The Six: Complete Series (25 page)

“They zapped him,” Milo said.

“What?” Marie asked.

“They did his heart thing. It was...” Milo couldn’t even finish his thought. It was horrific. It wasn’t the blissful sleep that he had plotted out for the group. It looked painful and torturous.

“Is he okay?”

Milo shrugged. “He hasn’t really woken up but he wasn’t all that awake when they brought him in either.”

Marie lifted up his eyelids and felt his pulse. She moved down his body with the deftness of a trained physician. He was relieved to have the burden of Dennis’ well-being lifted off his shoulders.

“His pulse is alright and he’s cold but not alarmingly so. His stitches have held which is a miracle. I think he just needs some food. Is there any left?”

Milo grabbed the heel of the bread they’d left that morning and handed it to Marie.

“Dennis?” she said as she gently shook him.

He groaned and turned his head so slightly towards her.

“You have to eat something.”

He shook his head.

Marie put the bread up to his mouth. “You’re going to die if you don’t eat something. You’ve lost a lot of blood and you need this to get your energy back.”

Dennis opened his lips just enough to let her stick a small piece of bread into his mouth.

“Good,” she whispered. “Keep eating.”

It was like mom came home after the kids lost all control. She settled the room down. Benjamin wasn’t scared and neither was Milo. She could settle any medical complaints.

“Marie? Are you okay?” Milo asked.

She smiled. “Actually, I’m good. I’m really good.”

Milo looked at her confused.

“They listened to me. They actually listened to me. I had something I wanted to tell that woman and she did it. I feel...I can’t even describe it. I feel like this huge weight has been lifted off my chest and I can breathe again.”

“What did they do?”

She looked over at Simon who was still asleep.

“They told my brother about my niece. She said that they were going to keep it a missing person’s case and drag it out and that broke my heart. I worked with a family of a kidnapped child and it is absolute torture to have that small thread of hope that your child will return. As time goes on, the chances get so small but there is no closure. There’s no child to bury, just the hope of seeing them grow old. I couldn’t do that to him. So they told him what happened to Brianna.”

Simon’s head peaked up and Benjamin got ready to intervene. Simon had been on edge all morning. Marie’s news was not going to be good and there was no telling what Simon would do to her.

“What do you mean?” Simon asked.

Marie looked up, surprised at hearing from Simon but not deterred. “They told my brother that she was murdered.”

“Why? Why did you do that?”

She kept a finger on Dennis’ neck as she spoke. “He needed to know. You of all people should understand.”

“But they’ll find out...” his word drifted off.

“Yes, they might. Or it might be too late. That wasn’t the point. This wasn’t to get you in trouble, Simon. This was for my brother.”

Benjamin was ready to pounce. Simon’s bottom lip quivered and his fists clenched beside his knee. His eyes darted back and forth between Marie and Benjamin. “Simon, don’t,” Benjamin whispered.

“Don’t what?” Marie asked.

“Nothing,” Benjamin said. “Let’s just stop this, alright? I think he understands what you’re saying.”

Simon’s eyes had watered. “They’ll find out...”

“They might not,” Marie said. “They moved her and there’s probably nothing to tie you. I wouldn’t worry about.”

“How? How can I not worry about it? I was in a nightclub. Dozens of people saw me. There were probably cameras everywhere.”

Milo rolled his eyes. “Why are you even worrying about this? What’s the point?”

“They’ll tell my family. They’ll be so upset.”

“Better than thinking you’re dead.”

Simon rolled his eyes. “Not much better. They’d rather get rid of me.”

“Don’t say that,” Marie said. “I’m sure they miss you.”

“Shut up. God, just shut up,” Simon said as his body clenched with anger. Benjamin wasn’t sure he had the strength to hold him back again.

The footsteps returned above their heads. “Of course,” lamented Milo. “They must be bored.”

“It’s my turn. They’re taking me.” Benjamin hoped that sounded scared but he was secretly thrilled. He wanted out of the room and given the power to finish what he’d started. As the footsteps grew closer, he took in the room as he wasn’t planning on coming back. This was going to be a one-way trip.

“Doubtful,” Milo said. “They’re never taking you. I bet it’s Simon. I bet they’re real ready to throw him to the wolves.”

“Shut up!” he screamed. Simon lunged at Milo but he strength was just as taxed as his boxing partners. He went for Milo’s head but the punch was easily deflected. With a simple swipe of his hand, Simon was on the ground.

“God, calm down. It was just a joke.”

The door opened and the blonde walked in. She didn’t look happy. Her usual schtick of lion prowling was cut short. The guards flanked her on either side and she stood with trepidation. It seemed she wanted to be there as little as they wanted her to be.

“Nice to see you again, Irene,” said Marie.

The blonde winced at the sound of her name as the guards looked at each other in surprise.

“Hello,” she said quietly.

Her first step was towards Milo. He shuffled backwards as she came to his side.

“Please, no,” he said. There were tears in his eyes as he spoke.

The blonde shook her head. “You’re not going. I just want to know about your back. Is it okay?”

“My what?”

She gestured towards his side. “The burns. Are they healing?”

His teeth chattered as he spoke. “Oh, um, yeah. I mean sort of. They’re just sore now.”

“Good,” she said. As she walked away she let her hand graze his shoulder. The woman hardly moved an inch as she announced her next victim.

“Benjamin?”

“Yes?”

She waved him over.

“Are you taking me?”

She nodded.

“Thank you,” he whimpered.

The woman looked defeated as he rose to walk to the door. She bent down and handed Marie a small envelope, carefully concealed in the layers of her jacket and slickly was out of view by Marie.

After taking a moment to speak with Dennis, she rose and walked out of the room. She didn’t so much as acknowledge his presence as she sped ahead. The guards kept in time behind him. There wasn’t a need to keep him moving. Benjamin wanted to get through this as fast as possible.

The four of them silently meandered through hallways of what appeared to be a renovated mansion. There were still touches of the old home. The ceilings had the vaulted ceilings and paneling that his parent’s home had. The doors, however, had been removed and replaced with heavy steel slabs with a lock at each entrance. Instead of photos and knick knacks lining the halls, there was a smooth black paint that dimmed the already small amount of light the occasional lantern provided.

At the last door, the blonde went to the left while the guards pushed him to the right. She gathered materials from a closet in the back and made a muted phone call as the guards slammed Dennis in a chair and wheeled him to the desk. His knee banged against the underside as they stuffed his body as close to the desk as it could.

“How are you today, Mr. Langston?”

He nestled into the chair. “I’m fine. I’m good.”

She bit her lip and looked back to her paperwork. “I appreciate your patience. It must have been hard for you these past few days.” As she spoke, her finger crept towards her neck and attempted to cover a large bruise forming there. He snapped his gaze away when she caught him leering.

“No, it’s okay.”

“Good. Good. I, um, I have give you your assignment.” Her voice was weak and detached as she spoke. As she rifled through her work, he noticed the puffy stained cheeks and red-rimmed eyes of a woman had recently been crying.

As she pulled out a sheet of paper, she caught herself and paused as she stared at the text. Suddenly, she placed it on the table and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “Is he okay?” she whispered.

The question caught him off-guard. This woman who had stomped her way into their little room and shouted and taunted them for minutes on end sat across from him with slumped shoulders and a quivering lip.

“Is who okay?”

“Dennis. Is he okay?”

She was the one that hurt him. It was her heel that broke that phone and prompted the shock. It was her job that got him shot. It was all her fault and now she sat there, weeping, and asking for some kind of forgiveness. “He’s fine.”

“Don’t lie to me. Is he okay?”

“He’s sick and hurt. You know what you did to him. He’s very weak now.”

She winced at the words.

“I gave him some Vicodin. I hope that helps.”

“I’m sure it will,” he said. He couldn’t make heads or tails of this woman. One moment she reveled in their pain and the next she practically wept at the sight of them.

She wiped at the corner of her eye. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Let’s get back to this.”

As she grabbed a piece of paper out, her gaze briefly went to the door of the room. Her slumped posture stiffened and she shook the emotion out of her face. If Marie was right, then this woman wasn’t the mastermind. She was just as much a tool of the machine as they were. If this woman could be turned, the others would have a chance. He would be long gone by then, but they could go back to their lives again.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked.

She barreled through his question and placed the sheet of paper in front of him. “You will be going to Hartford College.”

This was their chance. He had nothing to lose. “Why? What is the point of this?”

“Victor Trayhorn is speaking tonight.”

“Innocent lives are being destroyed.”

She placed the picture of the former vice-president in front of him. “He is talking in front of hundreds of people at the school.”

He slammed the table. “Answer me.”

Her voice quivered. “There is a large backstage area. Very few people are back there.”

Just thinking of Brianna and that teacher rattled his nerves. Those people had families and friends that were going through hell. This woman held precious lives in her hand and she wouldn’t even look him in the eye. “I’m not scared of you,” he said.

“You will be given a handgun,” she said, “and a backstage pass so there will be no trouble.”

“I’m not,” he said. “And I’m not leaving until you tell me.”

She sighed. “What? What do you want to know?” Her eyes still hadn’t gazed from the sheet of paper in front of her.

“Why are you doing this?”

She shook her head. “I can’t tell you.”

Benjamin leaned back in his chair. “Yes, you can. I’m not going back there. Just tell me.”

Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

He’d shown his hand. “I mean...it doesn’t matter.”

She tapped the photo of Trayhorn. “You will be backstage. You will have one hour to take him out before he is done speaking. You must do it in front of the crowd. If you do not follow these rules, there will be consequences.”

He instinctively raised his hand towards his chest. “I know. I know what you’ll do.”

Again she looked at the corner of the room in fear. “No,” she said quietly. “You don’t.”

“What do you mean? The device. I know all about it.”

“No,” she insisted. “It’s...different.”

The guards moved in close as Benjamin felt his body tense. The sense of peace he’d finally felt as he walked down that hallway had begun to dismantle. This woman was clearly troubled with what came next. All he wanted was the chance to see his little girl again. All he wanted was to be with Stephanie once and for all.

“Can I just go?”

Benjamin didn’t want to hear her caveats. As he tried to rise from the chair, one of the guards rushed to his side and pushed him back in the seat. The man’s hand pressed down on his shoulder and pinned him down.

“I have to tell you. Please just let me finish.”

He wanted to scream. He wanted to beg for her to let him go. “What? What is it?”

“He told me about how they found you.”

“He? Who is he?”

Her eyes bugged out as she kept talking without missing a beat. “Not important. We know what you were about to do, Benjamin. We know about Stephanie.”

How dare they use her name.

“They took you from your apartment. You were ready to kill yourself, weren’t you?”

The bluntness of her statement took him by surprise. Still, he had no interest in speaking with her.

“Those pills would have done the trick, if you had been allowed to finish. We know, Benjamin. We know that you don’t want to live. That’s why he picked you.”

“Picked me?”

She nodded. “A man with no fear is the deadliest weapon of all.”

He pointed towards his chest. “Do I...?”

A shake of the head told him everything.

“Then what’s the point?”

She sighed. “Dennis...”

“I don’t understand.”

“If you fail, then Dennis’ device will activate.”

“And I?”

“You will return. Alive.”

Eduardo hadn’t seen his family in a year. It had been thirteen months since they went into his home and grabbed his mother and his sister. They went to his brother-in-law’s shop and grabbed him, too. They lured their two year old from daycare. When the car got quiet, he could still hear the voice on the other end of the phone.

His voice was clear as day. No garbling, no disguise. David didn’t care. Eduardo had heard this man a hundred times when he was a kid. It was the same grounded lilt that had read him stories when he was sick from school.
Story Time
had been his favorite show. He’d walked through the aqua blue door and talk right in the camera and tell a new story each morning.

There was no mistaking it was him. At first he thought it was a prank, like one of those guys on the radio trying to screw with him. He hung up the phone and texted his friends to tell them it wasn’t funny/ Why would you pretend David Angeles had your family. It’s f*cked up. He didn’t get the message out before the phone rang again.