Then John took a step through the sage smoke and past Harper. He let out a cry of pain, and his hands flew to his face. There were blisters forming on his skin. He sank to his knees and groaned.
Rebecca watched him coldly for a moment and then turned to Harper. "He made it through."
"We're going to be working with another witch as well," Alec said. "Someone who has more power than Harper. She'll have more practice before the demolition too. It will work."
"Fine," Rebecca said. She waved a hand. "That will do, then. I'll have the documents drawn up tomorrow. Remove the incantation please."
Harper walked past John to the doorway. She felt a moment of sympathy for him; he was in obvious pain. Then she remembered who he worked for and how she'd been shot in cold blood, and her sympathy vanished. She cast the reversal spell, and then waved a hand. "There."
"Good," Rebecca said. "I'm glad you have a plan. I was worried you might try and circumvent me somehow. That wouldn't be good for any of us."
"No," Harper agreed.
"Make sure the papers are in order," Alec said. He stood and took Harper's hand. "Come on, Harper. Let's get out of here. John, I'd try some lotion for those burns. Don't scratch, they'll just bleed."
Then the two of them walked out, smirking the entire time.
FIFTEEN
"Are we almost there?" Peter asked Sarah for what felt like the hundredth time. She glared at him. He held up his hands. "I'm just asking."
"You keep just asking," Sarah said. "We'll be there when we get there, Peter. I swear, you're worse than traveling with a child. You've done nothing but complain this entire trip. I thought you wanted to be here."
"I did," Peter said. "That was before I realized you were serious about making no stops, and just driving straight through. I thought we'd have a lunch date or something at the very least."
Sarah shook her head. "We're not going to Phoenix so we can have a good time," she reminded him. "We're going so we can coordinate with Serendipity about the demons that are going to be chartered here."
"I know," Peter said. "But there's zero reason why we can't make this a romantic getaway at the same time. We're staying at a hotel, right? What do you say that we get some bathing suits and take a dip in the hot tub? I can rub some of that tension out of your shoulders. That's where you carry it all, you know."
For a moment, Sarah thought about snapping at him, but she just shook her head. "You're right, Peter. We should try and enjoy ourselves while we're here. You've never been to Phoenix, right?"
"Nope."
"Well, you're going to get quite the shock," Sarah said. "It's hotter than Las Vegas for starters and then there's the vampires. There are literally thousands of them there."
"I know that," Peter said. "Brittney told me all about your time here in Phoenix."
"It's one thing to hear about it and another to see it in person," Sarah said. "Look, we just past the city limits sign. Do you want to stop and get something to eat before meeting Serendipity?"
"Yes!" Peter said quickly.
Sarah pulled into a burger place and they hopped out of the car. They went inside and sat down at a booth. In a moment, a waiter approached with a set of menus. "Can I get you two started with something to drink?"
"Water please," Sarah said.
"I'll have a root beer," Peter said.
Sarah waited until the waiter had left before turning to him. "You know, that stuff is terrible for you."
"You drink diet soda," Peter pointed out.
"Not anymore," Sarah said. "Not since I learned exactly what kind of chemicals it puts in your body. It's really unhealthy, Peter."
Peter gave a long-suffering sigh. "Don't forget, you just said we can have a good time. That means loosening up a little, Sarah. And loosening up means not worrying if I'm drinking a root beer with my lunch."
"Sorry," Sarah said. She knew how much it annoyed everyone when she went on a health kick, but she just couldn't see the appeal of loading your body down with toxins and unnecessary sugars. When she'd originally studied for college, she had gained a lot of weight. It had taken ages to get rid of it, and she didn't want to see anyone else go through that. Especially herself.
"It's alright," Peter allowed. "What do you think you're going to have? And don't say a salad. Try to mix it up a little. This place is supposed to be known for its burgers."
Sarah took a perfunctory look at the menu and then slid it to the side. "I guess I'd be offending them if I ordered a salad, right?"
"Right."
When the waiter came back for their orders, they both ordered a swiss burger with extra mushrooms. The waiter hesitated a moment and then asked, "Do you want it blood rare?"
"What?" Peter asked. "God, no! Medium-rare, please."
"Same for me," Sarah said.
"Of course," the waiter said. "My apologies. Some of our diners here prefer their meat a little bloody still."
"I can imagine," Sarah said.
The waiter gave a cautious smile and then went to put their orders in.
"I've been thinking about you a lot," Sarah said to Peter.
"Oh, really?"
"Yes," she said. "I think it's time you came clean to the rest of the team about the fact that you can shape-shift. Alec's bound to let you in on more jobs if he knows that you can transform. Besides, you can turn into something more than chihuahua now. You make a lovely fox."
"You think so, huh?" Peter asked, sounding a little disappointed.
"What?"
"Oh, I just thought when you said you were thinking about me, that you meant that you were thinking about us," Peter said.
Sarah frowned. "Let's focus on your shape-shifting right now."
"Well I can keep my clothes together now," Peter said. "Both in dog form and fox form. I'm thinking about learning to transform into something more advanced, though. A tiger would be pretty cool."
"And pretty noticeable," Sarah said. "You'd end up getting picked up by animal control for sure."
Peter laughed. "That would be something, wouldn't it?"
"You should pick something that's a little more native to Las Vegas," Sarah said. "What about a coyote or a wild cat?"
"I suppose," Peter said. "It makes more sense, I suppose. A coyote would be pretty cool, I have to admit. Though I'd be worried about getting shot by a hunter."
"We have to worry about that no matter what form we take," Sarah reminded him.
"I know."
They spent the next few minutes talking about what kind of animals would be feasible to learn to transform into, and then the waiter brought them out their burgers. Sarah cut hers up with a knife, but Peter just stuffed the entire thing in his mouth, getting some of the sauce on his shirt. She pointed it out much to his chagrin.
"Let me tell you a story," Peter said.
"What kind of story?"
"Oh, you know, the sappy kind. A boy meets a girl. They fall in love. Then the girl kept doing things like picking on the boy. Pointing out that his drink choices are unhealthy. Pointing out that he's a messy eater. Pointing out that he's like a child in the car."
Sarah flushed.
"Do you want to know how the story ends?" Peter asked.
"No," Sarah said.
"It ends with the boy convincing the girl that she doesn't have to be perfect all the time," Peter said. "There's actually a lot of fun in just letting go and enjoying yourself."
"I know that."
"I don't think you do," Peter said. "I think you're so caught up in having everything be picture-perfect that you forgot what it's like to just have a good time. I mean, look at you. You're cutting your burger up with a fork and knife. Who does that?"
"It's the polite way to eat," Sarah said quietly.
"Then forget polite for a while," Peter said. "You don't have to be polite with me, and you certainly don't have to be perfect. Go on, try picking it up with your hands. It'll do you some good to act like a normal person."
Sarah stared down at her bu
rger and then picked it up. She took a large bite, and some of the mushrooms squished out the side. One fell on her lap. She glanced at Peter, and then picked it up. She made a face and then popped it in her mouth.
"Are you happy now?" she asked.
"Very."
Sarah laughed. "Good."
"Come on," Peter said. "Let's get out of here."
He tossed some cash down on the table, grabbed her by the hand, and pulled her from the booth. They were halfway to the door when he stopped and kissed her. For a moment, she was embarrassed, thinking that everyone must be staring at them. Then she realized that she was once again trying to maintain a perfect appearance. Sometimes it was better to just enjoy the moment. So she kissed him back, with fervor. Several people wolf-whistled.
Sarah blushed, but Peter just laughed and the two of them left the restaurant. They walked back to the car.
"Let me drive," Peter said.
"You don't even know where we're going," Sarah said.
"We have GPS," Peter said. "Just turn on the address, and let me take control for a bit."
"Alright," Sarah agreed, against her better judgment. She hopped in the passenger's seat and turned on her phone. She put in the address for Serendipity's coffee shop and settled back in the seat.
Peter purposefully kept making wrong turns and forcing the GPS to correct itself. When she pointed this out, he simply said that was exploring. It took them almost two hours to finally reach the coffee shop. Once there, Sarah realized it had been awhile since she'd seen anyone from Serendipity. Specifically, it had been a long time since she'd seen Samuel, who she'd had a brief fling with.
She quickly checked her hair and makeup in the car's mirror. After deciding that she looked fine after her burger excursion, she got out of the car. Peter followed.
They went into the coffee shop. The barista quickly greeted them. "What can I get for you two today?"
"Actually, we're here to speak to the owners," Sarah said.
The barista gave a quick smile. "Unfortunately, they're not in right now. I can give you a number for customer service if you're unsatisfied with something and you can--"
"I know they're in the back room," Sarah said. "You don't have to pretend. Look, I'm from Afterlife." She glanced quickly at Peter. "We're from Afterlife, I mean. Maybe you've heard of us."
"Oh, of course," the barista said. "Forgive me. You must be...?"
"Sarah Carter and Peter Conley."
"I'll let them know you're here," the barista said. She went to the door that led to the back room and rapped upon it a few times. "Excuse me? We have two people from Afterlife here? Sarah and Peter?"
Sarah couldn't hear the voice on the other side of the door, but the barista approached them a moment later. "Go ahead and go in."
Sarah and Peter went to the back door and let themselves in. Immediately, the people waiting in the back rose to greet them. There was Samuel, as tall and handsome as ever, Heather, who looked pretty in her human form, and Wren, who had the largest smile of them all. Brian Larke was there too, looking a bit paler than before.
"Sarah!" Heather said. "It's so good to see you!" She launched herself into a giant hug, embracing the other woman tightly. Sarah awkwardly patted her and then pushed her back. Wren gave an indulging smile.
"It is good to see you," he agreed.
"It's good to see all of you too," Sarah said. "How have you been?" Everyone in the room knew that she was aiming the question specifically at Samuel, who had his hands shoved deep inside his pockets. Wren, Heather, and Brian all sat back down.
Samuel took his hands out slowly and then approached Sarah. "I've had better days," he admitted. "But I'm adapting. If you're going to be a vampire, then Phoenix is the place to do it."
"I'm sorry that happened to you," Sarah whispered.
"Don't be," Samuel said. "I told you before, and I'll tell you again, it's nobody's fault. Conner and I took that job by ourselves, knowing what could happen. It could have been any of us."
Sarah nodded. She still felt a measure of guilt though. If she hadn't avoided Samuel at the time, then he never would have gone off alone with Conner and got himself bit.
Samuel cleared his throat. "You remember Brian Larke?"
"Of course," Sarah said. "The man who gave up his humanity in order to better understand what his son was going through. How are you doing, Doctor?"
"Please, just call me Brian," he said. "I'm well, Sarah. Becoming a vampire has truly helped me better understand what my son deals with on a daily basis. And I'm an official member of Serendipity now."
Sarah took a seat. Then Peter cleared his throat loudly. She blinked, realizing that she'd completely forgotten about him. "Oh, this is Peter Conley. He's a new member of Afterlife."
"It's a pleasure," Wren said. "I'm Wren."
The rest of them quickly introduced themselves and then Peter sat down as well.
"Not that we're not glad to see you, Sarah, but what are you doing here?" Heather asked.
Sarah and Peter exchanged a look. "It's a long story," Sarah said. "Let me start at the beginning. It all began when it started raining in Las Vegas..."
SIXTEEN
Conner finished his dinner and then sat down on the couch next to Janice. "I have to work tonight."
Janice frowned at him. "Do you have to? Tonight, James is over at a friend's house for a slumber party. It's just the two of us. I was thinking that we could take advantage of that. I bought some candles and some other things so we could really have a night to ourselves. There's a huge bathtub that we have yet to enjoy together."
Conner groaned. "It sounds so tempting, but tonight, I have to be at the Beast. We're going to be going after the shimmer."
"I see," Janice said.
He could see the disappointment in her eyes. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's alright," Janice said. "I know how important your work is to you."
"It's not as important as you, though," Conner said. "I want you to know that."
"Then quit," Janice said.
"What?"
"Quit," she repeated. "There are a hundred other jobs that you could get. Things that are less dangerous and don't keep you out at all hours of the night. I've been thinking about this for a while, Conner. I know the money is nice, but I make plenty and if you get a job doing something else, we'll still have enough to get by."
Conner shook his head. "You know I can't do that. Afterlife is my family."
"No," Janice said. "Afterlife is not your family. Not anymore. James and I are your family now."
"Having you doesn't diminish how I feel about them," Conner said. "They've been there for me through a lot, and I owe them my life. Especially Alec. He's my best friend."
"You don't owe them your life," Janice said. "Maybe you did at some point, because I know what you've been through -- haven't you told me enough times? Didn't I go through some if it with you? -- But you've more than repaid any debt that you owe Alec. That night, with Bartholomew, we died, Conner. Both of us. We were brought back, but we died first. What if we hadn't come back?"
"I don't know," Conner said.
"James would have been all alone. And if something happens to you tonight, he's going to be without his father. You don't want him to grow up that way, do you?"
"Of course not," Conner said. "But nothing is going to happen to me."
"Can you promise me that?" Janice said. "Can you promise him that?"
Conner was silent.
"I know you've already made plans," Janice said. "I'm not asking you to back out of them tonight, but I'm asking you to think about your future and what you want from it."
"I know what I want," Conner said. "I want to be here with you and James, and I want to be a part of Afterlife. You knew that when we got back together that I was a part of them. I'm not ready to let go of that just yet."
"When will you be?"
"Maybe never," Conner snapped. He saw the hurt on her face and softened his tone a little.
"I'm sorry, Janice, but they need me. And I need them. They give me purpose."
"Don't we do that?"
"It's a different kind of purpose," Conner said. "You make me want to be a better man, and James makes me want to be a better father, but Afterlife makes me want to be a better demon. They make me want to improve this city -- this city that James is growing up in."
Janice sighed. "I knew you would say that."
"Then why'd you even bring it up?" Conner demanded.
"I just thought I'd give you an alternative," Janice said.
"Well, I don't want an alternative," Conner said. "And I don't want to talk about this again, alright? I've made my decision. I'm staying with Afterlife."
"Alright," Janice said.
"Thank you," Conner said. He stood and grabbed his jacket. "I have to get going."
Janice nodded. "Can I have a kiss before you go?"
"Of course," Conner said.
He leaned and gave her a simple, almost chaste kiss. He knew she was expecting more, but he didn't feel like giving it right now. He was angry at her suggestion of leaving Afterlife. Janice tried to deepen the kiss but he pulled away and left.
His phone rang while he was driving. He glanced briefly at it and saw it was Harper. He tapped a button on the dashboard. "Hey, Harper."
"Hey, Conner. What's your ETA?" Harper asked, her voice coming out of the car speakers.
"I should be at the Beast in about fifteen minutes," Conner said. "Depending on traffic, of course. Is everyone else set up?"
"We're all in place," Harper said. "Alec is waiting at the Picasso already."
"Great," Conner said. "I'm sorry for running late."
"Yeah, what happened?" Harper asked.
Conner was quiet for a moment. "I was having a discussion with Janice."
"Oh."
"Yeah," Conner said. "Don't worry, I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Just make sure you're ready," Harper said.
"I'll be ready," Conner told her.
He stopped at a red light and hit the end call button on the dashboard. He silently cursed Janice. He loved her, he really did, and he loved having a family, but that didn't mean that he was about to give up on Afterlife.
The Zig Zag Scam (Afterlife Book 12) Page 9