Darkness Past

by Sherryl Hancock

  “Cat, wait, wait!” Sable said, blocking her from getting out of bed.

  “No, I can’t wait. I need to find her, Sable,” Cat said sternly.

  “Find her? Why?” Sable asked, her voice angry now. “She came to San Francisco to see you—so what? That doesn’t make her less of a lying, cheating—”

  “Sable, someone grabbed her!” Cat said, wincing at the pain it caused to raise her voice. “Where’s my cell phone? I need to call home.”

  Sable hesitated, still not understanding what was going on. She and Jake had finally gone downstairs to check on Cat when she hadn’t come up. Elizabeth Endicott had called the hotel room an hour after Cat had dropped Sable off. She’d been looking for Cat; she’d said she was coming upstairs. Sable had told her not to bother, that Cat wasn’t in the room, that she’d gone for a drive. Elizabeth had said she’d wait for Cat in the lobby then.

  Sable had fumed for the next two hours. It had been 4 a.m. by the time she’d awoken her bodyguard, Jake, and dragged him downstairs to look for Cat. There had been a ruckus outside, and Jake had run out to see what was going on. Sable had been right behind him. She’d seen Cat lying on the ground half a block from the hotel. Cat had been unconscious, her gun in her hand. It had terrified Sable.

  Jake had called an ambulance and checked Cat out to see if she was shot. The ambulance had arrived ten minutes later and taken Cat to the hospital. Sable and Jake arrived ten minutes after the ambulance did. That had been five hours ago.

  “Cat, just wait,” Sable said. “Your phone is back at the hotel; so’s mine. I’ll have Jake go get it in a while, but you need to rest. You can’t go running off right now. You’ve been hurt.”

  “No,” Cat said, her tone becoming all cop. “You don’t understand—Elizabeth was kidnaped, and I need to get her back. This is family business now, Sable. It’s not about us.”

  Sable stared back at her, then nodded. “I’ll have Jake go get your phone.”

  “I’ll use a pay phone,” Cat said, moving to get out of bed and getting hit with a wave of dizziness instantly.

  “Wait!” Sable said, holding up her hand. “Get into bed. I’ll get you a phone.”

  Cat nodded, her vision already darkening. Jake had come into the room when he’d heard Sable yell “Wait!” so he was there when Cat passed out. He picked her up, putting her back on the bed gently, knowing Sable would kill him if he wasn’t careful. This girl was different from the hundreds of others his employer had been with—he was smart enough to sense that.

  It was another hour and a half before Cat came to again. By that time Jake had run back to the hotel and gotten her cell phone for her. Cat was on the phone minutes after she woke up. She called Kevin.

  “Mace, it’s me,” she said when he answered, sounding rather harried himself.

  “Cat! Where are you?” Kevin asked.

  “I’m in San Francisco. Look, I don’t have time for details—something’s happened. I need to talk to Rick or Midnight.”

  “Well, that’s going to be a problem,” Kevin said, his voice serious. “Midnight was shot two hours ago. Rick is missing along with Mikeyla.”

  “Fuck…” Cat breathed, sensing that Elizabeth’s being kidnaped was related here too. “Mace, Elizabeth has been grabbed,” she said, knowing she was adding to the problems piling up. “Wait, Midnight was shot? What about Kana and Tiny?”

  “Tiny took a round in the shoulder, Kana got knocked out, but they’re all three okay—the wounds weren’t fatal. But there’s an all-out assault on the Debenshire household, and we’re chasing our tails here.”

  “Okay,” Cat said. “What have you got on Midnight’s shooter?”

  “Almost nothing,” Kevin said.

  “Okay, well, I have four numbers on a plate up here on the van that they put Elizabeth into. So maybe if we can find them, we can find Midnight’s shooters, and figure out where Rick and Mikeyla are too.”

  “Got it,” Kevin said. “I’ll talk to the Gang and call you back as soon as we have a plan of attack. I’ll be there, partner. You stick tight.”

  “Okay,” Cat said, feeling calmer now, since she knew her backup would be there soon. They could handle this. They had to.

  ***

  In Sacramento, Kashena was just getting up, moving to kiss Sierra good morning, when the vision hit. She jerked her head back as if she’d been struck, sucking in her breath sharply as the pictures flashed in and out of her mind.

  Sierra watched, her hand on Kashena’s leg, her eyes worried. When Kashena relaxed again, lying back on the bed, Sierra looked down at her.

  “Are you okay?”

  Kashena nodded, breathing shallowly as the headache started. She put her hand to her forehead and rubbed it.

  “Was that a vision?” Sierra asked, recognizing the pained look on Kashena’s face.

  Kashena nodded again.

  “Hold on,” Sierra said, getting off the bed and going to Kashena’s medicine cabinet.

  Ten minutes later, she brought Kashena tea laced with the herbs from the healer and sugar. Kashena drank it gratefully.

  “I need to call Baz,” she said, reaching for the phone.

  “Why? Was it about him?”

  “No, the AG. Something’s wrong,” Kashena said.

  Sierra handed Kashena the phone as Kashena got up and started pacing.

  The story had led the news that morning. Sebastian answered his phone, knowing it was her.

  “We need to go to San Diego,” he said.

  “I know,” Kashena said, already heading for her closet to get her suitcase. “I’ll meet you at the airport in an hour.”

  “See you there.”

  Chapter 8

  Meanwhile, in San Diego, everything was going sideways. Palani had received a heart-stopping phone call from Dave.

  “Midnight and Tiny have been shot,” Dave had told her without preamble.

  “Oh God… What about Kana?” Palani asked, feeling sick immediately, afraid he hadn’t said at first because the news about Kana was worse.

  “Something or someone knocked her out, but we think she’ll be okay. But you should come to the hospital, okay?”

  “I’ll be right there,” Palani said, her voice expressing the relief that flooded her veins, but as she got ready, her mind started going over it. What if he was lying to her to keep her calm? What if Kana was really dead? Or shot… What if… Her mind reeled as she picked up her keys and grabbed her purse.

  Palani had done her best to remain calm, but it took every ounce of self-control she had not to break land speed records to get to the hospital. She kept remembering when Kana had been shot and had nearly died. It had been a nightmare time in her life, and she didn’t relish reliving any of it. She also knew that Kana would want her to be careful—she could almost hear Kana saying “Babygirl, getting yourself killed getting to me wouldn’t be productive at all.” The thought of it made her smile.

  At the hospital, she found Dave.

  “How is she? Where is she?”

  Dave put his hands on her shoulders, his face calm. “She’s in a room. They’re running tests, so you can’t go in yet. She’s still unconscious.”

  “But she wasn’t shot?”

  “No, we just know she passed out at the scene.”

  “What does that mean?” Palani almost screamed. “Kana doesn’t ‘pass out’! What happened to her?”

  “That’s what they’re trying to figure out, hon,” Dave said, his voice still calm.

  “What about Midnight and Tiny?”

  “They were both shot, but not anything life-threatening, as far as we know…”

  “What?” Palani asked, knowing there was more.

  Dave grimaced. She could see things were weighing heavy on him. “Rick and Mikeyla have disappeared, and we think Elizabeth is on the missing list too.”

  “Oh my God…” Palani whispered.

  “Yeah…” Dave said, his tone indicating his worry.

  Palani looked
around and saw all of Midnight’s people waiting for word on the three in hospital rooms. Walking over to a seat, she saw Joe standing by one of the doors. She knew without a doubt that it had to be Midnight’s hospital room. Joe was always Midnight’s knight in shining armor.

  Sebastian and Kashena strode into the hospital where Midnight, Tiny, and Kana were an hour later. Palani heard one of the uniformed officers, of which there were many in the waiting room, say, “Who’re you?” in a very authoritative voice, which had everyone looking up. Palani didn’t recognize either of the newcomers. As she watched, however, the male newcomer pushed the officer aside. That was when Dave, Spider, and a few other officers drew their weapons, not sure who these people were, but determined that they weren’t getting any closer to their fallen comrades.

  Palani watched as the man and woman turned back to back; it was obvious they were used to handling dangerous situations together. They didn’t draw their weapons, but their hands hovered near enough to do so if needed. Things were very tense for a few seconds, but then Joe Sinclair stepped into the circle that had formed around the two strangers. “Whoa, hold up!” Joe said, holding his hands up and gesturing for the other officers to put down their weapons. “They’re okay. They’re from the Sacramento AG’s office.”

  Everyone immediately holstered their weapons, looking very relieved.

  “This is Kashena Marshal and Sebastian Bach,” Joe said, nodding to the blond man. “Good to see you healthy,” he said to Sebastian, then looked back at Dave. “They’re Midnight’s Sacramento protection detail.”

  “Sorry, we’re a bit tense right now,” Dave explained to Kashena.

  “I can see that,” Kashena said.

  “And we’re here to do our job,” Sebastian said, not appreciating the welcome.

  With that, he started toward Midnight’s room again.

  “Wait, wait, we have it covered,” Dave told them.

  “We’re her backup security team,” Kashena said over her shoulder. “Nobody else.”

  “But we’re her family,” Joe said as they got to the door.

  Sebastian looked back at Joe, obviously trying to decide if Joe could override him. Joe wasn’t his boss—his boss was in a hospital bed. So, no, he couldn’t.

  “Look,” Sebastian said, trying to remain reasonable, “it’s our job to guard the Attorney General when her first detail is incapacitated.”

  Kashena saw Joe Sinclair’s eyes narrow, and she jumped in before there was a fight.

  “Wait!” Kashena said, stepping between the men and looking up at Joe. “You guys are worried about her, SAC Sorbinno, and SAS Ako. So are we. There’s a serious cop convention going on here. Can’t we come to some kind of agreement on who stands watch? We can trade off.”

  Joe and Sebastian were still eyeing each other. That’s when Kyle Masterson stepped in.

  “Joe, you’ve been here for four hours,” Kyle said, clapping Joe on the shoulder. “Why don’t you go get some coffee? I’ll stay here with these agents, and we’ll get a game plan together.”

  Joe looked at Kyle, knowing he was being managed, but finally he nodded. Someone had gunned down his best friend in cold blood, and his other best friend was missing. Two of his dearest friends were lying in hospital beds, and Midnight’s niece and teenage daughter were missing. Things were spiraling out of control. Joe walked away. His wife, Randy, met him halfway with a cup of coffee.

  Kyle looked back at Sebastian and Kashena.

  “I’m Kyle Masterson,” he said, extending his hand first to Kashena. “Chief of San Diego PD. And you are?”

  “Special Agent Supervisor Kashena Marshal,” she said, shaking his hand.

  “Special Agent Supervisor Sebastian Bach,” Sebastian said, looking calmer.

  “Good to meet you both,” Kyle said. “Sorry about that reception you got,” he said, indicating the four men standing together down the hall. “We’re all on edge right now. Midnight, Kana, and Tiny are family to us.”

  “We’re just trying to do our job,” Sebastian said.

  “I understand that,” Kyle said. “But when Midnight’s extended family consists of almost nothing but cops, you can believe she’s being protected.”

  Sebastian nodded, looking undaunted.

  “Baz!” Kashena said, knowing her partner saw only duty at this point. “Relax, will ya? We’re here, and we’re going to do what we need to do to make sure she’s safe. Okay?”

  Sebastian looked at her, his eyes on hers as she gave him a pointed look. Finally he nodded.

  “Now,” Kashena went on, looking at Kyle. “How are they doing?”

  “Fine,” Kyle said. “Midnight was hit twice, but neither was serious. Tiny was hit once in the shoulder—he’s fine. The problem is that Midnight’s husband and daughter are missing, and one of her nieces is too. I’ve sent people to San Francisco to help locate her.”

  “Damn…” Kashena said, shaking her head, trying to fathom all that was happening and knowing it was all somehow connected. “Do we know anything about the people who attacked the AG?”

  “Not much,” Kyle said. “She was hit walking out of the terminal. Tiny was hit trying to cover her. Kana was sprayed with something that knocked her out—she’s still out. Tiny got the make, model, and color of the car, but nothing on the plate. The airport police are interviewing as many people as they can, anyone who might have seen something.”

  Sebastian glanced at Kashena. “Anything there?”

  Kashena shook her head. “It was a face, and a word, along with a smoke cloud, probably the gunshot.”

  “Excuse me?” Kyle asked, looking from Sebastian to Kashena, clearly lost.

  Sebastian looked at Kashena, as she did him. He shrugged. “You could try telling him.”

  “Telling me what?” Kyle asked, sensing something was up here.

  Kashena sighed, not sure how her information was going to be received. “I don’t know, Baz…”

  “If you know something,” Kyle said, his tone changing to “chief.”

  “I don’t know anything for certain,” Kashena said. “I get, well, I get these visions.”

  Kyle’s eyebrows shot up, telling Kashena that he wasn’t one to believe in such things.

  “Never mind,” she said, reaching for a cigar and glancing around for a place to go smoke it.

  “I’ll cover you,” Sebastian said, nodding toward the courtyard to the right of the corridor.

  “Thanks,” Kashena said, striding toward the exit and away from the San Diego Chief of Police.

  Outside, Kashena got on her cell phone and called Sierra, feeling the need to talk to someone that didn’t think she was crazy.

  “How’s it going?” Sierra asked immediately.

  “It’s worse than we thought,” Kashena said, sighing as she smoked. “The AG’s husband, daughter, and niece are missing right now too. Something big is going on, Sierra, I can feel it. That vision was vicious—my head is still ringing. This is big, but I can’t explain this to them. The Chief of Police is already looking at me like I have two heads.”

  “Why?” Sierra asked, not liking the sound of all of this.

  “Because I started to tell him about having visions. He thought I was nuts.”

  “Oh, Kash…” Sierra said, worried. She knew it had to be difficult for Kashena. Here she was, a hard-edged, well trained, disciplined cop and ex-Marine, and she had visions that made people think she was a nut.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Kashena said. “I just need to figure out what the hell my vision meant, fast.”

  “Just be careful down there,” Sierra said.

  “I will be,” Kashena said. “Sac PD has been told to let you know if Jason gets out of jail. You be careful as to where you go, and make sure the alarm is armed every night.”

  “I will, don’t worry,” Sierra said, astounded that Kashena was always thinking of these things. She missed nothing.

  “I need to know you’ll be okay, Sierra,” Kashena told her
, feeling weak for a moment.

  “I will be, Kash,” Sierra said, gripping the phone tighter. “Don’t worry yourself about me. Just take care of business down there.”

  Kashena nodded, swallowing a few times to get her composure back. Things were a mess; this was not the time to lose it.

  “Okay, okay,” she said. “I better get back in there.”

  “Okay,” Sierra said, knowing Kashena needed to feel like she was doing something right then. “Kash?”

  “Yeah?” Kashena said, dropping her cigar and stepping on it with a booted foot.

  “I love you,” Sierra said softly.

  Kashena smiled. “I love you too. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

  They hung up then, and Kashena went back inside. She wasn’t sure what had been said to Kyle Masterson, but Sebastian was leaning against the wall next to the door to Midnight’s room, and Kyle Masterson was gone.

  “Better?” Sebastian asked.

  “Uh-huh,” Kashena said.

  “We’re on our own on the vision thing,” Sebastian said, his tone slightly irritated.

  Kashena nodded. “Figured as much.”

  ***

  Cat’s team, often called Rogue Squadron, consisting of Kevin, Stevie, Christian, Donovan, and Jeanie, arrived two hours after Cat’s call to Kevin. Kyle had used his status as Chief of Police to charter them a plane to get them there faster.

  “Well, this is a fuckin’ mess, huh?” was Christian’s greeting to Cat when she opened the door to the room. He grabbed her up in a hug, lending his strength to her. Stevie, Jeanie, Kevin, and Donovan followed, each hugging Cat as they entered.

  Introductions were made between the team and Sable and Jake, and then the team got to work. They needed to find Elizabeth fast, and were sincerely hoping that finding Elizabeth would lead them to who had shot Midnight, and where Rick and Mikeyla were being held. There was no time to waste.

  “Fuck, where is she?” Cat said, pacing. “Blue, put the pictures back up. Let me look at them again.” After running down every lead they had on the plates that Cat had seen, they were still nowhere. Cat’s frustration level was through the roof.