Susannah didn’t reply.
Father took her hand gently. I was surprised that she neither jumped nor pulled back. “It’s customary to thank someone when a person buys you something. If you’d like to thank Galena, you should turn to her, look her in the eye and say thank you. It’s up to you if you’d like to do that or not, but those are interactions you’ll commonly see outside.”
Susannah darted a hesitant look at me. Her eyes matched the sweater perfectly.
I smiled encouragingly and looked as friendly as I could. It seemed to help because Susannah actually held eye contact for a few seconds and then smiled shyly.
“Thank you.” Her voice was soft and quiet. It still amazed me that she could have such a quiet speaking voice while her eagle screams sounded as if they could break glass.
“You’re welcome.”
She held eye contact for a few more seconds before she sat on the bed beside Father.
I stood to leave. “I’ll let you finish.” As I moved toward the door, I added, “See you later tonight, Susannah.”
She didn’t reply, but she watched me. I smiled brightly before walking out the door.
A buzz grew inside me. It was the familiar buzz that I always got when talking to people, except this time it was different. It was more meaningful, as if the short interaction Susannah and I shared was actually the beginning of something important.
Grinning, I walked up the stairs to join the others. However, as each step passed beneath me, my smile died as I remembered what tonight would bring.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Just after nine at night, Di nodded curtly. “Right. Let’s get a move on.”
The plan was for Luke to wait in the hotel. Once all of us were in place at the Headlands, he’d leave. Luke’s job was to remove the tracking device only when he was near the city’s edge. It seemed that he took his responsibility very seriously. His large, thick fingers gripped the box as if his life depended on it.
The rest of us donned our black gear and communication equipment. Energy strummed through the suite. It was somber and threaded with anxiety.
Once everyone was dressed, we looked like stagehands moving props during intermission. Since we needed to blend in with the public on the walk to the parking garage, we all threw colorful shirts and sweatshirts over our tops and stowed our ski masks and outerwear in a few bags.
Di pulled her backpack on. “We’ll call you when we’re in position at the military base, Luke. That’s when you leave. When you get to the edge of the city, beside that underground facility we found, take the tracking device out. You’ll need to move fast and get to the Headlands as quickly as possible.”
“In other words,” Jet said. “Don’t get caught.”
Di ignored Jet’s comment. “Since we don’t know where Marcus’ men are, it could take hours before they show up, but if they’re still in the city they’ll probably be at the Headlands within an hour.”
Jacinda gripped Luke’s arm. She bit her lip, her face a mask of worry.
Luke smiled, a glint in his golden eyes. “I’ll get there. You can count on that.”
One by one, Flint, Jacinda, Amber and I filed out of the room. It felt like déjà vu. We’d done something very similar to this only weeks ago. How was it that once again, we were in danger of being caught and potentially held as prisoners for the rest of our lives?
I understood now why Father had chosen hiding. Indefinite hiding did not make for a fulfilling life, in the sense that we could never truly live how we wanted, but we had been safe. I hadn’t truly appreciated how precious that sanctity was.
“Are you okay?” Flint asked me quietly.
“I’m fine. You?”
“I’ll be better when this is over with.”
“How’s your shoulder?” His wound this morning had been pale pink, no longer beefy red.
He strode by my side. “Almost completely healed.”
We’d split up from Amber and Jacinda as soon as we exited the room. We’d take the stairs. They’d take the elevator. Mica, Di and the twins were still in the room. They’d wait a few minutes before venturing to the garage. We didn’t want to all be seen exiting the hotel at once.
A man stepped out of a hotel room. He turned to make sure his door closed. I switched my vision and let out a sigh of relief when his cloud billowed white.
“Are you worried?” I asked when we sauntered past the man.
“How could I not be?”
Flint’s tone and expression told me exactly what he meant. Neither of us wanted a life on the run. We wanted to be free to do as we pleased like normal people. This afternoon had been a novelty when we’d had lunch out, walked together on a city street and gone shopping. But the bottom line was that it shouldn’t be. Those were things most people did every day, never once thinking anything of it, and that’s what life was supposed to be. Not this. Not the life we were living filled with secrets, fear and worry.
“This will be over someday,” I said. “Someday we’ll finally get to live how we want.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Our footsteps echoed in the stairwell as we jogged down flight after flight. When we reached the garage, we slid into the Volvo. Jacinda and Amber were already in the backseat. Flint started the car without saying a word.
We pulled onto the street. Lights from the hotel, shops and restaurants lit up the dark road. I gazed longingly at the people who walked along.
They were free.
They probably had no idea how lucky they were.
WE ARRIVED AT the Headlands forty-five minutes later. Di, the twins and Mica showed up fifteen minutes after that. They passed us from where we waited, parked on the road.
We’d arranged to park the cars in separate locations, a mile away from the military base. If we were able to capture some of the men, Father would arrive with a van. We’d load the men in that. After that, we’d retreat to our vehicles and bolt to the airport, once again escaping via Father’s private jet. Who knew where we’d go.
I wondered what Greg would think when we showed up at the airport, for the second time in a month, with unconscious individuals that we had to carry onto the plane.
Cold, ocean air whipped around us when we stepped out of the car. Faint scents of salt traveled in it. The four of us walked quietly into the hills, our black garments blending into the night.
“Put your ski mask on,” Flint told Amber.
She hastily donned it over her short dark hair. Jacinda, Flint and I already had ours on. The only thing I could see were their eyes. Otherwise, it was as though they were invisible.
I switched my vision, activating the part of my brain that was dormant in others. The familiar click followed. Everyone’s clouds appeared, a billow of bright, vibrant colors surrounding them. It was beautiful in the night, like colorful, cloudy wisps hugging their shoulders.
Di, Mica and the twins caught up a while later. All four breathed heavily. I could only imagine the pace Di had set. All of us continued hiking through the brush.
“Don’t you need to call Luke?” Amber asked.
“Shh, no talking unless necessary.” Di turned to Mica. “Do you see anyone?”
Mica stopped and turned in a slow circle. “There’s a couple on a hill west of here. They’re just sitting there.”
“Nobody else?” Di asked.
Mica shook her head.
Di turned to the twins. “Jet and Jasper?”
The twins closed their eyes. In their black gear, they looked like dark pillars in the night. We all waited while they worked their powers. Similar to me, the twins’ powers had grown. They could now project their mental control several hundred yards from where they stood.
At least a few minutes passed before Jet opened his eyes. “They’re leaving.”
Amber cocked her head. “What’d you do to them?”
Di gave the youngest member in our group a stern look, but Jet answered anyway. “Made them think a psycho serial killer was
combing the area for his next victim.”
Amber’s eyes widened in the moonlight. “You didn’t!”
Jet snickered. “Just kidding. We can’t do anything that specific, but we did make them feel death was coming for them.”
“All right, enough!” Di hissed.
With that, we began walking again. Our legs brushed against the dense shrubs and vegetation. Despite our efforts to be quiet, it made a swishing sound. We reached the military base not long later. All of us stood near the large concrete walls as Di called Luke to let him know he could leave. She warned him to be careful.
I swallowed uneasily when she hung up. Luke seemed like a very capable individual, but we’d never worked with him and we were only getting to know him. However, we were depending on him entirely.
“Get in your places.” Di pointed to various areas around the base. “Mica, Amber and Jacinda—it’s imperative you alert Jet and Jasper if you detect anyone who isn’t one of Marcus’ men.”
They all nodded.
“Has everyone tested their equipment?” I asked.
We all fiddled with our ear pieces and tiny microphones that kept us in communication. When all of the tests checked out, Di nodded. “Okay, split up. You all know where to go.”
Amber, Jacinda and Mica took off in the opposite direction toward the highest hill about a quarter mile away. The rest of us hid around the concrete structures.
At night, the place was oddly eerie. The block-like structures looked ominous and cold. I shivered as I huddled beside a wall. The unforgiving concrete felt like ice against my shoulder blades despite my layers and new jacket.
I took a deep breath and gazed skyward. Stars shone faintly above. Only the brightest could permeate the glare from the city’s lights. It was nothing like the sky in Arizona.
How I wished I was looking at this sky right now with Flint somewhere else. We could be laying on a blanket, maybe back at the ranch or outside our cave in the Rockies. Maybe even in our own backyard if we were ever lucky enough to purchase a home and live like everyone else. But at the moment, that wasn’t possible.
I sighed as regret and sadness swirled inside me. I quickly shook myself out of it. I needed to be focused and ready. Marcus’ men could be here at any time.
“WHERE IS HE?” Jacinda whined through the communication device. Her voice crackled in my ear.
“No kidding,” Mica replied. “My feet are falling asleep.”
At least an hour had passed since we reached the military base. From Jacinda’s snappy question, it seemed I wasn’t the only one worrying.
“He’ll get here,” Di replied.
“How do you know?” Jacinda asked.
“I had a vision twenty minutes ago. I saw him coming.” Di said the words so practically through the communication system, as if we should have known that.
Jacinda let out an exasperated sigh. “It would have been nice if you’d passed that information along!”
“No talking, remember?” Jet piped in sarcastically.
“Oh, don’t start,” Jacinda warned.
I did my best to tune them out, but it was hard. Jet loved nothing more than to rile my sister up when she was worried about something. It was comforting to hear their words, however. Waiting alone in my hiding spot, while the rest of my family hid scattered around the base, felt surprisingly lonely.
“Any wolf pups on the way?” Jet taunted.
“Jet if you don’t shut-up . . .”
“You’ll what? Send the big, bad wolf after me?”
“I’ll do a lot more than that. I’ll—” Jacinda stopped mid-sentence.
“What was that? What were you saying, beautiful?” Jet was apparently trying to impersonate Luke’s voice.
“Shh!” Jacinda hissed. “I hear something. Someone’s coming!”
“Who is it?” I asked sharply.
Jacinda paused before replying, “Not sure.”
A long minute ticked past. The sound of a car broke the quiet. I couldn’t see it. Where I hid didn’t allow me to see the road or much of anything else.
“It sounds like it could be the Toyota,” Jacinda said. “Mica? What do you see?”
A few seconds passed before Mica replied, “It’s Luke!”
I sighed in relief as the sound of an approaching car increased. It abruptly stopped. I strained to hear a car door open. The sound of someone jogging through the brush came a few minutes later and then Luke’s voice sounded in the night.
“Where are you guys?” Luke yelled.
He obviously hadn’t been listening when Di explained we were trying to not draw attention to ourselves. Granted, there was nobody around to draw attention from, but still.
I didn’t hear anyone respond. A few seconds ticked by.
“Where’s Luke?” I finally whispered. Talking through the damned communication system could be so frustrating.
A moment later, Di’s voice sounded through my earpiece. “With me. I grabbed him when he walked by.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes, we’re just . . . Oh!” she exclaimed.
My breath stopped. “Di?”
She didn’t respond.
My stomach clenched. I knew the sound that Di just made. I hadn’t heard it in awhile, though, not since she’d become better at controlling her visions. The first time I’d heard that sound had been months ago. Then, Di, Flint and I had been driving into Little Raven to use the library. I hadn’t known then how powerful Di’s visions were, but the sound I just heard sounded very similar to the sound Di had made then, when she’d been pummeled with the vision of us in Chicago. I swallowed uneasily.
I waited for someone to say something, anything. Nobody did. “What’d you see? Hello?”
Nobody responded. Why isn’t anyone talking?
“Di?” Amber’s cautious voice broke through.
At least we hadn’t been cut off. “Is she okay?”
Another second passed. Nothing.
“Flint? Talk to us!” I demanded.
“She’s all right,” Flint said. “Just wait a minute, everyone. Please.”
I realized Flint had run from his hiding spot to be with her. It must be bad. He wouldn’t have risked being seen unless he thought she was in trouble. If my hair was free, I’d be pulling and twisting strands with both hands right now. Flint’s voice had been quiet, worried sounding. I wondered if Di really was okay.
“What’s going on?” Mica asked.
“No idea. Flint, should one of us come down there?” Jasper asked.
No reply.
“I hear someone,” Jacinda said uneasily. “Cars . . . or vans . . . they sound—”
A shuffle of feet came through the microphone along with a few shaky breaths. Finally, Di spoke, “Marcus’ men . . . they . . . they picked up the tracking device. They’re coming, but I saw something else. Lena—”
A squeal of tires sounded from the road below.
They were here.
“Lena!” Di repeated but everyone began talking at once through the system. Her voice became drowned out.
It didn’t matter. There was no time. Marcus’ men were here. We needed to act. Now.
I closed my eyes as adrenaline pumped through me. I welled up my power, creating an anchor for the energy I gathered. I could feel the mens’ auras. There were ten of them. From the feel of their clouds, they were the same ten men who’d been around our Arizona home. And they weren’t far, only at the bottom of the hill.
Using their energy, I created a large ball. Its force crackled and grew. I raised it high over the van. It would render them unconscious as soon as they stepped out.
Everyone was still talking through the communication device. I could feel the anxiety and fear in their clouds.
“They’ve parked on the road,” Mica said.
“I smell ten of them!” Amber added.
“Lena!” Di said again.
Jet’s voice drowned her out. “We’re starting to manipu
late them now, cover us.”
I ignored them all. Sweat trickled past my ear as my heart pounded. Any minute now, they’d step out. I needed to concentrate.
“Lena! You’re going to be—”
An explosion of sound crashed around us.
I screamed and slumped to the ground.
Pain throbbed in my head.
Dizziness made my vision swim in and out of focus.
I called out, but I couldn’t hear my own voice. It sounded as if everything was underwater and someone had detonated a nuclear device. I was certain my eardrums had burst, or if not, they’d come very close.
The feeling wouldn’t stop.
I cried in agony and gripped my head. A sharp ringing sounded in my skull over and over again. I opened my eyes. Everything was vibrating. It was as if someone had banged a tuning fork and the world was shaking out of control.
“What?” I cried. “Does anyone—” I didn’t finish my sentence. I couldn’t.
It took a second before I could stand. When I did, I swayed. The earth moved all around me.
Figures in black appeared. My family. Or are they Marcus’ men? I couldn’t tell.
Another swirl of dizziness hit me, threatening to make my vision go black.
No! Stay awake!
I tried to form an energy ball, but the world was still vibrating. I felt like a top that someone had spun on a table, and nothing would make the vicious spinning stop. I had no idea where I was in relation to the earth, let alone anyone else. Forming a ball right now was impossible.
I continued to grip my head. Seconds passed. Maybe a minute. The horrible ringing slowly subsided and sounds again filtered in.
Grunts. Commotion. Fighting.
Three men in black lunged at one man. It was the first thing I saw when I was able to focus. Moonlight filtered around us, but I barely made out who was who. However, I was certain of one thing. I knew the man the three had lunged at. I’d recognize those shoulders and that stance anywhere.
Flint.
Flint appeared as disoriented as me. Two men grabbed his arms. The other wrapped his arms around his legs. Flint barely fought them.
No!
That thought was followed by gripping fear. Not Flint! They can’t take him. I won’t let that happen!
The Complete Lost Children Series Page 62
