The Sway (14 page)

I reached down for the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head.

Cole ran his hands up from my hips to my rib cage. “You're so beautiful.”

He pulled me down to his chest. This kiss was different. I felt it in my soul. My blood rushed faster. Everything slowed down. In my head, I could see my heart pumping and beating, but it was surrounded by light. When Cole kissed me deeper, I felt his heart beating in unison with mine. Like a cord connected us heart and soul.

Any confusion I had left. I loved Cole, and I would continue to love him for my entire life.

“
I
don't want
to leave,” I said as Cole put the SUV into reverse and pointed the car in the direction of the gates. “I know I am strong and capable, but this is so much to handle. Millions of people are going to die if your dad's plan doesn't work.”

A sigh escaped me. Cole leaned toward me and placed a light kiss on my cheek.

“We have to try. If we didn't try and had to live with all those deaths, that would be too much. I know you. I know you won't go down without a fight.”

I turned my face to him and he pecked my lips.

“Let's go save the world,” he said through a smile.

It seemed like the drive back to The Sway compound went by twice as quick as the drive out. Maybe because I recognized the roads we took. The sun melted into the mountains, the sky painted from blues, with pinks and purples, to the deep blue that always announced twilight. I sighed. Today had been a perfect day. If I could relive the last couple hours again and again, I might choose that.

Cole was right, though. I couldn't just sit by. I would do everything in my power to save my country and mankind. Not only was it drilled into me because of the government training, but it was who I had become. I didn't let things slip by if they were wrong. I made the right choice even if it proved to be the hard one. I didn't know when that happened, when I started feeling more like a grown-up instead of a child.

Cole squeezed my hand, bringing me back to the moment. The garage door was slowing lifting open at the compound, and we were back to reality. The moments I had experienced would be with me for my whole life. Not just because it had been a first, but because it had been Cole. I squeezed his hand back and lifted it to my lips, slowly kissed each knuckle.

He put the SUV in park and turned off the ignition. “What's going on in that mind of yours?”

I smiled and bit my bottom lip, shook my head slightly. He leaned in and kissed my temple.

“I don't understand how you can be too much but not enough at the same time. There are times when I think I couldn't possibly want you any more than I do in that moment, and then in another breath, I want all of you and more. I want to see it all and have it all,” Cole said.

“I'm yours.” I mean, I was. Now in this moment, I couldn't see beyond him. He made everything make sense. All the emotions that overwhelmed me, he brought a calm to my storm.

“Damn right you are,” he said through a smile.

I laughed at his cockiness and opened my door. Time to face the music.

T
he place was bustling
with activity. People ran through the halls; around every corner, someone was preparing or packing for the mission. Cole kept a tight grip on my hand as we went through the winding halls. He pulled me into the training room. We weren't alone. Dozens of people were fighting, throwing knives, cleaning guns. Harrison walked toward us and clapped Cole on the shoulder.

“Everything is packed and ready. I, you, Julia, Natalia, Quade, and Hank will be on one plane. The president's team is leaving out of a different place at a different time. We don't want anyone to be able to pick up anything. The president will be in Air Force One. Hank is a little easier because Letum is expecting him and a team. The CIA director's team is the hardest, but they have some super secret plan or something.”

Harrison sounded much more like the teenager he should be instead of the soldier he'd become.

“Who is going to be in charge here without Quade?” I asked.

“Each specific unit has a squad leader. They all report to Quade, but they are completely competent in their own right,” Cole said.

“They're just children,” I said softly.

Harrison looked at me with sad eyes. “We all are, but that doesn't mean we aren't capable. It doesn't mean they aren't capable. We are strong and smart and more developed than most army units. We can do this.”

I didn't know if he was trying to convince himself or me, but I took it, nonetheless.

“I want to say good-bye to James.”

Harrison pointed in the direction of the kids that were wrestling. “I think he is over by the knife wall with Kiya.”

I tugged Cole in that direction and stumbled toward a dark corner, only to find Kiya cuddled up to James' side. He was tickling her arm. It was really cute.

“James, I am heading out. I won't be back until … well, I will be back when I get back.”

James looked up at me. Fear and concern shown in the line creased in his forehead and the widening of his eyes. Kiya and he stood up. James now matched Cole in height. I didn't know if it was because of his ability or if he had actually grown to the same height. I released Cole's hand and leaned in to hug James.

He hugged me back, awkwardly at best.

“You are going to be great. We are going to be able to monitor the big parts of the mission from here. They will be sending us the communications from the gala.”

“You're going to be fine. But Jue…” He leaned back and looked me in the eyes. “Do it. Stop them. Don't let this be how our world ends.”

James had grown so much, my little brother no longer a scrawny boy. I hated that I missed it all. I had missed everything. Seven birthdays. He was more mature than I remembered being at his age; okay, that's probably not true. I pulled him back close to me and hugged him tight, blinking back tears.

“I got this. I'll call you when I can, okay?”

I pulled away.

Cole stuck his hand out toward my brother. “I'll take—”

James stopped him, taking his hand. “Don't say it. She can take care of herself, and if something goes wrong, I don't want it on you,” he said in defiance. “I will see you two in a couple days. This will all seem like a bad dream soon.”

He released Cole's hand and snaked his arm around Kiya's waist.

Kiya reached for my arm. “Good luck. Kick ass out there.”

She gave us a sad smile. I nodded like I wasn't scared. Like I didn't feel the weight of the situation pressing down on my shoulders. Cole turned me to him, and I blew out a breath I had been holding.

“That wasn't really what I expected,” I said.

He folded me into his chest, and his warm lips pressed into the top of my hair.

“Come on, babe. We've got to go meet the rest of the team.”

I was going over a checklist in my head of the things I would need when I realized I wouldn't need anything. What I needed would be provided and if I failed, if we failed … it didn't matter, anyways. I sighed.

“Julia, we need you to try this on before you go, see if it needs any alterations while we are en route.”

I turned around the see Hank holding a garment bag.

“What is it for?”

“The gala. You, Cole, and I will be on the inside. You need to be dressed appropriately.”

My lips made the tiny shape of an “o” as I let Hank push me into an empty room with the garment bag in hand. I hung the dress against a break in the wall and slowly unzipped the bag. I never got to go to prom or do any of those regular high school kid things. I didn't honestly think I would ever get to wear a gown, even on my wedding day.

I gasped as I held this gown in my hands. Stunning, to say the least. Black sequins covered the entire fabric. The neckline had a deep V but was still modest, with slight cap sleeves. I quickly stripped from my clothes and stepped into the dress, held my breath as I zipped the side. It fit like it had been personally tailored for me. I looked down at the sequins and gems mixed with taffeta that flowed from the portion of the skirt that flared out like a mermaid fin at the bottom.

I had to resist the urge to squeal and clap my hands. It was so pretty.

Two light knocks came at the door.

“I'm glad it fits, Julia. Now we've got a plane to catch,” Hank said from behind the panel.

Stupid asshat mind readers
, I thought at Hank. I heard him laugh from the other side. I quickly undressed and zipped the gorgeous gown back into its sheath, wondering what shoes I would wear with a gown like that. I didn't have any of my five-inch heels that I wore every day in New York. I needed shoes to go with it, though. I thought at Hank.
Shoes?

“We have shoes for you, too, Julia,” he said in an amused tone.

Weird how quickly I had adapted to my new self. Maybe my true self. I felt like I could breathe a little easier, despite walking into one of the most intense missions of my life. I was me—feeling, expressing, and loving with every fiber of my being, and it made things clearer. A different kind of clear from when I was in the agency. When with Eisenhower, I'd been cold and cunning, calculated to a specific design to become a lethal weapon. I still embraced that part of me, because it would never go away. Now, though, feeling emotions allowed me to better understand each scenario. Amazing how much more one could see when willing to look over the walls put up. I wasn't just looking over the walls anymore. I was breaking them down.

T
he group
under Hank made its way toward the back of the property. Each team had assembled outside. A group of black SUVs sat idle, along with one bulky, military grade chopper.

I swallowed audibly. It seemed more real. In this moment. That the weight and responsibility of the world rested within the group of thirty-ish freaks who had superseded genetic capabilities to become stuff only shown in movies. We were
it
for the world. I knew I could be effective in certain scenarios but the expectations, the possible outcomes of this mission … I shuddered. Heat registered against my hand along with pressure as Cole entwined his fingers with mine.

“It's going to work out how it is meant to. We will do the best we can. We will control and change what is in our power. That's all we can do. You can't look past that,” he whispered. “Worrying and over-analyzing the situation right now isn't going to change the outcome. We have to trust in hope. Hope that the right and good in this world will come out ahead. We go into this already knowing we will succeed,” he added reverently.

I squeezed his hand three times in rapid succession. He leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on my cheek.

“This is it. This is the reason why Hank and I designed this program. The Sway exists for this sole reason, to offer a chance for the people of the world when evil threatens to take away their freedom,” the president yelled out. “I trust each of you explicitly. Even though you may not know me on a personal level, believe me when I say I know you and I respect you. God speed.”

The president turned and shook Hank's hand and pulled him into a brief hug.

The six of us with Hank headed toward the chopper so that we could transfer to the airport that had closed in Brooklyn. Which I guessed was just cover, because it was definitely fully functional. I looked back toward the windows lining the back of the compound and saw my little brother standing in the doorway with Kiya tucked close to his side. I lifted my hand in a wave and he nodded in acknowledgment.

The blades of the helicopter started spinning, pulsing cold air against my face. I braced myself against the wind and jumped into the cargo area. Cole sat in the seat next to me and handed me a pair of earphones. When his fingers brushed against mine, a rush of warmth and security washed over my senses. I met his eyes. He leaned his lips toward my ear.

“I love you,” he said.

A smile tugged at the left side of my lips. I squeezed his hand three times.

“I love you, too.”