Playing with Fire (Judah Black Novels Book 4)

by E. A. Copen

  “What about Mara?”

  Reed licked his lips. “If she’s there, she’s likely under his control to some degree. The night we were at the barn, it was to be her initiation into the group. With everything going on, they may have postponed that. If you hurry, you may be able to stop him from solidifying his influence over her.”

  I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. There was just one more thing I needed to ask Reed, and I wasn’t sure how to say it. Honesty is probably best. I’ve never been one to dance around it, so I might as well just come out and say it.

  “There’s just one more thing I need to ask you, and I’m going to need an honest answer.”

  When I opened my eyes, Reed had wrinkled his forehead looking at me. “I’ll do my best.”

  “The sword you carry, is it known as the sword of light?”

  The room was quiet for a long time, the only sounds Gideon Reed’s rough breathing.

  He answered in a voice barely above a whisper. “Who told you that?”

  “Seamus.”

  “That sword must not fall into his hands, Judah. It must be protected. You have no idea what he can do with something that powerful.”

  “I have an idea,” I mumbled. “I know it would be bad.”

  “Don’t worry,” Istaqua chimed in. “Even Finvarra couldn’t pass through this circle, priest. You’re safe for now. This business with the sword can be settled at a later date. You have bigger problems.”

  “Thank you.” I nodded to Reed. “You stay inside this circle and get better. I’m going to go stop all of this.”

  “Be careful,” Reed called after me as I walked to the door. “Don’t underestimate Hector’s power. He overcame me with ease. I know of no way to defend against his psychomancy, Judah. He is powerful, and one of the Sicarii. If you kill him, you will draw their attention and that is not a good thing.”

  I stopped in the doorway next to Istaqua and turned back, a smile on my face. “Come on, Reed. This is me you’re talking to. When have I ever not been careful?”

  Istaqua’s hand came down on my shoulder. “We’ve got her back. Don’t you worry, priest.”

  I slid by Istaqua and made my way back out to the front room where the rest of the Kings waited in silence. Sal looked up from his place at the kitchen counter and put down the beer in his hands. The room smelled of barbeque and there was a spread of food on the bar where Chanter used to keep his medicines and car keys. Someone else sat in Chanter’s chair, someone I didn’t know and someone that didn’t deserve it. I caught the whiff of cigarette smoke in the air.

  My broken arm ached and my head felt heavy. The light was suddenly too much, and it made my temper flare. I shifted my arm and growled, “What the hell are you guys looking at?” When no one answered, I spun on my heels and stormed back to Chanter’s bedroom, slamming the door shut so I could finally get some peace.

  But peace wasn’t what I found.

  On the other side of the door, I sank to the floor fighting tears. It was stupid, how upset I’d gotten over so many little things. It felt wrong, seeing the place without Chanter. Even after so long, I still expected to see him every time I rounded a corner, every time I smelled smoke or heard deep laughter. I still felt like I had failed him somehow, like there was more I needed to say. Even though I’d gotten more of a goodbye than most, it never felt like enough.

  A gentle rap sounded on the door. “Judah?” came Sal’s muffled voice.

  I stared at the door and debated telling him to go away, but that would change nothing. It was selfish of me to want to keep all of Chanter’s memory to myself.

  He opened the door when I moved away from it and quickly closed it behind him, cocking his head to the side. “What is it?”

  “Everything and nothing.” I choked on a sob and pushed tears away with my palm. “It’s just… Chanter would know what to do. He always knew. Not having him here to ask, it’s been so hard. And seeing Istaqua sit in his chair, seeing anyone there… I just miss him, Sal. I miss everyone.”

  Sal stepped forward to wrap his arms around me, careful not to squeeze the broken arm. “I know. Trust me, I know.”

  “Did he know? About all of this?”

  Sal kissed the top of my head and then shook his head. “I don’t know how much he knew.”

  “This isn’t just some monster, Sal. This is the government. This is BSI. This is my boss, the people who know everything about me, things even you don’t know.” I raised my head and fought the tightness in my throat. “How am I supposed to fight that? Shutting things down here will have consequences. This isn’t going to end when Marcus fires Han. This goes all the way to the top of the government. How do we stop that?”

  Sal squeezed me tighter. It made my arm ache even more, but I didn’t care. I wouldn’t have traded that hug for anything in the world. “You don’t do it by yourself, that’s how. You’ve got friends, allies. I know it’s hard for you to trust us because we’ve been on the wrong side of the law, but Marcus, Istaqua, the Kings, and others… We’re fighting a war against that already.”

  “But how am I supposed to fight for what I know is right without endangering Hunter? If I quit, BSI will come for me.”

  “Then don’t quit.” Sal leaned back to look at me. “You keep doing your job, Judah, and doing the best that you can.”

  I swallowed. “And what about when orders come down from above? Eventually, they’ll figure me out. I might have to run.”

  “We’ll worry about that as it comes.” Sal nodded. “Today, we shut down Hector’s operation and get Han out of the way. Then, we worry about tomorrow.”

  I sniffled and wiped the rest of the tears from my face. Somehow, talking to Sal always made me feel better. “Sal, there can’t be a we this time. I might have a way to defend myself against the spell that hit Reed, but I can’t extend that to other people. If one of you werewolves gets hit by it, that could be even more disastrous. We can’t risk that.”

  Sal’s face hardened. “Well, I’m not letting you go in alone.”

  I looked down at my hands. The skin was red and splotchy. My face probably was, too. It’d be a while before I could go out and face people without looking like a mess. “Espinoza,” I mumbled. “I can bring Espinoza. He works for the local cops, so he’s not connected to BSI, and he’s got some low-level psychomancy of his own. He might be able to protect himself. Yeah, if anyone can, he can.”

  “What about you? What are you going to do to keep him out of your head?”

  “It’s not going to be easy.” I shrugged. “But I can do it. I was trained in the academy to keep things out. If it works on demons and ghosts, it should work on Hector too.”

  Sal didn’t look convinced, so I leaned forward and kissed him. “Don’t worry so much, Sal. This is my job. This is what I do. I wouldn’t have gotten this far if I wasn’t at least a little good at it.”

  He offered a weak smile in response. “Fine, but one of us drives you out there so I know you got that far safely.”

  I grinned back. “Deal.”

  Chapter Twenty

  When Sal said he would let me call in whoever I wanted for back up, I don’t think he thought I’d call Ed. He didn’t seem pleased when I got off the phone, asking Ed to drive out to Chanter’s and pick me up, but he didn’t voice an objection either.

  I leaned against the counter, staring at the lock screen of the burner cell phone, wondering if I should bother to call Espinoza in. Hector wasn’t likely to go that easily. He’d probably resist any arrest, but that was the only way we were going to get any real answers. If BSI figured out that the jig was up, they’d silence him. Permanently. Hector’s only chance of survival was to place himself in police custody. We’d wind up protecting that asshole. Believe me when I say I wished it wasn’t that way, but that was the only way I could see going forward.

  I dialed Espinoza’s number and raised the phone to my ear. He answered on the third ring. “Espinoza.”

  “Hey, Espi
noza. It’s Agent Black.”

  “Judah, how are you? I heard you got pretty busted up.”

  My eye twitched at the memory of Abe snapping my arm. “It takes more than a broken arm to keep me down. Listen, I need a favor, and it might be a dangerous one. I can’t even tell you everything.”

  “This is one of those need-to-know basis things, huh?”

  “Pretty much. You’re just going to have to trust me, because you’re not going to like what we’re about to do.”

  I gave him the short version, leaving out most of the evidence that incriminated BSI, the government, and the Sicarii. I also didn’t tell him I knew where Reed was or about the Kings’ involvement. Which, I suppose, means I didn’t tell him anything other than that we needed to place Hector in protective custody.

  He sighed. “I’m going to trust you have a good reason for that, Judah. You know how slimy that guy is.”

  “Yeah, but the only way I get done what I need done is to make sure he survives, and we don’t have enough evidence yet to arrest him. I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you more, but the more you know, the more danger you could be in.”

  “I’m a big boy,” Espinoza purred. “I can take care of myself. But I’ll trust you. I’m your back-up. You tell me where you need me and I’m there.”

  I glanced up at the clock on the wall. “I can meet you down the road from the compound in say, an hour?”

  Espinoza agreed and I hung up just as loud, feminine laughter belted out from the other side of the room. I turned my head. There hadn’t been any women in the main part of the house when I first arrived. Maybe one of them had come in while I was in the back and I’d missed it.

  She stood with her back to the wall, peering over Bran’s shoulder while Bran played cards with Sal, nursing a beer. Dark makeup and a punk-rocker look set her apart from the other girls that hung around the Kings. She wore her hair in an elegantly feathered mohawk, the sides of her head shaved. She was also the only woman I’d ever seen wearing a leather vest with a Kings patch, though the one on her chest said “property of” above the Kings label.

  Figuring she’d be better conversation than the guys, I wandered over closer to the table to watch the poker game. When I got to the table, two guys threw their cards down and bowed out of the hand, leaving Sal and Bran to win a pot made of a handful of tens and fives plus some quarters. I put a hand on Sal’s shoulder to let him know I was there.

  “It’s all over now,” Sal said and pushed a few more quarters into the middle. “My good luck charm just got here.”

  I frowned and leaned in to look at his cards. “I don’t know. Good luck can only do so much for a hand like that.”

  Sal sighed. Bran chuckled and met Sal’s bet, adding, “Angel, have you met Judah Black before?” Bran asked and gestured to the woman behind him.

  The woman, Angel, took a long pull from her beer and then gave me a sultry smirk. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.”

  I held my hand out to her for a friendly handshake, but she bypassed it and stepped way into my personal space. When she sniffed at me, I jerked back. She laughed. “Oh, sweetheart. You don’t have to play that game with me. I could eat you alive and you’d love every minute of it.” Angel snapped her teeth at me and I flinched again. Her laugh vibrated through the room and several people looked up. “I’ll get you a refill, babe,” she said and walked off.

  I frowned after her. “What’s her problem?”

  “She likes you,” Sal said as if he barely noticed the exchange.

  “She’s got a funny way of showing it.”

  “Angel takes a little warming up to, but she’s worth getting to know.”

  “Careful,” Bran said in a warning tone and lowered his cards to give Sal a slight smile. “That’s my wife you’re talking about there, brother.”

  “Relax, brother, I know. Haven’t thought of Angel like that in a long time.”

  Angel returned with two handfuls of beer bottles and leaned into Sal, purring next to his ear. “You can think of me like that anytime.” When she saw me scowling at her, she stood and threw an arm around me. “You too, sweetheart. I don’t mind a bit. It’s only fair. I think you’re worth remembering.” She kissed my cheek and walked away laughing to pass beers to everyone at the table.

  Sal threw down his cards. “Well, now that Angel’s seen my hand, seems I’d better show you mine before she tells you to up the ante.”

  “Three of a kind,” Bran said nodding. “Not bad.”

  “Unless you’ve got a full house over there like I think you do.”

  Bran lowered his hand, revealing two eights and three twos with a big grin. “Still got a good nose, don’t you?”

  “I can smell your bullshit a mile away, Bran.” Sal looked up at me while Bran collected his winnings.

  I hadn’t stopped glaring at Angel and, the more I looked at her, the more irritated I got. I’d never considered myself a jealous woman. Then again, I’d never had much of an opportunity to be jealous. The night I’d spotted Sal and the other Kings in Aisling, Kandie had been all over him. I’d broken her nose as much for that as getting in my face and telling me to step off. That was the one and only time I could think of where I let my feelings for someone turn me to violence and even then Kandie had provoked me. Angel hadn’t really done anything to me, but inside I was simmering. Haven’t thought of her like that in a long time, Sal had said. They’d had a thing and that bothered me.

  “It was a long time ago,” Sal said quietly.

  “Well, not that long,” Angel added. “After that Zoe bitch hung you out to dry. That was shit. Nobody here would deny that.” She put her bottle on the corner of the table and crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side. “You smoke?”

  “No.”

  “Course you don’t. Well, I’m going to step out front under the awning for a smoke in case you want to chat.” Angel bent down and gave Bran an open-mouthed kiss with plenty of tongue and then she walked past me toward the front door.

  I moved to follow her. She hadn’t said it outright, but I was sure she either wanted to fight me or talk. Either way, I was game.

  Sal caught my arm before I could step away. “Play nice,” he said and motioned to Bran with his head.

  I looked back at Bran, who frowned and stared down at his hands as he shuffled the cards. “If she picks a fight, that’s not my fault,” I said and pulled away from Sal.

  As I was walking away, I heard Sal mutter, “Women. God.”

  “Deadliest in any species,” Bran replied.

  I yanked open the front door. The rain was coming down gently while thunder rumbled and rolled over the open desert. Angel leaned against the porch wall, sucking on a cigarette. She glanced over at me, her face expressionless. “For a minute, I thought you wouldn’t come. Takes guts for a human to come out here like that.”

  “You’re not human?” I pushed the door closed behind me.

  “Werewolf.” She plucked the cigarette from her mouth. “My husband turns into a bear, too, if you didn’t know.”

  “I didn’t.” I put my hands in my pockets, musing, Werebears. What next? A long silence passed and I fumbled to make small talk while she smoked. “How long have you and Bran been married?”

  “A little over four years.”

  More silence. I did the math in my head. Sal had only been divorced from Zoe about three years. I turned my head to study her.

  She blew out a mouthful of smoke and smirked at me. “Did the math, huh?”

  “You cheated on Bran?” I hissed, quietly. Not that it was a secret. Bran seemed to know and Sal hadn’t acted like it was a big deal.

  Angel laughed. “It wasn’t like that, hon. It’s not cheating if they’re both in on it.”

  I sighed. The last thing I needed to hear was her bragging about her past sexual conquests, especially when they involved Sal. “You clearly wanted me to come out here. Why? What do you want?”

  “To clear the air, first of all.�
� She smirked. “I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a terrible flirt, but I do it ‘cause it’s fun to watch the boys squirm. Me and Sal had our fun, but that’s all it was, just a one-time thing. I ain’t interested in your man, Judah. Truth is, I was a hangaround for a while, which basically means I’ve fucked just about every one of the guys in there, your boyfriend included.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” I said, folding my arms.

  “Well, partly because you still like to think your boyfriend’s some kind of white knight. That just isn’t the case. You’re not doing him any favors, thinking like that. And also…” Angel plucked her cigarette from her mouth and stomped it out before she pointed to the patch on her chest that said “property of.” “See this? There’s a reason I wear it and none of those other bitches in there do. They can’t patch me in because I don’t have a dick, but I’ve got bigger balls than half of them. I know better than to shit where I eat. I don’t have no beef with you and I don’t want you to have one with me.”

  “And?”

  “And,” Angel repeated, “as someone who’s been where you are, I don’t want you to have no illusions that you’re safe. Sal’s a good guy, better than most of them, and he won’t pass you around like Istaqua does to his women, but this life ain’t for everyone. You can’t be half in or half out. People die half in.”

  I smiled and shook my head. “What? You think I should ditch my car for a bike and dress in leather?”

  Angel threw her head back and laughed. “You ever want to go that route, you give me a call. You can pull off the look. But no, that ain’t what I’m saying.” She bent over, picked up the cigarette and flicked it out into the desert. “Men are stupid. They think too much with their dicks and not enough with their heads when it comes to us. Sal’s got a long history of falling hard for women and letting that get him into trouble. Situations like what happened to you earlier are only going to get more frequent. With as much as Sal cares about you, Istaqua can back him into a corner. You know what I’m talking about.”

  I did. Memories of another rainy day at Chanter’s home flashed through my mind. The last time Istaqua had manipulated Sal into killing two people. The men Sal killed deserved it for killing Chanter, but watching Sal pull the trigger and murder two men execution style still gave me nightmares.