by Cheree Alsop
“Skylar?” her mother called through the closed kitchen door.
She dropped her hand and stepped back. My heart raced in my chest as though I had fought a battle. “I’ve got to go,” I said.
She nodded, the red I had come to be fond of stealing across her cheeks. “I’ll see you at the Galdoni Center,” she replied.
Her words sent a tingle down my spine. I nodded and lifted my wings.
“Saro?”
I glanced back.
“Thank you for the ride home.”
My smile answered hers before I pushed my wings down and lifted above the small town house. I circled once. Skylar watched me, her eyes shielded from the bright sun. She waved before I filled my wings with the breeze that would take me back to the Center.
Chapter Nineteen
“She’s awake!”
Kale met me at the balcony to the third floor. The wide grin on his face made him look like the happiest person in the world. “Alana’s awake!”
My heart skipped a beat. I rushed down the hall with Kale close behind. We skidded to a stop at Alana’s door. She turned her head at the commotion. A sigh of relief escaped me when I looked into her familiar brown eyes.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” I said.
She gave a weak smile. “Same to you.”
“You can go in,” Kale said softly so nobody else could hear.
I glanced back at him. He nodded encouragingly. I stepped inside the room and he followed.
My attention shifted to Dr. Ray as he checked numbers on the monitors and jotted down a few notes in Alana’s file. Kale moved the chair back to Alana’s side and motioned for me to sit. Now that Alana was awake, I was afraid of doing anything that might hurt her. She must have read it in my face when I sat down.
“I’m okay, Saro. I’ll be fine thanks to you.”
I looked up at Dr. Ray for confirmation. He nodded. “Her numbers are improving, the wound is healing well, and her collapsed lung from the bullet has responded to treatment.” He gave her a kind smile. “You’re going to be just fine.”
“Thank you, Dr. Ray.”
“You’ve very welcome.” He patted her hand. “I’ll be back to check on you soon. In the meantime, it looks like you have some attentive visitors who will let me know if you need anything.”
He nodded at Kale and I before leaving the room.
Alana smiled at me again before she glanced at Kale. Her eyes widened. “You’re Kale!”
He nodded. “Pleased to meet you.”
She looked from him to me. “You brought me to Kale’s place.”
“Just like you asked.”
Tears filled her eyes. I stood quickly. “What’s wrong? Do you hurt? Should I get Dr. Ray?”
She shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong.” She gave me a look of such gratitude my heart stood still. “You did it, Saro. You brought me somewhere I’m safe. You promised to protect me, and you did it. I can’t believe I’m here.”
I didn’t know what to say. She made it sound so grand, not like the charred Galdoni who set her on the grass in front of the Galdoni Center because my legs wouldn’t hold me any longer.
“You were shot because of me,” I said in a low voice.
Her kind smile chased away my self-loathing. “I’m free because of you.”
***
“She’s resting well,” Kale said. He leaned against the railing beside me and watched the busy city beyond the Center.
“I don’t know how to thank you for saving her.”
“You don’t have to,” Kale replied. “That’s what we’re here for.” He glanced down at my hands. “How are your burns healing?”
“Dr. Ray rewrapped them.” I opened and closed my hands. They felt better with the new bandages. “He said if I stop popping the blisters, they would heal a lot sooner.”
He smiled at that. “Sounds like when he told me to stay off my knee after I got shot.”
“Did you listen?”
He shook his head. “It healed anyway.”
That brought a smile to my face.
Kale chuckled. “I’m surprised we haven’t driven Dr. Ray to become a veterinarian.”
“He kind of is.”
Kale stared at me a second before a true laugh burst from him. He slapped my shoulder. “You’re alright, Saro.”
The door behind us pushed open. A young man I didn’t recognize hurried through. He looked a bit older than me with brown hair and a slender build. “We found it. We found the link!” he exclaimed, rushing over to Kale.
Kale took the paper he held out and studied it. His eyebrows rose. “Nikko, this is a list.”
The boy nodded quickly. He glanced at me, then turned his full attention to Kale again. “Officer Donaldson found the pattern with Saro’s fires. Apparently there were a few houses we didn’t know about, along with papers that linked them together from the information Saro gave the officer.”
I stood in silence; being spoken of in third person had the great effect of making one feel nonexistent.
Kale turned to me. “When did you see Officer Donaldson?”
“The other night.” I felt like I had been caught doing something bad, and fought back the urge to hang my head. The feeling amused me. I wasn’t a scolded child, I was a Galdoni trained to kill; yet I had promised Kale I wouldn’t go back to Jake’s apartment without him. The thought of disappointing the black-winged Galdoni filled me with shame.
Instead, a grin lit Kale’s face. “Well done, Saro! You might have given us the means to find the female Galdoni if we can question anyone involved in the crime ring.”
“We have to catch them first,” Nikko warned.
Kale shot me a smile that was weighted with his next words. “You ready for some payback?”
***
“Officer Donaldson said they had good reason to believe this house would probably be next. His team has found a pattern to the hits, something about the papers,” Kale said in a hushed voice.
We sat on the roof of a house across the block from the one we were watching. Our vantage point gave us a good view of the front yard, while the back was watched by a few of Kale’s other comrades. He had officers on radios at the other likely houses on the list in case they struck there first.
Kale glanced at me. “Any idea what that might be?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I only know that each envelope I took from the safes had the letters AC on them.”
“Advantage Corp,” Kale replied in a surprised whisper.
“You know them?”
“I know of them,” he answered thoughtfully. “Advantage Corp was behind the Academy’s funding. They had the most to profit from the Arena battles.”
“And the most to lose when it shut down,” I finished, following his thoughts. “So why take the papers?”
Kale shook his head. “I wish I knew.”
I sat in silence for a few moments, then glanced at him. “We can always find out.”
“How?” he asked guardedly.
I gestured toward the house we watched. “Hit it first. The papers are in the safe. We get the envelope and catch the Galdoni who are sent to steal it. We can then trace the Galdoni back to whoever they work for.”
Kale let out a slow breath. “It’s risky. My plan wasn’t to add breaking and entering to my list of credentials.”
I gave him a wry smile. “It’s already on mine.”
He was silent for a few minutes. When he spoke again, it was musing as though he planned as he talked. “Can you open the safe?”
“Maybe, depending on the safe. I wish I had my tools.” I remembered last minute that Jake had them. “At the very least, a stethoscope. I might need a drill depending on the safe.”
“We can get one if you need it,” he replied. He fell silent again, then said, “The house is empty.”
I nodded. We had watched the occupants leave an hour before. Kale’s sources told us they were the Jorgensens. It bothered me to know the family�
��s name.
“Better now than wait for the Galdoni thieves to show up,” I replied.
He let out a small breath. “Alright.”
He touched his earpiece. “Nikko, you heard all that?” I couldn’t hear the reply on the other end. Kale’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He nodded. “Will do. Thanks.”
“What was that about?”
He tipped his head toward the house. “The alarm code is 5839. Officer Donaldson mentioned you might need it.”
I chuckled at the thought of my first encounter with the officer. Apparently he was willing to help me avoid the same blunder; though part of me questioned whether it had really been an accident at all.
Kale jumped off the house. I followed him on silent wings. His feathers were jet black, making him a mere shadow in the night. I tilted my wings slightly, flying just over the top of the back fence behind him. We landed on a lawn that was only a little bigger than Skylar’s. A garden had been tilled near the fence line. The scent of tomatoes on vines touched the air.
Kale gave one short wave to the officers who were watching the backyard. They would split so that several could cover the front where we had been. I marveled at their efficiency. If this had been my house to hit, my story would have turned out differently.
I walked around to the garage.
“Where are you going?” Kale whispered, following.
I glanced back at him. “Habit. Bear with me.” The garage door wasn’t locked.
I pushed it open and Kale gave a huff of approval. “Nice.”
I crossed to the next door. “I guess people think their cars are safe inside a garage. Not many think to lock the door.”
“Semblance of safety,” Kale said.
I nodded, glancing at him. Jake had mentioned the same thing. If something appeared safe, people didn’t worry about it. That was the very reason a safe was so aptly named. I was living proof safes could be cracked, yet the peace of mind they gave their owners made them worth the very miniscule chance someone might steal what was hidden inside.
I turned the door knob. The door swung inward to reveal a dark kitchen. The alarm started to beep.
“Where’s it coming from?” Kale asked, a slight edge of worry to his voice.
“Probably the front hall or the closet,” I replied. “Don’t worry; we have sixty seconds to disarm it with the code.” I led the way down the hall. By habit, I counted the beeps to ensure I had enough time as we crossed the kitchen and made our way to the front door. Sure enough, a blue panel glowed in the darkness. A yellow timer counted the increasing seconds.
“What was the code again?” I asked.
He paused and I chuckled. “Just kidding.” I entered the numbers. The beeping stopped. “I used to write the codes on my hand because by the time I lit the Molotovs, I was close to forgetting.” I threw him a wry smile. “Funny how not racing against explosives makes this job easier.”
Kale grinned. “Strange how that happens.” He gestured down the stairs. “Our source said the safe is in the basement.”
I followed him down. “I wonder who Jake’s source was working with.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” I mused aloud. “He always knew the alarm codes and safe locations, the same as your people. Who would have that information?”
Kale put a hand to his ear, then chuckled. “Apparently Nikko’s working on that as we speak.”
Appreciation for the efficiency of Kale’s team filled me. If they could find Jake’s source, perhaps they could find Jake. I would definitely make sure I was there when that happened.
“Here it is.” Kale swung open the bottom cupboard on a fancy claw-footed desk. Looks were deceiving. With the floorboards recessed, it looked like the cupboard was too small for the safe we needed; yet with the door open, we saw that the bottom of the safe actually rested on the ground and was covered by the front of the desk.
“Clever,” I said, dropping to my knees. I began to unwind the gauze from my right hand.
“Is that necessary?” Kale asked, concerned.
“It’s the only way I can feel the clicks. Lucky for us, this is an older safe; otherwise it would be easier to wait for the Galdoni to arrive, then take the papers from them after they’ve done their job.”
“That’s leaving a lot to chance,” Kale said. “There’s always the gamble that the Galdoni aren’t coming here.” He tipped his head slightly, then said, “I’m mistaken; they just arrived.” His eyes widened slightly.
“What?” I asked.
“There’s a few more than we expected.”
“How many’s a few?” Trepidation built in my chest.
“Seven.” He put his hand to his earpiece. “Make that eight.”
“Seems like overkill,” I replied.
He nodded. “How about that safe?”
I touched the dial. Even the soft contact sent pain up my fingers. I took a stealing breath and held it as I turned the dial. My fingers were so tender I wasn’t sure I would feel the click above the pain; even so, the faint click thrummed. I let out the breath and turned the dial to the right.
“You’ve got this?” Kale asked.
I nodded, my full concentration on the dial. His footsteps disappeared upstairs. A crash sounded. My fingers slipped and I felt the dial pass the turning point.
Chapter Twenty
I sucked in a breath through my teeth and turned the dial to start over. Another crash sounded overhead. We should have brought more back up. None of us had expected more than one or two Galdoni. Eight seemed like a whole lot more than was necessary to crack a safe and steal the contents.
I forced myself to concentrate and turned the dial again. The first click sounded; I spun the dial to the right. The second click felt strong through my aching fingers. I turned the dial left again. Turning slowly, I held my breath and felt each miniscule click with my fingertips. Someone yelled. I closed my eyes. I was almost to the starting point again. Footsteps rushed down the stairs. I focused on the dial. Click. I pulled and the door opened.
Something slammed into my back, knocking me against the desk. I staggered to my feet and turned in time to block the chair the Galdoni threw at me again. It splintered into pieces against my arm. I grabbed a broken piece from the floor, ducked under a punch, and drove the wood deep into the Galdoni’s thigh. He fell back with a yell. I slammed a knee into his head. It snapped back and he dropped unconscious to the ground.
I opened the safe. Stacks of cash filled the front half of the box. I pulled the cash out and let it fall forgotten to the floor. In the back of the safe lay the envelope. Footsteps sounded down the stairs. I grabbed the envelope and spun in a defensive crouch.
A Galdoni with black and white wings jumped from the bottom step and tackled me. I fell against the desk and used his momentum to propel us both backwards over it. He slammed into the wall. I punched his stomach, then elbowed him in the jaw. He staggered, but caught my hand in a vice-like grip. Pain raced up my arm from the burns. I fell to one knee and head-butted him in the stomach. He doubled over. I brought my head up with a jerk, slamming the back of it into his jaw. His eyes rolled back and he slumped to the ground.
My chest heaving, I tucked the envelope in my back pocket and ran up the stairs. I followed the commotion to the kitchen. Two officers in black uniforms lay on the floor moaning with pain. A tan-winged Galdoni had collapsed next to them with a dart in his neck. Kale battled three Galdoni against the cupboards. Another lay unconscious near his feet. I was about to step in, but Kale’s expression stopped me.
Steel burned in his dark eyes. He ducked a punch and slammed a heel-palm into one Galdoni’s jaw, blocked a kick with his forearms and drove his elbow into the next Galdoni’s stomach. He turned with his wings spread, using his momentum to drive a haymaker into the jaw of the third. The Galdoni fell to the tile floor.
Kale jumped and pulled his black wings around to propel a kick into the first Galdoni’s chest, then spun again and landed a s
econd across the other Galdoni’s face. The first Galdoni staggered against the table while the second collapsed in a heap. The first attacked again. Kale ducked so that the Galdoni’s punch barely grazed the top of his head. He slammed a fist into the Galdoni’s ribs so hard I heard them snap. He followed it with a punch to the Galdoni’s stomach, then to his face. The Galdoni fell back against the table, then slid to the floor.
Fury showed in the line of Kale’s jaw and the coldness of his eyes as he checked each Galdoni, making sure they were down. An Academy rule whispered in the back of my mind. Don’t assume, ensure. An enemy can be just as deadly from the ground. I grimaced at the remembered chant of hundreds of voices repeating the words.
Kale’s eyes met mine across the room; the battle rage in them reminded me again how dangerous he was. As much as he acted like he fit into normal society, the inbred Galdoni bloodlust still filled his veins. He shook his head and the look faded. A trickle of blood dripped down one side of his face and he fought for breath. “The two that made it downstairs are incapacitated?” It was more of a statement than a question, but I nodded without a word.
“They got past me.”
“I noticed,” I replied as men in black uniforms hurried inside the house. Officer Donaldson followed them in. He nodded when he saw me. One of his men pulled a small gun from a holster and shot the fallen Galdoni with their darts.
“Stops them faster when they’re already down,” Kale said dryly.
Donaldson chuckled. “Took a while for the Galdoni outside to fall; a few of my officers will be feeling the effects of this fight in the morning. These should drop an elephant; I don’t think the tranquilizers come any stronger.
“Time to check,” Kale said.
Officer Donaldson nodded with a smile. “Will do.”
I pulled the envelope from my pocket. “Hopefully this will give us what we need; I don’t think the Galdoni will be up to questioning for a while.”
Donaldson accepted the envelope with a chuckle. “I’m just glad you guys are on our side.”
