The Awakening (18 page)

“I believe so. The events occurred here.”

“Why are you interested?”

“I think, well,
we
think Galluzzi is a half-breed demon. But we can’t prove it because she isn’t listed in the records. Some twenty years ago, Galluzzi was in a car accident and Alison saved her. Galluzzi employed Alison for a while, and advanced a great deal in her career at that time.”

I turned to Jonas and saw him smiling at me. Not in a funny way. Supportive.

“Do you think Galluzzi used Alison and then killed her?” Benny asked.

“Yes.”

He leaned forward and put his hand on the table. His smooth skin had a soft glow. “If I give you the information, what will you do with it? The woman is dead.”

Good question for which I didn’t have a full answer. “Well, Galluzzi needs to be questioned and at least reported to the local clan or the council.”

“The World Wide Organization for Peace and Protection? What interest would they have?”

“I can’t say right now,” I said. Surely the council would have an interest in a person not registered, especially one pursuing the presidency. What they would do with the information was unclear to me. Since Jonas and Boss worked for them, I’d leave it to them to handle everything.

Benny leaned back and glanced at each one of us. “I like you and your friends. I’ll find your answer and meet you in a few hours.”

“That would be great, Benny.”

He scooted to the edge of the booth, then turned to face me. “Did you remember what was going to happen to your friend?”

What? Oh yeah. “No, not yet.”

He rose from the seat. “Her life is in danger. You better remember soon before it’s too late.”

Tabby? God no. Please no.

Chapter 19

From the restaurant, we headed to a shoe store. We’d left the house so fast yesterday, none of us had bothered to grab any extra pairs of shoes. Not that it mattered to me. I liked my heeled boots with the inside lining that hid my dagger. Tabby on the other hand, demanded we stop, especially since the shoe store was across the street from the restaurant.

We searched for twenty minutes. Tabby found four pairs of shoes while Jonas and I could only find one. Carrying our shoeboxes, we headed for the cashier.

I stood behind Tabby, watching her every movement. I’d been doing it since Benny had disappeared. His warning had me on edge. He knew something bad was going to happen to her, but had vanished before I could ask what. He'd said he’d meet me in a few hours. I’d guard her for a while, and then question him. Problem solved. I hoped.

“Where are we going after this?” I asked.

Tabby turned around. “We need to stop at the store and get some food for the house.”

“Did you bring the list?” Jonas asked, holding a shoebox in one hand and his cell phone in the other.

“Yep. In my purse.”

Jonas held the phone to his ear and looked at me. “Will you take this? I’m calling Boss to update him. I’ll be outside.”

He handed me his shoebox and I placed it under mine.

Jonas walked out of the store, talking softly into the phone. Outside the glass windows, night had settled in. Cars drove by with their headlights glaring and stores were lit up.

“Excuse me,” the lady behind me said, and I turned to see a woman and younger female standing together.

“Where did you have your hair dyed? My daughter loves the red streaks,” the older woman asked.

“I’m not from around here,” I said. “I had it colored before I came to visit.”

“Oh.” She turned to her daughter. ”Sorry, baby.”

The younger girl had pitch-black hair and wore heavy eyeliner around her eyes. I smiled at her and turned back around.

Tabby stood across from the cashier with her shoes on the counter. I went forward and set my boxes down. Tabby told the clerk to include my boxes with hers. She paid, and we strolled out carrying bags.

Jonas was waiting for us in the car. We dropped our bags in the trunk and plopped into our seats. I sat in the back, as usual.

“What did Boss have to say?” I asked.

Jonas backed out of the parking spot. “He said the vampire councilman called an urgent meeting. Most of the members are in Europe so they are going to have it within five hours. Boss told him he thinks the local leader of the demon clan was involved in something here, and is missing also.”

“What about Sal?” Tabby asked.

“Boss said he received another message demanding Stephanie be turned over to him.”

“Sal has to know something,” I said. “Why would he keep sending messages?”

“Oh, I’m sure he does. The question is, what does he know?”

Good question. And I'd like to know how he got my picture. The brief second I'd seen the photograph, I’d noticed something in the background.

I leaned forward between the seats. “Before we left the house yesterday, did you see the photograph of me?”

Jonas nodded. “Yeah, I saw it.”

“Did you notice the background?”

“No, not really.”

“The picture looked like you were in a store,” Tabby said. “I saw shelves.”

“Shelves with televisions.”

“The pawnshop?” Jonas asked. “How did he get a picture of you at the pawnshop? I destroyed the security discs.”

“I don’t know. But he has to know something about me being there.”

Jonas shook his head. “This doesn’t make sense. He couldn’t have known. Boss took care of their memories. I broke the discs. There’s no way he could have found out. Unless...” He paused, rubbing his chin. “What if the picture was from when you sold the watch?”

My heart jumped a few beats. “If the picture was taken when I sold the watch, then he knows who I am and a lot more about me than any of us.” Which was a very scary thought.

“He could have been the one to buy the watch,” Jonas said.

The thought had popped into my mind too. “Boss saw a picture of the Senator in Ronnie's memories. If Sal purchased the watch, why would he implant her picture in Ronnie's head?”

He shook his head again. “I have no clue.”

Sal knew something and was hiding it. That much was certain. And while part of me wanted to talk to him and find out what he knew, the other part feared I wouldn’t make it back to my friends if I did.

After a short drive, Jonas turned into a shopping center. At the end of the strip was a small grocery store. The neighborhood supermarket was a quaint little shop and nothing more. Jonas parked in one of the many vacant spots.

The three of us strolled inside. Jonas decided to wander ahead while Tabby got a cart, plunking her purse in the front. We rushed to catch up with Jonas.

The store was practically empty with one cashier and a few customers waiting in line. Relief flowed through me, thinking we were somewhat safe. What could go wrong in a grocery store?

We passed by the customer service counter as a young man in a green shirt disappeared behind an 'Employees Only' door. We continued and entered the produce section. Jonas stood near the potatoes with his head down and phone in his hands. Tabby stopped the cart behind him.

“Who are you texting?” she asked.

Jonas’s fingers moved fast over the screen. “Boss. He needs a few things.” He lifted his head. “Why don’t we split up? I’ll get the items on the list Boss gave me and you two can work on the rest.”

Tabby put a hand on her hip. “You’re ditching us.”

“I’m not ditching,” he said as he backed away, holding up the phone. “I have a list. I’ll get the stuff and find you.”

“Whatever.” Tabby mumbled. She dug inside her purse, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to me. “Here’s the list if you want to get some of the items.”

I glanced at it. Everything from shaving supplies to pasta, meat, liquor, and canned goods were on it.

“I’ll get some of the canned goods and come back.” I tucked the list back in her bag.

“I probably won’t be far from here,” she replied, snatching a plastic bag in front of the grapes.

Smiling, I headed out of the produce department.

I searched the signs above as I walked down the main aisle. When I spotted the row with canned goods, I turned. I didn't know which ones to get so I grabbed a can of corn, green beans, and peas and held them in my arms.

“I found the information for you,” Benny said.

My heart leaped. I spun around and found him standing behind me. “Benny, you have a way of making an entrance.”

He hid his hands in the front pockets of his black pants. “Does it startle you?” He scrunched his brows and gave me a questionable look. “It shouldn’t.”

The light floral scent emanating from him helped quiet my nerves. While he looked as harmless as a ladybug, the sudden appearing act still rattled me.

“What did you find?” I asked as I grabbed another can.

“Alison was listed in our records as a half-breed. I also found her death documented. I did not find evidence of her arriving upstairs.”

“What do mean, arriving upstairs?”

“What do you think it means?”

I picked up another can and wedged it under my arm with the others. “She didn’t go to heaven.”

“That is correct.” He circled behind me and came to stand on my other side.

“So if she didn’t go up, then she had to go down.”

“That’s what happens, unless she had unfinished business.”

“So, if Galluzzi is half-demon, she may have tempted Alison so she could advance her career.”

Benny tilted his head to the side. “You’re curious about her.”

“Well, yes. I want to know the truth. The local clan isn’t showing Galluzzi registered as a demon and she plans to run for president.” And why did her face appear in Ronnie’s memory when someone bought the demon watch I sold?

“I wasn’t referring to her,” Benny said.

“Oh,” I said, realizing he meant Alison. “Well, I’m curious to know what tempted her, but she’s dead so there isn’t much to look into.”

Benny regarded me with an impassive face. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

An extra set of arms would’ve been handy, but I doubted his ghostly hands could assist me.

“That’s it for now,” I said. “Can I call you if I have more questions later?”

His lips curled into a blissful smile. “Please do.”

“Thanks, Benny. I appreciate the information.”

The smile died from his face. “You should hurry.”

Staring into his glossy eyes, a twinge of panic ran through me. Tabby.

I sprinted past Benny, rounded the corner at the end of the aisle, and searched for her. Two rows down, in the liquor department, I found her, and she wasn’t alone.

Chapter 20

Two men stood near Tabby. One was bulky and stood in front of her cart, preventing blocking her. The other guy was the same man I’d seen behind the customer service desk earlier. They both wore jackets over their matching green shirts. As I approached them with my hands full of canned goods, I picked up scents of fear and hostility.

“Tabby dear, I’m in need of your help.” I walked around the bulky man and dumped the cans into the cart.

She gave me a phony smile. Fear came off her from her in waves.

The customer service clerk stood next to Tabby. He had a smirk on his face and he kept his hands in the pockets of his jacket. “Tabby just agreed to come with us. She told us you would be willing to come too.”

Violence swirled in his eyes. Peering closer, I saw a red ring around his pupils. Damn demon.

Anger stirred within me. Whatever this demon had planned, I wasn’t going to let him hurt Tabby. I moved closer to him. “Oh, I’m willing. But why don’t you let my friend go on.”

He grinned and withdrew a gun from his pocket. “No, she comes with us.” He pointed the gun at Tabby.

The big guy, reeking of sweat and cigarettes, stepped up behind me. He pressed something hard into my side. A quick glimpse down revealed a gun. I checked the bulky man’s eyes and noticed they were normal.

“We’re going out the back way together. If you behave, no one will get hurt,” the customer service guy said. “Chris, you go first.”

I looked at Tabby. Her lip quivered and tears swelled in her eyes, yet she remained calm. Hoping to ease some of her anxiety, I gave her a confident smile and a nod.

Chris jabbed the gun in my side. “Come on, bitch.”

I clenched my teeth. This human fool had no idea what he was dealing with. Slowly, I stepped away from Tabby and the other guy. When we were a few feet from them, I took a deep breath and attempted to summon my inner demon.

“Chris, you don’t want to do this,” I said to him over my shoulder.

He kept his vision pointed ahead and the gun in my side. “Oh, shut up. You don’t know what I want.”

“Do you want to go to jail? Do you want to spend the rest of your life behind bars or on death row for shooting us?”

“Look, bitch, I know what you’re trying to do.”

I slowed and twisted around to check on Tabby. The customer service guy had his hand her arm and the gun still aimed. She looked ready to burst into tears.

“Come on,” Chris said, irritated. He poked me with his gun. “Move it!”

I met my captor’s gaze. “I’m trying to save you from a life in jail. Do you think you’re the first person to pull this kind of shit? How do you think it always ends? The cops
will
find you and you
will
go to jail.”

“Hey,” the demon behind us said.

Chris and I turned to face him.

The demon with Tabby came to stand beside us. “Shut the fuck up or I maim the shifter.”

Chris slapped his hand on my shoulder and shoved me. I stumbled forward.

“I can handle her,” Chris said.

A loud ping came from the liquor bottle behind the demon's head. Glass shattered and dark fluid spilled out on the shelf. The demon twisted and fired his gun twice. Jonas leaped toward the shelf, missing both shots.

“Shit!” Chris yelled. “You didn’t tell me there was someone else here with a gun.” He got behind me and stuck the gun in my back.

Tabby’s captor fired two more shots. Jonas dove to the end of the aisle. His body squealed over the floor as he slid out of sight, around the corner.