“Yeah, I’ll stay here, thanks. Trudging around in the snow and slipping on the ice, just to walk a dog, doesn’t sound like much fun.”
I didn’t think it would be all that bad. Someone had shoveled the sidewalks around here, and I’d just have to do my best to avoid the ice.
At hearing the “W” word, Dutchie came over to me and whined.
“That’s right, sweetie — we’re going.”
Evony only shook her head and headed out to the living room, while I paused to pick up my coat from where I’d draped it over one of the dining room chairs. The sun was up — barely — but I knew it was still right around freezing outside.
Once I was bundled up, Dutchie and I went out the front door. I didn’t bother to lock it; the house key was still lying where Julia had left it on the dining room table.
Frigid air touched my face, but it felt good to breathe it in, to move down the sidewalk and watch Dutchie’s tail wagging frantically as she got ready to explore a whole new neighborhood. The house to my left, the one I’d seen through the kitchen window, didn’t have any cars parked in the driveway, reinforcing my hunch that it was empty, and neither did the one on the other side. Directly across the street, however, was a big two-story with a Chevy Avalanche out front and smoke rising from the chimney, so someone definitely occupied that one. For all I knew, they were watching Dutchie and me as we progressed along the sidewalk, but there wasn’t much I could do about that.
I began mentally rehearsing my story again, just in case someone did come outside, but apparently they weren’t in the mood to brave the cold just to meet their new neighbors, and the street remained deserted. We hadn’t gone far before Dutchie took care of business, so to speak, and I took one of the biodegradable waste bags off the roll I’d put in my pocket and picked up her mess. At least that way if anyone was spying, they’d see me being a responsible citizen.
During the whole time — well, the whole ten minutes we were outside, anyway — I did my best not to think about Jace, about how he had to be hidden somewhere here in town. The justice center seemed the most logical place, but there could be others. For all I knew, they had him secreted away somewhere in the labs so they could perform tests on him or something….
No. I shut that thought down before it could progress any further. Not that I would put it past this Miles person or Captain Margolis, necessarily, but stressing myself out wasn’t going to help the situation any, and in fact would only make it worse. In less than a hour I’d be going to meet a bunch of the locals, and I had to be on my best behavior. I couldn’t ask any pointed questions or show too much interest in the Los Alamos group’s captive djinn, or I’d be finished before I even got started. I had to make myself believe that Jace and Natila were fine for now. Well, as fine as they could be, locked up somewhere. But whole and healthy at least.
I came back to the house and stamped off what little snow my boots had managed to collect, then let myself inside. Evony was sitting on the couch in the living room, flipping through a six-month-old copy of InStyle. Apparently the people who’d gone through and cleared out the house hadn’t thought the magazine was personal enough that it required removal, possibly because I didn’t see a subscription label anywhere on it.
“Getting ready for your beach look early?” I asked, and she grimaced.
“I wish. I wish it was safe to just go around without worrying about mad scientists or crazy djinn or whatever. Just me and Natila on her Harley, heading for the coast. I’d stick my toes in the Pacific and never look back.”
That did sound inviting. I’d never been to California. I asked Evony if she had, and she shook her head.
“Are you kidding? The farthest west I ever got was a trip to the Grand Canyon when I was ten.” She tossed the magazine on the coffee table and stood up. “Please tell me you’re going to change before we go back out.”
I unzipped my parka and went to hang it in the coat closet. “Why should I? It’s not like I’m going to Pajarito’s to pick up guys or something.”
“So what? You know that’s not why you’re going, but they don’t have to know that. We’re the new girls in town. We need to make a good impression. I’ll loan you my green sweater again.”
It probably wasn’t worth wasting time arguing about. “Fine,” I said. “But I’m doing my own makeup.”
“Deal.” Then she hesitated, eyes narrowing. “You did bring some makeup, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” Not much, but some. Even I wasn’t so naïve as to think a little sprucing up wouldn’t be in order. After all, I didn’t know who I was going to have to sweet-talk to get what I wanted.
Because believe me, I had every intention of getting the one thing I wanted from this town.
Jace.
Chapter Nine
Apparently, Evony was satisfied with the job I’d done, because after giving me a critical once-over, she nodded. “You clean up pretty good, Monroe.”
“Why, thanks, Rodriguez.”
She grinned, and we went to put on our coats and get in the car. Whoever had dropped it off at the new house had left the keys in the ignition; clearly, auto theft wasn’t something we’d need to worry about here. Then again, why would it be? Everyone who needed a vehicle had already been provided with one.
I spotted a few cars going the opposite direction as we headed into town, and none around us, so it seemed as though most people preferred to eat at home if possible. Julia had indicated that the woman who’d lived in our house before us had moved in with someone else, meaning that the members of the Los Alamos group were beginning to pair up and start new relationships. I supposed that was a good thing. It showed people were moving on, thinking of the future. They must have had a good deal of faith in Captain Margolis’ leadership abilities, or at least in the devices this Miles person had invented. I wondered how many of those boxes he’d made so far. Just another bit of knowledge to dig up, if possible.
The restaurant was located in a shopping center, so we didn’t have to park on the street. And even though I’d seen people passing us as they went home for the evening, I still counted about a dozen cars in the parking lot here, meaning there had to be a decent-sized crowd at Pajarito’s.
I swallowed. It had been bad enough to walk into that crowd of Chosen in Taos. At least they were friendly, or more or less on my side. Here, if these people knew anything at all about me and Evony, then they’d know we’d been with a djinn before coming here. I had to pray that they’d buy our somewhat abrupt change of heart.
Then I spotted Julia’s black Suburban and felt a little better, knowing that she was already here, and, if my brief acquaintance with her was any indication, thoughtfully saving us a table. I slung my purse over my shoulder and got out of the Cherokee, while Evony did the same. Once or twice I slipped on a patch of ice as I made my way to the restaurant door, but I did manage to get there without going ass over teakettle. That would’ve been a really auspicious start to the evening. Those djinn had the right idea, using the fire and air elementals among them to make sure that all the walkways around Taos were clear. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that even useful djinn wouldn’t be too welcome here in Los Alamos.
Taking a breath, I wrapped my fingers around the handle of the door and pushed it inward. A rush of warm air hit my face, overlaid with the welcome scents of food cooking — garlic and butter and a few other things I couldn’t identify but which made my deprived stomach growl. As I made a quick scan of the restaurant, trying to ignore the curious and sometimes hostile looks shot in my direction, I spotted Julia Innes sitting at a booth along the far wall, in a nice inconspicuous corner.
Well, it would’ve been inconspicuous if Evony and I hadn’t had to cross the whole place to get to that booth. I strode forward, my chin up, and forced myself not to make eye contact with anyone. At my side, Evony did more or less the same, although I got a challenging vibe radiating off her, something that seemed to say, You want to fuck with me? Go right ahead.
We made it to Julia’s booth without anyone saying anything or stopping us. I blew out a breath of relief as I dropped onto the empty seat, Evony sliding in next to me.
“I see you found the place okay,” Julia said. She had a glass of white wine in front of her, but no food.
Thank God there was booze. I knew I was going to need it.
“Oh, yeah,” I replied. “Your map made it easy.”
“I went ahead and ordered us some truffle fries,” she went on, smiling. “Obviously, we can’t maintain exactly the same menu that the original restaurant had, but the fries were a favorite, so we’ve managed to keep them available so far.”
“And the beer, looks like,” Evony said, her gaze resting on the line of taps at the bar.
“That, too. I think they’d gotten in several shipments right before the Heat hit, so we were stocked to begin with, and then our foraging teams picked up more stuff when they went out to Santa Fe.”
“All the comforts of home,” I remarked.
“We do our best. Speaking of home, how is the new place?”
“It’s great. Thank you so much for getting us placed so quickly.”
Julia looked pleased and opened her mouth to reply, but right then a girl around Evony’s age, maybe even younger, came up and asked what we’d like to drink. She kept shooting inquisitive looks at us as she took our orders, mine for a glass of malbec, Evony’s for some Lumberyard ale. I thought I knew what those glances were all about — she wanted to get an eyeful of the two women who’d supposedly had djinn lovers. Thankfully, though, she didn’t say anything on that subject, but only told us she’d be back in a few minutes with our drinks. Most likely Julia’s presence there had kept her from really attempting to pry.
“I noticed the houses next to ours seemed to be empty,” I began, and she nodded.
“Yes, they’re both on natural gas for their central heating, so we haven’t placed anyone there yet. We’re working on getting that straightened out, but right now we have enough inventory that we’re doing okay.”
“It must be a logistical nightmare, having to juggle everything,” I said. Thinking of Lauren in Taos, the former executive assistant, I added, “Were you an admin or something before? Because I don’t think I could manage what you do.”
For some reason, the compliment didn’t seem to please her. Julia tapped her finger on the base of her wine glass, her gaze not quite meeting mine. “I was a paralegal at a busy law firm. So I’m sort of used to juggling fifty things at once, all of which have to be done right now.”
“Margolis a pain to work for?” Evony inquired. Judging by her tone, she already had her own ideas on that score.
“He’s…demanding,” Julia allowed. “But I understand why. We’re not having to start exactly from scratch here, but it can be tough getting people to fit in and do what the community needs.”
Including conscripting me for teaching duty. I really wasn’t looking forward to that. Never mind that I’d had vague plans to go into teaching once I was done with my master’s, mostly because what the heck else was I supposed to do with a master’s degree in English? But those plans had been to teach high school, not the lower grades, and Julia’s comment that there were kids ranging from nine to sixteen hadn’t exactly filled me with confidence. Well, I’d worry about that tomorrow when I went in to get my work assignment. Stressing about it now would only ruin my evening.
“I suppose it would be tough.” Evony’s expression wasn’t exactly thrilled, either, and I had a feeling she wasn’t looking forward to ending up here at Pajarito’s or one of the other eating establishments they’d kept open here in town, serving drinks and food to people who’d been doing far more interesting things than waiting tables all day. Well, maybe she had some other skills that could be put to use. We hadn’t had much of a chance to discuss the situation.
Speaking of servers, the girl came back right then with our drinks and set them down, then flitted back to the kitchen and returned with a huge plate of heavenly-smelling fries. I inhaled the aroma and thought maybe Los Alamos wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“You can get something more substantial after this,” Julia said. “But I figured the fries would be a good place to start.”
I had to agree with her on that one. Evony reached for the same fry as I did at the same time, and we both laughed as we withdrew our hands and selected a different one. They were marvelous, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and drizzled with truffle oil.
“I can see why you kept those on the menu,” I said, after I’d eaten a couple and then taken a sip of my wine. It wasn’t nearly as good as the fries, but I was willing to overlook its shortcomings, just because of the effect it would have on me. Some of the tension began to leave my shoulders as I drank some more malbec.
“Good, aren’t they?” Julia had also helped herself to a few more swallows of her wine, and she, too, looked a little more relaxed than when Evony and I had first sat down in the booth. Despite my comparing her to Lauren, Julia and Zahrias’ Girl Friday back in Taos really weren’t that much alike. Lauren seemed sunny and cheerful to the point that I had to wonder whether she’d been a pageant girl once upon a time, whereas there was something sad and closed-off about Julia, despite her smiles and welcoming attitude.
“They’re awesome,” Evony said. She lifted her pint glass and saluted the two of us. “Here’s to the beer never running out.”
“Well, I’m more of a wine drinker, but I’ll drink to that anyway.” Julia clinked her glass against Evony’s, and then against mine. “Captain Margolis thought it was important for the community here to have this sort of place to come to if we want. Helps to maintain an atmosphere of normality.”
My estimation of the commander rose a notch. All right, I still hated him for taking Jace away, but at least he didn’t seem to be quite the tyrant I had expected.
“Very forward-thinking man, Captain Margolis,” Evony said, gulping back more of her beer. She probably needed to slow down, or she’d be finished with that pint long before I was done with my much more modest glass of wine.
Then a shadow seemed to fall over our booth, and I looked up to see two large men standing there, both wearing unpleasant smiles on their faces. Something about them seemed vaguely familiar, and I thought they might have been among the crew that had seized Jace several days ago. I hadn’t had any real interactions with them at the time, not the way I had with Dan Lowery, and so I couldn’t be positive as to their identity. Even so, I felt myself stiffen, my fingers tightening around the stem of my wine glass.
Their appearance had put Julia on alert, too; I could see the way her jaw tightened and she took in a breath, almost as if bracing herself for some sort of confrontation.
“Well, look who’s here,” the one who was standing slightly closer to our table said. “It’s our two little djinn-fuckers.”
I couldn’t say that kind of comment was completely unexpected, but even so I felt my gut clench and my heart begin to pound. Beside me, Evony choked on the mouthful of beer she’d just swallowed.
“There’s no need for that, Mitch,” Julia said, her voice quiet enough, but underlaid with a trace of steel. “Jessica and Evony have had a change of heart. They’re with us now.”
“Oh, yeah?” Mitch inquired, rocking back slightly on his heels. From his reddened eyes and the general air of blurriness that accompanied him, I guessed he’d had more than a few beers to drink. You’d think they’d have the sense to stop serving someone when he went over the edge, but maybe whoever was pouring the drinks didn’t have the nerve to say no to one of Margolis’ enforcers. “That still doesn’t change what they did.”
“Actually, I think it does.” Julia’s tone didn’t alter one bit, and she stared up at Mitch as if she wasn’t a bit worried that he probably outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds. “You ever done something you regretted, something you tried to fix later?”
&nb
sp; “Uh….” He frowned, as if trying to work that one out. I had a feeling he wasn’t the sharpest tack in the box even when he wasn’t drunk. Then his gaze sharpened just a little. “Well, maybe. But nothing like that.”
In another situation, I might have thrown a “to err is human” quote in there, but I had no idea how this Mitch person would react to a remark like that. It was probably better to keep my mouth shut and let Julia handle this.
She said, “We’re just trying to have a quiet meal here. If all this is okay with the commander, then it should be okay with you, too.”
Obviously, Mitch hadn’t considered that side of the argument, because he glanced back at his compatriot, who shrugged, then stepped forward, leering at Evony.
“Hey, sweetie, now that you’ve given up that djinn bitch, how about you let a real man show you how it’s done?”
Without blinking, Evony responded, “Sure. If you see a real man anywhere around here, send him on over.”
Oh, shit. The second guy, who was probably almost as drunk as Mitch, tilted his head slightly as he attempted to process her remark. Then his brows lowered, and he said, “You think you’re pretty cute, don’t you? Well, you’re not going to have the ice queen here around to protect you all the time.”
“Butch,” Julia said, still in that clear, quiet tone. “That’s enough.”
“We’ll say when it’s been enough. You shouldn’t be sticking up for these bitches — ”
“Back off, Butch,” came a new voice, and I looked past the two rednecks to see Dan Lowery approaching, a scowl to match theirs darkening his face. “You’re making a scene.”
“So what?” Mitch said. “We’re only saying what everyone else in here is thinking.”
Dan paused next to our booth. He wasn’t as bulky as the other two men, but an inch or so taller, just enough so he could stare down at them as he stood there, arms crossed. “I kind of doubt that. And anyway, if Captain Margolis is letting the girls stay, then he must be all right with them being here. What he probably won’t be all right with is finding out how you’ve been treating them. Know what I mean?”
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