Shades of Memory

by Diana Pharaoh Francis

  We went up the narrow path and under the slab.

  “This is where you live?” Patti asked, sounding delighted.

  “Looks like a bomb went off,” Arnow said balefully.

  Patti took a hissing breath, and we both stared at the FBI agent.

  “Wow. You’ve raised tactlessness to an art,” I said.

  Arnow had the grace to look contrite. “Sorry,” she said.

  “Sure. Sorry fixes everything, right?” Patti asked. “You going to apologize for your bomb-happy boss blowing up a bunch of people in the city, too?”

  “I had nothing to do with that.”

  “Yes, you did. Everybody who let her keep doing what she was doing had their fingerprints on those bombs. Hell, not only let her, you helped her.”

  Arnow’s silence went on so long I didn’t think she was going to reply. “We all do what we have to.”

  “You didn’t have to. Everybody’s got choices.”

  “You’re an idiot if you believe that tripe.”

  I led the way under the concealing slab and opened the door, pushing it inward. It was made of intricately laced copper wire over a steel core. My brothers had wanted to make me something pretty. Various dragonflies in colored titanium fluttered frozen over the front and back of it.

  The sounds of voices met us along with the scent of coffee. We stood in a little foyer paved with slate. On one side was a wall with a series of hooks and shelves beneath for shoes. A door on the other side led into my laundry room. I also stored firewood there.

  Opposite the front door was an arched opening leading into the main living area—open concept, except for the massive hearth and round chimney rising up from the middle. On one side was my spacious kitchen, stocked with almost nothing besides ramen, peanut butter, frozen Pop-Tarts, and probably an ancient bottle of ketchup. A door off the kitchen led into my basement.

  On the other side was my living room. The niches in the walls held candles as far up as I could reach. I didn’t have much by way of furniture. Mostly I used a lot of thick throw rugs and piles of pillows, with a couple of mosaic-topped tables. Hauling furniture to the Burrows wasn’t easy, especially when you wanted to avoid attention.

  Between the kitchen and the living room, a spiral stairway rose to my workspace and bedroom on the second floor. Beneath it, a door led out into my spacious bathroom, containing a wide sink, a toilet, a giant shower, and a natural hot tub. Broad mullioned doors slid apart to reveal my tiny little courtyard, which held a trickling waterfall and shallow pool, not to mention a few tons of a snow.

  I pulled off my coat and unlaced my boots, leaving them by the front door. Patti and Arnow followed suit, Arnow shrinking a good four inches with the loss of her platform heels. I had to admit that I admired her ability to trek so far and over such rough terrain in them. Maybe that was her superpower. Well, her second one. Her first was being an incomparable bitch.

  I hadn’t been home in nearly three weeks. Usually walking inside made every muscle in my body relax. This was my sanctuary. Or had been. Now it was my headquarters. It could never be a home again until Price was here with me. My stomach twisted. If that ever happened.

  We entered the living room to find Taylor pacing. Dalton propped a shoulder against the wall, watching her. Jamie and Leo sprawled out on cushions. Empty plates and cups sat beside them. Jamie snored. Leo frowned at a restless chunk of steel he was attempting to turn into something.

  As we stepped inside, he dropped his project and flung himself to his feet in one elegant movement. I swear he was made out of springs.

  He jumped over Jamie and grabbed me in a hug. “It’s about time you got here.” He pushed me arm’s length away, studying me. “What the hell happened to you?”

  “Long story that we don’t have time for. We’ve got bigger worries.”

  I hugged Taylor, who dragged me away from Leo. Jamie got to his feet and wrapped his arms around both of us and then Leo piled on. We stood there a moment, and then I fought free, a knot burning in my throat. I was so lucky to have them.

  I cleared my throat and smiled. Not very well. I probably looked like I’d eaten slugs. “I smell coffee. And what have you all been eating? If it was anything from my cupboards, we need to get you to a tinker, ASAP.”

  Jamie snorted. “As if. We know better than to expect anything but coffee here. We brought our own. Stocked the larder. And yes, there’s plenty of cream. I don’t even want to know how long you’d had that carton in your fridge. I think a new plague might have been growing inside it.”

  “Thanks. I think.” I didn’t cook. What was I going to do with a lot of food?

  “If we’re going to be here a lot, we want to be able to eat,” Leo said.

  “You going to tell us what this is all about?” Jamie asked after greeting Arnow and Patti.

  “Yep,” I said, taking the coffee Taylor made me and sitting on the floor, stuffing a cushion between my back and the wall. The others sat as well, all except Dalton, who maintained his silent position holding up the wall. He reminded me of a carrion crow, brooding and watchful.

  Tersely, I went over Touray’s latest kidnapping, ending with his alliance with both Tyrell and Vernon. Silence reigned when I finished.

  “Your father is setting up Tyrell,” Patti said finally.

  I frowned. “Why do you say that?”

  “He’s too smart and too well connected not to know Tyrell is trying to move into the city. When Vernon killed Savannah, he had to know it would create a vacuum that Tyrell would jump to fill. He must have figured Tyrell would go to Touray, so Vernon made sure to get to him first.”

  I hadn’t considered that angle.

  “But what if Tyrell hadn’t picked Touray to be his henchman?” Taylor asked.

  “He’d have made a deal with the one Tyrell chose,” Arnow said. “But Patti’s right. Touray was the best choice. Next to Savannah, he’s got the biggest network, and is most capable of making a takeover happen.”

  “The big question is—what does this have to do with you?” Jamie asked, eyeing me.

  “I figure it’s got to be the Kensington artifacts.” I looked at Dalton. “You care to weigh in?”

  His silver eyes told me nothing. “Your father plays the long game.”

  Leo snorted. “Thank you, Mr. Obvious.”

  “He also never plays just one angle. What you see barely scratches the surface.”

  Taylor folded her arms. “I don’t suppose you want to give us more details about what he’s up to?”

  I could tell she didn’t expect much. She was right.

  He shrugged. “He plays his cards close to his chest.”

  Both Jamie and Leo rolled their eyes, while Taylor just looked away. Dalton’s tightened facial muscles broadcast that he didn’t like her reaction, but not so much he was willing to give any more detail.

  All right, then. Moving on.

  “Here’s what I think is coming,” I said. “Sooner or later Vernon and Tyrell are going to war against each other. When they do, I’m betting they are going to want the Kensington artifacts in order to build a weapon the other can’t beat.”

  “Why do they want Diamond City so bad?” Patti wondered.

  “I’d like to know that, too,” Jamie said. He held a dart in his hand and threw it at the wall. It landed and melted away, running down to the floor and back to him. He collected it, reformed it, and threw it again.

  “Maybe they just want the diamonds,” Leo said.

  “What for?” Arnow asked. “They don’t need the money. They practically print it. It has to be something else.”

  “Which brings us back to the artifacts,” I said. “But why make their moves now?”

  I hated not having answers to all the important questions. I shook my head. What
I did know was enough. “The whys don’t matter right now. The fact is that sooner or later somebody is going to want help with the artifacts. Can you imagine the size of their boners if they find out I’m actually a Kensington? If the artifacts are linked to the family genes, they’ll need me more than ever.”

  “You’re a Kensington?” Patti and Arnow asked in startled unison.

  I nodded. “I just found out a few weeks ago. Mom told me.”

  “Isn’t your mother dead?” Dalton asked.

  “Yes,” I said, not explaining how it was possible that I’d spoken to her. I have to admit, his confusion delighted me.

  “Anyway, the point is that sooner or later they are coming after me, which means they’ll come after you, since anybody with half a brain in their heads knows I’d do anything for you guys.” I glanced at Arnow and Dalton, and added dryly. “Most of you, anyhow.”

  “What do you want to do about it?” Jamie asked, as if on cue.

  “We are going to beat them both to the punch.”

  Silence.

  “Maybe you’d better explain,” said Leo, pinching his lower lip.

  “We are going to take over Savannah’s organization.” I didn’t tell them step two. Stealing Touray’s artifacts and finding the rest ourselves. That could come later.

  More silence, which I supposed was better than hysterical laughter. Everybody just kept eyeing me with various expressions of surprise and contemplation. All but Dalton, who remained stone-faced.

  Jamie broke the silence first. “We’re going to what now?”

  “It’s the only way we can protect ourselves. Otherwise, we have to go underground, or leave the city. Maybe even leave the country, though I’m not sure there’s anywhere on earth that would be safe.”

  “And you want to do this in three days—before Touray or Tyrell can do it first,” Arnow said. Of everybody, I’d expected her to jeer at me for this idea. It probably should have worried me that she didn’t. Instead, she got down to business. “What’s your plan?”

  “That’s what I need you for. You worked for Savannah. You know her organization. I’m betting you know something about Tyrell, too. Same goes for Dalton. Plus he knows what support Vernon is likely to give Touray.” I looked at him. “Assuming you’re willing to give that information up?”

  His only answer was a tight-lipped nod. Dalton had told us that he was on our side, that he’d stopped working for Vernon. Even if the latter was true, I was asking for help outside the scope of his personal mission to find out who was behind the experiments and stop them. I was asking for him to betray Vernon. I didn’t know if he’d cough up what he knew, or if he’d be selective. Not that I had a choice about it. It was him or nothing.

  “So that’s my idea,” I said, looking at everybody. “I know it sounds insane, but I can’t see any other real choices. What do you guys think?”

  “You’re right. It is insane,” Leo said. He held his hands steepled together and looked up at the ceiling.

  “So you don’t want to help me?”

  “I didn’t say that.” He grinned rakishly. “I’ve got your back. Always.”

  “Me, too,” Jamie said. “But this isn’t going to be a cakewalk. And when we get control of the operation, we’re going to have to keep running it. Have you thought about that?”

  “Like I said—we need a plan.” I silently blessed him for saying “when” instead of “if.” “But you, Leo, and Taylor have experience running your own businesses.”

  “Running a Tyet isn’t exactly the same thing,” Arnow said, rolling her eyes.

  “I have to start somewhere. It’s not like there’s night school for Tyet lords. Besides, business skills will help.”

  “I’m not sure you’ve got the balls to run your own organization,” she said. “You might have to kill people. You will certainly have to threaten them and back those threats up with action. Can you do that?”

  I could have said yes, but even I wouldn’t have believed me. The thought of threatening innocent people, of deliberately hurting anybody—even someone as evil as Ocho—was sickening. And killing people? To what—make a point? Convince them of my determination? Everything inside me shrank from the idea.

  There were other ways. Tampering with minds. Using haunters. A hundred other magic possibilities for coercion. My stomach actually lurched as I considered those options, and I tasted my breakfast.

  I swallowed, meeting Arnow’s gaze defiantly. “You know I won’t. I’ll find another way.”

  “And if there are no other ways? You’re naïve and stupid if you think you won’t have to get your hands dirty. This is a bloody, violent world you’re about to walk into. You’ll get ground to hamburger in nothing flat if you don’t get with the program.”

  “I’ll deal with that when I have to,” I said.

  Arnow shook her head. “Not if you want me on board. If I decide to join you in this insanity, I need to know our ship won’t sink because you don’t have the stomach for violence. They should be worried, too,” she said, gesturing at everybody else. “We’re putting our lives on the line. My career, too. Are you going to have our backs or what?”

  One thing about Special Agent Bitch Arnow that I could admire—she was a pit bull. Right now, I hated her for it. I tried to find an answer that would satisfy her, but Patti beat me to the punch, leaping to her feet and jamming her hands down on her hips in fierce defiance.

  “You don’t know Riley that well, but I think you know she’ll protect her own with everything she has. I don’t really know why, but you’re on that list. This whole adventure is a risk. Hell, it just might be a suicide mission. How is that different from every other day in Diamond City? Besides, aren’t you supposed to be tougher than titanium nails? It’s time for you to pull up your big-girl panties and get on the bus. Riley will figure out how to do this without turning into a clone of Savannah Morrell. Either you believe in her or you don’t. If you don’t, feel free to let the door hit you in your bony little ass on the way out.”

  Cold and aloof, Arnow folded her arms, staring down at Patti, who radiated fury like a high-voltage wire. I didn’t interfere. I was kind of interested in Arnow’s reaction. If she left, I’d be up shit creek without a paddle. But then again, I was already deep in the creek. Losing her would just make things a little bit more interesting.

  Finally, she turned away, ignoring Patti and looking at me. “Fine. I’m in. But there’s one piece of her operation I want complete control of.”

  The whole thing about looking a gift horse in the mouth? That’s where I was, and we didn’t have time to waste. “Which piece?”

  “I’ll let you know when it’s time.” Her brows rose in challenge, daring me to trust her enough to give her a blind promise.

  Since I couldn’t see how I was going to do this without her intel, I nodded. “Sure.” But then I added a caveat. “As long as it doesn’t involve hurting people.”

  “Everything involves hurting someone,” she said, her face shuttering.

  Before it did, I caught a flash of a wild emotion I couldn’t read. Since she didn’t look like she was going to be any more forthcoming, I moved on. Whatever part of Morrell’s operation Arnow wanted, I’d deal with it later.

  Dealing with things later is becoming my mantra.

  “What should we do first?” I asked.

  “Two things. The first—get into her house and into her files. I don’t know exactly where she kept them, but she had dirt on everybody. Plus we need her business records—the secret ones the IRS never sees. She’ll have notes on everything—she was meticulous.”

  I nodded. That was doable. Leo and Jamie could sense things through metal runs, like wiring or pipes or ductwork. It depended on the type of metal, but in a building, they could easily find hidden rooms, vaults, and that sort o
f thing. All they’d have to do is let the electric wires in the mansion guide them. That is, if we could safely get inside and out again.

  “The second thing is you need to get her lieutenants on your side. There are seven of them, and they run different pieces of the operation. Of course, any one or all of them will want control of the whole pie, so you’re going to have your hands full convincing them.”

  “Do you know where to find them?” Taylor asked.

  “There’s a meeting. Tonight.”

  “Tonight?” I repeated.

  “That’s convenient,” Jamie drawled. “Maybe they can meet here. We’ll have pizza and beer.”

  Arnow flashed a deadly look at Jamie. “Word of Savannah’s death hasn’t gone wide yet. They want to talk, figure out what happens next.”

  “Or they want to kill each other,” Dalton said. “Clear the competition.”

  “They called a truce.”

  “How do you know about this?” I asked. “Did they send out a bat signal? Post it on craigslist?”

  “They invited me.”

  I frowned. “You? Why? I mean, you’re an informant for Savannah. That’s pretty close to bottom rung in the organization.”

  “They probably want intel on the FBI.” She hesitated. “And I was a lot more than just an informant.”

  That last hooked all of our attention. We looked at her expectantly. I could sense a struggle beneath her icy mask. Arnow’s mouth thinned, and she crossed her arms.

  “I was pretty much raised in the organization,” she said. “I was sold to Savannah when I was around seven years old.”

  “Sold?”

  A chorus of voices echoed back at her. She gave a little shrug as if it didn’t matter, but I could tell it was a lie.

  “You’re surprised? She took in pretty girls and raised us to be educated, sophisticated, and poised, and then had us perform various tasks for her.”

  “What kind of tasks?” I had to ask, but I thought I knew, and my stomach hurt just thinking about the girls.