Read Between the Waters (Symphony of Light) Online

Authors: Renea Mason

Tags: #Paranormal Romance, #Paranormal Erotic Romance

Between the Waters (Symphony of Light) (6 page)

BOOK: Between the Waters (Symphony of Light)
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I waved to Allison, who still occupied the front desk. As usual the phone was to her ear, and she was making one appointment or another. I rounded the corner fully prepared to throw my bag into the guest chair inside my office door when I was pulled up short by the pair of large dress shoes prominently displayed on my desk with Clarence’s feet firmly planted in them. I ducked back outside the door to inspect the nameplate—Linden W. Hill.

“Ahhh…I think you’re in the wrong office.”

Clarence chuckled, swung his legs off the desk, and sat up in my chair behind the large mahogany desk.

“Nice of you finally to grace us with your presence, Madam Former Senior Director. Since you’ve moved on to bigger and better things, I had to make a few executive decisions.” He tented his fingers and shot me a grin dripping with mischief.

“Well, Mr. Senior Director…really? My office?”

“Yes, my old chair chaffs, and this is a much better view. Come on, you’re never here. Plus, this place is much too stylish for the Grim Reaper to be milling about.”

“Grim Reaper! You can’t call me that. It’s what I called Cyril.”

“Sweetheart…if the shoe fits…”

“Oh…fine. You can have the damn office. Where’s Lance? I heard you two were getting pretty chummy.”

He raised an eyebrow at me. Sunlight glinted off his smooth shaven head, and he tugged nervously on his expertly pressed blue shirt. “He’s…fine. Are you OK with it? I mean…I know he once worked for Michael, but that’s only because he was controlled.”

“Are you happy?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m fine with it.”

“Good. Oh, and by the way, you’re not the only one confused in thinking this is still your office.” He reached down and placed a huge white box, bound by a large red silk bow, on the desk.

I walked over and inspected the package for a card. There wasn’t one.

“Do you have any idea how hard it was for me not to open that package?”

“Yeah, I do. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t.” I pulled one end of the ribbon, letting that satiny material fall free.

“You can thank Lance. He said something about you being able to rip out my soul and send me straight to hell.” He laughed.

“That’s right, and don’t you forget it.” I shot him a smile.

Placing my hands on either side of the box, I slid the lid off and gasped.

Clarence’s mouth gaped open. “Holy shit. That’s at least two month’s salary in that box. Maybe more. What have you been up to?”

“Nothing, honestly. I don’t know what this is about.”

Inside was a Tiffany blue gown, a set of pearls with matching earrings, matching shoes, and a small silver handbag that matched the silver accents on the gown. But who?

Overton. Had to be Overton. Was this his apology?

“Linden, look.” Clarence lifted the fold on the dress and pulled out a large envelope.

 

 

Mademoiselle Hill,

 

 

It would give me great pleasure to have you accompany me to the Cultural District’s Centennial Ball, being held in the Glass Castle courtyard. After learning of your love of music and dedication to the arts, I have made a sizable donation to the orchestra in the form of priceless antique instruments. Because of this, I am their guest of honor. It would give me no greater joy than for you to accompany me.

I hope my taste in evening attire is to your liking.

Until then…

 

 

Moreaux

 

 

“Moreaux?” Not him too.

“Who is Moreaux?”

“He’s one of Cyril’s six. He just came back from France, but I haven’t seen him since the day he arrived. He’s not staying in the house, but Mary the housekeeper is there, and I keep getting the feeling she’s up to something. I caught her sneaking around Cyril’s study today.” My mind flashed momentarily to happenings in said study. I shook my head to dislodge the thought.

“That is one expensive package. I heard about the donation, but it didn’t come through the department. It was handled by the District. Strange.” He rubbed the shimmery material of the dress between his coffee-colored fingertips.

“Yes. Yes, it is.” Why? I knew one of Moreaux’s souls came from a famous composer, but why seek me out now?

“I’m glad to see you, but I’m just about to leave. Lance and I are going to call it a day and head to O’Riley’s for a drink. Care to join us?” Clarence stood and placed the lid back on the box.

“Sure. I just need to get my mail.”

He reached under the desk and handed me a reusable shopping bag. “I’ve been collecting it for you.”

“Thanks.” I took the bag and fumbled with the massive box.

“I’ll get it. Where did you park?” He took the box from my hands.

“In the old receiving dock underneath.” The older parts of the historic building creeped Clarence out.

“You know you’re not supposed to park there. The building inspector closed that entrance for a reason.”

Allison was not at her desk, and with his free hand Clarence opened the door. I looked up at him. “You gonna tell on me?”

He glared down at me. “Not my point. The only way to get in is through the catacombs.”

“They’re mannequins and costumes, not bodies. Gee, drama much, Clarence? The parking garage was full, and I didn’t want to spend all day looking for a space. Besides, I’m not the only one who uses it. There’s another car down there now.”

“Maintenance found a homeless guy sleeping in there last week. There’s no security and very little lighting, and no one would be able the hear you scream.”

Clarence brought out the defiant child in me when he went into overprotective mode. “The homeless guy would have.”

He slapped his free hand against his forehead. “And I thought you were annoying as my boss. As the master of the fucking universe, you’re going to be unbearable.”

I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow. He groaned.

We made our way past the opulent grand staircase and through the lounge.

In the lounge, Lance stood gazing out the window into the garden below. The same garden where I watched Michael, my late husband and Cyril’s nemesis, die for the second time; but thanks to me, the third time was a charm.

“You ready, buddy?” Clarence nudged Lance with his free arm.

Startled, Lance turnaround. “Oh yeah. Linden! So good to see you.”

“You too, Lance.” He hugged me. By killing Michael, I freed Lance from centuries of slavery, and he reminded me just how grateful he was every time we met.

“Linden’s coming with us, but we need to take these things to her car.”

“Great!”

Down the stairs into the dark cold basement we descended, with me taking lead. The large cavernous space that connected to the underground receiving area was often referred to as the under cellar by the staff, but I preferred Clarence’s name for it. Nothing but concrete and the sound of rushing water from the sewers below surrounded the piles of discarded costumes, dressing mannequins, abandoned sets and banners from shows hosted before my birth. On several occasions, a cockroach that looked like it was gearing up for the ironman competition sent me rushing to my car.

Standing on the bottom step, I noticed movement in the far corner. An old amber-colored bulb gave just enough illumination for me to make out the form. Mary. What the hell was she doing here? I held out my hand palm up, signaling to Lance and Clarence to stop. I heard gibberish coming from her, but that was impossible. She was mute and never uttered a sound. But beyond the echo of unrecognizable words came a distinct growl and booming snarl.

Clarence placed a hand on my shoulder, and I felt his breath on my neck as he whispered, “What the fuck was that?”

Trying to keep my voice low. “No idea.”

The human voice grew louder, but the words unfamiliar. Mary yelled, repeating the same phrase over and over again. “Sitowa, sitowa.”

Lance placed a hand on my other shoulder. “Who brings their dog here?”

I ignored him. “Let’s just get to the car. I’ll call security.”

I took two steps forward, and that’s when I saw it. It was huge.

The beeps of the door locks sounded as I pressed the unlock button on the key fob. “Run for the car!”

Tossing aside stage props and hurdling debris, Lance and Clarence didn’t hesitate.

Overton’s Bentley was about fifty feet away. They wasted no time, but my curiosity caused me to stop. That moment of hesitation nearly cost me my life. I looked up just in time to see the oversized creature barreling toward me.

The jowls of the large animal nearly had me, but thank God for my newly acquired speed. Clarence and Lance had both piled into the backseat and Clarence leaned forward, throwing open the driver’s-side door for me.

I stumbled, but managed to get in just in time for the large beast to collide with the door, forcing me into the seat and smashing my leg between the door and the car frame. Its stunned state gave me enough time to get inside and close the door.

I pressed the ignition button, and the car roared to life. I threw it in reverse. Just before hitting the driver’s door I slammed the car in gear and gunned for the dog…cat…maybe…whatever it was. It must have sensed my motives, because it ran with tremendous speed down the narrow hall leading to the sewers. There was no way I was traveling on foot after it.

The sound of squealing tires caught my attention, and I looked in the rearview mirror as the garage door lifted and Mary sped out, nearly flattening pedestrians. No way was that bitch getting away.

I took advantage of the stunned state of the people on the sidewalk, threw the car in reverse, and began my first car chase. Car chases? What the hell kind of life did I have now?

Thank God for Pittsburgh traffic. She was easy to find. The trick was not to lose her.

“Linden, you didn’t tell me you had a pet.” Lance’s attempt at humor was not appreciated.

“Fuck you.”

He laughed.

My heart pounded, and the adrenaline head rush had me somewhat dizzy. “Are you saying you’ve never seen one of those before? It’s not one of Michael’s old playthings?”

“Nope. Never seen one of those before. Michael was into impersonating people, not dog sitting.”

Clarence sighed. “Things are never boring with you around, Linden, that’s for sure. Was that even a dog? It looked like it had bat ears, and its face wasn’t right. Sort of looked more like a cat. I’ve never seen a dog with so many sharp teeth. That thing had at least two sets of fangs.”

“I don’t know, guys, but that bitch in the car up there does, and even if we have to play charades, she’s going to tell me what the fuck that was. And what the hell she was doing with it underneath the hall!”

It had wandered through my mind, but Clarence was the first to speak the words. “Shouldn’t we call Overton and the others?”

All the stop-and-go traffic was killing my smashed leg, and my patience was wearing thin. “You’re right. Clarence, you call security. And I’ll call Overton.”

“And tell them what? There’s a huge bat-dog-cat beast running loose in the under cellar? They don’t carry any weapons. They’ll be no better than uniformed Scooby snacks.”

“Then call the cops. Just do something.”

“And tell them what?”

“Tell them someone broke into the basement, and they are still there and armed.”

“Linden, are you asking me to file a false report?”

We came to a stop at a traffic light. I turned and stared at Clarence. “If you don’t pick up that phone and stop making ridiculous excuses I’m going to—”

Lance put his hand on my arm, “Don’t forget get to tell Overton about what happened to his car. By the way, the light is green.”

“Fuck!” Overton was going to lose his mind. The driver’s-side door was caved in. His Bentley was his baby. Son of a bitch.

Clarence snickered. “Let her worry on that for a moment so I can get some peace and quiet while I lie to the police.”

I hit the gas. “Just make the damn call.”

 

Chapter Six

Water

 

We snaked through city traffic for what felt like an hour until Mary finally hit the highway. The Bentley had power, and I liked to drive fast, so keeping up was no problem. Mary’s nondescript Chevy was no match for British engineering.

A visit from Cyril would be most welcome. I had a few thousand questions to ask him, but his communication with me seemed to be growing shorter and his calls further apart. I feared even to think that there might be a time I wouldn’t be able to talk to him.

My call with Overton went better than planned. Probably because I didn’t tell him about the broken car or my fur-covered friend. He couldn’t provide any information about Mary, just the things I already knew—they had rescued her from Vidius, who had enslaved her and cut out her tongue. She worked as Cyril’s housekeeper for years, but for the past several months she had been staying with Moreaux.

Soon the highway chase ended in a rash of narrow country roads that sent us winding up and down the Laurel Mountains. Thankfully, Overton’s meticulous ways always left the gas tank full. Several serpentine-like turns and we lost sight of the car.

At the four-way stop, I looked for signs of dust. Nothing. Fuck.

“Which way?”

Clarence coughed. “Don’t care, but if you keep driving like that you’re going to have to explain the vomit in the back seat to Overton too.”

Lance didn’t give me time to respond. “Left, go left!”

I hit the gas.

Ten more minutes of zigzagging down the mountain and Clarence yelled, “Stop the car! Over there.” He thrust his finger past my face in the direction of a section of woods with a small path cut into it.

The path had recently been widened by some type of large vehicle since the vegetation was smashed, but not cut.

I pulled over, and we each got out of the car. “Don’t slam your doors,” I yelled in a loud whisper. “I don’t want her to know we’re here.”

Clarence and Lance followed behind as we made our way up the path.

The sound of a cracking limb would cause us to pause, but other than that the forest was silent.

BOOK: Between the Waters (Symphony of Light)
3.68Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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