Binding the Shadows (Arcadia Bell) (21 page)

“Why are you having a party if you don’t want to socialize?” I asked as the doors clicked shut.

“The football quarterback suggested it,” he said dourly. “I’m worried he knows I deal. He asks too many questions. He’s got a coke habit and is also looking for a steroid hookup.” Hajo gestured to the party outside the door. “I’m trying to placate him. Get him introduced to people who can steer him away from me. I don’t need a high-profile client with a big mouth.”

“Tough to be you.” I glanced around. “Your place is . . . really freakin’ nice.”

“Don’t act so surprised.”

“Well, geez. The first time I met you was in that hellhole in Waxtown.”

His chin lifted as he made a vague noise of acknowledgment. “Cristina’s place. She was a pig.”

“I’m sure she wasn’t the only one,” I muttered.

His lazy gaze rambled over my body. “Oink.”

“Don’t start.”

“You’ve got a little extra something going on tonight, Bell,” he said, waving his hand up and down between us. “Your energy’s sharper. What’s up with that?”

Hajo once told me that he could sense living energy trails, not just dead ones. Said my energy was different and he could probably track it, which scared the bejesus out of me, truthfully. And now that he’d noticed something different, I thought of my moon magick and my mother. A dull panic surfaced. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just busier. More potent. Riper.”

“Maybe you’re just higher,” I said.

“Maybe. Have you gained weight? Your breasts are starting to balance out that big ass of yours.”

I think my mouth fell open. Sure, Kar Yee’s shirt made a ridiculous show of my boobs, but this was my own T-shirt. Was I really getting fat? And,
oh my God,
why was I even listening? Who says this kind of stuff?

“It was a compliment,” he explained. “Your ass is marvelous.”

“What’s the matter with you? Stop saying shit like that.”

“Me? What’s eating
you
? You’re in a horrible mood.”

Pfft. Like I was going to tell him. I grumbled to myself and jerked my head away, but he just stared at me, waiting. “Lon’s ex-wife is in town.”

He whistled. “The hot supermodel.”

“She’s way hotter in person.”

“Nice. I mean, not for you. That blows. Are they getting back together or something?”

“Over my dead body. Or hers.”

“Mmm, smells like jealousy,” he said with a smirk.

“Shut the hell up.”

He shrugged and looked at the paintings again. “So, what did you want from me?”

“Nothing, now.”

“Oh, come on. Tell me what you’re here for. Another dowsing job? That last one didn’t turn out so well. I’m not all that jazzed about stumbling into magical cockroaches again.”

“Me neither.” I reached into my jacket and pulled out the red vial. “Do you know what this is?”

His eyes narrowed. “Looks like an elixir. Already gave one of these back to you, though I’m still fuzzy on why, exactly.” He shook his head and swallowed, momentarily lost in remembering. He hadn’t figured out that Jupe persuaded him with his knack. I’d definitely like to keep it that way.

Music spilled into the room. I looked up and saw someone standing in the doorway, a man about my age with long blond hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. One of the barefooted girls roaming Hajo’s place had her hands all over him, trying to get his shirt unbuttoned.

“Do you not understand what a closed door means? Get the hell out of here, Darren,” Hajo snapped. “And don’t even think about heading to my bedroom. Go bang in your own apartment.”

“Sorry,” the man mumbled, high as a kite. I held the red vial behind my back until they retreated and closed the doors again.

“Asshole trust funder,” Hajo said under his breath.

“Not a friend, I take it?”

“He lives on the floor below. Always begging me for shit. Spoiled asshole. Just like everyone else here. I hate every last person who lives in this damn building.” He nodded to the hand behind my back. “Anyway, you were saying?”

“This isn’t my brew,” I said, showing him the vial again. “You really haven’t seen this?”

He held out his hand. “May I?”

My fingers brushed his when I passed it to him. A little burst of static electricity almost made me drop the bottle.

He sucked in a breath. “Oh, Bell. One of these days . . .”

“One of these days you’re going to fall for someone who’ll want you back. And if you’re lucky, they’ll be patient enough to stick around while you wean yourself off the sømna.”

Dark lashes blinked as he regarded the bottle with curiosity, holding it to the light. “What am I looking at?”

“Bionic juice.”

Every muscle tensed. His gaze locked with mine. “You’re joking.”

“You’ve heard of it?”

“Three people have asked me for it tonight. Including the quarterback and that dickwad trust-funder,” he said, waving toward the door.

“Shit. You think he saw the vial?”

He shook his head dismissively. “He wouldn’t know his ass from his elbow, and he’s too wasted to care right now.” He tilted the vial and studied the liquid inside. “I know people exaggerate—should I assume this doesn’t
really
do what people say it does?”

“Magnifies the strength of Earthbound knacks, if that’s what you’ve heard.”

He thrust it back into my hand like it was poison. “Are you serious? Get this shit away from me. That’s the last think I’d ever want. Something to dull my knack? Sign me up. But I seriously think I’d rather slit my wrists than have it increased.”

“I’m not trying to sell it to you, drama queen.”

He sniffled and wiped his nose. “Right. Sorry.”

“Some punk kid took a dose of this and was able to lift off half a bridge to crash down over my head. A telekinetic homeless kid. And that was after he lifted a car with his mind and killed his friend.”

“What the hell?” Hajo mumbled.

I pocketed the red vial and told him about the robberies on Diablo Avenue, Kar Yee’s injury, and the other weird crimes on the news, and how they might be because of this elixir. Told him everything I knew about Telly and exactly where we found him.

He listened quietly, arms crossed over his chest, then mumbled “fuck” when I finished.

“So that’s why I called,” I said. “I thought maybe you could help me. You ever heard of this telekinetic kid, Telly?”

“You think because I’m a dealer, I know every other dealer in the city? Homeless kids selling meth and ten-dollar hand jobs under a bridge?”

“Ten dollars. Is that all?” No wonder Telly was selling the elixir.

“Really, Cady?”

“Look, I don’t know the drug dealer chain of command,” I complained, feeling a little sheepish. “Anyway, he said this bottle’s worth five grand. Guess he was doling out one-drop doses on sugar cubes and selling them for three hundred a pop.”

“What is this? The ’70s? Why wasn’t he using blotter paper?”

“How the hell should I know? I’m just telling you what was in his backpack.”

“And I’m taking it that you don’t know how to brew this up?”

“No idea. Never seen anything like it.” I told him about Peter Little and his not-so-little luck. “So he claims that he only took one dose, yet he won the big lottery two weeks later. God only knows how long the effects last.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. Maybe Telly was undercharging. We overheard him saying that there’s only two sources for this. We figure it’s the maker and the distributor. I was hoping you might be able to ask around and see if you can get us the name of the dealer.”

“I see.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “If this stuff is that rare, I bet the kid’s pretty pissed at you for stealing it from him.”

“Well, I’m pretty freaking pissed at him for hurting Kar Yee and stealing from
me
.”

“Can’t say I blame you. How is she?”

“Kar Yee? Better. Bob’s healing her.”

A rare open smile revealed a flash of white teeth. “Dr. Robert Hernandez. Who would’ve thunk it?”

“Leave him alone. You’re such an ass.”

“Guilty.” But not guilty enough to care much, I supposed. Long fingers molded his hair in place as he studied the nurse painting. “I’ve never met your partner, but I’ve seen her at your bar. Hot. Maybe you should set us up.”

Never in a million years. “You aren’t fit to be in the same room as her. Now can we focus on the bionic elixir? I’d like to find Telly’s dealer. Or Telly himself. Then I’d like to bind him until his heart explodes.”

“I’ll bet. Look, I’ll put out some feelers. Try to find who’s distributing the stuff, and while I’m at it, see if anyone’s heard of this Telly kid. If he’s doing business with other dealers, they need to know that he’s dangerous. Might take me a few days, but I’ll call you when I’ve got a something.”

“Thanks, Hajo. I appreciate it.”

He stared at me for a long moment, dark, dilated eyes scheming up something behind the miles and miles of black lashes that fanned over his skin. “So, you wanna—”

“No.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“Don’t need to know.”

“How about a threesome. Me, you, and Lon.”

I choked.

“Don’t say you haven’t thought of it.”

“No, Hajo. I can truly say that I
have never thought of it
.”

He gave me a sexy little smile. “You will now, though.”

“In my nightmares.”

Ugh. If that thought ever materialized inside my brain while I was having sex with transmutated, thought-reading Lon, I would die. And Lon would probably come over here and strangle Hajo with his bare hands. Which might not be the worst thing in the world, but still. I shuddered and shook the thought away as I walked toward the double doors leading out of the room.

“Set me up with Kar Yee,” Hajo called out from behind me.

I gave him a look over my shoulder as the rolling trance music pulsed through the doors. “Buy the nurse painting,” I said with a smile. “And call me when you have a name.”

I picked my way through the crowded party and gave a little wave to Hajo’s waif to let her know that I was finished with him. Once I was out of the condo, I breathed a sigh of relief. Lon wasn’t going to be thrilled to know I’d been here, but at least I came out unscathed, and maybe Hajo would find a name that would help us. I buttoned up my coat and caught the elevator to the parking garage just as someone was stepping out. But when I hit the button to take me underground, a hand stopped the doors from closing.

“Hi there. Mind if I ride down with you?”

It was the man with the blond ponytail—the trust funder. Darren, I think Hajo had called him. And the predatory way he was looking at me made all the hairs on my arms stand on end.

He pressed the button to close the elevator doors and blocked me from stepping back out. His pupils were tiny black dots in a sea of bright blue. His halo was weak and pale.

“You were selling something to Hajo,” he said when the doors closed.

Shit. He’d seen the red vial when he busted in on Hajo and me. He was also several inches over six feet tall, lording over me like someone who was accustomed to taking what he wanted.

The elevator descended. I lunged for a button—any button, any floor. But he shifted in front of the control panel like a moveable brick wall. Ungodly fast for someone who was wasted. Ungodly fast for someone who wasn’t. I backed up into the far corner of the elevator. Classical music, calm and innocuous, filled the small space, mocking me with its false assurance that everything was fine.

“I saw the red juice,” he insisted, stretching an arm across the elevator doors, like I’d try to pry them open while the car in was in motion. “Should’ve known Hajo was holding out.”

“Look, you’re mistaken—” I started, trying to buy some time while we descended. I could pull some current and shock him, but there was a chance I’d blow the elevator’s fuse. Did I really want to risk getting trapped inside here with him?

“I know what I saw. And I want it.” His arm shot out, lightning fast. His big hand was around my throat before I could blink. “I don’t want to hurt you. Let’s play nice. Just give me a dose and I’ll leave you alone.”

He wasn’t choking me. Just showing me he could. And when I went for the portable caduceus inside my jacket pocket, he also showed me how fast he really was. His free hand slapped mine away with unexpected force. Pain rocketed up my arm. I yelped.

“Speed,” he said with a cocky smile. “A good enough knack. Would be better if you’d give me a dose of what you’ve got.”

“Get your hands off me,” I bit out.

“Hand over the juice, and I will.”

“All I’m going to give you is a warning. Because if you don’t step back—”

“What will you do? Call the cops and tell them that you refused to sell someone drugs?” He laughed. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll even pay you for the dose. Name your price. This is just a simple transaction. Don’t make it into anything more.”

I flailed, trying to knee him in the groin, but he blocked all my moves with ease.

Panic morphed into a black, black anger. Within the span of one second, my intentions had already leapt over the possibility of shocking him with Heka and tunneled into something much worse.