by Pamela Labud
After that, things faded away and Fiona felt herself separating from their conversation. Was there something they could offer in return for Matty’s life?
“I can give up the diner,” she said. “I mean, it’s a pretty steady business, and the location would be great for the Druids to watch over their own interests. I mean, they have lots of enemies, don’t that? A lot of people in Underworld City have beef with them.”
Matty took her hand. “No way are you giving that up. It’s your place. You worked hard to get it and keep it going. It’s all you have left of your family.”
She looked from face to face and her throat tightened. “You’re wrong. It’s not my family. It’s not the people I love. They’re gone, and that pile of wood and stone is not them. My family is here. Sitting at this table right now. More than that. My future is here, too.”
“Aw, baby,” Matty began.
She shook her head, anger boiling up in her, but she was determined not to cry. Tightening her fists, she straightened her spine.
“I’ve always known the odds were against us, Matty. That you weren’t the ‘perfect’ guy. The truth is I didn’t care. No, more than that. I liked that about you. Because, to be honest, I didn’t have the spine for a long-term relationship, either. I could always blame our failures on you.”
He shook his head. “No, sweetheart. That’s not true.”
She nodded. “It is, Matty. I don’t care what we have. We’ve been dancing around this thing for decades. We were in that tangle because that’s where we wanted to be, or we would have changed it before now.”
“You’re giving up so much.”
Fiona shook her head. “No, I’m not. Things are just things. I want you to be free, whether we get out of this or not.”
“It was my mistake. I shouldn’t have been there in the first place. You shouldn’t have to pay for my mistakes.”
“So, that’s it? You’re just giving up? Just like that?”
He laughed. “I’m not giving up, no. Let’s just say I’m stepping back, for a bit.”
“Well,” Holly said. “That only leaves us one course of action. We need more time and it’s time to do that one thing that none of us want to.”
“Honey, no,” Max began.
She put her hand on his chest. “We have no choice.”
“What?” Fiona and Max said together.
“It’s time to call Uncle Walt.”
#
Matty was more confused than ever, he looked from Holly to Max and back again. Fiona sat quiet beside him.
“You can’t be serious,” he started.
“Who’s Uncle Walt?” Fiona asked.
Mat shook his head. “Number one, he’s not our real uncle. Number two, that shyster is the last person who can fix this mess. Number three, I’m so sorry I ever told my wife about him.”
Matty saw Fiona look at them, and the glimmer of hope that had crept into her expression stabbed him to the bone.
“Max, Matty,” Holly began, “you’re too hard on him. A couple of minor infractions…”
“Minor infractions? He started a war.”
“He tried to negotiate terms,” Matty said. “To be honest, it was the middle ages. Everybody was starting wars back then.”
“I don’t understand any of this. Is he an Immortal, too? I thought that you guys were extremely rare…”
“We are,” Matty answered. “For the record, we’re not really sure what magical species Uncle Walt hails from, but when Max and I were little, he took up our cause.”
“He used us to further his own causes, you mean,” Max sat back, crossing his arms and, his mouth a thin line of contempt.
“Well, if you look at it that way.”
“I still don’t understand,” Fiona said.
Matty turned to her, taking her hand. “Uncle Walt was a man of many talents. One of them was his innate ability to play on people’s sympathies. When Max and I were ten years old, he offered to apprentice us, and our mother agreed. We were swept up and taken to his castle. It was amazing.”
“It was not,” Max said, sitting straight up. We were hardly there a fortnight when he had us kidnapped. We were in a hole ten-feet deep and twenty feet wide… for six weeks.”
“I thought he was like family,” Holly said.
Max nodded. “Family that has no problem with using you to further his own ends. He raised an uproar about our being kidnapped, raised the alarm among the neighboring lands and went on his own crusade.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Matty said. “I mean, we were safe enough.”
“Safe? How about no decent food, dirty water to drink, no bathroom, and no communication to let us know why were in the bloody hole.”
Matty sighed. “Ah, good times.”
“Doesn’t sound like it,” Fiona said.
“That’s because our Max is a man of creature comforts. He prefers a fairly rich lifestyle over a simpler existence.” Matty laughed.
“If you call nearly starving and freezing to death, suffering in our own excrement a ‘simpler’ existence, then yes, yes I do.” He paused. “I can still smell the stink of that place.”
“Anyway,” Holly added, “You didn’t tell them the good part.” She turned to Fiona, “He is the only man to ever get out of a Druid contract.”
“Really,” Fiona said. “Then we should definitely meet him. Maybe he can help us.”
“Or, maybe he can sell us to some underworld magic slavers guild,” Max said.
“I hope not. Those guys are definitely not party animals.” Matty shook his head. “Anyway, judging where we are now, it might not help, but it couldn’t make things worse.”
“Says, you,” Matty commented. “Although, he does like to prick your feathers a bit. Thinks verbally challenging Maxie is one of his favorite pastimes.”
“Fine. We’ll go, but I’m not putting up with his shenanigans. I’m definitely not loaning him money.”
“Fine with me,” Matty said. “I guess we need to give him a call.”
Fiona went to agree but she saw Holly shrink down a bit. “Well, actually, I have already sent feelers out. He called me this morning before you guys got here. We’ve got a lunch meeting.”
“What?” Max leaned away from her. “Et tu, wife?”
Fiona couldn’t hide her grin and saw that Matty was enjoying their banter as well.
“Look, before, you didn’t have a kick-butt Reaper girl watching over you. Your big, bad uncle isn’t going to lay a finger on you. I promise. Immortal or not, I’ve got friends, you know.”
“That’s it then. We’re meeting him.”
Matty turned to Fiona. “I think this is a good decision, never mind my spiteful brother, but I also don’t want you getting your hopes up, Fi. This is a long, long short at best.”
Fiona leaned forward and kissed him. “It’s my hopes and where I send them, is my business. You just try to stay out of trouble, okay?”
Matty returned a grin of his own. “Oh man, I love it when you go all wolf girl in me.” He kissed her then, deep and hard. For a moment, Fiona could feel herself falling for him once again.
Fiona’s heart grew even lighter when she heard the distant hiss of Max, commenting, “Oh gosh, get a room, will ya?”
And Holly’s laughter beside him. “I think they make such a cute couple.”
“Well, they can be ‘cute,’ somewhere else, can’t they?
“You are such an old man for a young Immortal.”
Chapter Seventeen
It was one heck of a big risk he was taking, but Hawke didn’t care. He was done with doing other people’s dirty work. He wanted answers and forget the consequences.
“What do you think you’re doing, coming here like this?”
Hawke stared down at the bondsman. Thick, gorilla skin, barely looked human, in fact. Still, the lawman turned bounty hunter didn’t care. He was in the belly of the beast, sitting
in the third-floor walkup dump that Remmington called his office. More like a two-star hotel room, but either way, it had nothing to do with Hawke.
“Man, with all the money your organization pulls in, this is what you can afford? I was expecting a big deal like you would have a room at least a four star.”
“Get out. Get my bounty for me before I forget our little agreement.”
Remmington went back to his paperwork, stacks of which were strewn across his desk and falling onto the floor.
“You don’t look too good, man. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
Remmington shot him an angry glance, “What are you talking about, things are fine.”
“Are they? Because that’s not what I’ve heard since our meeting last night.”
The bondsman went pale, well pale green, anyway. “What have you heard?”
Now there was something. To have Drax Remmington cower to him? Hawke’s cop senses told him he was on the right track. Well, ex-cop, he reminded himself.
The question was, would he be able to turn the bondsman so that Hawke and the Immortal would benefit.
“You’ve been a bad boy, Drax,” he said. Carefully, pulling up a chair to sit across the desk, he relaxed back and waited.
“You don’t know anything.”
“I know that there are some rumors slinging around about some pretty upset Goblins.”
“So. That doesn’t mean anything. Goblins are crazy.”
“They are, but you and I both know they are easy targets. Like, not the brightest in the bunch, you know.”
“I know they’re not scholars, so what? What they don’t have in brain matter, they have in muscle and guts. Good riddance to all of them, I say.”
“All except for the hybrids, the Hob Gobs. Those guys are a little higher on the food chains. I’m thinking that you had a little scam going on. That you were getting them drunk and then turning them over to the Druids.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Is it? They’re a pretty good labor force, but you made a mistake and got some Hob gobs in the mix and they’re coming after you.”
“So, what?”
“So, you are in trouble. I’m thinking the Hobs and Gobs have contracts on you. Not only that, the numbers in your crew seems to be going down. You’re in trouble.”
“It’s not me. Those idiots I hired. It was just a scam. They got greedy…”
“They got greedy and the Druids got angry. So, you had to make it up to them.”
“Believe me, you’d do the same. Those are some terrifying dudes.”
“You set up an Immortal.”
“Look, you’ve met that jerk. He’s been skating the law for a long time. The way I see it, getting Hyland off the street is a public service.”
“So, what happened?”
“Ah, these magics are so hard to predict. We gave him a little extra dose of Magician’s blood. Thought it would make him more biddable, you know keep him cooperative. Then the stuff wore off and he disappeared. That is until the whole Reaper scandal happened.”
“That’s why you sent me. To do your dirty work. Making me think this guy is a criminal.”
“Are you kidding, me? He’s a con.”
“What did he do to you? Beat you at a few hands of cards? Doesn’t sound like enough to condemn a man to servitude, to me.”
“Oh, cry me a river. The Druids practically drooled over getting him. I was in their good graces until he disappeared. Who cares about him, anyway? Seems to me you’ve got enough on your plate already.”
“You need to make this right,” Hawke said, though the other man’s words stung him deep. He was crazy coming up here like this, trying to plead the case for Hyland. The guy probably had lots of sins to atone for.
Fiona didn’t. She was innocent in all of this.
And Hawke had a soft spot for ladies in distress.
“Just give the Druids their money back and maybe they’ll give you asylum from the Gobs and Hob gobs.”
“Right, and Santa Claus will come serve us Christmas dinner. Druids don’t care about anyone or anything but themselves.”
“Kinda like you.” Hawke knew he was talking out of his league, but he had to try. “Cut him loose, Drax.”
A moment of silence passed between them and Hawke knew his pleadings were in vain.
“Not happening. Besides, why do you care? You gotta thing for his girlfriend? Cute little wolf girl got ahold on you?”
“Leave her out of this.”
Remmington grinned. “Ah, there it is. Bring me the Immortal without a fight and I’ll give her to you.”
It took every bit of Hawke’s restraint not to tear the limbs off of this guy.
“All I want is my sister back. Set her free.”
“As soon as you bring me my Immortal, we’re good.”
And that, was that. Remmington returned to the stack of papers in front of him and made a point of ignoring the bounty hunter.
Making his way out of the building, he saw two figures hiding in the shadows of the stairwell. Neither one of them looked his way but kept their heads down as if engaged in some deep conversation.
Of course, they weren’t conversing. Hawke recognized them as two of Remmington’s henchmen. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. They were faces that Hawke had never seen before, but he knew by their stance that they thought they were making sweet money guarding the bondsman.
“So, you guys aren’t afraid, huh? I’m impressed.”
“Move on, wolfman. We’ve got business here.”
“Oh, I don’t mean to bother important guys like the two of you. I was just commenting on how brave you are. Watching over Remmington like this—him with a hoard of Gobs and Hobgobs on him. That’s pretty courageous, if you ask me.”
“Yeah, well,” the second one said. “We ain’t asking you, so move on.”
“Hey, I gotcha. Sorry for bothering you gentleman. Stay safe, and all.”
“Safe from what?” Greenie asked. “We’re more horrifying than anything that’s out there.”
“Oh, no doubt,” Hawke said. “I just didn’t want to see you guys greased like his last bodyguards. Messy stuff that.”
Two exchanged a quick glance then turned back to him. “What are you talkin’ about?”
“Well, I work for the big, ugly guy, too. Uh, the partner he assigned me took a nap the other day when I went for cofee. When I went back to the room, he was an oil slick.”
The panic on their faces was priceless.
“You’re crazy,” one said at last, but it was clear by their expressions, they’d bought it hook, line, and grease sponge.
With that, Hawke bid them good night. He hadn’t gotten anywhere with Remmington, and he doubted that the bondsman had only these two goofs watching his back. Still, it felt pretty good to throw a little shade that way. Too bad it wasn’t the whole tree.
#
Matty watched Max pace back and forth in the hotel’s entryway. “What the devil is taking him so long?”
“He needs to hurry up,” Fiona said. “There’s still a lot we need to prepare for the wedding.”
Holly nodded. “I told you. I’ve got this. All you’re going to have to do is show up and look beautiful.”
“Which will be no problem for my Fiona,” Matty said, hoping to lighten the atmosphere of the room a bit.
Max turned to him. “Really? You can jest at a time like this?” He spun around. “Where the devil is he?”
“He’s right here.”
Max stopped in his tracks and both Holly and Fiona jumped to their feet. Matty couldn’t hold back his grin and ran to clap his uncle on the shoulder. He did feel a bit foolish when the big man pulled him into a rib crushing embrace.
“Ahh, Matty my boy. ’Tis good to see you.”
All of a sudden, Matty felt like he was ten years old again, sitting at his uncle’s table, listening to the man’s tall tales
, watching him drink tankards of ale and commanding all who knew him.
All except, Max, that was. He’d been against their going to Dunlawton Castle from the start. A fair hand with a sword and fast on his feet, it was clear that he’d be a far more fearless fighter than Matty. But still, for some reason, their uncle favored him more.
It didn’t look that even after all the centuries that had passed, little had changed.
“And there’s Max. My boy. Good to see you after all these years.” He held out his hand and a few seconds passed before Max responded.
“Uncle,” Max said, taking Walt’s hand. The older man would have no truck with any past skirmishes between them and pulled him into an embrace as vigorous as the one he’d shared with Matty.
“So good to see you lads, after all this time. I’ve heard you’ve some troubles and I want you to know how pleased I am that you sought me out.”
A huge man, tall and muscular, Walt Van Kaeling looked as robust as he had the first time Matty had met him. A Sean Connery finesse with a John Wayne swagger.
“Thank you for seeing us, uncle,” Matty said. Max stepped back and to the left, in a guardian position between Fiona and Holly.
But his stance did not go on unnoticed by Walt. “Who are these lovely ladies?”
Matty introduced them both, in his usual cheery fashion, Max, of course, said nothing.
“I’ve heard of some troubles you’ve been having. Please, join me for dinner in my suite. I want to hear all about it.”
Matty went to move forward but Max stopped him. “What are you doing? There’s no time for this. Just ask him about the Druids and let’s get out of here.”
“That would be rude, brother. He’s invited us for dinner.”
“There’s no time.”
Matty looked at Max for a minute, the distress on his expression was unmistakable. “You like him, and you know it. You’re just afraid that you’re going to let it slip, aren’t you?”
“Not a bit. It’s just that every minute we’re closer to losing you. We don’t have time for this.”
Matty touched his brother’s arm. “Well, it’s my time, and if things don’t go well, I need this. I need to thank him for everything.”