Free Repercussion: The Clandestine Saga Book 3 by ID Johnson Page A

acknowledge his explanation verbally, choosing instead to send him the bird via an emoticon through her IAC. It was the first time she had given him access in months. Unlike everyone else, he could not force hers on. She spun on her heels and approached Cale, hoping to say something to him before he reached Aaron. The rest of his team had piled out of the cars and stood, mouths gaping, looking for their immediate boss to explain what the Guardian Leader was doing there.
                  Cale was slowly heading in their direction, and Cadence stopped just in front of him, blocking his path. "He was here when we got here," she said only to him.
                  "Why?" Cale asked, tones of nervousness and embarrassment coming through even through the IAC.
                  "I'm not sure," Cadence admitted. "But I'm fairly certain it has more to do with me than you," she replied.
                  He didn't seem to know what to make of that. He slowly nodded his head and took another step forward, as if he expected her to slide out of his way.
                  She didn't, which left him less than an inch from her now. Uncrossing her arms, she reached out and squeezed his bicep reassuringly. He gave her a small smile and then stepped around her. She glanced over her shoulder, wondering if Aaron would care at all about the physical contact he had just witnessed. If he did, it didn't show. He was leaning against his car, waiting for Cale to approach. Shaking her head, she joined her girls who were standing off to the side, away from the rest of Cale's group.
                  "How's it going, Cale?" Aaron asked as the doctor got within a few feet. He offered his hand, which Cale accepted, the questioning expression still on his face. "I just happened to be in the area, and I heard that you had a pretty significant hunt going on tonight, so I decided to stop by to observe."
                  Cale nodded and then finally spoke. "All right," he said. "I wish I would have known you were going to be around. I feel like you should know the plan."
    "It's okay. I'll get up to speed pretty quickly," Aaron assured him.
                  Continuing to nod, Cale asked, "What do you need from me?"
                  "Nothing," Aaron assured him. "Just do your thing."
                  Still feeling quite skeptical, Cale turned back to his team. He began giving directions, reminding them of their assignments. Once he was done, the team began to head out on foot the half block to the location.
                  Cadence glanced at Aaron and saw the look of confusion she expected. " Why ?" he asked simply, and she immediately gathered his meaning.
                  "Noise," she replied. She could see him shaking his head. She shrugged her shoulders and followed Cale's directions.
                  Aaron hesitated a moment. He had given his word that he wouldn't interfere, but he was also not about to take an unnecessary risk, nor was he prepared to watch Cadence take one. There was little he could do to protect her in the last few months they had been apart, short of constantly praying and checking in with his fellow Guardians who were at her location. However, if she was in danger tonight, his vow not to interfere would quickly go out the window. Once the brigade of infantry closed in on their location, he made the decision to move his car to the site. There was a freeway nearby that made plenty of noise. There were also cars passing by on streets outside of the mark. The noise factor just didn't make any sense to him.
                  Cadence tried to ignore him the best she could, but it was difficult. When she heard the engine, she glanced in Cale's direction. She could see a hint of his reaction in the tightening of his jaw, but he said nothing. The noise was not a problem; it was the undermining that was