04-29-2019, 11:53 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-29-2019, 11:54 PM by Lawrence Monday.)
Lawrence devoured the information. The paper flit through her fingers with an ever-increasing drop of the jaw. How did Natalie get this information? That’s some legit-shit right there! she thought.
Her mind was blurring the stories together, weaving them among the pre-requisite knowledge of what she already acquired, pitting against the hypotheses formed by myriad accounts gathered over the years. A cartel leader was at the ball in Moscow. The same cartel leader whose brother was killed by American covert operations years ago, now wines and dines with a governor of Texas soon to take power in a state attempting to leave the union? You can’t make this shit up! Laurie’s heart was fluttering with excitement. She was sure the pulse must beat her eyes with hungry passion. She was holding onto a gold mine, here. All she had to do was write it up and put it online. She could scoop everything from government conspiracies to Custody interference in state politics. She could link illegal cartel lords to half a dozen different legit groups, blighting them all in one swoop.
But all that was put on pause when she understood the predicament holding Natalie hostage. The reason she came to Texas in the first place was to help root out the conspiracy linking channeler research to a little girl that needed their help. She’d never met Cayli, but a protective vibe connected her to the innocent kid. Maybe because she herself never had someone to stand up for her like that, or maybe because it was just who she was (she’d never admit it), but Masiaka left its mark. The powerful would not sacrifice children to their own ends ever again, not under her watch.
Axel rubbed Natalie the wrong way. It didn’t take a shrink to see the angst flitting back and forth between them like spitballs shooting across the classroom. He was one of the hottest guys she'd ever seen. Like lip-biting, tongue-twisting, dirty-thoughts kind of hot. Which was saying something; she'd seen Jay shirtless in Africa. So Axel was the governor’s head of security. What was he doing entangled in all this? Even as soon as Laurie questioned it, he provided an answer. Lawrence was content to shrug and look back and forth from one of them to the other. He was clearly more than he let on, but she wasn't sure if the pit bull on their leash was on their side or not. Maybe that made it more exciting?
”I got in once before. The layout is basically like any other school, only the classrooms look like laboratories now. There’s some dormitories, a cafeteria, and bathrooms. Reminds me of a sorority house, anyway,” she looked at Axel, “but with fewer naked people running around.”
She thought back, walking the interior in her mind, “there were offices, storage spaces, and facilities. But I didn’t see anywhere that might hide a guy under torture. If Jay is there, I didn’t—wait a second,” she blinked and looked at Xander, who was inside with her. “Wasn’t there a, um, oh…” her fingers tapped the margarita glass, words stuck on the tip of her tongue. He added in an answer on her behalf,
“A staircase,” he said.
“Yes! There was a staircase, but the school was one story. There must be a basement. It’s worth a shot, but we’ll only get one shot at this. If we’re wrong and he’s not there, we’ll lose the element of surprise. I guarantee they’ll move Jay somewhere else, especially if Cayli is at hand.” She put a finger to her lips, considering their strategy. Why did Cayli agree to go with the doctor if they were aware of his involvement with Amengual?
The answer came like an epiphany, and she looked at Natalie with fresh respect, “you’re using Cayli as bait.” A hint of pride stirred in her chest. “Here’s what we do, we need to scope out the school and see if Cayli shows up. If she does, we’ll know we’re in the right place. But we will have to act fast. Come on, get in the car. Let’s get on the road while someone gets an update from Jensen on their location.”
Her mind was blurring the stories together, weaving them among the pre-requisite knowledge of what she already acquired, pitting against the hypotheses formed by myriad accounts gathered over the years. A cartel leader was at the ball in Moscow. The same cartel leader whose brother was killed by American covert operations years ago, now wines and dines with a governor of Texas soon to take power in a state attempting to leave the union? You can’t make this shit up! Laurie’s heart was fluttering with excitement. She was sure the pulse must beat her eyes with hungry passion. She was holding onto a gold mine, here. All she had to do was write it up and put it online. She could scoop everything from government conspiracies to Custody interference in state politics. She could link illegal cartel lords to half a dozen different legit groups, blighting them all in one swoop.
But all that was put on pause when she understood the predicament holding Natalie hostage. The reason she came to Texas in the first place was to help root out the conspiracy linking channeler research to a little girl that needed their help. She’d never met Cayli, but a protective vibe connected her to the innocent kid. Maybe because she herself never had someone to stand up for her like that, or maybe because it was just who she was (she’d never admit it), but Masiaka left its mark. The powerful would not sacrifice children to their own ends ever again, not under her watch.
Axel rubbed Natalie the wrong way. It didn’t take a shrink to see the angst flitting back and forth between them like spitballs shooting across the classroom. He was one of the hottest guys she'd ever seen. Like lip-biting, tongue-twisting, dirty-thoughts kind of hot. Which was saying something; she'd seen Jay shirtless in Africa. So Axel was the governor’s head of security. What was he doing entangled in all this? Even as soon as Laurie questioned it, he provided an answer. Lawrence was content to shrug and look back and forth from one of them to the other. He was clearly more than he let on, but she wasn't sure if the pit bull on their leash was on their side or not. Maybe that made it more exciting?
”I got in once before. The layout is basically like any other school, only the classrooms look like laboratories now. There’s some dormitories, a cafeteria, and bathrooms. Reminds me of a sorority house, anyway,” she looked at Axel, “but with fewer naked people running around.”
She thought back, walking the interior in her mind, “there were offices, storage spaces, and facilities. But I didn’t see anywhere that might hide a guy under torture. If Jay is there, I didn’t—wait a second,” she blinked and looked at Xander, who was inside with her. “Wasn’t there a, um, oh…” her fingers tapped the margarita glass, words stuck on the tip of her tongue. He added in an answer on her behalf,
“A staircase,” he said.
“Yes! There was a staircase, but the school was one story. There must be a basement. It’s worth a shot, but we’ll only get one shot at this. If we’re wrong and he’s not there, we’ll lose the element of surprise. I guarantee they’ll move Jay somewhere else, especially if Cayli is at hand.” She put a finger to her lips, considering their strategy. Why did Cayli agree to go with the doctor if they were aware of his involvement with Amengual?
The answer came like an epiphany, and she looked at Natalie with fresh respect, “you’re using Cayli as bait.” A hint of pride stirred in her chest. “Here’s what we do, we need to scope out the school and see if Cayli shows up. If she does, we’ll know we’re in the right place. But we will have to act fast. Come on, get in the car. Let’s get on the road while someone gets an update from Jensen on their location.”