Winter's Magic (The Order Book 1)

by H. M. Clarke

Kaitlyn could not help but smile as George encompassed Mark and the Summerby brothers in his disapproving glare.

  “I actually felt the temperature drop as he looked at me!” Mark exclaimed as he leapt back off Kaitlyn’s chair. “I thought you were a Canto Mage George!, not a Tempestas Mage.”

  George gave Mark no reply; instead, he opened his box and began unpacking his belongings.

  “So, what brings you to our neck of the woods,” John asked his brother as he watched Mark go back to his desk.

  “Business with David.”

  “Ah, that explains why you have a face like thunder.”

  “So you were his AFP visitor!” Kaitlyn said. “No wonder Julie didn’t say much—David probably wouldn’t have gone into his office if he knew it was you.”

  She had always liked Phil Summerby and could not understand why David could not stand him. Before her transfer back to the Restricted Practitioners Unit, Kaitlyn had worked for the Australian Federal Police, and in fact had been Phil’s partner. Phil was not as happy-go-lucky as his brother, but he also was not as anal as David thought he was. He did actually have a humorous side. David just could not see it.

  “Well, he’s really not in the best of moods now. I would avoid him for the time being.”

  “Did you bring him bad news?”

  “No, all it needed was to bring myself.”

  “I’ll have a word to him.”

  Kaitlyn got up from her chair, but Phil grabbed her forearm.

  “Kate. Don’t.”

  Kaitlyn looked back at Phil with a frown.

  “You can’t make everyone like each other.”

  “He’s right,” John said. “Accept the fact that David just doesn’t have the same good taste in friends as yourself.”

  “He has the good taste to like Kaitlyn,” George’s deep voice interrupted them. “And I think Mister Summerby, you should remove your hand from Kaitlyn’s arm before you hurt her.”

  “It’s all right, George.” Kaitlyn looked at George and saw his dark eyes intently watching Phil’s tight grip. Phil turned and looked hard at George as well, but he released Kaitlyn’s arm.

  “Come on George. He didn’t mean any harm,” John said.

  George didn’t answer but continued unpacking his box.

  “Perhaps I should go,” Phil got up quickly from his chair. “If David comes looking for me, tell him I went back to the office.”

  “Okay Phil,” John said as his brother strode away. He then rounded on George. “Thanks for that, George,” he retorted.

  But whatever John was going to say next was cut short by another angry voice.

  “What the hell is going on George!”

  Richard Gisbourne, the leader of the RPU’s Beta Team, was standing on the other side of George’s new desk. To Kaitlyn’s eyes he was tall, dark and incredibly handsome and if she wasn’t so caught up with Chris, could see herself mooning over him on a lazy Friday afternoon. Though at this moment, Richard looked rigid with fury and probably because of that, Kaitlyn could feel the small hairs on her arms stand up on end as the air was filled with static electricity. Gisbourne had the power to control the elements. Richard Gisbourne was a Tempestas Mage; he can control the weather.

  “You read the memos Richard.” George did not look up as he spoke but continued unpacking his box.

  “You are the most experienced agent on my team.”

  “I was the most experienced agent on your team. Rothe has transferred me.”

  Richard looked up and suddenly saw all the eyes focused on him. He suddenly spun around on his heel and stormed back down the corridor, taking the feel of electricity with him.

  “Glad I’m not the one he’s angry with,” John said to break the sudden silence.

  As everyone sat back down to actually do some work, Mark turned to Kaitlyn and whispered, “Don’t forget you owe me that kiss now.”

  CHAPTER

  SIX

  ◆◆◆

  Kaitlyn sniggered over Jenny’s shoulder as she pretended to look at something on her monitor.

  “Look, there he is again. What do you think?” Jenny asked as she cocked her head to get a better view.

  Kaitlyn looked over the monitor, past the glass dividers to the lift doors that were currently under maintenance. They have not been able to close shut all day, and building maintenance had finally sent someone up to fix them. Jenny had called Kaitlyn when she saw how cute the maintenance guy was.

  “Well, I suppose he’s okay for a blonde,” Kaitlyn said. “But he does have a cute bum.”

  “That he does. Can you see a wedding ring?”

  “C’mon Jenny, you can’t be that desperate!”

  “I’ve been single for six months now, I can’t stand living alone.”

  “Now you want to move in with him?”

  Jenny’s reply was drowned out by a loud yell from Assistant Director Montrose’s office, followed quickly by the sound of banging metal. The maintenance man had dropped his wrench. He stooped to collect it while trying to see what was happening in the main office.

  Kaitlyn and Jenny glanced slowly at the glass walls of Montrose’s office, both afraid of being caught eavesdropping.

  “HE CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!” Richard Gisbourne paced back and forth in front of Montrose’s desk. “I AM THE SENIOR TEAM LEADER! I SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONSULTED BEFORE BEING STRIPPED OF LUCIEN.”

  Kaitlyn watched as Montrose held his hands out to Richard in an effort to calm him. The hair on both men’s heads was standing on end. The airspace in that office must be full of static electricity. It would have been funny if Richard was not so angry. Kaitlyn had never seen him lose control like this.

  “He’s really pissed,” Jenny whispered.

  “They can’t hear you, Jenny,” Kaitlyn said as she ducked down behind the front counter so as not to be easily seen through the glass wall. She wanted to hear as much of this as possible.

  “I WILL NOT CALM DOWN.”

  But Kaitlyn watched as Gisbourne clenched his fists in an effort to focus himself. Abruptly both men’s hair fell back into place and Gisbourne stopped his pacing. He stood with his back to the window and she saw his shoulders rise and pull back as he drew a deep breath.

  It was at this moment that David came around the corner. He turned and saw Kaitlyn and Jenny crouched down behind the front counter.

  “What’s going on?”

  “David, go back—Quick!” Kaitlyn bobbed up and gestured with her arms to emphasize the point. But Gisbourne chose that moment to turn and open the door.

  Kaitlyn turned away, not wanting to see what was going to happen. She had tried to warn David to go back…

  But the expected outburst did not happen. She turned back to see Gisbourne glaring at David. David was a touch taller than Richard, but his shabbiness next to Richard’s neatness made him seem less in stature.

  David turned away from Richard’s glare and looked at Kaitlyn.

  “I need to speak to you.”

  Kaitlyn glanced down at Jenny and then back to Richard.

  “Okay,” she slowly said, keeping her eyes fixed on Richard Gisbourne. His dark looks smoldered, making him more striking than ever—Kaitlyn much preferred looking at him than the maintenance guy. Not that she would admit that to Jenny.

  “Montrose, I’m going to talk to the Old Man. He can tell me the reason for these changes himself.” Richard stepped out from the office and slammed the door behind him; he headed for the conference room. “Jenny, set up a video link to the Director.”

  “Yes, Mr. Gisbourne.”

  Kaitlyn followed David as Jenny moved into the conference room. Once they had both rounded the corner and were safely out of earshot, David halted Kaitlyn.

  “What was that all about?”

  Kaitlyn’s tongue felt tied as she rushed to get everything out. “Richard’s not happy about you taking George from him. He’s also annoyed about not being consulted about the re-organization of the new teams.”

&n
bsp; “I warned the Old Man that there would be tension.” David frowned. “Though I thought it would come from one of the Brothers Lucien than Gisbourne.”

  “It’s not like the rest of his team are useless.”

  “I can understand why he is upset. Both he and the Brothers Lucien are senior to me—are senior to all current field agents. If I was in his place, I’d be angry about being bypassed.”

  “But you wouldn’t have gone all werewolf on everyone. You should have seen the amount of static electricity he was generating. It was like someone had connected Montrose’s office to a Van de Graft’s Generator.”

  “Well, Richard will have to learn to live with the decision. The Old Man will not be changing his mind.”

  “So what did you want to see me about?” Kaitlyn asked as they continued walking down the corridor.

  “I just heard the yelling and wanted to see what was going on. You were just a convenient excuse, so that Richard didn’t think I was listening in.”

  Kaitlyn mouthed a silent ‘O’. Then she remembered Philip Summerby’s visit that morning.

  “What don’t you like about Philip Summerby?” Every time Kaitlyn has asked, David had never given her a straight answer.

  David stopped mid step and glared at Kaitlyn.

  “What’s Phil got to do with Richard?”

  “Nothing at all. Phil didn’t look to happy when he came around to visit after seeing you this morning.”

  David frowned again.

  “What did he say?”

  “He didn’t say much. Except that he put you in a bad mood.”

  “Phil is an arrogant arse who—Hi John.”

  “Hi David.”

  Kaitlyn turned as John came towards them down the corridor. She also noted that David had the grace to look a little guilty.

  “What’s up?” Kaitlyn asked to help David cover his discomfort.

  “The Brothers Lucien are talking about having a welcome / get to know each other lunch. Would you guys be interested? Personally, I’d take spending an hour eating with the company of Sour George than staying here in the office with Gisbourne on the warpath.”

  “If you tell me it’s a working lunch, then its fine by me. But I can’t go with you, I’ve got a meeting to attend.”

  “Then it’s a working lunch—we’ll nut out how to organize the surveillance for LeBruyŕe.”

  “You mean we’ll wait while David nuts out how we organize the surveillance back here at the office. And then gets the blame for the stakeout rosters.”

  John smiled widely at Kaitlyn but said nothing.

  “Go on. Just make sure one of you keeps their mobile phone on in case I need to get in touch with you.”

  CHAPTER

  SEVEN

  ◆◆◆

  Kaitlyn seated herself at the table next to George Lucien, who with his black trousers, black turtleneck and black sports jacket reminded her of a malevolent German art critic she had once met.

  “Thanks for the drinks, George,” Mark called across the table as he pushed away place settings to make room for his laptop computer. They had barely sat down and he had the silicon out already.

  John slouched comfortably next to Mark and Chris sat at the head of the table.

  This was the first lunch that Kaitlyn had attended with her side of the floor in months, and this is the first time ever that she had eaten out with George Lucien. And she was grateful that George sat between her and Chris. Her feelings for Chris really need to be sorted out if they have to work closely together. You cannot be a member of a team if you have the inability to even talk directly to one of your comrades without stuttering and feeling like you are going to throw up because your stomach is twisting so bad…

  “George has shouted drinks, so I’ll organize lunch. Everyone, give me your orders,” Chris said as he leaned across the table to draw Mark’s attention away from his screen by snapping his fingers in front of Mark’s face.

  Everyone rattled off their menu choice, and Chris went to the front counter to order.

  “Congratulations on finally becoming an active agent,” George said as he moved his drink glass and its coaster to its correct place setting.

  “Thanks George,” she said, giving him a small smile. George looked a lot like his brother—except for the black hair and eyes. And his face did not have the ‘approachable or understanding’ look that Chris has.

  “I’m glad that we will be working together.” Kaitlyn then asked the question she was dying to ask. “How do you feel about being moved into a new team so suddenly? I think the entire floor knows that Richard is not happy with it.”

  George gave a clipped laugh before answering. “I am fine with it. I feel bad for Richard, but he will have to learn to live with it.”

  “That’s what David said.” Kaitlyn took a swallow from her drink.

  “I’m glad to see that you don’t mind taking orders from a shape shifter. Some Magi won’t suffer it,” John butted in.

  “John, I am hurt that you thought me so shallow,” George replied without a trace of humor.

  Kaitlyn turned to look out the café window to hide her smile and froze with her drink halfway to her lips. Standing outside on the footpath was the street preaching evangelist that she and David had seen last Friday night. This time he was not preaching, but still the sight of him sent a shiver down her spine. Kaitlyn did not want him to see her.

  “I’ve got to go to the ladies.” Kaitlyn quickly put her drink back on the table, gave the team a quick smile and made her way passed the crowded tables to the ladies toilet out back.

  She was so unnerved that she barely noticed passing Chris on his way back to their table. As she passed the counter, Kaitlyn turned back to see what the Preacher was doing. The strange man had turned and was now looking in through the café window as if searching for someone. Kaitlyn turned and bolted down the corridor to the toilets.

  Closing the ladies door quickly, Kaitlyn rushed over to the hand basin, trying to get a grip on herself. Why was she so worked up over a stranger? But Kaitlyn remembered the sick feeling she had felt in her stomach last Friday night when he shouted his insane ramblings to her and David.

  How did he know that David was a Natural?

  Maybe all this is just coincidence, and she is just over-reacting.

  Kaitlyn drew a deep breath in an effort to steady herself and looked into the mirror.

  Hopefully I won’t get so rattled on a case. Her reflection looked normal, but she still reached up a steady hand to tidy her hair.

  The door suddenly swung open and a blonde and a redhead strolled in, chatting with each other until they entered separate cubicles.

  Kaitlyn turned the tap on and bent over the basin and began to splash some water onto her face.

  Two metallic clicks echoed from behind her. Kaitlyn slowly wiped the water away from her face with a hand as she looked up into the mirror.

  The two chatting women now stood behind her, each pointing a Walther at a spot between her shoulder blades. Kaitlyn felt the weight of her Sig Sauer in its shoulder holster, but she did not move her hand to go for it. She had not even heard them come up behind her.

  “Don’t move. Don’t even try,” said the redheaded woman on her left. “Don’t say a word. Just listen,” the woman on the right said, her golden locks oddly complementing her sultry voice. The red head stepped back as the blonde spoke, keeping an eye on the bathroom door but leaving Kaitlyn covered by her Walther. The blonde leaned in close to Kaitlyn, the gun now positioned in the small of her back.

  Kaitlyn glanced at the blonde image staring back at her from the mirror. She was well dressed, as was her companion. Both looked as if they had just stepped out of the office for lunch. The blonde moved her red lips to within a finger width of Kaitlyn’s ear.

  “We have a message for you to take back to your Boss.”

  Kaitlyn turned her head to look the woman in the eye but quickly pulled her eyes back to the mirror when the snub nose of
the Walther dug hard into her back.

  The blonde smiled but kept her gun buried between Kaitlyn’s shoulder blades.

  “Tell Rothe that We know. And no one can be protected. No one.”

  Kaitlyn frowned. What sort of message is that?

  The blonde saw her expression and, if possible, her smile grew wider.

  “Tell Him exactly what I told you. Rothe will understand.

  “Who are We?” Kaitlyn tried to keep the anger out of her voice. This woman would get no satisfaction from her.

  The blonde poked the muzzle of the Walther hard into Kaitlyn’s ribs, making her choke back a groan of pain.

  “Do not talk back, little girl,” the woman said jeeringly. “Rothe will know who. One of our associates was once a close friend of his.”

  Kaitlyn saw the red head flick an angry glance at the blonde in the mirror. “Times up, let’s go.”

  “Just pass on the message little girl,” the blonde said stepping away from Kaitlyn, keeping her seductive, self-satisfied smile trained on her back.

  That smug, depreciating smile drove all else from Kaitlyn’s mind. She dropped into a crouch, sweeping her leg out until it connected with the blonde’s ankles. The blonde toppled back into the red head, knocking her to the ground, and one of their pistols came sliding across the floor to Kaitlyn.

  Scooping up the gun, Kaitlyn raised it in time to see the blonde fire. She felt the bullet brush through her long hair near the scalp and heard the shattering of bath tiles behind her. So much for not wanting to hurt her.

  Kaitlyn returned fire and was instantly satisfied when the blonde cried out in surprise as the bullet entered her shoulder, making her drop the gun.

  The red head scrambled quickly to her feet, but instead of diving for the dropped Walther, she placed a firm hand on the blonde’s uninjured shoulder. And then both women dissolved into a puff of black smoke.

  CHAPTER

  EIGHT

  ◆◆◆

  Kaitlyn opened her eyes to a badly painted white ceiling and the feel of cold tiles beneath her. She turned her head and found her cheek rubbing against the cloth of George’s black jacket.