“I can’t wait. I did a lot of research on Dad’s computer. I knew they had to be yours. I read a bunch of articles about different abilities, and I hope I get healing and an animal bond. It’s really cool that you have two. That means you’re really strong, right?”
“Some think it does. Thank you.” Quinn inclined his head, feeling somewhat proud to have been called cool by the youth. No one had ever said he was ‘cool’ before. He knew what it meant. It made him feel normal to hear her say it. Less different, less strange. Less like a weird freak of a Magi.
“I’ve never had other Magi to really talk to.” Cara sighed, happily. “What other abilities do y’all have?”
Vincent chuckled and told her about Kaar. Quinn cut in to talk about his own abilities as well. They both began the slow education of Cara, Magi without a community. She knew so much about what she was, but Quinn knew she never could verify it. She had two younger siblings who knew less than she did and didn’t understand. Her father was a Magi who hated his own kind, and her brother seemed to be going down their father’s path.
“Here comes Dallas-Fort Worth,” Vincent announced, pointing to the city on the horizon. “We’ll stop at the mall or something and you get you three some food and maybe a few more things to keep you occupied.”
“Bucky will want more toys.” Cara laughed. “Thank you.”
“For?” Quinn asked, giving her a small frown from his spot in the back.
“All of this,” Cara answered. “Saving us, taking us away. For showing up and bringing us here.”
“You aren’t scared?” Vincent gave her a glance and Cara shook her head.
“No. Home was scary. This… this is our great escape. I’m sorry about the knife when you showed up. I couldn’t see the Magi come in, the lady and the blonde one, Jasper. I was scared they had come to hurt us.”
“Thank you, for trusting us to help you and not trying to stab one of us,” Vincent said with a humorous tone. “Though that lady would have won if you tried to stab her. She’s scary.”
“She really is!” Cara said, excited someone seemed to agree with her. “She just stood there, looking super angry, and I was really confused and terrified. Elijah was much nicer.”
“Her name is Sawyer. She used to be an assassin,” Quinn told her nonchalantly. “Now she works with us to help people. She lived in New York and saved other kids like you, there.”
“An assassin?” Cara gasped, swinging to look at Quinn, her limp brown ponytail whipping around.
“Quinn, we can’t just tell people that.” Vincent coughed.
“I’m not sure what the big deal is,” Quinn huffed. “I think Cara would like to know that an assassin is going to make sure Sheriff Stevenson never comes after them.”
“That’s so cool!” Cara exclaimed, grinning. “Was she really?” She directed the next question to Vincent, who groaned.
“Yeah.” Vincent sighed, “she really was.”
“THAT’S SO COOL!” Cara screeched, clapping her hands together. Sammy shot up, and looked around, confused.
“Sis, why are you yelling?” Sammy complained, kicking Cara’s seat.
“Oh, sorry,” Cara laughed. “It’s nothing, Sammy. Lay back down. I’ll make sure you’re up when we stop for food.”
“Okay,” Sammy yawned. They all waited for Sammy to fall back asleep. Quinn nodded towards the front the moment he was certain they wouldn’t disturb her again.
Quinn was amazed by these children. Cara had done well with them, making sure they were always ready to run, to leave. They trusted her judgement without question. She’d taken the place of their mother and yet was still a child herself.
“I have a question for you guys,” Cara spoke up, dropping the topic of Sawyer’s previous profession. “Why were you in my house today? Dad had mentioned something about outsiders coming in to be nosy about some old Magi dying but…”
Quinn held his breath, deciding that Vincent should answer this. How does someone tell a child that there was a serial killer running around? He always let Elijah handle younger children. This was the first time he’d ever had to deal with them on his own.
“Cara… I’m going to give you the truth. The honest, scary truth because I think you’re mature enough to handle it. I think your father is covering up for a serial killer. We broke into your home to gather evidence.”
Quinn watched Cara pale and sink into her seat.
“The people dying,” Cara whispered, shaking her head. “No, no, no.”
“Cara?” Vincent’s voice was laced with worry as he reached to touch her.
“They’ve been whispering about it,” Cara mumbled as Vincent patted her shoulder. “Cory and Dad. They’ve been whispering about the people that were dying. Saying there was no way anyone would ever find out what really happened.”
Quinn leaned forward, thinking about that.
“Let’s stop,” Vincent said suddenly. “Let’s eat. Cara, forget I said anything. It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“But-”
“No buts.” Quinn cut in. Cara looked back at him with a frown. He’d heard her say it to Bucky earlier.
“Cara, you need to focus on Samantha and Bucky,” Vincent reminded her. “Do that and you’ll be helping us.”
“Okay.” Cara sighed. “Okay.”
“If you know anything else, though, we’d be happy to hear it.”
Cara only shook her head.
“Alright, let’s eat something. I’m going to call the Dallas office once we stop.”
“How long do we have until we need to get back to Sawyer and Elijah?” Quinn asked as Cara wrapped her arms around herself and sank down in her seat.
“I left Kaar there on watch for them. He’s going to let them, and me, know when Stevenson gets home. Cara, when does your dad get off work?” Vincent turned back to the youth as they entered a parking lot.
“Around five or six,” Cara informed him softly. “He never comes home early, though he could come home later. Sometimes past dinner. Sometimes he even goes out at night, like really late. I’ll hear his truck.”
“So, they have plenty of time to just hang out at your house?”
“Yeah, they’ll be fine.”
“Good,” Vincent sighed.
They parked at the mall, and Quinn climbed out, Scout following him. He and Vincent waited as Cara woke up Sammy and got her out of the Explorer. Vincent was already on the phone with the Dallas office, quickly explaining their situation.
Zander and Jasper walked up, Quinn letting Shade follow Bucky towards his sisters. He knew Shade was feeling protective over the younger brother. He did similar with Scout, even though they were littermates. He was the bigger wolf, and it was expected that he take care of the smaller one and stay in charge.
“Sissy, I have a big doggie!” Bucky laughed. “He’s fluffy.”
“He is.” Cara laughed softly. “What’s his name?”
Quinn felt Zander elbow him and point, distracting him from Bucky’s answer.
“He calls your wolves, puppies and doggies,” Zander snickered with a grin. “You going to do anything about that?”
“He’s a child,” Quinn huffed. “No, he can call them whatever he wants.”
Six years ago, he would have considered doing something, but his time in the civilized world had changed his stance on many things. He, as a child, would have never made the mistake, but he wouldn’t begrudge this child for making it. Bucky probably didn’t think a wolf was with him, just a dog that looked like one.
“We have a problem,” Jasper whispered, jerking his head towards their leader. “Look at Vincent.”
Quinn turned back to their leader, who was looking pale as someone from Dallas spoke to him on the phone.
“Vin?” Zander called out.
“We need to take them to the Dallas headquarters right now,” Vincent growled, removing the phone from his ear.
“Why?” Cara asked, looking up from her brother. “I
thought we would get to stay with you longer.”
Quinn met Vincent’s gaze. It was something he didn’t want to say in front of the children. Quinn turned to the kids and opened the Explorer door again.
“Let us talk for a moment? I’ll find out what’s going on.” He didn’t want to let these children continue into the great unknown of their future yet. He wanted to protect them a little longer. He wanted to read to Sammy again and listen to what Bucky said about his… puppies. Quinn needed to know what Vincent had to say, though.
He loaded them in together and closed the door on them. When he made it back to Vincent, he was off the phone.
“Bodies,” Vincent snarled. “Our killer went out last night, after screwing with us.”
“Where?” Jasper snapped.
“A… a family in Acampo, three Magi. Two adults and one… a four-year-old girl,” Vincent choked out. “They were just found about twenty minutes ago by the neighbor. She was smart enough to call the Dallas IMPO office, knowing about the recent Magi deaths, and not Stevenson. Known Magi, on that list found in Stevenson’s office. There’s one older child in school, a ten-year-old. The guys here in Dallas who got the call told the school to not release the student, under any circumstances, to anyone until an IMPO agent picks him up. They are sending one of their guys. We’re being told to investigate the bodies and the message left at the house.”
“What was the message?” Jasper asked.
“God’s Will.” Vincent whispered. “He’s with the Anti-Magi group… or playing it off as them. This has now escalated.”
Quinn felt ill. Zander was shaking in rage and disgust. Jasper didn’t seem like he was breathing.
“This is a purge,” Jasper groaned. “This killer is trying to purge the area of Magi.”
“Yes,” Vincent confirmed. “And the people of Albany are helping. Stevenson is fucking helping him. He falls into the same fucking trap as Stevenson. Hates his own kind.”
“I’ll get the children to the office,” Jasper offered. “Zander will be needed to investigate the bodies. I want you two with him for safety.”
“Okay,” Vincent agreed, nodding.
Quinn slowly sat down on the asphalt parking lot. He rubbed his face. They had dealt with dead children before. It was always rough.
“No wonder his magic is fucking broken and sick,” Zander mumbled, bending over.
“Yes,” Vincent sighed. “Let’s get moving.”
Quinn stood back up. This was probably one of the sickest cases he’d ever been a part of. But then, Quinn never could understand how Magi, or even humans, could twist themselves like this.
The wilds were cleaner—brutal but cleaner.
22
Sawyer
Sawyer twisted her hands as Elijah sank onto the couch in the living room. She was sitting on the kitchen counter, just watching and waiting. It had been an hour since they had gotten Vincent’s call. An hour they had spent in silence, needing to come to terms with what they had been told.
“I can’t fucking believe this,” Elijah groaned, finally breaking the silence. “A family.”
“Yeah,” Sawyer breathed. “It’s pretty fucked up. We’re stuck here without a ride to help.”
“We couldn’t exactly go with them if we wanted to,” Elijah reminded her. “There wasn’t enough space. Either way, we need to deal with the sheriff. Vincent made it clear that no one has informed the sheriff or any of the local law enforcement about the family in Acampo, yet. And he has answers. I swear to fucking every god anyone has ever prayed to that this mother fucker has answers.”
“So, I not only get to beat the shit out of him for his kids, but also torture him for information? That’s a bit fucked up for the IMPO.” Sawyer scoffed. It really was. She’s signed up for a lot, but pure torture wasn’t her thing. She knew it was done by the WMC on captured criminals. She knew, somewhere out there, Axel was probably being waterboarded without the use of his magic.
It made her a little sick to think about.
“Stevenson won’t need to be tortured.” Elijah sighed. “He’s too weak a man to need it. He’ll break once you’re done giving him what he deserves. “
“What have we found here, Elijah?” Sawyer huffed. “What is this fucking mess?”
“History,” Elijah offered. “We’ve stumbled into a case that’s going to make history. It sucks, and it’s awful. It shouldn’t be what you deal with this early, as your first case, but we’re here. Anti-Magi organization, crooked, unregistered Magi sheriff, serial killer…I don’t know anymore, Sawyer.”
“A purge,” Sawyer exhaled the words. “A fucking purge.”
“I’ve never heard of it happening before, not in the last few decades, anyways. Nearly a century, really.”
“Right after World War I,” Sawyer added, thinking about it. When Magi first revealed themselves to the world at large, against the direct orders of the secretive WMC. Magi had taken up arms in the war for their own respective countries and exposed themselves. For nearly a decade after that, Magi all over the world moved around and fought for their right to exist. Purges. Families’ homes burned down. Weaker Magi tied to fucking stakes and burned.
There were reasons they lived by the laws they did. No joining a country’s military or police forces. Loyal to the WMC and only to the WMC. Loyal to other Magi, first and foremost, because even if you love your country, it might not love you back.
“Yeah, so something like this? This is outrageous,” Elijah continued, pulling Sawyer out of her mental rundown of history. “And we’re on the back foot. Serial killer is escalating, and we’re trapped in something much deeper than just his killing spree.”
“Why do you think he’s been bothering me?” Sawyer asked, looking up to the hazel eyes now watching her.
“I… don’t know.” Elijah sighed. “I wonder if he was going to try and kill us, but instead… got distracted by your nightmares?”
Sawyer nearly gagged. She didn’t like that theory at all, but there really was no other theory to run with.
“I mean,” Sawyer groaned, “I would rather him fucking dance around my nightmares than kill us…”
“Yup,” Elijah agreed.
They went back to waiting in silence as the minutes kicked by. Sawyer’s mind drifted off. She was so ready to take this fucker down and prove she could help the team. Prove to herself that this was something she could do.
That she could earn it.
She held that close to herself. She could earn this. She might not need to prove it to the guys, but she needed to prove it to herself. Like she had earned the friendship of Charlie and the respect of Liam and her students.
Sawyer had the need to earn something. She could be arrogant in her own abilities, she could be confident in her strength, but she didn’t like handouts. She would fucking earn it.
She would do what Elijah was telling her to, and, instead of feeling guilty for her past, she would use it. She would show the fucking WMC and herself that this assassin could use every bit of her knowledge and do good. Like she’d been trying to do for years already. Maybe this would give her the real, bone deep satisfaction of knowing she could bring someone to real justice. Because that was the difference. She never could truly save her students, only protect them. She had never put anyone behind bars.
Now, she could. Stevenson would go to prison for a long time for what he’d done to his children. Now she could get the ending for one of these pieces of shit she’d wanted for so many others.
“Sawyer?” Elijah called out from his spot in the living room. “What’cha thinking about over there?”
“Why?” she asked, meeting his eyes.
“Your face changed,” Elijah commented with a shrug.
“Spend a lot of time looking at my face?” She chuckled, giving him a raised eyebrow.
He didn’t answer, and that made Sawyer suspicious, but she didn’t get the chance to say anything as an ear-screeching caw rang out and made them both j
ump. Elijah looked confused and Sawyer patted her chest as her heart adjusted. It was a bit of a spook, that noise.
“That was Kaar,” Elijah mumbled but Sawyer wondered if he was saying it to her or just to himself. She slid off the counter and walked closer as Elijah looked out the front window. “And now I see why…”
“What’s going on?”
“We’ll start hearing them in a minute,” Elijah whispered. “The sheriff is back, and he’s brought a few friends. One other truck.”
“Sounds like we’re going to have a party,” Sawyer chuckled. “I wonder if, in the last hour and half, they heard about the family in Acampo.”
“And the sheriff can’t go to the scene since the boys already claimed it,” Elijah added, nodding.
She could hear the trucks now, coming down the long dirt driveway to the house. She cracked her knuckles. It was time.
Elijah sat back down on the couch and Sawyer propped herself back up on the counter.
“Patience,” she called out as quietly as she could to Elijah. “This is all about patience.”
“Of course,” he agreed, seemingly moving around to get comfortable.
“TIM!” Stevenson’s voice rang out. “I know you’re upset but-”
“UPSET?!” Another man roared. “You have no idea! He left a message on the wall and is trying to pin this shit on us!”
“He’s just doing what we’ve led him to do,” Stevenson growled. Sawyer heard footsteps as she and Elijah nearly held their breaths. “We wanted this. We started it. Once I knew what he could do, we talked at length about finally cleaning this area up.”
“Yeah, but now we have…” The second voice trailed off. “Your door, Sheriff.”
Sawyer didn’t hear the sheriff’s response because it was too quiet.
She was practically vibrating, ready to use her abilities and hurt this monster of a human being. She was ready to teach him the only lesson that mattered anymore. Karma was a fucking bitch, and Sawyer was its willing tool for men like him.
She saw his head poke through the door and sublimated just as he swung his firearm into the doorway and took two shots. She sank to the floor, the bullets passing through her without causing any injuries.
The Redemption Saga Box Set Page 59