Freak Show (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7)(79)

Brogan shook her blonde head, and her smile grew. “Even now, Mom never stops surprising me. She was so intuitive.”

“She gave me the greatest gift. I wish I could thank her.” Sorrow gripped me in its rough clutches. Lena’s death had come at the hands of two members of the blood ring. I’d killed both Claire and Maxwell, but it would never be enough. I couldn’t bring her back.

I gave Brogan’s arm a friendly pat. “You know I owe you, right? For life. Seriously. Anything you need, anything I can ever do. Don’t hesitate.”

She started to protest then thought better of it. “Thank you, Alexa. That means a lot to me. My mom really loved you.” A solemn silence fell as we each remembered Lena in our own way. Then Brogan snapped out of it, her cheery tone tight and forced. “Let me turn that amulet into a pendant for you. It’s best if you wear it. All the time. Even in the shower.”

Just ten minutes later, the shiny onyx stone was ready to wear. Using a special drill made for such things, Brogan drilled a small hole in the top of the teardrop. She slipped it onto a strong piece of leather, which I tied securely around my neck.

The moment the stone lay against my chest, a slight dizzy spell hit me. It aligned itself to the earthy energy of my wolf, and a sense of serene calm spread through me. It felt right. I could have cried with relief. I might lose my light, but I would not lose my wolf.

I gave Brogan a hug and said goodnight. Halfway to the door she stopped me with a frantic plea. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help Gabriel. If he’s ever in trouble or anything…”

“I’ll keep you posted, but I won’t get you involved. As long as you’re not on anybody’s radar, I won’t do anything to change that.”

As I exited Toil and Trouble, I made a silent vow to keep that promise. Too many people I loved were already under Shya’s thumb in one way or another. The precious few that were not part of that needed to stay that way.

I’d told myself that I’d take a few days at home to just chill and recover from Vegas. Still, I found myself driving across the river toward downtown and The Wicked Kiss. Since I was already in the city, I might as well make sure the building was still standing. Leaving Kale in charge in his current mental state was chancy. Seeing him wasn’t something I’d been planning to do so soon. As long as we weren’t alone together, nothing should come of it. Besides, during the flight home, I’d done some thinking and made some decisions regarding the nightclub Kale and I shared. We had work to do.

By the time I reached the club, I was convinced I should have gone back home to bed. Still, it didn’t stop me from getting out of the car. Kale’s classic Camaro was in the parking lot. Crap. So much for the hope that he wasn’t here. It made me sad, the realization that, every time I came to the Kiss now, I held out hope that it would be at a time when Kale was elsewhere. We had been such close friends once.

It was still early. The place wouldn’t be crowded for a few hours yet; the parking lot was especially empty. Suspicious. The guys working the door greeted me as I passed through the lobby. Was it just me or were they stiffer than usual? When I stepped into the heart of the club, I saw why.

The place was a total disaster. Worse than I’d ever seen it, and I’d seen it in pretty rough shape. Tables were not just overturned but smashed. Chairs littered the floor as if they’d been tossed around by a tornado. Broken glass crunched under my feet. The aroma of liquor and blood dominated the air while violence colored the atmosphere.

In the middle of it all stood Kale and Willow. They each looked up at my appearance in jaw-dropped surprise. I’d interrupted their clean up attempt. I stood frozen, staring at them, unable to form words just yet. They exchanged a look with one another.

“Do I even want to know?” I swept through the room, stepping over fragments of table and other miscellaneous debris. Was that a burn mark on the ceiling?

“No,” they said in unison before dissolving into nervous laughter. They had definitely not been expecting me.

“You’re home sooner than I expected,” Kale remarked with a secretive smile. “Glad to see you’re relatively unscathed. How was Vegas?”

I stared at the trashed stage, biting back the stream of curses that threatened to spill forth. “It was a f**king gong show. Apparently, I missed something while I was gone. Want to fill me in?”

Willow turned away, hiding what I think was another laugh. He disappeared behind the bar, leaving Kale to answer my questions.

“Not particularly,” Kale said with a shrug. “Had a little trouble is all. I took care of it. Nothing for you to concern yourself with.”

“Is that so?” I eyed him skeptically. “Looks to me like I was right about leaving you in charge here. Another day or two, and there probably wouldn’t even be a building left to trash.”

Kale didn’t say anything for a moment. He continued to throw pieces of wood and glass into a large pile in the center of the room. The muscles in his arms and back rippled as he did so. He seldom dressed so casually in jeans and a t-shirt, so I allowed myself a moment to enjoy the view.

“Gee, thanks; glad to see you too,” he said. His tone dripped sarcasm. “Actually, I’m the reason this place is still standing, among other things. Though I don’t expect you to believe that.”

Willow emerged from the bar with a tequila in one hand and the Dragon Claw in the other. He passed me the dagger, which I happily accepted. It was so good to have it back in my hands.