Revealed (The Found Book 1)

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  “It’ll be easy enough to spot, it has a blue truck tailgating it,” the cop yelled into his radio.

  Noah concentrated on his driving, navigating the streets of Chicago, avoiding pedestrians, and following the ambulance with its lights and sirens going. It took a corner at breakneck speed.

  God, the damn transport almost tipped over, and Kali would roll around like a pinball. “What is he trying to do? I have to back off or he’ll wreck.” Noah slammed his hand on his steering wheel.

  “They’re setting up a roadblock about a mile up ahead,” the cop explained.

  “What makes you think he’ll be at the roadblock?” Noah yelled.

  “This is a one way street, it’s the main thoroughfare to the freeway.” Okay, it sounded promising.

  Noah eased off the gas even more not wanting the ambulance to speed any more than it was already. Now he was sweating bullets about the drug coursing through Kali’s system, but he realized they wanted her alive, so they couldn’t have given her too much, unless someone fucked up. God knew it happened often enough. Look at the stupid asshole who was driving the ambulance.

  “They’ve got a doctor waiting at the roadblock, Sir. They’ll take care of Mike’s daughter.” Noah could hear the respect in the man’s voice. He could see where Mike Wachowski would garner that from the men he worked with.

  Noah watched as the driver came up to the roadblock and slowed down before stopping. He got out of the driver’s door and got on his knees with his hands behind his head. “Don’t shoot.” Either he watched a lot of cop shows or he had been in this type of situation before. Cops immediately swarmed him. Noah and the cop, who had ridden with him, were opening the EMT doors.

  “I’m a doctor, let me through.”

  Noah heard the man behind him, but he didn’t wait, he saw Kali propped up on her elbows on the gurney and he climbed into the ambulance.

  “Noah, I think I’m going to be sick.” Then she leaned over and threw up all over the floor.

  A man elbowed his way past Noah and held Kali’s head, while Noah grabbed her hand. The man grinned at Noah. “Best thing for her. It’ll clean the garbage right out of her system.”

  * * *

  They didn’t take Kali to the hospital, instead there was a free clinic nearby, where the doctor worked. They kept her there until four in the morning. Mike snuck in and gave his baby girl a hug good-bye, and dropped off the suitcase Rose had packed. He also explained the other three women were doing well, before handing Noah a set of car keys.

  “The car’s clean, I just bought it for cash.”

  “Where in the hell can you buy a car for cash at three in the morning?” Noah asked.

  “If a cop doesn’t know the best places to buy cars at three a.m., then he hasn’t been paying attention to his city,” Mike chuckled.

  Noah had to agree.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t have any cash to give you. Rose and I used everything we had, and we went to her sister, and my brothers to get the cash for the car.”

  “Don’t worry, I have some, and Admiral Sakuro has this project funded. There are lockers and safety deposit boxes loaded with cash across the world for us. He knew this could get bad.”

  “I don’t get it, why is the Navy so invested in the found?”

  “Sakuro convinced them as soon as he became an admiral seven years ago and the first terrorist group popped up. Niko had already graduated from college and was on his way to a masters in engineering, and Nelson knew about me. There are six others that different countries have quietly admitted to, and everyone, besides me, is moving up in their chosen fields.” Mike gave a grunt of laughter.

  “What?”

  “I’ve looked you up Lieutenant Commander. I’m sure they give out bronze stars and silver stars to just anyone.” Heat creeped up Noah’s neck, he hated talking about his medals.

  “It’s me not doing anything to contribute. I’m the square peg in the round hole.” Both men turned around to see Kali, looking paler than her hair if even possible. This time both Noah and Mike laughed.

  “Sure go ahead and laugh at the sick girl.”

  “Little girl, you don’t listen to those administrators at all, do you?” Noah saw her genuinely perplexed look and he couldn’t understand how she was unable to see herself. Her father continued, “You have only been teaching for four years since you got your masters, and the school board stepped in to make sure you got hired back even though you were so late in applying.”

  “They probably thought all the publicity surrounding my name would somehow get them more funding.”

  “They wanted you because of the ideas you’ve been implementing. You’re being fast-tracked up the ranks. Your contribution is going to be education.” She still didn’t look convinced.

  “The two of you are a great match. I wonder if this is a side effect of all of the found. You don’t think you’re doing anything special,” Mike speculated. “Oh well, you better get moving. I talked to Chang at the front desk. If you call in, just ask for Firearms Regulations Department, he’ll call me over to the main phone line.”

  “Got it. Come on, Beautiful, time for us to go.” Noah watched as Kali looked down at herself and grimaced. Mike grabbed her in a big hug.

  “You look wonderful, little girl. Take care of Navy boy.”

  She laughed.

  Mike patted him on the back and gave him a meaningful look, Noah understood it. He was to take care of his daughter and he intended to.

  He reached for Kali’s hand, and she took it like it was the most natural thing in the world. He had a flashback to another time, another world, and smiled. She looked up, startled, and then gave him a blinding smile. They were on their way, just like they had been all those years ago.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Kali laughed at the bagful of junk food Noah managed to acquire at the 7-11 the first time they stopped for gas.

  “Really? Are you planning for the Zombie Apocalypse? Are we having a slumber party for fourteen year olds? Maybe we’re going to ComiCon? Noah, do you really eat like this?” She pulled out three Hostess products, four candy bars, Nutter Butters, beef jerky, toffee peanuts, toffee cashews, pretzels, yogurt covered pretzels and the two cans of diet soda.

  “Hey, that’s my bag. Your bag is here.” Snatching his bag back, he handed hers over. It was supposed to contain an orange juice and a breakfast sandwich. Instead she found three of each.

  “Hungry much?”

  “Give me my breakfast woman.” He opened the console between them, and dumped the contents of the plastic sack, then held out his hand. “Gimme.”

  She giggled. She had found herself doing it a lot since he came into her life. She unwrapped his sandwich and handed it to him, then uncapped the juice and held onto it until he handed the sandwich back to her. Never once did his eyes leave the road. His training was obvious.

  “So where are we going?”

  “Georgia.”

  “Sarah?”

  “Yep.”

  “Do you think the men guarding her are compromised?”

  “I’ve got to assume so.”

  “If they are, they’re not going to want you to take Sarah away. If they’re good guys, they won’t want to let her go. You’re screwed either way.”

  “Looks like.”

  Okay, now she wasn’t giggling.

  “Do you have a plan?”

  “Not really. I’m going to wing it.”

  “Since my mom’s not here, I’m calling bullshit.” She looked at his profile and prayed she was right. He looked so serious driving. Resolute. Her dad always looked like that too. Her mom said it came from having been called on too many traffic accidents. Kali didn’t know what Noah’s excuse was.

  “I might have an ace up my sleeve.”

  “Huh?” She’d lost her train of thought.

  “I called in some reinforcements. I don’t know if they are going to be there in time, if they aren’t we’ll punt.”

  “I t
hought you said we can’t trust anyone.”

  “These guys aren’t just anyone. These are men I trust with my life. More importantly, I trust them with your life.” He gave her a quick reassuring smile.

  “You called your team in from the jungle, didn’t you? How could you? Did the admiral transfer them stateside? No, it would have looked too suspicious. What did you do?”

  “Did I ever tell you how attractive intelligent women are?”

  “So what did you do?”

  “There’s one hardship leave, one emergency medical leave, and two regular leaves.”

  “Well, that’s not suspicious.”

  “It’s been done before, and their temporary commander approved them all. It won’t raise any flags to the people we’re worried about, that’s the main thing. Nate will be here first. He should already be in Atlanta by the time we get there. Now the knot in your stomach has relaxed, can you finally eat the breakfast sandwich?”

  Boy could she.

  * * *

  “Miss Kelly, it is good to see you looking so well.” Here she thought Noah and her dad were big men. Nate made both of them look puny. He had to be six feet six, and his muscles had muscles. Despite the fact he was huge, he wouldn’t allow her to get into the backseat of the car. They all admired the view from the parking garage looking over the Atlanta airport.

  “Defensive Tackle?”

  “You got it in one.” He smiled at her.

  “Don’t be flirting with my woman, Nate. I happen to know the bigger they are the harder they fall.”

  Nate gave Noah a smile as well. “We missed you man. How can we help?”

  Noah opened up the console and passed Nate the stash of goodies he had purchased.

  “Oh man, I was going to help you no matter what, but now, you get my first born.” Kali looked on in awe as he opened up the beef jerky and a cherry pie at the same time and took alternate bites.

  “First, we have to hide Kali, then we have to pull Sarah Johnson out from under Navy supervision.”

  “Yeah, I talked to Dave Rydell. I can’t fucking believe this shit,” Nate said between bites. “Do you have anything to drink?” Noah handed over a warm soda. “Thanks.”

  He finished the food, drank half the soda and proceeded to plop some of the peanuts into the half empty cola, and continued to drink until he was at the end and then he chewed. It was fascinating.

  “So Sam, can you two tell me more about being found?” he asked as he opened up one of the candy bars and took a bite encompassing half the bar. It took Kali a moment to remember Noah was actually Samson Noah Kukailimoku, Sam to his friends.

  “Yeah, my adoptive parents kept it quiet, and the Islanders are notoriously closed mouthed about their people.”

  “That’s freaky. So do you know where you came from?”

  “Bits and pieces are coming back. Kali and I basically had amnesia for the past twenty years until we met again. We mostly remember one another in another place.”

  “Do you know why you came here?”

  Kali liked this man, he was filled with open, honest curiosity.

  “I remember we were in a stadium, and someone, another child got up to speak. She said we were coming here to help, to make a small difference for good. Something about a tipping point. I didn’t understand it then, and it still doesn’t make a damn bit of sense to me. Nate, she couldn’t have been more than four years old, and an entire stadium filled with people gave her a standing ovation.”

  As Noah described it, Kali remembered a little girl with brown hair, blue eyes and a smattering of freckles across her cheeks. She remembered thinking the girl was even smaller than she was, and how scared she would have been on a stepstool talking in front of so many people. Even standing in the center of the stadium holding Noah’s hand, and surrounded by other children, had been scary.

  “So if the veil was lifted, so to speak, after meeting Kelly, do you think you were meant to be together?” Nate asked as he ripped open the package of ding dongs.

  “Absolutely.” Noah reached over the console and pulled Kali’s hand into his. “We were absolutely meant to find one another and be together.” Kali could only look at Noah in stunned silence.

  “Breathe Kali,” he murmured.

  She let out a big gust of air and glared at him. It was so disconcerting being around someone who could feel what she was feeling. He laced his fingers with hers, and then slowly brushed his thumb against the pad of flesh on her palm. She no longer cared he could feel what she was feeling.

  He gave her a tender smile, and then turned back to look at Nate. “Okay, so I figure you’ve been talking to the team?”

  “You know it. Mathers will be here tomorrow. In the meantime, we have someone to meet so Kelly can get a new identity. As for you, Riley is flying into DC to pick up cash and papers from one of the safety deposit boxes. He should be here by Wednesday. He had some problems getting his paperwork approved for leave, otherwise he’d be here sooner.

  “You seem familiar.” The words came out of her mouth before she had a chance to think them through.

  “He was one of the men who helped rescue you, Beautiful. Everyone you are going to meet, were part of the rescue mission to get you out of that hellhole.”

  Kali shuddered, the thought of people, besides Noah, seeing her when she was destroyed made her ill. He pulled her over the console and gave her a hug. “He’s family, Kali. They all are.” He ran his fingers down her back, and the panic slid away with the stroke of his hand.

  Noah settled her back into her seat, she relaxed and turned to meet warm hazel eyes.

  “We were really worried about you Kelly, but not as much as we were about Sam here. I thought he was going to pass out when he saw how bad your wrists were torn up when we got inside the chopper.” His cheek creased, Kelly realized he must have had quite a following while he had been playing football.

  “So Noah was woozy at the sight of blood?”

  “Noah, huh? It works I guess. Well, Noah, was sure as hell worked up at the sight of your blood, for damn sure.”

  Kali imagined Noah broken and bloody like she had been and realized she couldn’t have kept it together. She felt a wave of panic, and realized it came from Noah, he had a flashback to the night of the rescue. It was time for a change of topic.

  “So Nate, I gotta tell you, I’m not really liking the whole, stash Kali away, part of the plan.” Nate’s grin got even broader. Now she felt a definite sense of annoyance coming from Noah, but this she chose to ignore. “Sarah’s not going to be willing to go with you guys because you ask her to. You’re going to need someone like me to convince her it’s in her best interest to go with you.”

  “She’s smart too, Noah. You know we all appreciate beautiful and smart in our women.” Nate seemed to be laughing at Noah.

  “Back off Goodman,” Noah growled. Kali gaped at him, he had literally growled at his friend. Nate could not possibly be chuckling. For God’s sake, couldn’t they see her?

  “For God’s sake, can’t you see yourself?”

  “Did you just read my mind?”

  “No. Of course not.”

  Kali stared at him, she could feel the sincerity and shock coming from him in waves.

  “Whoa. I knew you two were connected. We all did. But you can read each other’s minds?”

  Kali ran a trembling hand through her hair and gave a weak smile to Nate.

  “It’s more we can feel what one another is feeling.”

  “You’re not going with us. We do rescue and recovery missions all the time.”

  “She doesn’t think she needs to be rescued or recovered, she’s going to think you’re kidnapping her. How are you going to keep her from hurting herself? From hurting you?” Their laughter pissed her off.

  “Kelly, just how is Sarah Johnson going to hurt us?” Nate asked between chuckles.

  Her ears were about to start bleeding. These men were going to end up getting killed. Of course Kali knew every
thing there was to know about Sarah Johnson. She was another found. Unlike Kali, she was brilliant. She was currently an intern in the busiest ER in Atlanta, and also put in hours at a free clinic in the inner city. She was amazing. She also grew up with six, count them, six older brothers.

  Sarah Johnson might have made the grades in high school and gotten a scholarship, but the girl was tough. That, along with smart, and she would give anyone a run for their money. It could end up getting Noah hurt, which was unacceptable in Kali’s book.

  “I’m not going along with your plan.”

  “It’s unacceptable.”

  “Funny you should use that word Noah, I was just thinking it was unacceptable you be hurt or killed because you didn’t do the smart thing and use me to help. I’m going with you when you go to get Sarah. She knows me.”

  “What do you mean she knows you?”

  “I mean she’s studied me, she knows exactly who I am.”

  “Oh, makes sense. You’ve studied her, too.” Noah said slowly. “Mathers downloaded a file, it’s really comprehensive.”

  “Did it tell you she actually got into a knife fight with a gang member and beat him, when she was ten and he was fourteen?”

  “No shit.” Nate whistled as he scrolled through his phone. “Nope, not on here. I can’t believe Mathers missed it. How’d you know about it?”

  “It was in her school newspaper. I downloaded it, when I was in grade school. I made up stories in my head about how mad her brothers must have been.”

  “I’m betting the punk who pulled the knife didn’t have a happy life afterwards,” Nate muttered. “I vote for taking Kelly with us.”

  “Her name is Kali, and I vote against it.”

  “It’s two against one. You’re outvoted.”

  “This is the military, the lieutenant makes the rules, and I say you’re not going.”

  “Noah, you know this is the right thing to do. Sarah will listen to me. This will work a hell of a lot easier. You know that.”

  “Here’s what you’re not getting. You’re a target too. The two of you together will be like a Thanksgiving feast for these guys. I am not putting you in the same spot at the same time. Are we clear?” He was every inch the leader.