Predator (10 page)

Slowly, Liam leaned forward until his lips pressed hers. They were warm and soft and sweet. The heat spread through Bree’s body; it started in her lips, ignited like a fast-moving flame, and consumed her with desire. All she could do was feel; her thoughts were like spilled paints, all jumbled together in one huge colorful mess—on a big, wonderful canvas that she was not ready to put away.

Liam pulled away out of breath and smiled; and tears filled Bree’s eyes.

He brushed his fingers across her cheek. “What is it?” he said. “What’s wrong?” His voice was gentle, caring.

It already felt like the ocean was flooding in between them. “I don’t want to leave you,” she said as she started to sob.

He brought her hands to his mouth and kissed them softly. “I don’t want you to leave either.”

She clung to his hands as if it would keep her from ever having to let go. She’d never meet anyone like Liam again. She just knew it.

“We’ll keep in touch,” he said. “I promise.”

But it was his touch she was already missing.

Bree nodded, although she knew this was the end. They’d text and Skype for a while, but then they’d eventually grow apart until Liam was just a memory of an awesome summer vacation in Ireland with her dad.

Ireland Archeology Institute, Largheal, Ireland

Bree stared at what was left of the monstrous hand. She’d been at it for hours comparing the marks where the hand had been severed from the wrist to a variety of ancient tool marks: spears, hand axes, and crude stone choppers used to hammer bone. But none of the tools were a match. She rested her head in her hands and closed her eyes. There had to be something else she wasn’t considering. Whatever it was, she had to figure it out before they left Ireland in the morning.

Something touched Bree’s back. She startled, and her hand flew to her chest. She spun around and yanked out her ear buds with her iPod still playing. “Dad? What are you doing here? It’s after three.”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I figured I’d get some work done, but I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

“How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to know I’m an old fool.”

“You’ll never be old.”

“A bog may preserve the dead,” he said, “but those of us still breathing air are aging. And I haven’t given you enough credit. You still look like a child to me—in some sense you always will— but you’re so smart, and much more inquisitive than I ever was. Without you we never would have discovered all we did on this trip. And there’s so much more you’ll discover as we continue our inquiry. You’re in charge of your future, Bree. Don’t ever let me or anyone else get in your way.”

“I won’t.”

He sighed loudly. “I know you’ve been shouldering a grief that no child should have to bear alone. And for that, I’m truly sorry. I remember a time not too long ago when those hands were dressing dolls, not testing weapons and analyzing DNA.”

“Nice try, Dad. That was Troy and his GI Joes. I hated dolls.”

He smiled. “I guess this summer hasn’t been anything like what you expected, huh?”

Bree shrugged. She thought how crazy it was finding the lycanthrope hand or whatever it was. How she met more police in a few days than she had ever met in her life. How Kelsi turned on them. How Liam’s lips felt on hers and how she so desperately missed him already.

Before Bree could say anything, her dad added, “I know it was difficult having a dad like me. I missed your tenth and twelfth birthdays.”

“You know which birthdays you missed?”

“When you turned ten, I was in New Zealand. I swore it would never happen again. But then the week before you turned twelve, I was in the jungle in Guatemala. The dig collapsed from the rain, and I had to salvage what I could. I wanted to get there. I tried.”

This confession took Bree by surprise. “I thought you had just forgotten.”

“I wouldn’t let your mother feed you excuses. But forget my own daughter’s birthday? Never.”

“Thanks for telling me. Guess it can’t change how much I missed you.”

“And now you’re missing Liam…and Troy…and your mother.”

Unable to speak, Bree turned away from her dad and looked across the lab. Through the tears in her eyes, everything was a big blur of white.

“It’s been hard, for both of us. And I haven’t exactly been there for you lately.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not.” He paused, and Bree felt his hand on her shoulder again. “I just couldn’t talk about it,” he said. “Just couldn’t…Troy was your brother but he was also my son. Children are supposed to outlive their parents, not the other way around.”

The suffering in his voice hurt her so deeply. Turning toward her dad, Bree took his hands in hers and squeezed tightly. “I know,” she said in a near whisper.

“I promise things will be different from now on,” he said. “I’ll be there for you no matter what.”

Bree nodded but said nothing. It was all she could manage. She had waited months for him to say that, for him to be the dad again that she always knew and loved.

He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Isn’t it funny?” he said. “It took us traveling all the way to Ireland together to have a conversation about what was happening in our own home. But that’s how it is in life sometimes. Two completely different ideas come together and you come up with something new—”

“Uh oh. I know that look. You’ve thought of something cool, haven’t you?”

Shannon Airport, Shannon, Ireland

Dressed in blue cotton slacks and a striped blouse, the Woman shoved the ticket she’d never use into her laptop bag. It had fulfilled its need by getting her past security. Through the huge glass window that looked out onto the main runway, she watched the Aer Lingus jet, with the Sunderlands on board, back out of the adjacent gate. The plane cleared the building, taxied to the runway, and waited in line behind three others. Ten minutes later, the plane sped down the path and the belly rose into the sky. If she left now she might draw suspicion from security, so she checked her watch and glanced at the flight status board to make it seem like she was concerned about her own flight. Then she left the waiting area for the departure lounge.

A family of five passed, rolling suitcases behind them; the wheels crunched over spilled popcorn. The newsstand was crowded, as was the coffee dock. So many people collecting their news and getting their caffeine fix, such simple details when her entire world was about to turn upside down.

The Woman took out her cell and dialed. “It’s me,” she said, jamming the heel of her hand against her ear to block out the noise. “Sunderland and his kid are on their way home, but we have a big problem. He brought a strange case with him. I’m afraid he might have some DNA.”

“It could be what’s left of the hand,” the female voice said.

“It’s definitely not. They wouldn’t let it leave the country. Finds like those belong to Ireland, especially since it was discovered on government-owned land. But the DNA, that’s another matter.”

“Maybe we’re getting jumpy. It could be anything.”

“Then it’s an important anything. A taxi picked him up at the front door of the lab. A security guard carried the case from the building to the taxi and handed it to Dr. Sunderland. Then the taxi dropped Dr. Sunderland off curbside at the airport.”

“You didn’t think to destroy it before he left the country with it?”

“Of course. I was working on a plan, but security was real tight after the last break-in.”

“Couldn’t you grab it before he got on the plane?”

“He never let it out of his grip. Anyway, the airport’s crowded and there were too many witnesses. I would have never gotten the DNA out of here.”

“Make sure your tracks are covered,” the voice said.

“Understood.”

“We must keep the secret buried forever. Whatever it takes.”

Sunderland Home, East Milmore, Virginia: One Week Later

“I want to go back to Ireland,” Bree said as she stood in front of her dad.

He smiled from the sofa. “I don’t see why not. Maybe next summer after you graduate.”

“I mean now.”

“We’ve barely adjusted from the jet lag. I know it’s hard without Liam. But it gets easier. I promise.”

“It’s not Liam. I thought about it a lot and it’s driving me crazy. I have to go see if there are any other bog bodies. If I can figure out why the DNA and the hand are so important to Kelsi, then we can use it to our advantage. There’s something to it. I just know there is.”

“Well, you’ll have to do it from here.”

“That’s impossible, and you know it.”

“It’s not happening. Besides, I need your help in the lab.”

“Can’t you just do it yourself? I could stay at Liam’s and be back before school starts.”

“I’m sorry, but the answer’s still no.”

“Why can’t I ever do what I want?” Bree felt her anger rising.

“It’s not a matter of what you want and don’t want. With Kelsi and that strange woman still out there, it’s just not smart to go back. Study the DNA here. We’ll figure it out together.”

Bree crossed her arms. “I guess I have no choice, do I?”

“It’s for your own good,” he said.

Bree really hated when he said that, as if it would somehow make her change her mind. But it never did. She just learned to live with it, because arguing with him when he had his mind set had never gotten her anywhere.

“Fine,” she said. “Whatever.” Then she went to her room.

The
Black Eyed Peas
boomed through the speakers in Jess Simon’s house. Teens filled the hallway, the kitchen, and the living and dining rooms. Others sat on the steps leading upstairs. Although Bree couldn’t see past them and into the bedrooms, she’d bet that the jocks and their girlfriends were making out on the beds.

Bree pushed her way into the kitchen, ignored the dozens of beer bottles cooling in the large ice-filled tubs on the floor, and headed outside to the pool where she found a group of her friends talking near the diving board. There had to be at least thirty kids in the pool and just as many hanging out around it.

“Hi. What I’d miss?”

“Bree!” Sara adjusted her shorts—a cool floral pattern that Bree really liked—and then gave Bree a hug. “Tommy Bell and Blake Riley got into it for a bit, but I couldn’t hear what it was about. And Amy told me that she saw Brenda Stoley and Carl Dubus heading upstairs together. I’m surprised they hooked up.”

“She’s cheating on Rich?”

“She isn’t. They broke up right after you left for Ireland. I forgot to tell you. Oh, and get this. My mom’s making me go visit my cousins in a few days. She just dropped it on me as I was leaving the house. We’re driving, so it’s gonna take forever. That’s
so
not how I want to spend the rest of my summer vacation.” She barely took a breath before continuing. “Did you hear about Duane and Ashley? They were busted for trespassing on Old Man McGregor’s property last night, and Carley…”

Bree tuned out Sara’s voice, thinking how unimportant all that stuff was. Drinking, and gossiping, and hanging out by the pool—who cared? They were just wasting their lives. Sure, she would have thought it was normal a few months ago, but things were different now. She had more important stuff to do, like figuring out the DNA, and saving other soldiers like Troy and all the other guys who were called for duty.

“Bree,” Miguel Lopez said as he reached her side. “What are you doing here? I thought you were away for the summer.” Miguel looked as good as ever. His shorts and sleeveless t-shirt showed off muscular arms and legs, and that smile could melt gold.

“We came home early because of my dad’s work.”

“Oh…well, that’s good, I guess.” He ran his fingers through his wavy hair. “The guys from the lacrosse team are heading up to Hatteras Cove. You want to come and hang out with us?”

Bree glanced at Sara. Her arms were crossed.

“Come on. It’ll be fun.” Miguel locked his fingers through Bree’s.

There was no way she could go with him, not to Hatteras Cove where everyone would be making out, and not when her heart ached so badly for Liam. She wanted Liam’s hands inching up her body. His fingers caressing her skin. His lips on hers. Not Miguel’s.

Bree shook Miguel’s hand free, all too aware she had held onto it a lot longer than she had intended.

“Who’s that hottie that just walked in?” Sara said with her eyes fixed past Bree. “I’m going to say hi.”

Thankful for something else to focus on, Bree turned around. When she saw Liam she raced across the pool deck, threw her arms around him, and mashed her lips against his. Her breath quickened as he dug his fingers into her hair and poured his longing for her into the kiss. It was better than she had ever dreamed it would be.

When he pulled away out of breath, he whispered in her ear. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“Me too,” she said, although she could hardly speak. Had the kiss lasted seconds? Minutes? She didn’t care. All she knew was that it wasn’t enough—not after she hadn’t seen him for weeks, after she’d thought she’d never see him again, and especially not when he was here, right in front of her.

“Your da dropped me off after I showed up at your house.”

“Why are you here?” She stepped back so she could see his face, his eyes, his nose, everything about him.

“My ma changed her mind about coming. Well, she didn’t really change her mind. She’s at home with Finn, but my da and I are here until I start at university in October. Your da got him a post at the Center for Archeological Studies. We’ll be out in the field a lot, could be for a few weeks at a time. It depends on who needs us where to examine remains. But at least we’ll be able to see each other in between.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Bree was so glad she’d dropped Miguel’s hand when she did.

“I didn’t know anything about it before you left Ireland. I thought I’d never see you again. When I found out I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Bree pulled him closer. “It is, and I’m so happy you’re here. Wait a minute,” she said as realization set in. “My dad knew you were coming all along? I can’t believe he did that. When I told him I wanted to go back to Ireland, he didn’t say a word.”