by D. C. Gomez
“Well it’s nice to see you too,” I told him as I let go of Bob. Then, I walked over to Constantine and rubbed his head.
Constantine swatted my hand and said, “Girl, you are about to lose that hand if you don’t stop now.” I knew he didn’t mean it. His threats usually came in the form of a hiss, and he almost sounded playful.
“Mission accomplished. We own Union Station,” Bartholomew announced as he made his way towards the kitchen area.
“That fast?” Katrina asked him.
“When money is no problem, you’d be surprised how quickly things get done,” Bartholomew answered.
“Great. I’ll head over now and meet Shorty with the crew,” Bob told us. “Some renovations will need to be done, but we can make it barracks style and give some of the team a place to live.” I could tell Bob’s mind was already racing.
“That’s a great idea,” I told him, wondering why we had never considered doing something like this before.
“First things first. You two need to eat,” Bob said as he grabbed two plates of food and set them on the table. “I got you black bean tamales, rice, and beans from Abuelitas. Horchata for Isis and iced tea for Katrina. Horchata has milk so I figured you wouldn’t be drinking it anyways.”
As always, Bob thought of everything.
“You remembered,” Katrina said as she placed her palm over her chest.
“You were the first vegan person I had ever met. Hard to forget,” Bob told her.
Katrina gave Bob a small bow in return.
It was a cute scene, but I was starving. I took my place at the table and started eating. Katrina joined me, and Constantine jumped on the kitchen island and stared at me. Bob waved at everyone and headed out the door. Bartholomew went back to his computer station after making sure I didn’t need anything. I felt spoiled, but after three days of running around, I didn’t mind.
“I don’t understand,” Constantine said. “You had a state-of-the-art plane that came with a bed. Why do you look so beat down?”
“It’s hard to rest when you are stressing,” I told him in between mouthfuls.
“We were trying to plan and develop strategies,” Katrina added, trying to help me.
“How did that work out for you two?” Constantine asked, his tone condescending.
“Obviously not very well,” I told him. “We lost almost half a day and the only thing we confirmed is that Noah has the princess and that they are in town.” I stabbed my tamale, letting some of my anger out.
“Easy tiger. That poor thing didn’t do anything to you,” Constantine told me, pointing at my destroyed tamale. “Besides, it wasn’t a total loss. Now we can focus our efforts, instead of having you two crossing time zones over and over.”
Constantine had a point.
“How hard can it be to find someone in Texarkana?” Katrina asked as she sipped her tea.
Constantine and I looked at each other.
“You’d be surprised how hard it is. Especially if they don’t want to be found,” I told her, remembering our experience with the witches and the accountant. This could be a nightmare.
“One thing at a time,” Constantine told us. “You both need a bath. You stink of Sulphur and who knows what else.” Constantine shook his whiskers as he looked at us.
I took a sniff of my clothes and realized he was right. I couldn’t believe Bob gave me a hug when I smelled so bad.
“Oh, a bath sounds great, but I can take a quick shower instead. That way Katrina can jump in after me.” I knew Katrina had years of training in the field, but I was sure she was ready to get clean.
“No need,” Constantine said. “Katrina can use my room. We have baths ready for both of you.”
“I made some calls, and we will have our architects and engineers come out next week,” Bartholomew announced. “We have plenty of room over at Bob’s apartment to build more rooms on that side of the building.” Bartholomew pointed at the empty space across from us on our level. The walkways around the perimeter on the second floor were used for running only. I never considered adding more rooms on that side.
“We’re becoming a boarding house for Interns. Lovely,” Constantine added, shaking his head.
“I like it,” I told the boys. “I’m heading to soak. Katrina, when you are done, I’m sure Constantine will show you his room.” I had never been inside Constantine’s room, but I was too tired to wait for Katrina and check it out.
I put my dish in the sink and headed towards my room with my glass of Horchata. When I flipped my light switch, jazz played from the stereo. I smiled. Bartholomew’s little trick would never get old. I wanted to take a detour towards my bed. Knowing how bad I smelled stopped me, though.
When I walked into the bathroom, it smelled like rose petals. I dropped my clothes on the floor, afraid to add them to the dirty clothes. Those things just needed to be burned. I slowly climbed in the hot water and sank in. My muscles instantly relaxed. I hadn’t realized how tense and achy I had been until that moment. I closed my eyes and let the hot water soothe my body.
I fell asleep in the tub. No big surprise there. At least it was only for two hours so the day wasn’t wasted. By the time I walked back in my room it was past six. Death sat in my chair, reading a cooking magazine. With Bob being super-chef, I started getting cooking magazines to keep up with him. I was impressed how many recipes and really good articles they had.
“Hi Death,” I told her. Having Death show up in my room was no longer a surprise.
“Hi Isis. Glad you are back,” Death said as she put the magazine down. “How did it go?” Death wore a brown Calvin Klein two-button suit jacket with matching pants. I didn’t know how she made everything look good. I had tried a similar outfit for a mission recently and I looked like a librarian turned serial killer.
“I found out you can’t trust demons. Not to mention they are condescending and rude.” I left out the few chosen words I was actually thinking.
“It is in their nature to feel superior to others,” Death answered. “They are the fallen ones, remember. Anything else?”
Death was really good at accepting people and things for who they were, nothing more and nothing less. Constantine was the same in that regard.
“Is it possible for a vampire and an elf to have a child?” I asked Death. That was really driving me nuts.
Death tapped her chin. “It hasn’t happened before, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible,” Death finally told me. “Elves are special creatures, so their powers can disrupt even the natural laws of the planet.” She paused for a few moments. “Isis, this changes everything. If the princess is pregnant, she is in real danger. People will kill for that child. You need to find her first.” Death got up from her chair and stepped towards the door.
“When you say people, you mean others besides the vampires and elves?” I had a feeling things had just gotten even more complicated.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Death answered from the door. “If the princess is able to carry this child and gives birth, this could change the supernatural world. You are looking at a child more powerful than both the elves and vampires combined. It is in our best interest that Genevieve raises her child, got it?” Death left without waiting for my answer.
Why did everyone want world domination? I rubbed my face and decided it wasn’t worth thinking about. I was sticking with plan number one: find the princess. Everything else could wait. I dressed as quickly as possible and rushed back to the loft. Everyone was gone except Constantine.
“What happened to everybody?” I asked him as I headed towards the kitchen.
“Bartholomew is taking inventory of the arms room,” Constantine answered before he went back to licking his paws on the back of the leather couch. “He wants to place another order today, so he is checking his supplies. Katrina finally went to shower and hopefully nap. She was talking to War, who wanted to send a squad of Rangers to help with the search,” he added, almost as an afterthought.
“That’s what she told him,” Constantine added. “It took a while, but she finally convinced him. Bob is still with Shorty. Eric stopped by and he is working on filing a missing person’s report for Noah and Genevieve. Lastly you got a call from Abuelita. She wants you to stop by,” Constantine finished, looking proud of himself.
“Wow, everyone is really busy,” I told him, feeling a bit lazy for napping in the tub.
“Girl, please. For the last two days, we have been sitting on our butts waiting for you to call.” Constantine shook his head. “It is about time people start working around here. Now go check on Abuelita and see if she has some news. I had given her an update on the situation. Maybe she heard something.” Constantine had always been great at giving orders, but I didn’t always appreciate them. Today, I couldn’t be more grateful.
“On my way, boss.” I gave him a quick salute and headed towards the door.
“Isis,” Constantine called right as I reached the door. “Glad you are back.”
I smiled. He wasn’t a sensitive type, so what he had just said was huge for him.
“I’m glad to be back,” I said as I walked out the door.
I drove to Abuelitas and was amazed when I saw the parking lot full, which was strange for a Tuesday night. A line of people waited at the door and cars were lined up around the building. I parked in the only empty place, and it was almost parallel to the road.
Abuelita’s restaurant was named Abuelitas and was located on Highway 82 in Nash. It was less than a five-minute drive from Reapers, which made it an easy stop for TexMex food. Abuelitas was also the only restaurant that openly catered to the supernatural community. Which meant the regulars were a mixed crowd. I used to be a waitress at Abuelitas when I first got to town. Now I just helped out when she needed me. With my salary at Reapers, I didn’t need the extra income.
I walked around the back of the restaurant, avoiding the angry line of people outside. I didn’t want the poor people to think I was cutting. The backdoor to the restaurant led directly to the kitchen. Abuelita’s kitchen was almost bigger than the dining area because she took pride in her space. There were always more pots on the stove than any five-star restaurant could manage.
“Isis, what took you so long?” Abuelita asked as soon as I made my way around the stove.
“I fell asleep in the tub. Long day.” No need to lie, Abuelita knew exactly what I did.
“I heard. Are you okay?” she asked, putting down the large spoon she was using to mix a pot of beans.
“I’m fine. Maybe my ego is a bit wounded,” I told her as I started mixing her pot of chicken tortilla soup. Her soup smelled so good, at times it made me rethink the idea of no meat eating.
“How can your ego possibly be hurt?” Abuelita asked. She gave me a quick inspection with her eyes and then went back to mixing.
“I don’t know. I figured that after a year, I would be better at this job,” I admitted. “Somehow, I thought we would go down to hell, find this boy, and be done with this mess,” I told her as we moved closer to the front of the restaurant.
“You went to hell?” Gabe asked from the bar area. “Please tell me you are kidding,” he added.
Gabe was our resident angel. Tall and handsome with fabulous blond hair and gorgeous eyes. Once I found out the boy was an angel, my poor crush died a horrible death.
“I wish,” I told him as I walked over.
“Well, look who decided to join the party,” Angelito said from my right side.
Abuelita had added a drive-thru window to the restaurant, and Angelito managed both the register and the drive-thru.
“I know I’m hot, but you don’t have to stare,” Angelito told me. “How about giving us a hand since you are here?”
I wouldn’t admit it out loud, and hated to admit it even in my mind, but Angelito was hot.
Angelito was Abuelita’s grandson and her pride and joy. He was about six foot one, one-hundred-and-eighty pounds of solid muscle, had dark hair, hazel eyes, and the most flirtatious smile I’d ever seen. Unfortunately, he knew the affect he had on girls—a fact that always gotten him in trouble. I was only a few years older than he was, but I had a hard time seeing him as an adult. Angelito fell in the same category as Bartholomew: a younger brother.
I glanced around the place and it was wild. “Where do you need me?” I asked him. When family needed helped, you just rolled up your sleeves and jumped in.
“If you could take orders from the people waiting in line outside, that would be a huge help,” Angelito told me as he pointed at the door. “Ana is working the dining area.”
I looked over Gabe’s shoulder and found Ana working the registers. Ana was one of my favorite people in town. She was a five-foot-four brunette in her late twenties, but somehow still managed to look younger than me. She was cute and probably the friendliest person I had ever met. Ana and her boyfriend were the only humans that worked here.
I waved to her over the crowd and she waved back. I couldn’t believe it, but I felt at home when I grabbed a pen and paper and headed out the bar door to take orders.
“It’s about time you got here. We missed you,” Ana told me as I walked by her. We did our ritual hip-bump as I passed her.
“Been traveling the country,” I told her with a wink.
Ana smiled and headed towards the kitchen area. I was impressed how well she adjusted to being the only human working with so many supernatural creatures.
I gave the crowd my sweetest smile and started taking orders. Luckily, some of the people in line wanted their order to go. I wasn’t sure why they didn’t do the drive-thru, but I was afraid to ask. There was an air around some of them and I was tempted to use my third eye to check. I crushed that idea quickly after remembering my last experience with the vampires. Last thing Abuelita needed was me going all psycho and chopping her clients to pieces.
Time moves fast when working hard. We had less than twenty-four hours and I was praying for a miracle. I took careful inventory of everyone I saw, hoping to find Noah, but no luck. After an hour of taking orders, the place had finally settled to a more manageable pace, so I left Ana to handle the floor. She really didn’t need me anymore.
“Where did all these people come from?” I asked when I headed behind the bar again, not directing my question to anyone specific.
“According to grandma, we should thank you for the booming business,” Angelito answered.
“Me? How?” Angelito always blamed me for all crazy things that happened in Texarkana. Some were my fault, but I wasn’t sure how this weird phenomenon had anything to do with me.
“He is technically right,” Gabe jumped in.
That was odd. He never agreed with Angelito, which meant I was in trouble.
“How?” I asked again, this time giving him my evil stare.
“Down girl,” Gabe told me, raising his hands in a sign of surrender. “This is what happens when a town becomes a Haven. Technically, you’re the reason that people are moving in by the truck-load.” Gabe glanced at the crowd.
“Are any of them humans?” I was hoping most of them were, or the number of people I was going to be responsible for had grown exponentially.
“Some, but not many,” Abuelita said from behind me. I jumped. I hadn’t even heard her walk up.
“It has been a long time since we had a Haven in North America. The word spread very quickly,” Gabe said with a smile. “I’m proud of you, Isis. A lot of them are refugees looking for a safe place.”
“Don’t give me that much credit,” I told Gabe, feeling a bit ashamed. “I had no idea what a Haven was until Saturday, so it wasn’t like this happened on purpose.” My hair had come lose from my ponytail, so I tried to fix it—anything to keep my hands busy.
“Would you have moved if Constantine told you about it?” Abuelita asked as she ga
ve me a careful look.
My eyes went to the ceiling as I thought about that. “No, I guess I wouldn’t.”
“In that case, this is your doing,” Abuelita told me and kissed my forehead. “We are here to help. You are not alone. Constantine said you are starting a registration center for all the new people. I’m letting him use the restaurant in the mornings. I figure it will feel safe for everyone and nobody will question all the people coming and going.” Abuelita gave me a quick hug before heading back to her stoves.
I had to hold back the tears of joy. “Thank you Abuelita,” I told her, my voice low.
“Honey, we are family. You know that.”
“Well, that is one problem solved,” I told the group. “Now we just need to find Noah and the princess,” I added, my voice losing all remnants of hope.
“What does he look like?” asked Angelito from the window.
“Hang on. I have a picture.” I pulled my phone out and showed the group.
“Hey, he was here this afternoon,” Angelito said with a bright smile.
“How could you possibly remember him after all the people you’ve seen today?” Gabe asked. I had been about to ask the same question, but he’d beaten me to it.
“Easy. He was waiting at the door when I opened this afternoon,” he answered with another brilliant smile. “Hard to forget him. He paid with a brand-new Benjamin and looked spastic. He also ordered food for at least five people.” Angelito went back to taking orders at the drive-thru.
“Well at least we know he is in town and hopefully hasn’t left again.” That was the best news I had heard all day.
“He is not going anywhere,” Abuelita added. “If everyone is looking for him, Haven is his only safe place.”
Hopefully she was right. It would make things so much easier.
I said my goodbyes and headed home. My tub nap was great, but it hadn’t helped as much as I thought, and I was crashing fast. I needed a good night’s rest or I’d never be able to think straight. We could start fresh tomorrow.