“No thanks. You seem to have that covered.”
“You know I really didn’t want to do this, but here.” He passed me a folder, and I flipped it open.
Stroking my beard, I looked at the folder. My beard had gotten thicker these last few weeks. Maybe it was my way of changing subtly so I didn’t have to confront her. C.O.R.E’s recall was devastating, but I knew I had been too close to the situation. Summer was never more than a target to get to Midas. That’s what I told myself, except it was far from true. I had come to care deeply for her. Brian had his own vendetta against the Syndicate mafia. He’d been in law enforcement since his mid-twenties or so, and whenever he spoke about the syndicate, he would get distant and distracted. Even now I could see the slight sadness peeking through the man. Brian was like a father to me, and despite him being only ten years older than myself. He was the one who pulled me out of Riven’s fight rings and saddled me with purpose. In a way, I was grateful. The last time we spoke face to face was five years ago when I refused his offer to be assistant director. We had differences in how we ran C.O.R.E and I never intended to let the justice system judge Midas for his crimes. I was a killer, and he knew it. The file contained photos of Summer and me leaving the hospital. The carelessnessI should have known not to take her out, but for once I was human. I snapped the folder shut.
“Summer won’t come in easy, now that I have blown my cover.” I sighed, swiping sweat from the back of my neck.
“I don’t need her to come easy, I just need her here. Track the little girl, track Summer. Grab them both and Midas will show up sooner or later.” He gritted his teeth as if there were some unresolved complication he had yet to tell me.
“You’ve never seemed to be interested in Midas before, what’s changed?” I asked as I splashed water on my face.
He glanced around the empty gym before he sighed, “Dustin, you’ve been like a son to me.” He started.
“But your sacking me?” I sighed, knowing that it was coming sooner or later.
“No.” he shook his head and then glanced nervously around the room again; it was empty, of course. The warehouse gym was hardly used unless the whole team was there. He cleared his throat and sighed. “You know how when you joined C.O.R.E. we gave you a cover Identity, and set you up so well no one would dare question your Satori blood if they didn’t personally know you?” C.O.R.E. wasn’t exactly law enforcement, we were something worse. Shadow organizers for the people who held the real power.
“Yeah, so what that’s what you do to everyone else right?” I replied.
He pulled out a cigarette, striking the match and lighting it quickly, taking a large inhale and blowing it out in thought. Whatever he was about to say really weighed on him in that moment; he seemed to age an extra ten years.
“They did the same to me, well the alphabets did FBI had final say of course can’t have the CIA operating on home country. My name has never been Brian Lockwood, it’s just a cover. This job, its nothing more than a cover. I neverwanted to this position. Would have been happy without this bureaucracies in my life. My real name —”
One of the hangar doors banged and then slid open, and he cleared his throat, turning towards the noise. “Ah right on time, I expected nothing less.” The previous tension and conversation never existed as Brian turned towards the new occupants. I grabbed a shirt and threw it over my head. A chill of dread coated my senses as I faked a smile, turning towards the newcomers.
“Well aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes.” I laughed as I grabbed the scruffy blonde in a bear hug. He reeked of shit and cigars, and I grimaced, pulling away.
“What crawled up your dick and died.” He laughed as he patted me on the back and turned to shake Brian’s hand. “Boss.” He nodded. I never got used to the formalities they used when on business, but it made sense. It would be awkward to call your boss “dad” in a meeting room full of high-ranking military officers.
“James you’ve gotten huge since the last time I saw you,” the younger brunette shrugged and passed a folder to me. James looked a lot like Brian, but they were never alike.
“Kade go fucking shower you smell like shit.” Brian barked. I watched as Kade flipped him off but headed towards the office. James settled on the large leather sofa that we had by the gym equipment, and I turned towards the file in my hand.
“Am I just saddled with collecting the files for you shitheads?”
“That one is for your trip back home. I assume that what was her name?” He snapped his fingers together and then made a face before finishing, “Simmons, yes. I assume you are good to work with Simmons again?”
I sighed. “You really want me that close again? I thought we torched shit when Miles and Anders went gun blazing in that church.”
“The orders have already been cleared with Simmons’ superiors you are good to resume as Dustin Jones. Find the little girl. Find Summer. Bring them both here. We will be waiting with updates. Your plane leaves in the morning. Kade and James will be your backup.”
“What am I a toddler? I don’t need babysitting.”
“They aren’t for babysitting, they are for hunting.”
“Hunting? What exactly are we hunting?”
“Your brother.”
7
BURN IT DOWN
November 22nd
Istood on the pristine lawn, staring at the wide mansion. A few weeks ago, I was standing here in hopes that Gabriella would be here; now all I felt was hatred. Flashes of Midas’s rape flickered in my mind with every step forward. The gasoline feltlike a lead weight in my hand as I started forward. The binds at my ribcage pulled taunt as I limped forward. I shouldn’t have been here doing this now, but I couldn’t wait any longer.
“Ms. Williams, your father is not back, you shouldn’t be here.” One of the gardeners tried to pull the gas can from my grasp. I stared at him. The groundskeeper, who never spoke to me, never uttered a word about what happened in my house. I laughed; he pried the gas from my fingertips. It splashed against his clothing, and he set it on the ground. The air smelled heavily of fumes. I pulled my 9mm out of my waistband. The safety flicked off with ease, and the bullet sank between his eyes. The sound came a moment later, as bits of blood splattered against my face. The barrel burns against his forehead, and the confused look was the last I saw before his body fell backwards with a loud thump. Gunpowder and gasoline mingled in my nostrils as I took a deep breath. Tucking the pistol back into my waist, I bent over to retrieve the gasoline. I was vaguely aware of the security guard telling me I couldn’t enter as I ascended the steps.
