Generation 18: The Spook Squad 2 (28 page)

As she made her way back to the car, she tapped her wristcom and quickly called the SIU.

“Christine? Patch me through to Director Byrne.”

Stephan came online. In the background she could hear strident alarms. “What do you want now, Agent Ryan?”

For the first time since she’d met him, Stephan actually looked, and sounded, stressed. “I know where he is, sir. I’m heading there now.”

“The address?”

She gave it to him. “I wouldn’t call in too many reinforcements, though. Might inflame the situation.”

“The situation is already inflamed. She gave us two hours.” He hesitated, glancing down. “Forty-five minutes ago. And Whittiker has escaped.”

That
was not a good development. “Escaped? How?”

“We don’t know, and we can’t find him.”

“He’ll be heading to the factory to meet up with Rose and help fulfill his end of the bargain.”

“Maybe. I’ll meet you there, Agent Ryan.” He hesitated again, blue eyes sharp with anger. “Under no circumstances are you to move in until we get there, understand?”

“Yes, sir.” Whether she actually obeyed was another matter.

Stephan grunted and signed off. She climbed into the car.

“I’m going to soak your seats, I’m afraid.”

Jessie waved a hand. “Forget it. Did you find anything?”

“I certainly did.” She grinned and punched the address into the onboard computer. “Let’s go rescue your brother.”

Jessie halted the Mustang in the supermarket parking lot two doors down from the factory. Sam shivered. Even though the car’s heating was on full, she still felt as cold as a snowflake in a storm. At least she’d discovered one thing tonight—this damn coat wasn’t exactly waterproof. At least not when the rain was more like a torrent than a gentle shower. Her sweater was sodden underneath.

She peered through the waterfall running down the windshield, trying to see the factory. A solitary light glimmered in front of the building, but against the force of the storm, it did little more than illuminate the small patch of ground directly beneath it.

She glanced at her watch. It had taken them half an hour to get here. That gave them forty-five minutes before Rose’s deadline ended. If Stephan didn’t get here soon…

Headlights glimmered through the rain. The car cruised past the factory, not slowing until it reached the parking lot entrance. It turned in and came to a halt beside them.

She climbed out of the Mustang. The wind cut through her sodden coat, as sharp as a knife. She shivered again and shoved her hands in her pockets. Not that it helped much.

Jessie stopped beside her. “Bitch of a night,” she said, as she wrapped a rubber band around her hair.

Stephan climbed out of the gray Ford. “It might play to our advantage,” he said. “With the force of the wind, it’s doubtful Rose will hear any noise we might make.”

“Orrin will.” Sam didn’t know why she was so certain of this. “Did you bring any backup, sir?”

Stephan nodded. “Briggs and Edmonds. They’re making their way around to the back of the building.”

“Let me go in and scout the situation. If Orrin’s there, we’ll have to get rid of him first.”

“Definitely not—”

“With all due respect, sir, we haven’t the time to stand here and argue. Orrin will hear you, but he won’t hear me.” Not with the storm and the night as her ally. She held out her hand. “Give me an earphone and just trust me.”

“I don’t care to risk my brother’s life—”

“Stephan,” Jessie interrupted softly, “it’s Gabriel’s only chance.”

He glanced at his sister and then handed Sam the earphone. “I want a running commentary, and I want you to call us the minute there’s a problem. Understand?”

She tucked the small device into her ear and nodded. “I’m not stupid enough to tackle Orrin alone, believe me.”

“Good.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a Holcroft laser. “Take this with you.”

The laser clung to her palm like a second skin and she felt safer. “Thanks.”

She turned and walked toward the factory. The wind tore at the gum trees along the fence line. Leaves and twigs littered the footpath, becoming miniature boats as they were caught in the rush of water streaming toward the gutters. At least the tree canopies protected her from the worst of the rain. She climbed the waist-high fence at the front of the building and stopped, letting her gaze roam across the dark factory.

Thunder rumbled across the night. Power surged, dancing through her soul. Energy again leapt across her fingertips, warming the chill from her flesh.

But through the power came the sensation of evil. Orrin was inside the factory, keeping watch near the back. The softer bite of evil that was Rose’s presence came from near the front of the building. Obviously, her best bet was to enter from somewhere near the middle.

Once she reached the meshed gate, she shoved the laser in her pocket, grabbed the links and began to climb. Her coat caught on one of the top rungs, tearing as she swung over. Water dripped past the sodden neck of her sweater, chilling her already cold flesh. She cursed softly.

“Problem, Agent Ryan?” Stephan’s voice breezed through the earphone, cold and efficient.

“No, sir,” she answered, keeping her voice low so that Orrin didn’t hear. “Just tore my friggin’ coat.”

“We’ll buy you a new one. You near the factory entrance yet?”

“I’m approaching the side door now, sir.”

She splashed through the puddles and up the stairs. The side door was padlocked. She picked up the lock, studying it in frustration.
Just great
. She didn’t have her pick with her, and if she shot her way in, it might alert those inside.

She studied the long building. In the brief flash of lightning, she saw windows high up. Too high for her. Unlike Gabriel, she hadn’t the option of flight—nor were there any trees close enough to use as a ladder.

Her gaze returned to the lock. Thunder rumbled, and once again the force of the storm surged through her body. The energy tingling across her fingers became a bright, blue-white flame that danced across the lock, encasing it in fire.

In a heartbeat, it was little more than dust in her hand.

The flame muted again, but it didn’t completely disappear. She stared at the blackened scraps in her hand. What sort of psychic ability was
that
?

She didn’t know, and right now she didn’t care. Not if it helped free Gabriel.

She raised her hand, letting the wind scatter the lock’s remains. Then she carefully opened the door. The passageway beyond was dark and narrow—not the sort of place she really wanted to get caught in. There was absolutely no fighting room.

But she had little choice. Orrin still stood guard near the back. Rose was near the front. Gabriel was probably somewhere between the two.

“Entering the factory now,” she said, closing the door carefully behind her.

“See if you can find Gabriel and get him out of there. We’ll take care of the rest.”

That was just fine by her. She’d never had a death wish, and Orrin was not someone she ever wanted to confront.

She eased forward, her fingers wrapped so tightly around the laser that her knuckles practically glowed. The air smelled stale, old, and a steady, moaning creak filled the silence—the wind tearing at the loose roofing.

The passage curved around to the right and opened onto a set of stairs. Sam stopped, listening. The awareness of evil stirred through her. Orrin still stood guard near the back of the building, but Rose was on the move. Sam’s sense of her flowed across the darkness, moving steadily closer. Had Rose heard the door open? Did she suspect something was wrong?

Sam had no idea, nor was there any use worrying about it. She had to get off these stairs and out of Rose’s way before she appeared. Right now, it was better that she avoid being seen—at least until she’d found Gabriel and knew he was safe.

And once she knew that, she was more than willing to back away and let Stephan vent his anger. Would Orrin and Rose survive that? She very much doubted it.

She edged quietly down the steps, stopping again at the bottom. Thunder vibrated through the air. The following flash of lightning briefly illuminated a vast, empty space. She looked up. Skylights were regularly spaced along the roofline. She’d have to watch that she wasn’t caught in the open during the next flash. It would be just her luck that Rose would walk by at that precise moment.

Once on the factory floor, she headed left, keeping to the deeper shadows under the stairs. Sound stirred the silence—the scuff of a heel against concrete. She squatted in a corner, waiting.

The sense of wrongness flooded the night, making it difficult to breathe. From the hallway to her right, a woman appeared. Rose, obviously, as she was the image of her dead sister.

“Orrin?” the woman said. Though it was barely a whisper, Sam heard her clearly. Perhaps it was the night and the power of the storm. Perhaps it was just the emptiness of the factory allowing her voice to carry so well. “I’m heading up to check the side door,” the woman continued. “If you don’t hear from me, presume the worst. Kill Stern and get the hell out of here.”

Damn
. Once Rose walked up those stairs and discovered the unlocked door, she’d know
someone
was here. Sam had to find Gabriel and get him out of here. Fast.

Rose drew close and Sam’s skin crawled. The stink of the other woman’s evil was almost suffocating. She didn’t move; she barely dared to breathe. Rose grabbed the banister and hesitated, her gaze sweeping the shadows in which Sam hid. Sam’s breath caught, and she tensed.

After a moment, Rose moved on, her footsteps fading away as she disappeared down the hallway above. Sam had, at best, a few minutes left to find Gabriel.

She ran across the factory floor, heading for the rear of the building and Orrin. Gabriel had to be near the giant somewhere.

She came to a door and opened it cautiously. Another hallway. She stepped inside, stopped, then reached into her pocket for the strip of material. Sparks leapt across her fingertips, firefly bright in the darkness.

Gabriel was two doors down and to her left. She padded forward. The door wasn’t locked, nor did it appear alarmed. An ominous sign, because it meant they were sure Gabriel couldn’t escape.

She quickly stepped inside and closed the door. It was the office she’d seen briefly in her visions—small and cramped, with cheap, dingy gray wall-to-wall carpet. Gabriel lay near the desk, not moving but breathing.

She waited, listening to the silence as she studied the room. There had to be something here, something that would warn them if Gabriel woke up. Surely they wouldn’t be foolish enough to think the ropes that bound him would hold him.

Or maybe they
were
that foolish. Maybe Rose was delusional
and
overconfident.

She knelt by Gabriel’s side. His skin was pale and clammy, his breathing rapid. Shock, she thought. He shouldn’t be moved, but she had no choice. She pressed the earphone. “Found him.”

“Alive?” Stephan’s voice was tightly controlled. He’d feared the worst.

“Yes. Unconscious, though.”

“We’re moving in.”

And Orrin was moving out. The giant had sensed her, though she had no idea how. But then, if she could sense him, why wouldn’t he be able to sense her, especially if they were both products of Hopeworth?

One thing was obvious, though. She couldn’t stay here. To do so would risk Gabriel’s life. Rose wouldn’t kill her insurance policy unless she had no other choice. Sam would have to do the one thing she’d been trying to avoid—confront Orrin.

“Orrin’s on the move. I’m going to try and lead him away from Gabriel. Have Briggs and the others wait near the back entrance.”

“Be careful.”

A totally unnecessary warning. She rose, then hesitated. She couldn’t leave Gabriel here unprotected. Rose obviously wasn’t sane. Why
wouldn’t
she come back here and kill Gabriel, just for the hell of it?

She quickly undid the ropes binding his arms and legs but she left them looped, so that to the casual glance he still looked bound.

Then she touched his cheek, pinching it gently. “Gabriel, wake up.”

He groaned, eyelids fluttering. She pinched harder. Right now, there was no time for niceties. Not when Orrin was drawing close.

“Gabriel, wake up, goddamn it.”

He did. Pain burned bright in the hazel depths of his eyes. His gaze was unfocused, and he blinked several times, struggling to stay awake and regain some semblance of alertness.

She couldn’t wait for that.

“Here, take this.” She shoved the laser into his hand. “Protect yourself. The ropes are undone. I’m going to lead Orrin away from this room. Stephan’s on his way. Leave if you can.”

He blinked owlishly and she wondered if he’d heard anything she’d said. Sweat dripped into his eyes, and the stink of burnt flesh was heavy in the air. His shattered arm was obviously bad. So, too, was the cut he’d sustained on the fence, if the wide circle of blood near his shoulder was anything to go by.

Still, if he hadn’t bled to death by now, he probably wasn’t in danger of doing so within the next five minutes.

His eyes started to close again and she touched his cheek gently. “Gabriel, stay awake. Stay alert. Orrin’s on his way. Wait till he has checked this room, then get up and run.”

If you can.
Because he showed no sign of real understanding. She bit her lip, rose and walked across to the internal door. It led into another office. She slipped inside.

Outside the factory, lightning flashed—something she heard and felt rather than saw. Energy crawled across her skin. Stephan was closing in. So was Orrin. His lumbering steps reverberated through her brain, as sharp as the evil that stung the stale air.

This room also had two doors. She took the left, simply because Orrin approached the other. It led into another corridor. She turned right. The back door had to be down here somewhere. If she could find it and open it, Briggs and Edmonds might be able to help her take out Orrin before Rose was alerted to the fact that something was wrong.