Naura (20 page)

“Us?”

“Damn…”

Chapter Forty-Four

Tony watched Hauke hold the moonstone high above his head and slow to a stop. “This is the place. It ends here.”

They had found the passage miles back with little problem, but the exit to the cave could prove to be more difficult.

The area they stood in wasn’t quite as large as the Pool of Life entrance or as high. Roots weaved through the ceiling in no particular order, and the smell of earth hung heavy in the air.

“We’re no longer underwater,” Tony pointed out, moving to stand on a large boulder.

Hauke stared up at him. “Do you see an opening anywhere?”

“No. It’s grown over by grass and trees.”

“How are we going to get out?” Naura asked from below him.

Tony took a determined breath before meeting his mate’s gaze. “We dig.”

Jumping to the floor, Tony picked up his bag and pulled out his largest knife before glancing at the tired faces of Abbie and Naura. “Hauke and I will dig while you two get some rest.”

“I can help,” Naura demanded, retrieving the knife from the waistband of her pants.

Tony shook his head. “I would rather you rest. Once we break through to the surface, we will be on the run until I can reach Melvin. And then we still don’t know how long it will be before he can line something up.”

“But—”

“Baby, please. Rest for me.”

Naura nodded and put her knife away. “I will sit with Abbie. But if the digging becomes too strenuous, I demand to help.”

“Fair enough,” Tony relented.

* * * *

“I can see moonlight.” Tony brushed the dirt from his face and peered up at the night skies through a small opening above him. He pushed at the packed dirt, widening the hole enough to squeeze his body through.

“I’m going first,” he told the room at large. “To make sure it’s safe. Everyone keep extra quiet… I have no idea where this comes out.”

Grabbing a large root for leverage, Tony pulled himself up through the hole, his sore muscles screaming in protest. He’d been digging for hours.

He rolled to his side, quickly scanning the area for signs of a threat. A light blue two-story house sat to his left, surrounded by a tall, wooden privacy fence. A colorful swing set and a swimming pool full of algae made up the yard.

He got to his feet and ran across the yard to the back door of the house only to find it locked.

Turning to the side, Tony shattered a pane of glass with his elbow, reached inside, and unlocked the door.

It appeared the house had been abandoned for quite a while. All the cabinet doors stood open, and a musty smell permeated the air.

Satisfied he was alone, he hurried back to the hole and dropped to his stomach. “Naura? Give me your hand.”

Tony pulled Naura through the opening and stood back as Hauke emerged with Abbie and Arcanum on his back.

“Damn,” Tony muttered. “Your strength never ceases to amaze me, Hauke.”

Hauke grinned and set Abbie on her feet. “That is how I feel when I listen to you speak.”

Tony shot him a smirk. “Come on. Let’s get inside. I didn’t check to see if the electricity was on, so we may have to take cold showers.”

Hauke and Naura stared at him as if he’d sprouted wings.

Abbie began walking toward the back door of the house. “They practically live in cool water, Uncle Tony.”

“Yes,” Tony agreed. “But the bathhouse water was always warm.”

Arcanum began to whimper as everyone filed into the house. Abbie handed him to Hauke and dug out a cloth diaper from her bag.

Tony watched as she retrieved a pack of wipes. “I’m assuming that Vaulcron gets you the baby wipes?”

Abbie sent him a humorous smile. “Yes, of course.”

“What are you going to do when he needs vaccinations or any other kind of help for childhood illnesses?”

“Bracadyte children don’t get diseases like humans do, Uncle Tony. But they do acquire injuries from time to time. I had started a list of things for Vaulcron to begin bringing back on his Cuba runs, but that’s all changed now.”

Tony’s heart ached for her and all the Bracadytes forced from their home. “None of us know what the future holds, Abbie. We’re alive, and that’s the most important thing at the moment.”

He kissed her cheek and moved to step around her. “I’m sorry about Henry.”

“Thank you,” Abbie whispered, turning away.

Tony knew that Abbie attempted to hide her tears from him. He was also aware that she blamed herself for Henry’s death. He didn’t need to be psychic to see the guilt swimming in her eyes.

“What happened to your father is not your fault, Abbie.”

“If not for me, none of this would be happening, and Henry would be alive right now.”

“Oh, horse shit,” Tony growled. “Henry was a grown man. You didn’t send him off on his own that night. He left because he couldn’t accept your tie with the Bracadytes.” He nodded toward Arcanum. “And truth be told, if not for a Bracadyte, you would have died as a child yourself.”

Fishing out the cell that Melvin had put in his bag a week ago, Tony popped a piece of gum in his mouth and strode back toward the door. “I’m going to hide the gaping hole in the yard just in case someone comes through this way.” He paused with his hand on the knob. “Naura? Please get some rest.”

“You will not be long?”

He shook his head. “Give me ten minutes.”

Once outside, Tony dragged a kiddie pool over the hole and powered up the cell. He pressed the number-one key and hit send.

“Yeah?” Melvin’s voice sounded tense and clipped.

“I need safe passage for four people and a baby to Playa Pilar. We’re hungry and have very few weapons.”

“Where are you?” Came the terse reply.

Tony rattled off the address. “We just arrived a few minutes ago.”

“Stay put. I’ll have you out of there before daylight.”

“Melvin? I’ll owe you.”

A quiet laugh came through the line. “I’ll collect one day.”

Tony ended the call and trekked along the tall wooden fence to peer through the half-inch slats.

He could see a few other homes scattered about, but no lights were visible in any of them.

Satisfied they were safe for the night, he made his way back inside and filled Hauke in on his conversation with Melvin before climbing the stairs in search of Naura.

She laid on her stomach in the middle of a king-sized bed, with one arm hanging over the side. Her soft, even breathing told him that she slept.

Tony removed his boots and climbed in next to her. His stomach tightened with fear as he gazed at her moonlit face. If something happened to her, he would never come back from it.

Brushing his lips across her cheek, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He’d didn’t have long to sleep before Melvin’s cavalry would be arriving.

Chapter Forty-Five

Abbie stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of Arcanum’s breathing as she reflected on her life.

So much had happened in the past eighteen months, it was hard to process it all.

“What keeps you awake, my mate?”

The sound of Hauke’s deep voice brought her out of her silent contemplation.

“I’m just too tired to sleep.”

“I can feel your sadness, soul of my soul.”

Abbie turned on her side to face him. “I’m not sad. I was thinking about everything we’ve been through over the past year and a half. Our lives have changed so much. I really want to practice medicine again.”

“Then you shall,” Hauke assured her.

Abbie fought her emotions, unwilling to appear weak in front of her mate. “What’s going to happen to us? We can never return home to Aukrabah.”

“The human military will eventually retreat if they cannot find us.”

“And if they don’t give up?”

His eyes glittered in the moonlight. “Then we fight.”

Abbie’s heart skipped a beat. “But there are only a few hundred Bracadyte warriors, Hauke. The military outnumbers us by thousands. And they have weapons of mass destruction.”

“Their weapons mean nothing without a leader to guide them. Remove the leader…eliminate the threat.”

Her breath caught. “You’re talking about assassination?”

“I do not relish killing a man, sweet Abbie. But I will do what is necessary for the survival of the Bracadyte.”

“Let’s pray that it doesn’t come to that.”

He reached across their sleeping child and ran his fingers down the side of her face. “You and Arcanum are my world. When it comes to your protection, I would kill every man walking on two legs if it became necessary.”

Abbie blinked back the damnable tears that threatened. She’d been a bundle of emotions since the news of Henry’s passing. “We can go far away from this place, to an island where no one would ever find us.”

“We can do anything that you want, my mate. But this would take time. Shelters would need to be fashioned for the little ones.” He glanced down at his son’s sleeping face. “For you.”

Abbie nodded. “But it’s something to consider?”

“I would consider anything for you.”

“Thank you, Hauke. I only want a safe place for Arcanum to grow up, along with any other children we conceive.”

“That is all I want as well. Your happiness means everything to me.”

“I worry about Naura.” At his puzzled look, Abbie continued. “She will one day want children of her own, and I’m not sure Uncle Tony will be ready for that after losing his son.”

Hauke propped his head on his hand. “I sense a change in Anthony Vaughn. The darkness he once held has faded, and a light burns in his eyes when he is with Naura.”

“I see it too. Your sister is the best thing that’s happened to him in years.”

“You and our son are the best things to happen to me also. I could not live without either of you.”

“I love you, Hauke.”

“And I love you, soul of my soul.”

* * * *

Gerald Kerik picked up the Styrofoam cup he’d filled with coffee and took a hesitant sip, hissing as the hot liquid burned the tip of his tongue.

“The president’s on the phone, sir,” Private George Ludwig announced from the doorway.

Kerik nodded and strolled across the room to answer the call. “Mr. President,” he acknowledged, pressing the receiver to his ear.

As per usual, Rueben got right to the point. “Congress is pissed about the bombs. They’ve called a meeting for tomorrow to discuss the misuse of military force.”

“You gave the order, sir.”

Rueben’s sigh was loud enough for Private Ludwig to hear in the next room. “I’m aware of my orders. I’m asking you not to drop anymore bombs until this mess blows over.”

Kerik ground his teeth. “And the divers, sir?”

“Keep them out there. Finding Abbigail Sutherland is top priority.”

Gerald refrained from pointing out that bringing Miss. Sutherland in alive would be next to impossible. “Yes, sir.”

“Have you found any evidence of the creatures at all?”

“Nothing yet, sir. But the gulf is a big place, and we’re not sure we are looking in the right area. Anthony Vaughn is no dummy. Every bit of this could have been staged by him to send us on a wild goose chase.”

“I’d thought of that already. Keep searching, Gerald. If you don’t find anything within the next seven days, pull out.”

“Yes, sir.” Kerik hung up the phone and ran a hand down his face. He hated like hell taking orders from a man that didn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground. And Rueben Howell couldn’t find his own rear end if he sat on a box of thumbtacks.

With a growl of frustration, he strode from the room in search of Doug Jefferies. He’d been in and out of their temporary headquarters all day, avoiding Gerald like the plague.

Kerik despised being stationed in Florida for any length of time. The heat was sweltering, and the humidity made it hard to breathe.

He stopped outside Doug’s office and tapped on the door, entering without waiting on an invitation.

Jefferies sat behind his desk, peering over his glasses with a raised eyebrow. “Please, come in,” he murmured sarcastically.

Kerik closed the door behind him. “We need to talk.”

“About?” Doug removed his spectacles and leaned back in his chair.

“The president.” He waved his hand toward the chair in front of Jefferies’s desk. “May I?”

Doug blew out a breath. “Have a seat. What’s the problem?”

“Rueben is weak. I don’t know who’s pulling his strings, but his cowardice is going to cost all of our lives.”

“That is sedition, Kerik. You better have a damn good reason for your accusations.”

“He’s ordered me to pull out of the gulf mission.”

“What?” Doug quickly sat forward. “When?”

“In a week. And no more force is to be used.”

“Did he give a reason?”

Gerald shook his head. “Other than bringing the Sutherland woman in alive…no.”

“How does he expect you to bring her in without force? Does he think she will offer herself up as a sacrifice?”

“He believes she holds the key to the Incola virus,” Gerald offered. “Talk to him, Doug. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”

Jefferies narrowed his eyes. “She very well may be the key, Kerik. And if so, she’s our only hope against this epidemic.”

“Then what do you suggest I do? Sit on a ship and drop a lure in the water, on the off chance that she’s hungry?

“Abbigail Sutherland gave birth to an alien baby, Kerik. It’s not so much the woman they want, as the child.”

A thought struck Gerald. “If the child is our nation’s hope, why not impregnate someone else with the aliens’ spawn?”

Kerik could see the wheels turning in Jefferies’s eyes.

“You might be on to something there,” Doug slowly admitted. “But how are we going to get our hands on one of those abominations?”

“We blow them out of the water. Some of them will die, but not all of them.”

Doug quickly jumped to his feet. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard yet.”

Gerald stood also. “Where are you going?”

“To call a meeting with the president.”