Kai

 

“Hold on a second,” Balt interrupted. “That’s quite a leap for the TLO to take – after, what nearly fifteen years of laying low? They’re going to throw that out the window? For what?”

“Yes, it what could be more important than keeping their secret?” my father asked dryly.

Not what, I realized. Who.

Isla.

Her name hit me like a battering ram to the chest. Clenching my fists on my knees, I stared down at them as my mind began to race. Piper had said that Isla was special to the TLO.

Hunter had to have recognized Piper during Isla’s extrication.

They must have been following my sister this whole time, waiting for her to make a mistake…

Swallowing hard, I glanced up at Balt and tried to gauge whether his line of thinking mirrored mine. But his eyes were closed, shadowed deeply in his wan face. He wasn’t thinking about Isla or the TLO’s motives any more than he had to. All of his focus centered on Piper.

I’d never seen Balt like this before, with anger and agony eating him away. Earlier, he’d gone off on a young SoA agent, to the point where I had to lead him into a corner and calm him down before he pounded the kid. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d seen him so angry – raging like a bull, breathing heavy and eyes darting around. It was unnerving and for about the millionth time that day, I wished Piper was there.

Even though he’d lashed out at that kid, I knew the anger was directed inwards. He was blaming himself, caught in a cycle of grief and self-laceration.

Later, we’d been driving and Balt had ascertained that theory. He’d been staring straight ahead, his hands knotted on the wheel and knuckles white. “I’m going to kill Hale Hunter. Tear him apart with my bare hands.” A bitter laugh escaped him. “To think I pulled back Piper all those years ago? I should have let her destroy him. And I should have been with her that night – letting her go alone to the airport, what was I thinking – what kind of a fool am I?”

Sitting next to him, all I could think was, how blind am I?

I’d honestly believed Isla was imagining things and now that I could see how much Balt cared for my sister, it was messing with my head. To me, Piper and Balt were a team, best friends, and nothing more. It made me wonder how many other blind spots I was toting around unawares.

Listen to Isla more, hm? Said a calm and certain voice in my head.

Taking a deep breath, I looked up and over at Isla. When our eyes met, I reached for her hand and squeezed it. She knew. And like Balt, she was blaming herself.

“I think the answer is right here,” she said quietly, looking over at Balt.

Balt heaved a loud breath, opening his eyes and focusing on Isla blearily. “What?”

“Why did the TLO take such a vested interest in me?

Sitting up straighter, Balt shrugged and said, “No idea.”

“No?” Isla pressed. “Or you won’t tell me?”

My eyes flicked back and forth between Isla and Balt. Again, I wished Piper was there if only to see a Balt-Isla standoff. There was something comical about it, yet I also suddenly felt like I was missing something or I'd figure out something I couldn't explain. Piper would know, though.

“Isla–” Balt started to say, his face twisting in frustration.

“They exhausted all their resources,” Isla said. “So, they went straight to the source.”

Balt sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes cleared and he finally put two-and-two together.

He glanced at me, then, the concerned look of an elder sibling. It was history repeating itself, in a warped way. Yet, once again, the TLO had timed their torture perfectly.

“You think they took Piper to find you, Isla?” my father asked. She looked surprised he'd caught on so quickly but nodded. "Why now, though? Usually, they are so patient–" Suddenly he stopped and looked at me and Balt. "It's within the week, isn't it?"

“What is?” Isla asked quickly.

Avoiding Isla’s eyes, I nodded and Balt groaned, muttering in Greek, sounding like he was both complaining and contemplating.

“Damn it all to hell,” my father said, standing up and pacing over to the liquor cabinet. Pulling out a bottle of Brennivín, Icelandic liquor that could make a dinosaur drunk, he poured himself a glass and downed it. “We need to move fast.”

“Is anyone going to tell me what is going on?” Isla demanded. “Piper risked her life to help me and her job, too, right?” Balt winced and avoided her eyes. “Let me help. Make a trade–”

“No.”

Balt had gotten the word out before I could – a single, shaking syllable of freezing intensity.

“Why not?” Isla asked, twisting her hands into her hair. “Piper is in trouble.”

Gratitude poured through me as Balt’s lips pressed into a thin line. “No trades. For one thing, Piper would never agree to it. She’d lose her mind if after everything she’d done to keep you safe – to keep Kai safe – was lost like that.” He snapped his fingers. “For another, she’d kill me.”

“I have to do something for Piper,” Isla cried, almost rising to her feet. “This is my–”

“No, Isla,” I interrupted, squeezing her hand and stopping her. “You don’t have to do anything. Trust me, Piper is not the kind of person who expects anything in return.”

“In fact, she often resents you for thinking of doing something for her, never mind doing it,” Balt said, his tone affectionate. “You can’t win with her.”

“It’s true,” my father added.

“Well, do any of you have a better idea?” Isla was now glaring at the ceiling, but she hadn’t let go of my hand, and then she looked down. “Also, what is going on within a week?”

At that moment, there was a clattering in the front hall and we all turned to see Soraya striding in with pizza boxes and a smile on her face. As usual, she was dressed to kill and from the small smirk on her face, I’d a feeling she’d put some fool in his place for daring to speak to her.

“Y’all do not look happy to see me,” Soraya announced as she dropped the boxes. “C’mere, cuz, give me a hug.” I stood up and she squeezed me tightly, whispering in my ear, “Don’t worry, Kai-Kai, it’s going to okay. Piper is probably eating their livers as we speak.”

A laugh popped out of me. Soraya always knew how to make me laugh. As kids, she’d been the one to persuade Piper to let the younger siblings and cousins tag along. She’d also been the one to read us stories, sneak us snacks, and tickle us.

Technically, she was the oldest on our mother’s side, having six months on Piper, but she always shared that role with Piper. And while Soraya did have a softer maternal streak than Piper – both of them had that killer mother bear instinct.

“Enele will be so sad to have missed you. He’s in India. No, Australia. Somewhere in the Pacific,” Soraya was saying as she swooped around to give Balt a kiss on the head. Then she began pulling plates down and ushering my dad back to the table. “Let’s eat,” she ordered. “Then we’ll come up with a game plan. No one can think on an empty stomach.

Everyone nodded. We all knew better than to disagree with her, even Isla. But once the pizza was respectably depleted, she pushed her plate away and glared at Balt.

“Tell me,” she said in a low voice.

"Isla," Balt said his voice kind. "I know that while you are here and you want to help, you are not a SoA agent. You don't have the skills or training. And, you are what the TLO wants – what they are risking everything to get.”

“Oh, you think DeLuca is the reason behind TLO nabbing Piper? That’s what I walked in on.” Soraya wiped her mouth with a napkin and shrugged. “I mean, maybe. Or maybe they want us to think that.”

“What makes you say that?” Isla asked, turning to her.

Soraya gave Isla a smile, then winked at me. It was so subtle, I doubted anyone else saw it, but I instantly understood. She wanted to mislead Isla, calm her down and get her to comply.

“I mean, the TLO’s motives have baffled us for over a decade. Yes, Piper was involved with the DeLuca extrication, but so was Balt, so was I and about a dozen other agents. Why snatch the best? I think they’re still after Isla for sure. But I think there’s a bigger fish waiting to be fried.” Leaning back, Soraya interlaced her fingers under her chin, rings winking in the light and her face became serious. “For instance, this could be scare tactics…”

“Scare tactics?” Balt asked dubiously.

“Sure. We snatched your lovely dragoness director. What else are we capable of?”

“Soraya has a point, Balt,” my father said, catching on as well.

Balt nodded slowly. “True. In that case, perhaps we should also focus on moving Isla to a safer location a higher priority.” My heart sank, but I did agree. “Soraya, I’m assigning you.”

“Fine with me,” Soraya said equably.

“Japan is still a good option, I think,” I said.

“Are you coming?” Soraya asked me.

“Of course, he is,” Balt said immediately. “You can’t help, Kai, I’m sorry.”

Before I could process that, Isla spoke up. “Do I get a say in this? I don’t want to go. I want to help. Even if I have to do something tedious – shuffling papers, making phone calls… Please.”

Soraya put an arm around her. “I get it, honey. But like Balt said, you’re not trained for this.”

Isla looked down at her lap and nodded. “In that case, I think I’ll go to bed. I’m still pretty jet-lagged. Good night.”

Watching her leave, my chest went tight. She didn’t even spare me a glance.

“Kai,” Soraya said into the silence.

"Yeah, what?" I asked I said, turning back to the table.

Balt was glaring at me and my father shook his head. “Go after her, son. Now.”

“I think she needs space,” I said with a sigh.

“Get your ass up there or I will move it up there for you,” Balt barked and I hastily got to my feet. As I walked out of the kitchen, I heard Soraya snickering faintly and when I glanced back, even Balt and my father were smiling somewhat.

Piper would be glad to see you all have your sense of humor intact, I thought, half-sourly, half-affectionately, as I climbed the stairs.

Piper, who should have been sitting there instead of me.

I closed my eyes as I got the top step and took a steadying breath. Piper, who risked everything without hesitation. Whose grit and impatience belied her fierce love and loyalty.

I knew where Isla was coming from. After all, I’d once been in her position.

Only because I hadn’t told Isla everything, I couldn’t tell her so.

It was almost pathetically funny how I kept digging myself into the same hole.