Evading The Tempest (Tempest tales Book 1)

by Sandra Elsa

  "Why don't you hop in back so you can lay down while we go through the gate. Blanket back there you can cover up with."

  "So whose car are we borrowing?"

  "Cynthia's roommate just handed me her keys."

  I laughed. "I owe Gyros, big time. He warned me away from her and suggested you might be the person I needed."

  "We're not out of here yet, and I don't know how we're going to get your car out."

  "I was thinking about selling it anyway. After I get my weapons, I have one more thing I could use help with. Help me and the car is yours."

  "What do I have to do?"

  "Limp out to my mother's grave wearing a black wig." If a man shows up, talk to him for a bit, while I see who else might be around."

  "That's it?"

  "That's it."

  "Deal. First things first, let's get out the gate."

  I hunkered down behind the driver's seat actually keeping contact in hope that if they were using wands I could blanket Dee's talent as well. She stopped at the exit to the parking garage, honked the horn, and leaned out the window. "Move it!" I'd never heard her sound more masculine. She drew herself back in the car. "Got three of them crawling by," she muttered.

  My heart thudded while we sat; easing when Dee finally pulled out onto the road heading back toward Main. Ten minutes later, she slowed to exit the gate. Nobody stopped her. Once she sped back up she said, "Jesus Christ, Frankie, there were five cars parked around the gate. Two of them had one of the doohickeys that supposedly spikes on the talented. Figured we were caught for sure the way you disabled that car, to say nothing of the fact it didn't hit on me."

  I pulled yet another stage prop out from under my t-shirt as I sat up. Another amulet. Entirely too many people knew my secret and I wasn't willing to share anymore.

  She looked back and said, "Sure, but if you wear a suppression pendant you won't be noticed, but you won't work magic either. And I've never known them to cover those in close proximity to the wearer."

  "You're too damn smart, Dee. What I do is turn off magic, not use it."

  "Sweetheart, just tell me you don't want to share. Won't hurt my feelings. We're going to have to stop to apply makeup or I won't get anywhere close to the trooper watching your place."

  "Still got your working clothes on?"

  "I might cover them up for you darlin', but I wouldn't go out the door without them." She pulled the t-shirt over her head revealing the sparkly red halter top she'd been wearing on her corner.

  "I'd offer to fix your hair, but you know how skilled I am in that department."

  "Don't you worry about it." She kept her left hand on the wheel and reached back with the right to twist the ponytail into a neat bun.

  I stayed in back, ducking out of sight anytime there was an oncoming car. The trip to District Two was uneventful. Two dark blue Tauruses were parked just inside the gate. I donned Dee's sunglasses and cap as we approached and looked at the picket as he examined my Angela Landis ident and Dee's ident and waved us through. I looked down as though reading a book as we passed the cars and when Dee huffed out a sigh of relief I dared to look up. Nobody followed us.

  "When we get to my office complex, I'm going to let you go up first. See how many troopers are up there and whether or not we have any mages waiting. If they question you, you're just hoping to hire me to find your sister who went missing several days ago."

  "I can do that."

  "And if there's only one trooper, go ahead and see if you can remove him as a problem. If there's more than one, or a mage, come on back out. We can wait and see if things simmer down. I'm not in any rush."

  "What about your client?"

  Much as I liked Dee, some things weren't meant to be shared. "He's tucked away someplace safe. In fact if we wait long enough, he may draw the heat off of us."

  "How's he going to do that?"

  I rolled my eyes and heaved a sigh. "By applying for a marriage license with our real names on it."

  "Damn Frankie, You're getting married?"

  "It's a sham. A diversion. Guaranteed to get Drover's attention."

  "Hope you know what you're getting yourself into Frankie. Marrying somebody is kinda above the call of duty."

  "I can get it annulled anytime I want to.

  She laughed. "Don't tell me you still got that virginity thing going on."

  "Yep and failure to consummate trumps signed marriage license any day."

  "Well, you be careful. You know how underhanded Seveners can be."

  She wasn't telling me anything I didn't know, but her words raised my caution flags yet again. "Glad it isn't just me that thinks so. Harrison feels like he's for real, but I don't seem to be able to get past the fact that he's a mage. Do you know of any tricks they do that can make everything seem all right, even when your common sense is screaming at you to get out?"

  "You know there's folk who can soothe others."

  "Yeah. I have a friend who can do that. He hasn't been able to get past my defenses to make it work."

  "But if he's your friend he's not a full blown mage."

  "True. I need to be upfront with you Dee, seeing as you share my opinion of mages. The man I want you to meet at my mother's grave is one of them. In fact, if he's telling the truth, he's my father."

  "What are you doing, girlfriend?"

  That was the question. "Wish I knew. I've spent my whole life avoiding these people like the plague. I'm in too far to back out. Sticking my head in the ground and pretending there's no problem, isn't an option. Forging ahead is the only way open to me. Lumping them all as enemies isn't going to work anymore, so I need to figure out if the ones I know are allies or enemies."

  "Do you trust your client?"

  "Not altogether. Considering what and who he is, it's going to take a long time to really come to it. He has a way of making me want to believe him, but then he hits a nerve and suddenly it looks like the whole damn thing's a trap."

  "They're putting a lot of effort into finding him. And the prez was good and truly ticked yesterday. Never saw his public mask slip before. No matter how heated the debate got."

  "I made him traipse through Eighty-six."

  Dee's eyes widened, she laughed. "Oh no you didn't."

  "Yep."

  "Why would you go and do that?"

  I considered telling her it was none of her business, but I'd come to her and she'd put herself out to keep me away from them. She deserved the truth. "Because otherwise he'd have tried magic on me and I couldn't let him do that. I'm a null."

  She whistled. "So you're not sure if the prez is after his son, or if they're after you."

  "You see my problem. From things said by Drover and the mage claiming to be my father, I don't think they know I'm a null, which means Harrison hasn't said anything, because he has figured it out."

  She pulled into my office parking lot and we both watched the front door. "You still find it difficult to trust him. Well Girlfriend, there isn't a man alive I'd trust with my secrets. You're preaching to the choir." She dug in her purse and reapplied her make-up. I knew she wasn't talking about the fact she was male.

  "I want to trust him. That's the hell of it. But the moment I accept him in any small way, he starts pouring it on thick, and I'm back to not trusting him, trying to figure out what he's after. And then he speaks and damn if I don't want to trust him again."

  Dee turned around and looked at me, laughter in her eyes, if not on her lips. "So tell me about this guy. The son of the prez--whom no one knew existed. What's he look like?"

  "Remember the guy I was asking about shortly before this whole thing blew up?"

  “That blond god you were trying to ID? Or your missing client? "

  "The blond."

  "That's him?”

  I nodded. "Harrison Kendrel. The son of Jordan Drover and Nan the pro."

  "Girlfriend…I would trust that man with any secret he wanted. Mmm-mmmm-mmm, that was a fine looking man."

&nbs
p; "He already has my biggest secret."

  "And hasn't betrayed you. What is it he's after, you don't want to give?"

  "If I knew exactly what he was after, it might be easier to trust."

  "What does he say he's after?"

  "Besides my body?"

  "At least the man has good taste."

  "Right. I get the feeling if it isn't moving too fast he'd do it. He wants me to help him save the world." There it was. No matter how often I’d thought it in my own mind. Saying it out loud, made it sound absolutely ridiculous.

  "From his father?"

  "Yes and more. If I tell you I’ll be betraying his confidence. And how can I expect him to be trustworthy if I'm not?"

  "Girlfriend…the only time I've ever heard a woman sound this confused about a man, was when she was in love."

  "I've only known him three days. I am not in love with him." That was just stupid.

  "If you say so. You know I love you Frankie, but you do tend to be hard on a man. Give both of you a break and try to forget who and what he is long enough to see if saving the world together is a good idea." Before I could say anything else she opened the door of the car and wriggled out of the sweat pants. "Parking lot seems quiet. Let me just head up to your office. Ninth floor, right?"

  I looped the suppression pendant over her head. "You'll have to take that off before you can use your talent."

  She slapped her own rear. "Sweetheart, I have all the talent I need right here. Unless the trooper's a woman."

  With a grin, I shook my head. "Ninth floor. End of the hall. Next to the janitor's closet."

  "I'll be back in a shake." She wiggled her ass and grinned over her shoulder as she walked away.

  Chapter 23

  While Dee was gone I sent a message to Charlie up in District Eight.

  Before she returned he messaged back

  **Bobby's on duty at your place right now. I go on shift at four o'clock. Let me know if you need me to try for that detail. Haven't seen any mages. Doesn't mean they're not there."

  **"Will get back with you when I figure out how long it's going to take to finish up my current task."

  **"K"

  My nerves twitched every time the front door opened until finally Dee reappeared. She slid into the front seat without looking back at me. "One trooper, and he's sleeping like a baby. I did get a couple of looks from a guy in the lobby."

  "You didn't approach him?"

  "Tried. He wasn't having anything to do with me." She tossed the baggy t-shirt she'd been wearing at me and I put it on. "Let me put that hair up and get you in there before somebody notices the trooper in the janitor's closet."

  I turned around and she twisted my hair into a bun and stuffed it under the cap she'd been wearing. Then I donned the sunglasses and took a big breath before opening the car door.

  Dee ran her arm over my shoulders and practically carried me and my broken leg into the building. Just inside the front door, she leaned down giggling in my ear. Her words chilled me. "Over there by the coffee pot. He has a doohickey now." A light flashed on the doohickey which I generally called a wand, but hey… A light flashed on the doohickey and the would-be coffee drinker spun around to look at us, then approached. He ran the wand over both of us and it remained quiescent. He turned to look at the side door then hurried toward another newcomer. I caught a glimpse of a dark haired man heading for the steps. The mage came back quickly so I guessed it was either a friend or somebody who'd been checked earlier.

  He watched us as we headed for the elevator, hard to stroll nonchalantly with a broken leg. His steady gaze drilling into my back made me tense, the elevator stopped and the mage trotted our way. We stepped into the elevator with him right behind us. The doors slid closed with a thunk and I turned at the back of the car to face Dee's well-padded chest.

  She pushed the button for six, then ran a hand down my back, slipping the amulet into my hand. The mage cleared his throat. As if we were supposed to care about what he thought. Dee stepped away from me and leaned over him. "There's enough to go around, sweetheart." His doohickey bleeped as she distanced herself from my side, but as he contemplated what that meant, Dee leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. He struggled to pull away, but his efforts ceased as Dee's magic put him to sleep. I pushed the button for nine and was glad when nobody waited for the doors to open on six.

  Dee picked up the mage and carried him down the hall, opening the door to the janitor’s closet and laying him out next to the trooper. I hopped after her and slid my keycard in the reader. "Let's make this quick. There are some boxes in the closet--"

  I stopped speaking as I opened the door on two more mages who had made themselves at home in my office. I felt them cast spells and pushed Dee behind me, pulling my nine-mil out of its holster and pointing it at the nearest mage. "I don't want to kill anyone. But I will." A third man came out of the back room, he took in the situation and shimmered, landing on all fours leaving his clothing behind. I pulled my dagger from where it hung in its case on my belt. "I seriously doubt Drover wants me dead. Not until he has his son back anyway. I have no such qualms." I gestured to the wolf. "I'm sure you've noticed my blades have an additive. Don't make the mistake of thinking you're impervious."

  I shouldered the door the rest of the way open, just in time to feel a spell blast forth from one of the mages. It knocked me into Dee, who held me up. Without hesitation I squeezed off a round, dropping the offender with a slug to the knee. While I was distracted, the Were leaped. I tossed the blade to Dee and dropped the rest of the way to the ground, keeping the nine mil trained on the remaining mage. Dee swiped at the wolf. The blade came away with a faint line of blood on the tip. The wolf howled and writhed on the floor. I rolled into the office and slammed the door shut before standing back up. Dee put a shoulder under mine as we crossed the floor to the safe.

  She let me down to the floor and I reached in the bottom of the safe and tossed her a noose and a sword. "Tie up the wolf, there's silver in that noose; keep him from changing and fighting. I grabbed a box of silver bullets. Due to cost I rarely ever used them, but now was not a time to be cheap. I loaded the rounds in a forty-five, slung the holster around my waist, and pointed the pistol at the wolf as Dee walked over to him. He wisely remained still. The mage still on his feet, muttered and gestured at Dee as she tied the wolf to the leg of the desk. I winged him in the arm before he could cast. Both mages screamed in pain and fear. I waved at them when Dee finished with the wolf. She approached the one with the knee injury and kissed him to sleep.

  The one clutching his arm started gesturing and muttering while backing away and I shot his other arm. "In case you haven't figured it out yet, the only magic used in here this afternoon will be ours. He stood still as Dee bore down on him and in moments he joined his fellow on the floor. The wolf watched warily but made no effort to fight the rope. I hoped the tiny slice from the dagger would reinforce the illusion of silver in the rope by not allowing him to change until the dust cleared his system. If it didn’t prevent his shift he’d quickly sense the rope was nothing but plain rope.

  "Now...as I was saying there are some boxes in the closet. Let's get this stuff packed up and get out of here. I need to meet Harrison shortly." The wolf lay down with his nose on his paws and watched as we loaded up boxes with weapons. First in was the remainder of the silver bullets. Then every pistol and rifle. All my blades went in a second box. I opened the bottom desk drawer, took out the false bottom and withdrew another blank ident kit, and a phone. I looked around the office and grabbed my camera, but the weapons were the only thing I'd come for.

  Dee carried one box down then came back for the second. I apologized, "Sorry to make you do all the heavy lifting."

  "I owe you, Girlfriend. This little bit of effort won't kill me." She left the room with the second box.

  I bent down as I hopped by and scratched the wolf between the ears. "Your friends will be out for the next twenty-four hours. I'll send someon
e to turn you loose and make sure they don't bleed to death, if you can promise not to bite them."

  The wolf nodded. "You know, some of my best friends are wolves and I hated having to hurt you. But…some of my best friends are wolves, so I do know what will hurt, and what will kill. The silver on that blade should cleanse itself without permanent damage."

  His tongue snaked from his mouth as he licked my wrist then covered his nose with both paws.

  "If you're ever looking to be gainfully employed in a position you don't have to be embarrassed by, leave a message in District Eleven with just about anyone. Sooner or later, I’ll get it, though I'm leaving the Two-Hundred until I can figure out what to do with Harrison." I stopped and grinned down at him. "Besides marrying the poor boy." He lifted one paw off his nose, then reached out to set it on my knee. I shook it. "I'm sorry I can't let you go right now. I don't know exactly how strong your affiliation is with that sort," I gestured over my shoulder at the sleeping mages, "but as it stands now, I have to play the odds on my best bet for safety. Tell the person I send to release you what your name is if you're at all interested in a new position, realizing of course it will be some time until I need anybody."

  He rolled on his back, legs flailing, a gesture of complete submission.

  I placed a finger on his nose. "Very well. We'll see you when we see you."

  As I hopped down the hall, doors opened on the neighboring offices. One of them looked from me, to my office, then winked. "Don't know what you're into Frankie, but I hope your reappearance means we'll see the tail of those that have been squatting."

  "I'll call the landlord. Tell him he can change the locks and rent it out. Nothing there I need anymore."

  "Good luck, Frankie. Having you as a neighbor has been interesting."

  All down the hall, heads were nodding. A couple of them turned to look where Dee stood beside the elevator holding the door open, as if to illustrate the point that I kept things interesting.

  I stopped at Neal's Design Studio and asked him to let the wolf loose in a half hour. Neal himself was a wolf. I figured he'd stand the best chance of survival if my captive wasn't as contrite as he seemed. I joined Dee and hopped into the elevator fighting the wish to sag to the floor, put my face between my knees and moan in pain. The leg had had enough. I thought about my medication in my tote and was glad Harrison had remembered it. On the ground floor we stood to the sides of the doors as they opened. A man was standing in front of it and I leveled my nine-mil at him before we stepped out the door. He held his hands to the side and I looked at him. It was Harry. He worked in a second floor office that specialized in charms and amulets. I lowered the muzzle of the pistol. "Sorry Harry, bit jumpy."