My stomach dropped. “Is the teacher…”
Mikael wrapped me in a comforting hug. He sagged against me as tears spilled down his cheeks. “She’s gone — those bastards. They hurt the children. Yana was a good girl. Smart. Kind. They hurt her.”
“Shh.”
“Don’t tell me it’s going to be okay. It’s not.”
I stilled and pulled back enough to see his face. “Have the visions changed?”
“It’s constant, Milaya. My head feels like it’s about to explode from the death and sorrow.”
“Mikael, what have you seen? I’ll take care of your headaches, but I need you to focus while you’re still conscious.”
He averted his gaze. When he spoke, it was barely audible. “Tangentials. Private moments. Death. But nothing makes sense except how this will end. You’re surrounded by light. So much death.” Mikael shook his head. “And you?”
“Did you hear,” I whispered, “they found closed-circuit television footage of the compound’s entrances and exits. Ooh, I wish I could be there when they find Joshua with a bullet in his head.”
“What are you talking about?” He stared at me, horrified, as he took in the blood on my arms and face. “What happened to you?”
“Shh! You’re going to scare folks. If it makes you feel any better, not all of it is mine. That traitor bastard got what was coming to him.”
“You killed Joshua?” Mikael shuddered. “I think I saw that in a vision earlier. It was just a flicker. But I saw Jordy with you.”
“He showed up at the end. When I told him,” I paused and took a deep breath. “About the attack and the dirty shots, he asked to do the honors. I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Grab a seat and rest your head on a desk. You need your rest and nature calls. Gotta go.”
Mikael’s hand tightened around mine for a moment. His face scrunched up as he held back tears. Exhaling, he let go and directed me to the women’s restroom. “Clean up while you’re there. You’re mildly terrifying when you wake up. This is much, much worse.”
I snorted and flipped him off as I walked away.
✽ ✽ ✽
Inside, the space was surprisingly large for a single stall room. There was enough room for at least four other toilets and a couple of sinks — no matter. I had to clean up and rejoin the action. I’d be damned if someone was going to sideline me.
“Holy shit snacks,” I said to my reflection. “You’re straight out of a horror movie.”
I stripped off my new clothes and tossed them onto the changing table. My entire body was covered with smears of blood. It was a miracle Jordan hadn’t tried to murder a small village. I leaned toward the mirror to take in the worst of the damage. There were a few cuts and bruises on the inside of my mouth that were going to hurt when healing. The blue and purple lumps on the right side of my face wouldn’t be much of a picnic either. I frowned and turned my head to survey the rest of the damage. My head felt tender, which shouldn’t have been a surprise given everything that transpired. I’d have been shocked if I didn’t have a major concussion. It was only a matter of time before I looked like I’d just auditioned for the Blue Man Group. There was no helping the imminent swelling and bruising, but I harbored hope that I’d look less ghastly. The children had been traumatized enough.
The process was slow. I swiped two handfuls of paper towels and dunked them under the sink’s faucet. I pressed one to my cheek and massaged in slow circles as I did with my morning face wash. Instead of removing the blood, I only made the smear worse.
There was no way I’d have maintained my small grip on reality if I had to walk around in Joshua’s blood. Images of him on top of me, his cold eyes as he beat me, and the gleeful lust that had overcome him as he described his plans for me hit me with the force of a Mack truck. I ran to the toilet and heaved. My wet hands left bloody imprints as I held onto the porcelain throne.
More blood. Dead guy’s blood. I hadn’t pulled the trigger, but I’d broken him and signed off on his death. My stomach rolled. Everything I’d eaten expelled itself. I slumped against the wall, shivering and exhausted.
The intruders had attacked me and mine. That alone signed their death warrants. Putting them out of play in the cosmic balance was a bonus. It was time for them to pay for their transgressions against the Order and my family.
Suddenly, I didn’t need Mikael to see the future. No matter how hard I fought, they had something that would destroy me. Someone I loved was going to die at their hands. I was going to kill everyone.
CHAPTER TWENTY
IFOUND MIKAEL PACING NEXT to the restroom door. The mother hen instinct in this one was strong. He smiled with relief as he took in my appearance.
“I was worried. There was so much blood.”
“Like I said, most of it wasn’t mine.” I sighed. “Joshua was thorough. My body is covered in bruises. I’m dreading tomorrow.”
Mikael cursed and prayed that Joshua would suffer a thousand excruciating deaths. He wished that he’d been the one to kill the traitor and briefly considered emptying a magazine in his dead body for fun. He was tired of the endless cycle of death and war.
I took a step back and saw that Mikael was strapped to the gills. He had nearly as many weapons as Jordy, and all looked wicked. “You can’t leave,” I blurted. “You’ll get hurt, and I don’t want you to die.”
“I’m not useless, Jasper. I’ve gone on missions and survived. We can’t leave too many qualified people behind.”
“We need trained folks to stay. What if they return?”
Mikael crossed his arms and glowered. “That’s already been handled. I’m going whether you like it or not. Try not to kill me.”
I stared in disbelief as Mikael stormed away. The darkness that had always lay beneath the surface had taken over. Those monsters had attacked his home, hurt me, and killed children — the holy trinity of offenses.
For a moment, I almost pitied Joshua’s friends. Jordy’s team had a reputation for being more skilled and lethal than secret factions of the armed forces. With Mikael, Dakarai, and me bringing our enhanced abilities and rage, these monsters had no chance of survival. Not in the face of a team who’d made annihilation their sole purpose.
Dakarai. Crap. I hadn’t spoken with him yet and had no idea if he had been injured. I pushed through the crowd of adults who were moving toward the area designated for the security team.
“Excuse me, pardon me, coming through,” I called as I wiggled through the press of bodies. “Sorry! I’m needed at the table!”
It was as if I didn’t exist. No one responded to my requests and ignored my shoves and elbows. Had I turned into a ghost or some other entity? Were my friends the only ones who’d see me? Could ghosts kill?
I gave up after a large man refused to move out of my way. I might have been amused any other day. But at that moment, I was livid. The only way down was crappy, but I was out of options. I pushed my way to the periphery and exhaled as I dropped to my hands and knees and crawled under the row of workstations.
It was disgusting. Danny should have been ashamed at the grime that had made the brown carpet flat and slick. I resigned myself to the fact that I’d have to bleach my hands if I expected to avoid whatever plague had sprouted on the petri dish masquerading as a carpet when I fell off the end of the platform and onto the next workstation.
My shoulder exploded with a million sharp needles of pain. I refused to cry out and gritted my teeth until the worst of it passed. Then I rolled back onto my hands and knees. If anyone in the crowd noticed, they’d decided to ignore this as well. My fingers dug into the carpet and found nothing but the same shiny layer of germs.
“Jasper!” Jordy’s voice carried across the entire command center. “Has anyone seen Jasper? She’s um, short with black hair. Probably looks banged up?”
I froze as the heat of a hundred eyes turned on me in all my glory. I’d nearly made it across this workstation, but my butt was still up in the air and visible o
n one side and my embarrassed face poked out of the other.
“Hi,” I said weakly.
“If you see her, make sure she gets down here.”
I dropped my head, positive that my embarrassment couldn’t have gotten worse. But I’d forgotten that there were children still hanging out in the command center. Children were evil little jerks who ratted me out.
“She’s under the table,” a little boy wearing a pair of overalls with a train embroidered on the pocket called out. “Mommy said we can’t crawl under the tables. She’s gonna be in trouble.”
Jordy replied with exaggerated patience and a smile in his voice. “That’s right, buddy. There’s no crawling under the table. Think you can be my assistant?”
The boy jumped up and down and whooped the way only a six-year-old could manage. He shouted that he was the scary man’s assistant because he was a big boy and so cool.
Even I had to laugh at his exuberance as he pulled my hand and “helped” me get to my feet. Once he was convinced I was steady and hadn’t gotten get any new owies, he dragged me through the crowd of highly amused adults with the air of a seasoned medic.
“Out of the way! We’re gonna see Scary Jordy! He wants to see his friend. It’s my job! Move please!”
The child, who introduced himself as Matthew, parted the sea of adults with impressive authority. By the time we arrived at the table, not even Jordy could keep a straight face.
“Mr. Jordy, I did it! I brought Ms. Jasper down here to you. Are you gonna yell at her now?”
Jordy knelt in front of the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. “You did a great job, Matthew. I couldn’t have found Jasper without you. When all this craziness is over, I’m taking you out for ice cream.”
Matthew’s face lit up with hero worship. “Yes, Mr. Jordy. Can I still help? Now?”
“Definitely. It’s a big job,” he warned. “Do you think you’re ready for it?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Good. I want you to stay with the kids. They can go to the bathroom or see their parents, but this area is off limits. If you see someone, tell them very nicely that we’re having a meeting.”
“I can do that. Thank you, Mr. Jordy.” Matthew took a deep breath and threw himself into Jordy’s arms. He hugged him tightly and promised to do a good job.
Stunned and red-faced, Jordy hugged him back. He stood and picked up Matthew. “Everyone see this guy? He’s super cool, and he’s my helper. He’s going to stay here and watch over things for me.”
He gave the boy a smacking kiss on the cheek and sent him on his way before turning back to his assembled team. His body shook with the effort of trying not to laugh.
“Right, now that we’ve secured this place thanks to my buddy over there, let’s go over what we know. Has anyone been able to check the security footage?”
The answer came in the form of a heart-rending yowl. “She’s gone! They took Cecilia and her third-graders. They’re all gone.”
✽ ✽ ✽
The war room, er, table, fell silent as Danny sobbed and ranted. He’d been reviewing the security footage when he came across the single camera feed that pointed to the playground across the street.
Cecilia had been substitute-teaching for the third graders for the week, something she often did. Since it was a beautiful day, she’d taken them to the playground for some fresh air. The video zoomed in and caught Cecilia laughing breathlessly as she chased her students in a game of freeze tag.
Two black vans screeched to a halt in front of the park’s only entrance. Men wearing black fatigues, hats, and masks that hid their lower faces descended upon the playground. Cecilia gathered the children behind her and tried to reason with the disguised men, her hands gesturing wildly. She pressed the children into a corner and threw out her hands to protect them. As she tapped into her abilities and gathered the blinding energy in her hands, a small bullet struck the side of her neck. She dropped to the floor unconscious.
The children sobbed as their teacher was picked up and thrown over a man’s shoulder. One brave boy kicked and punched Cecilia’s captor until the man cuffed the side of his head and knocked him out. At his gesture, the rest of the men shot the youngsters and hauled them away.
The entire assault and kidnapping took three minutes. Twelve children and one adult disappeared this morning, and no one was the wiser. Breaking in and messing with our security feeds had been a diversionary tactic. My gut told me that they knew exactly who to grab and had access to the logs each teacher updated in between classes. The innocents had been selected and claimed.
Danny’s bloodshot eyes landed on me. “You. This is your fault. You’re the reason everything has gone wrong.” He threw himself across the table and grabbed the front of my shirt with one hand and my shoulder holster with the other. His strength, fueled with grief and rage, startled me. He surprised everyone.
Danny used his leverage to slam my face into the table. Stars exploded behind my eyelids as my brain rattled around in my skull. The pain was unbearable, worse than the hundreds of other times my head had been used to dimple a surface. It robbed me of air as efficiently as a well-aimed punch.
I flailed and smacked his arms, tried to poke his eyes out, and considered breaking his nose. He was too strong, and I was too dazed to do more than anger him. When my face hit the table, I lay there, unable to move or speak. Blood spewed from my nose and bile, or whatever was left in my stomach oozed out of my mouth.
Around me, the men recovered from their shock and tackled Danny. It took the efforts of two men to pry his hands off of me and another two to restrain him. My one good eye opened enough to grant me access to the shit show.
The madness had taken over Danny’s soul. He’d do anything to save Cecilia, including killing me or delivering me alive to whoever was behind the attack. He thrashed against the restraints and kicked or head-butted anyone who came too close.
Dakarai grunted and stepped back, his hand clapped over his jaw. His stunned expression was akin to that of a child whose hand had just been swatted for the first time. It screamed hurt and betrayal. He staggered to a nearby seat and watched his sometimes-friend battle for his freedom.
Danny and I locked eyes as I pushed myself off the table and wiped the drool from my face with clumsy hands. His eyes bulged, and he redoubled his efforts to get to me, every muscle straining, and his neck nothing more than a band of tight, corded muscles slick with sweat. Danny grimaced and howled as he yanked one hand free of the restraints.
He’d broken his thumb to slip his hand free.
The scene devolved further as the children ran around, unsure if more fun would be had seeing the fight up close or shouting support and jeers. Of the healthy adults who’d gathered nearby, a handful let out their own cries of defiance. The woman whose daughter, Yana, had been killed climbed onto a wobbly table. Her eyes were wild with grief as she lifted an unsteady arm and pointed at me.
“Jasper is the problem,” she roared to her companions in desperation. It was my fault the compound had been raided and the deaths that occurred today could have been prevented. The only chance of saving the children was to hand me over.
Oh crap.
“Enough!” Jordy whistled sharply. “This is over! Mikael, bring the injured to me. The rest of you, back up or I will personally end you.” He threw his hands in the air. “What the hell is wrong with you? We’ve lost loved ones, and it hurts. It’s awful, and there’s nothing I can do to make it better. Killing Jasper won’t either. This is over.”
Mikael scooped me up and carried me toward the makeshift trauma center. “Hey. How’s the head?”
“Been better.”
He froze and nearly dropped me.
“What? Why are you staring at me?”
Shaken, he lowered me onto the cot nearest Jordy and grabbed him. “Her speech. She responds, but it is incoherent.”
Jordy pinched the bridge of his nose, took a deep breath, and bellowed. “Silence!”
Not even the children dared disobey. They returned to their corner of our world and awaited further instructions. Matthew regained his composure and whispered that Mr. Jordy was going to get really scary and yell at them if they didn’t shush.
The adults stopped abruptly.
“This is over. Rubios,” Jordy said to a stocky man with battle scars visible on his neck and arms, “move the evacuees to the dining hall. The injured can go to the nearest sterile room. The little guys, like my buddy Matthew? Have someone cord off a space for them to nap or play quietly. See if someone can’t get games for them.”
“On it.”
Jordy’s face appeared above me. “Jasper, can you hear me? I want you to pull my finger for yes.”
I tried to scowl at the silly joke, but I was too tired. “Coffee? Soda?”
“Say that again. You’re angry? I know that, sweetheart. We’ll deal with that later. I don’t have a sofa for you.”
“No,” I said, taking care to enunciate slowly. “I’m tired. Gimme caffeine.”
Dakarai reappeared with a cold bottle of water, a straw and a handful of pills. “One day you must teach me how to start a riot.”
“Ha, ha. Caffeine.”
“I’m sorry. No one will give you anything until you’ve been examined by the medical staff.”
Jordy’s leg jiggled. “It’s a concussion. She’ll be sore, but nothing has been damaged.”
“Only my pride.”
They both let out surprised laughs.
Mikael showed up with a pissed off nurse in tow. She was one of the angry ones and told us that she’d fix me up enough to make it through the hostage exchange.
There wasn’t a spot on my body that didn’t hurt. I was tired of the pain and the guilt heaped on me. They were right. Those twelve innocent kids and poor Cecilia were in danger as long as I remained here. Exchange was the only solution.
“You’ll fix her up to the best of your capabilities or —”
I groaned and forced myself into a sitting position. “Stop. She’s right. Just need to look okay enough to get through this. Unless there’s a superhero power that lets me heal myself, let her work. Don’t argue. Not your choice.”
Order of Vespers Page 20