by R. D. Brady
Still, one thought kept that optimism from blooming fully: if Max was deep inside the cave, there was a very good chance that the signal from the tracker wouldn’t be able to reach them. Laney chased the thought away. Let’s stay positive.
Jake nodded toward Jordan. “Jordan’s already arranged to borrow a Grand Canyon Tours helicopter. They’ll sweep over the area where we think the cave is located and look for any sign of Nathaniel’s men—or better yet, a signal from Max’s tracker.”
The stretch of canyon where they believed the cave was located was wide open. There was simply no way they could sneak up on it, except maybe on foot. And it would take forever to cover the area that way. Plus, their opponent could have the higher ground. They’d see and hear them if they came in by boat or by air.
Since a quiet approach wasn’t an option, they’d decided to risk a chopper. There was simply no other way to reconnoiter in time. Hopefully they could pass themselves off as just one of the many tourist helicopters that passed over the Grand Canyon daily—even though the area they’d be visiting wasn’t a typical tourist destination.
Danny had wanted to go in the chopper, but everyone had voted down that idea. In fact, everyone else wanted to go themselves.
It was finally decided that Yoni and Jordan would go. They weren’t sure if there were any Fallen helping the reverend’s team, but if there were, they couldn’t take the chance that those Fallen might sense Henry or Jen or Laney. That would blow their cover before they even began.
Laney had her doubts about the efficiency of flying around for miles in a helicopter. If Max’s tracker didn’t come through, the odds were low that they’d happen to pass over the right spot, or recognize it if they did. It’s the ol’ needle in the haystack approach. But she kept those thoughts to herself.
Maddox appeared to share her doubts. “And if that doesn’t work?”
Jake looked over at him. “Then we head down the river in boats and fly low over the top of the cliff until we find them.”
“But that’ll let them know we’re coming,” Jen said.
“I know.” Jake let out a heavy breath. “But if we can’t find the cave with the chopper, we won’t have any other choice.”
“And if we have to go with option two,” Laney asked, “how many kids will we lose?”
Jake didn’t say anything. He just shook his head.
But Laney heard the unspoken words.
All of them.
CHAPTER 73
Just after dawn the next morning, Laney, Jake, Henry, and Jen crammed into the small office, the radio keyed up. Laney rubbed her hand over her eyes. They stung. She’d managed to get about two hours of sleep last night and was trying to compensate with lots of coffee. Now as they listened intently to the radio, she felt like her nerves were on a string. Come on guys. Find something.
“Just heading over the ridge now.” Jordan’s voice came through loud and clear.
“No hits,” Yoni said. “But that’s probably just because of Jordan’s flying. My mother flies better than this.”
“Shut up, Yoni.”
Yoni chuckled, but no one in the room even cracked a smile.
Yoni and Jordan had gone up in the chopper fifteen minutes ago. They’d been searching the area for ten minutes without any sign.
Laney couldn’t stand to just sit idly and wait, so in her head, she began to rearrange the plan. Henry and Maddox could be lowered onto the top of the cliff. Jen could go along the bottom. Maybe if they ran fast enough they could find and take out the guards without anyone noticing. Maybe I can send Cleo with Jen. She would at least distract the guards—
“Coming up on the eastern ridge.”
“No hits,” Yoni called.
Laney tried not to scream in frustration. Come on, just a little help. A small something that meant that their going in might not seal the fates of all of those kids.
“Hold on a second,” Yoni’s voice called, a glimmer of hope in it. “Jordan, cut a little more to the other canyon wall.”
Laney held her breath. Please, please.
“I have a signal!” Yoni yelled.
As if on a string, everyone in the office leaned forward. “See anyone?” Jake asked.
“Hold on,” Yoni called. “Yeah—two spotters up top. I don’t know about below. Do you want us to circle back around, make another pass over them? It might raise alarms.”
“No. That’s all right. Get back here. We leave as soon as you get back,” Jake ordered. He looked at everyone in the room. “Time to go hunting.”
CHAPTER 74
Laney made sure everyone had what they needed and that the teenagers understood their roles in this. They were coming along, but staying in the back—the far back. If all went well, they’d never be anywhere near any violence.
Laney zipped up her vest, placed a Beretta in her holster, and slid her knife into the sheath attached to her thigh. She picked up her P90 and checked the cartridge. All good.
Jake walked over and handed her earplugs. She looked at them for a moment and then up at him. “What are these for?”
“We’re going to be shooting inside a cave. We’ll be lucky if we aren’t all deaf by the time we get out.”
Right. She hadn’t thought of that. The cave walls would trap all the sound in, sending it back at them. “We might not be able to hear the kids with these things on.”
“True. But we definitely won’t be able to hear them if we go in without the earplugs.”
Laney knew he was right. Gunfire out in the open was loud; in the tight cave space, it was going to be deafening. “And Jake, remind everyone that guns are a last resort. We want to take these guys out as quietly as possible.”
Jake placed his hand over hers and squeezed. “I told them. But I’ll tell them again.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading off to hand out more earplugs.
Laney sighed. She knew Jake had it handled. But it was hard not to micromanage on this mission.
Henry stepped next to her. “You ready?”
Laney took a deep breath. “Yes.” Then she nodded at something behind Henry. “Incoming.”
Danny, Lou, and Rolly walked up to them.
“Hey, guys,” Laney said.
Danny handed Laney what she thought was a rock. But when her hand closed around it she realized it was metal, painted a reddish brown. She held it up. “What is this?”
“It’s basically a small drone.” Danny pointed to the top. “Wings come out of here, allowing it to fly. But it can go back to this form and lie on the ground, unobtrusive.”
Laney inspected it and noticed the small hole at the front. “Is that a camera?”
Danny nodded. “I’m not asking you to let me go with you. But if I’m over with Jordan, I’ll be close enough that I can control this guy and give you the layout before you go in.”
Laney wanted to say no. She didn’t know what they’d find in that cave. For all they knew, Nathaniel had already sacrificed the kids. And if he had, she couldn’t let Danny see that. Henry would never forgive her if she did. She would never forgive herself.
She looked over at Henry. He had tried so hard to keep Danny out of all of this. But now Danny was here, and Laney thought Danny’s idea was a good one. Still, as much as it killed her, she had to leave the decision to Henry. She cocked an eyebrow at him.
Henry gave her a tiny nod, then turned his gaze to Danny. When he spoke, his voice was confident, maybe even proud. “He can do it. He’s the best one for the job.”
Danny’s jaw dropped for a moment before a smile broke out across his face.
Laney tried to hold back her own smile. “Okay, tell Jordan. And Danny, you’re wearing a vest.”
Danny nodded quickly.
“We’ll get him suited up.” Lou wrapped her hand around Danny’s arm with a grin and dragged him off. Rolly slung an arm around Danny from the other side.
Laney smiled at the camaraderie of the moment, happy that Danny finally seemed to be finding his place with kid
s his own age.
But the smile soon slid from her face. She looked up at Henry. “We’re doing the right thing letting them help, aren’t we?”
Henry looked down at her. “I hope so, Laney. I really hope so.”
CHAPTER 75
Laney headed for the locker room, looking for a little peace before everything went to hell. As she approached, she heard a noise from inside. She stepped in and saw Jen sitting on a bench, pulling on her wetsuit. She was going to be part of the team that crashed the beach.
Laney took a seat on the bench across from her. “You up for this?”
Jen zipped up the front of her suit. “You know I am.”
“Good, good.”
Jen straddled the bench in front of her. “Are you up for this?”
Laney rubbed the ring on her finger. “Yeah.”
“Lanes?”
Laney thought for a moment about lying, but she just didn’t want to. And Jen would see through it anyway. “I’m just so scared this time. It’s one thing risking my life, but all those kids. And now we’ve got the teen titans with us as well.”
“Well, those guys will hang back in the boats until we get the kids out. And then, and only then, will they move in.”
Laney bit her lip. “I know this is the best plan in this situation. But there are just so many things that could go wrong. And the price of those mistakes…” Laney shook her head.
“Hey. We’ve done this before. And we’re still here, aren’t we? We’ve fought ridiculous odds before and won. This is just one more challenge. And we’ll defeat this one, too.”
Jen was right. They had done the impossible before. But somehow with children caught in the middle, especially Max, the cost of this confrontation felt so much higher than any of the others.
“Besides, this time we’re only fighting humans. How hard can it be?” Jen’s words were glib, but they were belied by the concern in her eyes.
“Yeah,” Laney said softly, “but they’re humans with children as shields.”
CHAPTER 76
Laney stood with the assault force in a field a mile from the Colorado River. They were splitting up the group here. Most would go in by the river, but a few of them would descend from the top of the cliff. They’d already alerted local law enforcement.
Laney was leaving two of the teenagers and Cleo at the top to watch their backs. Cleo had already been dropped off. She was making her way toward the cave and was under strict instructions to not engage with any humans.
Laney and Henry would be part of the cliff top team. Two helicopters were sitting quietly a hundred yards behind them. But right now, they were waiting to hear from Jordan and Danny to find out what they were walking into.
Jake put his arm around Laney. “It’ll be okay. We have at least twelve hours until the sun goes down. We have time.”
“If Nathaniel keeps to the schedule,” she mumbled. “Who knows what his plan really is? He’s mixed a bunch of Bible verses together into his own personal scripture. Who’s to say the timing of the sacrifice isn’t something else he decided to revise?”
“Don’t go borrowing trouble,” Jake warned. “Let’s focus on what we can affect, not things that are out of our control.”
Jordan’s voice called over the radio. “Danny and I are in position.”
Laney waved to everyone for quiet, then turned on the monitor on the hood of the Jeep.
Jake grabbed the radio. “Guards?”
“One at the cave entrance. And it looks like another two at the base of the cliff,” Jordan responded. “But I can’t see into the cave.”
Laney’s gaze caught Jake’s. They’d have to adjust. Which meant Jake, Yoni, and Jen were going to swim in first, ahead of the boats. Laney’s gut clenched at the thought.
They’re trained for this, Laney thought. Both Yoni and Jake were Navy SEALs. They’d done this a million times. And Jen swam like she was born in the ocean.
Jake looked over at Laney.
She nodded back at him. “Send Danny’s little friend in.”
Jake relayed the message over the radio.
The monitor came to life as Danny’s robot activated. First, all they could see was the rock on the far side of the river. Then a buffet of wind tossed the little thing, and they were staring at the water below before Danny righted it again.
“Okay, anybody else feeling a little sick?” Yoni asked as he came to stand next to them.
Laney put an arm around him. “I thought you SEALs were made of tougher stuff.”
Yoni swallowed. “Just not a fan of heights.”
“There’s the entrance,” Jake said.
Laney turned her attention back to the monitor. She realized that she was holding her breath, and let it out. As the drone’s camera zoomed in, she saw the guard in the doorway. He was about thirty, with a scruffy beard, an old camouflage jacket, and some scuffed-up boots. He was leaning against the cave entrance, smoking a cigarette.
The guard glanced over in the direction of the bot. Danny quickly downed it. Unconcerned, the man looked away. But Laney got enough of a look at him to recognize him: Larry Kelly, the man Jake had fingerprinted at the hospital. The man who took Max.
“How’s Danny going to get the drone past him?” Laney whispered, even as she realized the ridiculousness of whispering.
“Just wait,” Jake said.
All of a sudden the guard straightened and walked to the edge of the cliff. Danny wasted no time bringing the bot back to life and zipping it into the cave.
“What happened?” Laney asked.
Jake grinned. “Jordan set up a small rockslide.”
Laney didn’t respond; her attention was drawn to the sight on the screen. Danny had moved the bot to the ceiling. Laney’s mouth hung open.
The cave was massive. Nathaniel’s men had strung lights along the path, providing a good view. In front of the drone was a passage that Laney couldn’t even see the end of. But she could tell that different rooms cut off of the main artery.
“Laney?” Jake asked.
“There’s no question it’s man-made—at least parts of it. Someone carved this out of the rock.” Who could have done this? What tools would they have needed? This was obviously not… Laney shook her head to refocus. Academic curiosity could come later. “Tell Danny to check each of the rooms.”
“No guards yet,” Maddox said.
Laney realized he was right. The only guard was the one at the entrance. “Where is everybody?”
“They’re probably not expecting anyone. They’ve managed to grab all of those kids without anyone even getting close,” Jen said quietly. “They’re getting cocky.”
Danny took the bot down the passage and peeked into the first few rooms. They were empty, and Nathaniel’s people hadn’t bothered to light them. It wasn’t until they approached the twelfth room that light shown through the doorway.
“This place could hold thousands of people,” Jen said.
Jake nodded, his face concerned. “Yeah. And these guys are tucked way in the back. Can’t be sure, but I’d say that the main passage is at least a hundred and fifty yards.”
“That’s a lot of distance to cover silently,” Yoni said.
On screen, a room appeared that did have lights strung up. Sleeping bags were scattered across the floor. Boxed were stacked in the back—food and water, Laney figured.
“Danny, hold there,” Jake ordered, staring at the screen. “I count eighteen sleeping bags.”
“Figure another two or three guys on guard duty,” Yoni said.
“So we’re talking over twenty guys,” Maddox said. “Tell Danny to keep going. We need to see the kids.”
Jake relayed the command. The bot was on the move again. Up ahead, there was a lot of light. Laney leaned forward as if she could somehow see more. The bot moved into a large room.
The ceiling was much higher in here, and giant stalactites hung from the ceiling. Surrounding the room were dozens of individual alcoves, each t
all enough to hold a man standing upright—a very tall man. The large room was shaped like a dome and reminded Laney of the Pantheon in Rome.
Danny positioned the bot near one of the stalactites, giving them a bird’s-eye view of the room. Around twenty men lounged below them, obviously not impressed by their surroundings. Some played cards. Some read books.
Laney stared at the screen. “Where’s Grayston?”
“There.” Jen pointed to the bottom right of the screen.
And sure enough, there he was, sitting at a makeshift table, eating. Not a care in the world.
Yoni leaned forward. “What’s that?” He pointed to something sticking out behind the reverend.
“Danny, move the bot behind Grayston,” Jake ordered.
The scene changed, and Nathaniel came more into focus. But Laney lost interest in him as soon as she saw what had caught Yoni’s attention.
Laney thought she had prepared herself for what she was going to see in the cave. She was wrong. She grabbed Jake’s hand. He squeezed hers back.
Yoni’s voice was full of revulsion. “Is that…?”
Jen answered his unfinished question. “Yes. It’s the altar of bones.”
CHAPTER 77
Laney felt her mouth go dry. The structure on the screen was a macabre creation, even worse somehow than the whole church. Skulls, femurs, knee sockets, all types of bones had been used to create an altar.
But it wasn’t just its appearance that was making her sick. It was the knowledge of what Nathaniel planned on using it for. This was where Nathaniel planned on sacrificing the children.
“Who the hell creates something like that?” Yoni demanded. “What kind of fucking asshole comes up with that?”
Jake put his hand on Yoni’s shoulder. “Yoni.”
Yoni looked up at him, tears in his eyes. “They’re kids, Jake. Just kids.” For the first time, Laney realized how hard this mission was going to be for Yoni. Now that he had Dov, this mission was hitting too close to home.