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  I looked down at Samantha and said, "Right, Squirt. I have someone downstairs I would like you to meet. And I think you will like her very much."

  "Is she your friend?" she asked, her forehead scrunched. When I nodded, she said, "Then I think I will like her too." I laughed and headed out the door. I wanted to stick my hand out, and knew she would take it and we'd head down the stairs hand in hand. But I didn't. I'd already gotten too close, inviting Cross into my home. I'd crossed the line with the Crosses, and it was time to put some distance between us because I certainly wasn't planning on keeping up a relationship with them. I had enough going on in my life to play at being an aunt.

  My throat tightened and I cleared it as I reached the ground floor. I didn't look back, just headed straight to the kitchen where Chloe was holding Drake's hands in hers and Drake was looking very uncomfortable. When he saw me enter, he tried to tug his hands away but Chloe held on tight. I glanced at her, hiding a smile, but when she gave me a wide-eyed innocent look I wanted to laugh. She was enjoying this far too much.

  "Okay, Squirt, this is my friend Chloe. She also happens to be a doctor." Samantha stuck out her little hand and Chloe took it, giving the girl a warm smile. "Doc, this is my friend Squirt." Samantha giggled. "Oh, I meant Samantha."

  Chloe grinned at her. "So should I call you Squirt or Samantha?"

  Samantha laughed. "Samantha. But you can call me Squirt if you like. Mel calls me Stinky," she said, grinning at me.

  "Hey, I couldn't help it if you were stinky." I glanced back at her dad, who hovered in the doorway. "Mr. Cross, this is Dr. Chloe Murdoch and my partner Drake Darvon."

  Everyone shook hands, then Cross turned to me and said, "I think you can call me Martin. I can't thank you enough for what you did for my family." I nodded, not wanting to get too touchy feely.

  "Okay. Martin it is." I moved toward the doorway and said, "Why don't you guys come to the sitting room and get comfy. The Doc here has a few questions for Samantha."

  Everyone filed out of the room and followed me, except for Drake. I hoped he'd relax a bit. I really should have gotten him into bed.

  In my front room, I waved them all into seats and Chloe took my armchair while the Crosses sat in a wider plump sofa. I perched on the sofa near the door. I was planning on leaving the questions to Chloe, but from her expression she wanted me to start.

  I took a breath. "Mr. Cross. Sorry, Martin." He gave me an awkward smile. "You will have to forgive me but I need to ask you what will seem like a very odd question." I waited for him to nod before continuing. "Have you noticed anything strange in the last few months?"

  Samantha's head snapped up, her eyes meeting mine. Her face was contorted with worry. I gave a small nod and a quick smile but it didn't seem to make her feel any better.

  "I'm not sure what you mean?" Martin said. "Strange?"

  "Yes. In your home, with Samantha. Anything."

  He shook his head and stared at me, perplexed. A glance at Chloe said I'd done my part and it was over to her.

  "Martin, what Mel is trying to ask, without upsetting you, is if you have noticed anything odd or unusual about Samantha." Martin glanced at his daughter who sat beside him, still clutching her colorful bear. Only now she squashed it so hard I was worried it would bust its seams.

  "No. There's been nothing strange." He seemed genuinely confused so I knew Chloe would proceed with caution.

  But then Martin yelped and snapped his gaze to his daughter. "What?" He stared at her, so confused it looked like he was about to cry. I glanced at Chloe, who suspected what I did. Samantha was talking to her father in his head. At least he hadn't run screaming from the room. Yet.

  The silence stretched on for a bit until Martin met my gaze, as if he were looking for me to say it was all a joke. I shook my head. "This is real, Martin. Samantha was targeted most probably for her ability. We aren't entirely sure what the abductors were planning, but we do believe it has something to do with supernatural talent." I took a deep breath and forged ahead. Might as well ask the biggie. "Why did your wife leave?"

  I deliberately left out the word 'you.' I didn't want to scrape his wounds raw again. But he shook his head, looked at his child then back at me. His face held a look of resolution. "Samantha's mother didn't leave us."

  I could have cut the silence with a knife. "Where is she?" I asked softly, glancing at the little girl who sat opposite me completely unperturbed.

  "She is in a mental care facility just outside of the city." He turned to Samantha. "I'm so sorry, Sammy, I didn't mean to lie to you. I just didn't want to upset you."

  She tilted her head and looked at him with the eyes of an ancient soul. "Don't worry, Daddy, I've known for a long time."

  Martin wrapped Samantha in a bear hug, a soft sob escaping his lips. "Why didn't you tell me, honey?"

  "I didn't want to upset you. You always got so sad when you thought of Mommy. I didn't want to make you sad."

  My throat closed and tears burned my eyes. Chloe's eyes met mine and I could see she was just as affected. Neither of us said anything while Martin absorbed the maturity of his little girl.

  When he turned to me he seemed calmer and I wondered if Chloe had been needed after all. "So, these people that took Samantha. Will they come back for her?"

  "There is the possibility they will." His face fell but I wasn't about to sugarcoat the reality. He needed to be strong and hard or Samantha would be left with nothing. "It's why Chloe is here. She will take you to a safe place until your home can be warded."

  "Warded?"

  "A magical spell to prevent demons or dark creatures from entering your home."

  He nodded as if this was all just routine. Only the contained horror in his eyes gave him away. "Can't you catch them?"

  "Not yet. We don't know anything much about them. Not enough to know who they are and how they operate. But we will try. I work for an organization that will be sending their operatives out to catch these guys." I stopped speaking. I wasn't going to promise we would catch them because I had no idea if Sentinel or Omega could find them. I hoped so, but I didn't want to make any promises. They had been through enough.

  "Martin. What was the reason your wife was admitted to the care facility?"

  He looked pained. "She heard voices. All the time, everywhere we went. It never stopped. It was driving her insane. She chose to go. Asked to be put into solitary care." As he spoke, his eyes grew larger as he slowly met my eyes. "Do you think she is like Samantha?"

  I nodded. "It's very likely that she is." I couldn't bear the guilt I saw in his eyes.

  I glanced at Chloe, who said, "Don't worry, Martin. I will see about bringing your wife home. All she needs to do is learn a few techniques to control her abilities."

  He nodded, the creases of worry and guilt easing a little. "So you don't think there is anything wrong with her?"

  Chloe shook her head. "From what I heard about your daughter’s abilities I don't expect anything to be wrong with her mother, but let's keep the final diagnosis for after I have visited her." She got to her feet and said, "I have some arrangements to make. I think it's best you both stay here until I get things organized."

  She glanced at me for confirmation and I nodded, turning to Martin and Samantha. "Yeah, make yourselves at home. Chloe won't be too long."

  ***

  Chapter 24

  Martin headed upstairs to finish reading Samantha her story and I peeped in on Drake. The kitchen was empty. I hoped he'd taken his ass to bed. Fishing in my pocket, I grabbed my phone and sent Saleem a text. With Samantha and Drake both safe and sound I was free to help bring home the Djinn Queen. My phone pinged. Saleem's text said Knock Knock.

  I smiled and went to the door, flushing at his cheeky grin. Man, he was too sexy for my sanity.

  For a moment his features darkened. "You ready?"

  I nodded and led him to the living room. "I need to grab my bag, then we can get going." I hesitated for a second, then turned
and headed out the door, hiding my hot cheeks. I bounded up the stairs, headed to Hacker Central and I slipped inside as Steph glanced up at me, a smile at the ready.

  "I have to go out again. You think you up for handling Drake and the Crosses?"

  "Sure. As long as Drake calls when he needs his diaper changed." She raised an eyebrow. I knew she was annoyed because all this babysitting encroached on her PC time.

  "I'm sorry to ask you for this, but if you knew what he went through—"

  She folded her arms and leaned back in the seat. "Maybe tell me?"

  I sighed and gave her the brief version, watching as her eyes popped and her face went red as I described what really happened to Drake. "Crap. Okay. No more diaper jokes."

  "It wasn't easy seeing him like that."

  "Yeah, must've been hard." Steph's eyes widened and she snorted.

  I tried to hide my grin. "It wasn't funny." That just made her giggle. "Look after them, you hear?"

  Giving her one last warning glare, I hurried to my room and grabbed my bag from beside the door. I peeped into the spare room to see Samantha asleep on her father's arm, with him sitting at an awkward angle, his eyes closed. I left them to sleep and hurried back to Saleem.

  When I entered the sitting room, Saleem was on his feet, pacing. "I wasn't gone that long." I grinned.

  His eyes lit up as he turned to watch me enter. He shrugged. "Just eager to get going."

  I pursed my lips and nodded. "Right then, let's go." When I held out my hand, he took it. The touch of him sent hot shivers up and down my spine. Just the feel of his skin next to mine set my heart racing. I blinked, trying to shake the attraction off. I needed to concentrate.

  I still had a connection to his mother, a memory of the threads along which I'd projected to see her the first time. Following the thread, I floated ahead, projecting first, wanting to be careful. I made it all the way back to the room in which Saleem's mother sat. Her lips were set in a hard angry line, making the rest of her face an assortment of shadowy lines. Her high cheekbones and almond eyes screamed her Persian heritage. Beautiful, even as she aged. And stern. She looked like she was capable of ruling a kingdom.

  Happy she was still safe, I returned to my body. Gripping tightly to Saleem's hand, I jumped, landing us among the trees at the edge of the property. Large overhanging branches gave us good cover to observe the grounds of the house and still remain unseen.

  "Her room is protected," I said as we studied the house.

  "Protected like your house?" he asked, chuckling.

  "Yup. Just like my house." I grinned. "So no trying to jump through it."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  I frowned, scanning his face. "You ready?" He nodded, his eyes roaming the large grounds. Between the wall at the perimeter and the walls of the house stretched a neatly manicured, almost endless lawn. A pathway edged all the way around the house, dotted here and there with gigantic ceramic pots and carefully pruned trees. Whoever had Saleem's mother didn't suffer from lack of money.

  An armed guard turned the corner and strode along the path, passing a line of picture windows. He reached the far corner to take the turn and I tugged on Saleem's sleeve. "Let's go. The sooner we get in, the sooner we get your mom out."

  He didn't answer, just moved to stand beside me. "The gazebo," he said, then disappeared, leaving behind a fluttering of orange and black embers. A shadow appeared at the far edge of the small structure and I followed, arriving close to him. Too close to him. I couldn't step forward to steady myself. Instinctively, I tried to step back but it was too late. I was already falling. Straight into Saleem's arms.

  He grabbed me and held me a little too close to be legal. His face was so near, his mouth mere inches from mine. So close that our breath mingled and all it would take was for me to move slightly forward for our lips to touch. Saleem gazed back at me, eyes heavy lidded and sultry.

  Somewhere on the grounds, gravel skidded and an engine revved. We pulled apart, looking around for the source of the disturbance but we had entered at the back of the property. The sounds traveled to us from the driveway at the entrance. I blinked and took a deep breath, trying to control the speed of my heart. What the hell was I doing almost making out with an Omega operative? And while entering a property illegally. We were vulnerable crouching behind the gazebo. I'd never lost sight of the mission before.

  I flicked Saleem an annoyed glance but his eyes were already on the building a few feet from us. From our vantage point we watched another guard take the corner and head along the path toward us. Saleem breath deeply, so harsh, I asked, "What's wrong?"

  He shook his head, his gaze remaining on the approaching man. "The guard. He looks familiar." Saleem met my gaze. "Too familiar."

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. I ignored it for now. Frowning, I glanced at Saleem. "What do you mean? You know him?" My voice rose and I had to remind myself to keep it down.

  When Saleem nodded I went cold. "He's Omega."

  "Omega took your mother?"

  He jaw tightened, tanned skin tense and tight. "Maybe."

  I flailed about for a reason. "He could be working for the abductors without Omega knowing," I offered. But the feeling of dread that blanketed me suggested otherwise.

  All Saleem said was "Maybe." A few moments of thick silence passed and then he drew in another harsh breath. "The only way to find out is to find out."

  "Right then, let's do this." I put a hand on his arm, hoping to make him feel a little better but knowing it would probably not help at all. The possibility this was all Omega's doing made my blood boil. And I wanted to know the truth. Now.

  "Can you lead us to her?"

  I nodded. "But how are we going to penetrate the magic?"

  "You said the ward is only around her room?"

  "Yes, but it's powerful and dark. I can travel through most wards. It's rare that a ward is too strong for me to penetrate."

  "What if we got close enough that she could leave the room herself? On the off chance the ward is meant to keep her in and not prevent her from leaving."

  "Why hasn't she just teleported away from them?"

  "I've been wondering the same thing all these years. They must have her bound in some way. A powerful curse should do it. The witch who casts the spell needs to be strong. Dark helps."

  "Good enough reason to get her out as soon as possible." He nodded but his thoughts were already on the building.

  He got up into a crouch. "Let's go."

  We were about to jump when a buzzing sound caught my ear. I held onto Saleem's arm and felt him tense. Tilting my head, I listened, trying to see if I could hear the sound again. It didn't take me long to figure out I hadn't heard it. I'd felt it. Deep in my gut and in my bones. Worse, deep inside my skull. It pulsed and throbbed like a living thing, making me taste bile at the back of my throat.

  I dug my fingers into Saleem's arm. "Don't move. There's a ward around the property"

  "I thought you said there wasn't."

  I gritted my teeth. "So I thought." I shook my head. "This thing is powerful. So strong it makes me want to puke. But it’s also spelled to be undetectable from a distance."

  "A trap." His words were an angry growl.

  "Exactly. And one we almost stepped right into."

  "So we can't get inside?"

  "Not this time. We need something to break the outside ward as well as the inner one holding your mom." By now the guard was too close so I remained silent as he strode by. Seems their watch was on a short timer, about three minutes apart.

  After he passed and was out of earshot, Saleem said, "I know him as well. He was one of the additional support operatives I had on my last job."

  "Then it's probably Omega." I said the words, feeling a sense of dread filter through me. "But why would they want to keep your mother hidden away? How would it benefit them?"

  Saleem shrugged. "No idea. It's certainly not because they wanted me as an agent."

  "Are you sure?
You are quite valuable in the sense that you are the only demon-born that can be trusted, especially with your power to jump."

  He frowned and studied my face. "It is possible. The last job I had was to enter the Greylands and try to retrieve a blue stone."

  "You mean the stones that control ghosts and spirits?"

  He nodded, his eyes guilty. "I didn't enjoy the subterfuge, the lies. I felt like I was betraying a friend the entire time."

  My eyes narrowed remembering a very recent case where a walker's sister had been trapped in the Greylands, slowly going mad. "You're talking about the Greer Odel case, aren't you?" He nodded, his brow furrowed. "I did the initial tracking but found her in the dead lands. I have to admit it got me a bit upset knowing what it was doing to her mental state. Did her sister get her out?"

  Saleem nodded, his face darkening as he looked back at the house. "Yeah. Kai got her out but Greer is dead."

  My eyes went wide but it wasn't the time to go further into how the walker had died. I'd ask him later. Once we were safely home. "Ready to leave? It's pointless sitting here watching the guards circle the house."

  He seemed reluctant to go and I understood. "Your mom is okay. She's strong. Besides we have no way to enter the house. We could try again. Bring a witch with us to counter the spell and the ward."

  Saleem nodded slowly, his eyes still scanning the house. I knew what he was thinking. Any one of those upper floor windows could lead to his mother. It would be incredibly hard to come this close to her then turn back and leave her here. But we had no choice. I placed a hand on Saleem's arm. He patted it. "Yeah, I hear you." Then he sighed and shifted around. "Let's get back."

  I nodded and in an instant we were back in my sitting room. For a moment I wondered if Saleem would disappear somewhere to nurse his wounds but he was still at my side, finding his landing feet. We'd arrived so close to each other I could see the golden streaks in his onyx eyes. He stared at me for an awkward moment, our proximity causing a slow heat to rise in the pit of my stomach. Then he turned to leave. I grabbed his sleeve. "Wait. What are you going to do?" He didn't owe me an explanation but he swiveled around anyway. I didn't move my hand.