Nothing but the drink helped. I tried smoking pot. It took the edge of panic off the thoughts, but it just wasn’t strong enough to take them away. Any other drugs up the food chain were a strict no-no to a magic user like me, so that left me with the drink if I didn’t want to remember. It worked well enough most nights.
The first week after I found out the truth of it, I spent every waking hour calling in favors from across the globe. Not a single goddamned one of them could give me what I wanted. Once you were in the pit, only heaven itself could intervene.
So, when my earthly means were exhausted, I tried praying, and when that didn’t work, I chose to try and forget. That’s what got me to this point, drunk as soon as I woke up and thinking murderous thoughts at whoever was on the other end of the phone that wouldn’t stop beeping.
I’d been able to hide it pretty well at first, most alcoholics could, but like anything you do until excess, eventually it takes its toll on you. I hadn’t worked a case in months. While the bills had all miraculously been paid, that wouldn’t last forever. Eventually, David would grow a set and leave me here to die alone. So far, I’d been guilted, bribed, and threatened to get back into the game, but I’d refused every job offer that came my way.
How could you take on a client when you couldn’t even trust yourself? Eventually, the calls had stopped coming, and I only had David by my side. The man must have been getting ready to apply for sainthood after sticking around for so long.
The damn phone started ringing again. This time, the sound was a little less horrendous. The vodka was already starting to lubricate my mood, taking it off of sour and into sweet. If I could make it through a meal without throwing up, it was possible I might actually get something done today. It was doubtful, but at this point even taking a cab to the liquor store would be considered a win.
It felt good to be outside, at least until I heard Mrs. Garcia screaming in my head again. As soon as the screams started, so did the booze. Not too long after that I’d be locked into my own kind of hell. Still, it was better than carrying the full force of my guilt alone. Anything was better than that, except for the motherfucking beeping.
Why was the ringer of my phone even on? I was half tempted to throw the thing across the room, but then I’d just have to buy a new one.
Fuck it, I picked up the phone, flipped it open, and shouted. “What’s so Goddamned important?”
“I’ve got a client for you,” Benny said.
“Jesus, Benny, you know I don’t do that shit anymore. I gave you a list of numbers to call, use any one of them but mine.” I started to close the phone but stopped before it dropped the call. I owed Benny for keeping me out of that mess at the Garcia’s. It was just like him to call in his chip when I was at my worst.
“I’ve tried. None of them will take her case.”
“Not even Mansker? That guy will do just about anything for a buck.”
“Yeah, well, his exact words were ‘I wouldn’t fuck that if I had a ten-foot pole for a dick.’”
I sprayed vodka all over my desk. It was a good thing the only thing there now was ashes and sorrow. “Jesus, Benny, a little warning next time.”
“Hey man, I’m desperate. I need you on this, and you owe me. You owe me fucking big time, amigo.”
There was no doubt about that. I owed Benny everything. After that night at the Garcia’s, he kept my name out of all the official reports and the papers. I don’t know how he managed it, but I came away from that house completely untouched. That might have helped add to the guilt a little bit, especially when the church had taken the fall.
The papers weren’t kind. They called for the dismissal of certain priests that still believed an archaic ritual like exorcisms should still be performed. I just added that to the list of things the Catholic Church already hated me for. That’s ok I didn’t need the bible thumpers on my side anyway. I knew where I was going when I died. I’d be down in the pit right next to the twelve people I had sent there.
Benny had me over a log here, and he knew it. There was nothing left for me to bitch about, I had to take the job. “Fine, I’ll meet her, but I’m not making any fucking promises.”
“I guess that will have to do.” Benny paused. “Bozz, try and clean yourself up a little, I don’t want you scaring her off before you get a chance to hear what she has to say.”
I looked down at my desk, and how the ashes had mixed with the vodka I had sprayed over the surface. It was an omen. Death was coming, but was it for me or the lady Benny had sent to me for protection? I vowed to myself that I would do anything I could to save her. This time, if it came down to a choice between her life and mine, she would be the one to live.
Standing up from my desk racked my body with pain. Something popped in my back, and it felt a little better. Never pass out on a high chair slumped over your desk, well at least never do it after age thirty-five.
The pain helped clear my head a little more, but I still felt surly, so I growled my final comments into the phone. “Like I said, no fucking promises, Benny.” I hung up before he could reply.
My legs shook slightly as I started to walk, and my feet cried out in pain. It felt like I was walking on pins and needles. Hopefully, once the blood started flowing again that would go away.
“David, call Benny and tell him he’s an asshole.”
David came into the room with a mug of something that was steaming and smelled like shit. “I’m not going to do that, Boss. Benny isn’t an asshole.”
“You could have fooled me,” I muttered, taking the glass from David.
“Just drink that and get in the shower. I’ll do what I can to make this place a little more presentable. As for you looking presentable when our client arrives, I’m afraid it’s a lost cause.”
I took two steps forward before turning back towards David. “You and Benny fucking set this up together, didn’t you?
“Guilty as charged,” David replied with a smile.
“And what is all this—” I made air quotes “—I need to look presentable for our clients shit?”
“She’s already on the way. I told Benny it would be fine.”
Of course, he fucking did.
Still, it was hard to be mad at David for long. Just this morning alone he’d done more for me than anyone should be asked to. I almost choked as I said the words. Kindness wasn’t exactly my strong suit. “Thank you.” Then I started shuffling towards the door.
“You won’t be thanking me after you taste what’s in that cup.” I could hear the smirk in his voice from a mile away.
Thankfully, what I said next came out with just the right amount of snark. “I heard that, you fucking prick.”
I took the first sip, and my body shivered, and I almost threw up. Goddamned hangover potions were the worst. I had to finish this glass and get in the shower before the spell kicked in. Nothing smelled as bad as the last three days of a bender pouring out of your skin all at once. Slurping another sip of the god awful concoction, I shuffled up the stairs, stripping off my dirty clothes along the way.
The steamy water brought sweet relief with it. How long had it been since I showered? God, David really was a saint for putting up with all of my bullshit. I let the warm water do its work as I tried to shove the memories to the back of my mind. I vowed to myself that today I wouldn’t let the past interfere with the future.
The twelve faces that haunted me had to take a back seat today. I’d be with them soon enough if I kept up my present pace with the devil's brew or if that omen had anything to do with me. Today was about squaring a debt and maybe saving a life.
Shower complete, I headed to the closet. The clothes I had been wearing were strewn across the stairs and hallway. Not that I could have worn them again with the stink that was surely so attached to them now they probably needed to be burned instead of laundered.
What I had to choose from in the closet would strictly depend on how well David kept things running. I hadn’t done laund
ry in God knows how long; most of the time I wore the same clothes for days and then just tossed them on the floor when I couldn’t stand my own stench anymore.
Looking over the clothes-free floor, I swore again. Why in the hell was David even still here? It wasn’t like I was paying him anymore. Shit, I hadn’t paid for anything but booze and pizza for six months. It was a miracle that my life hadn’t fallen into utter disrepair.
Alright, it wasn’t a miracle. I could contribute it to one man doing his damnedest to keep my head from dipping below the surface. I’d treated him like complete shit, and he was still around. After this case was over, I’d have to get him a present, or maybe a new job with someone else. David didn’t deserve to be anchored to me; I was going nowhere.
Crisp, white shirt and some jeans seemed good enough. If this chick was expecting more then she was in trouble. Our community didn’t really do the whole suit and tie thing, not unless they were trying to run some kind of scam.
It was too bad Benny hadn’t sent her over when I had been face down in a puddle of my own drool. That would have scared her off nicely. But he’d known just when to send her to me because he had a partner in crime. If I made it through the day I was either going to kill David or give him a big hug. That bastard always had plans on top of plans, so I didn’t know yet how things were going to go.
The windows downstairs had all been opened, and the back room sealed off. Well, at least one of us still had their wits about them. No one went into the lab except for the apprentice and myself. That’s where I kept all the crap normal people didn’t think was real. Spell books, talismans, a few cursed objects, and that was just scratching the surface of what you could get into on the black market. It was better if our guest didn’t see any of that. The room tended to freak the magically uninclined, and then they thought I was a kook.
There was no way I was heading into this meeting unprepared. The omen in the ashes was enough to let me know death was coming for someone, and soon. I had to make sure it wasn’t me, and I was pretty sure Benny would be pissed if I let anything happen to the lady he sent my way. My magic was going to be a little rusty, but that didn’t mean it was non-existent.
A quick cut to the finger and a drop of blood on my tattoo was all it took to activate my personal protections. I felt a little better knowing that, despite my self-loathing, the magic hadn’t abandoned me. Moving around the room, I tucked a few talismans into my pockets before my eyes fell on the soul blade.
I’d tossed that fucking thing into the woods behind the house, hoping to never see it again, but David must have saved it. He tried to tell me that what happened wasn’t my fault and that the world needed more men like me, but I just didn’t see it.
His practicality had won out, though because, despite my numerous objections, the blade was resting comfortably inside of the glass case. He and I both knew I might need to use the blade again in the future, but that didn’t make it any easier seeing it resting there now.
Turning away from the case, I shivered as a flash of Gabriella’s face rose to the surface. There would be time for that later, if there was a later.
If there was any chance of this meeting going well, I needed to find a way to center myself. Once she walked through that door, I had a sense that things were going to spiral quickly out of control. That and if I was going to make it through the day, I needed to eat something.
Living off the bottle hadn’t done anything for my strength or appetite, but after the potion David had brewed for me, I needed to eat. Maybe I could talk the client into a quick meal before I found a way to ruin her life like I had with so many others.
The doorbell rang, and David moved towards the door. I leaned back in the leather chair and tried to breathe. It wouldn’t be long now before the study doors opened and I found out just how much trouble I was in. I thought I was prepared for anything, but it turned out that I wasn’t the least bit ready for her.
4
It was her, but then again it couldn’t be. The lady standing in front of me was a dead ringer for Gabriella except ten years older, and her looks spoke more of the islands than of Mexico.
Her black hair was straight and fell halfway down her back. She had the frame of a runner and long sleek muscles. Her brown eyes were the color of milk chocolate, but she had rings under them now. Whatever haunted her was starting to heavily weigh her down.
There was no running from possession. Somewhere deep inside, I knew that saving her wouldn’t save Gabriella, but it would be a start. Just like you could begin to covet what you see every day, so could you make amends for past transgressions.
Sitting in the study, I realized that I had never even asked Benny for her name. At the time, I didn’t give a fuck. I’d promised to listen to her story, and that was it. Part of me still wanted to listen and then turn her away so I could get back to the important business I was forced to abandon an hour ago when my phone wouldn’t stop ringing. That bottle of vodka still called to me. Its sweet siren song promised to wash away the sins of the past.
David had shown her into the study, and it showed how out of practice I was with entertaining clients by remaining seated. Seeing her had been a little shock to the system, but sitting there and staring at her probably wasn’t winning me any points in the not creepy department.
You know, maybe if we had met under different circumstances, I would have had the guts to ask her out, but not now.
The me that was being presented to her today was a fraud. I was a washed up nobody, but still I clung desperately to the hope she would see past that. I’d already committed myself to helping her; now she just had to give me a chance.
Rising from my chair, I looked away from those beautiful eyes long enough to double check my appearance. I hadn’t made a catastrophic mistake like leaving my fly open so I looked up, extended my hand, and moved towards her for the first time.
“Bozley Green, at your service.”
She looked me over as she gripped my hand. “Ka’ua. Ka’ua Thompson,” she said with a firm grip and a voice that said don’t fuck with me. “But everyone just calls me Rain.”
Rain didn’t look so sure about my ability to help her, but she hadn’t turned around and left yet, so I had that working for me. I could almost smell the desperation on her, how badly she needed this to work.
It was lucky for her that the others had declined meeting with her. They would have bilked her for every dollar she had, and in the end, the outcome would have been the same. Benny had made the right call, and she must have trusted him more than a little if she was still here. I found myself staring at her again, thinking about the last person that had put their trust in me.
Tearing my eyes away from her was hard to do, but I realized I had probably crossed the line from kinda creepy into full-on mouth-breather territory. I hadn’t said anything else since my name, and it was getting a little awkward. I pointed towards the empty chairs across from where I had been sitting. “Take a seat.”
“Thank you,” Rain said as she sat down.
She pulled her purse into her lap and clutched it tightly as if it would protect her. Her hands worked hard at the leather strap, threatening to rip it from the bag.
I couldn’t tell if it was just nerves or if being trapped in the study with someone that might seem a little mentally unstable was driving her behavior. Thankfully, David walked in just in time to save me from trying to fall back on any social graces.
He had a French press balanced on a tray, along with two cups, and all of the fixings to make your coffee so sweet it didn’t resemble coffee anymore. Thank God for his little intervention.
David’s presence cut through the tension in the room almost instantly. Plus, if you couldn’t eat, coffee was the next best thing on the menu. Caffeine helped to curb the hunger pains and would help me focus. David poured the two cups of steaming liquid energy and left the room.
Rain glanced at me nervously as she added some sugar to her cup. Things between us weren�
�t exactly off to an auspicious start. I poured some cream into my cup and pointed towards the door. “That was my assistant, David.”
She took a sip of her coffee, hands trembling slightly. “He introduced himself at the door.”
Of course, he did.
Well, that didn’t help to ease any of the weird tension I was feeling. In fact, it only made me feel a little more self-conscious about the amount of sugar and cream I was decimating my coffee with. I gave it a quick stir, glancing around the room to make sure everything was still there, and this wasn’t some kind of weird dream I couldn’t wake up from, and then I got right to the point. “What brings you here today?”
That clearly wasn’t the question she had been expecting. Rain’s face bunched up as she took another shaky sip of her coffee. “Benny didn’t tell you?”
“Benny didn’t tell me a fucking thing.” And there it was, I’d just slipped from kind of creepy into asshole status in the blink of an eye.
Rain’s hand slipped off her glass, and I was out of my seat in an instant. I might not have cared much for my grandmother, but those glasses were all I had left of her. “Glacio!” The glass froze in mid-air, halfway to the ground.
I reached out and cupped it just as the spell ended, managing to keep most of the coffee inside. I set the half empty glass back on the small table before moving around it to take my seat.
I could see the look of shock on her face. I had forgotten just how uncomfortable those casual displays of magic could be for people that weren’t used to them. The spell wasn’t anything special, just freezing something in place for a few seconds didn’t take a lot of effort. Still, it wasn’t something you saw every day, and in her already fragile state of mind, it must have been too much for her to handle.
Rain jumped to her feet and started to leave the room. “This was a mistake. I don’t even know what I’m doing here.”
Possessed (Bozley Green Chronicles Book 1) Page 3