Noah's Adventure - 25. Scorched Earth

I must have passed out, because the next thing I knew, I was waking up to the steady beep of a heart monitor. My arm felt heavy, an IV taped in place. The smell of antiseptic filled my nose.

“Megan,” I heard Grandpa say urgently. “He’s awake.”

Grandma rushed into view, her phone clutched tightly in her hand.

“There’s my grandbaby,” she said softly, brushing my hair back. “How are you feeling?”

“Shiloh,” I croaked.

I watched their faces change. Just a flicker—but it was enough.

“We’re trying to locate him,” Grandma said carefully. “This was planned. Extremely well-orchestrated. Which means…” She exhaled sharply. “There’s a mole in my organization.”

A doctor came in and ran through a series of checks—lights in my eyes, questions I barely registered—before asking Grandma to step outside.

The moment she was gone, Grandpa leaned closer. “Just so you know, your grandmother has been giving them absolute hell since before we even got here.”

I managed a weak smile.

“She leaned on your Uncle Matt to get names and numbers of anyone who could be—politely encouraged—to help with your care. And she’s been tearing into everyone about the security detail failure.”

“Why weren’t they there?” I asked. That was the question clawing at me.

“As your grandmother said, this was planned,” Grandpa replied grimly. “You were a few cars ahead of them. Someone ran their vehicle off the road and into a tree. Max hit his panic button before impact—alerted Black Hawk HQ and the field office.”

My chest tightened.

“The field office arrived first,” he continued. “But by the time they got there… Shiloh was already gone.”

Grandma returned then, her face unreadable.

“Max and Julian didn’t make it,” she said quietly. “They succumbed to their injuries. The force of the impact from the dump truck was too severe.”

“Dump truck,” I repeated.

A memory slammed into place. “On the way to the park… there was a dump truck parked northbound. And another similar one heading south not long before the crash.”

“They were waiting,” Grandma said, her voice turning ice-cold. “I need to call Nick. Family security is being increased immediately.”

She stormed out, already yelling into her phone.

“I love that woman,” Grandpa said fondly.

“Me too,” I whispered.

We sat in silence until Grandpa handed me my phone.

One unread message.

S: They didn’t take my watch. Track me.

“Grandpa—look.”

He studied the screen once, then pulled out his phone. The call he made was brief and deadly calm.

“Track the watch. Now.”

Grandma reappeared moments later, eyes blazing.

“Max and Julian reported that dump truck earlier,” she said. “They said something felt off and requested a team. They were told it was nothing. The truck and driver were ‘cleared.’”

“And I assume you’ve already brought that person in,” Grandpa said.

“You bet your ass I have,” Grandma replied. “And Matt’s doing a full read. I will know exactly who was behind this.”

“It’s the Senator,” I said.

“You’re probably right,” she replied. “They’re closing in on Shiloh’s signal—”

She stopped mid-sentence, listening.

“…Little B is missing again.”

Grandpa chuckled darkly. “Heaven help whoever took Shiloh.”

“I’d hate to see what Tristan or Little B could do,” Grandma said with a smirk.

“Nut buster,” Grandpa added.

Grandma laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile. Grandpa had crushed Principal Hastings’ nuts once. Some legends never die.

I was kept overnight for observation. Security was everywhere—some hospital staff, some unmistakably Black Hawk.

“Mrs. Jacobs,” a doctor said nervously, approaching Grandma. “There’s… a man here to see you. He said his name is Secretary Wilson.”

“Is there somewhere private we can speak?” Grandma asked.

“Yes, right this way.”

“She’s meeting with the head of Homeland Security,” Grandpa said quietly. “No doubt President Ruiz sent everyone he could think of.”

“Is he afraid of her?” I asked.

“Without question,” Grandpa smirked. “She saved his life before he was President. Your grandma looks gentle—but she’s got a scorched-earth and spicy setting.”

“Grandpa,” I muttered, blushing.

“Not that kind of spicy,” he laughed. “Sweet one second. Ruthless the next. And I think we’re in the calm before the storm.”

Little B — POV

Tristan gave my powers back.

I waited until Dad stepped out of the room.

Then I vanished.

“T3,” I said when I arrived at the place he told me to meet him.

“Little B,” he replied, appearing beside me. “We need to rescue Shiloh.”

“Yes,” I said. “I like Shiloh.”

“We’re going to have to move fast,” he said. “And cause a lot of chaos.”

“What’s chaos?” I asked.

He laughed softly. “Sometimes I forget how young you are.”

“Tristan,” a woman’s voice said sharply. “I told you not to bring anyone else into this.”

“Grandma CC,” Tristan said. “We need his help.”

“The Senator,” she said coldly, “is going to need a lot of help when we’re done with him.”