Firewalker (20 page)
Authors: Allyson James
Tags: #Paranormal, #General, #Romance, #Paranormal Romance Stories, #Shapeshifting, #Fiction
“Good,” I said with conviction.
Maya looked crestfallen. “Bad. It’s not fair to Emilio.”
I stretched my arm across the back of the sofa. “You’re going to have to make up your mind, Maya. If Nash doesn’t realize what a beautiful woman you are and loses you to someone else, it’s his own fault. You can’t wait around the rest of your life for Nash to get his head out of his ass.”
Another tear ran down Maya’s face. “But it’s a really nice ass.”
True. I’d seen it. Nash had a great body, and maybe if I didn’t know Mick, and Maya wasn’t in love with him, and Nash didn’t despise me, I might let myself grow interested.
Maya angrily wiped away her tears and slapped her hat on her head. “Forget this. I won’t go out with either one of them. Tomorrow’s Saturday. Let’s you and me put on our party dresses and go out to this club I know in Flagstaff. Screw all men.”
“Nash doesn’t want me leaving town,” I said glumly. I’d already left town, but I’d sneaked out and back and gone barely thirty miles. “Mick doesn’t either, for that matter.”
Maya gave me an incredulous look. “And you’re listening to them? I thought you had more balls than that, Janet. Why let
men
push you around?”
men
push you around?”
I sat up with her, fanning my annoyance. “You’re right. I didn’t do anything, and it’s not like I’m skipping the country. Why shouldn’t I have some fun?”
Maya held up her hand, and we high-fived.
My elation lasted all of ten seconds. “Oh, wait. I don’t have anything to wear.” I had jeans and leather chaps for Harley riding, and while I liked my body-hugging tops, turquoise jewelry, and high-heeled boots, I’d never had the time or reason to shop for party dresses and pumps.
Maya waved this away. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll fix you up. You’re smaller than me, but I have something perfect for you.”
I got up with her, excited. I’d never had a girls’ night out before, never having had a true girlfriend in my life.
Maya departed, looking much happier than when she’d come in. I knew damn well Nash would give me hell if I went to Flagstaff, and so would Mick, but I was beyond caring. Why shouldn’t I snatch five minutes of fun? Or at least an evening out in a town barely an hour away? Nash could yell at me all he wanted—
after
I got back. And between my Stormwalker and Beneath magics, there wasn’t a being out there who would mess with Maya and me, if he or she were smart.
after
I got back. And between my Stormwalker and Beneath magics, there wasn’t a being out there who would mess with Maya and me, if he or she were smart.
Maya and I met at Fremont’s house the next night, because one of Nash’s cousins lived across the street from Maya, and Maya didn’t want to take the risk of him reporting our activity to Nash.
We shut ourselves in Fremont’s back spare bedroom, while he provided us with more chips and dip than we could ever eat. He was excited to be in on the conspiracy, and Maya had a great time fixing me up.
Maya wore a turquoise body-hugging dress and matching pumps, and she got me into a bright red tube dress that bared my shoulders, arms, and a lot of my legs. The dress was a little loose, but Maya more or less sewed me into it, and it stayed put. Maya had finagled a pair of strappy silver heels from Naomi Kee, since Naomi and I wore the same size, without, of course, telling Naomi we were sneaking out of town.
Maya put makeup on me and combed out my long black hair. When I looked at myself in the mirror I saw a comely young woman with straight black hair hanging in a shimmering swath down her back. I wished Mick could see me, but then, if he did, he’d lock me into my room in the hotel. I wanted my night out.
When we emerged into Fremont’s living room, he flipped off his television. “Wow.”
“Aren’t we gorgeous?” Maya grinned, pivoting.
Fremont draped his arms around our shoulders. “Man, I’ve got two beautiful women in my house, and they want to go out without me.”
“You have a girlfriend,” I reminded him. Fremont had been dating a woman from Holbrook for a while now, though I’d never met her.
“True.” Fremont withdrew. “She’d kill me.”
“That’s why you’re not going to tell anyone,” Maya said. “You don’t tell Mick and Nash we’re going out, we don’t tell your girlfriend you let us change over here.”
Fremont rubbed his balding head, a habit he had when concerned. “Janet, are you sure about this? There’s someone killing people out there. Why not stick to the club in Flat Mesa?”
Maya snorted. “Because we want to have
fun
, Fremont. We can’t do that unless we leave this entire boring county.” She waved at him as we left the house. “Don’t wait up.”
fun
, Fremont. We can’t do that unless we leave this entire boring county.” She waved at him as we left the house. “Don’t wait up.”
The September night was cool and would be even colder in Flag, so I slid my leather jacket over my party dress as we walked out. We stashed my bike in Fremont’s garage and drove out in Maya’s red truck, under cover of darkness.
Maya and I didn’t talk much until we reached Winslow, as though we had to keep the chatter down in order to sneak out of town. As soon as we pulled onto the freeway and headed west, Maya threw back her head and laughed.
“It’s about time I got out of that hellhole,” she shouted to the night.
“Why do you stay in Magellan?” I asked. “You’re a good enough electrician to work in any of the big cities. You can go anywhere you want.”
Maya shrugged and didn’t answer, but I knew why. As much as she railed about Nash, Maya didn’t want to live anywhere without him, and Nash would be glued to Hopi County until he died.
By eight, we were nearing Flagstaff, the city’s lights spilling around the pile of mountains that thrust out of the plateau. I expected Maya to pull off, but each exit went by without her so much as turning her head.
“Where are we going?” I asked. “We’re leaving Flagstaff in the dust.”
“We’re not going to Flagstaff,” Maya announced calmly as she moved out to pass a slow-moving truck.
“Okay.” I drew the word out slowly. “Where are you taking me, then?”
Maya flashed me a smile, her teeth white in the darkness. “Flagstaff is boring, Janet. We’re going to Las Vegas.”
Fifteen
“Maya!”
“What the hell?” Maya pressed her foot to the accelerator, and her truck leapt forward. “I said I wanted to have some fun.”
I tried to be sensible Janet, well-thinking Janet, ever-mindful-of-danger Janet. Any second now, I’d talk Maya out of it, make her turn off at the next exit and drive sedately back to Magellan. Any second.
Then I burst out laughing. “What the hell?”
“The club I have in mind stays open all night,” Maya said. “We’ll have a good time and be back home by morning.”
Convinced me. I leaned back to enjoy the ride.
I got a little nervous as we shot through Kingman, remembering the Nightwalker lying in wait on the road to the dam. He had to have been a one-off; there couldn’t be a gang of them sucking people dry at the checkpoint.
Maya made the point moot by taking the turnoff to Laughlin, bypassing the dam altogether. The traffic was light by this time, and Maya’s speed ate up the miles to Laughlin and across the river into Nevada. The highway shot across the flatness of a dry lake bed on the Nevada side and eventually climbed a steep hill to meet up with the main highway into town.
Maya laughed again as the city lights spread out before us. “Party time,” she shouted. She cranked on the radio, letting music pour into the truck.
By the time we reached the club on the Strip and left her truck in the care of valet parking, we were both boiling over with excitement. The club was perfect, crowded and noisy and dark, with music pumping high. We were in a high-dollar hotel, and the men and women inside were dressed to kill. The retiree crowd was either in bed by now or planted at the slot machines in the casino, the hard gamblers were at the baccarat and poker tables, and the partiers like us were in the club.
After a dash to the ladies’ room to freshen up, Maya and I squeezed into a tiny table and ordered drinks. Then we hit the dance floor. I hadn’t let go in a long, long time. One sip of my fancy martini, and I was ready to explode.
I had fun gyrating to the music, but Maya could really dance. She raised her arms and rolled her hips, her skin-tight dress showing off her beautiful body. If I’d been a man, I’d have been all over her. As it was, it was a pleasure to watch her as she gave herself entirely to the music. I wished Nash could see her, because he’d want to sweep her into his arms and carry her off to make love. No, wait, Nash would swear at her and probably find some excuse to drag her back home. Asshole.
We attracted attention. And men. We couldn’t help it. Maya was a siren, undulating like the best harem dancer. Men flocked to her, each trying to cut in and dance with her. A few tried to dance with me as well, but it was Maya they wanted. Maya foiled them by sidestepping them all and dancing with me.
“They’re going to think we’re gay,” I shouted at her.
“I don’t care. Let the sons of bitches eat their hearts out.”
I understood. She wasn’t here to pick up men but to make herself remember that she could attract them anytime she wanted to.
We danced, we drank, and we danced some more. No Nightwalkers tried to pick us off, no dragons tried to burn the place down, and no gods came to admonish me. Maya and I simply had a good time.
“I’m tired,” I said into her ear as I slumped into my chair after hours of dancing. I had no idea what time it was, and I didn’t care. “We’re too drunk to drive home.”
“That’s okay. I booked us a room. You’re splitting the cost with me.”
So much for our plan to make it back home before anyone noticed we were gone. But right now a soft bed sounded good. “I didn’t bring a toothbrush.” I giggled.
“The hotel sells them, and I packed clean underwear in my purse. I brought some for you.”
Her purse was tiny, and I imagined the underwear was too. I started laughing, drink and exhaustion making everything hilarious.
Maya wanted to dance some more. I watched her, basking on the cushion of music, half-asleep. A guy sat down next to me and tried to pick me up, but I stonewalled him. He was good-looking, tall, obviously rich if he’d paid for that suit, but I wasn’t interested. I preferred big, hard-muscled bikers who tied me to the bed.
I was in the middle of letting him down easy when Maya grabbed me by the hand and dragged me up. “Sorry,” she said to the guy. “It’s time for bed.”
We left the man sitting there with his mouth open. I was laughing and hanging on Maya to keep myself upright as we snaked through the still-busy casino to the elevators at the back of the hotel.
“That was mean,” I said.
“So? He was sleazy.”
“I bet his wallet was pretty thick.”
“I don’t care.” Bless Maya, she really didn’t. While I liked bikers with wicked smiles, she liked crabby sheriffs in crisply pressed uniforms.
The elevator arrived, and we glided up alone. “Nash is going to kill us,” I said.
“Serves him right. I should have slept with that guy, maybe stolen his boxers or something to show to Nash.”
The idea of Maya waving her prize silk shorts in front of a furious Nash made me double over in laughter again. I’d never make it down the hallway.
The elevator spilled us out, and Maya put her arm around me to help me to our room. I shouldn’t touch alcohol. I’d feel like crap in the morning, and I knew it. Oh, wait, it already was morning.
Maya was shoving her key card into the door slot when the elevator dinged softly. I heard a tread on the carpet, and then a man’s voice. “
Que pasa
, ladies.”
Que pasa
, ladies.”
The guy who’d tried to pick me up was standing behind us. My heart thumped a little in my alcohol haze.
“Sure you want to sleep alone tonight?” he asked us.
Maya tightened her arm around me, and I failed miserably at keeping a straight face. “We’re sure,” Maya said.
“I don’t mind watching,” he said. “Tell you what, why don’t you show me a little right now? Kiss her. I’d like to see that.”
“Ewwww,” Maya said.
I pushed away from Maya, tried to stand upright, and ended up sagging against the wall. “Go away. I don’t care how rich you are.” I might have said that. The words were pretty slurred.
“Really. Kiss each other.” His voice had changed from eager idiocy to something hard and nasty. “Hurry up.”
“No,” Maya said.
“Bitches.” The man cornered Maya against the door. His hand moved, I saw the barrel of a gun pointed at Maya’s gut, and my alcohol fog lifted abruptly. Maya didn’t see the gun and went on cursing him.
The man shoved Maya inside the room, her calling him a son of a bitch at the top of her voice. I ran in after them, and the heavy door swung closed behind me.
“Maya,” I said sharply.
“What?”
She looked down, saw the gun, and froze.
People have different reactions to guns being drawn on them. Some stare in disbelief, not believing it real. People pulling guns only happens on television. Others panic. Still others fly into a rage.
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