by CC Dragon
“You know me so well,” I teased.
“That’s not what I meant,” Pete replied.
“Everyone has guns here. We hunt to eat.” Margo waved off Mason’s fussing. “I’ve already spoken to your mother. Janice is expecting a guest for dinner. She invited us too.” Margo grinned.
Mason looked away. I felt the anger seething from him.
“That’s very kind, but I don’t want to intrude,” I said.
“Not at all. Janice cooks for many of the elders who need help as well, always so much food. If Mason is rude and doesn’t offer you a place to stay, you can stay at my house,” Margo said.
“Thank you. That’s very nice. I promise I’ll go tomorrow if Mason won’t even consider my request. I’d love to see more of Bethel while I’m here—if I’m not in the way.” I played nice with the elders to put Mason in a corner.
“You promise not to shoot anyone?” Pete asked.
“As long as they don’t shoot at me, I promise,” I said.
Pete nodded and patted my hand. “Good. See you for dinner.”
“Your hair would look so pretty in a braid,” Margo said.
“Normally I do a ponytail at work, but I had braids when I was younger,” I said.
Margo put her hand on my cheek. “I think you must be a little Native.”
I shrugged. “I don’t think so. Not that I know of. Honestly, I have no idea. My parents both died when I was little.”
“Poor orphan. So much magic and so much pain.” Margo put her hands on her heart.
I blushed. “I’m not strong. Part Fae.”
“You’re more complicated than you think, but Mason does love a mystery.” Margo took my hand. “Come. You need some lunch.”
“I’m fine. I was on a plane most of the day. Had a sandwich in the air,” I said.
“Exactly. A little something to hold you over for dinner is good. Come with me. Mason needs to think about your offer. Men must come to things like it’s their own idea,” she advised.
Margo was my new favorite person.
“Bye, Mason,” Margo said.
“I know he’s your local hero, but maybe I can borrow him and he can be my hero,” I teased.
I smiled at him over my shoulder and called, “See you later, Mason.”
He glared at me but waved. “Have a nice afternoon, ladies.”
Was I going home tomorrow—alone or with Mason? I had to win over his mom and sister to be sure I’d remain welcome if Mason resisted. I’d wear him down. I had to.
Chapter Twelve
Mason’s mom’s house was a wooden structure on the edge of the village. The dogs barked at me as I walked up. There was a boat on one side of the home and a beat-up truck next to it.
Margo led the way as we walked up the path, the door opened ahead of us, and a tiny woman with a long braid pinned back in a bun opened the screen door in front of her. Janice, Mason’s mom, flashed a huge smile at me.
“Agent Foster, please come in,” she said.
“Please, call me Dot,” I said. “Thank you.”
The interior of the home was warm, yet spartan. Basic furniture and some family pictures, but nothing elaborate or fancy. There was storage and food preparations, but nothing cluttered.
“Dot, I’m Janice. I know Mason isn’t the most social person on earth. It’s nice to know he made friends outside of the village. Please, sit.” She gestured to the kitchen table.
“Thanks.” I sat down next to Margo.
“Mason is already trying to get rid of her,” Margo said.
“I did turn up with no warning, and I’m trying to drag him into a bit of work. My partner was injured. We could really use his help just temporarily. I know he’s needed here, but it’s worth a chance,” I said.
“Coffee?” Janice offered.
“Thank you.” I’d hoped for more support from his mom but she seemed in hostess mode.
“Tell us about the case,” Margo prompted.
I shrugged. “I can’t go into details. It’s pretty gruesome, and it involves kids. It’s not something I want to leave to other people.”
“And you need a partner?” Janice asked.
“It’s policy,” I replied.
“He said you’re dangerous.” Janice put a coffee mug in front of me.
She watched me like a hawk.
I couldn’t tell if she thought I was a threat to safety, peace, or luring her son away. “We’re all dangerous. We’re trained to be stronger and faster to get the criminals. Mason could be dangerous, too, but I trust him.”
“He doesn’t trust the government,” Margo whispered.
I smiled. “Magically, who does? I understand that. Unfortunately, we have to use the government to put the really bad people behind bars. Street justice tends to backfire, and without rules, more good people get hurt.”
“Alaska tends to have its own rules,” Margo said.
“Natives too,” Janice agreed.
I nodded. “I grew up in Alaska. I don’t want to take away the freedom or the wild spirit we have. I never want to infringe on Native rights, but if someone is hurting kids or trafficking human beings—it doesn’t matter where they’re from. Whether they are Native or not, I have to try and stop them.”
“They could come here. Bad people out there, they always see our villages as an easy target, Janice,” Margo said.
“But they are quickly picked off because non-Natives aren’t welcome. Well, they’re not trusted.” Janice gave me a quick glance.
“They can still be around and dangerous. They could kidnap some of our people while on a hunting trip, and we’d just never see them again.” Margo nervously drummed her fingers on the big wooden table.
“Some of the bad guys have magic. They could disguise themselves as Natives. It’s a web of evil, and we need to destroy it.” I sipped my coffee.
“Why would they want Natives? We’d escape. We know the bush better,” Janice said.
“Some do. Not everyone is a tracker. How many have traveled to the Kenai or North Slope?” I asked.
Janice went back to the stove. “I see your point. I’m happy with my son home.”
“I don’t blame you there. He seems happy to be here. It’s one case. I’m not trying to get him to return to the FBI forever. I need his tracking skills and insight. He may not like me or want to work with me, but I’m sure once he digs into the meat of the case, he’ll understand the importance of the work. I admire his talents. I trust him to do the right thing,” I said.
“Do you trust yourself?” Janice asked.
Suddenly my stomach went sour. It felt like I was meeting a boyfriend’s mom, not a colleague.
“I do. I haven’t always been perfect. People can make mistakes or a wrong call in the field. It’s dangerous job at times, and there is no substitute for experience. A temporary partner who is less trained or works in a different department won’t be as much of an asset as Mason,” I explained.
“You and Mason weren’t an item?” Janice asked.
“No,” I replied.
Margo shook her head. “Why not? He’s a good-looking man. You’re very pretty. He doesn’t seem interested in any of the Native girls. He could do worse.”
“Thanks, I think.” I smiled.
“Maybe he likes boys?” A ball of energy bounded into the room. “Just kidding.”
“Lily, hush. Mason had girlfriends all through high school and college. He’s just so picky,” Janice said. “My daughter, Lily. Lily, this is Dot. She wants Mason to help her.”
“It’s all over the village, Ma. Nothing ever happens here, so you are big news.” Lily looked me over like I was a used car.
“Nice to meet you. Hopefully no one minds that I’m here,” I said.
Lily was a mini version of her mother. Her hair was in a ponytail and her nails were painted a soft pink. The young girl shrugged. “You work for the government, so everyone is watching you. But you know Mason, so it’s a mixed opinion right now.�
��
“Matchmakers,” Margo chuckled.
“Then the families with single young women are all, she’s not good enough for Mason. She’s an outsider.” Lily grinned. “Like it matters! Mason’s kids would have all the Native protection and hunting rights. Half is good enough.”
“Interesting.” I nodded. “What are you interested in?
“Right now? My brother. I want him to be happy. Safe.” Lily wagged her head. “You want to take him back.”
“I just want his help for a short while. I was asking about you, not what you wanted for your brother,” I said.
“I’m already a pretty good hunter. I want to learn more mechanic stuff. Fix my own snow machines and boat motors.” She went to help her mom with the cooking.
Lily was fibbing to me, but what kids didn’t make up what they wanted to be at times. It was a time for dreams. Maybe her mother didn’t want her to dream too big.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I offered.
“No, you’re our guest. Whatever Mason says, it’s nice to have new people around. Did you expect Lily to say she wanted to go to college?” Janice asked.
“I didn’t have any expectation. I just wondered. The options are limitless in Alaska. I know some people in high school who wanted to be subsistence hunters, some wanted to go into tourism, and one guy just wanted to be a nurse and work in Anchorage. Dreams are funny that way,” I said.
“Dreams.” Lily shrugged. “Your dream was to work for the government?”
“It was to get the bad guys so good people were safe or safer,” I replied.
Lily smiled and turned to her mom. “I like her.”
“Me too,” Margo agreed.
“Thank you. I hope you’ll encourage Mason to help me. I’m not trying to drag him into romance or a reality TV show,” I joked.
Lily laughed. “Too bad. He should get married. He’s getting restless.”
Margo and Janice shared a look.
“What do you mean?” Margo asked.
“He’s been back a while. He’s bored hunting, policing the village, and helping out. He’s trained for more. If he doesn’t have a wife and kids to keep him busy, then he’ll find something. Like he always complains about the teenagers in the village—they get into trouble because they’re bored.” Lily pointed like it was her brother talking.
“I could see that,” Margo agreed.
A knock on the door made us all turn. “Hi, am I early?” Mason asked.
“Not at all. We were just talking about you,” Lily teased.
“I’m sure.” Mason nodded to me.
“She’s my best ally right now. She doesn’t want you to get bored and restless.” I smiled.
Mason sighed. “I’m not a teenager stealing stuff for some sense of excitement and rebellion.”
Janice nudged her daughter. “Set the table, please.”
“I can help.” I got up and joined Lily.
“You’re our guest.” Mason tried to take the glasses from my hand.
“She was raised right. What sort of family are you from, dear?” Margo asked.
“My parents are dead. I was raised by family friends.” I held onto the glasses and went about helping set the table.
“From Anchorage?” Janice asked.
“Down on the Kenai, but I moved to Anchorage for college. Then I did Quantico and worked a few other places before I got to come back home.” I felt Mason watching me.
“She’s cool,” Lily said to Mason.
Mason shot me a look that said back off with his family. I smiled innocently, and Margo gave me a wink.
“If you can help children, any children, you must,” Janice said.
“I can help them here too. There are thousands of FBI agents all over the country, Ma. She doesn’t need me,” Mason said.
“But she admires your skill. Tracking and hunting down a bad guy—no one tracks and hunts like you,” Janice said.
Mason glared at me. I smiled even bigger. Working with men, I tended to be direct and keep my emotions inside, but I could be endearing when it worked.
“If you think the FBI is so bad, help her on this one case and convince her to leave and move here,” Lily teased.
“I’m not Native,” I pointed out.
Lily rolled her eyes. “There are certain exceptions made.”
“I’d be honored and flattered,” I teased.
“For adoption and marriage. Your odds aren’t so great,” Mason mocked.
I shrugged. “I’ll live. Small towns are more fun, but my job demands I live near the city. But I get around Alaska a lot.”
As we sat down to dinner, Mason shot me a look.
“Are you heading back tomorrow?” he asked.
“She’s barely seen the village,” Margo argued.
I smiled. “I need to get back to the case. It’d go a lot faster with you.”
Mason smirked. “Not really. We both know clues and evidence take time. So much is tech checked now.”
I nodded. “That too, but I don’t want to sit around and wait for the technology to give me a lead.”
“I can’t believe Green let you take time off a case that critical to come here and drag me into it.” Mason wanted me gone.
“Really? You think they didn’t value you? You left the FBI, not the other way around,” I reminded him.
“I made the right choice. You should too,” Mason said.
I frowned. “I thought I was the problem. Is it me or the FBI?”
Lily and everyone looked at Mason expecting an answer.
“Both. Excuse me.” He got up and walked outside.
I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Sorry, I’ll be back.”
I followed him.
“Don’t,” Mason said.
“What? Don’t what? You think I’m reckless. How would leaving the FBI help that?” I asked.
“You wouldn’t work violent cases or carry a gun,” Mason replied.
I laughed. “In Alaska, most people have a gun. I’d still carry.”
“Your magic is more dangerous,” he said. “Leave me alone. I need to feed the dogs.”
He went around the side of the house. I used the privacy to call Mitch.
“Hi, I don’t have his number yet, but Mason isn’t showing any interest,” I said.
Mitch sighed. “Did you meet his family?”
“Sure, they seem to like me well enough, but Mason isn’t budging. He thinks I need to leave the FBI and all this work.”
Self-doubt was a beast that attacked humans and magicals. I could count on my powers to a degree, but having powers meant I could violate human rules and laws without any punishment.
“If you did that a month ago, where would those women be today? All those women we rescued?” Mitch asked.
“I know, but then I have to push another case. It’s like I can’t step back.” I wasn’t after a bonus or gratitude, but the rules and red tape made it feel like we could never do enough. Some of the bad guys would flip on the others and get away with much lighter, or no, sentence.
Much like Green could take all the credit and not be as diligent about the help for the women—he’d still be a hero. I didn’t want a medal. I wanted people to be safe.
“You’re in a war that never ends. Good vs. evil won’t stop tomorrow. Bad guys will be doing bad things when we retire and after we’re dead,” Mitch replied.
“I know,” I said.
“Marathon, not a sprint,” he nailed his point home.
“You’re right. If I’m going to do this case, I need a voice of reason. I need that level head. If I can’t have yours, I need Mason’s.” I wasn’t being dumb. The reality remained that I wasn’t perfect or powerful enough to handle everything the way I wanted or it needed to be. We had partners for a reason.
I heard footsteps. “Gotta go, thanks.”
I hung up as Mason rounded the corner.
“Mitch?” Mason asked.
“He says hi,” I replied.
Mason rubbed his forehead. “You realize that you should pick someone who’ll be a pushover? You can have your way, have them protect you, and it’d be easier.”
“I want justice, not easy. Mitch agrees you’re the right choice. If I left the FBI, how would I regulate things? Stay in line?” I asked.
“Other magicals would keep you in line,” Mason replied.
“Possibly. Who keeps them in line? Whoever is the biggest and most magically powered wins?” I asked.
“Laws of nature. Magic is part of nature. It’s not as complicated as you make it to be.” Mason smirked.
“Maybe I need to spend the summer here? I can earn my keep,” I teased.
“You’d be bored,” he replied.
“You aren’t?” I shot back.
“Life here is peaceful.” Mason shrugged. “I have my own place, but I have family and help where I’m needed.”
“Do you even need to use your magic here? For what? Breaking up a brawl or sorting out who owns what snow machine?” I feigned falling asleep.
Mason turned his back on me.
“I know you’re tempted. You miss it. You’d have thrown me out of the village if you had no interest,” I taunted him.
He moved in closer to me. “You’re right. Things here get boring. Letting a stranger in to entertain the locals, the village elders, and all to be talked about by everyone—it alleviates some of the boredom. You can stay another day. Hell, stay a week. But when you’re here, your case isn’t being solved.”
“Why won’t you help me? When we’re done with the case, I’ll spend a week of my vacation here, and you can all make fun of the outsider. I’ll put on a sad little magic show, and you can outperform me.” My voice broke despite my best efforts to control it. I hated when my emotions bubbled through, especially in the office around all those men who seemed to easily lock theirs down. Why were they all making this so hard? I could strangle Green and the policy for forcing a partner on me and Mason for debating instead of helping. These kids weren’t a normal missing persons case. Why couldn’t Mason see that?
“It’s fine. Just help me,” I continued when he didn’t answer right away.
The door opened, and Lily was on the stairs. “Mom says to come in for dessert, you two.”