Fearless: Love Part 10

Oliver stared back at her. His finger nervously danced over the trigger of his gun. The men shook their heads, as if telling him, Get rid of her. Then he sighed.

"Look, I don't have time to argue," he breathed. "Just stay behind us, do you understand? I'm not going to let him hurt you."

Gaia nodded.

Oliver took a deep breath and then turned to his people. "All right," he whispered, opening the hallway door slowly. "When I give the signal, we go in."

TOM'S MIND WAS CLEAR AS A NEWLY sharpened blade. He was barely aware of screeching up behind George and leaping from his car in front of Loki's newest residence. George shouted something at him-some kind of warning, no doubt-but Tom tuned him out. His thoughts had been reduced to a single image: that of his twin's face. The face of a man who would soon be dead.

Warning Adrenaline kicked in as Tom flung open the door to the main stairwell and bounded up the creaky wooden stairs, taking them in threes and fours. In less than fifteen seconds, he'd reached the fifth floor. His eyes homed in on apartment #53. He didn't slow down. Instead, he took all his momentum from his mad sprint and channeled it into a vicious side kick into the door.

"Hai!"

But the door gave absolutely no resistance.

It slammed against the inner wall of the apartment with a thunderous crack, and then creaked slowly back towards him.

There had been no need to break it down. It was already open.

Tom hesitated.

"Gaia?" he called. Gaia?"

There was no response. He fought to catch his breath as he took a cursory look around Loki's living room. But there was nothing to find. The place was empty. All the windows were open. A light breeze rustled his hair. There were hardly any furnis.h.i.+ngs, even-just two chairs and a gla.s.s coffee table. And that made Tom extremely uneasy. Something was unquestionably wrong.

He closed the door behind him and hurried toward a side entrance. Footsteps floated to him from the hallway just on the other side of the door... then ceased.

That's got to be him.

Ducking down, Tom reached into his vest holster and pulled out his gun, aiming it defensively at the side door. If Loki- The door crashed open. Tom c.o.c.ked his pistol, searching for a target-but his joints suddenly seized in panic. Gaia? She was right behind Loki and two other men... no, this was impossible. He stood, and found three pistols in his face. Loki's muzzle was the closest, barely inches from his nose. Before Tom could even exhale, the front door flew open behind him, striking the wall again. A young man with black hair and chiseled features stepped inside, wielding a machine gun-which he promptly aimed... at Loki?

This is crazy.

Tom's eyes flashed in bewilderment between the machine gun and his brother. This young man didn't work for the agency. Maybe there was some kind of betrayal afoot, but he never- "Drop the gun, Loki!" Oliver shouted.

Tom blinked. Bewilderment turned to horror. "What?"

"You heard me, Loki!" Oliver spat. "I said drop it."

Gaia stepped forward, thrusting herself between Oliver and one of the men. "Where is Sam?" she demanded. "Tell me where he is, or I swear to G.o.d, I'll kill you."

Blood pounded in Tom's temples. He couldn't make sense of any of this. He'd fallen into some nightmarish alternate universe where no certainties applied-apparently, not even those of life and death. "Gaia, what-what are you talking about?" he gasped.

Oliver turned his gun toward the young man standing behind Tom-the man Tom didn't even know. "You," he said, staring intensely. "Drop it."

The young man obeyed, dropping his machine gun to the floor and raising his hands. Oliver turned back to Tom. "Now you, Loki. Drop it."

Just as Tom began lowering his gun, Gaia burst forward and grabbed him by his jacket lapels, shaking him violently. "Tell me where he is!" she screamed again. "Tell me where Sam is now!"

"Gaia, don't!" Oliver warned her. "Step away from him. He's too dangerous. Drop that gun, Loki. I'm not going to warn you again."

Tom gaped at his daughter's distraught face. He was beginning to make sense of the situation. Loki had set a trap. And Tom had fallen right it-as had Gaia. Rage boiled in the center of Tom's chest, but the pain in Gaia's eyes commanded all his attention. All that hysteria and anger... all of it directed at him. Tom dropped his gun to the floor and grabbed Gaia's shoulders, fighting to keep her still.

"Gaia," he said sharply. "Gaia, it's me. I don't know what kind of sick setup he's created here, but that's what this is, a setup. I'm not Loki, I'm your father."

"Shut your mouth," she howled, shoving him in the chest. "No more lies! Just tell me where Sam is. Tell me where he is."

It struck him then, with the force of a bullet: She didn't know. She didn't know that Sam was dead. In all the chaos, Tom hadn't really heard the question she'd kept asking of him. But now he was beginning to understand just how far Loki had gone to deceive her. He truly had no limits. Nothing was too cruel. So Tom had to tell her the truth. In spite of the madness swirling through the room, in spite of the fact that he probably only had seconds to live, he had to tell her.

"Gaia, Sam is dead," he whispered. "I'm so sorry-"

"You sick son of a b.i.t.c.h," Oliver barked. "You already killed him, didn't you?"

Gaia went still. Very suddenly. Every ounce of life seemed to drop from her face. Tom found himself wis.h.i.+ng, like a nave child, that his brother had never existed-that there had never been an Oliver to torture people so unmercifully, to inflict so much pain. He was a true sociopath. People's feelings were all part of the game to him, even the feelings of those he claimed to love. He wasn't even human. So there was no way for any human to compete. Except to keep telling the truth.

"Gaia, listen to me," Tom said firmly. "Oliver is lying. He is Loki, and he, or one of his people, shot Sam last night in the alley behind the Bubble Lounge."

Oliver stepped forward and thrust the silencer against Tom's cheek. The metal was cold and hard; it sc.r.a.ped against his bone. "This man is a liar," Oliver hissed through clenched teeth.

Tom had to ignore him. He had to ignore the gun. The need for truth took precedent over the need for resistance, or even the need for life. He looked deep into Gaia's shattered blue eyes, holding her gaze as best he could. "I wish you could have found out any other way. I'm telling you the truth, Gaia-"

"Step away from him, sweetheart," Oliver commanded.

Gaia obeyed.

One simple motion. That was all. But it was a move that terrified Tom far more than the gun buried in his flesh. Because he knew then that he had lost. He had lost his daughter forever.

GAIA REALIZED SOMETHING IN THAT instant: she'd been wrong about her father's eyes. They were not softer than her uncle's. They were just as hard. In fact, she couldn't even tell the two men apart. They were both dressed in the exact same suit. Their hair, their faces, even their voices... all of it, exactly the same. As were their endless lies and accusations. Every word they uttered was aimed at winning her trust, and every word yielded the opposite result. Loving gestures were s.a.d.i.s.tic, and vice versa.

Endless Lies So. The conclusion she drew was obvious. She couldn't trust either one of them to tell her the truth about Sam. Not for a moment. If she were going to get the truth about him, then she would have to get it from someone else. And there was only one other person in the room: conveniently, the one person she'd been waiting to see since this morning. Her eyes flashed across the room to Josh.

And then she frowned.

His face was as immaculate as ever. Totally unblemished. Not the slightest bruise or the slightest bit of swelling. Not even a scratch. It was impossible. She'd smashed it to a b.l.o.o.d.y pulp only hours ago.

Only then did she notice he was staring back at her.

That heinous smirk spread across his lips-the same one he'd worn even as she'd pummeled him and demanded to know Sam's fate. Gaia's muscles tensed. That reminded her: she'd made a promise to herself. She'd vowed to finish what she had started earlier today. Josh knew if Sam was dead or alive. She could see it in every repugnant feature. He'd always known. He'd known the answer every time she'd asked the question, even when she'd tried to beat it out of him. And now he was going to tell her. Because she simply didn't care anymore. For Josh, she was throwing out all the rules of conduct-every honorable aspect of battle she'd learned from the Go Rin No Sho. He deserved no less. He was going to answer her, and then he was going to die.

"You tell me," Gaia spat. She strode across the room and planted herself in front of Josh so that they were practically nose-to-nose. "I know you know the truth, Josh. Is Sam dead or not?"

Her father or her uncle said something behind her, but she didn't hear it. They ceased to exist. Nothing existed except Gaia and Josh.

"You're not going to tell me?" she asked calmly.

Josh's smile widened.

Gaia's hand darted to his face-so quickly that it made a whir as it sliced through the air. Josh didn't have a prayer of reacting. He was still smiling, in fact, when she clamped her fingers around the back of his skull and slammed it into Loki's gla.s.s breakfast table. The room exploded with the sound of shattering gla.s.s. Gaia didn't even flinch. Blood splattered everywhere: the floor, the walls, Gaia's tank top, her fatigues. n.o.body moved. n.o.body made a sound.

The smile was finally gone.

Gaia crouched beside Josh and grabbed a tuft of that spiky black hair, lifting his destroyed face with a harsh tug. Shards of coffee table dangled from his cheek.

"Dead or alive, Josh?" she whispered.

He didn't answer. Instead, he jerked his head away and lunged at her, b.u.t.ting her in the gut and sending her sprawling to the floor.

"Gaia!" her father and uncle shrieked at the same time.

Josh jumped to his feet, aiming a sweeping kick at her head. But she ducked the kick easily, coming back at him with a hard punch to the stomach followed by a vicious combination of blows to the chest-ending with a roundhouse kick that slammed his entire body up against the wall. She pinned him there, breathing heavily. She could hear them yelling to stop, but n.o.body stepped in. Either they didn't care enough about Josh, or they were just terrified of getting anywhere near her. Which was just what she wanted.

"Tell me the truth, Josh," she hissed.

He spat his blood into her face. "You b.i.t.c.h, "he croaked through his swollen lips. He clumsily swung at her head-clearly dazed and disoriented. Gaia didn't even bother to block the punch. She was sending him a message: You aren't even worth the effort. Instead she whirled and grabbed him by the neck, hauling him toward one of the huge, open windows. There was no stopping her now. She finally had a clear target for all her pent-up rage. She didn't know what she wanted more: the truth about Sam or the end of Josh's life. He struggled feebly. Gaia kneed him in the solar plexus. His body sagged. She was forced to drag him like a sack of potatoes.

"You should have told me, Josh," she grunted, hoisting his body up onto the windowsill. "Unless you want to tell me now? Last chance to tell me." She held him by his s.h.i.+rt-allowing him to lean perilously into open s.p.a.ce.

"Gaia, please," someone pleaded. "Stop this-"

"Okay," Josh moaned. "Okay." He raised his hands in submission. "Okay."

The words suddenly snapped her out of her frenzy. She realized that she did want the truth more than she wanted to kill him. She yanked him back inside, standing his teetering body on his feet and holding him there.

"Okay, what?" she demanded.

Josh turned towards her father and her uncle. For the first time ever, she saw fear in his eyes. "Jesus, will you just tell her?" he pleaded. His voice was m.u.f.fled and distorted by the damage to his mouth. "Just tell her the truth!"

Gaia turned around to follow his line of sight.

He was talking to Oliver. Not her father.

"We've already accomplished everything," Josh mumbled. "She's here. We've got her. He's here. We've won. Just tell her-"

Thwip.

Oliver interrupted him with a bullet. Josh's body instantly went limp in Gaia's arms. Her jaw dropped. There was a smoking black hole in the center of his head. It was in the exact same spot as the laser target on Sam's head had been.

It had taken less than a second, but that one shot told Gaia everything she'd needed to know. Oliver was Loki. Oliver was the liar. And Sam was dead.

TOM HAD NO TIME TO THINK. HE'D just watched his brother kill a man in cold blood only inches from Gaia, and he was quite sure Gaia was next. Aggression took over. He dove for Loki, but his twin was too quick. The silencer was at his cheek before he could close the gap between them.

Happiness "Don't be ridiculous, Tom" Loki murmured. "Do you really think I would ever hurt Gaia? She's practically my daughter. She should have been my daughter. I would never harm a hair on her head. She knows that. She knows how much I love her. Don't you, sweetheart?"

He turned to Gaia, shoving the gun into Tom's flesh. Gaia stared coldly at him, nodding her head in the affirmative. Her face was unreadable. She knew how careful she needed to be. Even in these last moments, her caution made Tom proud.

"So, Tom," Loki went on. He affected that deliberately bored tone he always used when he tried to mask anger. "I'm sure there must be hordes of federal agents waiting right outside that door, ready to swoop in here and bring justice to the world. But they don't really know the first thing about justice, do they? They don't know what you've done to me. They have no idea that true justice can only be served until I am living the life that is rightfully mine."

I have to keep him talking, Tom realized. It was the only way to buy time. Fortunately, Loki loved to hear himself speak. Particularly when he felt he could gloat over a victory. Tom's gaze remained fixed straight ahead, but Gaia began to inch out of his line of sight. He forced himself to breathe evenly. He couldn't follow her with his eyes, no matter how desperately he wanted to.

"Why do you think I'm wearing the same clothes as you, Tom?" Loki asked. "You're nearly as bright as me. I'm sure you're beginning to understand. The agents will swoop in heroically to take down Loki. But this time, they won't have to take Loki to jail, because Loki will be dead. Tom will be forced to kill him. You see? It's quite beautiful, really. The case will be closed, and Tom and his daughter will walk out of here and live happily ever after."

Tom's eyes flashed to his brother-and for the first time, he realized that they were dressed in identical suits. His insides turned to liquid. Never in his life had he felt like such a fool. His brother had planned this entire scenario from the moment Tom had returned to New York. Plans within plans within plans... every one of them designed to make Tom more desperate, to lure him to this place, to let his anger cloud his reason-exactly where Loki wanted him.

"I'll tell you the truth, Tom," Loki added. His tone softened. "I'm tired of living underground. So tired. And I'm sure you are too."

Tom nodded, just barely. Sweat broke out on his forehead, trickling down to the gun. "Truer words were never spoken," he whispered.

"Well this is going to help us both," Loki stated, without a trace of irony. "We'll put you out of your misery, and I can live the life you've wanted for you, you see? Money only buys so much happiness, after all."

In another life, in another world, Tom might have felt sad for his brother. But now there was no sadness; there was no pity. Only hate.

"Good-bye, brother," Loki murmured.

Tom squeezed his eyes shut, steeling himself for death.

Instead, the barrel flew from his cheek. Thwip! Thwip! Shots rang out, but not at Tom. His eyes opened. Gaia had jumped between them, kicking the gun from Loki's hand. Tom did not waste another second. He leaped straight at his brother, ramming his shoulder into his midsection and wrestling him to the ground-just as he caught a glimpse of a ma.s.s of black boots storming into the apartment. Just as Loki had a.s.sumed, George and a full team of agents had been waiting for a signal, a sign-anything to indicate that the raid should begin. And Loki himself had provided it with the gunshots.

Agonizing pain tore through Tom's midsection as Loki crammed his knee into the soft part of his stomach, then flipped him over, grasping Tom's neck. He couldn't breathe. Blood surged to his head. Not good. With his last bit of strength, Tom swatted his brother's hands away and kicked Loki out from under him, reversing their positions, pinning his arms to the ground. Triumph welled inside him. Now he would- "George!" Loki called. "Can't move, he's got my arms pinned down. He's got two men, do you have them?"

"We've got them, Tom," George replied.

Tom's eyes widened. He shook his head violently. "No, George! I'm Tom."

There was no response.

My G.o.d. They have no idea who is who. His concentration wavered-and it was just enough for Loki to flip him again. Tom struggled, but he couldn't move.

"It's okay," Loki called out breathlessly. He gazed into his brother's eyes, smiling, "I've got him. I've got him now."

GAIA STARED AT THE TWO MEN ON the floor. Everything had happened so fast. Too fast. She'd kicked the gun away-but by the time she'd regained her balance, they were already rolling in each other's arms. Her thoughts melted into cool, black nothingness. Energy hummed in her veins. She knew she should have been absolutely terrified. She couldn't tell them apart.

Failure "It's your call, George," one of the agents shouted urgently. "What's the deal?"

"I... I...".

Gaia turned to him. George's face had never looked more weathered and defeated than at this moment.

"Gaia? We need your help here.... "

"I don't-I don't know," Gaia stammered.

"We'll have to take them both," another agent shouted. They formed a tight circle around the struggle, weapons aimed at the both of them.

"I'm Tom," one of them insisted.

"He's lying!" the other immediately countered.

"That's it," the agent announced. "Take 'em both."