by Dee, Bonnie
Carr turned in the co-pilot’s seat to face Mark. “Do you think they’d want to go back into the lion’s den?”
Mark shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt to ask. They know the place and would have the best chance of getting in and out with Mrs. Miller. If for some reason Miller makes it out of Oregon with…”
“We can’t let that happen,” Carr said. He wanted, no, needed, Lily back in his arms now, not later. He’d fucking failed to protect her. He had to get her back.
“And we’ll make a damned concerted effort not to, but Mark’s right,” Donovan said. “Trent and Autumn are the best bet to get Molly Miller back—and if for some reason we miss rescuing Lily, they can lead us to the estate.” Donovan spoke to Mark. “Get in touch with Claire. Have her ask them if they would divert to New York and help us out.”
“On it, boss,” said Mark, who sent a text message to Claire on his PDA.
“What’s the plan at the Portland airport?” Brenna asked.
“Simple.” Carr clenched his fists on his lap. “Get Lily—and kill Miller for touching her.”
Donovan shot a sharp glance his way. “Carr, killing is not…”
He met the KOTE leader’s gaze cutting off the rest of the man’s sentence. “Don’t get in my way, Donovan. I’m a soldier. This is war. Miller is the enemy of everything we Terrans stand for. I refuse to let him get away again.” He shifted in his seat, staring out the front at the approaching Portland skyline and majestic Mt. Hood in the background. “Besides the bastard will force our hand. He knows the Council will imprison him for life for his treachery. He’ll fight … and die.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the cabin of the ’copter, only the sound of the powerful jet engine and the rattling hum of the powerful rotors broke it.
* * * *
Fifty-five minutes after leaving the Eugene airport, Darcy drove into the parking lot for the Portland charter terminal. A quick perusal of the tarmac and he found his leased jet. The fueling truck had just pulled away. The human had done what she had promised; he was sorry he snarled at her, but it had produced the desired results.
“Finally,” he said under his breath, “something is going my way.”
He glanced over at Lily. She hadn’t changed position. She was still, too still. Maybe she was ill. She could’ve injured herself shutting down the quake. Who would he get to treat her if she were sick or dying? Only KOTE had access to doctors who specialized in Terran physiology—and had her ascending to a talismanic state changed her in some way?
Shit. She couldn’t be sick. It would spoil everything.
Dire concern had him placing two fingers on her neck. He counted silently, timing the pulse. He breathed out when he found it strong and a little fast for a resting heart rate, but not dangerously so—probably a result of her body recharging. He stroked some hair away from her face and tested her skin temperature with the back of his hand. Not hot. Not cold. He let out another breath of relief. She was just exhausted. Not sick, not dying that he could tell.
After unbuckling his seat belt, he unlocked the car and began to exit the driver’s side when his Earth powers sensed the wrenching of a fault deep within the earth.
An earthquake? Now? Here?
He shot a quick glance at Mt. Hood just to make sure it wasn’t erupting. No signs of steam from the crater. Just an earthquake.
The shaking reached the surface. He held onto the steering wheel to keep from being tossed side-to-side. His teeth chattered in his head as the S-waves rode over the ground. 4.0 at least.
“Dammit to hell!” He beat his fist on the steering wheel. “They’ll close the fucking airport for this.”
As soon as he’d voiced the thought, he glared at Lily. Was his Talisman playing possum? Had she incited the earthquake to keep them on the ground?
“It won’t work, Lily.” His lips twisted into a sneer. “That fucking pilot is gonna take off no matter what.”
Lily’s eyelashes fluttered open and she swept him with a look of icy contempt. “They’ll stop you.” She struggled to get an arm out of the blanket. When she managed it, she began to unbuckle her seat belt.
“No, they won’t.” He quickly opened his door. “I have a hostage.”
He slammed the door and ran around to the passenger side. He opened the door and reached to grab her. She kicked at him, her small bare foot hitting his thigh and glancing off his aroused cock. Her foot had little impact on him, but instincts had him turn away to protect his manhood.
She followed her kick by exiting the Hummer, her blanket falling to the ground. Gloriously naked, she struck out at him, punching and scratching.
Girly punches he easily contained. Holding one of her arms in a tight grip, he backhanded her across the face, driving her into the side of the vehicle. Before she managed to recover, he jerked her into his arms and squeezed her around the diaphragm until she fell unconscious from the inability to breathe.
“Hellcat.” He grabbed the blanket and threw it around her. He didn’t want any male humans to see her nakedness. He shifted her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and headed toward the waiting jet.
A small after-quake caused him to weave, but didn’t stop his forward progress. They were getting out of here now. Quake or no quake.
As he reached the steps to the small jet, he heard the fast approach of a jet helicopter. He glanced around and saw the distinctive markings of a Search and Rescue National Guard ’copter. There had been several of those at the Sisters’ area.
“Madoc!” He swore and hurried up the steps, shouting to the pilot. “Get this fucking plane in the air!”
Once inside, he placed Lily in the first available seat and then turned to shut the jet’s door.
The pilot poked his head out of the cockpit. “We don’t have clearance … because of the quake.”
Wrenching the lock on the door to secure it, he turned to glare at the pilot. “Either you get us in the air—or I will.”
“I’m telling you…” The pilot stopped talking when Darcy pointed his Sig at the man. The pilot tried to shut the cockpit door. He shot the man’s hand.
“Get out here … now!” He waved the bleeding man out into the main cabin. He hit the pilot over the head with the butt of the gun, rendering him unconscious.
Dragging the man to a seat, he used the man’s own belt and the seat belt to immobilize him. He used his belt on Lily’s hands, fastening them to the headrest, and then buckled her into her seat.
Once they were in the air, he’d dig the sedatives out of his carry-on luggage, which he’d left on the jet, and sedate both of them.
With his unwilling passengers secured, he entered the cockpit and smiled when he saw the pilot had done the flight check already. Everything was green. The jet engines were warmed and ready for take-off.
Turning on the engines, he taxied to the first open runway that gave him enough length to take-off.
With the airport temporarily closed and incoming air traffic diverted to the next available airport due to FAA protocols, he had no incoming air traffic to concern him. He turned the plane’s transponder off, making it more difficult for any would-be rescuers to follow his progress across the continent. He’d flick them back on after he flew across the border into Canada and took the northern route to New York. Madoc wouldn’t expect him to leave U.S. air space.
He patted the instrumentation panel. This baby was loaded with full instrumentation; it had everything he needed to get to New York and Brody’s estate’s landing strip.
Ignoring the Portland air traffic control telling him he did not have permission to take off, he sped down the runway, taking off into the face of the western wind. As the plane climbed, he banked slowly over Portland coming around to an easterly route, where he threaded the responsive little jet through the mountains surrounding the city. Flying east, he continued to climb to clear the Cascades and reach a comfortable cruising altitude and speed.
As the controllers in Portland continue
d to demand his identification and that he return to Portland, another transmission broke into the frequency.
“Miller! You fucker.”
He smiled. Turning his communications system on to transmit, he answered. “Ahh, Madoc. I figured that was you in the ’copter. Too bad you just missed us.”
“Let me talk to Lily.”
“No can do. She’s sort of tied up. Her and the pilot. I’ll let her know you called.”
He shut off the radio on Madoc’s angry roar. He chuckled. He’d gotten away scot free. Madoc didn’t know where he was going—exactly. He figured his coward of a father had probably spilled the beans about Brody and his mother’s kidnapping. But even dear old Dad didn’t know how to get to Brody’s place.
Plus Madoc and crew would have to obtain a plane to follow him—and that wouldn’t happen right away. Air traffic was grounded. Lily’s quake had taken care of that little problem.
All in all, a job well done.
He’d chance the autopilot once he was into Canada and out of the mountains. He had business to take care of in the cabin. Couldn’t have his passengers waking during the flight and causing problems. He wasn’t sure how Lily worked her elemental powers, but he didn’t want to take the chance she could cause any harm at this altitude. He recalled the energy shot to the balls she’d given him back in Indiana; it had incapacitated him for a few hours—and she was stronger now. He would have to figure a way around her use of energy—maybe drugs of some sort. He could wait to fuck her; he’d waited this long.
He relaxed into his seat and wallowed in the sheer pleasure of flying the powerful craft.
* * * *
“I’ve got us a small jet.” Mark strode toward Carr, Donovan and Brenna. “Buddy of mine from the military runs a charter service. He has a Lear that can fly us to New York without stopping for fuel.”
They had already gotten emergency clearance from the tower for take-off. Carr’s military connections had helped with that issue. Carr smiled grimly. “Finally, good news.” He turned to Donovan who was on his sat phone getting the directions to Brody’s estate from Trent Steed. “Donovan?”
Donovan said, “Hold on, Trent,” into the phone and turned to them. “Trent says we can land at a private airfield about five miles outside of Ithaca. He and Autumn will meet us there and take us to the estate. He says it’s hard to find unless you’ve been there.”
Carr nodded and Donovan turned back to his conversation with the Air Talisman’s Consort. He looked at Mark. “Weapons?”
Mark smiled. “I contacted several Protectors in the Portland area. We’ll have some firepower in the next fifteen minutes.”
Donovan broke in. “Don’t need to wait. Trent has weapons covered. He and Autumn are flying into Ithaca on one of our planes and it’s fully loaded with ordnance.”
“Good,” said Carr. He expected only to need his Protector strength and two hands to kill Miller. The weapons were for the others to use to cover his ass when he did so.
“Trent said Brody has at least ten solidly loyal Destroyers in his inner circle, plus a mercenary army of about twenty.” Donovan drew Brenna into his arms. “I suggest we leave Brenna and Autumn at a motel—away from the action.”
“No!” Brenna poked her husband in the ribs. “I can shoot.”
“Baby.” Donovan’s voice was soft, pleading—and maybe a little terrified. “I want you safe.”
“Lily will need us.” Brenna stroked Donovan’s chest. Her chin firmed. “I will just follow you.”
Donovan sighed. “I heard Autumn say the same thing to Trent. Her justification was she knew the estate even better than he did and she had the wind to call upon if needed.”
Carr’s lips twisted with amusement. “I guess we’ll all be going in.”
It seemed the talismanic coupling involved a strong genetic drive for the pair to stay together. It was killing him to be physically separate from Lily. He could feel her in his heart, but couldn’t feel her mentally. That scared him. What had Miller done to shut down Lily’s mind? Drugs. Hit her on the head? Neither idea was one to render him sane any time soon.
All he was sure of was that she was still alive. His heart told him so—and that was the only reason he hadn’t gone berserk.
“Sounds like it.” Donovan kissed the top of Brenna’s head. “You, my stubborn little minx, and Autumn, will follow our orders at all times.”
“I’ll cover your six, lover,” she said with a smart salute.
Donovan chuckled and drew her into a fervent embrace.
Carr wanted to smile at the display of the strong love between the two, but his heart wasn’t in it. He wouldn’t be happy until he had his love safely back in his arms.
Chapter Twenty-One
Wednesday, 6:30 a.m. (EST), private airfield outside of Ithaca, New York.
Carr landed the jet on the private airfield’s only runway. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he held. Turning in a tight circle at the end of the too-short runway, he taxied back to park the Lear next to the KOTE jet already sitting at the side of the small terminal.
He took off his headset and turned to Mark, who’d acted as his co-pilot while Donovan and Brenna had napped. “We might want to use the KOTE jet to make our getaway.”
Mark nodded. “Yeah, that bird uses less runway for takeoff. Good flying, by the way.” He shook his head, his mouth twisted into a strained smile. “I wouldn’t have wanted to make that landing under these conditions.” He gestured to the world outside the jet’s window.
The sun had not yet risen. Add to the near-dawn darkness a light rain, erratic crosswinds, plus a three-hundred foot drop-off to the south side of the short, pockmarked runway. Add to that no landing lights, no control tower, not even a windsock, the landing had been more than tricky, it had been downright dangerous.
Taking off would be worse since the chartered Lear had less power than the KOTE jet and would need a longer runway to come to take-off speed.
Donovan poked his head into the flight deck. “Nifty landing, Carr. I’ll fly with you any time.”
“I’ve had worse places to land, but most of those were in war zones.”
“I hear ya, brother.” Donovan turned to unlock and open the cabin door.
Carr followed him out onto the portable stairs that a lone ground crew member had pushed up to the plane.
Once on the ground, he turned to see Donovan clasp the hand of a tall, leanly muscled man waiting on them. A small woman, frail and ethereal looking, stood next to the stranger, anchored to him by a possessive arm around her waist. Opening his senses, he noticed an aura about the two of them, a synchronous wave of the blue-green end of the light spectrum. Very much like what he sensed around his and Lily’s astral selves.
He walked forward, his hand outstretched to greet the Air Talisman’s Consort. “Trent, I’m Carr Madoc, Consort of Lily Redfern, the Earth Talisman. Thank you for coming to help us get her back.”
Trent took the proffered hand and gripped it in a firm handshake before letting it go. “Glad to help. I feel somewhat responsible. If I’d shut Brody down before, well…” he shrugged and gathered the dainty woman even more closely into his body, “I had Autumn to protect … he has a small, well-armed group of mercenaries and Destroyers surrounding him, her safety was my primary concern at the time.”
“Trent wouldn’t have survived a battle with my hus-… uh, Brody’s hired guns,” Autumn interrupted. “Brody’s vocal abilities could’ve harmed Trent, possibly killed him before he even raised a hand.”
“I can handle Brody’s abilities.” Donovan’s eyes glowed with a dark humor. “I’ve got a little vocal ability of my own.”
Autumn smiled warmly. “I am honored to meet you, Spirit Talisman. With you here, we might be able to get in and out without rousing the small army Brody surrounds himself with. Trent and I know a way into the property that will avoid the bulk of the guards. It’s how we escaped.”
“They’ll be expecting us,” Carr s
aid, “no matter where we enter the property. Miller knows we’ll follow him. He just won’t be expecting us this soon.”
“Could he be at the estate already?” Trent asked, absently stroking Autumn’s back.
Mark along with Brenna joined them. “He would’ve had to stop for fuel at least once. His plane’s tanks did not have cross-continental capacity. And he’ll probably fly into Buffalo and then drive down.”
“No, no, he won’t,” Autumn said. “He can land at the estate. There is a landing strip long enough for a small commercial jet. A private jet would have no issues at all.” She looked around. “His private airfield is in much better shape than this one. You could’ve landed there, but…”
“We would’ve lost any element of surprise,” Carr finished for her. “This was the better choice. Let’s assume he made it ahead of us. We need to move. I don’t want Lily in that place any longer than necessary.” He reached for his love’s mind and still found nothing, no awareness. Yet his heart told him she was alive. He continued, “If there is a jet there, maybe…” He looked at his recent co-pilot.
Mark grinned. “I get to hot-wire us a ride?”
“We’ll play it by ear. At least we’ll have more than one option.” Carr turned to Trent. “Where’s our transport to the estate?”
Trent pointed to two military-equipped Humvees. “New York KOTE had them driven from Rochester. Autumn and I already checked and loaded the weapons we brought on the plane. We’ve got some food for you also. You can eat on the way. We’ll do the driving since we know the back way in.”
“Why didn’t the New York office send us more Protectors?” Brenna asked.
Trent smiled at her. “They’re pretty busy with the Destroyer attempting to resurrect Baal. Besides, Autumn and I told them that a larger force would be asking for a confrontation. We’re pretty sure we can get you in, rescue the two women, and get out without any major issues. Plus…” he looked at the other men, “I think between two Protector-Consorts, the Spirit and Air Talisman and you and Mark, we can do the job. We have the elements and Gaia on our side.”