Three Wishes

This time I had to find out more about the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E. And I needed information about Leo’s dad’s trial. Maybe my mother’s emails would give us a lead about any employee problems. I really hated to read those. The whole office was off limits, but her emails were personal. I’d hate for her to read my email.

Steeling myself, I slipped into her office and sat at her computer. I pulled up the staffer photos again and clicked on one of them at random. This got me more information than I’d gotten before. I didn’t print it now, because I didn’t want to waste time on the people Leo had already ruled out. If I had to, I’d come back and get them tomorrow.

I was about to click on Mom’s email when I noticed a link on the staffer page. Photo gallery. Hmmm. I clicked, expecting to find pictures from the office Christmas party or something equally worthless.

Instead, I hit a directory. And the Directorate was listed! I held my breath as I clicked and a list of all eight dropped down. I clicked on the first one, Ghandi, and a picture came up with an address. Next to the address, was a notice that it had been updated last month.

Holy cow! I was getting addresses and photos!

I quickly printed all eight, not slowing down to read.

Now to the emails. I opened her program and snooped into her inbox.

The first email I saw was one she hadn’t even read yet. The subject line was Joe Fuller hearing irregularities.

Score.

I opened the email and read. I’d have to remember to show it as unread when I finished.

We have not been able to find out who changed the hearing schedule. The Oversight Committee denies having input the change. We have lifted the no visitors rule and rescheduled the hearing for the original date. The OC is very concerned that someone managed to tamper with our hearing docket. The OC Chairman promises to personally make sure no other problems occur with Mr. Fuller.

Oh my God. Leo could visit his father. And he had the extra week after all.

I wondered if he knew it yet.

I checked the clock. The email had only been sent twenty minutes ago.

I had to talk to Leo. I marked the email as unread, exited the email program, grabbed the sheets of paper off the printer, and ran out the door.

My Leo cell was in my backpack. But I only got halfway to the kitchen before the garage noises registered. They were already practicing.

I stopped in my tracks. I couldn’t just burst in and grab Leo. My brother would freak, and he’d definitely tell Mom I’d busted up his precious practice, which would mean Mom would wonder what was going on.

Okay, think, Jen. I had to get Ian to call a break on his own. The image of Haley jumped into my mind. I could use the bimbos. I still didn’t know how many were in there.

I walked to the garage door and opened it a crack to peer through. Just as I thought. There were five of them. Five. And every last one of them drooling over Leo. I couldn’t see him from here but I could hear him.

Okay, so they were going to follow him wherever he went.

Crap!

Could I use magic? Like freeze them all or something. I really hesitated to try without having practiced. What if I only froze their internal organs or something? I mean, who knew?

Crap, crap, crap!

Okay, don’t freeze them. I could use magic to cut the power in the garage, and then call Leo. He probably hadn’t turned off his cell.

Or, I thought, feeling like an idiot as I stared at the breaker box next to the garage door. I could just cut the power the old fashioned way and call him.

I dug the phone out of my bag. I hit the redial button and cut the power. I had only a beat or two before Ian stormed in to check it out.

The phone rang twice, and I flipped the power back on.

I could hear the chaos in the garage as the guys scrambled to get back on track.

Leo stepped through the door with his phone in his hands.

His gaze warmed as he saw me. “You rang?”

My eyes flashed briefly to the biceps under his shirt. “Seal the door or something. Those girls will follow you for sure.”

Leo raised a brow, then turned and flipped the bolt lock on the door.

“Uh, yeah. Right. That works.” Duh. “Leo, your father! They’ve changed the hearing back to next week and lifted the no visitation. I just read Mom’s email.”

He stared, complete astonishment on his face.

“Leo! Did you hear me? You can go see him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

Leo stepped forward. “What happened? How?”

“They don’t know how it got moved, but they changed it back. They’re looking into it. Leo. You can go see your dad right now!” I couldn’t resist any longer, I jumped to hug him.

He hugged me right back. “Thank you, Jen!”

I didn’t want to leave the cocoon of Leo’s warmth. Quit drooling, Jen. Leo’s dad is in danger. He doesn’t need you panting after him right now.

Leo started to move away, and I was already missing him. He paused and leaned to kiss me on the cheek. “I’ll call you later.”

I stood in shock, feeling his kiss burning into my cheek, as he unlocked the door and went into the garage.

“Gotta go,” he said to the guys. “Family emergency.”

The guys groaned, and one or two girls whined, “But Leo.”

I touched my cheek. I should never have gotten this close to Leo. In a week he’d be gone, and I’d be a lovesick little idiot pining after the bad boy hottie.

Haley and her entourage poured in from the garage.

“Bathroom?” she asked with a flip of her hair.

I pointed toward the foyer.

I didn’t have the patience to chaperone the bimbos, but before I could yell for Ian, he came inside.

“Where’d Haley go?”

I pointed. Good, he could have them. I had some pictures and addresses to deal with. I grabbed my backpack and dashed up the stairs.

As I studied the pictures, I realized that none of the Directorate looked imposing in modern day clothes. Ben Franklin looked a little like the governor of Georgia, but I figured that was a coincidence. I mean, the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E. would have noticed if a Directorate member had gone rogue and was running an entire state.

Several of the men had picked more handsome personas than what they were stuck with when they were alive before. I guess I couldn’t really blame them, but what about that whole selfless thing? The worst was Maximillian Valerio. The man had the look of an Italian playboy. Something off the cover of a romance novel. Of course, he was still at least forty, so really old compared to me.

Socrates looked surprisingly like Alan Rickman, a British actor my mom had a bit of a crush on.

Six of them were supposed to be in the Southeastern United States. Maximillian lived in Europe and Socrates in Canada.

&n

bsp; Later, I heard Sean scream, “I have too gone through puberty.”

He and Ian were at each other’s throats again.

I hadn’t heard Mom come in, so I jumped up and decided to run interference. If my parents walked in to a bloodbath, it might put them in a bad mood.

Yeah, and uh, it would be sad too, I guess.

Ian had started harassing Sean about being a child while Ian was supposedly a man. Even thinking about it made me laugh.

“Ian, leave him alone!” I turned the corner to Ian’s room relieved that at least Ian wasn’t giving our little brother a mega-wedgie this time.

“I’m already going through puberty, you idiot!” Sean yelled.

Since his voice hadn’t changed, he didn’t even wear deodorant yet, and he didn’t lock his door when he went to bed like Ian did, I pretty much figured Ian was right. No way had Sean hit puberty.

Ian rolled his eyes. “Come back when you’ve got some pubic hair.”

Ewww.

“I have pubic hair!” Sean said with fury.

“Yeah, then prove it,” Ian yelled back.

Oh, please God no.

Sean turned red and shook with emotion. “You fag!”

Unfortunately for Sean, my dad walked up the stairs in time to hear one of his least favorite words. “Fag” was not acceptable in our house. Although, in this case, the hurled accusation had probably been Sean’s best defense.

“Sean Farrelly!” Dad yelled.

“Dad, Ian’s harassing him again about puberty.”

My dad focused his hard stare on his oldest son.

“I’ll just go set the, um, table,” I said, slipping past my father and down the stairs.

After dinner, Mom and Dad announced that they wanted to talk to me and Ian about the band.

Ian rolled his eyes.

“Thanks, Mom, but I really don’t care anymore,” I said.

“You don’t?” She wrinkled her brow. “Why not?”

“I’m just tired of fighting about it.”

Mom and Dad looked at each other.

“Well, okay,” Dad said. “If you’re sure.”

Mom studied me with a puzzled look.

I snuck back upstairs while Ian trashed me to my parents, telling them I didn’t have the work ethic for his band. Puhlease!