It put a lot of things into perspective for Reese. These girls were doing great things,academically and romantically, and it forced her to remember that as important as her destiny was, she couldn’t forget about her present. She was allowed to be selfish once in a while, wasn’t she? She didn’t even know what she wanted to do with her life after the war. She hadn’t even thought about after the war. Would she even survive? Pythia hadn’t, and she was a way better Seer than Reese could ever hope to be.
She couldn’t think about that. Not yet.
One day at a time.
“I’m going to the restroom,” Piper announced once their food had been cleared away.
“I’ll go with you,” Carey said, and the two slid from out of the booth and headed to the bathroom together.
Reese took a breath. This was her chance. She and Andie were finally alone. It wasn’t enough time to go over everything, she knew, but at least she could make the effort.
“Andie,” Reese forced herself to say. One step at a time. When Andie focused her pale green eyes on Reese, Reese forced herself to continue. “I need to talk to you about Jack and Black Wing. Not now, obviously. But soon. Just the two of us.”
The color drained from Andie’s face, her mouth dropping in a soft ‘o’ shape. She looked like she wanted to say something, anything, but at that moment, Carey and Piper had returned and the moment was gone.
It was a start, and Reese knew she’d talk to Andie about it. Eventually.
When dinner was officially over, Reese headed home and changed into the outfit she specifically bought for tonight. It was a body-hugging cat suit and knee-high black pleather boots. There were no heels with the boots,there was no way she’d wear heels like some of her fictional superhero counterparts; though she could walk in heels for long durations of time, she didn’t know what to expect and wanted to prepare for everything. She kept her hair in its high ponytail and wore a mask she had had since her mom made her go to a masquerade when she was fifteen. When she was ready to go, she gave Ollo a chaste kiss goodbye on the cheek and headed out the door.
First Street was right on the border between the high-end part of Onyx that she was familiar with and the Zone. This was her meeting point with Jack. She had thought about walking or at least taking the metro to get there, but she didn’t think vigilantes took public transportation. Instead, she took her Benz with the plan to put it in a pricey parking garage during her work this evening, and walk a couple of blocks to her meeting point.
It was easy to find Jack, standing so tall and gallant on the rooftop of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. Up close, she realized that he was wearing less clothes than she was, and what little material he was wearing was even tighter than her body suit. His wings, when expanded, exceeded sixty feet, and he looked awe-inspiring. Stunning. Beautiful. Scary, even. And he could definitely pull off the whole no-shirt policy.
He really was an angel, she realized. A guardian of Onyx sent from Heaven to protect the city from evil corruption. She could learn so much from him.
When he noticed her, he remained quiet but gave her a stoic nod. That was it, and suddenly she knew they would work together, they would fight crime and she would learn and gain the experience she felt she needed. No words passed between them; all she needed was her bow and arrow, and that was securely strapped to her back.
In few words, Black Wing told her that she would merely watch tonight rather than participate. Reese wasn’t sure if she was relieved or put off by this, but regardless, she would listen to him. Still, she had a collection of arrows and her bow strapped to her back just in case, and that made her feel safer than she would have if she didn’t have a way to protect herself.
As means of getting around the city, Black Wing would carry her place to place as he flew. It was exhilarating to feel herself fly, but Reese preferred the ability to get herself around Onyx. Maybe she could send Jack an email about Reese possibly investing in a motorcycle for herself – since she knew how busy Jack was - and have Henry teach her how to ride it. Henry knew everything, so it wouldn’t be terribly difficult for him.
The night wore on. There were times Reese wished she had some sort of device that allowed her to take notes because so many things happened at one time that it was easy to get overwhelmed. Then there were the moments where nothing happened and the night seemed to drag on.
One thing Reese did come away with was the types of crime being committed had elevated since Noir had disappeared. The rate had always been high–thanks to the corruption that wasn’t even hidden anymore–but since the war officially began, the crimes themselves had gotten more brutal. She had never seen as much blood as she had on House, MD, let alone her whole life. Sometimes the two would stumble on bodies of women in various stages of undress, beaten, strangled, some murdered. Even Black Wing couldn’t save everybody. Even Black Wing,an angel sent from Heaven,couldn’t prevent evil from happening.
That was the hardest lesson to learn, by far. Reese knew how to protect, but she didn’t know how to save everyone. It was impossible. This war she was supposed to fight would have casualties on both sides, and she didn’t have the power to stop that from happening. Ollo had been right; she really wasn’t ready. Not yet.
When Black Wing finally called it a night, Reese managed to hold herself together until she got in her car. From there, the tears spilled out of her eyes like a fire hydrant, and she drove as fast as she could back to the dingy little apartment she now called home. She needed warmth and security. She needed to feel safe. She needed to forget about the hopelessness of her role in the war. She needed Ollo, and she needed him now.
9
Keirah didn’t understand the significance the number three played when it came to meetings and dirty dealings. It hadn’t been hard to get Henry’s information,all she had to do was break into Onyx High School’s records room and make photocopies of his file. It was almost too easy, actually, but she didn’t put too much thought into it; she got the information she came for and she would do with it what she could.
Surprisingly enough, the phone number worked. Nobody answered, of course, but she left her name and the number to her disposable cell phone without leaving a detailed message, as he had so politely asked in the recording. If he was as powerful and as knowing as they thought he was, he should have no problem figuring out just who she was and why she was significant.
While she waited for a response from him, she did her own research on the elusive Henry. As far as she knew, no one knew his full name. He got decent grades–B’s and C’s–and had an average amount of excused absences. Interestingly enough, there were no complaints listed. Not a single one. Keirah knitted her brow at this, and began to tap the end of her pencil against the tabletop. This had to be a sign of his power, where even the staff was afraid of him.
“Even the most powerful men have their weaknesses,” Keirah murmured to herself. Her voice sounded loud in the empty, dimly lit kitchen. “So what’s yours?”
She tugged on her bottom lip, running her fingers through her hair. There had to be something.
If Noir were here, where would he look first? A man’s weakness might be money. But if Henry had as much power as it seemed he did, then he could get as much money or things that he wanted. Bribing him with money really wasn’t going to work.
If not money, then it had to be a girl.
Keirah paused and let the thought simmer. It seemed relatively cliché: a powerful, intimidating boy being brought to his knees by a girl. Shouldn’t the boy know better? Then again, most boys thought with either their heart or their dick. She rolled her eyes. Typical boys. Henry was still a boy,unless he, too, was something more, like Lucas Burr said Noir were. He was a boy and boys had needs, Noir certainly did.
And then it hit her. Noir was a man who scared an entire city with his psychotic mind games and lethal actions. He killed anyone and anything without hesitation, without remorse, with no reason whatsoever other than he could, or that som
eone lost one of his games. He worked for no one other than himself, and usually killed anyone he recruited to help execute a particular mission once that mission was successfully completed. No one knew who he was or where he came from. No prison, police station, or mental ward could hold him down for more than a few months or until he decided he was ready to come out and play. He lived his life on his terms, and there was nothing anybody could possibly do to change all of that.
Until she entered his life.
It hadn’t been planned, of course. She was–still was, in fact–interested in studying criminal psychology. As part of her high school bridge program, she received a coveted internship with world-renowned criminal psychologist, Dr. Rachel Hawkins. He walked into her life after being caught by the Onyx Police Department, with chains attached to his ankles and his signature splattered makeup–a mask, he called it–gone.
And that was the start of their grand love affair.
She didn’t know why he hadn’t killed her after using her to escape from an Onyx holding cell; she didn’t know why he took her with him, back to the mansion no one knew about. He kept her around, even after he was safe, even after they had sex, even after he saved her life. She still had no idea what she had done in order to earn a place by his side. She saved his life a few times, she had fallen in love with him, she gave up her entire life–her family, her friends, her education, her internship, her dream career–for him.
And for whatever reason, he did the same thing for her.
She was his weakness. He would never admit it, but she was.
If someone like Noir had a weakness, certainly Henry did. Keirah just had to do some more investigating in order to figure out who that was. If anyone was up for the task, it was her.
Henry got back to Keirah later that day and agreed to a meeting in three days. Keirah used the last seventy-two hours conducting research, coming up with a plan and putting it into place. She also took pictures. The pictures were what would persuade him if he had any reservations about giving her what she wanted. The pictures were gold.
They met at Onyx Park. Keirah recognized the park from last Halloween. The building across the street–a museum dedicated to all things spiritual and supernatural–was where she, Andie, and Andie’s friends and colleagues were attending a party before Noir showed up and had taken Keirah away. It had been raining that night, she remembered. She smiled. It had to be a good sign.
Henry strolled up exactly on time, completely nonchalant about the entire ordeal. His wispy brown hair was picked up by a cool, spring breeze. He was short–no more than five feet seven–and slight, dressed completely in black save for a pair of worn red converses and a red skinny tie. From far away, he looked like a full-fledged adult, but once he got closer, he looked more like the nineteen year old he was supposed to be. He appeared as if he didn’t have a care in the world, and he probably didn’t. She hid a small smirk he wouldn’t notice. Depending on how this played out, that would change.
“Hello, dear,” he greeted in his soft Scottish brogue once he reached the cement park bench she was sitting at. The tall tree protruding from the ground next to her provided an adequate amount of shade so it wasn’t as hot as it might have been. “Nice weather we’re having today, hmm?”
“I don’t mean to be rude, Mr. Nathan” –
“Henry,” he corrected.
- “but I’d like to cut to the chase, if you don’t mind.”
Henry smiled and nodded before taking a seat on the bench next to her.
“I want to know where Noir is and how I can get him back,” Keirah said. Her fingers idly played with the manila folder currently resting on her lap, but she wasn’t nervous. Complete opposite, actually. She felt powerful. This must be how Henry felt every day. “I talked to someone who told me you would be able to provide me with such information.”
“I can,” Henry agreed, watching children laugh and play on the soccer field just across from them. “But it will cost you.”
Keirah remained silent, knowing this was how Henry handled his dealings. She raised an eyebrow as a response.
“Your soul.” His eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky.
Keirah nodded, leaning back in her seat. She pretended to think about it for a moment before turning back to look at Henry. Henry looked content to wait for her answer for as long as it took.
“That’s not going to work, actually,” she told him.
“Then, I’m afraid” –
Henry looked as though he were going to get up and leave, so Keirah took that moment to deposit the folder into his lap.
“I think you’ll reconsider,” Keirah told him with certainty in her tone. Henry sat down to examine the contents of the folder.
“Where did you get these?” he asked her in a decidedly darker tone. He cast a look over at her, all her nonchalance gone. Keirah had him. She knew she had him.
“I took them myself.” She looked over his narrow shoulder and took in the pictures she had taken of Piper. “She’s beautiful, I’ll give you that.”
“Where is she?” he demanded. His voice was low but she could detect a hint of shakiness in it. He was affected, she knew. He would soon lose his patience. “You know I’ll find out.”
“I’m sure you will, but will you find out in time?” Keirah asked. “Here’s how this is going to go: you are going to give me the information I want. All of it. Once you do, you can come swing by and pick her up yourself, completely unharmed. If you don’t–”
“I know how this tends to work, Miss Shepherd.” The shade caused a shadow to mask half of his face, making him more intimidating than his outer appearance might generate.
“Then you know I’m a woman of my word,” Keirah told him.
“You will regret this,” Henry said, his black eyes clashing with her dark brown ones.
“If it gets me Noir, I won’t,” she countered, leaning back against the bench once more.
She didn’t need to ask him again if he was going to make this deal with her. He was going to give her exactly what she wanted, and she wouldn’t have to sacrifice her soul in order to do it.
Noir would be back. She would get him back. And soon.
10
The next morning, Andie awoke with Jack’s arm around her waist. She sighed in content at how peaceful she was at that moment, and instead of immediately slipping out of his grasp, she merely laid there, reveling in his skin meshing with hers. Even with all the tension she was feeling due to trying to graduate early and Vanessa’s unwanted presence, she felt relaxed and safe in the warmth of Jack’s touch. God, she loved him, loved him, loved him… more than anything, more than she ever imagined she would. She couldn’t imagine losing him, and if anything ever did happen to him… Well, she didn’t want to think about it. Her eyes skimmed over his upper chest, the rest of him being covered by the crisp blankets. She pushed her lips into a frown when she saw a purple bruise just above one of his pectorals, and due to its color, she figured he had gotten it last night.
To have a guardian angel, a vigilante, as a boyfriend…
Andie leaned forward and gently swept her lips over the discoloration, a wrinkle overtaking her nose. There were times when she wanted to meet these criminals Jack dealt with each night and have a little conversation with them. She hated seeing his masculine physique tainted, unless, of course, if it was due to her,being consumed in so much passion she couldn’t help herself. A smirk littered her face as she settled back down. It was quite often that she couldn’t help herself. She decided at that moment, she should probably get up lest she lose herself in her fantasies and wake up an exhausted Jack to help bring them to life. She managed to slip herself out of Jack’s tight grasp after a few tries, muffling her giggles as she did so. He could get so worried about her sometimes, it was rather adorable.
The young woman walked into her closet and pulled on a loose pair of jeans and one of Jack’s old college sweatshirts that he never wore anymore. Andie always looked for any ex
cuses to wear any article of Jack’s clothes simply because they always seemed to smell like him. No matter how upset she was feeling, she could always slip on something of his, inhale his scent, and feel so much better. After throwing her hair into a messy ponytail, she headed to the door. She threw one look over her shoulder, back at her sleeping boyfriend and softly smiled. He looked so… everything; beautiful, peaceful, amazing. The list went on. She sighed before turning around and heading out the door.
As Andie bounded down the stairs, she could already smell the food Beverly was currently preparing, the scent invading her senses and causing her opinionated stomach to start getting loud. When the Beverly saw Andie come in, she offered her a smile, though it did not quite reach her eyes. The young woman paused in the kitchen doorway, noticing this, and cocked a questioning brow.
“Good morning,” she said slowly. “Is everything all right?”
“Of course,” Beverly said, her green eyes immediately heading back into the frying pan to pour some broccoli into the omelet. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Your face,” Andie told her, heading over to the bar. As usual, every edition of every paper and tabloid that Onyx could provide was sitting on top of the surface of the bar. Jack usually got them to read about the news, if there were any new criminals he should be aware of with the intent of harming the city and its population in some way, while Andie loved catching up on the latest Hollywood gossip. Usually, the couple would find something about themselves and they would always tease each other about it.
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