In the near blackness of the room, I could see DeShawn already beginning to get agitated, so I reached into the pocket of my coat and extracted a plastic object about a foot long. Feeling a bit playful, I rapped the object soundly on the closest wall, watching DeShawn flinch. A soft green glow lit up the small hut, and I shook the glow stick back and forth to get it up to full illumination.
“Sonuvabitch,” DeShawn muttered, his curse punctuated by a snort. The fuzzy, green light made DeShawn’s features appear more menacing, and I’d imagine the same applied to mine.
“Why’re you so jumpy, DeShawn? There’s no reason for me to hurt you, is there?” I asked calmly, a thin thread of amusement lacing my voice.
“C’mon, man. You the second freakiest individual I ever met. I get the feeling that there don’t always need to be a reason,” DeShawn replied honestly before the courage summoned by the sharp snap of fear deserted him.
“Relax. Being afraid of me shows both intelligence and understanding of the situation, and those are necessary assets for a man in your position. However, killing people without reason is bad business, and unlike Mr. Jones, I don’t have the same taste for it.” Well, technically that was true enough.
DeShawn let out another deep breath. “Okay, okay,” he said, waving his hands in surrender. “Is there a problem?”
“No, just an unexpected appointment.”
“With who?” he asked, his curiosity slipping out before he could contain it. I shot him a pointed look. “Whatever,” he said with a shrug.
“Anything new?” I asked, making a show of looking at the time on my phone.
“Definitely,” DeShawn replied, happy to get down to business. “Got word that the Brothers want a face-to-face with you and the Boss.”
“Really?” I said, allowing a bit of surprise to show in the form of one raised eyebrow. “They’re out of their minds.”
“That’s what I said, but the messenger made it quite clear that they would only agree to meet with you AND the Boss. No Mr. Jones.”
My eyebrows perked up at that one. “The messenger used his name?”
“Naw, but the description fit.”
“Interesting. Did he say why?”
“Said the Brothers realize that they can’t push us out, and they don’t want the messes to get any bigger. They want to talk ‘bout carving up the territory.”
“I’ll bet they do. The Sicilians have a proverb: ‘Don’t ask for what you can’t take.’ They know they have nothing to bargain a truce with, and no way to stop us from moving in completely if we want to. The meeting’s either a trap, or they’re so fucking scared, they can’t see straight.”
“Ain’t likely they’re scared. Them cats are crazy.”
“I agree.”
“So I tell ‘em to shove it?”
I sighed, running a hand across my head. “No. There’s no easy way out of this one, and they know it. If we dodge, it looks like we’re afraid, and the street heats up again. Can’t have that.”
“Yeah, maybe, but if you go, you might get yourself capped.”
“I didn’t know you cared, DeShawn. I’m touched,” I said dryly, tapping the glow stick to my chest.
DeShawn snorted again. “Don’t personally give a rat’s ass ‘bout you, and you can give me all the bullshit you want ‘bout how there’s others in the organization like you, but I ain’t buyin’. ‘Cept for maybe Mr. Jones, you all the power in the glove, and seems to me he’s got yo back, not hers. I’d say he’s scareda you, too, but I get the feelin’ he’s too fucked to be afraid of anything. Kinda like Chris,” DeShawn countered boldly, and then he shrugged to show that it really didn’t matter either way to him. Even though it did, quite a bit. “Sure as shit, you go down, the Boss goes down, and then Jones is runnin’ the show or I’m next to fall. Don’t work for me either way.”
DeShawn’s perception took me by surprise, and though I know I hid it well, he saw it anyway. I gave him a hard look for several moments, but the knowledge that he was right momentarily made his pride stronger than his fear. I figured that giving him one wouldn’t hurt anything.
“You have a pretty good brain in that melon of yours, DeShawn, so I’ll overlook the fact that you shouldn’t ever say shit like that out loud,” I replied, flashing him another pointed look to emphasize my words, “and let you in on another little secret, man to man. Alicia's the will; I’m just the way. I personally don’t give a fuck about this business, or anyone in it. I’m loyal to her and her alone; she wants, she gets. And as for Mr. Jones, he cares even less than I do, and he has plenty of other ways to amuse himself.”
I paused, watching DeShawn’s fear begin to reassert itself. “So, if I were you, I’d do what I can to make sure everything stays right as rain, because if she wants something else tomorrow, I’ll pack her up in record time and leave you alone in the big tank, swimming your ass off to stay away from the sharks. Clear?”
“Crystal,” DeShawn whispered froggily, attempting to dry-swallow the knot in his throat.
“Good. Repeat that to anyone, and I don’t have to tell you what will happen, do I?”
“Nope,” DeShawn answered quickly, now completely sorry he had even opened his mouth.
“Good. Set up the meeting, but tell the Brothers they’re on our timetable. They don’t like it, tough shit. That’s the only way this goes down.”
“Right,” DeShawn nodded, and before his movement finished, I was walking away from him.
◆◆◆
Alicia was pacing the vault as I touched down outside the door. Her progress put her on the far side of the tiny space as I unlocked and opened it, but the noise of my entry stopped her cold. Her face and mind held thousands of questions as I stepped inside, but she said nothing, simply launching herself into my arms. Her lips were warm and soft as they slid across mine, her tongue dancing with mine in a thrust and parry manner. By the time we pulled apart, I had an erection that begged for use, but unfortunately, business had to come first.
“You’re late,” she said, her voice a cross between flat-out angry and worried.
“Couldn’t be helped. There were a few unexpected twists tonight.”
Worry solidified and chased angry away. “What type of twists?” she asked immediately, and I waved her off.
“Let’s go inside first. I know you’re feeling a bit cooped up.” Alicia made like she was going to argue with me, but then she realized that would be kind of stupid and simply leaned into me. I pulled her closer and led her out of the vault, closing the door behind us and locking it before bringing us both to surface level.
Inside my house, I removed my coat and threw it across the chair. I turned around to Alicia’s direct gaze, and though she tried to hide it, her impatience showed. “How was your night, dear?” I asked glibly.
“Jason,” she warned, putting her hands on her hips. Her scowl was amusing as she tried to project a menace into it that she didn’t really feel, but I didn’t laugh.
“Okay, okay,” I responded placatingly. “Let me start from the beginning, when the Bolivians paid us a visit.” Shock rippled across Alicia’s beautiful features, and she took an involuntary step toward me. “Relax, he just wanted to talk.”
“There was only one?”
I nodded, making a gesture for her to sit down. When she complied, I filled her in on Javier’s visit. Alicia asked pertinent questions every so often and grew more excited as I went along. She easily recognized the good fortune in the visit, and by the time I’d finished my story, I could see one burden slipping quietly off her shoulders.
“I can’t believe Barrera sent someone so high up. That’s an unusual move,” she said thoughtfully, her face screwed up in deep thought.
“Shocked the hell out of me, too, but I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. You think there’s something to it?”
Alicia thought about that for a moment and then shook her head. “Not if you don’t.”
“They were pretty worried a
bout us shopping around. If they have any plans to take advantage of the change, Javier wasn’t in on them. As far as he’s concerned, Javier is Barrera’s second, and unless he’s got delusions of grandeur, he wouldn’t be left out of something like that. Besides, Barrera’s on the verge of losing one of his best inroads into the country, so I think they have bigger fish to fry.”
“That concerns me, too. We need a stable pipeline.”
“I don’t think it’s an issue. They seem to have it under control,” I offered, putting my hands in my pockets.
Alicia pinned me with a knowing look. “If it’s not your control, I don’t trust it. We need to keep on top of this.”
“I agree, but I don’t see how. Short of camping out on Barrera’s doorstep, there’s no way to stay informed. Javier made it pretty obvious that we won’t be seeing any upper-level Bolivians ever again.”
“Maybe I should mention something to Barrera when I talk to him tomorrow night?”
I shook my head. “No, for two reasons. First, Javier and I already put it to bed. Bringing it up just questions Javier’s authority, and I don’t think that’s in our best interest unless something provokes it. Second, I think you should stay away from talking business tomorrow. If you cover anything that Javier and I discussed tonight, it says you’re not satisfied with the meeting, and aside from weakening my voice, which will be very important going forward, it could open up a large can of worms. Barrera only wants to be sure you actually exist, so he’ll keep the talk light, and if he doesn’t, we’ll know that Javier isn’t as highly placed as he indicated.”
“Okay,” Alicia conceded. “Makes sense. What else?”
I paused, attempting to determine the best way to navigate the next part of our conversation. She sensed my reticence. “What is it, Jason?”
“It’s delicate,” I answered.
“I’m a big girl,” she reminded.
“I know that,” I returned softly, “but I also know you haven’t thought of what I’m about to say, and I’m not sure if bringing it to your attention will help or hurt.”
“Even if it makes things worse, Jason, knowledge is always preferable to ignorance.”
“Fair enough,” I conceded. “Do you think that Barrera’s still going to take us seriously once he finds out that you’re a woman?”
Alicia’s eyes went wide, and a sharp breath punched its way from between her teeth. “Fuck,” she growled. “I should’ve thought of that... Stupid.”
“Hey,” I interrupted in a soothing tone. “There’s a lot going on, for both of us.”
“Maybe,” Alicia said, “but I have to think of these things. I know I can handle this business better than Chris ever could because I have something he didn’t.”
“Me,” I answered for her, wanting to blaze through this point as fast as possible so I wouldn’t have to see the mania flashing in her eyes as she talked about my power.
“Yes, you, but not just the way you’re thinking. Your power and wealth make this much easier and a lot cheaper than it would be without them, but that’s definitely not the most important thing you bring to the table.”
I blinked twice, and in my head I could hear the cartoon sound accompanying it, which was just as well, because the only other thing I could have heard was crickets chirping. I also clenched my jaw to keep it from dropping open. My goodness. I had pulled out of her mind to avoid encountering and possibly inflaming the mania, and here she was surprising the hell out of me again. “So what’s the most important thing?” I whispered.
“The voice of reason. My sounding board. Chris never trusted anyone enough to have that, and he definitely suffered because of it.”
“I’m not always going to be right, Alicia,” I warned despite the fact that she already knew that.
“Ohh, I know, probably better than most, but you don’t have to be right all the time to be effective. By offering an alternative, right or wrong, you force me to reevaluate my own decisions. When Chris rolled out a decision, it was set in stone, and no one would dare speak against it, even if they knew it was a shitty decision. Chris never would’ve tolerated anyone challenging his authority. Because we discuss these things privately, you can voice a dissenting opinion and I can change my mind, and both of these things can happen without taking away any of my authority with the rest of them. That makes all the difference in the world.”
I grinned, relieved and amazed that Alicia was reveling in logic over the mania. She was learning rapidly, and I could see a new wisdom blossoming within her, the growth allowed by the freedom from past demons. I could feel my heart swell in time with my smile, which morphed into the kind you can feel all the way to the bottom of your feet. She answered it with a breathtaking smile of her own, and we stood there, smiling at one another until I remembered that I was supposed to be debriefing her.
Clearing my throat to snap both of us out of the bedroom trance, I moved on to my meeting with DeShawn, and the message from the Brothers. As I spoke, I watched her excitement shift to mania, her eyes glazing over with thoughts of the kill, and worst of all, I watched all that wisdom go up in smoke. It was readily apparent from her expression that she wanted to squash the Brothers like the bugs she thought they were.
I wasn’t convinced that killing them was the best course of action, but I knew I’d have to navigate carefully and attempt to defuse the mania instead of challenging it head-on.
See, sometimes I favor finesse over sheer brute force.
“Nice. With the Brothers out of the way, things will be simpler.”
“Are you sure that eliminating them is the best option here, especially considering that we haven’t even met with them yet?”
Alicia’s eyes narrowed, and I winced in preparation. “What other option is there?” Her voice was as sharp as a strand of concertina wire.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “But one might present itself during the meeting. I’m all for going in prepared to take them down, but I don’t think it’s wise to make that our only option.”
Her facial expression turned challenging, and I was assaulted in stereo by her disappointment in me. “I never thought I’d hear something like that from you.”
“Alicia,” I replied softly, bristling at her implication but still choosing tact. “Better the devil you know than the one that jumps in to fill the vacuum.”
“I think that only applies when you’re not the biggest devil on the block,” she snapped back sharply, a bit exasperated that she should have to remind me of that. I took a deep, calming breath that didn’t help much, trying to ignore the anger sparked by her glare. I kept reminding myself that the power I had given Alicia would make any mortal drunk, so it was essentially my fault that we were having this confrontation in the first place.
“Perhaps,” I said through gritted teeth, letting a hint of icy anger slip into my tone as a warning. “But just because we can handle something doesn’t mean it’s wise to invite it. You aren’t bulletproof,” I shot back sarcastically, letting her know that it irked me to have to remind her of that.
Alicia’s posture was rigid as we faced off like two dueling swordsmen from feudal Japan, except that our weapons were stubbornness and anger. I could tell by the set of her jaw that we were not going to get very far unless one of us conceded, and I could also tell that it was going to have to be me. “Alicia,” I began wearily, “if killing them is the best course of action, they’ll die. Don’t worry about that, okay? Eliminating enemies is an effective tactic, but it’s not always the cleanest, and it can sometimes be the least helpful in the long run. Trust me on this; I know what I’m talking about. You’ve seen at least one example already.”
The mania in Alicia’s eyes died down a bit, forced out of the way by confusion. “What are you talking about?” she asked with an incredulous shake of her head, her voice softening a little.
“Martin,” I answered simply with a pointed look. “If I always subscribed to the “kill-em-all-and-let-God-sort-em-
out” philosophy, he wouldn’t have been around to be so helpful to us now.”
More tension drained from her as she contemplated my words, and I silently thanked my stars that I’d avoided meeting her anger with an outburst of my own. I approached her slowly, crouching in front of her and placing my hands gently on her legs. I could feel my expression soften as I looked at her lovely face, a conciliatory smile on my lips. “Alicia, I’m not trying to step on you here. We’re both in uncharted waters, and I’m just trying to guide us both the best I can.”
Alicia returned my look for a long moment, and then sighed, running a hand over the top of my head. It felt so good, my eyes closed automatically. “I know. It just feels like a waste not to use it,” she admitted softly, speaking of my power, hers by proxy.
I understood her sentiment completely; I had felt much the same after becoming the most powerful revenant in existence, and I’d done more than a few things I wish I could take back now. I used my most persuasive tone as I began the same lesson taught to me at that time. “Alicia, this is so new to you, and you’re at a great disadvantage because, in general, mortals are not equipped to handle power. In time, if you’re receptive, you’ll find that avoiding the use of power as a solution to every problem is the greatest display of it.”
Finally, a smile broke through, and it warmed the entire room. “The student bows before the wisdom of her teacher.”
“Did you say something about blowing your teacher?” I asked, feigning seriousness.
Alicia rolled her eyes, and her gaze hit a flash boil a second later. “No, but now that you mention it, it’s not a bad idea...” she said, her eyes leaving mine to zero in on another part of my body, which twitched a few times under the attention.
I was pretty much putty in her hands after that. Well, most of me at any rate. When she was finished, we lay on the couch, each wrapped in our thoughts and each other. Mine had to do with hoping that she never tried to use sex as a negotiating tactic because I was afraid that it would work every time, and I had no idea about her thoughts, choosing to give her privacy.
Corrupting Alicia Page 32
