Fire & Ice

Chapter Twenty-Three

Arriving in front of Milly's, however, I felt a bit of trepidation creep up my spine. Portia had mentally checked in on me at school, but I sensed the worry pouring off her. Something was definitely wrong.

Marsha arrived right behind me, and we let ourselves into the house, already knowing that Milly, Sean, and Portia were in the basement together. As soon as Portia saw me enter the space, she ran to me, throwing her arms around my neck.

"Hey, baby," I returned her hug tightly. "I missed you today. Let's not stay apart that long again, okay?"

"Fine by me." She raised her head so I could kiss her.

"How did things go with the principal?"

"I'm off the hook. Marsha got a big lecture about the school policy on cell phones, but other than that, everything's okay."

We went to join the others at the table.

"So, what've you found out?" Marsha asked, cutting straight to the chase.

Sean glanced between us. "We've discovered suspicious activity in warehouses located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, receiving the same suspicious crates and such," he said. "The operation has moved on, but it's as if he disappeared. I have no idea where they've gone from there. They're off the radar.

"He's too close. It's time for us to move on," Marsha said, looking at me nervously.

"No," I replied, my voice firm. "I'm not running again."

"Think about it, Marsha," Sean said, trying to help calm her. "You have safety in numbers here. We've promised to do all we can to protect both of you."

"I can't risk it." Marsha shook her head, unwilling to listen to reason. "I swore to his mother I'd die before I let anyone get to him."

"I won't leave!" I shouted, pounding my fist hard on the table. Everyone jumped.

Portia placed a trembling hand on my shoulder, and I knew I'd scared them all, but I was angry.

"I'm sorry," I continued, taking a deep breath as I tried to get a handle on my emotions. "You don't understand. I've already lost one home and one family because of this man. This is the first place that feels like home since my mother ran away with me.

"And I'm with Portia now. I'm bound to her, and I won't leave her. I'm eighteen—this is my decision to make." I glanced at Marsha. "Sorry."

She stared back at me for several moments before giving a slight nod.

"All right," she said, conceding softly, but she didn't look too happy about it.

"I'm sorry I'm the reason all this danger's coming here," I said, turning my attention to Milly and Sean. "If we have real proof he's getting too close, then I'll be happy to leave to help keep everyone else safe, if that's what you wish."

"This isn't your fault in any way," Milly replied, reaching across the table to grasp my hand. "We're glad you came here, and I think it's wise for you to stay, regardless of how close he gets. We can protect you better if we know where you are."

"Plus, we need to find out the reason your dad wants you so badly," Sean interjected. "He was obviously using you to strengthen his own powers. We need to know why, what he's planning, and why he's been recruiting more forces. That's definitely worrisome to all of us."

"I still hope we can find your mom out there somewhere too," Portia added, warming my heart even further.

Smiling, I placed my hand on hers. "Thank you. I hope for that too."