by Jade White
By the time they got to Montreal, they would have to stay overnight before heading to Florida. Egan grumbled under his breath, booking the flight with his card and closing the site. Tomorrow evening would have to be good enough. They’d arrive in Florida in the early afternoon the following day. If things went as planned, Egan would have his girl and be on the next plane out that night with Sable and Olivia none the wiser.
Satisfied he was finally getting something done, he slipped between the sheets and closed his eyes. The image of her sweet face floated in the blackness, as clear as a photograph. If only he could see her name, and hear her sweet voice, maybe his soul wouldn’t be so tortured. Images from his dreams flashed before him, prodding Egan to decrypt their meaning. Why was she in front of a door that was bolted from the inside?
If she wasn’t a prisoner than who was she? He knew without a doubt he was going to save her. From what, he didn’t understand. For what seemed like the millionth time over the last year, he wished for a sage to help him divine the meaning of his jumbled visions.
He had dreamed so many different scenarios; it was hard to keep them straight. And none of his dreams remained sequential. He was certain this latest dream was their initial encounter, followed by a scene from years later, and ending once again in their first day together. Egan couldn’t be sure, but he felt like getting her away from the danger was going to be the easy part.
He pushed aside thoughts of the woman, mentally ticking off what he had to do tomorrow before they headed out. Sable hadn’t been gone but a few hours, and this time tomorrow, Egan and Morgan would be on their way home. Egan couldn’t wait to show Morgan a glimpse of the city Egan and Sable had grown up in. They wouldn’t stay long, but just the thought of Morgan seeing the clear blue waters of the Atlantic as they landed was enough to excite Egan. He’d missed home more than he ever imagined he would.
Logically, he knew it was a shadow of the home he remembered, with all the unrest in the area. But he would forever remember the thrill of driving to the beach house for the summer, and of that first run into the welcoming water when they arrived. These things Morgan should know. When things settled down and they could return home again, Egan would take his sweet Nephew to see it all.
CHAPTER 14
Olivia woke up to Sable shaking her. She looked around, startled to see they were still in the tiny Cessna. “Time to wake up.” Sable smiled down at her.
Stretching, she looked around at the bright lights streaming by as they taxied down the runway. “We’re here already?”
“And in one piece, no less.” Derek smiled at her from the pilot’s seat.
Olivia nodded at him, smiling back at the man. “Thank you, Derek. You’re an excellent pilot.”
“I’ll have to remember that next time someone screams through the entire take off.”
Olivia had to laugh at herself. Once they’d reached cruising altitude, she’d been overcome with exhaustion. She had laid her head down on Sable’s chest and fallen asleep almost immediately. All the fear had been pointless and she was slightly embarrassed by her behavior.
Sable gathered their sack, pulling out a large stack of cash to hand to Derek. Derek waved it away. “Consider us even for all the times you bailed me out of trouble in the past.” He picked up a box on the seat beside him, pulling out a thick, yellow envelope. “Leave any ID you brought with you here. Inside, you’ll find driver’s licenses for Wyoming, credit cards and insurance cards under your assumed names. They’ll pass a quick background check, enough to get you on a commercial flight and rent a car without issue. There are also four burner cells in there, all bought with cash at different stores.”
Sable nodded. “We didn’t bring any identification with us, in case we were caught before we got to you. At least let me pay you for the identities.”
“No. I’ve made up my mind. You have a flight booked in two hours to Atlanta, where I’ve reserved you a rental car to pick up from the airport. You’ll be untraceable.” Derek looked at his friend, a smile tugging at his lips. “I have no idea what you’re doing, my friend, and you don’t need to tell me. But I know you’re going into it for all the right reasons. Good luck, my friend. It’s crazy there right now. If no one knows you’re a shifter, you’ll be better off.”
The men shook hands and Derek cut the engine. He opened the door and helped Olivia down the stairs. Olivia hugged Derek, planting a kiss on his cheek before walking away with Sable.
“You left money in his plane, didn’t you?”
“You know it.”
Olivia smiled at Sable. He was nothing if not predictable. They walked hand in hand into the terminal, looking for a place to grab a quick dinner before they boarded their next flight.
Five hours later, they drove out of the airport and headed south down the dark highway. Olivia drove while Sable made a few phone calls. The conversations were short and curt, giving nothing away to Olivia as she tried to eavesdrop. It was frustrating, but she knew he would share when he was done getting in touch with people.
He hung up and before he could start another call she asked, “Where are we headed?”
He looked around, realizing that there were only a few miles before Olivia had to choose an off-ramp or head to the Keys. He smiled, thinking that the Keys sounded positively delightful right now.
“Head towards my old house. From the sounds of it, it’s been acquired by an old friend. I’m calling him next to make sure he expects us.”
Nodding without moving her eyes from the road, Olivia maneuvered the car onto the next exit. By the time they crossed into the area of Florida that was under strict curfew, the sun would be rising, the curfew lifted for the day. They’d be heading into town during rush hour, making it unlikely anyone would see them before they got to safety.
“Does anyone know who we are? I mean, are there wanted posters somewhere with our pictures on them?”
Sable laughed. “Of course not. There are a few who know us by name only, but only Laskin knows what we look like. And maybe a few of his followers.”
Without taking her eyes off the road, she reached for his hand and gave it a tender squeeze. “You still think Laskin is alive?”
“Come on, Liv, of course I do. His body was gone, and I didn’t see any drag marks. Plus, the elders dying so mysteriously like that? He has to be involved. With all of this. I know that in some way, this entire anti-shifter movement is being spurred on by him. He’s somewhere, lying low. He’s just waiting for the right time to come back and take over.” Sable looked off into space, lost in thought over Laskin. He knew in his gut that the man was still around, but he couldn’t prove it, at least not yet.
Settling into the silence once more, Olivia left Sable to his thoughts as the car sped towards the place they once called home. They would be there soon enough. Sable pulled out his phone once more, dialing a number and waiting patiently for the man on the other line to pick up. After three rings, a familiar voice picked up.
“Sable, I’ve been expecting you to call.” The man sounded genuinely happy to hear from him. Sable closed his eyes against the memories that came flooding back. The man who showed up at their house at all hours of the night, speaking in hushed tones with his parents at their kitchen table, his broad smile when Sable would sneak downstairs to listen to the grownups make plans for a peaceful revolution. He swallowed audibly, dragging his thoughts back to the present, and away from life before his parents were killed.
“Terrence, I’m so relieved to hear your voice. Is it true?”
“That I bought your old house and saved it from being razed? Absolutely. We’re running the resistance here now but there’s more than enough room for you here.”
The two chatted for a few moments before Sable hung up. The stress that had lined his face since Olivia had first come home screaming his name the day before, melted from his face. Terrence was older, but he still had a lot of fight in him.
With him on their side, the chances of finding and s
aving Grace greatly increased. For the first time, Sable was starting to feel like there was hope. And not just for Grace. With Terrence and others working to make changes in the world, Sable felt sure that all this ugliness would soon be behind them.
At least by the time Morgan was old enough to fall in love and marry.
**
The sun’s rays were just kissing the horizon behind them as Olivia turned off the road and down the long, winding driveway to Sable’s old house. The gate opened as soon as they crested the hill, sliding closed behind them and latching tight. The driveway was familiar, yet Olivia and Sable both felt the oddest sense of disconnect as the rental car moved up the drive towards the house. They’d both left that part of themselves behind when they’d fled from Laskin and the council members. It was amazing how running for your life could change everything.
A tall man stood on the steps, his smile broad and welcoming in the early morning light of dawn. He jogged down the steps and greeted Sable as he exited the vehicle. The two men hugged each other, each clapping the other heartily on the back. Terrence stepped back and looked at Olivia, his smile even wider than before, though it seemed impossible.
“So that’s the face that started the war? Sable, I can’t say I blame you, man.”
He opened his arms for a hug. Olivia hesitated a moment before stepping into the man’s embrace. She choked back tears as the man’s arms moved around her. In all the years that they’d been on the run, and even the time before that, not one shifter had ever shown her any sign of welcome, aside from Sable and Egan.
Until that moment, Olivia hadn’t realized how much of an outsider she’d felt like. Her own kind feared and hated her, and both sides blamed her for tearing down the fragile peace that had been built on decades of lies. Tears slid down her cheek and she swiped them away with her sleeve, angry that she’d let the tension of the last five years get to her like that. Terrence squeezed her shoulders and nodded, understanding evident on his face.
Olivia and Sable walked hand in hand into the house. The great room was no longer the cozy sitting room Olivia so fondly remembered. The walls were plastered with tactical maps, blue prints and plans. Key players from both human and shifter sides were featured on the picture wall, a veritable who’s-who of the movement to separate humans and shifters, no matter the cost.
There were several men gathered in the great room, many of them huddled over maps and conferring in quiet murmurs. When the three of them entered, everyone looked up to see who the new comers were. A few of the younger men looked confused, but more than one face broke out in a broad smile and rushed to greet Sable. Happy voices rose as the men welcomed Sable back home. A few men acknowledged Olivia with warm smiles, but otherwise, their focus was on Sable.
Olivia decided that now, when the men were distracted by each other, was the perfect time to sneak off and make a phone call. She walked down the hall until she got to Sable’s old office, ducking through the open doorway and closing the door quietly behind her. Pulling out one of the burner phones, she dialed her home number. Five rings later, the answering machine picked up.
“Egan, it’s me. If you’re awake, please pick up the phone.”
She waited a moment and hung up, dialing the number again. The answering machine picked up again, and Olivia blew out a dramatic sigh. It was still early on the west coast, she was sure they were in bed still.
Hurrying so she didn’t get caught, she slipped out of the office and down the hall to the bathroom to freshen up. She was almost to the bathroom when Sable appeared in the hallway, obviously looking for Olivia.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just tired. I walked right by the bathroom and kept going.” Olivia didn’t know why she didn’t just tell Sable she’d called the house. But for some reason, she wanted to keep it to herself for a little while longer. She was certain that the boys were still asleep, and it wouldn’t really do any good to stress Sable out right now, wondering why no one was answering the phone. It could be something as simple as a morning run keeping the young tigers away. She didn’t want to panic, at least not right then.
Sable grabbed Olivia’s face in his hands and leaned in for a deep, passionate kiss. Olivia melted into him. His mouth was hot, his touch reassuring.
“Everyone has agreed to help get Grace. There are a couple of strongholds they’re sure she could be in.”
“I’m glad everyone is willing to help. When do we go?”
“We leave at sunset. We’re breaking up in groups to do recon. A lot of these strongholds are booby-trapped and in remote areas. We can’t just go in, guns a blazing, and hope for a good outcome.”
“I understand. But they have it narrowed down at least?”
“They have a few ideas but they don’t have all the strong holds mapped out. There are a few known members of the brotherhood that are unaccounted for. If she’s not where they think she should be, then we’ll have to figure out where those men are hiding out. And that could take some time.
And there’s one other thing.” He looked at her, searching her green eyes and planting a quick kiss on her pert little nose. “I know you think I’m nuts, but I’m not the only one that thinks Laskin is still alive. In fact, that’s the prevailing theory for why the human side has become so violently opposed to shifters in the last few years.”
“But Laskin isn’t human.”
“You know that, but the thought is that he’s somehow infiltrated the human resistance and they’re unaware he’s a shifter. His father was human, so he knows how to blend in.”
Olivia nodded. She didn’t want to admit it but chances were that Laskin was still around, and had somehow lived. She rested her head on Sable’s chest, her legs feeling weak. “Sable, I’m so tired, I need to sleep soon. Is there anywhere we can rest for a little while before we head out tonight?”
“Olivia, you’re not going tonight. We’re heading into some pretty violent territory, I can’t risk losing you.” He covered her lips with his finger as she opened it to protest. “When we figure it where she is, you’ll be the first to know. They’ll be expecting us to come for her under the cover of night, so unless there’s an opportunity to grab her then, we’ll be coming back the following day with reinforcements. Tonight, we’re breaking off in pairs and planning our attack, nothing more.”
"I’m not happy about that, but you’re right. Sleep sounds fantastic right now.”
Sable grabbed her hand, leading her down the hallway. “I know just the place.”
**
The car pulled to a stop, the driver’s door opening as the gear was hastily shoved into park. Grace, still awake in the trunk, quickly closed her eyes and let her body go limp, turning her head away from the trunk. A key scratched around before finally slipping into the hole. The trunk latch popped and the lid popped open. Grace remained limp, letting her mouth go slack and keeping her eyes shut.
Tom cussed under his breath, muttering about weak traitors and something else Grace couldn’t quite make out. The way he’d tied her feet and hands together made getting her sagging body out of the trunk difficult, to say the least. Tom grunted and moaned under the dead weight of Grace’s body, throwing her over his shoulder and slamming the trunk shut with his free hand.
Grace kept her head down, looking around and memorizing the scenery around the car. There wasn’t another house she could see, and no cars to speak of. Tom was here alone, at least for now.
He lurched over the uneven terrain, his breathing heavy and labored. He struggled with the lock, almost dropping her in the process. The door finally opened, and Tom staggered into the room. He went through another door and without warning, dumped Grace onto the floor like a sack of flour. Her head slammed into the floor, sending her into a pit of darkness as Tom left, locking the door behind him.
Hours later, Grace came to on the hard wooden floor, head pounding as she tried to sit up, She looked slowly around the dark room. Each of the windows had blackout curtains, b
ut Grace could see that the sun was rising around the edge of the panels. She coughed, raising her hands to her mouth to wipe the blood from her mouth.
She nearly screamed when she realized her hands were still tied together. Her fingers were numb and her arms were heavy from being tied for so long. She wiggled her fingers, willing the blood to start flowing again.
The house was silent around her. Tom was either sleeping or out for the day. Grace pulled her knees up to her chest, reaching down with her numb fingers, trying to untie her ankles. Her fingers were clumsy, but she kept at it, eventually loosening the knot enough to pull the end of the rope through.
Her fingers were starting to feel a little better, making the second knot much easier than the first. She shook her feet, slipping the last of the ropes down to the floor. She twisted her hands and grabbed the ends of the ropes binding her hands, pushing and tugging until she worked the rope free.
She rubbed her wrists, listening to the silence for a moment before standing up. Her head felt light, her vision slightly blurry. She fought the urge to vomit, taking deep breaths and putting out her hand to steady herself. She walked to the window, pulling the curtain aside carefully.
What she saw out the window was much the same as the front of the house. Her stomach dropped. Even if she got away, she was going to have a long run on her hands to get anywhere even remotely civilized. Tom had known what he was doing, and his confidence suddenly made a lot of sense. Even if she could find a human that didn’t hate her, they likely couldn’t help her.
She tried the window, hardly surprised when it didn’t budge. A quick look around the edges revealed it was nailed shut from the outside. Inside each pane of glass was a metal lattice frame, the individual squares much too small for her to crawl through if she was able to find something to break the glass with. Grace walked around the edge of the room, searching the other windows and found the same.
