That Magic Moment, page 19
Ofelia swallowed what felt like broken glass in her throat. “He’s going to be okay.” It wasn’t a question. “It’s just going to be hard.”
“It will be. I’ll help you. I think this one will help you too.” Pascal jerked his thumb toward Sully. “Don’t think about your father right now though, okay? Think about what’s stalking us on this vessel. We need to get rid of this monster before we face the beast that so often consumes your father.”
“I’m ready.” Ofelia meant it. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
Pascal didn’t look convinced. “Do you remember the day we were together in another storm?” he asked, reminding her of the fraught trip through the French Quarter as Hurricane Katrina descended on the area.
“I don’t remember much about that trip,” Ofelia admitted. “I’m sorry. It’s all a blur.”
“You were a child. I don’t want you to remember the fear. I just want you to remember the outcome.”
“You got me to safety.”
“And I will get you to safety again.” Pascal was firm. “You worry about the ghosts. I’ll handle the ghoul.”
Ofelia managed a glance over Pascal’s shoulder, to where Biff stood admiring Angelique’s brass knuckles. “Watch him,” she said in a low voice. “I’m not afraid that he’s the enemy, but I am afraid his ego will turn this into a bleeding nightmare for all of us.”
“Oh, don’t worry about him.” Pascal’s lips curved. “Angelique has him well under control. She always did know how to sing the absolute perfect song.”
Ofelia was taken aback. “I can’t hear her singing.”
“Of course you can’t. It’s not directed at you. She’ll handle the Testosterone Tempest. You and I will handle the rest.”
“And what will I handle?” Sully demanded. “Shouldn’t I have a job too?”
Pascal almost looked sad as he regarded Sully. “You, my friend, will have the hardest job of all. It comes after this though.” His words were heavy and nobody questioned what he meant. “Let’s finish this, Ofelia. These souls deserve to be put to rest.”
“Yeah.” Ofelia tossed open the arboretum door and stepped inside with enough swagger to make even Biff jealous. “Anne? I think we need to talk,” she called out.
The ghost appeared in an instant. She looked shocked. “What are you doing back here? You should’ve stayed away.”
“Yes, well, I told you I would release you.”
“You can’t.” Anne looked anguished. “Once I’m gone, he’ll be free.”
“Not if we take him out first.”
Behind her, Ben let out a soft sigh. “Anne.”
The ghost jerked her eyes in his direction, seemingly surprised to see him. “You were supposed to leave. Why are you still here?”
“I did leave,” Ben reassured her. “I left when we landed. I never intended to stay away though. I had to find our savior. That was always the plan.”
“And so you did.” Anne’s eyes were filled with sadness when they turned back to Ofelia. “We didn’t understand. You realize that, don’t you? We didn’t know what we were seeing.”
“I understand.” Ofelia harbored no ill will toward the ghost. “You couldn’t grasp what was happening. I would’ve been as confused as the rest of you. Everything that happened…none of it was evil. Well, the ghoul was evil, but the rest was just a series of incidents that played out in a way nobody could’ve seen coming.”
“We’re all lost to it now,” Anne replied. “I can’t leave as long as the ghoul survives. He’ll wreak havoc on this world.”
“He will,” Ofelia agreed. “The thing is this world isn’t like the one you were hoping to find when you set out on your trip. A lot of time has passed. Ghouls aren’t what they were. In fact, they’re well on their way to extinction. They can’t survive in this world. The problem we have is that this ghoul is still relatively strong. It’s a glitch of the spell. He could hurt a lot of people before he succumbs to a time he doesn’t understand.”
“And how will you fix that problem?” Anne queried. “How will you right the wrong?”
“If I could send you back in time and let you live your lives out how you were meant to, I would,” Ofelia replied honestly. “That’s not an option though. Even if I could master a time spell, I couldn’t risk it in this instance. There are too many of you, and there’s too much to be lost if things were to change.” She flicked her eyes to Sully, who had his eye on the interior door. He was waiting for the ghoul.
“Things happen when they’re supposed to,” Ofelia continued. “You guys were displaced from time, and it truly sucks. We can’t give you your lives back to live, but we can help your souls move on…just as soon as we end the ghoul.”
“And how do you propose to do that?” Anne demanded. “He’s too strong. The only way we managed to trap him in the first place was by a fluke.”
“Yes, well, you were limited in what you could do. We’re not.” Ofelia sent her an encouraging smile before focusing on Ben. “You’re the one he wants the most.”
Ben nodded. “I’m the bait.”
“No.” Anne vehemently shook her head. “You’re the only one who survived. I know I was angry with you before, blamed you, but I’ve had a lot of time to think.”
“More time than you should have had.” Angst lined Ben’s features. “I wish I could go back.”
“You need to move forward,” Anne insisted. “Don’t let the past torture you. Let the future delight you.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet I might puke,” Biff complained.
Ofelia jabbed a finger at the security chief to silence him.
“I want to cross over with you,” Ben supplied. “That’s what’s supposed to happen. We can still have our forever.”
“No.” Anne looked as if she was near tears, which was impossible for a ghost. “If we’re meant to spend forever together, you will find me again. Don’t give up on this life before you give it a chance.”
“I have to. I need to make sure you’re happy. I…promised.”
Ofelia briefly pressed her eyes shut, struggling to keep the duo from distracting her with their broken hearts. She leaned closer to Sully when he placed a hand on her back, understanding without even seeing his expression that he was having just as much trouble with the scene as she was.
“Once I’m away from this place, I’ll be happy,” Anne promised. “You don’t have to worry about me. You’ve spent a hundred and fifty years worrying about me. It’s okay to let go.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“At the very least, you should give it a try. You might find this world is an even better fit for you than the old one. I think I would’ve liked it a great deal.” Anne offered Ofelia a wan smile. “Here the women can be just as strong as the men.”
“Stronger,” Sully countered. “The women are stronger.”
“We fight together,” Ofelia said. “As for you, Ben, I agree with Anne. At least give this world a try before you walk away from it. You have us. We can help. Heck, I have a flipping building you can live in while you figure things out. It’s under construction, but we can make it work.”
“Or I have a condo that my girlfriend hates,” Sully added. “It’s even got furniture. You can stay there, at least for a few weeks. It’s just sitting there.”
“See.” Anne’s smile was beatific. “Give it a chance, Ben. I died, but you don’t have to. I’ll still be there in fifty years.”
“I just don’t know.” Ben dropped his face into his hands, his shoulders shaking as he silently sobbed.
Ofelia reached out to soothe him, but her hand never made it to his shoulder because her attention was jerked to the interior door when it flew open in a rush of shadows and icy air.
“Ghoul,” Pascal gritted out as he took a step forward, essentially cutting off Ofelia from any angle of attack.
Ofelia found she was holding her breath as the creature appeared in the doorway. To her utter surprise, he looked like a man, and a small one at that. At most the creature looked to be about five-foot-four. He was dressed in simple dungarees and a white tunic. His hair was black and basic, and his eyes were an odd gray color. They were the only thing that stood out about him.
“He’s the size of Tom Cruise,” Biff said out of nowhere, earning a snicker from the rest of his men.
Ofelia’s team didn’t respond.
“I knew you would be back,” the ghoul intoned as his gaze fell on Ben. “I knew you couldn’t stay away from her.”
“He’s not staying,” Ofelia interjected before Ben could respond. “He’ll be leaving with us in a few minutes…once we’re done with you.”
“Oh, now, don’t be hasty.” The ghoul looked a little too pleased with himself. “I’m awfully hungry. I think we should have a discussion before you take off and ruin things.”
“And I think I couldn’t care less what you want.” It was at that moment that Ofelia realized exactly how tired she was. “You don’t belong in this world. The others, the creatures like you, have been dying out for decades. You missed the hardship of that transition. You should consider yourself lucky. Your end today will be much quicker.”
The ghoul let loose an icy laugh. “Are you threatening me, witch? You must know you don’t have the strength to take me on.”
“Actually, I don’t know that,” Ofelia countered. “Personally, I think I could handle you myself. I’ve made an agreement with my cohorts, however. They get to play with you, and I get to free the souls that have been trapped here. I think it’s a fair deal.”
“You actually think you can beat me?” The ghoul puffed out his chest. “I am forever. Haven’t you figured that out yet? I am stronger than others of my kind. I am smarter. I have survived longer and on less nourishment. That makes me special.”
Ofelia stared at him for a beat, and then she was the one laughing. “Oh, you poor, deluded monster.” She shook her head. “You didn’t do any of those things. Ben and Anne made it possible. They didn’t realize what they were doing of course, but they’re the ones who extended your life. That ends today though.”
The ghoul had a healthy ego, and yet doubt was reflected from the depths of his eyes. “I think I’ll take my leave of you now.”
Ofelia opened her mouth to tell him where he could stick his leave, but Pascal was already moving. The vampire stepped so fast he was a blur, and when he finally stopped, he was cutting the ghoul off from his escape.
“I think not,” Pascal said, his lips curving as the ghoul’s mouth dropped open.
“You.” The ghoul was positively dripping with disdain. “How is this possible? Your kind don’t fight with my kind. We’re allies.”
“We were never allies,” Pascal countered. “We simply happened to have interests that overlapped. That is no longer the case. Your wretched kind have almost completely died out now. That’s for the best.”
“No.” The ghoul shook his head. “This is not the way it’s supposed to be. I have plans, and they don’t include you…or the witch…or whatever that shifter is. I can smell him, but I’ve never run across one exactly like him.”
“You were always supposed to run into her,” Pascal noted as he gestured toward Ofelia. “She was always going to be here in this place and time. Perhaps the occupants of this ship believed she was going to stop you, and I guess she did in some respects, but her job is to free them. My job is to end you.” The vampire brandished the sword, an evil gleam in his eyes. “You really should stop fighting it. The death will be easier if you accept what’s to come.”
The ghoul took a step back. “No. I…no. This isn’t supposed to happen.” He sounded shrill. “I won’t die here. I won’t let lower beings such as yourselves dictate what’s to come. I won’t—”
Pascal arced out with the sword, aiming for the creature’s neck. His blow hit fast and true, and it was over in an instant.
“Oh, my!” Anne’s hand flew up to her mouth when she realized how fast the creature had been dispatched. Then she laughed, although it sounded like nervous energy more than anything else. “Well, that wasn’t so bad,” she said when she could form words again. “That wasn’t so bad at all.”
“Anne.” Ben moved closer to the ghost, his voice cracking. “He’s gone now.”
Anne slid her eyes to him. “He is. You still need to stay.”
“No. I want to go with you.”
Ofelia did her best to ignore the ache in her heart and moved closer to Father Joseph. She was resigned when she extended her hand toward him so they could link fingers. “I don’t want to drag this out,” she said in a low voice. “I think…I think it’s better if we do it fast.”
Father Joseph nodded, clasping her hand tightly. “I agree. These souls deserve rest.”
And that man might still be saved, Ofelia silently added. Her magic flared to life in an instant, the bright white of what looked like a door swinging open out of nowhere. She yoked Father Joseph’s magic—of which he had very little to spread around—and widened the door.
The souls came from all over the ship, perhaps sensing their ordeal was finally over. One by one—sometimes in twos—they crossed over. Ofelia didn’t keep count. Instead, she watched Ben and Anne grapple with fate.
“I can go with you,” Ben insisted. “I can get one of them to end me, to ensure my soul can cross with yours. We’re supposed to be together.”
“And we will be.” Anne raised her ethereal hand and brushed it over his cheek. “I need you to try to live in this world, for both of us. I really will be there when it’s your time. I’ll be waiting.”
“Don’t you think you’ve waited enough?” Ben demanded. “We can start our forever now.”
“Not until it’s time for you.” Anne was having none of it. “I need you to live for me. I’m begging you to at least try.”
Ben looked as if he would rather do almost anything than follow her demands, but he ultimately nodded. “I won’t make any guarantees other than that. I will try though.”
“Thank you.” She leaned in close, bussing her lips against his cheek, and the way Ben squeezed his eyes shut was enough to break Ofelia’s heart.
When Anne pulled away, she kept her eyes on him as she drifted toward the door. “I knew you would come,” she said to Ofelia as she prepared to cross.
“I’m sorry it wasn’t in time,” Ofelia replied as she brushed at her falling tears.
“Who says it wasn’t in time?” Anne’s smile was soft. “Protect my heart,” she added after a beat. “See that he has a chance at finishing things out on his terms.”
“I’ll do my best,” Ofelia promised.
“I know you will.” With that, Anne walked through the door. It glowed brightly for a beat, so brightly they had to shield their eyes, and then it winked out. When she was gone, the door was gone, and the Adelaide was nothing more than an abandoned ship.
“Good job,” Sully murmured as he caught Ofelia around the waist and dragged her into his arms. “Way to save the day.”
Ofelia laughed as she gladly gave in to his embrace. “I’m pretty sure that was Pascal.”
“Oh, no.” Pascal made a tsking sound as he watched the couple hug. “I swung a sword. You freed more than a thousand souls. You’re clearly the hero today.”
“I think this hero is just glad it’s done.”
“Me too.” Sully kissed her temple. “Maybe we can celebrate with cheesecake in bed, huh?”
“Yeah.” Ofelia choked on a sob. “I’m just going to need a minute.” She felt like an idiot crying over a ghost she barely knew, but she couldn’t help herself.
“We have forever, baby,” Sully reassured her. “Take as long as you need. I’ll be right here.”
“You always are.”
“And that will never change.”
Nineteen
Sully would’ve preferred taking Ofelia home and crawling into bed with her, shutting out the rest of the world, and pretending they were the only two people in existence. That wasn’t an option. Instead, he sent her off with Angelique—making the siren promise to fill her with no more than two cocktails on the way home—and he focused on the Adelaide.
The first order of business was a search. The boat was eerily quiet as they made their way through every hallway and room. Nothing was out of the ordinary. That meant it was easy for him to leave Biff and the others in charge and meet Jack on the riverwalk for a quick conversation.
“Are you going to keep it or let the historical commission have it?” he asked his boss.
“I’m letting Jones do whatever he wants to do for the next forty-eight hours and then handing it over,” Jack replied. “The historical commission is going to find some odd things—there’s no getting around that—but there’s nothing we can do. It’s going to become a conspiracy theory regardless. It’s best to let them have it.”
“Yeah.” Sully absently scratched his cheek as he stared at the lifeless boat. “You know there are going to be rumors abounding in the Quarter over this thing for the next few months, right? We’re going to get accused of covering up a spy mission or something.”
Jack’s chuckle was hollow. “Oh, I’m well aware. There’s nothing we can do about it though. I’m ready to wash my hands of it.”
“That sounds like the smartest move.” Sully flicked his eyes to a despondent Ben, who was standing away from everybody else and staring out at the water. “I’m going to put him in my condo. We’re going to have to figure out a way to get him some identification…and money. I have no idea how that’s going to work.”
“Isn’t your girlfriend renovating an entire building?” Jack queried. “I would think she would have work for him there if he needs to get his feet wet. As for a Social Security number and identification, I’ll handle that. We’ve got plans in place to see it through.”
Sully arched an eyebrow. He was curious what plans could possibly be in place, but he was too tired to press the issue now. “Okay, well, I’m taking him with me. I guess I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”
“You can take the day off if you want,” Jack offered. “I know you and Ofelia have been through it. Spend a day in bed.”
