Page 42 of Dark Flame

“I think that’s it,” said Garrett. “I think if you think about it as white noise, it doesn’t come through so loud. It will take practice, but we’ll be able to get better at it.”

“Good. That’s good,” he said, nodding. “Now, Karena Viskoff.”

There were moans, and he could sense the tension beginning to rise again with the group.

“I have her last known whereabouts,” said Spook. “I traced her through the phones of our friends from a few weeks ago. She was in a small villa in Baja, California, and she wasn’t far from there when Groome met his fate.”

“Security?”

“Top notch. Cameras, sensors, armed guards, all around the clock,” said Spook. “I can tap into the feeds of the cameras if I can get close enough, or if someone is inside the compound with a phone I can tap into.”

“No, that’s too dangerous,” said Kane. “I don’t want to risk anyone’s life if we don’t have to, and I certainly don’t want to get any closer than we absolutely have to.”

“She doesn’t know about me,” said a small voice at the back of the grove. “She doesn’t know I exist.”

Kelly Bellum, Uri’s daughter, stood wringing her hands. Juan started to say something, but Uri stood, heading off his daughter.

“No! You will not be involved in this!” cried Uri, moving toward his daughter. Her sweet eighteen-year-old face was filled with innocence and fear, but he also saw something he’d hoped would wait a bit – courage.

“Daddy, I’m already involved. I was involved from the moment I was exposed. I can help, but more importantly, I want to help. No one will see me, and I know that all of them will be there to protect me if I need them.”

“Kelly…” he said in a pained voice. “Kelly, I can’t; I can’t let you; I can’t lose you.”

“Daddy, you won’t lose me. I’m eighteen years old, Daddy. I know what I’m doing. I can get in and get access for Spook.”

“Oh God,” cried Uri under his breath, “I-I just don’t…”

“Kelly,” said Kane, “this is no game. It’s highly dangerous. If you’re caught, we may not be able to get to you in time. I appreciate what you’re saying, but I think we use you as a last resource.”

The young girl stood tall and nodded, willing to accept their leader’s advice.

“I know. But I also know that if I don’t do this, none of us may have time. I don’t want to live my life on the run. I want to go to college, get married, and have a family. I can’t do that if Karena Viskoff is alive.”

Uri swallowed the sobs that were building in his throat. His little girl was growing up, and she was doing what he failed to do, protect.

Melanie stood beside her husband, a single tear sliding down her cheek. She squeezed Uri’s hand and smiled up at him.

“That’s our daughter. Isn’t she amazing?” she said comfortingly. Uri nodded.

“Alright, let’s make a plan,” said Kane. “This will most likely involve everyone on the team. If we can’t stop Viskoff, we will never be able to live normal lives or help others. I’m open to suggestions, everyone. I’m not the expert here, but I think it’s the right idea to track her down.”

“But how do we do that?” asked Nat. “I mean, we have no clue, other than the brief description of her new looks, what she looks like now.”

“We know her general last known location. From that, I’m trying to track her down now,” said Spook. “If I can find her at an ATM, a grocery store, anywhere where there is access to a video camera, I can get a photo of her. I know that she’s taken some of the funds from the accounts she stole, but I can’t seem to follow the trail right now.”

“Do you think she knows about you and your abilities?” asked Flip.

“I don’t know, man,” said Spook, raking his hand through his loose hair. “I mean, she read all the files at some point, but my file didn’t have everything in it. Besides, although she’s not terribly old, she may not remember everything. I think she’s just being careful.”

“I would agree with that,” said Kane. “Spook? You keep us informed on where you believe she might be. Hawke? Just how far can you… I mean the hawk… Damn! You know what I mean. How far?”

“The bird can fly any distance it normally would, and I can see everything it sees. Once I connect with the hawk or eagle, it’s fairly easy for me to continue the connection.” He smiled at Kane and nodded.

“Okay, find a bird, a strong one that would not be out of place in Baja, and make that connection. The direction we want it to go is the Baja area, so it would need to be able to fly exceptionally long distances. From there? Who the fuck knows?”

Hawke nodded and immediately started to scan the valley, looking for what he needed, a strong, long-distance flyer. A goose came into view, leading its skein across the sky.

A goose? Interesting. Okay, let’s try this.

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