Steel for 5 (Mags & Nats Book 3)

by Stephanie Fazio

  “Brent, please.”

  Sarah’s voice was soft, but Brent’s head snapped around to give her his full attention. Her eyes were brimming with tears, but she looked more in control of her emotions than I’d see her in years.

  She came over and clasped his hands. I looked away, feeling like I was intruding on a private moment between them.

  “I can’t survive without you. Please.” She let go of one of his hands to press her fist to her heart. “I want to start to heal with you.” She glanced at Michael before turning her attention back to her husband. “I want to move on with our lives. But I can’t do that without you.”

  Uncertainty flickered in Brent’s hazel eyes.

  “Come walk us to the car,” I told my brother, because I could see where this conversation was heading.

  My brother kissed Sarah before following me out.

  “I’ll meet you in the car,” I told the guys as soon as we were out of the stifling house.

  Diego, A.J., and Michael exchanged a look. They were hovering protectively around me, like they might need to jump in and save me from another verbal assault.

  I didn’t need their support, but I couldn’t pretend like I didn’t appreciate it. I gave up on trying to get rid of them and shut the door behind Brent to make sure my parents didn’t follow him out.

  “I’m going back to the mine to find out what happened to Lilly,” I told my brother. “But you have to stay here. Sarah needs you.”

  “Lilly’s my daughter,” Brent said. “I can’t let you put yourself in danger for something that’s my problem.”

  “Lilly isn’t a problem,” I replied. “And we both know I can take care of myself. Besides, my friends are the toughest Mags around. We’ve handled worse than a slave mine, trust me.”

  That last part wasn’t exactly true, but the Seven were no strangers to life-threatening mysteries. And if anything happened to Brent, I’d never be able to live with myself.

  A muscle ticked in Brent’s jaw.

  “Your wife needs you,” Michael said, coming to my aid. “Trust us to do this for you.”

  Brent’s broad shoulders slumped. He let out a long sigh.

  “Okay,” he said, glancing back in the direction of the house. “But please…promise me you’ll be careful.” He stooped until he and I were eye level. “Nothing is worth your life, baby sis.”

  I gave him a hug. “I’ll be careful,” I promised.

  CHAPTER 26

  By the time we drove up to the mansion in our borrowed car, I was on pins and needles. My phone had been blowing up for the last ten minutes as Smith and my security team updated me on the drama unfolding in front of our front gate.

  “Just what we needed,” A.J. groaned as we caught sight of our house…and the woman who was attempting to climb our unclimbable gate.

  Michael parked at the bottom of the driveway and we all got out.

  “I have rights!” a familiar and very unwelcome voice wailed.

  Valencia Stark.

  She had stopped trying to climb the fence, and was now facing off with five of my security guards. A Nat wearing a baggy suit and carrying a scuffed leather briefcase stood beside her, looking nervous and a little embarrassed.

  “Valencia, this is private property,” I said, when I was close enough that I wouldn’t need to yell. “Did I not make myself clear the last time we talked?”

  Maybe Kaira and Graysen needed to make our prisons a little less inviting, since Valencia was clearly so eager to be back inside one.

  “My client is asserting her Alliance-mandated right to protest,” the man next to Valencia said. He mopped his sleeve across his sweaty forehead. “Furthermore, it is our right as Naturals to—”

  “Who are you, again?” I interrupted, even though Smith had already sent me a detailed file on the man.

  “He’s my lawy-ah,” Valencia said, before the man could speak for himself. She pointed at me. “I’m suing you for assaulting me at the baseball game.”

  I laughed. Normally, I tried to maintain a higher level of professionalism. But it had been a long day.

  By this point, Michael, A.J., and Diego had joined me. I wasn’t sure if they realized it, but the three guys had their arms folded over their chests in identical poses. They were all glaring at Valencia. It was kind of adorable.

  “Oh dear,” A.J. said, screwing his face up into one of mock-concern. To me, he said, “We better get you a lawyer stat.” He tapped his chin, pretending to think. He snapped his fingers. “I know who will want to represent you. Director Graysen Gald-ah.”

  The lawyer’s shoulders straightened in indignation. “Director Galder is not a lawyer. He has no right—”

  “Sure, sure,” A.J. waved a hand. “You go ahead and make that argument to the judge. I’m sure they’ll take your side when the Directors tell the judge what really happened on that baseball field.”

  “Not that they’ll need to say anything,” Michael added. “The whole altercation was televised. Have you seen it?”

  Michael so rarely displayed any sarcasm or humor, I drank in the moment.

  The lawyer’s face blanched. A.J. reached over and gave him a pat on the arm.

  I smiled sweetly at the man. “I’m sure clients will be lining up to hire you after this.”

  “Actually,” A.J. said. “Let me make a quick call. I know some reporters who would love to get an early preview of your client’s statement.”

  A.J. pulled out his phone.

  The lawyer mumbled something about needing to reevaluate and fled to his car. Valencia shouted obscenities after him.

  “Your five minutes are up,” I told Valencia, making a shooing motion with my fingers.

  Since she hadn’t done anything illegal yet, there wasn’t much more I could do.

  Valencia glared at us, her eyes appearing magnified through the thick lenses of her glasses. “You’ll be sorry, you filthy Mags,” she spat. “But I’ll have the last laugh.” As if to demonstrate, she let out a maniacal chuckle.

  “Begone, Wicked Witch of the West,” A.J. said, yawning in Valencia’s face.

  When she didn’t move, I blew on my fists. That was all it took. Valencia looked at my silver skin, muttered something about freak Mags, and scrammed.

  “So, this is what it’s like to be a big, scary security chief?” Diego raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Pretty much,” I replied. I pointed in the direction of Valencia’s car, which was screeching out of our driveway. “And that’s one of many reasons why we’re destroying the Agent S. Can you imagine if she got her hands on the MRP?”

  “I would never let that happen,” Diego said.

  “You might not have a choice,” A.J. pointed out.

  Diego looked like he wanted to say more, but after another glance in my direction, he kept his mouth shut. He’d been strangely quiet since we left my parents’ house, and I was getting the disturbing impression that he felt sorry for me.

  Obnoxious come-ons I could handle. Pity I couldn’t…especially when it came from him.

  Our little posse had barely made it into the house when another disturbance hindered our progress. It was raining in the front hallway. People were shouting. Sir Zachary, wearing a jack-o-lantern dog costume, was hiding under a table and shaking.

  “What in tarnation?” A.J. asked, looking around before crawling under the table to rescue our distraught dog.

  I hurried farther into the house, watching my step so I didn’t wipe out.

  The rest of the Seven were in the middle of the kitchen, which looked like a warzone. Kaira and Yutika were shouting at everyone to calm down. Graysen had a Super Mag child in a headlock. Desiree was standing next to Charlotte, who was now a golden-eyed tiger. And Smith was hunched protectively over a computer. Everyone and everything was soaked.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a purple streak of lightning crackle through the air. I moved, but before I could reach the source, Diego tackled the Super Mag child.

 
; The child lashed out with another bolt of lightning, but Diego had been expecting it. He blurred out of sight, reappearing in full view near the ceiling.

  He dodged the next bolt of lightning before hurling his body into the Super Mag’s. They hit the floor with Diego on top.

  Seeing how fast he moved, I understood how he’d taken me on in a fight. But speed would only get him so far.

  I crossed the room between them. I was about to pull Diego off the girl, who seemed to be struggling to breathe, when purple lightning crackled along her palm. I threw out my arm, blocking the electricity from making contact with Diego’s chest.

  A small flame erupted on my sleeve, which caught fire before the lightning bolt shivered down my titanium skin.

  “Ah.” I squirmed. “That tickles.”

  The Super Mag girl scowled at me as she readied another lightning bolt. Diego pressed his forearm across her throat.

  “Stop,” Michael said in a clear voice.

  The Super Mag pinned beneath Diego went limp. The lightning retreated back into her fingertips.

  One by one, Michael went to the Super Mags in the room and Whispered to them.

  “Desiree,” Michael said in a calm voice. “Can you please go water the lawn outside?”

  All at once, the pouring rain that had turned me into a wet rat stopped.

  “That’s it?” Diego demanded.

  I ignored him, turning my attention on my friends. Kaira was inspecting Graysen’s arm, which was bleeding. Smith was wiping his computer down with a microfiber cloth. The Super Mags were standing around the kitchen, looking a little lost.

  “Well, I’d say we’re making progress,” Graysen said, smiling a little as he sank down into a chair.

  “What happened this time?” I asked.

  “Oh, you know.” Yutika tried to blow her bangs out of her face, but they were plastered to her forehead from the rain. “The Super Mags were under the impression that living on our property meant they were exempt from rules.”

  Kaira surveyed the messy and water-stained kitchen with a glare that was almost identical to Ma’s.

  “You kids are going to clean this place up,” she said in a perfect imitation of Ma’s don’t-mess-with-me voice. “And when you’re done, you’re going back to your house and cleaning that up. Just because you have more magic between you than the rest of Boston’s Mags combined, it doesn’t give you the right to behave badly. Now, get moving.”

  Some of the kids muttered apologies as they got to work. The rest quickly followed at a glance from Michael.

  “What the hell is wrong with all of you?”

  We turned at the sound of Diego’s fury.

  “Excuse me?” Graysen asked.

  “Why haven’t you locked them up?” Diego demanded.

  “All of you, please go outside with Desiree,” Michael said to the Super Mags.

  We waited until it was just us in the kitchen before anyone else spoke.

  “You mean, why haven’t we imprisoned children who’ve spent their lives in cages?” Kaira replied. “Gee, I have no idea.”

  “They aren’t just kids. This kind of power is monstrous and perverse.”

  A.J. stalked up to Diego.

  Outside of animal rights discussions, I’d never seen A.J. angry. His whole body trembled as he faced Diego. For a second, I thought A.J. might hit the other man.

  “You know,” A.J. said. “Just because someone’s different, it doesn’t make them wrong.”

  “It does if it’ll lead to death on a massive scale,” Diego replied.

  “They’re children,” Kaira said, her fury eclipsing both A.J. and Diego’s. “They need love and attention, and to learn the difference between right and wrong. They’re just like everyone else.”

  “Everyone else can’t wipe out the city with their bare hands,” Diego shot back.

  “You’re sounding like Valencia,” I told him, caught between disappointment in his unwavering prejudice and defensiveness on behalf of my friends.

  Diego scowled at me. “I’m not a bigot. I know firsthand what Super Mags are capable of, and I know that anyone who cares about the fate of Boston can’t let them run wild. They have to be contained.”

  “Isn’t what you’re saying a little hypocritical,” Yutika pointed out. “Since you’re a Super Mag?”

  “No.” Diego crossed his arms. “I’m going to take away the Super Mags’ magic, and then I’m going to take away my own. Nothing hypocritical about that.”

  “You’re making a very dangerous argument,” Graysen said in a deadly calm. “You’re talking about taking away people’s magic before they’ve even committed a crime. And you’re giving people like Valencia and the Federal Security Enforcers the justification to go after regular Magics.”

  “I’m not saying there shouldn’t be rules and that the MRP shouldn’t be a controlled substance, but—”

  “You don’t have the right to make those kinds of decisions,” Kaira snapped, her voice barely below shouting level.

  “And you don’t have the right to put the whole city in danger, just because your maternal instincts are all fired up,” Diego retorted.

  “That was very unsexy, Cinnamon Man,” Yutika said in a frigid tone.

  Graysen had his arms around Kaira, who looked ready to tear Diego’s face off.

  “Keep talking,” Graysen told Diego. “I fucking dare you.”

  The two men glared at each other.

  “Maybe we should all sit down,” A.J. suggested. “This poor house can only tolerate so much testosterone.” To Diego, he said, “Graysen already holds the alpha male role in our group. You’re going to have to find your own pack.”

  Diego didn’t back down.

  “I don’t have time for your idealist shit. What are you going to do when some Level 30 Earth-mover baby throws a fit because he didn’t get his bottle and collapses the entire city?” Diego pressed on. “I’m the only one in this room who understands what so much magic is capable of. And that’s why I have not only the right, but the responsibility, to do something about it.”

  Kaira let out a harsh laugh. “Yeah, you’re a regular hero. Injecting little kids with poison.” She turned to Graysen. “Maybe we should make a biggest bastard of the year award. We can make the trophy look like Diego.”

  “You’re thinking about this all wrong,” Diego said, ignoring Kaira’s sarcasm. “When I take away their magic, they become a blank slate…people who aren’t simply defined by their magic.” He paused, and I got the sense he was struggling to contain his own emotions. “I’m not doing anything to them that I don’t want for myself. Trust me when I tell you it will be a relief to be seen as a person, rather than a freak of nature.”

  I bit down on my lip as unwelcome sympathy flooded through me. Diego was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a freak.

  “Speak for yourself,” Kaira told him. “The rest of the Super Mags are not freaks.”

  Diego looked from Kaira to Graysen. Then, very softly, he said, “Your future children might feel differently.”

  Kaira’s chair screeched against the tile floor as she shoved to her feet, her hands balled into fists.

  “You better get lost before my wife does something illegal,” Graysen told Diego. “Or I do.”

  Diego wasn’t cowed.

  “The first time I interacted with someone in-person besides my parents, I was eighteen,” he said. “And the only reason I could do it was because I had a low dose of MRP in my blood, which suppressed my magic enough for me to pass as a regular Mag.”

  All at once, Diego’s reality struck me like a kick to the gut. My chest ached for what he’d been through…the life he must have led.

  The year after I went unMarked had almost driven me insane. I couldn’t imagine eighteen years of that kind of isolation.

  I had to curl my hand into a fist to keep from reaching out to offer him some kind of comfort.

  “I feel sorry for any child who had to go through that,” Kaira sai
d, less angry than she’d been. “But that’s why Graysen and I are doing what we’re doing. Under our version of the Alliance, no one has to feel like less, regardless of how much magic they have or don’t have.”

  “That’s ignorant,” Diego snapped. “And completely irresponsible to the people of this city who are depending on you to protect them.”

  Graysen wrapped his arm around Kaira’s waist. I wasn’t sure if he was doing it to comfort her, or to make sure she didn’t maul Diego.

  “Everything you just said is enough of a confession for us to arrest you,” Graysen told Diego. “We owe you for getting us out of the mine, so consider this your one free pass. Come back here again, and we’ll arrest you so fast you won’t know what hit you.”

  “You’re welcome to try.” Diego gave Graysen a taunting, catch me if you can smile. He winked at me. And then, he vanished.

  A few seconds later, I heard the front door close. Diego was gone.

  “Just goes to show,” Yutika said on a sigh, “that looks aren’t everything.”

  “They are when they’re combined with a scintillating personality and prodigious intellect,” A.J. said, brushing a speck of fake dust off his shirt.

  The others headed upstairs to change out of their wet clothes, but I hung back, my feet anchored to the floor.

  No one else was talking about the bombshell Diego had just revealed about his own background, but I couldn’t get it out of my head.

  Diego was our enemy. There was no doubt he was breaking just about every law and ethical code. He was also breaking one of my core beliefs…that it was wrong to punish a person for the way they’d been born.

  But now that I knew his justification behind his actions and the childhood that had made him what he was now, I couldn’t see Diego the same way.

  He wasn’t some psycho vigilante with a God complex like I’d thought. He was trying to save others from the life of isolation and self-loathing he’d led. He was trying to protect Boston from the possibility of a rogue Super Mag destroying all of us.