Sentinel Lost (Mind Sweeper Series Book 5) (24 page)

“That cat is shifty,” Misha mumbled.

I sat down across from him. “Mish. You need to let it go. Even you have to admit Matthew’s been a great help.”

Misha shut his laptop and stared at me, hard. “How are you really doing, little one?”

I sighed. “I’m doing okay. Or I will be. I miss Griffin. But he deserves better.”

“Don’t talk that way about yourself.”

“I’m not. I only mean that he deserves someone who’ll love him and isn’t carrying all the ridiculous baggage I have. Especially when my baggage carries a badge and tries to boss everyone around.”

“I heard Joe apologize to you in the van today.”

“If you heard that, then you also heard he’s using this case to further his career. He can’t wait to leave Cleveland since, and I quote, ‘there’s nothing holding him here.’”

Misha got up, walked around the table, and pulled me up from my seat. “So give him a reason to stick around.”

I squeezed his hand. “I want to help him, Mish. But all the lies have turned this into a convoluted mess right now. Let’s get through the case and we can talk about it then. Now let’s go get something to eat. You pick.”

Misha rubbed his hands together, and his eyes lit up. “Oh, boy.”

I laughed at the glee on his face. I felt a little guilty for using food as a distraction, but I couldn’t bear another discussion about Dalton. I had already surpassed my quota for the day.

Chapter 30

I should have known better than to let Misha choose dinner.

I dropped my keys and cell phone on my entry table and pulled off my jacket before sprawling on my couch. The Indian restaurant had been phenomenal, and Misha had ordered way too much food, which meant I had eaten way too much food. I groaned. I’d learned years ago not to try and keep up with him. Maybe it was nervous energy that made me reach for the naan multiple times. I was a sucker for bread, no matter the culture.

Misha had wanted to come back to my place and watch over me. But I talked him out of it. I refused to live scared again. I rubbed my belly and stretched my legs out, letting myself settle into the cushions. Peace and quiet.

“Whatcha doin’, Kyle?”

My head banged against the couch arm, and I bit my lip to stop the expletive from erupting. Maybe if I ignored her she would go away.

Marie floated into my line of sight. “Are you asleep?”

I scowled at her. “No.”

“So how’s the case going? Is Joe feeling better?”

“Dalton’s feeling fine. He’s back to his closed-off self.”

“And the case?” Marie asked.

“We’re interviewing someone tomorrow who’s been helping realm demons acclimate to living on earth.”

“Why do they want to live on earth?”

“I don’t know about all of them. The one we’re chasing is after the Key.”

Marie’s eyes widened. “You mean they’re after
you
?”

I sat up, the Indian food rioting in my stomach. “Yeah. Have you heard any chatter in heaven about the Key lately?”

“Nothing much. The angels keep mumbling about it, but no one knows where it is.”

“Have you heard them talk about other Keys?”

Marie floated higher in front of me. “No! Why would you ask me that?”

“Because I think there’s more than one Key, and if that’s the case, then someone else in this psycho world may be like me. Carrying a Key inside them. And maybe they’ve learned how to control it better than I do.”

“I’ll dig around some and see what I can find out.”

“Thanks. I’ve got another question for you. How is it that you’re allowed to spend so much time out of heaven?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, it looks to me like you have carte blanche when it comes to traveling back and forth between heaven and earth. Why is that?”

“I don’t have any special privileges, Kyle.” Marie answered, her eyes darting away from me.

“Now that I think about it, Marie, I believe you have a lot of pull. Why don’t you talk to your angel buddies and see if one of them will tell you the truth about the Key? No more subterfuge. Just ask them, straight out.”

“Ah. I’ll see what I can do, Kyle. As a matter of fact, I actually have to get going. I’ll talk to you later.”

Marie disappeared so quickly papers lifted up off my coffee table into a small whirlwind that lost its momentum moments later, scattering the pieces across the floor.

That was the fastest I had seen Marie leave in…well, ever.

I’d definitely touched on a sore spot, and she was lying about not having privileges. But why? I rubbed my forehead with my palm. I wouldn’t hold my breath about getting the truth out of her any time soon. I leaned back again on the couch. Deep breath in. Peace and quiet.

And then my cell rang.

I refused to whimper. And sat up again. Zen was not my friend tonight. Hell, it hadn’t been my friend for quite some time. I got up and grabbed the phone before it went into voicemail. It was Dolly.

“Well, hello, Dolly.”

A groan answered me. “That wasn’t funny when Misha started it. Not sure why you think it’s funny now.”

I chuckled. “I don’t think it’s funny. But it irritates you. A girl’s got to get her kicks somewhere.”

“Where are you?”

“At home. Why?”

“Have a call for the BSR, and you’re the closest one. Java Café on Euclid. Trevor called it in. Said nothing dangerous, but they have a containment issue.”

Great.
That’s all we needed. Trevor was a vamp who’d been in a minor scrape a few years ago. Since then, he’d been a model supe. Hopefully he wasn’t backpedaling now. “I’m on it.”

“Jean Luc and Talia are on their way, but they’re across town, so it’ll take them awhile to get there.”

“Got it.”

I picked up my keys, jammed my arms into my jacket, and headed out the door. Fifteen minutes later, I walked up to the small coffee shop, the sign on the door flipped to ‘closed.’ I tried the handle, and the door opened, a small bell ringing above my head.

Trevor stood behind the counter wearing a Beatles T-shirt and a scared face. “Kyle! Thanks for coming.”

“What kind of trouble are you in this time, Trevor?”

“It was an accident, I swear.”

He motioned for me to come behind the counter, and I followed him into a small kitchen area. A woman sat slumped on a kitchen stool. A young woman was standing next to her, her fangs peeking out slightly when she saw me.

I knelt in front of the unconscious woman and placed my fingers on her neck. I was relieved to find a pulse.

I looked up at the two vampires. “Did you bite her?”

“No!” The female stuttered, turning paper-white. “She’s my boss. She passed out when she saw my fangs.”

I frowned at her. “Why are you showing your fangs in broad daylight?”

Trevor answered. “Sandy’s a fledgling. When she gets upset, she sometimes shows her fangs.”

“And she was upset why?”

Trevor’s mouth tightened. “We were having an argument.”

“In the coffee shop?”

“No we were in the alley out back. Connie opened the door to take out some trash and heard us arguing. When she caught sight of Sandy’s fangs and glowing eyes she passed out.”

“My eyes were glowing?” Sandy squeaked.

“Yep. Red.”

Sandy staggered, and Trevor grabbed her arm.

A vampire with the vapors. How perfect. “Sit her on the floor and put her head between her knees.”

Trevor did as he was told. Smart vampire.

“Did anyone else see you in the alley?”

Trevor nodded.

“Spit it out.”

“Her daughter was there. I don’t know if she saw Sandy or was just scared when Connie fainted.”

“Crap. Where is she now?”

“She ran down the alley and up the back stairs to Connie’s apartment.”

“How old is she?”

“Hannah is five. I went to the apartment door, but she wouldn’t let me in.”

Smart little girl. “Okay. Here’s what we do. I’m going to erase Connie’s memory.” I pointed to Trevor. “You stay up front and keep people out of here. Some of my teammates will be here soon. Let them in and tell them what’s going on.” I pointed at Sandy. “You, suck it up, since I’m going to need your help.”

Trevor hustled to the front of the shop.

Sandy got up from the floor and came up next to me. “What do you need me to do?”

“Show me the alley and where the apartment is.”

I followed Sandy out and stared up and down the small alley, memorizing it, from its rusty blue dumpster to the old metal chair next to the door. Then we walked through the alley until we came to a door that opened to a set of stairs up to the apartment. We returned to the kitchen, and I knelt in front of Connie.

I concentrated and latched onto her synapses. They were moving languidly, interspersed with small surges of power, as if her conscious mind was trying to jumpstart her brain. I rolled with the motion of her thoughts and imagined Trevor and Sandy in the alley having an argument, and then grabbing each other and kissing passionately just as Connie and Hannah opened the back door.

Her brain accepted my suggestion easily, and I thanked the powers that be that she hadn’t fought my intrusion. I then pushed a suggestion into her subconscious that she was tired and needed a nap. Her breathing slowed and a light snore filled the room.

“She’ll sleep for now. You stay here. I don’t think Hannah needs to see you right now.”

Sandy blinked back tears. “Hannah’s a great kid. I feel so bad about scaring her.”

“I need you to watch over Connie for me until I send Hannah back down. When Hannah comes in, wake Connie up. She shouldn’t remember being asleep. Both she and Hannah will remember seeing you and Trevor argue and then kiss in the alley. Got it?”

Sandy nodded. I jogged up the stairs and ran my hands around the doorjamb, looking for a key. Nothing. Picking up the mat, I didn’t find a key on the floor either. But when I let the rubber mat plop back down, it made a plinking noise.

I turned it over. The key was taped to the bottom.

The apartment was small but tidy. A living room with a couch and chair opened to a kitchen with a table piled with crayons and coloring books. After a quick canvass of the area, I went and checked the two bedrooms thoroughly, even crawling under the beds and digging through the closets. No little girl. I finished off the search in the bathroom, which was also empty.

I hurried back into the living room and peeked behind the couch. Nothing. I returned to the kitchen and stopped when the table wobbled slightly, a crayon rolling off and landing on the linoleum.

I moved closer and hunkered down. Hannah sat under the table, clutching a doll. Twin pony tails stuck out on each side of her head, and large green eyes watched me warily.

“Hi, Hannah. My name’s Kyle. Your mommy sent me upstairs to find you.”

Hannah bit her lip and blinked as a large tear rolled down her freckled cheek. I waited for her to yell, “Stranger danger!”

She sniffled and whispered, “Mommy fell down.”

The door opened behind me, and I held out my hand to stop Jean Luc or Talia from coming in any further. I didn’t look away from Hannah, hoping she wouldn’t spook about having more strangers in the room.

“Your mommy’s fine, Hannah.”

She shook her head and squeezed the doll tight to her. “The monsters got her.”

“There are no monsters, honey. If you mean Trevor and Sandy, they aren’t monsters. They were playing around in the alley. Being silly.”

I held out my hand to her. “Let me take you to your mommy.”

When I touched her arm, she screamed. I went down on my hands and knees, crawled under the table, and swept her into my arms. She squirmed, and I held her as close as I could while I rubbed my hand over her forehead. Touching her would help strengthen the connection and hopefully help me to implant the memories quickly.

Her synapses were scattered and unlike any I had touched before. But then I’d never changed a memory for someone so young. I searched for the memory, weaving between the tendrils until a thin black string twisted in front of me. It had to be the one. I grasped it and fear shot through me. Bingo. I imagined the couple in the alley teasing each other and kissing. Then I pictured Connie taking Hannah’s hand and pulling her back into the restaurant as they both giggled at the pair in the alley.

After a few more seconds, warmth blossomed in my brain, and heat flowed through my hand into her forehead. The transfer of memories was complete.

I set Hannah down and she looked at me, her head tipping slightly as she wondered who I was.

“Hi, Hannah. Your mommy is looking for you. She’s down in the café.” I stepped away from her, and she skipped across the room, smiling up at me before she slipped through the door.

“How did you do that?”

I spun at the sound of the voice, having forgotten that anyone was behind me. Instead of Jean Luc, it was Dalton, his eyes wide and unblinking.