She wasn’t in any shape to run if it was someone dangerous.
With slow, deliberate movements, she checked her phone.
A little after nine. Probably too early to be tourists.
Lifetimes passed as she waited. For Switch or whoever was on the boat. Someone.
Finally, footsteps. Not just one, but a bunch.
But nobody was talking. Weird.
Not good weird. The whole thing made her nervous. Why would they be so quiet?
No reason came to mind. At least, not any good ones.
She inched forward, careful not to move so much that she drew attention to herself. She could sense them drawing closer…
A man crossed into view, moving slowly along the opposite edge of the path.
He stooped, picked something up, and shoved it into a large bag before taking another step forward.
Maintenance?
That would explain the ugly orange uniform he was wearing. More men walked by, dozens of them. A few wore blue uniforms, but most were in that horrible pumpkin color.
Another man appeared, this time on her side of the path, close enough to touch.
Super short hair shaded his scalp black and his skin hinted at a Hispanic heritage. Stubble darkened his chin but did nothing to hide a swollen split lip.
A logo emblazoned across his chest froze the breath in her lungs.
California Department of Corrections.
These weren’t maintenance workers. They were inmates!
And she was trapped on the island with them.
₪ ₪ ₪
Rafe dropped another piece of trash into the bag. Amazing how much garbage people could leave behind.
The leaves only a few feet from his hand rustled.
He’d probably startled whatever critter lived there.
Ugh. He hoped it wasn’t a snake. Rats and lizards he could handle, but snakes turned him into a screaming little girl.
If he ran away screaming, he’d never live that one down. Prison was tough enough without getting a reputation as a total pansy.
After several seconds without an attack, he eased out a breath.
Whatever was there had probably run off by now.
Further in the brush, something pink caught his eye.
He pushed aside a branch and locked eyes with a girl. Pink hair the color of a California sunset practically glowed around her head.
It was a miracle he hadn’t seen her sooner.
“What…?”
The word slipped out before he could stop it.
The girl, just a kid, really, stared at him. Wide eyes swallowed her face and her whole body shook. Her chin wobbled and her lip was caught between her teeth.
Her dark eyes pleaded with him.
For what, he wasn’t sure. Maybe not to hurt her? Or to not give away her location? Or maybe she wanted help?
What was she doing here, anyway?
One thing was for sure, though. Some of the guys on this detail definitely shouldn’t know she was here.
He glanced around. No one was terribly close to him.
Still, he lowered his voice. “I’m not gonna hurt you. You need help?”
Several seconds passed before she shook her head violently.
“Don’t tell.” Her voice, breathy and unsteady, made her seem even younger than he already suspected she was.
“Hey, Rafe. You say something?” One of the other inmates, a balding middle-aged man named Phil, asked from a few feet away.
Rafe held her gaze for a second longer before letting the branch drop. “Nah. Just talking to myself.”
“Careful. I hear that’s the first step.” Phil snorted.
“Yeah, well if putting up with you guys hasn’t driven me crazy yet…” He moved on, but his mind remained on the teen in the bushes.
Who was she? And why was she here?
Should he tell Rush?
Probably.
Sure, she’d asked him not to, but Rush was a good guy. He’d make sure she stayed safe.
Now to get to him without being too obvious.
They’d been spaced out fairly evenly along the path, with a guard at the front and the back, and several interspersed among the inmates.
Rush was at the front.
He was clear at the back.
The closest guard to him was Cortez. A bit of a smart aleck, and not exactly known for his flexibility.
Rafe approached him anyway. “Yo, I need to talk to Rush.”
Cortez smirked. “Flakin’ out on us already, Garcia? It’s been what, ten minutes?”
“Nah, just gotta tell him somethin’. It okay if I head up there?”
Cortez’s dark eyes bored into him. “What about?”
The words stuck in Rafe’s throat. Why, he wasn’t sure. Cortez was a guard, after all. He wouldn’t hurt some teenage girl.
Yet for some reason, he hesitated. The only one he was sure he trusted to do the right thing was Rush.
“I just gotta talk to Rush.”
Even as the words left his mouth, he knew how they’d go over.
Cortez straightened ever-so-slightly. “Well, you got a job to do. If it ain’t important enough to tell me, then you can talk to him later. Keep working.”
As expected.
Rafe turned and continued picking his way along the trail, moving a little faster than he had been.
If he could slowly close the gap, maybe he could get Rush’s attention.
At least they were moving away from the girl. As long as no inmates were in her vicinity, she should be able to remain undiscovered and out of harm’s way.
₪ ₪ ₪
The boat slowed as they approached McCloud’s Beach on the back side of the island.
From here, he could see the craggy outcropping that hid the entrance to the cave.
Oksana was giving final instructions to the men. His men.
He still couldn’t believe she’d pushed in on what was supposed to be his operation.
Viktor scanned the men in the boat. Each had a minimum of two handguns and one semi-automatic rifle. The models varied according to each man’s preference, but each one of them was more than proficient with his weapon of choice.
“I want those cell phone jammers in place in the next five minutes. And if you run into anyone who isn’t one of us, we take no prisoners.” Oksana’s pronouncement signaled the end of her discourse. She led the way down the ladder and boarded the first of four motorized rafts strapped to the back.
Some of the men followed her, while others joined him in the second raft. The rest of the men climbed into the two remaining rafts.
They motored to the island in silence.
The weapons cache hidden beneath the surface of the island would be theirs by the end of the day.
No one would stand in their way.
Five
“The island’s been breached! We’re compromised!” Landon told himself to calm down, but his body refused to obey the command.
This was the first time Hugh had left him in charge. And he’d only been in charge for a few hours, since sunrise when Hugh had left the island.
Of all times for things to go wrong, why now? Hadn’t last night been bad enough?
“Landon!” Hugh’s voice lashed across the line. “Slow down and explain!”
Landon sucked in a deep breath.
Yes, calm down.
Besides, his voice carried horribly in this cave. If any of those invaders were anywhere close, they’d be sure to hear him.
He intentionally lowered his voice. “There are people on the island. A lot of them. They came in on several boats and are armed. We’re holed up in the stockroom.”
A pause. “You think it’s connected to last night.”
Not a question, but Landon found himself nodding anyway. “Gotta be, right? I mean, what’re the odds?”
Slim.
“I’ll inform Bruce. Hold them off until we arrive.”
The line went dead and Lando
n pocketed his phone.
Hold them off?
Yeah, right.
Landon looked at the one other guy with him. There was no way the two of them could hold off an armed gang, not even with the weapons stockpile in the cave behind him.
Hugh better hurry or they were both dead.
₪ ₪ ₪
Chloe couldn’t stop the trembling assaulting her limbs.
One of the inmates had found her.
Would he say anything? Maybe get a group of his buddies to come back and have fun at her expense? That’s what always happened on TV.
He’d had kind eyes. And hadn’t outed her at the time.
Didn’t mean she could trust him.
Besides, didn’t that jump suit prove how untrustworthy he was?
She had to get away from here. Somewhere where he wouldn’t know where to find her.
But how would Switch know where to find her?
She’d deal with that later. Maybe she could find a place where she’d see Switch coming and intercept him.
The guard at the rear passed by her location.
Time to find a new hiding place.
She inched backward, away from the path and deeper into the brush.
A little further, then she’d stand and get out of here.
A clump of pink fell into her face.
She clenched her teeth and shoved the hair behind her ear.
This stupid pink hair! What had she been thinking?
It wasn’t so bad in the city, but out here she might as well be wearing a neon sign on her head.
She stumbled to her feet and turned around, smacking into something solid.
A scream rose in her throat, but she choked it back.
It was Switch. Just Switch.
Breathing hard, he bent over, resting his hands on his knees. A second passed before he retched.
She jumped back. Pain shot through her ankle as her weight came down on it.
Switch continued to heave, although it had been hours since either of them had eaten and nothing was coming up.
A minute passed before he lifted his face toward her.
A sheen of sweat coated his chocolate skin and spittle dotted his trembling lips. “They’re dead.”
The words wheezed out, harsh in the morning air.
Dead? Who was dead?
The question froze in her mouth. She didn’t want to know. Yet, at the same time, she couldn’t be ignorant, not when their lives were on the line. “Who?”
“Pem and Joe. Two of the guys from Viktor’s group. They were all shot.”
They were trapped on this island with four dead bodies? And inmates? Could this get any worse?
Her legs shook, dropping her to the ground. “Why would anyone kill a bunch of taggers?”
“Viktor’s friends had guns.”
Guns? She stared at Switch.
It didn’t make sense. Why would they have had guns with them? They hadn’t been expecting any trouble. All they’d wanted to do was make a statement.
At least, that’s all she, Switch, Pem, and Joe had wanted. Maybe Viktor and his friends had another agenda, although she didn’t know what it could be or why they would’ve brought her and her friends along.
“Pem and Joe… you’re sure?”
Switch nodded.
Tears blurred her vision.
This whole thing had been her idea. She’d recruited Switch, Pem, and Joe to join Viktor’s cause.
She jumped at a shout behind her and whipped her head around.
No one there.
“Who was that?” Switch looked past her. “Think Viktor’s back for us?”
She reached out to keep him from moving toward the path. “No! There are inmates here. And guards. Doing some kind of clean up, I guess.”
He dropped to his knees beside her. “You messin’ with me?”
“I wish.” A sob hiccupped out. “One of them saw me, but he didn’t say nothing.”
Yet. He still might.
Switch fell silent for a few moments. “I think we oughta try to talk to one of the guards. If those inmates get to the guns…”
They could have real problems. More than they already had.
But talking to the guards meant explaining what they were doing here, which probably meant they’d get arrested or something.
Still, better to be arrested than killed by inmates trying to escape custody, right?
She nodded. “They gotta be getting close to the prison by now. Where are the guns?”
She couldn’t bring herself to ask about the bodies.
“By some of the buildings.”
Not far from the prison. The grim set to Switch’s lips told her he was drawing the same conclusions.
Switch pushed to his feet. “I’m gonna go catch up with ‘em. You stay here, okay?”
That was probably for the best. She nodded.
As he pushed through the foliage, she drew her knees up to her chest and rested her cheek on top of them.
Pem and Joe had been good artists. Could’ve had a future doing something great.
And now they were dead. Because of her.
She ruined everything she touched. This time, her friends had paid the price with their lives.
And she and Switch might soon join them in the grave.
₪ ₪ ₪
The dark cloud grew steadily, seemingly larger with each second that ticked by.
The burden in Josiah’s soul grew in direct proportion.
This was big. Monstrously big.
Since leaving Hephzibah, he’d witnessed a lot of demonic activity, but this was by far the darkest event he’d ever seen. The fact that it was happening in his backyard was significant.
Light burst out beside him.
He turned.
A man, dressed in loose white pants and a white tunic, radiated light brighter than the sun. Lightning flashed from his eyes. A sword broader than Josiah’s arm was strapped to the man’s side.
The man towered over him, which at six and a half feet, was not something to which he was accustomed. Yet this man, who was also twice his width, stood at least eight feet tall.
The light surrounding the man, coming from the man, intensified. Filled with brilliance and purity, it forced Josiah back a step.
An angelic warrior.
Josiah had seen them from afar, even witnessed them engaged in battle, but never interacted with one personally.
Before the warrior said another word, Josiah knew what was coming.
The Sovereign Lord was calling him into the battle. And showing him he would not fight alone.
He locked eyes with the warrior. “Is it time?”
The angel’s glowing eyes burned through him. “Are you willing to risk everything?”
He’d expected a booming voice, one that reverberated like thunder. Yet the warrior’s voice was almost soft, lyrical, like he was singing a song with no melody.
The question lingered in the air. Are you willing to risk everything?
Everything? What might that mean?
His family? His friends? His work for the Lord? His very life?
He was given a choice. God never forced him to act.
Yet, was any price too big? Sovereign God, who had given him life and unconditional love, who held all things in His powerful hand, deserved whatever Josiah had to give.
Josiah offered a definitive nod. “Whatever the Father asks of me. I’m His.”
“Then prepare yourself. This one’s going to be fierce.”
₪ ₪ ₪
“I’m fine, Zander.” Elly shook her head slowly. It felt like that was all she said to him anymore.
It was sweet of him to be so concerned, but if he didn’t stop calling she was going to lose her mind.
“You looked so pale this morning.”
“It always passes.”
“Okay, I get it.” His sigh drifted through the phone pressed against her ear. “You’ll call if you need anything, right?”
She set the phone aside.
Probably a good thing he didn’t know that she’d just lost her breakfast not thirty minutes ago.
Her hand went to her stomach. While no one else could see it, she could feel the small bulge there.
More than that, she could sense the soul growing within her. She couldn’t feel the movements, not yet, nor did she know if little baby Salinas was a boy or girl, but she could sense the baby’s spirit.
Not that she’d told anyone about that. She had a feeling that such impressions were uncommon in this culture.
Her phone rang again.
If it was Zander…
Josiah?
That was strange. He never called. He preferred to drop by and check on her in person.
“Hi Josiah.”
“Greetings, my sister.” His smooth voice soothed more than the drink Zander called hot cocoa. “How are you?”
“A little sickness, but it will pass.” She paused. Something inside her stirred. “But that’s not why you called.”
“No.”
This time it was anxiety, not morning sickness, that made her stomach lurch. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s a disturbance.”
With Josiah, it could only be spiritual. “Where?”
“Alcatraz Island. The Father is sending me in.”
“I’ll pray.”
“Please do. Elly…”
The hesitation hung heavier than the clouds before a storm.
“The Sovereign Lord sent a warrior to speak to me.”
Warrior. Josiah’s term for angel.
She couldn’t ever remember a time when one had appeared to speak to him personally.
“This is big. I don’t know what I’m walking into or how many souls are at stake.”
He sounded concerned. Not that she blamed him.
As much as she longed to tell him it would all be okay, the words lodged in her throat. She swallowed against the rock that had grown there as Josiah had talked. “The Father is with you. Always. Together, you can face anything.”
“Please pray the enemy will gain no ground today.”
“I will. Go with God. And be careful.” Thoughts of all that could happen flooded her mind.
The enemy was powerful. His influence could make men – and women – do horrendous things. She’d witnessed some of the enemy’s work firsthand and it had left scars deep inside her.
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