Part 26 (1/2)
I can almost hear everyone suck in air, as if leveled by the uncertainty I've delivered. Tellar stands and disappears beyond the counter dividing our War Room from the main kitchen. I watch my screen as the ”sending” icon becomes ”complete.” ”It's done,” I say, leaning back to run my hands down my legs. ”And now we wait.”
Tellar returns, setting a bottle of tequila and five shot gla.s.ses on the table. ”I'd say we all need this right about now.”
Everyone at the table comes to life at his offering, cheering him as he fills our gla.s.ses, the mood steadily becoming more optimistic. Surprising me, Amy accepts her shot without hesitation, her actions confirming she is not pregnant after all. I am both relieved and sad for her, but this isn't the right time. Not yet. But soon, I hope.
Lifting the gla.s.s, Amy smells the tequila and crinkles her nose. ”I have to warn everyone, I'm a lightweight and a giggler.”
”I'll carry you, baby,” Liam promises her, a gleam in his eye that would have made me want to punch him two weeks ago. Now, I'm just d.a.m.n glad she has a man who protects her and loves her.
I glance at Gia to find her watching me. Winking, I lean in close to her, nuzzle her neck, and whisper, ”I'll carry you, too.”
She gives me a playful scowl. ”Oh, Chad, you have much to learn. I'll drink you under the table.”
I lean back and arch a brow. ”Really?”
”No,” she snickers. ”But it sounded good.”
I wrap my arm around her and Tellar lifts his gla.s.s, while we all follow. ”To f.u.c.king up our enemies,” he declares.
”To f.u.c.king up our enemies,” I agree, and everyone laughs, clinks gla.s.ses, and downs their shots, Gia and I laughing at each other as we do. We all stand, and I throw Gia over my shoulder and carry her to the bedroom.
EVERY NIGHT FOR three nights, I wake in a sweat, reliving the fire in my nightmares. Each time, Gia is there for me, kissing me, f.u.c.king me, bringing me back to this world, and finally making love to me. And I am not alone, no different from everyone else. On day three, we are all sitting in the War Room when Amy has another blackout, her first in weeks, and scares the s.h.i.+t out of all of us.
It sets Liam into control mode, insisting we need a backup plan. He dials China again and intentionally puts a buzz out through his contacts that we are looking for a backup buyer. Bedtime arrives and we've still heard nothing.
On the eve of the deadline, when Gia and I finally enter our bedroom, she starts pacing, as if my habit has now become hers. I try talking to her. She paces more, and I take her to bed, where we don't make love. We do a whole lot of f.u.c.king. And then we do some more. And finally we curl up together and sleep. Despite that, I wake from a nightmare in the throes of flames and fire, and find Gia is not in bed, a cold draft alerting me to the open door leading to the deck off our bedroom.
I grab my jeans and pull them on, and I have no idea why, but a sudden shooting fear for her safety overwhelms me, and I dart for the door, shoving back the curtain. Gia stands at the railing in only my T-s.h.i.+rt, s.h.i.+vering in the cold wind blowing off the water, staring forward to where the sun has begun to break the horizon. Certain she knows I am here, I gently snag her wrist, and she jerks, yelping in surprise as I lead her inside and shut the door.
”Are you trying to freeze yourself?” I demand, grabbing her robe and wrapping it around her.
”Yes,” she replies, shoving her arms into the robe, her teeth chattering. ”I am. I just want to feel something other than fear and worry.”
Understanding seeps through me, in a far too familiar way, and my hands go to her shoulders. ”I get it, sweetheart, I do. Waiting sucks. It guts you. That's why I kept treasure hunting all these years. I could find a way aside from ma.s.s murder to save Amy, and the cylinder, and those hunts gave me the rush I needed and a lot of money if Amy and I needed it. If we need it, Gia.”
”I don't want money, Chad. I want a real life. I want to work in a lab, the way Amy wanted to live at archeological dig sites. I want to take a walk with you and not fear being grabbed and poisoned with a.r.s.enic.”
”I know. Just have faith. We aren't doing nothing. This is going to work. I feel it. I know it.” I lead her toward the bed. ”Come try and rest a little while longer.”
She shakes her head. ”No. I can't. I think I'll take a run.”
Then my phone rings by the bed. I've carried it with me everywhere for days, and it had been quiet. I launch myself at the nightstand, grabbing it. I sit on the bed, and Gia goes down on her knees in front of me. Our eyes meet, antic.i.p.ation between us, and I draw a breath and hit Answer to hear: ”We are satisfied with the terms, but Rollin is recorded as dead.”
A crazy mix of relief and adrenaline rushes through me. ”He was disinherited by his father. He's trying to steal what we have to sell out from under his father.”
”Make the call to lure Rollin out now, then, and get me details. Preparations for the destruction of Sheridan and his consortium are already underway.” The line goes dead.
”Well?” Gia asks, on her knees beside me now. ”What happened?”
”They're in, sweetheart. We just have to set the trap for Rollin.”
”Oh my G.o.d. Could this really happen? Could it be over?”
I grab her and bury my face in her neck, drawing in the sweet scent of woman, my woman, who I am not letting anyone else hurt. ”Yeah, sweetheart. It's happening. This is going to work.”
She leans back. ”Now what?”
I glance at the clock, which reads six in the morning. ”We wake Sheridan and set the bait for Rollin.”
She settles back to listen in, staring at me as I listen to the line ring once, twice. Sheridan answers, his voice like sand in a wound, and I don't waste a good greeting on him. ”It's Chad, you piece of s.h.i.+t. You win. Gia almost died. No one else gets hurt. I'll give you what you want.”
”You do know how to wake a man to suns.h.i.+ne,” he drawls, and I can almost see the gloat on his face. ”When? Where?”
”Full circle. Texas. The same spot where I last met Rollin.”
”When?”
”I'll be in touch.” I end the call.
He autodials back, and I have not protected the number, on purpose-I want Jared to hack his phone records and show up. I'm looking for a standoff. I let the phone ring and stand up, pulling Gia to her feet. ”Let's go share the news.”
I lace my fingers with Gia's and we walk into the hallway, and I laugh as Gia shouts, ”The Chinese called!”
I hear doors start opening around the house. ”I guess that's a good way to wake them up.” I motion her forward and we make it to the living area before we are faced with Liam and Amy, both in robes, while Tellar arrives in just his boxers.
”They called?” Amy asks. ”What happened?”
I relay the entire conversation. ”Gia and I will leave for Texas tonight.”
”I'll go with you,” Tellar says.
I shake my head. ”No. You protect my sister. Gia and I will hole up in a safe house I have in Texas until we're sure this is done.”
”It's not done until we find a way to truly protect the cylinder and make it available to the world if it's needed,” Liam points out.
”Then I plan to convince Gia to get the f.u.c.k out of Dodge with me for a few months.”
Amy's eyes go wide. ”You're leaving? No. You can't leave. I've only just found you again.”
”Just for a little while, sis. We aren't disappearing. We'll be in touch.” I wrap my arm around Gia. ”I just need some time to convince Gia I'm not the a.s.shole she's always calling me. I think I need some time to convince myself, too.”
Gia turns in my arms, her hand on my chest, teasing me. ”Don't totally stop being an a.s.shole. I might not like you anymore.”
I cup her head and kiss her and she refocuses on Liam, Amy, and Tellar, her laughter fading into a gravelly, emotional confession. ”I love you all. I want justice for you. I want happiness for you. I want this to be as over as it ever can be for any of us.”
Her words, drenched with the heartache that had her standing out in the cold, fill the room, expanding and sweeping over all of us. Amy makes a choked sound and wraps her arms around Gia. I step toward Liam, motioning him to walk with me, stopping a few feet away. ”If anything happens to me-”