Acacia Gold

Chapter 12

Heavy arms trapped me. Goosebumps ran up the length of my arms. Looking around, I was still in the overgrown land out back, behind the outhouse, protected by Guy’s body. He’d curved himself around me like a human duvet. I was filled with his scent and I rolled in it. It had felt so good to be with him again.

His hands were curved around my stomach, pressing me as close to him as was possible. I hadn’t remembered falling asleep.

“Guy”, I jabbed his chest with my elbow. He grumbled and stretched with me in his arms, which was a little awkward. My back arched with his and I felt a tremor run through his spine. Then he nestled his face in my hair and smiled.

“Good sleep?”

His arms loosened so that I could spin. Our faces were pressed close.

“No nightmares, no alarms going off, I’d say that’s a pretty good sleep” I replied. 

I’d showered and changed in less than ten minutes, a record. I’d thrown on a green tee, and my favorite pair of black jeans. On deciding it was too hot, I then changed into jean shorts.

My hair hung about my shoulders soaked. Eloy Fox handed me a mug of steaming coffee and I murmured gratefully.

“Good sleep?” he grinned. Wasn’t that what Guy had asked.

“Guess so” I replied, perching on the edge of his desk.

“Where’d you and Guy get to?” Eloy enquired, “we couldn’t find you anywhere this morning”.

“Oh you know” I shrugged off his question, “around”. I was pretty sure he knew where Guy and I had been. Embarrassing or what? He’d probably spilled to the whole group. That meant I’d have to face a sea of grinning faces. I was so not in the mood. Good thing Eloy had buttered me up with my first cup of coffee. 

“A.C. parts came this morning, Darren’s fixing it now. We should be experiencing a cool breeze in, oh” he mocked checking his watch “an hour or so”.

It shouldn’t have taken that long, but Darren was lazy and he’d do the least work possible if he could. He wasn’t bad at his job, he was actually a great mechanic and a skilled driver, and too bad he didn’t show it more often.

The ladies loved Darren Tanner or so he’d said many a time. He wasn’t altogether loathsome. Actually he was rather cute, with his tasty chocolate eyes and his little boy grin. Charming. And his sandy blonde hair looked rough to the touch from gel, but it was real sleek. I couldn’t work out why he didn’t have a girlfriend.

He says he likes to keep his options open, explore the world as a free man and whatnot, bullshit I say. The right girl just hadn’t come a long yet.

“How’re our hostages doing?” I asked.

Eloy rubbed the crick in his neck “About as good as they should be doing. The guy, Nathan, he’s playing brave face but I can tell he’s scared shitless. The girl’s just shocked” then he stretched his back and stifled a yawn, “mhmm…I think they’ll do fine”.

“Good…that’s good”

“Something wrong Acacia?” worry lines appeared on his forehead. He didn’t suit worried, so I smiled brightly and a little unconvincingly. Good thing he didn’t know my pretend smile or I might’ve had to share.

“Just thinking, nothing special”

The corners of his mouth creased, “Uhuh. Could a fooled me. Well don’t let that thinking keep you from business”.

It was my turn to frown. “Huh?”

“Guy” Eloy explained, “When you were in the shower he came by to tell me to send you to…”

Eloy broke off, and stared at a spot above my head. I spun. Guy smiled his melt worthy, swoon smile at me.

“We need to talk Cacey”.

“Ooh that can’t be good” Eloy was grinning enjoying every moment of our discomfort, no, my discomfort. Guy looked totally at ease.

“Don’t you have work to do Eloy, like security and stuff” I grumbled.

“Yeah yeah, I got it all handled. You kids run along”

I turned ignoring Eloy and stalked off.

“Eloy” I heard Guy warn then he was striding next to me, don’t you just hate it when guys do that. Walk giant steps so you don’t have a chance in hell of escaping. Pure humiliation.

We walked towards Guy’s little office, past Darren’s incessant beating of the A.C. machine, Hunter’s humming to the radio and Sage’s out loud tactical organization plans. The door was open so I walked in, into mild light. The metal blinds were down and the little slats were half open letting some of the mid day sun in. 

I sat in Guy’s office chair and spun a little childishly. He was going to tell me it wouldn’t work. Asshole.

“You wanted to talk,” I reminded him, straight to the point.

Guy shut the office door, blocking out the warehouse noise and our co-workers. He remained standing and leaned against the wall.

Guy’s office was pretty simple, huge oak desk, lots of papers and files around. There was one open on the desk. Security plans for the Cornell celebration. Mayor Cornell was to have a little banquet, the very best people only, for his recent success in lowering crime in Austin and raising safety. I didn’t believe a word of it, I mean there were fang-wielding maniacs out there and I had a very special one in mind. Attacks and kidnaps were a regular everyday occurrence and the kids didn’t even get to attend school any more, for fear they would be taken and turned. I knew school was during the day but vampires had humans working for them so I guess anything was possible.

We had been selected to guard the high target mayor, his precious family and his phony friends.

Guy had raved about the great honor of it all while talking through his backside. Mayor Cornell really wasn’t that bad. We actually knew him personally, had worked for him before and had met him on a few occasions. I just hated how the whole justice system was now corrupt. There was no way of knowing who was true and who was a prop with a big scary vampire hiding behind.

“You need to contact Myckah”.

My jaw dropped. That was a surprise and I definitely had not been expecting it. The whole break up speech seemed real pretty right then.

“Are you serious!” I shouted.

“Come on Cacey, we both knew one day it would have to happen. He is our greatest source and he helped with Icarus before. Just call him”

“No! No, no freaking way” I stood to leave. Guy blocked the door, arms behind his back keeping it closed. His stance was protective but also as harmless as he could manage, which wasn’t very at six two, but I understood what he tried to do

Guy didn’t let it go. I should’ve known he wouldn’t. He’s as stubborn as I was. “Be reasonable. I don’t want your life at risk!” 

“f**k, Guy! Have you forgotten what he tried to do to me? Sure, he helped, but his actions were totally self serving”.

“Maybe, probably, but you need him”, Guy said.

“Aaarh” I turned my back on him in annoyance.

His hands hovered over my shoulders then they settled. He enfolded himself around me, hugged me tight. “I won’t lose you Acacia!”

“You won’t,” I replied strongly.

He pulled back and turned me, held my upper arms as if to force me to see sense. I was surprised he didn’t give me a little shake for good measure.

“I don’t want to have to do this, but if you force me I will”

“What?”

He sucked in air and released it slowly, “if you do not call Myckah and ask for help I am pulling you out tonight”

”What!” I shouted at him “You can’t do that…that’s blackmail!” I persisted.

”Sure is” he smiled grimly “ but you’re too stubborn to see sense and if this is the only way I can help you, I’ll do it”.

I pulled away from Guy and went behind the desk. I rested my palms on the smooth surface of the oak. I hung my head and suddenly all my muscles felt tense.

“Damn Guy, maybe you’re right” I looked up at him pain plain on my face, “I just don’t think I can”

“In that case you’re out”

Guy left.

Damn it.

The job Guy was pulling me out of was the Cornell job. Well, f**k him; I didn’t want his stinking job anyways, except I really did.

Just when life had begun to look up, Icarus had to come back from the dead. Why couldn’t he have burned in that fire like we’d thought he had? Instead he’d been healing, biding his time until Austin was weak, until I was weak, unprotected by Myckah. 

No Myckah. No Icarus. No trouble. I wish!

Even if I did call Myckah, what the hell was I supposed to say? ‘Hey Myckah, you remember me, I’m the one you tried to turn but I ran, well Icarus is back, fancy saving my ass?’ Yeah that’d go down a treat.

On the other hand there was a mega bad ass on my tail hoping to change me into the not so dead.

I was having a hard time deciding which was the lesser of two evils. I settled for not getting my neck bit and calling Myckah.

The ring tone sounded three times before a pleasant natured voice answered. “You’ve reached the office of Myckah Von Rheula, how may I help you?”

Damn I hadn’t expected an assistant but of course he had one. What the hell did I say this was concerning? 

“Hi, I need to talk to Myckah”.

“What is this regarding?”

“Um…its business?” I half hoped she’d let me talk to Myckah without giving anything to her, but of course she was a professional, she wasn’t going to believe it was about business if I started with Um.

The voice turned a little bored “Who may I ask is calling?”

”Ah…this is Acacia Gold”

“Oh”, I could nearly picture her lipsticked lips in a little ‘o’ of surprise. Perfect I thought. But if the mention of my name got Miss. smug boots to suddenly be nervous, what the hell had Myckah told people?

“I’ll just put you through Miss. Gold”.

I barely got the word “thanks” out before she put me on hold and I had to listen to some harmonious sounds of no one I knew, but I was sure they were all the rage, after all this was Myckah we were talking about.

Two minutes later, the music came to an abrupt end and someone picked up.

“Hello, this is Myckah Von Rheula?”

I was pretty sure he’d know it was me; I’d given my name. But he was playing safe.

“Hello Myckah” I replied.

“Good evening Acacia, how may I assist you?”

Typical Myckah, all manners and icy cold tone, but beneath was the real him; warmth, loneliness, wariness and the man I knew.

“Uh…I…Icarus…he’s back” I stumbled. Good Acacia, I thought, not quite the feistiness you’d planned on.

His next tone was amused; I hated that. “What do you mean Icarus is back”

“I…I saw him, god I thought he was dead, then I saw him…right there in front of me, plain as day Myckah” I blabbed.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure!” I shouted. He was not going to make me out to be a deranged woman. I knew what I’d seen and that had been an alive and well dead man. Ironic huh?

“Please Acacia, I did not mean it as an insult, just, we must be sure”, he sounded so reasonable. I wanted to punch him.

“I’m sorry, I’m just…”

“Scared?” he asked.

“No, yeah, maybe”; I was confused as hell and Myckah the clear-headed was not making it any easier.

“What is it that you want from me? Because before you left you made it perfectly clear I was no longer welcome in your life. I’d hate to misread what you are saying”.

I sensed anger, bitterness and…longing. Did Myckah still miss me, did he still want me. I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. It was possible.

Was he making me apologize or admit I needed him or did he expect me to come running back to him helpless; no freaking way was I groveling!

“If you won’t help me Myckah…” I began.

“No, no…of course I will. What is it that you want?” he asked me warily.

“I need you to help me Myckah, to…protect me” I said unable to find a better word that wouldn’t make me look so pathetically weak. 

“Acacia, you know I will, of course I will”.

I breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t rubbed it in or made me beg, he had just agreed.

“I…thanks,” I said lamely.

“You are most welcome, now, do you wish to talk?”

“Yeah, I was hoping we could meet?”

“That can be arranged. I have some place in mind”

“Yeah?” I was interested.

“I believe you and your little…group will be on security for the Mayor’s celebration tonight”. I didn’t like the way he’d said ‘group’, but…he was agreeing to help, no strings attached it seemed and he was the best chance of offing Icarus.

“That’s hardly the time…and how do you know our plans?”

“I was thinking you could come as my guest, we’d have a chance to talk and I would not have to decline Mayor Cornell’s invitation,” he said most reasonably. He’d ignored my question about how he’d known about the plans. I’d leave it be a little while. I’d have plenty of chance at the party. I was beginning to think it was an excuse on his part to see me in a dress again. Cynical, me, never!

“You’re invited,” I asked disbelievingly.

“Yes, is that so hard to believe?” I think I’d insulted him. Oops. Not good Acacia!

“No, I guess not” I half apologized.

“Okay then, it is settled, I will pick you up at seven and we shall go to the ball,” he mocked a grand voice, which wasn’t hard with his perfect English accent.

“Myckah?” I asked before he could say goodbye.

“Yes?”

“What do you do, Myckah, to get invited as a guest to the Mayor’s banquet?”

“Ah, that would be telling would it not my little combatant? Until tonight,” he laughed and hung up. 

Damn him. He was so patronizing and so…charming. Darn, I hated that his wiles worked on me and now I had to spend the whole evening with him over a romantic meal in a romantic setting.