THE BRAVO BOYS - SNAKE EATER [book three]

Chapter FOUR

Shelby Quinn

... two weeks later ...

Trophies, prizes and certificates of recognition line the walls of Hendrix Quinn's office at The Havenport Conservatory College campus, where he had until recently been employed as a professor of Biochemistry.. My father had been a man married to his work, it had been everything to him.. He'd spent the better part of my youth buried in his books, and it had been his discovery of nonosite technology that had been his greatest accomplishment.. His proudest achievement had been a chem-tech revelation, it wasn't me..

I always understood that his work was important, my grandmother taught me to appreciate his sacrifice, she would say; 'Your father has given up a great deal to make the world a better place', and of course I knew that was true..
I was always proud of him and naturally I had been as impressed as the next person when the refinement of his nanosites had led to a whole range of revolutionary medical applications..

Still, I had envied those microscopic organisms that he had loved so much.. In a strange sort of sense, they had been the children to him that I never was.. He spent more time with them, he doted on them and invested his energy in fostering their success.. He never missed an opportunity to be with them..

I had always resented his precious nanosites for that..

I suppose I am petty that way..

With careful consideration, I stack his various bits and pieces into a dusty old box, taking care to wrap the framed pictures of our family in newspaper before laying them gently one over the other..

When my hand delves into the desk draw, my fingers brush against the wrinkled leather of an old notebook.. I peek open the book to find an inscription inside the cover that reads; 'Private and Confidential'.

Turning the pages I see that they are filled by a series of numbers, page after page of them in running succession, impossible to decipher and almost manic in their scribbling..

I can't make sense of the serial succession, there is no legend or instructions by which to understand what this mysterious code might be, but something about the insistant way his pen had pressed into paper to immortalise these figures, it speaks to me of their value..

Something about this book is important, I can just feel it..

I just don't know what it all means..

....

A few hours later after packing the entirety of Hendrix's office, I walk down the empty college halls in a daze, clutching the ratty old cardboard box full of my father's belongings close to my chest.. The sounds of two sets of boots squeak close behind me in unison, as my escorts and best friends trail along, bringing the rest of my father's belongings with them in tow..

"How can The HCC ask you to pack up his tom-tit 'n all, Treacle-Tart? The guy innt' even dead yet! Innt' tenure worth more 'round 'ere than a few days off! " Duke Cassidy growls in outraged frustration, his heavy Cockney accent inflecting his aggravated tone..

Numb from the exhausting day, I release a tired sigh.. "It's more than a few days off, Duke.. Hendrix has been missing for months now.. They're just doing what that have to-"

Duke scoffs, argumentative and sullen.. "Un-fucking-beliveable.. I oughta talk to one'of these bloody donkey's 'bout it.."

Lincoln Slater's passive rumbling resonates softly as he seeks to cool his companions' hot temper.. "Take it easy Cas, making a scene here won't do Shelly any good.." Ever the voice of reason, Linc is the calming antidote to Duke's protective passion, together the two of them make up the best friends a girl could ever ask for..
The combination of them compassionate, kind, funny and fiery, I enjoy their company and trust them above all others.. They are like brothers to me..

I have known Lincoln since we were kids, both of us had grown up in Darkport, we attended the same school and we went through bootcamp together, but back then he never seemed to fit in.. Lincoln was always the strong silent type and with his enormous size and cocoa dark skin, he was a target for every threatened jock and neanderthal bully in town, looking to prove themselves by sizing up to the gentle giant..

It wasn't until Linc met Duke Cassidy that something in him changed, he became more confident, more at ease.. He became himself.. Something about their friendship brought them both to life and now I can't imagine one without the other.. They are a matching set and any woman that would try to separate them would only end up with a broken heart, because those boys would choose each other every time..

I suppose it's a good thing for me that I have absolutely no interest in getting in between them, instead they are like family to me, and my father had always appreciated the fact that I had the two of them to watch my back.. In some weird, unexplainable way, all four of us had been connected by a thread of unity and now with Hendrix gone, our family is fractured.. A piece is missing and nothing feels right anymore.. Not for any of us..

I groan beneath the weight of the box, uneasy with an ache in my arms and a stab at my lower back.. "I guess the Dean is just assuming he's not coming back, I can't really blame them.." I feel the prickling pressure of tears building behind my eyes but I force them into submission.. I didn't cry in Strysakstan when my squadron was pinned down by gunfire and we were surrounded.. I didn't cry when the enemy captured the survivors and I didn't cry in the stalag when the rebels tortured me to within an inch of my life.. So I sure as hell won't cry here and now.. "Everybody assumes he's not coming back.. Maybe they're right.. Maybe he really is gone-"

"Bollocks!" Snaps Cassidy, the slant to his accent hardening as he rhymes his way through his frustration.. "He wouldn't just leave his bricks and mortar behind! You're his flesh and blood!'

"I know that, Cas.. But I've exhausted every avenue.." I mutter as we turn a corner towards the exit.. "What else can I do?"

"What about the Tech-head that Iris recommended?" Lincoln asks.." I thought he was supposed to be some cyber-genius.. We need a lead, somewhere to start looking.. Can't he get you a look at the Blackstar security footage or something?"

"No, he was a total asshole, I don't think he's going to be of much assistance to us.." I scoff as I shake my head, remembering how cold and aloof Logan Nash had been.. He didn't seem like the type to help anybody but himself and I haven't heard a word from him since the day Iris and I ambushed him in her office.. Looking back on that day, I'm beginning to think I should have taken a different approach with the guy.. Maybe I should have shoved my Desert Eagle up under his throat and forced his hand.. Then again, I doubt that would have worked, he didn't strike me as the kind of man who would allow himself to be exploited.. I suppose I can appreciate that one trait.. Everything else about him had been intolerable..

Well, almost everything.. He had been awfully easy on the eye..

Damn it, Shelby! Stop thinking about him!

I stop at the double doors that lead out to the college quad and through the glass I can see students as they mill around, some chatting, others studying.. None of them are even acutely aware of the heartbreak I wake up with each and every day.. None of them understand what it truly means to suffer.. None of them know horror.. "If I'm going to do this, I have to do it alone.. I have a date set to meet with Tyler Bennings and the board, maybe he has some answers.. That is if they don't cancel on me again.."

Lincoln reaches out an enormous paw to push open the door, allowing me to step out into the afternoon breeze.. "Hey, you're not alone, Shelly.. You got us.."

Cassidy parrots in affectionate agreement.. "Yeah.. Ya got us, Treacle.."

I grin back at the pair with the shake of my head and a sarcastic huff, feeling the warmth of their support wash over me, giving me strength.. "Lucky me.."