by E G Bateman
Scott had his cell in his hand again. “I’m messaging Dolores. We need to get to New Orleans. It’ll take too long to do it in jumps.”
Jesús stood on the sidewalk, waiting for them. They pulled up and Dick passed the sleeping puppy to him before they accelerated away.
Twenty minutes later, they were at the diner outside the city and Dolores was waiting for them. “I don’t have long. It’s taken me this long to secure a meeting with the elders.”
They hurried through the fae door and stopped outside Chief Rand’s house.
She looked at her watch. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
“I’ll look around back and see if I can peek through any windows.” Dick stepped to the side of the house and made his way toward the rear.
Scott turned to Lexi. “Can you stand out of view of the door? Your face might complicate things.”
Lexi nodded when she realized he might be right. She stood at the side of the house while he knocked on the door.
It opened and a man spoke. “What do you want?” He was abrupt and sounded hostile.
The sorcerer responded in his best polite tone. “May I speak to Bryan, please?”
“Bryan? There’s no Bryan here. You have the wrong house. Get out of here.” The door slammed.
He tried knocking again.
The door flew open and the chief shouted in his face. “What?”
“I’m sorry. You might remember me—I was helping Alicia with her car.”
“I told you, you have the wrong place. I don’t know any Alicia. I’m busy and I have to get this done. Leave me alone.” The door slammed again.
Scott wandered to where she waited at the corner of the house. “Well, that was weird. Caleb must have counseled him to forget Alicia and Bryan. I’d say it looks like he doesn’t plan for either of them to return. The chief was really angry.”
Lexi turned to him, her expression grim. “As angry as Mayor Todd was when Caleb sent him to burn Dick’s house down?”
They stared at each other.
Dick appeared. “The kitchen window was open. The house stinks of gasoline and a woman is simply sitting there, staring into space.”
“Shit!” the two friends said in unison.
“Get him out of there.” She turned to Dick. “The wife.”
Scott disappeared and a moment later, a loud whomp made her freeze in concern.
Dick vanished in the next moment.
Dolores’s door arrived at the end of the yard a second before Scott appeared with Chief Rand unconscious in his arms.
Lexi looked around as the front window exploded. “Was Bryan in there? And where’s Dick?”
The sorcerer disappeared again and returned with Mrs. Rand and Dick. Without a word, he was gone again.
Dick spun and hurriedly extinguished a few flames on his jacket. “I thought I was a goner. I tried to get her out, but she put some mage whammy on me and I couldn’t move.”
A few seconds later, Scott returned. He coughed and shook his head. “He’s not there.”
They stared at the blazing house for a moment before Dolores called her door. “We need to get them out of here.” She frowned. “Where to?”
Lexi thought for a moment. “Joseph’s bar.”
Scott lifted the chief in his arms and Dick threw the man’s wife over his shoulder. The fae put her hand on Scott for directions as she called the door. They stepped through into the courtyard at Joseph’s bar.
He walked out to them. “Is that the chief of police?”
“Hello again, old friend.” Dick put the chief’s wife on a table. “It is.”
The sorcerer laid Kevin on the next table and stood with his hand on their heads. “I’ve counseled both of them. They shouldn’t remember anything, but they may still have the compulsion to kill themselves. I don’t know enough about the magic that caused this.”
Lexi turned to Joseph. “I’m sorry to dump this on you. Bryan and Alicia have been taken.”
The man nodded. “Go. We’ve got these two.” He looked at the unconscious form of Chief Rand. “The War of the Blood has begun.”
She stared at him, both confused and alarmed. His words resonated in a way she couldn’t quite grasp.
Dolores turned to her and opened her fae door. “I need to return to the Hall of the Elders. You get to Vegas and prepare for your flight. I’ll try to keep you updated.”
Lexi faced her. “What aren’t you telling us? Why do you keep swapping how you travel? And why are we flying tomorrow?”
The fae sighed. “I think I’m being tracked by the Elders. Something’s not right.”
Dick was at her side in a moment. “What can I do? Do you want me to stay with you?”
She shook her head. “You can’t come to fae.”
The vampire rolled his eyes. “Bigots.” He looked around. “Scott, then. Or what about Joseph? You’d go, wouldn’t you Joseph?”
Dolores put her hands onto his chest. “I’m fine. Calm down. You have to go. Look after each other.”
They returned through the door and walked to the car. As Lexi climbed into the passenger seat, she considered everything that had happened. “What’s changed?”
Dick glanced at her but didn’t respond. He and Scott waited.
“Caleb’s known the chief for years—and presumably, Bryan and Alicia.” She looked at the two of them. “Why is he burning his bridges now?”
The sorcerer looked out of the window as the car began to move. “It feels like something is coming.”
At the condos, they reached the door as Jesús stepped out to walk Marcel. Dick took the lead from him. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll walk him.”
He released it and watched as Dick strode along the sidewalk with Marcel bounding along beside him. “He’s changed.”
The comment so eerily echoed her question in the car that she did a double-take. “How so?”
“For a man with many years to fill. He seemed so empty before. He’s always been kind to others.” Jesús chuckled. “In his own way. But I think now, he’s starting to be kind to himself.”
Lexi looked at the young Mexican man. “Goodnight, Jesús.”
She thought about what he had said. There was no denying it. Dick was a complicated man. She suddenly winced as she remembered the childish trick she was playing on him and realized she had begun to regret it.
I hope he’s feeling kind tomorrow.
Chapter Sixty-Six
Erika stood in line at her local convenience store.
The woman ahead of her was flustered. She turned and apologized for about the ninth time. “I’m so sorry. I know my wallet is here somewhere.”
She smiled kindly. “There’s no need to hurry, I’m fine.”
As she watched, more of the woman’s hair slipped out of the knot on her head and made her appear bedraggled. It was clear her head wasn’t in the game. She had started by asking for a scratch card, then put her groceries through, then asked for a scratch card again.
“Here it is.” The woman yanked her purse out and paid for her groceries. She put her change away, then looked at the two tickets. “Oh. I didn’t mean to buy two.” She turned to Erika. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting. Here.” She thrust one of the tickets into her hand. “Good luck.”
The shopper moved to the end of the counter to start scratching her card.
Erika paid for her sandwich and moved to the end of the counter. “Any luck?”
She shrugged. “Not today. How about you?”
It made sense that she might as well scratch the card before she left the store. If she was lucky enough to win ten dollars, she’d have to come back to cash it in.
When she felt in her pocket for a coin, the woman handed her what appeared to be a poker chip.
With a smile, she took it. “Who should I thank if I win a million?”
“I’m Dolores,” the woman responded with a smile.
Erika scratched the silver coating from the boxes. Ten dollars, fou
r million dollars, two dollars, ten dollars, four million dollars, two dollars, five dollars, one dollar. She looked at the last box. She could win ten dollars, but most likely two dollars, if anything. After an inward shrug, she scratched.
“Erika? Are you all right?” Dolores stared at her. She held her hand out and the girl wondered if she wanted the ticket back.
Instead, the woman plucked the chip from her fingers. “It’s my lucky chip.”
“Am I— Sorry, what?” Did I tell her my name? I guess I must have. She looked at the card and counted, then counted again. Finally, she checked the instructions. It was the same figure three times. Four million dollars, three times.
When she looked up, Dolores had gone. After a moment, she refocused on the ticket, then stuffed it into her bra. She left her lunch on the counter. While she loved her job and loved the people at Emmersley, she decided not to work today.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Lexi turned away from the information desk with a large envelope in her hand.
Scott looked at the time. “We’ll have to run to make this flight.” He stared at Dick.
The vampire rolled his eyes. “I said sorry.”
“Seriously, dude. How could you forget you had a dog?”
“He’s my first dog ever. I didn’t know I couldn’t pop him under my arm and bring him along. I’m sure I’ve seen the Kardashians do it.”
“The guy said it depends on the airline,” she explained. “Some allow pets in the cabin. Unfortunately, we’re traveling with an airline that wants to throw dogs into the cargo hold.”
He was outraged. “Over my dead body.”
She snorted. “So much is wrong with what you said.”
Scott shook his head. “Poor Jesús was halfway back to Palm Springs when you called him to collect Marcel. What did he say when you called the second time and said not to bother?”
Dick grimaced. “He’d already arrived at the condo. I told him to stay there and drive back the next day. Do you think Marcel’s okay?”
They walked quickly as they spoke. “He’s fine. He was asleep on the couch in front of the tv last time I checked.”
Lexi raised an eyebrow. “It sounds like you’ve expanded your dimensional pocket.”
“I put Marcel’s basket in there and stuff to keep him amused. Dolores put a few things in there for me this morning.”
They approached the check-in desk, which had two lines. One had a long line of customers and the other was empty with a Business and First-Class sign.
“Well, this is me. See you at the other end.” Dick walked ahead and down the left side to the counter.
Scott turned around, “Where’s he going?”
She rolled her eyes. “He booked himself into first class.”
“I suppose if you can afford it.” He shrugged.
Lexi folded her arms and looked at him. “Would you do it?”
He appeared to give the question serious thought before responding. “No. Not if my companions couldn’t afford it.”
“Exactly.” She shook her head. “Keep watching. This will be fun.” I hope.
“Oh no.” He looked sideways at her, his expression horrified. “What have you done?”
Dick removed his passport and boarding pass from the envelope and handed them over. The woman on the check-in desk gazed at the passport, then showed it to her colleague who glanced at him. Her lip twitched.
The vampire stiffened a little and adjusted his shoulders. He was obviously uncomfortable.
“Thank you, Mr. Pick. Have a nice flight.”
“Mist— Thank you.” He took the documents and stepped away from the desk. His face unamused, he opened the passport and flicked his gaze to Lexi before he strode through the gate.
She guffawed.
Scott gaped. “Mr. Pick?”
A smirk settled on her face as she waited.
Her companion’s jaw dropped. “Oh, my God! Dick Pick—you changed his name to dick pic?”
They moved forward in the line while she almost cried with laughter. “I needed that.”
He frowned, slid his passport out of his envelope, and paused nervously before he checked it. “Shaun Green. That seems normal.” He exhaled sharply with relief.
Lexi checked hers and showed it to him. “Lena Hearne.”
They boarded the plane, where an unhappy cabin crew waited for them. They apologized and moved to their seats.
Scott grinned as they hurried through the aircraft. “On the bright side, everyone’s already seated so we don’t need to wait to get to our seats.”
“Yes, but look—they also hate us because they should have taken off ten minutes ago.”
He looked at the faces of the people they passed. “Oops.”
A young uniformed man stood at their seats to help stow their gear. “You’re lucky you were traveling with a first-class passenger. Otherwise, they would have simply left.”
They sat hastily and buckled in.
The sorcerer looked out of the window and then at the screen in front of him and pressed a few buttons.
Lexi stared at him. “Can you calm down?”
He grinned. “I’ve never been on a plane before.”
She nodded. The excitement was one she could identify with as she’d only been on a plane once, just before she met him.
“I need to check on Marcel.” Scott closed his eyes.
Idly, she wondered if Marcel was in his dimensional pocket peeing on the chihuahuas. She had a thought and poked her companion. His eyes flew open. “Don’t let him anywhere near my swords or knives. If he loses an eye, Dick will probably try to kill us.”
He nodded and closed his eyes again.
The cabin crew completed their safety routine and the plane taxied to the runway and took off.
Scott had seemed to be in a trance but the moment the seatbelt light went off, he bolted out of his seat. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
They walked to the back of the plane and Lexi stood outside the bathroom. At a sudden bark, one of the cabin crew looked suspiciously at the door. After two more barks, she hurried away.
Lexi kicked the door. “Keep the noise down in there.”
When Scott emerged two minutes later, three crew members waited. They looked into the cubicle as he left.
“Is there a problem?” he asked.
One of the women was still suspicious. “What was that barking sound?”
He smiled broadly at her. “Oh, the alarm on my phone went off. It sounds like a dog barking. It’s hilarious isn’t it?”
She gave him a withering look and marched away.
Lexi slid into the cubicle. “You’d better have cleaned up if you had a dog peeing in here.”
One of the crew laughed and she smiled before she locked the door. The smile dropped from her face and she began to examine the seat.
When she returned to their seats, Scott had settled into the window seat again. “Did you manage to get him to go?”
“Yes. But I had to conjure a little patch of grass. He was a very good boy but he’s lonely in there, so I’ll have to sneak off for a while. Can I have the chicken and a bottle of water when they come to take orders?” He waited for her to nod, buckled in, and closed his eyes.
A few minutes later, the phone under her screen rang. She picked it up. “Hello?”
“That wasn’t very funny,” Dick said.
“Really? And Mary-Jane is?”
“Oh. You heard that.” He coughed. “How’s Marcel?”
“He’s okay. Scott took him to the bathroom and no, don’t ask. He’s gone in with him now. They’re probably playing fetch. What about you? Are you stretched out and drinking champagne?”
“As a matter of fact—” The vampire sounded brighter.
Lexi scowled and hung up.
Two flights and seven hours later, they arrived at Portland airport in Maine and met in baggage claim.
Dick’s case had been the first one through and the others had o
nly carry-on luggage, so they headed out quickly.
She looked at his suitcase. “At least you’re not traveling with that ridiculous trunk.”
“Of course I am. Scott’s carrying it.” He turned to the sorcerer. “How’s my baby?”
“Snoozing. I gave him the chicken from my meal on the flight.”
When they stopped at the first gas station, Scott took Marcel out of his dimensional pocket.
Dick opened his arms and the dog leapt into them. “The poor little guy looks traumatized.”
“You know how animals usually travel,” Lexi muttered. “He had it good.”
After the puppy’s walk, they climbed into the car.
She stretched on the back seat. “Has Dolores sent you any further information about this facility?”
Scott turned in his seat. “Only the location. All we know is it’s called Emmersley House and Caleb said it’s some kind of spa.”
“Emmersley House. That still sounds so familiar. Perhaps it’s a world-class spa—that would explain why I’ve heard of it. I could use a good massage.”
“Dolores will text us our cover stories,” the sorcerer continued. “She’s already told me I’ll work as a physiotherapist.”
Lexi thought about that. “Maybe we should stop somewhere for dinner and go over the details before we get there.”
Dick swerved the car. “Nope. That’s a no. You’re not to even look at it. We won’t go in as staff members. I absolutely will not give foot massages to people with questionable hygiene. We’ll go in as guests and that’s the end of it. Scott, I’ll buy you a back, sack, and crack. And Lexi, I’ll buy you a facial.” He looked sideways at her. “For both your faces.”
Scott looked from one to the other. “We can still stop for dinner, though, right?”
They drove slowly through the town and drew into the parking lot of a bar called The Red Lion, which was styled on an English pub. The building was white with black beams, a nod to the British Tudor style. It was the only establishment they could see on the main street that appeared to still be open and serving food. They entered and the only other customers they could see were several elderly people seated together at a table. The locals stopped speaking and looked at them suspiciously before they returned to their drinks.
