Eliot Strange and the Prince of the Resistance

38) Traitor

When I go in, Gus puts his gun away. "So, everything ok with your neighbor?"

"Yes," I say. "He found my dad. He's alive."

"That is incredibly good news for you, Eliot." Gus comes over to hug me. I can tell he is happy for me. "Good news he wasn't blown from the sky. I don't know how he survived that. Are you going to him today? I can walk you there on my way out of town. Not safe for a girl to be all alone. Rogues about. Where is he? Where is your dad?"

More questions and did I tell him my dad was blown form the sky? Maybe, Mr. Thomas is right. I hardly know Gus. A revelation hits me like a smack. Maybe both Lancasters are bad. I lie.

"Gone," I say. "My dad didn't even say goodbye. Or hello for that matter."

"Oh yeah, right. Back into hiding again?"

"No, he's gone to rescue my mom." I am so bad at lying. I can't think fast enough to do it, but Gus thinks what I said is funny. He laughs.

"Oh sorry, I just can't imagine how brave your dad must be to take on the One Nation Army. Either that or foolish."

"He is," I say, "Not foolish. He's brave."

"Well, he did have them penned down for awhile so, I guess he is a hero. What's that in your hand?" asks Gus.

"Oh, it's a note."

"Sweet, your dad wrote you a note," he says as he grabs a knife and starts chopping on the cutting board. "I think I will chop up these sausages and put them in the eggs, what do you think? My mum calls them dirty eggs. Hope you like them. How's your head feeling? I am sorry about last night. I feel terrible."

Gus is a smooth talker, but he is sweet and harmless, except. Except, he's a trained killer and by his own account, he's killed quite a few men on duty. Duty. It's his duty, I tell myself. I walk over to show him the note, and I see the knife Gus is using. It is a knife with a wolf's body for the handle. The knife that used to be the only weapon of the baby/puppy killers before someone shot them dead.

I try to convince myself. There is a perfectly good explanation. I'm sure of it. Besides, those people were monsters. Still, why didn't Gus tell me?

Did I tell him my dad was the sniper on the building blown from the sky? How'd Gus know that? Also, that my mom is with The One Nation Army? No wait, he said he knew my mom before. And, we did drink and dance and talk and kiss for hours last night. Apparently, I am a big 'ol blabbermouth when I'm drinking. Loose lips sink ships, my dad always said. Trust your instincts, he said.

Too bad my instincts suck.

Gus takes the note from my hand and reads it. "Gone huh? Well at least he's alive."

"He is, Mr. Thomas said he was gone. Thought I'd recognize the handwriting. But he told me, he's gone."

"Your dad's handwriting is terrible," says Gus and then more sympathetically, ""Left without you huh? But the note does say - you know what do. You do, right?""

"That's code for go home."

"But you are home."

"He means home to him. His secret place in the mountains. He means go home."

"Oh well, that sounds safer than here. Are you going?"

I nod. "Soon as you leave. Soon as I can get packed up."

"Eliot, it is not safe out there alone. "

He really is sweet.

"I know," I say, " rogues everywhere."

"Yes," he says and then he puts the knife down. "I'll go with you."

"What about your mission? To get the prince back to his mother?"

"Dad can handle that. We'll meet him in Elkin. Let him know what I'm doing. I'll help you get home. Help you get back to safety."

"I don't need protecting."

Gus leans over and kisses me. A light peck on the lips this time. I flashback to last night. He says:

"Eliot, this world has gone to hell. I've seen a lot. You've seen a lot. You're the only thing I've seen lately that makes me want to hang around and see how it all turns out. I know you don't need protecting, but I need you. I really do."

Wow, what do you say to that?

I do the only thing I know to do. I lie. "What about the prince?"

"The prince?" Gus asks. I have his attention now.

"Yeah, Mr. Thomas found the prince too. He hid him. Only, it is not the prince. Mr. Thomas doesn't know they switch sometimes. Anyway. When he told my dad, he had found him, my dad came up with a plan. He has a plan."

"A plan for what?"

"He is going to trade the prince, well really Jack, for my mom." I am getting damn good at straight up lying to someone's face.

"That is terrible."

"I know it's terrible, but honestly. He almost deserves it."

"Well, I know they are liars, Eliot, but I am sworn to protect them. It is my duty."

Gus does work for England, and he does seem duty bound. He asks, "So, Where is he? Where's the prince?"

"You mean Jack, right?"

"Yes, sorry Eliot. I know those scoundrels betrayed you. But, I do have a duty."

"What about going with me?" I give him my best I'm-just-a-helpless-girl look.

He pauses and says, "I'll go get him. Meet you back here, and then we'll take him to my dad. Then we can head for the mountains. You pack what we need."

He kisses me again as if to cement the deal. It is a good kiss too - full of hunger and longing. I kiss Gus back because who can resist his romantic gestures. He's too damn cute and obviously head over heels for me, and I am eighteen and weak. Kind of weak in the knees right now to be honest. I am not going to lie, a girl likes to be adored.

I have a concussion. I'm obviously not thinking clearly. A concussion and two bottles of wine and complete defeat and loss and loneliness will make a girl go crazy. Of that, I am sure.

As he goes through the door on his rescue mission my secret agent asks, "Where is the prince hiding? I mean Jack, where is he hiding?"

"The library," I say.

It is only later, when truths come out, that I realize that Gus never asked me how to get to the library.