Touch (Denazen #1)(28)

A few moments of silence ticked by. I decided to go for it.

“Since I don’t know what my time limit here is, lemme get right to the point. My dad’s the * in charge of Denazen. We’ve been told this Reaper dude is some kind of Yoda to you Sixes. My mom is being held at Denazen. Since this Reaper is the only one ever to get out of there alive, I need his help to get in, rescue her, and get out.” There. Short, sweet, and to the point.

The old woman cackled. “Not asking for much, are you?”

“Hey, gotta dream big,” I said.

She turned to Kale. “If you’ve managed to free yourself from Denazen’s chains, why are you still here? Surely you know Cross won’t give up on you?”

“Cross is relentless,” Kale confirmed. Beside me, he squared his shoulders and took my hand. “But I am staying with Dez.”

The guy who’d tumbled down the embankment, landing at my feet—the Six who’d tried to kill me— as more than that now. I didn’t know when it happened, or how, but there it was. “I’m going to get my mom back and I’m not going to let him take Kale back there.”

She was silent for a few moments, seemingly lost in thought. “I will help you,” she responded finally. My joy was short-lived though.

“But of course, I need you to do something for me.” What a shock.

There was a catch.

There’s always a damn catch. “What do you want? Cause if you ask me to get you a horse’s head, the deal’s off.”

“Denazen has been a thorn in the side of Sixes everywhere for a very long time. As I’m sure you can deduce, we’ve been trying to find a way to take them out.”

I hadn’t deduced that, but sure, whatever. “Okay…”

“What we lack, however, is certain information.”

“What kind of information?”

“There is a main database with the names of all the Sixes Denazen currently has in captivity. I need that information.”

Speechless. There were no words I could think of to reply to a request like that. How the hell did this woman expect me to get into Denazen, much less get them to allow me to copy secret files? “Are you high?”

“You asked for our help. I have named my price.” Clutching her cane, she rose. “There is no expiration on my offer. I feel this is a fair exchange. Get me the information we need, and I will help you find the Reaper so you may free your mother.”

She paused at the door. “I will also offer you a bonus. If you get me the information I seek, I will get Kale the help he needs to control his gift.”





10


“Wait!” I surged forward, but Alex grabbed my shoulders. “Let go of me, jackass!”

Alex waited for the door to close before releasing me. I crashed into the door and jerked the knob. Nothing. Locked.

“You don’t want to push her, Dez. She’s not the tolerant type.”

I whirled on him, fists curled tight. “What the hell was that about? You bring me here so she can offer to trade information about this Reaper guy for something I have no hope of getting?”

Alex actually had the nerve to look hurt. “I didn’t know what she was going to ask, I swear. Ginger is a hard-ass, but she’s usually fair. A little strange—but fair. If she asked you to get it, she thinks you can. I don’t believe she’d ask if she thought it was beyond you.”

I sank down into the armchair. “How the hell am I going to do this?” I turned to Kale. “Any ideas?”

He wasn’t looking at me. He was staring at the door Ginger had disappeared through.

“Kale?”

“Do you think it’s possible? I might be able to control it?”

We’d latched onto different parts of what Ginger said. Kale heard salvation. I turned to Alex. “Is it?”

“If Ginger says it is, then yes.”

“Fantastic. An even bigger carrot.”

“Let’s go sit,” Alex said. “Try to figure this out.”

We wove our way back down the stairs and to the first floor. I couldn’t help feeling a sting of jealousy when I glanced across the room. All these people living it up. Partying till dawn. A few days ago, that had been me. Blissful and ignorant and content.

We settled at the same table, which had remarkably remained empty despite the crowd. Alex nursed a beer, while Kale and I had soda, though mine sat untouched. Kale’s was gone. Well, his first was gone. And the second. And the third. He was on soda number four now. He loved the bubbles.

My head thumped heavily onto the table. “This is impossible.”

“Alex, baby!” an annoyingly high-pitched voice cooed.

I lifted my head and saw a tall, willowy redhead standing in front of our table.

“Hey Erica,” Alex said with feigned enthusiasm.

She gave an eager wave and threw herself into the seat next to him. “So where have you been hiding yourself? I haven’t seen you in forever!” She swiped the beer from his hand and took a long pull before setting it down on the table—not in front of Alex, but Kale.

“Yeah, well—”

She threw an arm over Alex’s shoulder and gave Kale a smoldering look before turning to glare at me. “What’s up with the man-hogging? Pick one.” She inclined her head toward Kale. “You’ve got both ends of the spectrum here, sistah. What’ll it be, day or night?”