Right Through Me (The Obsidian Files #1)(15)

Noah read aloud in a flat voice. “We’re the Party People. Unique Themes for All Occasions and All Ages. Ask About Our Balloon Animals Special. That’s a big step down from tech consulting.”

“Ya think? OK, then she went to the Stray Cat Pub in Greenwood.” More footage in the dark. The audio was a confusing babble. Drums started to throb. Wailing instruments cut through the din.

The camera focused in on a dancing figure swathed in purple veils.

“Belly dancing for a bachelor party,” Zade said. “That gave us our idea.”

Noah stared at the graceful arch of Bishop’s slender back. Veils swayed, light flashed and glittered off her jangling belt and delicate chains. Those striking, tilted green eyes were framed with showy make-up. Her tits jiggled as her hips swiveled with insolent grace. And then there was that smile.

An AVP surge started happening, even via digital footage. His ears roared, his heart galloped.

“. . . . Noah?” Zade’s voice cut through the buzz. “Hey! You tracking?”

“Huh?” Noah dragged his eyes from the monitor.

“I was just saying, the chick’s in hiding. Definitely. She wouldn’t be clown-slash-belly dancer if she were on Mark’s payroll.”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Noah said.

“God forbid we do anything as attention-getting as jumping, even if it’s to conclusions,” Zade grumbled. “We just stand around like embalmed corpses.”

“I bust my ass to keep you from becoming a corpse,” Noah said. “Turn that thing off. I’ve seen enough.”

Zade poked his phone with dramatic emphasis. The flickering screen froze.

“You need more proof?” Zade’s voice was belligerent. “Call up the entertainment agency. Ask for Shamira.”

Noah willed his heart to slow. “What would that accomplish?”

Zade shrugged. “Might shut you up. Our consensus is that she isn’t on Mark’s team. He wouldn’t let her work these two-bit gigs.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” Noah said.

Zade smirked. “You like to run AVP with the lights way down low, right? So order a dance. Schmooze, flirt, suss this girl out. Use your f*cking abilities, dude. Besides, she’s not the real problem. Mark is. We should have neutralized him years ago.”

“I didn’t want to. And that was the right decision,” Noah said.

Zade’s face was grim. “Mark’s been hurting people ever since he got out. He’s a Midlands monster, just like they wanted us to be. But monsters should stay in cages. We’re the ones who turned him loose, so we should shut him down. Because truthfully? No one else on earth can.”

“We didn’t create him,” Noah ground out. “That’s not on us.”

“Maybe not,” Zade replied. “But we owe my brother.”

“I know,” Noah said. “But we have no proof that Mark’s responsible.”

“No?” Zade gestured at the monitor. “What do you call this?”

“I call it a mystery to be unraveled,” Noah said. “Carefully. Discreetly.”

He and Zade glared at each other. Like always, it fell to him to be the hardass.

Zade looked away, shaking his head. “The girl could be useful, if you play her right.” Zade tossed a glossy brochure on his desk. “That’s from Bounce, in case you give a shit. I’m outta here.”

“Zade,” Noah said. “Stay away from her.”

Zade stopped at the door. “Is that an order?”

“We need to be on the same page for this to work,” Noah said.

“Not possible, man, if you’re going to be the only one who gets to write on it.” Zade reached out as he went through the door and slapped on the lights, all at once.

“Fuck you! Jesus, that hurts!”

“Blinded by the light? Deal with it.”

Noah turned the lights back off as he heard Zade walk away, whistling.

It drove him nuts, that Zade assumed that he needed to force Noah to save his brother Luke. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Noah was f*cking tired of him and the others. Their brains buzzed at uncontrollable frequencies. Outside the box didn’t even describe it. More like outside the f*cking building.

But they were his best buds, all of them. Until they turned into raging, paranoid maniacs. Who still wanted to be tucked into bed after hearing a reassuring story from Noah.

Fuck them ten times over.

He realized that his sight was returning. No thanks to Zade, who was long gone.

A tentative knock sounded on the door. “Mr. Gallagher?”

“Go away,” he said harshly. “Everyone. Stay the hell away. All of you.”

It was only Harriet Aronsen, his office manager. He shouldn’t use that tone with her, but currently had no f*cks to give. Everyone should stay away.

He’d keep his own distance if he could. Just abandon his own rage, lock it up in a reinforced steel box, bury it and forget where he’d left it.

But he couldn’t.

The brochure Zade left caught his eye. He picked it up.

Bounce. Your one-stop shopping for party entertainers. Exclamation point. Noah squinted. Make that three exclamation points. He unfolded it. The window signs he’d seen on the monitor didn’t remotely cover everything on offer. DJ’s, karaoke, clowns, children’s parties, fire breathers, sword swallowers, strip-o-grams, Dickens carolers, celebrity lookalikes, giant inflatable rats and snakes, and last but not least, nearly naked representatives of every gender bursting out of cardboard cakes. Plus, hmm, costume design and rental for parties, school, community and professional theater productions. Noah studied a glossy photo of a guy in spangles, exhaling fire and jumping through hoops. He could identify.