"Fucking mutant. She killed the senator and we're going to be blamed," the driver said.
Nate shook his head. "This just plays right into what she's been telling the committee about Whitney. He's creating lethal little freaks. Let's just get to the plane. We'll load the senator's body and get out of here fast."
He stared out over the water, one hand on Violet's chest as if he could feel her heart beating. She doubted it. They would have to stay with CPR to keep her going if she was still alive and they'd given up. By the time they got to the island in the middle of Lake Borgne Violet would be long gone from the world. The lake was more of a saltwater bay for the gulf, and Bellisia thrived in salt water.
She waited to see if they were really heading for the island and then she went under the water and swam toward land. She couldn't allow them to get to the committee. The last thing the GhostWalkers needed was for the world to know about the triplets, Pepper, Cayenne and her sisters still in Whitney's hands, not what he'd done to them. Like Violet and those she talked to, many would condemn what they were afraid of.
She would have to reduce the odds fast. She was an assassin, yes, but she used stealth and was rarely seen. Usually when she was seen it was already far too late. These men would be on the lookout for her, or at least they'd be nervous and more alert. She waited in the tide pool, lifting her head just enough to watch the driver bring the boat close to shore. Nate would get out and drag the boat up onto land. That would be her best chance to get him. She swam to the back of the boat as the driver slowed the engine and then turned it off altogether.
"I'm not looking forward to getting out of the boat, Darrin," Nate said.
The driver shone his light all around them, turning in a semicircle to try to take in as much of the water as possible. "I don't see anything. The sooner we get out of here, the better."
Nate sighed, put one hand on the side of the boat and jumped over the side. He caught the front of the boat and began to drag it up onto the land. Darrin continued to shine all over the water at Nate's feet and then up onto the land itself. Bellisia floated just under the surface of the water, her body the same color. Nate stepped from the water to the land and she struck, delivering the venom with the gentlest of bites. She knew he barely felt it, that small prick in his calf. She swam away from him back to the tide pool, where she climbed out of the water and settled into the brush, waiting for the venom to take effect.
The moment the boat was on land, the two men lifted Violet's body and began to carry her fast toward the small plane sitting silently in the distance. Nate coughed. Staggered. He dropped Violet's feet and pressed his hands to his chest. As he did, Bellisia came out of the brush, hoping to cross the short barrier of grasses before Darrin noticed her. She wasn't so lucky. Darrin's head whipped around, looking for her the moment Nate staggered and then went down to his knees. He dropped Violet onto the ground and pulled his gun.
Bellisia was already on him, knocking the gun aside. He punched her hard in the stomach, doubling her over, flinging her body backward. He followed her up, kicking at her repeatedly. The blows robbed her of breath. Her first thought was to try to make it to the water and get away, her second was just to survive.
Darrin was vicious in his attack, punching and kicking, giving her no chance to recover enough to inflict any damage of her own. She stopped fighting and lay curled up in a little ball, trying to breathe while she called up the venom. Beneath her skin, blue rings showed.
Darrin spat at her in complete contempt and then drew his knife. "I'm going to carve you up into little pieces."
He crouched beside her and she struck fast, biting down on his thigh. As she pulled away, he slammed the knife into her, his eyes wild with fear and hatred. He withdrew it and tried stabbing her again. Bellisia rolled away from him, her body on fire. It felt as if every bone in her body had been smashed. As she rolled, she left behind a long trail of blood. She was so exhausted and hurting from the beating that she couldn't even shut down the bleeding using the muscles lying just beneath her skin.
Darrin swore savagely, slamming his knife into the ground repeatedly as he tried to follow her and cut her again. It took four minutes for the venom to begin to affect him, and it was the longest four minutes of Bellisia's life. She kept rolling away from him every time he got close, but he kept at her, determined to kill her. When he coughed, his throat constricting, his eyes went wide in alarm. Even though she'd managed to bite him, the bite hadn't hurt and he had dismissed it as nothing. It hadn't occurred to him that in that brief moment, she could inject enough venom to kill over twenty human beings, let alone one.
"You bitch. You did something to me." He went to his knees, glancing at Nate, who was facedown in the dirt. Both of his hands went to his chest.
Bellisia didn't waste breath on an answer. She was in bad shape and a good distance from home. She had to find a place to hide in case any of Violet's mercenary teams knew about the plane and came looking. She couldn't leave any trace behind. There was blood on the ground, but that couldn't be helped. All that mattered was getting to the water.
She dragged her body away from him, unable to get to her feet or even get her knees under her. The water seemed a long way away, but she pulled her body to the tide pool and slipped in, ignoring Darrin's curses. He wasn't following and that was all that mattered.
The water was cool on her skin, but burned in the knife wound. She found a small crevice and slipped into it. Just her face was out of the water but she could easily slide under if she needed to for protection. Battered and bruised, afraid to look at the severity of the stab wound, she sent out a silent plea to Ezekiel.
Find me. I hurt everywhere, and this time, I'm not certain I'll make it.
There was no swimming home. There was no way to contact him and let him know she was alive. There was only her beloved water, lapping at her skin and soaking into the wound that burned like hell. She forced herself to squeeze off the blood seeping into the water and it was one of the most difficult things she'd ever done. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold out very long.
Find me, Ezekiel. I need you. She'd never counted on anyone. Not ever. Whitney had drilled that into her.
She carried out her missions alone. She was responsible for her life. It wasn't as if she'd never been in a bad situation before, but this time she had Ezekiel and there was something about him that just made her feel safe and protected. She couldn't imagine that he wouldn't come.
She knew most people couldn't find her in the tide pool, even if they searched for her. She had made herself very small, curling into a crevice no one would believe would be possible for a human being to get into, but she had faith in him.
Ezekiel.
She whispered his name and held him to her. The scent of him. The solidness of him. He was a big man, his body hard with no give in it, just like he was. Strong. Dependable. Protective. He was a good man and he was hers. He would come for her. She knew that without a shadow of a doubt.
"Where the hell is she?" Ezekiel said. He paced along the pier, looking out over the Morgan River, Mordichai beside him. "Nothing can have happened to her. I refuse to believe that."
"Nothing happened to her," Mordichai reassured. The problem was, he sounded as worried as his brother, and that wasn't reassuring in the least. "You're exhausted, Zeke. Come inside and try to get a few hours of sleep."
Ezekiel ignored the suggestion. "She fired the Glock. That's the last I heard or saw of her." His gaze swept the other two men standing with him--Gino and Mordichai. "Did any of you see her? See anything? Mordichai, you were on the roof." Was that accusation in his voice? Damn, he was really losing it. He felt guilty as hell. Bellisia was his to protect.
"We were all busy, Ezekiel. There was a firefight going on." Mordichai's voice was very quiet, a warning in itself.
Ezekiel took a deep breath and just listened to the night. The constant drone of insects, frogs calling to one another and the occasional bellow of an alligator told
him any intruders were long gone. He stood looking out over the water as if any moment she'd surface laughing. She loved the water. If she was anywhere near it, she was safe. He had to think that way or he'd lose his fucking mind.
"I know, Mordichai." He shoved both hands through his hair. "She's got to be all right. I keep thinking about what Violet did to Joe, and how much hatred she has for the triplets and Pepper. She'd despise Bellisia."
"We're different," Gino said. "All of us. Violet as well. She hates herself so she's striking out at everyone around her."
"Those women didn't ask for what Whitney did to them. They had no choice," Mordichai added. "None us did, really. We had no idea he would alter us in any way other than psychically."
"We have to think about this logically," Gino said. "After Violet carved up Joe, she headed for the river. That's Bellisia's territory. Once your woman knew you were safe, Ezekiel, she would have gone after the primary target. Violet had just slashed Joe up. She gave you up to Cheng. She betrayed all the women she was raised with as well as any others like her. Bellisia wouldn't just let that go, so we know she had to have gone after Violet."
"If she'd gotten Violet, we would have seen the body and she would have been right here," Ezekiel said.
"We found the Glock on the bank. She had to have gone after Violet," Mordichai pointed out. "There's no other explanation, otherwise she would have kept the guns with her."
Gino paced along the bank, inhaling through his nose, trying to pick up a scent. He joined them on the pier. "Joe's still alive. That's a good thing. You said if he makes it through the next few hours he'll live." He raised a hand to his neck and massaged the sore muscles there. "Diego's sleeping. Rubin's watching over him. Cayenne's fine. The girls are sleeping. The dead bodies are gone."
"She's not back," Ezekiel reiterated. "Don't give me a list of the pros. Nothing's good unless she's back."
Gino's eyes met Mordichai's. "I heard a boat. A swamp boat, by the sound of it. I can maybe track her if we get into the water now. It's harder over water, the scent dissipates faster, but I've done it. I followed you that night Cheng's men took you."
"Let's go then." Ezekiel stepped into the boat and waited. Mordichai and Gino followed, Gino casting off.
"Logically, if Violet had a boat waiting to get her out of here, she would have headed for the gulf. She'd have a plane waiting to take her back. She said the Secret Service agent assigned to her had no idea she'd left the house," Ezekiel said.
"Joe hears lies," Mordichai said. "I don't understand why he tried so hard to pull her back to the GhostWalker program. He had to know Violet was a lost cause."
"Joe is a white knight," Gino said. "His father used to give him a bad time about it. He was the white knight and I was the dark knight. He wanted to save the world and I was okay with blowing it up."
"He waited too long," Ezekiel said. "I think he wanted to give her enough rope so she'd hang herself beyond any doubt." He shook his head as he started the engine. "Can you catch Bellisia's scent at all, Gino?"
"I know she ducked under the water. Take the boat around the bend and then idle for a few minutes. Let me see what I can pick up."
She had to be alive. He couldn't think any other way. He'd just found her and he'd known immediately she was the one. He'd just known. It didn't matter how ridiculous it was, he couldn't do without her. He'd fought hours for Joe, keeping him alive against impossible odds, and then there was Cayenne and Diego to look after. He was exhausted, but there was no going to sleep, no lying in a bed without her in it.
They swept around the bend and he immediately throttled down to see if Gino could pick up her scent.
"I've got them. Violet's in the boat for certain. Two men." Gino crooked his finger at Ezekiel, and he responded by quartering the area slowly. Gino inhaled through his nose and then nodded. "She was here. She's on the boat as well." He nodded toward the West Pearl River. "They headed in that direction."
Ezekiel's heart stuttered. Had Violet and her men captured Bellisia? He couldn't imagine it. There was no way they would have seen her in the water. She had to have gotten aboard on her own. He pressed his fist to his chest to try to stop the pain spreading like a fire through lungs that couldn't breathe. "She's going to try to kill Violet."
"Zeke," Mordichai said softly. "She's trained for this. She went alone into Cheng's laboratory. We looked into him. The security is better than Fort Knox's and she penetrated it and carried out her mission."
"She's not alone anymore, damn it. She had no right to risk herself. She should have talked to me . . ." He forced himself to stop talking, knowing he sounded like an idiot. In the middle of a firefight she was supposed to halt the action and have a little sidebar with him, asking his permission to go after Violet?
He took them out fast onto the Morgan River, using his night vision to guide him and his running lights to warn off any other craft on the water.
"She's got guts," Gino said, shouting to be heard over the engine.
Ezekiel glanced at him. Gino's face was grim, but he was leaning down toward the water, gripping the side of the boat while his legs absorbed the slap as they blasted through the river as fast as he dared.
"The women in my family, my grandmothers and my mother, were much like her. Small, so you discount her strength, but she stands. No matter what, she stands with you," Gino continued.
"Like Nonny," Mordichai added, giving Bellisia the highest compliment he could possibly pay her.
Ezekiel swallowed bile. He didn't want them paying tribute to Bellisia as if it was her eulogy. "She's alive." Because, damn it, he refused to believe for one moment that she was gone. "She doesn't understand the world failure. She'll keep going no matter what it takes, or how long."
"Ezekiel, let's figure the route they would take to get the senator out of here fast," Mordichai said. "There are options, but they'll have the best one for her. Stop the boat and let's work it out so we're not just running around like chickens without heads."
His brother was right. It wouldn't be difficult to figure out the way they would take the senator to safety. He slowed and then allowed the engine to idle while they figured the fastest route possible.
"They'll take the West Pearl to Lake Borgne," Ezekiel said. "It's the fastest route to get to the gulf. Lake Borgne is more of a lagoon now. Coastal erosion has made it more of an estuary for the gulf than an actual lake. There is an island large enough to land a small plane."
"I say we go there," Mordichai said.
"How long will it take?" Gino asked.
"I've taken the girls out that way several times. Safely, about an hour. I don't intend for us to be safe. I'll try to cut that time down significantly," Ezekiel warned.
"I was considering that if Bellisia gets the job done, she'd have to swim home," Gino said. "That won't be an easy task at night."
"For most people, no, but for her, a piece of cake. She's at home in the water, and she's a little rocket. She would have been home by now if she was all right." Ezekiel was certain he was right. She would have come back to him if she could have.
"Stop worrying so damned much. Remember, you've run that same route many times and you can do it fast. They couldn't go as fast, not at night. They'll be looking to navigate in the dark, using instruments. They'll be far slower."
"It's been hours. I was doing surgery on Joe, and then Diego and Cayenne. Too much time has gone by. Whatever transpired, already happened. She's waiting for me. She needs me."
"We'll get to her. Just breathe, Ezekiel. We'll find her."
Ezekiel hoped like hell Gino was right. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, thinking about how he hadn't cared about building a house for himself until Bellisia had come into his life. Suddenly, every room took on meaning. He'd never thought he would have children of his own, but now that mattered to him. He wanted a baby to happen before Nonny decided she could lay it all down and rest.
He liked coming into Nonny's kitchen and finding Bellisia stirr
ing the shrimp and crabmeat into the gumbo for dinner. He hadn't had a chance to ask her about her cooking lesson with Nonny or whether she had had fun with Pepper and Cayenne. He knew the gumbo was good because after he'd spent hours in surgery, Nonny had given him a bowl of it along with home-baked bread. That was Nonny, seeing to the practical things, even after a major firefight. He'd had to talk to the triplets. They were understandably upset that they couldn't see Joe or Bellisia. They'd demanded to see Cayenne and then Diego. Rubin had let them into the room in spite of Ezekiel's orders to stay out. He knew they would have just snuck in on their own, and truthfully, he really couldn't get upset with them.
He glanced at his brother. Mordichai and Malichai weren't that much younger than he was, but he remembered them both when they were barely able to talk. He'd fallen hard for his little brothers. The moment his mother had put that first tiny infant in his arms, he'd felt protective and proud. The following year, when Malichai was born, he'd felt the same way. He'd never stopped feeling that way, no matter how hard it was. Rubin and Diego joined them along with a couple of other boys and they made their own family and their own way until all of them joined the service.
Ezekiel revved up the engine once more and they began flying along the West Pearl River toward Lake Borgne, his heart beating a little out of control. He had no idea that finding a woman--the right woman--could tie a man up in knots so fast. His woman would have come home if she could have. He didn't question that. He knew it with absolute certainty. She'd either been taken by Violet and her men and was a prisoner, or she was injured. He couldn't allow himself to think about another alternative. She couldn't be dead. His life wouldn't be worth much without her.
Several times Gino held up his hand and Ezekiel slowed the boat and idled the engine so they both could test the air for scent. Gino would nod and they'd head once more in the direction of Lake Borgne. A land bridge, now a brackish marsh, separated Lake Borgne from the other lakes. The water was no longer fresh but salt water. He kept reassuring himself that Bellisia liked salt water. She often put salts in her bathwater.
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