Sanctuary

[Jay Carpenter]

Axel Miller

Former Raider, MARSOC

PPO to Governor Thrice of Texas

Axel was truthful when he told the kid the car was the governor’s property. Not so much as a window lowered without the cloud registering the motions. Logs could be summoned with a swipe of a screen, and in the case of GPS, real-time tracking of movements as easy as opening an app.

Habitually, the flatness of his gaze skimmed the feeds of the house, but inevitably were drawn to the dot gliding along the interstate. Given his instrumental role in arranging the location of the meeting, he found an early stop to be surprising to say the least.

Curious, he changed from map to city mode as the vehicle paused at a truck lot. It was back on the road within a minute: not enough time to dash in and out. That meant one thing -- they found Cayli. He thought for sure the little shadow would hide the whole way there. How did they discover her? Well, it was something of a disappointment, but the bounty was explicit. He still knew where to find the girl, and Jay practically walked straight into the fire after dousing himself with gasoline.

The vehicle never returned to the truck stop, but neither did it seem to drive like a bat out of hell. Erratic speeds registered the log high then low. Not the habits of a steady soldier like Jay nor the flight of a close-call escape. Jay wasn’t driving. That left the British chick.

Axel leaned back in his seat, pondering whether or not to light a cigarette when a message came through.

Awake?

He glanced out, studying a dim light illuminating the rims of an upper window. A strange sense of conflict twisted his guts as a second message populated on the heels of the first.

Axel. I know you’re awake.

One last study of the map and he folded the information into his own wallet device, tucked it in the utility pocket of his pants, and snatched his coat. He was buttoning the jacket over the shoulder-holsters when he quietly entered the house.

The space was dim, but not dark. He never let the house fall into complete darkness despite the technology engulfing the grounds. The governor of Texas was a polarizing figure at the best of times, and before long, Jessika would find herself the enemy of one of the greatest powers in history: the united states itself.

While the US may be hamstrung compared to bygone eras, he appreciated the shitstorm to soon descend on them. Anywhere she went she would need to reside in a fortress: everyone would seek to assassinate her. As her head of personal detail, Axel was more than happy to be on a beach by then. Beaches required money; Filipino islands needed a new identity if he wanted to escape the cartel; he wanted a ticket out of this hellhole.

Which was exactly why he smothering the sickness knotting his insides with a slick grin when he opened that final door. Jessika was waiting. 

He leaned against the door, clicking the lock behind his back as she swept near, lips pressed eagerly to his.