by Tena Stetler
“Agreed,” Stefan said firmly.
After hours in flight, the airport came into view.
“Something feels off.” Bruce’s forehead creased and his eyes narrowed, watching out the window as the plane came to rest on the tarmac. “Let’s just hang back and disembark last.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. We may have a welcoming party.” Stefan swung the duffle bags down from the overhead compartment.
“Ya think?” He caught his bag midair, throwing it over his shoulder, and grimaced. “You ready?”
“Yep.” Stefan led the way, sprinting down the stairs from the plane in a blur, and vaulted the railing halfway down, cutting back under the plane and across the tarmac. Behind them the stairs exploded, sending red-hot metal shards through the air. Passengers ran screaming. The metal sliced cleanly through clothing, bloodying the flesh of those pushing and shoving toward the safety of the terminal and trampling others felled by the blast.
Blue smoke curled around the side of the plane as bright-orange flames shot skyward. The searing heat from the fire rolled across the runway in waves. Rescue crews rushed to the scene, spraying white fire-retardant foam across the area in an attempt to contain the blaze before it reached the plane’s fuel tank. Ambulances with their lights flashing converged on the scene. Doors flew open as paramedics rushed to victims strewn across the tarmac.
Thrown clear of the fire by the concussion of the blast, Stefan, followed by Bruce, streaked away from the terminal and toward the empty hangars at the end of the runway.
“What the bloody hell—that was some kind of welcome,” Stefan said, racing toward the buildings.
“Good thing we didn’t port,” Bruce said, sprinting beside Stefan. “We’d have been attacked while in between, unable to use magic, basically defenseless.” He glanced back over his shoulder at the chaos bathed in red, blue, and yellow flashing lights.
Stefan glanced at Bruce. “Now what?” A sleek black limo sped toward them, tires squealing, the back end fish-tailing as the rear passenger doors flew open. “Get in,” a silver-haired man commanded in a gravelly voice from the open driver’s window.
They hesitated only a second as Bruce jumped into the moving vehicle, yanking Stefan in behind him. Then the door slammed shut.
The privacy window slid down to reveal a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth grinning at them. “I thought you might need some assistance after talking to Angie night before last.”
“Owen, who’s running the salon?” Bruce growled.
“What, no ‘thank you,’ ‘glad to see you’? Nothing?” Owen raised a brow and shot Bruce a challenging look that smoothed into amusement. “Tobi has it under control, as usual.”
The stocky man with large amber eyes and wavy silver hair that fell to his shoulders gave Stefan an assessing glance. The lines etched on his face and calm demeanor gave the impression that he was quite a bit older and had served Bruce for a long time.
Bruce waved a hand in the man’s direction. “Stefan, you remember my salon manager, Owen?”
Stefan nodded, remembering the man from Bruce’s wedding. He hadn’t noticed at the wedding the several deep, raised scars running across Owen’s neck, disappearing under his black sleeveless T-shirt only to reappear on his muscular shoulder. A couple of fingers bent at odd angles, as if broken and healed improperly. The scarring from his elbow to wrist indicated he’d seen his share of battles. Yet he was still here to tell the tale.
“We are really glad to see you! Great timing,” Stefan said, struggling to sit upright. He thumbed toward Bruce. “A bit bossy.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Enough. I’m still your boss, and I’m sitting right here. Still, I needed you in D.C.” Bruce’s jaw muscles flexed.
Unaffected by Bruce’s behavior, Owen suggested, “Needed me worst here, don’t you think? Besides, you can take that up with Angie.”
“Agreed. But since when…”
Owen stomped down on the accelerator. Bruce’s words cut off as their bodies slammed back against the seat and the vehicle surged forward. The scenery outside the limo blurred in bright multicolored shards of light.
“The nearest large town to Ayers Rock is Alice Springs. Is that where you want to spend the night?” Owen inquired patiently, showing none of the stress of the situation.
“That’ll work,” Bruce said. “I’ll talk with Angie when we return.”
Owen handed a bright silver bag through the privacy window. “Better turn the cell phones off and put them in this bag. It’s shielded.”
“Right,” Bruce said. “Whatever was waiting for us at the airport can triangulate our position from our cells.” He took the phone Stefan handed him and put both in the bag, sealing it, then slid it under the seat.
“I brought a couple of burner phones in my duffle bag. They won’t be so easy to trace.” Stefan yanked the bag from the floor, pulled out the phones, and handed one to Bruce.
“Good thinking,” Bruce said, taking the phone and pocketing it. “Owen, any idea who arranged our welcoming party?”
“Not really. Word in D.C. is that large numbers of Baltizar’s minions are already here. That’s why Angie thought I should pick you up at the airport. There’s no indication that they know exactly where in Ayers Rock the Book is located. My guess is the enemy split up, some to deter you while the others locate the Book and escape,” he said thoughtfully.
Bruce leaned back against the soft leather seat, his brow furrowed. “It’s a good thing Angie’s on top of things. I’ll let her slide this time.”
Owen snorted. “Great idea.”
Stefan leaned back quietly, mulling over the recent events. Interesting creature, Bruce. Dark, dangerously dark, was part of his nature, but Stefan was beginning to understand how he’d triumphed to take the overlord position. There was overwhelming good inside that demon too. Vicious when necessary but fair and understanding when warranted.
Stefan shifted his thoughts back to the problem at hand. Their survival depended on accurate, current intel, and Owen appeared to be fully informed. Rather than press him further, Stefan waited to see what he volunteered. They seemed to have a comfortable working relationship, which only reminded Stefan how inexperienced he was in the concept of teamwork.
The rest of the trip to Alice Springs was uneventful. The speed at which they traveled didn’t lend itself to checking to see if anyone followed. A quick glance at the dashboard with all its dials, gauges, gadgets, and monitors told Stefan this was no ordinary limo.
They listened to updates on a police scanner. The radio warned everyone to avoid the airport and surrounding area. All flights in or out of the airport were cancelled until further notice. Film of the attack was all over the news. Stefan watched a video from the local news channel on a monitor perched between them. Though no terrorist faction had claimed responsibility, reports assumed a terrorist cell was to blame. “Bruce, can we get a copy of that video?”
“My thoughts exactly,” he muttered, hunkered over his laptop checking e-mail and websites over the secure, scrambled connection inside the limo.
“Hungry?” Owen asked as he stopped the limo in front of The Milky Way Café in Alice Springs. “This place has great food, and it provides the magic of the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere. There are telescopes inside. Tobi and I are regulars when we are in town.”
“When have you been to Australia?” Bruce asked, puzzled.
“Even we’re allowed vacations. This is one of the many places we visit. Tobi has relatives here, and we like the people. That’s another reason that Angie sent me to meet you. I know the area.”
“Angie seems to have your back even when she’s thousands of miles away,” Stefan mused, looking over at Bruce.
“Yeah, I know. She’s a keeper.” His face remained blank, but a faraway look came into those orange eyes. They mellowed and turned a warm amber, then flashed back to orange. “Let’s eat.”
“Stefan, your dinner is in the mini-fri
dge. Just plug the cup in the power outlet for a couple of minutes, and it’ll warm your meal to perfection. Bring the mug in with us. The people here won’t care. Just keep it sealed when you’re not drinking.”
“Interesting place. Owen, you can play tourist guide for me any day. Do you have a place in mind where we’ll be staying while we’re here?”
“As a matter of fact, I took the liberty of reserving interconnecting suites at the Last Desert Sails. Tobi and I’ve stayed there numerous times, so no red flags upon our return. The manager is a friend. He’ll see to our security while we’re there. It’s not far and close to Ayers Rock. Figured we might as well be comfortable since we don’t know how long we’ll be here.”
Smiling wide, Bruce slapped Owen’s shoulder. “Good job, old boy.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” Owen appeared to savor the moment.
True to his word, they arrived at the resort in short order. Owen checked in and handed out the room assignments.
Stepping into the elevator, a thin middle-aged man dressed in trousers and a black sweater joined them. You could see yourself in the shine of his black shoes.
“My name is Trin. I manage this hotel.” He waved a key card past the floor panel and pressed the penthouse button that appeared. “Your suites take up the entire floor and are invisible to the outside world as long as you are here.”
The door opened. They stepped out into a hallway carpeted in frosty gray. There were three mahogany doors, one at each end and one in the middle of the hallway. The elevator door disappeared into the wall.
“When you need to leave”—he pressed a hand to the wall and the elevator door appeared—“you have only to do as I have demonstrated. Step into the elevator, wave your key card over the panel, and push the button marked lobby. It will go directly there.”
Bruce nodded.
“When you want to return to your floor, do the same, and the penthouse button will appear on the panel. We request that you enter and return this way so there is no interruption to the magic grid protecting your areas.” His eyes focused directly on Bruce and Owen and then glanced at Stefan. “I also request that you not feed on our other guests.”
Stefan nodded solemnly. “Of course.”
Bruce cast a masking spell to disguise the magic signature of the grid, with the permission of Trin.
Bruce and Owen took the suites at either end. Ready for a shower and a bit of relaxation, Stefan pushed the door open to the center suite. That tight ball in his stomach loosened up just a bit as he sat on the sofa, rolling his shoulders and stretching his legs out. He kicked off his boots and reached for the cell phone. Glancing at the clock, he tried to calculate the time in Ireland. Was it—oh, hell. He touched Brandy’s number onto the screen, needing to hear her voice. She answered on the first ring.
“Stefan, thank God. Are you and Bruce safe? What happened? It’s all over the news. An explosion at the airport? Where are you?”
Her voice washed over him uninterrupted, smoothing that edgy feeling he’d had since arriving. “It’s so good to hear your voice. I’ve missed you. Need to make this short. We’re fine and safe at the moment. Owen joined us. I’ll tell you about that later.”
“Oh, I was so worried. Take care of yourself. I miss you too. See you soon.” She hung up before the call could be traced.
Restless, Stefan paced through the suite, then knocked on the adjoining door. Bruce opened the door, cell phone in hand.
“Talked to Angie? Everything all right?”
“Yep,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck while he turned to set the phone on an end table, and walked across the light-blue carpeting. Settling on the sofa, he looked up at Stefan, motioning to the overstuffed chair across from him. “I think we need to add a couple of search alternatives to our original plan.”
Stefan nodded grimly. “Any idea where to look first?”
“Maybe. Before we left, Angie got word from Den’ta, one of our employees who hacked into Baltizar’s secure internet communications. They were encrypted; that slowed him down a bit, but in the end, he was able to decipher the messages and cover his tracks. He also diverted a couple of messages containing coordinates of their search area.”
“Isn’t that illegal? I mean hacking secure sites.”
Bruce’s laugh rumbled up from his chest. “Only if you get caught, and Den’ta never gets caught. Remember, it’s D.C., where illegal is subject to interpretation.”
Bruce’s disposable phone rang. He glanced at the screen and took the call. Stefan started toward his room, giving Bruce privacy, then heard Angie’s distraught voice through the phone.
“Bruce, The Wycked Hair has been destroyed by an explosion that rocked the entire block. Flames shot into the air as far as I could see. No one was inside. We held the morning staff meeting at the corner coffee shop. Good thing…”
“I’ll be right there,” Bruce interrupted, ending the call.
“No, you won’t.” A slight ripple in the air was all there was before Stefan’s shoulder crashed squarely into Bruce’s solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him, throwing him temporarily off-balance. He toppled over the back of the sofa and sprawled across the floor.
Surprise on his side, Stefan vaulted over the couch, landing on Bruce’s back and shoulders, restraining Bruce’s hands above his head. “Do you think this might be a trap? Think about it, Bruce,” Stefan growled, trying to keep him controlled long enough to think this situation through.
Bruce’s arms turned red-hot and seared Stefan’s hands. “Shit.”
Bruce scrambled to his feet, cursing at Stefan, all the while his forehead creased in concentration. Stefan thought he was searching his mind for a location in D.C. to lock in for porting. He wasn’t going if Stefan had anything to say about it. Owen appeared immediately.
“What’s going on?”
“Long story short, we gotta keep Bruce from porting to D.C. I’ll fill you in later with the details.”
Owen shook his head grudgingly but murmured a few words, pinning Bruce to the wall. “That’ll hold him for only a few seconds. You better talk fast, or there’ll be hell to pay for both of us.”
“Got ya. Bruce, can’t you see the explosion at Wycked Hair is a trap to get you to port between so they can attack while you are defenseless? No one was hurt because they were down the street to see it explode. Nice effect, don’t you think? Baltizar wouldn’t make a mistake like that if he meant to hurt or kill someone.”
“What! Wycked Hair exploded?” Fear swept over Owen’s face as he grabbed Stefan’s arm, swinging him around to face him. “Tobi?”
“Relax. She’s fine. They were all down the street drinking coffee. Angie just called and told Bruce. He hung up, intending to leave immediately. That’s when I tackled him before he could port, where I imagine there is a demon welcoming party.”
Bruce’s eyes narrowed, his muscles twitching as whatever Owen had used to pin him to the wall released. He stepped toward them, straightening his jacket. He waved a hand at Stefan. “Didn’t give me a chance to gather my thoughts. I haven’t remained overlord by acting impulsively.”
“Well, you just did. And you’re welcome.” Stefan took several steps backward.
Bruce paused for a beat. “Thank you. But don’t you think I know when I’m being set up? I wasn’t going anywhere. The words slipped out of my mouth as a reflex. For your information, I always think through a plan before taking action. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to call Angie back and get the details.”
“Sure.” Stefan turned on his heel and sauntered through the adjoining door. “I’ll be in my room when you’re ready to discuss our next move.” He closed the door.
Stefan spent the rest of the night reading up on the local legends surrounding Ayers Rock and reviewing the crude map of caves, waterholes, and ancient paintings that Owen had drawn.
After reviewing the salon’s situation with Angie and Toni, Bruce relayed the information to Owen and Stefan. They devis
ed a plan and left it to Angie’s discretion to implement it. Bruce and Owen joined Stefan reviewing the maps and discussing several scenarios and plans of attack.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Unexpected Reunion and the Battle Rages
The next morning Stefan was ready before dawn, coordinates programmed into the GPS and maps packed as a backup. Food and supplies were in the insulated backpack. The other items, including a first aid kit, were stashed in a separate pack.
At a light rap on the door, Stefan called out, “It’s open.”
Bruce and Owen strode into the room. “Let’s get going.” Bruce turned back toward the door. “We’re burning daylight.
“Do we have a plan?” Stefan asked.
“Yeah, we’ll go with your idea of splitting up while you stay in our minds. If either of us finds anything or runs into a problem, you’ll know it and signal the others of the situation.” Bruce passed under the door frame.
“We should be able to cover a lot more ground that way,” Stefan pointed out as he started to gather their gear.
“That’s true, but…”
“Bruce, you got a problem?”
“It bothers me to have someone else in my head, but I agree your idea makes the most sense. Still, don’t like the odds. I’ll take the Mutitjulu Water Hole at the base of the Uluru.” He jabbed his finger to the area on the map spread across the table.
Owen grinned pleasantly, everyone aware that Bruce would rather be giving the orders than taking them. “Since I know the area and have been on the Uluru before, I’ll explore the caves on the Eastern side of the rock.”
“Well, I guess that leaves me the path to the top of the rock,” Stefan said, taking another look at the map before folding it up and putting it in the backpack.
“It’s a steep eight-hundred-meter climb. Sure you’re up to it, vamp?” The corners of Bruce’s lips turned up slightly.
“Yeah, I think I can handle it,” he shot back.
“There is a chain handhold edging the entire path, so you can lean on that should you feel weak,” Bruce teased, slapping Stefan on the back.