Chapter 73
Secrets of the Slums
JESSICA
Six Years Ago
“ETA, fifteen minutes,” Ean barks from the driver seat of the recruit van.
Skunk and Van removed the seats from both shuttles so more of us could fit into each one.
The three men that were captured were found dead in the closet.
They ingested some kind of poison—a mixture of wolfsbane and cyanide.
My palms are damp with sweat. I don’t want anyone to notice, so I carefully wipe them over my tactical gear and pretend to check my weapons.
This is either the worst idea I ever came up with or the best. Either way, Anders and Shadow are coming home tonight.
I struggle with the straps at my side. My tanto’s scabbard keeps sliding down.
The slickness from my palms makes it difficult to get it just right.
Silently, I let out a frustrated breath between my lips.
“Jessica, come here.” Luke waves me over.
I scoot down the van floor and stop in front of Luke.
“Get on your knees.”
“What?” I squeak, baffled by his direction. Snickers and laughter emit from the recruits.
He licks and then bites on his lower lip, trying not to laugh himself. His dimple becomes more pronounced. “Get up so I can fix the strap for you.”
“Oh. Why didn’t you just say it like that?” I kneel in front of him. The van sways back and forth, so I brace myself with a hand on his shoulder.
“Why is your mind in the gutter?” he whispers.
“It’s not. I’m just nervous and scared. What if this doesn’t work and I just put everyone’s life in danger? Or worse…” I don’t want to admit it, but what if we fail? I fail, and they die because of me.
“It’s a good plan. The Leads wouldn’t have gone with it if they didn’t agree.” He checks the rest of my weapons.
“Anders wouldn’t have approved.” He adjusts some of the other straps and pulls on the ballistics vest, ensuring it’s on securely.
“It’s hard to think rationally sometimes when you care about someone and their life is in danger.
Not sure if you noticed, but Anders wasn’t quite himself.
This is his life. This is all he knows, and he couldn’t lead because there were too many things running through his head.
He might not show it, but he cares about you and Shadow like you’re his own. ”
“Was he like this when I was kidnapped?”
“Yeah. He lost it a couple of times and kind of shut down, similar to what you saw.”
“Why did he let himself get caught? Why would he do that?”
Luke smiles sadly as he replaces the daggers in my vest. “I think he did it on purpose to save you.”
My eyes burn with unshed tears. A loud whack and a sting jolt me back in surprise.
Luke chuckles.
“Did you really just slap me?” I rub my arm.
“Worked. Didn’t it?”
“Just when I was starting to like you,” I grumble and plop down on the shuttle floor, facing away from him with an exaggerated pout.
He gently rubs my arm and winks when I glance back in his direction.
“You’re just as bad as Charlie,” I mumble under my breath as I stare out through the windshield. A glint of light from the street lamps above ricochets off Liam’s diamond earring. I can’t think about him right now. I need to focus on the mission.
Liam points. “Right there. See the hole in the roof?”
Ean slows the van and pulls into a wide alleyway. This is it. No turning back. We’re going to get them back.
Suddenly, I can’t breathe. I tug on the high neck of my undershirt.
Luke pokes my arm. He takes an exaggerated breath, and I mimic him. We do it two more times. “You got this. Now, do your thing, Jess.”
I close my eyes and link all of our minds together. Then, we wait for Darwin’s instructions.
Tech crew in position. Sharp shooters up next.
Alexis slides a phone into the center of the van. A vortex opens, and both he and Skunk slide feet first into it.
“I still think that’s super cool,” Luke whispers. Not only can Darwin physically hack into systems, he can also get into them by opening a portal. Squirrel figured out how he could manipulate the vortexes that he opens for others to enter.
Slowly, everyone climbs through the portal to get into position. Luke and Liam are the only two left, besides me.
Alright, Luke. We’re ready for you. Take your position, Darwin instructs. Luke kisses my cheek, winks, and slides into the vortex.
Liam watches the interaction intently before he speaks. “Turn it off for a second.”
I shake my head.
He mouths the word please.
I unlink his mind and mine from the connection.
He reaches across the vortex, grabbing my vest to pull me forward.
With his face close to mine, he says, “I’m not apologizing for what I did back on the territory.
But I will apologize for comparing you to Elaine Powers.
You’re nothing like her.” He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment and releases a stuttering breath.
“I love you so fucking much… it just hurts.” He searches my face, and my eyes burn with unshed tears.
“You better make it out of here alive. So fucking help me, baby, if you die… I will burn this fucking city down to nothing but ashes.” He presses his lips against mine before setting me back on my heels.
Stunned, I clear my throat and try to empty my mind before reopening our link. I meet his steel gray eyes. Just like the night of the guard ball, he mouths, I love you, and steps into the vortex.
I close the portal, slide the phone into my cargo pants pocket, and wait for the all-clear.
The slums are eerily quiet. Sticking close to the shadows, I make my way down the block to the abandoned warehouse. The closer I get to the building, my nerves twitch. I know it’s after midnight, but it’s too quiet.
When I reach the apartment building next to it, I check my surroundings. Nothing, not even thoughts from people sleeping. Did Odyssey not pick up on that?
I’m not close enough to the apartment building to pick up on anything, he responds.
The original plan was to pound on the front door and basically offer myself up as a trade. Then, we would ambush them before they could guess what was coming.
But something is wrong. I feel it in the still air. Guys, I think this is a setup.
Reaching down into one of my cargo pockets, I pull out a pair of glasses. Squirrel managed to make me a light pair of night vision glasses using my old frames that cover most of my face.
Wow! These are amazing. I can see everything. Thank you, Squirrel.
I move around the apartment building. Using my wind magic, I hoist myself up to the third-floor balcony and lean against the window. No one is in there. I can’t even hear the sound of someone breathing.
Jessica, stick to the plan, Elias growls.
No, something’s wrong. You need to watch your backs. I really think this is a setup. I hop up onto the balcony railing and fly over to the rooftop of our targeted building.
I find the hole Liam pointed out in the van and peer into it. The warehouse is empty. I move down to the other corner to view the other buildings, but the warehouse roof is too low.
Jessica, get off the roof. You’re leaving yourself wide open, Elias shouts.
I move back to the opposite side of the building near the back end of the apartments. A tingling sensation develops against my scalp. I freeze. Shadow? Where are you? I spin around to face the buildings across the street.
A sharp, high-pitched whistling emanates from the sky above. I jerk my chin in the direction of the sound. A bright white light explodes above me. I pull up my arm to shield my eyes.
Get off the roof! Elias bellows. She’s under attack! Fuck our plan. Get her out of there!
I yank off the night vision glasses. Bright spots mar my vision. A strong gust of wind ruffles my hair, followed by the sound of wings flapping.
Wings? Wings! What the hell is happening? Did the Resistance recruit avian species to join their cause? I drop to my hands and knees to scramble forward. The edge of the roof shouldn’t be more than a couple of feet in front of me.
A piercing sound breaches the sky. Wind beats down on my back. I blink rapidly to clear my vision. Something heavy lands on my back, tightens around my body, and lifts me into the air.
I place my hands on the talons squeezing the life out of me. I push my lightning magic into the thick, rough quick of its claws. It instantly releases me with a piercing cry. I freefall for a few seconds before I can gather my magic and slow my rapid descent.
Another flash of bright light explodes in the sky. A solid force of energy crashes into me, spinning me out of control. A punch of energy hits me from the side. I unleash lightning, striking at anything. I can’t see.
My body spins out of control. I can’t tell which direction is up or down or how close the ground is. I pull in my wind magic, fighting to right myself.
A solid form smashes into me. I hear the sound of crackling electricity, and the tiny hairs at the nape of my neck stiffen. Pain ricochets throughout my body, and darkness takes over.
A tingling sensation against the nape of my neck brings me back to consciousness. Something covers my head, blocking my sight. My arms are bound behind me, and my legs are tethered to the chair I sit on.
I squirm, testing the tightness of the bindings. Footsteps clomp and shuffle, filling the silence of the room. I still my body and relax my position. I count the number of footfalls drawing near.
“I told you not to harm the girl until we got answers,” a baritone voice says nearby.
“Sorry, Boss. I didn’t expect her to start shooting lightning out of her hands. She almost got me and Nan with one of them.”
These men attacked me in the air. The energy strikes and the electrical currents that hit me, that was magic, not to mention the avian species that hefted me up in the air. None of this makes sense. Last night, the Resistance didn’t attack with magic wielders. It was just wolves and guns.