He opened the notes one at a time and spread them out on Broadbent’s legs. Written on consecutive pages, each one came from the same cookbook as the others and each one said the same.
Help me – Hope
“As soon as I get into some dry clothes, I’m going to plot the points where we found these on a map, set up a search grid and see if I can’t work up a few probabilities. They had to be on foot or she couldn’t have dropped those notes. An open car window in the pouring rain would have been way too noticeable.”
“They have to be in that area, Hope. It narrows the search. We’re getting closer.”
He wanted to say more and Hope knew it.
“What is it, Canaan. Feel free to say what you think. I can take it.”
He looked at her strangely. “Please understand, Hope. It’s my duty as Liege Lord of this House to look at all the angles of possibility. It doesn’t mean I believe them.”
“I understand.” More than you realize.
“If she’s being held against her will, I have to ask myself why she didn’t throw herself at these two, when they were so obviously willing to fight for her.”
“I don’t think she could, Canaan. I’m telling you she looked like she was fighting a trance, like she was blinded.” Broadbent tried to sit up, but Grace pushed him back.
“You wait until I douse those cuts,” she said and unstoppered a small bottle.
Broadbent winced. “Sometimes I think I would rather bear the scars.
“No,” Hope said without thinking. “You wouldn’t.”
Grace smiled at Hope and winked. “Listen to the lady, mister. She knows what she’s talking about,” and to the frowning Canaan, “Sorry, my lord, please continue.”
He nodded his thanks and continued, “Even if I agree with Broadbent, and I’m leaning that way, we still have to look at the possibility that she’s being used, willingly or unwillingly, to lure Hope and/or us into a trap.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Don’t you see? We thought we were dealing with a human problem. Now we know we’re not. It changes all the angles. Look, we’ve seen it before; a demon working with a Daughter…”
“She wasn’t! Don’t say it.”
“I’m sorry, Grace. How about calling her a woman of power? Okay. We also know that Faith is a woman of power. Don’t say it, Grace. I’m running out of words and patience.”
Grace meekly subsided and Hope realized that this was what Nico meant about pushing Canaan too far.
“Faith would have to be wouldn’t she? Hope is a Daughter of Man. They’re sisters born of the same mother. Is she using her powers for them or are they forcing her or somehow controlling her powers? We don’t know. Do they want Hope because of her abilities? We don’t know. I do know that the notes bother me.” He looked directly at Hope.
“It’s the dash. If the note read Hope dash Help me, I would read it as a note to you. But that’s not what it says. Help me dash Hope says the note is from you.”
“That makes no sense,” Broadbent thought aloud.
“Exactly. We have a lot of questions and very few answers. I want to proceed carefully, cautiously on this. No jumping the gun. And as much as I hate saying it, we can’t trust that Faith is on our side. We’ll find her, Hope, but I don’t want to lose anyone while we’re doing it.”
“I understand,” she said and she did, but the only thing that mattered to her was that Faith had used her name.
*****
Dov and Col stood shoulder to shoulder in the hall of a typical shoebox apartment block. They held their heads together smiling into the peephole of No.57.
“What do you want?” said a woman’s voice from behind the door.
“Nora? Do you remember us?” Col smile was that of an innocent angel.
Nora laughed through the door. “How could I forget?” They were excellent tippers, still… “What do you want? It’s two o’clock in the morning.”
“We know and we’re sorry. We thought it would be best to talk to you after work. We didn’t want to get you in trouble. We saw how that bastard bartender treated you girls.” Dov looked truly remorseful.
“Thanks, I appreciate it, but you still haven’t told me what you want.” She still wasn’t opening the door, but she was softening. They seemed like nice boys.
Col looked fearfully down both direction of the hall. “Look, Nora, if we keep talking out here, one of the neighbors is going to think the worst about you and that just wouldn’t be right. It’s about our sister, Nora, and we need your help.”
“Both our sisters,” Dov added. He looked on the verge of tears. “Please Nora, let us in. We need help and we don’t know where else to turn.”
They heard the chain slide from its hook and bumped fists down at their sides. They were in.
*****
At supper, in between mouthfuls of stew, the twins complained mightily about missing out on all the excitement. They happily pumped fists in the air at the news that Faith was alive, listened earnestly to Canaan’s admonition to tread carefully and showed remarkable restraint when they waited until dessert to share their news.
The cobbler and coffee was served before Dov proudly declared, “We found Nora.”
Everyone around the table stared at him, waiting.
“Not only did we find her, we talked to her,” Col added.
“Well shit,” Dov said when the light dawned. “You guys don’t even know who she is. And where the hell is Nico? He’d be proud of us. He’d know what we’re talking about. Jeeze, just when you need him the most, the guy disappears.”
Hope covered her mouth with her hand, but a sharp, choked cry escaped as she fled from the room.
“Nice work, Dov.” Nardo looked disgusted. “Why didn’t you just stab her in the heart when you still had your butter knife.”
“What? What did I say?”
“Aw shit,” Col looked to Grace for confirmation. “He left her, didn’t he? He took off.”
“Nuh uh.” Dov looked from face to face. When Nardo nodded, he snarled, “He did, the shitty bastard.”
“That’s enough. I’ve told you before, this is none of our business. Stay out of it.” Canaan looked down the table to Grace. “And now you can see why women are frowned upon in a House of Guardians.”
She didn’t argue with him. “I didn’t think it would turn out like this.”
“No one ever does,” and then he addressed the others, “Hope is our friend and some of you have become fond of her. That’s as it should be, but Nico is a Guardian and a member of my House. You will not let this interfere with the business of this House. If we don’t work well together, someone will die and I won’t have that happen because we’re divided over a woman. So let me repeat myself. Stay out of it. When Nico comes back, as he must, you will treat him with the honor and respect he deserves as a loyal Guardian of the Race. Have I made myself clear?”
He wasn’t simply Canaan sitting at the head of the dinner table. He was Liege Lord of this House. He looked around the table, pausing at each Man’s face and with every pause, each man replied,
“I serve at my Liege Lord’s command.”
“As you should.”
Grace signaled him with her eyes and pointed to the ceiling. Canaan nodded.
“That’s probably a good idea, love.” Then he turned to the others. “Now, let’s move this discussion back to the conference table where Col and Dov can tell us all about their discovery. Who is this Nora and why should we be so pleased that you’ve found her.
*****
“And you thought of this all on your own? Good lord, it would appear our troublesome twosome have actual brains beneath those thick skulls. I’m impressed.” Broadbent toasted the twins with his two fingers of Talisker’s Scotch courtesy of Canaan’s private stock.
“It was Dov who remembered the name. Nico only mentioned it in passing.” Col punched his brother affectionately on the shoulder.
“Yeah, but I would have screwed up getting her to ta
lk to us. Col handled that part.”
“It was good work by both of you.” Canaan gave them each a nod.
This was the first time the Liege Lord had shared his precious scotch with either of them willingly. They’d had a taste of it once before when Canaan was out of town, but this was different, like they’d somehow taken another step into adulthood.
“We told her Hope was our sister and Nora remembered the night.” Dov looked at his brother and grinned. “Actually, she remembered Nico, called him the Dark Knight. She felt real bad and all, us searching for our missing sister and that creep of a bartender taking Hope’s purse. She doesn’t know where he lives, but she’s going to find out. She’s pretty sure none of the other girls would know ‘cause they all steer clear of him. He may manage the place, but you won’t find any of the help trying to cozy up. Seems there’s a lot of nasty stories that say he can’t get it off without causing pain and according to Nora, we’re talking big time pain.”
Col took over. “She was more than happy to help us as long as we keep her name out of it. She doesn’t like Smith, but she earns good money at Bloodsuckers and she doesn’t want to lose the gig. Other than that, she says she’ll, and I quote “ do anything I can if you promise me that rat bastard’ll get what’s coming to him.”
“So I said yeah, I think we can promise that,” Dov was grinning ear to ear. “She also warned us to be careful because said rat bastard had connections. According to her, that place has violated every ordinance on the books but nothing ever happens. He just laughs when they get written up and says he won’t be surprised if the paperwork gets lost.” Dov sobered and looked at Col. “I think we better tell them the rest as long as Nico and Hope aren’t here to hear it.”
Col looked around the table. “She also says he’s been flashing wads of cash, placing bets and playing the numbers and he brags about his new friend and an endless supply of…” He made a rude hand gesture. “Anything he wants, any time he wants and just the way he likes it.”
Nardo slammed the table with his fist. “If they’ve got Hope’s sister involved in that shit…”
“We’ll deal with it when the time comes,” Canaan interrupted, “How soon can she get the information?”
“She doesn’t work tonight or tomorrow. She should have it the night after that. If she can’t get it from the girls, she’ll follow him home if she has to. And Boss?” Col looked a little worried. “We told her we’d pay her for her time. She said she’d do it for free. She hates this guy that much, but we said it wouldn’t be right, her taking all the risk.”
“She’ll be well rewarded. If Nico doesn’t take care of it, I will.” Canaan laid both hands on the table. The meeting was over.
“Did Nico happen to say how long he’d be gone?” Broadbent’s tone was only slightly curious.
“Yeah, as long as it takes.” Canaan rolled his eyes. “He’s coming back. Let’s leave it at that.”
“You mind if I ask how far back you checked him out, boss? Nardo asked cautiously.
“I never go back more than thirty or forty years. It’s more than enough to make a judgment.”
“I think if you went back more than fifty you’d find a few gaps in his resume.” Nardo flinched when Canaan’s face hardened. He threw up his hands. “I wasn’t checking up on you, boss, Nico either, at least not the way it sounds. I was looking for ideas for a new Guardian game. I remembered this story I heard when I was a kid about this Guardian who followed the old Soviet Union as it took over Eastern Europe. He brought hundreds of Paenitentia out, some humans, too and there were some pretty exciting stories about him. I thought he’d make a great subject to build a series around. Nobody knew who he was. He always said his name was nothing or he had no name, which is, of course ridiculous. At least I thought so until the Professor here mentioned something about Nico he found odd.”
“Nico’s surname,” Broadbent explained, “appears to be an amalgam of several Eastern European dialects which loosely translated could mean ‘no one’. Out of curiosity, Nardo researched the name. It’s nowhere in the records.”
“So I started thinking, could he be this Guardian legend? He never talks about his past. Hell, he doesn’t even mention the last House he served. So I checked him out. The gaps coincide with history.”
“You had no right. The man’s history is his own to share or not as he pleases.”
“I know, boss. That’s why I never said anything before, but now he disappears for as long as it takes and I thought maybe he was on some covert mission.”
“Cool!” The twins shouted together.
Canaan started to laugh. “And where did you envision this great escape taking place?” He shook his head. “Nico isn’t trying to escape anything.” He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “He’s trying to get captured.”
Chapter 31
While the men talked below, Hope cried in Grace’s arms. Manon had been called and sat quietly in the chair, watching and listening.
“It hurts. Oh, God, it hurts,” she cried as she rocked with the pain. “Why couldn’t I have accepted him on his terms? I knew how hard this was for him. I wanted him to be like Canaan is with you. I wanted him to stand in front of the others and say, “She’s mine.” She laughed through her tears. “I wanted him to embarrass me right there in the kitchen when he kissed me in front of all of you.”
“Oh, sweetie, it’s like you said.” Grace passed her another tissue. “He’s not Canaan and you’re not me.”
“I know, I know. He stood for me among strangers, Grace, but he didn’t do it here. I thought he was ashamed of me; big old frumpy Hope. Those were my feelings, not his. I accused him of protecting his image, but it wasn’t about that either. It was about breaking the mold he’s been building around himself for a hundred years. Why did I think something like that would disappear over one long weekend? I drove him away. I wouldn’t listen. I told him to go and now that he’s gone, all I can think about is getting him back. I’ll do anything he wants.” She began to sob again.
Grace looked to Manon for help.
The Frenchwoman flicked her hand in the air in a show of distain. “All men are pigs,” she said.
“Manon!” The two younger women stared at her.
“C’est vraiment, n’est-ce pas?” Manon gave her Gallic shrug. “It is also true that pork can be a delightful dish once properly cooked. You, ma petite must learn to be a better cook.”
“Manon, maybe this makes better sense in French because it’s not translating too well into English.” Grace looked at Hope who seemed just as confused. At least she had stopped crying.
Manon flipped her hand in her it-is-nothing gesture. “Men are boys. When they grow bored with childhood toys, they buy grown-up toys and when they are bored with those, they play with women like toys. But they are still boys.”
“Wait!” said Hope excitedly. “Col taught me that one when I asked them why they wanted the motorcycles. The difference between men and boys is the size of their toys. He didn’t make it sound like it was a bad thing.”
“Exactement. Because he is still a boy. It is we women that make them fully men. We complete them as they complete us. A good cook will turn the pig into a succulent dish. A poor one will make slop. A strong woman will add to the strength of her man. A weak one will encourage his weakness.”
“I don’t know Manon, Canaan was pretty complete when I met him.” She giggled a little and winked at Hope, who blushed but smiled just the same.
“Nonsense. You are as foolish as they are if you think everything they are hangs between their legs. Canaan is a better man because of you. He has more confidence in the direction he’s taking his Guardians because you have lent him your independence and strength. He is a wiser Liege Lord because you have shown him joy. But the tears in this room are not for you and Canaan.” She shifted her gaze to Hope. “We are here because of you and your Nico.”
“There is no me and my Nico. I took care of that, remember?”
/> Manon ignored her. “You must decide what kind of woman you will be for yourself as well as for your man. Will you be the woman that says ‘Why didn’t I accept our relationship on his terms?’ or will you say ‘His terms are important, but I have terms of my own’? You have expressed both through your tears. It is for you to decide which woman you will be. Which one will make you a better woman, Hope? Which woman will make the boy a better man?”
*****
Nico thought he might be going crazy. He had never felt constrained by daylight hours before. Frying in the sun and the debilitating sun sickness that came with it had never been more than an annoyance. Now, pacing the floor in the darkened office of the private Swiss airport, he found himself raging against not only the sun, but all things Swiss. Knowing his feelings were unreasonable and his reactions to them illogical, made no difference. The sun had caged him in this office and the office was in Switzerland. It was enough.
To be fair, his banker at the small but respectable Banque Eduard ad Galliard had been more than cooperative. All it took was a phone call to arrange the paper work and a collection of small gifts, one of which required a minor miracle to execute. He was met at the door promptly at one in the morning and led directly to the keyed bank of elevators that led to the vaults below. Once there, he was taken to a secluded room and his box was brought in by two burly guards.
It had always been so. Boris and Kurt had done business there for over a hundred years before they introduced Nico to the management. The two Guardians had left all their holdings to him and the Banque had persistently used their many resources to help him locate and eventually rescue those few relatives Boris had left in Russia. It was largely due to the information garnered by the bankers that he was able to make his way through the revolutionary upheaval to find a very old uncle and aunt and a very young niece. Lenin and his revolution with its demon influx had taken the rest. By the time Nico located Kurt’s last known relatives, the Transcaucasia Republic was falling apart and the Soviets were there to pick up the pieces. More war, more demons, more death for the Paenitentia and a new career for Nico.
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