Walking in the Dark

by Donna Augustine

  Zee was singing “Justify My Love” by Madonna and making sultry faces by the time we pulled alongside an abandoned building. I was desperate to get away from the horror show that was Zee’s car service. As I watched the rats scurrying through heaps of garbage to safer ground at our approach, I thought about leaping out and asking them to lead me to safety with them.

  But, unfortunately, Zee was not the only one in need of cash, so I forced myself to open the car door.

  “We’re meeting her…” I was trying to get the word “here” out, but it didn’t want to be said.

  She waited for me by the door of the building. “Yes.”

  Well, that made one of us comfortable with conducting business in the middle of garbage and rats. What had I been thinking when I thought this was a good idea?

  Another car pulled up before I joined Zee, and a single female got out. She was on the slender side and pretty, with dark brown hair and owlish eyes. She smiled as she approached and pulled her hand out of her pocket to shake mine.

  “I’m Nance.”

  “Ollie,” I said.

  “I know. Everyone knows who you are.” Her cheeks went pink. “I mean, you know because you’re still alive, and…”

  “It’s okay.” I waved a hand, hoping she’d stop.

  That was when I caught sight of the hair on her hand. She must’ve noticed me looking, and quickly pocketed her hand again.

  I gestured her forward and patted her on the back as we made our way to join Zee together. “Don’t worry. We’re going to fix you up.”

  She looked like she was about to cry with happiness.

  “Zee, lead the way.”

  Kane was standing in the living room of our—his apartment by the time I went upstairs later that night. I hadn’t seen him all day. He turned toward me and must’ve noticed the war face I had on as I walked in.

  “You can put away your bullets.”

  I didn’t need much prompting. After being able to help the were-girl, the day had turned a bit brighter. It had taken a few tries, but I’d found something rattling around in my brain that fixed her. I wasn’t sure what else was in there, and I couldn’t say I wasn’t worried. Not only was I tired after working with all that magic, I didn’t want to fight, especially not with Kane.

  But I would if I had to. I still needed to talk to Asher.

  “You’ve always been arrogant, but this is a whole new level.” That had not come out right, if I gathered anything from the look I got. This wasn’t the talking Butch had meant. “Let me rephrase. You seem to be overly…” I hesitated. Controlling definitely wasn’t the right thing to say, even if it were true. “Protective?” I gave that one a moment to see how it would settle. He appeared to still be listening, so I continued. “I don’t understand why you are being so protective when I think certain actions are in both of our best interests.” Whew, that had been a whole lotta words with no insult. I was getting better at this.

  He walked over to the couch and sat on the arm, still appearing calm. “When you left, you moved in with a monster who might’ve killed you and taken the whole block along when he did. If that hadn’t been bad enough, then I found you in a basement where you’d been tortured.”

  I nodded, mostly because I had to. He had a halfway decent argument. Would it make it all the way to the Supreme Court? Maybe not, but it deserved acknowledgment. Butch might’ve been onto something with this talking stuff.

  “I see your point.” There, I threw him a bone before I hit him with my way’s better. “But I still feel like I’ve got to keep trying to mine the only source of information available.”

  He didn’t wait long before he calmly said, “Fine.”

  I didn’t move from my spot. He agreed with me without a fight?

  “Did you want to talk to him now?” he asked.

  Was he screwing with me? “Now’s good.” I bit my lip as I paused. Did I push it? Yeah, I kind of had to. “I have to talk to him alone. He’ll never talk to you.”

  Kane remained relaxed. “I know.”

  I nodded and took a step toward the door, then another, waiting for him to yell out “psych” the entire way. He didn’t.

  It wasn’t until Asher’s guard stepped aside, as if he’d already been informed, that I completely believed Kane. How long ago had he decided I was right?

  Asher sprang off the couch as I walked in. “Ollie, I’m so glad you’re here.”

  There was no trace of the ugliness of our last visit, and his face lit with the biggest smile I’d seen on him yet. The bigger the smile, the worse I felt. Was Kane right? Was Asher playing me, or was he as lost in this world as I’d often felt? He was stuck here, basically in prison, and I’d done nothing to help. As I walked toward him, the feelings of guilt clung.

  “I’m sorry. Things have been getting crazy. Asher, I want to get you out of here, but I need your help.”

  He froze as I got closer, and his eyes searched me. They dropped to my left hand and stayed there. The skin on my hand hadn’t changed from a couple of pinprick marks. “You know something happened.”

  His attention reverted to my face. “Yes.”

  It appeared I was going to have to drag the information out of him, even when he did know. “What does it mean? How much magic did it give me?”

  “It was a gift. What you have depends on the giver. They could’ve given you a single spell or a treasure trove of power.” He shrugged.

  He was too blasé by far. Maybe he didn’t understand the stakes? It wouldn’t be the first time.

  “Asher, you need to help me so that I can help you. I need information so I can show Kane he can trust you.”

  I paused for a moment and thought about my new me plan. “You don’t know how you got out; you don’t know anything about the missing items…” I threw my hands up. “I need something. You’ve got to give me something.”

  “I don’t have anything,” he whined.

  I ran my hands through my hair. There had to be something. “Do you know which crawler might’ve gotten out?”

  This time he didn’t answer right away. I took a deep breath before I spoke. It was like the dollar and debt argument all over again. “Asher, I can’t get you out of here without a show of good faith.”

  “There’s only one I know of that mentioned leaving the Shadowlands.” He took a few steps around the living room.

  “This is good.” I tried not to pressure him as he got his thoughts together. It took a few minutes before he held his hand up with a finger pointed skyward.

  “Do you remember the beast that came to you when you were hurt? The large one with the horns? It was the one I sent to tell you to meet me.”

  “Yes.” The creature had been freakish in its size and also in the power it had thrown off. Really? It had to be that one? He’d looked like a professional wrestler gone bad.

  He nodded. “It might be him. His name is Crem.”

  The idea of going slow went out the window. “Do you know anything else? Like what he wants to do here? Why he wanted out?”

  “No. Ollie, I would help you if I could. You know that, don’t you?” His eyes were wide and watery, his two hands gripping one of mine. “I don’t have anything else. Please believe me.”

  I nodded. “I’ll do what I can.”

  He dropped my hand and hugged me, while I looked for surveillance cameras. How long would it take Kane to decide Asher was trying to hug me to death? Asher dropped his arms before I had to pull away.

  “Stay out of trouble and I’ll do what I can.” I felt like a fraud saying that. If I was really trying to do what I could, I’d be rifling around in my head, trying to break him out. But I didn’t. I couldn’t, not until I knew if Kane was right.

  A pit formed in my chest during the walk back to Kane’s apartment.

  Kane was waiting for me as I walked in. I didn’t have to ask. I only needed to look at him to get a confirmation of how much good he thought that had done.

  I crossed my arms as
I stopped a few feet inside the apartment. “He gave us something. He’s trying.”

  “He gave us nothing but a name.” Kane wasn’t one to dodge the truth, either hearing it or saying it. The delivery wasn’t particularly soft, either.

  “Maybe I can use that, combined with a spell, to locate him?”

  “Or, more likely, you can’t use it for anything, and that’s why he gave it to you.”

  He should’ve just tacked on and you’re the idiot who keeps falling for it, for all his subtlety.

  I was the one who walked out this time. And that was how the truce of one hour came to an end.

  Chapter 27

  After spending all morning trying to pinpoint Crem’s position with the locating spell, I had to accept the truth. Kane was right. The name was worthless. Had Asher known that? I didn’t know. He certainly wasn’t helping, though.

  I walked back into the Underground, debating whether I would tell Kane I’d confirmed his suspicion or to not say anything at all. Saying nothing at all was lapping the idea of telling him. Mr. Know-it-all didn’t need another notch in his belt.

  It only took a step or two inside to realize something was wrong. The tension was bubbling over in the Underground, and it wasn’t me they were bent over whispering about this time. I was sure of this because as I made my way to Kane’s office, no one even paid me any mind. That was a near miracle these days.

  Kane was alone with his phone to his ear when I opened the door to his office. I took the chair in front of his desk, as opposed to the couch. I hooked a heel on the edge while I waited for him, quite positive that whatever that call was, it was tied into the reason the Underground was in a tither.

  “Keep me posted,” he said, and dropped the phone to the desk.

  I pointed to the discarded phone. “What’s going on?”

  He reclined in his chair, but there was tension in his shoulders. “There was another explosion at an ER.”

  I sucked air in through my teeth. Another End of the Rainbow gone, along with all the magic it held. More magic for the crawler to suck up. “Was anyone hurt?”

  “No. But a leprechaun was walking toward the place, only a couple of houses away, when it blew. He caught sight of what he described as a large, dark creature with a pair of horns. Said it wasn’t like anything he’d ever seen before.” He leaned to the side, resting his chin on his fist as he waited for me to absorb it all.

  As far as I knew, other than Shadow Walkers and Kane, no one could see a crawler. Or wasn’t able to until now. “He saw it?” This definitely merited confirmation.

  “Yes.” The word was said with the gravity it was due.

  “This mean he’s becoming more of this world.”

  Kane and I stared at each other across the desk, and I knew, even as he sat there looking much more relaxed than I, we were on the same page.

  This was too much to sit through. I got to my feet to pace the office. I really disliked that I’d become a pacer. When had it happened? I couldn’t remember ever pacing until my life had been upended. Then I’d evolved into one. Or devolved? Either way, I didn’t want to be one, so I forced my legs to be still. It lasted two whole minutes before I walked the length of the room again. I’d worry about personal backslides at a more convenient time, if that actually existed.

  There had to be some way to stop this before this creature became too strong and started blowing things up just for the fun of it. “We need a list from the leprechauns of all the ERs. We’ve got to start watching those places.”

  When I didn’t hear an answer, I looked over at Kane. He was clicking and swishing away on the computer, but his arched eyebrow said he’d heard everything.

  “If you disagree, say you disagree.” Nothing worse than having to guess at someone’s opinions as they stared at something on the computer.

  There was no hesitation. “It could be a colossal waste of time.” Click, click, click, swish.

  Well, at least he was decisive.

  “It’s all we’ve got.” I started working on my mental arguments.

  “I know—that’s why I’ve been asking for one. I sent Butch and Leon over there to encourage their cooperation. Now we wait and see how desperate the leprechauns are to save their magic and their lives.”

  “You sent them over to beat them up?” I slowed my pace. That wasn’t a bad idea.

  “I sent them to talk it over. You have very violent inclinations.”

  “I do?”

  He shrugged, seeming amused with himself.

  I took another few steps and realized I was pacing to the beat of his click, swish, click. For some reason, it was the thing that made me want to snap.

  “What are you doing?” How was I wound so tight while he was playing internet games?

  “Playing blackjack.” Click, click.

  I angled my head and caught a glance at the screen. He had five hands going. “Do you have a gambling problem you haven’t mentioned?”

  “It’s only a problem when you lose.” Click, swish, click. “And I wouldn’t comment on other people’s monetary management if I were you.”

  I would’ve gone back at him, but that was pretty much a slam dunk. Even if he’d contributed to running up the price on my building, I couldn’t explain away the rest of it. Another problem for a more convenient day. I was going to need some serious downtime if these evolving and devolving issues kept creeping up.

  Click, click, ding. “You’re making me dizzy. You might also want to conserve your energy, because if we do get a list, there’s going to be some long days.”

  I didn’t stop. “You aren’t even looking at me. You’re playing your game.”

  “I’m looking at you and the game.”

  I looked over my shoulder to see him smiling. “Then don’t look at me.”

  “But I like looking at you.”

  My left foot tripped over my right, but I caught myself before I face-planted. I had too many issues to add a flirting Kane to the mix, especially since the kiss was burned into my brain. It was hard enough to keep my equilibrium. Either way, I paced toward the window so he couldn’t see the smile that wanted to creep up onto my face. Damn gigolo. He’d probably used that line before, and I’d do well to remember it. Of course he’d used that line before. It was a gem.

  “Well, look at your cards instead. I don’t want to have to call Gamblers Anonymous for you if you start losing.”

  I leaned a shoulder on the tall filing case by the window that overlooked the Underground. I jutted out a hip and watched the people moving around. This was not a pose for Kane. It was merely the most comfortable position. I tossed my hair over my shoulder because it was in my face, not because it looked fuller that way.

  I dug the phone out of the back pocket of my jeans, looking for a distraction.

  “Nice phone,” Kane said.

  It wasn’t that nice. It was a year-old model I’d bought refurbished. I hit the screen as if I were checking something, while strategically trying to shield the serial numbers on the back. I’d need a magnifying glass to read them, but considering the surprises Kane had doled out, who knew what he could see. He might have 2000/2000 vision for all I knew.

  His laugh was only interrupted by his clicking and swishing.

  “What?” I asked, as if I hadn’t been obvious.

  “I told you, I’m not tracking you through your phone.”

  “I was looking at the news,” I said, playing stupid. He’d said he had a source within the cell company. But maybe he was trying to get me to not swap out my phone and make it easier for him. I’d switched carriers anyway. Let’s see how many connections he had.

  When the clicking halted, I looked over at him.

  “I’m going to come clean just so you don’t go to a new phone company again. It’s not your phone at all.”

  “Then how are you tracking me?” Memories of The Matrix sprang to mind, and my hand crept over my stomach as I envisioned a creepy worm thing crawling around inside of me. �
��Whatever you put in me, I want it out.”

  He let out a low sigh, as if I were proving the reason he should’ve withheld. “There’s nothing in you. It’s a spell. Too many people want you right now, so I thought it was safer this way.”

  “You spelled me?” Okay, this was doable. If he spelled me, I could get something to un-spell me in the Shadowlands. Or maybe I already knew something to un-spell myself? No biggie. I was that cool now.

  “You can’t undo it. Only I can.”

  That was what he thought. But to be safe, I should probably try it outside of the building.

  “I don’t bluff. If I tell you it won’t work, it won’t.”

  “Sure.” Of course that was what he’d say to stop me from undoing his spell. Very tricky of him.

  “If you’re going to try to undo it anyway, do it outside the building. And you should work on your poker face. It’s going to be a liability one day.”

  One day? More like every day since I met him.

  “Why doesn’t the magic I get from the Shadowlands work on you?” And, according to what he was saying, didn’t work on his spells. Although I’d test that out myself.

  He smiled. I guessed that was the only answer I was going to get.

  I crossed my arms as I narrowed my eyes in his direction. “Are you ever going to tell me what the hell you are?”

  “As soon as you stop wanting to know.” He stopped clicking to smile in my direction.

  “What’s the point of that?” I had to force myself not to smile in return. It didn’t make any sense why it was so hard to do, either.

  “That’s the point.” He nodded to himself as he resumed his game.

  “You make no sense.”

  “I’ll make sense once you understand.” He was smiling again, but this time to himself.

  “Okay, let’s stop talking, then, because the riddles are killing me.” I turned back to the window, my hair swinging flatteringly through no fault of my own.

  “Butch and Leon are back.” I straightened. “I don’t see anything in their hands.”

  I heard a slow breath leave Kane’s lips, but when I turned, he was still reclining and clicking and swishing away as if all were still good.