Incognito: Sweet Submission

Chapter 6

Alice

A week had passed since that strange meeting with the founders, I thought the feeling she had then would have subsided but it was still there, still lingering.

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I saw my father, each time I would tell him about it, he would smile softly and touch my cheek saying, “I can’t delay this trip Alice, it’s too important.”

So I believed his words. Lionel Caroni was the most honorable I had ever known and in my line of work, there wasn't a lot. He was never a man to go back on his promises. And he always had a plan for everything which he executed in perfect precision every time. So when he said something was important, it really was.

I never questioned his actions, I trusted him with every fiber in my body and we had enough resources in Russia in case of emergencies. It wasn’t that I did not trust that he would take care of himself on this trip, it was that he never mentioned the details of what the meeting with the Russians would be about. Not even to Lilith. This had me wondering.

What was he keeping a secret?

It was a little past midnight, he had just left for his trip, despite my warnings. I had access to the GPS system in all of the organization's vehicles but I never had a reason to personally track the traveling route of my father.

Until tonight.

Right now I was staring motionless at my laptop, my eyes followed the little red dot on the screen that represented dad's car. It was taking the secluded route he would normally take to a private airport and making good ground.

Just a few more minutes, I chewed my lips nervously. He had approximately one mile to the airport then he was clear. I started counting the minutes.

One minute

Two minutes

Five….

Suddenly a quick wave of white lines swept over the laptop screen, then it went grainy. I tapped the laptop screen with my fingers harshly trying to get it to start working again. The screen takes a minute to clear but when it did, the red marker was missing. I reloaded the network just to see if I was mistaken. It came up blank again, confirming that the car’s tracker had been deactivated.

I shot to my feet and grabbing my pistol from her nightstand as I did then headed through the door and down the main corridor. Based on her, the car was near Thatcher woods the last time it was online.

And that’s exactly where I will go.

A door flew open with a loud bang behind me but I didn’t stop to look who it was.

“Alice I heard noises, where are you going at this hour?” Lilith’s concerned voice sounded from behind.

“Dad’s tracker was deactivated.” I threw over my shoulder.

“What?” Lilith screeched in shock, her shrill voice grated off the walls of the hall. I didn’t offer an explanation, nor did I slow down so Lilith had to run to catch me. “Alice!”

“Mom, I can’t talk right now. I have to find him.” I said, dismissing any further conversation Lilith would bring up.

“I’ll send some of the men behind you.” Lilith understood me, she knew my demeanor, I was always calm. Seeing me so openly worried must've brought a new wave of terror that stabbed her heart, one she never knew she could feel. Lilith ran back down the hall towards where the men stood watch at night.

I rushed to the garage and chose a black Y2K motorbike. It could cover more ground. I disregarded the helmet and strapped the spare handgun the motorbike held to my pants waist. The wheels skidded on the pavement as she peeled out of the garage and through the mansion gate in the direction of her father’s car.

My heart thundered in my chest.

It could be nothing, I tried to reassure herself. Maybe they went into a black zone, that area was known for them.

“Call Lance!” I shouted. The Bluetooth earpiece in my ears beeped and the robotic voice echoed Calling Lance. It connected on the first ring.

“Alice. I’m kinda busy!” He barked out, based on his tone I knew right then that something happened and it sent a of blinding terror down my spine.

“What the hell is going on? Where’s my father?”

“Alice- heavy fire, following us!” Those were the only words that came through the earpiece, along with a series of gunshots. It was raining bullets over, it was so loud that I couldn't hear anything else but it.

“Lance!” I shouted, my throat burned from the crisp air. “Lance!” The earpiece started to fry, before there was silence.

Shit!

I pressed on the gas pedal harder, the bike ate up more ground on the dark road. My long hair danced with the wind, occasionally impeding my vision but my eyes were dead set on the journey ahead. Tall trees were on each side of the road, the dark shadows they created painted an eerie tunnel at the edge of the trail.

Not long after, the bike neared the site, the fleet cars were in a jam and covered in bullet holes, one was wrapped around a tree and the other was in the middle of the road. The headlights were still on and smoke was sprouting from them.

I jumped from the bike as soon as it scraped to a stop and pulled my guns out, pointing them in opposite directions, just in case anyone was trying to sneak up on me. There was no one in sight from where I stood, but I counted four muddy car trails that continued onto the road ahead. They looked about a couple minutes old, which meant whoever did this was long gone. I went around the car that blocked me, with the same stealth and caution as before.

That’s when I saw him, confirming that her worst paranoia came to pass.

My father was lying flat on his back unconscious, three of his men surrounded him in a pool of their own blood. Just then, the world stopped around her. I rushed towards him, my breaths sharp and frantic. In one swift motion, I fell to my knees beside him and pulled his body upwards, searching him up and down.

His chest was pierced twice. The white dress shirt he wore was soaked with blood, I could still feel it spurting out from the bullet holes.

“Daddy.” I jerked him, with hope that he would move but he didn’t. His eyes were still closed and face that was full of life just the day before was pale as the fresh winter snow.

I swiveled on my knees and held onto my father’s shoulder. “You have to wake up.” My body shook from the series of sobs I released and I clenched onto him, desperately. “Wake up, please.”

I knew my tears were in vain. My father was dead. Nothing I did could bring him back.

“Alice.” A familiar voice called out from somewhere, it was Lance. He was out of breath as he rushed back towards me from the direction of the muddy skid marks on the ground. His hands came up to my back slowly. The fingertips dripped of his own thick blood as he tried to mend the wound in his abdomen; he was leaking like a fountain. But I was blinded by my own pain.

“Don't touch me!” His jaw made a crunching sound as I rammed my elbow into it. The pain came in a blinding whiteness that he had to blink away to contain.

“f**k!” I jabbed him again, this time he didn't react to it, he just stood there, silent. Staring down at his boss that he was supposed to protect. Lance wore a painful expression, and it wasn’t because of the bullet wound.

Don Caroni was dead. A man he respected-loved. The man he was to be glued to on this journey. And he didn’t even know how it happened.

“H-how did this happen? You were supposed to be with him.” I cried out in agony.

“I’m sorry.” He said, but the sound of the fleet cars that approached them drowned out anything that I even thought of saying.