Unquiet Dreams (18 page)

Never underestimate the speed of a troll. Moke’s huge hands pinned my arms to my sides, and he roared as he lifted me off the ground.

“You dare!” he screamed, his voice reverberating against the underside of the bridge.

“Drop him!” Murdock yelled. He had his gun out, judiciously pointed at Moke’s head. Moke roared again and swung me at Murdock. I slammed into Murdock, and pain shot through my shoulder. Not such a good idea after all. Murdock went tumbling into a heap of trash as Moke stalked across the debris-strewn ground and shoved me against a support column.

“You want to see me kill? I show you kill!” I bit my tongue as he shook me. I could feel every bone in my body rattle. My head banged against the column, my shields screaming as they tried to soften the blows. With a futile effort, I tried to tap my essence, tried to reach deep within myself and breach the wall that blocked my abilities. A knife blade of pain sliced in my brain, and blood shot out my nose into Moke’s face. Not the counterattack I was hoping for.

He tossed me through the air, and I landed on a cardboard shanty. Something struggled beneath me and shoved me aside. A lance of pain pierced my shoulder as I rolled. An old man appeared from within the box and ran off without looking back. I dragged myself to my feet, holding my arm against my side to keep it from hurting. Murdock was searching the trash for his gun as he yelled into his radio for backup.

I backpedaled as Moke lumbered toward me. Turning to run, my ankles twisted, and I landed on my ass. I dug my heels into the dirt and tried to scramble away. No point. Moke was on me in seconds and grabbed me by the torso. Yeah, I screamed. I admit it. A troll lifts you and slams you against a retaining wall, damn, you scream. Black and red spots flashed in front of my eyes. Then I was in the air again. I plowed into a garbage heap. Stunned, I tried to will my body to move, but it wouldn’t cooperate.

I heard a shot. Murdock had found his gun. I shook my head to clear it as I heard him fire again. When my vision cleared, an unexpected sight greeted me. A thin young girl with short blond hair, dressed in fatigues and pink ski jacket, stood with her back to me holding her hands up to the oncoming troll. Murdock fired again, but Moke only flinched.

“Stop! Stop! Moke! Stop!” she yelled.

He was almost upon her when Murdock fired again. “Stop!” the kid screamed.

Moke skidded to a halt. For a moment, no one moved, the only sound the ragged breath of the troll. Murdock came forward, gun extended in front of him.

“It’s okay, Moke,” said the girl.

Breath still heaving, he turned his head toward Murdock. “Tell him to stop shooting me,” he growled.

Keeping one hand up toward Moke, she turned her other palm toward Murdock. “Please! Stop! I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

I stumbled to my feet. “You’re a little late.”

Murdock gestured with his gun. “Back off! Now!”

Moke did exactly that. He took two steps back toward his hovel, leaving a dozen feet between us.

The pain from my shoulder made me grimace as I walked toward the girl. She couldn’t be more than fifteen or sixteen, cute and scared as hell. She started to drop her hand. “Keep the hands where I can see them, and no one will get shot. Who the hell are you?”

She ignored the question. “Please don’t let him shoot again.”

“I asked you your name.”

She held her hands out in front of her again. “Crystal Finch.”

Even if I hadn’t been fighting a faint, I would have rocked back on my heels. The last place I expected to find Dennis Farnsworth’s girlfriend was under a bridge forcing a rampaging troll to back down.

I flicked my head at Moke. “Do you really have him under control?”

She looked at Moke. “Are you all right, Moke? Can he put the gun down?”

Moke closed his eyes and stepped back against his makeshift door. “No gun. I stop. No gun.”

Murdock had not taken his eyes off the troll, sighting down his arm as he held the gun at Moke. “Connor?” he said.

I looked at Crystal, and she nodded. “As long as he doesn’t move, I’m cool with it,” I said.

Murdock backed toward us and away from Moke. He swung the gun at Crystal. “Open your jacket,” he said.

“I think she has a knife in her left front pocket, but otherwise she’s unarmed,” I said. All fey are sensitive to metal, mostly because it screws up how we use essence. I can feel it at close range if I let myself, and given the weak field projecting off Crystal, I knew she didn’t have a gun. Murdock leaned forward and pulled a small pocketknife on a key chain out of her pocket and slipped it in his own. Then he stepped back and holstered his gun.

“If you leave Moke alone, I’ll take you to Croda,” Crystal said.

“I don’t think you’re in any position to bargain,” I said.

“Neither are you,” she said. I hate smart kids.

Moke and I tensed as Moke moved again. “You okay, Crystal?”

“Yeah, Moke. Thanks. I think I’ll be all right with these guys,” she called over her shoulder.

He stepped back more. “You call. I come.”

“Thanks for everything,” she said.

Murdock pointed a finger at Moke. “Wait a minute! You’re not going anywhere. You’re under arrest for assaulting a police officer.”

Moke’s face broke into a jagged-tooth smile. “Not tonight.”

Everything around us began to vibrate. Dust rained down from the bridge, and the dirt in front of Moke erupted. A wall of rock rumbled out of the ground, rising in a massive heap. When it almost reached the undercarriage of the bridge, it crested like a wave and rolled down over Moke, sealing him in against the retaining wall. Murdock looked at me in utter disbelief.

I shrugged with my good shoulder. “It’s a troll thing.”

Murdock’s radio squawked somewhere nearby. He looked one more time at the rock wall and went to retrieve the radio.

I turned to Crystal. “Where’s Croda?”

“I need protection. Big-time,” she said.

“You’ll get it. Tell me where Croda is.”

As Murdock returned with his radio, I heard him call off the backup. Not that they seemed to have made any rush to get down to this end of the Weird.

She turned to Murdock. “I heard you guys talking. Are you really trying to find out who killed Denny?”

“You don’t answer questions very well,” I said.

She glared at me. “I’m trying not to die. Are you the good guys or not?”

“Good guys. Bad guys would have beat the hell out of the troll,” said Murdock.

Crystal zipped her jacket and looked around. Most of the homeless who had been there when I arrived had made themselves scarce. “I was safe here. You’ve got to hide me somewhere until you get Denny’s killer, or I’m dead.”

“Tell us where Croda is, and we’ll take care of you,” I said.

She crossed her arms. “I can’t. I ran, so I don’t know exactly where she is. We can go look tomorrow when it’s light.”

“Let’s go now,” I said.

She began to bounce on her feet against the cold. “Dude, look at me. Every snitch in the Tangle will sell me out the moment we hit the Avenue. I’ll be dead before daylight. Hide me tonight, and I’ll take you tomorrow. Otherwise, I’ll call Moke back.”

I hate to admit she had a point. Her platinum blond hair would stick out, to say nothing of the jacket. The only neon pink in the Tangle is in the bar lights.

“The only thing I can give you is a lockup cell tonight. I’m not waking up my boss for a safe house until I know you have something,” said Murdock.

She shook her head firmly. “I won’t be safe there in jail.”

Murdock looked at me, and I shook my head. A sixteen-year-old girl was not going to spend the night in my apartment. Even if I thought it was okay, the gracious not–Mrs. Finch would probably claim I molested her daughter.

“I have an idea,” I said. I pulled my cell phone out and walked out to the channel to get a better signal.

Meryl picked up on the second ring. She never picked up on the first. “Hey. It’s late even for you.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t sound angry anymore. “I need a favor.”

“At this rate, when I call in all the favors you owe me, you’ll be my slave for the rest of your life.”

I smiled. “Really? You’d be into that?”

“Funny. What do you need?”

“Can I stash a sixteen-year-old girl at your place for the night?”

“You’re joking.”

“Not in the least.”

“Is this a kooky French comedy involving a maid?”

“No. That was last week. This week it’s a murder witness who has a troll at her beck and call.”

“She can stay, but not the troll. I’m still finding maggots from last time.”

“Funny. Can you meet me on Summer Street by the Reserve Channel?”

I heard a heavy sigh. “Which one?” I told her and disconnected.

I went back under the bridge. I could tell by their faces that Murdock and Crystal were not getting along. “I found a place for you. If you don’t bring us to Croda tomorrow, Murdock puts you in a cell.”

Crystal looked uncertain for a moment, then nodded.

Murdock pulled at my sleeve. We moved out of earshot.

“What’s the deal?” he said.

“Meryl will take her for the night.”

He nodded toward Crystal. “She says she won’t talk until daylight.”

I glanced back at her. She looked tired and scared. A kid scared enough that she only felt safe with a troll under a bridge. “If she saw what happened to Kruge, I don’t blame her.”

Murdock turned to look at her again, assessing what he wanted to happen. “Think we can trust her?”

I shrugged. “She managed to keep a troll from killing me. Let’s give her a shot.”

My cell phone buzzed against my thigh. Meryl’s number lit the screen. “Let’s go. Ride’s here,” I called to Crystal.

We made our way up the embankment to find Meryl leaning against a black car smoking a clove cigarette. She wore a long leather coat with matching black gloves and her standard Doc Martens.

“Crystal, this is Meryl. She’s going to take care of you,” I said.

Meryl took a drag and eyed her up and down. “Just so we’re clear, he doesn’t mean that in a milk-and-cookies kind of way.”

“Not a problem,” Crystal said.

Meryl jerked her head back. “You look cold. Get in.”

I waited until Crystal had settled herself inside the car. “You have a Mini Cooper. Very nice.”

She smiled. “Astute.”

“I didn’t know you even had a car. I thought you’d come in a cab.”

Meryl smiled at Murdock. “Don’t you hate it when he wants to chitchat at two in the morning on a work night?”

He laughed. “I’m not touching that one.”

She looked back at me. “Hmm. Blood all over you, and, if I’m not mistaken, something’s wrong with your shoulder. Did the kid do that to you?”

I smiled. “She’s pretty tough. Would you mind helping me out a little?”

She rolled her eyes. “More favors.” She crushed out her clove and placed her hand on my shoulder. Even through the glove, a soft white light glowed. Warmth spread inside my shoulder, easing the pain. I could imagine the ligaments and muscles knitting back together. She released me, and I rolled the shoulder. It felt much better. By the time I woke up, I doubted I’d feel a thing wrong.

She turned to Murdock. “You’re pretty banged up, too. Here, this is on the house.”

She placed a hand on his chest and called up her essence again. Murdock closed his eyes and smiled. Meryl pulled her hand away and gave him a curious look. “Interesting essence you have there, Murdock.”

“So people keep telling me,” he said.

Meryl looked up at me. “So what’s the deal with the kid?”

“We just need to keep her out of sight until tomorrow. I think we all need some sleep, so how about we pick her up late morning or so?”

“Okay.” Meryl opened the car door and slid inside. She buckled up and rolled down the window. “I’ll drop her off wherever you want. You don’t get to know where I live.”

I dropped my chin and mock-glared at her from under my eyebrows. “Fine.”

She smiled. “Sleep well, boys!” She made a sharp U-turn from the curb and drove back up Summer Street.

Murdock shot me a sidelong glance.

“Do not say a word,” I said as we walked back to his car.

“What? You mean the whole flirtatious thing? I wouldn’t think of it.”

“Shut up.”

We jumped in his car. Murdock cut over to the Avenue, and we cruised toward Sleeper Street. At this time of night, few people walked the streets. Even the Weird settles down by dawn. You could find an after-hours party if you wanted, but it was a weeknight, and only the diehards and desperate were out.

“Another interesting evening with Connor Grey,” Murdock said.

“Hey! Talking to Moke was your idea.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, but provoking him into using you as a bat and me as a ball was not my intention. What set him off like that?”

“The crack about ripping off his door at noon. Sunlight kills trolls. I guess he took it more personally than I intended,” I said.

Murdock pulled up in front of my building. “I have a doctor’s appointment in the morning. Pick you up around noon?”

“Sounds good.” I got out of the car and didn’t even watch him pull away.

Up in my apartment, I chewed through a few ibuprofen and seltzer. Meryl might have sped up my shoulder healing, but she couldn’t touch what was in my head. It was pounding. I could feel the hazy black cloud in there squeezing whatever was left of my brain.

I stripped out of my clothes and crawled under the bed-covers. I lay on my back and stared at the ceiling. Dawn was just a few hours away. I would have to get up then and do my sun rituals. Sunrise was always too early for me. The thing I hated was that the nights when I wanted to sleep the most were when I needed to do the rituals the most. I had committed myself to doing what I needed to do to recover from my accident. The damned mass in my head never went away, but I felt stronger since I had gone back to the rituals. Hell, my shields hadn’t collapsed even when Moke threw me the second time. They didn’t work as well as they used to, but they had held.

Despite my curiosity as to how Crystal Finch ended up with Moke, I was too exhausted to care. Partying with a couple of fairies, brawling with a troll, and flirting with a druidess healer all in one night can take their toll. The sad part is, it felt like just a busy day at the office. That’s what the Weird can do to you.