Rise Once More (30 page)

Chapter Thirty Three

A Ghost in Town

Alex and Eve watched as Taylor walked away into the crowd. Alex couldn't stand one more minute with the overly excited chatter box and during the four hour drive wished many times that he had shot the annoying bastard. Eve on the other hand was sad to see him go. Taylor had made her laugh so many times during their brief time together, that she actually felt a small loss watching him leave.

Taylor had been right after all. Here they stood at the gates of a heavily fortified mini city. An armed guard was waving at Alex as he stared at the large hand painted sign.
Nickajack.
Eve tapped Alex on the shoulder to get his attention. There was a man with a gun rapidly approaching them and she was starting to get uncomfortable.

Alex looked at the man and Eve was expecting him to draw his gun, but Alex did not. “Well I be damned.” Alex said as he locked hands and gave the stranger a half hug. The kind of hug that only men considered a form of affection.

“Who the hell gave you a gun Twinkie?” Alex said.

“
Damn Alex. How long has it been old man? What, ten years at least.” The man said.

“
Not long enough!” Alex said as he slapped his friend on the shoulder. Eve made an obvious fake cough. “Oh right. Don this Eve. Eve. Don.” Eve extended her hand and Don gave it a quick shake.

“
Eve?” Don said as he looked at Alex looking for confirmation before he spoke again. “Wow. Alex talked about you day and night. Poor bastard couldn't even shoot straight in Africa after you broke it off with him. Looks like it worked out between the two of you.” Alex shot Don a look that only another man could understand.

A look that simply said:
It's complicated so kindly shut the fuck up now.
“I mean hey, uhhh. You should come meet the general bro. We are always looking for good men to protect the place. If you don't have anything going on that is.” Don said his voice wavering a little.

“
Hey Eve, you look like you could use warm shower.” Don stopped immediately after saying it, and realized he had once again said the worst possible thing. He laughed, embarrassed. “I bet you can guess why I am still single. Sorry Eve. I didn't mean it in a bad way. What I was trying to say is...”

“
No offense taken Don.” Eve said her voice filled with the subtle malice of a scorned female.

“
We have a heated bath house here. There is a gal who runs the women's side. Her name is Maggie. Give her this and tell her to put it on my tab. Spa bath, mani, pedi, or whatever you want done, my treat.” Don said apologetically as he handed Eve his ID card.

“
That's really sweet of you Don. Thank you. You two boys have fun. Don't look for me. I will look for you.” Eve said as she walked away waving the ID card above her head. “I hope you have a big credit line on this thing.”

“
She's really something bro. I’m happy for you.” Don said.

“
You don't know the half of it man. Let's go I will fill you in on the good parts.” Alex said. The two of them turned and walked towards the generals office.

***

The warm bath had felt amazing; it had been so long since Eve had the simple comfort of hot water. Maggie had been all too eager to fulfill Eve's requests, as if seeing that ID card and the mention of Don's name had elevated her to an instant celebrity status.

Eve didn't know it at the time, but Maggie had assumed that she was one of Don's girlfriends, and Don paid very well for the treatment of his special ladies. Being a member of the generals personal guard came with a large list of perks, and Maggie was more than happy to exploit them.

The Asian women had done wonders on her ravaged hands, all the while inflating her ego with constant praise. One woman in particular had rubbed a special cream on her neck, telling her that it would make her dragon tattoo
shine like sun.

Eve exited the bath house, freshly bathed, hair styled, smelling of scented oils, and wearing a green dress. She didn't really want the dress, but one woman insisted on her taking it. She had after all made it with her own two hands, and was far better than the stained and tattered clothes she came in with.

Eve had never liked dresses. They made her feel like a subordinate, a reminder of a past gone era that women were second class citizens to men, but after seeing herself in the mirror couldn't argue with the woman. She looked freaking amazing in it.

So what if she looked more like a Renaissance actress rather than her snarky self. The world had changed and she needed to as well. Not to mention few women of her age could pull this outfit off and be damned if she didn't at least flaunt it a little.

Eve wandered up and down the rows of the make shift shops. Most consisting of little more than a table with sheets set up as dividers. She looked like a medieval princess perusing the wares of her subjects, and caught quite a few men staring just a little too long. That is until their spouses took notice and caught their mates' attention, usually with a slap.

Eve walked past a particular rough-looking woman, she was going to keep walking past until something caught her eye in the sun; the reflection of turquoise and magenta metallic look of mother of pearl. Eve turned her head to see the cross mother of pearl necklace sitting on the red table cloth before her.

She flashed back to the countless memories she had wearing her own necklace. The one her mother had given her many years ago. Tears began to well up in her eyes, until she saw the silver dollar sitting right next to it, at that moment she began to sob uncontrollably.

It seemed that no matter how much she tried not to think of Haus. There was always something to remind her of him. “What's wrong darling?” The burly woman shopkeeper asked.

“Its nothing. I just had a necklace like that once, and sitting next to a silver dollar reminded me of someone I lost.” Eve replied.

“
I'm sorry to hear that dear. I just got those two today on a trade. I can separate them if it would make you feel better.” The woman said.

“
No please don't. They belong together.” Eve said. Taking a moment to admire the relics and wipe away tears.

“
Would you like to hold the necklace? You know for old time's sake I guess.” The woman asked.

“
If you don't mind, I would like to. I don't have any money though.” Eve said.

“
Sugar, you're making me want to cry. How about you just keep them? It looks like they mean a lot more to you than me. Only thing they cost me was my ex-husband's old fishing pole, and I would have gave that piece of shit away for free just to spite him.”

The old woman handed the necklace and coin over to Eve. Eve rolled the old silver coin over in her palm, admiring how polished it was for its age. She looked down at the necklace; a warm feeling of confusion flooded her brain as she stared at the initials engraved on the back of the cross.
EE.

“
Where did you get this?” Eve asked. Her head began to spin, as she placed the pieces together inside her mind. It felt surreal, like some kind of a cruel joke was being played on her, but yet she held it in her hands.

“
From a good-looking man, not even ten minutes ago.” The old woman replied.

“
This is my necklace! This is his coin! Look at the initials right there. EE! Evelyn Evans. That's my name. Where is he?” Eve exclaimed.

“
He came in here earlier today riding a motorcycle. The guards made a real fuss with that one. Then he traded those two pieces for an old fishing pole. Honey you might want to run.” The old woman said when the loud sound of a motorcycle throttling up echoed in the air.

Eve heard the sound and ran as fast as she could in the direction it came from. The people began to blur as she reached a full run. Tears continued to run down her face, and she was filled with an adrenaline rush that allowed her to push her body to limits she never thought possible.

She cleared the main gate of compound, and spotted a man sitting on a motorcycle as it started to pull away with a small trailer behind it. Eve adjusted her trajectory, aligning herself on a collision course with the driver.

She wanted answers and at this moment only that helmeted rider knew them. In fractions of a second a plethora of scenarios ran rampant across her mind, each one more painful than the previous, until she blocked all thoughts except stopping that man.

Eve ran as if her very life depended on it. Her thighs burned as she poured on even more determination. She jumped and landed in the road, holding up both hands in the universal signal to stop. She heard the brakes lock up on the bike, she felt the force of it crashing into her, and sending her flying into the air.

***

The driver was startled by the sudden flash of green that jumped in front of him. By the time he saw her outstretched hands it was too late. He tried his best to slow the bike down, but then it was far too late for that. He felt the impact of her body against the frame, and watched helplessly as she bounced away from him.

What kind of moron runs in front of a speeding motorcycle?
He thought to himself as he removed his helmet.
This idiot has some explaining to do
. He said to himself as he walked to the crumpled mass of green fabric on the side of the road.

He could see that the body was a female, wearing a green dress, and lying face down. He turned the body over, and his eyes grew wide in amazement. All anger left his mind in that instant; looking down at her, blood trailing from both nostrils.

It was the face of Eve. The same face he had never thought he would see again. Haus held her close to his chest, as he screamed louder than he had ever thought possible. “MEDIC! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP US!”

The End.

Look out for the third installment of the series. Protocol 1337: End Game.

Please take a moment to follow me on Facebook.

Http://www.facebook.com/Dhenbane