by Skye Knizley
Cadence laughed and closed her eyes. It was so good to hear that joy in Nikki’s voice. “I’m no hero, Nikki. Just me.”
“Yeah, whatevs, I know my girl. You need a hero name like Rogue or Ghost-Girl or something,” Nikki said.
“Don’t be a dork.”
“You love me when I’m a dork,” Nikki said with a laugh.
Movement in the parking lot across the street caught her attention. Three Men in Black were walking around her Mustang like it was the holy grail.
“I do love you, but I gotta go, babes,” Cadence said.
There was concern in Nikki’s voice. “What’s wrong?”
“Bad men trying to do bad things. I’ll call you from the road, I’m heading home soon, okay?” Cadence said.
Nikki squealed with delight. “Yay! I’ll see you soon, I’ll get the guest room made up for you.”
Cadence hung up the phone and stepped out into the gas station parking lot. The Men in Black were still looking at the car and hadn’t noticed her yet. She decided to change that. There was a tractor trailer sitting in the station, the driver was filling one of the outboard tanks with diesel. She turned to him, plucked the tobacco-branded hat from his head and set it on hers.
“Hi. My name is CJ and things here are about to get really weird, you should run. And I’m very sorry but I think those men over there are going to break your truck,” she said.
“What are you talkin’ about, kid?” The driver asked.
Why were people curious only when it was inconvenient? They rubbernecked at car accidents and ran from bullies. That made sense.
Cadence sighed and picked him up by his collar. “Will you run away now?”
The driver’s legs kicked feebly and he tugged on her wrist. “Sure, yeah, just put me down.”
She dropped him and he ran away, calling for help, which was enough to get the attention of the Men in Black, who started walking toward her.
She pulled herself on top of the trailer and folded her arms. “Looking for me?”
The Men looked human, but her danger sense told her they were more. At least one of them was a meta.
“You’re a very brave little girl,” one of them said. “But you have interfered in our business for the last time.”
“Hey, this is your fault. I was just trying to grow up and be normal. You’re the ones who hauled off and killed my doctor,” Cadence replied. “If you didn’t want me to play in your sandbox, you shouldn’t have killed my friend or my father.”
“Enough talk. Dying time has come.”
“You guys need better taglines,” Cadence said.
At that moment, Ethan rammed them with a pick-up truck and smashed them into the side of the trailer. Cadence dropped from the trailer into the bed of the truck then jumped over the side.
“Took you long enough,” she said. “I saw you sneak into the truck.”
“You think hot-wiring with wet hands is easy? Let’s get out of here before they wake up.”
Cadence crossed the street at a run and was heading for the room to get her things when Ethan grabbed her arm.
“It’s in the car.”
“What?”
Ethan grinned. “While you were yackin’ with your lady-love, I saw those bozos coming and took precautions.”
He handed her the car’s keys. “You drive until you’re tired.”
Seconds later, they were accelerating away accompanied by the roar of the car’s throaty V8 engine. In the rear view, Cadence could see one of the Men struggling out from under the truck, but it looked as if the other two might have been crushed to death. That made a tear rise in the corner of her eye. She didn’t think she would ever get used to the idea of killing the bad guys, it made her feel sick.
“You shouldn’t,” Ethan said, lighting a fresh roll-up.
“What?”
“Don’t get used to the killing, it should always make you feel sick. It’s your mind and body telling you that taking a life is the last resort,” Ethan said. “Don’t get used to it, avoid it when you can.”
Cadence shook her head. “How do you know what I’m thinking, are you psychic as well as a mage?”
Ethan sucked on his cigarette. “Hardly. I just know things.”
“More cryptic crap from Master Crawford,” Cadence said. “What about you, are you used to it?”
“Me? Darlin’ where I come from, killing is a way of life. You get used to death or you don’t grow old,” Ethan said.
The road rolled past and there was no sign of pursuit. Cadence slowed down, wanting to avoid police. The silence got to her and she glanced at Ethan. “Where are you from, anyway?”
“That’s complicated,” Ethan said.
“We’re driving to New Mexico, we’ve got time,” Cadence said.
Ethan chuckled and scooted down in his seat until his hat was over his eyes and one foot was resting on the dash. “Yeah, I guess we do. I’m not much good at tellin’ tall tales, but sure.”
To Cadence’s surprise, Ethan told her he was born in the early 1800’s to a dirt farmer in Virginia. He’d been raised a slave, escaped with his brother, fought in the Civil War, and eventually headed west to make his fortune. It was then that things got strange. He was bounty hunting war criminals in Wyoming when his horse was taken lame. He tried to walk to civilization, but he’d been stuck in a blizzard that blocked the pass out of the mountains and made getting to safety almost impossible. He’d thought he was a goner, and made shelter in a cave, doing the best he could to stay warm with a small fire and his horse’s saddle blanket. It wasn’t much, and he knew, with the temperatures dropping and no hope of rescue, he was going to die. He made his peace with it, piled wood on the fire and curled up to wait for the ferryman.
Late that night, as thunder rolled and lightning lit the snow up like daylight, a figure appeared to him, a wizened old man with long grey hair, a beard you could hide a shiv in and a staff. He’d offered to save Ethan’s life, for a price.
“What was the price?” Cadence asked when Ethan paused.
He pulled his hat down even further and folded his arms. “That’s a different story entirely. Wake me when we stop for gas.”
***
Miles ticked by beneath the car’s wheels and Cadence sang with the stereo as she drove. She loved performing and had forgotten how singing cleared her mind and raised her spirits. When they stopped for gas, she bought snacks at the little convenience store across the street then unpacked her guitar and played a set sitting on a rickety old picnic table. By the time she was finished, she felt human again and had a small audience of ten or fifteen people who were also traveling the lonely stretch of highway out of Utah. They were dropping dollars and change into her guitar case in appreciation for the impromptu concert, and Cadence didn’t really know what to say.
“Thank you,” she said at last, setting her guitar aside and gathering the cash into a neat fold.
There was light applause and a few mutters of ‘you’re welcome’ as the audience dispersed. One of the men, an older man in a well-tailored suit stepped closer.
“What’s your name, kid?” He asked.
“Most everyone calls me CJ,” Cadence replied.
She put her guitar in its case and unplugged her amplifier from the public outlet, hurrying to get back on the road.
The gentleman held out a card. “Jameson George.”
Cadence glanced at the card but continued to put her things away. “Nice to meet you. I need to get back on the road, if you don’t mind.”
The man looked surprised. “You don’t recognize me?”
“Not really.”
“I like that honesty. Listen, CJ, I’m a producer. I do mostly pop and country, but you’ve got one hell of a voice. I would love for you to come do
wn to Nashville and audition for a friend of mine,” George said.
He offered the card again and Cadence stuck it in her pocket. “Thank you, I’ll call you when I get a chance.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
He mimed tipping a hat then walked to a limousine sitting by the pumps.
“What was that about?” Ethan asked, walking up with a soda in his hand.
Cadence shrugged. “The Goddess works in mysterious ways. He’s a record producer who wants me to come to Nashville.”
Ethan made a face. “A producer? Those guys are like locusts.”
“I can’t be your sidekick forever, E,” Cadence said.
“My sidekick?” Ethan asked over the roof of the car. “You’re the hero, kid. I just work here.”
“Not true. Without you, that Specter facility would still be standing.”
Ethan shrugged. “Without you, I wouldn’t be standing.”
He got into the car and Cadence joined him, but didn’t start the engine.
“Why are you like this? So hard on yourself?” She asked.
“Listen, CJ, I tried playing hero and I’m not very good at it. I’ll watch your back and give advice, but the hero stuff is in your hands,” Ethan said.
Cadence started the engine. “I’m no hero.”
Ethan twisted in his seat to look at her. “I beg to differ. Let’s go, your lady-love is waiting for you.”
A silence grew between them as she drove, and Cadence worried that she’d put a rift between them. What could make a man be so determined not to be what he should? She didn’t know, but there was something that had hurt Ethan so badly he’d rather play the scoundrel, she could see that. Maybe pushing him wasn’t her best idea.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
It was well after midnight before Cadence pulled her car into a small roadside motel just across the New Mexico border. Her eyes were so tired she was seeing double and the yellow lines kept blurring.
She checked them into a double room using some of the cash she’d earned earlier in the day, then called an all night pizza joint down the street. They hadn’t eaten since entering Arizona.
The room was nothing to write home about, just two beds, a bathroom and an old television, but it would do for a few hours of sleep. Cadence didn’t want to rest, they were so close to home that she was bubbling with excitement, but they were both tired and some rest would be safer than pushing on. They still had five or six hours of road to cover and would soon be entering the mountains. Those twisty back roads were dangerous when fully awake, exhausted they would be asking for a death sentence.
Ethan pulled his boots off, unbuckled his guns and rolled himself up in one of the comforters as soon as they entered the room. He was out before the pizza arrived and Cadence didn’t want to wake him. She left him a plate on the nightstand and ate quietly, sitting on the floor near the bathroom. Her mind wasn’t on the food, it was on home and the strange producer she’d met. What if he wasn’t lying? What if she could get a record contract? That would pay for her and Nikki to move to civilization and have a life outside of Lobo.
But who was she kidding? Specter was looking for her, plastering her face on music videos and album covers was akin to putting a target in the middle of her forehead.
She tossed her pizza crust into the trash and rubbed her eyes. Was that really what she wanted for Nikki? A life on the run, avoiding careers and big cities for fear of encountering Specter’s agents?
Of course it wasn’t. She wanted better for both of them, but it didn’t seem likely right now. It was something they would talk over, maybe they could do the long distance relationship thing, that would keep Nikki safe.
She shook her head and took a vengeful bite from another slice of pizza. That wouldn’t be fair to Nikki. She’d already been gone for over a year, and Nikki hadn’t given up on her. Bailing again wasn’t fair to her. It wasn’t fair to either of them.
The pizza no longer tasted as good as it had, and she set it aside. She needed sleep, everything would be better in the morning. She flicked off the bathroom light and crawled into her own bed. Within minutes she had drifted into a restless, nightmare-filled sleep.
***
Morning came with the sound of a powerful motorcycle engine roaring into the distance. Cadence uncurled from the fetal position she’d been sleeping in and stretched. Her bones cracked and crackled like old cereal as she tried to bring life into her body. It hadn’t been a good night by any stretch of the imagination. Between the nightmares and the constant storm that seemed to be chasing them around the country, she felt like she’d only slept a few hours.
The room was cold, and she winced when she slipped out of the bed and the cool air touched her skin. The thin tee shirt was sweaty, which did nothing to improve her mood. She grabbed fresh clothes out of her pack and noticed that Ethan’s bed was empty.
“You better not be in the shower, old man,” she muttered.
She selected a Lobo Pride tee shirt, acid-washed jeans, her white boots and a scrunchie for her hair, then staggered off to the bathroom. An hour later she was showered, dressed and had applied a light dusting of cosmetics. She wanted to look her best for Nikki, two years was a long time, and she wasn’t exactly the sixteen-year-old girl she’d been when she left.
The aroma of donuts and coffee hit her, and she pulled open the door expecting to find Ethan standing outside with breakfast. To her surprise, the room was empty. A familiar pink and orange box sat on her bed beside a cup-holder with a fresh cup of coffee. A note was stuck to the top of the box. She pulled it off and frowned at Ethan’s sprawling hand.
‘Hey, kid. You don’t need me tagging along to Lobo and I heard back from a guy who might be able to translate these disks for us. I’ll catch up with you later. – E’
Cadence didn’t know how to feel about that. She’d been alone so long, his presence had been welcome even when they butted heads. In his absence, she felt more alone than before he’d wandered into her life.
She sank onto the bed and fought tears, trying not to think she would never see him again. Slowly, the tears ran and she re-read the note. He would be back, he’d said so. It would be alright. He wouldn’t lie, would he?
“Of course he would,” she muttered. “It’s what Ethan does.”
She wiped the tears away and stuffed her belongings into her backpack. Ethan or not, Nikki was waiting, and she would be damned if she would show up with ugly cry face and a runny nose.
Inside the car, she donned a pair of black plastic sunglasses, ran a hand through her streaked hair and pointed the car toward Lobo.
***
Lobo, New Mexico sat in a valley east of Santa Fe. The small village was popular with business people from the city as well as skiers who frequented the various resorts on the mountain. Cadence could see the top of the watchtower on the eastern side of town for over an hour before she reached the city limits, and each passing mile made her feel better. This was the only home she’d ever known, and it would always be home to her.
She guided her car down Main street and felt her heart racing. Oddly, it wasn’t nervousness, it was excitement. Everything was the same, nothing at all had changed, save for the holiday decorations that had been taken down in her absence. She cruised past the ice cream shop, Wolf State Bank, the realtor’s office, Lee’s Dry-cleaning and the small post office and, for the first time in a year, felt safe. She was home.
Friends she knew from school were enjoying an early dinner outside Wolfie’s Diner and she waved to them on her way past. Most waved back or cheered and greeted her with raised voices and smiles. They didn’t blame her for running, or she’d been forgiven in her absence. She would take either one. It was as if a weight was being lifted off her shoulders every moment she was in Lobo.
She stopped at the intersection
opposite the road to Nikki’s house and had to squint, her mind wouldn’t register what she was seeing. The house was gone, burned nearly to the foundation. Firefighters were outside, still spraying the smoldering wreckage or gathering debris and piling it on top of the sodden wreck that used to be Mr. Bennet’s van. It sat in the driveway, a melted mess of metal and rubber.
Cadence didn’t remember driving through the intersection, and later she would marvel that she hadn’t hit anyone or been hit herself. The car was barely stopped when she jumped out and ran into the yard, ignoring the firefighters and the water that threatened to soak through her boots.
“Miss? CJ? You have to get back!” One of the firemen said.
“What, Gaia, what happened?” She asked, staring at the mess.
“We don’t know yet, but a complete burn like this doesn’t happen by itself,” he said. “CJ, where have you been?”
Cadence glanced at the fireman, and blinked. The face behind the visor was familiar, a dear friend, but he’d grown up, that was for certain. He was a man, now.
“Tyler?”
Tyler smiled. “In the flesh. I had a, uh, growth spirt, right after you left. You remember I always wanted to be a fireman?”
“Dude, I am so glad to see you,” Cadence said.
“Likewise, Ceej. I would hug you, but I’m covered in foam and ash,” Tyler replied.
“Ty, where are Nikki and Mr. Bennet?”
She could see the answer in his eyes before he said it. “Mr. Bennet is at the hospital, the fire broke out during the night and he didn’t have time to get out. It’s bad, they’re not sure if he’s going to make it.”
It wasn’t news she was expecting. Mr. Bennet had been so kind, and a wonderful father to Nikki… now they were both alone.
She blinked. Tyler hadn’t said anything about Nikki.