by R. D. Brady
“No,” Jen said quietly. “I really don’t.”
Laney clapped her hands. “Well, I think we’ve had enough excitement for today. How about we find the exit to this place?”
“Yes,” Eddie said. “I want to go home.”
Laney ruffled his hair. “Me, too. You two, stay behind us, okay?”
The kids nodded.
Laney and Jen led the way down the tunnel. The soft light of the lanterns speared the darkness ahead of them, shifting between the floors, the walls and the tunnel ahead.
About thirty minutes later, the children trailed behind them, their steps tired, but moving forward. Jen spoke quietly. “I knew I was different when I was eight. One of my foster brothers pushed me out of a tree. I managed to flip and land on my feet. I couldn’t believe it. When I was falling, time seemed to slow, and I knew just what to do.”
Jen glanced over at her. Laney knew she was checking her expression, and any disapproval or shock would close her off. She kept her face neutral. “Must have scared the hell out of you.”
Jen smiled tentatively. “A little. But it thrilled me, too. I couldn’t seem to get hurt.” Her face darkened. “But my foster brother and his friends realized I was different. They increased their attacks, always trying to get to me, to make me cry, to hurt me. It was too much. I ran away a year later, lived on the streets for a while.”
Laney’s heart went out to her. “You were only nine.”
“Nine, but pretty good at taking care of myself. Eventually, though, DCF caught me.” She smiled. “And I was sent to live with the Witts.”
“They don’t know about your abilities?”
Jen shook her head. “No. I never wanted to risk it. I loved them too much. It would have killed me if they turned their back on me because I was different.”
Laney though about Jen’s family. They’d been there for every special event, sending her care packages at school, showing up one weekend a month to visit in college, calling every night. Their bond was incredibly strong. “You know they would never turn their back on you, right?”
“My head knows it. But my heart? It’s too scared to take the chance. So I’ve never told anyone. Not until you.”
"How have you been able to keep it a secret? Don't you just occasionally slip up? Run too fast? Jump too high?"
Jen shook her head. "No. I’ve trained myself not to use those abilities. I was so scared of what would happen when I was a kid, I’m always on guard against using them. Now, it's second nature to hold back."
"The wounds of childhood run deep.” Laney thought of her own childhood trauma. Maybe that was why she pushed Jake away. She loved her parents and they died. She trusted her aunt and her other uncle and they hurt her. It was twenty years later and she still felt the effects of those wounds.
Jen nodded her agreement. "I thought I needed to keep it hidden, to keep from being a target."
"Do you still think that?"
"I don't know."
“Well, your secret’s safe with me.”
Jen gave Laney's hand a small squeeze. “Thanks. But I don’t understand how you knew. How did you figure it out?”
“Let’s just say, I’ve met people like you before.”
Even in the dim light, Laney could see Jen’s eyes light up. “You have? Where? What are they like?”
Laney struggled to find the right words. ‘Deranged, psychopathic killers’ would probably not be very comforting.
Jen read her face. "I'm guessing not good."
Laney gave her a small smile. "Well, I've only met two." Her head jerked up with a start when she realized that wasn't true. Including Jen, she’d now met four. Henry was one as well. At least, she thought he was. He had the strength, the speed, but she’d never lumped him in with Paul or Gideon. Henry was simply too good to associate with those two.
So now she had even numbers. Two good, two evil. What did that say about their nature? Or were Jen and Henry a different breed of superhumans?
Laney was about to speak when Jen put up her hand. “Listen.”
Laney paused, struggling to hear anything in the silence. It all sounded quiet, almost muffled. In fact, it sounded like a white noise machine, although it seemed to be getting louder with each passing second.
Panic flooded her system. She pictured the doors back in the main hall, the ones holding back tons of water. “The doors burst.”
“Run,” Jen yelled.
Laney reached back for Eddie’s hand. Jen did the same for Elena. Together, they sprinted through the tunnel blindly, a wall of water chasing them in the dark.
CHAPTER 43
Laney ran with her arm along the wall, moving too fast for the dim light of the lantern. She prayed they didn’t run into anther booby trap. Up ahead, she saw a small shaft of light.
“Jen,” she called.
“I see it,” Jen yelled back.
As they grew closer to the light, Laney could make out the hole where the light shone through. But the rest of the space was packed with rocks.
“Damn it,” Laney screamed, stumbling to a stop.
Jen didn’t say a word, just started tearing the rocks away from the exit. Laney leaped in and helped. But part of her reeled at the size of rocks Jen was throwing as if they weighed no more than tennis balls.
The sound of water grew closer. Laney pulled back a large rock and daylight burst through. Frantic, she and Jen pulled and yanked rocks out of the way until there was hole big enough to squeeze through.
Jen peeked her head through and then ducked back inside. “There’s a small ledge on each side.” She grabbed Elena and started to push her through. “Climb through and go to your right.”
Elena nimbly climbed over the rocks and disappeared through the hole.
Jen pulled Eddie to the opening. “Eddie, climb through, but stay to your left.”
“But Elena . . .”
Hand on his back, Jen gave him a little push. “There’s not enough room. You need to trust us.”
He nodded and scampered through. Jen looked back at Laney.
“Go,” Laney yelled, the sound of the onrush of water almost deafening.
Jen jumped through the hole and to her right.
Laney clamored through the opening after her. She couldn’t help looking behind her, though she wished she hadn’t. Even in the dim light, she could see the wall of water twenty feet away and moving fast.
CHAPTER 44
Laney scrambled through the opening in the rocks and to the left just as the water burst through behind her. Eddie latched onto her arm as the water pushed against her leg, threatening to take her over the edge.
Grabbing onto the rocks and Eddie’s hand, she pulled herself onto the ledge, panting. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
The ledge was small, only about three feet deep and five feet long. She looked down and her stomach dove for her feet. They were on a sheer cliff face, twenty feet above the ocean. She looked up. The side of the cliff looked like it had been sheered off, starting at the top. A rockslide must have created the opening.
Her eyes found Jen across from them. Her ledge was a little wider, but not any longer. “You two okay?”
Jen nodded. “For now.”
The smaller rocks on the ledge next to Laney began to shake. She looked closer at her ledge and the cliff face behind it. Her stomach bottomed out again. The ledge wasn’t part of the cliff face. It was part of the pile of rocks blocking the exit.
The water was building behind it right now. The only reason it hadn’t exploded out was because of the hole they’d created. But when enough pressure built, it would burst outward, sending them crashing for the water below in a storm of rocks.
She looked over at Jen’s ledge and saw she was in the same situation. “Jen, the ledge.”
Jen stared at her. Then looked down at her ledge. When her face paled, Laney knew she understood what she meant.
Jen knelt down to speak with Elena.
Laney turned to Eddie. “Eddie, can you swim?”
He nodded.
“Good. Because we’re going to have to jump.”
Eddie’s eyes darted to the long drop next to them. He started to breathe rapidly.
Laney knelt down, taking him by the shoulders. “Eddie, look at me. You can do this. We can do this.” She took his hand, clasping it in her own. “You’re going to hold onto my hand and you’re not going to let go. Do you hear me? You don’t let go.”
He nodded, but his eyes were filled with fear. Rocks began to skitter off the ledge and drop to the water below.
Laney stood up and yelled to Jen. “Count of three?”
Jen nodded, Elena's legs wrapped around her waist. Jen's arms held her tightly to her chest.
Swallowing the lump of fear in her throat, Laney clasped Eddie’s hand even tighter. “One, two.” Deep breath. “Three.”
She and Eddie jumped out from the cliff. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jen do the same with Elena. They dropped fast. But not so fast that Laney couldn’t hear and see the water break through above them, a cascade of rocks and water racing after them.
CHAPTER 45
Laney plunged into the cold water feet first, her hand tightly clasped in Eddie’s. Rocks pierced the water around them like bullets. The water swirled, tossing them around like driftwood. A rock slammed into the side of her head, another slammed into her ribs.
Eddie’s grip went slack. Laney grasped him even tighter until the tumult stopped. Opening her eyes, she struggled to find the surface. Spying sunlight below her, she righted herself. Hauling Eddie behind her, she kicked for the light.
She burst through the surface and sucked in a lungful of air. She pulled Eddie up and saw he’d been hit in the arm and head. He coughed out some water and then went quiet. She grabbed him and pulled him close, listening to his chest. His heart beat strong.
She released a breath, tears welling in her eyes. “Thank you. Thank you,” she mumbled.
“Laney!” Elena yelled.
Jen waved from thirty feet away, Elena wrapped around her neck. Other than a few cuts, they both looked fine. Laney waved back. Jen started to swim over, towing Elena with her.
Laney waited until Jen pulled to stop next to her. “Well, that was fun.”
A short laugh burst forth from Jen. “Seriously, when we hit dry land, I am dragging you to the nearest shrink.”
“Is Eddie okay?” Elena asked.
Laney nodded. “He’ll be okay. He just took a little knock to the head.”
Jen gestured farther down the coast. “I think there’s a beach about a mile down that way.”
Laney looked in the direction Jen had pointed with a sigh. Right now, one mile might as well be a thousand. She felt tired just thinking about the swim. “Okay. Let’s get going before we run into some sharks.”
“Sharks?” Elena’s voice came out as a squeak. She tightened her hold on Jen’s neck.
Jen glared at Laney.
Laney grimaced. “Sorry. That was just a joke. I’m sure there are no sharks near here.” Although with our luck, she thought looking around, I wouldn’t be all that surprised to see a fin cutting through the water.
Shaking her head, Jen turned and began swimming towards the coast, Elena riding on her back. Laney flipped onto her back. Pulling Eddie's torso onto her own and trapping him with her legs, she began a slow backstroke following in their wake. She knew she should be thrilled they’d made it. And she was. It was truly a miracle.
But those mercenaries had done everything in their power to try and kill them. What was going to happen when they realized they’d failed?
CHAPTER 46
Jake watched the canopy of trees fly by beneath him. He’d always loved flying in helos. There was something incredibly freeing about it. But right now, he felt like he was encased in a layer of lead. It was hard to breathe. His limbs each felt like they’d gained ten pounds.
Jake and his group spent the better part of the afternoon helping the Shuar at the riverbank and dealing with red tape. The U.S. Consulate and the Ecuadorian government had been called. Getting the tribespeople to trust the military had taken some time. Patrick had finally managed to broker a tentative peace. Apparently, Laney had spoken with the tribe's leader about him. Trust in Laney is what had sealed the deal.
The U.S. Consulate was working on smoothing the waters with the Ecuadorian government. They hadn’t been thrilled when they learned about Jake’s group’s actions. Of course, they’d been less thrilled to hear about the looting of a priceless ancient site and the killing of Ecuadorian citizens by a group of mercenaries. Finally, the government men had thrown up their hands and ordered Jake's group out of the country.
Wind blew through the open doorway of the chopper and Jake closed his eyes. Laney was gone. It didn't seem real. She was so full of life. She couldn't just be gone.
He used to hate when people said death had them all ripped up inside. It sounded so melodramatic. But now he got it. His chest felt empty, and yet, at the same time, it felt like something was trying to claw its way out.
He crushed his fist in his hand. And somehow Derek Collins was the reason. He couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Derek had been a member of his platoon in Afghanistan. He’d been a SEAL. And he was supposed to have died seven years ago when his Humvee hit an IED. They’d never found the body, but they’d found his dog tags and part of his uniform. How could it have been Derek?
He closed his eyes, picturing Derek when they’d started SEAL training together. They’d bonded, been good friends. Took leave together. He and Yoni had even gone home with Derek a couple of times to stay with Derek’s family for holidays.
Of course, everything had changed after Derek had been wounded in Iraq. It was a massive concussion. Derek’s whole personality shifted overnight. He became cruel, violent. Jake knew Derek had been a breath away from being kicked out of the military, if not locked up, right before he died. Had he faked his own death to avoid it?
His chest thudded painfully. And now, Derek was responsible for Laney’s death.
He turned from the door and watched Patrick in the back of the chopper. Laney's uncle sat with his head leaning against the bulkhead, his eyes closed. An occasional tear would slip from underneath his lids and strike the floor. Patrick didn’t wipe them away.
Jordan and Mike sat on the other side of the helo, their shoulders touching, but each lost in their own world of grief. They’d always looked out for Jen, their little sis. Jake knew how close the Witt family was. He couldn't imagine how they were going to get through this.
Henry sat stone-faced in the helo’s other door, glaring at the ground below them. Even Yoni sat lost in grief, with none of his usual jokes.
Jake turned away as the airport came into view. He knew the Ecuadorian government was searching their plane. When they were satisfied that they weren’t trying to sneak anything out of the country, they’d be allowed to leave. Actually, forced to leave.
He hated leaving without Laney's . . . He stumbled over the word, even in his mind. Without Laney's body.
The Huey touched down with a little bump. Jake jumped out. He turned to help Patrick down. The priest seemed to have caved in on himself. Jake wasn’t sure if he would stay upright.
Yoni slipped an arm around Patrick’s waist. “I’ve got you, Padre.”
Jake nodded his thanks as Yoni walked Patrick towards the hangar. He grabbed his gear from the open doorway.
Jordan and Mike walked towards the hangar, their arms slung around each other. Jake wanted to say something to them, but what the hell could he say?
Henry walked over to him. “What do you need, Jake?”
Jake shook his head, tears gathering in his throat. He swallowed them down. “Nothing, Henry. Nothing.”
Henry clapped him on the shoulder and stood with him, giving him his strength. Taking a deep breath, Jake turned towards the hangar.
“I wonder what’s happening over there,”
Henry mumbled.
Jake glanced up, noticing for the first time the commotion on the far side of the runway. An ambulance was waiting on the tarmac next to a few other cars. A rescue helicopter landed. Paramedics rushed to open the doors of the chopper.
“Any idea what’s going on over there?” Henry asked the pilot as he came to join them.
“There was a sea rescue not too far from where you were.”
Jake’s head jolted up. “Who was rescued?”
“Two women and two children.”
Jake went still. He met Henry’s eyes. Without a word, the two started running for the ambulance.
Jake slowed as they neared. Two children, a boy and a girl, were carried from the helicopter and placed into the waiting ambulance. A tall, dark haired woman appeared next, her warm skin tone unnaturally pale. And then behind her, looking even smaller wrapped in a large coast guard blanket, a pale woman with a riot of red hair stepped onto the tarmac.
Jake’s heart slammed to a stop in his chest, his knees almost giving out.
She looked up and her piercing green eyes met his. Shock crossed her face, before a smile appeared.
Jake bulldozed past the startled paramedics and wrapped her in his arms, pulling her off her feet. He breathed her in.
“Laney.”
CHAPTER 47
The blood pressure cuff woke Laney. Her eyes flew open, her hands rolled into fists. The nurse jumped back from the bed.
Laney shook her head. “Sorry.”
The nurse smiled as she unwound the cuff, patting Laney’s arm, before leaving the room. Laney rubbed her eyes, a thin film of sleep covering them.
“You’re awake,” her uncle said from the chair next to the hospital bed. From his red eyes and rumpled clothes, he’d obviously slept there.
“I’m awake,” she agreed with a small smile. They’d all been taken to the hospital after touching down at the airport. Laney had fought against being kept overnight but her uncle had insisted. One look at his pained face and she’d given in. If it gave him peace, she’d stay in the damn hospital.