Touching Silver

by Jamie Craig

  “Gabriel let all of us walk last year to get just one of those coins. And nothing Nathan’s been able to turn up here in L.A. has been able to tell us why. Stacy mentioning the Silver Maiden means we’re missing something. So, yeah, he’s hoping he’ll find something more local that wouldn’t have made it up this far. Something we might be able to use.”

  “The eyes in the back of your head.”

  “More like my right arm.”

  “That’s one of the things I miss about working homicide. Having a regular partner. Don’t you miss working a case with somebody you trust?”

  “I am working a case with someone I trust.”

  “For now. But after we get Gabriel, you’re going to go back to your loner ways, aren’t you?”

  “That’s up to you.” Without looking away from her, Isaac caught a tendril of her hair, letting it slip over and through his fingers. Even wet, it shimmered in the light, and he succumbed to the urge to thread more of it over his hand. “If I thought I could get someone like you, it wouldn’t be so hard to convince me to have another partner again.”

  She glanced down at his hand without moving her head, like she would pull back, or push his hand away. But she didn’t. She allowed him to continue to caress and play with the drying strands. When she opened her mouth, her warm breath fluttered across the back of his thumb.

  “Isaac, when I said I don’t date colleagues, I meant to add I don’t kiss them, either.”

  “But you didn’t.” He slid his hand beneath her hair, allowing his fingertips to graze over the side of her neck before settling at the nape of her neck and resuming the soft strokes. “I think there’s probably a reason you didn’t, don’t you?”

  Olivia ran her hand up his arm, resting it on his shoulder. The heat from her skin soaked through his shirt, warming him. “I just wanted to make a note of it for the record,” she murmured.

  “So noted.”

  His gaze dropped to her mouth as he leaned forward, pulling her closer at the same time. She tasted of beer and mint, her parted lips still cool from her drink, and Isaac shivered when the tip of her tongue glanced across his. Kissing her was already better than he’d expected. His skin ran hot, his cock aching where it strained against his pants. And still, he thought he’d be content simply kissing her for the next week.

  Olivia’s other hand snuck behind his neck, her fingers fanning through his hair. She parted her lips slightly, allowing him to tease her mouth with his tongue, but she didn’t push for more, and she didn’t invite more either. Everything about her seemed impossibly soft. Her lips. Her skin. Her hair. Her breath when they parted for just a moment, before their mouths were drawn together again. It was too easy to think about pushing her back against the cushions, fitting his body against hers and exploring every bit of her he could reach.

  Before he gave in to that impulse she broke away, looking at him with wide blue eyes. “Well, that’s not fair.” The tip of her tongue skated over her swollen bottom lip, tempting him all over again. “I didn’t think you’d be quite so good at that.”

  His mouth quirked. “You mean an important detail like that was left out of my records? Remind me to go have a talk with Personnel.”

  “I’ll have a talk with them myself, lest you lure other unsuspecting cold case detectives. Something along the lines of Warning: Isaac McGuire tastes as good as he smells.”

  Isaac brushed his thumb over her cheek. It startled him how perfectly she fit against his palm. “I can’t say I’m all that interested in luring any other detectives any time soon. I’ve got a feeling that the one I’ve got is going to keep me on my toes.”

  “I like you on your toes. I think it might be a novel experience for you.” Leaning forward, she brushed her lips against his. Even that slight contact made his mouth tingle. “I think I should go to bed.” She held up her hand, cutting him off before he could say anything. “Alone tonight.”

  Her words disappointed but didn’t surprise him. Frankly, he was just glad she hadn’t pushed him completely away. “I’d still like to stay. I’ll sleep on the couch or the floor or wherever. But it’ll make me feel better knowing someone’s here in case you need them.”

  “Besides Tiberius, you mean?” Olivia unfolded herself from the couch and straightened. “You can stay on the couch. I’ll get you a pillow and a blanket.” She glanced down at his lap. “There are spare towels in the bathroom if you want to shower.”

  “Thanks.”

  She headed for the hall, and he followed her with his eyes until she was no longer in view. Only then did he sag back into the couch, sighing as he stared up at the ceiling.

  A shower was most definitely on the agenda.

  Argentina was not what Remy expected. For one thing, it was hot. Not California hot, because it had been bordering on cold when they’d left. But the temperature in Buenos Aires easily hovered in the high eighties when they landed, forcing Remy to shed half her clothes. Nathan just looked at her in amusement. He had long ago given up saying too much when it came to her wardrobe. Except for the odd occasion where he’d silently take his coat off and drape it over her shoulders.

  But the other thing, the one that had Remy uncharacteristically silent for much of their time in the city, was the sense of familiarity that had her nerves constantly jumping, kept her skin at a constant flush. She would follow Nathan around a corner and the hair would stand up on the back of her neck as a scent would overwhelm her, or a voice would make her automatically turn toward it. The eerie sensation made it impossible to relax.

  They had discussed their plan both before leaving L.A. and on the long plane ride. They needed to know more about the Silver Maiden, information Gabriel would have been privy to. His family’s roots in the country were easy to trace. What they needed to discover was where those roots overlapped with the coin’s. Nathan planned to see if he could find the source of the original myth.

  She loved that plan. Especially when Nathan found the man in the marketplace who offered to take them up the Silver River to see a modern tribe who claimed kinship with the Maiden. It meant getting out of Buenos Aires. It meant getting answers about what Gabriel might want with those girls, about how the Silver Maiden really worked, about whether or not Remy had to fear losing the life she’d built with Nathan. She had spent the past six months choosing to believe the danger of losing everything was behind them. Gabriel had the coin. She couldn’t go anywhere without it. She was safe.

  At least that’s what she hoped. She needed to know she wasn’t simply blinding herself to an unavoidable eventuality. Nobody knew whether or not the effects of the coin were permanent. Getting your heart’s desire, finding freedom at last…these were goals most people strove for their entire lives. What had she ever done to deserve more than what she already had?

  The answer was nothing. The answer filled her with the need to treat each day with Nathan like the gift it was, like it might be their last together. She never said a word to him, because the last thing he needed was something else to worry about. She just needed to keep reminding herself they didn’t even have the Silver Maiden. And hope that was enough to let her stay.

  Chapter Eight

  Olivia watched Stacy silently. She suspected the girl was only pretending to sleep, but Olivia needed a few moments to gather her thoughts, so she allowed the charade to continue. She had to be able to give Stacy her complete attention, but she couldn’t stop thinking about last night.

  She absently put her hand in her pocket, and her fingers brushed against the coin. She yanked them away. The damned thing should be at home. She had locked it in a jewelry box, left the house and driven three blocks before she couldn’t stand it anymore and turned back to pick it up. She didn’t know what the hell it was, or what it was doing to her, or if it had done anything to her at all, but she knew she couldn’t let it be lost.

  Her throat still hurt from the smoke. She remembered the dream—Visions? Hallucinations?—of Stacy, and Remy, and the other missing g
irl, but time was playing tricks on her. She couldn’t remember when it happened. Before she passed out? After? Had it been smoke inhalation like she told Isaac? Or something else? She could explain it away. Her brain lacked oxygen. She passed out. She saw the girls she had been obsessing over for the past several days. End of story. She’d studied those pictures so intently she knew their faces better than she knew her own. The entire ordeal could easily be a trick of the mind.

  Not something mystical.

  She almost bought her own explanation. Almost.

  And that kiss. Her lips still tingled whenever she relived it. Isaac had invited her to breakfast early that morning, but she’d declined. She needed some time and space before she saw him again. Because he smelled good, and she liked his smile, and she really wanted to kiss him again but she knew she couldn’t. If they had met under different circumstances—a blind date maybe—it might have worked. But Olivia did not—could not—date her colleagues.

  Relationships went sour. That was a fact of life. When they did, the gossip mill destroyed reputations. She had seen that particular drama play out again and again. Everybody always thought they were different. Everybody always thought the consequences only applied to somebody else—those others who weren’t really in love. Olivia didn’t need to experience it firsthand to know she didn’t want it happening to her. She would not risk her career by inviting a mess like that.

  But a part of her regretted making him sleep on the couch. The same part of her looked forward to seeing him again that afternoon.

  She rubbed her eyes. There was another reason to avoid getting entangled with Isaac. He was a larger-than-life distraction. She couldn’t afford to be distracted now. Stacy and the other girls needed her too much.

  Stacy’s murky brown eyes immediately pulled Olivia from her thoughts, and she leaned forward slightly to greet the girl. “Good morning, Stacy. How are you feeling?”

  As she had every other time Olivia had visited, Stacy glanced over Olivia’s shoulder, obviously in search of Nathan Pierce. “Better,” came the soft reply. “Have the doctors said when I can go home?”

  It was hard to keep an encouraging smile when faced with that question. When the doctor discharged Stacy, she would be placed in protective custody. Somewhere Gabriel couldn’t find her. Olivia had yet to explain that part to the girl.

  “No. Not yet. But you’re making really good progress.”

  Stacy sighed and sank into her pillow. “Why haven’t I seen my family then? Are the doctors keeping them away?”

  Olivia swallowed hard. She thought Stacy deserved the truth, but if she were suffering PTSD, it would only make things worse for her, not better.

  “Stacy, I promise that I will get your family in here as soon as I can. But I need you to help me do that.”

  “How?”

  “I need you to answer some more questions for me.”

  The answer was a fluttering of lashes as Stacy closed her eyes again. Another of the girl’s standard responses. It was growing old.

  Then came the whispered words she’d been wanting for days.

  “What do you want to know?”

  Her pulse leapt, but outwardly she maintained her calm composure. “Tell me about the other girls, Stacy.”

  “They’re gone. They took them away.”

  “Where, Stacy? Do you remember overhearing a conversation? Tell me anything you remember, even if you think it’s not important, or doesn’t make sense.”

  “I don’t…I don’t know where they were going.” Her throat worked, her tongue swiping over her dry lower lip. “Nando and Tomas started taking them away last summer. Kita went first.”

  “Did Nando and Tomas always come for the girls? Did they do anything to the girls? Bind them or dress them or mark them in any special way?”

  Her thin brows pulled into a frown. “Why would they do that?”

  Ritualistic murder or sacrifice. “It would fit a certain profile. Were they treated any differently at all?”

  “No. But the others…they forgot, I think. About what had been stolen from us. They didn’t fight with Nando and Tomas when it came their turn to go.”

  Olivia frowned. Rico’s voice echoed strongly in her mind. Rico, take me to the mall. “They weren’t scared? Is that what you mean? Did Nando and Tomas ever hurt you?”

  “Only when…” Stacy closed her eyes again. The shadows beneath them weren’t as extreme as they’d been when she’d first been admitted but they were still prominent. For as much as the girl pretended to be asleep, Olivia suspected she was actually doing very little of it. “Only when we tried to escape. That was usually me. The others didn’t care so much about getting home.”

  “Would you be able to identify them if you saw a photo?”

  Stacy snorted. “I saw them every day for the last five years. What do you think?”

  Olivia nodded. “I’m going to bring my partner on this case, Isaac McGuire, to see you. He’s going to ask you to look through mug shots of Gabriel’s known gang members and associates. Hopefully, you can finger one.”

  “I thought Mr. Pierce was your partner. Why hasn’t he come back?”

  “Mr. Pierce is…conducting his half of the investigation out of town.” She watched Stacy carefully. “He’s looking for information about the Silver Maiden.”

  “But…” She seemed genuinely confused. “The Silver Maiden is here. In Los Angeles.”

  Olivia wished she could explain why Pierce and Remy had disappeared to South America, but she didn’t quite understand herself. She only knew Gabriel didn’t want them to go, and Isaac was resigned to the fact they were gone. “Where in Los Angeles? Is it where they were keeping you?”

  “No. We weren’t near the water. I mean, I suppose it might not be a boat, but that makes the most sense to me. When they took Kita, I heard Mr. de los Rios tell Nando that the Silver Maiden would take her where she needed to go. What else could it be?”

  Olivia shook her head. “I don’t know, Stacy. But I’m going to find out.” She gently touched Stacy’s arm. “You rest now and we’ll be back in a few hours, okay?”

  She nodded, but as her eyelids closed, she murmured, “I hope the other girls are still okay.”

  “Me too,” Olivia said, before slipping out of the room.

  At the station, she found Isaac at his desk. Right where he promised to be when she called and told him she needed to talk. He leaned back in his chair, his long legs stretched out in front of him, a blue cotton shirt stretched tight across his shoulders. When he noticed her, he smiled broadly, and her insides did an odd fluttery thing. It made her feel like a teenager again.

  “Hey,” she said, leaning against the corner of his desk. “Do you have a few free hours this afternoon?”

  “For you, I might even consider having a few free nights too.”

  Olivia decided to ignore his blatant flirting, though she couldn’t deny she liked it. “Stacy Montenegro is prepared to look at mug shots. If she can finger anybody, we can make an arrest.”

  Apparently all it took to get Isaac back on track was the word “arrest.” He rolled away a little in his chair and bent over to open the bottom drawer on his desk. “Did she mention any names?” He rifled through a series of hanging folders. “Anything I can use to narrow the search down a little?”

  “Tomas and Nando. No last names, unfortunately.”

  “Hey, it’s a start.” He pulled out two and then a third folder, tossing them onto his blotter. “What about your reborn guy? If Stacy picks her captors out, do you think he’d be willing to confirm them for us?”

  “Rico? Yes. On condition of anonymity.” She watched him flip through the pages for several seconds. “Speaking of anonymity, I’ve been keeping Stacy under heavy guard. I haven’t contacted her family yet. I didn’t want to lead Gabriel to her again. But…”

  “You’re not thinking of telling them, are you?” He leaned forward, resting his hand on her knee. For the first time in probably ever, Olivia
wished she wore skirts to work. “You know you can’t do that. You’d not only be putting Stacy at risk, but her family as well, not to mention the other girls. Don’t let it get to you.”

  “I know that. But they haven’t seen her in five years, Isaac, and they don’t even know she’s safe.”

  Glancing around, Isaac rose from his seat and grabbed Olivia’s hand. She had no choice but to follow when he led her straight to the nearest conference room, but he immediately turned on her as soon as he shut the door behind them.

  “You are one of the best cops I’ve ever worked with.” He rested his hands against the door on either side of her head, trapping her within the circle of his arms without laying a finger on her. “I know you work cold cases because of the families, but this is not just Stacy’s family you’re dealing with here. This is about the families of those other girls too. You do your job like I know you can, and you’re going to be able to make that call to all of them. You just have to stick to your guns.”

  She was almost tempted to tell Isaac about her dream, about the girls disappearing. But it was silly. Isaac didn’t need to know about those, even if they were so real she heard the girls’ screams and smelled their fear.

  “You’re right. I know you are. But she’s lonely and scared.” She furrowed her brows. “Do you think you can get in contact with Pierce? She keeps asking for him. Maybe a few minutes on the phone would make her feel better.”

  “That’s probably doable.” Though he seemed to be done reassuring her, Isaac didn’t move. “Anything else I can do to wipe that frown off your face?”

  Kissing Isaac was a bad idea. Kissing Isaac in nothing but a robe was a bad idea, and kissing him in the precinct was a bad idea. She should not kiss him in a box, she would not kiss him with a fox, not in a boat, not with a goat. But he was standing so close. She touched his cheek lightly, running her fingers over the five o’clock shadow already forming. She frantically looked for something to say besides kiss it away.