by Gina LaManna
“Whoever took your mother might not have been after you at all, Cynthia. I hate to say it, but if your mother’s powers returned somehow, or were still there, hidden behind the memory loss, she might have been a target.”
“For what?” Cynthia asked, her brow furrowing with concern. “Do you mean extracted? Is that what happened to Maybelline and Lillie? Is that what killed them? Oh, God! Don’t tell me they’re going to kill my mother, too!”
“Look, Cynthia, we can’t discuss this here,” I said, glancing around. We were starting to collect curious stares from the rest of the trolley patrons. “Come with me. I have to check on something.”
We both slipped off the trolley at the next stop, the closest one to the casino. While I knew I couldn’t bring a civilian into The Cavern with me, I didn’t feel comfortable leaving Cynthia alone when she was in such a state.
She was clearly spooked and upset. If Damien and Reina had kidnapped Cynthia’s mother, we needed to follow her trail while it was hot. I suspected it would lead us directly to Linsey, Lisa, and any other kidnapped women.
“Cynthia, I’m really sorry,” I said, as we walked at a quick clip toward the casino. “I know you’re scared, but I need to ask a favor of you.”
“Of course. Anything.”
“I have to run in and check on something in the casino, but I can’t have you with me. Is there a place you can wait around here where you’d feel safe?”
Cynthia glanced around, scratching aimlessly at a spot on her elbow. “Um, yeah, sure. I’ll wait out front next to those trees. I’ll be within view of the security guard, and I can scream if I need help.”
“Sorry,” I apologized again. “I’ll just be a second.”
She nodded, shrinking into the shadows of the trees as she crossed her arms and hugged her thin body with trembling arms.
I moved quickly toward the back door to The Cavern. I was unsurprised to find there were no bouncers or bodyguard awaiting my arrival. After all, it was bright afternoon, almost vicious sunlight biting down on the side entrance to the casino’s secret room.
Even if the playing room had remained functional after our recent debacle, the doors wouldn’t open for hours. In the meantime, the entrance looked more like a derelict employee-only space than one that housed a room fit for royalty. A perfect cover.
Everything looked drearier. None of the glamorous lighting was there to frost the hallways in a regal glow, nor was there the shadowy sheen of an intriguing, back-alley speakeasy. The allure of The Cavern, of the secrecy and wealth within its walls, was washed away by the brilliant rays of sunlight beating against the cracked alley pavement.
I pulled the Stunner from the holster at my hip and leaned against the door, listening for an extended moment. At the silence, I pounded my fist against it and called out an introduction. Nothing.
For both my sake and Cynthia’s, I hoped this would only take a second. I’d promised Cynthia I’d be back quickly, and I intended to keep my confrontation with Reina short and sweet. Hopefully, she’d be here already, preparing for the evening festivities. I was confident that with the element of surprise on my side, I could handle her.
There was a chance that the room would have been moved to a new location as Grey had mentioned, but I had no way of knowing. There was always the chance business would continue as usual—with my name firmly on the black list.
Before forcibly opening the door, however, I raised my wrist and Commed Matthew again for backup—just in case. He didn’t answer, so I left a message with my whereabouts and the fact that I had Cynthia waiting out front. With any luck, if I didn’t return in a few minutes, she’d be smart enough to alert the security guards out front that I was missing, and they could contact the station.
I took Matthew’s lack of response on the Comm to be promising. Matthew, Marcus, and Nash were probably in the middle of arresting Damien, which would explain their radio silence. The thought was invigorating, for the sole reason that if my assumptions were true, and I could get to Reina before she received news that Damien had been arrested, it would give us the advantage.
We would be able to pit them against one another independently, and with any luck record full confessions and wrap the case by nightfall. The women would be back with their families—Linsey would be returned to her parents and Tink would be reunited with her mother. Hopefully, Cynthia’s mother would also be reunited with her daughter.
I took a deep breath, focused on the kidnapped women, and kicked open the side door. I was surprised by its flimsiness. Maybe it was my faulty memories, but I could have sworn this place was exceedingly grand, deliciously opulent, an elusive sort of space where millions were gambled and lost in any given night and plates of food cost more than my annual salary. I distinctly remembered diamonds glittering on ladies’ necks, fat enough to feed an entire country. Yet that had all vanished.
I crept through the dim entrance hallway, noting that it had completely lost its luster. I was saddled suddenly with the eerie sensation that the entire setup had been an illusion. That The Cavern hadn’t truly existed.
“Hello?” I called out loudly as I inched through the long, narrow hallway. “Anyone there? I’m Detective DeMarco with the Sixth Precinct.”
Still no answer.
The shadows seemed longer, dingier. The hairs on my arms rose.
Almost as if on cue, my Comm beeped, and I answered in the same breath. “Matthew?”
“We’ve got Damien,” he said. “He’s—”
“He’s what?”
“He’s dead. And Dani, that’s not all. Marcus is missing.”
I cursed as Matthew exhaled with frustration. It looked like Reina was two steps ahead of us on all fronts; she’d gotten to Damien before we did, eliminating him before we could gather his side of the story. He probably would have cut a deal in exchange for giving up Reina.
“How do you know he’s gone?” I pressed, wondering if Marcus had perhaps found himself in deep water. He’d blackmailed another cop; it wasn’t a stretch to think he might have gotten involved in something worse.
“He’s not answering, hasn’t shown up when expected,” Matthew said. “We’re looking into it. Where are you?”
“I’m at the casino,” I said. “The room where Grey and I went the other night is completely gone. But Matthew—Damien’s not the end of the line. There’s a third person involved.”
“We know,” Matthew said. “We found her fingerprints in the system at Damien’s murder. Her prints were in the system because of her Silver Collar worker license, so we got a name.”
My mouth parted in surprise. “But Reina’s not an elf, so how did she get her license?”
It was Matthew’s turn to pause. “Reina?”
“The dealer,” I insisted impatiently. “She was the one wearing the bangle, the one at The Cavern the night Grey and I were here. She must have figured out who I was after I blew my cover.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Matthew said. “Maybe Reina wiped The Cavern clean, and maybe she’s involved with your gambling scandal, but we didn’t find her prints at the crime scene.”
“But then...” I paused. “Whose prints did you find?”
In my mind, I’d already convicted Reina of the crime, so I was stunned to hear Matthew’s evidence didn’t agree with mine. I’d been so sure of it, so positive the evidence would be stacked entirely, conclusively against her.
“The first witness we interviewed.” Matthew cleared his throat. “The one who survived while Maybelline and Lillie were taken. Cynthia’s fingerprints were on the murder weapon.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said. “Cynthia’s right ... here.”
Before I turned around, my stomach plummeted. The pieces that hadn’t quite added up suddenly clicked into place, and I knew I’d been deeply played for a fool. Cynthia had correctly suckered me into believing she’d needed help, wanted desperately to save her mother. She’d toyed with my emotions as well as my logic
, and I’d fallen completely for it all.
My Comm beeped as I finished turning and found Cynthia waiting for me in the doorway.
She smiled. “Hello, Detective.”
I steadied my voice. “Tell me you didn’t kidnap your own mother.”
“Thanks for your help on the trolley back there,” she said smoothly, ignoring my question. She then curiously raised her hands and gave a slow clap that echoed around the cavernous room. “I think I’m fine, now.”
I pulled out my Stunner, but Cynthia was ready. She’d walked me right into a trap and wasn’t planning on letting me out of here alive. On the third clap, she raised her hands, palms facing outward, and the motion was accompanied by a flash.
There was ensuing bright light, then a sudden darkness as a thorough numbness snaked through my limbs. A slow paralysis that left my entire body frozen as I collapsed to the floor, every muscle a black hole in my body.
Cynthia took her time walking over, letting me struggle while she basked in my helplessness. Then she leaned forward, whispered a curse, and ran her hand over my face. In the next moment, everything went black.
Chapter 26
“Good morning, sunshine.”
My head pounded and screeched as the Darkening Curse wore off. My vision and speech returned, though it took longer to shake the paralysis from my limbs. I blinked, struggling to take in my surroundings while simultaneously issuing a scowl at the man who’d spoken.
“Welcome to the club,” Marcus said, giving me a thin smile as I met his gaze. “They got you too?”
“If they let you in this club,” I growled, “the bar’s obviously not set very high.”
“You’re lucky I got you on the guest list, sweetheart.”
“Where am I?” I snapped, glancing around as I scrambled to a seated position. “How long have you been here?”
“No clue,” Marcus said. “But it can’t have been that long. I went to Dust to look for Damien, and I don’t remember much after that.”
“Karma.”
“Maybe, but you ended up in the same place as me, so I’m not sure what that says about you,” Marcus said easily. “We’re partners once again.”
“You and I were never partners,” I said. “Nor will we ever be.”
I dropped the conversation with Marcus to focus on my surroundings. I idly wondered why Cynthia hadn’t killed us already, and I settled on the theory that she must need us for something. A sort of bargaining chip.
Maybe Cynthia wanted a free pass out of Wicked and a head start... in exchange for our lives. Her games in Wicked were undoubtedly over. The second Matthew had discovered Cynthia’s prints at the crime scene, her gig was up.
She’d only made things worse by kidnapping two police officers, which made me think she was feeling cornered and desperate. Not that I blamed her because there wasn’t a place she could hide in Wicked and not be found once Matthew was on her trail.
“Where are the others?” I demanded as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. “Have you seen the other women? Has Cynthia mentioned anything about them?”
“Cool your jets, Detective,” Marcus said. “Look around.”
I blinked, a long, hard blink, hating that my limbs trembled from lack of use. “How long have I been out?”
“Your Highness napped for, oh, I’d guess four hours.”
The very sound of Marcus’s voice grated on me, even though it was the only familiar thing in this dim, dark basement. I wondered what I’d done wrong in a previous life to get trapped in a cage with my worst enemy. Sharing a cell with Cynthia would almost be more enjoyable than sitting next to Marcus. At least then I could have answers. And that wasn’t saying a whole lot for Marcus, seeing as Cynthia wanted to kill me.
I squinted, leaned forward, and brought a finger close to one of the thin bars holding us captive.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Marcus said.
It was too late. My skin struck metal, issuing a jolt that sent me flying backward and landing with a crash against Marcus.
I struggled to pull away from him, but our limbs were hopelessly tangled. Once I finally righted myself, I came face to face with a grinning Marcus.
“I usually don’t get that far until the third date,” he said with a grin.
“Bite me.”
“That’s sort of your thing, isn’t it?” Marcus gave a smug grin. “Judging by the pictures of you and King, I mean.”
I turned away from him before I lost my temper. I didn’t have enough strength to argue with Marcus and get out of here, so I chose to live. That’s when I heard the sound of breathing.
My eyes finished adjusting to the darkness, and I squinted deeper into the recesses of the cavernous dungeon. This time when I looked out, I could see the whites of someone’s eyes.
We weren’t alone.
“LISA,” I WHISPERED, once recognition set in and I made out the form of the petite elf. “Are you okay? Have you been hurt?”
Lisa stood in a cage similar to ours. It appeared Cynthia had set up her own private lair in a one-roomed dungeon. Each of the four corners of the room were barred to form four separate cages. The middle of the room had also been barred off, creating the center point around which the rest of the captives were held. The cage of honor had been reserved for Marcus and me.
“I’m fine,” she said. “But my daughter—”
“Tink is so, so brave,” I assured her. “And safe. She’s at the pizzeria with a trusted friend and my brother.”
“I know. Thank you for taking care of her, and for giving her a second chance when I didn’t give you a first.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Last night at Dust.” Though Lisa was apologizing, she held my gaze steady and proud through the bars between us. “You said you were a detective, but I didn’t trust you or the man you were with, and I ran.”
“You did what you thought you needed to do in order to survive,” I said. “If it helps, we were looking for you. I had a HoloHex drawn up, but before the results came back, Tink wandered into our lives.”
“She has a way of doing that,” Lisa said with a gentle smile.
“Like I said, she’s brave, and charming, and sweet, and...” I hesitated, emphasizing my point with the last word. “Powerful.”
“Very powerful,” Lisa said somberly. “I hope you understand that your knowledge—”
“I understand,” I said quickly, before Marcus could jump in and start asking questions. “Of course. Nobody else knows.”
“Knows what?” Marcus asked.
“A way out of here,” I said to Marcus. “You’ve been in here long enough. I hope you’ve come up with something.”
“We’re in an undisclosed location,” Marcus said. “In a dark basement, trapped between magically reinforced bars and unarmed. You tell me a way out, and I’ll be happy to help make it happen.”
I felt up and down my body, but as Marcus had predicted, I was unarmed. Cynthia had relieved me of my Stunner while I was under the paralysis curse, as well as the vials I kept on the belt around my waist. I had nothing.
“You have something,” Lisa said, as if reading my mind. “You are armed. Tink has given you everything you need.”
“But she gave me...” I reached up, fingered the necklace.
“Yes,” Lisa said, her eyes glittering across the dark room. “And I believe you have the bracelet to match?”
Sure enough, I glanced down and found the bangle still attached to my wrist. I must have slapped it over my forearm during the mad rush onto the trolley. It’d been hidden beneath the leather of my jacket, and Cynthia must have missed it in the pat-down.
Or, she’d seen it but hadn’t assumed it was dangerous. If Reina hadn’t told her the bracelet was missing, there’d be no reason for Cynthia to suspect foul play with a piece of jewelry. Same of the necklace. But apparently, Tink and her mother had known this all along.
“Yes, my daughter is very powerful,” Lisa sai
d. “The necklace is a protective spell between mother and daughter. However, because she’s given it to you, entrusted it willingly to a friend, the protective bonds are now linked between us.”
I closed my eyes, murmured a little paralysis jinx of my own. It was largely illegal to concoct our own spells and jinxes on the job, but I considered this to be extenuating circumstances. I sent the ball of light flying toward the bars, aiming at an empty spot on the wall, but the light fizzled, sparked, and died before it reached the edges.
“Magic dampener,” Marcus said dully. “Think I haven’t given it a shot?”
“But it doesn’t dampen our magic,” Lisa said. “A mother and daughter’s bond isn’t a spell or a charm. It’s something inherent that can’t be dampened by a curse. Still, it won’t be enough to save you.”
“Then what good is the protection in the first place?” Marcus spat.
Cynthia ignored Marcus and continued speaking to me in urgent, hushed whispers. “We’ll need help. Though I’m afraid the only one who can help us now is very weak.”
I followed Lisa’s gaze. At first sight, it looked like a body draped across a crucifix. Linsey Luca’s arms had been tied up on either side of her body and bound to wooden posts. Her feet had been confined in the same way. Linsey’s head drooped down to her chest, her entire body sagging.
I felt the boil of fury building inside my chest. “She is just a child!”
“A very powerful child,” Lisa said, and there was a note of sorrow in her voice. As if she was picturing her own daughter in Linsey’s place, hanging by thin rope as her power was systematically drained from her body. “Cynthia has been running her dry. I think—I know—Cynthia senses the end is near, and she’s taking it out on us. She’s been running through Linsey’s power as if it’s an unlimited resource.”
“But it’s not,” I finished. “And when it’s gone, she dies.”
Lisa nodded. “I will be next.”
“How can she help us?” I asked. “Linsey’s barely conscious. We can’t ask any more of her.”
“The Siphoning Spell,” Lisa said, flinching at the name. “It’s old magic infamous within the Golden District. We’re not afraid of much, but from this, we flee.”
