Revenge: Book 1 of the T.E.N. series

Regardless how much he wanted to trust Renda, Ten still threw the bedspread and one of the pillows on the floor in front of the door to sleep on for the night. He figured she was as tired as he was, and didn’t expect an argument from her about whatever he chose. And he didn’t get any complaint either. She removed her shoes and jacket, and placed her purse on the nightstand. Then she went to the bathroom, came back, and climbed under the blanket fully clothed.

  “Wake me if you hear anything outside,” Ten said before turning off the light and nodding off.

  When he awoke, Renda was still fast asleep. He felt stiff and sore and stood slowly, rolling his shoulders and twisting his neck to get out the kinks. They had left a few pizza slices in the box, so he grabbed a cold slice and took a bite while standing over Renda. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to watch his own child sleep. He took a deep breath, felt the surge of emotion triggered by his thought. Tears almost come to his eyes, but then receded. That wasn’t his life any longer. He had a new life now. He had to take care of a little business, then help the other scientists stay alive. Maybe the only way to keep them alive was to kill everyone on Russell’s list. Russell. He thought about his friend and how he never knew what was really going on. Were they really friends, then? Or was Russell just not willing to kill innocent people no matter who they were? Ten would never know. He only knew that Russell had acted like his friend long enough to call him one.

  Renda stirred and opened her eyes. She pulled the covers close to her chin. “How long have you been there? Staring at me?”

  Ten held up most of the pizza slice. “Just woke up. Didn’t mean to alarm you. Anyway, I was thinking, not staring.”

  “Well, it’s creepy. Think with your eyes pointed somewhere else.”

  Ten turned back to his sleeping area and rolled up the bedspread with the pizza slice sticking out his mouth, and threw it and the pillow in the corner near the nightstand. “You feel rested?”

  Renda slid the covers from her and sat on the side of the bed. Here tangled hair lay across her damp cheek. “Good enough.”

  “Today’s the day,” he said.

  “You don’t know he’ll be there. Not for sure.”

  Ten grabbed a power bar from his backpack and held it toward her. “It’s this or cold pizza.”

  “Cold pizza,” she said.

  “My kind of girl,” Ten said automatically. Then he grinned.

  “So?” she asked.

  Ten handed her a pizza slice. “He’ll be there. He always is. He talks about it all the time, brags that even after he mother died he spent the weekend on the water.”

  “Sounds like an asshole.”

  “Close enough.” Ten didn’t want to talk about him, he wanted to kill him. “How soon can you get ready?”

  “Pretty quick.” She reached for her purse and removed a hairbrush and threw it at him. “You first.” She pointed at his head.

  He looked in the mirror over the desk and had to laugh. “I look like a rooster.”

  Renda laughed too. “An ugly brown one.”

  Ten wandered into the bathroom and wet his hands, then ran them through his hair before using the brush. “All better.”

  “Close enough,” she said when he came out. “Now, it’s my turn.” She grabbed the brush as she passed him and went into the bathroom. She closed the door and he heard the toilet seat clunk up. In a minute, the toilet flushed and he heard water running.

  He checked the gun. It had a clip, which he figured out how to remove. He popped out the bullets and found that there were only four in there. He put them back and replaced the clip. Four bullets, he thought. He rearranged his backpack so that the knife handle was sticking out one of the side pockets, handy if he needed it. He grabbed the last slice of pizza and ate it, then ate the power bar. He still had a few more of them.

  When Renda came out of the bathroom she looked as though she’d gone to a spa. How did she do that? “You look refreshed. Did you shower and everything?”

  “I know how to clean up.”

  “Yes you do. You’ll make some young man very happy one day.”

  She smiled at him, but the smile quickly fell into a grimace. She wrung her hands.

  “What’s bothering you?” Ten asked.

  “You’re going to protect me, right? From these other people after you? The government?”

  “You’ll be safe on two accounts. I know your dad’s out there watching our every move. He won’t even let them get close, I’m guessing. Or if he does, he’ll be standing right next to them.”

  “You’re using him to help you.” It wasn’t a question.

  Ten smiled. “No, to protect you. I’m a dead man, and I know it. It’s just a matter of when anymore.”

  Renda shook her head. “I don’t believe that. You’re a smart man. I can tell. And you’re determined. You may not be a killer, but that won’t stop you from doing what you need to do.”

  Ten picked up his backpack and pointed at her. “You are very optimistic. Let’s hope you’re right. You need anything more to eat?”

  “I’m good.”

  “Then grab your jacket and purse and let’s get out of here.” He opened the door and reached for her hand. “We’ll have to find a car to steal. Tricky at this time in the morning.”

  “It’s five-thirty, I doubt anyone’s up but us.”

  “And your dad’s people,” Ten said.

  Renda glanced into his eyes. She looked concerned. “Stay low.” She took his hand and they were out the door, bent as low toward the ground as they could be.

  Ten angled them into the corner of the parking lot as far away from the row of rooms as possible. He chose an older car, which would be easier to hotwire than some of the new ones. There was a pile of sweaters, jackets, gloves, and tools in the back seat, and he was sorry to have to steal it, but in the end, he had little choice. He had to steal a car, and this one was as good as any.

  Renda climbed over the front seat into the passenger seat.

  “You’re getting good at that,” Ten said.

  “Shut up and drive.”

  He hotwired the car, got in, and backed out of the parking slot. Then he turned out of the lot and took the road he’d come in on the night before and headed toward I-195 South. They’d be there in no time.

  “You don’t think he’ll get there early and head out already?”

  “I hope not.” Ten glanced into his rearview mirror. “Why does the mob always drive black cars?”

  “They don’t. Dad just likes them.”

  “Shit.”

  “Why, he can like whatever he wants.”

  “I didn’t mean that. I think there’s another car following us, too. I don’t recognize anyone inside—and it’s not black.” Ten swerved around an SUV and gunned the engine. The old car picked up pretty fast. He heard a few tools clank together in the back and something shift in the trunk.

  “You can really pick a car,” Renda said.

  “Just stay low. I don’t know what these people will do.”

  Renda slouched down in her seat. “You want your gun?”

  “I don’t know what good it will do. I never use a gun and couldn’t hit anything if I wanted to. Besides, I only have four bullets left.”

  She shook her head. “I hope cold pizza wasn’t my last meal.”

  “You’re not funny.”

  “I know. I’m scared.”

  Ten passed a few more cars and noticed that Torry, or his people, fell back a little and that the other car picked up. He needed it to be just the opposite. Torry had to be between him and the other car for his plan of protection to work. Things weren’t going well, so far. He looked ahead and saw an exit. There was also a semi up ahead, so he passed the semi, pulled all the way over to the far right lane, hoping he wasn’t seen, and then slowed. Both of the other vehicles gained on him fast. The moment his car passed the exit, Ten slammed on the brakes, threw the car into reverse
, and backed over the safety zone far enough to take the exit. The other cars were too far gone and too far into traffic to follow him. “We got about ten minutes,” he said.

  He slammed through the stop sign at the end of the exit and turned toward the most populated area.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Same place. I want you to call your dad and tell him where we’re headed. He has to get there first. Tell him we’re being followed by what I suspect are FBI or CIA or some such shit. Actually, when I think about it, it’s probably that International Security for Technological Innovation group. Yeah, that’s who it must be.” He shook his head. “No matter, just call him.”

  Renda dialed and got her dad right away. “Yeah, I’m okay, Daddy.” After he said something else, she said, “We know. You have to get there first. He’s going to let me go to you.” She looked right at Ten.

  He nodded. He’d let her go as soon as the job was done.

  “Tell him we’re going to the Seaport Inn and Marina.”

  She told him and hung up. “He was hired from an outsider and didn’t know the government was behind this. He doesn’t want to get involved with any undercover government group. He said they don’t play by the rules.”

  “Too late,” Ten said.

  Chapter 6