“Me?” I raised an eyebrow. “What about you?”
“Baby, I’m not nearly as memorable as you.” He reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and handed me a poster with my face plastered across it. It seemed reptoes held a grudge. The words wanted DEAD or DEADER made that much clear. The twenty thousand dollar reward wasn’t half-bad either.
My finger stabbed into Jake’s chest, removing the blatant monitory interest from his eyes. “Don’t even think about it.”
He smiled flashing predatory teeth. “Playing dress-up makes sense now, huh?”
I nodded. The poster carried a picture of me dressed in my standard uniform of black complete with skullcap. I looked like a boy. So much for my feminine vanity. There was no way any reptoe would recognize me dressed like I currently was. I’d bet my life on it. Hell, I was betting my life on it.
“Okay, let’s go.” I hefted my skirt up and jumped from the mini-mutated van. “So what’s your plan if Nobody’s inside?”
Lifting his jacket to one side Jake revealed a shiny nine-millimeter tucked in a holster directly under his left arm. “I have a gun. Do I really need a plan?”
Good point.
Jake slipped his arm around my waist, and together we walked up the block. From the outside the reptoe building appeared worn, its brick façade cracked and peeling. The front door opened, and a seven-foot reptoe with green lizard skin stared down at us. He wore gold chains and a Timex around his neck. A big twelve-inch Timex. Overcompensating in a big way for, I glanced at his really small feet, something.
“Whadda you want?” Mutant Flavor Flav asked, spewing digested fly breath into the air around us. A nose plug, I thought but before I could say it, Jake flashed him an invitation in the names of Douglas Miller and his lovely wife, Martha Hagernash-Miller.
Martha? Really?
The reptoe wasn’t buying my Martha impersonation either if the hard look he sent Jake was an indication. But Jake just smiled with ignorance or arrogance. I wasn’t sure which. Finally Flav stepped aside and allowed us to enter. Jake kept his hand in the small of my back as the reptoe led us down a long corridor. His hand warmed my skin, and it felt good. Not a touch of possession or protection, but like it belonged. Before I over examined that thought I stumbled, nearly falling on my face. Jake caught me, his arms wrapping around my naked flesh.
“Careful, sweetheart,” he said, pulling me up against the muscles of his hard chest. Heat flared between us, and for a second, the reptoe world around us faded.
“Keep moving,” Flav said, his talons scrapping the wall next to us. I quickly stepped past Jake and resumed my place in line. The interior of the corridor was so dark I could barely see the illuminated dial of Flav’s timepiece in front of me. But boy could I smell him. His breath was the least of his grooming worries.
We arrived at a set of dark wooden doors without further incident. Beyond the doors the pumping sounds of bass and drum beats mixed with the occasional high-pitched squeal of laughter. Flav knocked twice on the door, and another reptoe, this one smaller with pink ribbons around her ears, opened it.
“Welcome,” the girl-reptoe said motioning us inside the room. A room packed with mutants and a few token humans tossed into the mix. The mutants were dressed in the latest mutated fashions, meaning plenty of baggy sweat suits and plated-gold accessories.
I scanned the room for Nobody, in particular. No sign of him. With a sigh I allowed Jake to propel me through the crowd, his hand hovering at the small of my back as if he was afraid I’d vanish at any moment.
Every few steps a different reptoe would stop us, drunkenly spew a few words of brotherly love and grope my butt like it was the Ass-Grabbers Olympics. Nevertheless, by the time we crossed the room, my dreams of gold were realized.
Jake pointed to the wall on the other side of the dance floor. I glanced that way and my heart slammed in my chest. Nobody stood with his back against the wall, a cup of something in his big hand and a small smile on his face as he watched a woman slither on the dance floor. There was something familiar about the woman, but I couldn’t place it.
I stepped forward, ready to confront/save my friend but Jake grabbed my hand. “Don’t,” he said. “If you blow our cover we’re as good as dead.”
His tone stopped me. He was right. If I wanted to find the truth behind Nobody’s kidnapping and get out of reptoe hip-hop hell I’d better relax. Nobody didn’t appear harmed, nor did he look like a victim of a brutal mutant-napping. Actually, other than a dark ring around his eye, he seemed perfectly fit. But something about his smile gave me pause. It seemed forced, leery even.
“Something’s wrong,” I said to Jake. He nodded, but neither of us stepped closer. “Let him come to you.” Jake squeezed my hand. It was my turn to nod. Jake smiled, looking satisfied by my agreement. “I’m going to talk to some mutants. See if I can find anything out about the vaccine.”
Keeping an eye on Nobody I lost Jake in the crowd of reptiles and mutants. He’d be fine, I assured myself. I tried to catch Nobody’s eye a couple of time, but without luck. Finally, unable to wait any longer, I pushed through the crowd of men and women on the dance floor, mutants and human alike, moving their bodies in time to the music. By the time I arrived at the spot where Nobody occupied seconds before he’d vanished like some kind of mutated ghost.
Damn.
Fingers pinched the cellulite of my butt, and I spun to kick the snot out of the offending Olympian, only to find myself plastered against Jake McClain’s hard body. “I thought I told you to stay put,” he growled in my ear over the pounding music. Lights swirled around us stabbing into my retinas.
“Not that I recall.”
“Recall harder then.” Taking my hand he led me from the dance floor and to the bar. A minute later, a chilled glass of vodka in my hand, I felt a lot less hostile toward Jake. I took a sip of the cold liquid and closed my eyes as the alcohol rushed into my system. Grey goose-dog vodka. My favorite. Jake wasn’t all bad after all.
A man, an HOA agent from the look of him, waved to Jake. Jake nodded in return. From somewhere deep inside my brain, a warning bell began to clang. The man stepped closer and the bell rang louder.
When he reached us I stepped back, my eyes memorizing ever detail of his blue-black business suit and gleaming whit teeth. He had straight black hair and a wide unnerving gaze. His appearance screamed danger. I swallowed, shook off my feelings of dread, and even managed a smile when Jake introduced us.
“This is my wife, Martha,” Jake said, his hand clutched in the agent’s. For a second I worried they’d break out into an arm-wrestling match.
The agent’s eyes swept over me. “A pleasure. I’m Umber.”
I raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t elaborate. “If you’ll excuse us. I need to speak with your husband.” He emphasized the word husband.
I smiled, waving my agreement with a vague gesture. “Of course.” The men took their leave, maintaining equally blank expressions. For a second or two I worried we’d been caught, but then Jake glanced over his shoulder and winked. I took a deep breath, letting my muscles relax. My relief was short-lived however when a large hand clamped down on my shoulder.
I spun around, finding my best friend towering over me, not an ounce of recognition in his eye. Oh God, had Resden used the vaccine on him? “Nobody?” I touched his arm and he winced, the blankness leaving his gaze for a moment. However, as soon as it came it disappeared. Something was very wrong.
“Ivan’s,” he said. “One hour.”
I nodded. “Are you hurt?”
He shook his head. “You need to get out of here. Now.” With a nod of his head he motioned to Jake and the agent. “Be careful and come alone.”
Before I could say yes or ask him who was behind his disappearance, he vanished into the crowd with the petite blonde from the dance floor. The sway of her hips and Nobody’s protective hand on her back suggested a certain intimacy, but I knew my friend better than that. He’d never fall for
a human woman. Not again.
Feeling confused and frustrated from our encounter I quickly located Jake. He was standing by the door, his back to me. I rushed over and grabbed his arm. “We have to go.”
He didn’t argue, but kept pace with my eager strides. Agent Umber stared after us, his eyes burning red in the spotlight. A shiver ran up my spine. He wanted me dead, or worse. I could see it in his eyes. Evil stabbed through my chest penetrating my heart. Stand in line, Agent Umber, I thought as Jake and I headed out the door.
Chapter 30
Exactly one hour later I arrived at Ivan’s. Alone. Getting rid of Jake hadn’t been easy, but I’d managed to slip away unnoticed. Okay, I claimed cramps and hid in the bathroom until Jake grew bored and left.
Opening the door to the Lair, I let the stench of stale smoke and dried fairy blood wash over me. It smelled like home, like family. That, now that I thought about it, explained my lack of feminine wiles. Oh well, who needed wiles anyway? I shrugged my shoulders and pulled my skullcap lower to hide my wayward curls.
“Nobody?” I glanced around the bar, noting the empty stools and tables. Nothing new at Ivan’s. Pouring a shot of vodka from the non-watered down stock I settled in to wait for my apparently-not-kidnapped friend.
Two shots after I arrived Nobody entered from the back door. He held an angry fairy in his fist. “These things are a menace,” he said, rubbing his cheek. A tiny red fist-print stood out against his tanned skin.
“You could’ve used the front door instead of the sewer.” I grinned and rose from my barstool to give him a hug. He hugged me back, quickly, and released me just the same. “What happened? Where have you been?” I asked relief clogging my throat. He was alive. Safe.
Setting the fairy down Nobody popped open a beer I’d set on the counter for him. The fairy scrambled off the bar, disappearing through the doggie-door to the back room. We watched him go, his tiny fairy legs kicking with amazing speed.
“It’s complicated.” Nobody’s eye remained fixed on the swinging doggie door. I raised an eyebrow. Complicated? More complicated than a body dwelling ex-lover, a mutant hunter with a grudge, and a grandfather who, at best, wanted to destroy the mutant race? Instead of offering a smart-assed retort I nodded, waiting for him to continue.
He did but not before drinking half of his beer. “Indeara, you need to be very careful. Things aren’t what you think.”
“I hate when you’re so fucking cryptic.” Pushing from the barstool I grabbed hold of the collar of his shirt and dragged his eye to meet mine. “Just tell me what’s going on, and I’ll deal with it.”
“That’s the problem.” Nobody smirked. “The last thing any of us need is you charging into something you know nothing about.”
I winced, Nobody’s words striking me like darts. Sure discretion and patience weren’t traits I necessarily possessed, but I wasn’t a child. “Who’s us?” I asked once the pain in my chest eased. When he didn’t answer I motioned to the tinted view of the mutant world outside the Lair’s window. “Who are you afraid of? Quinn? Jake? Tell me!”
“I wish I could but it’s too dangerous.” He shook his head. “For me, for you,” he nodded to the window, “for all of us. Please just trust me and stay out of this. And away from—”
Before Nobody finished his sentence Jake opened the front door and strolled inside. Grinning, he tossed me a bottle of Midol. “Glad you’re feeling better,” he said. Nobody raised his eyebrow but I waved off his questioning glance.
“McClain.” Nobody nodded to Jake but neither man made a move to shake hands.
“I’m glad to see you’re no worse for wear.” Jake motioned to the dark ring around Nobody’s eye. Nobody glared at Jake. Something passed between the two of them, something unspoken and dark. Goosebumps broke out along my arms. I ended the silence by moving to stand between them.
“Do you both need a time-out?” I planted my hands on my hips and glared my best nursery schoolteacher glare.
Nobody laughed, but Jake refused to back down. Instead he stepped around me and stood toe-to-toe with the seven-foot cyclops. Even though Nobody towered over the smaller man Jake looked far more dangerous. “Do we have a problem?” Jake stabbed a finger in Nobody’s chest. “If so, let’s step outside and deal with it.”
From the rigid set of Nobody’s jaw I knew he wanted nothing more. Instead of leveling the smaller man however, he clenched his teeth and glowered. Fear burned up my esophagus, but for which mutant I wasn’t sure. Nobody had size and strength on his side, not to mention a 180 IQ. But something about Jake warned of true danger.
The standoff ended abruptly when the Lair’s front door exploded, showering us in shards of wood and glass. Bits of flying glass stabbed into my skin, slicing my face, arms, and legs. Shouts followed, as did an army of armed HOA agents. They carried assault rifles and wore black HOA SWAT uniforms.
At least, I think they did.
Nobody, Jake and I didn’t stick around to get a good look. As soon as the first agents entered we ran through the backdoor and into the fairy pen. Angry tinkerbelles squawked in response, but we ignored them. Instead, peeling back the sewer grated, we prepared to make our escape.
“Go.” Jake pushed me toward the open sewer.
“No, save yourselves.” I pulled my gun from its holster. “I can hold them off.” I sure as hell hoped I could, at least long enough for Nobody and Jake to escape. My body would heal from bullets. Theirs wouldn’t. I wouldn’t watch either man die. When had I started caring about the stupid blond hunter? I shoved Jake toward the grate. “Go.”
“Damn it, you can’t save everyone,” Jake yelled grabbing my gun arm. His eyes bore into mine, burning with such intensity, it sent a shiver down my spine. I pushed from him, maneuvering behind a wall of liquor boxes and beer cases.
The HOA agents breeched the backroom and opened fire. I ducked behind a wooden crate filled with my favorite vodka, Grey Goose-Dog.
Around me, bottles shattered and bloody fairy bits flew, covering me in alcohol and guts. I returned fire, praying it gave Jake and Nobody a chance to escape. A bullet punctured my abdomen, right below my ribcage. The force spun me around, and I fell to the ground. My body went numb for a few seconds and then a volcano of fire curled inside me. I cried out in pain and rage.
For a second or two, I blacked out, and when I awoke, Jake had his arms around my upper body dragging me to the sewer. “I won’t let you die,” he yelled over the explosion of gunfire. Blood seeped from various cuts on his face, matting his blond hair to his head like a helmet. The fear in his eyes burned into my brain, and I swallowed past my own terror of what that meant.
“Stay with me, baby.” Jake juggled his gun, lifting me in his arms and bumping the oozing wound in my side. I yelp, and he smiled.
Stupid masochistic hunter, I thought, letting rage replace fear and pain. I pulled from his arms. “It takes more than one bullet to kill me.” Another volley of bullets punctured the wall behind us. I glanced at the sewer. It was about four feet away, but it might as well have been a mile.
We’d never make it.
“I’m sorry,” I said above the roar of automatic weapons. And I was. This wasn’t Jake’s fight, but he’d die just the same.
As hope faded from our future, Nobody’s big head popped from the sewer. He tossed a grenade at the doorway, and the room went white. A sound, much like an airplane at takeoff, roared through the room as a wave of heat seared my eyeballs. So intense was the explosion that Jake and I smashed into the wall behind us.
“Run.” Nobody gestured to the sewer, his face blackened from the smoke. From the doorway, HOA agents scrambled, assessing their injured and preparing for a counter-strike. We had no time to lose. Jake reached under my arms, lifted me up, and tossed me the four-feet to the sewer. I wobbled through the air like a mutated Frisbee, dropping through the narrow opening of the grate and into the sewer below. I fell about ten feet, landing in the murky water with a splash.
“
Is that a chicken-fish bone in your hair?” Nobody grinned, motioning to something bone-like hanging from my curls. “Nope,” he shook his head. “Looks more like a mouse skeleton.”
“Gross.” I yanked the offending corpse from the end of my hair, and with Nobody’s help, I staggered to my feet. Blood dripped from the wound in my stomach, but already, my body had begun to recover. The pain lessened, turning from unbearable to annoying. Overhead the sound of gunfire erupted again. A man screamed.
No. Not Jake, I begged as I ran to the ladder. “Come on,” I yelled to Nobody. “We need to lay down some cover fire.”
“No, Indeara.” He grabbed my arm, plucking me from the ladder like an overripe fruit. “Jake can handle himself. We need to get you out of here. Now!”
“But—”
I didn’t get the chance to finish my argument. Instead, at that moment, Jake fell through the sewer grate, a bullet hole in his blood-soaked upper chest.
Chapter 31
“Jake.” I tapped the side of his face and his eyes fluttered open, hazy and distant, which wasn’t surprising since he was shot full of morphine. After the debacle at the Lair, Nobody had half-dragged, half-carried Jake to the headquarters of the Resistance. Jake had lost a lot of blood, and all three of us knew he wasn’t likely to survive. Or at least Nobody and I had. Jake adamantly refused to accept his impending demise, muttering things like: I’m not going to die, damn it, through bloody lips.
Once we arrived at headquarters, a team of medics, again all about half my age, rushed Jake into a makeshift medical facility filled with plague-riddled mutants. I shifted from foot to foot waiting for news of Jake’s death. Nobody stood at my side, his face a mask of something I couldn’t decipher.
About an hour later, Nobody glanced at his watch and with an apologetic look said, “Call me when he dies.”
I nodded, blinking away the wetness burning my eyelids. Throughout the night I sat on a hard plastic bench, waiting. Memories from a lifetime ago flickered through my mind, fading images of Emily’s diseased body, and the rattle of her lungs as she fought for every breath, Calvin and I waiting by her bedside.
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