A time To Die - Dont Be A Hero Book 2

Night Visitor

  Tyrone's eyes fluttered open. He stared at the ceiling of his dark bedroom for a moment before turning to look at the clock. 3 AM. He took a deep breath and rolled over onto his other side to face away from the annoying digits that told him it was way too early to be awake.

His eyes started to close, but shot open again when he saw a small, dark figure seated in the overstuffed chair next to his bed. He blinked, but it didn't go away. Slowly, he raised his head up off of his pillow, his gaze locked on to the dark figure. In the shadows, he was unable to see a face.

The figure stirred and Tyrone sprang from his bed. In one swift movement he had plucked his gun off the nightstand and had it pointed, safety off, at the dark figure. His eyes flashed bright green in the darkness, glowing as though they possessed a light of their own.

"Who are joo?" he whispered.

The figure didn't move from the chair, but instead lowered its head. It didn't answer.

Tyrone circled around the bed slowly, taking his time. He approached the figure cautiously and reached his hand out to touch the shoulder. Just before his fingers came in contact, its head shot up and he saw green eyes that mirrored his own. It was the face of the girl that had come to his door claiming to be his sister. His eyes widened.

Before he could say anything, the figure's face morphed, growing younger, until it was the face of the little girl who visited him at random moments, only to disappear before he could figure out who she was. His jaw dropped and he took a step backward, nearly tripping over the foot of his bed.

"Tyrone. Please. Please accept me. I love you." He heard the whispering voice inside his head. His eyes didn't leave the girl's face. Her eyes were green, like his, and wide. Pleading. He didn't know what she wanted from him. He didn't know what to say to her.

As he watched, the girl morphed back into the girl who had come to his door. She held out her hand to him and he started to step forward. He felt mesmerized by her. Drawn to her. He reached his hand out to touch hers, but she disappeared before the connection was made. 

Inside his head, he heard, "Ty. I'll come for you again soon."

Suddenly, Tyrone awoke. He sat straight up in his bed and looked over at the chair. There was no one sitting there. He was covered in sweat. It must have been a dream.

..............................

Natasha's long strides took her swiftly down the hall to Anthony's quarters. There was determination on her exotic face. She arrived at his door, squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and then knocked.

"Come in," she heard his muffled call from the other side of the door.

She opened it and walked in. Anthony was at his desk. He appeared to be engrossed in paperwork. His grey-blue eyes raised to meet her's and he smiled.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Tasha?"

"I want you to stop locking me in my room at night, Tony." She squared her shoulders and glared down at him. She was not taking "no" for an answer.

"Is that so?"

"Yes! Tony, you know I am not going to run away. I have proved myself to you on missions. I don't even have anywhere else to go, anyways!"

Anthony sat back in his chair and folded his hands together, regarding her thoughtfully. After a moment, he shrugged and sat forward again.

"I think your loyalty resides with yourself, Tasha. Not with us..."

"Tony you can't do this! You can't..."

"I wasn't finished!"

She closed her mouth with a snap and composed herself.

"Okay. Finish." 

"Your loyalty lies with yourself. But! I have seen you morph into a strong, independent, and powerful young lady in the time you have been with us." He paused and Natasha's heart skipped a beat. "You are right. I can't keep you locked up forever. You have learned and brought under control the power you possess. You have worked hard."

She had to remind herself to breath as he spoke. She nodded.

Anthony reached into a desk drawer and withdrew something from it. He held it out to her. Natasha stared at it for a moment before realizing it was a key. Her face lit up. She sprang forward and snatched it from him with a short scream of delight.

Before he could say anything more, she had flown around the desk and flung herself into his arms. She kissed him deeply and then released him.

"You won't regret this! I promise!" she said, smiling her unusual smile at him.

He recovered from the surprise attack and nodded at her. "You are welcome to stay with us. Stay a part of the team, if you'd like. But you are welcome to go if you prefer to leave. It's up to you, Natasha."

She looked at him, her eyes wide with shock. "You mean I can leave if I want to?"

"Yes."

She stared at him for a moment. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I had hoped you would say that. Welcome to our team, Raven."

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