Jury Page 16

  Vaughn knew she was right. “Fine. The Man wanted Ken and Karla for a mission in France. They weren’t sure to make it back alive and so it was the best way to clear the bases. They faked their deaths and I took care of their son till Ken’s sister came for him. Sadly, Ken was the only one that came back from France.”

  “What happened to Karla?”

  “No idea. Ken wouldn’t say.”

  Ivy felt something did not add up but she decided not to push it. Please don’t be dead, Karla.

  ***

  “That was one heck of a trip.” Malia sighed. “But I am glad we went.”

  “Me too.” Taylor opened the door to his apartment and the both of them walked in. He closed the door, walked over to the fridge, grabbed two apples and tossed one to Malia which she effortlessly caught and they both smiled.

  “We need to talk.”

  “What did I do now?” Taylor walked over to the kitchen counter and washed a knife.

  “You know what you did.”

  “I can be forgetful, so why not remind me.”

  “You have not told Emily the truth.”

  Taylor scoffed, “What truth? That I am a trained spy?”

  “You make it sound stupid, but you and I went to that camp and we both have the tattoos to show for it. It is part of who you are even if you do not want anything to do with that part of your life.”

  Taylor leaned on the wall. “I just cannot bring myself to do it. What will she think of me? I mean, it is kind of a big deal.”

  “Does it matter really? You are best friends and if she cannot look past that fact, the both of you should not be friends.” Malia took a bite of her apple. “You are not a liar and you cannot decide to become one with the girl you love.”

  Taylor smiled. “You noticed that.”

  “Yes lover boy. You were staring at her the whole time and I could see that she loves you too.”

  “Really?”

  “Are you sure you are Taylor?” Malia chuckled. “You have always had this love meter that tells you when a girl is tripping for you. What happened to you?”

  Taylor laughed and sat on the sofa. “I guess it broke.” He sighed. “If I tell her, I might lose any chance I might have with her.”

  “Trust me, you will not.”

  “Alright. I am going to call her tomorrow.”

  “No way. You are doing it right now and you are putting the phone on speaker.”

  “Come on.” Taylor said and shrank back when Malia looked at him, one eyebrow raised. “Alright fine fine fine. You scare me when you look at me like that.”

  Malia grinned. “I love you too.”

  “Oh please.” Taylor dialled Emily’s number. “Hello E.”

  “Are you out of your bloody mind?!” Emily shouted. “You know I go to bed by ten and it is 10:01 p.m. Why wait till now to call me?”

  Taylor chuckled. “I love annoying you.”

  “Jerk.” Emily sighed. “What do you want?”

  “We need to talk, right now.”

  “Well, you’ve woken me up already, so I don’t see why not.”

  “Alright. See you in fifteen minutes.” Taylor ended the call and sighed. “Here goes.”

  “You know it is the right thing to do.”

  Taylor nodded. “I know. I will see you when I get back. Love you.” He kissed her forehead and walked out the door.

  Malia shook her head and chuckled. “He is so clueless, but oh well, he will thank me later.”

  ***

  Emily was lying on her bed in her room and staring at the ceiling. I should tell him. There was a knock on the door. “Coming.” She got off the bed and headed downstairs to get the door. “Hey Taylor.”

  “You could not sleep, could you?”

  Emily smiled. “No, I couldn’t.”

  “How about we talk while we walk?”

  “Sounds good.” Emily stepped out and shut the door. “Let’s go.”

  They got in a taxi and headed for the park.

  “What is on your mind?” Taylor asked once they got out of the taxi.

  “I just can’t get that story you told out of my head.”

  “So what do you want to know?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

  Taylor smiled. “I do not think a spy is supposed to tell everyone he is a spy.”

  “True.” Emily sighed. “Well, I shouldn’t be so hard on you since you’re not the only one keeping secrets.”

  “What is yours?”

  “Not telling you just yet.” Emily chuckled. “Let’s get to my favourite spot first. I’m tired of walking.”

  Taylor grunted. “Fine.”

  They walked all the way to the end of the park and sat on the bench overlooking the city; the night lights making for a nice view.

  “I’ve had a question I’ve been wanting to ask you.”

  “What is that?”

  “I noticed you and Malia don’t use contractions, but then you use them when you’re starting to get angry. Why’s that?”

  Taylor chuckled. “It was something my parents did. They never used contractions and if they got in an argument, using them was their way of letting each other know they were getting angry. After the funeral, Malia and I just made a silent agreement to continue in that tradition. It is our way of remembering them.”

  “That’s so sweet.”

  “I know.” Taylor smiled.

  Emily sighed and they sat in silence, watching cars zoom by and people taking walks below. Taylor’s watch beeped twice and he checked the time. 12:00 a.m. He smiled and almost immediately, his phone buzzed. He checked the message he got and chuckled.

  “Who was that?”

  “Never mind.”

  “Alright.” Emily smiled. I have to tell him. In three… two… one… She sighed. “I’m also an asset.”

  “What?”

  “I said I am an asset.”

  Taylor looked shocked. “You are fucking with me right?”

  Emily shook her head. “My brother and I went to the same camp you did and at the same time. I recognized Malia once I saw her.”

  Taylor smiled. “That’s why she met up with you earlier. She was telling you about JURY.”

  “You know about that?”

  “Yup. I deciphered the message and saw the both of you.”

  Emily laughed. “Nosy as always.”

  Taylor chuckled. “I guess that is why Malia said you will not hate me if I tell you the truth.”

  “You know, Malia and I were the closest of the girls and we were also the last two girls standing, but she beat me in the last round.”

  “Now I see why we get along so well. Aside from the fact that you love me, we have a lot in common.”

  “Stop kidding yourself. What makes you think I love you?” Emily sneered.

  “Well, Malia calls it my love meter.” They both laughed. “But seriously E, do you have feelings for me?”

  “You’re asking this because of what happened when Mike called me to the stand right?”

  “Yes. When Mike asked if you love me, you froze and that does not usually happen.”

  Emily sighed. “Remember when I told you never to fall in love with me?”

  “Yup, then I went ahead and did the exact opposite.”

  “Yeah. I told you that so I won’t have to accept the fact that I had fallen in love with you and there was the fact that May was into you, so I backed off. I knew that if you ever told me you loved me, I’d lose you. We’re not meant to be in a relationship; we do better as best friends.”

  “That does not answer my question though. Well, it kind of does, but I want to hear you say it.”

  “Yes Taylor. I’m in love with you.”

  “What do we do now?”

  “Nothing. We stay best friends.”

  “Do I at least get to kiss my best friend?”

  Emily chuckled. “If you could remember my brother, you won’t be asking that.”

  “That is true. Y
ou said your brother was in camp too. What is his name?”

  “David, but you probably know him as Flux.”

  “Hell no.” Taylor could not believe it. “He cannot be your brother.”

  “Sadly, he is. Were you guys enemies?”

  “Far from it. We were best of friends. We were called The Golden boys. We made it to the final round but neither of us could get ahead because our skills were evenly matched. I only got through to the finals because he decided to let me win.”

  “If someone else had told me this story, I’d say it’s a lie because David isn’t one to pass up a win.”

  “Well, he did.” Taylor grinned. “When do I get to meet him again?”

  “Luckily for you and unfortunately for me, he’ll be transferring to OakCreek next semester, so you guys will have your reunion then.”

  “I cannot wait.”

  “I just hope this doesn’t keep you away from me.”

  Taylor laughed and turned to sit facing Emily. “Someone is jealous.”

  Emily blushed. “I’m not.”

  “I did not say you are.” Taylor smiled and pulled her closer. “You do not have to be though. You are always going to be that one person I will always be close with. No one is coming between us.”

  “You are way too cheesy.” Emily laughed.

  Taylor bit his lower lip. “How about we piss off your brother who we know is watching us right now from one of the street cameras?”

  Emily smiled and looked into Taylor’s eyes. “I’d like that very much.”

  They chuckled and Taylor lowered his head, taking her lips in his. Taylor kissed Emily with all the passion he could muster. He had kept his feelings from her for 3 years and it had eaten away at him. Since the first time he had met her, he knew there was something about her that would complete him. He had decided to go out with May because Emily had told him not to think of her as anything more than his best friend. He liked May, a lot, but it was nothing compared to the way he loved Emily.

  Emily on the other hand knew she was stupid to deny herself this feeling for so long. She had thought she would be happy with just being close to him and being his best friend, but that did not compare to what she was feeling now. There were fireworks going off in her head and she never wanted them to end. A tear rolled down her cheeks.

  Taylor ended the kiss and planted a kiss on Emily’s forehead. He lifted her chin and looked her in the eyes, using his thumb to wipe away the tear. “I love you.” He said softly.

  “I love you too.” Emily smiled. “Bon anniversaire, mon cheri.”

  Taylor’s heart melted. “Gracias Señora.”

  “That message you got earlier, that was Malia wishing you a happy birthday right?”

  “Yup. You came in second.”

  “I hate her.”

  They both laughed. The night was going perfectly and the both of them were happy, sitting under the moonlight and staring at the stars.

  “Ouch.” Taylor flinched. “What the hell was that?” He used his hand to feel around the back of his neck and touched something. He pulled it out of his neck and stared at it. “Tranquilizer?” He looked around, trying to find where the shot came from when Emily flinched too; she had been shot too. She went down almost immediately and he staggered towards where she lay on the floor. “Emily! Emily! Emi…” He lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

  ***

  On the other side of the city, a lone figure sat in front of a large screen, different videos of different places playing at the same time. He clicked his remote and the scene with Taylor and Emily filled the screen. He looked at them laying on the floor for a while and turned off the screen. I’m sorry but this is how it has to be.

  EPILOGUE

  Emily slowly opened her eyes, a nasty ringing in her ears. She shielded her eyes from the bright rays of the sun and sat up. What the fuck happened to me? She let her eyes adjust to the surroundings and stood; she was back in her room. Why does my head hurt so much? She rubbed her forehead and picked up her phone from her bedside table. It was 9:48 a.m. November 19, 2018.

  “It’s Taylor’s birth…” Emily paused, her memories flooding back into her head. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she recalled the events that took place earlier. “Taylor.”

  She fell on her knees and cried. She finally had all that she wanted and it was taken from her before she could start enjoying it. Her phone buzzed and she looked at the screen. It was a message from Malia asking if she knew where Taylor was. She locked her phone and threw it across the room. There’s only one person that could have done this. She stood and dried her tears. She knew what she had to do, so she grabbed her travelling bag from under her bed, headed to her wardrobe and took some clothes out, packing them in the bag. She got her phone from where she had tossed it, took her things downstairs and got in her car.

  “Oh David. I’m going to get you for this.” Emily pulled out of the driveway and headed for the airport.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOUR

  Dada David Erioluwa is a 19 year old boy who is currently studying to get his Bachelor’s degree in Communication. He is the son of Pastor John Dada and Pastor Mrs. Meg Dada. He is also the leader of gospel band, Higher Worship and record label, INSTRUMENTALISTS. He has also written 1 other book.

  He has a big passion for Law, spies, friendships and families and this led him to writing this book and he is currently working on the second installment of the series.