by Brux, Boone
Cheers exploded from the group as we approached the roulette wheel. I instantly recognized the man with the pile of chips in front of him. He’d been in the elevator with me on the first day I arrived. Several living humans flanked the guy, and even more spirits crowded around, floating in and out of the table. One particular ghost I knew very well.
“Tandy.” I pointed at her. “The bouncing blond spirit.” That seemed to be her natural waking state. The girl never stood still. “She’s the one sharing my room.”
Nate’s eyes widened. “Wow, she’s got really big—”
I glared at him.
“Energy.”
I harrumphed. Energy my ass. “I’ve seen that guy before. He was on the elevator with me the first time I went to my room. He called me Lisa, but I thought it was because I was wearing my name badge.”
“Could be a coincidence, but my gut is telling me we found our man.” Nate pulled out his phone and texted Cam. “They’ll be able to tell us if that’s Charon.”
The group around the roulette table cheered again. Tandy threw her translucent arms around the guy. “You’re the luckiest man I know, Big C.”
“Big C?” I made the connection instantly and looked at Nate. “I can’t believe it took me so long.”
“What?”
“Tandy told me about this high-roller, staying in the penthouse suite. She called him Big C.”
“C, short for Charon,” Nate said, putting the pieces together.
“Right. It didn’t register until I saw the two of them together.”
Mara and Cam pulled up next to us. “Oh yeah,” Mara said. “That’s Charon.”
“Definitely,” Cam confirmed. He lowered his voice. “So, how should we approach this?”
“We could politely ask him to have a word with us, present our demands, and negotiate with him,” Nate said.
“Or better,” Mara chimed in, “I could threaten an eternity of torment in the fiery pits of Hell.”
My head snapped to face her, my brows lifting as high as they could go. “Can you actually do that?”
“No.” She gave me a satisfied smile. “But I’d be willing to try.”
“Lisa!” My name cut through the din. Tandy continued to bounce and wave. “Look, it’s my friend Lisa,”
All eyes turned toward us, including Charon’s. His gaze skated over the four of us and a slow smile stretched his mouth. “Ah, the pretty lady from the elevator.” He continued to stare at us and said, “Scoot over and make room for my new friends. Lisa—” He patted the chair next to him. “—you sit here.”
“Or,” I whispered, “We could do it like that.”
“Be careful,” Nate said in a soft voice. His concern would’ve been endearing, but then he added, “Don’t blow it.”
I glared at him. “One of these days…” Nate gave me a tiny shove forward before I could finish my threat.
“Come on.” Tandy held onto the back of the chair. “Right here, Lisa.”
I circumvented the table and pulled the chair a few inches toward me, not wanting to rub thighs with Charon. Mara, Nate, and Cam moved to the far end of the table, watching us.
“Do you gamble, Lisa?” Charon asked.
“Sometimes, when I’m in the mood.” I was willing to bet Charon’s friendly demeanor was pure show, and that he knew exactly why we were there. “But I rarely win.”
“You never know.” He smiled but still didn’t look at me. Instead he placed numerous stacks of chips on different numbered squares. “Maybe your luck will change tonight.”
“I highly doubt that.”
The dealer made his announcements for final bets, and then flicked the ball into the wheel. The ball circled a kagillion times before dropping into red thirty-six. I’d never played roulette before, but from the explosion of cheers, and the heaping stack of chips the dealer shoved at Charon, I figured he’d won.
He scooped the piles toward him and then plucked several from the stack and tossed them to the dealer.
“Thank you, sir,” the dealer said, dropping the tip into a pile.
“I’ll be back.” Charon stood. “But right now I need a drink.” He looked at me. “Why don’t you and your friends join me?”
I stood and smiled. “We’d love to.”
A young woman dressed in the casino uniform moved forward. “We’ll hold your winnings at the cashier cage, Mr. Charon.”
“Thank you, Amanda.” He turned to Tandy. “Sweetheart, why don’t you get the suite ready for tonight’s party?”
“Okay, Big C.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. A second before she evaporated, he smacked her on the rear end, making her squeal with delight.
“You do know Tandy has a major crush on you.” I sent a pointed stare at the three and flicked my head for them to follow, begging them to follow. They squeezed through the living and dead, finally falling in behind us. “Right?”
“She’s sweet,” Charon said. “Likes to do things for me.”
“I bet.” That drew a chuckle from Charon, but he didn’t reply. “So…” I tugged nervously at the edges of my sweater. “Do you actually win, or do you give the roulette wheel a helpful nudge?” The question was my attempt at facilitating dialogue, a term our family counselor used when the kids and I were in therapy. I thought it had a nice ring to it. “I promise I won’t tell.”
“Let’s just say I lose sometimes.” He drew a gold coin from his pocket and flipped it in the air, then caught it. “But I win a lot more.”
I’d seen a whole mess of those coins earlier that day at the arch leading into the River Styx. If I’d had any doubts this was our man, I didn’t now. “Aren’t you afraid of karma? Like cheat and you will be cheated?”
“I believe we make our own fates, Lisa.”
Karma usually found me, and she wasn’t all that friendly. I went out of my way to never walk under a ladder and occasionally threw salt over my shoulder—just in case there was any truth to superstition. However, Charon had been around a long time, and probably had a firm grasp on the rules and nuances of the paranormal world. Like each entity’s responsibility, or which deities never to seat next to each other at a dinner party because an eon ago one of them turned into a salamander and slept with the other’s mother.
A behemoth of a man stood at the entrance of the lounge. When he saw Charon, he unhitched the red velvet barrier, allowing us to pass. Getting used to this kind of treatment would have been easy. Once inside, a super-model grade hostess showed us to a seating area near the back, and then disappeared.
“Please, sit.” Charon claimed an oversized leather chair at the end, forcing the four of us to sit on a curved sectional, facing him. When we were settled, he crossed his legs and eased his arm across the back of the chair. “Now, let’s talk about why I’m never going back to Styx, shall we?”
Chapter Nine
Charon’s announcement that he’d never return to the ferry caught me off guard, and from the glances exchanged between the others, they were just as surprised.
“You can’t mean that,” I said.
His humorless smile wavered between determined and angry. “I’ve never meant anything more in my life.”
“You’ve seen what’s happening,” Nate said. He waved his hand in the direction of the casino. “Already the spirits are spilling back to the physical plane.”
“Fun, isn’t it?” His smile morphed to extremely satisfied status. “I bet Tabris is having an angelic cow right about now.” He shrugged. “But, it’s not my problem. I’m retired.”
“Are you?” I asked. “Tabris said you haven’t officially signed off on that.”
Charon shrugged. “A minor detail. I’ll get around to it. Really though—” He held up his hands. “What’s the hurry? It’s not like there’s anybody who can ferry?”
My gaze cut to Mara, and hers to me. Then she tilted her head and smiled at him. “So, what’s your plan—live at the casinos and party it up?”
“For a w
hile.” He gave a nonchalant shrug. “Then I think I’ll travel. Maybe buy one of those RVs and hit the road. I’ve always wanted to visit Hershey, Pennsylvania. I heard it smells like chocolate.”
I recognized the glint in his eye. Bronte, my fifteen-year-old daughter, got that same look when she was trying to get a rise out of me. He was bluffing, and I was pretty sure he’d pulled Hershey, Pennsylvania and the RV trip out of his butt. I doubted Charon harbored any desire to see any historical sites in America. Having three kids made me an expert on sniffing out shenanigans and lies. Charon put on a good show, but I knew ulterior motives when I heard them.
“I’ve never been to Pennsylvania,” I said. “But, I did get to meet someone exciting today.” I pointed at him. “Your mother.”
“That’s funny.” Charon’s smile faltered. “I highly doubt you’d meet my mother—and live to tell about it.”
“Hmm, I could have sworn it was her.” I tapped my chin and narrowed my gaze. “Beautiful, dark, all smoke and ash with a touch of terrifying?”
“That definitely describes her.” The strained smile remained fixed, but he straightened, uncrossing his legs and signaling to the waitress. “So tell me, if you really met dear old Mom, what did you talk about?”
“Thanatos.” I used Hal’s real name in case he didn’t know about his brother’s stage name. “Nyx insisted he transport you back to Styx.”
Three waiters placed a bucket of ice and champagne, a bowl of strawberries, and a tray of glasses on the center table. Charon pulled the bottle from the ice and poured himself a glass, downing it in one gulp. Fixing his eyes on me, he stabbed me with a humorless smile. “And did my brother agree?” Before I could answer, Charon waved a dismissive hand. “Of course he did. Whenever my mother snaps her fingers, he jumps.”
More mommy issues with big dash of sibling rivalry. The more Charon talked, the more I understood him. Though I hadn’t puzzled out his motivation for quitting, I did think I’d be able to get the story out of him with the right kind of persuasion.
“You don’t jump at your mother’s command?” I asked.
“I was wondering the same thing.” Mara gave an exaggerated grimace. “I met Nyx, too. She’s seriously intimidating.”
“You met Nyx?” Cam asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I forgot.” The look she gave her partner screamed ‘Not the time, Cam’. She turned back to Charon. “You were saying?”
“Nyx and I have an…” He hesitated, flipping the gold coin between his fingers. “Understanding.”
“What kind of understanding?” I asked as nonchalantly as possible. To hide my interest, I grabbed a glass from the tray and held it toward Mara, silently asking. She nodded vigorously. “An understanding like you do your job, she’ll stay out of your business understanding?” I poured a glass and handed it to her, and then handed another glass to Cam. “Or a, you’re not speaking to each other understanding?” I sat back, giving Nate one of the two glasses I held and turned my attention to Charon. “If I’m not being too nosy.”
“Let’s just say she owes me a big favor.” Charon filled his glass and reclined. “So, if you were hoping she’d be able to order me back to the ferry, you’re going to be disappointed.”
That was exactly what I’d thought would happen. From the way Nyx had ordered Hal, around and he hadn’t even peeped in protest, I’d figured she’d put her dark deity mom thing down and Charon would jump, too. What kind of favor could Nxy possibly owe her son? The only thing I could think of was Charon taking over running the ferry.
I took a big gulp of champagne and swallowed. Bubbles rushed up my nose, causing my left eye to squeeze shut against the burn.
“That’s too bad.” Cam set his glass on the table and gave Charon a sad, but tolerant, smile. “With the riverbanks full, spirits are appearing back here, this problem has gotten the attention from top levels, and they’re not happy.”
Instead of the information intimidating Charon, the comment seemed to please him. This time his smile was genuine, and his attitude eased back to indifferent and in control. “Let them scramble for a solution. They won’t find one. Do you know why?” We shook our heads in unison. “Because I am the only one qualified to ferry the dead.”
“What about Thanatos?” Mara asked.
“I guarantee that idiot will never be allowed to set foot in Styx, let alone claim the ferry again.”
My gaze darted to Mara again, and then back to Charon. He was wrong on two accounts. He wasn’t the only one qualified to ferry the dead—somehow I’d made the grade. And it was true Hal wasn’t allowed past the arch, but today he’d stood on the grounds of Styx. Though we’d been sworn to secrecy about our task of ferrying the dead, my gut also told me to keep any information, no matter how big or seemingly insignificant, quiet. There might come a time when letting him know would come in handy, but for now I wanted to play my cards close to my chest.
“What about your other siblings?” Cam asked. “Wouldn’t they be able to run the ferry?”
“Ker, possibly, but he’s too violent. He destroys first and asks questions later. If they haven’t offered him the job yet, they won’t—wisely so. The guy has issues.” He held up his fingers, effectively rattling off his slew of brothers’ and sisters’ names, and the reasons why they couldn’t be the ferryman. “And lastly, Hypnos. He’s such a bore. Puts everybody to sleep—literally. He’d have the entire ferry in a coma before it ever arrived. Not only could the souls not get to their appointed destination, they couldn’t reincarnate.” He fisted his hand. “So you see? There’s nobody but me.”
I did see, and his reasoning was solid. But I didn’t think we were beaten yet. My mom radar continued to ping loudly. I’d bet my new boots that this had nothing to do with him truly wanting to retire.
“Well, I guess you’re holding all the cards.” Setting my glass on the table, I looked at Cam, Mara, and Nate. “We tried.” The three stared at me, and by their identical furrowed brows, were equally confused about why I’d given up so easily. I turned back to Charon. “So what’s this I hear about a party?”
“Yes, my party. You’ve got to come.” He unfolded from the seat and produced a keycard. “Thirty-seventh floor, leave your morals and inhibitions at the door.”
“I thought the hotel only had thirty-six floors,” Nate said.
“Does it?” Charon held the card out to me. “Eight o’clock.”
I took the keycard, not wanting to miss my chance to work some child or reverse psychology on him. “We’ll be there.”
“Until then.” He skirted the table. “Please stay and relax. Order anything you want—on me. I can afford it.”
He laughed at his joke, which wasn’t really a joke at all, because the guy was loaded. Nor was it all that funny. As he strode to the exit, Charon hummed and twirled the walking stick he carried, the silver tip glinting under the low lighting. It was the departure of a man who believed he had everybody over a barrel. Maybe he did. Maybe I was naively optimistic that we’d be able to fix this situation.
“That was rather unproductive,” Mara said.
“If what he says is true, he’s holding all the cards.” Nate stopped the passing waitress. “Could we get a couple of menus, please?” When she was gone, he leaned forward, resting his arms across his thighs. “There’s got to be some way to convince him to go back.”
“I can’t believe they didn’t plan for this.” Cam gestured toward Mara. “We’ve been around a long time. There’s always a contingency plan.”
“Always,” Mara said, nodding her head. “But so far the higher-ups have chosen not to grace us with their infinite wisdom on the matter.” She drained her glass. “I need more of this.”
“Here’s my two cents, for what it’s worth.” I smiled and held up a finger. “I think we should go to the party.” I lifted a second finger. “Butter him up, and try to get on his good side.” Already this was turning into a long night. “Something tells me we’re not getti
ng the whole story from him.”
“Is that your reaper intuition at work?” Mara asked.
“I’ve got three kids. I know bull crap when I hear it.”
Mara looked at Nate and Cam. “Do you boys have a better plan?”
Cam shook his head. “I’ve got nothing.”
“Me, either.” Nate rubbed his hands over his face and released a growly sigh. “This is so frustrating.”
“We have to keep the faith that this will all work out.” Mara picked up a menu. “But first I’m going to order a bunch of expensive food and drinks. I know it won’t put a dent in Charon’s wallet, but I’ll feel a lot better trying.”
After several rounds of lobster dip, stuffed mushrooms, and nachos with the works for me, we waddled out of the lounge and headed to the elevator. We had to wait a few minutes before snagging the empty elevator we needed, the one with twenty-six through thirty-six on the gold panel.
“There’s no thirty-seventh floor.” Nate turned to me. “Where’s the keycard?”
I pulled it out of my back pocket and handed it to him. When he shoved it in the slot, another lit button appeared on the panel. All of us bent and stared at it, as if that would make something happen. I reached out and jabbed the button. The elevator lurched to life and when it stopped a minute later, the doors opened onto the expansive foyer.
We stepped out, but none of us moved forward.
“I’m pretty sure this isn’t one of the hotel’s luxury suites,” Nate said.
“Or even its penthouse suite,” Mara added.
I glanced up and gasped. The domed glass ceiling revealed the night sky, but instead of twinkling stars, spiral galaxies, distant suns, and billowing clouds of colorful space dust churned and rotated across the blackness of space. It looked like a picture the Hubble Spacecraft sent back to earth.
“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” I muttered.
A loud trumpeting echoed through the foyer seconds before a full-sized elephant stomped across the entrance of the suite. The four of us stood riveted, watching as the animal disappeared behind a gold column.