“Pray. I know Harbinger is stronger than I am, but I have God’s Spirit. I need your prayers.”
He got back up and came around the desk, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“I’ll gather together a prayer team. They won’t know what the prayers are for, but they’ll know someone is on a mission.”
“Thank you. I’ll be in touch.”
********
I went home before heading down to Union Station. My plan was to park where Buddy had left his car, then move to the back of the post office during the slowest time of the day.
Mail carriers will have come back in from their routes but the truck deliveries of the next day’s mail won’t have started. I should be able to get into the building unnoticed.
I showered, dressed in my usual outfit of black and white, pulling on the black bomber jacket. Before I put the jacket on, I took some gauze and wrapped my sore arm repeatedly until I had made a type of forearm pad. I wrapped that in duct tape. I didn’t want the pain to be any more distracting than necessary if the arm got hit.
My sword would go through my belt as usual, but this time I packed a knife too. The power in the sword was to cross over a Runner, but the knife gave me something to defend myself with, if we went hand to hand.
It was just past five-thirty when I got in the Ranchero and headed for downtown. The ride would be easy because I was going against the flow. Most people were trying to get out of the city and I was heading in. I sipped a coffee and pulled onto the freeway.
My senses were already getting fired up, and I could tell I was as ready as I could be, given my limited experience. I encouraged myself by remembering that I may not have been a Chaser long, but I’d been a good P.I. for years. The skills I’d acquired from doing that job would certainly help me in the new one. At least it sounded good.
CHAPTER 20
The sun was beginning its descent into the western horizon when I parked in the old covered train yard. I got out and slid my sword into my belt. My knife was in my back pocket and I’d even remembered to bring a flashlight.
I thought of Buddy and wondered if I was retracing his steps from the night he disappeared. If I was, hopefully my efforts would have a different result.
I wanted to approach the post office from the back. I crossed Market Street to the north of my position, walked east two blocks, and re-crossed Market to an alley that led down to the back of my destination.
When I reached the old fire escape, my senses told me I was in the right place. A Runner was close and my nerves told me it was Harbinger. After picking my path, I took three steps, launched myself up the building wall, and landed on the second story fire escape landing.
Hunching down, I waited a full five minutes, making sure I hadn’t aroused any suspicion. Nothing but the sounds of late evening traffic. Slowly, a single step at a time, I made my way up to the third-floor landing. Waiting again, I made sure I had remained undetected by the people passing below.
Finally, I tried the fire exit door. Locked.
Harbinger would know I was in the area—Buddy had told me he’d obtained the ability by absorbing some of Justin’s power when he killed him—but it was far less sensitive than the Spirit in me.
A Chaser could sense when contact with a Runner was imminent and was able to avoid what could be a fatal encounter by reacting at the last minute. Harbinger would know I was in the area, but not where I was, but I would have warning if he launched an attack. I just hoped it did me some good to have a slight advantage.
It doesn’t do much good to know a train is coming if you’re stuck in the middle of a tunnel, Jack!
I surveyed my options and decided I could get in through a partly open window. I dove for the windowsill, grabbing on with my good arm, and steadying myself. I held on with my good hand while pushing the window silently open with the other. As sore as my arm was, it was clear the Spirit was giving me strength.
I pulled myself into the window and tumbled onto the floor. Any light still available outside was lost in the building. I snapped on my flashlight.
As the beam played around the room, I found myself in some sort of closet. Maybe eight feet away, a door sat closed. The third floor of the building was apparently still undergoing renovation, and construction equipment was the only stuff in the room. Making as little noise as possible, I crept to the far end of the room and tried the doorknob. It turned easily. I left the door closed and listened.
Ten minutes went by before I was confident I hadn’t raised an alarm with the people below. Turning the doorknob until I felt the click, the door came free and I pulled it slowly open a crack. I surveyed the situation from what little I could see of the space beyond my closet.
Blue neon lights from the Union Station sign glowed through the windows, giving the room an eerie luminescence, and making it possible to see now that the sun had set completely. My heart stopped when my eyes settled on a table in the middle of the room.
A small figure lay tied to some sort of workbench with what looked like ratchet straps across his ankles, waist, and chest. It had to be Buddy, and he wasn’t moving. His face was turned away from me, so I couldn’t tell if he was conscious or not. I wanted to rush over, cut him free, and bail out. I knew better.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to look from one corner to another, searching the pale blue light for any sign of Harbinger. The floor was being divided up into offices. Steel framing had been raised across the area and I could make out where doors would eventually be.
Tools, pipe, and wire were strewn around the entire worksite. If workers were here during the day, Harbinger must have been moving Buddy and bringing him back after they’d gone home.
He’d gone to a lot of trouble to get me here, but where was he?
There was a moan, and Buddy’s head rolled in my direction. His mouth was covered with duct tape and he still had the clothes on he was wearing when he went missing. His face showed the exhaustion from his ordeal and a tinge of guilt came over me. He was in this situation because of me.
I waited ten minutes more, every sense on alert, but I couldn’t locate Harbinger.
Maybe he’s looking for me to come in another way? Maybe he’s watching the regular stairway?
Finally, there appeared to be no choice but to try to free Buddy and get out of there. Harbinger didn’t seem anxious to reveal himself and neither Buddy nor I had all night.
Flipping my flashlight on, I drew my knife and moved swiftly to Buddy’s side. As I began to cut at the strap across his chest, his eyes popped open. It seemed at first he didn’t recognize me, but suddenly his eyes widened as if he knew who I was.
The next few seconds were a blur. My thoughts and actions became quick, anticipating everything.
Buddy’s eyes aren’t big because he’s recognized me, he’s staring past me to the ceiling!
I lurched to one side, avoiding the main blow, as Harbinger dropped from the ceiling.
You idiot! You didn’t check the ceiling!
A large, black boot landed on my sore shoulder, sending pain rushing through my body.
Knocked to the floor, I managed to ignore the pain and leap back to my feet. A leg sweep took the feet from under Harbinger. He fell against the workbench, sending it careening across the room with Buddy on it.
Harbinger was up and growling. He came back at me in a flash, kicking me solidly in the chest. I landed on my butt and slid backward along the cement until a steel post stopped my progress.
‘Big and Black’ came toward me, knowing I was temporarily stunned, and went to kick me again. This time I gathered myself, dodged his kick, and plunged my knife into the top of his planted foot. He howled and fell back, jerking the knife out of my hand.
It bought me enough time to collect myself and look for another weapon. A piece of metal pipe found my hand, and as the Runner came towards me again, I ran to the wall, up onto the ceiling, and dropped down behind him.
Apparently, he’d seen this on
e before. When I dropped to swing the pipe, he landed a straight right punch to the end of my nose. Blood gushed from my face as I staggered backwards, crumpling against the far wall.
I could barely see over my swollen nose, but Big and Black is hard to miss, and he was moving in to finish me off. I frantically looked for something to ward him off with, but there was nothing in reach. He had slowed to a limp now, his foot still sporting the protruding knife, his face grimacing.
Well, at least if he kills me, he’ll know he’s been in a fight.
I reached back to the wall to push myself up, and my hand fell on a thick piece of wire. I looked up to see where the wire went, saw the electrical junction box, and probed for a switch. As Harbinger got to me, I found the central switch, pulled it, and lunged out with the chunk of wire in my hand.
The bare end of the wire struck him in the groin, and he began to scream. Blood made it hard for me to see, but his advance had stopped, and he seemed frozen in place.
For what seemed an eternity, but was probably only seconds, Big and Black was suddenly orange and white. The orange of the sparks illuminating the white of his face made him much less intimidating. More importantly, he began to shimmer, his manifest state reverting to spirit form.
I took my other hand and grabbed for my sword, but it was gone, lost somewhere in the fight. Harbinger’s gray eyes shimmered with fear as he sensed his vulnerability. He threw himself backwards, escaping the current, and lay on the ground for several moments. Finally, he gathered the strength to get up and flee.
I reached up and shut the current off before I accidentally electrocuted myself and forced my body to get up. I removed my bomber jacket and t-shirt, mopping at my face with the shirt, now stained deep red.
Finally able to see, I made my way to Buddy and realized I didn’t have my knife. I looked around the floor for something sharp and remembered the closet. I found a pair of wire cutters, returned to Buddy, and cut the straps.
I removed his gag as he struggled to a sitting position. He looked around for Harbinger.
“Is he gone?”
“Yes, at least I think so.”
He looked me over.
“You look like crap!”
“Thanks, I feel like crap. Let’s get out of here before he comes back for round two.”
I retrieved my sword, helped him off the table, and we carried each other to the doorway. After a quick glance to make sure Big and Black was gone, we made our way to the street. Twenty minutes later, Buddy and I were in separate rooms of the same hospital emergency ward.
EPILOGUE
The doctor came into my room as I sat up on the bed.
“Lucky thing your nose broke.”
“Really? Seems an odd sentence coming from a doctor. You need extra money for a new boat or something?” My voice sounded funny thanks to the gauze stuffed into my nose.
“Funny. Actually, if your nose hadn’t broken, the blow probably would have driven your nasal bone up into your brain, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“Doesn’t seem like a pleasant experience, I’ll take the broken nose, thanks.”
He smiled and held an X-ray up to show me the fracture.
“I’ve laid a splint along here, which you need to leave on until the next time I see you.”
“How long is that?”
“Couple weeks.”
I didn’t bother telling him I’d probably have it off in a couple days. No point in getting a lecture.
“Okay.”
He handed me a mirror.
“Have you seen what you look like?”
“I’m not sure I want to.”
I took the mirror anyway and checked out the damage. I had two giant black eyes coming on and a bandage covering most of my nose.“I took an X-ray of your arm as well. No break, and whoever doctored it, knew what they were doing.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
We both turned to see my mother standing in the doorway.
“You’re welcome. Can I ask who you are?”
“That’s my mother,” I answered for her. “How did you get here?”
“By car.”
“Very funny. You know what I mean.”
“Amanda called me, since you neglected to.”
She made an exaggerated pouty face.
“I was a little busy. Where’s Mandy?”
“She’s in with your friend, Buddy. You look like a truck hit you and backed up to see what it ran over.”
“That’s pretty much how I feel.”
She came over to take a closer look.
“What happened?”
“As I told the doctor, I was looking for Buddy downtown and this big guy jumped me.”
She gave me a doubtful look.
“You seem to be having a lot of disagreements with strangers lately. Didn’t you get in a fight when you injured your arm?”
I ignored the question.
“Am I ready to go, Doc?”
“I think so. I wrote a script for some pain meds. Pick it up when you sign your discharge papers.”
“Okay, thanks Doc.”
He left the room, and I started to get off the bed when Mandy knocked.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
She came through the door and whistled.
“Wow! What’s the other guy look like?”
“I don’t know; he was running away the last time I saw him.”
“Scared him off?”
“I guess, but I wasn’t exactly in the mood to chase him.”
My mother slipped out of the room, hoping I wouldn’t notice. I did, but I was glad. I knew Mandy had questions and I was going to have to be evasive. It’s one thing to be evasive with a friend, but try doing it with your mother present, is impossible.
“Are you going to tell me what happened or are you going to clam up like your friend Buddy?”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing. I told him there was an open missing person case on him, and I needed answers to close it. He told me he was away.”
She rolled her eyes, and I had to smile. It hurt when my nose wrinkled.
Mandy brought her hand up to my face, lightly brushing my cheek, and staring into my eyes with those green diamonds of hers.
“You’ve got to be more careful. I’m not willing to lose you, and neither is your mother.”
I was genuinely touched.
“Thanks, Mandy. I appreciate you saying so. I’ll be more careful, I promise.”
She gave me a sweet smile, and then turned all cop-like.
“So tell me what happened.”
“I was downtown looking for Buddy when this big guy jumped me.”
She gave me a suspicious squint of her eyes.
“So, two people have jumped you in less than a week? Seems kind of odd, wouldn’t you agree?”
I shrugged, which also hurt.
“Bad run of luck I guess.”
“And where did you find Mr. Daniels?”
“I’d rather not say.”
We were interrupted by another knock at the door.
“Can I come in?”
“Of course, Sarah.”
The relief of having her husband back was all over her face, but it didn’t completely mask the exhaustion from worrying about him.
She came over to the bed and Mandy excused herself.
Sarah gave me a warm smile.
“Thank you so much for bringing him home. He told me what happened. You’re very brave, Jack.”
“The Spirit granted me the courage. How’s Buddy doing?”
“The doctor said he’s badly dehydrated, but otherwise unhurt. I think he told your cop friend he was away in the desert.”
We both laughed, which hurt my face, but it was good to be happy again.
“Are you taking him home?”
“No. The doctor wants to keep him overnight and make sure his condition remains stable.”
“Are you going to s
tay with him?”
“Yes. They’re bringing in a bed for me.”
She leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome. Take care of him.”
“I will.”
She turned to leave the room, then stopped.
“I forgot. Buddy wanted me to give you this note.”
She handed it to me and left the room.
I opened the note to find Buddy’s chicken-scratch on a piece of hospital stationary.
Harbinger ran tonight, but he won’t stay gone. Be cautious and ever-aware. He will try again.
He was right, and I had no doubt it would be sooner rather than later.
I closed the note and realized I had someone who I needed to thank.
“Thank you, Lord, for helping me. Thank you Holy Spirit for helping me. With your strength, I survived. Amen.”
*******
A week later, I was paying my debts. Dinner for Mom and Mandy at Red Lobster.
Mandy was stunning in a long dress of blues and greens, highlighting her eyes and tan skin. Mom was also dressed up, and had spent the day at the beauty parlor before our dinner. She looked up from her dessert.
“How are Buddy and Sarah?”
“Good. Buddy’s feeling a hundred percent again and back at his usual tasks. Sarah said she can finally breathe again.”
I sat back in my chair and watched the two of them finish their Baked Alaska desserts. These were the two most important women in my life, both beautiful, and it was easy to realize how lucky I was.
My mother was there for me regardless of the circumstances, and she was willing to do it without getting answers to her questions.
And it didn’t matter whether Mandy and I became romantically involved or not, I knew she had my back through good and bad, and that was something to treasure.
For probably the hundredth time in the last week, I looked toward heaven.
Thank you, Lord.
AUTHORS NOTE:
It is my sincere hope that you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. The idea quickly transferred to words on paper and my excitement grew with each page. I hope you feel your time spent reading was worth it.
CROSSOVER (THE CHASER CHRONICLES Book 1) Page 12