by R. D. Brady
“Well, apparently daddy didn’t approve of his only son shacking up with a Las Vegas dancer. He refused to let them marry. Threatened to disown him. So, the son set the girl up and made sure little Warren never wanted for anything.”
“Except a father.”
“Yes. Except that.”
Laney was surprised to feel a stirring of pity towards Warren. She told herself she was feeling pity only for the boy he’d been, not the man he was now. “Where’s his Dad now?”
“Dead. About five years ago in a boating accident.”
“Any other kids?”
“Nope. Warren is the one and only.”
“Grandpa still alive?”
“Sebastian Flourent. And yup. But according to my source – her name’s Bubbles, by the way – Grandpa never met the boy and never wanted to.”
“Does Bubbles still speak with the mom?”
“No. Not since they moved to Beverly Hills.”
Laney sat back. “Okay. So Warren has an uber-rich grandpa. Did the old man have a change of heart as he got older? Did he reach out to his only grandchild?”
“I don’t know. And I gotta go. I’m going to get the next flight out to you guys.”
“Okay, Yoni. We’ll see you soon.”
She disconnected the call and googled Sebastian Flourent. Recluse, believed to be living somewhere in the Southwest. Hadn’t been seen much in public for about fifteen years. Used to be a man of industry. Rumors about an illness around ten years ago. His father died of a heart attack thirty years ago, leaving him Flourent Inc.
That name. Something about the word was stirring a thought. She sat back, staring out the window. Flourent. She knew she’d seen it somewhere else. She was sure she’d read it somewhere in the last few days. Glancing around the office, she struggled to remember, but she’d read so much it was impossible to pinpoint.
She ran her hands through her hair and then stared up at the ceiling. “God, if you’re listening, we could really use a break right now.”
CHAPTER 65
Washington, DC
Abigail Dresden sat in one of the private dining rooms of La Chaumiere. Quiet, out of the way, it was the location for some of DC’s biggest deals. With her immaculately-tailored, deep-magenta suit and perfectly coiffed brown chignon, she fit in with all the power brokers.
Of course, nothing about her appearance was real. Padding filled out her figure, adding pounds to her lithe frame. Heavy make-up took years off her fifty-seven, and the wig completed the look of a young Washington power broker. Her ‘Abigail Dresden’ persona. Of course, Abigail was only one of a legion of personas she used. But precautions must be taken. Precautions were life.
Her menu sat untouched in front of her. Ralph Gregor, her bodyguard, glanced in. Thick dark hair sat upon a perfect face that time had aged well. Although her age, his shoulders were still as wide as when he’d been a star linebacker in college.
He’d been with her for over thirty years. They knew each other so well, words were almost unnecessary. With a subtle nod, Ralph intercepted the waiter about to walk in and closed the door.
Abigail pinned the man across from her with her violet eyes. “I’m waiting, Senator.”
Former Senator Paul Glancy wiped his forehead with his linen napkin. A not so thin line of perspiration had worked its way there almost as soon as he sat down. Sweat rings had bled onto the collar of his white shirt, leaving a sodden stain. His yellow-and-white striped tie hung loosely from his thick neck.
“Ms. Dresden, you have to understand. These people are brutal. If they knew I was talking to you-”
She raised a single finger. He went silent. Her voice was whisper soft. “The information. Now.”
He nodded, a stammer in his voice. “It was, it was seven months ago. That’s the last report we have on him. He disappeared.”
She let the silence draw out between the two of them, knowing silence was often a much more effective interrogation technique than words.
A minute passed before Glancy spoke. His words jumbled together, trying to fill the void. “The Council has used every resource, but we haven’t found a trace of him.”
“And the others?”
“Others?”
Abigail let out a sigh. “I’m getting annoyed, Senator.”
“The others, right. We currently have seventeen verifieds under surveillance.”
“Unverifieds?”
“Around twenty.” He paused. “And there’s something else. It’s in the report, but you should know, we have indications that they’re grouping together.”
“Grouping? How many?”
“At first, two. The biggest group was ten.”
Only years of practice allowed her to keep the fear from her face. If they were grouping, that could mean only one thing. I’m not ready. She’s not ready. We need more time.
She handed him a business card. “You’ll forward all the information you have on them to this email address.”
He took the card with only two fingertips, staring at it like it was poisonous snake. “But, but, they’ll trace it to me. They’ll trace it to you.”
“They won’t trace it to me. You, however—” She shrugged. “Consider taking a long vacation.”
“But –”
The door slid open. Ralph stepped in. “A situation has arisen.”
Abigail’s chest grew tight and fear spiked through her. There was only one reason Ralph was ever allowed to interrupt one of her meetings. “Leave,” she ordered Glancy.
“Ms. Dresden, there must be another –”
The anger she’d leashed for the meeting slipped a notch. “Leave. Now.”
Glancy knocked over his chair in his haste to escape. Ralph stepped aside at the door, then closed it after Glancy, who ran down the narrow, heavily carpeted hall to the front doors.
Abigail was on her feet, grabbing her bag. Her eyes searched Ralph’s face for a sign of the news. Concern. She could see concern in his brown eyes. That scared her more than his words. “What’s happened?”
“It’s Henry. He’s been abducted.”
CHAPTER 66
Las Vegas, NV
Pain roared through Henry's chest, jerking him into consciousness. His eyes flew open and his arms wrenched upward, only to meet resistance. He panted, his heart feeling like it was going to explode out of his chest.
As the pain passed, he realized he was strapped to a metal cross. His shirt was gone, his wrists and ankles secured by chains. The room had sheer metal walls, no windows. There was no way to tell where he was or even what time of day it was.
"Good. You're awake."
His eyes focused on Hugo Barton who stood ten feet away. Henry stared at the syringe in his hands. "What did you inject in me?"
Hugo dropped the syringe onto the table next to an assortment of knives, scalpels, and other sharp instruments. "Adrenaline. You were taking too long to come around."
"You could have killed me."
Hugo's eyes narrowed. "Now see, that just isn't true, is it?"
Henry stared at him, not certain what the man was suggesting. He stayed silent.
Hugo picked up a scalpel and walked over to him. "My employer has some questions for you." Without warning, he slashed Henry across the chest.
Henry gasped at the pain, gritting his teeth. When it passed, he snarled. "Shouldn't you at least ask me a question first?"
"I think we both know you wouldn't just start answering. So I thought we'd skip the pleasantries and get right to the pain."
Henry yanked on his restraints, but they were too strong.
"Tsk, tsk. Those’ll keep you there. But just in case, I have a backup plan."
Hugo walked over to the table next to the door with all of his tools. There was a small remote on it.
Henry hadn’t noticed before. His attention too focused on all the sharp, shiny instruments.
Hugo picked up the remote and pushed a button.
The metal behind Henry began to
grow warm and then hot. Henry arched his back, trying to keep it from pressing against the metal, but there wasn't enough give in the restraints. His skin began to sizzle as the metal burned through it. He bit his lip, not wanting to give the man the satisfaction of a response, but soon a scream erupted from his lips.
Hugo smiled, pressing another button and the metal began to cool.
Henry’s skin had now melted to the beams. He blew air from his mouth, trying to manage the pain.
Hugo walked up to him, a serrated knife in his hand. With the tip, he traced the spot where he’d slashed Henry before. Only a faint red mark was there now.
Hugo looked up into Henry's eyes. "Let's not waste time on denials when the proof’s right here. My boss tells me that you’re not really human, that you have special abilities. And right now, he needs one of those skills. He's asked me to persuade you to cooperate."
Henry stared at the man. All he saw in him was cruelty. And this man had the gall to accuse him of not being human. There was no morality in this man, only evil. “You and your boss can go to hell."
Hugo smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."
CHAPTER 67
Baltimore, MD
Laney paced Henry’s office, struggling to come up with some string she could follow to help find Henry. For all she knew whoever had grabbed Henry was gathering up as many superhumans as they could find. She stilled. Oh no.
Trembling, she pulled out her cellphone and dialed. “Please answer,” she mumbled as the phone rang out over and over again.
“Hello?”
Laney released her breath and sagged against the wall. “Jen. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Why? What’s happened?”
Laney quickly told her what had happened to Henry and why they thought he was targeted. “If they’re grabbing people with powers, you need to be careful. Really careful.”
“I will. Trust me. Besides, I’m not exactly a showboat when it comes to those abilities.”
“Have you told your brothers?”
“No. I haven’t figured out a way to work ‘Hey, I’ve had superpowers since I was a kid’ into the conversation.”
Laney gave a small laugh. “I could see why that would be a little bit difficult. But you need to let them know. You could be in danger and they need to be ready for that threat.”
Laney could hear the sigh through the phone, and the fear. Jen’s voice was small when she spoke. “What if they can’t handle it?”
“Jen, your brothers flew half way around the world to save you. They’re both former Navy SEALs. I’m pretty sure they can handle it. It might rattle them for a second, but they love you. You know that.”
“I know.”
“Good.” Laney paused. Although she did want to warn Jen, she thought the chances of her being targeted were pretty low. There was another reason she needed to speak with her. “Can I ask you a question?”
Jen paused before answering, probably recognizing the seriousness in Laney’s tone. “Okay.”
“When you met Henry, you seemed rattled. I thought it might be due to his size, because I’ve seen people react like that to him. But now I’m thinking your reaction was based on something else.”
Laney waited as the silence on the phone grew. Finally, Jen spoke. “I don’t know how to explain it. I mean, yes, I was surprised by his size. But it was more than that. I felt an automatic connection to him.”
“You mean an attraction?”
“No, not exactly. It was stronger than that. It was a connection and a knowledge.”
Laney leaned back against the wall. She knew the answer to the question but she asked it anyway. “Because you knew he was like you?”
“Yes,” Jen said simply. “I knew he had the same abilities I did. I don’t know how, but I knew.”
Laney nodded. “And you’ve never felt that connection with anyone else?”
“No. Just Henry.”
Laney’s mind whirled with the possibilities. It didn’t help her find Henry, but it was damned intriguing.
Jen cut into her thoughts. “What are you going to do about Henry?”
Laney thought of all Henry had done for Danny, her, her uncle, Jake, Jen, the Shuar. And the list went on. “We’re getting him back, Jen. I’ll call you when I hear something.” She disconnected the call, staring out the window.
“Laney, I need to speak with you.”
Laney turned around. A man with a wild halo of grey hair and thick glasses stood in the doorway. His hands moved quickly, his eyes darting around the room. His nervousness was palpable.
Laney crossed the room towards him. “Dom? Are you all right?”
Dom was Dr. Dominique Velasquez, a world-renowned physicist and agoraphobe. Laney had never seen him out of the bomb shelter he used for his residence and lab. Whatever had ushered him out must be important.
Dom bounced in place. “I know who’s behind the Ecuador attack.”
CHAPTER 68
Laney sat Dom down at the conference table but his nervous energy had him leaping from the chair almost immediately to pace the room. “I’ve never been in Henry’s office before. He’s invited me, of course. But I’m more comfortable in my lab. Henry’s always come there.”
Laney nodded, feeling the fear coming off Dom. Henry was his friend and Dom was terrified. “We’ll get him back, Dom. Jake has everybody working on his abduction.”
Dom stopped pacing for a moment, but then continued on. His words came out even faster. “When I realized the connection, I knew I needed to speak with you right away. But I didn’t want to leave the lab. But it was important. It was for Henry.”
Dom kept talking, his words coming out like a flood. Laney struggled to figure out a way to calm him down enough to find out what he had to tell her.
The door opened and Jake walked in carrying a tray. Oh thank God.
Laney smiled, spying the chocolate chip cookies on the tray. She’d texted Jake to let him know Dom was here. And obviously, Jake was hoping Dom’s favorite treat might calm him a little.
Jake placed the tray on the table, ignoring Dom’s incessant talking. He spoke over the agitated genius. “Hey Dom. Laney said you might have some information on the group behind the Ecuador attack.” Jake placed a pile of cookies on a plate next to a giant glass of milk.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, Dom sat down and picked up a cookie. “Yes. I’m pretty sure I know.” He took a bite of the cookie, gulped down some milk and stared off into space.
Laney breathed a sigh of relief. At least, he’d stopped talking. She waited and Dom stayed silent, contentedly chewing on his cookie. Of course, a little talking would be helpful. “Dom?”
He looked up as if surprised to see her there. “Oh, right. It’s the Council.” He grabbed a handful of the cookies and stood as if he was about to leave.
Jake put up a hand. “The Council? Who are they?”
Dom sat back down. “Only one of the longest running secret societies ever. Their goals are to track down Atlantean artifacts and use them for their own monetary benefit. Of course, the Council is their modern name.”
“Modern name?” Jake asked.
Dom nodded. “Sure. Their other name was way too obvious.” Dom ate another cookie.
“The Imiatores Belials,” Laney said, remembering the name from her research.
Dom nodded. “Yup.”
“Who?” Jake asked.
Laney tore her eyes from Dom to look at Jake. “It’s one of the secret societies I looked up. They were obsessed with finding artifacts from Atlantis. They began in the eleventh century and allegedly disbanded in the nineteenth.”
Dom shook his head. “Not disbanded. Went underground.”
Jake leaned forward. “Dom, is there any reason to think the Council might be behind Henry’s kidnapping?”
Dom stared at his plate, which was now empty. Laney quickly filled it with more cookies. Dom munched on one while talking. “Only if they thought he was a Fallen.”
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Laney sat back, thinking about the man taping Henry’s abduction. Henry moved just like a Fallen.
“Of course,” Dom continued, “Henry’s not a Fallen.”
Laney and Jake exchanged a glance. Laney spoke slowly. “Of course he’s not.”
Dom nodded. “But his dad was.”
CHAPTER 69
Laney and Jake stared at Dom in disbelief. Did Dom know about Henry’s abilities?
Dom must have felt their stares. He stopped eating and looked up. “What?”
“What did you mean about Henry’s father being a Fallen?” Jake asked.
Dom looked between the two of them, confused. “You two didn’t know? He’s listed in that file I gave you last year.”
Last year, in the search for those behind the kidnapping of Jake’s brother, Dom had given them a list of people he’d identified as fallen angels. It had led them to Azazyel. But after identifying him, Laney hadn’t looked at it again. And she wasn’t sure Jake had ever even seen it.
Laney and Jake both shook their heads.
Dom sighed. “Well, it’s obvious. Have you heard about how Henry’s dad died?”
“It was a home invasion,” Laney said.
“True,” agreed Dom. “But the coroner’s report indicated that James Chandler had been shot multiple times over the course of a couple of weeks. The wounds were all at a different stage of healing – some almost completely, some just starting, some halfway there, etc. And there was never a report of the earlier attacks.”
Laney looked at Jake, who shook his head. He’d never heard any of this either.
Dom continued. “Anyway, he was obviously shot at that one incident, but his wounds healed almost as soon as he was injured. Except for of course, the last few, which were point blank in his heart.”
Laney tried to take in what Dom was saying, but her head was swimming. “So you’re saying Henry’s a nephilim?”
Dom nodded. “Yup. That was the point of the test. To see what Henry could do.”
