Page 4 of The Magic of Discovery
He shook his head and a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Goddammit, Kai.”
Goddammit, Kai was right. Dude would flirt with a toad if it so much as glanced in his direction.
I stretched down to touch my toes and then reached up to the sky as far as I could to really stretch my muscles. “I’m just glad to be out of that metal box for more than a piss and a Slim Jim at some shitty gas station.”
We had driven for ten hours straight from Portage Falls. Thankfully, we were used to being constantly on the move, and this apartment came furnished, so we wouldn’t need to put down any real roots. The moving truck was mainly a cover; the only things we were hauling in it were our duffel bags and four motorcycles that we’d use to get around this country ass town.
Fish hummed in agreement as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. His thumbs flew across the screen, likely texting Larson to let him know we had arrived.
Studying the picturesque town I was going to have to live in for the foreseeable future, my mind wandered back to our team’s discussion with the CEO of Radical Incorporation, Khol Larson. We had been working for his company for about ten years now. They were a prestigious conglomerate in the magical world, offering first-class training to any witch or mage, no matter their affinity. You could enter their training program straight out of high school, and two years later, you were considered a badass in your specific area of magic. Most trainees opted to accept employment with Radical since it meant they’d get first dibs on new positions.
On the surface, Radical Inc. looked like any other mega company that raked in millions, except we catered to the magic community. If you needed specific marketing for your business? Radical had you covered. Your mage wand wasn’t making the magic happen in the bedroom anymore? Radical had a fully functioning and extensive magical hospital facility. You were being a fuck head and caught the attention of Khol Larson? Well, that was where we came into the picture.
My team moved in the darkness, silent and deadly. Confidentiality and secrets were our specialties. We were spies, assassins, operatives; we did it all. Whatever you wanted to call us, one simple fact remained: you didnotwant to see us showing up in your bedroom in the dead of night or cornering you in a dark alley on your walk home from the office. My face was the last thing so many scumbags had seen before they left this sad plane of existence.
We were the elite, and after ten years, our group was the alpha team. The biggest, baddest, most-qualified team that Radical had ever seen. We were the top-rated team in everything from dispatching rogue demons to rescuing kidnapped humans from the hands of sick fucks involved in the skin trade. Our success rate was higher than any two units combined; every day was an adventure and another opportunity for me to be the best. So yeah, looking around at this fucking Sleepy Hollow-looking place, my blood was not pumping.The fuck had Larson been thinking by sending us here?
Yesterday, when he’d tasked us with this mission, I’d crossed all of my fingers and toes, hoping that something exciting would happen here.
“Gentlemen.” Larson’s deep voice boomed across the conference room as he swept through the doorway. Our spines immediately straightened, all of us focusing intensely on the dominating man who was our boss. He was sharply dressed in an expensive as fuck, hand-tailored, three-piece navy suit. His dark hair was slicked back and combed to the left side, leaving his soul-penetrating gaze to make you feel like you were a ten-year-old shithead again.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice. I trust you’re all rested up after the flight back from China?”
We each gave a short nod, not bothering to speak. Larson wasn’t interested in our answer; this was just for show.
“Have a seat,” he offered after taking his place at the head of the conference table, his hard expression making the sharp lines of his features even more intense.
Cam took the seat to Larson’s right, and Fischer sat beside Cam. Moving to the other side of the table, I took a seat to Larson’s left with Kai plopping down beside me. We always sat like this, even at a restaurant or eating dinner at home. Routine and structure, that was what our lives were. Plus, this particular arrangement left our dominant hands available to pull a gun or knife with the highest probability of hitting a threat.
“I called you all here to brief you on your next assignment,” he began. I looked across the table to Cam and saw his brow crease before he smoothed out his expression. We had never once gotten an assignment from anyone other than Johnny. He had been our handler since day one, and his lack of involvement had me even more on edge. What the fuck was going on?
“This is a covert mission. The only people aware of the details are the five of us sitting in this room, and I expect it to remain that way. As far as Johnny is concerned, I’m sending you all on a well-deserved vacation.” He paused a moment, jaw ticking and fingers strumming on the smooth, shiny surface before him. Larson wasn’t a man prone to misgivings, so the fact that we were witnessing this hesitancy in a man who could effortlessly lock his emotions down told me that whatever he was going to say was of great importance. My heart began galloping in my chest, adrenaline already firing throughout my body at the mere thought of an exciting assignment. This was the kind of shit I lived for. The thrill of the hunt, the high of solving puzzles and mysteries, the glory of it all... balm to my black soul.
The tapping ceased, and his shoulders squared. “For twenty-seven years, I’ve been searching for a ghost. Or she might as well be. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had her location pinned down through CCTV. An ATM camera here, a traffic camera there. She stole something from me all of those years ago, and it is imperative that I find this woman. Details of what was taken are not important at this time, just that you locate and detain her until you can bring her to me. She has things she needs to answer for, and I will not stop until she is tied down to a chair in our containment center, and I’ve bled the truth from her evil fucking body.” Larson took a moment to stare down each of us, vehemency rising with every word that spilled from his mouth. Whoever this bitch was, she was in for a world of fucking pain. Goddamn.
“Permission to speak, sir?” Cam asked.
Larson nodded once in encouragement.
“Forgive me, sir, but is this woman a witch or human? Is she dangerous?”
Larson stood from his chair and turned his back on us to walk over to the minibar that was stationed in the corner of the large room. Kaito quickly slapped the back of his hand against my bicep, drawing my attention. He raised his eyebrows up to his hairline as if saying what the actual fuck? I shook my head quickly just as a deep sigh pulled my focus from Kai to Larson. He plucked a crystal decanter off of the gold bar top, removing the half moon-shaped crystal topper. Selecting a tumbler, he poured a healthy amount of the amber liquid into the glass, placing the decanter back in its rightful spot. His shoulders tensed, and I swore to the gods it looked like his entire body just expanded. He was one scary motherfucker. Spinning back around, his green eyes had darkened. Evidently, the more he thought about this woman, the further enraged he became, the fuse on a bomb getting shorter and shorter. Interesting. He swirled the scotch before raising the glass to his lips and taking a generous drink.
“She’s a green witch, and she’sextremelydangerous. Once you do locate her, don’t believe a word that comes out of her mouth. She’s captivating. For years, I’ve wondered if she shared blood with a siren. I knew her as Laura Walker, but that was obviously an alias. We were romantically involved for about a year, and then she just vanished. I’ve used every available resource to track her down, but they only helped me discover that she was a lying bitch.”
Christ, his anger pulsed through the room, spilling off of his body in waves. I didn’t need to be a fucking empath to feel that level of hatred and loathing. I didn’t think any of us had dared to blink since we realized how personally invested our boss was in this assignment. This woman must be talented to have pulled one over on Khol Larson. Dude was a beast. People had disappeared for much less than fucking with him.
“About two months ago, facial recognition picked her up on camera at a bank that’s ten hours north of here.” He slid a photo to Cam who glanced down at it. “She was wearing a disguise, but I know damn well it’s her.” He slid another photo over, I’m guessing one of her with more detail. When the photos made it to me, I stared at the grainy ATM camera image. A woman with short, dark brown hair was smirking with her eyes downcast, likely grabbing her cash. She looked as though someone had just told her a joke and the smirk was as much emotion she was capable of giving when the punchline was delivered. K slid the second photo to me. This woman was younger, looked happier, and had long, strawberry blonde hair that was pin straight. Holding a glass of alcohol, her focus was on something out of the frame of the shot.
“I took it upon myself to fly up to this town, Emerald Lakes. The closest airfield is about sixty miles outside of the city limits. I wanted to deal with this on my own, but trying to get into the town itself was impossible. I was about fifteen miles from Emerald Lakes and physically could not take one step further without feeling like my skull was about to split open. My mind screamed at me to turn around, and I had to pull over to be sick before I could do so. I’ve never encountered anything like it in my life.” He stopped to take another drink from his glass, just in time for Fischer to chime in.
“A warding spell?” he mused, pursing his lips in thought. “Smart. But to also layer that with a revulsion spell? Someone very determined and talented did that.” Fish leaned forward in his seat, resting his bronzed forearms on the table as he spun a pen around his fingers.
“Emerald Lakes is the key to this mystery. You four will move there, get to know the locals, and investigate the perimeter to see what kind of fuckery is going on. Make up a cover story, I don’t care what you go with. We need intel. Seems like a one horse, one stoplight kind of place. The town’s website is from the stone ages and mostly has tourist information listed. Luckily, there was a classifieds section, and I was able to find a furnished apartment in the downtown area; I already set up everything for you to move in tomorrow. Get packed and get your asses to this shit hole town. Stay sharp and use your skills. I know this is a vague mission, but for now, it’s really all about information. Contact me directly if needed.”
Understanding the dismissal for what it was, we all rose from our chairs at the same time, ready to head out. Before we could leave, he spoke again.
“I’ll text you all the information regarding the town and the apartment. Cam, Fischer, and Kaito, Johnny is waiting in his office for a debrief from your last assignment. He’s expecting you. Sullivan, a word.” His olive green eyes locked on my icy blues. What the fresh hell was this about?
