American Heroes Series - 01 - Resurrection (13 page)

Kyle Winter’s eyebrows lifted and he unbolted the door of his apartment, yanking it open to see his only sister standing there.  She was disheveled and pale, and his annoyance immediately turned to concern.

“Cyd?” he opened the door wide and waved her in. “What are you doing here? What’s wrong?”

Cydney tried to stay calm as she told him the tale but she ended up weeping through most of it. By this time, Kyle’s wife Megan, a lovely brunette, was awake and had her arms around Cydney as the woman finished her story. When Cydney was done, Kyle looked both dumbfounded and grave.

“Are you serious?” he half-demanded, half-pleaded. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Livvy’s been kidnapped by a bunch of extremists because of the new exhibit at the museum?”

Cydney wiped her nose with the tissue that Megan had handed her. “It’s true,” she assured him. “Kyle, I need your help. I need to get my daughter and those cops just stand around and fight about whose jurisdiction it is. I know where she is; the GPS in her phone says she’s at Los Robles Avenue and Walnut Street in Pasadena.  I need to go and get her and I need you to help me.”

By this time, Kyle was on his feet, pacing thoughtfully. A big man at a few inches over six feet, he was thirteen months younger than his sister. Growing up, they had gone to the same schools and had the same friends.  Oddly, they hadn’t fought or hated each other like most siblings do.  They had actually gotten along.  Kyle was the one person her entire life that Cydney could always count on. He was big, smart and resourceful. She needed to count on him now.

“Cyd,” Kyle raked his fingers through his messy blond hair. “I don’t know what we can do. If these religious freaks really have her, then it’s possible that they’re armed. You might be placing her in more jeopardy by going in recklessly and trying to save her. More than that, you might get yourself killed. Did you think about that?”

Cydney’s tears were back. “She’s all I have, Kyle,” she began to sob. “I have to get my baby back. If you won’t help me, then I’ll do it myself.”

Megan hugged Cydney and tried to comfort her as Kyle knelt down in front of his sister.

“You know I would give up my life for you or Liv,” he said, more gently. “But you’re not thinking. You said the cops and the FBI are in on this, so you have to let these guys do their thing. You’ll just mess it all up if you go rushing in. Is that what you want? To make things worse?”

Cydney just sobbed. Kyle sighed, patted his sister’s hand, and stood up.  He looked at his wife.

“I’ll drive her home in her car,” he told her. “You follow me in ours.”

Megan’s brown eyes were wide. “Is that it? You’re just going to take her home?”

Kyle lifted an eyebrow at her. “Don’t start.”

“You need to do something,” Megan insisted.

Kyle threw up his arms. “What do you want me to do?” he shot back. “I’m not a cop. I’m not going to go busting in to this hideout or whatever it is at Los Robles and Walnut and get my ass blown off. It’s stupid to even try. She needs to let the cops do their job. They’re trained for this stuff; we’re not.”

Megan wouldn’t give up as Cydney continued to weep. “At least call your dad and see what he says about it.”

Kyle rolled his eyes. “My dad would say the same thing.  It’s my mom I’d worry about; she’d get the shotgun from the safe and go down there herself, guns blazing. She’d shoot first and ask questions later and probably end up in jail on a murder charge. There’s no way I’m calling either of them about this. They can’t know. Okay?”

His last word was emphasized at his wife. Megan made a face at him, knowing he was more than likely right.  As her husband changed into jeans, Megan held Cydney and tried to comfort her. The woman was overwrought and terrified, a condition that was catching. Megan was pretty terrified herself.   The whole thing seemed very surreal but, coming from level-headed Cydney, it had to be the truth. Cydney didn’t have a big imagination and she wasn’t a liar. 

When Kyle was dressed, they got Cydney into her car. She protested at first and even tried to run off, but she seemed so weary and disoriented that she couldn’t seem to coordinate herself.  Deeply concerned, Kyle drove off with Megan following in the Mustang, traversing the dark freeways until they reached Arcadia.

It was surface streets to the two-bedroom bungalow with the yellow flowers bordering the walkway.  Cydney had stopped weeping on the ride home and they were nearly to her house when Kyle realized she had fallen asleep. Pulling into his sister’s driveway, he could see the black and white parked on the street and people in the house.  It only served to validate his sister’s story. He tried to wake her up when he parked the car but she wouldn’t budge.

Exiting her car, he admonished his wife to stay in the Mustang as he went to the door. He only pounded once before the door was flying open.

Cops had him by the arm, yanking him in and shoving him against the wall.  Kyle threw up his hands in a show of no resistance.

“Hey, take it easy!” he protested. “I’m Kyle Winter, Cydney’s brother. I have Cydney in the car.”

 Ethan was suddenly standing next to him; he didn’t even say a word. With a lingering glance at Kyle, he raced down the hallway and threw open the bedroom door. The bed was messy and empty and the window next to the headboard was open with the screen removed.  The cool night air blew in gently, lifting the curtains.  Muttering a curse, he retraced his steps down the hall.

“Damn it,” he hissed, his dark gaze focused on Kyle. “Where is she?”

Kyle threw his thumb in the direction of the driveway. “I told you; in her car, dead asleep.”

Ethan was out the door, jogging across the lawn with Kyle and the detective on his heels. He reached the newer model Acura and saw Cydney slumped in the passenger seat.  Unlocking the door from the driver’s side, he circled around and opened the passenger door.

Cydney almost fell out but he caught her before she could tumble.  She awoke briefly, mumbled something, but promptly fell back asleep in Ethan’s strong arms.  Shifting his grip, he picked her up and carried her back into the house.  Kyle, the detective, and Megan followed.

“Is it true that Olivia has been kidnapped?” Kyle wanted to know as they entered the house. “She drove all the way to my house asking me to help her rescue her daughter. What in the hell is really going on?”

Ethan took Cydney down the hall, being careful not to bump her head into the wall, and carried her into her darkened bedroom. Megan was right behind him and she pulled back the covers as Ethan gently laid Cydney on the bed.  Cydney did nothing more than sigh contently and snuggle down into the pillows as Ethan covered her up.  With a lingering glance at her blond head, he shut the window, locked it, and ushered Megan and Kyle out of the room.  Quietly, he shut the door.

“Olivia has unfortunately been abducted,” Ethan explained to the big blond man who faintly resembled his beauteous sister. “We are working on a recovery plan.”

Kyle sized up the good-looking man who seemed to behave very kindly towards his sister. “Who are you?” he asked.

“Special Agent Ethan Serreaux,” Ethan replied. “I’m with the FBI.”

“Did the cops call you in on this?”

Ethan shook his head. “I was already here.” His gaze moved between Kyle and the pretty brunette standing next to him. “Cydney told me she had a brother. I didn’t know you lived locally.”

“I don’t,” Kyle said flatly. “I’m about twenty miles from here. Look, do you want to tell me what in the hell is really going on here? My sister shows up at my door, hysterical, with stories of her daughter being abducted, and I bring her home to find the cops here and the FBI and…,” he suddenly threw up his hands as if at the end of his wits. “This is crazy. What’s going on?”

Ethan gestured in the direction of the living room, a hint which both Kyle and Megan took.  They went into the living room with Ethan on their heels. A big African American agent came in from the kitchen and stood next to Ethan, introducing himself as J.D. Dickerson.  Kyle sat on the couch with Megan close against him. They made an apprehensive pair.

“I’m sorry we can’t tell you more, Mr. Winter,” Ethan said in a genuinely apologetic tone. “Suffice it to say that your niece has been kidnapped and we’re doing all we can to recover her.”

Kyle lifted a blond eyebrow. “No offense, but Cyd said that all you guys were doing was arguing over whose jurisdiction it was. Why do you think she was so scared and frustrated that she drove all the way to my house to find help?”

Ethan cleared his throat softly, glancing at J.D. as he spoke. “There’s no problem,” he replied. “We have agents on it right now, staking out the location indicated on Olivia’s GPS. That’s about all I can tell you; we’re doing our best to get Olivia back.”

Kyle gazed at the two men a moment before shaking his head. “You guys just don’t get it,” he lowered his voice, now more concerned than angry. “Olivia is all my sister has.  Her husband was killed eight years ago changing a tire on the freeway.  The guy was hit by a bobtail truck.  He was so messed up that she couldn’t have an open casket but she still insisted on going to the morgue and seeing him. I went with her and the memory of my sister holding this broken up bag of bones that used to be her husband is something I’ll never get out of my mind. Then, to top it all off, Brad’s dad had a heart attack during the funeral and died later the same day.” Kyle paused and took a breath, the horrible memories of Brad Hetherington’s death catching up with him. “My sister has been through more in her life than anyone should have to go through. You have to get Olivia back in one piece; I just can’t tell you how important it is. My sister can’t go through another tragedy.”

By the time he was finished, J.D. looked somber and Ethan appeared just plain distraught.  The mood in the room was sorrowful and dark, thoughts of Cydney Hetherington’s crushed husband and funeral tragedy heavy on their minds.  Ethan finally drew in a long, deep breath and put his hands on his slender hips in a gesture of determination.

“I swear we’ll get Olivia back unharmed,” he quietly assured Kyle. “I won’t let your sister go through hell again. I promise.”

There was something about the way he said it that made Megan take another look at him, her woman’s intuition kicking in, but Kyle was oblivious to the inflections in his tone. He was more concerned with what the man was saying.

“I really hope you mean that,” he said sincerely. “She’s been through enough.”

Ethan nodded, prevented from replying as his cell phone rang and he excused himself to answer it.  J.D. was left with the pair and he sat slowly on the arm chair across from them.  Kyle studied the big man.

“Do religious fanatics really have my niece?” he asked quietly.

J.D. looked up from his hands. “Yes,” he said after a moment.

Kyle nodded in acceptance. “Cyd said they were after some artifact in the museum’s exhibit.”

“They are.”

“She said they want to make a trade.”

“I’m not trading anyone for anything.”

“Then what do you plan to do?”

J.D. sat back in the chair, nodding slowly. “It’s in the works, Mr. Winter. You’re going to have to trust us.”

Kyle sighed heavily and looked at his wife, who smiled timidly.  With nothing more to say, he stood up.

“Can I get something to drink, please?” he asked. “I don’t want to mess up your crime scene here, but I really need a beer.”

“Help yourself.”

J.D. motioned towards the kitchen and Kyle went to the refrigerator. He could see the other agent midway down the dark hall, talking on the cell phone. Although the men were professional, Kyle didn’t feel any true sense of urgency from them. It was frustrating and he hated feeling so helpless. Didn’t these guys understand that Cydney couldn’t take anymore?

It’s going to be a long night, he thought.

Down the hall, Ethan was on the phone to one of the field agents that had converged on the intersection of Los Robles and Walnut. A major hotel was on the southwest corner, businesses and a gas station covering the others.  He was getting a report on the general conditions of the location when he suddenly caught movement out of the corner of his eye; Cydney was staggering through the bedroom door, looking like a zombie. He didn’t even think her eyes were open.

“I’ll call you right back,” Ethan told the agent.

He hung up the phone and intercepted Cydney before she could take two steps from the room. He turned her back around for the bedroom.

“Back to bed, honey,” he said softly.

Cydney was disoriented and mumbling. Ethan thought she might even be sleepwalking.  He directed her back into the bedroom but she weakly resisted. He kicked the door closed behind them in case she made a break for it; at least the shut door would stop her until he could grab her.

“I have to go pick up Olivia,” she muttered.

Ethan had her at the bed. “I’ll go get her. You go back to sleep.”

“But I have to go get her.”

Ethan could tell by the way she was talking that she wasn’t fully awake.  He went to push her down onto the bed but she somehow got a foot in behind his knee and he ended up falling on top of her.  Cydney suddenly twisted and wrapped her arms and legs around him.

Very quickly, Ethan found himself in an extremely intimate position with her. Had they not both been clothed, it would have been a love-making position.  She held him tightly and refused to let go.

“Cyd, honey, loosen up,” he tried to pry her arms from his neck. “Let me go.”

Her response was to squeeze tighter and bury her face in his neck. “You smell so good,” she murmured. Then she kissed him on the neck, so softly that it sent a bolt of excitement shooting through his big body. “You taste good, too.”

          Ethan’s heart was thumping against his ribs and his palms began to sweat.   He could feel her supple body pressed up against him, warm and soft, and her luscious legs were wrapped around his hips.  Having no luck removing her arms, he tried to unwind her legs.

“Cydney,” he tried to sound firm. “Let go, please.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to let go,” she whispered. “I don’t ever want to let you go.”