[Jennifer Cloud 01.0] The Shoes Come First

by Janet Leigh

  “I lost my wittle wing,” I said, holding up my finger, keeping my other hand, clenching the letter opener, hidden in the folds of my dress. He looked around and spotted the diamond ring. He bent over to pick it up for me. Caiyan came forward and in an instant had him in a choke hold. The man went unconscious.

  “Did you kill him?” I asked in a panicked voice.

  “No, just turned oot the lights for a minute. We need to bind him and gag him.” Caiyan eyed me.

  “I’m all out of accessories, sorry.” We dragged him down another passage, which dead-ended. Caiyan removed the man’s socks and shoes. He handed them to me, telling me to take out the laces. He removed the man’s shirt, replacing his torn one. After binding the guy’s hands behind his back with his own shoelaces, Caiyan stuck a sock in his mouth. I had to giggle at the thought of the poor guy waking up shirtless and barefoot. Caiyan picked the man’s gun up off the floor, where it had landed in the scuffle, and tucked it in the back of his pants waistband.

  We returned to the door. This door was heavy metal.

  “You’re not going to walk right in, are you?” I asked.

  “How else are we going to see what’s behind door number one?”

  “What if there are bad guys in there?”

  “Then we will have to change our plans.”

  Caiyan started to pull the latch on the door.

  “Wait!” I said.

  “C’mon, lassie, be brave. We cannae just sit oot here. If a bad guy is inside, just pretend he’s Royal Mail delivery bringing you the post and go get ‘em with your lethal letter opener.”

  “If I’d known it was you on the stairway, I’d’ve put more force behind it.”

  “There’s my girl. Now let’s see what these buggers are hiding,” he said, pulling the door open.

  The room was large, and the fluorescent lights were bright, blinding us as we made our way inside. It was as if a basement of sorts had been built underground in the cave. Several rows of metal shelves ran horizontally across the room. Brown boxes with shipping labels on the sides were stacked chest high on each shelf.

  “Let me see your opener.”

  I handed it to Caiyan, happy my weapon had come into use. He opened one of the boxes, revealing stacks of US currency.

  “Counterfeit?” I asked.

  “Most likely,” he replied. “This is Mafia country. They are into many different illegal ventures. It’s not why we are here but could come in handy.” He grabbed a stack of neatly bundled bills and put it in his back pocket. I raised an eyebrow.

  “Evidence.” Caiyan closed the box and returned it to its original place.

  The center aisle emptied us into the end of the room. To our right was a large warehouse door that raised upward garage fashion. Now we knew how the boxes came in. To our left was a small loading area. A lightbulb hung from a single wire in the middle of the room. A chair sat under the wire. On the far wall was a big picture window that was blackened with a film. Next to this stood a single door with a deadbolt securing it shut. I felt my heart flutter. My gut told me this was where they were keeping Gertie.

  As we approached the black window, we heard someone pull the latch on the door.

  “Someone’s coming,” I said. Caiyan grabbed me, and we ducked behind the stack of shelves just in time to see Mortas, Mahlia, and the older Mafuso come into the room.

  “I told you she is not the one,” Mahlia said, irritated. “There was another girl as well. Neither one was wearing a key. Is this the right time? We have a house full of guests, and where the hell is Dante? He was supposed to be guarding the door.” She looked around suspiciously, making sure everything seemed to be in order.

  “Mahlia, I am only here for a short time. I need to see the girl tonight.” The old man used a coaxing, gentle voice when talking to Mahlia.

  “Why would the WTF allow her into 1915 if she weren’t a transporter?” Mortas argued. “She has to be the one. We are running out of time, especially if the WTF are here tonight.”

  “Relax, you two,” the older man ordered. “Dante is probably outside smoking as usual. Bring me the girl.”

  Mortas frowned, then walked to the door and unlocked it. He went inside, and it sounded like he was struggling to move something. A few minutes later, he appeared, dragging Gertie, who was putting up a humdinger of a fight.

  She was blindfolded, her hands were tied behind her back, and there was a gag in her mouth. Mortas plopped her down in the chair and turned on the light above her head.

  Mahlia moved to turn off the overhead lights. We were once again plunged into darkness, except for the small light emitted by the bulb hanging from the ceiling over Gertie’s head. The darkness allowed Caiyan and me to move closer without being detected. We crouched behind the last shelf, where we could get a full view of Gertie.

  Mortas removed the blindfold and gag, explaining she could scream all she wanted, but the room was soundproof and no one would hear.

  “So you told me before,” said Gertie, shielding her eyes from the bright light. “Y’all can dragnet me all you want; I told you people, I don’t know anything.”

  “How did you get to 1915?” Mortas asked.

  “Like I said before, the cute Australian guy met me in a bar and offered me a ride in his bathtub.”

  Way to go, Gertie. She was telling a great lie to cover for me. I was tearing up at the thought. However, she had just revealed Brodie’s vessel to the enemy.

  “She’s lying,” Mahlia said. “The WTF wouldn’t be so stupid to allow a common person to travel. It’s forbidden. She would have died traveling with a defender anyhow.”

  “As I said before, we had a few drinks at the bar, then we left, and I had some of my granddaddy’s secret recipe stashed in my car. My granddaddy’s moonshine is pretty stout. After Brodie and I drank a pint, he was all bragging about his flyin’ tub. I didn’t believe a word of it, but he sweet-talked me into taking a ride.”

  “Who is your grandfather?” asked the older man.

  “Well, on my daddy’s side, it was Papa O’Reilley. He made the moonshine and owned pubs back in Ireland. But I never met ‘im. My dad passed down the secret recipe before he split.”

  “And your mother’s side?”

  “I never met my mom’s dad. He died before I was born. And I’m tired of answerin’ all these dumb questions.”

  “See what I mean?” Mahlia said maliciously. “There is no way this dimwit could be a transporter.”

  I saw red. Mahlia was being cruel to Gertie. Caiyan rested a warning hand on my arm. Gertie sat up straight in her chair and looked Mahlia right in the eye.

  “You forgot to ask me who my stepfather is,” she said.

  “OK, who is he, Huckleberry Finn?” Mahlia and Mortas both laughed.

  “For your information, Huckleberry Finn is a very important character in one of the great American novels. My stepdad, however, is better known to you people as Vinnie the Fish.”

  Everyone in the room froze.

  “Oh jeez, Grandfather, I didn’t know,” Mortas spat.

  “So, not only have you brought me the wrong girl, but she also belongs to Vinnie. Schmuck!” he said, slapping Mortas upside the head. “This is not a complication I need right now. If Vinnie finds out I have kidnapped his stepdaughter, he could make my business deals very difficult.” The old man circled around the room, tapping his finger to his mouth. “Still, is it possible Vinnie knows something I do not?” He pondered this idea for a minute.

  “Open the door and try the key again,” Gian-Carlo ordered. Mortas moved to the big steel overhead door. He flipped a switch, and the door opened, revealing a dock somewhere around the back of the mansion. The moonlight enveloped the room, casting shadows on the stone walls. I realized even if Gertie were able to call a vessel, it couldn’t materialize inside the basement. There wasn’t enough room. We needed to be outside. Thankfully, the wind swept into the room, creating a whistling noise that masked any accidental noise Caiyan
and I might make.

  Mahlia opened a box she was carrying and removed my key. My heart started to pound louder. I was ten feet from my key.

  “My key,” I whispered.

  Caiyan held steady with his grip on me.

  “I dunno why y’all keep making me put that damn thing around my neck,” Gertie complained.

  Mortas unbound Gertie’s hands. Mahlia handed the key to Gertie. “Put it on.”

  Caiyan shook his head, stifling a laugh. “They are idiots. They want the vessel so bad, they didn’t even try to take the key off themselves. They would have known immediately simply by being able to remove the key.”

  Mortas pulled Gertie to her feet and moved her chair closer to the open door. He sat Gertie back down with a loud thump and secured her to the chair.

  “Just in case your vessel does come, I wouldn’t want you to make a run for it,” he said.

  “Call your vessel,” the old man demanded. “Speak the word that calls your vessel.”

  “Oh vessely poo, come out, come out, wherever you are.” Gertie laughed.

  The old man nodded his head toward Mortas, who went forward and slapped Gertie across the face. I started to jump forward, and Caiyan put his hand on my arm, holding me steady. I looked at him with disgust. How could he allow them to be so cruel to Gertie?

  “Do not make fun of something that is sacred,” Gian-Carlo said to Gertie.

  Gertie’s lip began to swell. The old man walked around her. “I do not believe your story. It is impossible for a defender to carry another person. Therefore, you are either lying about the way you time traveled or the Australian defender. Now, which is it?”

  Gertie just sat there eyeing him. He nodded to Mortas, and I saw Caiyan rest his head on his arm and say, “Shite.”

  Mortas pulled back to give Gertie another whack, and I jumped forward.

  “Stop!” I screamed, running at Mortas with my letter opener. I sliced through his upraised arm before he pulled away and grabbed me around the neck.

  Caiyan stepped out with a gun in his hand. Mahlia also had her gun drawn and pointing at Caiyan.

  “What have we here?” Gian-Carlo asked.

  “Just give us the girl and the key, and we will go aboot our business,” Caiyan said.

  “McGregor. I should have known you’d be lurking around,” the old man said.

  “Drop the gun, Caiyan, or the girl gets it.” Mortas sneered as he jammed his gun into my ribcage.

  “Let’s see, if Mortas shoots Jen, and I shoot you, old man, then Mahlia shoots me. You, Jen, Mahlia, Mortas, and I will die either by bullet or for killing their own kind. That leaves Gertie, whom we are here to rescue in the first place. So all is good, yeah?” Everyone looked at Gertie.

  “So, if Gertie is the transporter, why doesn’t the key work for her?” Gian-Carlo asked, waving a hand in her direction.

  “She is not what you seek,” Caiyan said.

  “Mahlia has told me you needed the key for your transporter to return home.”

  I cut my eyes toward Caiyan, and he looked away, regretfully. The dumb shit, I thought to myself. Did he actually think she would just hand it over to him?

  “And Mortas has told me this is the key the old woman was wearing when the king’s vessel was discovered.”

  “That’s right, Grandfather. I heard the woman say they had found it.” Mortas sneered at Caiyan.

  “The true holder of the king’s vessel has still not been recovered.” Caiyan kept a steady hand on his gun as he spoke.

  “How do I know you are speaking the truth?” Gian-Carlo asked.

  “Do you think I would be sitting here if I had access to the king’s vessel?” Caiyan said. The old man laughed.

  “You are like your grandfather, Caiyan. Always seeking more treasure. I do not know why you pretend to work for the WTF when it is just a means to supply you with past treasure. I could help you, without all the work.”

  “If it wasn’t for you and the other brigands running amuck, I wouldn’t have to work,” Caiyan said.

  “Your other friend does not wear her key.” Gian-Carlo looked directly at my bare neck. “Has she become disillusioned with us like young Marco?” I realized they didn’t have a clue the key they took belonged to me.

  “Yes, I’m just like Marco,” I lied. “I’m not going to travel again.”

  “Such a waste. I was good friends with his grandfather, you know? Like brothers we were, back in the old country. We had many adventures together and gained great wealth.” He sighed. “Then he met that woman and she changed him. Made him turn against his own family, so to speak. Pity Mortas disposed of them before we could get the information we needed.”

  Mortas’s head snapped up and directed an accusatory glare at his grandfather.

  “Elma was trying to stop us from getting to the king’s vessel,” Mortas said to his grandfather. “I told you it was an accident. My hired hand was worthless…The gun went off by mistake. We had to take Elma out too—she knew too much.”

  “You killed Aint Elma?” Gertie’s bottom lip began to quiver, and then big crocodile tears started pouring down her face.

  “Not personally.” Mortas shrugged.

  “Aunt?” Mahlia asked.

  “Yes, she was our great-aunt. A sweet little old lady who never harmed a soul, and you murdered her, you bastard!” I directed my anger at Gian-Carlo. Mortas tightened his grip around me.

  “I assure you, the sweet little old lady you refer to did in fact kill in cold blood.” Gian-Carlo paced back and forth as he spoke. “I have many battle wounds inflicted by that aunt of yours.”

  “But still, it’s not a direct line,” Mahlia said.

  “The gift never surprises me in its idiosyncrasies.” The old man looked distant for a moment, then asked, “Is it possible we have the key around the wrong neck?”

  All eyes shifted to my neck.

  I looked at Caiyan for answers. He moved his hand to his key, and I saw his mouth move. Mortas dropped to his knees, clutching his side in pain.

  I moved to Gertie and threw my arms around her just in time to see Mahlia fire the gun at her. The whole room stopped in time, and the bullet seemed to slow down. I couldn’t move, but I saw a flash of color out of the corner of my eye. Marco was there, pulling Gertie and me out of the bullet’s path. It was over the split second it took for Marco to move us, saving our lives. But he didn’t disarm Mahlia.

  She fired another shot, but before he could wave his hand and slow down time, the bullet hit him in the chest. Marco went down at the same time that Brodie, Ace, and Jake entered through the overhead door carrying guns. Jake held a gun on Mortas. Ace quickly disarmed Mahlia, and Brodie had his gun on Gian-Carlo.

  “Just taking back what you took from us, mate,” Brodie replied, tossing Caiyan his knife. Caiyan cut Gertie free from the chair.

  I was down on my hands and knees putting pressure on Marco’s chest. He was unconscious.

  Mahlia was white as a sheet. When he died, would she just disappear? I didn’t know how it worked.

  Brodie came and looked at the wound. “We have to move him, mate.”

  “He needs an ambulance,” I protested.

  “It doesn’t work that way; we have to get him to headquarters, and they will take care of him there.”

  Jake ordered the Mafusos locked in the room where Gertie had previously been held captive. After they were secured, Ace called his vessel, and we gently put Marco inside. Ace left in a flash.

  “Are you OK?” Jake hugged me close.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” I said, but my knees were shaking, and my lip was quivering. “Maybe a little more training might help.”

  “Soon, I promise. We have to get everyone out of here in case the police show up. Who knows how many people heard the gunshots. The WTF will be here shortly to sort this mess out. I can put Gertie on a plane back home.”

  “Don’t bother,” I said. Gertie had run to me and was holding on to me tight. I looked at Ger
t and gave her hand a squeeze. “Cousin Trish sent you a ticket to come here for the next week. She knew there would be lots of family in town for the Mafusos’ big party and wanted her family here afterward.”

  “OK, I’ll just take her to Trish’s house and debrief her on the way,” Jake replied. “Ace can get me later.”

  Gertie gave me a hug. “Thanks for coming after me. I knew you would.”

  “Well, we are blood, right?” Gertie smiled, then left with Jake. Brodie called his vessel.

  “Jen, we have to take this key back to the past owner,” Caiyan said.

  “I know, I need to take it. But how will I find her?”

  “You will have to wait for the next moon cycle,” he said, looking up at the pearly glow of the half moon.

  “Here, keep it until then,” he said, placing the key gently around my neck. His warm hands brushed against my bare skin, giving me a chill. My key began to glow, and my outhouse appeared in front of me.

  I heard a soft voice singing in my head. It sounded like a lullaby.

  “I can hear a voice singing,” I said tapping the side of my head.

  “What the bloody hell?” Brodie and Caiyan looked at each other.

  “Can you hear it?” I asked them

  “Caiyan, other than lateral travel, have you ever heard of anyone who could time travel between moon cycles, mate?”

  “Not in three thousand years.”

  “I feel like the key wants to go home.” I walked toward my outhouse.

  “Sorry, lassie, you’re not going withoot me.”

  “Suit yourself,” I said, climbing into my vessel. Caiyan came and sat down next to me. We saw Brodie give us a concerned wave as the door shut. I concentrated on 1915 as the soft song played in my head. I said, “Hanhepi,” and we took off.

  Chapter 22

  My outhouse came to a screeching halt. Neither Caiyan nor I was vaulted from the vessel. This was good; I was finally starting to gain a little control over my vessel. I stepped out but didn’t recognize my surroundings. Caiyan came and stood by my side.

  “I feel like I should be with Marco,” I said.

  “Marco will be fine. His thick racing suit slowed the bullet, and I don’t think it hit any major organs.”