Henry frowned, confused. “No, but I don’t—”
“Doctor, it would be best for you to cooperate willingly,” Jill interrupted, her bright, amused smile mocking him. “I would hate to have to take…extreme measures to ensure your partnership.”
Henry’s body stiffened at the threat.
Jill stood, pleased by Henry’s submission. “We will leave tomorrow morning.”
Dorian chuckled. “Great! I need to get out of the country.”
“Only Dr. Jekyll will accompany me,” Jill said, something sardonic in her grin. “You may have been spared my master’s wrath, Dorian, but you have not been spared humiliation. He found your efforts last night laughable. To face him now would insult him and reignite his anger.”
Henry watched Dorian’s face freeze in an attempt to keep calm.
Jill strolled over to Henry and shook his hand as Dorian stared at the place she once stood. “It was good to meet you, Doctor. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early.”
Unsure of how to respond, Henry nodded.
With a slight bow of her head, she left.
Once he knew they were alone, Henry turned to the celebrity, who was now slumped on the couch. “I don’t want to go,” Henry tried.
Dorian glared at him, a deep jealousy burning in his eyes. Sneering, he replied, “If you value your life, you will.” And with great bitterness—at himself and at Jekyll—he got up and left the room.
—
Lady Augustine gasped through the phone speaker. “She’s pregnant?”
“Yes! I don’t know what to make of it!” It frustrated Suzette not knowing all the answers. She leaned her head into her free hand and rhythmically kicked the leg of the kitchen table. “The guys both agree that the chemical could have whacked up her brain, but Jack appeared a little less sympathetic about it. Hester seemed so scared, like she didn’t want to kill anyone. Like she knew something was wrong with her.”
“Like a chemical imbalance, maybe,” the old woman said from the other end. “But how do you know that she’s pregnant?”
“Well, um…” Suzette leaned in closer to the phone and paused. She had almost forgotten Abraham’s warning never to use his name in public or over the phone. Quite silly, really. But she acquiesced. “Turns out you-know-who can sort of see things.” She shrugged, hoping what she said made sense.
“You mean he can see the future?”
“N-no, more like…” Well, she didn’t rightly know. He was very vague in his explanation, like usual. “More like visions, I guess. Nothing really specific.” She shrugged again.
“And he told you that?” Lady Augustine asked.
“Well, that’s how he explained it.”
The old woman was quiet a moment. “Do you believe him?”
Suzette hesitated. “About the pregnancy or the visions?”
“Either, I suppose. It’s not so unlikely that a young, married woman is pregnant. However, it seems odd that he never mentioned something like visions before now.”
“Well, he’s not exactly an open book.”
The elder chuckled. “Maybe he has his reasons, but it’s still odd. Do you trust him?”
Suzette paused, the memory of two nights before replaying in her head. “I think so.” She shook her head and sighed. “But he didn’t let me go out last night, and all I can think of is Hester either killing or getting killed.”
“He didn’t let you go out?”
“No. He was very adamant that he went out himself and he wouldn’t tell me why.” Suzette groaned. “I don’t know what to expect when I hear from him again, but I trust he got something done. I just hope Hester is still alive.”
“So, what are you going to do now?” the old woman asked.
“If he doesn’t switch up the plan again, the two of us will catch her,” she explained. “Jack wants to do some psychiatric evaluation thing and…the other guy…is going to do some blood testing. He says to see if the baby’s alright.”
“Will you turn her in if you catch her?”
Everything logical inside of Suzette wanted to say yes. But there was something stopping her. Perhaps it would be better to get the whole Jekyll-Dorian situation dealt with before they released Hester to the police. That way they could make sure she didn’t hurt anyone else. Not to mention, she’d be safe from anyone trying to kill her again and given the chance to get help later. “I don’t know,” Suzette finally replied. “I guess it just depends on what the guys find out.”
“Well, if you do, it would be good publicity if your alter-ego got credit for capturing her and handing her over,” Lady Augustine said pointedly.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” Suzette mumbled. All this talk of the unknown stressed her out and she strove to change the subject. “How’s Frank?”
“I believe he’s getting better!” the old woman said, cheery all of the sudden. “If I’m not mistaken, he was reading a small book just the other day.”
“Good,” Suzette chuckled. “That’s great to hear. I hope I can come see him soon.”
“I hope so, too, dear.”
The timer on the oven went off. “Oh, that’s dinner,” Suzette noted. “I have to go.”
“Alright then, dear. You be careful around that strange man.”
“I will.”
They bid each other farewell and hung up. Suzette stood up from her seat, turned, and jumped.
“Are you done now?” Abraham leaned against the bar of the kitchen, arms folded across his chest, waiting for her to reply.
“What’s wrong with you?” she demanded, gripping the phone to her chest. “Haven’t you heard of knocking? Geez, you’d think you were the one who materialized through walls, not Jack.” She brushed past him, grabbed an oven mitt, pulled the food out of the oven, and set it on the stove-top to cool.
He huffed a laugh. “Jekyll left the country this morning.”
She paused at his deflection, but quickly shook it off. “For how long?”
“Not sure,” he said.
She grinned at him, excited. “This is great! We can get Hester without anyone interfering again.” She paused. “Is that why you wouldn’t let me go out last night? Because Jekyll and Dorian were still here?”
“Yes,” Abraham agreed, checking his watch. “So, let’s head out.”
“Whoa, what? Now?” she demanded. “It’s barely dinnertime. Have you never heard of eating?”
He sighed. “We don’t have time to.”
She crossed her arms. “I figured a big guy like you would find time to eat.”
He frowned. “I do, but—”
“No, listen,” she said insistently, pointing behind him. “Before we go anywhere, I need to eat. We need to eat; so, you, sir, can sit yourself down at that table. Thank you very much.”
He followed her finger with his eyes to the larger dining room table, where three sets of plates were set out, waiting. “You didn’t tell me I was invited over.”
“You weren’t around to tell,” she shot back. “Busy sneaking about, I guess.”
He grunted, his narrow eyes unreadable.
She sighed. “It was supposed to be a bit of surprise for you. I still don’t like that you’re secretive with important information, but I overreacted a little the other night.” She looked down, avoiding his eyes. She knew that hovering over him about everything would only reinforce the walls he had up. If she was going to earn his trust, she would have to show a little of her own. “I got a little too frustrated and cut you off. Partners don’t do that.” She gave him a glance and quickly looked away again, uncomfortable with his critical stare.
He remained quiet a moment. “Well, I did dangle you over the side of a building. I guess partners shouldn’t do that either.” He made his way over to the table. “The least I can do is eat a meal if you ask me to.”
She perked up at that, amused. “Jack will be joining us soon. And hopefully, he’ll knock like a civilized person.”
Abraham sat down. “We
’re about to find out.”
On cue, they heard a knock.
Surprised, she looked at the door and back at him before deciding not to question it. She scurried to the door. When Jack came in, she showed him to the table.
Jack paused before sitting himself down. “I didn’t expect you, Abraham.”
“Big guy like me has got to find time to eat, right?” His eyes trailed to Suzette.
Suzette stifled her laughter as she turned and made her way into the kitchen. There, she pulled her mom’s famous chicken potpie off the stove-top and set it out in front of them.
Jack smiled and reached for the pie knife.
Suzette blocked his hand and he withdrew, looking up at her confusedly. “We have to bless it first.”
The idea made him look uncomfortable, but he slumped back, bowed his head, and waited.
So, Suzette closed her eyes and led them through a short prayer. As soon as her eyes opened, Jack piled a scoop onto his plate, dove in, and grunted in approval as he shoveled food in his mouth. But Abraham’s still frame caught her eye. Looking over, she noted his frown and critical gaze and she wondered if he had even bowed his head. If he doesn’t like my prayers, he’ll just have to get used to it. Shrugging off his glower, she served herself a nicely sized portion and, without sparing a glance, heaped a double helping on Abraham’s plate. She felt his eyes stare harder, but she picked up her fork and met his eyes with a snarky challenge. “Aren’t you going to eat, Abraham? After all, it’s the least you can do, right?”
He hesitated but picked up his fork and stuck it into his serving. But it stopped there. He stared at the food, his body rocking slightly as his foot bounced. His jaw clenched and unclenched for a moment, but he finally began eating.
Suzette relaxed and followed suit. They all ate in silence, their heads faced down toward their plates. I hope that means they like it.
Finished, Jack set down his fork and leaned back. “That was really good. Do you think I can take some of the leftovers?”
She smiled. “Of course.” With that, she got up and took the rest of the potpie to the kitchen. She divided the rest of the food into three containers and stuck hers in the fridge. “Alright, I’m going to get ready. I’ll meet you downstairs.” With a grin, she scooped up the two containers and held them out.
The men got up and made their way over. Jack grabbed his saved portion and left.
Suzette wiggled Abraham’s portion between them.
He stared at it oddly.
She chuckled. “I think dangling me over a building is severe enough for you to at least take leftovers, don’t you think?”
“Don’t make a habit of this,” he snapped.
She paused, surprised. “It’s no trouble. I like to cook.” Despite her reassurance, he glared at her. “Really, I do.”
“I don’t care. You want something.”
“I don’t.” The idea made her shoulders slump. “I’m confused. What did I do?”
He leaned in closer. “I don’t need you to take care of me, alright?”
Unsettled by his frustration and his closeness, Suzette pressed herself back against the counter. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I wasn’t trying to make you feel stupid or weak—or whatever it is you think I was trying to do. I just thought it was a good idea.” Her eyes dropped and she could feel her cheeks burn. “I don’t know how long you’ve been doing…whatever you’ve been doing, but when’s the last time someone made you a home-cooked meal? I thought you’d appreciate it, not resent it.”
They stood there in painful silence. Suzette didn’t dare look up in his eyes, only stared at his shirt as he stood over her. Finally, after a long, agonizing moment, he gently took the container from her hands and started toward the door. “I’ll see you in the van,” he said gruffly.
Even after he left, the tension choked the air in the room, leaving her frozen in her spot. What am I getting into, God?
—
Suzette got in the van, tugged off her coat, and slipped on her mask, determined to remain cool. As she sat down, she couldn’t find the courage to look at Abraham, afraid he’d squash her under his death-glare. But to her surprise, the tension that had bore down on her earlier seemed completely diminished. Curious, she glanced over at him, only to find him less tense than usual.
Abraham’s calm eyes met hers and he handed her an earpiece. “Here.”
She put it in and watched him for a moment, waiting to see a crack in the façade. When she found nothing, she looked over at Jack. “Any updates?”
Jack set his laptop in the passenger seat. “I haven’t heard anything about marked bodies since we last saw her. Some cops seem to believe she’s somewhere on the south side of town.”
“Anything to add to that, Suzette?”
Shocked, her eyes widened and fell back to Abraham. Is he asking me to use my ability?
He raised his eyebrows at her, waiting.
A calm wanted to seep into Suzette, and for some reason, she felt it come from Abraham. That made her want to refuse the sensation, knowing it couldn’t be right. Befuddled, she glared at the floor of the van.
“You’re not getting a reading on her?” he asked.
She frowned. “Give me a minute.” She pushed past her strange feelings and focused on Hester. “Maybe try a little more southwest.”
Jack looked back at Abraham.
He nodded.
With a shrug, Jack took off.
“When we get there, are you going to lead the way?” Suzette wondered. “You’ll probably get a scent or something on her, right?”
Abraham shrugged ever so slightly. “Sure.” But that was it.
Suzette hesitated but fell quiet. They rode southwest through the nighttime traffic in a long silence that made Suzette uncomfortable. Finally, it became too much. She turned to Abraham, unsure of whether it would be okay to talk or not. “Listen, I need a codename or an alias I can use for when I talk about you,” she started off.
“Why do you need to talk about me?”
“Lady Augustine wants to know what’s going on and I’m going to go ahead and tell her,” she said simply. “And if you don’t give me a false name, I’m going to blab yours out on accident.”
He stared over at her with no emotional reaction whatsoever, but as far as she could tell, she ruled out any argument; the thought of her blabbing his name unsettled him because he knew the probability was high. “Fine,” he muttered. “Why don’t you just use Hercules? You seem fond of using that name.”
“I may need to use this codename, too. And from man-to-man, I’m not sure I’m comfortable calling you Hercules,” Jack interjected.
Suzette forced an overly-sultry grin through her lingering apprehension. “Yeah, Jack can’t use that name. It’s my special pet-name for you, Stud.”
He huffed. “How about Tom?”
“Tom?” She scoffed. “Nope, can’t do Tom. You’re not a Tom.”
He gave her a puzzled look before mulling it over. “Jim, then.”
She snickered. “No, that’s too boring for you.”
“Gabriel?”
She crinkled her nose and shook her head.
He exhaled heavily. “Whatever. Just make one up, Princess,” he grumbled. Annoyed, he leaned back against the van and closed his eyes.
She smiled. “Well, now I have my work cut out for me.”
—
Dante shuffled around nervously by the open warehouse doors. Bones stood next to him, not as nervous but visibly uncomfortable as he watched the darkness. The man didn’t look too far from Dante’s age, and Dante wondered if Bones was fresh blood as well. That’s a bit of a relief.
Bones licked his lips, scanning the empty, poorly lit lot in front of them. “I told them we opened the doors and made sure the area was clear, so they should be here soon.” He turned and raised his eyebrows at Dante. “You made sure, right? No one snooping around?”
Dante nodded.
The confirmati
on made Bones let out a sigh and he rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t believe they dropped me off out here with a kid,” he muttered.
Dante’s head dropped slightly.
Bones quickly saw his faux-pas and set his hands out. “No offense. It’s just, they told me you were the muscle, but…” He relaxed and leaned against the metal frame of the warehouse, throwing a hand up at his partner. “It doesn’t seem like you know what you’re doing.”
I don’t, Dante groaned inwardly. He remembered vividly having helped the other goons stuff a poor, blindfolded woman in the trunk of a car. His stomach churned as her begging replayed in his mind. “So, who’s the woman?” he asked, trying desperately to sound casual.
“I don’t know her name,” Bones said with a shrug. “All I know is that the boss has video footage of her killing his son outside of a club. Tony was supposed to get busted, seeing as how he was responsible for the kid’s safety, but Acerbi was so hellbent on revenge that he sent a manhunt after this woman.” He shook his head. “I’ve never seen the boss so angry before.”
Dante’s fingers drummed against his pant legs, hoping the steady movement would keep his nerves down. Thinking about Tony gave him an ambivalent feeling. Everything in that moment, pounding down on the thug’s melting face, had urged Dante to end the man right there. It wouldn’t have been the first time Dante killed someone, but “murder” still left a chill in him that made him somewhat glad, now that he was cooled down, that he had stayed his hand from committing the act. But the thought of exterminating the woman made him slightly nauseous. I’m glad I don’t have to do it…
A car rolled up, eerily quiet, stirring Dante back into reality. It parked at an angle in one of the parking spots in the lot, about a hundred feet from the door. The two older goons stepped out with a hungry look in their eyes.
Bones gave his partner a hesitant look as he pulled his gun out from the back of shirt. “Get ready.”
Confused, Dante frowned. “For what?”
But Bones shrugged. “Anything. For the woman to go nuts or maybe for that vigilante the boss mentioned to show up.”
Blind World (The Onyx Fox Saga Book 1) Page 40