“Helen? I didn’t know she had an Aunt Helen.”
“Me either. That’s why I was worried.”
“Hey, I’m not saying you did the right thing. Spying on the girl isn’t the way to handle things. Sometimes a man has to take no for an answer, Cruise. No means no.”
“No means—look, I didn’t try to force anyone to do anything. I’ve just never heard of this lady, is all. So I watched the place for a while. Then I left. Lucy at the Pirateer can vouch for me.”
“Fine, you weren’t being a pervert. Go see if she’s home now. If she’s not, check up at the souvenir shop. I’d like to know if that’s related and if maybe this Aunt Helen might know something. I’ll finish Mrs. Bannister’s report on Joshua first. Meet you at the station when I’m done.”
“Got it, chief.” I left without saying anything to the county deputies, but I made sure I waved at Mrs. Bannister before I left. Nosy old bat. The old, less mature Cruise would have dumped a truckload of feral cats on her doorstep as a thank you. Pulling the car in front of the faded white picket fence, I hesitated for a moment and then put the new squad car in park. I walked through the rock garden to Nik’s front door. Nothing looked out of place. The door used to be light blue, but like the fence, it needed a good paint job. Paint didn’t last long here on the island. I knocked once, then twice, but nobody answered. I walked around back, but the back door was locked. The kitchen window was open but the screen was secure, and I didn’t see anyone moving around in there. I could smell fresh coffee. That was a good sign, I told myself as I fought the panic rising in my chest. She had to be all right. What kind of criminal stuck around to make coffee after he committed his crimes? I got back in the car and rode the quarter mile to Shipwreck Souvenirs. Nik’s pink and white bicycle was parked on the side of the building, and I could see that something had been in her garbage again. The animal had made such a mess that it was clearly visible from the road. I wasn’t offering to pick up the trash again. Not today.
I pulled in the front parking lot and left the lights on for effect. At least she’d know I was on official business and not acting like a nosy pervert.
Not like last night, right? Geesh. Here I am worried sick, and she’s perfectly fine. Looking beautiful. Damn, I’m a loser.
“Good morning,” I greeted her, trying to sound as official as possible.
“Good morning, Cruise.” She stopped in the middle of pushing the cash drawer in, and the register bell dinged. It sounded ridiculously loud. “I haven’t made coffee yet.”
“Didn’t come for coffee. Are you okay?” Then in a worried rush of words I said, “I met your Aunt Helen. She says that there was some kind of family crisis. You know I would have been there for you, if you’d just tell me.” To my surprise she didn’t try to argue with me or defend herself. Instead she turned her back to me and began filling baskets with seashell coin purses. “Hey, did you hear me? There’s a dead guy on your street, so excuse me if I’m a little concerned about you.”
She dropped the purses and faced me. I could tell she’d been crying. What was going on? Her eyes were more blue than gray, and that always happened whenever she got teary-eyed. I never saw anyone else like that. It was one of the things that made her so unique. That and her perfume, which drove me nuts. “Someone died on Chaumont?”
“The postmaster, Lloyd Joshua. Mrs. Bannister found his body this morning in her driveway.”
“Oh my God. That’s horrible.” She shoved the basket into the cubicle behind her counter and turned to face me again. She looked too calm, too still. “He seemed like a nice man.”
“What is going on, Nik? Or should I call you Thessalonike? Who is Aunt Helen?” The hair on my arms stood up, and my mouth felt drier than it had when I woke up this morning. “Say something.” I was pretty worried now. Even if she didn’t want to date me, we’d been friends since I moved here. Was she going to throw that away?
“Stop, Cruise! You can’t help me with this. Listen, I have a big family. But it’s really complicated, and I don’t even know how to begin to explain it.”
“Explain what, Nik?” I reached for her hand, and she didn’t pull away. “What is it? You’re a gypsy? You’re a criminal? What is it?” My typical humor wasn’t working.
She slid her hand away, patting me once, and said in a flat tone, “It’s going to be okay and you have to trust me.” She stared me in the eyes, and I felt my skin crawl again.
“What is this? Some kind of Jedi mind trick?” Before she could respond, the old-fashioned front door bell rang and in walked a man I knew I hadn’t seen before. He had to be six four, totally built, and his face was striking. He had shoulder-length brown hair, but he didn’t look like a sissy. Not one bit. He was strong, and not just gym strong either. He glanced at me but kept his focus on Nik.
“We have to go,” he said to her. She looked from me to him and reached for her purse under the counter.
“Go where?” I asked, exasperated.
Slinging the purse on her shoulder she spoke again in that unusually calm voice. “You have to trust me, Cruise. I will be okay.”
“Stop talking like a damn robot and tell me what’s going on. I’m the cop here.”
The man laughed at her. “That’s not going to work. We have to go.”
“Goodbye, Cruise.” She practically shoved me out the door, and I stood stupidly watching her lock it. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this would be the last time I saw her. “I can’t see you anymore. I want you to forget me. I mean it.” She left her bike and went walking down the road with the stranger. I watched them clear Targetti’s and Spinner’s Seafood. Standing with my hands on my hips, I tried to shake off the residue of last night and the heartbreak of today.
My crazy father had been right all along. Women were different than men. They had crooked hearts.
Chapter Twelve—Ramara
Battle Lines
What in the world did she see in the human? Or half-human. He wasn’t too bright if he didn’t even realize that he had supernatural DNA inside him. Definitely wasn’t too tall. “I’m not impressed,” I confessed in a low voice.
Without missing a beat she said, “Do you need to be impressed?”
“He’s not worthy of you.”
She made a sound that let me know she didn’t want to talk about it. “What is so important that you had to out me in front of him?”
“Out you? I do not understand the phrase. Forgive me. I have been elsewhere for the past fifty years. You know, while you were playing house with that other human. Sirens are fickle creatures.”
“Don’t be bitter because you haven’t experienced love, Ramara.”
“I take offense at that.”
“You’ll take offense at anything you don’t understand, and quite frankly I don’t care right now.” We walked toward the water’s edge and then walked toward the gloomy-looking motel. Such a far cry from my last assignment in Versailles. The walk took us out of the way a bit, but being near the water was good for both of us. Probably a good idea to change the subject. Perhaps I wasn’t as well versed in love as the princess was, but I did know what love felt like. I had loved before. Should I point that out? Probably not. She didn’t seem like she was in the mood to talk about personal matters.
“You will never believe who washed up on shore this morning. I don’t know how he found his way here—that’s not true. It had to be your pet. Only a mermaid could have released him. It’s Agrios. Heliope is going to blow a ringer.”
“You mean a gasket, and Meri is not my pet. She’s my friend.” She smiled despite her irritation and focused her mesmerizing eyes on me. “Are you serious now? It truly is Agrios?”
“I am always serious, princess.”
“I have asked you before to call me by my name, Nike or Thessalonike. Not princess. It is the modern age, Ramara.”
“What about Nik? May I call you that?”
“Um no. Only my friends call me that.”
“I se
e.”
“Don’t act hurt. I am no one important, and just because we see one another a few times a century doesn’t make us actual friends.”
“That is also painful to hear. I have few friends.”
She slung her drooping purse over her shoulder and peered at me cautiously through her long bangs. “If you mean that, I am sorry. I guess I wasn’t ready to remember yet, but here we are again. At least it’s you and not some god-awful Muse.”
“I hear there aren’t too many of those anymore. Like the Tritoni. They have almost disappeared.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much. Knowing muses, they’re probably gathered together trying to outsing one another. They make children seem like intellects.”
I had to laugh in agreement. “Well, you must be important to the grand scheme of things or the Order would not have sent me to protect you.”
“There are no Macedonian kingdoms here—I have no illusions that I am all that important. The only thing important about me, at least in the eyes of the Order, is the blood that flows through my veins. Funny, isn’t it? All that science that the world now knows about, everything people know about DNA, and the battle for my DNA continues. And, in point of fact, the Order did not send you here to protect me. That’s not your primary task, is it? It’s the Sirens Gate. It is the last one. If Roxana destroys it, there will be no chance for anyone to use it again. That’s it. Finito, as the Italians say.”
That reminded me of my encounter with Faydra, and of the ominous letter that showed up in Nike’s home. The tension in the air increased, and I could not shake the feeling that we were being watched. Not from the skies, for I would have seen anyone approach. The sky was cloudless and the air was still except for the southerly breeze. I missed the smell of orange trees and the sprinkling of fountains. I missed home, suddenly. Perhaps Faydra had been right. I was too old for this. Maybe I should have given up my wings when I had the chance.
Shaking her head, Thessalonike asked, “Where did you stash Agrios? Why would Meri bring him here, if that’s truly what happened?”
“I don’t know why she would. Perhaps the mermaid meant to give him as a gift. He’s in my room, but I don’t know how long I can keep him quiet. He was sleeping when I left, thankfully. Since he wasn’t quite himself yet, I was able to use a minor enchantment to control him, but he will be stronger from his long confinement. And who can tell what kind of mood he will be in? These so-called gods have bad attitudes; even though nobody much remembers them anymore, they act as if the whole world owes them something. That goes double for Agrios. Such a proud little man. You know how one of them is when he comes out of confinement. All he thinks about is drinking, eating and…um, women. I’m not here to guard him. I’m here to protect you—and then the gate,” I corrected her. Why was I telling her this? Would I really put her before the gate? Odd that I would want to. “This way,” I said gruffly as we walked up the rickety stairs.
I led her past a row of doors at the Summer Breeze Motel. “So what’s the plan here?” she asked. “I can’t go up there. You say he has been confined with no female companionship? No way am I going in that room. He’ll be on me before I can say my name. I’ll stay outside while you make sure he hasn’t torn the place down. Then we’ll come up with some kind of plan.”
“If he is willing to help us, Agrios has the power to turn tides. That could come in handy. From my initial contact with Roxana, I can see that she plans to play on the water. I wasn’t sure she would.”
“I never doubted it. That and the Drago constellation is above us tonight. I think we’ll have to stop her sooner rather than later. I wonder why after all this time she wants to try again? Wasn’t Alexander’s last resurrection disastrous enough? And why would the Order leave such an important matter to us and not back us up?”
“Because they can’t. I think—oh no! Just a minute.” I heard something crash in my room. Obviously my charge was awake now. Awake and throwing a tantrum. Sliding the key in the door, I raised my arm to protect myself from any blow that might come my way. Agrios acted first and thought about it afterwards. “Hey! Agrios, it’s me! Ramara.” One crash later, I was inside and had him by his arm. From the look of the room he’d had quite a temper tantrum. I heard Thessalonike speaking to someone outside. I held Agrios by the throat now to keep him from shouting at me. “Shh. Will you keep quiet?”
The motel manager, someone she obviously knew, was yelling at her, but it didn’t last long. Her mesmerizing voice calmed the situation, and soon he was trotting down the stairs back to wherever he came from. Agrios sniffed the air. “A siren…how long it’s been. Please, send her in.”
“I will not. That is Thessalonike, not one of your playthings, Agrios. Now calm yourself down if you can.” He had not changed much. Still short with a head of brown curls. I’d heard some women over the years call him handsome, but I didn’t see it. He had overly large lips and slightly bulbous brown eyes. Probably swollen from all the wine he drank. He was the patron of wine, after all. He took his job seriously, but his philandering ways often got in the way. Including with goddesses like Heliope. He’d wined her for years before she consented to be his consort. He stole her from Philip and, once he claimed her, cast her off like a broken old sandal. Agrios had no love for Philip or his children, but he’d been mandated to protect them. They were not the children of Heliope—or Olympia, as she had been known prior to her exalted position as goddess—but he hated them no less. Yet, despite himself, he loved Heliope, or so he told everyone who would listen back then. Who knew how he felt now? Gods never loved like lower beings. Thinking about love again, are we? Perhaps I should cast off my wings and grab a lyre.
“What do you mean by dragging me here? I have nothing to do with any of this. If I can’t roam free, then at least let me go back to my confinement.”
“I think you’ve sulked enough. We have a crisis. Now. This moment. I can’t endure any more of your theatrics, puny man. Now can we move this along?” I released his arm and looked at him sternly. “The mermaid Meri brought you here to help Thessalonike, although I personally don’t see much value in you—or any cast-off god,” I growled at him as I stood a few inches from his face. “But you have a part to play in this, Agrios. Roxana wants to activate the gate for Alexander. I have orders to protect the princess and keep the gate sealed. It is not his time, if it ever will be.” Unafraid, he stepped past me, walked toward the window and stood staring at the girl. He licked his lips as he watched her. She wasn’t looking at us but kept her focus on the crashing waves. Her slim body leaned against the railing. A squall was brewing over the west end of the island, and she watched it with her steely gray eyes.
“I thirst. I need wine and lots of it. If they have that here. Where am I? I do not recognize this shoreline.” His voice was quiet and thoughtful. Never good.
“You are in the southern part of the United States, on a barrier island. Dauphin Island, it is called now; it was once Massacre Island. Do you remember where they kept you? What crime did you commit last?”
“Why? Is that any of your concern, eloi? Can you bring me wine, or do I need to speak to the siren? Perhaps I will go myself and find some. It has been a long time since I explored anywhere new.”
“I will get you what you want, but you cannot tear the place down, Agrios. This is a very small island, and we have strict orders to remain anonymous.”
A sneaky smile spread across his face, but he did not turn his gaze away from Thessalonike. I grew angrier by the moment as I watched him leering at her. “Anonymous. Your orders, eloi. Not mine.”
I grunted in indignation. “Fair enough. But what will Heliope say when I tell her you assaulted her charge?”
“Heliope is here in this godforsaken place?” His eyes widened with a mixture of delight and wariness.
“Yes, and I’m sure she will be happy to see you.”
That broke his attention from the princess. I stood tall and erect, hoping he would challenge me openly so
I could throttle him. “I advise you to bring me that wine soon. The drunker I’ll be, the better. For everyone.”
“Stay here. Don’t venture out. It’s not safe. There are many kinds of creatures here, and none of them will be happy to see you. You are, after all, no longer in charge.”
“Is anyone?” he asked. It was the first serious question of the night.
“I guess we will see.”
He smiled stupidly. “And sooner than you think. I suggest you put the enchantment back on the door. I feel reasonable at the moment, but you and I both know that won’t last. I’m not the god of wine and drunken women for nothing.”
“I’ll be back soon. I’ll get your wine, but I want your word that you will help her if she needs it.”
“Oh, I give you my word. Bring me wine now.”
I didn’t feel any better. What was a god’s promise worth? Not much.
I walked outside, bowed my head and spoke the enchantment over the lock. Thessalonike saw him but did not acknowledge him. “You were right. Stay away from him as long as you can. He hasn’t changed much. Let’s walk and talk. I have to get him wine. Where can I go to find this?”
“Um, package store. It’s back that way, past my shop. Right at the bridge. I’m going to see Meri and then Heliope. She’s going to love this bit of news. What was Meri thinking? Why him?”
“Probably because he was the closest. There is a veiled island south of here. I’m sure that’s where he was sent. Some dalliance with a high-ranking rage, although he wouldn’t admit it. After all this time, he’s still a piece of work.”
“Why would he help me, Ramara? I don’t understand. He never liked me, not in a real way. Only as a potential sexual partner, and that was never going to happen.”
“Because he can’t allow that gate to be destroyed any more than any of the rest of the Order can. I don’t pretend to understand it all, but those gates are tied somehow to their power. It’s always been a balancing act between the races. Those gates were kind of the tiebreakers. Now there’s just the one here for our kind. The air folk have two, and I can’t tell you more than that.”
Blue Water (The Nike Chronicles Book 1) Page 8
