Public Enemies (21 page)

But maybe …

Ignoring Kian's startled exclamation, I ran to my room and brought up Dwyer & Fell. All corporations left tax records because even if the company was a smoke screen, they had to pay lip service to the mortal world. So there would be records, a revenue stream, holding companies, and probably shell corporations. It would take time to dig through all of this but it was better than doing nothing, waiting for someone else to solve my problem.

“What're you doing?” Kian asked, coming up behind me.

He probably wanted to yell at me, but he wouldn't. It might be better if he did. Clearing the air seemed like a good idea, but I'd learned he refused to argue, regardless of how much I provoked it. If I kept on, I'd just hurt him again. He was trying so hard to be my perfect hero when what I wanted was a real flesh-and-blood boyfriend who screwed up as much as I did.

Quietly I explained. “It's a needle in a stack of needles but it's probable that he's being held in a property owned by Dwyer & Fell but there are
so many
related companies.”

And this wasn't even my field of expertise.

“Why don't you bring your laptop over to my place? I don't like you here without Raoul, especially with Buzzkill lurking around.”

“He won't hurt me.”
Right now
was the unspoken subtext.

“I wouldn't bet your life on it.”

It didn't seem worth arguing about, so I dropped my computer into my backpack. “Is Aaron there?”

“Probably. He doesn't go out much unless I'm with him.”

As I turned, he caught my shoulders in his hands. With his thumbs, he traced over them delicately, gazing down into my face as if he might find the answer to a riddle there. He smelled a little salty, musky, and I had the urge to put my face against his neck. Restraint seemed like the only option. I didn't deserve to be comforted. Yet Kian didn't seem to know that since he pulled me into his arms.

“It feels like you're slipping away,” he whispered. “I know you're scared for your dad, but … I need you too. God, I'm such a selfish asshole—”

“No, it helps.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed my eyes shut.

For a few minutes, we just held on to each other. I listened to his heart and marveled at the fact that he'd fallen for me. But … there was something I'd never asked. Maybe it was time.

“How long did you watch me?” I whispered.

“Over a year.' He hesitated. “Do you remember the day last fall when you got free food and books?”

Surprised, I tipped my head back. His cheeks were red. “I do, actually. It was weird, luck broke my way all day long.”

“That was me,” he said.

“Oh God, really? Then…” Honestly I had no idea what to say, but that day was one of the few bright spots in the gloom of my life. I finally settled on, “Thank you.”

“It was all I could do, then.” He threaded his hand beneath my hair, so that a shiver went through me.

I had only a few seconds to realize a kiss was imminent and then his mouth was on mine. Sweetness flooded me as I parted my lips to taste him deeper. He made a muffled sound against my lips, breath mingling with mine. Kian was a slow, deep kisser, taking his time to taste and explore, and the heady pleasure of it made me tremble. Soon I was just holding on to his shoulders while he backed me up against the wall. He felt so good, so strong, and I remembered that night weeks ago. If only I could turn my brain off, I'd forget the crap I was dealing with and just go with the endorphins.

Logic didn't drive me to pull back, though. My rational brain swam in a delicious cocktail of dopamine and serotonin, until I couldn't think at all. He was lean and hot against me, more insistent than usual with lips and hands. I ran my palms over his back, deliciously drawn by the play of his muscles.

When he finally broke away, breathing hard, my lips felt soft and swollen. I could hardly whisper, “You know this isn't the time, right?”

“I'm aware. Give me a sec and we'll go.” He turned away, his eyes so hot they left pinpricks of heat on my skin.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

About so many things.

By the time we left my building, he was calm. Kian joined our hands and shouldered the bag with my laptop in it. His attention sharpened as we walked, probably looking for Buzzkill or anyone who meant me harm. But the killer clown was in camo mode and he didn't make contact. I had the ugly sensation of being watched; as ever, there were huge, eerie black birds wheeling overhead.

Go on,
I thought.
Report back to your master.

*   *   *

“Wait here,” Kian said.

“Huh?”

He went into his bedroom and I heard him rummaging. Then he came out with a plain brown bag, so small that I had no idea what it might contain. He offered it to me silently.

Puzzled, I opened it up and found a pretty handmade necklace in various shades of blue and green, like the ocean on a string. “What's this?”

“Remember when you wouldn't take anything from that lady who was selling jewelry?”

As I nodded, realization dawned. “That was the only present I didn't accept that day.”

“I was hoping I'd be able to give it to you in person.”

Since this was a choker and I already had on the infinity symbol necklace, I offered my wrist. Kian looped it twice around, turning it into a bracelet. I kissed him softly in thanks and we were just starting to get into it when I realized his apartment was really quiet. Usually we'd be interrupted by now.

By Aaron.

“Where's the kid?” I asked.

With a tired sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose. Then we checked everywhere, calling for him. Ten minutes later, we paused in the hallway, Kian visibly worried. At this point he was like a little brother to him, and he'd grown on me too. The boy had zero survival skills and was timid to the point of incapacitation around strangers.

“You think someone took him?” I asked.

“I have no idea.”

I did one last circuit of the apartment and when I went into Kian's room, the tinnitus struck. Clutching my head, I dropped to one knee and a pale hand stretched out toward me. My heart leapt into my throat and I scrambled back toward the dresser.
Jesus, monster under the bed?!
It took me a few seconds to register that this looked like a normal human hand, now disappearing back into the darkness. Still, I was shaking when I crawled toward the bed.

“Edie?” Kian asked.

I let out a little scream, falling on my ass just before I reached the covers to pull them back. My heart nearly exploded too. Between my hammering pulse and the ringing in my ears, I could hardly breathe. Without speaking, I pointed. He dropped to his knees next to me and raised the blankets to reveal Aaron curled up in the fetal position on the dusty floor. His eyes were huge, and he seemed to be trembling.

“Did something happen?” I reached for him and the reaction spooked him, so he scuttled back against the far wall out of reach. Perplexed, I shot a look at Kian.

“He's never done this before.” He flattened himself on the floor but didn't make any sudden moves.

The rasp of Aaron's breathing was loud in the bedroom, fast and shallow, like he feared we were about to murder him. Nobody could fake the terror the kid was projecting. It crawled along my skin like a shadow, until I backed off. Kian had spent more time with him; maybe he could calm the boy down.

“Everything's okay,” he said soothingly. “Just come out and we'll talk.”

Aaron didn't respond, not even to blink. Dread pooled in the pit of my stomach, hot as pitch. I backed off a little more to see if the tinnitus abated but the incessant noise whined on at a level that sent sharp sparks of pain through my skull. Kian didn't seem to hear it, which made me wonder why I'd acquired this immortal sensor when he'd spent so much time with Wedderburn. Did you build up immunity over time, so you just didn't notice it? Or maybe the human brain became selectively perceptive in some kind of self-defense mechanism.

I couldn't have said how long we crouched on the floor, patient like Aaron were a wild animal. Kian never budged. Toward the end of our vigil, impatience scratched around inside me.
Dammit, I don't have time for this. I have to find my dad.

“Who are you?” Aaron finally whispered, one fist pressed against his chest. “What is this place? And what am I doing here?”

 

DIMENSIONAL X-RAY SPECS ARE TOTALLY A THING

At first it was almost impossible to convince Aaron that we wouldn't hurt him. Kian coaxed him for like half an hour before he crawled out from under the bed, wide-eyed and trembling. The last thing we needed was more problems but we couldn't just say,
Okay, you have amnesia, good luck with that,
and shove him out the door. He'd always been weird but this was over that line into bizarro territory.

“What do we do?” I asked as Kian reached for the kid.

When the boy burrowed under his arm, trembling like a bird, I got the sense that he recognized Kian as a protector, even if he couldn't recall interacting with him. I stood up slowly, careful not to startle him. Kian met my gaze and lifted one shoulder in a helpless shrug. We'd gotten him medical attention and had been trying to find his family, up until we realized he was a refugee from time, but I had zero ideas how to address something like this.

“Maybe we should call Raoul?” he suggested.

That seemed like the best move. He had more experience with this supernatural stuff. He'd been working for Wedderburn for a couple of decades when he got the order from his boss in the Black Watch. So maybe he'd heard of some freaky shit that could result in sudden amnesia? Not that Aaron had seemed completely normal when we stole him from the Harbinger. A chill shivered through me as I considered that this could be me, if I'd been dumb enough to agree to the trickster's insane proposal.

“I'll do it.” He was off finding gym space where we could all train without Buzzkill deeming the place too suspicious to let me enter alone, but—“Wait, maybe Buzzkill could tell us what's going on with Aaron. He's part of their world anyway.”

Kian stared at me with horrified fascination. “You want to invite that thing in?”

I shook my head quickly. “We'll take Aaron to meet him. He's lurking outside anyway, making sure Dwyer & Fell don't murder me while Wedderburn tracks my dad down.”

“How can you say his name so calmly?” I heard the unspoken part of the question—
when he killed your mother.

Letting out an unsteady breath, I held out a hand to reveal how badly I was shaking. “I'm so angry that I can't stand it. I pretty much always am. But right now I'm still positioning my pieces and building my strength. Going after Wedderburn would be the last mistake I ever made—with the Harbinger raging and the opposition coming at me. Right now I need his resources because I still have a chance to save my dad. Choosing revenge at this moment might reduce my chances of getting him back safe, which I know Wedderburn wants because of the timeline.”

“Wow,” Kian said. “I don't know if I could be so logical in your situation.”

“It's not easy. I don't want anything to do with Wedderburn. But I'll do whatever I have to, including deal with him or Buzzkill or Allison Vega. Whoever can help me most, well, I'm not too proud to take a knee.”

“Okay then.” Turning to Aaron, he murmured to him, until the boy nodded.

He seemed really disoriented, having trouble focusing his eyes. Kian dressed him for the outdoors like a much younger child. Aaron stood quiescent while being bundled in coat, hat, and gloves. I put on my winter gear too and went out, waiting for Buzzkill to show himself. Pacing, I watched the quiet street; not many people were out as the day waned toward evening. Lights were on in other apartments and the weather was chill and gray, hinting at precipitation. I'd never see snowflakes as beautiful again, only evidence of Wedderburn's power.

Eventually, Buzzkill approached in bodyguard skin. He seemed more annoyed than curious. “You'll freeze out here.”

“Would that be problematic for you?”

“Well, yeah. People dying on my watch, that only happens after the order comes in.”

“So you'd still slice me up?”

He showed yellow teeth and lifted his briefcase. “With pleasure.”

I'd known that but it was pretty unnerving to realize he could imagine turning me into meat, even as he shadowed me to keep the opposition away. I wondered if he knew about Cameron, a weight in my coat pocket that made me something more than human. Though I feared using that spirit strength because the rush hit me like a drug, it also reassured me that I wasn't completely powerless anymore.

“I need your help,” I said, ignoring the fact that he was trying to freak me out. “There's a café two blocks down where we can talk.”

“Are you seriously asking me for coffee?” A smirk gave him a truly disturbing air.

“Yep.” Turning, I beckoned to Kian, who was standing at the top of the steps with Aaron, who looked absolutely terrified.

He hid his face in Kian's shoulder, unable to speak for a few seconds.

“Do you see it?” the boy whispered eventually.

Surprised, I took another look at Buzzkill, whose face was visibly wavering, like he was having a hard time holding his illusion in place, this close to Aaron. The result was a disturbing flicker at his head, similar to damaged old celluloid film. Nausea flooded me as his monstrous clown visage popped at random intervals, trippy as hell.

“What the hell
is
that thing?” Buzzkill demanded, backing away from the kid.

Kian and I traded looks. Then I answered, “We rescued him from the Harbinger. Isn't he a normal kid?”

“I think you already know the answer to that. Look, we can't go to a neighborhood coffee shop. I'll give everyone in there a psychotic break.” He seemed to read my expression because he added, “Yeah, normally, that'd be funny as hell but I'm under orders to be inconspicuous.”