Dark and Deadly: Eight Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance (95 page)

“Maybe,” he said, noncommittally. He wanted to see where she was going with this. “But how are you going to prove that?”

“By kicking your ass.”

He almost veered off the road.

“You think you can beat me in a fight?” he asked, steering the car back into the lane. “I’m an Iron Guild warrior, lass. Only the most skilled fighters are chosen as pledges during the Warrior Games, then we go through rigorous training after that.”

She seemed unfazed. “So if I get you to submit, you’ll change your mind?”

He waited an appropriate length of time before answering to make her think he was mulling it over. “If you can beat me, yes.”

When he turned down Granite Avenue, she shifted in her seat. She’d been quiet ever since they left the highway. “So much of our world must seem strange to you.”

He shrugged. “It’s no stranger than my world would be to you.”

“I’d like that.”

He glanced in her direction. “Like what?”

“To visit Cascadia one day.”

He thought about Olivia in Cascadia, riding on the back of a horse with him. “We don’t have any of the conveniences you have here.”

“So?”

“No running water. No electricity. No purple Dodge Chargers with dream catchers hanging off the rear view mirror.”

She laughed. “I know that. Still, I would love to go one day. And if what you suspect happened to my mother is true, that means I may have relatives there. Aunts. Uncles. Cousins. Even grandparents, if the soldiers didn’t kill them when they came through the portal all those years ago.”

Olivia reached back and patted Conry as they pulled up outside a quaint blue house. “You stay here for a minute. I need to lock up Mom’s cats first.”

A well-maintained rose bed lined one side of the driveway, and rather than a lawn in the front yard like the rest of the homes on the block, hers was filled with meandering pathways and plants. He’d wager there were a lot of herbs among the flowers, given the herbal oils she made for Olivia.

A vague sense of unease settled over him as he exited the car. He must be more nervous about meeting her mother than he’d thought. What would she think of him? Would she accept him and who he was or would she assume he was a barbarian like many here believed, and unworthy of her daughter?

In the weeks apart from Olivia, he had learned one very important thing—that he was crazy in love with her. No one else in either world could compare to her.

Distance has a way of clarifying what you can’t see when something is right in front of you. He’d been antsy and on edge the whole time he’d been gone. A depressing gray cloud hovered over him in Cascadia, but this time it wasn’t because of his family. It was because he’d been a world away from Olivia. He’d found it harder than normal to concentrate. He couldn’t think straight. Couldn’t get her out of his head. But now that they were together, things just felt…right. He might not have recognized it before he left, but he sure as hell did now.

Olivia had accepted him unconditionally, with all his faults and imperfections. The fact that she respected and believed in him caused all sorts of things to shift deep inside him. Long-held beliefs. Doubts. Fears. Insecurities. Maybe she was right. Maybe he wasn’t as stupid as he thought he was, his stepfather be damned. Maybe he did just learn things differently.

Different was good, she’d said. Who wanted to be ordinary when you could be extraordinary? He wasn’t sure he’d ever think of himself as extraordinary, but he sure as hell loved that she thought he was.

Olivia stood at the foot of the driveway and looked up at her mother’s house. Asher joined her, holding the bouquet of fresh flowers they’d bought at a farmer’s stand on the Mountain Loop Highway.

“That’s weird,” she said, frowning.

“What is?”

“She usually leaves the garage door open when she knows I’m coming. I can’t remember the last time I used the front door.” She grabbed his hand and they walked up the driveway past her mother’s prize rose bushes.

“You did say that you’re usually late,” he said. “Maybe she hasn’t opened it yet because she thinks you won’t be here for a while.”

Asher held the screen door open. She grabbed the handle. It was locked. What was going on?

“Are you sure she’s expecting us tonight?” he asked. “Maybe she thinks we’re coming tomorrow and she’s gone.”

“No, I specifically told her we were coming tonight,” Olivia said adamantly. “We just talked this morning. It’s not like her to forget. She’s always harping on me that I don’t call or visit enough. When she found out we were coming, I’m sure she spent all day in the kitchen cooking.”

She reached for the doorbell, but Asher stopped her.

“Let’s…uh, walk around back. Maybe she’s not even home.”

Her eyes widened. “Do you think something could’ve happened to her?”

“I’m not saying that. I just think it’s best not to announce to anyone inside that someone’s at the door. Just in case. I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“You’re right.” She strode to the garage, looked in the window, and her body went numb. “The car’s there. She’s got to be here.”

Pulling out a long blade, he made a quick survey of their surroundings.

“Tell me the layout of the house,” he whispered. She gave him a quick rundown. He thrust the keys into her hand. “Go wait in the car. If you see anything suspicious, I want you to get the fuck out of here.”

“Ash, my mom’s in there. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Olivia, go.”

“No. She’s…she’s all I’ve got. When they came for my brother and things began to turn ugly, my mother wouldn’t let me get involved. At first she sent me to my room, away from what was going on. And then later, she kept me inside and refused to let me see if I could help my father.”

“They’d have fucking taken you, too.” He huffed out a breath, then nodded curtly, as if he understood how she must’ve felt. “Stay behind me and do exactly as I say. If I tell you to hit the ground, I expect that by the time I turn around, you’ll be down there already. This is Rule Number One for real.”

They crept to the backyard, taking care not to make any noise when they passed the recycling bins full of cans and bottles.

Please let this turn out to be nothing. Please let her be fine.

All the windows were dark except for the kitchen. The table was set for three and a few pans were on the stove. He tried the slider. It slid open easily.

Silently, they stepped into the kitchen. The water in one of the pots was boiling but hadn’t gone dry yet. Whatever had drawn her mother away hadn’t been very long ago.

A faint sound came from the door to the basement. Footsteps. Someone was coming up the stairs.

Asher pushed her against the wall and drew out another knife. From here, neither of them could see the basement door, but they could hear when it opened.

More footsteps. A flash of yellow. Then a cough. It sounded like her mom.

“Just one person?” Olivia mouthed to Asher.

He nodded.

She peered around the corner. Her mother was at the stove, hunched over one of the pots. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. She was okay. She motioned for Ash to put his weapons away. It was better if they didn’t have to tell her mother that they’d come into the house with weapons drawn. She already was going to have a lot of explaining to do when she told her mother that Asher was from Cascadia.

“Hello?” she called in a singsong voice.

Her mother jerked her head up and took a half step backward. But instead of rushing forward to give her a big hug, she stayed were she was. She touched a finger to her lips once then quickly dropped it. “So good to see you, Jennifer. You’re here early. I wasn’t expecting you so soon. Was Ben able to come?”

Jennifer? Ben?

“Um…uh…”

Asher must’ve caught on to what was going on faster than she did because he was already backing toward the door. He put a hand up, indicating they were to stay here. Then he jerked his chin toward the front.

The car. They were to make a run for it as soon as they could. Okay.

He made a swirly motion with his finger. Keep talking. Then he slipped out the sliding glass door and into the backyard.

Olivia had to think fast. “He’s…uh… He couldn’t make it. Had to work.”

Her mother shifted a few pots around the stove. “He works too much. This is Saturday, for God’s sake.”

“Mother,” she mouthed silently. “What. Is. Going. On? Is someone downstairs?”

Her mother opened her eyes wider, indicating yes, then went back to stirring the pots again.

They continued this line of fake small talk until they heard the sound of breaking glass. Was that their cue to go? She grabbed her mother’s hand and they ran for the front door. The house wasn’t large, but tonight it felt as big as a mansion. Either that, or they were running in slow motion. But before they could even get out of the kitchen and through the dining room, the door to the basement opened and a man with a horribly scarred face stepped out.

The Fixer. The one who was after Asher.

Olivia shoved her mother behind her and backed away. She cast a glance toward the backyard, but Asher wasn’t there. She’d keep this guy occupied as long as it took for Asher to formulate a plan.

“Mrs. Crawford, you’re actually quite convincing,” the Fixer said to her mother. “For a moment there, I really did believe you that you were expecting a friend for dinner and that this wasn’t your daughter. I would’ve come up sooner, had I known. Although I’ve had my hands full.”

What was that supposed to mean?

Asher?

“Stay away from her,” her mother said through clenched teeth.

The man laughed.

“The army killed my husband and my son. I will not let you take her, too.” Her mom held her arms out as if to make herself appear larger, like you’re supposed to do if you encounter a bear in the woods.

“Hate to correct you at a time like this, but only your husband died. Last I heard, your son was still alive.”

Olivia gasped. How was that possible?

“Whaaat?” Her mother took a staggering step and clamped a hand over her mouth. “Vince is…alive?”

“Yes, he’s one of us. But if you don’t cooperate, you’ll die trying to protect your daughter just like your husband did trying to protect your son.”

“Go, Olivia,” she whispered. “Run.”

The Fixer had left the door to the basement open. Damn it. Where was Asher? She felt a strong pulling sensation in her chest, as if she were a fish on the end of a line and someone was reeling her in.

And then she knew. It was Asher. He was hurt and he needed her.

She lunged at the door, but her mother caught her and held her back. “What happened to him?” she screamed.

“Your boyfriend?” The man smiled, but only the muscles on one side of his face worked. “Dead. Or, I should say, nearly dead. He’s bleeding out downstairs with a severed carotid artery. I give him, oh, about two more minutes.”

She twisted away from her mother and hurled herself toward the door again, arms and legs pumping. She had to get to Asher. The pull was almost unbearable. Much stronger than anything she’d ever felt before.

But this time, the man grabbed her arms and stopped her.

Asher. Oh my God. He’s dying. I need to get to him before it’s too late.

The Fixer was saying something, but she couldn’t hear him. Her brain was numb except for the fact that she needed to lay her hands on Asher and heal his wounds. Her arms jerked and her head snapped back.

“Calm the fuck down. I asked you a question. What is he? Former military?”

Olivia couldn’t even think straight. It was her mother who finally answered. “Yes.”

“Thought so. I can spot a soldier a mile away. He put up a decent fight even after I shoved that shard of glass in his neck.”

So he didn’t know Asher was Cascadian. He must not be the target, after all. Olivia was.
She
had endangered him, not the other way around. The man who was her heart and soul was dying because of
her
.

“Keep your filthy hands off my daughter.” Her mother was suddenly holding a lead crystal dish, the one her father had kept his stash of Jujubes in when he was alive. She swung, trying to hit the Fixer, but he deflected her easily and flicked her away as if she were a bug. She crumpled on the floor in the kitchen.

“Mom!” Olivia screamed.

Her mother grimaced in pain but waved her off. “I’m…I’m okay. I’ll be fine.”

“Please,” Olivia pleaded, as the man’s fingers dug into the flesh of her arms. She felt her knees buckling. She’d crawl to Asher if she had to. “Let me go to him. I…I can help him.”

“Oh, believe me, I know you can.” His sour breath was hot against her face. She turned away. “That’s why I’m here. You’re a hard one to find, Ms. Crawford. I’ve been tracking you since the explosion downtown, when the army got reports of an unregistered Healer-Talent and couldn’t find you themselves. Or should I call you Olivia Collins? Or maybe Olivia Hoffman? What name are you going by now?”

Collins was the name she’d used at the Grape and Bean. Hoffman was the one she’d used with David. Bastard. He
had
talked to this guy.

Movement to her right—his left—caught her eye. She didn’t dare shift her gaze to tip him off. It was her mother. She had something else in her hand and was creeping closer. Why couldn’t he see her? Oh, his eye. It was white and milky. He was blind.

As if he knew what she was thinking, he smiled. “So before we go on a little trip, you’re going to heal me. Think you can do that, Olivia?”

“Heal you?” Was that what this was all about? He wanted her to make him whole again? “I…I can’t. Your scars…they’re old. The injuries have already healed.”

“You love playing God, don’t you?” He grabbed her hands, turned her palms up, and looked at them with disgust. “Fucking Healer-Talents. Think you can play with people’s lives, picking and choosing who to help?”

He shoved her away. She stumbled, but didn’t fall.

“You don’t understand,” she said.

“Oh, I understand perfectly.” He took a menacing step toward her and pointed to his ruined face. “This happened to me when I was fifteen. Fifteen fucking years old. I knew a girl who was a Healer-Talent too. But unlike you, she planned to join the army when she turned eighteen. My parents pleaded with her to heal me, even offered to pay her, but she refused. Said she was too freaked out to even look at me, let alone touch me and share her healing energy. She must’ve called her army contact, because we were soon paid a visit in the hospital and told to stop harassing her. And that was that.”