When they walked in, they were already a minute late. The various discussions that were buzzing throughout the Elders’ chamber ended abruptly and a hushed silence fell across the room. As usual, six chairs had been prepared for the guests of honor.
Before their butts had hit the chairs, Clifford pushed the meeting forward. “I have some troubling news for you, young lady,” he said, directing his words towards Taylor. “Your father has become a target of the angels.”
From what Gabriel had told her, Taylor already feared that her dad was in some sort of danger, so no surprise showed on her face. Instead, she wanted facts. “How do we know this?” she demanded.
“We have an inside source that is very reliable.”
“I thought they had weeded out all the spies.”
“Yes, all but this one. This one is near the top. That’s all I can say.”
Taylor’s heart sank. When she became involved in the whole angel-demon war mess, it was a risk she was willing to take on her own. Because it was exciting; because she loved Gabriel; because it felt right. But she was never willing to risk her dad’s life for it. “What are they going to do to my father?”
Clifford was not one to sugarcoat things. “Abduct him. Hold him hostage. Use him to get to you.”
“When?”
“Tonight. As soon as we found out, we teleported a squad of twelve, highly-trained demons to protect him until we could conduct this meeting. In advance of tonight, we would like to add some additional protection for him.”
Gabriel said, “I will go.”
Before Clifford could respond, Taylor said, “No, you need to stay here with me. For support.”
“I need to do this for you, Taylor.”
“No, you need to stay here for me, Gabriel.”
Gabriel looked at Clifford for backup—but he didn’t get it. “Sorry, Gabriel, but in this case, I cannot go against her wishes. You will remain here. We will send Sampson, Christopher, Kiren and a few others, if they are willing.”
“Let’s rock,” Sampson said. The two demons just nodded dutifully.
Gabriel looked frustrated, but managed to hold his tongue.
“If there is nothing else to discuss, this meeting is adjourned,” Clifford concluded.
Chapter Thirty-Six
As she had promised, Taylor had called her dad each day she was away. Typically she tried to get off the phone as quickly as possible, mostly because she hated having to lie to him. She planned the daily calls in advance to ensure she was able to tell him lies that made sense; she was supposed to be vacationing in Florida, after all. The beaches that she said they went to had to be real, and she needed to research them so she had details that would make her stories more credible.
Today though, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him another lie. She also couldn’t tell him the truth; so instead, she focused on asking him questions about what he had been up to. Edward Kingston seemed excited that his daughter was suddenly taking such a keen interest in his life, and he took it in stride, describing in detail the weekend fishing trip that he had taken with James over New Year’s.
“I’m surprised he went with you, didn’t he have any plans for New Year’s Eve?” Taylor asked.
“Yeah, I think so, but he cancelled them when I suggested the trip.” Eddie spoke with pride in his voice. He was happy his son still had time for him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t stay home for the holidays, Dad.”
“It’s really no big deal, honey. You accomplished a lot this year and I’m very proud of you. I wanted you to have this trip.”
Taylor felt sick to her stomach. Here she was, completely lying to her dad, putting his life in danger, and he was being so sweet to her. She tried to speak, but her mouth felt dry, her lips parched. The words caught in her throat. There was so much she wanted to say to him, to thank him for. Her worst fears crumbled through her mind, like collapsing buildings. What if this is the last time she ever spoke to him? What if she never saw him again? What if James is there and they take him, too?
“Taylor? Are you there?”
Snapping out of her temporary depression, Taylor managed to croak, “I really love you, Dad.”
“I know, Taylor. I love you, too. I’ll see you in a week.”
She hoped he was right. “Sure, Dad. See you soon. Bye.”
Ending the call, she lay on her bed in the fetal position for what seemed like hours, but turned out to only be ten minutes. When she finally sat up, there was a determination in her eyes that had been absent since the meeting that morning. A steely resolve set in as she recited to herself, “Everything will be fine. Good will triumph over evil. Chris and Sampson will protect him.”
Her mind wandered to Gabriel. Should she let him go with them? He would surely be an asset to the mission, and having him there may decrease the chances of her father being captured. But the selfish part of her wanted him to stay with her, to hold her and tell her that everything would be alright. Her mental debate was in full-swing when there was a knock on her door.
It was Gabriel.
“Can I come in?”
Wordlessly, Taylor opened the door wider and let him follow her over to a couch. When they had both sat down, Taylor said, “Look, I’m sorry I told Clifford you couldn’t go on the mission.”
Shaking his head, Gabriel replied, “I’ve been thinking…”
“That’s dangerous,” Taylor interjected.
Gabriel cracked a smile, and took the opportunity to put his hand on Taylor’s leg, stroking it gently. Thankfully, her joke had sliced through the tension like a knife through butter. She even allowed him to touch her. Taking a deep breath, he continued, “I love you, Taylor, and I am willing to be whatever you need me to be. I would love to stay here with you, if that’s what you want.”
“I’m not sure it is, Gabriel. Dammit, I’m just so confused. I want you here with me, but if that means less protection for my dad, then I’m just being selfish. I don’t want to be selfish.”
His arm moved to her shoulder and then casually curled behind her neck, pulling her head into his chest. He kissed the top of her head, which made her wince, but she didn’t pull away. “You have already proven you are not selfish, Taylor. You’ve risked your life to save the lives of others. Angels and demons who you don’t even know. But you are only human…”
Now it was Taylor’s turn to crack a smile. “Is it that obvious?” she joked.
“Sometimes it isn’t, but you need support, too. You can’t always be brave—you shouldn’t always be. I am asking your permission to sit this one out and stay with you. I need a break in the action, too. And I trust Chris, Sampson, and the rest to protect your father. In fact, I know they will. In my mind, the absolute worst-case scenario is that they are forced to teleport him to the Lair to save him. In which case, we will just have to tell him the truth. I know I’ve learned that the truth is never a bad thing.”
Taylor thought about it for a minute. The idea of telling her dad everything started to sound better and better. Gabriel was right—there was no way that Chris would allow the angels to kidnap her dad if he had the chance to teleport him away. “I guess that makes sense. Okay, I agree. You can stay.”
“Now on to other matters, or have you forgotten?”
Taylor leaned her head back against Gabriel’s chest to look into his eyes. Her face crinkled in confusion.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up, your memory is terrible, Tay. How does your chest feel?”
“My chest? What is that, some kind of an awful pick up line? It’s fine,” she said, subconsciously massaging her chest with her hand. “Oww, crap, it’s really sore.” Then she remembered. In all the emotional trauma of learning that there was a threat to her father, she had completely forgotten about what had happened the previous night. “Oh, yeah,” she snorted.
“I guess that means I’m not off the hook?” Gabriel asked.
“You abused your girlfriend. I might have to press charges.”
; “I’ll claim temporary insanity,” he joked back. “But seriously, I’m really, really—”
Taylor cut him off. “Stop, Gabriel. Do you know that you acted like an idiot?”
“Yes, but—”
“Good, and do you know that what you did was reckless and childish?”
“Yes, but, Tay—”
“Good, and do you promise not to do anything so stupid again?”
“Of course, Tay—”
“Then you’re forgiven, end of story,” Taylor finished, raising a finger to Gabriel’s lips to shush him. She quickly replaced her finger with her lips, kissing him tenderly.
When she pulled away, Gabriel was still not ready to let the whole thing go. “I do not accept your forgiveness,” he declared. Taylor looked at him like he was crazy. “Last night, I thought long and hard about what I did and decided that an apology and ‘I won’t do it again’ is not sufficient to obtain forgiveness. I will not accept your clemency until I have played my role in defeating Dionysus.”
Taylor smirked. “Whatever you say, angel-boy.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Dionysus admired himself in the mirror. Attractive, powerful, clever: he had it all. Clever, oh so clever. His latest plan was pure genius. It would throw the demons into a panic, scare the hell out of the girl, and create a diversion, which would allow Lucas to easily accomplish his mission—the real mission. And the cherry on the top: He would be able to determine whether there was still a spy in their midst.
He had been too careless, too trusting. But he had learned from his mistakes and would not make them again. After discovering the extent of the treachery, Dionysus had spent hours poring over old mission logs and battle reports. Searching, searching—and eventually finding. After two days of extensive research, he had discovered at least twelve potential occurrences of leaked information. Leaked plans, leaked strategies, leaked decisions. And this treachery was not at the lower ranks; it was at the highest levels, within the group of generals, or even the Archangel Council itself.
He had trusted his chosen angels implicitly. Trusted in their belief in him, trusted in their support of The Plan, and most importantly, trusted in their hatred of the demons. But he had been wrong in trusting so freely.
And so, by devising a plan that would be known only to him and his new apprentice, Lucas, he could narrow down the search. Only the Council knew the full details of the feigned abduction of the girl’s father. The generals and Commander Lewis were kept in the dark. If the demons were already there, protecting her father, then Dionysus would know that he had a mole in his most trusted group of advisors. He suspected as much. And he had a guess or two as to who it might be. Johanna never seemed to be on the same page as him. Or Sarah for that matter. There was something about her that he just didn’t like.
He never should have allowed women on the Council. The men were solid, though. Michael was practically his brother, and he and Andrew went back many years—it couldn’t be one of them. He would find out soon enough. And then there would be hell to pay.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Unfortunately, the hours had passed by swiftly and it was time for the slow, torturous waiting to begin. Chris, Kiren, and a dozen others, including Sampson, had armed themselves and were about to march to the teleportal.
“Be careful, babe,” Sam said, giving her boyfriend a big hug.
“I will, don’t worry,” he replied.
“Give ‘em hell,” Gabriel said to Sampson.
“You know me.”
“That’s what worries me,” Gabriel joked.
The two angels embraced and Taylor could see that this was a very difficult moment for Gabriel. He wanted to be with his friend, doing something to help. But she dared not suggest that he go, for fear that he might actually listen to her for once.
It was time for them to go.
Taylor, Gabriel, and Sam stood with their arms around each other, as they watched their friends depart down the tunnel.
“You should start practicing,” Gabriel said cryptically.
“For what?” Taylor asked.
“For the speech you are going to have to give your dad when they bring him back here. That is going to be one tough conversation.”
Sam said, “Your dad likes me. Just let me do the talking.”
“You always do,” Taylor joked.
It helped to laugh. The next few hours were going to be difficult, but it would help if Sam and Gabriel were at their funniest.
“Let’s shoot some pool,” Sam suggested.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chris counted them down: “Five, four, three, two, one, go!”
The second defense unit teleported harmoniously to the drop spot. Kiren had held Sampson’s hand, bringing him along with her. There were four other angels included as well—from the rescued group of spies. They had fully recovered and eagerly volunteered for the mission, ready to get their wings—or at least the prosthetic titanium wings—dirty again.
The landing spot was the Kingston’s attic. Taylor had informed them that it was used only for storage and that no one ever went up there. Using the highest point in the house, they could set up the mission from a good vantage point on the inside. The attic was particularly effective because it provided a 360-degree view of the area around the house. It had windows on all four sides that were built into the slanted rooftop.
The first goal was to identify the twelve demons that were part of the lead squad and ensure they were positioned appropriately. Chris made swift work of the task using a thermal detector and his radio. “Blue squad leader, do you read me?”
“Yessir,” a female voice replied.
“I am picking up sixteen thermal images in the vicinity, not including the Cheese, who appears to be the only one in the house. Can you account for the additional four heat sources?” The Cheese was code talk for Mr. Kingston, the one they were protecting.
“Yessir. The two small blips to the east are a couple of squirrels that live in the large oak tree. The third spot, in the backyard, is a stainless steel grill that the Cheese used to cook a couple of steaks thirty minutes ago—it is still warm. The final hit you are getting is a backup generator for the house, which kicked on ten minutes ago when the power went out. It seems that the Cheese is well prepared for emergencies.”
“Why is the power out?” Chris looked out the window. It was a clear night, it couldn’t be weather related.
“We don’t know, but we are guessing it was the work of the angels as part of their strategy. I don’t think they anticipated the house having backup power though. The Cheese has been on the phone with the power company twice now and they have confirmed that the power grid is fully functional and that it must be specific to his house. They said they would send someone out in the morning and he agreed. His generator will provide up to twenty-four hours of power and he can turn it off before he goes to sleep. He doesn’t seem too worried.”
“Good. Thank you, blue leader. Stay in position and wait for my orders.”
“Roger that.”
Next, Chris re-briefed his team on their positions. Their approach was highly aggressive and they had been authorized to use any methods available to protect Mr. Kingston, including teleporting him back to the Lair if necessary.
They would essentially litter themselves in and around the house, in various spots, getting as near to Taylor’s dad as possible. If he got close to seeing any of them, they would simply teleport back to the attic. Sampson and the other angels, however, would position themselves on the roof, as lookouts, to make the best use of their wings if the attack came from the sky, which was considered very likely.
“Okay, move out,” Chris said.
The demons teleported out of sight, leaving only Sampson and the other angels in the loft. Sampson opened a window and peeked into the backyard, two stories below. It was empty. “Clear,” he said gruffly.
One by one, the angels crawled out of the window and along the shingled
roof. Each perched so that they faced in a different direction to ensure the entire sky was covered by their watch. Ten painfully slow minutes passed. Then another ten. Halfway through the third ten, Sampson spotted something. “I’ve got a bogey approaching from the north. Might just be a bird, wait for my confirmation.” He whispered sharply into his headset.
As the “bogey” approached, there was no doubt in Sampson’s mind: it was an angel. A scout, most likely. “We’ve got a solo-flyer coming in slow from the north. Should I take him out?”
Chris replied, “No. Lookouts—make yourself scarce. We want them to think the house is unprotected.”
Obediently, the rooftop angels hustled back through the windows, taking refuge in the attic. Sampson watched cautiously through the glass panes. The angel circled the house three times and then raced back in the direction from which it came. “Scout’s gone,” Sampson informed them. “Prepare for a full attack, I don’t think they know we’re here.”
“Roger that. Stay in the attic and let us know what you see.”
Sampson waited patiently. He didn’t have to wait long. In less than five minutes he saw them coming. Lots of them. Not panicking, he counted them quickly and then announced evenly, “We’ve got eighteen targets coming in from the north.”
Chris took charge. “Okay. We are going to surprise them. If all goes according to plan, they won’t even step foot anywhere near the house. The lead demon squad and the angels up top will perform a synchronized attack, while they are still in the air. If any of them manage to get through you, we will handle them from the ground.” Chris’s orders were clipped, efficient, like he was merely reading through a grocery list. “Sampson, you’ve got the best view. You give the signal.”
“Yessir.”
His stomach squirming with anticipation, Sampson watched the angels soar, in perfect formation, towards the house. When they got within a hundred yards, he commanded, “Angels—go! Demons—follow in five seconds.” Sampson wisely staggered the attack, allowing five seconds of flight time for his angels before the demons teleported into the fray. He hoped that the attack would be perfectly coordinated.