by Casi McLean
“Stop, Lyssa. Back up. Collins? The plane crashed…and what kids? Geez. I have no idea what you’re saying. Please, slow down.”
Alyssa explained everything. How she found Harper chained inside a lead-lined crate. How she discovered eleven kidnapped children, who were drugged then hidden inside containers behind several rows of boxed medicines so the crates would pass through customs. How she identified Secretary of State, John Collins, and saw he wore a ring with The Association insignia. How her anger caused the crates to fly toward the front of the plane, plunging the aircraft into a nosedive. “If Harper hadn’t screamed, they all would have died, Em. I never realized I had such power. It’s thrilling, but dangerous.”
“Lyssa, you saved them. All of them.”
“Yes, but…” Alyssa knew she had no control. If Harper hadn’t gotten through to her, everyone on that plane would have died. She wanted to help her sister, Wyatt, and Harper but with untethered power, she could just as easily cause them harm…or death.
“Are you close to Libya? Wyatt and his crew should be there in about an hour.”
“Oh, no. The pilot landed in Tangier to make some repairs and––”
“Morocco?”
“Yes. Collins and his henchman plan to drive Harper and the children to Sania Ramel Airport where he’s scheduled to meet his buyer. But he’ll never make it to Tétouan. I’ll see to that.”
“Alyssa. Don’t do anything crazy. I need to contact Wyatt. He’ll have a plan. Please, just wait until I get back to you before you do anything.”
When the truck engine rumbled and jolted into gear, Alyssa’s energy accelerated. “The truck is on the move. Harper and the kids need me. I have to go.”
“Alyssa, please wait until I can talk to Wyatt.”
“I’ll try. But if I wait until the truck arrives at Sania Ramel Airport, I’ll lose the best window to help Harper and the children escape. I won’t do that.”
§
A chill slithered over Wyatt’s shoulders then coiled around his spine. “You’re sure they’re driving from Tangier to Sania Ramel Airport in Tétouan?” Wyatt gazed at his watch.
“Positive.”
“That’s about a two-hour drive. Hang on.” He shifted his gaze to Parker. “Teale. Tell the pilot to change our course to Sania Ramel Airport in Tétouan. And see if you can snag a chopper. I’ll be there in a second to fill in the details.”
Parker nodded and darted toward the cockpit.
“Wyatt. Are you there?”
“Em? What’s up?”
“I’m worried Alyssa won’t wait until you arrive. A lot has happened you don’t know about, and you don’t have time to listen right now. Just expect two men on the truck, one of whom is Secretary of State, John Collins. Harper and eleven kidnapped kids are locked in the cargo bed. If you don’t stop them before they reach Sania Ramel, Alyssa will…and she might not be in control of the outcome.”
Wyatt’s throat constricted, choking his breath. He tightened his fists to ward-off the sensation. When the Falcon made a strong turn, Wyatt drew in a long breath. “Thanks, Em. And don’t worry. If there’s any way on God’s green earth I can get there first, you know I will. Gotta run.” He tapped his earbud and rushed toward the cockpit then slid into the copilot seat and stared at the radar. “How long before we land in Sania Ramel?”
“A good twenty minutes. We were approaching Algeria.” He threw a glance toward Wyatt. “I called the U.S. Consulate and requested top-security. With any luck we can avoid any red tape that might arise from an unscheduled landing.”
The news dulled his anxiety to a slower burn. “Can you secure a chopper and have it waiting when we get there?”
“Tall order, Director. As far as I know, Sania Ramel Airport doesn’t have a helipad.” He twisted to face Wyatt. “I believe the only one in the area is in the Spanish city of Ceuta, which is about a forty-five-minute drive north of Tétouan. If you’re heading toward Tangier, you’ll be going west. I’ll see if the Consulate can acquire one.” He took off his cap and rubbed his forehead with his arm before replacing it. “If not, I could request a rental car or truck.”
“I don’t think driving will work for this mission. I’ll see what I can do on my end. Let me know if the Consulate can help.”
“Ten-four, Director.” The pilot turned toward his instruments.
Placing a hand on the man’s shoulder, Wyatt gave it a squeeze. “Thanks, Lt. Commander. I owe you one.”
He raised a brow. “Don’t think I won’t collect.”
Wyatt chuckled then turned to Parker and hitched his head toward the cabin. “Let’s go. We need a chopper and a plan, ASAP.”
Parker stepped into the cabin, grabbed his laptop then sat at the table and brought up a 3-D satellite map of Morocco. Expanding the screen, he zeroed-in on Sania Ramel Airport.
Snatching his iPhone from his pocket, Wyatt touched his browser. “Hang on a sec. I have an idea.” Into his search, he entered how to hire a helicopter in Tétouan, Morocco. He huffed when the question brought up sixty-thousand-four-hundred results. The top hit was Air Charter Tetouan. He clicked the link: http://www.helicopterscharter.com/charter. The company, located at Sania Ramel Airport, offered helicopters for business or leisure available on short notice, requiring only a fifteen-minute heads-up before takeoff. After a short conversation, he pressed Stop and shook his head. “Un-fuckin’ believable.”
Parker glanced up, his brow furrowed. “What?”
“Apparently, it’s impossible to officially secure a helicopter in Morocco, but a tourist can snag one at the tap of a finger, providing he has the cash.” Wyatt laughed. “I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t loan a chopper for an NCIS sting, but I’ll give them a call and charter a tourist ride. The helo won’t exactly be what we want, but at least we can hone-in on those bastards and find Harper. By the way, did you have your earbud in when I spoke to Emily?”
“No. I thought I’d give you some privacy and turned it off. Why?”
“Alyssa told Emily the traffickers kidnapped eleven kids and smuggled them onto the target plane…and the head honcho of this little soirée is none other than the illustrious out-going Secretary of State, John Collins.”
Wide-eyed, Parker turned to face him. “No shit?” He chuckled.
Wyatt nodded and leaned back. “It will be my pleasure to burn his ass. With a helo, we’ll find the target truck easily enough.” His smile faded. “How the hell are we going to stop the truck and take down the traffickers if a tour-guided, three-seater whirlybird is all we can find? I hope we can at least smuggle some guns aboard.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
From her perch atop the canvas covering the truck’s cargo bed, Alyssa dangled her legs over the rear and watched until all twelve crates were loaded.
Tareq briefly inspected the boxes then scooted around to the driver’s side of the cab, nodding to Collins as he slid inside.
Curious who he called, Alyssa flew toward Collins then hovered above as he spoke. A landing flight drowned out his conversation…not that his chat would affect her plan, but she salivated at the thought of identifying his accomplices. The Association ran deep, and she had no doubt this trafficking ring involved a web of co-conspirators.
Ending his call, he motioned to Tareq, strode toward the passenger side of the truck and slipped into the seat. Slamming the door, he glanced at his watch and bit out a command. “Let’s go. The sooner we make this exchange, the sooner I can get home.”
“Don’t count on that,” Alyssa whispered then drifted toward the cargo bed. A soft sob alerted her the children were stirring, so she drifted through each crate before settling in beside Harper. “They’re waking up.”
“Finally.” Harper stood and pushed at the top of her box but the truck lurched forward, throwing her against the far side of her crate. Again, she tried to stand.
Alyssa grabbed her arm. “Don’t. I just checked on them. They’re all coming around, but if we let them know we’re here o
r free them, no telling how they’ll react.”
“Right.” Harper slid back down and leaned against the side panel. “At this point, we don’t even know if they speak English. But I hate the thought of them trapped inside those cages for a second longer than necessary.”
“I agree. But freeing them now might jeopardize my plan.”
She squeezed her eyebrows together. “You’ve been a great help, Alyssa, and I’ll be forever in your debt, but your last plan almost got us all killed. Please, I need to take the lead here.”
“I’m sorry.” Alyssa lowered her head. “My anger just exploded. But this situation is different.” She lifted her chin until her gaze met Harper’s. “I’m in control. Please. I need to do this.”
“I know you didn’t intend to hurl us into the ocean, but we don’t have much time. This drive is the only chance I have to escape and save those kids.” Dropping to her knees, Harper peered through a hole. “I can’t see much.” She turned toward Alyssa. “Besides me and the kids, what else is on this truck?”
“Nothing. Why?”
“Just wondering if we could use something nearby. It doesn’t hurt to know our options.” She sat and wrapped her arms around her bent knees. “Okay. Tell me your plan.”
“Is someone there?” The weak voice was laced with fear. “Can you hear me?”
“Shhh. Don’t talk or they’ll hurt us,” a second child replied. “Whisper.”
“Yes, whisper,” a third voice added.
“I need to calm them.” Again, Harper pushed on the top of her box. “Can you help me?”
Alyssa rose above the crates. With one heated stare, she released a lock and pushed the top ajar then repeated the action until all the boxes opened.
“Thank you, Lyssa.” Harper hoisted herself upward then slung one leg then the other over the edge of her box and jumped to the floor.
Eleven children climbed from their cages. Shushing them with a finger over her lips, Harper latched onto the wrists of each child in turn, lowered them to the cargo bed then herded them together against the side of the vehicle.
Transparent to avoid scaring the kids, Alyssa watched Harper in her element. The woman was born to help those in need, but she didn’t understand Alyssa’s needs…or the depth and breadth of her phantom powers. Aware she had a lot to learn about her unbridled talents, she still knew she was not a live wire. She would save Harper and the children…and she would have her revenge on The Association. Determined to prove herself, Alyssa darted through the side panels and, one-by-one, raised the tops of each crate until they flung out the back of the truck and tumbled onto the road.
The vehicle swerved.
“What the hell?” Collins shouted. “What did you do?”
Hovering above the cab, Alyssa smiled. She poked her head inside to watch the men’s reaction.
“Nothing. I think something dropped from the sky and almost hit us.” Tareq craned his neck to peer out the window and inspected the sky as if searching for the source. “There must be a plane?” Gripping the steering wheel tightly, he glanced at the side mirror then back at the sky.
“You idiot.” Collins jabbed a finger into Tareq’s arm. “If you harm my property or do anything to keep this exchange from happening” ––he huffed and peered out the windshield toward the sky––“you’ll live to regret it.”
Again, Alyssa grinned. She thrust herself high into the sky and perused the roadside ahead for a suitable spot to execute her scheme. Perfect. A hairpin-turn only a few miles away surrounded by woods and no vehicles in sight. Propelling back to the truck, she stood on the back bumper and spun until her force created a cyclone of dust. Sweeping together the hovering children and Harper, Alyssa lifted them within the twister then set them onto a clearing about a mile beyond her intended ground zero.
As she swooped away, the tempest calmed, and Alyssa saw the children clinging to Harper next to the woods. Dazed and confused, I supposed, but safe for now.
With the truck only a mile or so away, Alyssa stood dead center in the road just before the turn. The asphalt beneath her feet rumbled as the vehicle approached. This was the moment she’d waited for. She’d have her revenge. Her rage exploding, she lowered her head, her stringy dark hair covering her face and her hands splayed as if ready to halt anything in her path.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Squeezing her eyes tightly, Alyssa listened to the children and a warm calm flooded her being. She could see them in her mind and the vision bolstered her strength.
“Did you see that? An angel saved us.” The young girl, no more than six or seven, stared at the sky. The back of her hand shielding the sun from her turquoise eyes. “Where did she go?”
The children clung to Harper, awestruck by the spirit who swept them to safety.
“I saw her, too.”
“Why did she disappear?”
“How did she hold all of us?”
Focus, Lyssa. She closed her eyes to drown out the children’s voices, concentrating instead on the approaching truck, Collins, and his henchman.
Despite the wooden crate tops Tareq saw in the rearview mirror as they crashed on the road behind, he showed no signs of connecting the dots, apparently suspecting nothing.
Curious, Alyssa sifted through his memories, his fears, and desperation. Tareq had nothing to do with The Association. An American immigrant, he’d wanted nothing more than to provide a better life for his wife and sons when he applied to enter the United States. The elitist Deep State organization took him under their wing and made his dream happen. But at what cost? Now, they owned him and to keep his wife and kids alive, he did their bidding.
Alyssa felt sorry for Tareq, but not for Collins. She invaded his thoughts and with each vile discovery, her anger burned white-hot.
His mind dominated by greed and power, Collins reeked of corruption. The Association lifted him into the lap of luxury. He enjoyed the lifestyle attached to his position and couldn’t care less of the pain and torment he caused. He had no idea along the way he’d traded his soul to enter the gates of hell.
When the truck came into view, Alyssa’s rage exploded into a volcanic eruption.
“What is that in the road ahead?” Tareq squinted as if the act could help him see.
Snapping his attention to the road, Collins scowled. “Honk at that fool.”
Pressing his palm on the horn several times, Tareq shouted, “Move, you imbecile.”
Only yards away, Alyssa looked up. Her fiery gaze locked on John Collins.
He froze, hypnotized by her stare.
Attempting to avoid her, Tareq swerved.
But Alyssa’s image magnified…and swallowed the truck.
Tightening his grip, Tareq tried to keep the wheels on the road, but the hairpin turn was too sharp. The cab struck the bank and jackknifed, propelling the cargo bed into the air and yanking the men from their seats before spitting them upward.
Losing perpetual motion, the truck dropped from the sky, hurtling toward the ground where it exploded into a sweltering blaze.
At the moment of impact, Alyssa snatched the unconscious men from a fiery grave and laid them in a clearing beside the road. She snickered. “Dying is too good for you. I’ll leave your punishment in the hands of your victims.”
At the sound of a repeating chuff-chuff-chuff, Alyssa turned toward the source to see Wyatt step out of a helicopter.
“Parker, cuff them and check the crash site. Harper and those kids have to be around here somewhere.”
“Will do.” Cuffs in hand, Parker jogged toward the perps.
Alyssa stared at Wyatt. More than anything, she wanted to run to him, to tell him everything that had happened, but she knew he couldn’t see her. Dropping her head, she turned away and walked toward Harper and the children. She’d have to be satisfied with saving them. They could see her and that was enough.
“Hey, are you okay?” Wyatt called out.
Yes, those two are okay…for now. She made sure o
f that. Tareq was likely as much of a victim as the children, but not Collins. She wanted Harper to grill the Secretary of State until he caved. She prayed he’d tell her everything she needed to take down the reprehensible trafficking ring, and The Association for that matter.
“Excuse me. That was quite an explosion. Are you okay?”
When he tugged her arm, Alyssa turned and stared at his hand then raised her gaze to meet his.
“Emily?” He glared at her for a long moment then his eyes widened. “Alyssa?”
“Wyatt? You can see me?” Turning, she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed. “Oh, Wyatt. You see me. You finally see me.”
“Alyssa. Dear God, thank you.” He drew her away to gaze into her eyes. “I thought I’d never see you again. But here you are. How?”
“It’s a long story and I want to tell you everything––”
“And I want to hear every word, but…” He tossed a gaze toward Parker then scanned the area and frowned. “Oh God, Alyssa. Where is Harper…and those kids? Please tell me she wasn’t in that crash.”
“She’s safe, Wyatt, and the children, too.” Alyssa turned toward the hairpin curve and searched. “You can’t see them from here but they’re just around that curve at the edge of a wooded area. I put them there before any of this went down.”
Clasping her hand, Wyatt yanked her into a jog. “Come on. I need to see Harper but I’m not letting go of you.”
“But the children. I don’t want to scare them.” She let out a half-laugh. “They think I’m an angel.”
“Is that so far from the truth?” He grinned. “You certainly look like an angel to me.”
His comment sent a rush of warmth swirling around her.
When they reached the curve in the road, Wyatt called out to Harper, his hand still clenching Alyssa’s. “Harper. Where are you, Harper?”
“Go to her, Wyatt. I’ll be right behind you. I promise.”
He nodded then pushed forward into a full out sprint.
Bursting through the brushwood, Harper ran toward Wyatt, her arms opened until their bodies met in a full embrace.