Unawakened

by Trillian Anderson

  “I see it.”

  “I can punch a hole in their heads. Maybe I don’t have a dae, but I’m not helpless.”

  “Engage your safety, Miss Daegberht. You will have your chance to show your skill soon enough. I do not doubt your sincerity. Mr. Lucrage is important to you.”

  My bitter laughter hung in the air. “Of course he is. I wouldn’t live with him if he weren’t.”

  “We will escort you home. Officers Darndel and Pieters will be your security detail until further notice. They will check your home before patrolling your building.”

  I narrowed my eyes, sucked in a breath, and turned to the nurse, who was watching our exchange with wide eyes. “May I borrow your phone again, please?”

  “Of course, Miss.”

  Rob hadn’t specifically told me the number for his security firm, but I had watched him dial. Memorizing things had become a bad habit, and while I didn’t know the name of the person I’d be talking to, I’d find out soon enough.

  “Excuse me for a minute?”

  Sergeant Gildroy nodded.

  I stepped away from the three police officers, dialed the number, and held the phone to my ear. Without fail, the conversation would be recorded, but I was beyond caring.

  “Hello?” a woman answered.

  “I’m Alexa Dae—”

  “Where are you? We’ve been trying to find you since his car was hit. We know he’s been taken and feared you had been as well.”

  Grateful she jumped straight to the chase, I gave her the name of the hospital, informed her I was about to acquire two police officers as a security detail, and gave her their names.

  The way she snorted gave me a pretty good idea of her lack of confidence in my new detail. “There will be two women waiting for you at your home. Work with them; give them every bit of information you can. We’ll do our best to find him.”

  “I want to help.”

  “We’re counting on it.” The woman hung up.

  I warned the two police officers saddled with me I was expecting people at Rob’s condominium—our condominium. Their scowls were the only answer they gave me.

  The temptation to justify myself surged, but I clenched my teeth so I wouldn’t start making excuses for my circumstances. Yesterday, I probably would have cared a lot about what they thought of me.

  I was halfway up the elevator when I remembered Colby. Sucking in a breath, I dug through my purse for the swipe card to access the apartment. Muttering curses and leaving the cops to follow, I hurried down the hall, unlocking the door.

  The two women, dressed in blazers as elegant as Rob’s suits stood in the kitchen, turned in my direction. I took in the apartment, striding to the second bedroom without a word, setting the box on the kitchen counter on my way. “Colby?”

  “Mommy!” My roommate collided with my shins, and not caring who watched, I crouched down, reaching for Colby.

  Cheesy noodles had a wretchedly cold and wet texture, but I placed my hand on it anyway. “Are you okay?”

  “Mommy,” it whined.

  “We’ll find him,” I promised, glancing over my shoulder. “Go hide until the cops are gone.”

  Colby hid under its bed.

  Rising to my feet, I turned to face the two women and the cops. I strode forward, wondering if I could ever match Rob’s confidence. “Thank you for coming.”

  The women were so stereotypical blond-haired, blue-eyed American it made me hyperaware of my darker skin, eyes, and hair. If the differences in our appearances bothered them, they hid it behind their careful smiles. They were friendly without being too friendly, and while they looked me over head to toe, I scrutinized them, too.

  Their gazes finally focused on the bruises on my face and stayed there.

  “We are going to check the perimeter,” Officer Pieters—at least, I think it was Pieters—said. Like the two women, they were blonds with classic American features, and I hadn’t been paying a whole lot of attention during introductions.

  “Thank you.” While I wanted to slam the door on both of them, I smiled and made sure to stay polite.

  Like it or not, I needed them to find Rob.

  “Mr. Lucrage is not going to be happy when he sees those marks,” the taller of the two women said, once again looking me over. She spotted the rash on my elbow, clucked her tongue, and headed into the kitchen. “Someone touched you.”

  “I’m pretty sure the bruise is from the blast. Guess I landed on my face.”

  “The rash?”

  “Sergeant Gildroy kept me from falling on my face a second time at the hospital.”

  The woman located the white box of medications and set it on the counter. “I’m Marlene, and I’m in charge of Mr. Lucrage’s security—now recovery—detail. This is Analise. She’s the head of your security detail.”

  “I want to help find Rob.”

  Marlene smiled, digging through the collection of syringes until she found a yellow one, which I recognized as an antihistamine. “Lena told me as much. Mr. Lucrage is quick with a compliment when it comes to you, and he has told me how you are good at finding things people wish you wouldn’t. This skill will come in useful tracking down what has happened to him.”

  “I’ll do whatever is necessary.”

  “Good. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. We’ve been working on this since Mr. Lucrage’s tracker went out.”

  “You track Rob?”

  “He keeps a device in his wallet that allows us to track his location in an emergency. It sends a signal if it is damaged or receives a sufficiently strong blow. We recorded such a blow around the time of his kidnapping. Unfortunately, his wallet was left at the scene. We found his wallet and little else, which made us initially assume you were both taken.”

  I sighed and started patting myself down for any discs. I didn’t find a one. My eyes widened, and I checked a second time. “The discs are all gone.”

  “We have been in touch with Mr. Minangi. Unfortunately, we don’t know if the tracking devices being planted on you are related to Mr. Lucrage’s disappearance. He did say the trackers on you shouldn’t be a problem for a while—if ever again.”

  “Fuck,” I whispered, running my hands through my hair. “What if they were using the trackers on me to find Rob?”

  Was his disappearance my fault?

  “We’re aware of the possibility. We had all made the unfortunate assumption Mr. Minangi’s residence would be a safe enough location. Until we know more, there’s little I can tell you. Moving on. I’m aware of your hesitancy regarding medicines. Mr. Lucrage will tan all our hides and display them from the tallest skyscraper he can find if we fail to ensure you’re properly cared for in his absence.”

  While Marlene’s explanation was delivered in a neutral and formal tone, her mouth quirked up in a smile. I eyed the syringe and sighed. “I’ll be asleep in minutes if you give me that.”

  “Then you’ll sleep while we stand guard with your, ah, rather interesting companion.”

  “Mommy!” Colby contributed, emerging from its room.

  “Its name is Colby, and it really likes apples. It’ll probably be your best friend for life if you offer it a bag of apples.”

  Marlene and Analise exchanged looks, and the new head of my security detail cracked first, grinning.

  “Let me take a shower and get the smell of hospital off me first, then I’ll show you the arsenal of anti-allergy medications Rob keeps around. Maybe one of them won’t knock me flat.”

  I had my doubts about that, but the last thing I wanted to do when I could be hunting for Rob was sleep.

  We compromised on medications. I used a cream that numbed the rash and encouraged it to heal. In exchange, I promised to take the preventative medication every day, and to sweeten the deal in my favor, Analise promised to acquire it for me in pill form.

  While I had dabbled in pill-based drugs, most of my poisons of choice had been delivered by syringe. It was a small victory, but I held onto it for a
ll I was worth.

  Being sidelined due to allergies wouldn’t help me find Rob, and I knew it. My fear of getting hooked on narcotics remained; if I succumbed to the desire to hunt the next high, I’d lose everything.

  I’d lose any hope of dealing with the issue of Kenneth’s drugs, Terry Moore’s victims, and Dean Lewis’s machinations. Worse, I’d never see Rob again.

  Rob had a week until the consequences of separation set in, and I had lost precious time in the hospital. The way Rob had reacted to my questions led me to believe his employees weren’t aware of the real reason he needed me around, and I wouldn’t break my trust with him.

  It gave the word ‘deadline’ a whole new meaning.

  The reminders of the circumstances leading to Rob’s kidnapping filled our bedroom, and I searched through the bags until I found the formalwear he had selected for me to wear to the police station.

  If the police couldn’t give me information on Rob, I’d turn to Kenneth and his dae. I slipped a data chip containing a sampling of the videos in my bra. Between Sergeant Gildroy and Marlene, my schedule had been revamped. I had classes to attend, but the time spent working with Rob had been eliminated from my calendar. Instead, I had the hours of the evening free, and I intended to spend every minute of it searching.

  I sought out Colby before heading to the police station. My roommate remained quiet, and I was aware of its scrutiny despite its lack of eyes.

  “I have no idea how I’m going to do it, but I’m going to find him,” I swore.

  “Mommy.”

  I wondered what it was trying to tell me, but after a moment of thought, I decided it didn’t matter.

  Words meant nothing, not anymore. Words did nothing to change things.

  The only thing that mattered was action, and I’d get nothing done at home. I pivoted on a heel and left.

  Chapter Seventeen

  There was something therapeutic about unloading magazines into targets, and I blew through so many rounds my hands throbbed and my ears rang.

  I didn’t stop until Sergeant Gildroy peeled my Beretta out of my hands, engaged the safety, and set it aside. I removed the mufflers from my ears, not that they had helped all that much against the incessant barrage of noise.

  “I think you’ve proven your point, Miss Daegberht.”

  I glared at the few scraps of paper I hadn’t finished blasting to confetti. Shredding the kill zones of the targets to bits had been satisfying, but I wanted more. When I found whoever had taken Rob from me, I’d riddle them with more holes than any of the targets I had destroyed.

  “Therapy,” I informed him, stretching my fingers before shaking out my hands. “Long night, sir.”

  It was the truth; Marlene and Analise had had hundreds of questions for me, and by the time I had finished repeating ‘I don’t know’ more times than I could remember, we came to the conclusion I truly knew nothing about who wanted Rob and why.

  I’d spent the rest of the night tossing and turning. When I had fallen asleep, I had dreamed of flight. The nightmare of falling and splattering on the street had jolted me to full consciousness.

  “Understandable. I’d be a lying fool if I tried to claim you didn’t qualify. The systematic way you slaughtered the target was quite impressive. I’m pleased to see that your gun-handling skills were not just for show. Mr. Lucrage taught you well.”

  He hadn’t, but I forced a smile. There’d been plenty Rob had actually taught me, but gunplay hadn’t been included. That honor went to Kenneth, but I’d settle with giving Rob the credit. “He’s a good teacher, sir.”

  “Bullets won’t stop many dae. Are you sure you want to do street work?”

  “Sir, if it means a chance of finding Rob, I will poke my head down every single alley in the city. I’m aware of my limitations.”

  “Personal involvement isn’t wise in our line of work. It impairs judgment.”

  Desperation did, too, but I wasn’t about to open my mouth and betray Rob’s secret. While I worried about losing my freedom by forming a dependence on him, Rob already relied on me for his well-being.

  I couldn’t afford to let any of the dae find out what I meant to Rob.

  I could live without him, but the reverse wasn’t true, and the consequences of my failure scared me far more than any job or threat Kenneth had ever thrown my way. Rob needed to eat, even if he found his sustenance by keeping me company.

  “True, but no one will be as motivated as me to get the job done. I have one goal, and that is to get him back, Sergeant, sir. Dealing with the culprit is your problem, not mine.” I patted my Beretta. “This is just an insurance policy, sir. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  “A very lethal insurance policy.”

  “I’ll only pull the trigger if I must.”

  Sergeant Gildroy snorted, picked up my gun, and loaded in a fresh magazine before offering me the weapon back. “How do you feel about serving as bait?”

  “Tell me where you want me to be, when, and I’ll be there.”

  What Marlene and Analise didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. If the police didn’t notify them of my involvement in the case, they’d learn the hard way I did things my way. Anyone who thought I’d put my safety first was about to find out just how far I’d go to protect what was mine.

  I smiled at the thought of turning the tables on Rob and staking my claim on him. When I did, I’d ignore every last one of his protests, just as he had ignored mine, and I’d enjoy every moment of it.

  I spent the rest of my shift being fitted for equipment. The first tool in my arsenal was a tracking card for my wallet, which would report my location to the police. It matched the one Marlene and Analise had already given me. The cards would make sniffing around tricky if I decided to keep them with me.

  Maybe I could talk Colby into carrying them around for me when I didn’t want anyone knowing where I was going.

  In addition to the tracking card, they issued me a second handgun. It was a newer model, small enough to fit in my pocket. It lacked the ability to hold more than a single round in its chamber, which intrigued me. What was the point of a weapon I could only use once before it had more value being thrown than fired?

  At least there was no chance of misfiring; it was calibrated to identify my finger print, and the trigger wouldn’t unlock unless I was the one using it. Still, after I fired its one measly round, I’d have to figure out what to do with the weapon.

  I hoped I wouldn’t find out. I did like the fact it was small enough to hide in my cleavage. As soon as no one was looking, I relocated it to my bra.

  Pockets and shoulder holsters would be the first place people checked for weapons. Most people wouldn’t dare to carry even one licensed gun. Two was asking for trouble.

  If I ran into trouble, the tiny gun might make a difference, even if I was restricted to one round. I added a sleeve of six extra bullets to my unconventional holster. While I had worn my katana to the police station, I wasn’t confident with the blade. I’d gotten lucky with it once; I wasn’t ready to gamble away Rob’s life with my lack of skill.

  I’d carry it, but I couldn’t see myself using it.

  There were a few perks to being in my position. Instead of having to hike across the city, Sergeant Gildroy had a pair of officers drop me off at the college. With so many police on campus, he had suspended my surveillance during classes.

  It was an idiotic move, but I kept my mouth shut. When I started sniffing around, I needed the police to fall in line with my needs. Their eyes needed to be elsewhere. Dropping out of their sight would be a challenge.

  In a way, I enjoyed my return to class. I still had to hide my annoyance at the ease of the work, but the lectures gave me a chance to stop thinking about everything wrong with my life.

  Despite so many things having changed, the science professor spoke of old facts, ones that didn’t account for dae who could breathe fire or change shapes on a whim. Teaching the laws of gravity in a world where werewolves could f
ly, dragons roamed the streets, and angels floated in the air without having to flap their wings seemed absurd to me.

  What use was science in a world of magic and wonder? How would old theories help advance or preserve our society? Did the professor expect the world to snap back to its old mold?

  Maybe it would, after the entire human race went extinct. Without humans, how long could the dae survive? How long would it take before unicorns, vampires, and sentient casseroles outnumbered people and ruled the world? How long would it be before I, along with every other human, became yet another line in some history book?

  Would the government even allow us to be recorded as an extinct species, or would we be delegated to forbidden libraries, living on as some fairy tale?

  Then again, it likely wouldn’t matter. Dae and human alike would all die out.

  I didn’t want that day to come, not that I had any way to prevent it.

  The gaping hole of Rob’s absence manifested in the empty hours I was scheduled to work for him. Under the guise of adjusting my schedule and meeting my quota of hours, I headed for Kenneth’s office building. The startled receptionist called my drug lord boss, who ordered me to come to his office.

  Waiting until nightfall would’ve been wise, but if I was going to sell my soul to the devil, I wanted to do it beneath the brightly shining sun.

  Kenneth’s gaze fixed on my bruised face. “You’ve seen better days, Collie.”

  “Rob was kidnapped.” I dropped onto the chair in front of his desk and kicked my feet up. “You elite sure do have nice hospitals.”

  “And you’re coming to me why? Him being out of the picture could quite possibly be the best news I’ve heard all month.”

  “You’re going to help me find him, Kenneth.” I crossed my arms over my chest and made myself comfortable.

  “You sound pretty confident. Why would I help you? What could you possibly have that I want?”

  “What if I told you I’m being authorized for street work?”