Chapter Twenty

Anubis sat in the passenger side seat and watched the pine trees go by. Their flight had been delayed by two days out of Suriname due to heavy rains. They'd missed their connecting flight and had been booked onto a flight that had been oversold resulting in them getting bumped. To say his patience was at an end would be a critical understatement. Asp had taken every setback in stride, but he was fucking over it.

"This place is way the fuck out in the middle of nowhere, isn't it?" Asp slowed as they approached the turnoff to the Marshall Ranch.

"It is." He couldn't wait to see his girls. He should have called when they got back to the States, but he didn't know Sky's new cell number. He could have called the complex and been patched through, but seriously, after almost a month, what was a couple more days? He'd see her in person soon, and they could sit down and figure out where to go from here. Anubis stared at the cattle that dotted the vast expanse of rolling hills. Walking away from the Shadow World would take determination, but Bengal had done it. Fury had managed it in a way that nobody expected. He was at least as intelligent as those two. He'd figure it out. Somehow.

"Wow. Would you look at that?" Asp pointed at the front windshield.

Anubis gave an internal snort of laughter at Asp's reaction and turned his head in the direction of the man's gesture. The mansion. Granted, it was a log cabin, but the place could have housed royalty. Word on the street was that the King's stepfather had built it by hand. They drove through a small valley and past the ranch buildings at the base of a large hill.

"Fuck me, standing." Asp slowed down and gaped at the vast expanse of the training complex behind the ranch.

The change that had happened since Anubis had left was awe-inspiring. There were at least twenty new structures since he'd last visited almost six years ago. The airstrip now had a small control tower. Fields of solar panels spread to the east and several large wind turbines dotted the field. Anubis picked out the hospital, and the comms facility was easy to spot with the array of antennas and security fencing around it.

"Park over there." He directed Asp to the closest parking lot. He'd start at the hospital. Doctor Cassidy would be able to tell him how Kadey was and where he could find his woman. Asp followed him up the stairs and into the hospital. There wasn't a waiting area, just a long hall that housed the doc's, PT's, and pharmacist's offices. Anubis walked down the hall until he reached the office door that proclaimed Doctor Cassidy's name. He knuckled the doorframe and waited.

"He's on rounds. Can I help you? I'm Doctor King." Anubis and Asp turned at her voice. The curvy red-head smiled at them.

"I'm looking for my daughter. Kadey…" Fuck, he didn't know if Sky had used the alias or not.

"Oh."

That single word brought Anubis to high alert. He snapped his head toward the doctor. "Is she alright?"

"Oh, she's fine, but she's not here anymore."

"Excuse the fuck out of me?" Anubis growled the response at the woman. Asp put his hand on Anubis's arm. He shrugged it off.

The woman straightened her back and lifted her hand. "Don't. Don't use that tone with me. I'm not the one responsible for Sky and Kadey leaving."

"Then who is?" Anubis would find the fucker and take him out.

"I believe that would be you." Zane's voice shattered the tense moment.

Anubis spun on his heel. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"When was the last time you talked to Sky?" Zane crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Anubis.

"What the fuck does it matter to you?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter to me. It mattered to Sky. She assumed that you did what you always do, that you left her… again."

Asp sucked his teeth and shook his head. "Fuck, that's brutal, brother. He's been cleaning shit up so they could have a life."

Zane turned on Asp. "You are supposed to be on domestic R&R. I don't want to know how you know that."

Asp smiled at Zane-a wide smile filled with white teeth. "Then don't ask."

"Shut the fuck up!" Anubis cut the banter with his words. "Where is Sky?"

"Don't know. She borrowed a vehicle and cash, and she left. Three days ago."

Anubis snapped his mouth shut. She'd left and taken Kadey with her. He nodded his head. "It's for the best. They don't need me."

"Bullshit," That was the red-headed doctor. "Men. Are you all fucking idiots? Pull your head out of your ass before you lose that woman." She turned on her heel and headed down the hall, disappearing into an office. A loud slam of the office door put a period on her angry statement.

"She's right," Zane confirmed the woman's comments.

"Who the fuck is she because daaamn. All those curves. Oh, how I'd like to know them up close and personal." Asp looked down the hall after the woman.

"That is Fury's wife, so stand down, stupid," Zane growled.

"Wait? What? Fury's dead."

"You want to test that theory?" Zane arched his eyebrow in a challenge.

"Ahhh… that would be a no." Asp put his hands in his pockets like a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar. Reprimanded but still wanting the treat.

Anubis had enough of the bullshit and took off down the hall. He needed to get away from people. He had to think. Asp's footsteps beside him brought him to a halt. "I need some time."

"Cool. I'll keep my mouth shut, but I'm not leaving you alone, or you'll do something stupid, and then I'll have to fucking clean it up."

Anubis glared at the man.

Asp shrugged his shoulders, his hands still in his pockets as he spoke, "Don't try to deny it."

"Fine. We passed a bar in the small town before we turned off to the ranch, I'm going there, and I'm getting drunk."

"Right, because you should be getting drunk instead of finding out where she went."

Anubis stopped and turned on Asp. "I have ways of making you shut up."

"Pshhh… you love me, but what's more important is you love that woman and your daughter. If it were me, I'd be calling in every favor I'd ever accrued. Hell, you don't even have to do that. All you have to do is ask Alpha to let you use Guardian's resources."

"Right, like he'd let me do that."

"I would."

Anubis closed his eyes and then opened them to glare at Asp. The shit-eating grin on the man's face proved the motherfucker knew Alpha was standing behind him the entire time.

"See how fucked up this has you? You didn't even hear him coming down a gravel path. You need to find her and settle this one way or the other. At least you'd know that she isn't running away from you before you can run away from her."

"What the fuck does that even mean?" Anubis swung to include Alpha in the conversation. Jacob King's expression was hard to read, and that was never good.

"I think he's trying to convince you she bailed on you before you could bail on her again." Alpha looked at Asp. "Food-that way." He pointed toward another building, and Asp spun on his heel, abandoning both of them without another word. Asp whistled as he walk-ran to the promise of food.

"Come with me."

Anubis watched as the man did an about-face with every expectation that Anubis would follow. He rolled his shoulders and groaned inwardly. He needed five minutes of peace and quiet to figure out what the fuck he should be doing, but it didn't look like that was going to happen anytime soon.

He followed his boss into the comms facility and processed in through security. He trailed Alpha into a large conference room and glared at Bengal. His woman was sitting beside him. He'd seen them together when he'd been given Boa's assignment. Fuck, that seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Sit your ass down." Alpha plopped into a chair and grabbed the nearby bag of chocolate. He poured a few of the mini-bars into his hand and tossed the bag back to his sister. Bengal reached down to the chair beside him and produced a tin of nuts and a bottle of water. "Dinner will be cooked by my mother, from food raised on this ranch. It will be safe for you to eat." Alpha unwrapped a piece of chocolate and popped it in his mouth. "Faas died. Yesterday."

Anubis nodded. The man hung on longer than he'd expected.

"Why use Polonium 210?" Zane spoke as his eyes focused on a tablet in front of him.

"If your woman was targeted for assassination and your child was to be used as bait to lure you out, what method of death would you have used?" Anubis asked.

"I would have peeled his skin off, one inch at a time." Bengal growled as he grasped Jewell's hand, "but I wouldn't have risked radiation exposure to others and myself."

"There was little to no risk. The limo had a rear ventilation system, and the driver was using it. I'm well versed in security precautions. It was the most miserable death I could imagine for the bastard."

"We are considering that kill as a mission, so standard protocols will be in place. You've had two dossiers now without going through a go/no-go evaluation. You'll stay here until you've met our requirements."

Anubis stared at his boss. He wanted to rage at the order, to tell the man to go screw himself. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair instead. His anger at having his hands tied hinged on the fact he wouldn't be able to go after Sky and Kadey. His brain told him that letting them go, forever, was exactly what he should do. Then why the fuck did he want to tear down the building they were sitting in with a sledgehammer? Anubis dipped his head once, acknowledging Alpha's command.

Zane cleared his throat and pushed a folder across the table. Anubis flicked a look at Alpha and pulled the folder to him. He'd just been told he wasn't going out on any other missions until he had his fucking psych eval done, so what the fuck was this?

He lifted the cover and glanced at the top page. He looked up, his eyes shifting between Alpha and Bengal before he pulled the folder in front of him and read the words again. Alpha was restructuring the Shadow World operation. There were three positions that worked directly under Alpha. Bengal's name filled one block. The line of authority under his name ran through several people with CCS under their names. Computer specialists no doubt. Bengal would also be in charge of all the administrative functions, although Anubis had no idea what that would entail for an organization that didn't actually exist.

The second line of authority led to twelve boxes. He recognized Asp's control number. His wasn't included in the diagram. The line of authority also trailed through several blank boxes that had Logistics placed in the duty position.

The third line of authority under Alpha was one block. It was marked as the Architect. All the other lines of authority had broken lines between the leads and the down channel personnel showing a cross-management function. The identity of the Architect was a closely guarded secret, for obvious reasons. Who the fuck wouldn't want to know every deep cover identity and alias for all of Guardian? Hell, it was rumored the Architect performed duties for other agencies, too. The man was a priceless asset.

Anubis closed the cover over the paperwork and leaned back in his chair, waiting for someone to tell him what the fuck was going on. Alpha popped another piece of chocolate into his mouth and pointed to the folder. "I want to know if you would be interested in heading up the personnel and logistics section of the Shadow World. I can't do it all anymore. Zane was brought on to CCS and has made a case for the need for better management of the assets we have assigned. You'd be here at the complex. He'd be in D.C. You'd travel as needed."

Anubis glanced at Bengal and then to his woman. She was busy scrolling through her tablet, ignoring the entire conversation. Bengal leveled his gaze and waited. Anubis leaned forward and placed his forearms on the table. "Why me?"

Alpha reached for another piece of candy. "You are one of the most experienced Shadow Operatives I have. I've never worked in the shadows. I'll be the first to admit I run a blind operation in several areas and that shit needs to stop now." He waved a finger between Bengal and Anubis. "Having you two available will streamline the red tape of building dossiers and assigning them to the correct skillset after they are coded. Gabriel, Archangel and I have been considering the benefits of teaming up our assets. For certain cases, joining the assets makes the most sense. You would be responsible for making that work."

"You'd be able to stay in the shadows, but walk in the light." Bengal tossed the final salvo over the bow.

Anubis shook his head. "I'd like to say yes, but I need to take care of something first." He shifted his eyes to his boss.

"Thank fuck, finally. Jewell?" Alpha looked at his sister.

"I can find her. She has Keelee Cassidy's truck. It could take a while and one hell of an algorithm, but in reality, a nation-wide system to link all the traffic cameras so law enforcement can track scum from municipality to interstate to municipality, is long overdue. The parameters and inclusionary data are overwhelming. Some systems are incompatible with our hosting platform so there will be gaps, but the concept is exciting, and the applications for law enforcement will enhance current capabilities exponentially. Fortunately, I won't need any of that because Keelee Cassidy put a tracking device in the SUV."

Anubis cut his eyes to Bengal. The big guy smiled indulgently at the woman who didn't even seem to register anyone else was in the room. Her fingers flew over the tablet, and she mumbled something before she grabbed one of the many pencils that stuck out of her messy up-do.

"Do you think she'll go back to California?" Bengal's question redirected his attention from the man's hot mess of a fiancée. Thank god he didn't have to understand what the woman said.

Anubis considered Bengal's question for a moment. "Maybe, but other than a house, there is nothing left for her there. If she hasn't been fired, she will be. She was trying to track me down and used the DA's assets without approval. I need to call in some favors to get any charges against her dropped."

"I'll call Jared and Nic. They can clear that up with one call." Alpha grabbed another piece of candy.

"Thank you. I know she'd probably want to make a fresh start, but I have no idea where she'd go."

"Family?" Bengal pulled out his tablet, and he and his woman tapped away at the faces of their electronics.

"Mother's dead. She's been estranged from her father. No other relatives." At least none that he knew about.

"Okay." Jewell glanced up at her brother. "Permission to cross a few boundaries in the name of the greater good?"

Jacob snorted. "Like you've ever asked before. Just don't get me fired."

"Again." Jewell and Zane both commented at the same time.

Jacob flipped them off, stood up and stretched. "Go check in and get a bunk. They'll figure out where your family is located."

"Hey, it could take a hot minute. This program is massive. Don't get me wrong, we're good, but dude, we are talking about an effort that could take months." Jewell looked up from her tablet when she spoke. "We can't trace the truck. I checked that already. It is too old, and doesn't have GPS tracking. Of course, I'll be running every other program I can think of to find her, we'll monitor financials, social media, cell phone contracts, law enforcement, hospital, and social security numbers… we won't just wait until we get this program done."

Anubis nodded and gave the woman a genuine smile. "I know you are very good at what you do. Thank you for the effort you're about to expend on my behalf."

Bengal's woman blushed and dipped her head. "You're welcome."

Alpha gathered the wrappers off the table. "Get on Doctor Wheeler's calendar; tell him I want your evaluation done ASAP."

"Roger that, sir." Anubis stood as he spoke.

Alpha reached out his hand. Anubis clasped it. "Welcome to the back office."

"Thank you, sir. For everything."

"Meh, I'll make sure to make you pay for it… eventually." Alpha cuffed him on the shoulder and headed out the door. "Oh, dinner is at six thirty, sharp. Main ranch house. Don't be late or my stepfather will have a cow. That is something you don't want to see. Bring Asp. I want to see the man explode when he tries to out eat Double D." The door closed behind the man as he laughed.

Anubis turned to Bengal. "Who or what in the hell is a Double D?"

"The guys that run the training side of this complex. Dixon and Drake. They're called the Wonder Twins or Double D. They fly anything that has wings or a rotary blade, are experts in demolitions, and are the brains behind the solar and turbine power that keep this entire facility off the grid."

"Damn. That's impressive." Was he in over his head, or what?

"They've been with Alpha since the beginning. You'll get to know the main players. Chief runs the complex from a management and logistical standpoint. Adam Cassidy runs the medical facilities, although he has a large staff of experts working with him. You'll have three facilities here, and we'll get into that tomorrow. For now, go get bunked, find Asp before he eats his way through South Dakota, and both of you get on the doctor's calendar. We have one hell of a lot of work to do and a dossier that we believe the combined council will drop within the next twenty-four hours. I'm going to need your help until we find your lady."

Anubis nodded, trying to take in the major league shift his world had taken in the last fifteen minutes. "I'm not sure I'm the person you need for this job."

"Why's that?"

"Those people in the field depend on Guardian to keep them safe. Their very existence is on the line every day they are hunting a dossier. The smallest thing could jeopardize their lives." Things that would seem inconsequential to most people. The wrong intel on known associates, a lapse in the Shadow's background or even a change to the target's inner circle could start ripple effects that could be deadly to the Shadow working the dossier.

"How many administrative types in this organization would know what those small things are?" Zane leaned back in his chair and put his arm around his woman's shoulders. She didn't even acknowledge he was there but just kept working on her tablet, apparently oblivious to the conversation around her.

Anubis pushed his chair in and leaned on the back of it as he regarded Bengal and his woman. Since Alpha had asked, and Bengal thought he could do the job, he'd go all in and fucking work his ass off to be what they needed. Although he still wasn't convinced he'd make the impact they seemed to expect.

"Alright."

A shit eating grin spread across Bengal's face as his fingers threaded through the hair that had fallen across his woman's shoulder. She glanced over at him and smiled before her electronics once again consumed her attention.

Anubis felt a rush of longing. He wanted what they had. He wanted to be able to have a relationship with Sky, to share a simple look, a touch, or even a smile. The question was would she want that with him? He extended his hand to Bengal. "I'm still not calling you Zane."