by Chris Cannon
“Don’t small towns like this have a list of founding families?” Jake asked.
“Has someone been watching The Vampire Diaries?” I teased.
“Maybe.” He laughed. “I wonder if the vamps at Josephine’s have daylight rings.”
“I have no idea.” Too bad none of them looked like Damian or Stefan. That I would have noticed. “Someone like Carol probably sells daylight rings on Etsy.”
“Probably.” He nodded.
Joking about the situation made it seem less scary.
“I should ask Carol for one of those fly-under-the-radar charms,” Jake said.
“I doubt it would work since you’re new to town. Maybe after you’ve been here a few months.”
I spotted our destination as I took a turn onto Lee Street. The neon signs at Franky’s advertising different kinds of beer were already lit up, even though it wouldn’t be dark for hours. The parking lot was half full. I found a spot in the middle and parked between the white lines.
“Is it just me,” Jake said, “or are there way too many mini-vans in this lot?”
“Maybe moms are tired of having their kids home and they need a break.” I held out my hand. “I should carry that in case Bane has people watching me to see how I do on my first assignment.”
“I would say you’re being paranoid, but after today, conspiracy theories seem way more reasonable.”
We climbed out of the car and headed for Franky’s front door. The bouncer was a bald guy wearing a shirt that said, Don’t even think about it.
“Keep walking, kids,” he said when we came toward him.
“I’d love to.” I held up the envelope. “But I have a special delivery for Mr. Franklin.”
The guy took off his sunglasses and squinted at me. “Never saw that coming.”
“Me either.” I glanced at the door. “So…can you bring him out here, or do I have to go in?”
The bouncer grabbed the brass knob and pulled the door open. “He’s tending bar.”
Great. I walked into the dimly lit room and all conversation stopped. The place smelled like stale beer and desperation. “This isn’t awkward at all,” I muttered to Jake.
He placed his hand on my lower back, which was comforting.
Franky glanced up from the beer he was pouring. “What in the hell are you doing in here?” He shut off the tap and passed the beer to the man on the bar stool.
I held up the envelope. “I’m just dropping off your mail.”
“Damn bill collector.” He wiped up a spill on the bar. “Come back to my office.”
“Or I could set this on the bar and leave.” I dropped the envelope on the bar and backed up a step. Franky seemed like a decent if somewhat crabby individual, but that didn’t mean I trusted him.
“You don’t have a freaking clue, do you?” Franky said.
I backed up another step and a bolt of cold shot up my arm, making me flinch.
“What’s wrong?” Jake asked.
“Apparently, I’m supposed to go with him.”
“After you,” Jake said to Franky.
We followed Franky down the hall while I wondered why no one had given me instructions about what I was really doing. Once we were in his cramped office that stank of cheap cigars, I said, “What’s going on?”
“I’m on a payment plan,” Franky said. “You’re here to collect and take my payment back to Bane.” He opened the envelope and dumped the contents on the desk. A small blue envelope addressed to me sat next to a strange syringe that didn’t have a needle.
I picked up the envelope, ripped it open, and took out the navy card with silver lettering…like a fancy invitation to a ball. It said, “Put the syringe back in the envelope and bring it to the library.”
The library? Seriously? Bane was invading my personal sanctuary. That ticked me off.
Franky sat at his desk and placed the syringe between his eyes. He took a deep breath and blew it out. The plunger on the syringe moved out, pulling a pearlescent blue liquid from Franky’s forehead.
“What the hell?” Jake said.
Once the syringe was full, Franky set it on the desk. He stared at the liquid inside, looking lost.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“Told you. I’m on the payment plan. I give him a little each month until it’s all gone. Better way to go than having a demon lunch down on your entire soul at once.”
I didn’t get it. “Why do this at all?”
“None of your damn business,” he said. “If you’re going to work for Bane you better be able to keep your mouth shut, or there won’t be enough of you left for the demon to eat.”
“Don’t threaten her,” Jake said. His voice was surprisingly calm.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m the guy who knows how to tweak your gas line so your bar will explode the next time you light up one of those cheap ass cigars,” Jake stated in a no-bullshit voice.
I grabbed the syringe and shoved it in the envelope. “Let’s get out of here.”
Jake followed me back out into the bar, where everyone tracked our progress to the front door. The anger coming off Jake was palpable. By the time we made it to my car, my eyes were burning and my head was pounding from stress.
“This is not the summer job I signed up for.” I started the car, took slow, deep breaths, and focused on not crying. I waited for Jake to say something to make me feel better. He stared out the windshield.
“So…thanks for what you said back there. Did you mean it? Do you know how to mess up someone’s gas line?”
“Yeah. My second stepdad inspected houses for a living. He showed me what to watch for to make sure the gas line was safe.”
That was a much more positive scenario than the one I’d had in mind. “So you figured you could reverse-engineer it to make it not safe?”
He nodded. “I probably shouldn’t have said it, but I didn’t want that jerk thinking he could threaten you.”
“Thanks.” I passed him the envelope. “Now we’re off to the library, and this is the first time in my life where that thought doesn’t make me happy.”
We drove in silence. Small talk seemed like too much effort. When we reached the library, I parked in my normal spot on the side of the building under the shade of a giant oak tree. Should I ask him to wait in the car? I didn’t want Bane to sink his hooks into Jake but I didn’t want Jake to think I was blowing him off, either. “You can come with me if you want, but I should be safe in the library.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked.
Why did this feel like a test? “It’s probably best to keep you away from Bane so he can’t lasso you into working for him, but I wouldn’t say no if you wanted to join me for moral support.”
“I’ll follow you in but stand across the room. That way I can keep an eye on you but I won’t have to interact with him.”
“Sounds good.” We exited my car and headed around to the main entrance. Birds sang in the trees and butterflies flitted through the honeysuckle vines that climbed up the stone walls of the library. It should have been idyllic but now it seemed like a shadow of evil lay over everything.
Once we entered the library I realized I had no idea where to find Bane. The librarian glanced up at me and gave a nod of recognition. I did the same.
She probably would’ve noticed Bane, so I’m guessing she wasn’t aware that a demon was taking business meetings in her domain. Maybe Bane had his own don’t-notice-me spell. Past the front desk there was a group of tables where people could study. There was a computer lab in the basement and an area where people could read and have coffee. Maybe that’s where my new boss was hanging out.
I headed down the wrought iron staircase and walked through the computer lab to the self-serve coffee bar. Bane sat at one of the tables dri
nking from a paper cup.
“How’d it go?” he asked.
“Great.” I dropped the envelope on the table. “What’s in the syringe?”
“Have a seat and I’ll explain.”
I sat, pushing my chair away from the table. Keeping a little distance between Bane and me seemed like a good idea.
He picked up the envelope and turned it over in his hands. “The syringe contains a small portion of Franky’s soul.”
“How many people in this town are on a payment plan?”
“That’s none of your concern.” Bane opened the envelope and pulled out the syringe. He held it over his cup of coffee and depressed the plunger. The glowing liquid shot into his coffee like some sort of demonic creamer. He sipped it and smiled.
“Are you the reason my dad drinks?”
“Indirectly.” Bane downed the cup of coffee. “You’re better off not knowing why people made deals. Bring me my payments and keep your curiosity under control.”
Why did I feel like some sort of drug dealer? “Do we have to meet here?”
“I thought you liked the library.”
“I do, and you being here is messing that up,” I said. “Don’t you have a demonic office somewhere? Maybe the DMV?”
He laughed. “I have an office downtown, but you coming here won’t attract attention.”
“Fine.” I stood. “Are we done?”
“For now.” Bane reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.
“Demons carry wallets?” That seemed absurd.
“Occasionally.” He pulled two twenties from the leather billfold and set them on the table. “No matter what you think of me, I am a man of my word.”
“But you’re not a man,” I said.
He reached over and touched a lock of my hair. “I can assure you that I am a fully functioning male.”
I jerked backward. “That’s way more information than I needed to know.”
“Goodbye for now, Meena.” He disappeared in a flash of blue light. I stared at the crisp green twenties on the table. I could leave them there, or I could take them and contribute to the economy. I grabbed them and headed back to meet Jake.
Chapter Five
Jake
I waited for Meena at the top of the stairs. It took all of my self-control not to go spy. I didn’t like Bane being around her. He might be a demon but he was still a guy. I’d seen the way he’d looked at her and I knew what he was thinking.
Meena came up the stairs with her mouth set in a thin line.
“How’d it go?” I asked.
“As well as it could.”
Once we were back in her car, she handed me a twenty. “Bane paid me. Half of this is yours since you went everywhere I went today.”
Should I take it?
“I didn’t want it, either,” Meena said. “You can give it to your aunt for groceries if you want.”
Not a bad idea. “Okay.” I took the money and shoved it in my pocket. “Now what?”
“Good question.” She started the car. “I think I need ice cream.”
“Is that a medical diagnosis?” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.
“Yes.” She drove out of the lot and onto the street. “For stress reduction.”
“Works for me.” I didn’t ask where we were going because there was probably only one place to go for ice cream in this podunk town. That brought up another question. “Why are demons and vampires and witches in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere Illinois?”
“Southern-nowhere Illinois,” Meena corrected. “Most people only think of Chicago when you say Illinois.”
I’d been to Chicago with my mom. “That’s about seven hours from here, right?”
Meena nodded. “People do stop here on the way through to the big city. Maybe that’s why creatures set up camp.”
A thought was forming in my brain. “Do you think all the pageant girls come from families who’ve sold their souls?”
Meena hit the brakes a little too hard at a red light. “I’m going to be seriously pissed off if my dad sold his soul so my sisters could collect tiaras and hang them on their walls.”
When the light turned green, she took a right down a side street and then drove to an ice cream shop that looked like it should have existed in the 1950s. Through the front windows you could see people sitting at a counter with chrome stools. There were tables with black-and-white striped tablecloths and chrome chairs. It would have been cool if everyone inside wasn’t watching us as we exited the car.
“What’s their problem?” I asked.
“You’re new in town,” she said. “You’ll get that look everywhere you go for a few weeks until people adjust.”
“Great.” I opened the door for Meena and a bell rang out. She headed straight for a booth in the back, so I followed. The sweet vanilla smell of waffle cones filled the air. We’d barely sat when a waitress wearing a retro uniform swooped down on us.
“Hello, Meena,” she sing-songed. “Who’s your new friend?”
“Casey, this is Jake,” Meena said. “He’s staying with his Aunt Zelda this summer.”
“Zelda?” Casey wrinkled her nose. And then she forced a laugh. “That should be fun. Zelda is such an interesting character. What can I get for you?”
“A chocolate shake in a to-go cup,” Meena said.
“Make that two.” We might want to make a quick getaway.
“Sure.” Casey turned on the charm again and sauntered off.
“Sorry,” Meena said. “I shouldn’t have mentioned Zelda.”
“It’s better to know who is fake up front,” I said. “And I’m pretty sure Aunt Zelda doesn’t give a crap what people think of her.”
Meena grinned. “Probably not.”
“Since you don’t blend, where do you plan on going after high school?”
“Any place but here for a start. I’m the youngest of three girls. Janice is twenty-five. She got married last summer and moved to Chicago. Laura is twenty-two and she lives an hour away in this really cool apartment above the dance studio where she teaches classes. Neither of them were interested in college. My grandma started college funds for all three of us with the stipulation that the money could only be used for school. Anyone who didn’t go to college forfeited the money and it rolled into the next grandchild’s account.”
“So you’re set to go wherever you want?” I had to admit, I was jealous. My mom paid bills by the skin of her teeth or by living off her latest boyfriend.
“I can’t go to Harvard, but I can manage a state school. This will only make me look nerdier, but I have all my applications filled out and ready to go.”
“That is pretty nerdy,” I agreed.
“How about you?” she asked.
“I want to go to a trade school. I like building things and fixing stuff.”
“That’s cool.”
“And it comes in handy when you’re trying to escape demons,” I said.
She nodded. “Yes, it does.”
The waitress brought our shakes. I took a drink and wow. “This town may be infested by supernatural creatures, but this is the best shake I’ve ever tasted. Way better than McDonald’s.”
“Are McDonald’s shakes the only kind you’ve ever had?” Meena asked.
I nodded as I took another drink.
“I have no idea what fast food restaurants put in their shake machines, but these are made with real ice cream and milk. And given a choice, I could exist on an all ice cream diet. At least until I grew out of all of my clothes.”
Once we were done with our shakes, I paid with the twenty Meena had given me.
“You don’t have to pay.” Her cheeks turned pink.
“Considering where the money came from, you shouldn’t argue.” I reached across the table and to
ok her hand in mine. “And this is probably the strangest first date ever, but it’s still a date.”
She grinned and her eyes sparkled. “Oh, okay.”
…
Meena
Jake didn’t need to know this was only my fourth first date. I didn’t have a great track record with dating in this town, due to my inability to pretend I gave a crap about sports or other manly hobbies. Everyone else in the ice cream shop was probably more than aware of that fact. I held my head high as we exited the building. When we reached my car, I frowned at the blue envelope stuck under my windshield wiper. What the hell?
I plucked it from underneath the black metal arm and climbed into the car. Once the doors were shut and I had the car started with the air running full blast, I ripped the stupid envelope open. “Why is he bothering me again?”
“Did your bracelet go off?” Jake asked.
“No.” I read the note inside. Report to Carol’s house for training at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning.
“What? No.” I’d agreed to work for Carol because it fit my schedule of staying up late and sleeping in. I glanced around. “Do you think Bane can hear me?”
“I have no idea.” He pointed at my bracelet. “Maybe your bracelet has some sort of voice mail.”
Not the craziest thing I’d heard today. “Bane, if you’re listening, the contract I signed didn’t specify any timeframe. I’ll go to Carol’s at ten, not eight.”
I waited. Nothing happened.
“Do you think he heard you?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know.” I reached up to rub my temples to fight off the headache I could feel coming on.
“If you’re done for the day, do you want to go back to my aunt’s house to see if we can find any more useful information in those books?”
“I don’t have a better idea.” I checked the time on my dashboard. “I don’t need to be home to cook dinner until four.”
“You cook?” he asked as I turned the car on and pulled out of the parking spot.
“Of course I do.” I glanced at him. “Please tell me you don’t eat McDonald’s all the time.”
“Hamburgers and fries are my go-to meal. My mom stopped cooking after my dad died.”
