Revealed (The Found Book 1) (19 page)

“What?” Sierra shouted.

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Nate said with disgust.

“Who were these people? Wasn’t it Rixitron? The same people Dan was working with, the same people holding me hostage in Cancun? How did they talk their way out of kidnapping her in the first place?” Noah’s questions came out rapid fire.

“When we recovered her, she was staying in a penthouse of the One Hotel in Taiwan. She was alone. Dave said he tracked them down to a clinic in Taiwan. He was positive it was where she had been held for the last week, but when he got there, it was an empty room. “

“Where did he think she was for the previous three weeks?”

“Mainland China. He has no idea why she was brought back to Taiwan.”

“How did he find her at the penthouse?”

“Apparently she woke up, found herself there alone, and called down to the front desk asking for someone named Mr. Phuong, when they couldn’t find someone by that name staying at the hotel she got very agitated. Eventually the authorities were called and then her parents. They contacted Rydell who came and got her.”

“Is there a Mr. Phuong working for Rixitron?”

“No.”

“I don’t understand,” Sarah said.

“The best Dave can figure is she was taken and brainwashed. She’s convinced she spent time with Mr. Phuong who supposedly explained to her she had been taken from her real parents as a young child, and Phuong was working to reunite them.”

“Did he explain to her why they were taking so damn long to come out of the woodwork?” Kali asked bitterly.

“According to Mai, it was Phuong’s job to deprogram her before she could be reunited. Mr. Phuong said her supposed real family knew how poisoned her mind had been by the people who had raised her, and the education they had forced upon her.”

“That makes no sense. Mai is becoming one of the most accomplished violinists and mathematicians in the world, she knows better than to believe such nonsense. Why would she buy into something like this after just one month?” Sarah was in tears, working her way up to sobs, which also didn’t make sense.

Noah, it would have been her too.

“Rydell is out of the picture. The Taiwanese government brought in specialists to work with her. They’re good, we’ve checked them out. Unfortunately they’re neuroscientists, not specialists in brainwashing techniques.”

“So do you have any good news for us?”

“Yes, I do. You’re going to move operations to California.”

“Pardon me Sir, but we can’t go to San Diego. We don’t know who is rogue.”

“I didn’t say San Diego, now did I Chief,” Sakuro rounded on Sierra. “I said California. You’re headed for the strawberry fields. I want you near the John Wayne Airport, in case you need to fly out. It’ll put you close enough I can check in regularly without anyone being the wiser and…”

“Disneyland,” Nate cried, coaxing a giggle out of Sarah.

“Rixitron is headquartered there,” Noah stated.

“Give the man a cigar.” Sakuro gave him a grim look. They realized this was not going to be a short or easy assignment.

“Where are Kali and Sarah going to be located?”

“I’m going with you.”

Noah hugged Kali close and looked at Sakuro. He didn’t like what he was feeling from the man.

“Son, you know they are going to be after Ms. Wachowski and Dr. Johnson. You and your team will be the best people to protect them.”

“Keeping them far away and under wraps will be the best way to protect them,” Nate growled for Noah.

“Son, do you want to explain to me how your ribs got healed?” The room got so quiet the air conditioner sounded like a 747 taking off. “Noah, I saw the footage from the Atlanta airport security cameras. You and Kali were both injured. Your ribs were obviously fractured if not broken. Now they aren’t. Between the three of you, you can speak eighteen languages. You Noah, can find things that can’t logically be found, and Kali, you could probably teach a gorilla to speak aloud. Dr. Johnson, if I had to bet, healed these two. We don’t need any of you under lock and key, we need everyone working together to fight these motherfuckers. As a matter of fact, I’m working to get Niko brought over to the states. We know he’s a target, so he might as well make himself useful.”

Sarah was the first one to fidget. “I don’t…”

“Shh, you don’t have to tell him a thing,” Nate said.

“No she doesn’t. None of you do. But I know you. You’ve worked as a team for over six years. It’s obvious Kali isn’t going to leave Noah. Sarah, I’m sorry, I know you just got roped into this goat rodeo, but I think you’re stuck.”

“Don’t listen to him, you’re not stuck.”

Noah watched as Sarah looked at Nate for reassurance.

“Sarah, Nate’s right, you’re not stuck, the choice is yours to make,” Noah assured her. “But you are a target. I think for the time being you’re safer with us.”

“I have to explain this to my family, I can’t just drop off the face of the planet. Despite my phone calls, I know I’ve probably scared the hell out of them. What do I tell them?” Once again she looked to Nate.

“We’ll go with you, we’ll help to explain.”

“Oh yeah, just what I need. A bunch of Navy testosterone explaining to my six brothers how I’m the target of a multi-national conspiracy, and you’re the guys going to keep me safe. You won’t live to finish the explanation.”

“Ah, Sarah?” Kota started.

Noah watched as she looked at the man who had been sitting quietly near the window.

“Yes, I know. You all are big strong warriors, but my brothers have been watching over me all of my life, they would die for me. There is no way they are going to let me leave with you.”

Noah, Nate and Kota exchanged glances. “Young lady, you have a very good point, and that is part of the reason I’m here. Chief Petty Officer Mathers sent me all of the information on not just your brothers, but also your mother and father. You have a very impressive family.” The admiral’s sincerity was clear.

“Thank you, Sir, I think so too.”

“I took the liberty of contacting your father this morning, and meeting with him. I explained the situation to him, and he invited us to your house for dinner tonight.”

Noah worked hard to contain a chuckle as Sarah’s eyes widened and Nate winced.

This is going to be interesting.

Noah looked down at Kali, and then kissed the top of her head.
No more interesting than the first time I went to dinner at your house after we started sleeping together. Remember how your dad took me out to the garage to look over the car he was working on?

The old Bel Air?

Yeah, he really wanted to make it clear if I hurt you, he’d rip me apart.

Kali giggled, everyone in the room looked at them, and Sakuro raised an eyebrow.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Frank and Lila Johnson’s requested they come as soon as possible, because they missed Sarah. Dinner would happen when it would happen, and introductions with the siblings and families could happen then.

After a tearful reunion with their daughter, Kali was stunned to find herself swept into their arms like she was one of their children.

“Kelly Wachowski, we have watched you grow up. You are a gift from God to your parents, just like our Sarah was a gift to us,” Lila said as she gave her another hug.

“I kept a scrapbook,” Sarah shyly admitted.

“Oh my God, so did I,” Kali exclaimed.

“We should have arranged for you girls to meet, but we didn’t want to intrude,” Frank said, his voice filled with regret. “Then when you were kidnapped…”

“Kelly, we had our church do a prayer circle for you,” Lila explained.

Kali’s eyes welled up.

“Mom, we call her Kali now. She and Noah remember some of where we came from.” Kali, Sarah, and her parents were sitting in the kitchen while the members of the naval team were helping Sarah’s youngest brother warm up the grill in the backyard.

“The admiral explained one of the men who rescued you was also a
found
child. He didn’t tell us you and he remembered your lives prior to coming here. Where are you from?” Lila asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Are there many of you?” Frank asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.” Agony streaked through her temples, and she staggered from the table and fell to the floor. Her head hitting the hard linoleum.

“Kali? Kali, are you okay?”

Noah. Tell them I don’t know. Please don’t let them hurt me!

Kali!

“What the fuck happened? What did you do to her?”

“Noah, move out of the way.”

It hurts so bad, why won’t they stop talking? The stink of copper was everywhere. Why couldn’t she just pass out? Why couldn’t she just die?

Listen to me Kali, I’m here. You’re safe. Nobody’s going to hurt you ever again.

“Sarah, please do something, the pain is so bad. I don’t think it’s ever hurt her this badly before. You’ve got to help her.”

Was Noah crying?

“S’fine.” Blood in her mouth. She tried to spit it out, but couldn’t make her tongue work. They must not have used the rubber bit in her mouth when they questioned her this time.

“Sarah, she thought she was being questioned. She must have had a flashback to the electro-shock treatments they gave her.”

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, this poor girl was tortured, and our questions did this to her, Frank.”

Kali could hear Lila’s anguish, but she couldn’t move, the pain, the agony was too much, her body wouldn’t obey her commands.

“Got it Noah. Try to relax Kali, let me just touch your temples, okay sweetie?”

Kali felt hands turning her head and let out a scream. “Nooooaaaahhhh.”

“Stop!”

“Noah, I have to touch her to heal her.”

“Let me hold her, if she feels me holding her, maybe she’ll know she’s safe.”

“Aren’t you talking to her?” Sarah asked.

“Sarah, she’s so confused between now and before. This is the worst PTSD flashback I’ve ever seen. Just move aside, and let me hold her.”

Kali heard the whole conversation with one part of her brain, but it was so fuzzy, it came from one tinny little speaker and couldn’t really be heard over the sound of her own screams of pain and pleas to not be hurt. She heard the sounds of the electro-shock machine. Heard as the dial was turned, and it was re-charged to increase the level of shock.

Can you hear the wind?

No I can hear the dial being turned.

You can’t hear the wind as it rushes through the grass here in the meadow? You can’t hear the song of the meadowlark? Listen Kali. Listen Kalani, can you hear it now?

Yes, Noah I can hear it.

Can you smell the wildflowers?

I can only smell the copper of my blood.

Really? These pink flowers with the yellow centers are your favorite, smell their aroma. Don’t they smell nice?

They smell coppery.

I have cookies Nana made. Would you like one? Can you smell them?

Oooooh. Cloves, orange and vanilla. I can smell it Noah.

“Noah, I need to touch her, she’s bleeding from her ears. I need to heal her.”

“Not yet Sarah, she’s still too deep, give me a little more time, or she’ll just go deeper and do more damage.”

Kali could hear him, his voice was so shaky. She could feel him through the red haze of her pain, and he was in agony. She felt a touch on her head and screamed.

Baby, it’s me. I’m just brushing the blood away. Can you feel my fingers?

Paddles!

It’s me, Noah.

It’s going to hurt, Noah.

No baby, nobody’s going to hurt you. It’s just me, Noah. Can you open your eyes just a little and look at me baby? I’m here with you. Nobody’s going to hurt you.

The lights hurt my eyes, and they’ll know I’m awake and it’ll get worse. The questions will start and they’ll just hurt me longer and make the pain go higher.

I swear to you, I’m here and I’ll protect you.

“Noah, the bleeding is getting worse.”

Kali, please open your eyes. Don’t you trust me?

You’re just a dream. It’s all been a dream. I need to leave, I need to go away this time.

“Kalani, open your eyes, don’t give up on us.” Before she left, she needed to reach for her dream. It didn’t matter if the pain was going to get worse, not having tried to seize this perfect moment on her way to oblivion would be the true horror.

The light shot straight to her brain stem, causing her to keen in pain.

“Turn off the lights!”

She was wrapped in Noah’s arms, she wasn’t lying on a metal table.

“Can I touch her now?” It was Sarah’s voice.

Baby, are you with us?