Finding North (52 page)

“
What’s next?” he
asked.

“
Besides surviving a
ridiculously large half-birthday party?” Alex asked.

“
Yes,” the Admiral
said.

Alex scowled. She looked
up at Raz, and he nodded to her.

“
I need to talk to the Boy
Scout,” Alex said.

“
What?” The Admiral jumped
out of his seat. “Why?”

“
You know why,” Alex
said.

The Admiral began pacing
in front of her. She waited for him to do a few rounds before she
encouraged him to sit down again.

“
Why?” the Admiral
asked.

“
Because he’s a part of
this,” Alex said. “He’s a thread.”

“
No,” the Admiral said.
“Go home. Have a birthday party. Work on . . .
whatever . . . but . . .”

“
Why are you upset?” Alex
asked.

“
Just a feeling,” the
Admiral said. “The bookstore owner was poisoned, as was Philippe
Doucet and this Dex Zeno. Hank Zutterberg was murdered on a US Air
Force base inside a secure building. Marcos Ruiz blew himself up
inside a maximum security Navy prison on an island, for God’s
sake.”

“
Everyone who gets too
close gets dead,” Alex said.

“
Send someone else,” the
Admiral said.

“
It needs to be me,” Alex
said. “I won’t say there’s no risk. I will only say that we’ve
worked to even the odds a bit.”

“
Do I want to know?” the
Admiral asked.

“
Probably not,” Alex
said.

“
But you’ll keep me
apprised?”

“
I’ll do my best, sir,”
Alex said. “Thank you for meeting me today.”

He smiled at
Alex.

“
Steve gets his team
back . . .”

“
July,” Alex
said.

“
And Max?” the Admiral
asked.

“
Max who?”

“
Good,” the Admiral smiled
and stood up. He signaled to his personal bodyguard and started
walking down the aisle he’d come from.

“
Sir.” The bodyguard held
out an envelope to Alex.

“
Thanks, Waltry,” Alex
said.

The bodyguard put his
heels together and gave her a quick bow. Without saying another
word, he took off in a fast clip to catch up with the Admiral. Alex
gave the envelope to Raz, who put it with the envelope from
Ji.

Alex waited until Matthew,
Troy, Joseph, and Leena came to her. Together, they went down the
aisle Alex had come from. Matthew and Troy left first, followed by
Raz. Leena slipped out the door, leaving Joseph with
Alex.

“
Did you ever
think . . .?” Alex started.

“
No,” Joseph said. “Never.
You?”

“
No.” Alex gave him a soft
smile.

She slipped through the
door and into the warehouse club store. Raz stacked five loaves of
bread in her arms and grabbed the rest of the bread Cian had
requested. They went into the store to look for John, Samantha,
Wyatt, and Max. They found them arguing in the ice-cream
aisle.

Alex smiled. She tossed
the bread in the basket and picked up Joey. She rubbed his cheek
with hers in hello. He laughed and patted her face. She was going
to set him down to pick up Máire when she saw that Raz was holding
her on his hip. She smiled.

For all the worry and
danger, there were moments in which her life was truly wonderful.
John leaned over to give her a kiss. When they started walking
again, his hand rested on her rear.

This moment was pretty
great.

F

Chapter
Thirty-six

Four days later

Wednesday
morning

June 15 — 10:13 a.m.
MDT

Denver,
Colorado

“
That’s what I know,” Alex
said.

She was standing in front
of the Fey Team and everyone connected to the rooming house. They
had assembled in the basement of the rooming house. Vince and Royce
were in wheelchairs near the back of the open area. Neev and Jack
were sitting next to Cian and Margaret. Trece and White Boy had
hobbled in on crutches. Troy was sitting next to Matthew and Erin,
and Samantha was tucked into the end of the long couch against the
wall. Fionn and Helene were sitting near the laundry room. MJ was
standing with Zack, Bestat, and Cliff near the hallway to the
bedrooms. Colin was sitting on the stairs with John near Alex’s
office. Joseph was standing to her left, and Leena was sitting
cross-legged near Vince’s wheelchair. Max was standing just behind
her on her left.

“
Would you like to add
anything?” She looked at Raz, who was standing on her right next to
Sergeant Dusty.

“
Just to say that this
isn’t a joke,” Raz said. “It doesn’t seem real. In fact, it seems
cartoonish and far-fetched to me. I’ve personally checked and
rechecked everything we’ve gathered. As far as we can tell, the
world has a natural cycle, and these individuals use the downturn
cycle to decimate cultures for their own gain. It’s likely that our
culture will be next.”

“
Why are you telling us?”
Helene asked. “We are not soldiers. Neev and Jackie, either. Why
are we here?”

“
Because if you stay here
at the house, your life is at risk,” Alex said. “They
have
proven that they
care nothing for human life. We
are
expendable chattel. If you stay here or are
around me, even for lunch at a restaurant, your life is in
danger.”

Alex looked at her
Goddaughter and gave her a sad smile.

“
You aren’t a soldier or a
spy,” Alex said. “Fionn’s a medical student. There’s no reason for
you to risk everything.”

“
I will not live in fear,”
Helene said.

Helene gave Fionn a fierce
look, and he looked confused.

“
For those of you on the
Fey Team, you have families and careers,” Alex said. She gave a
stack of envelopes to Sergeant Dusty, who began passing them out.
“These envelopes contain glowing recommendations for each of you.
If you choose not to stay on the team, I will understand. The
recommendation will get you onto any team in any service. The
Admiral has guaranteed placement. There is no downside to not being
on this team.”

“
Except that you’re not on
the Fey Team,” Margaret said.

“
And you might live!” Alex
said. “You and Cian are getting married in August. You could get a
much safer assignment and live very happily. You will always be in
our family and in our hearts.”

“
But I wouldn’t be on the
Fey Team,” Margaret said.

“
That’s correct,” Alex
said.

Alex looked from face to
face, friend to friend. Her eyes stopped with Joseph. He winked at
her.

“
This is not a time for
bravado,” Alex said. “This is a time to think. You saw Ruiz blow
himself up. You know that we were attacked in New York City. For
God’s sake, I was attacked in my office in a secure building on one
of the most secure military bases in the world.

“
If you live in this
house, you put yourself and your family in grave physical danger.
If you stay on this team, you put yourself and your family in even
graver physical danger.”

She nodded.

“
This is the line in the
sand,” Alex said. “There is no going back from this point. If you
choose to be on this team, we are moving into uncharted territory
that could very easily take your life and the lives of those you
love. If you choose to leave, you may take your recommendation to
the Admiral, and he will personally place you on a new team without
prejudice. You will also take my love and deepest respect. There is
nothing lost by leaving the team. Not one thing.”

“
Except you’re no longer
on the team,” Margaret said.

“
That’s correct,” Alex
said.

“
If you live in this
house, we will do everything within our power to protect you,” Alex
said. “But at the end of the day, you are in grave physical danger
by staying here. Your children, as well. These Black Skeletons, or
whatever they are, will not discriminate between a child and an
adult. Human life is simply not something they care
about.

“
The smart thing would be
to move out. We’ll help you find affordable housing. This includes
you, Erin and Samantha. Whatever happens here will easily spread to
your homes. Do you really want to risk your life on my stupid
puzzle?”

“
For how long?” Erin
asked.

“
How long would we have to
move out?” Samantha asked.

“
A couple of years,” Alex
shrugged. “Maybe less.”

Erin shook her head and
whispered to Samantha.

“
This is it,” Alex said.
“Now is the time for you to decide.”

Alex put on her bravest
smile.

“
Max and I are going
upstairs,” Alex said. “Feel free to speak to each
other.”

“
What if we need more
time?” Leena asked. “My mom . . .”

“
I don’t have any more
time to give you,” Alex said. “I’m sorry.”

Leena gave Alex a curt
nod.

“
I . . .”
Alex’s eyes welled with tears. She cleared her throat. “It’s been
my greatest pleasure to serve with you.”

Alex nodded and started up
the stairs. Max followed close behind. John gave her a “well-done”
nod, and Colin touched her leg as she went up. They were on the
landing when Joseph began speaking.

“
You have in your
possession a piece of paper and a pen,” Joseph said. “Please write
down your decision and your name. While I think we’d all prefer if
things were anonymous, we need written documentation for the file.
For those of you who live here and are not on the team, you can
just tell me.”

Alex and Max got to the
top of the stairwell.

“
You have an hour,” Joseph
said.

Max closed the basement
door. Alex held her arms out, and they hugged.

“
I’m sorry,” Alex
whispered.

“
For what?” Max
asked.

“
Wyatt wasn’t here,” Alex
said.

“
Oh,” Max chuckled. “He
told me to fuck off this morning.”

“
He’s already moved out?”
Alex asked.

“
No,” Max said. “He was
offended that I asked the question. He said that he’d have to be a
complete moron not to know his life was in danger when he moved in.
Last year just sealed the deal.”

“
He does have a point,”
Alex said.

Max smiled. He held out
his hand, and Alex took it. The twins went out into the backyard.
They walked to the back of the lot where they kept their honeybees.
They sat down in plastic Adirondack chairs in the shade to watch
the bees fly in and out of the hives. An oddly meditative practice,
time passed while the bees worked. When Alex looked up, John was
standing next to her.

“
Are you moving out?” Alex
asked.

“
Are you?” John
laughed.

Alex scowled.

“
Whither thou goest, I
will go. Whither thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall
always be my people,” John said in a low tone.

He put his hand on her
shoulder, and she reached for his hand. They held hands and watched
the bees fly in and out of the hives. Worker bees, full of flower
nectar, landed on the lip of the hive and gave their nectar to
house bees waiting for them. The house bees retreated into the
hive, and the worker bees took off for another round. Bees weighted
down with heavy pollen in their leg pouches were relieved of their
precious protein source by house bees. The early summer day was
filled with the sound of bees, the fertile smell of the hives, and
the warmth of the season.

“
It’s time!” Joseph called
from the doorway to the backyard.

Alex, Max, and John looked
at each other. For a moment, they stood still. No one wanted to
make the first move.

“
Shall we?” John
asked.

They walked back to the
house. They stopped at the door. Max and Alex hugged, and,
together, they hugged John.

“
Shall we?” John repeated
and opened the door.

Joseph was waiting for
them in the kitchen.

“
How many?” Alex
asked.

“
All of them,” Joseph gave
a curt nod.

“
We’ve lost them all?”
John asked.

“
They’re all staying,”
Joseph said.

Alex’s right hand swiped
away her sudden flood of tears. John put his arm around her, and
Max grinned.

“
We’re the Fey Team after
all,” Joseph said.

She bit her lip to keep
from crying.

“
Your team awaits.” Joseph
stepped back and nodded toward the basement.

“
Let’s do this thing,” she
said under her breath, and went down the stairs.