Gleeman. Raven had felt better before he knew the man’s name. Such a strange name, too, clearly a public name rather than a private one, and not a name one would choose for an assassination target. He knew what Kaela was trying to do and he appreciated it, but it wasn’t enough to have her tell him that the man was corrupt. Always before, Raven had physical, incontrovertible evidence proving the wrongdoing of the person he was killing. In every case, there was clear proof that killing this one individual would save the lives of hundreds of others. But Raven had never heard of this Gleeman before and had no way of knowing whether Kaela’s words were true.
“You don’t want to do this,” Kaela said. “I wish you didn’t have to.”
She glanced around quickly and embraced him, her lips tickling his ear. For a moment he was shocked, wondering what she was doing and how she could possibly think this was appropriate.
“This is a chance to escape,” she whispered directly into his ear. Her hand slid through his hair. “Atheus wants us to be together,” she added as if in explanation. “You can find a way to escape.”
Raven swallowed as Kaela pulled even closer to him. He didn’t think she was trying to be seductive but he was having trouble keeping focused as her body slid against his. So Atheus wanted them together? It made sense, in a way. Certainly it explained why Kaela was allowed to be here, and why Atheus seemed so interested in their relationship. Perhaps Atheus thought that if Raven fell in love with Kaela, he would be bound to the Western World just as she was.
“You need to escape too,” he murmured. “I won’t leave you with Atheus again.”
He felt Kaela’s head nod against his, her fingers clench as she sighed. Raven stroked her cheek and was surprised to feel tears. “What’s wrong?”
“I love you, Raven,” she whispered.
Raven inhaled sharply and stared at her. Her eyes were red with tears, the bags under them visible. Her lips were dry and chapped, her cheeks thin. She looked as though she hadn’t slept in days. Probably hadn’t, he thought. But the honesty and sincerity lighting up her pale brown eyes was stunning. She was beautiful.
Raven kissed her on the lips, tenderly, gently, resisting her attempt to add passion. He loved her. Raven knew it like he had never known anything before. It was as if she were a part of him that had been lost long ago. He loved her, but not the way she loved him. Kaela pulled out of the kiss first, a disappointed look in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Kaela,” Raven said. “I do love you. But not…”
She shook her head and smiled, lifting a hand to wipe away tears. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have expected you to— I just thought—”
She took a deep breath and met his eyes with a confident smile. “Friends?”
Raven nodded. “Friends.”
He hugged her again, closely, and whispered a location outside of Baltimore. If she could make it there, he knew he would be able to help her escape. As long as Scott was able to find him in time, Raven thought. He tried not to consider what would happen if Scott had ignored the message or wasn’t able to find him. Raven wasn’t worried about himself. Atheus probably even expected Raven to attempt to run away after assassinating the candidate. But Atheus wouldn’t expect Kaela to run as well, and she was the one Raven was most concerned about.
They both jumped as the door to the room opened and Atheus walked in. He seemed pleased to see them so close together. Raven wondered if he even suspected that Kaela was plotting against him.
“Time for you to leave,” Atheus said, indicating the clock. The speech was due to begin in one hour. “You have everything ready, I hope?”
“Yes,” Raven said, unable to keep the anger from his voice. Atheus seemed so pleased at the thought of getting rid of a human and Raven was ashamed to be helping him. “I’ll take him out and wait five hours before reporting in again.”
It was normal to wait before reporting in, although five hours was longer than necessary. Raven would need time to hide from authorities and dispose of the evidence before appearing before Atheus. Atheus said nothing, but Raven knew that he would be closely guarded to prevent him from running away. If Scott had gotten Medane’s assistance, then perhaps there was a chance for Raven to escape. But if nothing else, he planned to stall as long as possible to give Kaela enough time to reach Baltimore. She would be able to take care of herself from there even without Raven’s help.
Kaela waved at Raven as he left, and he hoped she would have the courage to run. The thought of leaving her with Atheus was horrifying, but her destiny was in her own hands. She could stay or run as she chose. Raven had his own destiny to worry about, and his own escape.
Atheus escorted him out of the building and gave him a few warnings before allowing Raven to leave. Raven immediately took an elevator to the lower levels where there would be fewer people and began making his way to the building Kaela had identified as a good spot. He didn’t want to consider how she knew what made a good sniper nest, but he trusted her.
Raven wore black, as usual. He had requested a simple black outfit rather than a military uniform because it would draw less attention. In the United Western World, the only people allowed to wear all black were the executioners who carried out Kaonite judgments. They signed an agreement and were given the right to carry out death sentences, and in exchange they agreed to remain executioners until they died. Any who attempted to quit or leave the business were killed in accordance with Kaonite laws. It was a harsh system but it seemed to work; there were far fewer violent crimes in the West than in the East. Raven was used to being feared in black, but he had never been despised before and he was shocked at the disgust and scorn he saw on people’s faces when they caught sight of him. Perhaps a military uniform would have been better, he thought.
Raven reached the corner building and used the empty stairs to reach the top. The speech would be given on the tenth floor walkway that passed behind the old White House. The White House itself was dwarfed by its skyscraper neighbors, but locals refused to let it be demolished and replaced with something more modern. Looking down at the square building with its distinctive dome, Raven couldn’t understand the attraction. Perhaps it was a Western value that he had missed out on growing up, but seeing the old building didn’t fill him with pride or hope or any of the things he had heard people say about the White House. Instead, it filled him with despair, because just behind and above the White House, an innocent man was about to lose his life.
Gleeman stepped up to the podium surrounded by thousands of cheering fans. Raven wished he didn’t know the man’s name, but he would have learned the name even if Kaela hadn’t told him. Huge posters sporting the man’s name and likeness were everywhere. Raven winced each time he saw the large face staring at him, watching him, almost daring him to shoot. He focused on the lens and prepared the gun.
The speech started. Raven ignored the words but couldn’t ignore the loud shouts of support and loyalty from the crowd. Gleeman was popular. The man’s mouth opened and shut in Raven’s lens, his hands gesturing boldly and confidently. Raven didn’t listen. He knew if he listened, he would see the man as a human and be unable to kill him. Seeing the man through the lens was easier. Gleeman was a collection of parts, not a human. A mouth, hands waving, eyebrows lifting and lowering in an exaggerated and almost inhuman way.
Not a person, just a thing, Raven told himself. He fired.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Nalia was grateful for Scott’s comforting presence as they flew over the Atlantic. It was a nice contrast to Medane’s cold, emotionless conversation. Medane was interested in finding Raven and leaving quickly. Scott was interested in learning about Nalia and she was more than a little flattered by the attention. He was a charmer, she quickly discovered, able to get a smile even from Medane. Scott explained that he was a reporter and Nalia could see how he would be excellent—he was so interested in everything that it was hard not to reveal information.