Chapter 4

Fallout

Nick was feeling settled and cheerful when he drove up from the ferry the next morning. Merlin had remained at home to speak with the artist they’d commissioned to paint the nursery walls but she’d promised to come over later. He didn’t need her to hold his hand but her presence, quiet and supportive, would help a lot. He’d assembled the crib during the preceding afternoon and put all the bedding in the nursery closet. He’d unpacked tiny, tiny clothes and put them away in the dresser. He’d pushed the stroller around the foyer of their house, and yearned for the day it wouldn’t feel so light and empty. Nick was really surprised at how much he wanted this. He’d been honest when he’d told Merlin it had never felt right before but now it did. Any other woman .. he wouldn’t have felt this way. In fact, he would have felt it was a mistake. It was because Merlin was strong. She wouldn’t let Nick turn into his father.

So, as he rounded the bend and headed for the garage, looking forward to updating the others on his spending spree and knowing they’d enjoy hearing all about it, Nick felt that all was good and fine in the world.

He walked into an argument.

“What the hell happened?” he asked.

“Our new member walked out yesterday and hasn’t come back,” Derek informed him.

Nick felt his heart rise but he was careful to guard his expression. “I had nothing to do it.”

“I realize that, Nick,” Derek responded tartly. “You’ve hardly spoken to the man and you weren’t here yesterday.”

“So why are we fighting?” Nick inquired, his voice carefully regulated.

“Alex wants to check the hospitals in case he’s had an accident. I say it is unnecessary.”

“What are you doing – preparing the riot act?”

“Oh yes,” Derek replied in a darkly angry voice. “But I won’t be able to give it. I have to go out. You will have to speak with him. Tell him the error of his ways.”

Alex shook her head. “How do you know he isn’t hurt?”

“The man is being irresponsible,” Derek dismissed. “And that kind of behavior in the Legacy will get people killed, and invariably it’s the others who suffer, not the individual. Steve probably hit the nightclubs, got very drunk and was in no fit state to return last night. And, before you say you’ve done the same thing at times, Nick, you’ve had the courtesy to call and tell me. I waited up till past one this morning before setting the alarms and going to bed.”

Okay, so Derek’s cranky because he didn’t get his eight hours last night, Nick mused.

“Where you going?” he asked calmly, strangely glad for once not to be the cause of Derek’s ill temper. “Hey, walking out without a word may not be a felony but it is a Legacy misdemeanor, an’ you’re about to be as guilty of it as Steve.”

“Not quite,” Derek retorted. “I’ve told you I have to go out. But, if you must know, Ingrid called this morning. She wants to see me. I have to go.”

“Leave it with me,” Nick said.

Derek hesitated, studying him with cautious eyes. “You’ll be able to do this?”

“Sure. No problem.”

Derek nodded. “Very well then. You know my opinion on the matter. I trust you’ll pass it on.”

“Count on it.”

Derek walked without another word. Alex let out a long breath. “Not the best start to Steve’s time with us,” she commented.

“No,” Nick agreed, shucking his jacket and sitting at his workstation. “The guy isn’t seconded to us, Alex. If he was, he’d still answer to his own Precept an’ we’d have to complain thru the proper channels. Steve’s in Derek’s team now. An’, just like us when we screw up, he’ll have to face the music. How he reacts will determine how long he stays.”

“Do you think checking the hospitals is unnecessary?” she asked.

“Yeah. I think Derek’s drawn the right line on it.”

She sighed. “Does it deserve the riot act?”

“It deserves straightening out but I’m not Derek an’ I won’t read the riot act.”

Alex hesitated. “You’ll be okay doing that?”

Nick half grinned but there was a certain clenched teeth quality about it. “Why is everyone so concerned suddenly about my ability to do my job?”

Alex flushed. “Oh, Nick .. that has never been in question.” She looked around blindly as she searched for the words. “In a world where .. things change in the blink of an eye, you’re the one we can rely on to be there, rock steady, and do the job no matter what it takes or the cost. We’ve never doubted you .. not even when you’re volatile. We know you’ll come thru, and that means so much to us. What concerns us is your reaction to Steve. We understand, or we’re trying to understand, how .. disconcerting it must be for you. We’re here to back you up, that’s all.”

Now it was Nick’s turn to go a slightly darker shade. “I never knew you cared that much, Alex,” he said in a joking tone of voice to mask the wash of emotion. “But, really, I’ll be fine. I have a contingency plan.”

She blinked. “You do?”

“Sure. Day out yesterday gave me time to work out some stuff .. as well as buy the cutest baby clothes you ever saw. Peri said she’d keep an eye on Steve an’, if he disrupts the harmony of the house, she’ll put him straight.”

“But .. Derek told me she can’t do anything right now.”

“No, she can’t, but she can save it up an’, when Aquila gets back on the scene .. punchy, free after a long period of shut away .. she’ll be the one to lay down the law.” He grinned. “So I say bring it on. Whatever it is, I can deal with it. Let him try to do his worst; he’s just saving up a heap of sorrow for himself.”

Alex grinned too but frowned a little as well. “Isn’t that punishing an innocent?”

Nick laughed quietly. “Define innocent. An’ Aquila knows how to pull her punches. Believe me, I’ve been on the receiving end more than once an’ she hasn’t killed me yet.”

*****

“Mom, I had that dream again last night. A storm, right over the house,” Kat remarked over breakfast. “What does it mean?”

Rachel had once imagined the dream was simply a forewarning of bad weather. Now she had a different take on it.

She raised her eyebrows. “I think it’s a sign. A metaphor. A new member joined the other day – ”

“Wow, really?” Kat sat up. “What’s he or she like?”

“He is .. a bit of a puzzle,” Rachel admitted. “He started well enough but then decided, for whatever reason, to leave the island an’ he didn’t say anything to Derek or Alex. His name is Steve Anthony, he’s from New York. An’, if I was to describe him to you, I’d have to say .. he’s like Nick.”

“What d’you mean?” Kat frowned. “Like Nick?”

“I mean .. to look at, to listen to, personality, way of standing, words he uses .. the whole eight an’ a half yards. There are a few differences but very minor. Mostly, he’s a second Nick Boyle.”

Kat thought about this. “An’ that’s what’s causing the storm .. or will cause it.”

“It looks extremely probable,” Rachel agreed in a flatly resigned voice while being impressed with her daughter’s interpretation. “I mean, we are all unique an’ nothing can change that but, when you find out someone has .. oh, let’s say the same birthday as you, you feel that a little of your uniqueness has been taken away. Obviously, there are hundreds an’ thousands of people who share your birthday, Kat, but you don’t know them or work with them. I’m not saying Steve does have the same birthday as Nick but he does have a lotta other qualities and habits, attitudes .. the little things which make up who we are. Each one of those chips away at Nick’s sense of self worth. There comes a point when people push back against a perceived threat, even though no threat is intended. It’s their way of drawing a line, making a stand an’ declaring I am me.”

She shrugged. “There again, maybe the storm will fizzle out. Derek may use Steve’s vanishing act as a way of correcting his mistake because he shouldn’t have chosen Steve. Any one of the others would have been better. Having said that, I hope Derek doesn’t punish him by sending him back to New York. It’d be totally inappropriate for the alleged crime. After all, we’ve done similar things in the past an’ he’s never thrown us out. Singling out Steve for special treatment would be unfair an’ suggestive of victimization. An’ that just isn’t Derek’s style.”

“How’s Nick taking it?” Kat asked soberly.

“He’s a little withdrawn into himself, which is natural. I don’t suppose it’ll last too long. Nick will only take so much pushing before he starts pushing back. He wasn’t there yesterday so I’m hoping he used the time wisely.”

“Did he go someplace?”

“To the stores,” Rachel smiled. “He an’ Peri are stocking up the nursery.”

Kat’s eyes shone. “I hope they have a boy. What a wonderful Christmas gift it’s gonna be. Will they let me baby sit?”

“Actually .. yeah, I’m sure they will. Peri’s baby will be normal. No accidental fires or powerful weapons materializing for you to deal with.”

“How did she do that?” Kat exclaimed.

“Apparently, they’ve switched her off until the baby’s born. She’s a normal, regular person, Kat, just like us. An’ that scares the hell outta me. No one up there is taking an interest. Anything could go wrong.”

Kat shook her head. “Don’t worry, Mom. Peri will be fine.”

Rachel angled her head. “Another dream?” she inquired.

“Nothing so deep.” Kat shrugged. “I just know her, that’s all. She’s my friend .. an’ she always comes thru.”

*****

Steve woke up with a construction site in his head and his tongue feeling like a carpet after an all night party. He opened his eyes to slits, groaned, rolled over and threw up. It only made the headache worse.

Holy crap, what the hell was I drinking last night ..?

He wiped a trembling hand over his mouth as he struggled to recall a memory of the night before. Any memory. His mind was a thumping, throbbing blank.

Okay .. what do I remember ..?

He sat up, groaning again, and tipped his head back. It bounced off a timber wall and he winced. Peering and trying to focus, he looked around him and discovered he was in a narrow alley between what appeared to be warehouses. He could hear the lazy sloshing of water away to his right. He couldn’t remember getting to this place. Belatedly, he checked his pockets and was mildly amazed to find his billfold still there complete with credit cards and cash, although the cash was sadly depleted in evidence of an exceptionally wild night. Anything more than mild amazement hurt too much.

I remember .. driving to the ferry and crossing to Tiburon. Yeah, I definitely did that. I remember going to the city and visiting the shipping office, making arrangements for my stuff to be delivered. I remember .. seeing a car and buying it. Taking the rental back, getting a cab back to the lot and picking up my wheels. And then .. I went driving around until it started to get dark, and I went to a club .. and … Then to another club … And, after that, it goes fuzzy and blacks out.

He frowned. I was going to do something yesterday. Something else. Something important. What the hell was it ..? Oh .. yeah. Work. What the hell, life’s too short.

Steve struggled to his hands and knees, paused there while he fought the urge to throw up again, then wobbled onto his feet and came upright.

I guess I should sink three gallons of black coffee and then hit the road back. Face the music. Take it on the chin. Say I’m sorry, sir, it won’t happen again. Right. What a liar. It’ll happen first chance I get. Oh, gee, Mom, are you going to ground me? I don’t think so.

He dragged his leaden feet down the alley and found where he’d parked the night before.

What d’you know .. miracles do happen. I was so out of it, I can’t even remember leaving the club and driving here yet I didn’t wrap it around a light pole, pick up a cop or anything. Someone up there likes me.

And wait till Boyle sees my wheels. He’s going to be as sick as I just was.

Steve grinned lazily to himself and set off to find a diner.

*****

“He didn’t come back .. at all?” Rachel was astounded. “Didn’t even call?” Her eyes widened. “What did Derek say?”

Alex rolled her eyes expressively. “What didn’t he say.”

Rachel shook her head. “And I thought the storm was gonna be Nick an’ Steve. I think maybe it’s gonna be Steve an’ Derek.”

“Maybe .. although Derek’s gone to see Ingrid so Nick will be giving today’s lecture.”

“Oh great,” Rachel groaned. “Y’know, Steve could have thought this thru a little. You don’t bend the rules to snapping on your second day. You give it some time. A couple of weeks at least.” She paced away then looked back. “Can Nick do it?”

“I am so glad you asked me that question and not him,” Alex replied. “Nick is getting suspicious why people think he can’t do his job. I think he can give the lecture. He has a contingency plan.”

“And is this a good thing?” Rachel queried skeptically, having a fleeting vision of somewhere remote in the grounds, bare fists, split lips, loose or missing teeth and bloody noses.

“He says Aquila pulls her punches so .. bring it on.” Alex smiled at her. “When you said storm, you were speaking generally, right?”
“I’m not sure. Kat had a dream of a storm right over the house. It started the night before Steve turned up.”

“Oh.” Alex sighed. “That does not sound promising.”

*****

Merlin waved goodbye to the rather bemused artist and grinned to herself. Not many babies would have a SEAL platoon storming a beach on their bedroom wall. She looked up and went to the garage, deciding to take the Mustang today.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“Oh, hi, Dad! I was wondering how much longer it would be before you guys paid me a visit.”

“We got tired of waiting, sweet pea.”

“I have a reason,” Merlin said virtuously.

“It had better be a damn good one,” Joe countered, his voice a growl.

“It is. Can’t be beaten, as reasons go. I can’t do it,” she said. “I can’t cross over.”

His eyes narrowed. “Merlin – ”

“Oh, boy, here we go,” she laughed quietly. “The lecture.” She straightened, lifting her chin, assuming the posture of someone addressing a huge crowd. “You have a duty to your family, to your heritage an’ ancestors, not to break the continuity between you an’ your past. They gave you what you have today. An’ let us not forget these old favorites – we’re not as young as we used to be, we can’t keep on coming back like this because you can’t be bothered to spare us a few hours, an’ people are asking about you, what are we supposed to tell ’em?” Merlin grinned. “Did I save your breath, Dad?”

Joe’s jaw twitched. “Shauna, I can’t talk with her when she’s in this mood. You talk with her.”

Shauna came forward. “Is this a new house?”

“Yeah! It’s right next to the old house. Eventually, Nick an’ I are gonna tear down the fence between ’em, make it into one estate. Use the old place as a lodge.”

“I always loved the old house,” Shauna said on a sigh.

“So did I, Mom. It was our family home, how could I not love it? But .. after I found out that Reuben had lived there too .. it didn’t feel like home anymore. Besides,” Merlin added, “Nick an’ I wanted our own place. Somewhere with no memories so we could make our own.”

Shauna smiled. “And it’s lovely. It’s .. very you. So .. why can’t you cross over to visit us?”

Merlin drew in a breath. “You guys can tell if I’m lying to you. I’m not. Straight up. This is the truth. I can’t do it, not now. I just don’t have it in me. An’ the reason I don’t is because .. well, I don’t want a Flamefall baby.”

They blinked.

“I’m having a normal baby,” Merlin went on, more embarrassed than she ever imagined she would be. There was just something about telling her parents that she was pregnant – it was a confession that, although she was married, grown up and a legal adult, yes, she had sex. “The boss switched me off, just till .. year end. Then, sure, I’ll come visit you guys again.”

“You’re – ” Shauna began.

“Nick an’ you are – ” Joe cut in.

“Parents to be, yes. I’m .. around twelve, thirteen weeks.” Merlin watched them. “Say something!”

“I’m not old enough to be a grandparent,” Joe muttered. “My little girl is gonna be a Mom ..?”

“Peri, it’s wonderful news. Congratulations,” Shauna smiled, embracing her. “It isn’t so good that you’re still sticking to your guns an’ refusing to carry on the line but .. I’m happy for you. An’ so is your father.”

“Nick’s treating you okay?” Joe demanded. “Didn’t force you into this?”

“No, Dad, he really didn’t. We both want this.”

“All right. Well .. sure, congratulations. How you coping?” Joe asked.

Merlin knew what he meant. He didn’t mean day to day tasks like the laundry or food shopping.

“At first, it was weird. I felt .. totally useless. Slow, clumsy, deaf. Half blind. I missed Aquila. Still do. But, as the weeks have gone by, it’s easier. Getting easier anyway. When I have doubts, I just remind myself that my baby’s gonna go to school, play with friends, do all the stuff I couldn’t, an’ not do the stuff I had to.”

“If you ever need advice .. or someone to stay so you can go out … ” Shauna ventured.

“Right,” Merlin said in a flat but amused voice. “Then it won’t be a problem for you to come back.”

“For our grandchild, absolutely not,” Joe declared.

“Dad, I have only one condition,” Merlin stated firmly. He glared at her. “No horrible historical bedtime stories. I mean it,” she said, no hint of humor in her voice or her eyes. “You told me when I was a kid to prepare me. I could fight those things. It’s different this time round. Don’t screw with this kid’s head, okay? You tell stories, you read ’em from a book just like other people do. An’ I don’t mean the Bible.”

“Okay,” he grumbled.

“I’ll make sure, Peri,” Shauna promised. “You’re looking very well. Has it, the pregnancy, been .. difficult?”

“I had morning sickness for a while. Seems to have gone now. Nick says I’m blooming. I just feel fat.”

“You don’t look fat. It hardly shows,” Joe accused. “Well, we’ve had our explanation. When it’s due?”

“Around Christmas. Very New Testament, huh? I got pregnant after being healed by the boss. Hell, if a big star appears in the east, I won’t believe it. I’ll know it’s a wind up by the people upstairs.”

*****

“I’m sure I don’t know what to do,” Andrew confided softly. “I’ve signed for them. They’re here in the foyer. But Steve appears to have .. not appeared. Should I take them upstairs?”

Nick rubbed a thumb along his jaw. “Leave ’em. If he comes back, he can – ”

The door opened and Steve appeared. “Hi,” he said. “Sorry I’m late.”

Andrew made a discreet and strategic withdrawal.

“You look like you had a good time,” Nick commented. “How much of it do you remember?”

“Not very much,” Steve admitted. “Am I gonna get the lecture now or can I go clean the puke off my clothes?”

“Half hour, Derek’s office. Don’t be late again,” Nick warned.

Steve saluted lazily. “Aye aye, sir.”

Nick’s eyes narrowed slightly as he wondered if Steve was having a sly dig at his past, but he let it go, choosing not to comment.

Steve went upstairs, ignoring the two large shipping crates in the foyer. He’d forgotten arranging for them to be delivered today. He’d been surprised to see them there but his mind was feeling strange right now. He had his vicious hangover, of course, but .. there was more to it. A lot more. It felt .. like it was a war zone.

Part of Steve Anthony was ashamed at what he’d done. Repulsed by it. It made him want to hang his head, apologize profusely, and swear on his rapidly fraying honor that, from now on, his Legacy duties came first. If he wanted social timeout, he’d ask and schedule it just like the other members in the house.

And then there was the other part. The bigger part. The part that was growing. It said ‘what the hell’. It laughed at Nick’s expression, the narrowed eyes and the warning. It whispered crazy ideas, outrageous impulses. It urged Steve to give in to them. Be wild, be reckless. Why not? Life’s too short.

He went into his room, stripped off and dumped everything in the laundry hamper. He’d hoped just doing that would make him feel cleaner but the war went on.

Don’t have a shower, run a tub instead. Leave the taps running. Bring down a ceiling somewhere. Ruin some of the paintings and stuff in this place. Cause some havoc. What the hell. Why not? Life’s too short.

He fought it and turned on the shower.

“Jesus … ” he whispered. “I feel like shit.” Then, without any kind of warning, he began to laugh.

In the control room, Alex and Rachel were preparing themselves for the inevitable confrontation.

“Nick,” Rachel began, “I’m not telling you what to say to him, I’ll only repeat what I said to Derek. Find out why. Everyone has a reason why they act the way they do. We don’t know yet what motivated Steve. His grandmother might have died, or his best friend from High School. If it turns out there is no reason .. put him straight.”

“Rachel, I’ve been given enough lectures in my time here to know the routine,” Nick responded. “I’m not Derek an’ I’m not the Precept of this house. I’ll do it my way with my words.”

“You want us to make ourselves scarce?” Alex inquired.

“Your choice. I don’t intend to shout,” Nick said. “He might.”

“I could use an early lunch,” Alex promptly decided. “Rachel?”

“Sure.”

Nick went into the office to wait for Steve to arrive.

*****

When Merlin got to the house, she bypassed the control room completely. She had a mission of her own to undertake. She went to the nursery next to the bedroom she shared with Nick.

She was standing just inside the door, studying the layout, when she heard footsteps behind her and then a pair of strong arms circled her waist and a chin rested on her shoulder. Merlin didn’t react to it. She continued to gaze at the room, picturing it as a nursery. It was when the hands dropped to her belly that she clamped her hands around the wrists and prized them away.

“C’mon, where’s the harm, huh?” Steve said. “You’re already pregnant. An’ I know I’m just your type.”

She met his eyes fearlessly. “I don’t deny you look a lot like him. But you’re not Nick. I can see the differences.”

Steve laughed softly. “Maybe you’d prefer them. He wasn’t your first.”

“No, he wasn’t. I had a lotta lovers before I met Nick. Once I met him though, I didn’t want anyone else. That includes you, Steve.”

He took a step away and spread his arms. “Okay, where am I different? Tell me. I’ll work on it.”

“You can’t ‘work on it’. It’s the eyes.”

“Got danger in ’em?” he queried,

“A lotta men have danger in their eyes, an’ it’s a turn on to some women. Yeah, I like it too. But it isn’t that.”

He shook his head. “What then?”

“Nick loves me. Not just with his heart an’ his head, but with his soul. His love for me shines so brightly. You just don’t have that. Lust, sure. I recognize that one. Maybe even greed. Or envy. But not love. Just isn’t there.” She folded her arms. “You haven’t made a good start here but I won’t add to your problems because I don’t run an’ tell. I don’t need to. You wanna brag to Nick about what you’ve just tried, go ahead. I won’t stop you. But I’ll give you fair warning. Clean up your act.”

“Or? You’ll run an’ tell Derek? Nick can’t protect you but the mighty Derek Rayne can?”

“Hell, no. I’ll pick up the phone an’ call my good friend Paul in London. You’ll be on a plane back to New York so fast, you won’t know what’s hit you.”

At last, something other than smug superiority registered on his face. “Paul. Y’mean .. Paul Emery.”

“Oh yeah. I know Paul, just as I knew William Sloan before him. You don’t get to be an associate of the Legacy an’ able to go to the places I go just by being a demonologist. You have to provide a whole range of services to the guy at the very top of the heap.” She smiled at him but it didn’t go all the way to her eyes. “Get your act together, Steve, or I make the call.”

The sudden doubt dissolved and he grinned. “Are you threatening me, Mrs Boyle?”

Merlin shook her head. “I don’t make threats. I make promises. Bye, Steve.”

He seemed to shiver and twitch then he turned on his heel and walked away. Merlin glanced around the doorway to watch – not the direction but how he moved. She angled her head and frowned slightly. Steven began as a chastened guy but, by the time he reached the bend, he had a jaunty spring in his step again. Merlin sighed as she went back into the nursery.

Trouble, she thought. I just don’t know yet what kind.

*****

“Derek.”

He smiled. He always did. No matter the weight or the responsibility, Ingrid’s voice, her mild eyes crinkling slightly at the corners as she greeted him, it made it easier.

“How are you?” Derek asked, moving to embrace his sister.

“I am well,” she replied. “I have asked you here today to discuss the letter you wrote me. Have I taken you away from something important?”

She gestured for him to sit at the long wooden table. “You have taken me away from a situation, yes, but I think I needed to be removed from it,” he replied.

“Oh?” Ingrid’s eyes were round and innocently yet mischievously curious.

Derek smiled again. “I will tell you later. For now, let us discuss the letter. What are your views?”

“I am surprised you felt you had to consult me.” Ingrid smoothed the skirt of her habit. “I left the world many years ago.”

“Winston was our father, Ingrid. We are equally the guardians of his collection. I would not make this decision alone.”

She nodded. “Then I am happy to go along with your choice, whatever it is. If you feel a new building should be constructed, so be it.”

“It would allow us to spread out a little, bring the stored artifacts into view. Possibly, it would help rejuvenate an area of the city.”

“Then you must do it. Winston was called to a higher purpose but his other major love was archeology. His collection deserves to be shared.”

“I’ll have an architect prepare some plans, and I’ll return.”

Ingrid laughed. “You don’t need my approval for that.”

“To pacify your curiosity,” he replied. “You may have left the world but you haven’t turned your back on it. It still fascinates you.”

“It does,” she conceded. “So, what is this situation?”

“A new member has joined the house.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” Ingrid declared, clasping her hands together.

“I think I’ve made a terrible mistake,” Derek remarked and proceeded to tell her what he’d done and the outcome. “If I’d stayed there today, I believe I would’ve overreacted. Rachel says there is a reason for everything. I, personally, can’t see Steve’s reason but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have one. Nick wasn’t there yesterday .. so he has an element of calm which I lacked.”

“Why was Nick absent?” Ingrid innocently queried.

“They’re preparing for the birth of their child.”

“Now that is wonderful news,” she stated. “I saw Peri two months ago and she mentioned it to me. I have never seen her looking so radiant. They will be good parents, Derek, and the house deserves to celebrate children. It’s been too long.”

He nodded. “It has.” He paused for a moment. “Forgive me, Ingrid, if I stay a little longer. I don’t want to go home just yet.”

“As long as you need, my dear brother,” Ingrid agreed, patting his hand.

*****

Nick glanced at the clock. He wasn’t sure what he felt. Forty minutes had elapsed. Was Steve being deliberately difficult? Or was he being deliberately offensive? Or was there a genuine reason for him not meeting the half hour deadline Nick had given him? He had looked bad when he’d finally arrived at the house.

Nick couldn’t bring himself to say ‘arrived home’. Not yet. Steve hadn’t done anything yet to deserve calling this house his home.

He watched the hand move to forty one minutes, and the door opened. Steve entered.

He definitely isn’t like me, Nick decided. If I was this late, I’d have my reasons lined up ready and I wouldn’t wait to be asked for them.

Steve shrugged. “What can I say?” He angled his head. “You want me to apologize?”

“I’d like to hear your reason for feeling you have to.”

Steve paused. “I don’t feel I have to. I’m asking if you want me to. Do I have a reason for blowing outta here an’ not coming back ..? Yeah, I guess.” He looked up. “You got ten years in the club. I got five. You know what the pressure’s like. I figured .. what the hell. Life’s too short. Before I really get into the routine rut around here, let me have a little fun. An’ I did arrange some personal stuff while I was in the city. See my crates have arrived. Plus I got rid of the rental, got me some .. very nice wheels.”

Nick nodded. “Would’ve been easier all round if you’d said before you blew out.”

“I’m not a kid, Nick. I’m all growed up.”

“An’ you’re a member of the Legacy. That sets us apart. Things happen to us. We get targeted more than Joe Public on the street. You think maybe we might not have worried about you if you’d told us what you planned?”

“Jeez, lighten up,” Steve muttered.

Nick tried to assess whether there was the thinnest strand of guilt somewhere in those words.

“I’d like to. So far, you haven’t given me cause.”

Steve’s jaw muscles jumped. “Where’s Derek? Thought he’d be the one making me walk on broken glass.”

“He had to go out. You got me instead,” Nick replied, his voice getting stonier by the second.

“You mean to tell me that you’ve never just … Never?”

“Sure, I’ve done it,” Nick admitted. “More than a few times. Never my first few days here. I was too busy learning to fit with the others.”

“An’ I told you – I wanted some time to chill. I wanted some time for me.”

“Don’t have a problem with that. I got a problem with you not saying anything before you did it.”

“C’mon .. you just said you’ve done it. Okay, not your first week, but – ”

“When I lose it enough to walk, everyone knows. I don’t ever just vanish.” Nick straightened. “From now on, neither do you. Pull another stunt like this, Derek will send you back.”

“Is that what he told you?” Steve challenged.

Nick shook his head. “It’ll be my recommendation. An’ he’ll go along with it because you can’t take orders.”

“Fuck you too,” Steve said and walked out.

Nick paused for a brief moment and then, without raising his voice, said, “You’d better be going to do some work, Steve.”

Steve’s stride paused then continued. Nick sat at Derek’s desk and leaned back in the chair. He didn’t do anything except watch the clock. The second hand swept round, and round. Nick watched it. After five minutes, he got up, went to the door and left the office.

Steve was at one of the workstations, concentrating on something on the screen.

“You want coffee?” Nick inquired.

“Yeah, thanks. Black. Lots of it.”

“I bet,” Nick grinned. “You looked pretty wrecked.”

Steve grinned too and shook his head. “I did, didn’t I? Damn, but I wish I could remember if I had a good time.” His eyes narrowed. “I knew I still had my credit cards an’ cash when I came round. Not as much cash as I went out with though.”

“Maybe a few quiet nights in will help your bank balance recover,” Nick suggested as he put a mug on the desktop.

“Yeah, maybe.” Steve twisted round. “Thanks.”

“For?”

“Not being as hard on me as I expected.”

Nick shrugged as he sat down. “I’m not Derek. In some ways, I’m harder.”

*****

Rachel and Alex checked the time and wondered if it was safe enough to go back.

“Another five minutes,” Rachel said and, as it was a nice day, they went outside.

“Isn’t like Nick to park there,” Alex remarked. “He usually leaves it in the garage. Under cover. Just in case some rain might otherwise get on it.”

Rachel went closer and peered into the garage. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Alex queried.

“Nick’s Mustang is in the garage. Right where he usually leaves it.”

“An’ that’s Peri’s Mustang. So, who ..? Oh.”

Rachel folded her arms. “I think this could be a problem.” She glanced at Alex. “Let’s be honest, just for a few minutes. Nick is Nick. He has his life, his past, his future. Steve is Steve, but he seems to be .. modeling himself on Nick. Using the natural physical similarity to .. to use what’s become the common term, ‘single white female’ him. Nick is trying to separate himself, to keep his identity isolated, yet Steve appears to be trying to narrow the distance. He knows he isn’t Nick’s twin .. but he’s trying to become it.”

“And I told Derek he wasn’t obsessed,” Alex commented, biting at her lower lip. “I think I’ll have to revise that opinion.”

“I wonder how Nick’s gonna take this,” Rachel said on a sigh as she gazed at Steve’s new car.

*****

As yet, Nick was in blissful ignorance of Steve’s red Mustang Soft Top, or the fact that Steve had moved in just two doors away from his own room. He worked on his own project, something he didn’t regard as a chore because he enjoyed it, and left Steve to get on with his own work. The silence grew to fill the room.

Steve wasn’t actually doing any work. He was tapping keys on the keyboard and looking attentively at the screen but he wasn’t typing anything meaningful. He was thinking, and he wasn’t thinking about work.

He was thinking about the box.

The skinny guy in the dirty jacket had told him to pass it on to someone who’d appreciate it. Steve had thought he might keep it but he’d changed his mind on that score. He’d decided to give it to Derek Rayne as payback for the lecture. If anyone needed a fresh perspective on life, it was the stuffy old Precept right here in this house.

But there was the problem. If Steve gave it to Derek, Steve wouldn’t have it anymore to give to others, and there were no guarantees that Derek would pass it on. He might choose to keep it. It might not work its magic on him. Derek might investigate it or even destroy it, and Steve couldn’t risk that.

Anyway, Derek hadn’t given the lecture. Nick had.

Slowly, his eyes swiveled round to his left. The hard man didn’t notice. Steve grinned quickly.

I’ve tried to be like him. Tried to live how he lives. Maybe .. it’s time to put us one on one and test to see who’s the hardest, the fastest, the most accurate with a gun. Who gets to keep the woman …

What the hell. Life’s too short. Go for it. Bring it on.

Steve decided to pass the box on to Nick.

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