Vincent’s team was really agreeing with her.
“You’re still hitting the gym. Your shoulders are more defined. They forcing you into more upper body work than I did?” Charlie grinned, patting one of her shoulders.
“We have a schedule,” Sawyer said, shrugging. His hands slid away, and she reached over to pat his massive belly. “Still not on a schedule?”
“I’ll have you know, I’m very healthy.” He chuckled, hard enough that he shook. “There’s no heart attacks in my future.”
“Good. Where are they?” She looked around. She didn’t see any rugrats running around.
“Liam took them on a field trip this morning,” he said, leading her to the back. “I figured you and I can go on lunch, then we’ll hang out with all of them when everyone is back.”
“I like that idea,” Sawyer whispered. Field trips? She’d never done that. She brought them here after school; she helped them with their homework, played games with them, taught them how to defend themselves. But a field trip? “Where did they go?”
“Hayden Planetarium,” he replied. “You know the one.”
“Yeah, it’s famous,” she mumbled. She missed this gym, she thought as they walked through it. “Anyone staying in my room right now?”
“Nope. Still exactly how you left it. I’m going to keep it that way, too. You ever need a place to crash, you have one here. This is still also your gym as much as it is mine. Only let the kids crash there if their parents need them to stay over. They respect your things, and a few of the girls have taken to making sure the apartment stays clean.”
“Charlie.” Sawyer swallowed. That was sweet. Tears were still in her eyes as they made it to his office on the second floor. She appreciated Jasper’s silence through it all, just letting her and Charlie pretend it was just them.
“They want you to come home,” Charlie explained as he sat down behind his beat-up desk.
“I know,” she whispered, looking down at the floor.
“But you can’t.”
“But I can’t.” She fell into the chair in front of his desk.
“I know, and I understand, kid. I do. I haven’t explained it to them yet, but they’ll be okay. It’ll be good for them to see you, though. Even if you can’t come back up here to live, because you’re scared to, you can come visit.”
“I agree,” Jasper cut in. “We’ll talk about scheduling some trips for the team to visit so she can.”
Sawyer turned to him as he closed the office door and sat in one of the extra chairs. That wasn’t what she’d been expecting from him. She hadn’t been expecting him to get involved at all, really.
“Thank you,” Charlie replied. “I would appreciate that.”
“Me too,” she offered, still watching Jasper. What was his game? He’d never really liked what she did up here. He just shrugged, but didn’t say anything more.
“How’s everything else? I heard about some thing in Texas? And a man named James has been stopping by and bothering me. Says he can keep me updated on how you’re doing?”
“You know James?” Sawyer glared to Jasper, who just looked confused, then looked back at Charlie. “Really? Blond, greying hair? Grey eyes? Laugh lines, wrinkles. Probably in his late forties?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” he confirmed.
“That’s our handler. He is the best person to talk to if you want to know where we are and what we’re doing. If he offered to keep you up to date, then he’s trying to do something nice,” Jasper said, stretching out his legs before crossing them. It exposed part of the new prosthetic.
“Okay, and where did that come from?” Charlie pointed at the leg.
“Happened during the Atlanta incident,” she told him. “As for Texas, it happened. It was…weird. Anti-Magi group, serial killer, unreg Magi. Charlie, it was fucking weird.”
“I bet it was.” He hummed and crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. “How’s the other teammates? You’re still getting along with everyone? You can be honest with me, if you haven’t been on the phone.”
“I’m getting laid now,” Sawyer said perversely. “I haven’t lied to you about anything. You know what’s going on with my love life. It is what it is.”
“We’ll order food here, and you can keep telling me how it is. Lot of men and not a lot of you,” Charlie teased.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why don’t you tell me how the gym is still up and running?” She sure as hell wasn’t funding it; she didn’t have any money.
“Your men released all your funds to me and hooked me up with an accountant that properly invested it, so the money can continue to pay for the gym and replenish in the market. After getting Liam’s college paid off, they thought it would be easy to handle it.”
Sawyer turned back to Jasper.
“Zander is the computer guy, remember?” Jasper shrugged. “He might be a prick that doesn’t seem very smart, but he knows his way around the web. Vincent knew someone for Charlie to meet. We wanted him to surprise you with that.”
“I wish people would just tell me what’s going on half the time,” Sawyer muttered in annoyance. She dropped the annoyance and looked back at Charlie though. “I’m glad. I would hate to see this place go under.”
“Fight Nights are going really well for me, too. We started charging admission and we moved them to weekly.” He chuckled. “There’s one every Friday, if you’ll be in town.”
“We should be gone before then,” Sawyer sadly told him. “Sorry. I wish. Right now I only get to beat up on Zander.”
