by D. C. Gomez
Street musicians had strict rules. Who would have thought? If poor Noah wanted his spot back, he’d have to fight this huge dude for it. Unfortunately, my money was on the flute player. Noah looked way too tiny to win a fair fight.
“So, you decided to claim his spot?” Katrina asked, glaring at him. “Did you steal his song too?” Katrina asked the musician as she shoved up as close as she could get to him.
The poor man tried to take off, but I grabbed his arm, gave it a little twist, and held him in place. He looked around like he might find someone to help him, but the few people meandering through the park were too far away to be of any assistance to him.
“I didn’t steal his song,” the musician answered too quickly. “He was like the pied piper. People just flocked to him. I wanted to know how he did it, so I started playing his songs. Yeah, more people are stopping by to listen to me, but not nearly as many as he had.” The musician stopped fighting and slumped his shoulders.
I felt bad for him, but I had a feeling Noah was using magic with his music. It takes one to know one. If he was using magic, it would explain how he could afford a place in San Diego without a regular paying job. I wondered what else Noah was getting from his elf side. It felt cruel to tell the poor guy that he would never be as good as Noah. Instead, I smiled at him and tried to calm him down.
“Thank you for your help. We really appreciate it,” I told him as I pulled away.
“Yes, thank you very much and sorry to bother you,” Katrina told him.
The musician’s eyes widened more than I had ever seen in anyone. He had a vein pulsating in his forehead, and I was afraid he was giving himself an aneurysm. As soon as he was able to move, he took off with his flute and case. It looked like he wasn’t taking any chances with us. In fact, he kept glancing behind him as he ran away from us. Poor guy.
By the time I turned around, Katrina was walking in the opposite direction. After a few seconds of watching the musician, I joined her.
“That was a waste of time,” Katrina said without looking at me.
“Maybe, but at least we know where he was getting money from,” I told her. “Every bit of info will help us fill in this weird puzzle.”
“I can help you find Noah,” an older lady told us. I had no idea where she appeared from, but she sat on a bench wearing a flamboyant dress, her wild, curly hair hanging loose around her shoulders, and her face covered in so much make-up I couldn’t even imagine what she looked like without it. She appeared to be in her late fifties, and sat behind a small, tray table.
“Oh really,” Katrina told the lady as she walked towards her with her hands on her hips. “How do you know we are looking for Noah?” She stopped in front of the table and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Every other tough looking stranger that stopped by this morning has been asking questions about him. Why not you?” she told us. “You are not fooling anyone with those silly dresses.”
Who the heck was this weird old lady?
“Why should we trust you?” I asked her.
“I’m a voodoo priestess. I can help you,” she told us with a wicked smile.
“Lady, that is not helping your case,” I told the priestess. Katrina elbowed me in the ribs. “Ouch.”
“So, what? You just thought you’d tell us out of the goodness of your heart?” Katrina asked the priestess.
I glared at her, but she avoided me completely. What was Katrina doing? This could be a lead, and she could ruin it if she kept talking like she was.
“Silly girl. Of course not,” the priestess said. She pulled a cup from somewhere under her robe. “I will help you for a small price.” She tossed the contents of the cup on the table.
I leaned forward and glanced inside. There were small objects resting at the bottom, but I had no clue if they were bones or rocks. I took a step back because I really didn’t want to find out one way or another.
“Of course. Just a small fee,” Katrina replied in a mocking tone.
“How about a freebie? On the house,” she said. “Noah and your princess are in great danger. He has made a deadly pact and is in way over his head.” The priestess angled her chin down and widened her eyes like it was time for her payment.
“That’s it? That’s your freebie?” I asked, not able to help myself. That was the most useless piece of info ever.
“Information is power,” the priestess told me in a chilling voice. “Power has a cost. If you want it, you will pay.” She smiled, a crooked, wicked looking smile that had goosebumps running down my arms.
“I’m not impressed, but for five Benjamins you better make this worth my time,” Katrina told the priestess, pulling out some bills.
“Make it ten and I will even tell you his shoe size,” she said, her eyes ogling the money before her.
“Trust me lady, I’m sure my team already knows that.” I rolled my eyes. “Knowing Constantine, he probably had Bartholomew pulling his medical files from birth.” The strange lady didn’t smile at that, but Katrina sure did.
“Constantine? You work for Constantine?” the priestess asked with a shaky voice.
Katrina gave me an awkward look.
“Depends how many Constantines you know,” I told the priestess. “Mine is fifteen pounds of pure fur,” I finished, thinking the mental picture was pretty funny, however, the priestess must not have thought so since she looked a little green in the face.
“My apologies, Intern. I didn’t recognize you,” the priestess told me, this time not meeting my eyes. Was there a picture of me on a milk carton that I didn’t know about? “Your boy is in serious trouble. He sold his soul to a demon and is now in hell.” The priestess collected her cup, the weird bones, and her table.
“Hell?” I asked and turned to look at Katrina. “What do you mean by hell? Hell, like in Hell, Michigan?”
“Good day, Intern.” The priestess stood and folded her table, tucking it under her arm. “I recommend you watch your back. There are dangerous forces at play.” She took off, moving faster than I thought possible.
“Don’t you want your money?” Katrina asked her.
“Only a fool would charge Death for information,” the priestess yelled over her shoulder without slowing down.
“Isis, I need your reputation,” Katrina told me in a serious tone.
“It’s not my reputation that you need. It’s Constantine. As she can see, he scares the crap out of everyone,” I replied as I pulled out my phone. I dialed home, hoping the priestess was wrong.
“Did you find him?” Constantine asked without any greetings. I had him on speaker phone so Katrina could hear him.
“We wish,” Katrina replied. “We met one of your fans,” she added.
“That sounds like trouble,” Bartholomew chimed in.
“It was. We met a Voodoo Priestess that claims Noah is in hell,” I told the boys.
“Voodoo Priestess? That is absolutely trouble,” Bartholomew told us.
“Isis, this is not good,” Constantine told me. “You know what that means?” It could only mean one thing.
“I am afraid I do,” I told Constantine. It was time for a visit to the devil. “Where is the entrance to the Cave here?”
“Why is it when something crazy is going on, Jake is always involved?” Bob jumped in.
“I think that is part of his job description,” I told Bob.
“It’s at La Jolla Beach,” Bartholomew answered my question.
“You two need to hurry. Doors open at six,” Constantine told us.
“What’s the theme?” Katrina asked him. I guessed she was familiar with Jake and the Cave.
“Open mic. Be prepared to sing,” Constantine answered. I could tell by his tone he wasn’t happy. “Hurry up. We are running out of time and this is getting worse by the minute.”
Before either Katrina or I could replay, Constantine had disconnected.
“That cat is never going to change,” Katrina told me.
“Nope
. He is always going to have the last word and end every conversation in the most dramatic way possible,” I told her.
“Guess we are going to see the devil,” Katrina told me with an irritated sigh.
“This day just keeps getting better and better,” I told her. “Let’s go. We need to find some Cave appropriate clothes.”
I had no idea what people wore for open mic, but I was sure my summer beach dress was not suitable for the Cave. We headed back towards our vehicle in silence.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It took Katrina forever to find a dress, which drove me crazy. Everything she tried on looked amazing, but it still took her thirty different dresses to find the right one—a long, black dress with slits running down both legs, lots of cleavage, and an open back. She also left her golden hair down, and it framed her face in such a beautiful way that if Jake was having a beauty contest today, she’d be a shoe in.
It didn’t take me nearly as long as Katrina to find an outfit. I had two to pick from—a short red dress, and a long red dress that reminded me of Jessica Rabbit’s dress. With my black hair, red always made a great statement. We had to be sexy enough to distract everyone from our real goal. I also kept my make-up light, that way if I started to sweat, I wouldn’t have foundation running down my face. My hair went up in a bun, leaving me ready for a fight if one found me. While the Cave discouraged fighting, that had never stopped anyone from trying to kill there.
To make it to the entrance, we had to walk through sand. Normally, walking in sand relaxed me. However, when wearing four-inch heels and a shimmering gown, the sand becomes your worst nightmare. We took our shoes off and rushed to the entrance underneath the pier as quickly possible. Katrina led the way, but she crashed into a tall guy leaning against a pole and they both fell to the ground.
“Oh! Are you guys okay?” I asked them as I ran forward.
Katrina hopped to her feet first, brushing the sand from her dress. “I’m good.” Her cheeks were bright red and she wouldn’t make eye contact. “I think my feet got caught on my dress and I went down.”
I didn’t buy it for a minute, but I kept my mouth shut. Instead, I moved around her and held out a hand to the young man still on the ground.
“Let me help you.” I told him. He grabbed my hand and pulled himself up. “Are you alright?” I brushed some sand from his suit jacket.
“Yes, thank you,” he told me, trying to wipe sand from his coat without looking at it. He straightened his jacket and slowly faced us. “I’m used to women falling over me, but this is the first time one has taken me out in the process.”
It wasn’t hard to imagine women falling for this guy. He was tall, dark, and incredibly handsome. Jet black hair glimmered on top of his head and he had the most enchanting grey eyes. I was sure he was breaking hearts daily.
“I’m sure they are,” I told him.
He winked and smiled at me. A year ago, a hottie like him would have made my head spin, but after meeting Iason, his flirtatious behavior didn’t even phase me.
“Let me guess. You are the new bouncer at the Cave,” I said.
“Guilty. Is it that obvious?” he asked.
He was definitely new if he didn’t realize Jake recruited his bouncers and body guards from the GQ catalog. There wasn’t a single man in his service that didn’t score over a fifteen on a zero to ten scale. These boys were meant to distract you and make you lose your common sense. I wasn’t sure if he had female body guards, but the women at the club were just as gorgeous.
“Not at all,” Katrina answered. “But it’s the only logical reason why a man that looks like you would be standing under a pier in a three-piece suit.” It was Katrina’s turn to wink at the poor boy and look smoldering.
I had begun to wonder if I’d missed a training program on smoldering.
“Well ladies, let’s get this party going. It’s going to be a fun night,” Hottie told us as he stepped towards the end of the pier. I couldn’t help but notice the repeat glances he kept giving Katrina. I chuckled to myself.
Katrina and I followed Hottie down the pier, getting our feet wet from the tide rising over the pier and wetting the boards. I was pretty sure his idea of fun was nothing like mine. I liked boring evenings at home playing my guitar, not running around the country chasing deranged kidnappers.
Hottie stopped in front of a curtain in between two of the wood beams. “Enjoy your evening ladies.” H pulled the curtain back.
“You aren’t searching us for weapons?” I asked him.
“With those dresses? You don’t leave much to the imagination.” Hottie gave us a long look up and down. “Anything you have hiding in there we could handle. Enjoy ladies.” He waved us in with a catty smile.
Weapons were not allowed at the Cave. The fact that I didn’t require searching was a good reminder that I was currently half naked. This was not going to happen again. I definitely needed more clothes on. If my godmother ever saw me like this, she would kill me. Thinking about my godmother made my heart ache. How many other things hadn’t she told me?
“Are you okay?” Katrina asked me after we crossed the curtain. She had already started down the stairs, and I’d stopped at the top.
“Yeah, sorry,” I told her. “It’s been a long day.” That was another huge understatement.
“I understand, but I need you to focus,” Katrina told me. “Put your game face on. This is the devil we are facing.”
Should I tell Katrina I’d met Jake before? I decided I didn’t need to, but she was right about one thing. I did need to focus.
“I’m good. Let’s go.” I gave myself a quick shake and followed her down the stairs towards another set of curtains.
The Cave was the kind of club that would make a Hollywood film director drool. Every night was different inside the walls. They had a new theme every night and changed the decorations to match each one. I honestly couldn’t wait to see what they’d done for open mic night.
Once we crossed the curtain, I decided this open mic must be for poets. There was a large stage at the far end of the hall, with a dance floor in front and cocktail tables circling it. The place looked more like it had once been a dance floor and they’d turned it into a theater instead of a regular club.
“Admiring the view?” Jake asked me from the side.
“It is always impressive,” I answered with a smirk.
I had a tendency to forget that the devil was a fallen angel. Like most angels, he was magnificent. He had golden hair, piercing blue eyes, and a look that could melt hearts—almost like a young Brad Pitt. He was wearing a fabulous Valentino suit to show off his muscles. I felt bad for the souls that fell under his spell because I was sure the price was high.
“Katrina, it’s been such a long time,” Jake purred.
“Jake,” Katrina said, and somehow, she made that one word sound like an insult. Their eyes met, and I felt like I was watching a scene from one of those fighting movies where they circled each other, sizing each other up. It was uncomfortable to say the least, so I cleared my throat, hoping to ease some of the tension.
“Well since you are here, can we get to business?” I told Jake, giving him one of my best smiles. “We are on a short deadline,” I added
“Isis, dear, you are always on a deadline,” Jake told me, but his eyes stayed on Katrina. “But you know the rules. No free talks without payment.” He finally looked back at me.
“What’s the catch today?” I wasn’t sure what we were supposed to do.
“It’s simple dear. Get this crowd going wild and I’m all yours.” Jake’s eyes fell on Katrina when he said the last part. “You get to pick the song. Break a leg.”
“Fine,” Katrina said right before she dragged me away. I looked over my shoulder and Jake waved at me with a smile. Why was he so happy?
“What exactly are we supposed to be doing?” I asked Katrina as I focused my attention on the front of the room.
“Have you seen American Idol?” Kat
rina asked, all business-like.
I was ashamed to admit it. “Not really,” I whispered. Katrina gave me a quick glance.
“No big deal,” she said, a little calmer. “Basically, it’s a singing competition, but your goal is to win the crowd and make them dance. Can you sing?” Katrina asked me as we made our way to the left side of the stage.
A large man with a clipboard stood at the front of the line. There were at least five people in front of us waiting. They looked too excited for my taste.
“What happens if we don’t win the crowd?” I asked Katrina as I faced the crowd. They did not look happy.
“If you’re lucky, you will get booed off the stage, but if you’re really bad, watch out for flying objects.” Katrina pointed to the closest table as she spoke. The collection of throwing knives and Chinese stars were impressive. These people took their singing serious. “How is your singing?” Katrina asked again.
“I’m okay, but I’m more of a musician than lead man,” I told her as I analyzed all the different weapons sitting on all the tables.
I hadn’t noticed when the next act had started, but it didn’t last long. Some poor soul had tried to do an interpretation of Aretha Franklin’s Respect and failed miserably. In less than twenty seconds, weapons flew, and screams erupted from the stage. My stomach turned.
Katrina sized up the other candidates and watched the crowd. Then, she turned to me. “What can you play?”
“Anything,” I answered softly.
Katrina’s mouth parted and her eyes went wide. “What do you mean anything?” she asked me, almost like she was analyzing me for the first time.
“I can play any instrument with very little practice now. Death’s gift enhances our natural ability. I was a musician before joining her. She has made me out of this world amazing. I can actually induce certain reactions from people with my music.” I held my breath, unsure how Katrina would take all this.
“This is awesome,” Katrina told me as she gave me a huge hug. “I need you to pour your soul into this and make the people go wild. I got the singing part.” Katrina flashed me an evil grin.
