Chapter Eighteen
Three months ago if someone had told him that he was going to fall in love he would have joked that he fell in love at least once a week. Today, he was a man who was sincerely, madly in love.
As luck would have it, the woman who won his heart was about as far from normal as a person could be, but was, without question the one for him. Every time Trina looked at him he felt something swell inside him, filling the space he’d not known was empty until now.
She didn’t know it yet, but he was going to take care of her and that included getting the CIA to back off and making her other two personalities go away.
He parked near Deacon’s office at the center and got out of his car. Just then, Deacon pulled up in his truck. Wiley was in the passenger seat.
“Just the men I wanted to see.” Brody said as he got out of his car.
“About?” Deacon asked.
“Red,” he said and grimaced. “Sorry, I mean Trina.”
“What about her?”
“Do you really want to do this standing out here?”
“Do we need privacy for this conversation?
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Then come inside.” Deacon gestured.
Brody followed, but after two steps stopped and looked back at Wiley who had not moved. “I need to talk to both of you.”
“Now I know the shit is gonna get deep.” Wiley commented and started toward them.
Once they were in Deacon’s office, Brody spoke up again. “I wanted to speak with you before she does.”
“About what?” Deacon asked.
“A plan to get rid of Sadie.”
“The extra personality?”
“Yeah. Her and Catherine.”
“Your tone of voice tells me you don’t like her plan.”
“No, I don’t. I think it’s too risky. She wants us to set up an altercation in which one of you will shoot her.”
“Oh hell no.” Wiley immediately barked.
“I don’t mean for real. She thinks if she’s wearing a vest or if you use rubber bullets and if someone is nearby to render her unconscious, Sadie will believe they are dying and leave.”
“That won’t work.” Wiley said.
“Why not?”
“Because Sadie didn’t leave when Trina almost killed herself saving you.”
“Well, maybe she didn’t believe they were truly dying.”
“Maybe, but I still say the plan is crap. Deac?”
“I have to agree.” Deacon looked from Wiley to Brody. “Too much could go wrong and even a rubber bullet can do a hell of a lot of damage if it doesn’t hit dead on target. No, I think there has to be another way.”
“I agree.” Brody said.
“Then why did you bother to tell us?” Wiley asked.
“So, you’d be prepared to say no when she asks and because I hoped it would make my plan sound a little better.”
“And your plan is?” Deacon asked.
Brody grinned. “It goes like this…”
*****
If someone was to ask, Trina would say that the last week had been the best of her life. She was crazy in love with Brody, had good friends like Mathias, Etta and JJ and had reconnected with her Dad and her Uncle Wiley.
Her Dad’s new wife, Mica, was amazing and Trina already loved her. It was a little strange for her Dad to be married to someone so young, but age didn’t matter to her. The fact that he was happy was what mattered.
There was only one dark cloud on her happy sky and that was how to finally deal with Sadie, Mason and the CIA.
She had put off dealing with it since she’d been released from the hospital, but this morning when Brody left to go meet with Deacon and see if the offer of a training position was still open, she’d told him to let Etta know that she was ready to move forward and wanted to meet with her and Deacon about the plan she’d come up with.
He asked if she was one hundred percent sure and she said yes. Not that she was. Sure, that is.
If she failed, then there was a good chance Sadie would win and she’d find herself the one trapped in the darkness forever. Trina couldn’t even let herself consider that possibility. She finally had something to live for and she’d be damned if she would let anyone take it from her.
A knock at the front door had her hurrying to answer. She opened the door but didn’t see anyone, so she pushed the screen door open and stepped out. At the very moment she caught sight of something in the right side of her periphery, she felt a sharp sting in the side of her neck.
Two seconds later, a wave of dizziness washed over her and then everything went black.
When Trina woke, she was lying on the sofa in the house and her Uncle Wiley was seated in the chair adjacent to the couch. “Hey, there Little Bit, you okay? Last thing I expected was to find you passed out on the front porch swing.”
Trina sat and looked around. “What happened?”
Wiley shrugged. “Like I said, when I walked up you were passed out on the porch.”
“Someone knocked on the door. I opened it and stepped outside and—" She jumped up. “Something stabbed me in the neck.”
Trina ran to the bathroom. “Wiley?” She screamed as she looked at her reflection. All ideas about her plan fled. Now there was only fear.
He ran in and she turned to face him. “Look.”
“What am I looking at? Two stitches are all I see. Did you get those in the hospital?”
“No. Someone—someone put something in me.”
“Why would someone do that?”
“To bug, track or kill me. Oh God, Wiley. They know where I am and they’re planning on killing me.”
“Hold on, hold on. What makes you say that?”
“Just look at where the incision is. One small blast would destroy the carotid artery and I’d bleed out in a minute.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“No, but I’m scared I am. The CIA uses stuff like this. Just to be safe, take me over to Sanctuary and I’ll get Etta to have the doctor do an x-ray.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
They went out and got into his truck.
“I still don’t know why the CIA would want to kill you.”
Trina looked over at him. “I don’t think they want to, it’s more a matter of either they get the information they want, or they kill me to make sure no one else ever gets it.”
“What could be that important?”
“I don’t know.”
“But Sadie does?”
“I think so.”
“Then ask her.”
“Fat lot of good that will do. She wants me dead.”
“But if you die, so does she.”
“Well, the kind of dead she wants is me locked in the dark and her in control and let me tell you that can be worse than death.”
“Isn’t there a way you can work something out with her?”
“No, I don’t see how. Try to understand. It’s a little like having multiple people in one body. She and I aren’t alike at all, and her experiences aren’t mine, like mine aren’t hers.”
“That’s screwed up, Little Bit.”
“Tell me about it.”
“And all this came into being because of what that man did to you?”
“Honestly, I think maybe I leaned toward it all along. Sadie was part of me before him. When Dad left, and you left, she was there, but she just whispered to me, telling me everything would be okay, and we didn’t need anyone. I had her and she would always be there for me.”
“Didn’t that scare you?”
“Everything scared me, Wiley. I lost my Dad and you and mom turned into a mean woman who spent all her time smoking and drinking and screwing strange men.”
“I’m so sorry. I swear to God that if I’d known—“
“I know, and I don’t blame you. Or Dad. It was just the hand of cards I was dealt. But now… now I need to fight for my life. If Sadie would give me the info, I’d give it to the CIA and cut a deal, but she won’t.”
“Well, maybe Etta will have a suggestion. And we’ll find a way. I promise.”
“That’s what Brody said.”
“You’re crazy about him, aren’t you?”
“I love him.”
“Well, I guess that pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?”
“It does for me but…”
“But what?”
“I have to get this out, so forgive me in advance. I’m scared.”
Wiley reached over to place his hand on her shoulder. “Nothing wrong with admitting it, baby girl. Just make sure you don’t give in to it. Remember what I told you when you were afraid to try to ride your bike without the training wheels?”
“Don’t let fear define your future.” She smiled as she remembered. “Thank you. I think that’s exactly what I needed to hear. And more importantly, how I need to start living.”
“Hooyah.”
Trina’s smile morphed into a grin at that word. “I have missed you so much, Uncle Wiley.”
“Not half as much as I missed you.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Did you ever get married?”
“Nope.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Not entirely sure. After your mom—well, I was a little screwed up for a while. I never meant to hurt your Dad. I know how lame that sounds. And maybe it is. Maybe I was fooling myself.
“She had a way of twisting me—either around her finger or into knots and damn if I wouldn’t have done anything for that woman.”
“Mom had that effect on men. At least for a while, until they realized that she didn’t really care about them—just how much money they had and whether they’d give it to her, so she could buy alcohol or drugs. But God was she beautiful. I remember sitting on her bed while she’d get all dolled up for a date and I think “wow, my mom looks like a movie-star.” She was so gorgeous.”
“She sure was. You look a lot like her.”
“I guess that makes it kind of painful for you and Dad, doesn’t it? Having me around is like a visual reminder of the worst time of your life.”
“Not all of it was bad. You came into our lives and you were worth all of it and more.”
Trina nodded and dug for the courage to ask the question she’d always been afraid of. “Is Deacon really my Dad, or are you?”
The way Wiley’s gaze jerked to her and the way his hand tightened on the steering wheel didn’t go unnoticed. “Well?”
“I don’t know, Little Bit. You were born seven months after they were married.”
“And were you sleeping with her before they were married?”
It took him a few seconds before he answered. “Yes.”
“So, you could be my Dad?”
“Yes. But does it matter?”
“I don’t know. But it seems that this ability I have comes from you. Deacon is empathic but you’re more like me. So, it would make perfect sense for you to be my father.”
“I guess it would. But would it matter in how you feel about him and me?”
“No. I love you both and nothing would ever change that.”
“Then there’s no point jabbing that bee hive with a sharp stick, is there?”
“No, we have other hives to jab,” she replied as they pulled up in front of Etta’s office at Sanctuary. “Will you come in with me?”
“I thought I’d go fetch Brody.”
“Oh, okay, thank you. But the both of you will come back, right?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Okay.” She scooted over, gave him a kiss on the cheek and then got out of the truck. The door to the office was open and there was no one in the reception area.
“Etta?” She called out and waited.
The door to Etta’s private office opened and she walked out. “Hey, I’m surprised to see you.”
“I need your help.”
“Sure, what can I do?”
“See this?” Trina pulled back her hair from the left side of her neck and turned her head. “There was a knock at my door. When I opened it, someone jabbed me in the neck and the next thing I knew was when I woke up on the couch.
“Wiley found me unconscious and carried me inside. Since there are stitches, whatever was done, was performed by someone with skills and I need to know what exactly was done.”
“Let’s go over to the main house. The medical wing there has a portable x-ray, so we can at least get a look.”
“Okay.”
“So, how are things?” Etta asked as they left the office.
“Good. Strange. Difficult. Take your pick.”
“Well, let’s start with good. Things are okay with you and Brody?”
“That part we can label amazing.” Trina said and fairly danced with the joy of it. “He’s amazing and I’m so crazy about him it should be illegal.”
“Well, I actually understand that feeling.”
“You should. JJ is smoking hot and oh God is he a kind person, and strong and uh, I guess you already know all this.”
“Yes, but it doesn’t bother me to hear someone sing his praises. But back to you. Things are amazing with Brody. So, what about with Deacon and Wiley?”
“That’s good and a little strange. It’s easier with Wiley, to be honest, but then Wiley was always my friend as well as my protector. I could talk to him easier than I could to my Dad. And—never mind.”
“No, not never mind. What?”
“I think what happened affected them differently. My Dad took it as a big fat failure. He was supposed to be a husband and a father, take care of the family, provide for us and make us a functioning unit.”
Etta laughed. “You make it sound a little military.”
Trina chuckled as well. “Well, how could it not? You know him better than anyone. And back then he was really buttoned down. Even I could see it and I was a kid. Everything had a place and everything in its place, you know? Order was important to him and my mom was allergic to order.
“Anyway, I think he saw what happened as his fault and failure doesn’t set well with my Dad. I always wondered what happened to him. Was he alive? Happy? Had he remarried? Did he have other children?”
“Why didn’t you try to find him?”
“Sadie wouldn’t allow that.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. And you’re right. It did affect Deacon. Deeply. I hope you’ll give him the chance to let you see who he really is, Trina. He’s my best friend and a truly remarkable man.”
“I don’t doubt it. I see and feel the way all of you feel about him. Even Uncle Wiley. His pain comes from the mistake he made of loving my mother. He was with her before Dad, you know. And she had her hooks in him deep. She wouldn’t let go--even when she married my Dad.”
“How did you feel about that?”
“Grateful. Wiley was my favorite person in the world, the one person I knew loved me without reservation.”
“And now?”
“Now I hate that his life and my Dad’s were so messed up because of what happened with my Mom. And me. They paid too high of a price.”
“Seems to me that you’re the one who paid the most.”
Trina shrugged. “At least I had Sadie to protect me.”
“Speaking of Sadie…”
“She’s mad and scared and doesn’t like that I’m asking you for help but knows that we’re in danger, so we do what we have to.”
“That doesn’t sound much like you, Trina.”
“Don’t worry. It’s me. I’m just telling you how Sadie feels.”
“And Catherine?”
“She’s just tired and wants it all to be over.”
“What does that mean?”
Trina’s pace slowed a bit and her mood grew somber. “She’s the most tragic of all of us. She was yanked into life, awakened in hell. Pain and fear and suffering were the mainstays of her life. She didn’t understand why she was there or why she was being tortured.
“She was only allowed out during those times of torture, to protect us. Poor Catherine. She didn’t even know Sadie and I existed until we escaped that institution the CIA locked us up in. She didn’t know anything, so she couldn’t reveal any secrets. All she could do was suffer and scream. It was awful of us to have created her and made her suffer that, but we did.
“Now, she’s so tired. Nothing in life has made much sense to her and every time she comes close to putting pieces together Sadie screws with her thoughts, locks her away and it starts all over.”
“Wasn’t it Sadie who insisted that you create Catherine to begin with?”
Trina stopped walking. “Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Try to absolve me. I’m not that ignorant. Sadie and Catherine aren’t entities separate from me. They are me. I created them from parts of myself. Sadie was endowed with my strength and cunning, my deceit and guile, my passion and my steadfast determination to survive, no matter the cost.
“I piled the guilt on her. She became responsible for all the dreadful things we did and all the people we hurt, and I did nothing to stop it.”
“It’s really not that simple, Trina. Psychologically−“
“I know. I get it. But you must understand. I created them to minimize my own suffering and fear and I hid behind them all these years because it was just easier than facing all that was happening and had happened. I was a coward, Etta and I let Sadie be the bad guy so that I could be the one who deserved to be saved.”
“That’s—amazing. Most people spend years in therapy before they can see themselves in such a harsh light of reality.”
“Most people don’t have a father who can bring them back from the edge of death and restore their souls.”
Etta’s eyes widened. “You—you think Wiley is your father?”
Trina started walking again. “I know he is. Biologically, anyway. I felt it when he came for me—that connection. I could feel that I was part of him.”
“Will you tell him? Or Deacon?”
“What purpose would that serve? They’ve been hurt enough. It’s time for healing.”
They’d reached the main building. Etta led the way to the medical wing and explained to the Nurse on duty what she wanted. Trina sat and waited, thinking about what she and Etta had talked about and wondered if she even deserved to have the love of a man like Brody.
Etta returned to the waiting room. “Ready?”
“As I’ll get.”
It took longer than Trina anticipated. Etta asked her to wait in the reception area while they viewed the x-rays. She found Brody and Wiley waiting for her.
“Well?” Brody asked as he stood.
Trina shrugged. “She said for me to wait out here.”
They sat in silence, watching the door. When it opened, and Etta walked out, Trina saw the troubled expression on her face.
“Come in.” she said and turned back the way she’d come.
Trina looked at Brody and Wiley. “Come with me.”
They all followed Etta. She led them to what looked like a small conference room. On one wall was a digital display unit. At present it was blank.
Once they were all seated, Etta picked up the remote and turned on the display. A slide appeared on the screen.
“As you can see, something was implanted in Trina’s neck. We can’t be certain, but I sent the images to someone I trust, and he said it looks like one of the new generation of explosives. Remotely, triggered, it has enough force to essentially blow out the side of the neck. The victim would bleed out in under a minute with the damage the explosion would cause.”
“We have to get it out.” Brody said and looked at Wiley for support.
“I agree. And immediately.”
“We can’t.” Etta’s remark had them looking at her in shock.
“What do you mean, you can’t?” Wiley asked.
“Just what I said. Again, I consulted an expert I trust and was told that until we have the detonator secured and are certain it cannot be used, we can’t do anything. We could detonate the explosive if we try to remove it.”
“There has to be something we can do.” Brody argued.
“There is.” Trina spoke up. “Sadie has the answer.”
“And what is that?” Etta asked.
“Call Mason. Maybe we can get him to intervene with the CIA. They have to be the ones responsible for this.”
“Will she give him what they want?”
That was a good question. Trina could feel Sadie’s fear and desperation to escape, but also her reluctance to let go of the information.
“Sadie doesn’t believe they’ll let us go if they get what they want. She doesn’t trust them.”
“Then she’s signing your execution warrant.” Etta said.
“I know, but she’s not going to listen to me.”
“What about Mason?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. But you can try.”
“Well let’s talk to Mason. I think we should go find him at Sanctuary.”
Everyone followed as she led the way out of the building. Brody took Trina’s hand and slowed her, so they fell behind Etta and Wiley. “Are you sure you’re okay, Red?”
“I want to be, but to tell you the truth I’m scared, Brody.”
“We’ll find a way to get that thing out. Without hurting you. I promise.”
“You really think you can make that promise?”
“No, I guess not, but I can promise that I’m going to do everything I can to try to make it happen.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
His smile wasn’t quite genuine, which she understood. Brody wasn’t stupid and knew all too well that there were no guarantees in life. And she? Well, she was starting to feel like a walking target who was quickly running out of time before someone’s cross-hairs zeroed in on her.