Chapter Four

Jake

It took all of my self-restraint not to punch Bane in the face. I wanted him away from Meena, and I wanted Aunt Zelda back.

“This has been entertaining,” Bane said, “but I have work to do.” Blue light flashed, and then he was gone.

“Meena?” I wanted to ask if she was okay, but that seemed like a stupid question.

She turned to me and I pulled her into a hug. Cold radiated off her body. “I don’t want to work for a demon.”

“It’s going to be okay.” Not that I had any idea how to fix this. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out.”

The house alarm went off, followed by the sound of someone punching in the alarm code. “Aunt Zelda?”

“Jake?” she called out.

I released Meena and headed toward the front door. I met my aunt in the hallway. Her eyes were red like she’d been crying. A shroud of defeat hung around her as if everything she’d ever believed to be true was wrong.

“You okay?” I asked, knowing the answer already.

“No.” She shook her head. “I need a drink and then we’ll talk.”

I followed her back into the room where Meena sat on the couch. My aunt went behind the bar and opened a bottle of white wine. She didn’t bother with a glass, just removed the cork, put the bottle to her lips, and tipped it up until she’d drained half of it. Impressive yet disturbing. Then again, she’d had a really shitty day.

“Sorry.” She opened the mini-fridge and pulled out two cans of root beer. “Here.”

I grabbed the sodas and gave one to Meena while my aunt hugged the bottle of wine to her chest. “That helped.” She sat on one of the bar stools. “Now. What did Bane tell you?”

I recapped his conversation with Meena.

My aunt sighed. “I’m so sorry you two were dragged into this. I knew Bane was powerful, but I’ve never seen him like he was tonight. And poor Carol.” She took another long pull from her wine bottle. “She’s fought monsters all her life. We both have. Maybe we’re too old to do this anymore.”

I had no idea how old she was and it didn’t seem like a good time to ask. “What do we do now?”

“Jake, you should go.”

The words smacked into my chest. I thought she liked me…liked having me around. Where did she think I would go? Didn’t matter. I’d find a place. “Fine.” I stood and stalked down the hall to the staircase that led up to the bedrooms.

“Jake, wait.” Meena ran after me and grabbed my hand. “She didn’t mean it like that.”

“Really? Because it sounded like she was kicking me out.” And I couldn’t believe it bothered me this much.

My aunt moved slowly down the hallway to join us, looking older than she had a minute ago. “I meant that it’s not safe. You’re the only one not shackled to Bane. You’re the only one who can leave.”

“This might be selfish.” Meena squeezed my hand. “But I don’t want you to go. And Bane said you were exempt from deals so I don’t think you’re in danger.” She looked at me with big brown eyes, and I knew I wasn’t going anywhere.

“We’re all in terrible danger,” my aunt said. “But you’re always welcome here, Jake. Don’t doubt that.” She sighed. “I’ve never been so tired in my life. I’m going to lie down. You two should come to the television room upstairs. The second floor is more heavily warded. I don’t know if it will keep Bane out, but I’ll feel better knowing you’re upstairs. And Meena, you can grab some clothes from the spare bedroom if you want to change into something dry.”

“Thanks. I’d like that.”

We followed Zelda upstairs. She turned left down the hallway toward her bedroom. Holding Meena’s hand, I turned right and headed toward the spare bedroom my aunt had mentioned. It was across the hall from mine. I opened the door for Meena. “She collects clothes for some organization, so I have no idea what you’ll find. I’m gonna grab a dry shirt.”

Meena went into the room and pulled the door closed behind her. I went into my room and changed into a black T-shirt and then I waited for her in the hall. When she came back out, I could only stare. She’d traded her wet blue dress for a red tank top and jean shorts that clung to her curves in all the right places.

She gave me a tentative smile. “Hey.”

“Hey.” I reached for her hand and tugged her toward the bedroom that my aunt had changed into a living room. We sat on the godawful floral couch that had been crammed into the ten-by-ten room. I grabbed the remote but didn’t turn the television on.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Meena said.

“I’m thinking wearing a hair net and flipping burgers sounds a lot better to you now than it did this morning.”

She laughed. “You’re not wrong. I swear it’s like I keep expecting to wake up and find out I fell asleep reading a book and none of this is real. Finding you was the best part of today. The rest of it was a mess.”

A warm feeling started in my chest. I ignored it. Becoming attached to anyone was never a good idea. My mom has run through three husbands and multiple boyfriends since my dad died. But just because this wouldn’t last didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy Meena’s company.

I clicked on the television. The Exorcist flared to life in full color. “Before today I would’ve watched this.” I flipped the channel until I landed on one of those movies where guys stole cars and drove stupid fast. “Does this work for you?”

“As long as there are no demons involved, I’m good.”

I turned the volume down. “Before tonight, you had no idea about the demons?”

“No, but it might explain the drinking. If you knew your time was almost up, drinking until you forgot who you were might seem like a good idea.”

“I can’t believe my dad…” I swallowed over the lump in my throat. “He was kind of quiet and he liked to build things in the garage… He wasn’t real social, but he worshipped my mom. He was a great dad.”

“It sounds like he had a good life,” Meena said.

“I thought he did.” And I still missed him every day. I related to him a lot more than my mom. “What if my mom never would’ve loved him?”

Meena didn’t rush in to reassure me like most people would have. “If he was quiet, your mom may never have noticed him, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t have loved him once she did.”

“Maybe.” It made me feel better, thinking she’d loved my dad. “They seemed happy together. Since he…since he’s been gone, she’s moved from one guy to another, like she can’t find the right fit. Most of the guys have been decent. I liked some more than others. What if the demon who put her and my dad together made it so she couldn’t love anybody else? Maybe that’s why she’s so messed up?”

“Maybe she was never the type to settle down in the first place,” Meena said. “Have you ever asked why she does certain things?”

“I gave up. I used to ask her why we couldn’t stay at the same school all year. She’d just say it was time to move on. Once she said that it felt like her skin started to get too tight…like it would rip open and her guts would spill out if she stayed in one place too long.”

“Wow.” Meena blinked. “That’s a disturbing description.”

“Yeah, I stopped asking questions after that.”

“Bane talked about Carol doing his paperwork, which is bizarre when you think about it. Since there is a paper trail, maybe you could find a file on your dad’s deal.”

“I’m not sure knowing the details would make me feel any better.” But I knew something that might. Leaning in, I pressed my mouth against Meena’s. She tilted her head to the right and moved her lips against mine. I slid my hand through her hair. It felt like silk.

…

Meena

Making out with a guy I’d just met may not have been a normal maneuver for me but after finding out I’d been contracted to work for a demon, I figured it was time to live a little. Jake’s arms around me felt right. His hands in my hair didn’t cause quite the same reaction that Bane’s had, but Bane had cheated by using magic, so it wasn’t fair to compare. Why am I thinking about a demon when a cute guy is kissing me?

That was wrong. I focused on the sensation of Jake’s mouth moving against mine and his fingers trailing up my arm. Why were his fingers so cold? Wait. Those weren’t his fingers. I pulled back from Jake and stared at my bracelet.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I held up my right arm. The bracelet gave off a soft blue glow and it was freezing. “I think I’m being summoned.”

“No way that’s a coincidence,” Jake said. “Maybe you can ignore it.”

A pulse of power shot up my arm and a vision of Carol’s front porch appeared in my mind. Great. He had access to my brain. Just what every girl wanted. “Looks like I’m going to Carol’s.”

“I could come with you,” Jake offered.

Common sense told me I should say no, but honestly I didn’t want to face whatever my errand was alone. “I’d like that.”

“Let me leave a note for Aunt Zelda,” he said, “and then we can go.”

I followed him out of the living room and waited at the top of the stairs while he took care of the note. The bracelet sent a shock of cold up my arm, making me break out in goose bumps. “I’m on my way,” I said to the inanimate bracelet. Not my brightest move, but I didn’t know what else to do. Why couldn’t Bane send me a stupid text?

I drove a little faster than normal to Carol’s, because not knowing what my errand might be made me nervous. What type of errands would a demon send me on? Entrail collecting…siphoning of blood… Who knew? I parked in front of Carol’s house like I’d done earlier that afternoon, before my life had spun out of control. If only I could have rewound the day and stayed home, cuddling my cats on the couch and reading a book, instead.

“This is surreal,” I told Jake as we climbed out of the car and trudged up the front steps to the house. She opened the door before we knocked. Her silver curls were deflated and the excitement for life had vanished from her eyes. She looked years older than she had when she’d interviewed me.

“Meena, I’m so sorry about all of this,” she said.

“I know.” What else could I say? Thanks for getting me shackled to a demon? I entered the house and Jake followed. “What fun errand am I running?”

“I’m glad you brought Jake with you because you’re supposed to run this envelope over to Mr. Franklin at Franky’s Place.”

I laughed. “Yeah, right. That’s a bar. They card at the door. How am I supposed to deliver this?”

“The bouncer should let you in when he sees what you have.” She held out the pale blue envelope that said Bane Industries across the top in a raised script.

“Did everyone in this town know about the demons except me?” I asked.

“I think about half the grown-ups know. Some of the kids figure it out in high school. Zelda and I spent our lives trying to prevent people from making deals.” She pressed her lips together like she was trying to keep words from spilling out. “No reason for me to burden you with more than I already have. And I’m sure it’s cold consolation, but you can still have access to my library.”

“Are there any books in there that will tell me how to break this deal?”

“No, but I can teach you some useful spells to help keep you safe.”

A little late for that. “I think that ship has sailed.”

“Bane isn’t the only supernatural creature in Crossroads you need to worry about,” Carol said. “Now that you’re working for him, you’ll probably be able to see through people’s glamours.”

“What does that mean?” Jake asked.

“The bikers that hang out at Josephine’s? They’re vampires. If you stare at them now you’ll be able to see their fangs.”

“Fangs?” I looked at Jake. “I might be rethinking my stance on alcohol.”

He laughed.

“Will they know that I can see them?” I asked. “Do I need to be afraid?”

She pulled a black silk corded necklace with a silver amulet from her pocket. “This charm keeps people and other creatures from noticing you. Kind of lets you fly under the radar as long as you don’t go out of the way to call attention to yourself.”

“How?” I wasn’t sure I believed her.

“I dabble in magic. With the right components I can craft some effective spells.” She glanced at Jake. “Just like your aunt.”

He rammed his hand back through his hair. “So my aunt’s a witch. Any other magical crap we should know about?”

“Witches, demons, and vampires aren’t enough for you?” Carol asked with a little bit of her old sass.

“Enough for me.” I slid the necklace over my head. The amulet was a simple silver disc with a design etched on one side that resembled a bird. The design reminded me of something, but I couldn’t remember what. The silk cord was long enough that I tucked it in my tank top. The metal disc felt warm against my skin.

A blast of cold shot up my arm, making me jump. “How does he know I haven’t run his stupid errand yet?”

Carol pointed at my wrist. “I’m sure there’s a tracking spell built in. Don’t ever lie and tell him you’re someplace you’re not. He’ll know.”

“Great.” So much for privacy. “Thanks for the necklace.” Thanking her after she’d sort of ruined my life seemed dumb, but not thanking her would be rude. Whatever.

We headed back outside to my car.

The sun beat down on us. I squinted against the shine that came off the concrete.

“This heat is brutal,” Jake muttered as we climbed in my Volkswagen.

“Wait till August.” Once I had my seat belt on, I passed him the envelope and started the engine, making sure the air was on high.

“Don’t you want to know what’s in here?” Jake held up the envelope and shook it.

“No. I’ve met my quota for strange today. I’d rather not know about anyone’s demon deals. I have enough trouble interacting with the people in this town.”

“And the vampires,” Jake muttered.

“Right. Of course, the leather-wearing bikers who hang out at Josephine’s Bar and Tattoo Shop are vampires. Why wouldn’t they be?”

“Do they only come out at night?” Jake asked.

“There are a lot of things that only come out at night around here. Which is why I have a strict ten p.m. curfew.”

“What do you mean?”

I gestured toward Main Street with its cute stores. “During the day, Crossroads is all flag waving, stars and stripes, apple pies, and parades. At night, people party hard. There are a dozen deaths due to alcohol poisoning every year. And there are some warehouses downtown that have been converted into casinos and clubs.”

“Clubs?” Jake asked. “Like dancing?”

“Strip clubs, to be more precise.”

Jake cleared his throat. “Oh…maybe I should check those out. Purely for research purposes.”

“Right. Just be careful. You could end up dancing for tips.”

“There’s a male strip club?”

The horror in Jake’s voice made me laugh. “Equal opportunity employment.”

“If I ever get desperate,” Jake joked.

I stopped at an intersection and glanced at the SUV across from me. “It’s funny how everyone is going about their daily lives like this place isn’t infested with otherworldly creatures.”

“Shouldn’t the name of the town have been a clue?” Jake asked.

“Maybe.” I pulled forward and headed down a side street. “Now I’m wondering if the demons named the town…if they’ve been here since the start or if it’s a coincidence.”

“Don’t small towns like this have a list of founding families?” Jake asked.

“Has someone been watching The Vampire Diaries?” I teased.

“Maybe.” He laughed. “I wonder if the vamps at Josephine’s have daylight rings.”

“I have no idea.” Too bad none of them looked like Damian or Stefan. That I would have noticed. “Someone like Carol probably sells daylight rings on Etsy.”

“Probably.” He nodded.

Joking about the situation made it seem less scary.

“I should ask Carol for one of those fly-under-the-radar charms,” Jake said.

“I doubt it would work since you’re new to town. Maybe after you’ve been here a few months.”

I spotted our destination as I took a turn onto Lee Street. The neon signs at Franky’s advertising different kinds of beer were already lit up, even though it wouldn’t be dark for hours. The parking lot was half full. I found a spot in the middle and parked between the white lines.

“Is it just me,” Jake said, “or are there way too many mini-vans in this lot?”

“Maybe moms are tired of having their kids home and they need a break.” I held out my hand. “I should carry that in case Bane has people watching me to see how I do on my first assignment.”

“I would say you’re being paranoid, but after today, conspiracy theories seem way more reasonable.”

We climbed out of the car and headed for Franky’s front door. The bouncer was a bald guy wearing a shirt that said, Don’t even think about it.

“Keep walking, kids,” he said when we came toward him.

“I’d love to.” I held up the envelope. “But I have a special delivery for Mr. Franklin.”

The guy took off his sunglasses and squinted at me. “Never saw that coming.”

“Me either.” I glanced at the door. “So…can you bring him out here, or do I have to go in?”

The bouncer grabbed the brass knob and pulled the door open. “He’s tending bar.”

Great. I walked into the dimly lit room and all conversation stopped. The place smelled like stale beer and desperation. “This isn’t awkward at all,” I muttered to Jake.

He placed his hand on my lower back, which was comforting.

Franky glanced up from the beer he was pouring. “What in the hell are you doing in here?” He shut off the tap and passed the beer to the man on the bar stool.

I held up the envelope. “I’m just dropping off your mail.”

“Damn bill collector.” He wiped up a spill on the bar. “Come back to my office.”

“Or I could set this on the bar and leave.” I dropped the envelope on the bar and backed up a step. Franky seemed like a decent if somewhat crabby individual, but that didn’t mean I trusted him.

“You don’t have a freaking clue, do you?” Franky said.

I backed up another step and a bolt of cold shot up my arm, making me flinch.

“What’s wrong?” Jake asked.

“Apparently, I’m supposed to go with him.”

“After you,” Jake said to Franky.

We followed Franky down the hall while I wondered why no one had given me instructions about what I was really doing. Once we were in his cramped office that stank of cheap cigars, I said, “What’s going on?”

“I’m on a payment plan,” Franky said. “You’re here to collect and take my payment back to Bane.” He opened the envelope and dumped the contents on the desk. A small blue envelope addressed to me sat next to a strange syringe that didn’t have a needle.

I picked up the envelope, ripped it open, and took out the navy card with silver lettering…like a fancy invitation to a ball. It said, “Put the syringe back in the envelope and bring it to the library.”

The library? Seriously? Bane was invading my personal sanctuary. That ticked me off.

Franky sat at his desk and placed the syringe between his eyes. He took a deep breath and blew it out. The plunger on the syringe moved out, pulling a pearlescent blue liquid from Franky’s forehead.

“What the hell?” Jake said.

Once the syringe was full, Franky set it on the desk. He stared at the liquid inside, looking lost.

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Told you. I’m on the payment plan. I give him a little each month until it’s all gone. Better way to go than having a demon lunch down on your entire soul at once.”

I didn’t get it. “Why do this at all?”

“None of your damn business,” he said. “If you’re going to work for Bane you better be able to keep your mouth shut, or there won’t be enough of you left for the demon to eat.”

“Don’t threaten her,” Jake said. His voice was surprisingly calm.

“Who the hell are you?”

“I’m the guy who knows how to tweak your gas line so your bar will explode the next time you light up one of those cheap ass cigars,” Jake stated in a no-bullshit voice.

I grabbed the syringe and shoved it in the envelope. “Let’s get out of here.”

Jake followed me back out into the bar, where everyone tracked our progress to the front door. The anger coming off Jake was palpable. By the time we made it to my car, my eyes were burning and my head was pounding from stress.

“This is not the summer job I signed up for.” I started the car, took slow, deep breaths, and focused on not crying. I waited for Jake to say something to make me feel better. He stared out the windshield.

“So…thanks for what you said back there. Did you mean it? Do you know how to mess up someone’s gas line?”

“Yeah. My second stepdad inspected houses for a living. He showed me what to watch for to make sure the gas line was safe.”

That was a much more positive scenario than the one I’d had in mind. “So you figured you could reverse-engineer it to make it not safe?”

He nodded. “I probably shouldn’t have said it, but I didn’t want that jerk thinking he could threaten you.”

“Thanks.” I passed him the envelope. “Now we’re off to the library, and this is the first time in my life where that thought doesn’t make me happy.”

We drove in silence. Small talk seemed like too much effort. When we reached the library, I parked in my normal spot on the side of the building under the shade of a giant oak tree. Should I ask him to wait in the car? I didn’t want Bane to sink his hooks into Jake but I didn’t want Jake to think I was blowing him off, either. “You can come with me if you want, but I should be safe in the library.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked.

Why did this feel like a test? “It’s probably best to keep you away from Bane so he can’t lasso you into working for him, but I wouldn’t say no if you wanted to join me for moral support.”

“I’ll follow you in but stand across the room. That way I can keep an eye on you but I won’t have to interact with him.”

“Sounds good.” We exited my car and headed around to the main entrance. Birds sang in the trees and butterflies flitted through the honeysuckle vines that climbed up the stone walls of the library. It should have been idyllic but now it seemed like a shadow of evil lay over everything.

Once we entered the library I realized I had no idea where to find Bane. The librarian glanced up at me and gave a nod of recognition. I did the same.

She probably would’ve noticed Bane, so I’m guessing she wasn’t aware that a demon was taking business meetings in her domain. Maybe Bane had his own don’t-notice-me spell. Past the front desk there was a group of tables where people could study. There was a computer lab in the basement and an area where people could read and have coffee. Maybe that’s where my new boss was hanging out.

I headed down the wrought iron staircase and walked through the computer lab to the self-serve coffee bar. Bane sat at one of the tables drinking from a paper cup.

“How’d it go?” he asked.

“Great.” I dropped the envelope on the table. “What’s in the syringe?”

“Have a seat and I’ll explain.”

I sat, pushing my chair away from the table. Keeping a little distance between Bane and me seemed like a good idea.

He picked up the envelope and turned it over in his hands. “The syringe contains a small portion of Franky’s soul.”

“How many people in this town are on a payment plan?”

“That’s none of your concern.” Bane opened the envelope and pulled out the syringe. He held it over his cup of coffee and depressed the plunger. The glowing liquid shot into his coffee like some sort of demonic creamer. He sipped it and smiled.

“Are you the reason my dad drinks?”

“Indirectly.” Bane downed the cup of coffee. “You’re better off not knowing why people made deals. Bring me my payments and keep your curiosity under control.”

Why did I feel like some sort of drug dealer? “Do we have to meet here?”

“I thought you liked the library.”

“I do, and you being here is messing that up,” I said. “Don’t you have a demonic office somewhere? Maybe the DMV?”

He laughed. “I have an office downtown, but you coming here won’t attract attention.”

“Fine.” I stood. “Are we done?”

“For now.” Bane reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

“Demons carry wallets?” That seemed absurd.

“Occasionally.” He pulled two twenties from the leather billfold and set them on the table. “No matter what you think of me, I am a man of my word.”

“But you’re not a man,” I said.

He reached over and touched a lock of my hair. “I can assure you that I am a fully functioning male.”

I jerked backward. “That’s way more information than I needed to know.”

“Goodbye for now, Meena.” He disappeared in a flash of blue light. I stared at the crisp green twenties on the table. I could leave them there, or I could take them and contribute to the economy. I grabbed them and headed back to meet Jake.