Elias glanced to her and then looked to the driver. “Somewhere easy to find,” he told the man. “And make sure the police can’t connect the cars to Joe.”
The driver nodded.
Studying the building, Ashe climbed out. No windows covered this side of the restaurant, but the front and back entrances were the only ones she’d seen. She glanced over, biting her lip as Mud clambered from the sedan. If they kept Mud toward the center of their group, their magic might obscure him enough to distract the busboy. But it might not. And then she wasn’t sure what they’d do.
“Come on,” Elias said, breaking into her thoughts. Without looking back, he started for the restaurant door.
She glanced to Mud again, and then followed.
The kid didn’t look over as they came near. Exhaling the smoke from his cigarette, he grimaced, shifting uncomfortably against the brick wall. Tensing, Ashe glanced to Mud. In the shadows of his hood, the man barely seemed to be breathing, his gaze locked on the busboy.
With a clang, the back door swung open. Heart pounding, Ashe looked to Elias as a large man strode from the building. Ruddy-faced with a splattered apron lashed around his middle, he was nearly the height of Nathaniel, though more than twice the girth. At the sight of the busboy, he froze and then turned a deeper shade of red.
“What the hell, Tommy?” he snapped. “If you’re going to smoke, at least get your tail over by the trees where people can’t see you!”
“Huh?” the boy sputtered.
“We’ve had complaints about people smoking back here. It carries through the air ducts. Stinks up the dining area. So from now on, you smoke by the trees, got it?”
“But no one told me about any–”
“You talking back to me?”
“No.”
The man nodded, expecting the answer. “Good. Now get over there.”
For a moment, the busboy eyed him up and down, as though trying to decide if the guy had suddenly lost his mind. When the man’s expression became darker, the kid held up a hand defensively and then shrugged away from the brick wall to head for the trees. Shaking his head, the man watched him go.
“Sorry about that,” he said, glancing to Elias.
Ashe blinked. Though he seemed utterly human, the man was nevertheless looking right at them. Shocked, she glanced back to Mud.
“Blood?” she mouthed.
The cripple looked startled and then shook his head hurriedly.
“Come on in,” the man continued with a jerk of his chin toward the door. “I’ll keep the others distracted while you get your friends downstairs.”
Elias nodded and then followed him inside. Cautiously, Ashe trailed after them.
A wave of heat hit her as she came in, emanating from the kitchen ahead. Pots and dishware clanged in the massive sinks, enormous ovens poured out warmth, and everywhere she looked, people were hurrying around preparing food, picking up food, and depositing dishes still partly covered in food. Past the swinging doors, the dining area was full, and the noise of the restaurant pushed against the general clamor of the kitchen.
Striding on ahead, the large man walked to the entrance of the narrow back door hallway and then paused, surveying the frenetic hubbub like a ruler overlooking his kingdom. Through a sixth sense all their own, the cooks and waitresses seemed to perceive his presence without ever looking his way, and almost instantly, the pace of the kitchen accelerated.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Elias smile. She glanced to him questioningly, but he just turned to the small door beside the rear entrance. Nudging aside a few boxes with his foot, he pulled the door open and then headed down a metal stairway to the basement.
With a last wary look to the man by the kitchen, Ashe followed.
“What was that?” she asked as the door swung shut behind them. “How did he–”
“Long story,” Elias said.
Her brow drew down, but he pretended not to notice as they reached the bottom of the steps.
Katherine emerged from the small room where they were keeping Harris. Wiping her hands as though to rid them of invisible dirt, the woman grimaced and then froze in mid-motion as she noticed their approach.
Carefully, she returned her hands to her sides. “Welcome back,” she said. She paused as Mud came down the stairs. “Who is our guest?”
“He says his name is Mud,” Elias said, his tone barely disguising what he thought of the statement.
Glowering beneath his hood, Mud muttered something unintelligible, and then blanched at a low noise from Nathaniel.
“I see,” Katherine said neutrally, stepping to one side to allow the guards to pass.
“Have you found out anything from Harris?” Ashe asked before the cripple could make another comment.
Katherine sighed. “He remains obstinate.” Her mouth tightened. “I could try to press him a little…”
“No,” Ashe said, her voice sharper than she intended. She paused, regrouping. “No,” she repeated more quietly.
“As you wish.”
Mud looked between them. “Who?”
Katherine glanced to her husband. “I have a cot made up for you in the other room, your highness,” she began carefully.
Ashe shook her head, trying to look reassuring. “I’m not tired. Listen, do you think a few of the others might be rested enough to–”
She cut off as Elias’ expression hardened.
“Who’s in there?” Mud demanded, stepping closer. “I mean it. I’m not hanging around if you’ve got bad guys behind every door. Seriously. You–”
“It’s just a human,” Ashe interrupted, forcing the dismissive words in the hope of getting the man to shut up.
“Who works for our enemies and shot her majesty,” Elias said to her pointedly.
“You were shot?” Mud repeated to her.
“And I’m fine now,” Ashe retorted, trying to ignore the little man. “Elias, I understand that the others need rest, okay? But I’m fine, and Mud being here is the first progress we’ve had all day. I’m not going to just–”
“We had an agreement.”
“Things’ve changed.”
“Not that.”
“Listen, your queenness, if you were just shot, I mean…” Mud eyed her up and down as though shocked she was still standing. “I mean…”
Fury rising, she didn’t bother looking at him. “People are dying out there,” she said to Elias. “And now we can finally do something about it. We can’t afford to just sit here–”
“You can’t afford to have another assassin get lucky!” Elias snapped. Scowling, he reined himself in and continued more quietly. “And neither can we.”
She looked away.
“We had an agreement, your highness. Just a few hours of rest.” He paused. “Please.”
A heartbeat passed. From the corner of her eye, she could see Elias growing angrier.
“Fine.”
“Thank you.”
Not sure what to say, she turned, heading for the room where she’d woken up that morning. Nathaniel followed.
“How bad was she shot?” she heard Mud ask as she left.
No one answered him.
At a quiet noise from Nathaniel, she hesitated and then stepped to one side, letting him precede her into the room. In a corner, a sleeping bag lay open beneath a pile of pillows. Frustration still gnawing at her, she sank down cross-legged on the soft surface and propped an elbow on her knee. Rubbing her eyes briefly, she sighed, letting her forehead rest on her palm.
Exhaustion settled over her like a blanket, and after a heartbeat she jerked back, realizing she’d drifted off almost instantly. Grimacing more for Elias being right than anything, she shifted around on the sleeping bag and then paused, seeing Nathaniel still standing on the far side of the room.
“You’re just going to stay there?” she asked.
He nodded once.
Uncomfortable, she glanced around the room.
“You really don’t
have to. I’m fine.”
He said nothing, his gaze on the wall. Studying him a moment, she weighed her chances of getting him to leave.
“Right,” she said.
Turning around on the blankets, she lay down with her back to the massive wizard and, after a second’s hesitation, warily closed her eyes.
The room was dim when she opened them again.
Blinking, she rolled over. Nathaniel stood as she had left him, though the lights overhead were almost extinguished. The air was cool, and as she moved, she realized one of the quilted mover’s blankets lay atop her.
She glanced at Nathaniel again. The man didn’t look away from the wall.
Pushing the heavy blanket back, she climbed out of the sleeping bag and then rose to her feet.
“Thanks,” she told him.
The man hesitated, and then bowed his head slightly, expressionless.
Pausing, she glanced from the wizard to the door, knowing the moment she moved he’d want to leave first. Reading her look instantly, he strode to the doorway and surveyed the area outside before nodding for her to follow.
At the end of the hall, a guard still stood watch outside the room holding Harris. “Where’s Elias?” she asked, directing the question to him and Nathaniel equally.
“Upstairs,” the guard replied.
She cast a look to the stairs skeptically, wondering why he was up there. With a distracted nod, she thanked the guard and then headed up to the kitchen.
Darkness greeted her at the top of the steps. Moving carefully around the boxes by the door, she walked into the shadowy kitchen, her shoes squeaking softly on the checkerboard tile. Stacks of pots and pans were tucked away in the shelving all around her, their metal reflecting the dim light coming through the small window in the dining area door. On the wall, a large clock showed the lateness of the time, and she grimaced, trying not to regret the extra hours of rest.
Nathaniel pushed open the swinging door and then held it for her. Dark red carpet deadened the sound of her footsteps as she walked into the room, and over the polished wood tables, most of the light fixtures were dark. From the walls, assorted pictures of everything from old sport teams to bizarrely painted animals gazed down on her, and in a corner, Elias sat with the man who’d met them outside earlier that day. Beneath the glow of a yellow-shaded lamp, the men were leaned back in their chairs, and Elias was shaking his head amusedly. A steaming plate of food sat between them, and on the wall above, the poster of a black-and-white science fiction movie hung, the characters pointing in horror at the plastic models of spaceships in the sky.
As the door swung closed, the men looked over. Grin broadening, the large man shifted his bulk out of his seat and rose to meet her. “Hey there,” he said, sharing his friendly smile with her and Nathaniel both. “Name’s Joe.”
He extended a calloused hand. Mirroring Nathaniel’s caution, she shook it carefully, her fingers lost in his massive palm. “Ashe,” she answered.
“Nice to meet you. Are you hungry? Come have a seat.”
Obeying his own direction, he started back toward the table.
“We need to get going,” she said, directing the words mostly to Elias.
The wizard hesitated. “Joe just heated this up for us, your majesty. With your permission, it’ll only take a moment to finish.”
Hearing the message behind the words, she paused, and then glanced back as Nathaniel silently headed for a table near the windows to keep watch on the parking lot.
Burying her frustration, she walked over to join Elias.
“So…” Joe said as she sat down. He motioned welcomingly to the plate of breadsticks and cheese dip in the middle of the table. “Elias tells me you’re queen to his folks?”
For all his friendliness, he didn’t seem quite able to keep the skepticism from his voice. She paused in reaching for a piece of bread, casting a glance to Elias.
“Something like that,” she answered, returning her attention to the food.
He grinned. “So you tell Mr. Wizard here what to do, eh?” he ribbed.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Elias carefully look down at the table. Uncomfortable, she said nothing.
“Ah,” Joe said, smile fading awkwardly. Waffling for a moment, he took another bite of the bread and cheese. “So… cheese dip good?”
Wiping the corner of her mouth, Ashe nodded and then swallowed. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Secret recipe,” he said. Elias gave him a dry look and the man’s grin returned. “Not really,” he admitted. “It’s just cheddar and cream with a few spices thrown in. You like it, I can always heat up more.”
Uncertain what to say, she gave him another neutral smile. “Thanks,” she said again.
He shrugged amicably.
A moment passed in silence.
“So…” she began.
“You’re wondering how I can see you lot, right?” Joe filled in. He grinned. “Guess you all just make an impression on a man.”
Brow drawing down, she glanced to Elias.
Reluctance flashed across the wizard’s face. “Joe’s daughter got caught in the crossfire a few years back,” Elias explained.
She looked back at the large man in surprise. “Was she–”
“Danielle’s fine,” Elias said succinctly.
She glanced at him curiously. Leaning back in his seat, Joe scoffed as though the words were an understatement.
“So–” Ashe started.
Elias pushed away from the table. “How about I go see if Mud’s finished up?” he offered, heading for the kitchen as he spoke.
“Tell him to lay off if he’s not,” Joe called. “Weird little guy was eating me out of business last I saw.”
Lifting a hand in agreement, Elias disappeared through the door.
Ashe watched him go. “Why…?”
“He doesn’t like to talk about what happened to Danni,” Joe said. He cleared his throat. “I mean Danielle. Twelve going on twenty, my girl. Claims she’s too grown up for daddy’s nicknames.”
She glanced back as he chuckled to himself.
“Not his fault,” Joe said to her expression. “Just blames himself, I think. Hates that a kid got caught in this mess.”
“What happened?”
“Eh,” he said, shrugging expansively. “A couple of those Taliesin folks ambushed Elias and his lady. And Danielle and I were walking back from a movie. Been going every weekend since her mom died. Loves the romantic comedies, my girl. Puts a man to shame, being seen in them, but what am I going to do? So one minute we’re walking along, and the next, my girl’s bleeding like she’s been hit by a firebomb.”
Ashe swallowed, and Joe nodded. “I know, right?” he said. “So yeah. I’m standing there, my brain trying to make up all these explanations, but honestly, I’ve no idea what just happened. And meanwhile, there’s my Danni, bleeding.
“Now, from what I’ve learned over the years, most of your kind just leave her, right? Collateral damage or whatever. But Katherine and Elias, they just pop out of nowhere, far as I can tell. He’s bleeding and she’s got murder in her eye, but he still grabs Danni and starts dragging her to the alley, while Katherine… well, she’s making my head spin. Everything is. Can’t really see her, can’t tell what the hell’s going on, but next thing I know, my girl’s back on her feet, and those two are telling us to run like the devil’s on our tail. Danni doesn’t know what happened; she’s just scared and wants to go home. But me… I know what I saw. My Danni was hurt. Now she’s not. And these two? They just take off. Yell at us to run and then do it themselves. Like I’m supposed to forget what just happened.
“Well, I get Danni home, and she tosses her clothes in the laundry like she can’t even see the blood. But me… like I said. I know what I saw. Leaves an impression on a man, watching someone you care about bleeding to death from something you can’t explain.”
Her gaze dropping to the table, Ashe said nothing.
“So yeah,” J
oe continued, lost in his story. “Danni doesn’t remember. There’s nothing on the news at all. But here I am, knowing damn well my girl was bleeding her poor little heart out not two hours before, and I’ve got nothing to prove it. My mind’s trying to explain it, but…”
He grimaced, shaking his head.
“And then Katherine shows up. Just walks in from the living room like she’s been there the whole time. Scared the daylights out of me, I’m telling you. Her too. Don’t think she expected anyone to notice her stopping by.”
Joe chuckled. “It’s pretty rare, from what I understand. My kind seeing yours. Almost never happens, really. But when it comes to someone hurting my Danni, well… you better have more than magic up your sleeve to make me forget that. And Katherine, she’d snuck a peek at Danni’s ID with the full intent of coming by to check on her after the dust had gone down. Check on her,” he repeated. “Total stranger, Katherine was. And here she came, determined to make sure my girl was alright.”
He shook his head again. “Danni was. Totally healed. Not a scratch on her. Because of them.” He sighed. “So I have to thank them, right? But what do I have? Money? What good is that when my girl could’ve died? But when Katherine tells me what the hell’s going on, well, then I see a way. Got this restaurant, right? And who’s going to pay attention to a human in the middle of you all’s war?” He grinned. “So we made a deal. And the rest, as they say, is history.”
“I’m glad they could help her,” Ashe said quietly, not knowing how else to respond.
Joe scoffed. “You and me both.”
Oblivious to the awkward silence, he reached over, drawing another breadstick from the plate. She looked away, her gaze moving over the walls without landing on any image in particular.
She hadn’t known how to heal. Wasn’t good at it even now. Five months ago, she hadn’t even known what magic was. And Harris worked for the Blood. Maybe Malden had too.
Or maybe not.
Stomach twisting, she tried to push the memories away.
The kitchen door opened. Grateful for the interruption, she looked over as Elias returned, Mud trailing after him. Baggy coats still enveloped the man, making him look like a shuffling laundry pile. As he came closer to the light, however, she could see he’d made some effort to remove the dirt on his face, leaving scrubbed patches of paler skin amid the caked-on mess.
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