The Detective Inspectors (The Doorknob Society Saga Book 4) (14 page)

 I leaned over placing my hands on the table, my Doorknob clearly visible to everyone. My eyes narrowed and I looked from the orb to my mom. “You forgot one of the most important lessons you ever taught me.”

“Did I now, dear, and what’s that?”

 I twisted my hand around the Doorknob and the tension hung like heavy in the room. “Always pay attention to what they don’t want you to see.”

 I brought my Doorknob up in a flash as my other hand shot out and snatched the orb from her hand. Her fingers grasped too late for it as I yanked it away. I hopped backward and snapped my wrist creating my energy whip.

Screams echoed all around the room as the surrounding tables emptied, everyone running for cover. Declan remained by my side.

 “What are we doing?” he asked.

“Being stupid.”

“I thought so.” He pulled out his Silver Star and tendrils of energy spilled from it.

“Give that back!” Mom screamed and jumped up, her eyes glowing with rage.

“Come and get it.” I snapped the whip shattering the floor tiles in front of me, as if I dared her to cross the line.

“DI Hardcastle, stop her now,” Miranda Tarwynn yelled.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry about this, but you can kiss my ass.”

Everyone at the table was up and ready to fight, the young girl nervously stepping away, fear prevalent in her wide eyes.

“Take them both.” Miranda motioned and her three subordinates moved toward us.

 I clutched the Forget Me Not in my hand and considered making a run for it. But with all the people scrambling out of the restaurant, our exit would put way too many people in danger. And jumping through a portal with this many people after us would just end badly.

“I hope you know how to fight?” I elbowed Declan.

The tendrils from his Silver Star spun into chains and he raised them over his head and brought them around smashing the man to his right in the side and dropping him to the floor.

“How’s that?” he asked.

“Works for me.”

“Don’t let her get away with that Forget Me Not!” Mom’s voice was hysterical and I was loving it. I’d finally gotten under her skin.

“Yeah don’t let me get away.” I laughed as one of the women came at me, her Silver Star glowing brightly. She lost her balance as she rushed me. She was obviously a neophyte when it came to fighting, so I easily sidestepped her, not wanting to waste my energy on her and drove my elbow into the back of her neck knocking her out clean.

The man who attacked next didn’t waste time, he threw a set of glowing silver shackles at me. I dodged them and brought my whip around cracking it off his Silver Star.

Miranda rushed from around the table heading for Declan, but he already had his shield raised to blunt the attack. A surge of powerful energy made the hair on my neck rise and I spun away just in time to avoid a blast of pure energy from my mom that tore the table behind me in two.

The HVO member took advantage, attacking with repeated blasts that pushed me back. I stumbled and cursed at the damn heels I had on. With determination born of pure anger, I dug in and finally held my ground, spinning my whip and deflecting the blasts.

“Finish her damn it!” Mom yelled and the HVO member took the words to heart, and built up a massive torrent of energy.

 I dropped my whip and created a shield of power to withstand the coming onslaught.

He cut loose releasing a tidal wave of energy that smashed into my barrier and rebounded upward blowing a massive hole through the roof of the restaurant and shaking the timbers of the building. The entire structure shook and I fell backwards losing my footing.

The building shuddered and a section of ceiling caved in crushing an entire half of the dining area. Luckily most of the patrons had exited and it was only those of us fighting who were left. Us and that little girl, damn I looked around and saw her a few feet away struggling to get up. Above her the ceiling was already giving way.

“Erin!” I heard someone yell and the girl looked passed me, her eyes large and filled with fright.

I kicked off my heels, pulled myself up, and ran for her. The sounds of cracking timber made me wince but I didn’t look up. I swung my arms out as I reached her, wrapping them around her and diving as far as I could with her held tightly against me. I turned as we hit the ground taking the brunt of the fall to my shoulder. I activated a shield as soon as we landed, protecting us from the shards of ceiling that were falling and bouncing off it.

“You okay?” I asked as I looked around and saw Declan fighting Miranda and my mom. The ceiling had taken out the other HVO member.

“Y—y—yes,” she stuttered and glared at me with large eyes.

“Good, stay back or you’ll get hurt.” I stood up, taking the girl with me, then gave her gentle shove and reminded her again. “Stay back.”

 She stepped back in front of me. “Not if you’re going to hurt my mom.”

 She had balled her small fists and was ready to fight me. The kid deserved credit for sticking up for her mom. I gave a quick glance over at Miranda and Declan battling, and then turned back to the girl.

“If your mom leaves me alone, I’ll do the same to her, kid.” I figured this Erin girl must be about eleven or twelve at most. I wished I’d had a mother to defend at that age, but I hadn’t. All I had was a bitch who ruined my life.

“I’m not moving.” I was starting to like this kid, she had attitude. But I had to get back and help Declan.

“If you say so.” I ran straight at her and she didn’t move, she closed her eyes and braced for the hit. I smiled as I launched myself over her with a quick flip and raced toward the battle.

Mom turned and seeing me, rushed at me. My whip met her blade and sparks of energy showered around us.

“Where is it?” she seethed and I realized I must have dropped the Forget Me Not when I went after the girl.

“I lost your little bauble, saving the kid.” I laughed and snapped my whip toward her.

“Why save her?” Mom’s eyes searched my face and I was surprised to see total confusion there.

“If you have to ask that question, you’re crazier than I thought you were.”

She blinked as if turning off or on a switch and yelled, “I want my Forget Me Not.”

 She launched herself at me again, bringing her blade down and slicing toward my face. I pulled my whip taut and blocked the blow.

“It wasn’t enough that you took Dad from me, you had to take Nightshade too?”

“Shut up!” she screamed and slashed wildly at me, forcing me backwards. I had no choice but to stay on the defensive until I tripped and fell, hitting the ground hard and landing flat on my back.

Mom came to stand over me, but before she delivered another blow her glance darted past me, and she smiled. I turned already knowing what she had spotted, and there a short distance away was the glowing Forget Me Not. I couldn’t let her get it, I scrambled for it, but she was faster, jumping over me and snatching it up in her hand.

Her smile spread and she laughed as I came to a stop in front of her. She looked at the orb and closed her hand around it tightly.

“I’m sorry did you want this?”

 I’d lost the Forget Me Not and all around me I could feel portals beginning to activate. Miranda had called in reinforcements; we needed to get out of here quickly. I’d lost this battle, but I wasn’t about to get captured.

I turned my knob activating it and Mom brought up her Skeleton Key. Instead of attacking though, I spun around and snapped my wrist out opening a portal. I ran towards it, grabbing Declan’s arm as I passed him and pulled him along with me. I shoved him through and jumped in myself. I turned to take one last look and saw mom standing in the wreckage of the restaurant. She was staring at the Forget Me Not, Miranda and the girl Erin standing beside her.

Status: Timetables aren’t my thing.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Uncle Archie was pacing back and forth in the living room of mine and Val’s apartment.

“That it was time to stop my mother,” I said as I poured myself a cup of coffee.

“What you did was cause one hell of an issue. Miranda is head of the HVO and says you attacked them and your mother who was under their protection because she was seeking peace.”

“Bullshit.” I sipped my coffee and sat down on the couch.

“Yes, of course it is, but still we have to handle this through proper channels.”

“No— you have to— I don’t. Isn’t it obvious that the HVO is not on our side anymore?” I threw my hands up exasperated with the whole debacle, and he shook his head, taking a seat across from me.

“The Council has been worried about the HVO for some time. I imagine you already know that or at least know something about it. This incident confirmed it for us. The problem is how we handle it from here on out. This could lead to open war and no one wants that.”

“While you all keep ringing your hands wondering what to do, I’ll be busy dealing with the problem, how about that?” I took another swig of coffee and the warmth slid down my throat and warmed my chest. Man did I ever need the caffeine jolt.

My date had been a complete disaster and now I was getting chewed out. Plus I had a feeling this wasn’t the only earful I was going to be getting today. Last I checked I had over twenty texts.

“Chloe, you can’t just do anything you want. You’ve been appointed by the Council to find Edgar not start a war.”

“The Council doesn’t seem to grasp that we’re already at war and that I’m the only one fighting for our side.”

“You know that isn’t true. The Council is taking everything that happened and happens very seriously, far more seriously than you realize.” Uncle Archie ran his hand through his hair and scratched at the back of his neck.

“Do I? I am the only one out there on the front line fighting. I’ve been involved in every major battle with the First Kind and do I get any help from the council with any of it? No. None. Nada. I either get thanked, if all goes the way the Council likes or reprimanded if the Council doesn’t like the outcome. I’m sick to death of it and them.”

 He arched his eyebrows and took my cup from me and placed it on the table. “They want to see you.”

 “Why?”

“It’s a full Council meeting, there’s talk of officially declaring war.”

“And they want me there?”

“Like you said, you’ve been involved with this from the beginning.”

“I don’t like it. They only summon me when they need something from me.”

“Chloe, I know you don’t trust the Council or most of the Old Kind for that matter. Your dad had no choice but to raise you away from us. And you must know that I would never intentionally put you in danger— I promise you that—but you have to do this for me.”

 He didn’t speak with his usual vibrancy and I could see it troubled him to make this request of me. I wasn’t sure why I needed to be at the Council meeting but I suppose it couldn’t hurt. I doubted that the First Kind would attempt a move on me there, though I wouldn’t put anything past them.

“I’ll go —for you— but I’m warning you. They will be sorely mistaken if they think I’ll be dealt with as a child or underling.”

“Good, I’ll inform them.” Uncle Archie took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. He stood up and pulled out his phone as he walked out of the apartment.

The sound of my phone buzzing in my room got me off the couch. I walked to my nightstand and picked it up and saw the mass of new messages I had received. I scrolled through and started to shoot quick answers back to everyone.

Val was in her mid-morning class but I had already filled her in on everything last night when I got home from my failed date. I had actually been having a good time before my mom showed up. After we had gotten out of there, Declan had hurried off to go talk with a few other HVO members he considered loyal. I’d offered to go with him but he thought that might cause problems.

I was going to have to reevaluate my ability to date other humans since it seemed to always end in a train wreck of epic proportions. I mean has there been one guy I’ve been with who hasn’t gotten attacked when they were with me?

I scrolled through my texts and sent messages off to Slade and Jess, both concerned about me. Jess was on a mission with DeAndre, though had still heard about the incident.

 I was hoping Declan had sent me a message, but there was nothing from him. Our date had been an utter mess, though surprisingly I found myself liking him. He was funny and always in a good mood, so much different from what I was used to. It was a nice change of pace. It didn’t hurt that he was good looking and had an English accent that most girls would die over.

A tinge of guilt still ran through me about Nightshade. I still cared about him but he seemed unreachable at this point. Last night when I had seen the Forget Me Not I’d thought I might have a chance to get him back. But now it appeared even more unlikely. Now that mom knew I was after it, there was no way she would we ever let me get it again. I’d lost my chance and most likely Nightshade along with it.

How long could I keep beating myself up over Nightshade? Slade was right, I deserved to be happy too. Declan was nice and fun, why couldn’t I date and enjoy myself? Nightshade seemed to be doing okay with Darla.

I shook my head. I didn’t want to think about him and Darla. The idea of her annoyed me, but to think about him with her made me grind my teeth and want to knock her head off.

Then there was Mom. I still couldn’t believe that she was the same woman who I had adored when I was young. She was cold and calculating and had completely eradicated any love I had for her.

Was that my mom’s true nature? And if that was the case, was I destined to be like her? I’d always known I was guarded because of her deserting me so young, but lately I was thinking differently. What if in the end I was really like her? What if I was going to end up just as cold and bitter as my mom and there was nothing I could do to stop it? That idea terrified me more than anything.

My phone rang and Gavin’s name scrolled across the screen. I took a deep breath and tapped the number answering the call.

“Hey.”