Crux (The Aurora Lockette Series) (10 page)

They were wrong.

Their fiancé wasn’t stolen from under their nose. They hadn’t gone through the anguish of not knowing where she was. They hadn’t felt the crushing weight of guilt. They didn’t have hot-molten rage flow through their veins against anyone involved in her taking. They didn’t have the drive to see her again, at all costs.

I did.

“Done,” I said, my voice firm and loud.

My confidence broke the silence, and Dennis continued listing
Team Two, which included several people I was familiar with from my previous missions with Aurora, including Carmen and Konstantin. I guessed that Dennis had chosen these people to make me more comfortable, maybe even to make me more effective. Whatever he was thinking, I’m sure he was light years ahead of me.

Conversations buzzed around me as names
were read off. I had twenty people on my team. They were moving behind me, shifting their weight, rolling up on their toes. I could feel their energy. They were ready to move, to back me up, and to follow my command. They were going to help me get Aurora back.

Dennis pulled out a large map and pointed out the position of
Team Three. He took over the meeting again, his loud voice booming through the small room. “Team Three will create a second large perimeter and serve as standby in case Team One or Team Two needs it.”

The rest of the fighters in
Team Three clustered together, whispering amongst themselves. Several seemed to be disappointed they were not closer to the action. The guy in charge of team three was one of Dennis’ close friends. He was older, but nimble on his feet and in good condition.

“
We leave at 22:00 hours. We’ll have Aurora and Keith back tonight!” he finished the meeting with flourish.

“
That’s right!” the mohawk guy said. “We’ll get them back!”

“
Yeah!” another man echoed.

The meeting dispersed. Several people came over to offer words of encouragement and support, some patting my back or shaking my hand. A loose line of people soon encircled the cramped living room. They were literally lining up to support me.

The fatigue, stress, and emotion caught up to me. I was fighting back tears at the show of support. I’d forgotten these people were more than a gifted set of humans and their handlers—they were a family.

I dropped my shoulders
and placed my face in my hands. The gentle pats and soft words kept coming. “We’ll get her, man,” and “we can do this,” and “it’s going to be okay.”

The line ended, and I was standing as alone as I could get in the small space. I poured another cup of coffee, watched the steam rise for a minute, and then chugged the whole thing.

I felt better than I had since she went missing because I was finally doing something.

I put the empty mug down on the table. Konstantin was nearby, watching me carefully.
“Shall we prepare?”

“
Yes.” I raised my voice so I could be heard over the crowd. “Team Two, over here, please.” I mustered as much authority as I could dig up.

They assembled loosely around me. I went over the logistics with them one more time
, and appointed a chain of command in case something happened to me. Then I thanked everyone for helping me get Aurora.

We dispersed and checked weapons. Restrooms were visited. Massive amounts of coffee were passed around in cheap foam cups. Fast food was picked up en-masse and eaten. Team Three deployed first. The vehicles would come back after they
were dropped off, and when they were, it would be our turn to head out.

I watched the clock, eager to load up and start getting into place. When I
didn’t think I could wait any longer, we finally did.

I loaded up my gun and ammo, slipped into the passenger seat of a SUV with Konstantin, Carmen, and a bunch of other people, and got ready to move into position. Their faces were grim,
their mouths set in firm lines, and serious expressions. And they all had a lot of weapons. We were all mirrors of each other, wearing the same expressions and thinking the same serious thoughts.

It was time to get Aurora back.

AURORA

“Can you stand?” I asked Keith.

“
Hell yeah, I can!” He smiled from his bed. He was actually sitting up on his own strength. Color filled his cheeks and forehead. His voice was strong and clear.

“
Do it, do it, do it!” I punched the air to emphasize my faux chant.

He pushed forward and then swung his legs to the ground. I stepped closer, ready to catch him if he was unsteady on his feet. He waved me off.

He smiled again, then pushed himself off the bed. I was so happy I floated to the ceiling, my gift straining against the hold of captivity.

“
I love to see you fly!” he said. He had one hand resting on the bed for balance, but he was standing on his own feet, looking pretty steady.

“
And I love to see you up on your feet.” I landed next to him, rocking on the balls of my feet. I touched his shoulder, oh so lightly. “You scared me for a second.”

He took a tentative step, crossing the length of the small room in a few small steps.
“It feels good to be on my feet again.” He walked back to the bed, depositing himself on the edge. He was clearly fatigued from his excursion. The bed creaked when he sat. “Now, how the hell do we get out of here?”

“
That’s my boy.” I sat next to him. “We keep your recovery a secret, then we overpower Mr. X.”

“
And how, exactly, do we overpower him? He’s definitely human, but he’s a strong one.” He flexed his arms and legs. “I’m not even close to being recovered.”

“
They’re lax now.” I pointed to the open window, where the boards had been ripped off. “The window is unguarded. When was the last time you heard Mr. X moving around? And,” I lower my voice to a whisper, “I have weapons.”

“
What? Where?”

“
Behind you,’ I pointed to the head of the bed where it was crammed up against the wall, “in the crown molding. I have a knife, scissors, and a razor back there.”

“
Let’s get them out, then. What are we waiting for? We have to strike now.”

“
Now?” I said.

“
Like, right now. Surprise! If we surprise ourselves, we surprise them.”

I looked out the window, scanning the darkening horizon before I answered him.
“There are some sentries out there, and you’re not strong enough. If we wait one more day...”

He stood up again, stronger, without the help of one hand on the bed.
“We may not have one more day. I may not have one more day. Hell, I could get worse without more antibiotics. And Aurora? Damn, woman. You can fly. When it’s time, just fly.”

I said nothing more. He was right. I pushed out the bed just enough to pull the weapons out. I handed the razor blade to Keith and pocketed the knife.

Tires crunched on the loose gravel outside. The two large SUVs were back, including the one that had taken me in the first place.
How did they sneak up on us? I needed to pay more attention.

I glanced at Keith, whose troubled eyes reflected my concern that maybe we just missed the escape window.

“Fly, Aurora. Go right now! I’ll be fine.”

“
No! Get back in bed. Act sick,” I hissed.

Keith collapsed back in bed, pulling up the covers and closing his eyes.

I sat next to him, my mind reeling over all the ‘hows’: how to escape, how to take over. I wanted to plan this out, just like Dennis had a plan for every mission, but we didn’t have time. “What do we do?” I whispered.

Mr. X’s feet
thundered down the hallway.
Step. Stomp. Step. Stomp.
He would be with us any second.

“
Just get out of here. You’ll know,” Keith whispered. He opened his eyes, meeting mine. There was so much emotion in them, I cringed. I knew he still had feelings for me, even though he’d been professional on all the missions with Gavyn. I knew it was there and he hid it because it was the right thing to do, but I saw it flash in his eyes. He cared for me, probably too much.

“
Okay,” I whispered back. He rested his head back on the pillow with his eyes closed as Mr. X’s feet pounded closer to the door.

The room to the door flew open with such violence it bounced off the wall and bumped back into Mr. X.

Mr. X always cut an imposing figure, but tonight, I actually recoiled. He was in full-on guerilla warfare gear, with a machine gun looped across his back and ammo strapped across his chest, including several pod shaped things that I’m pretty sure were grenades.

“
We’ll be leaving soon. You won’t ever come back, nor will I,” he announced. His eyes drifted to Keith’s still form. “If he’s still alive, he’ll be going, too.”

I refused to follow his gaze.
“Yep, he’s alive. Thanks for your concern.”

Mr. X moved his eyes back to me. I forced myself to meet them. They made a strong contrast to the kindness and caring I found in Keith. His eyes were flat brown, filled with evil. I found nothing there
—no compassion, no caring, nothing to grab onto. My fears were confirmed when his eyes traveled down my figure. “I’ve come to collect.” He grabbed my wrist, confident in his foolish belief that he was capable of overpowering me.

The time had come.

Now.

It was time to escape.

“No,” I said in a firm, strong voice. The strength rang through my body.

His eyes widened just enough to register stock, but he didn’t get a chance to make a sound. I kicked hard, sweeping out his legs in front of him. I pushed him to the floor, pulling out my knife that I had tucked into my bra. I pressed it into his neck.
“Quiet!” I said.

He fought back, pushing me off with the force of his massive form. My knife slipped on his throat, sending a wave of blood down the front of his shirt. It was a superficial cut
, but he didn’t know that. He wrapped his hands around his neck, frantically trying to push the blood back in, and screamed.

Damn.

I heard several car doors slamming shut. When I peered out the window, I saw several humans and many Shyama moving across the lawn, converging on the house. They streamed from the fields surrounding the home, filling every space. In mere seconds, we would be completely overrun.

Mr. X tried to push me down to the floor, but I fought back. We were locked in
a battle, my knife grazed his skin as we struggled for control. The footsteps came down the hallway, and I knew it was over.

Keith slammed into the side of Mr. X, sending him off his feet. Mr. X grunted, but stayed down.

Keith held up his shaking hand. It was wrapped around a grenade he’d taken off of Mr. X’s holster.

“
Don’t do it!” I screamed. “Not like this.”

Mr. X held up his hands.
“Do it. It’s better than what’s coming for all of us. They promised me I would survive, but I don’t want to, anymore. Not without her.” He pushed his hands together and closes his eyes, as if he was praying. “Forgive me, my dear Cassandra,” he whispered as tears rolled down his face.

I was torn between shock and anger. I didn’t know who Cassandra
was, and I guess I didn’t care. I looked at Keith to see if he had a similar reaction.

But Keith had closed his eyes, head and torso shaking with effort. He was using his gift, blocking the Shyama, their footsteps slowing in the hallway. They were confused, foggy. It bought us a few seconds, but not enough time.

The Shyama came closer, converging on the house, surrounding the room. I’d never seen so many in my life.

“
I can hold them long enough. Live,” he begged, “please.” Tears rolled down his cheeks.

He pushed down the striker level and then pulled the pin out of the grenade.

I screamed so loud that everything else was drowned out. My pulse pounded through my chest. Keith was gone, or would be in seconds.

How much time did I have? How much time had I just wasted hesitating?

Tic, tock, tic, tock.

I wouldn’t waste his sacrifice. I couldn’t. So, I flew.

Tic, tock, tic, tock.

I flew like a bullet out of a gun, crashing through the window. In my haste, I banged my shoulder against the window frame on my way out. I landed hard on the ground outside my former prison. But I didn’t have time to stand, or walk or fly. I didn’t have time to do anything but curl in a little ball and cover my ears.

The wall should provide enough coverage. I could survive this if I
—

BOOM
!

The earth moved again as the shock waves knocked
me sideways, and I was thrown several feet in the air. Dust and rocks were everywhere. In the confusion, I lost my clarity. Where was I?