The Escalade bounced over the uneven gravel road, and Jared came to a stop just outside a familiar chain-link fence. We walked hand-in-hand to the Warehouse where I met Eli. Jared pushed the button and we waited. Nothing.
“I thought you said he wouldn’t speak to you?” I asked.
Jared stood silent, patient, and calm. Twenty long minutes passed, and then we were final y buzzed in. The breath Jared had silently held, he released. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Bex led the way through the dusty, cement hal . My footsteps echoed throughout the capacious room the hal opened up to, encased by a hundred dirty windows.
As before, we waited in the center.
Jared’s and Bex’s faces were marked by soot from the fire. Their expressions were composed, waiting for Eli to decide to show himself.
An hour passed, and stil we waited. Jared slid his arms from his jacket and hung it on my shoulders. I hadn’t even noticed the cold, but once the added heat was around me, I shivered.
“Patience,” Jared said. His words could have been directed at me or at Bex, I wasn’t sure.
After another hour, the columns of glass were ignited by the rising sun. Rays of white pierced through, il uminating the elegantly floating dust motes in its path. Glowing yel ow squares infringed upon the shadows, and soon the entire floor glowed and warmed with the glorious grace of morning light.
“Nina,” a voice call ed from across the room. Eli walked toward us, his eyes focused only on me. He was dressed in the same attire he wore the last time we met: The crisp, white shirt, the jeans and sandals, and the spiky blonde hair. He made a click noise with his tongue. “You aren’t getting enough rest.”
“But you knew that,” I smiled sleepily.
One corner of his mouth turned up, but it wasn’t quite a smile. “I’m sorry, Cupcake. I haven’t been much help.”
“Can you help us now?” Jared asked.
“We would love to, Jared. We’ve been instructed not to,” Eli said. Compassion was in his eyes, but not apology.
“But…why?” Bex asked, genuinely confused.
Jared watched Eli for a moment, and then frowned. “They won’t intervene unless The Balance is disturbed.”
Eli reached his hand to me, and I took it. He pul ed me into him gently. He towered over me, and I felt like a child wrapped in his arms. Emotion overwhelmed me, and I let myself tremble and weep unreservedly in the quiet sanctuary of his embrace. Jared’s hand touched my shoulder; Bex’s smal er hand touched my back. A sob that had been hiding somewhere deep within me found its way to the surface.
It felt good to cry. I had just seen my father for the first time since his death. The pressure and horror of being the center of a story Hel took very seriously, and now hearing that Heaven was unwil ing to help, hope was dwindling. Crying was a sweet release, and in Eli’s arms, it was natural, much like a tearful moment in my father’s lap when I was hurt or frightened.
Eli released me, and tenderly grasped a lock of my hair. “You have grieved for your former life, Nina Grey. It is time to rise up as the woman you are: Strong, determined,” he smiled, “and stubborn.” He walked away from us, looking at the sky through the windows. “Humans see life as so precious when it’s fleeting. Add in the defensive instincts of a mother, and you’re nearly unstoppable, even in your fragile shel . It’s more inspiring each time I see it.”
“You know she’s not pregnant,” Jared said.
“Yet,” Eli said, turning with a knowing smile. “Let us visit again when the time is right. At the time when you have no more questions to ask but one.”
“What question is that?” I asked, but he was gone. “Damn it.”
“We need to get Nina back,” Jared said.
“Back to where, Jared? Did you forget your house is toast?” Bex said.
I shook my head, stil in disbelief. Jared enveloped me in his arms, warmer and even more inviting than Eli’s.
“You have three choices, Nina: Cynthia’s, Lil ian’s, or Kim’s.”
“Kim’s?” I sneered. “Even if I did stil consider her my friend, I have no desire to live in the dorms again.”
Jared grimaced. “She’s the safest, option, Nina, and yes, she’s stil your friend.”
“Why is she the safest?” I asked.
Bex grinned. “They don’t mess with her. She’s like bug spray.”
I smiled. “She would hate that if she heard you.”
Bex pul ed a gun from the back of his jeans and scratched his head with the barrel. “Okay. Where to, then?”
“I stil have things at Cynthia’s. We’l go there,” I said, taking in a deep breath. Luckily, Cynthia was consistently busy with charities, so she would be out and about more often than not.
“You’ll go there,” Jared said.
My mouth fel open. “I’m not going anywhere without you. You told me once you couldn’t go back to that, again. What happened to that?”
“It’s not my first choice, I assure you,” he said, an uncomfortable grin twisting his mouth.
“It’s my house, Jared. You’re coming,” I said. I looked at Bex, then. “And there’s a room for you, too.”
“I have a room, thanks,” Bex said.
“Nina,” Jared began.
I held up my hand. “If you make me go to that house alone, I wil spend al of my time in Jack’s office. I'l move my bed in there. I swear to God.”
Jared had once told me that Jack's office was the only room in my parents' home that wasn't wired with microphones or cameras. Jared could stil hear me, of course, but having to guess what I was doing drove him crazy.
Jared smiled. “Don’t swear at Him. We need Him on our side.”
I frowned. “You know what I mean.”
He sighed. “Cynthia’s it is, then.”
Chapter Nine
Kil ing the Messenger
Nothing goes as planned. People say goodbye. Buildings burn, and the impossibility of moving back in with Cynthia Grey after the age of eighteen can actual y happen.
As I stood before the colossal home my father left to me after his death, I felt a bit nauseous at the prospect of walking its hal s everyday again.
Some of my best and worst memories happened within those wal s: Jack chasing me down the hal s, cooking my first meal, my father dying before my eyes, and everything I thought he was slipping away as I read a hidden file on the second floor.
But it was stil home.
The gravel crunched beneath my feet as Jared walked me up the steps to the front door. The sun had hidden behind the thick clouds that were quickly moving in, and the air smell ed like a mixture of winter and spring.
I took a deep breath and let it out as the wind blew the blonde strands of my hair against my cheek. “I’m going to get unpacked and organized. I have to go into Titan before they think I’ve defected.”
Jared tossed the keys to Bex. “Update Mom and Claire. I need you back here at six thirty.”
Bex nodded once. “You got it.”
The smell of freshly brewed coffee fil ed the air as we walked in, and Cynthia's heals signaled her approach. She stopped suddenly in the foyer.
“Oh! You startled me. Real y, Nina, you could at least call if you’re going to visit so early.”
“We’re not visiting. We’re moving in,” I said, making my way up the stairs.
Cynthia rushed to the first step, looking up at us. “What on earth are you talking about?”
Jared turned to face her. “Donovan set explosives in the loft. Everything except what’s in our bags is gone.”
Cynthia paused for a moment, a common tactic of hers to calm her voice before she spoke when she was angry or taken off-guard. “Wel . I’m glad Nina’s safe. How long wil you be staying?”
“Indefinitely,” I said.
I had reached the top before she spoke again.
“You’re filthy,” she snapped, her heels clicking to the kitchen.
I smiled. She was always snippy when she didn’t want to show emotion—the soft sort.
Trying to find a professional ensemble from my high school wardrobe was nothing short of frustrating. It was then that it hit me that al of my belongings were gone. Everything Jared and I had purchased together, the bed we shared...the downstairs tub. Different items in the loft flickered through my mind. It was strange how each of them, however insignificant they used to seem, were attached to a memory.
Tears pooled in my eyes and escaped down my cheek. I wiped them away and groaned. “I have nothing to wear! What was I thinking buying this crap?” I yel ed. “Not a single pair of pumps matches anything in my closet!”
Jared sat on the end of bed, letting me express my anger and frustration with an understanding expression. After the rage-fueled tirade to find the right pair of shoes, I rode with Jared to Titan Mercantile.
We didn't speak for most of the trip. Jared kept his eyes on the road, no doubt formulating a plan for the next step in finding the book. I was too tired to initiate conversation, or to try to find out piece by piece what plan of action he was considering.
“See you soon,” Jared smiled.
I kissed his cheek, and then stepped out onto the curb, looking back once more before pushing through the entrance doors.
Beth waited me for me in my office, already organizing my call list in order of importance.
“And don’t forget the conference with the Japanese firm at nine,” she said, her head down.
“I’ve told you a mil ion times, Beth. Yawatahama. It’s not that hard if you practice.”
Beth raised her hands in frustration and then dropped them, letting the papers in her hands slap her thighs. “I sound ridiculous,” she said. “Sasha laughs at me every time I try.”
“Oh, to hel with Sasha. Ask her to say something German. She sounds like a bloated mule.”
Beth laughed out loud, surprised at my mood. “You’re not sleeping again, are you?”
Two quick knocks, and then Grant opened my office door wide, keeping his hand on the knob. “The prodigal daughter returns! How was your trip?”
“Great, Grant. I’m busy, what do you need?” I said, putting the phone to my ear.
His expression screwed, his nose wrinkling in disgust. “The Bainbridge group wil be here in twenty minutes, Nina. Why didn’t you just wear pajamas?”
From col arbone to scalp, the burn of infuriation ignited my face in what I was sure was a beautiful shade of tomato red. My outstretched arm, with a rigid, pointed finger at the end, silently warned Grant to leave.
“Back away slowly, Mr. Bristol. No sudden movements,” Beth said.
Grant nodded, stepping backward until he was out of sight.
Beth placed a smal bag on my desk. “Foundation, blush, mascara and gloss. Get it on. I’ll meet you downstairs in fifteen.”
She closed the door softly behind her, and I took a deep breath. Just get through the day, I thought.
My cel phone rang once. “Not now, Jared,” I said aloud, knowing he could hear. The second ring cut short. “Thank you,” I whispered. I opened the compact from Beth’s bag, and looked at myself in the mirror. “Holy Banshee, Nina! Get yourself together!” I said to myself.
Sasha stood next to the coffeemaker in the meeting room. “Miss Grey,” she said handing me a fresh, steaming mug.
“Thanks,” I said, frowning with confusion at her polar disposition. Wondering what she was up to was not on my agenda for the morning, not to mention I didn’t have the time or patience for it. That wouldn’t stop me from finding out, however.
The meeting went smoothly, and then I returned to my office, opening the door long enough for Beth to fol ow me through. I turned to see Grant and Sasha just behind her, but I shut the door. “Not now,” I said flatly.
“Okay, Nina. Total y unprofessional,” Sasha said, half laughing, half surprised.
Beth watched the door for a moment in shock, and then turned to me. “What the heck’s going on with you?” she asked. “And what’s that smell ? Have you been…camping?” she said, sniffing once.
I puffed, blowing my bangs from my face. “No. The loft is gone. Burned to the ground.”
“What?” Beth yelped.
“Keep it down. I don’t need a bunch of sympathetic wel wishers in and out of my office al day. Do me a favor?”
“Sure, Honey, anything.”
I pul ed a black credit card from my purse and handed it to her. “Go shopping for me. I need work clothes mainly, and undergarments, and a new briefcase. Makeup. You know what I use. And,” I looked down, “I want a pair of those,” I said, nodding to her pink satin pumps. Even in my foul mood, I couldn’t stop admiring the black lace col ar and bow at the toe.
Beth smiled. “Yes Ma’am. You need a place to stay?”
“I’m back at home.”
“Yikes,” Beth said, her mouth pul ing to one side.
“Tel me about it. And, Beth? If you can find anything to get the smoke out of my hair…get it. I don’t care how much it costs.”
“Lemon juice,” she said. “Then wash it out with shampoo. That’s what I do after I visit my Uncle.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
Beth shut the door, and then I heard a scuffle.
“I said no!” Beth said, stumbling back against the door.
Sasha pushed her way through, and then smiled, smoothing her blazer and hair. “Nina. I need to talk to you.”
Beth stared at Sasha as if she’d gone insane.
“Nina,” Sasha said with a smile, breathing hard from her scuffle with Beth. “It wil just take a minute.”
“It’s okay, Beth,” I said, motioning for Sasha to sit.
Beth narrowed her eyes. “Maybe for you, but if I wasn’t at work I would have kicked her bony little ass,” she said through her teeth, slamming the door.