by S. E. Smith
“But Morris found out about what you were doing,” Ashure said.
“Yeah, but not until after I shared what I’d found with Max. He took what I’d collected seriously. He told his boss, and they put together an undercover sting operation. I didn’t know about that, though, until afterwards. Anyway, days turned into weeks and weeks into months. I was at the point that I felt like I had enough evidence, facts, and sources to back up my reporting. My folks were really big on all of that. They said you always had to have multiple sources to support what you reported or a news organization wouldn’t touch it. I had pictures, dates, times, first-hand witnesses of some of the transactions, and dozens of others who had told me even more. I had heard that Decker was having a meeting. I wanted to get one last chance at getting the goods on him, so I snuck inside the building through the old parking lot that was under it. Things went from bad to worse really quickly. It turned out that one of the businessmen had contacts in the Police Department and had been tipped off about the investigation,” she said, coming to a stop on the sidewalk as the memories broke through the inner wall she had built around herself because of that night.
“Tonya, you don’t have to tell me if it upsets you,” Ashure murmured, stepping in front of her and tenderly cupping her cold cheek.
“It’s okay,” she said in a slightly strained voice. “I never talked to anyone about how I felt that night—not even Max. He was there. He was the inside guy. Decker had his boys rough up Max, and he was about to kill him. I hadn’t seen Max since the day I’d showed him my notebook. I thought he had abandoned me like everyone else, but he hadn’t. He had volunteered to go undercover because he believed in the work I’d been doing.” She turned haunted eyes up to Ashure. “When I saw what Decker was about to do, I came out from where I was hiding, yelled, and snapped a bunch of pictures.”
Ashure softly cursed, and tenderly caressed her cheek. He pulled her into his arms and held her. She rubbed her cheek against his chest.
“I can imagine that did not sit well with Decker,” he said.
She turned her face into his chest, released a short laugh, and shook her head before leaning back. Her eyes danced with merriment as she remembered Decker’s stunned face when she yelled, ‘Hey, Asshole. Smile!’
“Yeah, he might have been a little upset. I took off at the same time the undercover unit came in to rescue Max. During the confusion, Decker escaped. Stupid me thought everything was good, so I slowed down and looked at my soon-to-be Pulitzer Prize material. Decker found me a couple blocks away. We fought, but he was bigger, stronger, and had a knife. I can still remember the feel of the metal blade against my throat. It was icy cold, yet felt like it was on fire as it sliced into my skin. I could feel the warmth of my blood, but I was so cold.” Her voice faded, and she stood staring at nothing as the memory engulfed her. “I didn’t want to die. I was too young, and there was too much I still wanted to do.”
“But you didn’t die,” he murmured, sliding his hand to the scar on her throat and caressing it with the pad of his thumb.
“Max had followed Decker. I would have bled to death if not for Max. Mr. and Mrs. Rollings came to the hospital when they heard. That was the night Mr. Rollings had his heart attack,” she said in a hushed voice.
“Did he survive?” he asked.
Tonya smiled and nodded. “Yes. They are living in Arizona near their son and his family now. I finally got up the courage a couple of years ago to call them and thank them for everything they had done for me. It turns out that Mr. Rollings was a walking blockage time-bomb, and if the heart attack had occurred anywhere else, he wouldn’t have made it. Now they eat healthy, exercise, and spend most of their time helping with their grandkids when they aren’t playing cards at the community center. It’s funny how life works out sometimes,” she said with a laugh.
“Yes, it is,” he murmured as he bent down and pressed a light kiss on her lips.
“You are driving me crazy,” she confessed.
He chuckled. “I have a tendency to do that to people,” he admitted. “Is it crazy in a good way or a bad way?”
She reached up and ran her fingers down his cheek. “I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know once I decide,” she teased.
He reached up and grabbed her hand before she could remove it. “I breathlessly await your decision,” he said, pressing a kiss to her palm.
“We’d better head back to the house, otherwise we’ll be late for dinner,” she said.
He nodded in response, but still kept her hand in his. “Thank you for sharing your life with me, Tonya,” he replied in a solemn tone.
“Maybe one day you’ll get to do the same,” she suggested without thinking.
Warmth spread through her when a burning light of determination and pleasure at the idea flared in his eyes. He pulled her into his arms, kissed her hard on the lips, and swung her around in a circle before placing her back on her feet.
“I accept that offer,” he stated.
The man standing in the shadows across the street watched the couple. He took the cigarette from between his lips and tossed it to the ground, grinding the butt into the pavement with the heel of his black shoe. He adjusted the collar of his long overcoat to keep the chill off of his neck. Reaching down into his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and tapped out the number he had memorized.
“Hello?”
“Tell Decker that the woman is here,” he said.
Ramon listened to the muffled conversation. He kept watch on the couple. He’d been following them all day, but waited to call until he could be absolutely certain it was her.
“Keep following her,” the man replied.
“It’s going to cost you,” Ramon warned.
“Just do it,” the man growled.
Ramon shrugged and pocketed the phone. He was a private investigator. If Decker was willing to pay his inflated hourly rate, he wouldn’t refuse. He’d almost turned down the job when he learned who was hiring him. He had quoted a price that was double his hourly rate, demanding a fifty percent deposit up front. He hoped that might discourage the man, but Decker had agreed, and the money arrived within an hour—in cash.
“I’ll do it, then,” he said, watching the unsuspecting couple kiss.
19
“So, Tonya tells the Guidance Counselor that it was obvious she had some serious action going on with the Assistant Principal, which might not go over very well with her husband or the Assistant Principal’s spouse. So, if she didn’t want the article and pictures to appear in the next Student Newspaper, she might want to reconsider the after school detention,” Max said with a laugh.
“Blackmail, very ingenious,” Ashure chuckled and lifted his wineglass in a toast.
“It wasn’t blackmail, it was a mutually beneficial agreement,” Tonya clarified.
“What happened?” Ashure asked.
Angela shook her head. “Tonya was suspended for three days, the student newspaper was shut down, and I had to present a case before the school board to get her admitted into a new gifted school that was about to open,” she said.
“I wasn’t really going to release the article, but I thought it was worth a try. Didn’t matter anyway, two weeks after I transferred, the Guidance Counselor and AP were caught in a compromising position in the AP’s office,” Tonya muttered with a wave of her fork.
“What about you, Ashure? What dastardly deeds did you do in school?” Angela asked.
Ashure sat back in his chair. “I attended the school of life. From a few powerful witches and a great many modest mages I learned to create spells. From the dragons, I learned how to negotiate and how to save my assets from fiendish pilfering. Far too much of my booty ended up in a dragon’s hoard before I learned what was considered a secure place and what was not. Mm, the Giants taught me how to fight and hunt. Alas, the Elementals, however, were the most tenaciously antisocial. They are a cautious bunch,” he mused.
“Elementals? What are those?” Ange
la asked.
“They control the elements,” he said.
Max and Angela hissed while Tonya leaned forward in fascination. The red wine in Ashure’s glass spiraled up in the air and formed a young woman that looked surprisingly like Tonya. She twirled and danced in the glass like a ballerina.
“They can control liquids?” Angela asked with a touch of awe in her voice.
“All elements. Princess Gem was a bit of a surprise, though. She has the power to harness energy so intense that it is like a star. One of the aliens that crashed onto our world and tried to destroy it was defenseless against her,” he explained.
“Alien?” Max repeated in a hoarse voice.
“Yes, horrid creatures, one of which inhabited Magna’s body for centuries. She was called the Sea Witch after that. She is an extraordinarily powerful witch, and truly beautiful, though I only noticed her beauty after she was no longer trying to kill us. At some point we learned that it was actually the alien within her that was murderous, not Magna herself. However, it is difficult to disassociate that poor woman from the carnage wrought by her hands,” he amended with a shudder.
“I think we are going to need another bottle of wine,” Max said, lifting his hand and waving at the waiter.
Ashure closed his hand, and the dancing maiden lowered back into his glass. They were sitting in the outdoor patio of a restaurant near the downtown area. Elegant, cloth-covered tables lined an open area that looked as if it had been a street at one time. Large gas-powered heaters provided enough warmth to make the patrons comfortable and added to the ambiance. The low hum of conversation and soothing music completed the romantic setting.
He studied Max and Angela. It was obvious the couple was deeply in love and their love included Tonya. He absently ran his finger around the rim of his wine glass while he scanned the area. His attention paused on a man sitting at a table partially hidden by a planter.
“If you will excuse me for a moment,” he said, rising to his feet.
Tonya looked up at him in surprise. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Perfect. I merely need to make room for more of the delicious wine Max has graciously ordered,” he said with a wink.
“Oh,” she replied with a grin.
He skirted several tables before he made it to his objective. The man sitting at the table looked up at him with a startled expression when he pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. The man pushed his chair back and started to rise, only to fall back into it when the chair suddenly moved on its own and forced him to return to his seat.
“You have been following us all day. I want you to tell me why,” Ashure demanded in a deceptively pleasant tone.
The man gave him a wary look and shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, man. I’m just having dinner,” he said.
Ashure raised an eyebrow. “The waiter came over and brought you a cup of coffee and a dessert—nothing else. You were outside of Max’s house this morning. You drive a dark blue, boxy-looking vehicle with a dent on the right rear corner, and it spews smoke when you accelerate. I can give you the numbers on the back if it helps trigger your memory, or….” he said, pausing.
“Or?” the man demanded in a tight voice.
Ashure leaned in, looked the man in the eye, and spoke in a soft, mesmerizing voice. “Tell me your name,” he ordered.
“Ramon, Ramon DeSantis,” Ramon responded.
“Why have you been following Tonya all day, Ramon?” he inquired.
“I was paid to find and follow her. A man named Morris Decker wanted to know where she was. He’s bad news, but I needed the money—my daughter is really sick. She has—” Ramon’s throat worked up and down several times before he continued. “She has a brain tumor. I only agreed to this job to make the money I need to take my daughter to a new specialist. She’s only six years old. I feel so helpless,” he said.
Ashure released the man and sat back. The man bowed his head. His shoulders shook as he silently wept. Tapping his fingers on the table, Ashure thought for a moment before he rose to his feet.
“Do you know where this Decker human is located?” he asked.
Ramon, wiped his cheeks, looked up at him, and shook his head. “No, I never speak directly with him, always with someone else, and it is always over the phone. The money he paid in advance was dropped off,” he hesitantly explained.
Ashure sensed the truth in what the man was telling him. Ramon’s soul was clean and bright. The few shadows he had were caused by guilt over his inability to heal and protect his daughter.
“What is your daughter’s name?” he asked.
Ramon’s eyes softened. “Rebecca Anne. She and Alisa, my wife, are the light of my life,” he confessed.
Ashure nodded and turned away. He felt confident that Ramon would no longer follow Tonya, but Decker would still remain a threat. He returned to the table where Angela was sharing a story about one of the colorful events that had happened at the last parent-teacher meeting.
“I guess I’m going to have to attend one now that I know they are more interesting than I thought,” Max chuckled.
Ashure smiled at Tonya when she glanced at him with an inquisitive expression. It was obvious that she had seen him.
“Anything we should be concerned about?” she quietly asked.
“Decker is having you followed,” he replied.
She gave a brief nod of her head. “That’s what I was afraid of when Max told me that he was out. Some people never learn,” she sighed.
“Sometimes they have to learn the hard way,” he countered.
“Is everything alright?” Max asked, leaning forward.
“Yes,” he and Tonya said in unison.
“Thank you,” Tonya suddenly said.
Max frowned. “For what?” he asked with surprise.
“For taking me in—for being you,” she sighed.
Angela reached over and squeezed Tonya’s hand. “You never have to thank us, Tonya. You are our daughter, and we are very proud of the young woman you’ve become,” she said.
“Your parents would be very proud of you, too,” Max added.
Ashure watched the heartfelt exchange in silence. He had never had a family like this. Well, except for Nali. While their relationship held a good deal of kinship, it was more like Tonya’s relationship with MJ and Angie.
He started in surprise when Angela reached over, grasped his hand, and placed it on top of hers and Tonya’s. He met her eyes in confusion when Max laid his hand on top of everyone’s.
“To family,” Angela quietly said.
He slowly bowed his head. “To family,” he repeated.
Tonya looked up at the sky. She could only see a few stars here compared to what she could see on a clear night back at Mike’s house. Ahead of them, Max and Angela strolled up the walkway to the front door.
She looked over her shoulder when she heard a car coming down the street. She frowned when she noted that the driver had forgotten to turn on his headlights. Of course, that happened when you lived in a well-lit area sometimes. She was about to turn around when the car’s passenger side window opened, and a gun appeared.
“Gun!” she cried out even before she saw the flash.
She pushed Ashure to the side, knocking him off balance. She felt a brief flash of pain as she fell on top of him. In the background, she heard Angela’s startled cry, Max’s low grunt of pain, and the squeal of tires as the car sped away.
She rolled off of Ashure and pushed up on her elbow to get a better look at the car. She couldn’t see anything through the trees and shrubs. The car turned the corner before any of them could stand.
“Are you alright?” she asked in a strained voice.
“Yes, and you?” Ashure demanded, rising to his feet.
“I’m okay,” she said.
She winced when she started to hold her hand out. Looking down at her jacket, she grimaced when she saw a tear in the sleeve and the stain of blood su
rrounding it. She gingerly touched the area before Angela’s anguished cry drew her attention.
“Max. Max, no, baby. Tonya, Ashure, Max has been hit,” Angela called in a voice filled with growing panic.
Max groaned when Angela helped him to roll over. “It’s not life-threatening,” he hissed through gritted teeth.
Tonya gave Ashure her other hand, and he pulled her to her feet. Holding her arm, she hurried over to Max and Angela with Ashure by her side. She knelt next to Max while Angela dialed the emergency number for help.
“Max,” she said in a tight voice.
She reached up and removed the scarf she was wearing, using it to apply pressure to the wound on his shoulder. Max groaned even louder. Ashure knelt beside her. He held his hand over Max’s forehead and whispered a soft, lilting stream of words in a language she didn’t recognize. Almost immediately, Max relaxed and released a long sigh.
“Damn! I don’t know what you did, but the pain is gone,” Max muttered.
“A simple spell to alleviate your discomfort for a short time,” Ashure responded.
He placed his hand on Max’s uninjured shoulder and gently shook his head when Max tried to sit up. Tonya’s expression softened when she saw Max lie back down. It wasn’t until Angela touched her arm that she looked away.
“The police and an ambulance are on their way. Let me take over, Tonya. How badly are you hurt?” Angela asked.
“I’m fine,” she replied.
“You were hit by the projectile as well?” Ashure demanded as he bent over and looked at her.
“It’s a graze,” she said.
“Let me see, please,” he murmured.