Part 24 (1/2)
He paused a moment at the unexpected voice. ”Where's Gadara?”
”Cain.” The relief with which his name was spoken increased his unease.
”Who is this?”
”I'm Diego Montevista, the head of Gadara's security team.”
Alec leaned into the seat and asked quietly, ”Where is Gadara?”
”I t-think-” Montevista cleared his throat. ”I think Gadara is dead.”
”Say that again.”
”There was a creature here, a beast. It s-swallowed Gadara.”
”Impossible!” Alec bolted upright, knocking the chair to the floor. ”He is an archangel. ”
”Yes, I know, Cain. I've lived at his side for years. It doesn't change the fact that he was eaten alive by a . . . a thing the size of a tank. I saw it with my own eyes, and I'm not the only one who bore witness.” The conviction in the Mark's voice was undeniable.
”What happened to the Infernal?”
”The earth opened up and sucked it down. One moment the beast was there, the next the ground split and it sank into the fissure. There were mortals everywhere. An entire company of soldiers stood a few hundred yards away, but all they saw was the felling of two trees.”
Alec stared at the blank video screen, his chest lifting and falling in its same measured rhythm even as his world spun haphazardly.
An archangel. Dead. He couldn't imagine it. Not like this. Without fanfare or storms from the heavens. Without a shockwave that reverberated through the world.
It was too quiet. Too still. All wrong.
”How long has he been gone?” Alec asked.
”Less than thirty minutes.” Montevista exhaled harshly. ”It gets worse.”
”How the f.u.c.k can it get worse?”
”I just got off the phone with Abel. There was another fatality in the cla.s.s.”
Alec gripped the edge of the table, images of Raguel's students sifting quickly through his mind. He reached out to Eve, felt her touch him in reply. Cool and collected. Controlled. She had pushed him aside earlier. He'd thought it was because she was mad at him; now he suspected she just hadn't wanted him to cloud her mind with his worry.
”Chad Richens,” he murmured, seeing the scene through her mind's eye.
”How did you know that?” Montevista asked. ”Did they call you first?”
”No. You need to get back to the other students.”
”I'm on my way now.” In the background, a car door slammed shut and an automobile engine rumbled to life. ”Gadara suspected Charles Grimshaw of this morning's attack, but I'm not sure this second killing fits the Alpha's MO. Gadara said he would circle us for a while before striking again-”
”Charles thinks he has the upper hand; he's not going to play it safe anymore.” And it would only worsen when he learned about Raguel. ”Why was Richens alone after what happened this morning?”
”He wasn't. All of the other students were nearby.”
Yet no one heard a thing, and Eve had been right there. Alec considered his options. He could get back to Monterey in a couple of hours . . .
But first he had to understand what he was walking into. Charles wanted him. A trap wasn't inconceivable. Montevista growled. ”I know how bad this sounds, but my team isn't inept. We're being ambushed. Stalked. It's against the rules to-”
”f.u.c.k the rules.” Charles had obviously tossed them into the fire. They would, too. ”How did you get Raguel's phone?”
”He left it behind.”
”Was his confrontation with the Infernal planned?”
”Totally. He was gunning for it.”
Alec's thoughts raced. ”Did you check the phone for messages?”
”No.”
”Do it.”
Standing, Alec walked through the adjoining door and headed to the bathroom. Giselle lay on the pile of towels he'd spread out on the floor-still cuffed, gagged, and now deeply asleep. As he watched, she made soft chuffing noises of pleasure. His gaze lifted to the far wall. He'd bet there was a poor soul in the next room, taking a nap and having a doozy of a nightmare. Feeding the Mare.
”Power up,” he muttered to her. ”You're going to need it.”
”What did you say?” Montevista asked.
Alec shut the door quietly. ”Nothing. Find anything?”
”A text message from Uriel about a conference call at three o'clock. That's only a couple hours from now.”
”Right. I'll be there. Make sure Abel is there, too. Don't let any of the Marks out of your sight, especially Evangeline Hollis. Don't expect her to cooperate either,” he said dryly. ”Sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn't.”
”She's a woman,” Montevista said, as if that explained everything. Which it did.
”She's my woman.”
”Understood.”
Alec rubbed the back of his neck and looked out the window at the Mustang parked just outside the door. Hop in, hit the gas. So easy. He wished.
”Cain?”
”Yeah?”
”I don't know what to do.” The Spanish inflection in Montevista's voice was more p.r.o.nounced, deepened by sadness and confusion. ”Who should I notify? Who do I take orders from? You?”
”Yes, me. I'll take care of the peripherals.”
Whether Raguel was truly gone was debatable. Alec had known the archangel the whole of his life and he had yet to see Raguel do anything completely self-sacrificing. A kamikaze attack wasn't in keeping with what Alec knew. But there was no benefit to what-ifs at this point. The fact was simple: a once-in-animmortal-lifetime opportunity had arisen. He could step up to the plate and take over the firm for the present, proving he was capable of the position.
But . . . the odds of him securing the necessary blessings without manipulation were slim, and thanks to Eve's penchant for landing in trouble, he was running out of favors and secrets to exploit.