Secrets

by Lynn Crandall

  “Very.” Relief swelled in her heart. This was one time she was happy she’d been wrong.

  “Okay, everybody is good.” Ben flashed an unsteady smile. “Now what?”

  “So I can introduce everyone and if you’re willing to help, you can help with the rescue of the animals at Carter’s lab. Meet me at my house in an hour. I’ll text you the address.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The hour everyone at the Aegar office agreed on gave Casey time to meet with his colony before the others arrived. He told his fellow were-cats all the details he’d gathered in his investigation, including the latest—Carter had captured a were-cat and was planning to make him something unnatural and fierce, then produce more of his kind.

  Instinctively, lynx who live in the wild respond to threats by displaying their power and by hiding. But as part of the evolving human population, were-cats had evolved out of the hiding tendency. They tackled problems head on. Rarely did that call for violence. Until now, that is.

  Ideas floated around as they all brainstormed for a final solution to Carter’s plans. One in which they all survived and didn’t become hyped up jungle cats.

  It stacked up pretty simply. Step one, one group would get inside, using Jackson’s security badge and the help of Walker, who was more than willing to help with a rescue, just as Casey had suspected. A second group would follow Booker’s way in, slipping unnoticed through a passage door at the receiving docks. His lock-picking skills would help and Casey would shut down the alarm system. Step three, begin removing cats and securing them in their vehicles. Thankfully, Quinn and Asher owned pickups, so with everyone pitching in his or her vehicle, there would be enough room to rescue all the cats. Step four, release the lynxes, the one Casey had seen and the one Walker said had just been brought into the facility. Step five, confront William.

  But first, Casey had to introduce his colony to Ben and Sterling and Jackson and Lacey.

  “Are you sure you can trust them?” Asia flipped her silky brown hair behind her shoulder and arched her brows. “This is not our way, to share our existence with humans. You know the stories from the past. When humans have learned about were-anything, they have responded with violence, feeling threatened.”

  “I agree with Casey,” Asher said. “We can’t sit by and let Carter change the world. It’s unnatural and just wrong.” He walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of chilled water, twisted off the cap, and downed it in seconds.

  Around the room Booker, Lara, Tizzy, Conrad, Quinn, and Asia added pros and cons to revealing themselves to four more humans, but ultimately the decision was made just as a knock sounded at the front door.

  The five walked to the family room behind Casey, Michelle by his side, their arms brushing. It felt good, more than good. His body’s response to her was so swift. She glanced at him and his heart melted. He’d do anything to protect her. But the Carter problem reached beyond Michelle.

  He motioned Ben, Sterling, Lacey, Jackson, and Michelle to chairs and couches.

  “This is a very nice home you have,” Sterling exclaimed. “Nice property, too. You have a couple acres?”

  “I own one hundred acres. I need a lot of space.” Casey cracked a smile, hoping to ease the tension in the room. Lara gave him an empathic expression, then nodded.

  “Yes, it comes in handy to have this kind of seclusion and undeveloped land,” Lara added.

  “Handy for what?” Ben looked puzzled and turned to Casey.

  Casey cleared his throat and proceeded to tell the humans in the room about their true identities. Names, job titles, and true nature.

  The four sat silent, taking furtive looks of the members of his colony. Studying them himself, pride swelled in his chest. His were-lynxes were good individuals. And they’d been open to extending the small circle of humans who knew of their existence. They’d remain cautious but to him, willingness to accept good humans meant they felt secure.

  “Any questions?” Casey asked.

  Ben burst out with a hearty chuckle. “What do you eat? I don’t mean to be rude, but I was just wondering.”

  “It’s a good question.” Lara nodded her head. “We eat what humans eat. We’re part human, remember.”

  Sterling’s brows knitted. “You said Booker is married to a human, so … that’s possible? No problems with interspecies whatever?” She glanced at Michelle and grinned a tiny grin.

  Booker shook his head. “No. We’re every compatible. When we’re ready we’ll have children and those children will inherit the were-cat genes. Our lifestyle is pretty normal, with added aspects that don’t impinge on our relationship.”

  “I know it’s a lot to contain,” said Michelle, “but it’s just one of those things in life you’ve never encountered before. It may be hard to accept as natural, but it is.”

  Lacey and Sterling chuckled. “I agree. We have to be open to other possibilities.” Lacey shared a look with Sterling.

  “Want to share with the group about your extraordinary experience that makes this easier to take in?” Michelle arched an eyebrow at the group.

  “Nicholas, my first husband, was killed on duty as a policeman. He returned to me as an embodied spirit. Only I could see him. So, yes, we believe in things most people don’t.”

  While the group fired questions at Lacey, Casey left the room. Moments later, he strolled back into the room, fully lynxified. Shouts ensued, while Michelle smiled to herself.

  “He’s actually harmless,” she said. “He’s a were-cat, a human who can shimmer into a lynx and back again to human. He can hear you if you want to talk to him, but his lynx vocal cords don’t work like his human cords do.”

  Lacey reached a tentative hand toward Casey and he trotted closer to her, close enough to rub her leg. “Casey, you can hear me? You can understand me?”

  Casey nodded emphatically, twice. He chuffed quietly and sat on his haunches, surveying all four of them.

  “This is too much, man.” Jackson rubbed his head and stared into Casey’s eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  Asia explained the need for privacy and the socialization of were-cats in her colony. “Lynx, not were-lynx, live alone most of the time. But it’s better for us, with human abilities and human needs, to live peacefully in a group of our own kind. Other than that, we keep our lynx-selves hidden.”

  While Asia was talking, the other members of the colony left the room and Casey slipped away, too. When he returned he was in human form and was followed by the other were-cats.

  “You’re all so beautiful,” exclaimed Sterling, and Ben and Jackson nodded.

  Casey sat alone on the couch watching while the others mingled with the human guests. His lifelong companion, loneliness, thrummed throughout him in great contrast to the warmth of possibilities, and the danger of sharing with Michelle and the others sat quietly in his mind. He wanted guarantees that nothing would turn bad, but now was not the time to get stuck behind that road block.

  Now was the time to put the group’s plan into action.

  “If I could please have everyone’s attention I’ll go over the plan for tonight.” He stood in front of his colony and his friends and knew he was asking them to put themselves in danger. Grave danger that could end their lives. “I appreciate everyone’s willingness to take action. It’s important that we do this. But if anyone would rather not participate, don’t feel obligated. Just say so and you can leave.”

  Casey surveyed the faces around the room and found determination in each one.

  He nodded, knowing everyone had a stake in the outcome of their plan and a willingness to do the right thing. “Okay. We each have our assignments. We enter, we put cats in carriers, and secure them in the vehicles.”

  “You can bring them all to my house for now,” Michelle said. “I’ve got the room.” Her eyes were wide, but she looked unruffled. Eager.

  Casey breathed in deeply, appreciating her courage. Of course, it had been there all along. She�
��d been doing what needed to be done for stray cats for years. That took diligence and skill.

  “So let’s head out. Park as close to the receiving docks as you can without getting caught,” Casey directed. “Give me and Asia time to get in and set off the gas canisters and shut off the alarm system, then we all head to the labs. Let’s make this clean and quick.”

  They each went to their cars, and Casey gave a quick squeeze to Michelle’s shoulders and brushed a kiss to her lips before she quietly slipped behind the wheel of her Jeep and followed the others down the lane.

  Watching her leave made his gut squeeze. She wasn’t going to be alone, but he wouldn’t be with her, protecting her. He drew in a sharp breath, then sped to the main road, gathering his determination and fury to put to good use.

  • • •

  Michelle pulled her Jeep into the lineup, under the cloak of a dark, cloudy night. Adrenaline pushed her blood through her veins, setting her muscles on edge, ready for action. But her heart ached with knowledge that Casey and all his friends and her friends were in harm’s way because of her.

  She shook her head, her long ponytail slapping her shoulders, trying to clear her mind. This was no time for indecision. Nothing could distract her from the job she was about to do. Penetrate the William Carter hellhole, rescue the cats, and pray that everyone got out unharmed and alive.

  She checked her cell phone for the time. Standing in the chilly night air, she wrapped her arms around her chest and tapped her foot on the ground impatiently. She imagined Casey and Asia gaining admittance with the help of his badge and Walker, then acting quickly to spread the gas canisters Ben brought throughout the hallways, quickly putting the guards to sleep.

  Ben walked up to her, all business, except for the gentle touch of his hand on her arm. “It will take them a few minutes to get through the building. I’m sure everything is going according to plan.”

  “It’s awfully quiet.” Her teeth chattered, but not just from the cold.

  “That’s a good sign. If things fall apart, we’ll hear all about it.” Ben’s eyes twinkled, clearly used to this kind of activity.

  Just then, Jackson’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket. “Yeah. Thanks. We’ll be right there.” He hung up the phone. He raised his voice enough for everyone to hear. “Casey said the guards are down, so we can head for the lab via the loading dock area. He’s unlocked by swiping his ID card at a main terminal.”

  Michelle’s heart pounded in her throat as she crept toward the building with the others. Calm down. It’s just another cat rescue. But she knew better. The risks were much higher and they would get only this one chance to interfere with Carter’s dreadful plans.

  They climbed up on one dock and cracked open a passage door. Nightlights glowed inside and a faint odor remained. Casey had warned them to expect the stuffiness of the gassed halls, but assured them the gas would have already done its job on the guards and would have significantly dissipated, so they would be safe from its effects.

  They followed Casey’s directions to the labs. As promised, Walker had left them unlocked, so the team broke up into four groups of three. Three groups ran to different labs and the remaining group took stations spaced down the halls to expedite removing the cats and transferring them to the vehicles.

  Walking with Ben and Lacey into a lab, Michelle gasped. Twenty cats in captivity, all sending out signs of distress, caught her off guard. The pain and confusion pierced her heart and she had to grab hold of a countertop to steady herself.

  She glanced at Lacey, who also was highly sensitive, and saw the effects of the free-floating angst on her. Her fingers trembled and she stood still, sucking in deep breaths.

  “Are you all right, Lacey?” Michelle called. “It’s pretty thick in here.”

  “I’m fine. Let’s get these cats out of here.” Her eyes widened as she perused the room.

  Ben grabbed Michelle’s arm. “You steady?”

  “I am. It looks like the lynx has been moved,” she said, peering into the room Casey had described. “So how about Lacey and I transfer the cats to carriers and you run them to the hallway crew?” An image suddenly grabbed Michelle’s attention and Ben stopped. “I’m okay.” He nodded and grabbed the first two cats in their carriers and ran through the doorway.

  In front of her eyes Michelle saw a large lynx, huddled in a cage. She focused deeply, trying to squeeze everything out of the premonition. Chills made her shake. The room was dark and the lynx rolled into a ball. Then the premonition stopped, and frustration knotted her stomach. What did it mean? She bit her lower lip, begging for more information, while she opened a cage and removed a little black cat to slide into a carrier.

  Ben was gone for only minutes, but by then Michelle and Lacey had more than half of the cats in carriers and ready for him to transfer.

  “Well, this may have been a bad idea,” Michelle said, watching the carriers stack up when the goal was to get them out of the building. “I’ll help carry them out.”

  She passed Jackson on the way to the hallway crew. His eyes shone intensely and sweat beaded his brow. “It’s harder than it looks, huh?” she said. “There are so many cats.”

  Without stopping he called back over his shoulder. “We’re more than half done. We’ll just keep at it.”

  She passed two cats to Quinn, who promptly handed them to Booker to load into a vehicle.

  Michelle’s breathing was coming in big drags. The cats were heavy and every moment weighed on her. All the cats needed to be removed before the guards started coming around.

  She reentered the lab and almost ran into Lacey. She had her hands full with two large carriers of cats, but she didn’t pause for help.

  Inside, Ben was loading up the last two cats. “There’s a few carriers over in the corner,” he said, breathless.

  Michelle picked them up, her back screaming, and carried them to Asher. His breath heaving, he grabbed them and took off, just as Ben followed up behind Michelle. Quinn reached around her and took the cats from Ben.

  “That’s all the cats from that lab.” Ben bent over and rested his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.

  “These are the last of them from our lab.” Sterling, Tizzy, and Conrad came to a breathless stop beside Michelle. “Let’s get out of here,” Tizzy said.

  “Have you seen Casey and Asia, or this Walker guy?” Fear raised its tentacles again, twisting Michelle’s stomach tightly.

  “No, not yet. Maybe something’s wrong,” Tizzy said. “All the more reason to finish up here and move the cats out of this vicinity and get them to Michelle’s.”

  Jackson pursed his lips, then shook his head. “No, we can’t leave them here alone. I’m going in search of them. Maybe I’ll find both the lynxes, too.”

  “I’m going with you,” Michelle spoke up. “Don’t any one of you give me any trouble over this. I’m going.”

  Michelle jumped, startled by a low moan coming from one the guards lying farther down the hallway. She knew that if she could hear, so could they.

  “We don’t have time to stand here and debate it.” Ben’s statement was more of a declaration. “I’ll go, too.”

  “Ben, I think you should go with the others,” Lara said. “They’ll need help unloading the carriers. Asia will be very helpful with the captive lynxes because of her telepathy. I’m going to Michelle’s house, too. I imagine my healing ability will be useful.”

  “Oh, right. You can handle it, Jackson?”

  “I’m used to dealing with my father’s messes. Yes, I can handle it.”

  Ben turned to the remaining members of the group and pointed toward the way out. “We’ll see you guys at Michelle’s.”

  She handed him the key to her house, then watched them walk away.

  “Let’s get moving,” Ben said. “We have very little time left.”

  Sticking together, Jackson and Michelle walked through the halls and found another stairway partially hidden by curtains. A creepiness slith
ered throughout her body.

  Jackson turned the doorknob and it gave way. He cracked open the door and started down the stairs. Dim lights lit the way as Michelle followed behind him.

  The chill in her premonition came up the stairs. “I think this is where the lynx is. I had a premonition.” She didn’t know for sure what they’d find at the bottom of the stairs and she was half afraid to see. She heard soft voices inside another room.

  “We mean you no harm,” Asia whispered.

  Slowly, Jackson and Michelle walked closer, then peeked inside the doorway. Michelle’s heart leaped into her throat when she saw Casey, maybe not safe, but definitely sound.

  Confusion and grogginess drifted into Michelle’s senses. She walked quietly with Jackson to stand out of sight of the animals in the cages, but within Asia’s and Casey’s peripheral vision.

  Asia peered into the glassy eyes of a male lynx and held his gaze. Its appearance was the same as the lynx in her premonition. Michelle held her breath, hoping the telepathy would give Asia good rapport with the poor animal. Minutes dragged by and the air was thick, emotions dripping as Asia held an invisible space for all that he’d endured to be acknowledged.

  She turned around and all Michelle could see was Asia’s expression, her heart, torn open by what she’d learned.

  “He is a were-lynx,” she whispered. “He’s been in captivity for two months. The drugs are causing havoc with his mind.”

  Casey put his hand on Asia’s bent shoulders. “Is he safe to come out?”

  Asia nodded her head. “He hasn’t shimmered during captivity. He’s aching all over.”

  Michelle stood in close. “Have you had a chance to communicate with the female lynx? She’s been pacing this whole time.”

  “Yes. She’s a few years younger than us. She’s also a were-lynx. And she’s pissed.”

  Casey snickered. “I don’t blame her. How long has she been in captivity?”

  Asia rolled her head around her shoulders. “That is unclear. Anyway, she’s safe to let out.”