Galdoni (10 page)

“
That’s what I’ve got to
figure out,” I replied quietly. “I’ll go tonight.”

“
Tomorrow,” Nikko said; his
was voice firm. “There’s no reason to leave right now. We’ll all
sleep on it and perhaps a better solution will present itself in
the morning.”

I met his gaze prepared to argue, then
shrugged. “You know there won’t be a better solution tomorrow.
There’s only one answer to this and it’s the one we’ve known from
the start.” I put a hand briefly on his shoulder before I made my
way past him to my room. “Thanks for trying, though.”

I stopped at the door and turned back.
“Jayce?” He looked up, his expression dark. “I’m truly sorry for
putting Brie in danger. You know I never intended it.”

“
I know,” he answered
quietly.

I glanced at Brie and held her gaze for a
second. Tears made her eyes shine bright; I cursed myself for
making her cry twice in one night. I turned and shut the door
behind me, then slid down against it until I sat on the floor, my
wings to either side and my good knee under my chin. Darkness
filled me so deep that it threatened to destroy any light I had
found away from the Academy.

***

Someone banged on the door near my head and
I jumped. It took me a second to remember why I was sitting on the
floor, but the memories of merely a few hours earlier came rushing
back all too quickly.

“
What is it?” I forced out
through a dry throat.

“
Jayce and Brie need your
help. Come quick.” The urgency in Nikko’s voice left no room for
argument.

I pushed to my feet, wincing at the pain in
my knee from sitting on the cold floor. My wings ached, but I
ignored them and pulled the door open.

Jayce and Brie sat at the card table, their
heads close together as they spoke in quiet undertones. Brie held a
cellphone and when she looked up at me, her eyes were rimmed with
red and her cheeks pale.

I took the chair across from her. “What’s
going on?”

“
Our mom called,” Jayce
said. “She was hysterical. She said Rob got drunk and beat her,
then went after Allie. She hasn’t been able to find Allie
anywhere.”

Brie buried her face in Jayce’s shoulder to
hide her sobs.

“
It’s going to be okay,”
Nikko said. “They’ll find her.”

“
Did he hurt her?” I
demanded. Protectiveness, a feeling I had never known before,
welled up in my chest at the thought that this Rob had hurt someone
Brie and Jayce loved.

“
We don’t know,” Brie said.
“Rob’s back home, but he doesn’t remember anything, and I think
he’s still drunk by the sound of things.”

“
We’re hoping she’ll call.
She knows the number,” Jayce explained. Their eyes both turned back
to the cellphone.

“
How far away did you say
it was?” I asked.

“
Two hours,” Nikko replied
behind me. “But the buses don’t run there until morning, and a cab
would cost more than we’ve got. Their dad left on a training trip
and won’t be back for a couple days, and Dad’s on an emergency call
at the hospital.”

The phone rang and Brie handed it to Jayce,
her eyes wide with a mixture of hope and fear.

“
Allie? Allie honey, where
are you?”

Jayce’s voice was calm, but his knuckles
showed white where he gripped the phone. Brie hovered as close as
she could to listen in.

“
Okay, just stay there.
We’ll find a way to come get you. Can I talk to the manager?” He
and Brie exchanged a worried look and she stepped back.

“
Where is she?” Nikko
asked.

“
The video store down the
road. Luckily, they’re open twenty-four seven,” Brie replied, her
eyes on Jayce.

“
Thank you. We’ll be there
as soon as possible. Bye.” Jayce closed the cellphone with
reluctance. “He said he’ll watch over her until we show up. She
sounds so scared.”

“
Rob better keep a safe
distance when I see him again,” Brie threatened, a dangerous spark
in her eye.

“
Okay then,” Nikko cut in.
“How are we going to get you guys there?”

“
I’ll take them,” I said
without hesitation.

Everyone turned to stare at me. Brie shook
her head. “You can’t fly with both of us and still get Allie.
Besides, you’ve already flown too much today. You need to rest your
wings or you’ll seriously hurt yourself.”

I shook my head. “I know I can make it, and
you need someone there fast. You said yourself that the buses don’t
run ‘til morning, you don’t have a car, and I know you don’t want
to leave her there any longer than you have to.” I frowned. “And
you don’t want to chance this Rob guy finding her. I don’t see that
you have many options other than to trust me.”

Brie and Nikko both looked at Jayce. He
studied me, his face pale and eyes calculating. “You think you can
fly us both there?”

Nikko cleared his throat. “He might, but how
would you all get home. One of you go, and since Brie’s lighter, I
suggest her. Give Kale the best possible chance to return.”

Jayce stared at the wall behind Nikko and I
could see him weighing the options. He finally sighed and turned
back to me. “Fine. If you think you can do it, go for it. But if
anything goes wrong, call me right away.”

“
Got it.”

He glanced at Brie, then back. “And take
care of my girls. If anything was to happen to them. . . .”

“
Yeah, I remember,” I said
with a meaningful nod toward the front yard.

He gave a tight smile and slapped me on the
shoulder. “Nice to see those wings are good for something.”

I walked with Nikko to the front door to
give the siblings some privacy before we left. Nikko took a deep
breath of the cool night air. “You sure you can make it that far?”
he asked, watching me out of the corner of his eye.

“
There’s only one way to
find out.”

He gave a short nod. “Right. I supposed so.
Well, good luck. And thanks. That little girl means the world to
all of us; I don’t know what we’d do if anything happened to
her.”

I stood quietly for a moment. A strange sort
of adrenaline filled me at the thought of the flight. I realized
after a moment that it had even more to do with who we might meet
at the end. My body yearned for a fight. I swallowed uneasily and
voiced the thoughts in my head. “I can’t promise to be rational if
we meet up with this Rob guy. It’s one thing to fight someone who’s
trained, but a little girl? It makes me so angry I can barely
think. Nothing I’ve gone through has prepared me for this.” I
clenched and unclenched my fists in an effort to stay calm.

Nikko leaned against a post and studied me.
“Just do what your conscience tells you. And remember that murder
is illegal no matter who you are.”

A humorless laugh escaped my lips. “Thanks,
I’ll try to remember that.”

Brie opened the door and walked with me to
the lawn. “Take care of her,” Jayce said in a tight voice from the
porch.

I nodded and wrapped my arms around her
waist. “Ready?”

“
Ready.”

I stretched out my wings to ease the ache
from our earlier flight, then gave three powerful downward thrusts.
We lifted into the air and it took less than a second to clear the
tree line. Brie held my arms, but her touch was soft. I followed
her directions and winged toward the glow of another city on the
dark horizon. I flew higher, then glided along the night wind in an
effort to save my strength. The chill of the crisp air cut through
us and Brie drew closer in my grasp. Her warmth kept me going.

We made it to the edge of the city within an
hour by cutting straight across big chunks of forest where cars
were forced to follow the meandering road. I landed as close to the
video store as we dared, then slipped into the trench coat Brie had
carried. She threw me one last worried look before running toward
the store. I followed close behind, my senses straining for any
sign of attack.

“
Brie!” a young voice
called out as she pulled open the door.

“
Allie!”

I stepped inside and squinted in the neon
light in time to see a little blond-haired girl throw her arms
around Brie’s waist. I caught the glimmer of tears in Brie’s brown
eyes as she knelt down and stroked the little girl’s hair. “It’s
alright. We’re going to take you with us.”

“
I was so scared,” Allie
sobbed. “He was so mean to Mom, and I told him to stop. Then he got
really mad and I ran.”

“
He didn’t hurt you?” Brie
asked anxiously. Despite Allie’s reassurances that she was alright,
Brie held her back at arm’s length and looked her over from head to
toe. Satisfied, she pulled her back in for another hug. “I’m so
glad you’re safe.”

“
I’m glad you’re here,”
Allie replied. She wiped her nose with the sleeve of her shirt, and
I noticed a ragged teddy bear tucked under one arm. She glanced up
at me and her eyes widened slightly.

“
That’s Kale. He’s the one
that got us here so fast.” Brie glanced at me, then at the watching
store manager. “Thank you so much. We really appreciate it,” she
told him.

“
No problem. She was no
trouble at all.” We turned to leave and I could feel the manager’s
eyes on us as we made our way out the door into the
night.

Brie knelt down on the sidewalk outside.
“Allie, I think we need to go by the house and let Mom know you’re
okay.”

“
No!” Adrenaline rose in my
veins at the terror in her voice.

“
It’s okay; you’ll be safe.
And you’re coming back with us no matter what they say. But this
way we can make sure Mom’s okay, alright?”

Allie looked from Brie to me, her eyes on my
face. “You’re keeping us safe?”

I nodded in reply. She came over and took my
hand. “Then we’d better stay close,” she said quietly to her bear.
A lump rose in my throat.

I looked at Brie; she gave me a small smile
and turned to lead the way. Allie’s little hand felt so light and
fragile in mine; I was worried I would crush it. I kept my grip as
loose as possible, then fought back a smile when she held on that
much tighter.

We walked four blocks and then turned south
into a cul-de-sac. A red car sat in front of a little gray house
with light blue trim. “Looks like they’re still home,” Brie said
quietly. We walked into the yard and she motioned for me to keep
Allie on the grass.

At her knock, the door opened to reveal a
woman in a night robe with disheveled brown hair. Bruises circled
her eyes and her lip was swollen and split. I had to remember not
to clench my hands. Allie’s little one still held mine, and her
grip tightened at the sound of a man’s gruff voice.

“
Who is it? Is it the cops?
Have they brought her home?”

Brie’s mom threw her arms around Brie and
they embraced. “It’s not the cops; it’s Brie,” she said over her
shoulder.

“
Brie? What the heck’s Brie
doing here? She should be at her dad’s.” The voice got louder. A
tall man older than Brie’s mother with black hair streaked in gray
appeared at the door. He wore a blue football shirt and gray sweat
pants. Allie let out a little squeak and scooted behind
me.

“
It’s okay,” I whispered.
“I won’t let him hurt you.”

“
Brie? What in the
blazes-“

“
Shut up, Rob. How dare you
lay a finger on Mom? Look at her face. Look at what you’ve done!”
Her mother touched her swollen cheek, but avoided looking at her
husband. “We’ve got Allie and we’re taking her away with
us.”

“
Like heck you are!” Rob
spat.

I took a step closer at the vehemence in his
voice.

“
We are, and there’s
nothing you can do about it unless you want me to call the police
and let them settle it. They’d only need to take one look at Mom’s
face to slap you in jail again. Maybe they’ll be smart about it
this time and keep you there. How they ever let you guys keep
custody of Allie is beyond me.”

“
Why I-,” he lifted a
hand.

“
Stop right there.” The
growl in my voice carried across the lawn.

The three of them turned to look at me.

“
Who’s that?” Rob
demanded.

Brie gave me a small smile. “My friend,
Kale. He’s helping me get Allie home for good and away from you.”
She glanced at her mom, and I caught the slight nod of agreement
her mom gave her.

“
What right does he
have-”

“
What right? You dare talk
about rights the way you’ve treated everyone?” Brie
yelled.

“
You are not taking Allie,
and that’s final,” Rob said; his eyes glittered with anger and a
hint of drunkenness. He reached behind him through the door and
brought something out. My heart slowed when I saw that it was a
shotgun.

“
Rob!” Brie’s mom said in
shock.

“
Can you stay here and not
make a sound?” I whispered to Allie, forcing my voice to remain
calm despite the anger that welled in my chest. She nodded and I
let go of her hand. She held her teddy bear tight and watched me
with wide eyes.

I made my way slowly up the sidewalk,
clenching my fists in an effort not to tear apart the man who
threatened Brie.

“
Now just hold it right
there,” Rob said, aiming the gun at my chest. I stopped a few feet
away.

“
Rob, no!” Brie
protested.