“Yes, sir.” It was Cullen calling, and Kael quickly prepared himself for whatever he had to say. The twenty-four hours were running, and Kael hoped he had good news for him, but his instincts were saying no.
“The Orion group is searching for your chosen. They went to his house, but luckily you’d left. They are currently using traffic cameras and tapping into the local police databases for information.” Cullen was sharp and to the point.
“It would be wise not to stay in your current location much longer. Orion’s security team is looking into Crimson Corp and has apparently tied us to their break-in. Peter assures me they have nothing and are simply taking a shot in the dark. But either way, we cannot hold back much longer. We will have to finish this soon.”
“I understand.” Kael’s mind was racing with possible options and actions. “I won’t let him be hurt, sir. If it comes down to it, I will grab him and run, and no one will find us.” There was a heavy silence for a few seconds before Cullen responded.
“My hands are tied in this instance.” He said, and then added. “Your decisions are your own. I trust you will do whatever you have to do. I wish you good luck.” Cullen closed the call without further discussion. Kael sat on the edge of the bed contemplating the situation when he felt strong hands grip hisshoulders and squeeze, manipulating the muscles and easing the rising tension.
“Thank you, my love.” He said, looking back at his chosen, such a beautiful man. “We’re going to have to leave. Cullen, my superior, said that some of Orion’s men are searching for you, and they are tapping into police computers. They know you went home and are trying to follow you.”
“This is Mr. Mercier, not the killers?” Elias asked for clarification.
“Mr. Mercier, but the Council assassins are probably out there as well.” He ran his fingertips down the side of Elias’ face and kissed him briefly. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”
“I know you will.” The confidence he had in Kael was quite heartening.
“Get dressed, and we can pick up something to eat on the road.” Kael stood and reached for his pants.
“I think I knew what he was doing even when I pretended not to know. Any educated person would draw the natural conclusions, but I chose to act as if I was not aware of that part of my experiments.” Kael stopped and turned to where Elias stood next to the bed. He slowly sat down and stared at his clasped hands. Anxiety was filling the room.
“You knew where he was getting the plasma?”
“No, but I knew what it was early on, and I could surmise where he was getting it. I didn’t question and didn’t follow up. He must have known of the existence of your people and was trying to profit from it.” He looked up at Kael, and his eyes were full of sadness and shame.
“He wanted to live forever, that was clear in his words and his behavior and in his previous writings. It was all there, I just needed to see it, but I would have had to do something about it ifI had, and all I wanted was to complete my work and to discover the secret of life. I turned a blind eye to everything else.” Elias’ pain and embarrassment were taking over the room, and Kael would not abide.
“You’re a scientist, it’s what you do. You experiment, you find things, and often you make life better. Your job is all about new discoveries. You were doing your job like me and like everyone.” Kael explained it clearly, then took his hand, pulled him off the bed, and into a full-body embrace. The self-flagellation needed to end.
“I see your world now, or some of it at least, and that vision has brought with it the realization of what I was doing. I never meant to hurt anyone, I only wished to help.” He held Kael, and his hands were shaking. “The healing properties I discovered could be life-changing for people, and the longevity, there could be so many worthwhile applications there, and so many would benefit.”
Kael kissed the top of his head and held him tightly as he channeled peace and stillness to him through their bond. “This is where we are now, my love, so there is no value in beating yourself up for what you failed to notice. You know what is happening now, and you will keep your eyes open in the future. Live your life from here with me. There is nothing to be gained by killing yourself with pain and regret because it changes nothing.”
Kael was an assassin, and in his line of work, pain or regret was deadly, and nothing he ever took part in. His chosen was basically a good one for the most part, and didn’t need to be eaten up with soul-crushing guilt. “We clean things up, and you and I get on with our lives. How’s that for a plan?” He smiled, trying to lighten Elias’ mood.
“Good plan, I like it.” He tried to smile as he let his hands drop from Kael’s sides. “I should finish getting dressed.” He looked at his things strewn around the floor. “Where are we headed?”
Kael picked his shirt off the floor and slipped it on. “Out of the city. I need to get you somewhere safe while I figure out how to end this.”
“I’m safe with you.” Elias again demonstrated such complete trust and confidence in Kael’s abilities. It humbled him each and every time. Suddenly, Elias stopped as if frozen as he was tying his shoe and looked up at Kael with an expression between panic and horror. Kael did not speak, waiting for whatever it was that Elias had to share.
CHAPTER SIX
Elias was mindlessly going through the motions of getting dressed as his thoughts kept circling his accountability in the horrible things that had happened. His research had been born out of something terrible and abusive, and as much as he wanted to be able to put it behind him, it wasn’t easy. It was then that it hit him, and he realized that Mercier was not going to stop just because they messed up his building, destroyed records, and killed his scientist.
“The bunker.” He said as if Kael knew what he was talking about. “They wouldn’t have found the bunker.” He added. “It’s not recorded. Mercier had it made to house his most private concerns; it’s where he keeps all his terrible secrets.”
He saw the awareness when it hit Kael. “He plans to continue the experiments.” Elias nodded his head.
“With or without me, apparently.” Elias quickly finished tying his shoes and headed for the door. “Come on, we have to get there and stop this.” Kael took him by the arm as he tried to rush out the door.
“You can’t go back there.”
“I have to, please.” He pulled on Kael. “Few people, apart from Orion Mercier and I, know about it, and only he, I, and his head of security have access; no one else can get in. It’s where he keeps the plasma samples.” Elias could see Kael considering the risks, and he wanted to say no.
“Don’t say no. I have to destroy those samples. I have to stop this madness. Whatever Mercier is planning is not going to be for the health and welfare of the people. It’s going to be a nightmare.”
“Okay, but you stay behind me at all times, and you do exactly as I tell you, understand?”
