Revelations: The Shifter Series: Volume Three

by Cari Schaeffer

  Kat braced herself for the vibrations to become uncomfortable. She noticed Anastasia did the same. They both waited.

  “Is it getting worse for you?” Kat asked her cousin.

  Anastasia rubbed her torso and shook her head. “No. It’s the same as before.”

  “Why do you think that is?”

  “I think it’s because they’re not focused on the same target or amplifying each other’s shifting ability,” Mariya replied from behind them.

  Anastasia and Kat turned to see her leaning against the side of the garage, observing the exchanges. She lifted her chin toward Christopher. “I think we’re in luck with that one.”

  The women stared at the fire marshal. Christopher was shaking the man’s hand and the marshal wore a large grin. Then the marshal pumped Dimitri’s hand and slapped him on the shoulder with a jovial laugh.

  “We can hope,” Anastasia murmured.

  Anna and the arson investigator strolled toward Dimitri’s group. Kat noted the relaxed smile on the arson investigator’s face and her shoulders relaxed. “I think our luck is changing.”

  Anastasia looked at her cousin. “It’s about time.”

  The three walked over to the group.

  The arson investigator dumped his metal box in the back of the truck and grinned broadly. “Oh, no. I see that there’s nothing amiss here, Mr. Wolff. You are such great people. I’m so sorry this happened to you in our little community. Those gas leaks can be terrible in these old houses. At least nobody was hurt. That isn’t always the case, you know. Recently, there was a family of...”

  “Travis, there’s no need to get all long-winded on these folks. They got a lot of work to do.” The fire marshal turned to Dimitri. “Thanks again for your time, Mr. Wolff. I echo my colleague’s apologies that this tragedy hit your family.”

  Dimitri smiled and walked the men to their truck. “Thank you for coming out, gentlemen. It was a pleasure talking with you. I would say don’t be a stranger, but...” He shrugged.

  The men laughed and waved as they climbed into their truck and it ambled along the dirt driveway and disappeared through the trees.

  Dimitri turned to Christopher and Anna and exhaled in relief. “Thanks, you two. Splendid work. Did you feel any resistance from them like you did with the sheriff?”

  The siblings looked at each other and shook their heads.

  “Not a bit.”

  “It was easy.”

  Christopher wandered over to Kat and wrapped his arms around her.

  “You’re awesome,” Kat murmured into his chest.

  “I’m glad I can help.” He needed atonement.

  THE FAMILY MADE QUICK work of cleaning up over the next several days, set up a fully functioning and private shower behind the garage to supplement the powder room inside the garage, checked out of the hotel, interviewed several general contractors, and were grateful to have completely uneventful patrols, too. Not long after breakfast on the fourth day, however, the sheriff’s patrol car tore down the lane and through the trees in an angry cloud of dust, then skidded to a stop so close that it kicked dirt onto Dimitri’s already dusty shoes. Several Wolff members poked their heads out the open garage bay doors or emerged from the house.

  Dimitri planted a smile on his face and prepared to greet their guest.

  “Sheriff. It’s nice to see you again, sir. I’m glad to see you’re well. We were very concerned about you.”

  The sheriff slammed his door and barreled over to Dimitri. “Cut the crap, boy. Do you think I’m a fool? I don’t know what line of beef bologna you fed my fire marshal and arson investigator, but I ain’t gonna fall for it, too.”

  Dimitri stretched his hands out to his sides, palms up. “I honestly don’t know what you mean, Sheriff.”

  The sheriff blustered and hiked his pants higher on his generous waistline. He poked his finger at Dimitri. “I am officially opening an investigation on this here property. I will get to the bottom of whatever...” he waved his hands around, “...Manson family shenanigans you got going on around here, believe me. I ain’t gonna quit until I find out all your secrets. You hear me, boy?” His double chin wobbled.

  Dimitri put his hands on his hips and squared his jaw. “Sheriff, I am a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen of the fine state of Georgia and have been for many years. I do not take kindly to your insults of my family, nor will I take kindly to harassment by you or your department. On what grounds do you open an investigation on my privately-held property, and what specifically are you investigating?”

  The sheriff blustered harder. His cheeks puffed up and his chin wobbled while his beady eyes glared at Dimitri. Dimitri stood his ground and calmly met the sheriff’s stare.

  The sheriff cleared his throat and glanced at the gathering family members. He narrowed his eyes and took a step backward, his hand over his side arm, when he spotted Anna. She squinted and slipped on her sunglasses.

  Kat held her breath and waited.

  The sheriff finally spoke up. “I remember your face. You were there when I...had my episode.” He grimaced and rubbed his chest at the memory.

  Anna offered a smile. “Yes, sir. I am so glad you’re all right. You scared us something fierce. We didn’t know if you had a heart attack or what. Are you feeling all right now?”

  The sheriff seemed to consider his answer. His hand moved away from his side arm. “I’m okay for now, I guess.” He turned to Dimitri and his eyebrows became one. “There is something fishy going on around here, Wolff, and I am going to do my duty. Don’t leave town, none of you!” His chest puffed out, then he turned on his heels and marched back to his squad car.

  Dimitri let him go. When the sheriff left, he didn’t leave in the same way he arrived. He left in a more orderly fashion and with less dirt and dust shot into the air. Dimitri watched him go with chagrin.

  He turned to Christopher. “You were with the Barotkoffs recently. Do you know what their game is with all this? Why would they get the law after us?”

  Christopher lifted a shoulder. “I’m not sure. They always have something going on, but I don’t know what their play is for this specifically. I am sure they were trying to kill as many as possible with the explosion. If they know they failed at that, which I’m sure they do, then maybe they’re trying a different tactic.”

  “One that involves harassment from the sheriff,” Mariya added.

  Dimitri rubbed his face and groaned. “All right. Let’s finish up what we can for the day, everyone. Back to work.”

  Peter walked over to Dimitri. “I got most of the office squared away in the garage. The arena is gone.” He grinned. “We’ll have to do all our training outside. The temporary office won’t work come summer because heat and humidity are really bad for electronics.”

  Dimitri clapped his son on the shoulder. “We’ve done well to salvage almost everything from my office. We’ll have it well sorted before the heat comes. Whichever contractor we choose will have a strict deadline and he’ll meet it.”

  Anna grinned. “We’ll make sure of it.”

  Peter smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “I know you will, sweetheart.”

  Anna turned to Mariya. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Me? Sure. What’s up?”

  “Let’s go sit down. You look tired.”

  Mariya chuckled. “That’s all I am anymore.”

  The two ducked into the garage and took a seat at the make shift table.

  Mariya straightened her head scarf. Today’s selection was shell pink. “What’s on your mind?”

  Anna folded her hands on the table. “Do you remember when you and Christopher were in the hospital and he and I...healed him and sort of moved your healing along?”

  Mariya nodded.

  “You said something about being able to explain what we did or how we did what we did. I was hoping you could explain that to me.”

  Mariya blinked and shifted her weight in the chair. “Oh. Yes. Well, I have a theor
y based on what you all mentioned about you two being paired, plus your other brother and sister being paired, and my own research. Although, I must caution you, my research is...was,” she grimaced, “rudimentary at best as it relates to your question. We know you Barotkoffs always come in even numbers of siblings.” She looked around and wiggled her fingers. “It is sort of like the Biblical account of God and how he created a man and a woman. The woman came out of the man, right? So, the two together are complete, but they are incomplete without each other. Together, the man and the woman create the perfect image of God. Now whether you accept that premise or not is irrelevant for our discussion. My theory is that the Barotkoffs are the perfect Barotkoff...”

  “The ideal’nyy rebenok,” Anna said.

  Mariya smiled. “Sure. They are the Perfect Child when they, you, are paired like that. You are full siblings, so you share the same DNA from your mother and your father. You are stronger, better, more than you are apart.”

  Anna stared at her hands for a moment before looking at Mariya. “Okay. But that doesn’t explain what happened in the hospital to heal Christopher and help you.”

  Mariya nodded. “I know. But anything that is perfect must always be perfect, right? You two are perfect when you’re paired, so your combined shifting with each other was a sort of positive feedback loop that just brought Christopher back to his perfect state of being.” Mariya sat back in her chair. “It sounds lame when I say it out loud, but that’s my theory. And it’s only a theory.”

  “So, maybe some of the perfect,” Anna made air quotes, “rubbed off on you in the other room?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know.” Mariya frowned. “I wonder why it hurts when the two of you shift together.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When you and Christopher focus on the same target and shift, the vibrations we normally feel whenever a Barotkoff is shifting becomes physically painful to us.”

  Anna blinked. “Really? I didn’t know that.”

  Mariya’s eyebrows rose. “Peter didn’t tell you? Nobody told you?”

  “It never came up.” Peter sat down with the women. He picked up Anna’s hand and kissed her palm.

  Anna smiled and practically melted in her seat while they made eyes at one another.

  Mariya’s eyes rolled around several times in their sockets. She stuck her finger in her mouth in a mock gag. “All you love birds are making me sick.”

  Anna withdrew her hand and stared at her lap.

  Peter picked up Anna’s hand and held it between his palms. “Ignore her. She’s always had a small heart and a big head.”

  Mariya bristled. “Better than the other way around.”

  Peter brushed his lips over Anna’s knuckles and looked at his sister. “So, you were saying about the paired siblings?”

  Mariya regained her composure and shared her theory with Peter, who listened intently. When she was done, he shifted in his seat. “I have a pleasant surprise for you, sis. I was able to save some of your research. It’s encrypted in the cloud.”

  Mariya splayed her hands on the table. “Peter, do not mock me. Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “When you were gone, I went through your room and uploaded a lot of your work. It’s something I had been meaning to talk to you about, but then, well, you were taken, and I didn’t get the chance. I wanted to make sure the research you had was safe. Just in case. You put a lot of time and effort into your work. You always do. It was too important to lose, and it was too important to only keep paper copies of in your room. I know you’re old-fashioned like that, but it’s so much safer to have an electronic copy...”

  Mariya lurched from her chair and threw her arms around her brother. Her head scarf fell off in the process, revealing small tufts of dark hair stubble that dotted the otherwise scarred landscape of her head. “Thank you! Thank you!” she sobbed.

  Peter patted her back. “Don’t thank me too much. I couldn’t save it all. I got as much as I could.”

  Mariya pulled back and wiped her eyes. “I don’t care! It’s not all gone. That means the world to me. Wait...” She stood upright and drew in a ragged breath. “You said it’s encrypted. Is it safe? I mean really safe?”

  Peter smiled. “Like virtual concrete walls. I promise. Nobody can get to your files except me.”

  Mariya’s face crumpled and she bawled.

  Oksana, Alexander, Rebecca, and Kat hurried over when they heard the commotion.

  “What is wrong?” Oksana demanded. “Are you hurt?” Her eyes raked over Mariya’s body and landed on the discarded head scarf. She stooped and picked it up. After brushing it off, she tucked it back in place on Mariya’s head.

  Rebecca rubbed Mariya’s arm, her forehead furrowed. “What’s wrong, hon? Are you as tired of camping as I am? The renovation will be done soon. We will make it. Don’t you worry.”

  The group chuckled at Rebecca’s ignorance. Kat glowered. While the others comforted Mariya, Kat leaned in and whispered into Anna’s ear. “Come with me, please.”

  Anna glanced back and nodded. She followed Kat out and around the side of the garage.

  Kat turned to Anna. “Look, I know what you’re doing to Rebecca and I know why. But this is too much. She’s not herself anymore. She’s a...well, she’s practically an idiot. Rebecca is my best friend and I hate to see her like this. Can you shift her back, please? Maybe slowly, so she can get used to the reality of our situation?”

  Anna took a deep breath and made a face that reminded Kat of Christopher when he concentrated hard. Her eyes were soft when she responded. “Kat, I know how you feel. But, Alexander is doing this for Rebecca to keep her safe. She could very well be a target of my family. If she comes fully back to reality, it will do more damage than if she stays like this for a little while longer. You heard her after the explosion. She was terrified.”

  Kat leaned toward Anna. “That’s why I said maybe you can do it slowly. Just a little at a time. That would ease her back to reality, and back to herself.”

  “If I did that, she might decide to go back home. She would be completely exposed and vulnerable there, Kat. I can’t do that to her.”

  Kat crossed her arms. “How long will this have to go on?”

  Anna shook her head. “I don’t know.” She glanced around, and her brow creased. “I don’t know how long any of this will go on or even what’s going on, to be honest.” She looked pointedly at Kat. “There is a great deal more going on that none of us knows about. Of that, I am absolutely sure. I don’t know about you, but because I do know my family, this all absolutely terrifies me.”

  Chapter Three

  The sheriff made good on his promise and arrived with a search warrant to inspect the Wolff property the following week. The basis of the investigation was three-fold: the inexplicable explosion of their house (he convinced the judge that issued the warrant to look beyond the preliminary findings of a gas leak), the recent removal of a vagabond that had been electrocuted along their bafflingly electrified country property fence line, and the unusual death of the teenage runaway girl that killed herself just outside of their property less than a year ago.

  The sheriff pointed triumphantly at the warrant while Dimitri read it. “I told you, son. Whatever is going on around here, I will get to the bottom of it. Yessiree, Bob!”

  Dimitri frowned, folded the paper neatly, and put it in his breast pocket. “You will find the bottom is already out in the open and exposed to daylight, Sheriff. There is nothing nefarious going on here for you to discover.”

  The sheriff sucked his upper lip in and nodded. He opened his mouth with a pop. “You let me be the judge of that. We’ll start in that there garage of yours. Step aside, son, and tell your family to skedaddle while my deputy and I have a look around.”

  “Yes, Sheriff. I do have the right to be present while you conduct your search. I’m sure you’re aware of that.”

  The sheriff’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t used to being challenged. “Al
l right. But don’t interfere, ya hear?”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Dimitri held his arm out and gestured toward the garage. “After you, Sheriff.”

  The sheriff hiked his pants up and whistled at his deputy to follow. As the two uniformed men walked toward the garage, Dimitri followed behind. He pulled his phone out and sent a quick text.

  Dimitri had everyone except himself and Robert clear out of the garage. Oksana was unhappy as she had food cooking on the stove, but she filed out along with everyone else.

  The sheriff and his deputy poked around the space, lifting objects and opening boxes. They sniffed around the rudimentary kitchen.

  “This is quite some set-up you got here, Mr. Wolff! Very impressive,” the deputy remarked. The sheriff scowled, and the deputy’s smile disappeared. The deputy cleared his throat and resumed poking around in the few cabinets and under the sink.

  They stopped by the set-up they had for Granny and her gaming. The deputy was a gamer himself and explained the intricacies of the devices to the sheriff who shook his head and muttered something about “boys and their toys” before moving on. Granny’s current game was frozen on the screen and she muttered while she waited outside with her animals for the sheriff and deputy to finish.

  When the two men headed toward the makeshift office that was tucked around a corner in the farthest part of the garage, the sheriff’s eyes widened and gleamed with anticipation. “Well, well, well. What have we got here? Looks like you got your own NORAD going on, boy. What is all this for anyway?”

  The deputy was nonplussed as he took in the computer displays and various electronic equipment, all of which he couldn’t identify if his life depended on it.

  Dimitri didn’t miss a beat. “I’m a day trader. I work from home. This is my office. I am thankful that none of it was destroyed in the unfortunate explosion.”

  “You barely look old enough to be out of college, boy.” The sheriff smiled and leaned toward Dimitri. “Do a little insider trading, do you? Maybe for some cartel or something?” He winked.