Game of Dust and Ashes (Book Two in the Covert Operations series)

Fifteen

         "—she just walked in the door."  A pause.  My eyes swept the room.  No sign of Lia or Max in the adjoining room.  Tasha was noticeably absent as well.  We were alone.  Good. 

         Cedric said into the phone, "Yeah.  Okay, we'll see you soon."  He disconnected the call and lurched to his feet.  "Where the hell have you been?  We thought something had happened to you.  Lia and Max are out combing the streets and Tasha's been checking traffic cameras across the city all morning!"

         "I was out."

         "Out?" he said, fury in his tone now.  "If you had to go out, why didn't you leave a note?  We were worried about you.  I was worried about.  In case you haven't noticed, Melanie, you're a bit of a walking target right now."

         "Because your parents are trying to kill me?"

         Cedric went still, paused mid-stride from where he'd made a move towards me.  Ten feet separated us.  I monitored every inch.  "What did you say?"

         "Your parents are Scorpion.  You are Scorpion.  I think I'm safer on the street than I am in this hotel room with you right now."

         I waited, watching as he paled.  His whole face went white.  "I—how did you—"

         "Find out?  I have a pretty credible source, Cedric.  Don't try to lie to me."

         "Melanie—You have to let me explain."

         "Explain what?" I snarled.  "Explain that you've been lying to me from the moment that I met you.  Explain that you infiltrated yourself into my life to keep tabs on me?  Explain how you pretended to love me for the last year.  Please tell me, Cedric, what it is that you are trying to explain."

         He took a step forward.  One too many.

         Before he could so much as blink, my gun was drawn.  Centred at his forehead. 

         I would do it.  Pull the trigger.  I wouldn't enjoy it but I would do it if I had to.  It was the same decision I'd come to when I'd gone to meet Daniel.  But somehow this was worse.  The betrayal I felt was worse.

         With Daniel, I'd known that there was a possibility that he was an amnesiac who didn't remember me.  If that had been the case – if that was the reason that he and his band had been trying to get our attention then that was something I had come to terms with.  I'd had time to process that and figure out how I felt about it.

         Standing here in front of Cedric...I hadn't processed a single thing.  Not one ounce of the lies he'd spewed to me.  Nothing.

         Cedric looked at that gun.  Looked at me.  "Listen.  Please.  I know – I know – that you must hate me right now but I promise you, Melanie.  I swear that I am on your side.  I am not trying to kill you.  I love you."

         "How am I supposed to believe that Cedric?  Tell me how I'm supposed to believe that."

         "It's the truth.  I love you.  Melanie Briar you are the only person in my life who matters."

         I wanted to believe it.  Holy hell I wanted to believe it.

         But he was Scorpion. 

         "You have five minutes," I said.  "And if I don't trust you by the end of that, I will blow your fucking brains out."

To his credit, Cedric didn't so much as flint at that promise of death.  He straightened, jaw setting.  "When I was nineteen, I found out that my parents were part of Scorpion.  I'd been away at university and when I came home for winter break they were having this big party.  I knew my parents worked for the GCCO.  All my life they had been preparing me to follow in their footsteps there. Training me mentally and physically to do what they did.  My affinity with computers was rather unexpected but useful so they pushed me to pursue it more.