by Brynna Curry
She took a seat on the corner of his desk.
“Miss me, handsome?” She said in that lilting voice of hers. “You shouldn’t have. I thought you made me a promise. A promise kept, is that too much for a body to ask on their death bed?”
He cowered back from her, when what he wanted most was to hold her. She was supposed to be dead. Wasn’t she? She had died in his arms. She was here. He didn’t care how or why. When he reached for her hand, his only felt the cold metal desk.
“God, I missed you, but you can’t really be here. That’s it. I’ve finally gone crazy. Just call the white coats to come after me. I’m having hallucinations, and I don’t care.” Was he? When he could smell her perfume in the room, and hear her voice.
Sissy’s image wandered to the bookcase, plucked her book from the shelf, though she never actually touched it.
“It’s a nice sentiment, Jack, but don’t you think you’ve moped long enough?”
He watched the book float across to land on a stack of papers.
“It’s true. I still love you.”
She frowned at him, hands on her hips. “That’s two promises broken. I asked you to catch my killer, and I’m more than a little annoyed that you didn’t go tearing off to seek vengeance. I certainly would have, had it been you. Second, I asked you to live. Is this what you call a life? You haven’t kept your word. A life without love isn’t worth living at all. I gave up my life, so you could live yours.”
“What about your word?” Good Lord, he was fighting with a ghost. What now? “I found out things about your case, Serena. I have to know. Were they true?”
“Yes. It’s all true. I helped them steal. I kept some of the evidence. I never intended to give it back. I was found out. They knew all along. So I confirmed that I was a cop, convinced them I was dirty. As far as they were concerned, you were just another dolt following orders. I let them think that. It kept you safe. I don’t regret it. I do regret hurting you though. I didn’t love you, not the way you loved me.”
She faded away before he could question her. He heard the knock on the door, barely. He unlocked it and let Liv in. The room changed when she walked into it. It was like being in a dark airless room and someone suddenly turns on the light. Jack had seen something he shouldn’t have been able to. The dead don’t come back as ghosts or anything else, but Sissy had been there only moments before. Her scent still hung in the air and mixed with Liv’s. If he had really seen her, then she had been an illusion. Everything he thought he had and lost was a lie. Where did that leave him now? He wasn’t ready to believe that. It was easier to pretend it hadn’t happened.
“They knew all along,” she had said. “I didn’t love you, not the way you loved me.” He could have accepted the first and dealt with it, but the second was a hammer to glass. She had shattered him, again. He knew he couldn’t survive that pain twice, not alone.
Jack tried to block the words out of his mind. He needed a haven, a sanctuary. He needed Liv.
“Jack, is something wrong?”
It was weak. He knew it, but he just needed to be held until his heart quit bleeding.
“Can’t you tell me what hurts you so much? I can’t bear it for you. It might help if you would talk to me.”
He shook his head. It was hard not to let the tears come, but he would keep that much dignity at least. She took his face into her hands, and kissed him gently. Jack felt part of the misery drain at her touch.
“It will get better. It won’t ever go away, Jack, but the pain of death dulls over time. How else would one ever stand it?”
Jack had thought he would never experience anything worse than losing Sissy. Compared to not knowing what it was he’d really lost, it was nothing. The love he had for her was all consuming, but she hadn’t loved him? He wouldn’t believe it. Set it aside. That was best. No more thoughts on conspiracies, or jewel thieves, or covert double crosses.
“Did you get any work done?”
“I’m finished, and will be until the next consumes me.”
“I’ve got to go in for a while. I don’t know when I’ll be home. Will you be all right?”
“I’ve my shadows, don’t I? The house is locked tight as a drum. No one knows I’m here. What can happen to me? You could always shackle me in the basement. Or don’t you trust me to stay put?”
He frowned at her, raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. “It’s for your own good. I’m doing this for you. What’s gotten into you?”
“This is driving me fair to crazy. I hate being locked up like a prisoner. It’s been a week, Jack! I can’t stay here forever. Wouldn’t it be better to be seen? I might draw him out that way. You’d have your man, and we could get on with life.”
Jack lost it through the red haze of anger that covered his eyes, and it was no longer Liv he saw, but Serena. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “Do you want to die? Is that what you want? Well, I won’t stand by and watch again. I don’t care if you didn’t love me. You were everything to me, and I won’t be the cause of… I will not let you stand as a shield for me.” He ranted at her. Liv’s eyes were wide and drenched with fear. He could feel the bruises he was making on her arms.
“Jack, let me go. Please, you’re hurting me.”
It was like a slap to the face. All of a sudden he could hear her sobs. Hands jumped away as if she were on fire. Shame washed over him when he saw the smudges on her skin where bruises would be tomorrow. What was wrong with him?
Liv stood a foot away from him, rubbing her arms. He felt like there was a mile between them. It wasn’t like him.
“It’s okay, Jack. I’m not angry. You didn’t hurt me. Please let me in.”
He shook his head in denial.
“What did she do to you? Hold onto me, Jack. Let go of it. Just let go. I’ll be right here for you.”
Slowly he eased his arms around her waist, let his head fall to her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I…” The dam burst and tears came like rain. He told her what Sissy had said.
She cried with him.
When they were both empty, he gently touched her shoulders where he’d marked her in fear, in desperation, with love for someone else. “I’m sorry, Liv.” Liv deserved a lot better. She deserved someone who could love her, and always would with the whole of his heart.
She shook her head. “For what exactly would you be offering your remorse? For the ghost story or for your rash behavior, or could it be your sadness?” Her eyes heated and flashed to his and held them there.
“Never apologize for being human in my company, Jack. It doesn’t make you any less of a man to grieve for something. No matter what it was you lost.”
He turned from her, walked to the desk where Serena’s ghost laid his book down. “Doesn’t it? How could I have not known she didn’t love me, Liv? What kind of man can’t tell his wife doesn’t love him? I loved her. We talked of having children. She wanted them so much. How could she want them with me and not love me? The sorry thing is, I love her still. I guess I always will. When she died, it cut a piece out of me. I can’t do what needs to be done and keep digging up old ghosts.” He smiled. “Literally.”
He watched her walk to the door.
“You need not worry over me, Jack. You should go on to your work. Time is wasting, and it’s so very precious.”
“Okay. Okay. Come here.” She hesitated with her hand on the knob. She wouldn’t go to him. So he went to her. “Liv?”
“Go, Jack. I’ll still be here when you get back. Where else would I go?”
Jack stepped behind her and pulled her to him.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone on about her to you. I didn’t think.”
He’d hurt her with more than his temper. He’d used words against her and that somehow seemed worse. Had he wanted to see if he’d be able to hurt her? Maybe. If he could, then he mattered to her. He wanted to love her, and at the same time he didn’t. Jack pressed a kiss to her temple.
“I’
m sorry, Liv. I don’t know what I’ve got left inside of me for you, but I do know that I’ll never stop loving her. No matter what you are, or will become to me. No matter what she was, that’s something I can’t do.”
She sighed aloud deeply. “If you were able to forget her so easily, Jack, I’d think you were a first class bastard and not worth a moment of my time. Let me go.” She sighed when he just held on. “I’m not angry with you, Jack. I just need some time alone, to be, to think.” He didn’t want to, but because she asked it of him, he let her go.
Jack called after her when he heard the door open.
“We’re okay, aren’t we?”
She didn’t reply.
Chapter 12
Devin unapologetically parked his ancient battered Harley in front of the huge villa styled mansion that was Gueraldi’s home. Despite its value, the motorcycle seemed like an out of place smudge on the grand house. He was immediately greeted by two burly guards with semi-automatics in plain view. If he had wanted to cause a stir, he could have vanished their weapons, though they weren’t of any real danger to him. Just for fun’s sake he disposed of the ammunition instead.
“Gentlemen.” He addressed them in heavily French accented English. “I believe Gueraldi is expecting me.”
The taller man said something into a two-way radio he retrieved out of his inside pocket, merely nodded to his partner, and waved him in.
“Wait in the foyer, and you will be escorted, Mr. LeFleur. It would be advisable for you to not take any detours.”
It was the first time he’d been in Gueraldi’s fortress. Delivering the diamond in person hadn’t been a requirement before. Devin shrugged. It didn’t matter to him. He could use a little vacation. Paris and Nicolette were beginning to crowd him. Toying with the notion of slipping into another one of his identities for a while, until she backed off—maybe return to Scotland and his roots. His thoughts were interrupted when a thin elderly looking man approached him wearing an unrelenting black suit so starched it could have walked on its own. Gueraldi’s majordomo, he’d guess, and probably armed to his crumbling teeth.
“Follow me, sir. I will show you into the study.”
He had impressions of art and sculpture as they made their way down the hall. Part of him appreciated the color and quality. The rest made mental notes of cameras, floor plans, and value. The latter was as natural to him as breathing. He was a thief, after all. The butler knocked twice on a heavy wooden door, waited patiently for a reply, then turned the brass knob and gestured him inside.
The lights in the study were few and dimmed considerably. Devin knew Gueraldi liked anonymity. He reached out with his mind, quick fast, and snatched a look at the emotions inside the man. Greed, excitement, pure lust for the diamond. The air smelled of the cigar Gueraldi was smoking, but with his senses heightened Devin could smell the blood that had been spilled only days before. That told him another thing. He was ruthless and not above torture or murder. Make no mistake. Devin had seen his share of bloodshed. When he was a much younger man living in the highlands of Scotland he had raised his sword in battle. He had killed for honor, for self-preservation. He’d seen the life leave a man’s eyes as his sword cleaved him in two, and he remembered every single soul he had sent to meet his maker. Thankfully, those times had ended. Violence, even when warranted, was something he detested. Magic was a lot less painful, both for his intended opponent and himself.
“LeFleur, I trust your flight was uneventful. I didn’t expect to meet you so soon.” For a moment that greed was visible in the steel of his eyes. “Everything went as planned, I take it?”
“Would I be here otherwise? I’m not a stupid man, Gueraldi.” He reached into the pocket of the black bomber jacket he wore and pulled out a velvet pouch.
“Let’s see it then. I’m not known for my patience.”
Devin loosened the strings on the pouch, and shook it lightly.
“It’s gorgeous. Isn’t it? It’s amazing how nature and time can give birth to such a wonder.”
Devin just smiled agreeably, and watched him faun over the jewel. It glittered and sparkled. Light danced from deep within it, and Gueraldi never guessed it wasn’t the real Regent.
“I take it you’re pleased?” Devin couldn’t resist a grin when his question went unanswered. He stood up and walked to the door.
“Wait, LeFleur. You did well. So well, in fact, I have another job for you.”
Devin paused. “I like time away after work. I’m not available for a while.” The fun was over, but he was still riding on it. He chose his clients and jobs carefully. Unless it suited him, Devin didn’t usually take on one until he needed it for his own purposes.
“I want the Empress Marie Louise’s famed diamond necklace. If you know your country’s history you know that it was given to her by her husband, Napoleon the first, after the birth of their son. It’s currently housed in the Smithsonian Institute. I want it for my private collection. If you can get it for me I will triple your usual fee.”
Devin didn’t care for the idea. Talk about your Fort Knox. Even with his magic it would be difficult. The Louvre had been trial enough. He knew his team couldn’t pull it off, and they were some of the best.
“I’ll think about and get back to you.”
Anger crossed Gueraldi’s face as he slowly stood. “I don’t care for being brushed off.” He pulled a small revolver out of his desk drawer and pointed it between Devin’s eyes. “Perhaps we should end our association now.”
Devin never flicked an eyelash. Why should he be afraid of Gueraldi? He had lived a thousand years. How could death possibly be a threat to him?
“I have to make sure it can be done first and that my team and I can do it. I call that saving my time and your money. You’ll know in three days if I’ll take the job or not.”
Devin knew Gueraldi weighed the possibilities in his mind just as he weighed the gun in his hand. He could kill him and get his payback, but he wouldn’t get his diamonds.
“Fine, I’ll wait three days, no more. I don’t care for your attitude, LeFleur. I’d advise you to remain close at hand until you come to a decision. If I have to come looking for you, it won’t matter how good a thief you are next time.”
* * * *
Liv dreamed. She wandered through the dark in the moonlight, knew where she was going, but couldn’t find her way. Funny, she knew the way. Didn’t she? How many times had she walked this same path to the stone circle near her cottage? This time was different. She was dreaming, but she wasn’t chasing or being chased. There had been no storm called up to hinder her steps. She couldn’t hear anything at all, no night sounds. It was like a vacuum. Had she had been struck deaf? She was lost in the familiar. If anything, the circle should be easier to find without the rain. Against the night sky, she saw bright blue flames shoot high into the air. Liv took it for a beacon and followed them.
She let the light from the fire guide her to the ancient circle, not knowing what would be waiting there for her, or if anything would. The night was warm. It had always been cold before. She walked through the barrier that surrounded the stones.
“Hello, is anyone here?” she called out and was startled when she was answered. The woman lifted a hand in welcome, and when she lowered it again, it calmed down the flames. When she spoke, the words were in another language. Liv knew that, but she could understand her words just the same.
“Blessed be, Daughter, and welcome.”
Liv recognized the woman from her dreams and understood the sentiment. The man and woman she dreamed of so often had never actually addressed her before. Why was she doing so now?
“I’m Olivia. My mother is Molly. Who are you?”
The other woman chuckled. “They call you Liv, but that is for naught. You are one of the children of my child’s children. You are my blood. Though it is weak, the gift of sight is yours. How did you think you were able to see myself and the others?” Smiling at her, she waved the question away.
“I am Briella of Farrell, wedded into the clan McLoch.”
Liv took in the resemblance between herself and Briella. Both had the same long raven hair, but where her eyes were a stormy blue, Briella’s were pure gray smoke. Both were slim of build but Liv was slightly taller. Briella’s magic was a tangible force in the air.
“Why are you still here? Why have you come to me in dreams?”
“You came to me, Daughter. True, I wished for it and eased the way for your mind to follow, but you came for a reason. Danger seeks you. Death haunts your thoughts. Love waits unwilling. You seek guidance and safe haven. Do you not know these things already? Sight is yours. To find the answers, you’ve only to look.”
Liv had no doubt, at least not about Briella. Why not ask? She thought.
“I do have something I want to know. I guess I’ve always wanted to know.”
Briella gestured for her to go on.
Liv nodded. How did you word it exactly, she thought? Maybe witches’ spells were like a cook’s recipe. Ingredients or words were a secret kept. Why was she worried? She had been told to ask.
“I’ve dreamed since I was a little girl of the night you and your husband cast the spell that locked you all here. I guess I’ve wondered what the spell said. I could never understand it or translate it, though even from the first I could remember the words. It’s bothered me. People used to think I was crazy if I told them what I’d seen or heard. Will you tell me what it means?”
Briella frowned for a moment. “The answer you wish will not be an easy one for you to hear. Once you know the future, it is harder to look to the past and difficult to live in the present. It might give you cause to doubt yourself and others.”
Liv steeled her reserve to deal with whatever it was. At least then she would know. “Tell me.”
“I cannot repeat the words, but I will tell you the intent. Daemon, my love, was not a mortal. He had a great evil power within him. To cast his spell, he set it free. The elements were called, first himself, the sea, himself. Then he bade me, the earth, come. Arianne was wind and he called to her as well and forced her to appear here. The water locks the land of her prison. So in a sense he was the lock on her cage, and I am the key to our freedom.”
