someone shaking her and vaguely heard a raspy male voice. Her sight slowly focused on the face in front of her. “Gus?” She felt dazed and confused. She placed her hand on her forehead, applying pressure to a dull ache. “What happened?”
Without answering her, Augustus Velakios, the former Spanish terrorist who was betrayed by his cell and now worked for TSCCA, unbound her wrists and ankles quickly and efficiently. “No time to explain. We’ve got to move before the portal is closed.”
“No…Mom, Dad…” Yes, she had to get back to Mom and Dad, make sure they were okay. Yet part of her consciousness was fighting to stay. It was telling her that she had to stay, she would find answers for those unexplainable nightmares and the out-of-time-and-space feelings she had had since she’d woken up from the coma.
“Mr. and Mrs. Gray are fine. Your mom came by your room by chance and discovered you missing. She contacted the director immediately.” He quickly pulled her still-groggy body up from the chair. “Hurry. We have to leave now. The director will have my hide if there’s another incident. Let’s go.” Without waiting for her to respond, Gus lifted her into his arms and pressed the radio communicator to his throat, “Secured and ready.”
“Copy that.” Both a male and a female voice answered at the same time. She knew the voices. They were Vivi’s and Butch’s. From the rapid movements outside the study, they were moving away from their stations to make sure the path between the study and the portal was secured.
The rather loud stomping noises finally broke through her hazy consciousness. Her head was more focused now, and she pushed against Gus’s impressively muscular chest. “Put me down. I can walk.”
Arching a thick, dark eyebrow, he asked, “Are you sure, chica? You did not look like you knew where you were just a second ago.”
“Yes, I’m sure. Now let me down.” With another push against Gus’s solid chest, Skyla freed herself from his hold and took the spare Glock from the side of his waistband.
On autopilot, she pulled the magazines out of the Glock, making sure it was locked and loaded. Satisfied, she nodded at Gus. “Let’s go.”
“Downstairs, to your left, and keep going toward the back. Two minutes.”
Leveling the gun, she took the lead toward the portal location while Gus covered her back, making sure no one was following them.
Chapter Eight
“Two teams are now shadowing Senator Glass and Representative Steagalls. Standing by for further instructions.” Sloan rattled off his report as he was pushing open the study door, thinking that was why Rei had summoned him. Instead of finding Rei behind his massive mahogany desk as usual, his brother was standing in front of the life-sized portrait of Elizabeth. Not again. He stifled his groans. When Rei turned to look at him, his brother’s eyes were shrouded by the past. The past that had been steadily eating away at his brother since the day they, along with their other brothers, had been called back to their homeland to defend their country once again from invaders. It was 1587. Just like all of his brothers, he had been sent to live in a foreign country to be the eyes and ears for the Empire; in his case it was Scotland. When he arrived back home after being summoned by their father, he found Rei, his fearless eldest brother, the heir to their father’s kingdom, sitting alone at the dock looking lost and haunted.
“You’ve found Elizabeth.” He spoke quietly, more of a statement than a question.
A determined expression replaced his brother’s haunted look from a moment ago. “Take Bo and Tory with you. I want all there is to know about Agent Skyla Gray and the TSCCA in the twenty-first century.”
Sloan paused a few moments, weighing this new complication, and then spoke carefully, “Is this wise? Time’s fast approaching. We can’t afford any distraction now. They won’t allow it.”
His
Without answering her, Augustus Velakios, the former Spanish terrorist who was betrayed by his cell and now worked for TSCCA, unbound her wrists and ankles quickly and efficiently. “No time to explain. We’ve got to move before the portal is closed.”
“No…Mom, Dad…” Yes, she had to get back to Mom and Dad, make sure they were okay. Yet part of her consciousness was fighting to stay. It was telling her that she had to stay, she would find answers for those unexplainable nightmares and the out-of-time-and-space feelings she had had since she’d woken up from the coma.
“Mr. and Mrs. Gray are fine. Your mom came by your room by chance and discovered you missing. She contacted the director immediately.” He quickly pulled her still-groggy body up from the chair. “Hurry. We have to leave now. The director will have my hide if there’s another incident. Let’s go.” Without waiting for her to respond, Gus lifted her into his arms and pressed the radio communicator to his throat, “Secured and ready.”
“Copy that.” Both a male and a female voice answered at the same time. She knew the voices. They were Vivi’s and Butch’s. From the rapid movements outside the study, they were moving away from their stations to make sure the path between the study and the portal was secured.
The rather loud stomping noises finally broke through her hazy consciousness. Her head was more focused now, and she pushed against Gus’s impressively muscular chest. “Put me down. I can walk.”
Arching a thick, dark eyebrow, he asked, “Are you sure, chica? You did not look like you knew where you were just a second ago.”
“Yes, I’m sure. Now let me down.” With another push against Gus’s solid chest, Skyla freed herself from his hold and took the spare Glock from the side of his waistband.
On autopilot, she pulled the magazines out of the Glock, making sure it was locked and loaded. Satisfied, she nodded at Gus. “Let’s go.”
“Downstairs, to your left, and keep going toward the back. Two minutes.”
Leveling the gun, she took the lead toward the portal location while Gus covered her back, making sure no one was following them.
Chapter Eight
“Two teams are now shadowing Senator Glass and Representative Steagalls. Standing by for further instructions.” Sloan rattled off his report as he was pushing open the study door, thinking that was why Rei had summoned him. Instead of finding Rei behind his massive mahogany desk as usual, his brother was standing in front of the life-sized portrait of Elizabeth. Not again. He stifled his groans. When Rei turned to look at him, his brother’s eyes were shrouded by the past. The past that had been steadily eating away at his brother since the day they, along with their other brothers, had been called back to their homeland to defend their country once again from invaders. It was 1587. Just like all of his brothers, he had been sent to live in a foreign country to be the eyes and ears for the Empire; in his case it was Scotland. When he arrived back home after being summoned by their father, he found Rei, his fearless eldest brother, the heir to their father’s kingdom, sitting alone at the dock looking lost and haunted.
“You’ve found Elizabeth.” He spoke quietly, more of a statement than a question.
A determined expression replaced his brother’s haunted look from a moment ago. “Take Bo and Tory with you. I want all there is to know about Agent Skyla Gray and the TSCCA in the twenty-first century.”
Sloan paused a few moments, weighing this new complication, and then spoke carefully, “Is this wise? Time’s fast approaching. We can’t afford any distraction now. They won’t allow it.”
His
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