Catching Red (17 page)

She shrugged. “Eleanor happens to be my mother’s mother. Trust me, it makes her treat me worse, not better. Now, why don’t we focus on your idiotic plan?”

Dane’s chuckle drew both their attentions. “I have to admit, Woodsman, I see the attraction. This kid reminds me of your mother.”

Marcus choked on his own saliva. “Please never say that again.” He turned to face Red. “Why don’t you tell me what’s so wrong with our plan?”

She snorted. “Besides being predictable? Gee, let me think.” She counted off on her fingers as she spoke. “We have an army of patrols along the walls. I don’t care how stealthy you think your soldiers are—if they rappel in, they’re bound to raise an alarm. There are explosives stockpiled at every point of entry. If you set off bombs, you’re going to get a much bigger bang than you expect. That explosion will get everyone’s attention. The children are segregated into classes spread throughout the compound. Their caretakers have orders to kill them all the moment there is even a hint of trouble. Some may not follow through, but a good number will. In short, if you go in the way Grandmother expects you to, all you’ll be getting are dead bodies.”

Marcus frowned. He didn’t want to admit it, but the countermeasures were diabolical. It was an organization-level equivalent of a suicide vest. Red’s grandmother didn’t care if no one survived the onslaught. He and Dane lacked the same luxury.

Dane directed his next words at Marcus. “What about a surgical strike to take out their leader? If we go in ourselves, there’s a good chance—”

“Grandmother’s quarters overlook the courtyard. If she doesn’t appear at her window during specific intervals, her personal guard has orders to kill everyone before blowing up the entire compound. The timing changes daily, and I don’t have the schedule.”

Dane glared at Marcus. “She has to be making this up. No one’s that crazy.”

“I might be,” Red interjected, “but can you take the chance? From my deduction, your risk tolerance is much lower than mine.”

Marcus clenched his hands into fists. He could always tell when she was lying. This moment wasn’t one of them. At the very least, she believed what she said to be true. She was also one of the few people on the planet whose judgment he trusted without question. “Cut to the chase. You clearly have a plan in mind.” He tipped his head in Dane’s direction. “Since you insisted he come here, I’m pretty sure it’s not one I’ll like.”

Confirming his suspicion, Red turned so she was only facing Dane. “Tell me, do you need his approval? He’s going to get emotional, and I need you to knock some sense into him.”

Marcus heard an odd sound. It took a moment before he realized he had ground his teeth together. “I’m standing right here. You realize that, right?”

Dane looked more amused than concerned. “I’ve decided you need to keep her. You also need to invite me to your mom’s next Thanksgiving dinner. I’d love to watch the both of them in action.”

His friend’s sense of humor had a way of presenting itself at the least appropriate moments.

Addressing Dane, Marcus barked, “When we get back to the city, remind me to kill you.” He then grabbed Red’s shoulders and forcibly turned her to face him. “Listen, I’m the one you need to convince. I won’t care what he says. If I don’t have warm fuzzy feelings about your safety, I’m going to tie you up for the duration of this operation.”

Dane cleared his throat. “I’m not sure if that statement’s entirely accurate. For one, I can always call your boss and have her knock some sense into you. Why don’t we hear the girl out? We are, after all, almost in the twenty-second century and not the Stone Age. You can do your impression of Conan the Barbarian later.”

Baring his teeth, Marcus sent his friend a warning look.

Dane raised both hands. “I’m not deciding anything. I just want to hear what she has to say.”

Red nudged Marcus’ chest with her fist. “You’re overreacting. You don’t even know what I’m about to propose.”

He glared at her. “I know you. That’s more than enough.”

Ignoring him, she twisted her neck to face Dane. “There’s a tunnel that leads into the WITCH. It’s rigged with a single unpinned grenade positioned to collapse the entire structure. If the two posted guards so much as sense something fishy, they’ll cut the string holding the explosive in place and kill everyone inside.”

Dane arched his eyebrows. “I can only assume you are capable of disarming it.”

She nodded. “It’ll only work if you let me go in alone. I can take the trap out of the equation before presenting myself to the guards. If you give me a thirty-minute head start, they won’t suspect a thing.”

“Why can’t you just come back out after disarming the grenade?” Marcus asked.

She continued to look directly at Dane. It wasn’t a good sign. “There’s a pressure plate at the entry point, and I can only deactivate it after triggering a signal. If I don’t pop out the other end soon after, it’ll raise all sorts of alarm bells. Besides, the tunnel is just a safe way in. It doesn’t deal with all the other countermeasures my grandmother has put in place.”

Dane crossed his arms. The agent was at least trained well enough to realize he was about to be presented with an option he didn’t like. “What happens after you get in?”

Marcus saw Red’s hands clenching and unclenching. She was nervous. He would also bet good money she was afraid. None of it showed on her face. “I’ll be taken to Grandmother for punishment. I was supposed to capture one of you and will obviously be returning empty-handed.”

“You don’t have to,” Marcus countered. “Take me prisoner.”

Red gave no indication she had heard a word he’d said. “Failing this mission had always been part of the plan. Grandmother knows you’re closing in. She knows it’s a matter of time before the power she has accumulated over the years goes up in smoke. She sent me on a mission with no hope of success so she can use my failure as an excuse for a public execution. She would want to make my mother watch me die while she still has the chance. We’re counting on it.”

Marcus glanced at Dane. “Aside from confirming your grandmother is a psychopath, how does this help us?”

Her cheeks blanched. Even before she spoke, a chill went down Marcus’ spine. “Grandmother will call a Circle—her interpretation of the gladiatorial arena of ancient Rome. It serves as both entertainment and a warning. All members will be gathered in the central courtyard to watch me face an ever-increasing number of undead. The point is for them to see me torn apart limb from limb for failing to do what was required.”

The pensive expression on Dane’s face made Marcus’ blood run cold. The scenario Red described was ideal. They were both good enough tacticians to see it. But Dane was the only one who had the semblance of mind to speak. “All the children will be in one place, and everyone will be distracted. It’ll give us the perfect opportunity to take out the sentries and incapacitate the caretakers.”

With great difficulty, Marcus resisted the urge to punch his friend. “You can’t possibly be considering her proposal. For all you know, she’s coming up with the entire scheme so she can run in and warn her grandmother about us.”

Dane looked directly at him. “You trust her, and don’t even bother trying to convince me otherwise. You also know her plan will work.”

“It might get her killed,” Marcus spat out. “I’m not some fictional hero. I don’t care if hundreds of people I don’t know die as a result. Her life is the only one that matters.”

Red crossed her arms and turned. “Your faith in me is surprisingly low. You’ve seen me fight undead. I can hold them off until your team is in place, if need be. But that’s not what I’m proposing. A group of us have been planning a rebellion for years. Your appearance in the woods condensed our timeline, but we’re ready to fight. You don’t need to infiltrate the WITCH. We will secure the facility and return those children to you.”

Marcus didn’t bother trying to keep his voice down. “The injuries I’ve seen on you don’t exactly inspire confidence. Your little group of rebels, if they even exist, hasn’t lifted a finger to protect you this entire time. When we met, you had been sent to infiltrate a building full of undead. You had bruises, cuts, and stab wounds all over your body. You only recovered from them because of the enhanced cellular regeneration resulting from exposure to URV. Where were they then?” When she tried to move, he grabbed both her shoulders. “Their plan revolves around your public execution. Your safety is obviously the least of their concerns.”

She didn’t argue his point. “We wouldn’t have gotten this far if we didn’t take calculated risks. Everything is in place. Once the Circle is assembled, my friends will isolate the children and incapacitate the guards. This is an internal matter. You just need to stay out of our way.” Her head whipped to face Dane, who had gone unsettlingly quiet. “My help comes with one condition.”

“Name it.” The agent’s words threatened to snap the leash on Marcus’ temper.

“If what you claim is true, we won’t hesitate to return the children to their parents. But I was born in the WITCH, and many others joined it willingly. Once the dust settles, whether we want to stay in the wastelands or take our chances in the city should be our choice.”

Marcus clenched his jaw. If Red thought remaining here was an option, she had a surprise coming. But that was a conversation for another day.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Dane nodded. “You’ve got yourself a deal. Marcus, let’s speak outside.”

“I have nothing to say to you,” Marcus replied.

Dane’s icy expression gave Marcus a glimpse of the leader this man would one day be. “That’s tough shit. We’ve got a lot of logistical issues to sort out, and I’d rather not do it in your girlfriend’s presence. Move your ass and follow me.”

* * * *

“If you think I’m going along with this, you’re delusional,” Marcus roared the moment he finished bolting the cottage door.

Dane continued to stride into the woods. To Marcus’ surprise, none of their men were around. The agent had come alone. “It’s the best plan we’ve got and you know it. If we let this rebellion play itself out, we have a chance at a no-casualty scenario. If they fail, the ensuing chaos is to our advantage.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” Marcus bit out. “If Nel was the one offering to put her neck on the chopping block, you wouldn’t consider the plan either.”

“Luckily for me, my wife is safe inside the city’s walls.” Dane stopped abruptly and turned to face him. “Look, I’ve been there. The best tactical decision doesn’t always feel right—especially not when it involves someone you care about. Nel almost died once because I followed protocol. Take emotion out of the equation and think. Her plan is risky, but it’s the best one we’ve got.”

Marcus combed his fingers through his hair. “Don’t preach to me about risk-reward calculations. I won’t lose her. I can’t lose her. If it means the damn cult burns to the ground with everyone in it, then that’s a price I’m willing to pay.”

Dane shook his head. “You talk a good game, but I know you better than that. You’ll do the right thing. More importantly, you’ll do what she wants.”

Marcus snorted. “You’re out of touch with reality. I’m no hero, and I have no intention of starting now.”

The agent’s eyes narrowed. “I never said you were. Your girl’s the one who’s about to have that claim to fame. All you need to do is get out of her way.”

“The woman,” Marcus argued, “is completely incapable of figuring out what’s in her best interest. She needs someone to keep her safe.”

Dane grabbed Marcus’ arm. Their gazes bore into each other. Marcus didn’t flinch. He rarely backed down, and he was the one with someone precious at stake.

In the end, it was Dane who relented. “We don’t have to follow her plan verbatim. You can lead a team and go in half an hour behind her. The rebellion is a welcome variable. We just need to form a strategy around it.”

“Why did you come back?” Her grandmother seemed genuinely curious. The lines on the corners of her eyes and mouth deepened. Her brows were furrowed. Scarlet had managed to surprise her. Precious few did so and lived to tell the tale.

Scarlet glanced at the straitjacketed woman sitting on the dais behind Eleanor. She couldn’t profess to love a mother she barely knew. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall Mary’s voice. The woman’s break with reality had happened when Scarlet was too young. Her concern for Mary’s safety was a pale shadow of the burning emotions that once consumed her. Yet Scarlet’s answer wasn’t entirely a lie. “My mother shouldn’t have to die because I failed you.”

Her grandmother’s baby-soft hand brushed her cheek. Eleanor had never needed to do much herself. It didn’t make the woman any less lethal. She had a talent for making others do her dirty work. “And now you’ll die to save my daughter. How poetic.”

Scarlet glimpsed a flicker of lucidity in Mary’s eyes. It was as if reality had broken through the shield of denial for just a moment. But before she could be certain, all trace of it was gone. Her mother’s face remained the blank canvas it had been for over a decade. “My blood is on your hands. I’ll die because hatred consumes your every waking breath.”

Eleanor held her free hand in the air. Within moments, Belle placed a small blade on her palm. “You’ve always been a little fool. No matter how far I sent you, you raced back to me like a dog on a leash. It was as if you thought your paltry offerings would buy your way into my heart.”

Scarlet shook her head. “I stopped being that delusional a long time ago. I came back because this is my home. Even though you’ve turned it into a living hell, there are people here worth saving.”

The blade’s tip scratched her neck. Even if Scarlet’s hands weren’t bound, she wouldn’t have resisted. The Circle had been assembled. The gate to the arena was a few steps away. Countless eyes were watching. This was just for show.

Scarlet focused on steadying her breaths. The faster her heart rate, the shallower she inhaled, the more blood she would lose. Her stomach wound wasn’t deep. Belle’s stab hadn’t hit any major organs. But the blood loss would slowly strip away her strength. To the audience, Scarlett’s death would be at the jaws of the undead. Only Eleanor’s protectors knew the game was rigged for a single outcome. The real monster was the woman facing her.