by R. D. Brady
Drake took the rope from her. “Your lack of faith in my skills is insulting.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure your ego will survive.”
“It is a very fragile thing.” He tightened the ropes around Hakeem. “Well, that should keep him still for a good second or two.”
“Oh, just shut up. So what do we do now?”
“You’re asking me? I thought I was just the lackey.”
She smiled sweetly at him. “Well, I’m new to kidnapping. You, however, have past experience in this area.”
“That was a rescue, not a kidnapping.”
“And yet somehow I still ended up unconscious—twice.”
“Ah, yes.” He smiled. “The memories.”
She shook her head, but she couldn’t seem to remove the smile from her face. “Okay, we need to know where Elisabeta took the other kids. Any idea how to get that information from him?”
“I beat him to a pulp?”
“Yeah, somehow I think that’d make him less likely to tell us anything.” Laney studied the unconscious Fallen. “Gerard says he’s not very bright. I’m wondering if he’ll just tell us.”
“You want to ask? Maybe if you say pretty please. No, wait: pretty please with sugar on top. That should work.”
Laney held up her hand. “Well, this little ring does tend to get the Fallen to answer my questions.”
“I’d still rather beat him to a pulp.”
“There’s more to life than fighting, you know.”
Drake raised his arms. “But what is the point of this amazing physique if not to use it to make my enemies submit?”
“I’m sure you could come up with some other possibilities.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter. We’re working here.”
Laney’s mouth dropped, and she felt her cheeks flame. “I didn’t mean—You know I didn’t—”
“You are cute when you—”
Hakeem groaned. “Would you two get a room already?”
Laney turned to the large man, grateful for the interruption. “Hello, Hakeem. You will stay in that chair and not move until I give you permission to move.”
Hakeem glared at the two of them. Then he looked down at the ropes. “Why’d you tie me up?”
Drake tilted his head toward Laney. “She thinks we’re in an old Western.”
“I like old Westerns,” Hakeem said. “You ever seen High Noon with Gary Cooper?”
“I’m more of a John Wayne fan. Ever seen his movies?”
“I liked The Quiet Man. But I think that’s because of Maureen O’Hara. I really like redheads.”
Drake grinned. “Yeah, me too. Actually, I met John Wayne once.”
Hakeem leaned forward, his face eager. “Really? What was he like?”
“Kind of a jerk. He cheated on all three of his wives. And he smelled like an ashtray.”
“That’s disappointing.”
“I find most encounters with celebrities are.” Drake caught Laney’s gaze, and his expression immediately grew more serious. “Right, well. Back to the task at hand.”
Laney shook her head. Angels. She said to Hakeem, “You will answer all of my questions truthfully.”
Hakeem snorted. “No, I won’t.”
“What is your full name?”
“Hakeem Suarez.”
“Where were you born?”
“Cordoba, Spain.” Hakeem’s mouth dropped open. “Why’d I tell you that?”
Laney held up her finger with the ring of Solomon on it. “Because you don’t have a choice. Now—where is Elisabeta taking the other two children?”
Hakeem shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Are you supposed to meet up with her?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t tell me.”
“So how were you going to meet up with her?”
“I was supposed to call her after we killed the kids, the nanny, and Gerard if necessary.”
Laney’s pulse raced. “Okay. So you’re going to call her and tell her they’re all dead and Gerard is too. You’re not going to mention anything about the fight. Do you understand?”
Hakeem stared at Laney sullenly. “Yes.” He paused. “She’s going to kill you, you know. After she makes you watch everyone you care about die.”
“Do you really believe that?” Laney asked.
Hakeem didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
Laney swallowed, hoping her fear didn’t show. “If you give us away in any way, I will kill you first. Do you understand?”
He nodded.
“Do you believe me?”
He nodded again. “Yes,” he spit out.
And Laney felt a little bit better.
CHAPTER 92
They loaded all the children and nannies into vans and SUVs and brought them back to the airfield in Gallup, New Mexico. Henry contacted the local police, who met with Yoni and the kids and a few other operatives.
They arranged to have the children taken into protective custody while their family situations were worked out. Danny forwarded all the information he had on the children to the Arizona family services, but even with that head start, it would take a while to get the children all sorted, so Yoni would stay with them while everything was taken care of. Luckily, the press hadn’t gotten word of any of this—yet.
Now Henry, Jake, Jen, and Noriko sat in a private office with Gerard. Gerard had a drip attached to him; Jake had insisted on drugging him to reduce his abilities. Noriko had balked, but Gerard had told her it would be all right. And he hadn’t once tried to pull the line out or escape. In fact, he’d quietly gone along with everything demanded of him. Not that his cooperation had scored him any points with the others.
Noriko had insisted on being here, even though the others had tried to talk her out of it. She couldn’t help but notice the weapons at the sides of Jake, Jen, and Henry. She also didn’t like the looks on their faces. They had said they’d listen, but nothing they’d done so far had suggested an open mind.
“Why should we believe anything you say?” Jake asked Gerard.
“Because I risked my life to save those children.”
“Why?” Henry asked.
“My reasons are my own. But I have no allegiance to Samyaza.” He nodded to Noriko. “Ask her. She knows.”
All eyes turned to Noriko. “He saved me,” she said.
“How did you get involved in this?” Jen asked Gerard.
“I already told you that.”
“Tell us again.”
Gerard sighed. “Samyaza has had people trying to find me since I broke with her. After Honu Keiki tried to kill me, I originally thought it was Samyaza, and I started paying a little more attention to where everyone was. I noted that two Fallen who worked for Elisabeta had flown into an airport near me. I thought they were coming for me. I followed them, thinking I could get the drop on them. That’s when I realized they weren’t interested in me at all. They were surveilling a house. I didn’t know what to make of it.
“They grabbed a child from the house an hour later. I gave chase, but I only managed to catch one—the one without the child. So I asked him some questions.”
“He answered them?
“Eventually. And I learned this was not the first time Elisabeta had sent them after a child. So I offered my services to her, so I could find out why. And when I learned where they were holding the children, I planned on releasing them.”
Noriko noted the absence of emotion in his words, but she could sense it boiling just under the surface. He looked up and met her gaze—and she sucked in a breath at the pain that rolled over her as she was yanked into a vision.
The huts were ablaze as Noriko walked through the village, but she couldn’t feel the heat. She could see the bodies though. Some were inside, some across the doorways, some along the paths. All were dead. Men, women, and children—no one had been spared.
Voices were raised ahead of her. Someone
was alive. She could glimpse a river beyond the burning huts, but no one was rushing with water to put out any of the fires. She hurried forward and stopped abruptly as she passed the last hut. Six men stood towering over a seventh man who knelt on the ground. The man held two children in his arms, a boy and a girl, both young, both covered in blood.
He looked up. Anger and grief had drawn heavy lines into his face. “Why?” he screamed at the warriors above him.
Noriko recognized the man, and gasped. It was Gerard. Her heart ached at the devastation on his face.
A man stepped toward him, flanked by two of his Fallen. Noriko knew this man was Samyaza, though he appeared as a man with long blond hair. Samyaza insulted and derided Gerard, who continued to hold his children, his agony clear on his face.
Noriko finally looked closely at the two children.
Her legs shook, and tears sprang to her eyes. The children lay still in their father’s arms—dead. Yet somehow, Noriko could hear Peter’s laugh and Arya’s soft voice. Their deaths felt like a punch in the chest, as if her life had been pulled from her very soul.
The vision cut off, and Noriko blinked up at the concerned faces above her. She was on the floor.
“Are you all right?” Jen asked, helping her sit up.
Noriko nodded, but she felt the tears on her cheeks and the ache in her chest. She looked past Jen to meet Gerard’s gaze. Tears crested in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Gerard’s mouth dropped. He gave her an abrupt nod before turning away. But she caught the anguish all the same, the devastation still fresh.
Jake looked between the two of them. “What’s going on?”
Noriko’s voice was soft. “Samyaza killed his family, his children. He was trying to get Gerard to turn his back on them. To slaughter humans. He refused.”
Henry frowned. “He? Samyaza’s a woman.”
“Now. This was lifetimes ago. But Gerard remembers. It’s like yesterday to him. He is not helping Samyaza. He couldn’t. And the children…” The image of Gerard holding his children once more passed through her mind. “He won’t let Samyaza hurt any more children. That’s why he’s helping us.”
Silence descended. Noriko could tell Jake didn’t want to believe her. But the grief coming off Gerard could be felt by anyone, psychic or not.
“Okay, so Gerard’s on our team, at least for the moment,” Jen said. “Where does that leave us?”
“Back where you started,” Gerard said. “Victoria is not among the children you have. She was taken somewhere else. Two girls were taken. Molly Shelton and Susie—”
“McAdams,” Jake said, his face pale.
Gerard nodded. “They both have a mark that suggests they could be Lilith. So Elisabeta took them both.”
“Where did she take them?” Henry asked.
“I don’t know the answer to that. She didn’t share everything with me. She didn’t fully trust me yet.”
“But Laney’s going after her,” Henry said quietly.
“Yes. She and Drake took one of Elisabeta’s men. I assume they’ll get the information from him.”
“What is Elisabeta planning? Are the children in immediate danger?” Henry asked.
“I don’t believe the one who is Victoria is. But the other one… Elisabeta will have no need for her.”
Jake cursed softly before striding out of the room.
CHAPTER 93
Jake paced along the hangar, having no clue what to do next. He vacillated between hoping Susie was Victoria so she would be safe, and hoping she wasn’t so she wouldn’t be taken from the McAdamses.
And if she wasn’t Victoria, they would need to get to her before Elisabeta realized that.
His phone rang, and he looked at the screen. Mary Jane McAdams. Jake sent the call to voicemail, cursing himself as he did so. The return of the children had no doubt made the news. Mary Jane would be beside herself when she heard about it. He didn’t want to break her heart and dash the hopes she had no doubt built up.
Taking a deep breath, he dialed Mary Jane’s number. “Hey, Mary Jane. It’s Jake.”
“Jake, thank God. It’s all over the news. Is it true? Did you find Susie?”
Jake hesitated, not sure how to say what needed to be said. He struggled to think of a way to soften the blow. But at the same time, he knew there was no way. “We did find most of the missing children.”
Mary Jane gasped. “That’s amazing! I—”
Jake cut her off quickly. “But Susie was not one of them. She’s not here.”
Silence answered him for a few beats. Then Mary Jane spoke. “Maybe you just didn’t recognize her. She could be there. I’ll fly out and—”
“Mary Jane, I have confirmation that Susie was taken somewhere else.”
Jake could hear her heart breaking and her hope being crushed across the phone line. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. But we’re not done. I’m going to keep looking. We’ll bring her back to you.”
Mary Jane took a stuttering breath. “Thank you, Jake, but please don’t make promises you can’t keep.” The line went dead.
Jake squeezed his phone in his fist, wanting nothing more than to hurt something, to make it feel as much pain as Mary Jane was feeling.
The sound of engines rushing toward him caused him to turn. Four government-issued SUVs raced across the tarmac toward him. They all slammed to a stop, and Moses Seward stepped out of one, slamming his door. He glared at Jake as he strode toward him.
Oh, shit. Jake shoved his phone back in his pocket. As if this morning isn’t crappy enough.
CHAPTER 94
QUEENS, NEW YORK
Elisabeta slammed the phone down on the table. Her plane was still sitting on the runway at LaGuardia. There was a huge backup due to some sort of computer glitch at the tower. They might not be able to take off for another hour or two.
She had spoken with Hakeem a half hour ago. Apparently, the canyons walls had interfered with cell reception, keeping them out of reach. Everything had gone as expected, including Gerard turning on them. Even though she had expected that, it did sting. Still, he was no longer a worry. Hakeem and the men were on their way to Michigan, and Elisabeta would join them there.
If this plane ever takes off!
Hilda hustled into the cabin. “Ma’am, there’s something you should see.”
“What?”
“A broadcast. The children have been found.”
Hilda turned on the TV in the cabin. A news broadcaster was on screen, his dark hair perfectly groomed, his expression a precise blend of concern and amazement. “An incredible discovery today at the Canyon de Chelly National Monument. A group of over thirty children who have been missing from around the world were found together. The Chandler Group, run by Henry Chandler, were in the park and came across the children. Chandler, of course, is the brother of Delaney McPhearson, who is wanted in connection with—”
Elisabeta snapped off the TV. “Funny Hakeem didn’t mention anything when we spoke.”
Hilda took out her phone and dialed. But after a few moments, she shook her head. “He’s not answering.”
“What about Delaney? Was she spotted?”
“No ma’am, only Henry Chandler, Jen Witt, Jake Rogan, and some Chandler operatives.”
Elisabeta raised an eyebrow. “Any unusual weather patterns in the park at that time?”
“There were some reports of lightning.” Hilda met Elisabeta’s eyes, then she looked away.
Elisabeta growled. “Get out.”
Hilda disappeared into the back of the plane.
Elisabeta stared out the window. Delaney McPhearson was back. I should have moved faster. She was undeniably on her way to the children. And McPhearson had only a short hop from Arizona, which meant she would arrive there first.
Now, how do I play this? She could alert the local authorities, but since McPhearson had Drake with her, she doubted they would be very effective. Besides, if McPhearson told them wh
at she was up to, the locals—or worse, the feds—could interrupt her plans. And that wasn’t an option, not when she was so close.
No, she would handle McPhearson herself. Apparently making the woman a public pariah hadn’t been enough. It was time to take her out of the game—painfully.
She smiled. And permanently.
CHAPTER 95
GALLUP, NEW MEXICO
The Chandler Group had been under surveillance for months. And when the ETF had been given control of the SIA, they had taken over that surveillance. So Moses’s men had alerted him immediately to their departure.
He had been livid that his men hadn’t stopped them. But apparently the Chandler Group had expected that and had had their men block the road leading to the airport.
It had taken Moses over an hour to commandeer a plane and learn where the Chandler Group were heading. By the time Moses and his men touched down, they had learned of the Chandler’s Group’s miraculous find: thirty-four girls around the age of two, all with red hair and blue eyes.
Moses had blinked hard at the description, and he still didn’t know what to make of it. But he also knew this was finally his chance to take Henry Chandler and Jake Rogan into custody. Whatever had drawn them across the country was, no doubt, illegal. And Moses was going to enjoy carting them away himself.
The whole trip here he’d reviewed the Chandler Group’s activities for the last few years, particularly with regard to Delaney McPhearson. She was the world’s most wanted fugitive, and these people had helped her, although none of them had been charged.
Yet.
It was an absolute miscarriage of justice. Moses’s temper boiled as he read over the incidents in Montana, Ecuador, Australia, India, Israel. These people had left a trail of destruction in their wake. The number of deaths they’d been responsible for was astronomical. As far as Moses was concerned, the Chandler Group was the world’s most dangerous terrorist group. And he was charged by the United States government to take down terrorists—wherever he found them.
As he stepped from the SUV, he was filled with righteous fury. These people thought they were above the law. They thought they could do whatever they wanted. Well, they were about to find out how wrong they were.
