by Linda Howard
The senator would have a come-apart if Elijah wasn’t found—by Derek, not by the police—and soon.
Let the senator stew. Derek scrubbed a hand over his face, disgusted by the senator, and not all that willing to kill a kid. He’d thought he could do the job with no problem, but then he’d looked Elijah in the eye, seen the kid’s innocence, his fear, his devastation. The woman the senator had killed had been a cheating whore. Sammy was a moron who was a waste of skin. The kid? The kid hadn’t done anything wrong. Elijah hadn’t lived long enough to make the kind of mistakes that would bring Derek, or someone like him, to his door. Some people deserved to be taken out of the gene pool, but not a kid who’d just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Fuck a duck, maybe he did have a few morals, after all.
Still and alert, Esma crouched in a cluster of overgrown shrubs by the corner of a brick home that was presently unoccupied. The bushes that offered her a place to hide were thick with shiny green leaves so spiny that they would be almost dangerous, if she wasn’t covered head to toe, and an abundance of bright red, inedible berries. It was some kind of holly bush, she thought, but she wasn’t well-educated on the plant life of all the worlds. All she cared about was the good cover the plants offered.
A For Sale sign posted in the front yard leaned precariously to one side. From her position she could watch the front of the house where she’d found the Moon card, tucked high on a shelf. There was a lot of activity there on this morning. Thank the One she had found the card before the law enforcement entities of Seven had, though they might not have realized exactly what it was. Even if they had, what could they have done with just one card? Nothing, the way she could do nothing. But as long as she had the card, no one else could access the deck’s power, either.
She hated to hide in this way. As a Hunter she always preferred a fight to subterfuge. But this moment of this assignment on this world dictated that she stay out of sight and wait patiently. Well, she would wait, but she had never been patient. She didn’t belong in the neighborhood and on a day like today if she showed herself she would be noticed. Everyone was on alert and would be alarmed by any and all strangers.
Policemen came and went. Friends and neighbors who had heard the news about murder and a missing child came by to stand and gawk, to find out whatever they could from any officer who would talk to them, to organize search teams or contact anyone who might know where the child was.
That damned old woman who had seen Esma and Stroud and mistaken them for friends of the dead woman was talking her head off. If the detectives weren’t in the house interviewing her, then she was standing in her front yard, bundled up in her winter gear, chattering with the neighbors and waving her arms for emphasis. There were moments it was obvious she was genuinely upset, but she also reveled in the attention.
She had probably described the people she’d seen in Amber’s backyard in great detail. Nosy old women always remembered everything.
Esma and Stroud had split up, since the neighbor would have the cops looking for a couple. It was their bad luck that the woman had walked out of her back door when she had, to admire the snow. Esma didn’t know what Stroud was doing; he’d simply disappeared. He should have informed her of his plans, but he hadn’t. Then again, she hadn’t told him she’d found the Moon, either.
For all she knew he was hiding out in another world, avoiding both her and Veton.
She slipped two fingers into the right front pocket of her blue jeans and let them slide over the treasure there. The card didn’t feel thousands of years old; this kind of paper hadn’t even existed on this world when the deck had been created. The magic in the cards had caused them to morph over the years; instead of fading, the colors were more vivid than ever. The writing shifted so that the words were readable by whoever viewed it. The material the cards were made of had become stronger over time, more resilient.
The Alexandria Deck was, in an odd way, a survivor.
It had been good luck that had led Esma to the card that had been hidden in the kid’s bedroom, good instincts that had led her to keep the card’s existence from Stroud. That in itself was proof that she didn’t trust him. She couldn’t say why she didn’t, because she and Stroud had worked together before and he’d never shown himself to be treacherous. Still … this deck of cards was the most important thing she’d ever encountered. If Stroud had found it what would he have done? Would he have killed her so he could seize control of it?
She might as well have the entire deck. Why not? The Alexandria Deck would be worthless without this card, without every card. And shouldn’t she be the one in control of it?
It was impossible to mistake what she’d found for anything other than what it was. An instinct had called Esma into the house and up the stairs and to the child’s room. A faint glow had marked as otherworldly the card there. It was heavier than a single card should be; she had noticed the heaviness when she’d first lifted the card and she felt that weight as the Moon rested in her pocket.
Fewer than three days, and Lenna had to be back in Aeonia. Or dead. Veton’s order to kill Lenna if it became necessary was still shocking.
Then again, he was the Tower. He loved chaos. He was chaos.
Esma had enjoyed more than her share of chaos in her life, but she called upon strength and willpower daily. If she considered any one of the Major Arcana cards her own, it would be Strength.
Chaos came and went. Strength was a quality any man or woman would wish to possess for a lifetime.
Esma preferred to see Lenna returned to Aeonia rather than kill her and watch what disasters might befall all the worlds, but she still wanted to be able to take the deck to Veton. She wanted to fulfill the mission.
So did Caine. It was a part of who they were, an important aspect of their training. There was nothing worse than to fail. The problem was, they weren’t working on the same mission, which meant she and Caine were adversaries. That wasn’t good, for her, because Caine was Caine and beside him all other Hunters were ordinary, even her.
Which meant she had to be smart. She had to keep on when others would have given up.
Esma crouched so long her legs began to ache, but she ignored the ache and maintained her position. Eventually the house began clearing out, the gathered gawkers began to thin and go home. A police car was parked at the curb, but no police officers were inside the house—which had been designated a crime scene—at the moment. Searchers were in the wooded area behind the house, scanning the ground for the second or third time, looking for a child, terrified that they would find his body.
As soon as she was sure the house was empty, she teleported herself into Elijah’s room. The place had been thoroughly searched, as she’d expected.
She needed to be here. If Lenna had hidden the card in Elijah’s room—and that was the only explanation that made sense—then she’d be back for it sooner or later. Esma hoped it was sooner.
She stood by Elijah’s bed, well away from the window, the card heavy in her pocket, a Hunter’s knife equally heavy in her hand. She stretched, working the kinks out of her muscles, preparing herself for confrontation. Lenna and Caine would come here for the Moon card; since the house was now empty, they might pop in at any moment. She was on alert. She didn’t want to hurt anyone if it could be helped, and she certainly did not want to remove Strength from this world and every other.
But she wanted the deck. She would complete her mission.
An early-morning visit had verified what Caine had suspected would be true. The street where Elijah lived—had lived—was far too busy for him to be popping in and out. A child going missing was always big news. It was disturbing, as it should be, and the neighbors were all searching, visiting one another to share their concerns, thankful that their own children were safe. They were on alert for anything and anyone they might deem out of place.
Find Uncle Bobby. Find a safe place for Elijah. Collect the Alexandria Deck and return Lenna to he
r proper place. It all seemed simple enough, but with the time constraints and lack of information it was far from simple.
Normally he would return to his employer—in this case, the Emperor—and ask for further instructions. What was supposed to be a simple task had turned out to be anything but. He couldn’t return to Aeonia with Lenna until he had the deck, and leaving her here while he traveled would mean the shield would fall. Not for long, but the Hunters looking for her wouldn’t need long. An instant of vulnerability, and they’d be on her.
After realizing Elijah’s house wasn’t yet clear, they’d returned to the hotel room. There was still work to be done.
Over the years, Caine had become quite good with computers. Anything could be found, if you knew where to look, and he did. He’d made a point of making himself proficient, and he returned to Seven often enough to keep abreast of the newest technology. He’d told Lenna that electronics didn’t travel between worlds well, and that was true, but there was another reason he bought new devices when he found himself here and needed something.
What passed as days in other worlds could be years here, and technology changed so quickly anything he tried to retain was seriously outdated by the time he returned. He managed to catch up quickly, and had no problem learning how to use the updated devices, but it made no sense to keep them when he left Seven.
His search on Elijah’s mother was a simple one, but it revealed a lot of information on her. Amber Tilley had been renting her house from a retired couple who kept several rental houses in the area. She had never missed a payment, even though it didn’t look as if she earned enough to afford the rent. She’d changed jobs often, going from one low paying job to another, but she had the house, health insurance, cable television, cell phone plan, and a couple of high-end department store credit cards, as well as an American Express. She had everything a woman with a mid-range income might have, except a mid-range income.
Which meant she’d been getting money from another source—a man, most likely. The man who had killed her? Again, likely.
He found no Robert in her easily accessible history. Uncle Bobby, whoever the hell he was, had kept a low profile.
Lenna stood just behind him while he sifted through data, her arm draped around his shoulder and her hand resting lightly against his neck. It wasn’t an invasive touch, not even a possessive touch; it was just … comforting. And arousing. Personal.
Caine didn’t do personal. It was outside his job description.
After coming back to the suite, she’d changed into the white dress she’d been wearing when she’d come to Seven. Because they were alone she didn’t have to blend in, and she’d said the dress was much more comfortable than the clothing he’d bought her. In those Walmart clothes, she’d looked almost ordinary, or as ordinary as a superbeing could look. In the white dress, though, it was clear that she was unlike any other female in the universe.
He’d do well to remember that. She wasn’t a woman to be trifled with.
For now, he needed to keep his mind on the job. Vae, she made that difficult.
“We’ll go back in tonight, when the activity in Elijah’s neighborhood dies down,” he said. At least at night there would be shadows to hide in, if there were prying eyes. “We’ll retrieve the card you hid there.” It was possible the police had found the card, but it would have no meaning to them, no possible connection to the murder they were investigating. Still, he wouldn’t rest easy until it was in his hand. It was one more piece of the puzzle he needed to return Lenna to Aeonia, where she’d be safe.
“What will we do until then?” Lenna asked.
He spun around in the uncomfortable office chair so he faced her. “You can take me to the Alexandria Deck.”
Her face darkened. “Not yet.”
“I won’t take you back to Aeonia immediately. We can—”
“Don’t lie to me.” He saw a flash of her temper in her eyes; he heard it in her voice. “I know you, Caine. The job is everything to you. Your assignment, any assignment, is more important than anything else. Even a promise to me. The minute you have the deck in your hands, you’ll take me home.” The temper faded, her expression softened. “I’m not ready to go home.”
He stood, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her so they were nose to nose. “You know me too well.” He wouldn’t apologize for being focused on the mission.
“And you don’t know me at all.”
That wasn’t entirely true. He did know her. Not as she knew him, but still … He had seen so much of her last night—her wonder, her joy, the strength she shared with those who needed it most. He knew her; he liked her. She was an amazing creature who should be protected and cherished.
“Even if we retrieve the deck I won’t be able to take you back. Even if we find the Moon right where you left it, I won’t be able to take you back—because you hid two cards, you damnable woman.”
She threw back her head and laughed, and that was all it took. He caught her to him, kissed her, and she kissed him back. He lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around him, her body all hot, sweet welcome.
He carried her to the bedroom. She was right about one thing, though; as soon as he recovered the entire deck, he’d have to return her to Aeonia. As dedicated as he was, as committed as he was to doing his job well, at this moment, he wasn’t eager to have this particular assignment finished. He wanted more time with her, as much time as they could squeeze out of fate.
Lenna whipped off her fine, white dress and tossed it aside, and then she started on his clothing. “I don’t suppose frequent and amazingly wonderful sex will change your mind about taking me home a moment before it is necessary.”
“If anything could …”
“That’s a no.”
“That’s a no.” He finished undressing, managing the task more efficiently on his own than she could, and then he grabbed her and fell sideways with her onto the bed. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.”
Chapter 15
Lenna stood behind Caine’s shoulder, watching his fingers tap on the computer he’d placed on the small desk in the suite. He’d explained computers to her, and the technology struck her as loosely related to the way they viewed things on Aeonia. They didn’t have computers; they could summon images, but the end result was the same: information came to them. With computers, though, there were traps and passwords and other hazards that had to be negotiated before the information could be accessed.
It puzzled her how Caine could be proficient in such things, and reading him hadn’t provided her with any insight, which annoyed her. Normally when she read someone, she knew them completely. With Caine, it was as if he could compartmentalize his knowledge, allowing her access only to those things he wanted her to know. She had no idea if this was something all Hunters could do or if only Caine was this provoking. “How do you know how to do this hacking?”
“I learned online,” he absently replied, leaning forward to carefully read something on the screen he’d just accessed. “Hidden service protocol.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s for sites that don’t advertise their existence. Some people call it deep web. You have to know the sites are there and how to access them, but there’s always a way to find what you want. Every time I come to Seven, I update my skills. I even make special trips just to do that. Technology changes so fast here compared to worlds where time moves slower that if I didn’t I’d be lost.”
“Is it complicated?” She thought she’d like to have these skills herself, though why bother learning if she would never be back to Seven? The thought made her sad. She wanted to return, she wanted to see other worlds, she wanted to experience instead of just observe. Observing was like this hidden service protocol he mentioned; if she didn’t know where to look, how would she know what was there?
“Not really. It’s specialized knowledge that requires attention to detail, that’s all. Ah.”
“Ah, what?”
&n
bsp; “I’ve accessed the Lawrenceville police department computer system.”
Quickly she pulled a chair over to sit beside him so she, too, could read. He accessed a few more pages before he found the initial report written by the detective who had been assigned to the case. The writing was dry, as if investigators used language as a way of distancing themselves, though perhaps they were required to use certain phrasing. She skimmed over the details of death, not wanting to know more.
“They’re looking for a person of interest,” Caine muttered. “State Senator Robert Markham. There’s a strong possibility he’s Elijah’s Uncle Bobby.” A woman who lived next door had seen the state senator visiting Amber Tilley’s house on more than one occasion.
Caine pulled up a photo of Robert Markham; just looking at the picture, Lenna couldn’t detect any viciousness in his face, even when she touched it. Nothing came through the screen; she couldn’t read him. Still, there was a certain … smugness, perhaps, or even arrogance, that she disliked. It was there in his eyes, for all to read even without the powers of the Major Arcana.
Caine said, “We’ll take this to Elijah, let him look at this picture to tell us if this is Uncle Bobby.”
“No!” Lenna said in alarm, without thinking, just knowing that was the wrong thing for Elijah.
Caine’s obsidian gaze turned on her. “Why not?” To him this was the most simple thing, and she had to agree with him on that, but a simple solution wasn’t most important to her.
“He’s terrified of Uncle Bobby. He saw the man kill his mother.” She had to feel her way through the tangle of thoughts and emotions, following what her instinct told her was a thread of truth. “His emotions are so fragile now, a reminder will be too traumatic for him. If we can do this without involving him, that is my preference. How certain can we be that this man is Uncle Bobby? Could Elijah’s mother have been involved with two men named Robert, or Bobby?”