As if all the air in the room disappeared, the four of us there; Mandy with an I-dare-ya slant to her brow; Jaylene with her chin tucked but her gaze lasered in on mine; Kelly, wide-eyed with her gaze darting back and forth; and me, slowly rising to my feet before I spoke.
“So you came here to tell me I’m going to die without your help and you’re withholding that help. Why?”
“Cuz there’s no love lost between us?” Chiquita posed the comment as a question but I didn’t bite. If I did there wouldn’t be much of me left to fight later.
“Not a problem.” I kept my tone on a more even keel than my pulse rate as I leaned forward across the table, planting one palm on it, my gaze dead-center on Chiquita. “I might be dead, but I’ll take that over living with the knowledge I let others die because I was a chicken shit.”
Kelly jumped between Mandy and me, so fast on her feet she surprised me. But it was the same rose-colored glasses Kelly who raised her hands and said, “Let’s not jump to the wrong conclusions here.”
“Wrong?” I pressed, hating to spoil the kindergarten teacher’s Peaceable Kingdom attitude. “There’s no wrong conclusion. You two act.” I cut my stare between Chiquita and Jaylene. “And Vaughn and I live. Keep your heads in the sand and we die.” I paused, then added. “And after we’re gone, you’re next on the list.”
That last part was a flat out assumption, but I was pissed.
Kelly again interceded. “Mandy didn’t say they weren’t going to help.”
“Sounded that way to me.”
“For love of mice.” Kelly threw her hands in the air, her voice rising in tone. “Quit acting like a bunch of kids. Someone’s hurting people here.” She glared at Mandy before doing the same to me. “Killing them.” A last look at Jaylene. “And you three can stop it if you quit posturing.”
Did she just tell me I was a poser?
Mandy and Jaylene’s expressions betrayed similar responses.
Did Kelly have any self-preservation genes? She was like a Chihuahua standing between snarling Pit Bulls, at least for the other two. I was more like a Doberman, bite first and bark later.
It was Jaylene who lowered the tension by several degrees. “You’re right.” She looked at me. “As much as I don’t like to risk my skin for total strangers, I also know better than to ignore the dreams.”
“You mean if you do there’s a boomerang effect on you?” I was thinking of the way magic could backfire.
“Something like that.” She shrugged, looking toward Mandy. “I’m not speaking for you, but I was given this ability for a reason. I ignore the warnings and worse crap happens.” Then she turned back to me. “If you need my help to stop whatever is coming down the pike, I’m here.”
I could tell Mandy didn’t like being odd person out so I straightened and crossed my arms, waiting her out.
“What?” She snapped. “I go with my friend. If she’s ready to rumble, so am I.”
What a rousing endorsement.
“Good,” Kelly piped up. “That’s settled then. Five against whoever is causing the problem.” She glanced at me, a smile wreathing her face, making her freckles stand out all that more. “So what do we do next?”
“Nothing,” came my flat reply. “Not a damned thing.”