| |
“Higher,” Kate shouted as I clung to the climbing rope.
The muscles in my arms screamed as I tried to pull myself further. My colleague was standing at the bottom of the rope, her high pitched voice reaching me perfectly, especially when she decided to raise it. The rest of the room would know that I was struggling to get up the poxy rope.
About to cast a spell to make it look like I’d reached the top, I paused when Kate shook it. She was the best fighter in the agency. I had never known what drove her to become a kick-arse seer. They were rarely in the field, more often helping from the side lines.
“That will do,” she shouted when I’d forced myself up two more pulls. “You can come down now.”
Sliding down, I gritted my teeth as the rope burnt my fingers. Once my feet hit the ground, Kate wagged her finger in my face. “No, no, no! You’re supposed to climb down!”
Taking off the cloth wraps that helped me grip the rope, I cringed as I placed my hands in the cool bowl of water that stood on a stand nearby. Luckily, the material had protected my palms from the descent, but my fingers stung like a bitch.
“I hate...” My sentence trailed off when Kate put her hands on her hips and tapped her shoe on the floor.
Her braided hair fell to her shoulders. It suited her style well. Why couldn’t I ever look as cool as that? Her tight training leggings were navy. A bright orange bra showed under a small crop top that came to just above her bellybutton.
She noticed my scowl and tried to hide a grin. “Well,” she said, coming over to me and flicking my To Kill a Mockingbird T-shirt. “You have the figure to look good, but...”
Shrugging, she winked at me before she pointed at the boxing ring. As if she was going to get me in there. I was good with my dagger, my gun and my magic. My fists were used for more important things. Like turning the pages of a book, or... eating. Not that I used fists, I wasn’t some heathen but, yeah...
“Why are you so good at this?” I moaned as I reluctantly followed her closer to the ring.
We sat on the side as she tied her shoelaces.
“I had to escape from my kidnappers,” she replied as if she’d just told me what she’d had for dinner. “It took me five years to train myself how to fight, and since then, I’ve just got better and better.”
As she went to get up, I grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop. “You were kidnapped?”
Her quick nod was accompanied with a throw away attitude as she climbed into the ring. Following her, I was compelled to find out more. “Why didn’t I know this? How old were you when it happened?”
Going to the corner, Kate picked up a pair of boxing gloves and handed them to me. “I was fifteen. A group of male vampires wanted to use me for my talents. My mother was so proud...” She spat this word. “... of her daughter’s ability to see the last twenty-four hours, she bragged about it to anyone who would listen. Including a vampire business mogul.”
Mesmerised as she told me her story, I allowed her to strap the gloves onto my hands. A tiny part of my heart cracked as Kate’s gaze locked with mine, revealing a flash of pain before she shoved me gently away from her.
Moving to pick up pads, she took a deep breath. “They kept me locked up in a luxurious flat, unable to speak to anyone but those five men. One of them took a liking to me. I was mostly protected by the main guy, who often handed me pieces of clothing or personal items to get a reading from. They were from his competition. He was stealing from them to find out what they were planning. It wasn’t even very exciting.”
“I’m glad you were protected from the man who...” I stuttered, unable to finish my sentence.
“Oh, I said mostly... there were times when he got me alone. Those were the times I wished I was dead.”
My stomach rolled as Kate stood in front of me, her hands held up for me to punch. There was no way I was throwing fists at her when she was telling me about her ordeal.
“Jeez, Kate, I never knew. How did you get away? Did you kill the bastards?”
Cocking her head to the side, she watched me, her eyes narrowing. “You really are interested. That makes a change.”
My stomach clenched as if she’d thrown a fist into it. Now, that hurt. Was I seriously that disconnected?
“I have to admit that I’ve never really allowed myself to get to know people. It’s been hard for me, being so cooped up in the Paranormal MI5 world. I find it difficult to talk to people on a normal level. I’m sure everyone thinks I’m a freak. I’m awkward as fuck,” I rambled, stopping when Kate stamped her foot.
“You are awkward as fuck, there’s no denying it, but so what? Who cares? You shouldn’t.”
Licking my lips, I raised my arms. Her constant gesturing meant that she wouldn’t leave me alone until I’d thrown a punch or two.
My left fist connected with the right pad, the thump audible in the room. There were a couple of agents working out over in the gym area, but otherwise it was pretty quiet. There was no reason why I should care what anyone else thought, Kate was right. So, why was I suddenly aware that I’d never taken an interest in who my agents were?
“I escaped...” Kate huffed when I hit the pad again. “...when I killed the man who abused me.”
Chills went through me as I went still. Kate gave up, letting her arms drop so the pads rested on the side of her thighs.
“Are you really that interested?”
Nodding, I reached up a glove to try and get my sweaty hair out of my face. It didn’t work.
Biting her lip, Kate indicated that we should sit. I followed her lead as she took off the pads, and then proceeded to undo the ties of my gloves.
“When they left me alone in the apartment, I would work-out for hours. I would punch and kick the walls, using them to release my frustration.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I waved away Kate’s inquiring look. Yeah, so I probably shouldn’t have taken my phone training.
“One day, the perfect opportunity arose. My abuser had managed to persuade the others to go and get food. I had been in the bathroom when he’d done this, so I had no idea. When I came out, he came for me. I’d been standing by the wall. Moving out of his way at the last minute, I used all my strength to grab his neck and ram his head into the wall.”
My impressed nod of the head made her frown. “What? I’m glad you were able to do that to the bastard.”
Smiling gently, she took a deep breath as she turned serious. “He fell to the ground, his head pouring with blood. I managed to get onto his back and wrap my arm around his neck. He was a vampire, remember.”
Oh crap, I’d completely forgotten that little bit of info. No matter how much training the seer had done, she would never be as strong as a vampire.
“I’d managed to take the wooden leg off my bed, carving it into a spike when they weren’t there. I’d had to cut off the white paint, so it took me months to make, but eventually, I had a stake.”
“You shoved it straight into his heart, didn’t you?”
I was getting into the story. Maybe a little too much. Was I allowing my imagination to make light of Kate’s ordeal?
“His scream will stay with me forever. I managed to somehow get the stake out of my pocket and shove it into his back. It wasn’t smooth, it was lucky. I then used his key to escape.”
The buzzing in my pocket was still going. Tutting, I grasped my phone and pressed the off button without looking at who it was. It could wait. Kate was more important in that moment.
“Did you go to the police?”
Shaking her head, Kate stared at her folded legs. Her eyes glazed over as she obviously thought of a time that was only eight years ago. She was slightly older than me, but as she spoke, a part of me started to warm to her. I had never known of the experience she had endured. Why hadn’t I bothered to take the time to get to know her? I’d rejected both her and Jake before I knew who they were as people. What had made me so harsh?
“I may have planned a vendetta and taken out the whole lot of them.” Reaching forward, she grasped my hand. “That goes no further than us, obviously.”
Squeezing her hand, I smiled at her genuinely, probably for the first time. “I promise never to tell anyone. I admire you.”
Her quick tut was followed by a giggle. “Well, I’m honoured to have the great Gemma Abbott’s admiration.”
“What?” I spluttered as she jumped to her feet, dragging me up in the process.
“Oh come on, as if you don’t know how much every agent in the building wants to work with you. Although, you have been a little off your game recently.”
I had to admit, she wasn’t wrong about me not being myself. The whole death thing might have a little something to do with it, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. No, that would be a secret that I kept with Dave alone.
“If every agent in the building wants to work with me, they’re bloody crazy. I’m a nightmare to work with.”
Putting the gloves back in their spot, I laughed when Kate went to deny it, and then promptly agreed with me. “Yeah, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows with you, even if you do live in a fantasy world.”
“Gemma!”
My mother’s snapped voice carried across the gym, reaching my ear and making me cringe. Crappity crap, I was supposed to meet her for breakfast.
“Good luck,” Kate whispered under her breath as she swung under the ring ropes and waved to my mother as she passed.
Tightening my ponytail, I made my way over to one of the heads of the Paranormal MI5 agency. Her dark hair was loose around her head, her short frame straight as she crossed her arms over her waist. The dark blue feminine suit made her look like a corporate office worker. And yet, she had a brain sharper than most CEO’s. Even if she didn’t use it as often as she used to.
“Do you defy me on purpose?” she asked when I reached her.
Resisting the urge to huff, I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I got caught up in training. It was rude of me, I apologise.”
Her frown was the only sign that she was shocked at my words. In the past, I had often been less than grateful. Hearing Kate’s story had made me feel something. I wasn’t sure what, but I knew that ignoring my mother’s phone calls had been wrong considering I was meant to meet her. Although, it had just slipped my mind. Duty was usually on the top of my agent head list.
“I got you something,” my mother said, bending down to retrieve the bag she’d dropped on the floor.
Trying not to frown myself, I took it when she offered, almost wearily. Was it something to do with a wedding? A garter or something? She’d only mentioned it the last few times I’d seen her, even though I’d completely refused to think about it. Most of the time, anyway.
“I saw it the other day. However, I didn’t buy it straight away.” She paused, gesturing for me to open the bag. “But, I had to go back and get it.”
The rustle of the bag made butterflies erupt in my stomach as my hand reached in and felt leather. Pulling the book out, I gasped when I saw the slightly used spine.
“Open it!” Her excitement was getting the better of her. What had happened to my stoic mother? Had someone thrown a spell over her to make her nicer?
“It’s a... Jeez, Mum, it’s a Jane Austen 1st Edition!” My mouth gaped as my fingers traced the fine paper, and the title Pride and Prejudice. Sweat lined my palms as I gulped back the lump that rose to my throat. The book must have cost my mother a fortune. But, she hated my reading habit.
“Why?” I whispered, unable to comprehend.
Her eyes closed briefly before she looked up at me. “You know I’m not fond of your obsession.”
“Hobby,” I corrected, smiling gently when she rolled her eyes.
“But, I’m not heartless, Gemma. When I saw it, I had to get it for you. It took my conscience a moment to persuade me that it was the right thing to do, but-”
Throwing my arms around her, I cut her off. The book almost hit her in the back of the head as I squeezed her. Her hands patted me awkwardly before I let her go.
“Thank you,” I forced out, trying not to let the emotion that threatened to overwhelm me. “It’s the kindest thing you’ve ever done for me.”
Looking around, my mother shook her head. “That hurts my heart to hear you say that. Anyway...” She quickly changed the subject. “...how is the case coming along?”
Of course, back to business. There was a lightness in my heart that stopped my immediate immature reaction. She had reached out in a way that meant more to me than anything. The serial killer could bring me a 1st edition classic, and I’d probably forgive him. Books man, they were my thing.
“Dave has just this morning managed to persuade Peter to tell us what he knows about the Cambridges’. He said that Helen Cambridge is buying materials for a bomb. When asked about the killings, he told us that he thinks Joseph could be responsible as it seems like something he would do. He’s given us the name of the company that Helen buys from, so we’re going to pull up the sales records and bring Helen in for questioning.”
“It’s too loose, Gemma,” my mother said, biting her bottom lip as she watched me. “There’s no hard evidence of the PFF having anything to do with the killings, which are our priority right now. Do I have to remind you of the threat against the agency?”
Gritting my teeth, I sucked in a breath. My mother often made out that it was my fault that Paranormal MI5 had been ordered to improve. By the human government, no less.
“If you let me get back to work now, I can-”
“Will...” she demanded. “...not can. You will solve this case soon. I’ve got the others breathing down my neck.”
Ah, so the witch was taking it out on me. The pressure she faced had been put on me since the moment I was made an official agent. It was like I was her little puppet, doing her biding.
Holding up my hands, I was almost tempted to shove the book back at her. I quickly changed my mind. As if I would refuse a signed Jane Austen book. I’d be mad not to accept it. Even if it was a bribe to get me working harder. I had no shame.
“Fine.”
Spinning, I grabbed my holster from a hook in the wall and ran for the door. My mother’s shout stopped me as I grabbed the handle. Looking over my shoulder, I didn’t give her the full attention she probably deserved.
“Remember your training. You know how to find this man.”
Dismissing her with a wave, I left the room. As I headed for the showers, I fought the urge to curse my mother. At the end of the day, I’d allowed my own personal dilemma to take over my skills. She might be a bitch, but my mother was right. I knew exactly how to catch a fucking serial killer. I just needed to get my head back into the game.
