Page 23 of Stars and Scars

“Well, hopefully you won’t have to. I mean, for all we know the Order is just a bunch of scrawny computer nerds holed up somewhere in their mother’s basement, right?”

I don’t actually agree, but I nod.

“Yeah, right.”

She gives me an appraising look. Maybe I wasn’t as convincing as I thought.

“Would you really cut off someone’s hand if they came after me?”

“With a rusty spoon, if I had to.”

She chuckles, and her smile grows coy.

“I guess you’d do the same for anyone else you were assigned to protect?”

It’s not often I’m caught off guard. I was not prepared for this question. I hesitate for about six heartbeats too long before I answer.

“Of course.”

Charlotte laughs. I’m glad that she’s not despairing anymore, even if her humor is at my expense, sort of.

The latest Order video has me worried. I really need better intel on them. Official channels are closed to me now, but I still have my unofficial CIA channels. In fact, one guy is in town, and even told me to call him if I needed help.

“I need to pull over for a minute. Need to send a couple of texts.”

“Um, okay.”

I pull over into a hotel parking lot, coming to a stop in the shade of a big palm tree. Charlotte watches while I type out a brief text.

“Who are you talking to?”

“An old friend of mine from my CIA days. He might be able to help me out with information on the Aegis Order.”

I send the text off to Malloy. Charlotte opens the door to the jeep.

“I’m going into the hotel store for a gatorade, do you want anything?”

“Wait.” I open my door as well. “I’m coming with you.”

“You really think that the Order would try to kill me in a hotel lobby?”

“Honestly, I have no idea what they are capable of. Better safe than sorry.”

Charlotte pauses, appears to consider my words, and then shrugs.

“I can’t argue with that, I guess.”

I follow her into the hotel, trying to juggle a text and keeping watch for danger. The cool blast of air conditioning chills the sweat on my skin as we enter the lobby.

The trouble with a group like Aegis Order is that they could literally be anybody. Zealots can mask their true faces when they need to. I remind myself that anyone could be a danger to Charlotte, from the baggage claim boy to the woman behind the front desk.

I relax a little when we enter the hotel marketplace. There’s only one way in or out of here, and I can keep better track of who’s coming and going. I do most of my texting without looking at the screen, relying on autocorrect and a final edit to keep me from sending gibberish.

“Are you still texting with your friend?”

I glance over at Charlotte and shake my head.

“No, I’m texting Cole, another guy who works at Platinum Security. Kind of a by-the-book bore, but he’s reliable.”

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