He pushed me toward them. They surged forward, each grabbing hold of one of my limbs, lifting me off the ground. They began to pull, tearing my body apart. I screamed in terror but no one came.
Smashing glass woke me from the horrible nightmare. I raised my head off the couch, wondering where I was for a moment.
“Kol?” I called.
He came rushing out of his room, baseball bat in hand. “That came from downstairs.”
Grabbing my boots, I quickly yanked them on, then followed him downstairs. Those guys from before were small time, who the hell did they send this time?
More glass broke as we reached the bottom of the stairs. Kol opened the door and we peeked out to see three dark shapes moving around the shop. One of them grabbed vials off the shelves at random and smashed them on the floor.
“You take the big two and I’ll take the little one,” Kol whispered.
“Excuse me?”
“Fine, take down who you can.”
He yanked the door open and rushed toward the nearest one. Swinging the bat, it connected with the guy’s head. He grunted and pitched forward into the shelves, sending the bottles flying.
I hopped over his prone body and went for the next guy. I didn’t have a weapon, but I had claws. I slashed him in the chest, followed by a kick to the leg.
He staggered but stayed on his feet. I saw a flash of light before I lifted off my feet and flew over the counter.
Crashing down on the ground, I groaned in pain. What the hell did he throw at me? An energy ball? Must have been low voltage or I would be dead.
I heard Kol yell my name. Getting up, I saw him boxed in by the two guys still standing. He tried to hold them back with the bat.
Hopping the counter, I jumped on the back of the closest one, trying to get my arm around his beefy neck. He tried to flip me off his back, but I held on tight. Extending my claws, I dug them into his face. He screamed in pain, swinging his body wildly. I lost my grip and fell onto the floor.
Pain shot through my left palm as I landed on some broken glass. The coppery scent of blood filled the air and the wolf went wild. She didn’t like getting hurt or being threatened.
Launching myself off the ground, I went for the one I had slashed. I beat him to the ground, kicking and punching him. He curled up in the fetal position to protect himself. The wolf took control, even though I was still in my human form.
It was Kol who finally pulled me away. “Jade, stop. You’ll kill them.”
Breathing hard, I tried to pull it back. How could I let her take over like that? Look at how I ended up going on the run in the first place, no wonder the pack thought me guilty of murder. No matter what these men did, I couldn’t murder them in cold blood.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, as Kol released me. The rage slowly subsided as the men crawled for the door. I guess they learned their lesson and at least they were still able to move.
Once they were outside, Kol closed the door. The lock had been broken so he wedged some boxes against it for now. “I’m going to have to call a locksmith.”
He switched on the light and we got a good look at the mess. Glass littered the floor and the shelving the guy fell into was unlikely to be fixed.
Kol grabbed a broom and started sweeping. “There’s blood here,” he said, pointing at some of the glass.
I held up my hand, but it was almost healed already. We both got lucky.
Still shaken by my reaction, I bent to pick up some of the broken shelves.
“Just leave it,” Kol said. “It’s my problem.”
I ignored him and lifted it up to put it into the trash.
“Please Kol, ask Harry for the money before this gets worse,” I begged. Now that they knew what they were facing, they might send something much worse our way. They might not bother with breaking in next time, they might just burn the place to the ground. Would they go that far? It would be hard to get their money back if we burned to death I suppose, but I had no idea how bad this Lewicki guy was.
Kol swept the glass into a pile in the middle of the floor. “I’m not asking him. I have a plan.”
“What plan?”
He sighed. “Just trust me, I’ll get it sorted.”
“You better. I’ll look up a locksmith. We don’t want to leave the door like that overnight.”
Grabbing my phone, I scrolled through the search engine for someone. Kol didn’t speak as he cleaned up. He seemed exhausted. I felt the same way now that the wolf had retreated. I needed to find a safe place to run soon or risk something worse. What if I turned in the middle of the street? Or lost it and actually killed someone? Tomorrow I would check out the maps of the area and find somewhere suitable.
“I found a locksmith. I’ll give them a call,” I said.
Kol waved a hand at me to say go ahead. Sighing, I made the call. He agreed to come out but it would cost a fortune. It would be a long night.
When is this going to end?
17
Jade
While Kol got ready to open up the store the next morning, I made a call to Harry. If Kol wouldn’t ask him for the money, that didn’t mean I couldn’t. Whatever plan he had, it may not work and we needed a plan B.
“Hello?” Harry said when he answered.
“Harry, I need to ask a favor. Not for me, for Kol.”
I moved to the door to make sure Kol was still downstairs. I could hear him moving something around.
“Okay, what can I do?”
“He’s got into some trouble with a loan shark and they’ve been sending people around to wreck his shop until they get it.” I knew I shouldn’t be sharing Kol’s business, but it was only Harry and if he could help then it would be worth it.
“I take it he doesn’t want to involve the police,” Harry asked.
“No, but I thought that if you could front him the money, he could get these guys off his back. Obviously, he would pay you back and he wouldn’t have to worry about you taking a baseball bat to his legs.” I didn’t like asking him, but it seemed like the best solution. Certainly a lot safer.
“I take it from the fact that you are asking me, that Kol doesn’t actually know anything about this.”
“That would be correct,” I admitted.
“I don’t have a problem lending him the money, but I really think you should speak to him first. This should come from him.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to him. Thanks, Harry.” I hung up the phone as I heard Kol coming up the stairs. Tossing it into my bag, I finished putting on my shoes for work.
Kol came in carrying cleaning supplies in a bucket. “I’m about to open up. I think I scrubbed every inch of the place, it’s never been so clean.”
“That’s great. Listen, Kol, I had a word with Harry and he said that he doesn’t have a problem lending you the money to get this Lewicki guy off your back.”
Kol slammed the cleaning supplies onto the kitchen counter. “You did what?”
I held my hands up. “Don’t get mad. This is the best way to sort things and Harry won’t mind if you need time to pay him back.”
His normally pale face flushed red. “Who the hell do you think you are? Why would you tell Harry anything? This is my problem, Jade, not yours and certainly not Harry’s. I don’t need his money and I’m not taking it.”
“Why are you being so stubborn?”
“I don’t need a handout!”
“It’s not a handout, it’s a loan. Why won’t you let me help you?” I said, my voice rising.
“Enough! This is my life, my business and I don’t need your help. Stay the hell out of it or find somewhere else to live.” He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
What the hell?
He didn’t mean that surely? I wanted to help him, why couldn’t he see that? Would he really throw me out?
Shit, what have I done? I needed to stop being so impulsive. I can’t help it though, I tend to ju
mp in feet first and worry about the consequences later. If I ended up homeless, they would be some pretty hefty consequences.
Retrieving my purse, I sloped downstairs to head to work. Kol didn’t look up from the counter as I passed him.
Better to let him cool off or I could end up sleeping on the streets tonight.
I could cook us something later, try and apologize, although I didn’t see why I needed to. If he wanted his own stupid pride to get in the way of a reasonable solution then that was on him.
I bit my tongue, no, that was my own stupid pride getting in the way. I would apologize and fix this with him.
Harry was speaking to someone in the other office when I came in. I hoped it was a paying client. While Regine’s case took up all our time, we still weren’t earning anything. I could probably drop some more business cards off around the city during lunch.
The door opened and a man in a blue shirt exited. He glanced nervously at me and then hurried to the door.
“Who was that?” I asked.
“A contact,” Harry said. He seemed to have a lot of these ‘contacts’ but it was a mystery to me where he met them or how they knew what went on in this city. I imagined it involved more bribes.
“What did he have to say?”
“According to him, Reynolds is hosting a party tomorrow night. It is invitation only.”
“Are you suggesting we crash it?” I asked.
“Well, no, I think I can wrangle a ticket. It might be the only way to get near Reynolds. If we could get a confession from him, then we would have an answer for Regine.”
“Okay, but I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I’m sure you can get something in the stores. Take my credit card. What happened with Kol?”
“He didn’t go for it. In fact, he got angry about it.”
“Well, I expected that.”
“You did?”
“Kol is very proud and I don’t think he likes the idea of anyone bailing him out.”
Sighing, I took a seat at the desk. “I know. But the alternative is these guys come back and try to hurt him again. I just want him to be safe.”
“I’m sure he knows that. Give him time to cool off and try again.”
“Yeah, I will. So how are we going to get this confession?” I asked.
“I think we’ll have to try and trick it out of him. I’ve researched as much as possible on him and no one seems to be able to tell me what he actually is.”
“Everyone thinks he’s brilliant and he has a knack for making money, maybe he’s a Mesmer,” I suggested. Mesmer’s could control people’s minds, that would come in handy when running a multi-million dollar corporation. He could also convince a girl to sit still while he slashed her throat.
“Perhaps. We need to be ready for anything. I think we should work separately. One of us speaks to him while the other will act as back up in case he tries something.”
“Then I’m guessing I’ll need something with cleavage,” I said, referring to the dress.
“Funny, I thought I’d do the same,” Harry joked.
“Hey, as long as we don’t end up wearing the same dress, it won’t be a problem.”
I took his credit card and headed out to find a dress. I’m not much of a dress wearer, but I’d stand out in shorts and a tank top I imagined. I’d probably need shoes too.
Stopping by a store, I spotted a black dress in the window which looked like it would do for a fancy party. Stepping inside, I was immediately approached by a salesgirl.
“Can I help you?” she asked, giving me the once over. I was used to that look, despite wearing my work clothes I still didn’t look ‘designer’ enough for a store like this.
“Yes, I wanted to see how much the dress in the window is?” I asked.
She gave me a tight smile. “It’s quite expensive.”
“That’s not an actual price,” I pointed out, waving the credit card around.
She moved to check the tag while I glared at her back. Why did women like her have to be such bitches? Looking down their noses at people like me. Money wasn’t everything.
She returned carrying the dress over her arm. She showed me the tag and I tried not to react. $800. “Perfect, can I try it on?” I asked. There was no way I would give this bitch the satisfaction of walking out after seeing the price, but maybe I could say it didn’t fit. It would be less embarrassing.
I was shown to the changing room and left to it. Dumping my clothes on the bench, I stepped into the dress and slipped it on. I didn’t expect it to look so good on me.
Turning left and right, I checked out how it looked from every angle. It did fit, so I couldn’t pretend that it didn’t. $800 though. What if I kept the tags on and returned it after the party? Yes, that seemed like the best way to do it.
Removing the dress, I put my clothes back on and headed for the register. Buying something like this was a foreign experience to me. I used to get my clothes from thrift stores or the bargain bin at cheap clothing stores. More often than not, I just stole what I needed. I’m not proud of it, but I didn’t have any money then either.
The woman who served me waited for me at the register. I suspected she had kept a close eye on me from the second I entered the store. “Do you need anything else?” she asked.
“Oh, I need shoes to go with it,” I said. I only owned a pair of boots and some flat black shoes I bought for work. Neither of which would go with this dress.
She showed me their collection. I chose a pair of black strappy shoes with a low heel. No way was I going around in stilettoes, I would break an ankle. The shoes added another $300 onto the bill. I doubted very much that I could return them, but I guess I could pay Harry back as soon as we started making any money.
I guess I do see Kol’s point about handouts.
The woman rang up the items and I swiped the card. “Have a nice day,” the woman said, a little more friendly now that the clothes had been paid for.
I forced a smile, grabbing my bag and leaving. I made sure to hold onto the receipt, hoping that she wasn’t working when I returned.
18
Jade
“Who am I kidding?” I muttered to myself.
I may have liked the dress in the store, but now I had to go out in public in it, I was having serious doubts. I could barely walk in the heels and I knew I would never fit in at some rich party. Lifting my leg, I adjusted the strap on my left shoe. How could anyone walk around in these all day?
As I exited the bathroom, Kol looked up from the couch. He had barely acknowledged me since our argument, but the dress got his attention.
“Have I slipped into the Twilight Zone?” he asked.
“Hilarious,” I said. “Is it really that bad?”
He seemed to remember that he was angry at me and shrugged his shoulders.
“Fine, guess it will have to do,” I said, heading for the door.
“Urgh, this doesn’t mean I forgive you,” he said, getting up off the couch. He grabbed my arms and directed me in front of the mirror and started twisting my hair back. I planned on wearing it down, but honestly, Kol probably knew better than me. A blind nun probably had better style than me, let’s be honest.
He pinned my hair into place and scrutinized me in the mirror. “Don’t you have any makeup?”
“I am wearing makeup,” I pointed out. I didn’t own much, a little concealer and some mascara was all I really needed. Even then, I didn’t wear it often.
“Not even a lipstick?”
Rolling my eyes, I headed back into the bathroom and retrieved the only thing I had that came close, tinted lip balm. “This is all I have.”
“It will have to do.”
I put it on, feeling more stressed about this whole thing than I had a moment ago.
“Better?” I asked, turning so Kol could check me out.
He took a step back, hand on his chin as he checked me out. �
�It will do.”
“That makes me feel loads better, thanks,” I said sarcastically.
Grabbing my phone, I left the apartment to go meet Harry. He was waiting in the car, dressed in a tux.
Very 007.
“Shall we?” he asked.
“If we must,” I muttered.
He drove out to Reynold’s mansion, which was lit up like a Las Vegas hotel. Expensive cars lined the driveway. I guess Reynolds had a lot of friends.
“Do I look okay?” I asked, adjusting the black dress for the fifth time as we headed for the door. I wasn’t used to wearing anything like this, I hated dresses, but I had to admit, I enjoyed dressing up just a little. I never got the chance before and now that I was here, I felt a little more relaxed.
“You look lovely, Jade,” Harry said.
We moved up to the door and Harry handed over an invitation. The man checked it. “Mr. Stewart and…?”
“Partner,” Harry replied. Partner was true, but they would assume we were a couple. Not something I minded. The man nodded and waved us inside.
“How did you get an invitation?” I asked.
“It involved a lot of money and a little magic.”
“Damn, what’s so great about this guy anyway?” It certainly leaned more toward the Mesmer theory. I guess a lot of the supernaturals in this city were doing better than expected.
The house was huge, with a giant crystal chandelier in the foyer. Waiters moved around in uniform, while all the women looked like movie stars in their dresses. I imagine they paid a lot more than $800 for their dresses. They probably paid more than that for a ticket in here. $800 was nothing to them.
“Where do you think he is?”
“I’m not sure, but let’s not stand too close together.”
“I look that bad?” I asked.
“No, of course not. Better that Reynolds doesn’t know there are two of us.”
“Oh, right. Let’s do it.”
We headed into the main room, I stayed a few steps ahead of Harry like he said. A few women looked my way, but they didn’t seem interested in me. They probably pegged me as someone’s mistress.
The Werewolf Queen of Bourbon Street: City For Lost Souls Series Book 1 Page 9