Benjamen Isaac Braeden (mr_hero) wrote in spn_nextgen, @ 2011-06-22 00:10:00 |
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Entry tags: | 1x14 - jar of hearts |
Episode 1x14: Jar of Hearts (Part 1 of 2)
Think before you shoot. Ben and Claire had ingrained that in him before he’d even picked up a gun. You couldn’t take back a bullet so be certain before you pull the trigger.
He thought he understood what they meant. He was wrong.
Curled up against the wall, his eyes kept wandering to the six little bodies. Sometimes the flickering candlelight made it look like one moved, sending a spark of hope through his spine that reality quickly shattered.
He held Claire’s phone in his hand. He didn’t know how long he’d had it out now, unable to dial Ben’s number. What would they say when they found out what he’d done? Could they even look at him the same? He wanted so desperately to call them, to have them tell him what to do to make it better, but what could they do? He was much more powerful than them, and he couldn’t do anything. What he needed was someone even stronger than himself.
Someone stronger...
He scrabbled for his wallet, pulling out the card with a sigil on it. Inside he knew it was desperate, and probably dangerous, but what other choice did he have?
With Claire’s trunk stockpile, Jesse had no problem getting oil of Abramelin and powdered Acacia. Bringing them back into the house, he set about putting things together in silent determination.
Kneeling on the floor before the chalk circle, he only hesitated a moment before setting the card on fire, the chalice glowing with the flames.
“Well, that was a lot sooner than I expected.”
Jesse’s cheeks burned with shame, but he pushed to his feet before facing the demon. “I want you to bring them back,” he said, his voice low but eyes focused. The demon stood within the chalked circle, hands clasped behind his back and smiling. His eyes never left Jesse’s.
“Normally I’m not supposed to be so helpful when someone is trying to set up a deal,” he said crisply. “But seeing as your my son, I’ll make an exception.” His voice dropped to a whisper as he brought a hand up to the side of his mouth: “You’ll have to be a little more specific than that.”
Far from playful, Jesse just said, “The children here. I want to know if you can bring them back. Reverse their deaths.”
“Of course I can,” the demon said, still smiling as he tucked his hand behind his back again. “Under certain conditions.”
Jesse swallowed. Ben had explained the whole deal-with-a-demon thing to him, and it seemed simple enough. Not that he’d paid much attention. He figured he’d never be stupid enough to get in that situation.
“Which are?”
“Tit for tat, son,” he said, slowly strolling along the inside line of the circle. “If you want something, you have to offer something in return. Something I want.”
“I’ve told you what I want,” Jesse said, his tone short. “You tell me what you want and we’ll talk from there.”
The demon gave a small frown in answer. “Can’t. You have to offer. That’s how the rules work. I can’t take your soul, given the circumstances. That’s usually the automatic on-the-table counter-offer. So you make an offer, and I’ll tell you if you’re getting warmer.”
Jesse scowled, uncertainty pooling in his stomach. It was easier to say no than to find something the demon would agree to. “I’ll come in for another...endurance test,” he finally said quietly. “This time I won’t run.”
The demon gave a theatrical shiver, then frowned. “Arctic. Try again.”
Sliding his hands behind his back, Jesse gripped his wrist tightly. “I’ll... I’ll find that key you’re looking for. The one to the doorway in the graveyard.”
“Still cold, but getting warmer,” the demon said, moving back to his starting point in the circle and starting around again.
“You’ve obviously got something in mind, so fucking out with it!” Jesse snapped. “Like you give a shit about protocol.”
The demon smirked a little. “When you’ve existed as long as I have, the protocol stops being annoying and starts being how the way things work. Do you question gravity, or your inability to breathe water?” He came to a stop on Jesse’s left, shoulder to shoulder with him but facing the opposite way.
“I’ll give you a clue, but it won’t be a very good one,” he said after a pause, then looked to the side at him. “Cooperation.”
With a hard glare, Jesse said, “I’m not signing up to be your slave, so forget about it.” Pressing his lips together, his eyes darted to the side. “I’ll agree to come whenever you call, though. I won’t have to do whatever you’re calling me for, but I’ll have to hear you out.”
The demon took a moment to consider the offer, studying Jesse’s face critically. Then he smiled, flashing white, even teeth. He offered his hand wordlessly.
Jesse stared down at it, his heart doing double time. He’d thought there would be more bargaining. After a long pause, his eyes met the demon’s. “And you can’t hurt Ben and Claire. Not you, and not any of your minions.”
The demon immediately withdrew his hand, frowning. “Now Jesse, that’s not something I can promise. My people need to defend themselves, and if you keep attacking us, that wouldn’t be at all fair, would it? And for six children? That’s hardly a good trade.”
“Alright. Then whenever you call me away, your people can’t go anywhere near Ben and Claire,” Jesse said, his voice firm. “They can defend themselves but they can’t attack first. And I’m not budging on this one. I care more about them than a hundred children.”
The demon’s lips quirked in a short, brief smile. “Fine. You’ll come whenever I call wherever you are, and while you’re out I won’t send anyone after your pets. Anything else?”
Jesse wished Ben and Claire were there now. They’d be able to guide him, help him avoid any loopholes. Of course, they’d probably have a few things to say about him making a deal in the first place. Swallowing, he said, “In exchange for you bringing these children back to life. Sounds like a fair deal to me.”
Again, the demon presented his hand to Jesse. This time Jesse paused only a moment before taking it.
Lava erupted under Jesse’s skin. He fell to his knees with a scream, the demon’s iron grip the only thing keeping him from collapsing completely. Just when he was certain he would die burning from within, it stopped.
Breathing deep, he looked up at the demon in horror. “What did you do to me?”
“Insurance that I won’t be ignored. I’ve only ever been able to get to you through your subconscious mind, and I’ve noticed a lot less of that lately.” He gave Jesse a slightly pointed, annoyed look. “You can’t avoid me forever, son. What you will do is what you were born to do.” He rubbed his hands together briefly. “Though I must say, I’m disappointed you think I’m out to make you my slave. I would never do such a thing to one of my own children.”
“No, you’d do worse,” Jesse snarled, getting unsteadily to his feet. “I wasn’t born to do anything. I’ll do whatever the fuck I want.”
“Of course you will,” the demon said, his tone sounding very much like he was saying it to humor him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve six little souls to find. See you soon.”
Without so much as a whisper, the demon vanished. Jesse stood frozen to the spot, suddenly questioning everything he’d done, wanting to take it back. Just how much had he given away?
But then he heard a beautiful sound: six young mouths suddenly gasping for breath. His hands shaking, he dialed Ben’s number as he knelt by the first confused child. “Ben. I found the kids; they’re alright. Allweather’s dead. Now what do I do?”
***
Jesse hardly said two words through the whole process of burning Allweather’s body and returning the kids to their homes. He was focused and solemn, and grateful that Ben, Claire, and Jacob were there to take care of things.
The skies were just starting to lighten to gray when they stood in the hotel parking lot. There was no hanging around after this one; they’d have to split quick.
“I’d say it’s been fun, but y’know,” Jacob said with a wry smile, his body half-hidden by the open door of his Cadillac as he leaned sideways against the hood. “Y’got the flute thing handled?”
“Taken care of,” Claire responded, lugging the last bag into the GTO’s trunk. She didn’t even bother to hide the fatigue in her tone--or to look up, for that matter.
There was a pause, then Jacob audibly patted the top of the hood as he looked between the three of them. “Drive safe, then. Happy hunting.” Claire did look up then, and met his eyes for a brief, silent moment. Her lips pressed together and rolled, but she gave him a single, shallow nod before sliding into the car, muttering in answer as she did.
“Keep your head down.”
Ben waited until Jesse had gotten into the back before slipping into the driver’s seat without a word, shutting the door behind him. It was only after the Caddy had taken off down the road that he started off, immediately merging into the appropriate lane that would take them back onto the highway.
It wasn’t five minutes before Jesse said, “I’m going to get some sleep. Long night. Wake me if you need me.” He lay down on the seat, his back to them, very much doubting he’d nod off at all.
After about a half hour of silence, Claire glanced over her shoulder at Jesse’s back, then across to Ben. She wet her lips with a bottle of Mountain Dew, then set it in her lap. “Think he’s alright?”
Ben frowned and shook his head, taking a slow breath before letting it out. “If that was his first kill, no.”
“It wasn’t, though.” She kept her voice low and sank down into the seat. “The nest in Milwaukee barely phased him.”
“Those were vamps, though,” Ben replied, casting a quick look in the rearview mirror. There was nobody on the road, of course; he was mostly looking at his sleeping friend. “Bit of a difference.”
“Maybe,” Claire sounded unconvinced when she finally answered. It was possible that ordinary - if extremely long-lived - looking Allweather would leave a more lasting impression than just ganking a bunch of monsters, she supposed. If that were his deal, she could look forward to the knot of worry in her gut kind of going away. “I’ll never forget the first ‘normal’ man I had to put under.”
Ben nodded in commiseration but remained silent, his left hand dropping to the bottom of the steering wheel while his right slid across the space between them, finding her hand.
“Plus he did it alone. Even with the vamps, we were there.”
It was Claire’s turn to silently nod, her fingers laced in the spaces between Ben’s. She looked out the window, leaning her brow on it while she tried to ignore her thoughts. The silence stretched on for a few moments between them before Ben spoke again.
“He’ll be all right, though,” he said softly. “He’s got us. We’ll take care of him.”
***
When they’d finally escaped the heat wave of the South, Ben took the first exit off the highway and headed for a nearby hotel. They all needed a good night’s rest, Jesse especially, and he wanted to take a couple days to work on the GTO while they started checking for leads on the demon again. It sucked not having a full garage at his disposal, but the nearby salvage yard was just as easy a place to work as any, and with the convenience of being able to locate any parts he could make off with for a decent price. It took about three hours to figure out just what all the GTO needed and to find all the parts he could before hunger started kicking in, and a quick chat with the salvage yard’s owner gave him safe passage to return the following day so he could start working. He made sure to stop at a nearby burger joint to pick up dinner as he was passing through town.
From the moment they walked into the new hotel room, Claire was already aware of another phantom smell, something that seemed to happen every three or four places they stopped. Usually she described it as mildly rotten, or stale, or ‘organic’ smelling, which usually meant some form of body odor. This time she was reminded of cooking cabbage, a meal she detested as a child. Rather than complain, she simply lit the lilac candle carried around in her duffel and opted to escape the room while it took effect. In the meantime, it turned out to be a gorgeous day, if a little on the hot side; Claire found herself pool-side, stretched on a towel, two-piece and laptop in place.
She heard her car’s signature rumble roll up the parking lot hill and die in a space close to the pool’s chain link fence, even over the music pumped from ear-buds that disappeared under her hair. The only sign that her attention had been grabbed from beneath reflective Aviators was a subtle lift of her chin, and a tired smile given to Ben when she saw him. Ben almost missed them altogether, but he had a natural habit of looking around him as he walked to take in potential escape routes and out-of-place things. Seeing Claire in a bikini was certainly out-of-place, though hardly in a bad way. He tossed her a wave as he disappeared into the building, intent on coming around through the back.
When he finally did emerge, the rhythmic sound of someone swimming laps hit his ears first. He looked down at Claire with a slight smirk on his lips.
“Multitasking at its finest, eh?”
“I don’t get enough sun,” she replied with a returned smirk, closing the laptop and setting it aside.
“I’ll be sure to rub aloe all over your back when you burn for it,” he quipped, his smirk turning into a smile as he dropped the brown paper sack into the space between her legs. “Brought lunch.” Claire sat up from the back of the pool chair to take a peek inside.
“Smells good.” She popped a fry in her mouth and pushed her glasses up into her hair, squinting up at Ben. “How’s Beast doin’?”
“A tune-up should be plenty, but the shocks are lookin’ a bit worse for wear. And that new A/C is gonna cost about $650 unless I can find a used one,” Ben answered, adjusting where he stood so he could block the sun from Claire’s gaze. She thanked him by feeding him a fry.
“New one’s fine. I’ll take care of that tonight,” she promised. The idea of getting out for a bit of old, familiar stress relief had been planted the moment Claire spotted the bar down the street from the Holiday Inn. She needed to relieve some idiots of their money and blow off a little steam. He flashed her a approving, pleased smile at her answer.
“Shouldn’t take me too long to do all of it. Couple hours for the tune-up, maybe four for the shocks. It’s the A/C that’ll be a bit tricky, I haven’t put in one’a those since I was a kid.” Claire smiled up at him, tired, but warm as the pavement in the sun.
“Nothing sexier than a grease-monkey,” she teased with honesty, and pulled him down by the shirt for a quick kiss.
The splashes of swimming stopped as Jesse surfaced, wiping the water from his eyes to peer up at them. “Hey, is that food?” Without waiting for an answer, he hefted himself out of the pool, streaming water as he walked over. Ben quickly moved out of the way, partly to keep from getting wet and partly due to the sudden memory of pulling Jesse into the pool with him back at his mom’s house. Even in a sour mood, Ben knew Jesse wouldn’t pass up the opportunity if he had it.
“How’s the water?” he asked conversationally, giving Jesse a none-too-subtle once-over and admiring all the bare skin. Meanwhile, Claire protected the food from thick falling water drops, pulling her legs away from the danger zone as well.
Jesse grinned, leaning down to grab his towel and running it through his hair before laying it across his shoulders. “Perfect. Takes the edge right off the heat.”
The heat was starting to get to Ben the longer he stood there, and with a quick crouch to drop a kiss on Claire’s forehead he straightened again. “I’ll go change, then. G’head and start without me, I’ll be right back.”
Claire habitually tracked Ben as he headed back inside, but handed Jesse a paper-wrapped burger at the same time. She squinted up at him, closing one eye against the glare of the sun. “Feelin’ better?”
Jesse knew what she meant but shrugged it off. “Yeah, got a good sleep in the car, feeling all awake now. Just starving,” he added, digging into the bag for fries.
She watched him for a moment, but decided against pushing--instead, she occupied her mouth with another fry.
After a mouthful of fries, he tore into the burger. “How’s the sun treating you? You baked or fried yet?” he teased.
“Lightly sauteed.” In truth, she couldn’t tell how done she was; the heat was messing with her judgement, and her shades had a tendency to distort the way she saw color.
“Don’t make me hungrier; I’ll be eating you next,” he said, giving her a wink. Claire chuckled under her breath and proceeded to tear her burger into smaller portions.
“I probably taste like coconut oil and sweat, so enjoy.”
Ben returned a few moments later, his hair pulled back and in trunks. The obvious farmer’s tan was made a little too obvious in the bright sunlight, which even the sleeveless shirt couldn’t take away from.
“Someone do my shoulders?” he asked, toting a little bottle of sunscreen.
“I got food in my hands but wait a few minutes and it’ll be gone,” Jesse said, smiling as he looked Ben up and down. “But from what I know, you’re flexible enough to do your own shoulders.” Ben immediately blushed. Claire rolled her eyes a bit, but went on eating.
“Workin’ in the yard’s got me a bit stiff,” he mumbled. Claire nabbed the bottle from his hand and put it next to her hip so she could finish her last couple bites.
“Just sit and eat--you won’t burn in five minutes.”
Ben almost sat automatically, but for the fact that there wasn’t anything in the immediate vicinity to sit on except her chair or Jesse’s lap. He opted for her chair, giving her legs a little nudge to keep from sitting on them. Reaching into the bag for more fries, Jesse’s expression grew thoughtful as they fell silent, his eyes focused on the middle distance as he ate.
“What’d you find while I was out?” Ben asked around a mouthful of french fries, looking to Claire.
“Nothing worth mentioning. Yet,” she added the afterthought without looking up. “Gonna have to dig deeper.”
His expression growing tired, Jesse couldn’t quite bring himself to keep his mouth shut. “Y’know, the more we go looking, the more things are going to look back.”
“They haven’t stopped looking since Maine, Jess,” Claire reminded him quietly, tearing a small bite into a smaller one before it pressed between her lips and disappeared. “I’d just rather not be taken by surprise again.”
Ben held back the sudden need to argue by taking a bite from his cheeseburger and thoroughly chewing it. He didn’t want his motives to be psychoanalyzed the way they had been back in Chackbay.
“We can’t just let them keep doing what they’re doing,” he said at last. “They’re demons, going after people, and ruining their lives. There isn’t a gray area here.”
It was hard to argue with that, when they’d all seen the thralls. Still, other people weren’t on the top of Jesse’s worry list. Growing quiet, he grabbed some more fries. Meanwhile, Claire had finished eating, and dabbed out a few drops of sun screen to spread over Ben’s shoulders.
“I’ll call Lucas in a bit, see if he’s got anything new.”
****
Even at 3 AM, the streets were sweltering, waves of heat pouring upwards off the asphalt. Which meant everyone was piled in the club, where the air conditioning at least made the heat drier. The smokers hovered around the doorway like moths, making escaping the club like squeezing through a smokey birth canal.
Which made it really easy to notice when a little, hot thing in a little, hot dress managed to make it through.
One smoker was set slightly away from the crowd, not seeming to mind the thin sheen of sweat that tightened his t-shirt to his skin. His eyes immediately flickered to the brunette as she clicked along in her stilettos and silver sequined dress that caught the light from the door. As she headed for the corner, he glanced back at the crowded doorway then moved to follow, flicking his cigarette aside.
“Hey, darlin’,” he called, his long stride making catching up to her pretty easy. “You got the time?”
The girl’s dark eyes snapped to her side, the space there now occupied by something she obviously had no intention of entertaining, by the look on her face. Her heels kept clicking in long, scissoring strides that off-set the swing of her arms and long, twitching hair. She shook her head decisively, and set her eyes forward.
“Time to fuck-off, pal.”
“Hey now, that’s not polite,” the man said, taking a couple longer steps before turning around to face her as he walked backwards. “I figured that if you’re in such a hurry, you gotta know the time. Where you off to, sweetheart?”
She gave him a scathing look, one that clearly conveyed how thick she thought he was if he wasn’t getting her blatant hint (which was really more of a neon stop sign). The expression turned more annoyed as she tried to walk around him, barely granting him the courtesy of eye-contact as she said over her shoulder: “Other places.”
“Must not be important places if you’re not even worried about the time. C’mon, stay around a while,” he said, grabbing her shoulder, but she harshly rolled away from the touch, and stopped walking only to give him a very clear, warning glare.
“Are you dense?” she snapped at him, planting a palm hard on his chest for a short shove away. “I said Fuck. Off.”
The man gave a laugh, quickly closing the short distance. “See, you say that, but from your dress I keep hearing Fuck me,” he said, grabbing her ass and pulling her tight against him. Where there had been heated irritation in her eyes before, now there was cold, dangerous hatred.
“Oh is that what it’s saying,” the young woman’s voice had lowered. It was dark and even toned, not sharp and potent as her impulsive rejections had been.
“Screaming it,” he said, his smile twisting. Lifting her slightly, he turned and pressed her hard against the wall, leaning down towards her neck. “Promise you’ll like it.”
Despite the seemingly effective way he had her pinned with her hands defensively circling his wrists, something still pushed back against his hold on the wall. Something smooth and strong, and accompanied by the subtle sound of creaking bone and stretched leather.
Giant, dark-hued wings were spreading from between the woman’s shoulder blades, unfolding to a massive span and bracing against the brick. Before he had a chance to get passed the shock and do something quick like scream, she clamped a long, bony claw over the entirety of his face, and grinned with a mouth full of uneven, needled teeth.
“I think I will.”
His eyes desperately wide between her unnatural fingers, the man’s scream muffled completely under her palm, ending in a bony crunch.
***
There was a definite sunburn blooming on Ben’s skin by the time he made it back to the hotel that afternoon, but at least the GTO was finished. He didn’t even feel a single bump on the drive back, which was saying something considering how bad it had been before. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Claire’s face when she got behind the wheel again.
Swiping the key through the electronic lock, Ben sighed in relief as the cool hotel air hit him all at once.
Laid out on the bed, his head hanging upside down off the end, Jesse rolled over as soon as Ben was through the door. “Finally,” he said, propping up on his elbows. “We have a car again?”
Claire bit back a subtle smirk at Jesse’s enthusiasm, but turned an expectant look at Ben, away from her laptop screen on the table. Ben tugged out the keys and gave them an underhand toss in her direction.
“Purrs like a kitten,” he replied. “Now with air conditioning!”
Jesse lifted a fist in victory. “Yes. You get treated special tonight.” Claire was silent in her smile, but it was overly-warm and toned the same color as Jesse’s words. She looked back at the screen, though, having stopped in the middle of something that caught her eye when Ben came back.
Ben’s grin was easy and bright at the praise. He rubbed weakly at his arms and the scorch across the bridge of his nose, then ran his hand through his hair. “You guys eaten yet? I’m starving.”
Sticking out his tongue, Jesse shook his head. “Claire’s been looking up dead people. Don’t know if my stomach’s ready for food.”
That piqued Ben’s interest. “Dead people?” he asked, brows arched in Claire’s direction.
“Pieces of them,” she finally answered, a little distractedly. “To be exact. Apparently scattered around this one town, like they rained from clouds. No airplane crashes or explosions, either.”
Ben crossed over to where she was sitting, pulling up a chair and settling in next to her to see. “Multiple bodies, or just one? Or did they not release the data yet?”
“At least four,” she answered, and tilted the screen toward him to see. Ben frowned. It was a testament to his lifestyle that the gruesomeness didn’t even phase him. His head immediately started running through what might have done it.
“So where we goin?”
“Little town outside Birmingham,” Claire said. She got up from the table and crossed to the bed, swatting Jesse’s ass as a way to get him off her tee shirt he was laying on.
“Which one?” Ben asked, getting back up to get his own laptop. “Indiana, Alabama, Iowa, Michigan...?”
“Let’s just say I’m glad we have A/C now,” Claire responded, pulling her shirt over her swimsuit top.
Jesse groaned. “You people need to get it together. Take jobs where it’s cool in the summer, and where it’s warm in the winter. Not the other way around.”
“And you complain like a six year old,” Claire came back matter-of-factly, but with a playful pinch to his backside. She arched her brows at him. “Unless you’d like to do some looking around for things further north. I wouldn’t mind.”
Ben looked between the two of them briefly, frowning. “If you guys would rather head up, I can handle the case and you can come back for me when it’s through.” Claire just looked at him, making her deadpan expression as obvious as she could.
“What?” Ben shot back, his expression souring slightly. “I can hunt just as well alone, and Lord knows the trail for that bastard demon who came after my sister is starting to go cold, but I don’t wanna just leave this case unsolved.”
“We’re not leaving you,” Jesse said matter-of-factly, plucking at the covers. Claire just took a deep breath and pushed her urge to argue back down. Ben had misunderstood her look, but there was no point in getting into it. Jesse had put the bottom line out there, and it was time to go.
“I’ll get things settled with the front desk and meet you guys out front,” she said, stepping into her shorts and flip flops before heading out the door.
Ben tracked her out the door before looking back at Jesse, frowning a little as he closed Claire’s laptop and stuck it into her bag, then did the same with his. Rolling off the bed, Jesse hesitated a moment before going to the bathroom to pack up the toiletries.
“What’s the big deal?” Ben finally called back, hoisting up both bags over his shoulders as he faced the bathroom. He wasn’t angry, but there was a layer of annoyance in his voice. “It’s not like I’d be going anywhere or not coming back. You would know where I am, and I’d call. Hell, you could just apparate onto my shoulders at the drop of a hat.”
“If I knew where you were, yeah,” Jesse said, trying to keep his voice calm even as he tensed. He grabbed Claire’s shampoo from the shower. “If you were up shit creek without a paddle, I wouldn’t know where to go.”
Ben opened his mouth to argue, then quickly closed it and scowled at the floor, his shoulders slumping.
“Why don’t you trust me?” he said in a low voice.
Hands full of ziplocs, Jesse came to the doorway. “Don’t pull that. I trust you more than I’ve trusted anyone, ever. I’m just not leaving you again.”
There was so many different emotions pressed into his words that Ben immediately felt the conflict in him dissolve. He could tell that Jesse still felt guilt for having ran off back in Chackbay, nevermind their forced separations. Ben almost argued about his having found them while they were fleeing to Canada, but the words died before they got to his throat.
“C’mon. Claire’ll wonder where we are if we don’t get out to the car fast enough,” he mumbled quietly, going back to grab up Jesse’s bag.
***
The air conditioning worked overtime in places like this: the Coroner’s office and Morgue in the sublevels of a Birmingham hospital. It made the air oddly heavy, like being in a meat locker without the smell. And it was always just a little too quiet.
Claire, posing as Federal Agent Alice Halstead, stood with her hands lightly pushed into the pockets of her fitted charcoal trousers at the foot of a storage unit in the Morgue. Her hair sleeked back into a straight, no nonsense ponytail, and a pair of narrow glasses sat on her nose, filtering looks between Jesse and the Assistant Coroner who had escorted them in.
Feeling more comfortable in his role as Federal Agent James Spencer than he had the last time he had to put on the suit, Jesse was already leaning over the body bag as the coroner unzipped it. Turned out it was a bad idea.
“Wow. You...you weren’t kidding when you said it looked like an animal attack.” He was listing slightly to one side.
“And this isn’t even all of it,” the coroner replied, moving off to the side to pull up two plastic bins, one after the other. Claire discreetly rubbed her mouth with her palm in a show of thought, but in practicality, it put the smell of her lotion under her nose instead of the foulness that rose from the bags.
“Where were they found?” she asked cooly after clearing her throat.
The coroner leaned back against a nearby counter, his lips twisted in a wry smile. “Bin number one’s content was found in a residential pool three streets down and two streets over; bin number two in a trail across two forth-floor patios at an apartment complex in the opposite direction. The torso and head were in an alley by The Furnace on 28th.”
“This is all one man?” Jesse asked, his face pale.
The coroner nodded. “And he’s not the first. I’ve got two others in deep freeze that are a lot less identifiable.”
“How long ago were they found?” Claire asked, finally deciding to wiggle on the pair of latex gloves she’d been handed at the door. She carefully grabbed what remained of a left hand and wrist, complete with wedding ring, up for further examination. It was missing two fingers, clearly bitten off by something--but the tearing at the wrist looked like a young sapling that’d been yanked at the base. Something had torn this man apart, as well as snacked on him.
She was unable to keep her stomach from turning at the thought. Jesse watched, unable to turn away even though each revealed body part made him feel dizzier.
“Simon Mills was...” the coroner turned to open up the file on the computer, typing in a long string of keys before answering. “End of last month, and Jorge Garcia-Mendez last week.”
Claire nodded, replacing the hand back on the roll-out gurney. “And all of them, fresh, I assume.”
“The first one’s parts were still bleeding when they found him,” the coroner replied.
“...Right.” Jesse turned to the coroner and, more importantly, away from the bag. “The marks on the bodies at all familiar to weapons or animal teeth?”
“Nothing I’ve ever seen before,” the coroner said, looking between the two of them. “I mean, I’ve got a theory.”
“Humor us,” Claire added smoothly, and with a quick glance toward Jesse.
“Well I mean, it’s...” he laughed. “Either of you ever see that show Dexter?”
Despite his lingering queasiness, Jesse raised an eyebrow. “Yeah... You think it’s a psychopathic cop from Miami?” Claire tried her best not to look completely confused.
“Well no, but I mean... These guys weren’t exactly the bright future of America. Mills was a pedophile on parole, and Garcia-Mendez was a suspected hitman they could never get charges to stick to. As for our latest, Warner had harassment charges on file from an ex-girlfriend, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was more. Our killer seems to think himself a vigilante.”
“Besides the body-drops, you find any crime scenes?” That’d be a big clue, Claire thought. Whatever did this would’ve left a nice, wide mural of blood.
“Yeah, but you’ll be just as baffled as our regulars are,” the coroner answered. He typed in a few more things on the computer’s keyboard before the printer started spitting out a colored photograph. He brought it over for the two of them. On it was an officer, who was holding a feather by the quill. Except the quill was as thick as a tree branch, and when held at waist-level the tip of the feather was as tall as he was.
“And that’s our tallest officer. He’s 6’3”.”
Claire looked at the photograph without hiding the bafflement on her expression. “That’s...something you don’t see everyday...” Well--not a serial killer, she thought to herself, though the size of that feather confirmed her earlier thought. Whatever they were dealing with, it was big enough to pull a man apart.
“Yeah, tell me about it. I don’t even think ostrich feathers are that big, nevermind what the hell they’d be doin’ in Arlington of all places.” The coroner shifted on his feet.
“It’s gotta be synthetic,” Jesse said, even as his mind went through flashes of imagined creatures eviscerating a man. At least it was a clue. “Might not even be connected to the killings.”
“Do you have them here?” Claire asked, unable to help herself from looking around. She figured it’d be difficult to miss something like that.
“Nah, we sent it out to the lab to have it tested,” the coroner said, “but it’s definitely real. There were wisps and everything.”
“No results yet, I take it?” ‘Agent Halstead’ injected, peeling off her gloves, one by one. She was already itching to get back and look these things up.
The coroner looked deeply chagrined. “We’ve ran it through all the local indigenous species and there hasn’t been a match yet, so we had to get in touch with the nearby zoo.” Claire just looked at Jesse for a moment, then turned her attention back to the gentleman in the lab coat.
“Give us a call when you hear back, then?” she said with a quiet authority, already making ready to leave.
Jesse just nodded at him before turning to follow Claire.
“Sure thing!” he called back. “Let’s hope we don’t find another one in the meantime though, right?”
***
The walk between the car and the hotel room was enough to remind them both that professional type clothing was not Southern Summer friendly. Claire felt like she was wrapped with a thin layer of film by the time the room’s A/C hit her like a wave of water, enough that she let out a very relieved breath. Ben was sitting in front of his monitor without a shirt on, hair pulled back with a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. He looked up immediately.
“Hey, how’d it go?”
“Our suspect is the Bird Man,” Jesse said, instantly stripping off his dress shoes and sweaty socks. “What’ve you been doing in front of the computer that’s got you so sweaty? Oh wait. Look who I’m talking to.” Jesse gave him a grin as he took off his button-down. Claire’s soundless chuckle disappeared in her breath as she stripped off her blazer and hung it up.
“It’s hot, shut up,” Ben snarked back, his sunburned cheeks flaring an even darker red. “A Bird Man? The hell are you talkin’ about?”
“Best guess, so far,” Claire injected, replacing the silk undershirt with a white wife-beater to keep the heat out. “Seriously looks like a pterodactyl got a’hold of these guys.” She wiggled out of the suit trousers and wandered across the room, effectively claiming the air conditioning vent for herself. “If pterodactyls had building-sized feathers.”
“‘Course our Bird Man has it in his head he’s The Falcon or something. Apparently all the guys he’s tearing to shreds are criminals. Kind of had it coming,” Jesse said, sitting down. “What kind of creature gives a damn about that?”
“Well tricksters are out,” Ben said solemnly, tracking Claire with his eyes and all but forgetting about his open internet window. “Anything they make tends to dissolve pretty quick.”
Claire just leaned against the large window air conditioner, her arms folded loosely over her chest. She returned Ben’s look with one of uncertainty, laced with a very real anxiety. “I have no idea... Maybe, retribution beasts? Wouldn’t put vengeful ghosts out of the picture, though those don’t usually come with feathers.”
“Don’t think I’ve heard of retribution beasts before...” Ben replied, chewing viciously at his lower lip. “I mean, most beasts just eat things. Never heard of dismemberment for fun and profit.”
“That’s a thought,” Jesse said, tilting his head. “Maybe some cop found out you could summon up nasty critters to take out the people who won’t stay behind bars.” Claire nodded after a minute, looking to Jesse. That sounded as good a lead to check out as any.
Ben nodded, adjusting his monitor and running a few phrases through his search engines. “I’ll see what I can find.”
Jesse let out a sigh but held back the complaint. At least he wasn’t the one who had to do the research. “Alright if I flip on a movie while you’re at it?”
“Yeah sure, go for it,” Ben answered, standing up and getting his headphones before resettling again. Claire bumped off the A/C and rounded the table in order to lean a newly-chilled hip against Ben’s shoulder, looking down at his computer to see what, if anything, they had a leg up on.
Jesse went through two movies before Ben finally spoke up. “So I’ve got three feather beasts so far, but I’ve never heard of them being real.”
Flipping off the TV, Jesse got up to peer over Ben’s shoulder. “Alright, who’re the contestants?”
“There’s the Furies,” his voice changed as he started reading the article: “‘Goddesses of vengeance, they are sometimes depicted as having huge wings. The Furies are cruel, but are also renowned for being very fair. So that’s debatable. There’s also sphinxes, but they haven’t really been seen on this side of the Atlantic, so I really doubt it. The next possible option would be harpies.”
“Harpies,” Claire’s brow furrowed, vaguely remembering a cartoon movie she’d seen as a child where they were mentioned, but for the life of her, couldn’t remember the reference. “What’s their story?”
“A lot of the lore between harpies and sirens kind of blur, but legend goes they’re a little like the antithesis of Valkries because they'd carry people to the Underworld but to torture them first. They also were sent to rob food from a dude Zeus was pissed at.”
“Well these guys didn’t carry anyone to the Underworld. They left most of the bits here. We saw,” Jesse added with a grimace.
“Well, it’s definitely a little more plausible than the Furies,” Ben hummed, his face pinched in thought as he continued to read the article silently. Claire rolled her lips in thought, just piecing everything together before her eyes flicked up to them both.
“We could run down a list of repeat offenders in the area and try to keep track of all of them...” her tone signified how unconvinced she was of that particular plan. “Or...we bait a trap.”
Jesse raised his eyebrows. “How do we do that? All we know is that they go after assholes.”
Claire nodded succinctly. “Which one of you wants to be the asshole?”
Pointing at Ben, Jesse said, “Since we’ve got a natural here, might as well go for it.”
Ben bristled slightly, but managed not to verbally respond to the jibe. “I’ve already gotten punched in the face once this week. Pass.”
“These things aren’t looking to punch you in the face, they’re looking to rip it off. Besides, all bruised like that, you already look the part of an asshole,” Jesse said, unable to hold back a smile. “Besides, what exactly are we going to do? Neither of us is about to go fondle a couple of kiddies.”
“No kiddies, no strangers...” Claire made an unenthusiastic, but dutiful face, and pointed to herself with two thumbs. Ben frowned a little, liking the idea less and less by the minute.
“No,” Ben said stiffly. “I won’t do it.”
“Don’t look at me,” Jesse said, scowling.
Claire couldn’t blame them. At. All. Still, she was not about to sit on her thumbs and just wait for another victim to be scattered around the town like fertilizer. She was getting very sick of that. “I’m up for any other ideas,” she looked at them both, eyebrows raised. “This is the safest that I can think of, to all three of us, and those people out there...but by all means, tell me what you had in mind.”
“I’m not going to do it,” Ben said again, his voice a little more passionate. “I won’t. Not after last time. I don’t care if it is acting, I can’t--” his voice broke and he looked away, feeling ashamed of himself. “Please don’t make me do this.” Claire reached for his hand and squeezed it, not letting go. She knew it’d been more than a lot to imply, which is why she didn’t want to. Her own haunted look was buried deep behind her eyes, but it was hardened by the survival tactic she’d employed far longer than she’d known either of them. Do the job.
But she couldn’t push Ben back into that space. Which is why she was very quiet.
“I’ll do it.” Jesse’s voice was firm; Ben’s expression saw to that. “If it comes to that. It’s pretty farfetched, though. Am I supposed to just molest you all around town and hope this thing comes around?”
“Supposedly it hangs around the clubs, and there’re only three of those in this town--all on the same street.” Claire responded quietly, trying to force everything in her head through a cold filter of logic. The emotions were gumming things up; sometimes she could handle them easily. Others, not so much. Her thumb drew back and forth over Ben’s hand, but her eyes lifted up to Jesse’s. “When we see it,” when, not ‘if’. “You can tell it to freeze, and we’ll go from there.” She hoped she sounded more certain than she felt. Claire wanted this job done and over with as soon as possible.
“And what if regular people come along? Just...what, mindwipe them?” His stomach was curling tighter and tighter. There just had to be a better plan than this. Ben remained stone silent the entire time, his eyes unfocused off to the side and his hand limp in Claire’s.
She took in a breath and let it out slow, wiping the bottom of her face with her free palm. It stayed there as her eyes drifted off, and she shook her head. She fell silent, rather than admit that she had no idea what to say to that. Maybe tracking known offenders was a better idea... even if it ended with another death. Or three.
They were offenders, right?
“We could split up...each take a club.” No other alternatives were being offered, and as much as it made her head and heart feel like they were being boiled in acid, Claire liked to think she had all the answers.
Ben’s eyes refocused at Claire’s comment and he looked between the two of them. He didn’t like the idea of them splitting up at all, but it made sense. They could cover more ground that way. And if all the clubs are on the same street, at least it won’t take us long to get there, and Jesse can scope the place out first so he can feel better about it, Ben thought hazily.
“Yeah sure, that’s fine,” he said in a far-off voice, giving Claire’s hand a weak squeeze before withdrawing it and sliding out of the chair. He grabbed his phone, heading in the direction of the door. “I’ll be right back, I need to make a call.”
Biting back the desire to ask him to stay, Jesse focused on Claire’s thoughts as Ben walked out the door. It definitely eased the knot in his stomach. And gave him an idea.
“Hey. So if we find a repeat offender at the clubs, and he’s not doing enough to bait whatever this thing is, I could make him do it. Attack me, I mean,” Jesse added quickly. “That way, if real people swooped in to rescue instead of what we’re looking for, well, he’d have it coming anyway.” Claire’s expression didn’t change.
“No,” she said, plain and simple, and automatic. “I don’t like the idea of mind-controlled extortion,” or the idea of anyone attacking Jesse.
Jesse scowled. “So it’s either wait around and hope some criminal does something where both of us and a creepy bird monster can see, or--”
“And what if the thing swoops in and you can’t stop it?” Claire injected with a little more firmness to her voice. “You would’ve lead him to his death--criminal or no. You want that on your head?”
Scowl deepening, Jesse shrugged. “I’m not even all clear on why we’re hunting this thing. Seems to be doing everyone a favor.”
The door reopened and Ben trudged in again, head pointed down and shoulders slumped. He looked completely miserable. Claire looked up, and the rankled feeling the conversation with Jesse had caused was stirred in with what she saw in Ben’s face. Her emotions were tearing at her morals and logic, leaving frustration and even a little misplaced resentment in their wake. Her nostrils flared as she forced a breath out slow, looked at Jesse, and literally bit her tongue to keep from blurting something she’d regret later.
What she did manage to say was tight, and a bit hollow. “Just see if you can get a list of parolees nearby,” and turned her lap top toward him as she stood up from her chair with her phone.
His body tense, Jesse didn’t argue, sitting down and getting to work. He glanced at Ben, but that kind of thing was more Claire’s bag. Besides, she started it. Ben looked up at the tone of Claire’s voice, then looked between them, only then realizing the air felt a bit heavier. Had they actually fought while he was out? Thought that was my job, he thought mutely, moving back to his computer and joining in on the research without a word. The faster they got the jump on these creatures the better, and they still weren’t even sure if it was harpies, let alone how to kill it.
****
At the risk of being watched --there was always a possibility when they were hunting creatures-- Ben had parked the GTO a block down, and they’d planned to stagger their heading into each of the clubs. It had taken three days of tracking to see who on their lists were regulars, and another four to figure out their schedules. In the passing of time, one more man ended up in the coroner’s office. They were all getting a little anxious about how long it was taking to catch the elusive killer in the act.
“If something happens, remember the drill,” Ben said lowly. Claire nodded without saying a word. Same as usual when they were headed into this part of the chase, she had her game-face on, though her eyes may’ve been slightly harder than usual. She was the first to break off from them, and disappeared into the small group of people filtering into the first club.
Jesse purposefully turned his back; otherwise he’d just watch her the whole way and not even be able to appreciate it. Anxiety gnawed at his gut at the idea of splitting up again, but he wasn’t about to say so to Ben. Ben’s hands settled on his shoulders, giving him a nod and a grim smile.
“Good luck,” he said solemnly. “Stay safe. See you in a few hours.”
“You too,” Jesse said, giving his hand a squeeze before heading towards the club he was supposed to scope out. The loud thudding of the music assaulted his ears the moment he was through the doors and had “paid” the cover, and the press of dancing bodies easily filled every possible open space. Normally it was the kind of place Jesse thrived in, but right now it was stifling. He took deep breaths and waded through the crowd, willing himself to go unnoticed. In his case, it was particularly effective.
It was a while before he finally caught sight of of their suspects-slash-impending victim. The guy, Marc Weston, was lounging against the wall, beer in hand, not really interacting with anybody. Sitting back against the bar, Jesse watched him for a while and started to notice a pattern. Marc kept looking up at intervals, always at the same spot. That spot being the women’s bathroom door, and the intervals being whenever women went in or out. That’s not pervy at all. Waving off the bartender, Jesse just watched, and waited.
About twenty minutes into waiting, a dark-haired woman in a dark green, skin-tight shirt and equally-tight miniskirt headed toward the bathroom, tugging her phone out of her purse as she went. When the door swung close Marc stood, moving with purpose. Nobody else appeared to notice and in a matter of moments, he slid subtly through the door.
“Shit,” Jesse hissed, instantly on his feet and shoving through the crowd. Sure they were supposed to wait and watch for the harpy or whatever to strike, but that didn’t mean just sitting back and letting someone suffer.
Sliding into the women’s bathroom, Jesse froze when he first saw them. Marc had her wrapped up from behind and pinned against the sink, one hand around her mouth. There wasn’t time to think.
“Let her go!” Jesse snapped, power thrumming through his voice.
Marc’s hand released from the woman as though he’d been burned, shock and confusion registering on his face before he scowled.
“Dude, mind your own goddamn business,” he spat.
“Good thing this is my business then,” Jesse said. This wasn’t any good; he had to get them out of the bathroom, somewhere the harpy could see. And he had to make sure no one else had to play the part of Marc’s victim, no matter what Claire said. Power in his words again, he said, “Besides, she’s not the one you want to hurt. I am.”
The man’s eyes glazed over slightly before his entire expression hardened. Then he shoved Jesse hard against the wall with a lot more strength in his arms than he’d anticipated.
“Damn right I do, asshole. You know what happens to fucking heroes, man? They get burned.”
Heart suddenly doing double time, Jesse squirmed but only found himself pinned harder. He had to get the out of there. “Let’s--” The thought got caught off when Marc’s fist slammed across his face. Jesse’s head snapped back against the wall, his vision exploding in black and white spots. Before the world had settled back into place, another fist plowed into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. Jesse sagged to his knees.
Marc pulled his leg back to kick him, but without warning he yelped out in surprise, stumbling backward before he was lifted straight off the floor.
“You really shouldn’t do that,” the woman warned, her voice icy. “Tell you what, sweetie: You leave now, and I won’t rip your head clean off of your body with my bare hands. Sound fair?”
“Nngh,” came Marc’s reply, his eyes bugging out. Presumably it was a yes. In any case, the woman dropped him and Marc quickly stumbled out the door, gasping for breath.
Which left Jesse, sagged against the wall, alone in the bathroom with a woman who could lift three times her size.
“Y-you’re not human,” he said, staring at her golden eyes.
“Neither are you,” the woman replied, head tilting off to the left. Her eyes faded back to brown again, but the cat was out of the bag now. “Why are you following me?”
Jesse shook his head, his vision tilting slightly though he felt the bump on the back of his head already healing. “I’m not. I was following the asshole. Though, I had been hoping to meet you.” Gingerly, he got to his feet. “What are you? Exactly.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Not interested, that’s for sure,” she said, her voice a little flat. “This isn’t The Last Highlander, sweetie. Now, if you’ll excuse me--”
He darted in front of the door. “You need to stop killing people,” he said, his expression serious.
The woman moved in close, glaring daggers into his eyes. She all but radiated power and authority, despite her small frame.
“I was brought here,” she said in the same cold voice as earlier. “I’m doing what I was born to do. Who are you to tell me off?”
“Nobody,” he said, trying not to swallow. “But there are hunters after you now. You know about hunters? When human people start dying because of things like us, they come around to stop it. By any means necessary. You saved my ass and you’re going after assholes, so I can’t say I really object to what you’re doing. But it could get you killed. Tell whoever brought you here to fuck off and that you’re doing whatever you want.”
The woman went silent at his rushed answer, her lips pressing into a thin line, but she didn’t back away. Her head tilted again and she leaned in, taking a deep breath through her nose and then letting it out.
“This is what I want,” she said, her voice low. “Nobody summoned me. Me and my sisters just found ourselves here, and we went out to continue what we’ve always done. As for the hunters, well...” her lips turned up in a slow smile. “Let them try. I’ve been here a very, very long time. I think I can handle a couple of humans.”
Jesse’s expression tightened. “Think you can handle me? Freeze.”
As quickly as the word was uttered, the woman stood stock still. Her eyes slowly widened before flashing gold again, fury bringing a deep flush to her face and her chest rising and falling with rapid breathing.
Pulling out his new phone, Jesse dialed Ben’s number. “It’s still not too late, you know,” Jesse told her before Ben picked up. “Hey. I’m in the women’s bathroom with one of them. Careful, though, she says she has sisters.”
“Dude, seriously? We’re on the job. If this is some sort of sexy talk--”
“The harpy, mate,” Jesse said, rolling his eyes. “For fuck’s sake, get over here. I’m gonna call Claire.”
“No, wait--” Ben said sharply. “If there’s more, then we can’t come. We gotta watch out. You’ve gotta handle this on your own, man.”
Jesse’s eyes widened. “How? What am I supposed to do?”
“Excellent question! I’ll have to get back to you on that.” His voice faded off briefly and then he spoke very quickly. “Get her out of there and back to the car. We need to run through the whole schtick, but I gotta go.”
“Fuck.” Jesse scowled as line went dead. Then he looked at the woman. “Alright. Keep your mouth shut and follow me. And don’t try to hurt or grab anyone along the way, including me,” he added sharply before heading out the door and holding it open for her.
The harpy followed as she was told, but the anger never left her face. The two of them slowly made their way through the pulsing crowd, the music fading as they finally emerged. As they walked through the empty streets, the harpy remained silent, her heels clicking away on the pavement. Jesse couldn’t help glancing back at her.
“Look, no one’s gonna hurt you,” he said, as much to reassure himself as her. “We’re just going to ask some questions, see if we can change your mind. There’s room for everybody here.”
When they got to the GTO, Jesse held the back door open for her. “Go ahead and have a seat.”
The words didn’t hold the same power as the ones in the bathroom had, and as a result the harpy simply stood there, hands clenched in fists at her sides as she glared him down.
Jesse raised an eyebrow at her. “I try to be nice... Get in the car.”
Again the harpy’s movements were forced and jerky, but as she passed him her eyes drifted off over his shoulder and her lips twisted up into a faint smile. Jesse was suddenly grabbed from behind and shoved against the side of the car hard, a hand wrapping around his head to yank him back as something was shoved into his mouth. He thrashed only to have his neck yanked further, and more hands pinning him down. Their fingers dug into him, unnaturally strong, and then suddenly they weren’t fingers. They were too sharp, too long, and he could feel a thousand points piercing his skin. He remembered the body in the bag and suddenly found himself stumbling, alone, in their hotel room.
Spitting out the gag, his shaking hands were already reaching for his phone. Calling would take too long and wouldn’t get to Ben and Claire at the same time, so he texted: HARPIES AT THE CAR. DO NOT APPROACH. ABORT. I’LL SEE YOU AT THE STORE.
Without waiting for a response, Jesse went to meet them. Going from the dark hotel room to the bright, artificially-lit convenience store was enough to make anyone’s eyes burn. It felt like the longest wait imaginable, but finally Ben and Claire arrived. Ben panted, having ran to get there fast enough.
“What happened? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” he said, though his hand found Claire’s without a word. “They got the jump on me but I got away. They know we’re hunters, and that we’re after them.”
“Why were they at the car?” Claire injected with a bit of alarm. That wasn’t good... Not if they knew what they were there for. Hell, not for any reason, was that a positive scenario.
At this, Jesse’s expression turned a little guilty. “I’d captured one of them. I took her to the car for safe-keeping. I... I didn’t notice anyone following us at the time, but I guess they were.”
“I saw,” Ben answered between deep breaths. “I followed my mark outside and she almost went for him but then she just... took off down the street.” Claire switched looks between them, stiff in a contemplative silence. Though she still held Jesse’s hand, her grip was a bit stiff. Distracted.
Finally, she sighed hard and looked off in the direction of the GTO. That settled it, in her mind--these things weren’t leaving this town if they knew how to track them. “My end was a no-show anyway.”
“So they know what the car looks like and they know we’re hunters,” Ben breathed out, feeling a sinking sensation in his chest. “Fuck.”
Jesse’s chest clenched. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been more aware of what was going on, realized something was up. And I shouldn’t have been so stupid, blabbing everything. I was trying to talk her out of it, get her to stop killing.”
“It’s okay, man, you didn’t know,” Ben answered, his hand coming up to give his forearm a light squeeze. “Talking it out usually takes a little time.”
Claire just stayed quiet, too many things were going through her mind, that saying them would likely come out a jumbled mess. Things needed to be re-planned. New factors had to be watched for. Now, as far as she could tell, they were the targets.
“C’mon--we better get back,” she finally said, quietly. She let go of Jesse’s hand and pulled out her phone, turning toward the door. “I’ll get us a cab.” The two-mile walk to the hotel was a little too dangerous at this point.
TO BE CONTINUED...