Page 37 of Shadow of the Moon

“Okay. Be careful, my heart.”

And he breathed out, already asleep.

Amberly wiped at her eyes. That was what he had called her when they were in love. My heart.

Moving quickly, she went and retrieved their laundry, bundling it into a bag. She would fold it when she got back. Then she returned to the motel room. Devlin hadn’t moved while she was gone. Securing the door with the dead bolt and a chair, she made sure every inch of the window was sealed, then finally moved to the bathroom. She cranked the hot water, almost vibrating with anticipation. The granny panties went in the trash. There was one more pair out in the bag that would be her absolute last alternative. Then she shucked her clothes. Grabbing the little bottle of shampoo and body wash, she stepped beneath the water.

It was almost enough to make her cry. Or maybe she did cry, for everything they’d had to do today. Seeing the phone that had literally just been in her hand blow up was shocking, and a little terrifying. If Regent had given his people, more importantly, their families, these phones, it was a horrible, foolproof way to keep them in line.

But then, Regent was proving himself to be the monster she’d known him to be. The list of targets were all soft targets, meaning schools and places that didn’t normally have security.

She needed to call Brown. God, she hoped he wasn’t the dirty one.

Wait… the little girl at the school. Zed had said that she was the granddaughter of the CIA contact that had been helping them out. So, the guy had to be in his fifties or sixties. Right? Maybe late forties.

Brown needed to get someone on that kid, a team, preferably. She would probably have one of those phones. If it went off while she was at lunch or in a class, it could take out a dozen kids. Or more, if they were huddled together. The thought made her stomach turn.

With a final rinse, she stepped out of the stall, drying off quickly. If she could get a quick call in to Brown, then she could sleep somewhat peacefully, knowing that she’d at least done something.

Once she was dressed in her tee and black panties, she sat down at the table and glanced at the clock. It didn’t matter what time it was. She called Brown. He answered on the first ring.

Amberly heaved a breath. “I need you to answer a question, Brown, and be completely honest.”

“This had better be good, Temple.”

“Do you have grandkids?”

“Fuck, no!” the man burst out. “You have to have a family to do that first. And I don’t have one. What’s your point?”

Amberly had to make a judgement call to trust Brown, and she plunged into the story. She didn’t tell him about Devlin yet, but he would probably figure that out on his own in no time. It wasn’t going to come from her mouth, though.

She gave Brown the list of targets that Zed had given them, and forwarded the video on to him. “I can’t tell you strenuously enough, you need to get a team out to Colorado to track down that girl’s parents and figure out who the fuck her granddad is, because that’s your corrupt asshole.”

“I’m planning the team now. It’ll be officers less than forty. What is his big plan?”

“I’m not sure exactly. Zed knew about the targets, but he didn’t say anything specific about what was going to happen at those targets. It could be anything. Regent seems to be a bit of a coward, though. I don’t think he’ll attack them all at once. I think he’ll go for the one he screwed up last time personally.”

“I think you’re right,” Brown agreed. “Okay, your task is to figure out where the fuck he is and what he’s doing. Feed me intel as you get it. And if you get the chance, take the fucker out. We’ll deal with the aftermath later.”

“Roger that,” she said, and hung up.

Almost immediately, her eyes seemed to droop. It was like her body had given it’s all, and was now shutting down, whether she it wanted to or not. Heading into the bathroom, she did a final pee and brushed her teeth, then climbed into the second bed. The sheets felt like butter, and she turned on her side. At the last minute, she set her alarm to check on Devlin in the night, then she closed her eyes.

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