by R. D. Brady
Laney’s feet pounded down on the ground. She sensed Lou and Rolly ahead. But she also sensed someone right behind her.
“Laney, there’s a gunship aiming for you!” Jake yelled through her earpiece.
She slowed as she shifted some of her focus to the sky above her. Turning to glance over her shoulder, she spotted the gunship barreling down on her. Laney sent a bolt of lightning through the ship, but not before it released a single missile.
Laney sensed Henry a second before he put on a burst of speed, yanking Laney to the side as she thrust a gust of wind at the missile. It shifted the missile so it landed farther to their left, but the blowback still sent the two of them flying. Laney rolled onto her hands and knees, her ears ringing. As she got to her feet, the ringing stopped.
Lou’s terrified voice came over her earpiece. “He’s bleeding out!”
“Don’t move him!” Jake yelled.
Laney looked at Henry. Shrapnel covered his back, but she knew he’d heal in a few minutes. Minutes Lou and Rolly might not have.
He shook his head at her. “Laney—”
She took off before he could say any more. Sprinting across the ground, a bullet clipped her arm. She stumbled but recovered, barely slowing. She could hear the gunfire ahead. The truck had been stopped. She could just make out two figures huddled behind a wheel well. A soldier had his back to her, his attention completely focused on Lou and Rolly.
Growling with anger, Laney put on a burst of speed. She yanked the man back by the shirt, stomping him in the lower back. He screamed. Turning him, she grabbed his legs and then slammed his lower back into her knee, breaking it.
He passed out, his back broken, his body at an unnatural angle as he hit the ground.
Laney rushed past him. The kids were hidden behind the truck. Laney whipped around the side.
“Hold on, Rolly. Please hold on,” Lou begged. Her head jolted up as Laney came to a stop.
Blood soaked the area around Rolly. His face was pale, his eyes closed. Without a word, Laney pulled out the Omni gun and fired into him.
The bullet tore into his leg. Laney dropped to the ground, ripping her sleeve off and pressing it to the wound.
Lou rocked back and forth, blood and dirt sprayed across her face, her eyes glossy with shock.
“Stay with me, Lou,” said Laney.
Lou nodded but kept up her rocking. “He can’t die. He can’t die.” She kept repeating the words over and over again.
The wound on his leg stopped bleeding. Not sure if it was because he’d lost all his blood volume or because the Omni had started to work, Laney reached down and ripped his pants further to see. The wound was starting to knit closed. Relief poured over her. “It’s okay, Lou. He’s going to be fine.”
Lou didn’t seem to hear her. Laney gripped her shoulders. “Lou, he’s going to be fine. Okay?”
Lou stared at him before her gaze shifted to Laney. “He’s okay?”
“He will be. Give him a few more minutes. Henry’s right behind me. He’ll help you get Rolly out of here. Head right back to base, okay?”
Lou nodded. “Base.”
“Yes.”
Laney stood up, wiping her hands on her pants to remove the blood and sand.
Laney inspected the truck. By some miracle, the tires were okay. And the engine didn’t look like it had been touched. Well, okay then.
Laney opened the driver’s door and pulled out the driver, letting him drop to the ground. He groaned. She reached down and snapped his neck.
Straightening, she had one foot on the running board when Lou’s voice stopped her. “What are you doing?” She stood leaning against the side of the truck.
“I’m heading to the Pyramid.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No. You get Rolly safe.”
“You’re going to need help.”
“No. You guys have all done your part. The next part is up to me.”
“You’re coming back, right?”
Laney just gave her a small smile and climbed into the cab. Starting the engine, she put the truck into gear. In the rearview mirror, she saw Lou pull Rolly away. Rolly’s eyes were open. They’d be okay.
She turned her attention to the road ahead of her and pulled away.
I’m just not so sure about me.
Chapter 79
As soon as Jake heard Lou’s voice over the radio, he cursed softly and started packing up his gear as quickly as he could.
“What are you doing?” Dylan Jenkins asked from next to him.
“Laney’s changing the plan.” Jake started down the dune.
“How do you—”
Henry’s voice cut through his earpiece, cutting off Dylan’s words. “I’m with Lou and Rolly. Laney took off.”
“Get them to safety, then wait for me. Do not go off on your own.”
God damn it, Laney. Jake ran to a nearby Jeep that was already running. “I need this,” he told the soldier standing next to it.
“Um, I’m not supposed to—”
“Don’t care.” Jake jumped in the driver’s seat and pulled out.
“Henry, where are you?”
Henry’s voice was breathless. “At the first-aid station.”
“I’ll meet you where you got Lou and Rolly.”
Sand flew everywhere as he raced toward Henry’s location. He’d barely tapped the brakes when Henry, his shirt shredded and stained with blood, flung open the driver’s door. “I’m driving.”
Jake didn’t waste any time arguing. He just shifted over. Henry jumped in.
“Go, go, go,” Jake said.
Henry needed no further urging. He barreled down the road, his knuckles white as they gripped the steering wheel. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Henry asked.
Jake nodded, his gaze focused on the peak of the Great Pyramid ahead. “She’s going to go for the Pyramid. Alone.”
Chapter 80
Laney pressed down on the gas pedal. She could hear the gunfire, the explosions. A jet flew overhead. She tensed but relaxed only slightly at seeing the American flag on the tail. She prayed they stayed on her side until at least after this battle.
Ahead, the Great Pyramid of Giza loomed. Two guards snapped to attention, pulling their weapons into their shoulders.
“Sorry, guys.”
Wind slammed into the soldiers, throwing them into the air and landing them fifty feet away. They would not be waking up anytime soon.
Everything else was deserted. All other resources seemed to have been directed at the battle surrounding them. Laney frowned. That wasn’t right. Even with the battle, protecting the Giza Plateau would be a priority. So where was everybody?
She slammed on the brakes as the answer came into view. A pile of twenty bodies lay at the side of the Queen’s tomb. Laney scanned the area, looking for who had created the pile, but there was no one. Her gaze snapped back to the Pyramid. The black spots on the Pyramid were gone. She scanned the area, seeing a pile of explosives, wires trailing from them strewn around the Pyramid. What was going on?
She pressed down on the gas pedal, driving more cautiously, waiting for a Fallen to sprint out from behind one of the pyramids.
But he didn’t come from the side. He came from the air like an avenging angel.
Laney slammed on the brakes as he dropped to the ground thirty feet in front of her. His head snapped up, and his gaze latched onto hers.
Everything inside of her went cold. No.
Laney put the truck in park, never pulling her gaze from the man in front of her. She stepped out of the truck, her pulse pounding. “Drake?”
Chapter 81
Ever since she had stepped on the plane back in Virginia, she’d known Drake would be here somewhere. She had hoped he would be helping her, shaking off whatever had happened in David’s townhouse. But if not, she hoped, he would at most watch. She flicked a glance at the bodies and explosives. Did that mean he was helping her?
The man in fro
nt of her smiled, but nothing in his face or body conveyed Drake’s spirit. “I am Michael.”
Laney swallowed hard. “What are you doing? Are you here to help me?”
He shook his head. “God’s will will be done.”
Laney shook her head as well. “No, he can’t want this. He can’t want the world to devolve into this. People will die. People will suffer. Good people, children.”
Michael shrugged. “That is not my concern.”
“Not your concern? What is wrong with you? Where is Drake?”
“Drake does not exist. He never did.”
Laney’s heart clenched. “No. That’s not true. He was real. He is real. You are Drake.”
Michael’s lip curled. “When I chose to become human, I forgot my duty. I forgot where my loyalty lies. Because of you.”
He spit the words at her. And each one hit her like a blow. She pictured Drake the last morning they’d been together, before the Pope had uttered those words. She held on to that image of Drake as she stared into the cold, unfeeling eyes of the man in front of her.
“Because you loved me. Because you love me still.”
He shook his head. “No. The human part of me is dead. I am an archangel. I am not human. And you must leave this place. I know what you intend to do, and I cannot allow it.”
“Allow it? Who are you to—”
Michael strode forward. “I am the soldier most high. I am undefeatable. I am God’s sword.”
Laney held her ground, but inside she was shaking. “This can’t be what he wants. This can’t be what you want. You’ve seen the destruction that has already happened. The abilities of the Fallen must be removed. They were never meant for mankind.”
He glared at her. “That is not your choice to make.”
Anger began to burn inside of her. “It damn well is! I was chosen to hold back the Fallen. I am mankind’s shield. And I choose to end the reign of the Fallen.”
“You will have to go through me to accomplish your task.”
Laney’s heart ached as she stared at him, looking for any inkling of Drake in the heartless being in front of her. But there was nothing. No light, no sparkle of wit, nothing to tell her that Drake still resided in that body she knew so well. But still she hesitated. “There has to be another way.”
“You still intend to end the reign of the Fallen?”
Laney nodded.
“Then you have sealed your fate.”
Michael moved so fast, Laney could barely register his movement. But years of fighting had ingrained within her instinctual responses. His fist flew past her face as she shifted to the side. She wrapped her hand around his forearm, pulling him off balance before slamming her other hand into his back then slamming her palm underneath his chin, forcing his head over his shoulders.
He crashed into the ground on his back, then brought his feet up. Laney jumped back before he could up kick her. He jumped to his feet instead, circling to his right.
“Don’t do this,” Laney begged, circling as well, keeping her hands in front of her. “Please, there has to be another way.”
Michael didn’t answer her in words. He feinted to the left, then threw a side kick at her ribs. Laney slammed her hands down on his kick, forcing it to the ground and snapping her own kick at his knee, buckling it. He swung out with a back fist, catching her in the chin. She flew backward, the side of her face throbbing. But she had no time to worry about that as Michael vaulted over to her. She ducked, rolling to the side and getting back on her feet. He threw a kick at her knees. She stepped to a forty-degree angle toward him, avoiding the kick but slamming her fist into his ribs. An elbow to his chin followed by an uppercut, and now he was the one flying backward before righting himself just as quickly.
She wasn’t surprised. Her punches, though devastating to a human, were not her full power. She was pulling them. She knew she shouldn’t, but a small piece of hope clung to the inside of her heart, telling her Drake was still in there somewhere. “Drake, please. We can fix this.”
“Drake is gone.” Michael jumped at her, his fist aiming at her face, but he shifted at the last second and tackled her at the waist.
She had no way to avoid the move even as she brought her knee up, connecting with his nose before she crashed onto her back.
Michael wrapped his arms around her, but Laney managed to wriggle her right arm out, pressing her forearm against his throat to keep him from squeezing her to death. “Drake! Drake! I know you’re in there!”
Michael glared down at her, but this his grip lessened. “Laney,” he whispered, sweat on his brow, his teeth gritted.
“Drake!” She started to release her grip.
“No, no.” His words came out tortured, as if each word was pushed through a vice. “I’m not in control. You have to kill me.”
Tears pricked at her eyes. “No, no, I can’t.”
“He will kill you, Laney. You need to live.”
She stared up at him, remembering meeting him, the fight at the biker bar in Vegas with Ralph, him tearing through the back wall at Drew’s cabin and saving her. Waking up after reliving her life as Helen and realizing who he was. Moment after moment flew through her mind, each one more precious than the last. She stroked his cheek. “Come back to me.”
“I can’t. He’s too strong.” He opened his eyes, and Drake looked back at her. Love, pride, and fear all mingled together in his eyes. “Kill me, Laney, it’s the only way. Michael won’t stop. I won’t stop.”
She shook her head, her heart breaking. “No. Don’t ask me to do this.”
“Love . . .you . . .” His eyes flickered, his gaze narrowing as his grip tightened. “Goodbye, Ring Bearer.”
Chapter 82
Henry tore down the path toward the Great Pyramid. Jake could not tear his eyes off of Michael and Laney. When he’d first seen Drake, he’d been relieved. Then Drake had sprung for her. And now he knew what Matt and David had meant when they said Drake was no longer Drake.
Jake’s whole body was tense. He had worried about whether or not the capstone would rise, whether it would do what they hoped it would do. He had never worried about Laney getting to the Pyramid and releasing the capstone. But now as he watched the man she loved try to kill her, he knew she was in trouble. And if she was in trouble, they were all in trouble.
Jake grabbed his M4. Ahead, Drake tackled Laney at the waist. Henry sucked in a breath.
“Henry, turn the car!”
Henry swiveled the wheel to the right as Jake brought his weapon up to his shoulder, flipping to automatic as he took aim. He unleashed twenty shots, all into Michael’s back.
Michael flung himself away. Laney flipped onto her stomach and crawled away.
Jake knew some of the shots had gone through Michael and into her, but he didn’t have a choice. Henry blurred out of the car, reaching Laney’s side. He dropped down, pulling her into his lap.
Jake sprinted toward them, cursing the sand, cursing his refusal to take the Omni. Cursing every stupid thing that had led them to this moment. He scanned the area, looking for signs of Drake. He knew he would need time to heal. But he wasn’t sure how much time. Archangels seemed to get a little more of everything than regular Fallen, so he guessed they probably healed quicker too.
Movement flashed behind Laney and Henry. “Behind you!” Jake yelled.
Henry vaulted to his feet as Laney rolled to the side. Henry slipped the first punch and the second, managing to catch Michael on the side of the head with a hook. Laney stumbled to her feet, then launched a jumping side kick that caught Michael in the ribs and sent him sprawling.
“Get back!” Laney yelled at Henry, shoving him aside.
Michael caught her with a fist right in the stomach that doubled her over. Then he brought his knee up, slamming it in to her face so hard blood sprayed across the sand.
Henry yelled, launching a side kick at the back of Michael before sliding his arm around Michael’s neck. Michael released Laney with h
is right hand only long enough to elbow Henry in the cheek. Then he turned, his hand grabbing Henry’s face.
Jake opened fire, but Michael acted as if he didn’t even feel the bullets. He twisted Henry’s head violently that Jake’s breath slammed to a stop as he pictured Henry’s head snapping from his shoulders.
But he needn’t have worried about that. Like a magician, that was the distraction. It was the other hand Jake should have been watching. Because before he realized his intent, Michael plunged his hand through Henry’s chest and yanked out his heart.
Chapter 83
Laney rolled to her side, her face on fire. Time slowed to a snail’s pace as she watched Michael grip Henry’s face before his hand went through his chest. In slow motion, she saw Henry’s heart drop to the ground. Vaguely, she heard Jake yelling, even over the sound of gunfire. But a buzzing had started in her ears that seemed to be drowning everything else out. She stared at Henry’s face, all life in it gone.
He killed Henry. He killed Henry. Drake killed Henry.
It didn’t seem real. It was like she was in a dream. An incredibly horrible dream.
“Laney!” Jake yelled.
His voice cut through the haze around her, and she snapped back into the present, her gaze narrowing on the archangel. He strode toward Jake, arrogance in his step.
No. He’s not Drake. Drake didn’t kill him. Michael did.
She surged forward, power rolling through her. Lightning strikes slammed into Michael over and over again. Wind picked him up, slamming him into the side of the Pyramid, leaving a crater. He tumbled down the side, landing in a heap at its base.
She stalked toward him even as she had the wind pin him against the Pyramid. He smiled as she approached. “You can’t stop—”
She didn’t give him a chance to finish as she silenced the wind. She slammed a hook into his chin. Then she couldn’t tell what she threw. She just didn’t stop. Every death, every injury, every injustice that had led to this moment, she took out on the body of the archangel who had thrown Drake away and who had taken the life of Henry. His blood sprayed, his bones broke, but she did not care. She was shaking from anger, from grief, from it all, but she continued to wail away.
