Chapter 2 Walker
WALKER
God, the man could talk.
I looked around the introduction room, or at least I think that’s what Reggie had called it; it just looked like a lounge and an office.
There was the desk Reggie had sat behind while I had taken one of the plush chairs on the other side.
It had been tempting to take one of the chairs near the couch on the other side of the room, just to see what Reggie would do.
And now I was listening to him ramble on about the Recovery Program, with a brief mention of the other two, but those weren’t for me, were they? No, I was a problem child as far as Uncle Sam was concerned. I needed to be dealt with in the most intensive program they had.
Sure, Reggie could insist this place, this ‘resort’, didn’t operate like others, that there were no restrictions or constant evaluation, but I wasn’t fooled.
Places like this, where you were sent when you were trouble, weren’t where you were going to sit back, kick your feet up, and pretend you were on vacation.
Even if they were more lax, there were still going to be bars somewhere in the cage, and the minute someone even thought I might start rattling them, I would find out how ‘restful’ and ‘organic’ Arete really was.
“And you haven’t heard a word I’ve said for the past five minutes,” Reggie said, and when I glanced at him, raising a brow sarcastically, he actually grinned.
Not the kind of smile that came with patience and understanding, a smile that said, I’m not a threat; I’m here to help you.
No, it was the smile of someone who was amused by how I’d been acting and wasn’t afraid to show it.
I scowled. “We both know I’m here on the recommendation of the government, not because I looked at your website or brochure, or because I talked to your best sales rep and was won over.
I’m here on the taxpayers’ dime because it’s the only way I could be…
” I stopped, grimacing as I remembered I wasn’t supposed to share that I was here because it was the only choice left to me.
Not that Uncle Sam and his cronies were any happier.
Here I was, a decorated vet who had got a lot of positive attention once upon a time, and suddenly I was making a lot of fuss.
Not outright selling government secrets, but pointing other people to where they might dig if they wanted the juicy stuff.
So, not outright treason, but enough for them to get nervous about having me off the leash for so long.
All the medals and commendations in the world couldn’t cover up the fact that I was becoming a problem, and they couldn’t just lock me away, not when there were already enough targets on the government’s foreheads lately.
No, their best option was to remind me oh so politely that while they didn’t want to lock me away because it would cause trouble, they absolutely would because the danger I presented running my mouth was worse than whatever might come down on them if they threw me in jail or made me disappear.
They then reminded me that my family was innocent, and did I really want to see my siblings’ lives endangered by my eagerness to end my life in a roundabout way?
The answer was no. My life wasn’t important to me if it could serve a better purpose, but I wasn’t so zealous that I was willing to throw my siblings and their kids onto the pyre alongside me.
So I was told that all I needed to do was make it sound like I had been having mental health issues and that once people started talking enough about it, Big Happy Friendly Government Man would step in and offer to get me the help I needed.
So, my family was left alone, and the suits could not only cast doubt on everything I’d been saying, but get brownie points for helping one of their decorated veterans.
Wins all around.
As if.
“I’m not here because I believe in this,” I told him with a grunt.
“But don’t get the wrong idea; I’m not here to be a problem either.
So if this place really is all about moving at my pace and there’s no such thing as failure or whatever speech you had ready for me, then I’ll move at that pace without being guided. ”
If I had been expecting Reggie’s amused facade to flicker or be replaced by barely disguised annoyance, I was disappointed because he just chuckled, shaking his head.
“I won’t pretend to know the full extent of your circumstances.
And I’m certainly not going to understand your life beyond what was in the file. ”
I wasn’t nearly as good at hiding my thoughts, and I flinched. “There’s a file…on me?”
Now he frowned. “You weren’t told?”
Which apparently meant it was my turn to laugh. “I mean, I’m here on the government’s dime. You can’t honestly expect to tell me anything…right?”
“Hmm,” he said, sounding troubled as he leaned back. “You wouldn’t be the first guest we’ve had here at the behest of a third party. And while it isn’t rare, it’s not common for someone to end up on our list of guests…not of their own free will.”
I snorted. “Really? Isn’t that what these places are for? Shoving people away where they won’t cause trouble?”
“No,” Reggie said with…not quite a sharp tone, but it was definitely clipped. “I would explain the point of this place again, but you clearly don’t want to hear it and don’t believe it. Again, you wouldn’t be the first to come here full of doubt.”
“Well, then I’ll just head out,” I said, pushing my chair back and waiting for Reggie to stop me, or at least call someone in who would stop me.
“You can,” Reggie said, shrugging lightly. “We’ll even give the government back its money, minus the cost of sending you wherever you want to go. You’ll have to wait until we can get a car out here, of course.”
And right back into the predicament I was in before, of course.
Leaving was no more an option than refusing to come here had been.
Not that Reggie knew or needed to know about that.
It was probably not a big deal if I told this random man I didn’t have a choice to take his treatment, but considering the not-so-subtle threats I’d been put under, it was smarter to keep my mouth shut.
Reggie was already getting on my nerves, something that had grown more common with the passing years, but that didn’t mean he deserved to be put on a watch list because I, once again, couldn’t keep my mouth shut.
“It’s easier for everyone if I stay here like a good boy for the full course,” I muttered, because that was all I was willing to say. “But it would be easiest if everyone else here let me sit around and pretend I’m doing fine.”
Reggie chuckled. “How about we make a little deal?”
“You have no idea how much that suggestion makes me want to throw this desk at your face,” I told him bluntly.
The little weirdo actually looked intrigued. “Do you think you could? Not that I’m questioning your willingness, I’m more interested in the logistics.”
It was a valid question, in all fairness.
I was tall enough that I got a few looks in public when I stood over even people, men usually, that were already considered tall.
I wasn’t bulky though, save for my shoulders and, for some reason, my thighs, but the rest of me?
I could never bulk up for whatever reason.
There was muscle there, and I had surprised more than a few people that my toned but not overly large muscles could lift their fair share of weight.
No, I didn’t think I could lift the desk, not without an absolute need, and wanting to pick it up and throw it at Reggie didn’t count.
“Are you sure you shouldn’t be one of the people who should be here?” I asked him dryly.
I wasn’t surprised when he laughed. “You won’t be the last person to ask me that. But since you’re here, what’s the harm in hearing me out before you decide to leave?”
“Fine,” I said, because Jesus, maybe if I listened to him, that might be enough that he wouldn’t need to watch me like a hawk after this. Plus, if he was going to be agreeable and reasonable, then it made sense to hear him out. “What deal?”
“I’ll do my absolute best not to pester you or push you, but at the very least, you try to go through the program with an open mind,” he said, picking up a small tablet.
“Considering the past few years have shown that you’re willing to be critical of systems and processes, that shows you’re willing to evaluate them before making a judgement. ”
I frowned. “You were given the stuff I’ve been writing?”
“No,” he said immediately, his brow rising.
“But one of the little-known facts about me is that when I know someone new is being added to the program, I do research to find what might not be handed over freely. You never know what you can find out about a person, and considering your name ended up attached to quite a body of work, I discovered a lot. Or at least, I was discovering a lot, but as I went along, I noticed some of it was mysteriously disappearing.”
“Yeah, well, it was obviously me losing my mind, remember?” I asked caustically, but I was unnerved and impressed by his dedication.
Perhaps he was an annoying jabberjaw, but there was clearly more to him than that.
“Better to get rid of the worst of it before people started thinking I was really losing my mind.”
“Well, you should have been more thorough in your deleting because anyone who has any knowledge of computers can still find plenty,” he said, making me wonder why he put so much emphasis on you.
Then again, annoying didn’t mean stupid, and it wasn’t like I’d bothered to hide the fact that I was here against my will, and who was footing the bill.
That was enough for anyone with a brain cell and enough curiosity to put pieces of the puzzle together, especially if they were willing to do their own research, as he was.