Breeding Evil

by Liz Wolfe

  Then she had an awful realization. Ethan had given in pretty easily. And for a good reason. He had resources. He figured he could track her and find out where she was going. He could track her credit card use and know exactly where she was. Even using cash wouldn’t stop him completely. He had the access to find out if she bought airline tickets or rented cars. And she’d told him about the phone number on the cell phone after the highway chase, so he’d be suspecting that they were heading to Washington.

  Crap.

  Shelby’s cell phone chirped, and she looked at the number before answering. Crap. She’d forgotten to return Paige’s phone call last night.

  “Paige, what’s up?” She’d hired Paige about four months earlier. Shelby had been investigating a case for a lawyer, and Paige had been on the police team assigned to the same case. They’d ended up in tight quarters with some bad guys and found that they worked pretty well together.

  “There’s someone here who wants to talk to you,” Paige said.

  “Paige, I really don’t have time right now. Whatever it is can wait.”

  “No, this can’t wait. Just a sec.”

  “Shelby?”

  “Zoe? What the hell are you doing there? I thought The Center had taken you and Shannon and Sam.”

  “They got Shannon and Sam. I’d gotten out of the car to find the agents. I guess they didn’t realize that I was even there.” Zoe paused. “Shelby, they killed the pilot and both of the FSA agents and the guy who was in the office.”

  “I know, Zoe.”

  “I didn’t know what to do, so I got a flight to Phoenix and then to here. I figured if I could get to your office, I could find you.”

  “You did the right thing.” Shelby was impressed with her ability to think in a crisis, to take action. “Just stay there with Paige. Do you have a place to stay?”

  “Paige is letting me bunk with her.”

  “All right. Just stay there. After we get Shannon and Sam, I’ll come pick you up and we’ll finish this.”

  “You found them?”

  “We think so.”

  “Don’t let those bastards get away with this, Shelby. Can you use my help?”

  “No! I’ve got more help than I need right now. Just stay put with Paige and put her back on the phone.” Shelby waited until Paige answered. “Paige, I’m going to be in Washington soon. I might have to call you to help with this.”

  “No problem. Hey, I thought I’d use Zoe for the next bouncer gig. Is that all right with you?”

  “If you think she can handle it.”

  “Shelby, she’s a biker. And I don’t mean a biker chick. She can handle herself, and I could use the help.”

  “Good. Just be ready for my phone call.”

  “I thought we’d be flying to Washington.”

  “We will, tomorrow.” Shelby glanced over at Mac and then in the rearview mirror at Chase. He was sacked out in the back seat. How did everyone in the military acquire the ability to sleep at will?

  “Tomorrow? Why the delay?”

  “I need to see Mel for something.”

  “Really?” Mac smiled. “It’ll be nice to visit with her again.”

  Four hours later they were rolling through the gates of Serenity Haven. Bear’s warm, deep voice through the intercom welcomed her back like a big, comfortable hug. Mel pulled Shelby into her office, gave her a cup of coffee, and listened silently while Shelby briefed her on the situation.

  “I’ll need IDs for Mac and Chase, radar detector, radar jammer, something to conceal the weapons from airport security.” Shelby paused. “And weapons. All I’ve got is my Desert Eagle. Chase has a Glock 9MM. That’s about it until I can get back to my agency.”

  “Don’t worry about weapons. I’ve got anything you need. No way I want you walking in there not fully armed.”

  “Not according to my enemies,” Mel said with a chuckle. “Let’s get the boys in here for a photo session.”

  Shelby stepped out of Mel’s office to the large common room and motioned to Mac and Chase. “Come on. This is your photo op.”

  Mel led them into another room, took their pictures, and waved them away. Shelby watched as she sat down at the computer and punched in commands. A few seconds later, another machine whirred to life. Minutes later, Mel handed her two perfect Washington State Driver’s Licenses.

  “That should do it.”

  “You sure you don’t need anything?” Mel asked. “I can set you up with some sweet ID. License, library card, credit cards, the works.”

  “Thanks, but I’ve got mine with me.”

  “FSA stuff?”

  “No. It’s an ID I’ve been growing for a few years. It’ll stand up to anything. It’s as real as my regular ID.”

  “Good girl! I knew you’d learn something from hanging around me.” Mel put an arm around her. “Must be hard cutting Ethan off like that.”

  “It feels strange.” She shrugged. “But I’ve worked cases without him since I opened my agency.”

  “This isn’t a case, Shelby, it’s an op—there’s a difference.” Mel sat back and crossed her arms. “How did he take it?”

  “About how you’d expect. He wasn’t thrilled. And knowing Ethan, he’ll try to track me. That’s why I wanted the fake IDs. Crap!” Shelby slammed her fist down on the desk as another thought exploded in her head. “I’ll bet he’s going to go a step further than that.”

  “Have the airports watched?” Mel asked.

  “He wouldn’t have the manpower to do it normally, but the FBI is working this op too. They have offices in every major city.”

  “It’d be easy enough to have them stake out the airports for a couple of days,” Mel agreed. “Better get you and the boys some disguises and some ID to go with them. No point in taking any chances.”

  A couple of hours later, Mac, Chase, and Shelby all had disguises and IDs that matched. They weren’t deep but they didn’t have to be. Just good enough to get them on a plane without Ethan’s men recognizing them.

  “Now, is there anything more I can do?” Mel asked.

  “There really isn’t, Mel.”

  “I’m still amazed that Zoe had the presence of mind to get away from The Center, and even more amazed that she went to your agency.”

  “Me too. She’s a smart cookie.”

  “You could use someone like her.” Mel nodded.

  “Yeah, if I had any work for her to do. Besides, she might be smart, but she’s not a PI. I’d have a lot of training to do.”

  “That’s what I thought when I recruited you.” Mel cleared her throat. “Besides, I made a few phone calls. You’ll probably be getting some work soon.”

  “Mel, what did you do?” Shelby asked.

  “Nothing really. I just called a few friends and told them about a very good PI agency.”

  “And of course, you’d have friends who would need a PI agency.”

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks, Mel. I really appreciate it. And I won’t let you down.”

  “I know that.” Mel logged off the computer and turned to Shelby. “I’m fond of Sam and Shannon. Anything you need—me, Bear, equipment, anything at all—we’ll be there.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Shelby glanced at her watch. “Time to roll.” They had reservations on a flight from Phoenix to Seattle, leaving in five hours. Mel had shipped the guns to a private mail center to be held until Shelby arrived.

  Shelby left the car at Mel’s to be returned to the rental company in Flagstaff in a few days. Mel loaned her a car for the trip. They left the car in long-term parking where Mel would have someone pick it up later.

  Shelby entered the airport first, leaving Mac and Chase instructions to follow her at ten-minute intervals. After picking up her ticket at the counter, she slung her briefcase strap over her shoulder and wheeled her carry-on suitcase to the gate. She spotted one agent in the open eating area of a fast-food restaurant and another reading a paper in the sitting area of a gate. Nei
ther of them took a second look at her as she clipped along smartly in her two-inch heels, business suit, red wig, and glasses. She stopped at a newsstand and perused the magazines while waiting for Mac and Chase to appear.

  Chase walked by first. Since there was no disguising his military bearing, they’d dressed him in an army uniform and buzzed his head to get rid of the distinctive jarhead haircut. She doubted they would be looking very hard for him, and the disguise seemed to do the trick. He walked to the gate, got a boarding pass, and took a seat facing the windows at the next gate.

  Shelby figured they’d be looking harder for Mac and her, so she’d spent more time on his disguise. He had a good tan, so she’d chosen cut off jeans, an old tee shirt with a surfing emblem, sandals, and a long, wavy, blond wig. The hardest thing to cover up was his Australian accent, so they’d decided to put his knowledge of sign language to use and have him pose as a deaf person.

  She watched as Mac took a seat at the gate next to the one for their flight. Mac leafed through a surfing magazine, and Chase pulled a sheaf of papers with government and army emblems from his battered briefcase. The agent watching the gate didn’t give them a second glance.

  Part of making a disguise work was in the details. Give anyone watching every reason to believe you’re the person you’re pretending to be. Anyone catching a glimpse of the army documents Chase was reading would automatically assume that he was an army officer—why else would he have army documents with him?

  Shelby paid for a Wall Street Journal and rolled her suitcase to a chair several seats away from Chase. The flight began to board, and she glanced at both men to make sure they weren’t moving yet. She knew that if Ethan had been able to convince them to watch the airports, it would probably be on a limited basis. Only the major airports and for no longer than twenty-four hours. They were just past the twenty-four-hour mark now. Her guess was that as soon as this flight was boarded, the agents would all leave.

  The last person trundled down the corridor for the flight, and the agent took a last look around. He checked his watch, and then walked away from the gate.

  The attendant announced the last boarding call for the flight, and Shelby, Mac, and Chase walked over and disappeared into the corridor.

  The flight was uneventful, and they landed at Sea-Tac three hours later. Shelby exited the plane first, checking the gate for agents, and was relieved that there were none. She walked to the restroom and took the large, handicapped stall. The wig, suit, and heels were packed into the suitcase, and she pulled on jeans, tee shirt, sneakers, and a baseball cap. Less than half an hour later, she cruised by short-term parking in the four-wheel-drive truck she’d rented and picked up Chase and Mac.

  Shelby parked in front of the private mail center and told Chase to stay put while she and Mac picked up the crate Mel had shipped to them.

  “I’m picking up a crate for Shelly Parton,” she said when the pimply-faced clerk finally gave them his attention. “It was shipped to Nirvana Corporation.” She had to wonder just how many corporations Mel had in different cities.

  “Sure. That’d be the big one that came in this morning. Must be something special. Had a lot of insurance on it.” He looked inquiringly at her.

  “Collectible artifacts for a trade show,” she said.

  “Figured something like that. You want to pull your truck ’round back? I’ll bring it out on a dolly.”

  “Sure.” Mac and Shelby walked back to the truck.

  “Lies just roll off your tongue, don’t they?” Mac grinned and shook his head.

  Shelby shrugged. “I practice. That’s why it comes so easy to me.” They got in the truck, and she pulled it around to the alley.

  “I should be worried, but for some reason, I’m only amused.”

  She grinned at him and got out to help the clerk load the crate into the back of the truck.

  It was only mid-afternoon. They had several hours to look for the place before the sun set. Shelby turned off I-5 and headed east toward the point Chase had identified on the map.

  Shelby still had a hard time wrapping her mind around the existence of psychic ability. Especially at that level. But she really hoped it was true and the building Chase had seen was where they were holding Shannon and Sam. She drove past miles and miles of farmland, areas of forest, and a few small towns.

  “We’re getting closer.” Chase sat in the back seat, leaning forward so that his head was almost between Mac’s and Shelby’s. “I can feel it.”

  Shelby could only wonder what that felt like, having not a smidgen of psychic ability herself.

  “Chase, are you linked with Shannon now?” Mac asked.

  “I think so.” Chase closed his eyes and concentrated. “Feels weird. But it definitely feels like Shannon.”

  “Just stay with it,” Mac encouraged him. Shelby sighed and had to admit that they’d been right. She did need both of them.

  “Wait!”

  Shelby slowed the truck and pulled off the road onto the shoulder.

  “It’s back there. About half a mile. There’s a dirt road off to the right.” Chase grinned. “This is getting easier. It’s like she’s showing me exactly how to get there.”

  She turned the truck around and headed off on the dirt road. The road started to climb a bit and after a few miles took a sharp turn to the east. Then they saw it.

  A dark gray building stood in the middle of a clearing that looked to be about ten acres. The building was surrounded by a solid wall about twelve feet high with razor wire strung across the top. There were tall guard towers at each corner.

  How the hell was she going to get into that place?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “You folks want some coffee?” The plump, middle-aged waitress hovered the glass pot over the cups on the table.

  “I would, thanks.” Shelby pulled her hand back quickly to avoid being splashed with the hot brew, as the waitress poured from a height of over a foot. Mac agreed to coffee, and Chase ordered a glass of milk.

  “Special’s meatloaf and mashed potatoes with green beans or peas and carrots.” She pointed to their menus with her pen. “I’ll get your milk and come back for your orders.”

  Shelby, Mac, and Chase had gotten motel rooms in a small town a few miles from the road that led to the big, dark building and were having dinner in a small café. Shelby was starving, and meatloaf sounded as good as anything else on the menu. She laid the tattered menu down and sipped her coffee, which she figured was just a couple degrees shy of boiling.

  “So, where do we go from here?” Chase asked.

  “We need to confirm that Shannon and Sam are there. Which means we need to find a way inside.”

  “I guess driving up to the gate is a bad idea.” Chase returned to studying his menu.

  “It’s a dangerous idea,” she said. The waitress was headed back to their table, and Mac and Chase put down their menus.

  “Here’s your milk. Now, what can I get for you?”

  Mac and Shelby ordered the special; Chase chose a burger and fries, an order of chicken strips, and told the waitress to come back later for his dessert order. Shelby shook her head. If she carried that much muscle she could eat that way too.

  “You folks just passing through?” the waitress asked.

  “We’ll be staying for a couple of days,” Shelby said. “Thought we’d do some hiking.”

  “You want to be careful in that forest, honey. Somebody gets lost in there most every year.” She tapped the pen on her order pad. “And stay away from the Fortress. Hear tell they don’t appreciate anybody getting too close.”

  “The Fortress?” Shelby asked as casually as she could.

  “Well, we been calling it that since it was first built, about ten years back. It was a prison then.” She shook her head. “Thank the Lord that didn’t last too long. I can tell you, nobody around here was too thrilled about having a prison so close.”

  “Did they close it then?”

  “Su
re did. Not more than five years after they built the dang thing. I heard it was too much trouble getting people to work out there and too expensive getting supplies in. Guess they shoulda thought of that before they spent our tax dollars building it.”

  “What is it now?”

  “I couldn’t really say. I heard it was bought up by some research company. Folks around here hoped that that might open up some jobs for the locals, but they didn’t seem to need any help with whatever they’re doing there.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  “Well, who knows, you know?” The waitress cocked her head toward the kitchen and then turned around. “Howard, how many times I gotta tell you not to holler at me when I’m with the customers?” she yelled.

  “Dang fool got no class at all.” She shook her head and frowned. “Anyways, I suppose they’re doing something up there. Folks tell me they see some kind of trucks turn onto that dirt road that leads up there every couple of weeks.”

  “Why do you say they don’t want visitors?”

  “Well, cause they don’t. A couple of guys around here drove up there thinking to ask about some work, and they said it was guarded just like when it was a prison. They didn’t even get inside to fill out an application.

  Guard just said they weren’t hiring and sent those men on their way.”

  “Not very friendly of them.”

  “Not a bit. But whoever they are, they don’t come into town.” She shrugged. “Guess they just want to be left alone. I’ll get your orders in now. Just holler if you need anything.”

  “Interesting,” Mac said as she left the table.

  “It’s got to be them. We need to get in there.” Chase leaned forward like he was about to bolt from his seat.

  Shelby held her hand up to quiet Chase. “First, we need to confirm that it’s really Thomas and Carlson in there.”

  “We need to recon the place. Find out what their security is and how we can get around it.” Chase frowned. “We can check out the exterior security easily enough, but the interior will be tricky.”