CHAPTER SIX

 

An hour later, they parked the car a ten-minute walk away from the warehouse. Rachel didn’t want anyone to know they were coming. The road they were on was deserted. From the time they’d pulled off the highway and zig-zagged through surface roads, they’d seen one car despite it being shortly after dinner time.

“Rachel, we need to check your wings.”

The dreaded power check. Rachel took off her sweater and spread her wings. “Well, what’s the damage?”

“It’s not too bad,” Becky said. “But you do have less than before. You have approximately two centimeters of white left.”

“Great. Let’s do this so we can go home.”

When the warehouse came into view, they spotted a car parked in the crumbling parking lot. A rusted metal fence surrounding the complex sagged from years of teenagers jumping it to explore the abandoned building. They found a hole in the links and widened it enough to slip through.

“We can’t tell if there’s anyone in there,” Sarah said.

Branches from a huge tree on the left side of the building nearly engulfed the warehouse. Rachel ran to the trunk and looked up to find the nearest branch. Too high up to get to without a little angel boost, she was about to zap her feet when Becky stopped her.

“You don’t have that much left. I’ll go.” Becky said.

They glared at Sarah.

Sarah shrugged. “What? She offered to go.”

“Because she knew you wouldn’t,” Rachel said.

“I might have.”

Becky shook her head, pointed her finger to the ground then lifted off the pavement to the lowest branch. She shimmied along the limb until she could see into the warehouse from the roof. Crusted with years of dust, the windows appeared to be tinted black, but with a breeze, the leaves parted and a ray of afternoon sun hit dead center. Vague shapes came into view. She used a little more power to wipe the windows clean until she could see everything clearly.

A group of men surrounded at least a dozen hostages who were tied to chairs. She spotted Leyla right away. One man was beating a man, repeatedly punching his face in between questions. A second man moved toward Leyla, who cringed when she saw him. Becky scrambled back down the tree.

“The teachers are there. They’re being tortured. Looks like Leyla is going to be next.”

Rachel hit her speed dial, and when Detective Williams’ exasperated greeting filtered through the phone, she filled him in on where they were and what they were doing. Confident he would send local help first, she ended the call and turned back to Sarah and Becky.

“We can’t wait until they get here. We have to go in now.”

They hugged the wall. Becky, with the most angel power, in front, Rachel behind her, with Sarah bringing up the rear. On the shadowed side of the building, the concrete wall was cool to the touch. They remained alert, senses tuned to everything that was happening around them. Muffled groans of pain spurred them to move faster.

Becky picked her way along the pavement surrounding the building, slowed and stepped over shards of broken glass. Rachel glanced up. Broken windows at the top of the building looked like a hockey player’s teeth after a fight. Deserted for at least ten years, neglected for much longer, the warehouse was the perfect place to keep a bunch of hostages. With no neighbors, no one would hear their screams.

At the front door, Becky held up a fist. One finger sprang up, then a second, and a third. They charged into the room. All eyes turned to them. The kidnappers’ hands went to their belts. Becky let out a burst of angel light. Everyone crumpled to the ground.

“Quick. Untie the hostages. I don’t know how long they’ll be out. I didn’t want to risk using too much power and being left with none.”

They raced around the room untying everyone who was slumped over in a chair. The kidnappers stirred. One of them moaned and put a hand to his head.

In the distance, a shrill siren carried on the wind.

“Sarah, help me.” Becky was lifting Leyla out of her chair.

Sarah rushed over, and they both helped the woman walk over to the door. Her face was swollen and bloody. Her hands were mangled with broken fingers.

Sarah stopped. “I can’t let her stay like that.”

Rachel shook her head. “EMTs will be here and give her something for the pain. The hospital will look after her.”

Leyla sagged against them, collapsing onto the ground as they crossed the threshold. “But I didn’t know what they wanted.” The mumbled words tugged at Rachel’s heart. They still didn’t know why they cared about puzzles, first edition books, and riddles.

“More help with be here soon.” It sounded hollow to Rachel’s ears, but what else could she say?

Sarah pierced Rachel with a look.

“Fine.” Rachel stepped aside, giving them a wide berth. Becky too waited inside the warehouse far behind Sarah.

Sarah helped Leyla sit on the ground, then closed her eyes and moved her hands over the woman from head to toe. In between deep breaths she glowed slightly, then dimmed until all of Leyla’s wounds were healed. Rachel watched as the white patches in Sarah’s wings lessened with each wound that healed.

Leyla and Sarah collapsed at the same time. Leyla’s face looked radiant. All the blood was gone, the contusions healed. She wiggled her fingers.

“Thank you.” She touched Sarah’s cheek.

“Anytime.”

Rachel rushed to help Sarah. “Now what? You have no power.”

As Sarah stood, a patch of white blossomed on her left wing near her neck. A little more than she had when she first arrived.

“A good deed.”

“She got a lot back!” Becky said from the doorway.

“If that’s what we have to do before we get to go home, it looks like we’ll be here for a while. Good deeds,” Rachel glared at Becky, “no matter how small, will earn us our power back.”

Becky joined them outside. “We should blend in. Be part of the community while we do that.”

Sarah smiled at Leyla. “Agreed.”

Rachel glanced over her shoulder as the sirens got louder. “We should do something fast before the police arrive. We’re not supposed to be here.”

“Will we have enough power to make people believe the lives we’re going to create for ourselves?” Becky asked.

“I hope so.” Rachel said. “We’ll need almost all the magic to gain the knowledge we’ll need for the careers we pick. Think about what you want to be, the people who might be in your lives. The clothes we’ll wear. Where we’re going to live.”

“Roommates or sisters?” Sarah asked.

“Sisters,” Rachel and Becky said in unison.

In order to pool their power, they joined hands. A bright light emanated from them, circling them, and rushed outward in all directions. When the light died, all the kidnappers sported handcuffs. Most of the wounds the hostages had were healed.

Rachel glanced down at her clothes then took in Sarah’s and Becky’s. Though they all now wore suits, their shoes were different. Becky’s were high-heeled and fashionable. Sarah’s were rubber soled black with barely a heel. And her own were sturdy yet fashionable boots. She hoped using their remaining powers to set up new identities, new backgrounds, and insert themselves as established members of the Toronto community was worth it.

***

A news van screeched to a halt first, followed by half a dozen police cars from three jurisdictions. Detective Williams was in the third car. He slammed the door when he got out and stormed over to the entrance to the warehouse.

“What the hell are you doing here, Rachel?”

“It’s Detective, remember? This is a crime scene. I work here.” Panic settled in the pit of her stomach, and she held her breath. What if they hadn’t had enough power? Memories of police academy, walking the beat, being promoted to Detective, flashed through her mind, but what if the magic didn’t reach to the people in her life.

Recognition crossed his face, and he shook his head like a flood of information bombarded his brain. “Yes, well, Detective Malack, you’re supposed to wait for your partner.”

Rachel shrugged. “I had a hunch. I called right away.”

He pointed to Becky. “You called your sister, too, I see.”

“Sisters.” She looked over at Sarah. “I said Becky could have the exclusive.”

“Fine. But next time though, can I arrive before her?”

“Promise.”

“Can’t wait to read your report on this, Malack.”

With the scene in good hands, Rachel, Becky, and Sarah made the short trek back to their car. It had been a long couple of days, but at least they had done some good. Becky decided it was her turn to drive.

After dropping off the rental car, they sat at a table at the back of The Rex. A waiter came over and looked at them expectantly.

“Can I get you started with a drink?” he asked.

“We’ll have our usuals,” Rachel said. Had the magic only worked for the jobs and co-workers they’d picked?

“Your usual?” He stared at each of them in turn. Eyes widened and he nodded his head as memories that never happened flooded into his mind. “Of course! Back in a flash.”

He came back a few minutes later with drinks that he placed on the table in front of them. They smiled. Tentatively, Rachel picked up the drink he’d set in front of her. She gulped the amber liquid back, feeling it burn down her throat. A tingle in her stomach turned her legs to jelly. Her head swooned.

“I could get used to this,” she said.

The other two drank their beverages, tapping their feet to the music blaring through the bar.

“After these drinks, we should head back to the loft,” Rachel said. “Who picked the loft, anyway?”

“I did. It will be perfect for us. Close to the station for you, the hospital for Sarah and the studio for me. I can’t wait to see how it looks,” Becky said.

Sarah nodded. “As long as the fridge is stocked with food, I’ll be happy.”

“I hope we stocked it with ice cream. I think I’ll be needing ice cream a lot while we’re here.”

With the capture of the kidnappers, Rachel hoped whatever they were after would remain safe. The only thing they could do now was settle in and wait for the next opportunity to do good. Hopefully, the next deed would send them home.