I shake my head with disbelief. “That I had it… Are you fucking kidding me? I sat there and watched 4/17 happen! How did that fit in with your grand plans?”
“Oh, it didn’t. That was a tragedy, obviously. But… we knew that in the aftermath, the world would adjust, and start us all on a new path — one that we felt was actually more beneficial than our original objective. There’s always light after the dark, Adrian.”
I stand and take a step toward him, stretching to my full width and height. I look him right in the eye. “You’re just as fucking twisted as Cunningham was. And what about Lily? Huh? Was killing her a part of your big picture?”
Horizon, to his credit, doesn’t back down. He doesn’t even flinch. He’s either mighty brave, or mighty stupid. He just stands his ground and stares right back at me with his dark, unblinking eyes. “No. That was necessary, albeit regrettable. She was one of my most capable assets. But she made a mistake and she lied to me. I can’t have that. I need to be able to trust our assets as much as I expect them to put their trust in me. Involving you in her faux pas was unfortunate…”
“No fucking shit it was unfortunate! Why play all those games? Why make me believe she was after me? If you were so disappointed, if you wanted her gone, why not just pull your little trigger and take her head off? Why make us both suffer?”
He chuckles. “You think that was suffering? Adrian… that was an education. That was for your benefit. Her fate was already sealed, but you… you still had a chance to redeem yourself. I’ve given you every opportunity to commit to our cause, but nothing was working. I didn’t want to lose someone of your ability, and I knew all it needed was the right push. I’ve been trying to find the best way to convince you that working for us is a positive thing for you.”
“Tricking me into killing Lily was meant to convince me you guys are actually alright? Are you being serious?”
He smiles and shakes his head. “No, Adrian. The situation with Lily was a lesson, designed to show you that fucking with me isn’t an option. I am better than you. I am your superior, in every sense of the goddamn word, and you will conform, or you will die!”
I clench my fist repeatedly. My jaw’s aching from tensing it this hard. I’m glaring at him, angry beyond words.
He paces away from me. “But… that didn’t work either, so I simply had her eliminated. You should be grateful. I asked Mr. Pierce to shoot her so she didn’t suffer. Had I activated her tracking device, the pain she felt before her head was removed would have been quite excruciating. A sensation I believe you’re familiar with?”
“Yeah, you’re all heart… you sonofabitch.”
He turns and looks at me, clasping his hands behind him. “Anyway, enough about the past. Let’s look at how we move forward.”
I shake my head. “That’s easy. We don’t. It’s great that you finally told me how you work, and all that crap, but it doesn’t change a damn thing. I’m done. I’m out. If you have a problem with that, we settle it now.” I point behind me to Kaitlyn and Yaz. “But you leave them out of it. Understand?”
He chuckles again. A smug little giggle to himself. Prick. “Adrian, I’m… I’m sorry, I… I think you misunderstand me. I relented and explained our organization’s workings as a gesture. To extend the olive branch, as it were, and to make you feel more comfortable with your life in The Order. I will admit, despite the shortcomings with your attitude, you are still one of the best operatives we have. As I’ve explained, I have invested considerable amounts of time and money to both bring you in, and to try convincing you this is a good thing. But I see now that trying to explain how this benefits you simply isn’t working, so let me put it another way. There is no getting out. I wanted to make your time with us more bearable for you, but you ultimately don’t have a choice. You will do what we ask of you whether you like it or not, or you… and the people you care for… will suffer the consequences.”
Shit.
He’s moved far enough away from me that I’ll never reach him before Pierce gets a shot off. Similarly, I’ll never reach Pierce in time either. I don’t actually have any moves. I don’t know what to do.
Screw it.
I flip Horizon the finger. “Fuck you, Colonel Sanders. I’m leaving, and I’m taking those two with me. Anyone tries to stop me, I’ll beat them to death.”
He sighs. “Very well… have it your way.”
He takes out a remote detonator, identical to the one Pierce had the other day.
It’s my turn to smile. I can’t help it. Arrogant bastard thinks he still controls me. He’s in for a real—
“Argh!”
I clamp my hands to my head and drop to my knees.
“Fuck!”
Oh my God!
Ah!
Ah!
I fall on my side, still clutching my head. It feels like someone’s taking a blowtorch to the back of my eyes!
I hear Kaitlyn scream, but I can’t do anything about it.
I feel like my head’s about to—
It’s stopped.
What… the… hell?
I roll onto my back and spread my arms out. There’s a slight ringing in my ears, and I have a headache like you wouldn’t believe. I need to catch my breath…
…
…
…
Oh, man, that sucked.
I don’t understand. How did he activate the device?
I push myself up onto one knee, still breathing hard. “How… how did you…?”
Horizon smiles. “How did I what? Activate your device after you blocked the signal?”
Shit.
Of course he knows…
He walks over and crouches just in front of me. “There is nothing you do that The Order doesn’t know about. We were monitoring the signal when your little friend here tried to hack it. We reversed his tampering the second he disconnected. You were never safe, Adrian, and I’d like to think that now, we’re on the same page. We… understand one another.” He stands. “Now get up.”
Fuck.
I’m trapped. There’s no way of removing or disabling the device, which means they know where I am at all times, and they can kill me whenever they want.
I slowly get to my feet.
“So, can we finally put all this silliness behind us? Do you accept the fact you belong to The Order?”
I stare at the floor for a moment, angry at myself for being so naïve all this time. I’m not giving him the satisfaction of hearing me say it.
I look at him and nod.
“Good. And, just for my own peace of mind, are we going to have any more problems with the level of detail I provide you with your contracts?”
I sigh and shake my head.
He smiles. “Excellent. I’m glad we finally got all this straightened out. I’m excited about finally seeing you put to good use for us. But… there is one more thing…”
He looks at Pierce and gives him an almost imperceptible nod.
I turn and see Pierce take out another gun from behind his back. He puts one against the back of Yaz’s head, and one against the back of Kaitlyn’s. “Both of you, on your knees.”
They both let out a terrified whimper as they kneel down. Kaitlyn’s eyes are filling with tears. Yaz looks like he’s just woken up from a bad dream, and he’s trying to process if it was real or not.
I instinctively take a step toward Pierce. “No!”
“Ah, ah…” says Horizon.
It takes every ounce of willpower and intelligence to stop myself, but I do. I look over my shoulder at him. He’s staring at me, holding the detonator in his hand.
He shakes his head. “Don’t ruin our new working relationship so soon, Adrian.”
Goddammit!
I take a step back and turn to face Horizon. “What do you want?”