Touching Silver

by Jamie Craig

  Each word falling from her tongue made the light burn brighter. Isaac almost thought each falling drop of blood did the same. If he shot her, would that speed up the process of whatever she was doing? Obviously she thought it was some kind of escape. What they had been planning for Stacy. What—

  Remy.

  His head jerked in time to see Nathan come to the same conclusion he had. When Nathan began to run, there was only a moment to make the choice. Which wasn’t really a choice at all.

  His shoulder hit Nathan’s midsection, his arms around his waist as he tackled Nathan to the ground. They landed on the circle of stones, and a sharp pain bloomed in his side. Behind them the light exploded, the house rattling all the way to the floorboards, and he threw his body over Nathan’s to shield him from the stones and sand that suddenly flew through the air.

  Nathan shoved him away, unmindful of the dangerous debris raining on them. Isaac refused to budge until the final aftershocks ceased. Nathan scrambled away from him and jumped to his feet, his eyes showing a spark of life for the first time since Remy disappeared.

  “What the fuck did you do that for?”

  Isaac stared at him in disbelief. “You were going to throw yourself into that.” He gestured toward the disaster that had been the middle of the room.

  “Yes. I was! Do you have a better suggestion for finding Remy? She’s God knows where, and she’s alone, and you kept me from going to her.”

  He didn’t want to hurt his friend. He really didn’t. But Nathan was thinking with his heart, not his head.

  “And how do you know she’s not dead? How do you know whatever that fireworks display was, it wasn’t some massive sacrifice? Or that it killed her because she’s not one of those priestesses?” He tried to take a step closer to Nathan, but the other man immediately stepped away, freezing Isaac in place. “You might be willing to run that risk, but I’m not. I’m not letting you do that to yourself.”

  “I would have rather taken the chance and died than stay here. And that was my choice to make. Not yours.”

  The venom in Nathan’s voice was worse than seeing the anger in his eyes. “Yeah, well, turns out you’re not the only one who can make selfish choices like that,” he snapped. “Because I’d do it all over again.”

  Turning on his heel, he headed for the doorway. Olivia was still out there. And Gabriel. He’d think about the consequences with Nathan after they were all safe and out of this house.

  Earthquake, Olivia thought immediately as the house rocked around them. But a look of unreserved horror crossed Gabriel’s face, and his arm slipped on Stacy, giving her room to move.

  “Down!” Olivia shouted.

  Stacy immediately dropped to her knees, wiggling out of Gabriel’s grasp. Gabriel didn’t seem to notice either woman in the room. He tripped over Stacy in his effort to get to the door.

  “Freeze!”

  Gabriel didn’t stop. She didn’t know where he was going or what he thought he was doing. But she didn’t care. She was going to end it. She squeezed the trigger once, aiming low, for his knee. Gabriel crumpled to the ground, a high-pitched sound that wasn’t a sob, and wasn’t a shout, escaping his throat.

  Stacy curled up into a ball against the wall, but in spite of her instinct to make sure the girl was okay, Olivia knew her first priority had to be Gabriel. She edged forward, trying to keep her balance in the still-shaking room.

  His foot lashed out, but the earthquake worked against him. His attempt went wide, and he fell against the doorjamb, snarling in pain when his shattered knee slammed against the hard wood.

  Gabriel would probably have another gun on him, and when his hand disappeared beneath his jacket, she didn’t want to give him the chance to prove her assumption correct. She gripped the muzzle of her gun and rushed forward, bringing the butt down on the back of his head with all her strength. It connected with a sickening thump and Gabriel’s face hit the floor.

  “Olivia!”

  Isaac’s voice echoed down the hall, followed by his racing footsteps. She looked up in time to see him skid to a halt, his attention jumping to Gabriel lying half-in, half-out of the room.

  “Are you all right? Where’s Stacy?”

  Olivia took a deep breath and pointed to the huddled girl. “She’s right here. She’s fine. What happened downstairs? What were all those shots?”

  His mouth set into a grim line. “Nathan killed Parker. But Marisol got away. Disappeared like Remy did.” He glanced back at the stairway, and for a second she saw the anguish in his dark eyes. “Nathan tried to go after her, but I stopped him. I don’t think I’m his favorite person right now.”

  Olivia touched his arm. “It’ll be okay. Let’s get this mess cleaned up and Stacy home to her family. I’m sure they miss her.”

  He caught her before she could turn back to Stacy. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you okay?”

  “Physically, I’m great. The pain…it’s gone now. All of it. Like I was never sick.” She smiled and gestured at herself. “I didn’t even bang my shin against the wall in the dark.”

  “Good.” His gaze darted to Gabriel before returning to her. “At least something went right tonight.”

  She nodded. They still had a huge amount of work ahead of them—specifically, keeping Gabriel in prison where he belonged. “I’ll see to Stacy. You call for an ambulance. I don’t want Gabriel to die from blood loss.”

  She helped Stacy to her feet and led her out of the room with her arm around the girl’s trembling shoulder. Minutes later, sirens sliced through the still night.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Isaac would be waiting for her. She looked for him as soon as she stepped into the sandwich shop, and found him in the back corner with her favorite lunch on the table in front of an empty chair. He had food in front of him, but it was untouched. Olivia hoped the news she had would at least prompt him to eat a few bites, but she didn’t expect anything more. He’d been a mess since the night they rescued Stacy and Remy disappeared—the night Nathan stopped speaking to him.

  “Hey.” She slid into her seat. “What’s the word on Gabriel?”

  “Judge refused bail. Everything’s pending trial now, so it’s just a waiting game.” The corner of his mouth lifted, but there was very little mirth in either his smile or eyes. “To say Gabriel looked pissed would be an understatement.”

  She released her breath in a long sigh of relief. “Good. If anybody is a flight risk, it’s Gabriel.”

  He fell silent as she picked up her pastrami on rye, his fingertips drawing patterns in the condensation on his Coke. She wanted to talk about Nathan, but that had become a touchy subject in the past week. He had slowly closed it off for discussion, even when she ventured for information. She had to wait for him to ask before she said anything about Nathan.

  “He’s blaming it all on Marisol,” he finally said. “And the fact that nobody can find her isn’t helping.”

  Olivia swallowed a mouthful of food. “I thought he might try to set her up for the fall. But he can’t deny that Stacy was discovered in his home. And I’m sure you’ve got enough shit on him that the DA could just keep throwing charges at him until something sticks.”

  “That’s the hope. What about the other cases? Are you still leaving them open?”

  She nodded. “Stacy’s testimony isn’t enough to bring charges against Gabriel for the other missing girls. The homes where they were held are being scoured for evidence, but until there is something definitive, they’re still officially open.”

  Someone at a nearby table burst into a loud rendition of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” only to be shut up by the laughter and protestations of his friends. She caught Isaac’s wince before he ducked his head to hide it, but it still made her heart twist.

  “What are you doing Christmas Eve?” he asked, changing the subject.

  “I have a standing dinner date with my parents, since I’m the only one usually in town then.” She reached across the t
able and took his hand. “Why don’t you come with me? My dad is a great cook.”

  His relief was a tangible force between them, the smile he shot her one of the first genuine ones she’d seen from him in days. “I’d like that. Do I get to officially be the boyfriend for this one?”

  She squeezed his fingers. “Yes, you do. Which means you’ll be the guest of honor. That is a great privilege. You, Isaac McGuire, will be trusted with the great task of picking out the after-dinner movie.”

  This time, she was awarded a chuckle. “Then I’ll make sure I don’t abuse the honor.” As his smile faded, his thumb rubbed against the side of her hand, and his gaze shifted to watch their fingers intertwined. “You know, I usually spend Christmas with Nathan and his parents in Palm Springs. I think this is going to be the first time in over a decade that hasn’t happened.”

  Olivia hated to see him like this. She just wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold him until the pain went away. “Isaac, it might not feel like it right now, but you did the right thing, and a part of Nathan knows that’s true. He’s just trying to deal with everything.”

  “And what if he was right?” His eyes were bleak when they lifted back to hers. “What if his only shot at getting Remy back was to go with Marisol? I took that away from him. I didn’t even give him the choice.”

  “But if jumping into that ring with Marisol killed him, Remy would still be lost,” she pointed out. “We know Remy can travel through time without harm. We don’t know what sort of effect it would have on Nathan. And if Gabriel can send her back, we can find a way to bring her forward. We will, because wherever she’s at, she’s with six other girls who want to come home.”

  “Did Gabriel tell you anything at all about how those damn coins work? Anything about how we might be able to get Remy back for Nathan?”

  “No, he didn’t tell me how they work.” Olivia never detailed the conversation for Isaac, and she didn’t intend to. He had been so relieved she wasn’t sick anymore she didn’t have the heart to tell him the connection didn’t go away, even if Stacy was no longer in mortal peril. Isaac wasn’t the sort to buy into destiny or fate. The explanation of her role with the coin seemed startlingly elegant to her, simple and fated, but she doubted Isaac would be impressed. “But we have leverage over him. For the first time in his life, he’s in a losing situation.”

  He seemed disappointed by the fact she didn’t know more, but quickly let it slide. “He doesn’t have either of the coins. That’s a step in the right direction. And given time, there’s a chance we’ll find something we can use in what got confiscated at the house.” Isaac snorted. “Time. That’s what got us into this mess in the first place. I’m beginning to really hate that Silver Maiden.”

  “Me too.” She wondered if Isaac’s fate was entwined with the coin. She doubted it. Only his loyalty kept him tied to this mess. “But if it wasn’t for the Silver Maiden, I probably would have never met you. So, it’s not all bad.”

  “No.” Abruptly, he leaned forward, pressing a short kiss to her mouth before sitting back down. “Loving you is most definitely not bad.”

  Olivia smiled, her lips tingling from the brief contact. “I could use some more of that. Why don’t you come over tonight?”

  He pretended to think about it. “I suppose tonight would be good to give you your Christmas present. We might actually get some use out of it.”

  Her eyes lit up. “What is it? Tell me.”

  “Nope. You have to wait.” He grinned. “Half the fun for me is watching your face when you see it.”

  “I don’t like surprises. I’ll make it worth your while if you tell me now.”

  “The occasional surprise will do you good.” He pushed her plate closer. “Now eat. I took the afternoon off, and I plan on hanging around and annoying you until you give up work to go home. The sooner this afternoon starts, the happier I’m going to be.”

  She silently vowed to start the afternoon as early as possible and make him the happiest man in the city. If only for a few hours. He deserved a break from the self-flagellation. She thought Nathan would agree to see Isaac again, and soon. He just wanted to act out against the one person in the world who would take his shit.

  “Making me take off early? You’re a bad influence, Detective McGuire. I have rules, you know.” She grinned. “But I love you anyway.”

  The simple words garnered the response she hoped for, and she tucked into her sandwich with fresh energy. Someone had to be strong. Someone had to hold everything together. Nathan and Isaac had survived too much together to have it end like this, so she’d be the one to make sure they didn’t fall apart completely. Until they found Remy and the priestesses again, until she would have to resume a more active role in protecting the eight girls, Olivia would do her job the best she could. After all, they were family now, bound together by history if not by blood.

  She’d make sure none of them were forgotten.

  About the Author

  We have been writing as a team since 2007, and in addition to Carina Press, we also have titles with MLR, Samhain Publishing, Liquid Silver Books and over three dozen with Amber Quill Press, including two bestselling series. Our urban fantasies Mosaic Moon and Dominion are two of our six 2008 EPPIE finalists. For a complete list of our published and upcoming books, please visit our website, www.jamie-craig.com.

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  Copyright © 2011 by Vivien Dean and Pepper Espinoza

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