Absolution: The Clandestine Saga Book 4

by ID Johnson

  “Was Giovani in the helicopter?” Shane asked. He was taking notes and was tapping his pen on the table, a noise that was quickly getting on Cadence’s nerves.

  “I’m not sure,” Andrew admitted.

  “He had to have been,” Cadence chimed in. “We know he was in the hospital because we saw him on the footage entering and exiting Gibbon’s room, but he wasn’t with the four that escaped out the back.”

  “They didn’t all escape,” Andrew interjected. “We did manage to get one of them, at least. I think we may have hit another, but of course we have no way of knowing if he survived.”

  “Why is that?” Aurora asked, tossing her long red hair over her shoulder.

  “We took out one of them as they were entering a black Chevy Tahoe that pulled up to the back door. I watched him turn to ash. Another was hit in the leg, but his friends got him inside the SUV, and they pulled away. My bikes gave chase, but the SUV managed to lose them in the city traffic.”

  “At one o’clock in the morning?” Morgan asked, clearly annoyed at the way Andrew’s team mishandled the job.

  “Yes. They didn’t want any humans to get hurt,” Andrew explained.

  “Any idea who any of these other people are?” Christian asked over the IAC.

  “Good question, Christian” Aaron replied. “Thanks for your recap, Andrew,” he said nodding at the Philly Leader, who seemed relieved that he wouldn’t have to say anything else—at least for a while.

  “We know that one of them is Frank Howard, an ex-Black Op. We are assuming that the others are ex-military as well based on their dress, their weaponry, and their tactics. We aren’t sure how many Vampires may be working with Giovani, but we can assume that he has the cooperation of any and every bloodsucker in the area since Giovani’s end goal is to take out Cadence and then all of us. So let’s just go ahead and assume we are outnumbered.”

  “How do we know his objective is taking out Cadence?” Morgan asked, absently pulling on a strand of her long, dark hair.

  “The note,” Eliza explained. “My team found a note in his lair in the Czech Republic, and it said he was coming for her.”

  “That seems sort of odd,” Morgan replied. “Since when do Vampires leave notes letting us know their intention?”

  “Since they are trying to drag us into a fight on their terms,” Eliza shot back.

  Cassidy and Brandon were looking at each other with confused expressions on their faces. They couldn’t hear the part of the conversation that was happening over the IAC. Meagan, who was sitting next to Brandon, quietly leaned over and began to fill them in on what they were missing as Morgan replied to Eliza, “It just seems out of the ordinary to me.”

  “It is,” Aaron agreed. “This whole situation is unlike anything we have encountered for a really long time, although it is not unprecedented. We had a similar situation in the 1880s in London, some of you will recall. So, in an effort to keep history from repeating itself, let’s try to stop Gibbon before we have another Ripper on our hands.”

  “So what is our next move?” Jamie asked, looking at Aaron intently.

  “We need to get to Philadelphia as quickly as we can, see if we can figure out where Giovani is hiding, and make a move on him before Gibbon has completely pledged his loyalty. If we can get between them, we may have a chance at spoiling Giovani’s plan,” Aaron replied, leaning back in his chair, his fists clinched.

  “But finding him isn’t going to be easy,” Cadence continued. “Unless and until he wants to be found. Andrew, it seems like that back door, the one that Giovani entered the hospital through, was intentionally left unlocked. When you interviewed the patients and staff members last night, did it seem like any of them may have been Vampires?”

  “Not that I could tell,” Andrew shrugged.

  “Wouldn’t you be able to figure that easily?” Morgan asked, rolling her eyes.

  “Well,” Andrew began, “we didn’t interview everyone. We just talked to a few of the patients and staff members. We mostly just tried to stay out of the police officers’ way.”

  “Seriously?” Morgan asked.

  But before she could continue, Cadence interrupted. “Andrew, I want you to get a list of everyone who was working last night. Make contact with any of the staff members who may have had access to that back door. If we can establish it was an inside job, that may give us a lead as to where Giovani is hiding.”

  “We can do that,” Andrew nodded.

  “We will be loading up to head that direction in just few minutes,” Aaron told him, “so once we get there, we’ll meet with your team and determine what our next step is.”

  Again, Andrew nodded. Cadence added, “If you hear anything else, get any more leads, contact us immediately, all right, Andrew?”

  “I definitely will,” he agreed.

  “Morgan, Cale, get to Philly as soon as you can. Bring whichever team members you need and that you know you can completely trust. Cale, we’ll need your choppers as well,” Aaron instructed.

  “They are fully armed and ready to go,” Cale assured him. “See you all shortly!”

  “See you in a few hours!” Morgan said, waving as she and Cale disconnected their feed.

  “Andrew, I know this has been stressful, but we appreciate your efforts,” Aaron assured the other Guardian.

  “I really appreciate that,” Andrew nodded. “We’ll do everything we can to support you while you’re here.”

  “We know you will.”

  Andrew disconnected the call as well, and Stormy and Eliza also left the conversation, leaving only members of the Kansas City team to discuss what would happen next.

  “Well, they sure did botch that whole thing from start to finish,” Aurora chimed in.

  “It didn’t go well,” Aaron agreed, “but, in fairness, they really weren’t prepared for something like this. And I have to take responsibility for that.”

  “Well, that’s very noble of you,” Jamie said quietly. “So…shall we load up?”

  “I think so,” Aaron said, “unless any of you have questions.”

  The team members looked around at each other for a moment before they began to shake their heads. No one had any questions—not now anyway.

  “Very well then,” Aaron sighed. “It’s 8:32. The plane is ready to go, so let’s plan on departing at 9:00. Does that give everyone enough time?”

  “You got it, boss,” Shane said, being the first to stand and push in his chair, clearly excited to be making the trip. Following his lead, the rest of the team stood, said goodbye to Cassidy and Brandon, leaving only Aaron, Cadence, and Jamie behind with the two teens.

  “You still feeling okay, Brandon?” Jamie asked.

  “I feel like a million bucks,” Brandon assured him.

  “Good. I won’t be here to check in on you, so I want to make sure you’re all set before I go. If you do need something, though, just come up here and let Mrs. Carminati know, and she can find someone who can help you,” the doctor explained.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Brandon nodded.

  Cadence looked at her sister, who had her arms crossed and her bottom lip sticking out. “Cass, don’t even bother to ask, please.”

  “Okay,” she replied, quietly.

  “Brandon, would you mind driving Cassidy back to Shenandoah? You can take the Enclave.”

  “No, I don’t mind at all,” Brandon replied, clearly a bit surprised that she asked.

  “I have to go home?” Cassidy asked, her eyes wide.

  “Well, you can’t really stay here until I get back,” Cadence explained. “I have no idea when that will be.”

  Cassidy huffed, and it was obvious tears were forming in her eyes, but all she said was a quiet, “Fine.”

  “Just be careful,” Cadence warned. “There are plenty of Hunters and Guardians in Shenandoah to keep you safe, but who knows what might happen to you if you stop along the way.”

  “Brandon can take care of me. He’s a Guardian now,
you know?” Cassidy reminded her.

  “I know,” Cadence agreed. “But he hasn’t been trained. So just be precautious, all right? Both of you are very important to me, so be careful, and don’t do anything risky.”

  “I’ll have them bring the Enclave around and leave it in front of your building, Brandon,” Aaron said as he stacked up the papers and put them into a file folder.

  “Thanks,” Brandon replied.

  “All right. We’ll go straight from here to the airport, so you guys are okay to head back to the apartments for a while? You don’t have to leave right now, if you don’t want to, but make sure you’re back here before dark, Brandon, and try to go the speed limit, which will be hard. You’ll want to go a lot faster,” Cadence explained as she stood to go out the door.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Brandon agreed. Standing, he gave her a hug, and said, “I’ll keep her safe.”

  “I know you will. I trust you,” Cadence nodded.

  Cassidy stood and turned to face her sister. “Be careful,” she said. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “You be careful, too,” Cadence said, looking pointedly into her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her tightly. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything ever happened to you.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” Cassidy assured her, squeezing her back. “Nothing remotely exciting ever happens to me.”

  ***

  The passages beneath Jeweler’s Row in the Center City area of Philly were the stuff of legend; tales of what might have been going on under this section of town dated back to the time when what used to be a section of row houses was converted into shops with a plethora of jewelers taking over the area in the mid-eighteen hundreds. While very few humans had ever seen any evidence at all of their existence, the Vampires had dwelt here for decades, finding solace in the dark, dank tunnels and vaults that snaked for miles beneath the innocent city above.

  It was the perfect place for Giovani to bring Gibbon, and it would be the perfect place for Cadence Findley to die.

  By the time Nina and her group of incompetents had carried Gibbon from their arrival point by the river down the tunnels to the chamber he had arranged for his new weapon, Gibbon was not doing well to say the least. His breathing was shallow, his wounds were bleeding, and his heart was barely beating. Giovani had them place him on what appeared to be a castoff operating bed from a turn-of-the-century insane asylum, and quickly went about the process of turning him. He had to be cautious; too much, and Gibbon would die. Too little, and the change would take far longer than Giovani cared to wait. He had sunk his teeth into Gibbon’s neck, elated with the taste of his thick, dark blood and the prospect of what he was embarking upon. Though he’d been tempted to draw as much of the delectable liquid as he could, he was able to practice some control. Now, he sat in the dimly lit room, waiting anxiously for Gibbon, who had been strapped down to the table for his own safety, to awaken at last.

  Once he was awake, he would begin to train him, to ensure he knew who the enemy was and how important it was that she be destroyed. And with promising news from Robert, things were beginning to look up. Cadence Findley was on her way to meet him, on her way to meet her demise.

  ***

  As soon as Cassidy was sure her sister and her friends had left for the airport, she made her way to Cadence’s guest bedroom and began throwing her belongings into her bag.

  Brandon followed behind her, a questioning expression on his face. “What are you doing?” he asked. “We don’t have to leave right now, and we certainly don’t have to be in such a hurry.”

  “You may not have to,” Cassidy said, throwing the clothes she had worn the day before into her bag, “but I do.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked, still standing behind her. “I’m your ride.”

  “No, you’re not,” she said zipping her bag. “I’m not going back to Shenandoah, not now.”

  “Whoa—what are you talking about?” he said, grabbing her hand where it sat on top of her bag, essentially making her stop. “Cassidy, what’s going on?”

  She let out a sigh and pulled away from him, dropping onto the bed. “You have to promise me you won’t say anything to anyone—at all. Or else I won’t tell you.”

  Brandon’s forehead furrowed. “Okay…” he said slowly, sitting down beside her on the bed.

  “Promise, Brandon,” she repeated, sternly.

  “I promise,” he said. “Now, what are you doing?”

  Cassidy huffed and looked down at the floor. “I’m going to the train station,” she explained. “I’m going to Philadelphia.”

  “What? Are you crazy?” Brandon exclaimed, jumping up. “You can’t do that.”

  “I can. And I am,” Cassidy shot back. “And you can’t tell my sister. I have to get up there. I have to be a part of this. I’m sick of sitting by while everyone else is ridding the world of evil. I’m ready, Brandon. I can’t wait anymore! Like you said, it’s time to take fate into my own hands.”

  “All right, all right, calm down,” he said sitting down next to her.

  “I am calm!” she exclaimed.

  “Sorry—I was talking to myself,” he covered, seeing that telling her to calm down had the opposite effect. “Let’s say you do go…”

  “I am going!”

  “Fine, so when you get there, what are you going to do? Cadence and Aaron will be furious,” he reminded her.

  “I’m sure they will be, but by then it will be too late, and they’ll have to let me stay,” she explained, jumping back up and looking around the room to see if she had everything she had brought with her.

  “And then what? You hang out in a hotel room while everyone else is out hunting down Giovani? How is that any different than hanging out here?”

  “Look, my friends and I have already been helpful. We found him in the first place, remember? She’ll have to let me help. Maybe she’ll leave me at the Philly headquarters, or whatever, but she’ll let me do something. I’m going, Brandon, and there’s nothing you can say to stop me.”

  She was standing in front of him, her arms crossing her chest, a look of determination on her beautiful face, and he realized she was right; there was nothing he could say to stop her.

  Letting out a deep breath, Brandon said, “Fine. But I’m coming with you. There’s no way I’d let you do this on your own.”

  Cassidy’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’d come with me? But, Brandon, I can’t let you do that. When my sister finds out, she’ll kick you off of the team.”

  “Maybe,” he agreed, putting his hands on his hips. “But if I let you go by yourself, and something happened to you, I’d never forgive myself. Besides, I can protect you. I am a Guardian now.”

  She smiled at him meekly. “But what about the team?”

  “Hey, if you can talk your way out of this, so can I. Besides, they can’t get rid of me completely—nothing can kill me, remember?”

  “My sister can,” she reminded him.

  “Yeah, well, she won’t do that. I may end up in Siberia with that Eliza chick, but at least I’ll know you’re safe.”

  “Okay—well, thanks,” she said with another smile. “I guess I can cancel my Uber then if you want to drive to the train station.”

  “I guess I need to buy a ticket to Philly,” he replied, grabbing her bag.

  “Oh, one more thing,” Cassidy said, putting her hand on his arm. “Give me your phone.”

  “What? Why?” he asked.

  “Just in case. I want to make sure you don’t call my sister.”

  “But I just got it back from Aaron a few hours ago,” he complained.

  Cassidy stuck her hand out, and he drew his phone out of his pocket and dropped it in her open palm. “Thank you,” she said, putting it in her jean’s pocket.

  “All right,” he said. “Let’s go grab my stuff, and then let’s go cause some trouble.”

  “Let’s go hunt a Vampire, you mean,” she corrected him.<
br />
  “No, I’m pretty sure what we’re doing is definitely causing trouble,” he muttered. “But as long as you’re safe, that’s the most important thing to me.”

  “I’ll be just fine,” Cassidy assured him, stepping out into the hallway and locking the door behind them.

  ***

  Cadence hesitated a bit in boarding the plane. After all, the last time she had been on one, her exit had been hasty and painful. But once the G5 took off and they were up in the air, she began to relax. And her stomach had finally begun to calm down as well. Now, sitting in the front of the airplane with Aaron, who no longer chose to sit in the back now that Elliott was gone, Cadence found herself able to fully concentrate on the task at hand.

  “Are you doing all right?” Aaron asked, squeezing her hand.

  “Yeah, actually, I am. My stomach stopped flip flopping about the time we got to the airport, and I finally feel like I can focus.”

  “Good. Do you want me to show you where the parachutes are, just in case?” he teased.

  “Not unless you want to use one,” she shot back. “I hope that Brandon gets Cassidy home safely,” she added as she leaned her head back against the seat.

  “I’m sure he will,” Aaron assured her. “Especially if he doesn’t stop anywhere.”

  “Surely she understands why I had to send her home. There was no way I could possibly consider letting her come with us,” Cadence said, running her hand through her hair.

  Aaron smiled at her reassuringly. “She’ll be all right. She’s been through a lot, and she just needs to wrap her head around all of this. And I’m not sure if Brandon will be a good thing or a bad thing. It might be hard for her to know he’s with us training while she’s still in school.”

  “Well, he definitely likes her,” Cadence reminded him. “Maybe he can talk some sense into her. She certainly won’t listen to me.”

  “Maybe,” Aaron shrugged, though he wasn’t so sure. “For now, let’s just focus on the task at hand. We don’t need any distractions.”

  “Right,” Cadence agreed. “Any idea where Giovani might be? And how the hell is he hiding a helicopter?”