Death Bringer sj-2

by Kate Pearce

  “What’s the plan now, Mr. Feehan? Sit and wait for another crazy patient to show up saying he’s lost his face?”

  Feehan looked at her as if she was the most insensitive person he’d ever met. As long as it got everyone’s attention away from Vadim and Liz, she didn’t care.

  “Unless we get more information, I suppose there isn’t a lot we can do.” He turned to Vadim. “I really would appreciate it if you could get some help from Otherworld as to what exactly we are dealing with. If you can’t, I’ll have to take the matter up with the SBLE head and his Otherworld counterpart, and that never goes well.”

  “I’ll do my best.” Vadim said. “After our last experience with Drew Spencer, I’m sure we’d all rather avoid him if we can.”

  Everyone agreed and filed out. Vadim followed Ella back to their office. She closed the door and leaned against it.

  “You have to do something to stop Feehan going to Spencer. He’s a dick. Last time he waltzed in here, he was quite happy to use me as bait to capture a serial killer. And he doesn’t like you at all, does he?”

  “Spencer doesn’t like anyone in my family, apart from my father. I have to stop Feehan taking this anywhere, or he’ll get us all killed.” Vadim sat on the edge of his desk. “The question is, how much do I need to tell him to get him off my back?”

  “Without mentioning the cult, sect thing?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Can you find out anything about Adam?”

  “That’s going to be difficult.”

  “Why?”

  He exhaled. “Because I thought he was already dead.”

  “What?”

  “I’m beginning to wonder if Adam is simply impersonating this deceased person to draw my attention, or if he is the real deal.”

  “You mean he’s come back to life?”

  “It happens in Otherworld sometimes.”

  “Like a zombie or something?”

  “Not quite. Most Fae are immortal, but under certain circumstances, and with certain weapons, they can be destroyed.”

  “I know that. So if Adam has been brought back to achieve a certain purpose, can he be killed again?”

  “That’s a good question.” He glanced down at his locked hands. “Normally, I’d say yes, but in this world? I’m not so sure.”

  “Morosov, you’re beginning to scare me.” She advanced toward his desk. “Are you saying Adam is unstoppable?” He smiled at her and she went still. “What?”

  “I told you that it might be better to let him have his way, didn’t I?”

  “And I told you what I thought of that stupid idea.” She touched his arm. “What is it?”

  He cupped her chin, his thumb skimming the corner of her mouth. “Just remember that as your mate, my first priority is your safety. I will do whatever is necessary to keep you alive.”

  “Why are you telling me this now, and why does it sound like a threat?”

  “Because if we interfere with Adam’s plans, we’ll be putting everyone we know in danger.”

  “Are you trying to frighten me?”

  He brushed a kiss over her mouth. “No, I’m just telling you the truth. I’ll always put you first, Ella, never doubt it.”

  He released her and she stepped out of reach with an uneasy feeling in her gut. Why did he sound so convinced that disaster awaited them? She didn’t like it at all, but she liked the idea of endangering everyone around her even less.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay what?”

  “Find out what you can about Adam and tell Feehan enough to get him off your back.”

  “Of course.” He nodded.

  The door opened suddenly and Sam appeared.

  “Hey, Mr. Feehan wants you both to go with him to the hospital. Apparently, Brad Dailey’s family wishes to speak to you.”

  “Oh, crap,” Ella groaned. “What are we supposed to say to them?”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Vadim stood up and shook out the creases in his sleeves. “I’m sure Mr. Feehan will tell us exactly what he wants us to say on the way over.”

  * * *

  In the hospital elevator, Vadim reached for Ella’s hand and for once she didn’t stop him.

  “If the Daileys get cranky, you can wipe the memories, can’t you?”

  “Sure. But I always like to have a truthful conversation about what really happened first. It helps them deal with the subconscious aspects of the Otherworld experience.”

  “Does Feehan know this?”

  “I’ll tell him right now.”

  She cleared her throat. “Boss, if it’s okay with you, we’ll answer the Dailey’s questions as truthfully as we can and then retrieve those memories and replace them with new ones that follow the more conventional version.”

  She realized she’d said “we.” Was she really thinking of her and Vadim as a matched set now? Could he perform the same empath tasks that she could?

  “That’s my function as your mate. Seeing as you might be dealing with several people at once, I can at least bolster your powers with my own and stop you from becoming drained.”

  She smiled up at him. “I keep forgetting that.”

  “What?” Feehan was staring at her. Had she spoken out loud? Damn.

  “I was just talking to myself. Are you okay with what I suggested, Mr. Feehan?”

  “If it’s necessary, please go ahead. I’ve never had to deal with a situation like this before directly.”

  “Don’t worry, it’ll be a breeze.”

  Ten minutes later, in Ms. Phelps’s office, she was beginning to wish she hadn’t been quite so confident. There was no sign of Ms. Phelps to help smooth things over. Instead, they’d been met by Brad’s parents and grandfather, who were in no mood to listen to reason or Ella’s Otherworld interpretation of exactly what had happened. Threats about lawsuits, medical negligence and government incompetence were flying around the room. No one was giving Feehan a chance to explain.

  Eventually Ella held up her hand and raised her voice above the racket.

  “Will you all shut it?”

  Shocked faces greeted her loud pronouncement.

  “Something terrible happened to Brad, something that is beyond normal human comprehension. Whichever world he hangs out in, we will do our best to apprehend the criminal. We will not stop until we have achieved justice for your son and closure for your family.”

  Mr. Dailey scowled at her. “You’re right, this is bizarre. Your whole explanation is downright insane!” He glanced at Feehan and then back at Ella. “What kind of government employs idiots like you?”

  “We wanted you to know the truth, Mr. Dailey.”

  “The truth?” He got in her face. “That my son’s face was stolen, and he was left with someone else’s? Bullcrap!”

  Ella stared him down. “Yes, now step back, sir, or I’ll let my partner at you. He really doesn’t appreciate it when people aren’t polite to me.”

  Mr. Dailey looked up and went very still. She sensed Vadim at her shoulder, emanating a sense of cold menace that would probably make Dailey wet his pants.

  “Morosov isn’t quite human, so don’t think to appeal to his better side. He doesn’t have one. He could probably kill you without even touching you.”

  Her adversary stepped back, his gaze still fixated on Vadim, who appeared to be making a low growling sound.

  “Now if you will all sit down, I’ll explain exactly what is going to happen next.”

  She waited until the three family members were seated and looking obediently up at her.

  “Can you keep them calm for me, Morosov?”

  “I’m already on it.”

  She took a deep, centering breath and focused on the turmoil of the three minds in front of her. Vadim’s power blended smoothly with hers, and she began to extract the memories of the conversation, of the family’s anger and disbelief, of their sense of horror... Other images—Brad as a sunny-natured little boy, a baby, a sullen teen—jostled with the one
s she sought. She pushed those gently away and focused on only what needed to be removed.

  After a quick check to see that she had everything, she opened her eyes and studied the vacant faces of the family. Usually she needed skin-to-skin contact to make the necessary connection, but with Vadim’s help she could do without it.

  “When you wake up, you will understand that Brad was an extremely unhappy individual who was afraid of letting you down by disclosing his lack of interest in a medical career. You will know that on his last night of life he unknowingly took some as-yet-unidentified new street drug and suffered a series of hallucinations that made him believe his face was not his own. Despite the hospital’s best efforts, Brad was unable to recover from the effects of taking this substance and killed himself.”

  Mrs. Dailey’s mouth quivered and a single tear ran down her cheek.

  “You will feel shock and anger and grief over his death. You will insist on an investigation, which the hospital will offer you. It will become clear to you that no member of the hospital staff or the SBLE were responsible for your son’s death.”

  She looked across at Feehan, who nodded, and then at Vadim.

  “Good enough, Ms. Walsh.”

  She held out both of her hands, palms facing out, and gave a final push of power to set the new memories in place. The usual twinge of nausea and unsteadiness made her sway on her feet. Vadim was immediately at her side and led her to a chair.

  “We can take it from here, can’t we, Mr. Feehan?”

  “Indeed we can. I wonder where Ms. Phelps has gotten to?” Feehan joined Vadim in front of the Dailey family, who were gradually coming out of their trances and staring up at the two men.

  “Do you have any more questions for me, Mrs. Dailey?” Vadim asked.

  “No, I...I don’t think so, not at this moment.” She wiped away the tear on her cheek. “It’s just so sudden and unexpected.”

  “I understand.” Vadim turned to her husband. “Mr. Dailey?”

  “I’m not happy about this at all. My son was a fine, upstanding individual who never took drugs!” He stood up and brushed at the creases in his pants.

  “You’re probably right, sir. We don’t know the circumstances. It is of course possible that another individual gave your son something illegal without either his knowledge or his consent.”

  “Exactly!” Mr. Dailey looked over at his father for a long moment, and the older man nodded. “We will be demanding a full investigation into this matter.”

  “As you should, sir.” Vadim agreed. “I don’t think the hospital should offer you anything less than a full public hearing.”

  The ex-senator cleared his throat. “A private hearing. My family has suffered enough.”

  “I’m sure they’ll do whatever you want, Senator.” Vadim handed over his card. “If you have any further questions or information for us, please call me or Mr. Feehan, and we will do our best to help.”

  “Thank you.” Mr. Dailey took the card and studied it. “May we see Brad now? We’d like to say our last goodbyes.”

  Ella and Feehan stared at each other. Feehan cleared his throat.

  “As to that—”

  Vadim stepped forward. “It’s not a problem. Mr. Feehan, I know you’re expected at another appointment. I’ll take the Daileys to see the body.”

  “If you’re sure, Vadim.”

  “I’m happy to do so.” He glanced at Ella. “Will you accompany me, Ms. Walsh?”

  “Sure.”

  With a reassuring pat on Feehan’s arm, she followed Vadim down to the ER.

  “I’ll need your help to maintain the illusion. Do you remember what Brad used to look like? That’s what I’m going to project.”

  “Got it.”

  She held the door open for the ex-senator and waited while they completed the necessary security checks to reach the body. Mrs. Dailey was the only member of the family who seemed genuinely upset by the tragedy. Ella was mainly picking up anger and disgust from the two men. It chilled her. Was that how they’d seen Brad? As some sort of pawn in their family empire, one that had disappointed them? No wonder he’d acted like such an insecure loser...

  Vadim opened the door into the temporary morgue, and the Daileys filed in after him. She focused her attention on her partner, adding her emerging magical powers to his as he lowered the sheet and revealed Brad’s altered face. How odd that they were using magic to add yet another layer to Brad’s mask. Would Adam sense their spell and come looking for them?

  Mrs. Dailey burst into tears and tried to reach for Brad. The two men held her back, their expressions remote and tinged with impatience. Mr. Dailey caught Vadim’s eye.

  “We should leave. There are arrangements to be made. When will you release the body?”

  “You’ll need to consult with the hospital authorities about that.” Vadim replaced the sheet. “Hopefully it won’t be too long. May I suggest you liaise with Ms. Phelps about drafting a statement to be released to the media? I’m sure she gave you her details.”

  Ella held the door open and waited until the Daileys had gone before turning back to Vadim.

  “Where is Ms. Phelps anyway? Wasn’t she supposed to be at that meeting?”

  Vadim slowly raised his head. “Yes, she was.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Dammit, she’s blond, isn’t she?” She ran for the door, only to have Vadim catch her arm.

  “Hold on a minute.”

  “Why? She might be in danger!”

  “Wait. Think this through. We’ve both got a good sense of Adam. Let’s use our combined power to see if we can locate him.”

  “How?”

  “Just close your eyes and use your empath abilities.”

  “But—”

  “Ella, shut up and do it!”

  She complied and forced herself to slow her breathing and turn her thoughts inward. Vadim’s magic flowed along with hers, sometimes in parallel, other times so closely mingled that she couldn’t tell where he ended and she began.

  “He’s close.”

  “Yes.”

  “Now what do we do?”

  “Concentrate on where you feel his power most strongly and find him.”

  She opened her eyes, and this time he didn’t stop her leaving. Adam’s power drew her on. He was in the hospital. He was close. She was standing outside Ms. Phelps’s office, Vadim right behind her.

  “She can’t be here. We were just in here.” She tried to turn the handle. “It’s locked.”

  “Try it again.”

  A surge of Vadim’s magic passed through her fingers and the lock clicked open. She drew her weapon and gently pushed open the door. Someone sat in Ms. Phelps’s chair. She didn’t turn or react to the opening of the door. Her eyes were wide open and she wasn’t blinking.

  “Holy cow.” Ella whispered. “That’s not how Ms. Phelps looked yesterday, is it?”

  “No.”

  Vadim went past her. “She’s in a trance.”

  “Maybe that’s for the best.” Ella moved closer. “If it is Ms. Phelps. Her face and hair coloring are completely different.”

  “It’s her, all right. Can’t you feel the magic? Remember, this was where Adam’s power was most concentrated.”

  “Shall I call Feehan?”

  “Yes, tell him what’s happened and get him to send a second SBLE security team up here. I’ll keep her under. You and I can take turns standing guard until they get here.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Ella, can I speak to you, please?”

  She looked up to see Feehan at her elbow. “What’s up?”

  He nodded in the direction of the door. “Out here?”

  She rose from her seat beside Ms. Phelps’s bed, nodded at Vadim and headed out into the hallway. It was now dark outside, and the SBLE team had secured the private room where Ms. Phelps lay. She was still in a magical trance and had betrayed no trace of awareness of what had been do
ne to her.

  The smell of coffee lured Ella farther down the hallway to the nurse’s station, where Jose obligingly handed her a cup.

  “Thanks.” She smiled at him. “I needed that.”

  “You’re welcome. Where’s lover boy?”

  “Who?”

  “You know, tall, dark and dangerous, who looks as if he wants to devour me whole every time I talk to you.”

  “Oh, him.” Ella shrugged, then sipped at her coffee. “He’s standing guard.”

  Jose leaned against the desk. “What’s going on with Ms. Phelps?”

  “She seems to have had some kind of fit.”

  “What kind of ‘fit’?”

  “They’re not sure. That’s why she’s being kept in isolation.”

  “I saw her this morning at the staff meeting, and she looked fine.” Jose shook his head. “Whatever happened, it sure seemed to come out of nowhere.”

  “I know.”

  “Ella?”

  She turned back to Feehan, who was waiting patiently behind her.

  “Sorry, boss. Emergency caffeine refueling.” She nodded at Jose. “Thanks for the coffee.”

  Feehan walked her over to a seating area by the elevators and sat down beside her.

  “I wanted to ask you something in private.” He looked around and then settled his gaze back on her. “I talked to a couple of the staff on this floor earlier, and they told me the strangest thing.”

  “What?”

  “That the last person they saw going into Ms. Phelps’s office was Vadim.”

  “So?”

  “Could it have been him?”

  “Boss, you were with us most of the day. We only parted when we went down to the ER with Brad’s parents. I was there the whole time with Morosov. He certainly didn’t sneak away and do this to Ms. Phelps.”

  “Are you quite certain?”

  “Sure I am. Do you think he bespelled me? He needed to be one hundred percent present in the ER to do the magic required to convince the Dailey family that Brad’s face looked the same as it ever had.”

  Feehan scratched his thinning hair. “It does sound a little farfetched, doesn’t it?”

  “Look, whoever this Adam dude is, he wants Vadim to take the blame for his actions. This is the second time he’s pretended to be him.”