Stormfront (Undertow Book 2) (17 page)

Kian took Ana’s hand cautiously as he began to confess. “We have been guarding you two and Mae since we found out about all of this. We know you girls want your freedom, but with a real threat out there, you need to be with one of us at all times. Trust me – this guy is huge and covered with tattoos. He looks like he could be serious trouble.”

I slowly stepped back from Raef to lean against the table, my mind and heart racing. I knew the dealer. It had to be him.

Raef watched me, worried. “Eila – it’s okay. We won’t let this guy get near you. I swear.” I looked at Raef, his face pledging that I would never come face to face with this man who sold human lives for a buck. Unfortunately, I knew something no one else did.

“It’s a little late for that,” I said, drawing my arms around me, trying to stop myself from shivering.

Raef gave me a questioning look as I confessed a few small details, “I’m pretty sure I’ve met your dealer. Twice now, and he has a name.”

“You . . .  what? When
?
Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, floored at Eila’s revelation and the fact that she never mentioned any of it to me. She shifted on her feet, clearly feeling guilty that she had not told me about the dealer earlier.

“I . . . uh, met him for the first time when I went riding.”

I swore sharply. “He came in the barn?” I couldn’t believe a Mortis would ever enter a barn full of horses. The ensuing riot must have been complete chaos.

 
   Eila fidgeted more and my unease climbed higher. “Well, see, the indoor ring was being dragged by the tractor, so I kinda went on a trail ride instead. Alone.”

My stress morphed instantly into anger. How could she have been so reckless? I stepped back from
her, afraid I would lose the tenuous control I had on my temper and end up shaking some sense into her.

Eila watched me, and her beautiful mouth slipped into a forlorn frown. “Raef – he wasn’t out there to hurt me. I got tossed while riding and he came through the woods and asked if I was al
l right. He didn’t even come close to me. He just wanted to make sure I was okay.”

I laughed out loud, dragging my fingers through hair, horrified that she had come so close to such a killer. “Seriously
, Eila? Are you kidding me? When did you get so naïve – so stupid?”

Eila reacted to my words as if I struck her, but I ignored her pained face. I just kept seeing her lying dead in the woods, in the boiler room, on a cobblestone street . . .

She was destined to die.

I was going to fail.

I couldn’t figure out where to stand, where to place myself in the physical space surrounding the table. I paced back and forth, dragging my hand along the back of my neck as Kian and MJ tried to calm me down. But my fear had bled into rage at the dealer, at Eila’s silence, and at the injustice of our situation.

And then it hit me – Eila didn’t tell me because she believed I would strip her of her freedom. That I wouldn’t trust her to make good decisions and be able to stand up for
herself. Eila kept this beast of a dealer a secret because of me.

I turned back to her and MJ had placed himself right next to her, one hand gripped tightly in hers. I met her eyes and she tipped her chin up, an act of bravery daring me to say something even more hurtful than I already had, but her bottom lip trembled ever so slightly. She dragged in a breath, “Are you quite done?”

I couldn’t answer her. I just needed to calm down and regain my senses.

Eila took a step toward me, fearless, but definitely injured by my words. Guilt soaked through me, defusing my initial rage. She crossed her arms as she spoke, “I met him twice. Once in the woods and then once at the football game, where he distracted Teddy from approaching me. His name is
Rillin Blackwood and I do not believe he is a threat. I did not keep him a secret to be deceptive, but because I believed this man – this dealer – somehow knows me, and you three would have hunted him down. He is tattooed and scarred, but he also has a mark over his heart that seems familiar.”

Eila placed her hand over her breast, as if showing me where the dealer’s mark was, but all I could notice was how close her hand was to the scar I had caused. I wanted to reach out and touch her, make sure she
was still alive in front of me, and not some terrible ghost that I had already lost.

She dared another step towards me, and my fear began to slip away as I watched her brown eyes study my own. “Am I surprised that he is a dealer? Yes, but you said dealers maintain a Blacklist of people who deserve to die. Why bother to make such a distinction, unless you don’t want to harm someone who is innocent? Isn’t it possible that this beastly
soul thief only was looking out for me?” she asked. “Isn’t it possible that
stupid
little
naïve
me, may be right?” I couldn’t form the words to reply. I was rooted to the floor.

“I thought you could see me as more than a breakable doll in a cellophane box, Raef. I thought you could believe in me,” she whispered, a brittle edge to her voice that crumbled into a single tear that traced her face.

I had hurt her, allowing my fear to fuel my anger and I took it out on her. “Eila - please,” I begged, quietly, but she turned and walked away from the table and up the staircase.

“Eila, I’m sorry,” I called to her, the understanding of how badly I hurt her constricting my words into a hollow shell.

“Just leave me alone Raef. Please,” she replied softly, her sweet voice now broken around the edges. I watched as she disappeared into one of the hallways of the second floor, wondering where she was headed. Wondering if I should ignore her request for privacy and follow her. Wondering how I could be such an ass.

“I knew it,” said Kian. “They started living together and now Eila is acting like Ana. It’s like they have cloned their personalities and grafted them onto one another.”

Ana punched him in the arm and Kian barely reacted.

“Excuse me, but Eila had every right to tell him off. He called her stupid for crying out loud!” She turned to me, her short cropped blonde hair a perfect reflection of her in-your-face personalit
y. Leave it to Ana Lane to tell off a killer. “You know, Raef, this whole new lifestyle is not easy for her. She was stripped of her freedom, her sense of normalcy – heck, even her innocent understanding of what she thought the world was. She died for us – you, me, all of us. She didn’t do it because it was an accident or because she was stupid, you jerk! Her actions in the Breakers were a calculated decision, her life for ours. That wasn’t just brave! That was bloody heroic! What the hell is wrong with you, saying such things to her?”

I turned to Ana, knowing everything she was saying was correct, but she was skipping one crucial detail. “This is new for me too, you know? I was a carpenter, not a bodyguard.
A killer, not a savior. I want her to have a life free from threat, where she can take a walk to Craigville Beach not worrying about the shadows coming to life. But I can’t lose her again and I am terrified that I will fail her. I don’t know what to do or how to balance it all.”

Ana looked at me, shaking her head slightly.
“Men are such ridiculous creatures. All you have to do is be there for her, back her up, and show her you trust her. She loves you, every aspect of you, and she never tries to limit your life or your decisions. All she needs is for you to do the same for her.”

Ana glanced up to Kian, who had stepped in closely behind her.
“Are you taking notes?” she asked, looking up into his face as he towered above her. “Because you could still use a few pointers as well.”

Kian smiled like a Cheshire cat, “Yes
, Ma’am, but I was thoroughly schooled in your ways last summer. I’m a very good student, I think.” He gently touched the outside of her arm, but she shifted away, smiling. The fact that she could smile at his touch, when she previously could barely stand to be in the same room as him, left me hopeful for the fierce endurance of love.

“You’re a work in progress at best,” she teased as she moved away from Kian to MJ, who looped a lazy arm over her narrow shoulders.

MJ looked down at Ana. “Should I take notes as well?” he asked.

“Nah. You’re polished and perfect. Now let’s go eat while Raef finds Eila and grovels for forgiveness,” she replied as they turned and headed to the kitchen. MJ glanced over his shoulder to Kian and winked, gesturing to himself as he mouthed the words
perfect and polished
. Kian just flipped him off and MJ laughed as he and Ana disappeared into the kitchen.

I looked back up the staircase and ran my hand roughly through my hair, frustrated. “God, I can’t believe I said that to her. It was bad, wasn’t it?” I asked him.

“It was like watching a plane go down in flames . . . and then crash into a volcano filled with nuclear devices,” he replied shoving himself away from the pool table. He started toward the kitchen as I continued to look up the staircase, debating my next move. 

Kian’s
irritating voice called back to me, “I thought you were a carpenter? Go fix what you just broke, dumbass.”

“I hope I can,” I mumbled as I started up the stairs to find the one girl I couldn’t exist without.

I was pissed. And hurt
.
But definitely more pissed at the moment. Raef gave me only fifteen minutes alone before I heard him slide open the glass door to the balcony that was off of Christian’s office. I had escaped to the outside, among the swirling snow, to clear my head and take stock of everything that was just said.

The truth was, I understood why he was so mad.

I had kept critical information from him, information that he should have been given since he was technically my bodyguard. But I was bothered that he called me stupid. I wasn’t an idiot, and I sure as hell wasn’t naïve. I worried that what he called me in anger was a true reflection of how he saw me. Maybe he did think he knew better, because of his age, his experiences, and what he was. Sure, this whole thing was new for me, but deep inside, I wasn’t afraid. I felt like I understood what I was, could feel my need to rise to the challenge, as if it was as simple as breathing.

I believed in myself as I never had before and I refused to be stripped of that self-confidence. Raef needed to accept me as I was, believe in my ability to fight, and have my back when I needed someone to lean on.

“I’m so sorry,” I heard him say softly to my back. “Please forgive me. Learning of your contact with the dealer scared me and I spoke out of fear. I snapped at you, and it was uncalled for.”

I reached out, over the side of the balcony, and raised my palm towards the night sky to catch the snow
flakes on my warm skin. The icy little bites of winter landed along my hand, only to melt away in seconds. The harbor below filled the air with an endless purr as the water lazily ran up the sand and dragged its way back over the broken shells and stones.

I breathed out slowly, watching the vapor escape my mouth as I debated my reply. Finally I turned to Raef, his stunning figure leaning against the glass door, his hands tucked into his jean pockets.

He looked damaged, ashamed, and riddled with remorse. All snide retorts I was going to toss back at him dried up on my tongue. He was truly sorry, and I could see it plainly as he stood there, the snow frosting the edges of his shoulders and hair.

“We need to be a team and you need to trust my instincts once in a while,” I said, slowly walking over to him. “I need to know that I can tell you anything without you going all commando and locking me away for my own protection. I didn’t tell you because I believe this
Rillin guy to be more than he seems, but not necessarily in a bad way. I knew if I told you, you’d freak out – a theory you proved correct just a few minutes ago.”

He swept his hand over his head, a sure sign he was stressed out, and the snow dampened his hair, slicking it down in the process. The effect was an even more drop-dead handsome Raef. His deep blue eyes
lifted off the floor to me, “What if he’s dangerous?”

“Technically
, driving is dangerous, as is hanging out with Mortis like you. Sometimes taking a leap of faith and trusting the heart is all that defines our humanity.” I stepped closer to Raef and slid my hand up his chest to where his heart resided. “I knew you were more than just a killer when I met you, and look at us now.”

He wrapped his hand around mine, warming it from the cold air that surrounded us. I sighed. “This man,
Rillin, deserves a chance to prove he is not dangerous. He is a dealer of people whose actions condemn them to die, but he himself may not belong on such a list. We need to find him and question him. He knows more than he says, I am sure of it. I can feel it,” I said, looking up to Raef who had pulled me in tighter.

He closed his eyes and I could feel his body tense, but he gave in. “Fine. We will find him and see what exactly he knows. Why he left you the billiard ball and why he told us about the possibility of you becoming a target. But Eila, if he makes a threatening move, I will remove him from the equation. Agreed?” I nodded as he swept the snow from my hair. “E, you are smartest, bravest girl I have ever known. Please, please forgive my outburst as – ”

“Stupid and naïve?”

He smiled, “Uh – yeah. That pretty much sums it up.”

I pulled away from Raef and headed for the glass door, but he reached past me and pulled it open. “At least let me try to act like a gentleman,” he said, standing aside for me to enter first.

“Pushy, pushy . . .” I muttered as I walked into the office, but realized that Ana was standing inside the room.

“Jeez that took long enough,” she huffed. “We have a visitor downstairs. He wants to talk to us – all of us.”

Raef straightened and his face became hard. Ana looked at him and gave him a dismissive wave, “Oh chill, Raef. It’s not the dealer. It’s Agent Howe, though I will say he looks different.”

I gave Ana a curious glance and we followed her down to the first floor where Agent Howe waited. Several boxes were by his feet and a few business envelopes were tucked under his arm. He was dressed in a Red Sox jacket and baseball cap and he looked as though he hadn’t shaved in a week. Or slept.

“Agent Howe? You look, uh, more casual,” I said, trying to tactfully tell him he looked like a zombie with a hangover.

“Hello, Ms. Walker. I went by your home but no one was there, so I took a chance and came here. Is Mr. Raines home?”

“No, he’s not,” said Raef, stepping next to me. Ana and Kian joined us and I heard th
e padding feet of Marsh the dog come up next to me. It didn’t surprise me that MJ had phased. As a dog, he was a top-notch shield against anything unsavory. Plus his beastly size and teeth kept most visitors on their toes, including the FBI.

Howe glanced at Marsh. “Uh, nice dog. Is he friendly?” he asked, uneasy.

“As long as you are,” I replied with a grin, patting Marsh on the head. “He’s just a big ‘ol snuggly wuppy-poo, aren’t you Marshy?” I crooned. Marsh narrowed his eyes at me and shook my hand off, snorting as he did so. “So, how can we help the FBI this snowy evening? I take it this is you fulfilling your promise to meet up with all of us?”

“Actually, no. I am returning some things to you. I am no longer assigned to your case. I’m actually on suspension, so you don’t need to address me as Agent Howe. Mark is fine.”

We all stood there, a bit stunned. Agent Howe was like an ultra-annoying Boy Scout and now he was suspended? What the heck did he do? He leaned down and stacked the two boxes on top of each other with the envelopes. “Can I put this somewhere?” he asked, shifting his packages.

“Uh, yeah – just put them on the pool table,” I replied, not wanting him heading into the library with
Dalca’s stolen goods. Kian and Ana swept all the balls, including the dealer’s gift, into the various pockets of the table, leaving the green felt clear as Howe walked over and set the packages down on the table.

“So how’d you get kicked to the curb?” asked Ana, blunt and to the point.

Howe looked exhausted and I actually felt bad for him. The FBI had been his life and I knew our case had become his unicorn of sorts – something he was determined to solve and cement himself as a legacy within the Bureau. “Two weeks ago, my partner, Agent Sollen, committed suicide. Hung himself, inside his apartment.”

I was shocked, “I’m so sorry about your partner. Do you know . . . do know why he did it?”

“I don’t think he did, actually. I think it may have been staged, but I have been removed from the office, so digging further is impossible.”

Kian leaned against the table, all our eyes on the former FBI agent. “You think he was murdered? Why?”

“After Sollen’s death, his computers were searched. I didn’t know why, until they started digging through mine. I found out that he had been selling all the details of the Breakers case to someone. My office was able to retrace where he had gone, including the last place he was seen. He was dead by the next morning, but when they searched his home, they uncovered tickets to Mexico for the following day. He was going to take the money and run. No way he killed himself.”

We all were stunned, but Raef spoke up, “So all our details are in someone’s hands. Who? Who was the buyer?”

“We don’t know. Whoever he dealt with was brilliant at covering their tracks. My bigger concern is WHY he sold them and who would even want such information.”

I could think of a bunch of immortal people who would love to dig deeper into
the “incident” at Christian’s ball. People who would like nothing better than to fully exterminate my kind once and for all. I could see that my friends were thinking the same exact thing. Plenty of money? Good at covering their tracks? Well practiced in the art of making murder look like suicide or an accident? A Mortis had to be the buyer.

Howe scanned the room, completely defeated, but then he looked at me. “Listen – I
know
you guys know what happened in Newport, but after being on this case for weeks on weeks, I am fairly certain none of you are terrorists. None of you had previous plans or knowledge of what was going to happen, but I do know you are all scared of something. Perhaps someone has you all silenced. Whoever you are hiding from may have just uncovered everything they ever wanted to know about you.”

I looked to my tense comrades and then back to Howe. “Why are you telling us this? Won’t you be in huge trouble? Won’t you get, well, you know.”

“Suspended? Yeah – already done that, so I figured how much worse can it get for me? They suspended me because of the files being taken from my computer. I know Sollen got into the hard drive, but I am responsible for the safety of the information in my care. I also feel I am responsible for YOUR safety – all of you – and I thought you needed to know that you all may be targets. I’d appreciate it, however, if you tell no one that I was here.”

Well, this information was definitely not headed for the plus-side column of
Rillin Blackwood. I could tell that my friends believed he probably was the mystery buyer and Agent Sollen’s killer. Damn. Maybe I was a bad judge of character. Maybe Raef was right to not trust my instincts.

I pointed to the boxes. “What are these?” I asked as Raef pulled one of the striped boxes with my name on it towards the two of us. Ana pulled another box with her name written on the side towards her as Kian stepped next to her.

Marsh got up on his hind legs and placed his front paws on the edge of the table, looking on. Howe gave him a curious glance, no doubt shocked to see the dog showing interest in the boxes. Either that, or the ex-agent was unsure of the dog’s “safety” in general.

He managed to pull his eyes of
f of Marsh’s bear-like presence. “These things belong to you and Ana. They were released from evidence a few weeks ago, but I never had a chance to get them to you.”

I slowly lifted the lid as Ana did the same.

“Our dresses,” she whispered, slowly lifting the dust-covered, ruby-red gown from its spot in the box. Kian reached around her and let the fabric trail through his fingers, no doubt remembering how it had hugged her curves and left him entranced.

I braced myself, and looked down into the box in front of me. Tucked into the cardboard rectangle was a lush pile of silky fabric, laced with thousands of beads and crystals. I slowly reached in and began lifting the dress, once a beautiful white, but now dusted with the ash from the
soul thieves I had killed. But when I saw the brown streaks and blotches covering the beadwork, I gasped, and dropped the dress.

Raef stepped in closely behind me, his chest brushing against my back as he reached around me, one solid hand on my hip as he started to pull the lid back on the box. “Don’t look at it,” he breathed into the side of my face, but I placed my hand on the dress, stopping him.

“I want to see it,” I whispered, pushing the lid farther away and pulling my dress slowly from its resting place in the box. As it emerged in my hands, the dark stains and torn bodice revealed just how gravely I had been injured the night of the Breakers. The bloodstains, now brown with time, ran down from the beaded bodice, fading outward. The elaborately sewn beads and crystals tumbled off the dress into my hands and scattered over the table. The center of the bodice had been torn down the midline, the threads now sticking out at funny angles towards the gap, as if reaching across the divide to re-stitch themselves together.

I heard
Ana come up next to me. “Dear god,” she breathed, reaching out carefully to the once-stunning dress that had made me feel like a princess.

Raef’s arm threaded under mine, his hand open, and I carefully tilted my wrist, allowing a few beautiful beads to fall into his palm like discarded raindrops. His fingers curled around the broken gems, forming his hand into a fist that guarded my gift, “All that matters is that you are alive. The details of what happened back then are not important – only that you are here now.”

A lump had formed in my throat and I nodded as he and Ana eased the dress back into its cardboard coffin and slid the lid back on, attempting to shut out the pain and desperation of that night.

Howe, who had been watching us, slid a small envelope across the pool table to me. “This is also yours,” he said, and I opened the envelope, pulling my beloved bracelet from the paper.

My voice cracked as I thanked him and Raef helped me put it back on – a beautiful silver bangle with a ball in the center. Raef had given it to me the night of the bonfire and I treasured it. He called it my ‘badge of belonging’ – a reminder that I was part of the Cape. That night felt as though it was a dream, distant and unreachable after all that had happened.