Free Rogue (Book 2) (The Omega Group) by Andrea Domanski

been able to track him down. I’m still
working on it, though.”
    “I thought you were on a leave of absence,” Jackie said.
    “I am. My bosses don’t think there’s anything to all of this
stuff so they pulled me off of my investigation. But I know I’m on to
something. There’s just been too much unexplained stuff. I was due some
vacation time so I took it.” Kell motioned to her shirt. “The uniform just
makes it easier.”
    Han couldn’t help but admire this woman’s tenacity. She’d
get in a lot of trouble if her superiors found out she was conducting an
off-book investigation. His opinion of her skyrocketed. “You got any theories?”
    “None that you’ll believe.”
    “Try us,” Han and Jackie said in unison.
    Kell shrugged her shoulders in a “what have I got to lose?”
motion. “My family’s lived here for generations. In that time, there have been
persistent rumors about people with special abilities. There’s an old
story about a tribe here called the Havasupai. It’s been said they can
shape-shift. I’m not saying I believe that stuff, but the stories have been
around forever and, well, let’s just say that nothing in this canyon would
surprise me.”
    Han tried to sound skeptical. “And you think these current
events have something to do with magical natives?”
    The flash of anger that crossed the ranger’s face almost
made Han feel guilty. “Of course not. I’m just saying that strange is kind of
the norm around here, and I won’t rule anything out.”
    When the waitress appeared with their lunch orders, Han was
thankful for the distraction. “The rest of our team will be here shortly; we’ll
keep you posted about what we find.” He almost dropped his forkful of lunch
when Jackie kicked him under the table. Although he was more than accustomed to
keeping secrets, for some reason he was finding it difficult to do so with
Kell. “I’m sure there’s a boring explanation for everything.” His smile was
forced for reasons beyond his now-bruised shin.
    “There are more of you coming?”
    “Yeah. They’re flying in from Jacksonville. In fact, they
should be landing any time now.” Han counted off the hours in his head.
    “They weren’t flying a Global Express jet, were they?”
    The look of concern on the ranger’s face had Han’s gut
clenching. “Yeah, why?”
    Kell’s eyes lowered to the table. “I’m so sorry, but
something happened. It was all over the news. I can’t imagine how you missed
it.”
    “Just tell us.”
    Han saw the color drain from Jackie’s face as Kell told the
story. His own complexion fared no better.

Chapter
12
    “Now this is more like it!” Han spread his arms and spun
around like a child in a toy store.
    Mirissa couldn’t contain her giggle at his outburst. He’d
been sporting an ear-to-ear grin since the team’s helicopter landed at the
Grand Canyon airport. Despite her mother’s reassurances over the phone that
they were unharmed, he’d apparently needed visual confirmation. Although his
best friend was still missing, learning that the rest of his team was safe
after their jet crashed seemed to lighten his mood.
    “This place is way nicer than our last lodgings. And the
people working here don’t hate us—always a plus in my book.”
    They’d just checked in to the El Tovar Hotel, and its swanky
European style had everyone smiling. The suite they were currently in,
Mirissa’s mom and dad’s, had a sitting area overlooking the southern rim of the
canyon and was large enough to comfortably hold the entire team.
    “Don’t get used to it,” Mirissa’s mother said. “This is a
one-time treat, courtesy of Julian, to make up for his inability to save the
jet. I’m pretty sure he hacked their reservation system.”
    “We need to get Carter back quick so he can see this place.
He’s gonna love it.” Han had spent the last half hour insisting that Carter was
fine and would be with them again soon. Mirissa understood his