Waiting for Magic (18 page)

Whew.
“Then how do you know I pulled you out?”

She gave a wry smile. “You’re a
slightly
better swimmer than Kemble.” She shook her head. “Boy, I thought we were goners.”

The door opened on her words and Kemble threw himself inside along with a gust of rain. “We may still be goners,” he said grimly. “I talked to Michael. Everybody knows we were out.” The wrought-iron gate swung slowly inward and Kemble motioned the cabby forward.

“How?” Devin asked. He thought Kemble’s escape plan had been genius.

“Drew had a vision. She didn’t know when it would happen. But she was so upset she had Michael Find us.”

“Oh, no,” Kee said, horror in her voice.

“He located us about the time we caught the cab, apparently. If we hadn’t been moving fast in the right direction, he would have sent out the cavalry.”

“Did Drew.…” Devin started to ask.

“Tell Senior? If she doesn’t, Edwards will rat us out. He was pretty upset.”

By the time they got down the drive, the front doors were open, casting light into the gusts of rain. Mr. Edwards was standing there looking like Mt. Rushmore, arms folded and legs slightly spread. Several of his crew ran onto the front portico from various directions, looking shocked. Michael hugged Drew to his side, glowering at them. She’d been crying.

Kemble signed the credit card slip
with a grim set to his jaw. The cabby examined the slip and grinned. Kemble was appropriately grateful when it was due, Devin would give him that. How much had he tipped the driver for the hour ride and cleaning the cab?

By the time Devin helped Kee out of the car, Brian had appeared in his pajamas in the doorway and Brina could be seen in the background, throwing on a swirling robe over her silky green nightgown-thing. Devin hoped to God they hadn’t wakened Mr. Nakamura. He’d feel obligated to trek over from his apartment over the garages in the rain.

Kee dashed to the porch. Devin and Kemble followed. It was only when they were out of the rain, facing down a frowning Edwards, that Devin realized how disreputable they looked. Kee was barefoot. They were all drenched, with rain-streaked mud and various scrapes on any skin visible.

Drew wriggled out of Michael’s arms and rushed forward to hug Kee, apparently not caring that she was muddy and dripping. “I thought you were dead,” she sobbed. “Don’t ever, ever do that to me again.”

“How the hell did you get out of here?” Edwards said, glaring at Kemble. “We thought you were all safely asleep in your rooms.”

To his credit, Kemble drew himself up. Devin wouldn’t have had the guts. “I’ll tell you exactly how in the morning. We’ll go over possible weaknesses our little exercise might have revealed in our defenses. I’m sorry I deceived you.” Devin could see that he was also saying that last to Brian, who was rapidly going red in the face. Brina looked up her husband, alarm growing in her expression.

“You did this just to make fools of us?” Edwards sputtered.

“No, no, of course he didn’t,” Brina soothed, actually coming out on the portico in the cold and patting Mr. Edwards’ arm. “He was on a mission. We’ll explain it all tomorrow.” She glanced to Kemble. “Won’t we?”

Kemble nodded, weary. Brina gathered Drew and Kee and herded them into the house.

Edwards looked like he was still about to explode, but he stood down. He gave a crisp motion to his men and the security detail retreated, Edwards hissing pointed questions to his bewildered staff.

Unfortunately, that left Devin and Kemble facing Brian alone. His anger had retreated until it was only visible in his eyes. “I might have known.…” he started.

“Brian,” Brina called. “Come in to the kitchen. They’ll freeze out there.”

Brian turned on his heel and stalked into the house. Devin watched Kemble deflate. He looked older than his father at that moment, though he was only thirty-six. He motioned Devin through the door and followed with a heavy step. They left soaking, muddy footprints on the Mexican tile of the foyer, so they were careful to stay on the higher tile that formed a hallway of sorts around the lowered living room and led into the huge kitchen.

“You look like you’ve had a real soaking,” Brina said.

“In the river,” Drew murmured.

They all just nodded. Drew, Michael, and the Parents waited. Devin saw Kemble swallow. Finally, he said, “Yes. We went into the L.A. River. I’ll see you get a new car, Mother.”

Brina put her hand to her mouth to cover her gasp. “Oh, my God. In flood conditions? You, you might have been….”

Even Brian went from red faced to dead white in the space of ten seconds.

Devin saw Brina pull herself together. She took advantage of Brian’s apparent paralysis to shoo Drew and Kee upstairs with whispered instructions and turned to her sons. “You’d better go get hot showers,” she said, her voice carefully neutral.

Brian had regained his color. “Kemble is not going anywhere until he explains what the
hell
he thought he was doing taking the children out where they were very nearly drowned.” Definitely not neutral. His hand was shaking. Michael looked like he’d rather be staked out on an anthill, naked and covered with honey, than witness what was likely to follow.

“I … I thought we had a line on a Talisman, but.…” Kemble trailed off.

Brian’s expression closed down even further. “I should have known not to give you your head. You aren’t ready for it.” He glanced to Brina and Devin knew exactly who had been encouraging Brian to give his eldest son more responsibility. Kemble saw it too. That must make him feel great. His mother has to urge his father to trust him. And then, in his father’s eyes, Kemble blows it.

Not fair. And not fair for Kemble to take the blame alone. Kee was right about that.

“In case anybody hasn’t noticed, Kee and I aren’t ‘children.’ ” Devin said into the silence. “I’m twenty-three and Kee will be in a month. Kemble needed Kee to get in and see the collection that might contain the Talisman.” He wasn’t ready to commit to more than that at this point. It would do no good to get people’s hopes up yet. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to face what his theory might mean about Kee. Best to get over the rough ground just ahead first.

“What collection?” Brian snapped.

Okay. That was an improvement. Devin glanced to Kemble.

Kemble scraped himself together. “Magnus Pendragon collects antiques and artifacts related to magic. We thought he might have a line on the Talismans. He’s the expert in the field.”

Brian snorted. “And you dragged Keelan into this fool’s errand for what?”

“Pendragon doesn’t loan out his collection, or even let people see it. But.…” Kemble cleared his throat. “He has a weakness for pretty women.”

Brian actually rolled his eyes. “Oh, great. That is just fabulous.” Devin saw him beginning to gather steam.

“Don’t you want to know what pushed our car into the river?” Devin asked. He was starting to get a little angry himself.

“Pushed? I thought.…”

“You thought Kemble just drove into it? Well, you’re getting ahead of the facts here.” Devin had
never
spoken to his adoptive father like that. But he couldn’t help it. Kemble wasn’t going to take the fall here alone. “A guy pushed us into the river. From about fifty yards away.”

Brian’s brows snapped together. Michael’s eyes went wide.

“Yeah.
Probably
a member of the Clan,” Devin agreed, nodding as though it was the first time he’d thought of that. Which made it sarcastic, but he didn’t care. “Not quite sure what kind of a power. But when he shoved with his palms out—like that—over and over, the SUV slammed into the chain-link fence.”

Devin was sorry he’d been so blunt when he saw Brina’s eyes overflow. Brian looked ill. They were imagining what it had been like for their kids when the car went into the floodwaters. Of course, whatever they imagined, the reality had been worse. He felt for them, but he had to play this out. “Maybe the Clan knew we went to Pendragon’s house. Or maybe the Clan knows whenever somebody leaves the house without a security detail. But any way you figure it, you told Kemble to find Talismans. He had a good line on one. We checked it out. Not his fault that we got pushed into the river. So lighten up.”

Brian stood there like a statue, his lips tight but moving slightly, his jaw clenching.

Brina came striding forward and took both her sons’ hands, clasping them strongly. “I saw pictures of the river on the news last night. How … how did you get out?”

Kemble started to speak. “Devin.…”

Devin shot him a quelling look. “I caught Kee. Kemble got up on the bank and he pulled her out.”

Kemble felt like he still had to cover. “Devin’s a strong swimmer, thank God.”

Brina, still grasping Kemble’s hand, drew Devin into a sopping hug. “Thank you. Thank you both for coming home alive, and bringing Keelan with you.”

“You’re … you’re getting all muddy,” Devin protested. It had been a long time since Brina hugged him. She’d realized right away hugging made him uncomfortable. Tonight was apparently an exception. That was okay. He’d embraced Kee all the way home. He could make it through this one. The hug was for Brina, not for him. He could do that for her.

She pulled herself away, sniffing, and glanced to Brian. “Hot showers okay now?”

He nodded. “Don’t
ever
do something stupid like that again.”

Devin wondered how he’d thought Kemble looked older than Brian. Their father had just aged ten years.

*****

Drew was all business as she turned on the shower full blast and began to strip Kee. She didn’t say anything, which was pretty strange for Drew. Kee felt like a stranger in her own house and a child all at once. This was how Devin must have felt when he
had first come out of the orphanage in New Zealand and landed in Tremaine Central. Drew tossed the ruined red silk dress on the bathroom tile floor without a word.

“Sorry about the dress.” Kee hadn’t even asked to borrow it.

Drew moved around to unhook Kee’s bra. “Like I care about that.”

“Your black Manolos with burgundy leather bows are gone too.” Kee shrugged out of her wet bra. She’d begun to shiver again, now that the heater in the cab was no longer blasting on her. The tile in the bathroom seemed cold.

“Couldn’t care less,” Drew said. “Out of those panties.”

Kee shoved the wet nylon over her hips and stepped out of them.

“Into the shower.”

She
could hardly see the handle on the glass shower door for the steam, but it didn’t matter because Drew opened it for her. It was good to have Drew take charge right now. The water felt great. She didn’t even care that it revealed scrapes she didn’t know she had by making them sting. She soaped everything, and used three hair products. Mud, be gone.

When she stepped out, Drew was sitting on the toilet. She handed Kee a yellow, fluffy blanket-sized bath towel. “Better?” Drew asked.

“You have no idea,” Kee sighed.

Drew approached with a little tube. “Neosporin will take care of those scrapes. Got a little anesthetic thing going on too, so you’ll feel better.”

Kee turned away from the mirror before it cleared. “Don’t let me see how I look until tomorrow. I might be up to it then.”

“Okay.” Drew worked over her. How long had it been since she’d had skinned knees? Apparently her cheekbone was scraped and her elbows.

Kee’s mind began to clear along with the steam. Images of tonight started flashing in her mind: the SUV tumbling over the fence, the water beginning to fill the car as she hung upside down from her seatbelt, the log crashing against the windshield, the moment she’d known for sure she was going to drown. All she’d been sorry for was that she couldn’t properly see Devin from that angle when she’d never see him again. Her lungs had felt on fire, right up until the moment of surrender. Then nothing.

Wait. Another flash. Coughing up water as Devin knelt over her. She must have been hallucinating. Devin’s eyes had seemed blue instead of brown: a glowing blue filled with movement, like waves. Oh, yeah. Hallucination. Behind him was a moving brown wall. Then Devin holding her under the arms as they floated in a warm, calm pool. A voice that was many voices. Wow. Guess that’s what happened when you nearly died. Weren’t you just supposed to see a white light?