I did as I was told and the burn of the gin going down my throat felt good. “Go on,” I said, still dripping a tear here and there.
“When people have strong emotions, even mundane people, they radiate energy. When magical people experience the same feelings, they need to control that energy or unfortunate things can happen. That’s why, in the years you’ve interacted with magical people, you’ve never seen one lose his or her temper. Although we may seethe inside, we need to keep control of our emotions.
“You’re an untrained Earth witch and the energy you radiated when you lost your temper was strong enough to cause a minor earthquake.”
“Very minor,” Tony said from the chair where he was sitting with his laptop open. “3.4 on the Richter Scale and centered on this very building. It’s all over the Internet because earthquakes don’t normally happen south of the mountains. No damage reported except some broken dishes.”
“I caused an earthquake?” This was too much to take in. I took another gulp of my drink.
(Yes, my lovely human, you did. Your strength is far above what the Familiar Council anticipated. We are going to have such fun when you are trained!)
“Yes,” Gregory replied. “From now on, you need to keep a tight rein on your emotions, especially anger. I know it won’t be easy given our current situation but I will be right here to help, as will Fudge. Once we’re back in Minneapolis, Cassandra can work with you. You have about twenty years of catch-up learning since you’re manifesting at this age.”
“About the new note,” I said, trying very hard to be just irritated instead of pissed.
“I can’t begin to tell you what I will do to whoever this is once we find him,” Gregory answered. “Call Martin at home. I’m sure he can make arrangements for us to pick up the money down here on Monday.”
“In the meantime, I suggest we take that drive up north tomorrow,” Tony interjected. “They may have found Amy’s hair but her scent is still on that bag. I’d like to see if I can get a better idea of where they are so once we have the money and the next set of instructions, we can have a battle plan in place.”
“Good idea,” Gregory agreed. “According to the concierge, there’s a most excellent restaurant within walking distance so I had him make reservations for an hour from now. I suggest we stroll over there and enjoy something other than room service before turning in early tonight.”
I called Martin at home, who uttered a string of expletives that would make a sailor blush before telling me he’d make the arrangements and call me Monday morning with a name and address. “There’s not that much cash available in Ev’s accounts,” he said. “I’ll have to arrange a loan and it won’t be at the local bank.”
“I understand,” I groaned. That sort of loan was going to cost. “I really don’t care what you have to do, Martin. I’ll deal with the fallout after this is all over.”
“Understood. I’ll call you about nine o’clock your time on Monday. Try to relax, okay? It’ll all work out somehow.”
I hung up from the call and nodded to Gregory. After changing out of jeans into a business casual outfit, we walked a couple of blocks over to the Westin Peachtree Hotel and took the elevator up to the top where the Sun Dial Restaurant had the most marvelous 360° view. (I could have done without the view from the glassed-in elevator, though.) I’d never been to a restaurant that rotated before and was fascinated with not only the sights but how the whole thing worked. I even managed to bump into a few tables as I watched the floor move rather than paying attention to where the maître d’ was leading us.
Over dinner, Gregory and Tony plotted in low voices while I stared out the window watching the scenery as the sun set, remembering to take a bite of food every now and again. When our table had a northern view, I could see the mountains and that, inevitably, brought Ev and our circumstances back to mind.
When my apartment had been trashed by a crazy, lovesick vampire, Ev had stepped in to help, insisting that we were like family. I’d never really felt anything other than a close working relationship until now. I’m not sure what sort of family an ogre would be, maybe a sixth cousin twice removed or something. However, I knew I was as worried about him as I would be about Cassandra, and she was like a sister to me.
The more I mused about the situation, the more convinced I became that the “someone close” probably wasn’t Ev’s father but someone who had worked for Angelich Security at some point. The first note mentioned me possibly losing my cushy job. What the writer apparently didn’t know is that I didn’t need my job. I made a very comfortable living off my novels. My job with Ev was not only a source for characters but something I actually enjoyed doing. I made a big decision. I was going to let Gregory in on my secret life.
I took a big swig of my gin and tonic. “Gregory, I don’t think our kidnapper is Ev’s father.”
“Why would you say that?”
With a sidelong glance at Tony, I told Gregory about my secret life as a paranormal romance author and my conclusions based on that and the first note.
“I’m only telling you this because it might affect how you guys approach things. You are sworn to secrecy, Gregory. No one, especially Ev, is to ever learn about my writing, got it?”
“You are just full of surprises, aren’t you? I swear by Air, Earth, Fire and Water to never reveal what you just told me.” I felt my ears pop. Gregory had just sworn a binding oath so I knew my secret was safe.
“You knew about this, I presume,” Gregory looked at Tony.
Tony grinned back with pride. “She finally told me a few months ago. The first book is based on me.”
“This changes things, but not a lot. It doesn’t change the fact that we need to get Ev and the money back but Ev has only fired a handful of guards over the last ten years, so it narrows our suspects down. When we get back to the hotel, I want you to access the personnel files on the office computer. Let’s see who would hold that sort of grudge.”
We finished dinner in silence, each probably thinking about who would do such a thing. The walk back to the Marriott was quiet, too.
When we got back to the suite, I put the grilled shrimp I’d ordered for Fudge in his bowl and fired up Tony’s laptop. A few keystrokes later, I was looking at a screen that duplicated the one in my office. Technology is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?
A few more keystrokes got me into the non-current personnel files. Gregory sat next to me and we looked over the eight profiles together.
“There,” Gregory pointed to a name at almost the same time as my finger went to that spot on the screen. “David Johnson. He got into an altercation with the authorities on his last assignment and Ev fired him as soon as he made bail.”
“I remember,” I said. “He claimed it was racial bias, that the police officer didn’t like dwarves and the officer took the first swing. Security footage said otherwise and David’s blood alcohol level was twice that needed for a DUI conviction. He did a year for that, didn’t he?”
“Two years. And here in Atlanta, if I’m not mistaken. He would have been released about a year ago. He had some friends among the other guards and if he’s stayed in contact with them, news of you and Tony would have percolated back through the rumor mill.”
“So now what?” I asked.
“In a way, a dwarf makes sense. Four or five of them are strong enough together to bring down an ogre. Dwarves are a very tight-knit community and he could easily have obtained assistance from unsavory friends. I have no contacts I can call there. However, he’s obviously allied himself with at least one witch or wizard and two weres. That probably came from his time in jail. I can try working that angle.”
“Fortunately or unfortunately, weres are in and out of jail a lot,” Tony added. “Just like ogres, our tempers can easily get us into trouble if we don’t control ourselves. Jarvis, the local clan leader, can probably help in that regard. I’ll call him in the morning.”
After that, I actually felt a little better.
Yes, I was still upset about the entire situation but having a possible focus for my anger helped to keep me calm. I remembered that little creep. He always dressed and spoke properly, but underneath the suave exterior, you could tell there was a scumbag. The few times I saw him in the office, he leered at me and made some very inappropriate comments when Ev was out of earshot. I ignored the comments because I thought he was doing a good job for our client and didn’t want to upset the applecart. I hadn’t thought he was smart enough to pull off something like this but maybe he had a few somewhat-intelligent friends.
Chapter 6
Sleep that night eluded me. Despite Tony’s amorous advances (which I fended off) and Fudge’s attempts to calm me by snuggling at my side, I couldn’t help but think of Ev in his predicament and how badly I wanted to hurt David, if he was indeed the “brains” behind the kidnapping. So Tony could sleep, I finally got out of bed about two a.m., went into the living room and turned the television on low. Fudge followed and we snuggled on the couch, watching late-night sitcom reruns. Even that couldn’t lull me completely to sleep.
A couple of hours later, I was dozing when Gregory came out of his room and sat on the couch next to me.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.
“Not really, no. I was tossing and turning so much I finally decided to come out here to let Tony sleep. I couldn’t shut my brain off.”
“It will catch up with you, you know,” he nudged my shoulder. “I can help you to sleep, if you like. Air wizards are good with that.”
Crap. More magic mumbo-jumbo worming its way into my life. “If it becomes an issue, I’ll ask. I’ve gone on short rest on more than one occasion and been okay.”
“Just making the offer. Want some coffee?”
“Room service doesn’t open for an hour. How are you going to get coffee? Magic it here?”
“I could but I’d probably end up burning both of us with the hot liquid. Not to mention that some wait person at whatever restaurant I got it from might lose control of their bladder when both coffee and cups disappeared. No, I had the concierge get us a coffee pot yesterday.”
The man thought of everything. While he puttered around at the wet bar, starting the coffee, I took a closer look at him. Although he’d been a peripheral part of my life since I’d started working with Ev, I really only knew what I saw: a little under six feet tall, obviously in shape but not a body builder, looked in his mid-forties with salt-and-pepper black hair and chocolate brown eyes that were always roving, checking out his surroundings. Like most bodyguards, he was close-mouthed. I decided it was time to find out more about Ev’s shadow.
“Gregory, we’ve known each other since I started working for Ev, yet I don’t know a lot about you. Are you married? What do you do with whatever free time you have? And why, as intelligent as you seem, are you content to be a limo driver?”
He chuckled. “In order. Never married. I like my independence too much. To stave off the next question, I’m not seeing anyone at the moment. As to my free time, I actually have quite a bit, just not in any really large blocks. I have a garden next to my cottage where I grow herbs, I spend a lot of time on that and putting potions together for other people. When I’m not driving, gardening or making magic, I read. A lot.
“My job? As you well know, Ev pays me a princely sum in addition to giving me the cottage behind the house to live in. It’s almost always an easy paycheck but when it’s not, I find myself in a situation that requires problem-solving and ingenuity, like now. I enjoy these sorts of challenges and they’re not something you’d find in a normal job.
“What surprises me is Ev hasn’t told you how we got together.”
I made a face. “I try very hard not to ask Ev about his past. I don’t want to know anything more than necessary so I don’t get dragged into his personal life. But okay. Do tell.”
More quiet laughter. “Ev and I were working at the same club before he got his job as a guard for that vampire agent’s client. As you know, he was a bouncer. I was a bartender. He got into trouble once by making a play for a mundane customer’s girl. You know how he is about women. In any case, I stepped in and smoothed the customer’s ruffled feathers with a little magic. I managed to keep Ev from getting fired over it and he told me some day he’d pay me back.”
The coffeepot gurgled. “When he started his business, he knew he’d have to project a certain image if he wanted the type of clients he has now. He somehow found me and asked if I’d play driver for him, offering to split the first contract with me. I wasn’t doing anything exciting so said yes.”
A gurgle and a hiss later, the coffee was done and Gregory handed me a cup. “It turned into a good relationship. Yes, he’s a little odd but he’s loyal to a fault, I make a good living and have the occasional odd problem to solve. Does that answer?”
“It gave me something other than our current situation to think about, yes.” I took a sip of the coffee. It was some of the smoothest I’d ever tasted. “Wow. You were a bartender. Have you also been a barista? This is good!”
“No, but I lived in Italy for a few years and learned my way around a coffeepot. I’m a coffee snob, actually.”
“I love Cassandra’s coffee but this is better than even hers. What’s your secret?”
Gregory smiled. “I get my coffee from a friend in Italy who roasts his own. He sends me five pounds every month. I always pack some when I travel, just in case I get somewhere that has a pot.”
“You should turn her on to your friend. I’m serious. This is really good.”
Another smile. “I tried several years ago. She says it’s too expensive and she’d have to raise her prices too high.”
That made sense. Cassandra liked coffee, too, but would sacrifice a little to keep her prices in line with the competition. She was, first and foremost, a business woman.
“So, we’re both awake, you’ve had some coffee and it appears that Fudge is awake, too. Do you want to learn more about your gift?”
I sighed. As a thirty-year-old, single Virgo, I was set in my ways and didn’t like change. Discovering I’m a witch is a big change, I would say. “I suppose,” I answered.
Gregory started. “So, we know you’re an Earth-affinity but I don’t know what else you know.”
“Neither do I.”
“Not to worry. Tell me what you see.” He held out both hands, palms up.
“Red sparkly balls. Two of them, one in each hand.”
“Good. You can see energy flows. That makes things much easier.”
“It does?”
“Yes. Some witches can’t and it makes it more difficult to train them because they can’t see what they’re doing. Can you feel them?”
I concentrated on those balls. “They give off something…tingly?”
“More good. Now, I want you to hold out your hands the same as me and think about making a ball of energy, just as I did. If you can see and feel the energy I’ve shown you, you can also feel it around you. Think of it as something you can mold, perhaps like dough. Pull it into your hands and shape it into a ball.”
Fudge came out from Gregory’s room, hopped up on the couch and put his paw on my thigh. What was the cat doing in his room and why, all of a sudden, was he being more than just a cat?
Something tapped the back of my head, but when I raised my hand and felt, nothing was there.
“Is there something wrong, Amy?” Gregory asked.
“I just felt a tap on the back of my head. Is this place haunted or something?”
“I’ve never heard of a haunting here. Focus, please?”
Fudge’s paw pressed harder into my thigh. Thankfully, he had his claws sheathed or I’d have had five puncture wounds to deal with. I looked down at him and I could swear he winked at me!
I closed my eyes and imagining the room, tried to find something like Gregory’s energy balls in the air. I felt some pressure at the back of my head and then I felt tingly, something like when you’re outside
and it’s misting rain. You don’t exactly feel the raindrops but more a caress of moisture on your skin.
I opened my eyes and saw the entire room sparkling, as if everything were dusted with fairy dust. I could see some lines of sparkle coming from various parts of the room and the closer they got to Gregory, the redder they got, until they ended at the deep red balls in his hands.
How do you turn sparkles into dough, much less into a ball?
(Damn, girl. Do I have to do all the work for you? I want to play, not teach.)
I felt that pressure on the back of my head again then it came to me. The sparkles were glitter. All I had to do was make a ball of glitter and the glue holding it together was my will. I envisioned a clump of glitter in my hand in the shape of a ball and as I watched, the sparkles coalesced in my hands. As they did, a ball formed. Much to my surprise, as it formed, the glitter changed from silver-white to forest green.
Gregory smiled. “Definitely Earth-affinity. Look at that gorgeous tree-green. And quick, too.”
I looked at the clock on the VCR above the television. It had taken fifteen minutes. “What do you mean, quick?” I asked.
“Most people can only do that with hours of practice. You got it in less than one. However, I think you had help.” He looked down at Fudge and smiled. Fudge had a smug look on his face. Well, smugger than normal.
“Oh, damn,” I said. “You said I’d be able to feel Fudge when I was doing magic.” I looked at Gregory and then down at the cat. “You’re the pressure in the back of my head, right?” I swear the cat started preening.
“You’re lucky to have a familiar,” Gregory told me. “Not everyone gets them but as you’ve just discovered, they can really help.”
“I thought every witch or wizard had a familiar,” I said. “Don’t you?”
“No. Never have. From what I understand, there aren’t as many familiars as there are witches and wizards so they’re assigned by the Familiar Council to people who they deem deserving of the honor.”
“There’s a Familiar Council?”
Upheaval! Page 6
