The Forbidden Trilogy (86 page)

Simmons smiled at Luke. "I'm sure you'll do fine on
your own, right? You don't need Hunter to help you accomplish your mission, do
you?"

Bitch!
Lucy thought all was lost. Luke already had
issues with Hunter. No way would he admit to needing the guy's help.

Luke frowned and shifted in his seat, but didn't object
right away. She wondered if he was thinking about their conversation about
being the right people for the mission. Was he doubting himself again?

Luke's face hardened, and he looked Simmons in the eye.
"We need Hunter."

Lucy leaned back in her seat, finding a new depth of respect
for her brother. She should have known he wouldn't let pride get in the way of
a mission, especially when kids' lives were at stake. If having Hunter helped
them get out alive, Luke wasn't going to turn that down.

"I understand, but your original orders never included
Hunter."

Luke stood. "Our original orders didn't include a lot
of things, like losing our whole team and getting stranded on an island. It
also didn't have a high chance of success, and with so many lives at stake, we
can't take that risk. Remember, Agent Simmons, we're not your agents, but we
do
have the best chance at saving those kids. I realize that now. You have to send
us, because even though we might fail, anyone else wouldn't make it past the
gates." He looked at Hunter and smiled. "So you'll give us Hunter.
You'll give him to us because we need him."

"I sense an
or
at the end of that
statement." Simmons stared Luke down, or
tried
to, even though she
had to look up.

"Or we'll go ahead without you. Because you, Agent
Simmons, are
not
needed."

That shut her up. Luke was right. Back at the crash site,
mopey Luke had spoken Lucy's own fears: why were they doing this? Were they the
right people? Now the old Luke—no, the
new
Luke—with fire in his eyes
and steel in his tone... the new Luke made things clear. Their place wasn't
back at the mansion, or back at Rent-A-Kid. Their place was right here, right
now. This was what they were meant to do.

Simmons sat down. "Fine. Agent Riley, you will
accompany Luke and Lucy Rivera on this assignment."

Lucy smiled in relief. Her brother had been right about
another thing: they did need Hunter. But the part about Simmons not being
needed, not being important; something told her that part was very wrong.

***

Lucy tossed and turned in her cot—better than sleeping on
the floor, and she got an actual sleeping bag, but she still missed her real
bed. Her muscles ached and bones cracked as she stretched and tried to
relax—"tried" being the key word there, "failed" being more
accurate. Sleep had eluded her for hours, despite her utter exhaustion. She'd
decided to rest up before their all–night mission, but knowing the dangers she
faced, and that she might not live through tomorrow, kept her awake no matter
how many meditations she did.

She'd connected with Sam, and they'd made a plan, which
helped them all feel more optimistic about the outcome. So many lives were at
stake—not just nameless lives, but Ana, Tommy and Serena. Lucy hadn't met them,
but she knew how responsible Sam felt for them. They couldn't afford to fail,
so they planned.

Sam and her party would join Simmons and the extraction
team. They'd wait for the signal, then use their powers to get as many kids out
as possible, including Ana, Tommy and Serena. Lucy couldn't imagine Sam's worry
right now, how she must be feeling with her newborn baby out there, kidnapped
by a psychopath. Lucy couldn't even imagine losing Luke, and a baby had to be
harder than even a twin.

What if they didn't make it? What if they failed?

Tight balls of anxiety coiled up in her gut, and she reached
for her pack out of habit, then stopped. No sphere.

Screw it! I don't need the sphere. I'll deal with my own
emotions.

Hunter came to mind, and all those emotions swirled around
inside her. She wanted to connect with him before they walked into what could
be a blood bath.

Well, that's one problem easy enough to solve.

Careful not to wake the others, Lucy headed to Hunter's
room. If she couldn't sleep, she might as well make the best of things.

A pair of agents had picked us up an hour ago, and we'd
taken a truck, a speedboat, and another truck to get to the IPI base. It turned
out to be a veritable city of huge, heavy-duty tents that housed armored
trucks, cars, offices and medical facilities. The agents dropped me and my team
off in front of what looked like the main communications hub.

Inside sat makeshift desks with computers, maps, and groups
of soldiers huddled together discussing strategy.

Agent Davis held up his hand. "Stay here. Agent Simmons
will join you soon."

Yeah, not happening.
I pushed past Davis, whose
thoughts had mostly focused on Mary's tits the whole ride here, and walked up
to a group of agents who looked like they knew what they were doing. "I
need to see Simmons right away."

One guard glanced at me, mentally brushed me off as some
weak and insignificant girl, and turned back to the map in front of him.
"She's busy."

"I understand." I grabbed his wrist and twisted it
hard, bringing him to his knees. "Now, may we please see Agent
Simmons?"

The other guards surrounded me, weapons raised. Their minds
were on alert, focused on my every movement but unsure as to whether to shoot
or not without orders.

Agent Simmons walked up from behind them. "Weapons
down. She's with us, more or less."

A few months had passed since I'd seen her last, and even
then only briefly, but I didn't hesitate to penetrate her every thought and
memory while we talked. Most centered on the plan, wondering whether Luke, Lucy
and Hunter would succeed. She worried especially about Hunter. Seemed the twins
pissed her off.

Good for them.
"Are Luke and Lucy in the water
already?" I knew the answer before she had a chance to answer. "No,
they're not. Okay, I want access to surveillance."

I let the guard go and walked toward a guy sitting in front
of a bunch of computer screens. He hovered between standing and sitting,
looking as though trying to do both at once.

Simmons scurried after me. "Now wait a minute. You
don't give orders here."

I stared her down, no longer the timid, soft Sam of a few
months ago. "My daughter is missing. I'll do anything to get her back.
This is less an IPI mission than it is our operation, with your assistance.
After all, if you guys had gotten better intel, we wouldn't be in this position
at all."

And I would never have had Ana.
I brushed the thought
aside. However she came to be, she was mine now, and I'd die to protect her.
"Still need convincing? Look around."

The guards held their weapons low, firing nervous glances at
my team, who stood behind me, ready to attack should the need arise.

"You have no idea what the nine of us are capable of,
but I can tell from the thoughts floating around me that your people don't want
to find out."

Simmons scowled at the agent still stuck in limbo.
"Give her your seat."

He stood, relieved, and offered me his chair. I sat and
examined the equipment.

They had eyes on the Rent-A-Kid compound, but none up close.
A wall surrounded the perimeter, and a tall guard tower rose above it. Beyond
that, buildings were scattered over several acres and made up the living
quarters and work space. Guards patrolled on foot, and all the buildings were
well lit.

Simmons cringed, but asked, "Do you need access to the
comm system as well?"

"Nope, I got it. I'll know what's happening before you
will."

She rolled her eyes and stormed out of the tent.

I tapped my head, then reached out with my thoughts to find
Lucy's mental signature.
"Hey, Luce, we're set up."

'Sam! I'm glad you made it. We're about to drop into the
water. Don't worry, we'll get Ana and all the kids. Failure isn't an option,
especially now that you guys are here.'

"Good. I'll monitor you mentally, and we'll be ready
to send aid if needed. Be safe. And hurry."

Norm stood beside me, watching the beeping monitors and
surveillance. "So, what do we do?"

"We wait for an orange or red flare. Then attack."

Robyn stood at his side. "What do the colors
mean?"

"Orange means they succeeded. Red means they're
screwed. Doesn't matter. I'll know before they even fire one."

I handed control of the chair back to the nervous agent, who
kept his distance from me—smart man—and walked out of the makeshift office in
search of Simmons's tent.

Simmons sat at a small table checking her weapons. With
practiced movements, she broke down and reassembled her 9mm in a matter of
seconds.

Her obvious display didn't faze me. I could destroy her in a
heartbeat, and I would if she interfered with rescuing my daughter. But for
now, she could be useful. "You have expertise—expertise I need—but you
must do as I say."

She laughed without humor and lifted a large needle off the
table. "Do you know what this is? It's a very special drug that strips
paranormals of their para-power. Do you and your friends think you'd be so
special without those powers? No. You'd be nothing. Less than nothing."

She stood and walked toward me, expecting me to flinch or
back away. She'd have to live with disappointment.

"So, why should I listen to you, when I have
this?"

I took a step closer to her, my face inches from hers.
"Because I know who you are, and I know what you've done."

Lucy perched at the door of the airplane and stared down at
the black ocean, reflecting on all that had happened since the last time she'd
stood on a plane, ready to jump. It seemed a lifetime ago. At least this time
they knew the location of the base and wouldn't leave a trail of dead agents
behind. The wind whipped through her hair, and she searched the night sky for
any sign of Beleth. He was out there, somewhere.

She hadn't killed Simmons—though she'd been tempted at times
just because the woman pissed her off—and that meant the deal was broken.
Whatever.
Let Beleth do his worst. I have a job to do.

Hunter came up and kissed her. They didn't speak, but they
didn't have to. Earlier that day, they'd said all that needed saying, with
words and touch.

Without hesitation, she jumped, free-falling into the
darkness, relishing the feeling as the seconds ticked by in her head. When the
timing was right, she opened her parachute, her body jerking as the silk panel
unfolded and cut into her descent.

The guys opened their own parachutes above her.

She hit the icy water and immediately flicked the
quick-release on her chest strap, loosing the chute into the ocean so it
wouldn't drag her down.

A few moments later Luke and Hunter splashed down and did
the same.

They all slipped underwater and pulled out their breathing
devices. Once Lucy had adjusted to breathing through the plastic nozzle
strapped around her face, she turned her underwater light on and swam toward
the fence that guarded the perimeter.

It was a massive thing that reached all the way to the ocean
floor, a barrier to both divers and submersibles. Lucy wondered if the kids
ever got to swim in the ocean, taunted by a freedom they couldn't have, still
locked in by wires.

Coral grew around the fence, its beautiful texture and color
mesmerizing. Her brother slipped through the metal using his para-power, while
Hunter pulled out the torch and burned a hole in the fence wide enough for Lucy
and him to swim through

The black water surrounded them, Lucy's light giving only a
few feet of visibility. She imagined something moving out there, a predator
stalking them. "What if there are sharks out here?" she said through
the comm system.

Hunter swung a light in her direction. "Don't worry,
we're almost there, and it wouldn't be able to get through the fence unless it
has Luke's powers."

Isn't there some rule that sharks are especially
dangerous at night?
She gripped her gun, knowing it would work underwater
if needed, and followed Hunter through the fence.

As they approached shallow water, they shut off their lights
and surfaced, peeking out over the water to get a visual on the compound. A
small building sat close to the beach, guarded by one patrolman. If they'd come
by land they would have faced a large fence with a guard tower and
who-knows-how-many guards, but by water they had immediate access. In the dark,
the shadows of the buildings peppered the lush Hawaiian foliage. There'd be
cameras everywhere, using thermal vision to spot any movement. The cool water,
combined with their wetsuits, saved them from detection, but once on land, the
effects would dissipate. They'd have to get to the building and take out the
patrolman quickly.

They waited for the guard to turn away, then slipped onto
the shore. Lucy snuck up behind the man in black and knocked him out silently.
She pulled him behind the building and sat him against the wall, as if he were
resting. It wouldn't stand up against close scrutiny, but it would have to do
for now.

"It's clear," she whispered to the guys.

They rounded the building and found the door, in a hurry to
get in before the cameras picked them up.

Lucy turned the knob, but it was locked. "Crap. Luke,
you want to unlock it from the other side?"

He dashed through the door. Time ticked by so much faster as
they stood, vulnerable.