by Jane Cousins
“We knew you wouldn’t come without some incentive…” Gerry smiled, waving the gun her way. “I’m the incentive.”
“Well…” Oh Goddess, Ramsey was easing through the door now, she was terrified Gerry would sense him. “You intended to kidnap me?” Keep talking, keep talking. “So the shooting wasn’t planned? You saw Ramsey… recognised your… archenemy, and reacted accordingly… but… but, why torch my car?”
Gerry rolled his eyes, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Ramsey now loomed behind him, only five feet away. The back of the chair Gerry was sitting in too high for Ramsey to know exactly what he was doing, the angle of his position all wrong. “He’s the Chief of Police here, you’d think torching his girlfriend’s car would have the man running out to check on things. Not asshole Hughes. Too busy sending his minions out to dirty his hands with actual police work.”
“So you wanted to lure Ramsey out into the open.” Why wasn’t Ramsey just tackling the madman? No, he couldn’t until he was assured she was out of the firing line.
Berry noted out the corner of her peripheral vision that Ramsey had begun sidling sideways, was he insane? Gerry was bound to sense his presence any moment. What could she do? The visions she’d seen earlier had been erased from the timeline since Ramsey had thankfully covertly entered the room via the balcony, but now she had no idea what possible futures might be open.
Grrr, she hated this feeling of helplessness. Why couldn’t she shoot lightning bolts out of her fingertips or something useful? Or be able to decapitate a man with no more than whatever stationary came to hand like over half of her relatives? So it sucked to be her. Well the one thing she could keep doing was talk, keep Gerry’s focus on her. “And Robert’s fine with all of this? The shooting? You torching my car? Taking me hostage?”
Gerry cackled, bouncing in his chair. “No one tells me what to do anymore. I don’t need to get up at the shit-crack of dawn every day. No more second hand slop to eat.” Gerry stood up abruptly, shoving the chair back, leaning over the desk towards her. “I don’t have to hear how stupid I am, how I’m just the muscle. Not now. I’ve shown him. I’ve got the gun, my own clever plan and the balls to do exactly what needs to be done.”
Berry fought the urge to check on Ramsey’s whereabouts. Damn, what should she do? Drop to the floor? Scream, providing a diversion? In a room this size she didn’t wanted to be accidental collateral damage if the bullets started flying. “A plan?” She put as much derision into her tone as possible. “How can you possibly think you’ll make it out of here safely after holding me hostage?”
Gerry’s free hand whipped out, grabbing a fist full of her curls, dragging her forward over the desk, her nose now only a few inches away from his. “Because you’re going to be my good luck witch charm… mine, and mine alone.” Gerry tightened his grip pulling her even closer, his nasty breath fanning across her face.
Damn, so much for creating distance between them. Maybe instead of pandering to his ego or trying to distract him she should try a new approach, one that hopefully involved the madman letting go of her hair. “There’s probably something you should know about this town before we go any further here today.” She gave him the coldest look she had in her repertoire.
“Yeah?”
“The whole town is full of people just like me… well not just like me, they’re a lot more deadlier and downright cantankerous than I am. They don’t like strangers, especially ones who run around with guns, causing trouble.”
“Watch me tremble.” Gerry sneered in her face.
“Oh, I would be if I were you. We have our own laws in the Southern Sanctuary. When trouble comes our way we deal with it, head on… well, when I say head on…” She allowed a mocking smile to play over her lips. “…it would be more accurate to say head off. You see, when trouble makers come to town, my relatives get together and squabble over who gets to have the fun of separating the interloper’s head from his body. Right at this moment, I should imagine there’s a line going around the block for the privilege of removing you from this plane.”
“Are they faster than a bullet.” Gerry had stopped smiling but there was still cool confidence in his crazy-ass eyes.
Berry laughed softly, letting her own surety shine through. “Most of them… yeah. So what are you going to do Gerry? You can’t seriously think you’re making it out of this room alive, let alone the town. Just what do you intend to do?”
Gerry stared deep into her eyes, breathing hard, his hand fisting her hair even tighter, determined to hurt her. His gun hand waving around rather too near her head for comfort. Damn, distract the madman Berry, don’t piss him off enough to shoot you.
“Yeah Gerry, just what to you intend to do?” Ramsey’s voice cut through the air like a knife.
Gerry jumped, startled, letting out a small cry as he turned his head in Ramsey’s direction. “How did you get in here?”
Berry let out a cry of her own, mainly because Gerry was now effectively pulling her across the table. The angle particularly awkward, her face only inches from the desktop as Gerry pushed her head down, his gun drilling into the crown of her head, ouch.
“How the fuck did you get in here?” Gerry sounded rattled for the first time.
Ramsey shrugged, leaning back casually against the wall as if he didn’t have a care in the world, his hands and holster empty, no gun in sight. “Haven’t you heard? Magic. I thought you were a believer.”
“You…” Gerry shook in anger, reactively forcing Berry’s head down even harder, only her hands on the top of the desk preventing her nose from being flattened.
“Yeah, it’s me Gerard. Here I am, just like you requested. I hear you wanted to talk… so talk.”
“You know who I am?”
Ramsey shook his head. “Only thanks to a photo I saw in the paper the other day, otherwise I wouldn’t have had a clue who you were.” Ramsey shrugged, eyeing him with flat slate grey eyes. “Why would I? You were only a small cog in a big take-down; sure it was a bonus taking out a dirty cop, made my bosses happy. But for me, you were just one of many underlings we scooped up when the trafficking case finally broke. Too stupid to cover your tracks I’m guessing.”
Berry bit back a moan, she wanted to tell Ramsey not to antagonise the man. Gerry really was willing to kill him. With her head forced down she was finding it kind of difficult to see what was going on. From her current position she could only see Ramsey’s long legs and the fact that he had one thumb hooked on his belt, his long index finger tapping the leather in a slow steady rhythm, it was kind of hypnotic in a way.
“I suppose the real question that needs to be asked here Gerard, how do you know who I am?”
Gerry barked a harsh laugh. “You didn’t think I’d put it together? Realise that there had to be someone working on the inside… undercover, to take the Bruga brothers and their network down. That I couldn’t get my lawyer to request all the case files and work out Raymond Gaines, who supposedly died thanks to injuries sustained during the police raid, was an alias. A thin one at that. Friend of mine in records provided me with your file, your photo… I memorised it all, those scars of yours. Hoping… knowing one day we’d be meeting like this face to face.”
“Always nice to meet a fan.”
Berry whimpered as Gerry’s hand twisted in her hair. If only she could see Gerry eyes… or Ramsey’s for that matter. Then maybe she could use her powers to know what to do next. Urgh, she hated feeling… so useless. Straining her neck she tried to get a better look at Ramsey and that damn tapping finger of his… why was he tapping it? Was it code? Ignoring the pain, her scalp feeling like her hair was being pulled out by the roots, she tilted her head as much as she was able, desperate to view the action.
She was concentrating so hard it wasn’t until a light fan of warm breath caressed her cheek that she realised someone else was in the room. It definitely wasn’t Gerry, as this person’s breath smelt minty and fresh, as they placed their mouth directly o
ver her ear. She tried not to flinch or react too obviously, hard when an invisible man is leaning over you trying to get your attention. She ran through the catalogue of her relatives, who could turn invisible? She came up blank, but at least she was prepared when they finally delivered their message in a soft, barely there, low whisper.
“Close your eyes Berry… close your eyes and keep them closed if you want him to live.”
Of all the requests to make that had to be the hardest for Berry. Her magic was linked to her sight but it seemed the easiest instruction in the world to follow right at that moment… Ramsey’s life was hanging in the balance.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Gerry, oblivious to Ramsey’s invisible back-up, drilled the barrel of the gun even harder into the crown of Berry’s head.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Ramsey continued to tap his leather belt in a slow rhythmic pattern. “I’ve just won this encounter Gerard, you might as well put the gun down and raise your hands.”
Gerry laughed, but it sounded strained. Hughes was acting too relaxed, too confident and what was up with that tapping finger of his? It would be nice to think it was Hughes’ nervous tell but it seemed too deliberate. “I have a gun to your girlfriend’s head… I have you standing in front of me unarmed. In what universe have you won?”
Ramsey gave Gerry one last hard smile. “In the magic one.” He stopped tapping his finger.
Gerry blinked, his face screwing up in shock and surprise. “What the fuck? Where are you?” Gerry lifted the gun from Berry’s skull, twisting on the spot, desperately looking for Hughes. The gun out in front of his body, ready to fire when he found his target. He bought the gun around, intending to shoot the wall where Ramsey had been standing when the unmistakeable feel of a pistol being thrust into the base of his skull had him freezing in place.
“Drop the gun shithead.” A gravelly male voice growled the words directly into Gerry’s ear.
Gerry blinking, fearing he had imagined Ramsey Hughes being in the room, complied. Raising his hands, trying to twist his head back to see who was behind him. “Who are you? Where did Hughes go? What the fuck is going on here?”
“Can I open my eyes now?” Berry requested, still bent over the desk. Afraid to move as she had no idea what was going on.
“Sure Berry, we’re good here.”
Berry stood up, her back protesting, her eyes blinking as she took in the sight of Gerry standing across from her, flushed and sweaty, his eyes blinking frantically. Behind him stood Sinclair. Of course, it was obvious to her now, it had to be one of the Hidden Cove boys in the room. “Hey Sinclair, haven’t seen you since school. Thanks for the save.”
“Where’d he go?” Gerry turned his head her way suddenly, demanding an answer.
“Who?” Berry massaged her sore scalp; she hoped she didn’t have a bald patch.
“Hughes.” Gerry’s eyes were so wide, they were more white than dark.
Berry frowned, ouch, she’d forgotten about the bruise on her forehead. Turning her head she looked over at Ramsey, still standing in the spot he’d been all along, looking a little pale and shell shocked. He was holding himself perfectly still, staring at her with a questioning look in his eyes.
“Ummm,” Berry wondered how she was going to explain to him Sinclair magically appearing in front of him, oh and all of Gerry’s ramblings about her being a witch. Damn, she had some lies to tell. “He’s right there.” She pointed Ramsey’s way.
Gerry looked over and actually jumped in shocked surprise, flinching and swearing. “Where did you go? How did you do that you fucker? Are you one of them?” Gerry twisted in Sinclair’s grip, frantically trying to get loose. “You’re one of them aren’t you? You’re just like her.” Gerry was spraying spit everywhere as he raved on, his eyes flicking back and forth in their sockets, sweat dotting his forehead. He struggled ineffectually once more against Sinclair’s hold, as if he intended to launch himself straight at Ramsey before abruptly sagging to the floor in a boneless heap.
No one looked more surprised than Sinclair. “It wasn’t me.” He got the disclaimer in quickly, kneeling down to check on Gerry’s welfare even as he pulled his mobile from his back pocket and called for reinforcements.
Berry looked over at Ramsey, who seemed to be welded to the section of wall he was leaning against. “You okay?’ She asked softly.
A choked burst of laughter erupted from Ramsey’s lips. “Am I okay? I should probably be asking you that.” He frowned, distracted for a moment.
Berry was starting to get worried. His reactions seemed off, like someone had just hit him with an invisible two by four, not as impossible as it might sound.
Despite all her aches and pains she shuffled around the desk headed in his direction. She reached up a hand to cup his face and then thought better of it, grabbing his shoulder to squeeze it gently. “Ramsey, are you sure you’re okay?”
At her touch Ramsey released a deep shuddering sigh, his eyes flicking to hers, shock and disbelief filling those grey depths of his. “It seems… that I’m quite literally, magic.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Hold on one freaking minute. If you didn’t believe Sinclair when he said you could go Shadow, then why the hell did you climb over the balcony and walk in unarmed?” Berry was pretty sure she was hitting fish-wife levels of high pitch, but she didn’t care.
Ramsey shrugged, he was still trying to process what had happened. It didn’t feel real… it couldn’t be real. Magic, wasn’t real.
“And quit it with all the shrugging.” Berry thumped him hard on the arm, moaning in pain as her headache revved into overdrive and muscles in her back spasmed and tightened.
“Damn.” Ramsey frowned. “How much damage did you sustain?” Gently he pushed back the hair from her face to get a better look at the knot on her forehead and the bruise on her cheek. “Someone from medical will be in soon to take a look at you as soon as they’ve finish stabilising Gideon for transport.”
“Oh Goddess.” Berry gripped Ramsey’s arm tight. “How is he? Is he going to be okay?”
“He’ll be fine, stubborn bastard. Wouldn’t let medical touch him until I promised that I wouldn’t go through your office door. Kept yelling at me, telling me no matter what happened, not to go through the door.”
“Oh thank Heavens, he heard me.” Berry collapsed back onto the soft sofa. Marion’s office was a quiet oasis down the hallway from her own office where Gerry was being guarded by over half the Southern Sanctuary Police Force and several Family enforcers, as they too waited on someone from medical to verify his condition before moving him.
Berry was glad Ramsey had insisted the two of them move out of everyone’s way. She was pretty sure after she finished yelling at him she was going to start crying and the less people that witnessed that, the better. “So you still haven’t explained to me why you went along with Elijah’s plan if you didn’t believe that you could turn invisible?”
Ramsey fought the urge to shrug, not wanting to wind Berry up any tighter in her emotional condition. “Elijah’s one big bastard for a start. Charged me like a battering ram when I tried to go up to the second floor. We’ve got Gideon down, leaking blood all over the place, his brothers wanting revenge, you a hostage, and Elijah turns up, out of nowhere, and gets in my face. Starts off telling me he’s not the head of the neighbourhood watch but the leader of the Southern Sanctuary Enforcement team. That he’s magic, the town, the whole district is magic. I tried to deck him there and then.”
Berry winced, and then flinched at how much that hurt her head. “You didn’t. What happened?”
“I was angry. It felt like he was stalling me. You were in danger. I just wanted to get passed him.”
Berry reached over unthinkingly and took his hand. “Then what happened?”
“Mac and Cam restrained me. People dressed in surgical gear appeared. Again, seemingly from out of nowhere. Elijah’s back in my face trying to convince me that magic is real… that I’m
… magical.” Ramsey was still having trouble getting his head around that concept. “I knew this place was hinky… but magic never crossed my radar.”
“Wacky town later… story now.”
“So everyone’s restraining me and Elijah makes a call asking Sinclair for help and fifteen seconds later Sinclair strolls up… except everyone, including Elijah, jump when he says hello, as if up until Sinclair wanted them too, they couldn’t see him.”
“And you have shadow magic… sort of like Sinclair?”
Ramsey shifted, still uncomfortable with this topic. “More than that… Sinclair thinks we might be related.”
Berry wanted to say how great that was, that officially Ramsey could never consider himself alone again but there was a wary look in his eyes that stopped her. Almost as if he wanted it to be true too much so therefore couldn’t bring himself to believe it. “But you didn’t believe him did you… about being a shadow? Being magic? So why did you come via the balcony?”
“I was out-numbered and it was the only way they would let me go. You were in danger. I didn’t realise how much though until I was crouched outside your office, listening to that lunatic. What happened here today was my fault Berry. You getting hurt, taken hostage, Gideon getting shot. I didn’t believe you when you said this was about me… I never considered that Gerard Bannon would know who I was, what I looked like. That he’d been holding a grudge all this time.”
“But you took such a leap of faith… to save me.”
“Not really. If the whole - being completely still and turning shadow - thing turned out to be bogus, then I was just going to tackle Gerry for the gun.”
Berry felt her stomach drop. The risks he’d taken to save her, despite not believing what Sinclair had told him. It scared her to think what might have happened if he and Gerry had tussled for the gun. Dear Goddess, it was a frightening thought, Ramsey hurt… dead. She blinked away tears that threatened to fall, refusing to give in. Shaking her head in wonder. “What are the chances that he’d hook up with Robert and stumble across you here?”