Time Eternal Read Free

cone-shaped earpiece to his ear. He had been steadily losing his patience with his once-convenient alliance with the elusive warlord. X’s agenda was bigger than mere silver or gold, land or power. X’s actions often countered the will of the gods whom Rei served. One of the reasons Rei had allowed their alliance to continue was because he was intrigued by X’s audacity to take on the deities—something very brave, yet very stupid at the same time.
    “Ah, Rei, since you are answering the phone, I assume your business at the bank was concluded without any problem.” Rei knew what X meant. For some reason, X was showing uncharacteristic impatience about getting his hands on the steel box. He could tell from the insistent, anxious tone in X’s voice.
    “Yes, it was. My men will deliver it to the agreed location tonight.”
    “Excellent. The information you seek will be in an envelope for you.” X sounded relieved. Very odd indeed.
    There was a long silence. Rei was about to hang up the phone when X spoke. “How much is it worth to you for information that would lead you to the young lady you’ve been looking for?”
    Rei’s hands gripped both the telephone pieces with such force that he could feel the wooden materials began to crack. “Come again?”
    Silence. X’s MO. Rei swore that man had the patience of a saint, except X was no saint at all.
    How did X know he’d been looking for Elizabeth? The pieces of information he had been trading with X were no more than pieces of information. It was impossible for anyone to know what or who Rei had been looking for. Not even his men knew about it, except Sloan. Rei didn’t like where the conversation was heading. The best defense was a good offense. He must make sure X knew the boundaries of their alliance.
    “You’d do well to mind your own business, X. I am not someone you want to cross. The next time you stick your nose in my business, our relationship will cease, and we will be enemies. Trust me, you don’t want that.” Rei hung up the phone without waiting for X to reply.
    He looked up at the full-size portrait hung on the wall across his study above the liquor cabinet. “Elizabeth,” he called out her name softly, like the million times he had done before. He felt almost as if he called out for her enough times, he could summon her back to him.
     

Chapter Three
    It took the system precisely three seconds to confirm Skyla’s identity and her access privilege. A pleasant gender-neutral voice announced her credentials: “Agent Skyla Gray. Team Mu. Level 5 access cleared.” The same information was simultaneously sent to the director’s office, part of the multi-layer security and verification system. Besides the director’s office, TSCAA Central Command was also on Level 5. All operations were monitored and communicated through Central Command. It was the equivalent of StratComm for the Pentagon. Only a few specialists, along with currently mission-active agents, were allowed access to Level 5.
    Skyla sprinted through the titanium double doors and down the steel-gray hallway, heading straight into the waiting area of Director Laura Chin-Jensen’s office. As expected, she came to a screeching halt right outside of the door. Curtis, a.k.a. the Bulldog, stood in front of her. She knew bypassing the director’s tenacious pain-in-the-ass assistant would be nearly impossible, but what had just happened back in 1933, and the way she had been sent back to the present time, was too important to waste time playing nice with the impeccably dressed guard dog.
    Keeping her composure, Skyla gritted out her impatience. “Get out of my way, Curtis, unless you want some holes in your fancy sweater.” Of course the Bulldog didn’t budge. He just lifted his brow at her and gave her a “Are you out of your mind?” look. That’s why they’d nicknamed him Bulldog.
    She had to strike where it would hurt most. So she causally said, “The new fall line from Marc