“They are my friends, barring the Avenger wannabe.” I shrug. “Ryan, Ash and Lexie are my house mates, Dad. I know Vince as well from Uni.”
“You kicked the football today,” he says, with awe in his voice.
“Come on Dad. You know girls can kick!”
“Oh I have no doubt that my girl can. But the point I am trying to make is that you broke out of the lapse. How did that happen?”
I look at the others for help, because I sure as hell do not know how that happened. And seeming as everyone looks like they are under some paralysis spell, I just shrug.
“I don't know Dad. Now we are not sure if I will remember everything tomorrow morning. I was about to leave to head back home. But I need to know how you are involved in all of this. How are they involved? And why do they look like they have just seen a ghost or are they going into shock?”
“Have they been okay with you? Have they treated you with respect?” he asks, a knowing glint in his eyes.
“Nothing I cannot handle, Dad. You know they have nothing on me,” I pass him a wink and a smile.
“Who?” he asks calmly.
And it is that calm tone that breaks whatever paralysis the others were in. Their eyes fill with fear, hands start to fidget. A few of them are still shaking their heads.
“Nobody, Dad. Like I said, I can han-”
“I asked who. And you will tell me who.” That calmness has taken on a freezing quality.
I don't know if I have it in me to take on my father when he is like this. I am tired. My mind wants to sleep. But the way the others all stiffened at that tone, I don’t think they can either. And Dad didn't raise me to take anything lying down also.
“Dad! Relax. You taught me everything. And you told me to trust my judgement. So trust me when I say that I handled it, and that they won't be trying it again. Ever. And let’s let this go. Yeah? We have more important things to discuss.”
“Nothing is more important than my daughter. Turn the camera their way.”
Oh Hell… he’s gonna go all ninja on them, isn't he? Well what can I do?
I sigh as I turn the phone screen towards them. Lexie, Ash, Ryan, Enzo and Vince, they literally look like kids who are scared to bring in their report cards home to their father. A giggle escapes me at this thought. Lexie’s mouth tugs up slightly.
“Lexie! Go join my daughter,” Dad screams on the line.
Lexie visibly exhales and tension leaves her shoulders. She gives a two finger salute to dad and skips over to me.
“What's happening now?” I whisper as I ask her.
“I can hear you Ada. Shut up.”
Oops.
“My daughter refuses to tell me which one of you morons tried to trouble her. But I have a responsibility to you too. So let this be the first and the last fucking time - if any of you hurt my daughter, you will be gutted. With bare hands. And before that you will be made immovable. Any questions?”
“No sir.” The boys say.
“No? You don't want to know who can do that to you?” Ooooh he is angry….
Lexie whisper-whistles.
“Lexie cut the crap!” Dad yells.
“Sorry,” she whispers.
“Don't you?” he screams at the guys.
“It would be you, Sir. Only you can achieve that,” Ryan responds.
“No Ryan. I can achieve that, yes. But Ada can achieve that as smoothly as running a hot knife through a slab of butter. What you all learned in six years, she learned in two. Do you know how far her prowess goes? Imagine, with six years of training you all are practically invincible. Now imagine the training she has had. So first - I am disappointed and ashamed at you all that you wouldn't respect someone else. Second, I am even more ashamed that you couldn't identify someone more powerful than you. You let your prejudices and ego get the better of you. Shame on each and every one of you. And third - you messed with my daughter.”
He lets it hang on their heads for a moment. I become vaguely aware of Lexie’s hand clutching my forearm tightly.
“Remember that whenever she chooses to tell me who caused trouble for her, I will demand my answer. Are we clear?”
He is a badass, isn't he. I am so fangirling over my dad right now…
“Yes sir,” Ash, Ryan and Vince respond.
“It was me,” Enzo says instead.
What? Is he demented? Does he not know my dad?
Silence.
I look at Enzo, and he is looking straight at Dad.
Everyone else stands there in shock.
“Why tell me now when she chose not to?” Dad asks in a cold voice. I think I might be in The Arctic. That is how cold his voice is.
“I couldn't hide it. I am not proud of it. Especially after I was put on my ass for it. But I would never hide anything from you, Pa.”
That's when I realise.
Everyone is not standing in shock at Enzo telling Dad. They were standing in anticipation of what Dad might say. And now they all look downright relieved.
Wait! Pa? What the fuck?
“What did she do to you?”
“Something I have never experienced,” Enzo continues, but his eyes were on me now.
“Eyes on me fucker!” Dad roars.
I roll my eyes as Enzo looks legit chastised.
“Sorry. She… One moment she was sitting and I was being a moody shit. I was worried out of my mind because Ry had called to let me know about the intruders. The next moment I was on the ground unable to move. Which she told me would last fifteen minutes and I would be paralysed from the neck down during that time. And that if I even piss her off again, then she will make the paralysis permanent.”
“Ada, is that true? Was he being moody?”
I look at Enzo long and hard before turning the phone so that I am face to face with Dad.
“I don't know Dad what his explanation is. But he was being a pain in the ass, not to me but to everyone else too. He literally punched a hole in the wall, and when he found me looking at him he told me to be afraid of him. You know the worst part?” I fake whisper yell, “he called me a little girl.”
Dad bursts out laughing and I join in. It’s a long story, but in a nutshell, being called a little girl has always been a pet peeve of mine. And Dad knows how much I hate it.
“And if he hadn't?” he asks me finally.
“I think I still would have shown him that he's not the boss of me. Maybe I would have just rendered him mute for a bit” I shrug.
“Actually Ada, how many times I have told you. You should just render their penises useless for a week. Why didn't you do that?” he says with a smirk, aware that all the guys are listening in.
“Aww Dad. Stop giving away all my secrets. And ewwww. Can you stop? Besides. Instead of rendering their dicks useless, I think making them unable to achieve their happy ending would be a better punishment, no?”
Dad sputters at this. Lexie downright laughs. While the guys are cupping their junks.
“I am your Dad. Best not to mention my prodigies’ dicks to me, Baby girl.”
“Awwwww…. I thought I was your favorite prodigy..” I pout.
“Ada, you are not my prodigy. You are my biggest blessing. You are my life.”
I take a moment to soak it in. I wish Ma was here. Tears sting my eyes. My best friend. He is everything to me.
“Love you Dad. More with each day,” I tell him quietly.
“Love you more. With each breath.”
Chapter 10
Ada
“Okay so people! Gather around and let's go over the plan once again. Ada is a part of this now, whether she likes it or not. Enzo, continue with the report.”
And just like that the mood changes. Enzo takes the phone from me and places it on a stand. It is hard to comprehend that these guys are my college mates. I don’t think any of us are over twenty one. Maybe Enzo is. But since the rest of us are in college together, I assume we are in the age-range of 19-20. I will be turning twenty nex
t month. If this lapse thing is to be calculated.
“Continuing from where we left off earlier, we realized that Ada has been able to break the lapse. And wanted to check your opinion on it.” Enzo says.
Not we - Vince cough-says and covers his mouth while doing that.
Lexie and I smirk at that. I am wondering if someone will correct him.
I needn’t have.
“Correct me if I am wrong, but weren’t you the one who opposed her being there in the first place?” Dad says.
Yeah. My Dad is the Bond. I am still perplexed how he fits into this.
“Umm..yes that’s true,” Enzo replies, sheepishly.
“Vince, you tell me your account. Start to finish.”
Vince clears his throat and steps forward, which brings him closer to me. Our shoulders brush and he passses me a smile.
“Stop giving googly eyes to my daughter, Vince,” Dad rumbles, and Vince shoots five feet away.
I cannot stop at this and burst out laughing. Lexie joins me. But, clearly the men in the room have no sense of humor.
“What Dad. You are spoiling my fun! None of them are giving me googly eyes. Relax,” I tell him laughing.
“Fun? What fun? Ada you are a kid. My kid. None of these assholes are supposed to even look at you. None of the assholes in the world are supposed to look at you,” he grumbles.
I laugh harder at that. He is really cute.
“Okay, enough of this. Can we start?” Enzo says, giving a death glare to Vince.
“Oh I am sorry Enzo.. Is my worrying over my daughter’s safety a frivolous matter to you?”
That shuts Lexie and I right up.
“No.. That is not what I meant. I just meant-”
“You were the one who misbehaved with her to start with. Be very fucking grateful that you are still standing.”
“Sorry Sir.”
Dad nods at that then looks at Vince, who has a smile on his lips. I am amused too, to be honest.
“You know how every morning I need to be at the campus, right?” Vince asks.
And then launches into detailing everything that has happened over the day to Dad. Ending with my kicking the football back to him.
“So you came back and spoke to the others about it?” Dad asks.
“Yeah. Ry and Ash were waiting for me when I got back. That is when Ry told me about what had happened this morning between Ada and him.”
“What had happened between them?”
“Oh, no. I didn’t mean it that way. Let me rephrase,” he sputters, now clearly aware of my father’s overprotective gene. “I meant that is when Ry told us what he had found Ada doing this morning.”
“And that makes it better?” Dad raises his eyebrow. I can imagine where his mind takes him. I am mentally facepalming myself.
“Oh God, Dad calm down. You are only making the others nervous. Nothing happened between anybody and me.”
He exhales and rubs his hand over his face. He does look tired. He is a handsome dude. When Dad and I go out together somewhere, he is checked out more than I am. It should hurt my ego - but it doesn’t. He has worked hard for it. He looks like Bradley Cooper meets Liam Neeson. His long jet black hair is braided, and if anything, the quality of his hair gives me a complex.
Ryan starts speaking. “So as always, I had gone home this morning to make sure that Ada was fine. I didn't sense her in the house. I was just leaving and was about to call the others when I saw her returning - from her walk.”
“She went for a walk?” Dad asks, baffled.
Everyone looks at me but I am still stuck on when Ryan comes home every morning to check on me.
If that isn't the sweetest thing.
“Ada?” Dad asks.
“Umm.. sorry. Yeah. I woke up before my alarm went off today. So I thought maybe a walk would be a good idea. When I returned, I saw Ryan leaving.”
“How did you wake up early?”
“If that isn't the question of the century..” I tell them.
“No I mean - you never wake up early. So….”
“I know. I do not know either. So let’s continue please. Because I have questions and I would rather you all get your business as usual out of the way, then we can come to the segment marked ‘Ada’.”
Dad nods and Ryan continues.
“That’s it. I didn’t meet Vince and Ash until late morning. That is when Vince told me about Ada behaving completely differently. He had told her that we would all hang out today, so I went home.. And as soon as we reached home, she screamed ‘intruders’. We subdued them, and Vee and I took them to the ba-cops; we took them to the cops. Everything that happened today, made us think that she is definitely breaking the lapse and we got her here.”
“Ada, what about the intruders? Who were they? What did you get?”
“There were three of them. I was ready to launch with my Khukri, when I heard Lexie yell for me. I handled the intruder that was on the stairs, while the others subdued the two downstairs,” I updated him.
“How did you get her here? Who saw her?”
“Nobody saw her Pa. She sat on the car floor. She was hidden. She didn’t speak throughout the drive either.” Lexie tells him, squeezing my hands.
“Okay. Did you find anything from the intruders?” he asks me, again.
“No. I was so distracted by the fact that Lexie is at home, that I couldn’t focus on anything else. But my gut says that they were not there for a random burglary.”
He nods, deep in thought. Then he looks at me and tells me, “you need to come in and be a part of this.”
I nod. But I have a question. “Dad, we don't know if I will remember it all tomorrow. What if i don’t?”
“Then we will get you the ring.”
Going by the gasps I hear around me, yeah, it probably would be tough or near impossible I presume.
“Why? Why do I have to join?”
Dad takes a deep breath. He seems to be staring somewhere and I know he is trying to come up with the best explanation for this. After what seems like forever, he answers.
“Because I think that you will remember everything. And I think we will need your help with everything we have been trying to do.” He pauses and then looks at the others, “You told her the story, you have experienced her open mindedness and respect for all things around. She would only help.”
He takes one more deep breath and then says, “besides, I agree with her. Those guys were not there for a burglary. They were there for her.”
Chapter 11
Enzo
Every muscle in my body goes stiff. I am still wrapping my mind around the fact that she is Pa’s daughter. And hearing they were there for her hits me like a freight train.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
Pa takes a look at Vee and raises his eyebrow.
“I never got a chance to update them. When Ry and I returned, Ada and Enzo were engaged in a battle of wills. And it was just a minute before she rendered him motionless,” Vee says hurriedly.
“What do you mean?” I ask again, this time to Vee.
“They wanted the new girl,” he says looking at Ada.
Pa literally cusses aloud.
“Why?” she asks, even before I could think of something.
“We will find out. But what I can guarantee is that someone saw you behaving differently today at school. And wanted you with them. Do you know why? Because only the powerful can break the loop curse. Or the ones with the ring. You have true powers. You do not need the ring.”
Oh shit.
“So now what? And those guys are at the cops?” she asks Vee, raising her eyebrows.
I think she knows he lied.
I want to laugh, but I cannot. First, I don’t know how she will react, and second, I don’t know how Pa will react to me reacting to anything his daughter says.
“Well yea….” Vee starts, rubbing his hand on his ears. “They are here in the basement. I brought them here, so we can interrogate
them.”
Ada purses her lips and nods.
“Ada, I am sorry. I didn’t know you would be one of us. I couldn’t have told you-”
Ada stops Vee and then smiles.
Fuck. That smile.
“It’s okay, relax. I understand. But you have to tell me what they said. Maybe we can find out more from them?”
Vee looks at Pa, who nods.
“Yeah okay. So in addition to wanting you, they told us that they were sent by the Liberator, and that they are mercenaries,” Vee tells her.
“Well clearly, they are lying, either they are no mercenaries, or they are not hired by this Liberator guy,” she says rolling her eyes.
What?
“What are you saying?” I ask
“Spillig the beans so early on? Which mercenary has ever done or said that? No mercenary, worth their salt, would start talking so soon. In fact, they would have a fail safe to get them out in case they are caught. Someone willing to take them out. Mercenaries are known to have a cyanide capsule stuck in place of their wisdom tooth that they can use to end their lives, before giving any information. So why would they start divulging all their secrets. And they definitely are mercenaries. If by what you all tell me, breaking a loop without any external intervention is such a big deal, then someone won’t send just anybody. Right?”
She looks at us.
Well, yeah…..
“And that is why you need to join us,” Pa speaks from the phone, voice oozing with pride. “Ash, your final view on what happened at your place, and then we adjourn.”
As Ash starts recounting his view, I look at her. A smile finds a way to my lips as I take in this little bundle of ferocity, beauty and intelligence.
“I think we are in for interesting times now, aren't we?”
Lexie whispers from next to me.
Absentmindedly I nod and turn to look at Lex. She winks at me and smiles. Shaking my head, I try to follow the conversation, but it is a gone deal. All I am hearing is Ada calling me an asshole. Just the thought has me smiling.
Chapter 12
Ada
“Ada, anything else? Can we wait for the questions later or do you want to do it now?” Dad asks me once Ash’s briefing is done.
Circle of Time: An urban fantasy (The Kazi Chronicles Book 1) Page 5
