“Yeah. You can give me whatever contact information you have on the men. All of them.” Cole turned away from Westrich and pulled his phone from his pocket. Turning it on, he dialed Damon’s number.
“Pick up, Damon. C’mon, brother, pick up the phone.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Out of breath, Brandon sank into a shadowed doorway in an alley several blocks from where he’d started. The strip of businesses ran the entire length of the street, providing myriad places to hide between structures. He’d been on the run since the phone call, ducking into shady niches in hopes of throwing the agents off his trail. He hadn’t seen or heard any pursuers within the last ten minutes, a good sign.
At one end of the alley were more shadows and a stretch of asphalt that trucks used to make deliveries. It was the road he’d been using up until now, staying as far away from the main thoroughfares as possible.
But he needed a taxi, and the only way to hail one was to stand at the edge of the street and wait. That kind of exposure had led to his almost-capture when he’d been on the phone with Cole, and it was the kind of exposure he would have to risk if he wanted to get to the airport.
Damn the agents for taking his cell phone. The longer he played cat and mouse with the agents, the longer Cole faced Westrich alone. As confident as he was in his brother’s abilities, he couldn’t foresee what kind of trouble Cole might get into. Westrich might have too much security or a weapon Cole didn’t know about.
He needed to get on a plane as soon as possible for Pennsylvania.
Jogging to the end of the alley, he went straight to the edge of the curb and looked both ways. Traffic at this time of night was minimal, and with every flash of headlights, Brandon leaned into the street to look for telltale signs of a cab. On alert for company or trouble, he only had to wait another four minutes before he caught sight of a glowing sign atop a car: TAXI.
He whistled for attention and waved an arm. The taxi performed a U-turn right in the middle of the street and pulled to the curb. Brandon yanked open the door and, after a blatant look at the driver to assure himself the man wasn’t of Asian descent, sank into the backseat.
“LAX, as fast as you can take me there.”
“Here’s the way we’re going to do this. Sam pulled the car into the garage, so we’ll all get in while the garage door is closed, then drive down to the gate, which I want you to open beforehand, Madalina. I don’t want to have to stop, sit there, and fiddle with getting the gate open, all right?” Damon said.
“Okay. That sounds like a good idea to me. I discovered a control pad near the garage door, and I found a list of functions for it. One was access to the gate. I found an extra garage-door opener, so I’ll just take that with me so I can close the door after we’ve departed,” Madalina replied. She’d found a generic backpack in the master bedroom and had loaded all her belongings into it. She arched a strap over her shoulder and glanced between the brothers.
“Excellent. Everything’s locked up, just like you found it, right?” Damon asked.
“Yes. As far as I can tell. I checked all the doors and windows. We haven’t disturbed too much.” Madalina had made sure that the door to the secret room in the basement looked exactly as it had when they’d arrived. Once closed, the doorway blended into the wall as if it had never been.
“All right. We’re ready to roll then. Everyone stay—” Damon paused when his phone rang. “Yeah?” he said upon answering, gesturing to the connecting door to the garage, as if he wanted Sam and Madalina to get moving.
Madalina headed down the hall, giving the kitchen and dining areas a final glance. One day, she promised herself, she would be back to spend more time here.
“Are you kidding me?” Damon said, stopping in his tracks.
Madalina paused when Sam set a hand gently on her shoulder and turned to look back at Damon, who seemed more alert than before. Agitated.
“Holy hell. Wait, I’m going to put you on speaker.” Damon tilted his phone out and pressed a button.
Cole’s voice echoed into the hallway, words clipped and curt. “. . . so that explains why the men were so brutal at the market and killed three of our guys,” Cole was saying.
A surge of relief swept through Madalina. Cole sounded just like he always did. Despite being irritated and annoyed at him for leaving her behind, she was nevertheless thankful that he didn’t appear to be hurt. “Cole, it’s Madalina. What explains it? Sam and I missed the first part,” she said.
“Hey, babe,” Cole said, “Westrich hired the group of men to find the dragons, not to attack us. We think the leader of the group—maybe the group as a whole—have gone rogue. They’re acting on their own, with their own agenda. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Surprised, Madalina glanced at Sam’s and Damon’s faces, trying to get a bead on their mood. Their expressions had darkened, and Sam was even then glancing back toward the kitchen and dining areas, as if he expected trouble.
A shiver of unease raced down Madalina’s spine. “What does this mean?”
“It means you guys need to get out of there as soon as possible. Call Dad, Damon, and have him arrange a private flight out of Brazil. He’ll have to pull strings, use some leverage. But I’d rather have you all do that than get anywhere near the main airport. They’ll know that’s the only way to get home, and they’ll have someone watching,” Cole said.
“We were just about to walk out the door and go to the terminal,” Damon said.
“No. Sit tight. Westrich is printing me out information so I have something to send to Dad and Thaddeus. I’ll get back with you when we know more. And stay in touch with someone at all times, for God’s sake. Don’t let more than an hour go by without texting or calling someone. Check in; that way we’ll have a heads-up if they get their hands on you and you miss a check-in time,” Cole added.
“What should we do with the thing we came looking for?” Madalina asked. “Don’t we need to get that to the States as soon as possible?”
“Brandon escaped. He’s on his way here. At least that was his plan the last I heard. Did you find just one or all three?” Cole asked.
“Just one.” Madalina glanced at Damon. He’d taken possession of the dragon and had it tucked into his pocket for now. “I’m really glad to hear that Brandon’s free.”
“He’s a slinky sucker,” Damon said with a grim smile. “All right, we’ll hold here until we hear from you. Unless you think we should get on the road and away from the house, stay mobile. It’s probably only a matter of time before they track us down.”
“Better to defend the fortress than expose yourself and—” A sudden crack-pop of gunfire interrupted the conversation.
Madalina gasped and stepped closer to Damon’s phone, her entire body tense as three more shots sounded down the line.
Damon cursed while Sam shouted, “Cole! Cole!”
The line went dead.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
What was that? Damon, did Cole get shot? I thought he said Westrich wasn’t involved?” Madalina’s questions tumbled one over the other. She couldn’t wrap her mind around what she’d just heard. Cole hadn’t sounded as if he’d been under duress during the conversation—and then gunfire. Had Westrich waited until Cole turned his back to fire on him? Was he lying dead in that bastard’s house? She felt sick. Sick and dizzy and more afraid than she’d ever been. The crack-pop echoed through her thoughts, over and over and over again. Those were real bullets, meant to end lives.
“I don’t know, Madalina. I don’t know,” Damon said. “I tried to call back. No answer.”
“Someone had to have been shooting at him,” Sam added, his voice tight with concern. “Because if Cole had been doing the shooting, he would have come back on the line. He would have said something to reassure us if he could.”
The news did not make Madalina feel any better. Wringin
g her hands she glanced from one brother to the other. Both men wore strained expressions. They paced, agitated. Samuel retreated to the kitchen to survey the backyard beyond the windows. He returned shortly.
“What can we do to help Cole?” Madalina asked.
“The only thing we can do from half a world away.” Damon dialed a new number. “Dad, it’s me. We were on a call with Cole when shots rang out and the line went dead . . . Yes . . . No, he didn’t come back on the line and we can’t raise him on the phone. I don’t have Westrich’s address to call the local police. You need to . . . Yes, I’ll hold.” Damon walked in a circle as he talked, a muscle flexing in his jaw.
Madalina paced behind Damon while Sam went to check the grounds from the front windows this time. He had a gun in hand, aimed at the floor. Just that fast, what had appeared to be a lucky break—finding the dragon—had turned into a nightmare. Cole had been shot at, maybe hit, and no one was there to help. The idea that Cole might be gone, really gone, forced Madalina to turn her thoughts toward the positive and away from the negative. She refused to think the worst; instead, she comforted herself with what she did know: Cole was quick and experienced and more than likely got out of harm’s way in time. Absolutely. He wouldn’t go down without a fight. He’d give Westrich—who must be a traitor after all—a run for his money.
She listened to Damon explain the rest of the situation in curt terms to his father and was waiting right at his elbow when he finished the call. “What did your dad say? Can he get there quickly?”
Damon glanced down his shoulder, met her eyes. “He’s contacting local authorities. Our closest agents are in DC, but that’s too far away. We need someone there now.”
Madalina chewed the inside of her lip. She found it almost impossible to keep the fear at bay. All the wishful thinking in the world couldn’t change the fact that someone had shot a gun in Cole’s vicinity. “What Cole’s safety really depends on is whether or not he saw the shots coming. Right? I mean, if Westrich waited until his back was turned . . .”
“Yeah. It sounded a lot like Cole believed Westrich was innocent, so either Westrich is a really good actor, or someone on the inside has been bought off. An employee maybe,” Damon said.
“An employee? Oh. I didn’t think of that.” Madalina was again reminded of how many variables there could potentially be in cases like this. It wasn’t always black-and-white, cut-and-dried. People were motivated by different things, for different reasons, and it very well made sense that an employee had been compromised.
“Cole will call back if he’s all right. If he’s able to,” Damon assured her. “Dad’s arranging a private plane, so we’ll be on our way as soon as he calls back with the information.”
“All right.” Madalina split off from Damon to let him check the doors and windows in the back while Sam guarded the front. Everyone seemed to need to keep busy, to occupy their mind with something other than the deadly imagery Cole’s call had invoked. She ascended to the second floor to get a higher perspective of the property, determined to distract herself until a call came in. Otherwise she might go a little crazy wondering if the love of her life was alive or dead.
It felt good to be proactive, instead of reactive. Madalina took charge of the upstairs, as on guard for trouble as the men below. She cycled through the rooms, peering out windows, staring at the long drive. Each minute that went by seemed longer than the last, so that when she happened upon a mantel clock, she discovered that only ten minutes had passed. Ten minutes.
She promised herself that she wouldn’t look at a clock for the duration. It wasn’t worth the stress.
At a guest-bedroom window, she stood square in the sunlight, letting the soothing rays of heat leech away some of her internal panic. It was there, lurking below her fierce determination to believe that Cole was all right. She supposed most people would feel like she did, battling against choking fear and the inevitable what-ifs.
She refused to consider even one more what-if.
“You all right?” Sam asked quietly from the doorway.
Madalina twitched in surprise and glanced across the room. “Sorry; you startled me. I was trying to find a Zen moment in the sun.”
Sam nodded his head as if he understood perfectly. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, but I just wanted to let you know that I’ve seen Cole come out of some impossible scrapes, mostly unharmed.”
“I’ve seen him come out of the same. I can’t help but worry, especially if it was a setup or an ambush. I’m not as undone as I would have been eight weeks ago, though, so I think I’ve made progress.” She tilted her shoulder against the wall, basking in the stream of sunlight as Sam made his way deeper into the room. There was something unassuming about Sam, yet the more she observed him move and react, the more she decided she’d initially underestimated him. He might be quiet and he might not have quite the breadth and height as his brothers, but she sensed an underlying ability that made him more dangerous than he first seemed.
“It takes time to get used to this lifestyle. I think a lot of women wouldn’t want anything to do with it, so the fact that you’re still here says something by itself,” he said, nearing the adjacent window. Sam peered out, scanning the yard and the drive.
“Cole hasn’t minded the trouble that has come with the dragons. I suppose it’s a give-and-take,” she replied.
“He thrives on this, trust me. He always has. Cole likes nothing more than to be high on adrenaline and to immerse himself in as many mysteries as possible. It’s a perfect fit.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I know Cole mentioned that he hasn’t really gotten involved in serious relationships, so I was a bit surprised when he didn’t hesitate to stick around.” Madalina paused, then said, “Can I ask you a question, Samuel?”
He glanced over, met her gaze. The streaming sunlight cut across his face, washing out the blue in his eyes and briefly turning the iris white. “Sure.”
“I know you said that Cole lives for this, but when it starts costing lives, will he feel the same? Do you think he’ll resent the way this all played out? My grandfather, bless his soul, has taken us on what amounts to a wild-goose chase for these dragons, and three people have died in an effort to protect us.” Madalina studied Sam’s features, looking for clues to his thoughts. He shook his head right away, apparently not having to think too hard about the answer.
“No, no. See, we all know what we’re getting into when we sign up for this. No one is twisting our arm to be here, including the security members who died. It’s unfortunate and we’re all torn up over that, but this is a part of what we do. Cole isn’t the type of man to point fingers and lay blame. He’s the type to search for answers and find a solution. I think what your grandfather did is amazing. How many people can say their parent or grandparent sent them on a mission of self-discovery after they passed away? Not many.” Sam switched his attention to the window again, staring down at the yard.
Madalina continued to regard Sam with interest. Focusing on this conversation helped take her mind off of other things. “I feel a little guilty,” she admitted.
“Don’t. You couldn’t help it, and neither could your grandfather. I’m sure if he had any idea what might happen, he would have warned you. Maybe gone about giving you the dragons a lot differently,” Sam said.
Madalina considered his reply. “I’m sure you’re right. What I’m worried about now, besides the obvious, is . . . what if he hid the other two dragons, too, and this isn’t the end? The bottom of that box had room for two more, the two that would complete the original set of nineteen. I guess I’m worried I’ll find another note somewhere, that this isn’t the end of my grandfather’s involvement with the artifacts.” Which meant it wouldn’t be the end for her and Cole, either.
“I don’t have any insight to share about that. I think the only one who knows is your grandfather. At least for now. I’d treat it as
these two dragons are the ones you’ll have to deal with, and if you find out about more, then you can see where it leads.” Sam pushed away from the window, but he didn’t leave the room. He glanced at the door to the hallway, eyes narrowed.
Madalina stiffened when she realized that he heard something. A faint rustle, almost too quiet to notice.
Damon rounded the corner into the room and Madalina breathed easier. It was just Damon, not some skulking attacker.
“Just wanted to come let you know that Dad’s got a plane arranged. We’ll fly out of a private airstrip about twenty-five minutes from here. You both ready to depart?” Damon asked. His expression was as serious as it had been earlier, during the phone call with Cole.
“I’m ready,” Madalina said with a glance to Sam, who nodded his head in easy agreement.
“Good. Come on.” Damon pivoted on a heel and marched out of the room.
Madalina fell into step behind Damon, and Samuel brought up the rear.
Now all they had to do was get to the airstrip without running into Westrich’s men.
Sometimes fortune favored the observant. Cole never liked turning his back on open doors or other obvious, easy points of entry.
Today that extra layer of paranoia had saved his life. Or at least saved him a bullet in the spine. A blur of motion near the doorway had alerted him to trouble while he’d been on the phone with Damon, and his instincts sent him straight to the floor. The cavernous chamber echoed with shots as bullets flew above his head, chopping through the air with a deadly buzz. He extended his arms and thumbed off the safety to his gun, firing two rounds toward the shooter. Rolling to his right, he ended up behind a chair and pulled himself into a crouch. Two more gunshots boomed through the chamber.
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