~~Young~~

Chapter Twenty

   He received another enthusiastic nod and it was the relief on her face that told him how tired she truly was. Not the kind of weary that a night’s sleep could amend, but from fighting against God’s spite.

   “Enough with the whispers,” Mary Rose shooed him away from Josephine’s bed side, “it’s time for you to go.”

   He let the woman have rule of the room once again and backed away from the bed in preparation for his next stop.

   “I better not see you here again,” he whispered to the child so light a sigh would have drowned out his words.

   But she heard him. He knew she did when she smiled and rolled on her side, tucking her hands with the necklace inside beneath her cheek before closing her eyes. It was the first time she actually seemed as the youth she was meant to be to him.

   “Mary Rose,” he nodded to her and then focused on the thought Jerry had given him.

   He had traveled across the realms enough times that he had a general idea of which way the current was going to take him depending on the destination he chose. Which was exactly why he thought it odd that it seemed to be taking him back the direction he came instead of the islands where he thought the Senator was located. But it wasn’t like you could map the currents. Like the sand dunes in the desert its peaks and valleys were forever changing.

   Except the room he landed in was distinctly not of Caribbean influence. There was no warm light or breeze filtered from the windows through their airy curtains. There were no waves crashing nearby, no sherbet colored walls covered in paintings of ferns and other tropical foliage. No rattan furniture with their canvas pillows that resisted mold in that humid climate.

   Instead he was greeted with windows framed by heavy brocade drapes, their view of the cloudy, dreary world outside broken up only by the sparse trees and the leaves that littered the dying grass. Dark wood paneled walls fought for their right to be seen from behind the built-in bookshelves filled with leather backed tombs. The floor was held down by heavy looking leather furniture and the only sound to be heard was the crackling of a wood fire burning bright beneath an oil painting of Benedict Arnold.

   He was back in British Columbia, he was sure of it.

   So despite his troubles the Senator had managed to make it back into Canada. Probably just chartered his own plane…

   He wasn’t in one of the Senator’s homes Gage knew that much. He had checked them all out personally just so he could know where to track the bastard down if need be. An acquaintance’s perhaps? Because hell knew the man didn’t have friends, more like persons whom he wished to exploit the resources of. But any doubt that this wasn’t where he was supposed to be was culled by the four men stationed in the far corners of the room. Each had an automatic weapon ready in their hands. But with a suit? Tacky. Hand guns were meant for suits, you just looked ridiculous otherwise, Gage scoffed to himself. Though he didn’t doubt they had those tucked under their jackets too as standard procedure. They were probably advised to bring out the big guns for him. Well then that just meant Jerry had talked him up right.

   Excited to get back to Sera and confess his love to her- it made him, dare he admit, giddy, just to think about it-he pulled his form fully out of the in between and into this realm. This time though he let the men stand as they were. He figured there were probably dozens more standing at the ready should he prove to get out of hand and he didn’t want to start things off on the wrong foot.  And if there wasn’t, well then he was insulted.

   “Gentleman,” Gage made himself visible and clapped his hands together, “which way to the good Senator?”

   He couldn’t help it, no matter how much shit the Senator had gotten him in he just couldn’t drum up that anger anymore. Not when he knew he had a woman he loved waiting for him. Fuck it if he was still grinning when the Senator came in, so he’d be known as the happy assassin, he could deal with that.