Good Things: An Urban Fantasy Anthology

by Mia Darien

  Her boss frowned, concern in his eyes. “So who exactly was his victim, or not victim as you say, and how was he killed?”

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll keep the details between me and my client for now. I don’t want to betray his trust. It’s bad enough the couple that backed out on him know. Let’s just say he had to be extremely strong, extremely angry, or both, but he was only sixteen. He definitely deserves another chance, and right now it’s either me or a halfway house, and I get the feeling he wouldn’t do well there.”

  He just looked at her for a few moments before breaking the silence.

  “Jaci, you sure you’re not getting too involved? I mean, I agree with what you’re saying and all, but you’ve gotta keep in mind that he’s been in prison for fifteen years. He’s a grown man now, and probably hardened from…”

  Jaci stared at him, grateful when he trailed off and stopped trying to tell her how much to care about her clients. After a few more seconds, Frank threw up his hands, letting the topic go.

  “Thanks for all your hard work getting that grant approved, by the way. Not many people even think about that sort of thing. You know Cynthia and I would sponsor another one, but with Chloe graduating this year, we’re gonna have our hands full just keeping up with all of her last minute needs and sponsoring the one I picked up already.”

  Following another brief pause, he added, nearly whispering this time, “But, Jaci, please be careful. I know how much you want this to work, and I know you care what happens to this man, but if this gets to be too much for you, don’t hesitate to—”

  The mention of graduation was a painful trigger, as was his allusion to her not being able to handle things. She stared at the carpet, reminded of the fact that she would never see her Jathany graduate from high school. She didn’t want to put a damper on Frank’s excitement, and the last thing she wanted was to pull him into her personal hell, but she was not about to be told to play bureaucrat when a man’s future was in her hands.

  She kept her face averted. “Now, Frank, you know me. I’ll make it work.”

  Before he could respond, she threw up her hand as she turned and headed toward the elevator. She couldn’t let him see her crying.

  Despite her recent antisocial behavior, she enjoyed learning about people and getting to know them better. That was the main reason she’d chosen social work as a career. She wasn’t sure why, but she had always been interested in people who had been thrown away by society.

  Jaci considered it her calling to be their crusader. In order to gain more experience and insight, she had completed her practicums and internships in prison settings, written her dissertation on felony offenses, sentencing, and rehabilitation, and worked in the system since college.

  She decided against returning to her apartment, fearful that her cold feet would plant themselves in Mobile and she’d never make it to the prison in Atmore. Her car was parked just across from the elevators, so she filled two plastic bags with ice from the machine at the office, then opened the back door and dropped them in the traveling cooler she always kept with her during summer months.

  Next, she hoisted the cooler onto the passenger seat for easy access to her chilled lemonade, her go-to drink since the ugly reports about drinking too much coffee making people nervous had started to get to her. Atmore was only a few miles from Mobile, so she drove the distance in silence, mulling over the information she had read in Andreus’ file.

  Instinctively, Jaci placed her hand over her heart, her mind vacillating between caution over the way Andreus had killed his adoptive mother’s boyfriend, and admiration because he had done it to protect her. With the exception of a trained killer, Shannon’s method of killing his adoptive mother’s boyfriend would have given anyone pause.

  He had force fed Karl Pugh the dinner the man had thrown in his adoptive mother’s face, stuffed his nose with table napkins, then broke his back with his bare hands. The amount of force it took to break a man’s back without the use of a weapon was substantial, and although Andreus’ bio listed his height as 6’3” with a weight of 200 pounds, she still marveled over the fact that he had only been sixteen when the crime was committed.

  On the other hand, Andreus Shannon was the only parolee out of her five initial outreach clients who had not been protecting or avenging himself. Instead, he had done it to protect his adoptive mother, who had testified on his behalf before later dying of a heart attack.

  The closer she got to the prison, the more jangled her nerves became. Tears flooded her eyes, making tracks down her cheeks. She was back in the car on the interstate, trapped and helpless to save Jathany, James’ inert body crumpled over the steering wheel and tilted at an impossible angle, blood flowing freely from his temple.

  Jaci’s hands started shaking so badly, tears flooding her eyes non-stop, that she had to pull over to the side of the road. Suppose I really can’t handle this. My life is such a mess right now. I’m such a mess. I can’t take care of my own life, let alone help someone who’s been in prison for fifteen years get his life together. I couldn’t even take care of my own child. I can’t do this.

  * * *

  Andreus stood leaning against the prison gate. His curly, blue-black hair and rich tan skin were offset by piercing emerald green eyes. He knew all too well what was behind him, so he looked straight ahead, glancing periodically down the road in hopes of seeing a car coming for him. All of his belongings were contained in a brown duffel bag at his side.

  He had spent nearly half of his life behind these walls, and during that time, the darkness that gave him the strength to destroy his adoptive mother’s boyfriend had grown inside him, taken root, and become a permanent part of him. He tried his best to hide it, but each day it grew stronger, as if he had left a part of him behind, or perhaps it had lain dormant. Now, he felt it stronger than ever. His pointed incisors and the restless flow of excess energy just beneath his skin served as constant reminders.

  He had been waiting for over an hour. His sponsor, Dr. Rothschild, had given him her number, but with no cell phone, he had no way to call her, not that he would have. He refused to set foot inside the prison again, not even long enough to make a phone call, so he waited, placing his earbuds in his ears to pass the time and quiet his mind.

  * * *

  Jaci dropped her briefcase on the bar and kicked off her shoes as soon as she made it home. Exchanging her suit for a kaftan, she sighed with the relief accompanying the removal of her bra, then padded back to the kitchen in her house shoes. Washing her hands three times first, she opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a small container of chicken salad and a take-out garden salad with a special order of extra blue cheese dressing.

  Placing the salads on the bar, she sat down, then reached back in and added a few strawberries and grapes to her menu for the night, along with two bottles of water. The way she saw it, as long as she added vegetables and fruit, everything else was fair game. At least no one could say she had completely strayed from her diet.

  The minute she took the first bite, her stomach lurched. What am I doing? What gives me the right to…?

  She shoved the food back into the refrigerator and ran down the hallway to her bedroom. Donning a pair of jeans, she considered skipping the bra, but decided that might not be the impression she wanted to make. After adding a t-shirt, she grabbed her wallet and keys, setting the alarm before she dashed out to her mini-SUV.

  Dialing Frank’s number as soon as she pulled out of the parking lot to confirm, she raced toward the halfway house where she’d asked Frank to deliver Andreus.

  “Hey, Frank. Did you take him to the one on Old Shell?”

  “Yeah. What are you doing, Jaci?”

  “I’m on my way to get him.”

  “Why don’t you wait until—?”

  “Don’t they still lock the doors at seven?”

  “Jaci, listen to me. I really think you should—”

  “You know I’m not hearing that. Thanks for co
vering the gap, Frank. I’m gonna take tomorrow off. I’ll check in with you later.”

  She turned into the driveway of the halfway house and hit the “end call” button on her cell. Glancing at the digital clock on her dashboard before turning off the ignition, she took note of the time, letting out a sigh of relief that she had made it before lockdown. Jaci took another deep breath, then stepped out of the SUV.

  She had barely rang the bell when the door swung open, revealing a tall, thin blonde man with a familiar face. “Jaci?”

  She smiled, genuinely happy to see him. He was one of the few men she knew who wouldn’t give her a bunch of bull about whether or not she should be sponsoring a parolee who’d been convicted of voluntary manslaughter. He’d worked at the prison with her, and knew she could handle herself.

  “Hey, Steve. I’m so glad you’re working tonight. I had an emergency earlier today so Frank brought Andreus Shannon here for me. Where do I sign to pick him up?”

  Steve whipped out the record book for Jaci to sign. “I showed him his room and he hasn’t been back out yet, not even to go to the head. You know I watch ‘em like an overprotective papa when they first get here. He declined dinner, so maybe he’ll eat something once you get him settled. He’s a cold one. You can see it in his eyes.”

  “Brrr.” Steve shuddered, then laughed, his shoulders moving up and down as he thoroughly enjoyed his own joke.

  Nothing quite like the sense of humor of a reformed ex-con, Jaci thought.

  “Guess I might be a little cold myself if I’d been in prison since I was sixteen,” Jaci said, offering him an accommodating smile.

  “I know that’s right. I was pretty cold myself when I first got out, but this is different. Something else going on with this one. I wouldn’t say evil, but something… I don’t know.”

  “Creepy?” Jaci offered.

  Steve hunched his shoulders and lifted his hands, palms up. “You’ll see what I mean. I’ll go get him for you.”

  Still exhausted from crying all afternoon, Jaci leaned against the front desk and waited.

  A few moments later, Steve returned with Andreus several feet behind him, a brown duffel bag slung over his right shoulder. The details of his crime etched in her mind, Jaci did a quick once-over, noticing his striking features, but once she looked into his stark green eyes, she could not look away. Mesmerizing. This is gonna be interesting.

  Although she was not one to wax mystical or paranormal, the first phrase popping into Jaci’s head was “dark force.” If the man’s presence hadn’t been so intense, she would have laughed at herself for sounding like a sci-fi nerd, but Andreus’ aura flooded the room, overtaking it like a flash tsunami. No one and nothing else could compete for her attention when their eyes met.

  Andreus approached her, obviously being careful not to get too close.

  Jaci extended her hand. “Hi. I’m Dr. Rothschild. Call me Jaci.”

  Andreus looked at her hand, and time seemed to slow to a crawl, the old wall clock ticking loudly.

  Finally, he accepted it, covering her hand with his. “Andreus.”

  Unable to help herself, Jaci gasped. The very air seemed to spark, crackling around them with kinetic energy, and she was sure he felt it too because the spark was reflected in his eyes and he took a step back from her.

  Jaci shook it off as a fluke

  “I…apologize for not being there to pick you up. Thank God for Frank.”

  “Thank you for coming here now.”

  “You’re very welcome, and on that note, we’d better get out of here before Steve locks us both in.”

  “Good to see you, Steve. Catch ya later.”

  She turned and headed for the door, Andreus on her heels. She was careful not to touch him again, but found that his deep, melodious voice left her wanting to hear more from him, to know more about him.

  * * *

  Andreus followed Jaci to her car and held the door for her to slide into the driver seat before walking around to the passenger side. The night air felt good, but his back began to ache, his shoulder blades and spine suddenly throbbing. He knew it was not a result of his workout. In addition to the pain, a sense of foreboding grew more intense the longer they remained outside.

  The moment he saw her, memories started to resurface from his dreams, Jaci’s face front and center. They had never met before, but there was a strong connection between them in some way. When they touched, he had felt intense pain, hers, and he sensed that some entity or group of entities would take great measures to keep them apart.

  “Thank you, Andreus. Nice to meet a rare gentleman these days.”

  He had no idea what to say to her. Starting conversations wasn’t something he had ever been good at, so he simply watched the road, periodically surveying their surroundings.

  “So Steve told me you didn’t eat anything. Prison food is the worst, so I’m sure you have a craving for something. I’m not much of a cook, but we can stop and get whatever you want. Just say the word.”

  Jaci seemed oblivious to the ominous energy brewing around them as its intensity continued to grow, making it hard for him to concentrate on what she was saying.

  “You’re right. Prison food is crap, so I’m sure anything will be an improvement. I’d appreciate it if you just take me to one of your favorite places for takeout so we can get inside as soon as possible.”

  “Okay. You like seafood?”

  “I’ll eat just about anything.” Andreus smiled, his pointed incisors scraping the inside of his upper lip.

  “You’re easy. There’s a nice place close by with some variety, so if you have a taste for more than one thing, that’s fine too.”

  When he didn’t respond, Jaci glanced at him, her dark eyes narrowed. “You okay, Andreus?”

  He didn’t want to alarm her, but he knew she would have to deal with whatever dangers they were about to face, sooner than later. His ability to concentrate was now nonexistent. The pain in his shoulder blades had become unbearable, as if someone was tapping their way out with a sledgehammer. “No. We need to hurry and get off the—”

  Sssss! Boom!

  Andreus felt the air crackling around them just milliseconds before a single bolt of lightning came out of oblivion, striking the ground in front of them and knocking out two of the car windows. Sudden, inexplicable seismic activity shook the ground directly underneath.

  The front of the car tipped up, and Jaci bumped her head on the door as the car tilted. Blood trickled from her wound. He pulled her to him, shielding her from the wreckage as well as he could, refusing to let her go even as shards from the windshield embedded in his back.

  The hammering at his shoulder blades increased, ripping his back open with such force, he levitated against the car ceiling, breaking through the fiberglass as if tearing tissue paper. Andreus heard the back window crashing just as the car tumbled over and landed upside down.

  That’s when he saw the wings: his. Heavy black and green feathers shot out from his back, each one appearing to be as long as he was tall. He realized the wings had propelled him from the car, allowing him to hover over the SUV with Jaci in his arms.

  Her eyes were like saucers as she looked up at him. Her entire body shook, a thin line of blood continuing to trickle from her forehead.

  Andreus placed his palm over the wound, and her pain rushed through him again, images of a man and child lying next to her following an accident—a car accident much like this one. Immediately, as if the knowledge had always been there, he knew they were Jaci’s husband and child. Images from his nightmares flashed before him like movie clips on a screen, swords clashing, loud voices, high-pitched and deep at once, a cacophony of sounds, destruction, and wings rushing toward him, toward them.

  Another laser-like beam headed in their direction, and three winged beings, men, as far as he could tell, zipped through the night sky. The lasers seemed to emanate from their hands, and one of them fought the other two. The realization that they were in
the open and still in danger struck him like a boulder.

  He moved away from the road, dropping to his feet several times before successfully managing to carry Jaci to the line of trees. The newness of his wings seemed more of a hindrance than a benefit as he did not know how to use them to shield Jaci, and lasers continued to shoot through the sky, a few of them landing on the ground not far from their makeshift shelter.

  Suddenly, everything was silent.

  “You can come out now.” Startled, Andreus turned to find the winged man who had been fighting the other two standing directly behind him.

  He stumbled back, shocked that someone had been able to get so close to him undetected.

  “Rehobeth.” The man extended his hand and smiled, revealing pointed incisors exactly like the ones Andreus had spent a large part of his life hiding.

  Realizing the danger had passed, he set Jaci on her feet, but kept her close as she glanced nervously from one of them to the other, her lips slightly parted.

  “Your things.” Rehobeth had obviously retrieved their belongings from the decimated vehicle. He glanced at Jaci, smiled warmly, and handed them to Andreus.

  “Are the other two dead?”

  Rehobeth nodded. “I’m sorry I arrived so late, but I didn’t know about you until very recently.”

  Jaci’s breaths were shallow and short, and Andreus knew that not only was she experiencing shock from their immediate situation, but she was reliving the accident that killed her family.