by R. D. Brady
He saw Jake Rogan open the door to the hangar.
“Stop right—”
Rogan disappeared inside.
Moses’s anger spiked. Dryden hurried ahead of him and opened the door for Moses. He stepped inside.
Ten men stood talking, and gave only a quick glance at Moses and Dryden. Another dozen lounged at tables along the back, and a few even slept curled up on the floor. All of them were dressed in black tactical gear. Jake Rogan, Henry Chandler, and Jenifer Witt were not among them.
But there were two men whom Moses recognized. He strode up to Fricano and Jenkins, the front gate guards from the Chandler estate. “What are you two doing here?”
“Standing,” Fricano replied.
“I mean, what are you doing in Arizona?” Moses growled.
“Paintball,” Jenkins said.
“Paintball?” Moses echoed.
“Yeah. It’s this game where everybody has a gun that shoots paint pellets. You break into two teams—”
Jenkins cut in. “Well, technically, you could have more than two teams.”
Fricano nodded. “That’s true. But we only had two teams today. Anyway, each team—”
“I know what paintball is!” Moses yelled. “But do you actually expect me to believe this entire group flew across the country to play paintball?”
“I really can’t control what you believe, sir. I can only control what I do,” Fricano said.
Jenkins’s face was serious as he clapped Fricano on the shoulder. “Powerful words, my man, powerful words.”
“Thanks.”
Moses gritted his teeth. “And the children? You just, what? Stumbled upon them?”
“You know, we were pretty surprised when we found them too,” Fricano said. “Right, Dylan?”
“Yup.”
Moses grit his teeth. “Where is Jake Rogan?”
Fricano tilted his head toward the door at the back of the hangar. “In the office.”
Moses turned his back on Fricano and Jenkins and nodded to three of his own men. “Make sure none of them leave.” He strode toward the door and flung it open.
Jen Witt, Henry Chandler, and Jake Rogan looked up in surprise as he entered. They were sitting around a table, the remains of a takeout breakfast in front of them. A young woman was with them, and another man lay on a couch in the back of the office, a drip attached to his arm.
“Agent Seward, what a nice surprise,” Henry said, closing his newspaper.
“I’m not so sure it’s a nice surprise,” Jen said, turning back to her own newspaper.
“Well, I’ve got you now,” Moses said.
“Got us?” Jake asked. “Not sure we know what you mean.”
“You are no longer agents of the federal government. You have no authority to—” He paused. “To do whatever you just did.”
Jen raised an eyebrow. “Well, that was clear.”
“I know you acted as an extra-legal agent when you found those kids. There will be consequences.”
Henry frowned. “I’m confused, agent. Are you suggesting that the US government wanted us to leave those children where we found them?”
“Of course not.” Moses nodded toward the man on the couch. “What’s going on with him?”
“He got dehydrated,” Jen said.
The man on the couch shrugged. “I should have drunk more water.”
Great, another one. He turned to the young woman. “And you are?”
The girl looked around. “Uh, Noriko.”
“And were you playing paintball?”
“Um, no. They made me sit out.”
“Why?”
“The guys get a little serious,” Henry said. “We didn’t want her getting hurt.”
“Then why are you here?”
“She’s with me,” the man on the couch said, his tone daring Moses to push further. Moses contemplated it. But the look in the man’s eyes…
He turned back to the three who were his focus. “You are not allowed to operate in a law enforcement capacity on America soil.”
“I see,” Henry said. “And what exactly did we do that suggests we did what you’re suggesting?”
Jen flicked her newspaper loudly and sighed. “Great. His doublespeak is contagious.”
Moses narrowed his eyes. “I have my men searching your planes. I’m sure they’ll find something that will confirm my suspicions.”
Jake shrugged and reached for a bagel. “Okay.”
Jen and Henry turned back to their papers.
Moses stood staring at them, but they acted as if he wasn’t there. He turned to Dryden. “Make sure they don’t leave.”
Twenty minutes later, Moses men had searched all of the planes. And all they had found was guns—paintball guns, along with extra paint cartridges and paint-splattered clothes.
“Um, sir,” Dryden said. “What do you want us to do?”
“Keep searching. They’re up to something.”
Dryden scurried away.
Moses glared at the hangar as if he could see Jake, Henry, and Jen through the walls. I will find out what you were up to.
CHAPTER 96
Jake paced in the office. Prior to arriving at the airfield, he had sent Jordan to dump all of the weapons at one of Henry’s secure holding areas nearby, so there was no chance of Seward finding anything except the paintball equipment. But still, despite having searched the planes twice, Seward was holding them.
They’d relayed Gerard’s information on Samyaza’s holdings to their people back in Baltimore, but they hadn’t found anything that would point to where Samyaza had taken the two girls. Samyaza’s holdings were extensive. It would take weeks, if not months, to check them all. We have nothing…
But maybe Laney does.
It had been extremely difficult to not try to go find her when they were at the park. She had been so close. But he knew her, and she wanted them to get the children out of there. He didn’t doubt that. He just hoped she was having better luck than they were.
Besides, if Laney had been with them, Seward would now have her in custody—and no one wanted that. But it would have been nice if she had given them a heads-up as to what she was doing.
Jake felt the minutes ticking away. There were still two children out there. And as long as Seward kept them here, they weren’t tracking down those children.
“You need to calm down, Jake. Wearing a hole in the floor won’t help us find those kids,” Jen said.
“Well, sitting on our asses isn’t doing a whole hell of a lot either,” he said.
“No,” Henry said. “But we have people working on it. And until we get a lead, even without Seward here, there would be nothing we could do.”
Jake sighed. “I know. I know. I just hate it.”
“Do you want to call Mary Jane again?” Henry asked.
Jake shook his head. “No. I mean, what can I offer her besides my sympathies at this point? And every time I call, I know her hopes build that I have good news. So until I have some…” He shrugged.
“Maybe you could just call her.”
Jake frowned. “Why?”
Jen and Henry exchanged a look.
“What?” Jake demanded.
“Nothing. It just seems you have a type: pale redheads.”
Jake reared back. “What? No. It’s not like that. She’s lost her child. I would never—”
Henry raised his hand. “Hey. We’re not accusing you of anything.”
“But if you were interested in her, would it be the worst thing?” Jen said.
Jake looked between them. “With Laney missing?”
Henry glanced at Jen before turning back to Jake. “Laney chose to leave. Yes, to protect us. But she’s gone, and it’s been months. I love her. I want her back here. But I can’t make that happen. And none of us can stop living while we wait. Laney wouldn’t want that. You know that better than any of us.”
Jake let out a breath. “I know. It’s—I don’t know. Right now, my l
ife is consumed by this search.”
“Maybe that just shows you that you need to take a step back,” Jen said.
“Maybe,” Jake said quietly.
“Laney will find them,” Noriko said. “It’s what she does, isn’t it?”
“It’s what she does,” Jake agreed.
His phone beeped. It was a text from Jordan. Any idea when you guys will be free?
Jake texted back. No. Seward seems to want to keep us until he finds something.
Well, me and the guys are napping at the northwest entrance. Give me a yell when you guys get released.
Will do.
Jake blew out a breath. This standing around doing nothing was killing him. He felt as helpless as he did those first few weeks when Laney was gone.
Jake’s phone beeped again, and this time Henry’s and Jen’s phones did too. Jake stared at his screen. It showed a text from an unfamiliar number. The kids are at Gradley Island in Lake Michigan. The words were followed by coordinates.
Jake’s mouth fell open. “Did you guys just get—”
They both nodded.
“It’s Laney,” Jen said quietly. “She’s found them.”
“Are you sure?” Henry asked.
Jen nodded. “There’s no way she’d leave Victoria in Elisabeta’s hands. Besides, Noriko said they had one of Elisabeta’s men. I bet she got it out of him.”
Jake realized she was right. “We need to go.”
Henry shook his head. “We can’t all go. We still have Seward to deal with.”
“If Laney’s contacting us, it’s because she needs our help.”
“I know,” Henry said.
“I’m not staying here,” Jake said.
“And you shouldn’t,” Jen said. “Grab Jordan, find the kids. We’ll cover for you as best we can.”
“But how do I get out of here without them seeing me?”
“We’ll cause a distraction, and you slip out the door.”
“What kind of distraction?” Jake asked.
Jen grinned, strode across the room, and flung open the door. “Where the hell is Seward?” she shouted. “I’ve had it with this confinement. I better be out of here in five minutes or someone’s losing their job!” She continued to yell as she made her way across the hangar.
Henry laughed. “I’ll go help her before she hurts someone.”
Jake grinned. “Maybe you should wait a little while then.”
Henry chuckled. “I think we’re in enough trouble. You get going.”
CHAPTER 97
After learning where the children were from Elisabeta, Laney and Drake wasted no time heading for the western coast of Michigan. Drake had arranged for a private plane to take them there from the Farmington airport in New Mexico. Elisabeta had been surprisingly forthcoming. Obviously she had not trusted Gerard completely and had expected him to turn. But Laney had realized it wasn't truly about trust with Elisabeta but arrogance. Elisabeta thought she knew what every one would do and why. And that would be her downfall.
Hakeem was now in the back of the plane, unconscious. They were keeping him with them in case Elisabeta wasn’t there. But once they had the kids back, Laney wasn’t sure what to do with him. Normally she would turn a Fallen she’d captured over to the SIA, but they no longer were in the Fallen imprisonment business. And she wasn’t exactly on good terms with the US government.
She sighed. One problem at a time.
She stared at the phone in her lap. It had taken a great deal of internal struggle to get her to contact Jake, Henry, and Jen. She wanted to keep them far away from her, lest they get hurt if she was discovered. But if Elisabeta had the girls, she was going to need all the help she could get.
Jake had just sent a text back saying he and Jordan were on their way with half a dozen operatives. She had been debating whether or not to send him a text in response. She still hadn’t decided. They needed to coordinate, but it felt like there was this gulf between them.
“Coming through.” Drake pushed her legs aside so he could sit in the seat next to her.
She grumbled as she pulled her knees back. “There are ten other unused seats in this plane.”
“Ah, but I like sitting next to you.”
She rolled her eyes and ignored the butterflies dancing through her stomach. He’s Drake, not Achilles. You’re Laney, not Helen. “How’s our friend?”
Drake stretched out his hands. “Once again, unconscious. You know, since you’ve woken up, I’ve been involved in more violent acts than I think I’ve been involved in in the last hundred years.” He paused. “Actually, the most violent act before this was probably that time we spent a lovely evening at that quaint little restaurant outside Las Vegas.”
“You mean the biker bar you sauntered into and managed to get the entire place to want to kill us?”
“Ah, yes. Good times.” He nudged her arm. “Admit it—you had fun that night.”
Laney shook her head, but once again she couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “I admit no such thing.” Her smile faded as she remembered that while she was here joking around, two children’s lives were at risk.
“Hey,” Drake said softly.
She looked up into his eyes.
“It’s okay to smile. Your life is duty, but it’s also a life. You are allowed to smile and laugh. It doesn’t take away from your mission. It doesn’t take away from the stakes. But it does make it all more bearable.”
“It feels wrong. There are families out there who have been torn apart by Elisabeta.”
Drake sighed. “You always take on the weight of the world. Most of the time the people you help, they get to move on from the pain and horror of it. But you live in that horror and pain. So yes, you do get to laugh, even though other people are crying. Otherwise you’d be crying all the time. You need to let the light in, Laney. You can’t always live in the dark.”
Unconsciously, Laney had started to lean toward him. And now he was only a few inches away. If she just leaned a little bit more—
She pushed back and took a breath.
Drake watched her for a moment before leaning back in his own seat. “I think I’ll get a little sleep. Wake me if Hakeem tries to rip a hole in the wall of the plane.” He closed his eyes and reclined his seat.
Laney watched him, studying the angles of his face. In her mind, she saw him across the firelight, his face bathed in shadow. Her heart pounding, she licked her lips and undid her seatbelt. She hurried to the restroom and splashed cold water on her face. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was pale, but her cheeks were bright red. And her eyes shone.
“It’s not the time for this,” she told her reflection.
Drake’s words drifted through her mind. You need to let the light in, Laney. You can’t always live in the dark.
Somehow, even with everything spinning around her, when Drake was with her she felt lighter, freer than she could ever recall since this had all begun.
She just wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.
CHAPTER 98
Jake managed to sneak out without the ETF noticing him. That was thanks mostly to Jen, but Fricano and Jenkins had helped as well. When they noticed Jake slipping out, they staged a fight to draw everyone’s attention.
Jordan sat next to him as he piloted the small private plane. They had stopped by the storage supply unit where Jordan had dropped the weapons earlier, and now they were all loaded up. Six operatives were in the back getting some sleep before they landed in Michigan to face who knew what.
“I still can’t believe Laney finally contacted us. You are sure it’s her, aren’t you?” Jordan asked.
“It’s her. And she needs our help.”
“But help to do what? And why didn’t she contact us as soon as she woke up? I don’t like this one-woman show thing she’s doing.”
“Well, she’s not exactly on her own. She’s got Cleo, and”—he paused—“Drake.”
“The Vegas guy
?” Jordan sounded incredulous.
Jake and the others had decided to keep Drake’s identity a closely held secret until they knew what the man was up to and whose side he was on.
“He’s a little more than just a Vegas guy,” Jake said.
“Wait. He’s a Fallen?”
“An archangel, actually.”
“Seriously?”
Jake nodded.
“Wow. I never would have called that.”
Me either, Jake thought.
The rest of the flight to Michigan was quiet. Jake spent the time downloading all the information he could on the area, which wasn’t much. Gradley Island was a small island about a half mile off the western coast of Michigan. The mainland across from it was an undeveloped fifty acres, privately held. The island, too, had been untouched until three years ago, when someone started building, although no details were available. Satellite feeds showed nothing more than what looked like a normal house at the center of the island. But Jake knew looks could be deceiving.
“Have you tried calling her?” Jordan asked.
Jake shook his head. “If she’s in the middle of something, I don’t want a ringing phone giving her away. She’ll reach out when she’s ready.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.” And he realized it was true. Laney wouldn’t let him go in without any info, and she wouldn’t place the girls in jeopardy by keeping him in the dark.
As if on cue, his phone rang. Jake looked at the screen. It was the same number that had placed the text. He answered quickly. “Laney?”
“Hi, Jake.”
CHAPTER 99
Laney gripped the phone, not prepared for the onslaught of emotions Jake’s voice elicited. Homesickness washed over her, and longing. She wanted to be back in Baltimore. She wanted to be around Jake, Henry, Jen, her uncle, everyone. She had missed them so much.
“Are you okay?” Jake asked.
She took a shaky breath. “I’m good. And I’m sorry I had to disappear like that. I just couldn’t—”
“You don’t have to explain. I get it. You’re in charge of this whole little mission. You have to make the calls, even if they’re painful. And I know that one was… for all of us.”
