“Get in the bedroom, I’ll handle—”
The small explosion tore through Will’s heart the instant his link to Ryan snapped off.
“Ryan!”
He kicked the steel door with enough force to drive it through the flimsy wall across the hall. A dozen agents milled about the now-gaping hole to his apartment.
“Ryan?” Blinking, he felt adrenaline pumping through his already enhanced body. “Ryan?”
Two agents raised their weapons, pointing them at him. Blinking, he let his anger take control.
“Nooooooo!”
The full force of his mental scream caused the agents to drop their weapons and clutch their heads. Long after the word died, he kept the stabbing pain pounding through their minds as he ran past the fallen men.
He pushed his way through the ruined door, knocking out shards of wood hanging from the frame. The crunch of splintered wood accompanied every hurried step down the hall and into the kitchen.
Ryan lay still on the kitchen floor, head propped against the refrigerator. A streak of blood ran down the front of the appliance, ending at Ryan’s head.
Will noticed the agent next to the unconscious body, digging into a medical kit.
“Get out.” Barely more than a harsh whisper, the man still jumped at the sound. Turning, the man’s eyes were wild.
“He’s… he’s hurt….”
Will glared at him. Scared and alone, the agent stood his ground, offering to treat Ryan. Somewhere beneath the rage, he knew the man was trying to help, but it didn’t register.
“He needs help.”
“Help? Your people did this to him. He doesn’t need any more of your help. Leave!” He was preparing to take control of the agent’s mind and force him to go, when the man stood and picked his way through the mess and out the door.
Gently, he cradled Ryan’s head against his body, listening to the shallow, labored breathing. Warm and wet, Ryan’s blood slowly spread across Will’s clothing. Thoughts of vengeance, fear, and helplessness almost paralyzed him. What should he do next?
“Will?” The faint whisper drew his attention back to Ryan.
“Shhh, save your strength.” He didn’t want to hear what he felt in Ryan’s thoughts. “You need to get better.”
“Don’t.” The word felt panicked.
“I won’t leave you.” Never, not again.
“Don’t kill him.”
He worried about Barrington? Now? “Ryan….”
“Promise me, Will.” Ryan’s voice gained strength. “I don’t want you to kill anyone over me.”
“Don’t ask that.” Anything but that. Barrington needed to suffer for what he had done.
“Promise me.” Ryan’s body stiffened, and his heart pounded faster.
“Okay, I promise.” Anything he wanted, so long as he got better.
“Don’t think I won’t be watching.”
Will let out a nervous laugh. “Of course you’ll be watching. We’re going to be together.”
“I told my Purpose to pick Jake.”
“Don’t talk like that. You’re going to be fine.” He didn’t want to accept the alternative. Not again.
“He likes you, Will. I saw it in his mind.” A peaceful smile crossed Ryan’s face. “You won’t be alone again.”
Swallowing hard, he let the tears roll down his cheeks. “I’m not going to be alone. I have you.”
“I love you, William Morgan the third.” The last word trailed off, and Ryan faded out of consciousness.
Panic gripped him, and he almost shook Ryan, trying to wake him. His heartbeat was steady, despite his shallow breathing. “Can’t your mate heal him?”
“No. Your kind gets stronger the longer we’re present, but it is a gradual thing we have no control over.”
“But he’ll make it, right?”
“We don’t know.” For a moment, Will thought he heard a hint of compassion. “He hasn’t been with my mate very long, but he is strong.”
“That’s impossible.” The medic’s voice caught Will’s attention. “Everyone’s either unconscious or too hurt to move.”
“I don’t care. Get them.” Barrington’s voice blared from the medic’s earpiece. The growled order caused Will’s anger to roar back to life.
“Sir, he took out thirty people without breaking a sweat.” The medic didn’t hide his disdain. “Not only don’t we have enough personnel to take him, I’ve got dozens of injured agents to help.”
Gently lifting Ryan, Will picked his way over the rubble and out the door. “Tell Barrington. Vengeance is coming for him.”
30
STRETCHERS carrying the bodies of injured agents continued to be marched from the building. Given how many agents were hurt, the emergency crews took the more seriously injured first and then came back for those less in need of care. City and federal officials milled about, talking, trying to make sense of what had happened. Will ignored them all. His focus remained on the black SUV that hadn’t moved since he left with Ryan.
Telling the press of agents to ignore him and to move aside, Will opened the back door to the black Chevy Tahoe. Even the driver didn’t register him opening the door, sliding in the back, and shutting it.
“You never should have bothered me, Barrington.”
“What the…?”
Head spinning, Barrington searched the car frantically.
“I’m right here.” Allowing the man to see him, he resisted the urge to snap his neck. “You made a grievous error, one you cannot rectify.”
Barrington pulled a 9mm from his waist and tried to point it at Will. The split second he turned away, Will disappeared.
“Haven’t you learned you can’t catch me?” Even if Barrington had been able to see him, he wouldn’t have been able to prevent Will from snatching the gun from his hand. Pointing the cocked weapon at the man’s forehead, he made himself visible again. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.”
“I’m a federal law enforcement agent. If—”
“If I kill you, what’ll happen? You and thirty men couldn’t touch me. Your threat is meaningless.” He changed appearance rapidly. “What do I look like? How did I get past your men inside the building? Why didn’t anyone see me get in your car? I’m a spirit. You can’t stop what you can’t touch.”
Sneering, the man shook his head. “Bullshit! You’re not a spirit any more than that kid was.”
Snapping his wrist, he struck Barrington’s face hard enough that he broke at least one of the man’s perfect white teeth. “If you speak about him again, I will hurt you. And I don’t mean just you. I’ll kill your wife, your two children, your parents, all your siblings, and every relative you’ve ever met. The Barringtons will cease to exist. Then you’ll know pain.”
“You’re a monster.” He sprayed the inside of the car with blood as he spoke.
“Me?” Will laughed. “You blew up a door in Ryan’s face. He was an innocent kid, and you dare call me a monster?”
“He was as guilty as you.”
“Guilty of what? You had nothing on him. I know why you were here. The plan was to capture him to get me to do your bidding, wasn’t it?”
“We were going to use him to lure you to us.” Barrington wiped more blood from his mouth with his sleeve. “Once we had him, you would have done what we wanted….”
“Or what? He didn’t do anything. You had no right to take him into custody. What was the charge?”
“Charge? What the fuck are you? Some left-wing liberal pansy? Oh, wait, you were in love with him, so I suppose that shouldn’t surprise me.”
How did he know that? “For a man a hair’s width from death, you certainly don’t know when to shut your mouth.”
“Touched a nerve, did I?” Barrington smirked. “And you really want me to believe you’re some kinda spirit?”
“Your mistake is thinking spirits, even the Spirit of Vengeance, don’t have emotions.” Cold and deliberate, his words caused Barrington to shake. “R
yan was special to me. Tell me why I shouldn’t exact vengeance on you for what you did to him.”
“Look.” The bravado was gone. “The plan was to hold him, not hurt him.”
“I heard your voice give the order to blow the door. How do you explain that?”
“When I gave that order, I had no way of knowing he’d be so close to the door.”
“Of course you didn’t. You never bothered to check.”
“Yes.” He nodded vigorously, seeming to relax just a bit. “I admit, that was a mistake of judgment, but no one was supposed to get hurt.”
Barrington was lying. His body language told Will even before he scanned his mind. “You’re lying. The plan from the start was to blow the door, consequences be damned. Don’t!” He held up a hand. “We both know you never worried about him getting hurt.”
“After you escaped our trap on North Capitol, we didn’t want to take any chances.” That at least was true. “We assumed he was like you. I mean, that explosion hurled you so hard, it cracked a cement support beam, and you walked away by jumping between twelve-foot floors. The hope was it would surprise him enough for us to take him into custody.”
“The ends justify the means, eh?”
“Please, you’re one to lecture me about that.” His hand moved up toward the gun, only to be intercepted by Will’s even faster reflexes.
“Not a smart move, Agent.” He twisted the captured wrist just enough that it didn’t break, but made Barrington scream in agony. “Next time, I pull the trigger.”
“What do you want from me?” Barrington’s fear hit him in a wave. The man’s eyes darted to the men stationed around the car.
“Your death would be my first choice, but Ryan didn’t want vengeance.” That plea was all that kept him from killing the man. “Causing you pain, however, wasn’t discussed.”
“Look, I’m sorry, truly sorry, your friend died.” Fear slowly broke his stony façade. “Believe me when I say, I never wanted that.”
Will laughed. “Oh, I believe that. You’ve lost any perceived leverage you thought you’d gain by taking him prisoner.”
“What more do you want from me? I admit the raid was my bad idea and I gave the order to blow the door. The plan went wrong and your friend got hurt. It’s my fault. Okay?”
The desperation in the voice nearly put a smile on his lips, but fear wasn’t what he wanted from Barrington. “Do you know how many of your men were seriously injured when I tried to reach Ryan?”
“More than a dozen.” Finally, a sense of real regret in Barrington’s voice.
“How do you live with yourself?” He shook his head. “Don’t bother answering. I’m going now, but know this: Ryan’s last wish was that I not seek revenge for what you did to him. Because I love him, I’ll honor that, but that only covers what happened through today. If you try to find me again, track me, chase me, whatever, I’ll know and I’ll kill you. Not a painless death that’s over quick. It will hurt, and it will be in front of your family so they can suffer like I have. Consider yourself fortunate. You’ll live, and your loved ones won’t hold your dying body in their arms. That’s more than you gave me.”
Barrington blinked twice and opened his mouth to speak. Before he could say anything, the driver’s door opened and he was yanked from the car.
“Agent Barrington.” A man in a field uniform with FBI written in big white letters across the chest pushed the stunned man face-first into the side of the SUV. “By order of the director, you’re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything….”
Will ignored the rest, yanking the wire from under his shirt and tossing it onto the seat. He opened the passenger side door and stepped out of the car, telling everyone to ignore him. Scanning the area, he found the car he needed and walked over. Standing beside the back passenger window, he knocked.
Startled, the man seated in back opened the door and got out. “That was what we needed. Thank you.”
“Remember our deal.” Will turned to leave, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
“I’m sorry. For what that is worth, I am. Had I known what Barrington was doing, I’d have stopped him. Your friend should never have been dragged into this.” He didn’t need to read the man’s thoughts to know he was sincere. “Are you sure you won’t change your mind?”
“No.” He considered leaving, but if he was going to have to deal with this man again, it required he say more. “Ryan’s death is painful enough. There is nothing I want from you or the bureau beyond Barrington being stripped of his position. If you send him to jail, so much the better.”
“The body would ensure he goes to jail for life. Without it….” He shrugged.
“I’m aware of the limitations of the criminal justice system.” Whether Barrington went to jail or not was immaterial. “So long as he is fired, I don’t care what else happens to him. I promised Ryan I wouldn’t kill him, and I don’t want to break my word. But if he—”
The director held up his hand. “You have my word he’ll be fired, and I intend to see him prosecuted, but he should stand trial for the death of your friend.”
“You’re not going to desecrate his body with an autopsy.” He needed to go. Ryan made him promise not to kill Barrington, but the desire didn’t fade with the arrest. “Just remember to keep your promise. You won’t like me if you don’t.”
The scowl that crossed his face for a moment amused Will. “Threats won’t be necessary. I’m nothing like agent Barrington.”
“I know, Director. I can read minds.” Hiding himself again, he walked away. The vengeance he wanted would never happen, but he’d keep his word to Ryan.
SITTING on the bench in Dupont Circle, Will threw bread crumbs at the birds. Planning to leave everything except the money, his technology, and a few personal effects of his and Ryan’s, he had found the bread in the refrigerator before he left. Ryan didn’t believe in wasting food.
“You’re a good man, Daniel Griffin.” He looked around, wondering how things could have become so different in the three short days since he’d last said those words. “I never expected to say those words again, but they are still true.”
“I should have told you sooner.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over this. You had no hand in Barrington’s insanity.” At least, Griffin tried to help. “And I appreciate you not asking me to reconsider. You can tell your boss you asked and I refused.”
“Thanks.” sheepish grin quickly faded. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” Will gave the man a wan smile. “Thank you for helping me get Barrington.”
“His stupidity cost Ryan his life and almost killed two agents. Dozens more were hurt for nothing.” There was anger in Griffin’s voice. “It needed to be done.”
“Still, without your help, it would have taken too long to get the director’s help.” Time he didn’t want to wait. “I would have killed Barrington, despite Ryan’s request. For that, I’ll always be grateful.”
Griffin nodded a few times. “Are you sure you can trust him?”
This time his smile was real as he tapped his head. “Yes.”
Griffin squinted before he caught on. “Oh yeah, that mind-reading thing.”
“Comes in handy sometimes.” Other times, it failed him.
“They also want me to ask you to reconsider turning over the body.”
“No.” Why wouldn’t they just let this go? “It wouldn’t change anything.”
“They could charge him with—”
“He’s not going to be charged no matter what.” He regretted how harsh his voice sounded. “Think about it. He had access to everything the bureau had on me. Do you think they’re going to have a trial and release that to the public?”
Griffin touched the side of his head. “Inside information?”
“No, I didn’t read that in the director’s mind.” It hadn’t been necessary for him to “know” it was true. “The funeral is tomorrow.”
&
nbsp; “I know.” Griffin quickly turned to stare at his feet. “I asked the chief to let me handle the security since I was going anyway.”
Will hadn’t known that, but it wasn’t surprising. “Thank you. At least someone will be there for him.”
THE funeral was short, almost an afterthought. A priest said a few words, nice words, even if they felt empty to Will. Sitting on top of the wooden slats over the open pit, the bronze casket looked so cold. Will shuddered when he remembered being like that: cold, unforgiving, uncaring.
Jake turned, and Will met his gaze. He saw how much Ryan’s death had affected their friend. Guilt made the sorrow worse. Jake beat himself up needlessly. Ryan had never stopped counting Jake as a friend. Will knew he needed to explain that on the ride back to campus.
When the priest finished, Will placed a rose on the casket. Jake and Griffin added theirs: a lover, a friend, and a good man. Quantity wasn’t as important as quality, and by that measure, Ryan was fortunate.
Hatred for Barrington seared Will’s soul, but it was cool compared to the fire of contempt that burned inside for Ryan’s family. Their refusal to come was a rejection of his life. They had claimed they had no son before they slammed down the phone. He almost made them hear his words, but he wanted to do it in person. Ryan deserved that much, and they didn’t deserve to be let off so easy.
Head bowed, he watched leaves swirl around his feet. The chill breeze reminded him of how cold the world could be. Different seasons, different decades, different men. Unlike David, Ryan at least knew what happened to him. He was the first to realize what he’d become. Hopefully, all future hosts would appreciate what Ryan had done for them.
Although the cemetery was closed for the ceremony, the grounds were ringed by police and FBI agents. The director made good on his word to help arrange a proper burial. All it took was a bit of money and the right connections.
Jake sobbed, and Will put his arm around his friend. Crying for the man he barely knew, Jake was a true friend. Standing still for a time, he waited until Jake pulled back and wiped his eyes to speak.
Purpose Page 24
