40 - Colson
COLSON
Oddly it wasn’t the vibration that woke me from my sleep. It was the blinking light, small and dim, that made me sit up.
The satellite phone.
It was clear on the other side of the room. Just beneath the window, where I could see the snow had finally stopped.
Peyton was lying on her side, facing away from me, magnificently naked. The curve of her body rose and fell with every deep, rhythmic breath. Extracting myself from the bed, I pulled on some clothes, grabbed it, and padded silently to the other side of the house.
Four minutes.
That’s all the time I would have. Theo’s words of warning still rang in my head:
“If it goes off, someone was competent enough to find the channel. Stay under four minutes, or the masking fails.”
The sleek, black machine was still vibrating in my hand. The tiny red light beckoned me, daring me to pick up.
For a moment, I considered ignoring it. But I’d never been one to ignore things.
Click.
“Colson.”
There was no greeting, no hesitation. Just the calm, professional voice on the other end.
It was a voice I recognized instantly.
“Roman.”
There was a full two seconds of silence. An acknowledgment, between rivals.
“You sound surprised.”
“I’m not.”
On the other side of the phone, I could picture him sitting upright in an uncomfortable chair, in some barren, perfectly utilitarian room.
“Donovan told you to call?” I mused.
“No.”
I wasn’t sure whether I believed him. But the clock was ticking.
“Talk.”
My protégé didn’t waste any time.
“You need to stop,” Roman said coldly. “You’re letting your emotions get in the way of things.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“You’re better than this. We both know it.”
The words weren’t meant as an insult. It was merely an observation.
“What do you want, Roman?”
I looked up at the kitchen clock, with its analog hands that so many people considered to be antiquated. I’d been on for a full minute already. Nothing had been accomplished.
“You took his bride, Colson,” Roman said. “As well as the drive.”
“I didn’t know I was taking either one,” I replied. “Not until Donovan’s men tried to kill us.”
“Doesn’t matter. He still believes he can retrieve them.”
I suppressed a scoff. “He can try.”
“He will try,” said Roman, matter of factly. “And you know what’ll happen if he succeeds.”
“Of course,” I acknowledged. “Which is why that’ll never happen.”
Another pause on his end, this one even longer. If he wasn’t trying to pin down our location, he sure as hell should be.
“You trained me,” said Roman. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten that.”
“Please,” I laughed. “Spare me.”
“I didn’t call to threaten you,” he said, tightening his tone.
“Why did you call, then?”
There was the faint sound of shuffling on his end. Paper, maybe.
“Because you’re holding something that will create even bigger problems than Donovan Prescott.”
Bigger… than Donovan. My brow furrowed.
“Explain.”
“The files on that locket,” said Roman. “You don’t know the full scope of them.”
That much was true. Theo, I knew, was still digging.
But Roman didn’t have to know that.
“Donovan’s leverage network isn’t the only consideration here,” Roman went on. “It extends into other, more sensitive areas.”
I glanced furtively at the clock. We were well beyond two minutes.
“Speak plainly,” I told him.
“You look at the files and see celebrities, politicians, corrupt businessmen. People who would be embarrassed or ruined if they got out.”
“So?”
“So the danger is in what you’re not seeing,” Roman said, lowering his voice. “There are deeper secrets within the files. Secrets held by people who don’t tolerate exposure.”
“You’re being vague.”
“Yes,” Roman confirmed. “I am.”
A rush of wind rattled the glass, outside. As if hurrying me up.
“You release everything, and you’re not just destroying Donovan,” Roman said coolly. “You’ll be creating all new enemies you can’t possibly fight.”
“Then why bother warning me at all?”
“Because Donovan isn’t my problem.”
That got my attention. I sensed a shift.
“What is, then?”
“The consequences.”
The seconds kept ticking away. I was almost out of time.
“Donovan’s been emotional about this,” said Roman. “The four of you betrayed him. But I have no interest in the emotional aspect of this at all.”
“Let me guess,” I grunted. “You want the drive.”
“I want the situation stabilized.”
“Meaning?”
Roman paused for a moment. I heard him take in a deep breath.
“Donovan wants his bride returned to him.”
I let out an involuntarily laugh. “Not happening.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
“And the drive?”
“That part’s actually negotiable.”
“In what way?”
“You keep the files. The ones pertaining specifically to Donovan.”
I held the phone out in disbelief. It was the last thing I expected.
“You expose him if you want to. And only him.”
“And the rest?”
“They stay buried.”
Buried. Like everything else. Like all the other secrets.
“So you’re protecting these people?”
“You’re in deep, Colson. Deeper than you realize.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
Three and a half minutes in. Almost out of time.
“Let’s just say I’m protecting stability. Preventing chaos.”
“Then why warn me?”
“Because if you’re going to burn Donovan Prescott—”
“Do it clean,” I finished for him.
“Yes.”
I went to disconnect. My finger hovered over the button.
“Wait,” barked Roman. “One last thing.”
I listened because there wasn’t enough time to talk.
“Donovan’s got a message he intends to deliver. Directly to Jameson.”
Something twisted in my gut. “Ripley?”
“Yes.”
“You sure you want to do that?” I warned. “Ripley’s not one for—”
“Adam,” said Roman coldly. “Brayden.”
“What?”
There was a reluctant pause. And then:
“Natalie.”
Click.
The line went dead. A series of repeated beeps told me the connection had been severed.
I stood there confused, my tired brain working to process everything Roman had said. Did he know where we were? He hadn’t even asked. And what was the message for Ripley about?
Whatever it was, I knew one thing for sure:
Ripley wasn’t going to like it.
Walking back through the kitchen, I set the satellite phone down on the counter. I could wake up the others. Tell them everything, so we could discuss our next move. The only problem was, they’d look to me. And right now, I had no idea what our next move would be.
Or I could go back to bed, strip down, and slip in behind Peyton. I could wrap my arms around her, letting my mind do its thing until I knew what to do.
As far as decisions went, this was an easy one.
I headed straight back to bed.