“Stand the fuck up, Kilbrook.” Major’s tone had that eerie quality when he voiced someone.
Craig unbuckled and stood, holding his arms out. Tabitha unboxed the scanner, turned it on, and waved it over Craig’s body. When she ran the device over his back, it beeped at a point just below his waistband. “Godsdamnit. We’re going to have to cut it out.”
“What? No!” Craig tried to back away from Tabitha, but Major was in the way. “There’s no way someone installed something in my body without me knowing it. The scanner must be faulty. No one would…”
“No one would what?” Tabitha returned the scanner to its container, tossing it in her duffel.
Craig stumbled to the nearest seat, rubbing his hands over his face. “I don’t believe it.”
After Major explained the situation to Mason, he demanded, “Tell us what the fuck you’re going on about,” Major demanded.
“About a week before I was due in Atlanta, I was told one of my vaccine’s had expired, so I went in to my regular doctor to get one. One of his nurse practitioners gave me the shot. Instead of giving it to me in my ass cheek, it was higher on my back. When I complained about the location, she just shrugged it off. Fuck.”
“We need the name of your doctor so the Trio can—”
“Buckle up,” Gage announced. “I’m going to land on a two-lane. The local police have blocked the road off.” Tabitha and Major took their seats, and all three of them strapped in.
“As soon as we land, you need to put the prosthetic on. No need for the locals to get wind of who’s on board.” Tabitha turned her focus to the ground. Several police vehicles along with firetrucks waited below, their red and blue lights flashing in the dark. It was a testamentto Gabe’s abilities that the jet wasn’t tilting to the side with less weight, and the landing on the road was as smooth as could be, considering. The small plane lurched forward as Gabe applied the brakes, and they all had to brace themselves as their bodies jerked with the momentum. Tabitha could fly a plane if she had to, but she was thankful she wasn’t the one in the pilot’s seat.
When the jet came to a stop, Tabitha told Craig, “Put your mask on.”
Craig didn’t argue for once. By the time Gabe had the door open and the steps lowered, Craig’s identity was hidden. EMTs were waiting for them as they descended the steps, but they all assured them they were fine, thanks to their pilot. It was a good thing Craig had his mask, since a local news van had arrived with the first responders, even though they were near a small town in the middle of Georgia. Tabitha used her shifter sight but couldn’t see any large buildings in the distance. The firemen got busy working to contain the spilled fuel, and the police spread out, keeping anyone but first responders out of the area.
One of the deputies approached them. He kept his voice lowered and leaned in. “I’m here to get you to safety.”
Tabitha’s Goyle prickled with unease. “I appreciate that, but we have someone coming to pick us up.”
“I must insist. With everything going on, you don’t know who to trust.” He narrowed his eyes, looking around. “Where is Kilbrook?”
Tabitha latched onto Major’s hand and whispered, “Use your voice.”
“Kilbrook is on his way to Hawaii. The contract isclosed. You will leave immediately, and when you go back home, you will tell your handler Kilbrook wasn’t on the plane, and then you’ll find another job that doesn’t involve killing people.”
The cop went from threatening to complicit. “Right.” He sauntered off, past the other officers, and got into a personal car instead of an official one.
“We have got to get the chip removed. Now,” Tabitha said.
“I don’t think EMTs carry sutures on their rigs,” Major reminded her.
Tabitha’s phone buzzed. Seeing it was Mason, Tabitha stepped away from Gabe who was speaking to the real deputies.
“Hey, Boss.”
“Report.”
“Craig had a tracker inserted in his back without his knowledge. Someone posing as a cop showed up and demanded we come with him. Major voiced the man, so that’s one less assassin we need to worry about, but as long as Cabretti has the device that tracks Craig, we’re going to continue to encounter mercenaries.”
“I’m sending Warren and Barrett. Warren is bringing the helo, and Barrett is driving. I’ll have Barrett swing by Andrew’s clinic and get what he needs to remove the tracker and stitch Craig up. Once there, they’ll deal with the locals so Gabe can leave the scene. When you’re certain there aren’t any more trackers, you’ll be safe to fly out of there without being followed. Bring the bird back to the airport you left from and use the other jet.”
“You’re positive we won’t encounter any more mercenaries? This getting shot at is no fun, Mason.”
“I’m positive. Cailín and I are waiting here for you, but if we do run into trouble, I’ll radio you so you can pivot. Warren should be there in the next twenty minutes or so.”
“Okay. We’ll see you soon. Hopefully.”
With the prosthetic in place, the news crew focused on the plane since there was no one “famous” on board the jet that had made an emergency landing.
Warren landed in a nearby field, then joined Gabe where he was still speaking with the police. It took Barrett longer since he was driving and had to go back to the clinic for supplies. When he did arrive, Major joined Gabe to provide a distraction while Tabitha took Craig to the SUV. They went to the far side for privacy. Craig didn’t fuss much when the large Goyle removed the tracker and stitched him up.
