"We know about your mom, dad, and sister." Zane pulled out the last sheet from the stack he brought with him. A little girl with dark brown hair, golden eyes and a capricious smile stared back at him. Anubis ran his hand over his face and glanced away from the picture. It could have been his little sister, Thea. The family resemblance was that strong.
"Who is she?"
"Kadey Meyers. Her mother is-"
"Sky Meyers." Anubis finished for him. He sat back and tried to deal with the onslaught of emotion that name pulled forward. Sky was… fuck, she was the woman he didn't deserve and the woman he couldn't release.
"Yeah. I take it you didn't know?"
"Fuck, no." He turned his glare up and focused on Bengal. His gut, heart, and head fought for dominance. His gut told him not to get involved. He wasn't what they needed in their lives. His heart… fuck, his heart wanted to run out of the safe house and drive however long it took to find Sky and his daughter. And his head? His head told him to weigh all the options, develop a plan and assess the possible outcomes before he made a move.
"You've got a daughter." Zane used one finger to push the photo closer.
Anubis drew a deep breath and shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I can't do anything for them except bring death to their door." That was his gut talking. Loud and clear.
"Death is already making its way to their door, my friend. Kadey has a heart condition called Ebstein's Anomaly. It is when one of the valves in her heart is malformed. In most kids, it's mild; not with her. She needs surgery. Jewell thinks maybe her mom is using her connections to look for you."
Anubis's stomach twisted violently. The soup he'd consumed rose with the bile, lodging in his throat. He stared at the picture. His daughter was sick. He elevated his eyes to his friend. "I can't. I'm a Shadow."
"You can. Guardian has your back on this one. I'm assuming her mom is someone special?"
Anubis stared at the picture. "After you bailed me out of that mission, I came back here, to Fresno, to recuperate-a town where I knew nobody. Hell, I hadn't been in the state before. I laid low for the first three months before I went stir crazy. I met Sky at a bar. We hit it off, and one thing led to… well, it led to two months. I left in the middle of the night. An assignment."
"You kept in contact with her?"
Zane's question got a head nod. He had checked in on Sky through black door acquaintances. At first, never directly and never requesting any information about her, just making sure she would be all right. He made sure she'd been offered a good job in Sacramento, ensured things happened to provide her an affordable place to live. The last time he'd checked through those contacts, about six months after he left, she was working for the District Attorney as an office manager.
Then he'd done the wrong thing, and he'd done it more than once. About four years ago, he called her when he was in California, and they hooked up. Just a hook up at a cheap hotel in Davis, a town southeast of Sacramento.
He'd expected questions and to end up talking half the night, but Sky shocked the hell out of him. She didn't want to know anything about him or why he left, even though he had a perfectly good cover story to use. Hell, he should have suspected something when she wouldn't answer any of the questions he'd asked about how she'd been. Anubis rolled that thought around. Nah, he figured it was her way of keeping him at arm's length for leaving her so abruptly. Sky made it clear she was there for the sex-the fantastic, red-hot-orgasmic-rock-your-fucking-world kind of sex.
It was so damn good that one intense night led to more. Every time his work brought him to California, he called. The sex between them was so hot the devil's balls roasting in hell were frostbitten in comparison. The last time he was in the state before this mission was… damn near two years ago. Anubis was actually looking forward to calling her after he'd debriefed Bao's mission… but now? Fuck, now he had a daughter.A daughter. How the fuck was he supposed to wrap his mind around that?
Anubis shook himself out of his own head. Continuous questions spun while his mind was stuck on "reboot" and none of this shit would give him any answers. He moved a piece of paper off Canaga's picture. "Who is this guy to Sky?"
"He is her second cousin."
For some reason that bit of information made him feel better. In another life, he could have loved Sky. Maybe he had loved her, but he didn't have another life. He didn't exist. If he were to vanish off the face of the earth tomorrow, no one would know to grieve his loss. He stared at the chubby cheeks of the little girl who smiled so innocently into the camera. He was a father. "Okay, she needs surgery. Why is Sky trying to find me? Is the procedure that risky?"
"All surgery is risky, especially open-heart surgery, but there is another reason Sky is looking for you. There is always substantial blood loss during this type of operation, and your daughter will require multiple transfusions." Anubis froze as the realization hit him. He stared at the man across the table from him. "My daughter is Rh-null."
"She is. You know how rare your blood is. How rare hers is. There are only ten active Rh-null blood donors in the world. The hospital refuses to operate until a blood supply is located. You are her only chance."
Anubis donated his blood routinely until he joined Guardian. The International Blood Group Reference Laboratory in Filton, England, maintained the world's database of rare-blood donors, the International Rare Donor Panel. Before he became the man he was today, he'd been listed on that panel. As far as that group knew, he was dead. "What about the Rh-null people on the list?"
"There are none in the United States. The two that were listed on it died. One, of course, was you, the other died of old age about two years ago."
Anubis stared at the picture. The sparkle in the little girl's eyes shone like a beacon into his cold, hardened soul. That smile penetrated the vault where he'd sealed his emotions just like a heat-seeking missile found the ass end of a jet engine. "There is no other way?"
Zane shook his head. "Not according to the docs we talked to."
"I'll need the engineer to redesign my old cover."
"Name?"
"Kaeden Lang."
"It may take a few days to set it up, but I know Jacob will push this through as fast as he can."
"I'll make an anonymous blood donation." It would solve everything. Sky and Kadey would be safe from the danger that flew in a constant satellite around his life.
"We thought of that, but that is a risk Guardian isn't willing to take. If you are up there, you can control the situation. Once your rare blood type hits the medical system, doctors and researchers will have a field day, just like they did with Kadey."
Anubis knew Bengal's assumptions were true. When he'd been on the registry, the medical community hounded him relentlessly for donations for research. He'd given as much as he could, but the demand was never-ending.
"Go up there and get the lay of the land. We didn't have time to get an in-depth report on Sky's past or the acquaintances in her life. Jewell is working that as we speak." Zane leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hand over the five o'clock shadow he sported.
"Guardian has a doctor up there we trust to do your workup. You have an appointment in three days to do the screening to ensure your blood is viable. We can control what he puts in the system, but what happens after that? My lady is good, but from what she tells me, the medical systems are unbelievably easy to compromise. Thousands of access points and no definitive way to regulate who goes in and reviews patient information. The honest people stay honest, and HIPAA rules put some teeth into prosecuting those who are caught, but…"
Anubis sat back in his chair and played with the corner of his little girl's picture. "You're telling me I need to make contact."
"I am." Bengal leaned back and met Anubis's stare.
"Sky obviously did not want me to know about her daughter." Anubis remembered every word and every touch they shared when they
were together. Why hadn't she told him that he was a father? Probably because he showed up, fucked her and left . Hell, he didn't blame her for not telling him. Still, it was a sucker punch.
"Newsflash. The kid is also your daughter and that little girl needs you." Bengal tapped the photograph with his finger.
Anubis rolled his shoulders and looked up at the ceiling. He'd put his life on the line countless times without a second thought, but this? Fuck, he didn't have the skills to do…family. Not anymore. He'd given up that part of his humanity long ago.
"Where's your head, brother?" Bengal's voice brought his wandering mind back to the kitchen and the conversation at hand.
"I don't know how to do or to be… this." He was honest. He reserved deception for the people they used, not the people with whom he worked.
"One step at a time." Bengal cleared his throat and leaned forward on the table, bracing on his forearms. "When I came out into the light, man…" Bengal shook his head. "It's like being born again. You need to relearn every-fucking-thing."
"I'm not stepping out like you." He had no intention of leaving the Shadows. He was damn good at what he did and taking out the scum of the world was his calling.
"Yeah, I get that. Only you can make the decision to stay or walk away."
"If I walk, it won't be toward the light."
"I know, man. That is always an option, but you don't need to make that decision. Yet."
Anubis nodded as he considered the facts. He could ignore his daughter's situation and hope that she'd find a donor, or he could man up and head north. His eyes fell on the picture again. The mop of curls and the brilliant smile left him no choice. "I'll also need access to my off-shore money. I'll give you an account number so funds can be transferred."
"I won't need an account number. Guardian will foot any cost and the hospital bills. I'll have accounts set up in Sacramento, checking and savings, plus you'll have several credit cards in Lang's name."
"I'll still need access to that money, so put it into those accounts. She's my daughter. I need to make sure she's taken care of."
Bengal looked across the table at him, and a sly smile spread across the man's face. "I'm sure the mother and the little girl will benefit from your generosity."
"Shut up, man. Has Sky been dealing with this alone?" He re-routed Bengal's propensity for bringing up his assumed humanity… or lack thereof.
"From what we can tell, yes. Again, we didn't have time to work through this the way we'd like, but according to the information Jewell was able to put together, Sky's expenditures are minimal with the exception of things for her daughter and now, the medical bills. We do know she's struggling to pay her debt."
"Do you have that brief here?"
Zane pulled another paper from the interior pocket of his suit. "Here is everything we could compile. Jewell is working a complete background on her. We have your back on this one. You have a daughter, Ani…a daughter, and she needs you. Whatever it takes."
"As long as it takes." Ani automatically finished the words he'd lived his life by for the last ten years.
Chapter Two
Sky Meyers pulled up in front of her modest home. The single-story detached had been a steal and a godsend when she first moved to Sacramento almost six years ago after she'd accepted a job with the State District Attorney's office. The old owner contacted her realtor when she was searching for a place to live. Sky had offered full asking price and signed the papers within hours of seeing the house. She'd been five months pregnant at the time with a great job and a salary she'd never dreamed of making.
A twist of her wrist turned off the car, and she let the sudden silence surround her. With the exception of the small breaths coming from the child safety seat strapped securely on the back seat of the late model Honda, it was blissfully quiet. If only she could mute the thoughts screaming through her mind as easily.
Sky closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. Her nerves had frayed to the point of breaking. Her body and soul hurt, and with each new blow, her heart crumbled a little bit more. Kadey's case of Ebstein's Anomaly was survivable if treated surgically, and normally, the small atrial septal defect didn't overly concern the doctors as it could be fixed during the same surgery. Sky shook her head. The doctor's words two weeks ago fell like a death knell. "I'm sorry Sky, but Rh-null blood is the rarest blood on record. Donors with Rh-null blood can donate to anyone with any Rh-negative blood type, but they can only receive blood from those who are also Rh-null." The doctor put down the pen he'd been holding and leaned forward. "Do you know if her father is Rh-null?"
Sky wiped at the tears that threatened to fall. Kadey's father. The man she fell hopelessly in love with-and the man who she'd allowed to repeatedly shatter her heart-as far as she could tell, didn't exist. No, loving Kaeden was an addiction she couldn't beat. She leaned her head back against the headrest and stared sightlessly at the dull gray cloth fabric covering the visor of her car. It was almost as if she'd dreamed up Kaeden Lang. She could see him in her mind's eye. Three inches over six feet tall, dark brown, almost black hair and his eyes… they were golden with long dark lashes that made them… irresistible. His year-round tan accentuated his body. Kaeden was strong and muscled without being bulky. Was he classically handsome? No, but he was arresting. So much so that a casual conversation, while she was waiting for her girlfriends to arrive for a night out, changed her world. Kaeden Lang was a seduction that held her captive, even to this day. He was her Kryptonite and drug of choice.
Sky rolled her head and looked down the street as her mind wandered. The man was quiet, brooding at times, but always kind and the sex was literally life-changing. Sky had jumped into the relationship with a naive ease. Kaden Lang had captured her heart and then crushed it beyond repair when he left without explanation, and then he opened the wound that she'd stitched together, bit by bit. She'd lied to herself and believed she'd started to heal until her phone rang, and he was on the line. His call came when Sky was at her lowest. She'd nearly died delivering Kadey, struggled with postpartum depression, and had lost her mom to cancer. When Kaeden called, she wanted to feel something good. She hated that she still wanted him, but she did, so she left Kadey with a friend and drove to Davis, California and met him at a hotel… like a whore. She'd compounded her weakness by doing the same thing every time he called after that. Kaeden Lang was a bastard she couldn't resist, even though she knew, deep in her soul, she was probably one of many. That was why she'd never told him about Kadey.
Sky sniffed and brushed away a tear. After the last time, she woke up in that damn hotel, alone, she'd promised herself she wouldn't go if he called again. So, she made herself go on dates, meet people and even found someone who cared enough to stick around, but…
Sky clenched her fist so hard she felt her stubby nails biting into her palm. The bastard. Why? She wanted to ask him why he had walked away from her. She'd give anything to know. They were so happy, or at least she thought they were. She would have followed him to the ends of the earth, but, out of the blue, he left. One week later she found out she was pregnant.
Sky glanced at her daughter in the rear-view mirror. Kadey was everything to her. Her entire world. She'd risk anything to find the one man who might be able to save her. In order to find Kaeden, she'd used her professional connections within the police department to run his name, and they'd come up with nothing, although she'd seen his California driver's license with her own eyes. Her cousin ran Kadey's blood through the national database looking for matches. There were none. Sky had even contacted the IRS through the DA's office, but Kaeden Lang had not filed a tax return. According to every agency she used to track him, Kaeden Lang did not exist, and yet his child slept in the car seat behind her.
Sky didn't regret a single thing she'd done while searching for Kaeden, but the DA had discovered she'd used her profes
sional contacts for personal reasons, and he'd suspended her pending an internal investigation. She knew they were slow rolling the inquiries so she wouldn't lose her insurance, but it was inevitable that she would be fired-for doing whatever it took to save her little girl's life.
Sky ran both hands through her brown hair and pulled on it in desperation. She was chasing ghosts, had no income, and her savings had dwindled to nothing. Worse, she teetered on the verge of losing her health insurance. Despair rolled in wet tracks over her cheeks. She had no idea where to turn or what else to do.
Her phone chirped with a text alert. She looked down and closed her eyes. Trey. No, she couldn't deal with him now. The two-year relationship with a man she'd hoped would be 'the one' had soured over the last year. Trey had changed… or maybe she'd changed. He was manipulative, selfish and demanding, but she'd still clung to the relationship. Trey's lack of empathy and understanding over her concerns about Kadey had driven a wedge between them, yet she still clung to the breadcrumbs of caring and kindness he sometimes bestowed on her. She hated herself for not breaking off with him, but she was so… alone.
Sky dropped her head and let the tears fall. She stifled silent sobs, unwilling to release the pain aloud as if her audible distress would solidify the reality of her situation-there was no other avenue to pursue, and no one left to reach out and hang onto. Utter desolation enfolded her and ate through the essence of her soul.
"Momma, are you sad?"
Sky jumped, brushed away her tears, and turned a brilliant smile toward her daughter. "Nope, remember what Momma said about the dust making her eyes water? I got a big sniff of dust, sweetie."
"Okay. Can I watch Dora?"
"Sure, baby." Sky pulled her keys out of the ignition and went around the car before carefully extracting her daughter from the car seat. The wind swirled the little girl's curls into her face. Kadey blew raspberries trying to get the hair out of her mouth. Sky turned them out of the wind and drew her finger down her daughter's cheek pulling the hair back. "Silly hair."
Anubis Page 2
