This Time Around (Sequel to All Over Again)

Chapter Twenty-Three

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The town of Puente Antiguo was one of the smallest towns McKenna had ever seen. It reminded her of a town out of a spaghetti western and she wouldn’t have been surprised to see Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp come clonking down one of the sidewalks.

“Are you sure he’s here?” she asked, glancing over at Sif as they made their way toward the center part of town.

Instead of the van, she, Sif, Coulson, and Skye were tucked away in a nondescript blue Toyota Camry. It didn’t look S.H.I.E.L.D. and with any luck, Ward would pay it no mind if he saw it.

Coulson steered the car into the small parking lot behind a three story white building. “According to the LoJack, the mock Tesseract is here.”

“LoJack?” Sif gave McKenna a puzzled look. “What is a LoJack?”

“It’s an anti-theft device that makes stolen cars easier to find. It’s the forerunner to GPS tracking systems,” Skye explained without looking over the passenger seat headrest. “And this one says that case is in that building.”

McKenna sighed as she peered up at the building. “I’m going in alone.”

“No, you aren’t.” Coulson killed the ignition and twisted around to offer up a stern look. “I will go with you, but Ward won’t know I’m there. I promise you.”

“No.” McKenna pushed open her door. “What floor?”

“McKenna,” Coulson climbed out at the same time as she did, and continued to glare at her over the roof of the car, “don’t you trust us yet?”

“Phil, it has nothing to do with trusting you. I want my son back.”

“And we’re going to get him back. But you can’t go in there alone. I promised Loki—”

“What?” McKenna narrowed her eyes at him. “When did you talk to him?”

“That’s not important.”

She sighed softly. No. It wasn’t and she knew Coulson wasn’t going to give up. “Fine. What’s the plan?”

Coulson closed his car door and together they made their way toward the rear entrance. “Ward isn't working for H.Y.D.R.A. He’s only interested in the Tesseract for himself now. So, there won’t be many people inside, not like in Philadelphia. H.Y.D.R.A thinks he’s one of them, otherwise he’d be dead by now, although I don’t know how he slipped off their radar.

“So, you go in, and while you’re getting Selig, I’ll get the stone. Ward can’t be in two places at once and I think he’s using you and Selig both as bait.” At the door, he reached into his suit jacket and withdrew a small nylon pack. Velcro ripped as he tugged it open and she smiled at the old-fashioned lock picks. Coulson selected one and as he went to work on the door, he said, “I’m thinking Loki is the one he really wants, so it’s probably a good thing he’s in Asgard. Loki knows how to wield the Tesseract, knows its full power and how to unlock it. So, I think Ward chose here specifically because it’s a Bifrost site.”

“What?”

Coulson nodded as the lock gave and he tugged open the door. “This is where Loki sent the Destroyer five years ago.”

Her stomach lurched. “Maybe I shouldn’t be here, then.”

“No. You should. This is your moment, McKenna. You owe this bastard.”

She paused at the unexpected oath and shook her head. “Just when I think you don’t ever swear.”

He managed a grin. “I know what it’s like to come back from the dead, McKenna. And what it’s like to want revenge.”