Earthshaker

Chapter 27

Chapter 27I got exactly thirty seconds of peace and quiet till someone tapped me on the shoulder. Hard. "Nice work." It was Briar, and he sounded pissed. "Did I ask you to come out here and make things worse?"

I heard sirens in the distance and opened my eyes. Briar did not look happy.

"You need to get out of here." He helped me sit up. His movements were rough and urgent. "You and Laurel both."

I felt light-headed. Still up, still running on adrenaline, but due for a crash. "Are you okay, Briar? You got knocked around pretty good."

"Fine, I'm fine." Briar pulled me by the arm. "Now hurry. I need the two of you out of here now."

"Okay, okay." I swung my legs around and slid off the side of the hood. As soon as my feet hit the gravel, Briar was dragging me toward The Tipple's front door.

"Local fire companies and EMS are on the way," said Briar. "I'm going to try and sell this as a freak earthquake."

As we dodged around the boulder I'd single-handedly flown through the wall and back out again, I couldn't help smiling. "Good plan."

The sirens were getting closer as Briar hauled me through the front door. We worked our way across the wreckage, sidestepping bodies and debris. It did look like a natural disaster had swept through the place...and in a sense, that was exactly what had happened. What else could you call it when a mountain range came down on your sorry ass?

"I'm guessing this little dust-up registered on the Richter scale." Briar kicked a hunk of ceiling out of the way. Kicked it a little harder than he needed to, I thought. "Shouldn't be a problem convincing people it was a quake."

I looked at the unconscious miners as we weaved around them. "But they all saw her. They know what really happened."

"And it sounds better if they got knocked around by an earthquake than a couple of women." Briar let go of my arm so he could push aside a length of wooden beam that had fallen from the ceiling. "These hard-asses do not want to go there. But it's better if you two aren't here to rub their noses in it."

I couldn't argue with him. Better all around without the opportunities for awkward questions and possible payback. Better if the Lady of the Alleghenies remained an unsolved mystery, a legend these guys told among themselves huddled over shots after closing time.

Laurel was slumped on the floor against the bar, head between the metal legs of the single barstool that was miraculously still standing. Briar grabbed her ankles and slid her out, then turned her around. "This is a real mess, Gaia." He pressed his fingers to her throat, checking her pulse. Nodded and slipped his hands under her armpits, scooped her upper body from the floor. "I thought maybe you'd talk her down, not get her more fired up." Again with the pissed off tone.

Not that I could blame him for being angry. I was mad at myself, too. I knew I'd let the situation get out of control. "Sorry, Dale." I bent down and reached for Laurel's ankles.

But Briar didn't want my help this time. Before I could touch Laurel, he yanked her away from me, hoisting her up over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "I'm the one who has to deal with this mess now." He headed for the front door. "Get these guys to fall in line, lock in the quake theory...or whatever theory the owner's insurance is going to cover. Kiss some asses, grease some palms." He snapped out a frustrated snarl. "I hate this kind of stuff."

My head hung low as I followed him through the wreckage to the door. "You know I'll pay for this."

"That's not the point!" He swung around and looked at me, his face seething with emotion. So much emotion all at once, I felt burned by the heat of it, couldn't sort it all out. "I just don't know what's next, Gaia! What's going on with you?"

I wished I had an answer, more than he knew, but I didn't. And then the moment passed and he swung away from me. Marched outside with Laurel slung over his shoulder.

Out there, the sirens were louder and closer than ever. My heart pounded as I realized how close we were to having a major problem—namely, me and Laurel in the spotlight, powers and all. On the radar, overexposed, out of the freaks-of-nature closet. If we were still there when rescue crews and more law enforcement arrived, and some P.O.'d miner pointed the finger and opened his trap, our carefree days would be numbered. We'd never find out who'd killed Aggie and Owen.

With renewed urgency, I rushed ahead of Briar and opened the passenger side door of the Highlander. He lifted Laurel in and placed her gently on the seat, head lolling on the headrest. "It'll take me at least a day to get this sorted out," he said. "Maybe two."

I dashed around to the driver's side, threw open the door, and hopped in. Then reached over and hooked up Laurel's seat belt. "What can I do?"

"Wait for me," said Briar. "If you get a lead on the killer, do not leave town without me." With that, he chucked the passenger side door shut and stomped around to the driver's side.

I started the engine with a roar. Wished Briar would just jump in with me and tell me to drive all night. Get us all the hell out of there together, starting over. Tonight forgiven and forgotten. Put it behind us with The Tipple and Divinities and Cousin Canyon and the f*****g Presence and all the rest. Enough is enough.

But that wasn't going to happen. Instead, he stood at my window and glared up at me. More tension than easygoing admiration in that look. "Can you handle her when she wakes up?" He nodded in Laurel's direction.

The sirens sounded like they were right on top of us. I didn't see any flashing lights through the trees, but my heart still jackhammered in my chest. "I hope so." I looked over at Laurel; she was still out, eyes closed and mouth open.

"Don't let her out in public. Don't let her out of your sight." His tone sounded accusatory. "And please, no more World War III's." He glanced at the battered Tipple. "I have enough s**t to deal with right now."

Briar had never talked like that to me before, with that kind of tone. It was the closest we'd ever come to a fight, and it hurt. Bothered me more than it should have. A lot more.

I didn't want to leave it like that. "Briar, I am so sorry." I locked my gaze with his, spoke over the rising howl of the approaching sirens. "I didn't mean for things to get so out of control."

Briar's face twitched, and I thought his stern expression was going to soften. Thought he was going to say something that'd make me feel better. Let me leave on a high note.

But it didn't happen like that. "Get the hell out of here!" That was all he said. "Go, Gaia! Go!" Backing up across the parking lot, waving insistently for me to leave.

A week earlier, I'm sure it wouldn't have bothered me like it did. I'm sure it wouldn't have felt like he was trying to get rid of me. Like he was telling me to get the hell away from him. But this wasn't a week earlier.

I had a lump in my throat as I threw the Highlander into gear and jammed down the accelerator. Gravel spinning out from under the tires as the SUV leaped out of the parking lot and bolted down the road, leaving The Tipple behind. Leaving Briar behind.

I felt awful as I drove away. Hated myself for letting him down. Hated him for being mad at me. Hated Laurel for coming between us.

So much confusion, I wanted to scream. Wanted to kick my own ass for screwing up so bad. For needing him so much all of a sudden. Needing his approval. What I really needed was to sort it all out. So maybe this second Great Escape in one day wasn't such a bad thing. And maybe I needed even more distance and time than that.

It was then I had the first inkling that I wasn't going to sit around and wait for Briar. It was then I knew I was going to follow the next lead that came my way, in spite of the fact that Briar had told me not to.