Stained (16 page)

Mrs. Sasaki made a breakfast of steamed rice, miso soup and grilled horse mackerel. After the cold ride and harrowing night the meal was welcome. The soup was hot and filled Thorn’s belly and the fish melted on her tongue. She fed Raven bits of fish on a plate and he ate daintily. Mrs. Sasaki and Thorn continued to talk in Japanese throughout the meal, one of them laughing every so often. Sé seemed content to sit and listen to the melodic rise and fall of their voices and eat. The meal was a hearty one for Thorn and she was comfortably replete. She could see Sé’s exhaustion setting in the shadows under his eyes. She remembered that he had been out with Mathilda’s murder scene and then came to her. She wondered how long he had been up.

When they finished, Mrs. Sasaki showed them to a quiet room painted in soft white with a shoji screen at one end for dressing in private. There were smaller screens over the window, which Thorn knew opened onto the front street. It had a futon, a small table and chair, with a huge bamboo plant on it. Simple but elegant. Mrs. Sasaki showed them where they could find blankets and pillows, fresh towels and the bathroom. Then she left them to their own devices as she had to get her own day started.

“Thank you for your kindness, Mrs. Sasaki,” Thorn said.

“Thank you very much,” Sé said.

“You are both welcome,” Mrs. Sasaki said in English, giving them a crinkled smile, and closed their door behind her.

Sé and Thorn regarded each other. An uneasy silence filled the room. Raven flew to the chair and tucked his head and was soon asleep. Thorn was dead tired. Her back ached and she could barely keep her eyes open. She was sure it had to do with all the adrenaline pumped through her system during the last twenty-four hours. Sé looked as beat-up as Thorn.

“We look like we’ve been through a peppermill,” Thorn grinned.

She lowered the futon so it was flat, then started making it up and Sé stepped up to help. She thought that was nice. He didn’t expect her to wait on him. They got the bed made and then the silence built up, with nothing else to do but get into bed.

“We have to face this at some point,” Sé said. He gave her a small smile.

“I’m ready to drop.” Thorn’s shoulders unhitched.

“Well, we’ll just sleep with our clothes on, how’s that?” she said, in total agreement. “I’m sure we can keep to our own sides of the bed.”

“Of course. If you don’t mind, I’d like the side with the table to keep my pager, gun and phone close,” Sé asked.

This made Thorn uncomfortable. It would mean she was trapped against the wall. As a martial artist, she could see the logic behind his request. She trusted him. They were in this together now. She decided they would be safe here, so she relented.

“Sure, just get my back if anything comes through the door. I’d be trapped.”

“You got it.” he said. She smiled, tiredly. Even in his exhaustion he was on guard. Whatever came through the door would have to go through him to get to her.

“I’m going to ward the room before we go to sleep. I don’t want anyone getting in here. I was serious. It will only take a minute.” Sé tensed. “I think the killer is a witch, Sé, I want to be protected.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“A lot. I’ll talk to you over dinner if you decide to trust me.”

“I’m here aren’t I?” he said, as he sat on the edge of the futon, rubbing his face.

“Yes, you are, and thank you,” Thorn said. She wanted to do more than shake his hand, she wanted to hug him, but she wasn’t ready to do that, so she did nothing at all.

Thorn pulled her athame out of her bag and began pacing the room. She focused on the door and drew a pentacle in the air over it, chanting the whole time. When she was done, her pentacle flashed in violet before winking out. The room was protected.

“That’s impressive,” Sé said. “That athame stays in your bag, right?”

She gave him a withering look.

“I was joking, Thorn. I know how special those are.”

“Good, I suggest we get some sleep now. I’m about to fall over.”

“You look like it. You’ve had quite the day.” His eyes softened as he said this. It made Thorn warm up and want to sleep next to this big, muscled man. His ebony hair was tousled from the ride over and he had a day’s worth of stubble on his face, adding to his bad boy appearance. All together the package was just the kind that appealed to her. Though that hadn’t made much difference before. Since Japan, her social life had been non-existent. It took a long time to really get to know someone. She remembered how big, brash Harley had caved.

She kicked off her boots and climbed into the bed, trying to scoot over to the edge of the wall. Sé climbed in after her. The futon groaned slightly under his bulk but was quiet once he settled. Thorn closed her eyes and inhaled Sé’s scent – redolent of fresh air, sandalwood and a hint of mint—a good scent. When she opened her eyes, she found Sé staring at her. She smiled at him and then closed her eyes again, this time surrendering to sleep.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Aphrodite and Venus, bring me a lover. Let him be faithful and true, let him love me for who I am and let me love him for who he is.

The sun was setting through the window when Sé woke in the early evening. Orange and red light danced on the wall across from him. He was still facing Thorn and he quietly enjoyed watching her while she slept. Beautiful aquiline nose, pouty lips, and hair that he ached to run his fingers through. As if he called to her, she opened her violet eyes and met his stare. She was slow to mimic his smile. If she was like him, she was trying to get her bearings.

“Good evening,” Sé said.

“Good evening to you. How long have you been awake?”

“Just a minute longer than you. I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Ach, it’s time we get up and moving. Do you want to take a shower?” Thorn asked, while she sat up.

Sé sat up too, “I’d love to. You sure you don’t want to go first?”

“Yeah, I’m going to call Uncle Charles and let him know I’m okay, so you go ahead.”

“Thanks, Thorn,” Sé said, smiling at her. He couldn’t help himself. He was in a great mood. He shouldn’t be. He was hanging out with and harboring a fugitive. He’d be kicked off the force at minimum and could go to jail at the most. He should be kicking himself but he wasn’t.

He waited for Thorn to take the ward off the room and then headed to the bathroom to take a shower. He adjusted the water to a tepid temperature. He needed to cool off. His head was racing with Thorn. What the fuck was he getting into, he wondered wryly. Sé shook his head dry and toweled off. He had to wear yesterday’s clothes as he hadn’t planned on going off the grid with Thorn.

“Your turn,” Sé said, walking back in the room. He caught Thorn on the phone with Charles. She motioned him over to the phone.

“Uncle wants to talk to you. Do you mind? I’ll just jump in the shower while you’re talking,” Thorn asked.

“Of course, hand me the phone.”

“Thanks, Sé,” Thorn said and stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek before leaving for the bathroom. It felt like a natural thing to do but it still stunned him. He wanted to swing her back into his arms and really kiss her but she was gone before he’d recovered enough to act on it.

“Sé, I say, young man, are you there?” Uncle Charles said.

“Uhm, yes, Charles. This is Sé, how are you today, sir?”

“Good, good, son. Had another visit from the infamous Special Agent Simms. She tried to harass me, until I reminded her that I might be old but I’m not stupid.” Sé laughed and sat down on the futon.

“Give her hell for me, Charles. She deserves it. I didn’t want to worry Thorn unnecessarily, but I think that Kate would fabricate evidence at this point to convict her. It’s one of the reasons I want Thorn out of their hands.”

“Why is she so bent on getting my niece, Sé?”

“Kate has an obsession with me. Woman scorned, I guess. She has never forgiven me for ending our brief relationship. Since then I’ve dealt with calls, flowers, gifts, visits. I’ve blown it off until now. I think she sees Thorn as a potential rival.”

“And is she?”

“Yes,” Sé whispered.

“I can’t tell you how thankful Thorn and I are for your help. I know this puts you in a terrible position.” Charles paused, then there was silence, before he proceeded in a quiet voice. “You are a brave and honorable man. Your mamó would have been proud.”

Sé picked at the quilt, suddenly sad. “Thank you, sir. That means a lot to me.”

“Bring my girl home safely, Sé.”

“I’m trying to, sir.”

“Good, now I’ll let you go so you two can get something to eat. Thorn told me she was going to tell you everything tonight and you need to be prepared.”

Alert now, Sé sat up, “Why, Charles, what’s going on?”

“Thorn will tell you, son, it’s not my place or story to tell. Tell Thorn I love her.” Nothing more but silence then. Uncle Charles had disconnected.

Sé was angry. Thorn had been holding back. He thought they’d put that worry to rest. She’d had this information and hadn’t given it to him before. He’d risked a lot for her. Sé took a deep breath. Thorn had decided to trust him like he had come to trust her. He would wait to hear what she told him and then make a judgment.

Thorn walked into the room then, in hip-hugger jeans and a black cashmere sweater. She sat down on the futon to put her boots back on. God, she smelled great. This was a woman who needed nothing but a shower to look stunning.

“So you know somewhere around here to get good food?” Sé asked, immediately realizing what he’d implied. She knew the area. Of course, she knew where to get food. He did a mental head slap.

“Yeah, I know a few places,” she smiled at him as she finished lacing up her boots. “But where we’re going to go is quiet too so we can talk.”

“Sounds good. From what Charles said, you owe me an overdue conversation.”

“Sé, I’ve wanted to have this talk with you for a while but wasn’t sure if I could trust you to believe me. I also wasn’t sure what all was going on until recently.”

“I understand,” he said, feeling better. “Let’s go eat and you can explain everything to me.”

They left the room and headed out down the back stairs to their bikes. Thorn took the stay-away spells off of them. Sé’s bike had so much power that when he started it, the windows rattled next to him. He was careful not to rev it up and make more noise. In contrast, Thorn’s Ducati purred. The two moved carefully down the crowded streets for a few blocks and then parked outside a sushi restaurant. From the outside it looked like a dive. Sé wasn’t too excited about eating there.

When they went inside, he was pleasantly surprised at how clean it was. It was virtually deserted. He thought it had something to do with the exterior. The only people in there were Japanese, no regulars. It was a local’s restaurant. The proprietor came around the counter and gave Thorn a hug and spoke to her in Japanese. Sé was realizing that they didn’t have a clue about this woman when they’d investigated Thorn. She had led a multilayered life. Getting to know her was like opening a Japanese puzzle box, one inside the other. Sé was introduced. He bowed slightly and said hello in English. Thorn smiled at them and was proud of how well Sé responded to the elaborate ritual courtesies, without any coaching. He had a natural sense of politeness.

“Let’s eat, I’m starving,” she said. She went to the long counter to place her order. “Everything is good here.”

“How do you know if I like sushi or not?”

“Oh, don’t you?” she looked upset.

“I’m teasing, Thorn. I love it.”

“Just for that, I’m slipping a wasabi ball in one of your rolls.”

They made their selection, filling their plates with fresh and various sushis. When they went to pay, the man hugged Thorn but wouldn’t take any money from them.

“Thank you. Your kindness exceeds your delicious sushi,” Thorn said, as she smiled at him, bowing slightly.

“What is this?” Sé grumbled, as they went further into the restaurant, where a private room was open for them. “Everyone acts like you’re an honored goddess.”

“Hardly,” she chuckled. “They respect the efforts I’ve made mastering their art and culture.” He grunted, realizing again how little they’d known about her.

After satisfying their immediate hunger, Sé looked at Thorn and narrowed his eyes and set his mouth, ready for her to talk.

“The killer is a man, a witch,” she began. “His name is Caleb and he’s my half-brother.” Thorn dropped her eyes to the table after she said this. Sé thought she acted as if she was responsible for him. He didn’t know what to think. He waited for her to continue, picking up another roll and carefully adding some wasabi to it before eating it.

“I went into a deep trance after Azayrid’s death to see who could be doing this and that’s how I found him. I thought I would have felt when he was near, but he was cloaking too well. He’s been following me ever since my mamó died.”

“Why has he been following you?” Sé asked. His anger surged, the urge to control the danger aimed at Thorn overwhelming any training his job had given him.