by Lynn Collins
“I’m here until the four of you are back home in St. Louis.” Parris laughed and the sound gave him chills. In a good and bad way.
“If I’m talking to myself all the time, someone’s going to lock me up.” He settled in a lawn chair after taking a piece of pizza. The girls weren’t there yet. Maybe he should have waited. He’d thought when she’d left the room she would have come directly up to the pool.
“Pru’s with them,” Parris assured him. “And you’re in New Orleans. I think talking to yourself is par for the course. But I’ll put the connection on mute. If you need me, just say my name. I’ll be here.”
And with that, the fuzziness he’d felt in his head every time she’d talked to him vanished. Maybe he was only reacting to the connection. Mind melds were an unusual occurrence. No one had even tried outside of their mates for years. Could this be why he felt such a strong attraction to her? He was pondering the idea when Pru and the rest came out of the hotel and paused at the table with the food.
“This is awesome,” Opal squealed. “Just like in the books. We just need some cool music…”
As if she’d conjured it with her wish, music flowed out of the speakers around the pool. The song choices were mostly old seventies and eighties party music. She ignored the pizza and dove head first into the pool.
Derek’s heart dropped until he saw she’d turned the dive into a shallow underwater swim. The girl had skills.
Mandy filled a plate with a couple of pizza slices and sat next to him. “She swims at the Y every week. I’ve had her in lessons since she was five. She also takes judo and ballet. The ballet was her choice. I think sometimes she just wants to remember she’s a kid.”
“She’s a great kid. You did an amazing job with her.” He folded his pizza in two and took a large bite. He felt Mandy’s question before she asked.
“Are they going to take her back now? I mean, I’ve always known that I was a placeholder. But I love Opal. More than I ever imagined I would or could. To lose her now would be a blow.” She watched as Pru joined the girl in the pool, splashing and throwing a ball over a rope like a water volleyball game. “She’s my everything.”
“No one’s talking about taking her away.” Derek hedged his statement. The Council hadn’t said anything about a child. They wanted a jewel that would make them invincible in the eyes of their enemies. The fact the jewel was in a form of a real little girl wouldn’t stop them. “I swear, I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“A lofty goal for someone who’s not committed to the program as it stands. What happens when you get your wish? When you and this Ty fellow go off to hunt for The Council again. What happens to us? Who will protect us?” Mandy wiped at her eyes with a napkin.
“I don’t, I mean…” Derek was at a loss for words. The woman had been around him for less than a day and she knew his deepest thoughts. Why did he think he had a chance of protecting them from Ty or Parris? He made a decision. “Look, I’ll do my best to keep both of you safe. That’s all I can promise. To anyone.”
“You all are too serious.” Pru swam over to where they sat. “Are you coming in?”
Derek put the half-eaten pizza on the plate and set it on the table. He grinned at Mandy as he paused at the end of the pool. “In for a penny…”
Then he jumped in the warm water, splashing Pru as he did.
7
Room service had brought their breakfast to Mandy and Opal’s room where they all gathered. All their luggage sat near the door, waiting. Pru watched Derek as he poured a last cup of coffee and then moved through the room. She hadn’t slept well last night. Knowing he was in the same room. Listening for his breathing. Trying to decide if he was awake on the couch or not. Perhaps he hadn’t slept well either. All she knew was right now, he was on edge. Wary like a caged cat. She liked this side of him. Not the cocky jerk that acted like nothing mattered. This Derek looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. And he didn’t like it.
“Let’s go over the plan one more time.” He sat on the chair watching the others.
“One, we take a taxi to the airport. A cab we’ll get when we leave from the side door of the hotel, not the valet area.” Pru repeated the instructions they’d already gone over three times. “Derek, we know what to do. Let us finish our breakfast then we’ll be ready.”
“Just don’t talk to anyone. I’ve already taken care of the rooms. There’s no reason at all to stop. Not to give directions or help an old lady down the street.” Derek sipped his coffee.
Opal’s eyes widened. “What if she’s hurt?”
He shook his head. “Especially if she’s hurt. She’s probably a decoy. Someone sent to distract us. We need to get you safe to St. Louis. Nothing is going to stand in our way.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Mandy said. “If there’s a hurt old woman on the street, we’ll call the police. They can help her better than we can. They can get an ambulance for her.” She wiped a bit of jam off the corner of the girl’s mouth. “Besides, there’s not going to be anyone. The men who took me ran like jackrabbits when they took a look at Derek here. He’s our protector and he makes bad men scared.”
Actually, Pru thought, Derek was more likely to be scared himself. She didn’t know what had happened in the alley, but the guy had shown up as a hero. And that’s all Opal needed to know. At least for now. “I’m ready to go, how about you?”
Opal nodded. “I’m so full I think I’m going to pop.”
“Go wash your hands and face. Jelly and maple syrup make for a mess later on.” Mandy watched as the girl ran to the bathroom and shut the door. She turned back to Derek. “You think we’re safe?”
“I think we’ll be safer in St. Louis.” He finished his coffee and set it on the table. “Just stay close and please, don’t let her talk to anyone.”
“I can do that.” Mandy stood up and picked up her purse. She tucked a book into Opal’s backpack and glanced around at the room. “Thank you for everything.”
“You are most welcome, but like I said, we’re on The Council’s dime, not mine.” Derek glanced at Pru. “I want you to take the lead. If there’s someone in the elevator, we’ll take the next one. Got it?”
“We may be taking the stairs if that’s the rule.” Pru checked her purse for the small handgun she always kept nearby. Magic spells were great if someone gave you time to work them. A gun never failed. “Glad we’re all light packers. We may have to run.”
Mandy nodded. “We didn’t want to hold you up if you were in a hurry. So we had our cases packed for the last few weeks.”
Opal came out of the bathroom.
“Let’s go then.” Derek stood and picked up his suitcase. He reached out a hand as Mandy handed Opal her backpack then leaned down for two suitcases. “Give one of those to me.”
Mandy raised an eyebrow to tell him what she thought of his offer, but she didn’t disobey him. Pru watched the internal struggle for the woman. She knew what was at stake. Her baby would be in danger. And if that meant some guy was going to be carrying one of her suitcases, so be it.
They made it to the elevator with no problem. No one was on and by some stroke of luck, the elevator dropped them off on the main floor without stopping anywhere else. From the determination on Derek’s face, Pru assumed he’d pushed a spell to keep it from stopping. Which was nearly impossible on warded buildings. They stepped away from the check in desk and out through the now empty bar area to the door on the side of the building. Still no contact. Pru could feel the tension, could feel others reaching for a connection as soon as they stepped out on the sidewalk. “Hurry, they’re looking for us.”
Derek nodded to the cab sitting at the curb. “Get in, we’ll get the bags.
The driver was the same man from last night and as Pru handed him her bag, he nodded. “Good morning, ma’am.”
All she could think was Derek must be an excellent tipper. She moved Mandy into the vehicle and helped Opal into the car. And then
they were off. The cabbie flipped the car around on the narrow street and gunned it up the hill toward a main drag. If they could get away from the Quarter, things would calm down.
Mandy handed Opal a book. “You read a little while we drive to the airport.”
The woman sounded calm, like the hounds of hell weren’t following after them to tear them all limb from limb before taking the girl.
“That’s a little over the top, don’t you think?” Mandy patted Pru’s back, having apparently gotten past the blocks in reading her thoughts. “Breathe, honey, just breathe.”
And then, they were on the freeway, moving toward the airport. Derek sat shotgun watching the front and back for any issues. He caught her eye. “I take it you felt them?”
“How could you not? I swear, they must have had every member in a trance trying to keep up that powerful of a searching spell. I thought it was going to knock me on my butt.”
Opal giggled but kept reading. Maybe butt wasn’t a kid approved word, but Pru gave herself credit that she didn’t say ass.
“Three more exits, then we’ll be at the airport. I got us permission to drive right into the hangar. We won’t even have to be outside at all.” He leaned forward, frowning.
Pru turned her head. A large Dodge Ram drove in the lane next to them. Beau, the bartender, waved a hand at them from the passenger seat. Then he made an okay sign with his fingers.
“Apparently we have an escort.” Derek sat back in his seat. “Maybe the power you felt wasn’t from one group looking for us. But instead, one group trying to hide us from the other. This whole thing is getting strange, but one thing is for sure. Coven X isn’t playing fair. And the other groups know it.”
They pulled off the ramp and an SUV swerved in front of them. The cabbie swore, looked at the truck next to them and nodded. Then he slammed on the brakes. The truck took the cab’s place and Beau switched lanes, causing the car behind to blare his horn. Pru watched as the truck slammed into the SUV and pushed it into the concrete wall at the side of the ramp.
“Go faster.” Derek pointed to the large hangar at the end of the runway. “We have to get there. The pilot has the plane waiting for us.”
The cabbie swerved again, but this time he swore as he barely missed a small convertible. Finally, they were on the small feeder road and out of traffic. Pru kept watch behind them. “I think we’re clear. Do you think Beau’s hurt?”
“We’ll check in on him when we’re in the air. Right now, it’s time to get out of Dodge. Be ready to grab your stuff and go. And if we have problems, drop the luggage. We can have it sent after us.” Derek met Pru’s eyes.
“My bear is in my case. And my locket. My mother gave me that locket. I can’t leave it.” Opal turned to the back, straining her arm and trying to reach the bags.
“Honey, it will be okay.” Mandy held her down in the seat.
Tears started to fall. “No, it won’t. I took my necklace off last night to swim and I forgot to put it back on this morning. If I lose it, it won’t ever be okay again.”
Pru glanced forward at the quickly upcoming building and unhooked her seatbelt. “I’m going to pass everyone’s case up to them. You’ll have to run as soon as we get out of the car. No slowpokes allowed.”
“I’ll run fast. And I can carry my own case, Grams.” Opal looked at Mandy wiping the tears off Opal’s face. “I’m not a baby.”
“No, you definitely aren’t anymore.” Mandy smiled. “You follow Derek out and don’t look back, no matter what you hear. You run for that plane like there’s free ice cream inside.”
A smile curved her lips as she took the case Pru handed her. “I like ice cream.”
In a few seconds, Pru had everyone’s luggage sitting on their laps. She squatted behind the last seat and studied the building they’d just driven inside. The garage doors were closing after them and she watched to make sure no one followed them inside. Then they were parked next to the plane and Derek was already outside, helping Opal out and taking her hand to run to the plane.
“Mandy, hurry,” Pru urged the woman but she hadn’t needed to. Mandy jumped out of the van and Pru followed. The cabbie stood by the door and took her hand, helping her out. “We’ll pay you when we land.”
“The man already took care of me. Safe travels.” He nodded and tapped the brim of his hat. Pru caught up with Mandy and they hurried to the gangway. A crew member waved them upward and then followed them onboard. The plane started moving before he even closed the doorway. Pru watched outside and saw two men, running from the parking lot.
The crew member had seen the men and after locking the door in place, he picked up the receiver and called the cockpit. The plane immediately picked up speed.
She slipped into a seat next to Derek. He leaned closer. “What’s going on?”
“We have company.” She pointed out the window to the men who were now almost out of view. But she could see that at least one was in a shooter’s stance. “Someone didn’t want us to leave.”
“Someone didn’t want me to leave.” Opal stood in front of Pru watching the hangar get smaller. “I don’t like putting you all in danger.”
Pru rubbed her arm. “It’s not your fault. They’re the ones doing the bad things, not you. And not us.” She pointed to a chair. “Sit down and get strapped in. Or you won’t get ice cream.”
She popped into the seat across from Pru. “There’s really ice cream?”
The flight attendant smiled. “Of course, there is. We knew you were coming. We have to take off first, so you stay there and I’ll bring it when the coast is clear.”
Opal started listing off all the ice cream flavors she liked. Then she started in on types of cakes. Pru leaned back into her seat. It was going to be a long trip.
During the plane ride home, Derek watched Opal and her grandmother. “They’re taking this totally in stride.”
Pru set down the gossip magazine she’d bought in the airport gift store. “According to Mandy, they’ve been expecting this. The local voodoo priestess visited Opal when she turned three and told Mandy the girl was special. From what I understood, she almost predicted our entire trip.”
“I just hope Parris has some explanation for this.” Derek rubbed his chin, feeling the stubble. He’d be glad to be back in his condo tonight. “First, baby Eric joins our crew, now, a pre-teenager. The safe house is beginning to look like a day care center.”
“Or a family.” Pru looked out the window. “I think that’s what’s going to save us during this war. We have family ties. We aren’t doing it for the power or the magic. We’re defending each other.”
Derek leaned back, returning his watch on his charges. When the attendant asked if he wanted a drink, he ordered scotch, neat. Then he settled in for the final hour of the flight. Pru’s evaluation was spot on. Unfortunately, he didn’t see their status in a positive light. Kids and old people meant baggage. And baggage caused people to die. No one could fight when they were worried about someone else talking a bullet.
The plane pushed its way through the night air to St. Louis.
8
Parris sat staring out the window at the blue sky. “They just took off.”
Matilda, her grandmother, sat next to her. “Are they all right?”
She nodded. “Now they are. Someone tried to stop them. Tried to take Opal. Then they tried to bring the plane down. I guess a dead Opal is better than one who got away. The callousness of that group makes my stomach turn.”
“Have you figured out what happened?”
Parris knew her grandmother wasn’t talking about the plane or the group of people on it. Well, maybe one of the group. She was asking about how a child had been born of Parris without her ever knowing it. “Just because she looks like me, doesn’t mean…”
“Now dear, are you trying to convince me or yourself? That girl is your daughter as sure as I know you are my granddaughter. Not only can you see it in the bones, I can feel it in the spirit. Even fro
m this distance.” She took a breath and stopped to take a sip.
Parris shot a quick glance at her grandmother. Matilda hadn’t been herself for a while now. And this stress wasn’t good for her. If Parris wouldn’t get yelled at, she would do a quick strength spell, but Matilda had made it clear. Her health was her business and Parris needed to leave it alone. “I’ve never been pregnant. No secret abortions, no close calls.”
“Let’s talk about when you were in college. Who was your doctor then?”
Parris tried to remember. It had been more than a few years since she’d gone east to college. An all woman’s school where she could just deal with the curriculum and her lack of social status had been her main problem. She hadn’t had friends because she hadn’t had money. She worked a night job as a waitress at one of the all-night truck stops. Good money, but she’d spent all of the rest of her time studying. “The campus had a health center. I went there a few times for shots and annual checks. Even though I wasn’t sexually active, they put an IUD in just in case. I didn’t want to be on the pill so I needed some kind of protection.”
“Just in case you went home with someone one night after drinking too much?” Matilda shook her head. “You wouldn’t have done that.”
“I know, I tried to tell them that, but they thought I was just a normal college kid.” She frowned. “Maybe they didn’t just think I was a normal student. They gave me pills for a month to get my system set, then I was scheduled for the appointment. Grans? They put me out. I didn’t think about it then. But maybe they might have harvested eggs then?”
Matilda sighed. “When did you have the IUD taken out?”
“When I came home and opened the bar. My doctor here told me it wasn’t necessary if I wasn’t active. She was pretty upset that they’d pushed me into the procedure.” Parris leaned back in her chair. “You think it was The Council?”
“Probably.” Matilda stood. “I need to talk to Robert. He may be able to find some record in the archives now that we know the time frame.”
