Winter's Warrior: Mark of the Monarch (Winter's Saga 4) (17 page)

“I think the boys would like to have your company.”  Meg nodded reassuringly.

“Sounds fine with me,” Dr. Andrews replied.  “If you’re ready to come back before Alik’s shift is up, just call, and I’ll come back to get you.”

“Thank you Dr. Andrews,” Farrow smiled shyly as she reached out to shut the door of the minivan. 

Meg couldn’t help but read Farrow’s emotions as she watched her former would-be assassin jog excitedly back up the hill so she could spend some time with Alik.

“I think Farrow may have a little crush on Alik.”  Theo turned to Meg with raised brows as though revealing some huge secret.  Meg couldn’t help but chuckle at the clueless doctor.

“Maybe Alik has a crush on Farrow,” Meg offered with a smile and an innocent shrug of her shoulders.

“You think?”

“Well, I
am
the empath.”

Theo’s surprised expression was too much for Meg.  Even as
the van’s air conditioner tried desperately to blow cool air against the stifling Texas heat, Meg burst into laughter at Theo’s naiveté.

“Let me get this straight,” Senator Donovan Arkdone seethed, “everyone escaped, again?  Even after they came into your precious Facility?  Right under your nose, Kenneth?”

“You have no idea the lengths I’ve gone through to have those assets returned and exact vengeance on that wretch who dared steal them from me!” A piece of torn flesh wagged from the corner of his jaw, a droplet of blood was nearly ready to free itself from the tip.

Arkdone stood in the master suite of one of his many luxurious homes, his cell phone pressed to his ear.  This house was on the West Coast and had a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean.  He was watching the salty waters lap on the pebble beach like claws of a giant beast desperate to climb out of the depths but too weak to accomplish anything of any real significance.

He glanced at the mirrored wall to his right and turned to admire himself while he let Kenneth Williams rant for another few minutes before calmly pointing out what both knew to be absolute truth.

“I have been more than patient allowing you to use your tactics to exact revenge and recompense.  You have failed time and again, and I’ve lost patience with you.”  Arkdone’s voice was so low it was nearly a rasping whisper.  “I have plans for those metahumans myself.  They are mine now.”

“You can’t do that, Donovan!”  Kenneth seethed. 

“I have given you thirteen years, Williams.  I’m done waiting for the return on my initial investment,” Arkdone growled back.  “You failed for the last time.  You will not question me, Dr. Williams.  The wheels are already turning and you, my dear old friend, must sit back and watch me dine on your enemies.”

“We are colleagues, Donovan.  You can’t trump me!”  Hysteria reached two clawed hands into his throat causing him to sound strangled.

“It’s already done.  My decision is final and, unlike you, Doctor, once I decide something, it damn well gets done right the first time.”  Donovan’s voice was shrewd, calculating and incendiary.

Kenneth paled, his bloody jaw snapping shut in his instant panic.  That droplet flew to paint a piece of paper on his desk blackish red.

The phone hung loosely in his bloody, skinless hand.

“I will, of course, want compensation for my losses,” his voice trembled with anger.  He knew his dear old colleague and
understood him well enough to fear his stone-cold retribution.

“Compensation?” Arkdone laughed loudly the echoes of which landed on Williams’ livid shoulders.  “
You’ll be fortunate if I decide not to trigger the Monarch sleeper I’ve had working at your precious Facility all these years,” the Senator responded coolly before hanging up on Dr. Williams.

Farrow rounded a corner on her way back to Dr. Winter’s hospital room where she assumed Alik and Danny would have gone, but what she saw stopped her in her tracks.

“I know you don’t like to wear shoes, big man, but we can’t walk around a hospital with all th
ose germs on your bare feet.”

Farrow watched Danny scowl at the little white socks Alik was carefully putting on his little feet.  They were sitting on the floor, Danny plopped in Alik’s crossed-legged lap. 

Farrow’s heart tightened in her chest at the sight of Alik’s wide, muscular shoulders moving, curled around the tiny toddler’s frame.  She watched his fingers maneuver nimbly as he worked the baby’s foot into each sock before reaching to put on his new racecar shoes.  He carefully loosened the laces, pulled up the tongue and slipped Danny’s foot into place before gently tightening the laces and tying a slow, deliberate knot.

“I’ll teach you how to tie your own shoes someday, kiddo, but I don’t mind helping you while you need me.  Cool?”  Alik spoke to the top of Danny’s head as he worked on the other shoe.  When he got to the laces on this shoe he chanted
a little rhyme, "Build a teepee, come inside.  Close it tight so we can hide.  Over the mountain and around we go.  Here's my arrow and here's my bow!”  Alik’s fingers manipulated the laces to dance through the rhyme.  Danny’s eyes were transfixed.

Once his shoes were back on his feet, Alik just let the little boy sit for a minute.  His unhurried, gentle ways acted like a tonic to the three-year-old who eventually stood up, turned around and smiled genuinely at Alik before wrapping his scrawny little arms around his thick neck.  Instinctively, Alik’s strong arms came up to support the little guy against him. 

“You ready to go check on Mom, big guy?”  Alik asked rhetorically.  He moved into a standing position easily.  Farrow loved to watch everything about Alik, his easy gracefulness, his gentle humor, his loyalty and devotion to family, but watching him interact with the small, traumatized child was a thing of absolute beauty.

Danny flopped his head onto Alik’s thick shoulder and yawned deeply.  His long slender legs wrapped around Alik’s waist as he clung to his new brother as if he had always known what it was to be held with love and care.  Alik responded with equal familiarity.  They had only known each other for four days, but no one would know it by how they interacted. 

“Hey, Farrow,” Alik had turned just so and noticed the beautiful metasoldier watching him with Danny.

“Hello.”  She looked around her, as though she had been caught doing something embarrassing.  Alik couldn’t help but smile at the blush coloring the apples of her cheeks.

“I thought you were heading back to the house with the others.”

“I was, but then I thought…well, I mean I was hoping to…” Farrow stammered.  “I wanted to stay with you,” she spoke barely above a whisper.

Alik pat the back of the little brother in his arms.  It was his turn to blush.

“I appreciate the company.  It looks like my little sidekick has passed out for the night,” he said motioning to the soft snores coming from the toddler on his shoulder.

Farrow smiled adorably.  She couldn’t help it.  She was thrilled to see Alik accept her company with more than just graciousness.  He seemed truly happy to know she wanted to spend time with him.

“How about we go find a place to lay him down?”

As if the sleeping child heard his words, Danny’s little hands moved to grip Alik’s blue T-shirt with both fists.

“Or I’ll just hold him while he sleeps and we can hang out,” Alik offered, smiling at his little brother’s affection even in his sleep.

“Sounds great,” Farrow grinned.  They began walking toward the sofas nearest to Margo’s room when Alik stopped abruptly and turned to look down into his companion’s beautiful doe eyes. 

“Are you thirsty?  Or hungry?” 

“Um, I’m not hungry, but I could drink something.  How about you?”

“Are you kidding, I can always eat.  Drinks are just there to help the food go down even faster.” Alik offered a sheepish grin.

Farrow laughed.

“Should we go to the cafeteria and grab a bite to eat? Or maybe order something to go so we can hurry back here to be near
your mom?”

“Yes.”

“Yes to which idea?”

“Food, yes.  To go, yes. And your use of the word ‘we’ is a big yes.”  Alik wiggled his brows at Farrow.

She couldn’t help but giggle at his antics.

Together, they made their way to the elevators. 

“Can I ask you a personal question?”  Alik started once the doors closed and they were alone, except for the sleeping little brother.

“Sure.”  She looked over at him with curiosity dancing in her eyes.

“When is your birthday?”

She smiled.  “It just past.”

“On what day?”

“March twenty-sixth.”

“And how many candles were on your cake?”

“I didn’t have candles or a cake.”

“Oh.  Sorry about that.  Well, if you were to have had candles on a cake, how many?”

“Seventeen.”

“You’re seventeen?”

“Yes.  Why?  How old are you?”

“I’d rather not say.”

“What?”

“Well, you’re just a little older than me.”

“How much older?”

“Just a little.”

“Alik!”

“Farrow!”

“How old are you?  If you won’t tell me, I’m sure your mom or your sister would.”

“Yeah, all you women would back each other up.”

“So?”

“I’m fifteen.” Alik cringed.

“Oh, okay.”

“Okay?”

“When’s your birthday?”  Farrow asked.

“November seventeenth.”

“So we’re about a year and eight months apart.”

“Looks like it.”

“That’s not too bad.”

“It isn’t?”

“Do you think I’m too old?”

“Too old for what?”

“Too old for you.”

“For me?”

“Ugh, never mind, Alik Winter
!”

“Wait a minute Farrow Schone.”  The elevator doors had opened on the hospital’s ground floor.  Farrow took advantage of the escape route and nearly ran down the corridor just to get away from her embarrassment.

Alik hurried to catch up; keeping one hand on Danny’s back so as not to jostle him too much.

“Would you slow down?  I’ve got my baby brother asleep on my shoulder so I can’t exactly go for a run right now.”

Farrow slowed her pace but still wouldn’t look up.  She was sure her cheeks were crimson red.

“Would you please stop?”  Alik called from behind her.

Farrow finally stopped walking and leaned her back against the peach colored walls of the hospital hallway.  The almost yummy smells of the cafeteria hung in the air.

Alik finally caught up with the girl who stood with her arms crossed over her simple white T-shirt.  The blue jeans she wore hugged her tight gymnast’s figure perfectly.  If Alik weren’t so worried about what was going on in that pretty head of hers, he would have enjoyed walking behind her the entire way just so he could watch the way her body moved in those snug blue jeans.

“Why would you be worried about being too old for me?”

“Are you really this clueless or are you trying to embarrass me further before you call me ‘old lady’ and walk away laughing?”

“First, I will never walk away from you or anyone else I care about.  Second, I honestly am not trying to embarrass you.  And last, yes, apparently I am painfully clueless.”  Alik’s voice softened as he said the last part, but it was his sky blue eyes looking down at her with genuine confusion that squeezed Farrow’s heart.

“You care about me?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Like a sister?”

“Um, no.  Definitely not like a sister.” Alik cringed at the thought of watching Meg’s butt move in her blue jeans.

“Well, then?  In what way?”

“Listen, Farrow.  From the first time I carried you into Paulie’s house on the island and laid you down on the gurney, I thought you were drop-dead beautiful.  Then on the plane back to the States, we seemed to get along really well.  I mean, once you got over trying to kill me and my family,” Alik grinned mischievously.  “At the ranch we spent every day together, training, hanging out, just…together.  Of course, Evan was with us a lot of the time.  But I’ve never cared for you as a sister.  You’re beautiful and sweet.  You can kick some serious ass and you can keep up with me.”

“Oh Alik, let’s be honest.  I can absolutely surpass you in many ways!”  Farrow’s eyes turned into sparkly slits as her face lit up into a wide smile.

“Yeah, that’s what I mean.  You don’t let me get away with anything!  You challenge me, you spar with me, you’re not afraid to call me out when I do or say something…clueless.  I just assumed you weren’t interested because I’m younger than you.”