Alek walked into The Brentworth hotel at a little after nine in the morning. The swanky hotel was located on the border of Tulare and Dulean just off the Tulare River. They’d left the glass doors open, letting in the warm air. Wicker fans circled overhead, pushing the heavy citrus scent through the spacious lobby. Polished wood floors stretched toward a bay of heavily polished elevators. Plush couches lay scattered throughout. Swanky, but not overly so. The view of the Tulare River obviously the primary draw.
He’d set out at seven to avoid the rush of guests checking out of the hotels he had on his list. Thankfully, there were only so many posh hotels on Tulare Island. He had eliminated all of them in a few short hours.
He should have remained in bed with Nicole, he thought. At least for a few more hours. Her body pressed up against his felt right, and it was getting harder and harder not to make a move. The hungry look she gave him last night had almost broken his resolve. But he didn’t want to scare her. So, he’d continue to let her set the pace.
Alek looked around. The five-hundred-room upscale hotel was the last place he would have ever considered searching for Unrie Nevsky. After all, Carnavalul de Fear was only a ten-minute walk from the hotel.
If Unrie was in fact staying at the hotel, he was either brazen or unaware of Petronela’s reputation. He thought about the man his great aunt caught stealing from her and the hallway caked in blood. Maybe people didn’t fear her like they did in the past.
A tall, redheaded woman looked up from behind the concierge desk and took him in, her face scrunching up into a distasteful sneer. A man stood next to her, staring with a touch of hostility in his eyes. Wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, with his long hair pulled back with cord, Alek knew he didn’t fit in. The old couple swerving around him like he was a dangerous obstacle they must avoid on their quest to get outside, cemented the fact.
“Afternoon,” he said, rattling the old woman. He didn’t relish making her uncomfortable, but he did enjoy the spark of indignation in the man’s eyes as he ushered his wife more quickly through the glass doors.
A short woman wearing a blue blazer and matching skirt walked up to him with a smile stretching across her entire face. “Can I help you?” Her eyes roamed over him as she played with the collar of her white blouse, exposing a black bra underneath. She wore a single gold bracelet with a tiny charm of a record player.
Alek glanced at her name tag: Candace Rebel, Hotel Manager. He smiled. “Yes, Ms. Rebel.”
“Candace, please,” she said, sidling closer.
It seemed she didn’t have an issue with him being there. Good. Alek pulled a picture of Unrie from his pocket and unfolded it. “Is this man a guest at your hotel?” He didn’t do finesse. He preferred the direct approach.
“Ms. Rebel,” the man behind the reception desk called. “Can I speak with you for a moment?”
Candace glanced behind her at the man staring daggers at them. She chuckled under her breath and leaned toward Alek. “Timothy likes to believe he runs this hotel.” She played with her necklace, drawing his attention back to her. “Put it in writing, Timmy,” she called out and steered Alek out of the lobby. “He’s also a spy. We better talk in my office.”
He left glamorous behind and entered an era long forgotten. Posters of ’80s bands covered the office walls. A hand-written sign that said, ‘I’m the damn manager’ hung on the wall directly across from the office door.
“Nice,” Alek said, looking around. “What do the owners think?”
Candace perched on the edge of the desk and crossed her arms under her breast. “You mean dear, old Daddy?” She laughed. “He’s still trying to get me to use the Brentworth name.” She winked. “I legally changed it to Rebel when I was eighteen. He cut off my allowance and made me work here.”
“Rebellion at its finest.”
Candace nodded. “Absolutely!” She got up and took the chair next to him, leaning in close. “So, who’s this guy you’re looking for and what did he do?”
Alek leaned back and smiled at her. “Are you flirting with me, Candace?”
“Why, yes, I am,” she paused. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Alek Vaduva.”
“Alek. Is it working?”
He shook his head. “Nice necklace. Now”—he leaned forward—“can you give me the information I need? Or should I put it in writing?”
She laughed and stood up. “Finally! Someone who doesn’t annoy the hell out of me. Daddy prefers Timothy to check in the guests. I figured since he’s also Daddy’s spy, he should write down everything he needs to say.” She winked. “Makes it easier for him to report.”
“You could always quit,” Alek said. He liked the woman. She had a way about her that demanded people shut up and take notice. She must drive her parents crazy.
She gasped with mock indignation. “And tarnish the family name? Never!” She shrugged and moved to sit behind the desk. “The pay is good. And I get to stay here for free rather than the stuffy family estate in Dulean. I like to give my dad a hard time. He likes to pretend I’m not related to him.” She tapped some keys on her computer. “My mother has found solace in lounging in the living room with her pearls on.”
“Sounds horrific.” He couldn’t decide if she was a spoiled rich kid or a woman who was just trying to find her own way.
Someone knocked at the door.
Candace looked up from the computer. “Yes.”
“Ms. Rebel, the guests are complaining about the doors being open.”
She returned her attention back to the computer. “Put it in writing, Timmy.”
Alek chuckled. “Seems you like to get under everyone’s skin.”
“The joys of life.” The printer came to life, spitting out several sheets of paper. Candace stood and retrieved them. Next, she put a disk in the computer drive. “I should probably give you a copy of the surveillance video with him in it, too.” She copied the video on a disk and smiled at him. “Now, detective,” she said, putting the disk in a case. “Is there anything else I can get for you?” She handed him the papers and the disk.
Alek smiled and took them. “Never said I was a detective.”
“You didn’t?” She gasped, feigning mock surprise. “My mistake. Is there anything else you need?”
Alek stood, folded the papers, and stuffed them in his pocket along with the disk. “This should help. Thanks.”
He turned to leave. Candace reached out and grabbed his arm. “Should I be concerned about the safety of my guests?” All the sarcasm and teasing was gone from her voice. It had been replaced with worry.
“Keep this between us, and you should be fine.”
Candace walked him to the lobby where Timothy stood in the middle of the room, trying to console a young couple wearing tennis outfits. He glared at both Candace and Alek.
“Looks like I have a fire to put out. Nice meeting you, Mr. Vaduva,” she said and walked over to them.
Alek stepped outside into the humid air and made his way to his car. Once inside, he reviewed the paperwork Candace had given him. According to the information, Unrie had been staying at The Brentworth for a month and had checked out two hours prior to him arriving.
How had Unrie escaped Petronela’s radar for an entire month? Had someone warned him that Alek was looking for him? Why else would he have suddenly checked out after staying at the hotel all this time.
As he stared down at the name of the man that had been staying with Unrie, he pulled out his phone and called Devlin. He answered on the second ring. “I have information on Logan,” Alek said. “I’ll pick you up in twenty.”
Devlin climbed into Alek’s car and sighed. Alek noted the dark circles around his eyes, and that his boss had lost some weight as well. The Markum family had placed a tremendous burden on him. Forcing him to act in a way he wasn’t comfortable with. Yes, they had often ended up in similar situations in the past. Like Devlin had told Nicole, the team had decided they would be the checks and balances for magick. Yet, investigating someone and purposely setting out to kill were two different things. Their job on Tulare would get bloody. And for Devlin, it was a line he didn’t cross lightly. But knew he had to. They all did.
Alek handed him the paperwork he got from Candace and pulled away from the curb. “According to what the manager gave me, Unrie Nevsky checked in a month ago and checked out two hours before I arrived.”
“Convenient.” Devlin scanned the pages. “Logan Magellan. Name sounds Portuguese.” Devlin looked up from the file and stared out the window. “Jonah thought he might be Spanish or Italian.” He paused. “What I’m wondering is why would he stay at the hotel with Unrie? Better question. Why is his ID on file? Last I checked, you only need one ID to check into a room.”
“I think we can thank Timothy for that.” Devlin looked at him. “Don’t ask.” Explaining Candace Rebel and her relationship with her employees might take a while and besides, it wasn’t important. “I’m curious why he stayed with him for ten days. Especially since he has a place on Tulare.”
Devlin flipped through the papers again. “Looks like both our cases have merged. But what does it all mean?”
Alek didn’t know.
Devlin set the papers on the seat and leaned back. “So, we have a man the Stewarts use as a fixer, and a hitman working with a man Petronela believes is here to settle some old scores. Gerald Stewart believes we have the Ark. And I got a visit from a Detective Barnes from the Perry Police Department this morning, inviting me to the precinct. He asked me a few questions about my time at Tribec and said we need a license to practice on Tulare.” Devlin shook his head. “I put a call in to the Markums.”
“Why would a detective from Perry be concerned about what was going on in Pleasanton?”
“He wouldn’t say. And I asked him several times.” Devlin shook his head.
“You think the Young family is working with Gerald?”
“They have to be. Gerald was at their church.” Devlin told Alek about the phone call Nicole received. “We have our way in. But I’m concerned it might be a trap. Especially since Gavina tried to work magick on her. She has to know Nicole has some power.”
Alek’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Is Nicole okay with this?”
Devlin laughed. “I don’t think Nicole will be okay until this is over.” Devlin glanced at him. “Can’t understand why she doesn’t just ask her father to help her with her magick.”
Alek thought about Candace and her petty rebellion. Which, given her concern for her guests, said that it wasn’t just life she was angry at—it was her father. Maybe some wounds never healed.
“If I help Petronela, she won’t have to.”
Devlin turned to Alek. “But she should.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
“Rachel found a brief mention on Divine Evil. She wants to check a few more sources before she’s sure the information online is correct.” Devlin scrubbed his hand down his face. “This case is already a major headache with more avenues than answers.”
“Yeah,” Alek said. “We might need to hire a few more people.”
Devlin sighed. “I’m hoping Kara will agree to work with us. I know she’s a teacher, but I get the impression she might give that up.” He looked down at his hands. “She wanted to be there for Nicole yesterday, but said she wasn’t able to do more than that. I’m hoping I can change her mind.” He smiled. “She’s a damn good fighter.”
Alek nodded, remembering the way the fiery redhead had taken down the blood magick users in the barn weeks ago. Her command of her magick was pure poetry. And Jonah could barely keep his eyes off her. He smiled. It was good to see the big man smiling more. They all needed a break in the constant deluge of danger they stayed in. Or, thinking of Nicole and Kara, some strong women to take their mind off things.
The address for Logan took them to the Greenwood Apartments in Perry, what the locals referred to as ‘The War Zone.’ Alek pulled to the curb in front of the dilapidated building and looked out over the bleak landscape. Despite the sun riding high in the sky, the area still seemed to swallow the light, as if the sun couldn’t penetrate the darkness the area exuded.
Children skipped in the streets—their faces devoid of any joy. Two cars drove by slowly, the passengers’ watching him and Devlin.
All eyes landed on them when they climbed out of the car. One kid broke free from the pack and cycled over to them, the bike weaving around the street in a menacing dance. The child’s eyes remained fixed on them.
Alek stood there, staring, seeing the resemblance to the albino who had tried to attack him and Nicole when they drove through this area over a month ago on their way to question a guard from Tribec Insurance. The albino had wanted to kill him, take his car, and force Nicole into prostitution. Alek, in a fit of rage, unleashed his magick on all the people who had gathered on the street to help. His attack on the albino, Alek learned later, had caused the man’s brain to bleed.
He had told Devlin about the run-in but left off his use of magick to put everyone to sleep. Devlin knew the slippery slope Alek traversed on and worried that his dark urges would emerge again if he stepped over the line. And using magick on so many people at once was stepping over the line. At least for him it was.
The girl had the same pale skin and wore her light-brown hair in braids. A pale orange light pulsed around her.
“You the one put my brother in a coma?” she asked.
Alek nodded. “We gonna have a problem?”
She got off her bike and let it fall to the ground. The clank echoed down the street as if they were inside a soundless void.
She stared up at him out of pale eyes. “Nah. He was getting soft. Someone was bound to kill him one day.” The way she said it made Alek believe she might have been that someone. She jerked her chin toward his car. “Give me a twenty, and I’ll make sure no one touches your car.”
“No one will touch it,” Alek said. “But…” He pulled Logan’s picture from his back pocket and handed it to her. “If you tell me which apartment this man lives in, I’ll give you fifty.”
She took the photo and studied it. “Yeah. We know him.” She looked up at the apartments. “You think your magick will keep you safe inside there? Most people learn really quick that ain’t true.”
“How do you know we have magick?” Alek asked.
She stared at him out of those translucent eyes. “I can see it,” she said finally. She dipped her head at the picture in Alek’s hand. “He was crazy powerful, too.”
Devlin pulled a hundred from his pocket. “Fifty for any information you have on him and fifty for the escort.”
She nodded. “That I can do.” She slid the money into her pocket. “Just remember, it’s your funeral.” She looked over her shoulder at the kids watching them. “No one touches the car.” One of the taller kids nodded. She started for the front entrance. “Come on.”
Alek leaned toward Devlin. “You sure you want to get her involved?”
“This is her territory. By showing respect, we get what we need and don’t have to engage with the locals.” He glanced back at the kids. “I don’t want to end up hurting a child. ” He slipped a belt around his waist that contained small vials filled with the four elements. As an elemental mage, he could wield them in battle.
Alek hoped their time here wouldn’t end in tragedy and death.
They stepped past the foggy glass doors and into the apartment lobby. Dark gray concrete covered the floor with stains saturating the surface. An overloaded metal garbage can rested at the foot of the stairs with flies swarming around it. A coppery scent mixed with urine and old trash hung in the air as though it had weight. Alek’s eyes stung as he pushed forward, swallowing down the bile that rose in his throat.
The walls were stripped to the stained boards underneath. Five thick plastic bags bulged out of a section in the wall. A short, round man wearing dirty overalls stood in front of one of the openings, holding a spackle knife in one hand. Alek watched as he moved a board in front of one of the bags. It was then he noticed the body inside.
“Elevator don’t work. We gotta take the stairs,” the girl said, but Alek didn’t move.
Seeming to understand why he stopped, the girl said, “Your man brought them here yesterday and paid Mr. White to board them up.”
Why had Logan buried someone in the walls?
“Did he say who they were?” Devlin asked, his voice strained.
The girl shrugged. “No. And nobody here is going to ask, either.” She glanced around at the walls. “My mom told me when the mayor pushed all the crime out of the other settlements and forced us into this small area, factions rose and fell. The only way to keep that chaos from continuing, someone got the idea that burying the people they killed in the walls would be the best way to instill fear and keep people in check.” She ran her hand over her head, looking around. “I don’t know. Maybe they saw it in some movie.” She chuckled. But there wasn’t any joy in the sound, only sadness. “My uncle put the first person in the wall. My brother even put a few in there.”
The fact that Logan had done the same suggested he had a familiarity with the area and their brutal practices. Alek pulled his phone from his pocket and took pictures of the people’s faces. He’d have Rachel do an image search to see if they could identify them.
She looked around. “Looks bad, I know. But it’s all an illusion. And at least I can see past all this to something better.”
“You live here?” Devlin asked, surprised.
“For now. Later, when I make enough money, I’ll live in Dulean. Mix with rich folks.” She smiled. “Date their daughters.” She turned and continued up the stairs. “Come on. And stick close. People will try and kill you in here just because they’re bored.” She glanced at one of the plastic bags sticking out the wall. “Then keep you close as a warning to others.”
“What’s your name?” Alek asked.
On the first step, she turned. “They call me Rae.” She cocked her head to the side in question.
“Alek.”
She looked at Devlin.
“Devlin.” He studied her for a minute, eyes narrowed. “Will you take up the mantle?” he asked finally.
“No. I’ll be in Dulean, remember?”
Devlin nodded.
“Okay, lead the way,” Alek said.
They walked up four flights of stairs. Rae took them down a long hallway covered in trash to the last apartment on the left. “This is it. You want me to come in with you?” She seemed eager.
“Can you stand guard?” Alek asked, handing her another fifty.
She pocketed the money and smiled. “That I can do.”
Alek tried the door. It opened without resistance, and they stepped into the room. The stench from the hallway washed away, depositing them into a room with bare white walls and a stale, almost void-like smell saturating the air. It was as if no one had ever lived in the apartment. A clean spot in a sea of decay. Given the condition of the rest of the building, it was definitely odd.
Alek studied the rest of the room.
A black leather couch sat on the left side of the small living room with a dark, wooden coffee table in front. Beige carpet covered the entire floor, flowing into a small kitchen covered with yellow linoleum.
Neat and orderly. Without much in the way of personality. If not for the couch and coffee table, Alek would have sworn nobody lived there.
It took only a few minutes for them to go through each room, noting the absence of furniture or personal affects. In the kitchen, Alek picked up a stack of mail addressed to Logan Magellan for an address in Alice.
Devlin walked into the kitchen. “Why would he rent this place and not furnish it?” he asked, taking the mail from Alek.
Alek pondered Devlin’s question. Going back to his earlier confusion on why Logan would be staying at a hotel if he had a place on Tulare to begin with.
“It feels like some elaborate ruse,” Alek said eventually, letting his mind work through the clues. “Why else would he go through all this trouble?”
Devlin shoved a piece of mail in his pocket and glanced around the apartment. “I agree. This apartment isn’t set up for someone to live in.” He tossed the rest of the mail on the counter. “My question is why?”
Alek shook his head.
“To stash the people he killed in the walls?” Devlin offered.
Alek thought about that for a moment. “Since he was obviously aware of their practices, he must be from the area. Maybe even lived here at some point in the past.”
Devlin drummed his fingers on the counter, thinking, then turned and called to Rae. She popped her head in the door. “Has Logan lived here before?” he asked her.
She nodded slowly. “I got the feeling he did. When he came here. He knew who Mr. White was. And Mr. White has been here forever.”
A sound came from the hallway. Rae snapped her head around. “Hey, we have company,” she said a note of warning in her tone.
“How many?” Devlin asked.
“Four,” Rae said, stepping into the apartment.
Alek turned to Devlin. “You want me to shut them down?”
Devlin shook his head. “Too risky. We use only what’s necessary.”
Alek dipped his head in acknowledgement and rushed into the living room. Rae stood off to the side, with a blade in her hand. He wanted to push her behind him but knew she wouldn’t stay put. He’d just have to keep the men focused on him and Devlin.
A few seconds later, four young men entered the apartment, guns drawn.
Devlin stepped into the room, holding a small tornado in his hand.
“You must be the welcome wagon,” Alek said, and rushed the first man.
Tall, lanky, with more attitude than common sense. The man raised his gun and fired, the shot going wide. The bullet got caught in the wind and ended up embedded in the wall.
Alek surged forward and shoved the man up against the wall, slamming his head back against the plywood. A crack resounded as the wall split open from the force. Blood ran down its surface and Alek released the man. He grabbed his gun, ejected the bullet in the chamber, and took the magazine out, then tossed it away.
The other three tried to step in to help but found themselves fighting against a strong wind as Devlin released the tornado in his hand. Several shots rang out. The bullets circled the room before finally embedding in the thin walls. Their guns were ripped from their hands, flying into the kitchen out of reach.
The couch rattled, lifting up off the ground. Devlin was bathed in a dark blue light, his magick working fiercely. Alek knew the men couldn’t see the crackle of the luminescence as it bathed the room, but he could, and the sheer magnitude of it momentarily gave him pause, solidifying his earlier assessment of Devlin’s anger. Too bad he couldn’t use his own magick. The fight would have been over before it started.
The couch flew across the room. One of the men didn’t move in time and was caught in front of it as it slammed into the opposite wall.
Rae yelled, and Alek turned in time to see a man pick her up to use as a shield. With her arm arcing down, blade at the ready, she drove the polished steel into the man’s side. He bellowed and dropped her to the ground.
That left one man. Devlin shoved him to the ground and put a boot on his chest as the wind finally died down and his magick settled.
Alek walked over and crouched down, studying him. He looked no older than twenty, yet he already had the lines on his face and the hatred in his eyes of someone who’d lived a lifetime filled with brutality, death, and chaos.
Rae dropped to her knees and wiped the blood from her blade on the floor. “This is Zane,” she said identifying the man under Devlin’s boot. She glanced around the room. “Those are his crew. They’ve been trying to take over since my brother went to sleep.”
Alek wanted to tell her to wait outside or in the kitchen; any place but right here. But then he remembered she saw this type of brutality daily. And judging from the hardened look in her eyes, it had stopped phasing her a long time ago.
“You workin’ with them now?” the man asked, glaring at Rae.
“Money’s good.” She leaned down. “You tried to kill me.”
He turned away and looked at Alek. “Man paid us to keep an eye out for anyone coming to his apartment.”
Alek pulled the picture of Logan from his back pocket. “This man?” he asked, showing the picture.
He nodded and looked over at one of his friends laying on the floor. “That was some freaky shit you did,” he said, stealing a glance at Devlin’s belt. “Is that fire in one of them glass things?”
“You don’t know about magick?” Devlin asked, removing his foot from the man’s chest. He offered him a hand, and the man grabbed it and stood.
“Nobody uses magick in Perry.” He looked down at his gun laying on the floor near the entrance to the kitchen. “Maybe we need to find us someone who can. Guns don’t seem to be workin’ no more.”
“Tell me about the man who paid you,” Alek said.
Zane ran his hands down his pants as if he were dusting them off. Alek figured it was an effort to look tough and suppressed his smile.
“He moved in two weeks ago. Paid Brittany.” He looked at Rae. “She went missing yesterday.” Rae nodded. “Anyway. He paid Brittany to clean the apartment and a few of us to put the couch and coffee table in here. Yesterday, he asked us…” He looked at the man Alek had put down, easing up off the floor. Alek breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn’t killed him. “He told us to watch the place. Paid us a grand each.”
“What were you supposed to do if someone came in?” Devlin asked.
Zane looked down at the floor; his feet twitched like he wanted to run. “Supposed to kill whoever came knocking.” He looked at Devlin. “You think he’ll know we didn’t get the job done?”
“Why?” Alek gritted out.
“Man scared the hell out of us. Don’t need him coming back.” He looked around at his friends. Only one remained down, hidden behind the couch.
Alek didn’t give a damn if Logan came back. These boys chose to get involved and they had come in here intent on killing them. He glanced at Devlin. The man shook his head and stepped over to the couch. Alek walked over and helped him push it from the wall.
Even though the man lay motionless, he had a pulse. Weak, but it was there. And that was all they could do about it.
After pocketing the mail, Alek and Devlin left, bringing Rae with them.
“You going to be okay?” Alek opened his car door. The kids had done what they were told. No one had touched his car.
She lifted her bike off the sidewalk. “This is my domain. I’m always going to be all right.” She looked out over the street. “Maybe I can work for you again,” she said. The hope in her voice sent a pang of sadness through him. She didn’t want to be in this place.
Alek wished he could take her with them. But that would be wrong. She was a minor, and her world was already filled with ugliness. And the work they did would expose her to even more violence. He couldn’t do that. Or even worse, get her killed “Maybe. If we need some backup,” he said, despite him knowing they might never see her again.
She smiled and pedaled away. Alek climbed in the car and started the engine. “You want to check out the next place?” he asked and pulled away from the curb.
Devlin stared down at his phone. “Looks like Nicole has been invited to a gathering of The Daughters of the Vine.” He glanced at Alek. “That ring any bells with you?”
Alek shook his head, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. He didn’t want Nicole to go to that meeting. Not alone, at least. “You sending Rachel with her?”
“Yeah. And I just texted Kara to see if she would go, too. Nicole might get pissed, but too bad. Until she learns battle magick, I don’t want her working alone.”
“Agreed,” Alek said. Although, he would never tell Nicole that, because Devlin was right: She would be pissed. “Am I dropping you off?”
Devlin leaned back. “Yeah. Gotta check on the team.”
“And let Nicole yell at you?”
Devlin smiled. “That too.”