I finally had my ah-ha moment. Carson wasn’t here to protect Howard – he was here to find Howard for the Cruze Gang. Howard must’ve seen something going on in Hancock Industries, informed the Justice Department, and stuck his neck out. Maybe he’d stupidly contacted Carson to help him escape, and maybe Carson had gone straight to the gang to fetch a higher price.
“You aren’t rushing around to find Howard,” Carson spat beside me, his voice like the crack of a whip.
“I don’t get it – do you work for the Cruze Gang, or did you contact them when Howard went to you for help getting out of the city?”
Carson clicked his fingers and clapped. “Finally figured that out, did you? It’s the former. I contacted them when I sensed the opportunity. And what an opportunity it will prove to be.” He momentarily flicked his gaze toward Max.
Max hadn’t said or done anything since Carson had put him in his place. More to the point, whenever I tried to make eye contact with Max, he would look away.
Before I could rue the day I ever met the bastard, Carson got up in my face once more. “You’ve only got 20 seconds left. You won’t like it when Josh falls into the pit. The smell is horrendous. You’ll never get it out of your clothing.”
I swallowed.
“19 seconds,” Carson trilled.
I stared around the room.
“18 seconds,” he added.
I could find Howard, but that wouldn’t change this situation. I very much doubted Carson was going to let Josh go. He would just use him as bait to force me to use more of my powers.
“17 seconds. I do hope you don’t prove to be useless. The gang is exacting,” he said. And the way he spoke suggested it was from experience.
I stopped.
I didn’t push myself to try to find Howard anymore.
I turned my head and I stared at Carson.
I’d been thinking about this all wrong. Ever since finding my powers, if you’d pardon the pun, I hadn’t really thought about how to use them. I’d only assumed I could find people or objects. But what about more abstract things? What about, specifically, a person’s weakness? It was still locating something, so couldn’t it still be within the purview of my power?
There was only one way to find out. You see, every time Carson talked about the gang, I got a sense he was scared of them. It was in the quick twitches of his arms, in the specific look in his eyes.
I smiled. “You’re scared of them, aren’t you? They’re your weakness,” I said, letting my lips shift hard around that word. It rang through the room. Maybe it had a power unto itself, because both guards paled and straightened up.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Carson spat.
“Who says I can only find people and objects?”
Carson snarled again, but it was a noncommittal move. His top lip twitched. Then it jerked down hard. “You’ve only got 10 seconds now—”
“And how much time do you have? How much time will the gang,” I used exactly the same tone he did, “give you when they realize you’ve been lying to them?”
I had no idea if Carson had been lying to the gang, and my question was nothing more than an attempt to find out how he would react.
Sure enough, he paled until it looked as if he would pass out. “I have not been lying to them,” he stuttered.
“You have,” I said with an air of certainty – one that surprised me. It seemed to come from somewhere greater than me – someone greater, too. Someone with all the power and assuredness of a fully-fledged finder. “And you know what they’ll do to you when they find out.”
“They’ll never find out,” Carson hissed. Then he paled even further as he obviously realized what he’d just admitted to.
I smiled. Carson had stopped counting down. That wasn’t the only thing I was grinning about. I’d definitely found Carson’s weakness, and now it was time to dig deeper. “You know you’re in a bind now, don’t you?”
“Shut up—” he began.
“But if I do that, you’ll make the worst mistake of your life,” I said, emphasizing the word life. “Presumably you’ve already told the gang that you acquired me and that you’re going to let them buy me off you. But what are you going to do when I tell them that you’re a liar?”
It looked as if Carson’s face would fall off. All evidence of the arrogant, brutish man who’d been threatening me moments before was gone. He swallowed, the sound grating as if his throat had contracted to the size of a pin.
“You two won’t be safe either,” I pointed at the guards. “I’m not entirely sure how this gang operates, but I think I’m finding,” I spat, “out more about them every second. And I’ll hold you no quarter. Helping Carson,” I pressed my lips and whistled, “who knows what they’ll do to you.”
Both guards looked at each other, and all sign of bravado was gone.
Carson latched a hand over his mouth, pressing his desperate fingers in as his eyes bulged wide underneath his glasses.
“Boss, what do we do?” The smarter of the two warlocks asked.
The other warlock? Shot Carson the kind of calculating look that would tell anyone he was assessing whether to stay on a sinking ship.
Carson wrenched his hand from his mouth. “Shut up and let me think. Let me think,” he screamed.
I didn’t look at Josh directly. I wouldn’t dare allow myself to. I kept shooting glances his way out of my peripheral vision, and somehow he was still managing to balance. But I could equally tell that his muscles were becoming overtaxed as his body shook back and forth. I had to do something. I’d controlled the situation up till now, but I had to—
“Wait. It will come,” Max whispered. His voice was so quiet, I almost didn’t pick it up. It was the only thing that stopped me before I could throw myself forward.
Somehow Josh kept his balance as Carson continued to break down.
“Boss, what do we do?” the smarter bodyguard asked again. But this time, there was more demand in his tone.
“I told you two to shut up. I’ve got this under control.”
“You don’t look as if you have this under control. She’s right – you’ve already made a deal with the gang. And it’s not like you can muzzle her. And if you don’t deliver her—” the smart bodyguard said, not even bothering to finish his sentence.
“Just leave this to me – I’ve got it sorted,” Carson bellowed. He was shaking all over. Either from fear or something else. He shoved a hand into his pocket and withdrew a pillbox. It certainly hadn’t been there seconds before – as the fabric of his pocket had sat straight. Now the pills within the bottle rattled around as he managed to unscrew the lid and tip a single blue pill onto his palm. The pill was crackling with magic.
He went to shove it in his mouth.
“Now,” was all Max said.
Something happened to me. I threw myself forward. Whatever rope had been holding me back from action before broke, and it was like I was being jettisoned from a cannon.
I rounded my shoulder and struck Carson just at the right moment. He was overbalanced from his desperation, and it was easy to knock him onto his butt. As for his bottle of pills – it went flying.
I caught it.
“Throw it to Josh. He can use his magic to absorb it,” Max blurted, his voice arcing up with tension and yet power.
I didn’t question. Perhaps I should have. Perhaps this was all yet more of his game. Perhaps Max had always been working for Carson. Perhaps I would never truly be able to trust Max, a man who had spent his life finding opportunity in others. But perhaps that didn’t matter right now.
Just before Carson could throw himself to his feet and stop me, I turned and through the pillbox straight at Josh.
Though it looked as if Josh couldn’t practice magic while suspended over that pit, maybe it only made his powers weaker until there was no way he could escape. Because as soon as Max had screamed that command, the faintest charge of yellow-green magic had erupted over Josh’s skin. It w
as just in time as the pillbox hurtled through the air and struck him on the shoulder.
It didn’t bounce off, even though that was what it should have done. Instead, it was almost as if Josh’s residual magic made it sticky. It adhered to his shoulder. Then, the next thing I knew, the plastic cracked and melted.
There was one pill left in the box. As Josh’s magic spilled around it, it somehow digested the pill, or at least accessed its power.
“Stop him,” Carson’s screamed. It was too late.
The faint glow of Josh’s magic suddenly surged until it looked as if he were a flare.
Though he was still only just managing to balance above the pit, as his magic charged around him, the black flames below were pushed back. The strangest sizzling sound crackled through the air, and the smell of burnt fingernails filled the room.
And Josh? Jumped out of the pit. He’d never been tied up – just his mouth. He didn’t bother to un-gag himself as both of the guards threw themselves at him. He pivoted on his hip, brought his magic engorged foot up, and kicked them both back with enough force to see them tumbling halfway across the cavernous room.
Carson Black turned on his expensive shoe. He threw himself toward the blue pill several meters away from him. He didn’t manage to get to it. Max, showing speed that was usually reserved for an Army warlock, dashed over and crushed the pill under his shoe.
Carson screamed. Then Josh reached him. And the rest? History. Josh managed to contain both Carson and his two guards, and Max found the police. And as for Howard? When all was said and done, I found him gagged and tied up in a utility cupboard on the opposite side of the room. He was unconscious but alive, and that was all that mattered.
Wait, was that all that mattered?
I turned in time to see Max walking toward me, his hands in his pockets. It took him a long time to look my way, and as he did, a slow smile spread his lips. “You did well.”
It was the first time I’d managed to talk to him since the police had arrived. I took a breath.
He watched me.
I didn’t know what to say to him – whether to ask if he’d always planned on helping me back there, or if he’d switched his allegiances once it had become clear that Carson wasn’t in control, after all. That would’ve been the smart question to ask. But, at the same time, something told me there was no point. My heart, specifically, told me this was just how Max worked. I crossed my arms. “Did you know that opportunity was going to come back there? That I would find Carson’s weakness, use it against him, managed to secure one of his pills, and throw it at Josh?”
“My powers don’t work like that,” he admitted softly. “I only recognize opportunities when I find them. But I don’t think that’s the question you want to ask.”
I arched my eyebrow, suddenly feeling uncomfortable at his direct attention. I let my gaze swivel over to Josh. He was sitting on an upturned box being treated by a medic. He’d been absolutely glowing ever since he’d taken that pill, and the medic was giving him some medication to cool down. I hoped it would work, because Josh very much didn’t need drugs. He was over the top enough as it was. “Is Josh going to be all right?” I asked as an afterthought as I realized Max expected an answer.
“Yes. But that’s not the question you want to ask, either. You want to know if I had your back back there. And the answer is yes. It’s very hard for people to trust a finder,” he said out of the blue, the pitch of his voice changing. It was a tone I’d never heard him use. For it was a fragile tone that seemed to hide some pain. “Especially an opportunity finder,” he added. “There will always be the question of whether I befriended someone because I liked them, or because I think they will lead to a gain. I can’t answer that question for you. Only you can. The only advice I can offer you is to follow your feelings.”
I looked at him. It was uncomfortable, because he was close and I wasn’t blinking. But that didn’t matter. Because I came to a decision. “Thank you,” I said, “for saving Josh and saving the day.”
He smiled softly. “The thanks is all down to you, Miss Samson.”
I stared at him, and he stared at me. I swallowed, and I smiled. Maybe, on paper, I didn’t have that much to smile about. My life had gone to hell, and I’d almost been kidnapped and given to one of the most dangerous drug gangs in town. I smiled because I followed my feelings. And maybe Max was right – maybe that would be all that would matter in the end.
Epilogue
“I can’t believe it’s actually over,” Josh said as he marched in through the front door and dumped his phone onto the hall table. He bumped the cloisonné vase but apparently didn’t care at the moment, as he promptly took his muddy shoes off. He abandoned them in the hallway, leaned against the door, tilted his head down, covered his face with his hand, and breathed.
I walked in behind him, the door still ajar. “I thought you said this would be a routine case?” I took the opportunity to goad him, even though it looked as if he was tired enough to conk out on the floor. He was obviously suffering the come down from the D 20, even though he’d been given an antidote. But if the tables had been turned, Josh would’ve taken the opportunity to goad me in a heartbeat. Plus… I was kind of happy to see that he was fine. Which was demonstrated as he dropped his hand and snarled. “Do you want to just leave me alone?”
I brought my hands up. “I was going to offer to do the paperwork. But if you want to be left alone—”
He narrowed his gaze at me. “You don’t even know how to do paperwork. Can you even write?”
“Surprisingly, yes I can. Now, did you want to go and take a shower? I’ll fix up the paperwork, sign off that the case is complete, and potentially, if you are nice to me, I’ll cook you some burnt toast.” I smiled.
“Wow, you’re a pleasure to live with. Burnt toast? Is that the best you can do?”
“If you ask me to fix you a sandwich or a pie, I’m gonna punch you. Plus, burnt toast is the best you can do for me. Now, where’s your office? I need to fax a signature over to the Justice Department confirming the case is complete, right? As if a fax machine is still a thing,” I added under my breath.
“No way, no how. You’re not going to my office. Have you forgotten the golden rule of this house? You only get to go into three rooms.”
I crossed my arms in front of my chest, arched my eyebrow, and stared at him as hard and directly as I could. “No, I haven’t forgotten your stupid rules. Even though this isn’t actually your house. I just thought you would relax them considering I saved your life back there, and potentially your career, too.”
“You just did your job. Do you need me to give you a gold star for it?”
I crossed my arms even tighter until I threatened to squeeze my head off. “You should be a hell of a lot more thankful that I was there to help you out back there.”
“I’d be more thankful if you just left me alone and got out of my house. But hey, protection order.” Josh brought his hands up wide and gestured, his expression peeved.
He was in a hell of a mood. And though I could pretend it was just his personality shining through brighter than ever, I knew two things. He was tired and coming down from his high. And most importantly? He felt guilty for not being able to protect me. This was apparently what Josh looked like when he was feeling sorry for himself.
I now fully appreciated what Susan had pointed out. Josh had scars, and those scars dictated the majority of his reactions.
“Now go to your room, Missy, and don’t touch my stuff. Just because I’m about to conk out on the couch doesn’t mean I’m going to relax the rules. If you go outside of your three rooms – you’re in trouble.”
“Whose house is this?” someone said from behind me.
I jolted hard, not expecting the interruption. I was still standing on the doorstep, and I shifted back, my shoes skidding. Just as I tipped backward, about to tumble down the stairs and conk my head on the pavement, I felt a soft but firm hand on my shoulder.
/> As soon as said hand’s warmth spread through my skin, I knew exactly who it was.
Sure enough, Max pushed me up until I was standing, grabbed the door, opened it wider, and gestured for me to walk in.
I blinked at him in utter surprise. “Ah… why are you here?” I couldn’t control my tone.
“This is my house,” Max said as he gestured again for me to walk inside.
I was too damn surprised to move. Why did it seem that every time I was about to fall over – literally or metaphorically – Max was there?
I got my answer. I felt that tether connecting us once more. I pushed it away as I straightened up, surreptitiously wiped my sweaty hands on my top, and tried for a smile that didn’t look like I was trying to sell toothpaste. “I… this is Josh’s house,” I answered. It was the stupidest thing I could say. I really doubted Max had gotten confused and now thought he owned every single abode in Madison City.
Plus, Josh wasn’t saying a word to correct him.
“I own this house. I allow Josh to live here and to use it rent-free as his office and residence,” Max explained.
It was like being hit by a bombshell.
Max was the guy who owned this place? Max? The same Max Josh had such a complicated relationship with that it looked as if Josh would pop every time Max was mentioned?
My mouth was hanging open, and I made no attempt whatsoever to close it.
Josh looked down at his feet. “Is this a house inspection?”
“No. I’m returning lost property.” Max shoved a hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a ticket. He handed it to me.
I frowned down at it then up at him. “What’s this?”
“It’s your ticket from the match. I think it fell out of Josh’s pocket after his fight.”
Before I could tell him it was just a ticket, and it had been used, and it was hardly something I would’ve missed, that smile of his spread. There was such a… God, such an alluring quality to it, but at the same time one that was bathed in mystery.
The kind of smile, to be exact, that confirmed that I still knew absolutely nothing about this guy.
Forgotten Destiny Book One Page 15
