That did make sense, but I was still uneasy. Andre might have been good with technology, but the choice of Saba and Carlos as his accompaniment nagged at me. They were skilled fighters, but someone like Dennis, who had spent most of his post-Vietnam military career in the bomb squad, seemed a more reasonable choice given the number of traps around the property.
“Lucy, I’m afraid I’m going to need to borrow you if you don’t mind.” I hadn’t noticed Evan approach until he spoke. Nearly everyone had cleared the room except Lona and Miles, and the three soldiers who stood ramrod straight by Evan’s office door.
“Sure,” I shrugged and smiled apologetically to the others.
“Does this mean we’re not on lockdown anymore?” Lona asked Evan with an air of hopefulness. “I’ve got a couple of things I really need to pick up and I’m afraid soon I won’t be able to be on my feet anymore.” She put her hands over the expanse of her belly. Time had gotten away from me and I hadn’t realized Lona was only a few days away from her due date.
“Yes, but not alone,” Evan said sternly.
“I’m really sorry babe,” Miles said apologetically. “I’ve got to be here for this, but Lance will probably take you.”
“I would be delighted to escort you, Lona,” Isaac said with an exaggerated bow. He turned to us. “How about it? Lucy, we can wait for you.”
“No, thank you, though.” The idea of getting out was tempting, but I had no idea what Evan wanted from me and I didn’t want to hold them up. Besides, I was not going anywhere until I saw with my own eyes that Andre was okay.
“Can I?” Cynda looked hesitantly at Evan. He seemed to consider this for a moment and finally nodded.
“Just hurry back, and be careful.”
As they left, Evan ushered Miles and the soldiers into the room, but stopped me before I could follow. I leaned over so that he could speak without being heard. “I’m going to need you to pay close attention to their body language, Lucy. Your powers of observation have been a real help to us in the past. We may need to rely on them now.”
I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant, but I nodded, figuring I’d find out soon enough. When we were all in the office, Evan closed and locked the door behind us. He gestured for me to take the chair next to his, behind the desk. Miles sat on his other side and the three soldiers sat across from us. It was the first time I had been on this side of Evan’s desk during a meeting and that in itself was rather daunting. The look of discomfort that all three soldiers wore made me wonder if this was what I looked like on the night Miles first brought me into the organization.
“Lucy, allow me to introduce you to our guests; Francis Dodd, Adam Powell, and Michael Duncan.” At the name Adam Powell, I took a closer look at the soldier sitting across from me and wondered how I had failed to see the resemblance previously.
“Adam Powell Junior, ma’am. Agent Adam Powell was my father.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Powell, and you too,” I nodded to the others. “I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Powell. Your father was a great man. He will be missed by all of us.”
“Thank you ma’am,” he replied quietly.
“I’m sure I should be addressing you by rank,” I continued with a slight blush, “but I’m afraid I don’t know what that would be.”
“As of right now none of these gentlemen have a rank, Lucy,” Evan explained. “This morning they were special operatives, but as of right now, they are listed as missing in action. Gentleman, this is Lucy Soriano. You may recognize her as the granddaughter of the late Senator Emma Soriano. Lucy and Miles are two of my most respected senior advisors.” I hadn’t realized I had been promoted. It was flattering, if not a little confusing, but I soon realized why Evan wanted me in the meeting. “Adam, why don’t you bring Lucy up to date on what you just told me?”
“Yes sir,” Adam Powell replied with a deferential nod to Evan before turning to me. “I don’t have to tell you, ma’am, what happened to my father yesterday was awful, but as I’ve told Mr. Conroy, not unexpected. Several months ago, my father had confided in me that he felt there was corruption in the agency. He said that his superior, Director Jack Benson, had begun to exhibit worrying behavior, and they had been told to expect the agency to take a more hands-on approach in the extermination of the vampire population. But neither he nor Agent Jorgenson was given any warning that Phillips was to assist with the mission, nor were they aware of the military’s involvement.”
I cringed at the wording Powell used. Hunters killed vampires nightly, and yes, I had my own moral issues with this. But where the hunter’s job was first and foremost to stop mods from preying upon humans, extermination sounded to me like genocide.
“My colleagues and I are, rather were, part of a specialized military division known commonly as black ops,” Powell continued. “Even now, I’m not entirely comfortable discussing what exactly that entails, but it was only in the last six months that our unit became aligned with the agency and I learned the nature of my father’s work and how we would now be involved.”
I looked over at Evan with a questioning frown that he returned with a nod. “Mr. Powell, you don’t have to tell me the nature of your assignments, but can I safely assume that your previous assignments under the Eclipse project were of a similar nature to the one orchestrated yesterday?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Do you know whether or not your unit was replacing another that had previously done the same job?” Despite the serious nature of our conversation, I was beginning to question my hasty decision to leave law school.
“No ma’am, we were the first unit assigned to Eclipse.”
This was interesting. Benson’s justification for the operation went against what Powell was telling us. There was definitely corruption, but who was orchestrating this sudden crackdown was still a mystery. “Please continue,” I said to Powell, but my eyes were on the other two.
“Concerning yesterday’s raid; we had been briefed and flown into Louisiana on standby, but we were given no details regarding our target. We were to do exactly what we had done in previous missions; exterminate the vampires and make sure no genetic evidence remained. We were not told that there would be captives, human, that is, on premise. Our orders were to eliminate all targets. I’d like to state, more to clear my conscious than for the record, that I found the orders to kill children on sight deplorable and therefore did not follow them. However, I will go on record as saying that I did not actively try to stop those who did, and for that I am sorry.”
As Powell spoke, I watched the reactions of Duncan and Dodd. Duncan’s face remained neutral, though he appeared uncomfortable. Whether this was because he had engaged in murder or was simply intimidated by the settings, I did not know. Dodd, on the other hand, remain cool, almost too cool. Several times I found him looking at me with open curiosity. I didn’t like it and I was certain he was the reason Evan had asked me to sit in on the meeting.
They were asking for protection in exchange for information, and if they were to be believed, the information they had was interesting to say the least. I had always suspected that the agency, whose name even Evan was never told, was a shadow organization under the CIA or FBI, but according to Powell neither office were even aware of the agency’s existence. Benson reported to a governing board known only as the Committee. However, who this committee was, and what role they had in the government, was yet a mystery.
“You understand, gentleman, that EJC Research and the operation known as the Eclipse Project are not above the law,” Evan explained. “If I allow you to stay, and Jack Benson comes knocking, I cannot legally refuse to let him search the facility.” I didn’t know if this was true or if Evan was trying to scare them, but it sure scared me.
“It’s a risk we’re willing to take,” said Powell confidently. Duncan and Dodd nodded in agreement and once again, I found something disingenuous about Dodd’s behavior.
“I’ll discuss what you have told us with the rest of
my team and let you know the outcome. In the meantime, you are welcome to stay, but understand that you will only be given access to a secured sector. You may consider it a prison, but rest assured, you will find the quarters clean, comfortable, and to be honest, more accommodating than most four star hotels. If you find this arrangement agreeable then Miles will show you to your quarters.”
There were no objections. Powell professed his gratitude and Duncan appeared relieved that Evan didn’t immediately turn them over to Benson. Only Dodd appeared inconvenienced by the idea of willingly submitting himself as our prisoner. When they left I turned to Evan. “Dodd?”
“Right on the money,” he said with a tight-lipped smile. “If Powell is anything like his father then I believe his story is straight. Duncan struck me as genuinely scared for his life, but Dodd,” he sighed and shook his head. “Something was off about him from the moment they showed up. Miles thought so too.”
“You don’t think he was wearing a wire do you?”
“Undoubtedly, he was wired for sound and visual,” Evan said with a broad grin. “I just hope whoever was listening in on the other end enjoyed the concert.”
“Huh?”
“My frequency jammer doesn’t just fuzz out the transmission, it plays polka music. You have to hand it to Andre, he does have a dark sense of humor at times.”
I had to laugh at that. Evan also assured me that the secured quarters had the additional measure of being under a dampening field that would block any mobile, radio, or satellite communications that the soldiers might try to transmit.
It was getting late in the evening and I still hadn’t heard from Andre, so I sent him a text. I didn’t want to seem like a needy girlfriend, but in my defense, his life was still in danger as long as he remained out there. He responded pretty quickly with, leaving soon. It wasn’t the most romantic message, but at least I knew he was alive.
I had gone back to my room and hadn’t realized that I had fallen asleep until an urgent knock on my door roused me. Anil stood in the hallway with a worried expression. “Hey Anil, what’s up?”
“Have you seen Cynda? I can’t find her anywhere.”
“She went out with Lona and Isaac,” I said with a smile. “I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”
“When was that? She’s been gone a while.”
I looked over at the clock and then pulled out my phone to make sure it wasn’t wrong. “Are you sure she’s not here somewhere?” It was after eleven.
“She’s not in the building.” He held up his phone, which had the hemograph on the screen. “And she’s not answering her phone.”
I pulled up my own hemograph and quickly noticed that none of them were there. Cynda, Isaac, and Lona were missing. I looked again and realized that Andre, Saba, and Carlos were also nowhere to be found. I immediately pulled up their signals on the GPS and froze as my phone displayed the worst possible news.
“Come on,” I told Anil while dashing off an emergency message, “we have to find Evan!”
Chapter 27
I nearly ran headlong into Miles as we turned the corner to the elevators.
“We’ve got a problem. You haven’t seen Lona have you?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I just now finished debriefing our guests. What’s going on?”
“They never came back,” I said tersely, “and the others haven’t returned. Miles…” I didn’t want to say what I was thinking. I didn’t want to be right. “I don’t think that was Isaac.”
His confusion slowly gave way to horror. “Can he do that? Change appearance like Isaac can?”
“I don’t know, but I’ve texted Andre several times and I keep getting the same message, leaving soon. Andre wouldn’t say something like that. If he says he’s leaving soon, then he is. If plans change, he’s at least courteous enough to let me know. Something happened; we’ve got to go tell Evan.”
Luckily, Evan was still in his office and had gotten my message. After telling him my suspicions, he turned to Miles. “Did anyone see a body?”
“No one except Isaac,” said Miles. “We all got a message from Andre telling us to clear out as quickly as possible. Said he was sending Isaac back with us because it was too dangerous.”
Evan’s mouth set into a tight line as he slammed his hand down on the intercom button on his desk. “Code Seven! Meeting in my office right now, all hunters and all available staff.” He repeated the message two more times and turned to us. “How did no one realize this earlier?”
“I sent Andre a few texts and he replied. After that I fell asleep.” I felt extremely guilty saying that.
“I just finished up with Powell,” Miles added. “I don’t know what everyone else was up to, but we’ve had the perfect storm of distractions here.”
“I hadn’t realized what time it was and mom didn’t tell me when they’d be back,” Anil said with the same guilty air I felt.
Within minutes, the office was filled. Seeing Ida walk in with a worried expression just added to my guilt. Just when I thought everyone was there, the door opened again and Johnny came storming in, still in hospital pajamas and bandages, trailed by a harried Abe.
“Okay everyone listen up, we have a dire situation on our hands that is going to need immediate action, so listen carefully and save your comments. Andre, Saba, and Carlos have not yet returned from the plantation. Earlier this evening Bellona and Cynda left with who we assumed was Isaac. They have yet to return.”
A murmur of shock went through the crowd and Evan called for silence. “Bluebeard looks enough like Isaac that we are assuming he also has the ability to alter his appearance and had done so to gain entry. GPS information traces all of our missing people back to the plantation. At the moment, I am going to assume that everyone is still alive, but I don’t need to remind any of you of the direness of the situation, most of you have been out there, you know what kind of a danger Bluebeard and his compound is. I also don’t need to remind you that there is a strong possibility that the military may still be out there posing an additional threat to us. Because time is of the essence, I am sending in a small team by helicopter and the rest will follow in the transport vans.”
I didn’t even know EJC had aircraft at their disposal, but it didn’t matter, I was getting on that helicopter. There was a brief moment of silence while Evan consulted with Mike and Holly on how to best divide the teams. As I edged closer to the desk, I noticed Johnny, Anil, and Miles doing the same. The lights dimmed and the projection screen behind Evan’s desk lit up with an aerial map of the plantation. Miles was selected for the helicopter team; along with two other combat trained hunters, Edgar and Jordan, and one of the doctors. As the other names were read off, and hunters and doctors alike went off to gear up, those of us standing closest to the desk began to get agitated. When all was said and done, my name had not been called and neither had Johnny’s.
“Evan,” Johnny said with as much calm as he could muster, “Saba is my wife. I’m on this mission whether you like it or not.”
“And she’s my mother,” Anil added.
“In case you forgot,” I added with a little too much attitude, “Isaac is my father, and Andre, your nephew, is the love of my life. We all deserve to be a part of this, Evan. I’m not going to sit here and hope someone else saves the day.”
“I’m going too.” I turned around to see Ingrid. She had swapped out her bright scarf for a black balaclava, which actually gave her a menacing appearance. “I was the reason Bluebeard found us in the first place. I was the one he planted a trace on.”
“I understand why all of you want to go, and believe me, I do too. But I’ve told you all before, this mission is going to be dangerous enough for the uninjured. Johnny, you’ve gotten stitches that haven’t had time to begin healing.”
“You know damned well that hasn’t stopped me before any more than it’s stopped you.”
“Evan,” Lance spoke up. He had been standing at the door, listening to the conversation.
“They’re right. If you weren’t bound to that wheelchair, you’d have put yourself on the front line regardless of any injury, and Anil isn’t even injured. I’ll take them with me. I know the property pretty well now.”
“I don’t like this,” Evan said gruffly.
“But you know Lance is right,” I pointed out. “Evan, please. Andre’s risked his life for me, Saba and Edgar too. I couldn’t live with myself if anything were to happen to them because I didn’t act.”
“Go,” Evan said finally, “and don’t let me regret this, any of you.”
Ten minutes later we were suited up and climbing into Lance’s van. I steadied my nerves by mentally double-checking my equipment. In addition to as many CPAs as I could carry, I brought two different style knives, a small cache of explosives, and a survivalist’s pack. I knew it was highly unlikely I would need anything in the pack, but it did have my lock picking tool and after Paris, I never went anywhere without it.
After swapping out the battery in my phone for a fresh one, I pulled up the GPS just to see if anyone’s position had changed. For the most part, no one had moved, or at least their phones hadn’t. Andre’s had, which didn’t surprise me. I had suspected that Bluebeard was the one sending the short, noncommittal replies. At least I knew Andre was alive. After Paris, he had fashioned lockets out of the transmitters that had saved my life and we each wore one. In addition to knowing our exact location, they monitored our vital signs.
“Everyone’s got their night eyes in?” Lance asked as he brought the van out into the city traffic on its way to the highway. “Anil, Ingrid? There are extra pairs since I know you two don’t wear them often.”
“I’m good,” Anil said with a thumbs-up.
“I actually don’t need them,” Ingrid shrugged. “They mess with my head. I can see just fine in the dark, it just works a little differently.”
The Eyes of the Sun: The Complete Trilogy Page 56
