by Skye Knizley
Cadence slipped through the door and pounded down the stairs. At the bottom she crashed through the door and slid to a halt on the frozen sidewalk, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness of the snow. She hadn’t realized how dark it was inside.
She shaded her eyes against the glare and spotted a black sedan parked near the lobby. Counting the seconds in her head, she ran to the car and dropped into the passenger seat. The interior was immaculate, and not what you’d expect for a bunch of KGB Spooks in black suits. It was leather, for one, with plush carpeting front and rear rather than the serviceable vinyl seats rubber floors usually reserved for police vehicles. There was no shotgun rack nor was the back seat separated from the front. It was just, to all appearances, a luxury sedan.
She popped the glove box open and peered inside. A silver pistol sat inside beside two magazines of ammunition. She set both on the seat and opened the envelope beneath. The car was registered to a corporation named Crimson Assurance in Washington D.C., with a contact number she recognized as being somewhere in Nevada, by the area code. She wrote the number on her hand and put everything back where it was.
In the lobby, she saw the light of the open elevator and knew the two men were on their way. She had only seconds left, seconds she used to run for cover behind her own vehicle. She’d just slid to a stop when the two men stepped into the cold and climbed into their vehicle. As they were driving away, Cadence memorized their license plate number and added it to the note on her palm. One way or another, she was going to find out who those men were, and what they wanted from her. For now, she had to grab Nikki and get home before they got into any more trouble or ran into any more Men in Black.
CHAPTER FOUR
The holidays passed like a long winter storm, leaving holiday cheer in their wake, and soon the Men in Black were a memory. Throughout Christmas and New Year’s eve, Cadence tried to remain positive and upbeat. She spent time with Nikki at the library, researching the photograph and mysterious key, played D&D with Tyler and the rest of her friends, and tried to get back to normal, or at least as normal as her life ever got.
The Sunday before school resumed, she was stuffing books into her bag in preparation for their afternoon game when Phoenix knocked on her bedroom door and leaned inside. His uniform shirt was unbuttoned and she could see the body armor he’d taken to wearing underneath.
“Hey, kiddo, got a sec?”
Cadence shoved her player’s handbook into her backpack. “What’s up?”
Phoenix entered and straddled the chair she used at her desk. “I ran that plate you gave me, I’m sorry it took so long. The number came back to an insurance company in D.C. Can you tell me what you need it for?”
Cadence paused. She wanted to tell him the truth, to tell him that she might be in danger and needed help. But if she told him, it might put him in danger, and she couldn’t do that. She didn’t remember ever having anyone who cared for her like he did. Even if she had parents out there somewhere, how could they have let this happen? They couldn’t have been very good parents to let their daughter be kidnapped and left for dead.
“Just saw the car and wondered who it was, kind of weird to have a car from Washington all the way out here in Lobo,” she said.
Phoenix scratched his chin. “Yeah, kind of weird but those insurance types get around, you know? Even Lobo has car accidents.”
He stood. “I’m going to grab a shower, picking up another double tonight. There are TV dinners in the freezer and a fresh pie for dessert.”
“We’re probably doing pizza over at Tyler’s but I’ll have pie when I get home,” Cadence said.
Phoenix stopped in the door. “You got money?”
Cadence patted her pocket. She’d made thirty dollars playing guitar at the coffee house. “It’s covered.”
“That’s my girl. See you in the morning, kiddo,” Phoenix said.
He left for his shower and Cadence finished sorting through her dice before heading out into the afternoon sun. It was warmer than it had been the last week, but not warm enough to melt the snow that still clung to everything like white meringue.
Though the roads were cleared, there were still patches of ice that made driving the old car treacherous, and Cadence drove slowly. Lobo was a pretty town and they’d really gone all out for the holiday season with lights, wreaths and speakers playing old holiday favorites. With the window down she could hear them playing as she drove.
She arrived at Tyler’s just in time to see Nikki’s father dropping her off. He was driving his shop van, with the big yellow key on the side. Nikki’d been working with him for the weekend to make some extra money for the coming summer, they were hoping to go to GenCon for the first time.
Cadence waved at him as he backed out of the driveway then parked next to Nikki, who stood waiting for her next to Grayson Holliday’s Charger. She’d dressed in jeans, an off shoulder tee, boots and her favorite ski jacket topped with a pink stocking cap to keep out the worst of the winter cold.
They kissed as soon as Cadence was out of the car, then hurried down the path to Tyler’s basement game room. They entered through the sliding glass door and could hear Tyler, Grayson and Zander talking about the coming game and their characters, who had just survived one of the worst dungeons they’d ever played. Mr. Gygax had a twisted mind that had taken the lives of several characters during the last session, but they’d been brought back to town and revived, safe and sound. They would get the next plot hook today and set off for another strange town or forbidden ruin. Tyler was an amazing storyteller that made the game that much more fun and the excitement in their voices was genuine.
“Wait a sec,” Nikki said before they entered the next room.
“What’s up?” Cadence asked, turning to look at her.
Nikki pulled the key they’d found out of her pocket and held it up. “I matched your key. It’s a safe-deposit box from Wolf State Bank here in town. I found it in one of dad’s catalogs.”
Cadence looked at the key and frowned. Her past was like an old sweater, every time you pulled a string, another popped out somewhere and you never got where you were going.
“But there’s no number.”
“Dad said you don’t need one. You just give them your name, and if Dr. Lee left you a key, the box probably has your name on it,” Nikki said. “I thought we could run down after school tomorrow and check it out.”
“Maybe.”
“Hey, you ladies going to join us or are you going to stand out there petting all night?” Gray called from the next room.
“Bite me!” Nikki yelled, playfully.
She winked at Cadence and waltzed into the next room, where the game table was set up surrounded by Tyler’s extensive collection of maps, books, miniatures and assorted memorabilia from the Lands of Geekdom. He’d set up his game screen and dice at one end of the long table, and the others had taken their customary seats, leaving empty ones for Cadence and Nikki together on one side.
Grayson Holliday was a tall young man with blonde hair he combed into a D.A. haircut and blue eyes that looked at the world from behind black rimmed glasses. He often wore a biker jacket and jeans tucked into boots, an outfit that made him look a lot like James Dean. Zander Harris, the final member of their little group, was short, with red hair and green eyes. As usual, he wore a Star Wars tee, jeans and work boots that looked as if they had once belonged to his brother.
Zander tapped his watch with one well-chewed finger. “You’re late, ladies.”
Cadence set her bag down and pulled out her dice and character. “By what, eleven seconds?”
“Thirty-three,” Zander replied.
“He wanted to make you forfeit a slice of pizza if it got here before you did,” Tyler said.
“Not in this lifetime, Harris,” Nikki said. She unzipped her j
acket and tossed it aside, then pulled out her own character and pile of polyhedral dice.
“Can’t blame a guy for trying,” Grayson said.
Tyler leaned forward and assumed his game-master face. “Now that everyone is here, we can begin. After returning from the Tomb of Unspeakable Horrors, you raised your companions Tonka and Lightfingers, from the dead, spent the night at the local inn and set out to purchase fresh provisions−”
He was interrupted by a heavy knock at the door, hard enough to shake the glass. Grayson jumped up and grabbed the wad of pizza money off the table. “I’ll get it, pizza dude’s late!”
Cadence leaned back in her chair to wait. The feeling that something bad was about to happen was heavy in her stomach. She hadn’t felt it since the day Dr. Lee was murdered, and she’d hoped to never feel it again, but there it was.
“Ceej? Someone’s here to see you,” Grayson called from the next room.
Cadence glanced at Nikki and replied, “who is it? Dad?”
Grayson entered, his face ashen. “I think you should ask him yourself.”
Cadence was up so fast her chair fell over. Later, she would hardly remember crossing the room, or even which officer was standing at the door. She knew him, she knew everyone on the force, but she didn’t care who he was, only that he had bad news.
“Yes?” She asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.
“I’m sorry, CJ, it’s not good. Your dad’s been shot, he’s at the hospital in critical condition,” the officer said.
She knew he said more, but the words fell on her ears and vanished. She sank to the floor and screamed, feeling like it was her who had been shot. Her cry was so loud, the windows in the door shattered and fell at the amazed officer’s feet. She half-saw him dance out of the way, then felt his hands on her shoulders.
“I’m sorry, CJ, but he’s in good hands, I think he’s going to make it,” the officer said.
“Get away from her,” Nikki snapped, appearing in the doorway.
The officer pulled away and Cadence felt Nikki’s arms warm around her.
“Come on, honey,” Nikki said in a soft voice. “He’s not gone, let’s get to the hospital and be there for him.”
“We can all go,” Tyler said behind her.
Cadence rose to her feet and wiped tears from her eyes. “Thanks, Ty, you guys should play. I have to go, but you guys don’t. I’m sorry about the windows.”
“Forget the windows, Tyler’s dad is rich. We’ll hold the game,” Zander said. “you go see about your dad.”
Cadence let herself be guided out to her car, and she handed the keys to Nikki, who slid behind the wheel. The drive to the hospital felt like a dream, she was worried about Phoenix, of course, but there was a part of her terrified of being alone. What if he died and she had nowhere to go? It was a selfish fear, of course, but she couldn’t help it. He and Nikki were her only real source of normal in a world that often felt strange and out of control. Losing him… she didn’t know if that was something she could survive.
The Lobo hospital wasn’t big, only three floors, with an intensive care unit in a separate wing set at right angles to the rest. Sheriff Miguel Torres was waiting just beyond the sliding glass doors that led to the unit. He waved away the two officers moving to intercept Cadence and took her hand.
“CJ, I’m sorry I had to send Blake, I thought I should be here with Phoe,” he said. He looked haggard, with hooded eyes and sweaty hair.
“How is he?” Cadence asked.
Torres looked away, obviously weighing how to respond. Cadence grabbed his shirt and glared at him.
“Tell me straight, Mr. Torres!”
“It’s not good, CJ. He was shot twice at close range, both narrowly missed his heart. If a passerby hadn’t found him, he’d be dead now,” Torres said. “He’s lost a lot of blood… I just don’t know.”
“How did it happen?” Nikki asked.
Torres looked at her. “Near as we can figure, a traffic stop gone bad. Phoenix reported he was pulling over a black Ford, the next transmission twenty minutes later was the Marine who found him, calling for help.”
“A traffic stop murder? In Lobo?” Nikki asked with obvious sarcasm. “That doesn’t sound farfetched at all.”
Cadence let go of Torres and leaned against the wall. Cold sweat was trickling between her breasts and she was fighting not to shiver. Another black Ford right after Phoenix pulled the license number? That wasn’t a coincidence, it couldn’t be.
Nikki leaned into her for a hug. “I’m sorry, honey. It’s going to be okay, Phoenix is a tough cop. If anyone can pull through, it is him.”
“It’s my fault,” Cadence whispered.
“Of course it isn’t,” Nikki replied.
Cadence met her eyes. “The black sedan, they were looking for me and Phoenix got in the way.”
“You don’t know that,” Nikki said. “The world is full of black Ford sedans, it could have been anyone.”
It could have been, but it wasn’t. Cadence didn’t know much about herself from before she woke up, but she knew she had never believed in coincidences. He gets shot the same day he got the plate results back? No way.
She sank to the floor cradled in Nikki’s arms and waited. An eternity of hours passed with only the occasional “he’s still in surgery” to keep them company. It was almost midnight when a doctor Cadence vaguely recognized appeared from the emergency theater at the end of the hall. He looked tired and there was a smear of blood on his scrubs, but he forced a smile as he approached.
“Miss Phoenix?”
Cadence stood, trying not to wake Nikki, who had fallen asleep.
“Yes, sir?”
“I’m Dr. Strand, I’ve been with your father.”
Cadence hugged herself. “And? How is he?”
Strand’s face was serious, and she could see the worry behind his eyes. This kind of injury didn’t happen much in Lobo, it was probably the first gunshot wound he’d ever worked on.
“He’s stable. He lost a lot of blood and one of the bullets punctured his left lung,” he said. “If Sergeant Castle hadn’t been on the scene, your father would have died. As it is, its been a close thing.”
Cadence felt relieved. “But he’s going to be okay, right?”
Strand sighed. “I can’t promise anything, Miss Phoenix, but he’s come through the surgery. If he makes it until morning, he’ll be out of the woods.”
“We’ll take it, doc,” Nikki said, stretching.
“Thank you,” Cadence said. “Can I see him?”
Strand nodded. “He’s being moved as we speak, get some coffee and come down, he’s in room two-seventeen.”
He squeezed her hand and turned, vanishing back into the emergency ward as quietly as he’d come.
“He’s going to be fine, Ceej. You’ll see.” Nikki stretched again and extended a hand that she waved in a ‘help me’ fashion. Cadence hauled her to her feet and hugged her close.
“Thank you for staying with me.”
“That’s what girlfriends are for. Come on, you can buy me a coffee to say ‘thanks,’” Nikki said.
The only coffee machine on this floor was at the end of the hall, where ICU joined the main hospital. Cadence walked hand in hand with Nikki to the small waiting area, where she fed coins into the antique-looking machine. It coughed and whirred to itself and slowly spit out two cups of what could only be called coffee because “mud” was taken. They poured sugar and cream into the small foam cups in hope of making a passible drink and sat to wait for Phoenix to be moved.
“I love you, ya know,” Nikki said after a time.
Cadence raised her eyes and looked at the beautiful girl beside her. She felt the same, though neither of them had ever voiced it before. It had never felt lik
e the right time, with school and Tommy always waiting for an opportunity to be an asshole. They didn’t need that kind of stress. It warmed her all over to hear Nikki say the words and see it in her beautiful blue eyes.
“I love you, too Niks,” she said.
She leaned sideways and kissed her, harder than any they’d shared before. It was as if a dam of emotion broke behind her eyes with those words, and though she was worried for Phoenix, she felt better.
When they parted, Nikki’s eyes were wet. “No one ever said that to me before.”
Cadence wiped the tears away with her thumbs. “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard it before, either.”
She kissed her again and held her close. It was the second worst day of her life, but also one of the best. She was loved and loved someone in return, which was really what life was supposed to be about, right? Not owning things, not school, but finding someone to love.
They sat there for long moments before the nurse, wearing a sour expression, appeared and advised it was now okay to go see Phoenix. Though he was still sleeping, their presence might help, or so the theory went. Cadence knew she would feel better if she could see him, confirm for herself that he was still breathing. She tossed her coffee in the trash and walked back with Nikki by her side. They were almost there when a lean man in a black suit, his face hidden by a fedora hat, exited the room and turned toward them. When he realized he’d been spotted, he turned back the other way, heading for the stairs.
“Who is that?” Nikki asked, but Cadence, alerted by her sense, was already running, her boots echoing off the walls like the passage of a small but very determined elephant. She slid to a stop outside room seventeen and dashed inside. She didn’t have to be a doctor to know Phoenix was dead, the monitor beside him was screaming a warning, and his face was blank, lifeless. A pillow lay beside his head, out of place.