Touching Silver (27 page)

“Physically, I’m great. The pain…it’s gone now. All of it. Like I was never sick.” She smiled and gestured at herself. “I didn’t even bang my shin against the wall in the dark.”

“Good.” His gaze darted to Gabriel before returning to her. “At least something went right tonight.”

She nodded. They still had a huge amount of work ahead of them—specifically, keeping Gabriel in prison where he belonged. “I’ll see to Stacy. You call for an ambulance. I don’t want Gabriel to die from blood loss.”

She helped Stacy to her feet and led her out of the room with her arm around the girl’s trembling shoulder. Minutes later, sirens sliced through the still night.

Isaac would be waiting for her. She looked for him as soon as she stepped into the sandwich shop, and found him in the back corner with her favorite lunch on the table in front of an empty chair. He had food in front of him, but it was untouched. Olivia hoped the news she had would at least prompt him to eat a few bites, but she didn’t expect anything more. He’d been a mess since the night they rescued Stacy and Remy disappeared—the night Nathan stopped speaking to him.

“Hey.” She slid into her seat. “What’s the word on Gabriel?”

“Judge refused bail. Everything’s pending trial now, so it’s just a waiting game.” The corner of his mouth lifted, but there was very little mirth in either his smile or eyes. “To say Gabriel looked pissed would be an understatement.”

She released her breath in a long sigh of relief. “Good. If anybody is a flight risk, it’s Gabriel.”

He fell silent as she picked up her pastrami on rye, his fingertips drawing patterns in the condensation on his Coke. She wanted to talk about Nathan, but that had become a touchy subject in the past week. He had slowly closed it off for discussion, even when she ventured for information. She had to wait for him to ask before she said anything about Nathan.

“He’s blaming it all on Marisol,” he finally said. “And the fact that nobody can find her isn’t helping.”

Olivia swallowed a mouthful of food. “I thought he might try to set her up for the fall. But he can’t deny that Stacy was discovered in his home. And I’m sure you’ve got enough shit on him that the DA could just keep throwing charges at him until something sticks.”

“That’s the hope. What about the other cases? Are you still leaving them open?”

She nodded. “Stacy’s testimony isn’t enough to bring charges against Gabriel for the other missing girls. The homes where they were held are being scoured for evidence, but until there is something definitive, they’re still officially open.”

Someone at a nearby table burst into a loud rendition of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” only to be shut up by the laughter and protestations of his friends. She caught Isaac’s wince before he ducked his head to hide it, but it still made her heart twist.

“What are you doing Christmas Eve?” he asked, changing the subject.

“I have a standing dinner date with my parents, since I’m the only one usually in town then.” She reached across the table and took his hand. “Why don’t you come with me? My dad is a great cook.”

His relief was a tangible force between them, the smile he shot her one of the first genuine ones she’d seen from him in days. “I’d like that. Do I get to officially be the boyfriend for this one?”

She squeezed his fingers. “Yes, you do. Which means you’ll be the guest of honor. That is a great privilege. You, Isaac McGuire, will be trusted with the great task of picking out the after-dinner movie.”

This time, she was awarded a chuckle. “Then I’ll make sure I don’t abuse the honor.” As his smile faded, his thumb rubbed against the side of her hand, and his gaze shifted to watch their fingers intertwined. “You know, I usually spend Christmas with Nathan and his parents in Palm Springs. I think this is going to be the first time in over a decade that hasn’t happened.”

Olivia hated to see him like this. She just wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold him until the pain went away. “Isaac, it might not feel like it right now, but you did the right thing, and a part of Nathan knows that’s true. He’s just trying to deal with everything.”

“And what if he was right?” His eyes were bleak when they lifted back to hers. “What if his only shot at getting Remy back was to go with Marisol? I took that away from him. I didn’t even give him the choice.”

“But if jumping into that ring with Marisol killed him, Remy would still be lost,” she pointed out. “We know Remy can travel through time without harm. We don’t know what sort of effect it would have on Nathan. And if Gabriel can send her back, we can find a way to bring her forward. We
will
, because wherever she’s at, she’s with six other girls who want to come home.”

“Did Gabriel tell you anything at all about how those damn coins work? Anything about how we might be able to get Remy back for Nathan?”

“No, he didn’t tell me how they work.” Olivia never detailed the conversation for Isaac, and she didn’t intend to. He had been so relieved she wasn’t sick anymore she didn’t have the heart to tell him the connection didn’t go away, even if Stacy was no longer in mortal peril. Isaac wasn’t the sort to buy into destiny or fate. The explanation of her role with the coin seemed startlingly elegant to her, simple and fated, but she doubted Isaac would be impressed. “But we have leverage over him. For the first time in his life, he’s in a losing situation.”

He seemed disappointed by the fact she didn’t know more, but quickly let it slide. “He doesn’t have either of the coins. That’s a step in the right direction. And given time, there’s a chance we’ll find something we can use in what got confiscated at the house.” Isaac snorted. “Time. That’s what got us into this mess in the first place. I’m beginning to really hate that Silver Maiden.”

“Me too.” She wondered if Isaac’s fate was entwined with the coin. She doubted it. Only his loyalty kept him tied to this mess. “But if it wasn’t for the Silver Maiden, I probably would have never met you. So, it’s not all bad.”

“No.” Abruptly, he leaned forward, pressing a short kiss to her mouth before sitting back down. “Loving you is most definitely not bad.”

Olivia smiled, her lips tingling from the brief contact. “I could use some more of that. Why don’t you come over tonight?”

He pretended to think about it. “I suppose tonight would be good to give you your Christmas present. We might actually get some use out of it.”

Her eyes lit up. “What is it? Tell me.”

“Nope. You have to wait.” He grinned. “Half the fun for me is watching your face when you see it.”

“I don’t like surprises. I’ll make it worth your while if you tell me now.”

“The occasional surprise will do you good.” He pushed her plate closer. “Now eat. I took the afternoon off, and I plan on hanging around and annoying you until you give up work to go home. The sooner this afternoon starts, the happier I’m going to be.”

She silently vowed to start the afternoon as early as possible and make him the happiest man in the city. If only for a few hours. He deserved a break from the self-flagellation. She thought Nathan would agree to see Isaac again, and soon. He just wanted to act out against the one person in the world who would take his shit.

“Making me take off early? You’re a bad influence, Detective McGuire. I have rules, you know.” She grinned. “But I love you anyway.”

The simple words garnered the response she hoped for, and she tucked into her sandwich with fresh energy. Someone had to be strong. Someone had to hold everything together. Nathan and Isaac had survived too much together to have it end like this, so she’d be the one to make sure they didn’t fall apart completely. Until they found Remy and the priestesses again, until she would have to resume a more active role in protecting the eight girls, Olivia would do her job the best she could. After all, they were family now, bound together by history if not by blood.

She’d make sure none of them were forgotten.

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