School of Fish (Fish Out of Water #6) - Amy Lane Page 0,96
mostly not have them out in the world, wreaking havoc on the general population.
They couldn’t lose Constance. Like Jackson and Ellery, he had a goddamned job to do.
“That’s what it sounds like,” Mira said. “And the thing that made me think of your case is that Constance said most of the kids were from the Russian and Ukrainian communities. There were a couple who spoke fluent English, and he was using those kids to keep the other kids calm. That sounds like—”
“Max and Sophie!” Oh holy hell. This was it. The miracle Tage Dobrevk and his family needed.
“Yes, it does,” she said. “But first he’s got to get here, and then he’s got to get here before the other guy, Brigadier General Barney Talbot, intercepts him and takes the kids to do whatever he had planned.”
Oh wow. “Constance is evading two bad guys,” Jackson murmured. And one of them was his own commander, fuck all the fucking things.
“That’s what we think,” Mira confirmed.
“What do Sodhi and Pasternak plan to do?”
Mira’s voice dropped. “Here’s the thing: I actually talked to Constance, but Talbot? He went to voicemail while we were in a conference. I played the voicemail for them, and Pasternak—you know how he’s so fair skinned?”
“Yeah?”
“His scalp turned purple. Like a beet. Like that’s where the expression came from!”
Jackson imagined Mira’s little upturned nose wrinkling in surprise, and he managed a smile. “That’s amazing,” he said.
“I know! Anyway, he looked me and Eleanor in the eye and said, ‘It’s a shame we never got this message, isn’t it, El?’ And Sodhi looks at me and says, ‘Our machine eats them sometimes, right?’ And I erased it while they were watching and said, ‘What message? I’ll have the FBI at the courthouse to greet Constance in the morning.’”
Jackson spit soda out all over his hand. “That’s… that’s… oh my God. Mira! That’s… you could all get fired!”
“Constance wanted to get the kids to their homes. This other guy wanted to stop them. I swear to hell, Jackson, we see garbage humans get away with garbage human excrement every day, and here was a chance to have kids reunited with their parents and someone was trying to get in this guy’s way? So yeah. But if you and Ellery wanted to be in front of the courthouse tomorrow around, I don’t know, 6:00 a.m. or so, maybe bring some coffee. I think that guy is going to need some, right?”
Jackson swallowed. What Jason Constance should have was a hero’s parade. Coffee was the least they could do.
“And a safe place to sleep and someone who’s got his back,” Jackson said soberly. “Ellery and I have that covered.”
“That’s good,” she said on an exhaled breath. “I’m… I’m glad. To be honest, my hands haven’t stopped shaking since I erased that message. Ethan and El are looking gray at the gills. It’s good to know that someone—someone—knows what’s going on.”
“Even better,” Jackson said softly, “I think I can talk to someone who might know more of the whole story.”
“Oooh.” Mira’s voice dropped. “Look, even if you can’t make it official? I’d love to hear the whole story. Seriously, Jackson, you dropped a monster on our lap, and then a leviathan jumped out of the toilet and ate it.”
Jackson chuckled a little at the image. “Well, it was a monster, Mira. Let’s hope the leviathan wins. I’ll call you if anything changes.”
“Deal.”
He hung up and finished his soda, then rinsed out the glass. After which he went to the bathroom and washed his hands and took three deep breaths. Every time he called this number—every goddamned time—weird shit happened.
But Tage’s little brother and sister might be on their way home, and Jackson needed to help.
He didn’t keep the number in his cell. He kept it in his head and dialed from memory.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Oh hell. Burton was probably in the middle of an op. Ring. Ring. Jesus, this guy might be killing a terrorist or a psycho killer or something. Ring. Ring. Ri—
“Sorta in the middle of something right now,” Lee Burton said tensely. “Make it quick and good.”
Jackson barely bit back the retort of “Said your boyfriend!” because now was not the time—although it was a near thing.
“Why is your boss on his way to Sacramento with half the military on his ass and a school bus full of kids?”
Burton grunted. “Hold on a sec. Dammit, Ace! Not now,” he cried. “Wait. What is Jai…? Oh Jesus fucking—”