by R. D. Brady
CHAPTER 78
Laney spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get some sort of response from the ring. And all she had to show for it was a blinding headache.
Needing a break, she walked across the veranda, opened the French doors, and stepped into the kitchen. Rummaging through the cabinets, she found a bottle of water and some aspirin. She downed two pills, followed by a quick swallow of water, and leaned against the counter.
The lives of all those lost since she’d learned about the Fallen flashed through her mind. Most prominent were the images of Drew, Rocky, and Jake.
Drew, her best friend, whom she’d lost just before she’d learned about all of this.
Rocky, who’d saved Laney’s life at the cost of her own.
And Jake. Laney shuddered, her breaths coming out in gasps. She turned around, grasping the counter tightly as her knees weakened. How can they all be gone?
The door to the kitchen opened behind her. She glanced over her shoulder.
Standing in the doorway was a short, heavily muscled bald man with just a trace of Israel in his voice. “Hey Lanes.”
Laney practically ran across the room. “Yoni!”
Yoni’s gorilla-like arms wrapped around her. “I’m so damn sorry, Laney.”
Laney felt Yoni’s tears fall onto her neck. Yoni had been one of Jake’s closest friends. They’d been through SEAL training together, had shared years in the service, and then Yoni had followed Jake to the Chandler Group. Yoni had even made Jake his son’s godfather.
Laney and Yoni stayed locked together for a few minutes, sharing their loss. Finally, they broke apart.
Laney grabbed some tissues from the box on the counter, offering Yoni some.
Unashamed, he took a handful, wiping at his tear-stained face. “Do you know who did it?”
Laney shook her head. “The person who took the shot? No. But we know who the guy is that ordered the hit. His name’s Amar Patel. He’s a Fallen.”
Yoni swore. “When are we going after him?”
“We don’t have any idea where he is. But there’s a mole in his group. The SIA agent is going to push him to see if he can find out where Amar is.”
“SIA?” Yoni asked.
Laney explained about Agent Clark and the group’s objectives.
“Well, great. Nothing more trustworthy then some men in black.”
Laney gave a little laugh. “Well, so far they seem to be on the up and up.” She pictured Amanda’s face as she spoke about her brother. “And they have a good reason to do what they’re doing.”
Henry appeared in the doorway. He nodded at Yoni. “We have a problem.”
Laney straightened away from the counter. “What?”
“Agent Clark just called. They’ve lost contact with Maddox.”
CHAPTER 79
Laney paced the length of Henry’s long office. Yoni ran a similar track against the windows. Henry and Jen sat waiting. Clark was supposed to call them to fill them in on what was going on.
The wait was killing her. If they’d lost Maddox, it would make tracking down Amar that much harder.
Amanda’s face flashed through Laney’s mind. And Amanda will have lost her brother.
Laney slammed her fist into her hand. God damn it. Too many good people are getting killed. This can’t go on.
The screen above the conference table flashed to life. Clark’s face appeared.
About time. Laney strode over to the table. “What’s going on?”
Clark glanced across the room, his eyes settling on Yoni. “Perhaps we should speak in private.”
Laney cut him off. “This is Yoni Benjamin. He’s one of us. So what happened to Maddox?”
“After Amanda and I left you, I contacted Maddox. I asked him to see if he could find out where Amar was. In the past, he’s told me that there’s some big compound where they meet. But he hadn’t been trusted with that information.” Clark fell silent.
“And?” Henry urged.
“Maddox got me the location.”
Relief flowed over Laney. Finally, they had a target. “That’s great. Where is it?”
“Tennessee, just outside Johnson City, on the border of North Carolina. I’ve sent you the coordinates.”
“Great,” Laney said. “So let’s get started on an assault plan.”
Clark nodded. “I’ve already started calling in my agents, getting the gear and transports ready. We should be good to go in about twelve hours.”
“I’ll start pulling my resources as well. We’ll be ready,” Henry said.
Laney glanced at the screen. For someone who had been tracking down Amar for years, Clark didn’t exactly seem excited about finally catching him. “What about Maddox?”
“He missed his check-in.”
“Has that happened before?”
“By a few minutes maybe.”
“How long has it been?” Henry asked.
Fear splashed across Clark’s face for just a moment, but Laney caught it. “Two hours.”
CHAPTER 80
Johnson City, Tennessee
Amar sat in his throne chair, at the heavy wood table that dominated the darkened dining room. The rest of the chairs were empty. Amar took a last bite of his Cornish game hen and placed his silverware on the plate.
Wiping his hands on the linen napkin, he pushed back a little from the table, his hands on his stomach. “Well, that was delicious.”
He glanced over his shoulder at the two men standing guard at the door. Unlike the guards at the barn, these two were his brethren. “After we’re finished here, you boys should go get yourself something to eat.”
The dark-haired one nodded at him. “Thank you, sir. We will.”
Amar waved away the words. “Well, I suppose that’s it for the pleasant portion of the evening. Let’s bring in our guest.”
The dark-haired guard nodded again before disappearing through the doorway with his blond companion.
Amar inspected the tapestry that hung on the wall to his right. It was one of the Unicorn Tapestries: “The Unicorn in Captivity.” Most of the tapestries hung in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This one depicted the death of the legendary animal.
Amar liked to keep it around to remind him of the fragility of his own existence. And of the importance of loyalty among his followers.
There was shouting from the hall. The two guards reappeared in the doorway, a man in shackles held between them.
They shoved the man inside, and he sprawled across the floor, landing right next to Amar’s chair.
Amar held out his hand and one of the guards handed him a phone. Amar brought up the text messages. He clicked on the most recent, turning it around so his captive could see it:
Shady Creek Farm, Johnson City, Tennessee.
Amar glanced down at the man’s bruised face and watched as it healed. “Hello, Maddox. I hear you’ve been a bad boy.”
CHAPTER 81
Baltimore, Maryland
Laney closed her phone and walked back down to her cottage. She stopped at a bench on the path—she needed to sit down for a minute. Her uncle had tried to sound strong when she spoke with him, but she knew Rocky’s death had hit him hard.
But there was something else in his voice, something more. She knew him so well. There was something he wasn’t telling her. She shook her head. She simply didn’t have the energy to figure out what it could be right now.
That was the last phone call she had to make for the time being. She’d already spoken with Jake’s brother Tom, Rocky’s mom, and Rocky’s partner, Detective Mike Chapman. All of them had been shocked and demanded answers. Answers she couldn’t give them.
Rocky’s and Jake’s images swam through her mind for the umpteenth time. And with them came the familiar punch to the gut. Too many people are dying. Laney took a breath, stood, and continued down the path toward her cottage.
She knew Henry and Clark were off making plans for uniting their two forces. Jen had stepped out to c
all her brothers. And Yoni—well, Laney wasn’t sure where Yoni had disappeared to. Laney had used everyone else’s distractions to slip out on her own.
Once again, all those who had died since this insanity began flashed through her mind. A never-ending tide of death. She pictured the Shuar and all they had lost last year, Kati’s husband, King Julian, Drew, Jake, Rocky.
Glancing at her ring, she blew out a breath. “And you and I are supposed to defeat all the super-powered bad guys.”
Amanda’s face appeared in her mind. But this time she pictured what Amanda would look like after hearing of her brother’s death. Maddox had risked his life time and time again to save others. And they were going to wait twelve hours before trying to save him.
In her gut, Laney knew he wouldn’t still be alive then. He’d be one more name on the list of people killed because of this insanity.
Slipping her hand into her pocket, she fingered the piece of paper with the location of Amar’s group. It was a large farm on the outskirts of Johnson City, Tennessee.
From aerial photos, they knew it was a hundred and twenty-three acres, but it didn’t have any noticeable security. Of course, seeing as it was populated by super-beings, they probably weren’t too concerned about random burglars.
The ring on Laney’s hand felt heavy. She lifted it, watched the sunlight glint off of it. She’d found the ring. She’d been through the trials. Her Father was Enoch. She was supposed to be able to use the damn thing. Why wasn’t it working?
Maybe Henry was right. She didn’t believe she was the one.
She shook her head. Whether she believed it or not, she had to figure out how to make it work or this whole thing was going to be a waste of time. She was supposed to lead the army of good.
She walked up the three steps to her porch. Her legs felt heavy. She sank into the porch swing. The General of the good. This couldn’t be real. And how was she supposed to do this without Jake?
Helen had succeeded—but her trio had remained intact. Joan of Arc’s trio had been broken and things hadn’t ended so well for her. Was Laney’s success also doomed? Were they all doomed?
Laney dropped her head into her hands. Was she going to lead everyone to the slaughter? How on earth were they going to take on an army of nephilim and Fallen? Even with a few super-beings on their side, they were grossly outnumbered.
The picture of Amanda and Maddox drifted through her mind. Laney knew Maddox was a grown man now, but all she could picture was the tall lanky kid with the big grin, his arms wrapped around his little sister.
She stood. She couldn’t let him die while she sat around and did nothing. She wouldn’t let one more person die.
Laney strode to the front door and opened it. She could hear the ping from her computer. Someone was trying to call her. Frowning, she made her way to the kitchen.
Turning on the computer, she clicked on the Face Time link.
A man of Indian descent, in what looked to be his late forties, appeared on screen. “Dr. McPhearson, I thought it was time we met, so to speak.”
Laney went still. “Amar Patel.”
CHAPTER 82
On screen, Amar nodded at her. “Ah, good. This would have been very awkward if you didn’t know who I was.”
Laney pulled out one of the island chairs before her legs gave out. Samyaza was calling her. Whatever he wanted, it couldn’t be good.
Fear charged through her but she kept her tone gruff. “What do you want?”
“Politeness really is a dead art, isn’t it?”
Laney crossed her arms and stared at the screen, saying nothing.
“Very well. Straight to business. I know you have the ring.”
Laney struggled to keep her face unmoved. “And?”
“And I want you to think about all the people you’ve lost so far. Including Jake and your friend Rocky. Not a very feminine name, but you people do seem fond of boyish names for girls in this age.”
Hearing Jake’s and Rocky’s names come from that bastard’s lips nearly undid her. She gripped the sides of her chair, narrowing her eyes. “And why do you want me to think about them?”
Amar gave a little laugh. “Oh, I’m sorry. I misspoke. What I meant is that I want you to think about all the people I’m still going to kill. Henry. Your friends, Jen and Kati. And what are those two boys’ names? Ah, yes. Danny and Max.”
Laney nearly growled. “I won’t let you near them.”
Amar smiled. “Now that’s the spirit I’m looking for. You ring bearers always live up to your reputations. Helen, now she was my favorite.”
“Really? Because I heard she killed you.”
Laney’s guess paid off. Amar’s face darkened. “But I went on to live another day, didn’t I? You know, I’ve really never understood all the animosity humans have shown us. After all, we gave you medicine, power. You were meaningless bits of walking carbon before we came along. No goals, just existing. We gave you purpose.”
“Really? Because the way I hear it, humanity didn’t need medicine before you came along. And people were living rather long, healthy lives until you showed up, sowing dissent.”
Amar paused, giving Laney a calculating look. “Let me guess. You’ve been chatting with a certain purple-eyed witch?” He shook his head. “She’s always sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong. And she hasn’t even told you the whole story. Why don’t you ask her about her part in humanity’s downfall? Now that is a really interesting tale. But I digress. We were chatting about how I’m going to kill all the people you care about.”
“Not going to happen.”
“Good, good. Love the spirit. So I thought I’d offer you a deal.”
“A deal?” Laney couldn’t help but recall the stories of the devil offering deals to people. It never worked out in their favor—always in the devil’s.
“Yes. How about we take everyone else out of the equation? We meet, mano-a-mano, as they say.”
“Meet?”
Amar laughed. “I misspoke again. I meant fight to the death. Me versus you and that little ring of yours. We’ll see who the most powerful actually is.”
Laney stared at him. “When and where?”
Amar smiled. “Wonderful. I’ll call you with the coordinates once I set it up. And I promise, you meet me and I let all your little friends live.”
Laney heard the actual promise in those words: And I’ll kill you.
“Deal.” Laney clicked off the screen and pushed back her chair. She wasn’t going to let anyone get killed, not if she could help it.
“You are not actually going along with that.” Yoni stepped out from the living room.
Laney sighed. “I wondered where you’d gotten to.” She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. She tilted one toward Yoni. “Want one?”
He ignored it. “Well?” Yoni demanded.
Laney unscrewed the cap, taking a drink. “No, of course I’m not going along with whatever his little plan is. I’m not actually suicidal. But if it keeps him content, so be it.”
“So what are you planning?”
Laney looked at Yoni, taking in his eyes, still red from grief. “You’re my friend, right?”
Yoni nodded. “I’m a little hurt you even have to ask.”
“Sorry. But I need a favor. Can you get me a helicopter, without anyone knowing?”
“Yeah,” Yoni drew out the word. “But why would I do that?”
“I’m going after Maddox.”
Yoni shook his head. “Absolutely not. That’s crazy. You can’t take them on. I don’t really get all this crazy talk about abilities and that ring, but I know you’re outmatched. You need to bring Jen’s brothers, Henry—hell, everyone.”
Laney shook her head. “No. No one with any abilities. They can sense one another. I’m not letting anyone else get killed.” She held up her ring. “Besides, I have my own weapon.”
“Laney—”
She cut him off. “Please, Yoni. No
one else is going to die. No one else is going to put their life on the line for me. It’s my turn now.”
Yoni looked at her for a long minute, then turned and headed to the front door. “Fine. I’ll call you when I have it.”
Laney ran after him and grabbed his arm. “You can’t tell anyone, Yoni.”
“Laney—”
“I mean it. If you tell anyone, I’ll find a way to go on my own. I won’t put anyone else at risk.”
“God damn it, Laney. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“Better me than anyone else. I die, this all goes away.”
“No, Laney. I understand that much. You die and all this begins.”
“Promise me, Yoni. For Jake. Promise me.”
He didn't speak for a long moment and Laney worried she'd lost him. “Fine,” he growled. “But I’m going with you.” He turned on his heel and stormed down the hall.
“Of course.” Laney called after him. The front door slammed shut after him.
No chance in hell, Yoni. Laney returned to the kitchen and sank back onto the stool.
“I wish you were here, Jake,” she whispered.
Jake had always had faith in her, no matter what. And his strength gave her strength. Now she had to be strong on her own.
No. Not on her own. She had Jen, Henry, and all the others that would stand by her side in this fight. She imagined those she cared about going against the Fallen and getting torn apart. She wouldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t.
She stood up. It was time to do what she apparently was born to do.
She headed up the stairs. She just needed a few supplies first.
CHAPTER 83
Johnson City, Tennessee
Amar clicked off the computer with a smile. Well, that was fun.
“Was taunting her really necessary?” Gerard asked.
Amar’s good mood dimmed. The blond wonder had stopped by for another surprise progress report. It was as if the man didn’t understand how to use a phone.