by Wade, Maddie
Nobody knew what she had accomplished and overcame–not even her brother. He felt bad keeping that from Dane, but it wasn’t his business to discuss, so he didn’t.
“Thank you, Lucy. I see lack of sleep hasn’t dulled your ability to irritate.”
“What can I say? It’s a gift,” she paused. “Did you have any luck with Preedy?”
Zack shook his head “No. Man wouldn’t say a word. Just sat there, silent, no matter what I did,” he grimaced, “of course, he is in a government facility right now, so I couldn’t use any really good methods for making him talk.”
“Did we find out who gave the order to move him to that facility instead of the Eidolon one?” Lucy asked as she pushed open the tech room door and settled herself in her chair.
“No, but it came from high up, and that makes me twitchy,” Zack replied. “Okay. Show me what you have,” he said, changing the subject. Lucy flicked the mouse, and the screen in front of her came to life. Showing figures and code that made his head hurt.
“So, the things we ran on Hugo Lockwood showed what we expected–no contact with any known Divine Watchers. We did find a few known drug dealers and some establishments known to provide prostitutes. We found he has a massive spending habit. It is not unusual for him to drop 40k on a night out with friends.”
Zack whistled, “Guess that’s loose change when your richer than god,” he snorted disgustedly.”
“He does have telephone calls linking him to Joanne over that last six months.”
She clicked through some different screens, “He’s had access to the hospital, which is worrying. There is footage, which Will helped me find, in the hospital surveillance archives that shows him slipping into the hospital late at night. The footage doesn’t show where he goes once he’s in, though. He, also, has some very nasty friends–namely Usov Denisovich a member of the Russian Mafia. He settled in the UK fifteen years ago and now resides in Surrey.” Zack forced his body to be still and not punch the table like he wanted. He clenched his jaw and forced himself to speak.
“Does Zin know?”
“Not yet. This came in after he left.”
“What else?” he ground out.”
“Well, when I found this, I started looking into Denisovich. He has some very colourful associates. The rumour that sticks out, though, is the rumour that his brother, Dorokhin Denisovich, is actually the infamous assassin, The Surgeon.” Zack nodded. He had heard that rumour, too. He was unsure how Zin was going to take this. With his history with the Denisovich family…he predicted badly.
He’d have to find a way to lock him down so he didn’t go off the deep end. That was the last thing they needed was to have to take Zin out of the equation.
“So, what, exactly, is Denisovich involved in?”
“You name it–drugs and weapons, human trafficking, even hints that he provides arms to terrorists. Nobody can ever get any proof, though, and he seems to have protection from the Russian government.
“That’s not all, though. What we found on Felicity is worse. She, not only, has links to the Mob, but, Will–and don’t ask me how, because I have no idea–has found clips of her meeting with Usov. The footage shows her going into a hotel room and then Usov entering shortly after. Felicity leaves an hour later.”
“Show me,” Zack demanded. Lucy clicked away on the computer for a minute, then the screen filled. It showed the front of the Corinthian Hotel London. It was in the heart of London, close to the financial and business district. Why would Denisovich be meeting Felicity Lockwood, and why there?
Zack watched as Felicity entered the front of the hotel, and ten minutes later, Usov entered. Usov was a smartly dressed man, never seen in anything but a three-piece suit. He was in his mid-forties, suave and slick in a way that made Zack’s skin crawl. He apparently had a tendency towards young girls of barely legal age.
His brother was younger and had been horribly disfigured in a fire when he was a young boy. Intelligence suggested it was the father who had set the fire in retaliation for the mother’s infidelity. Instead of dying, though, both brothers had escaped and disappeared. They returned shortly after he died and took over the empire their father had started.
Zack wasn’t even going to think of all the conspiracy theories surrounding that–that was for another day. He continued to watch the screen. An hour later Felicity left and got into her chauffeur driven car. It was a good two hours before Usov left.
“Have we got footage inside the hotel?”
“Yes, hang on a sec,” Lucy played around with the computer some more, and another screen opened up, “Here you go.”
He was looking at the inside of the Corinthian Hotel. He watched as Felicity Lockwood strode down the hallway as if she owned the building, pearls firmly in place around her scrawny throat. She entered the luxury suite on the fifth floor.
Zack had stayed there many times and knew the hotel well. Only those with extremely deep pockets could afford those suites, and they were often reserved well in advance. He kept watching, and ten minutes later, Usov entered. Unlike Felicity, he was not alone. He had two of his goons with him, but they stayed outside while he was inside. The rest of the footage just showed Felicity and then Usov leaving.
“When was this taken?”
“Two weeks ago.”
“Okay, I want to know what their connection is, and I want to know why they chose this hotel. Usov has always been known to meet associates at his country home in Woking. Why has he changed things up?
“Okay, I’ll get on that now,” said Lucy, perkier than earlier. You could tell just by looking at her. That the thrill of digging into and piecing together things was like a drug to her.
Zack’s phone rang, he answered it quickly after seeing Jack Granger’s number.
“Yes?”
“We had eyes on a third party at the Lockwood Manor tonight. He was in the woods and seemed to be watching the place, which, incidentally, ten heavily armed men are now guarding. One of ours had eyes on him, but we lost him. He was like a fucking ghost.” Granger sounded hacked off. He’d take that personally and he wouldn’t want to be the person who lost him.
“Fuck. Anything else?”
“No. Felicity Lockwood is in the house, though.”
“Okay. Stay where you are and keep me posted,” Zack said.
“Copy that,” muttered Granger.
He hung up and pocketed his phone. This was a major complication, but it did prove they were on the right track. He’d bet the Cunningham fortune that Noah was in that house.
Zack left and walked back to his office, buzzing from all this new information and how it fit with Noah and the Divine Watchers investigation. He stopped suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. Seeing his open office door–which he always kept shut–he withdrew his weapon and proceeded toward his office.
On silent feet, he approached the door and was about to slam it open when a familiar voice from his past called out.
“Come on, Zack. You’re not going to shoot me, are you?” Incredulously, Zack pushed open the door. Sitting in his chair was none other than Kanan. He kept his weapon up and trained on the bastard.
“What the fuck are you doing in my office?”
“What, no hug for an old friend?” Kanan said sarcastically.
Zack was surprised to see K had hardly changed. He’d filled out a lot and his hair now had slight greying at the temples, but other than a few wrinkles, he looked the same. He was lounging back in the chair, but Zack knew it was all a charade. His feet were firmly planted and his hands, although, relaxed across the arms of the chair, had a gun held loosely in one of them.
His black jacket was wet and his black BDU’s were covered in mud. Guess that was the answer he needed about who was watching the Manor…
“What are you doing here, K? You got a death wish or something, showing up here after taking Noah?” Zack watched as Ks hands clenched around the gun and a nerve in his jaw started to tick. Typ
ical for Kanan, he didn’t answer, but posed a question.
“Is my sister safe?”
“Yes, she starts work tomorrow and I have a man watching her house.”
“Why did you help me?” Kanan asked, tilting his head to the side as if he really couldn’t figure it out.
“Because I owed you,” Zack said through gritted teeth.
“Oh, come on, Zack. You must have known it was me that took Noah and yet you still decided to watch out for Celeste?”
“It made good sense.”
“Ah! Leverage, good idea. By having her you could use her as leverage to get to me.”
“Exactly, and like I said, my debt is now repaid. So, tell me why you would risk walking in here now after what you did.”
Kanan straightened up in the chair, suddenly, and Zack tensed.
“Calm the fuck down, Zack. You aren’t going to shoot me any more than I’m going to shoot you. Look, I’m putting my weapon away.” He said, holstering his weapon.
Zack regarded him for a minute as he holstered his own weapon. He knew this was incidental. Neither man needed a weapon to end the other. They’d both had similar training and were both deadly.
Kanan was wrong, though. He would shoot him if he thought one of his team were in danger, but Kanan didn’t need to know that.
“So, what’s going on? I assume this isn’t a catch up?” he said, sweeping his hand around the room.
“No, its not. We have a problem.” Zack did not like the way he said that.
“What problem do we have, K?
Kanan looked uncomfortable and agitated now.
“The boy, Noah, he’s sick.” Zack crossed his arms over his chest and glared daggers at Kanan.
“We know that.”
Kanan leaned his weight on the table and frowned, “No, I mean really sick. The old cow, Lockwood, gave him something, some sort of injection.”
“How do you know this?” Zack watched as K came round the desk and started to prowl around the room. Something was really bothering him. Somehow, Noah had gotten to him. He would have laughed if it things weren’t so dire.
“It felt wrong leaving him with them, so I went back to check on him. She has him in the attic and he had a fever and was complaining of stomach cramps.”
“You do know he is very sick with Leukaemia, don’t you?” Zack asked calmly, feeling anything but inside. In fact, in that moment, it took everything he had not to punch Kanan into next week.
“Yeah, I fucking know that, Zack. Listen, I realise this was not the best decision.”
“Ya think, K? Ya think taking a sick kid from his bed in the middle of the night and handing him off to strangers might have been the wrong thing?” Zack’s voice dripped with scorn and fury.
“Fuck you, Zack. You don’t get to judge me, you of all people don’t get to judge.”
“Wow that was a low blow even for you K,” Zack replied, with acid.
“Are you going to help or not?” Kanan asked.
Zack watched him for minute, trying to decide if he could trust him. Of course, he couldn’t, but he had little choice in this.
“You do realise that as soon as Nate gets near you, your ass is grass don’t you?”
“Whatever. Nate Jones will do what he’s going to do, but right now, you need me to help you.”
“Fine, but you do as you’re told, understand?” Kanan gave him a look that Zack recognised from his childhood and knew he was fucked.
“Fine, give me details,” Zack demanded, resignedly, resuming his place behind his desk. Kanan then explained everything about the Lockwoods and what he’d heard and seen.
Chapter Fifteen
It was a little after one in the morning when Skye was woken by a ringing phone. It took her a second to wake up. When she did, it was to see Nate grabbing his phone off the nightstand. It was good timing, as far as she was concerned. She’d been having an awful dream about Noah.
He had been trapped in a well and she couldn’t get to him. He was dressed in the pyjamas she had put him to bed in on Saturday night. In the dream, she tried to reach him but had been pulled back by hands clawing at her. She could still feel the hands as they had grabbed and scratched her skin.
She took a big lungful of air and tried to banish the dream. She was no fool, she knew it represented her despair at not being able to help her son. She fought hard not to let it drag her down into a pit of depression, but the fear clung to her.
Skye knew that if she let the feeling take hold, she would not be able to function, let alone help her son. She turned to Nate as he put the phone down and turned to her. The look in his eyes was guarded, and a second later, she understand why.
“We have eyes on Noah.”
Skye jumped up onto her knees and grasped Nate by the biceps.
“Is he okay? Who found him? When can we go pick him up?” The questions tumbled out of her mouth with such speed that she failed to take in Nate`s expression.
“The man who took him showed up at Fortis. He had an attack of conscience and broke in to check on Noah at Lockwood Manor,” Nate stopped and took her hands from his arms, pulling her to him. “The intel we have suggests that they have injected him with something and it has made him feel very poorly.” Skye felt her blood drain from her face and an anguished sob escaped from her before she could stop it.
“Mi cielo, all we know is that he was having stomach cramps and had a fever. The good news is, he was lucid and could talk. This is good news, Skye. We now have insider intel, and a plan is being formulated. Zack is calling in the whole team for this and we should have Noah back with us by the morning.”
He was right, this was good news. She just needed to get him back to her and everything would be okay.
“Okay, you’re right. Let’s go.” She jumped out of the bed and hurriedly pulled on clothes as Nate did the same. She pulled her hair into a messy bun and followed him out of the room. He quickly grabbed his handgun and keys and they rushed to the car.
The drive to Fortis, thankfully, took half the time than normal since the roads were clear. Skye hopped out before the car completely stopped and ran for the door. Now that she knew where he was, she was anxious to get to him.
Nate grabbed her hand and stopped her, swinging her round to face him.
“Skye, calm down. Getting yourself hurt is not going to help him.” This pissed her off. How could she calm down and how could he be so bloody calm?
“I can’t calm down!” she shrieked, making herself wince, “My son needs me I have to get to him. How can you be so calm? I thought you cared about him?” Skye watched as Nate’s face darkened and his body turned to stone.
“That was a low blow, Skye. You know I think the world of Noah. And I’m calm because this is what we do. It’s my job to stay calm.”
Before he could finish, she went on, “Oh, so it’s just a job now, is that it?”
“No! Goddamnit Skye, stop twisting my words. I have to stay calm to give us the best chance of getting Noah out safely. I can’t go off half-cocked or someone could die.” He was yelling now and his face hard.
She pushed him too hard and she didn’t know why. Maybe it was guilt? She’d been getting hot and heavy with Nate and her son was suffering. What sort of mother did that? She didn’t voice this, though, because Nate was tugging her through the door. And even though she knew he was angry with her, he still held the door and ushered her inside as if she was made of glass. What a bitch she was.
He didn’t let go of her hand as they walked into the conference room to find Daniel, Dane, Drew, Lucy, and weirdly, Lizzie. The three ‘D’s gave them head tilts and Lucy and Lizzie came over to them. Nate let go of her hand and carried on to his teammates. She felt the loss instantly and wished she could take back what she had said.
She hadn’t meant to be like that it had just popped out. She needed to apologize. She wouldn’t get a chance now though and it would be a long time before she did.
Lizzie and Lucy bustled
around her hugging her and asking how she was feeling. Lucy seemed positive, as was her usual self, and Lizzie calm and in control. Lizzie got her a cup of coffee and led her to a chair.
“Lucy called me and said it might be good for me to wait with you here while the team goes in.” Skye held the warm mug between her cold hands and nodded, “It will, thank you.” She couldn’t help casting glances at Nate. He seemed to act differently–like he flipped a switch and gone into cool, calm, operator mode. His back was straight and he seemed completely focused on what Daniel and Dane were saying.
The gentle man who had given her so much pleasure earlier was nowhere to be seen. This man was hard, cold, and strong, and despite everything, she felt a little shiver run through her body right to her erogenous zones. Why did she find this side of him so attractive?
She realised Lizzie had been talking to her, “Sorry what did you say?”
Lizzie gave her a funny look.
“Is everything okay with you two?” Lizzie asked, looking to Nate. Skye found herself telling her about what had happened tonight and her subsequent attack on him outside.
“Oh, sweetie. You are a wonderful mum. Nobody would think you are a bad one just because you found comfort in the man you love. It’s natural to seek closeness at times like this.”
“I just feel so useless. All I have done since they took Noah is cry or sleep. I only wish I were more like Lucy. She would have gone after them herself.
“No, she wouldn’t, Skye, because until now they didn’t have any knowledge of where he was, for certain, and now we do. You are here, waiting for your son and trusting the man you love to get the job done–and he will. He loves you and that boy to distraction, anyone can see it.” They looked over at Nate, who was still deep in conversation with Dane.
Skye watched as Dane put his hand on Nate`s shoulder and said something quietly to him. Nate nodded and looked up at his friend. Lizzie was right on all counts. She did love Nate and he showed how much he cared for them in his every action.