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“Demons exist?” The thought of something more evil than Hunter existing in this world dried the spit in Austin’s mouth. Nods confirmed it, and he closed his eyes, slowly formulating a swirl of questions. The one that popped to the forefront of his mind was the one that controlled his tongue.
“Why are you helping me? You haven’t even asked what happened.” Austin said as he stared at the three of them.
Tom tapped his temple. “Mind reader, remember?” he signed. “And I have no tolerance for that kind of animal.” Tom nodded towards the phone in Austin’s hands.
“I’ve got a location,” Steve said from behind the computer. The printer whirred to life, and he came around with an address to hand to Tom.
Austin intercepted, plucking it out of both their hands.
He stared at the address and folded the paper, tucking it away until he could catch a cab.
“Let’s go,” Raven said, and both Tom and Steve stopped in their tracks.
“You aren’t going,” Tom signed.
She huffed a laugh. “Who do you think has a better chance of counteracting the magic?” she asked.
Tom pulled out his medallion and stared her down without words.
“I’m going,” she said.
The fire in her eyes almost pulled a smile from Austin, but the reality of the situation kept it at bay.
“You both can’t go,” Steve said, blocking the exit. “If shit goes down...” His hands landed on his waist, and he stared at the ground.
Austin watched the standoff between the three of them. Tom’s hands flew as he articulated his argument in sign language, and Raven crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows in a way that was vaguely familiar. It took a couple of blinks before it hit him. Raven’s ‘you-are-so-full-of-bullshit’ look was the same as Paige’s.
“Wouldn’t three of us have a better chance at this than just two of us?” he asked, silencing the building argument.
“They have a daughter, and if something happens to both of them, she will be an orphan,” Steve said.
“We are perfectly capable of handling this,” Raven said, glaring in Steve’s direction. “If it were CJ...”
“I would still give him the same advice now that he’s a father,” Steve answered.
“Bu,” Tom said out loud, and even Austin caught the full enunciation of ‘bullshit’ behind his inarticulate response.
“Look, you guys can argue all night, but I’m going after my girl,” Austin said and started for the door. He had the address and the pendant Raven had slipped him while he was on the phone. He had thought the anger was what stopped the bone crushing pain, but it was actually the amulet. Now that he had that in his arsenal, he was sure he could wipe the floor with Hunter.
“Wa...” Tom said.
His full command of ‘wait’ halted Austin in place. It was almost like the power Hunter had over him in the museum. He couldn’t move forward.
His gaze shot over his shoulder at the small group. “What the fuck?” he asked still frozen to the spot.
“Just give me a minute,” a voice said in Austin’s head, and Tom put up his finger before his hands began again.
“But...” Raven started.
Tom’s hand formed a stop sign and both Raven and Steve remained quiet.
“Stay here,” he signed and stepped towards the door.
Whatever held Austin in place released him, and he joined Tom by the elevator.
“You need me to counteract the spell,” Raven said from the doorway.
Tom leveled the kind of look that chilled Austin, and Raven’s reaction made him take a closer look at the man next to him. She dropped her gaze to the ground with a sigh and then turned, closing the front door in submission. As soon as they were in the elevator, Austin pointed towards the doors.
Tom nodded. “Yes, I can do a hell of a lot more than just read minds.” His mouth never moved, but his hands echoed the words resounding in Austin’s head. Tom met his gaze. “And I can do more damage than my wife can,” he added. The corners of his mouth turned into a smile that left Austin cold.
“Did you use magic to stop me back there?”
The slow shake of his head sent another wave of chills through Austin.
“How...” he started but couldn’t quite figure out the proper articulation of his question.
“I’m not your average man,” he signed, and his voice echoed in Austin’s head. “The mind reading and projecting thoughts are just parlor tricks in comparison to the other talents I possess.”
“You know, less than a year ago, none of this shit existed,” Austin started. “I was clueless, and a part of me wishes I was still clueless.”
Tom’s smile faded and he offered a nod. “I’ve always known ghosts exist, but I really never considered them dangerous. As far as this shit...” He tapped his temple before continuing, “My brother has always been... special, so the existence of a... supercharged human is normal for me.”
The elevator opened to the lobby, and they crossed to the front door, stepping out into the brisk spring evening. Tom waved a cab down, and they slid into the back.
“Normal, huh?” Austin said after he rattled off the address. He glanced out at the passing scenery as they headed downtown. “I feel like I just stepped into a bad horror movie.” He sighed and focused on a plan of attack.
“We’ll have to scope it out before we go in,” Tom said in his head.
He turned his attention to Tom and went to speak.
“Think it, don’t say it. This is our best chance at a surprise attack.” Tom’s blue eyes reflected the passing lights.
Austin gave him a nod.
“If I knew where your girlfriend was, I could do a clean sweep of the building, but I don’t want to risk turning her into dust by accident.”
Austin’s eyebrows rose.
“I can annihilate at will.”
Austin narrowed his eyes. What this guy just revealed was a little too farfetched, and he wondered if Tom really had it all together or if he was just fucking with him for fun.
Tom broke out in a grin and looked out the window. “I’m not fucking with you. What I possess is what most people think nightmares are made of,” he said and slid his gaze to Austin. “And while I wish it was all just a nightmare, it’s as real as us sitting in this cab.”
“So, demons, magic, ghosts, and freak-level psychics exist. Next you’ll tell me vampires and werewolves exist, too,” Austin thought and stared Tom down. The slow fade of his smile left Austin as uncomfortable as he had ever been. The half-hearted shrug that followed left his core hollow and roiling.
“Are you telling me...” he said aloud and caught himself before he said too much. If he truly had that kind of weapon at his side, he would do well not to piss him off. He sighed and formulated his next question carefully. “What doesn’t exist?” he finally thought.
Tom stared out the window, and Austin thought maybe he hadn’t heard him. But the minute that thought popped into the forefront of his mind, Tom glanced at him and signed, “I heard you.”
“And?”
Tom curled his hands like he was losing an internal debate, but he kept eye contact. “I’ve never met a werewolf,” he finally signed.
“So...” Austin started out loud and filled in the gaps in his mind. He shivered and caught his grimace in the reflection of the window. “Why tell me this?” he said with his hands.
Tom stared at his rudimentary sign language. “I have no idea,” he signed back. “I usually don’t start yapping about all this shit,” he continued offering a shrug. “I guess I’m tired enough to talk. Especially after the last few months.” He wiped his face and shook his head as if he were clearing the cobwebs.
The cab slowed to a stop in front of an abandoned warehouse, and Tom peeled cash from his money clip and handed it to the driver before they got out and stood street side. They both stared at the dark building before Austin pulled out the sheet of paper again. The address matched, and he handed the paper to Tom just to make sure. The hardness in the muscles of his companion’s jaw made him fold the paper and put it away.
“They’re in there, aren’t they?” Austin said, and even though his voice was soft, it echoed off the brick and metal structure.
Tom nodded. “I can’t tell if Hunter is in there, but I can tell there are a lot of people guarding entry to a room with orders to kill on sight.” He closed his eyes and hung his head, putting his hands on his hips as he did so.
Austin read the physical cues. “Are we going to have to... you know... hurt them?”
Tom nodded without opening his eyes. “Ya,” he said aloud, his voice holding enough trepidation to keep Austin quiet.
He didn’t have to ask how he felt about it. It was clear he didn’t want to harm anyone. Austin only wanted to pummel one person, and he really didn’t care who else he would have to take down to do it. Tom turned towards him.
“Ever kill anyone?” he asked in sign language as well as inside his head.
Austin shook his head. “No.”
“It’s not easy and it haunts you for a very long time,” he said. “Even when it is warranted as self-defense.”
Austin dropped his gaze to the pavement and nodded, feeling very small in comparison to the man next to him. He had witnessed murder, and the person responsible was inside the building. Up until today, killing had never entered his thoughts, but what this man had in mind for Paige just wasn’t something he could let loose on this world.
“If you’re not willing to do what it takes to get to my girlfriend, why did you come?”
Tom pressed his lips together, sending a glare in his direction. “I came to make sure you didn’t get killed trying to rescue her.”
“Fine. Let’s get this game going,” he said and stepped toward the building. Tom’s hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him. He pointed to a broken window instead of the door.
“Less attention. They expect you to come through the front door.”
“They are expecting me?”
He nodded. “That’s what is worrying me. Well, that and the murderous rage inside you.”
Austin stopped in front of the window. “Like you wouldn’t do the same for your wife,” he said, meeting Tom’s gaze.
“I have.”
His admission sent a shockwave through Austin, and even without an explanation, he believed Tom.
“And you’re right, I would do it again if I had to. But I’m equipped to take on multiple attackers, even without the supercharge. I’m a third degree black belt in jujitsu. Both my brother and I teach that as well as karate, so I’m not without skills. You are. A psychology degree isn’t going to get you very far in there. You can’t talk your way out of this one.”
His brutal honesty got a rise out of Austin, but it wasn’t because he was full of shit. It was because he was so right it hurt. He stepped aside and waved Tom toward the window, inviting him to go first.
Tom ducked through the available hole and the darkness swallowed him. Austin took a deep breath and followed.