“We think Omar might be taking the girls to another island. Do you remember the name of that pilot he used to go to Mexico?” Michelle asked.
Heather nodded, “Oh, yeah, Sammy. The guy who took you away in that creepy box Omar put you in. It looked just like a coffin. Sammy was kind of sleazy, willing to break the law to fly Omar to another country. His full name is Sammy Thompson.”
Rod was using his phone as soon as Heather said the name. “Yeah, he’s a pilot for a private air field near the airport.” Rod started dialing the number. Moments later he said, “No answer. I’ll text him.”
Rod left a message for Sammy to call him back. He said it was urgent.
“You think we should head out in that direction right now?” Michelle asked Rod.
“Why do that?” Heather interrupted. “I mean, Omar could be hiding somewhere close, in another hotel.”
“The children can communicate some way,” Michelle said. “They told Petal that they were still in the getaway car and they saw big lights in the sky. Moving lights. So maybe they’re going to the airport.”
The professor had ambled over, catching most of the conversation. “I’d like to come with you,” Vincent said, looking at Michelle.
“Maybe we should wait for the pilot to call us back first,” Rod said. Then he got a text message: I’m on an assignment but if you’d like to book a flight, call me back tomorrow.
Rod texted back: We need to talk right now. Are you in the air, or do you have a flight scheduled for tonight?
The reply: Call me.
The phone conversation was short. Sammy was waiting for a booking to arrive so he could take them to Kauai.
Rod told Sammy mucho thanks. He nodded at Michelle and said, “We’d better leave now. Sammy’s waiting for a booking to Kauai. I’d bet anything it’s Omar and the kids. I didn’t want to ask any more questions. Sammy might tell Omar there were suspicious questions asked about tonight’s flight.”
Michelle nodded and slung her purse over her shoulder. She hugged Heather. “It was a wonderful wedding and I hate leaving right now. I’ll let you know what happens when we get back. Congratulations to you and Mike.”
Heather said drolly, “I’m sure it’s one wedding no one will ever forget. But go, go. Don’t feel bad. Find those missing girls.”
Heather was right, Michelle thought. No one would ever forget a wedding in which the three flower girls had been kidnapped.
Mike stood up and hugged Michelle and Rod. “Thanks for the fireworks! Let us know what happens as soon as you can.”
Vincent hugged Heather and thanked her for inviting him to the wedding. Then he shook Mike’s hand, saying, “Congratulations. Have a wonderful life with Heather. You sure picked the right girl.”
The three of them left the reception ballroom. Omar already had a half-hour lead on them. They conferred and decided to get an Uber to Michelle’s condo and then take Rod’s car from there to the private airfield.
When they got to Michelle’s place, she quickly changed into dark clothing and tennis shoes. Rod changed into casual clothes as well. Vincent didn’t have the opportunity, so he was still stuck in his tux when they took off.
Rod’s car was fast, a Tesla P90D, which could go up to 155 mph. He’d done some race car driving in Japan, so he was the designated driver, even though he’d received quite a few speeding tickets trying out the car to see how it performed.
On the drive to the airfield, Rod was constantly frustrated by slow cars in the fast lane on the freeway. He snaked around in the lanes, always searching for the fastest route through traffic.
“I’m way over the speed limit. Watch out for the police. Both behind us and in front of us,” he told Michelle and Vincent.
Vincent, who was in the back seat, said, “I think I left my stomach back at Michelle’s place. I’m afraid to turn my head. I might up-chuck all over your beautiful new car.”
“You’ll get used to Rod’s driving,” Michelle said reassuringly. “Right now we need to figure out what to do if we get to the airport and Omar’s really there.”
“That’s critical,” Vincent agreed. “Let’s see. Omar’s the guy who threw a lightning bolt at Heather, and almost killed her. He mesmerizes women into witch covens. He uses torture; I know, because he did it with one of my students. And remember, Michelle, when he exploded all the lights in your condo? Then he trickled poisoned gas through your air conditioner vent.”
Michelle nodded. “He seems to suck in electrical energy in some unknown way to direct his extraordinary powers. He gets energy from storms, and lightning, and even the regular electricity we all use. He has uncanny ways of controlling it.”
“But what is he, really?” Vincent said. “A warlock? Or a wizard? A seer? Or a magician? He calls himself a necromancer, but he seems more like a demon from hell. And I can’t even define what a demon is. It seems to fit him, though.”
Michelle smiled. “At least we’ll have a warning if he gets angry. His eyes flash yellow.”
“Then what? We duck?” Vincent said rather sarcastically. “We’d need a gun or bomb to demolish Omar. He’s not going to give us the girls just because we ask nicely. We’d need a platoon of policemen.”
“But we can’t call the police on a hunch,” Michelle said. “Maybe we could scout out the area quietly, without being seen. If we see Omar and the girls, then we call the police.”
“You think we could actually sneak up on him?” Rod asked. “The guy’s got all kinds of tricks up his sleeves. He’s dangerous as hell. Remember when he zapped Heather and Mike with a draining spell and they lost all their energy? They were so exhausted and weak they couldn’t even walk.”
Michelle said, “The girls have paranormal abilities too, though.” She told Rod and Vincent about the Suck-Suck-Suck game.
“And we have Michelle’s supernatural abilities, as well,” Rod said.
Michelle sighed, knowing she was pathetically deficient in psychic ability when compared to Omar. He’d win hands down, if they were forced into a battle for the children.
But she might be able to exchange herself for the two little girls. Maybe she could persuade Omar to let them go and take her. He might not want her anymore, though. Her chances were slim for having more psychic children.
That’s what Omar had ultimately wanted from her, and what he eventually got when the embryos were implanted in Leilanie. However, she still believed Omar wanted her as a benign supernatural associate (or wife) to compliment his abilities. Her white, benevolent witchyness, to counteract his dark dangerous side.
His reputation had gone down the tubes in the supernatural and Wiccan world, with whispered horror stories of death and disaster following him. If Michelle joined with him he could anticipate a global upswing in popularity. Which would boost his bottom line, monetarily.
The problem she anticipated was that he probably thought she was despoiled because she was having Rod’s child. To make things even worse, Omar hated Rod and had tried to have him killed.
Rod was in more danger from Omar than she was. And Vincent was too, with their long history. Michelle thought that maybe she’d made a mistake in suggesting they try to find Omar together. She should have snuck away and gone by herself.
“We’re getting close,” Rod said, slowing down. He turned off the freeway, going down a road that paralleled it. He picked up his cell and checked the address. “Just a little further. I’m turning off the headlights.”
Without headlights, Rod had to slow down further. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.
Michelle whispered as they bumped on the road, “This is creepy. How can you see to drive?”
“I can feel it when I get too close to the edge of the road,” Rod whispered back.
“Just don’t drive us into a ditch,” Vincent whispered.
Michelle almost laughed. Why is it that everybody whispered when it suddenly got dark? Omar could never hear them at this distance.
Rod
turned onto a dirt and asphalt road leading to the private airport. “This is it.”
When they got to the end of the road the gate was closed. A chain link fence enclosed all the acres of airport space. There was a paddock on the gate.
“I’ll check the lock,” Rod said. He got out of the car and went to the gate. He pulled on the lock and found that although it appeared as though it was locked, when he pulled down on it, it opened up in his hand.
Rod released the lock, pushed the large swinging gate open, and got back into the car.
In the distant darkness they could just see several rows of private aircraft, probably owned by wealthy businessmen. There was also a large building that was visible because lights were on in the windows.
“Looks like someone’s still there,” Michelle said.
Rod started driving across the tarmac toward the rows of airplanes. “I’m going to park at the end of one of the lines of private planes,” Rod said. “We can stay hidden there, and watch.”
He got in position behind the first row of aircraft and turned off the engine.
“We’d need binoculars to see into the windows at this distance,” Michelle complained. “Someone’s in the building, though. I saw a shadow move by the window closest to the entrance.”
They were peering from under the wings of a large Lear jet.
Michelle opened the front passenger door. A mistake. The car dome light came on.
“Whoops,” Michelle exclaimed.
“What are you doing?” Rod said, frowning at Michelle.
“I’m going to run over there and take a peek in the window,” Michelle said, as she jumped out and quickly closed the door.
“No way,” Rod said. He deactivated the ceiling light and got out, too.
Vincent got out of the back seat.
They had a heated, whispered argument over the top of the car. Michelle didn’t want Rod or Vincent to come with her.
“You can’t go alone,” Rod said. He actually stamped his foot and then felt foolish, even though Michelle couldn’t see him from the other side of the car.
“I’ll be quiet as a mouse. Just a quick look-see and I’ll come right back. Besides you’d have a problem fighting.”
“With only one arm, I know. But you can? Fight him?”
“Neither of us can fight Omar. But he hates you. Safer for me to go. Besides, two people will cause more commotion. And the professor would stand out like a beacon in his white tux shirt if someone looks out the window.”
Rod shook his head, frowning at her.
“I’ll be fast. Just a little recon,” Michelle said, as if Rod had already been persuaded, and she took off running.
Michelle ran hunched over, diagonally toward the building, trying to stay out of sight of the windows. This wasn’t going to end pretty later tonight. She could almost feel Rod’s irritation zeroed in on her back.
Then she was at the side of the building. She bent over further, gliding stealthily toward the window where she saw movement earlier.
Michelle rose up a little so she could see inside the big box window. It was a general pilot’s office with a large wooden desk, file cabinets, and pictures of airplanes on the walls.
They were all there, she saw. The one man she didn’t recognize was probably the pilot. He was zeroed in on the map that was open on a wooden desk right in front of the window where she was peering in. Luckily, he didn’t see her.
Michelle ducked down fast below the window again. She still saw, like a picture on her retina from her quick peek inside, Ivory and Shelly. They had tears on their cheeks, their little noses were red. The two French women were trying to calm them down, evidently. The little girls were sitting on a couch and the women were kneeling in front of them. One of the women had an opened book. Maybe she was trying to read them a story.
The children had on little shorts and tee shirts. So the French women had probably had bought new outfits for them. Michelle, in her quick glance, saw the pretty pink flower girl dresses in a trash can by the desk.
Omar was there too, looking down at the map and pointing at a place on it for the pilot to see.
Michelle was so angry it felt like hot steam was surrounding her. Her heart thumped with fury and she knew the adage about being angry and ‘seeing red’ was true. She could feel the color of her rage; a bright burning red.
Michelle knew Rod and Vincent were watching her, so she tried to make a signal for them to call the police by putting one hand near to ear. Then she held out her hand like she was holding a phone, poking it with a finger to designate dialing.
That was all she could do to warn them to call the police.
Michelle stood up, not caring one bit whether those inside saw her or not. Those assholes had terrified two innocent little girls. Her own children.
She went to the door and hurled it open so hard it bounced off the wall.
Omar looked up abruptly, frowning at the crash. Then he smiled his dazzling smile, showing beautiful white teeth. His dark eyes glittered. “Oh good. I won’t have to make a special trip just to get you, Michelle.”
Both girls jumped off the couch, ducking around the two French women, and ran to her, hugging her legs, crying, “Michelle!” again and again, almost in unison.
She knelt down so she could hug them back, putting her arms around them protectively.
The one person she hadn’t seen when she looked in the window was Samson. She’d forgotten all about him.
He came out of a restroom side door, bounded over to Michelle, and grabbed hold of her long black hair from behind.
It was so unexpected, Michelle let out a little shriek when Samson yanked her hair. He was pulling so hard she thought it would come right out of her scalp by the roots.
Michelle twisted and turned, trying to get out of Samson’s hold. She elbowed him as hard as she could, but it was like hitting cement. It hurt her elbow like hell.
“Suck, suck, suck, on Samson,” Michelle said, looking intensely into the little girls’ eyes, one after the other. “Right now! Play the suck-suck-suck game.”
The two little girls didn’t let go of Michelle entirely, but each of them pointed one of their little hands with fingers splayed, at Samson. “Suck, suck, suck” they repeated over and over in their baby voices.
Samson went down with an enormous thump that shook the whole room. Unfortunately, he didn’t let go of Michelle’s hair. She fell on her back, on the floor and partly on top of Samson.
She pivoted around fast, looked down at him. He was unconscious, with closed eyes, but still breathing. She untangled her hair from his hand and got up.
The children were still chanting, “Suck, suck, suck.”
“Enough!” Omar said, slamming his fist down on the table.
He kept his angry expression, but Michelle knew he was probably delighted. He just got proof his daughters had unusual psychic powers. They had felled the mighty Samson.
Michelle, looking at Omar’s gleeful expression, knew she’d made a mistake in asking the girls to free her from Samson. She was afraid Omar would never let them go now that he had verification of the children’s supernatural abilities.
“You didn’t come alone, Michelle. Who’d you bring with you?” Omar asked suspiciously. “That disgusting Rod Nakamura, whom you’re so attached to? How could you have a baby with him?” His voice was becoming more and more enraged. “Maybe you called the police?”
Michelle shook her head and lied, careful not to look in his eyes. “I’m alone.”
She would never tell, even under torture. She had to keep Rod and Vincent safe. But Omar probably knew she wasn’t the only one here. And it was obvious he knew she was having Rod’s child. That seemed to make him go bonkers.
Michelle quickly pulled the diamond, Abigail, out from under her dark shirt and aimed it at Omar. He reeled back against the desk for a moment, like he’d lost his balance.
“The children need to go back to their mother. Back to Leilanie,” Mich
elle said, trying to bide time, hoping Omar would be totally incapacitated by the diamond. She straightened her back, took a deep breath, frowning back at him, holding out the diamond.
“Leilanie is a nanny, nothing more,” Omar said dismissively. He seemed to have trouble balancing, weaving from side to side. But he then steadied, as though the diamond hardly affected him. “I’m their father.”
“You can’t have them,” Michelle said.
“Oh yeah?” Omar said. “Girls! Look at me.”
Shelly and Ivory stopped chanting at Samson and obediently looked over at Omar. His voice was commanding, compelling them, but the tone was dulcet, like he was promising wonders beyond their imaginations. The girls’ eyes widened, their pupils dilating.
Michelle saw that the protective necklaces she had made for them, that they wore all the time, were missing. Omar knew of their power and had taken them off the little girls.
“Please don’t do that,” Michelle pleaded to the girls. “Don’t look at him.” She turned to Omar, “I’ll go with you. Just leave the girls here.”
It was too late.
Omar had somehow recovered from the effects from the diamond. He had mesmerized the little girls. They started taking baby steps toward him. Omar was propped against the desk and Michelle thought he might yet be disabled by the diamond.
“Stay with me,” Michelle implored as Shelly and Petal moved even more quickly toward their father.
She noted that Samson was shaking his head, coming back to consciousness. He groggily got up from the floor and raised his eyes to Omar.
It seemed there was some kind of communication between Samson and Omar. First, Samson grabbed her arm and wrenched the diamond from her hand, breaking the chain and throwing it across the room. Then he grabbed Michelle from behind in a bear hug so tight she thought her lungs might collapse. She could hardly breathe.
“I’ll have you, and the children,” Omar said in triumph.
Omar looked over at the pilot, Sammy. “I know there are others with her. We’ll have to cancel the flight. She probably called the police, too.”
Magical Legacy Page 16
