"It was an inside joke between my husband and me. You remember my husband? THE ONE YOU LOST!"
"Jumping Jehosophat, Litha..." The sparks that flew from her eyes could have been a trick of the light. Those that spit from her fingertips were audible pops and very, very real. Like Kellareal, he thought it was best that she didn’t know that – between the mastery of magick and her demon blood – his daughter was one of the most powerful creatures in the universe. If she was mad to the point of involuntary sparking, he was paying attention.
"Okay. Everyone stay calm."
When she turned her attention to a wide-eyed Angel, he stood up and said, "Thanks for the memories. I'll just be going."
Deliverance put his hand out and halted the exit. “You’ll be going when I say you’re going. Meanwhile, just relax. Nobody’s hurting you.”
Angel cursed under his breath.
Ram and Elora were standing in their kitchen staring at each other, wondering what could be going on, when there was a polite knock at the door. Elora glanced at her pretty salad that was already starting to wilt and look as sad as week-old flowers.
Rammel opened the door and stepped aside to welcome Litha.
“I’ve only got ten minutes before Deliverance gets here. And, before I forget, I told him to come directly to your living room. I hope that’s okay.”
Elora looked concerned. “You want to sit down? Are you hungry?”
“No. And no. Let me get this out.”
Ram and Elora looked at each other and nodded toward Litha. “Of course. We’re listening.”
Litha explained what had transpired, omitting the highly personal parts, naturally.
Ram’s phone buzzed on the counter. He picked it up and talked quietly.
“Glen’s on his way with Rosie. He got held up on the way out the door.”
“Okay. Let’s go in here and sit down.” Elora motioned toward the living room and Litha nodded.
Deliverance popped in with Angel in tow. Blackie took one look at the fake Storm and starting growling. He was working himself into a crescendo when Elora called him off. As his alpha, he deferred to her, but made it clear he wasn’t happy about it. And he didn’t take his eyes off the man with the shifty eyes and the untrustworthy smell.
Litha watched Ram’s and Elora’s reactions and said, “It’s not him.”
Elora eyed Angel up and down. “You’re sure?”
Litha laughed at that, but there was no humor in it, just bitterness. “No room for doubt.”
“Wow.”
As soon as Litha unlocked the cuffs, Elora picked them up and looked at them.
“Ingenious, Litha. Your idea?”
Litha’s mouth pressed into a firm line that gave her a determined expression. “We’re not losing anybody else.”
“I’m assuming we’re gathered to talk about what to do about this?”
Litha nodded.
Ram looked at Deliverance. “What’s so hard? Just put the fucker back where you got him. And next time, be more careful. Great Paddy! I can no’ believe I am havin’ to say this to you. How many times can one demon be makin’ a fuckwad mess of thin’s?”
While Ram was dressing down the demon, Elora opened the door for Glen.
"Daddy!" Rosie rushed toward Angel with her arms thrown open expecting him to pick her up and swing her around while covering her face with kisses.
"ROSIE! STOP!"
An average child that age probably wouldn't have stopped at the commanding tone, but Rosie was born with her parents' memories and experience. She stopped and turned to look at her mother with eyes that momentarily looked too big for her face.
Litha pulled her little girl close, then said quietly, "It's not Daddy, sweetheart. It's just a stranger who looks like him."
Litha looked up in time to catch Angel’s shocked expression and see his eyes go straight to Rosie.
Elora took Rosie by the hand and led her into the kitchen. On the way past Angel, Rosie looked up at him like he was responsible for disappointing her in the worst way.
“Come on. I’ve got your favorite macaroons.” The kitchen and living room were only separated by a bar so Elora could see and hear everything. She picked Rosie up and set her on the kitchen counter next to her. “How’s my girl?”
“I want my daddy back.”
“Yeah. I’m with you, kidling. We all want your daddy back. And we’re working on it.”
Ram resumed his line of thinking. “So, again, what’s the problem with just droppin’ him off wherever the dimwit picked him up?”
Deliverance jerked his attention to the elf and narrowed his eyes in warning. Angel slid toward an empty corner chair and eased down as inconspicuously as possible, thinking he might as well get comfortable.
“Hold on.” Anyone present could have looked at Glen and known the wheels were turning. He was wearing his studious, real genius look. “It may not be so simple.”
“’Tis simple. Just put the fucker back.”
Rosie, still sitting on the kitchen counter, giggled and whispered to Elora, “He said a bad word.”
Elora smiled. “Darling, we must be patient with your Uncle Rammel. He doesn’t know any better.” Rosie grinned and nodded like it was a conspiracy. “I need to go talk to the others. Do you want to stay here or go to Elsbeth’s?”
“Stay.”
“Do you want some books to read?” Rosie shook her head. “Okay, then. Down you go on three. One. Two. Three.” On three, Rosie jumped and Elora eased her safely to the ground. It was one of their games.
“That would be rash,” Glen said. “This could be a gods’ sent solution to one of our problems and I think we should work with it.”
“What do you mean?” Ram looked up in the middle of the question when Elora came back into the room.
“We were all thinking, and when I say all, I mean everybody who works for The Order was thinking that this whole interdimensional interface - made possible with assistance by Elementals…” He nodded toward the demon. “…was the most important thing that’s ever happened in the The Order’s history. Next to the vampire cure that is.
“So we’re all revved up, ready to solve a thousand cold cases, and redefine our understanding of… everything. If somebody leaks that it’s possible to get lost in the passes, no one in their right mind will ever venture a ride again. We don’t want to upend the possibilities before we have a chance to work out the kinks. The potential is too big.”
“What has that to do with the phony?” Ram asked.
“Well, if we could train him to impersonate Storm until the real Storm can be found…” In sync Ram, Elora, and Litha looked at Angel. “No one would ever be the wiser.” He looked over at Elora’s dog. “No one except Blackie.”
CHAPTER 15
It was two minutes to closing and Storm was finishing the mop up when three customers came in.
“Sorry. We’re closed.”
The one with the goatee in the hat and the overcoat came closer until Storm could see that his pupils were shaped wrong, vertical slits. The guy pulled up a chair and took off his hat like he was going to stay a while. The fact that he had horns underneath that hat did nothing to alleviate the creep factor.
“Very funny, Angel.” The newcomer looked around the bar before his eyes came to rest on the mop still in Storm’s big hands. “Oh how the mighty have fallen.” He gestured toward the door with his chin and one of his human associates dropped the security bar, locking them in.
Storm was calm. “Name’s not Angel. You’ve got the wrong guy and, like I said, we’re closed. So if you would just…”
The guy who had locked the door had circled around behind Storm.
“So that’s how you want to play it. The old it-ain’t-me.”
Storm didn’t know what sort of creature it was, but there was something about it that was vaguely familiar, like he’d seen a painting or drawing.
“Look, clearly you have mistaken me for someone else. Since I’m
not that someone, say goodnight and leave before one or all of you end up hurt. I’ll even throw in some peanuts for the road. Who doesn’t love late night snacks?”
There was no reaction from the creature as silence drug on for some time. “You know I never realized you were entertaining.” He looked at his associates. “Peanuts!” When he chuckled, they laughed with appreciation. “I appreciate your concern for my well-being, Angel.”
“I don’t know if you’re hard of hearing or just low, but either way it looks like I’m not getting rid of you until you state your business. So, say what you have to say then get out.”
“Disrespectful, Angel. Call me by my name.”
Storm’s eyebrows rose. “Last time, I’m not who you’re looking for and… I. Do. Not. Know. Your. Name.”
“So,” the guy steepled his fingers the way Sol always did, “it’s like amnesia. Is that it?” When Storm said nothing, the creature said, “Richard Shade, but you can call me Mr. Shade.”
“Mr. Shade?” Storm didn’t even try to hide his incredulity. “Sorry. Just not a comics fan, but I’ll agree to call you Dick if you’ll just get to it.”
“It’s a little too late for talk.”
“Has this Angel caused you harm?”
“Alright, gorgeous, I’ll play. This Angel owes me a lot of money.”
“For what?”
“Gambling debts.”
“Somebody who looks like me.”
Shade leaned closer and pinned Storm with a level look. “Exactly like you.”
“How much?”
“Exactly like you.”
Storm rolled his eyes. “How much does he owe you?”
“Seventy-five thousand.”
Storm whistled. “What did he do with it?”
“Horses.”
“He bought horses?”
Shade smiled and spoke with mock patience. “Bet. The. Track.”
“Oh.” Storm was thinking about his circumstances and about what it meant to have a counterpart in another dimension, one who, perhaps, hadn’t gotten the opportunities he had, hadn’t met the same people. “Let’s say I was willing to talk about settling this guy’s debt. Would you be willing to negotiate?”
Shade looked at his thugs and nodded. The men closed in on Storm with hostile vibes and aggressive postures. One of them was punched in the solar plexus with the mop handle and collapsed like a paper tiger, a blue one who couldn’t breathe. The other took a chop to the neck and fell unconscious. Neither of Shade’s professionals ever laid a finger on Storm. Even more impressive, Storm had not moved from where he stood flat footed nor had he taken his eyes away from Richard Shade, who was then studying him with much greater interest.
Bringing street thugs to a hand-to-hand showdown with Storm wasn’t really sportsmanlike. After all, his Black Swan training had been topped off with Elora’s special sauce, an elegant and superior style of weaponless martial art that was indigenous to her home world and flawless in its execution, easily repudiating any defense against it.
“You want to talk now?”
“I’ve got to admit that you are intriguing. You don’t talk like the man who borrowed from me. Repeatedly. And gamblers don’t usually come with the sort of self-discipline required to develop those moves.”
“Again, and let me say I’m getting tired of repeating, I’m not your guy. I don’t owe you money, but I might be willing to negotiate a compromise on repayment.”
“If you’re not the guy, why would you do that?”
Storm smirked. “You’re not interested in motive. You’re interested in money.”
“Can’t a businessman be curious?”
Storm tapped his watch. The thugs were groaning and starting to get up. “You want them to go for Round Two with me?”
Shade looked them over and shook his head. “Seems like a waste of time. What’s your offer?”
“Twenty cents on the dollar. Get me in an honest poker game on a Monday night and stake me.”
The creature made an unidentifiable sound, but Storm thought he may have cleared his throat. “If I’ve heard you right, and I believe I have, you have offered to settle a gambling debt by procuring an extended line of credit. For gambling.”
Storm’s expression didn’t change. He continued to look Shade directly in the eyes blatantly and unashamedly. “In your world I’m sure that’s unorthodox, but if you put me in an honest game, I’ll win.”
It wasn’t a boast. Storm couldn’t lose at poker unless he wanted to. He’d played the Thursday night game at J.U. for years and could have won every hand. But the truth of it was that he found the inexplicable ability freakish and disturbing and didn't want anyone to know.
So he considered it a social pastime. He won just enough to seem average, never enough to raise the slightest suspicion. If anyone at Jefferson had been considered a shark, it was Ram.
“Well, Mr. I’m-Not-Angel-I-Just-Look-Exactly-Like-Him, I’m sure that offer would be thought unorthodox in any world. Call me crazy, but I think I like you. At least I like this version of you better than the one who’s been taking out loans for the past two years.
“I’ll get you into an honest game, but I’ll only front you the money if you put that fancy car up as collateral.”
“I don’t have a car.” Storm blinked as he rethought that. “That I know of.”
Shade spoke slowly, like Storm was retarded. “Would you like me to show you where it is?”
“Okay, let’s put it this way. Whatever car you think is mine, wherever you think it is, consider it pledged as collateral.”
“Well said.” Shade put out his hand to shake. Inside Storm recoiled at the nasty look of pointed yellow fingernails, but made himself shake hands without changing expression.
“Only on a Monday night. It’s my night off.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
CHAPTER 16
Deliverance left the little gathering, to continue his search for the right Storm, while the others continued to mull over the logistics needed to pull off a Prisoner of Zenda sting operation. With everybody Storm knew as targets of an incredible con game.
The first step, convincing Angel Storm that he was in another dimension, proved to be a bigger challenge than any one of them would have guessed. Having been on his own since age fourteen, he was skeptical of stories that weren’t readily verifiable by his own senses or those that didn’t fall within his personal experience of the world.
After an hour of taking turns trying to convince him, Litha, who had been silent throughout the discussion and glaring at Angel, probably because he wasn’t her Storm, stood up and walked over to where the handcuffs had been left on the kitchen bar.
“Oh for gods’ sake. Come here.”
Angel looked suspicious. “Why?”
“I’m going to prove it to you the only way I know how.”
“And how’s that?”
“I’m going to give you a quick tour through the passes. We’re going to look in on some other experiences of reality that will leave no doubt in your mind. Then we’re going to come back here and get on with the serious business of trying to turn you into a passable copy of my husband.”
He thought about it for a few seconds, then stood up and held out his wrist. When he stood up, Blackie came to all four feet in one motion. He didn’t growl. He didn’t bark. But his ruff was standing up and he did manage to communicate that one wrong move would result in a throat torn out.
Litha snapped the cuff on while Angel stared at the dog. Then they were gone.
Elora turned to Rosie. “You hungry?”
Rosie nodded enthusiastically. “I can get dinner.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know where the Hub is.”
Elora chuckled. “I’ll bet you do, but…”
Rosie smiled and vanished. Elora gasped and leaped up from the sofa. “Rosie! Rosie! Shit!”
“It’s okay,” Glen said with complete aplomb. “She does this sometim
es.”
“What do you mean she does this sometimes and it’s okay? This is NOT okay, Glen!”
Glen shrugged. “No need to get hysterical. She’ll be back in a minute.”
“Don’t you dare tell me not to get hysterical. WHERE IS SHE?”
“She said she could get dinner. My guess is that she’s downstairs in the Hub having them make up some club sandwiches. Probably with fruit cups and Twinkies if they have them. She might have gone to the Mess kitchen, but probably not. She likes the peeps at the Hub and they treat her like a mascot.”
Elora looked panic-stricken.
“Would you like me to go down and find her?” Ram asked.
Elora stormed toward the door. “I’ll find her myself.”
“Take your phone,” Ram said. “I’ll call if she turns up here first.”
She found Rosie sitting on a stool at the Hub, talking to a girl named Brendle, who was setting two sacks in front of Rosie. Brendle looked up. “Oh, hey. We were just trying to figure out how she was going to carry both these bags. Now you can take them.”
Rosie smiled at Brendle angelically.
Elora grabbed the sacks. “Thank you.” She leaned close to Rosie. “You’re in big trouble, young lady.” She froze. She could not believe that she was so shaken she’d actually uttered the phrase ‘young lady’. She wanted to cut her own tongue out.
“Are you mad at me, Auntie?”
Elora looked down into those big eyes and her heart melted. That precious baby was missing her father. That was enough negative emotion for a child to handle.
“No, Rosie. Your auntie was just scared. I love you so much and, when you disappeared, it almost made my heart stop. Please don’t do that anymore until you’re all grown up.”
Rosie cocked her head at Elora. “I’m grown up. I’m just in a little body.”
“Just the same, will you ride the elevator back with me?”
“Sure.” Rosie jumped down from the stool and began skipping toward the elevators.
When Litha returned with Angel, he looked even more discombobulated than Elora had felt when Rosie had popped out.
Gathering Storm Page 12