Touching Silver

by Jamie Craig

  “With me, mostly,” she said. “It takes a lot for Isaac to lose it with Nathan. And Nathan lets a lot of stuff slide, so it’s hard to know what’s said in fun and what’s not.”

  Olivia nodded. She lapsed into silence for a few moments, her blue eyes thoughtful, and Remy wondered if she was finished talking. But then she asked softly, “Are you scared? I don’t understand anything about the coins, or how they work, or why but…I’ll be honest, the one I have scares me, and it hasn’t actually sent me through time.”

  Remy’s skin crawled. It was as if Olivia had been reading her thoughts earlier.

  “I’m scared every fucking day. I got a second chance—well, both of us got second chances. And he’s the best thing that ever happened to me, hands down. My biggest nightmare is that I’m going to lose it just as easy as I got it. And there’s not going to be anything I can do to stop it, just like there was nothing I could do to stop from coming here.”

  “But that’s not true, is it? I bought Isaac’s story about you, so I guess I’ll have to buy Stacy’s story, as well. And she seems to think Gabriel is using the coin to send the girls somewhere. So maybe it’s not out of your control.”

  “Do you know how they work? Do you know why you found the other side of it? Or why you’re seeing things when you touch it?” Remy shook her head. “As long as we don’t know what makes them tick, we’re shit out of luck. And something tells me Gabriel’s not going to give us a tutorial when we get the other one back from him.”

  “I could use a tutorial now. I have no idea what’s going on. And Isaac’s not entirely forthcoming. I think he’d rather pretend none of this is really happening.”

  “That’s because he’s not the one who landed ass-first in the wrong fucking year.” Tucking her legs up under her, Remy asked, “What is it you wanna know? Can’t say I’m the expert like Nate is, but better me than Isaac.”

  “I’d think you were the expert, considering what you’ve been through.”

  She shook her head. “He’s the brains. He’s dug up more shit on them than I could ever hold in my head. I just know the highlights, and what I’ve seen up close and personal.”

  “Where did the coins come from?”

  “Originally?”

  Olivia nodded.

  “Somewhere on the Silver River in Argentina. There was this girl. Had a life as a priestess, but that got taken away from her when she got enslaved. All she wanted was to be free, to get her life back, so she got this idea about buying her freedom and made these coins. Except she had to make them in secret, at night, and she couldn’t make the back and the front at the same time because she was afraid of getting caught. But by the time she finished them, it was too late.”

  It was different relaying the story now after seeing the temple with her own eyes. Remy imagined the Silver Maiden going into the stone building in search of her sisters in faith and being faced with the gaping maw of solitude all over again.

  “They were gone,” she added. “She really had nobody to turn to.”

  “Who was gone?” Olivia asked.

  “Everybody she had ever known.” Remy had to blink in order to block out the image that sprang to mind, the carnage Kirsten Henryk and her goons had left behind when they’d raided the safe house of the only family Remy had had in her own time. “The other priestesses, anybody who believed in the power of their religion. Nobody was left.”

  “So what happened to her? What happened to the coins? Isaac said she was mauled and eaten by a wild animal.”

  Remy snorted. “Isaac would. He still can’t come to grips with the fact that I haven’t been born yet. But the Silver Maiden…it’s not crystal what happened. She was dying, and all she wanted was to be free. More than anything. She just disappeared.” She debated about how much more to tell, if it was worth it to express her own opinions, but Olivia looked so sincere, and her questions sounded so genuine, that the debate only lasted for a moment. “I think the coins got her out of there. Maybe they changed her into the animal they found the tracks for, or maybe they whisked her through time like they did me. But I don’t think she died there. She poured her soul into those coins, poured everything she was into them. They wouldn’t abandon her like that when it got a little rough.”

  “That’s a much better ending than Isaac’s version. I like it more.” She sighed. “I was hoping there was something in the story to explain what Gabriel thinks he’s doing. What is he going to do to those girls?”

  For some reason, Remy had thought Nathan would’ve told Olivia this part. He lived for this kind of shit, though really, they hadn’t had many opportunities so far for idle conversation.

  “The priestesses have some sort of power,” she explained. “Alone, yeah, but more when they’re all together. He thinks Gabriel wants to harness it somehow.”

  “Arresting Gabriel and getting the coin back is only half the problem. We’ve still got to find the girls and figure out how to bring them back.”

  That was exactly the kind of attitude Nathan and Isaac took when approaching a problem. All of a sudden Remy understood what Isaac saw in the woman.

  “You think we could sic your dog on Gabriel and get him to bite the answers out of him?”

  Olivia’s lips twitched into an amused grin, and the official police veneer faded away. “No. Tiberius responds to my voice and body language. If I sicced him on Gabriel, he’d rip out his throat and leave him for dead. Then we’d never get any answers from him.”

  “We got time to teach him to go for the balls, then? The bastard doesn’t need those to talk.”

  “Don’t tell anybody, but I do have a special command for that. Officer Williams, the head of the K-9 unit, trained him, so he knows all the best places to attack.”

  Remy smiled broadly. “So see? There’s our plan. I’ll distract the guys so they don’t hear the special command, and you get Gabriel to sing.” She winked conspiratorially. “And trust me. When it comes to getting attention, I’m the best. Rile Isaac up a little and he doesn’t even have room to think, let alone notice what’s going on around him. And Nathan, well…”

  “Yeah, I know. I got a front-row seat when you were in the conference room, remember?”

  She didn’t laugh at the observation because it was funny. She laughed because it hit home.

  “Just goes back to being scared,” she admitted. “I’m not losing a second I can with him. I’m not counting on getting a third chance.”

  They lapsed into conversation about dog tricks and the trip to Argentina, but throughout it all, the sense of camaraderie grew. Remy didn’t get it, but after everything that had happened over the past week, she wasn’t arguing. She could use a friend, someone who’d be on her side when the time came. Olivia seemed to exactly fit that bill.

  His eyes were starting to go bleary, and the lines on the maps were starting to go in directions Isaac knew were wrong. He needed a break. He needed some sleep. He needed some fucking answers.

  Leaning back into the couch, he yawned and rubbed his eyes. He wished Nathan hadn’t had to leave. But at least he would bring back a firsthand account of how Olivia was doing. Their earlier conversation had given Isaac hope that he might have a chance to salvage the relationship. He wanted her back, the opportunity to see where they could go. The part of the trip they’d already taken was the most exciting thing he’d had in years.

  He just wanted the chance.

  With a groan, he rose from the couch, stretching his back until he heard it crack. His empty mug mocked him from where it sat on the corner of the coffee table, so he bent and picked it up, carrying it out to the kitchen to refill it. He frowned as he poured out another cup. Nathan needed a new coffee maker. And some decent coffee. He might be willing to settle for swill, but Isaac wasn’t.

  Carrying his fresh cup back out to the living room, Isaac shook himself awake as he reclaimed his spot on the couch. All right. Time to tackle the maps again. Fresh start. Start back at the beginning.

  H
e picked up the first incident report he could link to Parker’s old haunts. A shootout in a residential neighborhood in Culver City. Three young men left for dead, two more wounded. Gunmen never arrested. He read the write-up more closely, hunting for specific clues that would suggest Parker’s involvement. Nothing. Locals testified the boys were bad news. All five had priors. The entire incident had been written off as another of Gabriel’s deals gone sour when some of his product was found at the scene.

  Isaac frowned. Huh. Gabriel?

  He inked a red circle on his map and picked up the second report connected to one of Parker’s favorite spots. This one was in Hollywood. Two of Gabriel’s best had been arrested in a bust at a sex store—

  His frown deepened. Gabriel again. This time, confirmed. They’d pled out on lesser charges in exchange for information that had stopped a shipment of weapons into the city. Both men turned up dead within a week. Blame was put on Gabriel’s shoulders.

  Isaac drew another red circle on the map.

  The third and fourth reports weren’t conclusively linked to Gabriel, but the suspicions were there. Enough for Isaac to see the pattern.

  All of Parker’s old stomping grounds were now Gabriel’s. And Isaac had spent the past week focusing exclusively on bringing Gabriel down. Granted, that was partly due to Olivia and the Silver Maiden, but he hadn’t even considered other possibilities for Sonny and Cher, or his pictures, or his car.

  He was still staring at all the red circles on his map when the deadbolt on the door turned.

  Remy burst into the apartment first but barely spared him a glance before bustling to the bathroom.

  “She had a Big Gulp on the way home.” Nathan shut the door behind him. “Find anything brilliant?”

  “You tell me.” He shoved the two maps closer to Nathan, watching his reactions intently. “What do you see here?”

  Nathan frowned, his eyes narrowing as he compared the maps. “When Parker went to prison, he left a vacuum.” He held up the map with Isaac’s red circles. “Gabriel moved in on his territory?”

  Isaac nodded. “Everything that was Parker’s is now Gabriel’s. And the most violent gang activity since Parker’s release has been in that territory. Parker’s trying to get his own back.”

  “That makes sense. Five years ago Parker was poised to be a major rival to Gabriel. He won’t want to walk away from that, even if it means starting from scratch. But if he wants to get anywhere, and stay out of prison, he can’t be open about what he’s doing.”

  “Gabriel’s powerbase is a lot bigger now than it was back then too. The only way Parker stands a chance of getting in now is if something happens to knock Gabriel out of the way.” Another piece of the puzzle clicked into place, and Isaac rolled his eyes. “Like me arresting Gabriel for a half-dozen arsons. Damn it.”

  “It’s a sleight of hand trick. You’re looking at Gabriel, while Gabriel’s looking at you. That’s pretty much what I’d expect from him.”

  “Pretty much what you’d expect from who?” Remy asked, coming out of the bathroom.

  “Parker,” Isaac replied. He began gathering the maps, tucking them into his bag. “I need to get back to the station and take a closer look at those arson reports. They might have unidentified prints or DNA we can cross-reference with Parker and his old gang.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to see if his deal included parole or stipulations. Like don’t stalk police officers or something. If he violated anything, his ass will be back in the slammer so fast his head will spin.” Nathan folded his arms over his chest, head tilting as he looked down on Isaac. “So are you going to see Olivia today?”

  He kept his hands steady. “She’s supposed to call me later.” He tried to keep his voice neutral. “Did you get anything good from Stacy?”

  “I spent most of the hour with her just trying to get her to forgive me for leaving. But I’m going back tomorrow morning. I promised her I’d bring something from Krispy Kreme.”

  “Unsurprisingly, the girl thinks our Nate is aces.” Remy tucked her arm into Nathan’s, molding to his side with a grin. “Next thing I know, she’s going to be making a move on him and I’ll have to dogfight to keep him for myself.”

  Isaac snorted. “Yeah, because his eyes aren’t permanently glued to your ass.”

  “Nice as they are, it’s not his eyes I’m interested in.”

  “And I am really not up for this conversation right now.” He stood, the bag in his hand, and met Nathan’s gaze. “I’ll keep you updated on what I find. And if I need any more help.”

  He was halfway to the door when Remy’s voice brought him to a halt.

  “That Olivia is all right.” When he glanced back, it shocked him to see the seriousness in her face. “Don’t fuck it up any more than you already have, Ike. You could do a lot worse.”

  The fact that even Remy was calling him on his bad behavior deepened his embarrassment. Not that he’d ever tell her she was right. She’d never let him live it down. “I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

  “And that’s stopped me since when?”

  “Since never,” Nathan said. “But Isaac has control issues.” He looked up and caught Isaac’s eye, just as serious as Remy. “For what it’s worth, Ike, I agree with her.”

  He let out his breath, slow and sure. “So noted,” he said, and gave them a perfunctory wave before walking out the door. He had a lot of stuff to do, even more to think about.

  Including how he was going to make sure he didn’t do exactly what Remy and Nathan had warned him about.

  Chapter Twenty

  Olivia almost talked herself out of calling Isaac back. She could justify it—she still had a shitload of paperwork to do and he still needed to find Parker. Neither of them had time to deal with each other. Once Isaac stopped Parker and she recovered the girls Gabriel kidnapped, and things went back to normal, she would have plenty of time to call him.

  But if she put off calling him back by a day, a week, a month, she would never do it. She would keep finding reasons to avoid him. She would keep finding more work. She would think of excuses to avoid his department and his desk. Within six months, or maybe even less, they’d grow so far apart from each other neither would make the effort to reconnect.

  She didn’t want that, so she made the call.

  She told him to meet her at her favorite sandwich shop. She needed to eat, and going to one of his regular stops would give him too much of a home-field advantage. And maybe eating in a family establishment would stave off another fight.

  Olivia saw him before he saw her. She paused at the door, studying him before he looked up. Her heart twisted. This was stupid. Their separation had lasted for less than twenty-four hours. It didn’t make sense to get all…silly…at the sight of him. Before she could analyze the reaction too closely, he noticed her and smiled tentatively. She crossed the small space to his table and sat in the chair across from him.

  “Did you order anything?” she asked as a greeting.

  “Just a coke. I’m not really that hungry.”

  She frowned. “Are you okay?”

  His mouth slanted. “I don’t eat all the time, you know. It only looks that way.”

  “Oh, I know you don’t eat all the time. You just eat…enthusiastically. Did I keep you waiting long? I tried to get here sooner, but downtown traffic was a real bitch.” She was talking without actually saying anything—a clear sign of her nerves. Did he notice?

  “Not long. But I would’ve waited longer if that’s what it took.”

  She wanted to believe him. He certainly looked sincere. She’d never seen him so nervous before. “I’m glad you answered Nathan’s phone this morning.”

  His smile bloomed. “Me too. Even if it took three pots of Nathan’s awful coffee to stay awake. ”

  “Did you at least have something to show for all that caffeine?”

  She was just trying to make conversation, but his gaze ducked, his amusement fading. “Ah. Work. Right. Forgot about th
e priorities for a second.” He toyed with the paper from his straw, tearing tiny pieces from one of the ends to litter the table like snow. “It’s just hard to look at you and not want to kiss you into next Sunday to say I’m sorry.”

  “Kissing doesn’t make the issues go away.”

  “Does anything make them go away?”

  The million dollar question. “I don’t know. You don’t trust me to take care of myself. I don’t think you realize what a big deal that is for me.”

  He bristled and sat up straight. “I told you—”

  “I know what you said. But what you did, what you do, doesn’t exactly jibe with that.” She reached across the table and fidgeted with some of the paper he discarded. “We spend a lot of hours listening to people tell us what they want us to believe. You can’t blame me for being a little wary here.”

  “You did not just equate me with one of your collars.”

  His hard tone meant he was finally starting to listen to her. “I don’t think you’ve ever lied to me, no. Do I think you were angry enough last night to say things you might not normally? Oh, hell yeah.”

  “I said I was sorry about that.”

  “No, actually you never did. You tried taking it back, which isn’t the same thing at all.” Shoving the wrapper aside, she leaned forward, hoping he’d see how serious she was. “I broke all my rules for you, because I thought it was worth it. Because I thought you were worth it. I need to know I wasn’t wrong, so if you can’t convince me of that, I will walk out of here right now and not look back.”

  Her blood pounded in her ears. It hadn’t occurred to her until that very second that this could be it. But if Isaac couldn’t make her understand, how could she in all good faith give them another chance? She was too old for games, and too independent to pretend his words hadn’t cut.

  The longer he stared at her, the more she thought that was it. So much for apologies or big speeches. So much for second chances. The latter was the real disappointment. Because she wanted to be convinced. She wouldn’t have come if she didn’t.