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by TexasAries |
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by TexasAries |
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Chris Draven and Buck Wilmington were the owners of a hot club called Heaven’s Gate in Port Columbia, British Columbia. They had both known each other before their Navy Seal days and had always wanted to own a club, so when they retired from the Seals they decided to follow their dream. Buck and Chris both had apartments over the club and lived there to look after their investment. Chris was married to Sarah and they were expecting their first child. Buck had an adopted son called JD who had just been assigned to Vice.
Buck adopted JD at fifteen when JD’s mother died. Since Buck was his only living relative JD was sent to live with him, and Buck asked if he could adopt him figuring it would cause less trouble for both of them in the long run. Both acknowledge that their relationship is more of a big brother and little brother than father and son, but it just seemed right for both of them and they were happy.
Buck and JD were away on a camping trip to celebrate JD’s new job when five men broke into Chris and Sarah’s apartment, brutally murdering both of them. Sarah was shot and stayed alive long enough to give descriptions of the suspects only to die on the way to the hospital; Chris, on the other hand, was killed instantly when he was thrown through the bay window of their warehouse apartment.
The two homicide detectives assigned to the case were Nathan Jackson and Vincent Tanner. They had been partners for three years and had seen many murders, but this one hurt them the worst. When Tanner looked at the body of Chris Draven it was as if part of his soul had died with the man lying at his feet. An overwhelming rage was lit within Tanner, and he promised the dead man that he would find the people who had done this to he and his wife. Jackson was making the same promise to Sarah as she died in his arms.
Vin Tanner was and is the best homicide detective in the Port Columbia PD; his skill at finding evidence and tracking down suspects and his ability with a gun had already reached legendary proportions within the police department. The other detectives never knew what to make of the man, for he was quiet and still like the ocean before a storm breaks and nothing could rattle him, but when he was stirred to anger woe to whoever had caused it. He was also different in that he made no secret that he was raised on a reservation and practiced his Native American beliefs. What he did keep quiet about was that he was a Shaman trained by his grandfather to be there for the Crow.
Both detectives kept their promise and had formed close ties with Buck Wilmington and JD Dunne during the year of trying to track down the Draven murderers, but they were not having much luck. Someone was interfering with the case and pressure was being put on Tanner and Jackson to close it as unsolved - their Captain, Guy Royal, being the one to pressure them the most.
Ezra Standish is the lead singer for a group called the Witching Hour, which had become the house band for Heaven’s Gate. There is more to the man than anyone knows, for he is a warlock born with the capability of manipulating his surroundings through the living energy that surrounds everything. Figuring that he could use his abilities to protect those that couldn’t protect themselves Ezra had joined the CIA and had become one of their best agents, but because truly unusual and spooky occurrences had happened while on various assignments he remained partnerless. These occurrences also had the other agents walking warily around him. Then, after an assignment had gone horribly wrong, it was decided by the brass that he needed an extended medical leave to recover.
Ever since the incident his powers have become unreliable and can have interesting results if he is rushed; his singing also has interesting results on the people in the club and things are never dull when he performs. Unknown to the other men, though, he had not come to Heaven’s Gate by accident; while he was recuperating at his mother’s villa in France Ezra received a visit from Director Owen Travis asking him to investigate the Draven murders. Something told him he had to help, and the band was born.
With his powers Ezra has access to the spirit realm, which will allow him to become the link between Chris and Sarah Draven.
Nathan Jackson was on his way to becoming a doctor when his father was murdered by group of racists. He then decided that he could do more as a cop and joined the police force instead. Jackson and Ezra Standish are both leery of each other. Jackson has noted the strange things that occur whenever Standish is around, but because he is grounded in only facts he always assumes that Standish is trying to pull some sort of con on he and his new friends; since he doesn’t have any proof, he constantly watches the man. Standish, on the other hand, doesn’t trust Jackson because he figures that if the man knew his true nature he would turn him over to the authorities to be studied.
The same couldn’t be said for Vin and Ezra’s relationship, for both recognized a fellow practitioner of the occult and welcomed each other at once. Over the course of the year they have formed a deep bond of friendship and trust, over the objections of Nathan.
Josiah Sanchez is a bookstore owner who specializes in the occult and can help the Crow to learn its true purpose and master its powers. He is also teaching Ezra about his powers and pushing him to grow. Unknown to Ezra, whom he supplies with the books and equipment for casting spells, Josiah is actually his father.
Chris Draven and CIA Director Owen Travis had had a long and friendly history together. While in the Navy Seals, Chris and Travis' son Steven met and became friends; both Buck and Chris were invited to the Travis home for holidays and vacations. Travis took a liking to both men, and when Chris was murdered he kept an eye on the case; when he noticed that the officers in charge of the case were being pressured to close it he became very suspicious and decided to ask Ezra to investigate to find out what had really happened. There were two reasons why Travis picked Ezra, the first being Ezra's outstanding investigation record and the second that he was worried about the man's condition. He hoped that this would help Ezra to recover from his ordeal and yet keep his mind busy.
And so the cast was set and unknown forces, both good and evil, occult and mortal, had arranged themselves around the seven men. The new battle would be fought between good and evil and the outcome no one could know, but the fighting spirit of the seven men would ensure that the battle would be truly Magnificent.
A man and woman stood on a hanging rope bridge suspended over a gorge with a wild river running through glorious foliage at the bottom. Both sides of the bridge were shrouded in mist, not showing what was waiting on the other side. The man had stopped in the middle of the bridge and the woman had turned to face him.
The man was tall, around six feet, slender but well built. His blond hair caught the filtered sunlight and spun a halo of light around his head while his blue-green eyes shifted color with his thoughts and moods. As he looked at the woman before him the love they shared was almost visible between them, but six ropes of light had tied themselves to his form and those were what made him stop.
The woman was shorter and more slender, but an iron will showed underneath the frail guise of femininity. Her soft, long auburn hair played in the wind and light, making it blaze with the colors of fire. Her green eyes were filled with love but also with sadness at what caused her soul mate to stop.
Chris looked into his wife’s beautiful face and knew he could not stay. The need for vengeance and the tug of lifelines from the other side were calling for him to return.
Sarah could see the six lifelines that tied her husband to the living world and knew he had to return. Three of the lifelines were Buck, JD and Detective Jackson, the other three were unknown to her; but if her husband did not return those six other lives would be wiped out. Jealousy flared for a moment as she saw that two of the lifelines had attached themselves to her husband’s soul and heart. Could she share her husband’s heart and soul with two strangers? But as she looked closer she saw that those ties had always been with her husband and always would be, through every lifetime they shared.
Realizing he would not leave her unless she gave her permission for him to do so, she gently cupped that sweet, loving face in her hands and burned his features into her heart and mind. Softly she kissed him and said, "Go, Chris; there are six people who need you to return. Find the six, Chris, for if you do not they will die as well and evil will walk the world. There are two who are part of your heart and soul; let them in, for then each of you will be made whole."
Still Chris hesitated, not wanting to leave his beloved wife. Sarah simply smiled and told him, "I will wait here for you, Chris. Once you return we both will go into the Light. Now go, you have work to do."
Taking one last look at his wife, Chris Draven jumped over the edge of the bridge and disappeared…and a Crow went with him.~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * * * * * * * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chris Draven landed naked back in the apartment he’d shared with Sarah when they were alive, one year after their deaths. He saw that the furniture had been moved over to one corner and was blanketed by a sheet to protect it from the dust that covered everything. He then passed out.
The Crow that returned with the man settled quietly on one of the rafters in the apartment, keeping watched over the unconscious man. Then from the shadows stepped a Wolf and a Cougar, both of which made their way cautiously over to the man. Upon seeing its brother spirits the Crow cawed a greeting, which was returned. A silent conversation took place among the three spirit guides and then the Wolf and Cougar silently disappeared into the shadows from which they’d come.
Downstairs, Ezra was just finishing up his last set for the evening when he felt the birth of the Crow in the abandoned upstairs apartment. Quickly finishing and calling goodnights to his fellow band members, Ezra escaped back to his room to retrieve the items he’d created a year ago.
Vin and Nathan had noticed Ezra’s hasty retreat, which went against his usual routine of sitting and talking to the other patrons of the bar; both instinctively knew something was up and followed the entertainer back to his quarters. Nathan thought he finally had something to nail the little weasel on. Vin, on the other hand, had felt the emergence of the Crow at the same time Ezra had.
Vin and Nathan arrived just as Ezra was exiting his quarters with what looked like folded leather clothing. To Vin’s eyes it glowed faintly and he realized it was clothing that would protect the identity of the Crow from those who might try to use it for their own ends. Nathan, however, grabbed the leather clothing from Ezra and growled, "What are you up to, Ezra? What con are you up to now?"
After a year of putting up with Nathan’s sly comments on his intentions and his character, Ezra snapped. He let loose with a right-hand cross that knocked Nathan on his ass. Bending to retrieve the clothing, he snarled into the detective’s face, "Stay out of it. You wouldn’t believe it if you saw it with your own eyes - or if it came and bit you on the ass."
Nathan’s eyes burned and a triumphant grin appeared on his face, "I finally have you, Standish, for assaulting a police officer. You’re going away for a long time if I have my way."
Vin had had enough of Nathan’s hatred for the southerner as well and growled down at him, "No you won’t, Nathan; you deserved it and I will side with him. You may be my partner, but you’re blinded by something that Ezra didn’t have a hand in. So leave him alone." Grabbing Ezra, he headed down the hall to the stairwell for the third floor.
Nathan sat on the floor and realized he’d had it coming - from both of his friends, for that was indeed what they were. Vin had never been wrong about anyone and could see through cons quicker than Nathan could; for Vin to defend Ezra meant that he did trust the southerner.
As to Ezra, Vin had always treated him with respect and dignity even when Nathan laid into him for any and all imaginary slights. Getting up, he followed the two men upstairs, hoping an apology would make a start at repairing two friendships.
When he got to the top of the stairs he saw the door open. Looking in, he saw both of his friends covering up a naked white man by wrapping him in blankets. When Nathan got closer he gasped; the unconscious man was no other than Chris Draven, a man who should be lying in his grave instead of lying naked on the floor of his abandoned apartment.
One part of my brain had crawled into a corner and sat down in shock at the impossibility that rested naked on the dusty floor. The other part of my mind was rejoicing that this man had come back and I felt whole for the first time in my life.
Then I remembered something, a legend in my tribe that my grandfather had told me of. The legend told of seven warriors who were closer than brothers for they shared their lifelines with each other. Some of the stories said they shared themselves with one another as mates, while other stories told of the love of brothers so deep they would die for one another. These legendary warriors were fated to be born and to die over and over again to protect good from evil in many realms and times.
To know these men of legend it was told to look for one who is the leader and was Vengeance, his sign the Crow. Next would be the man of courage who walked in nature and his sign would be the Wolf. The third man would be the heart of the group and his sign the Cougar. The cougar was said to be quick of mind and humor but warning was given to take care of the him for he would be the one to try to sacrifice himself and without the cougar all would suffer. The fourth would be the man who is the protector and lover and his sign would be the Stag. The oldest would be the one of wisdom who talks with many spirits, his sign the Owl, and the youngest would be their innocence and gentleness, his sign the Whale - but like the whale he could kill with one blow. And last of the seven would be the healer of minds and souls, and his sign would be the Turtle.
To my astonishment I saw four of the spirit signs on the men in the room. Ezra was the Cougar, Nathan the Turtle, Chris was the Crow and I the Wolf. I instinctively knew that Buck was the Stag and JD was the Whale, but who was the Owl?
I took Chris’ body into my arms and looking down at him I realized that I was bonded to this man by my heart and soul. But I wasn’t the only one, for Ezra’s heart and soul were bound to Chris as well. At this astonishing fact I looked up into a pair of beautiful but shocked green eyes and a moment of silence reached around us; and in that moment I touched his gentle, battered heart and soul and they were healed as he healed mine. We were bound, bound to each other as we were to the man sheltered between our bodies.
I had been attracted to Ezra from the first time I had seen him on stage and heard that smooth voice, watched that wonderful body as he moved to the music. When our eyes met, I’d felt his magic and desire had sizzled the air between us. That had shocked me, for there were not that many magic users and he was strong, very strong, but his control was weak and his shields were leaking. Then I’d seen it, the fear in his eyes, and I’d known then that someone had tried to take his power and had hurt him physically, mentally and emotionally. That was why his shields were leaking. His pain had called to my Shaman abilities and had recalled similar memories buried in my own mind and heart.
With my help he was slowly healing, although every once in a while someone would move too quickly or startle him in some way and I would see fear shine in his eyes. Ezra had then started to help us organize our information and had run down leads that wouldn’t talk to us but would to him. I started to fall in love with that quick and mischievous mind, the gentle but battered spirit, the powerful warlock and the singer of souls.
But I’d also had to face the fact that I had fallen in love with Chris Draven, a dead man. It was hard for me to accept, but the more that I learned about Chris the more I wanted to know. Ezra and I had discussed it and tried to understand why we were so obsessed with the man who had died, but we couldn’t find a reason. We were driven to learn about the man through talking with his friends, who made me envious of the fact they’d gotten to know him in life and I never could. Even that first night I saw him I’d sat in the morgue just looking at him, wishing that he was still alive, trying to understand why it felt like a piece of my soul had disappeared.
I felt my Shaman abilities tripled and stabilized by my bond to Ezra and Chris, allowing me to freely touch their power. Then I embraced my wolf spirit as it awoke from its slumber, bringing with it a desire to protect my mates. Now I had both my heart and soul back where they belonged and NO ONE was going to take them from me this time, and I accepted my fate with joy. I would protect what is mine, and the only way to harm them would be through me.
When I first came upon the Crow he was lying in a pool of moonlight that made his skin look like silver and I gasped, for I had never seen a more perfect form than the one before me. I had seen marble statues created by masters that were beauty incarnate but even they paled next to the body of Chris Draven.
I grabbed a dust cover from the furniture to wrap his body in to keep him warm. He lay unconscious, not moving or breathing, and if not for the aura of power that flowed around him one would think him newly dead. As I touched him that power flowed into me; I felt something stir and cat-like stretch awake in my soul and I was made whole. Then I realized that I was bound to this being heart and soul. That frightened me and all I wanted to do was run and hide, but I couldn’t because I had seen the signs; if I ran, I would die as would many others and that must not be.
Vin was kneeling by Chris and was cradling him in his arms, and a look of wonder crossed his face as he beheld the man in his embrace. Then as had happened to me a burst of power flew into him and I watched as his powers stabilized. He looked up and for a moment I looked into a wolf’s gaze, but it was gone in a blink and Vin’s eyes … I was drowning in the blue depths and felt our battered hearts and souls touch and be healed.
I had been attracted to my Shaman from that first night we met. He’d walked into the club and it was like something as powerful and yet as gentle as nature herself had swept through me. It chased all the evil away and for the first time in months I felt safe. Then I’d looked over the sea of other faces to be captured by eyes so blue that they mesmerized me. In those eyes I saw help and understanding and knew he had gone through something like I had. My protector had come and I sang and performed only for him from that night onwards.
Vin had been gentle all those months, helping me regain my control and face my demons. Nothing I’d told him had made him think less of me and he helped me to rebuild my shattered self with encouragement and love. For I knew he loved me as I loved him, but my demons and his had to be slain before we could take that next step. Then while helping to solve the Draven murders I found myself thinking of another man, one who was beyond the veil of life, and I’d found myself falling for Chris as had Vin. We’d talked about why we would feel something for someone who’d died before we could ever meet. It became an obsession for both of us to find out more about the man and to punish those who had taken him from us.
Now everything made sense, for the knowledge that I had been bound to both men as a friend and as a mate through many lifetimes surged through me like a flood, washing away all my doubts and fears of abandonment and betrayal. And as I accepted this bond between myself and the two other men I felt the power of the Crow, Shaman and Warlock merge together to fulfill the prophecy of Albion.
The prophecy foretold of a time when a battle would rage between the forces of good and evil, which will bind the powers of death, nature and spirit into one. If that should occur then the time of battle was at hand. Then should be looked for the lover, the child, the healer, and the sage, for they would join with the three and as seven stand against the forces of evil. And if anyone one of those were not found evil would win the battle and good might lose the war.
The first thing I noticed was the terrible pain that affected every nerve ending in my body - it was like my whole body had fallen asleep and was slowly waking up. The next thing I noticed was that someone was cradling my head in their arms and someone else was holding my hand. Both of them trying to help me with gentle caresses to my face and murmured words of comfort whispered to me.
Opening my eyes I was captivated by two pairs of eyes, emerald green and sapphire blue, and something within me connected to them. Then from deep within my being came the knowledge that I knew both of these men and they were here to help me. Sarah’s words came back to me."Go, Chris; there are six people who need you to return. Find the six, Chris, for if you do not they will die as well and evil will walk the world. There are two who are part of your heart and soul; let them in, for then each of you will be made whole."… too much pain to understand.
… too tired to understand.
I tried to move but my body was sluggish. I could see that I was resting on the floor of our apartment, but it was different. It looked like no one had live there for months, that couldn’t be right.
"Rest. Don’t move, let me and Ezra help you," said a gentle raspy voice with what sounded like a Texas drawl. Ezra must be the name of the green-eyed man who was gently holding me down.
The blue-eyed man then turned to Ezra and asked, "Ez, could you do something? We have to get him off the floor."
With a flash of a dimpled smile the man answered, "I think you’d better keep an eye on Nathan, Vin, we don’t want him to have a heart attack." Then with a wave of his hand the furniture started to move and settled in the positions that it had occupied while Sarah was alive.
OH GOD! SARAH!
I didn’t know that I had cried that out loud but suddenly I was held in a warm, gentle embrace and Ezra’s soft southern voice whispered, "Everything is all right, Chris. No one can hurt her now. Let it out."
Then gentle hands caressed by back and Vin’s voice, tight with rage, whispered, "Don’t worry Chris. We will make them pay for what they did to you both and what they tried to rob us of."
REVENGE! YES!
That was what burned in me; the need for revenge, to tear apart those who harmed what was MINE! I held on to the two men who offered me shelter from the storm of my emotions and knew that they would join me in my quest. I wasn’t alone, and the flames of rage that were simmering in both of them flared into an inferno that matched my own. Sarah told me to find the six they will help me. I had found two, I was sure about that, but her last remark still didn’t make sense. Sarah was the only one who’d ever made me whole and without her there was nothing but revenge…so who were the other two that she’d said would make me whole and themselves as well?
I don’t know how much later it was, but once I was calm enough, my two friends gently picked me up off the floor and helped me to the bed. My limbs seemed too weak for me to walk without their support. They covered my nakedness with blankets and tucked me in as if I were a child, and then they sat beside me and each held one of my hands.
Gently they commanded me to sleep, for tomorrow would be the start of our quest.
I watched my partner as he cradled the head of a dead man in his arms, and then a glow radiated from the dead man and surrounded both Vin and Ezra. I started forward, fearing that it was some type of chemical reaction, but it faded leaving the three men no worse for wear.
Then I watched as my straight partner looked into Ezra’s eyes and was lost. I’d never seen him interested in anyone, male or female, the entire time I’d worked with him and the only one I’d ever heard him mention was a woman by the name of Charlotte Richardson. Vin never said much about her, but my impression had been that she’d decided to seduce him for fun. Ever since then he seemed to shun any relationship with anyone except friendship.
Most of our fellow officers had noticed Vin’s lack of social life, and his complete indifference to both sexes had them wondering if maybe he was involved with a woman on the reservation but no one knew for sure, not even me. Others though he was a freak but would never say that to his face; they feared this soft-spoken man for two reasons. The first was his formidable fighting skill and the second, his practical jokes that could strike anywhere and anytime. So for the most part the other officers left him alone.
Now looking at him, I realized that he had fallen hard for both men and, judging by Ezra’s expression, he had fallen just as hard. I didn’t know what to make of it since neither of them had seemed to be attracted to the other before now.
Could it be some drug that was making them act this way?
The man lying protected between the two of them was obviously part of some trap, but unwilling or not he needed help. I knelt next to Vin and reached out to check the man’s pulse but could not find one and his skin was cold to the touch. "Vin, he’s dead. Why don’t I get some uniforms and we’ll find out what … HOLY SHIT!"
What the hell!
The dead man’s eyes were open and he was moving.
NO WAY IN HELL this was happening.
I pushed myself as far from the ... thing ... as I could get and tried to figure out how this could be possible. The only possibility other than a dead man coming back to life was that I must be having a hallucination.
That was it! Standish must have knocked me out and all this was a dream.
I could hear Standish and Tanner talk, but couldn’t understand any of the words, my mind was too much in shock.
NO, THIS HAD TO BE A DREAM! I’M DREAMING!
Then as I watched, the furniture seemed to dance into place like some crazy version of a Disney cartoon.
And then everything started to dim and it was like a curtain had came down on this strange play and everything went black.
It had been a good night, Chris would have been happy about how successful the club had become.
If he’d still been alive.
I eased my tire body down onto the barstool. I was getting to old for these late nights and too old to outlive good friends. Jessie must have sensed my mood because he placed a single shot glass of whiskey in front of me as I remembered the two friends I’d lost one year ago today.
I’d reached for the whiskey and started to lift it to my lips when I noticed how my hand was shaking. I had to restrain myself from smashing the glass into the bottles over the bar as my rage and grief overtook me. I wanted to tear something apart to ... to ... FIND THE BASTARDS WHO HURT MY FAMILY!
Even after a year the rage and grief still sometimes caused me to lose my control, but JD, my boy, helped me and kept me focused. The first few days after their deaths JD had been a rock and I was so proud of him. Even though he’d been grieving as much as the rest of us he’d made the arrangements for Sarah’s and Chris’ funerals and comforted the rest of us until we could stand for ourselves. Then he grieved.
I remembered when we returned early from our camping trip to find the club had become a murder scene and the cops told us that Sarah and Chris were dead. That whole night was a blur except for when I’d had to identify the bodies and had seen what they had done to my friends.
The only good thing that came out of that day was the friendship that JD and I had formed with the two detectives. Nathan Jackson and Vin Tanner had become good friends and their dogged attempts to find the murders had earned my respect. The four of us worked at trying to solve the case despite Captain Royal’s attempts to close it. All four of us have started to receive threats to drop the case, but instead we kept it low key enough so that the threats stopped.
Ezra had seen us working on the case and had asked to help. At first all us except for Vin had brushed him off, for we all thought what could a singer know about detective work? Boy, were we wrong. He’d picked up leads that we’d dropped because no one wanted to talk to us, but for Ezra they spilled their guts out. He’d also help to organize the data we had collected and now we might be close to finding our suspects.
Checking the time, I decided to wait for JD to come home from his shift; I knew that he would like to join me as we toasted our missing friends.
I stood outside of the club and remembered that night a year ago. Our camping trip had been cut short because of flooding and we returned home that same night. Home to where two ... no three ... of our family had died.
Chris and Sarah would have had a son today.
If they had lived.
Now there is nothing except for Buck and me and three new friends to help us find out what really happened and why they were taken from us.
I breathed in the damp air and tasted the sea in it. Tonight was very much like that terrible night; the city of Vancouver and its suburbs were covered with a fine mist of fog that made everything gray and blurry and even the sounds seemed somehow muffled and eerie like those in old black and white English murder movies - except that tonight there were no flashing red lights, no reporters asking questions and taking pictures, no officers and no crowds to keep back. It was just him.
That night I’d had to grow up and be there for Buck. Even though he’d adopted me when I was sixteen he was more of a big brother than a father to me and that was fine with the both of us. I had never seen him so broken and Buck had seemed much older than his thirty-four years. He’d been my rock of safety when my mother, his cousin, had died and had saved his grief till later, so I had done the same for him.
I think the worst moment was when we’d had to identify Sarah and Chris. They had beaten Chris pretty badly, but from what Sarah had said he’d taken on all of them and had been wining when one came up behind him and cold cocked him. Then while they held him they raped Sarah and shot her when they were through. Sarah had told Nathan that they’d laughed as they threw Chris out the window and he’d tried to take them with him for what they had done. He hadn’t succeeded.
Rage burned in me, rage and the desire for revenge. People have told me that I have changed since the murders and I’ve agreed with them; the grief and rage had forged me into a weapon of justice. Sometimes for Buck’s sake I’ll allow myself to become like I was before Chris and Sarah were taken, but it has become hard for me to do.
Taking a last breath I entered the club to find Buck. I didn’t have to go far, he was waiting at the bar for me with two shots of whiskey.
Without turning he asked, "Good shift?"
Coming up along side of him I picked up the shot glass he slid towards me. "Yep. It’s been pretty quiet, but I feel that something is going down and soon." Taking a sip of the whiskey I asked him, "Any trouble tonight?"
A lopsided grin appeared on his face. "Nope, for some reason nothing unusual occurred during any of Ezra performances."
I felt my eyebrow rise at that, for Ezra’s performances are never dull or normal. I have seen two people fall in love at a glance, couples suddenly break up and men and women suddenly realize that they were gay, straight or bi. There had even been one woman who gained her eyesight back after being blind for ten years.
Looking around I didn’t see our three friends so I asked, "So, seen Nathan, Ezra or Vin tonight?"
"They went upstairs after Ezra’s last performance and I haven’t seen them since." He downed the rest of his whiskey before continuing. "Come on, let’s go and see what those three are up to. Vin probably has been refereeing all night and could use our help."
Grinning I finished my drink and followed him upstairs, both of us knowing Jessie would lock up for us. I didn’t notice at first, but the door to Chris and Sarah’s apartment was open. Alarm bells went off in my head when I saw it. Pulling my gun, I shoved Buck behind me as I quietly walked down to the stairwell. Doing a quick check to see if anyone was waiting on the stairs and seeing no one, I ascended the stairs expecting anything but what I saw.
The apartment was back to the way Sarah had arranged it and Nathan was out cold on the couch with a blanket covering him. Checking to see if there were any intruders I made my way to Nathan and felt for a pulse. Feeling a strong beat I then checked for any indication that he was wounded or concussed; finding nothing I gently shook him awake but covered his mouth in case the intruders were still present.
His eyes flew open and he was instantly alert. I removed my hand and leaning down towards him I whispered, "Where are they?"
Nathan looked at me in total confusion and asked in a puzzled whisper, "Where’s who?"
"The ones who did this to you."
Before Nathan could answer, Vin answered, "JD, there are no intruders so please put the gun down." I turned to look at Vin as he stood in the doorway of the bedroom. He looked okay but there was a tension in his body that told me something was up. Nevertheless I put the safety back on and re-holster the gun.
"Then what the hell are you and Nathan up here for and why is the furniture out?" snarled Buck as he came into the Draven apartment. He hadn’t been up here in over eight months, not since we packed up everything. He didn’t allow anyone in here and had changed the locks so that he had the only key.
Sometimes I think he shut up the apartment because deep down he was hoping that they might come back. But the dead don’t come back, that only happens in Hollywood.
"Buck, I think you should calm down. There’s someone here that will need your help, but you’ve got to remain calm," was Vin’s reply.
Nathan sat up with a groan and shakily said, "Then it wasn’t a dream. OH God!"
The hairs on the back of my neck just stood on end and all my cop instincts were wailing on full siren. Both Buck and I exchanged glances and confirmed that both of us knew something had happened that wouldn’t make any sense.
Buck walked very carefully to the armchair next to the couch and sat down slowly, almost as if Vin was a deer that he thought might leap away at any time in fear. "Okay Vin, I’m calm. Is it Ezra, did something happen to him?"
Vin simply leaned against the doorway and said, "Nope, pard, Ez is just fine. It’s someone that you haven’t seen in almost a year, but he’s not the same person that you knew. Being dead does that to a person."
"What?!" was the joint reply from both Buck and I. The only dead people we hadn’t seen in almost a year were Chris and Sarah.