Slipping the Past (16 page)

“It’s very personal. It’s not just about the knock to my skull, love.” Ian cocked his head; his eyes became obsidian. Jocelyn’s stomach lurched. If he wasn’t so scary, a woman could really take a bite out of him. The man really knew how to work that look. “I’m really enjoying our little game, waiting to see if you can clear your history in five days.” He glanced at his chronograph. “Make that four and a quarter.”

“You know about the deal?”

“Yeah, and every other Enforcer out there. Gabriel likes to talk about his conquests. Seems you were a sweet piece of ass, too. Took some of your soul, didn’t he?”

Jocelyn’s eyes widened. “How’d you know?”

“Guy talk.”

Jocelyn shook her head and stepped back. “I think you’re lying.”

“Think? You’ve lost your magic touch, haven’t you? Nasty side-effect of having Gabriel’s cock stuffed inside you. I hope it was worth it. You should have picked me. I wouldn’t have left you to suffer.”

“Gabriel didn’t mean to hurt me.”

“I think I’ll let you discover the truth for yourself. Go ahead, find the proof of your innocence. I’ve got other things to keep me occupied for now. But I have to tell you, it’s not going to happen. You’ve lost your ability to slip the past. Why do you think he took your vision?” Ian stuck the staff back, holstering it across his shoulders. “He’s toying with you, doll.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Ian stepped back into the shadows. “Wait and see, love. Wait and see.”

Jocelyn shivered and stared into the dark. Without her ability to view energy, she couldn’t tell if he was gone or waiting to pounce. She might as well be blind.

I have other things to keep me occupied
. Ian’s words came back to her like a slap in the face.
Idiot!
Rule number one: never talk to Ian. She really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut.

“Nate.” Jocelyn gasped for air and ran for the room. The wind tore at her face, stinging, burning. She picked up the pace, sprinting on ice-glazed sidewalks, over curbs, and across the street. Ten minutes later, she came to a dead stop in the courtyard of the motel. The lights were out, all of them. Even the neon sign that had proclaimed “Vacancy” before looked dead.

“No. Oh please no.” She rushed for the room, taking the steps two at a time. Ahead, the door hung open, swinging back and forth in the wind, bumping on something in the doorway. “Nate!” Jocelyn scrambled to the entrance and found Gabriel’s coat across the threshold. She peered inside, searching the dark. As her eyes adjusted, she took in the overturned lamps and bedding strewn around the room. Every drawer was pulled from the bureau and tossed to the floor. The stolen laptop had been smashed and lay in pieces everywhere. “Nate?”

“He’s not here. From what I’m picking up off this bat, he left in a fury. I think he was gone before the Enforcers came.”

Jocelyn followed the voice to a chair where Gabriel’s tall form stretched out. He held Nate’s bat in his hands and studied it.

“Did you have something to do with this?”

Gabriel dropped the bat and rose to his feet. “Why would you say something like that?”

“You told Ian about us. You told him about our agreement.”

“What agreement?”

“A week. You told him about giving me a week.” Jocelyn reached down and yanked the coat out of the threshold and slammed the door shut. “How else would he know?”

“I don’t talk to Ian. Don’t like him. You’d be smart not to do it, either.”

Jocelyn snorted.

“What?” Gabriel snapped.

“Ian seemed to think you two were pretty chummy.”

Gabriel strode across the room and grabbed her by the arms. “You do know he has a unique gift? He can read your memories when you vocalize. He’s one of the strongest readers in existence. It’s why he’s insane. Too many voices in his head. Stay away from him, Jocelyn, and for God’s sake, don’t talk to him anymore. He’s dangerous.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth? Why did you steal my abilities, Gabriel? You knew I couldn’t read you without them.” Jocelyn yanked free. “What did you do with my brother?”

“I didn’t mean to draw the energy. I lost myself and before I realized it, I’d drained you. When we first met, I took the scarring from your brain. I tried to fix your sight, but couldn’t. I didn’t think the draw would do what it did. As for Nate….” His gaze swept the room. “I told you. I didn’t do this.”

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth? You’re a reaper. A fucking reaper who drained my ability to gauge what you say.”

Gabriel glared. He walked past her, grabbed his coat from the floor, and slipped it on. He raised one wrist and stared at the cuff. “What happened to my coat?”

“What happened to my brother?”

“I had nothing to do with this.” Gabriel spun around and strode forward. This time he came straight at her. Jocelyn backpedaled, coming to an abrupt stop when her ass connected with the wall. He slapped both his palms on either side of her head and leaned in. “If you choose to believe that crazy Enforcer over me, do. But it’s going to get you one place. You’ll be helping to charge a city for the rest of eternity. Listen to me, trust me, and maybe I can get you and your brother out of this mess. Choose.” His eyes glittered.

“You’ll help my brother?”

“That was my intention when I walked into this room. When the lights went out, I knew something bad happened. I came over here to save your sorry ass and your brother’s. Instead, you accuse me of being behind it. I thought they had you, and I contemplated breaking every law on the planet to get you back. Doesn’t give me a warm and fuzzy feeling, Jocelyn. I thought after all that’s happened between us, you would know I couldn’t do this to you.”

Jocelyn sighed. It sounded feasible, but so had Ian. Every time she began to trust Gabriel, something happened to make her question that trust. Had she made another mistake? “Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“Help me, please. Help my brother.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “And….”

“I’m sorry I listened to Ian. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”

He lowered his mouth and kissed her, sliding one hand to her face, cupping it gently. “I’m sorry I gave you reason to doubt me. I’ll never do it again.” He stepped away.

“Nate is safe for now. He was gone before they came, but we need to find him fast. Who knows what information you gave Ian when you spoke to him?”

“We have a meeting place, should we ever get separated and need to find each other.”

“You think he’s there?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Then so is Ian.”

The lights were brilliant. She’d never seen it through her own eyes. Like a star-struck tourist, her mouth hung open and she stopped in place to stare. “It’s beautiful. I feel like I’m in some kind of fairy ballroom. Look at all the lights. The way they dance off the marble floor and did you see that—”

“It’s a commuter station, Jocelyn. Standing in place staring isn’t a good idea. You look like easy pickings.” Gabriel grabbed her arm and pulled her into a crowd. “Stay with me and try to blend.”

“Blend. Okay.”

“Hide that hair.”

“Does it stand out that much?” Jocelyn tucked her ponytail in the back of her coat and pulled the hood up, peeking out at him.

He studied her for a minute, his eyes warming until they glowed. “I haven’t forgotten it for centuries. So yeah, you could say that.”

“I think that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

Gabriel groaned.

“What?”

“I don’t talk sweet.”

“Yes, you do. I bet you could write poetry if you wanted. An ode to my lips, my eyes, my thighs.”

Gabriel stared.

“Okay, maybe that’s stretching it a bit.”

He tugged her along. “Where?”

“Any place you can find food, you’ll find Nate.” Gabriel dropped her arm and cut a direct path to the vendors, where the deepest congestion bottlenecked and the crowds stood still. People brushed her, bumped and jostled. She flinched each time, expecting flash of emotion or image. Nothing. It was as if their energies were gone and all that was left was a lifeless shell.

Ahead, the crowd parted for Gabriel. People gave him space. Not one person bumped into him or looked in his direction. They turned their faces, avoiding the chance of eye contact. Jocelyn felt a jolt of pain. He must be so lonely. In a crowded room, not one person risked his company. How long had it been that way?

“Since I became an Enforcer.”

“You read my mind.”

“No. I caught the look on your face in the stainless steel on that vendor’s cart. Don’t pity me. I don’t want it.” He turned to her. His eyes darkened to a smoky topaz. “You of all people should know how it feels.”

Jocelyn opened her mouth and shut it. He was right. She’d seen the looks on people’s faces. Poor blind, homeless girl. She’d never been blind, not in the way people thought, and she was homeless by choice. A place to rest her head was a place for an Enforcer to come knocking. She’d gotten good at staying ahead of them and if it meant sleeping in the cold and panhandling for food, that was what she’d do. Better that than an eternity imprisoned.

She returned her attention to searching for Nate. In a city this large, he could be anywhere if he wasn’t here. “I don’t see him. Usually, by now, I sense….” But that was before she lost her sight. Nate had a unique energy. It towered above the crowds like a giant, reaching for the sky as though he stood ten feet tall. Jocelyn scanned over the multitude’s heads.

Nate also had a knack for getting out of trouble. It never stuck to him. Even though he’d had amazing luck in the past, Nate’s proverbial kismet-meter hit zero, and all his good fortune had run out. Her attention landed on Ian.

“Gabriel.” Jocelyn took several quick steps and almost ran into him. She grabbed the back of his coat.

“Nate’s here. I can feel it,” Gabriel called over his shoulder, not slowing his pace.

“Gabriel.” Jocelyn yanked hard on the back of his jacket, stopping him. “He’s not the only one. Look. Over there.” Jocelyn nodded to a section the crowd moved around, like an invisible barricade surrounded it. Psycho reaper leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, watching them.

“Saefa.” Gabriel shoved her behind him. “Get out of here, Jocelyn.”

“I’m not leaving without my brother.”

“We’ve been through this before.”

“Have we? That’s funny, because I don’t remember,” Jocelyn snarled and started to walk away. “He can take Nate.” Gabriel spun around and snagged her arm.

“Wrong direction.”

“Let go, Gabriel.”

“Not until you tell me where you’re going.”

Enforcer Saefa appeared next to them. “How’s my pretty torch-top?”

“She’s not yours.”

“You’re not supposed to talk….” Jocelyn’s voice died in her throat as Ian’s eyes locked onto her.

Then he smiled.

“Shit.”

“You could say that.” And then Psycho Reaper vanished.

“Go after him.” Jocelyn pushed on Gabriel’s shoulder. “Do that teleport thing. Go.”

“Can’t. For one, he’s doing his job and I can’t interfere. Two, if I leave, he can grab you. When it comes down to you or Nate, Nate loses.” Gabriel grabbed her wrist. “We need to go.”

“I’m not leaving without Nate.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

“But that asshole is after him.”

“Nate’s not here. I told you I felt his energy to put the thought in your head. I figured Saefa already raided your head for Nate’s location on the previous conversation and would be lurking around the station. When he couldn’t find him, he decided to frisk your mind again. I only planted the bait. My commander can’t accuse me of interfering. You have a temporary pardon, so he can’t touch you, not in the physical sense.”

“How’d you know he wouldn’t read yours?”

“Saefa could care less what I think. He targeted your thoughts.” Gabriel tugged her wrist. “You got another place you’d like to check?”

***

Jocelyn scanned up and down the aisles. Rows of books sat like stiff soldiers, packed next to each other. Since technology had seized the world, bound volumes sat unused, ignored for the convenience of a digital read. She’d never read a real book with her own eyes, and to her they were lost treasures, begging to be explored, but now was not the time. Jocelyn pulled her fingers back from the bindings and sighed.

The library felt like a crypt, so quiet. The brutality of the storm kept most of the residents of the city at home. The wind whipped and flakes had started to fly hours ago. Outside, the snow piled up faster than the street crews could keep up.

Nor’easters had a way of stopping the world. Nobody risked going out in them if they didn’t have to. At least the sane people didn’t. She moved away from the shelves and a longing filled her gut. Someday, perhaps.

She turned left at the end of the aisle and headed for the processors. Sure enough, Nate sat in front of a holo-screen, touching the air between the readers, dragging his finger and moving data that was invisible from where she stood. A headset attached to a sonic player covered his ears. In one hand he held a laser-pen and drummed away on a digital pad, stopping every so often to scrawl across the surface, humming, not noticing the nasty looks from the gray-haired woman at the counter. Not that he was disturbing anyone.

“Nate.”

Nate continued to drum and scrawl—and dear God, sing.

“Nate!”

Nate glanced up and smiled. Quick to forgive, Jocelyn was happy to see the hostility gone and the brother she loved had returned. He pulled the headset off and turned the data toward her.

“I’m a genius.”

Jocelyn glanced at the holo-screen, not really taking any of it in, and then back at him. They didn’t have time to discuss whatever he’d found. His life was in danger. “We need to talk.”

“Did you hear me? I’m a genius. Look.” He tapped the reader with his pen, causing the screen to ripple like water. “Look.” He grinned.

Jocelyn sighed and glanced at the image.

Salem witch trials.

“I can track all your past life crimes. Here’s one. You were accused of murdering a family with witchcraft.”