by Kimbra Swain
“I’m not sure, but I can’t find him. He’s been missing since the shooting,” he said.
“Shouldn’t he have been with Andrew at the time?” I asked.
“Yes, he was. I saw him go out the doors of the office with him, but when the shots fired, everyone scattered. I haven’t seen him since. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, but Abby he’s my brother,” he sounded so sad.
“Tavaris, I will be there tomorrow. I will try to push up our time table and be there sooner. Keep your distance from him, and we will talk more when I get there,” I said. Lukas stepped out on the patio with me. Inside the room, Tadeas was looking over the weapons.
“Yes ma’am,” he said.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. It will be okay.” I assured him with a little compassion for his situation. Tadeas taught me that. Tavaris hung up without saying goodbye.
“What's wrong?” Lukas asked.
“I tried to reach Samara. He’s travelling. I left a message with his answering service,” I explained.
“What do you need to speak to Samara? I mean, I’m not trying to pry. Just asking.”
“It’s fine. I have trouble pulling magic when in the spirit world with Tadeas. I need to figure out how to use power on that side. It’s like whatever I pull fizzles out,” I said.
“That is something important I would think. Be careful in that realm.” he said.
“Yes, I know,” I returned.
He had on a beautiful blue bespoke suit, light blue shirt and blue and silver striped tie. It brought out his blue eyes. I chose Lukas for the Los Angeles proxy in part because he looked like a movie star. He had a long face and strong chin. His topaz blue eyes and blonde hair completed the package. He was strikingly handsome for someone with no Fae blood. Today he wore a shadow of a beard. I always liked it that way. He saw me admiring him. “I remember that look,” he smiled.
“Yes, you caught me. You are just as handsome as you ever were. Your eyes show age though. I suppose mine do as well,” I said.
“No, they don’t. You look as young as you ever did,” he said.
“That wasn’t Samara’s answering service though when I came out,” he said. He didn’t miss anything. It was kind of annoying, but again, another wonderful trait in a proxy or regent.
“No, it was Tavaris. Apparently, Andrew put some faith in Jamal, and allowed him to run security. Jamal has been missing since the shooting. Tavaris is upset, and was scared to tell me,” I explained. Joining me on the swing, I was relieved to talk to him about it. This was Agency business, and I knew Lukas would help me figure it out. I looked inside and Ashley had Tadeas cornered. Good grief.
“Jamal. How stupid. How many times has he been in prison?”
“Too many times, especially to be the head of security. It all seems pretty strange.”
“Do you want me to go with you to Atlanta? I could sit in and help stabilize things until you bring in a new proxy,” he offered.
“We don’t want to start a turf war with Giordano, and we don’t want our securities to lapse on the West Coast. I think you should stay here.”
“I’ve got people here that can handle it, plus with technology I’m just a moment away. I have a crystal that ports me back to my office. I could run the entire country if I needed to do it,” he explained.
It would be nice to have someone in Atlanta that I trusted keeping the peace while I recruited the new proxy. Did I trust Lukas? My instincts told me that Lukas had always been loyal even through the toughest circumstances, and that I could always trust him. “Let me sleep on it, and I’ll let you know in the morning,” I said.
“You could sleep with me, and we could discuss it more,” he offered with a smile.
His flirt sent my hormones into a wild tizzy. “No, Lukas, I think we did our fair share of sleeping together in the past.”
“We did, but it was good. I miss it.”
“It was always good, but I can’t,” I said.
He moved over closer to me. He picked up my hand and kissed it. “Abby, tell me the real reason you left me. I would have done anything to keep you here. What happened to me was not my fault or yours.”
I knew exactly why I left. It wasn’t for any of the reasons he thought. We needed to have this talk, especially if we were going to be working together. I looked into the room, and Tadeas was gone.
“I left, because if I had stayed, you would have starved yourself which would have resulted in your death or the death of some poor woman after you tried to hold back. I didn’t want to see you die, and I didn’t want to see you kill someone to survive, then hate yourself for it. Leaving you meant that you would live, and I didn’t want to live in a world without you and Lincoln.”
Lukas touched my cheek, and it sent a tingle of memory through my body of all the times he touched me. “You stupid woman, what made you think I could live without you?”
“You are here and living,” I said.
“No, I obsessed over getting the serum completed. Jackie probably hates me. I badgered her constantly about it, but it works. Fate has put you back with me, and I don’t want to let you go,” he said.
“Lukas, I can’t,” I said and pulled back from him.
“Look, if you tell me you are in love with him, then I will back off. It will hurt like hell, but I can do it. He’s an excellent choice for a partner. I actually like him, but I don’t want him to have you,” he said.
He was being honest. My feelings for him stirred inside of me, and I pushed them down. “I am not in love with Tadeas, however he is important to me. We are soul bonded. But, Lukas, I can’t have that kind of relationship anymore. Not with anyone. Look at us. We are so far behind. This GEA, these evil people have been working together for decades while I sat in a corner and sulked. I destroyed everything that I was because I let myself fall in love. Not just once, but twice!” I stood up and headed for the door.
“You can’t blame yourself for every evil thing that arises. Do you intend to guard your heart forever? You are never going to love anyone again?” he asked standing up and grabbing my arm.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Well, good, whenever you decide it’s a good time, I’m still going to be here,” he put his arms around me and pulled me to him. I did not want him to kiss me, but he did. My arms, legs and lips tingled with remembrance. My body responded to the memory, and I kissed him back remembering the old habit.
When he pulled away from me, I remembered we were good together, but it was the past. I couldn’t look back anymore. “Lukas, please, don’t ever do that again.”
I ducked back in the house, and Ashley’s eyes were huge. I huffed and went upstairs. I could feel Tadeas above in the master bedroom, but I needed a moment alone to compose myself and think. Stepping out on the main patio I could see the pool and headed that way.
Twilight darkened the landscape, and the night air gently blew my hair around my face. Sitting on the railing, a large black raven cawed at me. I stopped in fear and stared at it. It fluttered its wings and took off toward the ocean.
“Just a bird,” I said.
A light in the pool created a blue glow. I drank it all in and calmed my emotions. Sitting on one of the lawn chairs, I felt the tingle of the kiss lingering on my lips.
Memories of the past washed over me. I had loved Lukas from the moment I met him. He changed my perspective on love and what it could be. As always though, my world changed, and evil attacked. The memories of that love and the pain of losing him pulsed through my body, but it was only a memory. Although the pain in my chest felt very immediate and present. I looked down at my chest, and the red stain on my shirt grew. I closed my eyes and drifted away.
I was sitting at the desk when a handsome, but grungy, young man came into the office. He was carrying a box full of files. “Hello, sir, how may I help you?” I asked.
“Um, I am supposed to deliver these files to an Abigail Davenport at this address,” he said. I got up and rou
nded the table, feeling the shift of the simple black sheath dress, I was wearing. I had been in Los Angeles for the better part of a month trying to find a proxy for the city. It proved to be my greatest challenge since taking over this endeavor. I established proxies all over the United States, but I could not find the right fit for the Hollywood crowd. This city swelled with all different species of supernatural beings. Whomever I put in charge here would have to be as good looking as a movie star, but also have a great mind and instincts.
“I’m Abigail,” I said as I approached him. “You can sit that on the desk.” He walked over and sat the box down. He wore light denim jeans with a hole in the knee of the pants. His tee shirt said Motley Crue with Theatre of Pain across the bottom. I knew it to be a rock band, but beyond that I had no idea. His threadbare tennis shoes barely covered his feet and looked to be a size too small. His blonde hair feathered back like Don Johnson’s hair. I had met Don a few nights ago at a charity gala in Hollywood. Since I didn’t watch tv, I had no idea what Miami Vice was, so I had to have someone explain it to me. Maybe that is why this particular city was so hard for me to establish. I knew nothing about this world. “Do you know Don Johnson?” I asked.
“You mean the guy on Miami Vice?” he said as he ran his hand through his hair.
“Yes, I met him the other night. Do you know him?”
“No ma’am. I don’t,” he responded nervously.
“I thought maybe you had the same barber,” I said seriously, but he laughed. “What’s funny?”
“Um, I’m just a street kid. I don’t go to a barber, much less one that a celebrity uses,” he said. I opened the box. It contained documents that Ashley had sent over to me. They were meaningless, and it puzzled me as to why she sent them over. I looked up to him.
“Where did she find you?” I asked.
“I was on the corner with some of my friends hanging out. We weren’t getting in any trouble or anything,” he said.
“You do drugs?” I asked.
“Um, what? No ma’am. I mean I’ve tried a few things, but that ain’t for me. You can’t live on the streets and be high,” he explained.
“Good for you. Did she pay you?” I asked.
“Yes, she gave me a Benjamin, and said if I came back after delivering the box, she would give me another one,” he explained. I went back around to my desk, pulled out two ‘Benjamins’ and gave them to him.
“No ma’am. She will pay me when I get back,” he said.
“Honorable, but you aren’t going back. Take these, and have a seat,” I pointed over to a couch in the corner. I hated this office. It was too small. Ashley had almost finalized the deed to the building to house the LA operations for KBS in downtown. Dust perpetually covered everything in this one. He looked puzzled, but obeyed. I was going to give him more money than he’d probably seen in a while. I picked up the phone and dialed Ashley.
“Hello,” she said knowing it was me.
“Ash, have you finished that office deal yet?”
“Actually, I have. We can move in by the end of the week,” she said happily.
“What’s the deal with the box?” I asked.
“You know that I didn’t send you a box,” she said.
“Ashley, I need a proxy, not a kid,” I scolded her.
“Maybe you should think outside the box. Have you heard from him?” she giggled at her joke and asked about Lincoln, my partner and former boyfriend, lover, whatever you wanted to call him.
“No, I haven’t. He’s off doing his own thing now. He made his choice,” I said.
“The young man will be a good asset to have here in the city, even if you don’t decide to elevate him,” she said. I looked up at the guy. He seemed so young to me.
“Do you know something about this kid that I don’t?” I asked, knowing her premonition talent.
“Bingo! Have a nice day!” and she hung up. I growled and hung up the phone. The guy flinched.
“Sorry kid. Ashley can be aggravating. Looks like you are stuck with me for a bit. You okay with that?”
“Depends on what I need to do. You are pretty and all, but I’m not into that male escort shit,” he said.
I died laughing. “You are funny. This is not that kind of thing. I need some help around here. Ashley found a new office, and I’ll need some help moving. While you are in my employ, I will provide you with all meals, lodging and new clothes. I will pay you $1000 a week and when my task here in Los Angeles is done, I will see that you have a home and money to live on for the rest of your life.” He just stared at me.
“You ain’t for real,” he said.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Lukas,” he replied.
“Lukas what?”
“Lukas Castille,” he said.
“Well, Mr. Lukas Castille, I assure you that I am very for real, and from now on if anyone asks your name, you tell them your first and last name. You offer your hand to them to shake. You stand tall and be proud of yourself,” I said.
His eyes told me didn’t have any pride in how he looked. “What kind of gig is this?”
“I haven’t decided yet, but for now you will run errands for me and pick up heavy boxes,” I said. He still looked unsure. “Lukas, may I call you Lukas?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
“Okay, you call me Abby, Abigail or Miss Davenport, but I prefer Abby,” I said, and he nodded, “Lukas, you’ve been on the streets. Have you ever seen anything strange out there?”
He lowered his head, and wouldn’t look me in the eyes. “There are a lot of strange things on the streets.”
“Beyond strange?” I asked.
“Yes, I have,” he said quietly.
“I’m the person that fights those things,” I said. His body went rigid, and he held his breath.
“I once saw a man suck the life out of another one. His eyes turned black. It scared me, and I ran. I’m no pushover in a fight, but that was something totally different,” he said without looking up.
“That, Lukas, was a necromancer. They are evil wizards that pull the souls out of the living. They live off the power of the souls they collect,” I explained. He didn’t move or look up.
“Wizards, like magic? I saw a movie at the dollar theatre with David Carradine and he had this hot chick that was a sorceress. You mean like that?” he asked.
“Real magic is quite different. Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you,” I turned my hand palm up and spoke in Latin, “Fulmen.” A small ball of lightning appeared above my hand. It spun and the tiny tendrils of lightning flashed around my hand. He jumped out of the seat moving to the back wall.
“Get away from me, lady. I won’t let you eat my soul.”
I closed my hand, and the ball disappeared. I laughed at him. “I’m not going to eat your soul. You stink. When is the last time you had a bath?”
“Wait, you ain’t gonna eat my soul, because I stink?”
“No, I’m not going to eat your soul, because I’m not a necromancer,” I replied.
He looked confused. “What’s my bathing habits to you?”
“Well, if you are going to work for me, we got to get you cleaned up,” I said.
“I didn’t agree to work for you,” he said back to me.
“No, you didn’t, but you are going to, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Can you show me how to do that ball of lightning thing?”
I laughed again. This was going to be fun even if I didn’t find a proxy. “Unfortunately, Lukas, your power is not in the arcane forces of the world. You can’t possibly do that like I did.”
“I have a power?” he asked.
“Everyone has a power. Come, let's go find out what yours is,” I said and offered him my hand. I had intrigued him. He walked over to me and took my hand. We left the office, and a black Jaguar XJ6 pulled up to the curb. A dashing young man got out of the driver's seat and came around to open the door for us.
“And who is this?
” Jay Stafford asked.
“This is Lukas Castille. Lukas, meet Jeremy Stafford, my driver,” I introduced them. Lukas was staring at the car. And then looked over to Jeremy who offered his hand. Lukas shook his hand.
“Um, nice to meet you Mr. Stafford,” he said. I winked at Jeremy, and he shook his head.
“Get in, Lukas,” I said to him. He crawled into the other side.
“What the hell have you done now?” Jay asked.
“Ashley sent him,” I responded.
“Good grief. Where to?” he asked.
“My place,” I responded and climbed in.
Jay went around the car and pulled out into traffic. He rolled his window down. Poor Lukas did smell horrible. I would do whatever I could to help the young man. He did not seem proud of his situation, perhaps he just needed a hand getting on his feet. I didn't get the sense that he was a criminal or a drug addict. He was handsome enough to make it in this world. I had a suspicion he was quite intelligent. We would see.
We arrived at my apartment in downtown. Lukas got out on his side of the car and walked around to where Jay helped me out of the car.
“You sure about this?” Jay asked.
“Yeah, it will be fine,” I said.
“I trust your instincts Abby, just not your nose,” he said. I lightly punched him in the stomach.
“Abuse!” he cried.
“Get out of here. I’ll call you when we are ready for dinner,” I said.
“Oh geez, you are going full force,” he said.
“Yep, let’s see what happens. I can’t always do things the same. Maybe I need to deviate from the norm here,” I said.
“Let me get the car out of the street. If you need me, I’m nearby,” he said. I smiled at him.
“I know you are. Tony and Tommy are here. Thank you, Jay,” I said. He got in the car, taking off as we approached the building. It was 10 stories high and covered in bluish reflective glass.
“You okay, Lukas?” I asked.
“I’m just a little overwhelmed at the moment,” he said.
“Come on. I’ve got some people for you to meet, then we will go get some dinner,” I said. We walked into the lobby, and my two heads of security sat in the lounge area. They both stood up and approached us.
