Chasing Silver

by Jamie Craig

  As Kirsten appeared in the window, Remy shrank against the wall and hid in the bushes. “So where’s his rescue brigade?” Kirsten asked. She stared out at the empty front yard, disdain dripping from her voice. “If he knows where I am, then why isn’t he here this second arresting me for kidnapping?”

  “Oh, he’s coming. Let’s just say, I was a little more motivated to get here first.”

  “What do you want?”

  “You know what I want, just like I know what it is you’re after. Let’s leave the boys out of this, yeah? This is between you, me, and your old man’s stupid coin.”

  She heard a male’s voice muffled in the background, and wondered what he was saying. Several seconds passed before Kirsten spoke again.

  “Do you have it?”

  “The coin?” It was the one part of the plan Isaac hadn’t been thrilled with, but she knew it was the only true bargaining chip they had. “Yeah, I’ve got it. I’m willing to make the trade if you make sure Nate walks out of this alive.”

  Sounds from the garage behind her made her whirl, edging away from the house to see what caused them. It had to be Cesar or Tian. Kirsten was already accounted for. But the strange man…Isaac hadn’t known about him. Were there others they didn’t know about?

  That question was answered by a branch snapping behind her. Through the phone, she heard Kirsten talking, but Remy was more concerned with the approaching threat, ducking out of the way just in time to avoid a meaty fist. She twisted to reach for one of the knives strapped to her calf, but a heavy boot connected with her wrist.

  Remy rolled out of the way. From the corner of her eye, she saw the hulking man who had attacked her, blood staining the front of his snug T-shirt. No messing around with this one. She dropped Isaac’s cell phone in favor of going for blades with both hands, but the second her fingers curled around the grips, a shadow fell across her face.

  “Go ahead,” the second goon snarled, his gun aimed right at her eyes. “Give me an excuse to blow your pretty face off.”

  Slowly, Remy let her hands fall lax to the grass, her gaze not wavering from the men surrounding her. The first man grabbed the wrist he’d kicked and jerked her to her feet, yanking the gun she had tucked into the back of her pants.

  “Won’t be needing this,” he said.

  The gun did as she and Isaac had hoped. Thinking she was now unarmed, the goon didn’t check for other weapons. Thank god he hadn’t checked it, though. The only gun Isaac would give her was an empty one.

  Kirsten and the other man stepped out of the house. Kirsten wore a self-satisfied smirk that made Remy long to punch it off, but the man didn’t seem very satisfied or dangerous. In fact, he was smiling.

  “You must be Remy,” he greeted. “Welcome to my home. It was brave of you to come alone. You are alone, right?”

  “Ask Kirsten how much I love cops.” The hulk holding Remy clipped her across the temple, prompting her to ignore the fresh ringing in her ears to turn and glare at him. “Lay off! That was a fucking answer!”

  “It’s my understanding you’re a great lover of cops.” The man shrugged. “Or ex-cops, I suppose. Would you like to see him?”

  “You mean Kirsten wasn’t blowing smoke out her ass saying he was still alive? That’s what his old partner said, you know. That she was going to trade Nate for the coin. Or was that a private deal she was making?”

  It was hard not to grin when she saw the ice queen stiffen. Ignoring Remy, Kirsten turned to the man at her side. “I told you what I was doing, Gabriel. I would have told McGuire anything to get him to bring the Silver Maiden here.”

  “Don’t forget me.” This time, Remy did smile. “I was part of the deal, too, remember?”

  Gabriel sighed, the pleasant smile melting from his face. “Tian was correct about everything, then? I suppose I owe him an apology.” He shot an unreadable look at Kirsten before turning back to the man holding Remy. “Kill her and bring me the coin.”

  Her blood chilled as the hulk pulled his gun from his holster. Reacting on instinct, Remy wrenched free and reached into her pocket. “Guess that’s my cue to get out of here then.” She held the coin in plain view before curling her fingers around it. “Say sayonara to your Silver Maiden, asshole.”

  Fear flickered over Gabriel’s face. He held up his hand. “Sal. Back off.” He took a step toward Remy, but there wasn’t anything menacing about his approach. “What makes you think the coin will work again?”

  “Because it’s not a one-way ticket.” She opened her hand again and began running it between her fingers, the sunlight catching the silver and sending glints across the grass. “It’s all about deepest wishes, right? That’s why she made it in the first place. To trade for her freedom. And the power of the coin gave it to her in the end, just like it got me away from her.” She jerked her chin toward Kirsten, who visibly stiffened. “Just like it’ll get me away from here. Because the last thing I want to do right now is die.”

  “What do you want right now?” Gabriel asked, positioning himself between her and Kirsten.

  She weighed her words before responding. “To not have to run from that bitch any more.”

  “Okay.” Gabriel turned, his gun appearing out of nowhere. Remy jumped as he pulled the trigger, expecting to feel the red hot pain of the bullet, but blood was flowing down Kirsten’s face. She stood as still as a statue, the hole like a third eye above her nose, for just one second before falling face-forward onto the driveway. “Now give me the coin.”

  Remy couldn’t move. He shot her. Holy fuck, he actually shot her. She had only been hoping to make her answer sound as plausible as possible without triggering some effect of the coin she didn’t know about. She had never expected that he’d kill Kirsten.

  Her eyes fixed on his calm features. Whoever the hell this Gabriel was, she understood now. He was the dangerous one here. She had to be a lot more careful how she dealt with him.

  “How do I know you’re not going to just kill me, too?” she asked, as evenly as she could. A familiar form appeared around the far corner of the house. Both relief and fear flooded her veins.

  “I want that coin more than I want to see you dead.” Despite his words, the gun didn’t waver. “Hell, I don’t want to see you dead at all. But you have a connection to the Silver Maiden, and I’ve spent the last twenty years searching for it.”

  “Then get that gun off her,” Nathan said from behind him. The two men on either side of Remy tensed, drawing their guns.

  “Pierce. McGuire,” Gabriel greeted cordially, neither his gaze nor his gun moving from her head. “Take another step and my boys here will turn you into Swiss cheese.”

  Both Nathan and Isaac stopped, but didn’t lower their weapons. They had approached Gabriel from opposite sides of the house, and now they stood several feet behind him on either side. Even from that distance, Remy saw the danger in Nathan’s eyes.

  “Sounds like a lose-lose situation then,” she said, her voice nonchalant even to her ears. It was hard to keep from staring at Nathan. Though his grim determination was etched in his taut muscles, there were livid burns and cuts all along his bare chest. She had no idea how he managed to stay upright. “Anything happens to them and I’m outta here. It would be a shame to get so close to the Silver Maiden and then have it disappear right in front of your eyes. Especially after twenty years.”

  “What about Tian?” Gabriel asked, his head slightly turning to his right. “Did you kill him?”

  Isaac glanced at Nathan before responding. “As tempting as it was, no. Surprisingly, he passes out like a girl when you hit him on the head.”

  “Fine. Remy, give me the coin, and I’ll let you and your friends go. I’ll even throw in Tian. He’s still got that bounty.” When she didn’t respond, he tilted his head. “Unless you plan to use the coin again. How much running have you got left to do?”

  Her eyes flew to Nathan’s. She didn’t want to run any more. Her home was here, with him, for as long as he wo
uld let her stick around. The slight softening of his mouth along with the almost imperceptible nod of his head were all Remy needed to know he wanted that, too.

  She flipped the coin through the air, watching it twist and turn in the sunlight to land in the soft grass at Gabriel’s feet. “Deal.”

  Gabriel smiled. “Good girl. Sal, go get the car.” He bent, picking up the coin. It flickered in the sun, reflecting light into his brown eyes.

  Sal hurried to the garage, but nobody else moved, locked in their tenuous tableaux. Remy’s eyes shifted from Gabriel to Nathan. His face was still set in a hard mask, but the hand holding his gun trembled, and fresh blood stained his chest.

  The hum of the garage door filled the air, followed by a silver Lexus backing onto the drive. With one last look at Remy, Gabriel lowered his gun and headed for the car, the man at her other side close on his heels.

  She didn’t exhale until the Lexus disappeared down the street.

  “Remy,” Nathan said, lowering his arm. The gun hung from his fingers for a moment before slipping to the ground. He stepped back, putting his hand out to catch himself, but came up with nothing but air.

  Both Remy and Isaac rushed forward, reaching him before he lost his balance completely. Isaac caught him by the shoulder, and her arm fit snugly around his waist.

  “We’ve got to get him to a hospital. Can you two save the kissy-face reunion until we know for sure he’s not going to need something silly like a blood transfusion or something?”

  She saw Nathan’s lips twitch in amusement. While she would have loved to have the kissy-face reunion Isaac described, the delicate fluttering of Nathan’s muscles beneath her palm told Remy just how barely he was holding himself together. “Well, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

  Together, they began the trek back to Isaac’s waiting car.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Nathan had wondered what it might be like to boast one hundred stitches, but it was more of a drunken musing than an actual desire to experience it. A blanket covered his chest. He had no wish to inspect the result of the good doctor’s handiwork. For now, he couldn’t feel it either. He wasn’t sure what they had shot him up with, but he liked it. It had a nice numbing effect without clouding his brain—too much.

  He picked listlessly at the bandage wrapped around his hand. Where was everybody? Why had he woken with only an old nurse with tired eyes for company? He couldn’t help but think of the last time he opened his eyes in a hospital bed, disoriented, confused and shocked to be alive. He remembered begging the nurses to tell him about Isaac, his voice a toneless whisper, his throat burning…

  This is different. Remy and Isaac are fine. You saw that. Gabriel didn’t shoot her.

  When the door opened, Nathan’s gaze went to it without hesitation, relief flooding through him at the familiar shape of Isaac’s shoulders filling the frame. Dark shadows hollowed his friend’s face, and his clothes were rumpled, as if he’d been sitting in them for a long period of time. The smile, however, was warm and genuine.

  “Up for some company?”

  “Depends. Can you get me out of here? It’s a lovely room, but I was hoping for something with more of a view.” He beckoned Isaac over to the bed. “Where’s Remy? Is she okay?”

  “She’s good. She’s in the waiting room. The docs were a little overprotective until they got you all stitched up, though that could’ve been the fact that I threatened them if they didn’t make you a priority.” Shutting the door behind him, Isaac grabbed one of the metal-edged chairs and carried it over, flipping it to straddle when he sat down. “You didn’t beat my record, by the way. That knifing on my calf still stands at thirty-two stitches.”

  “The knifing on your calf? You don’t mean the time you slipped and fell on a knife, do you? Because I don’t think that counts toward the record.” Nathan pushed the blanket down, exposing his chest. “One hundred beats thirty-two any day. You owe me a drink.”

  Isaac held up a warning finger. “First of all, it doesn’t count, adding up all your little cuts to try and beat my one big one. Secondly, a guy was holding that knife when I fell on it. Just because he was already dead doesn’t mean it doesn’t count.” He shrugged, his smile self-effacing. “But, because I’m such an accommodating guy, I’ll buy you that drink anyway. I’ll even buy one for Remy if you ask nicely enough.”

  Nathan lifted his eyebrow, almost surprised by Isaac’s concession to Remy. “Oh yeah? Then can I take this to mean you’re not going to threaten to lock her up anymore?”

  “Well, I might threaten…” he teased. His gaze ducked for a moment, his mood sobering. “Look. I’m not going to pretend to understand how this time travel stuff worked to get her here. And I’m not sure I’m crazy about you forgetting all about the brain not dick philosophy when she’s around. But the fact of the matter is…I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody go to bat for you so strong or so hell-bent before. Anybody who wasn’t me, I mean. That means something.”

  Nathan chuckled, and soon the light sound turned into a full laugh. It hurt his chest and shoulders, but the image of Isaac trying to work with Remy was just too much. But it wasn’t that—as funny as it was—fueling the laughter. The tension and fear that had been lodged in his chest shattered, and he needed the momentary release.

  “Let me guess,” he said, once he caught his breath, “You tried the old ‘keep your mouth shut’ plan with her, didn’t you?”

  Isaac sat up in mock-hurt. “It’s a good plan. And when I’m not partnered with a hothead know-it-all who wouldn’t know a plan if it bit her on her cute little ass, it actually works.”

  “Yeah, but she did a good job of not getting us all killed.” Nathan looked down at his bandaged hand, the back of his neck tingling as he thought about how close he had been to losing her. “I love her, you know.”

  Silence stretched between them, long enough to draw Nathan’s gaze back up to his friend’s. The amusement was gone from his inscrutable eyes, replaced by a somber regard usually reserved for drunken soliloquies in the wee hours of the morning.

  “I suppose saying you only just met her would be kind of pointless.”

  “I think it would be, yes. When Cesar wasn’t trying to flay me alive, I had a great deal of quiet time for thoughtful reflection.” When Isaac’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion, Nathan clarified. “I was terrified and all I wanted to do was see her again. But I would have died before telling them where to find her. Had I known you were going to bring her to them, I might have tried a different tactic.”

  “You can stop acting like I had a choice in the matter any time now.”

  Nathan smiled at his friend’s exasperation. “You didn’t have to use her for bait, is all I’m saying.”

  “And again, I’m going with her idea, not mine.” His gaze flickered over the injuries marring Nathan’s chest before climbing up to the faded scar at the base of his throat. “She told me she wasn’t Susanna. I think that’s when I knew I could trust her. Because there’s no way you would’ve told her that story if you didn’t.”

  “And I was stone-cold sober when I told her, too.” He looked up, catching Isaac’s eyes. “I think Susanna has taken enough of our lives. Can’t live like this forever, Isaac.”

  “Well, you can’t.” Isaac rose from the chair, pushing it back to the wall, and shot him a grin. “Some of us don’t need a woman to define who we are.”

  “Well, who needs a woman when you’ve got goldfish?”

  “And they’re damn fine goldfish, too.” He jerked a thumb at the door. “You want me to send her in here? The docs say you have to stay in overnight for observation, but I pulled some strings and if you want her to stay, too, that’s okay.”

  “I’d appreciate it. And, Isaac? Thanks for coming for me.”

  The smile he was leaving with was just as warm as the one he’d arrived wearing. “Like there was ever any question I wouldn’t.”

  “Of course not.” Nathan smiled. “I still o
we you twenty dollars.”

  Isaac snorted. “If you ever get your tab down to twenty dollars, I will take you out for the best dinner this town has to offer. By the way, I made sure your money got deposited.”

  “Money?”

  “Tian’s bounty. Minus the amount you owe me, of course.”

  “I owe you more than Tian was worth.”

  Isaac smiled and opened the door. “Now cover yourself back up before I send Remy in. The last thing she needs to see is the Frankenstein monster there on display.”

  When the door closed behind Isaac, Nathan stared at the empty space he left for several long seconds. It had been easy enough to state his feelings for Remy aloud to Isaac. Now he just needed to figure out how he would tell the girl herself.

  * * *

  Remy nearly knocked over an orderly as she raced for Nathan’s room. It felt like she had been waiting for days to see him, pacing the too-white waiting area until she knew how many steps it took to get from wall to wall, when the nurses went on their breaks, which doctors did their jobs instead of passing off care to subordinates. When Isaac got to go in first, she wanted to shout in frustration. He wasn’t the only one who cared, damn it. She deserved to see him, too.

  So when he came back out and announced Nathan had to stay overnight, Remy deflated. She wasn’t even sure what that meant for her. Would it be okay to spend the night back at his apartment? The thought was frightening. It wouldn’t feel right without him there.

  The second Isaac told her she could stay, too, she threw her arms around him. The next, she was running down the corridor.

  She burst through the door without knocking, but then skidded to a halt when she saw how pale he was next to the white sheets. Over a hundred stitches, Isaac had said. Be careful. She had to be cautious in how she approached. The last thing Remy wanted was to make his condition worse.

  “Hey,” she softly breathed.

  Nathan grimaced. “Do I look that bad?”

  Guilt flooded through her. “Of course not.” She closed the distance to the bed, hovering at the side as her fingers skimmed along the mattress edge. “But Isaac told me what they had to do for you. The stitches and the transfusion and everything. You don’t need me jumping all over you, making it hurt more.”