Okay, But Try Not to Murder Anyone 5, page 22
Realization dawned in Sloan’s eyes, and she glared at me furiously as she started to scream.
“You bastard, you betrayed me!” the woman cried out, but the weight of the trap caused her to crumple, and I watched as the ring half went flying from her hand. “Nooooooooo!”
I lunged forward and caught the ring midair, and then I whipped around and took a step toward the trap so I could help the Native woman out of the trap. As I turned, I realized Sloan had shapeshifted into her giant beast form, and the rope trap ended up being no match for her. Beast Sloan gnashed at the ropes with her large fangs, and it was only seconds before she’d made a hole big enough to escape. Once the beast was free from the ropes, it let out a loud roar and bounded toward the lake, and Sloan knocked a shoulder into me as she passed, which caused me to go flying backward.
“Jonah!” Laura cried out as she rushed to my side.
I rolled over to catch the last sight of Sloan before she disappeared again, and I grunted as I raised myself to a sitting position as Laura fretted over me.
“I’m fine, I just can’t believe I let her get away again,” I groaned.
I heard a rustling of leaves and looked up to see Mary approaching us quickly, and her emerald-green eyes were wide with shock.
“Holy fuck, Jonah, that was insane,” Mary said as she reached my side, and she kneeled down next to me and threw her arms around me. “I thought she was going for you, she looked pissed off.”
“She was plenty pissed,” I agreed, and I finally dragged myself to my feet as I wiped the dirt off my pants. That hadn’t gone to plan, but it was no one’s fault. The traps we thought could hold Sloan when she was shapeshifted just weren’t up to the job, and obviously Sloan would run off once she realized what we were up to.
So, we didn’t capture Sloan, but we had something else.
The ring half.
I looked down at my closed fist, and I opened it slowly to reveal the beautiful piece of artifact. Laura and Mary gasped at the sight of the ring half, and then I suddenly heard a rustling of leaves behind us. I closed my fist over the powerful artifact, and I spun around. I half-expected to see Sloan returning to recover her artifact, but it was Elaine approaching fast from her hiding spot by the water.
“Hey,” the tanned beauty said as she skidded to a stop in front of us, and then she leaned on me to catch her breath. “I saw Sloan fly back to her island, what happened?”
I gave her a quick rundown of what happened in the woods and then opened my hand again to show her the beautiful gold and green ring half.
“Oh, wow,” Elaine breathed as she leaned in close to study the ring. “She must be pissed she let this get away.”
“Ohhh, yeah,” I said as I recalled the anger in Sloan’s eyes, both before and after she shapeshifted.
“I would be, too, that’s a couple million bucks you’re holding there, Jonah,” Mary said, and her voice was thick with wonder.
“I know,” I said as I turned the ring around carefully in my hand. I could still feel the power radiating from it, but I felt a pang in my heart as I realized this ring was priceless to Sloan and her tribe.
“Soooo,” Mary said as the silence stretched on. “What’s the plan? Are we going after Sloan?”
“I don’t think we have a snowball’s chance in hell of catching her today,” I sighed. “Or, if we did, she’d rip our heads off, so it’s probably best to leave it for now.”
“Okay, so, back to the cabin?” Mary asked as she cast a wary glance around the area, and I could tell the small curly-haired woman was worried about spirits and shapeshifters, and I couldn’t blame her.
“Yeah, let’s go,” I said, and I led the way back to the small cabin with the three women following close behind me.
A few minutes later, we pushed through the door of the warm structure. Elaine immediately propped the door open, strode over to the window, and threw it open. Mary hurried to her laptop, while Laura and I went over to the table to study the ring. The blonde agent and I passed it between each other, and we took turns studying the intricate carving on the gold band and the jagged half of the beautiful emerald-green stone.
The detail on the band consisted of some sort of Cyrillic alphabet beneath a sun with long squiggly rays, and even though it was thousands of years old, the half of the ring in my hand looked brand new. The gold was polished and shiny, and of a much better quality than the soft gold of today’s jewelry. Even though it had been handled by many hands over the years, the details weren’t faded, it was like it was hot off the forge.
“It’s incredible,” I murmured as I handed it over to Laura.
“It really is,” the beautiful blonde agreed with a nod. “It’s a shame we don’t have the other half.”
“Well, not yet, anyway,” I said as I drummed my fingers against the table. “But we need to track it down fast, because we know Sloan Hawk is after it.”
“Yeah, but we’re never letting her get this one back anyway,” Mary chimed in as she joined my side at the small table. “So it’s not like she’s going to unite them and do any damage.
“She’s definitely still going after it anyway,” I said with a confident nod. “And we don’t really know how much power half of the ring can contain. Sloan did say it helped her with her shapeshifting skills.”
“Hmmm,” Laura said as she brought the ring close to her face to inspect it more. “We need to be sure to keep this somewhere discreet. In case Sloan comes looking for it.”
“I don’t think she will,” I said thoughtfully. “I’m not sure why, but it just doesn’t seem like her style.”
“You don’t think she’s going to come after the ancient family heirloom she just spent over two million dollars on?” Elaine asked skeptically as she joined the group.
“Somehow, no.” I shrugged. “I could be wrong, but I just have a feeling she won’t. Think about it, she hasn’t been that predatory in her mission to get the ring. She contacted Bannister, laid low for a while, came back with the money, bought it on the low, then immediately hid out in the middle of nowhere with it. She’s not aggressive in her approach, I don’t think she’s going to attack.”
“You make some really good points, Jonah,” the sexy ex-soldier said with an impressed look.
“Thanks, babe.” I grinned. It was always nice to be complimented by my beautiful badass girlfriend.
“Do you think…” Laura said slowly as she lowered the ring from her face. “She already has a lead on the other half of the ring? And she’s already planning her way to get that one?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “How much information do we have on the other half?”
“I’ll find out,” Mary said, and the curly-haired woman stood suddenly and reached for her laptop on the small table as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. Then she sat back down, put the laptop on her lap, and tapped a text out on her phone, presumably to Sammy, before she opened her laptop and started typing on that, too.
“We really need to talk to her again,” Laura mused as she stared off into the distance thoughtfully.
“Jonah, what do you think? Is she open to dialogue?” Elaine asked, and I grinned at the ex-soldier’s terminology, but then I thought about her question.
“I don’t know that, either,” I sighed. “She was starting to open up and trust me before we pulled that stunt with the trap, and then she looked ready to rip my throat out. That ring really means a lot to her. I could maybe gain her trust if I offered to give it back, but I don’t think an offer would be enough…”
A silence hung in the air before Elaine finally broke it.
“You’re not thinking about giving it back, are you?” the tanned beauty asked.
“Not an option,” Laura said firmly with a shake of her blonde head.
“No, but I’m going to have to make it really convincing,” I said. “Or be damned sure I can get it back.”
“I mean… I hate to say it, but surely your powers can stop her if needed?” Mary asked as she peered at me over her laptop.
“Yeah, they can,” I said with a nod. “Obviously, I’d rather not use them on her, but if it comes down to it, I can.”
“Hmm, I can’t tell if you’re being noble or sexist,” Mary teased. “You didn’t hesitate to use your powers against Avi Weinberg or the Sigil Killer. But Sloan’s different because she’s a woman, huh? Huh?”
“Uhh, no, she’s different because she’s not a psycho killer,” I chuckled. “We’ve had our… disagreements, and I might be worried about her intentions with the ring, but we all know she’s not on the same level as those scumbags.”
Not yet, at least. And I hoped we could keep it that way.
“She’s not, of course not,” Laura said with a shake of her head. “But we can’t let her get away with that ring.”
“I know.” I nodded. “And I will use my powers if necessary.”
“Good,” the sensible agent said.
“Ugh,” Mary said, and she closed the top of her laptop with a sigh. “Sammy’s working on the other half of the ring, but so far he’s got nothing.”
“Damn, we really need to talk to Sloan, then,” I said. “See if she has anything on the other half.”
“Or if she’s willing to share it,” Elaine said.
“Hopefully, I can convince her,” I said as I held up the half of the ring in our possession.
The women and I spent the rest of the time coming up with a new plan for tomorrow, which involved less trickery and more trust in my abilities to smooth talk the runaway woman, or use my powers to take her down and bring her in if necessary.
Not ideal, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
It was getting late, so we went through our evening routines of showering and eating dinner together. Then we set up a schedule so there would be one person on watch throughout the night, just in case Sloan did come back. We finally tucked in for the night, everyone except Laura, who drew the first shift. I slept peacefully until Elaine woke me for my shift, which passed quickly, and then I woke Mary for her to take the last shift before I crawled back into bed for a few more hours.
In the morning, we all woke again to Laura’s alarm and started to get ready for the new mission, but we were interrupted by a distinctive series of beeps.
“The satellite phone,” Laura said, and she froze and looked toward the desk, where the phone sat and lit up while it rang.
Mary was closest, so she stepped over to the desk and grabbed the phone as we headed outside to use it. The satellite phone needed a clear line of sight to the satellite in order to work fully, but absent a cell network, it was our best option if the Bureau needed us immediately.
“Hello?” Mary answered timidly, but then her face relaxed. “Hey, Sammy, you scared us, what’s up?”
I watched as Mary’s expression changed to one of surprise, and she nodded along as Sammy spoke as if he could see.
“Oh, okay, I’ll tell them. Thanks, Sammy.” Mary hung up the phone and looked up at us, and her eyebrows were still high on her forehead. “Sooo, apparently Sloan Hawk used her passport last night, and she left Canada.”
“What?” Laura asked sharply, but Mary just shrugged.
“She took a four AM flight out of Toronto, headed to Los Angeles,” Mary said.
“Well,” I said as I dropped the rucksack I was packing on the ground, and it fell with a thud. “I guess I don’t need to pack for this trip anymore.”
“Nope, Sammy says we need to get back to Chicago ASAP, the Director doesn’t want us out here any longer than we need to be,” Mary informed us. “He says there’ll be a plane waiting for us at the same airport.”
“Ooookay, then,” I said as my head reeled at the sudden change of plan. Three minutes ago, I was mentally preparing myself to face the beautiful woman I’d betrayed just yesterday, but now I was suddenly packing up the car and heading for a plane to take me back to Chicago while that beautiful woman was on her way to a city on the other side of the country. It was a lot to take in. “Well, let’s not waste any time.”
So, we didn’t. The women and I packed up the small cabin quickly, and it didn’t take long considering the size of it. Soon, our bags were packed up, and it was time to load everything into the Mazda.
Then I slid in behind the driver’s seat, Mary took the front seat, and Laura and Elaine occupied the back seat.
Mary plugged the address for the private airport into her phone and stuck it in the holder so I could see it, and I navigated the large SUV through the narrow dirt roads until eventually we reached the civilization of paved roads. It was still early morning, so the roads were quiet, and the sky was calm. The women drifted in and out of light snoozes as we drove, and the trip took us almost three hours, including a couple stops at gas stations for bathroom breaks and Tim Hortons fixes.
We finally arrived at the small, private airport we’d flown into, and it was obvious which hangar we should go to, because there was only one that was open, and I recognized the FBI jet from the long driveway. I drove the Mazda to the hangar, where the same nondescript guy named Bill was waiting for us, and he gave us a friendly wave as I pulled the Mazda next to the hangar.
“Good morning, folks, you enjoy your visit?” Bill asked as I stepped out of the SUV and handed him the keys.
“It was eventful, for sure,” I chuckled.
“In a good way, I hope,” Bill replied.
“Me, too,” I said.
Bill helped us unload our bags and load them onto the plane, and then he gave a mysterious wave and disappeared from the plane. The pilot, co-pilot, and flight attendant greeted us warmly, as it was the same crew that flew us up to Toronto a few days ago, and over to NYC a few weeks ago, so we were like a well-oiled machine at this point, and we were seated and wheels up within five minutes.
“What a trip,” Laura sighed, and she looked out the window as the city of Toronto became smaller below us.
“Not what I was expecting,” I agreed.
“Oh, same,” Mary chimed in. “Like, I thought Comic Con was pretty cool, but then the shapeshifters and spirits and shit? Like, whoa, dude.”
“Mary,” Laura said with a warning tone in her voice as she peered over the seats, but the flight attendant was busy making us drinks, so no one was eavesdropping.
“Oh, shit, sorry.” Mary winced as she looked around the small private jet.
“It’s okay, the flight crew has NDAs, but I’d still rather not advertise our new, ah, findings,” the blonde agent said, and her voice was gentler.
“They were some pretty wild findings.” I nodded. “How much does the Director know so far?”
“Some,” Laura said. “Sammy was texting while we were driving, and we have to get in for a debrief when we land, so I’ll fill him in on the details then.”
The flight attendant appeared at our side with a tray of drinks. She didn’t even need to ask for our orders anymore, she just handed Laura a gimlet, a bottle of wheat beer for Elaine, a cosmopolitan for Mary, and an old fashioned for me.
“Here’s to another successful mission,” Mary said, and she raised her glass.
“Well…” Laura sighed.
“Mostly successful,” I added quickly, before Laura could get too down on herself for not bringing Sloan in. “Pretty damn successful considering what we were up against.”
“True, I suppose,” Laura said, but her voice was still tinged with sadness.
“Well, here’s to fun, international missions that leave us with crazy stories to tell,” Mary said as she raised her glass higher.
“I’ll drink to that.” Laura grinned.
We all clinked our glasses together and then sipped our drinks while we reached cruising altitude. It was a short plane ride across the border, and it wasn’t long until the pilot announced that we’d be landing soon. I had to admit, I was getting pretty used to flying in these nice private jets. Flying was a lot more enjoyable when I got to skip the security lines and didn’t have to wait around in the terminal for hours.
Once we landed in Chicago, my Lincoln was waiting for us, so we loaded it up and made the short trip back to the FBI Headquarters. I parked in the secure parking lot, and we lugged all of our FBI equipment out of the back of the Lincoln and into the building before we took the elevators down to the Clubhouse.
When the elevator doors pinged open on the basement level, Sammy was waiting for us.
“Welcome back to America,” the burly bearded tech agent said.
“Hi, Sammy!” Mary skipped forward enthusiastically, and she gave Sammy a big hug. “Did you miss us?”
“Not really,” Sammy deadpanned.
“Liar,” Mary said as she slapped him across his giant shoulder.
“Maybe a little.” Sammy grinned, and then he turned to the blonde agent. “The Director is waiting for you in his office.”
“Ugh, fun time,” Laura said, and she turned to me. “Can I have the ring half, so I can show the Director we at least came home with something?”
“Sure,” I said, and I reached into my pocket, where the ring half was tucked into a small drawstring pouch. Not the most secure storage for it, but I figured as long as I kept it on my person, it was safe. I handed the small pouch to the beautiful blonde, who nodded in appreciation. “We’ll just return the equipment and meet you back here in an hour or so? Then we can head home?”
“Sounds good, I could use a bath,” Laura said, and I could see how tired the blonde woman was.
“Let’s be fast, then,” I said, and since Sammy knew about our relationship, I gave Laura a quick kiss before she headed off down the corridor to meet with the Director.
The rest of us spent a few minutes sorting out the gear, and then Sammy and Mary took off with all of the tech gear to return it, while Elaine and I headed to the armory with the weapons.
It took us a while to check the weapons back in, because the agent in charge did a thorough check of each weapon. Elaine had fun geeking out with the agent again, and eventually we finished up and headed back to the Clubhouse to wait for the others. Mary and Sammy had ordered us Chinese food, and we sat around our favorite conference table while we ate and waited for Laura. We didn’t have to wait long, the beautiful blonde appeared at the door a few minutes later, and she joined in our mealtime after informing us that the Director was happy with our work and our next mission was to track down the second half of the ring. The blonde agent also handed me the ring half back, and I tucked it safely in my pocket.
