by Trudi Jaye
Rilla nodded. “This is just a scouting mission, to make sure you’re okay, and to figure out the patterns of the staff and the officers guarding your door.” She sat down on the bed beside him.
Henry raised his eyebrows. “I have guards? I feel honored.”
“I’m not sure it’s an honor to be arrested, Henry. I send you down to Tampa for a simple one-month contract, and you end up in Little Rock, Arkansas with a bullet wound and a police record.”
Henry shook his head and grinned. “I’m a little shell shocked myself.”
“Frankie said something about a girl called Fee?” Rilla asked softly.
Henry leaned forward. “We have to help her. She’s in danger, and not just because the FBI are looking for her.”
“Frankie’s been doing research. These Witch Hunters are really bad news.” Rilla shook her head slightly. “I don’t know if we can take them on and win. They’re everywhere. We need to stay under their radar.” She said the words softly, and Henry felt the stirrings of a chill on his neck.
“You’re not trying to say you don’t want to help her, are you?” he said.
Rilla shook her head. “Of course not, Henry.” She paused. “But once we’ve made sure she’s okay, I don’t think she’s someone we can allow into the Carnival long term. It’s too dangerous. What if the Witch Hunters find out about us through her?” Rilla looked down at Henry. “They’re fanatical, Henry. Did Frankie tell you what happened last time? Fifty people died. We can’t risk that.”
“So you’re telling me not to get too close, because we can’t keep her?” said Henry, a pain in his stomach, which had nothing to do with the bullet he’d just had removed.
“I’m sorry, Henry. I really am.”
***
Fee looked around the room. She had the five men all trussed up like Sunday roasts, in a line by the door. Alberta and her mother were lying on the bed. She’d give them the antidote soon, but she’d wanted time to sort out what she was going to do first.
She stood looking down at the biggest of the men. He was brawny with a full beard and a scowl even when he was unconscious. She gave him a sharp kick in the leg just for trying to kidnap her. Again.
“What are we going to do, Max?” she asked.
“We need to get rid of these men, and get out of here, Wild Feather.” Max was obviously feeling better. He’d gone back to using her full name.
“And just how are we going to get rid of five large men without anyone noticing?”
“That will be a problem.”
“Perhaps we don’t need to get rid of them. They obviously know about this place, so it’s compromised now. We could just leave them here.”
“That would seem to be the best idea. But before we go anywhere, I believe we need to check our other guests for any tracking devices.”
Fee glanced over at Max. She’d programmed him well. It was the only way they could have possibly discovered her so fast.
“Have you checked on me?” she asked softly.
“You are clean. I have not had a chance to check the other two yet.”
Fee silently followed Max into the bedroom, and stood at the end of the bed looking down at the two unconscious women.
“What will we do if it is one of them?” asked Max.
Fee sighed. “It doesn’t necessarily prove they’re guilty of anything. Someone could be using them.”
“It doesn’t seem probable,” replied Max, moving closer to one side of the bed. One of his many tentacle arms came out, and waved slowly over Alberta’s body.
“Clean,” he said.
He moved to the other side of the bed, and the same tentacle waved over her mother. Fee was so tense and stiff she could have been used to build a house. A beeping noise started up around her mother’s ankle. “Not clean,” said Max. “Low-level tracking device under the skin. It appears to be around a scar and a break in the bone.”
“You’re saying it could have been done while she had a broken ankle? That maybe she didn’t know?”
“I think it’s unlikely, but I thought you would want to know there was a chance,” replied Max. “You seemed hopeful. What would you like to do?”
“Can we cut it out?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s do it now, before she comes to.”
Max left the room to gather the essential items. Fee stood staring at her mother for a moment. She looked peaceful, her hair flowing out around her face, even a slight smile on her lips like she was having a good dream while she was under. A small childish part of her wanted her mother to be innocent. But the more rational cynic said there was no way it was true.
Even knowing her mother probably had helped the Witch Hunters track her, Fee couldn’t bring herself to leave her behind. What if they hurt her because she failed? What if she really was innocent, whispered a taunting voice deep inside.
Max returned to the room, a scalpel, water, towels, and bandages in his many hands.
“We do not have the luxury of time, Fee. She will waken at any moment.”
Fee nodded and grabbed the knife. “Where is it?” she asked.
Max showed her where, and after a brief hesitation, Fee cut into the skin. She found the device quickly and then patched up the small wound.
Holding the tiny device between her fingers, Fee took a moment to understand its makeup. It was smaller than half her pinky nail; nothing flashy, it just did a job and that was it. She glanced at Max. No extra quirks or personality disorders in this device.
The buzz of the mobile phone in her pocket made Fee jump, and she fumbled to get at it.
“Hello?” It was Henry’s phone, but she was hoping Frankie might ring back and reassure her that she was doing the right thing.
“Hello? Is that Fee?” a woman’s voice asked.
Fee paused. “Yes.” Had the police found her so quickly?
“This is Rilla. Henry’s Ringmaster,” she said then paused. “His boss,” she amended.
“Oh. Hi. Henry’s...”
“I know where he is. He was worried about you.”
“Frankie told me to run. So, I ran.”
“Frankie was right. If they’d arrested you, I’m not sure how long you would have survived. Where are you now?”
Fee paused. How much should she tell Rilla? She didn’t even know if she really was whom she said she was. “We’re in a safe place.” She looked around at the blood. “Well it used to be safe. Not so much now.”
“We can help you, but you have to meet up with us. Tell me where you are, and I’ll come get you.”
Fee shook her head. “No. I don’t know you. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“If you can’t trust me, then listen to Henry.” There was a rustling as the phone was passed over to someone else.
“Hey, Fee,” said Henry softly. “Let Rilla help you.” He sounded sad, and Fee was immediately on edge.
“What’s the matter?”
“Aside from being shot and arrested?” he said, a smile returning to his voice.
Fee smiled back, even though he couldn’t see her. “Well, yes. Aside from that.”
“I’m fine, Fee. But you need to meet up with Rilla, let her and the others help you.”
“Does she know about my mom and Alberta?”
“Yes. I’ve told her what happened.”
“We were tracked to my apartment,” she said softly.
There was a pause at Henry’s end. “Are you okay?”
“We’re all fine. I had a few things up my sleeve.”
“How were you tracked?” he said.
“I just cut a small tracking device out of my mother’s ankle. She was leading them to us the whole time. They wanted us to rescue her. Or at least had a contingency plan in place.” Fee felt like the pain was in her voice, plain for Henry to hear.
“Then it’s even more important to let Rilla help you. Wait. Did you say you cut it out?”
“She’s unconscious. One of the security m
easures in my apartment. I’ve also got five unconscious men here that I don’t know what to do with.”
“Geez, Fee. I leave you alone for a couple of hours, and you get yourself into even more trouble.” Henry sounded more amused than exasperated.
Fee smiled. It was good to talk to Henry again. “So I should meet with Rilla, huh?”
“Pack everything you need up from your apartment, including your mother and Alberta, and get out of there as soon as you can. Leave the tracking device there and meet Rilla at the Starbucks on Main and third.”
“It’s not exactly on my way,” she said, trying to find a way out of doing what he was saying.
Henry ignored her. “Leave the others in the car, and go meet Rilla. Once you’ve met with her, you’ll feel more comfortable, and you can follow her to the Carnival’s place.”
“I hope it’s better than this one,” joked Fee.
“Be there in an hour, Fee. Promise me.”
Fee paused, trying to find a reason to do this without his help. “I promise,” she whispered.
***
Henry looked up at Rilla.
“I’m sorry, Henry,” she said. “I see I was too late.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re already in love with her.”
Henry shook his head, rejecting the idea out of hand. “I’ve only known her a week. I like her, sure. But I’m not in love with her.”
Rilla smiled sadly at him. “So I have an hour to get there?”
Henry nodded. “Who else is here?”
Rilla paused. “Your father and Garth. Plus Jason.”
“All of them? Just to rescue little old me?”
“We’re not just rescuing you, Henry. We have to figure out a way to prove that you’re not involved in a bombing.”
Henry sobered. “I know. I’m not entirely sure how to do that.”
“We’ll figure it out. But first, I have to go find this Fee of yours.”
“You’ve already made it clear that she can’t be mine,” said Henry tightly. He might not be in love with her, but it sure hurt to think of leaving Fee behind.
Rilla nodded sadly, and kissed him on the cheek. Just as she turned to leave the room, Special Agent Franklin came through the door. Henry held his breath and tried not to look at Rilla as she held it open and kept her head down.
“Special Agent,” said Henry with a forced joviality.
“Mr. Kokkol.”
“How can I help?”
“It’s not how you can help me. It’s how I can help you.” Franklin smiled.
“You’ll have to be a little less cryptic,” said Henry, finally breathing easy as the door shut behind Rilla.
“The team down in Tampa doesn’t believe you had anything to do with the bombing. They’re willing to let you go without being charged. All you have to do is tell us what you know about Fee.”
“Fee? You still believe she’s the prime suspect?”
“She’s our main lead. That’s all I’m willing to say at this time.”
“I’m not going to tell you anything. She’s innocent. In fact, she’s the target. You should be protecting her, not harassing her.”
“You’re not protecting her by not telling us anything, Mr. Kokkol. If we had her in custody, we could get the real story. She’d be more likely to be exonerated,” Franklin said persuasively.
Henry shook his head. “I’m not telling you anything.”
“Then you risk being arrested for aiding and abetting a criminal, Mr. Kokkol.”
“I don’t know where she is, or what she’s doing. I barely know the girl. I only met her a week ago. You’d be better off asking the guys she worked with.” Henry looked Franklin in the eyes and dared the agent not to believe him.
“We believe you know more than you’re saying. Unless you’re willing to cooperate, you will be charged as an accomplice.”
Henry shrugged. There wasn’t much more he could say.
“I’ll give you time to think about it,” said Franklin, before turning and striding out the door.
Henry watched the door for a long time after that, trying to figure out if he was better off telling them what he knew or keeping quiet.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Fee stood in line at Starbucks, trying to figure out which of the women in the coffee house was Rilla. It was busy, most of the tables filled, and no one looked particularly obvious or suspicious.
Until she flicked her gaze over an older man with the same golden eyes as Henry. She locked eyes with him, and knew he was related to Henry. She blinked and looked away, smiling at the young girl in front of her who was asking for her order.
“Tall caramel macchiato, please,” she said absently. As she waited for her drink, she kept glancing his way. Every single time, his grizzled stare was fixed in her direction. She ended up tapping her finger nervously as she waited.
When she had her drink, she took a sip and walked over to the table that held a beautiful woman with striking blue eyes, and the older man she’d already noticed. He was solid, had lines of experience over his face, and saw far too much when their eyes met.
“Fee?” said the woman, her face crinkling into a reserved smile as she stood and held out a hand.
Fee nodded, not saying anything. She held out her hand reluctantly, and Rilla shook it.
“I’m Rilla. This is Viktor, Henry’s dad.”
She nodded. Of course he was. Viktor remained seated and didn’t hold out his hand. Fee was relieved. “Nice to meet you both.”
“Please sit down.”
Fee hesitated and glanced toward the exit.
“Please, Fee. We’re here to help.”
Fee sighed and sat down. She took a moment to study Rilla and, for the first time, saw the aura of competency that surrounded her. She was more than simply an attractive face. The reason Fee hadn’t noticed was her preoccupation with Viktor. She risked another glance at him; he was still staring hard at her, his fuzzy brows beetled down over his eyes. She didn’t sense anything menacing, but he was concentrating on her far beyond what was considered polite.
“Can I help you?” she asked him frostily, her annoyance overcoming her nerves.
“I’m just trying to figure you out. My boy’s been nothing but sweet dreams and plain sailing all his life, and now, since he met you, he’s been blown up, shot at, and arrested. I’m just trying to figure out what you did that turned him wicked.”
Fee sat up straighter. “He hasn’t turned wicked. And to be fair, he wasn’t blown up. We weren’t even there when it happened. The rest of it isn’t his fault.”
“I know it ain’t his fault. I’m sayin’ it’s yours.”
“It’s not my fault either,” said Fee, hotly. “I didn’t ask them to become fixated on me. And I could have maybe tried to get rid of them years ago, but I didn’t know they were going to find me again or how dangerous they were. Or that they cared that much about getting rid of me.” She said the last on a whisper, wishing she’d just kept her mouth shut.
Viktor turned to Rilla. “You understand any of that muddle?”
Rilla smiled. “Somewhat. You were raised by the Witch Hunters?”
Fee nodded. “Although I didn’t know they were Witch Hunters.”
Viktor snorted. “How could you not know something like that?”
Fee shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve asked myself that every day since I escaped from them. Why didn’t I know?” Fee thought of her mother. “I suppose we have someone we could ask now. Summer Dawn is in the car.” They looked at her blankly. “My mother.”
Rilla leaned forward. “Look, Fee, we have to make some decisions and fast. We have to get Henry out of that hospital and away from the police. We have to figure out how to get the charges dropped for the pair of you and we need to get ourselves away from the Witch Hunters without getting hurt. But I can’t do all of that if I’m worried about you trusting us. Will you come with us now, and let us get you out of this situat
ion?”
Fee looked at both of them, a small frown on her face. Could she trust them? Did she have a choice? She sighed. “I’ll help you get Henry out of this predicament. I owe him that.”
“What will you do once this is resolved?” said Rilla softly. “I don’t think you’ll be able to go back to Tampa.”
Fee gazed back at her. “I don’t know,” she said. “Go somewhere far away, I guess.” Maybe she could go to an island in the Pacific. She’d heard it was nice over there.
But a tiny part of her was thinking she should fight back against the Witch Hunters. Instead of hiding, she should show them that it wasn’t nice to pick on people.
One thing she knew was that no matter how she might feel about him, she couldn’t involve Henry in her fight. She’d have to leave him behind, and that stung.
***
As Fee walked back to the car, she wondered if she’d done the right thing. But Rilla and Viktor had convinced her that they could be trusted—to a point—and she needed help just now. She had too many people depending on her, and she didn’t know how she was going to get Henry out of this mess, let alone herself.
“We’re following that green pickup truck,” she said to Alberta as she climbed back into the Charger. “I need you to keep an eye on it as well, in case I lose it.”
“Where are we going now?” asked Alberta. She glanced anxiously back at Fee’s mother in the back seat as she said it. “We need somewhere she can rest up.”
Fee looked at Alberta. “She brought it on herself. Don’t go feeling sorry for her.”
“Fee, I promise,” said her mother. “I didn’t know about it. I broke that ankle a year back. They must have put it in then.” Her mother was repeating the mantra she’d been saying since she woke up and found her ankle bandaged.
“If it’s any consolation, that matches the time frame I concluded for the break in my assessment,” said Max.
Her mother shuddered where she was sitting curled up in the back seat. She still hadn’t adjusted to Max.
