“You can’t hide from us.” Bertellia closed the gap to Jenna, and Buster angled himself over the top of me. The Queen B grappled with Jenna, attempting to get an arm hold. “Listen, you little slut, if you don’t come with me right now, your friend here will go soulless.” Buster pressed closer.
Jenna screamed. “Don’t you touch her, you bastard!”
Bertellia yanked Jenna from the bed. “You’ll come peacefully, or you’ll lose this one forever.” She pointed at me, but I couldn’t respond, my tongue swelled inside my mouth.
Jenna calmed, even though her body went ramrod straight. “Get him away from her, and I’ll come with you. Don’t you dare let him touch her.”
“Buster, back off,” Bertellia directed, and he moved away but not off the bed. “We have wants and needs, Miss Kendra. This little enchantress is all mine until I get what I want.”
So, Queen B worked at gaining leverage by using Jenna. For what?
A bright light poured through the room, subduing the stench and filtering in oxygen.
Bertellia and Buster paused to stare at the entity floating down to the floor from the ceiling.
Grandma Ellie, what an entrance. I gasped for a breath of fresh air. My tongue relaxed and allowed me to swallow.
“Unhand her now, or I’ll call in the angels,” Grandma Ellie commanded.
Angels? Did Gran just say, angels?
“To do what? Fall to hell?” Bertellia spat and cackled, sounding wicked-evil.
Grandma Ellie turned her palms upward and each one filled with a ball of bluish-white light. “Duck, dear one.”
Jenna stooped, shaking off Bertellia’s hold as the stunned woman’s mouth dropped open.
Gran threw both balls, and they shot through the air like bolts of lightning.
Bertellia and Buster vanished in a poof of dark smoke. The light balls blew through the swirls of filmy darkness and exploded into sparkles against the wall, leaving no damage.
The oppressive heaviness I’d experienced earlier disappeared, and so did Gran as the bedroom door pushed open with force.
“What the hell just happened?” Derek rushed over, breathless, and pulled me from the bed. “Are you all right? Was it Buster? Bertellia? Is Jenna all right?” He studied me with wild eyes. “Say something.”
Jackson, Luke, Ray, and Tressa hurried into the room. Everyone wore an expression similar to the one I’d witnessed earlier.
I took a moment to calm my breathing. Gran just saved us by threatening Bertellia and Buster with fireballs and angels. Who is my grandmother?
Jenna fisted her hands and stomped her feet. “We should have taken precautions. Why didn’t we?”
I chose not to respond to Jenna, at least not in the heat of the moment.
“The same thing happened as before when I couldn’t open the bathroom door. The temperature dropped and it turned dark. Wind snapped around like a tropical storm, only it was freezing,” Tressa said, her hair a confirmation of the high wind, and mine probably looked similar.
“Yes, Buster and Bertellia came and threatened to take Jenna. Bertellia wants something and I’m sure she was going to use Jenna as leverage to get it. Her henchman, Buster, wanted my soul, and if Jenna didn’t go with Bertellia, he was going to take it.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “We didn’t have time to do the holistic-burning to hide our marks.” I glanced toward Jenna. “I’m sorry, it just didn’t work out. We had to run to the morgue before making it to the ship on time.”
“That’s why you needed supplies from that holistic store?” Tressa stared at me, her brow arched.
“Yes.”
“Well, get it done. Whatever you have to do, do it right now. That’s the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced and I don’t want it happening again. Please, do what you need to.” Tressa glanced around the room at everyone as if in challenge. “She needs to do this.”
“Okay.” Derek looked at me, searching my face. “You definitely need to hide yourselves, Kendra. Do what you must, the rest of us will get out. When you’ve finished, pack. You, Tressa, and I are heading back to D.C. as soon as you’re done.”
Chapter Eighteen
Derek
Jackson grabbed my upper arm and led me away from the others. “What the hell. We need to stop this thing, whatever it is. How can we keep Kendra and Jenna safe?”
“That’s exactly the problem, I have no idea, and neither does Kendra. Like she mentioned, that mark on their soul is like a GPS signal to Buster and Bertellia. The girls can’t hide from them. Kendra came up with a mixture of herbs that she can burn. The smoke supposedly absorbs into Jenna and Kendra’s system, hiding their marks from Buster. If he can’t detect the marks, Bertellia won’t come either. She can’t really sense the soul marks.” I eyed him straight on, hoping to give more credence to the preternatural activities. “But, it’s not a fail-safe, and could actually make that beast even more aggressive. They need to get back to D.C. and visit that voodoo priestess.”
“This is a lot to take in, granted.” Jackson’s lip trembled, and then he pinched his lips tight for a moment. He released a deep breath and then said, “But I’ll agree to anything required in keeping those women safe. You make sure Kendra gets where she has to go. I’ll not lose Jenna a second time.” He glared at me but then his eyes softened and glazed with moisture. “I mean it, Derek,” he choked out.
“I’ll take care of them. You have my word.”
Jackson turned away, straightened, and walked to the window.
“Were you able to get the call in for the flight to D.C. before Buster-hell broke loose?” I asked Tressa.
“They have a plane fueled for the flight. The dispatch said they’d have it warmed up and ready for immediate departure.” Tressa moved around the room collecting the garbage, cleaning, and packing her equipment. “I’ll be ready and make sure that Kendra is also. You can go pack your things.”
Luke and Ray went to Jackson and discussed the upcoming meeting with Gimbel.
Ray glanced my way. “We’re going to take off. Gimbel’s in his office right now. We’ll meet with him and be on the next flight out to D.C.” He ambled over and patted my shoulder. “Have a safe trip, boss.”
I trusted Ray and Luke to take care of Jackson. Both men handled themselves well in tight situations and would take a bullet for a brother agent, or for any victim for that matter. They’d keep the Director safe.
Wish I could say the same for keeping Kendra and Jenna safe. I left to pack my suitcase and get the girls in the air. Right now, Buster and Bertellia knew Kendra and Jenna’s location, we needed to get away from here.
* * *
Kendra
As soon as everyone left the bedroom, I unpacked the supplies needed to do the protective smoke-burn, or as Grandma used to call it, a protective smudge, only this mixture had to also make our marks invisible to a soul-sucker. I rinsed and dried out the small glass bowl I’d brought, dropped in the specified dried herbs, mixed, and then lit the concoction with a match, chanting words of protection. Jenna moved close as pungent smoke curled around us. She spoke the words with me as I repeated them a second and third time. I waved the dish up and down to ensure our bodies absorbed and became coated with the ingredients.
“Do you think we’re saturated enough?” Jenna placed a hand on her jutted hip. “How will we know?”
“Good question. I felt nothing, not even a tingle.” I rinsed out the dish again and packed the supplies away.
Jenna plopped on the bed while I tucked the herbs, my personals, clothing, and Grandma’s journal into the suitcase.
“So, remember when your grandmother said she’d be around to protect me?” Jenna asked. “Did you have any idea that she meant scaring the beasts away with balls of lightning and angels?”
“No.” I sat on the bed as I closed the suitcase. “I didn’t realize that Grandma used angels for guidance and support. I thought she drew all of her healing energy from nature. She never talked about angels, nor does she have anything wr
itten about them in her journal.”
Someone knocked. “Did you complete your procedure?” Tressa asked through the door.
“Sure. Come in.”
Tressa carried a few things into the bedroom and set them on her bed. She pulled her suitcase out of the closet and lay it open near her other things. “Your campfire smells good. Are you finished packing?” She dropped her pile into the open luggage, and then sorted and folded her clothes, placing everything inside. She closed and locked it.
“Just finished.” I grabbed the suitcase and carried it into the other room.
Tressa followed.
“Are we supposed to walk over to Derek’s or is he coming here?” I no sooner set the luggage down than a knock came from the entry door. I opened it and Derek stood in the hallway, suitcase in hand.
“Is Tressa ready?”
She rushed out the door ahead of me. “Yep, let’s go,” she said.
Derek checked his watch. “Eleven already so looks like lunch will be in the plane. Will that be all right with you ladies?”
“Yep, I really do miss the food,” Jenna said as we walked down the hall to catch the elevator.
“Sounds fine to me,” Tressa said. “It seems like we just ate breakfast, but the truth is, we experienced a stormy morning that made the time fly.” She looked at me and shook her head. “So, is Jenna here right now?”
“She is, making ridicules faces just because she can.” I chuckled, if for no other reason than to lighten the mood. “I believe Jenna’s ready to kick up her heels…me too. It’s been way too serious for way too long.” How can it not be with such innocent victims?
Derek grinned. “I’ll second that. Maybe one cocktail on our flight home?”
“What could that hurt at this point, you lucky lushes.” Jenna mouthed off, but I knew she was just as happy as the rest of us to get back to D.C.
* * *
At twelve-forty-five we were back in D.C. at the FBI Building. Darla showed Derek and me to a private room for our calls.
Tressa went straight to the Audio/Video/Surveillance room. She wanted to dig deeper into Buster’s past.
I placed my call to Lisa and she wanted Derek and me to drive to her dance studio as soon as we could.
Derek stood a few feet from me, on a call from Jackson. “You’re saying no one has seen Vinny?” His head snapped up and he glanced at me, brows nearly reaching his hairline. “What did Gimbel have to say about that? He had guys at the hotel also. How come no one saw him leave?” He strutted across the room, pacing back and forth.
“This one-sided conversation is driving me nutso.” Jenna hovered over Derek, following above him, punching her fists through the air as if boxing his head. “Let’s go check on Tressa and see if she’s pulled any surveillance footage of Vinny leaving the hotel.”
“Would she have left the surveillance running while we were all gone?” I asked her.
Derek stopped and turned toward me. “We’re going to check Tressa’s surveillance footage to see if there is anything we missed. I believe she left everything running yesterday morning when we all left to shop for disguises.” He winked at me, like what I’d said was intended for him and not Jenna. Then he said into the cell phone, “I can’t help but think there’s still something up with Gimbel. You would never leave someone in the field without having a way to contact them. How can he know if Tory is alive or dead?”
Derek’s jaw tensed. The muscles along his temple knotted and released as he rocked his jaw. After a moment of silence, he let out a frustrated breath. “I’ll check in with Tressa and let you know. How far out are you?”
“Come on, Sparky, let’s beat Derek to Tressa’s room. I’d like to see how that bastard got away.” Jenna morphed through the door. How far could she get before reaching the end of her tether to me?
I opened the door and followed her without waiting for Derek to end his call with Jackson. I ran down the hall to catch up. Jenna stayed ahead of me and dissolved through Tressa’s door before I got there. I knocked.
Jenna’s head popped through the door, startling me. “Just get in here. She’s running the footage now.”
I quickly entered the room. “Sorry for the barge, Tressa. Jenna’s here and told me you were running the surveillance from the hotel. Have you come across Vinny or Misty leaving?”
She grinned at me then glanced around the room. “Perfect timing, you two. Hi, Jenna.”
My insides warmed a little from her acceptance of Jenna being in the room with us. I moved closer to her big screen, which had six individual square frames showing the views of different camera positions, each one numbered. She slowed the feeds, making it easier to watch.
“Oh. My. Gods.” Jenna bent forward, her nose to the screen. “Check this dude out.”
“Tressa stop the feed and come here,” I said.
Derek walked in and hurried over to stare at the monitor like the rest of us. “Why that slimy prick,” Derek spat, each word enflamed the next with escalating anger.
Vinny wore his blond hair clipped up in an old-fashioned woman’s style. His feminine gauche make-up, jewelry, and clothing defined an oddity. Perhaps he was going for a transvestite or a drag queen look, but whatever appearance he’d gone for, people definitely noticed but then quickly turned away. No one would remember him, because everyone kept their distance. The perfect disguise to make his getaway.
Tressa rolled the video feed forward and we watched him walk from frame to frame, along with the trail of surveillance cameras, straight out the lobby door. He climbed into a waiting hotel shuttle bus, in the dark.
“Didn’t you have a camera in the penthouse elevator? How did he get to the lobby without you noticing him in that elevator?” Derek asked.
Tressa went back to the keyboard and tapped keys, lots of keys. Her fingers hesitated then hovered. An exaggerated gust of a sigh escaped as she flipped back into her chair, tilting her face to the ceiling. “Dammit!”
“What?” Derek strode over to look at the screen. “Oh. The elevator camera got disconnected.”
“I never saw this.” Tressa shoved the chair away from the desk with her feet. “It must have happened during our big inside storm siege, all of the screens had shut down then. I actually thought I’d lost all of the surveillance feed, but apparently, things kept working only I couldn’t see it because of the blackout inside the room.”
“It doesn’t matter at this point. Maybe we can pick up where he got off the shuttle from traffic cams. Do you think that’s possible?” Derek asked. “The shuttle drivers probably have log records of their stops.”
“Sure. I can definitely check it out, but it might take some time.” She glanced at me. “But, I haven’t done any more background research on Buster either. That might come in handy for the voodoo priestess. I want to gather some colored pictures of him, enhance his face. Maybe he’s got a military service record and was actually a good guy until Bertellia got her nails into him or should I say fangs?” Tressa rolled her chair back to the keyboard. “From the research I’ve done on Bertellia, she loved turning good guys bad. Sort of like her signature nightmare gift to the men in her life. Remember me telling you about the thesis I did on her as part of my training at Quantico?”
“I’ll get some other agents working on the traffic cams to follow up on Vinny. Maybe you can get them started, Tressa. Then you can get to work on Buster. Okay?” Derek headed for the door and stopped, glancing back at Tressa. “You got anyone you’d like to work with?”
“My favorite person to work with is…me. So, if you know of anyone who can handle getting direction from me, send them in…otherwise, I’ll be working on both things.”
Derek’s lips twitched like he was holding back a grin. “Fine, do everything. But concentrate on Buster first. That info might be helpful right now. And, Gimbel’s guys and the North Carolina FBI field office force should be following up on Vinny.” He looked at me. “Aren’t we supposed to go see Lisa?”
Jenna piped up, “Yes, let’s get to Lisa’s and figure out how to blast Buster to smithereens.”
“Yep, the sooner the better. Can we leave right now? Before Jackson gets here?”
“It’s why we flew home so fast. The faster we get a handle on the Buster situation, the better we’ll all feel about you and Jenna’s safety.” Derek opened the door for me, nodded at Tressa, and we headed for the elevator.
Chapter Nineteen
Derek
“Do you have an idea what’s going to happen once we get to Lisa’s? Did she share anything with you?” I glanced at Kendra, and then back to the road. She’d been pretty silent most of the drive.
She inhaled a breath as if reluctant to say anything, so I glanced at her again and caught her staring at me. Her slow smile sent a whip of heat to certain parts of my anatomy and chills over other parts.
“Do you know anything about voodoo?” she asked.
“Ending the threat of Buster couldn’t happen fast enough, but I am by no means thrilled by having to do it through voodoo.” There, got that off my chest. “In answer to your question, my only experience with this religion was on a case that turned up as a cult, death, and deception. To be honest, the followers swore to their religion as voodoo, but my thought, the followers had been brain-washed into believing that as truth.” Memories of the serial killer cult leader ripped into my head. She had ended over two hundred lives in one fell swoop of poison before we got to her. “In fact, Darla offered her relative as a voodoo priestess to help with that case, but we never took advantage of her.”
“Should we have considered Darla’s relative for this?”
“From my understanding, she lives in New Orleans. My initial hesitation at first was this woman’s dedication in the Dark Arts. I had Tressa do a background check on her before considering our options. I didn’t explain any of it to Darla. Didn’t want to hurt her feelings or introduce some negative information about her relative that Darla might not already know. I wouldn’t think Darla would have offered her knowing she dabbled in the Dark Arts.”
Malevolent Page 14
