Bandits (7 page)

Jade opened the sack Nickel brought up and said, “Faulk, we won’t need to use this gear yet. Grab some blades, though. We may need them. It’s been a while since we’ve been here, and on Merwin, if you don’t keep some places cleared away, you never know what may grow there.” She pointed ahead. “There is an underwater dock that’ll rise when I activate my code. Once we’re off the dock, we’ll have to walk through the wild, slithe
r
ing wi
l
low patch.”  She hooked her swim mask on the belt at her hip, and then went to the edge of the water cruiser, where she climbed down into the water to activate the lift for the underwater pier.

Faulk frowned. “Why don’t I like the sound of the
slithe
r
ing
willow patch?”  He watched Jade walk through the green murky waters, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

“Because you’ve a good reason. That’s one of the first booby traps - of many.” Daniel stood with his arms crossed. “Each trove has deadly traps. Jade’s father has one of the more difficult troves to find, and to navigate. Jade was taught to find her way here when she was a kid. She’ll be able to lead us around the traps so we’ll be able to make it to the trove alive,” Daniel added, pu
r
posely leaving out the word
unharmed
. He knew getting to a Zukar’s trove could end in a lot of bumps and bruises - even
death
.

Jade yelled from the island’s edge. “Guys! Hey, it’s lif
t
ing. It only stays above water for a few minutes, and then it will drop back into the sea before it makes its way back to its hidden spot. Hurry up!”

Nickel pulled the willow branches further back to reveal the rocky dock that had risen up next to their water cruiser. “I’m so going next.”

Daniel took Nickel’s place and held back the branches. “Okay, go Nickel! Now you Faulk.” He pushed on Faulk’s back “Quick! You don’t want to get pulled under when the thing’s timer goes off,” Daniel added, and watched Faulk jump before he himself dropped down off the boat. His feet landed with a splash on the wet dock.

Nickel landed on the wet, rocky surface and ran as water crashed against the sides of the pathway with each wave. Faulk didn’t hesitate to follow, and Daniel ran behind them. Daniel yelled to Faulk, “Move it! Faster! It’s sinking!” 

Faulk stopped abruptly as Nickel squatted in front of him to pick up his slingshot. Faulk slid and fell to his knees as water furiously splashed up on the side of the pathway.

Faulk righted himself on the rocky path. “Hey!” Faulk stood up and pushed Nickel lightly on the back.

Nickel jumped, and started to run.

“Keep moving!’ Daniel ran past Faulk to scoop Nickel up. He picked up speed when he felt the jerk of the platform while it started to sink deeper into the water.

Faulk was at his heels, and they were almost to the edge. “Oh hell, we’re gon-na die!”

“Hurry! That’s the last warning!” Jade exclaimed, waving her arms frantically.

“I’m throwing Nickel!” Daniel said right before he felt another jerk and cold water lapped against his calves.

Daniel knew he only had two minutes to get to the edge. With a grunt, he tossed his brother forward. Nickel landed on the grassy sand at Jade’s feet. He and Faulk raced side by side and then he felt the last jerk before the final pull of the dock into the depths of the sea. They were almost there to the islands edge.

Daniel grabbed Faulk’s arm, and yelled, “Jump!
NOW
!”  He pulled Faulk forward while they both dropped and fell with a
thud
on the soft, sandy surface. He looked back to the sea and caught a glimpse of the rocky dock as it surged up out of the water one last time. With a creak, it jerked down with such speed that the waters separated before rushing over the opening created by its departure.

Faulk was breathing hard from the exertion. “Please tell me the traps get easier. If we had stayed on that thing a second more, we would’ve drowned.”

Daniel laughed out at Faulk’s fear. “You’re right. Even I couldn’t have survived that kind of undertow, and I’m an excellent swimmer.” He elbowed Faulk. “Sorry, cuz. You wanted an adventure right? I told you to be careful what you asked for. Let’s go. Jade and Nickel are leaving us,” Daniel said as he pointed to them.

As he stood and reached out his hand to help his cousin stand, Faulk looked at him and his face broke out into a grin. The same cocky grin Daniel remembered from the day Faulk had first appeared at his door. At that moment, he realized Faulk was looking forward to the challenges ahead. He returned his cousin’s smile, and slapped him on the back before they took off in a jog to catch up to Jade and Nickel.

Gabe barged in the front door, fully expecting Jade to be tossing her darts as usual. Looking around at the empty living room, he grimaced. “Jade!”

He was glad he arrived home with enough time to spare b
e
fore the fog hit, and he’d even thought to grab something for Jade to eat, to make up for leaving her at home alone
.
“I got you som
e
thing to eat!” He ran through the house, opening and slamming doors with his bag of food and sweets in his ha
nd. “Jade, stop playin’
!”

He was sick of this game of hide and seek she sometimes played when she was ticked off that he’d left without her. He figured after he checked on Jade, he’d give Daniel a call. He didn’t expect to miss Daniel earlier and figured he’d show up at Deana’s house, which he didn’t. Gabe was ticked at Daniel for not showing up, and he kicked open the final door in the hal
l
way before hea
d
ing back to the living room.

He sat down on the couch and waited a moment for Jade to come out. Usually, the smell of the sweet pastries he picked up from the breakfast dive on his way home would lure her out. Impatiently waiting for her to slink out of hiding, he popped a sugary sweet donut in his mouth, and frowned at his botched night with his girlfriend.

Deana, his girlfriend’s cousin, wasted most of his time with Malera. Daniel’s treat of the month was determined to hang on, picking Gabe’s brain with a million questions to see if Daniel had moved on to another girl. His time with Malera was spent trying to get rid of Deana. He didn’t know why Deana wasted her time. Daniel’s interest in her had passed long ago. Daniel only came with him to visit her because it gave Daniel something to do while Gabe was with Malera.

Looking around the room, he bit his lip and wiped the sugar off his hand onto his leg, while he considered where Jade could be hiding.
Where the hell is Jade? She would’ve come out by now
.
He dug in the bag for another donut and sighed.

He was glad he didn’t have a snatch job this week. H
a
den seemed to try to split him and Daniel up lately. Truth was - Daniel was one of the only reasons he stuck with the EBRA. Daniel seemed to want to become more of a legendary thief than his father Rayne had been, before Rayne decided to bail on the Zukar all together. But, Gabe’s loyalty to the Zukar was mainly out of habit. Their crazy rules and boundaries got on his nerves, and he couldn’t wait to break apart from the organiz
a
tion. He supposed that was why his father had gotten out of the business several years ago with Rayne. Pushing his thoughts aside, he stuffed the last bite in his mouth. “Jade! Stop playing around! I’m not in the mood for your games. Come the hell out!”

He got up and ran through the rooms again. This time, he took his time and looked in all of her favorite hiding places
.
“Where is she?” He knew she would never leave on her own, because as stubborn as she was, even she knew how dangerous it was on Merwin for a female alone. He reflected on the last female who wasn’t trained to protect herself. She was ki
d
napped and later found in pieces. Anger and dread filled him at the thought that Jade would be stupid enough to leave out without him.

Pushing open the door to her bedroom, he glanced under her bed and knew she was not in the house.
Shit!  Think, think, think! Where could she be?  Daniel would have come here for me first. If she left, she would’ve taken her darts.
Gabe raced to the we
a
pons closet. Upon opening it, he knew deep in his bones, she was gone, and looking inside, his suspicions were confirmed. Her darts were gone, and so was sh
e. “She’d better be with Daniel
.”

He grabbed two guns and his knife to add to the arsenal he already had in his car. As he ran out the house, and jumped in his car, he thought,
Damn! Fog’s about to hit. Gotta move fast. Kno
w
ing Daniel, he would’ve never taken Jade with him if he didn’t have a good reason.
Gabe didn’t want to ponder on all the foul possibilities of Daniel leaving with Jade, but he’d find out
– tonight.

As one of the trackers on the EBRA team, Gabe had an uncanny ability to find anyone. He just wished he didn’t have to tell his father, that he’d left Jade and she was missing.
Man, he’s going to kick my ass, and I damned well deserve it too. Shit!

While speeding along, tingling fear pushed him to kick up the accelerator. Thankful for the sparse traffic, he weaved through the sandy roads of Bethan by memory. Thoughts of Jade and Daniel filled his head. His anger at himself, for giving into Mal
e
ra’s request to meet her in spite of Daniel’s tardiness earlier grated him. He should have stayed home. It was never like Daniel to stand him up.

He pulled up to Daniel’s secluded house, which was alight like thin lines of fire were eating it.
I hope the hell that isn’t what I think it is.
Gabe went into his trunk and pulled out the defuser. It would help him stop a fire, acid burn, or Devonites. He sure as hell hoped it wasn’t Devonites. Those bastards could eat through almost anything, and if you didn’t kill them, they would multiply and attack you. They took being killed pe
r
sonal. The little beasts were about two inches long, with a brown outer skin and four protruding sharp teeth. Their skinny legs were long like the two antennae that protruded from the front of their tiny heads.

Running up to the house, he knew his worse prediction was true. The silver bugs were eating through the door.
There are too many here. They were planted on purpose. Oh, hell Daniel, what have you done?
He surmised that whoever had put the Devonites there had only done it a short while ago, because the house was at least still standing. It wouldn’t take the hungry monsters long to devour the house entirely. He started to spray the door.

He sprayed the defuser and the gnawing, chewing noises and squeaks from their eating frenzy turned into whistling screeches. Once he finished spraying the door, he kicked it in, spray at the ready and aiming at the floors.

“No!” he yelled as he spotting Daniel’s father’s corpse b
e
ing eaten from the feet up. He sprayed the remaining Devonites so he could assess what happened. The final screech of the dying insects continued while he leaned down to inspect what remained of the body.

He saw the remnants of the ceremony of death that the EBRA clan used to send off their dead. His heart beat faster when he realized that Daniel must have had a real good reason to take Jade along with him. He discerned that Daniel was here when his father was killed. At that moment, he knew Daniel must have taken Nickel also, and they were on the run. Kno
w
ing Daniel like he did, he figured Daniel would’ve come to him for help first.
Malera turned off my telecom! Because of her, my best friend and my sister are on the run without me. That selfish witch!

“Hell, may as well get ready for the ass kicking I’m going to get when I tell my father.” Gabe swallowed and headed to the door. “I’m ready for it, because right now I could kick my own ass.” He ran to his car, hoping to make it to his father’s club before the fog hit.

The tall shadow of a man walked into the hideout. A s
e
cret place he had built solely for the purpose of building his own sect. Being Zukar, had been the one thing he had thirsted for all of his life - at least, until he’d grown up and wanted more – much more. He’d come from a long line of them spanning back centuries, but controlling them was an even deeper hu
n
ger. The rules of brotherhood and loyalty were weak and us
e
less to him. Loyalty to anyone but himself would always be a waste. However, the faking of it was a useful tool. Standing inside the dark, dank, hidden cave, he waited. The fog would pass soon and the others should be giving him the information he sought.

The boy’s father had proven himself perceptive. He’d been onto Rayne when he returned from the snatch job for the treasure that would change Merwin forever - empty handed! To make him angrier, Rayne lied and said there wasn’t a treasure to retrieve when he got back from the snatch job. It took years to get Rayne to slip. He knew it wasn’t a deliberate slip, since he was confiding in a
friend
.