by R. D. Brady
“AZ,” Jen said. She typed, “rock formations in Arizona.” A slew of images appeared on the screen, and she began scrolling through them.
Danny rolled his hands into fists. Come on, Jen.
She continued to scroll, then backtracked to an image she had just passed. It was an image of a tall rock spire; it looked nothing like the sketch.
“That’s it,” she murmured. She brought up the national park associated with the formation.
Danny peered at the screen. “Canyon de Chelly National Monument?”
Jen scrolled through the park’s website. “Yeah. It was declared a park back in 1931. It’s part of the Navajo Nation, and few visitors are actually allowed.”
Jen found what she was looking for. “There you are.” She brought up a photo for something called “The Mummy Cave Ruin,” located in the eastern portion of the park. It was a rock wall with two holes in it; they bore an uncanny resemblance to eyes.
Danny leaned forward and gasped. “It’s real.”
CHAPTER 74
Jake dialed quickly. “We think we have a location—Canyon de Chelly National Monument. It’s in northeast Arizona. I need everything on it including who runs it. It’s part of Navajo territory.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll have everything in a few minutes.”
“Good.”
Jake disconnected the call. Jen was coming over with Noriko to repeat everything she had seen in the vision, in case there was anything else that might help them. He headed downstairs to make sure the team was ready to go. It would be a thirty-man team this time. He wasn’t taking another chance at being understaffed. Not like in Salem.
He reviewed the list of supplies and added a med unit, in case any of the kids were in bad shape. He considered calling Mary Jane, but quickly discarded the idea. They were working on very wild guesses right now.
He pulled out his phone and stared at the text message: az. He had no idea who had sent it. Apparently the phone that had sent it was in motion. Danny thought maybe on a plane.
He’d seen Noriko’s sketch, and he agreed it looked like the picture of Mummy Cave Ruin that Danny had sent him. But it still felt like everything was built on blind trust that Noriko’s vision would lead them to the children.
He looked once more at the text message. Well, whoever you are, I hope you’re looking out for these kids.
CHAPTER 75
Noriko had recounted every step of the vision three times. Now she sat quietly with Cleo while Henry, Jake, and Jen discussed their plan. No one had suggested she go along with them. No one had asked if she wanted to go.
Cleo looked up at her. Okay?
Yes. You?
Worried.
I’m sorry. It was a different type of vision, wasn’t it?
Connected to man.
Noriko nodded slowly. Yes. She realized that it was that connection that was unusual. The man had pulled her into the vision. He had helped her, allowed her to see. That had never happened before.
Is he a psychic? Noriko asked.
No. Connected to you. We need to go.
Go? Where?
The image of the rock wall appeared in Noriko’s mind. She gasped, then looked over at the other three, but they didn’t seemed to notice.
We can’t go.
Cleo stared into her eyes, not letting her look away. Supposed to be there.
Noriko shook her head even as she felt the pull.
Cleo nudged her.
Noriko shook her head again.
Cleo nudged her again, this time harder.
Noriko glared. Okay, okay. Just give me a minute.
She took a breath. She was very comfortable with Lou, Danny, and the gang at the Chandler school. But she had to admit, Jen, Henry, Jake… they intimidated her. When it came to dealing with the leopards, she was all confidence. But with humans, not so much. And Lou had told her some of what these people had done. They were like real life superheroes. She didn’t want to bother them with her concerns.
Cleo nudged her again, and Noriko could feel her impatience. “Okay, okay,” she muttered.
“Everything okay, Noriko?” Jen asked.
Jen, Henry, and Jake were all now looking at Noriko, and she felt her cheeks flame with color. Great. “Um, yes… sort of… No, actually.”
Jen gave her a smile. “Something you want to add?”
“Not me so much as Cleo. She, uh, wants to go. And I think I should go with her so I can tell you what she’s thinking.”
Jake was shaking his head before Noriko had even finished speaking. “No. You are not trained. This is going to be dangerous. Absolutely not.”
Cleo roared at Jake.
He sat back, his eyes large. “Did she just yell at me?”
“Um, yeah. See, Cleo knows that you’re going after the kids. And she also knows she’s the only one who can identify Victoria. She says she’s done it before.”
Henry frowned. “When?”
Jen answered for her. “When Victoria came to the estate. Cleo ran up to her. We all thought she was going to attack, but she didn’t. She stopped and bowed to Victoria.”
Cleo up sat straight and nodded.
“If Victoria’s there, Cleo will be able to find her,” Noriko said.
“She’s right,” Henry said. “Cleo may be our best chance.”
“And I need to go too,” Noriko said.
Jen, Henry, and Jake answered simultaneously. “No.”
“Look, it’s not just because of Cleo. I think—I think I’m supposed to be there. So I need to go.”
“What do you mean you’re supposed to be there? Did you have another vision?” Henry asked.
“Not exactly. I just have this feeling. I think I’m supposed to be there. Not to mention, I’m the only one who can understand Cleo.”
Henry and Jake exchanged a look. Jen cut in before they could speak. “Are you sure?”
Noriko nodded.
Jen watched her for a long moment. “Okay. But you do whatever we tell you to do. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“I mean it, Noriko.”
“I know. I will.”
Jen stared at her for a moment longer, then the three of them returned to their discussion.
Cleo gave a growl of contentment. But Noriko didn’t feel content. She felt terrified.
Oh, I don’t want to do this.
CHAPTER 76
The jet lurched, and Elisabeta stumbled, dropping her dress as she grabbed the side of the plane.
The pilot’s voice came over the intercom. “We’re in for a few bumps. There’s a short batch of turbulence ahead. Everyone should strap in.”
“Maybe a little more warning next time,” she mumbled as she retrieved her dress from the floor and slipped into it. She had just gotten it zippered when the plane shook again. Makeup will have to wait.
She looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of the bedroom door. The sheath was a dark green with a lace overlay. She had matching pumps and gold accessories that would complete the look. She would look like the modest philanthropist she was. Or at least, the philanthropist she wanted people to believe she was.
Of course, the truth was that she did donate to causes. She had arranged for hospitals and schools to be built all over the world. So she wasn’t a complete fraud. She just didn’t actually believe in any of the charities she donated to. They were a means to an end. They provided her the cover she needed to perform the activities she was really interested in.
And soon, all of that wouldn’t matter. Soon, she could stop playing society host and embrace her real role: ruler of all.
But she wasn’t quite there yet. She would give anything to avoid this idiocy in Manhattan tonight—yet another charity dinner. This one was at the St. Regis. The media would be there in full force and would cover everyone who entered. They always made a big deal about the rich and famous who attended these type of galas with the other rich and famous, as if they were a special type of spec
ies. Their giving back to society would be lauded and heralded by the media and all of the attendees’ publicists.
She wondered what the public would think if they knew just how little actually went to the charities, after the expenses were paid. The ballroom, the food, the staff, decorations, invitations… the expenses went on and on. And all of it was deducted from whatever was raised at the event.
And although she would love to avoid tonight, Elisabeta would need to be seen, just in case any whiff of the children’s situation drifted in her direction. She needed to be seen on this side of the country while events occurred on the other side. It was an annoyance, but it needed to be done.
Speaking of annoyances…
Elisabeta picked up her phone and dialed.
Gerard answered. “Yes?”
“Have you arrived?”
“We ran into some turbulence. The pilot needed to go around. But we will be landing in another few minutes.”
Elisabeta frowned. She did not like delays. “You understand that there needs to be no evidence found.”
“That will not be a problem. We have enough manpower. I will make sure not a trace is left.”
Elisabeta smiled at the confidence in his voice. This was the Gerard she knew. This was the Gerard she counted on. “When you return, we’ll have a quiet dinner,” she said. “Just the two of us, to celebrate.”
His voice took on a husky timbre. “I look forward to it.”
“As do I.”
She disconnected the call. Yes, she looked forward to it greatly. It would be a nice distraction from her inability to identify Victoria.
She still had the two girls, of course; she just wasn’t sure which one was Victoria. She had gone through the book again and again, but found nothing of use. She had scholars going over it now, focusing on a few passages she’d been unable to translate, and hopefully they would find the answer.
And if they didn’t, she had another way to determine Victoria’s identity. In the meantime, her plan would just have to adjust a little.
She would bleed them both.
CHAPTER 77
The flight across the country had been uneventful, and now Jake, Henry, Jen, and thirty Chandler operatives were barreling down Highway 191 toward the Canyon de Chelly National Monument in northeast Arizona.
It was a remote park, with few visitors, and was jointly managed by the National Park Service and the Navajo Nation. Forty Navajo families lived on the park’s one hundred thirty-two square miles, farming and raising livestock
Jake had his computer open and was waiting for the satellite imagery of the park to update. Given the images he had now, it didn’t look like Samyaza had arrived with children yet. Assuming we even have the right place. And they still didn’t know exactly what they were walking into.
Truth was, they were heading across the country based on a psychic vision and a two-letter text. It was a far cry from the missions Jake had performed for the military, with pages of intel. But not long after Laney had entered his life, he’d learn not to question the path laid in front of him. As much as his younger self would balk at what he did now, he had learned that the world was much more than what he could touch and see.
But not all his lessons from the past had been lost. He had six teams of six, and he had not relied solely on his own men. He’d contacted Mustafa at the SIA, who’d arrived with a handful of agents, all trusted, and all with special skills. There were separated into five SUVs; Jen was at the wheel of Jake’s. Choppers would have been quicker, but they also would have been easier for Elisabeta’s people to spot.
In his mind, Jake reviewed each of the three dozen operatives that would be involved. He wasn’t worried about any of them. On this trip, there was only one person he was worried about.
He glanced at Noriko, who sat right behind him with Cleo next to her. “You okay?”
Noriko nodded, but her face was pale. “Yeah. I’m okay.”
“Just stay with Cleo, okay? And if anything goes wrong, you hide. We’ll find you. We’re going to drop you and Cleo off, well away from the fighting, then bring you in after we have the kids, so you can identify Victoria.” He had tried to get Cleo and Noriko to stay back at the airport, but Noriko had insisted they needed to go along with them. “It’s not too late, you know. You don’t have to do this.”
Cleo lifted her head and looked at Noriko. Noriko met her stare before turning back to Jake. “No, I’m in.”
Jake glared at the cat. “You’d better not be pressuring her.”
Cleo licked her paw.
Jake rolled his eyes. I’m arguing with a giant cat.
“It’s okay. I’m—I’m supposed to be here.”
Jake studied the young woman. Noriko had always struck him as shy, not one to push too hard. Yet she had been there to save Lou, and now here she was again. He was going to have to modify his assessment of her. But he still didn’t like taking her with them.
Noriko ran her hand through Cleo’s pelt absentmindedly. “It’s so different here. It almost looks like a different world.”
“Yeah. First time I saw the southwest, I thought the same thing.”
She gave him a small smile before looking back out the window.
Jake turned back to his data, still uncomfortable with Noriko coming along.
“She’ll be all right,” Jen said.
“I know. I just don’t like taking her in there.”
“Like you said, we’ll bring her in only when the kids are secure. She won’t be near the fighting.”
Yeah, because firefights always play out exactly as planned.
CHAPTER 78
The Arizona landscape flew past as Laney and Drake turned off 191 and onto Route 7. Laney couldn’t help but think of Red Canyon, when Henry had been grabbed by Sebastian Flourent. That felt like a lifetime ago; so much had happened since then.
Laney hadn’t contacted Henry, Jake, Jen or anyone from the Chandler Group yet. Dom’s website had let her know where they were going. But she and Drake had already been in the air on the way there—thanks to a tip from Drake’s “source,” one he had been incredibly closed-mouthed about.
She watched Drake from the corner of her eye. He was focused on the road, and she was focused on his muscular forearms as he gripped the steering wheel. She had an image of him walking toward her with no shirt, only a leather skirt.
Her pulse jumped, and she turned quickly to look out the side window. Ever since she had woken up, she had been having flashes of her life as Helen—and of her relationship with Achilles. Friendship, belonging, desire—they all accompanied the visions.
But they felt like a cheat. Like she was jumping past the getting-to-know-you stage and right to the immortal-love stage. After all, it had been years—thousands of years—since they’d been Helen and Achilles. He had lived all that time, and it had to have changed him. He was no longer the same man. He couldn’t be.
And she wasn’t Helen, either. Helen had been raised the heir to a warrior kingdom, with brothers, a sister, and two parents. Laney had been an orphan at age eight, an abuse victim until age ten, and then the only child of a priest. Her life and Helen’s couldn’t be any more different—which meant she was different. All the research said biology and environment played almost equal roles in who you became. So Laney’s life experiences meant she wasn’t Helen. And Drake’s meant he was no longer Achilles.
So who are we to each other now? Just old loves? Because as much as she told herself her feelings were only an artifact from Helen’s life, what she felt… it seemed real. And all-consuming.
Laney sighed. She needed to pull herself together. There would be time to figure this all out later. Right now they had more pressing concerns.
“You all right, ring bearer?”
Composing herself, she turned to him and nodded. He’d called her ring bearer—his attempt at reminding himself she had other priorities. And a good reminder for me, too.
“Are you sure the children are her
e? And who is this source of yours?” she said. Drake had shocked her when he’d told her he knew where the kids were heading.
Drake raised an eyebrow. “My source is working inside Elisabeta’s operation, and for now that’s all I’m going to tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t think you’ll believe me—or him. He’s one of Elisabeta’s inner circle. He contacted me months ago.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“He’s been quiet. He only contacted me today. It’s the first time in months.”
“Why you?”
Drake paused. “We knew each other in one of his past lives. We were friends. He recently remembered that. And when he realized you were missing, he knew I was involved again.”
Laney frowned. “Who is he?”
Drake just smiled. “An old friend. You can trust him, Laney. He wants those children safe.”
Laney’s mind whirled, trying to figure out who this “old friend” could be. But her thoughts were interrupted by a sign that appeared ahead. “There’s the service entrance.”
Drake turned, and the SUV bucked as they left the smooth asphalt for the dirt road that would lead them into the park.
Laney gripped the emergency bar. “Drake, I need you to promise me something.”
He glanced at her and shook his head. “No.”
“No? What do you mean, no? I haven’t even asked you yet.”
“You’re going to ask me to promise to protect the children above all else, even you. And I can’t do that.”
“Drake, you can and you will. Because I won’t be able to live if my life was chosen over a child’s. You know that. So promise me.”
The silence between them was heavy before Drake finally spoke. “You’re going to drive me to an early grave,” he grumbled.
“You’re, what? Thousands of years old? I think we’ve passed the early grave possibilities.”
“Yeah, but my life only truly began when you woke back up.”
Laney went still. “Drake.”
He grinned. “… is what a cheesy romantic would say. Fine. You want me to save the kids before you, you got it. You’re on your own.”