Reckoning (15 page)

I reach for her in my mind, unwilling to let her leave.

Too late. She’s gone, leaving nothing but an empty void.

Again.

“Damn her!” I yell. “I can’t believe she’s still alive and hasn’t tried to find me these past months. Where the hell was she when Josh was killed?”

David tries to soothe me. He enters my thoughts and I toss him out, too hurt, too scared, to be comforted.

“Where was she?” I say before the pain overtakes me.

My mind spins and David tries to wrap me in his arms. I shove him back. “Don’t side with
her
!”

“Dakota, no one is siding with her.” Elaine’s voice is low and filled with caring.

“There’s no excuse for leaving us,” I say between sobs. “For abandoning Liam.” I run out of the room, locking myself in the hall bathroom.

A scream rips from my throat. Too many emotions trying to escape at once.

Remorse and regret for Liam, the baby brother I’ve never known.

Guilt and grief over Josh’s death.

Resentment toward Mom for abandoning us when we needed her most.

Everlasting bitterness at being cursed with these damned “gifts” and living in a world I never wanted.

Dakota
. David’s voice comes from everywhere, surrounding me.
Please, babe. Let me in
.

My screams end, my throat raw.

Please, Dakota. Let me help you.

I unlock the door. David opens it and I fall into his arms, sobbing.

D
avid rubs my back and whisper
s
assurances in my ear. “I’m here, baby. I’m here.”

“She left me. She left all of us,” I say between heavy sobs. “Why did she do that?”

“I don’t know.” David runs his fingers through my hair. “But I know she loves you very much. Whatever her reasons are for not being here, I know it’s to ensure your safety.”

“Like why you left me?” I’m picking a fight, I know. I need to fight with someone.

David wraps his arms around me in a tight embrace. “Let it go. Let it all go.”

I move my shoulders, pushing against his hard body. I pull my arms and hands in front of me and shove at his chest. My breath comes in labored pants as the sobs continue.

“Let me go,” I say as I struggle against him. “Let me go.”

“No. You can hit me, claw me, or do whatever you need to deal with your anger. But I’m still not letting you go.”

I accept his challenge. Using all of my strength, I shove at him, claw at his skin. He doesn’t move. I slam into his thoughts and he doesn’t flinch as I rifle through the memories I know will hurt him.

His father’s death

—because of me.

Josh’s death

—my fault.

The goodbye letter I left with his ring.

His mind absorbs every image, every thought. I shove my hands against his chest and push again. Still, he doesn’t move.

“I hate you,” I growl. “I hate all of this.”

“I know.” David pulls me tighter, pinning my hands against his body.

His mind stays open to me and I pour my anger into every crevice. The uglier the images, the tighter he embraces me.

Until finally, I crack.

Break.

A feral scream rips from the deepest parts of me. I yell until my throat burns, burying my head in his chest. Tears overcome my eyes and my screams become sobs once more.

The tears refuse to abate. Every heartache, every stolen memory, every pained loss pours through me and onto David’s shirt.

Slowly, my eyes begin to dry.

My body stops shaking.

My mind quiets.

“Better?” He whispers when my sobbing finally stops.

No words form so I nod my reply and melt into his embrace.

David releases his hold to allow some space between us. The distance hurts so I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him back into me.

A moment passes. My breathing steadies.

Another moment.

And another.

Ready to let go yet?
David smiles as I process his thoughts.

I exhale a tight breath and release my grasp.

“We’ll get through this,” he says as he rubs my back. “I promise.”

Somehow I doubt it.

David and I stay in the bathroom until my heart stops racing and my pulse slows. “Come on. We should go back,” I finally say. David kisses my forehead before guiding me to the living room and our friends.

The look on Elaine’s face tells me what I already know, they heard every word. “Stop looking at me like that,” I say. She knows I hate pity-glances.

“I just want to make sure you’re okay,” Elaine says. “We both do.” Mark nods in agreement.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” That is, for someone who just found out her dead mother is alive, and the brother she never knew about is hell-bent on killing her.

An uncomfortable silence fills the room. Mark shifts his gaze between us. “Well this has been a helluva day, hasn’t it?”

I look at Mark and start laughing. We all start laughing.

Definitely a helluva day.

Dusk settles in as Elaine orders pizza. I am too numb to eat, but they all insist I try. No one mentions Mom or Liam, but both presences linger in the air, the unspoken worry we all feel.

“Okay,” I say as I plop on the couch. “We need a plan. Where do we go from here?”

Mark and David exchange glances as Mark says “Damn!”

“What can I say? I know my girl!” The look on David’s face is triumphant.

My brow furrows in confusion.

“They had a bet,” Elaine says. “Mark said you wouldn’t try to make a plan until tomorrow. David said there was no way you’d wait.”

“What did you say?” I ask.

“Nothing. I’m staying out of it!”

I laugh before turning to David. “I hope you won something good,” I tease, and Mark hands him a twenty-dollar bill. “Seriously though, what are we going to do now?”

The smile left David’s face. “What do you want to do?”

“Run away,” Elaine says.

I wish
.

“I can arrange that,” David says, a glint of hope in his voice.

“You know I can’t do that.” I close my eyes and consider our options. “I have to help him,” I say.

“I know.” David’s smile stops before his eyes.

“Not because Mom asked for this. I’m doing it for Josh. He would never allow someone to hurt one of  his siblings, not if he could help it. For him, I have to do this.”

“I’m assuming you believe that the recruit is your brother,” Mark says.

“I’m sure of it.”

“Okay, how should we do this?” Elaine asks as she gathers the pizza from the delivery boy.

S
even slammed the door of his hote
l
room so hard the walls shook. He paced the tight space as his thoughts spun more and more out of control. His hands fisted at his sides. The lights flickered on and off and on again.

“No,” he said aloud. “No!” He slammed his fist into the door, leaving a large indentation.

He paced again, apprehension and rage pouring through every cell. “She lied!” His vision blurred with his hatred. “She. Lied.”

Seven expelled a harsh breath as the memories replayed through his thoughts like an old film reel. Clips of a woman—his mother—flashed before him. His brother. His sister.

This can’t be real,
he said in his thoughts.
No!

Settle your emotions.
The Creator’s voice was unwelcome in Seven’s frayed mind. Seven tried to block the images that looped throughout his thoughts but it was too late, the Creator had already seen. He already knew Seven’s feelings, his pain.

I grow tired of this game,
the Creator said.
You continue to underestimate her despite my warnings. You leave me no choice.
The scattered images of the life Seven never knew fell away as the Creator took control of Seven’s mind.

One by one each picture detached from Seven’s consciousness and faded into oblivion. He reached for them, unwilling to release the memories, no matter how painful they had been. It was useless. The Creator’s culling had been exact. Complete. Seven seethed as his mind blackened.

Settle your thoughts,
the Creator warned,
and finish your task. Bring the Assassin to me.

Yes, Master,
Seven said, unable to form any other words.

The Creator’s presence dimmed. Loneliness crept into the folds of Seven’s nearly empty mind.

Do not underestimate her again
.

Seven slid onto the floor of his room, his back against the bed. Closing his eyes, he settled into his meditation. He reached for his missing memories, finding only the cold void of his master’s culling. He tried again. And again. The more desperate he became for the images, the more distant his mind felt. Releasing a heavy sigh, he acquiesced to the growing darkness in his mind.

Do you now see why she must die?
His mind filled with images of the Order’s leader. The high tones of her voice erupted a flurry of chills that prickled his skin.
Do you see what she has done to you?

Projections of each member of the Order appeared in his thoughts, a remnant of his last conversation with them.

The Architect was betrayed by her, by LeMercier. Do not forget the truth. They will betray you, too.

Seven recalled Maya’s death in detail. The Creator had allowed her to die, used her as bait for his Assassin.

Will you use me, too?
He thought as the memory coiled around his heart. Seven considered the Creator, the lengths he would go to fulfill his mission.

Complete your task,
the Order’s leader commanded.
Kill the girl.

Tempted, Seven contemplated her words. His master’s order slammed into him. Agitation crept up his spine and the lights began to flicker once more. The competing orders wove through his thoughts, swirling into a tempest.

You want this,
the woman whispered.
Need this
. She paused, watching Seven as he struggled with his emotions.
There is something you need even more,
she said,
something we can provide.

Say it,
Seven said in his mind.

Your memories. The ones he wiped away. We can fill in the missing pieces of your life, answer the questions that continue to scorch your soul.

He closed his eyes, his mind at war.

But only if you kill her.

Seven pushed the woman from his thoughts and tried to settle his mind. He felt the manipulation in her words. And in his master’s. Seven was nothing more than a pawn to them, something to be used and discarded.

He envisioned himself training in the forest. Pictured the rocks and the sticks, desperate to force his mind to focus on something other than the people that controlled him.

No use.

Nothing he tried could settle his mind. He stood and stretched his neck and shoulders.
I have to get out of here,
he thought as he left the hotel.

A graveled path extended from the small hotel to the center of Cambria.  A full moon lit the sky as Seven ran. His feet pounded hard on the ground, sending tremors through his legs. He focused on his breathing. In and out. In and out. With each breath, Seven’s mind spun loose. Echoes of his missions—both missions—replayed through his thoughts.

Seven pumped his legs faster. Every step jarred his soul, bringing little relief.

He had to make a decision, choose a path to follow. Snippets of his training filtered through his thoughts until the Creator’s mental presence filled his mind once more.
Center your thoughts,
his master said, voice soft and gentle.
Don’t allow distraction to sway you from your goal
.

Every word increased Seven’s need to run. Harder and harder he pushed himself. Sweat streamed in rivers down his face as he chased away the unseen dreams and forgotten demons in his mind.

Good,
the Creator said.
Very good
. A single image of the Assassin formed from the void in Seven’s thoughts. Rage surged through him, followed by a need to kill.
Yes, harness that anger. Use it not to destroy her, but to strengthen you.

New images sprang to life in Seven’s mind. Pictures of the Assassin and Seven, working together. A surge of electricity pulsed through his veins. The image deepened and burned into his thoughts.

Feel that power. This is what you can expect when you work with the Assassin. This is who you were meant to be.

Seven’s fingers tingled as he ran. His body felt strong, powerful. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

More pictures of Seven and the Assassin working in tandem against their enemies. Seven’s body shook as he struggled to contain his new power.

Thank you, Master,
Seven said as he breathed in the vision and the energy it created.

He stood in front of his room, unsure of how he had returned so quickly. His mind was filled with loyalty for the only person who had ever wanted him, the only one he dared to consider family.

The Creator.

Seven’s body relaxed. He had seen a vision of his master’s plans. He knew why the Assassin was so important now. And he would do anything to ensure the Creator’s mission was fulfilled. For the first time, Seven felt important. Included. He entered his room, sat on the bed and closed his eyes.

Thank you, my Master,
he said before he drifted to sleep.

Do not fail me again.