Eye of the Falcon (Psychic Visions #12)(73)

She stared at it and knew. “Please tell me they didn’t kill them.”

He shot her a hard look and said, “Those men won’t die easily.”

With her heart in her throat she watched as he pulled out an even smaller box the size of a matchbook. And she just knew. She turned away. “I can’t look.” She heard the sound of the box being opened, and then he sucked back his breath. She shuddered. “What is it?”

“A tooth. A tooth covered with gold.”

She clapped her hand over her mouth, her gaze huge as she stared at him. “Panther’s?”

He nodded, his face grim. “Panther’s favorite tooth. No way in hell they would’ve gotten that out of him unless he was either unconscious, dead, or pinned to the ground by a good half-dozen men.” He stared down at the box, pulling out his phone. He dialed Panther’s cell number. No answer. He dialed Tiger next. Still no answer. “We’re leaving.” He glanced at her. “A half hour ago.”

She nodded. “I’ll pack.”

No substitutions meant she had to go. She had to put Panther and Tiger ahead of her birds. She wished she could drive around and try to find Humbug and Roash, but it was a big world out there, and all she ever saw of them was in heavily treed areas. It would be impossible to find them.

She’d hoped Stefan could track them but apparently not. She also figured, with her connection to them, she should be able to, … but, no matter how hard she tried, even with sending them energy, she hadn’t received any images of where they were.

Stefan’s previous words whispered in her head. That she’d been the one flying with Hadrid. She’d been up there with him. Looking and seeing everything for herself. If that was true, she could do that with Humbug and see the world from his eyes—and maybe find out where he was.

But it took energy. And lots of it. Something she didn’t have. It was all she could do to get through a day on her own two feet. This trip would finish her. But she had to go. She couldn’t let anything happen to those two men because of her.

And she also knew Eagle wouldn’t let her go alone. He would go after those who went after his friends. She sent Roash and Humbug as much energy and encouragement as she could. From now on they’d have to do with a little less of her energy. It had nothing to do with distance and everything to do with resources.

Not true. There is enough energy for all of us. Just reach out, Stefan murmured in her head. It takes a little practice, then suddenly all the energy you ever need is there and available for you.

She opened her mouth to answer him, but he was gone as soon as he arrived. She pondered his words as she quickly threw together her few things. What would it take to communicate like he did? But with her birds? Or was that what she was already doing?

She was grateful for the last couple days as she’d gained that much more strength. Her shoulder was still sore, her torso still achy, some of the cuts—especially on her feet—were not quite healed, but, by and large, she was fine. Although she did get tired fast. She made the bed and went back to the kitchen to find Eagle on the phone.

She had to get her passport and money from the bank in town. She wasn’t sure how soon they would leave, but she knew she needed food. Checking the contents in the fridge, she made several sandwiches and waited until Eagle was finished with his call.

He put his phone away. “Gray’s coming, and one of the guys who helps unload the feed will join him. They’ll look after the birds for three days. That’s as long as we’ve got.”

“Hopefully we won’t need that,” she said quietly. “I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about. But these assholes, they’ll be sorry.” He downed his sandwich in four bites. “We’re leaving in thirty minutes.”

“I have to stop by the bank to get my passport. And I need money.”

He nodded formally. “We’ll hit the bank on our way.”

He glanced at the bags on the kitchen chair. “I see you found the bags. Are you packed and ready to go?”

She nodded as she took a bite of her sandwich.

“Good, I’ll be back in five.”

*

Eagle wanted to believe his friends would be fine. But he’d lost so many in Iraq and Afghanistan, he had no intention of losing these two guys. They’d survived some of the worst missions anybody should be forced to endure. To think he might’ve sent them into this kind of danger made his gut churn.

At the same time it just made him angry. Those men would pay for this.

In his bedroom he pulled out the contact list that he hadn’t looked at in years. They were all good men. And he knew that, if they’d made a similar request of him as he was about to make of them, he’d have dropped everything and gone to help too. At the top of his list was Hawk. Right now he needed him with them in Ireland—if he could free himself of whatever else was going on. A text wasn’t going to do it. He sent a quick message, asking, “Can I call?”

The response came instantly. “You damn well better.”

He got up, walked into the master bedroom, closed the door, and called. When his friend answered, he filled him in on the case.

Hawk being Hawk and very short on words, waited until Eagle was completely done and then said, “What kind of a shitstorm are you in now?”