Free The Taking 02: Hover by Melissa West Page A
Authors: Melissa West
through. I make a mental note that there may be guards stationed outside each of the other doors. Or they could be closets. I had no idea.
Zeus walks over to the wall of windows behind his desk, no doubt the windows Jackson was referring to when we discussed the plan. I feel the gun against my calf, tucked just inside my left boot, and draw a breath. Should I do it now or wait? Zeus presses a hand against the window. It’s dark outside, only a few lights in the distance give away that we’re in a city. He stays in the same position so long, with me standing a few feet away, neither of us speaking, that I begin to wonder if I’m being tested or if he’s expecting someone else to join us. But with each passing second, I feel my heart rate increasing, my nerves twisting into a pretzel. I consider asking about Triad, as Jackson suggested, and then the Operative in me takes over and I reach down for the gun, just as Zeus turns around. I kneel quickly, pretending to adjust the buckle on my boot. Sweat collects on my forehead and I have to draw a quick breath before I stand.
“What are you doing?” Zeus asks as he walks toward me.
I clear my mind, my face of any emotion. “It’s taking me some time to get used to your clothes here. They fit differently than what I’m used to.”
Zeus considers me. “Take your boots off.”
“Sorry?”
He steps closer. “Remove your boots. Now.”
“I wasn’t aware that you had a no-shoe policy in your office,” I say, buying time. If I remove my boots, he’ll know. He may already know. I glimpse around at the doors again. I could shoot and run. I’m a solid shot. Even if I can’t get a kill shot, I would injure him enough that he wouldn’t be able to dial for help, but he could still speak, and if he yelled they would know something happened. Then the healers would get to him before he bled out. An injury shot wouldn’t work, it has to kill him.
This processes through my mind in a second, all while I try to maintain my stress-level. Any increases in my levels, and he would interpret my thoughts. I have to keep them shadowed.
Zeus tilts his head to the side and I can tell he’s trying to puncture through my thoughts. I’m preparing myself that this is about to get bad and fast, when Zeus’s door opens and Jackson comes in, shock on his face. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were still meeting.” Zeus gives him a look that could make children cry.
“Is there something you need?”
Jackson stands tall, so at ease that if we weren’t in such a dire situation I would bow down to his efforts. He’s so much better at this than me. “Yes, you’ve been requested at the Vortex. Another outbreak.”
Zeus glances from Jackson to me and back, each second like watching a wild animal preparing to attack its prey. “Very well,” he finally says. “We will continue this tomorrow.”
I hesitate, unsure if I’ve been dismissed or what. Jackson nods toward the door for me to go and I start for it, when Zeus calls out. “Tomorrow, no boots.”
I am down the stairs and out of his building so fast I feel sure my heart is going to burst out of my chest. I don’t stop until I’m back at the house, inside Jackson and my room, my breathing labored. He definitely knew something was up. But did he know what?
Jackson comes through the door a minute later, looking as jarred by the whole thing as me. “Are you all right?” he asks as he places his hands on my face.
“Yes. But he knew something was up, didn’t he?”
Jackson sits down on the bed and rakes a hand through his hair, then over his face, before finally glancing up at me. “I don’t know. He had guards waiting outside the room. I think he suspected, but he wasn’t sure of what exactly. That was close. Too close.”
“Was there really an uprising?”
He sighs. “No, but the guard refused to disagree with me in front of Zeus, so he said they had contained it.”
I lay back on the bed, allowing my breathing to
Zeus walks over to the wall of windows behind his desk, no doubt the windows Jackson was referring to when we discussed the plan. I feel the gun against my calf, tucked just inside my left boot, and draw a breath. Should I do it now or wait? Zeus presses a hand against the window. It’s dark outside, only a few lights in the distance give away that we’re in a city. He stays in the same position so long, with me standing a few feet away, neither of us speaking, that I begin to wonder if I’m being tested or if he’s expecting someone else to join us. But with each passing second, I feel my heart rate increasing, my nerves twisting into a pretzel. I consider asking about Triad, as Jackson suggested, and then the Operative in me takes over and I reach down for the gun, just as Zeus turns around. I kneel quickly, pretending to adjust the buckle on my boot. Sweat collects on my forehead and I have to draw a quick breath before I stand.
“What are you doing?” Zeus asks as he walks toward me.
I clear my mind, my face of any emotion. “It’s taking me some time to get used to your clothes here. They fit differently than what I’m used to.”
Zeus considers me. “Take your boots off.”
“Sorry?”
He steps closer. “Remove your boots. Now.”
“I wasn’t aware that you had a no-shoe policy in your office,” I say, buying time. If I remove my boots, he’ll know. He may already know. I glimpse around at the doors again. I could shoot and run. I’m a solid shot. Even if I can’t get a kill shot, I would injure him enough that he wouldn’t be able to dial for help, but he could still speak, and if he yelled they would know something happened. Then the healers would get to him before he bled out. An injury shot wouldn’t work, it has to kill him.
This processes through my mind in a second, all while I try to maintain my stress-level. Any increases in my levels, and he would interpret my thoughts. I have to keep them shadowed.
Zeus tilts his head to the side and I can tell he’s trying to puncture through my thoughts. I’m preparing myself that this is about to get bad and fast, when Zeus’s door opens and Jackson comes in, shock on his face. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were still meeting.” Zeus gives him a look that could make children cry.
“Is there something you need?”
Jackson stands tall, so at ease that if we weren’t in such a dire situation I would bow down to his efforts. He’s so much better at this than me. “Yes, you’ve been requested at the Vortex. Another outbreak.”
Zeus glances from Jackson to me and back, each second like watching a wild animal preparing to attack its prey. “Very well,” he finally says. “We will continue this tomorrow.”
I hesitate, unsure if I’ve been dismissed or what. Jackson nods toward the door for me to go and I start for it, when Zeus calls out. “Tomorrow, no boots.”
I am down the stairs and out of his building so fast I feel sure my heart is going to burst out of my chest. I don’t stop until I’m back at the house, inside Jackson and my room, my breathing labored. He definitely knew something was up. But did he know what?
Jackson comes through the door a minute later, looking as jarred by the whole thing as me. “Are you all right?” he asks as he places his hands on my face.
“Yes. But he knew something was up, didn’t he?”
Jackson sits down on the bed and rakes a hand through his hair, then over his face, before finally glancing up at me. “I don’t know. He had guards waiting outside the room. I think he suspected, but he wasn’t sure of what exactly. That was close. Too close.”
“Was there really an uprising?”
He sighs. “No, but the guard refused to disagree with me in front of Zeus, so he said they had contained it.”
I lay back on the bed, allowing my breathing to