The Phoenix Prophecy: Nova

The silver-haired guy with the goatee pulls out a chair for me. He’s practically smoldering. Like a model from a coffee commercial. Dark chocolate eyes. Lines at the corners that could have gotten there from years of smiling or years of frowning. It’s impossible to tell.

One thing I know instantly, though, is that he’s the daddy of the group. The way the others are looking at him says that he’s taking charge of whatever is happening. And they trust him to deal with it.

He’s lying, of course. There’s no way they were talking about coffee. But whatever they were discussing, they don’t want me to know about it.

They’re waiting for me to sit down, but I hesitate. I recognize Kole and Tanner, but in the fourth chair is a guy I haven’t seen before. A guy with a shaved head, a square jaw, and eyes so dark they’re almost black. Who also happens to be wearing a police uniform.

My heartbeat quickens. I’m supposed to be hiding and I’ve landed in the lap of a police officer.

Catching me staring, Tanner smiles and says, “Don’t worry, Luther’s off duty. He’s not here to interrogate you.”

Luther says nothing. His face is unreadable.

As I sit down, trying to laugh off the interrogation reference, Tanner brushes his floppy, light brown hair from his eyes. “Good shower?” he asks, his gaze flickering to my breasts, then up again. Is he blushing?

“Yes, thanks.” Tanner’s awkwardness — and the way he’s looking at me — has given me a warm, giggly feeling. If he’s staring at me like that when I’m wearing an oversized tee and someone else’s sweats, how would he look at me if I was in my own clothes? Something more form-fitting? Lower cut? I shuffle in my seat; it’s been a long time since I felt like dressing to impress someone. Like attracting male attention rather than avoiding it at all costs.

“I’m Mack.” The daddy offers me his hand. I shake it, wondering why the hell I’m even thinking about calling him that. It’s like my brain is in overdrive. Still humming with heat from the fire. Too easily switched on.

“Mack? The Knife?” I quip, already humming the Bobby Darin tune in my head. My mom loved that song.

Mack’s lips curve into a smile.

“Sorry, I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times before.” I clear my throat, still shaking his ridiculously soft hand. “Nova. I’m Nova.”

Sitting back down, Mack — not ‘Daddy’, not ‘Daddy’ — nods at Tanner and Kole. “You’ve already met?”

Tucking my hair behind my ear, I say, “We have. Last night.”

“But you haven’t met Luther.” Mack turns to the cop.

This time, I shake my head. I try to smile at him, but he looks away, down into his coffee.

“Luther’s my deputy. I’m the town sheriff.” Mack takes a badge from his jacket and flashes it at me.

A hot prickly sensation breaks out on my skin. Two cops. I’ve ended up with two cops. And one of them is the town’s sheriff!

“My boys tell me you had some boyfriend trouble?” The way Mack says ‘my boys’ almost brings a smile to my lips; he’s protective of them even though they’re grown men. That’s nice.

“Yes.” Mack pours me a mug of coffee and I wrap my hands around it, thanking him with a nod. “He wasn’t… he’s not a good guy. Last night was the final straw. I left. I don’t intend to go back.”

Mack’s about to speak when Luther interrupts. “And where is it you don’t intend to go back to?” His voice is steady and deep, and he looks me straight in the eyes as he asks the question.

Without blinking, barely skipping a beat, I give him the answer I’ve rehearsed. “Thunder Bay.”

Luther’s expression doesn’t change, but he repeats my answer. “Thunder Bay.” Glancing at Mack, he adds quietly, “Didn’t know buses ran here from Thunder Bay. Especially on Sundays.”

“Mmm hmm. I had to change at Red Rock, but I made it.” I hold my nerve. Luther seems surprised by my answer. What he doesn’t know is that I found an old, printed bus schedule in the upstairs apartment. Fate looking out for me once again, it would seem. “It was scheduled to arrive earlier, but lucky for me, it had problems at the depot. So, it was running pretty late.”

“So, you arrived late because the bus was late leaving?” Tanner asks, his tone strangely pointed as he looks at Luther.

Luther doesn’t react to either of us, simply downs the last of his coffee and stands up, scraping his chair back from the table. “I’ve got to go.” He pats Mack firmly on the shoulder. “Enjoy your day off, Boss. See you later.”

Mack pats Luther’s hand and nods at him. There’s silence as the others watch him leave, then my stomach rumbles so loud it makes me jump.

I wrap my arms around my middle, blushing furiously. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry.”

But Tanner laughs gently and touches my arm. “Don’t apologize. I think we could all eat.”

Kole stands and jerks his head in the direction of the bar. There’s a pair of double swing doors next to it that look like they might lead to a kitchen. “I’ll fix us something.” He lingers for a moment, his eyes grazing mine. He swallows hard and I notice he’s clenching and unclenching his fist.

Without saying anything else, he turns and strides across the room.

When he’s gone, Mack offers me more coffee. Tanner’s still working on his first cup.

“So, Nova,” Mack says gently. “You’ve arrived here with nothing. No clothes, no place to stay. What can we do to help you?” His tone darkening slightly, he adds, “Is this boyfriend still a threat to you? Because if he hurt you and you want to press charges…”

“No.” I reply quickly. “No, thank you. I just want to forget about him.” I brush my hair back from my neck and grimace as Johnny’s face flashes in front of me. “He doesn’t know where I am. No one does. There’s no way he’ll find me here.” I suck in a deep breath and rub my thighs. I feel cold all of a sudden, even though it’s warm out. “I think I just need a few days to pull myself together. Come up with a plan.”

I look down at my clothes and laugh. “And maybe if you can point me in the direction of the nearest clothing store? That would be a start. Not sure oversized Viking tees are my style.” I cock my head in the direction of the kitchen, where Kole’s bulky silhouette is visible through the door.

Smoothly, without breaking eye contact with me, Mack says, “Oh, I don’t know. They look good from where I’m sitting.”

As Tanner shakes his head and chuckles, a pink heat colors my cheeks. Is Mack doing this deliberately? Trying to catch me off guard by making me feel like some kind of goddess rather than a total hot mess?

Shrugging, Tanner looks up at me and says, “While I agree with the Professor, I’m happy to take you shopping this morning.” He checks his watch. “My shift at the hospital starts at two. So, I have time.”

“Professor?” I look at Mack, who’s sitting back in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, ankle resting on his knee. “I thought you were the sheriff?”

“Long story,” he says, standing up. “I’ll go see if Kole needs a hand. Nova, I hope you like big portions, because Kole serves his breakfasts large.”

Trying to stop my stomach growling at the idea of home-cooked food, I nod. “Sure do.” But when Mack disappears through the swing doors to the kitchen, I look at Tanner and say, “Truthfully, I’ve barely eaten in weeks. I’m not sure my stomach will handle a big meal. I hope Kole’s not offended. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy you want to piss off.”

Tanner studies my face for a moment. His eyes soften.

“My ex wasn’t great with…” I trail off and shake my head at myself. “Sorry. I have no idea why I keep doing that. Over-sharing.” I take another sip of coffee. “I should learn to keep my mouth closed.”

As I speak, I hear Johnny’s voice in my head. Keep your mouth shut if you can’t say anything helpful.

Tanner’s jaw twitches. He takes hold of my hand and squeezes it. “There’s no such thing as Over-sharing. You tell me whatever you’re comfortable telling me. Okay?”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

I look down at our entwined fingers.

“And I’m sure Kole will let you stay here as long as you need to.” Tanner’s index finger gently strokes mine before he stops and takes his hand back, rubbing the back of his neck and adding, “You know, unless you’d prefer the B&B. Because I can talk to the Suckermans.”

“No,” I say. “Thank you. Staying here feels… safe.”

Tanner smiles, and I wish he hadn’t let go of my hand. “Tanner? Why are you being so nice to me? You don’t know me. I could be anyone. From anywhere.”

Tanner dips his head to catch my eyes. “I’m a good judge of character.” For a moment, he’s serious. But then his features break into a cheeky smile. He sniffs the air and pats his stomach. “Smells like breakfast’s nearly done. Wait here. I’ll go check.”

As he enters the kitchen, the door swings back and I see Mack and Kole standing near a large industrial stove. Kole has a frying pan in his hand. Mack’s leaning back against the worktop next to him. They’re deep in conversation and look up when Tanner walks in.

I catch Mack glancing at me over Tanner’s shoulder before the door closes again, but I can’t read his expression.

Alone in the bar, I tap my fingernails on my mug. The door to the street is just a few feet away. I could run. I’ve got Sarah’s money in my pocket. I could leave Phoenix Falls and never look back. But, despite knowing that if they saw the mark on my chest, the three mages in the kitchen would probably want to kill me, I can’t imagine leaving.

Something deep inside me is saying that this is where I’m supposed to be. So, even though Tanner’s smile makes my skin fizz and Kole’s dark, broody gaze sends a bolt of fire to the pit of my stomach, I guess I’ll just have to hope they never see me naked.