Chapter 1
Jayna: Day zero
“Jayna, the door’s for you…” Ciela muttered, gently taking the vase Jayna was dusting away from her before finishing the dangling sentence. “It’s Kelegar.”
“Gods. Again?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I’m going to kill that rotten son of a bitch.”
“I know he stinks but I don’t think either one of us could even slow him down…”
“I meant Zan.”
“Oh.” Ciela placed the antique vase back into the case, and wiped her hands off on her loose t-shirt, and gestured to the door. “I’ll finish up here.”
“Fine. I’ll go see to out guest.”
“Good idea.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Kelegar.” Jayna inclined her head slightly in greeting to the grizzled Nosferatu, and opened the door for him. He grudgingly stepped inside, looking around slowly. He seemed to be on much better behavior than usual, not even attempting to mesmerize the Aztec warrioress when she answered the door. Strange behavior for him, indeed. He looked in better health than he had the last time she’d seen him, apparently the rumors she’d heard about Ravenstrom going to ground were true. Progeny always reflects the health of the master, someone once told me. I guess it’s true after all.
“So, what brings you here?” Jayna asked, keeping her voice as cordial as possible. She knew better than to do anything to unnecessarily rile Ravenstrom’s right-hand ghoul.
“The Master wishes to speak with Mr. Aquarius.” Kelegar bit out, curtly, even for him.
“I do too. I don’t know where he is.” Jayna answered. She and Kelegar had taken part in a discussion a few days ago that had gone almost precisely as this one seemed to be going. It was unsettling, to say the least. Something big was going on, and she wanted no part of it.
Kelegar paused, seeming to absorb this ‘new’ information, although he already knew the shop owner had no idea where Aquarius was. She had told him such days earlier. Whether or not he believed her was another matter, unfortunately.
“The Master is very upset that Mr. Aquarius missed their meeting last week.” Kelegar paused, seeming to stare holes into her soul with his dark, ancient eyes. He was attempting to intimidate her, and doing a damn fine job of it, but Jayna refused to back down. Weakness in front of Kelegar could prove just as fatal as stupidity.
“He has a rather important item he needs to have acquired, and soon. I’m sure you understand.” Kelegar continued. She could have sworn his eyes twinkled.
What bothered Jayna most wasn’t his show of intimidation, but how this new information was being phrased. Kelegar was speaking rather…oddly, with almost a hint of humor. Like Kelegar was leading up to some obscene joke only he knew about.
“I’m sorry, when I see Aquarius…”
The old vampire smiled, showing fangs.
Tenseness worked its way from her stomach to her shoulders and beyond, making her teeth clench. This whole conversation, Kelegar’s whole attitude, was setting off alarm bells in her mind. Kelegar was smiling. The world was coming to an end.
“You don’t seem to understand.” The grizzled vampire paused, staring at her with those beady eyes that seemed to be able to stop time. “The Master looked into your background, Miss Alexandra...”
Here it comes. The knot of tension tightened in her stomach.
“…if Mr. Aquarius is unable to complete his assignment, then Ravenstrom believes that you would be more than equal to the task at hand.”
“I see.” She managed, the rushing of blood in her ears almost drowning out the old vampire’s next words.
“You have seven days to find Mr. Aquarius.”
“And then?”
“We will contact you when needed.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I show Kelegar out of the building and work my way back to the kitchen, Az sitting at the table, studying me curiously. My insides have turned to jelly and my knees are weak. Seven days.
Seven days. I see Ciela’s mouth moving but I’m not hearing her. I know she wants to know why Kelegar was here again. She grabs my shoulders and shakes me, thinking I’ve been mesmerized. I force a smile and nod, hoping that was the right answer to her previous question.
“So you’re ok?”
I smile again. Nodding was the correct answer, and I do it again. There’s no need to burden her with this. Considering her life is just beginning to resemble something vaguely normal, I don’t want to throw a spanner in the proverbial works.
Gods know she deserves some peace and quiet.
And I know she’d overreact. She’s already had one encounter with Kelegar that went sour in the blink of an eye. If finds out about this she’d probably just get herself killed trying to protect me, and I don’t throw my friends away like that. I just don’t know how long I can keep it from her.
I retreat to my room and begin lining up small items I may need for tomorrow, starting with a crumpled slip of paper with a hastily-scribbled address on it. I’m not even sure why I kept it, but here it is, and I’m glad for it. Maybe I’ll get lucky and my first instinct will prove correct.
I’m going to kill Aquarius when I find him, I decide. He’s brought Ravenstrom down on top of my head. What the hell was he thinking? I’m fuming as I ready a few more items.
There’s no telling where I’ll end up tomorrow.Chapter 2
Jayna: day one
I start my search for the wayward detective in the most obvious place I can think of - Sherrie’s apartment.
For a detective as ‘astute’ as Aquarius has always claimed that he is, it still astounds me that he never noticed when the hyperactive oversexed bimbo we ‘happened’ to run into at the carnival slipped me her address. Then again, he was a bit distracted at the time, what with her trying to hump him in the middle of the crowd.
I check the paper against the door number for the third time. I can hear sounds from inside. It reminds me of some of the sounds I heard coming from the "worship chambers" of certain priestessess I knew a very long time ago. I pull myself back to the present and look at my watch. I've been standing here for more than a few minutes, but no one has answered the door.
I knock a third time, loudly, and she answers, face flushed and short of breath, barely wearing a skimpy spandex outfit. She gives me a quick once over, recognizing me immediately from the circus, and invites me inside. I hesitate, not knowing what to expect, but follow her anyway. I want to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible.
Here’s hoping.
Glancing around I’m somewhat relieved to find the apartment empty. The TV is on, with an aerobics program blaring at entirely too loud a volume for the small apartment. She sits down on the couch and turns it off with the remote.
Sherri motions for me to sit, looking me over again a bit more slowly, and puffing out her chest. I’m starting to feel like a prime piece of meat on display under her hungry gaze, and I start to wish I’d worn more frumpy clothes. A sudden image of a leather girl scout uniform comes to mind, and I hold in a laugh. Compared to that, my tight jeans and tank top probably are frumpy.
“So, you uh, decide to check out the competition?”
“No, I’m looking for Zan.” Simple, direct and to the point. Congratulate me, I’m not trying to rip her face off.
“I haven’t seen him in a few days, but one of my friends is in the bedroom if you’re h…”
I cut her off with a glare.
“Guess not.” She grins. “Well, we could always…” she pats the couch beside her and my stomach lurches. This was a mistake.
“Look, I’m wasting my time here. I’ll let myself out.” I stand to leave, mentally scolding myself for even bothering with the bimbo and remind myself that no matter how many centuries pass men are still men.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I let myself easily into the apartment I have so rarely seen. Being a ‘former’ thief has it’s advantages.
The main living area is neat and clean and it’s very apparent no one has been here recently. The kitchen is much the same, the fridge mostly full of water and a carton of expired milk. I drum my fingers idly on the counter as I look around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. The place still seems barely lived-in. It amazes me that a man could move through the world and leave so small a mark in his wake.
I search the small rooms one at a time, saving the bedroom for last, unsure quite what I expect to find there. The covers are neatly made and turned down. There are several pairs of shoes lined up to one side of the bed. The closet, I discover, is still full of clean clothes, organized by color. There are dirty clothes in the hamper in the corner.
I’m finding nothing out of the ordinary. If Aqua went on a trip, he wasn’t planning on being gone long. The phone rings, and I ignore it as I shuffle through a stack of papers on his desk. Most of the papers are bills, which I look over, and set aside. His car payment is due in a few days, as is rent on the apartment. I put the bills back, and wonder - where is the car? It wasn’t in the driveway when I came up. I make a mental note to check with Torres. I may be able to track him through his car.
The answering machine has finally clicked on, after the prerequisite four rings, and a familiar voice begins speaking.
“Hey Zan, it’s Jimmy. I’m still waiting on that background check you promised me. It’s not like you to keep me waiting like this. Call me. Later.”
I make another mental note to take Az out for dinner. She hasn’t had Chinese in a while.
I check the desk calendar. The only thing that catches my attention is the large red ‘R’ printed in Zan’s neat script in one of last week’s spaces.
Curiouser and curiouser.
So Zan’s still seeing Sherri, but she hasn’t seen him. I believe her, it’s not like she’s got the mental capacity to manage a decent lie or anything. Besides, she was too busy looking at my chest to even come up with a complete sentence…
Jimmy’s waiting to hear from Zan too, and he skipped a meeting with Ravenstrom.
The first fact angers me, the second surprises me, and the third disturbs me.
Zan can come up with a legitimate excuse or flat-out lie for the first two but the third…?
I don’t wish to be brought up before Ravenstrom ever again, but judging from my conversation with Kelegar yesterday, it may not be a choice I am able to make. Zan had better have one damn good excuse for this.Chapter 3
Jayna: Day One:
Jimmy Lee’s is busy as ever when Ciela and I enter, trailed by a forlorn looking Michael. If I weren’t so worried about everything in my life suddenly and completely turning to utter shit, I’d find the look on his face pretty damn funny. He’d probably planned something private and my invitation had messed it up. Oh well. I felt a strong need for backup, even though neither of the pair really knows why I brought them along.
Every face I see holds the same hollow look of normal humanity. I remove my glasses, relieved that none of Kelegar’s servants have followed us. I’ve been ‘creeped out’ even since the half-decayed creature had left my shop, and I don’t know why. Well, actually I do, but I don't want to think about it.
Like anyone else with half a working brain, I’m terrified of Kelegar, and even more so of Ravenstrom. He hasn’t had me dragged kicking and screaming to a meeting with him, which is wonderful news. He hasn’t made any moves of any kind. He’s biding his time. He gave me a week, and hopefully he intends to stick to it. I've managed to keep myself from getting too closely involved with people like him for a very long time. I'd like to keep it that way.
Being ‘invited’ to a meeting with him once was more than enough for me in my lifetime. It’s just not high on my list of things to ‘do over’.
Jimmy smiles sweetly when he sees us and leads us to a table away from the crowd. Eat first, questions later, I decide, and sit down to order. My appetite is somewhat lacking, so I order lightly. Stress can do wonders for your weight, I’ve discovered. After we’ve all been seated and ordered, Jimmy leans over, quietly asking me if I’ve seen Zan. I motion towards his office with my head. I don’t want to talk about it now, in front of Az and Mike.
Jimmy takes the hint and leaves. He’ll be back later.
“Jayna, what’s going on?”
Trust Ciela to be paying attention when I was hoping she wasn’t.
“What do you mean?” I smile, picking up my water and sipping it calmly.
“You-know-who shows up twice in one week, and now Jimmy wants to know where Zan is.”
Damn, her hearing’s good. At least she has enough sense not to mention Kelegar’s name in public. He’s good about showing up when you do that. It reminds me of an old, bad joke about "he who must not be named", who shows up and does horrible things whenever someone says his name out loud. It wasn't funny the first time I heard it and certainly isn't now.
“Well, I guess he didn’t tell anyone he was going off the Street, and they’re worried about him.” It’s a lie, and she knows it. But she doesn’t push the issue as the first of our food arrives. I glance over at Michael, who seems to be ignoring the whole discussion.
Is he still that sore about me messing up their date? I doubt it. I follow his eyes, and find myself staring up at something just a little bit out of the ordinary. I slip my glasses back on, and glance again.
Crap. I take back what I said. This is very much out of the ordinary. I’m armed but not well enough for this. Did Ciela wear the helm, by some miracle? Considering that her jewelry is moving up her arm, I’m guessing yes. Good for her.
Jimmy is rushing past us, muscular bodyguard-looking types in tow. They shout, stopping the approaching beings…things…just inside the door. Gods, I hope whoever was sick enough to raise a group of zombies and send them into a public restaurant has their private parts rot and fall off. Nothing surprises the customers, though. Anything and everything can happen on J Street.
Oddly enough, the simple act of Jimmy and company running up and shouting at them causes them to turn around and leave. Will wonders never cease? I look at my friends: Ciela looks relieved, Michael looks stricken. Weird. He’s never struck me as the squeamish type.
Things calm down quickly and we eat in semi-silence. Shortly after we finish, Jimmy arrives once again and escorts me to his office. Oddly, neither Mike nor Ciela object, staying at the table, waiting for me. Will wonders never cease? I risk a glance back at them and decide Lucifer would have been better backup. I’m half tempted to tell them to just go back to the shop, but Jimmy’s already shutting the door.
“So where’s Zan?” Jimmy gets right to the point. I don’t blame him. He hasn’t been too fond of me since I stole…er…liberated a few antiques from one of his multitudinous uncles. I didn’t KNOW it was his uncle, which is probably why Jimmy’s not breathing down my neck wanting them back. Either that or he just dislikes that particular Uncle.
“Wish I knew. I was hoping you had some ideas.” Why beat around the bush? “He said he was going offstreet, and that’s the last I heard from him.” Why lie? Jimmy has contacts in places I don’t even care to know about. The more eyes the merrier, when looking for someone as slick as Aqua has always made himself out to be.
He sits down at his desk, fingers tapping on the blotter. “This isn’t like him.”
“You’re telling me.” Repartee. Yay.
“You got no clues, Jayna?”
It’s not like him to use my name. Things are looking up. “His car’s missing. I was going to check on that tomorrow.”
“Hm.” He fidgets. “You check with his blonde bimbo?”
Why am I always the last to know? If Az knows about Sherrie I’m just going to kill myself and save Ravenstrom some time. My stomach turns over and I fight the urge to vomit. This isn't the time to add foolishness on top of foolishness. I push the feelings aside and bring my thoughts from the stupidity of falling in love to the task at hand. “Yeah, I did. She hasn’t seen him. His apartment’s clean. I checked out everything but his computer, I know I can’t hack his system.”
“I can take care of that, if you think something’s really gone wrong.” Jimmy looks worried. For some reason I can’t bring myself to be as concerned. Maybe it’s the utter mess Zan left me in with Ravenstrom. “I can have someone over there tomorrow, if you think it’s a good idea.”
“It might be. I don’t know.” I really don’t. Surely it can’t hurt. I should warn him, though. “Ravenstrom’s got people looking for him, too.”
Jimmy blanches at the master Vampire’s name, and glances nervously at the door. Speak of the Devil and the Devil will show. Well, not really. But it sure seems that way. His reaction’s typical of those in the know: Jimmy’s not superstitious. No way. Not in his line of work. He’s just extremely cautious. There were rumors a few years back about Ravenstrom’s goons dismembering a rival gun dealer’s entire operation, and his employees, for selling vampire-killing weapons to a werewolf pack that had moved into the area.
No one had seen the werewolves after that either, but no great loss there. J Street has too many things that go bump in the night, anyway.
“That’s bad.” Jimmy fidgets some more. “You got my office number?” He hands me a card with a phone number, fax, the works. “You let me know what’s going on, ok?”
I nod. Sure. “You got it.”