The next morning was a slow wake up for Phase. He was sluggish as he moved, every step his body tell him he was stiff. Pushing himself up slowly and running his fingers through his hair he got out of bed. From the window he could see that it wasn’t quite morning yet in that half bright and dim way that the sky did.
He glanced at the dog still asleep in the corner. He had learned a few things about it. Her. One was that she was a she and her sleep schedule was all over the place like there’s. They’d negotiated a walking schedule but she only let him walk her. Everyone else she steered clear of.
Stepping out of his room and into the hallway he traced his hand across the wall. Rubbing one of his eyes lightly he groaned again. The living room was empty, though Darren was still asleep on the couch. He wondered how long they were going to be asleep. Hopefully they recovered soon, they needed them.
Going into the kitchen he opened the fridge to pull out the carton of milk. He then went a few steps further doing something rare and got out the cereal, pouring himself a bowl. As he made his early breakfast he swiped his hand over the table to grab the remote. Turning on the TV he flipped through the channels not finding anything worth even wasting time on so he found a recording from the previous night.
He continued to eat and listened for the others waking up. Instead of sitting still as long as he should have, he held onto the bowl and jumped onto the railing. Swinging his leg over the side he pushed the doors open.
Stepping onto the roof he shuddered and stared out at the rising sun. The roof was covered with a thin layer of frost. It was more than chilly up here and it was stinging at his skin. The wind was biting this early. Staring at the horizon he saw the tints of orange and pink. Stirring the spoon through the cereal before spooning a bit into his mouth ad reflected.
The Royals were out there and it was strange. One of their enhanced goons probably could have taken them down if they hadn’t been able to out maneuver them. And he doubted they could do that again. The guy had been playing with them. And that was just a Knight. One. There was at least one more out there and not to mention the ‘Queen’. Thinking of that one made him shudder.
. And that was just the Royals. They’d never fought against the Vanguards Enhanced goons. He knew they had at least one big guy out there but what about the rest. Were they any good? Were they as dangerous as the Royals? Were any of the ones in the arena on their payroll? Questions he didn’t think to ask were now plaguing him.
Letting out a sound of frustration he pulled on his hair roughly and finished his cereal. Slurping up the last of it from the bowl he listened to the music of what birds were hanging around. That was mixed into the city symphony of cars and their songs. Honking horns, screeching tires, almost crashes.
“What’re you doing awake?”
“I wake up early sometimes. It happens.”
Suppressing a yawn, Shade walked onto the roof, and then shivered. Unlike Phase, who only had on a shirt and his jeans, he was wearing a hoodie, sweatpants, hat and gloves. “Why are you out here?”
“I like a nice breeze.”
“You like pneumonia.”
Laughing he motioned to the spot beside him. “You alright?”
“Yeah. No worse for ware. You?”
Rotating his arm slowly Phase nodded. “After whatever that guy hit me with, I’m recovering.”
“Good. Can’t have our leader handicapped too.”
“Darren still asleep in there?”
“Asleep is one word for it. I think they’re okay they’ve definitely never been in the field like this before.”
“Never got that caught out before?”
“Nope.” He reached into his pocket for a moment and grabbed his phone. “Shit.”
“What is it?”
“The date.” With a heavy sigh he shook his head. “I got something to do.”
“What?”
“I have this thing that I do. With my sister. Once a month or so, we meet have some sort of meal and pretend that we live a normal life for a moment. After that day we go back to pretending that we don’t know each other. Sometimes she’ll send a Christmas card.”
“Not sure if that’s normal but that’s fine. We’ve got nothing planned for the day. For a few days actually.”
“Cool,” Shade thought for a second. “Actually, do you want to come with? It’d be funny to introduce you to my sister.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?” He raised his eyebrow and laughed..
“Yeah. Let he meet my new ‘boss’. Plus it’ll be something to talk about outside of me being a criminal and ruining my life.” He made a face.
“She knows about that part of your life?”
“She knew that I used to work around the Vanguard.”
“Anything past that?”
“Not really. She needs an update onto the life of her amazing little brother.”
“And do you guys like each other?”
“We don’t hate each other. She left to find some sort of happiness and I stayed because I was stuck here. But at the very least I wouldn’t wish anything bad for her or her family there.”
Phase nodded, “Sure I can tag along. When do we go?”
“Give it a few hours. She’s an early riser and we grab breakfast but even this is too early for her.”
“Then let’s get inside. I might be immune to pneumonia but I even I have limits with the cold.”
He sneezed in agreement as they walked back inside and closed the door after them. Hopping down Phase went back to the chair to lay back while Shade left to get dressed in better clothes.
When he came back, in jeans and the rest he yawned again. “You got any cards?”
“Like playing cards?”
“Yeah.”
“Check the table drawer.” Kicking it for emphasis, he dragged out the drawer with his toe slowly. There was a fresh pack of them lying in the corner. Shade got them, popping it open and then started rifle shuffling them. Then he moved closer to the table and drew four cards, two for each of them. One face up and one face down.
“Blackjack?”
“Yeah. You know the rules?”
Phase flipped his cards, showing a pair of 6s. “Split.”
“Someone knows the rules.”
“Hit and hit.”
“6 + 6 = 12 and 6 + 9 = 15.”
“Hit the 12.”
“1 + 12 = 13.”
“Hit.”
“20.”
“Stay.”
“Anything else you want to do?”
Frowning for a moment he rubbed his jaw and then shook his head. “Stay.”
Shade flipped over his remaining card. A 2 and a 5. He continued to deal then. 13. 16. 26.
“Bust.”
“I win.”
“I’m rusty obviously.”
“Rusty?”
Putting the cards to the side he began to deal again. “Yeah. I used to deal cards between the Vanguard and working for Darren. Stay or hit”
“5 and 1 or 5 and 11. Make it a 6 and hit. Were you a gambler?”
“8. More like a hustler.”
“Hit. How long did it last?”
“About a year or so. It took them awhile to figure out the dealer was counting cards and then finding ways to skim off the top under the table. 16.”
“How does that work exactly? Hit.”
“Good lying and sleight of hand. 20.”
“How good at dealing were you?”
“Wanna try your luck?”
They stared at one another for a long moment, neither blinking. “Hit.”
Shade dealt and chuckled. “21. Winner winner chicken dinner.”
“Three aces in the deck and you found the last one. Some kind of good luck right?”
“Or a good dealer.”
Phase smirked. “So how did you get caught?”
“Like anyone who’s good at what they do. I got cocky. Took too much. Started getting watched. Couldn’t talk my way out of it. Took a beating that night and well, things went downhill for me after that. Had to start over for a while.”
Gathering all the cards he shuffled them together and then piled them. Putting them into the box again he nodded. “Let’s go. It’s just about time.” As he spoke his phone went off. It was a generic ring tone and he glanced at it. “That’s her now.”
As he answered it, Phase went to the closet. Putting on a jacket, a pair of finger less gloves and then a hat. He came back to the living room and Shade was putting his phone away. They walked to the balcony, went out onto the greeted the sky before jumping into the morning.
Half way across the city and an hour later they sat at a small café table in a mall. Jackets unzipped and lying against the backs of their chairs they sat somewhat stiffly. Across from the pair of them was a woman. She was Hispanic with long curly black hair, brown eyes and skin, with light make up. She was holding a cup of coffee in her hands, her manicured and painted nails catching the light.
“So how are you little brother?”
“I’m fine Maria.” He reached out and sipped from his cup. Nothing but water for him.
“And are you still a part of your organization?”
“If you mean the gang no. We don’t see eye to eye anymore.”
“Does that mean you’re finally finding some sort of honest work?”
He laughed dryly. “Not exactly.”
She shook her head. “Figures.”
“It’s more honest than it used to be.”
“Not honest enough obviously.” She sighed and glanced at Phase. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?”
They exchanged a quick glance. “My names Quinn. Nice to meet you.”
“Quinn? How do you know my brother?”
“We work together.” Shade said.
“Working in the,” Phase let it trail off.
Placing the cup on the table she looked at him and frowned. “You’re wasting all of your talents on this DJ. You could be doing so much more.”
“I’m doing good as it is. Trust me. How’s the family? Is my niece walking yet?”
That brought a smile to her face. A smile that reached her eyes as well. “She’s walking and talking. Not actual words. Mostly babble. But she’s just beautiful.”
She giggled and the sound warmed him to hear. “That’s good to hear. I’m glad that at least one of us got the happy ending.”
She frowned looking at him. “You don’t have to stay here.”
“Course I do. Where else would I go?”
“Come with me. Out of the city. Away from all of this.”
The look of surprise was obvious on his face. He stared at her for a moment and then smiled but shook his head. “No can do. I have something I want to do here. Friends who need me here.”
Her gaze shifted to Phase and she glared at the two of them. “It has to do with your ‘job’ doesn’t it?”
He raised his hands up quickly. “Sh- DJ is a good friend of mine. We wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for him.”
A waitress came by and asked them if they were ready to order. Shade ordered a stack of pancakes, Phase got himself an omelet while Maria ordered a skillet. She got her coffee refilled while Shade got more water.
“So is it just the two of you?” Maria asked.
Phase blinked confused, “Excuse me?”
“You and my brother. Is it just you two doing whatever it is you or are you another gang?”
“We have our own group.” Phase picked up his cup. “What do you know about the gangs here?”
“Everyone who was born here knows about them. They’re a menace.”
“That’s an understatement.” Shade scoffed.
“It’s worse than before DJ.” She put her coffee down and then glanced back and forth before looking at him. “I heard on the news that they found someone selling Enhance in Detroit.”
Almost knocking over his water, he leaned forward. “Are you guys okay?”
“Yes. Don’t worry. Nothing serious has happened yet but it’s hard not to be scared. I don’t want to worry about my daughter’s safety. Not like that.”
Shade frowned and their food was brought to him. He quickly put on a smile and thanked the waitress. Phase and Maria did the same and then Shade turned back toward her. “I need you to not worry about me alright?”
“What do you mean?”
He glanced at Phase. “Let’s just say that me and my friend here are going to be doing something about them. It’ll take a little while but we’re doing something.”
“Why does that feel worse than it sounds?”
“Because you know me.” He laughed. “It’s once in a while that we do this. Let’s try and pretend things are fine.”
She unrolled her utensils sighing. “Fine.”
They started eating and it took some effort but Phase and Shade together were able to steer the conversation toward light. Once the ball was rolling she was laughing and smiling with ease. By the time they finished it was almost noon.
“Wow, I think this is my fifth cup of coffee.” She stirred it slowly and chuckled.
“That’ll kill you.” Shade leaned back in his chair.
She kicked his shin lightly and he jerked. Phase laughed only to earn his glare. “Oh ignore him. He’s a push over.” She giggled and then sipped again. “He could never say no to pretty girls despite acting tough.”
“Oh I think I’ve noticed,” Phase said eyeing him.
Shade met his gaze and both men laughed though Shade looked away hiding his face. He looked at his sister and said, “What?”
Instead of answering she gave him a look. One that made him shut up and focus on his water. He nodded at her and glanced back at Phase. “Anyway, let’s call it.”
“You sure? This has been nice.” She stood up and reached into her purse as she looked at the check. Shade held his hand out.
“I’ve been paying for the past few years Maria. That doesn’t change.”
“You’re stubborn.”
Taking out his wallet he took the bill. “Very.”
As he went to pay and she got her jacket on and worked with her gloves. Phase did the same and then glanced at her. “Why did DJ stay?”
“Pardon?”
“You left the city but DJ stayed behind. Why?”
“I ask myself that. I guess he just didn’t want to leave. This is the only home he’s known. Maybe he felt some loyaly to the Vanguard” As they walked toward the front of the establishment she stopped and looked at him. “Take care of him.”
Letting out soft sigh he nodded and offered her a smile. “We take care of our own.”
“Funny,” she stepped outside and into the cold. “The Vanguard said the same thing.”
On the other side of the city Feint shivered and fought the urge to sneeze, pulling her scarf closer around her mouth. Yumi came forward at her side and glanced out at the pier. The waves were almost still on the lake, patches of ice clear out there. The sand and the park were snow covered but the street had been shoveled.
The occasional walkers passed them by as they strolled. Most were bundled up workers, their suits showing under the over coats. The pair saw a few dog walkers and children with parents but for the most part the pier wasn’t crowed.
“Yu why are we out here?”
“Cause you’ve been working on whatever project you’ve been working on for too long. Besides the weather feels nice. Can’t you feel it?” She was wearing a long sleeved shirt, jeans and gloves. The shirt wasn’t that thick though and her above her neck she had only her hair for comfort.
“No, it’s almost dangerously cold out here.” She said and caught up to her rapidly moving partner. “I thought you hated the cold.”
She deviated from the path and walked into the snow, making loud crunches with every step. “Really? I don’t feel it right now.”
Feint raised her eyebrow, “You don’t? Are you okay? Should I be worried.”
Stumbling for a second as she stepped in a deep patch of it. She stumbled again and then smiled back toward Feint. “Chillout. Come on Feint. Get over here.”
“You can do that. I’m fine right over here.” She even waved at her.
“Party pooper.” She shook her head and continued to walk through the snow. She dug her hands into it and tossed it up laughing. This powdery snow was new to her and it felt nice in her fingers. She bent down tossing another handful up when something struck her back.
Whirling around almost on guard she stared at the source. It wasn’t Feint though. She turned her gaze a little further away and then her face shifted to perplexed. It was a tiny little girl in a huge puffy coat. Pale skin and dark black hair hidden mostly under a cap. She giggled before it turned into full on laughter. Yumi couldn’t not smile back at the girl and kneeled, gathering a snowball and tossed it at her.
Though she missed the girl did try to dodge it and laughed at her success. She was making another snowball and threw it before falling face first into the snow. Yumi hesitated despite wanting to laugh. Instead she walked over to pull the girl back up to her feet. The girl sniffled looking on the edge of tears but one look at Yumi she started smiling again. She turned around slowly gathering another ball of snow when she pointed.
“Papa!”
Yumi faced the new voice and pointed. “The Dip’n Dots guy!”
He laughed heartily and nodded as he came forward. “And my favorite customer. I did not think that I would see you on such a day. My little one isn’t bothering you is she?”
“No way. I’m just enjoying the weather. And dragging my friend out of the house.”
“Yes. My little Nina is doing the same to me.”
The girl in question threw a snowball again but it collapsed creating a mist on the air. She stared at it in wonder not even frustrated that it didn’t work. Stumbling forward she began to explore the beach. Though they walked toward the bench where Feint was sitting they both kept an eye on Nina.
“Dip’n Dots guy this is my friend Feint. Feint, Dip’n Dots guy.”
“We’ve met before.” Feint smiled.
“Indeed we have. And call me Peter.”
“But Dip’n Dots guy is catchy.”
“No Yumi. It’s not.” However she smiled at Peter and made room so that he could sit beside her, which he did. Yumi however remained standing, pacing around and making paths in the snow.
“How are you?” Yumi asked.
“I am well. Or as well as I can hope to be.”
“I guess business is slow in the winter. Not many people wanting ice cream this time a year.” Feint said thoughtfully.
“Speak for yourself.”
“That’s just you, Yumi.”
“Actually you would be surprised at how steady business can be in the winter.”
“See. Cold doesn’t mean no more ice cream.”
“You could say that.” He chuckled softly. “Though I enjoy the cart I much prefer my shop in these times of the year. It has been in my family for some time.”
“That’s cool. You’ll have to tell me where so I can stop by. I need my mint fix. Also you wouldn’t happen to have chocolate mint would you?”
He chuckled softly and nodded. “Yes that is one of our flavors.”
“Gooood. I’d love to have some.”
“Feel free to come by.” His smile faded slightly and then became a frown. “However I would advise you to be careful. Especially later into the evening. The streets haven’t been quite as safe as they once were.”
“The gangs?”
“The gangs and the police.” He replied and then looked out, watching Nina play in the snow again. “The gangs have been more bold and violent in their actions. There have been shootings almost every day. The police likewise have been more aggressive toward the people of my neighborhood. No longer trying to learn if someone is guilty or not. Simply arresting or worse to those they think are a problem.”
“That’s terrible.”
“It’s the Vanguard isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Assholes. I thought they wanted to keep the neighborhoods together. Not rip them apart.”
“Wonder what made them start getting crazier?”
“No one knows for certain. I’ve heard rumors of people in masks causing trouble for them and thus they’re taking it out on the neighborhoods.” Neither spoke but they shared a look. “I worry about my Nina. She’s growing up so fast and I don’t want to be forced to hide her from the world for fear that she won’t grow up at all.”
“I’m sorry.” Feint placed a hand on his shoulder. He gave her a thankful smile and gave her hand a glove squeeze.
“You are both kind. And I do not wish to dwell on such topics.”
“Papa!” Nina was marching through the snow toward them. “Play!”
“Haha give me a moment sweetheart!” He chuckled. “Speaking of her crowing fast, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up with her for long.”
“Then don’t worry for now.” Yumi waved and Nina waved back. Once her little feet hit the sidewalk she quickly arrived at their side. “Do you want to play with me?”
Instantly her head went to her father who gave a slight nod. “Yes. Let’s play!”
Smiling wide the pair of them wandered into the snow. Peter and Feint made light conversation and time passed by faster than they would have thought. In the middle of their conversation Feint’s phone began to ring. Surprised she glanced at the caller and it was Phase.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“Certainly.”
She slid the green call button over. “Hello?”
“Hey, where are you two?”
“Down by the lake. Yumi had an urge to see the water and play in the snow.”
“That’s our Yumi.”
“Yeah it is. What’s up?”
“You two should come back as soon as you can. Darren’s awake.”
“What? When?”
“About an hour ago. They were moving around slowly but I think they’ve got a decent grasp on things. They have some information for us too.”
“We’ll head back now. See you soon.” She hung up and then shouted. “Yumi! We need to head home!”
“Already? Me and Nina just finished our snowman!”
The pair had in fact created a snowman at the same height as the five year old. They even managed to find a few rocks to make eyes and a mouth. Sadly, they lacked anything that could serve as a good nose.
“Darren’s got something to tell us!”
That got Yumi’s attention and she turned around. “Wiz Kid’s awake?”
“Yeah. So we should go see them!”
Biting her lip she frowned and then reached out. “Come on Nina.” Taking the little girl’s hand the pair walked back to the sidewalk, kicking snow off their legs.
“It’s been nice playing with you.”
“I wanna play again with Big Sis!”
“Maybe another time sweetheart. Now we must head home. Grandma’s making her stew for dinner.”
“Stew stew stew!”
He laughed and turned toward the girls. “Thank you for spending the afternoon with us.”
“No thanks needed. It was fun. Right Little Sis?”
“Lots of fun Big Sis!”
She nodded. “Lots of fun.”
“Maybe we’ll see her again when she comes by the shop. I gave your friend the address.”
“Thanks Peter. Have a good night.”
“You as well.” The father and daughter pair began to walk away.
Feint eyed her with a teasing smile, “Big Sis huh?”
“She said she’d never had a sister before. Who am I to say no.”
Feint’s smile got warmer as she said. “They’re good people.”
“Yeah. I want to keep an eye out for them.”
“In case something happens with the Vanguard.”
“You know me well.”
“I have to.”
“Come on. Let’s go see Wiz Kid and chew them out.”
The Harlequin Library 