by I. T. Lucas
Annani lifted her chin. “I do not have military training, so I would not know those things. Do you have any other ideas?”
“Not yet. My own military training is obsolete, but as far as modern rescue missions go, Turner is the best there is. I trust him to come up with a plan.”
Annani nodded. “I hope so. What about Carol faking her own death, is it safe?”
“Bridget is going to test it first, making sure that she can resuscitate her. I would appreciate it if you could give Carol your blessing.”
“Of course. It is the least I can do for her. What about Vivian and Ella? I hear that Ella is doing well, but should I give Vivian a blessing?”
“Vivian is also doing well. Bridget assures me that she is stable and going to transition just fine. But if anything changes, your blessing would be appreciated.”
The only one at the table who knew what they were really talking about was Alena, who looked down at her hands while stifling a smile. The rest regarded Annani and Kian with curious glances.
“You never cease to surprise me, Kian,” Amanda said. “You are supposed to be a devout heretic, not someone who believes in blessings.”
“The psychological effect of a blessing can help the healing,” Syssi said.
Amanda waved a hand. “Not to someone that is unconscious. If they don’t know they are getting a blessing, it’s not going to help them.”
Annani knew Syssi well enough to read the stubborn expression on her otherwise gentle face. She was not going to acquiesce. Her daughter-in-law only seemed timid to those who did not know her well.
“You of all people should know that there are forces at play we don’t understand,” Syssi said. “People might feel the positive energy even when they are unconscious. Besides, there is no harm in it, and it gives their loved ones hope.”
54
Lokan
While Carol was gone, Lokan had been running on the treadmill, sweating mentally more than physically, but about two hours later he still had no solutions.
What the hell could he do to convince Kian that he could trust him? At least as far as Carol’s safety and well-being were concerned?
For a brief moment, he’d even considered giving him Losham. He knew where his brother lived, and he also knew how exposed Losham was at his residence. Secure in his anonymity, his brother relied on a fancy alarm system for his safety, and other than his assistant, he didn’t keep warriors on the premises.
On the one hand, it was smart because they couldn't betray his location, but on the other hand, it wasn’t prudent because he was vulnerable to an attack.
If the roles were reversed, Losham would have had no qualms about selling Lokan out, and frankly, Lokan would have sold Losham if he’d thought it would help his cause. But all it would prove was that he lacked loyalty and couldn’t be trusted.
Was he going to spend the rest of his immortal life in this underground complex? Even with Carol by his side, it was a depressing prospect.
His only hope was that once Areana was rescued and her parentage of him confirmed, Annani would pressure Kian into releasing him.
If he failed to show up on the island in nineteen days, his father would start a search for him, and once it became clear that he was missing, Navuh was going to assume that he’d either deserted or died. In either case, that would be the end of Lokan’s Brotherhood membership card, and Kian would have nothing further to fear from him, and he would also have no reason to keep him locked up.
Except, with Kian it wasn’t about logic, it was about hatred and mistrust that ran way too deep for reason to prevail.
When Lokan’s stomach growled, signaling that it was lunchtime and that Carol would be back soon, he stepped off the treadmill and walked over to the punching bag, giving it a short but intense beating before heading into the bathroom.
After the shower, he walked into the closet and got dressed.
Having exercise equipment to burn off stress was great, but it created another problem. He was running out of clean clothes. Such a mundane and unimportant thing, but it had to be addressed. The thing was, with all that was going on, asking Carol to do his laundry didn’t feel right. Perhaps he could ask Arwel?
The Guardian seemed like a down to earth kind of guy, and Lokan was sure he didn’t have anyone doing laundry for him.
He was about to pick up the phone and call Arwel when the door started whizzing, and a moment later Carol walked in holding a couple of food containers.
“You smell nice.” She put them down on the counter and walked up to him. “Did you miss me?” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Terribly.” He kissed her long and hard.
As his stomach growled again, she pushed at his chest. “My poor baby is hungry. Let me feed you.”
No one had ever called him poor or baby, but coming from Carol it felt nice.
“What do you have in there?” he asked as she popped the containers into the microwave.
“I keep a stock of frozen meals at home. I knew that I wouldn't have time to prepare lunch, so I grabbed two. I gave the rest to Julian. They’ve been eating sandwiches from the vending machines.”
He frowned. Every time Carol left to visit Ella or to talk to Kian, she made it seem like a long trip. Could it be that it was a smokescreen and that everyone lived in this same structure just above ground?
“Do they have vending machines at the other location as well?” he probed.
She nodded. “The same guy stocks both, so they have the same kind. I think most of the clan survives on those. Not many people cook at home.”
Since he hadn’t smelled any deceit or anxiety while she explained, it must have been true.
Standing behind Carol, Lokan enveloped her in his arms. “With how rich you guys are, I would have thought that you could afford meals delivered to you.”
“First of all, we are not all rich. The basic share in the clan profits isn’t big. Those that work for the clan get paid an additional salary, and depending on what they do, they can make a lot more. Like the Guardians. They are paid very well.”
“When you are not supplying Arwel with your tasty meals, he eats sandwiches from the vending machine.”
“That’s his choice. He can afford to splurge on deliveries if he wants to.”
The microwaved beeped, and Carol pulled out the two containers. “I should have made a salad to go with these.” She took the boxes to the table and removed the lids. “Something fresh would have been nice.”
“Having you here with me is nicer.” He sat down and dug into the spaghetti dish.
“I talked with the doctor today,” Carol said. “She has an idea for how I’m going to fake a disability and later my death using the same device. An insulin pump. Do you know what it is?”
He shook his head.
“Some humans have a problem metabolizing sugars, and they need insulin shots throughout the day. The pump replaces the shots and delivers the insulin as needed. It is programmable, so more insulin is supplied after meals and less during sleep. Anyway, she can hide a toxin inside the pump, and when I activate it, the result will mimic death from lack of insulin, so it would look like the pump malfunctioned. And since it’s an ugly device and it’s attached to the body, it will also disqualify me from working in the brothel.”
“Isn’t it dangerous? What if your body can’t repair the damage?”
“That’s why she is going to test it on me first. If something goes wrong, she can revive me.”
A heavy weight settled in the pit of Lokan’s stomach. “You will have to die twice?”
She nodded. “Maybe more than that if Bridget needs to test different doses.”
“I don’t like it.”
Carol put her fork down. “Well, tough. I don’t like it either. But that’s the plan.”
“Damn.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Eat. You can worry about it after your stomach is full. Besides, I have good news too.”
Lifting spaghetti to his mouth, he arched a brow. “I could use some good news.”
“Remember how you compelled Vivian and Ella to say only nice things about you?”
He nodded.
“You’ve never removed that compulsion.”
“I forgot about it.” He smirked. “Is Ella still saying that I’m a wonderful fiancé and that she is madly in love with me? That should annoy the hell out of Julian.”
“No. The compulsion was removed by Ella’s younger brother, who can compel humans same as you.”
Lokan nearly choked on a mouthful of spaghetti. “I’ll be damned. The kid can compel?”
She nodded. “Not only that, he did it via a video chat, which means that you can do the same. You can video call one of your pilots and compel him to do whatever you need him to do.”
Lokan dropped his fork and leaned back in his chair. “Unbelievable. But I’m not sure I can do that. What if the kid’s power is different than mine?”
“Once Kian gets your spare phone from Washington, you can test it.”
“Right. As if he is going to allow that.”
“I’ve already talked to him, and he is all for it. Your ability to remote compel people on the island means added safety for me. Naturally, he is going to have his tech people follow the call and monitor it.”
“That’s fine.” He let out a breath. “That’s a significant weight off my chest. It makes me feel not as powerless.”
She smiled. “There is more. I did a little bargaining with Kian. If everything goes according to plan and I come back safely, and Areana is freed and proven to be your mother, he is willing to consider letting you go, or rather us. I asked him if he was willing to let us settle somewhere on our own, and he said he will consider it.”
It wasn’t a promise or a pledge, but it was better than nothing.
Carol frowned. “You don’t look happy.”
“He didn’t promise to do it, he promised to consider it. There is a big difference.”
“I believe he will deliver. There is no reason for him not to.”
“He doesn't like me.”
“It’s not personal. Kian hates Doomers, and you can’t blame him for it. Nevertheless, he accepted Dalhu and Robert into the clan. Not that he is going to accept you as well, but that’s because he fears that you are too powerful to trust. He is going to let you go, though, and that’s a promise from me to you. I will not accept anything less as payment for delivering Areana to her sister.”
55
Kian
On the way home, Kian’s phone buzzed with a message from Turner. We have confirmation of the sub’s location including an underwater video.
“What is it?” Syssi asked.
“Turner’s people found the Russian’s submarine and made an underwater video of it, confirming Lokan’s information.”
She waved a hand. “You see, he is trustworthy.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. This serves his agenda.”
Syssi threaded her arm through his. “Maybe we can use the submarine to get close to the island.”
“I doubt it. It depends how deep the water around the island is. A sub this size probably can’t get close enough to do us any good. Besides, it needs people to operate it.”
“I’m sure Turner can find retired sailors. Maybe even Russian speaking ones.”
Kian chuckled. “You’re probably right. I need to call him.”
“Go ahead.” She pulled out her arm. “I don’t mind. In fact, I love hearing all about this spy stuff. I just wish I didn’t know the spy in person. I worry about Carol. She is taking so many risks, and I can’t help wondering what her motivation is. Is she a thrill seeker?”
“She obviously is, but in this case she has another strong motive. She bargained for Lokan’s freedom.”
Syssi waved a dismissive hand. “That’s an add-on. She probably asked herself the same question, wondering what’s in it for her, and realized that she has a valuable bargaining chip she could use to free her mate. In her shoes, I would’ve done the same.”
Kian smirked. “Would you have embarked on a dangerous mission to free me?”
Syssi nodded. “I would have been scared shitless, but yes, I would have done everything in my power to free or save you. But that would be the only reason I would ever walk voluntarily into danger. And, of course, the same goes for our child.”
He couldn’t help but push her further. “What about Andrew? Would you have done it for him?”
There was no hesitation. “Yes. And before you keep asking about every person I care for, the answer is also yes. I would have done it for my parents and for your sisters and mother as well.”
He leaned and kissed the top of her head. “My mate is courageous.”
She rolled her eyes. “Right.”
“You are. Courage is not the absence of fear. It’s doing what's right despite it.”
As Kian pulled out his phone, they were only a few steps away from their house, and he motioned for Syssi to go ahead.
She patted his arm. “I’m going to make us cappuccinos.”
Nodding, he selected Turner’s contact number.
“I was expecting your call, and yes, I have the footage. Do you want me to send it to you?”
“Sure. What about Lokan’s phone? Any progress there?”
“His place is being watched by a human detective agency. My guy said that they weren’t top-notch. It’s just basic surveillance from the rooftop across the street. Since he found no bugs in the elevator or the hallway, it seems that whoever is watching Lokan’s apartment is interested only in monitoring his presence there.”
“Interesting. I wonder if it’s his father’s doing or one of the crooked politicians he deals with.”
“Could be either. Whoever is doing it does not want to spend a lot of money. The detective agency they hired deals mainly with cheating spouses.”
“Could it be an ex-girlfriend?”
“I doubt Lokan ever engaged with anyone for longer than one night.”
“True. He is too smart to have done otherwise. So, what’s the plan? We need that phone.”
“My guy is going to do it tomorrow morning using a house cleaning crew as a cover.”
“I want him or one of his people to fly over and deliver the phone in person. I don’t trust it to a delivery service. If the thing gets lost, the entire operation goes down the drain.”
“I’ll see to it.”
“The sooner we have it, the sooner you can contact Gorchenco and set up a meeting. Do you know where he is now?”
Turner chuckled. “I have several probabilities but nothing definite. He hasn’t changed his habits since Ella’s so-called death, and he is still an elusive bastard. I’m not going to wait for the phone, though. I have an idea of how to convey a message. Sandoval’s appraiser must have been the snitch that told Gorchenco about the ring being back on the market. I’m going to put the fear of God in that Russian and get him to contact Gorchenco for us. If that doesn't work, I’ll wait for the phone to get here and for Lokan to give me the bastard’s phone number.”
“What about the extraction plan, did you make any progress?”
Turner sighed. “What I’m working on is sneaking a communication device in, something Areana could use after Carol leaves. We don’t have enough information or time to plan a rescue mission of that caliber. We still might, but first I want to make sure that Carol’s efforts are not wasted.”
“I’ve given the drone idea some more thought. They can detect unauthorized communications.”
“What I’m looking into is a low powered signal that should escape detection. All I need is a two-mile range to reach a boat we’ll have nearby.”
“How are you going to get it into Areana’s hands? Despite Gorchenco’s status, he and Carol will be thoroughly searched.”
“A tiny drone the size of a hornet that will fly into the harem’s enclosure when Carol is still there so she can look for it.”
> “We talked about that. A drone this small doesn’t have the necessary range.”
“True. But I came up with an idea how to solve that problem and I have my guy working on it. We will attach the small drone to a military-grade one that will fly high above the island and drop the little one. Falling doesn’t require an expenditure of power. It would only use it to reach the target.”
“What are the chances of it working?”
“It looks good.”
Kian raked his fingers through his hair. “Syssi had a crazy idea. What if we bring Gorchenco’s submarine near the island? Can this give us some advantage?”
Turner didn’t laugh, and for a long moment the line went silent. “Let me think about it. She might be onto something.”
“I’ll be damned.”
56
Ella
Magnus poked his head into Ella’s patient room. “Your mother is awake and she wants to see you.”
“Awesome.” Ella flung the blanket off and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I hope she stays with us for more than a few minutes this time.”
“Bridget thinks she’s done. She’s been awake for fifteen minutes, drank some water, and talked with me. It looks good.”
In a practiced move, Julian wrapped his arm around Ella’s middle and helped her up. “Are you dizzy?”
“Not at all. I think you can let go.”
He removed his hold but kept his hands hovering near her waist where he could catch her if she wavered.
Forgoing the flip-flops, Ella took a small step and then another one. “I’m good. No dizziness.”