CHAPTER 17: SCHEMING
“So far, we have no effective strategy,” Joseph explained while leaning over one of the lab tables. “There are cameras at every corner and guards at every exit. This place is locked tighter than Fort Knox.”
“Cut the electricity.” I shrugged. It seemed pretty obvious to me. The men inside couldn’t see, and the men outside would no longer have the spotlights to light their way. There would be no cameras to watch our every move, and the doors would open—
“Then the doors would be sealed with us inside,” Karen muttered as if she could read my thoughts.
“Damn,” I whispered.
“True,” Joseph said thoughtfully. “But we might also be able to use that against the guards. If we accomplish getting outside and turning the power off, they will be stuck inside.”
I nodded earnestly to the superior plan. Andrew leaned against a wall in his cell and watched us intently. His golden eyes were glued to my every move. The glass couldn’t be that thick, and the door? Why couldn’t he just rip it off like Ehno ripped the door off in the plane? What kind of metal or material were the FBI using for the cells the angels were in? I found it unusual that the angels couldn’t just rip the doors off. I’d seen Andrew’s muscles first-hand and knew he could do some damage if he wished. Though it should have been the last thing on my mind, I couldn’t help thinking about him in action, his muscles rippling with the effort, him sweating. My face flushed at my thoughts.
I glanced at Karen—wondering if my feelings were easily displayed on my face—who was looking pensively at the door I had entered. My thoughts turned another direction, back to my scheming. Karen had just magically appeared in my house and so had the Elders. Why couldn’t they do the same? I became suspicious. Of what or who I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t voice my internal thoughts, afraid to alert them to my suspicions. There was no time to worry. We’d only been underground for minutes, and I was already geared up to get the hell out of there.
“Okay.” My voice sliced through the silence. “How do we get on the outside and cut the power?”
“That’s the tricky part.” Karen pulled up a stool and sat. “If we go into the cells then it will look like we’re working, but if the angels leave their cells then it looks like we’re rescuing them.”
“What happened to ‘Operation Liberate Angels’?” I asked, pursing my lips. It was funny just a few moments ago, but now I was disappointed at the lack of a plan. The name had given me hope, and now I had none. “It seems there is no ‘operation’ to speak of.” My voice was bitter, and I immediately felt guilty at the look of reproach Joseph shot me.
The room grew silent as we stared at each other. My mind worked feverishly toward a solution to our predicament, but I didn’t know anything about the facility. Palm scanners, keycards . . . who knew what other type of security clearance you would need to get into the more secure places.
I caught Joseph staring at me and was about to ask the questions that were formulating in my head, but as soon as I opened my mouth Ehno spoke up.
“We could fight,” he said through the small holes in the glass. When I looked his direction I noticed that his hair was cut much shorter than Andrew’s had been. I wondered if Andrew fought with them, and they just gave up.
“With four angels we could easily take them out,” Ehno continued.
There was a growling noise coming from Andrew’s cell, and all of our heads snapped his direction. I didn’t know a person could make that kind of noise. Well he wasn’t a person, now was he?
Andrew pushed off the wall, and his jaw went tight with anger. “That’s not an option. Gabriella could get hurt.”
“It’s true,” a soft soprano voice came from the farthest cell. Lucia’s voice was that of a calming ocean wave, soft and smooth. “We must protect her above all others. The prophecy speaks of keeping the Illuminator safe. She must be protected at all costs. Fighting is not the answer.”
I shot Lucia a grateful look. I didn’t think they should fight either, though the reason she gave seemed kind of silly to me. I was worrying about their safety more than mine.
“So that’s out of the question,” I said.
Joseph sighed and rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands. “Brute strength isn’t going to help us get out. We’re going to have to be clever.”
“So we manipulate the system,” I barely whispered. They all stared at me expectantly. I was the super-genius, after all. So, of course they thought I would have all of the answers, which instantly ticked me off.
“Any ideas?” Joseph prompted when I didn’t continue. “Because I think we’re all anxious to hear what you think we should do.”
Fabulous.
“You two are FBI agents—don’t you know more about this place than I do? More about missions? I’m just a scientist.”
“Gabriella.” Karen sighed. “This is a different facility than the one we work in. You were supposed to be flown to D.C. But now, with the angels . . . alive, they decided to not travel any farther than necessary.”
“We’re all in the same boat,” Joseph said. “So, any ideas?”
“Um . . . Anyone recently watched any James Bond movies or Mission Impossible? Could give us some insight,” I joked nervously.
Joseph sighed, though he smiled at me. “That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind—”
“Yeah, you all thought that because I’m super intelligent I’d have all the answers. Right? Well, I didn’t graduate with a degree on escape or take Getting out of a Secret Government Facility Alive 101. Maybe if I had detailed plans of the building, more information to go on, but I’ve only been here for a few minutes. My knowledge base of this facility is limited at best.”
Joseph’s smile vanished, and I felt ashamed at my rudeness. I hated that I was here, putting everyone in danger. It was my mood making me snappy.
There were so many new people in my life, and though I barely knew them, I felt an immediate bond to all of them. It was strange that this was happening all at once and so suddenly. I kept to myself my whole life, pretty content at being alone. The only constants in my life had been school, my job, and my family. Although my adoptive parents sacrificed a lot and always provided for me, we never truly emotionally bonded, but Jenna and my cousin Nicole were always there for me. They were better than any friends I could make at school or work.
“We know it’s not up to you,” Andrew said behind me. I turned to see his golden eyes. “We’re all in this together.” He sighed in frustration. “I hate being behind this glass, unable to keep you safe.”
In the reflection of the glass I saw Karen’s lips twitch, almost as if she were suppressing a smile. It bothered me that she would be suppressing any emotion that resembled contentment.
I circled around the lab table and walked toward Andrew’s cell. Though I was facing Andrew, watching his every smooth stride across the small space, I spoke over my shoulder to the two FBI agents.
“Joseph, get me the blueprints to this place or something similar that’ll give me the layout. Tell whoever it’s about security for the lab or something convincing. Karen, I need you to write down any and all information about the guards, security, and anything else you can think of enlightening me with. Flirt if you have to. It’s time to illuminate the Illuminator.” I stepped closer to the glass that kept my angel and me apart and put my hand against it. “We’re getting out of here,” I promised.
There was nothing but silence behind me as I continued to watch Andrew. His gold eyes smoldered into mine. Just one look into his golden depths made me weak in the knees. No one had ever had that kind of effect on me before, and more than anything I wanted to be behind that glass. When I turned around to see if they had left, they were both arguing silently to each other and stopped immediately when they saw me looking at them.
“Can I go in there?” I yanked my thumb over my shoulder.
Karen frowned. “It’s your lab, Gabriella.” I looked at Joseph for confirmation, and he nodd
ed silently.
“Well, how do I get in there?” I couldn’t see any doors. Maybe the glass just slid away?
“Go on, Karen. I’ll keep an eye on Gabriella.” Joseph pointed toward the door, just in case she didn’t know which way the exit was. I wondered what their small tiff was about, because they both looked pretty upset with the other.
“You’re Gabriella’s Guardian,” Lucia said harshly through the glass cell. “You’re not supposed to leave her.”
“I told you,” I heard Karen say to Joseph under her breath.
“No, Lucia. I’ll be fine,” I cajoled. “What could happen?”
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Joseph promised.
Lucia’s blue eyes narrowed.
“Lucia. Really. I’ll be fine. I’m about to go into Andrew’s cell, anyway.” She deflated at my words, though the piercing look she shot Karen didn’t falter.
“So . . . can you help me into the cell?” I asked, eyebrows raised. Joseph nodded, and we both watched Karen turn around, put her palm on the door, and slide her keycard. The door popped open, and she strode out, the door sealing back in place like we were being locked in a large Tupperware container.
Joseph waved in the direction I should walk. I saw a door to our right and went towards it with his warm hand on my lower back. It was strange how comfortable I felt with him being this close to me.
If it weren’t for Andrew, I’d probably fall right into Joseph’s capable hands. Tall, dark, and handsome didn’t even cover the small glimpse of the personality I’d seen. I never thought I’d meet anyone like Joseph, and I most definitely never thought I would meet someone like Andrew. Everything had happened so fast, but no matter how generous, kind, and sweet Joseph was, my brain seemed to revert back to the golden-eyed angel that saved my life.
The door opened to a small hallway with five doors to the left. That was actually the first door that I had gone through where I didn’t have to go through some kind of security check. “Each door opens into a cell. I’ll give you some privacy.” He turned around, and the door shut behind him.
I breathed in a steadying breath and walked toward the first door, which was Andrew’s cell. The door after that was Ehno’s, and the third was Lucia’s. Standing outside Andrew’s cell door, I tried to gather my thoughts, but there was no fixing that disaster. His door, though, did have security. After the appropriate checks, it popped open as if it was sighing in relief. A tanned arm reached out and snatched me up. Andrew hugged me to his chest, and I comfortably put all my weight on him. He didn’t seem to mind. The thought of cameras, glass walls, or people watching our exchange completely slipped my mind. I didn’t want to pull away from his warm embrace, but we needed to talk. He didn’t object but still held me close to his face, his eyes searching mine. He closed his eyes and put his forehead against mine.
“I can’t figure it out.” His hot breath filled the air between us.
“What?”
His eyes opened. “This . . . connection we have.”
I nodded in understanding, our faces still only inches apart. As his words sunk in, the electricity flowed through me in rough, hot waves, and my hands on Andrew’s forearms gripped him tighter with the shock. All I could think about was how wonderful it felt to be this close to him. He didn’t shy away from the electricity but pulled me into another bone crunching hug.
“I never thought I would feel this way again,” he whispered. “Especially for a human.”
There it was again, the reminder that I couldn’t have him—that I’d age and die. My cheeks heated because he’d probably heard my thoughts through my touch. Now I wasn’t so sure if I liked this gift of mine.
“Andrew?”
“Hum?”
“Why can’t you get out of this cell?” I barely whispered into his chest.
“I . . .” Andrew pulled me from his embrace to just an arm’s length away, his fingers around my wrists. “I don’t know, but this place weakens me. Ehno is having the same problem, as surely as Lucia is. I have a bad feeling about this place. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”
“Does that mean you have a plan?”
“No.” He let out a shaky breath. “But when you find the blueprints, bring them to me. We’ll figure something out.”
“I’ll do that,” I answered confidently. We definitely needed someone else on our side. After watching him in the library, I was sure he would be able to spot the best avenue of attack—or escape. Preferably escape.
His fingers traced under my eyes. “My sweet, you’re in need of sleep.” My stomach did a somersault at being called “my sweet.”
My experience with men was slim to none, and it probably showed. “Not yet. I will soon, though. I promise.”
“Go on. I’ll be here.” His lips twitched a little at his words. He kissed my forehead. That was the second time he had done that, and it surprised me just as much as before. A small spark lit between us, and I was sure I just blushed a deep shade of red for the millionth time today.
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