I have no idea what that means and my expression must reflect it.
“My brother Kolson’s wife is this amazing psychiatrist who probably saved my life. She’s super smart. And then there’s Kestrel’s wife, Carter, who’s a research scientist. She’s a genetic engineer researching a cure for cancer doing gene modulating, whatever the hell that is. She’s a genius. I mean really. And now you. That’s why it figures.”
“Well I don’t think …”
“Oh I clearly do. You figured all this shit out in one day.”
“Nope. I had it figured out by noon. I just wanted to make sure all the processes would integrate well with my solutions.”
“I see, says the dummy.”
“Shut up. You’re the musical genius, says she who can’t carry a tune in a bucket.”
He tackles me and then tickles me until I’m crying.
“This is awesome. Now I have to figure out how I’ll handle Kevin.”
“I’m sorry.” And I really am because he’s a very nice person. He did nothing wrong other than do the job he is qualified to do.
“I’ll figure something out. So when can you get this done? I want it nowww!” he says in a whining voice.
I laugh.
“I’ll start tomorrow.”
He kisses me and his phone rings. I watch his face and his smile stretches from ear to ear. When he ends the call, he announces that Carter had a baby boy and they named him Daniel. Evidently Kestrel is on Cloud Nine and is calling the baby a beast because he weighed in at over nine pounds.
“That’s a big baby, Kade.”
“Yeah, I guess so. I don’t know much about that stuff.”
“Well, it is. Glad mom and baby are doing great.”
Kade just smiles, then says, “I can only imagine Kestrel. He’s going to be … well at Christmas he was so weird.” Then he explains. We both have a good chuckle over it.
“Hey, can you take me to the convent so I can pick up my things?”
“Right now?”
“Yes, I want to get it over with. I don’t have much, you know.”
“Let’s go.”
It only takes us an hour from beginning to end. We stop by to see Father Anthony and he tells us that Sister Helena is undergoing therapy and will remain hospitalized for an undetermined length of time. The doctors aren’t sure what triggered all her problems, but it seems she has a touch of dementia as well. I’m happy I’m away from all of that and safe with Kade.
When we get home, Kade helps me put my things away. His closet is so enormous, there’s not a problem finding room for my meager amount of things. The first thing I’m going to do with my paycheck is buy some clothes.
He watches me stow things and he’s studying my belongings.
“I know. They’re not very nice.”
“That’s not what I was thinking. I thought perhaps you’d like some work clothing.”
“Yes. My wardrobe isn’t exactly what you’d call the career style.”
He smiles. “That’s the nice thing about working at Living Free. You don’t have to really dress up. But if it will make you feel better, we can go shopping this weekend.”
“No! I’m going to go after my first paycheck.”
“I’ll advance you some money.”
I’m adamant about this. I refuse to take his money.
“After my first paycheck. End of story.”
He pulls out his phone and a second or two later announces, “Well, Hot Shot, pay day is this Friday. So we’re going shopping on Saturday.”
“Is it really?”
“Yes. So there. Now that’s the end of the story.”
~~~~~
The next day, I arrive at work, ready to start making my changes. I shoot an email out to everyone, telling them when each system will be unavailable.
As promised, Kade has a talk with Kevin. He’s decided for the time being to make Kevin my assistant. If Kevin is smart, he will use this as a learning experience and maybe when he leaves this role, it will help in another job somewhere.
About forty-five minutes later, Kevin shows up with a bitter look on his face.
“I like how you force your way in here and take over my job,” he snarls.
“It wasn’t like that, Kevin.”
“Oh no? I’m not stupid. Don’t think I don’t know you and Kade have a thing going.”
“That isn’t your concern. What is your concern is that you could learn from me. I could teach you a ton of things that you could use in your next job, if you ever decide to leave here.”
He’s quiet for a minute. Maybe I’ve caught his attention. I don’t know. “Why don’t you sit and see what I’ve suggested. Then perhaps you’ll believe me.”
He flicks his head and begrudgingly takes a seat. He pouts for a long while as he watches what I do, but eventually, he stops. He has to admire some of my work. It’s impossible not to. I’m not saying I’m brilliant. These are things any average computer scientist could do. Kevin is not that, so he wasn’t able to see it.
“I’ll hand it to you. I can see why Kade put you in here.”
I smile. “I hope there are no hard feelings. I just wanted to bring Living Free up to speed and make their IT the best it could be. I saw some gaps and wanted to close them.”
As the day passes, he asks a lot of questions and I patiently answer, showing him tricks along the way. When we get to the website, he’s really interested. He’s engrossed in examining my changes and takes notes on everything I do.
“You’re a whiz,” he says.
Laughing, I answer, “Naw, this stuff was a cakewalk. But I’m glad you picked up some new things.”
“Yeah, thanks,” he says eagerly. “Sorry I was such an ass at the start.
“No hard feelings.”
We both check out the time and are stunned to see it’s past seven.
“You need to get out of here. I have a few things I’m going to wrap up here, then I’ll be done.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Kevin grabs his stuff and leaves. About fifteen minutes later I’m out the door. It’s later than I’d like. Kade’s at an NA meeting tonight and I text him to let him know I’ll be late.
His response: It’s dark and you were supposed to be home hours ago!!!! Be careful!!!!
The walk isn’t far, less than a mile. I should’ve known something would happen. The shadow told me not to walk alone at night. And then the incident with Sister Josephina should’ve fired off another warning. But I didn’t listen.
A few blocks from Living Free, it happens. I’m hit. It comes out of nowhere, like an invisible punch. My body leaves the ground and I literally move about ten feet. I land on my stomach and you know that phrase, “You don’t know what hit you?” That’s exactly how I feel. My brains have been ruthlessly whisked, my body disconnected from them.
Then I hear a snarling growl. This is not my shadow. This is something animalistic. Something foul-smelling and vile. And it’s right next to my ear. Saliva drips on me and runs down my cheek. I shudder in revulsion. I know I’m going to die, my throat torn out by the mouth of this creature. But I want to see what or who this thing is. So I lift my head.
As I do, something else happens. That thing, whatever it is, is gone, knocked away by my shadow or shadows, because now I hear struggles, fighting I think. It’s dark, impossible to see clearly. Something descends over me, covering my body. Then he murmurs in my ear. “Stay still. Don’t move.” I am sheltered by the expanse of his massive frame. “I won’t crush you. Only protect. Just don’t move.”
Whatever is happening over me is happening to him, too, because his body jars every now and then and I can feel his hot breath over my head. “Were they sent to kill me?” I ask.
“Yes.” That’s all he volunteers. I need more.
“Are they the ones who took my family?”
His body vibrates again and he curses. “Yes,” he hisses.
“Who are they?”
>
“No more questions.”
He must be taking a serious beating because a few times he puts his weight on me, but then it eases. And he’s heavy. He could suffocate me if he wanted. Finally, things quiet and he asks, “Were you hurt? Did he injure you before we arrived?”
“No. Just slammed me to the ground then drooled on me. Ugh. Why won’t you tell me more?”
“I can’t. For now.” Then he leans closer to my ear, his breath brushing over me, “I told you not to go anywhere alone at night. Why did you disobey me?” Anger pervades his words.
“I had to work. Are you going to lay on me all night, or what?”
“I just saved your ass, little girl, from mutilation. And if I told you what else I did, you wouldn’t be such a smart ass.”
“Then tell me. I’m sick of not knowing.”
“Oh, Juliette, you say that now, but you don’t want to know about this.”
He must’ve stood up because my back is instantly freezing. Then I’m lifted to my feet.
“Can you stand?”
“I … I think so.” I’m wobbly, but I’ll do. I face him and he’s framed by the darkness so I can’t get a good look at his face. But I get the feeling if I could, I would find a startlingly handsome man. It’s in the way he talks, holds himself, I don’t know, maybe intuition. My hand reaches for his face and I find his lips to be curled in a smile.
“What are you doing?”
“I can’t see you, so I want to imagine what you look like.”
“You aren’t supposed to see me. Ever.”
“Why not?”
“That’s why we remain in the background, Juliette. It’s for a reason. Now go home. Quickly. And stay in at night. Do as I tell you, little girl.”
“I’m not a little …” But then I think about it. To this giant of a man, I am little. I turn to go home, but then stop and turn back. He’s walking away and I gasp and cover my mouth. His coat is ripped to shreds and his back, bloody and torn.
“Shadow,” I call out.
As he keeps walking he says, “I’m fine. Go home. Now.” Then the darkness swallows him up.
Twenty
Kade
Juliette is a mess when I get home. Then she tells me why. First, I want to wring her neck for walking home alone at night. Second, I want to hold her and never release her. Third, I want to run away and never bring her back to this place.
“Okay, your shadow saved your life by risking his own. This necklace is the root of all evil. But I think it may have some kind of tracking device in it. How else would those men, and I mean the bad ones, have found you? And for that matter, how would they have found your father?”
“I’ve wondered the same thing.”
The more I think about it the more it makes sense. “Juliette, whoever made this thing, must have fashioned it around some type of sensor or device.”
“What should we do?”
“Let’s see that note again.”
She runs upstairs and gets it. Then we look at it together.
Necklace brought in by customer and left with me. Unknown substance. Never before seen. Checked all data entries to date and could not identify. Customer also gave me the untranslatable note. Took to linguistics professor at Tulane and he was unfamiliar with the language. Predates anything he’d ever seen. My best guess—some ancient tribal torque. Stone seems to pick up unusual traits when exposed to heat, cold, darkness and light.
And this one.
To the keeper: wear at all times. Let not it fall into false hands lest ye face universal destruction.
“You said you held it up to the sunlight. What about cold?”
“No.”
“Let’s put it in the freezer for a minute or two to see what happens.”
“Okay.”
We try that, but the only thing that happens is it changes color.
“Not much to go on. Maybe it’s like an ancient symbol or a glyph.” I hold it up to the light, inspecting it closely, looking for something, anything, that might reveal a bit of information to a piece of this damned puzzle we’re trying to solve. The chain consists of simple thick black links, nothing special, but when I really look, the material isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen. It’s dull, and has marks on it, almost like etching. The stone itself is an oblong shaped sphere about a half-inch in size. It’s bluish green, with some marbling on it. It, too, is dull. If one saw it in a store, it wouldn’t attract a second look, it’s that plain and simple.
“I don’t get it. What could be so important about this thing?”
“Kade, when all this happened, I racked my brain, trying to figure this out. My dad was a gemologist and even he couldn’t identify it. I researched everything I could and came up empty handed. I still try to find out what I can. I’ve been doing this for over two and a half years now, and I haven’t found a thing out. But tonight, those animal things were real, and when that shadow man walked away, his back was torn up so badly that if he hadn’t been protecting me, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”
Not thinking about anything but her words, I grab a handful of her sweater and pull her to me. “I don’t ever want to let you out of my arms. I just found you, Juliette. The thought of losing you is more than I can take.”
The only idea I can come up with is to go outside and call to her shadows. I take her with me and we walk out there.
“Please. Come here. I know you don’t speak to us, but please, we’re begging you.” I hold up the necklace in my hand. “We have to know what this is.”
Nothing, as expected. Soon, Juliette begins to shiver. “Go inside. I’m staying out here. Maybe they’ll see we need them.”
The door opens and closes behind me and Juliette goes in the house. I remain vigilant, waiting, hopeful.
“You have to understand our position here.”
Behind me, a voice answers, “And you have to understand ours. Do not turn around. Listen to what I tell you. Go back inside and put the necklace back on Juliette. We are protecting you and will keep both of you safe.”
“But what happened tonight …”
“Would never have happened had she listened to me. She was warned.”
“What is this?” I hold the necklace up in my hand.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.”
“Who are you?”
“I can’t tell you that either. Now go in the house.”
“What if I don’t believe you?” I’m filled with so many doubts right now.
“That’s your prerogative. I can’t force you to do anything. But you’ll make our job more difficult.”
“Why can’t you tell us?”
“Your last question. The less you know, the safer you are. Good night Mr. Hart.”
I turn around and all I see is the vast empty darkness of the back yard. This was supposed to ease my mind, but it has sparked off more questions and stirred things up more than I care for.
Blowing out all the air in my lungs out of frustration, I join Juliette inside.
She waits by the fire. “Anything?”
“He came. I don’t know if he was your shadow or not, but one of them showed up. He wouldn’t let me turn around, and he wouldn’t answer my questions. All he said is they were keeping us safe. You’re to put this back on. And no, he wouldn’t say why. I’m more confounded than ever.”
She takes the necklace out of my hand and puts it back around her neck. “I know how you feel, believe me.”
“Did you ever do that image search?”
“No! I forgot.”
“Come on. Let’s go.”
A couple hours later, my stomach growls, and Juliette says, “I’m starving too. Let’s take a break and eat. It’s late already anyway.”
“No. You stay here and I’ll make some sandwiches. Okay?”
“Fine. Just hurry before I faint. I haven’t eaten since noon.”
Ten minutes later I’m back with a tray that’s covered with all kinds of food rangin
g from turkey sandwiches, chips, peanuts, carrots and celery sticks, cookies, and drinks.
“Look at this.” Juliette points to a picture of a necklace similar to hers.
“The chain looks similar, yet yours is smaller, not as heavy.”
“Listen to this. It’s called a Whitecleuch Chain. It was worn as a choker for ceremonial purposes by the Picts. That dates it back to around 400 to 800 A.D. But no stone.”
“Do you think your chain was fashioned after it?”
“Either that or vice versa. But look at this. It’s a primitive drawing of a Pict woman wearing a necklace that looks a lot like this one.”
“Is there any way to enlarge it?” I ask.
“Yeah, but it distorts it so much it makes it too fuzzy to see.”
“So, Pict huh? That’s what? Ancient Scotland?”
“I think so. But it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that this thing is old. So old that it couldn’t be identified. My question is—why couldn’t my dad, who had studied gems forever, figure out what kind of stone this is?”
“Juliette, what are you saying?”
“Maybe this isn’t a stone after all.”
“I’m not following.”
“Maybe it’s some super secret thing that the government stumbled on, and they need it for something.”
“Then why don’t they just have you hand it over?”
Juliette rubs her eyes. They have purplish crescents beneath them and her lips are pursed as her brilliant mind churns with ideas. “Maybe it has something to do with me. I don’t know.” She slams her hand down on the desk.
I hate seeing her like this. The lack of answers is as exasperating to me as it is to her. My hand reaches for her and I bring it to my lips, kissing each of her knuckles, then her fingertips. Swiveling her chair to face me, I say, “Listen, you’ve made some pretty damn incredible discoveries tonight. Much more than you’ve made in the last two and a half years, right?”
She nods, but is still dispirited.
“Together, we can figure this thing out. But let’s not do it tonight. We—you’ve—made some awesome strides, so let’s take a day at a time.”
The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart: A Hart Brothers Novel Page 23
