“Oh, remember that time we spiked your orange juice and made you pass out?” asked Amara.
“And then we dragged you to a musty basement in the Kalgren Compound, tied you up with rope and emptied three bottles of ketchup all over the place!” added Pax, also snickering.
“You think it’s so funny,” muttered Layla. “When I woke up I thought I’d been gang-raped.”
“You screamed for about ten minutes!” Amara and Pax erupted in laughter at the memory, and Layla tried to look angry, but she couldn't help joining in.
Pax had spilled some of her tea onto her pajamas and she patted it away. “Oh, oh, what about the time we stole all your underwear and...”
“No!” shouted Layla. “You can’t talk about that one in front of Oren. He hears everything, you know.”
“That’s right,” said Amara, hugging the baby. “Oren is a smart little toddler, isn't he!”
Amara engaged herself in baby-talking with Layla’s son while the investigator fished into her pink alligator-skin purse again.
“There’s one more thing, ladies,” said Layla, removing a large color photograph and holding it up for the girls to see.
It was a photograph of Para; an extremely recent photo. It had been taken the night before, while Para had been kissing Asher at the scenic point in the park. Pax and Amara looked at it in shock.
Sakra, Pax. Do you think she knows?
How did she get that photograph? I would have sensed her nearby. A bunch of humans walked by, but not Layla...
This is bad. This is very bad, thought Amara as she set Oren down on the floor.
“I’m sorry,” said Layla, resting the photograph down on Amara’s coffee table. “I know that this may be too recent to dig up your wounds, but Mrs. Kalgren hired me to investigate the woman that Thornton was seeing.”
“I thought that you... you weren’t working anymore, Layla,” said Pax slowly and carefully.
“Oh, well, of course it’s hard to work with three young children... but it’s Mrs. Kalgren! I owe my life to that woman, so if she tells me to dive I ask ‘how deep?’” Layla looked down at the photograph of Para and she sipped her tea. “When I found out that Thorn and Ash were both seeing this girl, it became personal. I couldn’t stand by and let this girl get away with stealing your men.”
Amara and Pax looked at each other, remaining awkwardly silent. A blush had crept into Amara’s pale cheeks, and the liquid in the porcelain teacup resting in Pax’s hand began to boil.
"I began thinking," said Layla as she rose to her feet and began to pace in the living room, "Since when in known history have Thorn and Ash liked the same woman?”
“Since you,” Amara offered.
“That was high school. We were kids and they were just… that’s not important. Look, something’s not right here,” declared Layla. “Thorn isn’t a cheater. Thorn is a good guy who comes from a great family with high values. Ash, too—I mean, in his own way, Ash is the most honorable and caring guy I know. Sure, if you put them together and they’re a nightmare of testosterone and god-complexes, but something strikes me as strange here. And this woman is the key!” Layla pointed at the picture of Para viciously. “This ‘Medea’ woman, if that’s really her name—she must be responsible for corrupting the boys! I don’t have evidence yet, but I will—I know it’s her fault, and I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
“Layla,” Pax said softly.
The investigator suddenly slammed her teacup down and leaned forward. “Look, girls. After years of working on the force I know one thing for sure. No one is spotless. Everyone has done something criminal, something despicable. There’s no way you can live your whole life without making a few major screw ups. There’s no way anyone, including this beautiful 'Medea' can live a whole lifetime without accumulating a few deep dark secrets.”
Unless she hasn’t lived a whole lifetime, Amara communicated to Pax. If Layla starts digging she will find out about Para’s lack of past. She’ll find us out, Pax. If it were anyone else I wouldn’t be too worried, but Layla is relentless. Plus, she knows us so well, and she knows about devas—I hid our tracks as best as I could, but Layla won’t stop until she knows everything.
Should we tell her the truth? Pax suggested. She is our friend.
No way! We can’t trust anyone.
“I will find out what she’s done and I will get that little bit...” Layla paused and glanced at her baby, and deciding to instead spell out the word. “I will get that B-I-T-C-H for you girls. I will take whatever dirt there is on her, and I will ruin her. I will make sure she gets a prison sentence so long she gets real comfortable, and has to shave off all that gorgeous hair of hers. I will...”
“Lay!” interjected Pax more firmly. “Thorn didn’t leave me for that girl. He only just started seeing her a few days ago. He cheated on me over a month ago with Karina Allbright, someone from a rival company who was blackmailing him. I saw them together, and we’ve been broken up ever since. He tried to fix things, and he recently proposed to me, but I… declined. So that’s the scoop.”
“Karina Allbright,” Layla repeated. “Now there’s a name I know—that woman has a huge criminal record and she recently went missing. Mara asked me to search for… Oh. Oh, no, Paxie! What did you do to her?”
“I didn’t mean…” Pax clamped her lips shut and looked at Amara who was cringing. It was never easy to tell your friend who worked in law enforcement that you had murdered someone. The silence in the living room became excruciating.
Layla sighed. “Let me rephrase that question: Is Karina Allbright still alive?”
Pax shook her head to indicate the negative response.
“How?” Layla demanded.
“Disintegrated,” Pax answered, “instantly.”
“Oh,” Layla said. She took a sip from her teacup. “Well. What about Ash… what happened with him?”
Amara waved her hand as though it wasn’t important; as though it wasn’t an obsession which occupied her every spare thought. “Ash just… had a bunch of insecurities, I guess.”
Layla sipped from her teacup, staring ahead with a strange look on her face. “Since I had my girls, I haven’t been keeping in touch with you both nearly enough. We should go out for drinks sometime and just relax. I mean, I can’t drink because I’m still breastfeeding Oren...”
“We’re fine, Lay,” said Pax with a smile. “Amara and I are completely over it! For us, it’s been years and years since all of that happened. The Pseudosphere was really intense, and it made us forget all about the guys. We’ve meditated and reflected… we’ve moved on.”
“Uh huh,” said Layla, raising her eyebrows to indicate that she wasn’t convinced. Oren had crawled over to her ankles and was holding his arms up, and Layla dutifully picked him up and held him against her. “Lie to me all you want, girls. Something fishy is going on here, and it has something to do with her.” Layla glared at the photograph on the table. “I had a detective friend of mine spying on Ash and Medea last night, and I have placed the boys and her house under surveillance. I am taking this job seriously because Mrs. Kalgren believes she’s a threat. By the end of the week I’ll know everything there is to know about that woman. I guarantee that.”
“Don’t waste your time,” said Amara, in what she hoped was a casual manner. “I honestly don’t care what Ash does with his free time anymore. Please Lay... don’t take the job.”
“I’m not buying that, Amara,” said Layla as she rocked Oren gently. “I know how much you loved Ash. I know you’re not going to let this all go without a fight, or without some sort of drama and explosions... and Pax. Don’t even let me get started on you, Pax. If I know you, you’re probably thinking up some intricate plan to exact revenge on both Thorn and Ash. I understand that! You don’t have to lie to me. All I’m asking is that you two let me help. Right now, it seems that the only way I can help is by digging up dirt on their new girlfriend and locking her up.”
“N
o, Layla,” said Pax, slightly surprised by her friend's stellar judgment. She almost felt guilty as she forced the lies out of her mouth. “We don’t want to get revenge. Don’t dig up anything on that girl, because I really don’t want to know anything about her. Just let them be. Let them all be. Boys will be boys.”
Layla stared at Pax in shock. “Okay, who are you? What happened to the Pax I knew? When I dated Thorn, you were just a tiny kid, but you were insanely jealous and possessive. I still have the burn marks! I find it hard to believe that you can kill one woman because Thorn slept with her and completely ignore the next one. It must be your guilt. Well, don’t worry... just leave this to me, and I’ll take care of it.”
“I’ll give you money,” Amara blurted out. “Whatever my mom is offering you to investigate this woman, I’ll pay you double to spend time with your kids instead.”
Layla was only mildly surprised by this offer. “That’s kind of you, sweetie, but this isn’t about the money. It’s a personal vendetta of mine, and you can’t buy me out. I feel it’s better to know what’s going on than to be in the dark.”
Pax and Amara looked at each other helplessly.
“That’s always been my personal motto; it’s better to know.” Layla stood up with Oren in her arms, and rose to her feet. “I’m so sorry for you girls. I sure am lucky I ended up with Gord! I can’t imagine what life would be like if I’d ended up with Thorn or Ash. I mean, they were way closer to my age, and we went to school together so it seemed like a good match to everyone. But I always felt that despite their physical invulnerability, they were really weak on the inside.”
“Why don’t you stay for lunch?” Amara asked. “I can order in something catered for you and the girls.”
“That would be nice,” Layla answered. “I’ll go check on them.”
It’s sad when a human being has better intuition than us supposed goddesses, Amara said mentally to Pax.
Lay’s not just any human, Pax responded. She’s sharp. We need to be careful or she could ruin everything. Also, she would probably think we were awful people.
Amara had begun running her fingers nervously through her hair, scrutinizing the photograph on the table. Maybe she won’t find out. She might find out Para has no history, but she won’t be able to connect her to us. I’m pretty sure we’re safe.
“What should we order for lunch?” Pax asked, changing the subject.
“I’m craving dragon or chimera.”
“I’ll check the local listings, but you may have to settle for chicken.”
Chapter 25: Solid Contingency Plan
When Layla exited Amara’s house, she was startled to see a young woman sitting with her two daughters and chatting with them comfortably. It was the same stranger who had been hovering outside Nyssa’s window. She did not pull her gun on the oddly-dressed woman this time, feeling fairly confident of her identity.
“But she wouldn’t let me fly to the water!” Nyssa argued. “She treats me like a baby!”
“She is just trying to keep you from getting hurt. You really should be kinder to her.” The woman wearing lime green spoke softly, her dark hair being tossed around by the ocean breeze. “She’s just trying to be a good big sister.”
Nyssa nodded ruefully. Layla frowned at this, noting how the two interacted as though they had known each other for years. Even though she was sure that the strange woman was not a threat, Layla was grateful for Pax’s nearness. She approached cautiously, as she might have approached a butterfly on a flower if she had intended to capture it in her hands.
When she was directly beside the two girls and the older stranger, she nodded to Olive, stretching out her arms. “Sweetie, will you take your little brother into the house? We’re having lunch with Aunt Amara.”
“But he’s so heavy,” Olive complained.
“Olive. You can lift my minivan with your mind, but you can’t carry your little brother?”
“Fine.”
When Olive took Oren and had begun walking back to the house, Layla turned to the remaining two girls. “Nyssa,” she said softly. Both women turned their heads. She swallowed. “Go help your sister.”
“Okay, momma,” the five-year-old said, rising to her feet. She hesitated, twiddling her thumbs. “Sorry if I fight with Olive too much. I don’t mean to upset you.” With that, she ran toward the house, leaving her mother with the stranger.
Layla moved forward tentatively, lowering herself to sit on the grass before the young lady in the lime—chartreuse bodysuit. She studied the familiar face, noting the vibrant flecks of green in hazel eyes. The resemblance was uncanny, but Layla was startled by the pain and shyness in the woman’s expression. She somehow had expected that those eyes would always be filled with bold curiosity and joy.
“I have heard that it was possible,” Layla said softly, “to travel back in time. My husband told me the particulars; he said that it was extremely taxing and unpleasant. No one ever used the technique, and most people who attempted it gave up halfway through the process. So, as you can imagine, I am terrified to know why you have returned. But I am far more frightened not to know—so please tell me, Nyssa.”
“Mom,” the older version of Nyssa whispered. “I had forgotten what you look like. I forgot what it sounds like when you speak. When you yell at me for misbehaving. When you shoot bullets at me to test my speed. I had forgotten all about that game.”
Layla stared in shock as the twenty-something-year-old woman broke down in sobs.
“I wasn’t supposed to come and see you,” Nyssa said, as tears slipped from her eyes. She made a tough fist and wiped them away hastily. “They told me it could change everything—but everything needs to be changed. Isn’t that the point? I tried to follow the rules, but I just couldn’t stay away. I needed to see you again.”
It was hard to process what the woman was saying. It was hard to accept what she was implying, but Layla’s curiosity overpowered her reason. “What happened to me?” the mother asked, feeling her heart ache. “There’s so much metal in my body after my car accident—I thought I was indestructible.”
“Cancer. I watched you die of cancer when I was five.”
Layla felt the breath sucked out of her. Her mouth opened slightly, but her lips closed tightly again. She shook her head fervently, unable to speak. “You’re five now.”
The older Nyssa nodded.
“But…” Layla turned toward the house, the skin around her eyes wrinkling. “What will happen to you girls? Oren is so young… Where is it? What part of my body gets cancer? Tell me—I’ll have the organ removed now. Is it breast? I’ll have Pax do it. Immediately. I’ll have the tissue completely removed now and Oren can go on formula.”
Nyssa looked at her mother blankly. “No. It’s not in your body yet.”
“Then how?” Layla asked. “Is it somewhere I go—something I do?”
“It’s not just you,” Nyssa responded, swallowing. “A comet is going to hit the earth shortly, and among other changes, it will release massive amounts of radiation and new organic material. It’s essentially a bomb sent by the Asura, meant to wipe us out.” She paused. “It’s going to get Olive and Oren too. And dad, after a few years. I was raised by Auntie Pax—raised to be a fighter. It’s an extinction event.”
“Okay,” Layla said, not knowing what else to say. “Well, that puts a significant shift in my priorities. I guess I should… what should I do?”
“There’s nothing you can do,” Nyssa responded slowly. “I’m beginning to realize that. I came back in time to stop it from happening…”
“Well, how did you intend to do that?” Layla asked her grown-up daughter, clearing her throat. “Surely you had a plan, darling.”
“Auntie Pax sent me back in time—she said that if I spoke to Uncle Vincent, he would find a way to prevent it from happening. But I’ve been listening to the plans that Uncle Vince and Aunt Rose are making, and everything seems so futile.”
“Gord must know,�
�� Layla mused. “That’s why he’s been training with Vince so much in the past few days… and he didn’t tell me.”
“We decided not to tell anyone, but I wanted to tell you. I remember you always said that it was better to know.”
Layla smiled. “Thanks for coming to me, Nyssa. You’re going to grow up to be such a lovely girl. We should have faith in the men. Vince and your dad, Thorn and Ash, and Raymond. They’re all powerful devas, and if they work together, they can surely divert or destroy a comet.”
“I thought so,” Nyssa whispered, “but now that I’ve met them all, they seem so clueless! Thorn and Ash are idiots. Everyone is so concerned with their tiny problems that they can’t seem to work together and realize we’re all on the same side. The comet won’t be stopped. It’s too large, and it was created using a substance we don’t know how to break.”
“There must be something we can do,” Layla said. “Don’t give up on us…”
“I have given up, mom,” Nyssa said with a sob. “It’s hopeless.”
Layla felt a bit strange as she reached out to console her daughter—especially since the young woman was larger than she was. However, once her arms were around the girl, she could not tell the difference between five-year-old Nyssa and twenty-five-year old Nyssa. Even though she could not sense prana, she could feel that it was the same little girl she knew and loved. “Shh, darling,” Layla said. “This is a different place. Everything will happen in a different way.”
Nyssa shook her head, hugging her mother and crying into her shoulder. “No. I just realized that I didn’t travel back in time to save the world or stop the apocalypse. I came back to see you again. I’ve missed you so much, mom.”
“It’s going to be okay,” Layla said, stroking the young woman’s dark hair. She glanced toward the house and saw Pax standing outside, looking across the grass with concern.
“I don’t trust Uncle Vince and Aunt Rose,” Nyssa cried. “Just because you’re a demigod or a tech genius doesn’t mean you can control the whole universe. This thing is going to hit, no matter how hard they try to stop it.”
Thirty Minutes to Heartbreak Box Set (Books 1-3) Page 52