“I trust you,” he shot back. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust you. I do think you guys are weird, though. I won’t lie about that.”
“Yeah, well ... we are weird.” I opted for the truth. “But we’re not what you think we are. We’re not trying to find this individual just so we can kill him or her and rid the streets of a predator. We are trying to keep the girls safe. That’s pretty much the only thing I can guarantee.”
“Then I guess we’re at a standstill.”
As much as I didn’t want to, I had to agree. “I guess we are.”
23
Twenty-Three
Logan didn’t leave. We talked to him a bit longer, but it was obvious he had no intention of going anywhere. The realization threw me ... and opened a crack in my foundation that allowed a bit of sadness to creep in. He’d said he trusted me, but that obviously wasn’t true. He was suspicious. The bond we’d built twelve years earlier couldn’t survive time and missing girls.
In truth, I didn’t blame him for hanging around. He thought we could lead him to answers. It was gratifying that he didn’t believe we were responsible for causing this mess — the disappearances started happening long before we arrived — but he recognized we were up to something. He was always good at reading people, which is probably why he advanced through the ranks so quickly.
I kept it together for the rest of the afternoon, closed my operation in time to watch the big show in the main tent, and joined Raven so she wasn’t alone in keeping an eye on Cotton and Michelob. They’d taken seats at the front of the action and couldn’t stop laughing at Luke’s hijinks on the trapeze. They were completely enamored ... and unaware that we were watching their every move.
“Nixie, you need to watch them as we clear the fairgrounds,” I instructed when she joined us a few minutes later.
“No problem. They won’t get past me.”
“Don’t tie them up or anything,” Raven ordered. “They’ll think we’re weird and run.”
“You are weird,” Nixie reminded her. “But I’ll watch them. I heard what you saw in the mirror, Poet. I’ll make sure they’re safe.”
I pinned Raven with a hard look. I hadn’t shared my vision with anyone other than her. I was waiting until after dark to spread the news. “You have a big mouth.”
She shrugged. “I do,” she agreed. “I figured the more people in on the secret, the better in case something happens to me.”
She had a point. “Fine. Just hold it together for a bit longer and then we can start herding these people out. It will be easier to watch them once the grounds are cleared.”
Nixie bobbed her head in agreement. “What are we going to do after that? We need to figure out a way to draw in whoever is doing this.”
I’d come to the same conclusion. “Yeah. I know. I haven’t a clue how to do it. We’ll figure it out.”
WHEN THE PERFORMANCE ENDED, our people sprang into action. We were masters at directing traffic.
Dolph took the lead, calling everyone toward the big top opening, and then leading them directly toward the parking lot. Seth, who had been in his tiger form in the tent, was back in human form minutes later and helped Dolph draw people toward their vehicles.
The second the tent was empty, I started barking orders. “I want the entire place cleaned out as soon as possible.” I focused my attention on Michelob and Cotton, who were boasting smiles so wide they almost swallowed their entire faces. “Girls, I want you to straighten up and sweep the floors. By the time you’re finished, it will be dinner time. Nixie will supervise.”
Cotton made a face. “Yo, you’re acting like you don’t trust us. We’ve been here for days.”
“I’m not acting like I don’t trust you,” I countered. “I’m acting like we have certain things we need to cross off our list to make sure there aren’t any insurance claims.” She would understand about not wanting to pay extra money, so that’s the story I went with. “If our premiums go up, we can’t pay you two.”
She made a face. “You just don’t want to clean the tent yourself.”
“There is that,” I agreed, grinning. “It won’t take long, and then it will be time for dinner. This is part of the job you take on when you’re with the circus.”
“We’re just freelancers,” Michelob pointed out. It was the first time I’d heard her speak with any conviction. It was obvious she was no longer in pain and was feeling bolder, both of which I wanted to see. “If we were full-timers, we might be propelled to work even faster.”
I understood what she was getting at. They wanted to stay. They were going to start feeling us out. It wasn’t possible, but I didn’t want to crush their spirits with that brutal news and cause them to run away when we were in the thick of things. “We’ll talk about that later.”
I didn’t miss the excited look the girls shared.
“For now, we all have jobs to do and I expect everybody to do them.”
EVERY WORKER AT MYSTIC CARAVAN KNEW what was expected of them. Even Michelob and Cotton, who were temporary and new, understood what needed to be done. Because of that, it took only twenty minutes to clear the grounds.
Kade, Nellie and Luke immediately went through again to make sure there were no laggards, as Dolph and Seth directed traffic. In less than thirty minutes it was as if nobody had ever been on the grounds.
“You guys are good,” Cotton announced, grinning as she moved toward the picnic table. Raven and I had already begun food preparations.
“We are good,” I agreed, inclining my head toward the table. “You two should sit.”
Cotton, always the suspicious sort, narrowed her eyes. “Are you about to drop bad news on us?”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because you have the look my mother used to get when she was about to tell me she had another new boyfriend and he was going to move in. Usually she added a ‘You don’t need to live here if you’re going to complain about it’ yell to everything when it was happening.”
My heart gave a little lurch. “I don’t have a boyfriend who wants to dislodge you.”
“But you’re with Kade?” Michelob asked, smiling happily when Naida delivered a soda to her. “Thank you.”
Naida smiled and ruffled the girl’s hair before joining us in preparing the food.
That’s when it truly hit me; everyone here was fond of them. It wasn’t so much the girls’ personalities. Those were works in progress. It was the fact that we all recognized we could’ve probably been these girls at some point in our lives. Even Raven, who had been around for centuries, knew what it meant to suffer. No one wanted the girls to suffer.
“Kade and I are together,” I confirmed. “Don’t worry. I’m not giving you grief for having a crush on him.”
Michelob’s cheeks flooded with color and she stared at her Coke. “I don’t have a crush on him. Why would you say that?”
Raven snorted. “Yeah, right. Don’t worry about it, Michelob. He’s hot. I had a crush on him when he first arrived.”
“You did?” Suspicion flitted through her eyes. “He didn’t want to be with you?”
“Actually, right from the start, he only had eyes for Poet,” Raven volunteered, taking me by surprise with her fortitude. She usually enjoyed messing with me rather than bolstering my ego. “It was very annoying. It took me a bit to realize that he only liked boring women, but once I did, I figured out they belonged together.”
Ah, there it was. I knew she couldn’t get through it without taking a jab at me.
“It’s true,” I said solemnly when Cotton and Michelob focused on me. “Kade only likes boring women. That’s why we’re perfect for each other.”
Cotton chuckled and shook her head. “You guys are funny.”
“We’re a laugh riot,” I agreed, my eyes tracking to the parking lot as Seth and Dolph gave it a final sweep.
“We’re funny, too,” Michelob offered, her transition anything but subtle. “We would fit in well with you
guys.”
I met Raven’s gaze for a beat and bit my lower lip before responding. “How old are you two?” I asked finally.
“Eighteen,” Cotton replied perfunctorily.
I pinned her with a dubious look. “How old really?”
“We’re eighteen.” Cotton didn’t as much as blink. She was good. Unfortunately, I had a talent she couldn’t have foreseen, and I simply slipped inside her head to take a look around.
“You’re sixteen,” I replied finally. “You turn seventeen in two months.”
Cotton’s eyes went wide. “How can you possibly know that?”
“I’m a mind reader,” I reminded her, turning to Michelob. “You’re seventeen, but there are several problems with your file. You’ve fled custody four times when social workers tried to medically intervene over your tonsils. You’re not going to be allowed to leave until you’re eighteen no matter what.”
“That’s not true.” Michelob immediately started shaking her head. “We can leave whenever. In fact, we’re ready to go right now. There’s nothing keeping us here.”
“The law is keeping you here.”
“But ... we don’t care about the law.” Michelob’s voice cracked, causing a lump to form in my throat. “You just don’t want to take us with you.”
“That’s not true,” Raven countered, swooping in as I struggled to get my emotions under control. “We think you’re a good fit, but you can’t join us until you’re adults.”
“Who will even know?” Cotton protested. “It’s not as if people will ask for our IDs. We’ll be with you guys.”
“Actually, that’s not true,” I offered, drawing their eyes to me. “There are certain municipalities where we have to provide work permits for everybody. It’s standard procedure, and we have to follow the letter of the law. We can’t lie.”
“Why not?” Michelob sounded pitiful. “Why can’t you lie? It’s only for a little over a year.”
“If we get caught, we’ll lose our license and there won’t be a circus.” I opted for honesty. That was the biggest reason. Sure, there was that pesky business about hunting monsters, but that could wait for another time “You don’t want that to happen any more than we do.”
“No, but ... .”
I held up my hand. There was no reason to let this conversation completely unravel. “We’ve already talked about this and come up with a plan.”
“You have?” Cotton darted her eyes between Raven and me. “You two came up with a plan? I didn’t think you liked one another.”
“We like each other fine,” Raven countered. “We also like to mess with each other. That’s what friends do. We’ve discussed things and we’re willing to compromise with you.”
Cotton folded her arms over her chest, disdain evident. She was a businesswoman, and was doubtful. “How?”
“You’re going to have to go into the system for a year and a half,” I answered, bracing myself for an onslaught of complaints. They came like clockwork.
“That’s never going to happen,” Cotton argued.
“They lock you in cages and don’t feed you in the system,” Michelob whined.
“They don’t lock you in cages,” I countered. “There are bad foster families out there. I’m not going to lie. We’ll find you good ones.”
“How can you guarantee that?” Cotton shot back. “You’re not God.”
“No, but I can read minds.” I tapped my head again. “This is the best way, guys. We’re going to find a home to get you in together, check in with you regularly, and then bring you to us when you turn eighteen.”
“But ... that’s not what we want,” Cotton protested
“You can’t always get what you want,” Raven reminded her. “You two know that better than most. We can provide you with a real shot. We just can’t do it now. You’ll have to hold up your end of the bargain for a year and a half to make this happen for all of us.
“Then, when it’s time, I’ll pick you up myself,” she reassured them. “You’ll come back with me, to wherever we are at the time, and then I’ll be your boss.”
Michelob knit her eyebrows. “I thought she was the boss.” She pointed at me. “That’s what everybody says.”
“I’m Raven’s boss,” I volunteered. “That won’t change. I’ll still be her boss. She’ll also be your boss. You’re going to have a lot of bosses.”
“Let’s not push the boss thing,” Raven complained. “We both know I do what I want.”
I ignored her “We want to help, but we cannot take you until you’re adults. We don’t make the rules, but we do have to abide by them.”
The girls stared at each other, misery etched across their features.
“A year and a half isn’t forever,” I pointed out. “Look at all you’ve survived. Look at the years stretched ahead of you. It can be a good life. You’re just going to have to wait for a time.”
“Fine.” Cotton, dejected, huffed out a sigh. “I still think you’re being ridiculous. The cops will never find us with you.”
“You’d be surprised how often we have to deal with the cops,” Raven said. “You’ll have to get used to that, too. If we don’t follow the rules, we can’t stay in specific towns. If we can’t stay in those towns, we lose money. This is a business.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Cotton rubbed her forehead. “This blows.”
“It does,” I agreed. “We’ll check on you regularly. We’ll call you, do video chats and visit when we can.”
“We get a Christmas break,” Raven volunteered. “I’ll come up here to visit you guys then.”
“You could just take us with you then,” Michelob suggested. “You don’t like following the rules, so you could break them.”
“Not this time.” Raven was calm, and I was grateful she didn’t give them false hope. I didn’t want to be the mean ogre who sent them back. “We have to follow the rules to make sure everything works out the way we want it to. I’m sorry, but ... that’s all there is to it.”
“Fine.” Cotton shook her head. “This really sucks.”
I agreed. It totally sucked.
THE GIRLS WERE STILL MOROSE after dinner. Kade and Luke offered to walk them back to the tent to perk them up. It worked, but only marginally.
Raven, Naida, Nixie and I followed, listening to the girls complain to the men — who they were trying to manipulate — as we talked in low voices about the charm we were going to cast on the tent to keep them inside ... and others out. We were going with something simple but powerful. Their safety was our primary concern.
I watched Kade slide his arms round Michelob’s shoulders to console her. He was whispering something that only she could hear and I knew he was trying to make her feel better. Remorse fueled me, but my hands were tied. We could not take them with us now without risking everything we’d built.
I let out a sigh, earning an eye roll from Raven, and then let my eyes drift to the left. The circus grounds should’ve been empty except for us. That’s why the streak of white racing down the next aisle caught my attention.
I reacted out of instinct. “Banshee,” I yelled, breaking into a run to intercept her.
I had a brief moment to see Kade and Luke collapse on the girls in a protective ring.
The banshee realized I was coming, but didn’t try to run. Instead, she lowered her head and increased her pace. She would attempt to push through me, run over me, instead of going around me. She couldn’t deviate from whatever orders were given. That meant she had to get through me, and probably a few others, so she could grab the girls. That was her end goal. The brief vision of Michelob had shown me that.
I had no intention of letting it happen. “No.” I threw up a magic wall, forming it in a split-second, and then sent it careening in the banshee’s direction.
The girl let loose an unearthly scream as it slammed into her, the solid wall turning to a web and pinning her to the ground as she struggled and choked against her restraints. I was feeling pretty
good about myself thanks to the fast takedown when another figure appeared at my left.
I barely had time to register what was happening before the second banshee was on me. She landed with enough force that I tilted to the side ... and screamed as she raked her fingernails over my arm. Blood gushed hot and heavy as the creature dug in. She had no intention of letting go.
Vaguely, as I tried to decide what to do, I heard Cotton and Michelob screaming and sobbing in the background. Kade barked out orders and Luke snapped back. Nixie screamed that they were under attack from another banshee, and Naida reacted by throwing her hands in the air and causing lightning to spark.
Even as I registered all that, I couldn’t separate myself from the pain rushing through me. Something very bad was happening, and it was happening fast. My mind was getting muddled, the pain was spreading from my arm to the rest of my body faster than should’ve been possible, and someone else was screaming.
That, I realized, was happening in my mind. I was the one screaming ... and fading fast.
24
Twenty-Four
Even as I felt darkness closing in, I recognized that I would die if I didn’t find a way to save myself. The others apparently had their hands full, which meant I had to do something ... or lose everything I’d worked so hard to build.
I had one chance, so I pooled the magic I could muster – which wasn’t much, mind you – and channeled it outward. A blaze of purple fire erupted from my fingertips and barreled into the banshee, causing her to rear back. The magic made quick work of her, as she burst into flames ... and then dust. I could barely hold my head up, but I managed to give a small salute to Raven, the only one I could manage to make eye contact with before falling back a second time.
This time, as the darkness claimed me, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever crawl out of it again.
THE SUN WAS SHINING THROUGH THE trailer window when I opened my eyes. It took a moment for me to register where I was and remember what had happened, but when I did I bolted to a sitting position ... and immediately regretted it.
Freaky Reapers (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 8) Page 23