Immortal City

where he went.”

Sylvester’s eyebrow raised. “Okay, let’s find him, and let’s begin questioning those other Angels at the party. And start knocking on Angel doors up in the Hills, too,” Sylvester said. “As for the one who left the party in a hurry, consider him a person — well, Angel — of particular interest. And before we hear otherwise, let’s consider him potentially dangerous.”

Garcia paused and looked at Sylvester. “You’re not going to believe who it is,” he said. Sylvester looked at the sergeant.

“Who?”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Jacks’s Ferrari spun through the crisp Los Angeles night, the city twinkling all around him. He headed east on Sunset, just driving. He felt himself becoming more real, more free, with every mile he put between himself and the party. Was this disconnected sensation going to chase him all his life?

He needed to get over it. He was Jackson Godspeed. It wasn’t like he could just move somewhere and be anonymous. And, he reminded himself, he didn’t want to. He’d been looking forward to saving people since he was a little boy.

After ten minutes his phone rang over the car’s Bluetooth. Jacks checked the caller ID. It was Mark.

“That didn’t take long,” he murmured before picking up. “Hey Mark, I’ll be home in a bit. I wasn’t feeling well, so I decided to—”

“Never mind that now,” Mark said, cutting him off.

“Where are you?” His tone was urgent.

“Somewhere in Angel City. Why?”

“Get off the road.”

Jacks sat up in his seat, alarmed. “What?”

“Something has happened. I’ll explain later, but right now I need you to get off the road, go somewhere out of the way, and just blend in.” His voice sounded almost panicked.

“Make sure no one knows you’re an Angel. And don’t talk to any police. Do exactly as I say, all right?” “Is Mom okay? Is Chloe? What’s—”

“Don’t ask any more questions,” Mark snapped.

“They’re fine, but this is serious, young man. Do as I say.

When you’re somewhere safe, give me a call and I’ll come meet you.” With that he hung up.

Jacks’s pulse quickened. He had never heard Mark so upset. What was going on? He took a hard left and zig- zagged up side streets, through an Angel City he rarely saw, with modest homes and small, neglected lawns. Making a hard right, Jacks slowed and looked around, trying to get his bearings.

He had never been in this part of town before. He saw only one sign lit up, up on the left, a diner called Kevin’s.

His heart racing, he drove forward and pulled into the tiny lot. He parked, took off his suit jacket, and threw on a dark hoodie from the backseat. Then he looked at the diner again through the windshield. The place looked deserted. He wondered if this could all be about Vivian. No, he decided, it had sounded more serious than that. He should do exactly as Mark had said. He got out and pulled his hood up, locked the door, and walked toward the diner’s front door.

Maddy was running a mop over the floor when the door jingled open and someone she had never seen before stepped into the diner. It was past closing and she realized, with regret, that she had forgotten to click off the neon Open sign in the window. Standing in the doorway was a boy Maddy thought looked to be about eighteen or nineteen.

He was oddly dressed in tailored formal pants and a hoodie, and he had the hood pulled up over his head. Stabs of straight brown hair cut across his eyes. Maddy picked the mop up and set it back in its bucket. He looked out of breath and confused, unsure of himself even, and after a moment of what Maddy guessed was contemplation, he turned to leave.

“Hey,” Maddy called after him. He turned around.

“Can I help you?”

“Um, yeah,” he said. “A table for one, please? If it’s not too late?”

Maddy looked around at the nearly empty diner. Just a couple of regulars finishing up, one paying the check. By his tone she knew she could tell him they were closed, and he would accept that and leave. Still, it was her fault for not shutting off the sign. “No, of course not. Right this way.”

She pulled a menu from behind the counter and led him to a booth by the window. As they walked to the table, Maddy realized that even dressed as he was and hiding under a hood, he was absolutely, strikingly beautiful. It was strange how it seemed to radiate off him. She could almost feel it, could almost taste it on her tongue. Maddy’s head swam. Where was this coming from? She was around her share of what everyone would consider “cute boys”: at school, at the diner, even just around Angel City. And sure, maybe they were attractive, but she had never felt herself gushing he’s beautiful. That was Gwen’s job. Maddy was supposed to be the levelheaded one.

She took a breath and tried to collect herself. He was a customer like any other, Maddy thought, and he would be treated as such.

“Here you are,” she said, setting the menu down on the table. “I’ll be right back to take your order.”

Jacks slid into the booth and glanced at Maddy as she walked away. She was really pretty, he thought, even if she was just an ordinary girl. As she disappeared into the kitchen, he was surprised to realize he was still watching her.

He pulled out his cell phone and texted Mark his location.

Kevin was hanging up his apron when Maddy appeared. “One more customer,” she told him.

“Really?” Kevin asked wearily. “You didn’t just tell him we were closed?”

Maddy looked down at the floor, thinking about her reaction to the cute stranger. “Uh, he seems a little shaken up. I didn’t want to send him away.”

Kevin gave Maddy a look. “All right, go get his order,” he said, putting his apron back on. “The sooner he gets his food, the sooner we can go home.”

Maddy poured a glass of ice water and placed it on her tray. She headed over. “Long night?” she asked as she set the water in front of Jacks and pulled out her notepad.

Mark’s text came in. Jacks glanced at it: STAY THERE, COMING TO YOU. Jacks flipped the phone over on the table and looked up at Maddy.

“Something like that. I just needed to get off the road for a second.”

“Well, you came to the right place. What can I get you?”

“Ah,” he started, then stopped. Maddy waited. His gaze had drifted outside. Maddy looked up. Two ACPD cruisers had just pulled into the parking lot.

Jacks picked up the menu. “What do you recommend?”

As Maddy ran through the specials, Jacks’s eyes darted outside again. The cruisers had parked in the lot, and two policemen stepped out.

“Any of that sound good?” Maddy asked, and waited for a response. Jacks watched as the officers examined his Ferrari with flashlights. At once they turned and looked in the direction of the diner. Jacks instinctively sank down in the booth, his mind racing. “The meat loaf’s good too,”

Maddy continued, trying to spur a decision, starting to feel guilty that she was keeping Kevin.

“Actually. .” Jacks said, trailing off. And then he noticed it. There was a sign in the window. Even facing away from him, he could still read the red lettering: HELP

WANTED, and below that, scrawled in black Sharpie, Part-time position available. Jacks looked at Maddy. “I’d like to apply for a job.”

Maddy blinked. “Okay, I’ll bring back an application with your food.”

“I was actually hoping I could apply right now,” Jacks said, a little urgently.