Dawn Endeavor 1: Fallon's Flame (17 page)

“Come on.”

She followed Gunnar and Jesse out the door, surprised to see the light of day creeping through the house. “What time is it?”

“You slept through our debrief. It's the next morning,” Jesse informed her.

They met Mrs. Sharpe, Jules, and Ava in the living room.

“Kisho is missing. I have several men looking into this as we speak,” Mrs. Sharpe said.

She looked calm, but Olivia could feel her worry. That the older woman had let it slip alarmed her.

“When he didn't come home last night, I figured he needed a break. You know he sometimes goes out by himself.” Jules rubbed the back of his neck in agitation. “Never occurred to me he could be in danger.”

Mrs. Sharpe frowned. “I've heard back from the team that went in to destroy the lab. They found a dozen dead bodies. None of them Montaña's men, just scientists and servants. All traces of the drug were gone. There was no account of proof about anyone's involvement in anything.

Gatito's notes weren't there.”

Jules shook his head. “Someone knew we were coming. Who, Mrs. Sharpe?”

“Admiral London, myself, and a few of his team discussed the mission. But ultimately I accepted it.”

“We need to do a sweep of the house,” Gunnar stated.

“I'll have Jack get on it.”

“The handyman?” Olivia asked.

“The ex-spook handyman,” Jesse confirmed, and she remembered what Mrs. Sharpe had told her before. “Melissa does a lot of other things besides cook too.” Her mind raced. “We still have no idea who was running the lab, though, right? Just that Colonel Ricardo Montaña runs the security, and that Montaña's men are stateside.”

“Right. We lost sight of them while you were in Brazil. There's no possible reason for any of them to kidnap one of our Circs, though.” Mrs. Sharpe looked as puzzled as the team felt.

“Unless they want something we have,” Ava added quietly, her gaze on Olivia.

“Considering the rogues and mutants you ran into, and the fact that the drug we're after doesn't work on Circs period, it's likely whoever's running the labs has a Circ agenda.” Jules nodded. “That makes sense. Just because Elliot Pearl is dead and Pearson Labs destroyed, that doesn't mean his research is at a standstill. He had plenty of scientists working for him over the years leading up to Project Dawn. How do we know one of them didn't start his or her own private research?”

“Or that Pearl didn't make some deals no one knew about when he was alive,” Jesse added.

“He might have a few projects ongoing, even posthumously. And let's not forget Olivia. She's a Circ, but where did she come from?”

“That confuses me too. I've never had any weirdo treatments in my life. Nothing experimental.”

“That you knew of,” Gunnar said. “That's how they infected Sabrina Packard. Drugged her and called it a vaccine.”

“Who?”

“She's a female Circ, but she worked with Elliot Pearl,” Mrs. Sharpe answered. “Olivia's medical records and the interview we had with her uncle and aunt checked out. She's clean.” Talk about extensive research. Olivia had a hard time understanding how this could be possible, despite knowing the truth. “So, what? I'm a natural Circ? Born this way?”

“Your father was in the navy,” Jesse said slowly. “What if Pearl's original Circs didn't start at Project Dawn, but earlier?”

Everyone quieted.

“A scary thought,” Ava murmured.

“Yes, and something we need to look into. But right now we need to find Kisho.” Mrs.

Sharpe took charge. Ava went in search of Melissa and Jack. The men left to go looking for Kisho. Mrs. Sharpe made phone calls.

Olivia didn't know what to do or what to think.

“Call Jaime and Belinda. I need to talk to them pronto,” Mrs. Sharpe ordered. She tilted her head to cradle the phone in her ear and tapped her temple with a long-fingered hand. The light-colored polish on her nails flashed in the light, and it just clicked.

Her familiarity suddenly made incredible, impossible sense.

“You…you can't be…”

Mrs. Sharpe smiled. “Can't I? Now make the call, dear. We don't have time to waste.”

* * *

Fallon sent out mental calls for Hayashi but heard nothing in return. He, Jules, and Tersch had just checked over every inch of the rental van they'd found parked in the deserted lot of a crumbling textile plant outside of New Bern. Fallon could barely smell Hayashi under the sickeningly sweet smell that covered the vehicle.

“The fuckers masked it with perfume. I can't tell if his kidnappers are Circ or human.” Fallon clenched his fists, needing answers. “Too bad we don't have more on Montaña, because I guaran-damn-tee he's behind this. He has to be.”

“I agree,” Jules added. “But why take Hayashi? We've had no ransom demands. I don't see them grabbing him for bizarre experiments.”

“Why not? Pearl did it.” Tersch paced in front of the van, unable to mask his worry.

“Yeah, but Pearl's dead. It's been a year and a half since the labs closed down. Don't you think if a hint of his research remained so close, we'd have heard before now?” Fallon asked.

“Jules, what did Roane's team say when you called them?” He snorted. “Nothing. They haven't heard or seen a hair of anything Circ in months. The rogues we encountered in the jungle were a complete surprise, according to Roane. Hell, they've been working real-world ops for General Shields, non-Circ stuff.” 

Jesse had the feeling they were missing something. But what? He studied the textile plant, measuring the brick building. Broken glass windows around the rooftop, busted metal doors, faded paint on the front of the place. The whole mill was in disrepair. He sighed.

“We should check over the van again.”

Tersch entered, cocked his head, and stopped. Then, as if directed by another force, he reached between the driver's seat and the center console.

“What's that?” Jules asked as he pulled a piece of paper free.

“I don't know.” Tersch frowned. “It's in Hayashi's handwriting, though. Sunfield.” Jesse's gaze shot to the building. “Like the wording on the mill?” The three of them circled in front of the van and stared at the building.

“See how the s-u-n is faded, but the f-i-e-l-d is still there.” Jesse felt an itch to explore.

“He's inside.”

“I know.” Jules scowled. “But how do I know?”

“I don't like any of this.” Tersch didn't even pretend. He stripped out of his shirt and shoes and
changed
, expanding underneath the elastic waistband of his pants. Except he didn't just
change
, he transformed into the fighting machine that could withstand anything they'd ever come up against—his own psychic cross to bear.

Jules said, “We'll follow in the SUV. If he's bad off, he'll need quick transport out of here.

Go.”

Fallon joined him in the vehicle, and they raced after Tersch. Inside the building, they followed Tersch's howls of rage up three flights of stairs into a dusty office covered in filth.

There, on a metal stretcher in the middle of the room, lay Hayashi, naked, bloodied, and mending from what appeared to be multiple breaks in his body. Mottled bruising covered him from head to toe, and he had a defined wound, what looked like teeth marks, around his left nipple.

“I'll fucking kill whoever did this to him,” Tersch swore as he broke the chains holding Hayashi's wrist and ankle restraints to the table. “Kisho, buddy, you with us?” Nothing.

“I can hear him breathing. Jules, what does his aura look like?” Fallon asked, wanting to crush whoever had done this. Of the four of them, Hayashi was the most gentle. One wouldn't know it to look at him, but the man had a soft spot around kids and animals. He seemed stoic, almost unfeeling, but only because he felt so much. The rare glimpses into his thoughts had shown Fallon much about the man behind the aloof warrior he called friend and brother.

“He's not healthy, but there's an odd infusion of light around him I can't understand. He's healing, slowly. Still, we need him checked out. Too bad Sharpe hasn't found us a doctor yet. We need someone on staff.”

“No shit,” Tersch growled, still monstrously large and thinking about death and dismemberment a little too often for Fallon's peace of mind.

“Dude, let it go. You're freaking me out.”

Tersch gradually shrank to his normal
changed
size. “Better now, Nancy?” Tersch grumbled.

“Yeah, thanks,
Frederik
.”

Tersch curled his lip in a smile.

Jules punched in a few numbers on his cell phone. “We have him, but we need Doc pronto.” He hung up. “He's already on his way. Mrs. Sharpe called him this morning. Said she had a
feeling
we'd need him.” Jules carefully lifted Hayashi in his arms. “Okay, Fallon, you drive. Tersch, you're on protection duty on the way home. I'll continue to monitor our boy, here.” They hurried back to the SUV, on edge and prepared to combat any sudden attack. Fallon opened the back and folded back the seats. Jules placed Hayashi inside, then sat next to him.

Tersch jumped into the passenger side and withdrew a gun from the glove compartment.

“What do you think Sharpe's deal is?” Fallon asked as he drove.

“I don't know,” Jules answered. “But I think it's time we found out. This first mission for the new Dawn Endeavor was a complete bust.” He paused. “Well, not for all of us. After all, you got Olivia.”

Fallon smiled.

“And speaking of which, when do we get her again? I have needs, you know,” Tersch bitched as he
changed
back fully.

“Such a baby,” Hayashi whispered.

Jules sighed. “
Finally
. Man, you had us worried. What the hell happened?” 

“Delancey happened.”

Fallon blinked. “Tell me you did not just say Delancey.”

“That fucker? So much for fading into the sunset.” Jules swore bitterly. He hated their old captain with a passion. “He volunteers us for Elliot Pearl's nightmare, then somehow separates himself from the fallout when it all goes to shit. And now, a year and a half later, he's in the mix again. I'll fucking kill him.”

Fallon and Tersch exchanged a glance. Jules had a real hard-on for Delancey, and not in a good way. He blamed himself for getting his men into the Circ madness in the first place, and he blamed Captain William Delancey for leading him down the primrose path, knowing the situation would FUBAR—become fucked-up beyond all recognition.

“So Delancey kidnapped you?” he asked Hayashi.

“Healing's a bitch, you know that?” He groaned. “No, a few of Montaña's men were watching us. They know about the house, where we live, who we are. Montaña's working for Delancey. The captain's the brains behind that deserted lab in Brazil.”

“Holy shit.” Fallon whistled.

“Montaña's guys told you?”

“Had a vision. After they dropped me from the roof of that plant as a warning for us all to back off, I saw Delancey as clear as day standing in that lab, his hands on a box the cleanup team missed. We have to stop him from whatever he's up to. It can't be good.”

“Don't worry, Hayashi.” Jules's voice was soft. “We will.”

“I still don't understand why they didn't just kill you, though,” Fallon said. “No offense.

I'm glad you're alive. But if I'd set out to stop a bunch of troublesome Circs, I wouldn't let them live to tell on me.”

Hayashi remained quiet.

“Kisho?” Jules said. “You okay?”

He swallowed audibly. “They left me for dead.”

“I'll gut them,” Tersch promised. “Slowly.”

“How'd you get on that table?” Jules asked.

“I guess I had help. Who knows?”

Fallon tensed against a sharp thought but opened his shields when he recognized Hayashi behind the penetration. An image of a tall, dark stranger with penetrating green eyes filled Hayashi's mind's eye and then vanished.

Fallon didn't say anything, but he planned to ask his friend about his savior just as soon as Hayashi was on his feet again. For now he had healing to do. And Fallon needed to return home and cement his ties to a stubborn female too eager to leave him.

Olivia gnawed her lower lip. “My aunt used to tell stories about you, you know.” Mrs. Sharpe didn't answer, not that Olivia had thought she would. Ever since Olivia had remembered where she'd seen the woman, Mrs. Sharpe had internally shut down.

“You're not going to talk about this, are you?”

“No.”

Olivia huffed. “But don't I owe Jesse the truth? If he learns the navy has nothing to do with my being Circ, if he learns what I really am, he'll—”

“What? Love you any less? Why are you so determined to end this relationship before it can begin? Do you know how much you've already helped him? His migraines haven't returned.

He's both mentally and physically stronger. He broadcasts now. Call out to him and see. He'll answer.”

“
Jesse, are you okay? Any sign of Kisho
?”

He answered immediately. “
We think we may have found him. I'll let you know when I can.

Stay safe
.”

She blinked. “He thinks they may have found Kisho. He'll let us know.”

“Good.” Mrs. Sharpe didn't look surprised.

“You knew they'd find him.”

“Now, Olivia, how would I know that?”

The look Olivia gave her caused the woman to chuckle. “Well, there is that, isn't there?

Come now. I'm here for a reason. And so are you.”

Olivia didn't like feeling manipulated, and right now she felt like a puppet on strings.

“Why didn't you ask me to come down here? Why the subterfuge? Why didn't you
tell me
?”

“Because it had to happen like this. And like Kisho will tell you, nothing is set in stone.

We each have our own choices to make. Jesse fell in love with you.”

“His choice or hormones?” Olivia asked drily, wishing she didn't feel such a thrill from his devotion. Wishing she could believe in it.

“Does it matter?”

“Yes, it does. How do I know what I feel for him isn't just a Circ need to bond or something?”

“Then why don't you feel it for Jules or Gunnar or Kisho?”

“Because I—” She had no explanation. No one but Jesse felt right, and Olivia believed in her feelings.