by JL Terra
The woman behind the desk in the hotel hadn’t even blinked when Bryn used the English accent she’d cultivated during that nine-hour Pride and Prejudice version she’d watched over and over.
She checked into this hotel under the name Elizabeth Brynlea with only the bare essentials she’d managed to grab from the room Amelia had put her in, and no clothes. She’d traded Amelia’s ride to a used dealer for three thousand and then walked to downtown Reno. She hit a thrift store on the way and got some clothes and a bag to put them in. A little extra cash to the hotelier and she’d checked in with no ID.
She’d slept for two days and then checked out.
By the time she pushed the key card into the lock in the second hotel, her hand shook. Despite the rest she’d had, she was still weak. Her legs would give out any moment. Please work. The light turned green and the lock clicked. Bryn let herself in, threw the deadbolt on the door, and managed to slip off her shoes before collapsing on the bed.
Pain sliced through the muscles in her neck. She moaned and unwound the scarf, then tossed it aside, along with the sunglasses.
How long passed as she drifted in and out of consciousness, she didn’t know. Dreams chased her. Branches like fingers reached for her. The sting of barbs sliced at her skin. Dirt poured on top of her and all around her, burying her alive.
Bryn stumbled to the bathroom and washed her face, then gulped water straight from the faucet. She didn’t turn the light on, didn’t want to know what she looked like. She ordered room service. Choked down food she didn’t want to eat but needed. Then spent time staring out the window to watch the nascent day light the sky.
The morning was quiet, not so many people on the street. No clouds. No trees, or forests. Why hadn’t she thought of this before? Providence brought you here. So far, all she’d gotten for her attempt at finding peace was more terror and more blood.
Here she was, safe. At least for a little while. In this hotel, smack in the middle of a busy city, she could be one of millions. Anonymous. Unknown. A place to take the time to heal her physical wounds. The rest of her life was anyone’s guess. Bryn didn’t particularly want to be like this for years. She wanted to live free of this terror. One day.
She wanted to see her brother and his family. Visit the farm her father had worked every day of his life until he’d keeled over in the field suffering his first—and last—heart attack. Gone before she could get there.
Bryn wandered back to the bed and laid down, pulled the covers over her head and slept.
She woke to the ringing of the phone.
Moving seemed like far too much effort, so she let it go. No one wanted to talk to her. No one even knew she was here.
The ringing stopped.
It began again and then stopped. Three more times. When it rang a fourth time, she moaned, rolled over and picked up. “Yes?”
“It’s Amelia.”
Bryn gripped the phone. “How—?”
“Uncle Daire works for a guy named Ben, and he has this woman who works for him. Her name is Remy, and she’s a doctor and a computer genius. She can find anyone, anywhere.”
“How did she find me?”
“Algorithms and surveillance cameras. Plus my car had a GPS transmitter in it, which you didn’t know when you sold it. You could have gotten an extra five hundred for the tech in that car.”
Bryn shifted on the bed so she was sitting up, and leaned back against the pillows. “What do you want?” She didn’t want to sound short but it was what it was.
Amelia went quiet for a minute. “I wanted to know if you were okay. I figured I’d give you some time to relax, but I wanted to catch you before you took off and Remy had to go through that stuff all over again just to find you.”
Bryn sighed.
“So are you okay?”
“I could use another dose of Ibuprofen, but I’m fine.”
“Why don’t I believe you?” She heard a smile in the young woman’s voice despite the fact Bryn had stolen her car. “You were bitten in the neck, Bryn. There’s no way I’m going to take ‘fine’ for an answer.”
“It’s sweet that you’re concerned about me, but I’ve been on my own for a while now. I’ve started to like it that way.”
“I don’t know if that’s the bravest or saddest thing I’ve ever heard.” Amelia was quiet for a second, then she said, “I know what it’s like to be alone. If anyone knows, it’s me.”
“You have your uncle, right?”
“Sure, he takes care of me. He always has. Ever since I can remember. I guess now I know the real reason why he isn’t around that much. Because apparently, I’m cursed.”
Bryn blinked. “You’re what?”
“Cursed. Like, seriously.”
All that came out was a, “Huh,” noise.
“You aren’t screaming.”
“No.”
“That probably means we should be friends.” Amelia laughed, the sound of little bells. “I mean, if you aren’t going to go psycho on me all of a sudden when I least expect it.”
Bryn couldn’t help the smile. Maybe it was some kind of trauma-based reaction. Like two homicide detectives laughing over a joke about a dead body. But she didn’t really care. They’d both seen some crazy things the last few days, and in their lives.
Bryn said, “I’ll try not to be a psycho.”
“Does this mean we’ll be friends?” The hope in the girl’s voice was clear, despite the fact they were on the phone.
Still, Bryn had to say, “You’re sure?” She heard the anxiety ring in her own voice. She could count on both hands the number of times she’d been set up by her own hope, and then let down. Burned by people who only wanted a story to tell on social media. Or a close look at the crazy girl they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise, without first pretending to be her friend.
“I’m sure I’m not leaving this bed and breakfast anytime soon. I’ll give you my number and you can call me from wherever you are. We could both use someone to talk to when it’s too quiet.”
Bryn shut her eyes and soaked in the sweet balm of those words. An anchor in the choppy sea that was her life. “I’d like that.”
The thought of not being completely alone anymore was almost more than her tattered emotions could handle.
“Good. Because this arrangement is going to come with a few extras.” And why did the girl suddenly sound like a self-assured woman? Right now she sounded older than Bryn. Or maybe it was that Bryn had been brought so low that Amelia’s stubbornness was more prominent.
Bryn said, “What did you do?”
“Not me. Daire called Remy, and she called me. I wanted to talk to you first and get our stuff ironed out. But she said when I spoke to you that I should tell you that Shadrach is on his way to get you. Daire wants to talk to you about something.”
“What?”
“How am I supposed to know? He’s never shared anything with me. I mean, he waited like ten years to tell me I’m cursed.”
The edge to her voice made Bryn sit up, despite the pain in her neck. “Does he keep other things from you?”
“You mean things like who he is and where he’s from? Or the kind of life he’s had? How exactly we’re related? Because I don’t think he is really my uncle even though he knew my mother. It might be weird that he’s my older, rich benefactor. But he’s never made it weird.”
“That’s good, at least.”
“Yeah, no kidding. And yet for some reason—which I guess I know now—he’s kept me cloistered in these mountains for most of my life.”
“To keep you safe.”
“Except, no,” Amelia said. “It’s to keep everyone else safe from me.”
Bryn gripped the phone. She got up and took a couple of steps, as far as she could pace and be tethered to the phone’s base by the cord. “I’m sorry.”
She couldn’t let the empathy penetrate her carefully-built walls. Otherwise, she would drown in the sorrow of it all.
“Yeah, me too
.” Amelia sighed.
“At least now you know there was a good reason for it.”
The girl was quiet for a second. “I skinned my knee once. My nanny at the time pulled out the first aid kit and shoved me in the bathroom. She barricaded the door and made me do the cream and the Band-Aid myself. I think I was six. I remember crying, thinking she was horrible. Later that night, she went crazy.”
Bryn squeezed the bridge of her nose. There was enough terror and sorrow inside of her; it was difficult to pile yet more on top of it. Especially when it didn’t even belong to her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again.
“You probably didn’t need me to tell you that.”
Bryn shook her head even though Amelia couldn’t see her. “It’s okay. That’s what friends do, they listen when you need to get something off your chest.”
A light knock sounded on the door of the hotel room. Bryn looked at the door, and then back at the phone base. “Someone is here.”
“That was quick. Maybe Shadrach is better than I thought.” Amelia was quiet for a second then she said, “Remy said he’s super cute. But that she also has dibs on him.”
Bryn laughed. “That’s good to know. Just in case I decide to go psycho obsessive and try to bite his neck.”
“Girl, after what I saw happen to you, that is not funny.”
“Too soon?” They both laughed. Bryn said, “I better get the door. Hang on a second.”
She set the phone down, Amelia waiting on the other end. Then tread warily to the door and looked out the peephole, wishing she had at least a gun for protection. The man standing there lifted his hand and knocked again, now impatient. She couldn’t see his face under the brim of his ball cap but didn’t know what Shadrach looked like anyway. She didn’t much concern herself with whether he was good looking or not.
Bryn grasped the door handle and pulled it open. Shadrach, if that was who this was, shoved his hand against the door and pushed it open.
“Whoa, what are you doing?”
That was when she saw the gun.
Bryn swung her left arm up in a block and moved his gun hand away fast enough the weapon hit the wall. With her right hand, she balled her fingers and punched him on his freckled nose. Then she grabbed his shoulders and brought her knee up to his stomach. An easier target to hit than anything farther south.
He doubled over on the floor. She grabbed the gun out of his hand and held aim on him while she put her shoes on, no socks, and swiped up her bag. Whether this was Shadrach or not, Bryn could take care of herself. She didn’t need the mysterious Daire and his dark eyes sending a man to fetch her.
Whatever did he want to talk to her about? Too bad she didn’t care. Bryn was done trying to hide in the light, hoping she would never be found. Whatever that man’s intentions, whose gun she now held as she raced to the elevator, she was done with it.
Bryn was going to disappear so far down into the darkness, no one would ever find her.
The elevator doors slid open, and she strode as quickly as she could without running toward a side door, so she could slip out relatively unnoticed. Despite the visible injury to her neck, the fact that she was flushed and sweating and had nowhere to go, she would do her best to look like she belonged there. Just another tourist.
A mile up the street, she glanced back and found a German shepherd behind her. Trotting along, like the dog had every reason to be following her. She made two right-hand turns and then a left-hand turn, but the dog stuck with her. Not a stray. This one had a thick leather collar and walked behind her with purpose, yet still keeping some distance.
Bryn stopped to catch her breath. She leaned against the wall of the building closest to her and put one foot against the wall. Twenty-five feet away, the dog stopped. Sat. His tongue dangled out the side of his mouth as he panted.
Stared at her.
“You don’t gotta worry. He’s not gonna bite you.”
Bryn spun to the source of the voice. The man didn’t hide his reaction to her wounds.
“If that Roy guy wasn’t already dead, I’d want to kill him myself for doing that to you.”
Was she supposed to say thank you? Instead, any word she might’ve said got stuck in her throat. Bryn just stood there staring up at his scary—but admittedly handsome—face. Short brown hair, cut in a military style. Clothing that disguised his strength. Twenty-five, maybe. Or thereabouts.
“I’m Shadrach.” He motioned over her shoulder. “That’s Dauntless.”
She turned back in time to see the dog’s ears prick up, all his attention on his master.
“Daire wants to talk to you.”
That loosened her tongue. She lifted her chin and said, “And if I don’t want to talk to him?”
She wanted nothing to do with Daire. Even talking with Amelia on the phone was going to be hard, but she would do it. She needed it. She didn’t need Daire.
Shadrach smiled, softening his face in a way this Remy person that Amelia had mentioned probably liked a lot. “Said you’d say that.”
“So it was nice to meet you and all, but I’m going to be leaving now.”
She turned to walk away and realized she’d have to walk past the dog.
“Daire said you’d probably say that as well.”
She swung back toward him. “I’ll have you know—”
Shadrach pressed the prongs of a stun gun against the skin of her neck that was not covered with bandages. He caught her before she hit the floor and swung her up into his arms like she weighed no more than a child.
“I guess my gentlemanly charm didn’t work.” He called the dog to him and started walking. “Means I owe him twenty bucks.”
Chapter 17
Chicago. Six hours later.
Bryn’s face was as pale as it had been when he’d left Nevada. “This is kidnapping.”
Daire sat on a wooden chair, facing the matching wooden chair she sat on. The one he’d propped her on as she began to regain consciousness. The chairs were the only furniture in a room decorated with thin office-grade carpet and gray walls. The one window behind him had been covered with a thin plastic that blocked the view like frosted glass.
He didn’t move. Didn’t give her any reaction to what she’d said. Instead, he just calmly asked, “Are you going to press charges?”
Her lips pressed together.
“Are you okay? Do you need anything? Ibuprofen? Water?” When she gave no reaction, he said, “Bourbon? Weed?”
“My tastes run more in the direction of chocolate ice cream.”
“So noted.”
Her eyes narrowed.
He said, “What do you know about the Druid?”
“A particular Druid, or Druids in general like Merlin?”
“He was a wizard. A fictional one.”
She frowned. “Is this going to be a history test I haven’t studied for? Because I’m going to need some of that ice cream if that’s the case.”
His lips itched, wanted to curl up in a smile. “Focus.”
“On what?”
“I need to know what he did to you. I need to know everything you heard and saw from start to finish. Leave nothing out.”
She swallowed. “You know him?”
There was a story he wasn’t about to tell. “There are people in this building I’ve known for decades, and they only discovered the truth behind that question yesterday.”
“So I have to tell you all my secrets, but you just get to hide behind that blank face—which I hate by the way—and give me nothing in return?”
“You hate my face?”
“I hate the blank face because it’s fake and it means I’m not even worth showing basic kindness, or empathy. And if I’m going to tell you a story then you had better be listening to every word, because I’m not going to tell you twice.” She slumped in the chair. Her shoulders deflated like air let out of a balloon. Even that much talking had sapped the energy from her.
Daire felt his features soften.
“I could say the same.”
She was clearly not mended but had rested, and some color was back in her cheeks. Still, he’d likely never forget the sight of her pinned to the ground by a man, his teeth embedded into her neck.
He stood. “Take a walk with me?”
She got up as slowly as he’d have guessed. Daire opened the door and held it for her. He placed his hand on the small of her back as they stepped into the hall.
“Where are we?”
“Rented office building. I’m not going to tell you where, but you rode on the company airplane to get here. And if you do manage to find the place again after you leave, we won’t be here.”
“So this is it? A conversation and then we part ways, Mr. Secret Agent?”
Had she been expecting something else? “My job is to rid the world of the Druid. I need to know what you know, and then we’ll make sure you’re safe. But, no. We won’t need anything aside from that.”
“I see.”
Daire waved to the end of the hall. “This way.”
He led her to the conference room, only slightly larger than the one they’d been in. Remy sat at the table on a yoga ball, Dauntless asleep on his bed in the corner.
Daire rapped his knuckles on the door. Dauntless lifted his head off his paws. “Just us.”
Bryn took a step back. Daire didn’t let her get far. “This is Remy.”
“Oh. Right. Amelia mentioned you.”
Remy smiled but didn’t get up. Nor did she offer to shake Bryn’s hand. “It’s good to see you upright. While you were conked out, I checked the bandage. Your wound looks good. I gave you a shot of antibiotic though, just to be safe.”
Bryn stared for a second, then nodded. “Thanks.”
“All part of the service.”
Daire applied gentle pressure to the small of her back and said, “Next door, down the hall.”
They wandered to it. Inside this one, three men stood around a table covered with blueprints.