“Couple busted ribs, broken wrist, her shin is cracked, and some muscle damage, but she walked here on her own, which is freaking crazy. She is sedated, but she’s in danger, needs to be hospitalized at a level beyond the facilities we have here.”
“Please keep her there if you can,” he replied immediately. “I know you can do this.”
“Maybe,” Ice replied, “but, if she stays under for too long and goes into a coma, I’ll have trouble pulling her back.”
“I suspect she will go into a coma,” he said quietly. “And I can’t really explain or tell you how or why.”
“Terk, if you have information on how to keep her alive, you need to tell me,” Ice demanded in a harsh voice. “This isn’t the time for holding back. If something has happened or had been done to her that’s out of the ordinary, then it would really help to know.”
“I don’t know,” he added for emphasis, “anything. And I’ll tell you if I do.” And, with that, he hung up.
*
Ice looked at Merk, as he stared down at the phone. She asked him, “Jesus, what the hell is going on?”
“His team has been targeted,” Merk noted, “and, of course, we know what that’s like. He’s walking in the dark, but, in this case, for him, the dark is all-encompassing.”
“And that’s the problem with having an extra sight like that,” Ice replied. “Somebody knew it. Somebody targeted it, and somebody took it out.”
“I’m not sure they took it out.” Merk lifted his head slowly to look at the rest of Levi’s team gathered here. Something far off was in his view. “It’s possible that Terk’s gifts have been muted, diffused in some way, like walking behind glass, or not at full strength. But something in his voice I didn’t quite get.”
“I heard it too.” Ice stood, her legs akimbo, a military stance, in stark contrast to her extended belly. She then crossed her arms and glared at him. “Next time he calls, see if you can get an update from Terk on Celia. Like a confirmation that’s her name for a start.”
“It’s what he called her. But he doesn’t know a last name.”
She froze at that. “She’s pregnant with his baby but he said he never met her. How is that for a mind bender.”
“Sure, but remember who you’re talking about.” Merk gave her a lopsided grin. “My brother meets”—and he put that word in air quotes—“a lot of people in a lot of ways, and none of it is physical.”
She groaned. “You know what? I would much rather deal with somebody who’s a threat right in front of me than with all these ghostly supernatural aspects. Your brother is damn scary. He’s part of our team and part of our family, but at times I look at him and wonder just where the hell he’s coming from because he’s got information that none of us could ever even begin to access.”
“Yeah.” Merk stood. “What do you think it was like growing up with him?”
She shook her head. “More power to you that you didn’t drop him to the floor at some point in time.”
He burst out laughing. “He is still my brother.”
She grinned. “I know. That’s why it’s safe to say it to you because you know where I’m coming from. He is sure a fascinating person, and we need to help him all we can.”
At that, Stone filled up a huge mug and walked over to the sideboard, his hands wafting in the air, as if struggling to make a choice from all the offerings.
Merk looked at him and suggested, “Don’t even hold back. You’ll have a long day.”
At that, he nodded, then grabbed a plate and took two cinnamon buns and a handful of cookies. “You’re right. I’ll need something to keep me going.” He flashed a grin at the others. “If you need me, you know where I am.” And, with that, he headed upstairs to wait for the call from Tasha.
Merk looked at Ice. “How bad is Celia?”
“She’s bad, and it’s not so much the physical injuries. They will heal. I’ve done the x-rays, and I’m checking to see if we’ll have to bring in a surgeon to do something to help straighten up the broken bones. I’ve sent them off to my dad for another look, but, if everything comes back clear, then she just needs time to heal, physically and emotionally.”
“And the baby, are you sure he’s okay?”
“He?”
Merk flushed. “Slip of the tongue.”
But her gaze narrowed on him. “I don’t know the sex of the child, and I’m not doing any test to find that out. It hasn’t popped up in anything yet,” she stated, “so make sure it was a slip of the tongue.”
“Got it,” he replied immediately.
She shook her head. “Damn, things just went sideways in a big way.”
“No, they went sideways forty-eight hours ago,” Levi corrected, “but now it’s up to us to stop the slide.”
“So how do we keep Terk’s team safe?” she asked. “They’re over there. I wish to hell they were here.”
“And that is an option we have,” Levi murmured.
“You never brought that up.”
“Honestly I figured Terk would veto it immediately.”
“He would,” Merk agreed. “He’ll want to do his utmost to make sure that he doesn’t bring any more danger to anybody here.”
“Yes, but that also leaves him alone in the cold.”
“Which, as you well know, is not a bad place to be.”
She groaned. “I get it.”
“Ice, go take care of those you can,” Levi ordered, with a gentle grin.
She rolled her eyes at him. “Terk is family.”
“He is, and we will do everything we can to make sure he’s safe.” She frowned at him, but he wouldn’t have anything to do with it. “Go. You’re getting too involved.”
“How can I get too involved?” she snapped.
“Because you care,” he stated. “We all care too, but we’ll keep our heads on this one.”
“Don’t you tell me that I won’t keep my head,” she argued.
He walked over, dropped his forehead to hers. “Please, just go get some rest.”
She sighed. “Fine, but, when I come back, you guys better have a plan of action, or else I’m stepping in, and I’ll create one.” And, with that, she stormed off.
Levi looked over at Merk. “Now do you want to tell me what that slip of the tongue was all about?”
“No, I really don’t.” He stared back at Levi.
“And was it a slip of the tongue?” Levi asked.
“As far as I know, it was,” he replied. “Believe me. Growing up with Terk was a very unnerving experience. I protected him as much as I could, until he got control of his abilities, but it wasn’t easy to have your brother look into your mind and see where your thoughts were all the time.”
“No, I imagine it wasn’t. Are you sure that you don’t have the same ability?”
“Absolutely. No way I have the same ability. You think I wouldn’t have used it all these years that we’ve worked together if I could have?”