God of War: Part 21


Lynn Jepsen


How are you feeling? "Like I was shot." Touché. "How's everything?" Not
good. Very bad actually, but I'm sure you'll be briefed when you're
feeling better. Lily nods and lays her head back against the pillows. Rae
and Ramon are starting to worry me. A wry smile creeps across her lips
then. "Just wait until Elle gets to be that age. I'm telling you,
teenagers are worse when they're yours." Speaking from experience? I
would have thought Courtney would be well trained. "You think wrong. The
last kid, he drove a motorcycle at ninety all the time."

"Mrs. Seaborn?" Sighing, I smile and give Lily a small wave before
following one of my agents into the hallway. Is he here? "He's waiting
for you downstairs." Right. Let's go then. When they said downstairs,
they really meant it. He's waiting for me in the parking garage. Don't
tell me I'm asking for state secrets or something... Trevor is leaning
against his car, a black BMV, chain smoking. I'm still not sure where he
learned to smoke. Catherine and Jamie certainly didn't teach him to do
that. Of course, Catherine and Jamie probably expected at least one of
the boys to join the Bureau. Instead, they got a spy and a soldier. Go
figure.

"Ma'am." He extends a hand, and I roll my eyes. Let's cut out this ma'am
stuff. I changed your diapers. You can pretend you like me. He chuckles,
and I wait. I can see the brief mental debate being waged between 'Mrs.
Seaborn' and 'Aunt Lisa'. He opts for a compromise and calls me
Elizabeth. The way he says it, it sounds like a question, and I can't get
over how much he sounds like Jamie. How's Cory? "She's great. You realize
I could get in trouble for this, right?" Your boss serves at the pleasure
of the President. I wouldn't worry. "Right." Then he pulls an envelope
out of a pocket inside his windbreaker, and hands it to me. "These
pictures were taken at a strategy session. We haven't analyzed the
originals yet, so we don't know who's in them." Fair enough. Anything
else? "Yeah, their leader, name's Ailat." Thank you. "No problem. Dad
would have done it."

*

Sam? He doesn't answer, and for a moment, I wonder if Margaret was
kidding about him taking a nap. Peeking into the room, I see Sam sprawled
across the bed. Elle is using his chest as a pillow for her nap, and I
wonder if he woke her up, or if she had a nightmare. I'm almost fooled
into thinking it's a peaceful scene. Then I realize Sam's awake, and
staring at some unseen point on the ceiling.

Sam? He turns his head this time, and there's this look on his face. It's
a look I don't recognize, and can't quite place. It's a look of fear,
loathing, and pain. Is it Josh? Did something happen? Sam? He puts a
finger to his lips and silences me. Shifting Elle over to the center of
the bed, he walks out into the hallway, and I follow. Once the door is
safely closed, he turns to look at me. "They made a video tape." It's not
so much the words but the tone of voice that tells me exactly what was on
the tape. He pauses then, and swallows hard. "They were members of a
group called Faith for Life." Who is a member of what? "The shooters.
Faith for Life." Okay, see, when you changed subjects there, you might
want to clue me in next time. Who were they shooting at?

"That's the funny thing." There's a punch line? "They think the only
people equipped to run the country are married, white, Christian men."
Okay, that is sort of funny. Now, can we lock them up or sue or
something? Surely there's a law against blatant stupidity. "How do we
combat religious intolerance and racial hatred in another country when we
can't manage it in our own?" With skill and talent beyond all belief?

"Come here." Gladly. I slide my hands under his jacket and hang on for
dear life. His chin rests on the top of my head, and I listen to his
heart beat through the fabric of his shirt. Pinch me and wake me up,
because this nightmare has lasted one moment too long.

God of War: Part 22

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