Halflings (29 page)

Raven chewed his lip. This may not rank at the top of his best ideas list, but he had to get some answers. Everything in this journey pointed to Nikki. But his gut, his
heart,
swore Dr. Richmond was the key.

Nikki’s name had been in the Omega computer, and she had been continually attacked. Not once had an enemy — human, demon, or Halfling — come after Richmond. Could the fight he’d stopped in science class have been an attempt on Richmond? Possibly. But please.
Camo jacket and a hunting knife? Is that all you’ve got?

Raven paused at the front door of the one-story ranch-style house. Flower pots decorated a cozy front porch. A pair of muddy tennis shoes lounged at the foot of a white column anchoring the steps.

Homey. Barf.

He changed his mind and started back down the steps. Will wouldn’t approve of him coercing information from a science teacher. Then again, Will didn’t approve of a lot of things. Raven returned to the door and knocked.

A fiftyish woman with a smiling face and glasses thick enough to rival Richmond’s own goofy goggles answered the door.

If she stared at the sun, she’d burst into flames.

“Hello,” she said and pushed the screen door open.

Nice. I could be here to rob you and you just removed every obstacle.
Humans were so trusting. “Hi. I’m one of —”

“One of my husband’s students,” she finished for him. “Come in.” She gestured with her free hand while tossing her head back. “Bill, someone’s here to see you.” Her attention returned to Raven. “It’s a good thing you young people stop by periodically or I’d never get him out of the lab.”

“The lab?”

“Such as it is. You know scientists, always tinkering.” When Dr. Richmond appeared in a doorway adjacent to the living room, she turned toward him. “I’ll fix you two some iced tea.”

“Raven,” Richmond said, crossing the room with his hand out. “Great to see you.”

Please. You deal with teenagers all day. Stop with the sappy, gooey niceness. It makes me want to vomit.
Raven shook his hand. “It sounds like I’m interrupting you. I can come back later.” Actually, he didn’t care if he was interrupting or not. But the admission should spark some info about the lab Mrs. Goggles mentioned.

“Not at all. I was just puttering around in my basement laboratory.”

“Basement laboratory?” He feigned interest. “That sounds so cool.”

“Would you like to see it?”

Sucker.
“I would. I’m getting really interested in science since I started your class. You make it come alive, ya know?”

Richmond beamed like he’d just won the Pulitzer. “I do?”

So genuine, Raven almost felt guilty. Almost. “Yeah, so seeing a real lab would be exciting.”

After snagging the iced teas from his wife, Richmond flipped the stairwell light with his elbow. “Follow me.” He grinned like a goofy kid and practically waltzed his way down the stairs. At the bottom, he handed Raven a tea.

Raven’s sharp senses absorbed everything in the lab. Eyes scanned the perimeter: beakers, test tubes, a computer. He sniffed. A bouquet of chemicals dotted the air. Magnesium, copper, even bleach, all blending with the scent of a Bunsen burner flame. And … lemon? His gaze fell to the iced drink, lemon slice decorating the rim.
Moron
.

“Cool lab.” Raven tried to sound convincing. He might as well have said,
Oh boy, this sure is a neat laboratory
. “What do you do in here?”

“Well,” Richmond said, abandoning his tea on the counter. Three half-empty glasses would keep it company. “I’m interested in genetics. I’ve actually been working on splicing some DNA from one type of reptile into another unable to spawn in cool temperatures.”

Booooring.
“Wow, that’s amazing.” Raven took a drink. Black Pekoe and brewed in the coffeepot. Yuck. “Snakes, right?”

Richmond’s eyes widened with surprise.

“Snakes can only spawn after their temperature heats to a certain level,” Raven said.

“Exactly.” Excitement laced Richmond’s voice.

Doofus, you told us that in class last week.
“So, you’re interested in snakes?”

“Not snakes specifically. I’m interested in what happens when gene sequences are altered. I believe things, even behaviors, can be manipulated if the right sequences are modified.”

They chatted on the better part of an hour. Raven snapped mental photographs of the entire place. Far as he could tell, there was little to learn. Bummer. He’d planned on being the big shot with the key information, and now his hopes were ruined because a squirrely little scientist couldn’t muster anything more interesting than snake DNA.

Richmond escorted him toward the door, still yammering about snake genes. When they passed through the hallway, a photo caught Raven’s attention.

Richmond pointed. “Oh, that’s my daughter.”

The pretty, shapely blonde looked nothing like her pudgy, geeky mom and dad. The sand and water in the background suggested a beach somewhere tropical and perfect. She squinted in the sun, but an open-mouthed smile made him smile back. He caught himself. “Excuse me for saying, Dr. Richmond, but your daughter is ridiculously hot.”

Richmond sighed, pulled the glasses from his nose, and wiped them on his shirttail — an action Raven decided was more from nervous habit than necessity. “Unfortunately, you’re not the first young man to mention that.”

A wicked grin laced Raven’s face. “Where is she?”

He straightened slightly, eyes round. “You are, however, the first to ask that!”

Raven wiggled his brows.

“Away at college. Missouri University. I worry about her though.”

“You should. Probably every guy there is trying to … never mind.”

His brow furrowed. “Yes, well. There’s that too.”

“Huh?” Raven said.

“Jessica is diabetic. She has to give herself insulin shots daily.” He heaved a breath. “I worry. So many distractions at school, I’m afraid she’ll forget.”

“Would that be so bad? I mean, to forget one day?”

Richmond tugged his glasses from his face again. “It would be devastating.”

Raven threw a last long look to Jessica Richmond, then headed for the door.

Once outside, he listened as the screen screeched shut. Scientists were weirdos. Freakish and abnormal. Though who was he to talk about abnormal?
Take a look in the mirror, dude.
Pausing, he considered the comfy, cozy porch. Eyes closing, he drew its scent into his lungs. Pie crumbs under the porch swing, the remnants of newspaper and ink, and … horse manure. His eyes flew open. Fertilizer in the plants? No. He sniffed again. His gaze traipsed to the foot of the column anchoring the top step.

The tennis shoes. One shoestring was frayed, dark at the end as if trampled frequently. The soles were spotted with fresh clumps of dirt. Raven bent closer and took another whiff. Richmond wasn’t telling all his secrets.

Raven tucked into the trees at the edge of Richmond’s house. He snapped his wings open and leapt.

W
ow, what’s this?” Nikki asked as her dad unfolded the cloth encasing an ornate sword. Watching her dad’s attention to detail as he worked cleaning and polishing bits of history had always been calming for her. When she was little, he’d raise the weapon for her inspection. She’d giggle then give her nod of approval.

Nikki needed calming right now. An invisible force had pressed against her chest for so long, she’d started to think it normal. But that pressure was, in a word, foreboding.

It was an ominous notion or perhaps a promise. Though things seemed bad, rocky, and unstable, the ground on which she stood felt about to break free, proving life could get infinitely worse.

“This, my dear, is our Hawaiian vacation.” He caressed the shimmering gold weapon lovingly and hummed some island tune.

“It’s amazing. New?” She leaned her weight on the garage counter to get a better look.

“Nah, about five hundred years old.” Her dad flipped a switch and a bright work light illuminated the weapon.

She tilted a brow. “New to you?”

“Yes. We found it in an antique store in Arkansas. The shop was going out of business and we purchased a footlocker filled with junk.” He angled the sword one way, then the other. “Or so we thought. This and a half-dozen other extremely valuable weapons were inside as well.”

Nikki ran a thumb over the blade. “Still sharp. What were weapons like this doing in a footlocker in Arkansas?”

He placed it gently on the counter. “Who knows? Never know what you’ll find if you take the time to look.”

“And you never know what’s right under your nose. Why haven’t you ever mentioned Damon?”

He paused and stared at the wall. “I’m sure we have. Known him for years.” But he tilted away ever so slightly.

Strike while they’re weak.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me he’s the one who bought Bo for me?”

He dropped the sword on the table. “He told you that?” His bifocal glasses left his face as he gave her his full attention. “Princess, Damon has been a close family friend for —”

She raised a hand to stop him. “No, he hasn’t. He’s been a friend of yours. I never knew he existed until he showed up to loan me a Ducati and informed me he purchased my
dog
.”

“He loaned you that bike?”

Her chin jutted forward. “That’s right.”
How does it feel to be kept out of the loop?

“Well, I don’t want you riding it. It’s too fast, too dangerous.”

Her jaw set. “It’s too late. He made me promise to take it on Saturday to get serviced. I gave my word, Dad. I won’t back down.” But even as the words left her mouth, she wondered
where they came from. This wasn’t like her. She turned away from her father before her irrational anger made her say anything else.

Silence born of sorrow reached with tangible limbs. Her relationship with her parents, especially her dad, was one of trust. Unsettled by his lack of explanation, she chanced a look.

He stared helplessly at the ground, and when he spoke, his voice echoed like a hollow cavern. “I’m sorry we hadn’t mentioned Damon. He sort of flies in and out of our lives. Twenty years back we were all very close. Best of friends.”

She gawked. “Twenty years back? He’s only twenty-five!”

His frown deepened, causing his eyes to crinkle. “Is that what he told you?”

“No, I guessed.”

“Damon is far from twenty-five. He’s nearly forty. And to be perfectly honest, I don’t like the interest he’s showing in you. Unfortunately, I can’t just ban him from the house. Damon’s helped us on more than one occasion, and I have to admit I feel a bit obligated.” Embarrassment flushed his cheeks. “He’s your godfather.”

Her eyes widened. “My what?” What little blood still keeping her heart beating quickly drained from her. They owed him.
She
owed him, someone she barely knew? A man whom she was certain on a deep,
deep
level she couldn’t trust?

He nodded. “He paid for your motorcycle.” Nikki’s dad reached for her and clasped her hands. “Honey, our work keeps the bills paid, but usually doesn’t leave much at the end of the month. Damon’s always been very generous when we needed help.”

Nikki ripped her hands from his, now angry. “You should have told me!” Angry and … sorry for what her parents had
needed to do. Her voice cracked. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have been working, helping. Lots of kids my age have jobs.” And suddenly, she knew she shouldn’t be indebted to anyone. Especially Damon Vessler.

“No, we’ve wanted you to concentrate on your academics. And then there’s your karate.”

She paled, thinking of all the tournaments, years of classes, expenses with each new belt rank. Dollar signs flashed in front of her eyes. “All that money.”

“Nikki, we’re not destitute.” His voice sharpened along with his grip on her.

“I’ve been so selfish my whole life. It never occurred to me that the things I do could be a strain on you guys.” Her stomach churned.

“I suppose we didn’t mention him because, well, honestly we were embarrassed.”

Nikki sighed, determined to restore whatever dignity her father thought he’d lost. She’d always been proud of her dad, but maybe never as much as right now. She took his face in her hands. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You are the best father in the world. I love you, Daddy.”

Tears spilled onto his sparse lashes and trickled down his cheeks. “No matter what happens, Nikki, I love you too.”

He pulled her into an embrace that — coupled with his words — created a dark cloud of uncertainty over her. She tried to tilt back to look at him, but he squeezed tighter, unwilling to let go, even for a moment. Unable to see his face, Nikki did the only thing she could. She clung to him and tried to push the sensation of impending doom from her heart and mind.

“We can put up the windows if you want.” Mace escorted her to his black car, freshly washed and shimmering in the street lights illuminating her neighborhood.

“No, it’s beautiful out tonight. Let’s leave them down.”