The Emerald Key (24 page)

For an answer, Greg opened his shirt and ripped the gauze and tape off his chest. All that remained of the gash was a red scar. “I’m not a hundred percent, but I’m doing a lot better. What happened?”

“Explanations will have to wait until later. I suggest you check the plane for contraband.”

“But Dori—”

“Is in this room. The sooner we let Cass get to work, the sooner we’ll get her out. And trust me when I say there’s nothing you or I can do to make it go faster.”

“Got you.”

“What’s the padlock made of?” Cass asked as Greg climbed into the plane.

“Layered steel. And the door is steel-clad.”

“I can’t do anything with that. They’re usually built around a wood composite—not pure wood. And I’m not sure I can focus on just the lock right now. It’s too small and I’m still tired.”

“What about the block? Can you loosen the ones around the door?”

“I don’t know if I can focus on that narrow of an area, and I don’t want to risk bringing down the whole wall. I might hurt them.”

Nic ran his hand through his hair. “Two are on a cot against the back wall. Phoebe is in front of the cot on a chair, about five feet from the door.”

Cass nodded. She gripped the amulet and used it to help focus her anger and fear. She thought about the blocks surrounding the door. They shook and dust drifted to the floor and the door wobbled.

Without warning, the loose blocks and door blew out in a shower of stinging dust, narrowly missing Cass and Nic. A whirlwind danced around the hangar, creating havoc and everyone dived for cover.

“Whoa! What happened? Phoebe! Kyrie! Dori! Are you all right?” Cass yelled over the wind.

The wind abruptly died and Cass stepped into the opening. Her three friends stared at her from the bed and chair.

“Didn’t expect you so soon.” Kyrie grinned at her. “I’ve been blowing at that damned door since they locked us in here.”

Her words took a minute to sink in, then Cass grinned. “You must have the power of the wind. That leaves fire for Phoebe?” The blonde nodded. Cass checked the bindings on all three. Plastic. “Nic!” He stepped in just as she yelled his name. “Oh. Sorry. I need your knife.”

A long, low wolf whistle came from Phoebe. “Man, I thought he looked good in astral. He yours?”

“Her bindings you can leave till last,” Cass deadpanned. “Yes, he’s mine.”

“So much better than that rent-a-cop.” Phoebe rubbed her wrists after Nic sliced through her bindings. “Nice sword.” Her eyes dropped to well below the belt holding the weapon.

“You three okay?” Nic asked. He eyed the bold blonde, one eyebrow raised. Long, lean and lusty, she was definitely not his type. But he had to admit she turned heads.

“Dori has a bum ankle,” Phoebe said. “I think it’s just a bad sprain, but not sure. The rest is minor.”

Greg rushed in and went straight to Dori. Cass looked away as Dori’s cries tore through the room. “I thought you were dead!”

“We all did,” Phoebe said. “What happened?”

Greg straightened. “Later. Right now, we need to get going—fast. I must have missed a wire. Sirens coming.” He glanced at them all, his glare taking in each one. “When this is all over, I want to know exactly what’s going on.”

“You got it.” Nic glanced at Greg. “You got everything covered?”

Greg grinned. “Yep. Found a nice large stash of something that didn’t look kosher—or legal. It’s now in plain sight. Let’s go. Fast.” He attempted to pick up Dori, but couldn’t stand. Nic stepped in and handed Greg his weapons.

“You cover. I’ll carry.”

Greg nodded.

They dashed out the door, ducking into the shadows at the side of the hangar as a car skidded to a stop. Nic saw only the one police car. He recognized Steve in the front seat. The one man he really did not want to see.

“Kyrie? Can you give us some cover?” Cass whispered. “We have to get to hangar two.”

In answer, snow swirled, obscuring their creeping passage around the backs of the buildings. By the time they got to the second hangar, Phoebe and Kyrie were shivering so hard they could barely walk. Greg crawled into the passenger seat of the truck and Nic sat Dori on his lap.

“Give me a sec,” Nic said. He grabbed two duffel bags from behind the front seats, and tossed them in the back of the truck. “It’ll be a little cozy.”

Cass, Phoebe, and Kyrie climbed into the small rear seat. Nic handed them a blanket and a couple of his heavier shirts to put on. He tossed a sleeping bag over Dori and Greg.

Outside, heavy snow now fell. He could barely see the next hangar, let alone number five, but he could see the flashing lights from the police car lighting up the snow. “Kyrie? We don’t need this much cover.”

“I’m not doing this. It’s really snowing,” Kyrie said. “I can move the wind, but not make it snow harder.”

Nic drove slowly. The roads were slick, and he really didn’t want to draw attention. He turned into the light morning traffic and breathed in relief.

“The cabin?” Phoebe asked.

“Yes.”

“Is that safe?” Dori asked.

“Safer than any other place,” Nic said. “Between Cass’ magic and my electronics, we’ll know if anyone so much as sneezes.”

* * * *

Scorch marks stained the walls of the borrowed bedroom, and shattered pictures, destroyed books, and other pieces of normal life lay scattered on the floor.

“Idiots! If I find the one who did this, I’ll carve his heart out with my bare hands.” William spun as the door opened, then relaxed when he saw who it was.

“Who did what? Oh my. You know, if you’re going to throw a tantrum, you really should pick less expensive breakables. Daddy’s going to be rather upset about you destroying his collection.”

He grabbed Sheila by her neck. “To hell with your father. You’d best be careful, my dear, or I’ll carve you even deeper the next time.”

Shock whipped through him when she threw his hands off and he landed on the floor.

She stood over him, straddling his hips. “Careful,
my dear
, or you’ll end up worse. I’m not one of your powerless little minions anymore. You taught me well and I was always good at learning important lessons. Best you remember that. Oh, and that sham of a marriage you had Daddy perform? Seems like it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I’d be mad at you for sticking me with the second string, but that man does know how to give a person power.” She snapped her fingers and one of the books burst into flames. “And if anyone does any more carving around here, it will be me.”

She stepped over him and strode into the bathroom. He stared at the door, contemplating what had just happened.

“It would seem that you have more power than I previously thought. And if you do, so much the better. Time to put you to the test.” A narrow-eyed, thin-lipped smile cracked his face as he rose, then bent to pick up the pieces of a shattered vase. “Yes, definitely time.”

Nic pulled into the barn and they all climbed out of the truck. With Greg at his side, Nic carried Dori into the cabin and gently laid her on the futon. The others crowded around them.

“I thought you were dead,” Dori repeated her words from earlier as she stroked Greg’s face.

“We all did,” Phoebe said. “How’d you get away?”

“I’m not sure. The last thing I remember is, well, it was strange.”

“Explanations can wait,” Nic said. “We need food.” He handed Dori an ice pack. “Put this on your ankle until we can take care of it.”

“If we’re doing other things first, I call dibs on the downstairs shower,” Kyrie said.

“I intend to soak for the next two days,” Phoebe said.

Nic saw Cass frowning as Kyrie and Phoebe went through the cabin while they chatted, checking each room as if looking for something—or someone.

“Phoebe? Where are Alex and Ryan?” Cass asked when they returned to the room.

To Nic’s surprise, Phoebe’s face crumpled and tears fell. “Damn.”

“Phoebs?” Cass went to her friend as Nic stood by, unsure what to do.

“I hoped…I mean Greg is here and he’s okay. I thought they’d be here too. But they’re not, are they?” She curled up in one of the chairs, Kyrie next to her.

Dori turned sad eyes to Cass. “We were all at Kyrie’s when they came in. Greg went down when they took us. We don’t know what happened to Alex and Ryan. We saw them alive, but the odds were pretty heavily stacked against them.”

Nic listened to the women. “Greg got out. If he did, they will.”

“Nobody was there by the time I regained consciousness,” Greg said. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened to them.”

“How would they know to come here?” Cass asked.

“I knew about the cabin,” Greg said. “Dori told me after we got married.”

“And we told the others this morning,” Phoebe said. “Granny Alma told us to.”

“So there’s still a chance for them to show up here,” Cass said. “We’ll just keep hoping.”

Nic didn’t know how to help the women. He opened cupboard doors and started cooking, more to keep his hands busy than anything. He mixed and measured, and put his creation in the oven. A few minutes later, five noses were raised, sniffing the fragrant air. Nic attempted to ignore them as he fixed a tray with mugs of hot tea.

“Do I smell cinnamon?” Phoebe asked.

“Thirty minutes,” Nic said.

“He bakes? Tell me he looks like that, fights like a berserker, and bakes!”

Cass joined Nic in the kitchen area and hugged him. “And he’s all mine.”

They all jumped as alarms went off in the bedroom. “Greg!” Nic tossed the rifle at Greg, then headed for the bedroom. On his way past the pictures, he saw something move. He knew it this time. But he couldn’t stop to look.

The cameras showed two figures stumbling through the woods, but the snow fell too thickly to make out their features. Cass joined Nic at the monitors. “What do we have?”

“Two. I can’t see who. Odd they’re staying together like that. I’m going out for a closer look.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Cass—”

“Don’t bother. I’m going either with you or after you. Your choice.”

“Fine. Come on. They’ve stopped on the other side of that big deadfall about a hundred feet in from the lane.”

They donned coats and boots, and Nic let the others know what they’d seen. He handed the shotgun to Cass. “Stay close. Don’t talk.”

Cass followed Nic out, the cold taking her breath. The snow fell heavily, all but obscuring the barn and narrowing visibility to a few yards. Under the trees, they moved easier, but the silence that only came with snow permeated the woods. They crept forward until they could hear the men talking.

“I know she’s here someplace. I can feel her.”

“I can’t go much more. Too cold.”

* * * *

Cass chewed her lip. Ignoring Nic’s frantic gestures to stay put, she sneaked forward until only a thin screen of hemlock branches separated her from the men. Another step landed her on a hidden hole and she pitched forward. One of the men jumped up, facing her with gun drawn.

Nic grabbed Cass and swung her behind him, his own gun pointed at the men.

“Nic! Stop! Don’t do anything.” Cass grabbed his gun arm and yanked down.

“Cass?” The one with the gun lowered his arm as he stared at her.

“Alex, Ryan, it’s okay. Nic, relax. These are the guys with Phoebe and Kyrie.”

Nic lowered his gun as he took in the two. They had multiple cuts and bruises. The one with the gun had his left arm tied across his chest. The one on the ground had his hand wrapped in a bloody makeshift bandage and another wrapped around his leg. Neither wore coats or other protection from the weather.

“Phoebe? She’s okay?” the one on the ground asked.

“She’s here,” Cass said. “Safe.”

He chuckled, which ended in a cough. “Might have known they couldn’t keep Phoebe for long.”

“We need to get them to the cabin,” Cass said.

“Will this help?”

Nic spun around as Kyrie and Phoebe showed up, a toboggan piled high with blankets in tow. Kyrie rushed to the one with the gun while Phoebe went to the one on the ground.

“Alex, are you okay?” Kyrie asked as she wrapped a blanket around his shoulders.

“Yeah, darling. I’m good.”

Nic, Phoebe, and Cass lifted Ryan onto the sled and covered him with a blanket.

Cass helped Kyrie and Alex, while Nic towed Ryan. Once they got to the lane, they moved easier but still slow due to the snow. Nic paused before they’d gone more than a few steps.

“How’d you get here?” he asked Alex.

“Car. Couldn’t get through the gate.”

“Cass, can you get them back?”

“Yes.” She gave him a quick kiss. He slogged through the snow to where they’d left their car.

Nic parked the car near the barn and caught up to them as they reached the back door to the cabin. He helped Ryan into the cabin, taking as much of the man’s weight as he could. Once inside, he and Phoebe helped him to the second downstairs bedroom. They placed him gently on the bed.

“Phoebe, help get him out of his clothes while I get the first-aid kit,” Nic said.

“Forget it,” Cass said. “Phoebs, get the others in here.” She stood beside the bed, her amulet in her hand. Her friends had power like her. All these years together and they never knew it.

“Cass? Are you sure you want to do this?” Nic asked.

“No. But I think this is supposed to happen. They need to know everything.”

The three women joined her in the room, Greg and Alex behind them. All of them looked at Cass, waiting for her to explain.

“Hi. My name is Cassandra, otherwise known as Cass. I have the emerald key.”

Phoebe stared at her, then started laughing. “Why do I feel like I’m at an AA meeting?” She pulled her amulet out from a pocket in her waistband. “So what are these amulet things and why do we have them?”

“Okay. Kyrie, Dori, I know you have amulets like mine and Phoebe’s. Do you have them with you?” She grinned when they pulled them out of pockets or shoes. “Guess you hid yours better than I did. Most of the explanations will wait until later,” Cass said. “Right now, your injuries are more important. Alex, I’ll go out on a limb here and guess you’re hurting too. Join Ryan on the bed.”