Personal Demon

HOPE: PLANS

At one, a cab dropped me off at Easy Rider. I was about to ring the side bell when a voice called from behind me.

“Hold up, Faith. I got it.”

Footsteps thundered down the sidewalk. I turned to see Rodriguez jogging toward me, waving his key.

Rodriguez was the youngest member, no more than twenty. An average-looking guy, but there was a sweetness about him that made me want to fix him up with someone’s little sister. Maybe it was the shy smile or the hair that flopped in his eyes or the big dark eyes that dipped away the moment they touched mine. When he’d given me my phone yesterday, he’d taken me through everything step-by-step, patient but never condescending, explaining everything in simple English-a far cry from most tech support guys I’d dealt with.

“Guy will give you a key soon enough,” he said as he unlocked the door. “Until then, if no one answers the bell, ring Guy’s office phone. The number’s on your speed dial. He’s usually in by noon.”

He held the door open, then darted past me to the security panel and punched in a code.

“Even when someone’s already here, this will be armed, and Guy expects you to rearm it after you come inside.”

“Got it.”

“Ask him for the code later. He should give you that, even if you don’t have a key.” He pressed the last button, then paused before shutting the panel. “That reminds me. You have some experience with alarm systems, right? Ex-boyfriend thief or something?”

I nodded.

“If you’ve got a second, would you mind taking a look at something? Jaz and Sonny ran into a system on a job last week that totally stumped them. It’s not anything I’ve ever seen and I can’t find schematics on the Web. They did some sketches for me.”

“I’ll take a look. If it’s new and high-tech, I’ve probably seen it, but almost certainly can’t crack it.”

“No, that’s fine. Just looking for an ID.”

We’d gone three steps when his cell phone rang. He checked the number, hesitated, then motioned for me to wait.

“Did it come?” he asked as he answered. A pause, then he shifted his weight, one hand shoved into his pocket. “Okay, I’m ready. What does it say?” Another pause. Then a sharp laugh. “Haven’t opened it? Are you trying to kill me, Nina? Come on, come on.” A rueful look at me, then his eyes widened. “¡Qué fuerte! Seriously? Okay, okay. I gotta go. We’ll talk tonight.”

He hung up, grinning. “That was my sister. My college acceptance letter was late, and I was sure that meant I hadn’t made it and…” His color rose. “And you have no idea what I’m talking about and I’m babbling like a moron. Sorry.”

“No, that’s great. You got in, I take it. Which college?”

The grin sparked again. “California Institute of Technology.”

“Caltech? Wow. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. I have to make a few calls. Oh, about that security system, are you going to be around later?”

“As far as I know. We’ll look at it then.”

He pointed me toward the front rooms. He’d just scampered off when the side door opened again. Bianca. I waited to walk with her.

As we cut through the dimly lit back rooms, she asked whether I’d been comfortable doing a job with Jaz and Sonny. From her tone, I gathered she hadn’t been comfortable with it-a new recruit sent out with the next two newest members. I assured her everything had gone fine.

We found Sonny reading a novel in a near-dark booth.

“You strain your eyes, you won’t be much good to us tonight, Sonny-boy,” Bianca said, flicking on the lights for him. She turned to me. “If Sonny’s here, Jaz won’t be far.”

“He’s in the storeroom with Guy,” Sonny said.

Bianca’s lips pursed and she headed toward the back. I followed, leaving Sonny at his table.

Clearly Guy’s friendship with Jaz wasn’t something Bianca approved of. Did she think he was after her job? Anyone could see that Jaz’s ambitions stretched no further than securing a place in the gang with minimal responsibilities, and burrowing in for as long as he could.

She asked about our lunch plans. Who’d suggested it? Was I going with Jaz and Sonny, or just Jaz? I wondered whether Guy had a policy about crew members dating, and Bianca was hoping to get Jaz in trouble.

In the storeroom, Jaz was counting boxes, Guy marking them down. Jaz was retelling some adventure, and Guy was laughing. It all seemed very normal, but there was a note in Guy’s laugh, too rich and too loud, trying too hard to show his appreciation for the tale. And there was something in the way he was looking at Jaz, and the way he quickly glanced away when he saw us watching.

A laugh and a look didn’t prove anything, but I wondered whether there wasn’t a very different cause for Bianca’s jealousy. That might also explain why she’d been so eager to know whether Jaz was taking an interest in the new girl. When Jaz saw me, though, his grin said that if Guy was interested in Jaz, it was a one-sided attraction.

“Is it-?” Jaz checked his watch. “Shit. Sorry, Faith. I meant to meet you at the door.” He turned to Guy. “Mind if I skip out on the rest, boss? Got a hot lunch date.”

Guy muttered something about being left with all the work, but waved us out good-naturedly. So maybe I was reading too much into a laugh and a look.

We were just stepping out the door when Tony barreled past, jokingly elbowing Jaz into the wall.

“Rod got his college letter,” he said to Guy and Bianca. “Max and I are springing for pizza.” He glanced back at us. “You guys in?”

Jaz hesitated, and I could tell he was torn. I reminded myself why I was here. I couldn’t turn down any opportunity to hang out with the gang, and get them talking about the Cabals.

“Uh, sure.” I looked at Jaz. “If that’s okay with you?”

“We’re in,” he said, then lowered his voice to me. “Rain check for tomorrow?”

I smiled. “Definitely.”

WE ATE IN the bar, Max and Tony having dragged a small table over to a booth so we’d all fit. They’d brought the pizza, but Guy sprung for a twelve-pack of beer, taking it from the back and carefully noting it in his accounts. The beer was a local microbrew, Jaz said, and ribbed Guy about “springing for the good stuff for a change.”

As for Rodriguez’s news, Guy had known about his college hopes and seemed genuinely pleased for him, only joking that he’d better give him a special deal on technical consultation after he left.

“So when do we get to wager on how fast you’ll be back?” Tony said, peeling a pizza slice from the box. “College was cool, but after one month sweating my ass off in a cubicle, I was so out of there. You don’t get pizza and beer parties in a suit job.”

“Once Rod’s gone, he’s gone for good,” Jaz said. “If school doesn’t keep him there, the California girls will.” He winked at Rodriguez, then took a slug of his beer, his dancing eyes lifting to mine. “Though personally, I’m partial to East Coast girls.” He leaned back. “But as for why anyone would give up this gig to go to college? Totally beyond me.”

“I hear ya,” Tony said, lifting his bottle. “To the sweet life. No worries, Guy. I’m not going anywhere.”

Jaz and Sonny hoisted their bottles and chimed in their agreement.

“Great,” Guy muttered. “Come fall, Bee and I will be stuck with all the loafers.”

I turned to Max. “You’re leaving too?”

He shrugged. “Probably following Rod out to Cali. That’s the plan anyway. No college for me, though. I’ve got some other business out there.”

“Five foot two with eyes of blue,” Tony sang. “His girlfriend moved to L.A. last year.”

“Ex-girlfriend.”

“Yeah, the ex you still text ten times a day.”

Max colored under his tan. “We’re friends, okay? Sure, Jess is working in L.A.-”

“For the Nast Cabal,” Tony interjected, to hisses and boos from Jaz and Sonny.

“Only until she gets her MBA,” Max said.

“Like getting your education from the military. You gotta bet they’re not going to let her waltz away when she’s done.”

Max shrugged. “She knows that. She’ll pay her dues.”

“And pay and pay and pay,” Jaz said.

Tony nodded. “Face it, buddy, she’s in and she’s not getting out.”

Max’s eyes flashed, but Guy cut him off.

“Enough. Max knows what I think.” Guy cut a look his way. “If Jess can pull it off, all the power to her, but Cabals don’t give away free educations. As long as she knows that, and she’s careful…” He shrugged. “Maybe it’ll work out.”

He passed around the pizza box as Jaz and Tony grabbed a second beer, and I could tell the conversation was going to shift away from Cabals.

“So if you work for a Cabal, they’ll pay for college?” I asked.

“Uh-uh.” Guy wagged a finger at Max. “See what you started?”

“Hey, I didn’t start-”

“Yes,” Guy said, twisting to face me. “A Cabal will pay for your degree, in return for years of indentured servitude slaving in their cubicles. If you decide you don’t want to have Mommy and Daddy pay for your education, then we’ll talk about extending your stay. You’d be better off earning your tuition here than getting yourself indebted to a Cabal. Working for me is a whole lot safer.”

“And funner,” Jaz said.

Sonny put his head in his hands and groaned.

“As you can see, there’s at least one gang member who’ll never leave me for college.” Guy put his elbows on the table, leaning toward me. “Seriously, Faith, Cabal life isn’t a route you want to take. Max’s girlfriend-sorry, friend-is a shaman. They’re a dime a dozen. If she’s careful, she can probably quit after a few years, no hard feelings, no bounty for her scalp. But an Expisco half-demon?” He shook his head. “If they get you, they’ll never let you go. Employee for life.”

“But if I’m so valuable, they’d pay me accordingly, right?”

“Have you got a price in mind? Proper compensation for your freedom? Your free will? Because that’s what they’ll demand. Yes, they’ll pay-they’ll pay for you as a commodity, not as a human being, because to them, that’s all you-”

“Oh, God, please, no.” Tony dropped his head to the table, then looked over at me. “You had to get him started, didn’t you?”

Guy pegged him in the head with a bottle cap. “Okay, okay. It’s Rodriguez’s celebration. No more talk of Cabals. That’s an order. You’ve got exactly ten minutes to goof off, then we need to get down to business and talk about tonight.” To me, he added, “If you want to continue this conversation, today’s a write-off, but grab me tomorrow. Don’t even consider Cabal employment until you’ve talked to me, okay?”

“I will.”

AFTER EXACTLY TEN more minutes of eating and drinking and joking around, Guy moved on to our plans for that night. I expected a larger scale version of what we’d done yesterday-maybe knock over a liquor store or hijack a transport, both common gang activities according to Benicio’s notes. What Guy laid out though, made me realize why this gang, despite its size, was such a concern to Benicio.

His scheme was audacious. There was no other word for it. Clever, elaborate and mind-blowing in its boldness.

Bianca assigned us preparation tasks. I was put with Jaz and Sonny again, getting the equipment ready. As everyone filed out, Guy ordered me to wait.

“These marks tonight,” he said when the others had left. “They’re your kind of people, aren’t they?”

Society people, he meant. I considered distancing myself right now-sure I come from that, but they aren’t my people, not anymore. Too easy to see through that lie, so I nodded and said simply, “That’s right.”

He leaned back in his chair. “Any advice you can give? Potential problems I’m not seeing?”

After studying the plans, and rehashing his scheme, I ventured an idea to help him get away with it.

“Smart girl. I wouldn’t have thought of that.”

“The others might not be too happy. It’ll cut into the profits.”

He smiled. “Well, then, you won’t mind if I take credit, will you?”

“Not at all.”