"Of course you'll stay with us," she said. "You let me stay with you after my apartment was burned down. Wait, do you think it could be the same people?"
Alec shook his head. "I doubt it. Those were bounty hunters after you. Whoever this person is, they're targeting all of us. Sarah's accident, Conner getting shot at... now the fire. I have no idea who it is, though. I hadn't thought we'd pissed off any humans lately."
They tossed around a couple of ideas, but it was clear that nobody knew who was after them. Everyone looked frustrated and tired. Harper felt like she could scream.
"The only lead we have is the flowers that Chloe got," Sarah said. "We need to find out who sent them. The note said to be careful. That sounds like a threat to me."
Chloe nodded. "But how are we going to find that out? The hospital said they were left at the front desk. There's no way to trace it. We're basically screwed there."
"That's not true," Brittney said. "You said there was a note. Can I see it?"
"Sure," Chloe said. She dug around in her purse, found the note, and passed it over. Brittney stared at it for a long moment, then flipped it over, and then looked at the front again.
"See this logo?" Brittney pointed to a rose at the top of the card. It was wrapped around a heart. "I'm sure that belongs to one of the Springtime flower shops in town. I've bought flowers from them before. We just have to figure out which one, find it, and get a list of customers. That'll give us a name at the very least."
"Brittney knows all about stalking people," Harper said. "I know where you got that idea, Brittney. Remember Trevor?"
Brittney was the one to groan this time. She'd been teasing Harper relentlessly about her high school years, and Harper felt a sense of vindication that she could finally tease her back.
"Don't even bring him up," Brittney said.
"Who's Trevor?" Chloe asked.
"He was this guy who had a huge crush on Brittney. Kept sending her presents with no names. We tracked him down the same way she's suggesting we track down whoever sent you the flowers in the hospital."
"And how are we going to have time to go chase down the right flower shop?" Alec asked. "We still have to figure out what we're going to offer Trinity."
Harper shrugged. "That's easy enough," she said. "I told you I have a plan. Tonight, we go after the goblins and get that artwork back."
Alec's eyes widened briefly and then he grinned. It was such a rare expression on him that Harper couldn't help but to smile in return. "You're brilliant," he said. "You want to give the art to Trinity."
Harper nodded.
Conner frowned. "We promised to get that art to Eklund," he reminded them. "That's the only reason he's faking credentials with the police. If we don't give him what he wants, he's not going to help us out, you know. And we definitely don't want him deciding we're not worth his time."
"I know," Harper said. "He'll get his art."
"We're going to frame them for the theft," Brittney said slowly. "You're a genius, Harper. But how are we going to pull that off?"
Harper shook her head. "I don't know yet," she admitted. "We've got to clear out all the demons, and then frame the human half of the operation with art theft. Then we don't have to kill them and they'll still be locked up. Eklund will get his paintings back, as well as cracking part of Trinity wide open. That should buy us some of his goodwill. He can get the case about the two loan sharks dropped."
"Well, I guess we'll wing it," Alec said. "I say that we get Chloe and Sarah to meet us there. We're going to need all of our power if we're going to take out an entire division of demons. I mean, there's a lot of them. They can bring our weapons too and follow from a safe distance. We'll give some kind of signal and they'll come in, toss us our weapons, and we'll go from there."
They paused in their conversation when the doorbell to the room sounded off. Alec got up, paid for the pizzas, and brought them back to the middle of the room. They sat there, eating pizza, until they were full. It didn't take long; none of them really had that much of an appetite after the day's adventures.
"For now, we need to get some sleep," Conner said. "All of us. That includes you, Alec."
Alec shrugged. "I can't promise I'll sleep," he said, "but I'll lie down and think over how we can get them framed with stealing the art. You know I sleep easier during the daylight hours."
Conner just shrugged. "At least try," he said. "It's going to be a long few days. We all need to be at our top game, especially with someone out there trying to off us every other hour."
After Alec had agreed, everyone went to the girls went to the other room and they all laid down. Brittney and Harper didn't have any clothes with them, so they stripped down to their undergarments and got in their bed. Chloe and Sarah shared the other one. Brittney turned the lamp off, and for a while, there was silence, other than Chloe's light snoring.
Harper had almost fallen asleep when she heard Brittney ask, "Are we getting in too far over our heads, Harper?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, it's a good plan," she said. "And I know we can do it if we play it right, but what if we don't play it right? What if we mess up?"
"We won't," Harper said. Even though she said it, she didn't know if she believed it. Maybe they were getting in too deep; but it was too late to back out now. They were committed to ending the thing. If they didn't, there would be problems with both Trinity and the police. Not to mention Eklund, who they'd made a promise to.
"You saw how many of them there are," Brittney said. "How are six people going to take down fifty demons in one go?"
"I don't know yet," Harper admitted. "I mean, Sarah's going to be a huge asset. She can change into her panther form and go to town on them. That should give us an edge. And you know how strong Alec and Conner are. And we'll have our guns."
"So will they."
Harper sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't know, Brittney. But we're committed to this. We have to do it. Then we have to figure out who's after us..."
"I know," Brittney said. Then her voice brightened. "Hey, guess what? Our furniture gets in tomorrow!"
"I know! What time do we have to meet the movers?"
Brittney glanced at the clock. "Oh, in a few hours."
Harper groaned.
"Don't worry," Brittney said, "I'll buy you coffee."
"Yeah, you better."
TEN
While the others were passed out from exhaustion, Chloe had woken up and was staring up at the ceiling. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw her parents' deaths. She hadn't thought of it in years, and she didn't know what was triggering it now. She kicked her blankets off, and curled up underneath her sheet.
She thought about waking Sarah. She was her best friend; she wouldn't mind helping Chloe through it. After all, Chloe had finally told her the truth. In the end, though, she suffered in silence. Sarah needed all the rest she could get if they were going to figure out who their mysterious assassin was.
Something was nagging at the back of her mind, something that had to do with the attacks, but she couldn't quite remember what it was. She tried shaking it off, she tried meditating, and she practiced levitating from a prone position. None of it helped.
Finally, she gave up on the idea of actually getting some rest, got up, and silently made coffee at the counter. It wasn't good coffee like Afterlife had, but it would do for now. The smell of it woke up Sarah, who sat groggily up in bed. "What time is it?"
"Nine," Chloe said. "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry. I just really needed coffee."
"It's alright," Sarah said. "I needed to get up anyway. I need a shower and a muscle relaxer. That crash did a number on my shoulder."
"Come here," Chloe said, sitting on the edge of the bed. Sarah approached her. "Sit in front of me, cross-legged."
Sarah sat down and waited. Chloe focused all her energy and began lightly touching the area on Sarah that was injured; her neck and her left shoulder. As she touched it, she channe
led her magic into it. She wasn't a great healer -- not like her mother was -- but she had enough power to at least numb the pain for Sarah.
"Thanks," Sarah said. She got up and stretched. "Oh, that's much better. You're a life-saver, Chloe."
"Better than a muscle relaxer?" Chloe asked.
Sarah nodded. "Much."
"Good," Chloe said. "Here, have a cup of coffee." She poured a cup and handed it off to Sarah.
"Thanks."
"So what are we going to do today?" Chloe asked. "How are we going to find this guy?"
"I don't know," Sarah said. "I guess we go with Brittney's idea. Track down which store the flowers came from and ask for a client list."
Chloe nodded. "And tonight we get to go track down goblins. This is going to be an interesting day."
Sarah laughed. After a moment, Chloe joined in. She didn't know exactly what she was laughing about, but everything just seemed hilarious. They were stalking a stalker and playing chase the goblin. Her laugh eventually turned into giggles and then eventually faded off. She wiped tears out of her eyes.
Before she could say more, there was a knock on the adjoining door. She glanced down at her clothes, shrugged, and went to answer it. Conner and Alec stood there, both looking far more awake than her. "Come in," she said.
"Thanks," Conner said. "You know, you have loud laughter. And good smelling coffee." He went over to the pot and poured himself a cup.
"Can't you make your own?" Chloe teased. Conner just took a sip and shrugged.
"So, do we have a plan for finding the guy who's trying to off us all?" he asked.
"We were just discussing that," Sarah said. "And it could be a girl, you know."
"Girls work silently," Alec said. "If they're human -- and the signs are pointing to them being just that -- then a human woman is more likely to use poison or something else that's subtle. Men are the ones who throw Molotov cocktails through windows and take shots at people in the daylight."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "That's a generalization and you know it."
"Maybe I do," Alec said. "But generalizations exist for a reason. Because nine times out of ten, they're right."
"Watch it," Sarah said. "I bet you that it's a girl."
"What do you want to bet?" Alec said, eying her. "I mean, we don't really need to bet with money."
Sarah considered. "Whoever is right... me, if it's a girl, you if it's a guy, has to help the janitors clean up Afterlife every night for a week once it's reopened."
Alec groaned. "You know I hate clean-up. I hate those janitors."
"You hired them!"
"Because they do their job, not because I enjoy their intellect."
"So then you better be right," Sarah said. Alec considered for a moment, shrugged, and stuck out his hand. They shook on it, and then Sarah grinned at him. "You're going to be stuck on clean-up, Alec. I just know it."
"In your dreams," he said.
Conner cleared his throat. "As fun as it is to bet on who's trying to kill us, maybe we could put some energy into actually finding the person. If they're resorting to house fires, they're only going to get worse."
"We're going to find the flower shop," Chloe said. "Alec, you can't go. Someone's after us, and you're more vulnerable during the day. We won't be able to protect you."
"I know," Alec said. "I figured I'd stay here and research the sewer systems for tonight."
"How?" Sarah asked. "Your laptop was at the apartment. It's probably melted."
Alec sighed. "I know," he said, turning to Chloe. "Any chance that you want to run to the computer store for me?"
Chloe groaned. "How come I'm always roped into doing the errand running?"
The truth was, she didn't really mind. She complained a lot about it, but she liked that Alec trusted her enough to let her do his running. She knew that was why he chose her; because she would get exactly what he wanted. The others had all tried at some point but Sarah had spent too much time bargain shopping, and Conner had just thrown things in the cart without paying attention to the brand. Chloe knew how picky Alec was, though, and she followed his list exactly. He didn't even have to elaborate on things anymore; she knew exactly what he wanted.
"Because you're so good at it," Conner said. "We should get you a maid's outfit while we're at it. Get you to do some cleaning in the office for us."
Chloe stuck her tongue out at Conner. "I might wear a maid's outfit," she said, "but I'm definitely not wearing it for you."
"Oh-ho," Conner said. "So who's the lucky guy, Chloe?"
Chloe flushed. She took a quick glance at the other bed. Neither Brittney nor Harper were up yet. She bit her tongue, but she didn't know how much longer she could keep her feelings a secret from Alec and Conner. For that matter, she wasn't sure why she was in the first place. They were her friends. They wouldn't judge her.
"Actually, it's for a girl."
Conner let out a low whistle. "Please tell me it's Brittney," he said.
Chloe hesitated. She didn't know if Brittney would want her telling everyone. Then again, she was never one to hide secrets, and she had a thing about telling the truth. She was part of the fey; they didn't lie.
"It is," she said.
Conner blinked. "Oh, wow, I was joking."
"Well, I'm not," Chloe said. "And please, no jokes about it. I don't know how comfortable Brittney is with it yet, and I don't want to scare her away."
"My lips are sealed," Conner said. "I won't make any jokes, Chloe."
She turned to Alec, and could tell by his expression that he already knew.
"I won't say a word," he promised. She didn't even need to look at Sarah to know she'd keep her mouth shut too.
"Thanks guys," she said. "It's just... it's really new, and I don't want to mess things up."
"I should have known you were a lesbian," Conner said. "All that time I spent flirting with you, and you never once returned my quite obvious gestures." He winked at her.
"I thought you weren't going to joke," Chloe said.
"I can't help it," Conner said. "It's in my very nature."
Chloe rolled her eyes again.
"I won't joke about it in front of Brittney, alright?" Conner said. "I mean, you know me better than that. I'd never do anything to hurt you, Chloe. Not intentionally anyway."
"Right," Chloe said. "I know. Alec, text me the specs of the laptop you want. I'm headed out."
Alec nodded, and Chloe skipped out the door. She headed down to her car, climbed inside, and started the ignition. The radio came on full blast and she remembered that her and Sarah had been rocking out to songs the night before on their way to the hotel. She quickly turned it down before it could give her a headache.
Before she went to the store, she stopped by a coffee shop and ordered an iced mocha. She drank it cheerfully, already feeling a bit better than she had that morning. Something about coming clean to the crew about her feelings for Brittney had truly awakened her.
Once she'd drove around a bit, relishing the sunlight and drinking her coffee, she drove over to the computer store. It hadn't opened yet, so she parked outside and waited. She played music in her car and sang along, doing a little dance in her seat to go with the beat.
Eventually someone came and unlocked the doors and Chloe got out. She went inside, pulled up the text from Alec, and showed it to one of the store associates. They pointed her in the right direction and Chloe bought a brand new laptop for Alec using her company credit card.
Once that was safely stored in her car, she began to back out so she could head to the hotel. Before she could, though, she saw someone waving her down. It was the bartender from Afterlife. Nathan. What was he doing here? Chloe sighed, parked, and got out of her car.
"Hey."
"Hey," he said. "I thought I saw you in the store. I wasn't sure if it was you, though, so I waited outside for you to come out. I know... that sounds a little stalkerish, but I just had to talk to you. Especially after the fire. I wanted to
make sure you were alright. I mean... you are alright, aren't you? If you weren't, they would have kept you at the hospital."
Chloe forced a smile in place. "If you're wondering about your job, it'll still be there when Afterlife reopens. I don't know how long that's going to take. It shouldn't be more than a week, though. The club just has some smoke damage."
"I'm not here about the job," he said. "I came to apologize."
"Apologize? For what?"
"I think I scared you with the flowers," he said.
Chloe blinked. "Wait, you sent the flowers?"
Nick nodded.
"So wait, you sent me the note to be careful?"
Nick nodded again. "You weren't supposed to be in the apartment," he said. "It was supposed to be Alec. I never meant for you to get hurt. Were you badly injured? You don't look bad... wait, is that a burn on your arm? I'm so sorry, Chloe. I never meant for that to happen. I wasn't after you."
Chloe's head was spinning. "Wait, Nathan, what are you saying? You set the fire?"
"Yes," Nick said. "And it's not Nathan. It's Nick. I've told you that a thousand times."
"I'm sorry, Nick," Chloe said. She took a step back from him. "Of course. You're Nick. But Nick, why would you want to hurt Alec? Were you the one who ran into Sarah's car? And shot at Conner?"
Nick nodded. "Yes."
"But why?"
"Because I have to kill them," Nick said. "It's the only way I can have you, Chloe. We're meant to be together. Can't you feel that?"
"What are you talking about?" Chloe demanded. "You're trying to kill my friends, and you're telling me that you... what? That you love me? That you want to be with me?"
"Yes," Nick said. "I've loved you since the day I met you, Chloe McAllister. But you never took notice of me. Not once. I was always outside your radar. You could never even remember my name."
"I'll remember it now," Chloe said. "You're Nick. Nick, whatever you're thinking about doing, rethink it. You can't kill my friends. And I don't love you. I'm sorry, but I don't. I don't even really know you. Just because you work for me..."
Nick was shaking his head, though. "You will love me," he said.
Kinda Like Van Helsing (Afterlife Book 4) Page 9