by R. D. Brady
Kevin nodded. “What should I tell them?”
“Tell them we’re going after the bastards that killed Jake.”
CHAPTER 63
Cairo, Egypt
Patrick closed the bedroom door, leaning heavily against the wall behind him, his head bowed. He still couldn’t believe everything that had happened since last night: flying to Egypt, finding the ring.
His breath hitched. And then Jake.
Patrick winced as he remembered Laney’s screams of anguish, her shocked face as she looked at Jake. He closed his eyes, trying to shake the image from his mind.
With effort, he pushed off from the wall and headed down the tiled hall with its stucco walls. He rarely felt old, but right now, he felt every creak, every ache in his body. Walking down the hall felt like running a marathon.
At the end of the hall was the kitchen: Patrick’s first destination. Idly, he acknowledged that it was a chef’s dream kitchen. Sleek lines, lots of stainless steel.
But Patrick couldn’t work up the energy to be impressed. Even the back wall, which opened into a large patio with an infinity pool, raised no enthusiasm.
He knew it was beautiful with the desert hills in the distance. But it was as if he was looking at the world through dimmed lenses. All the colors and sounds felt muted.
Turning his back on the landscape, Patrick filled a kettle with water and then rummaged through the cupboards for teacups and tea bags. Setting up a tray, he stared out the window, not really seeing anything, his mind all but shut down. The whistle of the kettle roused him.
Shaking his head, he pushed back from the counter. He added the teabags to the teapot and poured the water in. The familiarity of the ritual calmed him. Feeling more centered, he took the tray and headed out of the kitchen.
There was a solarium around the corner. At least, he thought it was this way. The place was so big, he’d already ended up lost a few times.
Turning right at the end of the hall, he saw the large double French doors he was looking for. He made his way toward them, hoping Victoria was there. He pushed them open and stepped into the room.
The glass ceiling and walls, as well as the fact that they were three stories up, gave one the impression of sitting in the sky. A large, white, leather couch wrapped around two thirds of the wall, with colorful rugs and pillows scattered about the room. Victoria was curled up in one corner of the couch, her feet tucked under her, her head resting on her hand as she stared out the windows.
Patrick crossed the room, placing the tea tray on the ottoman in front of her. “Victoria?”
She didn’t move.
Patrick reached out a hand and gently touched her shoulder. “Victoria, are you all right?”
Victoria turned around from the window, her face looking drawn and tired. She gave him a small smile. “Sorry. I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I thought we could both use a cup of tea,” Patrick said, pouring two cups. “Milk?”
She nodded. He added it to one of the cups before handing it to her.
Victoria nodded her thanks. “Laney and Henry are home now. I just spoke with Henry.”
“How’s Laney?”
Victoria’s chin trembled. “Not good. Her friends met the plane. They’re taking care of her.”
Patrick nodded, his heart feeling heavy. He watched Victoria and, for the first time, he noticed the resemblance to Laney. They had the same cheekbones, the same full lips.
Their eyes were different, though. Laney must have gotten those from her father.
Victoria interrupted his inspection. “You were older, when you first became a priest, right?”
Patrick nodded. “Older than some. I’d been in Vietnam, done and seen some horrible things. I needed to feel like I was giving back. I needed to find goodness. The priesthood offered me that.”
“Do you ever doubt that decision? Wonder if you should have done something else?”
Patrick leaned back on the couch. “I think everybody second-guesses their decisions at some point. Especially the important ones. For me, it was when I got custody of Laney. I worried that my being a priest would somehow take away from my being a parent to her.”
“Did it?”
“No. It was no doubt different. But she grew up knowing the importance of giving back, helping others, being strong. How can I say that was wrong?”
“But you did doubt sometimes?” Victoria pressed.
Patrick could tell his answer meant a lot to her. He nodded. “Of course. Kids can be cruel, and having a priest show up for all those events when parents are supposed to be there . . . I don’t think it was easy. Never mind having her dates pick her up from the rectory.”
Victoria smiled. “That must have been a sight.”
Patrick returned the smile, knowing he was latching on to the memory to distract himself from his grief. “The priests all took a shine to her. For her first date, she was twelve. The boy’s name was Michael Buffalino. He was a nice kid. He came to the door, and there were four of us waiting to greet him. Not sure I would have been able to stand up to four priests in order to date a girl, but he did.”
“I missed all that,” she said softly.
“Are you having doubts? About your decisions regarding Laney?”
Victoria sighed. “How can I not? I gave her away to try to protect her from all of this, and yet—here she is in the middle of it. And now Jake . . . “
Victoria took a sip before placing the cup on its saucer. “I just keep wondering if I did the right thing, sending her away. Would it have been better if I’d kept her with me? Could I have prepared her for what was to come?”
“Is there really any way you could have done that? Without making her hard? One of the parts of Laney I love the most is how much she cares for other people: strangers and friends alike. If you’d told her about her future when she was young, I can’t help but wonder if she would have closed herself off from people.”
Victoria nodded. “She probably would have. I’ve seen it before.”
“You have? When?”
Victoria looked startled, as if she only just realized what she’d said. “Forgive me. I’m exhausted. I don’t even know what I’m saying.”
Patrick nodded, but he wondered if she was telling him the whole truth. “Victoria, how do you know all the stuff that you know? How do you have all of these resources?”
She smiled. “I may be tired, Patrick, but I’m not that tired. I know I’m asking a lot, but it’s easier for everyone if they don’t know too much about me. It keeps them safe. It keeps me safe.”
“You can’t think we’d bring you harm.”
“No, not intentionally. But a small slip-up, and it would be . . .”—she paused as if struggling for the right word—“ . . . problematic.”
“I take it there have been problems before.”
She nodded. “Once or twice. Now I play it safe.”
“Except for reaching out to Laney and coming out of hiding for Henry.”
She shrugged. “They are my kryptonite. I’d do anything to keep them safe, keep them happy.”
“Can you tell me what happened back at the Serapeum?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m afraid that’s one of the things it’s not safe to tell you about.”
“But how is it possible—”
Victoria took his hand. “Please, Patrick. I don’t say these things to be unkind.”
He placed his hand over hers. “Very well. For now.”
She nodded. “For now.”
A knock at the door caused Patrick to turn. Ralph stood in the doorway. “The plane will be ready in an hour. We should leave in thirty minutes.”
“Are we all going?” Patrick asked, not able to ask the question he really wanted to ask.
“Yes.” Ralph’s voice softened. “I’ll bring Jake.”
CHAPTER 64
Baltimore, Maryland
Laney leaned her head back, lulled by the movement of the car. Kati sat on
one side of her, Rocky on the other. Jen was driving up front. Laney would occasionally catch Jen’s worried gaze through the rearview mirror.
Kati held her hand, occasionally giving it a squeeze. But none of them tried to make her talk. Thank God. She wasn't ready for that yet.
Laney watched the trees pass by, blurry from the speed. It was like a dream image. Which was actually perfect. Because right now, she felt like she was in a dream: a really horrible dream. Nothing seemed real or solid. Her body was on automatic pilot, she felt so disconnected from it.
Jake. She took a shuddering breath. Her chest felt like it was in a vise.
She closed her eyes, felt the fresh wave of grief, the tears slipping down her cheeks. It can’t be true. Jake can’t be dead. This is all some horrible mistake.
Kati squeezed her hand. “What can we do for you?”
Laney opened her eyes. “Nothing. Just be here. That’s enough.”
Rocky nodded, resting her head on Laney’s shoulder. Laney leaned into her, feeling the sorrow well up in her. It was threatening to swallow her whole.
Tears dripped onto her shirt. She didn’t care. Kati leaned over, wrapping her arms around her. Laney held onto her like she was a life preserver. How do people survive this?
Jen glanced over her shoulder at them before whipping her head back to the road. She slammed on the brakes. “Shit.”
Laney reached out to grab Kati before she could hit the floor.
“What the—” Rocky yelled, but the rest of the curse died in her throat.
Ahead, a car blocked the way. All Laney’s feelings of being disconnected with her body disappeared and she was immediately slammed back into reality. Her head whipped around as Jen slammed the car into reverse.
Another car sped into view, pulling across the road, cutting off their escape.
Laney’s gut clenched. They were trapped.
CHAPTER 65
Laney looked ahead of her and behind, her grief-stricken mind taking precious seconds to recognize the danger.
It didn’t take Jen nearly as long. “Call Henry,” she ordered Rocky.
Turning to Laney and Kati, Jen said, “The car’s bulletproof. We’re staying in it until the cavalry arrives.”
Rocky closed her phone and pulled out her sidearm, checking the magazine. “Henry’s on the way. And let’s prepare just in case the ‘wait and see’ plan doesn’t work.”
Kati gripped Laney’s hand, her face pale. With her other hand, she gripped her necklace, the one that spelled out Max.
The movement pierced Laney’s heart. She pictured Max, his big eyes just like his dad’s, his smile just like his mom’s.
Laney turned Kati to face her. “It’s going to be okay, Kati. I promise. Now I need you to do exactly what we say, okay?”
Kati nodded. Laney knew terror had taken her voice.
Laney turned to Jen. “This goes south, your job is to get Kati out of here.”
“Laney, what are you—” Jen began.
Laney cut her off, refusing to let Jen look away from her. “She’s all Max has left. You get her out of here. You promise me.”
Laney knew Jen wanted to argue, but she gave Laney a terse nod instead.
Laney pulled the seat back in front of her down to reveal a handgun and magazine. She slammed the magazine into place.
“Two guys ahead, two behind,” Rocky said.
Laney glanced out the windows. Both sets of men had exited their cars. One pulled out a machine gun. He blanketed the car with a round of fire.
Laney dove to the floor, pulling Kati with her. Rocky lay crouched next to them. The car’s bulletproofing held.
Laney got up slowly, glancing over at Jen, who was still in the front seat. “Jen, you sensing anything?”
Jen nodded. “At least one is a nephilim. I don’t know about the other two behind us. Too far away.”
Laney looked at Rocky, who was scanning between the front and back of the car. “Aim for the heart.”
Rocky’s head stopped moving; she stared out the front windshield. “How’s this thing proofed against grenades?”
“It’s not,” Laney answered, following Rocky’s gaze. One of the men pulled a grenade launcher onto his shoulder.
“Oh my God.” Laney reached around Kati, flinging open the door, her heart pounding.
Jen was already outside, pulling Kati from the car. “We need to move.”
Laney’s heart rate tripled as she saw the grenade launch, heading straight for them.
CHAPTER 66
“Get out!” Rocky yelled.
Laney leapt out the door, pulling the trigger as she flew. Ahead, Jen disappeared into the woods with Kati. Laney said a quick prayer of thanks for that break.
Laney could hear Rocky returning fire. The men dove for cover on one side of the road; Laney ran for cover on the other side.
The car exploded as Laney dove into the ditch along the road. Metal shrapnel flew in all directions.
Laney raised her head to find a jagged piece of metal just two inches from her face. She imagined what would have happened if it had landed just a few inches over.
Shoving that image aside, she started to crawl along the ditch, hoping she could come up behind two of the men, give herself at least a fighting chance.
Laney peeked out in time to see two men converging on her. One had a cut in his forehead that wasn’t healing. Good. She leaned up, aiming for his chest.
Pulling the trigger, she cursed: he’d caught sight of her and jerked to the right. She quickly compensated and let off a volley of shots. One caught him in the neck. Not where she was aiming, but it would do. He dropped to the ground, a spray of blood following him down.
The other man sprinted at her, but he had no noticeable injuries. Nephilim.
Laney had no other choice. She yanked the chain off her neck and shoved the ring on her finger.
“Stop!” she screamed.
The man paused. From his face, she could tell he was as surprised as she was.
But whatever she was doing to him, he was fighting it. Slowly, he began to move his limbs—and smile.
A two-foot piece of metal erupted from his chest. His smile turned to a silent scream of agony. Jen’s head appeared over his shoulder as she twisted the metal, throwing the man to the side.
Laney whirled around, catching sight of a blur sprinting toward them. She leveled her gun, pulling the trigger over and over again.
“He’s mine,” Jen growled, taking off at a run. She slammed into the blur, pounding him into the ground, her hand wrapped around the man’s throat.
Laney didn’t have time to watch; movement to her right caused her to turn. The fourth gunman. She’d lost him in all the commotion. He had already lined her up. There was nowhere for Laney to go. She raised her hands.
“It’s too late for that,” he said, and pulled the trigger.
CHAPTER 67
“Laney!” Rocky yelled as she dove in front of Laney.
The bullet caught Rocky in the back. She fell onto Laney, pushing her backward against the ground.
Laney’s eyes went wide. Her breath seemed to disappear.
Her head snapped upward again at the crack of another gunshot. Henry appeared behind the gunman, who slumped to the ground.
Frantic, Laney rolled Rocky off of her. “Rocky?”
The bullet had punched through Rocky’s chest, leaving a gaping hole. Blood dribbled from Rocky’s mouth.
“No, no, no, no,” Laney moaned, putting her hands on the chest wound, trying her best to stanch the flow of blood.
But the blood just swirled through her fingers, dripping to the ground below. “It’ll be okay, Rocky. We’ll get you fixed up.”
“Liar,” Rocky choked out, trying to smile. “’S’okay, Laney.”
Tears swam in Laney’s eyes. She grabbed Rocky’s hand. “No, it’s not okay. Why did you do that? You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Had to.”
“Damn it, I don’
t care what Victoria told you to do. You didn’t—”
“Not for her—”
Rocky’s struggled breathing stopped. Her hand went limp in Laney’s grip.
Laney pulled Rocky up, hugging her to her chest, rocking back and forth. “Rocky, no, no.”
Jen knelt down next to her, wrapping her arms around the two of them. Laney’s tears fell on Rocky’s dark hair. Not again. Rocky can’t be gone, too.
Jen released Laney as Henry knelt down next to them. “Laney,” he said quietly.
Laney looked at him. She felt her world slipping away again.
Henry gently placed his hand on Rocky's shoulder. “Give her to me, Laney. I’ll take care of her.”
Laney shook her head, even as she let Henry take Rocky from her arms.
Tears trailed down Laney’s cheeks, and sobs shook her frame. “This can’t keep happening, Henry. It can’t.”
Henry gently lay Rocky down on the ground.
Laney stared at her friend. Memories assaulted her. You can’t be dead. You can’t be.
She reached over and touched Rocky’s cheek. Already, it felt different. There was no spark of life. She closed Rocky’s eyes.
Tremors worked their way down from her hand until her whole body was shaking.
Jen wrapped her arms around Laney from behind, helping her to stand, then pulling her away.
Laney didn’t fight her. She didn’t have the strength to.
CHAPTER 68
Laney sat in the back of Kevin Chang’s car with Jen as Henry sped toward the estate. She replayed the gunfight in her mind.
She should have moved faster. Gotten out of the line of fire. Noticed the fourth shooter. If she’d done any of that, Rocky would still be alive.
The ache in her chest that had developed after Jake’s death seemed to have gotten wider. It was now a bottomless pit in the middle of her chest. Innocent people keep getting killed because of me.