There were a lot of things I had to find a way to live with in this life. Someday I feared those things would become more than I could bear, and I would crumple under their weight.
Dressed, my hair tied back in a ponytail and my face free of makeup, I padded into my bedroom collecting things along the way. My phone ringing brought me to a stop. I stared at it for a long moment, not wanting to answer. Nothing good ever came of answering that phone. Evidence—last time I answered I'd ended up betraying one of my oldest friends.
Hermes calling.
Shit, I had a run tonight that I was late for. I grabbed the phone and clicked answer.
"Where are you?" Jerry rumbled, the sound having only the barest resemblance to his normal voice. This version was deeper, like a volcano on the precipice of eruption. You knew when it went it was going to take out everything in its path.
"Not where I'm supposed to be," I said.
"And, are you planning to get to your pickup anytime soon?" he asked, that volcano bubbling ominously.
I stopped putting on my shoes and sat on the bed. My silence was answer enough.
"One day," he said. "You kept your promise for one day."
I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. "Yeah. I did."
There was a crash on the line. When Jerry came back, his voice was calm. It was scarier than the volcano had ever been. "You leave me no choice." I really hadn't. "Aileen, you are no longer employed with Hermes Courier. Henceforth, you are banished from our offices and no longer operate under our banner or protection. Hermes will never work with you or deliver to you."
My exhale was tremulous. That hurt more than I thought it would. My job was important to me. I might bitch and groan about it, but a large part of me had found purpose in it, and I'd made connections that would have been otherwise impossible.
"I understand, Jerry. And, I'm sorry."
His sigh was heavy. "I didn't want to do this, but you left me no choice."
My throat was tight and my voice wobbly as I said, "I know."
"They're going to come after you now. Every spook with a vendetta against the vampires will consider you fair game."
I nodded, forgetting he couldn't see me.
"Consider joining a clan," he said, his voice barely audible. "It will provide protection."
My laugh sounded soggy. "I doubt that's a possibility anymore. Thanks, though."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'll figure something else out. It's no longer your problem." I cleared my throat. "I appreciate everything you did for me. I know it hasn't always been easy and wasn't something you ever wanted, but I thank you anyway."
There was a heavy silence. "Ah, lass. You know better to say thank you to a fey."
I snorted lightly. "You never confirmed your species, so those rules don't count."
"They always count," he returned, his voice normal. There was a pause. "Good luck, Aileen."
"Thanks."
The line went dead before I could say anything else.
The phone dropped into my lap. I was unemployed now. I'm sure once it sunk in and I processed what had just happened, I'd feel panicked, but for now I just felt resigned. The question of what I was going to do, how I was going to live without an income, was too big for my mental state now. Like so many things tonight, it was a problem I would have to solve later. Perhaps when my rent came due and I was unable to pay it.
*
The hour flew by and the moment of reckoning loomed over me like a freight train barreling down the tracks. A part of me had thought I would come up with some brilliant but insane plan by now—one that would magically fix things and save both Caroline and myself from our mistakes. Nothing came to mind, which left me standing alone at the base of the tracks ten minutes before the meet time.
The tracks were exactly how I remembered, an old wooden bridge crossing the river. On this side, the tracks extended to within ten feet of Riverside Road before disappearing. Trees framed it on either side, since the riverfront had been turned into a metro park. There were old brick buildings just up the bank, remnants of a time in Columbus's history where all goods flowed under the power of the river.
Liam and his men, as well as Brax and his pack, waited in the shadows, leaving me to draw Caroline out alone. It kind of felt like I was in a high stakes thriller blockbuster. They'd fitted me with a wire so they could hear what was said and so they could ensure I held up my end of the bargain.
I looked at the train tracks above me and sighed. It was time.
Climbing the short hill to the tracks didn't take long. Standing on top of them, I looked around. No sign of Caroline. No sign of anyone, really. Liam and Brax had done a good job of keeping their people hidden so it looked like I was alone. Not surprising, considering both were apex predators, and this wouldn't be the first prey they hunted.
I walked out onto the tracks, careful to watch my step. Some of the boards on this thing weren't stable. They were old and twisted, a few missing, forcing me to widen my stride to jump over them. Twenty feet away from the bank I stopped before turning and looking out over the river. An inky black blot against the sky, it was lined by the shadowy shape of trees around the edges. The moon was out, almost full. Another day and it would be. It was clear tonight, the moon's light made it easy to see by—even if I had not been a vampire.
I stuffed my hands in my pocket and watched the river flow by, the moon reflected in its dark depths—its lights dancing across the surface. Wind blew my hair away from my face as I let myself be, let myself just feel the night around me, the insects singing and the railroad bridge creaking under me. It was so peaceful. Quiet, with a solitude that called to my deepest self.
"You always did like this place at night," Caroline said from several feet away.
I didn't jump, nor did I look away from the river and starry sky before me. "So did you."
Caroline looked out at the river, a small smile on her face. "Guess that's why we're friends."
"I thought you were my friend so you could cheat off me in math class."
She snorted. "Hardly. It was always you looking over my shoulder, if you remember."
A smile broke across my face. "Oh, yeah."
Her lips twisted in an answering smile, and she looked down and away. "Thanks for meeting me, Aileen."
I grunted.
"No, really. I mean it. I know I haven't been easy these last few months, what with locking you out and then showing up out of nowhere." Her shoulders hunched, that same edginess she'd had in my apartment making another appearance. I took my hands out of my pocket, not wanting to get caught unaware if she flipped.
Not that it would do me much good. Both Brax and Liam had seemed certain that if she changed and attacked me, I would stand little chance. Her wolf was evidently much stronger than my vampire, and since neither would chance giving me a gun after last time, I would have to face her with nothing but my fists. Cheery prospect that.