Page 55 of Grayson’s Challenge

John sprayed Zach, and in turn everybody else, until everybody including John had received some of Wesley’s potion. Zach inhaled deeply trying to discern the different smells coming from his companions. To his surprise, he couldn’t smell them. It was as if he was alone.

“Pretty cool,” David said, also sniffing visibly.

“Let’s go,” Zach ordered, cast another look through the spy hole, then opened the door to the chamber and entered.

When everybody was inside the room, David closed the door. An ornate piece of art covered the wall, making it virtually impossible to see that a secret door was hidden there. Even the spy hole was cleverly disguised.

“Cloaking now,” Virginia said in a whisper and looked at her fellow Stealth Guardians. Both nodded, and she added, “We’re all invisible now.”

“Good,” Zach answered equally quiet, “John, take the guards’ quarters, David, the private rooms upstairs, I’ll check the offices and outside. And remember, we’ll need to figure out first, how many hostiles there are, before we take them out. Understood?”

All nodded.

Virginia and John were the first to leave the room. They headed for the back stairs, while the rest of them walked along the empty corridor toward the main stairs of the building. The palace was a massive mansion with the royal family’s quarters on the lower floor, offices, a ballroom, and other public rooms on the ground floor. On the second floor were the quarters of the guards who lived in the palace, and on the third floor were guest rooms as well as rooms the triplets used in order to have a little separation from their parents.

Silently, all wearing soft-soled shoes, they walked up the broad stairs. On the landing, Zach nodded at his brother, and pointed to the left, while he motioned to Zoltan to follow him to the right. As he turned the corner, he stopped abruptly.

In the hallway, a dozen guards stood in formation, armed to the teeth. But that wasn’t the worst of it, because Zach and Zoltan were invisible. Or would have been invisible, if it hadn’t been for the fine white powder that was coming from a hose hanging from the ceiling, and blowing the particles onto them. The dust stuck to their clothes, skin, and hair, and turned them into a chalk outline of themselves.

“Shit!” Zach cursed.

25

Thomas looked up from the computer. “We tried all their phones. They all went dead at the same time.”

“Shit!” Grayson cursed.

Next to him, Monique tensed. “Oh my God.”

“Since John and Cooper used their Scanguards’ phones, I was able to get the exact GPS location. They definitely made it into the palace.”

“Abel’s men must have been waiting for them,” Monique said, her entire body on edge.

“John sent a text message just before the phones went out,” Thomas added.

“What did he say?” Grayson said, hoping for a piece of good news.

“I don’t know. He didn’t send it to us, but to a number I don’t recognize. We’re working on figuring out who he contacted,” Thomas said with a look at Eddie, who was hacking away on his keyboard. “It’s an unlisted number.”

Amaury appeared in the door to Thomas’s office. “Hey, any news of them?”

Thomas shook his head.

“I need to go to New Orleans,” Monique said. “Thomas, can you call another Stealth Guardian to take me?”

“Out of the question,” Grayson snapped. “You’re not going.”

“I have to save my brothers!”

“And put yourself in danger? Over my dead body.”

Monique glared at him. “You don’t get to decide what I do or don’t do!”

“I do when it means I’m protecting you!”

“You’re just as much of an arrogant asshole as you’ve always been. How could I have been so stupid to think you’ve changed?”

“What the fuck do you mean? All I’m doing is trying to stop you from running into a trap.”