23. Chapter 23
With the sun barely gracing the morning sky, Caige parked the minivan in front of a suburban home.
Raz’s jaw clenched as nervous energy saturated the air in the van.
Kate’s anxiety made it seem like this was more than a simple money transaction with Sajani Reedy.
Kate had to retrieve ID badges from Sajani for the submarine, something not readily replicated.
“I’ll just be a moment. Stay here,” Kate said.
Hell, if I’m staying in the vehicle. Even if the white vinyl house matched the normalcy of its neighbors, Raz didn’t want to leave Kate’s side in case something went wrong. She exited the van, and he followed on her heels.
“Raz. Please…” she said.
He shut the door and turned toward her expectantly. She eyed him for a long moment.
When he felt her withdrawal from him along the link with sadness creeping in, he whispered against her ear, “I trust you, Kate. It’s the situation I don’t trust. What if she set you up or Matsuda got to her?”
“We’ve had a check-in system. I would have known if something was up. There’s no way she’d turn on me—she knows what’s at stake.”
“Still. I’d like to assess the situation and provide backup.”
She stared at him long and hard, contemplating. “She isn’t expecting anyone else. Act casual and don’t scare her.”
He grinned. “Me? Scary?”
A small smile graced her lips as she headed up the concrete pathway to the house.
He followed, eyeing the large black utility vehicle with government plates in the driveway.
She rang the doorbell. In his peripherals, a curtain moved as if the occupant wanted to check on their visitors.
A deadbolt snapped back, and the door slowly came ajar.
Kate slid in, but her hand motioned for him to wait. “I have a friend with me. Is it okay if he comes inside?”
No response, but Kate opened the door enough to allow him through.
He brushed the siding on his way inside.
Beside Kate stood a woman with curly burgundy hair and dilated hazel eyes.
Sajani Reddy. The doctor whose face Kate had shown to them when she transformed into her in Lewis’s office to show this part of the plan.
He stepped into the tidy home, and a warm aroma of baked chocolate filled his nostrils.
A human’s spirit energy like body odor against his Insight made him tense. Sajani wasn’t the only one in the house.
“I did as you asked,” Sajani said. Her crossed arms didn’t hide the shake in her fingers. “They are in here. My backpack is ready.”
They followed her into a living room where two large men dressed in black sat on the couch, heads lolled to the side. Unconscious but breathing according to the energy impression of heated body odor. What the fuck? They must have been the guards who normally took Sajani to the submarine.
Kate touched Sajani’s arm. “It’s all right, Sajani.”
The woman sniffed. “I know. I just—“ Her voice hitched, and she held her hand over her mouth as a stray tear ran down her cheek. “I’ve never done anything like this.”
A tidal wave of dread and guilt crashed over him from Kate along the link.
“You did great,” Kate said. “Now go and get my friend and me whatever smells so delicious. I’ll have them hypnotized like I did Anthony in no time. Don’t worry.”
Sajani released a shaky breath but nodded and left the room.
“I thought the plan was to pay them off so we could take their place?” Raz whispered.
“I’ll explain in the car.”
She circled the coffee table that held two beers and the badges they needed—IDs to get onto the San Diego Naval base and then onto Matsuda’s submarine.
Stepping between the men’s massive thighs, Kate leaned forward and pressed her fingers against each of their temples.
As she closed her eyes, a blue sheen of light arced from her fingertips to their skin.
Impressions of turning pictures filtered across the link as if Kate were flipping through a slideshow.
Caige’s Illusion allowed him to manipulate the image of himself in people’s minds.
Though Raz was aware Illusion users could alter memories, he’d never seen it done.
He imagined the memories she was implanting made them believe they’d gone to the submarine with Sajani all along.
A few moments later, she fumbled through one man’s pockets until she pulled out a pair of keys.
The strain between her eyes and the hard line of her lips worried him.
A fear set in that she might not have enough energy to complete the mission.
Illusion was draining, and a user could easily run out of calories.
He’d seen Caige collapse under that strain, and she stated she could only hold a face for a few hours.
His impatience rose up his neck. “Why didn’t you tell us this was the plan?”
“I didn’t want to do this, but after the run-in with Matsuda, I reevaluated.” She wobbled around the table. “If Matsuda really started asking questions, I’m not sure money would be strong enough to keep all of them silent.”
“Sorry,” Sajani said from the arched entryway. “Am I interrupting?”
“No, it’s fine.” Kate grinned.
Sajani walked into the room and held out a shaking plate of brownies.
“Oh, you poor thing.” Kate grabbed the plate and Sajani’s elbow. “Please sit down before you fall down.” Kate guided her to the chair next to the couch and placed the treat on the table.
Sajani sat while Kate snatched a beige blanket hanging from the chair’s arm. “Here, let’s warm you up.” She draped the fluffy material over Sajani.
“I’m sorry,” Sajani said.
“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Kate rested on the edge of the coffee table and caressed Sajani’s face.
Raz’s dragon sent heat through him, but he shushed the flare of jealousy.
He knew the two had become close enough for Sajani to confide in Kate about everything she’d been doing for Matsuda, but just how intimate that was—he wasn’t sure.
It wasn’t his place to ask, but from the cocktail of heartache and guilt flowing through the link, Kate cared deeply about her.
Which would explain why the two seemed to trust each other.
Energy fluxed between the link as if Kate were preparing to use more power. A chilling unease flowed through his chest. He feared she couldn’t keep this up and stay in Illusion on the submarine.
“You did great,” Kate said. “You don’t know what this means to me. Thank you.”
Sajani smiled, and as she rested her cheek in Kate’s hand, her face paled, lips turning blue. A frost tinged her brown hair as if she had sat in a freezer for hours. Something twinkled white in his peripheral vision.
He jumped forward. “What’s wrong?”
“Don’t move.” Kate’s fiery demand stopped him in his tracks. “She’s fine. You can collect those feathers for me while I alter her memories.”
Feathers? Sure enough, a feather lay on the counter, and a few had floated to the floor. Had she performed a miracle? What was this costing her? She never mentioned if performing miracles was taxing, but he wasn’t sure how many feathers she had left.
As the blue glowed between her fingers and Sajani’s skin, he grumbled but picked up the others. The pristine white almost appeared bleached with some radioactive substance. The middle rachis glowing blue furthered his mad science project thought. Fallen feathers.
Kate continued working on Sajani. The minute ticked by like an hour before she squatted back and drew in a deep breath.
“What did you do?” he asked.
“I used a miracle to erase her memory ever since the day we met, then copied the memories I gave the guards, so she thinks the other person she’s supposed to rotate with decided to stay longer and Sajani returned from the submarine after installing equipment.”
No wonder it took a while. She stood but faltered backward. He grabbed her arms, and she fell into him with all her weight.
“Kate?” he asked.
“Whoa, I haven’t used that much energy in a while. Altering memories isn’t as easy as changing my appearance. I need to rest.”
He hoisted her around the waist, and she wrapped her arm around his shoulder. The same thing happened to Caige if he used too much Illusion. His heart pounded against his chest. “Are you good to walk?”
She nodded. “Bring the brownies. I’ll need the energy. And don’t forget her backpack. It’s what she normally brings to the submarine.”
Holding her, he bent to grab the plastic plate and backpack. He brought her back to the van. Caige opened the door for her, and she rested back before grabbing the plate from Raz.
Handing the guard’s keys to Raz, she said, “Take Caige and grab the largest piece of equipment from the rear of the SUV in the driveway. It should be in a black case.”
He made her comfortable in the backseat and deposited the backpack before he left with Caige.
“Everything okay?” Caige asked as they crossed the street.
“She replaced three people’s memories.”
Caige whistled under his breath. “Seems like it took a toll. I didn’t know Fallen were capable of that.”
“Me neither. But she’s covering our tracks.” At the black vehicle’s trunk, Raz tried each key until one slid into the lock. The door swung open to a large case that looked like a coffin.
“Will she be okay to stay in Illusion for the next few hours?” Caige asked, hopping into the back and around the case.
Raz strummed the link between them. Anxiety and exhaustion came rushing in, but also calm confidence that settled his own fears. “She’ll push herself if she has to.”
“Ready?” At Raz’s nod, Caige continued, “One. Two. Three.”
They lifted, and Raz’s muscles burned from the weight.
“Didn’t think scientific equipment would weigh a ton.” Caige shook his head as he hopped from the rear. Raz kicked the door closed before they loaded the coffin into their van.
“Well, that wasn’t suspicious,” Kate murmured around a bite of brownie. The finished plate lay in her hands.
“Fast food before we go to the base?” Raz asked.
“We don’t have time,” Kate said.
“The naval rescue exercise can’t start without Sajani, so we have plenty of time.”