“Did she accept?” Vincent asked softly.
“Yes,” James sighed, rubbing his scruffy beard, “but I don’t think she ever really knew what the implication was. I think she figured she would just continue to help them take down other criminals as a consultant and informer. Not an assassin.”
“Like you were trying to have us lead Sawyer into,” Vincent groaned. “Oh, James…”
“What?”
“Do you hate her? Shadow? For what happened in Charlottesville?” Vincent needed to know. Everything from here had to be done carefully and with allies he knew he could trust.
“No,” James sounded mournful. “You know, I had the team ask her why. Why was someone like her doing this after everything. Her response had been a little heartbreaking.”
“What did she say?”
“This was never what I wanted,” James whispered. “And with Axel…”
“Yeah,” Vincent swallowed and nodded. He was desperate to hear her story. From general orphan with a couple close friends to brutal assassin to the woman who saved children from their own families. “James, what would you do if she were alive?”
“Catch her?” James shrugged. “Maybe just let her hide. After all of that… The deal she made with the WMC is magically binding for the WMC. They are required to honor it but now, she can’t help catch Axel. They would have no reason to keep the deal and would probably put her in a worse position. If she was still alive and not active, hiding somewhere, then she isn’t harming anyone. There’s no reason to drag her back in now.”
“She did honor the deal,” Vincent growled softly. “She did.”
“She’s dead, Vincent,” James reminded him.
“A body was never recovered. We all took Axel’s word on it because he also killed the several IMPO agents that were involved. But she might be,” he mumbled, nodding towards Sawyer. James turned to her and narrowed his eyes in confusion. “No one really knows what’s going on with her right now.”
“Are you saying the little thief is Shadow?” James asked softly. “And if she is, when did you find out?”
“She told me in the hangar bay at Atlanta International, right after the team got there. She wanted to help with taking him down. She killed Colt and incapacitated Talyn once I took the inhibitor off her. I’m assuming she killed the woman she had been standing over, but the body wasn’t recovered, so I don’t know.” Vincent gave a dark chuckle. “I’m mad at myself for not figuring it out sooner. You should have seen it, James. She was everything you would think from her reputation. Cold, emotionless, and intelligent. She didn’t lose her cool as she stalked the building for her targets. You know, I figured out that she and Axel had been a couple while she was in the house, but I just didn’t realize she was Shadow. Like you and everyone else, I lived on the fact that Shadow was dead. That the assassin no one could catch, or defeat, was dead. Instead, my team caught her using fucking Elijah as bait. Elijah!” Vincent couldn’t stop the dark laughter now. It was funny in a completely fucked up way.
“My God,” James whispered.
“She’s been a vigilante, a thief, and to some, a hero,” Vincent gasped, wiping his eyes. “The scariest assassin to walk the earth, and she taught children to fight for free. She found them homes, pays for their college. She’s decent, if a bit arrogant. She’s a decent human being, and now I need to figure out what to do with her.”
“She honored her deal with the WMC,” James murmured. “What do you need from me?”
“Keep everyone away from Axel. This isn’t over. I need to find out how he knew we were in Atlanta and how to grab her. On top of that, I want to tell the WMC about her. I don’t want him to be the one who exposes her,” Vincent said it quickly, laying his problems on the table for James.
“I’ll keep everyone from Axel and the other Ghosts,” James agreed, nodding. He was still looking towards Sawyer in her coma. “Let me approach the WMC as well. I know everything about her in terms of the situation she’s in legally. Tell me one thing though.”
“Anything.” Vincent meant it. If James was going to help, he would tell James anything.
“Would you be comfortable if she’s permanently attached to your team?”
“Why?” Vincent frowned. “She should be able to go back to New York and live her life until we need her.”
“No,” James sighed, shaking his head. “I have to give the WMC something, and I know what that needs to be. They won’t fuck with me if I give them something more than they originally wanted.”
“What are you thinking, James?”
“I’m thinking that she won’t get the pardon immediately. She’ll need to continue to prove herself to them, and she’ll need an avenue to do that.” James was speaking softly and shoving the files back in his briefcase. “I think we should make a play for her to become a probationary IMPO agent. Say a five-year enlistment into the organization. If she survives the entire five years, she walks free at the end. If she does something truly extraordinary, they can grant it earlier. That’s all. Failure would be her dying or running. Obviously.”
“But, she would need a team to work with,” Vincent groaned, “and you want it to be us.”
“It has to be you all.” James’ voice was firm. “No other team will give her a chance. Between you and Quinn, you all have no reason to hold her past against her. You can push her to become better and understand why she needs to.”
Vincent nodded silently, looking back to her. That was the truth.
“We’ll do it,” he finally whispered. “We’ll take her as a teammate.”
“We need her agreement.” James waved at her as he said it.
“She’ll agree.” Vincent was certain of it. “Handle it. Thank you, James.”
“Not a problem.” James sounded tired and stood up. He patted Vincent’s shoulder as he left the room.
Vincent looked around the room, finally breaking his locked stare on Sawyer. Kaar sat outside the window, a constant presence. Kaar normally didn’t stick so close to him. The raven was much more independent than Quinn’s wolves and handled himself. Vincent flicked a look to said wolves. Both were curled up in a corner, watching and waiting. Vincent had a feeling they wouldn’t move until she was awake, a sign that Quinn wasn’t taking this well.
At least she had protectors in them. Not that she needed them, he sighed. She was more than capable of protecting herself, it seemed, as long as she had a sharp blade and her magic.
“Jasper is awake,” Elijah softly whispered in Vincent’s ear.
“Good,” Vincent sighed. Twenty-eight hours since they had captured Axel. “I made a decision on Sawyer I think everyone on the team can agree to.”
“So, it’s time to shatter Zander and Jasper’s perception of their old friend, huh?” Elijah shuffled around, looking uncomfortable.
“Better us than Axel or the WMC,” Vincent whispered. “Better us. James is with us. He’s helping put my plan into action.”
“That’s good,” Elijah nodded slowly.
They left Sawyer in the dark hospital room, Vincent throwing one more glance at her as he closed the door.
They moved, two shadows of imposing figures in black, through the pristine white hospital. The lights were too bright for Vincent after so long in the dark.
They slipped into Jasper’s room silently. Zander and Quinn were already there, waiting.
Zander looked like a wreck. Dark circles under his eyes, his skin paler than normal, and his cheekbones were pronounced, causing dark shadows to fall over his face.
The repercussions of using one’s life force to do magic past a Magi’s Source limit. Vincent knew he would need a good chunk of time off to recover. With Jasper also out of commission until he adjusted to his new life, that wouldn’t be hard to make happen.
Thinking of Jasper, Vincent turned and saw the quiet man staring down at his leg. Jasper’s left leg had to be amputated from the knee down. It was a painful thing to see.
“How are y
ou feeling?” Elijah asked quietly, moving to Jasper’s bedside. Better him than Vincent. Vincent wasn’t good at the touchy-feely part of being on a team, and they needed Elijah’s good nature around if they were going to survive this intact.
“Well,” Jasper sighed, “my knee won’t hurt anymore. Maybe a prosthetic will help with my limp.”
“Looking on the bright side, huh?” Elijah chuckled. “Good. I’m going to look into making you one and enchanting it. I’ve got a few ideas, but I need some time to research options.”
“Thanks, man.” Jasper gave a weak smile and looked to Vincent. “What’s been going on? Zander and Quinn didn’t know what you’ve been planning.”
“I have a few things to talk about. First and foremost, Sawyer,” Vincent started, keeping his voice down. He locked the door before moving closer to the bed. “Quinn and Elijah already know this, but you and Zander have to be informed, as well.”
“Well,” Zander growled weakly. “Get on with it.”
“Sawyer is Shadow,” Vincent whispered. “She admitted to it in the hangar bay at the airport when I told her to run for it.”
“No,” Zander snarled, standing up. Quinn grabbed him as he swayed and forced him back into his seat. “No. She’s not that type of person.”
“That makes so much sense,” Jasper groaned, rubbing his face.
“Oh?” Vincent frowned at him.
“It’s not important,” Jasper said, waving a hand around in dismissal. “You have a plan. I know you do.”
“I do,” Vincent confirmed. “But if any of you disagree with it, I’ll halt it and we’ll work something else out.”
“Tell us,” Zander growled. “I can’t fucking believe this.”
Vincent let them know what he and James had decided. What he had learned from their handler about Sawyer’s situation. He watched faces change. Some, like Zander, became triumphant. Jasper looked thoughtful the entire time. Quinn was the only unreadable face in the group, but Quinn was normally unreadable, and those emotions he did show were often acts to cover up his real feelings.
“Yes,” Zander snapped. “Fuck yes we’re doing it. Damn right, she’s joining this team.”
“I concur,” Jasper whispered.
“Do you really need my answer?” Elijah chuckled. “Please.”
Three down. Vincent looked to Quinn, who turned away and looked out a window. He wondered where Quinn’s thoughts were. Vincent would probably never know, but he still wondered.
“Quinn?” Vincent asked, low and cautious.
“Yes… but I want answers, about this,” Quinn’s growl wasn’t aggressive, but rather, a little hurt. Vincent felt a wave of confusion over it, and watched Quinn pull that picture out of his pocket. “I want to know who they are.” He pointed at the cat and the little boy. “If she won’t tell me, I’m changing my answer. I won’t be a teammate to someone who keeps huge secrets like this. I understand why she didn’t tell us who she is, but I want to know where they are. Who they are.”
“She’s going to be required to tell us everything, if she wants to stay out of prison,” Vincent informed him, reaching for his shoulder and holding it. “She’ll tell us who they are.”
Vincent actually didn’t want the same answers as Quinn. He had a bad feeling about what might have happened to the young boy and the house cat in the picture. If he knew anything about his brother, the answers Quinn would get would be nightmare-inducing.
“Anything else?” Jasper changed the subject.
“Yes,” Vincent went back to his professional, team leader voice. “We can’t leave Atlanta until we figure out how Axel knew we were here and where to hit us.”
“Yup,” Elijah fell onto the small bed next to Jasper, making Jasper groan. Vincent nearly smiled. It was much too small for both of them, but Elijah didn’t give a single fuck about that. “We need to root out what happened, and you obviously have an idea. You’ve been brooding for over a day on it now, haven’t you?”
“I do but it’s not something I think should be said out loud,” Vincent said tentatively, “and Elijah, when this note makes it to you, burn it.”
He pulled out his small notepad and looked at the top sheet. It was a wild guess, but he was nearly certain he was right. It was the exact type of thing that his brother would do.
Jon Aguirre
He ripped the note out and passed it to Zander, who cursed as he handed it to Quinn. Quinn’s growl was something Vincent never wanted to hear again. Wild animal in a human form. Jasper and Elijah both read it at the same time. Vincent was happy to see that Jasper agreed with him, nodding once. Elijah burned the paper, and Jasper blew the ashes away.
“Fuck,” Elijah mumbled. “And-”
“His team is in shambles,” Vincent sighed. “Three dead, two in critical condition, one MIA. He’s the only one who came out unscathed from the parking garage. I’m going after him alone. This is between him and I.”
“Are you sure?” Elijah stood back up, and Vincent held up a hand.
“I’m thinking of taking Quinn as backup; but, Quinn, I expect you not to get involved unless I say.” Vincent finished, turning to Quinn for confirmation.
“Of course,” Quinn growled, bowing his head in Vincent’s direction.
“Then we have work to do.” Vincent gave him a small smile, and Quinn’s responding grin was dangerous.
With that, Vincent and Quinn both walked out.
28
SAWYER
Is this what being dead feels like?
Sawyer stood in the abyss, only seeing the inky blackness of nothing in all directions. There was no sound, no light. Nothing to help her identify what her afterlife would be like.
“Maybe this is it,” she whispered, her chest tightening in pain. She began walking aimlessly, trying to see anything.
A giggle caught her attention, and she spun.
Dark curly hair and olive-green eyes, but smaller than the man who had hunted and finally killed her. All of five years old, Henry was standing in a piece of light and smiling at her.
“Henry,” Sawyer sobbed, covering her mouth.
“Sawyer!” He threw himself at her. She caught him and spun with him while tears fell down her cheeks. “I missed you!”
“I missed you, too!” She held him tightly and sank to her knees. “Oh, baby, I missed you too.”
“Will you play a game with me?” He smiled at her, and she nodded. “Rock, paper, scissors!”
“Alright,” she grinned, sitting with her legs crossed and keeping him in her lap.
They played, and Sawyer desperately wished this was her eternity. Just this.
Henry was always a light in her dark world, and if this was her afterlife, she would take it. She didn’t deserve it, but she would fucking take it.
29
QUINN
Quinn followed Vincent through the hospital. Jon was somewhere inside, and they were going to find him. He didn’t know how Vincent came to his suspicion about the man, but Quinn trusted Vincent’s intelligence and judgement.
They found him in a dark room, smoking a cigarette as he stared at his critically injured team members. Magic could do wonderous things, Quinn knew that, but no healer could fix everything. What Zander had done for Sawyer had been miraculous and risky.
“Vincent,” Jon’s voice was rough. Quinn noted the smell of alcohol in the room as well as the smoke from the cigarette. “Red- Quinn.”
“Yes,” Vincent hissed. “Now might not be the best time for your nicknames.”
“No, it’s not,” Jon sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t need to guess why you are here. Tell me, how do you deal with being exactly like him?”
“I try my best to…” Vincent trailed off. “It doesn’t matter. We have to talk.”
“Ah, here he is. Vincent Castello, the boy responsible for the downfall of the Castello crime family,” Jon sounded bitter, “telling me what I have to do. You know, it’s not like you did that out of some sense of justic
e. You did it because your brother asked you to. You might fool our bosses, but you never fooled me.”
“Thank you for the reminder.” Vincent didn’t sound thankful. “Tell me, did you betray our organization for a sense of justice or was it just arrogance?”
Quinn could only watch the exchange. Jon was going to call him Redskin, and normally, Quinn would have been in his face over it; but Vincent wanted to do this without Quinn’s interference.
“Go to hell,” Jon snarled. “I didn’t betray the IMPO. I betrayed you. There’s a difference.”
“I don’t really see the difference,” Vincent stepped closer to Jon and leaned down to look him in eye. “No one else will either.”
“You and your little pieces of shit will never be real IMPO agents.” Jon stood up, causing Vincent to take a step back. “You have no idea how insulting it is to see you five running about with our fucking hard work and reputation at your disposal.”
“I’m going to see if I have this timeline figured out.” Vincent gave a dark chuckle. “We caught Sawyer. You have always been jealous of our success, and you hate our team on principle. You don’t like that the spare heir for the Castello family created a rag-tag team of Magi to chase down the actual heir to the Castello family. None of us were even close to IMPO-worthy, in your opinion. Having Sawyer would bring us closer to catching Axel than anyone had ever thought possible, and that pissed you off. Once we cracked her secrets or used her for bait, we would have him. So, you hatched a plan.”
“You little shit,” Jon growled. Quinn looked the drunk, older man over. He didn’t like that Jon was still armed, a pistol in his holster.
“I’m not done, so be quiet,” Vincent snapped. “You were going to get Sawyer into your custody, and you contacted the Ghosts. You contacted him. What were you thinking? You were going to convince him you were handing her over in good faith, and then you would betray him. You probably thought he bought it and would gain allies in the IMPO that he’d never had before. Could have worked if you kept your location a secret, but you didn’t. You told him you would have her in Atlanta, once you convinced the IMPO to schedule the meeting.” Vincent took a deep breath.
A Life Of Shadows Page 28
