Rare Find (39 page)

He smiled. "But this... This is even better."

Tabitha listened in horror.

***

"Why the hell is she crying?" Winston snapped motioning to Tabitha's still form.

Ronin looked down. Sure enough, there were tears streaming down Tabitha's face. No change in her expression but for the eerie tears sliding slowly and steadily down her pale skin.

"She's crying because she didn't know. About her grandfather's actions. About her uncle or you. About the hate, distrust and fear that has tainted her family." Ronin lifted his head to stare at Winston.

Winston stared at him, his gaze narrow with suspicion, emotions flickering rapidly across his face. "How do you know that?"

Ronin kept his gaze and voice steady as he answered. "Because I know her."

That made Winston laugh. "Too damn bad. See, I heard you earlier. I figure I can have the tiger and I can have her captive inside. And isn't that some freaky shit? Is she psychic? Because that's just going to piss me off more."

"Well, if she is, then maybe you are, too," Ronin suggested. Stefan had said the same thing to him about Roman.

"Then having her as my pet tiger while I figure it out is even better." Winston peered into the cage where the tiger paced back and forth, its big head moving from side to side. "She's really in there, huh?"

He laughed, turned and shot Tabitha in the back leg.

Trinity roared, her back leg going out from under her. She twisted and snarled.

Carmichael gasped. "Holy shit. Is that for real?" He took a step closer to Tabitha staring in shock at the new wound on Tabitha's leg.

At the same time Tabitha began to bleed, blood also slipped down Trinity's fur and an eerie sound came from the back of her throat. She locked her gaze on Winston as if waiting for her chance.

Ronin dropped to Tabitha's side and clamped his hand over her wound. "You'd shoot your cousin while she's helpless? What kind of man are you?"

And immediately realized his mistake.

Winston went berserk. "I'm the man in control. And I'll fucking shoot her as many times as I want to." He fired again and the shot ricocheted off the cage. Tabitha's body jerked as the bullet grazed her arm this time. Trinity's front leg buckled. And she howled, the sounds sending ice down Ronin's back.

A gun went off, but it whistled past Ronin from behind and hit Tabitha's cousin in the shoulder. Winston screamed.

Everyone scattered for cover.

Shit. The game shifted – again. Who had fired that shot?

"Roman." He threw the key to his brother while shots fired behind them. Ronin grabbed Tabitha's arms and dragged her back around the edge of the cage to safety.

He searched the warehouse, but there was no sign of anyone else. Ronin watched as his brother raced to the cage and undid the padlock. He pulled open the bars and backed away.

Trinity jumped awkwardly. She was in obvious pain but did her best to hobble over to Tabitha.

He tried to keep Tabitha covered with his body, his own gun out in case. This was critical timing. He'd seen Winston slip around the corner of another cage. Who knew where the others had disappeared to? The poor unsuspecting cop that had been caught up in this trouble would have called for backup if he could.

But who'd shot Winston? And why did he have such poor aim?

Winston screamed from the far side, hidden in the darkness. "Stop or I'll shoot her. I'll kill my fucking cousin
and
the damn tiger. See if I care if they both die."

"Damn it, Roman," Ronin whispered. "Who shot Winston?"

"I didn't see." Roman stared down at Tabitha. "She's really connected to the tiger, isn't she?"

"Yes. And I don't know how to separate them. At this rate, she could die no matter what we do."

"What the hell?" Roman backed up slightly.

Trinity was glowing. Blue lights surrounded her large body giving her an eerie shimmering look.

"Holy crap." Geoff approached Tabitha slowly. "This is too damn bizarre."

Hearing something, Geoff spun and crouched, his gun pointed out in front of him. A gun fired. Geoff dropped in place, screaming and holding his knee to his chest.

Winston shouted, "Shut the hell up or I'll put one through your heart."

Instantly, Geoff's voice dropped to agonized sobs.

The sound of yet a different gun cocking resounded in the huge warehouse. And a strange voice said, hard, determined and very cold, "You won't be shooting anyone again. Now get those hands up."

Ronin peered out from behind the cage. "Holy shit."

Keeper, the informant he'd met, was pushing Winston toward Ronin. Keeper called out, "Ronin, you there?"

And then Ronin understood. "Hey, Jacob. Nice disguise."

Carmichael stepped out from behind the tiger's cage and walked forward, a gun in his hand. "Keeper?"

New cops poured into the place, all with guns trained on Carmichael and Winston. Geoff continued to sob from the floor in the middle.

"Drop the gun Carmichael," Keeper said. "This is over."

"What the heck?" cried out a voice from the crowd. "What is happening to
her?
"

Everyone turned to watch the tiger. Trinity stood, weak and bleeding, with a deep vibrating blue glow surrounded her. A clearly visible, luminescent light surrounded her for all to see.

And her gaze was on Carmichael. That same unholy howl from deep in the back of her throat filled the warehouse.

Carmichael backed up, his gun pointed at her. In a trembling voice, he screamed, "What the hell is she?"

"It doesn't matter to you," Keeper said, his voice hard. "Now drop the fucking gun."

Carmichael squeezed the trigger.

Trinity's body jerked once, then twice.

In a split second, Keeper dropped Carmichael where he stood.

Ronin raced forward, arms out protectively, screaming at the other cops, "Don't shoot the tiger."

Not that it mattered, Trinity had crumpled to the ground. Cops quickly raced to secure Winston.

"Jesus, Ronin," Jacob asked. "What the hell is going on here?"

Ronin shushed everyone and walked quietly, slowly toward Trinity. She lay on her side, howls and whimpers sliding out of her mouth.

"Take it easy, Trinity," Ronin soothed. "Please calm down."

Trinity struggled to her feet, her head hanging. Then gathering her strength, but obviously hurt, she staggered backwards a step before limping to Tabitha's side. Ronin whispered, "Oh Jesus. Please, sweetheart, stop. Let us help you."

Trinity collapsed beside Tabitha. Close but not touching.

Someone in the growing crowd around them asked in a prayer-like whisper, "What is happening to the woman?"

In a bizarre movement, Trinity's spirit shifted to appear to be Tabitha's spirit. Then it switched to have Tabitha's spirit change places to be Trinity's spirit. Then they switched places.

And again.

Then again.

As if some kind of electrical short was happening. The two bright-blue lights kept switching from one body to the other.

"Christ." Whispers, swear words and prayers erupted from the observers. No one had ever seen anything like this. Not even Ronin.

"Jesus," Ronin cried out. "Stop this. Stefan, help."

You're the one that's going to have to help.

"Me?"

You. You have to reach out. One hand to Tabitha and the other to Trinity. You need to ground them both. The problem is Tabitha uses her animals as a ground. Since she's connected to Trinity, Trinity used her as a ground as well. It caused an electrical loop that has shorted. You have to complete the circuit.

Ronin reached out a hand to both Tabitha and Trinity.

Roman pulled his brother’s hand back. "Are you sure?" he asked urgently. "This looks incredibly dangerous."

"No choice." And there wasn't. He had to do this. Ronin closed his eyes. Reached out both hands again and....

...closed the circle.

Instantly, a thousand pins and needles pricked his hands. As if an electrical current was hitting him – but not traveling through him.

In his mind, he said,
Tabitha, I have no idea what to do but if you do, please use me as you need to. I don't want to see you in pain any longer. Let me help you.

No, I don't want to bring you into this,
Tabitha cried.
You won't survive. Let me go.

No,
Ronin whispered
, I don't accept that.

He refused to back off. Closing his eyes, he realized there was one other element he might be able to bring into play.
Mr. Boots. If you're there. If there is anything you can do. If there is anything I can do. Please help.
Then he sent his plea out wider.
If there is any other animal out there that can help...please... Tabitha needs us.

And with that plea, a weird buzz filled his mind. His hands tingled, his spine straightened and he threw his head back as energy surged through him. And the last of his doubts crumbled. Acceptance that there might be something to Mr. Boots followed. And that there might be something to Stefan's words about his fears, about Tabitha's skills and this crazy-ass mess they were in right now.

He took a deep breath, desperate to save Tabitha. And as he thought it, his energy went outwards to heal her. Loving energy poured from his heart into hers.

And suddenly it was as if he'd stepped into a new world. A world of no sound. A world with no visuals. A foggy world. And he moved toward a voice calling his name. "Ronin?"

He turned. There Tabitha was, standing in front of him, a huge loving smile on her face.

"You're dead?" he asked starkly, his heart ready to cry.

"No," she rushed to reassure him, "I'm not. Not at all. Look." She pointed to the side, and there was Trinity resting peacefully on her back on the ground. Except there was no ground.

"She's okay now?"

"We're in the ethers. My favorite place to retreat."

Ethers? Him?
No way. Still, Ronin looked around at the bizarre world. "We're not dead?"

"No." She laughed, her face beaming with love. "We're fine."

"How do we go back?"

"As soon as you think about it, we'll go back. But there's someone who wants to say good-bye." Her voice softened. "It's past his time to go."

He looked at her in surprise. "Who?"

And then he held a wiggling black and white tuxedo cat in his arms.
Mr. Boots.
Damn. He buried his face in his beloved cat's fur, tears coming to his eyes. Christ, he felt eight years old again, his heart stuffed full with emotion. "Does he
have
to leave?"

"No. He might stay if you can see and recognize him. He's been there for you all these years. I believe he's ready to go, but what he does now..." She shrugged.

A familiar voice cut in. "Hey, Ronin, you in there?"

And pain slapped across his face hard.

"That means it's time to leave." Tabitha laughed.

Then she disappeared. He blinked then blinked again to find Roman in front of him, his hand ready to slap him again.

"I'm here," Ronin croaked.

"Good thing," his brother said worriedly. "You've been out a long time."

Ronin shook his head, struggling to shake off the fog. He twisted to look at Tabitha. To find her still lying in front of him – only this time her eyes open and she smiled at him.

Oh thank God.
Swallowing hard, he held out his hand and said, "Hey."

"Hey yourself." She reached up a hand to clasp his. "Thanks."

He snorted. "I didn't do anything."

She smiled and said with a knowing look, "Trinity and I both thank you."

That's when he realized Trinity lay beside him, her big head on his legs...alive. "Whoa."

Tabitha laughed. "Yeah, welcome to my world."

"Jesus."

Roman laughed. "Well, whatever you did brother, it worked."

Tabitha sat up. "That it did."

One month later

T
abitha opened the cage wall and let both Tango and TJ into the living room. TJ tripped over his big paws in his eagerness to get to Tango. Tripod dropped his big nose and sniffed the cub hard enough to tumble TJ over on his back and keep him beside his mother. The cub yelped several times as Tripod licked his belly before letting him back on his feet.