The Severed Thread (25 page)

“I will take it under advisement,” he said with a sheepish smile, his power ratcheting down a notch.  “I would like you to start working with Sampson three days a week.  He will have you using the staff like a pro in no time.”  I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off.  “Sampson will contact you tomorrow about setting up a practice schedule.”

Chapter 21

I was relieved when I finally shut the door on Jonathan and the two wolves he had left behind to watch the house.  I walked back to the kitchen before getting down to the business of serious meditation.  All of my non-perishable groceries were in bags on the counter and the rest were safely tucked away in the fridge and freezer.  I would have to thank Sampson and Trevor the next time I saw them for replacing everything.  I also needed to figure out how much money I owed them, something I had not even considered earlier.

Once all of the remaining items in the bags were put away, I filled and began heating the kettle, letting my mind drift back over the events of the last week.  How had my once quiet life suddenly gotten so turned upside down?  Jason was dead without me having any time to properly mourn his passing.  I was hopelessly tangled in a mess with the local clan master and don’t even ask me what was going on with the pack-master.  Jonathan seemed to have made me some type of pet project.  Hell, he expected that I would show up at the Den three days a week for two hour lessons from Sampson in self-defense!

The whistle of the kettle interrupted my musing.  Pouring hot water over the infuser, I inhaled the warm scent before taking my tea into the living room.  Drawing the curtains, I settled on the floor and lit one of the fat candles I always kept on the coffee table.  Eyes closed, I breathed deeply several times to help calm and center myself.  Opening my eyes again, I fixed my gaze upon the spot where the flame balanced upon the wick.  Breathe in, breathe out.  Breathe in, breathe out….  The trance came slowly as I followed the rhythm of my breath and the movements of the flame.  Then, between one inhalation and the next, I was standing in a forest.

We went to The Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park on a family vacation when I was twelve and while there we had hiked the Hall of Mosses Trail.  The trees there were covered in moss that ran the gamut from lime to deep emerald and all the shades between.  The ground, thick with ferns, was rife with the pulse of life, an interconnected ecosystem that felt more like home than anywhere I had ever been before.   The sheer lushness of the place had been awe inspiring – so much so that I had transformed my psychic realm into a replica of the wonders I had witnessed.  Today though, the usual verdant scene looked dry and untended, the moss browning, ferns wilting.  Gone was the cool Pacific Northwest moisture, in its place was the beginnings of an arid heat that I could taste in the air. 

Dread filled me as I hurried to the walled fortress that lay at the center of my forest.  Four enormous trees stood sentinel at the corners with side walls running from tree to tree.  I inspected the structure from all angles.  Three walls were riddled with cracks and fissures while a series of huge bulges – where my beast had obviously tried to tear its way through by force – were visible along the fourth.  I had never seen damage like this before.  My containment was always flawless, my beast calm behind the barrier.  Not today.  Today my berserker looked as ragged as its prison, staring at me with wild red eyes, it paced beyond the fractured walls, its chest heaving in frustration.

“It will be okay,” I crooned softly.  “Be at peace.” 

The ruby eyes that met mine reflected uncertainty and mistrust.  It had no reason to find comfort from the one who had kept it caged for its entire existence.  I desperately tried to think of something that I could offer but could think of nothing it could want other than freedom. 

“I’m sorry,” I said with regret.  “If I let you free, we will both be caged for the rest of our lives.”  It looked at me a moment longer and a flicker of rudimentary understanding flared in those crimson eyes.  It backed away from the barrier and sat on its haunches, watching.   Hesitantly I approached, making certain that it intended to keep back.  My worry was unnecessary as it seemed content in its vigil. 

Slowly I began making my repairs, first smoothing over the cracks and then solidifying the barrier, hoping to achieve something close to its previous thickness.  Time passed quickly and soon exhaustion began to weave its own thread through my efforts, making each new addition to the structure less effective than the one that preceded it.  I needed to stop before I collapsed.  Stepping back I inspect my handiwork.  The fortress was not completely restored but it would have to do for now. 

Blinking away the vision of my inner landscape, I took a disorienting look around my living room.  The candle, much like myself, was spent.  Usually meditation was a time of rejuvenation and mental respite.  Rebuilding the walls in my psyche had not allowed time for rest.  For that I needed sleep.  I took what was left of my now cold tea into the kitchen to reheat it when my phone chimed.  McCallister had called while I was meditating and there was a message. 

“Abigail, I know that the wolf has returned you home.  We have arrangements to discuss.”  He sounded irritated, as if I was intentionally ignoring him.  If only that were an option I thought before reluctantly returning his call.

“Ah Abigail, so nice of you to call.”  His tone was cool.

I had to resist the impulse to explain myself, remembering Corbin and Samantha’s warnings about getting involved with Liam McCallister on a personal level.  He was owed no explanations. 

“Do you have the information on the shipment?”  I decided to get straight to business. 

“Why are there two wolves guarding your house?”  The change of subject caught me off guard. 

“I had a little run in with a couple of shifters this afternoon.”  And that quickly, I found myself offering an explanation.  My resolutions were short lived it seemed.

“Who?”

“Two goons named Andrei and Luca,” I shrugged even though he couldn’t see the action.  “Know them?”

“Unfortunately, I do.”

“There were two Lenape wolves at the store when the altercation occurred.  They contacted the pack-master and he insisted on posting two guards.”  It was quiet on McCallister’s end of the line for a moment.

“I see,” was what he finally said.

“The shipment?” I prompted, attempting to get the call back on track.

“The container will arrive at Tioga on October 4
^th
via the Lassiter Tempest.”  I was a little surprised that it was coming in on Donald’s boat.  Hopefully I wouldn’t have to involve him, but if I did, I at least felt he could be trusted.  That would give me five days to get in contact with Joey Jansk and get his help.  Hopefully that would be enough.  “I expect there will be no missing merchandise this time.”

“That’s the plan,” I said.

“Good,” he said briskly.  “I will have Lok forward you the shipment details.”  The line went dead.  I guess he was still grumpy about the wolves.   I would never understand vampires.

I received a text from Lok a few minutes later with the container number as well as some additional details regarding the cargo and consignee.  Thankfully the bananas were organic.  Organic bananas were more likely to be shipped in containers since they were shipped in smaller quantities and had to be kept separate from the regular bananas which were fumigated to eliminate pests.  Hopefully they would draw less scrutiny than if they had been regular bananas shipped in a container. 

Either way, I couldn’t think about it anymore tonight.  I had a full day tomorrow and needed to get some rest.  I barely got my clothes off before falling into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.

Chapter 22

After breakfast the next morning I put in a call to the number Jonathan had provided for Joey Jansk.  He didn’t answer and I had to leave a message for him to call me.  I was a little uncomfortable leaving the voice mail but what choice did I have?  I asked if he was available to meet sometime later this afternoon without leaving any incriminating details.  Hopefully Jonathan had already filled him in on the nature of my request.  Successfully moving the Sapphire through the port hinged on having someone in place that could overlook any oddities in the radiation signature coming off the container when it was scanned.

I was scheduled to pick up Penny later and the morning was slipping away.  I needed to get my half of the picnic lunch packed before I headed out.  I cut up some fruit, made a couple of sun-butter and jelly sandwiches, threw a handful of carrot sticks into a bag and added a small container of ranch dressing.   As soon as this was all packed into an insulated bag with a few ice packs it was time to head over to the Clan Home to pick up the kid. 

I called Samantha on the way to see if she had any updates regarding Harvey from our new
consultant
, Nemesis.  I still couldn’t keep a straight face when I thought about that name.  Shouldn’t it have been Virus or something equally cyber-like?

“Hello Abigail,” Samantha’s voice chirped over my car’s speakers, interrupting my mental wanderings.

“Hey,” I said, giving myself a mental shake.  “I’m checking in about a few things on my way to get Penny.  Have you heard anything from our new contractor?”

“No, but I expect to hear back later today.”

“Alright,” I replied a little disappointed.  After my run in with Hook Nose and Weasel yesterday, I had hoped to find something else out about Harvey’s finances.  He obviously did not like having Sal asking around about him.  It was either that, or my brush off at the coffee shop had pissed him off more than I thought. 

“What about the report regarding the retirement fund?”

“Yeah, about that….” she said.  Uh oh, that didn’t sound good.  “I have been having a bit of trouble getting that sorted out.  I’m starting to worry that it’s not a clerical error.”

“What!”

“I cannot get any information out of Jamison Financial.  The person I spoke with there was borderline rude.  Apparently I don’t have the correct passwords or account numbers and I’m not listed as the contact for Lassiter.  After getting the run around, I called back our rep at Ferris Investments.   She had never heard of Jamison before your father requested the transfer.  I hate to say it but something just seems off about the whole thing.”

“I’ll talk to my father about it after I get through this play date with Penny.  If I cannot get anything out of him and our new contractor Nemesis turns up some good stuff on Harvey, I may hire her to look into this mess as well.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said.  “I will call you later when I hear from her.  Hopefully it will be something useful.”

“Talk to you then.”  I disconnected the call just as I was pulling up to the gates of the Clan Home. 

The guard at the gate told me to pull into the courtyard and that someone there would show me where to park.  I saw the Audi SUV in the courtyard and standing next to it was Sampson. 
What the hell?
   I rolled down my window as I pulled alongside him.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Guard duty,” he explained with a shrug.  “Didn’t McCallister tell you that you would have an escort?”

“He did.  I guess I just didn’t expect it to be someone I knew.”

“McCallister’s a bit squirrely about the kid.  He offered to pay extra in order to get the boss to provide him with better than usual security today.  So voila, here I am,” he said with a flourish.  “Pull your car up over there.”  He pointed to a spot on the far side of the courtyard that would get my car out of the main thoroughfare.   I quickly parked and made my way back to Sampson.  That’s when I noticed Alexander was behind the wheel of the Audi.  He was studying me as I approached.  He looked like he had swallowed something nasty.  Not sure that boded well for a harmonious day.

“Abigail!  Abigail!” shouted Penny as she burst from the house, her nanny hot on her heels.

“Penny!” Ann Marie scolded.  Penny completely ignored her as she zeroed in on my location.  She seemed about to throw herself at me when she abruptly halted, seeming unsure of my reaction to her enthusiasm.  I offered her an encouraging smile as I squatted down and opened my arms for a hug.

“Hello Penny,” I said as she slowly closed the distance and accepted my offered embrace.  I inhaled deeply when she gripped me, searching for that odd note I had encountered last time.   It was not there…. strange, I had been nearly certain. 

“Can I see your ears again?” she asked, leaning back out of my arms. 

“Penny!” Ann Marie admonished her.  “Please be polite.”

“It’s fine,” I said smiling up at the frazzled woman as I pulled my hair back to reveal my ears. 

“Oh,” Penny squealed.  “See Miss Ann Marie!  I told you they were pointed!”  She gave the nanny a somewhat smug look before confiding in me.  “She didn’t believe me.”

“That’s alright. There aren’t many of us elves around the city these days.  In fact, there are not really many of us left at all.”  Many of my ancestors had died from the resulting chaos of the plague.   “Those of us that are left prefer to be surrounded by trees and nature.  Elves don’t generally like the city.” 

“Then why are you here?”

“My family is different, we’ve lived in this part of the world for many generations and chose not to leave as the city grew around us.  Since I grew up here, I guess I just got used to it.  But I still enjoy spending as much time as possible outside, at the park and in my yard.”  It grounded me almost as much as meditation but in a different way.   It was less about containing the beast than it was about comforting the woman.  It was my mental health break.  The time I used to be quiet and think.  My mind could work through so many more problems while my hands were in the dirt.

“Is that why we are going to the park today?  Because you like being outside?”

“We are going to the park today because they have a great playground, lots of fun kids and a wonderful spot in the shade to have a picnic.”