Redemption (21 page)

After Senator Holt had left, Becca was alone and actually conscious. It had been a long while since that had been the case. Her mind was scattered in so many different directions, to put them all in order would be a daunting task.

Her first thought was of Lily. She knew why Lily had given herself up. Lily walked into that room with Liam knowing full well that she would not be able to deny his request. Even if the connection that Liam and Lily shared wasn’t there, Becca was sure Lily would have gone through with it anyway. But Becca prayed in that moment, to the Big Guy, to Peter and to her mother, that everything they had gone through was not in vain. Lily had to be alright, she still had so much more to do.

Next were her thoughts of Ian and their last moments together. Her chest ached as she remembered his touch, his kiss, and the feel of his skin against hers. She not only felt a connection with Ian, but with his father as well. Ian was truly his father’s son – they were a matched pair. Speaking with Bradford and listening to his stories of his son had put her a little at ease, but not enough to reveal her last moments with his son to him.

Then there was Abe – strong, valiant, and always handsome Abe. When she looked at him now, there was no fear. She only saw the love he had given her for some of the best years of his life emanating from his entire being. That feeling on its own made her world so much more confusing. She knew he loved her and she had to admit to herself, that deep down, she still loved him too.

A tear slipped down her cheek as she stood staring out her hospital window, and was slightly startled when a large, warm thumb wiped it from her cheek. She turned to stare into the sparkling blue eyes of her father.

“Dad.” She turned into him and wrapped herself up in his embrace.

He sighed after he kissed the top of her head. “I’m here. I’m finally here.”

“I know.” She squeezed him tighter as she let several more tears fall.

“I always suspected, but Anne told me I wasn’t and I accepted her word. I’m sorry I never pressed it. Your life could have been so different if you had been with me.”

“Hey.” She stepped back from his embrace. “My life hasn’t been roses and cotton candy, but I have a lot to be proud of. Despite everything that happened with Gideon and my relationship with Abe, I’m a damn good agent, a wonderful friend, and I hope to add doting daughter to that list.”

“I hope so too.” Sam kissed her forehead before bringing her over to sit on the bed with him. “I’m sure you have some questions.”

“Several.” She rolled her eyes as she blew out a tuft of air.

“I’ll answer what I can, so go for it.” Sam held onto her hand as he waited for the inquisition to begin.

“I guess the big one is, what am I? I mean, what can I do?” She looked up to him with more than just those questions in her eyes.

“Well, I told you that a child of an angel and a human is called a Nephilim. As far as what angelic attributes you might possess, one has always been very evident.”

“What is that?” she questioned, truly intrigued.

“Your ethereal beauty.”

Becca ducked her head and couldn’t help the blush that rose to her cheeks. “I’m nothing compared to Lily.”

“That is not true. You have always been so beautiful. You have your mother’s hair coloring, and now I know for sure where you got those amazing blue eyes.”

She let out a soft laugh. Her eyes were the one thing she was always complimented on. “I love my eyes. So, thank you for that.”

“No problem.” He chuckled. “But the other traits you can inherit from me are your choice.”

“My choice?” This confused her. Wasn’t an angel just an angel?

“Nephilim’s have been on Earth for hundreds of thousands of years. Since the very first was born, God has offered them free will. Things like the beauty and intelligence are inherited gifts, but talents such as teleportation and healing powers are only bestowed when you make the conscious decision to accept them.”

“Some people don’t?” Becca couldn’t imagine why someone wouldn’t want to.

“Well, they are only able to receive them once they consciously learn that one is indeed a Nephilim and are given the choice. Some don’t find out who they are until much later in their lives and by then, they don’t see a use for them. Some never find out at all.” He shrugged his shoulders, not really sure how to explain the rationale of those that choose a different path.

“What would be my gift, if I chose to receive one?” She arched her brow while biting nervously on her bottom lip.

“You would inherit my trait which is the power of healing.”

“Healing? Would I be able to heal myself or just others?”

“It only works on humans, but if it makes you feel better, once you receive your gift you become somewhat invincible.” He smiled while imaging his daughter as some sort of superhero.

“Even from Gideon?” She knew the answer, but she asked anyway.

“No, but we are working on keeping you as far away as possible.”

“What about Ian? I promised his father we would find him.”

Sam stood then turned back to face her. “If you’re ready, we can take that first step today.”

“You’ve found something?” she asked, as she stood before him.

“We found where you were held. We have some questions. Once we get you released, would you be willing to come check it out with me?”

She began to search the room for anything suitable to wear into the outside world. “How fast can Peter get me out of here?”

Sam crossed his arms and laughed as her search became frantic. “That’s my girl.”

“Getting reacquainted, I see.” Abe grinned as he entered the room, closing the door softly behind him.

“Get Peter to get me out of here. And where on God’s green earth are my clothes?” Becca slammed the empty closet door as she turned back to Abe and Sam.

Abe pulled the shopping bag from behind his back and offered it up as it dangled from his index finger. “I hope it’s all to your liking.”

Becca took a deep, calming breath before reaching for the bag. “Thank you.” She took a look in the bag to find shoes, jeans, a few shirts, and matching bra and underwear. “You picked these out?” She raised an eyebrow to Abe with a slight smile.

Abe chuckled, as he was sure she was remembering his fascination with her undergarments. When they were together, she had dressers full of items he had purchased for her and were for his eyes only.

“I hope they are all right.”

“You always did know what I like,” she replied, as she began to pull each item out of the bag. She stopped and looked to the two men observing her. “If you hadn’t noticed, I’m going to change. So why don’t you two go get things settled with Peter so I can get out of here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Abe shook his head back and forth with a smile as he opened the door.

Sam kissed Becca on the cheek before exiting with Abe.

The two men found Peter chatting up the nurses not far from Becca’s room.

“Excuse us, doctor. May we have a word about Miss Swift?” Sam said in his most professional voice.

“Yes, of course. Excuse me ladies.” Peter led Sam and Abe over to one of the waiting rooms.

“She’s changing now. I’m taking her to see the space we think she was held in.” Sam stated.

Peter waved his hand over his palm and produced a set of discharge paperwork. “Here. Make sure she drinks plenty of fluids and gets enough rest.”

“Yes, doctor.” Abe snickered.

“Just let me know when she has made her decision. I’ll be waiting.”

“Of course.” Sam nodded as Peter took a few steps away from them and disappeared into thin air.

“Decision?” Abe questioned.

“Her powers. I explained to her that she would inherit the same abilities that I possess.”

“Did you discuss the limitations?”

Sam shook his head. “We hadn’t made it to that part yet. I’ll explain after we go and check this place out.”

Becca peeked around the corner into the waiting room to find Abe and Sam. “Have you sprung me yet?”

Sam lifted the pile of paperwork still in his hand. “All set.”

“Then let’s get this over with, I want to get back to Lily. Any word?”

Sam sighed. “I talked with Jefferson a while ago. Still just a few tremors here and there.”

“All the more reason we get this over with. Are you coming with us?” Becca turned to ask Abe.

“Definitely.”

Becca stepped into the room where she had last seen Ian. It was on the top floor of a house that was only five kilometers away from Leatherby Manor. From the outside, no one would ever guess the horrors that lay within.

An agent was snapping pictures of small scenes with little numbered tags beside each one. Another was dusting different surfaces for fingerprints. She laughed a bit to herself knowing none of it would do any good.

She took long, deep breaths as she took in the room before turning back to the door. It was at that moment she discovered the Tersuline lock was missing from the door; that a lock, period, was missing. A large hole now resided where the deadly device had once been.

“Where is it?” Becca asked, as she walked to the door and ran her fingers over the edges of the hole.

“Tersuline?” Sam questioned and she nodded as she continued examining the hole. “It appears it was blown off. A small explosion would do the trick, I think.”

“Did they find any blood?” She turned back to address everyone in the room.

“No blood, just this.” Sam pointed to a spot on the floor covered with a puss like substance. “We will do some DNA testing, but were certain it came from Ian.”

Visions of Rome came to the forefront of her mind. Her writhing on the floor in agony for hours while she waited for someone to save her. The memory of her skin literally falling from her body in chunks caused gooseflesh to sweep across every inch of her body.

“I should have explained what would happen. I didn’t get the chance and who knows what condition he’s in now.”

Abe pulled her into his arms, and she accepted his comfort even though it felt so wrong. In that moment, she knew her world would never be the same. She was in love with two men – two men who had the ability to turn her world into her own private hell. She’d been there before and she had the distinct feeling she was crawling back with every breath she took.

“
Who are you?” Becca asked the man who sat in vigil at Lily’s bedside.

“With everything going on, it seems we neglected to explain.” He looked to Peter who was loitering in the doorway. “I’m Lily’s husband, Ryan.”

Shock confronted her features as she took in his. She should have realized on sight who he was. He was exactly how Lily had always described. The hair, the jaw line, the eyes…all perfect replicas of the image she created had in her mind the first time Lily had shared their story.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, but how?” She turned to look at Peter. “Did you have something to do with this?”

Peter smiled as he entered the room fully. “They’ve both worked for me in one way or another over the years, but it was just recently I learned of their, um...connection.”

“Of course.” Becca nodded her head as she made it to the opposite side of the bed from Ryan. She lay down on the bed and curled herself into Lily’s side like she had done so many times in her life.

She closed her eyes as she began to reach for Lily’s hand. With their fingers intertwined, Becca began to recount her days since she set foot in Boston.

Ryan and Peter listened from the corner of the room as Becca retold every detail, including her burgeoning feelings for Ian and the return of the spark she had once felt with Abe. She whispered with a few tears as she admitted how incredibly terrified she was of what Gideon had in store for her next. She pleaded with Lily to wake, only to receive a small squeeze of her hand. But it was enough for now. She knew Lily was in there somewhere and had heard every word.

After several hours of hearing her own voice, Becca was lulled into a peaceful sleep at Lily’s side.

He rushed to his office and pulled up the video feed from Leatherby Manor as soon as he got the signal that Lily’s chip had been activated. He watched as she was brought in and placed delicately on the living room sofa. He watched as her Becca’s blood was freely given as a sacrifice, an attempt to bring back into being someone who by all forces of nature, should not exist in the first place. He clawed at his face as he read the pain in all of their eyes as they went back and forth through her room. When Becca entered the room and curled into Lily’s side, anger, frustration, and physical pain surged through every cell of his undead body. As each moment passed with little to no sign of life, he felt his un-beating heart being torn in two.

He’d had enough. He ripped his black suit jacket from the back of his chair and marched out of his office, past his secretary and the hundreds of subordinates who had no clue who he really was or his current mission.

“He’s not available,” the young woman cried, as he stomped past her and into the largest office in the building.

“He’s available to me!” he screamed, before he slammed the door behind him, shattering it into a million pieces.

“I see you’re up to date with the situation in Reading,” the elderly man stated from behind his solid mahogany desk.

“It’s been days. Please, just let me do it.” He hated to beg, but Mr. Manchester was the only man who had the power to do what needed to be done.

“We did this for your own good. Your race was a mistake for so many reasons. The four of you aside, eradicating your race was the best thing to ever happen. Could you imagine what would have become of this world if we had let you all continue to roam free?”

“No, Mr. Manchester. I can’t.” The man took one more gulp of air before launching into another plea. “She’s the only one who will be able to deal with Liam. She knows him on a cellular level now. She can find him and deal with him before it gets out of hand.”

“There is another and you damn well know it,” Mr. Manchester retorted with a huff.

“Archer?” The man laughed. “Nathaniel Archer has zero real world experience. He wouldn’t know his ass from his elbow if he didn’t have an instruction card in his pocket.” The man shook his head softly from side to side at the outrageous notion Mr. Manchester was presenting.

Mr. Manchester rubbed his hands over his porcelain smooth face in frustration. From that day so many decades ago when their plan was enacted, Mr. Manchester knew he might have to make this very decision. They had put a backup plan in place that only he and the man standing in front of him knew about.

“I’ve changed the codes again. Come with me and we can get started.”

Mr. Manchester maneuvered from behind his desk and motioned for the man to follow.

They walked at a steady pace through the halls and tunnels of the London office of The Manchester Group, before Mr. Manchester slowed as they made it to the laboratory level to enter his codes into the identification panel. Both he and his companion supplied blood samples before completing a retinal scan. The extensive verification process completed, they entered the lab and began gathering the equipment together to begin “Project Rejuvenation”.

“Can you pull up the video feed on your mobile?” Mr. Manchester asked, as he began uncovering the large computer console.

“Of course.” The man pulled out his cell phone, pushing several buttons and waiting a few moments for things to load before the screen showed Lily lying with a sleeping Becca at her side.

The whirr of the console startled the man as Mr. Manchester brought it back to life. With almost ten minutes of key strokes and several wipes of his sweat soaked brow, Mr. Manchester was finally able to begin.

“We need to do it together,” Mr. Manchester instructed. “On my mark.” Both men made ready at the two switches before them. “Three...Two...One…” The switches flipped and each man held his breath watching the small screen.

Ryan, Sam, and Abe entered the master bedroom not at all surprised to see Becca still curled up at Lily’s side.

“She took that same position every night for over a year following Anne’s death.” Sam sighed as he could see the pain etched in his daughter’s face even in her slumber.

“They are quite a pair. Never one without the other,” Abe commented, as he crossed his arms at his chest.

Ryan nodded with a smile. He imagined his own nights calming his nephew from one of his many nightmares. Sometimes being close to one another was the only thing that could be done to keep the demons at bay.

Becca stirred and sat up looking down at Lily with confusion warping her features.

“What is it?” Abe rushed to Becca’s side.

“She shocked me then started shaking.”

They watched as Lily slowly shook, and her entire body began to vibrate. With each second that passed the intensity increased. Within a moment, she was writhing off the bed.

Becca’s eyes met Sam’s with a plea for help, but even he had no clue what was occurring right before their eyes.

A blood curdling scream tore from Lily’s throat, causing Becca to jump from the bed and into Abe’s arms. The scream seemed to last for hours until finally Lily’s voice and body came to rest.

Ryan knelt down at Lily’s side, his hand gathered her own. He noticed her skin was a bit warmer, the sheen to it a bit softer. He looked to her eyes and saw her dark lashes slightly flutter before they slowly opened, showing him the most beautiful sight in the entire universe.

“Welcome back, my sweet,” Ryan whispered, before placing a soft kiss on her more than perfect lips.

Lily gathered her strength and was able to whisper, “Becca?”

“I’m right here.” Becca came back to the bed to lay behind her in a spooning position.

“I’m home.” Lily’s smile was reflected in Ryan’s glistening eyes. “Finally home.”

The vodka flowed freely between the two men as they sat in their suite of the finest hotel in all of Bucharest. The television was all but background noise until the two men heard the language turn from Romanian to English.

“Turn it up.” The man with chin length jet black hair and matching eyes said to the other.

The man with light caramel colored skin and chocolate brown, messy hair turned the volume up as he eyed his friend. The name Marla Palmire flashed across the screen as the woman stood with authority at the podium.

“This case has the full dedication of the American Embassies in the United Kingdom and Iceland, as well as the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations and the international law enforcement agencies in all three countries. The details of this case are being handled internally and we all hope the press would show respect for all parties involved.” She turned and looked to her side before continuing. “Now, I will hand over to Senator Bradford Holt to give a brief statement on behalf of his family.” Marla stepped to the side of the podium to make way for the imposing figure to her left.

A man in his mid fifties came on screen with a woman the two assumed was his wife by the way he was holding her. The press threw questions at them left and right.

“Our son, Ian, was last seen at the Reykjavik Airport on January third. The local authorities, along with the FBI are doing everything they can to pick up his trail, but have little to go on.”

“He was traveling with another woman. What’s happened to her?” A male reporter yelled at the man.

“She was recovered and is currently in a stable condition in London. All we have been able to obtain from her was that she was separated from Ian before she ended up in her current condition. I’m sorry, that is all I know about her.”

“Please,” the wife sobbed. “If anyone has any information that will lead to our son’s return, there is a two million dollar reward.”

The reporters continued to yell questions at the couple, but the men had heard enough. The television was shut off as they each quietly took a drink while absorbing the information.