Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

A buzzing sound woke Lyra, and she felt her Daddy roll away from her. Instantly awake, she rolled onto her side to ask, "What is it?"

"They've responded to our answers. I need to tell the team. They're moving up the timeline."

"What does that mean?" she asked as he rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants from a drawer.

"I don't know, Lyra. I'll be back, and we'll shower."

His phone rang as he walked out of the bedroom. She heard him answer, "Magnus. What's up?"

Scrambling out of bed, Lyra looked around the room for her nightgown and spotted it. She grabbed it and pulled it over her head before following him. She had to know what was happening.

Peeking her head out the door, she saw all the men gathered in the central space. The sight of her Little friends also trying to figure out what was going on made her smile. Lyra pulled her focus back to the Daddies. Unable to hear what they said, she walked quietly up behind them to listen.

"The computer picked up that a car made a number of trips past it?" Caesar said in disbelief. "What can you do with that computer?"

"Just about anything I want," Magnus said bluntly. "They didn't stop or drop off anything. The people in the car just seem to be checking for something."

"Like what?" Kestrel asked.

"I have no idea. Maybe they're looking at our security?" Magnus suggested. "When I get to my computer, I can blow up the images to see the driver and passenger inside more clearly."

"What are we going to do about the earlier time?" Rocco asked.

"We're going to have to speed up our timeline. If they're meeting us at a petrol station at nine, they're already breaking down their current location. We can't hit them there now," Phoenix pointed out.

"We'll have to take care of everything at the meeting site," Caesar said.

"It's going to cause more problems here. We're going to have to cancel more people from their activities," Kestrel said. "I can go up now, but this early, they'll know a helicopter isn't conducting sightseeing tours."

"Sadie will make it up to the customers," Rocco assured them. "We may be stacked for the next few days, but we'll survive. If we're lucky, the bad guys are too busy erasing their presence to notice you up in the sky."

"Do you think Boyd's gone?" Magnus questioned.

Lyra gasped at his bluntness, and the men turned to see her. "Do you think Boyd is dead?" she asked.

"That possibility is improbable, Lyra," Phoenix said, his gaze locking with hers. "They still need him as a link to you."

"It's more likely that whoever these diamonds are supposed to end up with has become more aggressive about getting them. Gem smugglers are not usually known for their patience."

Lyra stared at Hawking as he shared that last thought before nodding. "I shouldn't care that the jerk who endangered me over and over could be dead."

A slender arm wrapped around her waist, and Lyra looked over to see Zara hugging her. Lyra smiled her thanks at the sweet woman.

"He was in your life for a long time, Crash. It makes total sense that you're concerned about him. Magnus just asked a question that was on everyone's mind. They'll want to get money from him at the very least. They'll keep him alive until they drain his accounts dry," Phoenix assured her.

Kestrel blew out a deep breath. "I'm going to throw clothes on and go scout from the highest altitude possible. Could someone make sure the phone is still at the same location?"

"I'll head downstairs and check while you dress," Magnus said.

Kestrel nodded and turned to wave Zara to his side. "Come on, Little girl. Magnus, will you make sure everyone gets breakfast?"

"I'll make sure the Littles eat," he answered. "Go get dressed everyone. Any requests for breakfast?"

"Waffles?" Celeste suggested.

"Mmm! Good choice. I love waffles," Zara called over her shoulder as Kestrel ushered her through the door into their apartment.

"I like waffles," Juniper agreed.

"Lyra? Sadie?" Magnus asked.

"Waffles are awesome," Sadie agreed.

"Lyra?" Phoenix asked, rubbing her back.

"I don't think I can eat," she confessed.

"You need energy in your body. Do you normally like waffles?" Phoenix probed.

"Yes."

"Waffles are great, Magnus. Thanks," Phoenix told his teammate.

Caesar nodded and disappeared to get dressed as well.

"Come on, Crash. Let's get dressed. Is it itching?" he asked, watching her scratch underneath her chin.

"It doesn't usually," Lyra assured him as he allowed her to enter their apartment first.

"Oh, I see what's wrong," he commented as he followed her inside. "You pulled your nightie on backward and inside out. The lace is itching you."

"Oh, no. Do you think anyone noticed? They'd know I didn't sleep in it this way," Lyra said as she double-checked what he noted.

"No one noticed, and if they did, they'd assume that your silly Daddy put it on the wrong way last night," Phoenix assured her.

"I don't want them to think you're a bad Daddy."

"Hopefully, they won't leap to that conclusion due to one nightgown mishap," Phoenix assured her with a smile.

After a record-fast shower for the two of them, Phoenix asked, "What would you like to wear today?"

"Leggings and my happy shirt."

"You got it."

In just a few minutes, Phoenix had helped Lyra dress, and he'd brushed her hair while she took her birth control tablet. When she was ready, he drew her in for a kiss.

"Be careful, Daddy," she urged.

"I will. The team will take care of me. You be safe. Don't go outside—and stay away from the windows," he warned.

Shuddering at the thought that someone might target her inside Danger Bluff, Lyra promised, "I'll be super wary."

"That's my good girl. Head on out to the gathering area. I can hear the other Littles."

"Bye, Daddy."

Lyra had almost reached the door of the apartment when she whirled and raced back to look for her phone. It was missing from the charger. "Daddy, can I have my phone?"

"No, Crash. I need it in case the bad guys contact you. If I have any news, I'll pass it along to Magnus, who'll relay it. Why don't you take Harry with you to breakfast?"

"Okay."

Lyra dragged her feet as she walked to the bedside. She felt so completely powerless to help the situation. This didn't feel right. Clutching the stuffie to her chest, she stopped near Phoenix and said, "I have to say something. This is my life. I feel like I've been completely shut out. I know you all are keeping me safe, but I don't like not having any input into the decisions being made."

Phoenix lifted her to sit on the dresser, putting their eyes at about the same level. "I'm sorry, Lyra. That's not a good feeling. I'm just trying to keep you safe. What would you like to know?"

"I want to go with you," Lyra said.

"That's not possible, Little girl. They're expecting your representative."

"Fine. I won't go, but I'm going to sit with Magnus and listen to everything that goes on. You're going to let me do this, Daddy," she said firmly.

"Okay, Crash. I'll have Magnus get you an earpiece so you can listen in. I'm not going to give you a mic because you'll distract me, and that could be fatal," Phoenix told her bluntly. "You can talk to Magnus, and he'll relay anything he thinks is essential. There can't be a lot of chatter to distract everyone."

"Are you taking the diamonds?"

"Yes, but we don't plan to surrender them."

"I'm scared."

"I need you to think positive thoughts. We don't want the universe to even blink," Phoenix said with a smile.

She turned and walked to the door. Lyra still wasn't happy with not going, but she understood why. The small pieces of the plan Phoenix had changed for her made her feel less excluded.

Nine o'clock rolled around quickly. Kestrel's report from the air had come in earlier. There was no sign of activity at the location where Boyd's phone had pinged yesterday. Now, the phone appeared to be off, as no tracking information was available.

"You need to be perfectly quiet. If you can't, you'll need to leave this room and go back upstairs," Magnus stated firmly.

"I'll be so quiet you won't know I'm here," she promised.

The other Littles had been sent away. Sadie was working at the front desk as usual, rescheduling boat tours with Hawking, rock climbing with Rocco, and helicopter flights with Kestrel. She didn't envy Sadie's job at all today. Zara and Celeste were in the lab, working on their experiments now. There hadn't been enough time to check every diamond for serial numbers, but the few they'd examined were blank. It did not surprise anyone that they were untraceable. Juniper had decided to wander around the grounds with her camera. Lyra missed all of them.

Sitting in Zara's office chair, Lyra stayed out of Magnus' way as she watched the feed from Phoenix's body cam as he stepped out of the car. A black sedan already sat in the back section of the parking lot. The petrol station was out of business, leaving it deserted except for the two vehicles.

"I'm in position," Hawking said softly.

"I'm in position," Caesar chimed in. "I can see into the car. There are two Asian men in the front seat and one man slumped in the back."

"Japanese?" Lyra guessed quickly and fell quiet at Magnus's signal.

"Phoenix. There is also one man on top of the building," Kestrel said. "He has a weapon pointed at you. Stay in front of the car."

Lyra's heart sped up as she watched Magnus switch on the feed from Kestrel's helicopter far above. It was grainy, but it was easy to see the black-clad figure stretched out on top of the gas station, holding something in front of him.

A click sounded, and Lyra looked wildly around, trying to figure out what it was. Magnus covered his mic and explained. "One click is yes. Two is no."

She could feel her pulse settle slightly. On Caesar's body cam feed, she watched Phoenix lean against the car, looking casual. She scooted forward—glad she wasn't there but wanting to help Phoenix.

He shouldn't be there alone.

Magnus waved to get her attention and pointed at the array of camera feeds. It was as if he could read her mind. Lyra realized Phoenix was in the line of fire, but everyone was there to keep him safe. Magnus typed furiously on the keyboard. Lyra didn't even try to understand what he was doing. A screen was labeled with Caesar's name, another with Kestrel's, and then Phoenix's.

Where is Hawking? Is his camera down?

The driver's door opened on the other car, pushing that thought from her mind. A slender man stepped out, capturing her attention. She swallowed hard when he asked, "You have brought the diamonds?"

"Yes. I have them in a safe location. Send Boyd over to get in my vehicle," Phoenix said in a deep, even tone.

"You can have him. He's already provided us with the name of the musician who smuggles the diamonds. We do not need him anymore."

He walked to the back door, opened it, and dragged Boyd out of the interior. The battered man tumbled onto the pavement and slumped there.

The man pulled back his booted foot to kick Boyd, but Phoenix said, "You've left enough marks on him. Leave Boyd with enough strength to reach my car so I can deal with him."

The Japanese man laughed. "You'll want to leave your mark on him when you hear all the information he was willing to share to save his life." He rattled off a series of numbers, and Lyra gasped.

"That's my social security number," she whispered furiously to Magnus and watched him nod that he understood.

"Boyd, get in the car," Phoenix said to him, opening the rear door. His tone was low and menacing.

Lyra watched Boyd drag himself to his feet. Her ex-manager staggered to the car and fell through the open door, dragging his feet inside. Phoenix shut the door with a firm click, closing him inside.

"Now, the diamonds," the other man demanded.

"You have all this information about Lyra. What do you plan to do with that?" Phoenix asked in a casual, conversational tone.

"We plan to bypass that useless trash," he nodded at the slumped view of Boyd inside the car, "and use her travel schedule to our advantage."

"Ms. Bloom was unaware that she was being used to transport gemstones and will not be willing to do so in the future," Phoenix shared.

"That's too bad. I'm sure she will change her mind with sufficient motivation."

"I don't believe she will."

"Then we will attack all her bank accounts and publicly release sensitive information as well as candid photos that we found on Mr. Zhivers' phone," the Japanese man told him.

"That might convince her," Phoenix agreed pleasantly without visibly reacting to this blackmail. "I will need to talk to her first to see what her decision is."

Caesar's body camera shook slightly, and Lyra knew he was shifting around. She glanced at the feed from Kestrel's view above, but that screen had gone blank. Oh, no. He's moved away. Refocusing on Caesar's feed, she found the picture had settled. The smuggler walked forward a few steps, and her gaze flew back to her Daddy's perspective. Lyra watched the man's response through that display.

"Talk all you want, but I must have the diamonds now." The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun that looked strange to Lyra's eyes. It was white and seemed to be made from plastic.

"You were able to smuggle a 3D-printed gun through customs, but you can't move your own diamonds?" Phoenix questioned easily.

"My actions are not of consequence to you," the man answered, biting off his words.

"Oh, I get it. You don't plan to smuggle them into Japan yourself. I bet you're on the official watch list there."

The Japanese man's hand shook as if Phoenix had struck a nerve.

Lyra leaned forward, chanting in her head, Get out of there, Daddy. Get out of there, Daddy.

Phoenix continued, "I could be of assistance. Ms. Bloom isn't interested in continuing to smuggle diamonds, but I'm always looking for opportunities. How much would you pay me to visit your lovely country?"

"Continuing to live would be your pay," the man snapped.

"Oh, that wouldn't keep me from passing the guard a note that I was being coerced to bring in contraband," Phoenix said smoothly. "I would think ten thousand and all expenses paid would suffice."

"You're delusional. I'm not going to pay you that much."

Magnus covered his microphone as he turned to look triumphantly at Lyra. "He's good. He's got the man negotiating."

"Then, regale me with your best offer," Phoenix suggested.

"I let you live and pay your ticket and minimal expenses. You get the diamonds into the country, and I'll give you money after the second trip you make for me."

Shaking his head, Phoenix declined, "That doesn't work for me. Well, it was worth a try." He shifted to stand straight, and the man extended the gun toward him.

"Go ahead and shoot. That gun's good for one shot, and that's iffy. It's probably going to explode in your hand. I'm sure you don't need those fingers. You're left-handed, right?"

"That is not the only threat you face," the villain threatened.

"Oh, you mean the man on the roof? He's been disarmed for about two minutes now."

As if on cue, gusts of air blew up dust, leaves, and small bits of debris from the pavement around them. Both men shielded their eyes. Lyra jumped to her feet as the picture blurred out. Clapping her hand over her mouth to keep from making noise, she tried to figure out what was happening as she hovered behind Magnus's chair.

He reached back with his left hand and threaded his fingers with her free hand as he flipped controls with his right. The squeeze of his hand reassured Lyra that everything would be okay. He wasn't panicking. Magnus and the guys had it under control.

As she watched, the stuff flying around settled back to the ground. The monitor now showed the two men from the car stretched out on the ground with their wrists fastened. The one who had been talking to Phoenix suddenly jackknifed his body off the pavement and pushed up to stand. Lyra opened her mouth to alert them but felt a gentle squeeze on her hand a second before a foot whisked out to scoop the fleeing man's polished loafers out from under him. The man crashed back to the parking lot, and Hawking knelt by him, appearing for the first time on camera as the large man fastened the gymnastic bad guy's legs with his shiny leather belt.

Hawking looked into the camera and winked. "It's okay, Lyra. We have this handled."

"Is Daddy okay?" she asked, leaning close to Magnus so her voice would carry to the team.

"I'm fine, Crash. We're going to deal with these bozos, and then we'll be back. It will probably take several hours. Don't start dinner without us," Phoenix said from somewhere off-screen.

Magnus cut off the video feeds and turned to Lyra. He squeezed her hand one more time before releasing it. "You did good, Little girl."

"How did you know I was going to talk?" she asked.

"You squeaked. Quietly."

"What are they going to do now?" she asked, sure that he was making that up but willing to let it pass without further comment.

"There's a plan. Your Daddy will explain later. Want to go practice your cello while you wait?"

"I can go up there alone?" she asked.

"Yes. The threat is contained. You're safe for at least now. We'll see what the guys report when they get back."

"Should I tell the other Littles everything is okay?" she asked, knowing she would want to be informed if she were them.

"I've already messaged them. Magnus pointed to two screens. Sadie waved with a big smile, and the two scientists high-fived in the lab. Juniper danced around under a large tree, obviously celebrating.

Lyra nodded at Magnus and whispered, "Thanks for letting me be here with you."

"Anytime, Little girl."