Generation 18 (Spook Squad 2)

She turned left and stopped in the shadows of a gum tree. Four and a half minutes later, the truck rolled past the far end of the street.

She quickly dialed Gabriel’s number. “The truck’s just gone past. I’m moving into position now.”

“I’m on my way.”

She turned onto the main street and cruised down to Allars’s back fence. A minute dragged by, then the fence rocked and several palings were torn away. Allars squeezed through the gap, followed quickly by Gabriel. He helped the old man into the backseat, then he climbed into the front.

“Where to?” Sam turned the car around to avoid running into the truck on its next drive past.

“We get away from this area as fast as we can. Then you take Mark to a safe house, and I go get Haynes and Cooper.”

“Why aren’t I taking Mark to the short-term-stay apartments within the SIU?” She glanced at him, frowning. “And I thought you ordered teams to pick up Haynes and Cooper?”

“I did, but Haynes is located close to here. It won’t take long for the military to realize Mark has flown the nest, and Haynes will be their next target, so it’s better if I get there first, just in case.”

“And the reason we’re not taking Mark back to headquarters?”

He glanced at her. “I really don’t think it’s wise to put the scientists with their lab rats. Mark’s got a whole lot to be angry about.”

“He’s also old, and almost blind.”

“But still only sixty. Don’t let the feeble exterior fool you.”

She grunted and put her foot down, speeding away from the area. If they wanted answers, they had to get to Haynes and Cooper. And she had a bad feeling time was running out.

—

Gabriel glanced skyward as he climbed out of the car. The wind was freshening and the clouds hung low. He hoped the impending rain would hold off until he got to Haynes. He hated flying in foul weather.

Gabriel bent and met Sam’s gaze. “When Mark’s safe, I want you to go back to headquarters and go through the search results. There has to be some link between the murders other than Emma and Hopeworth.”

“Will do,” she said. Though Sam’s voice was tightly controlled, he could feel her annoyance at being given another desk job. But this time, he wasn’t doing it in a deliberate effort to get rid of her. The simple fact was that she couldn’t fly and he could. Had it been the other way around, he would have gladly let her go retrieve Haynes. Dealing with cranky older men was not his favorite pastime.

He closed the door and she sped off, tires squealing. He shook his head and called the SIU, checking the location of the two teams picking up Cooper and Haynes. Cooper had been retrieved, but the Haynes team were caught in traffic and half an hour away. He sent through an order for them to use their sirens and get there fast. Then, after hanging up, he shifted shape and soared skyward, but the wind buffeted his wings, making any sort of speed difficult. He half-wished he hadn’t spent most of last night airborne. His muscles started to ache long before he’d reached the halfway point.

When Mulgrave finally came into view, he dove down, skimming the treetops, looking for Haynes’s house, but he wasn’t the only one. A military vehicle cruised slowly down the road. He could see two men inside, the passenger holding a street directory open on his lap. It might have been a coincidence, but he doubted it. Especially since similar vehicles had been sent after Allars. The fact that they were close meant there was no time for finesse. With a flick of one wing, he swung left, diving down to Haynes’s well-kept redbrick home. He lined up with the kitchen window and arrowed directly at it.

Glass shattered, flying everywhere. He changed as he hit the floor, and rolled back to his feet. Though hawks had relatively thick skulls, the impact left him a little dazed. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Shards fell like rain from his hair, chiming softly as they hit the tiled floor.

“What the hell…?”

A tall, thin gentleman wearing glasses walked into the room. Gabriel smiled in greeting, then swung a clenched fist. The blow took the older man on the chin and knocked him out cold. Gabriel caught him before he hit the floor and swung him up over his shoulder. Luckily, the guy didn’t weigh all that much. Then he headed out the back door. A dog barked loudly to his left, running back and forth along the fence line. He ignored it, heading for the rear of the property and the adjoining backyard. After ducking behind the cover of a tin shed, he peered over the fence. No dog, and no sign of movement from the house.

He carefully hoisted Haynes over the fence, then quickly followed. After lifting the man back up, he ran for the front of the property. The gate was shut but not locked. He opened it and casually walked out into the street. There was a bus stop several houses down. Gabriel headed for that and eased the man into the seat. Holding him upright with one hand, he dialed the SIU with the other.

“Christine, get the team assigned to Haynes to pick me up at my current location ASAP.”

“One moment, please.”

The older man had begun to stir. Gabriel got out his ID, showing it to the man as he opened his eyes.

“I don’t care who you are,” Haynes growled. “What right do you have to come busting into my home and abducting me?”

“We’ve reason to believe your life may be in danger, sir.”

“And you couldn’t tell me this in my house?”

“No, sir.” Gabriel glanced up the street. It wouldn’t take the military boys long to discover Haynes wasn’t home. No doubt they’d then turn to the tracker.