He was staring at me; I was staring back, and the gardener just stood there, staring at both of us.
I could hear him taking deep breaths. It was clear what he wanted to do, but he wouldn’t. He’d go with the gardener because, well, it was the entirety of South America we were talking about. No rational person would let a whole continent go down just to see the contents of a purse.
I was right, wasn’t I? I wanted to scream, leave, go save the continent, already.
Just when I thought he might let South America go down, he walked away.
Chapter 16
Wasted Mornings
“Like I told her, I can't do it.”
Death was standing there in his khakis and sweater vest, a regular Mr. Rogers. Fate stood next to him in head-to-toe black. Logic would dictate that it should've been Death in all black, but I'd given up on such foolish concepts as logic.
They were standing in the hallway off the lobby and hadn't noticed my arrival yet. A polite person would've notified them of their presence. I found a nice spot behind the fake potted plant. Common courtesy was another thing I'd given up in my adaptation to my new surroundings. My death had really brought out the best in me.
“There's no way?” Fate asked, clearly talking about me. The thing I couldn't get my head around is when he'd decided he was in charge of everything in my life.
In the beginning, it made sense. Harold had assigned him the position because I’d been even more clueless than I was now. But why was he still at it? I couldn't turn around without finding him two steps behind me. After yesterday, I’d had to write off showing up here again. If I hadn’t wanted to try and search Kitty’s desk for some clues, I wouldn’t be anywhere near the place.
“I wish I could help,” Death continued, looking honestly sad.
The throwaway phone in my pocket buzzed against my hip. Fate's head popped up and I shot around the corner and hightailed it out of the door. I should've confronted him on his meddling, but it wouldn’t change anything. No, avoidance was still the best option with him.
I didn't check my phone until I was in my Honda, a block away. The area code was all zeros, obviously someone with Malokin. Where were they calling from? End of the World, U.S.? It was better than three sixes, although that might have been a more accurate fit.
I hit call and perched the phone on my shoulder as I drove, trying to put more distance between Fate and me.
“Hello?”
“It's Luke.” His voice was nasal, and unnaturally high for a man. “Time to go to work.” He rattled off the name of a restaurant I knew and told me to be there at seven forty-five that evening. Didn't ask me if I could make it, or if I needed the address. He just hung up.
The cell phone bounced on the seat next to me where I threw it. “What a dick.” Kitty was the only thing that kept me from telling him so.
But Luke was right about something. It was time to get to work. Sooner I found Kitty; the sooner I could kick his ass.
It took me about twenty minutes to get to the hotel Malokin had taken me to the other night. I fished through my trunk, grabbed a baseball cap, sunglasses and a paperback, and snuck in through the side gate.
The place had a beautiful oceanfront pool, with lounge chairs pointed right at the lobby. I kicked up my feet, tugged down my hat and opened the book. It didn’t matter if Kitty wasn't here. Eventually, I'd tail someone back to her location.
“Miss?” I looked up to see a young woman in a hotel uniform, approximately fifteen minutes later.
“Yes?” I was expecting her to question my right to be there. Instead, she handed me a note with a smile and left.
I hope you're enjoying the sun this morning. Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you.
In the future, please refrain from these types of actions. They could lead to some unfortunate consequences. I’ll know, just as I know every single move you make.
No one had followed me from the office. I was positive of that. He wasn’t tracing my phones, because I’d left them both at the condo. How was this happening? He knew what was said in my home, but that could've been from a planted listening device I hadn't found. Then he knew I was going to go speak to Fate. Now this?
I leaned back on the lounger, my hat falling off as I pushed my hands through my hair. It didn't make sense, and all I could think of was the web I’d seen in Malokin’s dream, tightening around me and stealing my voice.
Chapter 17
Undesirables
The parking lot at the restaurant was full, except for a small spot next to the dumpster the Honda barely squeezed into. If that wasn't an omen of the job to come, I didn't know what was.
I locked the door for no particular reason other than habit, from my human years, when I’d had a nicer car. The gravel crunched under my feet and played havoc with the heels of my shoes. I was running out of available tactics. If a snug black dress and high heels gained some leverage, I wasn't above using my newly improved looks.
My heel got caught in a particularly troublesome patch of gravel as the smell of smoke hit my nostrils. Turning back toward the rest of the driveway, I didn't need to look far, or wonder too hard, to find the source.
The beautiful Maserati I'd admired on my way in had flames shooting through the cracks of the hood. The explanation stood not more than five feet away, with their blond heads bent over, laughing. Their skateboards were tucked under their arms and they were passing around a bottle wrapped in a paper bag.
What were the odds they'd be here right now, before my meeting? Was this some sort of set up? I was starting to wonder if I was the one who was jinxed.
I turned quickly, hoping they wouldn't notice me and almost walked into Luke. I stopped just short of a collision and took a step back.
“Karma.” His eyes darted behind me, probably looking at the car fire that was quickly attracting a swarm of attention. People from inside the restaurant had begun piling out to see what the hubbub was about. The burly owner, identified by the girlish squeal at the sight, was in the lead.
I hoped the whole place swamped the parking lot, as the more people who poured out of the restaurant, the better. I didn't need the Jinxes to see me here with Luke.
“Let's—” I was right about to suggest we move to a different locale when I was interrupted.
“Hey, who's the loser?”
If I hadn't recognized Bobby's voice, I would've known it was him anyway. There were few beings in existence who were that naturally abrasive.
The look on Luke's face was nothing new either. The Jinxes didn't have a large fan base. It was an expression I'd come to expect when I was around them.
“Give me a minute?”
Luke nodded and I ushered the Jinxes several feet away and over to the side, hoping the uproar around us masked our discussion. The parking lot was becoming chaotic with fire engines screaming in the distance.
“So? Who's the jackass?” Buddy said, Billy nodding so vigorously in agreement his baseball cap came loose.
“You steppin' out on Fate?” Bobby said as he took in my display of rarely seen cleavage. He was the most vocal, and the defacto ringleader of the three terrors.
“I'm not with Fate.” I shifted some of my hair in front of my breasts.
“I can't believe you're doing that to our boy.” Now their little heads were all shaking.
“This isn't a date! And I'm not dating Fate, either. I'm dating no one.” Three little scornful, jaded faces looked at me. They would've been a tough jury. “Look, I need you to keep your mouths shut about this.” I snuck a quick look back over where Luke was waiting, his arms crossed and his lips pursed. Not a good way to start off.
“What's it worth to you?” Bobby asked.
More than you can know, right now. “What do you want?”