by Joy Jenkins
Donovan was a stone wall beside her, his face looked like a storm cloud. He showed no signs that carrying around one hundred sixty-pound Link was any effort. Carter glanced at him, trying to get a read on where his mind was taking him. He flexed his jaw with anger.
At a door marked Restoration, Donovan flashed a security key card at the scanner and the door’s lock clicked open. More emergency lighting showed a large room ringed with work tables and cupboards nestled between them. Photographs in the throes of repair lay on the countertops. The room smelled of strong chemicals.
“How does the security keypad still work?” Mason asked.
“Security systems are always on a different power source for reasons like this,” Carter said, standing by Donovan.
Gently, they lowered Link to the rough ground. Unconscious, he looked younger, an innocent kid who needed protection. Seeing him safe lifted an invisible weight from Carter’s chest. The sight did not have the same effect on Donovan. Fury radiated from him, his hands clenched.
"I'm sealing you three in here and I'm going to get those bastards," he said.
He stalked to the door but Carter darted around him, pressing her hands to his chest. “No, now it is not the time to play the hot-headed-illogical card again.”
“Carter-“
“What’s your plan this time, Donovan? Take on a pack of unknown opponents with one hand tied behind your back?”
“Get out of the way, Carter,” he said, his tone deadly calm.
“No! You are not playing the lone ranger!”
“I’m leaving and you aren’t going to stop me.”
“You wanna bet!”
“I can’t stay here!”
“And you can’t leave without backup!”
Donovan glared at her, vibrating with pent-up emotions. “Get. Out. Of. My. Way.”
"No! I'm not letting you do something stupid."
Donovan stared her down. “They came for Link! I have to make this right!"
"Link is safe!"
"But he wasn't! I failed! Something almost happened to him and it was my fault.”
Beyond the anger at the enemy, Carter saw the anger at himself. “If you want to blame someone, blame me. I yelled at him. But guess what? None of that matters right now. What matters is that you can’t go out there alone and get yourself killed. We don’t know how many men are there. Or who is even behind this.”
Growling in frustration, Donovan paced looking like a caged animal. “Oh, I know exactly who is behind this. And when I find Philips I’m going to snap his neck.”
Carter blinked, in that instant everything clicked into place. The photos the kidnappers carried were school IDs. Student records were sealed. The only way those pictures could be obtained was if someone had clearance, like a teacher. Phillips was the one to set up the field trip. But why kidnap both boys? To what end?
“If he had the both of us together, he could expose my father,” Mason said, quietly.
Donovan paused and Carter glanced at the First Son. He sat on the ground, a few feet from Link, looking at his half-brother like he still couldn’t wrap his head around the revelation.
Seeing the two brothers together, Carter realized it didn't matter what Philips’ goal was. What mattered was keeping both boys safe.
“We have to get a call out to the Secret Service,” Carter said.
Donovan focused on her and she could see him shoving his emotions to the side, rational thought coming back into play. “They’re using a signal jammer. We can’t make a single call out.”
Carter’s heart sank but a thought flashed in her mind. Yanking her necklace off, she dropped it and slammed her foot down on the pedant. Donovan eyed her.
“There’s a tracker embedded in it,” she said. “That means that right now my father just got an alert that it went offline.”
Donovan started pacing again, this time furrowing his brow in thought rather than anger. “Even if that works, it might not be fast enough. We have to get a call out to the Secret Service or the military.”
“That means we have to take out the signal jammer. Which would most likely be in the security booth. I’m guessing you know where that is?”
“First floor, outside the gallery.”
Carter nodded, already formulating a plan. “Can these archive tunnels get us there?”
Donovan grimaced, hating his next words. “I didn’t memorize the archive tunnels. Only the way to get to the archive tunnels and the floor plan of the rest of the museum.”
Mason scoffed. “Lazy.”
“Mason, shut up,” Carter said.
Mason shrugged and draped his arms over his legs, now unable to look anywhere near Link.
“The only route is back through the gallery,” Carter said.
Donovan faced her, both of them thinking the same thing. He couldn’t go without backup but they couldn’t leave Mason and Link unprotected. But if neither of them went, a rescue team might never come. Carter tensed with indecision, unwilling to let Donovan go alone and knowing he’d feel the same way if she suggested leaving.
“You could give me a gun and leave,” Mason said, seeming to understand the dilemma.
“No!” both Carter and Donovan said.
“I don’t see how you have any other plan,” Mason said. “Before you found…Evans…you made a big deal about not going places without backup. But we need protection.”
“Mason, do you even know how to handle a gun?” Carter asked.
Mason faltered and Carter tugged at her ponytail, irritation building. “I’m annoyed with Smith sleeping on the job, right now.”
Mason straightened. “Wait, he’s not dead?”
“No, merely knocked out.”
Mason wilted with relief, burying his face in his hands. “I thought…”
Despite everything that happened, Carter found the most unsettling thing to be Mason showing human emotions, such as fear and compassion.
“That means Smith can watch over us,” Mason said.
Carter pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes, Mason we’ll leave you with an unconscious man as your protector, that sounds brilliant.”
Mason scowled at her, which felt normal. “If there is ammonia in one of these archive restoration supply cupboards, then you can use it to wake him up and he won’t be unconscious.”
At the reasonable suggestion, Carter and Donovan exchanged a look then stared at Mason.
“You can both stop looking at me like you’re shocked I have a brain,” he said.
“Not that you have one,” Carter said. “That you know how to use it.”
“Oh, ha ha. You know I take all the same advanced classes as you do, don’t you, Owens?”
Carter wanted to snap a retort but Donovan pointed. “Check for ammonia.”
Leaving Mason to look smug, Carter searched the cupboards, finding an array of familiar chemicals.
“I found some,” Donovan said, holding a bottle.
When Carter met Donovan in the middle of the room, she paused. Donovan locked eyes with her and she knew he’d already come to the realization she had. He would be going to get Smith alone.
“Smith is a couple of yards from the stairwell entrance,” Donovan said, reading her mind. “I’ll be back in less than ten minutes.”
Carter hated everything about this. They still didn’t know how many men searched the gallery for Link. They didn’t know how the men would act when they discovered two members of their team were down. They didn’t know what force the men would use on anyone who tried to stop them. There were so many unknowns and Carter hated it.
“I know that,” she said, with forced calm.
Donovan didn’t linger, grabbing his gun and hurrying out the door. When it locked shut behind him, Carter swallowed, fear and concern crawling into her throat.
“So, are you two dating or something?” Mason asked.
“Shut up, Mason,” Carter snapped, grateful to release some of her tension.
But it
wasn’t enough, she needed to move, needed to act. But all she could do was pace, staring at the door. To distract herself, she worked through what their next play would be. Together, they could get through the gallery but she didn’t know how many men would be stationed in the security booth. Would they have the element of surprise on their side? Or would someone notice them on the security feeds? Would Donovan be noticed as he helped Smith? Had they already been noticed? The enemies’ comm sets had been suspiciously quiet for the last few minutes. Anxiety created a vice around Carter’s chest. She tried to fight it as she scanned the room around them, looking for a distraction. Her gaze stopped on the cupboard full of chemicals. Chemicals she recognized.
She crossed to the cupboard and pulled out ingredients as well as a glass beaker. Surprised or not, this would give them a small advantage. Using the gum from the man she’d taken down, Carter secured a lighter to the bottom of a beaker, zip tying the lid of the lighter open before rifling through the chemicals. As she searched for one in particular, Mason handed it to her.
“Flash bang, right?” he said. Carter stared at him. “You forget, I’m in chemistry with you and I was there the day you set off a flash bang in the classroom.” He shrugged. “I went home and researched how you did it.”
Carter took the ingredient from him and shook her head, this had to be the strangest day of her life. Dumping out Link’s backpack, Carter carefully stored the beaker and supplies at the bottom of it. She froze as she slid the straps on, a rough voice speaking into the comm set.
“Holcom, what is your status on Robinson?” Static. “Holcom.” Silence. “Holcom?…Ramirez go find Holcom.”
“Carter?” Mason asked.
Carter didn’t answer, staring at nothing, her heart pounding in fear as Ramirez responded in the affirmative, his order took him to Donovan and Smith’s location. Every disastrous outcome flooded Carter’s mind. Every nightmare that she’d had about her father in danger was replaced with Donovan.
“Trent, I found Holcom, he’s unconscious. Someone shot him.”
Carter couldn’t breathe, in her mind she screamed at Donovan to hurry, to get out of the gallery, to get to safety. Trent swore and Carter shuddered at the vehemence in his voice.
“Kennan, what do you see on the security feeds?” Trent asked.
Carter ground her teeth, picturing Donovan and Smith’s silhouettes spotted in the darkness. Hearing the shots fired by Ramirez. Seeing as Donovan and Smith crumpled to the ground.
When the door to the Restoration room opened, Carter spun, gun raised, nerves screaming. Before she could fire, Mason knocked her aim off course. “Don’t shoot, you idiot.”
Donovan halted in the doorway, Smith upright but leaning on Donovan’s shoulder. Carter released a shaky breath. To her annoyance, Donovan almost smiled.
“Worried?” he asked.
“You took your time,” she snapped.
Smith lifted himself off Donovan’s shoulder, more in control. “Is backup on its way?”
“No,” Donovan said. “But it will be. Are you stable enough to handle this end?”
Though a little pale, Smith straightened and nodded. He unholstered his gun. “Go get help.”
Carter and Donovan both checked their weapons and headed for the door. Before she slipped out, Carter gave Link one last glance. Donovan closed the door and the lock clicked. Instead of leaving, Donovan grabbed a fire extinguisher from a holder on the wall and smashed it against the keypad, shattering the screen.
“Now only the backup will be able to get in,” he said. “Let’s go.”
Carter raced behind Donovan as he guided them back through the corridors. With each step, her heart picked up speed, adrenaline coursing through her. By the time they reached the stairwell, Carter buzzed with energy. They climbed, drawing closer to danger. They stopped outside the security door. Their presence was no longer concealed. The men responsible for this mess would be on alert.
“You don’t have to do this,” Donovan said, meeting Carter’s eyes.
A sudden surge of emotions overtook Carter, heightened by his closeness.
Without thinking, she kissed him.
Before he could react, she broke away. "That's in case something happens to one of us.“
A charge set off in Donovan's eyes. He grabbed her waist and kissed her.
He pulled her against him, his other hand holding the back of her neck. Instinctively, Carter wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. His hold on her tightened, electrifying every one of her cells. Behind his lips was an undeniable need as if he had been drowning for years and she was oxygen. A different sort of adrenaline shot through Carter.
The intensity of the moment made it seem timeless. But when they broke away it had only been seconds. Donovan stared down at her.
"Well," Carter said, slightly breathless. "Let's make it out of this alive, ‘cause I want to do that again."
Chapter 51
Carter's words snapped them back to reality. They broke apart and strapped on their gas masks. Carter tried to ignore the sparks coursing through her, focusing all her thoughts on the task at hand, not the feel of Donovan's lips.
When Donovan pressed his back to the wall beside the door, Carter moved to stand behind him. As he reached for the handle, he stretched his other hand back, resting it against Carter's side, shielding her from what lay beyond. Carter curled her hands around her gun, fighting off the chain reaction of sparks his touch set off. Already every nerve in her coursed with adrenaline.
Gently, Donovan eased the door open, his muscles straining, simultaneously alert and still. Carter could see nothing, only his back. But she read the empty hallway in the release of his shoulders.
As he slipped out, Donovan waved her forward. Carter followed him, her senses alive and burning with awareness. On whisper treads, they crept down the hallway, closing in on where Robinson’s body still lay unconscious. Halfway down the hall, they halted as they heard footsteps. Donovan didn't hesitate, grabbing Carter's hand and pulling her into action. They darted behind a single paneled wall. With only minimal cover, they stood so close together Carter couldn't tell if it was her heart she felt banging away in her chest or Donovan's.
“I found Robinson,” Ramirez said in their ears.
Donovan went rigid and Carter could tell the minute he stopped breathing. It was the same minute her lungs stopped working as well.
“We have a problem. He’s unconscious too. Shot with a dart.” A beat. “The boy isn’t with him.”
Swearing spilled over the comm set.
“Kennan, Hutchins,” Trent said. “What the hell is going on?! Who is doing this?”
Ignoring the responses, Carter signaled to Donovan, questioning whether they should take out Ramirez. After a second, Donovan shook his head. Carter mulled over the refusal, seeing Donovan’s conclusion. If they acted now they’d for certain be seen on the surveillance cameras.
“Ramirez,” Trent said. “Go check on the Secret Service agents. If one of them managed to wake up, this could be their doing. No one on the outside knows what’s happening and I want to keep it that way.”
Carter felt a twinge of disappointment, hoping that by now there’d have been some sign of her father coming to her aid. She smothered the emotion as Donovan shifted, peering around the side of the panel. All clear, they slipped into the hallway staying in the shadows, praying that the darkness hid them on the security feeds.
At the end of the hall, Donovan paused, surveying the next corridor. He ducked around the corner, Carter on his tail. Like clockwork, every two seconds, she checked behind them. Together they navigated their way through the labyrinth of the gallery. Their footsteps sounded as one.
As they exited the gallery, they heard the continued call of men giving out their positions and statuses on their search. The atrium beyond the gallery lay as dark as the hallways Carter and Donovan had left. Donovan guided them along the wall, keeping his eyes trained on the security door ac
ross the way, his gun raised. As they approached, Carter aimed her gun behind them. She kept her breathing steady, willing her heart to remain calm. The gun's handle was imprinted on her palm as she rested her finger on the trigger.
The steel security door lay locked, only a few feet before them, surrounded by concrete walls. The only way in was passing a security scanner. What lay inside was anyone's guess but Carter had an idea that it was more men built like mountains with military training.
Donovan slowed their pace to a crawl as they covered the last few feet. He took one side of the door as Carter took the other. They squatted, getting into position. Donovan made eye contact with her. He pointed to himself and then to the right. She mimicked the gesture, pointing to the left. As he slipped out the key card, he leveled his gun at the door. He waited, his hand hovering over the scanner as he looked to Carter. Her heart hammered in her chest, blood pumping in her ears. Tugging off Link’s backpack, she removed the beaker and combined ingredients. She clicked the lighter and a flame burst out, licking the air above the beaker's lip.
As Donovan flashed the key card over the scanner, Carter set the mesh over the beaker's opening. The keypad blinked green, Donovan pushed the door open and Carter slid the glass beaker inside.
"What-"
Both Donovan and Carter twisted away, shielding their eyes. A flash of brilliant white light exploded in the room. Shouts of surprise echoed. Before the light dissipated, Carter and Donovan raced inside. Before rows of computer screens sat two men, trying to rid themselves of their momentary blindness. Carter fired a tranquilizer dart at the man on the left, while Donovan took the right. Both men were unconscious before their eyes had time to clear.
Donovan closed the door, locking it. They tied up the two men, storing them against a far wall. At the computers, they went to work. Donovan pawed through the multiple machines on the desk looking for the signal jammer. Carter took a seat in one of the vacant chairs, looking at the wall of screens.
