The Watcher (Crossing Realms Book 2)

by Rebecca E. Neely

  “Thank you, everyone.” Both she and Dev smiled at the others. “For everything.”

  Nick strode to Meda’s side and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know I’m speaking for all when I say thank you, for everything you’re willing to do for us.”

  The others murmured agreement, and Meda flushed. “I just want it to work.”

  He said nothing, gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. Turning, he huffed at Dev. “I don’t like that you’re leaving the network.”

  “My being here puts everyone in jeopardy,” Dev pointed out. “I won’t risk that. And, if I’m not here, I want to believe the network will be less of a target. Plus, we need to do the experiments somewhere else. We have no idea of the consequences to the network. Or the clan.”

  “I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  “I don’t like it either. We have to assume the worst. The Betrayers might already know which warehouse we’re in. And there’s nothing to prevent them from draining me again.” He turned to Meda. “Just so you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

  He’d voiced her worst fears. “Oh yeah, I had a pretty good idea.”

  Nick sighed. “That’s why the security cameras. I’m also going old school on that front. We have to think and behave as if we can’t sense them coming, so we’re going to station guards around the perimeter of the warehouse, around the clock.”

  “That puts all of you in danger!” Dev shouted. “No.”

  “Those guards will be carefully regulating their energy, so as to go undetected.”

  “Still, I—”

  “Too late. Done deal. Plus, with all the craziness going on in the city, we may be able to help humans, even with no Compulsions. Or at least do some damage control. Listen, Dev.” Nick laid a hand on his shoulder. “We gave the Betrayers the slip, with Sean and Charlotte. I’m going to be cautiously optimistic and say we’ve bought ourselves a window of time. The network is still strong. Enough that they can’t cross realms.”

  Dev grimaced. “And I’ll be damned if we’ll give them an opportunity.”

  Wordlessly, Meda sat in a chair at the conference room table and accepted the tablet and pen Curtis offered her. From memory, she began listing what they’d need for the experiments. To be thorough, she’d also check the research she’d brought.

  They had a window of time. If they were lucky. Warily, she glanced up at the digits on the clocks that stopped for no one and nothing.

  They had less than five days to do it all.

  CHAPTER 19

  On the city’s North side, Dev turned left, halted at a red light, and cranked the van’s AC to full blast. He eyed Meda, or what he could see of her, in the rear view mirror. She knelt on the floor behind the driver’s seat. In her white painter’s overalls and sweatshirt that matched his own, her hood and sunglasses hid her hair and half her face.

  For probably the tenth time, he checked both of the utility van’s side view mirrors. Rush hour made for good camouflage. “No one’s followed us since we left the network. Hopefully the Betrayers are still on the lookout for two people on a motorcycle. Not one guy in a utility van. Can’t wait to thank Sean and Charlotte next time I see them.”

  “Me either,” she said softly.

  Dev raised an eyebrow. So docile. The direct opposite of the hellcat who’d taken him to task in the Situation room. She’d pissed him off. And been dead on about every accusation she’d made. His respect for her had only deepened. As well as his desire. Then he’d gone and offered up the memory of his death as a solution. For better or worse they were in this together. As ready as he’d been to send her away for her own safety, the selfish in him was thrilled to have her here, beside him.

  He couldn’t imagine not enjoying her, or her company. He never knew what he’d get. Even in the brief period of time he’d spent with her, he could tell she’d find ways of surprising him every day, over the years. And that was more of the same dangerous, wishful thinking he’d had at the motel.

  The light changed. Easing the van into an alley beside a string of warehouses scarred by graffiti, he angled into some available space beside a dumpster. If he’d ever wanted to be between the inches, he was there now, by gods. And Meda was right there with him. Again he glanced in the rearview mirror.

  “You ready?”

  “Ready.”

  Dev jumped from the van and opened the rear door. Meda slid out and joined him in the alley. Scanning left, then right, they ran to the warehouse. Thrusting a key in the lock, he yanked the side door open and hustled them inside. One last time, he looked back at the van. As carpenters, their clan had any number of utility vans at their disposal. As an added layer of protection, theirs had been the third white one to leave the network this afternoon.

  Inside, his eyes adjusted to the dim light. Nick and the others had covered the warehouse windows with brown builder’s paper, blocking out the sun and any inquisitive passersby.

  Meda removed her sunglasses and peeled off her contractors’ garb. He followed suit. “Ready to check out the new digs?”

  They fell in step, their voices echoing in the cavernous space. Per Curtis, the warehouse had been used for a rubber molding operation for a time, but had sat vacant the last few years. Their connections with other contractors in the city made securing it at a moment’s notice a relatively simple matter. It was roughly ten thousand square feet. Several pre-fab modular structures—like a box made of cubicle walls—occupied the corner closest to them, which had no doubt been used for office space at one time. A trio of loading docks occupied the far end of the space.

  Aside from the pre-fab structures, the clan had bestowed all manner of creature comforts including two folding beds made up with sheets, pillows, and blankets. At the end of each sat a stack of towels, soap and other toiletries, as well as clean clothes. To the right of the beds they found a refrigerator and a camp stove. Paper plates, cups, silverware, and napkins occupied one end of an eight-foot-long folding table, and a laptop, notebooks, and other office supplies, the other.

  Along with a slender case he hadn’t seen for months.

  My harmonica.

  Oddly touched the clan had left it for him, he took it out, enjoying the feel and shape of it in his hand as he continued his inspection of the preparations. In the center of another table, a monitor showed the security camera feeds, just as Curtis had described it. He’d even installed an app on new, encrypted phones for each of them for keeping watch on the feed.

  “They’ve been busy,” he rasped through a throat tight with emotion. The clan had done so much for him. For Meda. Just because he’d asked. Succeeding was the only way to repay them.

  “I’m amazed. You have a good family,” she said simply.

  “Yes. I do.”

  “I assume your clan set this up in the last day or so?” Meda asked, glancing at the beds. “I thought you were planning on getting rid of me.” She regarded him questioningly.

  He almost laughed out loud. She didn’t miss a trick. “I had them make these arrangements before I knew how the Similitude affected you,” he admitted.

  “I see.” Meda plucked a daisy from a slender glass vase sitting on a side table between the beds.

  An unexpected bright spot. Libby’s handiwork, no doubt. Twirling the bloom between her fingers, she sniffed its petals and smiled, stopping his heart.

  Still watching her, he flipped a switch outside one of the pre-fab spaces. Overhead, fluorescents hummed to life, casting shadows over the concrete and miles of piping in the corrugated metal ceiling. “You ready to check out the rest?”

  With Meda still holding the flower, they explored the two pre-fab structures. One was air conditioned and contained a table that could’ve come from his high school chemistry lab, a desk, a small fire proof safe, another laptop, and more of
fice supplies. A chair and a desk occupied the other structure, complete with another monitor showing the same camera feeds as the one near their living area. A very dated employee bathroom sat aside the pre-fab spaces, complete with peeling paint, cracked terrazzo tiles, and running water in the rust streaked sinks, commodes and showers.

  She grinned. “Looks good to me.”

  He could’ve kissed her for her easy acceptance. His stomach rumbled and he wanted a shower, but first things first. “Let’s check out the rest of the warehouse. Make sure we know where the entrances and exits are. Escape routes.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “You sure know how to show a girl a good time, don’t you, Geary?”

  Twenty minutes later, they’d inspected the loading docks and rolling steel doors. The windows were too high to reach. They tested the key in both warehouse man doors. She paid rapt attention, carefully noting exits and entrances.

  “If something happens to me, you take the van keys and leave,” he instructed. “Get the hell out of here and take the stones with you. Call Nick.”

  “Dev, we went over all of this at the house.”

  “I’m telling you again.”

  “And I’m telling you again.” She stopped, slanted him a look square in the eye. “I won’t leave you.”

  “Yes, you will,” he said softly.

  And he would leave her. In five days, plus hours. He’d have no choice.

  Dev shoved the thought aside. “You hungry?” he asked.

  “Starved. I didn’t eat much at the house.”

  He’d noticed. Just like he found he’d started noticing everything about her. “Let’s see what’s in the fridge.”

  Dev flung it open and whistled. “They’ve been busy. We’re stocked for days. More fried chicken, potato salad, beer, soda, fruit. And these. Two Pittsburgh specials from Gino’s.”

  “Sounds good.” Meda switched on a tabletop fan plugged into a long power cord that ran to the office.

  They remembered. Had gone out of their way to get his favorite. He swallowed past the lump in his throat. How many times had he and Nick wolfed down specials like these after work, while they’d talked, planned, bullshitted? Grabbing some paper plates and napkins, he unwrapped them, offered one to Meda, and sat next to each other in folding chairs.

  “I’m more of a whole foods kind of girl, but when in Rome.” Holding the sandwich, she took an enormous bite, and half of it spilled on her plate.

  He laughed. “No way around it. They’re messy.”

  She grinned and wiped her mouth. “French fries, coleslaw, lunch meat. It’s delicious.” She took another bite.

  “One of the best joints in town. They’ve been making them for over thirty years. Some of them are even named after Steelers. You ever see a game?” Guzzling his soda, he watched her lick her lips. And wished he could do it for her.

  “No,” she said around a bite of sandwich. “My father and I did go to a few Yankees games though.”

  For a few minutes, they ate together in companionable silence. If someone had told him two days ago he’d be sitting in a hot warehouse with a hot woman, masterminding the clan’s fate, he’d have told them they were crazy.

  She lifted her water bottle to her lips and drank. “Food is family. Musko makes a great Muffaletta. He’s from New Orleans.” She grinned, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

  Right before they left the motel, she’d called him. Dev had overheard enough of the conversation to know Musko wasn’t happy. And he didn’t blame him one bit. “You miss him.”

  “Of course. He’s worried about me. He picked up where my father left off, I guess.” She traced a finger along the edge of the table. “What about your parents?”

  “My parents, my biological parents, died when I was about seven.” Remembering, he cleared his throat. “On a mission to save someone.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Her eyes softened. “That must’ve been very difficult. I told you my mother took off when I was a child. But I always had my father.” She set her sandwich down. “What happened after that?”

  “Sean and Charlotte raised me. Dev and Curtis are like my brothers. And Fi, my sister.”

  She squeezed his hand. “I had no idea. They’re good people.”

  Her delicate fingers on his skin both excited and soothed him. “They’re the best.” Just being here, sitting with him and sharing a meal, she eased that memory for him.

  “Dev. I need to ask you something.” She hesitated. “We don’t know what we’re going to get into, with the stones. The experiments. Everything. I want you to know I’m putting my trust in you, with all we’ve been through since we met. You told me you were drained by a Betrayer. That was how you died.” She paused. “This morning, you tried to go after that woman. Dreadlocks.” She twisted strands of hair around her finger and he saw the war of emotion play across her face. “I know she’s your enemy, but she looked young and sick.”

  Railing against Betrayers was so ingrained in him that he took a mental step back in an attempt to assess—through her eyes—what had happened. “I understand why you’re having a hard time with that. Enemies come in all shapes and sizes,” he said firmly. “She was young. And sick. That doesn’t negate her ability to drain Keepers.”

  Meda’s brow creased, and he knew she’d resigned herself to what he’d said. “You were weak from her drain. You still tried to go after her. In the short time I’ve known you, I can see you’re a risk taker. I get it. I know doing what you do, guarding humans, demands it. What scared me was the look in your eyes.” She paused as if gathering herself. “I don’t blame you for wanting revenge. Don’t let it swallow you whole. I can’t do this without you. And you can’t do it without me. You talk about the balance of energy. You need balance in yourself, too.”

  He chewed on that for a moment, along with a bite of sandwich. “Maybe I can’t have balance without taking revenge,” he said quietly.

  “Those conditions that the Watchers gave you? They must trust you, believe in you. They also had to know you’d want revenge. Surely their conditions are tied up in that.”

  Wisdom and book smarts. Damn, this woman was good. Too good. “Probably.”

  “Regardless.” She raised a hand. “If I’m going to relive your death, I want plain facts about what happened, when the Betrayers killed you. I won’t be blindsided. I can’t. I deserve to know.” She notched her chin higher. “To show you that works both ways, I’ll tell you about my scar.”

  He met her eyes. “Okay, Meda Gabriel,” he said lightly. “I accept your terms.” Dammit. He’d scared her. She’d seen that darkness in him, felt his need to hunt down the Betrayers. And take back what was his. The image of a child, weakened, left to die, swept through his mind and snapped him back to the moment with blunt force.

  “You’re right,” he agreed. “You do deserve to know. For what you’ve already done, and your willingness to be here.”

  He would tell her, in his own way, just what’d happened.

  Almost all of it.

  Instantly, he hated himself for holding back. Hadn’t he learned anything from the mistakes Nick made with Libby? But the rest he was too mortified to share. With anyone. So he’d keep it under wraps, the way he, Nick, Sean—and Charlotte—had done for years.

  “Yeah, I want revenge,” he began. “Like I said at the motel. I also know trying to do anything about it could mean the difference between the clan succeeding or failing. It goes back, a long way. Even before the Betrayers drained me.” The event that had changed the course of his life.

  “When I was a kid, I was small for my age. I got picked on. You know how kids can be. Keeper kids are no different. There was this salvage yard. I’d sneak off with Nick and Curtis, on our bikes. It was outside of the Keeper network, and of course, we weren’t allowed to go there. Made
it all the more enticing.” He grinned ruefully.

  Meda leaned in, squeezed his fingers, encouraging him.

  “Anyway,” he went on, “one day, I was in a snit over a girl I had some stupid crush on. Overheard her saying something about me being the runt of the litter. I was seven. I ran off to the salvage yard by myself. As a Keeper, as soon as you can talk, you’re trained never to remove your Vitality stone. I was pissed off at the world that day.”

  “You took it off.”

  “I took it off. And believe me, it wasn’t easy. Vitality stones, and the energy they possess, have a way of merging with their owner’s energies. But I was determined.” His mouth twisted, remembering. “I accidentally dropped it into a drain pipe. I panicked, tried to run home. Before I could, these Betrayer kids tracked me down, beat the shit out of me. If it weren’t for Nick . . . He came looking for me and they ran.” He tipped his head back, sighed.

  “Nick rode me home on his bike. Saved my life,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. He met Meda’s eyes. “As an adult, I made certain I would never be weak again. I worked out constantly. Lifted weights. And I did everything I could to help humans, others, that were too weak to defend themselves.”

  “And you’ve been fighting ever since.”

  “Yeah.” She had an unnerving way of getting right to the crux of things. Am I so easily read? Or is she that perceptive? He heaved a sigh. “The day I died, I was out on a Compulsion that’d been compromised. Haenus overpowered me with the Similitude.”

  She laid a hand on his forearm and he longed to pull her close. “I’m sorry.”

  He knew she meant it. And by confiding in her, he knew he’d deepened their trust. But could he trust himself? “I’m sorry I scared you at the motel. I won’t jeopardize you, the clan, or this Compulsion.”

  But if an opportunity presented itself, and he took it, he could very well jeopardize everything.