Resurrection: The Clandestine Saga Book 2

by ID Johnson

  Christian and Meaghan each put one of Jamie's arms over their shoulders and led him down the hallway towards the exit. They did not noticed the wide-eyed janitor who had just witnessed the second most unusual sight he had ever seen. He had watched from a distance, peering through the door as el doctoro magically healed the bleeding woman with his bare hands. He saw how it drained the young man to the point of collapse. Now, he stood aside as the doctor was carried from the building while the young lady seemed miraculously healed. Juan Arriaga shook his head. "El fantasma!" he whispered. Once again, he had encountered the paranormal. Dropping his mop, he ran off to collect his things. He would be leaving St. Luke's just as quickly as he had left Bryan Health.

  ***

  Before Cadence even opened her eyes, the over-powering smell of the clean and sterile environment alerted her that something wasn't quite right. Her eyelids fluttered, and she realized she wasn't alone. Memories came flooding back to her all at once, and she was confused as to why her shoulder and her leg no longer felt like they had been blown to bits. Without fully opening her eyes she said, "How long have you been here?"

  "Couple hours," Aaron replied. "How are you feeling?"

  She took a deep breath and then opened her eyes. Glancing around the room, she realized that Elliott was leaning against the window sill across the room. "Oh, thank God," she muttered. "If you had left me alone with him, I swear to God..."

  "I've been here the whole time," he assured her.

  Turning back to Aaron, she said, "I feel fine. My head feels... weird... like my scalp's asleep or something. But nothing hurts."

  "That's probably the anesthesia," he replied.

  Suddenly, the fogginess lifted a bit and a stream of questions came out all at once. "Where the hell is that bitch Laura? How come she could shoot me? Who changed my clothes? Where's Jamie?"

  Aaron snickered and looked at Elliott, thinking he was probably better suited to answer her questions. The leader was sitting in a chair a few feet away from her bed, but he got up so that Elliott could take his place to explain and walked to the foot of the bed.

  Scooting the chair close, Elliott began to explain. "Laura's IAC is off, but we think she's trailing Giovani, who was headed west last we heard. We haven't tried to force contact with her, not yet anyway. We're not sure why she was able to shoot you. Christian is investigating it right now. We had a nurse come in and change you, and Jamie's back at headquarters resting. Did I miss anything?"

  "That bitch," she spat, looking away from him. "I'm going to kill her. I'll find a way."

  "I don't blame you for feeling that way," Elliott said, glancing at Aaron who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

  Cadence sighed. "When can I leave?"

  "As soon as you want to, I guess," Elliott replied. "It's not like you need to be discharged. They'll have no record of you ever being here."

  "I still can't believe your powers," she remarked shaking her head.

  "Well, I will go out to the parking lot and see if I can locate the vehicle we asked Paxton and Smith to drop off earlier," Elliott said standing and pulling a set of keys out of his pocket. "And I will leave you two to make nice."

  "Elliott!"

  "He's worried about you!"

  Cadence didn't want to look at him. It was dangerous to look at him. He didn't move from the foot of the bed, and so the uncomfortable feeling lingered for several minutes. Finally, she said, "Thank you for coming over."

  "Of course," he replied.

  "I'm sorry you weren't there...when it happened," she added.

  "It's all right," he said walking over to the chair finally. "I may have tried to kill Laura myself."

  "Who knows, maybe you could have," she said, still confused about how Laura was able to shoot her.

  "I'll be able to force on her IAC and locate her that way. I just haven't gotten to it yet," he reminded her. She moved her hand slightly and the light glinted off the ring on her hand, catching his attention. "Is that the ring Jack gave you?" he asked.

  Cadence glanced down at the stunning opal. Looking at it made her think of Jack, the real Jack, despite having received it from the menacing version of her ex-boyfriend. Though she had been the one to destroy him, she was able to find some solace in the fact that it had been the result of an accident. She still didn't think she would have ever have been able to purposely aim a weapon at Jack and pull the trigger. Finally she said, "Yes, it is."

  "May I see it?" he asked.

  She slipped it off of her finger and handed it over. "Doesn't it seem odd that Giovani didn't seem to care at all that Jack was dying?"

  "No," Aaron replied, studying the ring. Looking inside of it, he could see an inscription.

  "Why not?" Cadence asked, confused. "He said Jack was his brother."

  "Giovani is as insane as they come," he replied. "He had no loyalty towards Jack. He was simply a stepping-stone to get to you."

  "To get to me?" she asked leaning forward, a little shocked. "Why?"

  "Because you killed Holland," he explained.

  "Oh," Cadence said resting her head back on the pillow. "I guess I never thought about it that way."

  "Look," Aaron said showing her the inside of the ring. "Can you read that?"

  Cadence took the ring and held it up, trying to get the light to hit it just right. "SG?" she asked. "Who's SG?"

  "Sylvia Grau," Aaron replied. "Our truck stop victim. Must have taken it from her."

  Cadence closed her eyes. "Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick." Opening her eyes she met his gaze and slowly shook her head.

  He nodded. "We need to make sure this gets to her parents," he remarked.

  "Can I take it to them?" she asked.

  "Sure," he nodded. "That's a good idea. It might help bring you some closure as well."

  She nodded in agreement, reflecting on Jack again for a moment before shaking her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She returned her attention to the present. Even though she knew Elliott had located the car by now, and she was wondering what she was going to wear out of the hospital, she couldn't help but bring up the topic she had been avoiding for days now. "Listen, Aaron, I think I'm going to go away for a while... go see the world, or whatever."

  "What?" he asked, a look of confusion on his handsome face.

  "I just... I need to figure out who I am, you know? I feel... lost. And, I think I could do more for the team if I went where the real danger is. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense..."

  "No, it does," he interrupted. "It makes perfect sense, actually. I just... I can't say I want to see you go."

  She wasn't sure how to respond to that. After careful consideration she said, "It will give us some time apart, too. You know, maybe we can figure out how that is... if it works for us. Or whatever."

  After a very long pause, he finally said, "If that's what you want, then you have my full support."

  "Thank you," she said quietly and against her better judgment, she reached for his hand where it lay resting on the side of her bed and gave it a quick squeeze before pulling away. "Now, do I have any clothes that don't have blood on them?"

  "No, we thought you could just wear your mangled dress out of here," he said with a sarcastic grin. "Yes, Hannah brought you some clothes a little while ago. She went back to headquarters when it was clear you weren't in any pain. Do you want me to see if I can get a nurse to help you change?"

  "Nah, I think I can manage," she replied.

  With a nod, he stood, pulled the overnight bag Hannah had packed out of the closet, put it near her on the bed, and walked out the door. "Let me know if you need anything," he said.

  "Okay," she replied. As she got dressed, she glanced at the clock and realized it was past midnight. "It's a new day," she said aloud. "A new beginning...."

  ***

  Leigh and Eric Grau lived in a nice two-story house in the outskirts of Omaha. The lawn was nicely manicured, despite the tragedy the family had just experienced, and from the ou
tside, it appeared as if the couple had made a nice middle-class life for themselves with not a care in the world.

  As Elliott and Cadence made their way to the front door, dressed in professional black suites, Cadence couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of sadness, not only for the poor girl who had died but for the reluctant monster who had claimed her life.

  Elliott rang the bell and waited. A few moments later, a middle-aged woman with bleach-blond hair came to the door. She immediately looked worried. "Yes, can I help you?" she asked with bated breath.

  "Mrs. Grau?" Elliott asked in as gentle a voice as he could. "I'm Detective Sanderson and this is my partner Detective Findley of the FBI." They both flashed their badges. "We have some information for you regarding your daughter, Sylvia. Would you mind if we came in?

  The distress in the woman's face seemed to double. "No, of course, come in," she stammered. "Eric!" she yelled as she led them into a nicely decorated living room. "Please have a seat and let me get my husband," she said, gesturing towards the couch. "Can I get you anything?"

  "No, thank you," Cadence answered for both of them, unbuttoning her jacket and sitting next to Elliott.

  Moments later, Eric Grau entered the room. A tall man with peppered brown hair, he looked just as upset as his wife. Offering his hand, he said, "Hello, I'm Eric Grau."

  Elliott reintroduced the "agents" as Mr. and Mrs. Grau took seats in chairs opposite them. "We won't take much of you time," he continued. "We have recovered a piece of your daughter's property, and we wanted to return it to you."

  As he spoke, Cadence pulled the ring out of her pocket. It was tucked safely inside a small plastic baggy. She handed it over to the father, whose mouth dropped open in disbelief.

  "It's her ring!" he exclaimed quietly, showing his wife. "Where did you.... How..." he stammered.

  Cadence explained. "We found the ring in the possession of a known criminal, one Jack Carol, who was involved in a shootout with our agents recently. Mr. Carol was killed in the shootout, and we found the ring on his person."

  The couple exchanged nervous glances. "Do you think this Jack Carol person is the one who... who took our Sylvie?" Mrs. Grau asked.

  "We believe so," Elliott replied. "Circumstantial evidence puts him in the vicinity of the restaurant Miss Grau was working at, at the time of her death. There is a very good possibility that Mr. Carol is the one who took your daughter's life."

  "This... this ring was my mother's," Mr. Grau explained. "I didn't think we'd ever see it again. I can't tell you how much this means to us. Thank you so much," he said extending his hand to Elliott and then Cadence.

  "It's our pleasure to do what little we can to comfort you in this time of overwhelming grief," Cadence added, standing as an implication that they would be leaving.

  "Oh, thank you so much," Leigh Grau said as she hugged Cadence tightly. Then she embraced Elliott as well. "God bless both of you," she added.

  As Elliott and Cadence headed back to the vehicle that would take them back to the airport and home, Cadence couldn't help but think that Aaron was right. She did feel like she had some more closure now that the ring was back where it belonged.

  "You did it, kid," Elliott said, patting her on the leg. "How do you feel?"

  "Better," she admitted.

  "Good," he replied putting his hand back on the steering wheel. "You still leaving?"

  "Yep," she answered quickly. "Just as soon as we get back to headquarters."

  "I thought you were leaving tomorrow," he said, a bit stunned.

  "That's what we told Aaron. But I just don't want to tell him goodbye," she said quietly.

  "Oh. What about everybody else?" he asked.

  "Well, I told Jamie and Christian goodbye this morning. And I caught Hannah yesterday afternoon. That's really it--there's no one else I need to say goodbye to."

  Elliott nodded. "Meaghan and Aurora already said their goodbyes, too, then?"

  "To everyone but you," she assured him.

  He shook his head. "I know you feel like you need to do this, but you sure the hell better not be gone too long, and I better hear from you everyday."

  "Hey, I'm claiming partial custody. I think I get you every other weekend and Wednesday nights," she joked.

  "Sounds like a plan to me," he snickered. "One thing is for sure, the place won't be the same without you, kid."

  "Thanks," she whispered, patting him on the arm and looking out the window, hoping to distract herself with the view of Omaha before she became emotional. Leaving wouldn't be easy, but it would be simpler than staying.

  ***

  Pulling into the parking lot outside of a bar in Tucson, Laura climbed out of the stolen black Buick Enclave she had taken from LIGHTS and made her way to where the sound of a local country band poured from the building. From the sounds of it, these particular artists needed a little more time in the garage. She plopped herself down on a barstool and waited until she had the attention of the stocky, balding man behind the counter.

  "What'll it be, miss?" he asked, his smile indicating that he was willing to give her more than a drink if she asked.

  "Whiskey, straight," she replied, slamming her folded arms down on the bar and sighing. It had been almost three weeks, and she was no closer to catching Giovani than she had been before this entire mess with LIGHTS. In fact, since she was frightened to turn her IAC back on for fear Aaron would hunt her down for shooting Cadence, she was relying on her human detective skills to try to find him. The last she had heard, he was headed to Tucson, but now that she was here, she had not been able to catch even a glimpse of him.

  The bartender brought her drink and she gulped it down, raising her glass to indicate she wanted another before she even fully swallowed. She was aware that someone was approaching her on her right but thought nothing of it as the barkeep collected her glass and went off to refill it.

  "Excuse me," a gruff voice said from the barstool next to her. "You Laura Comer?"

  Laura eyed the man suspiciously. "Who wants to know?" she asked. Even though she was in Tucson, she still felt his outfit was a bit peculiar. Clearly, this man still though it was the 1880s and he was, in fact, a cowboy.

  "Name's Sam," he replied, offering her his hand. "I think we have a few marks in common," he added.

  He had her attention. "You after Giovani?" she asked. taking her whisky from the bartender.

  "Yep," he nodded. Taking his hat off, running a hand through his thinning gray hair he added, "and Cadence Findley."

  She smiled. "Well, you add Aaron McReynolds to that list and I think we have the start of a beautiful relationship."

  Sam grinned. "If it were up to me, the entire LIGHTS team would be non-existent."

  Laughing, Laura said, "What's your poison, Sam? Let me buy you a drink."

  Finn and Camille made their way over, and Sam introduced them as well. "Wow, this is even better than I thought," Laura chuckled.

  "If the four of us work together, I think we can bring the LIGHTS team to it's knees," Sam said, ordering a round of drinks and raising his cowboy hat in the air.

  "Vengeance is mine," Laura mumbled taking another drink. "All mine."

  End Book 2

  Note from the Author

  I hope that you enjoyed Resurrection! Look for Book 3 in the Clandestine Saga, Repercussion to be out Fall, 2015. Also, I am excited to announce Cassidy Findley will be getting her own Young Adult series this summer, 2015.

  If you enjoyed this book, please leave a positive review on Amazon. Your feedback is always appreciated!

  Follow me on Twitter at @authoridjohnson, check out my blog at www.authoridjohnson.blogspot.com and follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IDJohnsonauthor

  About the Author

  ID Johnson wears many hats: mother, wife, teacher, editor, tutu maker, and writer, to name a few. Some of her favorite people are the two little girls who often implore that she "watch me!" in the middle of forming finely crafted sentences,
that guy who dozes off well before she closes her laptop, and those furry critters at the foot of the bed at night. If she could do anything in the world, she would live in Cinderella's castle and write love stories all day while sipping Dr. Pepper and eating calorie-less Hershey's kisses. For now, she'll stick to her Dallas-area home and the 500 smiling faces of the students she calls her "kids." She plans to write the next book in The Clandestine Saga and the first book in The Chronicles of Cassidy in 2015.