by A A Woods
What?
Victor was continuing. “Hans will never suspect an ambush of his own design, not surrounded by so many of his own. His arrogant confidence in the insulation he’s built around himself is a weakness, one I intend to exploit.”
Ramison was smiling appreciatively, but Moose’s brain was racing.
Sacrifices.
That meant dead people.
That meant dead people who didn’t deserve to be dead.
How do you know you’re not working for the bad guys?
Moose glanced over, but Ricardo had drifted backward, lizard-like eyes slanted sideways, focused on something in a shadowed corner. Moose returned his attention, listening numbly, trying to figure out what to do.
“If you can take out Hans,” Ramison was responding, huge eyes narrowed. “Then I’ll bring your proposition to the Alphas. But not before. There’s no need for false hope.”
“I assure you, this is anything but false.” Victor took a step back. “But that seems fair. I’ll expect your answer by Monday.”
Ramison didn’t answer. Instead, he swept his wings out. Moose couldn’t help himself; he jumped. He was too distracted, too on-edge not to be surprised by the enormity of the guy’s wingspan and the silence of the motion. It was eerie, haunting, and totally unhelpful as Moose tried to calm himself down.
“See you soon,” Victor said, voice smug.
But Ramison was already thrusting his wings down and lifting into the air, disappearing in the darkness like the ghost Moose longed to believe he was.
Unfortunately, this night had become all too real.
Victor turned, rubbing his hands. “Well, I think that was a grand success.” He smiled at Moose. “You did well.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Moose said, blurting the first thing that popped into his rapidly overheating brain. How do I ask him what’s going on without tipping my hand? How do I find out what he’s doing?
Victor clapped a hand on Moose’s shoulder. “You proved stalwart in the face of uncertainty. We’ll make a champion of you yet.”
A champion who stands by while you kill people? Moose thought, but he only offered a weak smile. He needed to know more. He needed to think.
“Now, where has Ricardo gotten off to? He must be downstairs. Come now, my servers have been instructed to leave you a meal in my office, top-notch stuff. Wait until you try the whoopee pie cupcakes, they are truly to die for.”
Humming to himself, Victor led the way to the elevator that would bring them back downstairs. Moose watched for a moment, more lost than ever. His brain had zoomed into overdrive, but it hadn’t come up with an answer.
What would Aquila do?
Moose hated himself for even thinking the question, but an answer still popped up, unbidden. Aquila would infiltrate. He would be polite and pretend everything was fine and learn all the details he could.
And then he’d do the right thing.
Whatever that was.
“Are you coming, Musca?” Victor called from the open elevator.
Jerking himself into motion, Moose hurried toward the doors, wondering how deep he would bury himself before he figured things out.
Chapter Thirty-Six: Damsel
Eliza was doing her best to stay silent, but she kept wondering if the group of men on the roof were going to hear her heart pounding. No, that wasn’t right. They weren’t strangers, at least not all of them. Because there was Moose, looking jittery as ever as he flew into the elevator. And Victor Smith, whose face was famous even for a party like this. And that man with wings, even larger and more densely feathered than Aquila’s.
It had taken everything she had not to gasp when that one had arrived.
Mercifully, she’d stayed silent. The boring-looking one beside Moose had glanced her way once, but he’d returned his attention to the meeting. And what a meeting it was! Another group of Abnormals who called themselves the Alphas. A plot to murder one of the richest men in the U.S., along with whoever was in the way. A power-grab of proportions Eliza could only begin to guess at.
She had so much to tell Aquila…
Waiting for the elevator doors to close on the other side of the rooftop, Eliza bounced her knees and prepared herself for the climb back down. She was certain it would be easier. Not only because she’d already tested the cable once and it had, obviously, held, but also because the ascent had built her confidence.
Here she was, contributing.
Being useful.
She hadn’t frozen up or spaced out or locked her muscles at the wrong time. She’d found a hiding spot and stayed there, learning critical things as she did.
In short, Eliza felt a bit more like herself.
Stretching her sore fingers, Eliza watched Moose disappear in the elevator.
What an idiot, she thought, shaking her head.
She was sure that Aquila’s wayward brother hadn’t intended to fall into whatever nefarious shit was going on here, but he had. No doubt about it, Moose had tumbled in over his head and now Eliza and Aquila would have to work doubly hard to drag him out. But they would. With this information, they’d be at the event on Friday. They’d stop Moose from participating in something he’d regret and do what they could to save the people Victor was planning to hurt.
Buoyed by her unfolding plan, Eliza waited until the thin light of the elevator disappeared.
She straightened, emerging from the shadows.
“I thought I saw a little mouse.”
Eliza swung around, fingers balled, elbow cocked.
The man who had stood silently next to Moose caught her punch like it was nothing.
She tried to yank free.
His hand tightened.
“Let me go!” Eliza spat, trying to twist herself out of his grip.
The man smiled, his expression sterile. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. But you already know that.”
A feather of fear brushed down Eliza’s spine. She leaned in, glaring at the stranger. “Aquila knows I’m here. He’ll be coming to get me any minute.”
The man cocked his head and Eliza was reminded of a snake or a lizard, something cold-blooded that might be found at the back of a cave. “Is that so?”
She bared her teeth. “Yes.”
“Then why did I see him fly off ten minutes ago?”
Eliza’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
“I think,” the man went on, crushing the bones of her fist. “That you came here alone. I think he tried to leave you home and you, being the stubborn little mouse you are, wouldn’t stay put.”
Eliza snarled at him, frantically trying to loosen his hold.
“I also think you heard a too much tonight.”
Something sharp pressed against the outside of Eliza’s wrist. She looked down to find that one of man’s nails had sprouted something sharp and hard, like a tooth.
A snake tooth.
Her gaze snapped up.
“You…”
The man’s expression didn’t change, but the tooth pressed into the fold of Eliza’s wrist. She pulled. He held steady.
“No!” Eliza cried out, but it was no use.
The tooth broke her skin.
It was horrifying to feel the cold fluid pump into her, sliding beneath the muscles of her arm and spreading out like frost. It was worse when the man released her, as if to confirm she wasn’t a threat anymore.
Eliza stared at her hand. “You… I…”
“Don’t worry,” the man said, his words quickly becoming fuzzy and distant. “It wasn’t a lethal dose. You shouldn’t have more than a headache when you wake up.” His lips curled, amused. “Although that’s unlikely to be the worst of your problems.”
“Fuck y…”
But Eliza’s mouth was too full of cotton to finish the curse. She sank to her knees, struggling to stay upright. Her head tilted back to see the man looming over her, lit from behind by the round orb of the moon.
“Goodnight Miss Mason.”
And then, despite her best efforts, everything went dark.
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Slippage
Aquila had been flying for hours and he still didn’t know what to do. When he’d stormed out of the party, he’d been determined to just go home and tell her everything. No more lies, no more hiding.
But then he’d remembered Hans’s warning.
You never know who might get hurt.
The problem was that Aquila had spent his whole life protecting. He’d protected his brothers when they were kids, all elbows and knees and scrappy fights. He’d protected them from the outside world when they got older, convincing their father that they needed small outings, moments of freedom so they didn’t lose their minds. Last October, he’d done everything he could to protect them along with Eliza, Joe, Tori. Even though he hadn’t been totally successful, those failures had only made his drive, his need stronger. And recently, with the media breathing down all their necks and Eliza deteriorating under pressures he couldn’t understand, much less stand against, that need had only become more desperate.
But the truth was that no matter how much he wanted to protect and defend, he’d never worked alone. Aquila, like all his brothers, was one of a pack. For better or worse, growing up with four insane brothers had trained him to depend on others. Whenever he needed some obscure knowledge or tech solution, he turned to Tero. When he needed to blow off steam with a fight or workout, Otto would be there for him. Daisy was always down for a board game or mental challenge. Even Moose could be depended on to make him laugh.
And Eliza…
He didn’t work without Eliza.
So, even though he would be putting her in more danger than she was already in, Aquila had known from the moment he met Hans that he couldn’t keep it from her for long. She was his better half, the spitfire to his calm. She’d see what he couldn’t, what he didn’t want to.
And maybe she’d make sense of it.
Soaring over the buildings as the sun peeked above the horizon, Aquila made up his mind. He’d tell her everything. Lay it all out on the table and hope she wouldn’t be too angry. He chuckled to himself as he sighted Joe’s apartment, grateful for his enhanced vision.
Of course she’d be angry. It was Eliza he was talking about.
But maybe she wouldn’t be too angry at him.
Landing lightly on the balcony, Aquila shook out his limbs. He took a deep breath of clean morning air, gathering his thoughts. This was good. This would make things better.
Pushing open the door, he strode into the living room.
Joe was on the couch, looking exhausted. “Hey,” he said, pushing to his feet. “I was hoping you’d come back sooner. There’s something you should—”
“Is Eliza up yet?”
Joe froze. “Isn’t she with you?”
“No, she stayed here. Is she up?”
The expression on Joe’s face was enough to make Aquila’s blood run cold.
Slowly, Joe lifted a hand and pointed at Eliza’s bedroom door.
It was open.
Aquila didn’t think, didn’t hesitate. He leapt forward, bursting into the bedroom. “Eliza?” he called, pulling off the sheets, digging under the pillows. “Eliza?”
“I thought you were out together,” Joe said as Aquila checked the bathroom and closet. “I figured you were doing some kind of overnight surveillance.”
“No, I went out without her,” Aquila said, panic beginning to bubble in his chest. “I left her behind.”
Oh God, he’d left her behind, and something had happened, and he hadn’t been there to protect her…
“I’m going to call her,” Joe said, already dialing and putting it on speakerphone.
Aquila froze in the middle of the room, breathing hard, watching Joe with the intensity of a predator. Joe stared back, both of them listening to the ring.
Ring.
Ring.
“No answer,” Joe said at last.
“Maybe she’s ignoring you,” Aquila said, pulling out his own phone to call. She was on his favorites list, right below Ian and above Moose. The sandwich of names was enough to make Aquila’s head spin, a harsh reminder of the people he was continuing to fail.
She didn’t answer him either.
…who might get hurt.
Swallowing the raw, terrible fear that threatened to eclipse his rational mind, Aquila yanked out the hotel card Hans had given him. It didn’t have a phone number, but he quickly Googled the hotel.
“Listen, she has to be somewhere,” Joe was saying. “She must have gone out. This building is pretty secure, I don’t think…”
“Hello,” Aquila said, interrupting both Joe and the hotel receptionist who answered on the second ring. “I’m looking for Hans Schneider. He’s a friend. It’s very important.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” said the too-bright voice at the other end of the line. “I’m afraid Mr. Schneider checked out early this morning.”
Aquila didn’t say anything, letting the woman’s confused, “Sir? Sir, are you alright?” bounce off his numb thoughts.
Hans had checked out, which meant that Aquila couldn’t find him.
Which meant that he had no way of knowing what he’d done with Eliza.
“How do you know Hans?”
Dumbly, Aquila turned toward Joe. How could he answer that question? He didn’t know Hans. He’d only fallen for his trap, stumbled into something he hadn’t been prepared for. Hadn’t armored himself against.
“Do you…?” Aquila cleared his throat. “Know him too?”
Joe’s eyes were squinted, filled with something Aquila couldn’t understand, especially not in his current state. “Not really. I’ve met him a few times.” He paused, as if to weigh his words. “I have heard some stuff about him though.”
“What stuff?” Aquila said, stumbling forward.
But right then, his phone rang.
He answered without pausing to see who it was. “Eliza?”
“I hear you’re looking for me.”
Aquila’s hope hardened into ice. “Hans.” He spat the name like a curse.
“You failed me, Aquila. I must admit, I expected better of someone who claims to lead a group of Abnormals.”
“Where is she?’ Aquila said, voice a guttural growl. “Where’s Eliza?”
Hans clicked his tongue. “I thought I made myself clear. I don’t do freebies.”
“Tell me where Eliza is you bastard!”
“Bring me something useful. Then we’ll talk.”
The line went dead.
“Fuck!” Aquila shouted, throwing the phone across the room and not caring where it landed. “Fuck!”
What was he going to do? Hans had taken her. He must have. He’d acted in the time between Aquila leaving the party and arriving back at Joe’s family suite. Why oh why had he spent so much time flying. He’d wanted to clear his head, but he’d given his enemies time to act. Time to sneak in here and kidnap the one person Aquila couldn’t function without.
He jerked his fingers through his hair, pacing back and forth in the living room.
“Aquila,” Joe said, eerily calm. “Tell me.”
Unable to hold back the secrets any longer, Aquila shook his head and answered. “He has her. Hans has Eliza. He warned me that she would be in danger if I didn’t do what he asked, and I didn’t. I went to that party and I never figured out who was recruiting Abnormals. Maybe it was Scarlett, but she didn’t ask me anything, just told me to be careful.” He turned to Joe, hair wild and eyes frantic. “I don’t know how to navigate all this.”
Joe offered a wan smile. “Tell me about it.”
“And it turns out there are other Abnormals, more like us…”
Trailing off, Aquila looked at his phone, lying still and silent across the room. More like us. He’d decided this morning he wasn’t going to do this alone.
It was time to call his brothers.
Striding over, Aquila picked up his phone. The glass
on the back was cracked, but the screen still turned on.
“We still need to find Moose—” Aquila said, reopening his favorites list.
“No we don’t.”
Aquila spun.
“I know where he’ll be,” Joe said slowly, carefully. “The party tonight. It’s the last event of the week, a final banquet thrown in his name. Victor Smith is organizing it.” He took a breath before continuing. “Hans is the guest of honor.”
Aquila’s thumb lingered over Tero’s name.
He stared at Joe. “Will you help me get in?”
Joe hesitated. Then nodded.
“Good.” Aquila dialed. “Now I just need to find a way to force him to talk.”
Turning away from Joe, Aquila returned to his pacing. “Pick up, pick up,” he muttered under his breath. When no one did, he called again.
Finally, on the third call, Tero answered.
“I-i-it’s not a g-g-g-good time, Aquila.”
Tero’s stutter was worse than ever, a sure sign of something wrong at the mansion. But Aquila’s brain didn’t have space left. Moose. Hans. Eliza. He had enough on his plate.
“Tero, I need you to do something for me.”
“I c-c-can’t, Aquila, w-w-we—”
“There’s a guy named Hans Schneider, and he—”
“Aquila, your brother is busy.”
It was Ian Eckelson, their adopted father.
Aquila froze. The last time he’d heard that voice, it had been from the hospital bed they’d installed in Ian’s bedroom, the man still too weak to see them out. Ian had been angry and disapproving, wishing Aquila wouldn’t go after Moose. But he had. Aquila had come here, separated even more of the brothers, and look what had happened.
To his surprise, it wasn’t guilt that rose to meet that voice but rage.
“You knew,” Aquila snarled accusingly. “You knew there were more like us. More Abnormals out there. And you never told us.”
His words were greeted by silence.
“Why?” Aquila asked at last, voice breaking slightly on the question. This was his father, who had always been kind, loving, and authoritarian in his control. The boys weren’t allowed to go out in the daytime. They didn’t have friends. Their only attachments to the outside world were digital, and even those were restricted.