“It’s three in the morning, buddy. Why aren’t you sleeping?”
Will shrugged and grabbed a bowl of grapes. He popped one in his mouth and put the bowl on the table. “I never could sleep the night before a mission.”
“Me either.” Joshua grabbed a handful of grapes and ate one at a time.
Will studied him for a long time. Joshua hated that look.
Finally his friend narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” Joshua lied. “I just couldn’t sleep.”
“No, that’s not it. You look as if you just buried your dog or something.”
“I thought I’m the psychic and you’re the sniper. Don’t try to analyze me.”
Will’s mouth was full of grapes. He chewed and swallowed. “It doesn’t take psi to figure you out. You’re pissy about something.”
He hated to say it out loud. What he was thinking was too terrible. “She’s going to get killed and I don’t think I can stop it.”
Will’s eyes grew wide. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk this way in all the years we’ve worked together. You always find a way to win.”
“Banta may be too strong. Who knows how much power he’s amassed? I may not be able to protect her.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I may have brought this battle to you and all the others here in Key West and you all could be dead in a few hours.”
“We can take care of ourselves. We know the odds just like we do with every other mission. No one is forcing us to help you, Josh.”
“Look, if this is Banta then the odds are he’s set this entire thing up to get to me or maybe Kane. He’ll use her to hurt me the same way he’d use Lena to hurt Kane. Lena will go underground with the baby and her grandmother and stay safe…”
“But there’s no way you could talk Tessa into hiding.”
“Exactly.”
“She’s a Psi Agent, Josh. She’s tough and smart. I’m sure she can take care of herself.”
“It won’t matter. If Banta has found a way to gather and draw power from psychics then there’s no telling what he’s capable of.” His gut tightened painfully.
The expression on his friend’s face was open-mouthed shock. “You really don’t think you can beat him.”
Joshua rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m saying we may all end up dead by this time tomorrow and if you wanted to take off for parts unknown I wouldn’t blame you.”
“Nah, I’m with you ‘til this is over.”
“Me too,” Tessa said from a few feet behind the two men.
She must have blocked him or maybe he was too distracted. He never heard her wake up or approach. She was in his T-shirt and the shorts from earlier today. Her hair fell softly around her face.
“We could run,” he said.
She moved forward and leaned against him. He slid his arm around her waist. “Where would we go that he won’t find us?”
“There are some places in the mountains that would take him a long time to find. I have a little hut in Peru where we could stay a long time before he’d locate us.”
She shrugged. “What if one of the powers he’s developed is divination? Then it wouldn’t take more than a few days. We can’t run. We have to fight.”
“Fighting may get us killed.”
“Running will get us no better.” She grabbed for the grapes.
“What about that thing you do?” Will spoke around a mouth full of fruit.
She was watching him. Her curiosity just shot up about ten degrees. He tried to ignore her stare. “I can only get off one or two shots and then I need a power source. It’s not useful in an open battle. That’s why I only use it in retreat situations.”
Will’s eyes brightened. “Could you fight with a sixty-pound pack on your back?”
“Of course. What do you have rolling around in that thick skull of yours?”
“What are you two talking about?”
His old friend was practically jumping out of his skin. “Come on. Let’s show her and maybe we can strategically place a few things.”
Joshua shook his head and grinned at his friend’s ingenuity and enthusiasm. He turned to Tessa. “We’d better put some shoes on.”
He could practically hear the barrage of questions she had in her beautiful mind. He gave her a little shove toward the bedroom. “Come on. I have a pretty good idea what Will is thinking. Get shoes and we’ll show you.”
Once everyone was more suitably dressed and wearing shoes Will made a dash for the door. As he approached someone knocked. The all looked at each other and took up defensive positions near the door. Will opened a drawer in the console and removed a handgun.
“Open up, it’s Trip and Wanda,” Trip’s voice called through the door.
Joshua relaxed and Will smiled, opening the door. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”
Trip said, “No way we could sleep tonight so we thought we’d come by and see what preparations were being made. I managed to talk three more troops into joining us and everyone’s coming at dawn. Were you going somewhere?”
“To the shed.” Will hadn’t lost any of his enthusiasm for the project.
Joshua followed with the rest trailing behind.
Wanda asked Tessa, “What’s in the shed?”
“No idea.”
To an outsider the grounds looked as if they were an ordinary private airport, but Will had designed it that way to keep people from poking around. Of course he had a hangar for planes, but he had a small one for storage items and the dojo plus his unusual house. On the outside they were blank metal buildings with few windows and no frills. On the inside almost nothing was as it seemed. They’d only crossed half the hundred-yard distance to the shed when all five looked to the sky for the distinct sound of a small airplane approaching.
Will rushed back toward the house. A minute later the runway lights popped on and he jogged back smiling. “It’s just Kane.”
It had never occurred to Joshua that he’d missed his brother or that Kane showing up would give him such a sense of relief. Still, it washed over him as if he’d been actively anticipating his brother’s arrival and with it came a sense of calm. Maybe everything would be all right.
Tessa’s fingers entwined with his. She must have sensed the change in him. When he looked into her eyes he knew she understood. How could she know him so well in so short a time? What was it between them that made her so important to him?
One thing was certain, he could not lose her. Not now. Not after just finding her. He would find a way to keep her safe and keep her with him.
The jet engine roared as the plane came into sight and touched down on the runway, slowing as it rolled closer. Joshua moved toward where it would likely stop when another familiar sound stopped him.
“Helicopter.” He had to shout over the din of engines and propellers.
The pop of automatic weapon fire sent all but Will running back toward the house. From the front door Joshua watched Will continue to the shed.
The jet pulled to a stop, Kane ran down the steps and in a second they were rolled up, the door closed and the plane taxiied and took off.
The speeding plane had blocked the man from the view of the helicopter. Joshua spared only a glance. He rushed to the armory and grabbed an AK-47 and five clips. By the time he came back Tessa was running toward him with a shirt and combat vest. She had pulled on jeans and was also in a vest.
Tossing the clothes aside for the moment, he crouched in the door and laid down some fire in the direction of the helicopter and gave his brother a chance to get out from behind the stack of metal drums where he’d taken cover. Kane ran toward the nearest building, the dojo, and got inside.
Bullets resounded off the buildings in a steady barrage.
Joshua let out the breath he’d been holding and donned the clothes Tessa had brought him. Wanda, Trip and Tessa were already in full gear by the time he was ready.
Wanda rounded the couch to look out the window. She stayed low where she was protected by the metal building. “He must be well-funded. That’s a twenty million dollar Apache out there.”
“He always did get the best toys,” Joshua said.
Tessa crouched behind the wall near the door and fired a controlled burst at the Apache. It was a good idea to make it harder for them to land and take up a formation.
Trip punched out a small window and did the same. It would help, but that helicopter was made for this kind of attack. Eventually they would land and by then he had better have a plan. “Do you think we can hold them off until dawn?”
Joshua said, “I think this will be over in fifteen minutes.”
Will burst in from the bedroom sucking wind and lugging a backpack that appeared to be filled to capacity. Joshua assumed he’d crawled in through the closet escape hatch. “Good God, it’s a mess out there. Here, put this on. I’ll start it and then you’ll likely get two or three uses out of it.” Will thrust the pack at Joshua.
“What is it?”
“Portable generator. I wanted to set out two bigger ones. I thought you could get a few good zaps out of each. These bastards got to us too fast. No time for more than the portable, but it should help.”
Joshua started laughing. “You’re a genius.”
“Yeah, I know.” Will smirked.
“What the hell are you two talking about? The Apache is down. We need more cover fire to get Kane out of there.” Tessa’s shouts were controlled but anxious.
An assault of psi energy pushed forward. Banta’s warped mind touched Joshua and though he was not in a position to see the enemy it was as if he were standing a few feet away.
Joshua closed his mind and shielded the others from Banta’s probing. Shielding was not one of his better talents. At this distance it would hold Banta off. But if Banta and his people got closer they would have to defend themselves. Of course Will was the least vulnerable since he had no psi talent. Bullets could kill the sharpshooter, but his soul was safe.
“Fire it up, Will.” Joshua slung the backpack over his shoulders and clipped the chest strap. It was every bit of sixty pounds, maybe more, since it was likely completely full of fuel.
He picked up his weapon, walked to the door and knelt down next to Tessa. He had to get close to hear her and shout to be heard over the generator. “Remember when you joked about me shooting fireballs?”
“Is this the right time to reminisce?” She fired her weapon, wounding one of Banta’s soldiers in the leg.
A dozen soldiers dressed in SWAT BDUs spread out from the Apache.
“Close off your mind and don’t open it until this is over. That goes for all of you. Close your minds and don’t use any psi abilities.” Joshua didn’t wait for anyone to reply or ask questions. He stood up and walked out the door. All four guns behind him started laying down cover fire. He could hear Tessa screaming something but there was too much noise to hear what it was, probably for him to get back inside.
He saw headlights coming in from the road. It looked as if the rest of his little army was arriving early. Good thing too. Banta had shown up with a full assault team.
Will had cut a small hole in the side of the backpack and left the cut end of an electrical cord sticking out. This was going to hurt. Joshua grabbed the wire. Voltage coursed through his body while he willed the pain away and forced himself to concentrate on focusing the energy. A moment later lightning flew from his outstretched fingers and sent the enemy running in every direction. He caught three soldiers with the charge. Their bodies jerked wildly and the smell of singed hair wafted through the air. All three dropped to the ground. If they weren’t dead they would be unconscious for a while.
The blades on the helicopter slowed and a lone figure stood beneath their shadows. Banta’s stark white teeth stood out in contrast to his dark skin. That bastard is smiling at me. Joshua sent another volley of electricity at Banta, but it just bounced away. It was as if he had a glass wall in front of him.
Joshua let off as his own power and that of the generator would not last long with a constant drain on the fuel. Banta stood, unharmed, staring at him.
“Josh, get back in here. Don’t waste it,” Will called from the house.
Gunfire erupted from both directions. Joshua turned and he leapt through the door, rolling until he came to rest against Tessa’s hip. She looked down at him with the widest eyes he’d ever seen. He probably should have had a more serious thought, but all he could manage was something about how beautiful she was and how much he wanted to kiss her.
“What the fuck was that?” she asked.
“It’s more like lightning, not really fireballs. I hope you’re not disappointed.”
He could tell she wanted to be annoyed with him. But she smiled, which was the last thing he’d expected. “You might have said something.”
“Yeah, well some people get a bit freaked out when they hear I can shoot lightning bolts from my fingers. It’s not exactly conducive small talk for dating. Unfortunately it didn’t have any effect on Banta, he must have a shield. I did use it at the Flacks’ farm, but you were busy.”
She frowned. “I wonder who he stole that power from.”
He didn’t respond though he couldn’t argue with her comment. Shielding had not been one of Banta’s natural psi talents when they’d worked together.
“Trouble at the dojo.” It had gotten oddly quiet outside and Trip’s voice was ripe with warning.
The building where Kane had sought safety was the farthest from the house. Farther than the length of a football field, it would leave any of them too exposed to get there and help him.
Three soldiers were closing in on his location.
“I don’t think I can reach that far with the bolts.” Joshua was talking mostly to himself. Kane had come to Key West to help him and now he was pinned down and alone. Joshua needed a way to help his brother and he could think of nothing.
Will knelt by the window with a rifle. “I can get the one on the left from here. The other two are a bit out of range. I might wound them.”
Without waiting for an answer he took the shot. The leftmost soldier dropped and didn’t move again. The house was again peppered with automatic-weapons fire. It was coming from the left where several of Banta’s team had run for cover behind an oil tank.
“Will?” It was all Joshua needed to say to get his question across.
“What the hell, but it’s going to make a hell of a stink.”
“Sorry, buddy. Cover me.” The entire group fired in the direction of the oil tank. They couldn’t penetrate or get to the men hiding in its shadow, but they managed to clear a path so Joshua could step out of the house. He grabbed hold of the generator wire and fired his lightning at the tank.
Banta screamed from where he still held position near the helicopter. The tank gave the eerie sound of metal twisting and the explosion that followed knocked Joshua off his feet and ten feet away from his original position.
The air rushed from his lungs. His head thudded on the hardtop. Heat from the fire flashed outward, singeing the hair on his arms. The fire rolled back to the fuel source and subsided to a steady burn. Smoke filled the air.
No further weapons fire came from that direction.
Joshua pushed himself back to his feet, shook off the cobwebs in his brain and ran toward the dojo. He heard footfalls behind and knew it was Tessa following. There was something nice about knowing she had his back. She fired toward Banta, but it had no effect. Whatever kind of shield he created neither electricity nor bullets could penetrate. Maybe it was keeping him from moving forward. Evidently all his men were expendable. He only protected himself and the helicopter.
Joshua changed out the clip in the AK-47 while he ran. When he was within range he fired toward the two who had gone to the right of the dojo. He clipped one on the shoulder and the other backed away.
The heat of the explosion had taken all the fi
re out of the oil and now it was tapering down. Out of the corner of his eye Joshua saw three figures running across the compound behind the shed. He knew it was Wanda, Will and Trip using the distraction to take a better position.
Suppressive fire from Banta’s men came in from the barricade of cars behind the helicopter.
Without any use of a microphone Banta’s voice boomed through the night. “You are a fool, Lakeland.”
Joshua saw the other soldier lift his gun. For leverage he touched the metal building. Joshua couldn’t fire on the metal building without the possibility of electrocuting his brother. More movement to the left told him more of Banta’s men were closing in on his position. He made a choice and fired his bolt toward the men on the left. After only three seconds the generator failed and the electricity petered away. Still, one of the soldiers fell.
Gunfire from the barricade ricocheted off the dojo. The enemy shooter fell.
Kane opened the dojo door and fired at Banta. The bullet got within three feet and dropped to the blacktop with a tinkle. He fired several more times with no effect.
A gun battle was erupting behind the helicopter. Soldiers were shouting orders on both sides.
Joshua stopped running, dropped the backpack and turned toward Banta. His old friend was within a hundred feet now. From the beams of the spotlights mounted on the buildings he could see the crazed look in Banta’s eyes.
“How so, Troth?” Joshua recognized having a certain psi power gave his foe an advantage. While the rest of them were carefully guarding their minds and unable to use most of their abilities Banta could remain wide open, unafraid of a mental attack.
Troth changed to a normal voice. “You should be flattered. I’ve gone to great lengths to get to you.”
Joshua took a step forward and put himself between Tessa and the madman. “I can’t say that’s my first reaction. You got a lot of good people killed for nothing.”
“You must know. You must have figured out by now. You must know what I can do. How far I’ve advanced.”
“I know gathering is an abomination. Stealing the aura of the psychically gifted leaves them without a soul. You’ve lost your last scrap of humanity, Troth.”
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