Luke on the Loose

by Amanda M. Lee

  “The outfits are fantastic,” Nellie agreed. “I wanted to moonlight on the trapeze, too, but it turns out dwarves don’t have the best balance.”

  “I think you’re supposed to use the term ‘little people,’” Billy said sagely. “We don’t want to be rude. My place is welcoming to everyone.”

  It took everything I had to hide my surprise. “That’s a progressive attitude.”

  “Not really. My brother is gay and my sister is married to a Muslim. I don’t like prejudice of any kind and I don’t put up with it in my establishment.”

  The friendly vibes I’d been faking for Billy only moments before turned into the real thing. “Well, that’s great. I’m glad you feel that way.”

  “Me, too.” Nellie downed half his beer. “Now, tell me about the people hanging around here. Are any of them good with the ladies?”

  Billy made a strange face. “Your friend asked me the same thing last night.”

  That’s when the forgotten part of our conversation came roaring back. “That’s right.” I sat up straighter in the booth. “You said that one of the bikers – a guy who wasn’t hanging around last night – killed it with the ladies.”

  “I did,” he confirmed. “I also asked why you were so interested. I’d still like an answer to that question.”

  “Oh, well … .”

  “We’re looking for a guy for one of our friends,” Nellie lied smoothly. “Her name is Nixie. She’s got pink hair right now – kind of like my dress – and she has terrible luck with men. We want her to have a good time while she’s here, but it has to be with someone who won’t get clingy. We’re not in town long.”

  “I don’t think you need to worry about that.” Billy beamed. “Still, if you want to set her up there are plenty of options. Like Cole over here.” He gestured toward the undercover police officer who was sipping a beer and trying to disappear into the wallpaper. “The women fall all over him, but he doesn’t pay them much attention.”

  I had a feeling I knew why. Cole was much more interested in me, or at least people like me, though he tried to pretend otherwise. He was undercover, after all. He couldn’t get distracted by romantic entanglements … even if I was the most handsome man who had ever crossed his path. No, seriously, I’m just that good looking.

  “Did you say something, Billy?” Cole asked as he recovered. He looked flustered, and the look he shot me promised mayhem if I blew his cover.

  “The guys here were just talking about finding a male friend for one of their co-workers,” Billy explained. He was either oblivious to Cole’s discomfort or purposely ignoring it. I honestly couldn’t decide which. “You won’t date any of my regulars, but they say she’s just looking for a fling. I figured you might be up for that.”

  “I don’t think so.” Cole shook his head. “I don’t think that dating a circus performer is in my wheelhouse.”

  “And why is that?” I asked pointedly. “Is there something wrong with circus performers?”

  “I’m sure circus performers are perfectly fine. They’re just not … the sort of people I usually date.”

  “I think dating a circus performer sounds amazing,” Billy countered. “I bet they’re really flexible.”

  I frowned. “You realize not all circus performers are trapeze artists, right?”

  “Of course. Don’t be ridiculous. Your friend Poet is a fortune teller. You’ve already told me that. She looks flexible, too.”

  I felt as if I should be offended on Poet’s behalf. “She’s already taken.”

  “Yeah, by the guy who was with you last night. I notice he’s not back. Did Little Miss Bossy put her foot down and forbid him from going out again?”

  “Something like that,” I muttered, throwing a dagger of a glare in Cole’s direction. He seemed to be legitimately flummoxed as the conversation continued, and I felt Nellie’s eyes bouncing between him and me as he put two and two together. “He wasn’t feeling well all day. I think he wanted to stick close to home.”

  “You mean he had to stay close to the boss so she could yell at him,” Billy corrected. “Don’t worry about it. I get it. She’s your friend and you don’t want to speak badly about her. I’m sure she has fine qualities – like flexibility – but I couldn’t put up with that mouth. I’m used to a more demure woman.”

  I watched as one of the regulars – a woman I’d seen here three times now – put a shot glass between her breasts and bounce until she got the right trajectory to fling the liquid toward her mouth. “Yes. Totally demure,” I drawled.

  Billy obviously missed the sarcasm because he was looking at Cole again. “So … you’re out with the circus chick?”

  “I appreciate the offer but I have to say no,” Cole replied.

  “I guess that leaves Stefan,” Billy said, snapping his fingers toward a dark-haired man standing in the corner and talking to a pretty blonde. He hadn’t as much as looked in our direction since we’d arrived, which made him the only one in the room who wasn’t curious about the visiting circus folk. “Hey, Stefan, I have a job for you.”

  For his part, Stefan looked bored when he finally tore his gaze from the blonde and focused on the burly bartender. “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yeah.” Billy nodded. “One of their friends at the circus needs her lines blown out and I figure you’re the guy for the job.”

  For the first time, Stefan shifted his eyes to me. There was recognition there, but I couldn’t be certain I’d seen him before. There was nothing familiar about him, and yet I felt a zing in the back of my brain all the same. “You’re with the circus?”

  “I am,” I confirmed. “Have we met? Last night, perhaps?”

  “I don’t think so. I don’t spend much time at circuses.”

  “He was here last night,” Billy said. “But you were out on one of your dates I bet.” He turned to me. “Stefan has a different date every night. Sometimes he picks them up here. Sometimes he picks them at the supermarket. He’s notorious for never dating the same woman twice.”

  “That’s fascinating.” It was disgusting was what it was, but I figured that I was expected to “ooh” and “aah” like everyone else hanging on Billy’s every word.

  “He’s got something about him,” Billy continued. “One woman he brought in here last week – she was a really pretty brunette and I thought he should’ve kept her for a little longer – she came in and told me he smelled like fresh-baked cake. She was dead serious.”

  I froze as I pinned Stefan with a look. “Is that so?” Every nerve in my body was tingling. “What kind of cake?”

  Billy made a face. “Does it matter?”

  “I guess not.” I nudged Billy with my hip. “I don’t suppose you could let me out?”

  “Where are you going? You just got here.”

  “I need to use the restroom.” I didn’t miss the fact that Stefan was edging toward the door. He clearly understood that I’d pegged him for what he was. “I won’t be but a minute.”

  “You must have a bladder like a woman,” Billy complained. “You barely drank anything.” He slowly moved to stand. It was too late. Stefan bolted toward the door.

  “Wait!” I tried to push past Billy but he was too big.

  “Hold your horses,” Billy complained. “I’m moving.”

  Nellie had no barriers between him and our suspect, and was halfway across the bar before I could get clear of the booth.

  “I’m on him,” Nellie called out. “He won’t get away from me.”

  And just like that, the chase was on.

  Ten

  Nellie may have short legs, but he was fast when he thought he could behead something. There was a reason he picked an ax as his weapon of choice ... he enjoyed wielding it.

  Billy was obviously bewildered. He followed me as far as the door before giving up. That didn’t stop him from yelling after me. “You forgot to pay your bill!”

  “I’ll be back,” I promised without looking over my shoulder.

  I
stopped in the parking lot long enough to scan between the vehicles — if I were running from a crazy dwarf in a dress I would do my best to disappear rather than make a spectacle of myself — but the sound of Nellie bellowing from the woods told me it was best that I head in that direction.

  “What’s going on?” Cole slunk out of the darkness and moved to my side. “What just happened?”

  That was an intriguing question. I didn’t have an answer for him. “Nothing. Go back inside.”

  He made a dubious sound deep in his throat. “Um ... I’m pretty sure you’re chasing Stefan.”

  That was a ridiculous statement given what went down. Still, I had no choice but to lie. “Of course we’re not chasing Stefan. Nellie simply likes to play games.”

  “That includes yelling weird things and chasing random men?”

  “He’s ... an odd duck. I can’t explain the games he likes to play. Even I don’t understand them.”

  Cole planted his hands on his hips. “Seriously? Is that really all you have to say?”

  I wasn’t sure what else I could say. “Go back inside,” I insisted, refusing to back down. “This is none of your concern. You’ll blow ... everything ... if you’re not careful.” I didn’t want to point out he was an undercover officer in case someone was loitering outside of the lighted area and overheard. That would ruin his operation. “Leave this to me.”

  He didn’t immediately respond, instead running his tongue over his teeth as he watched me head toward the woods. It only made sense for Stefan to run in that direction if he thought he could escape. He’d obviously been using the path between the bar and the clearing for nefarious means the last year. He probably thought he knew it better than us.

  Ultimately, that was most likely true. We were stronger than him, though, and we definitely had him outnumbered.

  Even though I felt a certain pull when I spent time with Cole, I pushed him out of my mind. It was never going to work, and he certainly wasn’t in the best position to find out about our group’s extracurricular activities. The odds of it going well were slim.

  I hit the woods at a dead run, pulling up short when I realized Seth, Dolph and Nellie were nowhere in sight. I wasn’t sure where they’d disappeared to but it couldn’t be far. The sound of raised voices told me they’d taken the fight about five hundred feet into the woods, and that’s where I headed, allowing only a single sad thought to invade my mind when it came to Cole before focusing on the obvious problem.

  Stefan, his nostrils flaring, stood in the center of the small group when I joined it. He seemed to be caught off guard, fear causing his expression to turn from a sneer to a grimace when I joined the fray.

  “I should’ve paid more attention,” he lamented when he saw me. “I knew you were going to be trouble that first night.”

  Right up until that moment I wasn’t sure if the dream haunting me the last several days was real. Now it was apparent ... the incubus had power over me. That put me in a sticky situation.

  “You were in my head,” I muttered.

  “I was.” Stefan looked smug. “I was in your head, and I should’ve ended you that night. I only sensed you on the periphery. I wasn’t even sure why I sensed you. I guess I know now.”

  “You should stay back,” Seth warned, holding up a hand. “He can’t order you to hurt us ... er, well, I don’t think he can.” His expression reflected confusion when he turned toward Nellie. “He can’t, right?”

  “He can’t.” Nellie was firm as he gripped the ax he’d obviously retrieved when giving chase. “He can cause Luke to go weak in the knees and moony, but he can’t order him around. He doesn’t have the power.”

  Stefan made a disgusted face. “Oh, I can make him do things. I’m an exquisite lover. He’ll fall all over himself to do my bidding.”

  The way he stated the words made me sick to my stomach. “Trust me. You’re not my type. If you made me go moony, it would be because you’re a demon, not some great lover.”

  “Besides, you’re wearing pleather.” Nellie let loose a dismissive hand wave as he gestured toward Stefan’s vest. “There’s no way Luke would ever fall for a guy wearing pleather.”

  “That is very true.” I smiled as I folded my arms over my chest. I wanted to be the one to take him out, but that seemed risky given the situation. “How many women have you killed?” It wasn’t necessary to ask the question, but I couldn’t stop myself.

  “Why does it matter?” Stefan challenged. “I don’t even know why you care. You’re obviously ... enhanced.” He leaned toward Seth and sniffed. “Shifter.” His lip curled. “I hate shifters.”

  “We have plenty back at the circus,” Dolph said. “Perhaps we should all go back there together.”

  “No.” I instantly started shaking my head. “I don’t want him close to the women. I think it’s better to end him out here.”

  Something dark and dangerous flashed in Stefan’s eyes. “Oh, you think you can take me, do you?”

  Nellie’s smile gleamed under the limited moonlight filtering through the tops of the trees. “We know we can. You’re hardly the first incubus we’ve crossed paths with.”

  “You throw that word around as if you know what it means. I’m willing to bet you don’t know what it means.”

  “And I’ll take that bet.” Nellie was the type who enjoyed playing with his enemies before taking their heads. He was clearly having fun with Stefan. “We’ve taken out quite a few of your brethren over the years. There used to be more of you.”

  “That’s because they’re stupid,” Seth supplied. “They don’t know how to cover their tracks.”

  “I don’t have that problem,” Stefan said. “I was fine until you idiots came along.”

  “There are twenty-two girls in that field,” I argued. “Someone was going to stumble across them eventually.”

  “Usually I’m long gone before that happens. I was somewhat nervous when I heard the circus was coming to town. I figured you would have no reason to stumble upon the field, though. Even if you did ... .” He made a tsking sound with his tongue. “It’s just my luck a paranormal circus had to come through. I didn’t even know that was a thing.”

  “I want to know how you managed to cross the dreamcatcher that first night without it alerting,” Dolph said. “That shouldn’t have been possible.”

  “I don’t know what that is.”

  “The magical web over the fairgrounds,” Nellie volunteered. “It’s supposed to draw evil beings to us but alert when they cross the threshold. It didn’t alert with you that first night.”

  “Ah ... I saw that. It had weak points. I just pushed them out and created a hole.” Stefan looked proud of himself. “It wasn’t difficult.”

  “No?” I cocked my head to the side. “I guess we need to be more careful when erecting the dreamcatcher.”

  “It’s because it’s Akron,” Nellie argued. “Nothing ever happens in Akron. A demon would have to be crazy to set up shop in Akron.”

  “Or smart,” Stefan countered. “I made it a long time hunting here without discovery. I was three months away from moving on again. You have made it so I’ll have to hurry that timeline.”

  I almost pitied him. His bravado was off the charts ... and completely misplaced. “Do you really think we’re going to let you leave here?”

  “Why not? What’s it to you?”

  “You killed one of our clowns,” I replied. “Now, in general, we think all the clowns are weird. We don’t understand why anyone would want to dress up in floppy shoes or polyester wigs. That doesn’t mean we want them dead.

  “Calamity was one of the few clowns I could tolerate,” I continued. “She didn’t deserve what you did to her. She was minding her own business when you came along and ravaged her.”

  “She died with a smile on her face. I can promise you that.” Stefan puffed out his chest, proud. “All of them die with smiles on their faces. Even that little Romani you have running around would’ve died with a smi
le on her face if you’d just stepped back and let me do my thing.”

  My blood boiled. Poet was the only Romani in our group. “You never would’ve gotten close to her,” I hissed, malice practically dripping from my tongue. “We wouldn’t have allowed it.”

  “We definitely wouldn’t,” Nellie agreed. “I think it’s probably best we end this now. You’re only digging yourself in deeper.”

  “I’m not afraid of you,” Stefan growled. “In fact ... .” He didn’t finish what he was about to say, instead jerking his head in the direction of the pathway that led to the circus. There, standing in one of her ankle-length skirts, was Poet. She looked absolutely furious, which seemed to please Stefan. “Hello, cutie. I was just thinking about you.”

  “Keep her away,” Dolph ordered when Poet took a menacing step in Stefan’s direction.

  Kade swooped in behind Poet and grabbed her around the waist. “Don’t throw yourself at him, baby. I’ll never get over it if you do.”

  Stefan chortled as Nellie raised his ax. “She can’t help herself. I’m everything she’s ever wanted.”

  “That’s not true,” Poet argued, her eyes flashing. “Stop it, Kade. I have no intention of throwing myself at him. I wasn’t even minimally enticed when he was throwing out his dream net. Luke is the one in danger.”

  Her eyes were accusatory when they landed on me. “Speaking of that, do you want to tell me what you guys are doing in the woods? Why did you draw him out here?”

  “Because I wasn’t comfortable using you as bait,” I replied simply. “You’re my best friend. We wanted to end this before you were ever in danger. The plan was working until you came out here. Why are you out here, by the way?”

  “I’ve been looking for you. You haven’t been answering your texts.”

  “Oh. I turned my phone off when we were in the bar. I didn’t want to risk lying to you and figured we would be done before you even noticed we were missing.”