Chapter 16: Episode 17 — Crash and Burn
Without thinking twice she dials the number given, and on the first ring, a man answers.
“You alone?”
“That’s none of your business.” She says.
“That’s just so you Astrid.” She frowns, surprised, not because he knew her name, more if she knew that voice. “Seriously, can’t you just lay alone for once?”
“Derek?”
“Yeah?” he answers as if he was not kidnapped at all.
“What the hell?!” she whispered- yell on the phone starting to walk in a circle. “Where are you? You have all of us worried and you are calling me as if you’re on vacation?!”
“Relax hun, I’m fine.” He says. “I’m at the Ozawa’s and, well, I’ve uncovered several things.”
She runs a hand over her face, groaning. “You met him?”
“Him?”
“Han.”
“So you know?”
“I’ve done deals with him before.” She mumbles.
“But I thought you killed-“
“Supposed to kill him.”
“What do you mean?” he asks.
She closes the lid on the toilet and sat down, resting her elbow on her knew with one hand over her eyes.
“The day Tenshi’s mom came to talk to me was the same day that I was called in by Father Charles, the assignment was to kill her. She was his mistress for years. A little over after she married Han, Charles planned to use her to get to Han didn’t work out, so he needed to eliminate her, she on the other hand fell in love with him.” She sighs, “Instead of doing the usual creeping around and killing I wanted to see Han and see what kind of man he was. There was no reason to kill him, Derek, he’s good. He didn’t deserve to die. So I slip a drug in his drink, making it look like he was dead. After turning down the assignment of killing the mother, Father Charles gave it to Kale and he killed her. So Father Charles still got what he wanted.”
“And Tenshi?” he asks.
“I promised the mother that I will take care of her if anything happens. I didn’t want to take her away from her father but she asked for it. I can’t take her so I gave her to Kale. I can’t have Father Charles see her.”
“Why not?”
She frowns, it was a secret she kept for so long. Not even Kale knows, much more Dimitri. “Tenshi is Father Charles’ illegitimate child.”
“Oh…” was all he could say. Which was good as Astrid didn’t know what else to say if he asked any more questions.
“Yeah…” she shrugs and shook her head, “It’s all crazy. But what you sent me is just crazier.”
“Well, I guess it’s my turn to explain.” He breathes through the phone, “The girl you have there is the eldest of the quadruplets of the Ozawa house, the heiress you might say. Her real name is Hera Ozawa, she was a sickly kid so she was always with her mother. So I’m guessing that when she told you that you should take Tenshi with you, she forgot to mention that she had a younger daughter, the real Tenshi Ozawa.”
“Hans cleared a few things too, the wife had been having troubles financially at the time she asked for your help, she was even planning to run away with another man, which I guess is Charles. But seeing she died and she never clarified to you which daughter was to be taken, you took the wrong girl.”
Astrid processes everything that Derek had just told her and came to a conclusion.
“Astrid…” this time his tone was dead serious. “Her father wants her home, the file that was sent to you isn’t a to-kill-file, it’s a search and recovers assignment.”
“It’s not as easy as you think it is Derek.” She says. “Kidnapping someone is easy, but taking someone back to where she won't want to be in?”
“I know, but think about it.” He says. “The Ozawa will not stop until they get the heir back.”
“They have Tenshi who grew up there and all that, why can’t she do it?”
“Cause as you said, she is illegitimate.” He says. “They don’t know that yet, but I have a feeling it will cause chaos here once the news break, and that will not be good for me or Tenshi.”
“You’ve seen her?”
“Yeah.” He sighed, “She looks just like her, except for the hair. She has dirty blond hair…” he paused for a moment, “Like Dimitri’s.”
Astrid groans again, she knew what the right thing to do is, but it wasn’t easy.
One she’ll have to force people to part ways and stuff. But hearing Derek, it must be the hardest for him, he was starting to like Hera, now all these secrets are forced on him.
“You ok there, kid?” Astrid asks.
He sighs. “Yeah, just stuck in the middle.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m scared, Astrid.”
“Everything will be fine Derek, Ozawa is a deadly clan but they-“
“I’m not scared for me Astrid.” He cuts her off, “I’m scared for you.”
“For me?”
“The girl with you knew you killed her father, she asked you to take her ask you to train her to fight, used her sister’s identity and you supposedly stole the man she loves.” he pauses. “She was the one who was to kill you for the Jetsons.”
She frowns, confirming what she thought is right, even Derek put two and two together.
“Unless my brain isn’t betraying me, you might just be housing a rogue with you.” he said, “This is a crash and burns situation.”
After the phone call with Derek, Astrid called her dad and Uncle Rhaumwald to fill them in the situation and the new plan. They came home that very night, acting mad and disappointed that they lost Derek again.
“They can’t have gone far.” Mom says, “There had been no reports of seeing them anywhere near an airport or train stations.”
Astrid stared at Tenshi the whole time, who is looking genuinely worried.
Uncle Ashton sighed and sat beside his wife, “We’ll start again tomorrow after we take you a lot to the academy.”
With that, Astrid stood up and was about to leave when her father calls her.
“You will leave for NSA tomorrow Astrid.” He says.
“I know.” She crossed her arms over her chest, “I just want to make sure I have everything packed.”
Arnold appears by the door, “Mistress, I’m glad you are still up. There are some people to see you.”
“See me?”
“Ah, there you are.”
She looks over Arnold and smiled seeing Mr. Griffith step in.
“Mr. Griffith, good evening.” She greets. “Please come in.”
It was all part of the plan, she was going in blind with Tenshi and if she starts a mess in the academy it would be so much better if she had someone to back her up aside from the boys and her family.
“Keith,” her father greets as well walking up to him and exchanged handshakes, “what brings you here?”
“Ah, Ashton, well, your father informed me that these kids are going back to NSA tomorrow so I’m dropping off my daughter,” he gestures behind him and a girl stepped out from behind him.
“Gen?” Jared says, surprised.
Gen turned to him, in an instant her face was red and furious. “You!” she sneers, “Vous étiez celui qui droguée que l'eau ! Vous me tué presque vous fils d'un- (You were the one who drugged that water! You almost killed me you son of a-) “
“Genevieve, that is enough.” Mr. Griffith says.
“Wait, your French?” Jared asks.
“What do you care?” she glares at him.
Jared rolled his eyes, “Je garde quand certains lunatique m'appelle un fils d'un- (I care when some lunatic calls me a son of a-)”
“Jared.” Astrid warns before turning to the girl, “Manquent de mes jeunes d'excuses, je ne sais pas où les manières de mon ami est allé, mais je vous assure qu'il sera plus comportent lorsqu'il a personnellement usher vous autour de la NSA demain. (My apologies young miss, I don’t know where my friend’s manners went, but I assure you he will be more behave when he personally ushers you around NSA tomorrow.) “
“There is no need for that, mistress.” Mr. Griffith smiles.
“I insist.” Then she gestured for them to sit.
Mr. Griffith sees Tenshi and smiled, “Tenshi, it is nice to see you again.”
“Same here Mr. Griffith.” She smiles.
“I knew that the Matthews would treat you kindly, and you will be safer here.”
Tenshi glances at me, “I know, Astrid had never lied to me before and she had never disappointed.”
“I aim to please,” Astrid says. “Can I get you anything, Mr. Griffith? You must have had some quite a journey seeing you arrived so late.”
“Oh, well, not really.” He says, “It’s just safer to travel with my daughter at night.”
“So she will be coming to NSA with us tomorrow?” Ash asks.
“Yes, she is.” He says proudly, “she just got her visitation rights and had spent the week home.”
“Hm, what year are you in?” Allana asked. “I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen you much.”
“Senior.” She said. “Class C. I don’t go out much, I can’t see the point to walk around an island where you are meant to be caged.”
“Guenevere.” Mr. Griffith warns again.
Astrid laughs, “I think I’d like hanging out with you, Ms. Griffith.” She lends out my hand, “Astrid Matthews.”
“I know who you are.” She said with a smile, “In fact, I knew all of you even before I saw you at the hotel.”
“But you-“ Jared was about to argue when Guenevere shut him up with a glare.
“I was undercover, most likely I won’t be going around saying who I was, much more parading with an alias, would I?”
Jared shook his head, “You’re just not cool enough to have an alias.”
“I agree with Astrid,” Dimitri says, “I think I‘d like hanging out with you if you can shut Jared up like that.”
“Traitor.” Jared mumbles.
“Anyway,” Allana stands, “Let me show you to your room, I’m sure you’d want to get some rest before our long journey in-” checks her watch, “four hours.”
“You kids should all get some rest.” Aunt Hannah says.
Astrid follows Allana before she was stopped again.
“Astrid.” She turns to her father, “We need to talk first.”
She sighed and looks over her shoulder, “I’ll see you guys in the morning.”
Damien frowns and mouthed later, she forced a smile and nodded.
They left and closed the doors behind them. Astrid sat across Mr. Griffith and between her parents. Uncle Rhaumwald stood behind Mr. Griffith.
“Are you sure about this?” her father asks.
“If she will pull something, it would be easier to catch her in a place she isn’t familiar with or can she easily escape. At the same time, she won’t be able to call for back up.”
“What about the others?” Uncle Rhaumwald asks. “Are you planning to tell them?”
“I’m not sure.” She shook her head, “Right now it will be better that they don’t know anything. I’ll probably tell Dimitri and Kale.”
“That can endanger them, especially if they will be so near and trusting with her.”
“Kale will be with her at all times, but I’m pretty sure his loyalty is still with me.”
“How sure are you with that?” Mr. Griffith asks.
“Kale is a man of his word, I’ve saved his ass so many times he’ll probably catch a bullet for me. Quite frankly, I just want this over with and to have Derek home.”
“How will you be taking her home then?” mom asks.
“They will pick her up, if everything goes well, Derek will be home in one piece, and maybe even with the real Tenshi.”
“This is risky, Astrid.” Uncle Rhaumwald says a cup of alcohol in his hand, “Walking in the dark with a blindfold and blind.”
“I promise no one will get hurt.” She reassured them.
“I hope you are one of those who you speak of, love.” Her mother says as she wrapped her in her arms.
I hope so too.