“So, you know what I tell him?” She sat down again.
“No, sweetie. What?”
“I basically tell him to fuck off and leave me the hell alone. And the best part of it all, when I saw him, my knees didn’t go weak. I’m so over him, it’s not even funny. Now it’s up to him to take the hint.”
“I’m so happy for you! Here,” Serena said, as she whisked out a couple of water bottles from her tiny fridge. “Let’s drink to your new beginnings!”
Callie smiled broadly as they “clinked”. New beginnings, she mused. Yeah, I know how to do that.
***
“What am I going to do, Raph?” Kemuel asked, and hunkered down on the sofa in Raphael’s living room, munching on a bag of chips. “She’s never gonna let me near her to even ask about the damn flask. I gotta find that Elixxir, and she’s the only one who knows where it is.”
“Damn shame you blew her off like you did.”
“Hey, what am I here for, anyway? To shack up with some chick and play family? That’s not what I signed up for. That wasn’t in the contract. I’m here to wage war against evil. I’m a Warrior. That’s what I do. I’m thinking I should pass this assignment off to another Warrior. What do you think?”
“Sounds like a plan. I would also ask you to apologize to Callie. Think of what I have to live with, my brother. She and Serena are like sisters. And it’s been a hellish amount of months I’ve had listening to them bitch and moan over you. I now know the myriad ways you can be turned into dead meat. I need you out of my life, man! Figuratively, of course.”
“Of course. All right, all right.” Kemuel got up and tossed the empty chip bag in the garbage can. “I’ll go make nice. But that’s all. I’m done with attachments, and I’m giving the assignment to Nathanael. This is right up his alley, anyway. He’s the bounty hunter. He’s got a knack for sniffing people and things out.”
“You’re right. Good call.” Raphael smacked his hands together and grinned. “I can’t wait to not talk about you at dinner anymore!”
Kemuel punched him soundly on the shoulder, and as he headed out the door, winked and flipped him the finger.
Chapter Three
When Kemuel entered his apartment, it confirmed the fact he’d been gone a long time. An immediate musty odor greeted him when he opened the door, and he could see a thick layer of dust coating every exposed surface. Great, he thought, as he fought with a spider web. I’d better call someone to clean this place up.
He didn’t dare open the refrigerator. The cleaning service could have that bit of fun. Proceeding to his bedroom and his wardrobe, he reached in and grabbed a couple days’ worth of clothing, stuffed it in his saddlebag, and adjusted the sword resting against his back. It would be best to stay at a hotel during the detox. He called a company and scheduled them to come the following day. Riding his Harley Cross Bones, he headed to the cheap hotel up the road.
He didn’t know exactly how to apologize. Flowers had been a major fail, but maybe jewelry or a Coach handbag would work? Or maybe a Rolex watch. Or maybe all of the above. Hell, he’d think about that later. Right now he had to get Nathanael on board with his plan.
***
It wound up being a nightmarish kind of day at work, which worked out quite well, since it kept Callie’s mind off the shambles of her personal life. Richie hadn’t been seen anywhere near the shop. After telling Serena about their date and the attempted rape, her best bud called a sheriff friend of hers. He assured her he would put the fear of God in the man, but should anything further happen to escalate the situation, he would haul his ass straight to jail. Kemuel hadn’t shown up at the shop, either. Good thing, too. He was the last person she wanted to see right now.
Closing time presented a problem. She would have the rest of the night to obsess over Kemuel’s sudden reappearance. “Heading out, Serena,” she said, peeking into the office. “Have a good night, and thanks for everything. I appreciate it.”
“If there’s anything more I can do, you know I’m right here for you, girlfriend.” Callie smiled, gave her a wink, and headed for home.
***
With the door good and locked behind her, Callie kicked off her shoes and sorted the mail. Spaghetti and meat sauce leftovers would be dinner. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flashing light. A message? At home? How strange. Anyone that knew her always called on her cell phone. Puzzled, she approached the machine sitting on the corner of the kitchen counter and pressed Play. The voice startled her. The man groaned and grunted, and each pained word grew fainter. The meaning, however, transmitted loud and clear.
“Ariana Kupi, this is Mr. Watkins, your lawyer. I’ve been trying to get you on your cell phone, but it keeps saying your inbox is full. Your identity has been compromised. Whatever you do, do not use your computer or access the Internet. Pack a bag and leave your home as soon as you hear this. Run, Ariana, and don’t look back. I didn’t tell them, Ariana. I didn’t tell them anything.”
“Oh, my freakin’ God! Mr. Watkins,” she murmured, holding on to the kitchen counter for purchase. “What do I do? What do I do?” Her mind went from zero to sixty in two seconds flat. She flung a backpack from atop her bedroom closet onto her bed and opened it. Drawers were hastily opened and clothes thrown in a haphazard manner. Where to go? The police? She’d lost faith in them over the twenty years they couldn’t find her parents’ killers. Serena’s? Yeah, that would be good. Raphael is in the security business. He can get me hidden.
Zipping up the bag, she slung it over her shoulder. Someone knocked at the front door. She froze, and heard another knock, and another. Very insistent, but very friendly-like, as if to throw her off. She wanted to run, but she couldn’t move. Fear had turned her into a stone statue.
“Callie, please open up, would ya?”
Recognizing Nathanael’s voice, she sighed in relief. Thank God! Kemuel’s friend could be very useful. He worked for Brethren Security along with Kemuel and Raphael. Dare she ask for help and get him involved in her mess? She didn’t have a choice right now. She had to get out of this apartment and find lost. Then, she could lose him.
She opened up the door as far as the chain lock would allow. Verifying that friend, not foe, stood on the other side, she closed the door, unlocked it, and reopened it. She grabbed him by the collar with one hand, and with a confused look, he allowed her to push him back toward his motorcycle.
“Don’t say anything or do anything except strap down my backpack and take me to a hotel, now! It’s a matter of life and death, so hurry the fuck up!”
“What the…? No problem.”
Nathanael’s alert system went full-tilt. He deftly secured her sack and hopped on the bike in under fifteen seconds. He didn’t know what was going on, but if Callie said life or death, if Kemuel’s free-spirited ex-girlfriend was asking him for help, it had to be serious.
He ripped up the road to a nearby hotel, and after checking in two adjoining rooms under an assumed name, the frantic woman tore a key from his hand and ran up the steps to the second-floor room. By the time he came in, he found her crouched on the floor in between the bed and the wall, trembling, and pissed as hell.
Dropping his own pack on the floor, he hurried over to her and kneeled down before her.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid….”
“Jesus Christ, Callie, what the hell’s going on? Tell me, so I can help you.”
She met him with silence.
“Come on. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I won’t judge, I won’t betray your confidence. I can keep you safe. But I gotta know what we’re dealing with here, so I can plan our next move. Okay?”
More silence. He got up and left her. One thing Kemuel had said about her when he briefed him on the assignment, she was as stubborn as a mule. She would tell him when she was good and ready. He bristled at the fact he’d need to wait. He hated waiting, he hated secrets, and he hated not being in control.
In the meantime, he stepped out in
to the hallway to try to make sense of everything that had occurred over the last twenty minutes. He thought about Callie, the enigma. He didn’t really know much about her. They had met at Raphael and Serena’s wedding. They’d sat at the same table, right next to each other, in fact, but whenever he asked her certain questions, like about her past or growing up, she always evaded them. Kind of like the way he had evaded talking about his. So alike, they were. The only difference between the two, as far as he could figure, was his secret, being a Brethren Warrior angel and immortal, had to be bigger than hers. He had respected her privacy. A lot of people on earth had shitty upbringings and preferred to keep it quiet and hidden. But if today’s situation had anything to do with her past, she would have to spill it.
Callie berated herself. How did this happen? What could I have done? Holy shit. I’m such a fucking idiot! The Contact Us button on Uncle’s website. Damn it! I alerted someone, somewhere. Now, here she sat with Nathanael, in a hotel room of all places, having to come up with some freakin’ lie to cover her ass. She couldn’t tell him the truth about her past, or the existence of something as monumental and preposterous as the Elixxir of Life. He’d think her totally nuts. They didn’t know each other well enough for him to go on faith, so she’d have to come up with something believable or plain old nothing at all. And then she’d have him take her to Raphael. She trusted him. He would surely have a place in mind, far from here, to hide out in while someone staked out her apartment and found out who wanted her dead.
“Nathanael,” she called, standing finally. “Nathanael!”
He rushed back inside and crossed the room to stand before her. His stormy green eyes bore holes straight to her heart and it ached. Emotion like that took her completely off guard.
“Are you ready to tell me what’s going on?”
She took an unsteady, deep breath. “No. I need you to take me to Raphael’s. He’ll know where there’s a good place to hide.”
“Hide? Listen, if your life is in danger, you need me. I’m a bounty hunter by trade. A military man, through and through. This is what I’m trained for, not Raphael. I’m the best equipped to take care of you, and I’d like to. Let me do this for you. Let me protect you and fight off the bad guys.”
“I…I don’t even know who the bad guys are!” She raised her hands to the ceiling in frustration and then slapped them against her thighs. “I just know they’re after me. And as for you, the only reason I’m here with you right now is due to a case of poor timing on your part. I was running out, while you were, well, I don’t really know what you were doing at my door. Maybe you’re the one who should be explaining yourself to me.” She assumed a defiant stance with hands on her hips and waited.
“Kemuel sent me over. To, you know, apologize for skipping out without telling you first.”
“Uh, huh.” Figured. The jackass had sent someone else to do his dirty work. “Apology not accepted because it doesn’t matter anymore. He left. I’m done with him. I’m done with the lot of you. So you can take that message back to him and shove it up his ass. All I need from you right now is a ride to Raphael’s, and then I’ll thank you to be on your way.” She grabbed her backpack and headed toward the door.
“You may not know who these guys are that are after you, but I know you know why they’re after you.”
She stopped and turned around with a glare. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”
“Nope. Not when it comes to a threat on your life, I’m not.”
“You have your secrets, I have mine,” she said. “Suffice it to say that I need to be hidden for a while until they give up their search. I figured that with Serena and Raphael living in the safe house at the moment, they could find another hidey-hole for me to stay in until this blows over.”
“You think that’s all it’s going to take? You’re so naïve,” he said. “Can you tell me this much? Are you into anything illegal?”
“Oh, heavens, no! There are things from my past that I can’t discuss…with you or anyone. So please stop pushing.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. She didn’t care that she frustrated him. She wasn’t ready for him to know the truth. She might never be.
“Hey? Did you see where I threw my phone?” She started looking under the bed and nightstand. “I need to call Serena.”
“Don’t bother. They’re hosting a group of out-of-towners in their home for a big conference that includes multiple tours of Sedona.”
“Damn it! I forgot. Well, good for them, bad for me.” She sat back down on the bed, totally exasperated. Face it, you need Nathanael. As much as she didn’t want to, she needed him. He’s right. He’s the only one who can do what I need done: protect me, and get the bastards who want me dead.
“Callie….”
“Okay! Okay! I see I’m left with no other choice but you, so all right. It’ll have to do.”
“How very generous of you,” he snickered.
“What do you want from me?” She raised her arms in frustration. “I’ve spent months despising every molecule of Kemuel’s being. You can’t possibly expect me to fall at your feet in abject gratitude, you being a close friend of his. You want a softer, more gentle Callie, you’re gonna have to look elsewhere. She abandoned me when he did.” She charged into the bathroom and shut the door, leaving Nathanael to chew on that tidbit for a while.
Chapter Four
Damn it all! He wants something I can’t give. Full disclosure. What am I going to say? How much of my life should I reveal? As little as possible to get the job done. Callie looked at herself in the mirror. She splashed cool water on her face and toweled it dry. Her bloodshot, violet eyes asked much of her. Got your story straight? She nodded, pinched her cheeks for color, and opened the bathroom door resolutely.
“I’ve decided to share some information with you.” Nathanael raised a brow as she closed the bathroom door behind her and sat on the edge of the king-sized bed. “Now don’t get all excited. I’m prepared to tell you only what is absolutely necessary for you to know. My life depends on secrecy. I’m sorry.”
“Seriously, your life depends on me knowing everything about you, but I won’t push it, yet. Tell me what I need to know now, and we’ll figure out the rest as we go along. It’s not the way I operate, but I’m not about to release you to face God-knows-what. Tell you what I’ll do.” He pulled a chair over right in front of her, and sat down knee to knee. “Just to make things square, I’ll share one of my secrets, and after, you can tell me something about what’s going on. Sound like a deal?”
“Why are you being so nice to me? I treat you like shit, and you’re being nice.”
“I’m a professional. It’s part of my professional duties.”
She scoffed. “As long as you know I don’t like you, okay?”
“Got it. I don’t like you either, if that makes you any happier. So should I spill my beans or no?”
“By all means, spill away.” She clasped her hands on her lap and looked him square in the eyes. My, but they’re the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen. Like—like emeralds. Oh, shut up, Callie! You don’t like him.
“Well, I’m a military man, as I said earlier. I’ve been on many black-ops’ missions. Well, one of those times, we failed. I failed. I miscalculated the timing of the extraction.” He paused and frowned. “I lost my entire team.”
“Whoa. How many of you were there?”
“Five, plus me. Five guys whose families would never see them again.”
“How awful. I’m so sorry. But thank goodness you survived.”
“Yeah, well, I certainly don’t feel very thankful to have to live each day knowing they will never walk this earth again because of me.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a case of survivor’s guilt.”
“I said I’d tell you a secret. I didn’t say you could analyze me.” He got up from his chair and went to his saddlebag. He reached in and took out a water bottle. “You want one?”
“Well, you don’t have to bite my head off. I’ll keep things nice and shallow for you, all right? And yes, I’d love one.”
“I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to be so touchy. Your turn on the hot seat. Spill it, Red.”
“Well, you were right. I don’t know who, but I know why those guys want me. I suspect they want something that belonged to my father and now belongs to me. I’ve been able to hide from them for a long time, but apparently they’ve found me and want what’s mine. I’m afraid they’ll want me dead, too, once they get it.”
“Are you gonna tell me what it is?”
“Nope.”
He sighed and raked his hands through his hair.
“Okay then, where is it?”
She pursed her lips and shook her head.
“Jesus, Callie! How can I help if I don’t know what they’re after?” He jumped up and paced the floor.
“You don’t need to know what they’re after. All you need to know is that they want it and it’s mine, and they can’t have it. Ever.” She jumped up. “Oh, shit. I left the envelope. Damn it all! Nathanael, I left an envelope with vital information inside it back in a lockbox at my apartment. You gotta take me back there so I can get it. I won’t let them have it!” She stalked over to the door, picking up her purse along the way.
“Whoa, whoa! Where do you think you’re going?” He grabbed her arm. She turned toward him.
“I’m going back to the apartment really fast, and you’re taking me there. I need that envelope. If it gets in their hands, I’m done for.”
“You’re one crazy chick, you know that? First you shanghai me into bringing you here, and now you want to go back? They know where you live. You’re insane!”
“You don’t get it.” She pulled him out the door, down the stairs, and out to his motorcycle. “All the information about the…what they want, is in it. Mr. Watkins, my lawyer, told me so. Now hurry up.”
Elixxir (The Brethren Series) Page 3