Personal Demon

HOPE: PARTY TIME

Karl picked the lock of the unit adjacent to the one rented by the gang. Snipers covered us from the neighboring building. I knew that was supposed to make us feel safe, but it didn’t, any more than the Kevlar vest I wore or the panic button in my pocket.

The door opened in to a cavernous, dark room filled with carpet rolls. I turned on my flashlight and we picked our way over the rolls to the far side of the room. Karl pressed himself against the wall shared with the gang’s unit, listening. I knew what I should be doing-“listening” for chaos vibes or visions. But I was still raw from the night before, and spent the first couple of minutes just standing there, clenching the flashlight, braced against visions. When not so much as a stray chaos vibe pinged, I relaxed.

I glanced at Karl. He shook his head. No sounds from the unit either.

I took out my cell and called Guy. No one answered. Karl couldn’t hear the ring from the adjoining unit. I hung up and tried Max. No answer. Same with Tony.

I left a voice mail message for Tony, asking where they were and what was happening. I could see them not answering my call-they had no idea whether I’d been kidnapped or had betrayed them, and if Guy wasn’t there, they might not risk picking up. But they’d certainly discuss it or comment on it, and probably check the voice message. Still Karl heard nothing.

We went outside to find Lucas.

TEN MINUTES LATER, Karl was picking another lock-the door into the gang unit. This time he had not only snipers but two members of the SWAT team flanking him, one pressed against either side of the doorway.

Karl sampled the air, then checked with me. No chaos vibes either. The officers followed us inside.

This unit was divided into three sections-two rooms with closed doors plus a large open storage area. The officers passed us and swept the open area, then retreated to check the closed rooms. The first held two cots, a microwave and a minifridge-a place to hole up if needed. The room was empty.

One officer opened the second door, and they swung in. A grunt. Then a wave, telling us it was safe. It was not, however, empty. Max and Tony were passed out drunk at a dining table, a bottle of Glenlivet single-malt Scotch within reach.

I bent to read a note that had slid to the floor.

Party Time!

Yeah, it’s the good stuff this time.

Guy

I whispered, “So what do we do?”

Karl’s hand closed on my arm, and I thought he was telling me to be quieter. But he tugged me back and I realized he didn’t want me getting too close. Smart-I didn’t want to be within arm’s reach if the guys woke up.

I turned to say something to Karl, then saw his expression and, at the same time, over his shoulder, Tony’s. He lay on the table, arms askew, but his eyes were half open. Empty eyes…

I reached to grab his shoulder. An officer stopped me.

“D-dead?” I managed.

My gaze shot to Max. His head lay on his folded arms, face hidden. But his body was still.

No, it couldn’t be. If they were dead, I’d feel it. I’d see their deaths. Nothing chaotic could have happened-

I saw the bottle again and flashed back to the night before. To the guard inside the house, looking as if he had just passed out, coffee cup by his hand. I hadn’t felt so much as a twinge from his death. Because it had been unchaotic. Dead before he realized what was happening.

Karl leaned over the open bottle, being careful not to touch it, sniffed and nodded. One of the officers lifted his radio to his lips.

I walked back and crouched by the note. Someone must have planted it and made it look like it came from Guy.

The wording was perfect. “Party time.” The joke about letting them have the “good stuff.” Even the brand-the same kind Sonny had swiped from the stock at Easy Rider the night of the sweet sixteen heist.

After the rest of the team poured in and secured the building, Paige and Lucas joined us. Karl quietly asked whether I wanted to step out, but didn’t argue when I refused. There was no chaos here to upset me, and I felt better staying with Max and Tony, so I could ensure they were treated as people, not anonymous casualties.

I couldn’t cling to my naiveté any longer. Guy knew how to convince his people that he had their best interests in mind, but as much as I’d liked him he was, at heart, as power-hungry and ruthless as any Cabal sorcerer. He’d killed Rodriguez, Tony and Max, and maybe Jaz and Sonny.

Lucas must think Carlos was behind this, which would explain how the killer got easy access to his father’s and Hector’s homes, and lured William at the office. But he’d have needed help. He’d chosen Guy, a shrewd and ambitious gang leader with a reputation for discretion and caution, everything Carlos was not.

They’d hatched a plan, probably recruiting the Cabal security guards I’d seen. They’d used the guards to rob and beat Jaz and Sonny, planting the seeds. Then, with Jaz and Sonny gone and Bianca dead at the hands of the Cabal guard, Guy could whip the rest of the gang into full revenge mode. Having me disappear-presumably kidnapped-was a bonus he hadn’t counted on, but had undoubtedly used to full effect.

The gang would help Carlos and provide him with an alibi-he’d been with a woman, and narrowly escaped death himself. But then these witnesses needed to be silenced. That’s all Rodriquez, Tony and Max had been to Guy, despite his talk of brotherhood-tools to be used and discarded.

And Jaz and Sonny? Were they dead too? If so, why not display their bodies? Was Guy holding them somewhere, in case they still proved useful?

If we could find them, we might have our witnesses.

LUCAS’S PHONE RANG almost nonstop as he supervised the crime scene, and he was getting frustrated. With two brothers dead, the third in custody, his father in mourning and the entire Cabal in upheaval, the only man they could turn to was the one who didn’t want the job.

I was shocked at how well he handled the pressure, especially under the circumstances and with no sleep. He might have never worked for his father, but he knew the organization and, it seemed, how to direct it.

Three calls came in succession as Lucas tried to supervise the removal of Max and Tony’s bodies. Paige took the last for him.

As she listened, she frowned. “Are you sure about the time of death?”

Lucas glanced over sharply. She motioned for him to keep working.

“Yes, I understand,” she said. “It’s not an exact science, but it’s definitely been more than twenty-four hours?”

A pause, then she looked my way. “I think I have someone who can make a positive ID.”

I froze.

“I’ll bring her down.” She hung up and came over to me. “They found someone from the gang.”

“Who?”

She shook her head. “Better wait until you see. Just to be sure.”

DID THE BODY belong to Jaz or Sonny?

The question looped through my mind all the way to the Cabal morgue. I could have pushed Paige for an answer, but then Karl would see how important it was to me and I didn’t want that.

Either way-Jaz or Sonny-this was going to hurt.