The Forbidden Trilogy (50 page)

They'd insisted Drake's picture be put up with the others.

I refused to look at it, refused to believe he was dead.

But one picture, one loss, I carried in my heart alone, to
grieve in private. Only Lucy came close to understanding my sadness at the
Seeker's death.

The service ended, and Lucy held my unburned hand as we left
the building. A familiar profile caught my eye. I turned, but he was gone
before I could be sure.

Still, in my heart I knew.

Drake had been here.

He was alive, and I would find him.

Drake slipped out of the church before anyone could spot him,
Father Patrick's rosary clutched in his hand as though it could somehow save
him. Seeing Sam nearly tore his chest apart. He wanted to touch her so badly,
to talk to her and hold her and tell her everything would be okay, but he
couldn't.

How could he go to her a broken man, with nothing to offer
her or their child? Until he could mend himself and his shattered mind, he had
nothing to give them. They were better off without him.

He knew he spun these lies to protect himself from his
cowardice, but he didn't care. His mind held a tentative grasp on reality these
days—the destruction of his power had robbed him of some of his mental
faculties as well.

He couldn't let Sam or her friends see him like this.

***

Drake drove until the tremors took over his body once more.
He stopped at a gas station and locked himself in the bathroom. Whatever
sickness or poison had laid claim to his body, his body pushed it out through
both ends, leaving him weak as a kitten and unable to move.

Each day, his symptoms became more extreme.

Fear and anger battled in him like two demons fighting for
control of his body. He leaned his head against the cool bathroom tiles and
tried to fill his mind with something—anything—other than Sam.

He had to get his powers back, one way or another.

---END OF BOOK TWO---

(Book 3 of The
Forbidden Trilogy)

by

Kimberly Kinrade

Twilight descended on the world outside their airplane,
casting long grey shadows into the sky. The moon hung heavy in the night, a
large glowing orb that looked as if it had been dipped in powdered sugar. Lucy
tried to focus on Agent Morrison's briefing, but the pulse of the sphere in her
backpack seemed stronger with the full moon present. The power seduced her into
quiet reflections.

Luke jabbed her in the ribs with his elbow.

"Ow, that hurt." She rubbed the sore spot and shot
mental daggers at her twin brother.

"Sorry, Sis, but pay attention. What's the matter with
you?" His blue eyes studied her, and she knew it was a loaded question.

She hadn't told him about the sphere she'd discovered in
Russia, before they'd escaped the Rent-A-Kid center. It just hadn't come up.
Normally, they told each other everything, so this omission weighed heavy on
her.

His eyes bore into hers, and she turned away, flicking her
long brown ponytail at him. "Sorry, just got distracted by the moon."

Morrison scowled. "You two ready to focus? We have a
lot to cover here."

This mission was important. The older kids had escaped
Rent-A-Kid's evil clutches, but the babies and young kids remained prisoners,
and Luke and Lucy had teamed up with International Paranormal Investigators,
IPI, to rescue them. It had taken some strong-arming, but Lucy had obtained the
address from a reluctant Mr. Black before she and Luke had escaped. After he'd
beaten her near to death, Lucy harbored no warm fuzzies for the man, but at
least he'd come through in the end. Also, Lucy and Luke knew more about
Rent-A-Kid than any of these agents.

The fact that they were martial arts experts, that she was a
computer hacker and human lie detector with some cool shadow powers, and Luke
could walk through anything, and now, could change the molecular structure of
something—like when he'd saved everyone from a cascade of bullets by thickening
the air—made them uniquely qualified.

About to set out on their most important assignment yet, it
wasn't the money that drove them and their co-workers this time, it was the
mission.

Morrison cleared his throat and flexed his biceps as he
adjusted himself in his seat. He'd looked distinctly government when they'd
first met after the break out, with his black suit, black tie and black
briefcase.
Seriously, did he take his wardrobe style from the movies?
Now he looked military, in camouflage and combat boots.

"As I was saying, the compound is heavily guarded and
we have to be careful. They could use the kids as hostages if we blow our cover
too soon." He handed them photos of the perimeter that showed walls,
fences, guards and cameras everywhere. "Also, count on some snipers that
you can't see. We'll drop the two of you into the water, where you'll swim past
the fence. If you don't see an opening, use the underwater torch in your packs
to cut through. Then, when it's fully dark outside, sneak into the compound and
disable guards as needed. Lucy, once you're in, hack their system and take over
any surveillance."

Luke flipped through the pictures. "What will I be
doing?"

Agent Morrison pointed to a building in the center of the
compound. "That's the generator. If Lucy, for some reason, can't get in,
you'll need to shut it down manually. But only as a last resort, got it?"

Luke nodded.

"Once you've done that, you need to plant sleeping gas
in the ventilation system. This will knock out everyone inside and, hopefully,
give us a chance to rescue the children while also keeping them safe. Luke,
you'll open the gate and our backup team will arrive to extricate the children
and take the staff and guards into custody."

It sounded simple enough, but Lucy's field experience had
taught her that plans often went awry in the trenches. "I thought sleeping
gas is dangerous, and hasn't been used since that 2002 Moscow theater hostage
crisis."

Morrison looked up from his file, surprised.

Lucy didn't know if she should be flattered or insulted.
"We
have
been doing this awhile, Agent Morrison. Rent-A-Kid may be
a lot of things, but they aren't stupid. We're well trained and well
educated."

He put the files back into his backpack and zipped it up.
"I can see that. And you're right, that form of sleeping gas hasn't been
used in a long time, but our organization created a substitute a few years ago.
It's completely safe and top secret. The gas will be visible, and most will
think it's smoke from a fire. We need to shut down the fire alarm before it
goes off and they start to evacuate."

What other top secret weapons and gadgets does IPI have?
Lucy's thoughts were cut short when Morrison handed her and Luke black
backpacks.

"These are waterproof. Inside you'll find the sleeping
gas grenades, computers, a change of clothes and supplies, and a tank-less
breathing system that will attach to your vests and allow you to breathe the
oxygen directly from the water."

"From the water?" Luke appeared puzzled.

Morrison looked at her brother as if he were a student not
paying attention in class. "Yes, from the water. You know... two parts
hydrogen, one part
oxygen
."

It was Lucy's turn to be impressed. She examined the device
and then attached it to her wet suit. They'd provided her with a
top-of-the-line laptop for hacking, but she pulled it out and set it aside.
"I need to use my own computer. I can't risk working on a new system while
in the middle of an assignment."

"That goes against regulation. We know the quality of
our own tools. I'm not comfortable sending you into a hostile situation with an
unknown."

Lucy rolled her eyes and pulled out her own computer from
her backpack. The sphere pulsed softly and she palmed it and dropped it into
her new pack before showing the agent her computer. "This is
top-of-the-line. Even
you
don't have a better model with more power. It's
fully customized and programmed for
me
, specifically. I'm not going in
without it. And for the record, I'm not under your regulation. I'm not your
agent. You and your agency are working with us. Let's keep that clear."

Luke snickered beside her, and Morrison made a face as if
he'd bit into a lemon.

Lucy didn't say another word, just waited for the agent to
make a move. How far would he push her?

He opened his mouth to speak, but his phone buzzed.
"Yeah...... oh, yes, sir....... I understand, sir.... Goodbye." His
face twitched in annoyance, and he grabbed the IPI-issued laptop and put it in
his own pack.

Interesting.
Had someone just given him an order to
allow her to use her own computer? She'd been certain he was going to make an
issue of this. That meant the higher-ups had them bugged and were keeping an
eye on them.

Based on Luke's expression, he'd made the same connections.
They'd have to talk about this later.

Morrison handed them parachutes. "We can't get too
close to the base without revealing ourselves, so you'll have to jump. Once
you've completed your mission, use the orange flair gun provided to alert us.
Agent Simmons will bring a task force through the gate and get everyone out. If
you run into problems, use the red flare gun, and her team will bust through
the gate and attempt to offer aid."

Attempt to offer aid. That sounded
so
reassuring.
Not the most foolproof plan. They'd tried to negotiate, but couldn't make
contact with the head of Rent-a-Kid—Sam's father. They'd even captured a
hostage—the leader of the compound—but still, no one responded to them.

Luke tightened a strap around his chest and stood to make
sure all his equipment was secured properly. "What if we're captured,
what's Plan B?"

Lucy wondered that as well, as she readied herself for the
jump and the mission.

"We have the compound's leader. We're hoping they will
trade, if you're caught."

Lucy stood, mouth agape. "Your big plan is to try to
trade a guy no one appears to want, to rescue two powerful paranormals? And you
think this is a
good
plan?" She couldn't believe this lamest plan
ever. If they were captured, it would never work.

"I never said it was a good plan, but it's the plan we
have. Moral of the story? Don't get caught."

Right, don't get caught.
"Let me talk to
him."

Morrison looked up from his own preparations.
"Who?"

"The hostage. If he's on the plane, let me talk to him.
I have some experience with interrogation. Maybe I can get him to tell us
more."

No one could lie to her without her knowing. Surely she
could break this guy and remove some of the risk from their mission—make it
more likely she and Luke would survive.

The IPI agent pressed his lips together and scowled.
"Technically, since you're not an agent, you're not allowed near the
prisoner."

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "This is our
mission.
We're
the ones risking our asses to save these kids. We're the
ones who will be left behind if it tanks. I don't give a damn about protocol. I
want to talk to this guy, now. If you want our help on this, that is."

IPI's plan could not succeed without her and her brother,
and the agent knew it. They could do things no one else could. It wasn't even
just their para-powers, though that gave them an edge no one could compete
with. They'd been in training for this, or completing these types of missions,
their whole lives.

Lucy didn't back down as Morrison struggled between towing
the company line and blowing the mission, versus giving her what she wanted.
She wished she could borrow Sam's power for just a moment and read the guy's
mind.

Sam. Is she okay? Is the baby okay?
Lucy couldn't
afford too many thoughts for her best friend. She had to focus on the mission,
and on getting home safely, so that she could be there for the birth. If she
wasn't already too late.

Morrison stood and walked to the back of the plane.
"You coming?"

Score!
She winked at Luke, who grinned like a fool,
and followed Morrison to a locked bathroom.

"You've got him locked up in there?" She hoped it
wasn't like in the movies—the captive sitting on the toilet without pants,
chained to the plumbing. Not that she wanted the guy crapping his pants, but
she didn't need to see his junk, either.

Morrison waved his hand around and laid on the sarcasm.
"Do you see many options for a secure containment here?"

"Guess not. He's got clothes on, right?"