Fractured Innocence (#2 IFICS) (12 page)

Okay, she could grasp the logic of that statement, but the waiting was driving her insane.  Just two more nights. She could handle that. She just hoped the prisoners could. 

They spent the next couple of hours going over the blueprints of the ship. They would be transported by helicopter and dropped into the ocean along with a rubber boat in the middle of the night approximately twelve miles away so that the target couldn’t see them. Once they got to the boat, it would be a simple hook and climb. 

“Are we done here?” Kaitlyn asked. 

“For now. I’ll let you know if we need to go over anything else.” 

Kaitlyn sprang to her feet. “I’m going to the shooting range.” She needed to blow off steam, and going back to the room with Lucas just didn’t feel right after knowing the captives had to spend at least two more days on the boat being subjected to who knew what. 

Harrington nodded, already lost in his own thoughts. 

She could ask Lucas or Erik to join her, but she felt like being alone. 

Lucas raised an eyebrow, as if asking if he could accompany her, but she shook her head. 

On the way out the front door, she noticed Ace sitting on one of the rocking chairs. When their eyes met, he looked away. Over and over throughout the week she had bested him. His ego had been bruised. She thought about it for a moment to see if it bothered her that he didn’t like her, and it didn’t, not even slightly. 

Her feet crunched on the snow as she took off in a jog across the lawn under the bare-branched oak trees. Thoughts raced through her mind, but she pushed them away. She needed to be clear and centered and let the rest of her brain sort out the random thoughts. 

Once she reached the indoor ranges, she grabbed a pistol from the safe and made her way to the firing line. The weight of the gun in her hands instantly calmed her. It was very similar to the way Lucas made her feel. Totally absorbed in the moment, she could forget about everything and just focus on the targets, the kill zones. It was a strange, yet relaxing feeling, like tunnel vision. Her mind processed everything as if time stood still; the targets seemed to be waiting for her, but in reality life was moving all around her. 

She hit the button and the paper targets moved towards the back of the room. She had six of them lined up with different spacing. Mechanisms were in place that randomly moved the targets back and forth or side to side at different speeds. 

Lightly, she squeezed the grip handle, sucked in a breath and released. Just like her instructors had taught her. She squeezed the trigger and got lost in the moment as the targets zigzagged in front of her. At some point, she felt Ace enter the building. He didn’t speak, and she didn’t acknowledge him. She never missed a beat. 

Over and over, she released the cartridge and jammed in another. She went through over two hundred rounds of ammo. 

When she was finished, she hit the button, and the targets slid forward. 

“How the hell are you so good?” Ace demanded. She turned towards him and noticed his darkened gaze. 

Kaitlyn was taken aback by the tone of his voice. She set the gun down and started taking it apart to clean it without answering.

“I’ve worked with the best of the best. How the hell are you head and shoulders above them? You’re like some kind of freak.” 

She bristled and turned away from his probing gaze. His turn of phrase struck her where it still hurt. There were times when she looked in the mirror and all she could see was a freak.
How would a normal person respond? 
She knew if she kept quiet, it would just enrage him and make her appear even more robotic. 

Her mouth opened and closed without speaking, she couldn’t find the words.

“Jealously doesn’t become you, Ace.” Erik’s voice cut through the air. She hadn’t heard him enter and that bothered her.

“Jealousy? Hell, yes, I’m jealous, but more than that, I’m baffled.” He threw his arms in the air. “Seriously, what the hell, man? This shit ain’t normal, and you know it just as well as I do.”

“Leave her alone.” 

“Ooh, what are you now, Prince Charming? Coming to save the damsel in distress? I hate to break it to you, buddy, but this chick doesn’t need any saving.” 

Kaitlyn took in a deep breath and let it out before speaking. “It’s fine, Erik. I don’t know what to tell you, Ace. I guess my training has been better.” She continued to wipe down the gun without looking up. 

“Bullshit.” He pushed the button and the targets moved forward. “Look at this. Every single one of the hits is dead center. No variations—that’s
impossible
.”

“Obviously not,” Erik said and pulled down the targets, crumbling them one after another before tossing them into the bin.  

Kaitlyn wished she could just tell him the truth. She was enhanced. He hit the nail on the head when he said she was some kind of freak, because she was. She wasn’t really ashamed of her body and what it could do, but the program was secret. And as far as she knew, Harrington had not pulled Ace and Nick in on the operation. They were simply hired to drive them around and keep them safe. As they said in the movies, Ace did not have a
need to know
. 

“Something is not right here.” Ace spat the words out. 

Kaitlyn couldn’t understand why he was so angry. She was better than him. So what? He needed to get over it.

“The only thing that is not right is you yelling at your client. You should be fired for showing disrespect,” Erik said, keeping his voice level. 

“Whatever,” Ace muttered. “As long as I’m getting paid, I couldn’t give a shit, but I’m telling you right now, there is something off about this chick. I’d watch your back, man.” 

The door slammed loudly behind him. 

Kaitlyn’s shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry. I was feeling restless so came out here to center myself.”

“What are you sorry about? He’s the one being a jackass.”

“He’s right though, isn’t he? What I do is impossible for humans?”

Erik paused. “Sometimes, but he still shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. And you shouldn’t have to downplay yourself while you’re training. It’s bad enough you have to in public.” 

She’d never really thought of it as downplaying. Dr. Chambers had drilled it in as blending in. Downplaying made her feel weird. She didn’t like the idea of not living up to her full potential, but it was part of the price.

“Don’t let him get to you.” 

“It doesn’t really. I mean, maybe it does a little bit.”

“He should be fired. I’m going to talk to Harrington.”

Kaitlyn was startled. “No, don’t do that. He’s your friend, and he’s right.”

“Doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t have to deal with his lack of respect.”

Maybe, but having Ace fired just didn’t feel right to her. “If he does or says anything again, you can talk to Harrington, but for now, let’s just let it go. You gave him a warning. Now it’s up to him.”

Erik lifted his shoulder in a half shrug. “If that’s what you want.” 

“It is.” She put the cleaning supplies away and placed the pistol back in the safe. “I’m anxious, Erik. This is really going to happen.” 

He nodded and looked away. She wondered what he was thinking about but didn’t ask. 

“We can do this, Erik.” 

His gaze shifted back to her, his own face without expression. “I know we can. Truth be told, I’m looking forward to it.”

Kaitlyn was glad he’d said that, because in the back of her mind, she wasn’t sure he was completely on board with the mission. She searched his face. “Do you enjoy it?”

Erik’s lip twisted. “Enjoy it? That’s a trick question. I’m good, a natural, as they like to say, but I’ve lost friends, seen innocent people killed, and never had a long-term relationship. A lot of sacrifices are made by people in our profession.” 

Kaitlyn had never given those issues much thought. She came into the profession by chance, unlike Erik, who had wanted it and went after it. 

“Why haven’t you had any long-term relationships?”

Erik laughed bitterly. “Right, who wants a man that is hardly ever home and can’t share a single thing about their life to their significant other?”

Kaitlyn tilted her head. “Surely, some guys are married with families?”

“Oh, yeah, most guys I worked with have had at least three wives and several children. Finding someone isn’t the hard part. It’s staying with it and making it work that gets most of them. Occasionally, a guy will get lucky and find someone that can put up with all the bullshit.” The intensity suddenly left his face. “Like Ace, he’s got Gracie.”

“Ace is married?” 

“Yep, over ten years.”

“When I asked him if he had children, he said no.”

Erik grimaced. “He doesn’t. Gracie can’t get pregnant. For years they’ve tried all the fertility routes, but no baby. Seems the way life works sometimes. People seldom get everything they wish for.”

Kaitlyn didn’t like to think about having babies. That was something that would never happen for her. So she just tried to put it out of her head. But for the first time she wondered if it bothered Lucas. 

“But to answer your question—does it get my juices flowing? Hell, yeah. It’s addictive. I love the adrenaline rush, the camaraderie, the sense of power and of course, let’s not forget, I’m a patriot. But at the end of the day, it’s about this.” He moved his hand back and forth between the two of them. “Knowing you have someone that you would trust your life to and knowing you would give your own to save theirs.”

Kaitlyn stood motionless. Her eyes itched and she blinked away the moisture that wanted to spill over. 

Erik tapped her on the shoulder with a slight smile on his face. For an instant, she thought she saw a twinkle in his usually serious eyes. “Don’t go getting soft on me.” 

Kaitlyn looked down at his hand that was now dropped to his side. A smile spread across her face. In that moment, she knew she didn’t have to worry about becoming friends with Erik or his bond with Ace. What they shared was between the two of them. An odd emotion stirred in her chest, and her sensors informed her it was loyalty. 

CHAPTER 12

Like every morning, Aaliyah woke in a cold sweat, disoriented, as the darkness engulfed her. It took several moments to gain her bearings. The cages were always pitch black. The kind of darkness that made it impossible for her eyes to adjust. She wanted to cry out, beg for help, but she’d already seen what happened to the ones who did. Whipped in front of all of them. Sometimes the guards sexually assaulted the girls. It was terrifying to hear the whimpers of the girls and the grunts from the bastards, knowing there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it. 

    Gradually, her heart settled. She wiggled side to side, trying to get free, but she was squished between the others. Several arms and legs were strewn across her body. All young women, some of them still children.

       Carefully, she pushed the limbs aside and scooted up to sit. A few of the bodies started to stir.  

      As she tried to peer around the cage, a pang of deep loneliness took over.  It seeped into her bones, crying out for her to reach out to the strangers she shared the cage with. She’d tried a few times, but none of them would speak to her, not even to tell her their names. Not that she really blamed them. They were terrified, but somehow she thought it might make it more bearable if they would band together. 

     Every morning their food was delivered. A brief moment of light shined into their cage, and she marked a line for the day passed. Not that it mattered. Wherever they were headed was definitely not paradise. 

        Several of the girls were seasick. The piles of puke only added to the vile smell of the cages. Just the thought made her stomach roll.

     By now, several days had passed since she’d last seen her little brother.  In some ways, it felt like longer, but in others, it felt like time couldn’t have possible passed that quickly. What killed her the most was not knowing if he was all right. Of course, he couldn’t possibly be okay, but she needed to know for sure that he was at least alive.  It was like a horrible nightmare she couldn’t wake up from. 

If only that were the case.
 

      Silent tears streamed down her face. Annoyed, she quickly wiped them away.  No matter how brave she tried to be, the tears still came. It pissed her off.  Why was this happening to them? She’d been a good girl, listened to her parents, believed in God, went to church every Sunday. It wasn’t fair! Why was God punishing her? Allowing all of them to be abused? Surely, there was nothing these helpless girls could have done to deserve this suffering. 

 Footsteps echoed loudly down the hallway—breakfast time. Aaliyah slouched back down and lay completely still. If she were quiet, maybe Dasvoik would pick someone else to violate. 

 Quickly, she admonished herself. How could she possibly wish those horrors on someone else? Fear passed through her heart. Had God heard her thoughts? A sense of shame washed over her. What was becoming of her? 

 Keys scraped the lock and the door screeched open. A flash of light momentarily lit up the cage, highlighting the naked bodies, matted hair and crazed eyes. 

  “Move,” the deep voice commanded. It seemed to be the only English word the guy knew. 

  The mass of bodies pushed themselves even further to the back of the cage like cattle. They tried to avoid the pile of feces and vomit in the corner, making just enough room for the bucket of water and tray of bread. Like scavengers, they leapt forward, pushing and clawing their way to the food. Aaliyah wanted to yell at them. If they just took turns, everyone would get something, and no one would get injured. But speaking out would get her in trouble.  

  She’d be damned if she gave them the opportunity to degrade her even more than they’d already done.
At least not publicly.
What the monster did behind closed doors she had very little control over.  

  Somehow, she managed to grasp a large chunk of bread. Saliva pooled in her mouth. 

  A young girl around ten pulled at her arm, her wide brown eyes pleaded with her. Aaliyah sighed and tore the bread in half, handing the young girl the other half. She prayed someone was doing the same for Darrius. Just thinking about her brother nearly broke her heart in a million pieces. He was so young and so sweet. Why did they have to take him, too?