"I found you, did I not? Do you really think something so small and glass could stop me? You are naïve little girl."
Mia's hand finally hit the back of the phone sitting behind the counter. She only looked down long enough to dial nine-one-one. She watched the man make a fist and throw it towards the door. Before she could hit the last one she was surprised when his fist stopped not an inch from the glass. There was a flash of light from the door that surrounded his fist. The man howled, curling his fist into his chest. Before he could cover it with his other hand Mia could see it was burned.
The man looked at his hand before taking a step back. "You little witch. You may think you're clever putting wards around the building. But you have to leave some time. Then I'll be waiting. And you will not be expecting me. Because I'll have a different face next time." He glared at her for a moment more before growling, spinning on his heels and heading back across the parking lot.
Mia heard sobbing before she even registered she had started to cry. She quickly pressed the last one and waited as the phone rang.
When an operator came over the line she repeated the whole story. Leaving out the dream. She also left out that the glass burned his hand. The dispatcher said she was sending a car over to the shop now. Officers would be there to take her statement shortly. The dispatcher also mentioned they would have patrol cars go through the parking lot regularly to make sure he didn't come back. It took about three tries before Mia could convince the dispatcher that she would be okay to hang up.
Once she succeeded she immediately called her aunt. Mia could feel her aunt tense through the phone as she started to relay what just happened. As soon as she finished, her aunt informed her that she was on her way to the shop. She would be calling Charlie as soon as they hung up. Both women would be there within the next half hour. She also told Mia to keep the closed sign on and the door locked until the cops arrived. She told her to type up a sign saying due to a family emergency the shop would be closed today. Then told her to inform her employees. Mia couldn't bring herself to argue. There were no events scheduled for the day that would need to be canceled.
So instead when she hung up with her aunt she called each of her employees and told them not to bother coming into work today. They’d both questioned her, asking if things were okay. Mia merely went over the same set of events she related to the dispatcher. Both wanted to come in and be with her but she was able to convince them not to.
Once off the phone she made the sign and waited. She sat on the stool behind the counter staring out the windows that made up the front of the shop. Though she was breathing normally again her heart still hadn't slowed down to a normal beat. She checked the clock behind the counter on the wall to her right. It was almost ten-twenty. She had expected the police to show up before then. She began fiddling with things behind the counter to keep herself occupied but she kept looking at the clock. Finally at almost ten-forty a black SUV and a cop car pulled into the parking spots next to her Prius.
Two cops in uniform got out of the cop car. One male one female; neither looked older than thirty-five. They stood at the front of the cop car and waited for whoever was in the SUV. A moment later the SUV door opened and a man of average height with dark brown hair stepped out of the car. He walked over to the two officers and Mia could see the hand gestures he was making but she couldn't make out most of the words. He seemed to be telling them to canvas the shopping area. Once both officers nodded and headed off down the strip the man from the SUV came walking up to her door.
When he was a foot from the glass he pulled his badge out of his jacket pocket. He put it up against the glass and spoke loud enough for her to hear him. "Mia Jones? My name is Lieutenant Carter Tuckman. I've got my badge up to the door so you can see my badge number. If you would like, feel free to call dispatch and have them check my number and reference it with my name so you'll know I'm legitimate." The whole time he spoke there was no inflection or expression on his face. As if he was trying the best he could to stay calm and nonthreatening.
Mia grabbed the phone and walked to the door. She did exactly what he suggested and checked his badge number. While most of her trusted him because he wanted her to check, a part of her wasn't sure she should be trusting strangers at all. When it checked out and the dispatcher told her he was indeed the officer coming to the scene she thanked the woman hung up before unlocking the door.
As he walked in he gave her a gentle smile. "Good morning, Miss. Jones. I would like to start by letting you know that I am friends with Viking and Gwen. I say this not to alarm you but just to let you know about what is happening.
"I was actually on my way here to speak to you when I heard over the radio about your call. Gwen mentioned to me you might be in danger and asked if I would mind checking out the area where your shop is located just in case. She wasn't expecting anything. She just wanted me to be familiar with the area. And familiar with you. She also mentioned she would appreciate it if I could send patrol cars by every once in a while to check on you. She mentioned that you were going to be at her shop this morning so imagine my surprise when your call came in. So unless you have any questions, why don't you tell me exactly what happened?"
Mia almost felt herself slip back into shock. She was so surprised by the Lieutenant's confession that she just stared at him a moment. How had Gwen known she would be in trouble? It didn't make any sense. She had so many questions but she knew the man in front of her wouldn't be able to give her answers. She could only get them from Gwen later today. How had so much landed on her plate in the course of one day.
"Lieutenant, How do I know what should and should not be on the record?" She couldn't believe what she was saying. Mia had never been one to think about lying to a cop.
Carter smiled. "Don't worry about that. That's my job. You tell me what actually happened and I'll put in the report what the police should think happened. Nothing can endanger you. But it is best if I know what we are really up against."
Mia let out a deep breath and proceeded to let out the whole story starting with the dreams than skipping ahead to the man in the parking lot. It sounded like she never took a breath the entire time she explained the story. She could feel her heart racing again just talking about.
Carter sat quietly nodding the entire time she spoke. He had a comforting presence about him which helped her maintain control. When she finished he seemed to be waiting, as if making sure.
"Do you know what he meant by different face?" It was the only question he seemed to have.
Mia just shook her head.
Carter looked over his shoulder with a puzzled frown. Then he took out a notebook and started scribbling.
Mia couldn't quite read what the Lieutenant wrote. He had terrible handwriting.
Once he seemed to be done he looked up at her again. "So this MP friend of yours" he looked down his notepad and flipped the page before looking back up again. "Charlie, put wards around the building and that is what you think stopped him from coming into the shop?"
Mia nodded again. "Yes, that is the only thing I can think of that would've stopped him. Since he didn't seem to have an aversion to glass before that."
Nodding he tapped the pencil he was using against the pad of paper. "Either Gwen or I will need to talk to Charlie. Someone's going to need to know what spell she was using so we know how it worked and why. Then we will have a better idea about what we are dealing with."
"That won't be a problem. Charlie and I are supposed to be at Gwen's shop at eleven."
Mia took the opportunity to look at the clock. There was no way she was going to make it up to Gwen's store by eleven. It would take thirty minutes in good traffic and here it was ten till.
Mia looked out the front window in time to see both Charlie and her aunt pulling in one after the other. Her aunt jumped out of the car first and didn't wait for Charlie. Instead she ran towards the door to the shop and opened it. Not losing any momentum until she had her arms around Mia
.
Charlie moved at a much more sedate pace. When Mia looked at her over her aunt's shoulder she could see Charlie was watching the Lieutenant warily. She made her way into the shop and stood a few feet from Mia and her aunt.
"This is certainly an interesting turn of events."
Mia wasn't sure why, but she knew Charlie wasn't talking about her attack. Charlie was talking about Lieutenant Tuckman. Mia knew she was missing something but at that moment she didn't particularly care.
The Lieutenant stood up and nodded to Charlie. "If you wouldn't mind I'd like to speak to you in private please." He moved across the store.
Charlie hesitated a second before following. Mia directed her attention to her aunt, who was finally letting go and moving a little bit away. "How are you holding up on? You okay?" The concern filled her aunt's face.
Mia nodded. "I think so. My only concern is if he comes back. I'm not sure how to handle it if he does. I can't very well stay in the shop the rest of the day."
Her aunt stroked Mia's face with her hand. "Don't worry, we'll come up with something."
They sat in silence for a few minutes until Carter and Charlie came back over. Neither of them looked terribly happy. Charlie came and stood next to her while the Lieutenant stopped where he stood before.
"Okay, Miss Jones, I have your description and your version of events so I'm going to head back and fill out the necessary paperwork. If I need more information I will let you know. Please do not hesitate to call me or nine-one-one should anything else happen."
He pulled a business card out of one of his other pockets and put out his hand for Mia to grab it. She smiled at him, taking his card and putting it in her back pants pocket.
He nodded to all three of the before walking out of the shop. He went and spoke to the two officers who were now standing out by the police car again. Mia had not been paying attention so she didn't know how long it'd been since they returned.
After a second or two Charlie interrupted her thoughts. Charlie smiled and looked at Mia with her aunt.
"How about you let me handle this. Don't worry, I won't let any harm come from her. But I think it's better for the others involved if I don't bring another person not of the world into this mess. I think if it is just Mia and I they might be more willing to share information." Charlie looked like she honestly didn't like what she was saying but believed it was the best scenario.
Her aunt looked a little disappointed but nodded. "I can't say that I like the idea but I agree with you. I think it is the best shot to get information. But if there is anything either of you needs I demand you call me and let me know." Then she gave Mia another tightly gripped bear hug before letting go, wiping her eyes, and heading out of the shop.
Mia looked to Charlie. The other woman shifted her head from one shoulder to the other before straightening it out.
"I think it is about time we head to Gwen's store. I also really think it's time we started getting some answers. Are you ready? I'll drive since you've already had an eventful morning."
Mia couldn't agree more. She wanted answers. She wanted information. She wanted to know exactly what was going on. There was a small part of her that thought she wouldn't like the answers. She also needed to talk to Viking. They need to decide on some sort of course of action for this thing that was going on between them. Giving a small nod, Mia followed Charlie out to her car.
Chapter 10
Viking practically paced the shop at eleven. Someone must have called Gwen because after about ten minutes she appeared and convinced him that pacing the lounge would be a better idea. Once in the lounge he yelled for the young warriors in there to get out. Gwen mumbled something about how that wasn't what she had in mind but didn't say anything else before sitting on the couch and watching him pace. It wasn't until almost eleven-thirty that Mia and her MP came walking through the lounge door immediately followed by Raider and Poet.
The expressions on both women's faces told Viking to tread lightly. He wanted to yell and rage about them being late but he could tell something had happened. He could see Gwen in the corner of his eye and could make out enough of her to see she agreed with his assessment. He must have missed someone inviting them to sit down because both women sat on the couch across from him. Even though Viking itched to sit down on the arm of the couch next to Mia he knew that would not be a wise idea. So he forced his body to sit on the same couch as Gwen. Raider sat in one of the armchairs and Poet went to lean against the same table as yesterday.
The MP broke the silence. "Mia had an incident this morning."
Viking's blood started to boil. The anger that someone would bother his mate made him want to rip that someone to shreds. He settled for just making fists in his lap.
"What happened?"
He was glad Gwen spoke. She could keep her voice a concerned neutral. Viking's would have been no more than a growl.
"Well that thing from her dream somehow attached itself to a guy who knew where she worked and waited for her in the coffee shop across the shopping area. He then proceeded to follow her to the store making comments so she would recognize him as being from the dream. She was able to get the shop first and shut the door behind her. When he went to the door the ward I put in place burned him before he could do anything. That was enough to chase him off. When the cops came they did a search of the area could not find him. However he made a comment to Mia that neither of us understand. He said next time she saw him he would have a different face. Does that make sense to any of you?" The MP looked at each of them in turn.
Viking tried to calm himself enough to think. He glanced around the room and did not like what he saw. He was the only one with any shock remotely on his face. Granted it was hard to shock Poet but still. Viking shifted to look directly at Gwen.
"Why is this not a surprise to you?"
Gwen gave him her full attention. For a split second she looked remorseful then she blanked her face. Her husband was rubbing off on her.
"On a hunch I sent Carter down there check out her store since we did not know what we were dealing with. I called to see if he could spot anything as a cop that might help us out. I wanted him to use common channels to watch her during the day. As it turned out, he was on his way down there when Mia was attacked. So Carter was the one who ended up answering the call. When he left Mia. He called me and let me know what happened. I was with Poet and Raider so they heard most of the story as well."
Viking felt a bust anger fly through his body. "Why did you not tell me? Why didn't he call me?"
He knew his voice had grown more aggressive and there wasn't much he could do about it.
Gwen sighed. "You weren't exactly in the right frame of mind for me to be telling you. As for calling you, why would he? I called him. Also, you detached yourself from things this morning. Remember?"
Viking looked away. He felt a little foolish to have forgotten already. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath. "I am not one who knows a lot about the Spirit World." He looked directly at Mia. He couldn't help himself, he didn't want to look anywhere else. "So I put Raider, Gwen and Poet in charge of research. Were you three able to come up with anything?"
He had a fifty-fifty shot of one of them answering. Poet had never been good at following orders and that was, in a way, what he just gave. Gwen usually didn't follow orders on principle.
"I know lots of things. And I know several things which the many faces comment would pertain. But I'm not entirely sure any of them is exactly what you're looking for."
Viking fought the snarl at Poet's words. Count on Poet to give a vague and non-helpful answer.
"I might not have news. It all depends on what this thing does next. Before I came downstairs today I did some searching. And it turns out there might be a couple of beings that could do what this one is doing. Being both in a dream and connected to this guy. Honestly, that could be a lot of them. But the faces comment would probably narrow the field. It could either be trying to freak you o
ut or moving on to a new person to control. I just don't know. At the risk of sounding like a horrible person I won't know until it makes its next move."
That was what Viking was afraid of. He didn't like not having an answer. Especially since this thing seems to have made his mate a target.
"Are you telling me that, with the people you have everywhere, you don't know anything?" The MP sounded angry and Viking could not blame her.
Mia seemed to deflate a little around the edges. "Does that mean no one can help me at all?" She sounded like she already came to a conclusion.
"Not necessarily. The Spirit World is kind of like a dating site. We have to find out everything about him to narrow it down to one specific being. I don't know even ten percent of all the beings in the Spirit World. That's why I can't tell you for sure who this is. Once we know who it is then we might be able to do something. But with the information we have right now I'm afraid there isn't much we can do beyond keep somebody with you and make sure your wards are staying up-to-date."
Viking saw his opening. He felt absolutely devious about using it. It would be a way for him to be around Mia, which would calm the Maddening. And to protect her.
When he spoke he made sure his voice was level. "I can stay with you. Even if that means sleeping on the couch or something like that. I have experience in this."
He added when he saw the speculation on her face. "Gwen has been attacked by spirits for more than twenty years. I'm use to having to protect her from things. This is what I do."
He heard Gwen rustle next to him.
"He has a good point. He was protecting me from things I didn't even know where a danger until it was too late. That might actually be for the best until we can figure out a plan for how to either get you off this thing's radar or get rid of it entirely. Ultimately, it's up to you. He would be staying in your home and infringing on your time. And from the way your MP friend, I'm so sorry I've never gotten your name, is talking I'm guessing she doesn't have a lot of experience with it either."
Viking Sensitivity (Night World Series Book 2) Page 9
