The Squad

There was a knock at the door, and Char was standing there when Mancini gave the order to come in. I’ve been avoiding her and could see the hurt in her eyes when she looked at me, but I wasn’t ready, not until I figure out how to navigate that whole situation anyway. She came in and stood in the middle of the room, not looking at anyone in particular.

“Do you know what your women are up to?” I forgot about her spooky ass.

“No, why don’t you tell us?” I’m not giving her shit to work with, double agent. She started to speak then cut herself off with a frown.

“Where’s the boy?”

“What boy?” She looked around the room as if searching for someone, then got this faraway look on her face.

“Oh, dear! He’s a strong one. Did you tell him everything?” She directed that last question to Mancini, who nodded his head yes. I’m guessing the him she was talking about was me. She finally turned my way, but her eyes were still not meeting mine. “There’re two sets of twins coming; they’re going to be a handful. Three boys, one girl.”

“The girl is going to be overprotected by the three of them, but it’s her blood brother that’s going to be extremely strong.” Mancini sat forward with excitement while it was all I could do not to roll my eyes at her shit.

“What did you see?” Mancini asked. Char nodded with a smile.

“It’s all coming together, but you must be careful. Just as you have found each other again, our enemies are coming together as well. They’re hunting already.” She did that spook shit again like she was listening to something that wasn’t in the room with us.

“The job you’re planning now might tip them off that you’ve convened, be careful. This won’t be the first time they’ve destroyed our team over the centuries, but it’s the first time everyone has been together like this as well as having the next generation in tow. Usually, the parents die before the young ones are little more than toddlers. Aren’t you glad I didn’t bring him in too soon? How could there have been a Catalina Lyon if I had?”

“What about Catalina?” I asked, not really wanting to know truth be told. Char turned back to Mancini.

“Didn’t Wilson tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Oh, dear.”

“Dafuq, does that mean?”

“Let me think about this.” She turned and left the room before anyone could say anything.

“Yo, I know you told us about her Mancini, but what the fuck? Is she putting us on?” Tyler sounded spooked.

“She’s the real deal.” Quinn piped up. He’s usually very quiet, always listening, not saying much but the first to jump on whatever needs to be done.

“You guys can’t feel it. But there’s something around Jason’s woman, a kind of energy. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I guess it was coming from the kid. That lady’s senses are stronger than mine because I couldn’t get a grip on whatever I was feeling; the essence was too weak. As to your daughter, I think we all know what she’s talking about. But I can’t get into her mind; she blocks me without even trying. I can’t read her.”

“She’s that strong, Quinn? You’re sure?” Mancini's dumb ass was excited.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“What’re you talking about? What do you mean block you?”

“He’s saying that she has… certain powers. If this is true, then…damn. I thought she was just a genius. Uh, Lyon.”

“Dafuq, you looking at Mancini?”

“You’re gonna have to come up with a better way to contain her. There’s no point in trying to stop her, but if we can control her… no scratch that, we have to figure out how to work with her.” There was another knock at the door, and swear to fuck every last one of these assholes drew in their breath when Mengele walked in.

“Hi, daddy!” She walked into the room with her sidekick next to her hand in hand like the damn Bobsie twins.

“What is it, Me…Catalina?”

“Daddy, can I come with you when you talk to aunty Roxy?”

Dafuq! “Talk to aunty Roxy about what?”

“Oh, uncle Hank before I forget, I need some stuff for the lab. Can you get it, or do I have to wait?”

“What is it that you need love?”

“Charbon powder.” Mancini didn’t seem too worried by her request, so I kept out of it. It’s only after he gave her the okay and she left the room that I realized she hadn’t answered my question.

“Wait, what is she doing with charbon?” Logan asked, giving me the first inkling that something might be off. “Either making a teeth whitening cream or manufacturing anthrax.” Asshole Mancini said that shit like it was normal.

Jason

Roxana was grumpy and fretful after the doctor left, and I knew most of it was due to the fact that I’d kept her up all night and into the early morning, plus the added excitement of the last few hours. Still, I had to fight her to stay in bed, which she did only after I manhandled her stubborn ass into compliance. I learned a neat new trick in the meantime and feel no shame in using that shit to my advantage going forward.