Registry's Secrets (The Mengliad Series Book 2) Page 4

  She huffed out a breath. “Then what’s their concern?”

  “Basically, what it all comes down to is, they don’t want you to disappear. Your conversion is unique, and downright baffles them. They want to understand what happened, and they’ve yet to figure it out. Getting bit by a mosquito should not have caused this. They’re worried about the future of the species. If it could happen to you, could it happen again? They’re trying to determine the likelihood of that, and they think the answers lie with you.”

  “But I don’t have the answers,” she shot back, “because I don’t know anything!”

  Wade sighed. “They know that. They’re looking to learn the answers by studying you. Running tests on you. And they can’t do that if you disappear.”

  “What if I promise them not to?” She was grasping and she knew it, at the nonexistent thread of hope that had yet to be offered.

  “They won’t believe you. The other guy promised and disappeared anyway. They’re not willing to take that chance.”

  In both exasperation and resignation, Jessica muttered, “Fine,” then asked, “So what do we do now? Where do we go after paying the visit to crazy packets man?”

  “He’s not actually crazy, just eccentric, and, there’s this group—”

  “Oh God,” Jessica groaned, interrupting him, “not another group.”

  Sympathizing with her frustration, Wade ignored her reaction and continued. “They own a cabin up in a remote area of Idyllwild. We’ll be safe there, till we decide what to do.”

  “And this group would be?” Craddock asked warily.

  Wade hesitated for a moment before answering.”It’s a group of ex and current Registry employees, who are sick of what the organization has become.”

  “This is what our lives are going to be like now,” Jessica whispered to Craddock, burying her face in the crook of his neck. “Running, hiding, living in remote areas till we’re forced to move on to the next one.”

  “The alternative would’ve been worse,” he whispered back. “I can’t live without you, Jess. I can’t.”

  “I can’t live without you, either. I’m not suggesting we should’ve stayed.”

  He nodded that he understood that before asking Wade, “How far reaching is this group of yours?”

  “It’s not my group,” he corrected. “It’s fairly new, but they’re gaining new recruits all the time. Trust me, you’re not the first people the Registry has fucked with. And some of us are just plain disgusted with what they think they can and actually do get away with.”

  “Are Shea and Stacy in danger now?” Jessica asked suddenly. “Because we’re doing this?”

  “No.” Wade answered like he was certain, but then he added, “Not exactly.”

  “What does that mean?” she asked harshly, both worried and annoyed.

  “They won’t be hurt – regardless of whatever else they are, the Registry isn’t a violent group – but they’ll be watched more closely, specifically to see if you try to make contact. When you don’t, they will most likely be imprisoned, and used as bargaining tools to try and bring you out of hiding.”

  “Oh my God.” Her tears came faster, and Craddock pulled her tighter to him in response.

  “Look, I know how upsetting all this is to you,” Wade said, “and believe me, I’m sorry, but can you pull it together? We’re almost there, and he doesn’t respond well to emotion.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening.” Jessica attempted to compose herself, taking in cleansing breaths as she continued to seek comfort in Craddock’s arms. ‘Maybe we should give the baby up for adoption.’

  Craddock shook his head, his hand dropping down to caress her abdomen. ‘No. Absolutely not. You don’t right a wrong by committing another wrong.’

  ‘I want to have this baby with you so much, but is it fair to the baby?’

  ‘We’re going to love this baby so much, you’re going to be such a fantastic mommy, the sacrifices will seem small in comparison.’

  Jessica cracked a slight smile, despite the situation, but her previous expression of despair and frustration returned in seconds. ‘Should we tell them?’

  ‘Wade has to know, which means Bibi probably knows, which means Josiah probably does, too.’

  ‘How can we find out for sure? Without outright asking them?’

  Craddock shrugged. ‘Wait for them to bring it up, I guess.’

  The sharp ring of Wade’s cell phone interrupted the silence; everyone in the car startled at the sound. As he cursed under his breath and dug into his pocket to retrieve it, Jessica clung tighter to Craddock. It was bad news, and all of them knew it.

  Wade only glanced at the LCD screen before cursing again. “Shit. It’s the Registry. They know.” He dropped his foot harder onto the gas pedal; their destination was mere minutes away. “We’re almost there.”

  That information was offered in the hope of easing everyone’s tension, fruitless as it was.

  ****

  The house was the absolute epitome of run down. Chipped paint, broken rain gutters, dead foliage. Several cars were in various stages of ravaged, by time, elements, and thievery, no doubt. The lawn was yellow and brown, with a lone plastic headless flamingo standing guard.

  “He’s a slob and a recluse, but he’s a genius,” Wade assured them, pulling up in front of the garage and honking the horn. It was only seconds later that the door jerked and opened.

  “Did he know we were coming?” Josiah asked from the back. Wade nodded as he began to pull forward into the small building.

  Not an easy task to do, nor was exiting the SUV. Clutter lined the walls, spilling out into the usable space. Stacks of newspapers and magazines, old computer equipment, lumber, car parts, and broken furniture surrounded them. The guy was a packrat.

  Stumbling past the mounds of crap, everyone followed Wade to the door at the back of the garage, which presumably led into the man’s house. They waited with piqued curiosity to see who would appear after he knocked on it.

  The door flew open abruptly, an older, gangly man stepping into view. His white hair wild and standing up in tufts, his worn, oversized flannel robe hanging loosely, which revealed him to be wearing nothing more than a dingy white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, only served to corroborate Wade’s earlier description. He was, at the very least, eccentric.

  His intense eyes narrowed and landed on each one of them before he turned sideways, flattened himself against the open door, and gave a jerk of his head, indicating silently that they all could enter.

  “Hey, Lloyd,” Wade greeted him cordially as he passed through.

  “Cosker,” was all he said in return.

  The inside of the house was just as chaotic as the garage. The only difference was the addition of laundry and dishes to the array of junk. And about fifty bird cages, all without occupants.

  “Where are your birds?” Bibi’s innocent question was met with a glare; Lloyd obviously didn’t appreciate the inquiry.

  “I could have birds,” he griped.

  Craddock was both amused and bemused, equally. There was definitely more to the man than a simple case of eccentricity. ‘Someone’s cuckoo.’

  Jessica stifled a laugh, turning the brief sound that escaped her into a cough to cover. Luckily, Wade spoke up again, and Lloyd’s severe stare left them and landed on him.

  “So, we’re gonna need packets for three males and two females.”

  Nodding, Lloyd moved away, over to a computer desk piled with more useless trash, and plucked five large manila envelopes from atop it. “This was the best I could do on such short notice, but they’ll get you through.”

  “Thanks. And the car?” Wade asked.

  “In the barn out back. Old, looks like shit, but it’s in good shape.”

  Craddock’s attention was back on the only conversation happening in the room, after allowing it to wander about the disorganized mess surrounding him. “It’s mechanically sound?”

  For a long mo
ment, Lloyd only glowered in response, until Wade broke through the awkward animosity, purposefully.

  “Sorry we can’t stay and be sociable, but we’re kinda in a hurry here.”

  Finally, Lloyd tore his glare off of Craddock. He dropped a single key into Wade’s outstretched hand, accepting the one for the SUV in return, but as soon as the exchange was made, a loud crashing sound startled them.

  All eyes landed on an embarrassed Josiah, who smiled sheepishly in apology. “I tripped.”

  Easy to do, in a room with almost no available space in which to maneuver, but Lloyd didn’t seem to have much sympathy for that.

  “Shhh,” Lloyd hissed. “You’re disturbing my cats!”

  “Do you even have cats?” Craddock fought back a smirk, realizing, in retrospect, that it probably wasn’t the best of ideas to antagonize a crazy person.

  “I could have cats!”

  Sensing an inevitable argument, Wade acted fast to defuse it. “We gotta go.” He was obviously familiar with the house’s layout; he led the way, as quickly as space allowed, towards the back door.

  Josiah could only blurt an apology as he was caught up in the momentum of evacuating. “Sorry about your lamp!”

  Chapter Five

  The vehicle was old – early eighties, if a guess were to be made – and it did look like shit. Faded primer gray in color, with tinted windows, though the tint was cracked, bubbled, and peeling. The upholstery was also faded gray, with rips and tears on every seat. The carpet beneath, which was probably gray once upon a time, was shag-like, worn, and looked like it had seen its fair share of vomit. Thankfully, it didn’t smell like it.

  The only redeeming factor that was immediately noticeable was the passenger room.

  Besides the driver and front passenger seats, there were two rows of bench seats that could each fit three adults comfortably. Behind those was a makeshift bed, consisting of a thin futon-style mattress that was crammed in snugly. Most likely, it was thrown back there as an afterthought.

  The van did, however, seem to be mechanically sound. It started up without hesitation, and switched gears easily as Wade threw it into reverse and backed out of the barn, then into drive and sped away from the property.

  They were all thinking it, but no one said anything. Out loud.

  ‘Wade gave up his SUV for this?’

  Craddock shrugged. ‘I don’t think he had much choice.’

  ‘What’s that crazy old man going to do with a car he can’t even use, anyway?’

  ‘Hey! He could have birds!’

  When Jessica laughed, Craddock smirked.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Craddock dismissed Josiah’s question by shaking his head, implying nothing was, and then Jessica broached the subject out loud.

  “I was just wondering… what is Lloyd going to do with a car he can’t even use?”

  “It’s what he does,” Wade answered. “When people are in need, he gives them a car, then takes their car and alters it for the next person in need. This van came from the last person in need. Mine will go to the next person.”

  “Alter it how?” Jessica asked.

  “New paint, new plates… whatever he can do to make it look different.”

  “So he’s a member of this group, too?” Craddock asked. When Wade nodded, he pressed further. Carefully. The group Wade had been referring to was obviously still flying under the Registry’s radar. The underground nature of it meant secretiveness. “And this group is called?”

  For a moment, it almost seemed as if Wade wasn’t going to answer. “Pardaze Ahme.”

  “Wait…” Jessica scowled as she looked from the back of Wade’s head to Craddock, then back again. “Doesn’t that mean ‘among friends’ in Menglianese?”

  Wade’s eyes found Jessica’s in the rearview mirror. “You speak Menglianese?”

  “A little.” She smiled over at Craddock. “I have a good teacher.” She settled against him when he put his arm around her.

  “Good to know.” Wade muttered that to himself, but then said to the others, “They’re expecting us, so we can eat when we get there. If anyone’s hungry…?”

  Josiah immediately and emphatically nodded.

  “For how long have you known this was coming?” Craddock silently took a guess at the answer long before he even asked the question. Jessica seemed to share his opinion.

  ‘The day we started trying.’

  Craddock nodded.

  ‘I can’t believe they heard us trying.’

  ‘Don’t think about it, baby. Put it out of your mind.’

  “It was brought to my attention about five weeks ago,” Wade answered, “but I think it was in discussions for about a week or so before that.”

  ‘Maybe he doesn’t know. It sounds like maybe he doesn’t know.’

  ‘He knows. Starting to think Bibi and Josiah don’t, though.’

  Jessica gave a subtle nod of her head, agreeing with what Craddock was thinking, before asking Wade, “How long do you think it’ll be before they imprison Shea and Stacy?”

  When her thoughts jumped from concerns about who knew what to concern for Shea and Stacy, and Craddock caught up with her, he nuzzled into her hair and shook his head.

  ‘Jessica, no.’

  ‘We have to at least try.’

  Wade shrugged. “A week. Maybe two. Why?”

  “I was just thinking, maybe we should—”

  ‘Jessica, no. It’s too dangerous.’

  “Craddock,” Jessica snapped tearfully, “we have to at least try!”

  “Try what?” Bibi asked, confused.

  Craddock sighed, pulling Jessica tighter against him. “To rescue Shea and Stacy.”

  “That would be suicide.” Wade remained calm, even though the tension within the vehicle had elevated tenfold.

  “You said they weren’t violent,” Jessica countered.

  Wade nodded, but then shook his head. “Some fates are worse than death. They won’t kill us, but what they will do will make you wish they would. They’ll imprison all of us. Shea and Stacy, too. Then it’s seven people, instead of two, whose lives are destroyed.”

  “It’s not just two,” Jessica muttered, tears spilling. “My parents make four.”

  “Jessica…” Wade sighed, becoming exasperated. “I know you’re upset, but what you’re suggesting is insane!”

  “What’s insane is not even trying!” Jessica paused a moment to settle herself. “He’s my brother. And she’s like a sister to me. And my best friend for years.”

  “You don’t understand how this works.” Wade curbed the annoyance in his tone as best he could. “Right now, since the moment they realized you guys weren’t back at the house, calls started going out. Shea and Stacy will be questioned, if they’re not already. They’ll be watched now. Closely. Followed. Stealthily at first – they probably won’t even be aware they are – but after about a week, if no one’s heard from you, shit’ll kick into high gear. They’ll be lied to. Told you’re in danger, and that they are now, too, to explain why they’re being assigned bodyguards. They will never be alone, ever again. There’s nothing we can do. I’m sorry,” he added sympathetically.

  ‘Jessica, please. I love you. Don’t do this.’

  ‘I have to. He’s my brother.’

  ‘And I’m your husband! Or does that mean nothing?’

  ‘You know it means everything.’

  ‘What about the baby? They’ll take him from you, Jessica. The minute you give birth. They’ll dangle the possibility of visitation over your head and make you jump through hoops to get it. If they let you see him at all.’

  ‘Stop trying to scare me. I have to do this. I have to try.’

  ‘Shit. Baby, please…’

  “Just tell me where they are, then,” Jessica requested of Wade.

  Bibi turned in her seat, unable to keep silent any longer. “Jessica, be reasonable! You can’t do this alone!”

  “She won’t be alone,” Cr
addock told her. “I’ll be there with her.” ‘I’m not letting you do this by yourself. Don’t even try to argue. If you have to do this, I’m coming with.’

  “Me, too.” Everyone but Wade stared back at Josiah in shock.

  “Are you sure?” Craddock asked him; Josiah nodded absolutely.

  “Then I’m coming, too,” Bibi volunteered, though it seemed to be more out of a sense of obligation than because she wanted to.

  “Shit!” Wade’s entire body tensed; his grip on the steering wheel tightened. “You aren’t listening! You don’t get it! It can’t be done!”

  “If it were me, or your sibling, wouldn’t you want to try?” Bibi asked him, purposefully calm.

  “I’m an only child,” Wade returned flatly.

  Bibi rolled her eyes. “Look, you don’t have to come with. Just tell us where they’re at—”

  “Oh, please!” Wade cut her off. “You can’t do this without help! You don’t know how they think! You’ll need someone with you who does! In case problems arise! And believe me, problems will arise.”

  “No one has to come with me,” Jessica said meekly. “It’s me they’re after, anyway.”

  ‘All the more reason why I’m not letting you go alone.’

  “We’re all fugitives in their eyes now, Jessica,” Wade explained. “Even if they have you, they’ll continue to search for us.”

  “Why?” Jessica asked, and Wade sighed heavily as he slowed down to pull over.

  He shifted into park, set the emergency brake, and then turned around in his seat to face her. “I’m seen as a traitor now, and everyone else knows too much. If word got out about how they really are, it would be detrimental to the organization, at the very least. They won’t chance it. And they won’t give up, until every one of us is in their custody.”

  “But if it’s just me that goes, you guys won’t be in danger of being caught!” she argued, to which Wade scoffed and shook his head.

  “Jessica, you know too much! You know the location of the cabin! You know the name of the anti-Registry group!” When she seemed offended, he quickly explained. “Look, I know you would never willingly give up the information I’ve told you, but they have ways of getting it. What if they used certain things as leverage?” He glanced down at her abdomen before reinitiating eye contact with her; Craddock and Jessica both caught it. “They’ll use any method necessary, however cruel, short of violence. And you will tell them what they want to know.”