Revealing Silver (13 page)

Like Pavlov’s dog, he drooled at the mention of bacon. Walking out would save his ego, but he would be left out of what was going on again. He’d have to suffer through his imagination’s interpretation of what happened instead of seeing it firsthand. Worst of all, he’d give Olivia even more reason to turn to Nathan for help.

She’d asked him to stay. He could put away his hurt feelings and be an adult for a few hours. Besides, he and Nathan had taken the first step last night in mending the fence. He refused to give Nathan the means to retreat again by leaving him alone.

“How about I put the bacon on while you get dressed?” He tried to smile. “Then I’m guaranteed to get some that’s not jerky.”

Olivia kissed him. “I love you. And I’m learning to love your bacon.”

When she looked at him like that, he couldn’t even think about walking away, regardless of how insufficient he felt. “Just for that, I’ll torch yours anyway. Because I love you too.”
Even though you don’t need me.

The warehouse didn’t look remarkable in any way, though Olivia was glad they reached it after the sun rose over the city and banished the long shadows. Whoever owned the place now had probably bought it at the police auction of Parker’s seized assets with an eye toward selling it, but the collapsing economy had probably cleared the field of potential buyers. Now the building sat empty on a disused lot, though the area surrounding it was already quite busy with men loading trucks before sending them out of the bays. Nobody paid any attention to them, though Olivia’s SUV looked out of place among the trailers and forklifts.

“There may not be anything here,” Olivia warned.

“I know.”

Olivia nodded and dug through her purse, finding the keys Isaac had provided. She wished he was there, but shortly after their rather terse breakfast, he got an emergency page back to the station. Nathan had arrived as he was leaving, eager to get over to the warehouse right away to search for more clues. His eyes were bright and alert, and the morose mood that seemed to follow him like a little gray cloud had been lifted. He almost seemed chipper. That impression only faded when Isaac announced he was leaving—Nathan drew his eyebrows together and his expression darkened slightly.

Olivia wanted to talk about that. Had Nathan sensed Isaac’s mood? Had he seen something troubling on Isaac’s face? There was no doubt in Olivia’s mind Isaac was upset with them. She could deal with his anger. But there’d been something else swirling beneath his words, an ice current that flowed through every breath and every slight shift in his otherwise static face. She’d taken his agreement to stay for breakfast as a good sign, but food wasn’t enough to comfort whatever bothered him, or bribe her way back into his good humor.

She would never forgive herself if she let the stupid Silver Maiden destroy what promised to be a fantastic relationship. Everything was still new between them, and fragile because of that. They should have been focusing on getting to know each other, not navigating the minefield they were currently trapped in. She wanted to lock Isaac in her bedroom and not let him out until he was satisfied and confident and not unhappy. But she couldn’t send Nathan to the warehouse by himself. She couldn’t act like this lead wasn’t absolutely critical. Especially since she had no reason to believe Sophe’s murder would be the last related case to land on her desk.

By mutual, silent agreement, they didn’t discuss Isaac. Maybe Nathan could have offered some insight, but Nathan seemed to be part of the problem. A big part. Isaac’s eyes hadn’t shuttered until she mentioned Nathan’s involvement in her plan, and he’d been nearly venomous when he asked what time she expected Nathan. Mostly, though, she didn’t want Nathan occupying that area of her life. He was Isaac’s best friend and confidante, not hers.

Olivia unlocked the door, surveying the open, empty area before stepping aside and letting Nathan pass through. Their steps echoed on the concrete, and the click of the door reverberated off the walls. A thick layer of dust covered everything from the rafters down, and Olivia attributed the general sense of unease and the tickle at the base of her throat to that rather than any sixth sense.

“So. Where should we start?” Olivia asked.

Nathan didn’t answer her so much as wandered away. Olivia fell into step behind him, letting him lead while her gaze jumped from corner to corner. There truly wasn’t anything to see, but she wasn’t going to let her guard down. She unbuttoned her jacket, letting it fall open so she’d have easier access to her firearm, and it was probably just her imagination, but her pocket felt heavier. Her mind immediately went to the jewelry box with the coin. She’d brought it with her just in case—a justification she used with increasing frequency as her desire to keep the coin with her at all times grew.

There were offices on the far end of the building, and Nathan went there first. Human waste and the charred remains of fires indicated the rooms were primarily used by the intransient. Olivia wrinkled her nose in disgust, very much hoping that wouldn’t be the sum total of their discoveries.

“Do you think this place has an underground level?” Olivia asked, when they’d exhausted the small offices.

“Maybe that’s where that door leads to.” Nathan nodded at a thick, metal door with the words THIS IS NOT AN EXIT.

“Only one way to find out.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

It didn’t budge on Nathan’s first attempt, but he grunted and put his shoulder into it. She hung back, the tickle in her throat growing more obnoxious by the second. She turned her head to cough into her shoulder, but that didn’t ease the feeling. It spread to her chest in a slow trickle. Another grunt, and Nathan had the door open. He produced a flashlight from his belt, though the tiny beam of yellow light didn’t do much against the darkness that greeted them.

“Seems like a likely hiding place to me.”

Olivia nodded. For more than a possible clue,
anything
could have been down there. Including rats. Just the thought of their long tails and beady little eyes made something wilt inside of her.

“There’s probably nothing to worry about,” Nathan added.

“Then stop talking and start walking.”

They started slow, carefully picking their steps over the stairs made of grated iron—Thank goodness she’d worn her sensible flats that morning—but Nathan gradually quickened the pace. She kept up with him, wishing she’d had the foresight to bring a larger flashlight. And Tiberius. She usually felt it too dangerous to bring him on searches, but he was a properly trained police dog, and if she couldn’t have Isaac watching her back, she’d like Tiberius’s comforting presence.

“There’s a door,” Nathan announced.

“Can you open it? Or is it locked?”

“Not locked.” There was a click, and then the light swish of the door being pushed open. “Come here. I think there’s something written on the wall.”

Olivia looked over his shoulder. “What does it say?”

“Olivia, behind you.”

Olivia spun around, just in time to see a dark figure melt from the shadows. Her hand went to her gun, but she didn’t have time to pull it from the holster before something slammed against her head. She didn’t black out. She knew she didn’t because she could hear Nathan fighting with the assailant, heard him struggle, even heard the flashlight drop to the floor in a clatter. It blinked out, leaving them all in perfect darkness while the pain roared in Olivia’s head like a train through a tunnel.

Lunch with Isaac wasn’t the chore she’d thought it would be. She’d actually had fun. Isaac hadn’t hounded her about the statement she’d been up until 5 a.m. giving, and his jokes hadn’t been made at her expense, which in and of itself was a huge improvement over the Isaac of her day. Of course, she had to put up with the not-so-subtle appreciative glances, even though she’d deliberately picked a shirt that didn’t show any cleavage. And there was the constant question of where Nathan might be and why Isaac could get away for a long lunch date when his partner couldn’t. She kept those thoughts in the back of her mind and did her best to focus on the present.

“So.” Isaac scribbled his signature across the bottom of the receipt and closed the black folder, but not before Remy saw the hefty tip he’d added to the already expensive bill. “What’s next?”

She grinned. “Don’t you have a job to get back to, Detective?”

“You’re my job now. Didn’t you want me to check out the warehouse?”

“No, I wanted
us
to check it out.”

“Ah, but you’re not a cop.”

“No, it’s just my life we’re talking about here.”

Pushing the bill to the edge of the table for their waiter to take without interruption, Isaac folded his arms on the table in front of him and leaned forward. “Maggie, I know you’re angry about what happened. That’s understandable. But this is the point where you need to take a step back. This guy grabbed you once already. Don’t give him the chance to do it again.”

Sometimes her cover story got in the way. “But wouldn’t I be safer in the company of a cop?”

“If that cop wasn’t trying to focus on solving a crime, yes. Otherwise, you’re a distraction.”

“That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Her flirtation disarmed him, at least for the moment. He chuckled and shook his head. “It’s not happening, Maggie. So forget about it right now.”

She wasn’t going to forget about it. He would have to stick to legal means to get inside the warehouse, but nothing said she couldn’t go back and try again once the vicinity was clear of Marisol or any of the locals. Her mind strayed back, again, to why Marisol might have been there the previous night. Clearing the scene seemed like the best reason. And where was Gabriel? Had the ritual gone down without Remy even knowing about it?

“You’ve gone there again,” Isaac said gently.

Her gaze snapped back to him. “Gone where? The warehouse?”

His dark eyes were sympathetic. “No. Wherever it is that makes you look so sad.” He paused. “Thinking about home?”

In a way.
She toyed with the stem of her water glass. The danger in spending so much time with Isaac was how much easier it got to confide in him. But every lie she told was another one she had to remember. Sooner or later, it was going to catch up to her.

“Just wondering how long it’ll be before my life starts to feel like my own again.” Which was as close to the truth as she dared to get with him, no matter how tempting it was to tell more.

“That depends on you. Don’t be a victim here. Don’t let him win. You want your life back, you have to take it.”

“And what if that means breaking a few rules along the way?”

He wagged a warning finger at her. “That’s my job to make sure you don’t have to.”

His ringing phone stopped her from responding. When he saw the display, he rolled his eyes. “I have got to talk to him about his timing.” He shrugged in apology to her as he lifted the phone to his ear. “This better be good.”

Remy pretended to look aloof, like she was giving him a pseudo-sense of privacy for his call.

“Why are we even listening to this guy? He’s got the second biggest ring of girls in the…well, I know that, but…then the captain’s an idiot, because he’ll be back on the streets before the ink’s dry.”

Though she knew it wasn’t about her, she wished desperately she could hear the other end of the conversation. Nathan’s calm tones had haunted the few hours of sleep she’d managed to get before getting her ass out of bed in time to meet Isaac. She’d dreamed of him spooning behind her, his arm around her waist, his breath warm and slightly sweet where it wafted past her ear. Nothing sexual happened, which probably would’ve surprised 2010 Isaac if he heard it. But contrary to his belief, her relationship with Nathan wasn’t entirely physical. He was her best friend. Some nights were spent simply telling stories from their childhoods, though she liked his a hell of a lot more than she liked her own.

That was what made this separation so hard. He was the rock she took strength from. When he wasn’t there, he left a gaping hole she had to find some way to patch. It was exhausting and miserable.

“I’m going to have to call you about what I find out on that warehouse,” Isaac said when he disconnected. “I need to get back and deal with some red-tape bullshit.”

“Ah, the joys of working for the system.”

“If it wasn’t for Nathan, I’m not sure I’d be able to take it. He’s better at defusing these situations than I am.”

And yet, he had been the one to break first. That had been a blow for both of them, in so many different ways. “How long before you think you can get to it?”

“If I’m lucky, later today. If not, probably tomorrow.”

“Fingers crossed for holding aces, then.”

“Fingers crossed.” Rising from his chair, he came around the table to stand at her side. He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her cheek. “Behave yourself, Maggie.”

She summoned a smile, though she had to squelch the impulse to shy away from his friendly caress. “Always.”

He smiled ruefully, shaking his head as he walked away from her.

Remy sipped at her near-empty glass of water. She had little doubt Isaac would be tied up with whatever mess his bosses were trying to create for him for the rest of the day. At the very least, his afternoon would be too busy to even think about the warehouse. That gave her several hours to give it a once-over without worrying about police protocols. Her only concern would be the gang members she’d skirmished with yesterday. But if she—

“You look like you need some company.”

The husky alto came from behind her. Remy snapped her head around to see Marisol, smiling down at her like they were the best friends in the world. She started to stand, only to have Marisol’s slim hand clamp down on her shoulder and squeeze hard enough for it to hurt. She pushed at the same time, forcing Remy to stay seated or risk a scene breaking free to get up.

When Remy’s eyes darted to the doorway, Marisol laughed. “Oh, Detective McGuire’s long gone. I didn’t want to interrupt your cozy little lunch.” With one last squeeze, she let Remy go and took the seat next to her rather than in Isaac’s vacant chair. “It’s better if it’s the two of us anyway. We’re overdue for a little chat.”

“No, you’re overdue for some prison time.”

“And your record is so clean? I know all about you, Remy. Gabriel told me about your exploits last summer.”

“Then you know you can’t scare me.”

“Who said I was trying to scare you?”

There was a game being played here, but damned if Remy could see it yet. Marisol was a mystery. None of them had interacted with her. Only Stacy had dealt with her firsthand, but the young woman’s fear of everything that had happened to her while being held hostage had to stem from somewhere. She’d claimed Gabriel made them feel treasured. So if he wasn’t the source of terror, who did that leave?

Though Marisol smiled at her, her dark eyes were as frigid as Alaskan tundra. Remy recognized a rattlesnake when she saw one.

“So where’s Gabe? Not like him to miss the festivities.”

“This doesn’t concern Gabriel.”

“He might beg to differ.”

Marisol didn’t blink. “He would have to be here to do that.”

Remy masked the euphoric rush of relief with another sip of water. Marisol might only be referring to the fact that Gabriel wasn’t in the restaurant at the moment, but Remy doubted it. The man had been carefully planning this for years. He wouldn’t leave a loose end like Remy for someone else to take care of. Which had to mean Nathan hadn’t failed after all. There was still an excellent chance he was still alive. As long as that chance existed, Remy would claw through every obstacle in her way to get back to him. Including the smirking bitch sitting next to her.

She wiped her damp fingers on her napkin. When she made a run for it, she needed to be ready. “Took you long enough to find me.”

“You say that like you’re important enough for me to waste my Christmas looking for you.”

“Except I’m the one who can throw a wrench in your plans.”

“You don’t actually think it was hard, do you? All I had to do was keep an eye on Pierce and McGuire. You popped up right on schedule.”

Though she remained calm, Remy kicked herself for being so obvious. These people were far from stupid. Anything that might seem easy to her would be just as easy to them. She tried a different tactic.

“Isaac knows about the warehouse.”

She wasn’t the only one who could play it cool. “I know. I saw him watching it last night. But he won’t find anything there. The girls are safe. For now.”

Gritting her teeth against the impulse to punch the smugness off Marisol’s face, she asked, “Then where are they?”

“You are impatient, aren’t you? I’ll bet you like to skip dinner and go straight for dessert, too, am I right?”

“I don’t like good people getting hurt for selfish reasons.”

“You only think it’s selfish because you’re not getting anything out of it.” She leaned closer, lowering her voice like they were soul mates with a secret. “But I know what you want, Remy. And I can give it to you if you help me.”

She had a voice that would melt the pants off any male, dead or alive, and probably take his brain along with them. Seduction tinged every word, even as practiced as they sounded. Remy might have believed her if she hadn’t seen the woman’s work up close and personal.

“You don’t have anything I want.”

“Oh?” Marisol rested a hand on the leather clutch she’d set on the table next to her when she took a seat. “Then you don’t have any interest in getting back to 2010? My mistake, then.”

Remy stiffened. That was the last thing she would’ve expected to hear, especially from Marisol. “Impossible.”

“Really? You’re here.”

“Because of the coin.”

“And how do you think I got here?” When Remy’s breath caught, Marisol chuckled softly. “Face it. You need me, and I need you. It’s a fair trade.”

“No.” All she needed was the Silver Maiden. “Nate can do it.”

“Did he tell you that?”

“He doesn’t have to.”

“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he’s not going to come riding to your rescue, Remy. The coins won’t work for him.”

“But it reacted to him. It burned his hand.”

“And you don’t think that sounds ominous? Think about it. The Silver Maiden never burned you, did it?”

It seemed logical, but she refused to believe Nathan was as impotent as Marisol claimed. He was the smartest person Remy knew. If anyone could figure out a way to harness the coins’ powers, he was the one.

“Why do you think Gabriel only took girls?” Marisol went on. “The power of the Silver Maiden is only ever manifested in the faith’s priestesses. No man has ever known what it’s like. No man will
ever
know.”

“Let’s say that’s true.” And it certainly meshed with what Cora had told them in Argentina. “What do you need me for? I only got caught up in this mess by accident.”

Marisol shook her head. “There is no accident. You’re one of us. You wouldn’t be able to use the coins if you weren’t.”

“That still doesn’t tell me what you think I can trade for a ticket home.”

“Stopping Gabriel’s ritual, of course. I thought that was obvious.”

Remy burst into laughter. “Okay, you almost had me there for a sec. But come on. You can come up with a better story than that.”

“It’s not a story.”

“You’re his partner.”

“I’m his pawn. He needed me to finish his eight.”

“You cut the girls. I know you did.”

“I had to. It was the only way I could stall Gabriel.”

“What? That doesn’t make sense.”

“It left them impure until they healed. You saw the way he had Stacy. All washed and oiled and purer than the Virgin Mary. I had to do anything I could to keep him from seeing it through.”

“Gee, how’d that work out for you?”

Marisol sighed. “You’re refusing to see the big picture here. Gabriel’s insane. He’s obsessed with trying to resurrect the Silver Maiden, and he plans on doing it by sacrificing the eight to her. Eight that includes you and me and all six of those girls he already brought back in time.”

The gathering of power, just like Nathan had said. Except bigger and more grandiose than anything they dreamed.

“He can’t bring back the dead.”

“He can, and he will,” Marisol countered. “Unless you help me stop him.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“Together, the eight of us are more powerful than Gabriel could ever hope to be. Come with me, and I’ll explain how we can harness it to defeat him, once and for all. Then, we can all go back to the time we belong in.”

Remy stared at her, pretending to think about the offer. Oh, it sounded reasonable, like she was sure Marisol intended. And there was probably more than a little bit of truth in there to make it all the more real. In fact, it was perfect, except for one little detail.

“Nice try. But the way I see it, Gabriel can’t do anything without me. Your little plan? Puts me right into the thick of it.” She pushed her chair back, ready to leave. “Best way to stop Gabriel is to stay as far away as I can fucking get.”

“If he doesn’t use you, he’ll use someone else from your bloodline.”

Remy smiled, now completely positive she was doing the right thing. “Then you wouldn’t need me. See ya around.”

She caught the movement at the door at the same time Marisol’s hand shot out, grabbing her wrist. Cruz and his ’roid buddy flanked the entrance, eyes narrowed in loathing as they stared at her from across the room. Remy reacted on instinct, using the grip Marisol had on her to twist the other woman’s arm over her head and behind her back. Grabbing the clutch sitting on the table with her free hand, she swung hard at the side of Marisol’s head.