by R. D. Brady
And one day, when he was nine, his owner had decided he needed new eunuch. Amar had disagreed.
He smiled. That day had been the beginning of his awareness of what he could do. The beginning of his empire.
Amar entered his dining room. His throne chair stood at the end of the table, his lunch covered by a silver lid.
His cell phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket, stepping toward the large windows overlooking the yard.
“Sir, they escaped us at the park. They’re heading to Chandler’s car. Should we give chase?”
Amar paused for a moment, trying to place the voice. It wasn’t Zeke— it was Zeke’s second in command. “Why are you calling me? Where’s Zeke?
A pause. “Zeke’s dead, sir. Jake Rogan killed him.”
Amar went quiet, his mind flashing on his son. They didn’t have a close bond—at least, not one based on emotion. But there was a connection there. Zeke had been made from him. And Zeke, therefore, belonged to him. Amar was the only one allowed to take his life.
His anger boiled up, but he kept a lid on it. Their goal was too close. He couldn’t let it cloud his judgment, but his rage was making that hard to remember. “Chase them down. I want them dead.”
“Including the McPhearson woman? I thought you wanted her alive.”
“Dead. I want all of them dead.” He simmered, letting the rage wash over him. But then common sense warred with his thirst for revenge and won. He growled. “No. Never mind that. Get McPhearson. She’s your priority. Once we have her, we’ll take care of the rest.”
He paused, picturing his son. He’d had so much potential. His anger warmed him. “But hurt her. A lot.”
CHAPTER 15
Laney, Jake, and Henry ran across the parking lot. They reached Henry’s Escalade just as two Tahoes squealed into the lot.
Jake all but threw Laney into the back seat. “I don’t think those are the good guys.”
Henry jammed the key into the ignition and gunned it. “Time to go.” He careened around the other cars waiting to exit.
A bunch of people honked their horns in irritation. Apparently they had missed the life-and-death gun battle in the parking lot.
Laney held on in the back as Henry swerved from side to side, weaving through the slower traffic. “You sure this is necessary?”
Henry’s eyes flipped to the rearview mirror. “Yup.”
Laney glanced back. The two Tahoes from the parking lot were behind them and moving fast. “Plan?”
Henry just pushed down on the gas pedal as they broke out of the park and into a residential area.
Jake looked around the car. “This the new one?”
Henry smiled. “Yup.”
“New one?” Laney asked. “New what?”
“Car. I had a few improvements made to the manufacturer’s standard model.”
“Like what?”
“Bulletproof windows, doors, and roof. And some extra toys.” Henry hit two buttons on the dash. The back of the driver’s seat slid open, revealing a small arsenal. A similar tray appeared in the dashboard in front of Jake.
“My kind of toys.” Jake grabbed a Beretta and two magazines.
“This is the car you chose to bring on a family vacation?” Laney asked.
Henry caught her eyes in the rearview. “Kind of a good thing I did, isn’t it?”
Laney turned to watch the trees rush by them on the side of the road. Okay. Good point.
Henry made a sharp turn, putting them on the highway.
Jake slammed the magazine into place. “I, personally, would like to chat with these guys. Find out exactly what’s going on.”
Laney glanced back again. The SUVs were closer. “If they’re anything like the parking lot guys, I don’t think they’re going to be too chatty. How about we just outrun them instead?”
“Working on it,” Henry said. The Escalade accelerated.
They barreled down the highway. Other cars took notice and got out of the way. Henry sped toward a slow-moving Honda Civic that was matching the pace of the Toyota Corolla in the lane next to it.
Laney glanced back. The Tahoes were gaining. She looked forward. Henry was almost on top of the Honda. “Henry!”
At the last second, Henry jerked the wheel, jumping them onto the shoulder. They flew past the slow-moving cars. On the service road, a cop car appeared, its lights flashing, siren roaring.
More lights appeared in the far distance behind them. Laney wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. The cops had no idea what they were putting themselves in the middle of.
Laney turned around again. “Cops.”
Henry gave a terse nod.
“We need to get off this highway.” Jake pulled up a map of the area on his phone.
They rounded a turn. A half-mile ahead, two cop cars blocked the highway. Laney’s stomach plummeted.
“Henry, turn left.” Jake ordered.
“Left?” Henry asked.
“Now!” Jake yelled.
Henry wrenched the wheel. Laney felt the left side of the car lift off the ground for a few terrifying moments before it crashed back down. They bumped across the grass divider.
The oncoming traffic slammed to a stop as Henry cut across the other two lanes of the highway. Bumping onto the shoulder, they careened through the grass, before ending up on the service road. Henry pressed down on the gas pedal again.
They raced down a country road, which luckily was currently empty of traffic. As they rounded a blind curve, Laney let out a yell. Two deer darted into the road.
“Shit!” Henry yanked the wheel to the right. They plowed off the road and down a steep embankment. The SUV bucked violently as it was lifted into the air by the uneven ground.
Oh God. The ground rushed up toward them. With a wrenching roar, the front of the car slammed into the ground.
The air bags exploded.
Laney fell forward, going headlong toward the windshield. At the last moment, two hands wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her back.
As the dust settled, Laney found herself sprawled across Henry’s chest, with her legs still in the back seat. With a groan, she pushed herself up. “Thanks.”
Henry nodded. A couple of cuts dotted his forehead, but they were already healing.
Laney sat on the divider between the two front seats and arched her back with a grimace. Man, that hurt.
“You okay, Lanes?” Jake asked
She turned and saw a deep gash in Jake’s right arm. “Your arm,” she cried.
“There’s a first aid kit in the back, under the driver’s seat,” Henry said.
Laney scrambled to the back. Searching the floor, she found it and wrenched it free from its perch. She yanked the lid off, rummaging through for bandages and antiseptic.
Jake pushed against his door. “We don’t have time for that. Henry, can you get your door open?”
“No. I’m dug in too deep. I think the back doors are our best bet.”
Laney handed Henry the first aid supplies. “Wrap his arm. I’ll try the doors.” She turned to the door behind Henry. Tugging on the handle, she pushed. It moved, but not enough to let a person through. The frame must have bent.
She turned, and launched her feet at the door. With a groan, it opened a little more. A few more kicks, and she had it open wide enough to slide through.
“Got it.” She crawled out.
Jake crawled into the back seat and out, his arm bandaged. “We need to move.”
Henry appeared out of the car next. The three of them looked up the hill.
“Pretty steep,” Jake said.
“And if those guys see the tracks, we’ll be walking right at them,” Laney said.
A squeal of brakes came from up top, followed by the slam of doors.
“Time to run.” Henry grabbed Laney’s arm. Together, the three of them sprinted into the trees.
CHAPTER 16
Laney ran, ducking branches, leaping over brush. Her mind was moving as qu
ickly as her feet. What were these guys after? Was her uncle right? Were they really after her?
She jumped over a downed tree and came down in a small divot. Her ankle turned. With a cry, she fell.
Jake dropped next to her. “Laney?”
Pain radiated up her leg. “It’s my ankle.”
Jake pulled her to her feet. “I’ll carry you.”
Henry jogged back. “Jake, let me.”
Jake nodded.
Henry picked Laney up as if she weighed nothing. And then they were off again.
Henry kept pace with Jake, not even breathing hard. Laney knew that Henry could have sprinted away from them and gotten himself to safety easily. But he wouldn’t leave them.
Behind them, they could hear the pursuit of many feet. Tendrils of fear crawled down Laney’s spine. Their pursuers were getting closer.
Up ahead, the trees ended. Henry and Jake didn’t stop, just burst through into the open grass. Fifty feet ahead, a thirty-foot-high chain-link fence stood in front of them. Cattle ate peacefully on the other side.
Laney looked to the right and left. A dirt road ran along the length of the fence, all two hundred feet. Signs hung on the fence every twenty-five feet. The signs had lightning bolts on them. The fence was electrified.
CHAPTER 17
“Henry, put me down,” Laney ordered.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Jake asked as Laney placed most of her weight on her right foot, gingerly testing pressure on her left. She winced. Not as bad as it was, but not quite ready for her full weight.
She pulled the Beretta from the waist of her jeans and checked the magazine. “I guess I’m getting ready to make a stand. I don’t suppose you guys would consider leaving me here? I’m the one they want. You two could still get away.”
Both men just looked at her.
She sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
With a lump in her throat, she raised her weapon. Henry and Jake did the same. If they were right, the men chasing them wanted her. Which meant she might survive this. But Jake and Henry . . .
She tightened her grip. No. They would make it through, too.
From the corner of her eye, Laney saw a car turn the corner of the fence to her right. Then another car appeared from the left. Great. They brought reinforcements.
The cattle behind them began to get anxious. They started mooing loudly, then running away from the oncoming cars.
Laney tensed, trying to figure out whom to aim for. From both sides, the cars barreled down the road toward them. She could hear the gunmen getting closer in the trees.
The cars were almost on top of them. Laney switched her aim from the trees to the car coming from her right. But then both cars steered off the road, aiming for the men just emerging from the trees.
Windows rolled down and the occupants of the cars simultaneously opened fire on the men pursuing on foot. The men tried to turn and run back to the relative safety of the trees, but were cut down in a barrage of bullets. A few were trampled under the wheels of the cars.
A minute later, all was silent, except for the moans of some of the dying men. Laney could only gape at the carnage in front of her.
Two men exited the cars and disappeared into the woods. What the hell was going on?
“Jake?” Laney asked.
“They’re not ours,” Jake said.
Laney tightened her grip.
The driver’s-side door opened on one of the SUVs. A small woman with long wavy black hair stepped out. She walked over to Laney, Jake, and Henry.
Her deep brown eyes met Laney’s. “You okay?”
Laney stared back at her in stunned disbelief. “Rocky?”
CHAPTER 18
Detective Rochelle Martinez of the Syracuse Police Department wrapped Laney in a fierce hug. “Thank God you’re okay.”
Laney hugged her back, but she was still reeling. She pulled back. “Rocky, what the hell are you doing here?”
Rocky glanced at Jake and Henry. “It’s a long story. How about I tell it while we’re on the move?”
Laney looked at Jake, who gave her a nod. “Uh, okay.”
Jake slipped his arm around Laney’s waist and helped her over to Rocky’s car. Henry followed.
Rocky grabbed her radio from the driver’s seat. “Mills, find any stragglers. I’m getting the VIPs out of here.”
“Roger that. Safe trip.”
“You, too.” Rocky hopped into the driver’s seat and buckled up. “Everybody good?”
Laney nodded from the back seat with Jake, but “good” was not what she was. She felt like she’d just stepped into an episode of The Twilight Zone. Where the hell had Rocky come from? And who were those guys with her? Granted, Rocky was a cop, but that was in upstate New York. Her jurisdiction didn’t extend into Pennsylvania.
Without another word, Rocky started the car and headed out of the field. No one said a word until they reached the highway.
“Detective Martinez, correct?” Henry asked.
Rocky nodded. “Call me Rocky.”
“Okay, Rocky,” Henry said, “you want to tell us exactly how you found us?”
Laney’s head jerked up. There was anger in Henry’s tone. Not something she was used to hearing.
“We had eyes on you in Hershey, but lost you on that ride,” Rocky said. “And then everything went to shit. I’ve got people with Patrick, Kati, and the boys, by the way. They’re safe. And luckily, the tracker on Laney’s phone was still working.”
Laney pulled her cell from her pocket. “You were tracking me?”
Rocky glanced back, guilt in her eyes. “Yes.”
Something about Rocky’s demeanor was off. Laney felt cold. She spoke slowly. “Rocky, how long have you been tracking me?”
Rocky took a deep breath. “For five years.”
CHAPTER 19
Laney felt as if she were in free-fall. Rocky had been watching her for five years. What on earth was going on? Laney spoke slowly. “Rocky, we’ve only know each other for four.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I was sent to Syracuse to keep an eye on you.”
Hurt and confusion fought for dominance inside Laney. Hurt won. “You befriended me . . . to keep an eye on me?”
Rocky’s words rushed out. “No. It was never like that. I mean, I was supposed to keep an eye on you. I didn’t need to become friends with you to accomplish that. But once we met, we had so much in common. Becoming friends was inevitable.”
Laney sat back, dumbfounded. She couldn’t form a thought.
But Jake could. “Who are you working for?”
Rocky shook her head. “I can’t tell you that. Not yet. She wants to tell you herself. We’re going to see her now.”
“How did you end up working for her?” Henry asked.
Rocky glanced back at Laney. “You know my childhood wasn’t easy. My current employer, she got me and my mom out of a bad situation. Found my mom a good job, sent me to college. Made me feel like I was worth something. That I could do something.”
Disbelief spread through Laney. “And in exchange, you just had to lie to me.”
Rocky winced like she’d been hit. “No. It wasn’t like that. She explained to me what the stakes were—that there was more happening in this world than most people realized. I chose to help.”
“And what exactly were you supposed to do?” Laney asked. “Watch me?”
“No. It was never like that,” Rocky said. “I was just supposed to be around if you needed help. She told me that in all likelihood, I would never have to do anything. And then we became friends. And it became a moot point. If you needed help, of course I would help.”
Rocky pulled off the road into a field. A helicopter was waiting. She put the car in park. “I know it’s asking a lot. But I need you to trust me—just a little longer. Talk to my employer. Then you’ll understand everything.”
“And if we choose not to trust you?” Jake asked.
Rocky looked s
traight at Laney. “Then I’ve been instructed to give you my car and let you go.”
Rocky’s words hung in the air.
Laney took a deep breath. “Henry? What do you think?”
She could see the calculation in Henry’s eyes. “I say we trust her just a little more. After we meet her employer, we can decide what to do.”
“Jake?” Laney asked.
Jake took her hand. “I’d like to say let’s take the car and run. But something’s happening right now and we’re completely in the dark. We need answers. This may be a way to get some.”
Laney let out a breath. “Okay, Rocky. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 20
Twenty minutes later, they were flying over an undeveloped part of Pennsylvania. At least, Laney thought they were still in the state. She sat in the back of chopper with Jake and Rocky. Henry sat up front with the pilot.
Laney stared out the window at the ground below. Jake sat between her and Rocky. She hadn’t wanted to sit next to Rocky. She wasn’t sure what to say to her, what to make of all of this.
“Laney?” Rocky’s voice was nervous, her concern obvious.
Laney looked over. She knew Rocky was worried about their friendship, but honestly, she couldn’t deal with that yet. She was still reeling from Rocky’s unexpected arrival. The discussion about their friendship could wait. For now, there were some other issues she wanted to discuss.
“Last year, when I was attacked at my house, did you know about the Fallen?” Laney asked.
Rocky shook her head. “No. That was the first time I heard about anyone with those abilities. And until I saw them and felt them, for myself, I didn’t even believe what you had said, really. I figured it was adrenaline, or maybe you took a blow to the head.”
Laney remembered dragging Rocky to the car, blood dripping down her side. She had almost lost Rocky that night.
