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BRIGHT LIGHT THUNDERED into my eyes as a burlap cover was ripped off my head. Everything was foggy for a moment until I recovered my senses. It took me a moment to retrace my steps. Ryan had cornered me in the hallway after Z ran off. He’d hit me over the head, and I’d passed out.
I tested my wrists, feeling like they were pinned behind me. A wide swath of tape cut into my bones, wound so tightly it was almost messing with my circulation. My palms tingled, but I tried to focus on the good news. It would be easier to get out as long as it was only tape. Something like a zip tie or a pair of handcuffs would be much harder.
I got to work, inching my wrists forward and back to create space. At the same time, I focused on what was in front of me. Blinking a few times, I brought the world into focus.
I was sitting in some kind of sun room, but it wasn’t a weekend retreat. I could vaguely see some kind of instrument panels to my left and my right, but the bulk of the view was taken up by a set of floor-to-ceiling windows.
The entire room was a brilliant white with fluorescent lighting in the background. The sky outside was gray, but there was enough sun to see by. The landscape outside was impressive. Beautiful but cold, I could see rocks jutting out from the base of a cliff. At the very bottom, a small beach led straight to a violent sea. It was just the kind of place where tragic figures in ancient legends went to die.
I hoped it wasn’t the last thing I would see. Although it was designed to be impressive, I guessed that the glass was shatterproof. No one in my line of work would think otherwise. I had to believe that I was being held captive by Ryan or Mr. Ashcroft or both. Neither of them would set themselves up for such an easy kill. If there was a sniper outside, they would have full view of everything we were doing. No, the cliff wasn’t the danger. My killer was already inside the room.
They’d left me ungagged. That was probably professional courtesy. They knew I wasn’t going to scream or try to draw attention to myself that way. I could feel the absence of a gun on my hip. That was more important. When I did manage to get my hands free, I would have to “borrow” a weapon to get myself out of the situation.
“Welcome to my new home,” Mr. Ashcroft said, appearing from behind me with a sinister flourish. “I wish it was under better circumstances.”
All the emotions that his voice brought up jammed in my throat. If he was anyone else, I would have responded with a sarcastic quip, but for my former foster parent, I had nothing.
“Cat got your tongue?” he asked.
“Why did you do it?” I responded, sounding more plaintive than I had hoped.
“You’ve been out in the world for some time now,” he said. “Haven’t you seen what’s wrong?”
“I see terrorists and criminals trying to attack people,” I asserted. “I see innocent families being targeted by you and your organization.”
“Innocent families?” he scoffed. “Those are sheep. We’re talking about system-wide change. We’re stuck in an aging democracy that is resistant to everything that needs to happen.”
I worked one finger loose, continuing to see-saw my wrists while I kept him talking. “And what needs to happen?”
“We need to release the power of the individual countries and knock the population down so that we can rebuild peacefully,” he decreed, sounding more and more like a comic book villain the longer he spoke.
“And why did you bring us into it?” I demanded, speaking for myself, Lukas, and Z all at once.
“You were supposed to be the vehicle for my takeover,” Mr. Ashcroft explained. “But unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.”
“Maybe because you trained us to be critical thinkers?” I suggested.
“I only did that to unmoor you from the party line. I wanted you to grasp the concept of a new dawn so that you wouldn’t be stuck in the past.” He recited his crazy philosophy for me, giving me a glimpse into his real personality.
I hadn’t known it at the time, but he must have been insane from the very start. It was no mistake that he targeted lost children, orphans, and juvenile delinquents for his program. He probably thought he could mold us to do whatever he wanted. I could sense a heavy disappointment in his manner, something that made me proud of who I had become.
“You gave me too much autonomy,” I said, sticking my chin out. “I never liked killing, and I thought you approved of that.”
“Killing for its own sake is destructive,” Mr. Ashcroft expounded, pacing in front of the window, “but killing in the name of humanity is necessary.”
“Agree to disagree,” I quipped, freeing another finger from its bonds.
I was close to being able to rip the tape off. If I could just distract him for a moment longer, I could break free. And then what? Was I really going to attack the man who had taken me in when no one else wanted me? Despite everything he did, I still felt a certain amount of loyalty.
But then another player entered the ring, and all bets were off. Ryan Abrams, another person who supposedly cared for me, showed his face. He walked right by my chair, thankfully missing the fact that I was shedding my bonds. He took up a spot right next to Mr. Ashcroft, indicating that they were on the same team.
“I’d like you to meet Ryan,” Mr. Ashcroft said.
“We’ve met,” I snapped.
“Not officially,” Mr. Ashcroft corrected me. “You see, while you thought you were engaging in a personal relationship, Ryan was on the clock.”
I turned my gaze to my former lover, enraged at the mere suggestion of being a target. “Is that true?”
“It is,” he said with a grin. “Not that I didn’t enjoy it, but I have to admit, you’re a little high maintenance for me.”
I shrugged my shoulders, tearing at the tape, ripping my entire right hand free. But in order to capitalize on my newfound freedom, I held back. The timing had to be exactly right. I didn’t see anyone else in the room, but I knew Ryan was a formidable opponent. Mr. Ashcroft was getting older, but he was still in good shape. I had to work the element of surprise into my attack or risk getting taken down by the pair of them.
So I clasped my fingers and pretended to be stuck. “I’m going to kill you,” I swore.
“Fat chance,” he declared. “I’ve been studying you for years. I know every move you’ll make.”
“You think so?” I sneered, itching to launch myself out of my seat and wrap my hands around his throat.
Instead, I focused on weapons that would be available to me when I finally made my move. The chair was an option. I could visualize bringing it down on Ryan’s head, watching him crumple to the floor before throwing Mr. Ashcroft into the wall.
I thought I saw a bulge on Ryan’s right thigh, possibly a concealed gun. If I could reach it, then I would have the upper hand. So then I could use the chair to brain my former lover, reach for the pistol, and use it to take them both out.
Having settled on a plan of action, the only question remaining was when. I decided to let them talk. They might even reveal some secrets that I could use when I reconnected with Theo. It was a well-known tactic to pretend to be helpless while the enemy spilled their guts. I was sitting on a gold mine of information—if only I could make them believe they were secure.
“Why don’t you tell me how you did it?” I asked sweetly.
“Why not?” Ryan said with a shrug. “You have to know that we’re going to kill you as soon as we get the key.”
“What key?” I feigned ignorance.
“The key you’ve been carrying around in your shoulder since you were seventeen years old,” Mr. Ashcroft said. “And I don’t see why we would need to kill you. I would much prefer to have you on our side if you could just understand the importance of what we’re doing.”
“I do understand,” I lied.
“She’s full of crap,” Ryan declared. “She’ll never join us. She’s only going to say what you want to hear.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” I argued.
“Sure you would, babe,” he sneered, walking out of sight to grab something from across the room.
I watched him as far as I could, still pretending to be tied to the chair. There was some kind of shelf or counter that held metal implements on it. A glint of sunlight flashed across the blade of a scalpel, mirrored in his eyes as he brought it back to me.
I very nearly made my move right then, but instead of going for my throat, he pulled back my shirt to expose my right shoulder. It was too good to watch the reality of the situation sink in. There were two tight, black stitches sealing a tiny surgical wound, but their import was obvious.
“What’s this?” Ryan demanded, pointing the scalpel at my flesh.
“Oh, was that the key?” I asked, battling my eyelashes like some airheaded blonde.
Ryan hauled back, prepared to slap me. Rage lit his face, making me wonder why I’d ever found him attractive. I kicked the chair out from under me, launching myself at my ex-boyfriend before he had a chance to react.
His gaze changed from one of frustration to one of shock, and he barely managed to get the scalpel up to protect his face before I struck him. I pulled my fist back, following it up with a kick to the gut. What he had on me in terms of pure muscle, I made up for with speed. He couldn’t stop me if he couldn’t keep up.
I spun around, grabbed the chair from where it had fallen, and pounced. He was fighting a losing battle, armed with only a tiny implement while I had a battering ram. I had expected Mr. Ashcroft to join the fight, but it turned out I’d misjudged him again. Instead of coming to Ryan’s aid, he hurried from the room. Not running, but moving with purpose, he left Ryan alone to face the onslaught that I was bringing. So much for strength and honor. I was beginning to realize that Mr. Ashcroft had none of the qualities that I’d attributed to him over the years.
Ryan seemed upset that his mentor had left as well. Reaching out a hand toward Mr. Ashcroft’s retreating back, he cried out. But then I hit him with the chair, and he stumbled back. Not quite falling flat, he tossed the scalpel away so that he could better defend himself.
I launched the chair at him, doing my best to aim for his head. He ducked, putting his arms in front of his face to ward off the flying object. He was quick to recover, rushing me as soon as the danger passed.
I scooted back, slipping away as he attempted to grab me. He went for his weapon, but I landed a kick right at his hip, crippling the hand he was trying to use to remove the gun. With a yelp of pain, he spun back, cursing me and all of my ancestors.
I couldn’t allow my momentum to falter. Jumping on top of him, I wrapped my legs around his waist and brought my elbow down on his nose. Blood squirted warm and wet against my chest. Ryan dropped to his knees, falling on top of me as we struggled for dominance.
I felt the cold tile connect with my shoulder blades, his body pinning me to the floor. Without missing a beat, I twisted my hips, rolling us both to the left. I came out on top, reaching for the scalpel.
Ryan wrapped a hand around my wrist, struggling to disarm me even as I brought the blade down. I could see victory staring me in the face. All I had to do was pour my heart and soul into the battle and I would emerge the winner.
But he had a few tricks left up his sleeve. He punched my shoulder right where the implant had been, sending sparks of pain racing through my chest. I cried out, stabbing down but missing him entirely.
He rolled us over again, coming to a stop when we hit the base of the window. If there was anyone outside, they would have seen us locked into a life-or-death battle. I wished desperately for that sniper who could have ended the fight with a single shot. If only Dark Sparrow was out there, watching the compound. But I was alone and at Ryan’s mercy. It was up to me to find a way to dislodge him and gain the upper hand again.
“I could have been the leader of New Dawn,” Ryan growled, “if it wasn’t for your stupid ass.”
I looked up at him from below, both my hands pinned to the floor. I tried working my hips again, but he was aware of the trick. He planted his bulk firmly on top of me, giving me no wiggle room. But even though he had incapacitated me, he wasn’t able to let up for a minute to grab his gun. He would have to come up with another strategy or risk allowing me an opening that could lead to his death.
“How’s that?” I demanded, looking to my left and to my right in search of another weapon.
“You just wouldn’t play ball,” Ryan spat. “If you’d just gotten on board, we could have ruled the world together.”
“You’re crazy,” I snapped, twisting my left hand free and grabbing his thigh.
I couldn’t reach into his pants for the gun, but I managed to find the trigger beneath the fabric. Betting that it was already cocked and ready to go, I fired, sending a bullet rocketing into his knee.
He screamed, rolling away to put pressure on the wound. The instant he let up, I attacked again, slashing his throat. The blade went deep, slicing through skin and muscle, opening a trench beneath his chin that would never heal.
His eyes went wide, and his fingers clawed at the wound. His body twitched, blood squirting from the severed artery, coating the pristine white walls. I scooted away, my shoes squeaking on the tiled floor. It was a horrific sight, one that I wished I could have avoided. As angry as I was, Ryan still held a place in my heart. That he’d forced me to slaughter him was agony enough, but it brought up all the feelings of abandonment that I’d thought I had put behind me.
“Dammit!” I shouted, watching the last throes of panic wash through him before he finally lay still.
I’d spent so much time trying to find Ryan’s killer. It turned out, I was the one responsible. This situation was likely to haunt me for a long time, even if Theo and I did manage to retire. I hated Ryan for what he’d forced me to do. I hated myself for doing it, but more than anything, I hated Mr. Ashcroft for setting the entire thing in motion.
Forcing myself to get up, I dug into the corpse’s pocket for the gun. Wiping it off on a corner of Ryan’s shirt that hadn’t soaked up too much blood, I took it with me. It was time to find Mr. Ashcroft and stop him from making a mess of the entire world. Hopefully I could undo some of the damage he had caused to me and my friends. Better yet, if I could stop Armageddon from happening, we could finally leave all this heartache behind.
