“No. I’ve got it controlled.” She looked over at him. “This ends today, Jace. Why wait?” The shaking was back. “Cole’s not doing so well.”
“And if you run in, and you’re surrounded, then what’ll you do?”
“I have to do this.” She was still wobbly, but there was fire in her eyes again. There was his girl.
He rubbed her arm, then picked up her hand, kissing her palm. “I understand that. Just as I need you to understand that I’ll be running right alongside you. This is it for me, Babe. This is where I need to be, too.”
She smiled at him before turning to look back at the road, the tension and confusion back on her face. Maybe if he kept her talking, her mind would stay with him in the car. As much as he felt for Cole—the guy had to be going through hell—he’d done it for his woman. Jace would have done exactly the same thing. He had to trust that Cole was strong enough to hold his own for a little longer. He needed to make sure Sienna didn’t wilt away before the battle even began.
“What’s the room that Cole’s in like? Tell me about it.”
“It’s concrete,” she said, her eyes fluttering closed for just a moment, before opening again and staring back out to the road. “They’re smooth, though, like they’re covered in some sort of lacquer or paint. There’s a light with a wire running over the ceiling and out the door. I think it’s connected to the system somehow, because the hallway lights flicker on whenever someone opens the door.”
He nodded. “So the place might not have an independent power system. They’re bringing it in from somewhere. That means she’s not there long term. Sienna, what if she only came here to follow you? What if she knows all about you? I know your mom didn’t tell you every detail, but if Isobel is half as crazy as you all think . . . there’s gotta be a reason for that.”
She ignored him, pointing out in front of them. “There it is. One hundred thirty-five miles.”
Jace pulled the truck over, turning onto the dirt road and then cutting the engine. “So what are we doing? You going to run in with me on your heels, or should we sit for a bit, watch the place?”
She took a deep breath and her mouth opened to reply, but before she could get the words out, his radio burst to life. Static filled the air, followed by Emily’s voice. “Whatever you just did, you better change your damn mind, because I just saw you both dead.”
She looked at him, eyes wide.
“Where are you?” Keila’s voice was next.
Sienna’s gaze locked onto his. She was so damn beautiful, and so damned scared. She was scared out of her mind, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her. It was time to stop letting the fear of losing her go and trust her to take her power back. His woman was fierce, and together, there wasn’t anything they couldn’t do.
“I’m still going in, Jace.”
“I know, Darling. I’m not going to stop you. But you’re taking me along for the ride.”
35
Sienna
Jace slid back behind the wheel, and then did nothing. He didn’t start the engine, nor call out to her. He just . . . was. He didn’t push, but he’d made it clear he wasn’t leaving without her. She stood, taking one last look at the property entrance behind her, memorizing the landscape, and the road marker, just in case she had to find it again in a hurry. Then she turned and made her way to the car. She opened the door and entered silently, but when she sat down, Jace picked up her hand and held it close. A ghost of a smile passed over his features before he squeezed gently, then started the engine. He turned the truck around back onto the dirt road, and took it all the way to where it curved away into a dry river bed, parking in thick brush along the side of the road.
The others arrived a few minutes afterward, and Sienna watched as Jace and Reece seemed to take charge. They distributed some of the weaponry they’d stashed in each truck and loaded up with a few other cool-looking gadgets. Keila picked out a handgun, loading it expertly and then tucking it into the back of her shirt, Payton following suit. Sienna had no idea how to use a gun. They weren’t expecting her to pick up one, were they?
“You pick it up fast when you need to,” Payton said. “But your power is better than any gun.” She kicked at the small stones dotting along the river bed. “Fire one of those suckers fast enough and you’ve got unlimited ammo.”
“We might have the psychic woo-woo,” Keila said, “but she’s got the strength. Who knows how many other men like Zero she’s got hiding away up there.” She picked up several clips, inspecting them before shoving them into an inner pocket in her jacket. “She’s been working this for years, and we have to assume through official channels at some point, at least. If I’m right on an estimate of her age, there were others before her, too. We’re going to need all the firepower we can muster”—she tapped her head—“here, and then cold, hard steel.”
Something chilled in Sienna’s veins at Keila’s words. Were they completely insane to even think they could accomplish this? Topple a woman who could have an entire army behind her—a hundred men hiding up in the hills? If Keila couldn’t detect her, then what the hell else could be hiding up there? The only person on their side who could do the same was Sienna, and she’d struggled to even hold her shield over just herself and Payton. She was going to need every speck of energy she had to even get close to Isobel, and even then she wouldn’t be able to protect them all.
Her light wavered, and a sob rose from Payton. She’d been standing alone, leaning up against a tree, and one hand shot out, bracing herself against falling. “Sienna,” Payton gasped. “I need him. He’s not going to make it. She’s beating him.”
Emily stepped over and wrapped her arms around Payton. “I’m so sorry, Payton.”
Keila’s eyes blazed. “Cole’s strong. He’ll make it.”
“But we’re moving, now,” Aaron said. Sienna had barely heard him speak that morning. The man was huge, but still he had a habit of blending into the background, sometimes as if he didn’t want to be noticed. Perhaps there was more to the big man than she’d stopped to consider. He moved the same way Reece did, purposefully and without a sound. Cole did it, too, some of the time. He seemed to make more of an effort to be a regular guy around Payton. Reece and Aaron on the other hand . . . Sienna suppressed a shiver. She wouldn’t be surprised to find out either man was as deadly as the target they were gearing up against.
Sienna took a deep breath, pushing her shield back out over Payton. She’d been so caught up in learning everything about her powers, she hadn’t stopped to consider what the others’ partners were bringing to the table. Shit, Cole alone was an integral part, just as much as she. Without him, they would have been sitting ducks, fighting their way through the dark until they were ambushed out of nowhere by an enemy who had kept them entirely too close for Sienna’s comfort. Reece, Jason, Cole, Aaron, and now Jace. They had more on their side than Isobel could possibly imagine. They were strong. She just had to believe it.
Payton bit down on her lip, cringing a little even as Sienna muted Cole’s connection. Watching her struggle for composure was almost more than she could bear.
Use it. Get mad at it.
Oh, God. She could really use her mom right now. Why the hell had she left Sienna to figure all this out alone? Maybe she’d lost track of things, forgotten the size of the original mission. She’d tried to teach Sienna, but she’d also left out a few critical pieces.
A warmth stole over her as Lainey walked over to Sienna and linked arms with her. “You’ve got this,” Lainey said. “I could feel a tingling, from all the way over there.” She pointed to where she’d been standing, over by their truck. “Now I’m next to you, you’re practically vibrating with it. Whatever it is that’s holding you back, let it go. You can’t imagine the power I can feel inside you.”
Let it go. Sienna slumped back against the truck door, closing her eyes. If she concentrated, she felt it, too. A warmth—not just from Lainey, but all of them. It was there, tingling in her g
rasp, but just out of reach.
The morning breeze chilled her face, a welcome relief from the desert heat. She pictured her mom’s face. When Sienna was little, before she’d grown up and realized the world held dangers beyond what she could imagine, her mom had been everything. A skinned knee? No problem. Even dragons hiding under the bed had been slain with nothing more than a bright torch and plastic sword. There was her mom, as vibrant and solid as if she were standing right in front of her. Straight blonde hair and emerald eyes, smiling down at Sienna.
What the hell was holding her back?
Get mad. Get mad, Sienna. It’s okay.
I am mad! I’m mad at you! You didn’t stay! You always told me I’d be safe as long as we were together, and then you left! I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.
Find your safe place. What that place really meant.
Her tent! The place she’d hidden from storms, where her mom and she had laughed together, drawn pictures, and read stories. When they’d had tea parties, and had special cupcakes. Dressed up her dolls and had fashion parades. Even when the lightning had been crashing about her head, and the thunder so loud it hurt her ears, she’d been safe there. She’d known she was safe there. But why? Through her adult eyes, the location hadn’t been anything special—a canvas child’s toy, hidden away in an empty storage space. What had been special about it was her mom. She hadn’t been born in the usual way, but her mom but had protected her and loved her all the same.
Loved her. Through all her childhood tantrums, and then her teenage ones, her mom had never stopped loving her. God, she’d loved her so much she’d been tortured to death rather than give up even a single piece of who Sienna was to those monsters. If she had, Sienna wouldn’t have survived the first night, let alone as long as she had. She looked around—their small circle of half-broken warrior women, and the powerful men who stood by their sides. They were all ready to fight, ready to die, for her. For each and every person there. Emily, Keila, Payton, Lainey, and now her. Each one was ready to stand to save her life, and the lives of how many others who were stashed around the globe. Her mom had told her what she needed to know all along. Sienna just had to be ready to hear it.
Something rippled inside her, the world coming undone. Nothing was as it once was. The space around her distorted, ripping outward, shards of light puncturing the air. It caught the others, one by one, until they passed through the boundaries of her mind. They were huddled there together, hair blowing from the force of an astral storm. It shot between each one, connecting them together, connecting their minds.
That’s it, Sienna. You’re loved. You’ve always been loved. Now go kick some ass.
Sienna grinned. Thanks, Mom.
It was time.
36
Jace
Sienna and Jace led the charge. He hadn’t known what was going on at first, but he’d seen the light ripple out of Sienna and fall over the rest of their group. He’d been watching her carefully for signs of fatigue, but so far she was holding well. There was nothing—well, nothing that indicated she wasn’t managing. She stood tall, almost glowing.
What he did notice was the silent conversations that were passing between the girls. Micro expressions, coordinated movement without gestures. He glanced over at Lainey and Aaron, pacing slowly behind them. Yeah, he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. Something had happened between them, and it was going to change everything. The determination on Sienna’s face was proof enough of that.
They were stepping along the dry river bed, using it to hide themselves as they traveled closer to the main base camp, but it was about to run out, forcing them back onto the road. “Come here,” Jace said. He turned to Sienna and swooped her into his arms. One hand anchored her head while his other arm pressed on her lower back, pulling her close. He kissed her, sweeping his tongue along her lower lip, almost groaning at the taste. She opened for him, letting him inside, twisting her tongue with his, almost teasing him. Jace responded by taking control, thrusting his tongue while shamelessly grinding his hips against her. If this was the last chance he had to feel her, then he was going to make it count.
Eventually he pulled away, making sure to keep a tiny pocket of her light inside him. He had no idea what was lying ahead, and if it worked for him half as well as it did for Cole and Payton, it would be worth any amount of pain he felt from Sienna to be able to watch over her.
They moved slowly, carefully, fanning out once they left the creek bed and placing a small distance between each group. Jace watched Sienna carefully for any sign of fatigue, but still there was none. If anything, she glowed a little brighter the closer they got. It was as if she were pulling something, gaining energy. Was that even possible? Sienna hadn’t seemed to notice. Everything about her powers had come so innately to her, as if she’d already somehow known, as if she had been born for it. When it came down to it, she was. The thought didn’t scare him anymore. Instead, it gave Jace his own energy, his own fuel to face whatever lay ahead. Sienna had found her place in the world. She was strong, powerful, and fucking gorgeous doing it. This was where she was meant to be, and where he was staying for as long as she’d have him.
There were no signs of guards or surveillance systems when they reached the front of the building. It stood, tall and gray, looming over them, and yet it seemed abandoned. Aaron and Reece stood on either side of the large main door, covering the field, while Keila and Lainey crept up to the gap between the wood and stone and peeked inside. Payton stood aside, her face still twisted as if in pain, but holding her own, Emily by her side. Sienna held her place in the middle, surrounding them all.
“There’s two men standing at an inner staircase,” Keila whispered.
“Can we reach them from here and take them out?” Reece asked.
Emily tugged at his arm. “No.”
He turned to her, kissing her swiftly. “It’s okay. I’ll be alright.” He grinned. “Besides, we can’t let you guys have all the fun.” He nodded at Aaron, and then gestured forward, stopping at the stairs with another hand gesture. He peeked through the same gap Keila had looked through, then held up two fingers, pointing to the left. Two tangos to the left. He made eye contact with Aaron and nodded, and then silently held up three fingers. Jace moved to cover those remaining outside, watching Jason move to the opposite side to do the same. Once they found Isobel, then it would be the girls’ turn, but they were damn well going to get them there in one piece.
Aaron and Reece moved in sync, fast and without warning. Reece grabbed a man, wrapping him in a choke hold, holding him still until the man fell limp. He dropped him to the floor in a heap and then turned to help Aaron, who was struggling with a tall blond man who was rolling to get free beneath him. The man threw a punch and Aaron twisted aside to dodge it, giving the man a chance to force himself upward. He pulled a gun and aimed it at Aaron’s head.
“No!” Lainey cried from the doorway. Jace tackled her down, but it was enough.
The man turned toward the doorway, a smile on his face. “You did come!” He said. “Mistress will be so pleased.”
He took a step toward her, the last step he’d ever take. Jace watched as Aaron looked straight at Lainey and grinned at her, allowing himself a quick second to make sure his girl was alright. Then he stepped forward and snatched the gun out of the man’s hand, kicking his feet from under him. In seconds, it was all over, the man unconscious at Aaron’s feet.
It took half a minute for them both to cable tie and gag the guards, dragging them out of immediate visible range, before they pushed the door open and motioned to the rest of them to enter. Emily flew into Reece’s arms, but Lainey slapped Aaron across his chest. “Don’t you ever let me catch you with a gun at your head again!”
Aaron looked at her with love in his eyes, but Jace could tell the man was trying not to laugh. Lainey might be small, but he’d hazard a guess she could be truly terrifying if she wanted to be. He looked around at their hasty reunion. He was prett
y sure they all could.
They’d passed the first hurdle. How long did they have before Isobel knew they were there? He looked down the hall. Apart from the two giants lying at his feet, the place still seemed deserted. Jace knew better. They were hiding here. If Payton had read things right through Cole’s jumbled mind, then there were almost endless underground tunnels here, and Isobel could be hiding in any one of them. His gaze roamed every wall and crevice for some kind of entry point, but he found nothing.
“Are we moving again?” Keila asked.
“I think we have to,” Sienna said. “I’ve still got you inside the shield, but I don’t know if Isobel can see around it.”
“Alright,” Jace said. “Then we keep moving until we can’t.” He pulled Sienna close to him as the hall narrowed, keeping her behind him. She was protecting everyone, everything they needed to take the whole operation down. He was going to keep her out of the line of fire for as long as possible.
As they passed each door, someone would open it, check, and clear the room. He watched in fascination. Emily paused, closing her eyes, and then would move on without even opening the door. Payton, too. Reece, on the other hand, seemed to take great delight in kicking in any that were locked. After this was all over, Jace would take them all back to the ranch and let Reece loose on his gun range. The man looked like he needed to kick some major ass. Jace could understand. He’d met Sienna only a month ago, maybe two, and he was ready to take on the world for her. From what Keila had said in the beginning, Emily was the first. Only Keila had been in the game longer than Emily and Reece. He could understand the man’s need to cause a little bloodshed in return for what this operation had put Emily through.
Sienna (Dreamcatchers Romantic Suspense Series Book 5) Page 20