her full height overlooking the younger woman. Rohm uses the opportunity to pull Serena close—and squeezes her tightly.
Serena finds returning the embrace. Perhaps I am not alone after all.
“I’ll never leave you, Serena. I promise.”
Serena nodded. A quick gust of smoky wind dries the remainder of her tears. She inhales deeply and steps next to the spot where Ryan died.
“We should place his body next to Isaac’s in the school. The Guardian should join the Caretaker. Together they will rest for an eternity?” The mere sound of the suggestion soothed her heart.
Rohm said, “I will see to your wishes.”
Serena snapped open her cell phone and made a few calls explaining Raymond Rice’s untimely death to a few high ranking friends, allies and associates of Pandora.
She made no mention of Rice’s acknowledgements of plots and plans that were going on outside of her knowledge and consent.
She would learn all of the truths in due time.
“Rohm, show Ryan’s body all of the dignity and respect that it deserves, but I need you to move swiftly.” Serena said. “We have to finish what we’ve started.”
And then when a House in Chains was put to rest, Serena vowed to find those who would betray the ideals of Isaac Prince.
There is Death in the air tonight.
And this night marked the first of many deaths to come.
Chris
“Turn left at the next red light.” Grace Edwards sat up and pointed in the appropriate direction from her seat the back. “We’re almost there.”
Special Agent Christopher Prince watched as his partner Agent Tabitha Blue snorted and twisted uncomfortably in the driver’s seat. She took her eyes off the road long enough to roll her eyes at him, but she whipped the car in generally direction and fed the gas once they were headed west.
Chris whistled a curt tune to ease the tension in the car between the two women, but knew his efforts were probably in vain. He sipped at his coffee from his mug between verses.
“Alright,” Blue said. “Someone explain to me why I’m taking orders from a member of the Circle. And while that someone enlightens me about that I would love my curiosity to be satisfied on why we don’t have this woman under arrest by now.”
“The explanation is simpler than you think, Tabitha,” Chris exhaled through his nose. He rubbed the skin between his eyes. “Sheridan gave the two of us explicit orders to locate the leaders of a House in Chains. Ms. Edwards, as you’ve so correctly stated, is a member of the Circle. We are doing our duty. And who could be better suited at leading us to my brother?”
Blue shook her head. “I’m not buying her story, Chris, and you shouldn’t be buying it either.” Blue noted the heavy pedestrian traffic on the streets down here and eased off the gas a bit, but laid on the horn. “Look, from the Circle’s point of view, what she is contemplating is nothing short of treason. Tell me why would she betray a House in Chains now, especially with their self-imposed Zero Hour—their moment of glory, closing in?”
Grace chimed in.
“First of all, I would appreciate if the both of you stopped talking about me as if I weren’t here.” Chris looked at Grace in the mirror. She straightened out her collar and pointed a long finger left when they arrived at the next intersection. Chris noted exactly where they were: This so compound sat perilous close to the main entrance of Underground Atlanta.” Secondly, this agreement was between Agent Prince and me. The chances of us achieving our objectives were slim at best.” Grace focused her attention to the driver’s side of the car. “Your presence, Agent Blue, lowers our probability of success greatly.”
Blue glanced back and frowned.
“How terrible for you,”
Chris buttoned his shirt at the sleeve, avoiding eye contact with his partner where he could.
“I gave her my word, Blue.”
“And what about the oath you swore to the Bureau? The oath you swore to your country.” Blue took the next curve hard and spun the wheels.
Chris leaned over to the driver’s side.
“I don’t know quite how she did it, Blue, but if it wasn’t for Grace Edwards I wouldn’t be reinstated into the Bureau in the first place. You and I wouldn’t even have this opportunity to nip this madness coming in the bud. Blue, if it wasn’t for Grace, you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation at all.”
Blue seemed to sniff the air between them. She didn’t care for it at all.
And then she sniffed it again, as is she was testing the same air for a hypothesis of hers.
“I don’t believe this; I don’t believe what my own senses are telling me.” Blue said as she pulled over and slunk down in her seat.
“What?” Chris wanted to know.
“Have you been…drinking, Chris?”
Chris knew when he didn’t answer immediately that this conversation would quickly go south. Blue threw the transmission into drive again, crossed over two lanes, and cut into traffic. Several angry drivers took out their frustrations by laying heavily on their horns. Chris watched as one driver sped up to match their velocity and gave Blue the finger. Blue flashed her badge and her overbite. Grace sighed, crossed her long legs and sat back in the backseat.
“Answer my question, Agent Prince; have you consumed alcohol over the past few hours?” Blue asked.
Chris sipped at his cold coffee.
“I have.”
Blue promptly slammed a balled fist on the stirring wheel.
Grace mouthed a curse.
“We’re wasting time, Agent Prince; your partner’s temper tantrums bring us no closer to achieving our objectives.”
Chris ignored Grace. If they were going to find his brother in time they needed Blue’s cooperation.
“I’ve had a trying time. I’d been relieved of my duties among some other far personal things that have gone on in my life. I had no reason to think that I was going to work Bureau business tonight or any night ever again. And then Grace shows up. I’m suddenly reinstated. You know the rest. I’m okay, really. I can do this.”
“I don’t believe that I’m involved in this.” Blue kept shaking her head. “I don’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
Suddenly, Agent Blue stopped just long enough to slam the transmission into reverse.
“Where are we going?” Grace asked.
“I’m turning this car around, Missy, and driving us towards the FBI field office. I’m letting someone else figure this out. It’s not too late in the game for someone to debrief both of you—“
“No, you aren’t going to do anything like that.” Chris said in a calmer than he actually felt.
“Agent Prince,” Blue said. “I don’t see an alternative—“
Chris laid his right hand on the steering wheel.
“Tabitha, have ever known me to ask you or anyone else for anything?”
“Dammit, Chris, don’t make this personal. This isn’t about just me and you.”
Chris squeezed the wheel tighter and reached across her with lighting speed pinning her hand under his.
“Answer my question, Blue.”
After she pulled over to the shoulder again all three of the passengers seemed to stop for breath and composure. Blue glanced out the rolled down window into the smoky Atlanta night. She flashed Grace Edwards a dirty look and finally found her partner’s eyes once again.
“No, Chris, no you haven’t asked me or anyone else we both know for anything as long as I’ve known you.” To his surprise she added, “And you’ve taught me everything that I know about being the best FBI Special Agent that I can be. You were the one who taught me about being a professional.”
Chris nodded.
“Where does loyalty fit into those lessons?”
“Dammit,” Blue said again. “I’m pleading with you not to go there. Look, Chris, I’ve never seen you like this before. I’ve never witnessed a time where I didn’t think you weren’t in absolute control no matter how bad a situation s
eemed.”
“I’ve never found my ex-wife and step daughter dead within days of one another. I’ve never had a blatant lie about my personal life broadcasted on the six o clock news. And I’ve never had my brother’s life be put in imminent danger.”
And I never had to learn that my father not only faked his death, but evolved into the leader of Pandora while he handed me over to a pedophile.
And I never learned that I may have six months to a year to live.
“And his brother’s life,” Grace added in a bitter tone. “Which I believe may have been snuffed out minutes ago while we sit and catch up on a little history, has been threatened by very dangerous—very powerful men in my organization.”
Blue dropped her eyes.
“Alright I’m in.” She waved a halfhearted scolding finger at him. “But you’re going to write the paperwork on all this.
Chris smiled for the first time in hours.
“Of course,”
They were ten minutes into their methodical trek through the corridors leading to this underground bunker which Chris guessed was somewhere within a mile or so of Underground Atlanta, mere blocks from the FBI field office downtown. To construct this location in plain sight was brilliant enough—audacious enough to be the brainchild of the woman leading them through the halls of this place. Grace Edwards was a formidable presence to say the least. It must have taken countless dollars and resources to design and build a setup right under city officials’ noses even if the former mayor was an ally.
Chris could only hope that Grace’s personal guards’ were just as tactful—and more importantly—just as successful in their task as well.
And then he