by Lisa Kessler
She nodded, but the color had drained from her face. Lifetimes ago, he’d been in her shoes; that’s how he’d landed on a pirate ship in the first place. Picked the wrong lock. He chose to remember the event as a positive. Instead of being tossed in a prison, he was taken out to sea and trained to be a better thief.
He boxed up the memories and did his best to reassure her. “We’re only taking back what’s ours.”
She tilted her head. “If that were true, it’d be called the pirate’s cup.”
He almost laughed. “Guess you’re right.”
Keegan took her hand and guided her around the back to a small door next to a metal roll-down shipping door. The small square window in the center would make it tough to reach inside and grab the knob. Maybe there was another way. He jammed the crowbar into the doorframe right beside the knob and then pulled. The metal frame groaned. He moved the tip down another couple of inches, and then back up again.
Gradually the door jiggled and finally popped open. They slipped inside, and Char started to smile. “No alarm. Thank God.”
He chuckled, shining a flashlight on the receiving desk. “Most of them are silent alarms now, love. The clock is already ticking.”
“Shit.” She frowned. “Okay, what can I do to help?”
His light beam landed on a couple of boxes that could easily be large enough to hold the Lord’s cup. He grabbed two, and Char took one more. In the distance, sirens rang out into the night. They’d have to open the boxes on the ship.
“Time to go.” Keegan tipped his head toward the door. “Keep your head down.”
He led Char out and kept to the shadows, avoiding the security cameras. Once they were across the street, he jogged behind Char, checking over his shoulder for any sign of police cruisers.
Inside the car, Char struggled to catch her breath. “Where are we meeting the boat?”
“They’ll dock about a quarter of a mile out from the Tybee Lighthouse. We’ll hop in the dingy and be back on board before the police figure out what’s missing.”
Keegan drove slowly, obeying every traffic law. The last thing they needed was to be pulled over with stolen packages from Amick’s in the back seat. He parked on the street near the lighthouse and got out of the car. He took a large tote bag from the trunk, and they loaded the small parcels inside.
“How do we get down there?”
Keegan hooked the tote across his chest and pointed toward the shore. “There’s a trail.”
Movement in the shadows caught his eye. He turned around, adrenaline blazing through his bloodstream. “Wait here.”
Char shook her head. “We’re stronger together. What did you see?”
He kept his voice hushed. “Someone’s down there.”
Char followed behind him while Keegan scouted the area. In the faint moonlight, it was tough to make out the shapes but safe to say there was a large group of people down by the shore. He ventured closer, crouching low to stay hidden behind parked cars leading to the beach. Maybe it was kids, but he didn’t see a bonfire and not a trace of music to be heard.
Finally, he stopped, catching a few words on the wind.
“Mark says the pirates already set sail. According to the police scanner, sounds like they hit Tubby’s, and now there’s an alarm at Amick’s, too.”
Another man replied. “If they’re bringing the ship, they’ll have to send a boat ashore for the package from Amick’s. When they do, we take it, and then we take the Sea Dog.”
Another voice grunted. “Tough to kill them if they’re immortal.”
The other voice hissed. “A pirate died in the fire. Whatever blessing they received from the cup has worn off. Why else would they be so desperate to steal it back from us?”
Keegan left the shelter of the car for a closer look. How many serpents were there? Hard to say for sure in the darkness, but it was clear they had enough manpower on the beach to overtake the two crew members rowing ashore.
His gut tied in a knot as he returned to Char hidden behind a parked car. “Fucking serpents. They’ve got at least ten blokes down there. We’re screwed. We’ve got to warn Colton not to weigh anchor.”
Char frowned. “Can you text him?”
“No.” Keegan didn’t reach for his phone. “If I turn it on, Agent Bale can find us.” He glanced out at the dark water in the distance. “Besides, even if I did, Colton would have his phone off for the same reason. He’d never get the message.”
Char nodded, looking around. Keegan straightened, contemplating facing the group. If he was still immortal, attacking them would be a given. They could stab, shoot, club, and beat him with anything, and he’d barely slow down, healing instantly, but after the altercation in the barn, it was clear his healing was much slower now. He’d bleed and weaken, and there were too many of them. He couldn’t fight them all.
Plus, he had to think about Char.
If he sent her back to the car, she could take the packages and hide at her place while he did his best to take out this gang of fanatics. He had his pistol. He might not get all of them, but he would take down their numbers enough so that the landing crew wouldn’t be ambushed.
He turned to tell Char his plan, but she gripped his arm and pointed up. “What if we take out the lighthouse?”
He followed her line of vision. The beam of light circled around at the top of the Tybee Lighthouse as it had for centuries. The confederate army had even set her ablaze once, but she was built again, a silent sentinel on the shore for all ships in the Atlantic.
Keegan had never been inside.
Char tightened her grip on him. “If the light went out, would Colton risk bringing the Sea Dog in?”
Keegan shook his head, slowly at first. “No. It’d be too risky.” He looked up at the light again. “Plus, he’d know something was wrong. Her light is never out.”
“Then forget the guys on the beach; let’s get to the lighthouse.”
Keegan didn’t move. “It’s a long shot. I don’t know what’s up there. Up top, it may be locked or…”
Char smiled. “I’ve been up there. There’s an observation deck, and the light itself is up a few more steps. A padlocked gate blocks the final few stairs, but it shouldn’t be too tough for a pirate.” She raised a brow. “There’s also a backup light that moves into place automatically when the first one burns out. We’ll have to be sure we get both.”
Keegan found his heart swelling with pride again. She was a wonder. “Anything else I should know, love?”
She chuckled. “Only that the coast guard will receive an automatic alert once the light goes out. We’ll have to get back out quickly.”
He bent to kiss her, grinning as the plan came together. “What are we waiting for?”
…
Charlotte acted as the lookout as Keegan picked the lock to the lighthouse door. Her heart was lodged in her throat. The lighthouse keeper stayed in a small residence on the grounds, but for now, the house was dark.
They needed it to stay that way.
Once he had the door open, they hurried inside and started jogging up the stairs. From outside, the lighthouse didn’t seem that tall, but circling around the 178 steps, it seemed much farther. Her lungs were burning, and they were only halfway to the top.
She pushed her legs, promising her muscles that they were almost there. When they reached the observation deck, she took in the view while Keegan went to work on the padlock. The Tybee light flashed a beam that could be seen from eighteen miles out to sea. A constant in the darkness and fog. But tonight, they’d put it out, signaling Colton not to weigh anchor.
Keegan popped the lock on the gate and climbed the last few stairs leading up to the light. He reached his hand down to her. She took it and followed him.
She’d been on the observation deck at the top of the Tybee Lighthouse before but never up inside the lens where the light spun like a protective beacon to ships miles away. Keegan opened the glass lens and withdrew the crowbar from his
belt.
He glanced her way. “Thought these would be bigger.”
The actual bulb was only a few inches long; it was the lens that magnified the light and sent it piercing into the darkness.
Without any ceremony, Keegan smashed the first bulb with his crowbar, the second snapped into place, and he knocked it out, too.
It was done. For the first time in more than a century, the lighthouse went dark.
“We’d better get out of here before the coast guard comes calling.” Keegan took her hand.
Charlotte stared down into the darkness, gripping the railing tight. She’d never wanted to turn on her cell phone so bad in her life. Without a flashlight, they made their way back down the stairs. After rounding the lighthouse three times, the door squeaked below.
She and Keegan froze. He met her eyes, pressing his finger to his lips. She nodded at his signal, keeping silent. Maybe it was the wind.
The door squealed again, and finally a voice echoed up the tower. “There’s no way out.”
Charlotte’s pulse raced. Shit. She hadn’t considered that their signal might also bring the Serpent Society calling.
Keegan looked up the circular stairs. “Maybe not, but we don’t have the cup, so killing us won’t make any difference.”
Quietly, they started ascending the stairs back the way they’d come. Not only did Charlotte’s lungs burn, but her heart pounded in her ears and adrenaline had her hands shaking. Reality was sinking in. This wasn’t a pirate fantasy or an adventure. This was real.
And there was no way out, only up.
She followed Keegan around and around. The thunderous steps below made it clear more than one person pursued them. At the observation deck, they peered down, and her stomach twisted. On the ground outside, the lighthouse was surrounded, and the footsteps on the inside were getting closer.
Her throat tightened. “At least we saved the ship. That’s something.”
“We’re not givin’ up, love.” Keegan pulled his handgun from the holster. “Not yet. The coast guard will be here soon. These assholes won’t want to be caught trespassing. We just need to hold them off until they get here.”
Charlotte stared at his gun as an idea formed in her head. “You don’t have enough bullets to stop them all.”
“I’ll shove some of them down the stairs.”
She gripped her head in both hands. “There are too many. They’re circled at the bottom of the lighthouse, too, remember?”
He moved her behind him. “Then I’ll give you the gun. I’ll use the crowbar. We don’t surrender, love. We fight.”
He was right. She had to stop thinking like a twenty-first-century historian and start thinking like one of the crew of the Sea Dog. She’d earned her way onto the crew with a demonstration of her power.
She could protect them.
Her hands trembled, and her stomach roiled at the thought of killing again, but maybe she wouldn’t have to. She’d taunted the captain on the ship. Maybe she could scare them off without getting blood on her metaphorical hands.
But if not, she’d do whatever it took to protect Keegan. The realization shocked her, but it was real. This was real. She loved Samuel Keegan. Once they had the Grail and her mortality was no longer a threat, then she’d tell him.
“I have to do this.” She swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. “I can stop them; I know I can. You need to protect my body until I’m done.”
He glanced her way, gripping the crowbar and reading her eyes. In the dim moonlight coming through the slender windows, his forehead creased with concern. “You don’t have to do this.” He came closer and caressed her cheek. “You’re not a weapon, Char.”
His tender words struck a chord inside her. Keegan knew how deadly her abilities were, and not only did he show no fear of her, but he also had no desire to exploit her, either.
Even though he hadn’t spoken the words, his actions told her all she needed to know. No one in her life had ever loved her so honestly.
And this was not going to be the end of her story. Not today.
“This is the only way. There are too many of them for us to fight hand-to-hand.” Almost on cue, a faint light shone up from the lower levels, and the footsteps came closer. She met his eyes. “We can do this. Together.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
David waited at the helicopter pad when his phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket and unlocked the screen. A text from Keegan glowed.
Bale - We need backup at Tybee Lighthouse. Now.
The wind from the spinning rotor blade blew David’s tie over his shoulder and his hair back from his face, as the landing skids touched down. He bent at the waist, jogging out to the cockpit.
Once he was inside, the pilot shouted over the engine, “Where to?”
That was a good question. Keegan’s text could have been a distraction, so the pirates had time to get the Sea Dog out into the Atlantic with the Grail.
But if it wasn’t, the Serpent Society might have heard the police scanner, too. What if they waited on Tybee Island to ambush them? If the fanatics recovered the Grail, they’d vanish again. David would miss his chance to stop them.
Shit.
He put on the protective earphones and called out, “Tybee Island Lighthouse.”
The pilot was one of David’s special agents, trained to keep paranormal threats under the radar. He raised a brow. “It’s going to attract attention if I land there.”
“I know.” David already had his phone out. “I’ll get a team to Tybee. They’ll cover for us.”
The pilot nodded, and the helicopter lifted into the air. David fired off a text to Brenda at Department 13.
Send a cover team and a cleanup crew to Tybee Lighthouse ASAP. Not sure what we’ll find, but there’s a good chance there will be bodies. I’m landing a helo at the lighthouse in a few minutes.
Brenda was off work right now, but everyone in David’s department was always on call. Anytime, anywhere. Their department was less of a job and more of a calling with a retirement plan.
The pilot pointed, shouting. “The lighthouse is dark. Can’t be good.”
“Shit,” David grumbled. “The coast guard is going to be on our asses, too.”
His phone lit up with a text from Brenda.
On it. I’m heading up the cover team, and Salazar is rallying the cleanup crew. They’ll be right behind me.
David responded quickly.
Lighthouse is dark. Coast guard will be automatically alerted. We need to beat them there.
If the coast guard arrived first, containing this one might not be possible.
…
Keegan ground his teeth as Char slid down the wall, pulling her knees into her chest. He wasn’t a fan of this plan, but she was right, they were outnumbered and most likely outgunned. She rested her head on top of her knees and closed her eyes.
Keegan raised his handgun toward the gate. He wasn’t sure how her power, or gift, or whatever the bloody hell it was, worked. The men would round the final corner any second. Would gunshots shock her spirit back into her body?
He didn’t know, and there wasn’t time to discuss it. But she’d saved him once before, and he would bet his life she’d be able to do it again.
The first robed figure came toward the chain-link gate, gun in hand.
Before the serpent member could fire, his eyes widened, his mouth gaping open as he struggled to breathe. His eyes rolled up in his head, and he timbered back, taking two men with him. Their bodies tumbled off the circular staircase, disappearing into the inky blackness below.
It was working. Keegan glanced over his shoulder at Char’s motionless form. Would she wake if he moved her?
Men screamed at the bottom of the tower, and in the distance, a spotlight from a helicopter trailed across the grass.
Agent Bale. Had to be.
Keegan cursed under his breath. He needed to get Char out of the lighthouse. If her calculation about the coast guard wa
s right, time was running out.
He approached her body, holstered his handgun, and scooped her into his arms. Her head lulled, lifeless. A shudder crept through him. She wasn’t dead. No. He shifted her in his arms, and her head tipped into his chest. Better.
Carefully, he clicked the flashlight on his phone. Their enemies would be able to see him, but Char had gotten them this far. He trusted she could handle an attacker. The treacherous circular staircase was a bigger threat to their lives right now. The narrow steps and the curvature of the walls made it impossible to run down without risking dizziness. And from this height, they’d never survive the fall.
He forced himself to take it slow. Come what may, he wasn’t about to let anything happen to her. He was willing to sacrifice his own life if he could save hers.
And it had nothing to do with the fact that she was now part of his crew.
In the dim light of his flashlight app, it was tough to estimate how many more times he would need to circle the tower before he reached the ground. Through the narrow windows, he noticed the helicopter touched down. Keegan pushed his legs faster. Almost there.
When the floor was finally in sight, a hooded fanatic lurched into his path, blocking the final few steps with his knife raised. He swung the blade, and Keegan fell backward on the steps, struggling to keep Char out of its path. The tip pierced right through his leather boot and into his toe. With his uninjured foot, he kicked the attacker’s knee, knocking him backward.
Keegan got up, grinding his teeth against the pain. He stumbled down the last couple of steps, struggling to keep from dropping her. His ankle twisted, jarring his newly healed knee, and blinding pain shot through his body. Stars lit at the edges of his vision. Fuck. He fought to keep moving, resisting the gathering blackness. He wasn’t going to fucking pass out. No goddamn way.
The attacker scrambled back to his feet and raised the knife again, but something kept him from swinging it toward them. The blade yanked backward, joints popping as the man’s arm twisted out of its socket. He crumpled to the ground, shrieking in pain. Keegan stepped around his misshapen form and out the door.