Eve of Tomorrow

Chapter 8

Jeremy

St. Louis is like nothing I"ve ever seen before. It"s a city that"s centered on its port. Most of the boat crews are smugglers, but no one seems to care. Alcohol is illegal, but there are so many bars making their own hooch that it"s almost impossible to avoid. No one ever gets busted. Everything here can be bought and sold and nothing is ever free. There"s a Mexican controlled part of town, even though Mexicans aren"t allowed in Texas. These people are under the same rule as the capitol, but they aren"t blind followers of a prophet they"ve never seen.

During the Rebel attacks, St. Louis surrendered pretty early on so the destruction was limited. The docks took a big hit when people started lighting boats on fire, but everything seems to be back to normal, or as normal as this place gets.

As soon as I was released from the hospital, I requested my assignment here. At the time, I didn"t completely understand why. I only knew that I needed to get away from the Rebel compound. After everything that happened, I didn"t feel safe there. I was beaten by Jonathan Clarke and then thrown into a cell with Dawn. For days, we thought we were going to die. I don"t remember much of that time because I was fading in and out of consciousness.

By the time I woke in the clinic, General Nolan was in charge and everything was different. We were no longer talking about attacks and battle plans. People were being deployed to re-stabilize the area and fix what we"d broken. Dawn was already gone on an unsanctioned mission. I shouldn"t have been surprised. Gabby would come to check on me, but the awkward silence became too much. I didn"t really have anything to say to her. She already knew what I couldn"t find the words to say. It was time for us both to move on.

“Catch,” Drew yells as he lobs a bottle of water at me. I snatch it out of the air, uncap it, and take a swig.

“Thanks, man,” I say as we move further in from the docks. This place continues to amaze me with its vast network of warehouses along the waterfront.

“We"re heading for one of the Mexican houses,” Drew explains. “It"s not far.”

“How do we get in?” I look down at my clothes. “We won"t exactly blend.”

“Our contact is meeting us out front,” he answers. “Let me do most of the talking since I know what information we need.”

I just nod. Normally, I"d want to be more involved, but he"s right. I know nothing about any of this. I"m only here because I caught Drew heading out. He was going to come here alone, but there was no way I was letting that happen. To put it simply, I"m his protection. I"ve got a g*n in the holster on my hip and another strapped to my leg. I hope that"s enough.

“Rebel.” A man steps out from the darkness. I slip my hand over the safety and then rest it on the g*n, “You"re Rebels?” he asks, his accent thick.

“Yes,” Drew responds. “And you"re Rafael.”

“Come,” Rafael orders. “We must not be late.” He begins to lead us back the way we"d come.

“Where are we going?” I ask. “We"re supposed to be in the Mexican blocks.”

“No, no,” he responds, his voice is hushed. “He can"t meet you there.”

“Who?” Drew asks. Rafael doesn"t answer. Instead, he veers off into an empty building and we follow him downstairs to the basement.

“You"re late,” a short man says as he shows himself.

“I am sorry, Uncle,” Rafael says as he backs out of the room.

“I am Miguel, Rafael says you Rebels need information.” He keeps his voice low as he studies us.

“How do we know you have what we need?” I ask.

“You only talk to me,” he responds. I"m about to say something else when Drew cuts me off.

“Jeremy,” Drew snaps. “Wait for me outside.”

I want to object, but Drew"s face tells me to stay out of it. Reluctantly, I climb the stairs.

I scan the darkened street as I wait for what seems like hours. Finally, Drew emerges from the building, but I can"t see the expression on his face as he rushes past me.

“Let"s go,” he says.

“What happened in there?” I ask as my feet catch up to his.

“Nothing.” He sighs. “Another dead end. There"s something going on in Mexico and we need to know what.”

“What do you mean?” I ask. “If I"m going to help you, I need to know what"s going on.”

“I don"t want to drag you into this. It"s not a good idea.”

“Drew, I"m already in it. You can"t be going to these meets without backup,” I respond. Drew stops walking and looks at me.

“I barely know you, Jeremy.” He hesitates. “But Dawn trusts you.”

He starts moving even quicker than before. When we reach the docks, I follow him to the ship tied to the very last slip. There isn"t a single soul on deck so we board without any problems. We use the narrow staircase to head below deck. As soon as we enter the room, an older fellow hurries towards us.

“Drew,” he says as they shake hands.

He eyes me up and down before steering Drew towards a table at the opposite end of the room. I follow them. There"s a small group of people in deep conversation when we sit down.

A woman that I immediately recognize as a Rebel officer protests.

“Drew, we can"t keep bringing people in, not until we know more,” she says.

“Then who is supposed to watch my back with the Mexicans?” he asks. “You, Officer Mills, are leaving soon to follow your lead. The captain is old and slow, no offense.”

“None taken,” the old captain says before Drew continues.

“Lucas can barely stand and should probably still be in a hospital bed. So, tell me, which one of you are going to help me find the answers we need?”

“It"s okay, Grace, Jeremy can be trusted,” the man I know as Lucas states. “Dawn trusted him with her life.”

Even though Drew had said practically the same thing, I see his face go dark for a second. Dawn loves Drew but, when it mattered the most, she trusted me over him.

“Did they tell you anything?” Lucas directs the question to Drew.

“I met with Miguel of the Carlita cartel,” Drew begins. “They"re searching for answers as well, but there"s a rumor that the Moreno cartel is preparing for war.”

“War?” Officer Mills asks. “The Moreno"s don"t have borderland.”

“They have no interest in fighting Texas,” Drew explains. “I was told that Juan Moreno is a dangerous man. If all of Mexico plunges into war, the colonies are next.”

The door to the stairwell bursts open and two small boys run in. Their breathing is ragged and their faces are red.

“Dad,” one of them yells. “We were chased, but I think we lost him.” There"s a sense of boyish pride in his voice. The captain tightens his jaw in anger.

“You left the boat?” he asks as he raises his voice. “You two know better than that.”

“We were so bored here,” they answer. Both boys look down at their feet.

“Captain,” Officer Mills says suddenly, “I think we need to leave St. Louis.”

“We weren"t prepared to leave for a couple of days,” he replies. The captain scratches his beard, but doesn"t look worried.

“We have no choice,” she responds. “I have some leads to track down, but I must speak with the General first.”

The captain nods and leaves the room to order his sailors to prepare the ship.

“So, you"re heading for the Rebel compound?” Drew asks, nodding his approval. “General Nolan needs to be brought up to speed. He probably has access to information that we don"t. Jeremy and I will keep looking for answers here.”

Drew and I hurry away from the docks and slip into the shadowed town.

Drew eventually stops and turns to me, but I can"t make out his expression in the darkness as he speaks. “Someone will have to go to Mexico eventually to put an end to all of this.”