GRIT

by Elle Cross

  It was no wonder Sylphs and other god tribes were worshiped. I had half a mind to bow down now.

  Without words, I fixed the night in my mind. Made it flutter for her and showed her. Reliving it just now was like pressing salt into a fresh wound.

  The others with her had erupted into beings of molten lava. At Astara's satisfied smile, they disappeared.

  I blinked at where they had been standing. When Astara spoke, she was back to her more airy countenance. This was definitely the "PR" version of her. I didn't think the media would have continually painted the Sylphs so favorably if they weren't the ethereal beings of light they allowed others to see.

  Sometimes I wondered why they bothered winning the world's favor. Why they didn't just come at the world with their true face and take it over. They had once before, or so I thought.

  "Oh, Lady Vesper," Astara whispered. "We are of the same mind. I will keep your secret, though. We would not want to upset the Lord Master." She made it seem like I said something conspiratorial.

  Corbin cocked her brow.

  I signaled that I would tell her later.

  "Who is the Lord Master?"

  Tinkling bells of laughter. "The sense of humor of the young ones is refreshing."

  I was glad to be so amusing. I told her so. "But, Lady Astara, I really would like to know."

  "I forget how young you are. Why, he is the new Power Broker that now leads Janus Holdings."

  A montage of puzzle pieces shifting then clicking together filled my mind.

  "If you do not mind, Lady Vesper, I will go see to my counterparts. I am grateful that you chose to trust me in your search for Master Jack. Let us be away."

  The scene around us dissolved and we were no longer in the intersection in the clouds and were back firmly in Jack's non-bedroom. No lights. No mirrors for walls, revealing rolling skyscapes. As regular and nondescript as before.

  I walked over to the Mirror, which reverted back to a tri-fold full length vanity, as non-descript as any other mirror in a retail showroom. "So, this isn't bad juju?"

  She cocked her head to the side, weighing out the word. Before I could explain the slang, she seemed to have picked up on the meaning. "No, Lady Vesper. It is simply a focus and an indication of direction."

  "Like a one-way valve. Or spigot?"

  "Yes."

  I could tell that Astara wanted to be on the hunt. The Sylph representative that helped me with the vampire years ago was like that. Barely contained fire that longed to get the job done and incinerate the vampire's minions and source.

  "One more thing. I know that you want to be on your way. But, is there something I ought to know? You seem to know these people, or what might be...behind the night?" I didn't have another way to describe it.

  "Only a suspicion. But these...takings...are known to us. But you should not worry. We shall take care of it." And then, in a blinding flash she was gone.

  "Well, I guess we were done talking," Corbin said.

  "I wouldn't have wanted her here for a moment longer than necessary. I was nervous that she might have set the whole building on fire." I shook my head. Then, shared what Astara had whispered to me. "What did you make of all that?"

  "Aside from the fact that clearly no one knows the first thing about these Remnant God tribes? There's some bad juju here." She waved her hand casually around.

  "Bad juju? I thought it seemed safe enough." I still had the blanket and clutched it tighter around my stomach. Like the harder I clasped to it, Jack would be safe and secure.

  His face flashed in my mind's eye then. Bloodied and bruised.

  Whatever hunches Corbin toyed with, she kept them to herself for now. She liked for her hunches to simmer a while before acknowledging them. "I was very curious about the one stop. Where her boys flashed off. I didn't think it was a coincidence."

  I racked my memory, trying to remember what she meant. All I remembered were dizzying panoramas of clouds and stars. With perhaps a hint of crossroads or a bridge, but I couldn't be sure if I just conjured that image up because I knew that Corbin expected it. I told her so.

  "That bridge, even if you can't remember it, it didn't look familiar to you at all?"

  I just gave her a look. "There's a reason why you're the detective and I'm not. Detective."

  "We were there earlier today. The skywalk in Janus Holdings."

  "Really? Are you sure?" I remembered that it felt like I was floating over the city. It had the feeling of lightness.

  "Trust me. It might have been clouded or something just now, but there was no mistaking the markings I saw in both our earlier visit, and the trip that Lady Astara took us on."

  "You think we had been on a trip?" It still felt just like a shimmering, like there was a panorama. Was it an actual trip? Was Jack somehow using this room as a vessel to go Lord knows where? Is that why this room hadn't contained his scent?

  And how come Corbin saw markings and I didn't? Not for the first time, I wished I had her vision.

  "Trust me. I know what it feels like to move and shift. There was that pull. I can't describe it. But I know what I saw and I know what I felt." She said it as fact, and I believed her.

  Corbin and her hunches were prophetic in their accuracy. Corbin and her certainty were cold hard facts.

  "So, what's your next move, Detective?"

  "I need to get Deimos to tell me what he knows before he plays the 'your laws don't apply here' bullshit."

  Corbin didn't want me to be by myself, and quite frankly, neither did I.

  I'd thought to crash at her place because I hadn't wanted to be so close to Jack's. But then the logistics of packing my stuff and Rajah for a few days became too complicated.

  So, Corbin bunked in the guest room.

  I piled a bunch of blankets and towels on the guest bed.

  "So, you know that's like more stuff than I keep on hand, right?"

  "Yeah well. You're worried about me so you're going to let me fuss and fiddle so I can feel better."

  "Of course I will." She squeezed my shoulder, grabbed a towel, and headed toward the guest bathroom. "Oh, and because I know it'll make you feel better, I'm going to let you order in a full La Serenissima breakfast special for the both of us in the morning." Then she disappeared.

  I smiled and shook my head. "Mission accomplished, Detective."

  I finished getting her situated, then moved on to my own bedroom. I put everything away, tidied up the little bit of clothes that were out of place. Secured the safe room. Corbin wouldn't snoop in my private space, but I didn't want to give her eyes a reason to linger anywhere.

  I got myself cleaned up and since I couldn't sleep nor do the nightly research on Corbin's past that I'd normally do, I decided to check up on Janus Holdings.

  After a few clicks about the groundbreaking for the Black Tower and the architectural achievements that went into designing it, I broke down and started researching the man behind the company.

  It was about as helpful as the police file on him. Lots of words without any real information. None of the few public pictures of him managed to capture his eyes. The pictures only captured him in profile, or if they did catch a front view picture, it was either blurry, or he had worn sunglasses.

  I checked my phone to make sure I didn't miss anything pressing since it had been on do not disturb all day.

  There were the usual texts and voicemails from the office. There was one from Jack, which I played a couple times just to hear him talk about some random observations and to maybe catch up for dinner.

  My chest tightened at the thought. So close.

  And then, there was one from an unknown number. I played it and it was garbled and staticky.

  Then I heard Jack's voice, telling me to run, mine screaming back at him.

  I scrambled out of bed to get it to Corbin.

  We listened to it again and again, until we drove ourselves mad. "We need people who can listen better," I agreed.

  "We'll fi
nd him."

  I looked her dead in the eye. "Yes. We will."

  I was tempted to let Megan know that I wouldn't be in today either, but I needed to keep busy. Corbin convinced me over our full breakfast that the day would just be a whole lot of waiting, and that would just drive me and her crazy.

  Lords Above knew I didn't want to be around a crazy Corbin, so, I let it go.

  Corbin wanted to get the voicemail analyzed and get the number traced. Maybe there were other CSI nonsense that they could do with it. It all seemed more magical than the stuff Sylphs did, so I had listened to Corbin ramble until she had stopped abruptly and laughed at my glazed over eyes. She decided I should just wait for the results versus trying to figure out all the stuff they'd do to get the results.

  I slumped into the waiting taxi in front of my building with a heavy sigh, while the doorman gave the driver my office's address.

  I burrowed my face in my computer tablet, whizzing by one email after the other. After a while, I chastised myself for my lack of focus and just closed my tablet. I leaned back in my seat and stared up at the skyscrapers.

  The driver chose the same route Corbin did yesterday. As Janus Holdings loomed high above me, a wave of grim determination broke through my mental fog. Corbin didn't have an "in" to get to Deimos. He may be inclined to turn Corbin down for what she represented—the laws of men—but I was welcome to visit any time.

  I could help Corbin. I could find Jack.

  I sat up, and dug my hand in my jacket pocket. The black key card was still inside. I rubbed my finger over it, over my name laser-etched onto it.

  "Driver, change of plans. Stop at Janus Holdings, please." I gave him the address, which was kind of silly since it was literally just a block away, and everyone knew where Janus Holdings was.

  "Hey lady, I can't stop here."

  I met his gaze in the mirror, and I didn't know what he saw there, but he immediately pulled over, in the midst of honks and screeching brakes. He came to a stop exactly in line with the awning that led into the entrance.

  I tried to hand him my credit card to pay for my cab fare. Immediately, he shook his head. "No charge, no charge."

  I was about to insist, when my door opened, and a beautiful face smiled down at me. "Ms. Tallinn. What a pleasure to see you," he said, and offered me a hand. My numbed brain produced a name that went with this face: Balin. I took his hand and got out of the cab.

  "Please remain here, Ms. Tallinn," he said, leaving me in the care of two more equally garbed men that I hadn't realized were standing under the awning, too. They stepped to either side of me.

  Balin leaned down and spoke to the cabbie from the passenger side window. "You may leave now. Janus Holdings will compensate your company for the fare." Then, Balin tapped the top of the taxi twice before turning his attention to me.

  The cabbie tore out of there, rippling more traffic in his wake.

  Did everyone have a knack for Voice but me? Or did people with Voice naturally seek a position of command?

  Balin offered his elbow, an oddly formal gesture, but I automatically put my hand through it. "Uhm, was I expected?"

  He gave me a polite look, not quite a smile to be mistaken as a positive answer, yet he must not have wanted to ignore me either.

  That was fine. We didn't need to talk. I needed to sort out why I'd wanted to stop here, what I even wanted to say.

  Before I knew it, we were in the offices. I paid more attention to the skywalk, and I did have a feeling of déjà vu when I walked across the bridge. But honestly, I wondered if I would have felt this way if I'd walked over another skywalk.

  I didn't know how Corbin was able to keep everything straight, how she was so sure all the time.

  Sage came around her desk to greet me. Her green suit set off her eyes delightfully. "Ms. Tallinn, such a pleasure to see you." She took my hand and placed it warmly between hers. "Please tell me how I may serve you?"

  "Uhm, I don't know, maybe I made a mistake coming here…"

  "Nonsense. I find that wherever you go, that's exactly where you needed to be." She smiled at me. "Would you like to see Mr. Deimos?"

  I knew that I did. "Yes. Is he available?"

  "He's in a meeting at the moment, but it should be over soon. Why don't I get you settled into his office? He will have a few minutes between appointments anyway."

  Before I knew it, I was being led to his office. Sage opened the door for me. "I'll send for refreshments, please make yourself comfortable."

  I'd planned on turning her down, but I could never deny myself coffee freely offered.

  I sank into a sinfully decadent leather chair in the seating area, and flipped through my computer tablet, taking in appointments, messaging Megan. As the minutes dragged by, I started to feel foolish. After all, what was I going to ask Deimos, and why would he know anything?

  I sighed and looked across the room, tried not to be intimidated by the floor to ceiling windows. From this angle, I saw the tops of buildings, and I felt like I could walk out to the edge of the room, and just keep walking.

  And then, I turned toward a sculpture that I'd been actively avoiding since walking in. I hadn't wanted to acknowledge any art piece, knowing Deimos was a buyer. But now here it was. The central showpiece of this office.

  The Eternal Flame. It was one of the main sculpture pieces in Invictus. Like a moth, I was drawn to it. I walked toward it in measured steps, circled it, viewed it with a critical eye. It was set off perfectly in the room. During sunset, I could imagine the colors that would suffuse it.

  It was like a live thing, undulating with the heat and passion it was supposed to represent. I stood there gazing at it through a haze of unshed tears.

  Sage had arrived sometime during my contemplation with a tray brimming with a full service for a midday snack. A high citrus note carried over the earthy aroma of coffee, steeling my nerves. My mouth watered in anticipation of the clean after taste of such a light roast coffee. I blinked my tears away.

  I turned my back on the painful memories rekindled by The Eternal Flame, and headed toward comfort.

  Sage set the serving tray down on the coffee table in the seating area. "It's one of my favorite pieces. It's rather generous of Mr. Deimos to share it with us." If she had noticed my tears, she was too classy to point them out.

  "Art is meant to be experienced." Deimos appeared as if from nowhere, the thunderclouds of his aura trailing behind him. He lingered a few feet away, his aura becoming a gray mist that settled over him like a cloak.

  "Let me know if you need anything, anything at all." She squeezed my elbow on her way out. "Mr. Deimos, your next appointment is in twenty minutes."

  "We'll see."

  Sage clucked her tongue, shaking her head at him like he was a naughty schoolboy. He smiled at her, both mischievous and indulging. It was absolutely heart stopping.

  I wouldn't be surprised if companies just gave him whatever he asked for, with a look like that.

  Without warning he swung that smile at me, and I sighed out a "Wow" before I realized that I'd said it aloud. His lips danced a little, suppressing an even bigger grin, no doubt, and I knew he'd heard it. Hell, the attendant in the lobby probably heard me, too. I made myself sit down, perched on the edge of the chair and a half, and helped myself to the coffee.

  "How was your meeting?" I said at the same time he said, "It's a pleasure to see you again."

  We laughed.

  "My meeting was inconsequential," he said with a dismissive hand wave. He walked toward me with a predatory grace that had me biting my lip. "I apologize for keeping you waiting. If I had known you would be waiting for me, I would have been here immediately."

  "Oh please, no worries, I barely waited, honestly."

  "I'd be available for you whenever you'd like to come for me." His words licked up my legs and I shivered under his gaze.

  Did he know the double entendre he implied with those words? I sucked down some coffee. It was refreshing
despite the fact it was just shy of scalding.

  He, blessedly, helped himself to coffee and I was able to breathe again. "Speaking of which: to what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected company?"

  The burn rolling down my throat helped me gain focus, reminded me not to openly stare at Deimos's every movement. Especially his mouth.

  "I didn't mean to interrupt your day—"

  "You are never an interruption," he said. He leaned back into his chair. Savored the coffee.

  I swallowed. "I just wanted to...there was something I wanted to clarify...I mean, there's someone I was looking for..." I had to stop. Just thinking about Jack made my eyes water again. Horrified that I would start crying, I hid behind my free hand, feeling all kinds of stupid that I just barged in here without a plan or even words.

  Not like me at all.

  "Ms. Tallinn," he put his coffee down on the table, "tell me what's upsetting you." He had reached out and gently engulfed my hand in both of his. I met his gaze, let him hold my hand. I felt safe and sure again.

  "My friend—Jack—is missing. I know this sounds stupid, really, but I know that this was the last known place he willingly traveled to and I was hoping someone somehow had seen him. Here. I have a picture."

  I took back my hand and put the coffee down. The absence of both heat sources made me feel cold. I searched through my bag for my phone before I remembered that I'd given Corbin my phone to analyze. So, I took out my tablet instead, bringing up a picture of Jack for him.

  It was a selfie at our Labor Day mixer earlier in the season. It somehow seemed too casual, like I was betraying a confidence. Like I should have looked for a less intimate looking photo to show a stranger.

  Was Deimos a stranger though? Strangers didn't make you feel safe, didn't make you want to curl into their laps and go to sleep.

  "It was a long shot, but, do you or your people remember seeing him at all for some reason?" My voice dropped to a whisper at the end. I sucked my lips in to make sure I didn't say anything else so stupid.

  He stared at the picture for a long time. As if he planned on memorizing it. He was so still I thought he might have forgotten that I was here.