by R. D. Brady
Horror crawled through Laney. Most people she knew looked at the leopards as merely animals. But Laney knew they were so much more. Their intelligence was on par with humans. They had empathy, feelings, even a sense of humor. And they could communicate with one another as easily as humans did. And Laney could communicate with them. Experimenting on them was no less horrific than the idea of experimenting on humans, which led her to another disturbing thought.
She looked at David. “Do you know what their plans are for the Fallen?”
He shook his head. “No. Elisabeta threw a wrench in that particular avenue anyway. They have none in custody. One of the conditions of Elisabeta’s coronation was that all Fallen being held anywhere in the world must be released. And everyone let them go. But they want to find a way to make more Fallen. That is priority number one. Priority number two is to figure out what weaknesses the Fallen may have. Without a test subject, though, none of that matters.”
Laney swallowed. “Apparently you haven’t seen the news lately.”
“No,” David said slowly. “What’s happened?”
“They have a Fallen. They took someone during the raid.”
Patrick’s head snapped toward her. “What? Who? What raid?”
“It happened while we were at the castle and you were at the Vatican.”
Drake’s gaze was full of meaning as he looked at her. “You mean, while we were all being targeted.”
Laney’s head whipped toward him. Was there any possible way that was a coincidence? But even as she thought it, she knew how low the chances of that being true were. The U.S. was working with someone in the Vatican. The weight on her shoulders grew even heavier.
“You said they took someone?” Patrick asked.
“I don’t know who. They haven’t released the name. We tried to call, but we couldn’t reach anyone, so you know they’ve all ditched their phones.” Laney frowned. “Actually, Dom should have found a way to contact us by now.”
“If they’ve taken someone . . .” David went silent.
“What?” Laney demanded.
David’s voice was quiet. “I suggest you start praying.”
CHAPTER 52
Somewhere in Virginia
The last few hours had been a haze of pain, blood, and fear. Molly had no idea where she was or who the people around her were. After she’d been shot, she’d been cuffed. She’d come to long enough to see her mom get dragged into a waiting SUV. Then she’d passed out.
When she’d woken up, she was in a dim concrete cell, chained to the wall. The chains had been so tight she hadn’t even been able to stand. She’d passed out again, although she thought that might have been more from fear than pain.
When she’d woken up, the chains had been loosened a little so she could sit up, and a cot had been brought in, although she couldn’t reach it. Then gas had filtered through the air and she was in the black again.
All things considered, she would have preferred to have stayed there.
She awoke on an operating table. Her arms had been cut, as had her legs, some shallow, some so deep she couldn’t even scream as the pain roared through her. She yanked on the straps, but they were too strong for her. Then a doctor stepped forward and cut her more. Blood dripped from her arms and legs into buckets and yet still he cut. The pain was blinding. Her whole body felt like it was on fire.
“No more. Please no more.”
The doctor smiled, the eyes crinkling at the corners above his medical mask. “Oh, we’re just getting started.”
Hours passed. Molly dropped in and out of consciousness. And each time she woke she begged them to stop. They never did. She began to pray for the darkness to sweep her away. In the dark, she was safe. In the dark, her mom held her and told her everything was all right. In the dark, no one hated her or tried to hurt her.
After what felt like days, the doctor stepped back from the table. “All right, that’s enough for today. Tomorrow we’ll move on to the chemical responses.”
Molly rolled to her side, dry heaving.
“Note the response,” the doctor ordered, not an ounce of compassion in his face or voice as he left the room.
A guard pushed her stretcher into the hall. She closed her eyes, breathing shallowly, waiting for the pain to lessen. And sure enough, it did.
“Still awake, little girl?” the guard asked, his voice cruel.
Her eyes flicked open.
The guard had dark hair and light eyes as he glared down at her. “My brother died on the Day of Reckoning. One of your kind killed him. You make me sick.” He spit at her. It landed on her cheek before sliding down to her ear.
“Hope you’ve been enjoying yourself because this morning was just the warm-up. When they start up again, it’s poison and bleach. They’re going to see how you react to all of it. You know what happens to a person’s trachea when they drink bleach? It rots away, scorching its way down to the stomach. Think you can survive that?”
He shook his head, not waiting for her response. “I don’t think you can. You abominations have weaknesses. We’re going to find them. And you’re going to help us.” The guard stopped the stretcher in front of her cell. He glanced back out into the hall. “I’m supposed to give you a sedative to knock you out and get you locked up. But you know what? I have a better plan.”
His fist slammed into Molly’s cheek. Her face exploded with pain, two of her teeth loosening. But he was as good as his word, and she slipped into the darkness.
CHAPTER 53
Washington, D.C.
Shremp walked through the halls of the West Wing with confidence, his chest puffed out while people scurried out of his way. The morning raid had been a success. Chandler’s entire estate was now being picked over with a fine-tooth comb. Plus, they had one of the Fallen in custody and one of the cats as well. Sure, some had escaped, but they would be caught soon. It was only a matter of time.
Shremp smiled at Neil Jakub as he stepped into the President’s outer office. Neil leaped to his feet. “This way, Senator Shremp. The President wanted you to be shown in as soon as you arrived.”
Shremp straightened his tie. “Thank you.”
Neil opened the door, and Shremp strode past him, his shoulders back. “Madame President, what an honor to be asked—”
President Rigley speared him with her gaze. “What happened last night?” she demanded through gritted teeth.
Shremp’s steps faltered. “Madame President?”
“What happened last night?” she repeated.
Shremp walked slowly to her desk and began to take a seat.
The President’s voice whipped out. “I did not invite you to sit.”
Shremp halted halfway down to the chair before straightening. “I’m not sure what you’ve heard, but last night was a success. We have a Fallen in custody, as well as a cat. And we have removed a sanctuary for the Fallen as well. It was a huge success.”
She took a deep breath. “Tell me, Senator, is this dangerous Fallen you have in custody a thirteen-year-old girl?”
“Um, well, yes, but she’s still a—”
“And this Fallen sanctuary you removed, was it offering sanctuary to children?”
“I believe some of them were at least eighteen years of age.”
The President drummed her fingers on the desk. “Tell me, would the public at large have any issues with how this raid was conducted?”
Shremp straightened his shoulders. “Absolutely not. It was the height of professionalism—”
The President raised her hand, stopping him. “The height of professionalism?” She grabbed the remote from her desk and hit a button. The screen at the far side of the room sprang to life. It must have been paused, because he hadn’t even noticed it when he walked in.
The President stalked toward the screen. Shremp followed, squinting at the screen as the President raised the volume.
Onscreen, a soldier rammed the butt of his rifle into the face of a teenage boy with his
arms bound. The boy fell back, and a woman dropped to his side, screaming. Two more soldiers grabbed her, pulling her away.
Meanwhile, the man who’d been next to the boy tackled the soldier to the ground. Two other soldiers yanked the man away while the woman stayed hunched over the boy, screaming his name.
The third teenager tried to get up, obviously trying to get to the boy, but he was yanked down, a gun aimed at his face.
Shremp cringed when Jake Rogan, who he finally recognized, yelled “That’s his mother!” as the men started to pull the woman away. Even with the poor lighting, it was easy to see how she was desperately trying to get back to the boy. One of the soldiers slammed the butt of his gun into the back of her head. She collapsed to the ground. The soldier stepped forward, his weapon raised as if he was going to strike her again.
Then it looked like a disturbance in the tape, but a girl appeared out of nowhere, flinging the man away.
Shremp smiled. Now they were getting somewhere. That “child” had just assaulted a federal agent.
“Mom!” The girl’s cry could be heard clearly as she knelt down to her mother.
The mother’s attempts to get the girl to leave could also be heard. Then the girl lifted her mother as if to take her away. Shremp smiled more broadly. Perfect. Failing to follow the instructions of a federal officer. A bullet slammed into the girl, and she stumbled, dropping the woman, who managed to gain her feet in order to catch her daughter. Soldiers appeared, and the woman pulled the girl behind her, begging them to leave her child alone. Okay, Shremp could admit that looked bad. But still . . .
The soldiers opened fire, and the mother whirled around, her scream drowning out the gunfire as she caught her daughter. She lowered her to the ground as the soldiers approached. The woman fell on top of her daughter, covering her with her body, trying to protect her. Then subtitles appeared at the bottom of the screen.
“I love you, Molly. Do you hear me? I love you.”
A soldier yanked her way as the mother begged to be allowed to stay with her daughter. Then she was Tased and dropped to the ground, and a soldier slammed the butt of his gun into the back of her head. Soldiers approached the daughter and put restraints on her arms and legs as her blood ran into the street.
The President pressed pause and turned to Shremp. “Well?”
“I think this does an excellent job of demonstrating the danger the Fallen present to society at large. That girl flung a U.S. federal agent like he was—”
The President’s voice was incredulous. “You think this makes us look good? Do you know what I saw? I saw a girl trying to protect her mother after her brother was knocked unconscious by a federal agent for no good reason. I think this demonstrated the ruthlessness of the people trying to track down the Fallen while the ‘dangerous Fallen’ apparently was only interested in protecting her family. She tried to leave with her mother, to protect her mother. From us.”
Shremp shook his head. “I don’t see that at all. I think any rational person who views this would see the danger that—”
“Any rational person who does not have a heart!”
“None of this matters. This won’t be released to the public. So why does—”
The President’s teeth were gritted again. “This is not our recording. Chandler apparently recorded the entire incident last night and released it to the media as well as sent us a copy.”
“But still, no one who views this could argue we behaved outside the law. It’s not a problem.”
“Not a problem? Not a problem?”
The President switched over to a twenty-four-hour news channel. An anchor was in the middle of a broadcast.
“—disturbing video which shows an excessive use of force against an American family not, I repeat, not accused of committing any crimes.”
Shremp pointed at the screen. “Yeah, but that’s—”
The President switched to another news channel. “Is this who we as a country have become? I know the Fallen are dangerous, but was this little girl really so dangerous that it justified any of these actions? And to be honest, I’m not sure I would have reacted differently if someone was trying to hurt my mother or brother.”
The President switched through channel after channel.
And Shremp simply could not believe what he was hearing. How could these people look at this recording and not see the danger he clearly saw?
The President glared at Shremp. “This Molly McAdams, where is she?”
“She is in custody.”
“In good health?”
“I believe so, yes.”
“You believe so?” The President curled her hands into fists. “I want a full reporting on where she is being held and a full accounting of her health. Is that understood?”
“Madame President, it would perhaps be politically better if you were kept out of certain aspects of the ongoing—”
“You think anyone will accept an ‘I was not aware’ defense? I am the President of the United States.” She pointed to the screen. “This was done on my watch. You will get me that accounting.”
“Yes, Madame President.”
“And, Senator, if this blows back on me, I will be using you as a shield. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Madame President. Of course, Madame President.”
Shremp bowed before hastening to the door. He stepped out of the office and hustled down the hall. Spying an empty conference room, he ducked inside, pulling out his phone and dialing quickly.
Dr. Paul Highland answered. “Yeah?”
“What is the status of the McAdams girl?”
“We have finished the first round of testing.” He chuckled, the sound sending ice through Shremp’s veins. “She was a little worse for wear, so we stopped to allow her to heal before the second round. We should be able to begin in another hour or so.”
God damn it. “You need to stop immediately.”
“Why? That was the whole point of getting her.”
“I know, but apparently the country is losing their mind over her. The raid last night was recorded.”
“So what? These things are a national security threat. Honestly, they’re not even human.”
“I know that, but the optics look bad.”
Paul sighed. “Fine. What do you want me to do?”
Shremp paced the room, trying to figure out the best approach. If the girl were ever released, she would undoubtedly explain what had been done to her. But they also couldn’t hold her indefinitely. If she were killed, then the problem would be solved. She would be unable to say anything. They could control the narrative. And after paying out a settlement to her family, she would simply be forgotten.
Shremp moved to the back wall, as far from the door as possible. He could not be overheard. “Make the problem go away.”
“We’ll have to start over,” Paul warned.
Shremp paused. “How did the morning experiments go?”
“Well, we’ve got a good picture of the healing abilities, and they managed to take a lot of blood.” He chuckled again. “Which also let us know how much blood loss they can sustain and still survive. It was incredibly educational. For phase two, we were planning on beginning the chemical experimentation. I believe that will probably be more effective in fighting the Fallen than the traditional law enforcement approaches.”
Shremp sat in a chair, his leg jiggling as he figured out the best way forward. If Paul was speaking honestly, the morning’s experimentation had been highly successful, and the next round could provide even more successful insights into the weaknesses of the Fallen. The President wanted the situation handled, but if he came up with effective ways to eliminate the Fallen, well, then the President would be the one who would be grateful, wouldn’t she? And besides, the girl had already been through one round of investigation. It seemed wasteful to not complete the process.
“Fine, fine. Complete the chemical examination, but then take care of her.”
“Of course, sir.
You know best. Now, what about the cat?”
“No one cares about the cat. Continue the experiments on it.”
“Yes, sir. As for the other problem, how do you want it handled? Accident?”
“No, then we’ll look incompetent. Make it look like she tried to overpower the guards. You’ll need to injure some of them. But make sure she does not get out of that facility alive.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll get it done.”
Shremp disconnected the call, shoving the phone into his pocket. Damn that Chandler. He was not going to let the fate of some inhuman girl affect his chances of being President. The people of the United States deserved more than that. They deserved a Shremp Presidency and the greatness that would come from it.
CHAPTER 54
Rome, Italy
They had called a break to eat dinner. Not because anyone was hungry, but the kids needed to be fed, and Sylvia couldn’t do it alone. Laney hadn’t been hungry, her mind too full. A group of priests thought she was going to bring down the papacy and the world. She really didn’t know what to do with that. And right now, she didn’t have the time to focus on it.
Laney had eaten quickly, then tried again to reach anyone from the estate. The only person she had been able to reach was Yoni, and that was because she had forgotten he had headed out west with Sascha, Dov, and Max. But Yoni hadn’t been able to reach anyone either besides Brett, who had no information on where anyone had disappeared to. He had to wait until they reached out to him. He’d promised to call Yoni if he reached anyone. And Yoni promised to reach out to Laney. She’d hung up the phone, hating being out of the loop.
On a hunch, she’d checked one of the email accounts Dom had set up for her when she’d gone on the run, and there’d been a message from Dom with the coordinates of the safe house. So now at least she had a destination in mind. But getting there was the problem. Any airport she flew into, she’d be recognized. She was okay with taking a risk for herself, but innocents could also get hurt. She needed a better way, a more under-the-radar way, to get home.
