Redemption (30 page)

Freakin’ Miranda.

He heard the sirens of the ambulance in the distance. His first priority was making sure that Cassidy was okay. Then he’d deal with Miranda.

 

Carrie stood at the front door and glared at Bryan. Her friends and family were going to drive her mad. “Why don’t you tell me what really happened?”

Cassidy had miraculously escaped the incident with nothing more than a bump on the head and a bruise on the leg. Now Bryan had to face Carrie who seemed to blame him for the whole thing. It made no sense whatsoever. Then again, when had his life made sense?

With Cassidy,
said the voice in his head.

I know that, shut-up,
Bryan thought back at it. Now was not a convenient time for the voice to talk to him. “Listen, Carrie. I’m not sure what happened. She was fine, and then she wasn’t. She just fell.”

“Her leg.” Carrie’s expression softened. “No more skating, okay Bry? I need her in one piece.”

“Yeah, like I
want
something terrible to happen to her, Carrie.” He pushed past her.

“Bry wait. I didn’t mean-” Carrie called after him.

“I’ll go say goodbye and let her rest,” he said, not bothering to turn back or slow his step.

Bryan found her propped up on the couch in the library, what he now knew to be her favorite room in the house. He watched her, unseen, for a moment. The expression on her face said she was trying to reason something out. He could tell by the occasional squinting that she was having a conversation with herself in her mind.

“What’re you thinking?” he asked, breaking the silence.

She didn’t jump. His voice had become the sound of comfort. “I’m thinking about what happened. I
know
what I saw on the edge of the lake. I’m just trying to figure out why I’m the only one who saw the guy. What’s wrong with me? I didn’t imagine him.”

“I believe that you saw someone there, Cass. I just didn’t see him,” Bryan reassured her. He knelt behind the couch, one hand on her shoulder. “You should rest.”

Cassidy shrugged. “I guess.”

“Listen, Carrie’s about ready to have my head. I’m gonna take off, but I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“She’s too melodramatic.” Cassidy rolled her eyes. “Call me later.”

Bryan leaned in and placed the gentlest of kisses on her lips. “I will. Rest now.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She waved him off, then smirked. “Go on and tell Carrie to come in. I’m sure she’s out there lurking anyway.”

“I heard that!” Carrie called from the other side of the door.

Cassidy laughed. “She can’t help herself. I’m the little sister she never had. She does mean well.”

“Always has,” Bryan agreed. He kissed the top of her head gingerly. “I’m not going to let anything else happen to you, Cassidy.”

“How about we don’t let anything else happen to each other?” she replied, her blue eyes shining.

Bryan smiled. “I’ll talk to you in a little while. I have something I need to take care of, but I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.”

“Okay.” Cassidy smiled at him. “Later.”

“Later.” He walked from the room and closed the door softly. Bryan turned to Carrie. “Bye, Carr. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She put her hand on the doorknob. “Bye, Bryan. And, I didn’t mean to sound so nasty before. I worry. We’re all she has now, you know?”

He nodded curtly and continued walking. Sure Cassidy had Carrie and her family, but they weren’t all she had. She had him, too.

 

It took a considerable amount of time for him to dial the familiar number. His brain kept trying to talk his fingers out of it. If Cassidy didn’t need her help, Bryan would be content with never speaking to Miranda again. Why, he wondered, was it possible to forget the things he wanted to remember, but impossible to forget the things he didn’t want to remember? The perfect example was her phone number. When it came down to it, he didn’t even think about the numbers; his fingers slid across the keypad on their own. One ring. Two rings. Three rings.

He waited. Maybe she’d turned the phone off. Maybe she was busy with Super Cop. He grinned at the possibility of interrupting some intimate moment between them. It would serve her right in some cosmic payback sort-of way.

“Hello?” her voice.

“Miranda, it’s Bryan.”

“Uh- huh. Your number is still in my phone, you know.” She sounded wary.

Bryan took a breath. “I need your help, Randi. Cass is in trouble.”

The pregnant pause did nothing to assuage his fears. Miranda hadn’t expressed anything toward Cassidy except contempt. He wasn’t sure she’d even agree to help.

“Why?”

“Why is she in trouble? Well, there was this guy at the lake-” Bryan was cut off.

“No. Why do you need
my
help, Bry? You made it pretty clear the last time we spoke that you weren’t interested in anything I had to say. Now that your
girlfriend
is in trouble, you need
me?
” she paused. “I’m kinda confused.”

Bryan shook his head. “Look, I know I pissed you off, but don’t take it out on her.”

There was another long pause.

“Enlighten me, Bry.” Her smirk came through in her words. She could never stay mad for long. As much as she might feel some sense of jealousy toward Cassidy, she wouldn’t let her get hurt.

“I took her skating today, and there was some guy on the side of the lake. I didn’t see him, but she did. She said something about red eyes. So, you need to tell me more about that dream you had.”

Miranda was quiet on the other end. It was happening. Whatever she’d seen in the dream was coming true. Goosebumps rose on her arms.
I should call Derek
, she thought.

“Meet me at Starbucks in a half hour, okay?” she said.

Starbucks. Bryan rolled his eyes. He should’ve known; she lived at the place.

“Okay. I’ll see you there,” he replied. “And, Randi, thanks.”

“You might want to hold that thought, Bry.” She hung up the phone and dialed Derek. It was time.

B
ryan walked through the doors of Starbucks. There weren’t many people there, just a few guys sitting at a table and the employees. He wasn’t sure how long he’d have to wait for Miranda to arrive. His shoulders sank a bit as he approached the counter to order a coffee. He thought about the last time he’d been there, just a few days earlier, with Cassidy. He wished she could be with him now. Twice he’d ended up in this exact Starbucks with a question he had for a girl. The only other thing each trip had in common was the barista working the bar.

Lainey Reid.

“Bryan,” she began. “Without your new girlfriend, I see.”

“Grande Pike Place,” he said, “and hi to you, too, Lainey.”

She turned to fill his cup, and when she faced him again, her expression had changed. Lainey wasn’t one for grand displays of emotion; she left that to her sister. She’d always had to be the tough one. He noticed that her eyes, the same shade of green as Miranda’s, looked incredibly sad.

“I just missed your face, Bry. You always leave.” She sighed. “How long this time?”

“Until the end of the week is the plan. I only came back for the wedding,” he explained.

Lainey nodded. “The end of the week.” Her breathing hitched the tiniest bit. “Enjoy your coffee, Bry. Guess I’ll see you at the wedding. Say goodbye this time, at least. Okay?”

“I will.”

Bryan took a deep breath and found a table. Miranda couldn’t get there soon enough. No matter where he went or what he did, people were always getting hurt. He took a sip of the coffee and burned his tongue. He muttered a curse and set the cup on the table.

Burned, exactly what everyone else around him felt he’d done to them by leaving, or returning, or existing. He needed to hear what Miranda knew about this dark-haired, red-eyed mystery man and needed to make sure Cassidy didn’t get hurt again. He couldn’t even allow for that possibility.

The door swung open, and Miranda walked in, followed by Derek. Bryan suspected she’d bring him. The last time something strange had happened, Derek went on about angels and warned Bryan to be on the lookout for anything that seemed out of the ordinary.

This is about something bigger than the three of us,
he’d said ominously.
There are forces that are huge and dangerous and stronger than we are on our own.
Bryan shook his head, figures Miranda would pick the melodramatic guy.

“Hi, Bryan,” she said, placing her coat on the back of a chair.

Derek was already on line, undoubtedly to order her chai and his hazelnut latte. They had a strange addiction to those drinks.

“Miranda.” Bryan nodded in Derek’s direction. “Gainnes is here, too, huh?”

“He can help, Bry. He knows things, too,” she explained.

“While we wait for him to get your chai, why don’t you start explaining?”

She smiled, and it made a part of his heart ache. “Chai. You remembered?”

“I have an excellent memory,” he paused, “but we’re not really here to reminisce, are we?”

Miranda sighed. “No, we’re not.”

Bryan looked at her expectantly. “Really, we don’t have to wait for him to get to the table. Tell me about this dream, and don’t leave anything out, Miranda.”

“I did try to warn you about this, you know.”

“There’s no time for told-you-so’s, either. Listen, I know you don’t like her much, but Cassidy is in trouble. Just tell me what you know.”

Vizuhn stood nearby, Feyth by his side. Miranda saw them watching her, watching the door, hands resting on the hilts of their swords. She had known the entire time that the dream was a warning. She had tried to tell Bryan earlier. It wasn’t up to her to convince him or change his mind. He was a big boy, and whatever trouble he’d gotten himself into was his own fault.

Right?

You are the helmet, Miranda.
Vizuhn seemed to be reprimanding her, his tone clearly disapproving.

She scowled.
I know.

“I don’t
dislike
Cassidy,” Miranda said, pouting somewhat.

“You don’t like her, either,” Bryan replied.

“I don’t really know her, not anymore. I guess I just,” she stopped mid-sentence and shook her head. “Let’s just get to the dream.”

Miranda pulled out a journal and opened to a page she’d marked with a scrap of paper. Her eyes scanned the page, and she tapped it with one finger. Before she could begin speaking, Derek returned to the table and sat down with their drinks.

He and Bryan looked at each other for a very long moment.

“Derek,” Bryan said.

“Bryan,” he replied. “Miranda tells me you’ve got a situation.”

“You could say that.” Bryan drank some of his coffee. He was here to find out what Miranda knew, not engage in conversation with Gainnes. “Tell me what you know, Randi.”

She let out another sigh as though the weight of what she was about to share had already exhausted her. “I told you about the eyes and dark hair. I truly am not sure if what I saw was male or female, but I am positive it was evil.”

“Yeah, this isn’t anything new,” Bryan interrupted.

“I’m getting there.” Miranda narrowed her eyes. “Stop interrupting me.”

She focused her mind on the dream. She needed to recall every detail, every sensation, needed to search her mind for anything she might’ve missed the first time.

“Just take your time, Miranda,” Derek encouraged her.

“It’s cold. Snow is falling, swirling around, like in a storm. I was relieved when you were in California, but now that you’re here...well, you’ve changed things. Whoever it is in the dream is watching you, has come here for you. He or she clearly wants
you
, Bry. I can feel anger, destruction, possession.” She shuddered. “In it you seem lost, wandering, and something is draining you. I don’t like it. The dream is a warning. I prayed about it because I wanted to understand it all. Bry, I couldn’t be more sure; you have a demon after you.”

“A demon,” he repeated, his tone flat.

“Yes, a demon. As in Satan and his minions,” she said, slightly sarcastic and repeating his words from their earlier conversation in the bar.