Firewall (Magic Born) (15 page)

Chapter Seventeen

They were on their third night and third hotel, this one in the grungiest part of Rockenbach and the worst yet. The hot water didn’t work, the walls were paper thin, and the narrow twin bed was full of lumps. Hayes’s cash reserves were almost depleted and he was on a most-wanted list. The rest of his life would be spent in hiding, to one degree or another.

He’d never been happier.

He tuned the room’s small TV to a music station. “Dance with me.”

It took Tuyet a moment to answer. “I want this done before Vadim gets here. But you go ahead.” She gave him a smile and went back to work. An electric blue glow surrounded both her and the phone that rested in front of her on the bed.

“It’s not as much fun without you.” He sank into the room’s lone rickety chair, unnerved by the creaking noise it made as his weight settled. The floor might be safer. “So do I get to keep the blue hair? I kinda like it.” He brushed a hand through his newly dyed dark blue hair.

“Yep.” She smiled again. “And the stubble too.”

“What is it with women and scruffy guys? I spent years slicing my face up for a clean shave. Got plenty of play, sure. But toss my razor and all of a sudden women are practically throwing their panties at me in the street.”

Tuyet finished and powered down the phone, the glow fading. “You better toss ’em right back, you know what’s good for you.”

“Don’t you worry. I know exactly what’s good for me.” He patted his thigh in invitation, thinking it might be fun to break the chair. “C’mere.”

Tuyet left the bed and climbed into his lap, lacing her fingers along the back of his neck. “Is there something I can do for you?”

Warmth suffused him, along with a bone-deep satisfaction. “How much time do we have?”

“Not enough.” She nipped his ear with her teeth. A dart of pleasure-pain hit him straight in the groin. “But I’m happy to take requests for later.”

“With all the requests I have, I’ll be keeping you busy for a good long while.” He threaded his fingers in the silk of her hair and kissed her.

Hayes would never get enough of kissing her.

Far too soon, there was a discreet knock on the door. They untangled themselves and retrieved weapons—he his stun gun, she a glossy black pistol—and flanked the sides of the entrance.

“Food delivery,” said a voice on the other side of the door. “Somebody order soup?”

Tuyet opened the door and pulled the man inside. Elderly, with a long gray ponytail and marked stoop, he carried a sealed plastic bowl and appeared fragile enough to blow down in a stiff wind. The illusion was so good, Hayes almost believed it.

Once the door was closed, the old man tugged on the black cord hanging from his neck, bringing a thumb-sized quartz out of his shirt. After a tap to the stone the glamour shimmered and melted away, revealing a forty-something man with rugged features and a slightly receding hairline.

Tuyet lowered her gun and took a deep breath. “Dale Hayes, Vadim Bazarov.”

Hayes stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Vadim looked him up and down, brows drawn together. He ignored the offered hand and looked at Tuyet. “Really? This is the guy?”

She took the bowl and placed it on the room’s only table, a wobbly contraption that looked more dangerous than the chair. “Let’s get down to business.”

Vadim surveyed the room. “Dibs on the chair.”

Tuyet laughed, though Hayes had a feeling it wasn’t the possibility of the chair collapsing under the older man that she found amusing. According to her, Vadim Bazarov was part criminal, part leader, a gifted trancehacker and most important of all—her friend. That wasn’t a descriptor she used lightly. Hayes sat next to Tuyet on the bed, the two of them facing Vadim in the chair.

“I talked to some elders, both in FreakTown and in the chat rooms. Nobody’s ever heard of what happened when you helped her ground.” Vadim met his eyes briefly, though mostly he addressed Tuyet. “There’s a few that don’t trust the science behind the DNA testing but frankly, I don’t know enough about that to have an opinion. Everybody I’ve ever known that tested positive for magic in the blood really was a witch. Varying degrees of ability, of course, but still witches.”

Hayes said, “Could it have something to do with the way the two different kinds of magic were interacting? The natural magic of the charm, and her innate electric magic?”

Vadim regarded him for a long moment. “That’s the theory I came up with. But who knows? We’re not allowed scientific and academic study of magic. Even with the ones who can trancehack, we don’t have enough freedom of contact and information to really get into stuff like this. I figured the two of you would know more about this than anybody, because of the training.”

Tuyet said, “Ranger training is all about the practical. There’s just a little bit of theory, so the Normals on the teams have a better understanding than civilians of how magic works and doesn’t work.”

“I learned more from you and Halif than I did in those classes,” Hayes said.

She nodded. “And we were basically kids when we were taken to the compound. So for us, a lot had to be intuitive.”

“When it comes to magic, there’s so much that’s just not quantifiable.” The timbre of Vadim’s voice changed, softened. “Like with Lizzie and the empathy. It’s all over the place. Some days it’s like she’s got it mastered. Other times, somebody can be in a bad mood three blocks over and if she’s open to receiving, she’s a mess.”

Hayes leaned forward. “You have an empath in FreakTown?”

“No, I have a wife who is capable of empathy magic on good days and a ball of anxiety on bad days.” Vadim looked at Tuyet. “She has more good days than bad, thanks to the stuff you taught her.”

While on a mission in France, they’d met a witch skilled in empathy magic. Hayes was glad to know the afternoon he’d risked letting Tuyet and Halif spend with him had been worth it, even years later.

“I’m glad I could help,” she said. “Are the IDs in the bowl?”

“Sealed up tight in waterproof packaging under a generous helping of
solyanka.
Or what would be
solyanka
if I had the proper ingredients. Since I don’t, it’s cabbage and pickle water.”

Tuyet grimaced. “Evil.”

“Think it sounds evil, wait until you smell it.”

Hayes tapped Tuyet on the knee. “It’s gonna be your job to open that bowl.” To Vadim he said, “Have you been able to find out anything on Channing?” Hayes had cut off all contact with Gibson, not wanting her implicated in any criminal activity.

“Silver Wheels took that one. Tuyet, you should have an email with details soon. He found Channing’s job history since the Rangers, address, various account numbers and banking information. The guy lives paycheck to paycheck, spends a lot on booze. Takes out a chunk of cash every Friday and disappears into Riverside. I got that little tidbit from a dealer I talked to when we couldn’t trace Channing’s finances any further. He couldn’t tell me what the cash is being spent on, though.”

The mention of Silver Wheels piqued Hayes’s interest, but it wasn’t time to have that talk yet.

“I have no trouble believing the booze but I can’t see Channing on drugs,” Tuyet said.

Hayes said, “Maybe he’s buying himself a weekly date.”

“There’s all kinds of ill-gotten to be gained in Riverside,” said Vadim. “We’ll see what we can do about keeping an eye on him, but you two don’t have to worry after tomorrow night.”

“So we’re all set?” A smile played at the edges of Tuyet’s mouth. The happiness in her voice matched what Hayes felt.

“A car with a full tank of gas and a trunk full of supplies will be waiting for you at the location you selected. Jason also managed to get your stuff packed up from your apartment. It’ll be in the car too.”

“Thank you, Vadim.”

“Gotta take care of my best sojourner.” He took her hand. “My friend too.”

“You’re not gonna get all maudlin on me, are you?”

“I have to live up to my Russian name somehow. If all goes well, this’ll be the last time I see you.”

Tuyet covered her face with her hands briefly. “Don’t. It’s okay.”

“No, let me say this. Lizzie, Nate and Calla, Mekhi and Zinnia—they send their love and wish you the very best of luck. You’ve been, no, listen to me.” She’d tried to pull away but he took both her hands in his. Hayes moved closer, to keep her from leaving the bed.

Vadim continued. “You were an amazing sojourner. You helped countless people find their way to freedom. Now it’s your turn, Tuyet, and I couldn’t be happier. I hate like hell giving up a friend, but I hope I never see you again. I hope you get the hell out of here and never come back.” He stood and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Promise me you’ll have yourself a nice life with Captain Cream Puff here and never think about this place again.”

Tuyet laughed, the sound edged with tears. “I promise, comrade.”

Vadim released her, then kissed her forehead. “Safe travels, Tuyet.”

“Blessed be,” she said, voice choking.

Vadim looked at Hayes and held out his hand. Hayes shook it. He wanted to say thank you for helping them, for being her friend, but he kept it to a simple nod and got the distinct impression that Vadim heard him loud and clear. Vadim reactivated the glamour and left without another word.

Hayes gathered Tuyet in his arms. She cried silent tears, trembling.

“I can’t stand it that they think so well of me,” she said.

“What? Honey, how can you say that?”

“I’m the reason they’re locked up inside FreakTown.” Tuyet pulled away and returned to the bed. She sat with her knees pulled up and her arms around her legs. “I helped a couple get to Mexico. A woman and her Magic Born lover. She was married to Brice Jennings. That’s why he spearheaded the ordinance, because his wife left him for a witch.”

Hayes joined her on the bed. “You aren’t responsible for the actions of a jealous psychopath. All you did was help people.”

“The underground has protocols. I didn’t follow them. I made the decision on my own. They were so in love, and I wanted to help them. I wanted somebody...” She looked away. “I wanted someone to have the happy ending I couldn’t have.”

That might explain why she was upset now, but it didn’t answer the biggest question he’d had all along: Why had she stayed, when she could have been free? So he asked.

“I was a junkie in Gehenna. Passed around from one guy to the next, whoever would give me drugs. I didn’t care. I didn’t even care about what I could do most of the time. It was just there. But then someone figured out what I could do and took me out of there.”

“A Ranger scout.” He tried not to think about what her years in Gehenna must have been like. He’d always known, of course. When he’d been put in charge of his own team, one of his first acts had been to go over their files. It was part of his responsibility to know his people, their strengths and weaknesses. He’d never wanted Tuyet to feel like an object again, so he’d been so very careful with her even before he realized the depth of his feelings. Once he
had
realized what he felt, he’d been even more careful.

“My first day in the compound, the scout took me to watch a training simulation. A whole team was there but I could spot the witches easily. One of them was a woman and she was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. The way she moved, the things she could do. Not only magic but the way she fought. This was not a woman who would be passed around like a cheap party favor. This woman...” Tuyet brushed away tears. “She was
fierce.
And I wanted to be her. So when the scout said I had a choice to make, I made it.”

“That choice kept you alive, Snow. It gave you the training to be part of the underground, to help people.” He smoothed strands of hair from her face. “It brought you to me. Please don’t ever regret that.”

“No!” She sniffed then wiped the last of her tears away. “I don’t regret it, but I can’t get rid of the guilt. No matter what I do, no matter how many people I help, the guilt is still there.”

“Guilt for what? For surviving?”

“The orphanage in Gehenna was bigger than the one here in FreakTown. More people adopt here. There were a lot of kids there, a lot of girls just like me. I wasn’t the only one who could trancehack. We didn’t know what to do with magic like that. There was a guy who taught some of us to steal from ATMs in the city. I think that’s what got the scout’s attention. I don’t know why he picked me. Why did I get the ticket out and the other girls had to keep living like that? Stealing, selling themselves.”

Tuyet settled against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

“I don’t see the faces of the people I helped when I dream. I see the faces of the people I left behind.”

Hayes knew there was nothing he could say, so he simply held her.

Chapter Eighteen

Every nerve in Tuyet’s body was on high alert. Their belongings were packed in a single duffel. New IDs were tucked in pockets along with some cash and several handkerchiefs in case they couldn’t avoid the Friday-night tear gas. They were due to leave in minutes, but she wanted to talk to Silver Wheels again before heading out. While Hayes paced, she sent a text message.

Silver Wheels responded quickly.
You two ready to go?

Tuyet slipped into a working trance and responded inside cyberspace rather than by typing. “Yes. Were you able to get those videos out?”

“What’s the matter, you nervous?” His mirrorball helmet avatar whirled around her.

“Very. Scared too.” Her instincts were screaming, but it had to just be nerves. Nothing would go wrong tonight, and tomorrow they’d be well on their way to the border. “Been thinking about loose ends, you know? So I wondered about Paula’s videos.”

“I got them out overseas no problem. She seems to think I’m in Frankfurt—I figured that came from you. I let her keep right on thinking it.”

“I had to tell her something.” Tuyet didn’t like dumping Paula into someone else’s lap but there was nothing to be done about it. The young filmmaker could email Silver Wheels as easily as email Tuyet. In fact, they’d probably have an easier time of keeping in contact online than Tuyet and Paula had had trying to arrange meetings.

“I’ve had some very limited success in getting the videos seen stateside. They get blocked pretty quick. Planting chatter about them has worked better. Links and instructions on how to find them. I set up a site in the darknet and it’s getting steady traffic, but not huge numbers.”

“A drop in the ocean.” And unlikely to do much good without wider exposure.

“Pretty much. I’m still working on ideas for getting at least one of the videos on a news site. Even if it gets pulled down quick, if it’s a national site it’ll be seen by more people than what we’re getting now.”

“We need to figure out ways to reach more people. Maybe we need to think about distributing hard copies.”

The helmet flared a pastel rainbow. “That’s something I’m considering. But you don’t need to worry about it anymore. The torch has been passed, Tuyet. All you need to worry about is which beach you want to be sunning yourself on by this time next week.”

His avatar flared gold. “Gotta run, babe. Time for wheels up.”

That meant he was up to something. Maybe she could ask him what later. Right now, it was time to go.

Hayes stood by the window. “It’s crowded out there tonight.”

“The protests are always crowded.” She stowed her phone in a pocket then gathered her hair, braiding it quickly to keep it out of the way.

“It looks like it’s getting ugly early. Lot of rock throwing already. I saw witchlight down at the far end of the street too.”

That would draw the cops away from their escape route. “Got your ID handy in case we get stopped?”

Hayes nodded. “Any news?” He made an indistinct gesture. “I could tell you were trancehacking.”

“My contact is having some success getting Paula’s videos of New Corinth seen overseas.” She shrugged. “It’s not much but it’s a start.” She began to go over the room, make sure they wouldn’t leave anything.

“Your contact? That would be Silver Wheels?”

Tuyet studiously avoided eye contact and answered with a nod. She wanted to tell him, badly, but it didn’t seem right to do so without Halif’s definite permission. Not after the last conversation they’d had about it. She’d ask again once she and Hayes were far from New Corinth.

The vast majority of law enforcement would be focused on the Rockenbach area and the protesters, making it an ideal time to make their way across the city with minimal risk of being stopped. They just had to get out of the hot zone first. Hayes hefted the duffel over his shoulder.

Tuyet paused at the door, a sudden attack of doubt hitting her. “Are you sure about this?”

“I wish the car was closer but I understand why they couldn’t do that on a Friday night.”

She couldn’t tell if he was misunderstanding on purpose or not. “You’re giving up everything. I’m scared you’ll wake up one morning and regret this decision.”

“Every morning for the last three years, I woke up regretting a decision.” He wrapped his hand around her nape, rubbing his thumb across the skin right below her hairline. The simple touch stoked embers of desire. “I won’t regret this.”

Tuyet raised on her toes and kissed him. She meant to keep it quick and light but the flick of his tongue on her bottom lip changed it to something more. She had to force herself to pull away. “Let’s go,” she said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

Smoke and tear gas scented the heavy night air. They made it half a block before being forced to take refuge in an alley. A stream of protesters ran past, followed by police in riot gear. Pressed close together next to a brick wall, they watched the crowd pass.

Tuyet didn’t like what she saw. Friday nights in Rock were always on the knife edge of danger but this felt wrong somehow. Dark energy permeated the streets, like a destructive virus making its way through the neighborhood.

Hayes held his phone between them, angling the screen so she could see it too. “I’ve been getting readings like this every Friday night. What are the Magic Born doing to make this happen?”

The app showed magical-energy levels in the red. Tuyet opened her senses further, trying to get a better feel for the power in the air. Enchantments and charms, the living, breathing energy of witches with both natural and electric magic who’d slipped out of FreakTown to join in the fray—that much she’d expected. Beneath that was another layer. It tasted of mayhem and violence, blood and fury. A churning, escalating rage. And organic, not created through deliberate intent.

Not the intent of the Magic Born, anyway. “This isn’t from FreakTown. I know there are witches off-zone tonight—I can feel their energy. But this is something different.”

“Whatever it is, it’s unstable and I don’t like being out in it.” He replaced the phone in a pocket and took her hand.

An explosion lit up the street with flames, followed by screams and broken glass. They both ducked instinctively. Hayes swore. “Somebody learned how to make Molotov cocktails.”

“I’m surprised it’s taken this long.” She tugged on his arm and headed for the opposite end of the alley. “Come on.”

Their original plan was to stick to the edges of Rockenbach but that proved impossible. Streets were cordoned off and guarded at checkpoints. Their IDs were good but on a night like this, it wasn’t worth the risk. They wound up pushed into the heart of the neighborhood. A sea of angry humanity churned there. Small fires in trash and recycling bins dotted the area and sent thick plumes of acrid smoke into the air. Tuyet led the way to a side street but they had to back out quickly. It was a melee of protesters and cops, swinging batons and blood on the pavement.

Back on the main thoroughfare they were separated when a crush of people forced them apart. Tuyet made her way to the sidewalk and took refuge in the barred doorway of a grocer. Hayes was farther back and it took him longer to push through the crowd.

“This is insane,” he said, having to yell to be heard over the din.

“I’ve never seen it this bad before. Once we make it to Midtown we should be okay.”

He surveyed the scene, face drawn in intense concentration. “It’s the getting there that worries me.”

“Do you know where the Fifth Street bridge is? If we get split up, we can meet there and make it the rest of the way with no problem.”

Hayes looked at her like she was crazy. “We’re not splitting up in this.”

“I’ll be fine—you know you don’t have to worry.”

“Save that tough-guy shit for another time.” He took her hand in his and squeezed. “We are not splitting up.”

“Okay.” She sighed, in no mood to argue. She wasn’t thrilled with the idea of letting him out of her sight either. “We push our way through then.”

They worked their way to the end of the block. More police poured in, fighting hand to hand with masked protesters. Hayes took a vicious punch to the side of the head when they got too close to a scuffle. Tuyet got an arm around him and steered him away. They fell back to the sidewalk and leaned against a graffiti-covered façade.

Not all of the protesters were really protesters. One of the biggest issues and loudest debates within the movement was the presence of thugs in the Friday-night riots. A sizable contingent of people who wanted nothing more than to run wild had been growing in number in recent weeks. The level of violence they brought had been escalating as well.

Tuyet watched through the crowd as a group of hooligans broke the plate-glass window of a store on the opposite side of the street. She gripped Hayes by the shoulder. “Are you okay?”

He gave her a sidelong glance. “Yeah, there’s only three of everything. Let’s go.”

A thrown rock hit a streetlight. The bulb blinked then came back on. Tuyet felt the pull on the air as someone in the crowd drew energy from it. The light went out. She couldn’t spot the Magic Born responsible but sporadic witchlight popped up halfway down the block.

Hand in hand, they hurried through the throng. A black-clad officer tried to grab Tuyet but she twisted away from his grasp. As she did, a familiar face crossed her line of vision.

It was Paula Miller, camera in hand, about to get hit over the head with a truncheon by a cop poised behind her. Tuyet broke away from Hayes and tackled the officer. They went to the ground and rolled, stopped by the feet and legs of others in the crowd. The cop bounced up quickly but Tuyet was already on her feet, her hand tangled in Paula’s jacket. Hayes fell into position on the other side and they took off.

“Slow down,” Paula yelled. “I need to get this on camera.”

Hayes called over his shoulder, “This your grad student?”

“We need to get her to safety,” Tuyet replied.

Paula lowered the camera and yanked her jacket away from Tuyet, halting in the middle of the street. “I’m not going anywhere. And you talk
to
me when I’m right next to you, not about me.”

Normally Tuyet would have wholeheartedly agreed but this situation was too far out of control. “Paula, it’s too dangerous. I know why you want to be here but it’s not worth getting hurt or arrested.”

“People need to see this. Do you see any other cameras out here? They can get away with whatever they want precisely because everyone either thinks this story is too dangerous or just not worth covering.”

Hayes said, “We need to head back the other way.
Now.
” He pointed at an intersection a block-and-a-half up.

A solid black line of police in full riot gear was spread across all four lanes of the street. They were marching toward the protesters and armed with assault rifles.

“They won’t fire into the crowd,” Paula said. “They wouldn’t dare.”

Tuyet said, “You really want to test that theory? Like you said, they think they can get away with anything.”

Hayes stepped between the two women. “Debate time’s over. We’re going.”

The streetlights were all out, either broken or bled dry by witches for their energy. Glass and debris littered the streets and flew through the air. A hard chunk of something hit Tuyet in the shoulder as they ran. A mirrorball helmet made of witchlight burst into existence to their left. Tuyet scanned the people nearby, not recognizing anyone or any glamours but sure there were Magic Born nearby.

“Get back to the zone,” she called out. “They’ve got guns! Get off the streets and back to the zone.”

She heard Hayes issuing similar warnings to people near him. Paula turned and walked backward, camera aimed at the advancing line of police. A witchlight V10 sped by, exploding in a rainbow of color when it crashed into a building. Just ahead, three masked rioters lit the wicks of their Molotov cocktails. In rapid succession, the bombs were lobbed into the air, arcing overhead and hitting the ground way too close to the line of police.

Tuyet turned in time to see a cop go to his knees, screaming and clutching his chest.

Pop pop pop.

The night erupted in screams. The line of police charged, firing their weapons into the crowd. Those who could scattered, running flat out. Hayes was yelling but she couldn’t make out the words.

They ran to the nearest side street, keeping Paula between them. The shots and screams continued. Hayes ducked into a doorway and drew the women toward him. He said to Tuyet, “What’s the best way out of here?”

She was gasping for breath. “Side streets, loop back around above the police line. That’ll get us to Midtown.”

Hayes looked at Paula. “Put the camera away—it’s not worth it.”

“Hell, no. This needs to be recorded.”

Hayes was ready to argue. Tuyet said, “Stick close to her. I can handle myself in this mess better than she can.” She glanced at the filmmaker. “Don’t argue. Just trust us. We can get you through this safely.”

Paula nodded. “I just want to keep filming as long as I can.”

Hayes said, “Tuyet, you take point. Paula, you film all you want with one hand, because I’m keeping the other.” He took Paula’s free hand and met Tuyet’s eyes. Understanding passed between them. They would get the young woman out safely, then get themselves to their waiting vehicle. All the years of working together came back in a rush, along with the trust in each other’s abilities. It calmed the adrenaline dump sending her heart into overdrive, allowing her to think and to consign fear to a small corner of her being.

She led them through block after block, doubling back, ducking through alleys, hiding from police and protesters both. Paula kept her camera aimed at the chaos as Hayes shielded her. White spotlights from police drones and helicopters hopscotched overhead. They passed bodies on the ground, pools of blood.

Finally they reached the street that should have allowed them to get past the police line. A massive black armored vehicle cut off the route, deploying a water cannon aimed at people trying to escape. Tuyet halted, Hayes and Paula running into her back.