“Yes, we understand. Just so long as it can be done. What will it take?”
“A shitload of satellite dishes, diplexers, splitters, computers, stable power supplies, rolls of cable…manpower…lots and lots of manpower.” Foster paused as if catching his breath then added with a knowing tone, “Men who know what they’re doing.”
“Understood. Get the best men for the job.” He smiled again at Lilith and gave her a nod. “I promised the lady the performance of a lifetime.”
“The kind of manpower I’m talking about won’t be cheap, you know. I’m thinking probably…Viktor. Specialists like…well, you know, Jack Thompson. Or at least somebody as good as him.”
“Yes, of course. Only the absolute best.” Both men knew that they were on the same page once Jack’s name was mentioned.
“You know, I doubt I could get Jack on such short notice.” Paul’s voice was almost a whisper.
“I understand. Just get the best you can.” Rufus gave Lilith a wink. “She deserves it.”
*****
Robert Stevens checked back into his office long enough to grab a few things he had forgotten. He took one last look around and prepared to leave when his supervisor tapped on the wall nearly causing the small framed man to jump out of his skin. “Easy there, killer. Director Jameson wants to see you.”
Stevens nodded sheepishly and put his duffle down. He surely wasn’t dressed for a meeting with the director, but when called to Olympus, one did not simply ignore the call. He punched the number in the elevator and rode it up to the top floor.
Walking toward the director’s office, his administrative assistance barely looked up as he approached. “He’s waiting for you.” She reached under her desk and pressed the button unlocking the door.
Stevens took a deep breath just as he pushed the door open. “Sir? You wanted to…” His voice trailed off as he looked about the room. NSA Assistant Director Ingram sat opposite Director Jameson, as did two other men that Robert had never seen before.
“Have a seat.” Jameson didn’t look up from the report he was rifling through. “Can you explain this?”
“Sir?” Stevens sat slowly, his confusion evident.
Ingram handed him a copy of the file. “This.” Stevens opened the file and dug through it. He had never laid eyes on any of the intel within the folder before.
“I’m not familiar with…uh…sir?” Robert pulled out a sheet that was clearly marked DIA. “This is Defense Intelligence. I wouldn’t have access to—”
“I didn’t ask if you had access, Stevens,” Jameson interrupted. “I told you to get me everything on this group.” He glared at the analyst.
“Uh…yes, sir. And I did. Everything that I could access legally, and even a few things that I obtained through questionable methods.” He shot him a sheepish smile.
Jameson was stoic. “So why the hell weren’t these reports included?”
“As I said, sir. These are DIA. I don’t have access to their—”
“The hell you say!” Jameson slammed a hand down on his desk and Stevens jumped. “Are you or are you not a mole?”
“Sir?” Stevens squirmed. “A…what, sir?”
Ingram chuckled and held a hand up. “I believe they’re called hackers, sir.”
Stevens sighed audibly and slumped in his chair. “Oh. Yes, sir, I can hack systems but the Defense Intelligence Agency is a standalone—”
“I don’t give two shits what they are, Stevens. When I tell you I want everything on these sons of bitches, I mean I want everything. I want to know their damned birthdays, their mothers’ maiden names. I want their social security numbers. I want their fucking dogs’ names!” He leaned across his desk and glared at the man. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Stevens swallowed hard. “I do now, sir.”
“Good. ‘Cuz I’d sure as hell hate to think that you and I weren’t on the same page.” He slammed the report down on his desk and glared at the two other men who simply stood and walked out. When the door shut he turned back to Stevens. “Can you do this task while you’re running surveillance on this group?”
Stevens opened his mouth to answer then closed it abruptly. He averted his eyes and shook his head. “No, sir, not from a mobile unit, no.”
“Of course not.” Jameson sat down hard and tapped his pen against the desk. “So what do I do now, Stevens? You’re the one man in my organization who has half a fucking clue the big picture and I need you in two places at one time.”
Stevens looked up and squared his shoulders. “If I may, sir? I can get you the intel you want…the intel I should have already gotten for you. Two days, tops. If you can convince Assistant Director Ingram to put off the field op for that long…” He looked expectantly to Ingram who simply pursed his lips and rolled his eyes.
“I have a team standing by…” he trailed off.
“Two days, sir, that’s all I need.”
Jameson inhaled deeply and turned to Ingram. “How about it, Bob? What’s a couple more days? These guys aren’t going anywhere.”
Ingram shrugged. “What the hell.” He tossed the report onto Jameson’s desk. “Two days.” He turned to Stevens and gave him a stern stare. “But then we’re going in with or without you.”
“To observe. Right?” Stevens looked to both men for clarification.
“To observe,” Jameson agreed. “At least for now.”
15
Mark listened in while Mick made his phone call to Walter Simmons. If either party gave a hidden tell that something was up, he couldn’t detect it. Walter kept pressing Mick to tell him exactly where Jennifer was staying, but Mick tried to explain that she was mated to the commanding officer. She had free reign of the entire facility. She could come and go as she pleased, or stay in any part, at any time. Mick’s voice gave away his frustration at having no sway with the woman. She was as pig-headed as they came, and what little persuasive power he may have had as her friend was lost once she mated with the man in charge.
“There has to be something you can do. Can you convince her to step out? Maybe go shopping on a certain day?”
“Are you kidding me?” Mick flopped back into his chair and rolled his eyes. “It’s like she doesn’t even trust me anymore. I’ve known her since we were kids and now…” Mick paused as Mark tapped on the glass. He looked up to see him shaking his head and tapping at his watch. “Crap, my phone just alerted me. I’m almost out of minutes. I need to go.”
“Please, Mick, you have to try,” Simmons sounded desperate as he pleaded with the man.
“Mister Simmons, even if I could get her out of the place, there’s no way for me to let you know that she was out. We’d all be flying blind here. Besides, it’s like I told you, she just—” He clicked the end call button, letting Simmons assume the phone either died or ran out of time. He opened the back and pulled the battery from the device and placed the pieces on the table. “Happy now?”
“Ecstatic,” Mark deadpanned as he entered the room.
“Now can I get these chains off?” Mick held his hands up and shook the chains at him.
“Once you’re safely aboard the transport, I’ll think about it.”
“Oh for crying out loud.” Mick shoved the pieces of the phone away, sliding them off the table in frustration.
“Easy, kitty. You don’t want to go pissing me off or I might just toss you to the dogs.” Mark grabbed the chains between his wrists and pulled him from behind the table.
“Where the hell are we going?” Mick stumbled but fought to keep up with him.
“You want to spend all your time in the interrogation room before you leave, that’s up to you.” He allowed slack to build in the chain as he eyed the man. “I thought maybe you’d like to collect your personal items before we toss you on the chopper and ship you out.”
“Whoa…just like that? I mean…don’t I get a chance to say goodbye?”
Mark leaned in close. “Goodbye.” He tugged the chains and
pushed Mick out the door. Two security personnel were waiting beyond the doorway. “Take him to collect his crap then load him on the next chopper.”
“Where’s he headed, Major?”
“Thorn’s island. Make sure Bob knows to expect him.” Mark watched as the two men escorted Mick away then retrieved the pieces to the phone. He honestly had no idea what their tech guys could do with it, but maybe if they had the number, they could figure out a way to activate the GPS and pinpoint Simmons. At least they’d know if he ever left Belize. He slid the pieces into his pocket and shut the door of the interrogation room.
The alert warning on his two-way went off and he plucked it from his belt. “Time to make the doughnuts.”
*****
“So that’s what we’re facing.” Jack searched the young faces studying him. “Any questions?”
Azrael nodded. “Are we truly going to save your old employer?”
Jack squeezed his eyes shut and ground his teeth. “I really want to say no. But my father-in-law is expecting us to show up to do just that.” He inhaled deeply and blew the breath out hard, his face twisting in anger. “So I suppose my official answer is yes. If the bastard is in trouble, we need to save him. But stopping Lilith is priority one, does everybody understand?”
Phil crossed his arms and gave Jack a puzzled look. “I do not understand. If you do not wish to save him, then why bother?”
“Because the only way we’re getting Lilith’s location is if we agree to this.” Jack patted the Nephilim’s shoulder. “I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to run through any training drills with you before this. It would have been nice to bring you up to speed before we went into battle.”
Phil’s featured twisted into what Jack interpreted as a smirk. “I have plenty of training for battle. I think I shall do well enough.”
“Perhaps, big guy. But it’s one thing to know how to fight and another to fight with a team.” Jack pointed to the others in the group. “They know how to fight as a team.”
Phil motioned to Gnat. “Even the small one fights?”
Gnat stuck his chest out and hefted his hammer. “Good enough to level your large arse, I do.”
“Easy.” Azrael planted a foot between Gnat and the angel spawn. “We don’t want you to hurt him before we can take down the demon Lilith.”
Gnat stepped back and leaned on his hammer, his eyes narrowing on Phil. “He just saved your life, he did.”
“Okay, knock it off.” Jack got their attention again. “As soon as Viktor calls me back, we’ll find out where to meet and what his plan is. For now, we go with what he comes up with. If things go sour, we do what we do best.”
Raven held a hand up to get Jack’s attention. “Were you able to get bullets made from the arrows Kalen created for you?”
Jack sighed heavily as he shook his head. “They haven’t had time yet. Doc is working on it, and the guys in the armory are trying to help, but whatever that metal is, it doesn’t want to melt and it tears up the equipment when they try to turn it on a lathe.”
She stepped closer to him and drew one of her swords. “I have an extra.” She handed it to him and Jack waved it off. “Hey, you need some kind of super weapon, right? What if it comes down to you and her or if she grabs you and you’re the only one with an opportunity?”
“Too big for my tastes. I prefer something more like this.” Jack pulled his Tanto-bladed survival knife and flashed it. “Small and quick.”
Raven sheathed the sword and drew a dagger from her thigh. “Like this? It’s not exactly the same, but it’s as close as I have.”
Jack hefted the weapon and nodded. “Nice balance.”
She pulled the leather sheath and handed it to him. “This beats tucking it into your belt.”
Jack strapped the knife to his leg then turned to face the warriors once more. “Look, I’m not very good at this stuff, but I just wanted to say be sharp out there. Keep your head clear, your eyes open, and always stay alert. I don’t know what we’re going into or what we’re going to be facing. But I do know that whatever it is will be dangerous. We’re walking right into the lion’s den and punching the cat square in the nose.” He squared his shoulders and set his jaw. “This whole ordeal could be over in a matter of moments or…”
“Or it could get very, very nasty,” Kalen finished for him.
“Right. I just don’t want to have to be the one to notify any of your next of kin that you didn’t make it.” Jack cleared his throat and shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I…uh…I’ve grown a little fond of you guys.”
“I don’t suppose the Nephilim could just call dad to come down here and kick her ass?” Gnat shot the giant Guardian a sardonic stare.
Phil shook his head. “I have no way to call an angel.”
“Crying shame.” Gnat shook his head. “Crying damned shame.”
“Alright, boys and girls, enough chit chat. Finish gearing up and do what you need to do. As soon as I get the coordinates, I’ll come get you.” Jack turned and headed to the duty officer’s office.
Kalen turned to Raven. “You ready for this?”
She stiffened slightly and shot him a sideways glance. She quickly noted that nobody was paying them attention so she pulled him aside. “That never happened, do you understand?”
“What didn’t?”
“The…what happened in the…when you…” She clenched her teeth with frustration as Kalen stared at her questioningly. “You never kissed me,” she whispered.
“Yes, I did.”
“No, you didn’t.” She glanced over his shoulder to ensure nobody was listening in. “Kalen, we can’t…” Her voice trailed off as she searched for the right words. “We shouldn’t be getting involved. Especially now. It will muddy our thoughts. You’ll be too concerned for my safety and that could get you hurt. Or worse, it could get you killed.”
He smiled sheepishly and reached for her. She caught his hands and held them away. “No. I meant it.”
Kalen’s face fell as he stared at her. “But I know you. You are the most proficient warrior here. I wouldn’t need to worry about you if we were in battle.”
She exhaled hard and lowered her eyes. “And I don’t need to worry about anybody else either.” She finally brought her eyes up to meet his. “Jack says this is too important.”
“But, Raven, this won’t be forever. Then we could…”
“No.” She let go of his hands and stepped back. “Just…no.”
He watched her turn and walk away, an ache in his chest that he couldn’t explain preventing him from breathing.
*****
Laura tried not to laugh as Derek stared at her open mouthed. “Seriously?” She leaned back and cocked her head to the side. “You have no trouble swallowing that werewolves are real, but the idea that vampires might be real has you about to wet yourself?”
Derek was slowly shaking his head, his eyes unfocused. “For God’s sake. What’s next? Fairies? Elves? Oh wait, let me guess! Dragons! Dragons are real, too!” He threw his hands in the air then stopped his ranting. He turned on her, his face angry. “You’re screwing with me, aren’t you? There’s no werewolf serum, is there? You just wanted to make me out to be an idiot!”
Laura sighed and shook her head. “Yes, there is a serum, and now you’re acting like an idiot.”
“Oh, I’m the idiot because you want me to believe in monsters. Right.” Derek sat down on the hearth again and chuckled. “You really had me going for a bit there.”
“It’s real, Derek. And yes, vampires, elves, fairies, and yeah, even dragons are real. In fact most all of the fairy tales we heard as kids are based on fact.”
He laughed a short snort and slapped his thigh. “Sure they are.” He pointed toward the door. “Wait, you better let in the mummy, I think I hear him knocking!”
“No, Derek, mummies aren’t real. Well…I mean, they’re real, but they don’t come back to life.” She paused and scratched at her chin. “At least,
I don’t think that they do.”
“Oh yeah. I’m sure you and the governor had a fun time cooking up this little joke to play on me.” He shook his finger at her. “At least you got him to eat something.”
“This wasn’t a joke, dammit!” She threw a pillow at him, catching him off guard. “And stop calling him that. He isn’t the governor any longer.”
“He’ll always be the governor to the folks around here and you know it. Just like Mom will always be—”
“I said STOP!”
He stopped talking and stared at her, seeing her for the first time since he started his rant. The tears running down her cheeks and the flushed color of anger painted across her features told him that he had gone too far. Way too far. He stood and closed the gap between them. “I’m sorry, Punk. I didn’t mean to…”
“No. Just stay over there.” She pushed him back and walked around him. She went back to her dad’s chair and fell into it. “I’m pissed and I want to be left alone.”
“You’re pissed?” Derek stood in front of her and watched her turn her head to avoid having to look at him. “You pull a stunt like that on me and you’re pissed?”
“It wasn’t a stunt. It’s real.” She reached for her phone and tossed it to him.
“What the hell?”
“The wallpaper, jackass. That’s my boyfriend with me. Notice anything?”
“Damn, he’s pale.”
“Anything…else?”
“He has the strangest colored eyes.” Derek pulled the screen closer and stared. “Are they silver or blue?”
“His teeth, stupid.” She finally looked at him and watched as his face contorted with confusion.
“Are those Halloween teeth?”
“He’s a vampire for fuck sake!” She reached up and plucked the phone from his grip. “And no, those aren’t Halloween teeth.”
Derek stared at her, his mouth open as his brain tried to process what she was saying. He slowly shook his head again as a smile began to form across his face. “You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”
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