by Anna Hackett
Machine-gun fire peppered the road right in front of them. They all screamed and ducked down.
“Floor it, Artie,” January cried. “Go. Go!”
Artie slammed his foot down on the accelerator and the car sped forward, fishtailing. More gunfire rained down around them.
God, she couldn’t believe this. She couldn’t believe that Team 52 would fire on civilians. Talk about overkill.
She couldn’t get these young men killed.
“Stop the car,” she screamed.
No one listened. The helicopter swung around, right in front of them, kicking up a cloud of sand and dust.
Artie slammed on the brakes and their car skidded off the road.
They came to a stop, the vehicle rocking on its wheels. January shoved her door open and leaped out.
The helicopter lowered down, hovering just above the ground. Her hair whipped around her face as she watched the side door open.
That’s when it hit her. Team 52 wouldn’t fire on innocent civilians.
She watched several figures in black leap out of the helicopter. One big form had long, blond hair falling to his shoulders. January froze.
Definitely not Team 52. This was the Knights of Gaia.
Ah, hell.
“Go!” She waved her arm at the men in the car. “Go now and get away!”
She knew that the Knights didn’t want these boys. She turned and sprinted out into the desert.
She heard the sounds of pursuit behind her and pumped her arms. She stumbled on the rough, desert ground, but kept moving. Her lungs burned.
Then she was tackled from behind.
She hit the ground hard, sand filling her mouth. Ow. The air was knocked out of her.
She found herself yanked up.
January fought hard, struggling wildly, and trying to knee the bastard in the balls. She caught a glimpse of several armed men holding Artie, Cal, and Sammy at gunpoint. She struggled harder.
Her captor grunted, and then a bag was dropped over her head. She kept fighting, even knowing it was a losing battle.
Then she was shaken hard enough that her teeth rattled, and tossed over a hard shoulder.
No. No. No.
“Faster,” Seth growled.
He was leaning over Blair’s shoulder. She was at the controls of the Titan—the team’s light tactical armored vehicle.
Blair ignored him. They were already going fast.
The experimental vehicle was one of Ty’s toys. It had armor-plating the same color as the desert outside, huge, rugged tires made for hard terrain, and a sleek, glass-covered front where the driver sat. A machine gun had been fitted on the top.
Behind Seth, the rest of Team 52 sat in the snug confines of the vehicle.
They neared the front gate and the guards opened it for them. They tore out onto the highway.
“Don’t kill us, Mason,” Lachlan called out.
Seth glanced back at Lachlan, sitting on a bench seat, holding his CXM. All the team were dressed in black tactical outfits.
“Fuck.” Brooks voice came through the panel in front of Blair. “I have the satellite imagery up. There’s a helicopter. It opened fire.”
Seth’s stomach dropped.
“I saw a vehicle stop and pick up January. The helicopter intercepted them.”
The fucking Knights of Gaia were after January. Seth slammed his fist against the side panel.
“Hold it together, Lynch,” Lachlan said.
“We’ll get her.” Blair glanced back, her gaze meeting his.
Seth dragged in a breath and nodded, but his muscles were strung tight. This was his fault. He hadn’t trusted her the way she deserved and he’d driven her away.
“Helicopter’s leaving,” Brooks said.
Shit. Seth gritted his teeth.
“There!” Blair yelled.
Leaning forward, Seth peered through the windshield. He saw a dusty station wagon on the side of the road. Three men were standing in the middle of the road.
In the distance, a helicopter was flying away. It was barely more than a black speck in the cloudless sky.
The Titan jolted to a stop beside the car. Seth shoved the side door out and up, then leaped down. His boots hit the dirt and he bent his knees. He whipped his CXM up and aimed at the young men.
“On your knees,” Seth barked.
The men dropped instantly, their faces white. Hell, they looked like geeky teenagers.
“Please don’t kill us,” one cried.
“Where’s January?” Seth asked.
The men all frowned.
Seth stepped closer. “January. I want answers. Now!”
“You guys aren’t with the ones who took her?” the curly-haired young man with glasses asked, his brow creased with confusion.
They’d taken her. Dammit. Seth sucked in a breath, trying to find some control. Lachlan and Blair flanked him, and he watched the rest of the team fan out, scoping the area.
One of the young men, with a pretty face, looked past Seth to the Titan. His eyes widened. “Wow. I’ve never seen a tactical vehicle like that before.”
“Eyes down,” Blair snapped.
The man obeyed immediately. “Please don’t shoot me.”
“Tell me what happened to January,” Seth demanded. “Now.”
The tall, lanky one looked at him. “Are you January’s badass? The one she said was an asshole?”
Seth gritted his teeth. “Yes. January is mine. Talk. Now.”
The young men recounted the story in detail. When they described a man with long, blond hair grabbing January, Seth closed his eyes for a second.
“Knights of Gaia,” he murmured to his team. The bastards had her.
“Hold it together, amigo.” Axel gripped his shoulder.
“If they hurt her—”
“Um…” the curly-haired man said. “If it helps, we have a dashcam set up.”
Seth straightened. “You recorded the attack?”
The young man nodded.
“I’ll get it.” Callie headed toward the car.
The lanky man was staring at them all. “Who are you guys? Are you from Area 51?”
Seth and his team ignored him. All Seth could think about was the fact that the Knights had January. He stared toward the western horizon.
“She’ll be okay,” Lachlan said. “They want her for something. Besides, she’s tough. Titanium-coated.”
“She’s been hurt before,” Seth said. “As a teen, she and her mom were attacked. Her mom was killed.” He drew in a breath. “They were attacked by the side of a road. Physically and sexually.”
“Shit.” Lachlan’s golden eyes flashed.
“You’re kidding,” Smith ground out, jaw tight.
An angry vibe resonated from the rest of Seth’s team. “I wish I was.”
“We’ll get her back,” Lachlan’s tone was uncompromising.
Blair nodded. “We won’t stop looking until we find her.”
Seth gripped his weapon and nodded. He’d tear the country apart if he had to, but he would find her.
And if anyone had laid a hand on her…
He glanced at the young men, who were still pale-faced and anxious. “You guys get out of here. You saw nothing, you will remember nothing.” The trio didn’t need any further prompting. As one, they dove into the wagon and took off down the road.
Seth swiveled his CXM onto his back and turned to his team. “Let’s go rescue my woman.”
Chapter Sixteen
Seth leaned forward in his seat and pressed play again on the tablet screen.
He was on the X8, the jet engines a drone of background noise as they sped west toward L.A. The video flared to life. The three young UFO hunters had managed to record the entire attack and January’s abduction.
He watched on the screen as the helicopter opened fire. His jaw tightened. He saw the car swerve, and heard the young men cursing. Then he heard January telling them to go.
Of course, sh
e would. She’d risk herself to help save them.
Then he saw January through the windshield, running into the desert. Soldiers from the helicopter raced toward her, and he saw her struggling with a man as he lifted her, kicking and screaming, off her feet.
“You’ve watched that a hundred times,” Lachlan said from beside Seth.
Seth lifted his chin. He touched the screen and zoomed in on January’s attacker. He had long, shaggy, blond hair.
It was definitely the man from Guatemala, who’d snatched the sphere.
They needed the location of the cell in L.A.
“Brooks got anything, yet?” Seth asked.
Lachlan gripped his shoulder. “Not yet. But we’ll find her.”
“I could lose her.” Seth looked at the floor. “I barely had her, but it was good, and I screwed it up.”
“We all screw up,” Lachlan said. “You fix it, and do better next time. So, get your head in the game and focus on getting her back. We need to recover the sphere and stop the Knights of Gaia.”
Seth nodded and lifted his head. Out the window, he caught a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean in the distance. They were close.
A screen on the wall of the X8 flickered, and Brooks’ face appeared. “Guys.”
The man’s tone made Seth stiffen. He gripped the armrest. “January?”
“Nothing yet.” Regret flared in Brooks’ eyes. “But something is going down in L.A. It’s all over the Internet and the news channels.”
The screen changed to a news report. A sleek blonde in a snappy suit was reporting, holding a microphone to her mouth.
“This is an extraordinary event with no explanation.” She stepped to the side, to allow the camera a better look at the iconic Hollywood sign behind her, nestled into the hillside.
Seth hissed in a breath and Lachlan swore. He sensed the rest of the team moving closer.
“Fuck me,” Smith muttered.
Vines and bushes were growing up around the famous sign. As they watched, a vine curled through the first O, tangling around it like a rope.
“They’re testing the sphere,” Seth said.
The reporter threw out a hand. “Emergency services are on the scene, but no one has any explanation for the out-of-control plant growth currently taking place.”
“Brooks, any sightings of the Knights around the sign?” Seth asked.
“I’ve got a partial plate and make of a vehicle seen leaving the Hollywood sign,” Brooks said.
Seth’s pulse leaped. Finally. “Find them.”
“I’m on it.”
They needed to find her.
Blair brought the X8 in to land at the airport, and when the team exited the terminal, a sleek, black truck was waiting for them. A uniformed airman was waiting for them, snapping to attention as Lachlan approached.
“Commander Hunter?”
“That’s me.” Lachlan took the keys and dismissed the man.
Seth slid open the side door of the truck. The inside was decked out with comfy seats, computer systems, and built-in cabinets Seth knew would be filled with everything they might need—first aid kits, weapons, armor.
“I’m driving.” Smith circled the truck to get in the driver’s seat.
Lachlan touched his ear. “Brooks, we’re at the truck. Any updates?”
A screen came to life, showing Brooks in his computer room. He’d changed his shirt. It was grey with the NASA logo on it…except the blue circle was actually the Death Star.
“Everyone is focused on the Hollywood sign incident,” Brooks said.
“The Knights wanted attention,” Seth said.
“They’ve sent a message to the press,” Brooks said.
“Tell us,” Seth demanded.
Brooks cleared his throat. “We are the Knights of Gaia, defenders of the Earth and mankind. It is our mission to save the planet for our children, and end the destruction of nature by overpopulation and pollution. To do this, hard choices must be made and action taken. In order to save our planet, we vow to destroy every city in the world and save the Earth. To save mankind.”
Seth settled into a seat. Blair knocked his legs out of the way, and sat beside him. The truck pulled away from the curb.
“Shit,” Blair muttered.
“Any luck tracking down the car?” Seth asked. “Do you have a location?”
“The car’s a rental.”
Dammit. Seth put a hand to the back of his neck.
Then Brooks grinned. “But I hacked the rental company’s system. The car has LoJack.”
Seth straightened. Finally, a break. “Where?”
“A swanky house in the Hollywood Hills. I’m sending you the address now.”
Tires screeching, Seth peered out the window as they sped toward the Hollywood Hills.
Hold on, hellcat. I’m coming.
January tested the ropes tying her to the chair. They were tight. Really tight.
She sighed.
She stared out the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. Her prison had a hell of a view. The house was up in the hills overlooking L.A. and had a brilliant view of the city skyline below. The house was also gorgeous. All modern lines, with no clutter, and loads of plants everywhere. One entire wall in the living room was all greenery, and there was actually a pond inside the house, a small fountain within it trickling gently.
Then she turned her gaze to the television that was showing horrific images from the Hollywood sign. The sound was off, but she saw a police helicopter buzzing overhead. The sign was almost completely engulfed by vegetation.
Her stomach tightened. They’d tested the sphere. She glanced around at the silent and very armed guards stationed at various points around the room. They weren’t playing around.
“Dr. James.”
A trim man about her age sat down on the chair in front of her. He was good-looking, in a bland sort of way, and wearing chinos and a pressed shirt. She’d seen all the armed guards defer to him, so she guessed he was the man in charge.
“I’m Mark Kelleson.”
She straightened. “The tech millionaire?”
He smiled. “Almost. Tech billionaire.”
She’d heard of his company. He’d made his fortune in solar panels, wind turbines, and electric cars. Her belly did a slow roll. All renewable energies, and things that were good for the environment.
“You run the Knights of Gaia,” she said.
He tilted his head and smiled. “Yes. I plan to save our planet.”
“Riiiiight,” she said.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I think you believe you.”
He nodded gravely. “So, you don’t agree with me.”
“I want us to do what’s best for the planet, but over seven billion people call this place home. You don’t get to decide the path forward for everybody.” She leaned closer, as far as her bindings would allow. “You don’t get to steal, kill, and destroy in the process.”
“We’re already destroying the planet, Dr. James. Overpopulation, pollution, destruction of the rainforests. Soon, it’ll be too late. I’m a savior.”
January rolled her eyes.
The mild-mannered look on Kelleson’s face changed, his lips twisting. “Cities will fall.”
“Then people will die. And that makes you a murderer.”
He gave a negligent shrug. “It’s unfortunate, but necessary. Collateral damage on the path to something better.”
“Mass murder is not collateral damage,” she hissed, furious. “It’s never justified.”
“If we kill the planet, we all die.” His voice rose. “If the cities are razed, nature will reclaim the land.”
“Nope, not going to happen,” January said.
Kelleson frowned. “You can’t stop me.”
“It won’t be me stopping you.”
“The people who rescued you in Guatemala.” His gaze narrowed. “Who are they?”
January smiled.
“They have the other sphere,
don’t they?” he asked. “That’s why we wanted to talk to you. I really need the second sphere.”
“You’ll never get it.” She lifted her chin and shifted her gaze to stare at the wall.
“Sir.” One of the guards stepped forward.
Kelleson turned, and January watched another man enter the room. He was tall, lean, and wore a lab coat. He looked exhausted, his shirt was beyond rumpled, and his wire-framed glasses were smudged.
“Dr. Dempsey,” Kelleson said. “What have you got for me?”
“The results from the test are looking good,” the scientist said.
Once more, January looked at the television screen. She could no longer make out any of the letters of the iconic sign.
“You’ve done excellent work to determine how to amplify the effects of a single sphere,” Kelleson said.
Dempsey nodded. “I believe we no longer need the second sphere.”
Oh, no. January swallowed hard. This didn’t sound good.
“Good.” Kelleson smiled, the expression terrifying. “Then it’s time to put our plan into action.”
A chill raced down January’s spine. The look on the man’s face…
“What plan?” she asked.
The men ignored her.
Dempsey fidgeted. “We still have more testing to do, I’m not sure—”
“No. No more testing. No more waiting.”
“What plan?” January asked again.
Kelleson’s glittering gaze hit her. “Los Angeles will be the first city to tremble and fall. The first city where nature will rule again.”
January rolled her eyes, attempting to hide her fear behind sarcasm. “Dude, you sound like you’re auditioning for the villain in a bad movie.”
Kelleson frowned. “L.A. will crumble, and the trees will rise.”
Shit. January struggled against her ropes again. She had to warn Seth and Team 52.
“Mr. Kelleson, I still need to run calibration tests.” Dr. Dempsey took off his glasses, cleaning them on the edge of his shirt. He looked extremely nervous. “We have no idea the extent of the plant growth, and whether we can control it—”
“No.” Kelleson pointed at the television. “Look, it works. Far better than we’d hoped. We’re ready.”
“Yes, the plant growth is much faster than we expected. But if we launch a larger offensive, the growth might get completely out of control.”