Free Arise (Awakened Fate Book 4) by Skye Malone Page B

I didn’t recognize them at all. But the portly guy was the police chief from Reidsburg. The one Chloe had been anxious about, back that day when her parents had taken her to the station.
    Right before they’d heard about Harman. Right before they’d brought her to Iowa to be experimented upon.
    It was hard to keep my skin from changing.
    Two other men walked through the underbrush on either side of the clearing, one of them that nervous police officer from Reidsburg - Aaron or Adam or something – and the other a guy in camo gear who was damn near twice the scrawny cop’s size.
    I tensed, putting my money on the last guy being greliaran if any of them were.
    A branch snapped behind me. Another man with a rifle stepped from the forest onto the path.
    “What seems to be the trouble, officer?” Olivia asked carefully, her dark eyes scanning the people surrounding us.
    “Well, ma’am, my friends and I were looking for a group of runaways, and we had reason to believe you’d know where to find them. Local park ranger told us you might be up here and—” Chloe stopped breathing when he glanced to her. “—seems we were right. So now I’d like to ask you to turn those kids over to us. I’d hate for this to get awkward.”
    “I don’t know anything about any runaways, officer,” Olivia answered. “These are my business associates and our children. We were just having a picnic.”
    She gestured to the blue cooler bag and then glanced to the other three elders, something sharp in her eyes.
    The chief gave her a weary look. “Ma’am, I imagine you know me and my friends here pretty well, just like we know you and your ‘business associates’. Doctor Brooks sent us, so I’d appreciate it if you’d drop the act. These kids are runaways. One of them’s got her grandfather back in town, worried sick and hoping she’s safe. And one of them’s going to be taken in for murder in not too much longer, once we settle the question of how he’s here.” His gaze flicked to Zeke and then returned to Olivia. “So with all due respect, please get out of our way.”
    Olivia paused. “If you know who we are, then you realize how bad an idea it is to argue with us.”
    The men surrounding us tensed. Fear in her eyes, Ellie glanced back to us and then retreated up the trail, coming closer to Chloe and me.
    My brow drew down warily.
    “But we’re trying to help Chloe,” protested the scrawny cop on the far side of the clearing. “Surely you can see that? Just help. You don’t need to–”
    “Quiet, Aaron,” the chief ordered, not taking his eyes from Olivia. “Yes, ma’am,” he acknowledged carefully. “I do know. But I hope you realize that we’re here with the backing of your other business associates. And they want these kids to come home too.”
    “T-they wouldn’t agree to this,” Dave stammered.
    The chief rested his hand on the gun attached to his belt, his expression unchanged. “They have.”
    No one moved. I made myself keep breathing.
    “Alright,” Robin said.
    I looked to the petite woman in alarm.
    She stepped past Olivia, holding out her hands peaceably. “Alright. Just take it easy. There’s no need for this. Just look around. No one wants to see bad things happen in so nice a place. If everyone’s decided to make this problem disappear, then we need to go along with that.” Robin looked back. “Right? I’m sure everyone knows how important it is for us to stick together on these things.”
    Dave gave a jerky nod, while Phil simply grunted with annoyance and turned a tired glare on the scrawny cop and his behemoth companion.
    Olivia didn’t move. “You’ll regret this, Robin.”
    The woman smiled as if the idea amused her. “I doubt it. You heard him. Everyone else is in agreement and I’d rather not go rogue, if it’s all the same to you. I like my job.”
    Olivia’s jaw tightened. She looked away, finding the man standing behind us, and after a heartbeat, she sighed.
    I stared