Death March: Black Magic Outlaw Page 15

  "What is going on back there?" she demanded.

  The cop coughed some more to sell it. "Sorry," he groaned. "I swallowed something."

  An older cop with a gray mustache bellowed, "You sure did!" The entire crew exploded into guffaws.

  Agent Bell shook her head. "It's a frat house in here. You all should be ashamed." She withdrew her card and slapped it on Evan's chest. "I expect to hear from you later today."

  "I look forward to working with you. And look me up if you don't believe me."

  "Oh, I will." She stormed down the hall. The officers parted and did their best to stifle their mirth, but it was a lost cause.

  "Officer," snapped Evan. "That behavior is not appropriate in the workplace."

  The room immediately sobered up. "Sorry, Lieutenant."

  Emily shook her head and sighed. "Thank you, dear." She stormed off into the room with Fran.

  Evan whispered, "Good technique, though."

  We choked out laughs but immediately hushed as Emily peeked her head around the doorway.

  Chapter 27

  "Agent Bell's not wrong," I commented as we left the station. "I can't believe our taxes pay to arm those frat boys. For a second I was afraid it was gonna turn into a rap battle in there."

  "To protect and serve sick burns," chuckled Evan. "And the kids do dance-offs these days."

  Fran laughed. "No we don't, Dad."

  We filed into Evan's unmarked car so he could drop me back off at mine. Luckily, Fran's protests had kept my car from being immediately impounded, despite the precaution to take me into custody and sort things out.

  We arrived back at the warehouse and the Firebird was parked on the side of the street. The van was already towed. A stray police car lingered. The uniform reported to Evan that there was nothing odd about the building. It turned out the vamps had randomly stopped there—either to shake me or because of Fran's meddling with their life force.

  I still didn't know how to tell Evan and Emily, but it was clear they needed to know. Em would take it better, I knew. Even though she'd once sworn off spellcraft after almost ruining her life, she was an animist at heart. She understood the calling. Evan had no such fancies. He stopped his car beside mine.

  "I still get to go to Cisco's house, right?" asked Fran.

  Emily was sitting in the back seat next to her. "I don't think so, honey."

  "Come on." Our lessons were important to her.

  "No," said Evan. "I'm canceling my plans tonight. We're gonna stick together as a family and talk things over."

  "Cisco."

  My little girl appealed to me with her eyes, but I softly shook my head. "You should listen to them, Fran. What you went through was a big deal, even if you feel fine right now. Just relax and take things easy."

  She pouted but didn't object. She was a strong girl, much stronger than any of us had realized, maybe. Things weren't as I'd feared. The events today didn't paint Fran the victim, they made her the hero. She'd willingly jumped into a van of vampires to save her friend, and although I helped with the driver, she'd practically taken care of the situation all by herself. It was an understatement to say I was both proud and terrified.

  "Should I swing by?" I chanced. "See what we can get on that crystal ball?"

  "Can we just get a night without magic?" Evan snapped. He stared hard at the dashboard.

  Emily shook her head. "You'd better not, Cisco. We just... need a family night."

  Evan's eyes locked on her as she said the words. She hadn't meant to exclude me in that way, but there it was. I bit down and nodded, trying not to show emotion.

  "I'll call in the morning then."

  She nodded with a silent apology in her eyes.

  I shut the door and watched as they pulled out. Evan had the presence of mind to wait until my car started after them. Maybe he wanted to make sure the cop didn't hassle me as I left. Then we were both on the same road going to separate destinations.

  I made sure we weren't followed again. My confirmation wasn't especially comforting. Not only was the Obsidian March trolling for humans, but they had a hard-on for me as well. For all I knew, the feds were keeping tabs on me too. And all the while my new home was nestled in the territory of a Brickell restaurant mogul-cum-crime boss.

  The sun was still out so it was early enough to be productive. I was reminded of that as I noticed a missed call from Shen sans voice mail. I considered hooking up with him again, putting some hours in. It might mend fences with the chain of command. Then again, I needed some time to decompress. I swiped away the notification and called Milena.

  "Hiya!" she chirped. Her positive attitude was a far cry from the last time I'd seen her. It had the effect of immediately lifting my spirits.

  "You sound better."

  "I am! I was just in a funk last night. Probably from being mind-assaulted by a vampire. Sorry about that."

  "Don't apologize."

  "Other than that part the night was actually pretty fun, Cisco. I forgot how exciting it was to hang out with you."

  I laughed. "Adrenaline junkie. You see? You like me."

  She snorted. "You think chemistry is all about excitement, don't you?"

  "Isn't it? Chemical reactions are based on heat."

  "Oh, so that's all it takes?"

  "Nah," I admitted. Then I decided to go for it. "Chemistry's also about physical contact. Which is why you should come over."

  The silence was deafening.

  "Or I can swing by Midtown. It's been awhile since I've been to your place."

  "That sounds really fun, Cisco." Score. Then Milena cleared her throat. "But Gavin's on his way over as we speak."

  "Oh." Cars crashing. Dive bombers plummeting to the ocean. "Two dates in two days. You must really like this guy. What makes him the one?"

  "Please. I never said he was the one. He's a nice guy who has his life in order."

  "You mean he doesn't have issues."

  "I didn't say that."

  "Bet he doesn't battle ghosts and vampires," I teased.

  "Some would say that's a good thing. But don't take it the wrong way. He's gentle. He's kind. He's a nice guy, and I feel bad about the way I ditched him last night."

  "How many dates is that?" I asked suddenly.

  "What?"

  "How many dates?"

  She took a long breath. "Tonight makes eight or nine or ten. I don't know. Who counts those things?"

  "Ten dates and you still haven't had sex?!?"

  "What? Cisco, I'm not having this conversation with you."

  "Fine, but you know I'm right. I'm wearing you down. In fact, if you wanna ditch him mid date again and give me a call, I'll be around."

  She laughed. "In your dreams."

  She didn't know the half of it. We both laughed for a minute, but what started out genuine became forced. I didn't want to overstay my welcome. "I guess I'll leave you to it," I said.

  "Okay, Cisco. I'm glad you called."

  "Yeah. Nice talking." And then, "Hey! Why don't we do something tomorrow night then? I guarantee it'll be more fun than whatever Gavin has planned."

  She sighed. "Don't make this a competition, Cisco. But that sounds fun. If you promise not to turn it into a dating situation, you have a deal."

  "No date here. Just a couple of chill platonic bros hanging out," I said sarcastically.

  She laughed. "You sure you still want to hang if you're not gonna get in my pants?"

  "What kind of thing to say is that, Milena? Of course I wanna hang. Let's do it."

  "Okay, then. Look, I gotta go."

  "Yeah. Cool. Talk to you later."

  I hung up before I said something else stupid. Maybe I'd finally get some time with Milena, but it didn't feel like a win. Not when Gavin was seeing her tonight. I made the rest of the drive in a detached stupor. When I finally parked the car in the underground lot of my condo, I decided I felt worse than before.

  The elevator ride up was a lonely one because I knew my
place was empty. When I unlocked the front door, I ripped off a notice from the HOA and took it inside to read. Apparently my last payment had been declined by the credit card company. I immediately called them up, knowing Carmela Flores would begin eviction proceedings in a second given the slightest provocation.

  Apparently, Fraud Protection had canceled the card because they believed I was dead. I was already braced for the issue because this was the third time it had happened.

  "I don't care if you have a copy of my death certificate," I fumed. "I can assure you I'm very much alive and can send you the documents to prove it."

  Ugh, modern necromancy was a nightmare. It must've been so easy in the Middle Ages to resurrect from the dead without needing to wade through a bureaucratic mess of paperwork.

  I popped a beer and chugged down, phone at my ear. It was gonna be a crappy night.

  Chapter 28

  Milena never called back, and my adolescent mind couldn't stop wondering how far Gavin was getting on date number ten. Between that and the Manifesto case, I was up half the night.

  Thankfully the morning proceeded as planned. I cooked up some café con leche, touched base with Emily, and headed over right away. I was eager to start another day on the right foot and hopefully not have it hijacked by a kidnapping. And I wanted to have something new before the next time Simon called.

  "Fran holding up?" I asked Evan as he led me upstairs. She was playing with her younger brother in the den.

  "She's fine. Nerves of steel, that one."

  "Takes after you."

  "I was gonna say the same about you."

  I bit my lip and smiled. With the lessons I'd been giving her, he didn't know how right he was.

  Emily was upstairs in her bedroom. "Wow, you guys," I said. "I feel like I visit your bedroom much more than is healthy with platonic friends."

  "Shut up," she muttered, unamused.

  "I'm just saying. Maybe you should invest in a war room or something."

  "Let's just get the spellcraft over with," said Evan.

  "Look at you using the proper terminology. You're all growed up."

  "After meeting Agent Bell in person, I'd do anything to beat her to the punch. You'd just better hope we have something here because the knife was a bust. The blood was from a young-adult male and there were no prints or aberrant DNA."

  "Damn."

  Emily decided to kick me while I was down. "The salt water did a number on the crystal as well. It soaked almost a day. I buried it with purifying stones to try to undo the damage, but it was too late." She revealed the crystal ball on a piece of soft leather in the middle of the bed. There was a slight crack in it.

  "It's destroyed," I said, downtrodden.

  "Not completely. I attempted a scry this morning and the Intrinsics were too hostile. It's a good thing we gave it extra time to cool down, otherwise we would've lost it all."

  "Did you see anything?"

  "I didn't get that far, and I was afraid to try again after it cracked. Remember when I had trouble finding Fran with my crystal?"

  I nodded. "I helped dim the light with my shadows."

  "I was hoping you could do that again."

  I scratched my head. "Wouldn't that be even more unstable?"

  "Possibly, but the energy is too erratic now. It needs something to soothe it, bring it down to make it readable. Can you do that?"

  "I'll try."

  If she said this would work, I believed her. We'd done this once before to great effect. It was funny how sometimes opposites working together were stronger than either alone.

  Emily massaged the air around the crystal and intoned under her breath. She was a skilled white witch even if scrying wasn't her specialty. When it came to seeing the future she was no Marie Devereaux, but she brought the goods.

  "I think..." started Emily, peering into the ball, "I think I see a reflection."

  I squinted and drew closer, using the shadows to tone down the light's intensity. It made for a dim scene, but a picture came into focus. We all leaned in to see it.

  The image was skewed. Marie Devereaux's face was rounded, with squished eyes and an enlarged nose. Her mammoth-sized hands hovered over our view.

  "This is a reflection of her final session," whispered Emily. She concentrated and the scene exploded outward, nearly filling the room.

  "You come to me a troubled man," said Marie in a dramatic whisper.

  "Yes," answered a hoarse voice.

  I spun around to see a man in a gray Dolphins hoodie and sensible working jeans. He was a bit overweight, but mostly normal-sized with a nondescript face.

  That's Manifesto? I'd figured him for a scarier persona. I mean, he wasn't even wearing the skin of his victims or anything.

  Marie rolled her head as if in a trance. "You seek something to ease the burden."

  "Yes," the man said, but the fortune teller didn't respond. She was intent on the performance. Marie continued teasing the crystal, and while we could see their faces we couldn't see what she saw with her spellcraft.

  "You hurt," she whispered. "Tell me what it is you desire."

  The man grunted. "Aren't you supposed to tell me?"

  "The truth will come in time. Have no worries. I'd like you to tell me what it is you think you want first."

  He frowned. "Fair enough. I want it to end. Can you tell me when it will end?"

  "Your life?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

  "No. My tribulation."

  She took a patient breath and rubbed the crystal. "All life is a test, sir."

  "Life is easy," he scraped out. "Death is the true test."

  Marie Devereaux chewed her lip, unsure what to do with his query. I realized that simply seeing glimpses of the future wasn't enough to get a full understanding. If she was to truly guide people to better paths, she had to understand them. Get a feel for them. We were watching spellcraft and dime-store psychology all at once.

  "Hold my hands," she commanded. Their arms wrapped around us in the real world as they placed locked hands on either side of the crystal ball. "You seek an end to your trials, but you must first remove yourself from them if you are ever to find the way out."

  He accepted the apparent truth with anticipation. "Yes."

  Marie pumped her forehead back and forth, rhythmically, feeling out the aura extruded from the stranger. "You think yourself trapped."

  The man's eyes flickered.

  "It is not so," she assured. "Desperation slicks from your being like oil, but there is no need to drown."

  Between scrying, Marie stole glances at his reactions. It was obvious to me that, while insightful, most of what we'd seen so far was a show.

  She was a performer. A deceiver.

  The corner of the stranger's mouth crooked up.

  "I am trapped," he said, "but I don't seek escape. I was promised life eternal."

  Marie's brow furrowed ever so slightly. Who didn't want to escape a trap? "The fish in the bowl bumps against walls. It sees more. Imagines more. Yet it could never comprehend the ocean."

  Manifesto's face twisted. "No. This isn't what I want." His grip tightened and he rocked with agitation. "Tell me what you see."

  She was losing him, and it was obvious. She flashed a hurried nod and pulled a hand away. The man reluctantly gave it up. Finally, the fortune teller traced a finger around the curvature of the crystal.

  "Well then," she said, bringing her chin up. "You are... afflicted."

  He leaned close, face in darkness. "Yes. Tell me my future. How many more?"

  Marie's eyes quivered as she peered through dimensionality. "You're forced to do horrible things..."

  "Not forced. It is my holy charge. How many more?"

  Marie tried to pull her other arm away but the man held tight, white knuckles trembling. She attempted to continue without distress. "How many?" she asked, slightly out of sorts. She shook it off and stared deeper into his future. Into hers. Marie's eyes snapped open.

 
Manifesto grabbed her free hand and pinned it to the table. He leaned forward and growled, "How many more must I kill?"

  Marie's entire body trembled, horrified gaze fixed on Manifesto's face. Plain, nondescript, but his eyes were perfectly round, like dinner plates, and lidless, with large fixed pupils. Black tears rolled down his cheeks. She recoiled, but his strength was too much.

  "You and the flower maker are just charlatans, aren't you?"

  "Please..."

  Manifesto groaned in pain and frustration, body racked by anguish, but perfect open eyes not so much as quivering. "See not," he growled. "Show not."

  He flipped the table into her and the entire room jarred loose. Evan, Emily, and I were so focused on this reality that we nearly lost our balance in the bedroom. A shambled image jerked all around us. I struggled to maintain concentration, but Marie Devereaux's piercing scream penetrated my mind like a lobotomy pick. The shadow snapped free. The light crackled. And Marie's yellowed crystal ball shattered into a thousand pieces.

  Chapter 29

  I grabbed ahold of Evan and Emily and tore them into the shadow as a crystalline grenade went off. Jagged projectiles peppered the walls and ceiling. The overhead light cracked into pieces. A large slug embedded itself into the couple's espresso-colored dresser.

  It was all so fast and disorienting that they jerked free as soon as we rematerialized.

  "What the fuck was that?" asked Evan, checking his wife's face for glass.

  "She's fine, Evan."

  They hugged each other as they recollected their bearings.

  "Did you see his eyes?" asked Emily.

  "Yeah, they weren't human eyes. They weren't mammalian."

  "Snake eyes?"

  I shook my head. "Maybe."

  She breathed heavily. "But I thought Manifesto detested spellcraft."

  Evan ground his teeth. "He's a Nether fiend, like the vampires."

  "No," I said. "I don't think so. I think he's human."