by Rhiannon Lee
"Aaron. Is he…?"
"He's okay. Worse than you, but he will recover," she answered.
I was relieved that he was okay. He had tried so hard to protect me and get us out of that basement. My guilt at not having asked about him sooner must have been showing because Bea's features softened.
"He's fine, I promise," she said.
I groaned as I stood up again.
"Poppy, you've only been awake for ten minutes, you need to take your time."
I waved a hand at her as I stopped another moan from escaping me. "I'm alright," I said, straining to smile to show her I really was.
"And everyone calls me the stubborn one," she said rhetorically as she threaded an arm around mind.
"Come on, let's get you into the living room. There's something you should see."
My legs were so weak that I was relieved when she then slid her arm all the way around me and slowly lead me into the main part of our apartment. As we cleared my bedroom entry way, my eyes landed on Thain, who was standing in front of the far wall.
As frustrated as I was at him over his insistence to work with Bea, I was glad to see him. His body blocked most of the view of a corkboard hung haphazardly on the drywall. I squinted, trying to make out the papers that were tacked up all over its surface.
Victor rushed over to wrap his arm around my other side. "I'm so glad to see you awake," he whispered into my ear. His genuine warmth caught me off guard. While I didn't dislike the man, I had no idea he was so fond of me. Then the truth dawned on me. He was here for Bea. I knew the dog was going to be trouble.
Before I could put much thought into it, Thain was upon me, too. The glint of worry in his eyes spoke for him. I tried to pull away from Victor's grasp, but he was holding tight. Peering over at him, I pleaded with my eyes. He worked out what I was doing and released me.
"Hey boss, you're a better height to help her," he said.
Thain moved to my side and filled the space Victor had occupied. Pulling me close, he wrapped his arm around me.
I felt Bea's hold loosen too. "Think you can manage?" she said to Thain.
He nodded, and I gingerly leaned into him even more, allowing him to take most of my weight.
"Come on, let's get you to the couch," he said, gently guiding me across the living room. Once we were in front of our destination, he moved to stabilize me, taking both of my hands in his. "Easy now. Just lean back, I have you."
I did as he asked and tried to settle onto the cushions at an angle that wouldn't press into my sore spots. After a few adjustments I realized I was going to hurt no matter how I sat, so I leaned against the armrest and took a few shallow breaths until the pain wasn't quite so vivid.
After a few moments of hesitation and an intense stare, Thain seemed satisfied that I didn't need any more help and retook his place by the corkboard.
"This is all the intel we have. We're trying to piece together either where he is, or who might know his location," he informed me.
I leaned forward, trying to make out the wording, but it was too far away. It seemed as though my eyes were still having trouble focusing completely. I pressed my hand against the soft tissue under my right eye. It was puffy and sore. I hadn't even noticed it; I was too distracted by the pain in my ribs and leg.
A sudden commotion pulled my attention to Victor, who was dragging a recliner toward the board. Within seconds he had it placed and was marching toward me. Thain intercepted him before he could grab ahold of me and shoved him to the side.
"Thank you, but I have it from here," he said.
Victor brushed himself off. "Right. Sorry boss. Just trying to help."
Thain looked down at me. "Would you like to sit closer so you can see?" he asked.
I was pleased that Thain's manners were still intact, unlike Victor, whom I was pretty sure had no intention of asking me first by the way he had been marching determinately in my direction. I had no intention of saying no, but it was nice to be able to ready myself for the incoming discomfort of being moved.
"Yes, please," I answered.
Thain reached down, but instead of helping me up, he effortlessly lifted me in his arms. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, and he carried me to the chair where he carefully sat me down in it. I adjusted myself so I was propped on the arm to keep from putting pressure on my ribcage.
When I looked up, Bea's mouth was agape. I ignored her and started reading. There was a lot on information, some of it dated back months. Most of the names I didn't recognize, but I knew almost all the places the traitor was suspected of frequenting. They had them divided into two sections: places he had been, and places where they thought the owners were involved with him. I was shocked to see a little cafe that I loved to visit on the associates' list.
"Are you sure about this one?" I asked, pointing to its picture.
"Honestly, we're not completely sure about most of these, but we're eliminating them as we get more information in from the guys in the field."
There was another picture marked heavily like Franklin's was, but I didn't recognize her either.
"Who is this?" I asked.
"Sonia," Victor spat.
"She's a black-market trader who works with Franklin. We had a run in with her, but she escaped," Thain added.
"Is she dangerous like him?" I asked.
"Probably not, but she chapped these two's asses pretty good when she got away," Bea wisecracked.
"If she's dealing underground merchandise, she is. Besides, we think she has information about his whereabouts," Thain said with a frown in Bea's direction.
Bea lifted her arms in surrender.
"Have you spoken to Matt at the greenhouses?" I followed up.
Everyone's face dropped at my question. The blood rushed from my face and chest as I waited for someone to speak.
"He's gone, Poppy," Thain said.
"What do you mean gone? Where did he go?" I asked.
Thain squatted down in front of me and placed a hand over mine. "We found him lying beside his seedlings. He was long gone from this world before we got there. He used every ounce of life and magic he had trying to save the sprouts. I'm so sorry, Poppy."
"Are they all gone? The babies? Did they die with him?" I asked rapidly. Tears leaked from my eyes even as I tried to stay strong for the answer I knew was coming.
"Not all, no. We lost most of them, but a few survived. They are being cared for, and already look stronger and healthier," Thain answered.
"But how?" I asked through sobs.
"Oh! We fixed the magic!" Bea exclaimed.
"It was Bea," Victor said.
"She set things right with her magic," Thain added.
I looked at Bea, whose cheeks were pink again.
"Honestly, I didn't do much. I just sang the lullaby, and the box broke, and then the magic went back to where it was supposed to."
I was unbelievably proud of her, but it was short-lived because my mind worked its way back to the reality that one of my oldest mentors was dead.
Bea must have noticed the change in my demeanor because she said, "I'm sorry about your friend."
At least there was still hope for the surviving new generation, albeit not as strong as it should have been.
"We have to find him and stop him before he can do any more damage," I declared through my tears. I wiped my arm across my face to clear my vision.
"We will," Bea swore.
Thain and Victor both nodded.
"Right, then we better get back to it," Thain advised.
I turned my attention back to the board as Victor fumbled with a stack of papers. He pulled a single sheet out of the rest and tacked it in the center where there had been a blank space. But my eyes kept floating back to my attackers' image.
I could sense my mind drifting and I tried to look away, but I couldn't. Suddenly, his presence loomed over me. I imagined his fists pummeling me and jerked when someone touched my arm.
"Poppy, are you
alright?" I knew it was Bea, but she sounded so far away. "You're safe, you're okay," she kept repeating.
"Get that picture down! Now!" someone yelled.
Suddenly, his face was gone, and my visions of that night ebbed away. What was happening to me?
Finally, the room and everyone came back into focus. Bea was hovering over me appearing deeply concerned.
"I'm sorry. For a moment I was back in that basement, trapped again," I whispered.
"Oh my god, Poppy, no. You have nothing to be sorry for," she said. "You've been through so much. Are you okay now?"
"Yes, I'm just… I'm tired. I need to lie back down."
"Help me, she needs to rest," Bea ordered, looking pointedly at Thain.
It felt as if I was floating, still not completely in the world I was supposed to be in as they carried me back to bed. My blankets were tucked up around me without request, and I settled my throbbing head as far into my pillow as I could.
I just wanted it all to go away—the pain, the memories, all of it so I could focus on what was important: finding Franklin before he could hurt anyone else. And I needed to visit the greenhouse to check on everything there. That would be the hardest of all, seeing the place that Matt held so dear without him there.
I closed my eyes and this time I saw Matt. He smiled and waved while he tended to his sprouts.
As I laid there and watched him work, a song filled my ears. It was Bea. Her magic surged softly through the air, calming the storm inside my chest. It expelled some of the sadness's intensity and replaced it with a calmness that seemed determined to lull me into sleep. It was beautiful.
I mouthed a "thank you" just before I relaxed and gave into its pull.
Chapter 22
Bea
It was late when the phone rang. I stretched my legs out from under me and grunted as my knees popped. Falling asleep on the living room chair was never good for the bones. Even though Thain had a couple guards posted outside the apartment complex, I couldn't bring myself to venture into my room to sleep. Out here, I could keep watch. I didn't think it was likely that Franklin would track down Poppy, since he was probably up to more important things than harassing a bed ridden woman, but I wasn't taking any chances with Poppy's welfare.
I didn't recognize the number. "Midnight Starling Detective Agency."
"Um, yes. I think my cousin is missing. His name is Frank," a shaky female voice said. She whispered the name, like it was a secret.
I pulled the phone from my face to check out the clock. It really was late—three in the morning late. I hoped these late-night missing person calls weren't going to become a regular occurrence. I enjoyed my sleep. I also didn't know how much more failure my heart could stand. We still hadn't found Anna. The longer she was gone, the worse her chances were of being found.
"Ma'am, do you realize what time it is? Can this wait until the morning?"
"My cousin Frank is missing. The last time I saw him he was at 341 Hamilton Way."
"Ma'am," I began again, but the line clicked off.
I repeated the word out of habit, just to be sure she was really gone. That was strange. I huffed loudly and stood up. I was pretty sure there was no chance of me falling back to sleep, so I went to make a pot of coffee.
I was almost to the kitchen when I felt a tug in my gut so I beelined to my desk and wrote her number down and the address she had rattled off before finally and lazily scooping grounds into the filter set neatly in my worn-out coffee pot.
Once I had a cup in hand, I headed back to my desk. The file with Anne's case was practically glaring at me. I grunted at it and flipped it open.
I was still working on it when I had time, but I was no closer to finding her than when I started. Ellen called every day like clockwork for an update, and every time I had to let her down. I flipped through the scarce information I had. Most of the collected papers were full of details about the Tolve, not her specifically. As I was scanning the sheet of known acquaintances, a name popped out at me. Frank. Son of a…
The residual effects of sleep fell away as my brain connected the dots. Frank was associated with Anna. We thought there was a connection somewhere, but I could never put anything tangible together. Especially after our crucial lead, Sonia, had escaped. And we were never able to track down Sasha, the cook from the restaurant.
I grabbed for the notepad again and stared at the address. Why did it look so darn familiar?
A thought occurred to me, and I ran over to the box of intel we had on Franklin. I started pulling papers and folders out of it. Where the heck was that list of addresses? I finally found what I was looking for at the very bottom. I pulled a stapled stack of papers out and walked back over to my desk where I had room to work. Using my finger to help me scroll down the addresses, I searched for anything like the one the lady has riddled off.
Surely it couldn't be that easy, could it?
Halfway down the second page was the exact address. We had already searched these places. Franklin all but vanished. It made little sense. But I sure as heck wasn't ignoring it. I didn't believe in coincidences.
I tried to call the number back, but I got no answer, so I tried again. Still nothing. I didn't leave a message. If I was correct, and Franklin was there, I needed to be as subtle as possible. I also knew that if people were giving up information, he may not be there long. Plus, those people were in danger. Someone had risked their life to help us catch him.
I sat and contemplated my next steps. There were no good answers. I could notify Thain, but his aggressive approach to things would alert Franklin, or worse, cause another standoff. I also knew it was stupid to go alone. I needed help. I needed Victor.
I grabbed my phone and dialed his number while I prayed to the gods above that he would be loyal and not rat me out to his boss.
"Bea? What's wrong?" he asked as soon as he answered.
"I need you; can you meet me at my apartment?" I decided to wait to tell him until he got here. That way Thain couldn't weasel the information out of him.
"Of course. You sound upset, what's the matter?" he asked again.
"I… I'm lonely and just really need some company," I said, then rolled my eyes at myself at the less than convincing lie.
"Um, sure. Okay. See you in a few minutes," he said.
"Thanks, I'll be here," I said before hanging up.
While I waited, I got my gun out of my drawer. If ever there was a time to carry it, now was it. I also grabbed a flashlight and threw on a pair of jeans and a black sweatshirt.
A pounding on my door told me Victor made it in almost record time. I raced to answer it. My plan would not work if I had to explain myself to Poppy, and I preferred not having to lie to her. She was currently sound asleep in her room, and I hoped to keep it that way. That didn't solve the problem of getting past the guards out front, but I hoped Victor's presence would help with that challenge.
"Come in," I said while pulling him inside.
"Bea, you're acting weird. What's going on?"
"I need your help."
"I knew it! Your whole 'I'm lonely' spiel was bull," he grumbled, while crossing his arms over his chest.
"Fine. Okay, yes. But I needed to get you here without Thain knowing what was up, and you are terrible at keeping secrets from that man."
"How do you know I didn't tell him something was wrong before I came over?" he asked defiantly.
I eyed him. "Did you?" I demanded.
He looked down at the ground and then back up at my face. "Well, no. But still. I could have."
"We don't have time to debate stupid stuff. I think I know where Franklin is, and we need to go in and arrest him tonight."
"If you know where he is, we need to call Thain. We are not the police, Bea. That's not how the Tolve work. He's not going to be arrested and fed three square meals a day."
"Look, I don't care what happens to him once we turn him over to your boss, I just want to make sure that happens. If we alert Th
ain, he could find out and vanish again. Who's to say there isn't more than one spy working for him?"
Victor sighed. "It's possible, but he still needs to know."
"I have all the details worked out," I lied. "We'll sneak in, see if he's there. If he is, we'll slip back out and call Thain. Then he can show up with guns blazing and take him down."
"That doesn't make any sense. Why wouldn't we just take Thain with us and save us the hassle of sneaking in and out?"
"Oh my god, Victor. Why can you just be with me for once? Just when I think I like you, you open your mouth and say something stupid or make me realize that your only loyalty is to a man who pays you."
"You like me?" he asked, missing my point.
"I said–"
"You said you liked me," he repeated, grinning.
"Fine, yes. I said I like you, but you keep making me regret it," I spat as I marched over to my desk to sit down.
He walked over to stand beside me. "I like you too," he said warmly.
Oh. "Now is not the time for this conversation, you big… goofy werewolf," I replied, ignoring my heart still pattering in my chest. He did like me.
"If I promise Thain will come alone, will you let me call him?"
"He's not going to, so there is no point," I argued.
"He will. Trust me."
Clearly, I was defeated. Victor wasn't going to cooperate. And honestly, he was probably right not to go along with my plan. It was stupid.
"Fine," I said through a frown.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Thain. "Boss, I need you over at Poppy's apartment. No, no, Poppy is fine. Can you do me a solid and come alone? Yep, I used the code word. Okay. We'll be waiting." He hung up and sat down in the chair across from me.
"He's on his way. Alone."
"So, I heard."
"Now tell me why you think you know where Franklin is?" he asked.
I spent the next ten minutes going over the phone call and the connection to the information we already had. By the time I was finished, there was another knock on the door.
Thain walked in, a worried expression on his face. Clearly, he was still worried something was wrong with Poppy. "What's going on?" he asked.