“Honestly, Sid, whatever is going on with the Drake, well, I just think they’d rather ignore it. They took a stab at it, but it ended up creating a bigger mess than they wanted.”
“Or maybe they just didn’t think you would have any success to begin with.” Rebecca crossed her knees and kicked her leg. “I think it’s all a show. We’re the stars, and the omnipotent weirdoes out there get off on it.”
“Let’s not go there again. You know it gives me a headache.”
“Well, how do you think I feel? I lost months of my life and woke up on a slab of warm goo. You know I can’t let that go.”
“We talked about this. We agreed to move on.”
Rebecca’s eyes flickered over to Sid then back to Cyrus. “You talked. I listened. I sort of agreed.” She looked at Sid again. “You know, I’m glad you came by. If I were in your shoes, I’d do the same thing. I’m half tempted to join you.”
Cyrus’s brows knitted together. “Becky, will you watch what you say? They’re giving us enough grief already. Let’s talk more about it tonight.” He scraped his mouse over the desk. “Sorry to make it short, Sid, but I have to go to another meeting. Listen, you have to believe me, we don’t have anything.” He stood. “If we did, I’d let you know.”
As Cyrus headed to the door, Rebecca scribbled something down on a yellow sticky note. She slipped it into Sid’s palm and gave her a hug. “I really am grateful for you and Smoke. Best to you.”
Sid shook Cyrus’s hand on the way out. “Take care, Cyrus.”
“You too.”
After Cyrus closed the door, Sid said to Louise, “It was nice meeting you.”
Louise smiled. “You too. Have a good day.”
“Uh, Louise, where’s Sadie’s station?”
Louise pointed. “Second row and three cubicles over.”
“Thanks.”
Sid pretended to head that way but slipped into the break room. She opened up Rebecca’s note. It read, “We don’t know anything.” Sid wadded it up and threw it away. “Damn.”
CHAPTER 20
Sid returned home that evening only to discover an old white Ford Bronco pulled underneath the overhead. Sam and Guppy. Great. She’d visited with enough people for one day, but she guessed she’d avoided Sam and Guppy long enough. I might as well get this over with. She parked her car in the garage and entered through the side door. Sam and Guppy were sitting on the sofa, eyeballing the TV. Sam was stretched out, end to end, and Guppy sat with her legs on his lap. He was rubbing Sam’s bare feet.
Sam was eating nuts. Her eyes didn’t even meet with Sid’s.
“Hello?” Sid said as she closed the door behind her.
Guppy made a weak smile. “Hi, Sid.”
“Hey,” Sam added. She was barely interested.
Sid rolled her eyes. She’d been around long enough to know when Sam was being pouty. She stepped between the sofa and television. “You’re here, so just come out with it.”
“Out with what? I’m just chilling.” Sam munched on a handful of nuts and washed it down with a diet soda. “Could you get out of the way? It’s the fourth quarter, and we’re down by a field goal. Stupid Tomlin and those two-point conversions!”
Sid switched the TV off.
Sam sat up with a gasp. “How dare you?”
“It’s my home. Besides, that game’s not live. It’s Wednesday night.” Sid took her boots off and left them by the door. “I’m going to make some coffee. Anyone else want any?”
“I’ll take a mug,” Guppy said.
“You just rub my feet, bald man.”
“I am.” He turned back to look at Sam. “Rubbing her feet is the only thing keeping Sam out of your face, Sid. If I stop, she’s going to run wild on you.”
“Oh, I am not, Guppy.”
“You’re not, huh. Well, let’s see what happens if I stop.”
Sid put fresh grounds in the coffee maker while eyeing Sam and Guppy at the same time. Sam squirmed for a moment while Guppy lifted up his sausage fingers to see. Sam’s expression darkened the room. She jumped up off the couch and stormed Sid. “Okay, I am!”
“Told you so,” Guppy remarked.
Pushing up the sleeves of her Steelers hoodie, Sam laid into Sid. The tongue-lashing was an endless stream of absurdities and profanities. Arms gesturing in angry articulation, Sam made her case like a firebrand attorney. “…you’re inconsiderate, cold, condescending, stupid, irresponsible, back stabbing, mullet loving, long necked, peacock loving, peccadillo making…”
By the time Sam finished, the coffee was done brewing. Sid poured three steaming-hot mugs. She offered one mug to Sam, whose chest was heaving, and said, “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me? I’m not myself. I miss Smoke. It’s hard.”
Sam’s eyes watered. “Oh, don’t you dare turn this around on me. I’m mad. You know I can’t stand being ignored.” She sniffed. Taking the mug, she said, “Oh, hell, I’m madder at the Steelers than I am at you. It’s out now. I understand.”
“So tell me you didn’t come over here just to yell at me. You must have found something about John, right?”
Sam made a sorrowful shrug.
“Nothing on the dark web?” Sid asked.
“They abandoned that funeral home you were partying in,” Guppy said. “At least, it’s got a new sign and all. Aw, barnacles! Tomlin just went for two again!”
“Stop reliving it, Guppy! Shut it down. We can’t keep torturing ourselves when we know the outcome. Sorry, Sid. Look, I don’t know what to say. I’m sick about my brother too. All we can do is keep looking. Did you have any luck at the FBI?”
“Have you been tailing me?”
“Tailing you, no. Tracking you, yes. It’s what we do.”
“Cyrus had nothing. The entire operation’s gone dark. I don’t know what to make of any of it. It’s like we’re chasing ghosts. I figured Allison would have showed up among DC’s debaucherous media enclaves, but even that hasn’t happened. It’s been so bad that I’ve considered approaching Senator Wilhelm.”
“You saved him. I’d say he owes you,” Sam said.
“True, but I can’t stand that pig of a man.”
“No, but maybe the pig of a man you knew was the clone.”
“I’ve considered that. I just find it hard to believe I’m that desperate.” Sid sat down on the stool. Sam joined her. “I am that desperate.”
“Sorry to change the subject, but what about the baby?”
“You’ve been talking to Mal, haven’t you.”
“Asia, mostly. She’s one hungry chatterbox.” The beautiful woman rubbed Sid’s arm. “You really need to make sure everything is all right. If there’s something wrong, then there might be something we can do. We don’t want to lose you.”
“I don’t believe them. I’m fine.”
“I think you’re scared. If you’re fine, then know for certain. Mal’s got a place set up to see you tomorrow. You need to meet him there. I’ll be there with you if you want.”
“It doesn’t matter what he learns. I’m going to see this through. I have faith that things will be just fine.” She took a long draw from her coffee. “Besides, what do you think women did before we had all of this technology?”
“Many died in childbirth, with normal babies.”
CHAPTER 21
The next evening, Sid was parked outside a closed urgent-care facility. She’d texted Mal and said she’d go through with it. With some prodding from Sam, she had managed to convince herself to make sure that not she but the baby was safe. Her hand rested on her middle, which had started to pop out a little. The baby wriggled inside.
She said a prayer.
The back door popped open, and a little woman poked her head out. It was Asia. She yelled at Sid, “Shut down that rumbling dragon and get your tail inside. It’s cold out here!”
Sid shut off the engine, grabbed a bag, and hopped out. She handed Asia the hefty bag of Chinese takeout. “Here.”
Asia inspected
the bag. “You didn’t forget the scallion pancakes, did you?”
“No.” Sid slipped inside the building. The lights were partially lit in the halls. The atmosphere was clean but dreary. Asia passed Sid, saying, “Follow me.”
Mal stood inside the exam room, wearing a white lab coat over scrubs. His expression was warm. “Hi, Sid. I’m glad you came. Please, make yourself comfortable.”
She removed her jacket and set it aside. “How comfortable?”
“Comfortable enough where I can see your entire abdomen.”
Sid stripped down to her sports bra and low-rider jeans. She sat down in the chair and reclined, putting her feet up. The vinyl was chilly on her back. Mal pushed the ultrasound machine to her bedside. The monitor was on. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Asia sucking in a noodle that flicked her nose.
“Do you have to eat while we do this?”
With a moaning sound, Asia set down her oyster pail of food. “Sorry. I’m hungry.”
“Maybe you have a tapeworm.”
“Maybe you have a demon inside you,” Asia fired back.
“Asia, given the circumstances, that’s beyond impolite.”
“So, I’m cranky when I’m hungry. You both know that.”
“Just eat!” Sid said.
“Geez, cranky woman sounds like she’s in labor already.” Asia retrieved her oyster pail and had at it. “Mmm, still hot. Still good.”
Mal lubed up the ultrasound probe with clear gel. “Believe it or not, she’s truly thankful for what you did. Just think of her eating as a way of showing it.”
Sid nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Of course. This might feel a little cold at first.”
The probe was cool but not icy as Mal slowly moved it over her abdomen. Sid hadn’t seen an ultrasound being done since her sister had Megan. She knew the drill. With her head to the side, she studied the screen. After several seconds, an image of a baby formed. “Is that…”
“Yes, that’s your baby. A nice steady heartbeat.”
Sid listened to the magnified heartbeat that came across the machine. It warmed her soul. “How old?”
“I’d say you’re twenty weeks along. Either that, or you have a very large child inside, or you’re going to give birth to a banana.”
Asia cozied up to the screen. “That looks like a tail. Babies don’t have tails.”
Sid’s eyes got big.
“It’s probably the umbilical cord, Sid,” Mal assured her. “No worries.”
Sid backtracked twenty weeks to where she was and what she was doing. A smile crossed her face. I was with John. I know it! “Can you tell me the sex?”
“I think so. Are you sure you want to know?”
“I can answer that,” Asia said. “You’re having a boy. I can tell by how you walk and your hips are spreading. You’re going to be big. Big like a bull. You’ll never be skinny again.”
Mal scanned Sid’s abdomen, froze at a certain point, and said, “She’s right. It’s a boy.”
Sid smiled but contained her excitement. She wanted to share the joy with Smoke. As thrilled as she was, it still hurt that he wasn’t here. She wiped her eyes. “So, everything is healthy.”
“Well, to be sure, I’d like to take a sample of amniotic fluid. It’s the only way to rule everything out.”
“How long will it take to get the results back?”
“I have everything I need right here. You don’t have an issue with needles, do you?”
“No.”
“Let me stick her,” Asia said. “I’m great with needles.”
“I don’t think so,” Sid objected.
Mal lifted up a large syringe. “Actually, Asia is more qualified to do this.”
“You have to be kidding me.”
“Nope.” Mal swabbed a patch of Sid’s skin with an alcohol pad. “She’ll do you right. I met her in med school, you know.”
“Asia’s a physician? I thought she was a food critic. Either that or a mutated garbage disposal.”
Snatching the syringe from Mal’s hand, Asia said, “Let’s get this over with, wise guy, so I can get back to eating. Now be still.”
Sid froze.
Asia stuck the needle into Sid’s belly.
Sid watched the screen. The needle’s tip was dangerously close to the baby’s body. She started to speak, fearing the baby might be harmed, but as she opened up her mouth, Asia pulled the needle free.
The little woman eyed the fluid in the syringe and said, “Bad color. You have a demon baby inside.”
Mal eased the syringe out of Asia’s hand and said to Sid, “No you don’t. The color is normal, so relax. It’s going to take a few hours for me to run my panels.” He smoothed Sid’s hair back. “Just rest if you plan on sticking around.”
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere.”
“I didn’t think so. See you soon.”
Mal left. Asia ate. Sid put her shirt back on and said to Asia, “Feel like sharing? We’re hungry too.”
“Help yourself, but I’m not sharing my chopsticks.”
CHAPTER 22
Sid ran at full speed, but she couldn’t escape. It was nighttime. The surrounding trees were a web of dreary leaves on one side of her. The Reflecting Pool was a sheet of black ice on the other. Blood-red leaves littered the walk. No matter how fast she ran, she could not get to the other end of the pool. Behind her, a shadow chased.
Panting and straining, she ran harder, stretching her legs to their limits. She couldn’t escape what was coming after her like a cold cloud of darkness. The shadow would engulf her whole. It wanted her. It wanted her baby, the bundle clutched tightly to her chest.
Stride after stride, she shot toward the keyhole of light at the end of the Reflecting Pool. The ghostly shadow closed in. Dark tendrils stretched out to snare her. The gangling arms brought a hungry howl with them. A loud moaning. The shadow spoke terror. It awakened new fears.
“No!” Sid yelled. “No!”
She raced for the light. The glimmer grew ever so slowly. The closer she got to it, the farther back her pursuer fell. But panting icy breath, she was quickly growing exhausted. The door of light was there awaiting her at the end of the pool. She looked back. The shadow had vanished. She slowed to a trot then to a walk. Laboring for breath, she approached the warmth of the light.
“Thank you.”
A cracking caught her ear. The sheet of black ice that covered the Reflecting Pool had broken. Her limbs froze. A black monster erupted from the bile. Its tremendous arms engulfed her.
“Gah!”
Sid’s eyes snapped open. She was still in the hospital reclining chair. Her damp clothes clung to her body.
Asia—huddled in a chair in the corner—stirred. She blinked her sleepy eyes and rubbed them. Yawning, she said, “Bad dream?”
Sid pulled a lock of her hair from her mouth. “Yes.”
“Chinese food can do that to you. That and a demon baby.”
“Will you stop saying that?”
“What, Chinese food? Why would I stop saying that?”
Sid sat up in the seat and stretched her back. Her hands fell to her belly. She’d always had dreams. Most of them she didn’t remember, because none were particularly vivid. But this dream? It felt real. She rubbed the chill bumps on her arms, then fished her phone out of her back pocket and checked the time. It was 6:06 a.m.
“Morning Glory.”
“What?” Asia asked while picking through a carton of takeout.
“Are you eating again?”
“Time for breakfast.”
Sid sluffed out of the room. The urgent care opened at nine in the morning, but no doubt the staff would arrive between seven and eight. They needed to move on. Better yet, she needed to know the outcome of Mal’s tests. Was her son a boy or some kind of demon? Don’t think like that, Sid.
She called out softly, “Mal.”
There weren’t any signs of the man anywhere. The muscles betwee
n her shoulders clenched. She drew her Glock.
“Mal?”
There was no reply. Something was wrong. She crept through the facility, checking room after room after room. All of them were empty.
“No,” she grumbled, moving faster. Panic filled her. “No, no, no!” She raced back into the ultrasound room. “Where’s Mal?”
With a mouthful of food, Asia shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not his babysitter. Maybe you overlooked him.”
“I wouldn’t overlook a grown man.”
“You lost your husband, didn’t you?”
“I hate you, Asia.”
The little woman shrugged. “Hate fits you.”
Sid took off to the back of the building. I’m going to find that bastard. She flung the back door open. The door hit someone, knocking them over. It was Mal. A cardboard tray of coffee was spilled all over him.
“Hey, what’s the hurry? Geez, that’s hot!”
“Where have you been?”
“Getting breakfast. The both of you were out like a light, and I figured I’d slip out and grab everyone some breakfast. It’s been a long night.” He started cleaning himself up. “Why, what did you think happened?”
“The results, Mal. The results!”
“Oh, those.” He flicked the coffee from his fingers and began dabbing his clothing with napkins. “Sid, everything is one hundred percent normal. Your son’s just fine. Fine as a fiddle. Is that how the expression goes?”
Sid helped him up to his feet. “I think. So you’re certain?”
“I have it all packed up in my briefcase. Feel free to scour the results. I went to great length and detail. I’m sorry, Sid. I should have just woken you up. This is awful.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Yes it is. Asia gets really nasty if she doesn’t get her coffee first thing in the morning.”
“Just load her up in the car. We’ll take her over to Sheetz and fill her up.”
***
Sid shared the news with Sam and Guppy. They were thrilled. She was excited too, and Guppy swore she had a beautiful glow that even he could feel. Still, there was emptiness. Smoke wasn’t here to share the moment. Last time she saw him, what had he said with a smile on his face? “Name him after me.”
The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files: Special Edition Fantasy Bundle, Books 6 thru 10 (Smoke Special Edition Book 2) Page 45