To Dance with the Devil

27

The drive back was much faster than the trip up had been. When I got home, I called Kevin to make sure he had his laptop. He did. So I used Skype to contact Michelle at the safe house.

“No. I won’t.”

I counted to ten, slowly, trying to keep my temper in check. I’d expected Michelle to jump at the only chance she had for surviving the death curse. Instead, she was balking.

“Why the hell not?”

“This isn’t a hospital. I am not going to have a major medical procedure in somebody’s living room. I won’t do it. Besides, how do you even know they’re going to try a death curse? You don’t. Not really. You’re just assuming they will.”

I stared at her image on the screen. She was still very pale, but her jaw thrust out stubbornly, and her eyes were flashing.

“You saw what happened at the hospital. If we hadn’t gotten you out of there ahead of time, they’d have captured or killed you.”

She flinched. “Yes.”

“We’re doing our very best to protect you.”

“I know. And I appreciate it. But—”

“But what?” I didn’t shout. I very carefully did not shout. But she flinched anyway.

“Michelle,” I heard Kevin’s voice come from off screen. She turned, looking off to the left. “You have to trust us. This is what we do. If Celia says they’ll try it, they will. And I know the doctors Celia’s hired. They’re the best in the business. They’ll take good care of you.”

“You’re sure?” Now that Kevin was talking to her, she was wavering. Irritating, but useful. Maybe it was that he was male. Or maybe it was just that she’d spent more time with him. Whatever the reason, I was grateful.

“I trust Celia absolutely.” He said it without any hesitation. “She’s saved my life before.”

“If you’re sure.” She turned back to the screen. “I guess I’ll do it.”

“Good. I’ll see you soon.”

I ended the session mentally and emotionally exhausted. Not good. So I took a hot bath, drank some comfort food, fed Minnie, and tried to rest for a couple of hours. Chris would be calling sometime soon with prices and details regarding delivery of the equipment and supplies necessary to make Michelle not “herself,” at least for a while. I needed to be ready when he did. A nap wasn’t a lot of recovery considering the kind of life I’d been living lately, but it was better than nothing.

I really wanted to sleep, but unfortunately, my mind kept racing—and running into dead ends, like a rat in a maze. I was missing something obvious. I knew it. I just couldn’t see it. I tossed and turned so much that the cat jumped off of the bed in disgust. I gave up the attempt after a half hour. Instead, I covered myself with sunscreen, put on my favorite jeans and a T-shirt, grabbed the beach umbrella, and went out to sit on my rock and stare at the ocean.

I was still sitting there when Emma stopped by on her way home from work. She stood on the deck and called my name. When I looked over, she waved at me with the hand that was holding a pair of wineglasses. A bottle of wine dangled from her other hand.

I waved back, beckoning her. Soon she was picking her way across the rocks and damp sand to where I was sitting.

I scooted a bit to one side, making room for her. She handed me the glasses and bottle, then sat.

“Inez buzzed me in.” Emma answered the question I’d been about to ask. Inez and her husband live in the main house. They’re dear friends and have known Emma for years, so they’d be comfortable buzzing her through.

“Cool. So, what’s up?”

“I need to talk. And I need a drink—maybe several.”

“Hope you thought to bring a corkscrew.”

“Here.” She pulled it out of her pocket and passed it over. “By the way, love the hair. I wouldn’t have thought of that look for you, but it works.”

“Thanks.” My smile was more sincere this time. I reached over to pick up the wine. “Dawna’s sister did it.”

“Seriously?”

“Yup.”

“Very cool. And hey, you’ve got eyebrows and lashes again.”

“Thank God. I looked seriously creepy for a while there. I had no idea that eyebrows were so important.” I peeled off the foil cork cover and set to work opening the bottle. I was thirsty. Besides, this was one of my favorite wines, a very special vintage that John Creede had been part of developing. It tasted different—fantastic, but different—to each person who drank it. It became the wine best suited to each drinker’s taste.

Thinking about John made me falter a little. We weren’t together anymore, and it had ended badly, but I didn’t want to think about a world without him in it. The same was true for Bruno and Matty. Hell, I’d even miss Isabella … but I was less worried about her than the others. I knew that both her sons would protect her with their lives.

I needed a distraction even more than a drink. So as I worked the cork loose, I turned to Em and asked, “What do you need to talk about?”

“Well, there’s good news, and there’s bad news,” she announced. I had the cork out, finally, so she picked up the wineglasses, holding them while I poured.

“Good news first; I could use the lift.” I slid the cork partway into the bottle, setting it carefully beside me so that it wouldn’t tip over. I did not want that bottle to break or spill. The wine was too good, and too expensive, to waste.

“The church approved Matty’s transfer out of the militant order and into the regular priesthood. So we can get married.” Emma grinned.

“Yes!” I did a fist pump with my left hand. Then we clinked glasses and took a celebratory drink.

I didn’t want to hear the bad news. I figured I already knew what it would be. Damn Connor Finn anyway. Then Emma surprised me.

“But they’re transferring him. There are no openings in the regular orders in California right now. So we’ll be moving to either Seattle or Portland.” She sighed. “I mean, I love him. Of course I’ll go wherever he’s posted. But damn it, I just got the house finished! It’s awesome. It’s perfect. And now I won’t get to live in it.”

“Oh, hell. That sucks.” I almost stumbled over my words because what she’d said so wasn’t what I’d expected to hear. “But Portland and Seattle are just a road trip away. I was afraid they’d send you guys somewhere on the other side of the world—if they approved the transfer at all.”

“Me, too,” she admitted. She sipped her wine. “That’s not what you thought the bad news was going to be.” She stared at me through narrowed eyes.

Oh, crap. If Matteo hadn’t told her, it sure wasn’t my place to. But damn it.

Before she could pursue it further, my phone rang. I just about broke my neck in my hurry to get it out of my pocket. I was absolutely desperate to avoid the inevitable grilling Emma was about to give me. “Hello?”

Rizzoli answered me with, “About freaking time, Graves.”

“Sorry. Life’s been crazy. What’s up?”

“You owe me two hundred bucks,” he growled.

“Huh?” Okay, not the most intelligent response, but he had me at a disadvantage. I had no clue why I would owe him any money.

“I figured that with everything going on you might not be able to go back to the diner to get the SUV for a couple of days, so I paid the owner of the truck stop next door to park it in an empty bay. That way it won’t get stolen before you can pick it up. But it’s only paid through Tuesday, so don’t dawdle.”

“Thanks, Rizzoli, I really appreciate it. I’ll be sure to pick it up before then. And I’ll give you the money next time I see you.” I paused. “So, what happened at the Needle after I left?”

“A lot of paperwork. A lot of interviews. There’ll be inspections and all sorts of crap going on for God alone knows how long. Zorn is having conniptions. So is the warden. You were lucky to miss it. They’re trying to keep a lid on how bad the situation actually is, so the press is being given limited information. If any reporters contact you, don’t tell them anything. We don’t want to start a panic.”

I agreed with that. Just so long as they fixed the problem. “And Connor Finn?”

“They’ve got him under special guard.”

Maybe that was good enough. I hoped so. But I wouldn’t bet the bank on it—in part because I suspected that someone high up in the prison hierarchy was helping Finn and that at least one spawn had been added to the staff while the barriers were down. So the “Connor Finn” in the Needle could be a spawn and the real man could be free to do whatever he wanted. I thought that the Connor Finn I spoke to was the real deal, but I couldn’t be sure.

Just the thought of it chilled me to the bone.

Dom was talking, and I got the impression I’d missed something. “Sorry, could you repeat that?”

“I said, I’ve still got your jacket and weapons. How do you want me to get them to you?”

“Where are you?”

“Right now? I’m at the L.A. office. I probably won’t be back in Santa Maria until sometime Wednesday.”

“Any chance you could drop my stuff by the hospital and leave it with Isaac? I’ll probably go see him again tomorrow.”

“Fine. I need to ask him a couple of questions anyway.”

“Thanks, Rizzoli. I owe you one.”

“You owe me several,” he said, without malice.

I hung up. Emma was waiting, her expression very serious, her eyes dark and fathomless. For a second I couldn’t remember what we’d been talking about before Dom’s call. Then she spoke.

“You know what Matty and Bruno are doing tomorrow, don’t you?”

“Em…” I started.

“The four of them made me swear not to tell, but you already know,” she said accusingly.

There was no point in denying it, so I just nodded. “I don’t have a lot of specifics. But Isaac gave me an overview of what’s probably going to happen. And I think I may have a way to keep everybody alive.”

Her jaw dropped in shock and she very nearly dropped her wineglass, recovering after a bit of wine spilled onto her leg. She looked at me and I swear I could see the hope rise in her. “You do? How?”

“By keeping Michelle alive. She’s the key. If he can’t kill her, Finn’s magic will backlash on him. If he dies, none of our guys have to.”

“And how do you plan on keeping her alive? The top mages in the world haven’t figured out a way to stop a bloodline curse.” I could tell she didn’t quite believe that what I was suggesting was possible.

I smiled, but it wasn’t a happy expression. “Don’t be too sure about that. Finn is related to the Garzas, but he survived the first curse he cast against those with Garza blood.”

“How?”

I told her my theory and how I planned to save Michelle. “I had to go through Chris and hire the Company to do it, but it’ll be worth the cost.”

“The Company.” There was bitterness in Emma’s voice when she said the name. Kevin had been affiliated with them for a number of years. She knew more about the Company than was probably good for her.

“They’re the only ones I know with the resources who’d be willing to take this kind of risk.”

“For a price.”

“Always,” I admitted.

As if on cue, my cell rang again. “Hello?”

“Graves, where are you?” Chris sounded pissy.

“At home, why?”

“There’s a private airstrip outside of town.”

“I know it.” I’d been there a few times, since John Creede kept Miller & Creede’s corporate plane there. It wasn’t a big place, but it was secure and well maintained, and the runway was just long enough for a small jet.

“Can you get there in a half hour?”

“Why?”

“We need to get the equipment out to wherever you’ve got my patient stashed, and I need to do some basic tests—typing, screening, the usual.

“Didn’t Dawna get you the hospital records? I know Michelle signed a release.”

“Do you have any idea how long it takes the average medical records department to process paperwork to outside providers? Trust me. This is faster. And this way I know it’s accurate. So I need to see the patient. Sooner is better if you want me to be able to get matching blood in time for tomorrow’s full moon.”

Made sense to me. “It’s quite a drive—” I began, but he interrupted me.

“We’re not driving. Hence the airstrip.” He hung up on me. Again. That particular bad habit of his was getting very old, very quickly.