Page 13 of Redeeming Violet

“Cookie, go upstairs with Dude. Benny stay here. Abe, Mozart, you’re with us.”

Without waiting for his team to answer, he walked to the door leading to the stairs, followed by Zane and Eric.

“Frag ‘em out and dash before more come?” I asked.

“That’s what I was thinking. We gotta be quick. We’re about to announce to the world where we are,” Zane answered, already pulling a frag grenade out of his ruck.

The pickup truck pulled to screeching stop in the forecourt, and before the men could jump out of the back, Zane had the pin pulled and with a perfectly place throw the grenade hit the dirt a foot in front of the truck and bounced under the carriage of the vehicle. Three beats later the truck exploded. Wolf let out two sharp whistles and we waited.

Cookie, Dude, and Benny joined us at the bottom of the stairs and off we went.

Gotta love explosives - fast, clean, and fun to watch.

Chapter Seven

Violet

“I know what you think of me.” I broke the silence.

In the three hours we’d been alone in the hotel room, Jasmin hadn’t said more than ten words to me. They consisted of her asking me if I wanted a drink, which was more like a grunt as she held up a bottle of water, and her telling me to stay away from the window.

Other than that, she’d switched between glancing at her tablet and looking out the window. The silence was driving me crazy. I had a whole new appreciation for sensory deprivation. While I could still see and hear, the lack of conversation left me feeling uncomfortable. Every once in a while, Jasmin would look up and pin me with a stare that made me want to squirm.

I shouldn’t have cared what they thought of me. I didn’t know any of them other than what I’d read and heard about them. Yet, I did. I wanted them to understand I meant no harm. I did what I thought I had to do to save lives. Was it so much different than what they did? They sacrificed the few to save the many. I had done the same thing. I didn’t need nor want their praise, but I desperately wanted their understanding. I was used to being alone, but I’d never in my life felt as lonely as I had these last few months.

“Do you know what the penalty for treason is?” she asked.

“I believe until the sixties it was punishable by death. However, I committed the crime of high treason, which is still life in prison or death. I suppose in my case I’ll never see the inside of a courtroom. I’ll be remanded and put in rendition in some faraway place and never be heard from again,” I answered.

Rendition scared me. Being taken to a secret government prison and locked in a cell with the world’s worst terrorists was not something I was looking forward to. I preferred death, but no one was going to give me the option.

“Yet, you still did it.”

“I did. And even now, I don’t know if I would do anything different. I had to try and save those men and women.”

“That’s interesting. Knowing what you know now, you wouldn’t have come to us for help as soon as Timothy approached?” Jasmin moved the curtain to the side and peeked out the window again.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Given my current situation and the fact that none of you are going to help me, I never should’ve come to you. I was wrong to trust any of you.”

“That’s rich coming from you.” Jasmin’s eyes narrowed as she concentrated on what was happening outside. “Go get in the bathroom. Don’t come out no matter what.”

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“Get in the fucking bathroom, Violet,” she barked.

I got up from the chair I was sitting in and moved toward the bathroom door. Jasmin dropped the magazine out of the pistol she was holding, inspected the black plastic, shoved it back in and racked her slide, placing a bullet in the chamber. Then she re-holstered the weapon. The AR15 that was laying on the small table next to where she’d been sitting was now slung over her shoulder.

“Go!” she demanded.

“Do I get a gun?” I asked.

I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but she was arming herself to the teeth. I wanted something to protect myself with.

“Fuck no. You think I’d give you a gun, so you can shoot me?”