Double Trouble (Taz Bell Book 5)

by Sharon Green

  "Of course," Allison agreed. "I should be able to get the map to you in about an hour or so, which means you might even have time for that nap. I'll get back to you once everything is arranged."

  "And we'll do some arranging on our end," I agreed, then we both said goodbye and disconnected. I'd been thinking about "hanging up" instead of disconnecting, a holdover from a long-gone era.

  "I think we all need to get ready to leave," Eric said as he reached for his coffee cup. "Once Bari has that map, it will help if we're closer to where we have to be."

  "And it will help even more if we have everyone we need," I agreed as I used my cell phone again to call Rolfe. "Let's find out if she's available… Hi, Rolfe, it's Taz. I need to ask a favor."

  "If I can do it, it's yours, Taz," Rolfe said with more life in his voice than had been there when he'd answered. "I've closed down my store until we get the problem with Roland Helms straightened out."

  "Which we will hopefully be able to get to in a little while," I told him. "We're trying to locate the crazy who's sending people out to get us, and Freemont says we'll need the help of Fainis. Do you think she'll be willing to go along with us?"

  "I don't see why not," Rolfe said slowly, as if he were thinking over the question. "I'll call her and ask, but I expect her to agree. When do you need her, and where?"

  "We don't yet know where the 'where' will be, but I can give you our address here," I responded. "If she's willing to go along with the idea, she can come here and we'll all leave together. We'll need to go in about an hour, so the sooner she gets here the better."

  "I'll call her right now," Rolfe agreed. "If there's a problem, I'll get back to you. "What's your address over there?"

  I thanked Rolfe for his help after giving him our address, then disconnected again. By now everyone had left the table, so I did my own leaving and headed up to my apartment. I'd need a few things from up there like my weapons belt, and then I'd be ready to go as soon as we knew where we were going.

  Once I came down again I got another cup of coffee, then carried it into our sitting room. It wasn't long before the whole team – and Bari – joined me, Oldon carrying his day coat. Everyone was getting settled when a knock came at the front door. Normally I would have let Shell answer the knock, but this time I was the one to go over and open the door.

  "Hi there," Fainis said with a grin when she saw me. Red hair, gray eyes, light coloring, pleasant expression. "I understand my help is going to be needed with something."

  "That's what my partner tells us, and he's rarely if ever wrong," I assured her, reaching over to open the screen door. "Come on in, and we'll bring you up to date about what we're in the middle of."

  Instead of answering she just came inside, but her smile had widened.

  "I see my little cousin has been doing his thing," she said, her fingers moving as if she were fingering something in the air. "He really is talented, you know, more than many others. Is there a reason he can't handle this whatever-it-is alone?"

  "There must be a reason, but we don't know what it is yet," I told her as I closed the door and gestured toward the sitting room. "Would you like some kind of drink to sustain you while we tell you what's going on?"

  "Actually, I'd love a cup of coffee," she answered as she looked around. "I had to leave home without finishing the coffee in front of me, and I hate having to do that."

  "I hear you loud and clear," I said, leading her to the kitchen instead of the sitting room. "Without coffee I'd be stumbling around, wondering who I was and what I was supposed to be doing. These are our hosts, Jack and Shell, who make living in this place an absolute dream. Men, this is Fainis, a friend and co-worker of sorts."

  "Welcome, Fainis," Shell said with a smile as Jack just smiled and went back to whatever it was he was doing. "I get the impression, Taz, that you and the others won't be here on time for lunch. Would you like Jack to hold off making the food until you people are available?"

  "Yes, I would, and I feel like a fool for not having told you guys sooner," I said as I led Fainis to the coffee urn and got down a mug for her. "I'm not used to having people expect us for a meal… We'll definitely be leaving soon, and I'm not sure when we'll be back."

  "If, when you're done, you call us and say you're on the way back we can have the meal ready and waiting," Shell said as Fainis filled her cup. "Jack told me he intends to make those stuffed shells again, the ones three of you liked so well."

  "We'll definitely be here, even if we have to plow through rogues five deep," I assured him. "And you might want to think about coming back with us, Fainis. The food is out of this world."

  "Now, that's a reward I can fully appreciate," Fainis said, taking the sugar and cream Shell had gotten for her. "I think you know I can't accept money, but food is another matter entirely."

  "We should have no trouble working something out," I told her grin as she fixed up her coffee. So Amiol hadn't been making things up about not being allowed to accept money… "Let's go into the sitting room now, where we can give you the big picture."

  "Great," she agreed after thanking Shell for his help. "I always enjoy seeing big pictures."

  We both laughed as I led her out of the kitchen, just as if we didn't have some serious trouble ahead of us…

  Chapter Twenty

  It didn't take all that long to bring Fainis up to date, and when the story was done she looked … distracted.

  "So this rogue seems to be recruiting people by email," she mused, staring down into her coffee. "I don't like the sound of that. Have you had any thoughts about all this, Amiol?"

  "Nothing I can discuss in mixed company," Amiol answered, his own expression kind of sour. "Unless this guy is the strongest guru ever born, he's using something I can't even begin to guess at."

  "Guessing is something we'd better not do," Fainis said with a sigh. "But just in case, let's decide on a plan of action once we find the rogue. And let's talk over there, where we won't drive everyone around us crazy from not being able to understand what we're saying."

  Amiol just nodded and got up to follow Fainis, leaving the rest of us to exchange glances. It seemed like a good bet that the two were going to use that odd language Amiol did spells in, so listening to them would do the rest of us no good at all. Then the doorbell rang again, so I went over to see who it was this time.

  "Allison said to get this to you as fast as possible," the man at the door said with a grin as he held out an envelope. "See there, I gave you the password and why I'm here in one sentence."

  "You certainly did," I agreed with a small laugh, opening the screen door to take the envelope from the man who was becoming a regular visitor to our group. "Thanks for making the effort."

  "My pleasure," he answered, still grinning as he turned and walked away. I closed the door and went back to those in the sitting room, seeing Bari's name on the front of the envelope.

  "This is yours," I told Bari as I gave her what was most likely the map she'd asked for. "Make sure it's what you need, otherwise I'll call and ask for something better."

  Rather than speaking, Bari took the envelope and opened it. Inside was a map, and Bari's sound of satisfaction told me there would be no need to make another call.

  "I should have no trouble working with this," Bari told all of us, confirming my guess about how she felt as she knelt on the floor to spread out the map. "The six places marked seem to be in an oval, which will let us pick a spot in the middle to wait. From the names of the places, I'd guess that they're all computer stops with wi-fi."

  "You know, if they're all places where people with computers go, that could be how the rogue is recruiting," Eric mused as he studied the map. "If he's just choosing people at random, he could use those in the places he goes without having to reach them first by email. After that he keeps in touch by email."

  "I think you've guessed it, Eric," Freemont said, his stare on the distance again. "The rogue takes people over in person first, and then he keeps
them in line by email."

  "We heard that," Fainis said as she and Amiol came to join us again. "And the conclusion makes us feel a whole lot better. We were freaking out thinking there was a way to take people over by simply sending an email."

  "Only if you're offering to share millions in Europe," Freemont said with a laugh. "Enough fools fall for that one that I've become convinced some people are born to be taken advantage of. But if we know where we're going, shouldn't we be leaving?"

  "I'll be ready as soon as I get into my day coat and hat," Oldon said, quickly standing up from the chair he was in. "I'm glad I brought the things down earlier, saving me from having to get them now."

  "But I have a stop to make," I put in, turning away from the map Bari was now picking up again. "I'll be right back."

  Everyone looked a bit confused when I headed for the kitchen, but I didn't make an effort to fill them in. It had just come to me that I didn't have Shell's phone number, either for his cell or for the house. How was I supposed to call to say we were coming home for lunch if I didn't have the number?

  Shell and Jack both joined me in feeling foolish, then I put Shell's number in my phone. We also tacitly agreed not to mention that none of us had thought of getting a number sooner, so I was ready to go when everyone else came into the kitchen.

  "Oldon has his day wear and Amiol is going to ride with Fainis," Freemont told me as he and Bari led the way toward the garage. "Since you're already wearing your weapons belt, Taz, let's get this show on the road."

  I also had my driver's license and the car keys, so there was nothing keeping us from continuing into the garage. We all piled into the car with me driving and Eric programming the GPS, and when we got outside we could see Fainis and Amiol in the car that immediately began to follow us.

  It didn't take long for the GPS to get us to a spot that was in the middle of that oval Bari had mentioned. It was a residential neighborhood where we pulled up to the curb, a quiet street with no one out and about. Fainis parked behind us, which meant we were ready.

  "Okay, now I call Allison," I said, pulling out my cell phone and choosing her number. "What we need is – Hi, Allison. We're in position for action, so all we need is to hear from Ritchie that the rogue has settled down in one of his places."

  "Ritchie is keeping his electronic eyes and ears open for where the rogue starts emailing from," Allison answered with a bit of tension in her voice. "My people are stationed at the computers of the victims we've already arrested, to make sure the rogue doesn't get suspicious if there's no answer to his messages. The first batch he sent this morning orders six of his victims to go after Bari again, and this time to kill her if she can't be taken."

  "Lovely," I said, seeing that Bari wasn't all that upset at hearing the news. "I suppose it was the logical next step, and we can find out why he wants her so badly when we take him. Why don't you – "

  I was about to suggest that Allison get back to us when she learned what we needed to know, but she cut in before I got the words out.

  "Ritchie says the rogue is at his new location," she announced excitedly. "Can Bari locate him?"

  I turned to look more directly at Bari, who was now leaning over the map with what looked like a small wooden Y. The wooden form in her hands moved from side to side slowly, then snapped over to one of the marked locations.

  "He's there!" Bari exclaimed, then gave us the address of the place. "We have to get moving right now."

  "Did you get that, Allison?" I asked as I straightened again and turned on the car. Eric was already programming in the address, so we'd be moving in seconds.

  "Yes, I did," Allison answered, now sounding briskly efficient. "My people will meet you there."

  With that we both ended the call, and then I was getting directions about where to go. Our destination wasn't far, so chances were excellent that we'd get there before Allison's people did.

  Our destination turned out to be a large mall with lots of stores, one of them an Internet café. We parked and left our vehicles together, but it was Amiol and Fainis who entered the place first. The rest of us weren't all that far behind, so we didn't miss any of the action.

  Which wasn't very obvious action. Our two magic users didn't spend any time looking around, instead immediately zeroing in on a slender Asian male seated at one of the tables with a computer. Before the guy at the computer was able to notice them, our two dark elves linked their hands and began to speak a spell. The link was strange in that both of them had made a circle with their thumbs and pointer fingers, but Amiol had put his circle inside Fainis's before closing it.

  And when the two stopped speaking, no one in the café was moving. Those of us behind our magic users weren't affected in the same way, but everyone else…

  "Some of these people have been put in the rogue's control, so we needed to stop them all," Amiol explained without turning to look at us. "Now we need to get in touch with the State Department, otherwise things will turn really ugly. The rogue is a light elf."

  The rest of us exchanged clueless glances, having no idea what Amiol meant but not doubting him in the least. I got my phone out again and called Allison, who answered almost before the first ring.

  "Yes, we got him, but there's a problem," I told her at once. "Amiol says we need to get in touch with the State Department because the rogue is a light elf, but I don't know why."

  "I don't know either, but I can find out," Allison answered, her tone strange again. "Hang in there, Taz, and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible."

  Fainis glanced back at us and nodded as Allison disconnected, and then we had nothing to do but wait. Five minutes later Allison's people were in the café with us, but there wasn't a problem with them. They'd obviously been given the same wait orders that we'd gotten, so we just stood around … waiting.

  Glancing outside through the front windows showed that the pretty day we'd walked through was starting to gray over. It looked like we might be in for some rain, but that didn't worry me. None of us was likely to melt in the rain, and after we took care of the rogue we could go home and stay in the rest of the day.

  I was thinking with surprise that I'd used the word "home" without hesitation when I noticed that new arrivals were heading toward the café. We'd been waiting no more than ten or fifteen minutes, so the surprise I'd felt began to grow a lot larger and in a different direction. It was always possible that the new arrivals had nothing to do with what we were in the middle of, but the grim expressions the three men wore suggested they were not coming by for coffee and an online chat.

  As soon as the door opened and the men came inside I knew they were the ones we'd been waiting for. Their attention went instantly to Amiol and Fainis, and then they looked at the rogue.

  "I was sure this would turn out to be a mistake, but it isn't, is it," the man in the lead said to his two friends, in no way asking a question. "I don't know his name, but he's definitely one of ours."

  "We need to question him," one of the others said, his own gaze locked to the rogue just like that of his friends. "I don't understand how this could have happened and I need to understand."

  "At the very least we need to know his reasons," the third man put in. They all looked completely different from each other, one appearing to be Native American, the second black, and the third Asian, but there was a … sameness about them that had nothing to do with appearance.

  "Yes, we need to know his reasons, even if we don't understand them," the first man said with something of a nod. "Let's begin the questioning at once."

  The three walked past Amiol and Fainis and stopped near the seated rogue, then they began to talk to the rogue. The newcomers asked questions, the rogue answered them, and after no more than another five minutes the three men turned away from the rogue.

  "He's hopelessly insane," the third of the group said to Amiol and Fainis. "He suddenly decided that anyone who wasn't a light elf needed to be exterminated, so he set about doing that job.
He used humans to do the work, because that sort of thing was beneath him."

  "Why did he try to have Bari kidnapped?" Amiol asked as Fainis looked more than a little sick. "She's the one who was able to locate him here."

  "One of the spells he cast told him that the woman was a danger to him," the same man answered. "He tried to have her kidnapped so that he could question her, but when that didn't work he decided to simply have her killed like the others. He started with the rogue hunting team because they were so much more different than the rest of humanity. And more dangerous to him."

  "Which means we'll need to offer our sincerest apologies to those he tried to use and those he tried to kill," the first man said with a sigh behind the words. "I mean to take care of that as soon as we get back to where we belong, but right now…"

  He and the others turned back to the seated rogue, and then all three began to speak in that strange language Amiol used to do magic. Something like a crystal whirlwind appeared near the rogue, and when the whirlwind was fully formed it … vacuumed up the rogue. One minute the rogue was there and the next he was gone, and then the whirlwind was also gone.

  "We'll be on our way now," the third of the trio said to Amiol and Fainis. "We commend you for having us alerted and brought here."

  Then the three headed for the door and the next minute they were gone. It was almost as if the rest of us were invisible to the group, so there was no need for them to notice or speak to us.

  "Well, that was interesting," Eric commented in a low voice. "I have no idea what just happened, but it was certainly interesting."

  "That isn't what dealing with light elves is usually like," Fainis said as she and Amiol walked over to join us. "They usually act as if the rest of the universe contains no one but those who are lower than dirt, but this time they had to restrain themselves. If they hadn't seen for themselves that one of theirs really was responsible for this madness, they would have gone outraged and might even have started a war with humanity. Now they're being forced to apologize, so there are no worries about war."