Master Unchained (Stealth Guardians Book 2) (28 page)

“I get it,
Stealth Guardian
, and the name is still Wesley. Maybe it’s time you used it.” There was a definite smirk accompanying Wesley’s reply. “Pancakes will have to wait.”

Nobody complained.

40

“This had better work,” Hamish grumbled under his breath.

He, Enya, Aiden, and Wesley were standing in an abandoned warehouse. Manus had been dispatched to join Logan in his surveillance of Gunn, while Pearce was staying back at the compound with Leila and Tessa.

Tessa had protested, but it was actually Wesley who’d been able to convince her to stay at the compound. “If you’re with us, all the crystal will do is point to you, not your sister. And I won’t be able to pinpoint her.”

“He’s right, Tessa,” Hamish had confirmed. “You’ll need to remain within the compound, where you’ll be cloaked.”

He kept his eyes locked on Wesley as the witch prepared everything. “The map?”

Aiden handed it to him, and Wesley spread it out on the dusty floor, kneeling beside it. He glanced up. “Baltimore, huh?” Then he wrapped the gauze with which he’d soaked up a few drops of Tessa’s blood around a crystal he’d retrieved from his backpack earlier.

Hamish hadn’t let him take anything else from his bag of tricks, just in case the witch was planning to pull a fast one on them.

“It shouldn’t take long. If she’s alive and anywhere on this map, the crystal will show her location.” Suspended by a string, he held the crystal over the middle of the map and closed his eyes. A second later a soft humming echoed in the empty space.

Hamish exchanged a look with his two colleagues. They were both on high alert just like he. Should Wesley utter a spell directed at them, they would be ready; somehow, though, he was starting to trust that the witch meant them no harm. Witches had always been on the side of the Stealth Guardians. Their goal was the same as that of his own race: to destroy the demons. But just like humans, witches could be influenced by demons, and the fact that Wesley had managed to use one of their portals was nothing if not a little worrisome.

With his eyes still closed, Wesley continued to hum; the crystal on the end of the string starting to move as if drawn by an invisible force. Suddenly the crystal dropped to a spot on the map.

Hamish leaned in. “You sure about this?”

Wesley opened his eyes and nodded. “Why?”

“Because the crystal is pointing at the water.”

Wesley looked at the map. “Next to a pier,” he clarified. “Which means she’s probably on a boat.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Well, let’s go there and check it out,” Wesley suggested.

Hamish tossed a look to Aiden. “What do you think?”

“We should be prepared in case it’s a trap.”

Wesley jumped up, hands at his hips, frustration rolling off him. “What else do I need to do to prove to you guys that I don’t mean you any harm?”

“I meant a trap by the demons,” Aiden clarified. “If they used Tiffany to stage the drug photo, they might still be watching her in case they need her again. We don’t want to run into their waiting arms.”

“Oh, yeah, right, makes sense,” Wesley said.

Hamish nodded. “Okay, back to the compound. Let’s pull any surveillance footage from the area and call Sean and Jay from their assignments for backup.”

Enya asked, “What about Manus and Logan?”

“They need to stay on Gunn. We can’t afford to miss it, when he contacts the demons,” Hamish said.

Thanks to a nearby portal, they were back at the compound ten minutes later. Tessa was already eagerly waiting in the command center where Pearce was accessing surveillance cameras in the area.

“Do you have a location?” Tessa asked excitedly.

Hamish squeezed her hand. “Yes, we just need to make sure we won’t get ambushed when we go in there and get her out.”

“Oh God, I hope she’s alright. I always wanted a sister. I don’t want to lose her before I have the chance to meet her.”

He locked eyes with her. “I’ll do anything to keep that from happening.”

The ringing of Tessa’s cell phone echoed in the command center. She pulled it from her pocket and looked at the display. “It’s Poppy.”

“Haven’t you spoken to her yet?”

“She didn’t answer her phone when I called. So I left a message.”

“Answer it, and put her on speaker.” He turned to Pearce, motioning him to remain silent.

Tessa pressed the answer button. “Poppy, I was trying to get a hold of you.”

“Tessa.” A sound akin to a sigh came through the phone. “Sorry, but I was in the shower when you called. Are you alright?”

Tessa cast him a quick look. Hamish nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she replied. “But I wanted to speak to you about issuing a statement.”

“Oh, okay. That’s great. I’m glad you’re finally coming around to it. I’ll come by your apartment now and we’ll draft something—”

“I’m not at home. Let’s just do it over the phone—”

“Well, where are you then?”

“I’m at Hamish’s apartment.”

“Give me the address, and I’ll meet you there.”

Hamish instantly shook his head, but Tessa had clearly anticipated his reaction and was already saying, “That won’t be necessary. Just write something along the lines that I’m sorry about what has come to light and that it isn’t what it seems to be. And that I’ll be coming out with a full statement addressing all the concerns raised in the next twenty-four hours. Can you do that please?”

There was a moment’s hesitation on Poppy’s part. “Yes, but what are we gonna do then? What will you tell them in twenty-four hours?”

“I’m working on that. Just trust me. Please. For old times’ sake.”

Poppy sighed. “Fine. But I really think it’s better that we meet and go over all this. This is serious. Have you seen the latest news reports? They’re coming up with all kinds of theories that paint you in a really bad light.”

“I can’t help that. But that’s all I’ve got right now. Please, just issue the statement, and we’ll go from there.”

“Okay, if you say so. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks, Poppy.” Tessa disconnected the call. “Phew!”

“Good job on holding her off. This will buy you some time,” Hamish said. Then he turned to Pearce. “Anything?”

Pearce pointed to the monitor in front of him. “It’s a marina. Not a lot of cameras in that area. There’s one at the entrance, but not much else. Everything looks pretty normal; few people working on their boats. Not much to go by. The spot Wesley’s crystal indicated seems to be one of the last three boats on this dock here. The F dock. I’d say check the last three slips.”

“Okay. Any news from Sean and Jay yet?”

Pearce switched over to the second monitor and typed something on his keyboard. A message board came up. “They just checked in. They’ll meet you at the marina.”

“Good. You stay here, watch the women and Wesley. Notify me immediately if Logan or Manus call in with news about Gunn.”

“I’m coming with you,” Tessa said from beside him.

“No, it’s safer for you to stay at the compound. If we encounter demons—”

“Tiffany will be scared. What makes you think she’ll trust you? To her, you won’t look any different than the demons. I need to be there. When she sees me, she’ll trust me.”

“Damn it, Tessa, you’re gonna be in danger.”

She shook her head. “You’re going in cloaked, aren’t you? So you’ll cloak me, too. Even if there are demons, they won’t see me. And I promise that this time I won’t make a peep. They’re not gonna get me.”

Hamish expelled an exasperated breath. He knew her reasoning was correct. Didn’t mean he liked it. But he couldn’t think of any good argument that would make her stay at the compound, particularly since convincing Tiffany to come with them would be easier if her twin sister was there.

“Fine. But you do exactly what I say. One act of disobedience, and I’ll haul your sweet ass back to the compound. Do we understand each other?”

Her eyes lit up. “You won’t even know I’m there.”

“Right!” He remembered saying the same to her when she’d complained about him accompanying her everywhere she went. And he liked it just as little as she had.

41

It was early afternoon by the time they reached the marina. Nervousness had crept into Tessa’s cells during the drive. What if something went wrong? What if the demons were still there, holding Tiffany hostage, and were actually expecting the Stealth Guardians to make a rescue attempt?

“Are you sure they won’t be able to sense us?” She searched Hamish’s eyes. They were still sitting in the dark van that Aiden had driven with Enya in the passenger seat.

“Once we’re invisible they have no way of detecting us unless we make a sound.”

“Or if they have dogs,” Enya added with a look over her shoulder.

“Dogs?” Tessa swallowed. “Why dogs?”

“Because they’ll smell us.”

Hamish put his hand on hers. “Don’t worry, Tessa. Pearce is watching via the camera at the entrance. If he sees dogs anywhere near the area, he’ll alert us.”

She nodded, feeling reassured. “And the humans, they won’t see us either, right?”

“Right. But you’ll still be able to see us.”

“But I’m human. How can I see you, if we’re all cloaked?”

“There are different levels of cloaking. We can choose who sees us and who doesn’t.”

“Okay.”

Hamish tossed a look to the front seats. “Ready?”

Both his colleagues nodded. Then he touched his earpiece. “Sean, Jay, you in position?”

Tessa couldn’t hear the response, only Hamish’s reply a few moments later. “Good, stay there. If you see anything suspicious, alert us and move in.”

Once outside the van, Tessa looked around. The marina was of medium size. There were five fingers, or docks, with maybe three hundred boats tied up. She saw several people sitting on their boats, enjoying the afternoon sun. Others were working: cleaning the deck or making repairs. Several boats were just getting ready to leave their slip, while a couple of others were coming in from the water. She’d been to several marinas before, invited by friends, and recognized the goings-on as ordinary. Nothing and nobody seemed out of place. She just hoped she wasn’t wrong.

Hamish made hand signs, motioning everybody to follow him. Trusting that they were all cloaked and thus invisible, she followed him in silence. All four of them were wearing tennis shoes, so as to make no noise on the planks. Tessa had borrowed a pair from Leila before leaving the compound.

When they reached the end of the dock, Hamish stopped and lifted his hand, indicating that she should stay where she was. He exchanged a look with Enya and nodded, then pointed to Aiden and then Tessa. When Aiden nodded, Hamish and Enya stepped on deck of a small sailboat by the name of
Jenny’s Folly
.

Tessa watched them peer into the portholes, then inspect the lock. A heavy padlock hung on the door to the cabin. But it was no obstacle for Hamish. He moved forward, and Tessa saw his upper body disappear as he passed through the wood. A few seconds later, his torso and head dipped back out. He looked over his shoulder and shook his head.

No sign of Tiffany.

He and Enya moved to the next boat, while Tessa and Aiden followed. Again, Tessa remained on the dock, watching nervously as Hamish did the same as on the first boat. Damn it, had Wesley been wrong? Or had he tricked them after all?

When Hamish turned around again, and he and Enya stepped off the boat, Tessa felt a little bit of her hope fade. What if Tiffany had been here, but was gone now? After all, Wesley had scryed for her more than an hour ago. She could have left in the meantime, or the demons could have taken her somewhere else.

Silently she prayed.
Let me find my sister.

Instinctively she followed Hamish and Enya to the plastic steps that stood on the slip to allow people to enter the boat. She felt Aiden’s hand on her arm, holding her back and looked over her shoulder. She nodded. She understood that she couldn’t follow them. It didn’t make the waiting any easier. She peered past Hamish at the entrance to the cabin, and noticed one thing immediately. There was no padlock, but when Hamish tried to open the door, it didn’t budge.

Locked from the inside!

Her heartbeat kicked up. This could be it. Again Hamish dipped his torso through the door, but this time he disappeared inside completely. Enya followed him a moment later. Something creaked, and Tessa noticed the boat rock a little from side to side, maybe as the result of Hamish and Enya walking around inside. Several minutes seemed to pass.

Then, another noise; hinges creaking. Tessa’s head shot in the direction of the sound. A hatch was opening on that portion of the deck that pointed out to the water. A hand reached out. Enya’s? Tessa’s legs were already moving along the slip to get a better view, when somebody suddenly gasped, and the hand disappeared back inside the boat.

Tessa tossed a look over her shoulder. Aiden had already raced up onto the deck and was passing through the door hatch like his colleagues before him. The boat rocked again from side to side, and there were muffled noises.

Oh God, no. What was happening?

The door finally opened and Aiden waved her to approach. She practically raced up the plastic steps and onto the deck. Aiden helped her into the cabin. She nearly tripped when she stepped down into the darkened interior. Little curtains had been drawn over the portholes. But her eyes adjusted, and she finally saw what was happening.

Enya was holding a struggling woman down on the bench that had been pulled out into a bed. Tessa took a few steps closer.

“Tiffany?” she murmured, exchanging a look with Hamish, who nodded.

Tessa put a hand on Enya’s shoulder. “Let go of her, Enya. She’s frightened.”

After hesitating for a second, Enya released the woman, who immediately scrambled into the corner of the bed, her legs pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. Frightened eyes looked out at them. But there was no doubt who Tessa was looking at: this woman was her twin sister. And she was scared out of her wits, shaking, whimpering.