On the stage, a couple of girls were singing karaoke. I hoped that was their intent. They had had too much to drink, and they were completely out of tune. I’ve never understood the obsession with going onstage to make a fool of yourself. That poor Katy Perry song was getting destroyed. I gave the stage one last look and turned to face the bar. Across the room, the biker witches were having a great time. I didn’t recognize any of them. I needed to get closer. Unfortunately, there was no way for me to blend in on that side of the room.
Once again, I hated to admit it, but Constantine was right. My previous outfit would have been a horrible choice for this place. I barely looked as if I belonged now. There was a special attitude most of the girls in this bar had—they knew they belonged there. I screamed, “Angry girl—get the hell away!” Not the best vibe when you were trying to fit in. As I considered my options, two of the witches headed to the door. This was my only chance.
The witches went out and took a right. I didn’t want to be suspicious, any more than I already was, so I headed straight. I walked around the parking lot, trying not to draw too much attention. They took another right and headed toward the rear of the building. This was such a bad idea, but I was out of good ones. I followed at a distance.
By the time I reached the back lot, the witches were gone. It wasn’t as if they were moving that fast. On top of that, I didn’t hear a car moving. I walked a little farther down, toward the apartment complex. At the last row of cars, I saw a body on the ground. A smart person would have turned around and called for help. Crazy intern went alone to investigate. I found a young man lying on the ground facedown. I rushed to his side.
“Oh, please tell me you are not that dumb.” The female voice was over me, and I knew the hard cylinder on my head was a gun without even looking.
“What can I say? A girl can pray for a little luck.” I needed a lot more than luck.
The guy rolled over and smiled at me. Dark-brown hair with big brown eyes, probably in his twenties. He moved with a grace I hadn’t seen in many guys my age. He jumped up and joined the girl behind me.
“Thank you, sweetie. I can take it from here,” the girl with the gun purred to the guy.
“My pleasure, baby.”
I wasn’t sure who gave whom the kiss, since I was still on my knees facing the pavement. I heard footsteps leaving. I was going to kill Angelito.
“Raise your hands nice and slow. I would hate to accidentally shoot you.”
Accidentally my ass. I raised my hands. “Now, do I just sit here and wait for further instructions, or what? If I don’t make it home soon, my guardian will be really mad.” I really was hoping Bartholomew and Constantine were listening. I had no other way to use the panic word “guardian” without sounding crazy.
“Oh, you poor little thing. No, you can stay right there. You’re starting to be a real pain in the ass.” I heard another set of footsteps.
“The van is on its way,” another female voice said from behind me.
“Good. We can tie this little girl up and throw her in the river. Pump her up with meth, and nobody will ever question a thing.” Wow, the first girl was ruthless. She was going to drug and drown me. Wasn’t that overkill?
“You’re going to do all that just for me? You shouldn’t have.” I was terrified. My voice sounded a little shaky, so I knew she wasn’t fooled.
“Isis, hold on. Backup should be there in twenty seconds.” I almost screamed when Constantine’s voice came through my little earpiece. I really hoped I had twenty seconds.
“Are you at least going to tell me why you’re doing this? How much did you pay Angelito to set me up?”
“Child, you watch too much TV. We are not going to tell you shit. If you haven’t figured it out by now, you’re not very good at your job,” the first girl said very arrogantly. If only she knew this was only my third day on the job, and I sucked at it. “Besides, poor Angelito is too much in love to know what’s going on. I was surprised he had any sense left to even tell you.”
“At least tell me why Texarkana.” I needed only a few more seconds. I could ramble with the best of them.
“Border towns are so much fun. What’s that noise?”
Oh Lord, I was praying Constantine was sending me a squad of Navy SEALs or special forces. At this point, I would have settled for dangerously armed Boy Scouts.
I heard scraping all around me, but it was too dark to see anything. My arms were getting tired, and the rocks were digging into my knees. A loud hiss came from my left, and then another from my right. I wasn’t sure if a tiger was on the loose or a rattlesnake.
“What’s that sound?” The second girl sounded scared. Oh, good. At least I knew they could be spooked.
“Probably some straight. Keep an eye out for the van. We need to get out of here.” The first girl was not worried at all. “Don’t get any strange ideas now, little girl.” She shoved the gun at my head to make sure I was paying