Justice Incarnate (27 page)

She studied the cryptic notation, but couldn't see what excited him. She gave up. "What's the infinity symbol tell you?"

"That we have to break it." Brian traced it again. "The hub is where the line meets itself. The top swoop right heads toward the lake, the docks. Go from middle, up and down left and you're aimed at Peoria. Or you can circle around, back to the hub or continue on toward Gary."

"So?"

"The hub is a center. Peoria is where several of Kristoff's labs are. Gary is the mill and torture chamber."

"But the girls weren't there. The transfer guards denied it. Maria didn't see children. Leigh saw them, but she wasn't at the mill."

"The elevator!" Brian and Jaden said in tandem, causing a confused uproar from everyone else.

"Leigh says they're underground," Jaden clarified. "She knows a back entrance. Let me out Loomis."

"Hold on a minute," Brian stalled. "We'll go together."

"If we both go under he'll escape up top."

"And the reverse would be true," Cleveland concurred, contributing for the first time. "There are a few more of us here to help."

"Then you take the subway," Brian said to Cleveland.

"No," Jaden contradicted. "How's a guy like him gonna hide among young girls? Leigh and I will go in the back way. They might be scared of men."

She had a point.

"They won't be scared of me," Quinn offered.

Brian ruffled his hair. "Let's not scar you any more than necessary, okay?" He traded speaking looks with Cleveland. "Can you deal, Leigh?"

She gave a weak nod. "I'll do what it takes."

"Then here we are. Loomis and I will take the el to Gary. You," he frowned at Jaden, "and Leigh will go in her way." Another assessment of man and boy. "You two are in charge of monitoring the progress from here. When they get the girls up and out, you can get them to safety."

"We'll do it," Quinn said.

"Whatever it takes," Cleveland agreed with a proud look for the boy.

"Let's get to it," Jaden stood. "We'll celebrate over his fat body in a couple hours."

"You mean his dead body," Brian grumbled.

"No. You kill him and your career's over."

"I'll smoke the pervert," Loomis offered.

"His blood's on my hands and it'll stay there," Jaden stated in a tone that stopped the argument.

"All right, all right." Brian kept his eyes off Jaden and moved closer to Quinn, popping open the Trident II.

"Cool!" Quinn exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'll get you one when this is over. For now, note this frequency." Brian wrote down a few numbers. "Keep track of it and let me know if anything goes haywire." He'd be too far away to track Jaden without the van's help.

Quinn called up the software and entered the info. "Says it's in the van with us."

"Um, yeah. Just a test I suppose. Let's rock," Brian moved to open the doors.

"Not so fast." Jaden was hanging over Quinn's shoulder. She shot a smug look at Brian. "Keep an eye on this one too."

"Hey, it's right here, too."

"I bet. What's it say now?" She moved to Brian and wrapped herself around him, smacking his lips with hers.

"They're right on top of each other."

Brian smirked. He didn't know what to think of her easy acceptance of his tag or the realization that she'd tagged him without his knowledge.

"Great minds think alike."

"Guess so."

He hopped from the van to the pavement and helped her down. "Be careful."

She tilted her smiling face up to him and puckered her lips. "Load me up, big guy. It might be awhile before I can touch you again."

He gave himself to her through their mysterious connection. Touching her, kissing her, sharing his breath and heartbeat. He wanted her to have all of him. His strength as a shield from the perpetual drain of the Judge.

"Promise me–"

Her hand stilled his lips. "Don't ask what I can't give."

Though it went against his judgment, he let it drop. He would just get there first and finish off Albertson before the Judge could destroy them both.

Brian kissed her one last time, reluctantly releasing her when Leigh joined them. He wanted to send armored cavalry with them and knew his thought would annoy Jaden.

He watched them go.

The ultra-capable, big girl warrior setting off for another epic battle. It didn't seem so painful when it had only been theory. When he hadn't know it was his soul mate dashing off to finish a thousand-year war with evil incarnate.

Chapter Fifteen

"It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." –Sherlock Holmes, of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Jaden watched Brian's back ascending to the el, refusing to regret the unspoken words. Spilling her guts wouldn't help his concentration. If they lived, they'd have a lifetime to talk.

Hopefully.

"You guys take care," Jaden called into the van.

"Seems things are better," Cleveland observed dryly.

Jaden just grunted.

"They're a mess of gross mush." Quinn made gagging noises.

"You guys are unbelievable. Katie's scared out of her mind, who knows where, and you're talking about my love life?"

"I'm not worried. Cleveland says you're the link. You'll find her. You'll save them all."

She eyed Cleveland over the boy's head. "Some bedtime tales you tell."

"Legends and quests are the best," he countered pointedly. He turned his penetrating gaze to Leigh. "Guide her well. She'll bring you home."

Leigh only blinked watery eyes.

Cleveland smiled and then closed the van doors. Jaden knew he'd done it on purpose, making sure the last image in their minds was that picture of his ultimate confidence in them.

"This way," Leigh said.

An effective tool, Jaden thought. Leigh's shoulders were squared and her stride steady as they moved toward the scene of such recent horror in her life.

She followed, sensing at the edge of her consciousness that Albertson knew they were closing in. How would he spin it? What tricks would he pull out to stop them? She hoped her infusion of strength from Brian was enough to ward off any additional mental attacks.

"Leigh, if I, um..." She tried again. "If I zone on you, punch me right here." She pointed to her solar plexus. "Just like I showed in class." The girl's eyes went wide. "Kick if you have to."

"Why?"

"The Judge, well, he's been able to get in my head and make me see things. If he gets a hold, pain will pull me out. You can do it. And I probably won't fight back."

"Probably?"

The single word weighted with such vast doubt made Jaden smile. "It's the safest way to get me back on your side."

"What is this really about?"

"Conquering evil. No more, no less."

Leigh nodded and guided them around the corner.

Jaden's thoughts wandered as they neared the target. There had to be a way to take down Albertson legally. Regardless of Brian's rash words and fiery sense of justice, death hadn't worked so far.

Turning the police chief into a vigilante didn't sound like a positive solution. For the little girls now and the female population in the future, what they needed was a positive, permanent solution.

Brian loved Albertson; at least he'd loved the man he'd known until recently. Jaden understood first-hand the choking vine of mixed emotions. The churning tension of hating someone you loved. If she could spare Brian that pain, she would. He wouldn't like having a family friend behind bars with two needles a day, but it had to be better than having your lover kill a friend outright.

Jaden pulled a digital hand-cam from her pocket. "If I'm out of commission, take this and film all you can. Make copies, hide them and get the original to Loomis."

"The to-do list is sure growing. You're gonna have to do that yourself. I suck with cameras. I always cut off heads."

Jaden smiled at the rambling. Leigh was doing whatever she could to keep herself moving forward when she clearly wanted to run like hell back to Micky's safe house.

"I appreciate the escort, Leigh."

No answer. She'd frozen like a statue in front of an unremarkable doorway.

"This is it?" Jaden prompted.

A jerky nod was all the confirmation Leigh could give.

"I'll take it from here then."

"No. If I stop now he wins."

Jaden began to protest, until she recognized the glittering determination in Leigh's eyes.

"Good for you." She turned on the camera, unsnapped the strap on her dagger and flipped the safety off her pistol. "I'm ready. Lead on."

Brian stood with Loomis on the Gary platform. Loomis used binoculars to assess the guards on patrol. "Nothin'. This place is deader than a doornail."

Naturally, Brian understood the phrasing. Taking the opportunity, Brian checked in with Quinn and Cleveland. "What's her status?" he asked via his link to the van.

"We just lost her signal," Cleveland replied. "She must be underground."

Shit. He didn't think of that. "There might be a way to boost it." Did Cleveland hear his desperation? He had to get a grip on this or Albertson would win easily.

"Give me that," Loomis lowered the binoculars and held out a hand for the communicator. He relayed instructions for boosting the signal, waited, then returned the device to Brian.

"There she is!"

Quinn's happy voice eased Brian's worry.

"Any fallout on Kristoff yet?" he asked Cleveland.

"Not that we've picked up. I'll let you know."

"Fine." Not willing to delay any longer he signed off. "We're going in."

They strolled toward the abandoned mill as if they owned it, instead of a morally bankrupt judge.

"What's your plan?" Loomis asked.

"Go in, subdue the guards, release any prisoners. When we find the Judge make him beg for his life."

"You'll let him live?"

"Hell no."

"But Jaden said–"

"She's wrong. He'll never stop unless we, I, take him out."

"Whatever, boss." Loomis shrugged and pulled his gun from his shoulder holster.

They loped across the open area without incident. Either the mill had been cleared out, or the orders were to hold fire.

"Too quiet," Loomis groused.

Brian agreed. "Get set then."

They offed the safeties on their weapons and kicked in the front door. This room Brian had never seen. It rivaled the entries of grand estates, down to the sweeping, marble staircase.

"Welcome, boys," Albertson boomed.

They looked up to see the Judge in all his glory at the balcony, surrounded by armed men, with weapons at the ready.

Brian lowered his gun, but didn't engage the safety. "Had a report there was trouble. You okay, old man?"

He saw the Judge flinch.

"Just protecting my interests, son."

"From what threat?"

"Come in, come in, and we'll talk. What report alerted you?"

"Squatters draining an energy source," Loomis improvised.

"Oh, yes, of course. All handled." He lumbered down the wide staircase. "Just decided to step up the security. Can't be too sure who's who and what's what with the visitors I'm expecting. You're not in uniform."

Brian ignored the reference. "More unsavory associates?"

The Judge nodded. "With wicked tastes."

The Judge was baiting him and Brian kept his irritation to himself. "Well, keep 'em happy. If you're okay, we'll be going."

"Information is the key with allies and enemies. Know their weaknesses. Know when to use those weaknesses against them." He tapped a fleshy finger to his grayed temple.

They were discussing Jaden. He knew she was coming. Enough was enough. He pulled his weapon and aimed at Albertson's black heart. "I'm not her weakness. Why don't you give your boys the day off and show us around your playground?"

Albertson chortled. "Love is a many splendored thing. But she doesn't love you, son. She can't. She's as far from human as I."

He wouldn't let the words bother him. It was crap and he knew it. Just more of the mind games he'd applied to Jaden in the museum.

"Hand over the gun." The guards descended on Brian and Loomis. "Think on it. Then we'll talk again."

Taking weapons, the guards hauled them away. Upstairs, Brian realized. He shot Loomis a look to just play along. If they were going up to the cells, he'd lay good odds they wouldn't be confined for long.

Jaden clipped the camera to her waistband and set it to record as they walked into a narrow hallway and descended a steep half flight of stairs. At the landing, Leigh turned in circles.