Saint’s Passage: Elemental Covenant Book One Page 18

  “See?” Wash said. “I told you. Danny’s friends love shit like this.”

  “I don’t get the alien fascination.”

  Wash shrugged. “You see some weird shit out here in the desert, Ms. Connor.”

  “Apparently. So what’s your bet? Will they all stay when the boom goes up?” she muttered. “The men at the gate aren’t paying much attention to them so far.”

  “They’re moving the kids out tomorrow morning, right? They probably think they can just ride this out.”

  Brigid pulled her reinforced phone from her pocket. “Seven more minutes.”

  Car after car lined up along the road that led to Miller’s Range. Wash lifted his binoculars. “Holy hell, I think I see a news van.”

  Brigid couldn’t decide if that was good or bad. She definitely didn’t want to run into any news people herself, but would that cause the administration of the base to show more restraint or try to make a bigger statement?

  “Two minutes,” Wash said, watching his phone. “I’m texting Daniel.”

  “Do it.”

  Daniel was in the middle of the protesters who’d begun marching at the gate. Some appeared to be forming a human chain to block the entrance and the exit.

  “No, no, no.” Brigid tugged on Wash’s arm. “Tell Daniel to get them away from the gates. If they block the front gates, the guards may start looking at alternate routes out, which will draw their attention to the back of the range and the area where Carwyn will be taking the children.”

  “I mean, I’ll tell him.” Wash had the phone up to his ear. “But I know how these things go sometimes. They kind of take on a life of their own.” He waited, then spoke into the phone. “Danny?”

  Brigid stared at the growing chaos at the guardhouse. The armed men hadn’t originally looked worried, but the fear was growing.

  “Yeah, man, you’ve gotta get them away from the exit. If the front gets blocked, they might start looking back where we gotta get the kids—”

  Kaboom!

  Wash’s voice was drowned out by the first explosion of dynamite. Protesters screamed and some ran toward their cars as others yelled at their compatriots to hold their positions. The explosion got the immediate attention of the contractors. She saw movement past the gate and searchlights trained on the empty field across the road where more IEDs were hidden.

  Brigid tapped Wash’s arm. “Stay here. Make sure no one comes close to the barrels. I’m going in.”

  She had to make sure that as the gates were blocked, the attention in the compound stayed in the front. No matter what happened, they could not start looking toward the back of the range. If they did, the entire operation would be blown.

  * * *

  The first explosion was their signal to emerge from the tunnel, and Carwyn was ready.

  “Follow me.” As they exited the tunnel and jogged toward the dormitories at the back of the compound, he saw searchlights begin to sweep across the perimeter. Since they were well inside the fence line, he wasn’t worried about being seen, but it did heighten the tension in the group.

  “Focus,” he said. “They’re not going to be paying attention to us if we stay away from the fence.”

  “How much longer?” Lupe was huffing a little. “Do you see them?”

  Carwyn saw the lights in the distance and knew their target was getting nearer. “When we get within sight of it, you hang back. I’ll take care of the guards and get their keys.”

  “What if they don’t have keys?” Lupe asked. “What if someone else keeps them?”

  “Then I’ll knock the doors down,” he said. “Trust me—it won’t be the first time.”

  Oso nodded. “I can believe that.”

  They made their way across the junk-strewn landscape, winding through the carcasses of old Jeeps and broken-down trucks. Carwyn paused at the edge of the junkyard, spotting a Jeep with a bright orange X on the side, which was within clear sight of the block that housed the children. They were deep in the shadows of a truck skeleton, so he crouched behind the Jeep, turned, and faced his small troop.

  Didi was puffing but determined. Ronnie and Crystal were a little red in the face but steady. Lupe had the energy of a seventeen-year-old, and Oso was breathing hard. Given a few minutes, he could tell they’d all be fine. Adrenaline was a wondrous drug.

  “Here’s how it’s going to go,” he started. “I’ll break or open the doors. Then you go in your teams. Ronnie and Oso, Crystal and Didi, Lupe and me. According to Brigid, there were twelve rooms total. That’s four rooms for each team. I’m going to break and go. Break and go. We don’t have time for anything else.”

  All of them nodded.

  “Get the older kids to help the younger,” he continued, “and tell them to hurry. As soon as you have everyone, meet back here.” He patted the bright orange X on the Jeep. “This is the meeting spot. We all come back here.”

  Everyone nodded again.

  He motioned for all of them to stay down, then looked across the field between the junkyard and the dormitory.

  Brigid’s distraction was working. As far as Carwyn could see, there were only two men with rifles patrolling the building, and both of them had their eyes trained toward the front of the compound.

  “Stay here,” he whispered to Oso. “Wait for my signal.”

  Carwyn moved swiftly through the darkness, eating up the last few yards of ground that were lit by security lights. He was a silent predator, as most vampires were, and by the time he’d reached the first guard, the man barely had time to turn before Carwyn was on him.

  “Who—?”

  A swift blow to the head knocked the guard to the ground. Carwyn picked up his rifle, took the ammunition, and twisted the barrel of the weapon into a useless piece of scrap. Then he dragged the unconscious body of the guard toward the dark perimeter and stuffed him behind some bushes.

  He paused at the corner of the building, waiting to let his ears take in the surroundings, and heard nothing but the ongoing hubbub at the front gate. He didn’t hear guards rushing from the front or vehicles revving their engines.

  But dammit, he’d forgotten to listen behind. Carwyn froze seconds before he felt the barrel of a gun tapping his shoulder. He slowly turned.

  “Oh.” He grinned at the surprisingly large human. “What’s that?”

  The man’s face seemed set in a permanent scowl. “What’s what? And who are you?”

  Carwyn plastered a confused look on his face. “They didn’t tell you I’d be coming by?”

  “Who?” The scowl didn’t change a bit.

  Carwyn put both his fists on his hips and tried to look affronted. “I tell you, it’s absolutely rude the way they act like what I do isn’t important. I know that cable companies don’t have the best reputation for showing up on time, but you’d think—”

  “Did you say the cable company?” The scowl turned to confusion.

  “Aye, the office got a call that the Wi-Fi was out, and I was in the area doing some repairs, so” —as the barrel of the guard’s rifle drooped, Carwyn grabbed it, yanked it from the man’s hands, and flipped it to bash the guard’s forehead— “I thought I’d drop by.”

  The man’s eyes crossed and bright red blood bloomed between his eyebrows. He blinked rapidly before he tumbled to the ground.

  Carwyn twisted the rifle into a useless piece of metal and tossed it into the darkness. Then he dragged the second guard toward the dark perimeter, hoping that rifle butt had done its job. He reached down and felt around the man’s waist, but just like with the first guard, he couldn’t feel any keys.

  “Damn.” He heard a second explosion go off in the distance, put his fingers to his lips, and let out a short, sharp whistle.

  Oso, Lupe, and the rest of the gang ran from the darkness and toward the dorms.

  “No keys,” Carwyn whispered. “Guards are out and their guns are useless. I’m going to start breaking doors.”

  Everyone nodded and followed Carwyn to the
first door on the bottom floor. Once he got there, he knew why there were no keys. “Combination keypads.”

  Oso looked at them but shook his head. “I have an electronic key for those things, but I didn’t bring it.”

  “Here’s where sheer size is a bonus.” Carwyn put his shoulder to the door, backed up, and tried to make it look difficult when he broke the door down. “Lupe?”

  The girl shoved past the broken pieces of door and entered the room. “Hola?”

  Two elementary-school-aged children were huddled in the back corner.

  Lupe crouched down and held out her arms. “Come with us,” she said in Spanish. “We’re going to get you out and find your parents.”

  The older boy’s eyes darted from Carwyn’s massive frame to Lupe’s open arms.

  “Come on,” Lupe said. “I promise he’s a friend.”

  Carwyn smiled and held out his hand. The little girl huddled with the boy jumped up and merrily ran to Carwyn.

  “Kika!” the boy yelled.

  “Come.” Oso stepped through the door and spoke to the boy. “We don’t have time. Do you want the soldiers to find us?”

  The boy, seemingly convinced, ran to his bed and grabbed a pillowcase from under it, then ran to the door where Oso and Ronnie were standing.

  “One down.” Carwyn hoisted the little girl into one arm. “Eleven to go.”

  * * *

  The third charge went off just as Brigid made her way through the crowd and up to the gate. The shouting mass of protesters had only grown since the first explosion occurred. There were two news vans now, and another vehicle with glaring lights seemed to be making its way down the crowded road that led to Miller’s Range.

  Brigid heard sirens in the distance and wondered who had called the sheriff’s office. It had to be one of the protesters or one of the media.

  She had been banking on an opening somewhere along the gate, but so far she’d been disappointed. She wanted in. She needed in. The protest was growing and, as Wash had predicted, was taking on a life of its own. She needed to be able to read the mood of the men inside the gates.

  She’d deliberately dressed in clothes similar to the contractors’ with a black bulletproof vest and an added neck guard she hoped no one noticed. As she crept along the gate and back into the shadows, she noticed all the personnel at the gate were focused on the protesters and the media. Many were speaking into radios, and most were looking frantically over their shoulders, clearly expecting backup.

  Excellent. They had them exactly where they wanted them.

  The fourth explosion rocked the air, even closer than the previous three. Screams went up from the crowd of protesters, guards shouted, and in the chaos, Brigid scrambled up and over the fence, vaulting herself over the coil of concertina wire at the top and landing softly inside the gates at Miller’s Range.

  She was in.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  By the sixth dorm room, Carwyn was fairly certain they had most of the smallest children. There were two so small that they had to be carried by Lupe and Ronnie. Both were whimpering, though it hadn’t turned into an all-out cryfest.

  Yet.

  He kept going with the doors. Seventh door was Ronnie and Oso. He saw two teen girls staring at them with wide eyes.

  Eighth door belonged to Didi and Crystal. A teenage girl and a preteen boy followed them eagerly.

  Ninth door was his and Lupe’s. He busted down the door to see two teen girls, both of whom were crouched in defensive positions. One held a makeshift knife made from a piece of scrap metal, and the other had ripped a lamp from the wall and was brandishing it.

  “We’re friends.” Carwyn shifted the little girl in his arms and held up a hand. “We’re here to get you out.”

  Lupe held out her free hand. “Come with us,” she said in Spanish. “The men holding you are going to sell you.”

  “We know,” the girl with the knife replied in English. “How do we know you’re not the same?”

  Lupe looked with wide eyes between Carwyn and the baby in her arms. “We’re not. I mean… Why would we—?”

  “Fine.” The girl with the knife wrapped it in a scrap of cloth and stuffed it in a pocket. “If you’re the same, at least you’re stupider.” She barked something at the other girl in Spanish. “Come on.”

  The two girls followed Carwyn and Lupe out of the building. The girl with the knife walked ahead and guided them. “There’s no one in this room. The girl was crying constantly and then nothing. I think they got rid of her.”

  Carwyn and Lupe exchanged a worried look.

  “When?” Lupe asked.

  “A couple of weeks ago.”

  Lupe nodded and looked at Carwyn. “It might have been the girl in LA,” she whispered. “She said she ran away when they were moving her. That’s all I know.”

  “I need to open it,” Carwyn said. “To be sure.”

  The girl who’d held the knife shrugged but took the little girl who’d been in Carwyn’s arms. He broke down the door and saw what looked like the remains of an occupied room, but no one was inside.

  “Told you,” the girl said. “They probably killed her. She was stupid. The next door has two boys. They’re like ten or something.”

  Carwyn took out that door too and then motioned for Ronnie and Oso to go inside. The tough girl continued with her guided tour. She was more than a little talkative, but something about it told Carwyn she was working off nervous energy. There was a bite to her voice, though that was more than understandable considering the circumstances.

  “Are you guys the ones making all the noise at the front? I was wondering what was going on.” She led them around the corner to the last two rooms on the south side of the dorms. “Two more girls like us here, then one in the next room unless she’s gone too.”

  “Your English is really good,” Lupe said. “Did you learn in school?”

  “I mean, I guess so, but I’m from El Centro, so I kind of grew up speaking English.” She shot Lupe a derisive look. “You think they only take migrants here? They take anyone. I made a mistake and trusted the wrong person. That’s the only reason I’m here.”

  “We’ll get you home,” Carwyn said. “We have people working—”

  “I’m not going home,” the girl said. “Forget that.” She pointed at the door. “Here.”

  Carwyn broke down the door and motioned for Crystal and Didi to go inside. “One more?”

  “Yeah, just the one. Then where are we gonna—?”

  “Stop!”

  Carwyn froze, trying to determine where the voice was coming from. He’d been so distracted by the girl he’d failed to see the man in the black BDUs come from the shadows in the direction of the mess hall.

  He was pointing a gun at them. “Stop where you are.” The man fumbled for the radio on his shoulder.

  Carwyn looked at Lupe, who was already moving behind him with the baby in her arms.

  Good girl.

  “You!”

  Carwyn saw the girl who’d been leading them strike from the corner of his eye. The child she’d been holding was gone, but the knife was back. She rushed at the guard, plunging the weapon into the man’s belly and yanking the radio from his hand.

  * * *

  Brigid walked casually along the edge of the shadows, trying to mimic the stance of the soldiers in the compound. She hadn’t seen any women so far, but her short hair and confident walk seemed to skate under the radar of the men she passed, who were all focused on the growing commotion at the gate. The media vans were filming, and most of the squawk on the radios and the muffled arguments she heard seemed to be focused on them.

  “—get them away from the gate. If they see any identifying—”

  “Are we supposed to open the gates? I thought O’Neill said someone in the sheriff’s office—”

  “—fucking sheriff’s office is useless. Try our contact at border—”

  “Local police going to be a problem?”


  “—four trucks showing up in the morning to deal with the cargo, and we can’t have—”

  “—we’re going to have to look at other options.”

  “O’Neill’s not going to like that.”

  “Too bad.”

  Their goal had been to cause a distraction to allow the kids to escape, and they appeared to have accomplished that. Now, however, their distraction had become a liability. There were only two roads out of the compound, the one in good repair at the front gate and the broken one that cut directly across the path Carwyn and the children would have to take to reach the tunnel opening.

  Cargo.

  What were they referring to? Was it the people only or was there something else these mercenaries were trading? Brigid found it hard to believe they’d need four trucks to deal with twenty-some children and teens, so she had a suspicion that something else was going on. Drugs? Weapons? It could be anything.

  Brigid kept to the dark edge of the walkway and kept her head down as she marched deeper into the heart of the compound. Since her first survey, she’d noted the large warehouse where the SUVs were parked outside in a neat line. It was in front of both the mess hall and the dormitories, directly behind the main clerical office and a decent distance from the gates. It was the heart of the compound, now that she thought about it. The most security surrounding it. The most personnel. Whatever they were guarding, it was going to be there. The kids had always been secondary.

  “Hey!”

  Brigid knew someone had spotted her. She kept walking.

  “Hey you!”

  She pretended not to know they were talking to her. She walked faster but didn’t run until she got to the line of dark SUVs behind the office. Once she spotted a viable shadow, she ducked into it, sped away at vampire speed, and left her follower behind.

  “What the hell?”

  “Who was that?”

  She could hear them from her perch in a cottonwood tree between the front office and the old garage.