My Luck (Twisted Luck Book 1)

by Mel Todd

  The bell rang and I glanced back, more out of habit than anything else, to see who was walking in. I groaned.

  Shay scowled back at me. "Why are you here? You do not work here in the mornings during the week, only the weekends."

  "Nice to know you care enough to follow my schedule." I pasted on a smile and said this all in a sickly-sweet tone. "Better watch it. I might start to think you're sweet on me."

  The choked laugh from behind me matched the look of horror on Shay's face. I'd almost be insulted by how fast he stepped back, except he had to be at least twenty years older than me. Ewww. But it was made all the better him slamming into the man behind him, knocking him down. The two of them fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs, coats, and a familiar flash of emerald green flashed up from them hissing in clear annoyance.

  Clap, clap, clap.

  I grinned as I watched them. "Excellent form, the legs were splayed nicely, and you took someone else down with you. Impressive. I'll pay for his coffee, Kadia. After a performance like that, he deserves a reward."

  Sam snickered into his drink as the men extricated themselves from the tangle of limbs and stood up. Elsba, his familiar, hung in the air glaring at me.

  "Hey, I didn't do it. Blame Shay. He's the one who stepped all over your mage. I had nothing to do with it." I spoke to the familiar, ignoring the men on the floor.

  "Really, O'Shaungessy. What is it with you and your Spirit girls?" the man asked, his tattoo glinting.

  "Oh, I'm not his." Though calling me spirited was amusing. "He, however, is the bane of my existence. Moving away will be a relief. I won't have to worry about running into him every time I turn around."

  I loved tweaking Shay. Besides I really wanted to pet this guy's familiar, but you just didn't do that. Even I knew that, it was rude. Like petting a service animal. Besides, no one was really sure just how intelligent they were, and I knew I wouldn't have wanted people to pet me.

  The banter probably would have continued, something I enjoyed, to be honest, but Sam's radio squawked. I froze and looked at him, frowning. The code that came across was public disturbance if I remembered correctly.

  What really caught my attention, though, was Shay and his friend both froze too, looking at me with a weird expression on their faces. Even Elsba stared at me.

  "Okay Cori, let's go. We'll walk. It's only a block from here." Sam headed to the door, his coffee left on the table. I trotted after him, his longer legs could eat up distance quickly.

  "What's up? I caught a disturbance?" I tried to keep my breath even as I kept up. I'd have to start working out more. Too bad the gym idea hadn't worked. Not enough time to do everything I needed to do.

  "Something going on at the bank." He darted a quick look at me. "You remember the rules, right?"

  "Yes. Stay behind you and at the first sign of trouble radio for help." I rattled off the code for officer needs assistance.

  "Good. Remember this job is always dangerous, but if you keep your head there should never be an issue."

  "Isn't that just what you were telling me I'm good at?"

  "Yep. Which is why I'm trusting you and not having you go sit in the car. Joy of a small town. Chief Amosen trusts my judgment."

  "Lucky you," I muttered, then flushed again. Really, why were my memories so against the woman?

  "Yep. I am." He slowed as we reached the bank. Sam turned and looked around, scanning the area. I mimicked his actions and looked. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but I didn't see any idling cars, or suspicious-looking people lurking around. But then it was winter and what few people were out were bundled up. He frowned. "Nothing looks odd. Hang back. If I tell you to duck, you'd better be hitting the floor."

  At any other time, I'd have made a snarky remark, but my adrenaline and nerves were too tight, so I just nodded. An odd jerky motion that didn't feel like me.

  Sam winked at me and pushed open the first set of doors to the bank. I watched him go through the second and he walked over, looking calm, and talked to the security guard standing there.

  Taking that as meaning it was okay, I pushed in through both sets of doors and stood on the opposite side of Sam and the guard trying to figure out the situation. There weren't many people in the bank. One older man, probably about Sam's age in the middle, his arms crossed, glaring at everyone. His dirty blond hair looked like he'd been running his fingers through it constantly and the bags under his eyes implied sleep was something he needed more of.

  "That's him. He started yelling, so we hit the alarm. All I know is his name is Roy and he's pissed."

  Sam nodded and headed that way, where Roy and one of the bank employees stood. I could see bank tellers behind their little screens looking a mixture of amused and nervous. There was one other customer who just looked annoyed at the entire situation as she wasn't being waited on while everyone paid attention to the man.

  He dropped his arms to his sides, hands clenched in fists. I gave a quick scan of his clothes. They looked decent, but not designer. I'd been getting my clothes for so long from thrift stores, I knew how to tell if something was worth the money. And more to the point, if it could handle all the wear and tear I put on it. Roy didn't strike me as rich, but not poor either.

  "I don't care what your records say. I filed all the forms. I didn't spend the money. I need it back in my account to pay my mortgage and get the utilities paid. It's too damn cold to have the heat turned off. I've got a family. You know I didn't take it out of my account." His voice would get calm then spike with anger each time he got back to the money and he got more agitated.

  "So, what's going on here?" Sam asked, his easy-going attitude and charm oozing out of him. He excelled at making situations defuse.

  "Mr. Saunders here says he's been the victim of identity theft. I don't have any police reports and I can't authorize returning the four thousand that was taken out of his bank account," the woman said. I couldn't see her name tag from my angle, but she looked and acted like a manager. Her attitude all officious and no sympathy in her tone.

  "I HAVE BEEN!" His voice was a screech and I saw the woman take a half step back, worry flashing across her face. "I've filed with the credit bureaus, canceled my cards, filled out a police report, but work is still doing automatic deposits. This paycheck had our yearly bonus on it, and I couldn't get the money out fast enough before the crooks took it. I need it back. I'm doing everything I can. I'm following all the rules. Why am I the one being punished? I need to pay my bills." His voice cracked on that last part.

  "I'm sure we can work it out. You said you filed a police report? Why don't we get it?" Sam kept his voice calm and light. "We can work something out."

  "People think they can use identity theft as an excuse for bad money management. It was your transfer that took it out." The sneer in the woman's voice made me flinch and Sam looked at her in surprise. That moment of surprise and cruelty seemed to stretch out forever.

  "You uncaring bitch."

  My eyes jerked to the man, every hair on my body feeling like it was trying to stand up all at once. It was his voice. Before, he'd been angry and upset, with rage and frustration mixed in. He said these words in a flat, calm tone of voice as if he mentioning the time. He reached behind him, jerked out a gun, pointed it at the woman and in the instant he fired, my entire body went rigid.

  Chapter 25

  Transformation - sounds like something out of a story book. Change lead to gold, spin straw to gold, make anything you want. The truth is, lead to gold is simple. Straw to gold is almost impossible unless you like wasting genetic material. It's one of the reasons the gold standard was abandoned before the 1900s and most countries moved to diamonds. They are almost impossible to create and hold up better under pressure. ~ History of Magic

  He's shooting!

  The thought went through my head, a mix of panic and disbelief even as I dropped to the ground and watched. Once again, time seemed to slow to a crawl and it felt like I could see the bul
let moving, which was patently impossible. In a fraction of a second and an eternity, the bullet somehow missed the woman, there were three sharp sounds that were so close together I didn't know how I knew there were three. Then Roy dropped to the ground, the gun tumbling out of his slack hands.

  No one else moved. It had happened so fast, then the woman started screaming and other people were freaking out. I just stared at the man.

  Sam grabbed his radio, babbled about shots being fired, then went over to the man. He kicked the gun away and knelt down.

  "I don't believe it. What in the world?" His voice sounded odd and after looking around I headed over to him. I still felt like time, like reality, was moving too slow, but it came back into focus as I went over.

  "Is he dead?" I asked, even more detached than I normally felt.

  "No. Just unconscious. Look." He pointed to ground next to Roy's head. A bullet, almost completely flat, lay there. Sam rotated the man's head a bit and at the temple was a red mark, bruising quickly.

  "He'll need an ambulance. Probably subdural bleeding," I said, my voice abstract. I couldn't get past the feeling of seeing the bullet move.

  "Oh, yeah, you're probably right." As Sam went to make that call too and handcuff Roy, just in case, I stood and followed my improbable thoughts.

  From where he had been standing and the direction the gun had been pointing, I followed my silly idea of the path of the bullet. Over in the direction of his gun I stopped at one of the support pillars with a shiny metal insert for artistic reasons I supposed. There was an indent at one corner. I turned and walked at an angle away from the column and stopped at a heavy bronze nameplate by a door that had another dent. I turned again following a memory that didn't exist. I walked until I came to a bronze vase holding fake flowers on the little desk to sign checks. There was another wider dent there and I turned again walking back to Roy.

  Huh. That shouldn't have happened. What is going on?

  I didn't know if I was scared, or freaked out, but mostly curiosity rippled through my mind. How had that happened?

  As I reached them, Sam stood looking around, with his hand on the handle of his gun. "You okay, Cori?"

  "I'm fine. A bit curious."

  "You? I'm trying to figure out how he shot himself. Unless someone else shot a gun?"

  "No. At least I don't think so. I think I know what happened, but it doesn't seem possible." My voice trailed off as I thought. It wasn't impossible, just improbable. And the improbable had a bad habit of happening around me all too often.

  Before Sam could say anything, sirens came to a halt outside the door, and two other officers came running in, guns drawn.

  That devolved into a half hour of explaining the situation and waiting for an ambulance to get there and take Roy to the hospital. He still hadn't regained consciousness, but there were no other signs of damage outside the bruise on his temple. Sam sent one of the other cops to go with Roy to the hospital—he'd write up the charges and the situation in a little bit.

  I had stayed out of the way, listening—it sounded like more paperwork than anything else. With my luck, I'd probably be involved in that.

  "Hey Cori?" Sam said, walking over to me. I looked at him, having made sure I stayed out of everyone's way. "You said you thought that you knew what happened. Can you tell me?" He didn't seem dismissive and in all the years while he'd treated me like a careless idiot occasionally, he'd never disparaged my comments or thoughts.

  "Well, still not sure I know why. But I think I can show you what. It's pretty weird."

  The look he gave me wasn't anything I could read. Half serious, half something else, but it made me shift my stance, suddenly uncomfortable.

  "Show me."

  I walked him through everything, the dents and then back to where Roy had laid. "I didn't touch anything, and I can't swear that I'm not making it all up because there is no way for me to follow a bullet's trajectory. But it makes sense."

  Sam stood, his head following the path over and over again. "You ever think about getting tested?"

  I sighed. This was becoming a theme. "No one in my family is magic. There hasn't been anyone for a long time. And if I had emerged, it was so mild no one noticed - including me. It isn't required unless I turn out to be higher than a hedgie."

  "True, but if you are a mage it might explain some of the weirdness."

  "Except you always emerge after puberty ends, and I've always been a trouble magnet. The chief commented on it earlier. I'm just weird or so low it means I could never do anything."

  "Maybe." He shrugged. "Either way I'm glad no one got seriously hurt. The manager was being purposefully insulting. I'll see if I can get him off on minor charges with community service. I checked and he did file identity theft papers. One of the detectives will get it. You, however, need to fill out a report. Saying what you discovered and all of your impressions of the scene up to and after the shooting."

  I groaned. "Why is everything paperwork? I thought you actually did stuff."

  "We do. Paperwork. Coffee. Donuts." He smiled. "But that's later. Now we get to go do patrol, and if you're nice, I'll let you use my computer to start on your half of the report."

  The rest of the day had no excitement, not even a speeding ticket, and I did get my report written up. Sam even gave me a ride home, which meant I'd have lots of time to work on my paper for class. As I climbed the stairs, I glanced over at the house. It had been really busy the last few days, but I hadn't seen any sign of Kris. Now it lay quiet and dark. Maybe a late night or school function. I shrugged and finished climbing the stairs. I unlocked my door and stepped in, then came to a sudden halt. Sitting on the counter was a manila envelope and the key to my door.

  Sweat beaded up on my body. As far as I knew Jo and my parents were the only people that had extra keys. I didn't breathe as I walked over and picked up the envelope, the key tumbling off to the floor. I pulled out the letter and another piece of paper tumbled out as well. With my heart beating hard enough it sounded like the crash of thunder in my ears, I read the letter.

  Corisande Munroe –

  This is to let you know that we, Estella Munroe and Rafael Munroe, have sold the house and this apartment. The new owners will not be taking possession until late June. At that time, you are expected to have vacated the premises. Please turn over all copies of the keys at that time. The new owners are a management company, Pinewood Reality Management. They will contact you when they plan to start remodeling the main house. The contract states you have the right to stay until that time.

  We have moved out of state and there will be no further contact. Enclosed is a money order for ten thousand. This ends our responsibility to you.

  Do not try to contact us or our son. We will not respond to any attempts at communications.

  Estella Munroe

  Rafael Munroe

  It was signed by both of them. I just stood there looking at it, my body flashing hot, then cold, then sweat broke out all over me . I read it twice more before I bent over and picked up the other piece of paper. It was a cashier's check. I now had more money than I'd earned in the last six months.

  I looked at the check and then slipped it back into the envelope. I walked over to my couch, ignoring the sound of something either falling in the bathroom or exploding in the fridge. Sinking onto my couch I stared at the wall, processing.

  It took a while, and when I finally came out of my haze, I'd decided a number of things.

  - Jo and the Guzman's were more a family than my parents had been in a long, long time.

  - If Kristos ever reached out to me, I'd respond, but until he turned eighteen, I would not search for him.

  - That I was relieved. This was the proof they didn't care, and it meant I could quit trying.

  Feeling an odd lightness, as if something that had been weighing down my soul had been cut away, I headed in to make some dinner. I turned on the hot water and waited, and waited, and waited. Still icy cold. I cautiously o
pened the fridge, and sure enough one of the cans of soda on the top shelf had frozen and exploded everywhere. Sighing, I hung my head and looked for anything else that had gone haywire. Maybe from here on life would become normal?

  Shutting off the water, I headed out the door, making sure my keys were still on me—the last thing I needed was to lock myself out. The water heater for the apartment was in the garage area, where I could have parked a car if I had one. I rarely went in there. I had a tub of clothes there for summer stuff that I swapped out once it quit being cold. But mostly it was empty. The fuse box, the water heater, a bench with my box of clothes, and the washer and dryer. One step in and I knew there was a problem. The cement floor of the garage shone back at me when I flipped the overhead lights on. Water spread out in rippling waves as it poured out from the heater.

  Shaking my head, I walked over and shut off the water. That much I knew how to do. But fixing the water heater? The people I would have put in a request with were no longer here. It was just me. I waited for a wave of panic or stress and nothing came. Just acceptance that I'd always been alone.

  Climbing the stairs seemed easier than I expected. That burden I'd carried without realizing it had vanished. I almost laughed. Apparently when you no longer cared you were free. I'd have to remember that.

  I picked up my phone with an abundance of care. Even with money, the last thing I needed was to get yet another new phone. Maybe they sold them in bulk.

  The person I needed was number one in my favorites list, and I hoped she always would be.

  "Yo-yo, Cori. How was the first day of exciting police action?" Jo's bright voice came through the line and wrapped around me in a wave of warmth. She was my joy.

  "More exciting and boring than I expected. I'll tell you all about it if you come over, but can you bring Stinky?"

  "Ooh, you decided to go slumming and date my brother?"

  "Ewww… no." I shuddered. Sanchez was great, but no way. I'd become a merlin before I ever dated him. "Are you insane, do you feel good? Besides do you really want me dating your bother?"