Tracks

Lincoln left a little after eight that night and I drove him home in my rented yellow Lancer even though he was only a couple houses down. Leila and Brenna were back by the time I returned, a big pot of Brenna’s Irish stew simmering on the stove. Leila was working on tossing a salad when I entered, and looked up sharply as though caught off guard.

Brenna smiled kindly. “Hungry? I’ve a special Irish meal fixing for ya.”

I bit my lip. Honestly? I wasn’t hungry. The popcorn had filled me up. And I really wasn’t in the mood for an awkward meal with my cousin. But the look on Brenna’s face was so hopeful, it played on the little soft spot Lincoln had stirred up just by being Lincoln. So I swallowed my pride and nodded.

“Sure.”

Leila barely hid her surprise.

“Brilliant,” Brenna beamed. “Mind getting drinks, then? There’s tea in the kettle and soda in the fridge if you like.”

I nodded and went about pouring tea for the Irish and sipping the fizz off the top of a Dr. Pepper can for myself.

“Well now, this is nice,” Brenna commented as we sat together at the table a little while later, the salad in the center, the stew sitting on a warmer. “How was yer day, lassie?” she asked me, dishing out the salad for both me and Leila.

I shrugged. “It was good. Kicked back with Lincoln for a movie marathon.”

“Oh?”

I nodded. “Two and a half Harry Potters. He wanted to watch The Disappeared as well, but his mom called him home just as we put it in. By the way, remind me to pick up a copy before I go home. They don’t sell it in the States.”

“Is that the horror film with Tom Felton?” Leila wondered.

“Yep.”

“Why’d his mum phone? Is she all right?” Brenna asked.

“She wanted him home for dinner. Offered me a place too when I dropped him off, but…” I shrugged.

“Oh, Lacey’s a sweetheart. I wonder how she’s been. I haven’t seen her in a few days.”

And that was the human difference between Calaway and Connecticut. Don’t see someone for a few days back home and its regular business. Here, it’s an oddity. Though I guess the closeness of the community is something to be admired.

“She work?” I asked, figuring it was probably the reason.

But Brenna shook her head. “Never has. Her husband did before he died and they’re well enough off with the savings he put away.”

“How did Lincoln’s dad die?”

“Lincoln was a lad when it happened. Not long after Thomas, in fact,” Brenna said nibbling at a tomato. “He was on his way home from work one night and was hit by another car. The medics said he died almost instantly.”

“That’s awful,” I murmured, knowing full well how Lacey must’ve felt when she heard the news. Lincoln though… How do you tell your little boy that his father’s never coming home? How does a kid cope with that? At least I’d gotten to know Aaron.

“Aye, and it is. Lacey was devastated. And not a bit afraid.”

“Afraid? Why?”

“Well, her stepchildren of course.”

“Mum.”

Brenna looked up at her daughter abruptly, Leila’s sharp tone slicing through the melancholy atmosphere of the conversation. I saw Brenna’s eyes widen ever so slightly and I realized with a stab of annoyance that she apparently wasn’t supposed to mention stepchildren to me.

But now it was out there and I wasn’t about to just let it dangle. Especially since Leila was so adamant about keeping it between them.

“What do you mean stepchildren? Lincoln has siblings?”

Leila sighed and set down her fork. Brenna kept her mouth shut and looked to her daughter. It seemed the story telling torch had passed to my cousin.

I could see Leila struggling as a range of emotions passed over her face. It was obvious she didn’t want to get into this for some reason. It was a human question—I didn’t understand her concern. It wasn’t as though I’d slipped something about Faeryland into it. This was just regular curiosity. Nothing to sweat about.

And then I remembered Lincoln was an Elemental. If his power had come from his father’s side, then maybe there was a bit of Faeryland involved after all.

I waited in silence.

“Lincoln’s dad was married for a couple years before he met Lacey,” Leila admitted at last. She picked up her fork again. “Long story short, it ended badly. His ex-wife’s family wasn’t the best to marry into, you could say. So when Papa Hayes passed away, Lacey was afraid they’d come looking for life insurance money. Luckily, they never turned up.”

I wasn’t sure whether it was really that simple, but I wasn’t in the mood to push it either. “That’s good, I guess. Has Lincoln ever met them?”

She shrugged. “A few times. It’s not something he really likes to talk about though. For his mum’s sake.”

Which was basically Leila’s way of saying “don’t ask.” For once, I decided I wouldn’t; it wasn’t my business what Lincoln’s relationship with his stepsiblings was—he was the last person I wanted to hurt.

“That’s fair,” I said, ignoring the look of surprise that flickered across Leila’s face.

I helped Brenna clean up after dinner, drying the plates and bowls that she washed and handing them off to Leila to put away. They invited me to watch another movie with them but I declined, saying I was all movied out. After saying goodnight, I hightailed it up to my bedroom, where my cell phone sat charging after I realized it was dead in the middle of the Goblet of Fire.

I whistled when I picked it up. Four missed calls from Tracks and two text messages. Number one: Are you all right, love? Number two: Call me when you get this. I’m worried.

I smiled. Why did I like Tracks so much? Because gave two shits about me.

I started to dial his number when there was a knock on my bedroom door. Leila peeked her head in as I turned around.

She smiled weakly. “Got a moment?”

I shrugged and nodded, slipping my phone into my back pocket. “Sure.”

Leila shut the door and turned to face me. “I know you were at the castle earlier today,” she said without preface, keeping her voice low. “Mum didn’t realize it, and I didn’t mention it, but I know you were there.” She tilted her head to the side. “What were you looking for?”

“Answers,” I said simply.

“To what?”

“Everything.”

Leila took a deep breath and nodded slowly. “Haven’t figured it out then?”

I shook my head, unashamed to admit it because we both knew I was still trying. “Nope.”

She caught me off guard when she surged forward and took my hands. “Leslie, please, I’m begging ye. Stop looking. Leave it alone.”

I stared at her. “Do you really expect me to?”

“Aaron would—”

“Aaron would let me decide for myself and I already have. He might’ve kept the Faeries a secret from me my whole life, but it wouldn’t have stayed that way. If you knew him at all, you’d know that. I’m not giving up, Leila. You can’t order me to. You’re not my captain.”

She let my hands fall with a sigh. “I’d thought Lincoln might’ve convinced you otherwise.”

“Lincoln?”

She shrugged.

I gaped at her for a moment, before I remembered what Lincoln had told me this afternoon. Mary called. What, was that their universal excuse? What would they say when the poor woman actually did call?

For once, it wasn’t anger I felt when I glared at my cousin, but hurt. “You planned it,” I murmured. “You and him. You planned our little movie night. What, so he could convince me to give up? So he could convince me normal life was better?”

The guilt on Leila’s face answered for her.

“Well, guess what? He didn’t even try,” I spat, preparing to storm past her, out of the room.

She grabbed my arm to stop me. “Well, what did you expect? He’d just come out and say it?” Leila sighed in defeat. “Leslie, I’m sorry, but I know you like him. You two seemed to get on well from day one. I just thought—”

“You thought wrong. Friend or not, nothing will stop me from getting to the bottom of this.” I wrenched my arm out of her grasp. “God, Leila, do you even care anymore? Do you even realize what you’re doing?”

“I’m trying—”

“You’re tricking me!” I shouted. “Planting Lincoln in the house so he can work his charms on me? Playing off the friend I thought I had in him? Do you even realize you’re making yourself the villain?!”

“I’m trying to protect you!”

“I don’t need protecting!”

“Aye, and how would you know?” Leila’s eyes flashed. “You haven’t spent the last ten years fighting this bloody war! You didn’t grow up in the middle of a combat zone because your father was leading the battle! You weren’t given the task of Commander when he was killed!”

I stared at her, stunned when real tears slid down her cheeks. She took one shuddering breath before her own resolve broke.

“Ye might’ve lost your brother, Leslie, but that doesn’t give ye the right to just walk in and take over. Da died fighting against the generation proceeding Fitz and his lot. As his daughter, his torch passed to me when he died.” She sniffled and wiped her hand across her face. “I’m trying to make sure I don’t lose anyone else to this goddamn battle. Why can’t ye understand that?”

It was a few moments before I could speak again. This was the most emotion I’d ever seen from Leila; certainly the most distraught I’d ever seen her. I didn’t know about her father. I didn’t know Uncle Thomas had been a warrior—the warrior, apparently. I…I didn’t know Leila was following in his footsteps just as I following in Aaron’s.

But I didn’t know because she’d never said. No one had. Her, Ma, Brenna, Aaron. If I had…maybe I would’ve been gentler.

“I don’t want to lose you to this war like I did me da,” Leila said again, her voice more controlled now, the tears silent on her cheeks. “Please understand that.”

I reached out and took her hands in mine, for once with no desire to strangle her. “Leila, I’m sorry. I didn’t know about Uncle Thomas. But what do you expect from me? Put yourself in my place—what if your dad never told you about the war? Wouldn’t you still want to fight when you found out?”

“It’s different,” she whispered. “I know what it’s like out there. What you saw—that one battle—it was nothing in comparison.”

“Leila, I’m not going to stop searching. I’m sorry,” I said when she looked away. “If you’d tell me yourself, it’d be so much easier. But if you won’t, the most I can do is promise to stay clear of Fitz and his gang. I’ll run the other way if I cross paths with them again—but that’s all I can do.”

“Leslie…”

“That’s what I’m offering, Leila. You might think I’m being a bitch or a jerk but I don’t care anymore. I wish I’d known Uncle Thomas, but I also wish I’d known my brother. I have a chance for one. I’m taking it.”

Leila closed her eyes and pulled her hands gently out of mine. “I won’t help you, Leslie. I won’t get ye involved.”

I nodded. “Then we’ll agree to disagree. That’s fine.”

“How are you going to get your information then, Leslie? Without me?”

I shrugged. “I’ll think of something.”

“Don’t die. Please.”

“Right back at you.”

When Leila was gone, I sank down on my bed. We weren’t any more friends than we’d been when she walked in, but we had an understanding now. I had a bit more respect for her knowing about her dad, and I think she had a bit more for me now that she realized how similar our positions were. But while our terms might be more civil, we still had a problem. She’d made it blatantly clear that no matter what, she wasn’t going to help me. Meanwhile, I’d made it clear, I wasn’t giving up. We were bound to butt heads again before this vacation was over.

A soft ringing from beneath me jerked me back to attention, and I realized with a start I still hadn’t called Tracks back. Quickly I yanked out my phone and put it to my ear.

“Leslie? Blimey, where the bloody hell have you been?! I’ve been worried all day! I haven’t seen Fitz, so I didn’t—”

“Sorry! Tracks, I’m so sorry. I meant to call earlier but I got side-tracked. I’ll explain later,” I added when I heard him take a breath. “I promise I’m fine. Fitz was nowhere near me.”

“You have no idea how many times I almost flew by your house, but I wasn’t certain who was home. You’re all right?” he insisted. “No Fitz?”

I smiled. “No Fitz. Had a long talk with my cousin though. Again, I’ll explain later.”

“A talk that doesn’t involve my services anymore?”

I sat down on my bed. “A talk that ended with neither of us getting our way. Your services are still necessary, if you’re up for it.”

He chuckled. “Honestly, I might’ve been a bit put out if they weren’t. I’ve arranged a meeting tomorrow around noon if that works. In Galway.”

“Noon’s good. A meeting? Who is this guy? A business exec?”

He laughed again. “Of sorts. The pub’s called The Green Giant. You can’t miss it. I’ll meet you outside a few minutes before?”

“Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Tracks.”

He took a deep breath. “I just hope this helps rather than hurts you.”

“Why would it hurt me?”

He didn’t answer. “I’ll see you tomorrow, love.”

I didn’t press. “Night.”

I gazed at the phone after we’d hung up. Helps rather than hurts? Now I’m worried.