Chapter 8

Jules has my gun, I realize.

He did not follow me, needing more time to himself than I thought. That makes me smile as I grab my suitcases, waiting at the train station. I think about him as my pulse quickens, not wanting to read into it too deep. But, all bad boys are the same. They infect you then take delight when you can think of nothing else. Then, they get you begging on your knees, and that's when they leave you. Or, sleep with other women. Once the chase is over, so is the relationship.

I bite my lip as I gaze around. This place is a sight to behold, very industrial with the tall metal exposed frames and vaulted ceilings. The train is monstrous, towering high, loud sounds of pressurized steam emitting from its engine. The cars have a western feel to them, but the front is all covered, rounded metal.

"You need to go to the fifth car, Louis is waiting for you there. And, from what I hear, he has invited Brittany and Star. Those are the only two you have to compete with, making this a little easier. The other girls want Jules," Dolly says beside me.

I take a breath. Every time I hear Jules's name, it sends a shock through me. When I arrived earlier at the lobby of the Dahlia, men were waiting for me. They said that Louis went ahead, not confident when I would be down.

Now I know he took the girls with him.

I huff.

I am not sure If I am doing that great, bumming me. But, it's still early, the fat lady has not sung yet. I need to pick up my game and stop fantasizing about Jules. I need to let Louis know my intentions or our relationship will never form.

I can feel the heavy rumblings of the train as the large gears shift.

A man sticks his head out and motions for us to come.

We start walking, "Are there others on board?"

"Yes, a lot. Most of Louis's army men and the other F.G.I. Agents. Pierce got them passages to start working on Jules. And, the sheriff and some of Louis lofty friends." Dolly looks at me. "It's going to be a shit show with everyone in the same place, in these closer quarters."

I feel a pang of something I don't like.

I close my eyes and grit my teeth. "Do I have to see the other agents swoon all over Jules? How long is this ride, and where are we going?"

I envision Jules taking clothes off another agent, and I almost feel sick.

That needs to go away.

Bad boys will do that to you. It's like the start of an infection that spreads if you don't doctor it. The wound needs cleaning.

"Is Jules on the train?"

"No, they went ahead on horseback."

Of course, he did. Because that's hotter, bad boys only do sexy things. Ignore it. We reach the large door as smoke and steam blow in my face. The man helps us up and takes my luggage to my cabin. I cough and walk into the luxurious room that is an elegant lounge— green velvet and copper finishes.

"Wow," I say as I feel the train lurch into gear, stumbling to my left.

"Louis owns this train," Dolly says next to me. "I think we are just going across the country, and I am not sure where. You can ask that," Dolly whispers beside me.

"Ms. Brey," a man says in a servers getup, a white button down and black bowtie.

"Yes," I say.

"This way," he says in clipped tones and motions me to follow him.

I glance at Dolly and follow the man. We walk through a series of cars, each room as luxurious as the next. I pass men in uniform, and I can feel stares on me like burning pokers. I wish my boobs were not so front and center at the moment.

We finally enter a bar/lounge with draping scarlet curtains and brown leather seating. I glance around, hearing the chatter of Louis's men. Cigar smoke clouds the room and loud, animated banter. Then I see Star, and she is in a royal-blue salon-style dress looking beautiful. Her dark hair piled high on her head with dark romantic lips. She sits next to Louis, who is currently whispering into her ear, making her smile.

I feel like I am already losing this battle.

Pierce made her stunning in her ruffles and fishnets. Maybe Louis did prefer the more scandalous look. I glance to my left and see Brittany with her gold-rimmed glasses glaring at Star, sipping on some tea, or whiskey. Great, this shall be fun.

Louis raises his gaze, and ours clash. His handsome features brighten, saying something to Star as he stands. I'm sure he is expressing his apologies. I see Brittany shoot me a look, but I ignore her as Louis walks up to me, looking impeccable in his gray suit.

"Charlie, so glad you're here," he takes my brown gloved hand and raises it to his mouth, his coffee-colored gaze pinning me. I can definitely see the resemblance between the two brothers, that same hooded stare.

"I think we have a lot to talk about," I say carefully.

He glances back to where Star is then back to me. "Let's sit over here," he pulls me to a vacant seat by a large window, the landscape rolling by quickly. We sit, and he takes a second to study me.

"Charlie, I want to be frank with you," he says in a low voice, I see him look at some of his men behind me.

I nod; knowing where this is going.

"Do you know where the stone is?" he asks, eyes studying me. "I need you to think very hard."

I look down then back up. "Bentley never told me," I get out, feeling nervous. I feel eyes on me everywhere.

"Nothing? Don't you remember anything? You spent your first seven years under his care, and you remember nothing?" he asks with a confused frown. "Are you scared to say anything?"

Yes.

But there is something in the way he looks at me that puts me on edge. I glance to my left and see an older man in a military outfit starring at me. "No."

He leans back in his chair. "Well, that's unfortunate Charlie. Tim Lester seems to think you know a great deal about where the stone is at."

I swallow, feeling like I am under a bright light. "I don't."

"Well, he is willing to call your bluff. They are after you, which is why I took the liberty to protect you," he leans forward, "In case anything jogs your memory about where the stone could be hidden." He looks at me like he knows I am not telling the truth.

Damn shit.

My heart ticks faster as I smile, if they only knew. "I will be sure to tell you anything if something comes to mind."

This is not turning out how I thought. I feel a little like a prisoner than a guest; I bet if I chose to leave, they'd stop me.

"Where are we going?"

He smiles as he lights a cigar. "We are going to Lower South Morun, have you been there? A little wild, but we must," he answers as he watches me in that unnerving way.

I wish Dolly were here.

I need help.

"Sugar! I am here, the firefly on the window. Okay, stay calm, they have nothing on you yet. Say you have been there, but you don't remember much, you were four. I don't trust this man."

I tense when I hear Dolly's voice in my head, heart pounding. I smile at Louis, hoping he didn't see my surprised expression. "I –uh do not remember much, I was young. I think four at the time," I say and glance at Dolly on the window. So strange.

I am bugged, literally.

He nods, and his eyes flicker to the window then back to me. "I thought so. Well, we are in a race to find Bentley's stored files. We believe they are with a man named Titus Mortimer. Newly acquired information, actually. I think you know him, you must. He was your Grandfather's confidant, his apprentice."

"Say vaguely. He kept to himself."

"Vaguely, he kept to himself," I answer and take a steady breath, feeling like I am talking to the damn C.I.A.

Louis chuckles and nods. "Well, Titus has the documents stating where Bentley hid the stone, which is huge."

My eyes widen. "He does?"

"Sugar, that is not good."

Shit.

Louis leans forward. "An article was found stating that Titus acquired Bentley's files upon his death. We all assumed they were destroyed, until now."

If they find those papers, I am done for.

"We have to find them first before the other agents."

How deep does this plot go? I smile at Louis and dust something off of my leather pants. "Well, is Titus dead?"

He points at me. "Funny, you should ask. We don't know. But we have clues to where Titus's residence may have been, or still is. We need to be the first to find it, the Sky colonies depend on it. There is always the possibility that this could be a dead-end, or it could be what we were looking for all these years," he says and flags a waiter. "Scotch," he orders and looks back to me, blowing out smoke. "The problem is, we don't know exactly which building is his."

That could buy me a little time.

I take a breath and glance at him, wanting to get off this topic."Thank you for protecting me. I find you to be a very honorable man," I say, trying hard to shift the conversation to something romantic. "I knew that from the first moment I met you, actually. You have very kind eyes."

Hopefully, I am not coming in too hot.

He smiles at that, and for the first time, I see his gaze lower to my body. Finally. He looks back up to me, and I can see a shift. "I am just merely doing what any gentleman would do," he continues, "I must say, you look ravishing."

Ravishing?

I smile.

I'll take it.

"Thank—"

We hear a loud explosion making the train tremble. I gasp and stand up with everyone one else, looking out the large window. My heart pounds as Louis curses and leaves me, yelling at his men.

"Where the Hell is Jules?!" I hear.

Men were running around, grabbing guns of all sorts.

"Sir, they are trying to hit us! It's the Crysp's Teeth!" yells a man in military-style outfit, beige with badges.

Louis runs a hand down his face. I can see the fear in his expression as he gazes out the window. "Stop the train! We approach the Bagstock's bridge! I'm not willing to drive over it until I know it's safe!"

I hear screams as the large window next to me shatters.

"Get down!" Someone yells.

I can hear the loud screech of metal on metal as the train engine breaks. We all drop to the ground, and I crawl to the broken window, wanting to take a look. I feel pain in my palm, most likely broken glass. I Ignore it as I slowly raise up to my knees and peer out. I can see men on horses in the far distance making my adrenaline spike. "Shit," I mutter.

They are here for me.

"Men take them down! Aim steady! Watch the grenades!" I hear a man yell as fires sound off from Louis's men. I cover my ears as they make it rain.

What is this?!

If Mad Max and Sherlock Holmes had a love baby, it would be this.

Brittany is beside me, covering her ears as well. "Are they serious!?" she screams as more glass shatters.

"No, I think they are jokin'!" I yell back with an annoyed look.

The shooting suddenly halts as dust floats around us. Something falls to my left and shatters, making me flinch. I take a breath and look over the window seal, still seeing the far away men on their horses. "They missed," I say to myself.

"Are you kidding me?!" I hear Brittany shriek as she looks too, her green dress now dusty and dirty.

I give her a look.

Louis yells, "We need better scopes! Son of a bitch the sun is messing with the aim!"

Another explosion shakes the train as we all scream. A thought occurs to me, what if Louis dies? I will have to ask Dolly about that. Mission over?

"Hey it's Jules!" I hear a man yell. "Louis, looks like we finally got back up!"

"About damn time!" Louis shouts and runs up to a broken window, shielding his eyes from the blinding sun, breathing hard.

I jerk up with Brittany as I barely notice Lynn standing by me now, coming out of nowhere. It looks like we are all thinking the same thing. We all shamelessly want to see him, like starved wolves.

It's like watching the S.W.A.T.T. team come in.

I see Jules's men on their horses with artillery strapped to them, dressed in black.

I hear a loud hoot in the air and instantly see Jules on his massive black stallion. I school my features as my ticking heart quickens. Dressed impeccably in a black three-piece suit and steel-toed boots; he gives off an air of confidence. Or, Arrogance. A scarf is tied around his neck with a machine lens over his right eye that puts off a red glow under the brim of his hat.

I shiver.

The red glow of his machine eye makes him more of a villain, in my eyes.

Jules's horse pounds the ground like the beast has too much energy. He whips the horse around and smiles. "Louis!" he yells with a laugh, seemingly thinking our situation is funny. "Looks like you guys could use some help," Jules says as he assesses the damage of the train with a loud whistle.

I turn and surprisingly see amusement in Louis's eyes. "Jules nice of you to show up, I'd watch out if I were you. They have grenades! Would hate to see your outfit get dirty!"

That made Jules chuckle, and he says something under his breath. "Holy shit," Jules looks to the man next to him. "They have Grenades, Jasper. What the fuck are we goin' to do?"

The man names Jasper laughs like Jules told the funniest joke. His dark hair and dark eyes are handsome in a very rugged way.

"I reckin' we join the tea party!" Jasper yells and pulls out a grenade launcher looking gun, the barrel being huge. The rest of the thirty men follow suit. These men look highly skilled and are built like the Titans, some of them in full metal face masks. Creepy, actually.

Then men instantly take off except for Jules, who stays behind and watches them. The men shoot their guns and judging by the scattering enemy; they're not missing.

Damn.

It's like the Navy Seals compared to the Super Troopers.

Jules turns his horse around and rides up to the window where Louis stands, the horse making him eye-level with the window ."Do you think they have Tim here?"

Louis puts his hands on the window seal. "Hard to say. With you being here I bet not, he has Octavia."

Who is that?

Jules curses and turns his horse in our direction, nudging the powerful animal forward. "I bet they have more men on the ridge," he says. "Octavia means nothing, that bitch already signed her name in blood."

We all tense as Jules comes up to our window, and his eye looks right at me. I can feel my skin heat as I raise my chin, our previous flirtation fluttering through my mind. He leans up on his horse and pulls something out of his back pocket with a slight grin tugging at his lips.

My F.G.I. Pistol.

He spins it around his finger with precision, then hands it to me. "Don't shoot me with it," he murmurs with a wink.

I fight a grin and take the pistol, feeling his pull he has on me. "If you need help, let me know."

Jules looks me over as his horse jumps to the side. "Dove, you can just help yourself back inside this train where it's safe. I'm not done with you, and I don't need a bullet in your head just yet."

I glare at him, and that makes him chuckle before he leaves.

I can feel the girl's eyes on me.

I know they are wondering if I have the mechanical heart. It's plain to see that Jules has an attraction towards me and they do not like it. Not one bit.

A shot fires and Jule's hat flies off his head. His eye widens, and in a split second, he is standing up in his stirrups and aimed with murderous intent, firing off shots.

Oh, shit...

I suck in a breath as I watch.

I hear screams and see riders ambushing us from all directions. I hear men yelling at us to get the fuck down and away from the windows. I almost did what they said until I saw Jules in action and was briefly mesmerized.

He was killing men left and right, cocking the gun with one arm and continuing his assault on Tim's men with tremendous talent. I will give him that. I shiver as I watch him, feeling my pulse quickening. I feel like he needs his own theme music playing right now. Something bad and awesome. I slowly walked up to the window just watching him single handily take out man, after man. It was like watching a John Wick movie. I see the knife slide out of Jules's sleeve as he viciously stabs three, four men who got close enough while shooting with the other.

Blood was everywhere.

I look around and see moaning and crying.

Jules is now shooting with both hands and the reins in his mouth, men surrounding him. I gasp, he needs help, now. A lot of Louis's men are either shot or wounded, not even sure where Louis is at.

I have a shooting ability.

Duh.

"Dolly!" I yell over the loud pops and bangs of gunfire.

More glass shatters, and I duck.

She is suddenly beside me in a slutty black club-dress and pigtails.

"Dolly," I gasp. "Someone could see you!"

She laughs, "Oh yeah." She is now the bot form. "You about to save Mr. Scary pants out there?"

I scream as I hear a loud boom. "Yes!" I yell at her, "I need a better gun!"

"There is a gun right outside the window!" she claps her metal hands, "You will automatedly know how to use it!"

"Okay," I breathe, "I can do this," I say.

"Rember your life-lines! I am super jelly!"

I rip off my lace half-skirt with my eyes focused, taking slow breaths. I go now. In my brain, I am moving in slow motion, jumping over the window ledge onto the hard dirt. Shots are firing everywhere, but I see the gun that I immediately grab. It's from a dead man, shot in the head. But he is wearing the same machinal eye that Jules's has. Better aim. So, I grab it and put it on. I must look like the female terminator.

It's large, a semiautomatic.

Perfect.

I raise the gun to my aiming eye as dust floats around me. I have always shot many firearms, but this is on such a whole new level. The mechanical eye lets me see clearly and without sun glare. I locate a wild man with a mohawk on a horse that gallops up to Jules intending to stab him.

I shoot him in the head.

Shit..

One...two ...three... four... I fire off shots, making my marks.

"Charlie!" I hear Jule's voice. "Charlie!"

Busy here, brah... saving your ass.

Another man down.

Not sure how much time has passed but I feel Jules grab me, shaking my shoulders as shots fire around us. "Charlie! What the fuck are you doing!?"

He is off his horse, looking at me like I lost my shit, dust swarming around us.

I look up at Jules, breathing hard. "Cock your damn gun and watch my back, cowboy, or we die!"

Jules stares down at me, and a slight grin spreads over his mouth as he nods. We are are now back to back, tossing clips to each other, working as a team.

"Two o'clock!" I yell.

"Watch your right!" he yells. "Son of a bitch!"

"Magazine!"

"Charlie, careful, to your left!"

"Horseback to your right!"

"Fuck!"

This lasted for a while until we realized there were no more men to shoot. The gunfire dies down after we spin, back to back, breathing hard. I wipe the sweat off my forehead and take a laboring breath. "Are they dead?"

"Yes, M'lady," he answers just as breathless.

It's over; we did it.

I giggle to myself, taking a large breath. We just Brad and Angied it from Meet the Smiths.

Holy shit.

I wipe my forehead as Jules turns towards me, ripping off his eye piece. "You okay?!" he grabs my face in his gloved hands.

"Yes," I say.

"Good because I am about to kick your ass," he says in a dark tone. "Don't ever do that again."

I smirk at him as I turn away from him. "If you need me, I will be taking a bath," I say and wink back to him. His crystal gaze widens.

Not sure why I am poking the tiger, but I am.

I am sure they are going to want answers to my gun talent, and they are not going to get it.

This train ride should be enjoyable.