Touch (Denazen #1)(22)

By the time we’d found a clock and gotten breakfast, it was almost ten. The strip was chaos, and normally that would have been a comfort, but today every passing face filled me with suspicion. The sour-faced chick who’d served us our coffee, the homeless man taking a leak on his own shoes, even the little old lady with the warm smile walking her toy poodle. My new sense of paranoia said they were all possible Denazen spies. At one point, I’d been convinced that the two preteen kids trailing behind us, eating ice cream, were Dad’s minions.

Roudey’s Pool Hall didn’t open until noon to the public, but it was a little-known fact that he kept the back entrance unlocked early for regulars. Or at least he used to—I hadn’t been to the pool hall in a long time.

Kale trailed close behind as I skirted around the rusted dumpster and stacks of discarded chalk boxes that littered the side of the building. I steered us through the garbage-infested alley with my hand clamped over my mouth as we made our way to the back door. A quick twist of the knob told me little had changed. Pushing it open, I gestured Kale inside and followed.

From the back room, I could hear thumping beats accompanied by a rough voice screaming in tune. I was all for the hard stuff, but Screamo? So not my scene. Laughing and hooting, followed by a distinctly female giggle, floated over the music. I walked into the main room, Kale a hulking presence beside me.

For a moment, no one noticed me. Normally, I’d stroll into a room like I owned the place, but here… Here, things were different. A year ago I swore never to set foot in this place again, and had it not been a matter of life and death I would have kept that pact. This was where I’d first met Alexander Mojourn. This was where it all began.

And where it all ended.

A sharp whistle split the air, snapping me back to the here and now. Time to focus. I was here for a reason—I had a purpose.

“Dez, baby, long time no see,” a tall redheaded boy called out, crossing the floor in three sweeping steps. He threw his arms around me, lifting my feet off the floor.

I returned the embrace with a quick squeeze and pulled away when he set me down. “Nice to see you too, Tommy.”

At the front, on a stool behind the counter, the owner, Roudey, gave me a small nod and an inconspicuous wink. He watched the room while polishing one of his billiard trophies. I smiled back. Others did the same, calling out greetings and waving in acknowledgment, though thankfully none as enthusiastic as Tommy. Most of the faces were familiar. There were some new additions of course, but the same names were still among them, a little older with more miles of bad road stretching out across their faces. I searched the small crowd until I found the one we were looking for. The one I least wanted to see.

A mop of spiky, white-blond hair, striking hazel eyes, and a labret with a yellow beaded smiley face nicknamed Fred.

Alex Mojourn.

He’d seen me enter the room but remained in the corner. As I approached him, I could feel eyes on me. I tried to come off casual as I strode across the room. Somewhere in the world, pigs were flying, goats were dancing, and little green men were shaking hands with the president. Time to tune it all out.

“I need to talk to you.” I kept my face blank while holding his gaze. He’d taught me that. Show nothing.

Still, he didn’t speak. He looked from me to Kale, eyes narrowing slightly, before nodding toward one of the private rooms behind the tables and off in the back.

Several familiar faces waved as we walked by, but I ignored them. This was a part of my past. One I had no intention of revisiting. At one time I might have missed these people but not anymore. I was over the whole scene.

“You look good,” Alex said as he closed the door behind Kale.

I ignored the compliment. I wasn’t here to reminisce. “Cole Oster sent me.” I didn’t offer anything further because I wanted to see his reaction. His eyes widened—just a bit—before he nodded in acknowledgment of the name. Typical Alex. “We’ve gotten into some trouble with Denazen, and he said you could help us find the Reaper.”

His reaction wasn’t what I expected. In fact, he was pretty much reactionless, which proved I never knew him as well as I thought. He gave Kale a casual-once over. “You a Six?”

Kale either didn’t notice or ignored Alex’s condescending tone and simply nodded.

I felt my fingers twitch. I wanted to hit Alex. Like I’d hit him the last time we’d spoken—ironically, in this very room. “You know about Denazen?” I kept my voice even—not wanting him knowing anything he’d said or lied about in the past bothered me anymore.

This was B-movie perfection. Uber evil corporation, complete with brainless muscle and evil plot to take over the world. Everyone was in on it except the poor, helpless, beautiful girl.

Okay. Not helpless, but definitely beautiful. No. Scratch that. Hot.

He ignored my question, still focused on Kale. “What’d you do to get on their radar?”

“Radar?” Kale asked, confused. “Like an ocean ship?”

“He escaped,” I snapped, stepping between them.

Alex’s eyes went wide. “Escaped?” He jerked forward, seizing my arm to pull me away.

In a flash Kale towered beside me, reaching for Alex.

“NO!” I cried, wrenching from Alex’s grasp and pulling back on Kale’s shirt simultaneously. Just in time to prevent contact. Kale was wearing gloves, but accidents could still happen. “No,” I repeated.