by R. D. Brady
In the rearview mirror, Laney saw Jen pull over. Jen was instructed to stay out of any Fallen’s range, but she would come running if it turned out there were no Fallen, or once the element of surprise was lost.
Laney slowed down and turned the corner.
“Yellow house on the right,” Jake said.
Laney pulled over. The street was quiet and lined with cars. The house had a deep porch and a driveway that ran along the side. “Thoughts?”
“Let’s make for the car in the drive and hope no bad guys look out the windows,” Jake said.
“Oh, so we’re relying on luck. Excellent. Because that’s never failed us.”
Jake smiled and Laney could tell that, danger or not, he was enjoying himself. “Porch will be too risky,” he said. “We’d be exposed for too long. That window on the side should be the kitchen or dining room. We’ll take a look there and then go from there.”
Laney nodded. “Okay.”
“Let’s go.”
Laney ran toward the house, Jake at her side. Ducking behind the car in the drive, they paused, but the street remained quiet.
They inched up to the window. Laney peeked in. Two men were in the kitchen, gun holsters strapped across their shoulders with a handgun in each. They could be brothers—same dark hair, tanned complexion, but one wore a blue jacket and the other a black. Laney saw no sign of Charlie’s family, but, if these men were here, it was a safe bet that she and Jake were at the right spot. And even better, neither of them was Fallen.
Laney tapped the mike at her throat. “They’re not Fallen.”
“Got it,” Jen replied.
Blue Jacket’s phone rang, and he answered it. “What?”
As he listened, his face grew darker. After a few seconds, he snapped the phone off. “Goddamn it. They did something to the tape.”
Laney met Jake’s gaze.
He nodded. “Go.”
Laney sprinted for the front door. As she rushed up the steps, she called on the wind, and it surged past her, blowing the front door open. Breaking glass sounded from the kitchen.
Black Jacket appeared in the hallway, his gun drawn. “What the—”
Laney dove for the floor as a bullet splintered the doorframe. Again she called on the wind. It rushed through the open front door and the man flew into the wall with a scream.
A burst of gunfire sounded from the kitchen.
“Laney!” Jake yelled.
“I’m good,” Laney said, getting slowly to her feet. Her side ached, and she knew she was in for a few days of bruises from that little move. “You?”
“Good,” Jake called back.
Jen came running through the front door. “The family?”
Laney nodded to the stairs. “Check upstairs. I’ll take the first floor.”
Jen sprinted up the stairs. Laney grabbed Black Jacket’s weapon from the floor, tucked it into her belt, and cast a quick glance around. The first floor contained only the kitchen, the dining room, and a small living room to Laney’s right. She headed into the kitchen first.
Blue Jacket was on the floor with a bullet wound in his shoulder. Jake stood just outside the window, his gun trained on the man. As soon as he saw Laney arrive, he disappeared in the direction of the front door.
Laney kicked the gunman’s weapon away and grabbed him by the lapels. “Where’s the family?” she barked.
His brown eyes widening, the man shook his head. “We weren’t—”
“Where?” Laney demanded as Jake entered the kitchen.
The man’s eyes rolled back into his head.
Laney let him drop to the ground. “Goddamn it.”
“Laney,” Jake said.
She turned, and he nudged his chin toward a door off the kitchen. “Basement.”
Laney felt her stomach hollow. She got to her feet just as Jen appeared in the kitchen. “No one’s upstairs.”
“There’s a basement,” Laney said.
Jen nodded, her face grim. “I’ll go first.”
Laney took a step toward the basement door. “It’s okay, I can—”
“I heal quicker,” Jen said.
Laney nodded. “Right, you go first.”
Laney pulled open the door and Jen poked her weapon in. It was dark. Jen reached in and flipped the light switch. A single bulb illuminated the old stairs. “God, I hate old basements,” Jen muttered.
“Me too,” Laney said.
They swept the basement as they made their way down. It was small and filled with old junk. They searched the space, but saw nothing.
Laney stepped past the boiler and spotted stairs going down. “It’s got a root cellar,” she said. She wound her way down until her feet found a dirt floor surrounded by the cold rock foundation of the house. She shone her flashlight around. “There’s nothing—”
Her light flew back to a spot in the corner.
Three bodies—a woman and two boys—lay there on an old rug, hands and feet bound. Oh no.
On trembling legs, Laney made her way over, barely conscious of Jen beside her. Laney knelt down and touched the shoulder of the woman. Her eyes flew open.
Laney fell back with a yell, followed by a nervous laugh. She scrambled forward and pulled the tape from the woman’s mouth. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”
“My husband—”
“He’s safe too.”
The woman burst into tears. Laney sliced the woman’s restraints with the knife she kept on her belt. “It’s okay. You’re safe,” Laney repeated, but the woman continued to cry.
Jen untied the two boys, who immediately flung themselves at their mother. Laney sat back, watching the family, feeling tears forming in her own eyes. They were all right. But what had any of this been about?
CHAPTER 68
Malama Island, Hawaii
The Naacal and the priestess, along with Vanessa and three guards, watched the scene on the TV. It was a coffee shop in the United States. Six people were huddled against one wall. A man with a gun paced back and forth. Aaliyah frowned as the scene continued. Something was wrong.
Kai leaned down to whisper in her ear. “It’s repeating.” Aaliyah realized he was right.
When the Naacal had been summoned to the Council room, Aaliyah had thought they were to be told when and where the ring bearer would be tested. She had been aghast to learn that the test had already begun.
The priestess frowned and gestured for Vanessa to lean down. The priestess whispered in Vanessa’s ear, then Vanessa nodded and stepped away from the group to make a phone call.
Aaliyah kept her eyes on Vanessa, but she kept her back to the group. After a few moments, she turned and handed her phone to one of the guards. The guard walked over to the TV and began to link the phone and the screen.
Vanessa returned to the priestess’s side and whispered something in her ear, then stepped back.
“Something was wrong with the original feed. But we have another link,” the priestess said to the Nacaal. “It seems the group we sent has been compromised. The situation has been resolved, but we do not have the full details yet.”
Aaliyah clenched her fists. No one had even been told the nature of the test; only Vanessa and the priestess knew that. Aaliyah had hoped to contact the ring bearer to warn her, but there had been no time.
The TV flashed to life again. Now they could see the storefront of a coffee shop called Java Joe’s. The image jiggled; it appeared to be a feed from someone’s cell phone camera. Whoever was holding the phone walked inside. A few minutes later, a man burst in the door telling everyone to freeze.
“Fast forward,” the priestess ordered.
Vanessa did until a woman stepped into the shop. Aaliyah recognized her from the video call and tensed.
“Is that her?” Enzo asked.
“Yes,” Vanessa said.
They watched as the woman ordered the man to lower his weapon and then drop it.
On screen, the man cried as he fought her. “They have my family.�
�
“Who?”
“I don’t know. But if I don’t kill you, they will kill them.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” the priestess ordered.
“What was that about?” Aaliyah asked.
“Nothing,” Vanessa said. “He was a Fallen. His family was merely held to ensure his cooperation.”
“Are they safe?” Kai asked.
The priestess waved away the concerns. “Of course.”
“So she is the ring bearer,” Aaliyah said quietly.
“Perhaps,” the priestess said.
Kai looked up. “She was able to subdue the Fallen without harming him or anyone else. Who else could have done that?”
The priestess shrugged. “It appears she is the ring bearer, but it does not necessarily follow that we should help her. There have been ring bearers in the past who have been unworthy. After all, she let the Fallen live.”
Kai frowned. “She showed compassion. That’s not a fault.”
“Compassion can be an admirable quality,” the priestess said. “But in the ring bearer, it’s a weakness.”
“It’s not a weakness. She didn’t kill the man because she didn’t have to,” Aaliyah argued—even as she inwardly warned herself to stop speaking.
“Still, she demonstrates an affinity for the Fallen that is a concern. We have learned that she helps run a school where the students are Fallen and nephilim.”
“Perhaps she is hoping to help them make the right choices,” Kai said.
“And she saved that man’s life after we put it at risk,” Aaliyah said, yet again sending her inner sanity into a tizzy.
“Not man—Fallen,” Vanessa corrected, her voice hard.
Aaliyah dropped her gaze, realizing she was letting her emotions get away with her. “Yes, of course.”
“But that does not change the fact that the murders may very well be our responsibility. And if the ring bearer is trying to stop them, we should help her,” Kai argued.
The priestess’s gaze focused on Kai; he looked back with humility. Finally the priestess nodded. “Now we have to determine how to help. We need to learn more about this situation without raising any suspicions. Aaliyah—perhaps you could take charge of that, seeing as you are so interested in this case.”
Aaliyah bowed her head. “Yes, priestess. Thank you for the honor.”
“Priestess,” Enzo cut in. “I believe I may be better suited to speak with the ring bearer. And I am the one who brought this to your attention.”
Aaliyah looked up and found the priestess’s eyes still on her. “Yes,” the priestess said. “But Aaliyah is intimately acquainted with the risks such a venture will entail. We stay out of world affairs because they can be so dangerous. And this one may very well be life and death. Isn’t that correct, Aaliyah?”
Aaliyah swallowed, hoping she was not hearing a promise in the priestess’s words. “Yes, priestess.”
CHAPTER 69
Addison, West Virginia
Exhaustion weighed down on Laney as she sat in the SUV next to Jen. And it wasn’t physical exhaustion, but emotional. Charles Garner was being held in the SIA facility for at least the night, although there were no plans to charge him. Laney had escorted him personally to the facility, not only because she could control him, but also because she wanted to see if he knew anything that could help them.
But he was as much in the dark as they were. He’d received a call on his cell from his wife’s phone. A man he did not know was on the other end, telling him he had taken his wife and sons. His wife was put on the phone to prove the threat. He was then given instructions on what to do and told that if he deviated in any way, his family would be killed. Charlie hadn’t even considered going against their instructions. He’d been terrified for his family.
Charlie was an unwitting pawn in someone else’s game, and they still didn’t know whose.
Jake and Henry were traveling with Charlie’s family so they could join him. Right now, what the Garner family needed more than anything was protection.
Jen pulled away from the facility and headed back to the estate. “You okay?”
Laney shook her head. “No.”
They drove for a while in silence. Laney pictured the fear in Charlie’s face. Then she frowned.
“The kidnappers told Charlie that if he deviated in any way from their instructions, his family would be killed.”
Jen grimaced. “Assholes.”
“Yeah, but how would they know?”
“The video feed at the coffee place?”
“Yeah, but then they got a phone call. Someone tipped them off.” Laney pulled out her phone and dialed.
Detective O’Malley answered. “Dr. McPhearson?”
“Hi, detective. I have just a quick question for you. Did you get a background on all the hostages?”
“Most of them.”
“What do you mean?”
“One of them disappeared. We don’t have a name or any contact information.”
“Which one?”
“The woman in the jeans and fleece.”
Laney remembered her; she was the woman who had paused when Laney told the hostages to leave. “Did you find anything unusual in the coffee shop?” she asked.
“No. All the hostages left something inside—bags, phones—”
“Phones? How many?”
“Three.”
“Were any recording?”
“Yeah, actually. One.”
“Can you check if it’s still in evidence?”
“Hold on.”
“What’s going on?” Jen asked.
“Just playing a hunch.”
O’Malley returned to the phone. “Goddamn it—the phone’s missing. I have the techs tearing apart the van. We’ll find it.”
No, I don’t think you will. “Thanks, detective.”
Laney ended the call and turned to Jen. “One of the hostages recorded the incident. I think she was a plant.”
“What?” Jen snapped her head toward Laney before turning her attention back to the road. “Why?”
“I’m guessing as a backup.”
“Was it in real time?”
Laney shrugged. “I don’t think so. If it was, I doubt the Garner family would still be alive.”
“Someone really wanted to see what you could do.”
Laney pictured the Garners’ terrified faces in the root cellar. “That poor family. They got yanked into this and they have nothing to do with anything. And Charlie knew what he could do but never used his abilities. He says his wife doesn’t even know. He’s like Xavier—a good man just trying to live his life. Why would someone do this? And why bring it to my attention?”
“Do you think this has anything to do with the Fallen murders or the companion murders?”
Laney shook her head, frustration rolling through her. “If it is, I’m not seeing the connection. Hell, I’m still not even clear on why the companion murders are happening.”
“Well, I have some news,” Jen said, her voice serious.
Laney blew out a breath. “Go ahead.”
“While you were getting Garner set up, we got a hit on facial rec with the Katzes.”
“Where?”
“They were entering the US over the Canadian border in Seattle.”
“Canada? As in where the latest murder was?”
“Yep. They drove over the border under assumed names.”
Laney went still. “And now they’re here.”
“And now they’re here,” Jen agreed.
“How long ago?”
“About two hours.”
Crap. “Any sightings since then?”
“No, but once they’re in the country they can move around pretty easily, unless they plan to get on a commercial plane.”
Laney slumped down in her seat. “Well, that’s just great.”
CHAPTER 70
Malama Island, Hawaii
Noriko skipped down the temple steps. She had just comp
leted a test of her abilities, and had passed with flying colors.
“Noriko.”
She turned and saw Arrow approaching. Tall with dark hair and eyes, Arrow exuded confidence but not arrogance. He was a year older than Noriko, and she had watched him from afar for years. Everyone, including Noriko, assumed he was destined for the Naacal one day.
“Your gift is very impressive,” Arrow said as he caught up with her.
“Thank you. And I have heard of all your great accomplishments.”
Arrow smiled. “I wish you well.” He passed her and went to join his teacher, who was already at the bottom of the temple steps. Arrow waved at Noriko over his shoulder and she smiled back. But Arrow’s teacher only cast a glare in her direction. He had not been happy that his prize student had been outperformed by Noriko.
Aaliyah came up behind her and slipped her arm around Noriko’s shoulders. “Let’s go.”
Noriko frowned as they walked away from the temple. Aaliyah didn’t look proud—she looked concerned. “Is something wrong?”
“No, of course not.” The wrinkles on Aaliyah’s brow faded. “You did wonderful, by the way.”
Noriko knew Aaliyah was distracted; she had been ever since the priestess had put her in charge of contacting the ring bearer. Aaliyah had been hesitant to do so, and Noriko, now having read everything Aaliyah had on the history of the ring bearer, could understand why. The woman was larger than life, a true force of nature. Even so, Noriko had never known Aaliyah to be unsure. It was a little disconcerting.
Before Noriko could question her, a vision burst into her mind. She gasped and clutched at Aaliyah’s arm as her knees went weak. Images of blood, hate, and fear swam in front of her. She lost all sense of the here and now. When at last her mind began to clear, her heart pounded and she felt lightheaded.
“Noriko! What is it? What’s wrong?” Aaliyah knelt on the ground next to Noriko, one arm wrapped around her. Noriko couldn’t remember having fallen.
“It was a vision,” Noriko stammered. She stared into Aaliyah’s concerned eyes. “You need to call the ring bearer.”
CHAPTER 71
