“Reese’s pieces?” Poppy asked as they motored into the strip mall parking lot.
The bird rode in the front basket with Pim, the top snapped down for safety.
“Reese’s pieces,” Nessa affirmed.
“Money in the bank,” Poppy chirped, bobbing her head up and down.
When not being chased by murderous thugs, the ride from Redondo Beach to the Whole Foods strip mall was an uneventful fifteen minutes on the scooter. Nessa parked at the far end of the complex, near the drugstore. There were at least a dozen stores and cheap eating places around the mall plus the supermarket.
Poppy rode on her shoulder, straining to see ahead.
“Reese’s pieces,” Poppy squeaked as they spotted two women sitting at one of the metal table and chair sets in front of the market.
One was wearing a baseball cap and oversized sunglasses, yoga pants, running shoes, and a vintage-looking Fila warm-up jacket. The other looked dressed for the office.
“Is Reese there?” Nessa asked the bird.
“Reese’s pieces, Reese’s pieces,” the bird chattered, bobbing and weaving excitedly.
The woman in the baseball cap jumped up, walking quickly to meet Nessa halfway.
Pim stiffened, rumbling a warning growl as she approached.
Nessa darted a glance at her Familiar. “Do you smell someone?”
Pim nodded.
“Fiona?”
Before he could answer, Reese was in front of them
“Poppy!” the young woman exclaimed, reaching for the bird.
Poppy hopped onto her outstretched hand, bobbing her head, “Reese’s pieces, Reese’s pieces.”
“Where’s Reiko?” she asked looking over Nessa’s shoulder.
“At the Infernal Court.”
“Already? But, I thought… Come on and sit down.” She led Nessa to the table and chairs. “This is Elizabeth Sömmerhaulder, Reiko’s sister.”
Nessa didn’t sit and the woman did not stand for the introduction.
“Half-sister,” snapped Elizabeth.
She was dressed in black slacks and a camel-colored sweater set with black piping and gold buttons. Very chic. Elizabeth was fair, her make-up carefully applied, blond hair pulled back tightly in a smooth French Twist. She looked tall, her long legs crossed, one foot in a kitten-heel black slingback kicking impatiently. She didn’t smile. Nessa couldn’t see much resemblance between Reiko and her half-sister.
Pim, unseen by all but Poppy, wound in and out of the table, sniffing the air. Nessa kept an eye on him. She was getting a tense vibe from Elizabeth and wondered if he was picking up on it as well.
As a magically enhanced feline, he could sniff out nervous perspiration and other more subtle emotional scents. He gave her a look, one side of his mouth pulled up over his fangs. Yep, he was feeling it too.
Good.
Nessa had been going back and forth in her head all morning wondering if she was being paranoid. Poppy repeating the phrase “money in the bank” when Reese’s name came up had given started the suspicious vibe.
“Were there any problems getting Reiko to the Infernal Court?” Reese asked.
Nessa blew out a breath, “A few. Your dad was there.”
Reese popped back in her chair. “Mine?”
“No.” She pointed at Elizabeth. “Hers.”
Elizabeth’s expression remained carefully neutral.
“And Reiko’s mom, too.”
“Whore,” Elizabeth mumbled.
Nessa blinked. “I beg your pardon. Did you just call your stepmom a whore?”
“Elizabeth,” Reese said in a censorious tone. “Not now.”
“She showed her true colors I heard,” said Elizabeth, giving Reese a bored look. “Transformed into a fox or something equally ridiculous.” She gave a self-satisfied smile. “I told dad she was a lying liar. And I was right.”
‘What a bitch,’ was what Nessa thought.
What she said was, “News travels fast. If you heard about the Kitsune you must have known Reiko was already at the Court. Why did you even ask?”
Pim meowed. A high-pitched gnarly noise. Both women looked around. No cat in sight.
Poppy’s head bobbed up.
Nessa held out one hand and the bird scooted to her wrist. “Stay with me,” she said.
“Do you have Fiona?” Nessa asked.
Reese’s expression changed. The smile melted away.
“Yes,” she said.
“Reiko has probably already been memory wiped. What is it you think I can do for you? I don’t know the recipe for your stupid drink.”
“Don’t you? Reiko had a little notebook with her. Fiona has told us as much. She saw it at your apartment last night. I want it.”
Nessa didn’t see any point in denying the notebook’s existence. “To trade for Fiona?”
Reese nodded.
“You and Elizabeth are partners now? What about Brian?”
“Brian was supposed to be part of it.” She shook her head. “Little shit got cold feet. Decided to throw in with Reiko.”
Poppy made a strangled noise.
“You didn’t need to kill him.”
“Didn’t I?” the girl said. “He was supposed to get the formula from her. Her half. He promised. Instead, there he is at her house bleaching out bottles and emptying our riches down the sink. He developed a thing for Reiko. Romantic, you know?” She shrugged. “Maybe he’d always had it. Who knows?”
“Poppy daddy,” Poppy hissed.
“Shhh,” said Nessa. “Where do you come into this?” she asked, looking at Elizabeth.
“Silent partner. Being all helpful with the more difficult or expensive ingredients.” She gave a fake-sincere smile, batting her lashes. “My sister only wanted to make daddy proud.” Sneering, she put imaginary quotation marks around the phrase. “Stupid girl. Izumi was his trophy wife. He never wanted a child from their marriage. He had me.”
“And yet, here you are stabbing him in the back. What will you say when he finds out you guys are competing with the clan?”
“I’m a silent partner, why should he find out? And this wasn’t the original plan. After the side effects appeared, I knew they’d struck gold. I quietly renegotiated my part with Reese and Brian. Little Miss Daddy’s Girl Reiko would never go for it, I knew.”
“Part of the profits would go to your partners. Is it Belencourt or Baron Samedi?”
“Why not both?” she smirked again.
“They’d never work together,” Nessa blurted out. Or would they? “Did Belencourt steal Brian’s pet demon?”
Now it was Reese’s turn to make a face. “Why would you think I’m not capable of stealing him myself?”
“Reese’s pieces?” Poppy said, a question in her scratchy little voice. “Poppy daddy? Daddy demon…”
Nessa readjusted her opinion of Poppy once again. The bird was following the whole conversation.
“You’re not a witch.” Nessa stopped. “Or are you? Oh God, don’t tell me you’re a secret magical being too?”
She gave a harsh laugh. “I wish I’d known about Reiko’s hidden talents sooner. It would have given me so much leverage. And you don’t have to have magic to summon a demon. Humans have been summoning demons for millennia. Success depends on,” she held up one hand counting off on her fingers. “The correct spell. A protective circle. Knowing its true name. Thank you very much Brian Samejima.”
“Poppy daddy,” said the Parrot quietly.
“You forgot number four,” Nessa added. “A bargaining chip. What did you give him?”
Reese frowned. “None of your business.”
She was right. Nessa didn’t care if the next time he was summoned the Rakshasa dragged Reese to the demon realm and tortured her for eternity.
She was tired of talking to these two entitled, selfish, murderous women.
“Tonight. Two a.m. Colorado Street Bridge. Pasadena. Bring Fiona.”
Reese started to speak but Nessa cut her off, saying again, “Colorado Street Bridge. Two a.m.”
With Poppy on her wrist and Pim at her side, they walked back to her scooter.
“Reese’s pieces bad,” said Poppy, scrambling up to hide her head behind Nessa’s ear.
“She is. I’m sorry Poppy.”
Poppy twisted around trying to see Reese. “Poppy knows names,” she said in a harsh tone. “Many names.”
Nessa reached up and smoothed the feathers on the bird’s back. “Do you? What a clever bird.”