Indelible Ink (3 page)

3

The activity in the airport died down a little the later it got. Fewer people came through the restroom and it got quiet. Deena hovered somewhere between asleep and awake, in a fog. At some point, she’d made her way into the ladies room, sat down, locked a stall door and gotten comfortable. She was sure she’d managed to get some rest, but she truly felt like she’d been awake the entire time. When she finally got the inclination to move, her muscles ached, every one of them. Her face was especially sore as it contracted and expanded. In the last couple of hours, her body had shrunk to the size of a fourteen-year-old and then started snapping back to her twenty-seven-year-old self. She felt like Silly Putty.

Her stomach ached for similar reasons, coupled with the fact that she’d eaten poorly. She struggled to remember whether she had actually spent close to ten dollars in change on chocolates, garlic bread and sour candies. The rumble in her stomach suggested she had.

The battered and threadbare backpack sat on her lap—she’d been using it as a pillow—and she decided it might hold an idea of what she should do next. Manipulating the zipper caused a spasm in her shoulder that sent pain throughout her system. Inside, she quickly located an envelope with cash in an inner pocket that was zipped shut. She’d dug out all the change for snacks earlier, and hadn’t thought to look for cash. It would get her just about anywhere she wanted to go in the immediate future.

She pulled out a cell phone from another zipped pocket. She remembered enough to know it had three numbers programmed into it: The first belonged to her handler, the second to her sister. The third was a text-only number where she could leave messages in an emergency. She turned it on and texted “call me” to the man on the other end.

There were still magazines inside the bag and she took them out and set them on top of the toilet paper dispenser. She placed the tickets and various papers with flight information there as well. There were tissues and scraps of airport bar napkins and a broken pencil. Beyond those scant few items, the bag was empty and falling to tatters. She took the money out and started to shove it in her waistband when she realized she still had just the t-shirt on and not much else. She’d need to keep the backpack and maybe buy some shorts or pants in one of the airport shops, if she could find one that sold more than just Seattle Mariners shirts.

And
shoes
. She felt gross putting her bare feet down on the nasty bathroom floor.

She gathered up the junk and threw it in the trash after she left the stall, leaving only the money, phone and the snapped pencil to put back in the bag. As she did, she noticed the faded words written in marker on the inside of the old backpack.

If found return to 4486 Southmoore Ln. Talmadge, Calif.

Deena thought about the address. It was where she and Harper had grown up. She wondered if her dad still lived there, if the old fort was still hanging in the tree. She wondered if everyone still remembered what happened, what she did there.

She stared at herself in the bathroom mirrors and tried to figure out a way to make it look like the “nude except for a t-shirt” look was what she was going for, but it wasn’t working. She stretched the shirt as far down as she could and managed to get it to cover up the important parts. She wished she had a fanny pack instead of a backpack. There was no way to strategically tie a backpack around her waist without looking completely crazy; as opposed to an exhibitionist teen.

She took one last look in the mirror as she prepared to walk out.
God, I hope teenage girls are still dressing slutty this year.

Deena’s phone rang. She pressed the button to answer, put it to her ear and said “I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m out.” She said it on impulse, though the idea had come to her earlier. She was a kid again. She could pick an entirely new path for herself. Even if her second childhood might only last a day or so, at least it would be different. “Goodbye.”

4

Morgan watched Mr. Marsh hang up the phone. They’d talked about the call Marsh had received from Deena and this next conversation only seemed to confirm she’d gone off her nut. He was slightly uneasy when the older man turned his attention to him. “That was Deena’s handler, Avi. He says he never saw her get off the plane and she hasn’t contacted him yet. He’s looking for her, but no success yet.”

“So, you think she’s serious about leaving?” Morgan asked.

“Hard to say. We knew it would happen sooner or later,” Marsh said. “I was beginning to hope for later.”

Morgan tilted his head slightly and furrowed his brow. “She’s done this before. It’s no big deal. She’ll be back.”

“She’s gone off on her own, but she’s never actually told anyone she quit before.”

It was true. In the many years Morgan had worked with Deena and her sister, Harper, he could remember Deena vanishing for days at a time, resurfacing as if nothing had happened. “First time for everything.”

“You know the sisters, yes? You’re aware of the younger one?”

Morgan almost laughed. “You know I know them. I was there when you brought them on. I remember that witch, Deena, or whatever she is. Everyone that works for you knows about her.”

Marsh smiled. “We get things done here. When someone hires us for a job, they know it’s going to get done in a manner that bespeaks professionalism and, when necessary, haste. That girl is a big part of that reputation, though she seems to be slipping in the former.”

Morgan was pretty sure Deena hadn’t cost them any work yet, and her slips involved getting a bit more creative than her orders allowed for, but Marsh generally spoke well of her and seemed pleased with Deena’s work. Still, a girl like that could be a handful if she decided to stop listening to reason. Morgan knew that the older sister, Harper, was also a rapidly growing liability. She didn’t have the power Deena did, and was a fuck-up of the highest magnitude. She didn’t take to the training, didn’t learn, didn’t adapt as phenomenally as her sibling. And she certainly didn’t have any unique abilities. But the witch defended her. And no one wanted to be on that girl’s bad side.

“This could just be one of her episodes, a lapse in judgment or a similar problem and it will pass, you’re right. But I want you to find Deena and bring her back. If it looks like that won’t happen, if she seems to be trying to leave our organization, or if her behavior is too far out of sorts, you’re to terminate her. No nonsense, no bargaining, no bullshit.”

Morgan took a breath and waited for a moment. He’d seen up close what Deena could do. She was unpredictable on a good day, but she could be crazy and vicious when backed into a corner. “I’m not a big talker. I doubt I’ll be able to convince her to come back if she doesn’t want to. I certainly won’t do a better job of it than her handler or her sister.”

Morgan could see the wheels spinning in his boss’s head.

“If Deena isn’t coming back, I have no use for her sister either. In fact, after Harper’s latest catastrophe, I believe we are done with her,” Marsh said. “She’s been nothing more than a carrot to keep Deena focused, but it isn’t worth it anymore.”

“Maybe killing Harper isn’t the best way to go about it; could she be leveraged some way?” Morgan was wondering if his guns would be a match for the young woman’s magic. Deena was a growing legend in the local world of professional killers, though very few of them knew the limits of her power.

Marsh shook his head. “Not worth the trouble.”

“If I kill her sister, I don’t see Deena coming back here. But if you utilized Harper, if you used her to get Deena to come back, it would make more sense. Bring her back to help her sister and we can take care of them both here.”

Marsh grabbed a tennis ball and rolled it around on the table. “If she were confused enough, there’s no telling what she would do. It seems the more she uses her powers, the more off kilter she becomes. Strange. Erratic.”

“We knew that the first time we met her. She was always going to be a wild card.”

Marsh nodded and his face went sour. “We knew that much, but it seemed like a winning proposition. Someone with her abilities, in our organization? It’s too bad we couldn’t keep her on task.”

There was a chance for gain here. There was the real possibility for Morgan to come out ahead in the situation. He paused as he approached the door. “I’ll go after her, if that’s what you want, but what would be my compensation for this? Hunting down, how did you put it - erratic? Hunting down an erratic witch is more than a little dangerous.”

“It always comes back to money in this world.” Marsh sighed. “The monetary benefit would be great. But, in the long run if they don’t come back, I’ll need someone to do their jobs. That makes the future a bit brighter for you, doesn’t it?”

Morgan nodded. “It does.” He was already getting a good share of work just on his reputation, but Marsh had increasingly been handing Deena more of the prime jobs. And what was worse, Marsh was paying her much less than he should for such jobs and pocketing the additional money for the organization. The little witch didn’t know any better. Or she didn’t care. The joy of the hunt seemed to be payment enough sometimes for her.

“Pack a bag and head for the airport. The company jet will be waiting to take you to Seattle. You can be there in a matter of hours. Maybe her trail hasn’t gone completely cold.”

After Marsh dismissed him, Morgan made his way to his car and pulled out onto the street, making his way to the freeway and out of town. No matter how concerned Morgan was about magic spells and witches, money would make it all better. As he drove down the winding canyon road out of the city, Morgan added up the possibilities of taking over the business the girls would leave in their wake. It was tantalizing to say the least. Still, the witch scared him. She’d pulled off some amazing jobs using those weird powers of hers and no one really knew what she was truly capable of.

“You know you can come out of this ahead, or you can come out of this
way
ahead?” Morgan could hear the voice near his ear. “Get your head out of your ass.”

“Shut up.” Morgan stared at the road.

“Please. You know I’m right.”

Morgan looked into rearview mirror and saw his old mentor, Brandt Stewart, sitting in the back seat. “You want me to cross Marsh? That’s crazy. He finds out, he’ll send someone to gut me.”

“Who’s he going to send? All his best people are busy. You kill the girl and who’s left? Besides, you could go work for Marsh’s rivals at the drop of a hat. Savannah Thorpe has been trying to bring you over to her gang for years. That lady is no small player herself.”

“But I don’t have the power that Riordan girl has.”

“Not many do.”

Morgan watched the trees as they appeared to zip by his window. He pushed the button and his window went slowly down. He pressed the accelerator a bit more and leaned his head into the breeze, cool air rushing into his face.

“We’re not just talking about money here. This is a step up. Hell, if you kill these girls, you’ll be the number one problem-solver on this coast.” Brandt paused for a reaction but Morgan refused to give him one. “Maybe you can get paid twice before Marsh figures it out. Get a competitor to pay you for killing the witch and get Marsh’s money in the process.”

“I’m not switching teams.” Morgan leaned further into the wind; let it blow his hair around, fill his ears.

“Are you even listening to me?” Brandt asked as he leaned forward.

Morgan thought he smelled the stench of a cheap brand of cigars that he hadn’t smelled in years. After a moment, the only aroma was the salt of the sea air as he guided the car toward the airport.

5

After she left the restroom, Deena wandered through the concourse toward the baggage claim, where she could find a taxi or shuttle to get her out of the airport and into the clear. She was surprised to catch a glimpse of Avi out of the corner of her eye. He was hard to spot, because he blended so well with the rest of the crowd in the airport. He didn’t appear panicked, but he was by no means relaxed. Deena had known him long enough to spot the difference. She’d passed him. She was in the clear and could walk off without a hitch. The automatic doors that led outside opened for her and she paused.

Unfortunately, they had a history and she felt she owed him an explanation for his kindness.

Deena pulled her bag up higher on her shoulder and approached him from an indirect angle, passing through the seating area of a boarding gate before sitting down near where he was standing. “Let’s go,” Avi said. “I have a car in the lot. We can get out of here and you can rest up for a while before your next job. I’ll check in with Marsh on the way.”

Deena was surprised that he’d recognized her and noticed her approach. “No.”

Avi was already two steps toward the corridor that lead to the parking lots. “No, what? We need to get going before the police come looking for you to ask what happened on the plane.”

“I’m not going back.” Deena set her pack on her lap. “Something’s changed. I’m…”

“You’re tired. You’ll feel different after you sleep for a few hours, you always do.” His eyes were slowly taking in the escape route. He was doing a great job of hiding it and keeping his face neutral considering the situation. He continued walking, dismissing what she’d said.

Deena stayed in her seat. “Something has changed, Avi. Fucking listen to me. I’m not going back.”

Avi looked around at the crowd in the airport and casually walked back to the seating area. “What’re you going to do? Throw a tantrum? This isn’t the way to stay under the radar of the authorities.”

Deena knew that she couldn’t explain it properly to Avi in a manner brief enough to make him listen in their immediate situation. His job was always to get her to safety with as little fanfare as possible. But it was also to get her back for the next job. Avi started walking away again. Quiet and quick and the whole thing would be over. It was the way it worked. Deena stood and followed Avi at a distance. He didn’t turn around, though she knew he was checking her progress in store windows and other reflective surfaces. He moved quickly, but not more than anyone else around him that might be trying to catch a flight. Avi never looked up, never consulted a map or any other directions. As was the case with any job, he’d likely memorized multiple escape plans.

She wondered if this was still his Plan A, or if they’d already moved on to Plan B or C.

As they neared the people mover that would carry them closer to the parking garages, three Seattle police officers stepped out from a service door at the side of the hall. They looked side to side at the people nearby, and Avi turned into a gift shop without missing a beat.

The iced coffee in the cooler drew Deena’s attention. She could use caffeine. Lots of it. As bad as her stomach felt right now, a nice vanilla cappuccino sounded awesome. As she pulled the handle to slide the door open, Avi grabbed her and whispered, “They’re gone.”

They moved quickly through the rest of the airport and out into the chill of the open-air parking garage. Avi’s car was just a few steps away and he stepped in fluidly. “Get in, and let’s go,” he said.

Deena paused. As
soon as they got in that car, he’d start trying to convince her again that they needed to get back. He’d stop listening. He’d call Marsh. These were all things that Deena didn’t want. Standing there, the sounds of sirens were still easily heard, even over the traffic of the garage, the roar of flights taking off and the general mayhem of a giant airport like the Seattle–Tacoma International. She felt herself once again weighing bad and worse scenarios and thinking that if she could do just one more thing, she’d be in the position she wanted to be in. She opened the door and got in.

“Finally. Let’s get on the road. I want to be a couple of hours away from here before we stop for the night. I’d love to just drive all night and not rest until tomorrow, but I don’t think you’re in any shape for that. And I certainly don’t think you’re in any condition to do some of the driving for me.” A hint of panic had slipped into Avi’s voice now that they were away from the public.

There was no way she could do that much driving and she knew it. She could barely keep her eyes open and even that gift shop coffee wouldn’t have helped. “I have to explain this. You need to know.”

“Rest and then tell me when you’re coherent. I’ll wake you up when we get to the hotel.” Avi pulled out his cell phone.

“Wait. You’re not calling Marsh, are you?”

“He needs to know I have you and that we’ll make it for your next job,” Avi said. “He’s not happy that you didn’t contact me straightaway when you disembarked.”

She put her hand on his arm. “Just… just wait.” She couldn’t find the right words to explain to Avi about the buzzing in her head that went silent on the plane and how she hoped it would never return. “I’m not going to do that man’s bidding anymore. I’m not killing anyone again.” She felt tears well up in her eyes as she thought of all the people that were dead because of her. It quickly seemed like a movie, like she was watching someone else do it. At the time it was no big deal; her brain filed it away and let it go. Now, they were all catching back up with her. She stared at the dashboard as faces and names came back to her. “Oh God, what did I do?”

“Deena,” Avi reached out to touch her arm and calm her but she pulled away.

She closed her eyes to try to block out the memories. “No. No. I’m not going back there. Something about that last hit strained my power and it crumbled. I feel like a rope around my neck snapped and I’m not suffocating anymore. I don’t feel right about anything I used to do. It’s a change in my—I don’t know—in my brain.”

“You need rest, that’s all.”

“In all the jobs we’ve worked together, no matter how exhausted I’ve been, have you ever heard me say I wanted to quit?” She hadn’t. Up until an hour ago, using her powers to chase down, maim, injure or kill Marsh’s targets was a thing of joy to her; a job that she was uniquely suited to and that she excelled at. “I called him. I called Marsh and told him I was done.”

“So you decided all of this? Just decided all of this since you killed that mark on the plane? You went from contract killer to pacifist in a matter of minutes?” Avi took his eyes off the road for moment to look at her. “You’ve thought about the implications? You’ve considered how Marsh would react? He’s not just going to let you go.”

“I’ll just run. He can send whoever he wants. They won’t find me.”

“They will.”

“Let them. I can handle myself.”

Avi sighed. “You said you had a change in your brain because you stressed your powers. Do you even know if your powers still work? Maybe they’re gone. What then? You can’t handle yourself against his killers if that’s the case.”

The possibility that she was now powerless never occurred to Deena. She’d lived with the Shadow Energy since she was a teen and assumed she’d always have them. But if she was changing her entire life, it seemed fitting the thing that had made her life hell would be gone. “And if I don’t have powers, I’m no use to him anyway. If I went back and he found that out, he’d kill me. I have to run.”

Deena could see Avi’s lips press together tightly as he checked his rearview mirror. He flipped the left blinker and passed another car on the highway. To stay inconspicuous he set cruise control to just above the legal limit, as usual.

“I haven’t heard you mention your sister once. What about Harper? Hmmm? Where does that leave her?”