Hagen

by Janice M. Whiteaker

  Rhea’s brow lifted and she shrugged her shoulders. “I guess I’ll be on the first flight back home.”

  Her words hit Hagen in a way that only reiterated how much he needed to stay away from the fiery redhead. He didn’t want her to leave and it was the best reason he could think of for why she should.

  “I’m not doing this.” Hagen turned for the door. If he was lucky Rhea would be gone by morning and he could go back to his normal life. Forget she existed. Pretend he didn’t care to know if it mattered to his future that she did.

  “Deal.” Chauncey’s voice made him pause, wedging him between a rock and a hard place.

  Rhea’s next words stopped him in his tracks.

  “I’ll only come if Hagen does.”

  He wouldn’t have let her go out with them alone. Leaving her the only one remotely capable of holding their own. Hagen would have gone and kept his distance, making sure she was safe.

  But now.

  Now she wanted him there. Would only go if he did. It pushed his protective instincts to new heights. Dangerous heights.

  And she had no clue what she was doing. Poking the beast. Hitting him right in his sorest spot. Making him wonder about things he shouldn’t believe. Consider what he knew was never going to be his.

  He would go with them. He would suffer for her. Keep her safe.

  Because at the end of the day that was all he could give her.

  All he could give any woman.

  7

  Jerrik’s car sat outside the general store as Hagen stalked down the steps from the B&B. It was his brother’s fault he was in this mess and it was time for Jerrik to pay the piper.

  And the piper was pissed.

  Chauncey and Stewart rolled past in the cherry-red Prius, on their way to buy sleeping bags and hiking boots and a whole list of things Hagen suggested each member of the crew bring with them. Maybe they’d get lost or better yet, find a nice hotel in the city and decide to stay there and forget all about this shit.

  That was probably the best outcome for this whole situation. Rhea and the rest of the crew would leave. Greenlea wouldn’t end up inundated by Chauncey’s YouTube followers and life would go back to normal.

  As normal as his life would ever be anyway.

  It was one of many things the curse robbed him of. The chance to be normal. To have a normal life. The kind most people took for granted, never realizing how lonely the alternative could be.

  Hagen ignored Stewart’s fervent waves from the passenger’s seat and strode across the street. He busted through the door to the store. The young woman they hired to man the register when Hagen was busy took a step back, her eyes widening. Hagen shot her a glance and pointed at the door.

  “Take the rest of the night off.” He paused, the look of terror on her face making him feel guilty. “With pay.”

  “Okay thank you.” The words came out in a rush as she grabbed her purse and ran for the door, not looking back.

  Hagen turned to face his brother and mother who were standing behind the counter, restocking a spinning countertop display of handmade keychains. Gail spun the rack as she loaded it with footprints cast in silver and gold. She didn’t look up. “I didn’t put up with your tantrums when you were a child Hagen. I’m certainly not going to entertain them now.”

  Hagen decided to ignore her. This didn’t involve her anyway. His beef was with Jerrik.

  “I thought we had an understanding.” He explicitly told Jerrik not to give Chauncey’s group any reason to stick around and right out of the gate he gave them a print on a silver platter. One that a seasoned hunter would immediately know was a fake, but someone like Chauncey would eat up. Did eat up.

  Jerrik cocked a brow at him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  The dryness of his tone only infuriated Hagen more. “Bullshit. You did this to be an ass. To fuck with me.”

  Jerrik stepped around the counter. “I didn’t do shit to you. I have better things to worry about than fucking you over.” He stepped close to Hagen, their chests only separated by a few inches. “Some of us are trying to keep this place going. Make sure people want to come back and bring more in. Keep the money coming so we can all live a happy life.”

  Hagen snorted. “Happy life.” He shifted, moving closer to Jerrik, bringing them almost nose to nose. “We don’t all get to live a happy life just because you want it to be true.”

  Jerrik’s eyes narrowed. “You are the maker of your own misery.” He bumped Hagen’s chest with his. “Don’t put that shit on me.”

  “Jesus Christ.” Gail finally abandoned the key chains and stepped beside the boys. She reached up and grabbed each one by the hair, twisting hard, bringing them to their knees.

  “You two are brothers.” She held fast as Hagen tried to wiggle loose of her grip. He winced as she tightened her grip on his long locks. “Look at each other.” She waited, putting more and more pressure on his follicles until Jerrik’s glare met his. “That is the best friend you will ever have. That is the one person who will always have your back. You understand me?”

  “Yes ma’am.” Jerrik was always the one to go first. He was the baby and it showed.

  Hagen held firm. Refusing to back down even as he could feel the tiny hairs behind his ear begin to pop free of his scalp.

  “Hagen!” Her voice was sharp and angry.

  Knowing he aggravated her made it easier to finally relent. “Yes ma’am.”

  “Good.” She let them go, pushing a little as she did. “Now start acting like you were raised right and explain what you’re so upset about.”

  “We agreed not to give the group here to film any reason to stay.” He pointed at Jerrik. “He took it upon himself to leave them a big fucking footprint twenty yards into the trees.”

  Gail snapped her fingers at him. “Watch your language.” She went back to her rack of key chains. “Your brother would never do something like that to you.”

  Jerrik held his hand toward their mother. “See? Mom knows. I have no reason to try to keep them in town.”

  Gail strung a line of chains over one metal arm, the metal feet gently bumping against each other making a soft chiming sound. “Jerrik has no reason to keep that group here.” She held up one gold print, inspecting the dark green birthstone embedded in the heel. “But I do.”

  Hagen looked at his mother in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  She cocked an eyebrow at him. “You haven’t even given that girl a chance.”

  He threw up his hands, all the fight draining out of him. Punching he could do. Wrestling, no problem. How in the hell was he supposed to fight with his mother? “There’s no reason to. She isn’t who you want her to be mother. That person doesn’t exist.”

  Gail let her hands drop to the counter and narrowed her eyes at him. “How are you so sure? Why won’t you even consider the possibility?”

  Because he couldn’t. If Hagen let himself think for even a second what Christine said could be true it would lead to something he refused to let get a foot in the door.

  Hope.

  “Christine is wrong. She didn’t see any redhead with flames surrounding her. She didn’t see her pull me from the blackness. She didn’t see any of it because there is nothing to see.” Hagen repeated what had to be true. There was no other way.

  “What about Magni?” Gail’s voice was quiet, hesitant.

  Hagen stared at his mother. Why would she bring Magni’s pain into this? Did his mother think Christine’s premonition about his uncle’s wife was proof she was a seer? It wasn’t.

  “People die all the time. Doesn’t mean anything.” Dismissing what happened to Magni’s wife so easily felt wrong. Was wrong but he needed his mother to understand and stop putting blind faith in Christine’s visions.

  “If you’re so sure she’s not the one from Christine’s vision then prove it.” His mother straightened, standing tall behind the impossible challenge she tasked him with.


  Hagen blew out defeated sigh. “You can’t prove a negative. It’s impossible.”

  Jerrik stepped toward him, holding one finger out, barely bouncing it. “That’s not necessarily true.” He looked at Hagen. “What about the mark?”

  “Hair red as flames from the fire burning within. A mark of salvation across her hip. Seer of what cannot be seen. Mender of all things broken.” His mother’s gaze was far away, the words Christine spoke tumbling from her lips. Gail’s blue eyes slowly found focus. She turned to Hagen. “The mark.”

  “Just see if she has one.” Jerrik leaned against the front window, his blonde hair flopping to one side after their mother’s manhandling. “If Rhea doesn’t have it then that means it’s not her.”

  “I guarantee she doesn’t have it.” He knew the skin of her hip would be perfectly unmarked. That wasn’t the issue he had with this plan. “How am I supposed to find this out?”

  His mother looked up at him. “Oh Hagen you’ve got to be kidding.” She shook her head. “If I have to explain it to you at this point in your life then—”

  He held one hand up, stopping his mother from going any further. “I’ll figure it out.”

  “Yeah you will.” Jerrik gave him a wink.

  “I’m not having sex with Rhea.” Hagen ignored the beast stirring deep inside at the thought. “I am not having sex with her.” He said it one more time for good measure. And to remind himself. And the beast.

  Jerrik looked confused. “Why the hell not? She’s freaking gorgeous.” He gave him a knowing smile. “And you know what they say. Red in the head, fire in the be—”

  Hagen’s body slammed into Jerrik’s taking his younger brother to the ground hard and fast. Jerrik grunted as Hagen’s weight fell on top of him.

  A low growl pushed from deep inside. Heat licked across Hagen’s skin as his pores began to open, fueled by anger and adrenaline. The fabric of his jeans pulled tight across his thighs as the muscles expanded, the seams straining against his growing body.

  “Stop it.”

  Icy liquid hit his face, filling his eyes and mouth. He sputtered, shaking his head to clear his sinuses. Another frigid blast hit him. Jerrik coughed beneath him, giving Hagen a strong shove and knocking him to the ground.

  “Are you finished?” Gail stood in front of them, another can of soda shaken and primed. Her finger was on the tab and the mouth was aimed directly at Hagen. He held one hand up in surrender.

  “Good.” She motioned to the sticky cola covering the general store’s floor. “Clean this up and stop acting like idiots.” She shook her hand, knocking droplets of soda onto her pants. “If your father could see you now.”

  It was her weapon of choice. Their father’s memory.

  Hagen stood up and wiped at the line of liquid running down the side of his face as he went to the utility closet and got the mop bucket, filling it with hot water before rolling it back to mop up the mess.

  Jerrik was soaking up the puddles with a roll of brown industrial paper towels, scooting wads across the floor with his foot.

  Hagen looked around the empty store. “Did mom leave?”

  “Yeah. Must’ve decided she’d meddled enough for one day.” Jerrik bent down and picked up the pile of soaked paper, dropping it in the trash can behind the counter. “She’s right though.”

  Hagen slopped the mop on the floor and pushed it over the tile. “You’re gonna tell me you believe what Christine said?”

  Jerrik crossed his arms and stared at him. “You’re telling me you don’t? Not even a little?”

  “Not even a little.” He dipped the mop into the bucket and ran it through the wringer.

  Believing what Christine said would mean there was a woman who would go without experiencing a part of life every woman deserved the chance to have if she wanted. If his mother was right that woman was Rhea.

  If they were both right Rhea would suffer. Being with him would rob her of something he had no right to take. A choice.

  With him there was no choice.

  He made it long ago.

  ****

  “I don’t care if he’s upset.” Rhea stuffed a pair of pants into her bag. “He had this planned all along.”

  “He didn’t Re-Re.” Stewart was hot on her heels as Rhea went to the bathroom for her toiletries. “It was because of that print.”

  Rhea spun to face Stewart. His eyes widened. He took a step back.

  “You didn’t wonder why he hired Heath’s two friends to help us with our gear?” She grabbed her toothbrush off the counter. It was heavy in her hand. She looked down at the electric charging base. “Shit.” She dropped it back beside the sink.

  “I didn’t think about it.” Stewart followed her as she rushed back to the bed and her open backpack. “I’m sure he was just trying to be as prepared as possible.”

  “Me too.” Rhea pushed her toothpaste into the front zipper pouch along with a hairbrush and the entire box of bands she bought at the general store. “You can think what you want Stewart. We’ll agree to disagree.”

  “I just want you two to get along Re-Re.” Stewart leaned forward trying to make eye contact. “Please. For me.”

  Rhea zipped her backpack shut and tugged it onto her shoulders. “Have I said anything nasty to him? No. So why are you so upset?” She stepped around him. “I could have left.” She turned around. Stewart almost ran right into her. She pointed one finger at him. “But I didn’t leave.” She poked him, hard. “For you.”

  Stewart managed a weak smile. “At least you got yourself some extra time with Big and Scary.”

  He thought he was breaking the tension. Distracting her from their current conversation before he melted down from the conflict. Stewart was an emotional person but he had his limits, especially when anger was involved and directed at him.

  But insinuating she negotiated Hagen triple pay for any other reason than self-preservation rubbed her the wrong way. Rhea stared Steward down. “If you think for one second I was willing to be alone in the woods with all of you idiots then you have lost your mind.”

  It was time for her to go. Get away from everyone for a while before she had to deal with this kind of bullshit around the clock. “I’m going to get a new toothbrush and more bear spray.” She held the door open and looked at Stewart. “I don’t want to be the one who runs out.”

  Rhea left him staring after her, hurrying down the stairs and out the front door. She barely made it across the street before the muggy air had her sweating. At least they would be at a higher elevation so the temperature would be significantly lower. Plus the group wasn’t made up of the most physically active people so chances were it would be slow going. A nice leisurely hike through the mountains.

  The only way to get through this was going to be focusing on the positives. Her negations with Chauncey netted her a good amount of money and a guaranteed chance to work with him and take advantage of his sizable audience.

  To use his platform to make a difference. Show her family they weren’t the only ones whose careers ‘provided value to society’. Maybe she wouldn’t ever save lives in the same direct sort of way her parents and sister did but she could still make a difference.

  Maybe on an even greater scale.

  One physician could only save so many lives but a film exposing the truth about what went on under our noses every day would shine a light where there was only darkness. Bringing things like poverty, abuse, and the suffering that accompanied them into the open and showing people how to help could do so much for so many.

  The whole reason she came here was to try to convince Chauncey to help her. And now, because of all of this, he had to.

  As long as she held up her end of the bargain.

  Come hell or high water she was staying in those damn woods as long as he wanted. Nothing would be able to drag her away. There was too much to lose.

  She grabbed the door to the general store and tugged. It was locked. Rhea cupped her hands and peered into the window.
The store was dark. “Shit.”

  Bear spray she could do without. Contrary to what she alluded to Stewart, bears weren’t too big of a threat as long as you didn’t get between them and their babies or their food. A toothbrush however, that was a necessity.

  She looked up and down the quiet street. Greenlea was so small. The tiny gas station was just that. A place to buy gas and nothing else. A few small buildings, the bar and the bed and breakfast were the only other things that kept the general store company in the tiny downtown.

  She blew out an aggravated breath. If you’re the only store in town you should at least be open normal hours. Rhea went back across the street and stomped back up the B&B’s front steps and through the door. If she hadn’t just ripped Stewart a new one she’d just go ask him if he had a spare.

  It was still worth it. Better to get it all out in the open than trying to pretend everything is peaches and sunshine while mosquitoes consumed half their blood supply and everyone had to poop in a hole.

  Rhea headed down the main hall. Maybe Gail was around and could help her out. She pushed through the door to the kitchen and peeked into the large room. “Gail?”

  A large figure stepped into her line of sight. Hagen held a glass of milk in one hand and a stack of cookies in the other. “Everything okay?”

  “No, but you already knew that.” She glanced back the empty hallway before stepping into the room and letting the heavy wood door swing shut. In a way she owed Hagen an apology. A sincere one this time. She threw him under the bus in an attempt to preserve her own sanity.

  “I’m sorry.” She slipped off her backpack and dropped it to the floor.

  He cocked an eyebrow at her. “For?”

  “I shouldn’t have dragged you down with me.” She chewed her lip. “I didn’t want to go out alone with them.”

  He set his glass on the counter. “I didn’t want you to either.” He held out a cookie. “Want something good to eat before you’re stuck with reconstituted rations?”

  “Ugh. I didn’t even think of that.” She took the cookie he offered. “I didn’t ask how much they got.”