The Lone Knight (Under The Cowl Book #1)

CHAPTER 27

     Looking down at her watch and checking the time, Renee knew Stephanie should be arriving at Rachel's right about now.

Renee sat in a corner booth of a dinner with two steaming cups of coffee and one slice of key lime pie left untouched.

She took casual sips from her coffee now and then, at least to look like the average patron. 

Waiting for quite a while and longer than she'd like, Renee felt the waitress over by the counter sneak nervous glances her way. Perhaps thinking this burly woman may want to stick up the joint, pretend to look like a customer by choosing to lie in wait until everyone was gone for the night.

"Where the hell are you?" Renee said to her watch impatiently, her knee bouncing up and down and thumbs twiddling around each other almost nonstop.

Over to her right was the restroom. Not her first choice of prime real estate to choose from with so many unoccupied tables. Fewer eyes pointed this way the better. It also helped that this spot allowed Renee to see everyone and everything entering the dinner through the windows.

A bright light suddenly expelled from around the edges of the restroom door, another reason why she picked this very spot.

"Sonuvabitch!" a female voice shouted inside, followed by similar expletives conveying her surprise and quickly swelled frustration.

Tussling from inside the restroom followed. From crashing into the stall along with the sound of cloths dropping to the floor, whoever's inside was dealing with quite a challenge and needed to act fast.

Listening to the restroom door open and someone come out; Renee pushed the desert plate of key lime pie from the center of the table to the other side in front of her.

"There better be an emergency." the woman said.

Renee turned to look up at the short young woman with soft freckles and fawn colored skin. Her long black hair braided across the side is just how she remembered her. A young woman with attitude although dressed in clothing a bit too big.

"What did you do, raid the back of your closet?"

"I was in a rush."

"What do you want? And why am I here?"

"Hello to you too, Gypsy, is the Collector life treating you well?"

"No," Gypsy shook her head "I don't do small talk, so cut the crap."

Renee smiled. She liked the no nonsense attitude from Gypsy. "Have a seat, please."

Gypsy sighed and plopped down in the booth across from Renee.

"Last time we spoke you said you like pie."

"I said I like jam tarts, key lime pie is egg custard base pie."

"I don't see much of a difference."

Gyspy eyeballed the key lime pie sitting in front of her. "I hate whipped cream. And I don't need to taste the coffee to know it's cold. You're 0 for 2, Montoya. Now tell me why I am here."

"I figured its time I cash in on the debt you owe me."

"I'm not even supposed to be here. What do you think I can do for you?"

"I need a way back to Earth One, on your side of the parallel."

Gypsy laughed. "You're messing with me, right? You called me here for that?"

"You're the only one I know that can create a dimensional breach to your Multiverse."

"I don't think you get it when I said I'm not supposed to be here." Gypsy shifted her tone. "I gave you that interdimensional extrapoltor because it can contain an open breach I create, a foreign entity. But you used it to create a breach to my side." Gypsy slammed what was left of the now broken interdimensional extrapoltor onto the table. "That's not what it's used for. Now without a working device, any breach I create will continue to open and expand so wide it could swallow an entire city."

"You've told me this before."

"Than you know I can't help you."

"Matter of perspective."

"No, matter of fact."

"There are Collectors of the Fifty-Two here."

Gypsy's eyes widen and nose flared. "Seriously? What have you gotten me into?"

"Look, you're mad. And I'm sorry. But I desperately need your help. I can get you back home without facing any consequences when you return."

"And how do you expect this place to be safe once I open a breech?"

"I've got that covered. Have you ever known me to put anyone in real danger? Plus you owe me."

"Yeah, you mentioned something about that and I fail to see what you mean." Gypsy crossed her arms. "Because from what I remember, I helped you two kidnap someone."

"That was Leslie's doing and you know it. You wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for me."

Gypsy unclenched her fist and sat back into the booth. She sat silent for a moment. "I hope you're not still with that psychopath."

"We all have our flaws. Let's leave it at that."

".... What is it you need me to do?"

"There are two here from your side."

"One of them being Stephanie, I know. Who's the other?"

"Someone very powerful and very dangerous, gifted with magical power you wouldn't believe."

"And you want me to push them both through the breach. Are you ok with that? It would mean you are trapping Stephanie with someone very dangerous."

"Didn't I just say I wouldn't put anyone in real danger?"

"What about the other Collectors here?"

"Stephanie's got that taken care of."

"You sure about that? She's one person."

"Stephanie can handle herself. I'm not worried."

Gyspy leaned forward and pulled on the edge of the desert plate. She broke a piece of the pie crust and took a bite. "They floured the bottom of the pan too much."

"Is that a yes?"

"I'm not going to wear these to wherever you are taking me."

"You told me your cloths would give you away in case you ever ran into another Collector."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to go out looking like an Atlanta rapper from 2001."

"Fair enough."