by Cheree Alsop
“Are you my babysitter?” I asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice for his sake.
The smallest hint of a smile touched his mouth. He held up whatever he had been studying. I raised my good arm and accepted it, amazed at how much strength it took to perform even that simple act.
My stomach twisted at the sight of an angel worked from the aspen wood I had given him for taking pictures to surprise Ava. The angel’s face was bare, its features left to the imagination. It had wings crafted down its back, but instead of a lamb like in the picture Koden had shown me, the angel was holding a little bird. It was a crude carving, but well done considering Koden’s age. The part that struck me most was the wings. Koden had painted them blue. They were the only part of the angel that had color.
“How did you do this?” I asked. “It’s beautiful.” I tried to give it back, but he closed my hand around it. I looked at him for a moment. There was so much faith and trust in his gaze. No Galdoni child had ever looked like that at the Academy. I let out a painful breath. “I can’t take this.”
He pushed my arm back onto the bed with the angel still gripped in my hand. Satisfied, he sat back on the chair and drew his knees beneath his chin, wrapping his arms around them to hold them in place.
Whatever Dr. Ray had put in my IV began to take affect again. My eyelids closed and refused to open. I let out a sigh and slipped back into the darkness.
***
“Saro says you’re a reluctant patient,” Dr. Ray said. At my silence, he smiled. “Every Galdoni is. You’re used to being ready to fight the next day.” His smile left. “But you almost got yourself killed this time, Reece. If those boxes hadn’t slowed your fall, you wouldn’t be here. That’s for certain.” He held up the x-ray he had been studying. “As it is, between the fractures along your wings and your broken ribs, you really are going to have to take it easy.”
I couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “How am I supposed to do that, Doc?”
Something in my voice made him pause. His features softened. He sat down in the chair and pushed his glasses up on his nose. He was silent for a few minutes. I was almost asleep from the pain medications when he spoke. “I was the first one to talk to Ava after Saro saved the female Galdoni.”
He sat back and crossed one knee over the other, then linked his fingers together around it. “Those girls went through so much more than any person should. Girls who have gone through what they did have a wall, a protection of sorts. They hide behind nothingness. It’s like you talk to them, and nobody is there to respond.”
He let out a slow breath. “They can get over it with time and love, and they usually do.” He smiled. “Ava was different. As soon as she was brought to the Galdoni Center, she asked me when she could leave. I thought she was running away, which was understandable, but no, she said she was tired of being a victim and want to take charge of her own life.”
“She did that well,” I said softly.
Dr. Ray nodded. “Very well. I kept worrying she would break, that the memories of what she had gone through would tear her down. But she made it through.” He glanced at me, a grateful smile on his lips. “I understand I have you to thank for that.”
I thought of the nights holding Ava. Even though she thought I was a killer and hated what the Galdoni represented, she had needed me in the late hours of the night when the memories became too much. “She had night terrors.” My voice was quiet. My arms ached to hold her. That pain was far worse than the throbbing from the break in my right arm and the fractures through my ribs and wings. I would suffer them gladly every day of my life if it meant holding Ava and being able to keep her safe again.
“She’s strong,” Dr. Ray told me. “If anyone can survive until Kale finds her, it’s Ava. She’s a fighter, like you.” He rose and patted my shoulder. “Trust Kale, Reece. He is putting everything he can into finding her. He takes the weight of her capture on his shoulders and feels responsible for Ava, as he does for every Galdoni and human within our Center. If anyone can track her whereabouts, it’s him. Have faith.”
His last two words lingered when he left the room. I lifted my hand. The little angle Koden had carved sat on my palm, its head bowed as it watched over the little bird. I closed my hand, cupping the angel inside.
“Please,” I prayed for the first time in my life. “Please protect her.”
***
The room was empty the next time I awoke. I felt restless, like there was so much I should be doing, but no way to do it. I sat up gingerly. Every movement hurt, and the pain inhibited my ability to breathe. I had to sit still for several minutes willing my lungs to fill. It felt ridiculous being so helpless. I was a Galdoni. Galdoni were created to bleed, to fight, and to die. Well, I had already done the first two, and I refused to obey the last.
I slid the IV from my arm. A trickle of blood dripped down my elbow. I ignored it and searched for my clothes. Someone, probably Skylar, had washed them and left them sitting on the small cupboard in the corner. The trick was getting there.
I clenched my jaw and stood up slowly. My wings had been bound tightly to my back to prevent movement, but the weight of them pulled at my broken ribs. The pain was enough to make my knees weak and threaten to send me crashing to the floor. I gripped the edge of the bed hard, refusing to go down. The pain didn’t own me. I shoved it to the back of my mind as I had been taught to do a thousand times.
I remembered watching my left arm be stabbed by the point of a dull knife, seeing the blood well from the wound and drip with a dark patter onto the sand. My left hand held a sword balanced in the air. If I let the pain from the knife win and the sword drop, the punishment was a severe beating. The same exercise happened with a hot coal on the back of one hand and a katana in the other. If either fell to the ground, the payment was harsh. Eventually we all learned to put the pain as secondary, or at least pretend long enough to pass the test.
I kept the image of the blood dripping down my arm in my mind. The pain of my wings and ribs dulled enough for me to think. I took one step, then another. It was a small victory to finally reach the cupboard. Raising my arm high enough to reach the clothes pulled at my ribs. I sucked in a breath and grabbed them. The shirt was going to be too much with the wing bindings. I let it drop to the ground and pulled on the pants. Bending hurt, but I had lived with pain most of my life. I undid the ties on the hospital gown and let it fall to the floor beside the shirt.
I leaned against the door frame. No one was in the hall at the late hour. I could have pressed a button to call for help, but nobody could give me the kind of help I needed. Instead, I eased slowly down the hall to the elevator. Tears of despair filled my eyes when I pushed the button. I stepped inside and for a second it felt like Ava was standing next to me, both of us nervous as we rode the box up. I refused to glance over and shatter the feeling. My heart couldn’t take it.
I stumbled out onto the twelfth floor. The room was dark and empty. The door to the roof looked so far away. I had to feel fresh air against my face and remind myself that I was alive. I pushed through the room. My breath came in ragged gasps, but I couldn’t take it any longer. I shoved the door open and made my way to the railing.
“Ava, where are you?” I yelled at the top of my lungs. I tasted blood. I pulled in a few ragged breaths. The horizon was dark, the stars emotionless eyes in the ebony blanket that cloaked the world. The world was so big. How was I to find her in it? I fell to my knees and put my forehead against the rough roof.
“Reece?”
I tipped my head at the sound of Kale’s voice. He hurried to my side and knelt on the ground.
“I can’t find her, Kale. I can’t save her. What am I supposed to do?”
“We’re searching everywhere,” he said, despair in his own voice. “We’re doing everything we can.”
“For all I know, she needs me at this moment and I’m not there. She might be in pain, she might be dying,” my voice cracked, “And I’m not there to prote
ct her.” I buried my face in my hands. “For all I know, this is her very last moment and I’m not there.”
I punched the roof. The pain ricocheted through my chest to my wings. I did it again. I lifted my arm to do it a third time, but Kale caught my hand. I struggled against him. He pinned me down. Adrenaline flared through me, chasing away everything but a red fog of rage. I drove the elbow of my broken arm back against his ribs. When his grip loosened from the blow, I brought my left shoulder down and rolled, bowling him over with my momentum. I came up in a crouch with my hands up, ready to tear him apart.
“Reece, stop it!” Kale yelled. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“Too late,” I replied grimly. I dove at him.
Kale stepped to the left and brought an elbow between my shoulder blades that drove me to my knees. He spun around behind me and wrapped an arm around my neck. I tried to elbow him again, but he was ready and looped his other arm through mine. Every movement brought pain from my wings that were pinned between us. I couldn’t catch my breath. The rage dissipated as my instincts to survive surfaced. I gave up and stopped fighting.
Kale waited a minute to ensure I was done before he let me go.
I fell to my knees and he knelt beside me. “I have to find her,” I wheezed. “I can’t sit by and do nothing. What if they’ve hurt her?”
Chapter Twenty-one
Kale sat in silence with one hand on my shoulder and the other clasped in a fist on his lap. “We’re going to find her,” he said after a minute. There was a new tone to his voice; it was filled with determination and promise. “I’m going to make it happen,” he said. He pulled me up to a standing position and ducked under my good arm.
I was vaguely aware that when we reached the elevator, he pressed the button for the eleventh floor. The guide inside the elevator labeled the eleventh floor as staff offices. I had never felt the need to visit them. When we reached the floor, the doors didn’t open.
“Name?” a recorded voice asked.
“Kale,” Kale replied.
“Welcome, Kale,” the voice said in monotone. The door slid open.
I stared at the rows of offices and equipment. Weapons lined several glass-walled rooms on the right side, while the left was filled with men and Galdoni on computers even at the late hour. A 3D computer-generated map of the all surrounding cities glowed in several locations.
“Come on,” Kale said, helping me down the hall.
“What is this?” I asked in amazement.
He smiled. “Operational headquarters. We still haven’t found all the Galdoni from the Academy, and those we find are seldom in savory situations. It takes a lot of work to protect both the Galdoni and the populace.”
He nodded at a young man with brown hair as we passed. “How are things going, Nikko?” he asked.
Nikko put a hand over his mouthpiece. “The situation in Nester’s tense, but officer negotiations are working.”
“Good to hear,” Kale said, patting his shoulder on the way past. Nikko gave me a searching look, but continued talking into the headset he wore. I caught the words “mass suicide” and “stealth prevention tactics” as we walked by.
Kale led me to the office at the end and helped me to one of the chairs near the side wall. “I should probably have them bring a hospital bed in here,” he said.
“Do and I’ll jump out that window,” I replied.
He nodded. “I figured as much. Just don’t pass out on me.” He picked up the wireless phone on his desk. “Andrews and Lem, to my office.”
A police officer in civilian clothes with only his badge on his belt to signify him as such glanced at me when he came in. Lem followed close behind, his red hair disheveled and pale orange wings hanging as though he was on the edge of exhaustion. He nodded at me before collapsing into a seat in front of the desk.
“Looking a bit worse for the wear,” Lem called over his shoulder.
“I was about to say the same to you,” I replied.
He chuckled and turned his attention back to Kale.
“Lem, you and Reece have met. Officer Andrews, Reece is Ava’s closest friend.” The officer and I exchanged a nod before he took a seat next to Lem. Kale continued, “Reece’s interest in Ava’s safe recovery has spurred me to take drastic measures to ensure Ava’s location is obtained as quickly as possible.”
I sat up, my focus entirely on his words.
“As such, I need to personally question Veto and Hound,” Kale concluded.
Lem and Officer Andrews exchanged a glance. “We’ve questioned them both relentlessly,” the officer pointed out. “None of the Galdoni have budged an inch.”
Kale nodded. “That’s why I need to talk to them. Please arrange it with Officer Donaldson so that the Galdoni are in the holding rooms when I arrive at the station.”
Officer Andrews nodded and left.
Kale turned to Lem. “I’ll have the questioning open-air. As soon as we hear anything, I want you and Saro ready to investigate.”
“I’m going,” I said. Denial washed across Kale’s face. Before he could argue, I met his gaze. “I’m going.”
Kale had already proven on the roof that, given my shape, I was nowhere close to matching strength with him, yet I wasn’t about to give in and he knew it. He gave an exasperated sigh. “Fine, but you’re going in the SUV.”
“Agreed,” I replied.
He speared me with a look. “And you’re staying in the SUV,” he said.
I nodded. “As if I could do anything in this condition.”
He shook his head and turned back to Lem. “Have Saro come listen; the three of you wear earpieces and be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.” He picked up the phone again. “Bear, have the surveillance SUV ready to go. We’ll need it shortly. Let Goliath know I need him to be the driver.”
“Got it,” the big Galdoni replied.
Kale put an earpiece in his ear and tossed me one. He set his hand on a sensor next to a wall panel. The sensor beeped and the panel slid away so that a gaping hole to the outside appeared. He gave me a short nod before jumping out. His black wings filled with night, a ghost in the darkness as the panel slid closed behind him.
“Come on,” Lem instructed.
He moved to helped me to my feet, but I shook my head and did it on my own. I followed him into the main room. Several men, women, and Galdoni were already waiting near a black section with buttons and speakers on the wall.
“Can you hear me?” Kale asked. The sound came from both my earpiece and the speakers.
“Loud and clear,” Nikko replied.
“This isn’t going to be pretty,” Kale said, his voice cold.
Goliath and Saro entered the room. Saro grabbed a chair and slid it over to me. “Sit,” he said softly.
I knew better than to argue, and I couldn’t deny that sitting was a lot better than falling over. He stood behind me with a hand on my shoulder and turned his attention to the radio.
We listened to Kale check in at the police station. I recognized Officer Donaldson’s voice. Their footsteps echoed in the Kale’s earpiece as they walked down the hall. “I’ve told the boys anything goes. They’re not to call you off until you get the answers you need.” His voice lowered. “Because the Galdoni jurisdiction is still up in the air, you have full control here. Let me know if there’s anything you need.”
“Thank you,” Kale replied, his voice level.
A door opened, then shut.
“Missed me?” a gruff voice asked.
“You going to wish you never said that, Veto,” Kale replied.
The sound of a fist striking flesh followed. A heavy clank echoed through the room.
“I have rights,” Veto yelled.
“You lost your rights when you attacked Crosby High,” Kale replied. Two more strikes followed, then a pause. Kale let out a loud breath as he followed through another punch.
“I’m handcuffed,” Veto protested, his voice tight as though he was trying t
o control his emotions. “Where’s the honor?”
“You don’t deserve honor.” Punch. “Because of you, a girl is missing and potentially hurt or dead.” Punch. “If you don’t tell me what I need to know, you’ll leave this room in a body bag.”
A scrape of metal on the tile floor followed. I could picture Kale pinning the gray-winged Galdoni against the wall. Struggling ensued. A body slammed heavily to the floor. A whimper sounded.
“Tell me where to find Samuelson,” Kale growled. “If you don’t, you’ll be dead and Hound will tell me, so you lose twice.” His breath sounded heavy in my earpiece. Everyone waited, frozen in place with their attention on the harsh breathing in the speakers.
“Okay,” Veto finally gave in. “Mr. Samuelson is in a big house. There’s security.”
“Where?” Kale demanded.
Veto gave an address. The men and Galdoni around me jotted it down.
“Let’s roll,” Goliath commanded. Saro, Lem, and two other Galdoni I recognized from the Academy but didn’t know in person prepared to leave. Goliath walked with me to the elevator. The other four Galdoni jumped out another panel that slid away to reveal an exit to the outside. I envied their easy flight.
Goliath shuffled from foot to foot as the elevator made its way down. “I hate these things,” he muttered.
“Nothing like a little box to remind you of home,” I replied.
He gave a deep chuckle that rumbled through the elevator. “Guess I didn’t know what I was missing.”
“Does it make you homesick?” I asked, throwing him a sideways look.
He grinned. “Not in the least.”
We stepped out at the first floor. Bear nodded amiably as we passed the desk. “Take care, gentleman,” the Galdoni growled.
“You, too, Tiny,” Goliath replied.
When I glanced back, Bear had a huge grin on his face.
The surveillance SUV was waiting outside the front door. My heart raced at the thought that we were heading toward Ava. I climbed onto the front seat the other Galdoni had left open for me. It was comical to see four adult Galdoni squeezed into the double seats of the SUV. With their wings and huge shoulders, they looked like bird sardines. I figured it would be at the best interest of my general welfare not to comment.