“I didn’t know if you would be receptive to using the training I gave you. You’ve always been ready to fight but your power comes from words. You would rather defuse a situation with negotiation. I’m not sure that tactic is going to work in this instance. We need more information and it would be preferable to have one of them alive long enough to talk. Mainly, I’m looking for answers from the one in the hospital, about to take his last breath, if my sister has anything to say about it.” He had removed himself from the passion, to be replaced by the consummate tactician.
It was amazing to see him seize the moment and be able to separate his feelings. I wasn’t like that and his passion was more than superficial. I could barely move and I was ready to succumb right there in front of him to be witnessed by the wildlife and Mother Nature.
I checked and found he had somehow strapped me with a holster containing two guns with gleaming silver handles cold to the touch. Two leather sheaths had me sporting the look of Tomb Raider. I was powerful, in control and could actually taste the napalm in the morning. I had everything at my fingertips including a partner in crime.
Chapter Twenty-five
We moved quickly and quietly toward the hospital, with my training foremost on my mind. Somehow, I was reliving everything Crosby had taught me through words of encouragement. It was ingrained, like muscle memory, with every weapon and their uses coming back to me in a flash. I knew how to wield the blades like a seasoned professional and my marksmanship with a gun was second to none. I didn’t have a moment to rest growing up with Crosby constantly burning these lessons into my head.
“I knew from the moment I started to teach you that you would be like a sponge, soaking everything in. Starting you early was the key and getting you into the right frame of mind with strict guidelines had you following my directions to the letter. I’m afraid we’re going to have to separate but don’t be scared of using extreme force when necessary.” He was cutting the strings and he had no idea what monster he had created.
“I’m not afraid of anything, because of you. They should be the ones to be afraid of me. I’m not going to kill them unless I have no other choice. Subduing them is half the battle and you have given me many useful techniques to utilize. I’ve never been in a true life or death situation like this. It’s time to find out if those lessons stuck, by throwing me into the deep end without water wings,” I said and touched his shoulder to extend the intimacy of the kiss.
“Wesley has never been much of a communicator unless he has something important to say. It’s not a bad thing to be sensitive. He has this Zen-like quality and I’ve done my best to learn from him. Stress can take its toll and his breathing techniques stem the need to lash out unprovoked. I have no doubt you’ll know what to do when it happens without even thinking about it. Thinking is the enemy,” He explained, with his hand itching to have his fingers wrapped around the weapon in his holster.
“You can say that and the only thing I can promise is to do my best. I wish there was some way we could communicate without them detecting it. I’m positive they will have equipment in their possession to block transmissions in and out of the area.” I made mention and it didn’t look like this information bothered him.
“We don’t need any gadgets to stay in contact. Our minds are linked by flight or fight instinct. We will know when one of us is in the kind of trouble we can’t get out of alone. Just listen to your body and it will tell you everything you need to know. Never forget, we’re not too far away from you,” he reassured, and I was inclined to believe him, not wanting to believe I was out in the cold with no lifeline to grab onto.
“That’s a comfort and it makes me breathe a little easier.” The main objective was to get to the man before they had a chance to silence him.
“There’s nothing in the dark that’s not there in the light. Fighting the good fight means taking chances and doing what others can’t. I’ve given you the tools and the rest is up to you,” Crosby stated with eloquence and I could still feel his lips warming me to the idea of having three men in my life to satisfy all of my sexual whims.
“It’s funny but I actually know more about warfare than I do about makeup and shoes. Don’t get me wrong, I love to show my feminine side but there’s something to say for putting on a tight pair of jeans to make a head turn.” I walked away and could actually feel him staring at me, committing my form to memory and most likely licking his lips, with that kiss in the back of his mind.
I used the cover of darkness to make my approach and found myself facing a mercenary with deadly intentions. His hardened jaw and steel stare of defiance had me at a loss for words. The way he carried himself had me second guessing my abilities, when they had not been tested beyond the infancy stage of inanimate objects. I never did have a training partner, someone to spar with, but those three voices more than made up for any lack of parental figure.
“It’s all clear here. No sign of any trouble. Has anybody heard from Henry? He was supposed to call in and nobody has heard from him. Better send somebody over there to have a look. It could be a simple matter of a communication problem. We are using a jamming device and sometimes technology can be fallible. Nobody is going to be able to call out but we need to wait until there is a skeleton crew. Natalie is already inside making inquiries and the injuries he sustained most likely were quite severe. We have a very limited window of opportunity and I hope she doesn’t waste the time we have left.” He was talking into a very sophisticated piece of equipment and was obviously upset by the chain of command revolving around Natalie taking center stage.
I crawled closer making very little noise to attract his attention. His finger was on the trigger prepared for any eventuality, much like Crosby. There was an unspoken bond between soldiers no matter what side they were on.
They had a job to do and the respect was earned through seeing things nobody else would want to. Experiencing things nobody could possibly understand and living with the memories of the dead haunting them every day of their lives couldn’t be easy to swallow. I pitied them and saw them as unsung heroes not getting the credit they deserved.
I got to the wall and felt the cold and unforgiving brick against my fingertips. Holding my breath wasn’t necessary but I did it nonetheless. A few more inches were all that it was going to take.
I was soon standing behind him, putting him in a compromising position. He didn’t even suspect a thing which was advantageous to me. A growl deep inside my chest emerged seconds before I advanced.
He turned and we stared at one another for a split second before our reflexes kicked in. His hand didn’t waver when he grabbed for his gun and I slapped it from his grip sending it into the darkness where he wasn’t going be able to find it. His mouth started to move before a knife edge chop to his throat cut off any chance of him warning others. The instinct to grab fo
r his throat was too strong to ignore and I used the distraction to strike relentlessly and without mercy.
Everything was a blur and my instincts were honed to a razor’s edge. It was more than that, I felt connected to something stronger than human. There was no conscious thought and my training overpowered him, until he was on his knees bleeding quite profusely. His eyes were glazed over and his body language told me that he was accepting defeat but I didn’t believe it for one second. It was a way to lure me in closer with a false sense of security.
“It’s not going to work. I know exactly what you’re trying to do. I would seriously reconsider trying anything. I consider myself a pacifist but I do have my limits. Take the risk and see how far you get,” I conveyed and looked at him squarely in the eyes, to see him blink first.
It was an unparalleled feeling, to be metaphorically standing on his neck. He wasn’t shaking and the hatred in his eyes burned through me like a knife. My gun appeared in my hand like those old shooters in the west. I spun it in my hand until the barrel was pointing straight at his forehead. Most people would have gotten closer and that would have cost them their advantage.
He was grunting some kind of response, trying desperately to say something. It was garbled and incoherent which was a little frustrating. With one flick of my finger, I was able to detach the piece in his ear. It wasn’t like he could say anything but his strangled cries could easily be construed as some kind of warning signal.
“Let me take the decision out of your hands. That way you can convince yourself you did everything you could to stop me.” My right hand grabbed onto a bundle of nerves underneath his arm, squeezing just right until his fingers became numb.
I did the same thing to the other one and they both lie limply at his sides. He was startled and the anger manifested into a curl of a sneer. Trying to get up wasn’t his best option when the pummeling I had just given him would have stopped an elephant in his tracks. It showed his fortitude and willingness to stand up to overwhelming odds.
“There’s no shame in admitting when you are in over your head. I can’t leave you conscious and you would do the same thing in my shoes.” An abrupt strike of my foot to the side of his head turned out his lights but at least he could console himself with the fact that it wasn’t permanent.
I searched his body, moving my fingers into every crevice, relieving him of every weapon before taking what I wanted and tossing the rest into the darkness, until it swallowed everything whole. This obstacle was nothing compared to what was waiting for me inside the private clinic. Taking a stand was going to be difficult when innocent bystanders had no idea what was going on. They would be caught in the line of fire and casualties in any war were inevitable.
It was a vicious cycle and nobody was going to have any compunction of maiming or killing the innocent. I could only hope my influence had taught them some restraint and mercy