feet. Rocky hovered about five inches from his face. A tribute to his distraction in that he’d not sensed the imp’s arrival.
“Stay with her,” Mikos said ignoring Rocky’s question. “Notify me immediately if there is trouble.”
Rocky tilted his head. “You expecting any?” The way the shapeshifter’s eyes glowed with liquid silver glee, he welcomed the potential.
“I always expect trouble.”
“Don’t worry, I can handle it.” With a popping sound, Rocky teleported to wherever the woman abided.
Mikos sighed. He couldn’t fail. The defender had to accept her duty. He looked skyward, staring at the ceiling as if he could peer beyond the physical surface to the heavens beyond. His soul cried out. Deep, wrenching loss translating into agony that took his insides and twisted them into knots of loneliness. After thousands of years, he was so close. Soon he’d be home.
The reluctant mortal would assume her destiny.
After a long and freaking expensive taxi ride from Mikos’s place, Lexi stood in front of Blush. She had to find out about Devyn. Her lips twisted. How could she have gone from off-handedly offering a belly dance lesson to giving a shit about a starry-eyed wannabe?
Still, she should have been able to protect an innocent. Her inner critic snickered, reminding Lexi she hadn’t even been able to protect herself.
Lexi glanced at her watch. Four o’clock. Had she really been at Mikos’s for thirteen hours? The loss of time left her with a sour stomach. Hunger or nerves?
She sighed and eyed the entrance. Open the door and walk in , she chided. It was just the right time for Big Joe to be there. He knew everything about everything and everyone. For a numbers cruncher, he had his fingers on the pulse of Chicago.
Yet, she still didn’t want to go in there. She couldn’t explain why. The hassle with the drunks, the interactions with Howard and that Jackson guy, and, of course, what happened after all that, added up to a justifiable, if unexplainable, concern.
For Pete’s sake. Since when did she back down from anything?
Straightening her shoulders, Lexi shoved the rusty door and stepped inside. After the bright sunlight outside, the dim lighting in Blush made her pause to let her eyes adjust. Her gaze followed the light.
Above the rich red mahogany of the bar with its gleaming brass accents, an ornate chandelier glowed softly. Bare-breasted, gold-painted figures postured above the large mirror behind the bar. She felt like cringing each time she saw the tacky décor.
Where was everyone? Or really, anyone? Odd that no one stood behind the bar. There was usually at least one bartender on duty no matter the hour. And even though the dancers didn’t arrive until later, a few patrons started their drinking early. Not today. An eerie quiet hung in the club like a heavy, suffocating blanket.
She turned around to face the stage. “Gary? Howard?” At her voice, something moved. A flicker in the shadows. “Hey, who’s there?”
No response. Backlit from the stage lights, the shadow was only a human form. No discernable features or shape to identify male or female. Lexi tensed. Just as the shadow neared, she recognized the silent figure.
“Regina, what the hell are you doing?” Terrific. The last person she wanted to see stood in front of her. Regina, a new dancer, had latched onto Gary like a camel finding an oasis in the desert. There was something about the woman that left a sour taste in Lexi’s mouth. Not that she’d actually done anything. Maybe it was the way she had latched onto Gary.
“Hello, Lexi.”
Was it a trick of the light that made Regina’s eyes seem as blank as the guy from the night before? Cold fingers danced up Lexi’s spine, leaving her with the desire to turn around and beat feet for the door.
Instead, she squared her shoulders. “Isn’t it a bit early for you?”
Still staring at her, Regina didn’t respond. Lexi took a half step, intending to go around
“Stay with her,” Mikos said ignoring Rocky’s question. “Notify me immediately if there is trouble.”
Rocky tilted his head. “You expecting any?” The way the shapeshifter’s eyes glowed with liquid silver glee, he welcomed the potential.
“I always expect trouble.”
“Don’t worry, I can handle it.” With a popping sound, Rocky teleported to wherever the woman abided.
Mikos sighed. He couldn’t fail. The defender had to accept her duty. He looked skyward, staring at the ceiling as if he could peer beyond the physical surface to the heavens beyond. His soul cried out. Deep, wrenching loss translating into agony that took his insides and twisted them into knots of loneliness. After thousands of years, he was so close. Soon he’d be home.
The reluctant mortal would assume her destiny.
After a long and freaking expensive taxi ride from Mikos’s place, Lexi stood in front of Blush. She had to find out about Devyn. Her lips twisted. How could she have gone from off-handedly offering a belly dance lesson to giving a shit about a starry-eyed wannabe?
Still, she should have been able to protect an innocent. Her inner critic snickered, reminding Lexi she hadn’t even been able to protect herself.
Lexi glanced at her watch. Four o’clock. Had she really been at Mikos’s for thirteen hours? The loss of time left her with a sour stomach. Hunger or nerves?
She sighed and eyed the entrance. Open the door and walk in , she chided. It was just the right time for Big Joe to be there. He knew everything about everything and everyone. For a numbers cruncher, he had his fingers on the pulse of Chicago.
Yet, she still didn’t want to go in there. She couldn’t explain why. The hassle with the drunks, the interactions with Howard and that Jackson guy, and, of course, what happened after all that, added up to a justifiable, if unexplainable, concern.
For Pete’s sake. Since when did she back down from anything?
Straightening her shoulders, Lexi shoved the rusty door and stepped inside. After the bright sunlight outside, the dim lighting in Blush made her pause to let her eyes adjust. Her gaze followed the light.
Above the rich red mahogany of the bar with its gleaming brass accents, an ornate chandelier glowed softly. Bare-breasted, gold-painted figures postured above the large mirror behind the bar. She felt like cringing each time she saw the tacky décor.
Where was everyone? Or really, anyone? Odd that no one stood behind the bar. There was usually at least one bartender on duty no matter the hour. And even though the dancers didn’t arrive until later, a few patrons started their drinking early. Not today. An eerie quiet hung in the club like a heavy, suffocating blanket.
She turned around to face the stage. “Gary? Howard?” At her voice, something moved. A flicker in the shadows. “Hey, who’s there?”
No response. Backlit from the stage lights, the shadow was only a human form. No discernable features or shape to identify male or female. Lexi tensed. Just as the shadow neared, she recognized the silent figure.
“Regina, what the hell are you doing?” Terrific. The last person she wanted to see stood in front of her. Regina, a new dancer, had latched onto Gary like a camel finding an oasis in the desert. There was something about the woman that left a sour taste in Lexi’s mouth. Not that she’d actually done anything. Maybe it was the way she had latched onto Gary.
“Hello, Lexi.”
Was it a trick of the light that made Regina’s eyes seem as blank as the guy from the night before? Cold fingers danced up Lexi’s spine, leaving her with the desire to turn around and beat feet for the door.
Instead, she squared her shoulders. “Isn’t it a bit early for you?”
Still staring at her, Regina didn’t respond. Lexi took a half step, intending to go around
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