by Tl Reeve
“I know where she is,” Danielle whispered after gathering herself. “I can take you there.”
* * * *
Finally, Keeley was alone, after several hours of listening to Simon and Hazel have sex next to her. They obviously couldn’t wait once they got her thrown into the basement of the abandoned home out in the middle in the desert hidden within hills near the state line. The noxious scent of mold and rot overwhelmed her.
Already, her eyes were itchy and swollen, which could be attributed to being used as a punching bag when Simon realized he'd lost his ring somewhere along the trail. She hoped Kalkin or one of his men found it. As she sat there, tied to the chair, she had a minute to think about everything. Her life. Danielle's. What they hoped to accomplish, what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives, and she understood why neither of them had any type of plan.
Keeley didn’t make any goals. She took life as it came to her. She never knew when another threat would appear on her path. Danielle had been the same way. Their parents weren’t the best at dealing with their children’s quirks. Nor did they ever try to. She and Danielle were left to do everything on their own and until now, they had. Which brought her to a second quandary, this house. She wondered if she had reached out for help before now, real help, genuine help, would she have gotten it?
Police was a no go. However, there were groups who'd dedicated their lives to fight for those with abilities. Yet, instead of going to them, she and her sister ran. They didn't stop ‘til she fell in love and she understood she didn't need to keep running. She figured out running made her tired and afraid. It made her paranoid and alone.
She caused it for her and Danielle. Even though they were successful in their trade professions, they didn’t have a strong list of clientele. They didn’t have a home base. They led their lives out of a go-bag. She promised herself when she got out, and she would, everything in her life would change. In town, she noticed a few of the buildings surrounding the abandoned community center were available. She needed to put her security services to the test. Cyber, home, accounting, it didn’t matter. She would prove she could do it.
Danielle needed to keep going with the veterinary clinic. Since they'd been in Window Rock, her sister had done more to help than to hinder.
The positive energy built within Keeley. Even when Simon played with his demented toy, she thought of her future. Of going home. Of being with her mate. Of doing something productive with herself. She thought of all the people who’d touched her life since moving to Window Rock and how much their friendships meant to her.
No one would take her down. Not even a dilapidated, puke-inducing house. Since being left in the basement, she hadn’t heard a peep from the pieces of shit who’d kidnapped her. She had a chance now. She had to take it. She had to try. She tentatively opened the connection between her and Danielle. Their bond was tighter, and she could talk to her longer than she could Kalkin.
Keeley closed her eyes and followed the charged line of white light to her sister. In all of the darkness surrounding her, Danielle was her beacon. Her lifeline. She nudged the line. Dani? She waited for a beat. Dani, are you there?
Keeley! The snap of energy as her sister grabbed ahold of her, pouring healing energy into her, had her breath hitching.
Easy. No one knows I’m talking to you. Can’t get caught.
Sorry. We’re coming for you. I saw where you are. The hint of excitement in her sister’s voice did more for her than anything. Royce found Simon’s ring on the trail.
Bingo.
Kalkin?
Here. We’re together. It’s a mess. Simon blew up the hotel. People died.
Shit. Innocents meant nothing to the bastard. He had his eye on the prize and the prize was her. She grimaced. I’m sorry.
You didn’t do it. Kal wants to know if you can see where you are exactly, anything he can use for cover.
She laughed softly. In a basement. No windows. I can smell rot and mold. It’s a broken-down house. I’m not sure where we are other than he’s using the cliffs to hide us.
Dani didn’t answer her, so she figured her sister was relaying the information to Kalkin. I have to go, Dani. Can’t be caught.
Right. Sorry. Stupid of me to waste our time. Hang tight, we’ll be there soon.
Keeley slowly backed out of her connection to her sister just as she heard footsteps above her and dust drifted down onto her head. Stupid. She kept the connection open too long. Yet, instead of the door in front of her opening, nothing. Her heart hammered. Her gut tightened. She couldn’t let her guard down with Simon or his bitch whore, Hazel.
The next time the door opened, she would act. She would not play the simpering victim. If she could destroy their lab, surely she could bring down this shitty old house. With a tentative plan constructed, she tugged at her bindings while trying to get comfortable. No matter what came next, she had to be ready, and to do so, she'd need to be fully rested.
* * * *
How many times had Kalkin seen Keeley get that faraway look in her eyes and then she’d snap back to herself? Now, as he watched Danielle and Keeley talk to each other, he understood. For him, it had been second nature. Wolves like he and his brothers were born with the ability to communicate with each other and as an Alpha, it amplified his connection to the whole pack.
However, these threads Keeley and Danielle created were strings of unbreakable bonds. They sizzled when they snapped in place and the minute he heard Keeley scream, a jolt of electricity accompanied the sound. It had been amazing and yet quite terrifying as well.
“What did she say?”
Danielle glanced up at him. “She’s ready. She’s pissed and hurt. Badly. It seems Simon knows he lost his ring.” She frowned, growing agitated. “Most of her injuries are to her face.”
Kalkin growled. “The motherfucker is dead. I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“What happened to ‘rage won’t settle anything’?” Jace quirked a brow.
“All bets were off the minute he touched my mate,” he snarled.
Since they started working, several tips had come in. He’d taken Dani and Jace with him to the hotel. He couldn’t not be there. He had to check in with his deputies and get a report from the fire chief. As it stood, the arson investigators were already inside the rubble where they could figure out what happened.
Ten people were in the hospital. Three were critical. Two were in the burn unit or en route to a trauma burn center. Three were dead and two more were in fair condition. He supposed they should be grateful no more were hurt, especially with Simon’s room being in the middle of the second floor.
“Blackhorn is here,” Royce announced, pointing to the pickup pulling into the parking lot.
“Great,” Kalkin answered. “Whatever information he can give us will help greatly.” As the man got out of his truck, Kalkin’s phone rang. He slipped it from his shirt pocket and hit answer, without looking at the number or name. “Raferty.”
“Hello, sheriff.” Oh. He. Had. Balls. Kalkin would never forget the weaselly bastard’s voice.
“Where is Keeley?” He grit his teeth to keep what he’d wanted to say at bay. In all reality, he wanted to wring the fucker’s neck and watch the life drain from his beady eyes. He wanted to be the last thing Simon saw. Wanted Simon to know he’d failed.
“Safe,” the man drawled. “I have a proposition for you.”
He snorted. "Proposition? Well, I have one for you, too…”
Simon laughed. “You’re so easy. I know which button to push, over…and over…and over.”
Kalkin rolled his shoulders, holding onto the last shreds of his humanity. With a general direction and a description of the house, they could go out there now and take the fucker down; however, doing anything without facts and some kind of surveillance would put Keeley in more danger. “Get to the point. I don’t have all day. I’m cleaning up a mess some dumb son of a bitch left at the hotel.”
“Oh, what a sh
ame. Anyone hurt?”
The lie fell from Kalkin without hesitation. "Nope. A couple of busted pipes, some façade damage, nothing major. Good thing, too. Kids and stuff."
"I want Danielle," Simon snarled. The easy-going player disappeared in an instant. “I will give you Keeley if you leave her sister at a designated drop point.”
“If I don’t?”
“Then I will kill both of them,” Simon said. “It’s simple, Danielle is mine. She’s the sister I need to complete the process. Keeley means nothing to me.”
"Then why take her to begin with?" Nine chances out of ten, Kalkin knew the answer to his question, but he wanted to hear it from Simon.
“The stupid bitch wouldn’t leave the house alone. She has a man—your twin, I would assume—living with her and another male comes to the house as well. I couldn’t get her alone.”
Kalkin glanced at Danielle who stared at him intently. He hoped to hell she understood what he planned on doing and wouldn’t cut and run. “Well, damn your luck. Where do you want to meet? I’ve got Keeley’s sister right here. She isn’t worth anything to us. My brother won’t mate her and if you’re speaking the truth, she’s already pregnant. We don’t need another unwanted baby around here.”
A wave of fear flowed from Danielle. He hated speaking about her like he did, but he had to keep Simon talking. He had to make sure they all got out of this alive. He placed his hand over Dani’s and squeezed, trying to reassure her.
“She is, and I want it.”
Simon rambled off a location, giving Kalkin latitude/longitude, time and degree coordinates, then hung up. They had to be there at sunset, which would give them a few more hours to plan and hopefully get a drone in the air to survey the house Dani saw in her vision.
“Looks like I showed up just in time,” Blackhorn said. “I got a little help after you told me about the location. This sweet thing can help us out.”
Kalkin and Danielle followed the man back to the truck. “It’s government issued, silent, deadly and exactly what we need to do a little recon. Want to take it out for its maiden voyage?” He pulled back a black tarp to uncover a sixteen-by-twenty industrial case.
Hell yes, he did. “How long will it take to get up in the air?”
“Three minutes from start to air.”
“Perfect.” He looked to Danielle. Everything told him he should make her stay home. She’d done more than he’d expected from her, yet he also couldn’t deny her the ability to help out either. “What do you say, Dani? You ready to go get your sister?”
She lifted her chin, and the slightly off balance look in her eyes vanished. “Damn right I am.”
He nodded. “Good. It’s time to end this bullshit, once and for all.”
Chapter Twenty
Blackhorn drove while he and Danielle were passengers. Kalkin gazed out the passenger window. The open expanse of nothing seemed so daunting. What would have once given him comfort soured his stomach.
Reports from the hotel scene were still coming in. Two more victims were found. Both were alive but would be amputees. These were their guests for the festival, and now, they would spend the rest of their lives remembering the awful moment when one deranged man stole part of their life from them.
Kalkin would kill him. No if ands or buts about it. He'd do it for Keeley. For his family and for the citizens of his county. Simon needed to be put down like the worthless dog he was. He shifted in his seat and caught a glimpse of Danielle. She'd been amazing. Even after her episode that morning, she still had the strength to carry on. He worried about her. Worried what the stress would do to her fragile state. Worried about his brother and what the asshole would do for her. Could they even fix themselves? If they couldn't, what then?
Stay focused.
The truck hit a rut in the road, and they bounced. Blackhorn’s mumbled apology rolled off of Kalkin; nothing he could do about it. This section of the desert hadn’t been traversed by a vehicle in years, if ever. Which made him worry about extraction if something horrible happened. He grabbed his radio and keyed up Loraine. “Do me a favor,” he told her, “make sure there is a helicopter on standby, just in case.”
“Are you thinking you’ll need one?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Kalkin answered truthfully. “Maybe. I want all my ducks in a row for this.”
“Whatever you need,” Loraine replied. “I’ll make sure it’s there. What about EMS?”
“Same. This isn’t easy traveling, so we might have to have them waiting at the mouth of this road. You have the coordinates. Make sure everyone converges there.”
“On it,” she answered. “Good luck, Kalkin. Bring Keeley home to us.”
He placed the radio on the seat between him and Blackhorn. “You sure this drone will work?”
The agent nodded. “I have something to tell you. I didn’t want the others to hear.”
Kalkin’s stomach knotted. “Hit me.”
Blackhorn laughed. “It’s not a bad thing, I promise. When the government made this particular drone, they added psychic dampeners to it. It allows the user to get into situations without being noticed. When I flip the switch on the remote, a small pulse of energy will be emitted. It will bind any psychic beings' abilities within a three-mile radius."
Danielle sucked in a breath but didn't say anything.
“Will they know?”
Blackhorn shrugged. “Won’t know ‘til we try it.”
Well, shit. The thought of not being able to communicate with his mate, even if it was through Danielle, bothered him; however, they had to keep the upper hand in this situation. They only had five hours ‘til sunset to get in, survey the land and grab reinforcements before they ran out of time and were supposed to meet at the pick-up zone. “Do what you have to. Dani, are you going to be okay?”
She gave a sardonic laugh. “Now you ask. I’ll be fine, Kal. As long as we find my sister, I don’t care about my abilities being bound.”
When they came to the clearing not far from where Danielle had seen the house in her vision, they stopped. Blackhorn used a group of gnarled rotted trees to hide his truck and give them shade. Kalkin slid across the seat to get out and followed the man to the back of the truck. Blackhorn had already pulled the box to the edge of the tailgate. With a flick of his hands, the latches opened. The white drone sat in a foam cutout to keep it secure; in the top left corner a smaller box rested.
“You’re sure this will work?” Kalkin didn’t doubt the man, but he’d be remiss if he didn’t ask either.
“Yes. I am.”
Together, they pulled the aircraft from its compartment and placed it on the ground, away from the trees. Blackhorn flipped the switches to the on position then grabbed the remote and did the same.
“You shouldn’t feel a thing,” Blackhorn said. “Can’t go sneaking around a bunch of psychics if they know you’re coming.”
Kalkin snorted. “True.” He moved back from the launch spot and watched as the machine took off.
The screen on the remote switched on and everything the drone saw, so did they. At first, Blackhorn stayed close to the ground, gathering footage while also adjusting to the controls. Then, he started to gain altitude. Half a mile up, he started in the direction Danielle instructed them. North.
“Danielle, do you want to get out so you can see where we are?” Kalkin didn’t want to push her, but she also needed to be involved. She’d already done so much for them. It seemed criminal to block her out now.
The door popped open and she got out. Her normal glow and happiness had been replaced by pale skin and grief-stricken eyes. Her steps were uneven, slow and a bit off balance, but she didn’t complain. When she got to the back of the truck, Kalkin lifted her up onto the tailgate so she could sit.
“Here is where we are.” Blackhorn adjusted the screen so she could see it. “I believe that black dot in the distance is the house.”
“It is,” she answered. “Be careful.”
; He gave her a gentle smile. “We’ll get her back, Danielle.”
They’d all forgone saying, “I promise,” or “we promise.” He realized it only added pressure on them to get it right. Missions like these, no matter how many contingencies they had, could go wrong and more times than he wanted to admit, did go wrong.
As the drone approached the target, Kalkin's focus narrowed. Everything was riding on what they found on the little dirt road, in the middle of a grove of power poles. The aircraft lowered and he could make out the front windows of the place. Dirt, grime and something black, he'd guess mold, covered the windows. The wooden porch had been sun-bleached to a sickly gray color as was the actual structure. Where windows once existed, ply board now obscured their ability to see inside.
Men patrolled the outside of the building, making it a bit harder to get into. No matter. He'd deal with it. Kalkin had a backup of his own.
“She’s under it,” Danielle muttered. “Look for a basement.”
Blackhorn approached from the east and made a slow arch around the structure. There. Barely visible, the quarter-pane window. Desert sand and sage partially obscured it from being seen, but they got it. Blackhorn took a few photos of the house along with entry and exit points. The black van sat on the western side of the building, which meant Simon and Hazel were inside.
“I’ve got it all,” the agent said. “I’m going to circle back now.”
Kalkin nodded. A sense of accomplishment and relief surged through him, but he tucked it away. “Good job, Dani.” He hugged her tight. “Good job.”
“Bring home my sister, Kal,” she whispered.
“Yes, ma’am.”
* * * *
Something changed. Keeley could feel it. The sensation brushed along her arm, standing the hairs on end. She couldn’t place the feeling or why she even noticed it, but she did. Which meant Hazel and Simon would. The crack of light in the room gradually died out. She didn’t know how many hours she’d been there. However, her wrists and feet had gone to sleep long ago, and her ass hurt as well.