Dangerous Calling (The Shadowminds) (6 page)

A black SUV pulled up the driveway. The two guards converged on it, but not in an aggressive way. The driver got out and opened the back door.

A woman got out, stepping easily to the concrete. She was about my height, and slim, but it was hard to make out much else. She was wearing long sleeves, long pants, a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses. She said something in the driver’s ear, and he nodded once and trotted for the house. The two guards stayed on either side of the driveway. I turned my phone off for good measure.

The small woman didn’t speak to the guards. She watched the front door of the house without moving, her hands folded behind her back. It took an interminable fifteen minutes for the door to open again and the driver to come out. He had Diana with him.

Chapter Six

“That’s her!” I whispered it, too nervous to mindspeak.

“Diana?”

I nodded. The driver helped her into the back of the SUV, handing her in like old-fashioned royalty. The small woman stood back and watched until the back door closed, and then she got into the passenger seat. A moment later they pulled out of the driveway. It took all I had not to sprint after them.

“
We can’t help her if they see us.
” Shane’s mental voice was controlled and calm.

I nodded even though my whole body seethed with energy. Wherever they were taking her, it couldn’t be good. I flexed and clenched my hands, and the air grew cold around me. Frost rimmed the leaves of the ligustrum.

“
Cassie.
” Shane put his hand on my shoulder, and I relaxed.

I took deep breaths and waited. The guards seemed to stand there forever. One bummed a cigarette from the other and lit it, and they talked in low voices while my heart pounded. It felt as though hours had passed when they finally went back inside, but by my watch it had only been a few minutes. Shane and I crept back through the ligustrum and took off down the street for the wall. We leaped over and raced for Shane’s car, startling a young guy in a bathrobe out walking a Pomeranian. The SUV was already blocks away.

I could feel her, though. I could definitely feel her.

If Diana had been a telepath I would have tipped her off. As it was, we could only follow. We stayed a few blocks back and tailed the SUV out of Uptown. They stayed off the main roads, and several times we had to cut over to the next block to avoid being seen. The vehicle finally stopped a few blocks off Magazine Street in front of an overgrown playground. Shane kept driving until we were out of sight, then parked on the shoulder. We didn’t have to discuss it—we got out of the car as one and silently closed the doors.

The neighborhood was a mixture of early craftsman-style bungalows, new construction and a couple of small apartment buildings. A handful of places were nearly falling down from rot or termites, but most were neatly shabby, paint peeling a little, lawns a week in need of mowing. We speed-walked past them, staying in the shadows wherever we could.

The playground was surrounded by chain-link fencing, so we couldn’t get too close without being seen. Next door was what looked like a four-unit apartment building. Shane and I exchanged a glance and headed for the narrow space between the building and the fence. It was clotted with vines—morning glory and wisteria tangled with weeds—and we were able to slip into hiding without being seen.

A single streetlight illuminated the playground. Through the gaps in the leaves, I glimpsed a swing set and a beat-up wooden picnic table. Diana was sitting at it, right next to the small woman we’d seen at the house. Across from them was a man. Big guy, looked like a former football player who hadn’t seen a gym in a while. He had on a baseball cap pulled low over his head, dark jeans and a light colored polo. Something moved at his feet—a dog. One of the small, yappy types.

“Thanks for coming out here, Annette. Can’t be too careful.” The dog yipped, and he shushed it.

“Of course.” The small woman. She must be Annette Perrin, the owner. Her voice was low-pitched and rich, with a deep Southern drawl. Confidence, culture and old money. “You’re one of our best clients, Senator. We’re happy to accommodate you however we can.”

“
Senator?
” I stared at him, and Shane did the same.

“
State senator
,” he said, peering through the vines. “
Buddy Broussard.
Didn’t recognize him at first—he’s running for governor.
You know—the one with all the ads about how he’s a self-made businessman?
”

“
Oh
,
him?
” I looked at him with new disgust. “
Ugh.
”

“What happened to her?” Buddy was looking at Diana. The shadow of a bruise I’d seen on her cheek had deepened and turned darker.

“I fell down the stairs.” She bit off the words. Buddy didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he didn’t comment.

“Her abilities are unaffected,” Annette said.

“Humph.”

“
Abilities?
” Shane’s brows drew together
.

“
If that’s what she means
,
why are they meeting in a public park?
”

“
Fuck if I know.
” He glared through the vines, then pulled out his phone and turned on the video. I nodded in agreement. He levitated his phone just above the fence, where he could get a clear shot.

“You have our fee?” Annette asked.

“Yeah, yeah, right here.” Buddy handed her a thick white envelope. She took it without looking at it. “You’re sure she’ll get the job done?”

“Of course.” Annette put a slender hand on Diana’s shoulder. “Go ahead, Dia. Just like we talked about.”

I couldn’t make out Diana’s face, and I didn’t dare slip into anyone’s head. Diana shifted in her seat, then reached across the table and took Buddy’s hands. He yanked them back as though she’d burned him.

Whatever was going on, it wasn’t what I’d expected.

“Whoa, hey, girl, why you gotta hold my hand?”

“It helps her to focus. You want her to be able to read your future, right? Not mine or Alex’s over there. It only takes a moment.”

“
Holy shit.
” Even in my head, Shane’s voice was a whisper. “
She’s a sibyl.
”

I glanced at him. His eyes were wide.

“
I
thought they were a myth
,” he said.

“
You mean she can really see the future?
”

“
Well
,
I
guess we’ll find out.
”

Buddy readjusted his cap. “Don’t see why that should help.”

“You want an accurate reading, don’t you? Try to relax.”

Buddy rolled his shoulders, but when Diana took his hands again, he didn’t pull back. A long stretch of silence followed, broken only by the occasional creak of the picnic table as Buddy shifted in his seat. Annette remained completely still.

Finally, Diana spoke. “Sorry, Mr. Broussard. I see you losing by two and a half points.”

“Bullshit.” Buddy yanked his hands back. “Bullshit! Look again.”

“Two and a half points. Williams wins. The closest parishes are Caddeaux, Bordelon and St. Joseph. About half a point each. I recommend you focus your efforts there.” I didn’t miss the subtle hint of satisfaction in her voice.

“
She can see that level of detail?
Jesus.
”

Shane stared at her. “
Like I said
,
I’ve never met a sibyl before.
”

“Look again.” Buddy was almost pleading. “Maybe you missed something.”

Diana went cold. “I never miss.”

“I’m not paying for this crap.” Buddy stood up, towering over the two women.

“If you want a different outcome, you’re just going to have to work harder.” There was no mistaking Diana’s smirk this time.

“Lying bitch—” He raised his hand to backhand her. He started to swing, and Diana cringed. I looked at Shane—should we intervene, use telekinesis—

Annette stopped him in mid-strike with one hand on his forearm. She didn’t even flinch. She was half his size at most, and she didn’t even stagger. I nearly gave myself away with a gasp.

“I must ask you not to raise your hand to my employees, Buddy. You’re a very good client, but I have my limits.” Her voice was deadly calm.

“This is bullshit.” He yanked his arm back. “You promised me the election, and for what I’m paying—”

“I promised you information, which I have given you. Dia, are you all right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“We’re done here.” She stood up, and Diana did the same, casting one furious glance at Buddy. They turned and walked away from him. The dog started yipping again.

“Hey, wait! Wait—I need—there’s gotta be something we can do, here.” Buddy scrambled after them, his legs tangled in the barking dog’s leash. Annette put an arm around Diana’s shoulder and sailed out of the playground to the SUV, where the driver had already opened the door for her. “One of your other people—you know, the one who took care of that other problem for me. Maybe we could—”

“Payment first,” she said, without even looking at him. The driver helped Diana into the car.

“Annie, you know I’m good for it. I just need a few days—”

“Then talk to me in a few days.” She got into the car, and the driver closed the door after her.

Buddy banged on the window. “Annie! Come on, Annette! Alex, come on, I just need a little favor. Talk to her—when have I ever not paid up, huh?”

The driver ignored him completely and got into the car. If Buddy hadn’t stepped back, they would’ve run over his foot.

“Shit!” He kicked at the metal post supporting the chain link. It rattled, and the dog erupted into another round of yips. “Shut up.” He yanked on the poor thing’s leash, and it whimpered and went quiet. “Come on.”

He got into an expensive sedan parked across the street and drove away. We waited until he was gone before creeping back to the car.

“It makes a sick kind of sense,” Shane said as he unlocked the door. “I mean, if I’d spent that much money on an election, I’d want to know what was going to happen, too.”

“Doesn’t look like it’s doing him much good.”

“Yet. God only knows what else he’s paying her to do.” We got in, and Shane pulled out into the dark street. “Slimy son of a bitch. And what about the woman—Annette. What the hell is she?”

“I don’t know, but she must have some kind of power. She didn’t even flinch when she blocked him.”

“You think she was pulling?”

I shook my head. “I would’ve felt it.”

“Just a really powerful converter?”

“I think I would’ve felt that too.” There was always a little buzz associated with a shadowmind using her powers, and I was particularly sensitive to them. When Annette blocked Buddy’s strike, I hadn’t felt a thing. But I remembered how Diana had been able to keep me out of her mind. Perhaps this woman had similar control.

When we made it back to the B&B, Shane used his powers to open the garage door. “At least it’s not as bad as we thought. I mean, it’s not some kind of high-end brothel.”

“Yeah.” But I remembered what Diana had said, how it wasn’t about her. Had it been about Buddy all along?

“We’ll figure something out,” Shane said softly as he drove into the garage. “Don’t worry.”

“How do you know I’m worried?” I said, and Shane laughed.

“Come on, Cass. You feel like a plucked string.” The door rumbled closed behind us.

“I feel responsible for her,” I said finally, into the dark. “She came to me for help.”

“I know.”

“I’m not sure I’m up for this.” It was the thing I’d been thinking all along, afraid saying it out loud would make it real. If more shadowminds learned about my powers, there were going to be more like Diana, people needing help I wasn’t sure I knew how to give. I was an unemployed engineer, not a superhero. I didn’t know how to fight scary-powerful shadowminds with unknown powers, or politicians with enough money to buy half the Quarter.

“Whatever she is, you’re more than a match for her,” Shane said. “No doubt.”

I was about to deny it when the motion alert on my phone dinged.

We watched as the SUV drove up to the enormous house. Annette brought Diana inside herself, and I watched the lights in a second floor room come on a few minutes later. Southeast corner. Good to know. A moment later, Buddy’s expensive sedan squealed up the driveway.

“Damn,” Shane said. “That guy doesn’t know when to quit.” He hit a button to record whatever happened next. Buddy got out of the car and slammed the door, and a guard met him on the driveway. Buddy looked as though he was saying something that involved expletives. He was definitely yelling. The guard just shook his head. I wished we had audio.

Buddy gestured. The guard didn’t move. Buddy tried to shove past him, and the guard stopped him with one hand. I was torn between calling the police and going to intervene in person. Then, with a huff and a backward glance, Buddy got back in his car and peeled out.

“It’s not going to be easy to get into that house,” Shane said.

We looked at each other. Whatever the place was, at least they protected their own.

* * *

When we went downstairs the next morning, Lionel and Bruce were in the kitchen, staring at the television. That was rare enough. But neither one of them had made coffee. That was just plain shocking.

“What’s going on?” I stood behind Lionel on tiptoe to look over his shoulder.

“Shh,” Bruce said. I looked at the screen. It was the local news. A reporter was standing in front of the Baton Rouge courthouse in bright sunlight.

“
A
statewide manhunt continues for Detective Ian West
,
a
former narcotics investigator in the Baton Rouge Police Department.
Authorities say West is wanted for questioning in the investigation of the murders of Timothy Deloach and Robert Bradding
,
both of Port Allen
,
but have not said why or whether or not he is a suspect.
”

“Holy shit,” Shane said.

The news cut to a picture of a younger—and happier—Ian in police uniform, and the anchor asked the reporter for more details on the case.

“
Well
,
Holly
,
my sources with the BRPD tell me Bradding and Deloach were found dead in West’s Baton Rouge apartment less than twenty-four hours ago.
Viewers may remember that both men were questioned in a corruption inquiry surrounding the River Queen Casino in November of last year
,
in which a key witness
,
Emily Sanchez
,
committed suicide while in protective custody.
No one is saying whether these two cases are related
,
but we do know that West was assigned to the task force in the River Queen investigation.
”