Page 5 of Abra's Acquisition
We spent most of the night devising a plan. It’s well after midnight when we part to get some sleep. I’m worried about Rey, but I know Erickson won’t hurt her, even if he thinks she and I are working together. No, I take that back. He won’t hurt her yet. If he doesn’t get the figurine back, then all bets are off. Luckily, I know Ericskson better than he knows me. Hell, I probably know him better than he knows himself.
In the morning, I make a call to the one person who can give us more information about why Erickson is so desperate to retrieve the figurine.
“Abra, my friend, it’s a bit early for you, isn’t it?” Cicero asks.
“It is. We have some trouble, and I’m hoping you can help.”
“Me? Okay, that sounds intriguing. How can I help you?”
Cicero is one of the few people from my past that I still associate with today. He’s seen me at my worst and my best. He was there for me when I was a kid struggling to survive on the streets. He snuck me into his family’s home as often as he could and provided me money for food when I needed it. He even saved my life once. He blocked a knife to my chest with his arm. I owe him my life, so when he asked me to steal the figurine from Erickson, I didn’t ask him any questions. Maybe I should have.
“Remember that object I picked up for you the other day?”
“Of course. I appreciate your getting it for me. It’s critical for my project.”
“Yeah, well, there’s a slight problem. The person I picked it up from wants it back. Normally, I’d ignore the request, but there is a young woman who is paying the price.”
Cicero’s silent on the other end, so I prod him. “Did you hear me? There’s a woman in danger and we don’t have time to mess around.”
“Who is she? Is she important to you? Is it one of the Old Ladies?”
“No one really. Rey was there the night I dropped in to pick it up, so he thinks she was working with me and was there to create a diversion.”
Cicero was silent for several moments before he spoke again. “Do you need the item back?”
“No. I think we can free her without it, but I need to know why the item is so important to him.”
“Oh, well, that’s easy. He likely knows that it’s key to finding a treasure.”
I snort. “It’s a treasure map? How is that possible?”
“It’s not a map, per se, but I know it’s key to recovering a treasure that was brought over from France by a noble family who escaped the French Revolution. I’ve been researching the family and discovered that this specific figurine points to the location of the treasure.”
“How?” I ask, getting lost in the story.
“Well, that’s the problem. No one knows. I asked to see it because I wanted to examine it more closely. I haven’t found anything yet, but I was hoping to discover more in the next few days.”
“Why in the next few days?”
“Because the home and property are going up for sale the day after tomorrow via a private auction. I don’t have the necessaryfunds to purchase the property. However, I hope whoever wins the auction will allow me access to the home and grounds. I know our friend is attending the auction. If he wins…” Cicero doesn’t finish the thought, but he doesn’t have to.
“Erickson is after the treasure,” I muse. “That would explain why he’s desperate enough to resort to kidnapping. Okay, thank you for the information. At least now I understand his endgame.”
“Are you sure you don’t want the item? The mystery isn’t worth a life.”
And that’s why Cicero will always be my friend. He understands that life is more important than any treasure.
“I don’t think we’ll need it. I’m working with my club to come up with a way to rescue her. The only reason I called was to get the lowdown on the item. I couldn’t figure out why he’d be willing to risk so much to get it.” I end the call and head downstairs for breakfast.
After breakfast, we put the plan into action. Putting my phone on speaker, I call Erickson. I use a burner phone that he can’t trace, even though he knows my current and former identities. There's no sense in giving him a way to track me.
“You made a mistake, Erickson,” I say when he picks up.
“You are the one who made the mistake, Lucifer’s Heir, or should I say Abra?”
If he thought he’d shake me by making the connection, he’s wrong. I never kept either of my identities a secret. I may not have broadcast them, but I didn’t try to hide my transformation either.
“Either works, but I rarely respond to Lucifer’s Heir these days. He’s in my past. Abra is my present. I find being a member of a motorcycle club to be a much more liberating experience. I’ve learned a few useful tricks on how to handle a threat effectively. Often those tricks are permanent.”
