Chapter 31 Indie
Indie
Angel - Massive Attack, Horace Andy
Present day
“You and Dawson seem to be getting friendly,” I say to Regina across the table.
We’ve been together so long that we have one of those bonds that everything syncs together.
Our cycle starts at the same time; we have the same judgemental thoughts flowing through our minds.
Our hunger pangs also trigger together.
She bobs her head as she swallows a mouthful. “It’s nice being able to geek out on technology with someone who gets it.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Hey, you’re the brains, I’m the muscles. I can’t have it all, Gina.”
Regina has tried her best to teach me her ways, but all that shit goes way over my head, to the point where it gives me a migraine.
I once dozed off during a passionate lecture about coding; I didn’t mean it, of course. I told her to take it as a compliment.
Not much gets me to sleep.
She casts her gaze behind me, leaning over the table. “I saw Saint coming out of your room last night, wanna talk about that?”
When he read my tattoo, he made a beeline and left the room. Leaving me with the feel of his kiss against my swollen lips, an unforgivable ache between my thighs, and even more unanswered questions.
“Yeah, we kinda just said some unspoken words we’ve both been holding in over the years.”
He mentioned he doesn’t want to lose control, and it took me a while to understand what he meant.
He thinks he’ll hurt me, or that it’ll get too much for my mind.
“Annnnd?” She leans in closer, to the point where she might as well just sit on my damn lap.
I shrug. “And nothing.”
Her eyes narrow on me. “Don’t you dare try and lie to me, Indie Kent. What happened?”
She mirrors the same kind of glare my mom would give me as a kid to spill the truth. So I rush my words out, moving the food on my plate with the fork.
“We kissed. That was all.”
Her hands slap on the table, clattering the cutlery next to her plate. “I beg your finest pardon? That was all? Indie, don’t downplay that. That’s huge for you.”
Her eyes soften on me; she knows it means everything to me.
I just don’t want to think too much into it. We’re obviously still attracted to each other, but that could be all it is from his side.
“I know, God, I know.” I rub my hands over my face, holding them next to my temples. “I just feel like he’s still hesitant around me. I’m not sure if it’s because of what Conrad did, or what I’ve been doing, or because I hurt him.”
My jaw flexes at my words. My mind is undoubtedly stronger, but the black cloud of doubt still manages to seep its way into me from time to time.
I don’t think that will ever leave.
Regina takes my hand, placing her other one on top of it.
“Let’s eradicate some of those things, shall we?
What Conrad did? No.” She shakes her head.
“Saint almost killed him when he found you, now I know he seriously would have been capable. What you’ve been doing?
Hell no. I was talking to Rex earlier whilst I was looking through their files; yours is a puddle of blood compared to their ocean. ”
I bite my inner cheek. “Did Rex say anything else?”
He’s always been closer with Regina, more like a brother and sister type relationship, and I’ve watched him open up to her more than when we first arrived.
She drops her gaze to our intertwined hands. “He travelled to Saint when he found out about Jenna. It seems as though he’s never left his side.”
A twinge nestles itself in my chest at the thought. It was hard enough never knowing where Saint was, what he was doing, if he’d moved on.
Never mind knowing the person you love being gone forever, their heart no longer beating on this earth, someone being responsible for it.
“I don’t blame him.”
Regina inhales sharply, dragging in a deep breath. “Do you think they know where they are?”
Conrad and George have been missing for weeks now.
Regina and I were able to keep an eye on their home from a planted camera that sits across from their house.
At first it was weird, it’s not even on their property boundary, but I suppose when you’re a part of what they are, they have their own waves of paranoia.
That’s the only access we had; whatever system was installed in their home wasn’t able to let us penetrate through its security.
Now I’m beginning to understand why.
“I don’t know; they seem to know more than we do. It’s possible.”
She blows a breath out like she was holding it, and my hand tightens around hers. “The setup here is a whole lot better than ours too. They’ve got veterans and criminals working here. I bet half this shit’s been obtained illegally.”
I’d guessed by the way some of the people working around here trained: these guys aren’t just street fighters or spent their spare time at a shooting range like I did; they have professional tactical skills. They know what they’re doing.
“I’m surprised you haven’t managed to get your fingers into it yet,” I tease her when I notice her silence.
Anytime we’ve walked by a computer or Dawson, Regina’s drawn in like a moth to a flame.
She huffs a laugh, releasing my hand as she leans back in the chair. “Oh please, I’ve already charmed my way into getting my own profile. Dawson set one up for me this morning.”
I catch a faint twitch of a smile when she mentions his name, but before I can ask about it, she speaks again.
“Now back to what we were discussing before you subtly side-balled—yes, I noticed. Hurt him? Maybe. You two were so in love, after years of dragging us all through your withering pain. Those feelings don’t just go away, no matter how much time has passed.”
I groan, throwing a piece of chicken in my mouth. “Spoken like a true romantic.”
Regina was never really one for dating; she was married to technology. So career driven when we were at university, she didn’t have time for anything else, unless we physically dragged her out of our dorm to party.
And she made up for the lack of social life in those moments. The memories have a smile growing on my lips.
“Hey, I might read IT textbooks in my spare time, but don’t doubt for a second that I don’t cleanse my palette with a good swoon-worthy book.” She gives me a pointed look, and I can’t help the laugh that barks free.
“Good afternoon, ladies.”
I turn around to see Dawson walking into the room, and I give him a small wave.
Despite mostly being the brains of technology around here, he’s just as built as anyone else, like it’s a literal requirement to be a part of Saint’s team to look like you’d knock down a brick wall with a shoulder bump.
He’s tall, dark blond hair and brown eyes. He’s cute and seems to have piqued Regina’s interest.
“Hey,” Regina says, and I snap my head towards her.
A wicked smile creeps up my face. “You’re blushing—”
“Shut your fucking mouth,” she growls through clenched teeth, still managing the smile.
I have to press the back of my hand against my mouth to stop the laugh, almost choking on my food.
Regina being shy is something I’ve never seen before.
“Did you say something?” Dawson asks, sliding down beside us with a plate.
“Nothing,” Regina and I say in unison, her giving me a warning glare.
Whilst it’s just the three of us here, I take the opportunity to pick his brains. “So, Dawson. You guys have clearly been keeping a close eye on this Omnia. Do you have a list of everyone that’s involved?”
From the pieces I’ve put together, it seems that Sumus is the university group, and once you graduate, you need to be deemed worthy to move into Omnia.
I know there’s a hell of a lot more to it, and I’m hoping he can shed some light.
Although how you’re deemed, I’m not sure I have the stomach for this early in the afternoon.
He takes a drink of water, screwing the lid back on.
“Some, but not all. It’s mostly the shit they get up to.
A bit like you guys, Saint’s dad managed to get a couple chapters from the Archives for Sumus.
He’s mostly been able to gather information through contacts within the underworld, except the big dogs.
The event we protected, that’s how we discovered Clarke.
Other than that, I’ve only managed to get a small amount of footage. ”
I jolt my head back. “Wait, go back…Malcolm broke into the Archive too?”
When Saint mentioned his dad’s friend fell victim to them, it didn’t even cross my mind how he managed to get further information on them.
That night sends a shiver down my spine; it’s the last time I’ll ever step foot in there, even though it likely holds the key to what we need.
Dawson nods. “That was like what, almost sixteen years ago? They might be powerful, but they’ve also been naive in thinking no one would manage to infiltrate their meeting spot.” He releases a sigh, taking another mouthful of food. “Probably because no one would be stupid enough to if they knew.”
I lean over, keeping my voice low. “Did Conrad and George move into Omnia?”
Maybe that’s why we haven’t been able to trace them anymore, but a heavy weight dropping down into the space next to me makes me yelp.
“Why do you want to know?” Rex says, stealing a piece of broccoli from Dawson’s plate, the latter scowling at him.
Regina tuts, tugging her plate away from him as he eyes it. “Still as nosey as ever, Rex.”
He ignores her, his gaze now locked with mine. I shrug a shoulder; we never specifically said anything about this, because no one has really asked.
So why unwillingly divulge the information?
“Why do you think? The twins are our final mark.”
Rex pushes back from the table, his palms slapping off the surface. “What?”
His voice echoes around us, and my head swivels on my neck to do a quick sweep, thankful it’s only the four of us in the room.
“Oh come on, why do you think we’re doing this?” I say, but his frown only deepens.
“I know why you did it; I’m questioning the fact your answer didn’t sound like past tense. Surely you’re both not still fucking considering this with what you know?”
I match his tone as I narrow my eyes. “Well, we don’t know the same as you do. But it doesn’t scare me. It only makes me want to do it faster.”
I fold my arms in defiance, but when I glance over at Regina, she’s giving me the same look she did in the dinner, one that reads, ‘you’ve lost your fucking mind’.
Rex shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. “Does Saint know about this?”
I don’t know why his question irks me, but it does, rising the heckles on my back.
“I would assume he was bright enough to put the connection together.”
“Quit being a smart-ass. I mean that you’re still planning on it. You two can’t leave here.” His last sentence comes out firm, like a conviction.
And that there’s no room for wiggling any possibilities about it.
“Has there been a development?” Regina asks, and Rex breaks his stare-off with me to look at her.
“Not that we’ve seen, but that’s a fucking suicide mission.
Right now, they probably think it’s someone working with Saint.
But when they dig deeper, realise you’re responsible for all those deaths?
You two may as well walk right into their headquarters with a target on your fucking forehead. They won’t stop until they have you.”
I roll my eyes at his dramatics. “Are they in Omnia, yes or fucking no?”
A knowing look passes between him and Dawson, and I’m just about to lose my shit with them, when Rex’s words bow me to complete silence.
“They’re the heirs to the fucking kingdom.”