She hastily pulled the bow over her head and grabbed an arrow from her quiver. With shaking hands she positioned the equipment as straight and true as she could, hoping that the close distance would make up for her lack of skill. As she gazed down the arrow’s shaft, trying to aim, it registered that that the tip of this arrow was more of a dull lead color than the shiny gold of the other others she had used. Did it matter? Maybe it was a super-special love arrow.
She pointed it at her father who was standing still, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. It was more urgent to get to him first. With the way her mother was pacing around in her aggravation, she was afraid she might miss the shot.
Drawing in a deep breath Raine used all the muscles in her body to draw the string back as steadily as possible. Her arm braced firmly on the grip, her eye sighted down the shaft of the arrow to make sure it lined up as straight as possible. She didn’t want this one going astray. She hesitated for the barest moment, saying a quick prayer in her mind that it would work, and then finally let go.
***
The engine of the Bugatti Vitesse roared as it raced down streets and squealed around corners reflecting Alexander’s mood. His hands clenched the wheel and his eyes scanned the streets as he went along. He was following the route of unusual activity Donovan had shown him on the system, knowing that Raine and his bow couldn’t be too far from it all. Here and there his eyes picked up the unusual auras of people who had been shot by one of his arrows at the wrong time, in the wrong place, in the wrong mood and with the wrong person. It was all so very wrong.
How dare she even touch it! How dare she think to steal the possession of a god! He had no idea if he would be able to spot her while she was using it. Would the glamour work against him as well? He wanted to kick himself for neglecting to add it to the system for tracking. At the time, it’d made no sense to track himself. His bow was never out of his control.
The havoc she was creating with it didn’t bother him as much as the theft. It wasn’t the first time an arrow had been misfired. He’d seen it happen many times over the years as he’d trained his men and had always been quick to correct the mistakes. It would just take them more time to correct things this time considering the number of people she’d affected.
Arrows went amiss but his bow never did. His jaw clenched. It was the most powerful of all the bows, not just in construction but in terms of energy as well. He’d never been able to replicate its power in the equipment developed for his men. Raine’s insistence that he could help her was not that far off from being correct. If any of them could have helped her, it would have been him. Help he would never bestow on her now.
There was a lot of cleanup work for them to do. She’d left a long and colorful trail. He passed a dirty beggar hugging and gazing worshipfully at a tree. A few blocks down, a girl in a tank top was flailing at a man in a long-sleeve shirt with her fists. Luckily, this was Vegas. He doubted anyone would notice anything was wrong.
He gritted his teeth as he continued to pass people who had been shot. It looked like he was going to have to help clean the mess up, there was just too many of them. The last thing he needed was for the attention of the other gods to be attracted. He could already hear the scathing rumors and comments that would circulate on Mount Olympus if they discovered a mortal had stolen his bow. Gossip on Mount Olympus never died. If they found out, he would be ridiculed throughout eternity. Now that it was proven it could be taken from him, there was no doubt some of them would try to steal it for their own hidden agendas. He would have to increase security if the situation leaked.
He jabbed the button for the hands-free phone system and called Donovan.
“Donovan,” he said when he picked up.
“What’s the cleanup status?”
“The men are already stretched thin boss. She affected several people in that taxi line and also on the street. I’ve got them handling the local stuff, and then they’ll be working their way outward.”
“Have you located her?”
“No but she’s leaving a pretty clear trail toward where her parents live. She shouldn’t be too hard to catch.”
“I’m on it. Once I get my equipment back, I’ll start cleaning things up out here.”
“Great. That reminds me, one of the people in the taxi line she targeted was a celebrity.”
Alexander frowned. “Who?”
“Blake Jordan. He’s here shooting something in town.”
Alexander swore. He recognized the name. Blake Jordan had been in several popular TV shows and was also a lead in blockbuster films. Celebrity antics generated a lot of press. If he did something that attracted media attention, there would be no way to keep a lid on it.
“Do you know where he is now?”
“He’s headed out your way in a cab with a woman. I’ll get back to you in a minute with their exact location. We have an issue in the casino, and I need to get down there.”
Alexander hung up and concentrated on driving. His foul mood became even more black. He was used to being the one committing the pranks, not being on the receiving end of them. The whole town would be rioting if he didn’t catch her soon.
He felt like a fool. How could he have been so blind? Donovan saw what he had refused to see. It was shameful that he, a god, had been snowed by a pair of green eyes. His mind flashed back to how she’d looked this morning in his bed. So innocent, so pure. He never thought that she might rifle through his apartment. He’d never shown her the bow or where he kept it so he could only conclude that she’d snooped and found a way to get past the lock. What else had he missed about her?
Chapter Fourteen
In the end Raine shot both of her parents twice for good measure. After releasing the fourth arrow she nodded her head in satisfaction. That ought to do it for a long time. They didn’t have as immediate of a reaction as the people in the taxi line. In fact, their argument seemed to grow more heated. Maybe it was because they were right in the middle of it? Oh well, the effects would kick in soon and she didn’t want to be around when they did. Not if they were going to start making out like some of the others that was.
She departed immediately, almost skipping with joy and relief, back to the taxi. Everything was going to be all right now. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this good.
She thought of Alexander and the smoldering looks he had given her last night. The memory of them caused a warm, glowing sensation deep within her gut. It was wrong to borrow his bow but she’d had to help her parents. With any luck, he wouldn’t have noticed it was gone and she could just put it back on the statue and close the door as if nothing had happened. She was taking it straight back to the hotel, right after she was done with it.
She had the taxi drop her off at Jane’s bakery. It was a slim possibility, but she was hoping Jane’s crush would appear so she could help bring them together, too.
As she walked up to the shop, she gripped the bow and an arrow so that she was hidden from the people coming in and out of the store. While she waited she let a few arrows fly on some of the customers coming in just for the sheer glee of it. There wasn’t enough love in the world; it couldn’t hurt to spread more. It felt so good. The soft twang of the bowstring thrummed within her as she released arrows, feeling better and better with each one.
Jane must have made some killer flavor today. Every single person who went into the store came out with big boxes.
To her surprise, what she was waiting for happened. Mystery-man Scott appeared from around the corner. Raine followed him inside the shop, wanting to make sure there was good eye contact between him and Jane before she shot, just in case. She had to be sure to do a good job for her cousin. Still invisible, she backed into a corner so no one would accidentally bump into her.
“Hi, Scott.” Jane smiled at him.
“Hi.” He seemed to be blushing. “Those macaroon cupcakes with the dark chocolate frosting I bought the other day were a real hit at the office. I’d like
to get some more, and any special flavors you have today.”
Jane looked over at her display case with dismay. It was almost empty and had only one or two of today’s flavors on each shelf. “I’m sorry, but those are all I have left. Everyone must really be in the mood for cupcakes today. Several people came in before you and bought dozens. It’s not even noon, and I’ve sold a whole day’s worth. I was just about to close the store.”
Raine stood ready. Should she just scratching him with an arrow since she was so close? No, her cousin deserved any advantage the full usage of Cupid’s equipment could give her. Who knew what mystical power the bow contained?
“That’s okay,” Scott said, “they’re all delicious. I’ll just take those two chocolate ones.”
Raine leaned her head to look down the shaft of the arrow and squinted in concentration as she tried to decide on the right moment.
“Okay, but I can make more of the macaroon ones tomorrow if you still want them,” Jane said shyly.
The arrow sunk itself into Scott’s back just as their eyes met on a smile and disappeared. Bull’s-eye! She wavered over the need to send one to Jane as well. But from the look on her cousin’s face, she was already smitten. Where Jane stood behind the counter, she didn’t have a good shot at her anyway.
“On second thought,” Scott said, “I’ll take all the ones that are left. You may as well close your shop early.” He reached into his pocket for his wallet, and Raine tiptoed her way through the door to the kitchen where she leaned against the wall with happiness. Seeing her cousin’s car keys hanging from the wall, she decided to borrow it. It was time to return the bow. She scribbled a note for Jane so that she wouldn’t think it had been stolen. She wouldn’t be long.
A smile lit her face. Now everything was perfect.
She went out to the car, laid the bow and quiver on the backseat, and got in. The time showing on the clock in the car when she started it shocked her. That couldn’t be right? Had hours really gone by since she’d left the hotel? Putting the car in drive, she stepped hard on the gas pedal hoping it wouldn’t be too late.
***
The warm Las Vegas wind blew Alexander’s hair as he drove. He’d rolled down the window hoping to get a sense of the bow as he tracked her on the ground, hoping some intuition would tell him where it was. But so far…nothing.
He glanced at the navigation screen that he’d rigged so that it would link with his system back at the hotel. On it were plotted the victims of Raine’s ill-timed arrows. The initial trail was diffusing as the victims moved away from ground zero where they’d been shot but he could still see her general path. He was approaching another one of the plot points.
As he pulled up in front of the location and recognized Raine’s parents’ house in time to observe complete lunacy. The two people in the house were absolutely enraged with other and were alternately destroying things. He couldn’t see them, but their shouting could be heard from where he was parked at the curb and objects were being flung out the front door and windows. The front lawn and shrubs were decorated with a variety of garments and object.
He shook his head. This was bad, very bad…. Something needed to be done right away. It wouldn’t be long before the police were called.
The screen beeped and the display changed to show a new blip, actually a small grouping of them, nearby.
What was she doing? Trying to create an orgy? Or a riot? He frowned and floored the gas pedal hoping to catch her before she got away. Smoke billowed behind his car as the tires spun madly before grasping the pavement and shooting the Bugatti forward.
But, even with his excessive speed on the streets, he was too late again.
On the doorstep of a little, bright bakery stood a slim and anxious woman that he recognized as Raine’s cousin. Surrounding her were various men, some with gifts in their hands. They were all talking at once, each apparently trying to declare their love. Nothing good could come of this. Already signs of hostility were beginning to surface between the men.
He dialed his phone. “Cole? Get down here right away. Bring backup.” Alexander texted him the address and then remained alert. His eyes drilled into the surroundings as if by sheer will he could make her appear.
He didn’t interfere with the scene just yet. If he left things alone, they might work to his advantage. It was possible Raine was nearby. If she was seeing what was happening to her cousin, she would have to reveal herself to come to her cousin’s aid, and then he would nab her.
But for now, there was nothing to do but wait. He gritted his teeth.
Chapter Fifteen
By the time Raine returned to the Palazzo, she was positively giddy. How could Alexander have ever turned away from a job so wonderful? Love was everywhere now because of her. She parked her cousin’s car in the self-parking section and made her way to the double doors leading up to the casino. Needing two hands to drive, she’d been unable to release any more arrows on the way. Her fingers itched to shoot a couple more before returning the equipment to its rightful owner.
She emerged from the stairwell into the casino and looked around at the various gamblers. How many glazed-eyed slot machine players were there trying to make the big win to compensate for their unfulfilling lives? And the cocktail waitresses who circled in their skimpy outfits with the weary look of crushed dreams. How could she not help them?
No, no. The bow had to be returned. She’d meddled with enough lives already. It was time to get a grip on herself. But the bow and quiver seemed to glow with warmth on her back that could not be ignored, as though it ached to be used some more.
How long had it hung unused on the statue? Decades? Centuries? The warmth seeped from her back throughout her body, as if the bow had a tangible life force of its own and was communicating its frustration and pent up energy to her. Her eyes misted. It was too cruel, she thought, too cruel to lock up such a force for good again. It pained her to think that by taking it back she was again sentencing it to solitary confinement, unable to carry out its true purpose, while so much darkness roamed free over the earth.
Doubt crossed her mind. What if there was a reason it was supposed to be locked up? There might be reasons higher than she could possibly know. Besides, she wasn’t a thief. The bow didn’t belong to her.
She decided to make a compromise to satisfy her torn will. Between here and the elevator she would hit as many people as she could and then, that would have to be that.
Grasping the bow and pulling an arrow over her shoulder she took aim at the first young cocktail waitress that went by. Walking slowly, she aimed at an elderly lady sitting by herself at a slot machine. Next she targeted a gruff-looking man at the craps table. They all needed love. Love could heal all the hurts in their lives and everything would be well again.
***
Alexander let out another frustrated breath. Too much time had passed. Where is she? Where could she possibly be heading after this? He punched a button on his console and made a FaceTime call to Donovan.
“Donovan,” he answered immediately. His face appeared on the car’s monitor but his steely gaze never left the screens Alexander knew he was monitoring. He was sitting in the leather chair at his desk where he surveyed the wall of security screens with his usual infinite patience. They displayed live feed from the security cameras around the hotel.
“Anything yet? A blip?”
“Nothing.” Donovan’s gaze flickered for the briefest of milliseconds to him. “She can’t hide forever, boss. She’s going to pop up again. And when she does, I’ll see it.” One of his hands rose into view. He was twirling a pen around his fingers as was his usual habit. Donovan could easily sit there for days, if necessary. Demigods were made of sterner stuff than mortals.
“Did you complete the cross-check on the archers?”
Donovan nodded. “All accounted for. Everyone is where they are supposed to be. It’s like I said, one of our own wouldn’t do it. They all know they are being monitored.”
Alexander grunted in acknowledgment. There went his last shred of hope that it was an archer with a vendetta against him and not Raine stirring up all this chaos. That maybe they were trying to find a scapegoat and divert his attention from what they were really doing.
“You were right, Donovan.” It killed Alexander to say it but he felt that he owed his right-hand-man that much. He had brushed aside Donovan’s misgivings about Raine from the start.
“You always were a soft touch when it came to women. Can’t say I blame you, though. She looks gentle as a newborn fawn,” Donovan replied.
“Still, I should have paid more attention to your instincts.” Alexander’s guts twisted a little. When had he ever had occasion to apologize to one of his men? Or to anyone? But even though it was uncomfortable, he was starting to feel better.
“S’okay. She could’ve fooled any of us.” The pen continued to twirl in Donovan’s hand, his focus undisturbed by the conversation.
But his words eased something in Alexander’s soul. “Then how come you weren’t fooled?”
“Because I’ve seen desperation like that before. Known it myself. There were flashes of it in her aura. It can be a powerfully motivating force.”
The truth of Donovan’s words sparked memories within Alexander. There had been countless other mortals throughout time motivated by the same desperation. How had he never regarded it before?
“It sure was nice to see you back at work,” Donovan commented after a few moments of silence. “You’ve been playing this businessman role for a while now. You do it well, boss. But, if you don’t mind me saying, it’s not quite you.”
It was the most forthright Donovan had ever been with him. The corner of Alexander’s mouth quirked up. “You may have something there,” he said, leaving Donovan’s conjecture open for debate. He’d just apologized to Donovan for not listening. There might be something to what he said now, but he wasn’t ready at this moment to agree.
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