by S. E. Akers
I thought I was going to be sick watching the scene unfold (and I’m ashamed to admit that some of it had to do with the caved-in metal of Tanner’s gorgeous ride). But instead of going ape-shit, Tanner acted like nothing more than a bug had smacked the windshield and went to check on Katie. He didn’t show the slightest hint of being mad. That left me to deal with hotter-than-a-hornet Officer Pete Ryan.
He climbed out of his banged up cruiser, gun drawn, and shielded himself behind the car door. “Hands where I can see ’em!” Officer Ryan barked at the three of us with a fierce sweep of his gun.
I compelled the trigger-happy officer to “be still” while Tanner calmed down Katie. A walloping pang of guilt hit me when I got a good look at his 400 plus pound body. If Bea knew her demise would take place, then why hadn’t she already lifted his spell? Surely she didn’t want him to stay that way… Or did she?
Tanner pointed to me when he saw Ron and Julia rushing down the drive. “Get every one into the house now,” he directed.
Straightaway, I corralled my three lethargic marks and ushered them all back to the kitchen.
Tanner locked his fingers together and placed them strategically on the lacy placemat in front of him. “We have a minor problem, Shiloh.”
The tone in his voice let me know real quick that it was anything but. “How ‘minor’?” I asked, praying I’d misread it.
“Katie has informed me that you used an amethyst to take away her parents’ grief…and I’m afraid by doing so, you’ve not only purged the negative feelings they had for her at that time, but the hope of developing any future ones. Their hearts can’t feel anything for Katie because their minds are telling them their daughter is dead and that even though she looks, walks, and talks like her…she’s not,” he remarked in a perturbed tone.
“Undo it,” I urged.
“YES! Undo it,” Katie echoed.
“That I can’t do…not without the amethyst you used,” Tanner revealed.
“WHAT?” Both Katie and I gasped.
“Their feelings are sealed inside the stone. I can’t retrieve them without it,” Tanner explained.
Oh no, I groaned. The news was upsetting enough, but the realization of “where it was” and “who had it the last time I’d seen it” made me want to slide out of the chair and hide under the table.
“Give him the stone, Shi,” Katie pleaded.
“I can’t. That’s the one I lost in the French Quarter,” I admitted.
“I figured as much,” Tanner said with a grin, but looking none too pleased. “Why did you do it in the first place?”
“Because I asked her to. It’s all my fault!” Katie cried tearfully and then buried her head in her arms down against the table. “I should have listened to you. I shouldn’t have begged you like I did. I knew you would cave,” she sobbed uncontrollably.
I grabbed my bosom friend’s trembling hands and gave them a firm, profound squeeze. “Katie, I had to do it…because of what I saw,” I whispered. I revealed everything I’d seen rolling through Julia’s dark mind, right down to her scheduled dip in the icy ocean waters. Katie’s tears kept falling, but she was nowhere near as inconsolable.
“I’m glad you did it,” Katie sniffled. “I’d rather them still be here and not know who I am than be without them at all.” She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. “I’ll be fine…eventually.”
Katie may have given me a pass, but my tail remained shish-kabobbed firmly on my proverbial sword. I lost the amethyst in the first place, and now Damiec has it. If he still does? He knew about Katie and the howlite I needed from my memories. Surely he saw what I did to her parents. He has to know I need it to undo the damage. Now that was most alarming.
“Shiloh, is something wrong?” Tanner asked.
Leave it to Tanner and his emotional radar to pick up on my distress. I threw him off my scent with a curt, “What do you think?” as I waved to my three hypnotized captives sitting across from us.
“Compel Katie’s parents to forget about this incident…and the officer too,” he instructed and then turned to Katie. “Go to your room and collect anything you think you’ll need.” Katie nodded and moped out of the room. “Shiloh, tell Katie’s parents that they donated some of her belongings to charity, so they won’t be alarmed when they find some of her things missing. That should do…for now.”
Tanner fixed a pot of coffee while we waited on Katie. There wasn’t much else to do. I did feel the need to address the other elephant in the room, the one parked outside.
“I’m sorry about your car,” I said. Tanner merely grinned as he took a long sip of his drink. “You’re taking it awfully well. Even I’d be a little pissed.” More like a lot. He turned his head away, hiding a distinct smirk on his face. I placed my cup down on the spot, alarmed by a crushing thought. “That was my graduation present…Wasn’t it?”
His mug made a loud “clank” when he set it down. “Yep,” he answered with a smile. “It certainly was.”
I may have held on to my straight-face while we sat there, but that was only because I’d secretly clenched my teeth as tight as a tick to keep the warchest of curses from exploding out of my mouth.
After several deposits into the back of the car, Katie gave each of her parents a heartfelt hug and a kiss on the cheek. With teary red eyes, she turned around and announced she was finally ready to go. Tanner told her to go wait by the car. I led the unsuspecting couple up to their bedroom, where I compelled them not to remember the unnerving incident and instructed them to go back to sleep for another hour. I then ordered Officer Pete Ryan outside and told him to get back in his cruiser. Once I’d altered his recollection of the city’s “wrecked patrol car” and the now “bogus call”, I decided to leave him with something else — a long overdo reprieve. Just as Kamya had instructed, I cupped my hands and blew a warm stream of air into them as I thought about the new stone I now claimed. A glassy, tumbled golden topaz magically appeared before my eyes. Now this one was about the size of a shirt button. It was nice to see that my second attempt was a heck of a lot bigger — his “diet-pill” in the shape of a stone.
I placed it in his hand and began, “Officer Ryan, even though you’re probably one of the most conceited, rudest assholes I’ve ever known, and you’ll probably never change…I think you’ve suffered long enough. Hold on to this stone and your body will go back to the old, steroid-infused hunk of arrogant flesh it always was,” I vowed as I concentrated on the stone’s healing abilities and my diamond’s powers. “But you need to work on being a lot kinder to people. And stop being such a cheapskate! No more free food at the Drive-In… And you always leave Naomi a minimum twenty percent tip. No, wait, thirty percent,” I corrected. “And on holidays, double it! ALL OF THEM!”
I headed toward the now banged-up classic Corvette, sulking and shaking my head. My graduation present. I could have rolled around in the gravel kicking and crying right then and there. Tanner instructed Katie to get in the passenger-seat and to keep her head down.
I started to get in when Tanner halted me with a “Nuh-uh” and pointed to the rear. “I’m steering.”
I cocked my head.
“It’s your car,” Tanner cracked as he slid into the seat. I whirled around with the grating sound of his door-slam stinging my ears.
Son-of-a…
Pushing a car down the road several miles BY YOURSELF gives one plenty of “quiet time” to think. The Katie-quandary was sticky at best. The entire town thought she was dead. Case closed. She would have to stay tucked out of sight for a while, through the summer at least. But knowing my bosom friend, if being trapped in a diamond for five months hadn’t made her stir-crazy enough, confined in a house for another three would send her plummeting over the edge. I sure didn’t need a repeat of this morning’s performance. But when it came time for me to leave for Yardley in August, where would she go? No wonder I’d never thought about the aftermath, but sadly, this was an equally important part of the pl
an.
We unloaded all of Katie’s things in the private surroundings of Bea’s closed garage. While she unpacked, Tanner and I played “think tank” in the living room.
“Any ideas?” I asked.
“She needs a new identity and a place to live…far away from here,” Tanner assessed.
“I know,” I mumbled. “But where?” A thought popped into my head. “Can you get her into Yardley?”
“I could, but I won’t,” Tanner insisted. “I don’t dare suggest severing your friendship, but you need to be more concerned for her safety.” Tanner left the room momentarily and when he returned, he was unfolding a map. He laid it on the coffee table.
“You can pick a spot close to Yardley, but not too close,” he advised.
I stared at the colorful map, eyeing each of the scattered bold-faced city names pensively. There were plenty of places throughout the surrounding New England states to choose from, but I wanted it to be perfect. Someplace close, but not too close… Somewhere with lots of people… A city where she could blend in and wouldn’t feel abandoned or alone… A place where she could call “home”… That’s when it hit me like a mystical slap in the face. I pointed to a spot on the map.
Tanner looked at my choice. “Are you sure?”
“It’s the perfect place,” I said with a gleam while my brain started hatching a plan.
Tanner rubbed his chin. “I’ll have to get her some fake documents.”
“You can take care of that, but I’ll handle her living arrangements, okay?” I asked.
Tanner tapped his finger against his pursed, though still perfectly-shaped mauve lips. “Let me make a few calls,” he said as he folded the map with a few flicks and rose from his chair.
“Can you get her into a college around there?”
Tanner tilted his head and grinned. “That, I can do.”
The doorbell rang again. This time, Tanner rushed to answer it. I stood right where I was and prayed it wasn’t Helaine, back for more.
Thankfully it was only the taxi.
Tanner collected the Webbers and escorted them out to the cab. Once they were snugly buckled-up in the backseat, he headed back my way.
“I need to go with them, to make sure they arrive safely.”
“I understand,” I replied, hoping I’d masked my emotions successfully.
“I hadn’t planned on leaving this soon,” Tanner admitted. That roused the makings of a smile, and he knew it too.
“I’ll be fine,” I exaggerated. “I think I’m going to have my hands busy with Katie today. It’ll be a good distraction…and I think a little girl-time is long overdo. I just hope she doesn’t try another escape.”
“She can’t,” Tanner assured me with a grin. “I placed a few wards around the house. She can’t leave without you.”
“Clever,” I praised.
“And, I’m the only other person who can enter the house. No one else can cross its threshold,” he added. “But I’ll be back for the next full moon.”
“Because of Lorelei?” I posed. “Or Damiec?” Tanner tilted his head, trying to shield the look in his eyes. Yep… He’s definitely still alive and kicking.
“He can turn up anytime after the twilight fades. That’s why I want you safely inside before the sun sets,” Tanner ordered. “So no more working nights at the Drive-In.”
I nodded compliantly. “But what about Helaine?” I asked.
“You need to keep your eyes peeled for her all the time,” Tanner stressed. “Though I doubt she’ll retaliate until she’s formed what she thinks is a fool-proof plan.”
There went my stomach, straight into a flip. Great.
I pointed to the discus in his hand. “Say hi to Kamya for me.”
“I will. She’ll be relieved to get this back.” Tanner grinned as he ran his fingers around its edge. “I may hold on to it for a while. Let her think Helio really is pissed.”
“Do you really want to get on her bad-side?”
“No,” Tanner admitted. “But don’t tell her I said that.”
I pointed to the other item he was carrying, the one tucked inside a lackluster brown paper shopping bag. “When will it be ready?” I asked.
“Maybe by the end of December?” Tanner replied as he peeked inside at Bea’s hair. “I’ll bury it as soon as I get home.”
I nodded back somberly, wishing there was a stone that could speed up time.
Tanner glanced back at the cab. Poor hung-over, sallow-faced Vernon Hess looked about a second away from laying on the horn. He was ready to get moving. “I have to go now. You need to hide the sunstone in a special place… One where no one can ever find it.”
“Okay,” I replied.
“No one can ever know you have it…not yet,” he whispered in my ear as he gave me a warm hug.
I sooo didn’t like the undertones of that. “Got it,” I confirmed as I nuzzled against his shoulder.
Just as he was about to leave, I grabbed his arm. “Wait,” I said as the tips of my fingers pressed into one of his strapping muscles, now distracted by an arousing wave of bliss.
Tanner turned around, grinning. “Did you need something?”
My cheeks flushed. “Yes… Another amethyst,” I replied, though I was craving something else.
His hazel eyes flickered with twinges of violet. “You lost another one?” Tanner posed.
“NO,” I defended swiftly. “Bea tossed it out the window when I was trying to contact you last night.”
“Of course she did,” he said with light laugh. “I should make you wait on the one that’s working its way through your friend.”
“I forgot about that one,” I gasped with a cringe.
“She’ll be fine, once it passes,” Tanner assured with a pucker. “It’s magic ceased when you mended her body.”
Mental Note: Trip to CVS for a laxative. “But she’ll still remember you?” I asked.
“Yes, unfortunately,” he teased and started down the walk.
“So you’re not giving me one?” I yelled as he walked around to the other side of the cab.
“Don’t pout, little girl. I figured as much. It’s on your bedside table,” Tanner announced and then slid into the cab.
I watched the maroon-colored cab pull away from the curb and kept it in my sights until it had disappeared around the bend. I turned to go back into the house, but I found myself glued to the stoop. Bea’s red door. Bea’s house. And sadly, no Bea. So many mixed emotions flooded my senses, though the only one that stood out was grief — with a big ’ole capital “G”. I finally turned the knob and stepped inside, charting a course for the spare bedroom. There it was, lying on the table — just as he’d said.
Good thing, I affirmed with a sigh as I picked it up and gave it a firm squeeze. I was sure going to need it.
“Katie?” I hollered.
She poked her head into the room. “Yes.”
“Are you settled in?”
“As settled as I can get. But for the record, my stuff may be in there, but I’m sleeping in here with you,” she said with a shudder.
“I figured as much.” I couldn’t blame her. It wouldn’t feel right if either of us slept in Bea’s bed. “I need to talk to you about something,” I said.
“What’s wrong?” Katie demanded, picking up on my reserve. “Is it BAD?”
“It’s not bad-bad,” I replied as I led her over to the bed and sat her down.
“Well nothin’ is ever good-bad,” Katie protested.
This might be. I took a deep breath. “It’s about the amethyst I used on your mom and dad.”
“Shi, I’m not mad at you about that. I swear. I’m mad at myself!”
“Well, I think I may know where it is,” I revealed.
“Really?” Katie gasped. “That’s great!”
I noted her excitement with a blank smile. Not as great as you would think.
“Where do you think it is?” my now buoyant bosom friend asked.
“I
don’t know that, exactly…but I think I may know who has it,” I rephrased.
Katie’s eyes widened with every second of silence that passed. “Do I have to guess?”
“I lost it in New Orleans,” I began.
“Yeah,” Katie repeated thoughtfully. I knew the exact second the correct answer had registered in her brain, just by the way she shot up off the bed and the shrillness of her gasp. “DAMIEC!”
“Yep,” I confirmed and fell back on the bed.
Katie followed my lead. “That SUCKS!”
“Tell me about it! I’m sure he knows what I did to your parents. He has to know I need it.”
“But why wouldn’t he give it back to you when he gave you the howlite?” Katie posed.
I rolled over and buried my head in a pillow. “I don’t know…but I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough,” I groaned.
Katie nuzzled beside me and stroked my hair. “By the way,” she began, “I’m really sorry about your car.”
“That’s okay,” I mumbled into the pillows. I lifted my head. “At least I got to drive it.”
“And push it,” Katie grinned.
“Yeah,” I grumbled. “I still can’t believe he made me do that.”
Katie laughed. “Well, I fussed at him in the car, if it makes you feel any better. But he wasn’t trying to be mean. He said if you were pissed at him, you weren’t thinking about Bea.”
I grinned and shook my head, calling every one of my curses to mind. “Well, he was right.”
Katie may have picked up everything she needed earlier, but I had to run by my house for a few things since I was now the official warden of her cozy cell. She wouldn’t hear of remaining here alone. Truthfully, I didn’t want to be by myself either, not with Bea’s death so fresh in my mind. It was going to be hard enough staying here without her, even with Katie tucked in beside me.
“If you’re going, you need a disguise,” I insisted. “I know you. You won’t simply wait in the car.”