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* * * *
When Hayden dropped me off in front of my house, Mom’s car was parked in the driveway. He needed to check on his own mom anyway, so he left, promising to return shortly for our di
The aroma of pot roast met me at the door. Too bad I wouldn’t be staying. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart. Di
“Hayden and I are going out to di
“You two are getting serious?” Mom still hadn’t glanced my way. Typical for me to get stuck talking to her back.
“It’s only been two weeks. We’re still getting to know each other.” I sat my purse on the counter.
She patted her hands on a towel, then pulled a large envelope off the counter and handed it to me. With her eyes still averted, she returned to the sink and faced the window. “Your father and I agree to all your terms, even the child support. We’ve declined visitation, as you suggested.”
What? I took the brown envelope and read the return address. Abrams and Abrams, Attorneys at Law. I pulled out the papers, slowly revealing them. Grandma had a hand in that, no doubt.
“We’re covering the legal fees, too,” she added.
When we’d spoken about it the other day, I didn’t think Mom would actually go through with it. But as I took a chair at the dining room table and flipped through the documents, I occasionally saw Mom’s and Dad’s signatures. Dad… how could he? My eyes were fixed on the papers, but I’d lost focus. “Really, Mom, is it that easy? You’ll just let us walk away?”
She sat next to me, turned away and gazed out the window. “Easy? You think it’s easy to lose a child? You think it’s easy to have two others around, constantly reminding you of your loss?” She spoke softly and I knew she didn’t mean it in a bad way. Still, she had two other children who were very much alive, but apparently meant nothing to her.
Things were the way they were and I couldn’t change any of it.
“You fed and clothed us, nursed us when we were sick.” I rose and kissed the top of her head, a kind of goodbye. “You did your best. I know you did.” As I glanced back, I saw her head drop into her hands and heard her weeping softly.
* * * *
Hayden insisted we drive his Viper to Boris’s, in case we needed to make a quick getaway.
The grounds outside the gate to the palatial estate were exquisite. Various shades of salmon-colored earth surrounded huge, perfectly arranged cacti that partially obscured the high stone wall. The security man nodded from his cubicle and the immense iron gate slowly opened, welcoming us into all that it protected. Smiling faces greeted us outside the front of the house.
As usual, Boris was surrounded by bodyguards, most of whom I recognized from the park. Boris, with his easy wave and casual stance, reeked of impeccable moral fiber. But as the car rolled up the driveway, I didn’t feel like we’d entered a safe haven. Anything but. If I hadn’t already spoken to my grandmother and gotten an inside view of Boris and his people, I would have bought the i
My stomach knotted and I reminded myself that this was a friendly meeting. Di
Boris showed us to one of the salons and made small talk. Hayden sat close to me on the settee, squeezing my hand occasionally as if to comfort me. But by his clammy hands, maybe he was the one who needed assurance.
After what seemed an eternity, a well-dressed man, Boris’s butler I assumed, a
Diane and Kyle, who Boris had introduced us to at the park, sat at the long table with us while ten guards inconspicuously lined the walls of the room. The topics of discussions remained light and everyone laughed at the appropriate times.
The food was to die for. I was spearing the last bite of chicken when Boris dabbed the sides of his mouth with the white linen retrieved from his lap. “You’re probably anxious to meet with Kyle,” he said.
Hayden lit up and took my hand as he stood. “You have no idea.”
I couldn’t wait either. Anything Kyle had to offer, I’d take. Things would heat up soon and I needed any skills I could possibly learn. Besides, working off the tension from our visit with Boris didn’t sound like a bad idea to me.
Flanked by his usual goons, our host led us through the labyrinth of tastefully decorated rooms and hallways to the spacious training area. Weapons of every sort lined two of the walls; mirrors covered the other two.
Hayden gri
I remembered Chait’s stories about his mentor and seeing those fancy bullets. I wondered what else Chait had. I suspected that once Hayden spent some time at Chait’s house, Boris’s toys would be long forgotten.
“Kyle, work with Tessa first. But be careful. She’s much stronger than the average newbie.”
My head whipped around. Why would he say something like that? “What do you mean?”
Boris smiled. “Just assuming you’re like your sister.”
I blinked, too taken aback to say more. “Oh.”
Chapter Thirty-two
Hayden
Boris watched from a spot in the far corner of the room, probably keeping his distance so he wouldn’t distract us. But his presence still weighed heavily on me, even after the thirtieth time Kyle knocked me down. Why such an interest in us?
Even with my back to him, I knew when Boris approached.
“You’re going about it all wrong, Hayden,” he said. Kyle backed away and Boris took his place. “Martial arts, especially aikido, can be very spiritual compared to, say, boxing or wrestling. As a sorcerer, you can take it to the next level. Let me give you a demonstration.” He dropped his arms to his side, feet together. “You try to take me down.”
I struggled to get past the fact that he knew which of the martial arts I used. He clearly knew his stuff. He also knew I had zero chance of getting the better of him on the mat. A guy like Boris only took bets he would win. But if I didn’t put myself out there, I’d never learn.
In an attempt to fool him, my arm shot out, but I put the real power behind my favorite kick. With a grunt, I ended up face down on the mat. I hadn’t gone down so quickly in years. But then I’d never sparred with a guy like Boris.
A week ago, the concept of protecting Tessa seemed as easy as making coffee. Now, the idea of failing at that scared the hell out of me. And the possibility of losing her was all too real. If I didn’t improve by leaps and bounds quickly, Tessa could die. And I would be at fault — because I couldn’t protect her.
“That should give you something to think about. I’d like to work with Tessa now.” He nodded and I knew I’d been dismissed. I stepped off the mat as Tessa replaced me.
“Now you try it,” Boris told her.
She backed up. “Seriously? Spar with you? Maybe we should start off a little lighter. Like on a day when all my energy isn’t being fu
He chuckled. “I understand you don’t have Hayden’s experience and I will spar accordingly. I want you to come at me with all your strength, but don’t forget that the result will be in direct proportion to what you do here.” Boris pointed to his head. “You haven’t even begun to tap into your abilities. And while you’re concentrating on your physical skills, don’t forget that most of your battles will be won by out-powering your opponent mentally and spiritually.”