[Mystic Caravan Mystery 04.0] Freaky Games

by Amanda M. Lee

  Melissa pursed her lips, and I thought for a moment that she would argue further. Instead she bobbed her head. “Okay. I’ll be in my trailer.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled. “You need to go now just to be on the safe side.”

  Melissa rolled her eyes. “You’re so bossy.”

  “Oh, sweetie, you haven’t seen anything yet. Wait until the bad guys get here. I’m going to boss them all over the place.”

  KADE WAS quick and efficient when he emptied the park, Dolph and Nellie joining him and hopping into action to make sure no inadvertent stragglers were left behind. I met Mark’s gaze over the main aisle. He seemed to read my mind despite the distance, kicking his heels together and mock saluting before gathering his workers and pointing them in the direction of their trailers.

  Mark was hardly an idiot. He recognized that something big was about to happen and wisely pulled his people out of the line of fire. Percival did the same with the clowns, although the look he cast Raven before herding them in the opposite direction told me he would ultimately return. They seemed to be moving forward in a fast and furious manner, which meant he had no intention of letting Raven remain out of his sight for long.

  I watched Melissa long enough to make sure she really did point herself in the direction of her trailer, Dolph securing her inside before moving to the parking lot to help Kade show our guests to the big tent. We decided to meet there because the tent was large enough for our people to spread out – and scare the crap out of Pardo’s men – while hiding us from prying eyes should Dorsey return or leave men behind to watch us.

  I paced the space under the big tent as I waited for Pardo to show up, my stomach knotted as Nellie and Luke watched me wear a path in the sawdust. Neither one of them looked half as agitated as I felt.

  “You need to chill, drama llama,” Nellie ordered. “If you have all of this energy now you’ll need to vent by the time our guests arrive. If you vent all over them we’ll have a situation similar to this afternoon … and I doubt you’ll be able to take a nap in the middle of this confrontation.

  I scorched him with a dark look, frustrated. “Did you just call me a drama llama?”

  Nellie was unruffled. “What? That’s a thing. I hear the youngsters say it all of the time.”

  “Since when did you become a youngster?”

  “Because I’m young at heart and you guys are going to make me manscape before the next stop,” Nellie replied. “That means my body will be hair free – except for my face, of course – which is something only young people care about. Now … chill out. This guy isn’t a threat to us.”

  “I know that,” I said. “I’m more worried about that shadow showing up and eating him than anything else.”

  Nellie tilted his head to the side, as if considering the possibility for the first time. “That might not be all bad. It would kind of erase one of our problems.”

  “And leave us with the biggest one still to deal with,” I pointed out.

  Nellie shrugged. “Yeah, but it would send a message to the gambling community here,” Nellie argued.

  “And what message would that be?”

  “We’re so scary we have murderous monsters attacking regularly and they eat loan sharks as snacks,” Nellie answered. “Do you really want to mess with us?”

  I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “That’s a good message to send.”

  “It is indeed.” Nellie nodded and shifted his eyes to the tent opening behind me. “They’re here.”

  I pressed my lips together and lifted my eyebrows, inhaling heavily through my nose before turning to face the first threat of the evening.

  David Pardo was not what I expected. He looked like a congenial grandfather wearing a nice suit, a placating smile on his face as he waggled his sparkplug eyebrows and glided in my direction. The men surrounding him – all four of them – were built like professional football players (the ones on the offensive line, not the pretty ones who throw and catch the ball) and I was fairly certain they could easily tip over a semi-truck if properly motivated. They were just that big.

  I wasn’t afraid of any of them, despite the fact that everyone was clearly packing. Pardo looked annoyed with my audacity, even though he put on an amused face. I summoned him to me, which was probably a no-no in gambling circles. A man like Pardo wasn’t used to that.

  “You must be Miss Parker.” Pardo oozed fake charm as he looked me up and down. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  I cocked a challenging eyebrow, practically daring him to say something untoward as Dolph, Kade and Seth – our resident tiger shifter – took up position along the back wall of the tent. Kade momentarily met my gaze – offered me a small head nod – and then crossed his arms over his chest as he waited.

  “Really? I’ve heard very little about you.” I trailed my fingertips over the back of the chair I had sat in moments before and leveled a “been there, done that” look at Pardo. “You seem to hide behind other men and let them do all of the hard work. We’re not used to that here. We do the exact opposite.”

  Pardo’s eyes flashed as annoyance took over. “If you invited me here to insult me … .”

  “I didn’t have that in mind,” I said, wiping my hands over the seat of my cargo pants. “I asked you here so we can strike a business deal and then you can be on your merry way.”

  “What kind of business deal?”

  “I’m prepared to pay you the money Luke owes you in exchange for you walking away and not coming back,” I replied, matter-of-fact.

  “I see.” Pardo almost looked amused. “Young Luke here has already racked up twice the amount of money he borrowed thanks to interest so – I’m sure you understand – I’m going to need a little more than my initial investment.”

  “And I’m sure you understand that I’m not going to pay you that,” I shot back, refusing to back down. “I have the two grand Luke owes you. In fact, a co-worker is putting the money together right now and she’ll be here shortly.”

  “A co-worker, huh?” Pardo looked genuinely amused. “And what if I don’t agree to your terms?”

  I answered without hesitation. “Then you’ll be sorry.”

  “Really?” Pardo didn’t look convinced. “I’ve been involved in this line of work for longer than you’ve been alive, young lady. Hell, I’ve been working in this area for longer than any of you have been alive. You really think you can shake me down?”

  I shrugged. “I really think you don’t know who you’re messing with.”

  “And I think you’re on my last nerve,” Pardo barked. “You don’t come into my town and dictate to me. I’ve been doing business here for a very long time. There are rules that have to be followed. Your friend Luke, here, was aware of those rules when he borrowed the money.”

  I promised myself that I would keep my temper in check when dealing with Pardo, but I wasn’t sure that was a possibility given his attitude. “Really? Was Luke aware of the rules when your sister enchanted the casino and caused unsuspecting gamblers to fall into a magical net?”

  It was a calculated move, but I knew it was the right one when Pardo uncomfortably shifted from one foot to the other.

  “What do you mean?” Pardo hedged.

  “You know exactly what I mean, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t insult me with idiocy and insolence. I don’t have time to deal with your crap,” I snapped. “Believe it or not, you’re low on our list of things to worry about right now.”

  “If you’re not worried about me, why am I here?”

  “Because we’re not stupid. We know what you have planned,” I replied. “You and your friends are staking this place out because you think it’s an easy mark. It’s a cash-rich business that will pack up and leave soon. You think you can rob us and we won’t put up a fight.”

  Pardo’s eyes glinted with malice as they locked with mine. “That’s a bold statement.”

  “Yes, well, I’m fine with that,” I intoned. “This is the circu
s, after all. Everything we do is bold.”

  “Do you really think it’s wise to accuse me of marking you for theft?” Pardo asked. “That seems almost reckless to me.”

  “Were we normal people – heck, were we normal circus folk – your threat might hold some weight,” I explained. “We’re not afraid of you, though, and you’ve woefully underestimated us.”

  “Is that a fact?”

  “It is.” I glanced at the men standing guard over Pardo. “What happened to Ron Waters and Wendell Wortham? Why aren’t they here to play games with you? Could it be they’ve already played some games with us … and lost?”

  For the first time, Pardo looked momentarily worried. “What are you insinuating?”

  “I’m not insinuating anything,” I replied. “I’m flat out saying we messed with your men to the point where one wet himself and the other really wanted to.”

  “Oh, boy did he ever,” Nellie enthused, grinning as Pardo glared at him. He leaned on his ax, the head on the ground and the handle in his hand as he swayed back and forth next to the grim weapon. “You know what, Poet, I don’t think he’s fully grasped what’s going on here.”

  Sadly, I was coming to the same realization. “Yeah. I think his sister is a witch, but he seems to believe that’s a fluke. He doesn’t understand that there’s a vast world out there, one in which his sister is low witch on the totem pole and we could end her without breaking a sweat.”

  Pardo openly glared as his focus returned to me. “Are you threatening my sister?”

  “I’m telling you that I know what your sister is,” I answered, opting to bluff because I had no real confirmation that Pardo’s sister was a witch. That was simply a hunch. “I’m also telling you that she’s not alone in this world with her abilities, and some of us are much stronger.”

  “Think of it like the Olympics,” Nellie suggested. “We’ll leave with gold medals. You’ll be disqualified for doping even though you never had a chance to reach the podium.”

  I couldn’t help but be mildly impressed by Nellie’s comparison. “That was very good.”

  Nellie winked. “I’m gifted.”

  Pardo shook his head, as if dislodging the possibility that he might lose, and glared at me. “We’re here as a courtesy. You will start doing as you’re told or … .”

  I cut him off with a wag of the finger. “You’re not in charge here. Don’t you get that?”

  “I am the boss,” Pardo snapped.

  “Oh, geez.” I rubbed the tender spot between my eyebrows and glanced at Luke. “You’re going to owe me big time for this. It’s like talking to a wall dealing with this guy.”

  “I’m sorry.” Luke’s smile was rueful. “We could just shift and scare the crap out of him. It might be quicker.”

  That was an interesting thought. I opened my mouth to give him the go ahead, but I didn’t get the chance because Nixie picked that moment to barrel into the tent. Her eyes were wide and she gasped to catch her breath as she rested her palms on her knees and glanced around.

  “What’s wrong?” Kade asked, instantly on alert.

  Nixie’s gaze bounced between faces. “Are these the cheesy mobster guys who want to break Luke’s legs? I was expecting The Godfather, but these guys are like Muppets or something.”

  I nodded. “Yes. We’re in the middle of a discussion. Do you need something? I thought I told you to watch the perimeter for our other friend.”

  “That’s why I’m here,” Nixie replied, all business. “The shadow is back and it’s headed in this direction.”

  Oh, well, great. And I thought things couldn’t get any worse.

  29

  Twenty-Nine

  “Well, this isn’t good.”

  I flicked my eyes to Kade and found him staring at the tent opening, his hands clenched at his sides as if he expected to fight a creature he couldn’t actually touch.

  “What’s not good?” Pardo asked, his expression shifting when he got a gander at the reactions around the tent. “What’s going on?”

  “Our other … problem … has decided to make an appearance,” I replied, opting for honesty. “I can’t say I’m surprised. I was hoping we would be able to get you in and out before it arrived, but that appears to have been wishful thinking.”

  “It?” Pardo’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you trying to pull one over on me?”

  I could see why he jumped to that conclusion. He wasn’t privy to the things I shoved into Waters’ mind. He wasn’t present when Raven turned Wendell Wortham into a walking voodoo doll. To him, we were putting on a show.

  “I wasn’t lying when I said you weren’t our top priority,” I offered. “We have another issue … and it’s a serious one.”

  Pardo furrowed his brow, his hands landing on his hips. “I have to hand it to you guys. You certainly are dramatic. I don’t know anyone else who would even try to go this route.” He wagged his finger in a teasing manner. “I’m going to give you style points if nothing else.”

  “I don’t really care what you want to give me,” I countered. “Or how you want to give it to me, for that matter.”

  “Um, that came out kind of dirty,” Luke noted. “You might want to rephrase it.”

  “I have to agree with Luke,” Kade said, refusing to look away from the tent opening. “Pick a different way to phrase that.”

  “Yes, because these are the things we should be worrying about right now,” I muttered, shaking my head when the tent walls shuddered. I shifted my eyes to the left as I realized what was happening. “Dust storm.”

  “It looks like,” Kade confirmed. “It’s not quite here yet, but you can feel it’s coming. It’s blocking out the moon in that direction.” He pointed for emphasis, causing my stomach to flip.

  “Well, that’s just great,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Where did you see it, Nixie? What part of camp was it hanging around?”

  “I didn’t see it,” Nixie replied. “The figment told me.”

  I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead. “Now the figment is talking to you?”

  “It doesn’t talk to me,” Nixie clarified. “It’s trapped between two planes of existence and I’m from a different plane. When it touches me I can kind of … see things. It’s not as violent for me as when it tried to show you the past. You’re from this plane, and traveling between planes is much more difficult for you.”

  “It wasn’t exactly violent as much as terrifying.”

  “Yes, well, the figment is here, too,” Nixie said. “It’s trying to warn us. You were right about it not being evil. I don’t know if I would call it a friend, but it’s certainly not our enemy.”

  “It’s a he,” I corrected. “I’m not sure which man it used to be, but it’s a he.”

  “All right, that will be enough of that crap,” Pardo snapped. “I don’t know what game you guys are playing, but I absolutely refuse to play it with you. Now, Luke here owes us some money … and the sum grows daily. I’m adding five grand to the total for the sheer annoyance of having to visit this place. Do you understand?”

  His petulance and refusal to admit he was no longer in charge made me want to laugh, but now was hardly the time.

  “I understand that I’ve had it with your mouth,” I shot back. “Do you really not grasp what’s happening here?”

  “I sincerely doubt it. He sent men to rob the ticket booths while he was in here distracting you,” Nixie supplied. “Don’t worry. The midway folks took them down with minimal effort. They didn’t even have to kill anyone.”

  I was dumbfounded. “The midway folks? Are you telling me that Mark got off his dead rear end and actually did some work?”

  Nixie shrugged. “They tried to steal his profit margin. You know that puts his knickers in a twist. He’s feeling mean, too. He had Peg Leg Helen sit on one guy’s head until the clowns showed up as reinforcements.”

  I tilted my head to the side at the visual. “The clowns are in on it?”

  “Yeah,
Percival is trying to show he’s all manly, so he wanted to run to Raven’s defense,” Nixie replied. “She took down one of the men, too. Some guy named Barney. She made him strip naked and do the chicken dance.”

  “That’s a load of crap!” Pardo was so worked up that spittle formed at the corners of his mouth. “If you think I believe that you’re crazier than the chick with green hair.”

  “Do you know what I find funny about that sentence?” I asked, moving past Pardo and heading toward Kade so I could scan the area outside. “It’s not the part about green hair. It’s that you didn’t even bother to act surprised that we captured your men.”

  Pardo’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t send any men.”

  “Luke, sing that song you like to sing.”

  “What?” Luke’s face was blank. “The ‘Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire’ song?”

  I nodded. “That’s the one.”

  “I’m not feeling very musical right now,” Luke supplied. “Maybe later.”

  “Well, that will be fun, too.” I stood next to Kade and peered out into the darkness. It looked restful and quiet – the storm hadn’t started yet – but I knew hell was about to come calling. It was only a matter of time. “Have you seen anything?”

  “No,” Kade answered. “I’m worried, though. That shadow monster is interested in people with magical leanings. That puts you, Raven and Naida high on its list.”

  “There’s nothing we can do about that. I’d rather the three of us be its targets than anyone else.”

  “I’m sure you’ll understand, but I don’t feel that way,” Kade argued. “We need to get these guys out of here right now and focus on the real threat.”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

  “Really? It doesn’t feel that way to me,” Kade shot back. “To me it feels as if you’ve been playing with him. Cut him loose, honey. The storm is almost here.”

  I rested my hand on his forearm in an effort to calm him. “I’ll take care of it right now. It’ll be okay.”