by Martha Carr
"You're feeling better." Relief flooded her body.
Shamus stirred and sat up with a loud snort. "I'm awake," he said, looking around and leaping to his feet.
"It's okay, Shamus. I'm here. You can go take a break and get something to eat. Help yourself to whatever you can find in the kitchen."
Shamus nodded and gave a wave as he made his way out of the room. Maggie locked the door behind him and looked at Jake as her face warmed. "If I don't, they'll parade in and out of here. I want just five minutes alone with you."
"Five minutes, that's disappointing."
Maggie sat down gently on the side of the bed and put her hand on his chest. "You were badly injured and despite the elven healing and the gnomes looking after you, you're still weak."
Jake looked at her hand resting on his skin and smiled, letting out a tortured cough. "I don't know that I'm up to foreplay, but I would take a little spooning."
She rubbed the side of his face with the back of her hand. "If this is foreplay to you, we may have to talk when you're feeling better." She carefully laid down next to him, her arm gently resting across his chest, rising and falling with his breathing.
"I'll have you know, I've had no complaints."
She lifted her head and smiled at him. "Thank you," she whispered, kissing his shoulder. She put her head back down,
He lowered his chin to get a better look at her. "I would do it all again, for you." He kissed the top of her head. "You broke me out of hell."
"I should have given you a chance to explain. That might never have happened."
"I doubt it. My grandfather was determined and he would have found me, one way or another." He tried repositioning himself, grunting in pain. "Come here." He moved his arm out so she could lie closer to him.
"What are you doing? You're trying to make a move? Jake Kinder..."
"Just come here," he said, smiling, even as he winced just a little as his back shifted against the sheets. She gently rolled on her side, facing him and feeling the warmth of his skin against her face. A shudder left her body and she relaxed, sliding her hand under the sheet.
"You're not wearing anything," she said, surprised, sliding her hand back up his leg.
"No, and nothing down there is injured." The smile spread across his face as he slid a hand under her shirt.
"You sure you're up to this? You look like you're in pain."
"Good kind of pain, I swear." He was laughing, even as he flinched. "You're gonna have to do most of the work. I'm kind of trapped in this position."
Oh, to hell with the good underwear. Maggie propped herself up on one elbow and leaned over to kiss him, her hand sliding back down under the sheet.
Maggie woke up next to Jake's warm body still pressed against hers. They were both naked under a quilt she had pulled out of the closet and she nuzzled closer, running her hand over his chest, smiling softly as she watched him sleep.
She sat up on her elbows as the quilt slid to her waist, leaning over to kiss the hollow at the base of his neck. She felt a certain peace, interrupted by the traces of dark magic still brooding inside of her.
Bernie warned me. I have to get rid of this secret.
Jake was gently snoring as she rolled away from him, tucking the comforter back around his chest. The sun was starting to set outside and she looked around for her watch. It was laying on top of her pants on the floor and she picked it up to see what time it was. I was asleep for hours! She crouched down and retrieved her phone from where it had slid under the bed. There were several messages from Taylor, and she quickly texted him back.
I'm okay. Got involved in my side project. Jake is better. Thanks for covering for me.
She slipped into a pair of old, soft jeans and kicked her faded underwear further under the bed, sliding a sweatshirt over her head. She stepped into her favorite sneakers and pulled her hair back with a tie, checking her appearance in the mirror over her dresser. The beard burn along her neck wasn't too bad. Still, Diana will notice.
She was headed to see her big sister and tell her everything. She had put it off as long as she could, but Maggie needed to at least tell someone what she had told the book. I miss my father and I blame him for leaving us. The words were haunting her and she knew it was a vulnerable place where the dark magic could take root. Then there was the woman she saw on 46th Street. She shook her head. Can't be Stephanie, that's crazy. She turned around too quickly and knocked her badge off the dresser and turned to see if Jake was stirring as it clattered to the floor. But he was still snoring, his face turned toward her. She smiled and tiptoed out of the room carrying her purse and quietly made her way down the stairs, trying not to attract attention from Wilmark or Bernie.
"Come on, a raccoon can still play cards. I've got feelings, you know." Bernie was just inside the kitchen. Only his tail was visible, twitching while he argued with Wilmark.
"You've torn up half the deck with your claws."
"Cost of doing business."
Maggie went the other way and quietly pulled the front door ajar, holding her breath while she squeezed through the narrow opening, leaping down the stairs and running across the lawn to the sidewalk. A walk of shame out of my own house.
She easily ran the rest of the way to Diana's house, passing by her mother's old Victorian. The sound of a steady drum beat could be heard from the backyard. She kept running before any of her mother's friends could spot her and call her over for a chat. She knew that if her mother got one look at her, she'd know everything about the past few hours and want details and even perform a smudging.
She got to Diana's grey bungalow and ran up the driveway, stopping at the garden in front to retrieve the key from under the reflecting ball. She let herself in, calling out her sister's name. "Di, where are you?"
She found her sitting on the back porch with a cooler of beer and ice next to her, her feet propped up on the railing and a beer in her hand. "I was wondering when you'd be stopping by. What kept you? Make sure you take some of those tomatoes on the counter. Mrs. Eppes left them there."
Maggie came out onto the porch. "You have too many keys left all over your garden and bonus, all your neighbors know and use them at will."
"Yeah, I know. I forget where I left one, so I leave another. Real bonus is that they use a key to leave me something tasty." Diana twisted in her seat just enough to get a better look at Maggie. She sat up in surprise, a smile growing across her face. "Maggie Parker, thank God. You've managed to go and do it at last."
"I haven't said a word." She sat down in the chair next to her sister and pulled out a beer, popping the top on the edge of the railing.
"You have nice little rash going there and your shoulders are actually where they belong and..." Her sister leaned over and pulled on the edge of Maggie's sweatshirt, making it taut.
"Hey!" Maggie pulled away from
"And no bra! The trifecta. Good for you. How is Jake? I thought he was a non-starter evil half Kashgar. Geez, sounds like a drink order." Diana took a long swig of beer, satisfied with her detective work.
"He's recovering nicely, thank you." Maggie drank some of the beer, sorry she didn't bring a jacket. The wind was blowing and had an icy chill.
"I'll bet he is, but keep the exercise to a minimum for now. Doctor's orders." Diana raised her bottle in a toast. "Here's to you and Jake. Nice to have something good happen, for a change." She glanced over at Maggie. "What? What's that look?" She pulled her feet off the rail and got up to turn her chair slightly to get a better view of her younger sister. "You came over here with an agenda. Okay, spill it. The doctor is in."
"You're a bone doctor."
"I'm waiting. Man, I turn my back on you for less than a day and the whole earth revolves a full turn. Remember a month ago when everything moved along slowly. We could catch up over one beer and it was mostly about what Mom was up to now, or some interesting twist to a robbery case?"
"Speaking of robbery cases..."
"Really? So
good that it tops telling me about Jake. Wow, were there flying saucers and tiny aliens?"
"Remember Stephanie Breemer?" Maggie felt her throat tighten just getting the name out of her mouth.
Diana's eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened. "Of course I do. Everyone on Pressler Street remembers her. Your best friend disappeared without a trace all those years ago." Diana didn't say another word, her hand clenched around her beer bottle as she held her breath for a moment.
"I think I saw her today near Carl's shop."
Diana lunged forward grabbing Maggie's knee and squeezing it. "No! How can you be sure it was her after all these years? What would even make you think of her? No, it can't be." She sat back, shaking her head.
"I don't know, but we looked straight at each other and I just recognized that look in her eyes. It gets better. I think she stole a crystal opal from Carl's store and wait for it... She had the same weird four star tattoo on her arm." Maggie tapped the inside of her wrist before taking another long swig.
"Let me put the pieces together. Stephanie is alive and in Austin and..." She put her beer down on the ground.
"Connected somehow to Simon and his people."
"Well that took a dark and evil turn. How do you find out the truth? Did you see where she went?"
"Right when I could almost touch her she disappeared in a pile of bubbles." Maggie looked out over Diana's back yard trying to remember what Stephanie had been like.
"Son of a... those dots do connect. A woke Peabrain." Diana tilted her head to the side, looking at Maggie. "A case to solve. You need to go talk to Simon and shake some trees. Okay, become one with some trees, in your case. I trust your instincts. If your gut is telling you this is Stephanie and there's a connection, go hunt it down. I'll keep an eye on Pressler Street."
Maggie hesitated, not sure how to bring up the last piece of news. She stood up and put her hands on her hips, narrowing her gaze over the yard as the trees in the yard gently bent in her direction. "I... I'm not sure how to start."
"That's not like you."
"It's about Dad." Maggie drained the rest of her beer, setting down the bottle. She took in a deep breath, squaring her shoulders and let it out, turning to face Diana.
"Oh, okay, this really is a thing. I'm listening." Diana sat back, patiently waiting, confusion briefly darting across her face.
"It's a little complicated. In order to find Simon, I had to dip into stronger magic in an ancient book that wouldn't play without me sharing my deepest secret first."
Diana pressed her lips together, waiting for the rest.
The memory the trees showed her of Dad crossing the yard in front of Maggie flashed through her mind. It had been so real, it felt like it had happened all over again. "Is it possible to love someone and to be so angry with them in equal measures at the same time? I'm so angry he left us." She said it through gritted teeth, surprising herself. "There's a slow burn that kind of sits at the bottom of everything."
"That happens all the time when you love someone. I feel it too. Love is complicated and Dad stepped up to do something brave, but it took him away from us." She took Maggie's hands into hers. "You're doing the same thing, you know. I love you and I hate that you've been chosen. But you were already a detective and carry a gun. Somebody has to do these things and you stepped up. It's in your nature. Even the Earth knew it, and it was in Dad's nature." Maggie pulled away from her and Diana let her. She picked up her beer and took a swig, giving herself time to carefully measure out her words. "Aren't you angry that you have to be the Elemental? You could have what passes for a normal life around here if it wasn't for that one significant detail."
"No, it feels the same as being angry for being born with dark hair or this crooked smile. It was the roll of the dice." Her hands were balled into fists even as she was trying to make peace with it.
"Yeah, the same for Dad. Maybe what you haven't done is ever completely let go and grieve that he's gone. You were so young."
Maggie pressed her lips together, feeling an ache in her chest. But a cool thread of magic passed through her head, making her hands tingle and loosen their grip, It wound its way around the ache inside, shaking it loose, but only for a moment. "No, I need more answers," she said, shaking her head. "I can't just let go. I have to know why he died. What was the battle? I need the details."
Diana saw the determined look on her face and knew that it was too late to stop her. She slid forward "No matter what you find, forgive it all. There will come a moment when you have an instant to decide to seek revenge or let go of all of it. When that happens, promise me, you'll forgive it all."
"That's a lot to ask, even from you."
"And I hardly ever ask you for anything. Promise me." She squeezed her hands.
"Do you know something?"
"Yes. Often when we insist on searching for the roots, we get tangled in them. Not everything in life makes sense. It's not supposed to work that way. Things happen that wound us and we let go because we have to, because the daily things in life demand it."
"I'm not sure I can accept that."
Diana let go of Maggie's hands and reached into the cooler for two more beers. "I know and that is your personal quest, little sister. You may be tasked with saving the Earth, but you are also figuring out how to let others in. You know, your tombstone's not going to say, she did it all, she had no help."
"I'm hoping for the shell is here but the nut is gone."
"Good one," Diana said, handing over the beer. "I'll make a note. Not everything needs an answer and sometimes not letting go of the search is exactly what gets you stuck."
"I'm still doing it, you know."
Diana laughed and sat back down. "I never had any doubt about that. And I'll go on the adventure with you, if that's what it takes. That's what family does."
"Yeah, I was counting on that. I'm gonna go talk to Simon Wesley. I still need a few answers... about everything. I have to know if that was Stephanie Breemer and if it is, where the hell has she been all this time?"
Maggie slipped in through the back, sidestepping the detectives large, open room and down the short hall to the jail. She signed in, securing her gun and went back to Simon Wesley's cell, nodding at an officer who was making his way out. She stopped in front of Simon's cell and found him curled on his side on his cot, his face turned toward the wall.
"It's too bad your rabid followers can't see you now. I'm feeling good about my odds at getting them to all rethink their loyalties."
He rolled over, dark circles under his eyes and matted hair, but Maggie was relieved to see his blue eyes. "What are you doing here?" He rolled back over, curling back into a ball.
"I'm here for information."
"Why would I help you? You're betraying your own kind. You won't even listen..."
Maggie tilted her head, calculating how far she needed to push him. "It really didn't take much for you to give up. And aren't you second generation crazy? I would think your DNA would have you going down with the cause, just like your dad."
Simon rolled over, punching the thin mattress, his face flushed in anger. "You don't get to speak about my father!" He swung his legs over the side, sitting up. "All great visionaries are hated until their words become reality. You wait! The day is coming and the Kashgars will put things together and our choices will..." He shook his head, biting his lip. "Whoever finds that damnable door first."
"The door guarded by the Dirt Elemental?"
Simon looked up at her, rising off the cot. "You know, don't you?"
Maggie stood there silently, waiting for Simon to tell the lie to himself. He came closer to the bars, the desperation in his eyes. "Tell me. Tell me where the door to the central machine is. I've earned it." He pounded his chest with his hand. "I've given my entire life to this cause." He was breathing hard and pleading with her.
"First, you tell me about Stephanie Breemer."
"What?" Confusion passed across his face but Maggie saw what else w
as there. He recognized the name.
Simon shook his head, putting his hands up in front of his body. "No, no, no, she's not important. Tell me about the door before it's too late." He gripped the bars, his face only inches from Maggie. She could smell the rot of lavender steaming off his body and she swallowed hard, icily staring him down.
"Where is Stephanie Breemer?"
"You mean Ranger. No one has called her Stephanie in years... but you don't know that, do you?" Simon's eyes darted back and forth searching her face. He broke into a wide grin and laughed, his head rocking back. "I have something you want! What is she to you? A cousin or maybe a long lost friend." He let out a whoop of laughter.
Maggie measured her breathing, her skills as a detective taking over as she waited patiently. It didn't matter that Stephanie was like family. Getting angry and throttling Simon right through these bars won't help. "Tell me about Stephanie Breemer... about Ranger."
Simon stopped laughing, clearing his throat. He went over and slowly sat back down on his cot. "Sure, I'll tell you. What does it matter, anyway? She was a Peabrain foster. The old order used to identify kids whose magic suddenly clicked on and they'd take them into the underground program. Teach them about the truth."
"You mean kidnap." You insane piece of...
Simon let out an annoyed tsk. "It's always the same thing with Peabrains. We want to argue about what has to be done until it's almost too late. The leaders saw that we'd have to start younger to build our ranks. Ranger was one of them."
"And you branded them."
"You mean this, don't you?" Simon held up his wrist that displayed the same formation of four stars. "That's how we recognize each other. It was necessary, especially for the kids like Stephanie."
"Why do you keep saying, was?"
