Sorry for the random hiatus. Writer's block had me by the throat! Hopefully, it's gone now and I can finish up Six and start posting some of the new stuff.
Anyway, thank you for your patience and support. Don't forget to vote and comment. Those of you who have been, I appreciate ya.
X.O. Vance
"Well... this is awkward."
Three plates of roasted chicken and vegetables later and I still hadn't said anything to Jason beyond a bemused hello. Why was he here? How was he here?
Did I even want to know? What if he saw me leave the office and get on this train? If so, how long had he been following me?
In a word, yes, this entire charade was awkward. My mind was rushing a million directions every second, hoping to find the easiest way to escape this situation. And in the aftermath, would he tell Chris, Charlie, and Michael he'd seen me?
Oh, no... had he already told them?
"You can talk to me, you know," he said, working through his second plate of steak and potatoes. It seemed heavenly, and I seriously considered ordering it next. "You're going to eat yourself half to death trying to avoid talking to me."
Dropping my fork, I push my empty plate to the edge of the table and raise an eyebrow at him. His dark chuckle makes my stomach flutter. In my time away from him, I'd forgotten how handsome he is.
Jason had always been larger than life, but amongst the furnishings in this train, he seems even bigger.
"They're running themselves ragged trying to find you," he continues, abandoning his fork to grab the cold beer next to him. Condensation leaks off the sides, filling the black granite coaster to the brim.
Shrugging, I nod at the server and ask for the same thing Jason is eating without speaking a word. He takes my empty plate and refills my wine glass before turning to disappear behind the shiny steel double doors at the far end of the restaurant. Another server's face peeks out of the window affixed to the top left-hand side of the left door, eyes trained on me.
For the last hour, they've been watching me steadily eat more and more food. If they only knew how many thousands of calories I need to consume to keep my system running at peak output, they'd probably pass out. I should be bursting at the seams, but hunger gnarls relentlessly at my stomach.
This restaurant is better than I expected and exclusively tied to the first-class cabins on this train car. Opulent gold lacquers the doorknobs, the edge of the freestanding bar over my left shoulder, the tables, and the chairs. It balances with the white cushions, white granite countertops, and tan carpeting. Angels depicted in heaven stretch over the narrow ceiling, reaching out toward one another with somber expressions.
Oversized windows bend upward, letting in the light and the sight of grand oak trees spreading their branches toward the heavens on either side of the angel painting. The staff wear matching uniforms. They're dark green, pairing a collared shirt with dark slacks and a gold apron around their waists. Comfortable, but easily distinguishable within the guest pool.
"Nothing?" He asks, head tilting to the side to study me closely. "That's cold—even for you."
Rolling my eyes, I shuffle backward to allow the server to drop a plate of steak, potatoes, and asparagus before me. Fresh herbs hit me like a wave. Greedily, I suck in the wonderful scents of thyme, rosemary and basil.
"Okay. Fine. I won't try to bait you anymore."
Smirking, I simply raise my eyebrow at him a second time and then dig in.
"Michael was injured pretty bad a few weeks ago," I freeze, "he's alright, but it was touch and go for a few days."
I don't ask what happened. I can't. It's taking everything I have to keep from leaping up and running to my room.
Jason continues to watch me. With effort, I keep the mounting panic burrowing through me off my expression, but not well enough. He sees through me.
"It's okay to worry about them. It's okay to want to go back. Fuck... I know for a fact they'd fall at your feet if they saw you right now."
I know they would, but that's not what I want.
"How long ago did you call them?"
He smiles, bright and wide. "Finally ready to talk?"
When I don't speak, he sighs and stuffs a hand through his thick brown hair. It's longer than before and gathered into a bun at the back of his head. Tattoos snake along the collar of his black t-shirt, emphasizing the bulk of his muscles and the way they roil as he moves.
"Like what you see, gorgeous."
Scoffing, I roll my eyes. "Hardly."
"Says the woman currently checking me out."
Owlishly, I blink at him.
"Alright," he laughs, leaning forward, "when you're ready to see more, you just say the word."
Is he flirting with me?
This poor man. I giggle under my breath thinking about how he'd react if he knew I had fucked Chris, Charlie, and Michael together at the same time. Would it make him run away screaming?
My thoughts turn somber as I think back to Lewis. Would it make him run away screaming? I couldn't live like this forever.
Every day, everything inside of me aches for them. I miss them so much. If only...
"I wasn't checking you out," I lie.
"Really?" His smile is firmly in place and growing. "Then what were you doing?"
I offer him a bland close-lipped smile. "Determining the best places to strike to render you unconscious before I toss your limp body off this train and into a nearby ditch. Then, I'm going to explore this train, car by car, to search for anyone who is accompanying you and do the same."
It's his turn to scoff and shake his head. He doesn't want to show fear, but I know he believes me. I can see it on his face.
"You wouldn't do that."
I don't say anything. I motherfucking would do that. Being in denial won't save him from some serious time taking a dirt nap near a thicket of swaying daises and cow manure.
Jason better count his minutes. They're ticking down. Quickly.
"You wouldn't."
Is that a dare?
Clearly, he's trying to convince himself he's safe, but I'm not joking. I'll do whatever it takes to keep the guys from finding me. I can't afford to be caught now, not with Talia's life hanging in the balance.
The second my nanites are in her system, they could take me back, but not a moment before. She deserves to have the best medical care. Talia didn't deserve to be mowed down by a selfish asshole in the first place.
"Bane looks like shit," he sucked the bone from his steak noisily, "Charlie damn near beat him to death."
"How do you know that?"
"Blue," he drops the bone and slides his empty plate to the side, "do you remember what Kellan and I do for a living?"
Wracking my brain, I curse as the memories slip out of my grip. I'm sure he's told me before, but I can't remember. When had I become this forgetful? It's as if something is blocking those thoughts from me.
"We infiltrate criminal organizations and take them down. Bane and Charlie's father have an especially evasive mafia. Would you believe they've been operating undetected for almost 30 years?" He shifts, leaning back to cross his left ankle over his right knee. "Their father, Jasper, is a dangerous motherfuck and he's been dropping bodies from clandestine agencies like rain. No has been able to successfully gain access to their inner circle."
I frown, "should you be telling me this?"
"Are you planning on selling me out?"
A smile cracks across my face. "Perhaps."
"You may be merciless to others, but I know you wouldn't harm someone who's genuinely trying to do good for this planet." He's so assured in his assessment of me.
Sure, I'd wanted to do good for this planet, but had I made much of a difference in the grand scheme of things? There is a madman—madwoman—out here hacking my organisms and sicing them on military personnel and innocent bystanders. And by the looks of things, it would only continue to get worse.
"Depends on the reason." Our locks lock and we stare at one another, falling into a comfortable silence. There's an undercurrent of pride in his voice when he speaks and a reverence for what he and Kellan hope to do for the world at large. I admire it. I admire him. "You enjoy what you do?"
"Oh, absolutely. Few careers allow you to go from the ski slopes to the ocean within a matter of days—on someone else's dime—while taking down the worst of the worst. Whether they spend their lives behind bars or six feet under is their choice. And I don't have to peacock for the media or go in the backdoor everywhere to avoid being mobbed. My life is amazing and I couldn't imagine doing anything else."
I consider his words and ask, "even if the something else allowed you to do all those things and more?"
He could do more on my team. If he were augmented, the possibilities would be endless. Unlike the others on my security team, Jason is an experienced undercover operative.
Maybe with a little more training from him, I'd know when someone was selling me lake-side property in the middle of a desert.
"What would allow me to do that?" Curiosity gleams in his eyes. "What do you know that I don't, little troublemaker?"
"Troublemaker?" I sputter, gulping down the rest of my wine.
Another nickname? Seriously?
"Trouble seems to follow you, Blue."
I glance at him, jerking when I lift my gaze to find where he sits. Three pairs of red eyes stare through the window. Whoever—whatever—they are, they're moving impossibly fast.
Organisms. Fuck. I shouldn't have taken a moment to think about them.
Their limbs are blurred, but their heads remain so still they're static. Those eerie red eyes shine bright in a humanoid face. Their nose and lights are solid steel and unmoving, shaped perfectly for a symmetrical, attractive face.
He turns back to me. "Friends of yours?"
"Who did you tell?" I accuse.
"What?" He launches himself out of his seat to lord over me. "I didn't tell anyone a damn thing about seeing you."
"Yes, you did!" I shout. "How else would they have found me?"
"Or, maybe, they were already on your tail?" Jason sputters, head thrashing as he glares through each window. "You think you're good at disappearing, but frankly, you're shit at it. You get by on luck and I don't understand why it hasn't run out sooner."
What the hell is he looking for? And how dare he!
"What?" I ask, shoving my chair back as I stand. "What's wrong?"
"Where did they go?"
Stomach dropping, I hazard a look outside. The woods surround us like a fog bank, closing in on all sides. The sun's rays filter through, but they suffer the closer we draw to a tunnel.
When we breach the darkness, the organisms strike.