The Emerald Key

by Vicky Burkholder

  “Cass? Are you okay?”

  “I’ve got a murderous headache, and I feel like I’ve just finished running a marathon. But I’ll be okay. We need to worry about Greg.”

  Nic gently picked up his friend and placed him on the backseat. The quick drive to the cabin felt like the longest of his life. Once there, he carried Greg inside and put him on the futon, then went to get first-aid supplies.

  When he returned, he found Cass sitting on the coffee table still working on Greg. His color definitely looked better and he seemed to be breathing easier. Nic studied the gash. It still bled a little, but had mostly closed up. He cleaned off the blood and dabbed what remained of the cut with antibiotic cream, then covered that with gauze and tape.

  “Cass?”

  She stretched her arms over her head, fatigue drawing her face. “I can’t do any more. The rest is up to him and the spirits.”

  Greg’s eyes opened. “Nic?” His voice emerged as a croak.

  “You’re safe, Greg. We got you.”

  “Dori. They have Dori.”

  “We know. She’s okay for the moment. We’re going to go after her.”

  Greg struggled to sit up. “I’m going.”

  “To do what? You can barely move.”

  “Where?” Greg asked.

  “An airport. But I don’t know where it is.”

  Cass gave him a tired grin. “I do. There’s a small one about five miles from here.”

  “Do they have private hangars?”

  “Yes.”

  Nic kissed her soundly. “Let’s go find your friends.”

  “What do we need?” Cass followed Nic to the bedroom. Her eyebrows rose when he strapped on the sword over his dark clothes. She quickly wound her hair into a braided knot at her neck.

  “Wow. How’d you do that so fast?”

  “Years of practice.” She picked up the shotgun and checked the load, then did the same with the rifle. “Shall we go?”

  Nic shook his head, a grin covering his face. “Woman, you are incredible, you know that? But you’re not doing so hot. I think whatever you did to Greg took a lot out of you. Can you make it?”

  “Just pour some coffee into me and I’ll be fine.”

  “No time to brew coffee. Will a kiss do?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

  She grinned. “Make it a chocolate one. We don’t have time for the other.”

  He held his hand over his heart. “Ouch. I’ve been upstaged by candy.” He tossed her several pieces from a dish on the headboard.

  When they got back to the living room, Greg stood by the door, leaning against the wall. “I’m going.”

  Nic studied him. The man could barely stand. But would he do any less if it had been Cass? “Fine.”

  “I need something from my car,” Greg said.

  “What?” Nic asked.

  “My sword.”

  Nic stared at him. “You too?”

  Greg glanced at Nic’s sword. “Yes. I didn’t find out about Dori until after we married. I didn’t know about you until you got Cass to go to that seedy hotel.” He grinned at them. “I was sure once I saw you with that thing at the other hotel.”

  “Hey! Believe it or not, I’m the one who got him to go to the seedy one. What’s Dori’s power element?” Cass asked.

  “You don’t know? Water. What’s yours?”

  “Earth. Do Phoebe and Kyrie have powers too?”

  “I don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me. I think your guardians have been hiding secrets for a long time.”

  Nic interrupted them. “I hate to break this up, but we need to go. I want to do this before daylight gives us problems.”

  “So what’s the plan?” Greg asked once they got on the road.

  “All I know is, they’re in a storage room. I’m assuming one of the private hangars.”

  “There are six,” Greg said from the backseat. “The private ones are on the far side of the main building.”

  “How much surveillance this time of morning?” Nic studied the sky. Dawn barely lit the east, but low clouds kept it darker than the hour. They didn’t have much time before full daylight.

  “Most of it’s around the main hangar. Low level around the private ones. Cameras, motion detectors,” Greg said.

  “Tell me about them.”

  “One, three, and four are corporate. Six is empty. Two is rented by a friend of mine. We can park in there. Five is unknown. All but one of them are standard aluminum construction. The first one is block, mostly used for repairs and storage.”

  “Number five it is,” Nic said as they arrived at the entrance to the airport.

  “Why there and not one of the corporate ones?” Greg asked.

  Nic shrugged. “Call it a hunch. I have a feeling this guy’s not into business, at least not anything legitimate. Greg, do you think you can find the power grid and take it out?”

  “I’ll manage. I know where they are. I did the security for most of them.”

  “You have ten minutes after Cass and I leave,” Nic said. He glanced at Greg in the rearview mirror. “Greg?”

  “I won’t let you down.” Greg sat back and closed his eyes. Nic hoped he’d be able to do his job. If not, they’d have to improvise and that could lead to problems.

  They drove to the second hangar and parked in the cavernous building. Nic studied the space.

  “Are all the hangars built like this one?” Nic asked.

  “Yes, all identical,” Greg said.

  Nic strode to a walled-off area on the left. To the right he saw a small office. The rest of the area was open. He checked out the storeroom. No way to get in from above and only one door. Cass joined him.

  “What do you think?”

  “Construction is wood and beam. One door with simple lock. Should be easy access.”

  “Any idea how many you’ll face?” Greg asked.

  “Nope,” Nic said.

  “How well armed?”

  “Nope.”

  “Just like old times, huh?”

  “Yep.” Nic grinned at him. “Ten minutes.”

  “Got it.” Greg left and Nic glanced at Cass. He really didn’t want to drag her into this, but he would not leave her out of his sight. At least some color had returned to her face, and she didn’t appear as exhausted as earlier. “Ready?”

  “Yes.”

  They headed for the fifth hangar, sticking to the shadows as much as possible.

  * * * *

  “Four. Three. Two.” The lights went out. Cass gripped the shotgun as Nic kicked open the door. She’d head for the storage room, and let Nic handle whoever faced them. A small plane sat between them and the back of the space. Cass headed left while Nic went right. Greg burst in on their heels. She didn’t know how he could even stand, let alone be ready to fight, but he seemed to be moving okay. She changed direction and went to back him up.

  The four men, who jumped from their cots at the group’s entry, put up a token fight. When Greg and Nic whipped out their swords, the two on the lethal ends backed off. “Cass, watch them!”

  Cass took Nic’s handgun and held it steadily on the two men. The other two put up more of a fight. One, more awake than the others, managed to get off a couple of shots with his gun, but in the melee, his aim was off and the shots went wide, missing their intended targets. Greg’s thug quickly joined the other two on the cot. The fourth fought on until Greg joined Nic. Two against one, especially expert fighters with very long swords, were not good odds. He stepped back and put his hands up.

  Nic found plastic binder straps in the office and they quickly bound all four men, securing them to a sturdy pipe so they couldn’t get away.

  “Recognize any of them?” Nic asked Greg.

  “Yeah. All four. They’re part of the gang who took us out.” He kicked the foot of the one who’d kept fighting. “I owe this one big time.” He held his sword against the man’s chest.

  “Greg?” Nic knew Greg wasn’t normally a violent man,
but these weren’t normal circumstances.

  Greg backed off. “No worries. I’ll take care of him the legal way. I want to see him put away for a very long time. Where’s Dori?”

  Cass tried the door to the storage room—locked, with a heavy-duty padlock. And solid block walls. No easy way to break through without risking hurting her friends. “Nic! I need keys!”

  Nic searched the men and the area. “Nothing.” He went to the last man. “Where are the keys?”

  “In your ass.”

  Nic backhanded him across the cheek. “Try again?”

  The man glared at him but said nothing. Nic stepped to the next man. “The keys?”

  “Don’t know, man. He’s the brains.” He nodded at the first man.

  “Let me see what I can find out,” Greg said. “After all, he doesn’t have to show up in court with all his body parts.”

  Nic left Greg to guard the men and joined Cass. He studied the padlock and heavy door. “That’s the kind of lock I can’t shoot off. Whatever they use this for, they don’t want anyone in.”

  He studied the space. “Awful lot of security here. Different than the other hangars.”

  “You suspect something?” Cass asked.

  “Too much security for just a kidnapping.” He glanced at Greg as he joined them. Greg appeared better every moment. “You okay?”

  For an answer, Greg opened his shirt and ripped the gauze and tape off his chest. All that remained of the gash was a red scar. “I’m not a hundred percent, but I’m doing a lot better. What happened?”

  “Explanations will have to wait until later. I suggest you check the plane for contraband.”

  “But Dori—”

  “Is in this room. The sooner we let Cass get to work, the sooner we’ll get her out. And trust me when I say there’s nothing you or I can do to make it go faster.”

  “Got you.”

  “What’s the padlock made of?” Cass asked as Greg climbed into the plane.

  “Layered steel. And the door is steel-clad.”

  “I can’t do anything with that. They’re usually built around a wood composite—not pure wood. And I’m not sure I can focus on just the lock right now. It’s too small and I’m still tired.”

  “What about the block? Can you loosen the ones around the door?”

  “I don’t know if I can focus on that narrow of an area, and I don’t want to risk bringing down the whole wall. I might hurt them.”

  Nic ran his hand through his hair. “Two are on a cot against the back wall. Phoebe is in front of the cot on a chair, about five feet from the door.”

  Cass nodded. She gripped the amulet and used it to help focus her anger and fear. She thought about the blocks surrounding the door. They shook and dust drifted to the floor and the door wobbled.

  Without warning, the loose blocks and door blew out in a shower of stinging dust, narrowly missing Cass and Nic. A whirlwind danced around the hangar, creating havoc and everyone dived for cover.

  “Whoa! What happened? Phoebe! Kyrie! Dori! Are you all right?” Cass yelled over the wind.

  The wind abruptly died and Cass stepped into the opening. Her three friends stared at her from the bed and chair.

  “Didn’t expect you so soon.” Kyrie grinned at her. “I’ve been blowing at that damned door since they locked us in here.”

  Her words took a minute to sink in, then Cass grinned. “You must have the power of the wind. That leaves fire for Phoebe?” The blonde nodded. Cass checked the bindings on all three. Plastic. “Nic!” He stepped in just as she yelled his name. “Oh. Sorry. I need your knife.”

  A long, low wolf whistle came from Phoebe. “Man, I thought he looked good in astral. He yours?”

  “Her bindings you can leave till last,” Cass deadpanned. “Yes, he’s mine.”

  “So much better than that rent-a-cop.” Phoebe rubbed her wrists after Nic sliced through her bindings. “Nice sword.” Her eyes dropped to well below the belt holding the weapon.

  “You three okay?” Nic asked. He eyed the bold blonde, one eyebrow raised. Long, lean and lusty, she was definitely not his type. But he had to admit she turned heads.

  “Dori has a bum ankle,” Phoebe said. “I think it’s just a bad sprain, but not sure. The rest is minor.”

  Greg rushed in and went straight to Dori. Cass looked away as Dori’s cries tore through the room. “I thought you were dead!”

  “We all did,” Phoebe said. “What happened?”

  Greg straightened. “Later. Right now, we need to get going—fast. I must have missed a wire. Sirens coming.” He glanced at them all, his glare taking in each one. “When this is all over, I want to know exactly what’s going on.”

  “You got it.” Nic glanced at Greg. “You got everything covered?”

  Greg grinned. “Yep. Found a nice large stash of something that didn’t look kosher—or legal. It’s now in plain sight. Let’s go. Fast.” He attempted to pick up Dori, but couldn’t stand. Nic stepped in and handed Greg his weapons.

  “You cover. I’ll carry.”

  Greg nodded.

  They dashed out the door, ducking into the shadows at the side of the hangar as a car skidded to a stop. Nic saw only the one police car. He recognized Steve in the front seat. The one man he really did not want to see.

  “Kyrie? Can you give us some cover?” Cass whispered. “We have to get to hangar two.”

  In answer, snow swirled, obscuring their creeping passage around the backs of the buildings. By the time they got to the second hangar, Phoebe and Kyrie were shivering so hard they could barely walk. Greg crawled into the passenger seat of the truck and Nic sat Dori on his lap.

  “Give me a sec,” Nic said. He grabbed two duffel bags from behind the front seats, and tossed them in the back of the truck. “It’ll be a little cozy.”

  Cass, Phoebe, and Kyrie climbed into the small rear seat. Nic handed them a blanket and a couple of his heavier shirts to put on. He tossed a sleeping bag over Dori and Greg.

  Outside, heavy snow now fell. He could barely see the next hangar, let alone number five, but he could see the flashing lights from the police car lighting up the snow. “Kyrie? We don’t need this much cover.”

  “I’m not doing this. It’s really snowing,” Kyrie said. “I can move the wind, but not make it snow harder.”

  Nic drove slowly. The roads were slick, and he really didn’t want to draw attention. He turned into the light morning traffic and breathed in relief.

  “The cabin?” Phoebe asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Is that safe?” Dori asked.

  “Safer than any other place,” Nic said. “Between Cass’ magic and my electronics, we’ll know if anyone so much as sneezes.”

  * * * *

  Scorch marks stained the walls of the borrowed bedroom, and shattered pictures, destroyed books, and other pieces of normal life lay scattered on the floor.

  “Idiots! If I find the one who did this, I’ll carve his heart out with my bare hands.” William spun as the door opened, then relaxed when he saw who it was.

  “Who did what? Oh my. You know, if you’re going to throw a tantrum, you really should pick less expensive breakables. Daddy’s going to be rather upset about you destroying his collection.”

  He grabbed Sheila by her neck. “To hell with your father. You’d best be careful, my dear, or I’ll carve you even deeper the next time.”

  Shock whipped through him when she threw his hands off and he landed on the floor.

  She stood over him, straddling his hips. “Careful, my dear, or you’ll end up worse. I’m not one of your powerless little minions anymore. You taught me well and I was always good at learning important lessons. Best you remember that. Oh, and that sham of a marriage you had Daddy perform? Seems like it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I’d be mad at you for sticking me with the second string, but that man does know how to give a person power.” She snapped her fingers and one of the books burst into flames. �
�And if anyone does any more carving around here, it will be me.”

  She stepped over him and strode into the bathroom. He stared at the door, contemplating what had just happened.

  “It would seem that you have more power than I previously thought. And if you do, so much the better. Time to put you to the test.” A narrow-eyed, thin-lipped smile cracked his face as he rose, then bent to pick up the pieces of a shattered vase. “Yes, definitely time.”

  Chapter 16

  Nic pulled into the barn and they all climbed out of the truck. With Greg at his side, Nic carried Dori into the cabin and gently laid her on the futon. The others crowded around them.

  “I thought you were dead,” Dori repeated her words from earlier as she stroked Greg’s face.

  “We all did,” Phoebe said. “How’d you get away?”

  “I’m not sure. The last thing I remember is, well, it was strange.”

  “Explanations can wait,” Nic said. “We need food.” He handed Dori an ice pack. “Put this on your ankle until we can take care of it.”

  “If we’re doing other things first, I call dibs on the downstairs shower,” Kyrie said.

  “I intend to soak for the next two days,” Phoebe said.

  Nic saw Cass frowning as Kyrie and Phoebe went through the cabin while they chatted, checking each room as if looking for something—or someone.

  “Phoebe? Where are Alex and Ryan?” Cass asked when they returned to the room.

  To Nic’s surprise, Phoebe’s face crumpled and tears fell. “Damn.”

  “Phoebs?” Cass went to her friend as Nic stood by, unsure what to do.

  “I hoped…I mean Greg is here and he’s okay. I thought they’d be here too. But they’re not, are they?” She curled up in one of the chairs, Kyrie next to her.

  Dori turned sad eyes to Cass. “We were all at Kyrie’s when they came in. Greg went down when they took us. We don’t know what happened to Alex and Ryan. We saw them alive, but the odds were pretty heavily stacked against them.”

  Nic listened to the women. “Greg got out. If he did, they will.”

  “Nobody was there by the time I regained consciousness,” Greg said. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened to them.”