Acheron Highway: A Jonathan Shade Novel

by Gary Jonas

  When had I gotten emotionally attached to the outcome? I hadn’t intended that. When I first met her, I saw Miranda as a dead girl and nothing more. She was attractive, sure, but I’d never considered her for any kind of relationship. I still didn’t, but I could see the potential there. She didn’t seem bothered by all the magic and the dead folks and the skeletons. She practically took it all in stride. I wondered if that was because she was dead. Would her reactions change once her heart was restored and beating?

  Who was I kidding? Once this was done, she’d pay me and be out of my life forever. She’d go back to her normal life. Yes, she’d know there was magic in the world, but give her a few months, and she’d rarely think about that.

  She needed someone normal. She needed to be with someone who wouldn’t put her life in danger every few months. I wanted her to have a good life.

  Lina reached above her and pulled down one of the energy lines. The line glowed brighter and pulsed where she touched it, and when she released it, the line tightened up and returned to the ceiling. It appeared to dim a bit but soon brightened again. Healers give of themselves to heal and require recovery time, but having the ley lines within reach meant they could recharge in an instant.

  Lina opened the jar and removed the heart. She held it in both hands and closed her eyes. Her brow furrowed. She nodded and at that moment, Von and Grace each reached up and pulled down energy lines, snapped them apart, and held the ends a few inches away from Lina’s hands.

  Lina opened her hands so the heart rested in the bowl created by her upturned palms. Von had her back to me, but I could see Grace speaking. I couldn’t hear her through the glass, and my lip-reading skills are limited to things such as seeing football coaches swear on the sidelines, but it looked like she was doing a countdown. Three, two, one.

  They touched the ends of the energy lines to the heart, and sparks showered around it. They pulled the lines back, and the sparks dropped. The heart remained inert. Grace nodded to Von again, and once more I thought I could make out her lips forming three, two, one.

  They touched the ends again. More sparks. They pulled back.

  The heart remained still.

  Lina shook her head.

  They went through the routine one more time, and the results were the same.

  “It’s not working,” I said.

  “Maybe the heart has been dead for too long,” Kelly said.

  “Maybe.”

  Lina returned the heart to the jar of formaldehyde.

  I squeezed past Kelly and left the little monitoring station. I made a right turn and pushed through the door into the operating room.

  “You can’t give up that easily,” I said.

  “We can’t get the heart going,” Von said.

  “It doesn’t even beat when we fill it with guided magic,” Grace said.

  “She’s been dead too long,” Lina said.

  “Maybe you’re using magic where technology would be better.”

  “I’m listening,” Lina said.

  “When Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, she based it on experiments with electricity at the time. Scientists were able to get bodies to twitch and move using electrical currents. Nowadays, doctors use defibrillators with electric shocks to get a stopped heart to beat, right? Perhaps if you hook up her heart and do the same thing, it might work. Or maybe it’s not beating because it has nothing to pump.”

  Lina nodded. “It can’t hurt to try putting the heart in before we restart it. It needs to be attached anyway.”

  “The magic failed,” Grace said. “It didn’t fail because the heart was outside the body. It failed because the heart has been inert for days. Besides, healing dead flesh is much more taxing than healing live flesh. Living tissue knows how it’s supposed to be, so it’s easy to guide. Dead tissue has no memory of what it was, so it has to be manipulated. It’s exhausting.”

  I pointed at the ley lines. “Constant source of energy should help with that, right?”

  “To a point but it’s still going to take a toll.”

  “Can you please try it my way?” I asked.

  “We don’t have a defib here.”

  Miranda cleared her throat. “There’s a stun gun in my purse. It’s a direct contact electroshock, not a taser. Will that work?”

  “It’s worth a shot,” I said.

  “We’re already here,” Lina said. “I’m willing to try it.”

  Von frowned. “You realize you’ll get the full force shock of the stun gun while you’re trying to heal the heart.”

  “I’ve experienced much worse than that,” Lina said. “I’m with Jonathan on this. If there’s even a slight chance this could work, a little discomfort is worth it.”

  “We should add this to the bill.”

  Lina shook her head. “It’s my discomfort, not yours. I will not charge her for that. I’m here to do everything I can to save this woman, and if I hear you talk about money one more time, I’ll reshape your face and charge you to put it back.”

  Von stepped back as if slapped. “Very well. It’s your call.”

  “You got that right,” Lina said. I had good friends.

  “I’ll get the stun gun,” I said.

  #

  Ten minutes later, I was back at the monitoring station with Kelly. Grace opened Miranda’s chest and held it open while Lina reattached the heart. Von pulled the energy lines down a few times so Lina could keep up her strength while she guided the healing. Guided is probably the wrong word. She had to infuse the flesh with life force then teach it to mend. That was a large part of why they’d tried to start the heart first. Once it was beating, they could have hooked it up, and the mending would be much simpler. My suggestion required the combination of magic and electricity. However, electricity tends to interfere with magic, so they needed to have the heart properly installed before they tried to get it started again. They needed the tissue to be cooperative.

  Once the heart was in place, veins attached, and everything properly sealed, Lina placed her fingers on Miranda’s heart.

  Von held up the stun gun and waited. Lina took a deep breath then nodded, so Von pushed the front of the weapon to Miranda’s heart and triggered it. Lina jerked back in an involuntary shudder, and Grace steadied her.

  I worried that Lina wouldn’t be able to focus, but evidently what she said about dealing with worse pain was true because she hung in there like a trooper. She stepped back and grinned. She shot a thumbs-up toward the one-way glass.

  #

  Twenty minutes later, Kelly and I entered the room. Lina looked a bit tired, but being able to recharge using the lines of force helped a lot. Miranda sat on the edge of the table, buttoning her shirt.

  “The scar will fade over the next few weeks,” Grace said.

  “I don’t mind a scar,” Miranda said. “It feels so good to have my heart beating inside my chest. All of the sudden, I feel like I’m actually alive again. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “Wait until you see the bill,” I said.

  Lina looked at Von. “Did you have her sign any forms before we started?”

  “Why?”

  “As I understand it, if she didn’t sign anything while she was dead, she’s now alive and should be covered so it won’t cost her a penny.”

  “That’s not how it works. She was dead and dead people aren’t covered.”

  Lina smiled. “But now she’s alive and living people are covered. I’ll bill DGI for my services, of course.”

  “You’ll do no such thing.”

  They took the argument out of the room, but my money was on Lina.

  Kelly nodded to Miranda. “Make them give you a few weeks off before you go back to work.”

  “Maybe one week.”

  Miranda reached out and grabbed my arm. I turned to face her. “Big smile,” I said.

  She gave me that smile then pulled me close and rose to embrace me. “Thank you so much.”

  When she released me, I stepped ba
ck. “Glad I could help, but the real thanks should go to Lina, Grace, and Von.”

  “I’d like to take you to dinner tomorrow night,” she said. “If you have time, of course. I know you’re working another case too.”

  “I’ll make time.”

  She kept smiling and I found it contagious. It felt good to help someone, and it felt especially good to smile without feeling like I was acting.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  The next night, Miranda and I met at a terrific Moroccan restaurant called Cafe Paprika in Aurora. The place was tucked away in a little strip mall, but they had great food and fantastic atmosphere. We started out with hot mint tea and hummus then salad. My entree was an amazing chicken kebab dish served over saffron rice while Miranda had the vegetarian couscous. We followed the meal with the best baklava anywhere on the planet.

  During the meal, we kept to simple small talk, but afterward, Miranda met my gaze.

  “I want to take you back to my place,” she said, eyes narrowed as she ran her tongue over her teeth. She placed her hand on my thigh and ran it toward my crotch.

  “I make it a rule never to sleep with my clients.”

  “I’m no longer your client. You’ve been paid in full.”

  “So this is sort of like a bonus?”

  “This is me telling you I’ve wanted you since we first met.”

  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t half chubbed. Miranda was gorgeous and it had been a while.

  “So this is sort of a no harm, no foul romp through the roses?”

  “Oh, I hope it will be foul and fun.”

  “Oh boy.”

  She tossed a hundred dollar bill on the table. “That should cover dinner and tip, don’t you think?”

  It was a hell of a tip, but it was her money, and if she wanted to tip more than a hundred percent, that was her business.

  “Let’s get out of here,” she said.

  We left the restaurant, and I walked her to her car.

  “What are you driving?” she asked.

  I pointed at a Chevy Cruze. “Rental.”

  “A family car? It doesn’t suit you.”

  “It was cheap.”

  When she reached her Escort, she spun around, grabbed me, and kissed me hard. Her right leg came up and ran down my leg while her left hand grabbed my ass. Her tongue probed my mouth, and her breath came hot and strong.

  I pulled away from her. “I’m not so sure this is a good idea.”

  Her hand slid down my chest, over my stomach, and kept right on going. She grinned at me. “You’re listening to the wrong head.”

  “What do you want?”

  “You have to ask?”

  “Actually, I do. You can’t just say your heart wasn’t in it before because we never did this dance.”

  “I feel alive for the first time in a long time,” she said. “I want to enjoy it. Feels to me like you’re ready for action.”

  I slapped her hand away. “Stop that.”

  “You know you want it.” She grabbed my hand and pressed it to her left breast.

  My body said yes, yes. My brain said hold up a second. Something was wrong here. A beautiful woman was coming on to me and I was hesitant? The problem was clearly mine. Did I feel anything for Miranda? I considered that. Not really. I hadn’t felt much for anyone in a long time, though, so that wasn’t surprising. Maybe sex would help. Maybe if I slept with her, I would feel human again.

  I’ve slept with women for less.

  At the end of the night, I am a guy, so we went back to my place. I’ll spare you the details. If you’re not getting any, you certainly don’t want to read about someone who is. And if you are getting some, you don’t need to hear about it from me.

  I’ll end by just saying that while it felt pretty good, it didn’t rock my world. I think Miranda noticed that because she kept trying harder and harder to please me, and if I don’t stop now, I’ll be moving us from an R rating to an NC-17, so let’s pull a movie trick and CUT TO:

  #

  I woke up with Miranda still in my arms. Her skin felt warm against mine. I disentangled myself from her and got out of bed. A trail of discarded clothing led me from the bedroom into the living room. I padded toward the restroom and saw Esther glaring at me from across the room.

  “Normally, I’d like seeing you naked,” she said. “But not right now.”

  I started to say something, but she popped away.

  Typical.

  I took a shower, and when I went back to the bedroom with a towel wrapped around me, Miranda sat up in bed. She didn’t try for any modesty.

  “You took a shower without me?”

  “What was your first clue?”

  “Come back to bed. I’ll get you all sweaty, and we can hop in the shower together later.”

  “I have to go train.”

  “Train? On a Sunday?”

  “Kelly’s expecting me.”

  “You can be late. I’ll make it worth your while.”

  “Another time,” I said.

  She stood up. “Don’t you find me attractive?”

  “Of course I do.”

  She looked at the slight scar on her chest. She ran her finger along the pink line. “Is it this?”

  I shook my head.

  I opened the top drawer of my dresser, the only furniture in the room other than the bed, and took out a pair of black underwear. I stepped into them then removed the towel, and as I moved into the walk-in closet, I tossed the towel into a laundry bin. I pushed some clothes hangers aside and took down a pair of jeans.

  “I’m standing here completely naked, and you’re just going to ignore me?”

  “I told you, I have to get to the dojo.” I pulled on the jeans and selected a shirt.

  “Do I mean that little to you?”

  “Whatever happened to no harm, no foul?”

  She sat down on the bed and pulled the sheet up to cover herself. “So it meant nothing?”

  “It was...fun,” I said and instantly regretted it.

  Her eyes misted and she swallowed hard. She looked at the ceiling by the door, refusing to look at me.

  I sighed. “What do you want me to say?”

  “Nothing.”

  It probably would have been better had I said nothing. Unfortunately sex changes everything whether we want it to or not. I sat down beside her, put an arm around her, and pulled her close.

  “Sorry,” I said. “You’re amazing, it’s just...I thought we had an understanding here.”

  “That you could fuck me and just go about your business as if it never happened?”

  “You wanted it to happen.”

  “So did you.”

  “I tried to talk you out of it.”

  “Just like a guy. You really don’t care at all, do you?”

  “Hey, I was trying to make you feel better, and now you want to fight?”

  “Make me feel better? How? By sticking your dick in me?”

  “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

  “Wars have been started for that same reason.”

  “Well, I don’t think we’re at war here.”

  “You’re an asshole.”

  I held up my hands. “Guilty as charged.”

  “Fuck you.”

  I got up. “Time for me to go.” I went to the dresser and grabbed some socks.

  Miranda got up and followed me. “Just like that? You’re just going to walk away from me? Who do you think you are?”

  “Elvis?”

  “You’re not going to joke your way out of this.” She grabbed my keys from the dresser.

  “Really?”

  “We’re going to talk, or you’re not going anywhere.”

  Why can’t it ever be simple? “What could we possibly have to talk about?”

  “Our relationship?”

  “We don’t have a relationship. Give me the keys.”

  “Take them.” She held them up so they dangled from her fingers.

 
; Since I knew if I reached for them, she’d just pull them away, I shook my head and walked past her out the bedroom door.

  “Where are you going?”

  I saw her purse lying on the floor by the couch. Her keys were on the floor next to the purse. I bent down and picked them up then moved right for the apartment door.

  Miranda rushed over and jumped on my back. I flipped her onto the couch, and she started laughing.

  “Something funny?”

  “You thought I was serious,” she said as she rolled to her feet. She tossed me my keys. “I was just messing with you.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You were just going to take my car, weren’t you?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes.”

  She shook her head and laughed again. “Nice.”

  I stared at her. She seemed serious about the whole thing a minute ago, and now she just laughed about it like none of it mattered and she had just been playing around. She walked over to me, wrapped her arms around me, and turned her face up toward mine. She gave me another smile then kissed me.

  “Is it cool if I take a shower before I leave? I promise to lock up. Not that there’s anything here to steal.”

  “Fine.”

  She walked away, swaying her ass to and fro in an exaggerated manner. I watched her enter the bathroom. She turned around and gave me a wave. “Later.”

  She closed the bathroom door.

  I stared at the door for a moment then shook my head and tossed her keys into her purse.

  You have to love a morning that begins on a strange note; it tends to set the pace for the entire day.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  As soon as I walked into the dojo, Esther saw me, made a face, then popped away.

  “Nice to see you too,” I said.

  Kelly sat on the bleachers in front of the tatami mats clad in her gi and pants. She shook her head. There were no official classes on Sundays, so we had the place to ourselves.

  Brand approached me with a grin. “So the Shademeister got lucky last night.” He held out his fist for a bump.

  I just stared at him.

  “Don’t leave me hanging here.” He waved his fist. “Come on, Shade. You should be smiling after the night you had. I’d do Miranda six ways from Sunday.”

  “We have some training to do,” I said.