“Zander,” Quinn called out. Zander looked over to him and took a deep breath. “Vincent sent out word that I need to come back around. What’s wrong?”
“A healer is our killer,” Zander explained to Quinn, looking back down to the yellow grass. “Any of us are vulnerable. Don’t let any Magi touch you from here on out.”
“Okay,” Quinn said. Zander felt Quinn begin to rub his back. It was awkward, but it was Quinn, and he was attempting to comfort Zander. It was something new from Quinn, but Zander didn’t have the time nor the energy to think about it. He was just thankful that someone was there for a moment. “Are you done with the bodies?”
“Yes,” Zander groaned out.
“I’ll stay here with you,” Quinn told him quietly, still rubbing his back. Zander felt his wilder friend grow easier. The rubbing grew more confident, and that led Zander to lean into it a bit.
“Thank you,” Zander whispered. “You’ve been here a lot for me these last couple of days.”
“We aren’t very close,” Quinn sighed, “but we’re pack mates and friends. I’ll be here whenever you need me.” Zander’s heart clenched. Coming from Quinn, that might as well have been a proclamation of undying love.
“I know,” Zander mumbled. “I’m here for you, too.”
“I know. Let’s take a walk and get you feeling better.” Quinn’s hand grabbed Zander’s forearm. Elijah was suddenly on Zander’s other side. “Thank you, Elijah.”
“Sawyer told me and Vincent,” he said sadly. “We’re going to head out soon. There’s no security to look through here. These two were keeping their identities as Magi pretty low, and that probably made them more vulnerable to attack. Problem is, there are very few open Magi in the area. People come out here for the quiet life and keep to themselves, their magic included. None of the neighbors knew, no one in town. Other Magi aren’t coming forward to confirm if they knew because that would expose them…”
“A mess,” Zander muttered, finally feeling a bit better. He leaned against the house nearly twenty feet from where he vomited. “This is a mess.”
“Not the biggest or worst one we’ve ever had… but definitely not the easy starter case we wanted for Sawyer.” Elijah sighed. “Let’s get out of here. The locals can handle clean up. We need to figure out who all the Magi in this area are—either to protect them or make them suspects. We’ll talk more back at the motel, in privacy.”
Zander was excited to hear they were leaving. He wasn’t sure he could handle another minute with the bodies so close.
He forgot all about their personal problems. He was going to take this sick fuck down. If they were all left standing at the end of it, then he would talk to Elijah and Quinn about Sawyer. And he would tell Sawyer how he felt.
15
Elijah
“Four bodies, four ‘heart attacks’, an unknown number of Magi in the area, all protecting their own asses.” Elijah groaned. “This is bad, Vincent.”
Elijah wasn’t sure it could get much worse, and they didn’t know if anything else was playing into this, yet.
“It is bad,” Vincent agreed. “I think we should split up our efforts.”
“How so?” Jasper asked from his spot at Vincent’s desk in the corner of the motel room.
“Elijah, I want you to get nosy with the sheriff, still. He’s the only Magi we’ve found here. Find out why everyone is hiding, from whom or what, whether it be their pasts, the WMC, or an Anti-Magi group. If he stonewalls you, then we’ll send in Jasper and Sawyer.” Vincent pointed to Sawyer. “Steal anything from him you can get your hands on. Lists, strange documents-”
“Find out how dirty he is and take every shred of evidence I can find about it?” Sawyer laughed. “Really?”
“You have the experience,” Jasper reminded her. “A few of your jobs were-”
“Yeah, I just thought I would be doing… something else here, as an agent, alright?”
Sawyer mumbled, shaking her head. “I didn’t think…”
Elijah frowned at her. He would need to ask what was wrong later. He didn’t like the look on her face.
“You can do it?” Vincent asked her, frowning as well.
“Yeah,” Sawyer answered, with a deep breath. “It won’t be hard if he’s dirty. There’s two possibilities. He’ll either cover his tracks too well and be too clean, or he’ll be dirty as fuck. Normally, the good guys have a little dirt, accidents, helping a friend with a DUI. Things like that. The ones you look out for…” Sawyer shrugged, and Elijah nodded.
“Are the ones who make themselves look perfect,” Elijah finished for her. “We’ve run into it before.”
“Yeah.” Sawyer sighed. “I was hired once or twice to deal with corporate things. A squeaky-clean CEO who was so clean, no one realized he was embezzling millions, things like that. Principle still applies here. Let me know when, and I can find something on our sheriff.”
“We’re going to request his Registrar entry, too,” Jasper spoke up. “No reason to go in blind when we break in. Let’s hope we don’t need to.”
“I’ll bother the sheriff later today,” Elijah added. “Maybe I can learn a bit more about him. He should be helping.”
“These were obviously not normal heart attacks. That mother fucker knows something, I swear to god,” Zander snarled from the back of the room. Elijah nodded slowly. Zander was particularly upset, and everyone knew it. On the way back, none of them really knew what to say about it. To use healing to kill people? It was like having an animal bond and killing them. Some abilities just weren’t meant to do certain things… this case was set to go into the record books, already, and Elijah didn’t want it to.
“Go ahead and get to Sheriff Stevenson,” Vincent told him, and Elijah just kept nodding. He stood up slowly and stretched. Day two back in Texas, and he wasn’t having a good time. “I’ll give James a call about getting the sheriff’s entry. I’m hoping it can be rushed, since we’re out here in a dangerous position.” Vincent sighed. “Who do you want for backup?”
“No one,” Elijah answered, shaking his head. He grabbed his hat off his bedside table. “He’ll like me more if I go alone. He’ll trust me more if I go there privately and try not to embarrass him in front of outsiders. If I take someone like you, Quinn, or Sawyer, he’ll throw me out again. Zander won’t be able to keep a cool head, not that I can blame him, and Jasper? He’s needed here.” Elijah shrugged. “I got this, Vincent.”
“Stay safe,” Vincent said quietly. Elijah heard the rest of the team say it as he grabbed his keys and headed out.
He hated being back in this state. It reminded him of everything that was wrong with him. He was a cowboy, a southern man, but other Texans never liked him. He missed it though. Missed the heat, missed this specific brand of Southern. Georgia and Texas were two very different places. This was home, and he wanted it. Wanted to stay more than he could have imagined.
Home had never seemed to want him, though.
He pulled into the sheriff’s office and found the older man at the front desk, leaning over to read something while that same deputy was filling some paperwork. Elijah pulled off his hat as he got inside.
“Good afternoon, Sheriff Stevenson,” Elijah said, keeping it light. He plastered a smile on his face and walked closer. “I was wondering if I could talk to you.”
“Special Agent Grant…” Sheriff Stevenson greeted him carefully, looking up. Elijah waved with a hat, continuing to smile. “How can I be of service today?”
“A couple of bodies showed up down in Abilene,” Elijah answered slowly, letting his country accent get thick. “I just wanted to talk to you privately about what my team and I will be doing moving forward.”
“Come to my office.” Stevenson waved for him to follow. Elijah wandered into the back of the building, letting Stevenson hold the door for him. Once Elijah was inside, the good sheriff closed and locked the door on them. Elijah didn’t sit as Stevenson moved behind his desk and sat himself down.
“What do you want?”
“I was hoping you could help me protect the Magi in the area. The two victims in Abilene were unknown. Their neighbors and coworkers didn’t know who they were, Magi or otherwise,” Elijah told him, finally sitting down. He had been waiting for Stevenson to offer a seat but that, it seemed, was never going to happen.
“How does anyone know?” Stevenson asked quietly. Elijah realized that the sheriff didn’t know they were on to him. He was trying to protect his own Magi heritage, which made no sense to Elijah. There was no way the sheriff thought he was still a secret, unless he didn’t have any education on what Magi could do, which made even less sense.
“They had documents pointing that they were retired soldiers of the IMAS,” Elijah told him, with a heavy sigh. “Good soldiers at that. They were looking at being comfortable for the rest of their lives.”
“Such a shame,” Stevenson whispered.
“Isn’t it? So, I’m asking for your help, really,” Elijah said, brushing nonexistent dust off his hat. He had about four of them and he took good care of them. The one Sawyer ruined was, thankfully, a cheaper one. Elijah had still been attached. That little witch.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t exactly keep a list of every Magi. I thought that was something only the WMC did,” Stevenson grunted, holding out his hands.
He thought? Elijah didn’t like that. Stevenson should know the WMC kept the Registrar. Everything about this conversation was wrong. It was like Elijah was talking to just any sheriff, but Stevenson was Magi.
“Well, if you can’t help, I’ll just be going,” Elijah said quickly, standing back up. He put his hat back on and turned to the door.
“Wait,” Stevenson called out. “I want something from you.” Elijah turned back to him and opened his arms, letting the sheriff know he was willing to hear what he had to say. “I don’t want y’all running around with weapons all over my county. Put them away. Ain’t nobody going to mess with six Magi in this part of the world.”
“Four Magi are already dead in this part of the world,” Elijah reminded him, “and I don’t think I need to remind you what kind of reputation this area might hold in terms of feelings about Magi.”
“And I don’t need the Grant boy being nosy in my neck of the woods,” Stevenson growled, and Elijah felt a race of a chill run through him. Then he got hot. Elijah got very hot. “Put the weapons away or go stay in Abilene and stay out of Albany. I don’t need your brand of justice in my town.”
“You know who I am,” Elijah whispered.
“I know the infamous Magi faggot from San Angelo when I see him, yes. You also told me your name and where you were from, it honestly wasn’t hard to find out,” Stevenson told him with a nod. “Now you can go.”
“Thank fuck you’ll be out of the job soon,” Elijah whispered, glaring at Stevenson. “Magi aren’t allowed to hold public office with non-Magi governments. I’ll make sure to let my superiors know how… helpful you’ve been for your fellow Magi, you old fucking bigot.”
Elijah left before the good sheriff could respond. He vibrated with fury. It had been a long time since he was well and truly reminded of what he left behind in Texas. He’d been powerful enough to keep the bullies away from himself.
He hadn’t been strong enough to help his friend, the one his father threw him out over. He’d made those motherfuckers pay, then, after graduating high school, he got on the first bus to Dallas and never looked back.
Stevenson wanted to play games with his past? Elijah was going to make sure they made his life a living hell. Elijah could because he outranked his dumbass.
Elijah was going to fucking win.
It was hours after the incident with the sheriff when Elijah saw Vincent finally get the call back from James over whether they could get Stevenson’s Registrar entry. Vincent left the room to take it, and Elijah found himself sitting alone with Sawyer.
Elijah just waited silently. He fumed and waited. It had been so long since he was called a faggot. Not even Jon had gone to that, choosing Brokeback as a better way to get under Elijah’s skin.
“Elijah?” Sawyer whispered to him, and he looked over to her. “No one has told me how your meeting with the sheriff went.” She and Jasper hadn’t been in the room when he got back. He had told Vincent, and Vincent said he would deal with it.
“Bad, little lady,” he answered, reaching for her. He wanted to kiss her again, in any way he could but he didn’t let it show. He wanted to have what Vincent got, a night to forget and just enjoy the gorgeous woman, but he wasn’t going to take it past teasing, not anymore. She had enough on her plate, and they had finally developed a real, solid friendship. She was so good to Quinn that it broke his heart a little. Once Elijah trusted her with Quinn, everything seemed to fall into place between the three of them. It was good to just be with Sawyer and Quinn, and it was what each of them expected out of those around them. He could never stop finding the strangest similarities between the two.
“Tell me, Cowboy.” Sawyer sighed, pulling his hat off his head. Elijah grumbled and leaned back in his seat. He watched her put his hat on his dresser.
“Give me a hug, hot stuff, and I’ll tell you,” Elijah mumbled petulantly, shifting forward again and opening his arms. Sawyer chuckled, walked back to him, and wrapped her arms around him. “He knows who I am, and I don’t like it. He’s an ass, got all high and mighty with me. He wants us to stop carrying arms or leave town. He’s a Magi, though, regardless of his position as sheriff. He answers to us, not the other way around. I let him know that.”
“I’m sorry, Elijah,” she whispered. He just nodded slowly.
“We’ll solve this case, he’ll be fucking put back in his stupid-ass place, and we’ll go home,” he said with a sigh. Vincent stomped back in at that moment and Elijah didn’t move. He also didn’t let Sawyer move from the hug. He was quite comfortable. Vincent raised his eyebrows at them, and Elijah grinned. “She’s mine now, you’ll need to find another battle-weary assassin.”
“Damn it, Elijah,” Sawyer groaned. He pouted slightly as she sublimated out of his arms. He watched her reform across the room. “I don’t belong to people.”
“No,” Elijah chuckled. “I think you claim them, not the other way around. My apologies, little lady.” He looked between Vincent and Sawyer. “Your Italian boy-toy is back.”
“God damn it, Elijah,” Vincent chided, glaring at him. “Not cute.”
“You two are very cute together.” Elijah laughed. He had a feeling Sawyer was cute with anyone, though. Arguing with Zander, sputtering with Jasper over each other’s way of thinking, getting broody with Vincent, or being strange with Quinn. Yeah, Elijah thought Sawyer fit in really well, and it seemed having sex with Vincent agreed with her. Elijah had just been mad about the timing.
He had the ache to give it a shot himself—if she would have him. He just wasn’t sure he wanted to wade into the drama surrounding her bed. Not like any of it was her fault. She had a bunch of over-grown teenage boys panting after her… himself included.
“What’s the news?” Sawyer asked, turning toward Vincent.
“Our request for Mason Stevenson’s Registrar entry was denied,” Vincent said carefully.
“What?” he snapped, glaring at Vin.
“Because Sheriff Stevenson doesn’t have one,” Vincent finished.
Curses could be heard from Sawyer.
Elijah just sputtered.
They were dealing with an unregistered Magi.
“There could be more,” Vincent told them. “We need to be careful. For all we know, our killer could be one.”
“How does some old-ass sheriff get away with being unregistered for so long?” Sawyer yelled. “I’ve never seen anyone last past twenty-five!”
“Out in a place like this?” Elijah growled. “Fuck, there could be a ton out here, Vincent.”
This case was going to hell and fast.
Elijah didn’t like it. He pulled out his small sketchboo
k and, to ease his mind, began to doodle.
He hadn’t had time to work on anything personal for himself in a long time. From catching and keeping Sawyer, plus the incident in Atlanta, to the house drama, getting Sawyer caught up, and Jasper walking again… Elijah hadn’t given himself a real chance to breathe.
He watched Sawyer leave through the wall and wondered when she would get tired of using her magic constantly. There was an adjustment period for every teen Magi who just got their abilities. They would use them constantly, for everything. Sawyer seemed to be going through that a second time.
“Stop drawing her.” Vincent chuckled, pointing to his sketchbook. Elijah looked down and frowned. Sure enough, Sawyer stared back him, that arrogant smirk taunting him. He groaned at it.
“My dick hurts,” Elijah grumbled, closing the sketchbook and dropping it on his desk. “How are things on that for you?”
“Oh, no,” Vincent laughed. “Don’t change the subject. When are you going to admit you like her?”
“I’ve never denied it.” Elijah laughed as well. “I just don’t expect it to be serious.”
“I didn’t either,” Vincent whispered, suddenly distracted. Elijah saw him turn to the wall shared with Sawyer’s room. Their leader was head over heels into her. “I made a deal with Zander and Jasper.”
“Tell me in all seriousness if you really think Zander’s cute little idea will work,” Elijah groaned. “Really.”
“I hope it does,” Vincent replied, looking back at him. “We’ll talk more about it after the case…”
“We’re playing this game again, huh?” Elijah laughed harder than before. “After. Always after with you. After Axel, after the case. You like her, go fucking tell her you want more than one night. Vincent, don’t play the coward now.”
“Says the cowboy who won’t admit he wants more than a friendship with her. You draw her all the time, whether you want to admit it or not. Tell me, when are we going to see a steel sculpture dedicated to her?”
The Redemption Saga Box Set Page 51