Gray Dawn, page 5
>Excellent.
Now I had to choose. Put them both on the poisoning case? Split them up? Set Kelly on Luca and Kelley on the director? Former director. As the current director, my agents ought to be my top priority. Preserving the secret existence of paranormal creatures should rank as a solid number two. But Clay was family, and Colby…
“Breathe.” Asa drew me into his arms, bent his head to mine, and whispered, “It’s going to be okay.”
“Which part? Finding Colby before she gets hurt? Finding Clay before he does something he can’t forgive himself for? Finding the director? Or giving him to Calixta? Stopping Luca and her insane murder spree?”
“If we miss the deadline with Calixta, we’ll figure out a counteroffer she can’t refuse.” He rightly guessed that was the most pressing matter on my mind behind the all-consuming fear for Colby. “The rest? We can handle. All of us. Together.”
I had to set aside my heart and think.
What was best for the Bureau?
Luca was the active threat. To more than my family. To us all. She was killing humans. In droves.
The director was a passive threat, for now, while he licked his wounds.
That meant…I had made my decision.
Withdrawing from the comfort of Asa’s embrace, I willed my thumbs to get typing on my phone.
>Put the Kellies to work finding Luca.
>We need to squash that problem before she exposes us all.
>>I’ll keep you updated.
“Contact the centuria remaining at the farm. Draft us an aerial scout.” I locked eyes with Asa as I put away my cell. “I want eyes in the skies over The Spinnaker.”
Now that we had the Kellies, I didn’t want to risk losing them. A warded room did not a prison cell make.
“Let us know if you need extra paws on the ground,” Marita said, a growl in her voice and food in her teeth. “We can draft a few packmates.”
“Yeah.” Derry gazed at her as if she were a full moon on a cloudless night, dark and mysterious and hauntingly beautiful. He didn’t even blink when she bit down too hard and choked on the stick from her corn dog. “What she said.”
“Thanks.” I blew out a sigh. “I’ll let you know if we need to call in that favor.”
With that settled, everyone packed into the SUV, most of us sorting ourselves into our usual slots.
Asa drove. I rode shotgun. Arden sat on the bench.
But this time, Arden shared with Marita and Derry instead of Clay and Colby. Fergal had taken the Mayhews’ usual spot in the cargo area, where he waited in the heavy body bag he traveled in, tucked under a blanket.
“Fergal.” I heard the zipper drag as soon as the doors shut. “Who reported the deaths?”
“Sergeant Londis of the CPD.” Fergal crinkled as he shifted. “He’s a boojum, a relation of the sasquatch.”
I recalled Captain Peters’ advice about how I needed to address our allies and let them know the Bureau had their backs, that our agents were under control. She had been championing Boston, her hometown, but this was as good a time as any to put her theory to the test in other cities.
“I want to meet Londis, reassure him I have everything under control, and convince him to let the Bureau handle this.” I peered out my window, but Dad wouldn’t be here for a while yet. “Then Dad and I will hole up somewhere and see if we can think of a way to remove the Hunk. Without killing me.”
The longer we waited, the more tempted I became to risk powering up once more.
All I need is five minutes to know where to find them.
“All the Hunk needs is five minutes,” Asa said, “to finish what it started with that scar on your chest.”
“I didn’t mean to say that part out loud.”
Just as I hadn’t meant to rest a hand over the tender ridges of skin between my breasts.
“You didn’t.” He frowned at the ruby pendant. “I could tell it was what you were thinking.”
“Mate mind powers.” Derry ruffled my hair. “The longer you’re together, the less you can hide from one another.”
“Thanks for the warning.” I didn’t miss Asa’s sigh. “Not that I would hide anything, mind you.”
“Of course not.” Marita backed me up with a grin. “That would be wrong.”
“Like you never hide anything from me.” Derry huffed. “Don’t lie to our friends.”
“I would never.”
Their bickering faded to a background noise that oddly comforted until a call drew my attention. “Hollis.”
“…me…”
“You’re breaking up.” I prepared to end the call. “Try back later.”
“…it’s me…”
Adrenaline flooded my veins, and magic or no magic, I could have fought a giant and won right then.
“Colby?” I could taste my heartbeat in my throat. “Where are you?”
“…Clay…” A crackling fuzz boiled down the connection. “…Charlotte…”
“You’re in Charlotte?” I reached for my magic, eager to check our bond, but of course nothing answered me. Only the emptiness in my chest. But I had known. Maybe not that she was here, but that I had to be. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but it had to mean something. “Where are you?”
“…flight…arriving…six.”
“Six tonight or six tomorrow?”
“I…night…at six.”
“I’ll meet you at the airport.” I couldn’t see. “At six.” Stupid tears blinded me. “Okay?”
Another buzz and a louder whirr, and the call dropped, leaving me clutching a blank screen.
“I thought…” I sucked in air. “I don’t know what I thought.”
Yes, I did. That I had lost her. Forever.
“Colby is clever and resourceful. She’s a survivor.” Asa drew me across my seat, until my hip bumped the console, and guided my head onto his shoulder. “I’m not surprised she’s fighting her way back to you.”
“Do you think Clay…?” I clenched my eyes shut. “He couldn’t have helped her, even if he wanted to.”
As hard as I wished this was proof my best friend was still in there, I had never seen any evidence to support he was aware while functioning in this altered state.
Burying my face in Asa’s neck, I couldn’t hold back the sobs any longer as my heart cracked wider and fickle hope teased the ragged edges with a promise I would soon be whole again.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Golem
Moth gone. Flew down pipe.
Away from the golem.
Away from Master.
The golem watched her. Saw her in the mirror.
He should have. Stopped her. Caught her. Given her to Master.
So.
Much.
Power.
But he heard her. Talk to Clay. Tell him she…
…loved him.
No one loved the golem.
But this moth. She loved Clay. And the golem…
…he was Clay sometimes.
Wasn’t he?
CHAPTER NINE
With two hours before Colby’s flight landed, I fought the urge to shirk my duties and sit in the airport with my nose pressed against the glass while I waited on her plane to land. But I had to deal with Londis.
Easier said than done when the message from Colby plagued me.
How had she called? Had Clay let her? Had she escaped him? How was she getting on a plane?
Clay didn’t fly. There was too much of him. Four hundred pounds’ worth.
The director was borderline agoraphobic. I doubted he would climb into a metal tube full of strangers, breathe their air, and listen to their chatter of his own free will. It would be torture, and he was a man who preferred his creature comforts.
So then, how was Colby getting here? Was she acting alone? Or was she still in Clay’s custody?
As usual, I had more than enough questions to last me a lifetime and no answers whatsoever.
Fear for her was a tornado spinning through my head, scattering thoughts like debris when I needed my focus on the poisonings.
“We’re here.” Asa parked at a coffee shop with a frilly pink sign. “Ready?”
Behind him, Arden tracked incoming flights to Charlotte on her cell to give me a false sense of control.
The Mayhews, meanwhile, were engaging in an energetic thumb war over an airport brownie.
Sensing my attention, Arden glanced up at me. “The longest delay is fifteen minutes.”
“Thanks,” I rasped, my throat tightening at her kindness.
“I see Londis.” Asa peered through the windshield at a lean man in a CPD uniform.
“Then it’s showtime.” I exited the vehicle, Asa beside me. “Do I look trustworthy and professional?”
I hadn’t showered in what felt like years, I hadn’t brushed my hair, and my clothes were rumpled within an inch of their lives. I didn’t have to see my reflection to know my eyes were bloodshot from stress, lack of sleep, and my earlier crying jag.
“You’re beautiful.” He held the door to the coffee shop for me. “Always.”
“You’re a liar, but I love you.”
The sergeant, who had been nibbling on a black and white cookie, lifted his head as the open door swirled our scents to him. He sipped his coffee and moved to join us, his gait cautious but confident.
Nothing about him screamed Bigfoot is on my Christmas card list. He looked perfectly ordinary, perfectly human. Looks, as I well knew, could be deceiving.
“You must be Rue Hollis and Asa Montenegro.” He offered us each a cookie from a large white bag, which improved my opinion of him on the spot. Even if he had dropped our titles. “I’m Bryan Londis.”
The choice to ignore his rank convinced me he wasn’t impolite, just informal.
“That’s us.” I toasted him with my cookie. “Thanks for making time for us.”
“You can eat that, by the way.” He demonstrated with gusto. “They don’t offer delivery.”
To be polite, I bit into the treat, which was a buttery shortbread under sweet royal icing.
Clay would have approved.
When Asa indicated he would fetch us hot drinks, giving me a moment alone with Londis, I nodded. “I take it that means you’ve read our files on the troubles in Boston.”
Londis indicated a table, and we sat across from one another, leaving room for Asa at my elbow.
“I have read your files, thanks to a fellow named Fergal, and we’ve already isolated footage that leads us to believe the unsub has stuck with what works.” He placed his palms on the table. “Level with me here. This Luca. What do you know about her?”
Not much that wouldn’t cast Black Hat in a bad light. This was our dirty laundry coming out in the wash.
“She’s fae.” I started off easy. “She comes from a region of Faerie that grows king killer.”
“So, she’s got an endless supply then.” He cursed then reached for another cookie. “Please continue.”
“She’s holding a grudge against the former director.” I rolled around other possible details to share in the spirit of cooperation. “We believe that’s why she’s targeting humans.”
“Black Hat is dedicated to concealing the existence of supernaturals from human detection.” He chewed thoughtfully. “I could see how she might want to subvert that mission to spit in his eye.”
I waited a beat, certain the accusations would begin, but he simply reached for another treat.
“I apologize for bringing this to your door.” I was thrown off balance by his calmness. “A local black witch coven spread the poison in Boston. I would start looking for her accomplices among any dark practitioners in your city.” He kept right on snacking. “You, ah, seem very chill about this.”
“You’re being open and honest with me. It’s the least I can do in return.” He reached for another cookie, only to realize the bag was empty. “Here’s the thing. In my experience, people with a grudge are looking for an excuse to justify acting on it. If one thing hadn’t set off this Luca person, something else would have eventually.” He crumpled up the paper. “That, and blame gets us nowhere. This is a matter of protecting the existence of every supernatural from discovery. I don’t care who caused the problem. It’s here now, and we all need to work together to solve it.”
Asa set a steaming cappuccino in front of me with a cartoon moth drawn in the froth, and…I didn’t get how I could be so lucky. How had I landed him? Seriously. Despite how he had been raised, the guiding influences in his life, he was good right down to the bone. I wished I could say the same.
“These are for you.” Asa set one bag of cookies in front of Londis. “And these are for you.”
Maybe it was his kindness, his thoughtfulness, or maybe I could let go knowing I was about to hold Colby in my arms. But feelings overwhelmed me in a wildfire rush that burned low in my stomach.
“I love you.” I peeked in my bag to find snickerdoodles. “And not just because you brought me cookies.”
“You guys are a thing?” Londis crammed a chocolate chip cookie into his mouth. “I maybe heard that.”
“He’s my mate.” For me, claiming him never got old. “He’s also the new deputy director.”
“Aww.” Londis sipped his drink. “That’s cute.”
Another person might have accused Asa of sleeping his way to the top, or me of abusing my privilege as his superior. But not Londis. I decided I liked him and resolved to make a note of him as a reliable point of contact in Charlotte for the next time our troubles crossed state lines in his direction.
“Can you spare the manpower to help us locate any black witches in the area?”
A phone rang, and thankfully, this time, it wasn’t mine.
“Londis,” he answered with a hand in his cookie bag. “Yeah.” His fingers curled in a fist. “Be right there.”
Ending the call, he rose, tossed back his coffee in one gulp, and pocketed the remaining cookies.
“I have to go.” His friendly expression hardened. “We have three more victims.” He held himself back from rushing out the door. “Have your people coordinate with mine. We’ll begin a sweep of the city.”
“Thank you for your time.” I rose and tossed back my drink too. “We’ll be in touch.”
Alone with Asa in the coffee shop, I drew in a slow breath and exhaled through my nose. The exercise did nothing to soothe my nerves. Probably because my phone chose that moment to ring. “Hollis.”
“I have arrived,” Dad announced in my ear, twice as loud as a normal person.
“Excellent.” The knot in my gut loosened a bit. “We’re heading to the airport.”
Quickly as possible, I updated him on what he had missed and outlined our plan.
“I’ll follow in the air.” He kept his voice on blast. “I can patrol the area for signs of trouble.”
Without knowing who to expect, or what they had planned, that was all any of us could do.
“Sounds good.” I held the phone away from my ear. “See you soon.”
“I’ve arranged for a dozen agents working in pairs to guard the entry and exit points.” Asa clearly overheard our conversation. “The Mayhews can join your dad on patrol to cover a wider area.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” I disliked agents in such close proximity to Colby. “Can we trust them to stand with us against the director if he shows?”
“We don’t have much choice.”
“Well, when you put it like that, I see your point.” I wished we had more trustworthy agents to fill key roles, and maybe we would one day, but not today. “I’m just…”
“Afraid to hope? Afraid it’s a trap? Afraid Colby is a prisoner?”
“You’ve put a lot of thought into how I’m feeling.”
“I’m feeling it too.” He meshed our fingers. “Come on.” He pulled me toward the door. “Let’s bring our girl home.”
The airport hadn’t changed in the time since we disembarked, and yet everything had changed.
This was it. The moment of truth. Colby would be here soon.
The how left me in a cold sweat, unsure who she would arrive with and in what condition.
For an hour, those fears gnawed on me like a dog with a hambone, splintering me between its teeth.
The timer I set on my phone for six o’clock chimed, jerking my spine straight and my shoulders back, but there was no sign of her. Or Clay. Or the director. And if they used glamour to conceal themselves?
Well, I would be worthless detecting it, let alone piercing it, without any magic of my own to counter it.
Good thing Asa was here. The Mayhews too. That gave us plenty of sniffing power to root out any active spells. Even in a flurry of activity and smells, black magic’s ripe stench wasn’t easily ignored.
“Flights run late all the time.” Asa slid one arm around my waist. He held Colby’s green blanket, the one he had knitted her, in the other. He must have had it retrieved from where she and Clay had been staying. That he didn’t also have her laptop told me it had been taken. “We don’t know which was hers.”
But the board flickering with updates showed no delays for domestic flights for the next three hours.
A teenage girl with curly blue hair swerved out of the line for coffee and trotted up to me. “Rue Hollis?”
Asa flared his nostrils then nodded once to me that it was safe.
“That’s me.” I kept a wary eye on her. “How can I help you?”
“Calixta Damaris, the High Queen of Hael, her royal majesty, bid me deliver this to you.”
Once she handed over a sealed envelope, she stood there with her hand out, slowly blinking.
Without a word of protest, Asa pulled an earring from his ear—a gold hoop with a ruby setting—and set it on her palm in payment for her delivery services. “Thank you for your efforts.”
She thrust the metal post through her ear, piercing it in front of us, then walked off slurping her coffee.
Shoving my thumb beneath the flap, I held my breath as I broke the seal. Stomach churning, I read aloud to Asa, “Circumstances prevent me from meeting at our arranged time.”
After giving me a moment to continue, then realizing I was done, he reached for the paper. “That’s it?”
