Secrets (25 page)

Casey breathed in deeply, appreciating her courage. Of course, it had been there all along. She'd been doing what needed to be done for stray cats for years. That took diligence and skill.

“So let's head out. Park as close to the receiving docks as you can without getting caught,” Casey directed. “Give me and Asia time to get in and set off the gas canisters and shut off the alarm system, then we all head to the labs. Let's make this clean and quick.”

They each went to their cars, and Casey gave a quick squeeze to Michelle's shoulders and brushed a kiss to her lips before she quietly slipped behind the wheel of her Jeep and followed the others down the lane.

Watching her leave made his gut squeeze. She wasn't going to be alone, but he wouldn't be with her, protecting her. He drew in a sharp breath, then sped to the main road, gathering his determination and fury to put to good use.

• • •

Michelle pulled her Jeep into the lineup, under the cloak of a dark, cloudy night. Adrenaline pushed her blood through her veins, setting her muscles on edge, ready for action. But her heart ached with knowledge that Casey and all his friends and her friends were in harm's way because of her.

She shook her head, her long ponytail slapping her shoulders, trying to clear her mind. This was no time for indecision. Nothing could distract her from the job she was about to do. Penetrate the William Carter hellhole, rescue the cats, and pray that everyone got out unharmed and alive.

She checked her cell phone for the time. Standing in the chilly night air, she wrapped her arms around her chest and tapped her foot on the ground impatiently. She imagined Casey and Asia gaining admittance with the help of his badge and Walker, then acting quickly to spread the gas canisters Ben brought throughout the hallways, quickly putting the guards to sleep.

Ben walked up to her, all business, except for the gentle touch of his hand on her arm. “It will take them a few minutes to get through the building. I'm sure everything is going according to plan.”

“It's awfully quiet.” Her teeth chattered, but not just from the cold.

“That's a good sign. If things fall apart, we'll hear all about it.” Ben's eyes twinkled, clearly used to this kind of activity.

Just then, Jackson's cell phone vibrated in his pocket. “Yeah. Thanks. We'll be right there.” He hung up the phone. He raised his voice enough for everyone to hear. “Casey said the guards are down, so we can head for the lab via the loading dock area. He's unlocked by swiping his ID card at a main terminal.”

Michelle's heart pounded in her throat as she crept toward the building with the others.
Calm down. It's just another cat rescue.
But she knew better. The risks were much higher and they would get only this one chance to interfere with Carter's dreadful plans.

They climbed up on one dock and cracked open a passage door. Nightlights glowed inside and a faint odor remained. Casey had warned them to expect the stuffiness of the gassed halls, but assured them the gas would have already done its job on the guards and would have significantly dissipated, so they would be safe from its effects.

They followed Casey's directions to the labs. As promised, Walker had left them unlocked, so the team broke up into four groups of three. Three groups ran to different labs and the remaining group took stations spaced down the halls to expedite removing the cats and transferring them to the vehicles.

Walking with Ben and Lacey into a lab, Michelle gasped. Twenty cats in captivity, all sending out signs of distress, caught her off guard. The pain and confusion pierced her heart and she had to grab hold of a countertop to steady herself.

She glanced at Lacey, who also was highly sensitive, and saw the effects of the free-floating angst on her. Her fingers trembled and she stood still, sucking in deep breaths.

“Are you all right, Lacey?” Michelle called. “It's pretty thick in here.”

“I'm fine. Let's get these cats out of here.” Her eyes widened as she perused the room.

Ben grabbed Michelle's arm. “You steady?”

“I am. It looks like the lynx has been moved,” she said, peering into the room Casey had described. “So how about Lacey and I transfer the cats to carriers and you run them to the hallway crew?” An image suddenly grabbed Michelle's attention and Ben stopped. “I'm okay.” He nodded and grabbed the first two cats in their carriers and ran through the doorway.

In front of her eyes Michelle saw a large lynx, huddled in a cage. She focused deeply, trying to squeeze everything out of the premonition. Chills made her shake. The room was dark and the lynx rolled into a ball. Then the premonition stopped, and frustration knotted her stomach.
What did it mean?
She bit her lower lip, begging for more information, while she opened a cage and removed a little black cat to slide into a carrier.

Ben was gone for only minutes, but by then Michelle and Lacey had more than half of the cats in carriers and ready for him to transfer.

“Well, this may have been a bad idea,” Michelle said, watching the carriers stack up when the goal was to get them out of the building. “I'll help carry them out.”

She passed Jackson on the way to the hallway crew. His eyes shone intensely and sweat beaded his brow. “It's harder than it looks, huh?” she said. “There are so many cats.”

Without stopping he called back over his shoulder. “We're more than half done. We'll just keep at it.”

She passed two cats to Quinn, who promptly handed them to Booker to load into a vehicle.

Michelle's breathing was coming in big drags. The cats were heavy and every moment weighed on her. All the cats needed to be removed before the guards started coming around.

She reentered the lab and almost ran into Lacey. She had her hands full with two large carriers of cats, but she didn't pause for help.

Inside, Ben was loading up the last two cats. “There's a few carriers over in the corner,” he said, breathless.

Michelle picked them up, her back screaming, and carried them to Asher. His breath heaving, he grabbed them and took off, just as Ben followed up behind Michelle. Quinn reached around her and took the cats from Ben.

“That's all the cats from that lab.” Ben bent over and rested his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.

“These are the last of them from our lab.” Sterling, Tizzy, and Conrad came to a breathless stop beside Michelle. “Let's get out of here,” Tizzy said.

“Have you seen Casey and Asia, or this Walker guy?” Fear raised its tentacles again, twisting Michelle's stomach tightly.

“No, not yet. Maybe something's wrong,” Tizzy said. “All the more reason to finish up here and move the cats out of this vicinity and get them to Michelle's.”

Jackson pursed his lips, then shook his head. “No, we can't leave them here alone. I'm going in search of them. Maybe I'll find both the lynxes, too.”

“I'm going with you,” Michelle spoke up. “Don't any one of you give me any trouble over this. I'm going.”

Michelle jumped, startled by a low moan coming from one the guards lying farther down the hallway. She knew that if she could hear, so could they.

“We don't have time to stand here and debate it.” Ben's statement was more of a declaration. “I'll go, too.”

“Ben, I think you should go with the others,” Lara said. “They'll need help unloading the carriers. Asia will be very helpful with the captive lynxes because of her telepathy. I'm going to Michelle's house, too. I imagine my healing ability will be useful.”

“Oh, right. You can handle it, Jackson?”

“I'm used to dealing with my father's messes. Yes, I can handle it.”

Ben turned to the remaining members of the group and pointed toward the way out. “We'll see you guys at Michelle's.”

She handed him the key to her house, then watched them walk away.

“Let's get moving,” Ben said. “We have very little time left.”

Sticking together, Jackson and Michelle walked through the halls and found another stairway partially hidden by curtains. A creepiness slithered throughout her body.

Jackson turned the doorknob and it gave way. He cracked open the door and started down the stairs. Dim lights lit the way as Michelle followed behind him.

The chill in her premonition came up the stairs. “I think this is where the lynx is. I had a premonition.” She didn't know for sure what they'd find at the bottom of the stairs and she was half afraid to see. She heard soft voices inside another room.

“We mean you no harm,” Asia whispered.

Slowly, Jackson and Michelle walked closer, then peeked inside the doorway. Michelle's heart leaped into her throat when she saw Casey, maybe not safe, but definitely sound.

Confusion and grogginess drifted into Michelle's senses. She walked quietly with Jackson to stand out of sight of the animals in the cages, but within Asia's and Casey's peripheral vision.

Asia peered into the glassy eyes of a male lynx and held his gaze. Its appearance was the same as the lynx in her premonition. Michelle held her breath, hoping the telepathy would give Asia good rapport with the poor animal. Minutes dragged by and the air was thick, emotions dripping as Asia held an invisible space for all that he'd endured to be acknowledged.

She turned around and all Michelle could see was Asia's expression, her heart, torn open by what she'd learned.

“He is a were-lynx,” she whispered. “He's been in captivity for two months. The drugs are causing havoc with his mind.”

Casey put his hand on Asia's bent shoulders. “Is he safe to come out?”

Asia nodded her head. “He hasn't shimmered during captivity. He's aching all over.”

Michelle stood in close. “Have you had a chance to communicate with the female lynx? She's been pacing this whole time.”

“Yes. She's a few years younger than us. She's also a were-lynx. And she's pissed.”

Casey snickered. “I don't blame her. How long has she been in captivity?”

Asia rolled her head around her shoulders. “That is unclear. Anyway, she's safe to let out.”

Casey broke the lock on the male's cage and opened the door, offering a hand to help him climb out. The lynx staggered out, barely able to stand upright on all four legs. “Take your time, man. If need be we'll carry you out of here.”

In the corner, the female yowled, twice, and scratched at the wire cage.

“In case you didn't get that, that means let her out.” Asia's smile lit her tired face. Casey broke off the lock and both of them assisted the female out of the cage. Instantly, she shimmered into her human form.

“Oh my God that feels good.” Her voice was raspy and she didn't appear at all bashful. She resumed her pacing, but this time on two legs. “Who are you guys? What took you so long?”

Questions tumbled out of her as her eyes darted around the room. Michelle threw her coat to her and the young woman quickly shrugged into it; it covered her body to her knees.

“Thank you. I'm Kennedy. Any of you familiar with were-cats?”

“I am a were-cat and so is he,” Asia said, pointing at Casey. “So is he.”

The other were-cat still struggled to walk on his four legs.

“Can you shimmer?” Casey stood next to him, steadying him. “I don't think the people who worked with you knew your true identity.”

The were-lynx attempted a shimmer and managed to produce human hands and arms. Long, thick claws appeared on his hands. His arms were so muscled and enormous they probably wouldn't completely bend.

Michelle gasped, then instantly wished she could take it back. The were-lynx yowled in what sounded like agony when he saw his hands and arms. He flexed his fingers and his biceps. A frightful glare filled his eyes.

Asia put a hand to his hunched shoulders. “Remember, I told you we wouldn't know what would happen until we tried. It's okay. We'll help you.” Her voice was nothing but soothing and assuring, convincing that she would keep her promise.

Suddenly William Carter came crashing down the stairs, dragging Walker with him. “Isn't this special. My son and his friends taking an interest in my work.”

“You left out a word, Father,” Jackson said. “You meant to say diabolical work.”

Carter ignored Jackson and turned to Casey. “Son, you don't understand what's going on here.” His nostrils flared and he pointed to Michelle. “Probably because this young woman has poisoned your mind.”

Casey slitted his eyes and pinned Carter. “I'm not your son.”

He turned his back on Carter and gave Michelle a wry grin. Somehow, she knew he was telling her to let it pass for now. The clock was ticking and they needed to get out of the building. She read all that and somehow he'd made it very clear. She'd have to talk about that with him sometime.

Carter's raucous laughter echoed maniacally around the room. “You're right. But your father is just as much a part of this project as I am. It's a family affair.” He pointed to Kennedy. “Casey, meet your little sister.”

“What?” Kennedy's chocolate eyes went wide. “I don't have siblings. My parents are dead, killed in a car crash.”

Casey whirled around to face Carter. “Don't listen to him, Kennedy.” He pointed a finger at Carter. “He's full of lies. And Carter, I know about my dad. Just shut up.”

He turned back around to help the pained were-lynx.

Asia continued to talk softly to the distraught were-lynx. More and more of his human self appeared as she talked him through successive shimmers.

Jackson stepped up to distract William. “Dad, why are you saying these things? Why are you conducting this research? I'm not going to let you continue with it.”

Carter shoved his fingers through his thin, gray hair, a muscle in his cheek twitching. “You're not going to
let
me continue?”