by R. D. Brady
“It’s just that you’re angry. And you needed to lash out. Trust me, I understand that feeling very well.”
He looked at her for long moment. “What are you going to do with me?”
Laney crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, that’s up to you to a certain extent. You’re still a minor, so you can’t go out on your own.”
Zach nodded, staring at his feet.
“But we have this school we’ve set up for people like you.”
“Abominations?”
Laney shook her head. “No,” she said softly. “You are not an abomination. You’re different. You’re special.”
“I don’t feel special.”
Laney gave a laugh, feeling a sense of déjà vu. Zach took a step back. Laney put up a hand.
“Sorry. But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people tell me I’m special and I’ve thought exactly the same thing.”
“You’re like me?”
Laney nodded. “Yes. But also a little different. It’s how I was able to get you to stop. And I am sorry about that. I try not to use that particular ability unless absolutely necessary.”
“But how are you—”
If Zach said anything more, Laney didn’t hear it, because a picture of Max trembling and clutching Maddox suddenly pierced her mind, and her head jerked up as if it were pulled by a string. Fear shot through her. Max. And then the awareness of the Fallen seeped through the cave walls and into her.
Turning from Zach, she sprinted out of the room and into the passage, yelling back into the cavern room, “We have trouble!”
She didn’t have time to explain any more than that. She needed to get to Max. Now.
She raced toward the entrance of the cave. As she approached, her radio sprang to life. “—on the beach—Jordan—need—”
Laney yanked it off her belt. “Say again, Danny.”
“Laney, thank God,” Danny’s panic was obvious in his voice. “Something’s happening on the beach. Jordan found a lower position to offer them cover. Gerard is there.”
Laney burst out onto the cliff and ran to the ledge. She scanned the area below. She could barely see the group on the beach. Zach appeared at her side, followed by the rest of the group, Jake in front.
“What is it?” Jake said.
Laney caught his eyes. “Bad guys. Fallen bad guys.”
Jake cursed before grabbing his radio and striding back to his men, issuing orders to get ready to go down.
Laney turned to Zach. “You should stay here.”
“Are the kids in trouble?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m going.”
A gunshot sounded from the beach and Laney’s heart all but stopped. She knew it would take her minutes to climb down the ladder. Minutes the people on the beach didn’t have. She put her hand on Zach’s shoulder. “If you’re going down, do it as fast as you can. You don’t want to be an easy target.”
“How are you getting down?” Zach asked.
Laney didn’t answer. She ran as far from the edge as she could, then, taking a deep breath, she sprinted for the edge and leapt.
CHAPTER 84
Lou slammed her fist into the Fallen’s stomach, pulled his head down, and kneed him in the face. She flipped him to the ground and then, grabbing the little girl next to him around the waist, she sprinted for the fallback position.
A Chandler operative ran toward her. She all but threw the girl at him. “Take her!”
The Fallen she had just dropped got to his knees and lined the operative and girl up in his sights.
Lou ran forward just as he pulled the trigger. She jumped in the air, the bullet catching her in the chest. Pain surged through her and tears sprang to her eyes as she crashed to the beach, sand filling her mouth. Jen’s right. Getting shot hurts.
The Fallen stepped toward her, smirking. “That was stupid.”
Cleo screeched behind him and jumped, tackling him. Lou rolled away as Cleo’s claws raked the man’s chest.
“Thanks, Cleo,” Lou mumbled as the pain began to lessen. She lay on her back for a moment and caught sight of something being thrown off the cliff above. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t a something but a someone.
Her stomach bottomed out as she scrambled to her feet. “Laney!”
Laney’s body was tight, pointing like an arrow at the beach. As she neared the ground, a gust of wind came out of nowhere, grabbed her, and turned her onto her feet. She slowed and then touched down in a plume of sand.
One of the Fallen immediately ran toward her, but Laney waved him away with a flick of her wrist. A blast of wind grabbed a second Fallen and threw him against the rocks. Still another Fallen tried to run away, but Laney stopped him with a single word. “Stay.”
Then a human ran at her. He threw a hook at her head. Laney ducked easily, while landing her own punch to his ribs. She followed it up with a roundhouse to his knee, a punch to his armpit, and a knife hand at his throat.
And Lou knew that without her own abilities, she wouldn’t have been able to see any of it. It had all happened that fast.
Gerard took one look at Laney and hightailed it for the boat with two others.
Laney ran for them, but they sped away before she could reach them. “Cowards!” she yelled. The two remaining Fallen were quickly finished off by Maddox and Jordan.
Lou ran back to the kids and did a quick head count. She let out a breath: everyone was present and accounted for. She turned to the SIA agents. “I think we’re clear.”
“Everyone all right?” Laney asked as she walked up.
Max sprang at her. “Laney!”
She picked the boy up in her arms. “Gotcha.”
“Is it over?” Max asked.
Rolly walked over with a limp. “Yeah. I’d kind of like to know that, too.”
Laney looked down the river at Gerard’s boat, which was now disappearing from view. “It’s over. At least for now.”
CHAPTER 85
Laney called Clark and requested more help. The other boat had been disabled, but no one, thank God, had been killed. Clark told her he’d arrange for search and rescue to get to them ASAP. Laney disconnected the call and sat back against the rock face.
Maddox walked up. “So, you jumped off a thousand-foot cliff?”
“So it seems.”
“How’d you know we were in trouble?”
She glanced over at where Cleo was licking her paws. “Cleo told me.”
“Uh, okay.” Maddox looked behind him and then back at Laney. “Well, good luck.” He walked off.
Good luck? What did he—
“What the hell were you thinking?” Jake yelled as he stormed up to her.
Oh. Laney got to her feet with a sigh. “I wasn’t really thinking. It just seemed like the fastest way to get to the beach.”
“How did you even know it was going to work?”
“I didn’t. I just—”
“You didn’t?” Jake threw his hands in the air. “Never, ever, ever do that again.”
Laney reached out to him. “Jake, I—”
He ran a hand through his hair and glared. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“I—”
“I need to calm down.” He stormed off. He only got three feet away before he spun around, grabbed her by the shoulders, and planted a huge kiss on her lips.
Laney felt her knees buckle.
When Jake pulled away, his face was still furious. “Never, ever again.” He stormed off again, and this time he didn’t turn back.
Yoni looked at Jake’s retreating back before turning to Laney. “Personally, I think that was completely badass. You looked like Captain America. You know, if Captain America was a redheaded woman.”
Laney sighed. “Thanks, Yoni. I think. The kids okay up top?”
Yoni nodded. “Well, seeing as you wrapped everything up so quickly down here, Jen, Henry, and a few others stayed with the kids. We should have them all down
in a little bit.”
“Okay. Good.”
Yoni turned to go but then stopped and looked back at Laney. “And don’t be too hard on Jake. You didn’t see his face when you did your swan dive. He really was terrified.”
Laney nodded, feeling a lump in her throat. She remembered how she felt when she’d seen Jake shot in Egypt. She knew exactly how terrifying it could be.
Cleo came over and rubbed against her. Laney tried to ignore the blood around her muzzle. “Hey, girl.”
Then she stepped back as she realized that Cleo shouldn’t be here. Last time she’d seen her, she had been on the cliff top with Lou and Rolly. “How’d you get down here?” she murmured.
She caught sight of Lou and Rolly sitting on a rock. Both looked a little dazed by events.
“Lou, Rolly.” Laney waved them over.
As they approached, Laney blanched at the sight of the bullet holes in their shirts. “You two okay?”
“We’re good,” Rolly said, although some of his usual exuberance was missing.
“How did you guys get down here? And how’d Cleo get down here?” Laney asked.
Lou and Rolly exchanged a grin. “We kind of lowered her over the cliff with the ropes,” Rolly said.
Laney’s eyes grew wide. “What?”
“Well, there wasn’t a choice,” Lou explained in a rush. “The radio was toast, and the bad guys were heading in. And the kids were already on the beach. So we—”
The rest of her explanation was lost as Laney pulled her in for a hug. “Thank you.” She turned to Rolly and hugged him too. “Thank you both.”
“Hey, does this mean we’re official members of the Angel League?” Rolly asked.
Laney pulled back. “The what?”
“We figure you guys needs a name. That’s the one we like so far. You know, like the Justice League.”
Laney laughed. “Fine with me.”
Rolly whacked Lou in the arm. “Told you she’d like it.”
Lou smiled but then turned back to Laney. “Um, by the way, there were a couple of Fallen up on the cliff top. One of them was Pascha.”
“What? How did you guys—”
“Cleo helped us take care of them.”
The two teenagers stared at their feet, looking a little shaken. Compassion washed over Laney. They’re so young. “I’m so sorry.”
Lou shrugged. “Had to be done. At least the kids are safe.”
“Yeah.” Laney’s eyes traveled back down the river in the direction Gerard and his friends had disappeared. But what had that all been about? They’d only brought a few fighters. Not enough to overpower the group. So what was the point?
“They didn’t want all of the kids,” Lou said, as if reading her mind.
Laney’s head swung back to Lou. “What?”
Rolly gestured toward the top of the cliff. “When Pascha found us, he told us they weren’t after all the kids. They just wanted one.”
Laney felt her jaw fall open. Just one. Her gaze raked the beach until she spotted Max, once again safely snuggled in Maddox’s arms. Max was the only child who didn’t fit the pattern: no angelic abilities and no chance of developing them. She remembered the old game from childhood: which of these things is not like the others? She felt lightheaded and leaned back against the rock face.
Oh God, Max.
CHAPTER 86
Laney let out a breath as she was buzzed into the corrections wing. Last night, they’d managed to get all of the kids down from the cave without further incident, and had taken them all to a regional hospital. No major injuries, thank goodness. But now they had to figure out what to do with them.
Most would go back to their homes. But then what? Laney knew a few of them would one day come into their powers. Should they tell their parents? Wait until the kids were older?
And what were they going to do with the handful of kids who couldn’t, or shouldn’t, go back to their families? At least three of the families were neglectful, if not downright abusive. Combine a lousy upbringing and superpowers and you had a real recipe for disaster.
But what could they do? Legally they couldn’t intervene unless they could prove abuse, and even then they’d have a hard time convincing the courts to let a corporation have custody of a child.
Laney shook her head as she made her way down the empty stalls. Those were questions for later. Right now, she just had one thing to truly focus on.
She nodded at the guard, who opened to door to the interrogation room. Inside sat Nathaniel Grayston, in an orange jumpsuit, his hands and feet shackled, even though his left arm was in a cast.
He looked up as Laney stepped in. For a brief moment, he looked confused; then recognition dawned and his look turned to hate.
Laney pulled out the chair across from him. “Oh, good. You remember me.”
“You are the devil’s spawn.”
Laney thought of Victoria and shrugged. “Well, that’s still up for debate. Your horribleness, however, has been well documented.”
Nathaniel shook his head. “And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.”
Laney raised an eyebrow. “Are you calling me the mother of whores?”
The reverend narrowed his eyes. “You are an abomination.”
“You seem quite obsessed with that word. But you see, me, those children, your son: we’re not the abominations. You are. And you’ve lost.”
“I haven’t lost.”
Laney made a show of looking around the room. “Do you see where you’re sitting? This would be the loser’s room.”
Nathaniel just glared back at her.
“But believe it or not, I’m not here to gloat. I have some questions for you.”
He stared at the wall behind her.
“How’d you find the children?” Laney asked.
“It’s the computer age. Everyone can be found.”
“Yes, but how did you know who they were? What they were?”
The smugness was once again back on his face. “Why would I tell you?”
Laney looked at him for a long moment, her arms crossed over her chest. “You’ll tell me because you want to tell me. I can see it on your face. You want me to know why you think I’ve lost. You want me to understand.”
Nathaniel smiled. “You have lost. I am but a soldier in this war.”
Laney tried to keep her face expressionless. A soldier? Was he working for Samyaza? Was that who’d given him the list? Was that why Gerard was there? But if so, why had Gerard led them to him?
Out loud, she said, “If you’re but a soldier, who’s the general? Who’s calling the shots?”
Nathaniel looked back at her and Laney forced herself to stay quiet. He wanted to tell her—she could feel it. He was desperate to let her know how much smarter than her he was. Finally he spoke. “We are but humble servants of the Shepherd. He shows us the way.”
“The Shepherd? Who’s the Shepherd?”
“He is the one with the knowledge. He is the one God smiles upon. And through him, God smiles upon us.”
“Okay. But does your Shepherd have an actual name?”
“Names are not important.”
“So he never told you.” The Shepherd. Was he the mysterious donor who’d given them the land? Laney paused and studied Nathaniel. “Who gave you the bones?”
“What bones?”
“Your church.”
Nathaniel smiled. “Phillip Northgram. He had the bones of the abominations hidden away in the Smithsonian. I brought them out into the light. To remind us, each time we pray, how critical our mission is. How victorious we will be.”
He didn’t give any indication that Northgram was his father. He could have been talking about his accountant for all the warmth he demonstrated.
“And he gave them to you as a gift?”
Nathaniel smirked. “I didn’t give him a choice.”
Ah, Laney nodded. “Blackmail.”
The reverend shrugged. “Northgram has resources and money. I needed them. And the Shepherd helped show me what to ask for. He helped me fulfill my dream.”
Laney tamped down her anger at the idea that this man’s dream involved a church full of bones and the death of over a dozen children. “What does this Shepherd look like?”
“The hand of God.”
Oh, great. I’ll just have Clark put out an APB for the hand of God. Should have him in custody by lunch. “Yes, well, I was thinking of something more helpful: hair color, eye color, height, gender.”
Nathaniel glared at her, his expression smug. “I will never betray the Shepherd. Remember: the war is still going. I am one small casualty. The Shepherd will continue the fight.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, you’ll find out. You’ll find out in glorious fashion.”
Laney stared at him and he smiled back. Finally, deciding she’d get no more useful information from the man, and frankly eager to be away from his evil, she turned and left.
She was surprised to find Jake just outside of the door. “Where’d you come from?”
He took her hand as they stared in the window at Nathaniel. “Thought you might like a little company after meeting with Sir Creepy.”
Laney squeezed his hand. “You’re not wrong.”
Jake gestured back toward the room. “What did he mean by all that?”
“I don’t know. He’s not exactly acting like a man defeated, is he?” She looked up at Jake. “We got all of his followers, right?”
“The ones in the cave, yes. But we’re still going through his computer. There are undeniably more still out there.”
Laney’s gaze was drawn back to Nathaniel. “What do you think about all this ‘Shepherd’ talk?”
“Maybe he’s the benefactor.”
“Yeah, I was thinking that too.” She paused. “Do you think there’s any chance the Shepherd and Samyaza are one and the same?”
“I don’t know. But Victoria might.”
Laney suddenly felt very tired. “I’ll call her once we get the kids settled.”
Jake placed his hand on her shoulder. “You know, Grayston could have just made up ‘the Shepherd.’ If he inherited his mother’s schizophrenia, this Shepherd could be nothing more than a hallucination.”