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Dinah woke up slowly, her mind fuzzy and disoriented. The inside of her mouth was dry and cottony. Where the hell was she? Looking around, the room was a small bedroom painted a bright yellow, or white that had just aged horribly. She couldn’t really tell in the dim lighting. A border of daisies ran along the top. The bed was small and springy, the blanket draped over her just a knitted afghan in orange and brown. It smelled like it hadn’t been used in years.

“Good morning,” came a voice beside her. Dinah turned her head slowly to find Seamus walking toward the side of the bed. “I was just keeping an eye on you from the door,” he said, motioning behind him with his head. “How ya feeling?”

“I’ve felt better,” she answered, her voice rough. “I’ve also felt worse, so not too bad.”

He laughed. “Can I get you anything?”

“Water?”

He reached over to a night table beside the bed and handed her a small cup. She propped herself up and took it graciously. “Where am I?” she asked.

“Micky’s,” he replied. She raised her brows in question. “Pete’s da.”

She nodded slowly. She looked down at the stitch job on her arm. It was clean and neat looking. “He a doctor or something?”

He smiled. “Nope. Just used to a bunch of boys always coming home with injuries.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” she muttered, taking another sip.

He looked back toward the door hesitantly, before meeting her eyes. “It sounds like it’s getting pretty heated out there, so I’m sure Pete will be in soon. I just wanted a moment alone with you to say thank you.”

“For what?”

“For saving him. Pete’s the closet thing I have to family. We’ve been friends since we were little, and I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to him. I don’t know how you did it, but I’m thankful.”

She gave his hand a pat, feeling slightly awkward. She wasn’t used to sharing feelings with someone. “Seamus,” she hesitated, picking at the blanket absently, “do you know why the General would want to hurt Pete?”

“Did Pete tell you about the General?” he asked instantly.

She shook her head. “No,” she replied. “Not at all. I just heard about him and wondered.”

Seamus stared at the beige carpet for a few moments before replying. “I don’t really know, to be honest. None of this makes sense. Pete’s the General’s second, so why he’d want him dead is beyond me.” He looked up to meet her gaze. “I don’t get politics.”

She pulled her mouth up into a strained smile, her mind repeating his words ‘the General’s second’ like a record skipping. “I don’t either,” she managed. Holy shit. Pete was the second in command for the resistance? How the hell hadn’t she known that?
Because he wouldn’t just come out and tell you,
her common sense pointed out. Unlike poor Seamus, Pete was well aware of how dangerous that sort of information could be in her hands. But that was before, wasn’t it? He trusted her, didn’t he?

As if conjured by her thoughts, Pete’s body filled the open doorway, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw her awake and sitting up. “Hey,” he said, walking in.

She smiled weakly. “Hey.”

Seamus cleared his throat loudly. “Well, I’ll just let you two love birds talk. I’ll be outside if you need me.”

“We won’t,” Pete replied wryly. He waited until Seamus was gone before walking over and sitting next to her on the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine. Thanks for catching me and not letting me crash on the pavement.”

He smirked. “It’s what I’m here for.”

“So? What are you going to do about all this?”

He rubbed a hand down his face, looking extremely tired. She reached out to wrap her hand around his resting on the bed. He looked down at them, thoughtfully. “I don’t really know,” he said. He shifted so their fingers were linked, his thumb drawing slow, lazy circles on the inside of her wrist. “Everything is so messed up, Dinah. I don’t know what to do.”

She snorted. “Welcome to my life. Here’s a sad bit of truth for you, it never gets any less messed up. My advice? Keep what you know to yourself, and keep this General as close as possible until you’re ready to make your move. Don’t let him know you’re on to him. There’s no way he’ll know we figured it out.”

He looked into her eyes. “You know, sometimes I wonder if it’s possible to have someone lead a country who’s not corrupt. What ever happened to honor and truth?”

Dinah didn’t know what to say to that. She figured honor was lost along with innocence. There was no such thing in this New World Ludwig had created. Too many people had been touched by death and despair, only to be given a life that was miserable and repressed.

“I should probably be heading back,” she said. Back where she belonged, she thought sadly. Not with these people who fight for each other, and wish for better things. She wasn’t one of them, hadn’t been for years now. A hand lifted her chin, forcing her to look up and meet Pete’s concerned look.

“You’re not like them,” he said.

A tear escaped the corner of her eye, leaving a wet trail down her cheek. “I’m
exactly
like them,” she replied, her voice cracking.

Pete shook his head adamantly. “No. I see you, Dinah. The real you. And I know you’re not cruel or mean. You’re just caught up in this mess like the rest of us.”

“But on the wrong side of it, right?”

He sighed. “Who even knows what the right and wrong sides are anymore. I sure as hell don’t.”

“You’re the right side,” she told him. “You look out for others, not yourself. It’s admirable.”

He smiled sadly. “Well admirable or not, it doesn’t get me anywhere fast.”

“It will,” she assured him, praying she was right. “I really do need to get back though. Roman will have noticed I’ve been gone all day and he’ll worry.”

Pete didn’t look happy about that. “It’s already four in the morning,” he said. “You might as well stay with me and head back after you’ve gotten some sleep.”

She shook her head. “I can’t. I need to get back before they’re all up. But I’ll come back to your place this evening.”

“Promise?”

She grinned. “Absolutely.”

Pete leaned in and kissed each corner of her lips before covering her mouth with his. She grabbed his neck, pulling him closer, soaking him in. He shifted closer on the bed, wrapping his hands in her hair tightly. He pulled away slightly, their noses still touching. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay?”

Yes, she thought. But she knew she needed to get back before anyone started to suspect what was really going on. The last thing she wanted was to bring Pete and his friends any more trouble than they already had. If only she had known then that some things were impossible to avoid, especially those already set in motion.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The bar had been closed for a couple of hours already, but it always took him a long time to clean up. He never got out of here before four. Jack could hardly remember what it was like to work a normal nine to five job. Sleeping throughout the day and working all night had become his norm. When Xavier had been younger, he remembered feeling like he was missing out on life, especially one with his son. Things had been much harder back then. Now, with Xavier older and gone, Jack didn’t feel any obligations to anyone. If he slept the day away, it wouldn’t matter. No one was relying on him. He couldn’t decide if that was a good thing, or just terribly sad.

“Hey boss,” Frank yelled out. Jack liked to keep the kid around until the cleaning was done. Having a bouncer his size was a smart thing in this area of town. Or any area, for that matter. Frank was only eighteen, but he was the size of a house. Six four, and over three hundred pounds – no one was messing with him. “Someone’s at the door.”

Jack dropped his cloth, and looked over in unease. “Tell them we’re closed,” he said.

“He insists you see him,” he answered with a shrug. “Says it’s important.”

“Did he give you a name?”

“Yeah, Doug.”

Doug? Who the heck did he know named Doug? Jack froze. Douglas. It had to be. He told Frank to let him in, and quickly walked around the bar, letting himself out. Douglas Hatcher walked in, his dark hair slicked back off his face, those blue eyes taking everything in like they always did.

“Old friend,” he greeted with a smile, embracing Jack with a quick slap on the back. “How have you been holding up?”

“Good,” Jack answered. “Can’t really complain.”

“The new place is doing well then?”

“Oh yeah, we’re pretty busy every night.”

“Good to hear. It looks nice in here,” he commented, taking another look around. Jack was pretty proud of his establishment. It wasn’t fancy like the Red Lounge, but it wasn’t as bad as some of the other pubs in the area. “I’m sorry I haven’t been by earlier, but you know how things get.”

“Oh sure, yeah. I’m know how busy you are.”

He nodded. “What was it you wanted to speak to me about?”

Jack had known Douglas a long time, never once did he feel like he couldn’t trust the guy. But there was something about his demeanour and the cold glint in his eyes that made Jack wonder if this was a good idea. He must have hesitated too long, because Douglas put what should have been a reassuring hand on his shoulder, saying, “whatever it is, you can tell me”.

Jack took a deep breath, praying what he was doing was right. “Pete was in here not too long ago,” he said.

“I know. He performs here, no?”

Jack nodded. “Yeah. Well, he was in with a girl. Some new little thing from out of town. He introduced us, and I’m telling you, Douglas…” he trailed off.

“What?”

“She looks a lot like Charlotte.”

Douglas froze. “Charlotte?
My
Charlotte?”

Jack nodded. “I can’t be sure. I mean, she said her name was something else. Started with a D I think. I can’t remember. But it could have been her twin, I swear. Just older now.”

Douglas stared off, thinking. “You said she told you her name was something else?” Jack nodded. “And she was from out of town?” He nodded again. Douglas looked down, rubbing his chin. When he looked back up he smiled, but it didn’t reach those cold eyes. “I’ll look into it. Thank you for letting me know.”

“You’re welcome,” Jack replied. “You think it could be her?”

“I have no idea.”

Jack walked him to the door and they embraced again before Douglas disappeared into the night. His nerves were shot, his hands shaking slightly. He walked back to the bar, immediately pouring himself a shot of bourbon. Why did he feel like he just sealed the fates of those two kids? And not in a good way.

Dinah donned her mask and headed out to meet with Ludwig. She only had time for a quick shower once she got back, but thankfully she wasn’t too tired. Pete’s father had given her some pills to take, some sort of vitamins he said would help with her energy levels after losing so much blood. He was a nice man even though she could tell there was tension between him and his sons. He had smiled at her with enough sincerity that she decided she liked him.

“There you are,” Roman said, walking up to meet her in the hall. “Where have you been?”

“I was just taking a shower,” she replied.

She continued to walk, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. Dinah flinched. His grip was right over her wound, and it was incredibly sore. Roman raised his brows, looking at her arm where he held on.

“You okay?”

“Just a scratch,” she said.

“Just a scratch, huh? From what?”

“A bullet.”

His face darkened. “How the hell did that happen?” he demanded.

Dinah sighed. “Just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“That seems to be a common thing with you. Who did it?”

“Don’t worry, he’s dead.”

He searched her face for a moment, judging whether or not she was lying. She rarely ever lied to him though, and he knew it. He snorted, his lips pulling up on one side into a crooked grin. “Of course they are. I would expect nothing less. Was this because of our little mate?”

She fought the anger at his tone when referring to Pete. Her instincts were to defend him and tell Roman off, but that would only get her in more trouble. She just gave him a look, as if to say ‘what do you think?’.

“Is this even getting you anywhere?” he asked, looking exceptionally displeased.

Dinah nodded and started walking, Roman falling in step with her. She knew she was going to have to give them something; otherwise they’d call off this whole thing. She couldn’t let that happen. Not that she couldn’t still sneak out to see him, but it was a lot easier if they knew where she was going, thinking she was doing it for them. But what could she give them without getting Pete and the guys in trouble? She thought about it as they walked to Ludwig’s office in companionable silence. When they entered the room, Ludwig was sitting behind his desk, the entire surface covered in papers.

“It’s about time,” he said, motioning to the chairs in front of him. “Sit.”

They did as they were told. Dinah looked at the paperwork surrounding him. “What’s all this?” she asked.

“New weapon details. Our suppliers are going to be paying us a visit in a few weeks. They’re bringing some samples and prototypes. I’m just going over all the details now so I have a better idea of what I’m looking at when they’re here.”