Future Past (Gift of the Ancients Book 2)

by Bianca D’Arc

  Jeff paid attention to what he could see of the surroundings. He’d learned this trick through harsh trial and error since being given this questionable gift. The surroundings in his vision could tell him the place and might even give him the time. This scene had a feel of urgency to it as well, which he’d learned boded ill. It could mean the events he saw were only moments into the future. Whether he could prevent catastrophe in so short a time was doubtful at best, but he had to try. He always had to try.

  The gunman was in the mall, heading for them.

  Snapping out of the vision, Jeff sent a series of hand signals to the big men stationed at tables and booths around the room. Instantly, they were on their feet. Jeff stood as he tossed a twenty from his pocket onto the table. It would more than cover the cost of their half-eaten meal.

  “We have to go.”

  “What is it?”

  He touched her shoulder, reaching downward to scoop her little hand into his own. As gently as he could, he tugged her up.

  “Danger has found us. We have to go. Now.”

  “You saw it?”

  “Just now. A man with a gun, in the mall.”

  Jeff breathed a sigh of relief when she stopped questioning him and started moving. He needed her cooperation if they were to avoid a potentially deadly scene in the middle of the crowded mall.

  He gave the rest of the team a couple more hand signals they all knew so well, and within moments, they were all on the move. Money was left on tables for the wait staff with enough to cover their food and coffee, plus generous tips all around. There would be no complaints about so many tables emptying out so quickly.

  Two of his teammates walked out of the café ahead of Jeff and Rosie, two behind, and a few scattered into the environment of the mall as they moved. They didn’t look like they were together, but if anyone came close, they would form up around Rosie and protect her—as would Jeff.

  Jeff got a flash of insight. “Tango left,” he said, just loud enough for the men in front and behind to hear. “Ten o’clock, fifty meters.”

  “What?” Rosie asked, adorably confused.

  “The bad guy is to our left, about fifty meters away. That’s why we’re cutting down here,” Jeff said, taking an abrupt turn down a side corridor of the megamall.

  He had more options available. If pursuit continued, there were a multitude of stores they could dive into and go from there into the back areas of the mall. The loading docks and hidden roadways behind and underneath the public areas. It might not smell great down there, but there would be a lot of great places to hide and darkly lit pathways.

  Wil dropped back to offer a sit rep. “We’re going down to the mall office. Captain’s working with the mall cameras and has security on our side. They’ll let us into the loading docks and underground roadway from there, and we’ve got transport on the way.”

  “Good plan,” Jeff replied, then looked at Rosie. Her eyes were wide, and she looked both scared…and skeptical. Damn. He liked that she didn’t take anyone on faith, but right now, it was a bit inconvenient. “Rosie—”

  The appeal he had been about to make was cut short by the sound of gunfire. Shit!

  “Take cover!” one of the guys ordered, and Jeff grabbed Rosie’s arm and dragged her behind a kiosk in the center of the mall corridor, along with the frightened kiosk attendant.

  A grunt from behind told Jeff that at least one member of their team had been hit, but since there were no urgent calls for a medic, he figured they’d either taken it in the vest or it wasn’t a life-threatening wound. Civilians scattered as his teammates yelled at people to get down, hide behind things, or run, depending on their position.

  Return fire hadn’t really been on the agenda for today, though every member of the team was armed. Still, they weren’t quite authorized to act on U.S. soil. Luckily, it looked like somebody had called in local law enforcement.

  Two uniformed officers entered the mall between Jeff’s group and the shooter. Thankfully, they started shooting back when they realized the shooter was actively taking potshots at Jeff’s team while they hunkered down behind potted trees, advertising displays, and shop kiosks in the center of the mall.

  The visions were coming in flashes of insight, as they often did when Jeff was in combat situations. They’d trained this particular skill, in simulation, after it had first appeared while they were still in the Middle East. It felt almost natural for him to communicate a safe path for his teammates using the hand signals all Spec Ops soldiers knew. He spared a moment to take Rosie’s hand and look into her eyes.

  She was scared. Damn. Her eyes were wide with fear, which he hated to see, but at least he knew he could do something about it. He squeezed her hand.

  “I know a safe way out. Are you ready to jog?” He looked at her feet, glad to see she’d worn sensible, flat, rubber-soled shoes. They wouldn’t hamper her mobility.

  “Yes,” she gasped as more gunfire erupted nearby. Jeff looked at the kiosk attendant. He’d take her with them if he could. There were too many bullets flying around out here in the middle of the mall passageway.

  “Are you coming?” he asked the frightened woman. “We’re going to run for better cover.”

  The woman looked down at her right foot and grimaced. “I’m not running anywhere. Sorry.”

  Jeff followed her gaze and realized the long, flowing skirt she wore hid a heavy cast on her foot. Yeah, she wouldn’t be able to keep up. He made a quick decision and sent a hand signal to one of the team.

  “Okay. I’m going to send someone over to you. He’s one of the good guys. He’ll keep you safe. Just stay behind the cart and keep as low as possible.” The woman didn’t look nearly as frightened as he’d expected. Rather, she seemed resigned. An odd reaction in a civilian, but he couldn’t worry about that now.

  “Thanks for trying. Be careful,” the woman advised them as she gripped the handrail of the cart and tried to get in a better position.

  “What’s your name?” Rosie asked the other woman just as Jeff was about to give the signal to move.

  “Hannah,” the woman answered. “Hannah Sullivan.”

  “I’m Rose Kitsapolous. We’ll see you again. I’m certain of it.” Rosie smiled at Hannah, and she seemed to take heart from that small gift of a grin.

  “I’ll hold you to that, Rose.”

  Jeff wondered suddenly if Hannah was some kind of veteran. She had a resignation to the situation that seemed unlikely in someone who had never been under fire before. Right now, of course, he had to focus on getting Rosie to safety.

  He tugged on her hand when the time was just right, and they lurched to their feet and made a run for it. He was careful to keep Rosie in front of him, using his body to shield her from any stray bullets. He hoped.

  Chapter Two

  Rose couldn’t believe what was happening. She was in the middle of a shootout in the mall with a team of giant men surrounding her. Not to mention Jeff. He was all the protection she really needed, she thought in one dazed corner of her mind that found all of this fascinating instead of scary. It was the same part of her mind that remembered the vision of the morning. Big men, protecting her. So far, so good.

  Jeff ran behind her, keeping himself between her and the shooter. He probably didn’t realize she noticed that, but she was observant. She also took note of the giant men who had been scattered around the coffee shop and were now flanking them. One had been limping, and his faded black cargo pants looked like they had a darker spot on the side of his thigh. Had he been shot? Grazed? Whatever had happened, he hadn’t let it slow him down.

  When she had jumped up from behind the kiosk with Jeff, the wounded fellow had taken their place behind the kiosk, with Hannah. Rose wasn’t certain, but her mind was ticklish in the way that she had come to realize meant there was something in the future for that couple. The injured guy and Hannah. Yes, there might be something there, but this was no time to examine the possibilities.

  Jeff herded
her toward a side door that had a placard over it saying that it was for Authorized Personnel Only. Rose went right in, noting the difference between this no-nonsense maintenance corridor and the fancier parts of the mall. There were scuff marks on the wall from where carts and machines had rubbed the paint away.

  They turned a few corners then went down a flight of stairs. The gunfire had ceased above them, but Rose still felt the sense of urgency about getting away from whatever was going on up top. Jeff led the way through a door to the lower level. When he signaled for her to come through, she realized two men were already there, waiting for them. One wore a mall security uniform, and one was definitely one of Jeff’s friends. She could tell from the man’s sheer size and command presence.

  She had a flash of insight and saw the big man in the black T-shirt stopping a car with his bare hands on a dark and rainy night. The harsh set of his features was highlighted in the headlights. Then, she saw him in a sandy place, wearing combat fatigues and captain’s bars, if she wasn’t mistaken. He was heavily armed and helmeted, but she saw his face clearly, and he was talking to an elaborately dressed man wearing a turban. The turbaned man turned to her in the vision and looked straight at her, smiling before he winked, and the vision disappeared as suddenly as it had come.

  Rose gasped. It was like…the man in the turban had seen her watching in the vision, and been amused by it and, somehow, controlled the vision and ended it with that little wink. That had never happened before, and it would have freaked her out if there’d been time to freak out any more just then. As it was, she followed the two men with Jeff at her side and a few of the others following behind. The mall security man unlocked doors for them, using both his big ring of keys and his security pass, until they were in an underground loading dock area.

  Three giant black vehicles pulled up as they walked out onto the pavement. Jeff escorted her to the first one, seating her in the passenger seat before going around to the driver’s door and taking over from the man who’d driven the vehicle into the underground area. The former driver got into the backseat and buckled in.

  “Put that seatbelt on, ma’am. Jeeves doesn’t mess around when he drives. You might want to hang onto your hat,” the other man said with an unmistakably eager grin. “I’m Dan, by the way.”

  “Rose,” she said, buckling her seatbelt and wondering if she’d just fallen down a rabbit hole, like Alice in Wonderland. Only, her new fantasy world was populated by impossibly huge men with an obvious thirst for adventure.

  Jeff spared a glance to make sure she was buckled in before hitting the accelerator. The other two big black vehicles were with him. They formed a small line as they headed out of the underground. Dan had a walkie-talkie and was exchanging coded messages with the men in the other vehicles. One pulled in front of them, and one was behind. They made a conspicuous little parade, she thought, as they drove toward a ramp where she could see sunlight at the top.

  “Won’t a line of identical black SUVs be noticed?” she asked, her thoughts spilling out of her mouth before she could censor them.

  Jeff grinned at her. “Decoys,” was all he said, but she understood. His gaze refocused on the ramp and the cautious approach the first car was making. When it hit the top, it paused, as if to draw any possible fire, then sped off.

  Jeff didn’t pause, and neither did the vehicle behind them. They sped out of the underground and peeled off, each heading in a different direction as soon as they came to a turning point on the looping road that surrounded the giant mall. They didn’t present a line of three identical vehicles. They were just solo cars going off and doing their thing. Much less conspicuous. But also, a bit more vulnerable. Rose tried her best to stay calm. Panicking wouldn’t help matters.

  An image flashed in her mind. “Why am I seeing helicopters?”

  She looked at Jeff, and he was smiling. “What did I tell you, Dan? She’s got the gift.”

  “Well, we already knew that based on her file,” Dan replied casually.

  “File? What file? I have a file?” She demanded of the grinning fool in the backseat. Just what was going on here? “If you’re going to abduct me, you’re going to have a hell of a time. I fight back.”

  “It’s not abduction.” Dan looked insulted.

  “It’s more like protective custody,” Jeff insisted from the driver’s seat. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. My actions probably caused the enemy to move up their timeline. They’ve been watching you for a while, and they know your routine, where you live, where you shop. It’s either they grab you or we do. Of the two, we’re safer for you.”

  “Much safer,” Dan put in. “We’re the good guys.”

  She wasn’t so sure about that despite her earlier vision. She was scared and panic was starting to get the better of her. “Where are you taking me?”

  “Well, you can’t go home right now,” Jeff said, taking a turn much faster than she ever would have. Her body pulled on the safety belt, and she was glad she’d buckled in. “The only truly safe place is with us, and we’re currently stationed just off the coast.”

  “On a ship?” she asked, her voice rising. They had a ship on which a helicopter could land? That image of the helicopter had been so strong. She knew it was in her immediate future.

  “An island,” Dan piped up from the backseat. “A first-class top-secret military installation.”

  “The U.S. military?” She wanted to be sure.

  Dan looked affronted. “Of course. Who did you think we were?”

  “Just checking,” she quipped back, more interested in the speeds at which Jeff was driving.

  He wasn’t dangerous—exactly—but he was going a lot faster than she liked. It was both a little frightening and kind of exhilarating. She’d never really driven with an expert before, and it was clear Jeff was just that—an expert at handling this vehicle, and probably anything else with four wheels and a steering column. He looked every inch the calm professional, even as he raced down the road, dodging traffic and taking turns at a breakneck pace.

  The radio squawked, and Dan replied in code. “The closest helipad is compromised,” he reported to Jeff.

  “Heading for secondary,” he responded, and Dan said something into the mic, acknowledging the change.

  But they never made it to the secondary site. Pursuit found them even before they got there. What followed was the most harrowing, yet amazing ride of her life. Jeff drove like no one she’d ever seen before in real life. Oh, she’d caught part of a movie about a baby-faced getaway driver a few months ago where the kid kept totally calm, even as he did stunts with his car that she’d though couldn’t possibly happen in real life.

  She’d been wrong.

  Jeff was just as calm and stoic, and he made that SUV do things she never would have believed if she hadn’t seen it herself. They were being pursued by two cars, and Jeff allowed it for a bit, but when the men in one of the vehicles started shooting, Jeff pulled a maneuver that caused that car to spin out of control and hit a tree. She wasn’t sure exactly what Jeff had done, or what opportunity he’d seen because she only had her limited perspective from the passenger seat, but it certainly looked like he had everything under control.

  The remaining car kept after them, but Jeff seemed only to be waiting for the perfect spot. He touched the wheel, sending the SUV in another direction, then stepped on the brakes, demanding a lot from the big vehicle, and receiving it. The other car went speeding past, burning rubber as it overshot the turn Jeff made.

  A series of quick turns left her dizzy, and left their pursuit in the dust. A few minutes later, it was clear they’d lost the other car and were driving merrily down the highway toward some other destination.

  “Hot damn,” Dan said from the backseat. He was watching out the back window, but there was nothing to see. “Nice driving, Jeeves. You totally lost them.” Then, Dan spoke into the radio, as he’d been doing all along, giving the rest of their unit updates. “Heading for the big H,” he finishe
d with, making Rose wonder what he was talking about.

  “We prepared for this mission by learning all the helipads in the area that could accommodate our choppers,” Jeff said offhandedly as he continued to drive. “There’s a hospital that has a large enough roof near the shore, which is ideal, since if we’re out over the water, we can see any potential problems long before they become big problems.” He turned the wheel, taking them onto a side road. “We’ll fly over water, up the south shore of the island to our destination. We’ll be there in an hour or so.”

  He sounded so confident.

  “Do you use your gift when you do things like this?” She was intrigued by the idea. She’d never had that fine of a control over her own talent.

  Jeff shrugged. “Sometimes. I was a good driver before, but now, I can occasionally see the action before it happens.”

  She got a flash then, of Jeff driving a big army truck with sand in the distance, and he was dressed in desert camouflage. He smiled at her in the vision, and it winked out. She wasn’t sure if he’d been smiling at her—the way that turbaned guy in the other vision had—or maybe in the vision he’d been smiling at whoever was sitting in the passenger seat. For sure, it was a vision of the past. Her gift worked both ways. It showed her glimpses of the future, but also, once in a while, of the past.

  “You were in a desert. Driving a truck bigger than this. Wearing all brown and tan colors, with sand all around,” she said, her mouth reporting what her mind’s eye had seen.

  A long whistle from the backseat drew her attention. “You see the past, ma’am?”

  She nodded at Dan over her shoulder. “Sometimes. I saw a guy in a turban sitting cross-legged in a tower, too. And I think he saw me.”

  “What makes you say that?” Jeff asked, his eyes narrowing when he glanced at her.