“How do these triggers operate?” Owen asked.
The man looked disgusted with himself. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “It depends on the type of nanos that were injected.”
“Another aspect that could more slowly affect world population is that unless certain modifications are made to the formula, it’s nearly impossible to conceive,” the woman said. “That was one of the pieces we were working on in our lab. On the one hand, it makes sense if people are going to be living longer and longer lives. But it wasn’t done for altruistic reasons. It was done so that only a handful of world leaders could decide who gets to procreate.”
“These modifications automatically give huge power to a small set of individuals, then,” Ty said. “Talk about an evil empire.”
“So we find the formulas—and the labs making them—and eliminate them,” Rocco said.
“We thought that at first,” the man said, “but we’re now hearing reports about spontaneous mutations occurring among the affected population. It’s like the human organism is being retrained by the behaviors of the nanos. Like nature is taking back over, healing and improving itself.”
“So that’s a good thing,” Greer said, frowning.
“In theory, perhaps,” the woman said. “We don’t know the full extent of these mutations. We don’t know what they’re doing, not doing, what they’re changing in the human genome. We opened Pandora’s box.”
“The formulas for the human modifications are still in the control of the Omnis,” the man said. “If they act quickly, they can situate themselves in a power position. And that’s what they’re attempting to do.”
“I’m sorry about Grams’ house,” the woman said to Wynn. “We were there that night. We’d been hiding in her house until you came.”
“I saw you,” Angel said.
The woman nodded. “We were trying to make contact with Wynn, but the Omnis followed us to you. We brought them to you. I’m so sorry.”
“We narrowly escaped,” the man said. “We talked to the fire department and the sheriff, told them we were neighbors of yours. We wanted to find out how to reach you. They gave us Kit’s information.”
“We didn’t know which side of the Omni war Kit and the rest of you were on,” the woman said. “We came up here and stayed in a hotel, checking the pulse of the townspeople to see if you were safe or not. Finally, we got up the courage to talk to the police. We gave a statement to the deputy. It sounded so crazy, what we had to say. I mean, what sane person would believe us? But it was such a relief to finally reach out for help. And then Jafaar showed up and our freedom was lost. Again. He took us. He took you.” She looked at Wynn. “We had no choice but to go with him in exchange for his releasing you. Which he did. He kept his word.”
“Only because he figured it would be easy to take her again, if and when he wanted,” Angel said.
“So the deputy’s dirty,” Ty said, looking at Kit. “Is the sheriff?”
Kit’s jaw clenched. “We’ll find out.”
“Angel, escort the Ratcliffs to their room,” Owen said. “I would suggest you don’t leave the house,” he said to the couple. “For your own protection.”
“Don’t worry about us. If we’re safe here, we won’t cause any problems,” the woman said as she stood. “Besides, we’d like to get to know our daughter again.”
Wynn got to her feet. “We don’t know that you’re my parents yet.”
“The DNA doesn’t lie,” the man said.
“Maybe not naturally, but it’s your creative playground. You could make it lie. Goodnight.” Wynn left the room, heading down the hall toward the backstairs to her apartment, in the opposite direction that Angel was taking the couple.
“We got incoming,” Max said before anyone else could leave the room. Angel was halfway up the stairs with Wynn’s parents. He paused, looking over the banister to Kit.
“Who is it?” Kit asked.
“Doc Beck.” Max looked around the room. “Anyone expecting a house call?”
Silence met his question. The doorbell rang. Kit opened it. “Doc. Weren’t expecting you.”
“Yeah. Sorry for the late visit.” Beck looked into the living room and saw everyone standing there. “I need to talk to you and Owen…and Ms. Jacobs.”
Addy tensed. Owen moved to stand in front of her. “What’s this about?”
“I’d like a private word with Ms. Jacobs, then we can talk.”
Addy gripped Owen’s shirt, then tiptoed to whisper, “I don’t want to be alone with him.”
He nodded. “Doctor, let’s go to the den.”
Beck moved deeper into the foyer, catching sight of the couple claiming to be Wynn’s parents. “Doctors Ratcliff?” he asked.
“Dr. Beck?” the man answered. Owen saw the look Wynn’s dad exchanged with her mom.
Beck seemed to relax a little. “Glad you’re here. You might want to join us.”
“It’s cool, Angel. Bring ’em back down,” Kit said. “We’ll be here when you’re finished with Addy.”
Owen led the way down the hall to the den. When the three of them were inside, he closed the door.
“This is a confidential matter concerning Ms. Jacobs only,” Beck said, staring at Owen.
“She’s asked me to stay with her.”
Beck made a face, then handed an envelope to Addy. “Your tests came back clear.”
“What tests?” Owen asked.
Addy’s face reddened. “I saw the GYN at the clinic a couple of days ago. I wanted to be sure I was clear of STDs.”
“Oh.” Owen folded his arms. “Okay.” He blinked, unable to keep the hint of a smile off his face until he looked back at Beck. “And what is it you wanted to say to my team?”
“I ran into Ms. Jacobs at the clinic. I saw her eyes. It was a clever cover she gave, saying it was from ‘mood’ contacts. The staff fell for it…and have been looking for them ever since.” He chuckled. “But I knew that wasn’t the case. Owen, I’m working with your father. He sent me here in part to patch you guys up like I have been, but also to watch for the mutations to show up. With you guys in the thick of things, we surmised you would be among the early recipients. And I’m glad to see you found the Ratcliffs. They’ve been missing for a couple of months. We weren’t sure they’d survived the Omni purge that’s been going on.”
“Shit,” Owen said. “Why didn’t you come to me sooner?”
“Orders.”
“So my dad really is still alive. Where is he?”
“He moves around a lot, but he’s on his way out here. I’m sure you’ll see him soon.”
So many damned secrets. Owen was sick of them. “Let’s take this to the team. They’re waiting in the living room.”
The doctor left first. Owen caught Addy by the hand and brought her to face him. Holding both of her hands, he smiled. “That is good news about your tests.”
Shadows crowded her eyes. “It’s a miracle.”
“How long since you were with anyone?”
“A long while. But you know, some of that stuff doesn’t go away.”
Owen kissed her forehead. “Well, you’re clear. I’m clear. We’re good.”
She sighed and nodded. “Yeah. We’re good.”
23
Kit was sitting on Sheriff Tate’s front stoop early the next morning when he came out. Tate went down the stairs, then turned around and faced Kit. “What is it now?”
Kit stared at him, wondering if he could see in the sheriff’s eyes the slow rot of Omni influence. He couldn’t. Didn’t mean it wasn’t there. “Are you dirty, Tate?”
“What the fuck does that mean? You been drinkin’, Kit?”
“I wish. Wouldn’t feel so disgusted then.”
“Look, I had one cup of coffee this morning, not nearly enough caffeine to help me make sense of your cryptic comments. You got something to say, say it.”
“Have you ever heard of the Ratcliffs?”
“No.”
“Never got a report from them about a potential human extinction event?”
“Jesus, boy. You high?”
“They talked to Deputy Jerry. Begged him for protection. They’ve been through hell. They needed help. You didn’t bring them to us.”
“Because this is the first I’m hearing about it.” Tate rubbed his hand over his head. “When did this happen?”
“A couple of weeks ago.”
“Where?”
“At the station.”
“We record everything. They’d be on the video.”
“Where’s Deputy Jerry?”
“He’s off today.”
“Then let’s go take a look at the tapes.” Kit came down the steps.
“Not so fast. What’s this human extinction event you’re talking about?”
“Just what it sounds like. Total and complete Armageddon. That’s all I can say.”
At the police station, they pulled up the security footage from the same date as the videos Kit had taken from Ivy’s diner across the street. When nothing showed on the station’s recordings other than an ordinary day of normal activity, Kit played his videos, one taken from street level, one from the third floor of Ivy’s building. Both showed the Ratcliffs going into the police station.
“That them?” Tate asked. “That the doctors you’re talking about?”
“Yeah. Who was on shift that day?”
“Just Jerry and me.”
“And yet Jerry’s nowhere on these tapes.” Kit straightened, putting his hands on his hips. He hung his head, then looked at the sheriff. “If you’re in on this, sheriff…”
“In on what, Kit? What’s going on? Ain’t it about time you read me in?”
“No can do. Not now.”
The sheriff stood. “You got a fucking extinction-level event, whatever the hell that is, coming to my town. You better rearrange your thinking, fast.”
“It’s not just your town it’s gonna hit, though this may be ground zero. Your hysteria is not going to help us. Evacuating the town is not going to help us. The only way we can shut it down is to catch who’s behind it. At the very minimum, your deputy’s in it up to his neck.”
“So let’s bring him in.”
“No. Let’s leave him loose and stupid. See where the rat runs. I want access to his comms, his phone, his vehicle GPS.” Kit pointed at the sheriff. “And you keep your fucking mouth shut. Act normal. We’ll take this from here.”
Tate slammed his desk chair into his desk. “Whatever you need. Just don’t let my town go down in history, read me?”
Kit didn’t answer. He opened the sheriff’s door and calmly walked out of the station. “Max,” he said into his comms, “you heard the convo. The sheriff’s gonna patch you in.”
Jafaar’s phone rang.
“I hear you have something I want,” Edwards said over the phone.
Jafaar stared at the small window on his phone, surprised it was Edwards on the other end of King’s line. He knew Edwards was King’s right-hand man, but usually, calls from that number were digitally modified. Did that mean that Jafaar had pestered King enough to bring him to the table?
He knew Edwards knew about the Ratcliffs because he’d put the word out himself…hoping for just this call. The damned Feds had taken his bargaining chips, but Edwards didn’t need to know that. “I do,” Jafaar replied. “You know what I want.”
“You can’t bargain with something that already belongs to me.”
“I can if I have them and you want them.” Jafaar sighed, playing his hand carefully. If Edwards learned the Feds had the Ratcliffs, all bets were off. “I’m not your enemy, Mr. Edwards. I want a franchise, not full ownership. I want to extend your power, not eclipse it. You can’t run the world without trustworthy partners, correct?”
“Bring them to me. We’ll talk terms then.”
“No. Let’s hammer out our agreement first. I want it in al Jahni’s hands before I bring you the scientists.”
“Very well. I’ll have my lawyers draft an agreement. Then I’ll send coordinates for our transfer.”
“It’s a pleasure doing business with you,” Jafaar said, but the line was dead before he finished.
Jafaar took a moment to savor his win. He had only to give Deputy Jerry the app that would trigger Owen’s woman’s termination sequence. Once she was on death’s door, Jafaar had no doubt Owen would hand over the doctors in exchange for hope of a cure. Of course, Jafaar didn’t have it; only the doctors could figure that out. And by then, it would be too late.
Selena brought Addy, Troy, and Zavi out to the arena. It was a beautiful, crisp autumn day. The sky was a deep, cloudless blue. The sun was warm. It felt wonderful to be outside. Addy smiled at the boys. How strange to be doing something normal. Selena would protect them. This activity wasn’t a power play, wasn’t an act of survival, wasn’t anything necessary at all. Addy hadn’t had many of these days in the last decade.
“I’m so excited for our ride today, aren’t you boys?” she asked.
“I get to ride a lot,” Zavi said, tilting his head. “I have my own pony.”
“Is that her?” Troy asked, pointing to a dark brown Shetland pony tied up near a corral.
“Yeah, that’s Betty. Isn’t she beautiful? Mom likes me to groom her before I ride her. Want to help me with that?”
“Sure!”
“Okay. Come up easy so we don’t scare her. I’ll tell you everything I do. Let her sniff you. That’s how she says hello.”
Mandy came over and said to Addy, “Betty is the kindest old pony I’ve ever met. She’s very patient with kids, like she knows they’re colts and that they don’t always behave correctly. She’s been a great asset to me here.”
“So you give lessons?” Addy asked. “Is that what you do here?”
“That, and much more. This is a hippotherapy center. My background’s in physical therapy. I opened this center as a way of helping clients with their physical, mental, and emotional needs. Sometimes, we work with injured people to help them regain strength and balance. Sometimes counselors and psychologists bring their patients here to work on their specific needs. It’s absolutely amazing the ways horses can help humans. Sometimes, it’s like they just know better than we do what our patients need.”
Addy smiled. “That’s impressive. I’m so glad you invited us out here.”
“I think the boys will be busy with Betty for a little bit. Want to start with you?”
“Sure. I warn you, though, riding isn’t something I’ve done much of. And when I did, it was English style.”
“No worries. We’ll start at the beginning.”
Owen came down to the corral, wanting to see how Addy and Troy took to riding. He hoped they loved it. Addy needed something to get her out of her head and into the world. And this was a beautiful day to do it. The boys were running in and out of the stables, chasing each other. Something about all the noise and laughter made him feel a little like the world was going to be okay. Changed, maybe, but okay.
Selena smiled when he stopped next to her at the corral fence. Addy was getting instructions on her posture, using her legs as guides for the horse, how to hold the reins.
“She’s good people, Owen. Tough as hell.”
“And fragile as hell.”
“I dunno. I think tough wins over fragile any day.”
“Thanks, Sel. I hope so.”
The boys saw him and ran over. “Owen, are you going to ride today?” Troy asked.
“I don’t think so. I just came to see how you and your mom were doing.”
“That’s Zavi’s pony, Betty.”
“I know. She looks beautiful.”
“We groomed her,” Zavi said. “Now we’re just waiting for our turn.”
Owen didn’t see Addy dismount, but when she came out of the fence, he couldn’t look at anything else. Mandy came over and got the boys, lifting Zavi onto Betty’s back and Troy onto the horse she had in the corral. He wa
s vaguely aware of the fact that Selena had pulled back, into the shadows of the stable.
He smiled at Addy. Her eyes were a soft blue, bright like the sky. If she ever got contacts to cover her changing eyes, he’d miss them. They told him so much more about her mindset than her words ever let on. He lifted a hand and brushed her hair off one cheek, then bent over and kissed her temple.
“You look happy.”
“I am.” Her arms went around his waist. He pulled her close. They both watched the boys in the corral. “Thank you. For today. For everything. Mostly, for not giving up on me.”
“I will never give up on you, Laidy.”
“Today’s the best gift of my life. The only thing better would be getting Augie back.”
“Soon. Let’s just have this moment a little longer. Things are coming to a head, Addy.”
She looked up at him. He didn’t try to hide the concern he felt. “I’ll help however I can.”
Owen smiled. “I know. I just need you to be strong a little longer.”
She leaned her cheek against his chest. Holding her in his arms like this, for real, not just in his imagination, was a miracle. Maybe, just maybe, he’d done something right in his life to earn this second chance with her.
Wynn found she had a little time to herself. Angel was busy with the team, and the boys were out riding horses. Casey was doing some quiet study. Wynn went to her apartment over the garage to make a cup of tea. The kettle’s screech almost covered the knock on her door, which she’d left open in case Casey or the boys needed her. She peeked around the corner of the little galley kitchen and saw her parents—or her fake parents, since the jury was still out—standing in her living room.
She removed the kettle from the heat, then went into her living room to greet them. The wall of distrust was still firmly in place. She folded her arms, keeping her hands to herself.
Forsaken Duty, The Red Team Series, Book 9 Page 22