It was nice to find such easy acceptance. She put the deck down, cut into three piles. Turned up Strength again.
“What are the odds of that?” Sean murmured.
“One in seventy-eight. The mathematical odds are the same with every shuffle and redraw.” Miriam stared at the card, a chill going through her. She had no doubt this was a very intentional, specific message. She just wasn’t sure what it meant. “It’s reversed this time. That gives it a more negative connotation. Power wrongly used. Defeat, surrender to evil.”
Sean’s expression hardened. “Not going to happen.” He pulled out his cell phone. “I think it’s time to check in with Adam.”
SIXTEEN
“MATT and Susan loved the zoo. They’ve been supporters for years and used to go every few months.” Sean said. “I wonder if that influenced the Belian.”
“Possibly. It obviously tapped into Matt’s personal psyche to find out about David Gains and bring him in to do its dirty work,” Adam said. “So it might have gotten ideas about the zoo from Matt.”
They were all in Adam’s Mercedes and pulling up at the San Antonio Zoo. Julia’s vision and Miriam’s Tarot card depicting a lion had clinched the next location. Adam had again called his police contact. After the shooting at SeaWorld, he expected the police would react very quickly.
Situated along the San Antonio River and next to Brack enridge Park, the highly acclaimed zoo covered fifty-six acres, and housed more than thirty-five hundred animals. It was a big place, with a lot of exhibits. The huge parking lot was quite a distance from the entrance, so Adam dropped the others off, parked, and with no one in sight, superspeeded it back to the entrance.
Since it was a weekday, it wasn’t terribly crowded, but as he joined the others, Adam was concerned to see several groups of school-age children. He still wasn’t sure why the Belian would pick the zoo, where the people were more scattered and a higher body count not as likely. But it was a place Matt had frequented, and there were a lot of trees, restaurants, educational centers, and numerous other places in which to hide.
Once again, he decided they should split up and cover more territory. And although he was fairly certain of the general area where the Belian would attack, he still hoped he could take Matt down without Sean being there.
“Sean, you and Miriam cover the right side of the zoo.” He consulted the map. “It looks like there are a lot of curving paths, and I want you to check them all. Radio me if you see anything the least bit suspicious. Julia and I will take the left side.”
The big cats were on the left side of the zoo, and that’s were Adam expected the Belian to go. The roaring lion in Julia’s vision and Miriam’s Leo/lion Tarot card were strong indicators. As Sean and Miriam walked briskly away, Adam looked at the distinct split in the path. “Which way?” he asked Julia.
She studied the area. “That way. I saw those colored blocks in the cement.”
The blocks turned out to be a huge snake that had been cleverly embedded in the cement path. Adam took Julia’s arm as they started toward the Reptile House.
“We will not have a repeat of what happened at SeaWorld,” he said firmly. “Once you verify the area you saw in your vision, you will retreat to a safe distance and stay there. No heroics.”
“Believe me, I’m not planning on getting in the middle of the fight. But I hope you’ll be more careful this time.”
“I know what to expect now. I’m definitely more prepared.” And he was. The Belian wouldn’t escape him this time.
“Good.” She looked at him, her brown eyes deadly serious. “You might be a pain in the rear, but I’m going to be really angry if you get your arrogant self killed.”
“Why, Professor, I didn’t know you cared.”
“Tell me about it. It’s a surprise to me, too.” She turned and walked on.
Adam found himself smiling, despite the situation. He would deal with this Belian. Then he and Dr. Julia Reynolds had a date with destiny.
SOME of the other big cat enclosures weren’t as secure as the lions. It would be easier for a leopard or a jaguar to get out, if it were mentally driven enough. But he wanted a lion. After all, the lion was the king of beasts, wasn’t it? It was the most impressive of the big cats—and a bigger challenge.
He’d prove to these cursed Sentinels that he was superior. That Belial couldn’t be defeated.
THE lion compound was quite a way from the zoo entrance, basically at the far end of the park. Adam hadn’t confirmed they were heading for the lions, but Julia suspected that was the destination, as it was the logical conclusion. She had to push to keep her leg moving the distance, and the upward slant of the black asphalt path didn’t help. She kept a lookout for anything familiar.
The first thing was the sign for Africa Live—a huge elephant’s head. “Adam, that’s one of the signs I saw in my vision.”
He slowed. “Do we need to go in?”
She stared, saw no other markers. “I don’t think so. Let’s go farther.”
They passed one pathway to the left, but the second left path resonated for Julia. There was the sign for Lory Landing, and inside a massive enclosure, flocks of brightly colored lorikeets congregated in a rain forest setting.
“Here’s Lory Landing and the birds. We’re close.”
“Which way?”
“I’m not sure. It got a little blurry here.” She took another look around. “Left, I think.”
“Toward the lions,” he said, not a surprise to either of them.
HER name was Samantha Green, but everyone called her Sam. She was blonde and petite and cute as a bug. But underneath the spritelike appearance was a very intelligent and ambitious young woman. She was finishing up a degree in zoology and loved her job at the zoo. She didn’t make much as a zookeeper, but she considered it a stepping-stone to greater things. She enjoyed working with the big cats, and she was very good at it. She had a way about her, with her soft, sweet voice, that the animals responded to.
She was headed to the lion compound to clean out their night enclosures, observe their interactions, and ensure there were no behavioral problems. She took the route past the hyenas and the tigers, then turned into the walkway that went between the tigers and lions, to the back entrances.
She didn’t think much about the blond-haired man standing near the employee walkway. Lots of people wanted to see the inner workings of the zoo, often stopped to watch zookeepers at work. She offered a polite hello as she went by, continued toward her destination, a metal door with a sign that said Employees Only.
A sudden wave of dizziness washed over her. Startled, she braced herself against a cement wall. She drew a deep breath to slow the spinning sensation. But her vision began to go gray. She gasped and reached for her radio phone, but darkness descended swiftly. Then there was nothing but an empty void.
IT was ridiculously easy for him to slip into the female zookeeper’s mind and take control. To urge her on to the employee entrance of the lion compound and enter the codes required to give her access. He followed at a discreet distance, keeping the mind lock. She was very receptive to his suggestion that she leave the outside door open, and that she open the steel door between the lion’s night area and the outdoor compound.
The lion he linked with was a different matter. Its mind was an unfamiliar haze of energy and blurry thought forms. But he sent it waves of pain and hate and anger. He showed it mental images of the open doors. Jabbed at it with images and pain until it roared with confused fury and bolted for the open doorway.
The blonde zookeeper, standing there so submissively, eyes blank like a zombie’s, was its first victim.
There would be more.
THEY turned left on the pathway and went a few more yards. Tension knotted Julia’s muscles, and she had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was about to happen. She could feel the hairs standing up on her arms. She saw a man up ahead, moving backward in their direction, his focus on something around the p
ath bending to the left. She’d seen the messy dark blond hair before, knew who he was.
Adam tensed. “There’s Matt. Get out of here. Now.” He pulled out his gun and took off with a superhuman burst of speed.
Her heart pounding so hard she could hardly breathe, Julia started to back away. Then she saw a huge golden flash barreling from the walkway farther ahead and to the left of Matt and Adam. A lion, loose and running hard.
She moved quickly to the side, pressing herself against a railing. Laughter caught her attention; she turned her head and saw the group of children who were lined up to enter Lory Landing to see the birds. They were directly in the lion’s path. “Oh, God, no.” Without hesitation, she stepped in front of the animal and swung her cane at it.
The cane smacked across its chest. With a roar, it pivoted and charged her. “Adam!” she managed to scream. She stumbled back, just as it leaped.
ADAM wasn’t going to give the Belian a chance to run or fight back. He raised his gun, aiming to maim, but not kill. He wanted a chance at saving Matt. He saw a flash of movement in his left peripheral, but kept his focus on his target. He pulled the trigger, saw Matt stagger, as red blossomed and spread across the top of his left shoulder. The man whirled around, jamming his hand into his leather jacket.
Adam aimed for another shot.
“Adam!” Julia’s panicked scream caught him. He looked around and saw a lion loping toward her. Saw the children behind her screaming and scattering.
Shock ripped through him. “No!” he yelled. A bullet grazed his arm. His attention jerked back to the Belian for a split second. He shot it in the lower leg, and then whirled and raced toward Julia.
There wasn’t a damned thing he could do about the Belian right now, not with Julia and innocent children in harm’s way. And, God, the lion was on her. Julia!
He acted instinctively, raising his arm toward the animal and discharging a blast of energy. The lion flew through the air like a giant stuffed toy, and crashed against the hyena enclosure. Adam sent another burst of energy at the creature to sedate it as he ran to Julia.
She lay faceup like a broken rag doll, pale as death, with blood spurting from deep slashes across her chest. “Julia!” He dropped beside her, raising his hands over her wounds and directing a burst of healing energy. “Somebody call 9-1-1!”
He fumbled with one hand at his pocket for his radio phone, the blood running down his wounded arm making it slippery and hard to grasp. He managed to grip the phone and press the Talk button. “Sean! Get over to Lory Landing! Julia’s been hurt.”
“I’m right here,” came Sean’s voice behind him. “Miriam and I doubled back. We knew it would go down near the lions.”
Thank The One. He dropped the phone and momentarily pulled his attention from Julia. “Do you see Matt anywhere?”
“I just saw him running down one of the pathways. I figured you needed me here worse.”
“Try to stop the bleeding, then.” Adam returned his full attention to Julia, channeling energy with both hands, his blood dripping down to mingle with hers. “Julia, stay with me.”
But her eyes were turning glassy, and he knew she didn’t see him. She was in shock, and losing blood fast. Her breathing was labored. He was barely aware of Miriam kneeling and pressing her jacket against Julia’s chest wounds; or Sean ripping off his shirt and pressing it over Julia’s abdomen, where there was more bleeding; or of the people crowding around them.
All he could see was her light fading. Terror roared through him. He couldn’t lose her, he couldn’t.
“Her aura is turning gray,” Miriam gasped.
“Julia! Stay with me!” he commanded, his voice breaking. “Don’t you leave me. You stay right here. Do you hear me? Julia!”
As she continued to fade, he prayed, harder than he ever had in his many lifetimes.
SHE was rising upward. There were blurred images below her—people kneeling beside someone’s sprawled body, with more people standing behind them. Obviously something was wrong, but she felt a sense of elation rather than sadness.
A brilliant starburst of light drew her attention from the scene below. She was on the threshold of a pathway, and the light shimmered at the other end, beckoning. What, again? She’d already been there, done that, twelve years ago, when she’d technically died from the injuries inflicted by Bennett. But it was a pathway this time, not a tunnel. Interesting . . .
Analytical thoughts scattered then, as more ethereal ones drifted through her mind. The light curled toward her, promising warmth and peace and freedom from the pain. A low humming voice filled her, telling her she was loved and cherished.
She started toward that wondrous light, without a limp. Her leg was perfect again. She was pain free and glorious, ready to merge with the light. Ready to go on to the next level—
“Julia!” Another voice—one she knew well—shattered the aura of peace and well-being. “I command you to stay here!”
Command? What arrogance! And yet . . . she didn’t want to leave Adam. They had somehow forged a bond that she felt even now. She started to turn back, but the light pulled at her. She drifted around and toward it. She was floating now. . . .
“Julia, stay with me!”
The anguished plea faltered her movement. She was torn, so torn. The light made the decision for her, drawing her closer. She flowed toward it, her physical body lying down below, now just a shell. She didn’t need it where she was going.
“Don’t leave me. I need you.”
The utter desolation of those words vibrated across the path, sent out ripples of energy like a stone thrown in water. The air around her changed, heating and creating a suction that tried to pull her back. But she was almost to the blindingly bright doorway.
“Julia!”
She shot backward with g-force pressure. Then everything went dark.
SHE heard the voices first—a brisk female voice she didn’t recognize, then a raspy male voice she’d know anywhere.
“If she wakes up in pain, she can hit the dispenser pad on the Demerol drip,” the woman said. “But you shouldn’t push it for her.”
“I understand.”
Where was she? Julia tried to open her eyes, but it was too much effort. She felt surreal, yet at the same time, her body felt heavy and weighed down.
“Use the Call button if you need anything,” the woman said.
“Thank you.”
She tried to rouse herself, to move. Agony burst through her chest, sent claws of pain lower. She moaned.
A hand slid over her arm, rubbed soothingly. “Julia, be still. Your injuries aren’t completely healed yet. But you’re safe, and all will be well.”
She needed to open her eyes, but she hurt so badly. Tried to speak, only managed guttural sounds.
“Shhhh. Be still, my love. I’ll take care of the pain.”
A soothing warmth spread through her chest and down into her abdomen, and the agony faded.
“There now. You’re fine, Julia. I’ll take care of you. We’ll get through this together. Go back to sleep.”
His voice was soothing, lulling. The waves returned, gently rocking her body. She managed to draw a full breath, and felt her frantic heart rate slowing. It was all right. Adam was with her. She was confused and disoriented, not sure where she was, or why she was in this state. But Adam was there. He wouldn’t let anything hurt her.
Reassured, she let herself sink into oblivion.
HOUSTON had over thirty public library branches throughout the city and a huge-ass main library on McKinney Street. Who’d have thought? It just so happened there was a bus line going to the branch nearest to his brother’s dump of an apartment. And wasn’t Bitch Fate lining things up just so.
William Bennett got off the bus and sauntered to his friendly neighborhood library. He had plenty of time—his parole officer couldn’t see him until Thursday. Too busy, or some bullshit like that. Probably overworked and underpaid, which really made William’s heart bleed
. Not that he gave a fuck. He couldn’t report to work or do much of anything until his PO approved his game plan and signed off on his work application.
That was just fine with William. He had other plans, ones that didn’t require any goddamned approval. He walked into the library, took in the scent of books and paper and metal and wood. Was hit with a gut-punch reaction of how similar the smell was to his office supply store. The one he no longer owned, all because of that lying bitch.
Yeah, well, he’d have the last word over her. Before he beat and choked the breath out of her traitorous body.
Not too many people were using the computers on a Tuesday morning, and he picked one as far away as possible from the information desk. He’d had very little access to computers at the prison, and things had changed a lot in the past twelve years. But he was a smart man, and it didn’t take him long to get the hang of the fucking new and improved Internet.
Or to do a search for Julia Reynolds in Houston, Texas. And wouldn’t you know—she was now a professor at the University of Houston. Taught both math and physics. He remembered she’d always been a smart one. Had been working on a doctorate when she first sashayed into his store, pretending to look at binders and presentation folders and asking oh-so-innocently about the latest TI scientific calculators. But he’d known why she was really there.
When he’d given her his full attention, just as she’d demanded, she’d thrown it back at him, the cheating, lying whore. He’d lost twelve years of his life, not to mention his livelihood and his home, because of her.
Payback was going to be hell—for her. As for him, he was really looking forward to it.
Revising his search options, he looked up Houston’s Metro bus system, and then found the closest route going to the main campus of the University of Houston.
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