by R. D. Brady
And then, he had learned Jake was alive—because his mother had given him some of her blood. His mother was not a Fallen, or a nephilim, or a ring bearer. She was something else entirely. The first and last of her kind. And her blood could heal—as it had healed Jake.
The Fallen didn’t need Victoria’s blood to heal, though. They could do that on their own. But her blood could do more than just heal. It could grant someone immortality—if they used every last drop.
“But for that to work,” Henry said, “they’d need to wait until she was adult. There’s simply not enough blood in a child’s body to have the same effect.”
“I know. But they could hold her until she grew. There’s no other reason for the Fallen to take her now.”
An idea flashed through Henry’s mind, and he recoiled at the very idea of it. Even the Fallen could not be that cruel. He shoved the thought aside. “Do we even know if they’ve found her? I mean, is this McAdams girl Victoria?”
Danny shook his head. “I don’t know. Like I said, it’s not just the McAdams girl that’s missing. There are dozens of missing kids, all girls with red hair and blue eyes. I mean, Henry, there’s dozens of cases. She could be any of them or none of them. I’m just beginning to gather the background data on the cases. And that’s the other problem—how will they know who she is? I mean, all the children have red hair and blue eyes. How will they tell which one is her?”
“They can’t,” Henry said softly. “Not yet. Which means they’ll have to hold on to all of them until they figure it out.”
CHAPTER 24
WASHINGTON, DC
The seal of the United States was emblazoned on the blue rug in the office of Nancy Harrigan, Secretary of State. As always, she was careful to step around it as she made her way to the desk. It seemed disrespectful to tread on it.
With a sigh, Nancy placed her folder on the desk. Kicking off her shoes, she slid into her chair, leaned her head back, and closed her eyes. She’d just finished a marathon session with the Joint Chiefs on the situation in Israel. The attack on the Temple Mount had had reverberations around the world. Almost every country seemed to have a stake in it.
And they all seemed to agree upon two things. One: the Fallen could not be publicly recognized. The public’s reaction was unpredictable, but no country was under the impression that learning that there were humans with extraordinary abilities would be peacefully accepted by the populace at large. And two: Delaney McPhearson must be found and made to answer for her actions.
Nancy agreed on that point—although not in the same way as the others. The incidents in Jerusalem and Australia were not the first time she had heard of McPhearson. She had been good friends with Matt Clark since her early days at State. Matt had taken her into his confidence and had explained about the Fallen years ago. Nancy herself had worked behind the scenes to help keep the funding for the SIA going and in the shadows.
After the Israel incident, she had sat down with Matt and demanded he tell her about Delaney McPhearson. Nancy needed to know if she needed to execute the woman or thank her. Matt explained about her being the ring bearer and being called into service when the world was reached a tipping point.
Nancy hadn’t known what to say. She was not overly religious. She’d been raised Protestant but rarely attended church. She believed in God, she supposed, but it was more a hedging of bets than anything else. There simply seemed to be more risk in denying God’s existence than accepting it.
When Matt had first explained about the Fallen, Nancy had been able to accept that there existed people with different abilities. She had grown up reading Marvel and DC comics, so it wasn’t a huge leap. And besides, she had a background in biology. She knew the potential trapped in the human genome. But she just figured these people were the next step in human evolution. Actual fallen angels? A ring bearer? That was a bit of a stretch.
By some miracle, the media’s focus on Delaney McPhearson’s abilities had been pushed into the background—instead, they were now primarily focusing on her past. Nancy knew that focus was pushed behind the scenes by spin doctors who were making sure the most palatable interpretation was accepted by the public.
And the most palatable explanation was that Delaney McPhearson was a danger to the public and must be brought to heel.
Then the West Virginia tape had made a splash. The woman Delaney McPhearson had “killed” in cold blood had killed federal agents in front of the world. Anyone watching that tape would not be able to overlook the ability of the priestess to heal what should have been mortal wounds. The cat was starting to slip out of the bag.
Nancy knew it was only a matter of time before the Fallen were fully recognized for who they were—if not angels, at least humans with abilities. And once again, the world would look for someone to blame.
The United States needed to be ready for that moment.
Nancy glanced at the message on her desk. Matt had called this morning, and then again when she was in her meeting. Although no details were provided, she knew what he wanted: the location where the inmates from the SIA facility had been moved.
But in providing Matt that information, she would be breaking all sorts of rules, even some laws. And she couldn’t do that. Not yet.
She drummed her fingers on the desk. Ever since Matt had told her about the Fallen, she’d known a time would come when she would have to become more directly involved. She would have to choose a side. All these years she’d kept an eye on the SIA, but always from the shadows. Now it felt as if everything was reaching a boiling point. Most of the world leaders seemed to think that the Temple Mount situation was the start of a new war.
Nancy knew they were wrong. It was the opening salvo in a new phase of an ancient war.
Blowing out a breath, she reached over and punched her intercom.
Her aide Melanie’s voice answered immediately. “Yes, Secretary?”
“Get me everything you can on Elisabeta Roccorio.”
“Yes, Secretary. Anything else?”
Nancy hesitated. Then sighed. “Yes. Find me everything you can on Samyaza.”
Melanie paused. “Samyaza? Like in the Bible?”
“Yes. Find me everything you can from all religions on the leader of the angels who made them all fall.”
CHAPTER 25
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
The sun had started to slink below the horizon. Henry had had back-to-back meetings for the rest of the day after speaking with Danny, but he’d struggled to focus on them. He’d cancelled the last meeting of the day, his head just not there. He’d planned on getting an update from Danny, Jen, and Jake. But instead he found himself sitting at his desk and turning his chair to watch the green hills of his estate.
Danny’s news had shocked him to his core. The idea that Victoria was in danger—that she was helpless, not knowing who she was or what she would become—was tearing at him. She was a child, and at this moment she was completely innocent. And now someone was trying to find her.
No, not someone. Samyaza. Henry had no doubt that she was the one behind all of this. Each lifetime she came back the same: hard and cruel. And each lifetime his mother fought her to the best of her ability. It wasn’t right.
The only solace he had was knowing that she would not remember who she was, what her duty was, for her first twelve years. On the day she turned thirteen, all her memories would return, but until then, she was a child like any other child. She had a family, friends—hell, she probably even had pets and crushes. She was a normal girl.
And Henry wanted that for her. It was the least she was owed with all that she had sacrificed over her lives. And now Samyaza was trying to take that from her as well.
A tingle rolled over him.
“Henry?”
He turned as Jen walked across the office toward him.
“Hey,” he said softly.
“What are you doing in the dark?”
“I don’t know. I just—” He felt tears in the bac
k of his eyes. He took a shaky breath.
Jen knelt down in front of him and placed her hand on his cheek. “Hey. What’s going on? What happened?”
Henry took a breath. “Samyaza—she’s looking for my mother.”
Jen blinked, her surprise obvious. “Are you sure?”
Henry nodded. He had spoken with Jen and Jake earlier, but he hadn’t been able to bring himself to tell them what Danny suspected. He gave her a condensed version of what Danny had learned. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. I just—I hate this. I mean, we’re all adults. Being part of this fight, it’s our choice. But Mom, she’s a child right now. She shouldn’t be a part of this. She shouldn’t have to fight. She should get to be an innocent for as long as she can.”
Jen took his hand. “You’re right. It’s not fair. It’s not right. But if it is happening, we need to find her. We need to help her. We need to help all of them.”
He looked into her eyes, so very thankful she was in his life. “I love you.”
She leaned up and kissed him gently. “And I love you.”
Henry leaned his head into hers, breathing deep. She centered him. She grounded him. She fulfilled him.
Finally, he leaned back. “How are the McAdamses?”
Jen stood up and sat on the edge of his desk, shaking her head. “A mess. They’re a good family. They love one another, but they’ve already been through so much.”
“Any idea if the boys will have abilities as well?”
Jen shrugged. “Only Laney can tell.”
Henry felt his sister’s loss again. He hated that she was out there. He hated that he couldn’t help her. Hell, he couldn’t even find her. God, he felt useless. He had resources at his fingertips that most people could only dream of. He himself was beyond powerful. And yet he could not help his mother or his sister.
“Hey, stop that,” Jen said.
“Stop what?”
“I know you—you’re kicking yourself up one side and down the other for things that are beyond your control. We will find your mother. We will help her. And we’ll help the McAdams kids and all the others, because it’s what we do.”
“And Laney?”
Jen grinned. “If I know your sister, she’ll show up when she’s taken care of whatever it is she’s doing. When she wakes up, she’ll find us.”
Because she’s still sleeping. All of them had accepted Cleo’s statement that Laney was sleeping. In no small part because it was easier to picture her sleeping peacefully, than in danger.
“What do you think Cleo means by that?” Henry asked.
“I have no idea. But we have other things that we can do right now, so let’s not wander off into the world of what if.”
“You’re right. So what’s the next step?”
Jen hopped off the desk and put out her hands. Henry took them, and she pulled him up. He smiled at her strength.
“Now,” Jen said, “we go have a powwow with Jake and Patrick. We need to figure out our war party.”
“A powwow? Isn’t that racially insensitive?”
“Nope. Because I’m going to war. How about you?” Jen gave him a smile that reminded him just how dangerous this woman in front of him was.
And instead of being shocked or frightened, he felt emboldened. He wasn’t powerless. None of them were. And together, they’d figure this out. “Right there with you.”
“Great. So let’s go.” She smacked him on the ass.
A laugh burst from him, and he pulled her close. “I am very lucky to have you.”
She leaned into his chest. “Right back at you.”
CHAPTER 26
Jake walked down the hall toward Danny’s office. He and Jen had just returned. Jen had gone to find Henry, but Jake had gotten a text from Danny, asking if he could stop in. Seeing as how Danny was the one who had found the McAdams link, Jake was hopeful that Danny had found something new on Susie’s disappearance.
Mary Jane’s family had filled his mind ever since he’d stepped out of their house. He knew a death could tear a family apart. But Mary Jane had kept her family together after her husband’s death. He could see how much her children loved her. And he could also see she was their strength. They all looked to her, even her brother. He couldn’t help but wonder who she had to lean on.
He knocked on Danny’s open door. “Hey.”
Danny turned from his screen. “Hey, you’re back.”
“Yeah. Your text said you might have found something. Can you walk me through it?”
Danny nodded, but Jake couldn’t help but notice how pale he looked. Another one struggling. But even as he thought it, he saw Danny push his concerns aside as he brought up a screen filled with pictures of children.
Jake stepped closer. All girls, all with red hair and blue eyes. “What’s this all about?”
“There are three hundred fifty three thousand children born every day,” Danny began. He started spouting statistics and numbers so fast and furious that Jake’s head was beginning to spin.
Finally, Jake put up a hand. “Okay, so if I’ve got this straight: approximately one percent of the children born every day have red hair and blue eyes. Half of those are female. And when you went searching, you found a link between missing kids and those born within twenty-four hours of Victoria’s death. Do I have that right?”
Danny nodded, and Jake felt no small amount of pride that he’d been able to decipher Danny’s explanation.
Jake turned back to the monitor. “But you said that there’s, what, thirty-six kids missing?”
Danny nodded again.
“According to your numbers, there should be a lot more who match the requirements.”
“There are fifteen hundred matches.”
“So how’d they narrow it down? They have to be focusing on specific children for some reason.”
“I agree. But what reason? All I’ve found in common is their birth dates.”
Jake frowned as he looked at all of the little faces. “What countries are the missing kids from?”
“Uh, all over the place. The US, Great Britain, France, Australia, the Netherlands, Canada.”
“All developed countries,” Jake mused. He stared at the pictures. No, it couldn’t be. “Where did these pictures come from?”
“They were part of the case files for the missing children reports.”
“Yes, but originally: were they posted online?”
Recognition crossed Danny’s face as he bent his head to his tablet. He looked back up seconds later. “All the pictures were published on social media websites. They found the kids through the internet.”
“They probably checked birth records first, then ran a search of social media sites to cut those numbers down.” Jake stepped toward the screen. All of the children had dark blue eyes—vibrant, almost violet—not gray blue or even pale blue.
“But even if they manage to weed out the kids by hair and eye color, that still won’t tell them who Victoria is,” Danny said.
“No, it won’t. They must have some way to tell. They wouldn’t go to all this trouble if they didn’t.”
“So what do they know that we don’t?” Danny asked.
“A lot, it would seem.” Jake turned and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To have a chat with a priest.”
CHAPTER 27
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
Nancy slipped into a more comfortable pair of slacks and a cream sweater. What she really wanted was to throw on her pajamas, robe, and slippers. But even though she was in her Alexandria home, her workday was not quite done yet; she still had one more meeting to take. One she did not want on the visitor log for her office.
She glanced at her heels, and practically shuddered at the idea of putting them on. So she made one concession and threw on her slippers. There was only so much a woman could take, after all.
The doorbell rang as she was making her way down the wooden staircases. She nodded at
the Secret Service agent at the bottom of the stairs, and he moved to the front door to answer it. As the door opened, she caught sight of a familiar face.
“Hello, Matt.”
Matt Clark, the former director of the SIA, gave her a nod as he stepped into the foyer. “Madame Secretary. Thank you for agreeing to see me.”
“I must admit you have me curious.” Nancy nodded at the agent. “Bill, why don’t you get some coffee? Matt and I will be in my study.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Nancy inclined her head down the hall. Matt followed her. She slid the pocket doors open to reveal a wood-paneled office with a long desk, not a paper in sight. Bookshelves held pictures rather than books, and two club chairs with a coffee table in between sat in front of the lit fireplace.
Nancy walked over to the waiter caddy by the window behind one of the club chairs. “Drink?”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
Me either, Nancy thought as she poured two scotches. She handed one to Matt, then took a seat in one of the chairs, waving Matt into the other. “So, Matt. What brings you to my doorstep tonight?”
Matt smiled as he took his seat. “Oh, I think you already know that.”
“The SIA inmates.”
“I’d like to know where they’ve been taken and what you plan to do with them.”
“I don’t plan to do anything with them. It’s not a State Department matter.”
Matt studied her over the rim of his glass. “But as one of the members of the oversight committee on the SIA, I’m sure you’re in the loop.”
Now it was Nancy’s turn to study Matt as she took a sip. She had known Matt for nearly two decades, and he had always struck her as a straightforward man committed to public service and to the country. She did not like that his reputation was being tarnished by the events at the SIA.