Gathering Storm (18 page)

Litha unlocked the cuffs
and said offhandedly, “I think he believes us now. What’s
next?”

“Dinner on your little girl,” Elora
said.

Litha frowned. “What do you mean?”

After hearing the details of the incident,
Litha turned to Glen. “Why haven’t you mentioned this?”

“Because I thought you had enough going on.
We set up some rules about where she can go and how long she can be
gone. No harm can come to her, you know. I mean think about it. How
is anybody going to catch her unless she wants them to?”

All the adults looked at Rosie at once. She
smiled around the orange slice she was eating.

They talked for a while
longer about the plan, then Glen did a review.

“We’re going to start the
make-over tomorrow. We’ll meet downstairs in Sol’s conference room
at nine. As for what happens until then…” He looked at Angel. Then
he looked at Litha. “We’re going to need to keep appearances
normal. He has to go home with you. Sorry.”

Images of Angel and his
tattoo standing naked in her bedroom flitted across her mind and
she shuddered involuntarily.

“So we’re agreed?” Glen
asked.

“I’m not.” Everybody turned
to look at Angel. “Give me one reason why I should want to learn to
pretend I’m this guy who you all think is such hot stuff. One
minute I’m minding my own business,
about
to be maimed and mutilated
, and the next
I’m in the middle of a…”

He stopped short and
glanced at Litha, who promptly turned bright red, either from
embarrassment or fury. It was impossible to say, but Elora noticed
the reaction. Let the speculation land where it may.

“…
of a strange situation,
in a strange place, with you people. So what, exactly, is my
motivation to cooperate with this makeover?”

Ram spoke up. “You make a
very good point. Certainly you’re here through no fault of your
own. From your point of view I’m sure it seems unfortunate that
fate delivered you to us. As to your question about motivation, I’m
happy to provide you with insight into why it would be in your best
interest to work with us.

“In a far corner of the
deepest sublevel of this building is a chain link kennel where a
ferocious beast used to be kept.” Blackie’s head came up, ears
pointed forward, and he looked at Ram like he understood what was
being said. “’Tis quite secure, I assure you. Escape would no’ be
possible. If you would rather be spendin’ the next however-long as
a prisoner there, while we wait for my friend’s return, that can be
arranged.

“If you decide to comply
with our demands, you will no’ give us any trouble nor will you
attempt to leave. Be assured that your hostess, her father, and any
of his kinsmen can track and return you within minutes. Should you
force us to prove that, you will earn yourself an unpleasant and
unnecessary twenty-four hours in the kennel.”

Angel smirked. “You won’t
do that.”

Ram raised an eyebrow. “I will no’?”

“You’ve spent the past
three hours talking about what to do with me and why. Where do you
think I was while you were doing that? I’ll tell you. I was sitting
right here listening. You’re not going to put the almighty Storm in
a kennel in the same building where you’re trying to convince
people nothing has changed.”

Ram appraised him for a
couple of beats. “Sharp as a tack you are! Another good point. And
you’re right. Thank you for bringin’ it to my
attention.”

Ram pulled out his
intelliphone and started fiddling with it. When he found what he
was looking for he slid his thumb over the selection and put the
phone to his ear while everyone in the room watched to see what
would happen next.

“I need a secure Hurricane
kennel built tomorrow mornin’. Somethin’ for an extra large dog
that would hold even if he was angry ‘bout havin’ visitors.” Pause.
“Yes.” Pause. “Perhaps you could move it to the top of your list.
Money is no’ an issue, but I will be needin’ it done in the
mornin’.” Pause. “Yes. Close by.” Pause. “I’m handin’ the phone
off, but keep this number. I’ll be your contact and payment.”
Pause. “Hang on.”

He handed the phone to
Litha. While Ram stared at Angel, they both listened to Litha give
her address and tell the fence company to construct the kennel
inside the garage. Yes. She would leave the garage door open the
next day. She handed the phone back to Ram.

“I’m sendin’ you the email
to invoice.” Pause. “Yes. I will pay as soon as it comes through.”
He hung up and looked at Angel. “Are we understandin’ one another
then?”

Angel glowered in a way
that let Ram know they weren’t likely to be buddies. Ever. But he
managed a temperamental nod.

“Again, you will no’ be
givin’ Mrs. Storm any trouble ‘tween now and the morn. This is me
bein’ calm and collected. You do no’ want to see my hot blooded
side.”

Elora leaned over and gave
Ram a breathy whisper. “
I
want to see your hot blooded side.”

In better times, that
would have gotten a laugh and a wet kiss from Ram. All things
considered, the smile she got in return would do.

When everyone was gone and
Helm had been returned. Ram and Elora ate cold sandwiches on
toasted bread that had been good hours before and talked about the
challenges of trying to turn one person into somebody else,
especially one taciturn and surly person who was not in the least
enthusiastic about a makeover.

“There may be a dozen lookalikes out there.
I don’t know. I guess there could be a hundred. Or a thousand,”
Elora said.

“But there’s only one
Storm.” He finished her sentence.

Elora met Ram’s somber eyes. “Yeah.”

At the vineyard, Litha
left Angel waiting in the kitchen while she made a few
preparations. When she returned, she had some ground rules to lay
down.

“You can stay in the guest room. I’ve put
some clothes in the closet and some toiletries in the bath. Do not
set foot in my room or Rosie’s. You have the freedom of the house.
You can feed yourself, watch TV, or whatever, but you can’t go
outside until you have the skills necessary to double as my husband
– in case someone we know should come by.

“Tomorrow morning my
father will be back here to transport you to Jefferson Unit. Be
ready to go at nine. It’s going to be a busy day for you.
Questions?”

“Yes. What do you want me
to call you?”

“What I want is for you to never speak in my
presence again. What I must tolerate, for now, is what Storm calls
me, which is Litha. Now, if there are no more questions…”

“Okay.” She turned to
leave, but his voice stopped her. “I won’t tell your
friends.”

Litha’s entire body tensed, knowing what he
was referring to. She hesitated at the doorway for a moment, but
didn’t respond.

Rosie looked up into her
mom’s eyes when Litha leaned down to tuck her in. “Can I sleep with
you tonight?”

Litha sat down on the edge
of the big girl bed and reached to brush a lock of wavy dark hair
away from Rosie’s face.

“It’s weird having a
strange man in the house isn’t it?” Rosie nodded. “Especially when
he looks so much like Daddy.” Rosie nodded again. “I feel the same
way and I’d really like to have some company in that great big bed
tonight.”

Rosie looked so relieved
that Litha felt a tug on her heartstrings.

“He looks like Daddy, but
he’s not like Daddy.”

“I know, sweetheart. Nobody is.”

The next morning Litha
dropped Rosie off with the monks and headed to Jefferson Unit. She
hadn’t checked her phone for messages and didn’t see the text
reminder from Ram to leave the garage door open, so she had to make
a trip back home. She stopped at the Hub for a second coffee before
taking the elevator down to Sol’s conference room. Taking hot
coffee into a pass was an invitation to catastrophe. So she waited
until she was out of the passes for a second cup.

All parties from the night
before were assembled and ready to go. Barrock had been given the
day off so they could talk freely without having to worry about a
young ear pressed to the closed doors.

The smart boards were in
use, since the search for Storm was still on, but Glen had old
fashioned pens and notepads for any who wanted them and hadn’t
brought their own device.

Deliverance arrived with
his passenger right on time and Litha unlocked the
cuffs.

Glen sat Angel at the end
of the table furthest away from the door and addressed the opening
comment to him. “I’ve taken precautions about interaction with
personnel this morning, but just in case, until further notice do
not engage anyone other than the people you see in this room. If
someone talks to you, just smile and nod when appropriate. We’ll
take care of the rest.”

Angel nodded absently. He was preoccupied
looking at the poster size photos of Storm that were hung all
around the room.

Glen continued. “I don’t know what you go by
wherever you came from, but while you’re here, your name is
Storm.”

“I go by Angel.”

At that, Litha looked up,
as did Elora and Ram, almost as if they were actually considering
for the first time that he was more than a cardboard cutout of
Storm.

They were thinking his
fate had been to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They knew
they were using him, felt bad about it – to varying degrees, but
that wasn’t going to stop any of them from proceeding.

He was thinking that the
moment of his kidnapping could not possibly have been more
opportune or timely and that he was lucky to land where he was. But
that was a bit of info he’d be keeping to himself.

“Well, this may suck for
you, but like I said, your name is Storm until we return you to
life in…” Glen looked at Deliverance.

“Halcyon.”

“…
Halcyon
Dimension.”

Angel perked up. “Halcyon? That’s the name
of my neighborhood bar.”

Glen looked unimpressed.
“Good to know. Now the first order of business…”

Glen’s attention was drawn
to the door opening and filling up with a formidable figure
carrying a duffle over his shoulder. “Somebody order
pizza?”

“Bubba!” Elora jumped up
and rushed to give him a hug.

Kay dropped the duffel in
time to get both arms around her. “Lump. You better not ever call
me that in front of my sisters or they’ll pound you. They think
they’re the only ones entitled.”

“Well, they’re wrong about that, but I get
it. I wouldn’t let anybody else call me Lump.”

Kay laughed softly and
gave Elora a squeeze. His eyes swept the room and came to rest on
Deliverance. “Who’s that?”

Ram looked at Deliverance
and it dawned on him that a situation was in the making. “Uh
oh.”

Elora tightened her arms
around Kay, turning the hug into a form of restraint. “Kay. Don’t
go flying off. That’s Litha’s father. He’s working for us
now.”

With a growl Kay shoved
Elora aside, something she wouldn’t have thought
possible.

“You!” Kay’s eyes were taking on that feral
look that was the harbinger of a berserker rage.

Elora and Ram both stepped in front of Kay
to try and divert his attention.

“Paddy’s Curse, Elora. Who
called Kay?”

“I did. He deserves to
know that his partner is missing.”

“Yeah? Remember what
Simon’s office looked like after Hurricane Kay blew
through?”

“Can we argue about this
later? Kay! This is not helping. We can’t find Storm without that
demon.”

As Kay turned toward
Elora, the berserker seemed to recede a little, but they were far
from home free.

“What?”

“You’ve got to work out
your differences and work together.”

Kay gaped at Elora. “Work
together?” Apparently that idea was so mind boggling that it
brought Kay’s human side fully back to the forefront. “That can’t
be a serious request.”

Kay’s focus went right
back to Deliverance, who stood waiting calmly and dispassionately
with his arms crossed over his chest.

“You kidnapped my girl!”

“You killed my father. My
kin wanted a retribution killing. I think you got off
easy.”

“Got off easy? Got off
easy?” He repeated that like his brain was so scrambled by the
incredulity of that statement that it got stuck on a loop. “You
pinched her!”

The room was quiet as a tomb while everyone
held their breath waiting to see what Deliverance would say to
that.

Elora pulled at Kay to try
to divert his attention to her. “Kay. Look at the chain of events.
I’m not pretending to know how all the puzzle pieces fit together,
but Katrina’s kidnapping led to Litha and Deliverance finding each
other. Right now, she’s kinda miffed at him, but overall I’m
thinking that was a good thing. That led to Katrina insisting that
Litha be her maid of honor and that led to one of the most romantic
moments in history. Also a good thing.” Elora glanced at Litha and
saw that her face had softened and her eyes were misty. “I know
that Storm’s the philosopher, but it just seems like there was a
little meant-to-be in there. Don’t you think?”