Fort Lupton

by Christian, Claudia Hall

  “I thought you were protected!” Aden said. “Safe!”

  “We did as well,” Eoin said. “They were unloading a truck. I was here. Cian had just stepped inside — one second and wham.”

  “We kicked their asses,” Nash said. “Cian’s a madman.”

  “Now, laddie, we promised we wouldn’t say that,” Eoin said. “We don’t want immigration to know the status of our friend Cian’s mind.”

  Nash gave Aden a confirming nod to Cian’s madness.

  “Let’s just say they ran away screaming,” Eoin said.

  “How is Teddy?” Aden asked.

  “About the same,” Nash said.

  Aden touched Nash’s face and Nash winced.

  “Did you take him . . .?” Aden started.

  “We had a real, genuine doctor look at them,” Eoin said. “Who do you think we are? We’re not heathens.”

  “Who?” Aden mouthed to Nash.

  “Dr. John,” Nash mouthed back.

  “So what if it’s in the family?” Eoin asked. “We were told to trust no one because anyone could be in on this thing.”

  “It seems like you don’t trust anyone anyway,” Aden said.

  “True enough,” Eoin laughed. “The boy’s all right though. No broken teeth, broken bones, nothing permanent. Theodore too. They’ll get some sympathy from the ladies.”

  “Ladies?” Aden asked and looked at Nash.

  Nash shook his head.

  “The boys made dinner for you to take to your missus,” Eoin said. “Why don’t you stay for a spot of tea and a muffin?”

  “Muffin?” Aden asked.

  “The boys have been cooking all day,” Eoin said. “They’re getting good at it.”

  “Okay,” Aden said. He hugged Nash one more time for good measure.

  “Do you want to try one?” Nash asked.

  “Sure,” Aden said.

  “Sit right there and I’ll . . .” Nash ran off to the back. Aden watched him go. Bruised and battered, Nash seemed one part little boy and one part adult. Nash was on the verge of manhood. Aden scowled to cover his wistful feelings about Nash growing up.

  “They grow up fast,” Eoin said.

  Aden nodded.

  “And we just grow about the middle,” Eoin said.

  Aden laughed, which caused Eoin laugh. They laughed until Teddy and Nash came out with dinner, warm muffins, and tea for three. Eoin gave Aden a nod. The boys sat down in front of Aden and began talking. For this moment, they were all boy, and Aden was listening.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Tuesday evening — 7:25 p.m.

  Phoenix, Arizona

  Yvonne closed her eyes and opened them again. She couldn’t remember a time when she had been so frightened for such a long period of time. She was exhausted from being terrified. She glanced at Dionne. Her best friend’s face held the same terror and exhaustion.

  Everything started out really easy. They had followed Agent Angie into the office building. The secretary had lead them to a conference room where she said the bankers would meet them.

  “Anything for the FBI,” the woman had said.

  Yvonne looked down at the ground where the woman’s body lay. She’d been pretty in life. Her long fingernails and almost-perfect makeup indicated that she cared about how she looked. She’d had a swish in her walk as they came back here. She’d given them a knowing smile, which seemed to say that they were going to get what was coming to them. Yvonne wondered if the secretary had deserved the bullet that went through her heart.

  Looking straight ahead, Yvonne saw only the conference room table that Agent Angie had tipped over to protect them. Yvonne caught Dionne’s eye. She didn’t dare say a word for fear the men would remember they were still there. Yvonne used her chin to nod to Agent Angie. Dionne shook her head and shrugged.

  Agent Angie lay between them. They’d shot her just below her bulletproof vest. That was before Agent Angie tipped the table over and they hid behind it. Dionne had done her best to treat the gunshot wound but in no time at all, Agent Angie had passed out.

  Yvonne closed her eyes and tried to get the story straight. She knew Rodney would want to know. She pretended her loving husband was sitting next to her.

  “What happened, Yvie?” the Rodney in her mind said.

  “We went to the office with our warrant,” Yvonne said in her mind. “We went, just us — Agent Angie, Dionne, and me. Agent Angie was going to go by herself, but I told her that having me and Dionne there would scare them more. So we left all the armed guys outside and went in.”

  She could see Rodney’s concerned face in her mind.

  “We met the cutest secretary,” Yvonne said. “I remember thinking she must be sleeping with one of the bosses.”

  “How could you tell?” the Rodney in her mind said.

  “Just the way she walked,” Yvonne said in her mind. “She seemed so secure, so sure that we were in the wrong. Agent Angie showed her the warrant, and she led us to this conference room. She said they would be there right away.”

  “What happened then?” the Rodney in her mind asked.

  Someone outside the conference room ran down the hallway. Yvonne looked at Dionne to see if she had heard it too. Dionne nodded that she had.

  “What happened then?” the Rodney in her mind asked again.

  “I don’t remember,” Yvonne said out loud.

  “Shh,” Dionne said.

  “They came in,” Yvonne said in her mind.

  “Who did?” asked her Handsome Homeland Security Agent when he appeared in her mind.

  “The men,” Yvonne said in her mind.

  “I think he wants their names,” the Rodney in her mind said.

  “Oh, I don’t know their names,” Yvonne said. “Creep One and Creep Two. Their names were on the form.”

  “Which one is Creep One?” the Rodney in her mind asked.

  “No, it’s better if we figure out what happened,” her handsome Homeland Security agent interrupted. “Names don’t matter until later. We can match them to photographs.”

  “Go on, Yvie,” Rodney said.

  “We waited for just a few minutes,” Yvonne said. “Agent Angie talked to the FBI men downstairs and told them to hold on. Then the cute secretary came in. She was leading Creep Two and Creep One was following him. She said something, um . . .”

  Yvonne squelched a scream of surprise when a handgun went off somewhere down the hallway. Dionne reached over to grab her hand.

  “We have to be quiet, Yvie,” Dionne said.

  Yvonne nodded.

  “What happened next?” the Rodney in her mind asked.

  “Creep Two shot through the cute secretary to hit Agent Angie,” Yvonne said. “First in the bullet proof vest, then below the vest. Bang! Bang!”

  “Just like that?” the Rodney in her mind asked.

  “Just bang!” Yvonne said. “The girl was falling over, and Agent Angie tipped the table over. They shot at the table, but it’s metal underneath. Dionne worked on Agent Angie and I kept watch.”

  “Did they say anything?” her handsome Homeland Security Agent asked.

  “They said, ‘That should keep them for a while,’ and kind of laughed,” Yvonne said. “They came around and took our cell phones and Agent Angie’s guns. But that poor girl . . . She’s dead.”

  “Yvie!” Rodney said. “Why did they leave you alive?”

  “They said they knew how valuable I was,” Yvonne said. “And that Dionne looked fun because, you know, she’s so buxom. They thought that was very funny. Then the FBI agents downstairs called up and . . .”

  Yvonne nodded to herself. For a moment, she wondered what Rodney would like to know next. Then it occurred to her.

  Rodney wasn’t there to save her. Neither was her Homeland Security Agent. She looked down at Agent Angie.

  Yvonne was going to have to save herself. She pulled up Agent Angie’s pant leg and took the small handgun tucked into her boot.

  “What are you d
oing?” Dionne whispered.

  “Making sure we come out of this,” Yvonne said in a soft whisper. Yvonne looked at the clips on Agent Angie’s belt and took two off that would fit this little handgun.

  “I don’t like those,” Dionne said. “Most people die on the end of one of those things. I’m not going to . . .”

  Yvonne unclipped the folding knife from Agent Angie’s belt and held it out to Dionne, who shook her head again.

  “Just take it,” Yvonne said. “You think you know what it’s like, Dionne, but you don’t. You’ll wish you were dead before these boys even get started.”

  “They’ll kill you, Yvie. Look . . .” Dionne gestured to Agent Angie. “And that poor girl!”

  “I’m going to get us out of here.” Yvonne nodded. “Trust me.”

  “I . . .”

  “Do you trust me?” Yvonne asked in a whisper. As she did, she started to glow with a clear white light.

  “When did you have your tea last?” Dionne asked.

  “Exactly,” Yvonne said.

  “Do you have a plan?” Dionne asked.

  Yvonne nodded. Still not sure if it was a good idea, Dionne took the knife from Yvonne.

  “We’ll go when I say,” Yvonne said.

  Dionne nodded. They waited in silence.

  Chapter Three hundred & twenty-nine

  Fire

  Tuesday evening — 7:25 p.m.

  Denver, Colorado

  “Thank you for understanding,” Tanesha said to her teacher.

  He was reviewing her experiment. She gave him her lab sheet.

  “Crazy night,” the teacher said.

  “Yeah,” Tanesha said.

  “You did a good job here,” the teacher said while he looked over her lab sheet. “ Do you plan on going into research?”

  “Maybe,” Tanesha said. “I followed Dr. John Drayson last summer. He’s involved in a number of research projects. We spent a day a week working on his research projects.”

  “Vascular surgeon?” the teacher asked.

  Tanesha nodded.

  “That wasn’t lab work,” the teacher said.

  “Some,” Tanesha said with a smile.

  The teacher smiled.

  “My dad’s waiting for me . . .” Tanesha gestured to the door.

  “Yes, sorry,” the teacher said. “I was trying to think of something witty to say.”

  “About?” Tanesha scowled.

  “I like your husband’s music,” the teacher said.

  Tanesha grinned.

  “Can I call you Miss T?” the teacher asked.

  “Are you my father?” Tanesha asked, but she gave him a big smile.

  “Point taken,” the teacher said. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks, I’ll need it,” Tanesha said.

  She grabbed her bag and rushed out the door. At this time of day, the stairwells were locked for security. She could get inside them but not out into the building. The elevator was her best solution.

  She went down a short hallway to the elevator landing. A woman came from the other direction and stood next to her. The woman wore a long grey pencil skirt with a soft grey cashmere sweater on top. She wore a grey beret over her long natural hair, which rivaled Fin’s in sheer volume and length. The woman turned toward Tanesha and looked into her face. Tanesha instinctively looked away. The elevator came and Tanesha let the woman get on first.

  When the woman reached the back of the elevator, she turned and for the first time Tanesha saw her face. She felt like she’d seen this woman before. The woman gave her a broad smile. Tanesha turned to the front of the elevator, and the elevator doors closed. They took the short trip to the ground floor.

  The elevator doors opened, and Tanesha rushed to the lobby. She saw Rodney’s truck idling in front of the building through the glass doors. She scooted out of the lobby to the truck. When she reached the truck, the woman from the elevator was bent over, talking to Rodney through the open passenger door. She turned to Tanesha.

  “We haven’t been properly introduced,” the woman said.

  Tanesha stepped back. She gave her father a doubtful look.

  “This is Ne Ne,” Rodney said. “Your grandmother.”

  “I know who it is,” Tanesha said. “What I don’t know is why she’s here.”

  The fairy smiled.

  “Your mother is in trouble,” Ne Ne said.

  “So you decided to come now?” Tanesha asked. “My mother’s been in trouble most of her life! Didn’t it concern you when she was a sex slave for that horrible man? Or. . .? And how . . .?”

  Tanesha clamped her mouth closed to avoid screaming at the woman.

  “I understand,” Ne Ne said. She gestured to the truck. “Please.”

  “Why don’t you just fly where you want to go?” Tanesha asked.

  “I’m not that kind of fairy,” Ne Ne said.

  Tanesha scowled.

  “I know you’re afraid,” Ne Ne said. “I’m actually here to help.”

  “Yourself,” Tanesha sneered. “Fairies help themselves first. Then maybe sometime later they get around to helping someone else.”

  Ne Ne smiled.

  “What?” Tanesha asked.

  The woman glanced at Rodney and then back at Tanesha.

  “What?” Tanesha repeated.

  “You’re perfect,” Ne Ne said with a little nod. Her eyes welled with tears. “Please. We need to get to your friend Sandy’s establishment.”

  “Sandy?” Tanesha asked.

  “We must help Yvonne, and then save the rest,” Ne Ne said.

  “What rest?” Tanesha asked.

  “My mother and father,” Ne Ne said.

  “What about Jake and Keenan?” Tanesha asked. “Or Delphie? Plus, Abi’s not even there.”

  “The Oracle,” Ne Ne said. “You may not realize this, but everything that’s happened has to do with the Oracle.”

  “Hey!” Rodney yelled from the driver’s seat. “Get in the damned truck!”

  “But . . .” Tanesha started.

  “This is the woman who helped me into this world,” Rodney said. “She saved me from my own ignorance. She even visited me in prison when I was nearly dead.”

  Tanesha thought for a minute.

  “Get in the damned truck,” Rodney said.

  Ne Ne slid across the bench seat. Tanesha got in next to her.

  “Where to?” Rodney asked.

  “Sandy’s salon,” Tanesha said.

  “And you’re going to help Miss T?” Rodney asked Ne Ne.

  “Of course,” Ne Ne said.

  “She’s not like those other fairies,” Rodney said.

  “She’s better.” Ne Ne smiled. She put her arm around Tanesha so her hand could touch Rodney’s head. “It’s wonderful to see you, dear.”

  “You too, Ma,” he said. Rodney’s eyes welled with tears. “You too.”

  He gave Ne Ne a quick nod before taking off down the street.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Tuesday evening — 7:55 p.m.

  Phoenix, Arizona

  “Yvie,” Dionne whispered and nudged Yvonne.

  Yvonne was so focused on peeking out from behind the table that she didn’t hear Dionne. She turned to look at her best friend when Dionne nudged her.

  “Look,” Dionne whispered.

  Dionne pointed to the phone on the table a foot in front of the conference table they were hiding behind. Yvonne shook her head. Yvonne didn’t know anything about modern office phones. Dionne had told her the phone in there wouldn’t work, so she’d ignored it.

  “There’s finally an available line!” Dionne whispered.

  Yvonne shrugged.

  “We can call someone,” Dionne said.

  “Who?” Yvonne asked.

  “The police,” Dionne whispered.

  “They’re outside.” Yvonne pointed toward the sound of someone yelling on a bullhorn outside the building.

  Dionne scowled.

  “You know any phone numbers?�
�� Yvonne asked Dionne in a soft whisper.

  Dionne was a wonderful singer, an amazing songwriter, a fabulous nurse, a great friend, and an even better wife. But she did not have a head for numbers. She carried a phone book — which they’d taken with her purse — and had numbers programmed into her phone. Dionne shook her head.

  “You?” Dionne asked.

  Yvonne thought for a moment. Even with her better memory, Yvonne still struggled day-to-day to remember anything. Then it occurred to her. She knew one number! She gave a slow nod and held up one finger.

  “Could they help?” Dionne asked.

  Yvonne shrugged.

  “It’s worth a try,” Dionne said in a fierce whisper. She pointed to Agent Angie. “She’s going to die if we don’t do something.”

  Yvonne knew Dionne was avoiding the obvious. They were both going to suffer a lot and then die if they didn’t do something. Yvonne nodded.

  “Can you get it?” Yvonne asked.

  Dionne nodded. For the last year, she’d been in a fitness class run by an ex-military guy. She’d bugged Yvonne to go, but Yvonne didn’t like to sweat.

  “You should be able to as well,” Dionne couldn’t resist saying.

  “Sweat,” Yvonne shivered. “Ew.”

  Dionne grinned at her friend, and Yvonne smiled.

  “Use your fairy-fu to cover me,” Dionne said.

  “What’s that?” Yvonne asked.

  Dionne shrugged. Yvonne scowled for a moment before nodding. Just like she did in fitness class, Dionne belly-crawled out from behind the desk. At that moment, someone in the office suite screamed. Dionne got to the table and pulled the phone down. She dragged it over to where Yvonne was sitting.

  “Go ahead,” Dionne said. She pressed the free button and gave Yvonne the receiver.

  Yvonne dialed the number she remembered. There was a fast-busy signal in her ear. She held it up for Dionne to hear. Dionne took the receiver and put it back in the cradle.

  “Press one first,” Dionne said.

  “Why?”

  Dionne gave Yvonne an irritated scowl. Yvonne raised her hands in acquiescence. Dionne gave Yvonne a quick, hard hug.

  “You can do this,” Dionne said in Yvonne’s ear. “You can save us.”

  For a moment, the best friends held on tight. The women ducked down behind the table when someone ran in front of their conference room with a fire extinguisher.