Stolen Sight (AIR Book 3)

by Amanda Booloodian

  "Well, I assume you're not done. You haven't said anything that would give Logan a reason to knock you out. Unless you tried to take things too far. I'm assuming that's what happened early in the day. And why you went home?"

  "There's definitely more. It’s just that..." I shook my head and couldn't help but let a small smile escape alongside the hope that was welling up. "Well, what I told you was all that Zander knew. The rest is new territory for me."

  Ethan surprised me by putting his hand on my cheek. It was cold, but I leaned my head into it and closed my eyes.

  "That guy is an idiot," Ethan said.

  I nodded in agreement and opened my eyes, looking into Ethan's concerned face. Then I kissed him, basking in the warmth of his lips. He returned the kiss, but I stretched back after a moment. I tried to shove the hope back down, but it stayed put.

  Next came the shredding of my soul.

  "Workplace accident?" Ethan's concern was mingled with shock. "What kind of place do you work at?"

  "That's a whole other story." I yawned and caught the look in his eye. "One that I'll tell you," I assured him. "Not everything. Not specific cases or people, but enough that you'll know what I do."

  "Did it hurt?" he asked.

  "No, but I should tell you that it's the reason the officer almost shot me the other day."

  "I'm not following."

  "Do you remember the first time we met?"

  "At the station, yeah."

  "Do you remember how much you liked me at first?"

  Ethan frowned. "I remember it had been a rough day." Then he started to grin. "As you left I remember thinking you were cute, and I was kicking myself, thinking I should have asked you out, but then figured I'd never see you again."

  I laughed. "You almost dodged the bullet there, but I came back. Do you remember how the rookie officer acted that day?"

  "Yeah." Ethan was turned inward now. "And the DEA when you came back. Our first few dates were pretty odd, too. You were almost shot over this? That must be hell."

  "It makes it pretty hard to make a good first impression. Luckily, most people get over it pretty quickly."

  "So, the officer the other day, him almost shooting you, that wasn't his fault?"

  I raised an eyebrow at him. "Have you seen anyone else try to kill me? I wouldn't say it's entirely his fault, but something’s not right there if he was using his weapon so freely."

  "Yeah, I guess you're right." He didn't sound entirely convinced, but I let it drop.

  "That leads us to this spring. Around the time we met. This is where things get...strange."

  After yawning widely, which Ethan picked up and mimicked, I gave him the briefest of overviews about not exactly being alone inside my own body.

  Ethan's face paled. My heart constricted.

  "I'm not sure I understand. You somehow ended up with other people's souls inside you?"

  Feeling like a giant freak, I went for broke. "People, yes. Human, not exactly."

  "I'm still not following."

  I cleared my throat. "You asked who I worked for. The agency is AIR, the Agency for Interdimensional Regulation. We work with the Lost, Mythological creatures that come from other dimensions."

  "I'm— what?" Now Ethan looked like he was adding two and two and coming up with frog.

  "Elves, werewolves, fairies, gn—"

  "Hold on."

  Knowing I had pushed too far, I shut my mouth and waited.

  "What you're talking about...those are kid stories," Ethan said.

  "Well, yes and no. People made up stories over the years about what..."

  Ethan held up a hand and I stopped again. He appeared to be struggling hard.

  We sat in silence for a few moments before I took the ice pack from Ethan's unresisting hand and went to the sink to hide my face.

  "You're telling me that these things are real, and you think they're inside you?"

  "People, not things." I didn't raise my voice, and I couldn't bring myself to address the second part of his question.

  "What?" Ethan sounded more confused than angry, but his frustration was definitely there.

  "The Lost, they're people. Not things or-"

  "Things or people, whatever. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say here, Cassie.”

  “I know it’s not what you expected.” I wanted to add that I had warned him, but I didn’t think telling him, I told you so, would help anything right now.

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “What?” Not really understanding the question, I turned to look at him.

  “This story, whatever it is. Why aren’t you telling me the truth?”

  He thought I was lying to him. “This is the truth. You asked, and I’m telling you.”

  He didn’t say anything for a while. I took my time emptying and drying the bags. When I looked back at him, Ethan appeared to be lost in his own world of thoughts.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked, joining him at the table.

  “Confused,” Ethan said.

  “I meant your injuries.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Ethan said. He looked like he was coming back to our world. “I’m alright. Nothing that won’t heal.”

  “You should know that I am telling you the truth.” I put as much sincerity as I could into the statement. He had to understand that I wasn’t lying or crazy.

  “And your other team members, they all know this?” Ethan asked.

  A corner of my mouth threatened to turn up. “They do. It’s our job to know.” I could have told him about my partners, but those were secrets that weren’t mine to tell.

  “So, if I go home tonight and I don’t know, I get mauled by a werewolf or something, your team would show up?” The forced smile he put on was so strained that it looked like he was in pain.

  “You’re not going to be mauled. But yes, if something happens that involves one of the Lost, you might see us around.” My stomach was a tight little ball of uncertainty.

  “The Lost?”

  I rushed to explain. “It’s misleading. Some are Lost, they came here by accident, but some are here on purpose, but they’re still lost from their world.”

  “The thing that attacked tonight? Was it one of them?”

  Thing and them. Even if he did come to believe, he was already sorting people into categories of them and us. It wasn’t a good sign.

  “We don’t know who he was. I’m sorry you were pulled into this mess.”

  “And you? You’re, um… you…” Ethan let the words trail away.

  “If it matters,” I said, filling in the blanks, “I’m human.”

  Ethan nodded and his eyes focused in on me for the first time since rejoining him at the table. “I don’t know what to think about all of this.”

  Swallowing hard, I nodded.

  "I should go," Ethan said. “I think…I think I need some time with this.”

  "Okay," I said, surprised that I was able to keep the tremor out of my voice.

  He slowly rose to his feet and I walked him to the door and let him out. He stopped on his way out and turned to me. That tiny bit of hope clamored in my chest.

  "I didn't expect...I mean...I'm sorry."

  I plastered on a smile and lied. "I understand."

  Ethan nodded and looked at the ground.

  “Will I see you tomorrow?” I felt sick to the stomach and my heart felt squeezed, but I had to ask.

  “Uh…well, it sounds like you’re research bound tomorrow.”

  “Right,” I said, the defeat clear in my voice.

  “I’ll just need some time with this.”

  “Of course,” I said, trying to keep my voice level.

  I thought he would say something else. Instead, he turned and walked away.

  I shut the door before he got to his car and leaned against it, listening intently. It felt like a giant lump was in my throat. It seemed like an eternity.

  This was Ethan. Surely he'd come back. He wouldn't leave like thi
s.

  My heart hammered in my chest.

  A few minutes later, the eternity ended. Ethan started his car and drove away.

  Any hope I held evaporated. The lump in my throat didn't die away, and it felt as if my heart was as torn as my soul. There had been a chance there. I was certain of it. Ethan was a fantastic guy. He was smart, caring, and understanding. At least to a point.

  And now he needed time to think. Sure, I had told him a lot. Actually, no. We didn’t get very far at all before he shut down, but I could give him time. If a relationship couldn’t work with a guy like Ethan, there’s a chance I’d be spending a lot of time alone.

  The home phone rang, which was a welcome distraction.

  “Hello?”

  There was a crackle in the line and then the caller was disconnected. I looked at the caller ID, but there was no name or number. Since there was no diversion there, I cleaned out the coffee pot and got it ready for the morning.

  The home phone rang again and again there was nothing but crackling. As soon as I hung it up, my cell phone rang.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello,” Rider said. “I wanted to call to find out how you were doing.”

  “It sounds like we have a good connection now,” I said.

  “We do have a good connection,” Rider said.

  “I’m glad you and Vincent were able to check the area on campus.”

  “He dropped me off at home a few minutes ago. We retrieved the bullet fragments and shells left by Ethan. They will be back at the office for testing. Vincent said that Ethan would want to know,” Rider said.

  My chest felt tight. “I’m sure he will want to know.” There was no way I was going to ask my partners to call him, but I know Ethan didn’t want to hear from me. “I’ll text him and let him know.”

  “Ethan is not there?”

  “No, he went home.” Rider was my best friend; could I talk to him about what happened with Ethan? “He, um…” The lump started to reform in my throat. “He was pretty sore, so he went home.”

  Even if I could talk to Rider about Ethan, the day had been too long already. There was no way I wanted to talk tonight.

  “What are you doing tonight?” Rider asked.

  “It’s late, so I’m going to take whatever it is that Taylor left for me, and I’m going to sleep.”

  “I see. I will call Vincent. Goodnight, Cassie.”

  “Goodnight…“

  Rider hung up before I got the rest out. Shrugging, I stowed my phone in my pocket in order to put it on the charger upstairs later.

  Knowing that if I put it off now, I would put it off tomorrow as well, I took a few minutes to straighten up Gran’s bed from its use as an impromptu exam room.

  While I busied myself, I got lost in my head. Why did I have to tell him everything? Why all at once? I knew it was too much for anyone to take in one sitting.

  Tomorrow would be better though. Even if Ethan didn’t call, I’d have a case to focus on.

  For tonight, it was medicine and off to bed.

  When I reached my room, the doorbell rang. My mood went from depressed to aggravated in a heartbeat. Who would stop by this late at night?

  Even more important, would they go away if I ignored them. Then I had a thin thread of hope that it was Ethan, so I hurried back downstairs.

  “Who is it?” I called on my way through the living room.

  “It’s me, Cass.”

  Shaking my head, I opened the door. “What are you doing here so late?” Then I put the pieces together. “And why did Rider send you?” Despite the words, I ushered him in.

  “He called, he didn’t send me,” Vincent said. He saw my bandages. He didn’t say anything, but he looked like he wanted to.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine. It’s been a rough night.”

  He nodded. “Worse than I thought.”

  I shrugged. “Can I get you some coffee?”

  "Do you want to talk about it?"

  “Not really.” There was no part of this night that I wanted to talk about. Although, the muscle relaxers were kicking in, so I was starting to feel better.

  "Want me to talk to him?"

  "To who?” I asked, not quite following.

  “Ethan. I’m guessing this night interrupted your date.”

  “You could say that.” I shook my head, but my lips twitched up at the thought of Vincent and Ethan talking about tonight. “That doesn’t sound like the best idea." I cleared my throat. "You didn't have to come by, but thank you."

  "Can I get you anything?"

  I wanted to ask for a new life, but that was far too dramatic for me, so I shook my head.

  "Let me know if you change your mind. I’ll be down here."

  "You're staying?"

  Chapter 15

  "I'll be on the couch," Vincent said.

  "Don't you want to go home?" I didn't put any emphasis on the words. The truth is, the house felt far too empty.

  "I'll be on the couch," Vincent repeated adamantly.

  Knowing that I wasn’t completely alone in the house tonight would make me feel better. "Why—"

  "Cass, I'm staying."

  I rolled my eyes. "What I was going to say was why don't you stay in your room upstairs."

  "My room?"

  I shrugged my shoulders, then winced. "That's what I was going to say. You did live here after all."

  Curling up and going to sleep was tempting, but the need to get the dirt and grime of the day rinsed off was greater. Yawning, I started up the stairs. Before I made it to the top, I remembered the compression wraps on my arms.

  When I turned back around, Vincent hadn't moved. He looked caught up in his own thoughts.

  “You are going to stay in your room, right?” I asked. “Not down here.”

  He looked at me for a few moments, but I couldn’t read his expression. Whatever muscle relaxers Taylor gave me were doing their job.

  “Sure,” Vincent said. “I’ll be up later.”

  Trying not to look relieved was difficult, but if he noticed, I could blame it on the drugs. Whatever the reason, it was nice to know that Vincent would be down the hall.

  “Night,” I said.

  “Goodnight, Cass.”

  After retreating to my room, I stripped off my socks and shoes. Sleep sounded divine, but I still went straight for the shower. After stripping the dirt from my skin, I stood in front of my mirror and looked at all the bruises.

  This was definitely not the way I had expected the night to end.

  I balled up the wraps for my arms and tossed them in a corner. This day needed to be over, and my bed looked inviting.

  ***

  The next morning voices filtered up from downstairs. I couldn't make out anything they were saying, or even whose voices they were. After yesterday morning, it probably wasn't the wisest decision to assume the voices belonged to my partners, but, since the plan had been to meet here, I expected it to be them.

  I didn't bother getting out of bed. Instead, I decided it was past time I called Gran. Luckily, my phone was nearby, although reaching for it caused such deep aches in my arms, I wasn't sure if I would even be able to pick it up.

  "Mornin', sugar," she answered on the first ring.

  "Morning, Gran. How is everything at Mom's?"

  "As good as can be expected. Your mother has decorated with some sort of fake plants. It's almost as if they want to suck the life out of you to become real plants. Dee Dee is springing me for a few hours later today."

  "That's good."

  "I forgot to ask if you dropped off that package the other day."

  "Yeah, I was able to get it over there."

  "I appreciate that," Gran said. She sounded relieved.

  "It's no problem."

  "How was your date last night?" Gran asked.

  "It...it didn't go so well. In fact, it ended badly. I think I caught Ethan off guard by telling him the truth. Now he wants time to think."

  "I didn'
t know," Gran said. She sounded surprised she hadn't known about it ahead of time.

  "You can't see everything all the time," I said, trying to sound more upbeat than I felt.

  "Why don't you tell me all about it," Gran said.

  She received a brief overview of the evening. Not the stuff about the case, but everything with Ethan.

  "And Vincent came over?" Gran asked.

  "Yeah. I think he stayed in his room. I told him he should take it instead of the couch."

  "Don't you worry. You may have only overwhelmed Ethan last night. It can be a lot to take all at once."

  "Maybe."

  "You're a strong, capable woman. If that man doesn't see what he's missing, you can always show him. If you want to, that is."

  "Thanks, Gran."

  "I swear your mother's house is sappin' the life out of me."

  We chatted about Mom's enthusiastic decorating skills before we said goodbye and I got my day started. The first thing I did was send Ethan a quick text saying our office had removed the bullets and casing from the site.

  The second order of business was to take a pain pill and a muscle relaxer. Who knew muscles could hurt so much? I got dressed, found the wraps for my arms, and hunted down the source of the voices. In the kitchen, research was already underway. Logan, Vincent, and Rider all had laptops open.

  "Morning," I said, going straight for the coffee pot.

  "Howdy, partner. You need help with those bandages?" Logan asked.

  "Yeah, it’s not so easy with one arm. Thanks."

  I took the seat next to Logan and he started helping me wrap an arm.

  From my other side, Rider lifted my other arm lightly and inspected it. I’m not sure what he was looking for, but he sat it back down after a few moments.

  I wasn't sure if Vincent had mentioned anything about the previous night, but I wasn't going to bring up Ethan. After what Gran had said, I felt somewhat cheered up. If I wanted Ethan back, it was worth a try. I couldn't imagine myself walking up and kissing him out of the blue, but there had to be something.

  "So, where are we?" It was best to press my personal life aside. "Was there anything else about last night?"

  "Nothing," Vincent said without looking up from his computer.

  "That is not entirely correct," Rider interjected, frowning at his partner.