| |
“Are you still in bed? This is why you can’t keep a job, Luke Ryan.” Michelle’s head popped into my bedroom as she flicked the light on. “It’s after twelve, Luke. Time to get up and face the cruel, unloving world.”
I blinked at the bright light above me and the sunlight filtering through the window. “What are you doing here?” I asked as I rubbed my face and stared at the ceiling. I hadn’t been dreaming, but I actually slept for the first time in a hundred forevers. But my ex-girlfriend didn’t hear my question; I heard her slamming cabinets in the kitchen.
What is going on? Michelle and I broke up. Oh yeah, I forgot to get her key back. Well, I’ll have to fix that.
I slid my worn jeans on and pulled a dirty t-shirt off the back of the chair. I walked into the kitchen completely prepared to have it out with my ex, but the smell of shepherd’s pie brought me to my senses. Man, when was the last time I’d eaten a decent meal?
“What time is it?” I sat down and peeled the lid off the aluminum take-out pan.
“After twelve. Too early for beer. How about a soda?”
“No thanks.” I retrieved a lone bottle of water from the refrigerator and tore into the food with the plastic fork that came with my dish. After a few bites, I retrieved my cell phone from the counter and checked for messages. Nothing. Surely we’d breached the Cavanaugh Mine by now, hadn’t we? It was painstaking work, and although I hated it, I’d come to accept the inevitable. My friend, a man most knew as Buddy, was gone. He was dead, forever lost in a pile of rubble and rocks. Everyone believed the explosion took him out. Didn’t I?
Hell no. I wasn’t going to accept that. I was getting answers.
Michelle sat down at the table with me. How would I bring up the subject of our breakup tactfully? I mean, she did just bring me breakfast, or lunch, whatever this was supposed to be. She must have been here earlier too because the kitchen was clean except for the pile of books on the table.
She sipped her drink and picked up one title, Vampires: Fact or Fiction? She flipped open the book and landed on one of the old illustrations. It was a bloody sight but nothing at all close to reality. “What’s all this? Are you writing a book report?”
“It’s just research, and it’s personal. Which brings me to my question: Why are you here, Michelle? Not that I’m not grateful for all this, but I have to ask...you left me, remember? I’m the horrible boyfriend who forgot your anniversary.”
“Oh, I remember, and it was our anniversary. Why do you want to bring that up when we’re having such a nice meal together? And I never broke up with you, Luke. I’m here because I love you and I am worried about you. You need real food, something besides hamburgers and French fries.” She nodded toward my overflowing garbage can loaded with fast food wrappers. What the heck? Was she poking through my garbage can?
“Thank you for the food, but I’m fine. In fact, I’m afraid I need to get my...” Naturally, the phone rang just then.
She hopped up and answered it before I could stop her. “Hello?” she said sunnily. “He’s right here.” She wasn’t smiling now. “It’s Norman Wheeler, Luke.”
And this was the moment I’d been waiting for. I should never have left the mine last night, but I’d been so exhausted. It had been days of planning and then digging...and now the truth.
“Go ahead, Norman.”
“Hey, boss. We cleared the portal and then the access room, the one we were targeting. We found a body, and it’s McAllister. Christ, what a mess. Nobody else. Not a trace.” I breathed a sigh of relief. If Buddy wasn’t there, he’d escaped. I knew something that Wheeler didn’t—Buddy wasn’t your average miner; he was my lifelong friend, a friend through many lifetimes. He was Merlin, and I was Arthur Pendragon.
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah, pretty sure. We’ll keep clearing, but it looks like we might have to go deeper. And the Cavanaugh folks are here. You should get down here when you’re through with your business.”
“Yeah, I’ll be there soon. Thanks, Norman.”
“You got it.” He hung up, and I gobbled up the rest of my food and then made my way to my room to find a decent shirt and my work boots.
“I’m sorry, Luke. I know how much you cared about the old man.” Michelle was lingering in the doorway with her arms crossed and a sad expression on her face.
“I do...I mean, did. Listen, I have to go. Thanks again for coming by, but you really can’t just pop in here, Michelle. We’re not together anymore. It isn’t going to work. You’re a fine lady, but...” I paused as I pulled on the button-up Cavanaugh shirt hurriedly. What should I say?
I’m already married to a vampire. Or better yet, I’m the king of Camelot. This would never work.
“We had a hiccup, Luke, that’s all.” She began making my bed up, completely ignoring what I was telling her. “Don’t make more out of it than it is.” She was being completely patient with me, which drove me crazier.
Finally, I gently touched her shoulder to get her attention and said, “It’s over, Michelle. You’re beautiful and smart and have so much to offer someone. I’m never...”
“Get your hands off me,” she warned me as she pushed me back. “After everything we’ve been through, you think you can push me away with that bullshit?” Her ponytail bobbed, and her high cheekbones flushed pink with anger. “I’m not going anywhere, Luke Ryan. I know you love me.”
Feeling frustrated at her tears, I raised my hands in temporary surrender. “I don’t have time for this right now. I have to go to the mine. Please leave the key on the kitchen table when you leave or else I’ll be forced to change the locks.”
“What?” she gasped in surprise as she sat on the bed. “You wouldn’t do that.”
“I have to go, Michelle. Maybe we can talk later.” I grabbed my keys and my jacket and walked out of the house. I could hear her crying, but I truly didn’t have time for this. I got into Buddy’s van and cranked it up. Naturally, it didn’t start the first few tries, but after some swearing and stomping on the gas pedal, I got the jalopy on the road again.
Only I wasn’t headed to the mine. Not yet.
I had an overwhelming urge to put my hands on the only thing I had ever been able to depend on.
Excalibur.
