Free Mercy's Magic by P. J. Day Page B

exhaustion. The rest did as they were told and worked from sunset to sunrise, loading giant rental trucks with expensive equipment and supplies.
    The following day the laborers continued their unrelenting efforts as they reconfigured the entire operation at Ariel’s mansion. It wasn’t the loss of life or Ariel’s threats that they’d never see their families again that kept the workers on point and wide awake, but vicious and painful bursts the workers would feel spearing their sides whenever Ariel’s fiery eyes connected with theirs.  
    His basement was extraordinarily large, definitely not up to code for such an impromptu factory, but it was one of the reasons he’d bought the place a couple of years ago. Ariel liked his privacy, and at first, he had planned to build a swimming pool down here. For now though, it would serve his purposes for the millions of counterfeit dollars he was manufacturing.
    So he made his way through them. The echoing taps of his alligator boots sent shivers down the workers’ spines, as he tempted them to turn around with whispers of hey as he strolled by their backs . Only the whites of the armed guards’ eyes could be seen whenever Ariel nodded at them. They stood still, staring at the ceiling and no one dared speak to him. After the attempted raid he’d let loose his wrath, creating fireballs around him, and even though the guards were subdued under his spell, it didn’t shield them from the fright of their lives. Now they knew, just like the unfortunate captive workers, what Ariel was capable of.
    Ariel stopped in front of Javier, for good reason too. Out of the dozens of nameless and faceless workers, by Ariel’s standards of course, it was time to question the unremarkable man. This man, with the bushy moustache and disheveled hair is no one special , he reflected. Why does she want him in particular? “Javier,” he taunted. “Why aren’t you looking at me when I talk? Who are you that they’d send that woman to look for you?”
    Javier trembled at Caliban’s scrutiny but remained calm. They forced him to switch jobs since he’d suddenly become quite valuable. He went from mixing paint, a hazardous occupation that meant a slow death because of the ink’s carcinogens, to setting the large sheets of bills on the floor to dry. Javier tried to steady his hands and keep his head low. There was no way he’d peer into Ariel’s eyes this time. He knew he was greatly missed, by his wife and family, and also by his friends and co-workers at the chrome shop, where everyone there was like family as well. And he had an inkling about Grant’s wife, Mercy. Julia would always joke with him that Mercy dabbled in Brujeria. Everyone at the chrome shop knew she was a P.I., but they didn’t suspect anything else about her. Javier did though, but he kept the information to himself out of respect for Mercy and her family.
    Javier prayed in Spanish, and began counting in his mind, repelling any thought or suspicion that Mercy was probably looking for him. He’d seen magic now, and he now knew that the man who held him captive was both evil and powerful. It made sense that Mercy could be around. Uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco... He felt Caliban probing his mind and continued counting with all his concentration.
    Ariel picked up the numbers and was slightly puzzled. He grabbed Javier by the arm and looked into his dark brown eyes. The counting was all Javier could do to appear dull-eyed and calm. He kept at it. His lips became dry at the repetition.
    Perhaps he’s gone mad , Ariel thought to himself as he finally let Javier go. Maybe this is the only way he can keep working . It was of no consequence to Ariel. Javier went back to placing the large sheets and Ariel continued on.
    He paced, watching everyone work in perfect order. The guards had been ordered to be on extreme watch, everyone was commanded to stand guard for hours on end, although no one knew where they had moved…or so Mr.