Chapter 38

Seb swore softly under his breath as Drake searched for a parking spot near Kyle's condo. They'd missed him. Underachiever, lazy, and relying on Butler's reputation to further his own, Kyle hadn't fit the profile.

"Don't beat yourself up," Drake told him, as he searched for a parking space between the cars lining both sides of the street near Kyle's condo. "We all missed it. Nothing pointed to Overlin having the smarts to pull off something like this."

"The pieces fit together nicely." Seb rolled his neck to release the tightness that had set in. "Overlin gave Antoine the algae created during Butler's trial that produced the poisoned algae. The formula intended to kill the algae was his own. We were right about one thing." Seb grunted. "Overlin wasn't smart enough to pull it off. The error proves that. It's his field. He should have been able to spot it."

"I think I found his motive for getting involved with Antoine," Vala said from the backseat where she sat with Finlay, still typing away. Emery was exhausted and didn't want to be in the way if it became a gunfight. She'd gone back to bed. "If the chatter is right, it seems Overlin is in debt to a well-known loan shark who frowns on late payments."

She gave a low whistle, and Finlay leaned over to look at the screen.

"That's a lot of zeros," Finlay said and asked, "Who's Bud?"

"A guy I'm going to owe a favor to if… no, I owe a favor to because he just sent me a copy of Overlin's loans and the places he likes to play the horses."

Drake pulled the SUV to into a space along the curb across the street from Kyle's condo. Finlay had told Seb she figured one of Drake's superpowers was finding a parking space when all hope of not having to hoof it six blocks was lost.

Vala stayed in the vehicle and the three of them stepped out of the SUV. Drake hitched a thumb toward the trunk as it popped open. Seb followed him.

Drake tossed him an armored vest and gloves. Seb noticed the boy, about eight-years-old, beside the SUV as he pulled on the gloves. The kid's eyes were fixed on Overlin's condo building. Something had captured his attention. Seb followed his gaze.

"Shit," Seb said and thumped Drake's arm to grab his attention. He pointed to the building's wall. "It's Alexis."

Halfway between the sixth and seventh floor, she was making her way up the side of the building. Seb watched as she reached out with one hand and placed it at the top of a decorative brick, checking her hold before shifting her weight.

"Did you bring rope?" Seb asked as Alexis lifted a bare foot and wedged it into the space between two bricks.

It looked like it wasn't her first climb. Seb would have never known it was the first time she'd held a gun when she'd plucked the Beretta out of the crate in Leo's makeshift armory. Her climbing skills could have also come from an article or book she'd read.

Free solo climbing was not for amateurs. Knowing there wasn't a harness to stop their fall exhilarated some, but added tension for others. Seb knew Alexis would fall into the latter category. They needed to get her off the wall.

"I'll never whine again about that stupid black duffle showing up wherever we go," Finlay said, as Drake pulled out a length of rope and a grappling hook.

Seb glanced briefly at Drake.

"Paris was a cautionary tale," his friend said and shrugged before he ran across the street, dodging morning traffic. Horns followed his progress.

Seb closed the trunk as Finlay reached out and dug her nails into his arm with one hand and pointed to the balcony below Alexis with the other. A man had stepped onto the balcony and was looking up at Alexis scaling the building.

Unless Antoine had changed from his suit into something more casual, it had to be Overlin. He moved to the wall Alexis was climbing and reached for her foot. She was just out of reach.

Overlin took off his shoes, preparing to go after her. Taller than Seb, he wouldn't have to do more than use the black metal railing to hoist himself higher to grab her foot. The evenly spaced decorative swirls would allow him to find a stable position.

"The lady's a goner," the boy beside them said in a shaky voice. Seb had forgotten all about him. "Your friend won't get the rope to her in time, Mister."

Drake didn't need to. Overlin was dealing with Navy SEALs. Seb opened the SUV's trunk and pulled out the submachine gun he'd carried since the attack on the island. The angle was good and the distance within the weapon's range.

Seb flicked the selector switch to single-shot, braced himself, and raised the weapon. He adjusted the sight as he followed Overlin's movements. The ambient street sounds faded as Seb focused on the man, searching for stable footholds on the balcony railing.

A breath in. A slow breath out. Seb filled his lungs with air once more and held his breath as he squeezed the trigger. The weapon clicked as it cycled unsuccessfully. It had jammed.

Seb looked up at Alexis. She'd increased her pace and was even with the top railing on the balcony above Overlin's. She reached out and jerked her hand back. Seb watched helplessly as she looked down at Overlin and the wall above. She continued to climb. Overlin balanced on the railing, prepared to follow her.

No. It couldn't end this way. He was supposed to wake each morning with her tucked in his arms and fall asleep the same way. They were supposed to grow old together. They had a lifetime of adventures ahead of them. Seb wouldn't let Overlin take them away.

He drew a shaky hand through his hair. There had to be something he could do. He laughed and thrust the submachine gun at Finlay.

"Move further back," he ordered the boy and Finlay as he opened the waterproof pouch he still carried around his waist. He pulled out the flare gun he'd dropped into the pouch when they'd abandoned the sailboat on the island.

"Are you crazy?" Finlay said, guessing his intention. She grabbed the boy's arm and stepped several feet away from Seb. "Drake will throw a rope down to her."

"The kid's right. Drake won't make it in time. I can make the shot," Seb replied. He had to make the shot. Overlin had almost reached Alexis.

Seb planted his feet shoulder width apart and went through the same routine he'd completed only seconds ago. Overlin stretched his arm out to grab Alexis's foot and Seb pulled the trigger.

A brilliant flash of red was followed by a loud whoosh as the flare ignited. Overlin's scream pierced the air as he fell to the ground.

Finlay wrapped her free arm around the boy beside her and pressed his face into her body before Overlin hit the sidewalk.

The kid pushed at Finlay, and she released him. He looked at Overlin's crumpled form on the sidewalk across the street and then pointed at the building's roof. "Mister, your friend is helping her."

Drake was perched on the roof. A rope snaked its way down the building to Alexis. Seb waited until Alexis had wound the rope around her waist and restarted the climb to the roof, aided by Drake, and then ran across the street.

He wasn't the only one dodging traffic. Cars had slowed to a crawl as drivers strained to glimpse the mangled body already drawing onlookers from all directions.

Seb caught the door as a building resident rushed out to join the crowd gathering around Overlin's body. He ran to the stairwell and took the stairs at a run.

Drake was pulling Alexis onto the roof as Seb opened the stairwell door. He turned to Seb and tilted his head toward Alexis.

Seb ran to her and helped her up as Drake took care of the rope. Alexis shook, her arms and legs weak from the climb. Blood covered her right arm. He scooped her up and cradled her in his arms.

"It was easier at the climbing gym I went to with Solange." Too exhausted to say more, she curled into him.

"Everything will be okay, sweetheart," Seb murmured and kissed the top of her head. He'd ask her about the climbing gym later. At least this time she'd had some experience rather than relying totally on what she'd read. It explained her steady progress up the building wall.

"We need to leave before anyone checks the roof." Drake held the door open, and Seb hurried down the stairs.

Drake's cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, listened, and then tucked it away. "Finlay is bringing the SUV to the back door. Vala has already leaked Overlin's death was a suicide and Javier is getting a hold of Auclair. Finlay got the boy's name and the school he attends. Auclair will handle the kid and his mother, so nothing other than Overlin's suicide hits the papers. Worst-case scenario, Finlay will have a colleague spin it as an attempted murder suicide. They'll withhold the name of Overlin's lover from the press."

When they opened the stairwell door at the ground floor, the SUV idled beside the back exit, with Finlay behind the wheel. Vala opened the back passenger door and Seb slid onto the seat, Alexis in his lap. Drake took the passenger seat beside Finlay.

"Dr. Butler," Alexis said, trying to squirm out of his grasp as Finlay pulled away from the building. Seb held on tight. "He's not safe. Antoine left me with Kyle to pay him a visit."

"Butler was very lucky," Vala said, her computer on her lap. She was clicking away. "It was a through and through. The bullet didn't hit a major artery and the internal damage was listed as minor. There was a new entry in his hospital chart while you were rock climbing. He was lucid when he awoke from the anesthetic, but couldn't remember how he'd been shot. They've diagnosed him with traumatic amnesia."

"What does that mean?" Alexis asked.

"No one elaborated on the chart. They requested a specialist," Vala said and looked up from her the computer on her lap, concern in her eyes. "Typically, patients have no memory of the traumatic event, in this case, the shooting. However, events leading up to the incident, and in the most severe cases, days or even months prior, can be blocked. Given the progression of his Parkinson's disease, the doctors don't expect him to regain his memory."

"He's no longer a threat to Antoine. Eliminating him would only draw attention. He's safe," Seb said, as he turned over her right hand to inspect the palm. It would need to be looked after. There were puncture marks and blood still seeped from a cut. "What happened to your hand?"

"Pigeons," Alexis said and winced as he dabbed at the cuts with a tissue. "Some idiot decided to DIY their pigeon problem and glued thumb tacks to the railing to encourage the birds to roost elsewhere."

That was the reason she'd jerked her hand away from the railing and continued to climb up the wall.

"My hand will heal within a few days, but I'm not sure Vance will be as lucky."

"The Marshal has a long road of physiotherapy ahead of him, but the doctors expect he'll fully recover the use of his arm." Vala said, her eyes fixed on her computer screen.

"I need to see Dr. Butler," Alexis said as Seb inspected each puncture wound.

He heard the urgency in her voice. She was worried the professor wouldn't remember their conversation healing the rift between the two of them. The muffled quality of the cell phone hidden in Alexis's pocket hadn't distorted the conversation, and they all had heard the guilt she had carried for years.

"We figured you would," Finlay said as she turned into a residential neighborhood. "We left Emery with the second vehicle. Drake, Vala, and I will stay longer to tie off loose ends and keep an eye on Dr. Butler. It would be safer if you, Seb, and Emery headed back to Montana. We'll regroup at Shadow Defense headquarters to figure our next step."

"Leo was right," Alexis said, as she slipped off of Seb's knee, her right hand stretched out so he could smear antibiotic ointment over her wounds and bandage her palm with the gauze Drake had passed him. When his friend had stowed the rope in the trunk, he'd grabbed the tube of antibiotic and the roll of gauze stashed in the black duffle.

"What was Leo right about?" Finlay asked, as she pulled up behind an SUV that was an exact match to the vehicle they were driving.

"Antoine described himself as insanely wealthy. Money drives him. If my gut feeling is right," she looked at him and grinned. This was a first for her. Alexis believed in logic, not that sixth sense Seb relied on. "The people he works for are no different. We're dealing with a dangerous group of extremely rich people whose sole goal is to increase their wealth. This is a game to them."

A dangerous game where Shadow Defense was just learning the rules. Like every game, there had to be an objective. Money wouldn't be enough for these people. There was something bigger.

Seb's thoughts flashed to a conversation five years ago—their DC contact warning them the ambush that had set everything in motion had a purpose. It had been a small part of a much bigger picture he wanted Seb and his partners to uncover. The Four-Star General's concern was a conspiracy involving the White House and the President. It was still his concern.

Despite the pieces of information they'd uncovered that pointed to the involvement of high-ranking officials pulling strings, Seb wasn't convinced this was the wealthy men's goal. It hadn't played at the time, and it didn't play for him now. Antoine's employers were after something else.

"How did you find me?" Alexis asked as Finlay shifted the SUV into park.

"Vala found out Xenia was staying at the same hotel as Drake and Finlay." Seb pulled her cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to Alexis. "Emery stole her cell phone. Vala got into it and found Dr. Overlin on her contact list. We'd already listened to your conversation with Antoine, so the pieces fell into place."

Alexis's mouth dropped open, and she stared at him. "She stole Xenia's phone?"

"It's a good story. I'll let Emery tell you." Seb grinned. It was one helluva good story.

"I haven't accessed the email account Nat set up," Alexis said, as she swiped the cell phone's screen and tapped on the browser icon.

Seb quickly explained to the others the cryptic message Nat had asked Isandro to pass on to Alexis.

"Clever woman. She used this account to write and send the email." Alexis smiled as Seb watched her read the single email in the account. "Leo is worried that Xenia isn't Antoine's only source of information. He suspects he's gotten to one of his men. Nat will continue to send me updates. This is the safest way for Leo to communicate with Shadow Defense."

Drake turned to Seb. "He'll be a great addition to the team."

Seb nodded in agreement as he reached for the door handle beside him. "We'll see you in Ridgeton."

He helped Alexis out of the SUV, and they waved as Finlay pulled away from the curb.

"I can hardly wait to hear how Emery stole Xenia's cell phone," Alexis said, as they walked to the vehicle in front of them. She rapped on the darkly tinted driver's window.

"Are you Alexis?" A girl glided effortlessly toward them on a scooter and stopped beside the SUV. Seb figured she was around sixteen.

"Yes," Alexis replied, a note of caution in her voice.

"Emery told me to give you these." The girl tossed a set of keys to Alexis.

Before either Seb or Alexis could question the teen, her foot pushed off the pavement in a rhythmic motion and she sped down the sidewalk, skillfully weaving through the handful of kids walking to school.

Alexis clicked the remote and opened the driver's door. The vehicle was empty.

"Vala gave Emery all the documents she needs to hide from her ex-father-in-law," Seb said as sorrow spread across Alexis's face. "It won't be easy, but at least we've given her a chance. Vala will top off her bank account when she is running low on funds. Our numbers are in her cell phone's contact list."

Alexis nodded and drew in a deep breath. She tilted her head up and held his gaze. "She knows the lengths her ex-father-in-law will go to find her. It was the only way she could keep us safe." Her soft voice broke on the last word.

Seb felt there was more behind the statement, but questioning Alexis could wait.

He looked at Alexis before taking the keys out of her hands. She was a complete mess—her hair disheveled, her clothes smeared with blood from the cuts on her palm, and the bruise on her arm purpling up nicely. After she'd reassured herself that Dr. Butler was okay, he'd ask Javier's doctor friend to look at her. Alexis would protest, but it would happen.