Legend of the Ir'Indicti 5 - Destroyer (24 page)

"Uh, I don't know. I have to ask Mr. Winkler," Ashe hedged.

"Marco can drive you home, if that's how he wants you to get here."

"Okay," Ashe said, suddenly uncomfortable. It was almost like speaking with a stranger, and his mother was completely out of touch. "I'll go ask," he added.

"Talk to you soon," Adele said and hung up.

"This is so weird," Ashe muttered and left the office behind, searching for Winkler.

* * *

"Mr. Winkler, I don't know what's happening, and I'm almost afraid to tell her what's really going on," Ashe said, settling on Winkler's guest chair.

"You can go home with Amos and Flossie, if that's all right. If you don't want to spend the night in Star Cove, call Marco, he'll pick you up. If you spend the night, come in tomorrow morning with the Thompsons."

"Thanks Mr. Winkler. This is so confusing for me, and I still haven't talked to Dad."

"This hasn't been easy on you, son. If things are uncomfortable in Star Cove, I'm just a call away." Winkler turned dark eyes on Ashe before nodding.

"Yeah. I'll let you know."

* * *

Dude, are you coming home, tonight?
Sali's text caused Ashe's cell to beep as he rode in the back of the Thompson's car.

Coming now. Got a ride with the Thompsons
, Ashe replied, his thumbs clicking swiftly on his cell.

Sucks, not being able to travel in your usual way, huh?

Sucks rocks
, Ashe replied.
Mom called and asked if I was coming home for dinner, like nothing happened.

Seriously messed up
, Sali responded.

Seriously to the eleventh power
, Ashe agreed.

What about your dad?

Haven't talked to him, yet.

Worse.

Yeah
.

What do you think he'll say?

No idea. I don't feel comfortable about it, considering how things went when I saw him last.

That's what Marco said.

He was there, so he'd know. Cori, too. Took a lot of guts for them to stand against a bunch of asshole Elemaiya
.

You should have taken me, Ashe. I would have helped.

Sal, don't go there. We have a truce going, remember?

Yeah. Sorry, dude
.

* * *

"The money was moved and now he's disappeared," Calhoun dropped a folder on Curtis Roberts' desk. "He sent this, though. Gives two possible locations for the boy on the Texas Gulf Coast. One of the locations is William Winkler's vacation home in Port Aransas."

"Where the three I sent disappeared," Curtis grumbled.

"No word on bodies, and no answer on any cell phones," Calhoun said.

"Michaels is still around, so that means they either chickened out or they're dead."

"My vote is on the latter option," Calhoun nodded. "You've paid those three too well in the past and it should have been an easy hit."

"It was the ideal opportunity, to hit him while Tanner's thugs went after Winkler."

"I hear Winkler survived as well."

"Too bad. I could have offered those government contracts to someone else, in exchange for a few favors."

"Winkler's security software is still the best available."

"You think I can't get somebody to crack that code and duplicate it?" Curtis huffed at the thought.

"I figure you can," Calhoun chuckled.

* * *

"Sunset in an hour," Adele said the moment Ashe walked into the kitchen. Ashe felt as if he were twelve again, as his mother counted the minutes until his father would wake while she cooked dinner.

"Yeah," Ashe sighed. "Need any help?"

"You can put the salad together," his mother pointed to the fridge.

"All right." Ashe pulled romaine lettuce from the crisper and washed it before tearing it into bite-size pieces and dumping it in a bowl. Tomatoes and sliced red onion went in next.

"The salad dressing mix is in the pantry," Adele said, pulling freshly baked lasagna from the oven. "There's shredded parmesan in the fridge, too."

"Okay. When do you have to go back to work?"

"Tomorrow, at three. I'll be doing the late shift, but that works out pretty well, since your father will be wide awake when I get home."

"Yeah."

"Is something wrong, honey?" Adele glanced at Ashe, a look of concern crossing her features.

"Nothing more than usual," Ashe shrugged, dumping salad dressing mix in the prescribed amount of oil, capping the container and shaking it.

"Talk with your father, then. He'll sort it out."

"Yeah."

* * *

"We have a message from King Baltis," Parlethis handed the envelope to Friesianna with a flourish. "I hope it contains encouraging news."

"Let me see," Friesianna accepted the envelope and lifted the flap.

* * *

"Adele." Aedan went to her the moment he entered the kitchen and gave her a kiss.

Ashe placed the lasagna pan in the dishwasher and shut the door, switching on the machine. He wiped crumbs off the counter with a cloth and dumped them in the trash.

"Ashe?" Aedan's voice caused Ashe to freeze.

"What do you want?" Ashe's voice was flat.

"Son, come to the deck with me."

Ashe silently followed his father through the house. Aedan opened the door leading to the deck and allowed Ashe to go through first before closing the door behind him. "Sit down, son. We have to talk." Aedan's gray eyes seemed troubled as they briefly raked Ashe's face.

"You didn't want to talk the last time I saw you." Ashe knew his voice sounded sullen. He couldn't help it.

"I know." Aedan settled on the same chair Griffin had occupied a day earlier. Ashe felt as if a century had passed since then. "Sit down. I want to explain."

Ashe took the same chair he'd taken when he'd spoken with Griffin. Briefly, he wondered where Griffin was and whether he had a permanent residence or if he spent his time going from place to place, never staying long in any of them.

"Son," Aedan lowered his head and stared at his hands, "Nathan tells me there's something wrong. Not just between the two of us, but wrong with you—because you were given too much of a drug and it has impaired you."

"Yeah. On both counts."

"Ashe, I know you feel abandoned, and I don't know how to make that right."

"I don't know, either. I don't think things will ever be the same, since I'm not your son anymore."

"Ashe, people don't turn love on and off, like a faucet. I did what I thought I had to do, to protect you."

"I wish you'd let me in on it, then. You weren't here, Dad. You didn't hear Mom calling me
that boy
, like she'd never seen me before in her life."

"I know. She doesn't remember that. A part of me is glad, because it made things easier for me last night. I don't know if the near-death is responsible for that, or if it's something else. Somehow, I wish it had been the same with you, but I knew it wouldn't be. I knew the moment you walked out of the house, last night."

"At least she broke up with Buck."

"She told me. As if that has disconnected with her reality in some way."

"I don't get that, Dad. I heard he proposed."

"I heard that, too. From Nathan."

"Figures."

"He's my first—and only—vampire child. You're my son, Ashe. In my heart, you will always be my son, even when I refuse you so Wlodek won't find you so easy to take. He's agreed to approach you honestly in the future, with his offers. Reject vampirism, son. You have no need for it."

"Don't you think I can figure that out on my own?"

"I know you can. We don't give you enough credit for knowing these things. Many of us wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. I'm concerned—really concerned—about what that drug has done to you, and can only imagine why it was given."

"They mean to have me or kill me, Dad. One way or another. It may be in your best interest to leave me with Mr. Winkler. That'll leave Star Cove out of this mess."

"I don't know what to do, son. You can't trust me, now, but I hope that changes. I'd like to see things the way they were, when you were younger and our lives weren't so complicated."

"They are complicated, and it looks like it may get worse. Cut your losses, Dad. Tell Mom to do the same. I can get Marco to take me back to Winkler's house tonight."

"You moved all your things away. I checked last night."

"There wasn't anything left for me here."

"I'm sorry, son. More sorry than I can say that we've hurt you."

"You can't be near as sorry as I am."

Chapter 15
 

"I'm afraid to ask. Marco says the kid didn't say a word on the drive between Star Cove and here last night."

"Have you heard anything from Aedan or Adele?" Trajan shook his head at Winkler's comment before asking the question that concerned him most.

"Nothing yet. As of now, I'm still the boy's legal guardian and his sole means of support."

"This has to be hard on him, Winkler."

"I know. I don't know what to do about it, either."

"I have a suggestion." Winkler lifted an eyebrow at Trajan's words.

"What's that?"

"I know kids in the past have sued for emancipation from their parents."

"Trajan, I'm not sure how to react to that," Winkler said. "If one of my kids suggested that," Winkler shook his head.

"But you didn't walk away from your kids. Sure, Aedan and Adele want him now, but that's confusing the kid. If he declares himself emancipated, then he can stay or go, his choice."

"I don't think this is a good idea," Winkler rubbed his forehead.

"Because everybody wants a piece of him. Walk in there now, and tell him he can make his own decisions from now on. Go on." Trajan gestured with his hands.

"Damn, Traje," Winkler blinked at his Second. "Look, maybe we can compromise. Meet with Aedan and Adele. Say we're all going to lose him eventually if we don't let him have some control over his life."

"That's the best thing I've heard today," Trajan nodded. "Let's go for that and see if it flies."

"I'll send a message to Aedan's cell and see if he replies. I'm worried that Adele won't understand if we present it to her, first. For her, it's like it never happened."

"Yeah. This is a nightmare for the kid."

* * *

"It doesn't matter if you want to pay cash for a room. I still need ID and a credit card for incidentals." The hotel desk clerk wasn't budging on the rules. Dawn wanted to turn and rip his throat out. If she were to accomplish her goal in Chicago, she needed to be as discreet as possible.

"I'll find another hotel." Dawn snatched the money she'd laid on the desk and stalked out of the hotel lobby, leaving a worried desk clerk behind.

* * *

"I was scared. She said she didn't have ID or a credit card. I swear she growled at me, though I know that's not possible." The manager at the third hotel where Dawn attempted to pay cash for a room called the police as soon as Dawn left. "I got a partial number from her license plate. It was a Texas tag and the last three numbers are four-three-six."

"We'll check it out," the officer's voice sounded bored.

* * *

Ashe leaned back against his headboard to read another chapter of
The Return of the King
, dropping the mysterious envelope on the bed as he did so.

"Wait," Ashe lifted the envelope again—had he imagined that his fingers tingled as he'd touched it? Cautiously he pulled the note from the envelope and unfolded it.

"Huh?" It no longer said
you're welcome
. Now it said
ask
.

"Ask what?" Ashe flipped the note around. Nothing was written on it except the word
ask
. "Okay, first you say you're welcome. For what? Now you're saying ask? This is ridiculous. Griffin says the answer to my problem is around my arm. You say ask. What the hell does that—wait." Ashe pulled the sleeve of his T-shirt up and stared at the medallions circling his left arm.

"This is so dumb," Ashe muttered, fingering one of the medallions. "Okay, tell me, what is it I'm supposed to ask?" His head swam with visions.

* * *

"When did Tony and Gavin leave? Is there a way to get in touch with them?" Ashe skidded into the media room where Winkler, Trajan and Ace were watching a baseball game on the large screen television mounted on the wall.

"Left last night," Winkler said, tapping the remote to mute the sound. "What's the matter?"

"If they catch the vampire they're after, they need to ask a specific question," Ashe sounded breathless.