Hey all. About my baking skills. There was a comment... Honestly... I'm the WORST baker EVER! I swear it! I tried making a cake and it was a complete failure. I kid you not, I followed the recipe on the box, used what it said, but my cake came out like pudding and it was so gross. My mom banned me from EVER baking a cake. Like I tried to pick up one of the cake mix boxes at the store when we were shopping the other day, and you should have seen the panic in my mom's eyes. Which she promptly followed with, "you aren't thinking of baking a cake are you?"
So yeah. Last night I was more or less just sitting by while my friend did the actual baking/mixing.
Anyways. Enjoy.
Chapter 54 – Lost and Found (Ansel Conrad POV) Pt.6
Then. "There is something off about that family," Antone – Kalenah's father – whispered. This was not the first time that he had made such an off base comment of the Rosario family. It's something he's been saying since they joined the Den.
"That one, the young one, Taylor, she has yet to show a single emotion-" I had cut him off. "She's just a baby, Antone, she may just be in shock." I had believed myself back then, more so when we lost Silas and the twins – Amy and Simon - were just toddlers. They were sad that he wouldn't be around, and it took them a while to understand he wouldn't be coming back, especially when they still saw Samson.
"Then why does the sister and brother cry, but she on the other hand is just staring out blankly," I ignored him. Each time he brought his suspicions to my attention I disregarded his observation. In truth, watching Shannon and Javier Senior parent, it was clear to see that they wanted to spoil their children.
I was Den leader, how they raised their children was not my problem.
Shannon and Javier Senior were indulgent when it came to their children, except, Javier Junior. From the minute they merged with the den, Junior was the quiet child, never causing much trouble.
Devin and Taylor on the other hand never seemed to mind any limits Shannon and Javier placed on them. The more they began hanging out with my children though, that was when they mellowed out I believed. If they wanted to hang out in my own, they had to follow the rules my children did.
That was when we really saw a change in their behavior.
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Now. Pulling the phone from my ear, I look at it oddly. What was Antone saying to me? Why would he... I shake my head, placing the phone against my ear.
"Wait!" I command, resting back against the booth seat. "Antone, Devin heard Taylor say what?"
"What?" My wife and sister say simultaneously. Frowning, my heart racing in my chest, I take a moment to answer them, nothing quite making sense right now. "Antone, he's saying that Taylor was the one that tampered with the plane?" I mean to relay what has been feed to me, but it comes out as more of a question than a statement.
"Give me the phone before you crush it," Angela murmurs softly, pealing my fingers from the Stat-phone I was holding. Putting it on speaker, she lays in on the table in front of us, while I stare at Kalenah. My mother come from behind me, and scurries over to Lenah, "sit dear," she croons sympathetically, handling my wife, helping her into the seat across from me.
Her glassy, big blue eyes stare straight ahead unblinking.
"Uhm," Angela says, "Antone, I have you on speaker," she informs Lenah's father while I feel as though mine is pulling our motorhome over to the side of the road, or maybe an exit.
At first all I hear is breathing on the other end of the call until Antone clears his throat.
"As I was saying. When we were in Beatty, Nevada, Devin Rosario happened upon us in panic," Antone sounds as far from grandfather and dad as possible in this moment. The man I have come to know is replaced with a kind yet still detached voice. Each time I think he is close to losing control on his voice, he pauses, clears his throat and the detached tone returns.
"We had just been setting up for the night in Beatty when Devin rolled up in Samson's car. In the car she had a burner phone, laptop and nine grand." While Antone leaves no detail out, I prepare myself to hear what he has to say regarding my son.
A hint of terror plagues me when I hear that Devin found my children.
"While still in Beatty, we learned that Devin and Taylor decided to come after the family," he stops abruptly, "find us," Antone corrects.
"Devin said that they had the list of potential compounds and they were heading to Surprise, Arizona first. When they stopped just near Cordero, Nevada, Devin overheard Taylor in the washroom. She overheard Taylor confirming that she in fact tampered with the airplane. With more questioning I was able to gather that the night the plane went down-" Kalenah gasps loudly, and one hand is lifted to her mouth as her eyes water.
For a while Antone remains silent, just breathing on the other end of the phone. Gazing at my Lenah, it's not until she gives me a slight nod that I prompt Antone to continue.
Besides me, Angela works furiously pulling up a map, and turning the screen so I can see just on a map where our children are. According to Antone.
"She recalls Taylor leaving the dorms to prevent Samson from following Silas onto the plane. Devin believes that Silas was Taylor's chosen victim, however she cannot quite understand why-"
"Antone?" I grit out, my brain dealing with so much already is slow to catch up. "Are we on speaker phone?" I ask him, needing him to take me off.
"No, you are not." I nod to myself. "Take the phone outside, make sure you're not in overhearing distance of anyone with you," I instruct listening to the static of his movements, the wind when he leaves the bus and finally, a confirmation he is alone.
"While traveling, we've learned a few things when it comes to the Elders," I hear his intake, "they have a gang of sorts, people that do the Elders bidding. They are Loyal," I say the words with a bit of apprehension, recalling the beliefs of Faith.
"They have tattoo's, their names, the letters can be rewritten to spell out 'Betray No Elder.' Even if they do not have those two badges or sorts, when you ask them, 'Who is Robert Delaney?' They will reply with a riddle. "I am Robert Delaney. Robert Delaney is me..."
I swallow, knowing that while there were families following Antone, he was leading all the children; everyone under the age of 21 was with him.
"I uhm," swallowing, I shake my head, gathering my thoughts. "When you go back to the bus, get the gun that is in the glove compartment in the motorhome. I want you to ask Devin, 'who is Robert Delaney?' and Antone, should her answer be what I said, you need to kill her on the spot," I order, ignoring the slight audible reaction Antone gives.
"Hold on," Antone finally answers gruffly, and I can tell when he's entered the bus, the static noise lessens. Heart thumping, I hold my breath, "Now, Devin I'm going to ask you a question. You have my permission to speak," I frown at the phone, after I hear Antone communicate with Devin.
Angela snorts, covering it up quickly with a cough.
'You have my permission to speak?'
What the hell was going on? I think, not sure if I wanted to laugh or demand an explanation. Though, given Antone's previous and longstanding opinion on the Rosario children, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised with this overheard dialogue.
When dad pulls the bus to a stop, he and Peter gather around the phone.
Peter – my twenty-year-old cousin, had been quite interested in the workings of the Den, though his mother had not wanted to join us before in Bend.
Holding my breath I hear Antone ask Devin, who is Robert Delaney, and when five seconds pass by before she utters a confused response, I exhale loudly as do those around me.
"Is he someone from school? Back in Bend?" I hear Devin murmur her voice scratchy and low. Cocking my head to the side, I flick my gaze over to Lenah. Though her eyes remain glassy, sad, she has regained her composure.
"You can go to the backroom," Antone says dismissively. Attention on Kalenah her eyes narrow on the phone. "Dad," she groans, "what are you doing to Devin?"
There is a bout of silence before Antone responds.
"That girl had the nerve to come in here and throw blame on Ansel and Angela for not finding her backdoor hack. Questioning their abilities when Brennan specifically made it easier for her to not get caught by shutting down the servers if she failed-"
"She said what?" Angela bites back.
"Exactly," Antone murmurs, "so I was ready to throw her out on the side of the road, let her sister or someone else find her. Out of the kindness of my heart, I've decided to keep her on my bus, teach her some manners. Hopefully some self-control and respect while I'm at it."
I open my mouth, closing it and repeating the action until I finally shake my head. I had enough to worry, if Devin wasn't working for the Elders, then she really was Antone's problem now.
"Okay, Antone, listen up. I'm sending someone," I pause looking around the bus, "Peter and Scotty. They'll meet up with you in Oklahoma, when they arrive, one by one, you three question everyone; ask them who Robert Delaney is. If they respond appropriately, all is well. However, should they respond with a riddle, it does not matter who says it, take. Them. Out." I keep my gaze on Peter.
A clear direct order.
While Antone gives me an audible response, Peter nods sharply once.
"Actually," Antone says in the same breath, "We won't be crossing into Oklahoma," I frown, looking at the map that Angela pulled up. Though it does not have the traveling points I had given Antone, I knew the route like the back of my hand.
"You see, Devin informed us that Taylor not only tampered with the plane," he pauses, "from what she overheard, Taylor was working with someone and she also emailed many documents from the laptop to her own phone-"
"Yeah but the instructions weren't-"
"I know," Antone interrupts, "In Beatty when Brennan did a search of the car we found a tracking system. We left the car and money in Beatty, should someone be tracking the money by serials. Devin informed us that her old phone was placed in the car of someone heading to Las Vegas. With that in mind, wanting to throw off Taylor, I went to Yuma, Arizona instead at a property Bess and I have."
Instantly at the stroke of a few keys Angela points to the map, identifying the location.
"You had us on Route 40, but right now, we're on Route 10."
"We're heading to Las Cruces, New Mexico. In two days we should be stopping near Austin, Texas. Bess and I have a piece of property just outside Austin in Bastrop, Texas, have Scotty and uh – Peter, meet us there."
Again, Angela is quickly pulling up images showing me locations and directions.
"Okay," I say slowly looking at the map provided.
"How is everyone else provided?"
Antone is silent, and I almost think the line has been cut off before he sighs heavily. "Well Brennan informed his siblings of his part in the hacking with Devin. There was a fight, but right now... they know about Taylor and her involvement with the plane and Silas' death. And... Ansel, you should know," he breaks and when he finishes his voice is almost a hushed whisper. "Shannon and Javier Senior, they told Devin to leave Taylor. From what she was able to assume, Devin believes that her parents know something about Taylor because when she told them what she heard... they told her, instructed her to continue on her way to us."
Angela exhales, the air coming out of her lungs like a low whistle while I stare at the phone blankly.
"You mean," I close my eyes, needing just a second or two to process. "She – Devin believes that Shannon and Javier Senior were aware of Taylor's involvement?" I only just glance at Kalenah and see her shaking her head slightly from side to side.
"No," he breathes, "Devin explained it as she expected her parents to tell her to go back and get Taylor. Instead, her father frantically told her to leave Taylor behind, and throw away her cell phone and laptop. Even then the child still doesn't listen," Antone grits.
With information relayed back and forth, the call is ended and I push Angela aside, standing besides Kalenah with a blank face in place. Without comment, we leave the bus, heading off to a vacant part of the rest stop my father paused in.
And we grieve. Together.
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© 2016 roxann_season All Rights Reserved
Don't we just love Antone? Hopefully no one is confused... I added the new adjustments to the map so if you aren't familiar with everything...
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