Chapter 27 - Tug of War
“You’re engaged to him?” his hand on my waist suddenly tightened and dragged me back into the hard chest behind me. “You’re engaged to Dorkface?”
“Get your hands off my fiancé, Grant!”
“Grant you are hurting her,” Gavin frowned as he stood next to Joel.
I felt the fear flood into me. It was this morning all over again. He had warned me. He had told me that he would kill Joel or Gavin if I tested him again. And from the look on his face this was testing him. Yes, given his scowl he was severely tested.
I couldn’t risk them. They had already proven to me that they wouldn’t risk me - they couldn’t and wouldn’t fight back if Grant followed up on his threat. It was up to me to save Joel and also Gavin.
“No ring,” I stuttered. I felt the pain of betrayal sting me as Joel’s face dropped but I couldn’t stop myself.
“What?” they all said at the same time although the tone they each used was very different.
“I... Don’t have a ring,” I forced the words out as I held my hand up for Grant to see.
His face relaxed and he nodded, “No ring, no engagement Dork!”
“Cissy, don’t do this. I love you. Don’t let him win.”
I felt the tears burning in my eyes as I dropped my face from him in shame. I couldn’t let Grant kill Joel to spite me. I couldn’t allow my pride to get the man I loved killed. He had to win. I had to let Grant win. I had no choice.
“I know you love me Cissy and I won’t give up on us. Not again. You will be my wife and I will save you.”
“Shut up Dork and follow the plan before I forget all about Blair and put a bloody great big hole through that massive brain of yours.”
I quickly swung around to glare at Grant who was activating one of the two UGOD’s now attached to his wrist. He didn’t return my look as he went about preparing for the gate, but he also ignored Joel so I forced down my fear and convinced myself that he was joking.
Joel however didn’t back down. He stayed tense and when Grant handed him the companion essence device I saw his lips move but didn’t catch what he said to Grant. However Grant smirked and I heard his smug reply.
“How does it feel to get a dose of your own medicine?” He was focused on Joel and said the words softly but the wind that was now swirling around us blew them to me.
What was that supposed to mean? But I didn’t have time to question because Grant was dragging me into yet another gate.
As the while light tingled against my skin and the darkness of drowsiness began to cloud my vision, I questioned why this didn’t affect the plastic explosive. Why didn’t this set it off? If nothing else why didn’t it expel the sensor from Grant’s body? The gate fixed injuries. Why didn’t it just see the device under his skin as a foreign body and deal with it? It mustn’t work like that. After all if it did I would be dead right?
I woke in Joel’s arms. I looked up into his face as his hair streamed upwards. He smiled at me as his arms tightened. I didn’t need to read lips to know what he was saying to me. I had missed him. I had missed this Joel so much. This was a different Joel to the one that escaped D-zero with me. His eyes didn’t have the burden that they had carried since we started to run from the company. His whole face was more relaxed. He looked like the Joel I fell in love with.
His eyes focused quickly on something over my shoulder then they went downwards. I knew that the jump was almost over. I had done this enough times now to feel the difference in the decent.
Joel swung me up and held me like he did those first few times we had done this. His eyes didn’t leave me but I felt his body tense. I held myself still and forced myself not to look. Grant must be close. But Joel had me in his arms and I wasn’t going to fight that. I would just have to deal with Grant later. I snuggled closer into his chest as the colours tainted the white.
Joel landed with a small bounce but otherwise with perfect balance. He smiled at me and lowered his lips gently to brush mine as Grant swore in pain and presumably annoyance. I could hear him pushing himself off the ground but Joel wouldn’t release me. However my feet were on the ground before Grant shoved him away from me and wrenched Joel’s hands off me.
“She isn’t yours Dorkface!”
“And she isn’t yours either Grant. She is her own person and she has the right to choose. So take that thing off her and let her choose. What are you afraid of Grant? Are you afraid she won’t choose you? Are you afraid she will choose me?”
“Or me!” Gavin piped up.
“Shut-up!” Grant growled as he squared his shoulders and drew himself up. But only his jaw flinched as he seemed to force himself to take a deep breath. He took a step back and dropped his head, “You have a job to do. And you,” he looked daggers at Gavin, “This is none of your business!”
His eyes went to the same UGOD again and then skyward as another gate was forming.
“Maybe,” Gavin shrugged as he wiggled an eyebrow at me, “But I’m still a long way further up the line than you are!”
“This is a one man line Gavin. The queue starts and stops with me,” Joel knocked his shoulder but smiled at him like this was a great joke.
“Guys! I’m standing right here!”
Joel and Gavin turned and laughed but Grant was still grinding his teeth and watching the clouds form.
“Yes, yes you are Fran! And we are grateful that you are, especially given the whole bomb situation, ‘cause if you were standing say... over there well that might not work out so good.” Gavin laughed then he turned to Grant, “So, at the risk of getting another facial, I have to ask - why is this plan so complex?” Gavin frowned, “I mean I still don’t understand why you can’t just zap the guy?”
“Because,” Grant dropped his gaze to Gavin, “He is wearing a piece of precision equipment which is not only highly valuable but also highly sensitive to electrical surges. You don’t risk the equipment.”
“So you can risk me but not the UGOD?” I huffed.
“I didn’t risk you Cissy. The taser does no permanent harm to you.”
“You tasered Cissy?” Joel growled at Grant then his eyes probed mine with concern.
“Yeah, and given what she did to me I could have done worse!”
“You don’t touch Cissy, you understand! This is between you and me. You don’t hurt her!”
“What’s between you and Grant?”
But Joel didn’t hear my question as the gate was opening and then I was falling again.
This time I woke as Grant pulled me towards him. I struggled to put some distance between us knowing how badly Grant tended to land and seeing how close we were to the end. So when my feet touched the ground and I managed to stay upright unlike Grant. This did not put him in a good mood. He retook my arm as he got to his feet.
“You need to stay with me Cissy.” Grant hissed at me.
I glanced at Joel who was glaring at Grant but didn’t say anything. I was beginning to feel like a rag doll in a tug of war between two determined toddlers.
“So how many more of these do we need to do?” Gavin interrupted Grant as he glared at me.
“Another one,” Grant huffed and automatically dropped his attention to the UGOD.
“Is that Joel’s UGOD?” I looked at the device he was operating for the first time.
“Yes, otherwise what would the point? Blair has to chase us for the plan to work Cissy.”
“Ohh,” was all that I could think to say. I wondered if this was a bad time to mention that I didn’t listen to the plan? “Umm, remind me, was there anything I was supposed to do in this... umm plan?”
Grant rolled his eyes at me as he shook his head softly, “No, thank Gawd. Just stick close to me.”
“Why are we running away from the guy we are supposed to be capturing?” I asked hoping that this wasn’t a dumb question.
“That’s what I want to know!” Gavin emphasised. “This plan is far too complicated.”
“Complicated, dangerous and stupid,” Joel amended.
“Because,” Grant ignored Joel, closed his eyes and sighed like he was explaining this for the hundredth time, “Blair will already be suspicious because Joel disappeared from that reality but didn’t seem to jump. Remember he used the UGOD I gave Gavin so that Blair couldn’t trace him to where we were. So from Blair’s point of view he just disappeared for 10 hours. So by jumping we are luring him into thinking that Joel hid the UGOD in the same way it from the company recently.”
“See, overly complicated,” Gavin nodded at me as I must have looked as confused as I felt. “All we needed to do was turn up and ambush the guy and job done.”
“Without having Cissy anywhere near this idiot!” Joel amended again.
Grant rubbed his face with his hand, “Why am I surrounded by morons?”
“Are you calling me a Moron?” I looked at him incredulously.
“You should look in a mirror some time Grant!” Joel growled.
“You have a way with the ladies don’t you? Let me guess, you are much more relaxed and confident talking to the guys?”
“I am not gay!”
“I didn’t say anything about that... did I say anything about that?” Gavin looked around innocently.
“I don’t recall you saying anything like that,” Joel said seriously.
Luckily the next gate opened which forced Grant’s attention from Gavin.
As we jumped Joel’s hand caught mine and held it. I turned as I fell and his other hand catch my waist pulling me closer to him. I drifted into unconsciousness with his warmth pressed against me.
We were on the ground in the next dimension when Joel stood between Grant and me. He held me behind him as he did.
“What are you doing Joel?” Grant asked casually, “Do you want that bomb to detonate?”
“No, but she doesn’t have to be that close to you. She can stay here with me.”
“Can she now?”
“There’s been a change of plans. I’m not leaving her Grant.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“And so you are in charge now? So you have defused the bomb? You are making the rules now?”
“No but I’m still not leaving her. I won’t let you hurt her Grant. You have hurt her before and you won’t do it again. I won’t leave you with her. I’m not leaving her side.”
“I. Didn’t. Hurt. Her. Not her or the other one! Got it!” Grant spat clearly and slowly at Joel. “That was a lie!”
“Actually I agree with Joel. He shouldn’t be the one to leave.”
“The babysitter agrees with Dorkface, surprise, surprise!”
“I probably should have told you earlier, but you see I don’t really fight. Lover, yup got that box ticked, but fighter,” Gavin audiably grimaced, “That was never really my forte. So you might need Joel.”
Grant threw his head back and groaned in frustration, “Why exactly are you here?”
“Comic relief,” Gavin smiled widely, “or just because I have a smoking hot body... you choose?”
Grant’s hand went to where his gun was tucked into the back of his jeans but I caught his arm before he pulled it from his waist band.
“Don’t hurt him Grant,” I said softly.
“You still need him Grant,” Joel added, “Even though he isn’t the best, he can still fight and you need the numbers.”
“Fine, but I will dump your ass as soon as I don’t need you.”
“Ohh, fixation on my ass... well that’s to be expected.”
Grant growled between his teeth as he turned to Joel. “OK genius, then how’s this going to work?”
“Everything is already in motion so we can’t change the overall plan now. We just need to tweak it a little. I’ll stay. I won’t jump away.”
“But he will see the homing beacon.”
“Maybe but I’m betting he’s going to check whether a gate’s been opened first. Only if it hasn’t then he’ll look for the beacon.”
“That’s a risk Joel,” Grant said seriously.
“Yes, but there are still four of us and only one of him.”
“And he still has a gun.”
“And we have two.”
“I have two. I’m not letting either one of you near one.”
“Fine but that still means we out number and outgun him.”
“And you are willing to risk Cissy to do it this way?”
“Your way is more risky because I won’t be here to protect her.”
“Ok, Ok, tone the testosterone down boys. Grant, I don’t know what you plan was but Joel has made some good points.”
“Cissy this isn’t a committee. However I am,” he stopped and took a deep breath, “Willing to try it his way.”
The grin spread across Joels face as Gavin fist punched the air.
“You haven’t won anything,” Grant growled.
“You just keep telling yourself that!” Gavin laughed.
Joel must have given him a look because Gavin swallowed his laugh and said nothing more.
Silence filled the air as the next gate opened. But Joel’s eyes danced with something. He was playing some big game with Grant that I didn’t understand and this was somehow a significant win for him. He looked more confident than I had seen him for some time. He stayed very closed to me and between Grant and I when he could. Whatever was happening Grant wasn’t happy about it. Not happy at all.
I moved ready to jump but Joel put his hand on me pulling me back. I turned to him as he shook his head and shouted something that was lost in the wind. He held me back as we watched the gate close without us. No one looked concerned that we had missed the gate. Gavin was already busying himself with something presumably to do with the plan and Grant was hovering at my side.
“Did we miss that gate on purpose?”
“You really didn’t listen to the plan did you?” Grant shook his head. “Blair has to think he’s chasing Joel and be preoccupied with jumping. That way we can ambush him while he is busy with the UGOD.”
“Really? That’s your big plan?”
“Yup!” Gavin laughed, “That’s what I’ve been saying! It’s dumb, right?”
“No one asked your opinion!” Grant growled.
In an effort to distance myself from Grant and Gavin’s bickering I looked away. It was then I noticed where we were. There was thick dark forest around the small clearing that we were standing in. The trees reached up above us blocking out the sun and the ground was covered in leaf litter.
“This whole reality is rainforest, from what we have been able to tell. The population is so sparse that it’s classed as unpopulated.” Joel said as he was busy with the leaf litter. “This is the perfect place to do this because you can be hidden in the trees without being far from Grant. And I want you to stay hidden Cissy.”
“But I can help!”
“No, no you can’t.” Grant agreed with Joel which had to be a first.
“I can fight!”
“Cissy,” Joel took me by the shoulders, “Please do this for me. Stay out of sight. Blair is a psycho. He isn’t right in the head and I wouldn’t handle it very well if he killed you ... again. So please, just do as I ask.”
“Yes,” Grant nodded, “And I don’t want to have to be worried about where you are. If I know you are in one spot I know how far I can move without... well you know, blowing you up. If you are jumping around we could get separated.”
“Great, excellent, thanks for that Grant.”
“You’ve never had to work for a girl before have you?” Gavin asked from the edge of the clearing. “Let me guess, you were the big football stud and the girls lay down and waved their legs in the air for you? Am I right?”
“Gavin!” I huffed. “My alter ego was one of those girls. I am sure that, even though she was selfish and really horrible, she wouldn’t have been easy! But then again,” I looked between Joel and Grant and cringed, “She did sleep with you both at the same time.”
“We don’t have time for this,” Grant snarled.
Joel also got busy with whatever he was doing.
“Way to stick your foot in your mouth, down your throat and out your bum!” Gavin laughed softly to me as he guided me away.
I just groaned and followed him. He had constructed a little hide at the edge of the clearing. I climbed into the little structure of leaves and branches erected to keep me hidden. Then Gavin went to check to make sure I couldn’t be seen. It was reasonably comfortable and through the gaps I had a good view of the clearing. I watched Joel and Grant.
“She was never yours,” Grant sneered at Joel.
“I loved her. I loved her before she loved you.”
“Yeah but she didn’t stop loving me. She might have had slept with you but she never loved you like she did me.”
Joel took a deep breath and looked around, “She loved me once. But I messed it up. I let her go. Then it was too late. When we got married I thought if I could love her enough she would be happy with me. But she wasn’t. I lost her. But Grant, I don’t plan on losing her again. This Cissy loves me. This Cissy is mine and I won’t make the same mistakes with her. You aren’t getting this Cissy. She’s belongs to me.”
I crouched in the hide confused. Joel and Grant couldn’t see me. I tried to understand what Joel was saying. I felt a surge of doubt. At first, when I first found out about her, I had accused Joel of only loving me as a replacement. He had denied it and, at the time, I believed him.
But now, what was I supposed to believe now? What the hell did he mean by calling me ‘This Cissy’? Was I just a chance to win where he had failed before? Was I just a shadow of his former wife? Ohh hell, was I nothing more than a victory to him?
“You lost her to me because I am the better man. She used you to get what she wanted. And that’s all this one is doing too. This Cissy is not that different. She wants something from you Dork. Otherwise why would she be with you? Come on dork, it’s not like all the girls are falling all over you. Have you ever slept with anyone who wasn’t called Cissy?”
“That’s none of you business Grant!”
“No then. Hell Joel. You are such a geek. A woman like Cissy is never going to be satisfied with someone like you. What’s she going to do while you read?”
Joel opened his mouth but didn’t answer.
“She’ll get bored of you just like my Cissy did.”
Joel closed his eyes and made no attempt to argue with him.
“Yeah that works!” Gavin’s voice caused me to flinch in surprise. I had forgotten about him. “I can’t see you so you should be safe here.”
Safe from whom? I silently wondered who I was supposed to trust as Gavin helped me up. I glanced over to the discussion that was still being had in the clearing. Both Grant and Joel seemed to be squaring off against each other. I normally would have interrupted but right now I didn’t think it was my place to interrupt. This wasn’t about me. None of this was about me. It was all about her. All of it.
I watched the dry leaves as I shuffled my feet.
“Gate opening!” Grant cried out from somewhere in the clearing.
I looked up and sure enough there was a gate forming.
Blair was arriving.