Chapter 11 – Connections
"You have an unusual power. Both a gift and a curse.
There are forces out to destroy you."
Fortune Teller – Madame Sesostris (to Sara)
Tommy Burgess glared at the loft across the street, its dim lighting the only discernible difference from the others. He had positioned himself on a corner so he could track any movement at her front door as well as her fire escape and rear parking lot. Begrudgingly, he had to cancel a date, having been ordered to pull White Bull's duty even though nothing had happened at Pezzini's place over the last several days…with the notable exception of a short visit by Gabriel Bowman, owner of a strange relic shop called Talismaniac. She never left her apartment, for crying out loud! He thought. Sucking carcinogens into his lungs, half way through his third pack of cigarettes today, he resented this intrusion into his personal life…especially when he could be getting laid.
In his years at the NYPD, he had not known Sara Pezzini to take many sick days. At first, he assumed she was looking for another job or was taking some time off, not wanting to waste a vacation day. He would have found a whole new respect for the woman if she had shown some semblance of being human. Burgess understood lying and cheating. But he had been wrong. She looked as bad as he'd ever seen her when she did show her mug at the window. Knowing the woman, it had to be something really bad to keep her down. She was like some kind of super cop. Unlike many of the other White Bulls, who belittled Pez for her holier than thou act, Tommy deep down admired her. Her strength to go it alone made him feel small by comparison…and that, he resented.
He paced the sidewalk nearest the corner trying to stay warm, tossing his cigarette butt into the street, its red embers splintering and streaking across the growing darkness. He had not counted on the clouds rolling in and absorbing what had been left of the day's warmth. His light windbreaker was not quite enough.
"Littering is against the law, Detective." Surprised to hear the voice coming from behind him, Burgess turned to see the taller Nottingham only a foot from his face.
Not waiting for Irons' henchman to make the first move, Tommy made a fist and swung it at the head of Nottingham. His knuckles never connected, his exertion wasted as his right hook whizzed passed where Ian's head had been just seconds ago. In an unorthodox move of his own invention, Nottingham thrust all his strength into a roundhouse maneuver that rocked Burgess' head into the nearby brick wall as Ian's fists pounded his jaw in rapid succession. The underhanded detective never knew what had hit him. He lay unconscious at Ian's feet.
Picking up the discarded cigarette butt from the street, Nottingham made sure the embers were completely extinguished by stubbing out the still glowing ashes in the center of Burgess's forehead before tucking it into the man's jacket pocket. At least for a while, the man would be branded for his betrayal of Sara. Rising up, with a slight smile on his face, he gazed toward her loft.
Before contacting Gabe, Nottingham had made a special stop via taxicab to drop a package for overnight delivery to the Irons' Estate. His Father would find his personal delivery in the morning's mail. Ian could only imagine his reaction. He took no particular pleasure in taunting the man. It pained him to know that his Father would ignore his intent behind the package that he had sent…his message for Irons to abandon his attempt on Sara's life. The package would be no deterrent. He would have to think of another way to find influence with his Father, perhaps negotiate a truce, or put an end to this once and for all.
After taking care of the package, Nottingham had called Gabriel by pay phone on his way over to Sara's. He had the taxicab driver leave him a few blocks away. Gabriel had been asked to drive a car to Sara's place, park in the back parking lot, and then buzz her apartment to let them know he had arrived. Gabe told Ian that he could probably borrow his friend Sly's vehicle for a couple of days. Making sure no other surveillance was surrounding the loft, Nottingham climbed Sara's fire escape. He made his ascent fighting the urge not to take two steps at a time, calling more attention to himself. He would have a few precious moments with Sara before Gabriel arrived.
As he reached the landing that was all too familiar to him, he peered into her dimly lit living room. She lay on her sofa, wrapped in her comforter, with only half her face showing. Trying to memorize every nuance, he gazed upon the visible parts of her, this being the first time he had seen her this close in days. Not wanting to alarm her out of her sleep, he tapped lightly on her window.
Wake up, my Beloved! He whispered to himself, not loud enough for anyone else to hear. She did not stir. He tapped again. Still, no reaction.
Was she breathing? He could not discern any movement under the quilt. Of all the cruelty, could she have died while he was fighting to bring her what he now had in his pocket? No…this could not be happening! His mind was a jumble of recriminations...and doubts. At that moment, he could have broken the window with the force of his anguish.
Wake up! Please! He pleaded silently. His heart pounding, he tried one more time, knocking with more force.
Movement…there was movement this time. He closed his eyes in gratefulness, leaning his forehead against the glass. She was alive. If God would listen to the prayers of an assassin, Nottingham would have raised his voice to the heavens in gratitude. His Beloved was alive!
Sara had been adrift in a mist, the voices had carried her to another dimension, as if she were floating atop calm waters. A voice called to her from beyond the fog…a voice she recognized.
Wake up, my Beloved! Wake up! Please!
Opening her eyes slowly, it took her a while to realize she was home…in her loft. Movement at her fire escape window caught her waning attention. Could it be? Or had she only wanted it to be him? Still clad in the same sweats as she had worn yesterday, she raised up cautiously and peeled back the comforter, swinging her weakened legs to the floor.
What a cruel hoax this would be if her eyes deceived her now!
Still, the image of her adoring stalker had not altered. Was he really here? She hoped.
The fingers of his gloved right hand splayed flat on the windowpane as she approached, willing her to give him entrance. His expressive dark eyes looked upon her longingly. The last time they had been together was in his embrace, having just kissed the man in public, on the streets of New York City. At this moment, perhaps even more than wanting the Witchblade back on her wrist, she had not realized just how desperately she wanted him in her arms again. The pain of her withdrawal from the blade had abated for the one brief moment she could hope that he was truly here, just outside on her fire escape.
Raising the window, she watched Nottingham sidle inside…and into her arms. She allowed herself to enfold him into her arms, smelling the skin of his neck, stroking his dark, wavy hair with her fingers, and nestling into his warmth.
Yes…it was him! He was here!
"Oh Sara! I was so worried! I thought you were…." The words were out of his mouth and his heart before he could caution his brain to use its better judgment.
He lifted her off the ground in his enthusiasm, caressing her into his body. His right hand lovingly cradled her head into his shoulder. Without his precipitating panic, he would never have presumed such familiarity with the wielder, having been trained his whole life to serve her with honor and discretion. Such intimacy would have been strictly forbidden…and certainly severely punished. Yet, his desire to love this woman was growing stronger with every remembrance of her, with every stolen glimpse of her face, with every sweet utterance from her lips. Even though his master was very inventive when it came to physical abuse, being apart from her was now the greatest torture he could ever imagine.
How could this be wrong! He thought.
Catching a glimpse of himself holding Sara in a mirror by the front door, Ian abruptly set her down with his head bowed. He had forgotten his place.
"Forgive me, Sara. I did not mean to presume…" He stammered, his eyes avoiding hers.
Sara wanted nothing more than to be in his arms at this moment. His sudden restraint had left her crushed. Once again reminded of Irons' hand in Ian's abusive training, Sara was not about to let the cruel bastard win when it came to her personal life…and Ian's.
"Ian…I've missed you so much! Don't shut down on me now. Hold me." Sara gently pulled Ian to her once again, until the reality of the moment could be felt to their toes. Too weak to return much of his embrace, she sought refuge in his passion and the strength of his body.
Putting his right arm under her knees, he carried her to the sofa and gently set her down. She cupped her hands on his cheeks, drawing his lips toward her, abating her chills with the warmth of his kiss. The smell of his skin and his hair was intoxicating. She could have nibbled on his earlobe for a moment and totally forgotten her plight, but she knew her life was at stake. She wanted desperately to live…so they may have a future to explore together. Pulling reluctantly away from him, she returned his loving expression with a weakened smile.
"Thought you were avoiding me." She lovingly teased.
He leaned his forehead onto hers, nuzzling as he spoke, wanting all his senses to remember this moment.
"Not in this lifetime or any other. You no longer have unwanted eyes. I have gotten rid of the surveillance. Gabriel will be here any moment to take us from here." Ian pulled back, removing Excaliber and the glove from his right hand, holding them in his left, so that he could gently stroke her face as he continued.
Sara marveled at his tenderness.
"I am taking you and Gabriel to one of my safe houses…just north of the city. We need time…" His breath caught as she slipped her left hand under his black sweater to touch the warmth of his stomach. Her hands were chilled but his reaction was caused more by her hand intimately caressing his body. He had never known such a sensation. Sara's touch rippled along his skin, sending shock waves to all of his senses.
"I'll say." She agreed, nuzzling his neck with tender kisses. His closeness and his genuine affection were like an elixir for her, a brief reprieve from the growing misery she had faced over the last days.
Sara's apartment buzzer sounded, bringing them both to the reality of the situation. Gabriel had arrived to take them to safety. It took her a while to get to the front door, she was almost too weak to stand on her own. It pained Ian to see her so fragile, a word he would never have used to describe her. Eventually, Sara rang him in and Gabe appeared on her doorstep, bounding the stairs two at a time. As he reached her opened front door, he looked between Ian and Sara, feeling like an interloper. The glances darting between the two of them, and their avoidance of his eyes, made him feel that he had surreptitiously caught them in 'the act'. He had experienced this look himself when the parents of Susie Akkerman, the first girl he had ever dated, had caught them kissing on their front porch.
"What? Did I interrupt something?" He teased knowing neither would admit anything.
"'Cause I can come back…in an hour." He smiled sheepishly. Sara punched his arm, giving him a stern look followed by a tired wink.
"I'll just pack a few things…be back in a flash." Sara turned to leave but pivoted toward the men and added. "These days, my flash is more like a flush, so come get me if I don't come out in an hour."
Nottingham could not fully appreciate her humor being so worried for her. He only wanted to help her pack. Sara could read this in his eyes. "I'll be alright." She replied, waving her right hand.
As Sara disappeared into her bathroom, Nottingham tried hard to avoid Gabriel's stare by pretending to be preoccupied with slipping on his right glove and ring. Seems the intimidation game can be played on the master of that sport, Gabe thought, hiding a well-concealed smirk.
"Packed a few things like you said. Gas tank's full." Gabe nodded. Ian had still not looked him in the eyes. He paced the room, preoccupied, waiting for Sara to return.
"So where are we going, Captain?" Feeling more comfortable around Nottingham and distracted by what he really wanted to ask, Gabe let his term of endearment for Ian slip from his mouth before he could reclaim it.
"Captain?" Nottingham asked, tilting his head to one side as he met Gabriel's eyes for the first time since he had entered Sara's loft.
"Yeah…I call Sara Chief…and you…" Finishing his thought seemed a bit risky, but what the heck, Gabe thought. "Captain Crypto."
Nottingham glared at the younger man for a moment, not sure what to make of this new title. Understanding Gabriel had a sense of humor unlike his own, he thought he was willing to accept the first nickname he had ever had, from Sara's friend. A slow smile spread across Ian's face, resulting in a definite sign of relief on Gabriel's. Despite his concern for Sara, it felt good to find humor in some of this.
Gabe joined Ian in a quiet laugh. It had been a relief for them both. Gabriel was amazed at how differently the man looked with a smile on his face.
"So…did you find it?" Gabe finally got around to asking the question. Ian looked into his eyes, then nodded.
"I am not planning on saying anything to her as yet…until we get where we are going. I have a safe house…outside the city. It will give us some privacy. I want us both to be there when she puts it on again." Ian added.
Gabe was saddened for Nottingham that in his life there was a need for a safe house. As he reflected more upon this enigmatic man, Gabriel felt a special bond. Ian had thought to include Gabe in this important moment with Sara. It would have been easy to escape the city with the woman he loved, but Nottingham had shared this significant time with him, too.
"Thanks, man." It was all Gabriel could say. At first, Ian seemed puzzled by his gratitude, but then seemed to understand…and nodded in reply.
"You have been a very good friend to Sara. She may not survive this, Gabriel." The chink in his armor was finally showing as the doubt began to show in Ian's eyes.
"Let's just wait until there's something for us to beat ourselves up about." Nottingham appreciated Gabriel's use of the word 'us'.
Ian stepped toward the smaller man and grasped his right shoulder with his gloved left hand, as close to true affection as Gabe had seen from the man. With other friends, Gabe would have exchanged a heartfelt hug, but he suspected Nottingham would have freaked with such a bonding experience. For now, Gabriel would settle for a gentle squeeze on the shoulder.
Sara emerged from the back room with a small overnight bag in hand. She had changed into some jeans and a navy NYPD sweatshirt. Ian rushed to her side, grabbing the bag to carry it for her.
"Shall I leave a light on…so they think I'm still here?" Sara asked as she grabbed a jacket from her coat closet and opened her front door.
"No…No need. The way I left their man downstairs, they will know you are gone." Ian replied quickly.
Gabe and Sara looked at one another, knowing Nottingham was the king of understatement. Noticing their stares, Ian added.
"What? He was littering. That is against the law." Nottingham replied as he trailed the other two out the door, locking it behind him. His face remained stoic. He was not going to be influenced by the raised eyebrow of Sara Pezzini.
Sara made the mistake of looking over at her friend Gabe…and they both totally lost it. Sara's stomach hurt in the worst way, but the infusion of humor made her spirit soar.
She loved these two men.
*****
The road noise had been his only companion for the last hour. Normally, his radio or CD player would be blasting to help him stay awake when driving at night, but the two super humans he was transporting to safety were fast asleep in the backseat. As the center lane stripes darted past his car, visible within the mesmerizing glow of his headlights, Gabe was alert to the highway markers, noting the mileage on his odometer. Before falling asleep with Sara in his arms, his black coat draped over her shoulders, Ian had given Gabe instructions on where to find the turn off for his 'retreat'. The property was located just two hours north of the city, somewhere near Kingston at the foothills of the Catskills off Hwy 87. Nottingham had described it as a rustic cabin on Ashokan Lake. Coming from the Irons' Estate, Gabriel had wondered what Nottingham thought was rustic.
The mile marker would soon appear to his left if Ian's directions could be trusted, and Gabe knew that as precise as Nottingham was, his directions would be accurate within inches, he suspected. Just as he predicted, he spotted a narrow 2-lane road to his left at precisely the location Ian had described. From here on, high beams would be necessary.
As Gabriel drove through the small town of Kingston, the few street lamps shown light into the car, projecting some illumination into the back seat like a slow moving slide show. Gabe looked into his rearview mirror to catch glimpses of Ian and Sara asleep in each other's arms, perhaps their last moments of peace. He shook off the negative vibes and focused on getting to the cabin. Once through Kingston, Gabriel was to look for a dirt road located 20.7 miles west of the small town, a dilapidated brown mailbox with the number 12569 on it would indicate their destination. As Gabe slowed to make the turn onto the dirt road, Nottingham stirred and whispered.
"Be careful, Gabriel. Stop." Just as Gabe heard Ian's quiet request to stop the car, he stepped on the brakes as a deer darted in front of the vehicle. He would have surely collided with the frightened animal had he not heeded Ian's warning.
"Man! Where did he come from? How did you know he was there?" Gabe whispered, hoping the commotion would not wake Sara.
"She." Ian corrected patiently, smiling at Gabriel's inability to discern a buck from a doe, as the doe bounded off into the nearby brush.
In answer to Gabriel's second question, Nottingham could have pointed out the fact that in the dark, you have to look for the reflection of the headlights in the animal's eyes, if you are lucky enough to get that much warning. Which was the case in this instance. But, he chose a different answer.
"I just knew it was there…sensed it, Gabriel."
He could not resist messing with the young man's mind. If Gabe had turned around, he would have caught the subtle smile on Nottingham's face, but it was dark, and Gabe's heart was still pounding from adrenaline. On false pretenses, Gabe's respect for Nottingham's abilities to see in the dark was raised up a notch.
"The place is just around the next bend." Ian whispered.
"Are we here?" Sara spoke in a hushed tone, not quite awake as she wrapped her arms around Ian in her daze.
"Yes. We have arrived." He answered Sara. Brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen across her face, he kissed her forehead. The fever had returned.
As Gabe pulled in front of the cabin, he kept the headlights facing the door so they could have some light until they got inside. The cabin was not the ostentatious display as Gabriel had expected. It was cozy and small, very unlike his expectation of property belonging to the son of Kenneth Irons. The stone façade added texture and a certain rustic quality to the wood finishes. It was functional, yet quaint. Enclosed by railing, a wooden deck surrounded the structure with an overhang for inclement weather. A pine rocking chair was positioned near the front door and a half cord of wood was neatly piled in raised metal bins to the left of the heavily shuttered, front window.
"I have the keys, Gabriel. I will take care of Sara." Ian handed Gabe the keys to unlock the door. As Nottingham brushed passed him carrying the woman he loved, Gabe returned to the car to douse the headlights. With only a small lamp now dimly illuminating the interior of the cabin, Gabriel gazed up at the multitude of stars. Tonight, the lights of the city would not mask this magnificent display. Gabe felt alone in the universe as he wondered at the heavens, being reminded that there are infinitely more powerful influences on this planet than the Internet, Martha Stewart, and Alan Greenspan.
His thoughts drifted to Sara's reality as she and Nottingham stole a moment of privacy for themselves inside the cabin. Once Ian returned the Witchblade to her, there would be no going back. Her destiny would be determined tonight…in this place. He did not recall how long he had stood under the brilliant canopy before he realized he was not alone. The silhouette of Ian Nottingham stood alongside Gabriel, gazing up at the same light show.
"Is she asleep?" Gabe asked in a hushed tone. Ian could only nod his assent. Catching the nod out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel knew his companion would find the words he wanted to say…when he was ready. After a moment of silence, Ian spoke.
"I am so afraid for her, Gabriel." In the darkness, there was a certain feeling of isolation that Nottingham found comforting even though he was happy to have Gabriel here. He turned a shoulder to a man he had begun to see as his first friend, to maintain the illusion of his aloneness.
"I understand, Ian. I love her, too." Gabe's words were honest and true.
Sadness overtook Ian's heart as he wished it would be as easy for him to declare his love as it appeared to be for others. He also knew that a man like Gabriel did not give his love lightly, yet he did not seem to fear saying the words that made his feelings known. This must be true bravery, Ian thought.
Gabe turned to face the man next to him. Even by moonlight, he could feel Ian's torment, as real as the tears he briefly saw glistening on his face by starlight. Nottingham raised his gloved hand to his cheek and silently wiped away tears that Gabe knew were there. The young man admired the way that Ian did not appear to hide his sorrow. Unlike most men, he was unashamed.
"She will not be asleep for long, I am afraid. When she awakens, I will give her what she has been seeking." Nottingham raised his eyes to the heavens, as if in prayer. With a sigh, he continued.
"With the help of Excaliber, I may be able to ease her burden at the time of the reuniting, but this is not a certainty." Ian's voice was practically a whisper, almost as if he were talking to himself. Gabe had wanted to know how Ian's ring could help but decided he would bear witness to this soon enough.
Deep in their own thoughts, under the cover of a multitude of celestial bodies, Ian Nottingham and Gabriel Bowman sought solace in each other's company.
Sara's fate would soon be out of their hands.