Fort Morgan (23 page)

Otis’s eyes scanned her young face.

“
I will do this for you,”
his driver said.

Otis leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

“
Please stay here,” Otis
said. “If I am to survive, I will need you to get me away from
here.”

“
Let me do this!” Her
voice tugged at his heart.

“
I cannot,” Otis said.
“You know what to do if I do not return?”

“
I will take the car to
the airport.” The driver’s eyes began to leak tears. “I will leave
the car there and take a plane back to Denver. In Denver, I will
pack my things and move into the home you purchased for me in
Silverton. I will live quietly in the mountains for two years
before going anywhere.”

“
You remember where to
find the stash of US dollars?” Otis asked.

The driver nodded.

“
You are a beautiful
girl,” Otis said. “My wish for you is that you live a long, happy
life. You will find a good husband, have many children, and live
well.”

She leaned forward and closed her eyes. He
kissed her lips. Without saying another word, he left the
limousine. Closing the door, he tried to shake the feeling that he
was a creepy old man. As he walked, he looked back at the
limousine. She raised a hand in saying good-bye. He smiled and
turned into the hotel.

No matter what happened, he had no intention
of returning to the limousine. She deserved a full life, not one
attached to an old man who was incapable of loving her. Stepping
into the elevator, he took a breath and let it out.

Tonight he was going to finish his own
legacy. As a high-ranking member of the Bratva, he had ensured that
his sons would rise quickly to power. He could never have imagined
their brutality and cruelty. Their inhumanity had turned on them.
The Bratva had eliminated every one of his sons, except for this
one.

This one had retreated to the United States
many decades ago. He was sent here to launder money. It was only a
few years before he was investing in every form of depravity. Soon
the Bratva could not control him. His son began to spread his brand
of cruelty to every organized crime syndicate — the Mexican
Cartels, the Irish Mob, the Italian Mafia, and many others.

It would end tonight.

Idiot

Saturday early morning — 1:35 a.m.

Phoenix, Arizona

The elevator slowed to a stop, and Otis
stepped off the elevator. He took what his yoga instructor called a
“cleansing breath” before starting to walk down the hall. As the
Bratva had assured him, no one was guarding the door to the suite
where his disgusting son and friends were celebrating the capture
of Yvonne Smith.

Not wanting to delay, he pushed open the
door. He slipped into the only spot in the room that was not
covered by the surveillance camera — a corner near the door.

The room was absolutely silent. Wondering if
he was in the wrong place, Otis moved away from his safe corner.
There were close to thirty men in the room. Some of them wore
expensive suits and had manicured nails. More than half of them
looked like hired muscle or bodyguards. The men either sat on plush
couches or stood in place. Their eyes were open and their jaws
slack. They looked like statues — terrified, alive, but unable to
move.

In the middle of the room stood a woman who
looked like Yvonne Smith. When he took a step forward, she turned
to look at him.

“
Who are you?” Otis
asked.

“
Yvonne Smith,” the woman
said. “We’ve met a few times.”

“
No, you are not,” Otis
said.

“
He thinks so.” The woman
gestured to his son.

“
He is an idiot,” Otis
said.

She laughed. She seemed to glide across the
room. His body grew more aroused with every step she took.

“
Who are you?” Otis
asked.

“
How do you know I am not
Yvonne Smith?” the woman asked.

She stopped walking when she reached the end
of the couch. She looked him up and down.

“
She glows,” Otis said.
“It’s subtle, but I loved a woman who glowed in the same way. I’d
recognize it a mile away. It’s a rare, precious gift.”

“
You want me for
yourself,” the woman said.

“
I did not say that,” Otis
said.

“
Your body does.” The
woman gestured to his crotch, and the pressure in his groin
increased.

“
I am not a teenager,”
Otis said.

The woman laughed and continued in his
direction. She rounded the couch when he caught her scent.

“
Fairy,” Otis said.
“Full-blooded.”

“
Very good,” the woman
said.

“
Who are you?” Otis
repeated.

“
Guess,” the woman
said.

Otis raised an eyebrow in a shrug. When she
was close enough, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. His
capacity to heal negated her spell. The woman transformed into
herself. There was a natural resemblance between this woman and
Yvonne Smith. This woman’s skin was lighter. Her eyes were fairy —
wide and large with inch-long eyelashes. Her hair was dark and
straight.

“
You’re one of Queen
Fand’s children,” Otis said. “You have her look and your father’s
bearing.”

“
Her youngest daughter,”
the woman said. “So far. The queen is pregnant, so anything can
happen.”

“
Mari,” Otis
said.

“
How. . .?”

“
I met your mother and
father when my granddaughter was having her twins,” Otis said. “We
discussed children, and she mentioned you.”

“
Hmm,” Mari sniffed. “You
are his father.”

She pointed to the financier.

“
I am,” Otis said. “How
are you involved in this?”

“
It’s a family issue,”
Mari said.

She started circling him like a shark would
an injured seal. He felt her threat but refused to respond in
kind.

“
My family?” Otis
asked.

“
Mine,” Mari said. “Your
son is a little indisposed.”

“
I see that,” Otis said.
He gestured to the surveillance cameras. “What
about. . .?”

“
Your son had them turned
off,” Mari said. “He didn’t want anyone to document the breaking of
Yvonne.”

“
My son thought he could
break Yvonne?” Otis raised his eyebrows.

Mari laughed.

“
He
is
an idiot.” Otis
smiled.

When she was behind him, he walked around
the couch and stood in front of his son. His son’s eyes flickered
with recognition. Mari stared at him.

“
If this is a family
matter for you,” Otis looked at his son and then at Mari, “then
what about Alvin?”

“
What about Aaron Alvin?”
Mari asked.

“
A bullet through the
forehead seems far too easy for that monster,” Otis
said.

“
What would you say if I
told you that I very slowly and very carefully created a gap
between his skin and muscle?” Mari asked.

“
Sounds painful,” Otis
said.

Otis raised his eyebrows at Mari. She
nodded.

“
The hole in his forehead
is so obvious that they will miss it,” Mari said.

“
And his daughter?” Otis
asked.

“
Now that’s a shame,” Mari
said. “I was so distracted by my work that I wasn’t able to save
the child.”

Otis gave her a doubtful look. She moved
around the couch to stand next to him.

“
I only knew he would be
killed in a small window of time,” Mari said. “Skin gapping takes a
lot of concentration, especially when you want to make it as
painful as possible.”

“
Fairies don’t predict the
future?” Otis asked.

“
We suck at it,” Mari
said.

“
And the
Oracle?”

“
Delphie wouldn’t help
me,” Mari pouted. “She’s was like: ‘Life rights itself, Mari. Don’t
get involved.’ Bah!”

“
Sometimes life needs a
helping hand,” Otis said.

“
That’s what I said!” Mari
smiled at Otis.

“
What will you do with
this lot?” Otis asked.

“
I haven’t decided.” Mari
moved closer to Otis. She stood less than a foot away and looked
him up and down.

“
What are you doing?” Otis
asked.

“
Trying to decide if you
should join them,” Mari said.

Otis nodded. Mari started circling him
again.

“
You are evil,” Mari said
as she reached the front of him.

“
This is true,” Otis
said.

Mari made an agreeing grunt and started
pacing around him.

“
You are a powerful
healer,” Mari said when she reached the front of him
again.

“
This is also true,” Otis
said. She nodded and started pacing.

“
You don’t love,” Mari
said when she could see his face.

“
I did once,” Otis said.
She didn’t move.

“
Yes, you have loved —
deeply and completely,” Mari said. She stared at him until he
responded.

“
Yes.”

“
And many people love
you.”

“
A few,” Otis
said.

“
Why is that?” Mari asked
and started walking around him again.

“
No idea,” Otis
said.

“
Huh,” Mari said when she
reached the front of him. She stopped walking. Her index finger
came to her face, and she tapped her temple.

“
Huh?” Otis
asked.

“
I’ve never met an evil
human who both knew he was evil and was capable of loving,” Mari
said with a shrug. “I’ve never met one who is loved by so many
people. Many people have dedicated their lives to you. I’ve never
seen such humility in one so powerful. It’s confusing to me.
Reminds me of someone.”

“
Your father?” Otis
asked.

“
My father,” Mari nodded.
“Finegal, my brother. You are not fairy-kind.”

“
Not in the least,” Otis
said.

“
Human-healer,” Mari said.
“From Rus?

“
Why don’t we have a drink
and discuss it?” Otis asked. “Maybe it will become
clearer.”

“
You’re not afraid of me
at all,” Mari said.

“
This is true.”

“
You should be a little
afraid of me,” Mari said.

“
I’ll consider it,” Otis
said.

They stared at each other for a moment.

“
Champagne?” Otis asked.
He walked to a cart where four bottles of fifteen-hundred-dollar
champagne were chilling. He held up a bottle.

“
Why not?” Mari
asked.

Otis smiled and opened the bottle.

~~~~~~~~

Saturday early morning — 3:35 a.m.

Denver, Colorado

Seeing the operating nurse come out of the
back, Jill stood up. Jacob slipped his hand into hers to give her
support. The three of them had been waiting for Heather to get out
of surgery. Sam had taken the children to Seth’s house.

“
You can come back now,”
the operating nurse said as she approached.

Jill glanced at Jacob and Honey. They nodded
to encourage her. She gave them a partial smile and followed the
nurse. The nurse was moving so fast that Jill had to jog to keep up
with her. The nurse made a fast turn into a room filled with beds.
She stopped short.

“
This is Recovery,” the
nurse said. “You will have a few minutes.”

“
Thank you,” Jill
said.

“
Now, who are you?” the
nurse asked. “You’re not family — right?”

“
Heather’s husband had a
bone marrow transplant,” Jill said. “He’s a few stories up. I’m her
friend.”

The nurse gave Jill something between a
sniff and a shrug. She took off down the center row between the
beds. Jill hurried but couldn’t keep up. Finally, the nurse stopped
at a bed. She held the curtain back for Jill. Impatient, the nurse
shifted from one hip to the next.

“
Thank you,” Jill said as
she passed through the curtain to the bed.

“
She’s not awake,” the
nurse said. “We’re evaluating her condition before she’s placed
either in the ICU or on a ward.”

“
Yes,” Jill said. She gave
the nurse a warm smile. “Thank you.”

The nurse gave her a bored look and left the
bed area. Shaking her head at the nurse, Jill turned away from the
nurse to look at the bed.

Heather. Jill’s heart leapt to her
throat.

Her friend’s chin and throat were covered in
white gauze. There was a tube draining fluids like Jacob had had
when he was injured. Jill forced herself to breathe. After Jill’s
initial shock subsided, Heather didn’t look too horrible to her.
Jill thought back to Jacob’s hospitalization, Katy’s bee sting
debacle, Delphie’s stroke, Aden’s beating, and even more recently,
Charlie’s hospital stay. Jill nodded to herself. Compared to all of
that drama, Heather didn’t look half bad. Feeling movement, Jill
looked up to see a doctor. He introduced himself as the surgeon who
had worked on Heather.