CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Kane looked out at the faces of their small community. Everyone was seated, anxiously waiting to hear what their unwilling fearless leader had to say or think. The light dusting of snow made the meeting meadow, as they now called it, seem magical.
Circles of wooden tables, boulders, and tree stumps for sitting and dining were artfully arranged in the clearing. A large fire pit was burning bright, the warmth spreading across the grove. The landscape, beautifully created by Ivy, made it an idyllic storybook setting. Except this was no storybook, and Kane was having trouble seeing the happily-ever-after.
“Good morning, everyone,” he said slowly.
“Morning,” came the replies of the group.
“Akin and Ashley? Can you block out our sound in case anyone walks up?” The twins nodded, holding hands and smiling. Kane immediately knew that no one would hear their conversation.
“I know you are all aware of why you’re here,” he grinned at the group, and they smiled back. “Now, we just have to figure out how we’re going to do this. We know that we have the upper hand. Aislinn has not had a dream or vision with Karena, so we are safe for now, but we know that we won’t be for long. We have to get to her first.”
“We’re with you, Kane, all of us,” said Hawke. Kane nodded at the young man.
“Can you all hear me?” he asked in his head. The nods of everyone in the meadow sent chills up his spine.
“Well, then, I guess it’s true,” he said, grinning. “Are you able to speak to everyone?” They all nodded once more. He pushed his hands through his hair and cursed under his breath.
“Anyone have any ideas how to turn it off so that we’re not all hearing everyone’s personal thoughts?” he asked. “I, for one, would like my personal conversations and thoughts about my wife to be between her and me.”
The group laughed nervously and smiled.
“I think,” said Mary softly, “I think if we simply don’t tune in to that individual, we don’t hear. The sounds, the thoughts are out there, and if we’re constantly focused, we hear everyone. But I think if we don’t think about the person’s thoughts, they don’t come through. Does that make sense?”
Ben squeezed her hand, making Kane smile.
“I think it makes sense. I’m trying to only focus on Aislinn’s thoughts right now, and it seems to be working. It’s like the rest of you are just white noise in the background. Does everyone else get that?” he asked.
Once again, the crowd of people nodded.
“I think that’s it,” said Garrett. “I think if you think about it as white noise, it doesn’t come through so loud. It will take practice, but we’ll be able to get better at it.”
“Good. That’s good,” he said, nodding. “Now, Karena Viskoff.”
There were moans, and he could sense the tension beginning to rise again with the group.
“I have her last known whereabouts,” said Spook. “I traced her through the phones of our friends from a few weeks ago. She was in a small villa in Baja, California, and she wasn’t far from there when Groome met his fate.”
“Security?”
“Top notch. Cameras, sensors, armed guards, all around the clock,” said Spook. “I can tap into the feeds of the cameras if I can get close enough, or if someone is inside the compound with a phone I can tap into.”
“No, that’s too dangerous,” said Kane. “I don’t want to risk anyone’s life if we don’t have to, and I certainly don’t want to get any closer than we absolutely have to.”
“She doesn’t know about me,” said a small voice at the back of the grove. “She doesn’t know I exist.”
Kelly Bellum, Uri’s daughter, stood wringing her hands. Juan started to say something, but Uri stood, heading off his daughter.
“No! You will not be involved in this!” cried Uri, moving toward his daughter. Her sweet eighteen-year-old face was filled with innocence and fear, but he also saw something he’d hoped would wait a bit – courage.
“Daddy, I’m already involved. I was involved from the moment I was exposed. I can help, but more importantly, I want to help. No one will see me, and I know that all of them will be there to protect me if I need them.”
“Kelly…” he said in a pained voice. “Kelly, I can’t; I can’t let you; I can’t lose you.”
“Daddy, you won’t lose me. I’m eighteen years old, Daddy. I know what I’m doing. I can get in and get access for Spook.”
“Oh God,” cried Uri under his breath, “I-I just don’t…”
“Kelly,” said Kane, “this is no game. It’s highly dangerous. If you’re caught, we may not be able to get to you in time. I appreciate what you’re saying, but I think we use you as a last resource.”
The young girl stood tall and nodded, willing to accept their leader’s advice.
“I know. But I also know that if I don’t do this, none of us may have time. I don’t want to live my life on the run. I want to go to college, get married, and have a family. I can’t do that if Karena Viskoff is alive.”
Uri swallowed the sobs that were building in his throat. His little girl was growing up, and she was doing what he failed to do, protect.
Melanie stood beside her husband, a single tear sliding down her cheek. She squeezed Uri’s hand and smiled up at him.
“That’s our daughter. Isn’t she amazing?” she said comfortingly. Uri nodded.
“Alright, let’s make a plan,” said Kane. “This will most likely involve everyone on the team. If we can’t stop Viskoff, we will never be able to live normal lives or help others. I’m open to suggestions, everyone. I’m not the expert here, but I think it’s the right idea to track her down.”
“But how do we do that?” asked Nat. “I mean, we have no clue, other than the brief description of her new looks, what she looks like now.”
“We know her general last known location. From that, I’m trying to track her down now,” said Spook. “If I can find her at an ATM, a grocery store, anywhere where there is access to a video camera, I can get a photo of her. I know that she’s taken some of the funds from the accounts she stole, but I can’t seem to follow the trail right now.”
“Do you think she knows about you and your abilities?” asked Flip.
“I don’t know, man,” said Spook, raking his hand through his loose hair. “I mean, she read all the files at some point, but my file didn’t have everything in it. Besides, although she’s not terribly old, she may not remember everything. I think she’s just being careful.”
“I would agree with that,” said Kane. “Spook? You keep us informed on where you believe she might be. Hawke? Just how far can you… I mean the hawk… Damn! You know what I mean. How far?”
“The bird can fly any distance it normally would, and I can see everything it sees. Once I connect with the hawk or eagle, it’s fairly easy for me to continue the connection.” He smiled at Kane and nodded.
“Okay, find a bird, a strong one that would not be out of place in Baja, and make that connection. The direction we want it to go is the Baja area, so it would need to be able to fly exceptionally long distances. From there? Who the fuck knows?”
Hawke nodded and immediately started to scan the valley, looking for what he needed, a strong, long-distance flyer. A goose came into view, leading its skein across the sky.
A goose? Interesting. Okay, let’s try this.
Hawke immediately stared straight into the lead goose and found the opening he needed. It was as if there was a small door into the bird’s skull that allowed him access to the vision. The bird didn’t see him as an enemy but rather as part of its own brain.
His vision suddenly laser-focused on the sky. It was that time of year, and the geese would be flying south. Karena might actually be less suspicious of a goose flying overhead than a hawk. He latched on and decided to enjoy the ride.
“Maneadero!” yelled Spook, standing quickly from his seat. “She’s in Maneadero, Baja. I just got a read on a cell phone she’s using.”
“Are you certain? I mean, are you sure it’s her voice?” asked Kane.
“I’m telling you, Kane. It’s her,” said Spook. “I’ve been able to match the voice, phone signal, and the ping from her bank to this face from a bank camera.” Spook pulled out the photo and handed it to Kane.
“Alright then. Flip, Spook, Adam, Nat, Nash, Garrett, Isobel, Kelly, and Griffin. That’s the team we’re using to go down there. One team.”
“Wait a minute!” yelled Aislinn. “What about me? What about the rest of us?”
“Yea,” said Fiona, standing with her hands on her hips. “I don’t want to just sit here waiting to hear whether or not you all survived. I want to be a part of this.”
Kane looked around at the thirty pairs of eyes staring back at him. He wanted to keep them safe. He needed to keep them safe.
“Look, I know you all want to be a part of taking her down. But all of us moving in that direction is going to look highly suspicious and will certainly make someone raise their eyebrows and perhaps alert her. If by some chance she knows where we are or, at the very least, the general area of where we are, if we start moving, she will know. Plus, if we leave, the compound becomes vulnerable. All the homes, the construction that’s happening? That could be for naught.”
“I know you all want to help, but how the rest of you can help is by staying here. Doing what you do best from base. Hawke will continue to guide us via the… the…” he trailed off.
“Goose,” said Hawke, smiling.
“Goose, right. Goose?” he questioned. Hawke nodded, and Kane could only smile. “By taking Griffin and leaving David, I’m leaving one person who can get help quickly if you need it. Ashley and Akin can block out the sound if they suspect anyone is near. Gable, you will make sure we get some protection from your wolf and bear friends encircling the compound while we’re gone.”
Gable nodded and looked toward the distant mountain range sending a silent signal to his animal friends.
“Regan, if we need information from one of our files, I need you to be able to access that quickly and relay the information. We are about to seriously test our long-distance telepathy abilities.”
Kane could see that some of them still weren’t buying his story of why they should stay behind, but he wasn’t about to argue this point. They needed to have a team at base and a team on the move.
“I need you all to trust me in this. You said I’m your leader. Well, I’m acting like one. This is the plan, and if you don’t like it, choose another leader.” He stepped back and waited, his beefy arms folded across his chest, his scars red with determination.
“I’m in,” said Griffin and Garrett at the same time.
“Me too,” said David.
“We’re in,” said the group in unison.
“Good,” he sighed with relief. “Now, despite our amazing abilities, I’m still going to ask that everyone carry a weapon with the exception of Isobel, since, well, since you are a weapon. No offense, honey.”
“None taken, Kane,” she said, smiling.
Garrett kissed her forehead, and she smiled up at him.
“Griffin, Garrett, and Nash? You’ve all been weapons trained and certified in the military, correct?” The three men nodded, and Kane felt somewhat better. “We have a pretty good weapons cache, so we’re not skimping on this. We have no idea if her guards will cut bait and run or if they’ll stay and stick it out with her. We also don’t know if she has any others like us with her. She may have been able to convert someone to her side, or worse, she could be setting a trap for all of us. She still may be more knowledgeable about our gifts than we are.”
Aislinn slid her hand inside the warm palm of her husband’s and smiled up at him. He’d found his passion, his perfect job. He was a natural-born leader, and leading all of them from the depths of their own personal hell was his calling. He might not understand it yet, and he may not even want it, but Kane was their leader, and every man and woman would follow him anywhere.
“Come back to me,” she said against his ear, kissing the scar on his neck. He smiled down at her and watched as she and the others walked away.
“Let’s get ready. We leave in an hour.”