by R. D. Brady
Okay, then. She grabbed the keys from the hook by the door. “Alvie, pack.”
He tossed her one and the other one was already strapped to his back. Maeve quickly opened it, pulling out the Beretta and clipping it to her belt. She tugged the pack on. “Okay. We’re heading out the back and getting to the Jeep. Everybody stays together. Alvie, Hope.”
Alvie moved to Hope and stared into the pup’s eyes. Hope went still, her nervous energy gone. Another little trick that they realized Alvie could do after 51—he could control Hope. He could get her to go silent, go to sleep, run. And right now, they were going to need that.
“Come on, guys.” Maeve headed for the back door, her little family following behind her. She did not give herself time to be afraid. That would come later. Right now, she needed to get them out of here. More gunfire sounded, this time closer.
Oh, Chris, I really wish you were here.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA
Impatience crawled through Chris. This was such a waste of time. He’d been ordered back to Edwards Air Force Base to complete a mandatory training in ‘defense proficiency.’ He’d never heard of the requirement before. He’d been told it was required for individuals in unconventional assignments. But his skill level was way above the desk jockeys he was qualifying with.
Today they’d reviewed basic hand-to-hand combat. Chris had even had to correct his instructors, whom he outranked. Tomorrow they were heading for the gun range. Honestly, if they just gave him a list of the skills they needed him to demonstrate, he could knock it out in two hours tops. Instead he was stuck here for two full days.
But that wasn’t the real reason time was crawling by. He hated being away from Maeve and the kids. And he’d had a feeling ever since he left the farm, some sense that something was about to go wrong. At the farm, it had been peaceful. They had round-the-clock protection. And yet these last two weeks he’d been ill at ease. And now with Greg …
He needed to get back. He keyed himself into his hotel room with a sigh. The one good thing about this trip was he had a room to himself. It wasn’t the Ritz, just a basic mid-level hotel with two queen beds, a no-frills desk, a mini-fridge, and a clean bathroom. Even as he felt the need to get back, he could appreciate the quiet. His friends with kids had complained about never getting a good night’s sleep. He’d thought they were exaggerating. Now he knew they weren’t.
Nevertheless, he was looking forward to flying out tomorrow night and seeing his unusual family. He’d never really been sure he wanted to have kids before all this. Now he had four alien-human hybrids and one retriever and he couldn’t imagine his life any other way.
Plus, Maeve had sounded so sad on the phone earlier, even though she had tried to hide it. He knew Greg’s death was hitting her hard. She’d been through so much. She’d taken on Alvie and the triplets without hesitation. And she was great with all of them. But he knew how tired she was, how much she worried about all of them, him included. And he also knew she was trying to keep that from him to not add to his own worries.
He’d never met someone like her. He couldn’t imagine anyone else being put through so much and still being able to smile. And he knew that seeing that smile every day for the rest of his life was something he couldn’t live without.
He pulled the ring box from his pocket. The one good thing about this trip was it had allowed him to get Maeve a ring. He opened the box. It wasn’t fancy. She wouldn’t want fancy. It was a princess cut with four smaller chips at its points—one for each kid. He smiled, snapping the box shut and slipping it into his pocket. Yup, he definitely couldn’t wait to get home.
When he’d met Maeve two years ago, he’d thought she was gorgeous. And she was. She was also smart as hell. But what he truly loved about her was how she loved—completely and without reservation. He’d seen it for years with Alvie, and now he’d seen it with himself. And as much as he loved his career, if the military demanded he leave her side again he would tell them to shove it. She was more important than jumping through some hoops everyone knew he could jump through on one leg while blindfolded.
He pulled out his phone, wanting to hear her voice again. He hit her number, but he got an error message. He glanced at the signal strength and realized there was no signal.
He frowned. That’s weird.
He picked up the receiver of the desk phone to ask the front desk, but there was no dial tone there either. Chris lowered the phone slowly, a tingle running over his skin. The TV flared to life. Chris whirled around, his heart pounding as the hair raised on the back of his neck as words began to scroll across the black screen.
They’re coming. Get out now.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
DENVER, COLORADO
Maeve peered out the door. The back of the house looked quiet. “Okay, let’s go.” She opened the door and stepped out, waiting a beat, but she heard nothing. “I start the car and you guys come running, okay?”
Alvie nodded at her. The triplets just looked at her with big eyes—eyes filled with trust. Praying she was worthy of it, she counted to three before bolting from the back porch toward the Jeep. Gunfire tore up the ground ten feet in front of the Jeep.
Shit! Maeve dove for the ground, rolling away from the line of fire.
Spitting out dirt, she looked around. Why the hell had someone shot at her? But then a dark shadow swooped down and Maeve realized the guard must have been shooting at him. More gunfire sounded. Maeve rolled and caught sight of a guard stepping around the side of the house.
Thank God.
Her relief was short lived, however, as the creature slammed into the guard and sent him flying with a sickening crunch.
The creature turned toward Maeve, and she got her first good look at it. It was easily seven feet tall, with dark-brown leathery skin. Its face was humanlike—two eyes, a nose, a mouth, all proportional. But while its face was human, those wings definitely were not. They resembled bat wings, coming to sharp points and covered in a dark leather with a dull shine.
Greg had mentioned the creature that had saved them from Hank on the base. And this one standing in front of her looked exactly like what Greg had described. But she wasn’t willing to assume that the creature had helped out of the goodness of its heart, especially not after what she’d just seen it do.
Maeve got to her feet, keeping her eyes on the creature that stood a mere twenty feet away. It made no move toward her. Instead, it tilted its head and held out a hand toward her, a hand with long talons at the end. And there was something almost pleading about the look on its face.
Not hurt. The words from Alvie wafted through her mind. She frowned. What did he—
Gunfire blasted from her right. With a hiss, the creature spun toward the three men who appeared from the other side of the house. They shot at the creature again and it took to the air with a powerful swing of its wings. The gunmen kept their aim on it as it swooped down. Maeve looked at the Jeep, preparing to make a run for it, but two of the tires were flat, and she saw three bullet holes in the hood.
One of the men threw a grenade at the creature just as it landed ten feet from the men. The creature batted it away with its wings. Maeve watched its arc in horror and knew it would land at the end of the porch.
“Run!” Maeve yelled, sprinting for the porch as Alvie, Hope, and the triplets sprinted off it.
Then the grenade exploded, sending Maeve flying back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Hands on Maeve’s face woke her, as well as an urgent probing of her mind. She blinked open her eyes, everything feeling sore. Alvie stared down at her and Maeve could feel his terror. And then she heard the gunfire.
She sat up quickly, wincing as pain shot through her head. Her shirt was pockmarked with cuts, and she knew adrenaline was all that was keeping her from feeling it right now. The back of the house had a gaping hole and the first floor was on fire. To her left, the three men in black lay in bloody pools. More gunfi
re sounded in the distance.
“What happened?” she asked as she stumbled to her knees. Snap, Crackle, and Pop huddled against her, and she put her arms around them with a squeeze.
In her mind, she saw everything from Alvie’s perspective. The grenade exploded and Maeve went flying, landing with a thud. The creature dove for the ground, flinging the men away with his wings. One man raised a weapon and the creature tore the gun, arm and all, from the man’s body. Another pulled a knife and charged. The creature swung his wings. The tips cut the man’s chest and another swing cut the man’s neck. The third man struggled to his feet, but the creature didn’t give him the chance. It stomped on his chest.
Oh my God. A truck had then appeared over the ridge and the creature had taken off after it.
Maeve looked to the right, where she could hear more gunfire. Then the creature soared into view. Alvie grabbed Maeve’s hand. Maeve felt her eyes grow wide as the creature turned its head toward them. Ignoring the stab of pain in her knees and the throbbing ache in her back, she got to her feet, urgency making her stumble. “Run!”
She grabbed Pop and Crackle by the hand, yanking them into motion. Alvie grabbed Snap, and Hope obediently sprinted behind them. Maeve, Alvie, and the triplets sprinted past the burning house and out into the field beyond it. The field was about a hundred feet wide and then the land was forested for two acres. Maeve prayed they could lose the creature in the trees, although she had no real faith that was possible.
But the only other option was to give up. And that was not going to happen. She picked up her pace, an idea already forming. The security forces had undeniably already called for help, which meant Maeve didn’t have to defeat the creature. She just needed to hold it off long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
I can do that.
That thought played through her mind as she pounded across the ground beneath her feet, trying to think of a place to hide or make a stand. The triplets kept pace with her, but Alvie sprinted ahead, and Maeve knew he was checking to see if there was any danger in front of them. She wanted to call him back, to not let him take the risk. But the truth was, he was the one best equipped to help them.
Alvie veered to the left, and Maeve smiled. Good thinking, Alvie. He was leading them to the old creek bed. It had dried out years ago, but there was a small cave along its bank. It was overgrown with vines covering the entrance, which meant unless you knew this area, you would never know it was there.
More gunfire sounded behind them, but Maeve was sure it was closer to the house than the trees. Alvie slid down the old creek bank and the rest of them scrambled after him. He held the vines to the side and they all dove in, even Hope. Alvie closed the vines just as a shadow flew over the cave entrance.
Maeve’s heart pounded, and she waited to see if the creature had seen them. But seconds went by without any movement. Alvie slid next to her, the triplets curled up against her back. Maeve pulled the Beretta from its holster, feeling the literal and figurative weight of all the lives counting on her.
God, if you’re listening, we could really use a little help here.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA
Chris moved quickly to the window, his mind whirling as he tried to figure out who the hell was sending him a message. He didn’t personally know anyone with those types of skills. And why the hell would they think he would listen to them?
His room was on the second floor at the front of the hotel, giving him a good view of the parking lot and entrance. A dark Mustang pulled up and three men stepped out, all in black tactical gear. Another Mustang drove around the side of the building, no doubt going to cover the back.
What the hell? Chris paused for only a few seconds. The fire alarm rang out. Chris narrowed his eyes. They’re emptying the building.
He wasn’t sure what the hell was going on or who those guys were, but until he did, he wasn’t trusting anybody. Chris pulled his cell phone out and tossed it on the table along with the keys to his car rental. Both would be tracked. All he had on him now was his wallet, his Swiss army knife, and house keys. Not exactly helpful. He grabbed the burn phone he’d stashed in his bag just in case. He wished like hell he’d brought a weapon. He moved quickly to the door.
People were already exiting the hotel. He could hear their footsteps and murmurings as they passed the room. Damn it. Shaking his head, he opened the door and jumped back at the sight of the man standing outside his doorway.
“Hey, I was just coming to make sure you heard the alarm. Although, how could you miss it, right?” Jasper Franklin, who’d been in his training, stood there. African-American, in his mid-thirties, Jasper seemed a good guy. He was little out of shape and had struggled with the more physical aspects of the training. But he always seemed to be ready for a laugh, even at his own expense.
Chris studied Jasper. Did Jasper show up because he was just trying to make sure Chris got out, or was he with the guys outside? Chris pulled his door shut behind him. “Yeah, I’m coming. Probably just a drill.”
Jasper shrugged. “Yeah, you’re probably right. But I’m a rule follower.”
He and Chris moved toward the stairwell. The elevators had been shut down. Making sure there’s one exit point. Chris tensed as they reached the first floor. There were a dozen guests heading for the exit. Another dozen had followed them down the stairs, coming from the higher floors. And Chris had heard even more making their way down the stairwell.
He scanned the lobby. The front wall was made of glass, with sliding doors leading outside. Tall pillars soared two stories up, with the registration desk on the left-hand side of the marble-tiled foyer and concierge on the right. A few guests clustered together, looking around uncertainly, but most moved toward the doors.
No one was in a rush, most just looked a little annoyed. But there was one man standing by the front doors, his back to the parking lot. Chris’s eyes locked onto him as the man continued his scan of the foyer before reaching down and speaking into a radio at his shoulder.
Chris ducked into the hallway next to the stairwell.
Jasper turned around with a frown. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“I forgot something. I’ll find you later.” He turned and headed for the back of the hotel. There was a kitchen back there. He was hoping he could cut through there and then get out through the loading bay. He’d checked out the hotel when he’d checked in. He knew there was a dining room attached to the kitchen.
Chris hurried past more guests heading for the front. More than a few gave him a strange look as he went against the tide. An annoyed shout rang out from behind him. He looked over his shoulder. Two men in black pushed people out of their way, their gazes locked on Chris.
Well, I guess stealth is over. Chris broke into a sprint.
“Stop!” The yell rang out from behind him.
I don’t think so. Chris broke free of the crowd and rounded the corner at the end of the hall. He pushed through the dining-room doors and sprinted across the empty dining room, dodging tables and chairs set for dinner.
The doors behind him burst open. He slid across the counter that separated the dining area from the kitchen and shoved through the swinging doors into the kitchen. The kitchen was empty, and Chris did a quick survey looking for something, anything he could use as a weapon.
A stack of cleaned kitchen tools lay piled on the counter to his left. He grabbed a long metal handle just as the door opened behind him. He whirled around, striking the man’s extended gun arm with a soup ladle. The arm dropped and Chris slammed the end of the spoon into the man’s face. Bullets sprayed across the opposite wall. Dropping the spoon and holding on to the gun arm, he stomped on the back of the man’s knee while twisting the gun from his grasp, breaking a finger in the process. Wrenching the weapon free, he slammed a front kick into the man’s chest, sending him flying into a tower of glasses in racks.
The second gunman opened fire blindly through the swinging kitchen do
ors. The guy didn’t even know if his buddy was out of range.
Chris dove for the ground and army-crawled along the ground, making his way behind the metal tables set up for prep work. The kitchen door crashed open. Chris turned on his side and fired from the ground, catching the man in the calf. He howled, bending at the waist, and the next shot found him in the top of his head. One down.
Chris scrambled to his feet. Bullets chewed up the ground behind him. He spied a giant freezer up ahead, the door slightly ajar. Chris grabbed the handle, swinging it open behind him as he passed. Bullets crashed into it.
Chris ducked into a small dishwashing station just beyond the freezer. He grabbed a knife and tossed it farther down the kitchen. The man following him sprinted around the door, heading for the sound. Chris opened fire. The first few bullets caught the guy in the chest. But his vest protected him from too much damage. Chris aimed his next shot at the guy’s knees. The man screamed and Chris rushed forward, wrenching the weapon from his hand and pointing it at the man’s face. “Who sent you?”
The man grimaced but stayed silent.
Chris shook him. “Who sent you?”
The man smiled. “What does it matter? You’re never getting out of here alive. And you’re not the only one. Those little freaks you left back in Colorado should be dead by now as well.”
Fear, anger, and shock warred inside Chris at his words, but Chris only let the anger through. “Who are you working for?”
The man smiled. “Whoever pays the most money.”
Chris brought the man’s gun down onto his temple and his eyes rolled back. He shoved him aside, grabbing the extra magazine tucked into the man’s vest. He thought about taking the vest, but he didn’t think he’d have the time.
