Boundary Crossed (Boundary Magic #1)(85)

“Do you believe me now?” he demanded, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Yes,” I said simply. I nodded at Chewbacca. “Can you press him?”

Quinn grunted in affirmation and turned back to the kid, who was sitting up now, one hand pressed to his neck. Quinn crouched awkwardly in front of him, keeping his wounded leg straight. “What’s your name?” he commanded.

“Brian.”

“Look at me, Brian.” The kid complied, eyes huge with shock. “You will stop trying to hurt people. You will go home and forget everything you saw here tonight.” For the first time, I could actually hear the pressure in his voice, and I wondered if it was the tattoos or if I’d just gotten stronger. “All you will remember is that you and your brothers were messing around out in the country, and you fell on an old barbecue fork. Do you understand?”

Brian nodded, looking a little dazed, and Quinn backed off.

There was another crash from the barn behind me, and I met Quinn’s eyes. “Simon,” I said, and we turned and sprinted toward the doorway.



In the barn, Simon was lying half on and half off one of the makeshift steel tables, breathing shallowly.

Without discussing it, Quinn walked backward down the aisle, his gun pointed up at the hayloft, while I rushed to Simon’s side. Blood had soaked through his jacket, and I could see puncture wounds where he’d landed on something that had sliced through the fabric and into some skin. There was broken glass scattered next to his body, and I couldn’t tell how much more was under him. Or inside him. “Simon!” I said, frantic. “How bad is it?”

Simon just stared up at the barn ceiling, blinking. “Fucking booby trap,” he mumbled. “Didn’t think . . . he had it in him.”

“Hey!” I snapped, smacking his cheek a little, and his eyes rolled toward me. “How bad are you hurt?”

“Fell on . . . old lanterns . . .” He winced, but I knew that wasn’t his only injury. I glanced down and spotted half of a ladder. I cursed as I leaned down to look at it. Atwood had sawn the rungs partway through the middle, and Simon, who had been expecting a magical attack, hadn’t even noticed. He’d tried to run up there after my niece. Just like I’d asked.

“Simon?” I said again, even though his eyes had gone distant. There was no response.

“Oooh-ee, girlie, you are in trouble!” came a whoop from above me. I backed a few steps away from Simon so I could see the edge of the balcony.

A sixtyish man in jeans and a faded flannel shirt crouched at the edge, a gleeful expression on his leathery face. “That is a Pellar right there. You’d best rush him to a hospital before he bleeds out.” He flashed crooked yellow teeth at me, and I pointed my gun at his face.

The older man just tsked at me. “Wouldn’t do that, girlie,” he drawled, carefully tilting his body sideways. His right hand, which I’d thought he was leaning on, was actually holding a gun that was pointed behind him. I stood on tiptoes to see past the witch. About four feet from his back stood a dark-gray Pack ’n Play, its sides spotless and its plastic edges gleaming. It was the only thing in the entire barn that looked new.

“You might hit the wee one.” Atwood said smugly. Then he added, “And if you don’t, I will.”

I glanced at Quinn, but he was right next to me, so his position wasn’t any better. We were at a stalemate.

“Kirby’s dead,” I called up to the older man. “What exactly is your plan now?”

He chewed the inside of his cheek for a long moment, considering it. “As I see it, y’all are screwed,” he said at last. “When Kirby doesn’t call, Itachi will send reinforcements here to get the kid. Maybe he’ll even come himself.”

“What makes you think Itachi’s involved?” Quinn asked coolly.

Atwood snorted. “I’m not as dumb as them Pellars think I am. I know who Kirby’s been talking to on the phone.”

“He might just hang you out to dry,” I pointed out. “Leave you here to take the fall.”

“He might,” Atwood allowed. “But I’ve got the prize.” He smirked at us. “Now, if you wait and fight, the kid could get killed. If you touch me, the kid will absolutely get killed.” His eyes narrowed. “But if you walk away, she’ll go off and live with some nice folks who’ll raise her.”

I winced. The Beretta was getting heavy again, and I was at the limit of my nerves. “You got any ideas?” I said to Quinn out of the side of my mouth.

He gave a tiny shake of his head. “Ordinarily I’d jump up there, but without knowing how far her aura extends . . .” he murmured.

Seeing us talking, Atwood said, “So? What’s it gonna be? You really wanna start a gunfight when I’ve got mine pointed at the kid?”

I took a long, long look at him and the Pack ’n Play, judging the distance between them. Help me out here, Sam. Could I really take risks with Charlie’s life? Was that what my sister would want?

“Lex,” Quinn whispered to me, “Simon’s heart just stopped.”

For an instant, I froze. Then I put the Beretta in the holster and nodded at Quinn to follow my lead. He tucked his .45 into his belt behind him. “Okay,” I said. “You win.”