Only Witness, The (25 page)

              “No,” Vera hated to contradict him but the last thing he needed was to alienate his sister by disregarding her marriage and bond to Josiah. “You know as well as I do that she's not going to come with us. Asking her is just insulting her bond with Josiah. Don't borrow trouble, we've got enough on our plate.”             

              For a moment, she feared that she'd gone too far in voicing her opinion, because of the expression that crossed his face. He shook it off after a second. “You're right. We should still get downstairs, though.”

              Vera turned to grab her bag, but he beat her to it. “Thank you.”

              “You're welcome.”

              “This is probably a really shitty time to say this, so I'm just going to say it. Feel free to not say anything in return, I'm not expecting that. I just feel that with everything going on, I don't have the luxury of wasting time. Although, one could argue this whole ramble is a waste of time. I'm just nervous. Oh, screw it. I love you.”

              “Screw it?” He laughed. “I feel special now. Wait,” he held his hand up, “screw it, I love you too.”

              “Great, we're both crazy.” Vera couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face, she didn't want to. “That sounds just about right.”

Chapter TWENTY-ONE

              The SUV that Lina had waiting outside had taken them away from Center City at a speed that should have gotten them pulled over, but somehow they hadn't. Still, they'd been riding for hours, in very close quarters. Lina had been reluctant to stop, and Deacon couldn't blame her. After hours they finally arrived at a house in the country with a gated driveway complete with two armed men who looked like they knew what they were doing.              

              For some reason, Deacon couldn't shake the image of Josiah watching them leave or the words he'd spoken while they shook hands. “They're Strays for a reason, Deke. Be careful.”

              “Alright, this is home sweet home for tonight. Grab your bags.” Lina apparently wasn't interested in playing hostess; she didn't wait for them to follow before she got out of the car.

              “Fuck me, my leg has been asleep for like six hours. I'm not sure I can get up.” Houdini grumbled from the back seat.

              “Quit complaining, I've had to pee for like three hours.” Susan opened her door and got out first. “So, do we just go in and find our way?”

              “I've got no clue,” Deacon admitted. Everything that he knew about Strays certainly didn't include etiquette for staying in one of their safe houses. “Guess we're going to find out.” He looked over to Vera, who hadn't said much; in fact she hadn't said anything at all in hours.

              He moved to her side, took her hand in his, and she smiled, even if it didn't reach her eyes. It was obvious that she was tired and scared, even more obvious to him because of the connection that they shared. She'd said earlier that she was fine, but she wasn't, and how could she be?

              “C'mon, it's cold out here. Let's get you inside.” Deacon took Vera's hand, squeezed it and found her fingers were freezing and she hadn't said a word. Together they walked in the house, Houdini and Susan behind them, to find Lina in the living room, phone pressed to her ear.

              She motioned for them to wait, continued to speak in a language that Deacon didn't understand. Swedish, maybe? It didn't really matter, because the conversation was obviously not for their ears. An unsettled feeling took root in his stomach. He wasn't sure if it was Josiah's warning or his own instinct, and that bothered him most of all.

              “Alright, I'm sure you all want to get up to your rooms. Esther will show you up, but you'll need to be up early. There's a lot of things that we need to discuss. Also, I've just spoken with The Council. They'll be sending a representative to speak to all of you.”

              It took everything inside of Deacon not to swear out loud. The Strays certainly weren't easing them into anything; a meeting with The Council was a big deal. “Great,” he replied instead. “Where's Esther?”

              “Right here, Dear.” The woman who spoke came into the living room wearing a colorful apron over a serviceable black dress. She was easily in her sixties. “Follow me, I'll get you all set up. I've got a couple of nice rooms for you.”

              As far as Deacon was concerned, they couldn't get upstairs and behind closed doors soon enough. Vera must have picked up on his feelings, of course she would, and he could feel her shutting down. This was not the foot he wanted to start off on, not by a long shot.

              He thanked Esther and closed the door in her face as nicely as possible and turned to Vera. “What have we gotten ourselves into, Deke?” Her voice shook, her eyes were as filled with terror as they had been right after the attacks.

              “We're going to be alright. We'll be fine.” Deacon replied automatically, even though he was pretty sure it was a lie. This wasn't the end of rainbow for them, he knew that much. “No matter what happens, we'll be together.”

              “You're scared.”

              And he was, even if Deacon would rather bite his tongue than admit it to her. It would only scare her more, and he didn't want to scare her. He wanted to comfort her, to protect her. Fuck. Anger sparked but he swallowed it down, buried it for her.

              “Don't lie, I can feel it. It doesn't feel good. We need to be honest with each other.”

              “I am scared. This is all new. I can't be sure what's going to happen. I don't know if this was the right choice.”

              “It was the only choice,” she cut him off, “you would have died in prison, it wasn't an option. So, we'll be honest with each other even if it's not easy.”

              “That works both ways,” Deacon pointed out, “you sure have something on your mind. You want to tell me what?”

              “Can you tell me about The Strays?” It wasn't what he'd expected her to say, even when Deacon knew that the question was coming.

              “Of course. I forget that you don't know some of this stuff. I grew up with it.” Deacon motioned to the bed. “I'll tell you everything I know, if you lie down. And if you let me find you something to eat after. You've got to keep your strength up. Stay strong.”

              “Alright,” she smiled up at him. “Start talking.” 

              “The Strays have always existed in one form or another. Over generations the name we call them changes. They're a mixture of Shifters and Weres, something that never happens in a regular pack. They're not ruled by anyone in particular but have a set of rules they abide by.” Deacon followed her to the bed, knelt down and pulled her sneakers off when she sat down.

              “Josiah said that they have a reputation and that you should be careful. I heard him say it to you before we left. What did he mean by that?”

              “They do have a reputation, some of the members make a living by taking jobs that the packs won't touch.” Deacon set the sneakers aside, got to his feet and found her bag. He realized he'd need to get her more clothes, she only had several shirts, a pair of pajama pants and the jeans she was wearing. He needed to make sure that she had what she needed, what she deserved.

              “How do you know that you can trust them? That they'll have your back the way that the pack does? What if they have an ulterior motive?”

              “The Strays keep their word. It's a point of pride for them, and if they didn't, they wouldn't be able to interact with the packs. They will have my back and I'll have theirs. I'm Stray now. Actually, we're Stray now.” Deacon watched her take everything he'd said in. She'd relaxed some which pleased him until he realized that there was something that she was keeping from him. “I need to ask you something, Vera, and before I do, I'm going to remind you what you just said to me. We're going to be honest with each other, right?”

              “Right,” she replied. “How could you tell?”

              “I couldn't when you were all tense. Now that you relaxed it's more obvious.” It was the best way that he could think to say it, hoped that she'd understand. “So, tell me. Whatever it is, Baby, just tell me.”

              “What if it doesn't work? What if the treatment doesn't work? What if...”

              “You are not going to die, Vera. Stop thinking that. This is going to work, it has to work. I'm sorry that you're going to change now. I will find whoever it was and I will kill them. You have my word on that. This isn't what I wanted for you.”

              “If it helps any, changing sounds kind of awesome, but I'm just worried that I won't get to find out. I know I should think positive and all that, but it's just not that easy for me.” She took a deep breath. “And as far as whoever did this to me, I know that you'll get them. You don't have to tell me that.”

              “No, Vera, I need to tell you that. I need you to believe that, to trust me.”

              “I do, Deke,” Vera reached out and ran her hand over his arm. “I'm here, aren't I? I'm in this with you, all in. I love you. I love you so much.”

              “I love you too,” Deacon wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve feeling the way he did for her. It had opened up a part of him he hadn't realized was closed. “We're going to figure it out. And I need you out of that shirt, now.”

              “I'm not feeling too frisky, Deke.”

              “I need to put the ointment on your back,” Deacon hated the look that crossed her face. “I know it hurts. I've got something for that.” Susan had given him a bottle earlier in the car and he'd tucked it into his pocket. “Shit, I've got to get some water or something.”

              “There's a water bottle in my bag. And a protein bar. I need something in my stomach if I take a pain pill.”

              “I'll go get you something to eat.” Deacon offered, there had to be a stocked kitchen if this was a safe house.

              “I'm not hungry, I just need to have something in my stomach for the pill. Don't go anywhere.”

              “I'm not going anywhere.” Deacon promised.

<#<#>#>#>#

              “Okay, I let you get some rest and get some food in you. Now it's time to get down to business. This isn't a place you can stay for an extended period of time. Safe houses such as this are scattered around the country, none within pack boundaries. We remain on the edge, and you will as well.” Lina walked around the table and placed folders in front of each of them. “Your monetary assets were transferred into numbered accounts at an off shore bank. I've included the name and numbers of a few financial advisers. Choose one, they'll help you with the rest of the details. In these folders there is also a map, you can choose any of the areas shaded in gray to settle in. The others are color coded to represent the packs to which they belong.”

              “How long are we welcome here?” Deacon spoke up without opening the folder. From the clinical way that Lina was speaking, he figured that it wasn't for long. Probably not another night. They needed to figure something out and fast.

              “You'll be expected to leave bright and early tomorrow morning. I realize, it is not much time. To compensate for this, I've arranged for two cars for you as well as additional funds to cover the cost of a new bike of your choosing for both Deacon and Houdini.” Lina smiled at them. “And we're very happy to have all of you with us. You will find clean contract phones in the cars, there is a number programmed in for if an emergency arises.”

              “Thank you,” Susan looked up from the folder. “Just one question, what about our properties, the houses and the businesses?”

              “New To You is a crime scene. Valhalla Brothers has had its accounts frozen with the owner being under suspicion for two murders. Adelaide has taken up residence in Deacon's house with her new husband. The Vikings are under new management and something tells me that Houdini's room isn't his anymore. And Susan, I imagine you'll be evicted and your stuff put in storage after you don't pay your rent for a few months. Any other questions?”

              “You certainly don't sugarcoat shit.” Houdini spoke up. Deacon shot him a warning look, shook his head ever so slightly. They did not want to get a reputation as shit stirrers. Houdini mouthing off to Lina was just going to exacerbate the situation.

              “No, I don't.” Lina smiled at him. “You might want to pay real close attention to the list of rules inside the folder, Human.”

              “He has a name,” Susan spoke again, “start using it.”

              “Don't get your panties twisted, Doctor, he's a big boy. If he can't handle it, you should have left him behind.” Lina gave them all a nod and then left the room.

              Silence hung over the table for several minutes. Finally Deacon got to his feet. “I need some air. We all need some air.” It wasn't a suggestion and they all knew it. The conversation they all needed to have was one best out of earshot.

              “We could take these outside and look at them,” Vera tapped her fingers against the folder. “If we have to leave in the morning, we need to make some decisions and soon.”

              Together they walked through the backyard to a spot near a cluster of trees, Deacon motioned for Vera to sit down on the grass. He sat down next to her, threw the folder down. “We've got some decisions to make but first, we all need to be real clear that from here on out, we're playing by different rules. Some people might think we're in over our heads. I don't know, maybe we are, but it's the path we're taking and we'll figure it out. Make the best of it. Stay together.”

              “I'm with you, Prez,” Houdini told him.

              “Don't call me that. I'm not your President, not anymore.” Deacon would have risen to his feet, but Vera placed her hand on his leg. “That's in the rear view now, just like everything else we've ever known. So, let's open that map and pick a place none of us have ever been.”