Secret

PROLOGUE

Gareth Brody sat in a chipped plastic chair in the prison waiting room, listening for the guard to call his name. He drummed his fingers on his briefcase, casting a dark look at the guard booth every so often, playing the role of an impatient young attorney.

In truth, the cinder block walls and barred doorways left him feeling claustrophobic. The air felt stale, the lighting artificial and too bright. Outdoors, the prison yard was barely more than a lengthy stretch of concrete, broken only by steel poles supporting basketball nets, all enclosed by chain-link fencing and barbed wire.

Silver must be going nuts in here.

Gareth would remedy that soon enough.

A loud buzz echoed in the small room, and the barred door swung open. “Mr. Brody? Your client is available now.”

Gareth followed the guard through the doorway, mentally calculating how quickly he could disable the man. Three seconds? Maybe four? This wasn’t a high-security facility, and this officer barely looked capable of guarding a box of donuts.

Two hallways, four turns, and three locked doors brought them into a small chamber. Gareth memorized the path, remembering which doors required a slide from the guard’s key, and which required a pin code on a pad mounted on the wall.

This would almost be too easy. Perhaps he could ask Officer Incompetent to leave the key on the table.

“Have a seat here,” said the guard.

Gareth dropped into the plastic chair—which sported a cracked seat—and plopped his briefcase on the table. The locks snapped open with a loud click.

Usually, he did this without files. But today he had several.

He and Silver had things to discuss.

He pulled a pen out of the briefcase and spun it through his fingers. He could eviscerate two people in less than five minutes with nothing more than this pen. Idiots hadn’t even checked his belongings. Typical. Flash a business card and a little hair gel, and they assume you’re legit. He should have just walked in here with a gun.

It was a miracle they’d been able to keep Silver here this long, honestly.

But then the opposite door clicked open, and another guard led Gareth’s client into the room.

The last time he’d seen Silver, the younger Guide had been in his late teens. Blond hair, too-dark-to-be-tan skin, slightly slanted eyes all topped off with a British accent and a talent for being ruthless. Silver had achieved control of the elements far younger than any other Guide—including Gareth himself.

Silver had no family, no attachments. He’d been given assignments early. Some had said he was too young, that he’d fail or crumble in the line of duty. That he’d abandon his task of killing pure Elementals.

Silver proved them all wrong. He’d killed without mercy, completing each mission without complaint or unnecessary mess.

He’d done well.

But now he was in an orange jumpsuit, wrists and ankles shackled to a chain that trailed from his waist. His right hand was mangled and scarred, but whatever injury had caused it had left enough wrist to keep him restrained. He was thin, too thin, and Gareth almost wished he’d thought to bring a sandwich.

If Silver was surprised to see Gareth, he didn’t let it show. He dropped into the chair when the guard gave him a shove.

Gareth glanced up, realizing he needed to keep up appearances, at least for a little while longer. He half rose from his seat, smoothing his tie as he addressed the officers. “Thank you, gentlemen. We won’t be too long.”

One of the guards gave him a mocking courtly bow on his way out. “By all means, take your time, your highness.” The other laughed.

Then the door slammed.

Silver’s eyes lifted from the table. He cut a glance at the door and kept his voice down. “Gareth. It’s been a long time. You’re looking well.”

“I wish I could say the same.”

Silver glanced at his wrist, his eyes darkening. The chains jingled as he moved. “I let them get too close. It won’t happen again.” He paused. “I began to wonder whether they’d send someone.”

“Of course.” Gareth smiled. “We would never leave one of our own sitting in a cell.”

“Do we have a plan?”

So very like Silver. Right down to business.

Gareth opened one of his file folders. “We have to keep up appearances, if only for a little while.” He tapped his pen against the table. “I thought maybe we could review what you know of your last assignment.”

Silver’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“If I’m going to help you, I’d rather not go in blind.”

Gareth watched the emotion in Silver’s eyes: wounded pride warring with resignation over the fact that he was sitting here with barely more dignity than a caged animal. Proof of his failure.

Gareth waited. He would not rub salt in the wound, but he wouldn’t coddle the man, either.

Silver gritted his teeth. “I know there are pure Elementals in town, enough to form a full circle. Proven dangers.”

Gareth raised his eyebrows. “All proven?”

Silver nodded. “All.” He paused. “We can proceed with eliminating them immediately.”

“I think I’d still like to observe, to be certain.”

Silver’s expression tightened. He was insulted.

Gareth didn’t care. He would not destroy children based on hearsay.

The Guides had few rules, but this one separated them from the Elementals who were driven by nothing but power.

Observe first. Then destroy.

Silver cleared his throat. “There are numerous young Elementals as well, though few have demonstrated the level of their power yet.” He nodded at the papers in front of Gareth. “Show me what you have. I’ll fill in your blanks.”

Gareth slid a piece of paper off the top of the stack. “Michael Merrick?”

“Earth Elemental. Twenty-three. Runs a landscaping business out of his garage. The legal guardian of his younger brothers. He’s known in the community, but there are reports of his involvement with a young girl’s death years ago.” He paused. “He’s romantically involved with the daughter of the county fire marshal. A Hannah Faulkner. No Elemental connection that I could discern.”

Gareth nodded and slid the paper to the side. A connection to law enforcement could be troublesome. “Christopher Merrick?”

“Water Elemental. Sixteen. A bit of a loner at school, from what I could see. I thought perhaps he was our weak link, but then I discovered he was romantically linked to a Becca Chandler.”

Gareth looked up. “Chandler. As in Bill Chandler?”

“The very same. You should see her. She’s a dead ringer for Bill. I think he’s her father.” Silver leaned forward. “I also think she’s a rogue Fifth.”

A rogue Fifth would be an Elemental who could control all the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water—but who had never been trained to fulfill his or her duty. Silver and Gareth had been trained to destroy pure Elementals who only controlled one element. A rogue Fifth would not only be dangerous because of her ability to focus and intensify the powers of a pure Elemental, but because her connection to the human spirit would make her more willing to side with them.

Gareth tapped his pen again. “Bill never claimed to have any children. Have you spoken with him?”

“Bill Chandler hasn’t checked in with anyone since August.”

Gareth raised his eyebrows and made a note on the paper. “Interesting.”

“What’s more interesting is that this Becca Chandler is not the only rogue Fifth in town. I also identified a Hunter Garrity.”

Gareth’s eyebrows went way up. He wrote the name on the cover of his folder. “As in John Garrity? The Guide who died in the car wreck?”

“Indeed. And to complicate matters, young Master Garrity is living with the Merricks.”

Gareth let out a low whistle. No wonder Silver had ended up in over his head. He went back to the original papers. “So I also have Gabriel and Nicholas Merrick.”

“Identical twins. Seventeen years old. Fire and Air Elementals, respectively.”

“So you’re telling me that with Hunter Garrity living in the home, there’s a perfect circle of Elemental power just outside of Annapolis.”

“And there are more, younger children who may or may not develop into their full Elemental power.”

For the first time, Gareth allowed an edge to enter his voice. “I’m more concerned with the immediate threat of a house full of pure Elementals.”

Silver wasn’t easily intimidated. He held Gareth’s gaze. “I will not underestimate them again.”

Gareth sighed. “We’ll have to lure them apart. I don’t like this law enforcement connection. Or the rogue Fifths. What about the twins? Any vulnerabilities there?”

“Gabriel is a noted danger. He was accused of the recent arson attacks in town, though later cleared. It’s been widely reported that he assisted in rescuing numerous students from a fire in the school library.” A pause. “If you read his file, there are notes that he caused the fire that destroyed his parents.”

Gareth glanced up. “Interesting. Was he responsible for the recent fire at the school carnival?”

“No. That was caused by Calla Dean. I have very little information on her.”

Gareth flipped through the papers, remembering the name. “She’s listed as one of the missing students.”

“She’s dead.”

Gareth stopped riffling through the pages and looked at him. “No body?”

“I shot her in the middle of the carnival. I had no way to remove her body.” Silver must have seen the judgment in Gareth’s expression, because he quickly added, “It was a clean shot.”

“But she isn’t listed among the dead.”

Silver had nothing to say to that.

Gareth shifted back to the Merricks’ file. “What else can you tell me about Gabriel?”

“He’s involved with a girl, a Layne Forrest. He spends a great deal of time with her and her younger brother. Their father is a defense attorney—an influential member of the community.”

Meaning they would need to be careful not to let these Forrest children be injured in any crossfire. The last thing anyone wanted was a lengthy investigation driven by a distraught parent. That was almost worse than the attachment to law enforcement.

“And Nicholas?”

“Some involvement with a girl named Quinn Briscoe. No Elemental connection I could detect.”

Gareth studied the paper. Nicholas Merrick. Hello, weak link.

But an Air Elemental. That begged caution. An Air Elemental wouldn’t have the flash and drama of the others. An Air’s power was far more subtle—and far more subversive. At seventeen, this boy might not have the more nuanced abilities of sensing emotion or detecting an enemy from a great distance, but he’d surely feel any breath of power in the atmosphere.

This assignment would take patience.

Gareth pulled a few more pages from his stack. “And these young men?”

Silver glanced at them. “I know nothing more than you see there. Seth Ramsey isn’t a pure Elemental—and he’s on some kind of probation or house arrest due to an incident with Becca Chandler. He’s a minor, so the records were sealed. Tyler Morgan isn’t a pure Elemental, either. His sister died five years ago—and it’s rumored that Michael Merrick had a hand in it.”

“I know Tyler Morgan.”

Silver’s eyebrows went up.

Gareth shrugged. “His family was quite vocal about the Merricks at one point. I assume that hasn’t changed?”

Silver shook his head. “I had no time to observe him.”

“And the only Elemental to be destroyed so far was Kate Sullivan.” Gareth glanced up. “Your trainee.”

“Collateral damage. Kate lost sight of our goal here.”

Gareth nodded. “It happens.”

And it did. Not often, luckily, but their connection to humanity sometimes left them vulnerable to the weaknesses of others.

Silver had been doing this long enough to have lost any empathy for humans.

So had Gareth.

He gathered his papers and slipped them back into his briefcase. “Are you ready to get out of here?”

Silver nodded. “What is our plan?”

Gareth stood. “Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Make it look like you’re having trouble breathing.”

One thing Silver had always been good at—following orders. He pressed a panicked hand to his throat and sucked in a long rush of air.

Gareth’s power latched on to that air, feeling it move into Silver’s lungs, making them expand, exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide.

Silver felt that power. His eyes snapped open.

“Again,” Gareth said, keeping his voice even, reassuring. His power filled the air in the room. This was all part of his plan. “I’m going to call for help in a moment.”

Another breath.

“One more,” said Gareth. He moved toward the door. “Hold it. Pretend you can’t breathe.”

Silver inhaled, a breath full of Gareth’s power. He held it.

Gareth gave the element a little push, quadrupling the pressure inside Silver’s chest. He felt the other man’s shock. His sudden fear. His pain.

But his death was silent. Air rushed out of his mouth, but it was too late.

Once his lungs burst, he couldn’t make a sound. He collapsed forward onto the table.

“Forgive me,” said Gareth. “A dirty trick, I know. Thank you for your years of service.”

Silver was drooling on the table. He wasn’t dead yet, but it wouldn’t be long.

“What did you call Kate’s death?” said Gareth. “Collateral damage?” He leaned close. “Funny. I call it failure.”