by Kimbra Swain
She blushed and said, “I’m Cassidy. Thank you for having Lukas rescue me. I’m not sure what happened, but I felt in a daze.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said and looked at Lukas.
“Thrall spell from what I can tell,” he explained. I filled my plate and sat down a couple seats away from her. I had no doubts she was Lianne’s daughter, because she looked just like her. Beautiful, lithe, graceful, but hopefully not nearly as deadly as Lianne, maybe. Lianne Theodoard, Abigail’s crazy Fae aunt, didn’t know that we had we found Cassidy hanging out with a necromancer in Paris. The same necromancer who shoved a black knife into Abigail.
“You are very lucky, Miss Cassidy,” I said. “The necromancer was crazy, and I could see it in her eyes.”
“Lukas said, you killed her,” she said flatly.
“Um, yes, well, she attacked Abby, and so I did,” I admitted.
“Let’s hope she didn’t know how to jump bodies,” Lukas said.
“They can do that?”
“Unfortunately,” he admitted.
“How will we know?” I asked.
“If she shows up again,” he said plainly.
“Ugh,” I grunted and ate the food on the plate. I could feel Abby approaching. “Hey Lukas, hide the bacon.”
His eyes lit up with humor. “You got a death wish, Duarte?” he asked, but opened and drawer and shoved the rest of the bacon inside it. She walked in and smiled at me. “Here’s a plate, Abby.” Lukas said handing her one. He had to turn his face away from her because he couldn’t hold back his laughter. She put eggs and toast on the plate and sat down next to me as I put my last piece of bacon in my mouth. I winked at her as I ate it.
“Good morning, Cassidy. It is good to see you alive,” she said not even looking over at her. She looked at her plate, then at mine. I had a few crumbs of bacon left.
“Morning, Abby. What are you going to tell Mother?” Cassidy asked.
“Haven’t decided yet,” Abby replied. She took a bite of her eggs. Lukas could not look at us. What a wuss. I looked at her and kept a stoic face.
“How was the shower?” I asked.
“Actually, it may have been the best shower I’ve ever had in my entire life,” she said. With that, Lukas spun around and eyed her. There was history in that glare, and I did not want to know. Her eyes lit up as she met his. Detecting the slightest blush on her cheeks, I decided that I definitely did not want to know.
“Lukas, you can call the crew and invite them up around lunch time. It will give me a little peace and quiet, but I’m eager to see them,” she said.
“I’m sorry about Jay,” Lukas said destroying the avoidance of the issue I had decided to adhere to for the day. I looked at her, and tears welled up in her eyes. Putting my hand on her leg, I tried to comfort her without causing too much attention.
“Yes, I am, too,” she muttered. I shot him a look, and he put his hands up in surrender. She took a moment to recover her composure. “We will have his memorial at the same time we have the memorial for both of you after I beat you to death for hiding the fucking bacon,” she said deadpan.
“It was his idea!” Lukas ratted me out at once.
“Dude, bros before hoes,” I said. Cassidy giggled at us. Lukas pulled the plate out and put it down next to her. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before leaving the room. Payback for me, I suppose, for getting him into trouble. She turned and faced me.
“Bros before hoes, huh?”
“It’s a saying. I thought it was appropriate,” I replied.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
I felt Cassidy get up and leave the room. “For what?”
“Making me smile when there is nothing to smile about right now,” she said as the sadness overtook her face again.
“We will get through it,” I assured her.
“We‘ll have to,” she said.
“Abby, you need to come in here,” Lukas said from the other room.
She got up, and I followed her into the other room. A news report flashed on the television, and a female anchor gave the report, “Mr. Gilbert was murdered just outside his offices on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. Police have no suspects in custody, but several witnesses described a tall dark-skinned male fleeing the scene. Police are asking for any witnesses with info to please call the number listed on the screen. Andrew Gilbert was a wealthy businessman who had influenced business and the arts in Atlanta for almost 20 years. He was well known for his philanthropic donations to many charities in the city including founding a Non-Profit Organization to help teens to escape gang and drug violence in the inner city. Mr. Gilbert is survived by his wife and two children.”
Abby’s face drained of color, and she said, “Lukas, make the calls. Security level 5 on all proxies. Check-in intervals at every 3 hours. I need a phone.”
He handed her a cell as he picked up a land line phone on the table.
“Who was he?” I asked.
“The Atlanta Proxy,” she replied. Proxies were the heart and soul of the network she‘d created. A proxy in every major city tracked and reported supernatural activity back to The Agency. She dialed and spoke the moment someone picked up, “Get here now. Yes, I saw. Get them all up here. Bring the equipment. See you soon.” She hung up and shivered. I heard Lukas giving instructions over the phone. Cassidy sat on the couch quietly watching us all. Abby looked at me with sad eyes. I put my arm around her, and my forehead to hers.
“It’s never ending. Are you sure you are up for this?” she asked.
“I am bound to you,” I replied.
The room exploded with noise the moment they arrived. Ichiro Maki, team doctor, Ashley Montgomery, my assistant, Vicktor, the mad Russian and scientist, and the brute twins Tony and Tommy, all seemingly entered through the door at once. Ashley dropped her cases and ran to me. She wrapped me up, and I hugged her back.
“I don’t know how both of you got out of there. What the hell happened?” she asked. The guys were shaking hands with Tadeas and Lukas. They introduced Cassidy to everyone, but I was pretty sure most of them already knew her. She sat back during all of this. She and I would need to have a talk one on one very soon, before I returned her to her mother.
“We can all talk about it together. That way I only have to tell it once,” I explained. She hugged me again. “I don’t want to think about Jay right now.” Ashley’s eyes welled up with tears.
“There is a basement in this place,” Lukas said above the noise.
We all turned to him. It’s almost like basement was our favorite word. “Lead the way Mr. Castille,” I said.
We followed him down a winding staircase with iron railings into a basement that had a glass double door to a patio on the back side of the house. Above the patio was a deck on the main level. The room would be perfect for an operations hub, large and open. There were several desks and tables. Plenty of office chairs for everyone. Ashley started to direct traffic. Along the edge of the room a small nook housed a fridge, coffee pot and microwave. Three adjoining rooms connected to the main room. Lukas explained they were all bedrooms. I think the house had a total of seven bedrooms. There should be plenty for all of us as long as Ashley and Ichiro shared.
I did not know how long Lukas planned on staying with us. He had a lot of responsibilities as the west coast regent, especially now with the assassination of the Atlanta proxy. Regents covered large areas and provided direct contact between the proxies and the core of the Agency. He would need to keep tabs on all his people as much as possible. He impressed me from the moment I had met him, and he could handle any issue that would arise. I never worried about Lukas doing his job despite our jaded past. Ashley gave orders to set up computers for constant contact with the proxies. She brought me a briefcase. I opened it to find a tablet, new cell phone and other office supplies. Tadeas helped Cassidy set up the computers.
“I’m really good with computers, perhaps you’ll let me stay and help your team,” she suggest
ed. I was still wary of her. She had spent time with Vanessa Vaughn. She probably had at least met John Mwenye, the most powerful necromancer I knew. I wanted to keep an eye on her.
“We need to keep an eye on her,” Tadeas said in my head. I chuckled and smiled to hear his voice in my head. I enjoyed hearing him. At first the connection unsettled me, but now knowing how connected we were, it comforted me. “Oh, you were already thinking that weren’t you?”
“I told you I thought you had some sort of empathic abilities, because more often than you know, you speak exactly what I’m thinking. It’s scary as fuck,” I replied.
“It’s one of my many talents, most of which I haven’t revealed to you,” he grinned.
“I’m not going there,” I replied.
“Your mind is always in the gutter, Abby,” he said. I shook my head and turned away from him to hide my blushing cheeks. Probably more like my mind and body were both depraved.
Ashley walked up and spoke quietly so no one would hear us. “Things are good with him now, yes?” She knew that we had a rocky start and several bumps along the way, but our partnership had solidified. Ashley, however, couldn't care less about the partnership. She concerned herself with either getting me laid or married. What else were best friends for?
“Yes,” I replied.
“How good?” she asked.
I sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe we can have some girl talk time later. I’m utterly confused.” The confusion manifested in the simple act of a kiss when we thought we were going to die in the compound collapse.
“It’s not going to get any easier with Lukas here,” she said.
“Tell me about it,” I replied.
Both of them watched us talk. Tadeas started making coffee, and Lukas helped arrange power cables. Tony and Tommy were making calls while Ichiro already had his laptop open and was working. The cell phone in the briefcase that Ashley gave me started to ring.
“Davenport,” I answered.
“Morning, Abby,” Gregory Theodoard’s voice came through clearly.
“Morning, Grandfather,” I replied.
“I assume you and your team are dealing with this?”
“We are. They are setting up operations in the basement of the safe house. Looks like we will be calling this home base for a while,” I replied.
“I’ve had some things come up. You need to call Lianne and let her know Cassidy is there. She probably already knows, but she’s waiting to see what move you will make,” he said. I knew that Grandfather knew most things once they happened. Some sort of immediate history retention. I never knew exactly what he knew and when he knew it, but inevitably, he always knew. “Tell Tadeas again that I am thankful that he was there with you. I’m sorry about Jay. I know he has long been a part of your life, so take time to mourn him, Abby. Don’t let it eat at you. Goodbye, child,” he said. He didn’t expect any response from me.
I didn’t have time to mourn Jay. He and I had spoken multiple times over the last few days, and I didn’t want to think about him being gone. I wanted to think about his dashing good looks and electric personality and hoped any moment he’d bust through the door. For just a second, I watched the steps as if he were coming to join us. He would never join us again.
After a search through my contacts, I found the number I was looking for. I hit dial, walking to the sliding glass door, and stepped out onto the patio. I could feel Tadeas in the room eyeing me as I went out the door. He did not follow. He continued to help everyone set up. The phone rang five times and connected to voice mail.
“Hey, you’ve reached the King of Atlanta. You know what to do.”
“Tavaris Williams, this is Abigail Davenport. Call me immediately,” I said and hung up. In less than a minute, the phone rang. “Davenport,” I said.
“Hello beautiful! It has been far too long since I laid eyes on your lovely self,” Tavaris said. Tavaris Williams was the canvas crew leader in Atlanta. He grew up in the western parts of the city. He got into a gang at an early age, but found his way into the program that Andrew Gilbert established in the city. We recruited him to lead the crews in Atlanta. He had ties all throughout the city from NBA stars to the local street pimps. He knew everyone, and everyone knew him. None of them, however, knew about The Agency and our operations there. He walked on the edge of the dark side, providing Gilbert with the best information from the streets. It was a shock to know Gilbert was dead. He and Tavaris had run the city so cleanly for so many years. They generally dealt with their own problems and rarely ran an issue up the ladder.
Gilbert reported to the East Coast Regent, Angelo Giordano. He was the head of the East coast families, the living breathing godfather of the mob currently living in New York City. Giordano was never much help, but unfortunately the Agency’s ties to the families were deep. We cut ties in the late 1970s because of the escalation of violence in the boroughs that lasted well into the 1980s. The government was infiltrating their operations. Our contacts within the FBI gave us a head’s up, and we pulled out all personnel. Once the dust settled, Giordano was the new kingpin. He contacted us, and we negotiated terms. We joined forces with the families solely because no one had a network like the mob. We could not gather information with their efficiency.
“Tavaris, dear, what the hell is going on down there?”
“Ma’am, it’s a mess. You coming to town? I could sure use your help. We need a proxy and fast. Andy deserved better. I can’t believe this happened. I’m afraid it might have been an inside job,” he said.
“I hope not, because, Tavaris, that’s your department. You are the inside job,” I reminded him. I didn’t want to be too hard on him. He was the best we had.
“I know. I failed y’all on this, but I sure could use your help,” he replied.
“When is the funeral?” I asked.
“It's in two days. It will be out in Lawrenceville. I’ll email Ashley all the info. I’ve already sent her all the intelligence I’ve collected. I know you aren’t really mad at me, but I needed a wake-up call. I just didn’t expect it to be Andy’s death,” he said.
“I’ll be there for the funeral. I’m bringing my new partner. Be ready for us. Ashley will take care of the normal stuff. Just have your people in place. I’ve been vetting new proxies from my office for a while now, and I know who I can to bring to set up, but it’s going to take time. I’m counting on you to hold it down until then.” I had to pause as a wave of sadness washed over me. Home. My office was at home. I could not go home.
“You alright?” Tavaris asked.
“Yeah, yesterday was rough. We lost the Boulder compound. I was almost buried alive in it. Just trying to catch up,” I said. “I’m failing on my job, too.”
“Naw, Miss Abby, you’ve never failed me or any of us. I’m glad you are okay. We need you.”
“You are too kind,” I replied.
“I’m a southern boy. My grandma would slap me if I weren’t nice to the ladies,” he said.
I knew he had that wide genuine grin on his face. I’d met his grandma, and she was a formidable woman. She could cook ‘a mess of southern fare’ as she called it better than anyone I knew. I hoped I would get to see her again. “See you soon King Williams,” I said.
“Yes ma’am, but I’ll let you call me T if you want,” he said. “Besides, I always thought I’d be your next partner.”
“Maybe next time,” I said.
“Don’t tease me, Miss Abby,” he laughed.
“Tomorrow evening. Be ready.”
“Yes ma’am,” he said and hung up.
“You replacing me?” Tadeas asked as he handed me a cup of tea.
“Thank you,” I said blowing on it. He had a cup of coffee. It was nice on the patio. I sat down on the swing there, and he joined me. “No, that was Tavaris Williams.”
“Ah! The King of Atlanta,” he said.
“The very one,” I replied. “I was checking in with him. He sent his intel to Ashley. We need to look at i
t and try to start piecing the puzzle together. Have you met Tavaris?”
“Yes, he visited the compound a couple of years ago. Seemed to know his stuff,” he said.
“He is the best canvas leader we have,” I replied. “I’m shocked this happened in his city, and he didn’t know about it. It’s bad that I have to be suspicious of everyone now.” I lifted my eyes and looked at my team. Aidan and Fayola weren’t here. And Jay.
“You don’t suspect any of them, do you?” he asked.
“No. I hope not, but I’ll be honest. Right now, the only person I trust completely is you,” I said. I trusted him utterly and completely, realizing it had been a long time since I felt that way about anyone.
“Even Ashley?” he asked.
“Even Ashley,” I said. “I used to have a nose for such things. I took too long to come back, and now everything has changed.”
“You can’t think about it that way,” he said. “You will never win looking back. We need to keep moving forward and get ahead of the game.”
I took a sip of my tea and looked out across the landscape to the ocean. The sun was reflecting off the water. Several boats sailed by. But, I did not have time to enjoy it. There was work to be done. Tadeas put his arm around my shoulders, and that was when Lukas decided to join our solitude.
“I need to talk to you both about Cassidy and what happened in Paris,” he said.
“Bulla,” I said out of instinct wrapping the entire patio in a bubble of privacy. He nodded to me.
“What do we need to know?” Tadeas asked.
I was thankful that Lukas included Tadeas in the conversation. Lukas knew me and how I operated. In general, he focused on business matters even after our break-up. He wouldn’t let his feelings for me get in the way of business. Tadeas was my partner, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. Lukas and I had a relationship 20 years ago. Some unknown entity turned him into a life-force draining incubus. He managed the hunger, and to my knowledge, had never killed anyone. Mainly because he was human once. He’s the only one we know of in history that became an incubus. All the others were born that way. He and I were together, and we were happy. Very happy. They had tortured him in order to destroy me.
