Believe: The Complete Channie Series (107 page)

REUNION

T
HEY
’
D
JUST
PASSED
THROUGH
L
IMON
when Josh’s phone rang. “It’s my dad.”

“Ignore it.” Vince's hands tightened around the steering wheel, stretching the backs of his leather gloves.

“He wouldn’t call unless it’s important.” Josh slid his finger across the screen, accepting the call. “Hey, Dad.”

“Where are you?”

“On my way to go get Channie.”

“In Arkansas?”

“It’s safer if you don’t know.”

Dead silence. Tension filled the car. Dad’s labored breathing was the only sign he was still on the phone. “Dad?”

“Is Vincent with you?”

Josh closed his eyes and cringed. “Yeah.”

“Put him on the phone.”

“He’s driving, so I’m putting you on speaker.”

Vince nodded his approval. “Hello, Mr. Abrim.”

“Where are you?”

“Joshua has already explained why we can’t tell you.”

“Is he in danger?”

“Not imminently, but extended telephone conversations over unsecured lines could change that.”

“I’m calling the police.”

“No Dad!” Josh leaned towards the phone. “You can’t do that.”

“The hell I can’t. If you know who attacked Liz, you need to report it. The sooner they’re in custody, the safer you’ll be.”

“I don’t know who did it. But even if I did, the cops wouldn’t be able to help. We’re trying to keep a low profile. A police report will only make it easier for other trackers to find us.”

“You’re in the middle of the semester. You can’t afford to miss any more school.”

Vince's face twitched. His scars limited his facial expressions, but Josh was getting better at reading them. This one was either surprise or annoyance or, maybe, a little of both.

“Your wife was nearly killed by a mage. You’ve seen my scars. I can’t believe you’re worried about Joshua’s school work when your entire family is in danger.”

“Josh?”

Josh gave Vince his are-you-crazy scowl then muted the phone. “That’s not helping!”

He unmuted the phone but took it off speaker then angled his body away from Vince. “Mom and Elijah are staying with Aunt Mary and Kassie but you should probably take everyone on an extended cruise, just to be safe.”

“If you aren’t back in five days, I’m calling the police.”

Vince frowned, but didn’t argue.

“It might take a little longer.”

“Five days, Josh. That should be plenty of time.”

They were headed into mage country. The closer they got to Arkansas, the more likely they’d run into serious trouble. Josh’s voice trembled. “I love you, Dad.”

“Josh!”

He disconnected the call then silenced his phone. It started vibrating immediately. “He’s not going to give up.”

“Will he go into hiding?”

“I doubt it. He’ll probably take a couple of days to get Liz, Mom and Elijah settled in our vacation cabin in Breckenridge.” Josh rubbed his forehead, but the headache brewing behind his eyes continued to worsen. “He’s a workaholic. He’ll be back in his office or a court room before the week is over.”

Vince tapped the steering wheel with his thumbs for a few seconds, twisting his mouth from one side to the other. “We’ll go get Channie and then come back and convince Ezra to take the rest of your family on that cruise. That was a brilliant suggestion, by the way.”

A flicker of pleasure warmed the center of Josh’s chest. Finally, he’d done something right.

They
stopped for food and fuel in Colby, Kansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Siloam Springs, Arkansas. The amount of magic in Siloam Springs made the hair on the back of Josh’s neck stand on end. Vince kept watch while Josh went inside to pay.

The ache in Josh’s chest grew stronger as the light dimmed. The pulsing golden flashes were nothing more than a faint glow. The closer they got, the harder it became to tell which direction they should go. “I don’t know what’s wrong with my heart-bond thing.”

“What do you mean?”

Josh handed Vince a wad of cash—change from filling up the car and buying more junk food—then slid behind the wheel. “It’s not glowing as bright as it was a few days ago, but it’s more painful.”

Vince crawled into the passenger’s side. “When was the last time you strengthened it?”

“I didn’t know I was supposed to. How do you strengthen a heart-bond?”

Vince chuckled and shook his head. “Hunter didn’t tell you?”

Josh sighed. “If he had, I wouldn’t need to ask you.”

“Sex.”

“What?”

“You strengthen a heart-bond with sex. You and Channie are going to need a little alone-time. And soon.”

Josh’s ears flamed with heat. He knew that he and Channie must have had sex, they were married, after all. But he couldn’t remember it. And he wasn’t getting any sexual flashbacks either. For all intents and purposes, he was a virgin.

Vince raised his eyebrows. “You’re nervous.”

“I don’t remember anything about our relationship.” The thought of having sex with Channie shot a wave of heat through Josh’s body and a chill down his spine. It was equally thrilling and terrifying. “I don’t know what she’s going to expect. Or what she likes.”

“She knows you’ve had your memory wiped. Just treat it like any other sexual experience. She obviously liked your style enough to marry you. Unless…were you a virgin?”

Josh groaned. He wanted to close his eyes, but he was driving so he kept his gaze locked on the empty road. Could this get any more embarrassing?

Vince smiled and patted Josh’s knee. “Be gentle and let her take the lead. You’ll figure it out when it’s time.”

“First, we need to find her. Hunter said to meet him at the shack where Channie and I lived after we were married. But I have no idea where that is.” Josh pointed at Vince's phone in the cup holder. “I need to call him.”

Vince made the call then put the phone on speaker. “Keep it short.”

There was so much static when Hunter answered that Josh had a hard time understanding him. All he got was ‘Lucky Dog Saloon’ and ‘Whistler’s Gulch.’

Whistler’s Gulch wasn’t even on the map they’d bought. They headed east on Highway 412 and stopped at every mom and pop shop and gas station until they finally found someone that knew where Whistler’s Gulch was. Josh’s palms were so slick with sweat he could hardly grip the steering wheel. His mouth was dry as cotton.

Vince patted Josh’s shoulder. “Pull over. I’ll drive the rest of the way.”

They’d been switching off every three hours. Josh still had another two to go on his shift. “Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine. But your hands are shaking.”

Josh didn’t argue. By the time they passed the rusted sign announcing ‘Whistler’s Gulch, population 1,387’ he’d rubbed stains into the thighs of his jeans with his sweaty palms. “I need to clean up before I see Channie.”

“Let’s see what Hunter has to say.” Vince parked next to a beat-up old truck. The wooden sign over the double doors of the Lucky Dog Saloon looked like it was barely hanging on. “Why don’t you stay in the car while I go check things out. It’d be a shame to get this far and fall into a tracker’s trap.”

Josh wasn’t about to hide in the car like a frightened child. He raised his shield, but before he could open his door, Vince smacked the back of his head.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“Lower your shield.”

“If there’re trackers in there, I want to be prepared.”

“Be alert, yes. But you only raise your shield when you or someone you care about are under attack. It’s like walking into a bar wearing kevlar body armor. Every mage in the vicinity will assume you’re looking for trouble.”

“You raised your shield at my race yesterday.”

“You were bristling with hostile energy.”

“Whatever.” Josh lowered his shield and jumped out of the car.

Hunter burst through the double doors of the bar and hugged Josh so tightly he couldn’t breathe. “I’m so glad to see you.”

Josh patted him on the back then pried himself loose. “I’m glad to see you, too. Where’s Channie?”

Hunter’s eyes widened as he stared at Vince. “Who’s that?”

“My father.” Josh cringed for calling Vince ‘father’—that title belonged exclusively to Ezra—but he didn’t know how else to identify Vince without saying his name.

“Your father?” Hunter’s voice rose as all the color drained from his face.

“Yeah.” Josh craned his neck around Hunter and tried to peer into the bar through the swinging doors. “Is Channie in there?”

“No.”

Josh grabbed Hunter’s shoulders and shook him. “Where is she?”

“At her place.”

“Why isn’t she with you?”

“Her momma gave her orders not to leave.”

“Then why aren’t you with her? What are you doing hanging out in a bar while she’s still in danger?”

“Calm down.” Vince put his hands over Josh’s and pried his fingers off Hunter’s arms. He nodded at a couple leaning against the side of a pickup. They’d interrupted their make-out session to watch the unfolding drama. “We need to go someplace a little more private to discuss this.”

Hunter rubbed his arms where Josh had grabbed him a little too roughly. He shot a sideways glance at Vince then frowned at Josh. “Can we trust him?”

“The jury’s still out on that.” Josh tried to break the tension with humor. It didn’t work. “He’s on our side.”

Hunter shoved his hands in his front pockets. His only greeting was a quick nod in Vince's direction. “Mr. Vey—”

“Call me Vince.” He locked gazes with Hunter. “My name’s Vince Javick.”

“Hunter Brown.”

Vince smiled. “Fair enough.”

Josh’s head was about to explode. “Come on!”

“Follow me. I’ll take you to where me and Shep’s holed up.” Hunter hopped into the broken down pickup and cranked the starter three times before the engine coughed to life.

It took an hour and a half to reach the quarry…and the hut where Josh and Channie began their lives together. Flashbacks inundated Josh. He was already wired. The extra energy from the flashbacks was better than the headaches, but he was twitching like a crack addict. It took three of Vince's be-calm spells to stop Josh’s trembling. It would have been worth it if he’d been able to hang onto the memories. But they faded as soon as the flashbacks ended.

There was barely enough room for the four men inside the shack. Josh and Vince sat on the edge of the bed while Hunter and Shep sat on wooden boxes.

Josh’s heart broke as Hunter explained Channie’s situation. “So, until we figure out a way to break her death-pledge, she’s stuck.”

Vince shifted his weight, making the bedsprings squeak. “There’s only two ways to break a death pledge. And I seriously doubt that Channie’s mother is going to release her voluntarily. Someone needs to kill Prudence.”