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TOM STARED AT THE CEILING in his bedroom, going over the day. He looked down at the medallion, tracing the lines with his finger before slipping it back under his shirt. The metal warmed his skin and he sighed. His breath plumed white on the air and he shot into a sitting position, his eyes darting around the room.
“Tanya?” Just speaking her name was confirmation and a trace of cold air tickled his ear. He jumped to his feet, spinning around toward the bed and there she was, lounging with her head propped on her hand. He blinked at the smile she wore and nothing else, her figure as seductive as it had been when she was alive.
She slipped her finger in her mouth and drew it out slowly, suggesting more than she ever gave him when she was flesh and blood and against his best judgment, his body reacted.
“See, you still want me,” she whispered.
He cursed his lack of self-control and stared at her, afraid to move because he knew the moment she got her hands on him, it was all over and the idea of fucking a ghost just gave him the willies.
“I never denied wanting you. You’re the one who didn’t want me, remember?”
“Ah, but that was before. Now there’s nothing on earth I want more.”
“How about your face?” he asked, the words flying out before he could stop them. Her eyes widened, and he kept his expression frozen in a challenging stare, despite the horrific transition from seductive beauty to the scalped corpse he found. “That’s right, you heard me. I saw what was left of you. I was trying to save you and that’s why they arrested me.” The anger that lay dormant, deep within him, flared and his hands clenched. “So not only did you break my heart, you just may be the reason I land on death row.”
Her jaw dropped, and the bloody sockets of her eyes widened.
“So, if you have any connection to what’s left of you, find it and tell me where it is so I can end the bastard that ruined you,” he said pointing out his window.
Tanya’s hand wiped across her cheek, bringing away a thick layer of blood and she gasped, her gaze darting from the red gunk on her fingers to Tom. “He took my face?”
“That’s what the Windwalker does,” he said, driving his point home.
She covered her face and screamed, her pitch dropping Tom to his knees and he covered his ears. Pain filled his head and his hand dropped to the medallion, gripping it like the last zip line between him and a drop to his death.
White light pierced the room and her scream faded, replaced by the echo of pounding wings.
When Tom looked up, the room was empty, and he glanced at the door. CJ stood staring at the ceiling, his eyes as wide as Tanya’s had been.
You saw Dad?
CJ’s gaze dropped to him and he nodded. “He took her out of your room,” he whispered and bit his lip. “You kissed that?”
Tom shuddered. No, she was, um, whole when I kissed her.
“But that’s what she looked like when you found her?” he asked, and his voice cracked.
“Yah,” Tom said and climbed to his feet.
“Holy shit.”
Tom nodded. “I was freaked beyond reason when I turned her over,” he signed. “The cops came before I had the sense to scream.”
CJ’s shock turned into a grin. “Dude, that would have made me scream senseless.”
“Yeah, and you scream like a little girl,” Tom grinned back.
CJ’s smile faded and he looked at the ceiling before returning his gaze to Tom’s. “You okay?”
Tom shifted his weight, thinking about the question before he met CJ’s gaze. “I don’t know,” he signed. “Where’s Jen?”
“She went to the store after Steve left,” CJ said. “Want to play Medal of Honor?”
“Sure, but can you do me a favor? Can you get this stupid thing off me?” Tom signed and raised the cast. “Don’t vaporize it; just leave it so I can slip it on in the morning.”
CJ nodded, and the crack of fiberglass filled the room.
The cast split from the thumb to just shy of Tom’s elbow, leaving only the palm intact. The cut was done with surgical precision and Tom gave CJ a nod of appreciation. “Impressive,” Tom signed and forced the fiberglass off his arm, scratching the dry skin and flexing his hand.
* * * *
STEVE WALKED INTO A calmer home. CJ and Tom played one of their war games on the television and Jennifer wasn’t back from the store, yet. He pulled the paper out and handed it to Tom. “That’s her number.”
Tom looked at the paper and up at Steve.
“I know, she flaked out for a moment, but that’s the only way to get hold of her,” he said. “She seems like a nice girl.”
Tom nodded and pocketed the note, returning his focus to the game.
“Can you two turn the television off for a minute?” Steve asked and walked in front of the television, interrupting their line of sight.
Both boys looked up with the same crease of irritation between their eyes.
“I need to talk to you,” he said, and it took a moment for the words to sink in and then the television behind him shut off. “Thank you.” He took a seat on the couch adjacent to them.
“What’s going on?” CJ asked, his eyes squinted in concentration.
“I’m blocking you,” Steve started and held up a hand to squash CJ’s interruption. “I’m blocking you because I want you both to hear this from me.” He traded a glance with Tom before he moved his gaze to CJ. “I need to go down to Washington at the end of the week.”
CJ crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing and his mind filtering over the plethora of facts pinging in his head.
“I’m being charged with aiding and abetting a known criminal, extortion and reckless endangerment,” he said, voicing the charges for the first time. Inside he cringed, just the thought of being arrested set his blood boiling, but now wasn’t the time to create a scene.
“That’s bullshit!” CJ said, and Tom nodded his approval at the statement.
“I didn’t extort anything from your family,” he said. “But the other two, well, I can’t defend against them because I did both.” He inhaled and studied his hands. “From what my boss said, I could be looking at thirty years in a federal penitentiary,” he said and looked at the boys.
CJ crossed his arms. “What in God’s name are they thinking?”
“They’re thinking I abused my power as an FBI agent, and honestly, they’re right. I coerced your mother into coming to the hospital and infusing Jen with her mojo in return for your father’s freedom. Therefore, I am guilty of coercion. I didn’t bring your father in, instead I let him help me catch Kyle Winslow and because of that oversight, he died saving us. Between that and bringing you to Georgia, they’ve got a strong case for reckless endangerment too.”
“You did what you had to do,” CJ said.
Steve sighed. “No, CJ, I didn’t. I ignored my oath in favor of personal gain. As a federal officer, it was my sworn duty to bring your father in and I didn’t. They don’t care why, and I can’t reasonably explain why without bringing a whole other level of scrutiny on this family.”
CJ tilted his head, reading between the lines. “So, you’re going to take the fall for us?”
“That’s what I’m saying,” he said. “Neither of you need that kind of attention.”
“No,” CJ said crossing his arms.
“No, what?” Steve leaned back in the seat.
“No, you’re not going to jail. Just...no.”
“CJ.”
“No! No one is going to jail,” CJ yelled. Before Steve knew it, CJ was on his feet, his face turning red under the pressure of his anger and he stormed past, headed for the solace of the back yard.
The door slammed closed and Steve turned to Tom.
“Don’t look at me,” Tom signed and threw his hands up. “I agwee,” he said and stood to go after his brother.
“Do you have any idea what they’d do to him if they knew what he could do?”
Tom paused and looked over his shoulder at Steve. The same could be said about you. He disappeared through the door, leaving Steve sitting alone.