The Reluctant Journey Ch. 06

As much as Malia wanted to remain dull to the world, she could not. She still heard every word that was being said, including the ones that filled her with hope. Cain was going to try and help her family. He had to or he would lose Tristan. She didn't trust Cain but she knew he would do anything to prevent losing his brother. Cain slowly walked into the cell. She sat up and watched him as he got closer.

"It seems we have a similar goal Little Girl." Malia shakily stood to face him once again. She hated him, especially now, but he was still her only way out, or her family's only way in. She clenched her jaw and looked at him hatefully, but she nodded. "You father has raised the suspicions of the unit. If your family simply disappears, it will do more damage. If we're going to do this, we need your family to cooperate. I have a plan, but I need to be able to trust you. I need you to know that what I said before is indeed a distinct possibility." He sounded like he was suddenly trying to be gentle. "Units that get out of control are dissolved. They call it dispatching a unit. They will take everyone out and imprison them for the remainder of their lives, and that is the more costly option, the best case scenerio. Once that is done, I don't have any power to undo it. Your unit isn't to that point yet, but it is catching the attention of people that can make that happen. If you do what I say, we can get your family out, and keep the unit intact." He looked unsure that she had taken any of what he said in.

"What is the worst case scenario?" She asked, staring at the floor. She could guess the answer but she needed to know what she was against, she needed to hear it.

"They will execute the entire unit." Cain replied stoically.

"What do I do?" She asked bluntly.

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Malia felt a moment of deja vu as she sat in the backseat of the black SUV. She was back in the ugly grey jumpsuit. She would have been excited to see her family again if she wasn't so nervous. They were going to enter the same way she left. She was going to explain her compliance story to her family and anyone else in the unit that might ask. Then she would have to leave again, that was the part Malia was unsure of. It had taken two and a half weeks to come up with the plans and finally bring them into action. The time had mostly been a blur to her.

"When will they leave the unit?" Malia spoke to the back of Cain's head in the passenger seat.

He sighed. "They will be released into the fictional unit 100 as a new transfer procedure the unit will try in order to keep your family together. Then the story of the units violent demise will come out and unit 118 will be re-forbidden from ever leaving the unit and from others coming in."

"They can come home with us then?" Malia said timidly, expecting a cruel response. The word home felt foreign on her lips but she couldn't think of an alternative.

"They will return to my house, yes." Cain replied reluctantly

Malia bit her lip. She was still so angry and scared of Cain after the violent and cruel way he had acted on the elevator and in the basement. She had truly felt completely helpless in that moment. She'd been completely his to do with as he would. He had said she didn't have a purpose in his house anymore and that worried her. If she didn't have a purpose there, then her family definitely would not. Was he doing this just to fix the mistake he'd made? Did he want to take the real Olivia and then imprison her and her family? She didn't trust Cain and it killed her to have to work with him, especially after he'd proved himself to be so untrustworthy. Malia didn't know what to do after her family was safe. She didn't know how to convince Cain that they should stay in his house indefinitely. Maybe she could convince him to buy her family a small house somewhere in the country. They would be free to do whatever they wanted and Cain wouldn't have to deal with any of them again. Somehow she didn't think the convincing part would be that easy. However Malia had other things to worry about at the moment. If this plan didn't work she wouldn't have any family to make plans for. Failure was most definitely not an option.

Walking into the unit was very much different than walking out had been. There were plenty of guards now, looking at her and her companions wearily. It was also not a quick process. It took over an hour just to be able to drive through the gates. It sickened her that the unit thought all of these guards were there to protect them from the outside when in reality they were there to keep them in, they didn't know they were prisoners. They had teams of escorts that took them to the equivalent of the unit's city hall. She was quickly taken behind a curtain on the stage in the meeting room. Cain then coached her through what to say, do, and look like. People put makeup on her face, through it seemed they were making her look worse than better. When the two women finally walked away she asked Cain about it.

"You're claiming to have been helping a high conflict unit for a month. You should look worse than when you left." He answered matter-of-factly.

She bit her lip, like she'd been doing all day in anticipation.

"Stop. You're drawing blood." Cain ordered as he looked down at her with his arms crossed. His eyes were so dark and striking, hidden behind long elegant lashes. The effect was unnerving. Malia didn't understand how she could still find this man attractive. He'd done everything to hurt her with no reason to want to, and yet she still was captured by the intensity of his face. She released her lip to get him to stop looking at her, fearing that he might see the attraction in her eyes. Sure enough a metallic taste filled her mouth, she didn't mind as it gave her something else to focus on.

Soon the councilmen came in to greet them. "Nice to see you again General." The leader of the council showed obvious contempt.

"Blake Denizen, long time no see. How's the council life treating you?" Cain grinned, clearly having a very public pissing contest with the man. The man didn't take the bait, he simply glared at Cain.

"As I don't want to see this unit dispatched any more than you do, I suggest you follow my planned approach to reintroduce Malia to the unit." Mr. Denizen emphasized the word planned with a smirk.

"You are indeed the leader, here." Cain grinned, as he emphasized the word here. Malia looked away from his smile which she was finding increasingly alluring. What was wrong with her! Clearly she had unbalanced hormones or something, her family was within reach and she was fawning over the enemy's smile. She needed to remember that he was indeed firmly the enemy.

Denizen glared at Cain. "We need the reintroduction into the unit to be as public as possible. We will reunite the family on the stage at city hall. Everyone likes an underdog, the unit will sympathize with the family's emotional turmoil."

"Sounds like a plan." Cain grinned, for some reason he seemed to enjoy pissing Blake Denizen off.

"Then she needs to say something about the honor of serving her unit, et cetera." Denizen continued. Malia was shocked out of her dazing.

"What? No one said anything about speaking publicly. I don't know what to say. I'm not good at lying." Malia panicked.

"Oh, I wouldn't sell yourself short." Cain smirked.

"It doesn't have to be elaborate, just reassuring for the unit. It will be better if it isn't scripted as it will seem more sincere." Denizen said. "Then you stay with your family for a while, until your help is needed again by unit 100."

"I get to stay with them?" Malia was filled with hope.

"Your work with unit 100 is classified and of the highest importance as per the cover story." Cain replied. "You will only be able to see them for an hour or so. Then you will be immediately called back to serve." Malia nodded, if she got to see her family again she would do whatever she had to do.

Sooner than she wanted she was in front of the entire unit. Blake Denizen had spoken to introduce her and called her onto stage. Thankfully he didn't leave as she joined him and he gave her a very public fake hug. They'd given her a microphone attached to her jumpsuit and a bright spotlight was directed on her. They'd given her a brief outline of a cover story to stick to, but for the most part she was winging it. The light kept most of the faces out of sight for her, she couldn't see her family.

"Hello." She begun timidly. "I'm not good at this kind of thing but I'll do my best." She looked over to the side of the stage and noticed that Cain was standing backstage, his attention completely on her. He arched an eyebrow at her as she must have been staring at him for too long. She nodded and turned back to the crowd. "I was recently asked to serve my unit in assisting another unit in a very serious but private matter. I can't really tell you all that much about the specifics but I can tell you that it has been my privilege to hopefully make my unit proud." She was sure she was speaking to quickly or to softly but she couldn't get over her nerves enough to do anything about it. "I can tell you that unit 100 has been especially gracious to me and are very deserving of any help that unit 118 may be able to provide. It has become very clear to me that we have an obligation to help those in need as we never know when we will be the unit in need. Simply know that the citizens of unit 100 are just like us, they deserve every bit of assistance any of us can provide. I am honored that in this instance I can personally offer assistance, and hope that if given the same opportunity you would do the same. Thank you." She softly smiled at the unseen crowd and slowly walked toward Cain. She was surprised that applause rang through the room as she walked away. She looked back at the audience, from what she could tell they were standing and clapping for her. She walked backstage and Cain was smiling at her. She had to remember that his charm had a very distinctive on and off switch, and it was almost always off. However when he wanted to be charming, he was the most charming person she'd ever met. She didn't understand her attraction to the general but she couldn't deny that it was there. They had a strong chemistry, and no amount of denying that would change it.

"Great job." He had his arms crossed arrogantly confident as ever.

"Yeah whatever, I tried my best okay." She bit her lip again as she looked away from him.

She was surprised when his finger gently tilted her chin up to look at him. "I'm serious Malia. You performed wonderfully." There was no arrogance this time. His compliment was genuine and it made her more uncomfortable than when she thought he was being sarcastic. She nodded stupidly and he smiled knowingly at her. He knew that she thought he was attractive, he would have had to be blind not to. She was acting like a schoolgirl and she didn't know how to stop. She jerked her head out of his grip.

"So what now? When do I get to see my family?" She asked him seriously.

"We're going there now."

"Wait, we?" She was stunned.

"Yes, we. You didn't think that I was going to let you out of my sight did you? I have too much invested in this plan to trust you that much little girl." He said as he led her to a door to the back of the building.

"Stop calling me that!" She rolled her eyes.

"Why would I do that?" He smirked as he turned to look at her.

"Because I'm not a little girl. My name is Malia." She insisted.

"This week." he snorted, " And as to you not being a little girl, you've yet to disprove me."

"No? You seemed to think otherwise after spanking me." She taunted but immediately realized her mistake as his eyes darkened lustfully. It was the one instance where she had noticed even a shred of reciprocation in attraction. She didn't want to travel this route with him, she needed to keep her mouth shut. He stepped closer, she backed up into a wall.

"You think you proved yourself a woman?" He snorted again with his characteristic egotistical expression which infuriated her.

"Well the alternative is that you're attracted to little girls? I guess that is always a possibility." She ground her teeth, her timidness forgotten.

He glared at her, now standing directly in front of her with a towering effect he so seemed to enjoy. "You think I was attracted to you?" He smirked and she was instantly the vulnerable girl who was rejected by Josie's boyfriend. Why would she think that this experienced man would find any value in her, she might as well be the little girl he called her with her epic lack of experience. She looked down to her feet to avoid his captivating stare. "Let's say for a minute that I was attracted to you little girl. You are clearly attracted to me. If you thought that I reciprocated your feelings, " he shrugged, "A woman would have acted on that." She dared to look up at him again and saw distinct challenge in his eyes. She was speechless, she wasn't this eloquent worldly woman he was used to. The only way she could hold her own in arguments with him was by pure rage induced outbursts. She definitely wasn't a temptress and she needed to stop letting her out of control hormones get the best of her.

"Can I go see my family now?" She nearly whispered, still avoiding direct eye contact. He'd annihilated any feminine self confidence she'd managed to build while spending her days with Tristan. Her short time alone had made her feel more like an adult than she'd ever felt in her life. She would stare at herself in the sexy lingerie and feel like a woman for once. But Cain was right, she wasn't fooling anyone, she was the farthest thing from the seductress she pretended to be in the mirror. She felt overexposed and completely vulnerable, she wanted to leave.

Cain looked down at her for a long time, but didn't say anything and finally continued to lead the way. She figured that she would have to tell him where to go but he clearly knew the unit. She was grateful to simply follow behind and walk the familiar surroundings.

Malia put her wounded pride aside when she finally saw her parents again. They'd been taken back home after her short speech and told to stay inside. When Cain and Malia had ambled up the path the door to the unimpressive shack flew open and her mother rushed out to hug her. Her father was directly behind. She was instantly sobbing along with both of her parents and soon after Olivia joined them as well. The boys looked at the emotional group wearily, they were really too young and unfocused to fully understand anything that was going on. When Cain finally suggested they all return to the house Malia though her father was going to punch him. Malia usually would have laughed at such a thought of her pacifist father, but his facial expression was unmistakably violent. Malia pulled at her parents arms and silently led them into the small home. She'd never really been embarrassed of their house until now. How would Cain see this when he lived in a literal castle. How pathetic she must look to him, in every aspect. It was impossible to ignore him, due both to his imposing size and the evil glares her entire family was dishing out in his direction. Part of her wanted to join them and the other part wanted to defend him. It was very disorienting.

Because she couldn't think of anything else to say she introduced him. "Mom, Dad, this is General Cain Malcolm."

Her father looked furious. "Yes, I don't believe I got your name during our last encounter." He said cynically.

"Are you okay?" Malia's mom looked her over and pulled her closer to herself, completely ignoring her angry husband and intimidating stranger.

"I'm fine mom." Malia smiled. "It's good to see you all." A tear fell down her cheek as her mother squeezed her tightly.

"I thought I wasn't going to see you again." Her mother sobbed. "I thought you were dead." She pressed her face into Malia's shoulder, soaking it with her tears. Olivia walked over and hugged Malia as well, crying as hard as her mother.

"It's okay, I'm okay." Malia repeated, attempting to console them even with her own tears falling uncontrollably.

After a few minutes Cain spoke, as politely as possible. "You will have a couple of hours before we are to leave again." He spoke to the entire family despite Malia's father glaring hatefully at him and her mother ignoring him. "I will come back to collect you Malia, I am trusting that you understand how important this mission is. I wouldn't want you to do anything as stupid as attempt to run away." Malia nodded at him gratefully, he didn't have to give her this time alone but he was, for that she was grateful. She was also grateful to be away from him for a couple of hours. It seemed like they had been together ever since he'd returned to his manor. The proximity was probably what was affecting her. Cain left through the front door and she told her family everything, including the plan they'd formulated to get everyone out of the imprisonment they weren't aware of. There was an assortment of emotions that went through the house at her story: disbelief, astonishment, anger, grief. They were getting everything she'd learned in the month she'd been gone, all in the span of about an hour.

When Cain returned to collect her, everyone had become quiet and contemplative. They knew she was leaving, but they knew that they were to follow soon, within the week. Still it was difficult when they'd just been reunited. She followed Cain quietly to the SUV again. She was drained and just wanted to go to sleep in her borrowed luxurious bed. She wondered how long she would be permitted to stay in her room at Cain's house. If she was lucky he would let her work for him as a maid or something, as well as the rest of her family, though she doubted it. He could very well imprison them all when his ass was covered by this elaborate ruse. He said himself he would have no need for her, and he'd made it all to clear that any attraction she'd thought she'd sensed was purely imagined. Cain wanted a woman like Milly, who he clearly had anyway, he didn't want anything to do with a girl like Malia. She pressed her face against the cold glass of the window. Malia was surprised when the car stopped much sooner than she'd been expecting. While she was looking out the window she clearly hadn't been taking anything in because they were not at Milan Manor. They were in fact at a very small but charming cottage. Before Malia had the chance to ask Cain about it he'd exited the passenger seat of the car. She opened the car door just as Finn exited the cottage.

"Make yourselves at home. I know I will." Finn actually grinned as he spoke to Cain, like a little kid. Malia was stunned.

"What's going on?" She asked, standing slightly behind Cain.

"Finn let us borrow one of his more modest lodgings for the week for its proximity to the unit." Cain replied without turning.

"Hey don't knock it, this is my main residence Prince Malcolm, we all can't live in a castle." It was the first time she'd seen Finn tease Cain and actually act like a friend rather than an employee, but he also looked to be dressed casually in jeans and a grey henley which implied he wasn't working at the moment.

Cain laughed. "Finn, your castle is bigger than mine."

"That is my parents' castle, completely unrelated to the conversation." Finn smiled. "I plan on completely destroying your perfect little suite and turning all of your staff against you, just so you know." Finn said as he started to walk toward the SUV.

"Have at it." Cain replied.

Before he left he looked at Malia and smiled sadly, he walked back toward her. "Everything's going to be all right. I promise you." She nodded at him. He was like the protective older brother she'd never had, except for the fact that he worked for the enemy and was clearly lying to her at the moment. Everything would never be all right again. Everything was the opposite of all right. However, Malia simply nodded stupidly at him as he smiled sweetly at her, as if knowing she didn't believe him. He got into the SUV and it drove off, leaving Cain and Malia standing in the small clearing that was the front yard. The entire cottage was surrounded by woods. If it had been little red riding hood the cottage wouldn't have been the grandmother's house, it was much too masculine for that, but it could have definitely passed for the huntsman's house. It wasn't what she had pictured for Finn, she'd actually pictured him living in Cain's mansion in some security room taking orders all day. It was a relief to know that he had a non-work personality and wasn't as much Cain's minion as she'd believed.