“I didn’t come here for that reason,” he denied.
“Angel,” Shaker cautioned. “Let her show herself before you decide to give her information.”
“Why would I do that when you have all the advantage?” Camellia asked. “There’s seven of you and an entire army of mercenaries. I’m one person and a couple of raptors. The only advantage I have is to remain hidden from you.” She kept her voice coming from across the small clearing from him, well aware of Pops scooting on his belly, trying to zero in on the sound.
“I’m going to tell you the truth about Jonas Harper and Ryland Miller, Camellia,” Angel said. “The truth about why we’re here.”
Camellia heard the ring of honesty in his voice, but more importantly, she felt Jonas’s sudden withdrawal. He didn’t pull completely away from her, but he did retreat.
Camellia. Jonas whispered her name into her mind. Stroked a caress so intimate he turned her heart inside out. Something was terribly wrong. She felt it in his gathering tension.
Do you know what he’s going to tell me?
I should have told you myself. I was going to tell you myself. I was waiting . . . He broke off and stroked another caress inside her mind.
When? When were you going to tell me?
I don’t know, he answered honestly. When you loved me so much, you wouldn’t leave me no matter how ugly and vile you found out I was.
Her stomach dropped. She couldn’t stay still. She just couldn’t. Even Red couldn’t save her if whatever Angel was going to tell her was that bad.
“Why are you here, Angel? Tell me your excuse to kill children.”
“I’m telling you, we aren’t here to kill children,” Angel repeated.
“I would believe you, except the owls have excellent hearing. Shaker did give the order to kill everyone but Lily and Daniel, didn’t you, Shaker? There really isn’t any way to get around that.”
Angel swore under his breath. “Jonas Harper murdered Shaker and Tusker’s brother, Oliver. They told everyone he died in the cages, killed by Whitney’s enemies, but that wasn’t how it happened. No one even speaks of him now.”
No doubt Tusker was the unknown man who looked so much like Shaker. He had to be the one able to use the animal sense of smell or hearing. Maybe both. Tusker was another name used for “elephant,” and elephants had an exceptional sense of smell. She sent the slightest of breezes toward the meadow, just enough to move the fog around the two men. They stood back-to-back. Shaker’s eyes scanned the rocks and trees repeatedly, covering Angel. His brother watched the helicopters, still uneasy that something was close to them, unseen in the dense fog.
Jeff and Kyle both had an instant reaction to his statement. Like Jonas, there was a partial withdrawal from her. They moved from the four-person telepathic communication they were using to a three-person one, leaving her out.
There was no doubt Angel told at least a partial truth. His voice rang with honesty. As much as she didn’t want to, Camellia had to accept that he believed what he was telling her.
Jonas, who is Oliver?
Her question was met with silence. She didn’t say anything. She was patient. Two could play the same game if need be. Finally, Jonas sighed, stroked another caress in her mind. She didn’t want caresses. She wanted answers.
He’s dead, Camellia.
That doesn’t tell me anything.
Again, Jonas remained silent.
“Harper and Oliver were best friends, like brothers. They went through boot camp together. Trained together. Went through Army Rangers training together. Then applied for and were accepted into the GhostWalker program. Both were enhanced with practically the exact same genetic material.”
“You can’t know that.” He couldn’t, could he? she asked Jonas. Was he? Was Oliver enhanced in the same way as you?
Jonas’s reply was terse. Yes.
“He talked to his brothers when things began to go wrong. He was worried about Jonas. Worried about himself. Worried someone was trying to kill the entire team. He had a strong protective instinct,” Angel continued. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared straight at her. “You may as well just let me see you. I swear to you, if you don’t want to come with me, I’ll let you go.”
“That’s your word and not the others’.”
“We speak for one another. We’re in this together,” Angel insisted. “You can’t stay still that long. You have to trust someone.”
Isn’t that strange, Jonas? That’s exactly what you said to me. I have to trust someone. Yet we’re right in the middle of the enemy’s camp, surrounded by them, and you, Jeff and Kyle went into your huddle, leaving me out. Was that so you could get your story straight? That doesn’t feel like trust. That feels like betrayal.
Camellia, don’t. I can’t come to you. I can’t move. Not unless we decide to try to kill them all right here. Angel is on you, so that might be something we wait on until he backs off.