by Barb Taub
Carey nodded at Yosh and Anton. “Peter and I know the building. We’ll check it out.” They looked unhappy, but nodded. Claire gave Peter a quick hug and whispered, “Remember our deal. There will be no dying.”
They started with the Director’s office. Everything looked normal except… She frowned when she realized the chair behind the huge desk was wrong. It was on a swivel base so it could be turned easily, convenient for work. What it was not convenient for, was someone who did his best thinking with his chair tilted back on two legs, feet balanced on the open bottom desk drawer.
Peter raised an eyebrow as she pulled the chair away from the desk and looked down. “It has to be a message, one only a very few people would understand.” What would Director Jeffers do at his desk? First thing, lose the tie. Then lean the chair back and balance his feet on the bottom drawer. She slid open the drawer to display his usual pile of tie discards. “Help me with these, Peter.”
She took the first tie and examined it. Blue and red stripes, conservative. Her hands ran carefully across the length. Nothing. She picked up the next one, blue and yellow this time. Peter reached for a navy blue in a wave pattern. They were almost to the bottom of the drawer when his hand stilled. “Got it.”
She watched as he pulled a tissue thin paper from between the seams of a purple and gray tie. He smoothed it flat while Carey aimed the desk lamp at its surface.
“Traced Outsider security breech to one of the senior Wardens. Closing Accords Agency to all until further notice. If compromised, comply with Standing Directive. No exceptions.”
Their search of the rest of the building came up empty until they came to Tony Montari’s office. A light was on inside, and she thought she heard a faint sound. Peter tried the door. Locked. She was reaching for her lock picks when he shook his head, pointing to the electronic locks, another leftover from the former software startup. He pulled a card from his wallet and breathed, “If you tell Claire about this, I’ll say you’re the one who cloned her master card key. You know she’ll believe it.”
Carey looked at him in admiration, her words the merest breath of air. “Now I’m really looking forward to that wedding.”
He smiled as he eased the door open, holding up three fingers. On three, they burst into the room, Carey going low to the right, Peter to the left. Inside the silence stretched out until Carey spotted the bodies tangled in the corner.
Peter pulled them apart to find the large form of Tony Montari slumped over Jim Anderson. Carey reached for Tony’s wrist, although his bloodied chest told the story. “Dead.”
Peter, who had done the same for Anderson, looked up. “Still breathing. I think the blood’s mostly Tony’s.” Between them, they got the smaller man to his feet. Anderson was still groggy as they helped him over to Montari’s desk chair. Carey went into the lunch room across the hall and returned with bottles of water and a roll of paper towels. She held the bottle to Anderson’s mouth as he gulped, then let him ease his head back against the chair.
“What happened, Jim?” Peter’s voice was quiet.
“Director Jeffers sent everyone home. I was on my way out when I saw a light on in Jeffers’ office. But when I came back to the building, I couldn’t find anyone. Just as I was about to leave, I saw Tony leave Jeffers’ office and go into his own. I pretended I just wanted to talk about the football pool results until I was close enough. But when I thought I had him, he pulled a gun. I was trying to get it away when it went off, and he fell on me.” He rubbed the back of his head and looked sheepish. “I must have hit my head on the floor.”
When the smaller man reached both hands up to explore the blood oozing from the rapidly swelling lump on the back of his head, Peter’s eyes met Carey’s. He showed no surprise when she shook her head slightly.
“Jim, you’ve been so brave already, and I can tell you’re in pain. Could you wait here with Peter while I go for the medical kit?”
Anderson preened under her praise, before arranging his features into a modestly heroic smile. When he nodded, she traded a look with Peter and headed back to Claire’s office at the end of the hall. Raising her hand for silence as she entered, she told them what she’d seen.
Claire shook her head in disgust. “I never liked Tony, but I sure didn’t see him as a traitor.”
“You just left Jim Anderson there with Peter?” Marley was shocked. “Shouldn’t you have brought him with you?”
“How did his hands look?” Yosh’s voice was quiet, but Anton looked up quickly.
Carey nodded approval. “Clean. No GSR or splatters.”
“GSR?” Zach seemed confused, even as Claire’s eyes widened.
“Gunshot residue.” Leigh Ann sounded bored. “If the gun went off while they struggled over it, Anderson’s hands would have powder and blood splatters.” She looked around. “What? Doesn’t anybody else watch CSI?”
“But if he shot Tony from the doorway…” Claire’s voice trailed off. “Anderson? He’s always been…”
“Everyone’s friend. The first one they call when someone gets hurt or anything happens. The one in the background of every damn mission.” Carey was still looking at Yosh. “The perfect Outsider mole.” She put a hand on his arm. “No. You can’t kill him or even confront him. We need him to lead us into his trap so we can get Kurt Jeffers back. Save Raziel, remember?”
She picked up the first-aid kit. “Claire, do you have any more of that spelled water?”
Minutes later, Peter and Carey pushed a heavily-sedated Anderson into Claire’s office, still sitting in the wheeled office chair. His hands were fastened to the arms of the chair, and his feet were bound together. Hell, who had of course gotten out of her carrier yet again, bounced up to sniff the tassels of his leather loafers.
The silence stretched out as everyone stared at the drugged Warden. Predictably, it was Leigh Ann who spoke. “I should be heading home. I have an appointment with my stylist in the morning, and…”
Zach snorted. “I’m probably the dumbest one in this room, and even I know you have no intention of going anywhere.”
Claire gave Carey a pointed look. Carey shrugged. “Not now.”
“Don’t be so damn lazy.” Claire gave her mean eyes. “I have a feeling that now is exactly the right time.”
“Fine.” Carey crossed to stand in front of the younger girl. “Leigh Ann, you can drop the act. A Leannán Sí might provide a little extra creativity to her…um…host, but she isn’t going to actually supersize his gifts. I doubt she could make him smarter, or stronger. And, now that I think of it, things being what they are, she’s not going to have too much trouble being around the dead either. But you couldn’t wait to get away from those bodies after the battle.”
Leigh Ann’s eyes got big and her lower lip trembled. Carey showed her the hand. “We’ve already established that your crap doesn’t work on me. So if you’re going to try some gut-wrenching story, you can save your breath.”
Leigh Ann rolled her eyes and looked away. “You’re really mean.”
Carey looked pleased.
Claire snorted. Almost everyone else in the room began to make suggestions. Even Anton offered, “Old eyes…”
Yosh put a hand on Carey’s shoulder, and murmured in her ear. “Why don’t you just go ahead and tell her what you already know?”
“Well, fine.” Carey shrugged off his hand. “Take all the fun out of it.” She snapped her fingers to get her dog’s attention. “Bain…speak up.” In concert with his howls, she put her fingers to her mouth and whistled. In the ensuing silence, she didn’t know if you could have heard a pin drop, but she did hear Anderson stir. Better get on with this.
“Here’s what I know. Anyone who looks at you sees an adorable teenager. You trot out your party piece of pathetic puppy theater du jour, and they just want to protect you.”
Leigh Ann examined her nails.
“You practically sent me an engraved invitation with the whole setup with Will the first time I arrest
ed you. That put you into Accords just in time to do some little thing that affects what’s happening, like give a tiny boost to Claire’s spells, or be the only one who can drive a big rig, or point out that a code is a phone number. In between, you cause trouble for your own reasons or no reason at all.”
Leigh Ann seemed to find something about her chipped nails fascinating, but her lips twitched.
Carey looked around the room. “Did I miss anything?”
Anton looked bored. “Really old.”
“Oh yeah, that. He’s right, Leigh Ann. You have that look sometimes. Like someone very old and infinitely patient is looking out of your eyes, and playing a long game. If you were to look up at me, I’m guessing I’d see that look right now.” Leigh Ann made a production of lowering her lashes.
“So, what does that add up to? I know your mother is a full Leannán Sí. I know your stepfather is human. What about Dear Old Dad?”
For the first time, Leigh Ann looked grim. “Never met him personally.”
“Right. Well, I can think of a lot of names. Loki. Anansi. Kokopelli. Prometheus.”
Leigh Ann looked pleased.
“But I’m gonna have to go with Bugs Bunny. ’Cause he messes with everyone and every situation.”
Leigh Ann’s jaw dropped as the room erupted in laughter.
Carey waited a moment for the younger girl to reply. “Nothing? Well, here’s the thing.” She stepped closer into the other girl’s space and flashed her coldest, most feral grin.
Leigh Ann flinched and stepped back, then tried to recover with an annoyed eye roll.
“I don’t know what your goals are. I don’t know why you’re here. From my dream last night, I’d say you’re favoring the other side with some of your little gifts too. But if you ever do one thing that harms a single person in this room or anyone I care about, I will hunt you down through every possible universe, and I will rip every one of your nails out with rusty pliers and then go for your nose, then your eyes, and…”
“Not my perfect ears, yada, yada. I get it. I have seen Princess Bride you know.”
This time the only noise in the room came from Hell. With complete deliberation, the tiny puppy walked over to Leigh Ann and butted her legs. The girl scooped him up and straightened to meet Carey’s eyes. Hell yipped a sharp baby bark and a puff of smoke, then settled down in Leigh Ann’s arms.
“Fine.” Carey turned away. “But just remember those pliers.”
“Wait.” Claire had her arms folded across her chest. “That’s it?”
Carey met the staring eyes of the rest of the group and shrugged. “The hellhound likes her.”
“Riiiiight. As long as the puppy from hell likes her…” Claire shook her head, then turned point at Anderson. “Assuming the puppy doesn’t object, what do you want to do with him?”
“Since Mr. Anderson is clearly into acting a part, I’d say it’s time we gave him a bit of theater.” Carey opened her eyes wide and fluttered her hands. “Oh, Warden Anderson, I’m just so impressed with how brave you were to take on that horrible Tony Montari.”
Leigh Ann looked critical. “Don’t bat your eyelashes. That’s just trite. And the chin trembling works for me, but nobody who knows you is going to buy it for a second. You need to Oh-Daddy him.” She rolled her eyes at their blank looks. “Amateurs…” Straightening her shoulders, she raised her chin and produced a credible version of Carey’s cold smile and deeper voice. “Oh, Senior Warden Anderson! You’ve been through the war, and you just have so much more experience in this kind of thing. What do you think we should do next?” She paused before resuming her own voice. “Usually when it’s an older guy, I like to be licking an ice-cream or something, but I don’t think Carey can pull that one off. Maybe just a concerned hand on his arm?”
The absolute silence that followed was broken by Zach’s sigh. “She must not meet my sisters. The world will never be ready for that.”
Leigh Ann looked pleased. “Thanks, Zach. See, I knew you could be nice if you tried.”
Marley cleared her throat, sounding suspiciously like she was trying not to laugh. “Before we wake up Sleeping Beauty, I think we should work on Connor.” She seemed to hesitate, then reach a decision. “But first, there’s something else you should probably know. When I was dying at the St. Helens, the way Connor saved me was by sharing his life thread.”
“So you’re what…part of Connor? Does that make you his…” Carey waved to her brother. “Actually, what does that make you?”
“Human.” Marley’s smile was her old cold lift of her lips. “Damn it.” She shrugged. “But at least it means we have enough connection that he can draw on me. Which is good, because he was basically one breath from dead after he helped me escape.” Ignoring Carey’s softly inhaled breath, Marley waved to Claire and Leigh Ann. “So if Leigh Ann gives Claire some of her mojo and I push what I can through my connection to Connor, we just might wake him up.”
Carey met her eyes. “Are you sure you’re strong enough? I don’t want to lose any more family.” At Marley’s widened eyes and Claire’s smirk, she felt her cheeks warm. “I’m only thinking about Claire’s bridal shower. I was never any good with tissue paper.”
“Just keep telling yourself that.” Claire was still smiling as she grabbed Leigh Ann and headed over to the couch where they had laid Connor.
Half an hour later, Connor was sitting shakily on one of Claire’s guest chairs, patting a sobbing Carey on the back as she kneeled next to him, her arms wrapped around his waist. Now it was Marley lying on the couch with her eyes closed, while Claire was limp in Peter’s lap on the floor, his back braced against the wall. Even Leigh Ann looked exhausted.
Carey felt Yosh’s arm wrap her shoulders and lift her to her feet. “While they recover, why don’t we make a supply run? Jeffers usually keeps a bottle of something decent in his desk, and maybe we should hunt up some juice or something for your brother and Marley?” She nodded and led him out of the room.
There was a small pool of light coming from Jeffers’ office through the open door. Carey looked at Yosh, who nodded. Raising the crossbow, she covered him as he burst through the door, following him a moment later. Both stared at the tall man sitting on a corner of the desk. He raised a glass, and smiled. “Sláinte!” Draining the glass, he pulled two more from his battered leather biker jacket, and filled them from a familiar-looking bottle of Jack Daniels. Holding out the two newly filled glasses, he stood.
Carey sighed, lowered her bow, and took the glasses. Handing one to Yosh, she raised the other to the stranger. “You would be Rian?”
He smiled and raised his glass.
Yosh lifted his own glass in a slight salute. “Sláinte chuig na fir, agus go mairfidh na mná go deo.”
Rian grinned. “Health to the men, and may the women live forever. Nice.”
They silently drained their glasses, Carey eyeing the stranger as she swallowed. He was tall—taller even than Connor, although with his black leather jacket, dark jeans, and well-worn boots, it wasn’t his size that stood out as much as his face. That would have been cool perfection if it weren’t for the faint curving scar that crossed his forehead, bisected one eyebrow and curved down his left cheek to the edge of his jaw. His hair might seem dark, but she noticed that it picked up a halo of deep red highlights where the light from the desk lamp lit the edges. And his eyes… She sighed. “Are there any angels who haven’t fallen?” When Rian reached for the bottle again, Carey’s hand shot out to grab it and replace the lid. “Why are you here?”
With a regretful glance at the bottle, he sat back on the corner of the desk. “I understand you might need to trade me for Kurt Jeffers.”
Carey traded a glance with Yosh. When he raised an eyebrow slightly, she turned back. “No. We don’t trade civilians. And besides, if Narcorial wants you more than Jeffers, I have a feeling that trading you is the last thing we should do.” When he didn’t respond, she nodded. “And you already knew I’d say that, so
why are you really here?”
His own laugh seemed to catch him by surprise. “I’ve heard stories about you. Seems they’re all true.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been hearing about you too.”
He nodded, face serious. “Your sister Gaby is alive. She’s faced heartbreak and tragedy, but she’s strong like you. Her task isn’t over yet, but we already know she’ll succeed because…well, because she already did succeed back in time.”
“That just makes my brain hurt.”
“Then all you really need to know is this. It won’t be for a few years, but you’ll see her again. So stop waiting to start on your own future. Oh, and Iax?” Rian stood and carefully put the three glasses back into his pocket—where they didn’t make as much as a slight bump—before pulling out a small velvet bag. “This belonged to your mother. She wanted me to tell you not to wait forever.”
Carey gave a choking gasp, and Yosh pulled her to him. When they looked up, they were alone in the office. She pressed her face against his chest.
“Carey,” his voice rumbled. “I don’t know when or even if I’ll have a chance to say this again, so please just listen to me.”
Now? He was going to do this right now, when she was already an emotional basket case? She twisted so she could lean back against his arm and see his face. He looked like he might need the Mind-the-Gap bag at any second. “Okay.”
He spilled the contents of the velvet bag into his hand and held up the ring with the diamond in a delicately old-fashioned setting. “No more pretending that this is just temporary, happy-for-now crap. You know I love you, don’t you?”
She nodded.
“And you love me.” When she didn’t move, he shook her slightly.
She smiled. “I love you, Yosh.”
“I know.” But the breath he blew out sounded a lot like relief. “That damn seer Rian was right. So here’s the thing. I need to marry you. I don’t want to hear about wars that need winning or angels that need rescuing first. I just want you to agree that as soon as we can possibly manage it, we’ll get married. And we’ll damned well live happy ever after. It’s not optional.”