by Dora Blume
Jessie laughed. “You don’t do normal when it comes to relationships, do you?”
“Not really, normal’s so boring.” She twisted her ring.
“It’s going that well with Mike and Ely?” Jessie gave her a knowing look.
“Not exactly, Mike and I are doing well. Ely and I, well, not so much. Which I guess is fine, because Mike was jealous after all. It doesn’t look like I’ll be having a replay of the other day. At least I got to enjoy it while it lasted.” She cocked her head to the side to stare at the screen. She flew up to get a closer look. Her hand pointed erratically at the screen. “Holy shit, she’s there.” Sloane turned to look at Jessie before focusing on the familiar girl on the screen.
“Shit, that’s Amy? Does anyone else know she’s there?” Jessie asked.
“Why yes,” a husky voice called from the door. “I do,” Bryant slowly crossed his arms over his chest and met Sloane vehement stare.
“Why didn’t you tell me if you knew?” She shot back at him. She knew why he wouldn’t tell her. He probably had something to do with it.
“Oh, Sloane, I didn’t want to hurt you like that. Seeing the consequences of your actions doesn’t always have the most positive effect.” His voice came out like honey. She hated her father for his reminder. It was her fault her best friend was now a demon.
She narrowed her eyes at her father. “Why don’t you enlighten me as to how she ended up a demon, father?” Sloane spoke through clenched teeth.
“Now, Sloane, you know I wouldn’t know anything about that.” There was a gleam in his eyes. It took every ounce of strength to restrain herself. She wanted to lunge at her father.
“I bet you don’t. So, how do you suspect something like that would happen, since it was your responsibility to clean up after Minneapolis? That obviously didn’t include watching out for those who were involved.” She clenched her hands into fists at her sides.
“My priority is with the Shikari. You should know that better than anyone.” One eye twitched as he studied her.
“Oh, yes, I do know that. Better than anyone.” She strode passed Bryant and out of the room. She needed her space from him before she did something she wouldn’t regret. If she attacked him now, she would look like the crazy one. Then no one would believe them when they outed her father as the traitor. He was probably baiting her, just as she’d tried to do with him. Damn him for getting to her like that. He always knew just what buttons to press. Sloane inhaled a deep breath. He may have gotten to her now, but she’d make sure she was the one laughing in the end.
CHAPTER 20
Sloane got to know the hallways in the office complex while she was avoiding her father. Knowing she would have to go help Erik, she made her way back to the room. She only hoped Bryant had moved onto somewhere else.
“Hey, Sloane are you okay?” Jessie asked when she strode back into the room. Thankfully, Bryant hadn’t stuck around long.
“I’m fine. My father can be such an asshole. What’s the status?” She plopped back down into the chair and draped her legs back over the arm.
“Nothing’s changed. I haven’t seen Amy since that first glimpse. She must not stay on the property all that long. I haven’t gotten an image of her again since we saw her by the exit.” Sloane nodded as Jessie filled her in. It was good she was there since Sloane hadn’t been able to keep her cool around her father. He still knew just how to rile her up.
“We’ll stay for a little while longer to get more information on the facility. Then we’ll head back to the lake house to check the status of the others. I have some important information to share with everyone.” His eyebrows rose and Jessie nodded. They understood that he’d heard something that he couldn’t discuss around the others.
Sloane focused her attention on the screen. Every time she saw someone who looked even close to Amy, she perked up, only to slump down when it wasn’t her. Hours passed, as she stared at the screen. Her eyes were drooping by the time Erik began packing up some papers.
“We should go talk to the others.” Erik held a few papers in his hand as he helped Jessie up from her chair.
“Should we let Bryant know we’ll be back later?” Jessie asked.
“It’d be better if we didn’t let him know. Besides, he left here about a half-hour ago. Ethan is still here, for now,” Erik shrugged. “It’s best if we just leave.”
“Okay,” Jessie shrugged, and we followed Erik out to the car.
After they’d gotten a few miles away from the offices, Erik spoke. “I didn’t want to say anything while we were there. I got a pretty good idea of the powers in the building, but you never know with Magnus around. Our father has a meeting tonight. I think we should crash it.” Erik gave Sloane a meaningful look in the rear-view mirror.
“What’s the meeting?” she asked.
“It’s with Amy. He was involved in her being possessed. He had a good shield up, but something you said made him emotional enough for the walls to slip. He’s got to be behind everything. Why else would he be meeting with a demon?” Erik raked a hand through his hair.
“There isn’t another reason. He’s a traitor. Was there anyone else in the building who may be working with him? I know we weren’t staying there to actually watch security.” Sloane sat forward in her seat.
“I still question Ethan. He had a strong wall around his thoughts, so I didn’t catch anything outright. I was too worried Magnus would feel me poking around, so I didn’t even try with him. Besides, with all he did in Denver, I doubt he’s in on any nefarious plots with our father. It makes me wonder though when did this all start? Was any of what he told us back in Minneapolis true? Has he been colluding with the enemy this whole time?” Erik grasped the wheel tighter as he took the exit onto the highway. Sloane glanced out the window, watching the houses pass.
“I wonder if he didn’t have anything to do with our mother’s death. She shared information with me that she never shared with him. I thought it was weird when I was younger but now it makes sense. What if he had her killed because of the knowledge she possessed? What if this goes back even further than that?” Sloane pulled at a loose string on her knee. She was wearing jeans with frayed holes. She should have known better. Her nervous energy would ruin her jeans.
“I don’t know. I was only thirteen when she died. He didn’t start sharing stuff with me until I was in my late teens. He expected me to be the best Shikari warrior. I wonder if even that was a lie to cover what he was actually doing. He sent me into the fray all the time. He used me for my gift to deliver insider information to him.” Erik shook his head. “I can’t believe how easily he played me, played all of us.”
“Well, it’s a lot easier to convince your own children of your lies. Would we have ever really suspected him?” Sloane sat back in the seat, crossing her arms.
“You did, you blamed him from the very beginning,” Erik’s voice sounded pained, like he was reliving the whole thing again.
“You guys trusted him. He was your father. He never gave you reason not to,” Jessie’s voice was soft as she spoke.
“I blamed him for letting her get killed. I never in a million years thought he might have something to do with it.” Sloane bent forward to place her hand on Erik’s shoulder. “We couldn’t have known, Erik. The only thing we can do now is stop him. Make sure he never betrays anyone like this again.” Her voice shook with such vehemence. She would make sure her father paid for his betrayal. If he was responsible for their mother, she would kill him.
Erik pulled the car to a stop in front of the lake house. Jessie jumped out and ran into the house. Erik got out and yelled, “Jess!” She clutched her hand over her mouth and ended up leaning over to vomit in the bushes. Erik ran over. “Maybe you need to sit this one out. You’ve been sick for a few days. Is this kind of thing normal?” He stopped next to her and rubbed her back in soothing circles.
Sloane walked up and pulled her hair back from her face. “Come on, Jess. Let’s get you
inside and cleaned up.”
Jessie nodded weakly. “I don’t know what’s normal. I didn’t think you could get morning sickness this fast. I can’t be that far along.” Jessie wiped her hand over her mouth. Erik held the door open for them, his hand rested on Jessie’s back as she went inside. Sloane followed Jessie back to the bathroom. She closed the door and Jessie sat on the toilet seat. Sloane wet a washcloth and handed it to Jessie. “Thanks,” she gave Sloane a weak smile.
“Are you sure you’re okay? I’m worried. I don’t know how pregnancy works, but you need to be able to keep down food. When was the last time you didn’t throw up after eating?” Sloane hopped up on the counter as Jessie pressed the cloth to her flushed cheeks.
“I’ve kept down maybe one meal a day. I know, that can’t be good. The baby needs some nourishment too.” Jessie rested one hand over her stomach. “What should I do?”
A light knock sounded. “Can I come in?” Tamslyn’s voice was muffled through the door.
“Yeah,” Jessie called. She moved the cloth from her cheek to her forehead.
“Do you know anything about morning sickness and pregnancy? Should she be sick all the time?” Sloane looked to Jessie’s mom, at least she’d been pregnant before.
“I had morning sickness real early on with Jessie. If you can’t keep food down, though we should get you to a doctor.” Tamslyn knelt in front of her daughter and rested the back of her hand on her cheek. “Oh honey, you’re burning up. Maybe this isn’t the baby at all. Maybe you’ve got a cold or the flu or something.” Her eyes widened as they looked to Sloane. “Baby, you need to go lay in bed. We’ll make you some soup. Maybe that will help soothe your stomach.” She stood, holding her hand out for Jessie. She took it and Tamslyn tugged her to her feet. She ushered her down the hall and into the bedroom. “Now, don’t you worry ‘bout a thing. Your momma’s gonna take real good care of you.” She closed the door, leaving it open just a crack.
Sloane waited in the hall. “You think it’s just a cold?” she asked.
“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see if she gets any better.” They walked out to the kitchen.
Erik was wearing a pattern into the floor. “Is she all right?” he asked, raking a hand through his hair.
“She may just have the flu. We’re going to make her some soup. She’ll need to rest.” Tamslyn went to the kitchen.
“We haven’t bought any groceries,” Sloane commented.
“Oh, I did. I wasn’t sure how long we would be here and there wasn’t a stitch of food in the place.” She shook her head at them.
“It wasn’t really a priority at the time,” Erik muttered.
“Well, I see you’re not too concerned with taking care of my baby girl. You didn’t even think to buy food. What a shame.” She shook her head as she went to making the soup.
“Come on, we were hunting demons.” Sloane crossed her hands over her chest. “Erik can hardly be blamed for not buying food. We had to save your sorry ass.” She smirked when Tamslyn’s eyes shot up to meet hers. “Speaking of saving everyone’s sorry asses, we should find the others. We have some things to discuss.” Her eyes met Erik’s and he nodded.
“The boys are out back. I think they found a few others.” Tamslyn waved a hand in dismissal.
Sloane followed Erik to the backyard. Ely and Mike were standing near the lake. Ely had his arms crossed over his chest. Mike was shaking his head. Sloane wondered what they were talking about. She could almost feel the intense energy radiating from them both. Erik stopped next to them “Hey, we have some news.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
Sloane leaned toward Mike. “Do I want to know what you two were arguing about?”
Mike gave her a small smile. “We’ll talk later.” He focused back on Erik “So, what’s up?”
“Bryant is meeting Amy in about an hour. It would be a good opportunity to find out what’s going on. Sloane got him worked up while we were there so his shield dropped enough for me to get a glimpse of the meeting. Are you guys up for a stakeout?” Erik looked from Mike to Ely.
“Possibly a dispossession.” Sloane crossed her arms and gave her brother a scathing glare. He glared back.
“This is supposed to be for information. If we dispossess Amy now we might not be able to get to the demons in the order. They could double reinforcements. Right now, it doesn’t seem like they have that many demons guarding the archives, maybe twenty-five. If Amy doesn’t go back, they could add to their ranks,” Erik explained.
“No, Erik, if I have a chance to save my friend, I am going to take it. I don’t care about the damn archives. She could have information that could help us. Plus, she can explain our father’s betrayal.” Sloane pressed her lips together. No matter what Erik said, she would find a way to save Amy. It was her fault she was even in this mess, again.
“Fine,” Erik turned to Mike. “You see why I need you guys there. Someone has to temper her reactions to everything.”
Mike smirked but slipped his arm around Sloane’s waist. “Sorry, Erik, I’ll follow her lead.” He squeezed Sloane tighter against him. She heard Ely scoff. Her head whipped in his direction, and she narrowed her eyes. Apparently Mike and Ely had been fighting about her.
“Whatever, we don’t have much time. Jessie’s staying here so it’ll be us four. They’re meeting at the Riverside industrial park. It’s close to the office complex but not to us. We need to get there early, so we can blend in with whatever cars might still be there at this hour.” Erik strode back toward the house. He was all business now that they’d agreed to go.
Sloane turned to kiss Mike then followed behind her brother. She heard Ely grumble something but didn’t bother to ask what his problem was. She was sure he was still mad at her for earlier. They all piled into the car. Mike held the backdoor open for her, and she slid over for him. “I’m going to look up businesses in the park. Do you have any idea where they are meeting?” she asked.
“Only, that they would be in the back. Something about being able to see some bridge. The address was 998 Northwest Valley Platte road.” Erik started the car and drove. “Anyone else think it was weird Scott didn’t offer to come with us? He didn’t say anything.”
“He was traumatized over being possessed. He said he would help when it came to dispossessing and getting the archives back, but until then he’d like to lay low. He does have a thing for Tamslyn, though, so that part stuck,” Ely shrugged.
Sloane was surprised he was the first to answer. She searched for places on her phone to blend in. “There’s an auto shop in the back. If we get there before them, we can blend in with the other cars,” Sloane announced, while looking at her phone. She didn’t want to think about how Amy may be affected in the same way as Scott.
“Great, that should work.” Erik nodded. Mike slipped his hand in hers as they rode the rest of the way in silence. Mike was always her silent support, no matter what she did. That was hard to find in life. She cherished him for it, even if she didn’t show it sometimes. Ely glanced back at them and turned toward the window after noticing their interlaced fingers. Sloane wasn’t sure quite how to mend their relationship. He could be so infuriating when he pointed out her flaws. Yet, maybe she needed someone who would call her out like that. Maybe if she could repair the damage she’d caused, something could come of it after all this crazy shit was over.
Erik backed into a spot between a car and a conversion van. They would be camouflaged enough by the van, but Erik could still hear them. “Are you sure you want to obstruct half our view?” Ely asked.
“You could project yourself into another car if you’re that worried about it,” Erik shot back. Sloane knew her brother didn’t like to be questioned. Ely rolled his eyes and Sloane smirked.
“I actually think it would be a good idea if we weren’t all in one car. I think it might be good to be able to sneak up on the conversation from all angles,” Sloane commented. Ely gave her a hard-pressed smile.
; “We need to stay out of sight. If Bryant sees us, the whole plan is ruined. We need him to think we still believe him to find out who else is working with him. I wasn’t able to get anything back at the complex.” Erik’s frustration came out in his words.
“Erik, what does it matter if we get the archives back. As long as we’re able to catch Bryant, maybe the others will run scared,” Ely suggested.
“No, we need to find everyone involved. These were the people who were involved in my mother's death. They need to pay.” Erik clutched the wheel.
“Involved in her murder you mean, I thought Bryant hunted them down already?” Sloane pressed her lips together in a hard line. Mike squeezed her hand. She needed his comfort.
“I’m not sure I believe him anymore. I think it’s more likely he recruited them than killed them.” Erik clasped his hands into fists.
“Good, then we’re fishing. Let’s get them all. Starting with his traitorous ass.” Sloane smiled wide. Her brother hadn’t been on board with all that she wanted to do to her father. She’d known he had something to do with their mother’s death. There was no way he would have let it happen, otherwise. There were too many things that didn’t add up. Sloane was old enough to get that. It’s why she left. She didn’t trust him. She couldn’t even look at him at the time.
“Let’s just see what happens, shall we?” Mike rubbed her leg. “We don’t want to show our hand just yet. As long as we know and Bryant doesn’t, we have the upper hand.”
“Agreed,” Sloane said.
Orange, pink and purple streaked across the sky as the sun set behind the horizon. Sloane slid closer to Mike and wrapped her arm around him. He pulled her into him, kissing the side of her head. He always knew just what to do to comfort her.
“Look alive, Bryant just pulled down the road.” Erik sat up straighter in the seat. Ely bowed his head and went still. Sloane assumed he projected into another car as suggested.
“Is Amy here yet?” Sloane asked.