Mirissa positioned herself in the aisle so she could see both engines out of the windows to her sides. The visual probably wasn’t necessary, but Steve didn’t want to risk breaking her concentration by saying so. She shook out her arms, then raised them to her sides, in line with each of the engines. Also, probably unnecessary.
The strain on his daughter was evident. Her jaw was clenched and the muscles in her forearms strained against her skin.
A moment later, the pilot called back over his shoulder. “It’s working! We’re slowing down.”
Steve kept a careful eye on his daughter. She was pushing herself hard and had already broken into a sweat.
“Three seventy-five.”
“Come on, sweetheart. You’re doing great.” She was beginning to shake with the exertion, and Steve wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep it up.
“Three fifty.”
A small trickle of blood dripped from Mirissa’s nose. Steve reached for her, only to be stopped by Greco. “She’s okay. This has happened before.”
Before Steve could say anything, Greco moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’ve got you, Mirissa. We’re almost there.”
His daughter stopped shaking almost immediately and Steve decided to rethink his aversion to the two dating. Maybe.
“Three fifteen. A few more seconds and I’ll engage the reverse thrusters.”
Steve ran to the hatch in the floor and told everyone to get ready. When he returned to Mirissa she looked even paler than before.
“Brace yourselves! I’m engaging in three … two … one.”
Steve was knocked to the floor when the thrusters fired up. It wasn’t an immediate stop, but more like the jet ran into a huge rubber band. He looked to Mirissa to make sure she was safe and found her lying on the floor in front of him, still cocooned in Greco’s arms. “Get down below.”
Mirissa looked a little shaky as Greco helped her through the hatch, but the smile she gave Steve told him there was no serious damage. Scrambling to his feet, he made his way to the pilot. “Has the pressure equalized?”
“Yep. We’re good to go.”
With a nod, Steve went through the hatch to join the others. “We’re ready. Everyone grab hold of something. When this blows it’s going to get windy down here.” Once they were secured, Steve nodded his head and Myrick detonated the charges he’d run in the shape of an oversized door.
The roar of the wind was almost as deafening as the explosion, and Steve had to scream to be heard. “Wait for my signal. As soon as we’re below two hundred knots, go.” He scrambled back up to the cockpit and checked in with the pilot. “Are we good?”
“So far. We’re down to two thirty and she’s holding together. You’ve got quite the impressive daughter, there.”
“Don’t I know it.”
It felt like an eternity before the speed finally hit two hundred.
“It’s time to go, Captain.”
When they reached the hold below, Steve saw the look that briefly crossed the pilot’s face when he saw the hole they’d blown. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you a new one.” He clapped him on the back and addressed the team. “Let’s do this. One at a time. Remember to count to three before you open your chute.”
One by one, the Omega Group team, pilot, and flight attendant disappeared out the back of the jet, their chutes drifting peacefully in a lazy row. When it was only Myrine and Steve left, she leaned in for a quick kiss. “We can be lovebirds, too, you know.”
Three seconds later the jet was empty.
Chapter 11
By the time Han and Jackie walked into the Cameron Trading Post, it was early afternoon. The smells coming from the restaurant made Han’s stomach growl in anticipation. They’d missed both breakfast and lunch and were more than ready to make up for it.
“Do you see her anywhere?”
Jackie nodded toward a woman sitting alone by the window in the back corner of the room. She was dressed in her park ranger’s uniform, reading the contents of a manila folder sitting in front of her.
“Let’s go introduce ourselves,” Han said and led the way to her table. “Ranger Christner? I’m Han Li, and this is Jackie Barns. Sorry we’re late.”
The ranger stood and shook their hands. “It’s no problem. Did you have any trouble?”
Although Han knew she was probably only asking if they’d had any difficulty finding the place, he couldn’t help but smile. “No, ma’am. No trouble at all.” The truth was probably more than this woman wanted to know.
After their little adventure on the trail, they’d spent the rest of the morning hiking to the hilltop. Hitching a ride was more difficult than anticipated, so they used their sat phone to call up the closest rental car company. The tip required to get someone to drive the car to them was astronomical. Finding the ranger was even more difficult. She’d taken a leave of absence, and getting her cell phone number from her colleagues was like prying for state secrets.
“Do you mind if we order some lunch? We’ve been kind of busy today and haven’t had a chance to eat yet.”
“Of course not. Try the Navajo Taco. It’s a local specialty.”
Once their orders were placed, Han got down to business. “So, Ranger Christner, you’ve had some weird things going on around here?”
“Kell.”
“I’m sorry?” Han was perplexed.
“You can call me Kell. It’s my name. And, yes, we’ve had some strange things happening here. But I have a question for you before we get into all this. Why are you here?”
Han and Jackie exchanged a confused look. “We’re here to find out what’s been going on. You did ask for help, didn’t you?”
“Of course I did, but no one ever took me seriously. I’ve been filing reports for months now, but nothing ever comes of them. Then you guys show up. So, I’ll ask again. Why are you here?”
Jackie, who was much better at handling this sort of thing than Han, took over. “Because someone took your reports seriously, Kell. And they sent us to investigate.”
“So, you’re like Mulder and Scully?”
Although Jackie looked confused, Han let loose a loud laugh. If she only knew how close to the truth that was. “Yep, that’s us. X-Files all the way. What have you got for us?”
For a moment, Kell looked as though she was trying to decide whether she was about to be made the butt of a joke, then tossed her file folder across the table. “Everything’s in there. It all started about four months ago. A small group of hikers didn’t show up at their campground for dinner so their friends called us. We found them wandering Point Imperial Trail around midnight. Not all that unusual in and of itself. What was weird was their story. They had no memory of the day at all. None of them. We brought them to the clinic and had them checked out, but, physically, they were fine. They just lost about nine hours of their lives.”
Han interrupted. “Where is this Point Imperial Trail?”
“It’s on the east side of the canyon, before you get to the Navajo reservation.”
“Is that near where the Yavapai are staying?”
A puzzled look crossed her face. “Someone’s done their homework. The Yavapai are settled a little further south, but yeah. It’s pretty close.”
“All right, what else have you got?”
“There have been two other instances of lost hikers showing up hours later with no memories. And, before you ask, there doesn’t seem to be any pattern as to where they show up.”
“What about the auras?” Jackie asked.
“That’s a little more difficult to pinpoint. We’ve only had two reports of auras, but they weren’t documented with photos. Both were called in about five months ago. The second call came from a couple of tourists staying at the Desert View campground. They saw what they called a golden glow coming from the far end of Kaibob National Forest.
Han interrupted. “You said that was the second call. What about the first?”
“Th
at one came from a pay phone here but was mostly ignored. The guy was obviously drunk and wouldn’t leave his name. Kept saying that aliens were landing.”
“But the camper’s call would have corroborated his story.”
“Yeah, if they’d called it in right away. Cell service out here is spotty at best so they waited until their vacation was over and they were back in town before they made their report. It was almost a week later, so no one put the two calls together.”
“Until?” Han knew there was more to the story.
Kell smiled. “Until a fight broke out in the parking lot of this place last month. A group of locals were accosted by some drunk. He accused them of being—wait for it—inhabited by aliens. The authorities were called, the drunk was brought in, and his statement was taken. His story was so crazy that it was a frequent topic of conversation for all the law enforcement officers involved. That’s how it came to my attention.”
“Have you interviewed him yet?”
“Nope. He had no I.D. on him and gave a fake name when he was put in the drunk tank, so I haven’t been able to track him down. I’m still working on it, though.”
“I thought you were on a leave of absence,” Jackie said.
“I am. My bosses don’t think there’s anything to all of this stuff so they pulled me off of my investigation. But I know I’m on to something. There’s just been too much unexplained stuff. I was due some vacation time so I took it.” Kell motioned to her shirt. “The uniform just makes it easier.”
Han couldn’t help but admire this woman’s tenacity. She’d get in a lot of trouble if her superiors found out she was conducting an off-book investigation. His opinion of her skyrocketed. “You got any theories?”
“None that you’ll believe.”
“Try us,” Han and Jackie said in unison.
Kell shrugged her shoulders in a “what have I got to lose?” motion. “My family’s lived here for generations. In that time, there have been persistent rumors about people with special abilities. There’s an old story about a tribe here called the Havasupai. It’s been said they can shape-shift. I’m not saying I believe that stuff, but the stories have been around forever and, well, let’s just say that nothing in this canyon would surprise me.”
Han tried to sound skeptical. “And you think these current events have something to do with magical natives?”
The flash of anger that crossed the ranger’s face almost made Han feel guilty. “Of course not. I’m just saying that strange is kind of the norm around here, and I won’t rule anything out.”
When the waitress appeared with their lunch orders, Han was thankful for the distraction. “The rest of our team will be here shortly; we’ll keep you posted about what we find.” He almost dropped his forkful of lunch when Jackie kicked him under the table. Although he was more than accustomed to keeping secrets, for some reason he was finding it difficult to do so with Kell. “I’m sure there’s a boring explanation for everything.” His smile was forced for reasons beyond his now-bruised shin.
“There are more of you coming?”
“Yeah. They’re flying in from Jacksonville. In fact, they should be landing any time now.” Han counted off the hours in his head.
“They weren’t flying a Global Express jet, were they?”
The look of concern on the ranger’s face had Han’s gut clenching. “Yeah, why?”
Kell’s eyes lowered to the table. “I’m so sorry, but something happened. It was all over the news. I can’t imagine how you missed it.”
“Just tell us.”
Han saw the color drain from Jackie’s face as Kell told the story. His own complexion fared no better.
Chapter 12
“Now this is more like it!” Han spread his arms and spun around like a child in a toy store.
Mirissa couldn’t contain her giggle at his outburst. He’d been sporting an ear-to-ear grin since the team’s helicopter landed at the Grand Canyon airport. Despite her mother’s reassurances over the phone that they were unharmed, he’d apparently needed visual confirmation. Although his best friend was still missing, learning that the rest of his team was safe after their jet crashed seemed to lighten his mood.
“This place is way nicer than our last lodgings. And the people working here don’t hate us—always a plus in my book.”
They’d just checked in to the El Tovar Hotel, and its swanky European style had everyone smiling. The suite they were currently in, Mirissa’s mom and dad’s, had a sitting area overlooking the southern rim of the canyon and was large enough to comfortably hold the entire team.
“Don’t get used to it,” Mirissa’s mother said. “This is a one-time treat, courtesy of Julian, to make up for his inability to save the jet. I’m pretty sure he hacked their reservation system.”
“We need to get Carter back quick so he can see this place. He’s gonna love it.” Han had spent the last half hour insisting that Carter was fine and would be with them again soon. Mirissa understood his reasoning—the shooter chose to use tranquilizer darts instead of bullets—but she was less optimistic. Regardless of their ammunition choice, someone had taken Carter by force. In her experience, that kind of thing rarely had an altruistic motive.
“So, where do we start?” As far as Mirissa could tell, they really didn’t have any leads.
Jackie was the only person to offer anything even resembling a plan. “Our best bet is the Yavapai. The shooter at the airport when we landed was definitely part of their tribe, and they did attack us last night at the Havasupai village. That moves them to the top of my suspect list."
“Mine, too,” Han said, all joviality gone. “Carter has a history with them. It makes sense.”
Myrine nodded. “All right. We’ll check them out first. Do we know where they live?”
“Yeah,” Han answered. “Kell gave us the location where they’re staying. It’s not their home, but they’ve been there for a while.”
“And Kell is …?” Myrick asked.
“Kell Christner. She’s the park ranger who’s been documenting everything that’s happened here,” Han answered.
“She might be a bit of a problem, though,” Jackie continued. “She’s taken a leave of absence from her job and is conducting her own investigation. I don’t think she’s gonna back off.”
Myrine thought for a moment. “All right. If she becomes a problem we’ll deal with her. For now, let’s go find Carter.”
Chapter 13
Gina Ankte wandered through the almost deserted forest of their new, borrowed home. The Yavapai had been staying on the southern tip of the Navajo reservation for months. Although she understood the generosity of the Navajo’s gift to them, it didn’t go unnoticed that they were placed as far from the other tribes as geography would allow.
Being ostracized was something Gina was accustomed to. Her tribe had been looked down upon for over a thousand years. If the legends were true, they’d deserved it back then. Much to her dismay, in the centuries since, they’d done nothing to earn back their rightful place. Their anger and bitterness, passed down from one generation to the next, kept them focused on revenge instead of rebuilding.
And I’m doing the same thing. Alienating herself from her tribe for the last five years hadn’t been a conscious decision. She’d allowed her own anger and bitterness to consume her until it was all she had left. And now I’m here again.
Coming back to the canyon was the last thing Gina wanted to do. She’d argued against the move since it was first discussed almost a year ago but, as usual, her opinion was ignored. Her tribe, like many others, was a male-dominated society. Women, although not considered outright inferior, were relegated to specific roles. Making decisions that affected the entire tribe was not one of those roles.
Their healer had insisted they return after having another one of his ambiguous visions. He assured their chief that this time Tochapa would reward them with the shape-shifting power they deserved. That once and for all, they would have
their revenge.
It didn’t seem to matter to the chief that those same words had been spoken by their healer more than a dozen times in Gina’s lifetime. They’d followed every one of his plans, mostly to the detriment of their tribe, and ended up with nothing. Five years ago, when one of the healer’s plans included her, she’d lost everything she’d ever cared about in one horrific night.
No. I’m not going to dwell on that anymore. I’ve spent the last five years trying to put it behind me and I refuse to let that pain take over now.
That, of course, was easier said than done. Just being back at the canyon had caused all of those feelings to come flooding back. She’d even imagined seeing Carter at the airport yesterday.
If there was one person on this earth that she didn’t want to see, it was Carter. After what he’d done…
A loud grunt to her left pulled her thoughts back to the present. She’d assumed she was alone out there at the edge of the reservation, but the curse words that wafted through the trees told her otherwise. She took a few hesitant steps toward the unknown voice, her curiosity getting the better of her. As she rounded the trunk of a particularly large tree, she saw the source of the noise.
A tall man wearing a baseball cap was dragging something heavy through the woods. He was obviously not strong enough to carry it by himself. Grateful for the interruption of her thoughts, Gina started forward, intending to offer her help.
Then the heavy bundle moved, rolling on its side. The man in the cap reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a needle. Gina’s jaw dropped as the reality of the situation in front of her sunk in.
“Hey!” she yelled as she ran forward. She had no weapon but couldn’t allow any harm to come to the person splayed out on the ground. Any more harm, at least. “What are you doing?”
The man started to turn toward her but stopped before his face was revealed. He took a quick look at his captive, then ran off through the forest.
Although Gina wanted to follow—if for no other reason than to find out who he was—she knew the person he left behind needed her help. She moved slowly, not entirely sure this person hadn’t deserved their fate. No. His fate. It was definitely a man. He was turned away from her but the muscles in his back were obvious through his shirt. As she closed to within a few feet of him, she saw his long black hair trailing across his face. Only his slightly parted lips were visible. Lips that looked just like Carter’s.
Rogue (Book 2) (The Omega Group) Page 6
