“I don’t believe you,” I spit into the phone. “How do I know you have her? Or if you do, how do I know she’s even alive?”
He snorted. “Trust issues, I see. That’s okay, we’ll have plenty of time to resolve those later. Let me explain something to you,” he said, his voice hardening. I could just imagine his glowing amber eyes narrowing like dart tips. “The only reason I have this little girl is because I want you. I have no plans to harm even one of those golden hairs on top of her head. But,” he paused for emphasis, “her fate rests entirely in your hands. I expect you to come to me. If you don’t, well…I’m sure you can probably imagine the kind of suffering Ava Rose might endure all because you –”
Standing up, I slammed my fist into the table. “You keep your filthy hands off her,” I screamed into the phone.
“Calm down and listen before I lose my patience.”
Gritting my teeth, I sat back down, trying to regain some sense of control. “Ava Rose will be perfectly safe as long as you come to me. There are conditions. You are not to tell anyone else we have been in contact. You might be interested in knowing that currently, Ava Rose believes she is on a vacation – a surprise vacation you arranged for her. She thinks you had to attend to a family emergency and that’s why you’re not here yet.”
“What kind of emergency?” I broke in.
“Something to do with your brother. To be fair, I will put her on the phone. It’s really up to you how you want to handle this. Because I can assure you, she’s quite content and has no idea of all the craziness going on in Bellingham – or that she’s even missing. She believes you spoke with her foster mom, arranged a trip for the two of you with some of your good friends, namely me,” he paused and I could hear the smile playing upon his lips, “and that you’ve just been delayed but will be arriving tonight.”
“Arriving where?” I demanded.
“You’re on a need to know basis. And right now, you don’t need to know that. All you need to do is follow my instructions. But before I get to those, I’ll give you a show of good faith and put her on the phone. It will be up to you whether or not you want to scare the living daylights out of her and tell her about me or if you want to keep her happy and oblivious and just go with the vacation story.”
I gasped. How could this have happened? In the next instant I heard Kieran calling Ava Rose, telling her I was on the phone. My hand flew to my chest. What would I say?
Before I had any time to think about my words, her soft, musical voice rang through my phone. “Lexi! I can’t wait to see you. Uncle Kieran said you’d be here tonight. Do you know what time you’ll arrive?”
Uncle Kieran? What the heck was that all about? Oh, this couldn’t be happening. At least she was alive. And she sounded remarkably well. “Oh, sweetie. How are you? Are you okay?”
“Of course I am, silly. Uncle Kieran has so many cool things here for me to do. I can’t believe you never told me about him before. I am missing you, though.” Surprisingly, her voice was animated. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought she was calling from Disneyland.
“I’m going to be there late tonight. Real soon,” I promised. “I miss you a ton, too.” As much as I hated to stick to any plan Kieran had initiated, there was no way was I going to tell her what a horrible monster he was. There was no reason to scare her to death.
“This was such a great surprise. I’m sorry your brother had an emergency and you couldn’t fly out with me. Is he better now?”
What the –? “Yes, sweetie. He’s just fine.”
“Oh good. Then I’ll see you later. Uncle Kieran has lots of fun things planned for us. Oh, he says he wants to talk with you again. Bye. See you tonight.”
My heart melted. “Bye, Ava Rose. I’ll be there real soon.”
I could hear Kieran saying, “Run along now. Why don’t you help Maya make us some lunch?”
Lunch? I glanced at the clock on the stove which indicated it was a little after ten o’clock. They had to be Midwest or back East – somewhere a couple hours ahead where it would be closer to lunchtime.
“Listen up, Lexi.” The pleasantries were gone from Kieran’s voice, and he sounded like he had when we were up at the cabin and I’d really pissed him off. “I’ve been more than considerate here. And I’m growing irritated with all the little indulgences. You’re high maintenance.” He sighed. “So, I want you to listen very carefully to what I’m about to say. I’m going to give you very explicit instructions. If you choose to ignore or break even one of them, I will have no choice but to punish Ava Rose. Her fate rests solely in your hands. Do you understand me?”
Loud and clear, I thought. My sweaty palms were shaking so badly, I had to put my cell phone on speaker mode. I set it down on the table. “Y-yes.”
“Finally, some agreement.” His unsettling voice echoed through the kitchen. “Truth be told, I’d prefer you don’t get any smart ideas and screw things up, because I’ve grown somewhat attached to the little girl in the last couple days. I don’t know if I’d get my usual enjoyment in torturing her.”
I wanted to shout out. Cry. Scream. And then I wanted to destroy him. But instead, for the next several minutes I listened prudently and helplessly. Was I scared? Oh yes. Not as much for myself – but definitely for Ava Rose. By the way his voice dipped and peaked, I could tell he was excited to have me under his command. I didn’t feel like I had any choice other than to follow his orders. I might as well have a chain around my neck. An image of Richard Rahl, one of my favorite characters in the Sword of Truth series, flashed in my mind. In one of the books, Richard was forced to wear a Rada’Han, a metal collar, around his neck. The collar disrupted his connection to his own magic, rendering him useless. I felt the same way now. A powerful Dentelle, reduced to nothing – unable to take advantage of her many gifts – by the vilest of animals – a Ray-pac.
By the time our call ended, I hated Kieran with renewed vengeance. He’d been very explicit in his demands that I not tell my Guardian friends anything at all, insisting he would know if I did. The whole time I’d been listening to him, I’d been thinking about my one saving grace – my telepathic connection with Ash – forever present and always private. I could reach him anytime from anyplace and do so instantaneously, and while that’s exactly what I’d been planning on doing the second I was off the phone with Kieran, I’d quickly changed my mind.
With more threats, Kieran had said knowingly, “And, Lexi, don’t even think about speaking with Ash telepathically. My people are watching him closely. Any change in his expression, behavior, or even his habits will be quickly noticed. If I even suspect you’ve hinted to our conversation, Ava will suffer the consequences. And I won’t stop with her; I’m sure I can easily track down others you care about.”
Those words had sent my emotions into another tailspin. I hadn’t known if Kieran was lying or not, but I couldn’t chance it. Ash was too volatile; once I told him anything about this, it would be impossible for him to remain expressionless and not react. Besides, he’d never let me go on this, what he’d call, suicide mission. No, I had to keep it to myself. Furthermore, I refused to put Jason or any of my friends in Kieran’s path. At least not until I had sized up the situation, gathered intel, and formulated my own plan of retaliation. Actually, that’s what I was banking on. At some point, when I felt confident my friends could come to my aid and launch a successful attack against the Ray-pacs – all while I kept Ava Rose safe – then I would do it. Until then, I had to leave everyone in the dark.
The question was, how could I pull off everything Kieran had demanded without rousing my friends’ suspicions? Especially Jason, Ash, and Ally. Besides lying to absolutely everyone I loved, I had to come up with a plausible story as to why I would leave town so abruptly when Ava Rose was still missing. On top of that, I had to make it believable. And I had to do it fast.
My instructions were to catch a 3:30 p.m. flight directly out of Bellingham to Seattle. Apparently, I was alrea
dy booked on the flight, and my ticket was waiting for me at the reservation counter. Once in Seattle, I had a layover. For how long? I didn’t know. I was supposed to wait in the food court area of the Central Terminal, sitting next to the glass windows that faced the airfield. At that point, someone would meet up with me and escort me the rest of the way. I still didn’t know my final destination. Nor did I know Kieran’s ultimate goal or what he planned on doing with me once I arrived. And while he assured me Ava Rose would be safe as long as I followed his orders, he refused to say whether he’d release her once he had me in hand. I was probably walking into a trap, but I’d have to take that chance. Following his instructions was the easy part. The hard part was concocting a believable story.
First things first. Packing. Then acting. And lying.
I practiced my story on Ash first – telepathically. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I observed my facial expressions, trying to make them match the emotions I’d be expressing during my fabricated story. My brown eyes already held a haunted look, and my lips easily fell to a frown. But something about my execution rang untrue. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Ash was shocked to hear that my Uncle Jack from Virginia had been in a horrible car accident and had slipped into a coma. When I told him I needed to leave for a few days and use my Essence to heal him, he’d completely understood and asked if I wanted him to go with me. Immediately, I’d informed him I was going with my family and needed him to stay in Bellingham and work on finding Ava Rose. He’d agreed and wished me luck.
That went better than I’d expected. Next, I called Jessica and went through it all again. Fooling her was easy. She was extremely empathetic and promised to call me if there were any updates in the search efforts here at home. Next, responding to my urgent text, Ally called me back. I was relieved I wouldn’t have to look directly into her eyes, because out of everyone, she would have seen straight through my deceptions. You can’t be best friends with someone since second grade and think they won’t notice when you’re telling a big fat lie. She’s also the reason I had to use my real Uncle Jack as an excuse. I had to tell her I was meeting up with my parents in Seattle and flying out with them. I didn’t want her calling them and offering her sympathy. I also promised to update her on a regular basis. I decided not to tell my parents anything. I would pretend I was still in Bellingham, call them and text them regularly, keeping them falsely updated on Ava Rose. Hopefully, they’d never be the wiser.
At least during my conversation with Ally, I realized what was wrong with my facial expressions. I kept biting my lip and my eyes kept darting up and to the left, as if I was trying to avoid eye contact – with myself, I thought. How ridiculous! But mostly it was like I was thinking too hard, trying to conjure up details because there weren’t any real ones there to grab hold of. It was important to have all this figured out though, because Jason was on his way over. Lying straight to his face was going to be dreadful. My stomach churned and I cracked my knuckles. I’d promised him I’d never betray him again, and here I was perfecting all the ways I could do just that. Feeling sick to my stomach, I lifted the toilet seat and leaned over. While I took several short, choppy breaths, luckily, my oatmeal remained firmly in place.
Grabbing my toothbrush, I decided to brush my teeth anyways. A little cool mint flavor might help with my dry mouth. Afterwards, I looked at my hair and contemplated. My hair was several inches past my shoulders now, and I’d done nothing more than slap it into a ponytail earlier. I’d worn it that way a lot lately – hadn’t felt like fussing with it. Hoping to achieve an, I’m-desperate and my-life-has-just-become-unimaginable look, I pulled a few extra strands out here and there so they fell all around my face. I made my eye make-up a little darker than usual and slapped on some chap stick. I smiled grimly. Yep! That about did it. I looked frazzled, and with the right tone of voice and the right body movements, I just might look like I was bordering on hysteria. Shouldn’t be difficult, since I really was.
Lying to Jason was unimaginably difficult. I felt like I was destroying all that was good between us. All the trust and respect that had taken months to rebuild. When he finally discovered the truth – that I had gone willingly into Kieran’s hands – I didn’t know if he’d have it in his heart to forgive me. He might understand my motivation – Ava Rose’s safety – but he wouldn’t agree. He would say there had to have been another way. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to figure out what that way was.
Sadly, my charades worked. A little too well, I might add. Jason was sympathetic and beyond concerned for my mental well-being. Worried that I might crumble under the pressure, he insisted on packing his bags and going with me and my family. I assured him my Essence was strong, and I would remember to use it on myself. I also claimed I couldn’t help my Uncle Jack with a clear conscience unless I knew he would be here for Ava Rose. I insisted I needed him here in my place to comfort her if she should come home.
Jason dropped me off at the airport, and it was all I could do not to cry my eyes out. Letting go of him was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. I knew there was a good chance I might never see him again. With Kieran, the unthinkable was most likely. He might put me in a dungeon, never to see daylight again, and extract Essence from me until the day I died. I didn’t know. And I didn’t want to think about the possibilities. But realizing I might never see Jason again, hold him in my arms, or kiss him passionately, those were the thoughts that sucked the life right out of me, rendering me powerless.
I held him tight and memorized his face: that crescent scar along his eyebrow; his chiseled face; those perfect teeth that generated heart-stopping smiles, and those eyes – deep aqua-marine pools of paradise. Or more simply, home. I wanted to kiss him all over but knew that wouldn’t be wise. He’d catch on that something was way off with me. I couldn’t overdo it. Not when I was only supposed to be gone for a few days. So, after a hug, I kissed his cheeks, the tip of his nose, and then his lips. Pulling away, I said softly, “I love you. See you soon.”
“I love you, Alex. Be safe.”
Yeah. Right. Safe.
The quick 35 minute flight from Bellingham to Seattle was over before it started. Immediately after disembarking, I hurried toward the Central Terminal, weaving in between people while pulling a small suitcase behind me. Then I did something unbelievable. I stopped at the Starbucks and bought myself a Caramel Frappuccino. I never drank coffee. Ever. But Jessica had introduced me to the blended beverage, and it was good. Really though, I wanted a boost of energy that didn’t come from Essence, and I figured the caffeine and sugar would give me that.
Glancing around, I settled into a bench directly in front of the windows – windows which were actually an amazing 60-foot tall glass curtain wall that faced the airfield. The roar of an engine caught my attention as a jet plane took off directly in front of me. Behind me, the food court was surprisingly crowded and definitely noisy with voices. Someone close by must have picked up something from Anthony’s Restaurant because I caught a whiff of malt vinegar. Strong and pungent.
I took a sip of my Frappuccino and nearly dropped it on the floor when two guys plopped down on either side of me, shaking the entire bench. I froze but realized they weren’t a threat, otherwise I’d have sensed them with my Flair. They must be Kieran’s men. I didn’t feel any links, so I doubted they were Ray-pacs. Bravely, I looked into their eyes. Neither of them had those strange amber eyes of a Ray-pac. The guy on my left was tall, while the one on my right was more of an average height and build.
The average-sized guy on my right said, “Miss Adams. I’m James and that is Vincent,” he motioned to the other side of me. “We’re here to escort you to Kieran. He’s assured us you’ll be cooperative and do exactly as we ask. If you should deviate from our plan or cause a scene of any kind, I will report to him immediately. If that should happen there will be severe repercussions. He said you would know what that meant…” His eyes were direct and probing as he waited for my response.
“Yes, I understand.” My voice did not falter.
All business, he nodded once and said, “Good. We have a couple flights ahead of us. One,” he stopped and checked his watch, “begins boarding in ten minutes. You will not be traveling as Alexandria Adams, though.” He fished around in his backpack and gave me a driver’s license with my picture but a different identity. “You will be Morgan Peterson. That’s the name we’ll call you during our travels and that’s the one we’ll expect you to respond to. Got it?”
I nodded.
“All right, then. I’d like you to give me your cell phone. Kieran will return it to you later.” I frowned but complied. “Okay, let’s go,” he said, his tone all professional-like.
“Yeah, let’s do this,” Vincent quipped. James gave him a blank stare and brushed past him. I could tell he was irritated, but he hid it well. James was obviously the brains and the stealth of the two. We stopped and printed our boarding passes at the check-in kiosk, and while I was sweating bullets at security, the agent never batted an eye at my false ID. James moved quickly and confidently through the terminal, while Vincent, with his lanky build, stomped along beside me as if he was carrying a heavy load on his shoulders. Our destination was Dallas, Texas. James had mentioned a couple flights, so I doubted Dallas was our final destination. I wasn’t surprised at what great lengths Kieran was taking in order to cover our tracks. He was, after all, a natural predator, who was beyond skilled in stalking and capturing his prey. Now, I’d have to wait and see what he meant to do with me.
Dentelle #3 Guardian series Page 23
