Toxic (Denazen #2)(38)

She hooked her arm through mine and flashed me an impish grin. “Only if we’re lucky.”





13


Kiernan was a girl after my own heart. Her pick-me-up turned out to be a party downtown. After she successfully snuck me out the back door by creating a diversion Rosie couldn’t ignore—telling her someone broke her television—we were on our way.

The last house on Shannon Lane had been abandoned for over four months. Foreclosed and forgotten, it was the perfect place to throw a back-to-school bash. A dairy farm on one side and the edge of Memorial Park on the other meant there wasn’t anyone around to call the cops. At least, not for a while.

When we arrived, I was surprised to see Luke, one of the people staying at the Sanctuary, perched on the bottom step, cigarette dangling from his lips and beer in hand. He’d come to the hotel during the summer after a group of Denazen agents raided his apartment. He was a nice guy, quiet, and had the ability to communicate with animals. It’d actually come in handy. The Sanctuary’s basement was currently vermin free as a result of Luke directing the mice elsewhere. Like, to the burger joint a block over.

“Hey,” I said as we climbed the old Victorian’s steps. The wood creaked beneath my feet as I avoided a suspicious-looking puddle with pale white chunks at the base of the first step.

He gave me a nod and took a swig from the bottle. “You’re not supposed to leave the hotel at night.”

I looked around. When I didn’t recognize any of the other kids, I asked, “Is this a—”

“Six bash? Hell, no. Ginger doesn’t do residential. This one’s all Nix.”

“You came here instead of the usual party?” I could understand my reasons—I was under house arrest. But Luke? He loved using his ability. A few weeks ago, I’d heard all about how he’d called in the local wildlife for a makeshift petting zoo to keep some Six kids entertained.

He shrugged. “Sometimes it’s interesting to see how the other half parties.” He looked from me to Kiernan and winked. “So where’s your usual cohort—not that I’m complaining about the present company…?”

I opened my mouth to answer but didn’t get the chance.

“Ah, there he is.” Luke whistled. “And who’s the hottie?”

When I turned to see what the fuss was about, I nearly threw up. Waltzing up the path, arm in arm, were Kale and Jade.

“Dez,” she said, saccharine smile firmly in place. “What are you doing here?”

Kiernan, true to her I’ve got your back statement, elbowed me aside. “What is she doing here?” She turned to Kale and poked him hard in the chest. “Did you follow us?”

Kale’s brow furrowed, obviously confused by Kiernan’s tone. He opened his mouth to answer, but Jade ran him over.

“Follow you? We didn’t know you were here—whoever you are.”

That’s right. Jade and Kiernan hadn’t met yet. Now didn’t seem like the ideal time for introductions, though. And if I had my way, Jade wouldn’t be staying in town long. I pushed past Kiernan, moving dangerously close to Kale. The words tumbled out before I could clamp my mouth shut. I knew how bad they sounded. How pathetic. But for some reason, I couldn’t stop. “If you didn’t follow me, why are you here?”

Again Kale opened his mouth, and again Jade was kind enough to speak for him. Poor guy couldn’t get a word in. “Your friend Curd called to tell you about the party. I thought since I’m going to be here for a while, I should make some friends.”

“Curd called the hotel?” I hadn’t spoken to Curd since Sumrun. When things went down, I thought it’d be best to steer clear of everyone until I knew things were safe. Curd had been hurt when I brought Kale to his house. It hadn’t been bad, but still. “He doesn’t even know where I’m staying.”

“Oh, he still doesn’t.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. “You left this in the conference room.”

I patted my front pocket. When I found it empty, I snagged the cell from her hands. “You answered my phone?”

She flashed an innocent smirk. “Was only trying to be helpful. When I told Kale about the party, he was kind enough to escort me.”

“Escort you?” I glared at Kale. My head was starting to pound, and the ache in my shoulder intensified just a little. Things had to get worse before they got better, I told myself. The increase in pain only meant whatever it was, it was healing. With a deep breath, I said, “You snuck out of the hotel to bring this bitch to a party?”

“That was wrong?” He looked genuinely confused. “But you snuck out? Jade wanted to see the party.”

“Yeah, Dez,” Jade said in a singsong voice. “You snuck out. Why is it okay for you and not for Kale? You can’t control him. He’s a free agent.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. Anything else I said would just give Jade more ammo. Turning, I stalked up the steps, past Luke and Kiernan, and into the house.

Someone had gone a little crazy with the glow toys. The place was pitch black, but you could see the bobbing and thrashing forms outlined by glow jewelry and paint. Next to the entryway, a small Coleman lantern sat by a large cardboard box. There were a few glow bracelets left in the bottom, so I snatched them up and moved into the room.