Chapter 25: Holly
HOLLY WAS A LITTLE nervous about the meeting she’d set up with Gunny. Even knowing it would be brief and he’d either accept it or he wouldn’t, she was still on edge, unsure of where Jesse stood. Just before they reached the door, she pushed him against the wall and stared into his eyes. “Promise me, Jesse.”
“Promise what?” he looked confused.
“Promise me you aren’t going to kill anyone in this meeting. Promise me, Jesse.”
She stared him down. He’d faced some of the toughest sons of bitches he’d ever seen and not once cowered, but somehow with just one look, this woman could tear him down at the knees. It didn’t make sense, but he respected the hell out of her fierce protection of those she was loyal to, and without her ever saying it, he knew that somewhere along the way, he’d been included in that, too.
“You know what’s been asked of me, Holly.”
“That’s why I’m asking this of you. For me. Don’t do it.”
Her eyes were begging him, and he found himself nodding in agreement. No matter the consequences, he could not kill Gunny now. Jesse didn’t have to weigh his options at this point. Sometime amidst their late night chats and witnessing Holly in action, his allegiance had changed, and there was no turning back now.
Holly opened the door to find Michael and Gunny waiting on them.
“Come on in,” Gunny said. He rose and walked around his desk to hug Holly. “It’s been a while since our last big chat. Michael tells me you’ve come to a decision you’d like to discuss.”
“That’s right,” she said.
“He also tells me that your personal part in all of this has been compromised, and that congratulations are in order.” Gunny didn’t look upset, but genuinely happy for her.
“Thank you,” Holly said, rubbing her growing belly. “But if anything, this baby only ensures my place in it all.”
Michael looked at her with concern. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I’m very serious. Jesse is aware of everything we discussed. You told me it was mine to tell as I pleased, and I have shared it all with him. Make no mistake, I know exactly who and what he is, and for full disclosure, his mission was to assassinate you on behalf of the AMAN.”
“Holly,” Jesse said through gritted teeth as Michael jumped from his seat ready to protect his General.
“Stand down, Michael,” Holly ordered. “So, here’s the thing,” she said, continuing to talk directly to Gunny. “I’m sick and tired of the fighting and the threats and the killing. That’s not the world I want my child raised in, and I will do everything in my power to make it a better place for him, or her. I trust Jesse with my life. I trust him with my child’s life, and right this second, I absolutely trust him with yours. He’s pledged his allegiance, and he’s making his stand to see this through. Now where do you stand?”
Gunny had seen the fire behind his Wildflower and he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face seeing it rise to full glory. He knew damn well that Jesse Sullivan was a lethal assassin. The name had preceded him. Having once saved the man before him when he was only a young boy, Gunny had kept track of him as best he could. He knew the program the AMAN General had placed him in. If he hadn’t been so close to Holly Jenkins, there was no way he’d have ever let Jesse into his territory. He wasn’t at all surprised to hear he had orders to kill him. He was, however, shocked that Holly had been so forthcoming with the information.
Choosing to ignore Holly’s question for the moment, he turned to Jesse. “Boy, do you remember me?”
Jesse stared at the man before him, really looking at his face for the first time. He paled and nodded his head as he whispered, “John. John Jackson.”
“That’s right boy. It’s good to see you, son.”
Jesse had to sit down before his knees gave out from under him. John Jackson had saved his life on more than one occasion. He looked around the room and closed his eyes trying to remember a time in life that was mostly blocked from his memories. Part of that was due to survival, and part from brainwashing by the AMAN. Even being aware of it hadn’t made him immune to it.
“I don’t remember much of that time of my life,” he confessed.
“I figured as much,” Gunny said. “It hasn’t been easy, but I did try to keep up with you and the stories of the Ghost are almost as popular as those of the Wildflower.”
“I did what I had to do,” Jesse said. Until Holly, he had only had two people left in the world that he cared about, and knowing one of them was standing before him was almost too much to bear. He couldn’t even let himself consider the fact that, had it not been for Holly’s persistence, he would have slit his throat and not taken a second look to even notice.
“I’m not judging you, son. You were just a kid, barely more than that now. And it’s good to see you,” Gunny said. “Now, I know this girl here has a plan in that pretty head of hers. So let’s hear it. Why are we all here today, Holly?’
“I’ve given a lot of consideration to what we spoke about last time. I’m ready to take on the position of liaison between the factions. I’d like to start with getting you and Griffon in the same room on neutral territory. If that goes well, I’d like to proceed with calling a summit of all the biggest factions on the east coast to discuss a treaty and reformation of the area into a unified nation.”
Michael laughed. “And we just wanted peace and potentially shared resources for mutual benefit.”
“We can address that, too,” Holly said. “First things first. The soldiers and the AMAN. I can handle setting it up, but I’m going to trust you will do you part as well.”
Gunny smiled, amazed at the woman before him, and her sheer guts when she set her mind to something. “Promise me, Gunny. Promise me that you will not try to kill Griffon or any AMAN during my peace meetings. This is not some smokescreen here, this is real. Promise me.”
Jesse snickered.
“What do I need to know, Jesse?” Gunny demanded.
“Oh, it’s nothing, sir. Just we had a very similar conversation in the hallway where she made me promise I wouldn’t kill you coming into this meeting.”
* * * * *
Gunny agreed to the peace meeting and letting Holly and Jesse leave of their own free will. He knew his safehouse was potentially compromised in doing it, but after much discussion, Holly had convinced him that without some faith and trust, nothing was ever going to change.
Holly and Jesse set out and were surprised to find a warm spring day. By the time they reached the mainland, they saw the grass turning green and trees in bloom. For some reason instead of making her happy, it just weighed her down.
“What’s wrong?” Jesse asked sensing her mood.
“Nothing It’s stupid,” she admitted.
“Come on, you know you’ll feel better once you talk about it.”
Holly laughed. “Who are you and what have you done with detached, ‘nothing in the world bothers me’ Jesse?”
He gave her a side glance that told her he wasn’t going to drop it.
“Fine. It just makes me sad to think a whole season has nearly passed without Jared.”
They mostly walked in silence, each deep in their own thoughts.
“Jesse?” Holly asked breaking the silence. “How do we get back to the ship? How do we reach Griffon to even begin talking about this plan?”
He pointed to an abandoned car. “I think it’s that one. Funny how things look so different in the light of day.” He walked over to an abandoned Volkswagen and dug around inside. “Ah-ha. I was right. Oliver stashed the radio here before we hit the bridge, knowing they’d confiscate it, which could have been potential for danger.”
“How did you know it was still here?”
“Didn’t, but most of this area has long since been rummaged, so I was banking on no one bothering to pillage anymore. We should keep walking. I want to put some distance between us and Gunny, so the AMAN don’t catch on too quickly to their location.”
Holly’s heart warmed seeing the evolution occurring in Jesse. He really was one of the good guys.
When he deemed they’d put enough distance along the shoreline, he radioed in. Within the hour, a boat picked them up and soon they were back on the floating steel trap Holly had grown to hate in her short time there previously.
Griffon met them at the door.
“Holly, Sullivan, you’re both okay?” he asked, clearly surprised and relieved with their sudden appearance.
“We’re great,” Holly said.
“You look really good, Holly,” he observed. “Where’s Oliver?”
“Thanks, and dead,” Holly said matter-of-factly. “I really don’t like this boat much and hope not to have to endure it for long, so we can go somewhere private and talk?”
Griffon was taken aback, but nodded and ushered them down the hall and up a flight of stairs. passing several people who eyed them curiously. No one spoke until the door to Griffon’s office closed behind them.
“Months, Holly. You’ve been gone months. I’ve been out of my freaking mind worrying. Where have you been? I know you escaped with the prisoner and Oliver and Jesse too, but my men weren’t able to track you more than a mile. Then it was like you just disappeared.” Griffon started.
Holly gave him a sly smile. “Your men weren’t meant to follow me, and you lost your right to worry about me a long time ago. I’m a big girl and can handle myself just fine.”
He opened his mouth to speak then closed it, three times, before finally saying, “Did you find the General?”
“Do you really think I’d have returned otherwise?” she replied curtly.
“Calm down, and just take a breath,” Jesse said, speaking directly to Holly. “We’ve been walking all day, and I know you’re dehydrated. Why don’t we head to our quarters, and you can shower and relax before we dive in to this.”
Griffon looked back and forth between Jesse and Holly. He knew all about Jesse Sullivan. He knew the smooth talking, innocent-looking boy before him was anything but. Lina had warned him when Bobby offered to Jesse that there had to be an alternative plan in play. She had told him that, despite his looks, Jesse was the AMAN’s most lethal assassin. The one they called ‘the Ghost.’
He had wanted a fighting chance to make a difference, but having to deal with Jesse Sullivan put a kink in those plans. He had already abducted Holly when Bobby dropped the bomb on him that he wanted Jesse as Holly’s protector. He hadn’t left any room for argument stating, that she was too valuable a commodity to risk in the hands of anyone else.
Griffon didn’t have an opportunity to argue it. His biggest fear was that Bobby wanted Holly out of the way once and for all. When they disappeared without a trace, he had suspected it, but when they hadn’t returned and the months wore on, he became certain of it. Yet here they both stood, and if he was reading things right, Jesse cared about her.
“What’s going on here?” he demanded.
“What are you talking about?” Holly asked.
“You and Jesse? Really? What happened to all that ‘Jared’s the only man I’ll love,’ crap you were spouting before? Do you even have a clue who this man is?” Griffon asked regretting it immediately. It had been a knee jerk reaction, and he saw on her face the moment the words left his mouth that it was another big mistake in his Holly Jenkins book.
“Shut up, Griffon. I know exactly who Jesse is, and who I choose to love or not to love is none of your business. It will never be any of your business again.”
“Holly, I’m sorry, I—” she cut him off with the raise of her hand.
“You’re always sorry, Griffon. Maybe you should just try thinking before you act or open your mouth once in a while.” She turned to Jesse. “You’re right. I am too tired to deal with this right now. A shower and rest sounds great.”
Griffon moved to stop her; he wanted to really talk to her and know how she was doing. He never seemed to do or say the right things where she was concerned, but that didn’t mean he’d stopped caring about her.
Jesse stood between them, glaring down at him. “Give her today to regroup. This conversation will go a lot better after that,” he said before escorting her from the room. He turned back for only a moment. “Are her quarters still available?”
Griffon could only nod as he watched them leave, berating himself for being too late once again. He could see it in their actions and familiarity. He’d lost her to Jesse Sullivan, and that thought sat even worse than Jared Hastings had, especially knowing the part he’d played in pushing them together.
Once out of earshot, Holly turned to Jesse. “Thanks, I wasn’t handling that well at all, and I can’t afford to screw this up.”
“I know. He thinks we’re together, you know.”
Holly shrugged. “Probably best to just let him think that.”
“Whatever you say, boss,” he laughed. Holly had told him all about the love triangle she previously had with Griffon and a boy she grew up with, Milo Weaver, and how it had all crashed around her. He knew how devastated she’d been when the AMAN had shot Griffon, and how much she once cared about him. He was also well aware of how her anger at him leaving and her disgust at finding him in a LOP house back at headquarters had permanently changed her perception of the man she once loved. Griffon probably didn’t realize it, but he had already lost her long before he killed Jared Hastings. That simply sealed his fate where Holly was concerned, but he knew the man still held on to the hope that she’d be his again, and after really getting to know her, he could understand why.
They found their old room, thankful to see the mountain of mattresses still on the floor. Holly fell back on to them and sighed.
“This is going to work, right?” she finally asked Jesse.
“I won’t let you do anything stupid,” Jesse said with a chuckle. He still didn’t smile or laugh often, so it always warmed her when he let his guard down just enough to shine through.
Holly got up and showered, then laid down next to Jesse. She rested her head on his chest and quickly fell asleep.
Griffon waited and paced back and forth in his office as long as he could before heading down to Holly’s room. He knocked, opened the door and walked in, unprepared for the sight before him.
Jesse Sullivan was lying on his back while Holly was draped over him, using him as her personal body pillow. Jealousy roared in his ears. Bobby had promised him Holly was not a target and she would be safe with the assassin. Jesse was a cold-hearted as they came, but no one could have predicted Holly Jenkins would get under his skin, too. He had clearly made a huge mistake in allowing them to get close. He vowed to speak with his brother-in-law and have the man removed from her detail immediately.
“Shhh,” Jesse said. “She’s exhausted. I think you should let her sleep as long as possible before debriefing.”
“I’m up,” Holly said rolling on to her back and off Jesse. She stretched, and her shirt rose, revealing a distended belly. She reached down and tugged it down, rubbing her stomach with a sleepy smile.
The shock at what he’d seen put Griffon into a stupor.
“You’re pregnant?” he demanded.
Holly shot up to a sitting position and pulled her knees to her chest, protecting her unborn child.
“What the hell did you do to her?” Griffon yelled, turning on Jesse.
Jesse’s entire body tightened, and his skin crawled with the urge to attack and protect Holly. Through gritted teeth he spoke, “You need to calm down and check yourself now, Major.”
The lethal tone in Jesse’s voice caused chills to run down Holly’s spine. She had seen the deadly weapon behind the façade before, but he did a good job of covering it. He was not bothering to hide it at all. Griffon took a step back.
“It’s none of your damn business, but the child isn’t mine,” Jesse told him.
“Who? Oliver? Is that why he’s dead?” Griffon asked in confusion.
“No, you idiot, this is my baby. I’ve only been with one man in my life. My husband. You know, the guy you killed?” Holly sounded almost as lethal as Jesse as she tried hard not to break down in front of Griffon.
“Shit,” he said, running a hand across the three-day old beard he hadn’t bothered to shave off.
“Yeah, you could say that again,” Jesse commented under his breath before turning to Holly. “You okay? Do you want him to leave?”
Griffon could see clearly that Jesse’s loyalties had shifted. He knew without question that if Holly wanted him gone, Sullivan would do whatever it took to make that happen. He was supposed to be Jesse’s superior despite the fact they carried the same rank. He could see in his actions and words that it wouldn’t matter what Griffon said, Jesse’s loyalties were now with Holly. He briefly wondered what Bobby would have to say about it.
Griffon had seen that kind of trust and faith in Holly once before in Jared Hastings and the men they traveled with. Holly brought out the best in people, but she also demanded and received blind loyal faith and trust in the people she was closest to. He had once counted himself among those. He knew now he may never again.
“I’m fine. Take a seat, Griffon. This is as good a place as any for this. We need to talk. You have some decisions to make, and regardless of your choices, Jesse and I will be leaving and heading back to shore. We have work to do,” Holly said only further confirming his suspicions.
“Jesse isn’t yours to command, Holly. You’re a civilian. You’re free to leave, but he has others to answer to, just like me, just like every other person on this ship,” Griffon said even knowing it wasn’t true.
Holly snorted in disbelief. “If I had a choice, Griffon, I would never have been here to begin with. You took that choice from me. Not the AMAN. You. And despite what your crazy brainwashing dictator tells you, you all have choices in life, and Jesse has made his. We will be leaving, and I dare you to try and stop us.”
“Look, this isn’t getting us anywhere,” Jesse said surprised to find himself in the role of mediator between the two. “We have some deadlines to meet, and Holly has a lot she needs to share with you, Major, so if you both could please just set your differences aside and be civil for once, we can get through this.” He looked down at Holly and scowled. “You’re supposed to be the negotiator. Start acting like it.”
Holly felt bad and bit back her bitterness to get through what needed to be said. Over the next several hours, she told Griffon about the General. She never once gave away their location, he could tell by the fondness in her voice that there was no point in asking. Holly protected the people she cared about and despite all warnings and the men he had sent to protect her, Gunny had somehow slipped past the barrier and landed in her good graces.
“What are you asking, Holly?” Griffon finally asked, trying to absorb all she told him.
“I’m asking you to meet him, in a pre-determined neutral area. I’m asking you, on behalf of the AMAN, to step up and make a change. I’m asking for a peace treaty between the soldiers and the AMAN.”
“You weren’t sent to negotiate peace, Holly. You were there to gain intel and resources. Peace? It won’t happen.”
“You once believed in peace, Griffon. Are you so far gone down the AMAN hole that you can’t remember what it was like living under their tyranny? Gunny has control of technology far superior than anything the AMAN have, and they aren’t the only ones. The Endorians control the gold and have a military arsenal of their own. The AMAN went after the people and the natural resources, but without these other factors and the means to restore infrastructure, all you have is the means to bully people. If it came to a fight, they wouldn’t even stand by your side.”
“Careful, Holly, it sounds a lot like you’re threatening war on the AMAN.”
“You’re already at war on multiple fronts, Griffon, and you’re losing. You know this already. After all, isn’t that the real reason you pulled me in to this mess? Send me to sweet talk my way into the door, with Jesse, the assassin by my side to take out your enemies? Jesse actually believed you wanted peace, that General Steinfeld was orchestrating everything behind your back, but I can see in your eyes by your frustration that that isn’t the case at all. You’re angry that Jesse didn’t follow through. He was a sure ringer, a good bet, but you, of all people, should know by now not to bet against me.”
Griffon let out a sharp breath. She was right on all counts. They were getting slammed in the south and needed the resources Gunny had to leverage their attack and regain control. Jesse had never disappointed Bobby before, and he would be furious when he heard, but the passion that came shining through when Holly spoke broke through to him.
Griffon remembered all too well what it had been like as a civilian, the nightmare the AMAN had put his family through, having to hide his niece and nephew, and the hardships the entire town had faced at their hands. It was something that still haunted him, but he had to believe they were capable of change. If they weren’t worn so thin fighting battles at multiple fronts, they could actually help the people. Bobby had told him peace was what he wanted most, but it would come in beating down the enemies. Now Holly stood before him with an alternative plan. It was the same end game as far as he was concerned. If she could achieve it in a more peaceful manner, he had to consider it.
Holly watched Griffon process the information. It was a lot to take in. She had shared some of the details of the collapse, confirming suspicions he and Bobby had discussed late into the night on more than one occasion.
“I cannot make this decision on my own. I have to discuss with General Steinfeld,” Griffon finally said. “He won’t be happy to hear Gunny is still alive,” he added in warning
“I’m prepared to accept that responsibility,” Jesse said.
One thing was clear to Holly. Peace would not come quickly. She needed to get word to Gunny’s group that the peace meeting would be delayed until the fall. In the meantime, she knew exactly what she had to do, and that gave her all summer to prepare.
* * * * *