Coming In Hot (Jupiter Point Book 6)

by Jennifer Bernard

  The first kid finally caught his breath. "They were following us. Carolyn stayed back to do something."

  "Do something?" Shit, shit, shit … she was putting herself in the line of fire…shit…

  “Go,” said Will. “I got this.” He was already shepherding them in the direction of the chopper. “Follow me, everyone. Who’s up for a ride in a helicopter?”

  Tobias gripped the edges of the hole in the fence, using all his force to expand it enough so he could fit through. Damn, why’d he have to be such a big bastard?

  When the hole was finally large enough, he squeezed through it, then double-checked on the .45 he'd stashed in the back of his jeans. Staying low to the ground, he ran in the direction the kids had come from.

  After about five minutes, he heard voices, and dropped to the ground. On elbows and knees, silent as a snake, he made his way toward them.

  And what he saw made his blood turn cold. Carolyn was with two Light Keeper men, one of whom had her in a headlock—with a knife at the side of her neck. The other had a shotgun aimed at her heart.

  She had a weapon slung over her back, so they must have surprised her before she had a chance to grab it.

  Caro spoke calmly, but her voice was thick with fear. "Don't make the kind of mistake you can't recover from, guys. The FBI is going to be here any minute. You can still survive this, if you don't do anything stupid like kill someone."

  "Accidents happen." The man with the shotgun laughed. His voice sounded young—and weirdly familiar. "It's dark out here and you're trespassing. You attacked us."

  "That's how it looks to me, too," said the Light Keeper with the knife. "And according to our code, we'll be forgiven because you're a pariah."

  "The U.S. Government doesn't recognize your code, idiots," Carolyn gasped. She was staring at the gunman. "Joseph Brown, is that you?

  A pause, then, "Yah, so what?"

  "You're better than this. You went to college, you know there's a whole world out there. You don't have to do this."

  "Shut up," he hissed.

  "The FBI knows about you. I talked to them myself."

  "We're not afraid of the FBI. Let them come." The guard who was holding her shifted his grip, tilting her head back. The moonlight caught the long arch of her neck and gleamed on the knife's curving blade. And for one long, agonizing moment, Tobias teetered on the edge of madness. Visions of his father, throat slashed, attacked him like rabid bats, blinding him, blocking his vision. A kind of howl echoed through his brain.

  He had to act—now—or Carolyn might be dead in the grass, bleeding out. But in the dark, even with his night vision goggles, he couldn't see where the Light Keeper ended and Carolyn began. He had to throw them off somehow. Gain an advantage.

  "FBI," he called. "Put your weapons down. You're surrounded."

  Joseph Brown swung around and fired in his direction. Something nicked Tobias’s leg, but he made no sound. He couldn't allow the men to think he was hurt.

  "You just earned yourself an assault on a federal officer charge," he said. He fired wide of the group, just to make sure they got the message. He pretended to speak into a comm. "Found them, about two hundred yards inside the fence line, due east. Hostage situation in progress, request—"

  "Hey." Joseph took a step toward him—away from Carolyn. "She's not a hostage. We caught her trespassing and trying to kidnap a bunch of kids."

  Savage triumph filled him. They believed he was the FBI. But he still had to get them away from Carolyn. "We can sort out the situation as soon as you step away from the woman. I'm going to need everyone to put their weapons down."

  Joseph Brown followed his command, lowering the shotgun, but the other, the one with his knife still at Carolyn's throat, refused. "Let us go or I'll cut her."

  "I don't think you understand how this works." Tobias had to work overtime to keep his voice calm. "If any harm comes to her, you'll answer for it to the fullest extent of the law. You have no leverage here. Your only good option is to disarm. Right now." He added an extra whiplash of authority to his voice.

  "If I do, you're going to arrest me, aren't you? Once I let her go, I have no guarantee you won't."

  That was true—or would have been if he'd actually been FBI.

  "We'll be questioning all of you, including the woman. Now put down the knife and we can figure this out."

  De-escalation. Get them to put down their arms, that was the first step. Maybe there was a way out of this without bloodshed.

  Or maybe not.

  The man moved again, turning Carolyn's body so she would shield him from any gunfire coming from Tobias’s direction.

  Carolyn's eyes flashed with terror. And Tobias couldn't wait another moment. Bullets be damned.

  He launched himself toward Carolyn and her captor. Something brushed his arm—another bullet?—but he felt no pain. The only thing that mattered was keeping Caro whole and alive.

  Everything moved in slow-motion, the way Tobias remembered from high-intensity combat situations. Carolyn stomped on the guard's foot and dropped to the ground, rolling away from him. Her attacker crouched to face Tobias, swinging the knife in one hand. Joseph fired again, but the bullets went high and wild.

  With one part of his brain, he realized that Joseph didn’t actually want to kill him. If he did, he’d probably be dead by now.

  He saw the guard with the knife slash at him, Joseph lift his shotgun again. He had no plan to deal with them both, other than to disable the knife-wielder first, then tackle the other one, assuming he was still alive to do so.

  Even that vague outline of a plan went out the window, as Carolyn darted around the knifeman and tackled Joseph at the knees, like some kind of pro football player. Tobias viciously chopped at the other guard's arm, choosing a spot that would stun his nerves. The knife dropped away, but the man didn't give up. He charged him like a raging bull, all fury and spittle.

  That, Tobias could handle. They grappled for several intense moments, rolling back and forth in the grass, until finally Tobias got him pinned on his back. One last solid uppercut to the jaw knocked him out cold.

  He rolled away, panting heavily, and found Carolyn kneeling next to him, patiently waiting for him to finish. He ripped the night vision goggles off his face. She was breathing hard, her hair a tangled mess down her back, a trickle of blood on her neck. But she was smiling brilliantly in the rising moonlight, and Joseph Brown was sprawled behind her, unconscious.

  "How's that nonviolent communication working out for you?" Even though she said it lightly, her voice shook.

  He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, burying his head in the soft skin at the crook of her neck. He breathed in the scent of her, the underlying sweetness mingled with the sharp scent of fear and the metallic smell of blood. So close. He'd come so close to losing Carolyn.

  He felt her tremble in his arms. Those delicate bones, that soft skin, her caring heart and bright spirit—all wrapped up with the pure titanium toughness at Carolyn's core. She was it for him. Forevermore.

  "You came for me," she whispered. "I was so terrified, I could feel how much they hated me. I thought they were going to kill me and bury me in the field somewhere. Then I heard your voice and it was like the sun coming up. I knew it would be okay."

  He shook with full-body tremors as the past few moments of utter terror came back to him. "He had a knife on you. A fucking knife. He almost killed you."

  "I'm fine." She put her hands on his cheeks, which he realized were wet with tears. Tears? When did he ever cry? He wasn't a crier, never had been. Not since he was little. "I'm fine. You saved me. Everything's going to be okay," she kept murmuring. Her voice was pitched low to soothe him, and it worked. Slowly, by gradual degrees, he relaxed and his head cleared.

  He realized they were huddled together in an open moonlit field with two fallen armed guards nearby. And more possibly on the way.

  "We need get the hell out of here before more crazies with guns come after
us."

  "Yes. Can you stand?"

  He heaved himself to his feet, ignoring the pain. Blood dripped down his left arm and right leg.

  "Oh my God, Tobias." Tears gleaming in her eyes, she came next to him and pulled his good arm over her shoulder. "Can you walk? That looks terrible."

  "No walking. We have to run. Let's go."

  Together they half-limped, half-ran toward the hole in the fence. In the distance, from the direction of the compound, voices shouted. Up ahead, he heard the flap-flap of the Knight and Day helicopter's blades. Ben was lifting off with his payload of kids. Hopefully Will was already on the road with the rest of them.

  Just as they reached the fence, the gangly, ghostly silhouette of the helicopter rose over the treetops. Lights off, it briefly blocked the stars as it gained altitude. Go, go, he urged Ben silently. Don't worry about us, we got this.

  He and Carolyn would survive this. Beyond that, he had no idea.

  31

  A team of FBI agents scooped them up a few hundred yards from the fence line. Thank God, because even though Tobias didn't utter a single complaint, Carolyn knew he was hurting. She could sense it in the way he held his body and the clenching of his jaw. And because every cell of her body was attuned to his right now.

  He would have died for her.

  Willingly.

  He'd flung himself into certain gunfire. It had happened so fast she hadn't completely grasped it. One second the knife was pricking her throat, the next she was free and the other Light Keeper was trying to kill Tobias. A fury as fierce and pure as fire had propelled her through the air to tackle him. She'd felt superhuman, as if she could fly, and divert bullets, and fell bad guys without suffering a scratch. Like Wonder Woman without the headpiece.

  But without Tobias, she could very well be dead by now. Her life, her beating pulse, her existence had meant nothing to that knife-wielding jerk. To him, she was less than human. A pariah. Someone whose death would mean nothing.

  If they could feel that way toward a former "poster child," was anyone safe?

  No.

  She helped Tobias into the backseat of one of the FBI’s sedans. He made noises about being fine, but the agent insisted he get checked out at the nearest hospital, fifty miles away. She snuggled next to him while he drowsed on her shoulder.

  As the car raced down dark country roads, Carolyn's own road ahead became clear to her. She could no longer sit in her ivory tower art history class and pretend that she had nothing to do with the Light Keepers. Nope. From now on, she was going to speak out. She was going to shine a spotlight on the group and others like it. She was going to stand up and make some noise.

  At the hospital, medical personnel whisked Tobias into an exam room. For a terrifying moment, she felt utterly alone in a place filled with strangers. If only Merry were here. A friendly face, someone who understood.

  Then Will hurried into the hospital lobby.

  “The FBI took charge of the kids and told me I’d find Tobias here,” he told her. “How is he?”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “F—fine.”

  With a quick look at her face, he pulled her in for a hug. "Hey, don’t you worry. You should have seen some of his injuries growing up. This is barely a scratch."

  She clung to the confidence in Will's voice like a lifeline in a storm.

  When Agent Turner arrived at the hospital, she took Carolyn's statement in a deserted corner of the cafeteria. Carolyn carefully described everything she'd witnessed in the compound. The underground bunker, the stale air, the kids' pale faces. The overheard whispers.

  "It sounds like they're preparing for some kind of dramatic standoff. And they've been kidnapping children. But I don't know why."

  "From what we've picked up, it seems their leader, Ray, has gone off the deep end. The group wasn't growing fast enough. He made some bad decisions. But what happened tonight is going to change everything. It was a crazy thing y'all did, but it'll make a difference."

  "Good. Even if I face some kind of charges, I'm still glad."

  "We'll figure it out," Turner murmured as she scrawled notes on a pad.

  "Did you find the two Light Keepers who attacked me?" She tested the cut on her neck, where the blood had dried.

  "Yup. They're both alive and under arrest. One of them hasn't given us much, he's completely committed to the belief system. But Joseph Brown is talking. He admitted to the harassment incidents at Evergreen."

  "Did he explain why he did those things?"

  "He ranted a lot, but reading between the lines, he was angry that you escaped the group. He wanted to leave, but as a male pursuing a college degree, he was under tons of pressure to stay. He cracked, and took it out on you. Then the group ordered him back, probably to prepare for the standoff."

  The standoff. She shuddered at the thought of armed warfare breaking out on the property. What if the kids had gotten trapped forever in that bunker? What if Sarah had?

  "The kids. My sister. Where are they now?"

  "Social Services is meeting the chopper at the closest Air Force base. I promise you'll see her, but they all have to be checked out first."

  Carolyn nodded reluctantly. She'd only known Sarah for a matter of hours, but it might as well have been for the girl's entire short life. She would do anything—anything—to keep her safe.

  Including…

  Yes.

  "I want to adopt her," she told Agent Turner. "Her mother's dead. My father can't be trusted with her. I'm her own family."

  "Not my department. You'll have to work with Social Services on that."

  "But she was kept underground like a prisoner! They all were. For I don’t know how long. Can you imagine that?" She buried her head in her hands, the horror sweeping over her.

  Turner put a hand on her arm, an oddly comforting gesture from the normally brusque agent. "I've seen all kinds of shitshows in this job. I've learned one thing that I try to keep in mind. People are resilient. Especially kids. If you doubt that, look at yourself."

  Carolyn drew in a deep breath and thought about Sarah's bright smile. Even in the worst of circumstances, the little girl had found joy in bouncing on a bed. She pulled her hands away from her face and looked up at the agent. "You think they'll be okay? Based on your experience?"

  "Those kids found that utility tunnel, Sarah found her way to you, now they're all on a helicopter riding to safety. They're resourceful, those kids. Hell yes, I think they'll be okay, with some help."

  Some help. Absolutely. If anyone knew what the kids were going through, it was Carolyn. "I'll be their champion," she decided, out loud. "Their advocate. Their friend. Whatever they need. And I'm going to make sure Sarah ends up with me. I'll fight the Light Keepers for her if I have to."

  "I sure wouldn't bet against you."

  A nurse appeared next to them. "You can see Tobias Knight now. He's waiting for you."

  Everything else fled her mind at that point.

  TOBIAS’S left arm and right leg were covered in bandages, dirt and blood smeared his exhausted face. His eyes were closed, those incongruously long eyelashes blending with the deep shadows under his eyes.

  He looked beautiful. And she loved him.

  Carolyn crouched down next to his bed and stroked her fingers through his thick hair, which was now long enough that it actually had a wave. She remembered how he'd looked in her class—his buzz cut just starting to grow out, his wary expression. What would Tobias look like without the weight of the world on his shoulders?

  "Carolyn," he murmured, his eyes opening just enough to reveal a sliver of deepest blue. "You're here."

  "I'm here. And I love you. I love you, Tobias."

  A slow smile spread across his face. "Good."

  Now she did know what he looked like without the weight of the world. And it was a glorious sight.

  "As soon as we get back to Jupiter Point we have to look for a house," he murmured.

  Those painkillers must be doing a numbe
r on him. A house? What was he talking about? "Sweetie, just get some rest. We can talk more when you're feeling better."

  "I feel great." His eyes opened all the way. "I'm alive. You're alive. I love you. You love me. And Will's going to find the person who actually killed our dad. Because it wasn't me. I found him, but it wasn't my fault."

  "That's right, Tobias." Oh yes, he was definitely a little woozy from whatever meds they'd given him. "You found him, but it wasn't your fault. I'm really glad you see that. Now you should go back to sleep."

  A glimmer of a smile lit up his face. "You think I'm babbling. I'm not, Caro. We're going to need a house because of Sarah."

  She stared at him. "What are you—?"

  "Sarah is going to live with us, of course. Other kids in the group might need a home too. So it's going to have to be a big house. Lots of outside space. No basement. A big farmhouse with room to play. A garden."

  That image brought her such a powerful sense of joy that she couldn't form words.

  Just then Will came in with a cardboard tray of coffees. He offered one to Carolyn, along with a look of gratitude that made her blush.

  "I finally got the whole story from Tobias. He told me how you knocked out the asshole shooting at him. Don't be alarmed if we all start treating you like a queen."

  Her face aflame, she hid behind the coffee. Queen? Nah. She was a red-blooded woman in love with an incredible man.

  "Now what were you just saying about a farmhouse?" Will asked Tobias as he pulled up a chair next to the bed.

  Tobias reached out and grabbed Will in a solid forearm grip. "We need something just like it, Caro and me. We're skipping right to the part where we already have kids. Way ahead of you, bro. Sorry. Guess you'll have to catch up later. Oh, and I'm going to talk her into marrying me if it's the last thing I do."

  Carolyn's mouth fell open. Will looked as if he was trying very hard not to laugh. "You want to get married, big guy? Never thought this day would come."

  "Shut the hell up. You knew it would." Tobias’s grin flashed through the grime on his face. "When I'm wrong, I can admit it."