Sinners and Saints (13 page)

Chapter 23

The next few days went by in a blur, between the bedroom workouts, the studying and just all around time she spent with Dorrian. Although, she never expected to be in this life, and the horrifying event th
at led to it, at this moment she was very happy with the way things turned out. It was late into early Monday morning and she knew she was going to get her ass kicked come 7:00 a.m., but looking over and seeing the man of her dreams sleeping next to her, she didn't care. The room, still only lit by candles despite the fact the power was back on, left Dorrian's face illuminated like the angel he was. She rolled toward him, curled up and closed her eyes, dreaming of what life could be like with him in the future.

She snuggled closer into him, when he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer and the next instant her life changed. It both scared her and excited her. The words
, “I love you, Vylette,” were said in a sleepy voice were still very audible.

Her
heart raced with eager excitement.

Did he mean to say that? Do I say it back? He is still asleep?

She held her breath and just stared at him. His eyes were closed, the look on his face was a peaceful one. A tear fell down her cheek as she laid her head on his chest.

Is it too much to hope for?

She moved slightly when he stirred beneath her, his eyes upon her now.

“
Are you crying, Vylette?”

She sniffled and tried to
cover it with a cough. “No, I’m fine.”

He didn't buy it for a second. His thumb ran over
her cheek, pushing the tears from her skin and he sat up. All she could do was stare. Now she had done it. She would have to tell him what he said and of her fear. This was the first time she had ever heard him talk to her in a stern voice.

“
Vylette, do not lie to me. Did I hurt you in my sleep or something? Did you have a bad dream? No! Do not tell me you are not crying. The tears in the palm of my hand are proof.”

Sighing, she sat up and confessed.

“Fine. I was sitting here just thinking about things and when I snuggled up with you, you pulled me closer and...”

“
And what?”

“
You said something.”

“
Okay. What did I say? Was I talking about a mission?”

“
No no, nothing like that.”

She found herself trapped
in his embrace, his hands holding her face, his eyes burned with intensity.

“
Please, Vylette. Tell me. I can't imagine what I could have said that would bring you to tears. I love you so much, I could never hurt you.”

She jumped and p
ulled back. “That right there, what you just said! Did you mean it? Do you love me?”

“
Yes, I do, very much. Did I say something different in my sleep?”

“
No, you said, I love you, Vylette.”

She noticed
the look of confusion on his face.

“
I don’t understand. Was this a surprise to you?”

Sheepishly, she answered,
“Well, yes. Kind of.”

“
Why? I have spent every day with you, well that I have been here and not on missions. I practically live in here with you. Do you realize I haven't slept in my own bed in almost a year? Between you and the missions, I have only walked into my room to change clothes. I even shower here...Which I greatly enjoy.”

“
I know...I don't know, I guess...I mean I have known how I felt about you since that day you showed me the command center. It hit me when you were talking to me about Happy Fantasy.”

“
I’m lost. If you love me and I love you, what's the problem here?”

“
Nothing. It's just that when I first heard you say it, you were sleeping. I didn't know if you meant it or if you would admit it while you were awake. Like you said, it's been almost a year of us being together and neither of us have said it. I was scared I would run you off if I said it. My tears came from the thought that maybe you didn't.”

His warm laugh brought a smile to her face.
“Look at us, Vylette. We’re a mess. I haven't said it before now, because I was afraid too. However, when I saw you crying...It broke my heart to know you were hurt and upset and I just didn't think about it. I want you to know, I was telling the truth, I do love you. I have known it from the moment I first laid eyes on you, and that baffled me because I do not, well did not, believe in love at first sight.”

“
Really? What did you see that you fell in love with? I was bound, bloody and scared to death.”

“
I know, but that is not what snared me. It was your fiery attitude, the brave facade you put off and most of all, the hope and vitality in your eyes. You were a breath of fresh air among the landfill of nastiness that day. Since then, the light in your eyes has only grown brighter. When I watch you in training, you are fascinating. I can't quite explain it, but you just...oh...Vylette everything about you spellbinds me. When I am gone on missions, I feel as if I am leaving a part of my soul behind and I’m okay with that because I understand why. I have not focused on whether or not there is a future for us, because I am so caught up in the present and I don't want to know. I’m happy now, and if that turns out to last forever, it would be a dream come true, but if it doesn’t, I refuse to waste a minute of this time I have with you. You have no idea, hell I had no idea what I was missing in my life until you came along.”

She sat there listening to his words and to most they would have been just words
, but the feelings in them, the part of himself he released when he spoke those words were like a seal around her heart, encompassing it completely filling it with love and chasing away any fear and doubt she may have had.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and hung on as if her life depended on it, and in a way it did. Hi
s arms held her just as tightly. Pulling away, she looked into his eyes now rimmed in tears, and touched his face. So much tenderness in those eyes looking at her. She only hoped that hers reflected all that and more.

“
You need sleep.”

Glancing at the clo
ck, she cursed.

“
You're right about that.”

Crawling toward him, she snuggled once more in his arms and fell asleep with his hand stroking her hair
.

Chapter 24

Groggy and half asleep, it took her forty-five minutes to get through her shower. She had ver
y little sleep and a full day. The new recruits had been extremely appreciative with all their help and seemed to open up a bit and let themselves loosen up enough to think on their own. After two hours, most of them were able to make it through the house maze without having to have someone by their sides.

It broke her heart to see them so confused, but also warmed her heart to see them so determined to fight back and become who they once were. It took a lot of coura
ge to do what they have. The funniest part was that more than half of them had loved her humor so much they decided to adopted it for themselves.

Yay! More
weirdoes. The world better watch out, this group just may take over.

Turning the shower off, she got out and climbed into her night clothes
, fully planning to crawl in bed and sleep. After pulling a brush through her hair she shut off the light and headed back to the bedroom, yawning. It wasn't until she got comfortable that the lights went out and the sirens went off.

What the...

Instinct had her jumping out of bed and heading to the far nightstand to reach for her weapon. She’d just passed the center of the bed and three masked men burst into her room. With all the noise, she never even heard them just outside the door. Taking her stand, she kicked the gun out of the hands of the man closest to her, but his friends took advantage and grabbed her. She calmed her beating heart and focused on her training.

She went still while her mind went into over drive. They had managed to get her out of h
er bedroom and were heading down the hall. Her body went completely limp, catching them off guard, with her suddenly heavier weight, and one of them dropped her arm. She rolled out of the hold they had to the left and scrambled from the floor. Once on her feet, she turned to face them. They were not the least bit worried. They just pointed their guns and said nothing.

She evaluated the situation. The two men were holding pistols, their fingers on the trigger, waiting. In the background, she heard people sc
reaming and dashing from room to room, yelling orders and when she heard the gunshots, she made her decision.

She brought her hands up as of to surrender and counted the seconds as they slowly went by. Just as the men looked to loosen up and lower their
weapons, she sidekick the gun from the guy on the right, spun and snatched the gun from the guy on the left. Now that she was armed and they weren't, she pointed with the gun for them to move.

“
Get in that room.”

Now that the tables were turned, they did wh
at she said and walked into her room.

“
Now close the door.”

Once the door was shut she turned the lock on the outside and
went back to the empty hall. She went from door to door, checking each room to see if anyone was in there. All of the rooms had been evacuated or worse. Gun in hand, ready to fire, she quietly made her way down the stairs and into the main room. Bodies were scattered across the carpet, some dead, some half breathing, all bleeding from wounds inflicted from either guns or knives. She moved from one live person to another, checking vitals and gathering information.

“
Who did this?” she asked one of the girls laying in a pool of blood.

“
Don’t know...went toward...kitchen...They got Travine and Lissa.”

“
I will send someone as soon as I find them.”

C
arefully, she worked her way to the dining hall, keeping to the shadows as she went. When she got close, one of the doors was broken and lying on the ground, smoke filled the room and smelled of fire. Her back to the closed side of the double doors, she peered around the corner and saw Chef lying on the ground, coughing and sputtering.

“
Vylette. Go. You must get out. They have shoot to kill orders on all agents. Leave me, I’m alright. The bullet just grazed me, but one of the men pistol whipped me and I passed out. Now Go!”

“
No. Give me your hand, I’ll help you up.”

Reluctantly, he did as she told him.

“Are you sure you're okay, Chef?”

“
Yes, I believe so.”

“
Good, I think they are done on this end of the warehouse, go back into the main room and get all of those who are still alive and get them out of here. Go to the large picture of the fountain, there is a tunnel that leads out of here hidden behind it. It is a failsafe in case something like this were to ever happen. From there go to the back training field and hide among the course in the Jungle set. There are a lot of hidden holes and crevices that are not easily spotted. Do you have all of that?”

“
Yes, please be careful, Vylette.”

“
I will. Now go!”

She didn't wait to see if he c
omplied. Getting through the dining hall, she stepped into the southeast hallway toward Dorrian's office.

There's what I am looking for.

Sliding along the wall she made her way around the corner and into the gear room. Slipping quietly inside, she locked the door behind her. She spun and jumped.

“
Damn! You guys nearly gave me a heart attack.”

There in the midst of the room standing among scattered gear and weapons were her friends, Mike, Jared, Lewis and Jazmin, all doing just as she was fixing to
—getting locked and loaded. She walked over to a locker and pulled out a pair of black jeans, black shirt, boots and a weapons belt. Not caring that she wasn’t alone, she stripped and dressed before all of them.

After her clothes were on, she walked to
the wall of weapons and started equipping herself. She strapped a gun to her thigh and slid knives into the sheaths inside her boots. She caught a pair of gloves when Jazmin tossed them to her and pulled them on. They were half gloves, with the fingers cut out.

Just the way I like
them.

Attaching her back up pistol to her hip, she snatched up her other gun and turned toward the group.

“What the hell is going on?”

They all had the same answer.

“I don't know.”

Lewis chimed in.
“I don't understand how this happened. We have so many securities in place to prevent this.”

“
Well, it doesn't matter. They have Travine and Lissa I know for sure. I was told about them, but I have no idea if they anyone else. Let's go!”

Jazmin hurried up beside her, waiting.

“Where are we going?”

“
Outside. They have made their way through the warehouse, so it looks like they are headed to living quarters, where the rest of the rescues are living.”

The rest fell in line as they made their way out of the room and down the hall. Each of them decked out and ready fo
r war. Lewis was right next to her with Jazin and Jared behind her and Mike watching their backs. As they lurked down the hall and out onto the grounds, they checked each room and dark shadow along the way.

Never taking her eyes off her mission,
she said, “We shoot to kill agreed?”

A collective, “
Agreed,” sounded softly behind her.

“
They have come into our house, they have hurt and kidnapped family. They have brought a war, now let’s give it to them.”

Again they all agreed, and this time she felt their te
nsion and readiness and all thoughts of fear were replaced with training and instinct.

The air outside was humidly thick and the smoke from fires only made it worse. She gave them the signal and they fanned out. Tall buildings where the permanent rescues
lived were just a few feet ahead and it was completely black. Vylette stopped there advance. She cocked her head and perked her ears. Motioning Lewis, he came closer.

“
Something is off.”

“
What do you mean?” Lewis asked.

“
We’re outside.”

“
So...”

“
When have you ever been outside in the middle of summer and heard nothing? No crickets, no birds...and given the situation we are in, why are there no screams, no evidence that anyone has been here. Other than the fires, that's it. This smells like a trap...it feels like a trap.”

“
What do you want us to do?”

“
Info, Go! Lewis.”

“
I’m here to guard you, I will do whatever you want.”

“
Jazmin, go!”

“
I think if we are going to go to the apartments we need to go way around and come up on it. I agree, this feels like a trap. That building having no lights on is like a beacon. It seems like that is where they are hoping we will go.”

“
Agreed. Mike, Go!”

“
I think it’s a trap too, but there are also people in there that may need our help.”

“
I think the same, I am trying to work out how to keep from falling into their trap and saving them too. Jared?”

“
I am in agreement with all of it.”

Vylette surveyed their surroundings and came up with a plan.

“Okay, here is what I propose. We make our way the long way around and get to that security fence. When we get there we can climb that pole, the one in the middle there, see it has no electric lines until you get to the very top. We can move from that pole to the line of trees that extends to the roof of the building. We don't have a helicopter so they are going to assume we are coming from the ground. What do you think?”

“
Game time.” they all said.

Game time was the code word for when they were all in agreement and ready to execute their plans. With that in mind, she moved them all as one
unit, like thieves across the landscape, fulfilling the arrangement. Once on top of the building, they scaled down to an open window and slipped inside. The room they had landed in was a maintenance room full of supplies, two guards stood just outside the door in the hallway.

Vylette signaled to Lewis.

“I will shoot the one on the right, you get the one on the left.”

He nodded he understood.

She gave the group the signal and proceeded onward. Pulling the trigger at the same time as Lewis, they shot the men, dropping them to the ground. Inch by inch, door by door, they went through the building checking any place anyone could hide, friend, foe or otherwise. They came across none of the rescues, only the invading men.

What the hell is going on?

“I fear we have miscalculated. None of them are here.”

“
They could be on the lower floors, you know to lure us in,” Jazmin said.

“
Could be. We have only gone down three floors, there are still seven more before the ground level. Let's go.”

They continued on, making s
low, but thorough progress. They had taken out more than a handful of men and saved none. The few rescues they had seen were shot dead and left in the corners of their rooms. An hour later, they made it to level four of the building and could hear the sounds of women and men, yelling and screaming below.

Taking the stairs
as quietly as possible, they bypassed the rest of the floors and headed down to the ground level. Standing in the stairwell of the bottom floor, Vylette glanced through the broken window, trying to assess the situation. More smoke, and gun shots had her spurred into gear.

This is it!

Vylette and her group. Rushed through the door, shooting the opposition when they popped up as they made their way through, taking the rescues as they found them. Once they came across someone who was part of the family, they were set in the middle of the unit for protection, and they moved with them. Standing in the hall just before you entered the main foyer of the building, something changed.

Lights sudden
ly flooded the place, temporarily blinding everyone. Hand shielding her face, she watched as a man in tactical gear moved forward and stopped. The rescues ran past them and to the waiting men in the foyer. She whispered to Lewis.

“
Do you know who this is? Is it friend or foe?”

“
I don't know, I can't tell.”

The advancing group of men lowered their weapons and the man in the middle came closer still. He was joined by three more, two women and another man, all in masks as well. If not for the body shapes, she
wouldn’t have known the sex.

Here she stood, her team facing this opposing team, and she motioned to her team to be on the ready
, but hold their positions. She said nothing, only stared. Finally after what seemed like forever, the main guy stepped forward and removed his mask.

“
Congratulations!”