by Anne McClane
“Thank you. I guess?” Lacey said.
“Good. Then it’s on,” he said. He asked the bartender for a scotch and a Ketel One and tonic.
Lacey, pleased with herself, thought of an opening and took it. “Hey, don’t you have some sycophants missing you terribly right now? Why are you so interested in why I’m an idiot?”
“Sycophants, huh? Nice. You use some high-dollar words there,” he said.
“You must be fairly sharp yourself, if you know what it means,” Lacey said.
“My parents are English teachers,” he said. “And if you’re referring to my friends, they can be without me for a little while. I’m where I want to be right now, finding out why my production manager’s best friend thinks she’s an idiot.”
“I’m probably an idiot in more ways than one,” Lacey said. The Dakota Kid knew the connection between her and Angele. She wasn’t sure why that disappointed her. “But knock yourself out, take a guess.”
“Let’s see,” the Kid said. He tapped his fingers on the bar. “You’ve got a crush on a younger guy, a real hot property, and you couldn’t figure out why you were sitting alone at the end of the bar the other night instead of talking to him,” he said.
“Ha! I think this younger guy thinks very highly of himself!” Lacey laughed. “And wait—how do you know he’s younger than me?” she asked defiantly.
“I know a few things. I’m full of surprises that way,” he said.
“I’m getting that sense,” Lacey said. “If you really must know, I think I called myself an idiot because I was panicking about not being able to find my car key, when it was in my pocket the whole time.”
“I see,” the Kid said. He looked down at the skirt she was wearing and raised his eyebrows. “I can think of only a few places to get lost in that outfit.”
Lacey nearly spat out her drink laughing. “Wow,” was all she could say.
He smiled, pleased at her reaction. “But I don’t buy it anyway. You said there are probably multiple reasons, so I think the key is just a red herring.”
“Philosophically, I’m sure there are several reasons,” she said, thinking specifically about her reluctance to give notice at her job. “But I can assure you, a crush on a mythical ‘young hot property’ is not one of them.”
“Yet,” he said.
Lacey shook her head.
His back against the bar, he crossed his legs and folded his arms in front of him. He looked at Lacey’s hands, clasped together on the bar as if in prayer.
Suddenly self-conscious, she dropped them to her sides.
“Don’t worry, babe, I saw enough the other night,” he said to her, and winked. “So maybe you’re inclined to think yourself an idiot because you’ve let your heart lead you where your head isn’t ready to follow,” he said. “It’s happened before, and you’re afraid it’s going to happen again.”
He said it with an earnestness that made her think it wasn’t a come-on. Lacey cocked her head at him. She wasn’t sure how to respond. The truth was all she could come up with. “You might be on to something. Am I that transparent?”
The Dakota Kid smiled and looked down at his shoes. A show of humility she doubted she’d ever see again. “Only in the way that anyone who feels is transparent. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think following your heart is ever a bad idea.” At the flip of a switch, the cocky movie star returned. “Plus, you’re hardly transparent. You’re very vividly drawn,” he said.
His hand dropped to her side and caressed the curve of her hip. His fingers tapped gently.
Lacey’s wheels started spinning and her breath caught in her throat. She felt completely outshone by the Kid’s outsized charisma. It was a familiar feeling.
She quit thinking and kissed him, hard on the lips. He was a little shocked by the move, but wasted no time in returning the embrace. He took control, placing both hands on her hips.
His touch lingered. A finger traced the small of her back, and she imagined her spine lit up like a Christmas tree. He took his time. Lacey couldn’t remember the last time she’d made out with someone. She thought of Fox, and a New Year’s Eve. It felt like a lifetime ago.
He must have sensed her thoughts beginning to stray. The pressure of his touch intensified. He had a hand nearly under her arm, along the side of her breast, his thumb just brushing against it. It set her pinging.
Something didn’t sound right. The music had stopped.
Lacey’s head was racing and her heartbeat quickened. But she pulled away when she heard a commotion.
“K-Kevin,” she said.
He looked angry.
“Something’s happening,” she said.
The crowd around the DJ had dissipated and headed en masse to the railing of the boat. They had not yet left the dock.
“I think you’re right,” he said. “Come with me.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him. She took little baby steps in her heels to try to keep up.
He maneuvered his way through the crowd, keeping her in tow. They got to the railing and saw two crewmembers hauling a body up from the water. Eli and Angele were standing by. Angele shot a look full of daggers at Lacey.
Lacey looked in the opposite direction and pulled her hand away from the Kid.
The June evening was thick and oppressive. Lacey took a deep breath and willed the air to be less stifling. She took two steps back.
“Who is it?” she heard the Kid ask Eli.
“Angus,” Eli responded, no inflection in his voice.
“Is he dead?” the Kid asked.
“No. I’m going to need your friend,” Eli said. He turned his head toward Lacey, but his right eye floated out over the water. She couldn’t tell where he was looking.
She tried to back up further, but there was nowhere to go.
“Lacey?” the Kid asked.
Lacey heard nothing else. Eli appeared at her side and led her by the elbow.
The crewmen pulled up the limp, towering body of Angus and laid him out on the deck. Lacey tried not to stare. It was the same man she had seen earlier, the oaf stationed on the dock, who had let her in without checking his list.
Angele stood nearby, arms folded.
A big, wet, lifeless mass. Lacey blanched from head to toe. She couldn’t move. She was back on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, identifying Fox’s body.
Eli tightened his grip on her arm and said, “You’re going to have to get over that. Come with me. You have to help me help him.”
She was struck.
“What? No,” she said. “What can I do?”
“Hold his hand,” Eli ordered. He pulled her down to the ground and put his ear to the barrel chest of the drowned man.
Eli started chest compressions, but the body didn’t respond. Lacey tentatively touched the limp, gray hand. She felt heat, not from his hand, but her own. It radiated up her arm, an almost familiar sensation now.
Lacey fought to maintain consciousness as the fire traveled through her. This hadn’t happened before. Or had it? Waves passed through her, and she felt waves buffeting her, like she was treading water in a rough ocean.
She focused on Angus, trying to stay conscious. He had broad, plain features. His underbite more pronounced by a slack mouth. Lacey’s knee almost touched his holstered gun.
The waves began to settle. Eli stopped chest compressions. Angus’s chest heaved, and he coughed. Fountains of water spewed from his mouth as he violently vacated his lungs.
Lacey released his hand and stood, backing up against the railing of the boat. She felt singed, her only relief her head-to-toe perspiration.
Angus was conscious and coughing. Eli had gotten out of his way, and through a fog, Lacey saw Angele and Eli talking.
Once again, Lacey felt herself being yanked away and dragged from the crowd. She sailed past the Dakota Kid, a surprised and amused look on his face. He shrugged, and Lacey turned around to see who had hold of her.
Angele. Damn, she was strong for
her size. “Walk with me,” she said as she pulled Lacey to the aft of the steamboat.
Lacey struggled to regain her feet. She finally did, and as soon as they were out of sight of the crowd, she pushed off Angele.
“What the fuck?” Angele responded.
Lacey felt the red wave rise.
“What the fuck back! What is with you? I could use some help here,” she said. Lacey looked up. The enormous paddle wheel at the rear of the boat slowly swayed from side to side as the water lapped at its base.
“I don’t know what the fuck has gotten into you,” Angele said. “A make-out session with that ridiculous child, and then going mutant on some scrub of a security guard. What a fucking waste of energy.” The venom in her voice made Lacey wince.
“Jesus, what is your problem?” Lacey hissed. She fanned at herself and tried to catch her breath. “One, I have no idea what happened there,” she continued. “Your boy Eli just grabbed me and put me to work, I didn’t go volunteering. And second, what about Kevin Horner? Aren’t you always telling me to lighten up, be more in the moment?”
“You have no idea of the consequences of your actions,” Angele said.
A dredge boat churned past, moving downriver. The boat’s lights fell on them for a moment. Angele looked small and sad.
Lacey shook her head. “I don’t fucking believe this. I can’t do anything right,” she said. She kept fanning herself. “And how can you say that,” Lacey continued, “about the security guard? Are you really that cold?”
“Say what?” Angele asked.
“That he was a waste of my energy,” Lacey said.
“I didn’t say that,” Angele said.
“Oh, I think you said something about a ‘fucking waste of energy’ when I don’t even know what my energy is.”
“Jesus, Campo, it’s just a phrase,” Angele said. “This guy’s been a liability this whole shoot. Look—it’s just—he fell over. I saw it happen. Like he was leaning over to see something, and poof.”
“Jesus, indeed,” Lacey said. “Maybe he fainted, or had a stroke or something. Maybe he has health issues. But this is all beside the point. I don’t get what you’re giving me right now.” Lacey turned her back to Angele and walked toward the river side of the wheel.
“Oh, Lacey, shit!” Angele said. She ran to Lacey and shoved her to the ground with the full force of her bodyweight.
Lacey turned her head in time to save her teeth from cracking on the deck. She saw Angele landing blows against her back. She reared up, trying to push her off.
“Wait, Lacey, wait!” Angele said, her hands now gently patting Lacey’s back. “Here, roll over.” She pushed at Lacey’s side. Lacey rolled over.
“Christ, Lee, I think you broke my shoulder! What the fuck?”
“You were on fire,” Angele said, kneeling over her, hands on her thighs. She cracked the first smile Lacey had seen all evening.
“Oh, this is funny?” Lacey asked.
“Sort of,” Angele said. “C’mon, let’s stand you up.” Angele offered her hand. Lacey shook her head, but accepted the assist anyway.
The wake of the passing ship slapped against the side of the riverboat. The heavy air smelled sweet. A combination of fuel exhaust and whatever had been dredged up from the riverbed.
“What were we talking about?” Lacey asked.
“Fuck if I know. I guess…I just want you to be more careful, that’s all,” Angele said. “Especially around this crowd. You have to be careful who you let in.”
Lacey patted at her sides, trying to put herself back together.
“Look, I’m sorry about the Dakota Kid,” she said. “I didn’t know it would put you in such a bad way. I’ll back off.”
Angele laughed. A chuckle tinged with bitterness. “I could give a shit about him,” she said.
Her reaction proved Lacey’s hunch about a crush.
“And you’re right,” Lacey said, changing subjects, “I need to be more careful. Especially if I’m going to start working with these folks and spontaneously combust and shit.”
“Have you quit Trip yet?” Angele asked.
“No, no. I will, though. Monday. It’s gonna happen.”
“I’m not going to make any calls for you until you do, so get on it,” Angele said. She was acting like herself again, much to Lacey’s relief.
Lacey took a deep breath and pushed her hair back behind her ears.
“Lee, are we done here?” she asked. “I think I need a drink.”
Angele nodded. “Yeah.” They walked together, back to the crowd.
“So,” Lacey asked, “was it like big orange flames or just a little bit of smoke? I knew I felt something.”
“It was pretty weird,” Angele said, keeping in step. “More like a glow, like embers, with some smoke.”
Lacey turned her back to Angele. “How bad does it look?”
“Luckily, the pattern on your top kind of hides it,” Angele said. “And it’s dark. You’ll be fine.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“I think we just figured out the naked part,” Angele said. “I wonder if fire retardant material would make any difference.”
21
Eli pulled Lacey aside when she returned to the dissipating crowd at the riverboat’s railing.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” Lacey answered. “I guess.”
Awkward seconds passed. His left eye looked at her straight on, making her more nervous than ever.
“Are you going to inquire after Angus?” Eli asked.
“Oh, God, yes, I’m sorry. How is he?”
“He’s been taken to hospital. They will test him for signs of a cardiac event. His prognosis is good.”
Lacey wondered how he knew that. “Oh. That’s good. I guess,” she said.
“You guess?” Eli asked.
Lacey folded her arms. “I mean, I’m glad he’s going to be okay. But I’m still confused about everything else.” And she was. Eli knew something about her ability—that much was obvious. But how? She should have asked Angele.
“You shouldn’t be. Have you been paying attention?”
Lacey huffed involuntarily. She looked down at her peep-toe heels.
If Eli was a different sort of person, he might have laid his hand on her shoulder, or laughed and said something reassuring. Instead he said, “Come with me.”
Lacey looked up. “What?”
He folded his arms and raised his eyebrows. “You heard me. Let’s go.”
Lacey looked around for Angele, but didn’t see her anywhere.
“No time for stalling,” Eli said. He turned and walked inside.
Lacey took a few hesitant steps and felt a hand around her waist. She turned and came face to face with the Dakota Kid.
“Well, that was exciting, huh?” he said.
Lacey shook her head. “Understatement. Where are we going?” she asked.
“I don’t know. But he does,” the Kid said, gesturing toward Eli.
Lacey had no energy to protest. She would text Angele to let her know where they wound up. And she would work up the nerve to ask Eli how he knew about whatever it was that she did. She’d lost the opportunity with Cecil; she wasn’t going to lose another one.
The Kid’s arm felt nice around her, but any desire had seeped away. Their moment had passed. Lacey felt herself settling into the friend zone, and everything about it felt right. The Kid pulled his hand from her back to place it on her shoulder. She glanced at it. His hand was dirty with soot.
Lacey sighed heavily when she realized where Eli was taking them. Their driver turned onto Maple Street. Redd’s.
What if Nathan is there? Her thoughts turned, and she couldn’t stop a wicked little smile from forming. If he was there, he would see her with Kevin Horner. He would be jealous.
Stupid, she told herself. Nathan is a married man. A line from a long-forgotten song materialized in her head: Keep an open heart and you’ll find love again, I know.<
br />
She reflected on the source. Tesla’s power ballad was pretty catchy, and Jimmy had always liked the band. She had no idea why that snippet of lyric had come to her. Maybe the driver had run over a wormhole that bridged to the stereo in her brother’s room twenty years ago.
And she didn’t want to find love again. No, that’s stupid too. Of course she wanted to find love. Who didn’t want love in their life? But not a repeat. She’d already had the head-over-heels tumult with Fox.
A loud rapping roused her from her thoughts. Kevin Horner was outside the car already, knocking on the thick glass of her window and mouthing words. She pulled the door handle.
“Earth to Lacey!” he said as he grabbed her hand and helped her out of the car. “Wow. Where the hell were you?”
They took a booth near the side door, and Kevin volunteered to get drinks. Eli and Lacey sat exactly opposite each other, Eli with his calm Buddha visage, floating eye, and no attempt at conversation. Lacey swiveled her head, attempting to find an opening. He still made her feel wildly uncomfortable, and she was beginning to suspect that was absolutely by design.
There were a handful of people in the place—three guys playing pool, two couples sitting at one of the other booths. They were all younger than Lacey would have expected them to be, and none of them were Nathan.
A young blonde, all skin and bones except for her implants, was tending bar. Kevin took his time getting their drinks.
Eli popped out of his seat and announced, “I’m going to the jukebox.” He didn’t wait for a response.
When Kevin finally returned, he sat next to Lacey, her purse serving as a divider between them.
Lacey nodded toward the jukebox and said, “He has a pretty unusual way of interacting with people.”
Kevin looked confused and answered, “How so?” And then burst out laughing. “It’s the genius thing,” he answered. “It’s almost like he has Asperger’s, but without any of the anxiety. He enjoys socializing, but on his own terms.”
“Interesting,” Lacey replied.
“He likes you,” Kevin continued. “He said he thinks you have ‘real potential.’”
“What is this, Pretty Woman?” Lacey laughed. “Potential as what?”