Haunted (7 page)

When they got back to Hurricanes, the bouncer waved them in with a bored expression on his face. “I found out
from my new best friend that Luke’s on a break right now,” Yana said as they stepped inside.

“He’ll be back in about fifteen,” she added, her voice rising to compete with the music. “He has red hair and a Ren
and Stimpy tattoo.”

“Great,” Anthony said, impressed. Although he wasn’t at all impressed by Hurricanes itself. There were chairs and
tables attached to the ceiling, which was okay since they were going for the whole hurricane deal. But the place was
not even approaching clean, which was taking the theme a little too far. The walls seemed almost oil coated. And the
crowd… the only thing he could say about the crowd was that it looked like it belonged in the bar. Which wasn’t
exactly good.

“You know what this means? We have time to dance!” Yana cried. She grabbed Rae by one wrist and Anthony by
the other and pulled them deep onto the dance floor.

Anthony was not a dancing kind of guy. Any other physical thing-football, swimming, running, baseball, basketball,
even gymnastics-he was fine with. But not dancing. It made him feel like a dork.

Which was only compounded by the dorkishness he was already experiencing now that Rae and Yana were both
towering over him in their friggin’ high heels. Usually he and Rae were almost exactly the same height, but now he
felt like he should be singing, “We Welcome You to Munchkin Land.”

“You two go ahead,” he muttered. But Yana didn’t let go of him. She just started shimmying, still holding on to his
wrist. And how much dorkier would he look trying to pull away from a hot girl? The answer-much, much dorkier. So
he started shuffling his feet a little, trying to blend.

He noticed that he was getting some stares. And not what-a-dork stares. More like what-a-lucky-guy stares. He
started getting into the dancing a little more, his hips loosening up. Yeah, go ahead and look, he thought. Look at me
here with two total babes. Babes who were way too tall, but babes.

A skeevy-looking guy, kind of oil coated himself, who had to be pushing forty-hard-danced his way up to them.

“You’ve got more there than you can handle,” he told Anthony. “Why don’t I take this one off your hands?” He
reached for Rae.

In one second Anthony had his body positioned in front of Rae’s. “I don’t think so,” he said. And the guy assumed
the stance, the stance that said that he and Anthony weren’t going to get out of this without some blood spilled on
the floor.

Which Anthony had no problem with. Taking this guy out wouldn’t be a problem. And it would be fun.

It would also get him booted from the bar.

Now you’ve got it, he told himself. Use brain before mouth – or fists.

“Look, man,” he said. The guy seemed like someone who’d say “man,” and Anthony figured it would be good to
sound like the same kind of guy. “You don’t just walk up to a beautiful girl and say you’ll take her off my hands like
you’re doing me a favor.

It’s insulting.”

Rae stepped out from behind him. “Totally insulting. You need to work on your approach.”

Anthony wished she’d stayed put, but at least she was following his lead. And Yana was staying out of it.

Watching the whole thing as if it was one of those reality TV shows that she’d flipped on for entertainment.

The guy ran his fingers through his thinning blond hair. “Okay, you’re right,” he said, sounding almost weepy.

Anthony realized he was way drunker than he’d seemed at first. “Would you like to dance with me?” he asked Rae.

“No, thanks,” she answered. “But that was better.”

“You know what would be really great,” Anthony jumped in, hoping he wasn’t pushing things too far.

“You should go up and ask the band to play a love song.

If you do, you might get her in the mood to say yes.”

The guy smiled. “Thanks, man,” he said. And he turned around and headed toward the band. Rae and Anthony
looked at each other for a moment, and then they both started to laugh.

“Pretty smooth, Anthony,” Yana said.

“It should give us time to ask our questions and get out of here. Let’s head for the bar. Luke should be back any
minute,” Anthony answered.

“Hey, Yana, why don’t you see if you can get any more info from your bud the bouncer?” Rae asked.

“Find out if Luke’s taken any time off lately, been late more, that kind of stuff. Maybe talk to a couple of the
waitresses, too.”

“Good idea,” Anthony said. It was a good idea. It was also a good way to keep Yana out of the way while Rae did
her fingerprint thing. Not that Yana would know that’s what she was doing, but clearly Rae didn’t want her to see it,
anyway.

“I’m on it,” Yana answered. She started dancing her way through the crowd. Anthony put his hand on Rae’s back,
and they started pushing their way off the dance floor and over to the bar.

“Nuclear shot?” the woman bartender called over the heads of the people pushed up against the bar. “A dollar
apiece for the next minute and a half.”

“Okay, we’ll take two,” Anthony answered. Who knew how much a beer would cost in a place like this. He was just
looking for something to hold so he could hang by the bar, and something that cost a buck sounded good to him.

The bartender handed over two neon green test tubes. Anthony passed one to Rae, who took a tiny sip.

“Remember, we’re not going to actually mention Jesse,” Anthony told her. “That will either piss him off or shut him
up.”

“Right,” Rae answered. “Looks like it’s show time.” She nodded toward a red-haired guy squeezing his way
behind the other bartender.

Anthony plunged through the crowd at the bar, Rae right behind him, wanting to reach Luke before he got a ton of
orders shouted at him. “We’re looking for my little brother,” Anthony called, managing to catch Luke’s eye. “He
disappeared about a week ago.

Last seen around here.”

“He’s thirteen. Red hair. Blue eyes. Talks a lot,”

Rae added. She grabbed a cocktail napkin off the bar and wiped off her fingers, getting ready to work. “We
thought maybe you’d seen him around, like when you were coming here.”

Anthony watched Luke’s face, searching for any kind of reaction. But he didn’t catch a flicker of fear or guilt or
anything. “He’s really into skateboards. He might have had one with him.”

“Sorry,” Luke answered, concocting some kind of fruit drink. “You’ve seen what it’s like outside.

Madness. Tons of people all the time. If I saw the kid, I don’t remember.”

Rae leaned over the bar and grabbed the drink as soon as Luke was done. “This looks awesome. I have to have it.

You can make another one, can’t you?”

She slapped down some money, and Luke shrugged, then started mixing another drink.

Anthony turned to Rae as she ran her fingers over the entire glass. She leaned close so she could speak right into
his ear. “Nothing that says he’s lying so far.”

Anthony nodded. She’d just confirmed what his gut had told him while he watched Luke’s face.

“You know any places a kid might end up?

Shelters or squats or anything?” Anthony asked, not willing to give up just yet.

“We’ve got to find him. Jerry-that’s his name, Jerry-he’s not so, you know, mature for his age.”

Rae’s voice caught. Anthony glanced over at her and saw that her eyes actually had tears in them. “I’m just
afraid…” She shook her head. “Sorry. I-do you have a Kleenex?” she asked Luke.

“Best I can do,” Luke answered, handing her another napkin. “I wish I could help you out. But I’m not a kid kind of
person. I don’t know where he’d be.”

“Thanks,” Rae said. She pulled Anthony away from the bar. “That time I got him wondering how old Jesse was the
last time he saw him. He was actually kind of sad.” Rae squeezed Anthony’s arm.

“Luke doesn’t have him.”

Where are you, Jesse? Anthony thought, feeling like his heart had turned into an ice-making machine that was
pumping frozen little pellets through his body. Where the hell are you?

Ah, the beautiful Gretna Motel Six,” Yana said as she flopped down on the closest of the two double beds. Rae sat
down next to her and pulled off her silver boots.
Anthony handled
hope the place is/ “I don’t care where we are as
long as there’s a shower,” she answered. “That bar left me feeling like I’ve been rolling around in grease.”

“But we found out what we needed,” Anthony reminded her. He closed the door, locked it, put on the chain, then
stretched out on the other bed and closed his eyes.

He looked wiped out-wiped out and worried with shadows under his eyes and tight jaw muscles.

“We’re going to find Jesse,” Rae promised. “When we’re driving home tomorrow, we’ll make a plan.”

Anthony didn’t respond. She opened her mouth to say something else but stopped herself. He wasn’t the kind of
guy who let himself be reassured by empty words.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving,”

Yana announced. “I’m going to check out the vending machines.”

“I’ll go, too.” Anthony sat up with a groan. “But I should call home first.”

Rae glanced at the cheapo clock radio. “It’s pretty late. Almost midnight. Won’t you wake people up?”

She’d checked in with her dad when Anthony was hitting up the gas station guys for info on where to get IDs.

“My mom and stepdad are probably still out partying,” he answered. “And if they’re out, no way are the kids in
bed.” He grabbed the receiver, studied the little stick-on dialing directions on the phone, then punched in some
numbers.

“Zack, you’re getting paid to babysit, right?”

Anthony asked, without even bothering to say hello first. “So why do I hear Carl crying and Anna and Danny
screaming their heads off?”

“He sounds like a dad,” Yana whispered to Rae.

They exchanged grins. Anthony ignored them, listening to the whiny voice Rae could hear coming through the
phone.

“They should all be asleep, anyway, but since they’re not, tell Danny that he picked the last show, so Anna gets to
pick the next one, and they only get to watch one and that’s it,” Anthony said. “And did you make Carl take his
antibiotics?”

The whiny voice said something, and Anthony shook his head. “It doesn’t matter if his ear doesn’t hurt anymore.

He has to keep taking the pills until they’re gone.”

“But Dad,” Yana mouthed to Rae, and they both got an attack of the giggles. Yana grabbed a pillow off the bed and
pressed it lightly against Rae’s face.

But they both kept laughing.

“Nothing,” Anthony said, responding to a question from the whiny voice. “Just a couple of idiots.”

“A couple of idiots,” Rae repeated, her voice muffled by the pillow. She pulled it away from Yana and tossed it at
Anthony’s head. He let the pillow bounce off without trying to catch it. “Can’t you just do it?” he asked. The whiny
voice whined some more.

“Fine,” Anthony said impatiently. “Put him on.” He slid over to the other side of the bed and faced the far wall.

Clearly he didn’t want Rae and Yana to hear him.

Yana put her fingers to her lips, and she and Rae leaned forward, determined to catch every word.

“Okay, Carl. But just one time, then you have to go to bed,” Anthony said. Then he started to sing.

Sing. “Froggy went a courtin’; he did ride, uh-huh.”

“How sweet is that?” Rae said softly, the desire to giggle drained out of her.

“It’s kind of pathetic,” Yana answered, and her voice had an edge to it. She’s not kidding, Rae realized. How could
Yana think it was pathetic that tough guy Anthony Fascinelli was willing to sing to his little brother? Especially in
front of other people. God, it was turning Rae into butter inside.

She and Yana listened in silence as Anthony finished up the song. “Now, bed,” he ordered. “I’ll see you tomorrow,”

he added, then quickly hung up.

“Vending machines?” Yana asked immediately.

Rae glanced around for her purse but didn’t see it.

“Can I borrow the keys, Anthony? I left my purse in the car.”

He pulled them out of his pocket, started to toss them to her, then hesitated, gave them a fast rub on his shirt, and
handed them to her with the tips of his fingers. Rae shot a look at Yana, wondering what she’d thought of that little
performance, but she was rooting around for change in the bottom of her bag.

“Get me something, and I’ll pay you back,” Rae said. She jerked her boots back on, ignoring the blurry repeats of
her thoughts, then strode over to the door, unfastened the chain, and opened the lock, touching the metal as little as
she could. I hope he doesn’t expect me to turn the doorknob with my teeth, she thought.

She couldn’t help feeling annoyed, even though she knew she wouldn’t want anybody picking up random
thoughts from her. She reminded herself to put on some more Mush when she got back upstairs.

Rae took another glance at Yana, who was still digging for change, then used the heel of her hand to polish the
knob before she opened the door and headed out into the dingy hallway. She pressed the down button of the
elevator with her knuckle, and the elevator door slid open immediately. Rae stepped in and knuckled the button for
the first floor. When the elevator door opened again, Rae hurried out, made a right by the little pool, and headed to
the parking lot.