Stormfront (Undertow Book 2) (14 page)

We ended up back at Torrent Roa
d
as dinnertime neared and I was surprised to see Mae’s minivan parked by the side garage. She was still at work, and I just sighed, determined to make the best of a messed up situation.

I slid off the back of Raef’s bike and he kicked the stand down, angling the front wheel to ensure the bike didn’t fall over. He saw the car as well. “Mae’s here?” he asked, surprised.

“Yeah. First day at work,” I moaned, heading up the front stairs.

Raef cut me off before I opened the front door. “Wait! What will she think when she sees us together? Remember her fun chat?”

My cheeks bloomed hot, “Oh good grief, you DID hear that! Don’t ever mention that again. Please! That was just a complete disaster.”

Raef took my face in
his hands, “Your cheeks are as red as a candy cane. You need to lose the blush or she will absolutely think we were experimenting with her rules.”

My face grew redder.

“Okay – see, that’s not working. I said LESS red,” he laughed.

“YOU are not helping!” I fanned my face, trying to compose myself. It took a few minutes but my cheeks finally faded to just a wind-kissed pink. “Better?” I asked.

“Much,” he replied, finally pushing the door open. Inside I was shocked to see Ana lounging on one of the couches near the massive window along with MJ, who was seated on the floor by her chair. Schoolwork was scattered about them and music played through the elaborate sound system built into the walls. They looked up when we came in.

“WOMAN!” yelled MJ, “Where the heck have you been? We’ve got pizza from
Craigville! It is so damn good!”

Ana poked MJ with her pencil, “Uh huh . . . but the joint also has two
hotties that work the counter, and whenever we go there, MJ turns into Flirty McFlirt Master. What are their names again? Tina? Carrie?”

“Tessa and Cassie. And I totally do NOT do that,” replied MJ, though he was turning a tad pink.

“Sure ya don’t,” laughed Ana.

Dear lord, had I fallen into an alternate universe? “What are you guys doing here?” I asked as Kian walked in from the
kitchen. He looked at Raef and me, no doubt noticing my extra-pink lips from the kissing session.

He gave a knowing smile. “Ana is celebrating the loss of her favorite mechanical appendage. We are having a cheese-ridden meal to mark the occasion,” he replied, handing
Ana a soda.

“Hey – what about me?” demanded MJ.

“I don’t serve canines -  go fetch your own drink,” replied Kian, flopping into a chair across from Ana. MJ flipped him an indecent finger.

“So they finally gave you the green light to kick people without the boot?” I asked, delighted for her.

“YUP!” She hopped to her feet and did a weird little dance.

“Woo
hoo!” I yelled and joined her, kicking off my sneakers so I could slide easier on the wood floor. I glanced at Raef who was leaning against an ornate pillar and he smiled as he watched me. MJ jammed to the tunes while he stayed seated, flipping through a Spanish textbook.

My dancing came to a halt however, when I heard laughter, Mae’s laughter, from the direction of the second floor balcony. I looked up and sure enough, she emerged from one of the rooms with Christian following her.

She saw me below her and waved. “Hi, sweetie! How was your first day?” she called as she rounded the top of the curved staircase.

“Uh – good,” I replied as she descended the stairs. “I’m kind of surprised you are still here,” I said, daring a glance to Christian, who looked gorgeous in a gray pair of slacks and a white button down shirt. He had left the top two buttons undone and rolled the sleeves up to his elbows, revealing perfectly cut forearms. I wondered if he had any clue what he looked like to a human female – especially Mae.

“Oh, Christian, I mean, Mr. Raines and I were just going over my travel details,” she replied, finally coming up to me and giving me a hug.

Christian came up beside her, but kept a respectable distance. “How are you
, Eila?” he asked as Raef stepped next to me.

“I’m good. Raef and I just went for a ride on his Harley,” I said, knowing that Mae wouldn’t be pleased. I said it just to rile her, and immediately regretted it. I was mad she took the job, but she knew nothing about my history or Christian’s. I needed to just deal with it.

“Eila. I am not a fan of having you on the back of a bike,” she glanced to Raef, an accusing look in her eye.

Christian however intervened, shooting me an irritated look that I had worried Mae. “Raef is an accomplished rider. I am sure he was very careful with Eila.”

Both Raef and I stared at Christian for a moment, but then Raef snapped out of his stunned mental lapse. “Yes, Ma’am – I’d never put her in harm’s way.”

Mae glanced from Raef to me and I could see the wheels in her head spinning. “Eila – I am going to be scout
ing three estates in Monterey California for Mr. Raines next week. I will be out of town for a few days and I expect certain rules to be obeyed, including no boys in the house.”

I sighed, “Mae, I’m not going to . . .”

“NO boys,” she stated crisply, ending the conversation. She looked over to Kian and back to Raef, “I assume you boys will obey the rules.”

MJ glanced up from his textbook. “Wait – does that include me?” he asked, delighted he was placed in the same heartthrob category as Kian and Raef.

Mae turned to him for a moment, thinking. “No – you’re okay, MJ.”

I had to stifle a chuckle as MJ tossed his hands in the air, defeated. Ana was trying not to bust out laughing while Kian had an ear-to-ear smug smile on his face. We all agreed to Mae’s rules, though I knew they would be broken without a second thought if danger
was lurking. Looking at Christian, I wasn’t sure he would even allow such a deal. While he and Raef sometimes butted heads, Christian knew Raef guarded me fiercely.

It was strange to have Mae see them as “boys” – teenagers, with hormonal heads. Raef and Kian had lived since the time of my grandmother and they were far from boys. They were grown men, with hundreds of experiences to hone who they were, and dictate their behavior.

While I had spouted the virtues of taking care of myself, being alone with Ana in the house also brought with it a twinge of unease and a vision of Rillin Blackwood.

Rillin
, who no one else knew about, and to whom I suspected there was more than meets the eye.

A while later, Eila lef
t
with Ana, MJ, and Mae.

MJ
gave her a ride back to her Jeep at the high school and then tailed her home, without Eila catching on.

He stood now, a look of concentration on his face, as
he, Kian, Christian, and I gathered around the massive cherry table in the library. Dalca’s books and papers were spread out everywhere, a disarray of literary frustration. We had work to do, but first MJ had a bone to pick with Kian and me.

“Al
l right, so just to make sure I am clear on this, you two went and bought names of people to kill from some beast of a dude at a place called the Lucky Lady?”

Kian shifted back against the table, “Technically it was the
Ucky Lady, since the neon L had crapped out. It was actually a much more accurate name.”

“I can’t believe you bought a person’s death,” said MJ, shaking his head, truly disturbed at this new revelation.

“Technically we bought two,” replied Kian, not flinching in the least. He looked over to me, “Did you cash in?”

I nodded, “During school today. He was where the dealer said he would be. What about you?”

Kian shook his head. “I’m going tonight.”

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU ARE KILLING PEOPLE!” yelled MJ, disgusted. “No one deserves that type of justice.”

“Oh really?” snapped Kian. “Because my meal ticket beats the tar out of his wife and two kids. Sound familiar?” Darkness laced his face and MJ fell into silence. An abusive parent hit way too close to home for both of them, thanks to Ana’s father.

Christian waved his hand to get everyone back on track, “So this dealer believes that Eila will be targeted for abduction and ransom because of my ties to her?”

“Yes, and I think he’s unfortunately right. It makes sense,” I replied, my body tense. I was itching to drive over to her house instantly, especially since her entire protection detail was currently in my company. The only security she had was the house, which barred any uninvited soul shark from entering without her permission. Even if Mae invited them in, they wouldn’t be able to cross the threshold because the house was only in Eila’s name. She had told MJ she was going to try and finish a chapter of ecology before bed, which meant that she, Ana, and Mae were safely tucked inside the massive walls of Elizabeth’s home.

Christian gripped the end of the table, clearly as stressed as the rest of us. He feared for his granddaughter, and it was written all over his face. “So we guard them ‘round the clock. Put them with one of us at all times. I will keep Mae traveling as much as possible. Removing her from
Eila’s proximity should lessen the risk that she will be associated with Eila. As for Ana and Eila, they go nowhere without a guard.”

I rubbed my face, knowing what Eila was going to say.

“Raef, man, we don’t have a choice,” said Kian, knowing that Ana was going to balk as well.

“What if we do it – guard them – without them knowing?” I offered.

Christian slammed his hand against the table, causing the books to vibrate. “What difference does it make? I don’t care if she wants to stand on her own or not. Her safety is not up to her! I will not lose another young woman to a hatred that never ends! Elizabeth will not die because of me – not this time. Not ever!”

MJ and Kian glanced to me, but MJ was brave enough to speak up, “You mean Eila, not Elizabeth. Right?”

A heavy weight seemed to seep into Christian’s bones and he loosened his fist that had been pressed to the table. “Yes. I mean Eila. I won’t lose Eila – she is all I have left of Elizabeth.” He glanced up to me, “Don’t repeat my mistakes, Raef. Please, I know you love her. I can see it, but such love can consume you both.”

I shook my head, “I won’t ever let her die for me. Ever. My only goal is to keep her safe, but honor her wishes for a life. A real
life, not trapped inside a fortress, where she can only look through the bars at the world. She deserves more than that. I promised her more than that.”

Christian shook his head and walked around the table to me, resting one hand on my shoulder. “Raef – she already
did
die for you, once. Eila is Lunaterra, she is encoded to never back down, to be fearless in the face of her enemies. What she is, on a biological level, is both her greatest asset and what dooms her to fight to the death. You think, because you love her, that she would never choose to leave you. But you’re wrong – I’ve seen it, twice now. Because they love us, and because they are fearless, they will always lay down their lives for us. The only way to protect her is to keep her out of the fight in the first place. Don’t repeat my past and don’t let her be her grandmother. Don’t be me.”

Christian dropped his hand from me and the room fell into a painful silence as I absorbed all that he said. Eila was bold. Brave. She hit her fears dead-on, just as she did with Jesse, Teddy, Nikki, and even when we were cornered in the Bre
akers. I never thought that one defiant personality trait could become a death sentence.

I finally spoke, the words forcing their way through my
lips as I knew I was going against her wishes. “We guard them, 24/7, but without them knowing. Eila would always tell me if something was off, so not telling her about the threat shouldn’t be an issue. Plus, the girls want some self-defense training, so we will honor that. If we keep them busy, they may not notice we are always with them. When they think they are alone, we are there, in the shadows. We can keep their lives normal.”

MJ rubbed his forehead and I knew what he was thinking. “Raef – we can’t do this forever though. As long as she has ties to Christian, she will always be a target,” he said, glancing to
Eila’s grandfather.

Christian nodded, the pain evident on his face, “I know. I need to distance myself from her. I wanted to be part of her life, but I see now that doing so brings with it danger, and that is unacceptable. I will move back to Boston, but this house will remain yours to use. I will limit my time here to the bare minimum.”

“It’s not forever,” I said, even though I knew it probably was. “We just need to let things calm down. And at least the news hasn’t released her name yet.”

MJ winced, “Yeah . .
.  about that. Jesse kind of announced, officially, that Eila, Ana, and myself were all in the Breakers the night of the explosion.”

“WHAT?” demanded
Kian. “You’re just telling us this NOW?”

“It just happened yesterday! And you two were off buying souls at the Unlucky Lady like a pair of druggies!” snapped MJ.

I shook my head, alarmed but at the same time I knew that most of the high school has suspected Eila had been at the Breakers. Something like that, in a town this small, was impossible to keep under wraps. Mae could have said something. MJ’s parents could have said something. Most of the town knew.

“I’m sure most people here knew who was at the Breakers,” I said taking a deep breath. “Our only saving grace is that this is a tight community. Knowledge of our involvement in Newport has probably not spread beyond the town and the papers are not allowed to print her name until Eila is of legal age.”

“Ana is eighteen,” hissed Kian. “Is she not as important?”

“Of course she is – don’t be a fool. But the paper will hold its tongue until Eila is eighteen, because Ana lives with her. I’m sure they have guessed who she is by now, especially with Christian helping her. They just legally can’t say.”

“When is her birthday?” asked Christian.

“Two days after Christmas,” I replied, trying not to panic. Once the world got wind of
who Christian had helped, the floodgates would open to anyone who wanted to grab Eila. If a Mortis figured out that the explosion was supernatural in nature . . .

Christian seemed lost in thought and began pacing the room.
  We watched him and he finally turned to us, “I may have a solution to her impending birthday.”

“Care to clue us in?” asked Kian, crossing his arms.

“I have a home in the Bahamas. It is remote and perhaps I can convince Mae that a vacation for Christmas break would be good for everyone. We can get her away from the area for her birthday and figure out damage control from the safety of my place.”

Kian gave brittle laugh, “It will be a cold day in hell when Mae allows Raef and I to vacation in the same home as Eila and Ana.”

“I’ll convince her,” said Christian. “I can keep her busy island hopping for me, looking at properties. I’ll even work on your mom and dad, MJ.”

“Yeah – good luck with that,” replied MJ, unconvinced.

Christian leaned against the table, his look determined. “For now, we stick to the plan – guard the girls, around the clock and on the sly. I am going to call Mae, see if I can get her to head to my Boston office first thing in the morning. I will have her work out of that office, rather than here.”

“Christ, we’re splitting up families,” moaned MJ.

“It’s for their own safety,” I replied, but I knew this was hard on MJ. He carried the guilt of our deception with a pure heart, making the load all the heavier for him. “MJ – you’ve got to be with us on this. The girls can’t know about us watching them. We are trying to keep them safe,” I urged.

MJ reluctantly nodded his head, “You can count on me.”

“Are you two going to buy from this dealer again?” asked Christian.

“We didn’t have any plans to do so, but considering what he said, I would put him at the top of our watch list,” I replied.

“How do you contact him?” asked Christian.

“We don’t – he posts some random listing on the online Want Ad the day he will be at the Lucky Lady. You go and play pool without the seven-ball until he shows up and approaches you. You also have to post a specifically worded Ad on the site when you complete an assigned kill, so he removes the name from the Blacklist. I did so earlier today.”

Christian placed his hands on the table and the soft light of the room cast dark shadows on his face. “Keep your eyes on the Want Ad, see if his listing comes up. If it does, go find him and kill him.”

I looked over to Kian. The dealer was built like a gladiator, but when it came to Eila and Ana, we could take on Zeus.

“Not a problem,” replied Kian, but then he turned his full attention to Christian. “Speaking of dealers, our dealer said that
your
dealer blabbed about you being drugged during the ball. Aside from the fact that your dealer can’t keep his mouth shut, why didn’t you let us borrow the guy? Do you not like to share?”

Christian looked at Kian, “I will have to discuss the importance of secrecy with my dealer, but trust me - you don’t want to meet my dealer.” I looked at Kian and we exchanged a curious glance as Christian left the room to call Mae. What was that all about?

MJ grabbed his jacket from the back of one of the leather chairs. “So, what did you think of the football thing?” he asked me, pulling his coat on.

“What football thing?”

MJ paused. “Well – Jesse gave Eila the MVP ball at the game. He called her the Most Valuable Person and crap. You didn’t know?”

My jaw tightened and the vision of him arguing with Eila in the parking lot came back to my mind with vivid clarity. “
No – I didn’t know,” I replied slowly, trying to figure out what Jesse was up to.

MJ waved it off, “She probably just didn’t think it
was that important . . . or she thought you’d freak and go all dark-and-creepy-type-Raef.”

Dark and creepy didn’t even begin to cover my state of mind.