Dragon's Kiss - 6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Haje tried not to tremble as he stood staring at the town car standing too close to the library. Their accident had attracted spectators, kids and parents stood peering at him, Vincent and the police. He answered questions and suffered a paramedic. Through it all, he couldn’t stop feeling the panic that had raced through his those few minutes before the car stopped.

His gaze searched and found Vincent’s assuring figure. If it weren’t for Vincent’s capable reaction, they’d have crashed into the school bus. He closed his eyes remembering Vincent’s calm voice. Vincent had kept him from going insane with fear. Two car accidents in one month, he shook his head touching his chest.

He was going to be sore tomorrow morning. His seatbelt had tightened against him when the car had jerked to a stop.

“Are you okay?” Vincent asked appearing before him. “You winced; I thought the paramedics checked you?”

“I’m fine, Vincent." He nodded to the man in overalls who was rigging their car onto a breakdown truck. “I’m sorry about your car.”

“It’s no matter.” Vincent followed his gaze. “They’re going to check the brakes. I’m sure Levin will want to include this incident in his investigation.”

Haje ran a hand down his face in defeat. “I don’t know whom to trust anymore. This is the third attempt on my life, Vincent. Won’t you tell me what’s going on? What do I have to do with Shin’s project?”

“I’m not cleared to know about Shin’s work,” Vincent said quietly. “My job was to protect him.”

“Then ask Jaxton Donovan.” Haje looked up into Vincent’s eyes.

Vincent had saved him twice, if he couldn’t trust anyone, he could trust in that. Vincent seemed invested enough to keep him breathing, which made him an ally. He was going to need Vincent to help him keep the Strassen Foundation at bay until he found out what was going on.

Holding Vincent's blue gaze, he murmured, “Please Vincent.”

“I’ll call him but that’s all I can promise.” Vincent grimaced when he glanced up. “Levin’s here.”

Haje followed his gaze in time to see Levin get off his motor bike and drag his helmet off. “Don’t you like him?”

Vincent shrugged. “He’s an acquired taste.”

Levin hurried to them, running fingers through his hair to make it stop standing on edge. Haje watched him take in the scene, his gaze lingering over the car being levered onto the truck.

Vincent made a noncommittal noise beside him and reached into his pocket. “I’m going to make that call.”

“Don’t,” Haje said quickly.

He wasn’t proud of the shivers running through him. He couldn’t stop feeling afraid. There was a real possibility that the person who’d tried to kill them stood in the crowd, watching.

“Don’t what?” Vincent asked looking at him with a puzzled gaze.

“Leave, don’t leave me,” Haje said quietly holding on to Vincent’s right arm. “I-

“Hey, you two,” Levin said reaching them too soon. “Haje are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” He didn’t let go of Vincent’s arm afraid if he did, the older man would move away.

Levin turned to Vincent. “I hear you have some skill with a car, Vincent. Thank you for keeping Haje safe.”

“I didn’t do it for you.” Vincent’s tone was low, dangerous, and unfriendly.

Levin ignored the unfriendly comment and continued, “I need you to come to the station. I have a few more questions about this accident and any other attempts on Haje’s life.”

Vincent frowned and looked at Haje before he answered. “I’ve told the officers everything I need to say.”

“There are answers that need clarification.” Levin wrapped an arm around Haje’s shoulders. “I’ll have an officer drop Haje at home. I’m sure he has things he needs to do.”

“I can’t leave him alone.” Vincent insisted keeping a firm grip on Haje’s plastered left arm. “He stays with me.”

“You’re needed for questioning,” Levin reiterated. “Haje-

“I’ll stay with Vincent.” Haje turned to Levin. “I feel safe with him around. I don’t mind waiting at the station.”

Levin stared at him with an unreadable expression and for a moment, Haje was sure he read irritation. Levin shrugged and looked away, he signaled a police offer. “Fine, both of you will go down to the police station.”

Haje nodded in relief but it was short lived as he suddenly remembered the briefcase. He’d left it in the backseat of Vincent’s car. He gasped and moved to see where the car was.

“I have it.” Vincent lifted his left hand and Haje froze when he finally noticed the briefcase. “You were guarding it so hard. I figured you’d want to keep it with you. The rest of Shin’s stuff will be safe in the trunk.”

Haje held out his hand to Vincent.

Vincent handed him the briefcase without hesitation. He met Vincent’s blue gaze. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Vincent answered.

Levin touched Haje’s shoulder to get his attention. “Officer Pelt will take you down to the station. I’ll be right behind you; I need to talk to a few more people.”

Haje nodded and allowed Vincent to lead the way after the police officer.

*****

The sun was setting by the time they left the Colston Police Station. Vincent sat beside him in the back of the car fuming. His jaw set in a hard line. Haje frowned. Levin hadn’t called him in for questioning, but he’d certainly managed to get Vincent’s face looking angrier than usual.

The officer who drove them home didn’t talk much, and when he pulled into the driveway at Haje’s house, he stopped the car and got out to open Haje’s door.

“A police car will drive by every half hour. Don’t hesitate to inform us if anything happens, or if you notice any suspicious persons.”

Haje nodded in understanding watching as Vincent climbed out of the car after him. Vincent thanked the police officer for bringing them home, and hurried Haje into the house.

“What did Levin ask you?” Haje asked when Vincent paused in the hallway to remove his coat.

“I don’t want to talk about that. I’m sure you’re tired. You need to eat.” Vincent hung his coat in the coat closet and turned just as Seol hurried down the stairs.

She’d wanted to come down to the police station, but Haje had told her to wait at home. It hadn’t made sense to have them all down there waiting.

“Haje,” Seol exclaimed coming to hug him tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay. You took so long at the station, I was starting to worry.”

She let go of him and turned to pull Vincent into a tight hug. Haje smiled when Vincent’s eyes widened in surprise. Seol ignored his stiff stance and wrapped her arms around his shoulders pulling him down to her height. She patted Vincent’s back.

“Thank you for saving my baby again. This is becoming a terrible habit.” Seol let Vincent go and stepped back. “Did someone really cut the brake lines?”

“Yes.” Haje signed. “Luckily, Vincent is really good at driving. You should have seen him, Mom. I wasn’t scared at all.”

“They have a suspect,” Vincent said giving him a hard look.

Haje frowned at the accusation in Vincent’s eyes and wondered what Levin had done now. It should have been obvious to Levin that Vincent had been a victim too. He doubted Vincent would cut the brakes in a car he was driving.

“You must be tired and hungry,” Seol interrupted his thoughts. “Come on, Christina has been cooking like a mad woman.”

Haje spent the rest of his evening assuring Seol and Christina that he wasn’t hurt. Vincent excused himself and went upstairs to his room leaving them to talk. After dinner and more assurances to both women, Haje finally made it to his bedroom.

*****

One o’clock in the morning, Haje turned to his right on the bed and stared at the blinking clock sitting on his bedside table. Vincent had come in around nine o’clock to make sure his room was secure. He’d almost laughed at the simple statement. Vincent had refused to tell him what Levin had been questioning him about.

Vincent had instead come over to the bed and straightened his covers, pulling them higher as though he were a child.

“There’s nothing to worry about, Haje. Concentrate on your rest and healing, you’ve barely slept since last week.”

He’d wanted to ask Vincent to stay with him until he fell asleep. Worse, he’d shortly wished Vincent would read to him; sit with him for a while. He closed his eyes at the embarrassed wave that swept through him. He couldn’t allow himself to lean on Vincent, Ever.

He tried sleeping, hoping for oblivion to get away from his thoughts. Suddenly, he was in the back of Vincent’s car, they were driving too fast. His seatbelt tight against his chest, he screamed as they crashed into the bus hard.

Haje sat up with a gasp. Wiping a hand down his face, he pushed the covers away and decided he didn’t need sleep. He stood up and walked to his writing desk by the windows. He picked up his laptop and headed to the bathroom.

Paranoia had made him stash his brother’s briefcase in the towel closet in the bathroom. Locking the door, he placed his laptop on a stool and retrieved the briefcase. He sat on the toilet lid and snapped the briefcase open.

Fifteen minutes later, he’d found Shin’s video and a small smile tugged at his lips at the sight of his twin brother. Memories washed over him and for the first five minutes, he really didn’t listen to his brother until he heard Zavier’s name.

Rewinding the video, he took in a deep breath and paid attention.

“I set aside this drive in case they got a hold of my server. You need to worry about Strausse Corporation, Haje. They fund the foundation and started Project Terra to gain patents. All our research eventually goes to Strausse Corp.; they determine who will benefit from our research findings and own the tech we create.”

“When I discovered what happened to the village in Cambodia, I tried to contact Zavier. He is the head of research and the one who hired me. Unfortunately, Jaxton Donovan won’t allow anyone close to Zavier. Strausse Corporation has him hidden away and sanctioning massacres for the sake of protecting patent rights. The moment Jaxton discovers you know about Zavier, he’s going to get rid of you. Don’t trust Jaxton or Vivian Strausse, Haje. Trust no one working in that building.”

“My research alone can’t prove my suspicions. I seem like a paranoid researcher every time I try to talk to the police. Instead, I decided the only way to prove my suspicions was to find Zavier. He ordered our withdrawal from the village in Cambodia. He had to know what they were going to do to those people beforehand.

To understand why we have to stop them, Haje, read the files I’ve sent you. I’m sorry to leave you such a terrible job, but you’re the only one I can trust. I love you little brother, always will. Once it’s over, start your own business, find a partner to share your life, and live happily. You were always stronger than I was, Haje. Take care of Seol.”

The video ended and Haje wiped the tear tracks on his face. Shin was wrong. He wasn’t the strong one.

Opening research files, Haje scrolled through pictures of a smiling girl named Zen. According to Shin’s notes, she’d lost part of her leg when she’d stumbled over a mine near her village. She’d suffered an above the knee amputation on her left leg. Shin and Virgil, working with a team of doctors from Strassen, had fit her with one of their prosthetics. They’d inserted a chip on the base of her skull, which allowed her to control the leg by interfacing with her body’s nerve system and muscle to restore full motion.

Haje hurried over the notes on inflammation and infections at the point of contact. Her bone had grown over the titanium metal and she’d healed. Zen had been the first success in Shin’s project. There were other successes but Shin seemed particularly attached to Zen.

After their successful clinical trials, Shin and Virgil had started finding a way to make their tech accessible for mass production. They’d stayed in Cambodia for two more months working with Zen and the dozen other patients before Zavier had summoned them back to Colston.

Haje frowned when he read on to find that Vivian had ordered Shin to stop his research and hand over the tech to Strausse Corporation. Shin and Virgil had protested her decision but Zavier had urged them to concentrate on modifying the chip they used for the prosthetics to do other functions. Zavier’s argument was that they could use to help patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, restoring cognitive function in brain-damaged patients.

Shin had argued with Vivian, opposed to his derailed project. His biggest fear was that Strausse Corp. would find a way to interfere with his chip, use it for weapons or worse and sell it to the highest bidder. Vivian pushed his arguments aside and insisted that his research was safe.

Haje sighed when he found pictures of Zen’s village. Their homes reduced to rubble and wild bushes. Shin had tried to find out if Zen had survived, but there had been no signs of survivors. Zen’s death had hit Shin hard. There were more subjects in Colston who'd been murdered. After they'd returned from Cambodia, the team had done two dozen successful implants on diabetic patients, veterans and accident victims. Each one was dead today, Haje gasped in shock. They'd died in freak accidents just like the one he and Vincent had escaped.

Unable to help the victims, Shin had withdrawn from the Strassen lab and started working at home, hoping to find Zavier and refusing to perform any clinical trials for his projects. Three months ago, Vivian had ordered Shin back to the Strassen lab and asked Vincent to shadow his every move.

Haje sat back when he found a map of Colston, clicking on the video attached, he gaped when he saw Shin in his study. He looked unkept, his hair wild, he hadn't shaved for days. His black t-shirt looked wrinkled like he'd been sleeping in it for a while. Haje sighed when Shin spoke.

"They've given me a bodyguard. Vincent thinks he's protecting me. He doesn't know the reason why he follows me is so that he can report my activities to Vivian and Jaxton. They're trying to protect Zavier, which means I'm getting close. Incase I don't find him first, use this map. I've crossed out the properties I visited. They were old warehouses, nothing there. The remaining four are farms, don't go alone Haje."

Taking the cellphone he’d found in the briefcase, Haje downloaded the map. He’d check out the four remaining properties and find this Zavier.

*****