by E. A. Copen
“My friend... He took her,” Sven bawled.
“Who?” I asked putting a hand on Sven’s shoulder. “Who has her?”
“Crux,” he bawled. “If I go back a failure, he’s going to make me hurt her. I can’t... Please.” He turned to me, giant, meaty hands grabbing at the towel. I only barely managed to hold it in place. “You can’t let him hurt my friend.”
I squatted down in front of Sven, leaving my hand on his shoulder. “I promise you I’ll do everything I can to help you, Sven, but I need you to help me first.”
“Anything,” he said, drawing a hand under his nose to wipe away the snot. “Just tell me what you need.”
“I need to know what really happened at Aisling with Harry and the girls.”
“I can’t,” he choked. “What if my master finds out I helped you? He’ll make me hurt more people. I don’t want to hurt people.”
“You have to tell me the truth now, Sven.”
He looked behind him at Sal who narrowed his eyes. Sven’s gaze sank to the floor. “Harry and Crux and Kim Kelley are bad people.”
“What do you mean?”
“They take people,” he explained, fidgeting with his fingers. “Fae without papers. Illegals.”
“Crux is responsible for the missing fae?”
Sven nodded.
“What does he do with them?”
“They put them in rail cars and then take them out on a boat. When they are out to sea, they put them upside down and make them bleed. Then, Crux makes me lift the bodies and drop them over the side of the boat. They keep the blood. I’m not allowed to touch it. I’m not allowed to touch anything expensive.”
Fae blood. It was one of the most expensive drugs on the market, particularly because of the people who sought it. While it was toxic in quantity to vampires, several found it irresistible and made it their drug of choice. I’d heard some ambitious dealers were even mixing a drop or two with heroin or other drugs. Crux must have been working on something similar. That would be the only reason he would need fae blood in quantity. He meant to sell it.
Sven wiped an arm under his nose, leaving a smear of blood behind. “Crux said he could make Kim’s debt go away. He said he would take people instead of money.”
“And Kim went along with it?” I asked.
“No. Not at first. But eventually, she did.”
That explains why Kim hesitated when I asked her about the missing fae, I thought. But it doesn’t do anything to clear Robbie. If he’d found out... He may have decided she was as guilty as Harry and Crux. But then, why wasn’t Crux a target? There was still a piece that wasn’t fitting somewhere.
“Sven,” I said. “Do you know the name of the girl who didn’t show up to the set the night Harry was killed?”
A big, wide grin spread over Sven’s face, the kind a puppy dog gets when its owner comes through the door after a long day. “My friend, Tammy. She’s so nice. And she’s pretty.” The smile faded. “But Harry was so mean to her. Harry made Tammy cry.”
My skin prickled, and I was suddenly cold and dizzy. “Tammy?” I repeated, my mouth dry. “What... What does Tammy look like?”
“Pretty,” said Sven, color rising in his cheeks. “I saw her without her clothes. She has scars. She said bad people did it, bad people like Crux. But I think even her scars are pretty. She has rainbow hair, like cotton candy.”
I stumbled back and caught myself on the table, barely holding myself up. Mara... Mara’s full name was Tamara. She had rainbow colored, cotton candy hair. She had magick. She hung out at Aisling. In fact, she’d been right there when I came out. And Sven said Harry made her cry. Could it be Tammy and Mara were the same person?
But I couldn’t let on what I knew. It could get back to Abe or Crux and if Crux had her...
I swallowed and turned back to Sven. “Sven, this is my friend, Sal. He’s going to get you cleaned up and take you to the police station.”
“Like hell I am,” Sal grunted.
I shot him a glare of daggers. “Find Detective Tindall. Tell him I sent you. Tell him I promised you’d be safe. Can you do that, Sven?”
“I think so.” Sven stood. “What about Tammy? You promised you’d help her.”
“I will. Just go with my friend.”
Sven turned and gave Sal a wary glance. Sal sighed and jerked his head toward the door. “Wait outside.”
Sven didn’t hesitate. He broke into a jog for the door and slammed it excitedly closed behind him, plopping down on the porch to wait.
“What gives?” Sal said, gesturing to the door, clearly meaning Sven. “I’m not your errand boy, Judah. You gotta learn to ask, respect some boundaries. I’m not okay with this. That guy tried to kill you.”
“I need your help,” I said, standing and frowning at him. What was his problem? Couldn’t he see this was important? “And boundaries didn’t seem to matter to you when you barged into my house.”
“I saved your life.” He stepped up to stare down at me, upper lip curled. “Again. How many times have I been here to save the day for you, huh? Watching Hunter, picking things up, driving you around when your piece of shit car breaks down... Hell, I’ve spent more time raising your kid since you moved here than you have.”
“That’s not true,” I said, shaking my head. “And don’t act like you didn’t have ulterior motives for all of that help.”
“If you had a problem with it, you shouldn’t have waited fifteen months to make it known!”
I turned my head away. Sal took a deep breath. The two of us took a moment to calm ourselves. There was no point in arguing, not with so much to do.
Sal cleared his throat and we both pretended we hadn’t just been screaming at each other. “So, how’s the new partner?”
I rolled my eyes and said. “Don’t get me started. And he’s got fangs.”
“What do you expect from a vampire?” Sal said with a shrug.
“Half vampire.”
“Still. Hard to think about helping people when you view them as lunch.”
I swallowed and decided it wouldn’t hurt to ask Sal about Mara. “Sal, did you ever see Mara... work at the club?”
Sal raised an eyebrow. “Why? What are you thinking?”
I stood and felt a little woozy, my head swimming from the latent effects of oxygen deprivation. “Dammit,” I said as I plopped back down. “I don’t think I can drive.”
“You go out looking like that and people are going to ask a lot of questions.”
I looked down at the towel and then up at the clock. It was just before noon. Abe wouldn’t be finished with his search. After the search, club and employee records would be a mess and Robbie wouldn’t be inclined to talk. That fang-toothed asshole, I thought. He’s ruined any chance of me getting Robbie to talk unless he actually does manage to arrest him.
I had bigger problems now. I had to go and check on Mara.
My whole face felt numb and my limbs were starting to ache. Even though I’d gotten a few minutes of sleep over the last day, it wasn’t enough to keep me going. If anything, all it had done was make me even more tired.
But I still had to try.
I grabbed the phone off the receiver, punched in Mara’s number and pressed the phone to my ear. It rang twice... three times... four... And then it went to voicemail. I didn’t leave a message, instead preferring to just call again and again. Mara should have picked up. I knew she wasn’t in class or studying. The only class she had on Fridays was anatomy and she usually finished by noon.
The worry must have been obvious on my face because Sal offered, “She could be asleep. Chanter said you guys were up late last night.”
“She hit the road early to write a paper,” I said hanging up. “I need to go check on her.”
“Well, there’s always the off chance she and Ed are busy doing something a little less academic. I know I wouldn’t answer the phone if that were the case.”
“Just the same, I’d like to go check on h
er.”
“Let me get some pants on. You get dressed. I’ll drop you off on the way through. I came in Valentino’s tow truck. Brought your Firebird.”
I’d almost forgotten I called for a tow in the first place. I shook my head. “No, thanks. But we can catch up later.”
Sal hesitated and rubbed his chin. “Yeah. I mean, tomorrow. It’s Friday night. I kind of...” He cleared his throat and looked down at his hands. “I have plans.”
I blinked. Plans? Sal never had plans on a Friday night. Friday nights were usually the nights Hunter and I came over and watched a movie and had dinner. I didn’t own his Friday nights, I guessed, but he’d made plans and neglected to mention them to me... It hurt a little, though I couldn’t understand why.
“Oh,” I said and pretended not to feel the sting. “What kind of plans?”
“Going out with a friend,” he answered not meeting my gaze. “I think you and me could use some space, don’t you?”
I forced a smile, despite the sour taste in my mouth. Why hadn’t he told me? “Yeah.”
He gave a nervous laugh and stood up. “So, you should get dressed. I’ll wait for you before we hit the road.”
“Yeah.” I wiped my palms on the towel. “Just give me five minutes.”
I went back down the hall to get dressed, my heart in my throat the whole time. Over the last year and change, Sal and I had gotten increasingly closer. There were moments where it felt like there was something more there than friendship but, every time we got close, one or both of us backed away from it. It made perfect sense to do so. His last relationship with his ex hadn’t ended well. But I guess it was behind him now.
As I slid on a plain black t-shirt, I heard him say from the hallway, “So, I’m not going to be here for Hunter tonight, either.”
“That’s fine.” I dug out a pair of jeans, made sure they smelled clean enough and shimmied into them. “About what I said earlier...”
“Don’t sweat it. I over stepped.” An awkward pause followed. “Hunter’s a good kid, Judah. A little troubled but I think he’ll come around.”
“Glad he has you in his corner.” Another long, awkward silence followed. It was too much for me to take. I came out of the bedroom wearing a forced smile. “You know what? I’m feeling a lot better, Sal. You don’t have to wait on me.”
His brow furrowed with worry. “You sure? Last time I left you by yourself, you almost drowned.”
“Once I get to Mara’s I won’t be by myself, will I? Besides, Valentino’s going to want his tow truck back, right?”
He considered it for a moment, bobbing his head back and forth, and then added as he rubbed his chin, “Well, I do have a few stops to make.”
“And some more clothes to throw on,” I pointed out, grabbing his arm and walking him toward the door. I pulled it open for him.
“Okay, if you’re sure. The keys to the firebird are on the counter.”
“I’m sure.”
I stood on the front porch and waved to him as he pulled out before going back inside to grab the keys. Their weight felt different in my hand, heavier, colder. I stared down at them, wondering where everything had gone wrong. Mara was a good kid, too. Why had she gone to work for Robbie at Aisling? If she needed money, why didn’t she just come to me? What if something I had done had pushed her over the edge and into danger? What if it was my fault and she was hurt?
It can’t be, I reasoned. What have I ever done but try to help her? But, if that were true, why in the hell did I feel so damn guilty?
Chapter Twenty-One
There was no sign of Ed’s moped at Mara’s and the lights were all off. That wasn’t surprising, given it was the middle of the day, but, combined with all the other evidence, it was enough to make me worry. I got out of the car cautiously and trudged up to the front door. Instead of knocking, I raised my palm parallel to the door and held it two inches away, extending my senses outward and feeling for wards.
Mara’s place had the strongest wards of any place I’d encountered in all of Paint Rock. That was on purpose. As a medium, Mara was particularly vulnerable to drawing spirits to her. It was natural and instinctive, especially if she was asleep. Her abilities meant constantly having to be on guard. I taught her the basics of how to defend herself, mind and body, from further possession by spirits, everything from mental blocks to protective symbols. Mara went as far as to have some of them tattooed on her body. As long as those symbols were in place, no spirit could enter her body and control her mind. The same was true of the wards that protected her home. A home is a sanctuary. Mara deserved to have one place to retreat to and she and I had worked together to put up the best wards both of us could manage.
And now they were gone. Not broken, destroyed or otherwise wrecked; just gone.
I gripped the doorknob and tried it. Locked.
Why would she take down the wards? “Mara?” I called, knocking. “Mara, are you home?”
No answer.
I had a decision to make. I could break down the door, barge in and try to figure out what happened to Mara. There were definite signs something was off, but nothing concrete pointed to anything other than perhaps a series of bad decisions and oversleeping. Without any sign of a struggle or imminent danger, I couldn’t legally break in. With Abe skulking around and being a hardass, I didn’t know if I wanted that kind of heat, especially if Mara was just passed out and hung over.
But if Mara was really in trouble, I’d never forgive myself for just walking away.
There has to be an easier way, an unlocked window or something. With this thought in mind, I went around the side of the building and tried to peer into the dark apartment through closed blinds. I couldn’t see a damn thing and all the windows were locked. I worked my way around the side of the house and came to the back door. It was locked, too, the deadbolt secure, but at least my breaking and entering wouldn’t be visible from the road.
Lock picking is hard and requires special tools. Also, I didn’t know how to do it. But I did know how to use magick to physically enhance myself. I closed my eyes and felt for the swirl of magickal energies present in my aura, drawing some of it into the muscles of my arms, back, and shoulders. The muscles burned a little and pulsated with the sudden extra energy. Then, I gripped the doorknob, careful not to put too much pressure on it, and gave it a hard yank. The metal knob tore through the wood, leaving a gaping hole behind. After that, it was just a matter of reaching up and feeling around to unlock the deadbolt.
The door groaned as I pushed it open and stepped inside a dark kitchen. As soon as I passed the threshold, the temperature plunged forty degrees. My breath came out in thin, puffy wisps of cloud. Frost crawled up the windows on the inside. A pipe under the sink had burst, flooding the kitchen before the gushing water froze solid. A layer of ice covered the floor. I progressed with caution, trying to control the chattering of my teeth, and stopped two feet in when I realized the flooding and freezing weren’t the worst of it.
The place had been ransacked. The kitchen table and chairs were overturned. Shattered glass was embedded in some of the ice along with bits of drywall. When I scanned the wall, I found a giant, spiky club sized hole a foot or so above my head, too high to have hit Mara. She was only a few inches taller than me. Streaks of red lined the walls and the floors, though, and a bloody handprint sat on the wall next to the door inside of a triple circle.
“There goes the deposit,” I muttered.
Expecting trouble, I pulled the gun from my waist, flipped off the safety, gripped it tight and pointed it at the floor. Every step I took forward was carefully planned so as not to disturb the scene or alert any potential intruders I was there. Anyone in the apartment had heard me break in, but they didn’t need to know I was creeping through the apartment, back straight, body low, mind on high alert.
I stepped past the overturned table and ventured onto soggy carpet. An efficiency apartment, I could see most of the place almost as soon as I stepped in.
It was tossed, but not in a way that said someone had been looking for something. Overturned and broken furniture, as well as the hasty ward-breaking spell on the wall, told me this had been a fight and not a search. Someone unexpected had come in and Mara had stood her ground. Judging by the cold, the blood and the holes in the wall, it looked like the giant had been here, too. I shivered, and not just because I was cold.
Why had the giant been here, though? Sven had said it was Crux, not the giant, who had Mara.
I went to the dresser, which had been smashed from the top down, and searched it with no idea of what I was looking for. Mara was gone. God, I hoped she was alive. If she was involved in Harry’s porn movie, that was one thing, but she sure as shit didn’t deserve to die.
When I’d gone through the dresser and come up empty handed, I turned to the bed. The headboard had been smashed. The blankets and sheet were on the floor beside it. The night stand was overturned, the drawer falling out, revealing an array of personal lubricants, vibrators... and Mara’s cell.
I grabbed the phone, thinking I could check it for clues. Silly me. I forgot about the security lock. I pocketed it, thinking I’d call Ed to help. Then I paused. Did he know what she was doing? If he didn’t and I told him, would it crush him?
My eyes stopped on a framed picture on the shelf. It was of her and Ed, hugging, Ed flashing a peace sign while Mara stuck out her tongue. Both of them looked so happy... Surely, he didn’t know about this. If he did, he would have stopped her. How would he react if my gut was right and Mara was in trouble? How could I enlist his help without telling him?
And what if Mara was dead?
I felt sick. After all the hell I had already put Ed through, to have to tell him Mara was not only missing but possibly dead—or worse, undead—thanks to some kind of ice giant... Was it my fault? Had the giant targeted her because of me? It was the only thing that made sense unless I was missing something else.
A sound in the little alcove next to the bathroom made me jerk my head up. I immediately went on high alert and raised my gun, pointing it at the source of the sound. When I saw who was crouched there, I almost squeezed the trigger on principal alone.
