CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Apollo
“He’s alive?” Apollo asked. Those were not the words he’d expected to hear. How was that possible?
“Yes. Tom’s alive. At least according to the read I got from Ed,” Rocko said, shocking everyone in the room. “We’ll have to do a background check on that guy.”
They’d made it back to the compound, and they were currently monitoring the tracker they’d placed on Ed’s vehicle as it headed across state lines and into Vermont. The coordinates Rocko originally received appeared to be spot-on, even though they couldn’t pick up anything through satellite imaging.
“Should we tell Mary and her family?” Jagger asked.
“No. Not yet. A lot can happen between now and when we find their hideout,” Apollo said.
“I know you’re right, but seeing the pain in her eyes is heartbreaking,” Renee said.
“It would be even worse if we gave her hope now and something happens to him,” Rocko explained, agreeing with Apollo’s decision. “We don’t know how long they intend to keep him alive, and the read I got off Ed was enough to make it clear Tom isn’t being handled with kid gloves.”
It was difficult to think of it that way, but rational. They could kill Tom at any moment. Apollo had to look at this realistically, though he hoped they would get Tom back for his family.
“We have to move quickly,” Griffin said. “The longer we take, the larger the chance he’ll be killed.”
“Agreed,” Apollo said. “It’s time we put boots on the ground in Vermont.”
“Damn right,” Griffin agreed along with everyone else around the table.
“Get me as much information on that location as possible, as well as local police activity. Wouldn’t want to run into a random lawman while looking like a personal army.
Well, at least any lawman other than the one we already have on our team.
Find a place we can go ashore close to the location, that way it’s a clear shot across the lake, and we can avoid the roads,” Apollo ordered.
“It’d be better to go after midnight,” Jagger said. “I can disconnect the lights so no one can see us coming.”
“Won’t we need the lights to see where we’re going, or do we have night vision gear?” Rocko asked.
“We do have night vision gear, but with these puppies,” Jagger said while pointing at his birdlike eyes, “I have perfect vision twenty-four-seven.”
“Handy,” Rocko said.
“It has its moments,” Jagger chuckled.
Apollo liked how easily Rocko fit in with his team. Their banter was genuine, and the feel of mutual respect gave him hope that Rocko might consider staying. Even though Griffin and Rocko had a patchy start, and they still sent jabs each other’s way, it lacked any real animosity.
“Was there anything else you picked up from the car or the guy?” Blade asked.
“Yes. That Ed asshole is a stone-cold killer. He has no difficulty ending anyone who gets in his way. He’s a hired gun.
Gerald Levy must have hired him specifically because he doesn’t work in the construction company.
So far, we have Gerald Levy, the owner whose father was supposedly killed by a Noah survivor, if what I saw in my vision rings true. ”
“We have no reason to doubt anything you’ve seen,” Griffin stated.
“Thank you. So, Gerald, Tony, this Ed, and the second guy at the garage, Jack Ivy, who is related to Gerald in some way, but not a close relative. I get the impression there are at least two or three more individuals involved with Gerald’s mission directly.”
“Six or seven individuals in total,” Damon said.
“Yes. Also, I got the impression Jack is being forced into this somehow. His heart isn’t into it, and when push comes to shove, I doubt he’d be the first one to attack.
Ed will and has shot first with or without provocation.
I’m positive Jonesy would have been in danger if we weren’t in the garage.
” That made Griffin growl. “They have a fairly good-sized arsenal, but Ed considers himself above everyone else on Gerald’s team, even to the point that he’d gladly take over.
If he staged a coup, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Also, I get the impression Ed has had experience with survivors or the Noah Group in some way.
Have we had any luck with the previous sites Levy worked on, where they might have dumped the body I saw in my vision? ”
“Not yet, but we’re narrowing down the list to coincide with your description,” Ace said.
“Thanks. If I can get a read on Gerald, I might be able to get an identity on the person.”
“There might be someone out there looking for them,” Ellen said.
“Let’s get ready. I want to get in and out fast and silently.
Everyone will be masked, and no names will be used in the presence of hostile forces.
I don’t want those fuckers tracking us back here,” Apollo ordered.
“We must stay anonymous at all costs. Ace will be on comms, Jagger and Hendrix will man the boat, Griffin, Rocko, Blade, Damon, and I will go in. Renee, I need you to be prepared for any injuries that Tom and anyone else we might find at their site might sustain. Xavier, Rosaline, and Ellen, I need you to stay with Mary and her family. I’m sure they’ll need as much support as we can offer over the coming days.
I want us ready by tomorrow night.” The team split up, heading in different directions.
In over twenty-four hours, his team would face one of the hardest missions they will have had since leaving New Orleans.
They’d prepared for this eventuality. This was where rubber met the road, and soon they’d know if they’d done enough to come out the other end in one piece.
He’d do whatever it took to make sure that happened.
“Rocko, come with me, please,” Apollo said.
He led Rocko to his office and closed the door behind them.
The moment they were alone, he pinned his lover against the closest wall and dove in for a much-needed kiss.
Apollo had been on edge all day with Levy’s goons showing up and having them within a couple of feet of them in the garage.
One wrong move and the fireworks would have started in that garage because he wouldn’t hesitate to start tearing shit apart to protect innocent people.
Rocko’s responding moan had Apollo deepening the kiss, wanting more of the man who’d taken over every rational thought he had. The feel of having Rocko in his arms was something he could no longer live without, and when they came up for air, Apollo knew what he had to do.
“Rocko, we need to talk.”
“Now? I have a better thought, let’s get naked.”
“I like where your head’s at, but first we talk.”
“What’s wrong?”
Rocko’s smile faded, and Apollo didn’t like that.
“No, nothing’s wrong.”
“Okay. What did you want to talk about?” Rocko asked while moving a few feet away.
This wasn’t going the way he’d hoped, and he had to move fast to save this.
“I wanted to know your plans.”
“My plans?”
“Yes. After this case. What do you intend to do?”
Rocko walked to the other side of the office, and Apollo’s heart fell.
***
Rocko
What were his plans?
That wasn’t exactly an invitation to stay, was it? Shit.
“Well, I wasn’t sure.” Should he tell him what he’d overheard while he was healing in Apollo’s bed?
He wasn’t sure if he was welcome to stay or even wanted to.
“Okay,” Apollo replied as he moved to sit behind his desk, effectively erecting a barrier between them. Had this turned into a business negotiation? “How much leave do you have from your job?”
Was he asking him when he intended to leave?
Before Rocko could answer, there was a knock on the office door.
“Come in.”
Ace stuck his head in and said, “Ed’s vehicle stopped. We have a lock on their position, and maps are up on screen.”
Apollo stood, and they followed Ace back to the dining room table. Their discussion was officially over. Rocko wasn’t sure if he should be annoyed or relieved.
“Did they stop in the same location as the coordinates I received?” Rocko asked.
“Close. Less than a mile away,” Ace said.
“Have you brought it up on satellite?” Apollo asked.
“Yes. That’s why I came to get you guys,” Ace answered.
“What did you find?” Rocko asked.
“A medical facility.”
“What?” Rocko asked. Of all things he’d expected, that wasn’t even on the list.
“It’s some type of private mental facility on a large area of land,” Jagger said as he came in holding his tablet. “The Michael’s Psychiatric Care Facility.”
“Bonus, it’s waterfront,” Ace said.
“Would the facility be on the same grounds as the GPS point?” Rocko asked.
“Yes. The property is massive,” Ace said.
“Who owns it?” Apollo asked.
“Still working on that. In the last two years, it’s changed hands, and the current owner appears to be hiding behind a shell company registered out of the country.”
“Interesting. How many patients does it hold?” Rocko asked.
“Typically, forty.”
“Typically?” Rocko asked.
“Yeah, it’s strange. Since changing hands, they’ve relocated over half their patients into other facilities without registering any new patients,” Jagger explained.
“Are they closing down?” Apollo asked.
“We’re pulling their financials but haven’t found any indication they’re liquidating assets,” Ace answered.
“Why would two men known to be hunting survivors be working for Levy at a mental facility?” Rocko asked.
“What if Levy is working for someone else we don’t know about? That his minions don’t even know about?” Apollo asked.
“I haven’t been able to read Gerald Levy directly, so it’s possible,” Rocko said.
“We need to get our hands on Levy,” Ace said.
“Yes, we do, but how?” Rocko asked.
“We need to find him first. So far, he hasn’t been at his business or home for what looks like a bit of time,” Jagger said.
“Wait. You said that you felt that Jack Ivy was related to Levy in some way,” Apollo said.
“Right.”
“What if we tail Jack and see if he leads us to Levy?” Ace suggested.
Rocko watched as Apollo mentally reviewed everything. Their priority was rescuing Tom, but he had the feeling this went much deeper than simply Gerald Levy wanting revenge.
“This is what we’re going to do,” Apollo announced.