I put the piece inside the metal tin and close the lid. At once my powers rush back into my body. I notice Chris’s breathing increases and his hold on the armrests tightens.
“Are you all right?”
“I will be,” he says breathlessly.
I scan his heart and find he’s healing scar tissue within the muscle. I say, “Your body seems to be rejecting the diamond.”
“Only when I’m around obsidian. Otherwise I’m able to use the healing ability to stay in top form.”
“I’m worried about you, Chris. This shouldn’t be happening.”
“Well, the queens were right when they figured my body was negatively affected by the power removing machine. I’ll just need to be more vigilant about caring for my heart than other Bearers.”
Queens? “I think it’s because I had to push the diamond in the rest of the way.”
“You did?”
“We haven’t really talked about this and I’m not sure I want to relive that experience yet. I’d let you extract my memories, but that would weaken you and we can’t have that.”
“Once we’re in a better position, I do want to see what happened.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s talk wedding plans to keep our minds occupied.”
“That’s a good idea. I need to keep focused.” I worry it might be difficult to think of anything else, but talking about our wedding gets me excited, and I find it’s a welcome distraction.
Chapter Fifteen - The Bureau
We arrive in Washington D.C. and take a taxi to Chris’s apartment building.
We walk inside the lobby with our bags and Chris presses the elevator up button. He says, “Once my dad’s inheritance came through, I upgraded my living arrangements. I like this place much better than the other building.” The doors open and we step inside. He presses the elevator button for floor five. “For tonight, how about we enjoy each other’s company on what might be the last night of anonymity.”
“That sounds good. What did you have in mind?” I tease.
“Why don’t you read it and find out.” He points to his temple and winks.
“I don’t think I need to read your mind.”
The elevator doors open, halting our conversation. We exit and walk down the hall a little way then stop at his door. He quickly unlocks and opens it for me.
“Go ahead,” he says, motioning inside the room.
I walk in, set down my bag, and take in the surroundings. Chris has a fairly nice view of the city and an open spacious apartment furnished with decent furniture. Nothing too extravagant, though.
Chris comes up behind me grabs me around my waist, pulling my body to his in a hug. His mouth descends to the side of my neck where he applies gentle kisses. “I’m so happy to be with you right now.” He kisses my ear.
“Me too.” I turn around in his arms and wrap my arms around his neck. He kisses my forehead, then my mouth. My whole body zings to life and I kiss him back.
Chris’s phone rings.
He groans and pulls his head away from mine. “Why does this always happen?” He drops his arms, walks to his bag and removes his phone. He looks at the screen. “It’s the office. They know I’m on vacation. You know what? I’m not going to answer it.” He silences the ringer and sets the phone down. Then he comes back to me. “Let’s order us some food and stay in tonight.”
I snuggle closer to him and say, “I like the sound of that.” I tilt my chin up and look him in the eye. He lowers his mouth to mine and cups the back of my head with his hands. His lips are warm and inviting yet caring. My stomach growls.
“Yeah, yeah,” Chris says, and drops his hold again. “Food. What would you like?”
I grab the handle of my suitcase and walk toward the bathroom, “I’m going to change into something more comfortable. Order whatever you want.”
“Clothing or food,” he calls behind me.
I look over my shoulder and give him a sly smile. He smiles back—like I saw in the vision last night. I enter the bathroom and shut the door. I rummage through my suitcase for clothing options. I don’t want to come across as suggestive, but I also kind of want a little attention tonight. I mean, I am his fiancé now.
A pair of yoga pants and cute T-shirt wins out. I don’t mind the way the clothes hug my body, and I’m hoping Chris won’t mind either. After removing my other shirt and untangling it from my necklace, I pull the clean shirt over my head. The tag itches my throat and I realize the shirt is backward. Just before twisting it around, I see the tag and notice for the first time there’s a penguin on it.
My mind zips into flashback mode to when Chris first told me about the penguin and the pebble. I smile brightly and look in the mirror. He planned to propose to me in that way for a long time. He set it up in my mind so I’d fall for all the cues. I don’t even think there was a pebble on the sand at all. He probably had it in his pocket. Sleight of hand.
My smile falls as I remember how hard it was to bring him back after the diamond insertion. He almost didn’t live. I fight back tears and find it hard to breathe. I keep seeing his vacant stare and bloody chest in my mind’s eye. My heart pounds in my chest as I relive the scary memory and I use my healing power to suppress the way my body is reacting. Am I having an anxiety attack? Is this what post traumatic stress feels like?
I tell myself over and over that he’s okay. He’s a Diamond Bearer now. He can harness the greater healing power. I take a deep cleansing breath and let it out slowly. I don’t know what will happen between us tonight, but I don’t want to look to the future. Instead, I do my normal future safety scan to make sure I’ll be alive tomorrow. I close my eyes and focus. The unmistakable black fog of obsidian halts my ability. We must be about to expose the obsidian again tonight.
Instead of being afraid, I get excited. If we are around obsidian, it means no one can interrupt us. No bi-locating or mind-reading or anything. Just him and I, alone. My body tingles at the thought. I rummage through my bag and pull out the obsidian container. I’ll bring it out with me to show I want to be completely alone with him. Crimson is just going to have to look the other way. I kind of like this rebellious side of me.
I turn to leave the bathroom, then stop when I hear knocking, but not on the bathroom door. Someone is knocking on Chris’s apartment door.
Chris? I speak to his mind.
It’s Max Corvus. Stay hidden, Calli.
Max Corvus? Focusing my Hunter’s hearing, I listen as Chris mutters a curse word before unlocking his door. Suddenly Chris’s connection ends.
I was wrong. The obsidian in our future isn’t from me—it’s from Max.
I’m not affected yet, though. I wonder if I should call for Crimson? What would I tell her? I don’t know if she’d help anyway.
I need topazes, and quick. I perform a mental inventory of which charged topaz I currently have and then panic. I don’t have anything charged except for the Runner’s topaz on my necklace and the pager topazes from Clara. I dig through my pants pocket that I just took off and remove the contents. I set the small container with Clara’s pagers on the counter, followed with three depleted topaz. Why haven’t I recharged these? I know I’m supposed to always keep topazes charged with Runner, Healer, and Mind-Control powers. At what point did I go lax on this? I grab the roll of medical tape from my bag and strap the three stones to my chest just below my collar bone. I take the pager topazes out of the container and strap them on as well.
I don’t know if Chris has a Runner’s topaz on his body or any other charged stones. Hopefully these stones will have enough time to collect some power. While scram-bling, I listen to their conversation for any indication they might come into the room and find me.
Chris says a little louder than normal, “Well, hey, Max. How the heck are you?”
“Good, good. Alive. I tried to call you.”
“Oh, sorry. I thought it was the office. Weren’t you in Europe?”
“I was. I figured I
’d drop by your place if you weren’t going to answer your phone. Can I come in?”
“Who are your friends?” Chris asks.
“They’re my bodyguards. They can wait out here in the hall, though. I think I’m fairly safe with you.”
“Only fairly?”
I hear the door close. Chris says, “Do you want something to drink?”
“No.”
“So, where have you been, Max?”
“All over the place.”
“I see you’re still wearing obsidian.”
“Oh, this old thing. It’s more of a good luck charm. I have much more effective protection now. I’m sure you’ve seen my posts on my blog.”
“Not recently, no. Did you put something up within the last week?”
“No.”
“So, how long have you been back here? Isn’t there a warrant out for your arrest for the New Year’s Eve bookstore shooting?”
“That’s all cleared up. My friends at the Bureau fixed everything before they brought me home.”
“What do you mean?”
“My blog posts found a buyer. They paid handsomely for my info. Part of my price was to get my name cleared. Another price was to help me set up a broadcasting base here and provide me with a team of helpers.”
Chris says, “Sounds like you have it all figured out. Are you here to give me my cut?”
“Not quite. I have a question for you. Why did you just fly to Bermuda and back this weekend?”
How does Max know about that?
“Uh, I was on vacation.”
“Doing what?”
“That’s kind of personal, don’t you think? And how did you know where I was?”
“Because my team monitors flight manifests for known Diamond people. Calli Courtnae just arrived on a private flight from Bermuda. When this was pointed out to me, I checked the full manifest and found your name too. It was a small flight, but you already know that. Surely you were aware she was on the plane too. Unless she was invisible. So, Chris, let me ask again. Why did you fly from Bermuda with Calli Courtnae?”
Chris doesn’t answer.
I listen to my gut and open the bathroom door. My powers rush out of my body, leaving me vulnerable. I meet Chris’s worried eyes and throw him a half smile.
Max steps back and raises both hands in front of his body. “Whoa! Chris! What’s going on here?”
“She wants to go to the Feds tomorrow to discuss some stuff.”
Max points at Chris and then at me. “You’re taking her in tomorrow? What if she escapes tonight?”
I step forward. “I’m here at my own request, Max.”
Max shakes his head slightly, blinks a few times, then whips out his phone and turns on the camera. “Is anyone else here?” He moves the phone around his body, scanning the room.
“No,” I say. “You’re not going to shoot me again are you?”
“Do I need to?” Max backs up to the door, opens it and says, “Guards! Seize them!”
I glance at Chris who looks like I feel. I’m second-guessing the idea of going to the government.
Chris steps back from the approaching guard. “Max, this isn’t necessary. We’re going in tomorrow.”
Max pulls a gun from his jacket and aims it at Chris.
I extend both my wrists in front of me to show I’m not resisting. I turn to Chris and say, “Don’t fight it. We’ll just go to the Feds tonight.
A guard slaps a cuff on one of my hands, pulls it behind my body and grabs my other arm. I cooperate, knowing if I don’t, I might be shot by some power-confusing substance.
Chris relaxes his stance and is cuffed at the same time as me.
Max leans toward Chris, “I know you probably don’t need obsidian cuffs, but I’m not going to take a chance with anyone.” Max looks at me and points to my necklace. “Remove her necklace,” he orders the guard behind me.
Chris says, “Aren’t you going to read us our rights? Or do you even have that authority?”
After the necklace is untied and taken off my neck, Max orders, “Let’s go. Keep your guns at the ready.”
We began walking as a group out into the hallway, toward the elevator. Max is positioned behind us, gun in hand, pointed at Chris. Both our guards have their guns pressed into our backs.
“You didn’t answer my question, Max,” Chris presses. “What are we being arrested for?”
“I’m not arresting you. I’m taking you in for questioning.”
“Since when do you need cuffs and guns for that? I’m going to file a complaint against you. You’ll lose your job.”
“I hardly think so.”
We stop at the elevator and wait for it to arrive.
Chris adds, “I’m going over your head and getting you fired.”
The elevator car arrives and the doors open.
“Good luck with that, Harding.” Max shoves Chris into the empty elevator. Chris’s guard stumbles to keep up. Max puts his hand up to stop my guard from directing me into the elevator. “We’ll wait,” Max says. He turns to Chris’s guard. “Take him down and put him in your vehicle. If he tries anything, kill him. We’ll be down in a minute.”
Oh no! I check the taped-on topaz to see if they’ve absorbed any powers at all before I became disabled by obsidian. Nothing. They’re empty.
“Yes sir,” the thuggish brute says.
The elevator doors slide shut. Chris’s anguished eyes are the last to disappear.
Max turns to me. “What happened to Marketa that night?”
“She’s dead.”
“What? Did you kill her?”
“No. But she tried to kill me.”
“Who killed her?”
“How did you two meet?”
“Who killed her?”
“Max, did you know Marketa had a diamond in her body?”
“What? You’re making that up. Why won’t you tell me who killed her?”
“Tell me how you met her and I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
“You’ll tell me soon enough. I have someone who can get the information out of you.”
“You’re not taking us to the government, are you.”
He chuckles sadistically. “No, Calli, I’m not.”
If only Brand was here. We would have known trouble was on its way. I’m really wishing we’d told someone—anyone—of our plans to involve the government. No one knows where we are or what’s happening to us. My only hope is that Crimson realizes I’m incapacitated by obsidian. Then I remember Maetha saying our future held obsidian. They probably figure we’re using it again and they aren’t alarmed by our diamonds going dark.
Max moves closer to me. “You know, Calli, I saw you that day at General Harding’s building. You and someone else were in the room. Then, somehow, they went invisible.” He laughs a bit and begins walking a circle around me and my guard. “I’ve driven myself crazy over everything that happened that day. I know what I saw, but no one would believe me. Well, now the whole world is listening. They want to know what I know.”
“Good for you.”
“Yes. It is. You know, I’ll tell you how I met Marketa. She recognized you in the video footage of the Tennessee robbery I posted on my blog. She contacted me and told me she was hired to be your protector at college. She fed me information about you and told me you’d come looking for me if I followed her instructions. She was right. Now it’s your turn to tell me who killed her.”
“Of course she was right, Max. She was working both sides. She made everything possible. She used you for her own agenda. I think you’re still being used by someone else.”
“Oh, and you would know.”
“Yeah. Marketa was killed by another Diamond Bearer for being a traitor.”
“So, Jonas Flemming killed her?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Exactly how many of these diamonds are floating around?”
I shrug my shoulders.
He presses further. “Wher
e’s your invisible boyfriend, Brand Safferson? And where’s Jonas? Is he in Bermuda? Huh?”
I fire back at him. “Who set you up with the whole invisible bubble system to hide your building?”
He’s clearly caught off guard. He steps back a little and scrunches his eyebrows. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know, Max, for being so scared of people with powers or diamonds, you seem to be oblivious to the danger you put yourself in when you side with Spellcasters.”
“Spell-whaters?”
“Which makes me wonder what interest does a Spellcaster have with diamonds?”
Max wags his finger at me. “There wasn’t any ‘magic’ involved with the perimeter. It was simply a drug that confuses people so they forget what they’re looking for. Magic doesn’t exist.” He scoffs and grunts as if he’s heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.
“Yet you believe diamonds can contain powers.”
“That’s different.” He crosses his arms and looks up at the elevator arrows.
“Uh, okay.” I roll my eyes. “Did Marketa have any friends helping her?”
He taps his foot. “Where’s that blasted elevator?”
My wishful-thinking mind concocts a scenario of the elevator opening, revealing Chris with the guard’s gun. In slow motion, he subdues Max and the other guard and sends them down in the elevator. Then we go back to Chris’s apartment and enjoy the evening. Wouldn’t that be great?
The elevator chime sounds, pulling me back to reality, then the doors open, revealing an empty space. No rescuer coming for me.
“Go.” The guard behind me pushes me forward.
I imagine myself ramming my body into Max, then the guard, then running to . . . somewhere. I know better, though. I’d be shot in a heartbeat. I don’t have Runners’ reflexes if obsidian is present. Where is Max’s obsidian anyway? I decide to probe in that direction.
The elevator doors close and we begin our descent.
I say, “I can’t believe you’re still relying on obsidian to mute my powers. You know we’ve found ways out around that.”
“I’m aware. But, it still works in a pinch.”
The Diamond Bearers' Rising Page 27