arbitrate (daynight) (34 page)

“Likely.”

“We need to find them, help them. Do you know where they are?”

“No.”

Brad shoves Kira out of the way so that he can speak to me. “I want you to go over to the Complex with James’ team and look for a motive. For Violet to attack Henry and Vienna…her own siblings…well, I’m going to need solid proof to believe it. Maybe it was all Victor, but I’m having a tough time swallowing it.”

“If I, as your uncle, could give you one piece of advice Ethan…it would be to always have a contingency plan. Appreciate the hell out of things when they are good but plan for the day when things turn for the worse.”
Things couldn’t be looking much worse for Victor. He once told me about his contingency plan if things went sour. I’d even helped him put his plan into motion, back when I thought he and Violet had good intentions. I wonder if plan B is in effect. I had promised to keep his secret, but now that Alexa and Joshua are involved, all bets are off.

Before I can tell Brad about what I know, Blake pipes up. “I’ll go with them.” He’s close to Joshua, so I know he probably wants to find clues as much as I do.

“Sorry Blake. I’m only sending Ethan because he has worked at the CSC office. I need you to go back to Thera and keep an eye on our Exiler issue. We can’t afford to take our eye off the ball on our problem there just because we’ve got another one here.”

Blake keeps his face impassive other than a raised eyebrow, so I can’t tell if he’s pissed or happy. “Back to Art City? Or monitoring from afar?”

A corner of Brad’s lip turns up, but it never turns into a full-blown smile. “Back to Art City for now. The Exilers trust you, and I’m giving you another chance to prove that
I
can trust you. I need to know if they are planning anything of concern.”

“I’m not sure they could do squat from where they are at. Wasn’t that the point of sending them out in the middle of nowhere? But sure, I’ll go see if they’ve figured out a way to dig a tunnel or build a train or something.” I’ve got to agree with Blake. Even if the Exilers want to make a run at the SCI, there is no realistic way they can do it.

Brad rubs his hand along his jaw. “Regardless of their possibility for success, I want to know their mindset. Have they been placated by getting their own city, or do they still desire to contend with the SCI? The portals out of there are still live to allow us to get in and out. But if the Exilers were to get some sort of stupid notion that they could sacrifice a bunch of people and try to take out our forces on the other side…it could get really ugly, really fast. If we need to, we’ll shut down the portals. I need you to ascertain whether or not it’s worth it to keep those portals open.”

If I were a good “son” to Brad, I’d point out that he just gave Blake an idea that can be passed right along to the Exilers, but I’m not. And Blake’s not dumb enough to point it out either.

“Yeah fine, I’ll go spy on the people who raised me. Can I at least take along some non-grain food with me? Unless you’d like me to spend my entire stay there fishing that is…”

Brad signals to a short stocky guy with red hair to come over. “Dale, please escort Blake back to Thera and then on to Art City. He has permission to take limited supplies with him—
for his personal use
. I’d like you to take him now. I’ll send for you, Blake, when I’m ready for a report.”

“You going to be okay?” Blake asks me. “The last couple days…there’s a lot to process.”

No, I’m not going to be okay. My mother is dead. My cousins are dead. My aunt’s legs were blown off. And Alexa and Joshua are missing. But I don’t say that in front of Brad. I don’t want him to pull me off the assignment at the CSC. There’s nothing I can do but mourn the deaths…but Alexa and Joshua are still alive, and I may be the only person who can help track them down and save them. “Staying busy will be good. I want to help figure out what happened.”

“Jax and I will come help.” Kira offers.
 

“The last thing I want is Arbiter help,” Brad responds, his hazel eyes narrowing at Jax.
 

I can almost see the wheels turning as Kira concocts her spin. “Hear me out. You know from my testing that I’m good with puzzles—really good at them. And Jax can tell when people are lying. It could come in handy—he could interview the other staff at the complex. We can’t stay for long anyway, as I need to get back to the babies, but isn’t the first twenty-four hours the most crucial during an abduction?”

Brad looks like he’s still going to shoot them down, but then Jax speaks up. “If Kira wants us to go, we will go. I assure you that I will know what is happening whether you have me there or not.”

“And you will provide your assistance?”

Jax scratches his head and says, “I should really stay out of it.”

I use the wall to brace myself as I stand up. The painkillers have worn off, and my broken ribs throb. “We are wasting time. I’m leaving. I’ve got to run by my apartment to get something. And I know just where to start our search.”

Two and a half months prior: Clean Slate Complex, Los Angeles, CA

“Come on in, Ethan.”
My Uncle Victor ushered me into his office and gestured for me to take a seat. As always, he was dressed in his standard CSC “uniform” of a black suit, freshly pressed white shirt, and an SCI-logoed scarf in his pocket. Not a hair was out of place. He was all business all the time. Since he’d called me at 6:30 AM for a 7 AM meeting, I had showered and thrown on jeans and a t-shirt. My hair was still wet, and I’m not even sure I combed it. “I have really appreciated all the work you have been doing on behalf of the Complex. Now that you’ve passed the bar and can legally practice in the state of California, I’d like your help on a couple things.”

“Why me?” I asked, perhaps a little curtly. I was exhausted from studying for the bar and working way more hours than reasonable at Henry’s campaign. “You’ve got a whole staff of lawyers.”

He tapped a pen on his desk. “What I want you to do isn’t related to day-to-day Complex business. It’s to prepare for Violet’s and my eventual retirement. It would be inappropriate to involve the staff here. In fact, I’d like to keep this between us. I assume I can count on you to keep my business private?”
 

Knowing that “requests” from my uncles were actually “demands,” I relented. “Of course. What do you need?”

“Violet and I would like to build and run a resort on foreign ground. It will be a retreat of sorts for friends and family. We have purchased several plots of land, some more developed than others. I’d like you to research the legal process for incorporating in these areas including the costs involved. I’d also like to get several offshore accounts set up.”

Interesting. An SCI vacation destination? Perhaps even totalitarian dictators needed a break every now and then. Besides, Victor and Violet were better than most in the grand scheme of things. I mean, I knew that they were very likely using the CSCs as a way to find people with DNT in their blood, but the complexes themselves were good, right? They got people off the streets and gave them food, housing, and jobs. The residents seemed genuinely happy. Maybe Victor and Violet really had built the complexes to help people.

“Is my mom or Henry in on this?”
 

Victor maintained an aloof expression, but his eye twitched. “No, not yet. Violet and I wanted this to be
our
project, and we wanted to pick the spot. We don’t need any more cooks in the kitchen, and our family has a lot of top chefs, if you get what I’m saying.”

I laughed. “That’s an understatement. I don’t blame you for not wanting to build your dream resort by committee. That would be stressful. And I assume that the point of building it is to be able to have a place to relax. Maybe what you really need is to just go buy a house for your immediate family.” I said it in a joking tone, but I was somewhat serious. I couldn’t imagine vacationing with my mother, Henry, or any top member of the SCI to be remotely enjoyable.

Victor’s face softened, and he sat back in his chair. “Our work here is delicate. So far everything’s going well. Really well. Perhaps too well? Sometimes I wonder if that’s the case. Henry is set to win the Presidency, and he’ll surround himself with people who can make sweeping changes. The CSCs are an unparalleled success. It’s in those times of peace and quiet that I get most nervous. If I, as your uncle, could give you one piece of advice Ethan…it would be to always have a contingency plan. Appreciate the hell out of things when they are good, but plan for the day when things take a turn for the worse. The resort is my contingency plan.”

“You wouldn’t go back to Thera if things went sour here?”

His face lit up with a smile. “I’ve spent more years here than there—and I must say that I vastly prefer it here. I go there when I have to, but as long as I have a choice, I choose not to live there.”

It must be nice to have choices.

Victor must have trusted me because he clicked on a panel, and it swung open to reveal a six-foot tall safe door. He pressed his thumb to the panel and then entered a code. He pulled open the safe and behind it were file cabinet drawers. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a couple red file folders and handed them to me. He spent the next couple hours going over the details of my assignment and then I spent the next couple weeks doing his bidding. By the end, I’d created a complicated network of offshore accounts and had a thick portfolio of information Victor would need to pick the final location for his resort. Every location was remote and secluded. At his request, I’d drawn up the legal paperwork needed to proceed with all the transactions.

He never told me which location they picked or whether they moved forward with their plans. But I would occasionally catch Victor looking off into space, daydreaming, and I suspected that in his mind he was on some foreign beach with a cocktail in hand.
 

The fact that Victor had a plan made me jealous. What would my contingency plan be? I didn’t have limitless funds to go buy an island with a private airstrip. Even if I did, it would feel hollow without Kira by my side.

Present

I lead the way
into Victor’s office and make a beeline to the back paneled wall. Jax, Kira, Brad, and James all follow. I press against the wall in several places before I hear a click and the panel opens.
 

“Victor keeps all his private files in here.” I tell them all about Victor’s offshore accounts and plans for a private vacation resort. I have electronic copies of everything I did for Victor, but I still don’t know what he did with the information.

Brad pounds his fist against the safe. “And you are just now telling us about this?”

Rolling my eyes, I respond with, “Victor and Violet became your prime suspects an hour and a half ago. I have told you everything I know. Now we need to figure out a way to get into the safe.”

Jax walks over and studies the lock for a few moments. “Back away.” He holds his hand to the safe and shoots a wicked bolt of electricity into it. The lock unlatches. “Consider that my one deviation from neutrality.” He then grabs a remote control off Victor’s desk, turns the news on to Victor’s flat screen TV, and settles into one of the guest chairs.

Henry is due to address the American public in five minutes. Pictures of the attack’s aftermath are being shown on the screen. I avert my eyes. Instead, I focus on thumbing through the files in search of anything that can give us clues as to where Victor and Violet might have taken Alexa and Joshua.

My eyes snap back to the TV screen when I hear Henry’s voice. He’s sitting in a red-velvet chair in front of the United States flag. He’s wearing a blue suit, white shirt, and red tie. His hands are bandaged.

“My fellow American citizens. In the last few months, our nation has suffered. We had multiple attacks on American soil by those who wish to thwart our way of life. In response, I promised to increase security and put an end to this brand of terrorism. The American public wholeheartedly supported my plans, for which I am most grateful.”

He pauses and brings his hand to his eyes to wipe away tears. “The terrorists’ response was to bring the fight to me. They have made it personal. My daughters, Anne and Mary, died on the scene last night. My wife, Elizabeth, is fighting for her life. The bomb took both her legs. Countless other family members and friends lost their lives or suffered severe injuries.”

Once again, he stops to compose himself, lowering his head and using a handkerchief to blow his nose. When he looks back into the camera again, his expression is determined and fierce. “I will not let this break me. I will not let them break our great nation. My resolve has strengthened, not weakened. We will root out every last bit of evil that threatens us. Your safety and well-being are my top concerns.”

He rubs his temples and then continues. “I want to thank the brave men of the Secret Service who sacrificed their lives to save my own and that of Vice President-elect Donald Rule. I will not let their sacrifice be in vain.

“I appreciate the outpouring of love that I have felt from all of you. If you would, I would now ask you to please join me in a moment of silence for the fallen.”

Pictures flash on the screen of all those who are confirmed dead by the attack. It pains me to see my mother’s and cousins’ faces. Anne and Mary were like sisters to me. And my mom…I’m still not ready to deal with her passing and my mixed feelings about it. I have been so angry with her for the past year for separating Kira and me that I’ve barely been able to be in the same room with her. I’d quickly dismissed her at the party last night, thinking I could deal with her later. There won’t ever be a later—at least with the mother who let others raise me.
 

After all the deceased have been shown, Henry comes on the screen again. “Beloved citizens, thank you again for your support. Let us
Stand Up
, stand tall, and fight firm in the days to come as we transition to new leadership and a new era for our great nation. I must return to my dear wife’s side, so I bid you farewell.”