Viper Moon (20 page)

“You. Not we. I’ll meet you at the car.” I didn’t want to answer any questions, either. “Can you find it? It’s that way.” I pointed in the direction of the car.

Flynn came close and suddenly kissed me. Square on the mouth. No gentle brush on the forehead like Michael. With my olfactory nerves on overload, I couldn’t smell a thing. His mouth tasted fine.

I leaned against him. “What was that for?”

“I felt like it.”

I glanced at the Bastinados and realized I’d almost missed something. I pointed at the one I had taken down. “Hey, that’s a Python.”

“And that’s a Blood Beast.” Flynn nodded at the other.

The Bastinado gangs waged savage and deadly turf wars, and if any two tried to join forces, the others slaughtered them. Pythons and Blood Beasts fought so viciously at one time, annihilating their enemies, that both gangs faced extinction.

Flynn gazed around at the guns and ammo. “Bastinado gangs getting together?”

“Shit, that’s scary.”

I left the warehouse and didn’t see Michael, but it was still daylight and he knew his way around. I walked away toward the car. I had gone only a block when a law enforcement convoy swept down the street behind me. The simultaneous arrival of multiple fire trucks, a SWAT team, the bomb squad, and more patrol cars than I believed possible spoke to Flynn’s credibility. They didn’t send a couple of guys to check it out before they called in the troops. I hoped there wasn’t a major criminal event in uptown Duivel, because it seemed as if all the law was here.

I sat in the car and sweated. The only building I could go in was the one with the hole in the floor—the hole now minus its bronze bars.

Less than an hour later, Flynn came strolling toward me. “That was quick,” I said. My throat was feeling much better.

He grinned. “Well, there’s a bit of a problem. I seem to have significant body odor.”

My own clothes had dried in the sun, and they were stiff with caked shit.

Flynn laughed. “They have enough to keep them busy for a while. I’ll file a report later.” He lifted out his phone again and turned it off. “I’ve suddenly become unavailable.”

We went back to my apartment. When we parked, I left the windows open on the POS and reminded myself I had a case of deodorizer under the kitchen sink. This is the one situation I stayed prepared for.

“What’s the plan?” Flynn asked as I pulled into the parking lot. He kicked off his shoes.

“Well, we can go over to the Dumpster, strip naked, and go up the fire escape.”

“I will if you will.” He wrapped his arm around me.

“Nah, kids live here,” I said. “We’ll keep enough on to be legal. Someone might call the cops.”

“Now that would be embarrassing.”

We went to the Dumpster and stripped. He went down to his pants and I had my pants and the thin tank top I used as an undershirt. My boots, his shoes, a total loss, went in, too. Damn, I was down to two pairs of boots. I usually bought them six pairs at a time. My footwear had a high mortality rate. Flynn carried his leather vest, belt, badge, and gun in his hand as I carried my own gun and shoulder holster. I also retrieved my cell phone. Thank the Mother I’d left it in the car, hooked to the charger, so it remained shitless, too.

Flynn stared at my chest and grinned.

“What? So I got boobs and nipples. I seem to remember that you examined them quite thoroughly last night and this morning.”

“Yeah.” He laughed. “Nice rack.”

“Ass.” I started for the building.

Mr. Blackstein, the neighbor across the hall from me, stood in the building’s shade by the back door and smoked one of the five cigarettes his wife permitted him to consume daily. He stared at my chest. “Nice rack.” He winked at me.

As we entered the apartment, my cell phone rang.

“Got Hammer.” Dacardi’s voice came across the distance, cold and clear.

“Where?”

“Columbia Stores warehouse by the river. North door.”

“Be there in an hour, maybe an hour and a half. You remember—”

“Yeah, yeah.” He sounded justifiably frustrated. “You get him first.”

I closed the phone. “Dacardi has Hammer. I really think you should stay at the apartment, or maybe go file your report at the station. You don’t want to get dirty hanging out with a crime boss.”

“No, I’m going with you.” He looked at me hard. “Do you trust him?”

“Dacardi? I trust him until I get what he wants.”

He shook his head. “Michael.”

“What about him?”

“Do you trust Michael?”

“What do you want me to say about Michael, Flynn?”

“Try the truth. What’s he to you?”

I gave him a look of my own. “Okay. You asked. The truth is, Michael is a desirable man and I’ve known that since the day we met. I’m not immune to his . . . attributes. His charm? Whatever it is, I’ll never accept him for reasons I don’t want to talk about right now. There are other truths that are more important. I want you. I want you in my bed and in my life. You called me weird, and—”

“I meant different, not bad.”

“I know. But you’re the one who’s different, especially in the Barrows. Michael is a lot more like me than you are. And, no, I’m not going to give up and trust him to find Selene. Michael’s too mysterious to be trusted. If I trusted him, you and I would go screw each other’s brains out in the shower, and again on the bed, not spend the evening with a bloody gangster.”

Flynn didn’t say anything, but after a while he grasped my hand and locked his fingers in mine. “Forget the cop. Let the man who cares for you and his sister go with you.”

He released my hand and lifted the case containing his badge and his ID, opened a kitchen drawer, and placed them inside.

I’ve always classified people I deal with as an ally or an enemy. No neutrals existed in my world. I don’t have time for them. But Flynn and Michael had no neat little labels. I guess life would grow boring if I lived it in black and white all the time.

Flynn and I had admitted caring for each other. That was enough for now. Each day that passed would solidify our relationship like cement, or force it to crumble like the Barrows buildings.

We showered and dressed in clean clothes. And deodorant. Lots of deodorant. Our remaining soiled clothes I packed in a plastic bag to carry out to the Dumpster. Flynn did manage to clean his leather vest, and I gave him my gun-cleaning kit for his pistol. Fortunately, he had a pair of athletic shoes with his things.

Things were happening fast, so I loaded Nirah and Nefertiti in the basket I sometimes used to carry them. No matter what, they would be safer at Abby’s house. Horus followed us out and jumped in the car. And jumped back out. I had to go back for a can of deodorant spray before he would ride with me.

It was late afternoon when I drove into Abby’s driveway, parked, and led Flynn to her back door. Nefertiti and Nirah slid out of the basket and headed for the garden. Horus raced after them.

“No birds, Horus,” I called after him. “Remember the rules.”

We approached the back porch, where a terra-cotta jar sat on the top doorstep.

“Go cleanse yourselves,” Abby called from inside.

“Aw, shit,” I grumbled. I snatched up the pot. “Come on.”

Every time I had to go into the sewers, Abby made me use her cleansing potion before I could come back into her house. She wouldn’t make an exception because of Flynn.

I led a curious Flynn back to the front sidewalk so whatever we washed off wouldn’t contaminate the soil. “This won’t hurt, but it will feel funny.”

I dumped half the jar of clear liquid on his head.

He gasped and shivered. “What the—”

“Magic bath.” I poured the rest over me. The familiar sideways shift of the world overcame me, but instantly passed.

“I was happy with soap and water.” Flynn brushed at his clothes and hair. The potion evaporated almost instantly, though, and his hands came away dry. His puzzled expression gave way to resignation.

“Sorry, Flynn. Rules is rules, especially Abby’s.”

Abby stood at the stove stirring a pot when we went in. The table was set for three. A heavenly aroma filled the air, but I couldn’t stop now.

“I need something to make a man talk to me,” I said.

Abby raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. “Good evening to you, too, Cassandra.” She gave Flynn a warm smile. “Detective Flynn, welcome. I have supper ready. I hope you like vegetables.”

“Come on, Abby. I’m on the trail now.” I said it without much force since the odor of food caught me like a love potion and drew me in.

“I can tell.” Abby gestured at the table. “Sit down, please.”

She removed a vase of red and gold flowers from the middle of the table and replaced them with a trivet and the pot from the stove.

My insides twisted. “We don’t have time—”

“Yes, you do. I want an explanation before I start dispensing drugs.”

“Why? You never have before.”

Abby’s face had that
I’m going to send you to your room, you smart-mouthed little girl
look. No argument would work here. I sat down and filled her in on what had happened. While I was doing that, I consumed two bowls of vegetable soup, a couple of glasses of iced tea, and several slices of golden brown homemade bread with butter. My throat hurt, but that didn’t stop me from eating or talking.

Flynn ate, too, and just listened to us talk. I guess he was hungry after puking his guts out a couple of hours earlier.

“That’s it so far.” I leaned back, feeling much better than I had all day—except right after Flynn and I had made love that morning.

Abby smiled at Flynn. “And what do you think of all this? The Darkness, the things in the sewer? Magic in general?”

Flynn leaned back. “Cass says the things in the sewer are biological, not magic.”

“True enough, but what are they, and how did they get there?”

Flynn shook his head. “I don’t know—or care. I have suspended all rational thought until I have my sister home.”

Abby smiled at Flynn, but it was a sad smile. She knew, as I did, that he had left the rational world forever. He would never be the same.

Abby stood, went to a dark wood cabinet, opened the doors, and lifted out a tiny blue bottle. She handed it and an eyedropper to me. “To make him talk. Try not to use too much this time.” She handed me another bottle, this one green. “To make him forget.”

I winced. The last time I used the talking potion, I had a man babbling for two days, and then had to babysit him because I couldn’t let him back out on the street. I didn’t say anything, but I knew the forgetting potion probably wouldn’t be used. I’d try, but Dacardi wasn’t likely to let Hammer go free or turn him over to the cops. I’d have to deal with Flynn on that one, too. Maybe I could persuade Dacardi to leave Hammer alone until later, when he was out of Flynn’s presence. I stuffed the bottles and dropper in my jeans pocket.

Abby smiled. “Close your eyes.”

I did and she laid both hands softly on my face. My skin tingled, warmed, then cooled. I’d bet my face appeared normal now, the remainder of the bruises fading away. My throat felt good, too.

Abby gave a weary sigh and lowered her hands.

“Her face,” Flynn said. “What did you do?”

“Flynn, I’m the Earth Mother’s High Priestess. She’s permitted me to use a bit of her power. I suggest you continue with your plan of suspending rational thought. It will be far less traumatic.” Abby gave me an affectionate puppy pat on the head. “Our Huntress is not always rational, reasonable, or consistent. She is, however, loyal and courageous, and she cares for you. Something tells me you would do well to remember that. She will find your sister. Have faith in her.”

Flynn mumbled, “Excuse me,” then stood and walked out the back door and into the yard.

I started to follow him.

“No,” Abby said. “Give him time to think. Remember what you went through. You were predisposed to think the way you do. He’s very strong and believes in order, not chaos. He’ll come around.”

“I know, but everything’s gone to hell. Nothing makes sense in the Barrows anymore.”

“It makes perfect sense to someone. You seem to be receiving only bits and pieces of information. I’ve been left out of this, you know. I can only offer you minimal help.”

“I figured that. Why? The Mother—”

“Decides what I’m to know and when, and gives me instructions. I have received neither information nor orders in this matter.”

“I’m guessing I have something important to do. Something very dangerous. And I think you love me too much. You might hinder me.”

Abby laughed. Abby’s laugh could make flowers bloom and trees break into leaf in midwinter. “Cassandra, after all our years together, have you finally acquired a little wisdom? Maturity? Will you now actually think before you act?”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far. And if you didn’t know, I love you very much, too.”

Abby laughed and wrapped her arms around me and gave me a final hug. She held me too tight and too long, and fear radiated from her body. What could so frighten the Earth Mother’s most powerful priestess? I figured I’d find out soon enough.

“You and Flynn . . . lovers?” Abby sounded curious, but certainly not disapproving.

“Since last night. It’s different. I’m scared. I want him to stay, not—”

“He is not like the others, Cassandra. He is yours. I saw him looking at you.”

I stood. “I look at him, too. I’ll take it as it comes.”

I walked outside and found Flynn standing in the garden.

“Hey,” I said. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I think I will be.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

All I wanted to do then was make love to him and sleep. Instead, we left the cool oasis of Abby’s house and headed for the docks. I squeezed the steering wheel tight as we entered the Barrows. The blazing sun had dropped low on the horizon as I turned off River Street into the industrial district. I glanced over at Flynn and noted his hands clenched into fists.