Chapter Thirteen – Arabella
Breathe in. Breathe out. Feel nothing.
Arabella sat cross-legged in the center of the cave that Grayson had picked out for them. This wasn't exactly a smooth, 'hidden in the shadows' sort of move she usually liked to make, but what other choice did they have? Nerves flowed through her like a tumultuous river. She knew what she was going to have to do. Give her a clean bullet through the head – instant death – any day. But that wouldn’t help them now.
The situation demanded information. And information demanded torture – or at least the threat of it. It depended on how much the target resisted.
Breathe in. Focus. He is not a man. He is an obstacle. His eyes are empty. There is no soul inside.
She let her nerves flow out into the bedrock beneath her. Her pounding heart slowed until it was beating one great thump every few seconds. Emotion drained from her body.
A thump behind her told her that Grayson landed and the curses from the man in his talons told her his mission had been successful.
When she opened her eyes, she didn't look at the man, his face white, terror and fury mingled in his expression. He wasn't a man. He was a way to complete the mission. Senator Jeremy White stumbled forward, still shouting curses. A ham sandwich was still clutched in his hand, a large mustard splotch on his white shirt.
Arabella unfolded her limbs and stood.
"You'll go to jail for this, Alexander!" the senator shouted at Grayson. "I'll make sure you never see the light of day again after this!"
"Good evening, Senator," Arabella said, her voice low and calm. She ignored Grayson's presence. If she looked at him, all of her emotion would come flooding back. She couldn't have emotions right now. She picked up a whip and wrapped it around her hands. "Take a seat."
She pointed at the chair waiting for him to be chained into.
The senator looked at her as though she was crazy. "Who are you?"
Arabella smiled at him. "I'm the person you hired to steal Grayson Alexander's children. You may be wondering why I'm here, then. The rules have been changed and my colleague decided she was going to take over. Now, I can't have that, and you are going to help me find her."
White's face lived up to his name. It was as pale as the clouds outside. "I don't know what you are talking about."
"We saw a video of little Olivia sent by my former colleague. She was bound by a man's suit tie. A green tie. Exactly like the one you wore when you were sworn in as the senator. I remembered an interview that you did when you mentioned it was a handmade gift from your wife . . . " Arabella tilted her head to one side and gave him a small smile. "How did you explain it to her that you no longer had it?"
The senator pulled himself up, swelling like an angry toad. "Look here, I don't know who you are or what you think I've done, but if you don't let me go right now—"
Arabella flicked the whip out. It cut through the senator's clothes, leaving a welt behind. No skin was broken, but it was painful nonetheless. Whips were a bit messy for her liking, but these were desperate times. She pointed at the chair. He sat, whimpering and looking at her with renewed fear. She quickly chained him into place and pulled off his shoes and socks. Making a big show out of choosing a pair of pliers, she knelt before him, still smiling.
She only hoped that he didn't end up being more iron-willed than he looked.
Release emotion, she ordered herself, and let the rising dread be washed away.
"Tell me where the twins are, or I start ripping pieces off your body," she said.
Sweat blossomed over his face.
Arabella clamped the pliers over his pinky toe.
"Don't!" The senator wiggled in the chair. "Don't! I don't know where they are. I never hired anybody. Some crazy woman came to my home and said that the mining companies I'm working for hired her to kidnap the kids to make Alexander back off from politics and unless I wanted my involvement in their activities made public, I'd help. But I didn't hire her, I swear!"
"If you didn't hire us, who did? What corporation?"
"I don't know. All I did was help her to get her out of my house. I've made some less than legal deals with companies over the years, and I'll be ruined if they came to light. I would never have put those children in danger, but she threatened me and my wife. What could I do?"
Grayson snarled. Arabella held a hand out towards him, stopping him from entering.
The senator inhaled deeply and continued. "That crazy woman had the children. She made me help her tie them up and . . . they weren't hurt when I saw them, I swear. I haven't heard anything from her since."
Arabella removed the pliers. Grayson huffed angrily behind her, but she continued to ignore him. The senator panted heavily, sweat trailing down his ashen face. Reactions that couldn't be faked. He seemed to be telling the truth . . .
"But you have a way to contact her?"
The senator moaned but nodded. "She told me that another woman would come asking about her. I guess it was you. Her number's in my phone."
Arabella dropped the pliers and fished the senator's phone from his suit jacket. A large dark spot was rapidly spreading from his crotch. Yuck. Arabella rolled her eyes and unlocked the phone with one guess (his election date) and scrolled through the numbers until she found Kennedy's own. Arabella’s cold, emotionless façade crumbled rapidly and her heart started to pound again as she dialed.
"Hello, sister," Kennedy drawled when she answered. "It's so good to hear from you."
"If you've harmed those children—"
"They're fine," Kennedy interrupted. "They're sleeping right now. You took longer to find me than I thought you would. Almost thought you might actually be dead. But you're alive and kicking. Shame. If you were dead, I'd give the kids back to Grayson as soon as I got my money."
"You'll get your money," Arabella interrupted.
Kennedy laughed. "I want you dead more."
Arabella glanced at Grayson for the first time. He was still in his Dragon form and his eyes were anxiously fixed on her. She took a deep breath and looked away. "We can arrange that. You can even do it yourself. As soon as the twins are back safely, I'll make sure you get what you want."
There was the briefest of pauses. "So easily? Do you really care about them that much? Or . . . are you just saying that? Did the organization tell you to kill me?"
"No, but they are going to kill you. You had to know they would before you started this."
Kennedy laughed again, this time the sound bitter. "They already have killed me. I got radiation poisoning on my last mission. I'm dead by the end of the year. I just want to make sure to take you, Miss Emotional Golden Girl, with me."
"It's a deal, then," Arabella replied coldly. "As long as the twins aren't hurt. If they are? Then I will make you suffer. I'll make you wish you were never born."
Kennedy hung up without replying.
Arabella closed the phone. "Let's get this waste of air to a jailhouse," she said, not looking at Grayson. "And then let's get your children back."
***
Grayson finished double-counting the money and stuffed the last bills into a duffle bag. Arabella strapped the bullet-proof vest around Henry's torso, trying to keep her face blank. This whole plan was risky, but what choice did they have? Kennedy was out of control. Who knew when the organization would come in and take her out?
"If we found Kennedy's connection with the senator, so can they," she mumbled. "Although they might not be able to get at him in a shifter jail. I don't know."
"Take the money in and get back," Grayson said, ignoring Arabella's words as he focused on Henry. "Don't stick around chatting. Understood?"
"Aye, aye captain," Henry said with a small grin.
Arabella opened her mouth to scold the dragon for being so casual but stopped herself. She could see the sweat beading his brow and the slight shake of his hands. Kennedy had called again to demand that Henry, not Grayson, make the money drop. Arabella guessed it was because of Henry's state of health. He was weak for a Dragon and thus was less of a threat.
"The vest will protect you a bit if she decides to shoot," Arabella said, finishing securing the vest. "But if you see a gun, run. We were always taught to aim for the head. There's nothing to protect you if you get shot in the skull. This is a risky move."
"Right." Henry glanced at her. "And trusting the kidnapper-assassin isn't risky at all."
A spike of annoyance went through her, though she knew she didn't have any reason to be so annoyed at his lack of trust. He was quite right and the whole stupid situation only proved it. If it wasn't for her, the twins would have been home safe with their father . . . or would they? If the organization had sent somebody else, that person might not have developed these feelings and then where would the twins be?
Doesn't matter. Right now I am to blame for their current situation, and I have to get them back.
"How do we know she's still not in on it?" Henry asked, repeating the accusation he'd brought up since they came to him with the plan.
"You don't," Arabella said shortly. "But what do you want to do, wait for me to fetch the Golden Fleece to prove I'm on your side while Olivia and Hudson are kidnapped? I love those children. I would die to make sure they get back safely."
And the way things were heading, she would.
"Henry, I've had enough of your paranoia," Grayson said, his voice calm. "This is our best chance at getting the twins back. Now let's go."
Arabella opened her mouth, looking at Grayson's departing back. There was so much she wanted to be able to tell him . . . but right now, she had no right. Holstering a gun at her thigh, she followed after him, Henry taking up the rear.