“Uh huh, sure.” She laughed and my phone rang.
“Agent Collins, I need you at the office.” My boss’ voice came over the phone. It was rare that he called me and I’m pretty sure I’ve only seen his face twice.
“I’ll get there as soon as I can.” I muttered. “I’m waiting on a ride, I can’t really move my left arm right now.”
“Step it up.” He snapped and the line went dead.
I texted Simon with my right hand. “I’ll have to take the evidence with me and you need to go down to the station.”
“I know. I’m a big girl. I can handle it myself.” She gave me a hug. “After this, we need a date. Just the two of us.”
I nodded. “I agree.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I hopped in the car and put the items from the binding spell as evidence in my bag; lucky for me Clarissa had Ziploc bags that I could use.
Simon just stared at me. “You sure you want to go to the office?”
“Do I look that bad?” I pulled down the mirror and sighed. My hair was frizzy and apparently no one felt the need to tell me that there were black smudges on my face or that I looked like I’d been used for a punching bag.
I pulled out a wet wipe and cleaned off my face. “Yeah, boss called, I have to go in. I need my lab to send over all the evidence from the case too.”
I finished cleaning up and closed the mirror. Simon was oddly quiet as we drove. Finally he sighed. “Did you get him?”
“Depends on what you mean.” I rubbed my eyes. “He’s dead.”
“You killed him.” He stated with a bit of disbelief and kept his eyes on the road. “Abby, I thought they wanted him alive.”
I nodded and looked out the window as the downtown businesses gave way to little houses. “They did. But he trapped me in a burning building. Then he tried to strangle me when I took him down.” I shrugged. “I didn’t have much of a choice.” At the moment, I didn’t regret it, I was alive and I’d see tomorrow. I’d worry about guilt later, if it popped up.
“So where do you want to go on your vacation?” He asked and just like that his voice was lighter and back to his normal self.
I closed my eyes. “Somewhere warm, sunny and with sand. Surprise me.” I laughed. “You don’t really have to send me on vacation.”
“Maybe I want to, because you need it. When you get back we can go out for another drink.”
I liked that idea. I remembered that I owed Nick a date too. Apparently I was just going to turn into Ms. Social after the paperwork was done on the case. “You know, that sounds great.”
He pulled up to the office building and I hesitated. “I can’t decide if I’m in trouble or if there is just news I’m not going to like.”
“Well, I’ll chill out in the lobby and wait for you.” He laughed. “Beats hanging out in the car.”
I got out and then looked at him over the top of the car. “How long did Levi convince you to watch me for?”
“Until the case is over. Which seems to me you closed it, so I promise after this I’ll take you home and get out of your hair.”
I’d miss the company, but I nodded. “Sounds good.” I walked into the building with him behind me. He went and sat in one of the leather seats. I went to the desk and was surprised to see Kathy there.
“Hey hon, you’re in early.”
She shrugged. “Mandy called out sick, so I thought I’d fill in. What’s up?”
I handed her the evidence in the bag. “I need this and everything associated with the Barn case sent over to Detective Mason.”
“Not a problem. I’ll get it taken care of right away. Oh, I saw that handsome man again. Boy does he seem to like it here.”
I rolled my eyes. “You guys have got to stop letting him through.”
“Why? He has an access badge now, he was cleared.” She shrugged. “Not our business after that.”
A sinking feeling claimed me. What the hell was I about to walk into, then, if Nick was here? I sighed and went to the elevator.
The contraption took me to the third floor and I walked into my boss’s office.
“Ah, Abigail.” He smiled at me. His face was slim, like a rat, and his balding black hair didn’t help the look at all. His eyes were small and beady and he gave me the creeps.
“You wanted to see me, sir?” I asked and then looked to my left. Nick stood there with his arms crossed. “What are you doing here?”
“Agent Collins, meet Agent Averin, your new partner.”
Nick looked about as happy as I felt. “You said you were here for business. Why didn’t you mention you were an agent?” I asked.
“Because I was told not to. It would tip off the investigation.” He shrugged. “The Cult didn’t know I was an agent.”
“Speaking of the Cult, good job closing the case with their rogue. I see you didn’t come out uninjured.” My boss motioned to my arm.
Anger crossed Nick’s face and I had to wonder if it was because his brother was foiled or because I got hurt. I shrugged. “All in a day’s work I suppose. Why am I being assigned a partner?”
“It’s temporary. Nikolas needs to learn how things run here. He’s transferring. He was sent here to investigate what they thought were Cult killings. He specializes in the Cult of Ra.”
Lovely. “Guess we’ll have a lot to talk about then.” I turned to leave. “I’m putting in for vacation time. I’ll be gone about a week.”
“It’s about time you used some of that.” He laughed.
I left and Nick followed me. I spun around and stared at him. “What do you want?”
“I didn’t want to be partners. I work alone.” He held his hands up. “I tried to talk him out of it, but he insists that you’re the best.”
Shame my boss didn’t pay much attention, because I wasn’t really a by the book kind of person. “So I hear, but I’m not a teacher. You lied to my face when I first met you.”
“No, just about the business part. I’ve been looking for you because I’ve worked a lot on the Cult, and your family keeps coming up.”
“My father was a linguist.” I sighed. “Look, all I want to do right now is to go home and get some sleep.” I could deal with everything after. “I just ran out of a burning building, chased down a criminal, killed someone, and arrested a priestess of the local coven. I think a nap is in order.” I turned and went to the elevator; he, of course, followed me.
We stepped in together and he pressed the ground button. “So, I guess that date is out of the question?”
“Yes, Agent N, it is.” I laughed. “Guess you should have told me in the first place, then you wouldn’t have gotten your hopes up.”
“Agent N?”
I nodded. “Your new nickname, its fun between agents.”
“At least I know you don’t hate me.” The little bell dinged as the elevator arrived and the doors opened. “After you, Agent A.”
I rolled my eyes and walked out and down the hall. Simon stood to greet me. His eyes went to Nick and then to me. “Simon, you remember Nick. He’s my new partner.”
Simon’s look said it all. His eyes narrowed and then he offered his hand. It wasn’t a pleasant look at all, but it was all Nick was going to get from him. “Nice to see you again.”
“Likewise.” He shook Simon’s hand and then pulled back. “I’ve done my research on you. A werewolf. Abigail should be more careful of the company she keeps.”
Simon was about to say something, but I put my hand on his arm. “I can trust Simon with my life.” After last night I knew it was true.
“I’ll see you around Abby, give me a call when you’re off vacation.” He walked out.
Simon shook his head. “They are giving you a partner?”
“Yep, not thrilled about it either. My life just got about ten times harder. I’m supposed to be showing him the ropes, so he’ll be with me every hour of the cases.” I walked out. I flexed my hand and sighed. The pain was not pleasant and I wondered when I’
d be able to use my left arm fully. I should have probably gone to the hospital for it.
“Let’s get you home. I’ll buy dinner, you can grab a nap in the car.”
I nodded. The sun was already sinking behind the mountains. “I’m sure this will be all over the news.”
“Are you going to have to answer to the press?” He asked.
I shook my head. “No, Mason handles that. He’s better at it than I am. At this point, I’m more likely to kill a reporter than talk to them.”
Simon and I got in the car and I pulled out my phone and texted Levi.
‘Got my man, going home for a nap.’
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. It wasn’t long before sleep claimed me. I didn’t even hear when Simon ordered food.
Simon woke me up when we got back to my house. The smell of fast food filled the car. “Forgive me for not inviting you in, but seriously, I’m going to scarf my food and then crash.”
“It’s not a problem. I’ll let you know when I get your plane tickets for your vacation.” He grinned. “Least I can do, since I know you don’t like having a shadow. And there was that whole business about my pack trying to eat you.”
Yeah, there was that. “Hey, what happened to Matthew’s body? We never got a call about it.”
“We have our ways of taking care of things Abby, go get some rest.” He smiled. I got out of the car and grabbed my bag, the bag of food and the soda. He waited until I unlocked the door and got into the house before he drove off.
I locked the front door and then went to the kitchen, flicking on lights as I went. I put my food on the table and saw a shadow in the hall move. I turned and drew my gun.
“I will shoot, I am in no mood for caution tonight.”
Merick came out, his head covered in a red hood. He held his hands up to show he was unarmed. I made a note to invest in a security system or a dog. Something to keep people from coming into my house. “I’m here to talk.”
I holstered the gun and motioned to the kitchen. “I’ve only eaten once today. How the hell did you get into my house?”
“A simple spell to unlock a door. You should guard your house better.”
Yeah I should have. “Devon is dead, by my hand.”
“He threatened your life. I saw the fire and when you came through the door.” He sat down and I dug into my fast food bag.
“I wasn’t aware that you were there.” Of course I wasn’t aware of much if it wasn’t concerning my immediate survival.
He nodded. “I had tracked him there and I knew it was just a matter of time before you found him. You also took care of those who put the spell on him.”
“Michele is still alive.” I didn’t plan on killing her either. “The wolf was torn apart by the local pack. So now you guys can leave me alone.”
“That was the deal. We have decided that you are no longer a threat nor our concern, for now.”
“What the hell is this for now shit?” I sighed and met his gaze.
He pulled his hood down. “You see, we were worried you’d go down the same path as Devon. But you have a better head on your shoulders; you aren’t blinded by your power. You show more restraint.”
“Devon had his powers bound for most of his life. I had a great teacher, a few of them.” I sighed. “I don’t like you people. I know that your Cult killed my parents.”
He smirked. “We don’t like you either, but we tolerate you unless you step out of line.” He stood and started towards the front door. He stopped and turned around. “We’ll be watching you, Abigail.” He let himself out and I sighed.
He was creepy, even if he was good looking. I got up and locked the door after him and put the security chain on. Tomorrow I’d call about getting a security system put in. Right now I needed to eat and then sleep.
I scarfed my food and checked my phone. Levi had told me good job and that was it. I threw my trash away and then went to my room. It’d be nice to sleep in my own bed. No Devon to worry about, no Cult, no Michele, no hexes. It was going to be a great nap.
I didn’t wake until my phone went off. The sun was shining and the numbers on my phone said it was noon. Well crap, I had slept the entire night away. I looked at the message that made my phone chirp.
‘I got your tickets, you fly out on Friday and you’ll come back the following Friday. Hope you enjoy. I sent the itinerary to your e-mail.’
I smiled. Simon really didn’t have to buy me plane tickets. I pulled out my computer and checked my e-mail. I looked through until I found the forwarded e-mail from him.
He’d outdone himself. Plane tickets to Florida, hotel, car rental, and tickets to Disney. I couldn’t believe it. Another text chimed through.
“Thought you needed to go to the happiest place on earth.”
I chuckled and sent him back a giant thank you with lots of exclamation points.
I flexed my arm and noticed that it was starting to feel better. Plus one for me, but it’d be awhile before it was back to being normal. My mind traveled back to the thought of the fire and how it moved out of my way. I needed to find some one who could teach me how to control it.
Elemental abilities were hereditary, but neither of my parents had them. I got up and went to find the book from Levi. I pulled it off the desk and went to the living room to read it. I flipped through the pages of generations until I found the more recent ones. My grandparents were long gone, but according to the list, my grandfather on my mother’s side had the abilities.
My finger went over the list and then I moved to the children. My mother had the ability to heal; it was rare enough that it would skip several generations. Which was why I hadn’t gotten it. My finger stopped at Oliver.
He was an elemental. Holy shit. I shook my head. I didn’t want to believe it, but he could help me. I would need his help to learn how to control this. It wasn’t something that I wanted to admit. I sighed and picked up the phone to call him.
He answered on the second ring. “Abigail, I saw on the news that you had an eventful day.”
“I’m surprised that you weren’t there. Look, I need to speak to you.”
“I’ll send you the address, come over and we’ll have a nice little chat. I’m sure you have plenty of questions.”
Wasn’t that the truth? “Thank you.” I hung up the phone and looked at the book in my lap. How many more secrets did it hold? What all had my parents hidden from me by their deaths?
I got up and went to the bathroom to shower. I let the water warm up while I unwrapped my arm. The skin was starting to blister and split, but the stab wound was starting to scab over. That was a good sign. It was one of those moments that I wished I did have the healing ability.
I tested the water with my right hand and made sure it was warm enough before I got in. I stepped under the spray and let the water coat my body. I closed my eyes as it cascaded over my face and started to wash the grime of the last few days off. I couldn’t believe what I was about to do, but Levi had acted as if he didn’t know anyone that could help me.
I wasn’t a child, I didn’t have to depend on his help. I put soap on my hair and washed it the best I could with only one arm. The left one hurt like a bitch to move under the spray. I finished washing my body and then got out of the shower. I dealt with the agonizing pain of wrapping the towel around myself.
I dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt after I reapplied the bandages. I grabbed my boots, my gun, and my badge and put them all on before leaving. I had an hour drive ahead of me and I wasn’t looking forward to it. Nerves fluttered in my stomach at the thought of going to Oliver for help.
I pulled up to the massive house and sighed. I wondered what he did that he could afford one that was at least a million dollars, but then I reminded myself I probably didn’t want to know. I got out of my car and strolled up to the door. There was no doorbell for me to ring, no intercom, nothing, so I assumed that I was probably on a security feed. I knocked and waited.
After
a few moments the door opened and Oliver stood there. He looked like the last time I’d seen him. Sharply dressed, maybe a little more rested, but maybe it was the lack of stress now. After all, kidnapping your niece must be stressful.
“Abigail, I’m glad you’ve decided to come to me. Have you thought about my offer?”
I smiled. “I’d prefer not to discuss this in the foyer. Tea or coffee?” I asked. I hadn’t eaten on the way up because I felt like I was going to throw up everywhere. It wasn’t in my nature to ask for help unless it was a life or death situation.
The slight pull on my skin from the bandages reminded me that it could turn into a life or death situation if I didn’t get the help I needed.
“Of course, how rude of me. Please follow me.” He led me through the halls that were still void of pictures or art. We walked into a small room, different than where we had met before.
“Wait here.” He left the room and shut the door.
I took a deep breath, trying not to panic. I was in control here. I could say decided if I wanted his help or not and what price I would pay. I wasn’t drugged this time and I didn’t depend on him to get me home. There were two windows against the far wall that I could use as escape if I needed and the door hadn’t been locked. My mind said I was fine, shame my nerves didn’t want to listen.
I sat down in one of the leather chairs and looked to my right to find some magazines neatly stacked. The top one made me groan. It was a picture of my car and me talking to the police.
“Out of Control Witch?” was the headline. I picked it up and read it. According to Stephanie, I had been driving and lost my temper. The entire car exploded. She hadn’t explained how someone wasn’t killed in it or the fact that the other car had sideswiped me. She did however mention that I was apparently clinging to the new love of my life and telling the officer someone was out to kill me.
One day I needed to pay her a visit and scare her out of putting me in the headlines. It was a wonder that Levi hadn’t called about it. The door opened and I put the paper down.
Oliver came in with two steaming mugs and set one on the table for me. “Three spoonfuls of sugar and a bit of creamer.”
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