Chaos (Book 4) (The Omega Group) (16 page)

“Can you do that?” Orano stepped to her side. “Without being
hurt?”

Gracey’s hesitation must have been more noticeable than
she’d planned, because Mirissa interrupted before Orano could react.

“Mom, why don’t we start bringing those jars down from the
attic?”

“Good idea, sweetheart. If you guys need us, we’ll be up
there.”

Once they’d made their less-than-subtle exit, Gracey was
left to deal with her very protective childhood friend.  A friend who, at that
moment, looked ready to throttle her.

“I know what you’re going to say, and I don’t disagree with
you. It’s dangerous, yes, but I can handle it. You aren’t the only person
capable of surviving bad stuff, you know. I may not be all big and muscular,
but that doesn’t mean I’m weak. I’ve dealt with a lot of crap over the years,
thank you very much, and I can deal with this, too.” Gracey took a much-needed
deep breath, then realized that Orano had yet to say anything. He just stood
there with his arms crossed. She twisted her mouth and crinkled her nose,
waiting for him to berate her.

“Are you done?”

His baritone sent shivers through her, and she gave him a
quick nod.

“Good.”

Without warning, Orano’s massive hand wrapped around the
nape of her neck. He leaned down and planted the most devastating kiss on her
lips. Warmth spread through her body as her senses took a leave of absence.
But, as unexpectedly as it had begun, Orano released her from his grip and
stepped back.

Gracey blinked her eyes and cleared her throat, but words
escaped her. Their first kiss at sixteen had kept her up nights for months. Now,
she’d be lucky to ever sleep again.

Assuming she made it through the next eight hours.

Myrick pulled the car into the parking lot of the Food Lion,
with Greco riding shotgun and Han in the back seat. At that early hour, he
easily found a spot with a good view of the door, but far enough away to garner
the necessary privacy.  He eased the car in next to another vehicle, making a
small area sheltered from the front of the store. The plan would require Han to
be in position before the women arrived, so Gracey stayed on speakerphone while
she watched through her magic mirror.

“It’s hard for me to be sure, but I think they’re around the
corner from you. Yep, they’re just passing Culpepper Landing. You’ve got about
two minutes,” she said.

“Try not to bruise my moneymaker.” Han joked.

“Are you referring to your face or your arse?” Myrick
retorted.

“Don’t worry. You won’t need much plastic surgery after
this,”
Greco
said.

“I’d rather Myrick hit me. His right hook is as weak as a
Disney princess.”

Laughing, Han jumped out of the car and trotted over near
the grocery store’s entrance. With his baseball cap pulled low over his face,
he looked like some teenager out for an early morning stroll.

“They’re in the parking lot now,” Gracey said.

“I see them. They’re parking right in front of the store so
we should be good to go.” Greco watched as the two women exited their car.

“Wait!” Mirissa’s voice called out through the phone. “That
blonde one’s the nurse from the hospital. The one who took care of Gracey. She
might have seen you there, Greco. You need to stay out of sight.”

“That’s Joy Remson,” Gracey said. “She’s not a nurse. Are
you sure it’s her?”

“Absolutely. I knew she looked familiar before, but I didn’t
put it together until now. She may not be a nurse, but she dressed and acted
like one. I’m guessing she was sent to finish you off after the accident.”

“I didn’t see her, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t see me,”
Greco said as he handed over the wax doll they’d made earlier and ducked low in
his seat. “You’re on your own then, Myrick.”

“My pleasure. Especially after that princess crack.” The
Scotsman watched as the two women made their way to the store’s entrance. When
they were about six feet away, Han stepped in front of them, grabbing Nicole’s
bag and tearing off like a purse-snatcher. As expected, the women screamed for
help.

Myrick flung open his door and dove out of the vehicle,
tackling Han to the ground as he wove between their car and the next. “Change
of plans. The blonde one saw Greco at the hospital.” He quickly removed
Phoenix’s totem from the bag and replaced it with their fake one before
standing up to continue the face-off.

“Make it look good,
Ariel
.” Han’s barely hidden smirk
succeeded in motivating Myrick to do just that.

He drew his fist back and landed a blow to his teammate’s
jaw that Myrick knew he’d regret later. Being a merman meant his joints were
made to be in water. Spending most of his time on dry land since joining the
Omega Group had more than its fair share of difficulties for him.

“That was for cheating at poker yesterday,” Myrick said
after exchanging positions with Han and placing his back to the women watching.
He made a show of playing a game of tug-of-war with the bag, pushing and
shoving his smaller opponent. When an appropriate amount of time passed, Han
let go and ran off, but not before landing his own shot to Myrick’s cheek.

With the purse held high, Myrick jogged over to where the
women stood, apparently still in shock. “I believe this belongs to you,” he
said, handing over the prize with a flourished bow.

“Oh my God. Thank you,” Nicole gushed. “I don’t know what we
would have done without you.”

“The pleasure’s all mine, ladies. It’s not often that I get
to play a knight in shining armor.” He rubbed the spot under his left eye where
he’d no doubt have one hell of a bruise in a few hours.

“You do it very well. I can’t thank you enough,” Nicole had
stars in her eyes and appeared reluctant to walk away. “I just love your
English accent.”

Myrick groaned inwardly at the insult and suppressed an eye
roll. “I’m a Scott.” He inclined his head. “You ladies be careful now.”

He felt the women watch him as he walked away. When he got
back into the car, they finally made their way inside the store. As soon as
they were out of sight, Myrick opened his door and retrieved Phoenix’s totem
from the pavement.

Success.

********

“Release this man, set him free. Our work is done, so mote
it be.” Gracey held Phoenix’s totem in her hand. “He should have full control
of himself now.” At least she hoped so. She’d been practicing magic for several
years, but not with this kind of intensity, and certainly not with stakes this
high.

“Should have?” Myrine asked.

“Well, yeah. Without being able to ask him personally I
can’t be sure, but it should be done.” Gracey yawned for what felt like the
thousandth time that hour. She’d been up for more than twenty-four hours, and
those hours had been full, to say the least.

The yawn quickly spread through the room, leaving no one
unaffected. “I think it best for you guys to get some sleep,” Myrine
instructed.

Gracey couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. “Sleep? Are
you kidding? We have to get out there. Convince the rest of the coven what
Tori’s really doing.”

Myrine gave her a warm, motherly smile. “We have more than
seven hours before the main event. Tori said so herself. If you’re going to
wield the magic coming from all of those jars, I’m guessing you’ll need to be
at full strength. Right now, you’re exhausted. So is Orano.”

Another yawn overtook Gracey as though to drive Myrine’s
point home. “But what if Tori’s lying about the time? She might know we’re
watching and be feeding us false information.”

“She’s not,” Greco interjected. “According to Julian, the
activity on the sun has been increasing steadily. He pooled the data from the
last two CMEs that hit us to get an idea of what to expect, so he can predict
the next one. His calculations are in line with what Tori said. We’ve got seven
hours.”

“I know it’s counterintuitive, but both you and Orano have
got to get some sleep. You’ve been through a lot over the last few days, and I
need you at one hundred percent when this goes down, if we’re going to have any
chance. We’ll get things prepared and keep an eye on the mirror. If anything
changes, we’ll wake you.”

Gracey really wanted to argue but couldn’t think of any way
to counter the woman’s logic. “Sleep it is, then.”

The two guest bedrooms were located next to each other just
across the hall from Tori’s office. Though, with people traipsing up and down
the attic ladder to retrieve the jars, the noise would make sleep all but
impossible. The only remaining bedroom, located on the other side of the house,
was Tori’s master suite.

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” Orano said as they entered the
room.

“Don’t be silly. There’s more than enough room for the two
of us on that king-sized bed, and you need sleep just as much as I do.” Gracey
stared him down, watching the muscles in his jaw tick.

Without another word, Orano removed his shoes and stretched
out on top of the covers. Gracey crawled next to him and laid her head on his
shoulder. Something about curling up with him felt right, and she couldn’t
resist the temptation to wrap her arm around his waist. She needed to feel
safe, at least for a while.

“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” Orano, as
usual, cut right to the point.

“I’m just a little scared,” Gracey lied. “This is more than
I’ve ever done, and I’m afraid I might screw it up.”

His muscled arm wrapped around her shoulder and squeezed.
“You won’t. I’ll be there to make sure of that.”

Gracey smiled into his shoulder. “Good night, Sparkles.”

With a Scottish lilt, Myrick interrupted them from the
doorway. “Nighty night, Sparkles.”

Without warning, Orano tossed an energy ball. It hit the
door and slammed it shut, leaving a small scorch mark on the pristine white
paint.

Gracey stifled a giggle as she listened to the boisterous
Scotsman throw a few less-than-flattering remarks at his teammate from outside
the room. When the quiet resumed, she felt herself relax. Orano’s heart drummed
out a rhythm that lulled her closer and closer to sleep. This was how she
wanted her last moments to be.

********

Orano listened to her breathing become slow and steady, as
Gracey quickly fell asleep. He let his lids fall shut, pulled her close, and
breathed in the light scent of her lavender shampoo. What he wouldn’t give to
have the power to stop time.

Although he’d allowed Gracey to pretend otherwise, there was
no denying how much she’d be risking with their plan. He knew how dangerous it
would be for her to hold on to all of that power, and so did she. What she
thought of her chances had been written all over her face, at least for someone
who’d known her since childhood.

She knew she’d die today, and Orano knew he’d do anything to
keep that from happening.

Phoenix sat on the same wooden bench he’d been relegated to
after their arrival at the vacant summer camp. The coven members left the mess
hall long ago, full from a meal he wished he’d been able to partake in, and
retired to the surrounding cabins to catch up on some sleep. Tori and her inner
circle, however, remained. They were sleeping in shifts so as to stay vigilant.

It had been hours since Phoenix regained control of his
body, but he still didn’t know how it’d happened. The witches didn’t seem to
realize anything had changed—at least they weren’t acting any differently, so
they obviously weren’t behind his release. The only explanation he could think
of was Orano and Gracey. They’d somehow broken the spell. At first, he’d
expected them to come barging through the doors at any moment, but as time drew
on, his expectations lowered.

Not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to himself after
his awakening, Phoenix connected to a bird perched in a tree right outside the
window next to him. He’d used his feathered friend’s vantage point to scan the
area but saw nothing out of the ordinary. There didn’t appear to be any guards
wandering around, but the woods were thick and could easily hide defenses.

His first clue that something was off came after he tried to
call out to his bird’s flock. Their return calls were muffled. It didn’t take
long for him to find out why. He’d almost broken his host’s beak when he flew
into the invisible barrier separating the camp from the outside world. He’d
tried flying in every direction, including straight up, but hadn’t found an
opening.

That left him with few options, so he’d disconnected from
the bird and resumed his role as prisoner. Pretending to still be under the
witch’s control irked him, but it at least allowed him to remain free to move
around when the time came. Phoenix knew it would be only a matter of time before
his friends came to get him, and he needed to be in a position to help them
when they did.

His certainty of rescue waned with each passing hour, but he
continued to gather as much information as he could. His legs began to tingle
from not moving for so long, but he fought the urge to stretch them out. Until
Nicole decided to make him dance the jig for her entertainment again, he needed
to stay completely still. Although Tori recognized her coven’s need to sleep,
unfortunately, she’d forgotten to allow Phoenix the same courtesy. So he simply
sat in his chair and waited.

To keep himself awake, he connected periodically to his
bird. The sensation of flying kept his exhausted mind sharp and allowed him to
get the lay of the land. As far as he could tell, the entire camp had been
enclosed in the protection spell, giving the witches plenty of space to work
with. The only building not contained under their magic dome appeared to be a
utility shed of some sort, and that was where he finally saw the first sign of
the cavalry.

********

“Is that all of them?” Gracey asked, looking at the mountain
of jars now piled at the side of the shed.

“Yeah,” Orano answered. “We’re ready to go.”

“Except I still need to get inside the protection barrier,”
Gracey added. She’d tried to remove the spell when they first arrived, but failed.
Mirissa had tried to teleport through, but just rematerialized when she hit the
wall and bounced off. Same with Han who, as far as Gracey could tell, tried to
just walk right through it. Nothing worked, and she feared nothing would.

As though reading her thoughts, Orano placed his hands
around hers and squeezed. “You’ll figure it out.”

Something splashed on Orano’s shoulder, drawing both of
their attention.

“It’s bird droppings,” Gracey said, looking up to find an
entire flock perched in the branches above them. “What the—?”

“It’s Phoenix.” Orano smiled. “He must be sharing his
consciousness with one of them.”

Gracey knew better than to question his assertion. After
everything she’d seen and heard that day, she’d begun to accept pretty much
everything. “Which one is he?”

Before Orano could answer, the flock flew from their
perches, landing on the ground next to the protection barrier. Gracey and Orano
followed until they, too, stood next to the invisible wall.

“I don’t see anything,” Gracey said, but then she did. A
lone bird stood on a branch a few feet away on the other side. “Is that
Phoenix?”

“My guess would be yes,” Orano answered.

While the other birds took flight back to wherever they’d
come from, Phoenix’s stayed.

“Can you hear us?” she asked the bird, feeling more than a
little foolish doing so. Its beak moved up and down, so she continued. “Can you
talk?”

Orano let out a short laugh before she shut him down with a
sharp glare. “Phoenix can see and hear everything the bird can, but he can’t
speak.” He turned his attention to the bird. “The rest of the team’s here. We
have a plan, but we need to get past this barrier. Any ideas?”

Without acknowledgement, the bird flew off. A minute later,
he returned holding something that looked far too big for him to carry in his small
beak. He promptly dropped it on the ground as close to their feet as the wall
would allow.

“It’s a mojo bag. It must be powering the protection spell.”
Gracey clapped her hands together. “We can take it down—at least a portion of
it—by separating the contents of that bag.”

The small bird began to pull at the loose string holding the
four corners of the cloth closed, but stopped when Gracey slammed her palm into
the barrier.

“Not yet! As soon as you do that, Tori will know. We need to
wait until it’s time for her to start.”

“We can’t do that, Gracey,” Orano explained. “What if it
doesn’t work? We won’t have time to find another way. If you can’t get inside,
our entire plan is worthless.”

Gracey took a deep breath, secretly hoping for an outside
idea to form miraculously inside her mind, but none came. Instead, her own idea
took form. “What if we only take it down temporarily? For a few seconds, I
mean. That would give us time to cross inside, but might not alert Tori that
there’s any real problem.”

“You think she won’t notice her protection spell coming
down?”

“No. I mean, yes. I mean … this spell is taking an enormous
amount of power. That’s why she’s using mojo bags to bolster it. Since it’s
been up for eight hours, it’s got to be running out of juice. I’d be willing to
bet that there are disruptions happening all the time. This would fit right in
with that.”

“I have to stay out here with the jars, but I’ll get the
others to cross over with you.” Orano pulled out his phone and dialed.

Gracey watched the little bird holding Phoenix’s
consciousness. If someone told her a week ago that any of this was even
possible, she would’ve peed her pants laughing. “You’re really in there?”

In answer, the bird spread its wings and rose into the air.
Gracey started to giggle, until she saw one corner of the mojo bag fall open.
Within a second, the red cloth lay flat on the ground, its contents spilling
over onto the grass.

Gracey jumped across the now nonexistent barrier and swooped
up the four corners of the cloth. She grabbed the string from the grass and
quickly used it to secure the bag closed, breathing a sigh of relief when the
protection spell reformed the wall.

“What did you do?” Orano’s jaw clenched with rage as he
pummeled the barrier with his fists.

Gracey swallowed hard as the consequences of her actions
became clear. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. The bag opened and I needed to close
it to keep Tori from getting suspicious.”

“Don’t move,” he growled. “Mirissa’s on her way. You’ll just
open it again when she gets here.”

“Who’s out there?” a man called from behind Gracey, a Southern
twang making her heart stop in her chest.

Orano’s eyes widened at the unexpected interruption. He
mouthed the word “Go” before ducking behind the shed.

Gracey dropped the mojo bag at the base of the barrier to
ensure it continued to bolster the power and ran in the opposite direction the
voice came from. Over her shoulder, she saw Phoenix’s bird take off toward it.

********

Phoenix called to his host bird’s flock. He needed to
slow down whoever just yelled out but also had to give the man something else
he could blame for the noises he’d obviously heard. Not an easy task in the
Omega Group agent’s current six-inch-tall form.

He almost missed the man winding his way through the
trees. His camouflage was truly a thing of beauty, allowing him to blend
perfectly with his surroundings. Phoenix altered his flight path to cross
directly in front of the man’s face, causing him to stop short and swat at the
air with his Remington rifle.

“Bubba, you out there?” the man called. When he received
no response, he continued on through the woods toward where Gracey would no
doubt be hiding.

Phoenix squawked his request to the flock. His human
body, still seated in the mess hall, crossed his fingers. As the man veered
away from the barrier, Phoenix flew past him again—close enough for his wings
to catch the guy’s cheek—herding him in the direction of the invisible wall.
Over and over again, like he’d been cast in the Hitchcock movie, he dove in and
out of the man’s path until the guy slammed into the barrier.

“What the hell, Vicki? What’d you do, girl?” The guy ran
his fingers along the wall as though examining it for the first time. When the flock
of birds gathered around the other side, all squawking as Phoenix pretended to
try to get through and join them, the man simply watched until the excitement
ended.

“I knew you played around in some wild shit, but this is
downright crazy.”

When the guy headed back toward the camp, apparently
satisfied that the noise he’d heard came from some very angry birds, Phoenix
followed. He needed to know who he was, and how many more gunmen Tori had
patrolling the woods. How Phoenix would relay that information to his team once
he’d gotten it was a question he’d deal with later.