by R. D. Brady
He ran for the loading bay, stopping at the side of the open doorway to peer outside. A truck was parked in the bay, but he couldn’t see anyone around. Behind him, he heard a dish crash in the kitchen. More coming.
He stepped out and ran for the loading dock, leaping over the edge. Two gunmen stepped around the truck.
Chris ducked under the truck as they opened fire. Chris aimed at the men’s legs. He caught one in the ankle and the man screamed, dropping. Chris’s second shot stopped the man’s screams.
The second man ran out of Chris’s view before Chris could target him. Damn it.
Chris stayed still, struggling to hear anything. He started to crawl toward the front of the truck when he heard a voice. “He’s under the truck.”
Great. He’s got a friend. They were on the loading dock and they had the higher ground. If he stepped out now, he was a dead man. And if he waited they’d come down here and kill him.
Shit.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
DENVER, COLORADO
The woods had been silent for five minutes. No more gunfire sounded in the distance. And no more shadows flew over the cave entrance.
“Alvie? Do you sense anyone nearby?”
Alvie shook his head.
Maeve hesitated. Should she wait? Should she move? She wasn’t a soldier. She didn’t know what the appropriate response was. God damn it, they did not cover any of this in grad school.
Alvie tilted his head and then turned, looking at the cave entrance with a frown. Maeve turned toward it as well, hearing something. She inched forward.
“Dr. Leander?” The yell was faint, but it was definitely someone calling for her. She let out a sigh of relief. Oh, thank God. They wouldn’t be calling for her if the creature was still out there. “Come on, guys. It looks like it’s all clear.”
Alvie held on to her hand and shook his head.
Maeve looked down at him in confusion. “It’s okay, Alvie. The soldiers have taken care of it.”
But even as she crawled from the cave, she could feel Alvie’s unease. And his unease bled into her own feelings. She moved slowly, not calling out for the soldiers, casting her eyes around at every shadow. She headed toward the house but then shifted direction, leading them away from the house, so they would step out of the woods closer to the property’s edge and hopefully give them a chance to see what exactly was going on.
Even as she walked, she heard the soldiers calling for her. The hair on the back of her neck warned her to stay quiet. Something was wrong. Alvie, the triplets, and Hope all seemed to pick up on the same feeling and all moved quietly. Everything felt tense.
Finally they reached the edge of the woods. Maeve paused inside the tree line. “Okay. Come on, guys.” Together they stepped out. Here there was a smattering of trees to provide cover.
“Dr. Leander?”
Maeve whirled around as a man in black stepped out of the trees just thirty feet away. She didn’t recognize him, but they were always changing the security crew. Maeve put her hand to her throat. “You scared me.”
The man didn’t say anything, barely sparing Alvie and the triplets a glance before turning back to Maeve. Red flags were going off in Maeve’s head. None of the security staff knew about Alvie and the triplets. Why wasn’t the man reacting?
“What’s going on?” Maeve asked, stepping in front of the triplets.
“You need to come with me.” The man raised his weapon.
“What are you—”
A screech bellowed from the air as the man pulled the trigger. Maeve was shoved from behind and crashed into the ground, Snap on top of her. The winged creature slammed into the man, flinging him back into the trees.
Gunfire burst out from the trees as men in black came at a run toward the creature.
Maeve scrambled to her feet. “Run!” As one, they sprinted away from the fight. Ahead was the fence. It was a tall wooden structure. Maeve knew the hybrids could leap over it. But she and Hope would never be able to. What do I do?
As if in answer, part of the fence blew apart and an old Jeep with a canvas top sped through the opening. Maeve slid to a stop, putting out a hand to stop Snap and Crackle. Alvie grabbed Pop and Hope next to her. The Jeep headed right for them.
Oh, come on. “The trees!” Maeve yelled.
The Jeep put on a burst of speed and cut them off, crashing into a man in black that emerged from the trees. The man kept going, flying into a tree ten feet away with a sickening thump. Maeve scrambled back, shoving herself into Alvie and Pop behind her.
The Jeep reversed and stopped short in front of Maeve. A woman who had to be in her late sixties sat behind the wheel, her white hair pulled back into a long braid draped over one shoulder. Her blue eyes raked Maeve. “Well, Dr. Leander, what are you waiting for?”
There was a man in the passenger seat that Maeve hadn’t noticed until now. He leaned forward. “Not to be cheesy, but come with us if you want to live.”
Maeve felt like the rug had just been pulled out from under her. “Greg?”
CHAPTER THIRTY
LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA
Chris crawled toward the front of the truck, hoping he could at least get out from under the truck to make a stand. A yell went up from the loading dock, followed by grunts. Chris wasn’t sure what the distraction was, but he planned on taking advantage of it. He hurried under the engine and paused for a second to hope that the space was clear, then he crawled out. No one. Chris crouched by the front truck.
He heard footsteps heading toward him. He moved closer to the edge of the truck, careful to keep his head below the truck’s hood. The footsteps slowed as they neared Chris’s location.
Then a man stepped into view. Chris had his weapon right in the man’s face before he could even blink.
“Whoa, whoa, Chris. It’s me.” Jasper held his hands up, his eyes wide.
Chris’s mouth fell open. “Drop the gun and back up.”
Jasper complied and Chris stayed with him. He glanced quickly at the loading bay. Three more men in black lay there. He frowned. “You did that?”
“Yeah. I saw them following you. I thought you could use some help.”
Chris turned his gaze back to Jasper. Jasper had been one of the men who’d struggled in today’s hand-to-hand requalification. And now he’d just taken down three gunmen like a one-man ninja force. “Who are you?”
Jasper’s eyes grew wide and he shook his head. “No-nobody. I’m just—”
Chris tightened his grip on the weapon. He liked Jasper. He didn’t want to shoot him. But he wasn’t big on trust right now. “Who. Are. You?”
Jasper’s whole demeanor shifted. Gone was the ‘aw shucks’ personality and in its place was a man who looked perfectly calm despite the gun aimed right at his face. “I’m a friend. I was sent to help.”
“Who sent you?”
“I can’t tell you that. Not yet.”
God damn it. “Put your hands in your pockets.”
Jasper frowned. “Why?”
“Do it.” Chris had no idea how Jasper had taken out those men without a shot being fired. Which meant there was a hell of a lot more to Jasper than he had let on. And Chris did not plan on underestimating him.
Jasper placed his hands in his pockets. “This isn’t necessary.”
“Turn around.”
Jasper shook his head. “Chris, you don’t want to do this.”
“Turn. Around.”
Shaking his head, Jasper moved slowly. Chris was careful to keep his weapon trained on Jasper’s midsection.
“I’m here to help you,” Jasper said.
“Yeah, well, I don’t know you. And I’m not feeling real trusting right now.”
“Chris, I’m on your side. I swear.”
“If that’s true, then I will be sure to apologize the next time I see you.”
“Apologize? For wh—”
Chris slammed his gun into the back of Jasper’s head. Jasper dropped like a stone. Chri
s knelt down and quickly rifled through his pockets. He grabbed the cash and his car keys. Jasper had two cell phones. Chris disregarded the iPhone and started going through the old flip phone. He scrawled through the most recent calls. Only one number was listed. Chris committed it to memory and then quickly headed to the parking lot. It was a miracle no one had stumbled upon them already. He was pretty sure there was video. He’d seen the security camera over the loading bay.
Although, if those guys worked for the government, they would have no problem turning those cameras off. Chris walked quickly around the side of the building, stopping for a moment behind a crowd of people.
What the hell was going on? Those guys in the kitchen had been trying to kill him. And Jasper had taken them out. There were two groups working him. But who the hell were they working for? And then there was the message on the TV. Was that guy with either group? Or was there a third interested party?
Lights flashed down the street and the sirens of the fire trucks reached him. Chris kept his head down as the fire trucks pulled into the front of the hotel. Guests milled around the front, a few spilling out into the parking lot. Chris had absolutely no answers, and he wasn’t going to get them here. He made his way to the lot and tapped Jasper’s key fob. A silver Toyota Camry’s lights a few cars down lit up. He quickly got in and headed out of the lot. He pulled onto the main street and headed west.
That mercenary had said that another team had been sent to the ranch. Chris didn’t think he’d been bluffing. The man had known about Alvie and the triplets.
And they attacked when I was away. No, when I was called away by the government. Someone in the government was involved. Someone who wanted him dead. Right after Greg died. That couldn’t be a coincidence.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel, and he wished he could call Maeve. He needed to know she was all right. But even as he thought it, he knew she wouldn’t answer. If she’d survived, she would have bolted.
I should have stayed. I never should have left them alone. He pictured his unusual little family. Please be all right.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
DENVER, COLORADO
Greg looked at Maeve. Maeve blinked hard, worried that she had a concussion and was imagining all of this. But Greg’s face was the same as always, and he was wearing a Pokémon T-shirt.
“Get in the Jeep, Maeve. I can explain everything after.” But Maeve couldn’t seem to move. It was Greg—same brown eyes, same hair in need of a cut, same glasses. But he was here.
And with a woman Maeve did not know.
As soon as Greg appeared, the triplets let out a squeal and clambered into the Jeep. The woman behind the wheel didn’t even bat an eye at their appearance, just waved them in. Alvie moved closer to Maeve, but she could feel his joy. It was Greg.
“Maeve! Come on!” Greg yelled.
Gunfire behind her spurred her into motion. With a quick glance at the soldiers still fighting the creature, Maeve and Alvie climbed into the back of the Jeep. Maeve had barely gotten her feet in when the woman took off.
She whipped the Jeep around and quickly sped back through the newly created hole in the fence. The wind whipped at them as they sped across open fields. The triplets crouched down low on the floor. Maeve peered at the sky above, waiting for the creature to appear, but the sky above them remained clear.
Alvie tapped her arm and snuggled against her. The triplets scampered through the opening between the two front seats and launched themselves at Greg.
“Oh, ow. Hey, guys,” Greg said, trying to see around the three squirming bodies trying to hug him at the same time. Finally he gave up trying to see and just hugged them back. The triplets calmed down, snuggling into Greg, and Greg was finally able to turn around and look at Maeve. “Hey!” he yelled to be heard over the wind.
“Hey,” Maeve yelled back. “What the hell is going on?”
“A lot. This is Tilda. She saved my life a couple of nights ago.”
“How? And what the hell?” Maeve yelled as the Jeep hit a deep rut and she nearly got bounced out the back of it. Alvie grabbed on to her, keeping her in her seat. Maeve decided the rest of the conversation should probably wait until she didn’t feel like a pinball.
But she needed to know. “What are you doing here? How’d you know we were in trouble?”
“We got a heads-up that you and Chris were in danger. We headed—”
Maeve grabbed Greg’s shoulder, fear lancing through her. “Chris? He’s not here. He’s in California.”
Greg glanced at Tilda, who ignored him, keeping her focus on the road, but that look told Maeve everything she needed to know. “What happened? Is he all right?”
“We believe so.”
“You believe so? Greg, what the hell’s going on?”
But she could still hear gunfire behind her and then what sounded like answering gunfire, which made her frown. Someone else had been on the farm. But who? Her heart lurched as she imagined for a moment it was Chris. But no, he wasn’t due back for another day.
Tilda swerved off the field and onto a dirt road, which at least reduced some of the bouncing in the Jeep.
“I don’t know everything. All I know is that there was a threat to both of you. And—” He looked away.
“And what, Greg?”
“A choice had to be made,” Tilda said, not slowing. “We chose you and the experiments.”
Maeve gritted her teeth. “They are not experiments.”
“Maeve, she didn’t mean it like that. And I hated that we had to choose. But we only heard about it an hour ago. We barely got here in time. There wasn’t time to go for both of you.”
“Did you at least warn him?”
“Not us, exactly, but a friend.”
“I need to call him.”
Greg shook his head. “We can’t—not right now. They’re tracing every call within fifty miles of this place. Maeve, they sent an alien after me, too. Whoever’s behind this has connections and access.”
Sensing her mood, the triplets scampered back, crowding around her knees. She ran a hand over the top of each of their heads, their favorite spot to be touched. “It’s okay, guys.”
Greg’s eyes were full of regret. “If we call we’ll lead them right to us.”
“But Chris—”
Greg shook his head. “I’m sorry, Maeve, we can’t. Not until we’re safe. We need to get you and the kids to safety. Then we’ll track him down, okay?”
Maeve looked at the little faces curled up on the floor by her feet. Alvie reached over and took her hand, leaning his head against her. Maeve lay her other hand on top of his head. She would never do anything that would endanger them. Keeping them safe was her priority. It had been for years. She stared out as the trees whipped by them.
But who’s going to keep Chris safe?
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
PALMDALE, CALIFORNIA
Chris dialed the number again as he flew down the highway, but there was no answer. He’d tried the front gate and they hadn’t answered either. He’d called the emergency phones but there’d been no response either. He tried to still the tremor that had started in his hands but fear still rose in him.
I never should have left them. If anything has happened to them…
He swallowed down the anguish at even the thought of any of them getting hurt, and he couldn’t visit the possibility of something even worse happening to them.
The miles flew by as his mind wandered from one horrible scenario to another. Something had to have happened to them. First Greg was killed, then Chris and Maeve were separated and attacked. Someone was planning something. Someone wanted them out of the way.
Or at least the full humans out of the way.
Chris tightened his grip on the steering wheel. It had to be Martin Drummond. There’d been no sign of that bastard since Area 51 had been destroyed. The President’s people suggested Martin may have been killed in the blast. Chris knew that was wishful thinking. Martin had spe
nt a lifetime as a spook. He was sure to have hidey holes stashed all across the world.
But Chris had a feeling he was still in the United States. And while Bileris had told him Drummond had been officially denounced by the U.S. government, this whole affair had made it clear that the President’s knowledge and power was severely limited. Chris had done some of his own research into the role of presidents in UFOs. And while Truman may have created the Majestic Twelve, each successive president had lost more and more power in overseeing the U.S.’s investigation into space-related incidents.
By the time JFK took office, the executive branch was practically frozen out of the UFO game. In fact, there was even a theory that it was JFK’s attempt to insert himself into the space program that had gotten him killed. According to reports, JFK had extended an offer to Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev, offering to share the United States’ space technology and information in exchange for a joint approach to conquering space. Military higher-ups had balked at the idea of sharing anything with the Russians. Khrushchev himself had turned down the President twice.
But according to Khrushchev’s son, the Premier had planned on accepting after the third offer was made. But he never had the chance. JFK was assassinated only a few days later.
Chris knew there were as many theories about JFK’s assassination as there were numbers in the phone book. But when he read about the connection between JFK and the space program, it had sent a tremor through him. JFK had been a very popular president with the people. But within government, he had made a lot of enemies. After the Bay of Pigs, he was no fan of the intelligence community, and the feeling was mutual. Alienating the military and anti-Russian forces within the government would place a huge target on the man’s back. Now the question was, did Wilson have something to do with these attacks or was someone demonstrating to the President just how limited his reach was?
