“Thank you,” I said, and I meant it. I briefed them on the situation. I told them everything. About Atlanna. About Kyrin. About Lilla. “You still in?” I asked.
One by one, they all agreed.
These men might never know how much their support meant to me. “Meet me at the northeast corner of
Michigan Avenue
. One hour.”
I slipped my phone into my back pocket and began strapping a recorder under my chest. This time, I was going to record Atlanna’s voice. When I finished, I turned to Kyrin. Determination stiffened my spine. “Let’s do this.”
CHAPTER 23
Twenty-five minutes later, I found myself crawling over hills, around trees, and along icy embankments. Kyrin had explained the layout of the house, so we knew to enter through the basement.
Ghost and Lilla snagged the rear of our little train. Kittie and Jaxon had the middle, just behind me, and we all stealthily followed Kyrin. Some of us moved a little more stealthily than others. Apparently, Lilla did not know the meaning of the word silence. Her knees found and snapped every twig within a mile radius. And she’d slipped on the ice too many times to count. I couldn’t believe this klutzy alien was the same one who’d once given me the slip.
When we topped the last hill, I gazed down at a beautifully landscaped garden that led to a circling wall and an equally beautiful home. Not a mansion like Kyrin’s, but close. As white as Ecstasy, with a peaked roof that dipped and rose like the waves of an ocean.
“She keeps the men in the basement,” Kyrin whispered to me.
“Excellent,” I replied just as quietly. “Ghost and I will check for survivors. If we find any, we’ll bring them here. Jaxon, you look for children, or any hint of children. All of you, grab any files—hell, any papers you see. Kyrin, stay here.”
Kyrin’s eyes narrowed. “You are not going inside that house without me.”
“You’re not trained for this type of mission, and I need someone out here, acting as guard. You can project your voice into my head and tell me if anyone else arrives.”
“I go in.”
“I’m not trained either. I do not mind waiting,” Lilla offered.
I shot her a glance. “We may need your mind control.”
She sighed. “This seemed fun in theory, but now that we are here…”
“Hey, babe, don’t worry. I’ll cover you,” Ghost said, a lusty edge to his words.
She smiled over at him, even ran her nails over his arm. “I like the thought of your body covering mine. You are so dark.”
I leveled Ghost a warning glare. “Concentrate, people. Screw later.”
Sheepish, he shrugged.
“I go in,” Kyrin repeated.
“All right. Everyone goes,” I said. “Just stay quiet.” I directed the last to Lilla.
This time, Ghost and I led the way. Several armed men, all human, patrolled the outside wall. Lilla distracted their minds, and we were able to stride directly in front of them. They never saw us.
Remaining alert, we led our ragtag group inside the home’s basement door, which Ghost expertly opened for us. Three female Arcadians were sauntering down a nearby hallway. Mind control wasn’t what we needed here. I wanted these aliens incapacitated.
“Stun,” I mouthed to my men. They might be pregnant, so I didn’t want them killed. Each man nodded in turn. We set our pyre-guns to stun and fired on my count of three. The room lit for a split second, then one by one the women froze in place, their minds and bodies on hold.
Before any of us could blink, a fourth woman burst from the shadows, surprising us. Her expression wild, she stabbed Ghost in the thigh with a retractable knife. He groaned, the sound blending with the woman’s screech as she raced away. I bolted after her and tackled her, knocking her to the plush carpet. The moment our bodies hit, she fought like a caged tigress. She scratched, bit, kicked, and clawed. I landed a solid punch to her chin, knocking her witless for a few seconds. Those seconds were all that I needed. I steadied my gun and fired. As the stunned woman lay motionless, I pushed to my feet.
Jaxon, Ghost, and Kittie all watched me expectantly. Lilla appeared distraught, as if I might attack her next, and Kyrin was shaking his head in exasperation.
“Can you not go one day without using your fists?” he asked.
I ignored him. “Playtime is over, kiddies. Follow me.”
We worked our way through without further incident. Ghost dragged at the rear. There were several rooms, but only one was occupied. A lone man reclined upon a soft, decadent bed. Fat silk pillows of every color enveloped him. Wispy lace hung from the ceiling, cascading around X-rated portraits of couples having sex. The man was completely na**d and reading a magazine. Erotic Encounters. His long, muscular legs consumed every inch of space, and his dark hair and dark eyes glowed with boredom. I didn’t recognize him from the missing persons portfolio.
When he spotted me, he set his magazine aside with a sigh. “How do you want it?” he asked. Resignation dripped from his voice.
“Ssshhh,” I hissed, scanning the room to make sure we were alone. Once I was satisfied that no other ears were listening, I crossed the room and positioned myself at the foot of the bed. “What’s your name?”
“Terrence Ford.”
“Are you here willingly?” Jaxon asked.
“No,” Ford said. He kept his gaze directed at me. “Do you want to be on top?”
Behind me, Kittie chuckled. “Yeah, Mia. Do you want on top?”
“I’m here to save you,” I told the victim. “Not screw you. Idiot,” I muttered under my breath. “See this man here?” I motioned to Ghost. “He’s going to take you to safety.”
Ford stood so quickly, the sheet atop the bed whipped to the floor. His knees were wobbly, and he would have tumbled to the ground if Jaxon hadn’t grabbed him by the forearm.
“Steady,” Jaxon said.
I draped the comforter around the man’s nakedness.
“Thank you,” he gushed. “Thank you so much.”
Ghost helped the poor, practically-screwed-to-death man from the chamber. I noticed Ghost was limping, and with every step the limp worsened. In fact, a trail of blood now followed him.
“Guard Ford, and wait in the car,” I told him.
Ghost didn’t argue. He nodded, for the first time looking like his name.
I turned to Kyrin. “All right. I’m ready to face Atlanna.” Ready to face my mother.