We were passing the freight terminals when the tracker arrow began to rotate sharply, indicating we were passing the location of its quarry. I raised a hand toward Tess, but she had noticed the deviation and was staring down at the building we’d just passed.
“Beast, start to circle left and drop lower, but stay above the rooftops,” I said as I studied the building and the arrow.
Yes, it was definitely indicating that building, a hangar with a high arched roof and a smaller one-story rectangular building attached to its west side.
Lights were on throughout the smaller portion of the hanger, but the hanger itself was dark.
I considered having Beast set down on the tarmac right in front of the hangar doors, but if there were guards posted they’d probably hear the heavy beat of wings and be alert. I pointed past Beast’s head toward a row of small airplanes parked in front of the next hangar over. “There, put us down on the east side of those airplanes.”
Beast nodded and banked sharply. Maia and Tess followed closely, and the four of us were on the tarmac a few seconds later.
Tess had already slid to the pavement by the time I swung a leg over Beast’s neck and dropped to the ground. Tess drew my Colt from an interior pocket and left her crossbow strapped to her back.
“Beast, you and Maia take high cover and watch for any reinforcements or people trying to flee the building,” I said.
“And if we see anyone leaving?” Beast growled.
“One of you follow them until you find out where they’re going, and then come back here.”
“Agreed,” Maia said.
I held out my right hand, and Tess took it in her left. We meshed without speaking.
As soon as the meshing was complete, I thought: *We want to go in quiet. Switch to the crossbow until stealth no longer matters.*
*When will that be?* Tess thought back to me.
*I think you’ll have no trouble deciding when. If we can, we need to find your Aunts before anyone detects us. I don’t want them to have a chance to hold them hostage.*
*Agreed,* Tess said as she released my hand. She pocketed the Colt and un-slung the crossbow.
She hadn’t had a lot of practice with the bow, but the beauty of crossbows was that they were aimed just like a rifle. Except for more drop at longer ranges, the bolts flew a nearly flat trajectory. She would have no trouble nailing a target inside the building’s confines.
I cast a glamour that would have us looking like a couple of security cops, and we started to stroll down the line of airplanes. We didn’t rush, that would interfere with the glamour since security cops didn’t run unless they were responding to something.
As we passed the last of the Lear business jets, I notice a couple of heat sources in the shadows of the open hangar doors.
*Do you spy what I see?*
*Two guards?* Tess asked.
*Looks like it. We’ll continue on our path and angle slightly toward them. My sleep spell is good for about fifty feet. When we get that close, I’ll drop them, and we’ll move directly inside.*
*Got it, Boss.*
I grinned. Tess was cute when she was being all serious like.
I, on the other hand, wasn’t concerned. The people who had ambushed us in Raton were as mundane as it gets. Unless they had hired some magical help, they wouldn’t be any trouble. We’d just stroll in, take the ladies, and be gone before anyone knew we were there. Once they were safe, I’d think of something to dissuade these people from ever interfering in Wanderer business again. It shouldn’t take much.
As we neared the open hangar doors, the two guards rose to their feet and became alert. They were carrying weapons that resembled my old M-16 and I assumed it would be some Colt variant of the original.
About fifty feet away from them, I activated my sleeper tat and focused on the two guards. As usual, they dropped instantly. The sound of their bodies dropping to the pavement was a meaty thump.
“Two down, I wonder how many to go,” I said cheerfully.
“We’re no longer being quiet?” Tess asked.
I shrugged. “If they have two guards on this entrance, odds are there’s a central security desk somewhere where someone is watching cameras. They’re bound to notice these two falling asleep on the job. I expect we’ll have company shortly.”
I felt Tess activate her shield tattoo and nodded in approval. It was good to see her thinking ahead. I activated my own and placed it outside the hemisphere of Tess’s.
“You can switch back to the pistol if you’re more comfortable with it,” I said.
“I’ll keep the crossbow ready for now, but I’ll switch to the Colt if this becomes a firefight. Faster firing speed,” she added.
We reached the hangar doors, and I raised a fist to have Tess hold up until I had a chance to study the interior before venturing inside. After all, this could be a trap. The hangar held one C-130–a G model, I thought–a couple of black SUVs and a limo that had once been a Hummer. Assorted rolling equipment–APUs, HVACs, and the like–lined either side wall. I examined the far wall, half expecting more guards to show up at any second. As far as I could tell, we were alone except for the two sleeping men.
I bent down next to the guards and collected their rifles and the sidearms that were in kidney holsters.
I stacked the weapons together on the concrete floor
