Dagger

  “But what about the third triangle in Massachusetts?” Felanie asked.

  “The Bridgewater Triangle focuses the energy of the other two triangles. The area has a reputation as a hotbed of supernatural phenomena, including everything from evil spirits, unnatural creatures, and Unidentified Flying Objects.” She turned to me. “According to Il Evanidus, Dighton Rock once rested in Roanoke Island, the site of a famous mass disappearance, before it was moved to the area within this triangle, a fact previously unknown.”

  So that was the link between Ginny and the Age of the Sixth. But what did it mean?

  Aristede settled back in his chair. “So I take it that now that we’ve recovered the book and deciphered its pages, we know just exactly how this power to create disappearances is harnessed?”

  Price folded her hands. “Regrettably, we don’t. A crucial page was torn from the book before Dagger retrieved it. As long as it’s still out there, the power is up for grabs. That’s why I’ve assembled you here. Retrieving that page is now our highest priority.”

  A buzzing sound cut through the silence. Price held her palm over the psychic communicator embedded in her console to retrieve her incoming message. I shifted in my seat. Whatever it was it had to be very important to interrupt her during a briefing. I didn’t envy that messenger.

  Price sat statue-like for a few minutes. The communicator’s green glow faded and she lowered her hand. “It seems we have a situation. An enemy agent has surrendered to us and is being brought to this facility for questioning.” She turned to me and my stomach knotted. “It’s your brother, Phillipe. He’s alive.”

  Good thing I already knew, considering how gently she’d broken the news.

  But what the hell was Phillipe doing here? And what if he told Price about our encounter in Brazil which I’d neglected to mention in the Op report? “I need to see him right away. Please.”

  “Not until after our expert interrogator has had a chat with him first.” She pressed a button on her console. “You can come in, now.”

  I heard the soft rush of air as the pneumatic doors slid open. Taking a deep breath, I braced myself before turning to face Phillipe’s inquisitor.

  I gripped the armrests of my chair to prevent myself from falling out of it.

  “Mother?”

  Chapter Seventeen

  To say I was shell-shocked would be an understatement. My until-recently-long-lost brother, who’d pulled a Darth Vader and turned to the dark side, inexplicably gives himself up, only to get grilled by my distant-mother-revealed-as-a-secret agent. What soap opera from hell was this?

  Price turned from me to my mother. “The transport team carrying Phillipe should be here within the hour, Gabrielle.” Her eyes shifted back to me. “Perhaps he can shed some light on the missing page of Il Evanidus, considering our sources place him in Rio at the exact time Dagger retrieved the book.”

  I looked away.

  Mom nodded. “I’ll have the team prep him for hypno-interrogation protocol.”

  Hypno-interrog? That was one of the most invasive forms of cross-examination imaginable. She might as well have said torture.

  “In the meantime,” Price continued, “I’m sure Dagger here is filled with questions.” Oh, you think, bitch?

  I stood and glared at my mother. “Just one question. What the hell are you doing here?”

  She placed a hand on my shoulder. Before I could wrench myself free, the ring on her finger sent a burning jolt through my body.

  The room spun. I experienced an uncomfortable pressure, like when an elevator ascends or descends too rapidly and it feels like gravity is pulling in the opposite direction. My stomach finally caught up with the room and settled down.

  I looked around. Felanie and Aristede sat frozen at the table, like the final two invitees at the Last Supper. Beside me, Price stood motionless, her eyes in mid-blink, as if she were stoned in every sense of the word. I turned to my mother, who still held onto my shoulder. “Actually, make that two questions. What the hell did you just do?”

  She held her grip. “You mustn’t pull away. This ring is a Temporal Displacer. It’s a one of a kind prototype. We’re moving faster in time, which is why everyone else appears still. Surveillance won’t be a problem as theoretically we’re having this conversation in the blink of an eye. But the body can only bear the effects of time displacement for a short period. We have to talk fast.”

  I waved a hand in front of Price’s face. No reaction. Kewl. I turned back to my mom. “What is going on? How did you get mixed up in all of this?”

  Her grip softened. “Here’s what you need to know. I’ve been an agent since before you were born. First at the Central Intelligence Agency. After your brother disappeared, I was recruited by this Black Ops division under Price’s leadership. I’ve been using this agency’s resources to track him.”

  This was all happening too fast, pun intended. “So you’re saying we’ve been on the same side all this time, and you never told me a thing? Why not?”

  “Fear. Fear for your life. You know how we’re mandated to keep our affiliation with DUST confidential. I couldn’t let you know I was aware you were an agent without breaching protocol and exposing myself to you as an operative in the process.”

  How could I argue with her? I’d kept my life a secret from her, Cassie, Marco, and everyone who knew me. I knew that fear of exposure first hand. I was still scared out of my mind for Marco’s life, knowing what he’d uncovered about DUST. She’d done nothing that I hadn’t.

  “I had no idea Price had recruited you into the program,” she continued. “I was livid when I found out, determined to get you away from this place. I tried to warn you, indirectly.”

  “Those messages you left me. The talks you wanted to have. I thought it had to do with you resenting me after Phillipe …” my voice trailed off. “He was always your favorite.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, Daguerre. Nothing could be further from the truth. You’re my son. ” Her gaze dropped to the floor. “I know I haven’t been there for you. Not in the ways that matter most.”

  “Mom,” I whispered.

  She took my hand. “When your brother disappeared and your father and I separated, I immersed myself in this agency. Maybe I was trying to avoid dealing with the loss, I don’t know.” She stared past me. “I think I distanced myself because I was terrified at the thought of losing you, too.” Our eyes met. “I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

  I wiped my eyes. “Mom, Phillipe didn’t just disappear. He’s working with the Reich. Do you know why?”

  “He’s searching for his past. For your past.”

  Her ring started beeping.

  “What’s up with that?” I asked.

  “We’re almost out of time. We have to shift back or the prolonged temporal displacement will have a lethal effect on our bodies.”

  “But what did you mean about—?”

  “Keep an eye on Price. Her interest in Il Evanidus goes beyond the Reich’s agenda. She has her own endgame.” She gave me a final squeeze and let go.

  The ring stopped beeping and that queasy feeling washed over me, heralding the end of our jaunt into the time space continuum thingy.

  A familiar veil of coldness descended over Mom’s face. “Try not to get too agitated, Daguerre. Hopefully your training has prepared you for the unexpected. I’ll be more than happy to answer your questions in private.”

  Price placed a hand on my back, nearly scaring the crap out of me. I think I preferred her as a thrift-store mannequin. “Perhaps when the current crisis has abated, Dagger, you and your mother can take an extended leave to sort this all out and be a family again, yes?”

  How Hallmarky of her. “Yeah. Sure. In the meantime, I’ll be topside, if you need me.”

  I locked eyes with my mother for a split-second. Then I turned and marched toward the exit, ignoring Felanie’s and Aristede’s quizzical looks.

  It took every ounce of self-control not to bolt out of tha
t room.

  ****

  Hurrying up the basement stairwell, I pushed open the hallway door and tumbled into Alexei’s powerful arms.

  “Whoa,” he said, gripping my waist.

  “You scared the shit out of me.”

  He chuckled. “Sorry about that, dude. You kind of just popped up out of nowhere. Again. What were you doing down there?”

  Tremors wracked my body. I turned my head, ashamed to let him see me blink away the tears. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

  He squeezed me tighter. “Are you okay? You look like you’re going to pass out or something.”

  I looked into his eyes, gray windows of concern. I needed someone to talk to. And I couldn’t face either Cassie or Marco right now. I was seriously going to break down right here.

  “Look Alexei—”

  “Lex.” He smiled.

  “Lex. I really need to ditch the rest of the day. Do you think you can let Cass and Marco know I’ll see them at the dance tonight?”

  “I’ve got a better idea.” He let go of my waist and pulled me gently by the arm. “Follow me.”

  I was too dazed to resist. “Where are we going?”

  He winked in reply and led me down the hallway toward the school’s front entrance, pausing in front of each intersection to make sure the coast was clear of any hall monitors. We slipped past the snoring Officer Vega, down the steps, and into the parking lot.

  “You look like you could use some air and someone to talk to,” he said as we reached a maroon Harley-Davidson Sportster parked a few cars down from my black mustang. He let go of my arm and swung his leg over, planting his firm butt into the driver’s seat. “Hop on.” He inserted the key and turned. The Harley purred to life.

  My eyes bounced between the school and the motorcycle. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”

  “C’mon, Dagger.” He grinned, revving the engine. “Live a little. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

  He’d actually succeeded at producing an almost-chuckle. “You’re on.” I hopped on behind him, gripping him around the waist.

  He tilted back his head, laughing. “Hold on, tight.”

  And with a roar of the engine and the wind in our faces, we peeled down the driveway, away from Montefuego, away from Cassie, Marco, my Mom, DUST— everything— and into the brilliant afternoon.

  ****

  “Thith ith tho good,” I said through a mouthful of cookie dough ice cream.

  Alexei chuckled. “It’d taste even better if you got some of it in your mouth.” He dabbed my chin with a napkin.

  “Phankth.”

  We sat side by side on the sand. The salty wind whipped through our hair as we gazed at the turquoise ocean, which teased our feet with the chilly autumn waters of the incoming tide.

  I swallowed the last of my ice cream. “So dessert at the beach is what you consider being adventurous?” I smiled at him. “Me thinks somebody’s led a pretty sheltered life.”

  He grinned. “Hey, I’m from Alaska. What do you expect? Anyway, I got you smiling, so it was worth it.”

  A rush of warmth enveloped my face. I looked back out to sea. “I’m glad I came.”

  “Me, too.”

  We sat a while without saying a word, listening to the crashing waves and the call of the gulls.

  Alexei broke the silence. “So how did you end up with a cool name like Dagger?”

  “Oh, that.” I shrugged. “It’s actually not such a cool story. My mother, in her infinite wisdom, decided to name me after Louis Daguerre, the dude who invented that photographic process.”

  “Daguerreotypes.”

  “Right. Only my older brother wasn’t that seasoned in the arts at three years old and couldn’t quite pronounce it, so he christened me Dagger, and it kinda stuck and followed me to school.”

  “Aww, that’s cute.” He chuckled. “You guys pretty close?”

  “Not really. Not anymore.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  “Don’t be. I have a lot of family issues. My mom and I, as you’ve probably figured out, have never really connected. I’m not sure I know who she is.”

  He tossed a seashell into the ocean. “I haven’t seen my family in a very long time.”

  “Really? You didn’t live with them before coming to Montefuego?”

  He looked at me for a moment, and then turned away. “I’ve been on my own for a bit.”

  “Emancipated minor?”

  His eyes turned wistful. “Something like that.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosey.”

  He laughed. “That’s okay. You know, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

  “What’s up?”

  He looked away, studying the surf. “That first day of school, when I didn’t say anything to you at the lockers. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to. When I turned and saw you there, I-I just couldn’t. You kinda took my breath away.”

  Now it was my turn to be speechless.

  He looked at the darkening sky. “It’s actually getting kinda late. We should probably get back and get ready for the big shindig tonight.” He stood and held out an arm.

  I took hold and he pulled me to my feet. “Cass is really excited to be going with you.” A pang of melancholy hit me. “She’s a lucky chick.”

  He crossed his arms. “We’re going to the dance as friends. That’s it.”

  My heart bounced.

  “Cassie did say you and Marco were an item, though. How’s that working out?” He flicked the last of his seashells into the ocean.

  The bounce deflated. “We’re kind of taking it slow and seeing where it leads, kind of thing.”

  “I hope he appreciates you.” Alexei looked back at the sea for a moment. Then he turned to me and gestured with his hand in the direction of our ride. “After you, Monsieur Beaumont.”

  During our trek through the sand, I resisted the temptation to grab hold of his hand.

  ****

  The Miami skyline glittered under the full moon in hues of pink, green, and gold, like some magical city reflecting its twin in the glassy waters of Biscayne Bay. As the motorcycle sped under the starry sky, I luxuriated in the heat radiating from Alexei’s body, sheltering me against the cold. It felt awesome.

  If only this ride could last forever.

  Bright headlights appeared in Alexei’s rearview mirror, shattering my romance novel fantasy. I craned my neck to glance behind us. A black, unmarked sedan was gaining on us. Both the driver and passenger were pale-skinned, with glowing cat’s eyes.

  Ghuls.

  My alpha instincts kicked into gear. “Someone’s following us,” I yelled in Alexei’s ear over the rushing wind.

  “Hang on!” The motorcycle accelerated.

  I reached into my manbag with one hand, clutching Alexei with the other. Rummaging through my things, I found my MPA glasses and slipped them on. Then I turned to face our pursuers.

  The sedan increased its speed, bearing down on us.

  The ghul on the passenger side pulled out a weapon and aimed it right at us.

  I zoomed in with the lenses and activated the scanner readout.

  Class 5 Brainwave Inhibitor

  BIs. Shit. These guns fired a small dart into your skin that analyzed brain wave patterns. Once your brain waves were scanned, all they had to do was emit a cerebral pulse and hijack your mind, like a computer virus, allowing them to control you like a robot. I guess they wanted me alive. But why? What were they after?

  The ghul fired, but I blocked the shot with my bag. Scan that, asshole.

  Alexei zigzagged through a blur of cars, but the ghuls continued to gain on us, firing the inhibitor repeatedly. “I can’t shake’em.”

  “You’re doing great.” And he was, maneuvering through traffic at high speeds like a pro. I’d have to ask him how he learned to ride a bike like this, assuming we made it out alive.

  One of the darts embedded itself into the seat, just missing
my ass.

  That was too close. It was time to call in the reinforcements before Alexei got hurt. I grabbed my cell phone and punched in the emergency code.

  Code Red Extraction Beacon Activated. Signal Transmitting

  Alexei swerved and the cell phone flew from my hand. Frak. Hopefully Aristede would receive the call and come to the rescue, though how I was going to explain it to Alexei was beyond me. One crisis at a time.

  The sedan pulled up close. The ghul grinned, its craggly teeth glistening in the moonlight.

  I rifled through my bag, looking for anything of use. I couldn’t use the gun in the secret compartment without opening myself up to a shit load of questions from Alexei. Hmmm. iPod, work-out gloves, towel, sugarless gum. Not much of a selection. Wait a minute. Towel. It was worth a shot, however long it might be. I pulled it out.

  “What are you doing?” Alexei shouted over the roaring wind.

  “Floor it.”

  The ghul pointed the BI at my face. There was no way he’d miss at such close range.

  I released the towel. The wind carried it across the ghuls’ windshield, effectively covering it. Talk about a blind spot. The sedan swerved into the next lane, cutting off another car, which smashed into its back end.

  “Hell yeah,” Alexei hollered.

  I glanced ahead. We were coming up fast behind a huge flatbed truck. Son of a bitch.

  My eyes flicked over to the next lane. The ghul who’d been firing tore the towel free, and then turned his weapon on us.

  Alexei twisted his head into my ear and shouted. “Did we lose’em?”

  “Not yet. See if you can get that truck between us before we get nailed.”

  “You got it.” It almost sounded like he was having fun.

  More shots whizzed past us.

  Alexei sped to the right of the truck, in the breakdown lane overlooking the cruise ships resting majestically in the Port of Miami.

  If we could just keep the truck between us and the ghuls, we might be able to hold out until Aristede arrived.