The Galilee Falls Trilogy (Book 2): Galilee Rising

by Harlow, Jennifer

  Now know thy enemy time. From my earlier search on Jem, I know Jordan Ambrose has been wiped from records almost as if he never existed. No birth or death certificates, no social security number, no drivers license ever issued in that name. The only time his name pops up is in a newspaper article about the death of their parents and in a witness statement regarding the death of Uma Gupta. He was never a suspect. Bought himself an alibi. His past aliases prove more fruitful. Jackson Adler, Lee Harper, Finch Adams, one or the others pop up in South America, various countries in Asia and Europe, and even in New Urbana all connected to high profile hits and criminal organizations. Jordan seems to spend his time between terrorist attacks as a hit man or consultant. He's wanted by Interpol, the Moussad, and is on a terrorist watch lists in many countries. Per reports, he mostly works alone, and the few who have ever evoked his name during interrogation shortly never uttered another word. The few surveillance photos of him are fuzzy and he has a different hairstyle, facial hair, even noses in them. This fucker is good.

  "Emperor Cain" first appeared four and a half years ago by planting a bomb in Jem's hospital then taunting the heroes on TV. The oldies never die. There were several more bombings and taunts until, as soon as he arrived, Cain vanished. The Triumvirate announced he was gone for good and left it at that. The real story is they cornered him in a warehouse, Cain knocked them out, and vanished into thin air. Why he didn't kill them hell if I know but a year and a half later he resurfaced. For his opening act, he set off Sarin gas at a charity gala, then set up a series of elaborate traps for the team. He attempted to drown Tempest by flooding a sewer, burning Liberty at the botanical gardens, gassing Jem at the gala, and between those crimes blowing them up a few more times just for shits and giggles. Guess he regretted leaving them alive the previous time.

  The good news was they caught him, the bad was before he could be processed, he escaped custody and went underground. It came as no real surprise when he returned for a command performance a year later. He made the heroes jump through hoops just to toy with them. These hoops included kidnapping the First Lady, who Justice helped find. The three weeks he was active that time came to a head when the superteam plus one caught him attempting to hijack a plane. They managed to save the passengers, but the plane took off with Nightingale and Cain still aboard. Only Nightingale returned. Everyone thought that was the end of him. Until yesterday.

  I'm not sure how long I'm down here, but long enough to get eyestrain. Time to stop. I pull myself away from Doris and flop on the leather couch with my eyes shut. What I need is a plan. I know they want to freeze me out for my own protection, but many have tried and all have failed with that maneuver. No one dictates my life. This asshole's in my town, blowing up my bridge, and keeping Jem from…he's going down. I just don't have a clue as to how.

  Think. He's using local talent so I can discreetly put out feelers to old CIs and childhood friends and ask them to keep their ears open. My fucked up childhood in Diablo's Ward has to be worth something. I'm sure the Triumvirate can hit the local henchmen hangouts I already clued them into. I may be a partner in this endeavor, but I want to remain as silent a one as possible. I'm stubborn but I ain't stupid or suicidal. Anymore.

  Thinking of stupid. An idea comes to me that makes me grimace. There is one person who can really help, but I'm not quite sure the gains exceed the costs. Or that he'd assist us. Or that I'm strong enough to even start that ball rolling. He did work with both accomplices and all but controlled the underworld for years. It wouldn't surprise me if their paths crossed at least once. Might be worth a shot. Just need to visit the Wizard for some courage.

  My eyes open when I hear footsteps descending the ramp. Lexie, in her designer pink jumpsuit, stops when she spots me. She frowns. "Bren owes me ten bucks."

  "Why?"

  "I bet him I'd find you down here," she says as she struts over to my couch. "Scoot." I remove my legs and she flops down next to me with a long sigh. "I am freaking exhausted. We finally gave up wailing on punks around four this morning. Got nothing to show for it but bruised knuckles. Ruined my manicure, see?" She holds out her chipped nails. "Don't know why I even bother." She lowers her hand, glances at me, and half smiles. "Guess we need to talk, huh?"

  "If you say so."

  "I do." She crosses her long legs. "This whole situation sucks, huh? All of it. Cain's like the one person on this earth who scares the shit out of me. You know Brendan actually died when he flooded that sewer? If I hadn't shown up and performed CPR, that would have been it. When he woke up, sputtering disgusting water all over me, that was the moment I realized I was in love with him, you know? Our first kiss was in that sewer." She shakes her head. "Anyway, I know it's pointless, but I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't warn you away from this one. You're already too exposed, don't want to make it worse. He finds out about you, and that's it. We might as well fit you for a toe-tag, especially since Nightingale's…you know, fond of you."

  "I don't have a death wish. I'm not going to advertise my involvement. And despite what you think, I am good at keeping secrets," I say, narrowing my eyes.

  She looks away with a sigh. "We probably would have told you. Eventually."

  "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

  "What? I can count on half a hand the people who know. My own sister doesn't even have a clue. It's need to know, and you didn't, okay? Don't take it personally." She pauses. "How long have you known?"

  "Jem for about a month, you and Brendan the day you took down Boneshaker. The blonde wig's a nice touch, but you have the same posture and phrasing as both."

  She frowns. "This is why we work alone." She folds her arms across her chest. "So he really didn't tell you?"

  "Of course not. He'd never betray you like that." I shift on the couch so I'm facing her. "But, for the record, that was a pretty shitty thing. Not trusting me. He and I got into fights because of it."

  "I know. He came to us like every other day begging for permission. I almost gave in a few times--he was so pathetic--but Bren held the line. It cut Jem up something fierce keeping it from you. I think he was ready to bare his soul to you the moment we touched down in town. You made quite the impression on him last year. And the moment I realized you were into him too, I decided to help things along. It was such a pain in the ass to get him to that party, let alone getting his hair cut. Never knew he could be such a babe. Should have kept him to myself, huh? Huh?" she asks, nudging me. Her smile drops when she notices my miserable expression. We sit in silence for about thirty seconds. "If it's any consolation, he really likes you. I've never seen him so happy as when he's talking about you."

  I stand. "It's not." I move over to Doris and sit, pulling up the file. "I sent all our data but the partial print ID to Harry O'Hara. I have to warn you, he might suspect--"

  "Let's just can the shop talk for now, okay? I know you're hurting, and let's face it, I'm the only person you can talk about it all to."

  "I don't want to talk. I want to find this bastard before he sets off another bomb. My fucked up love life can wait." I spin in the chair to face her. "Besides, there's nothing to talk about. We hung out a few times, we weren't engaged or anything. Never even went on a date. The relationship never made it past the gate, and that's probably for the best. It never would have worked, even without his psychotic brother showing up. He's too…smart for me. Too shy. Not to mention the whole superhero angle. It's weird. No offense."

  "None trying to be taken."

  "We had a few laughs, but it was bound to end sometime, why not now? Okay? End of conversation." I spin back to the screen. "So, we know of two accomplices, Danny Watkins and Gary Acevedo, and that he had at least three more. The question is how did he recruit them?"

  "To the best of my knowledge Cain's never worked here before, at least not as Cain."

  "Well, he's basically a mercenary. It's not a big leap to think someone here hired him once upon a time. According to the files the only known connecti
on between Acevedo and Watkins is James Ryder. I've sent this information to GFPD as well. I'm sure they'll try to interview him, but I can't see him being cooperative. Our best bet is to let Doris do her thing. Now, there's too much footage for her to go back in time all over the city, but I've programmed her so if Acevedo or Watkins show up anywhere, she'll alert us right away."

  "Sounds great."

  "I know you said Cain changes his appearance a lot, but on the off chance he gets sloppy I'd like a picture. I know Jem has some of him as a child, so I can send it to a colleague who has software to age him up."

  "He didn't tell you?" she asks, eyes narrowing.

  "What?"

  "They're twins. Identical twins."

  My face falls. "Oh. I-I didn't know." Christ, what else didn't he tell me? "That'll make it harder then. Doris will just spot Jem and alert us." There goes that plan. I lean back in my chair. "What do you think Cain's next move's going to be?"

  "Not a damn clue. If you're right, and he wants people to hate us, he might continue the bombings. He still has a shit load of explosives left. Or, if he's really serious, he'll attack Jem Ambrose, not Lord Nightingale."

  "Has he ever done that since he became Cain?"

  "Strangely, no. I mean he showed up at his apartment or the hospital before to taunt him, but he's never gone after him as a doctor or threatened to out him."

  "Maybe he's proud of that aspect of Jem's life," I offer.

  Lexie slips into the chair beside me. "Total possibility. Those two have the sickest relationship I have ever come across. I don't know how much he's told you about his childhood, but it was seriously fucked up. The fact Jem turned out half as well adjusted as he did is a miracle."

  "I know."

  "He won't be able to kill him," she says more to herself. "I don't think he'd do it for anyone or anything, and that's the only way Cain will stop. Not a doubt in my mind of that. Sometimes I think Jem can't kill him because he just wants to punish himself." She sighs. "He was so…happy. You make him so happy. Now it's all fucked up again. He's petrified something will happen to you, so don't let it, okay?" Her cell buzzes, and she pulls it out to check the text. "Bren. He might have a lead on who hacked into the BNN footage. Miles Raitt?"

  I plug the name in. "Known computer hacker. One arrest eight years ago. Served a year for accessing the city's CCTV footage and traffic system during a museum heist. He never gave up the crew he was working for. Other alleged employers are Nocturne, our old friend Oleg Casanov, a semi-retired mobster Mario DiAssini, and…James Ryder. Alkaline. Shit."

  "Feed his photo into Doris along with Watkins and Acevedo. That his last address?" she asks, pointing to the screen. She types it into the phone. "Send all this to GFPD. They can get to Casanov and Ryder. I'll take DiAssini." I pull up his file, and she notes the address. "Oh, before I forget. Here." She pulls out a small cell phone. "This is a prepaid cell completely untraceable to any of us. Any shop talk is done on this. The three other numbers are programmed in. Use it if you need it." She rubs my arm, stands, and runs out of the lair.

  I stare at the computer screen but really stare past it into the dark recesses of my mind. Maybe they'll find Raitt. Maybe he'll lead them right to Cain. Maybe…I sigh. Yeah. Right. Shit. I don't see any other option.

  I have to face my boogeyman.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  True Evil

  I knew this day would come. I've dreaded it, had nightmares about it, but I still prepared. He broke out of prison once, there was no way I'd let there be a second. Alkaline is housed in the protection wing underground at Xavier Maximum Security Prison. They keep him doped on Thorazine, he only leaves his cell twice a week for a shower and the other to walk around the gymnasium with full restraints. He watches television an hour a day, reads, works out in his cell, but will never see the light of day again. The guards aren't allowed to speak to him so the only human contact he gets are phone calls to his lawyer. A visit from GFPD and the Feds must have been a welcome change, not that he showed his appreciation by spilling his guts or anything. He said he didn't know who Cain was and hadn't had contact with Watkins, Raitt, or Acevedo for years. I know this because I got the full report from the guard in the room. Every guard on his block is on my payroll. A grand a month to send me progress reports but mostly for insurance. Ryder escaped last time by having a guard in his pocket. I just took a play from his book. It also makes it easy to arrange meetings such as this.

  I'm not as nervous as I thought I'd be. No sweating or shaking hands. My foot isn't even twitching. I sit at Doris waiting for the video link-up to the laptop I had smuggled in. I decided on a video conference so I can see if he's lying, something not as easily detected through the phone, so I have to look at his handsome face and dead eyes. Goody.

  I sigh. I don't want to do this. I wouldn't be doing this if there was any other option. In the past three days we've made no forward progress. None. Doris hasn't picked up a visual on the men, the criminal element hasn't heard any whispers, and no new evidence has surfaced. Every potential trail is cold. Brendan and Lexie are frustrated, probably Jem too but I haven't had contact with him. It still stings thinking about him, which I seem to do twenty times a day. He'd try to talk me out of this, the others as well. Probably why I didn't tell them. Or I might have listened to them.

  The black computer screen is suddenly alight with the image of a white door and the sound of a turning key. The webcam on the laptop jostles as the person holding it opens the door and walks into the cell. My stomach twists when I see him. His dark hair is shorn short and he has a beard, but the rest is exactly as I remember. Handsome face, dark eyes, and amused expression as he takes the computer. "Thank you," he says to the guard. I watch as he lies on a cot and adjusts the screen so we can see each other. A huge grin fills his face, crinkling his shark eyes of his. "Joanna Fallon."

  "James Ryder," I say curtly.

  "You're looking very well. Immense wealth agrees with you." I don't utter a word, just glare. He studies me for a few seconds. "You do look well, Joanna. I'm serious. I was certain you'd end up a shell of a woman, drinking yourself to death or finishing what you started all those years ago."

  "I wouldn't give you that satisfaction."

  He pauses. "It wasn't personal, Joanna. You were a means to an end, just like the doctor and her daughter. He had to be taught a lesson."

  I almost stop the call, my hand even lurching toward the button but stop myself. Gonna have to be on top of my impulse control today. "I'm not here to talk about that."

  "I know. I didn't think you arranged this to rehash the past, but it's not very often I have anyone but my four walls to speak to. No matter how hard I try the guards won't say a word to me."

  "Gee, poor you," I say, emotionless.

  He grins again. "I hope you're paying them well. Though I am surprised I haven't received any late night visits from Mr. Truncheon or fist. That always seemed your style. At least it would break the monotony."

  "Can't say the thought never crossed my mind. But I'm not you. Your need for revenge put you and your girlfriend in your current states. You're just not worth that."

  His smile drops. "How is Grace?"

  "Not great. She's tried to kill herself. Twice."

  His mouth sets straight, and he looks away. I give him a few seconds for that fact to sink in. Oddly, I get no joy from his pain. I'm just numb. His gaze returns to the camera. "Is there anything that can be done?"

  "No. And eventually she will succeed. That'd be another death on your conscience. If you had one."

  "Don't be cruel, Joanna."

  "Why not? I've been taught by masters."

  He glares at me for a few moments, but I remain impassive. "Ask your questions. I assume this is about my replacement on Galilee Falls Most Wanted List. I'll tell you what I told the police: I know nothing."

  "And that's total and utter bullshit, and we both know it. One of your old cronies is understandable. Three? Not so much."

>   "And why the hell should I tell you a damn thing?" he snaps.

  "Besides the fact I can make your life an unimaginable hell, to say nothing of Grace's, I think you want to. Said it yourself, he's replaced you. Collected your old playmates, probably using your old hideouts," I scoff, "and let's face it, he's already proved himself a better villain. Got a body count higher than yours in one shot. At this rate Galilee will forever be synonymous with him, and you'll just be like…what's his name. Whoever was top dog before you." I lean back in my chair. "And I'm asking. Went to all this trouble too. Gotta be worth something, right?"

  Once again he's silent as he stares at me. "Why are you doing this, Joanna? Why join in this fight?" he asks, sounding genuinely concerned. "Didn't you learn anything from last year? Nothing good can come from this, not for you. No mortal has fared well in a battle between gods. You'll be nothing but cannon fodder. Justin wouldn't want this for you."

  My back goes ramrod straight. "Don't you dare utter his name. You have no right. And you don't have a fucking clue what he'd want for me."

  "I was there, Joanna," he says with a scoff. "I saw his face when he let go. I think I understand him better than even you."

  "We are not discussing this. Stop trying to distract me."

  "I can't imagine the guilt you feel," he continues. "If only you hadn't stopped him from murdering me. If only you had been the strong one and let go. If--"

  "Shut up!" I snap. "Shut the fuck up! Answer my damn question."

  He pursues his lips, I think in disappointment. "Temper, temper," he chides before pausing. "I'll make you a deal. You do that with your other informants, I believe."