Page 9 of Concluded
Once Achilles was seated in the rented Camry, he had a decision to make.It was nearly eight p.m., so one option would be to find something to eat and then check in to his downtown hotel.He could do the recruiting gig in the morning.Or he could simply drive to the guy’s house now.
“Let’s just get it over with.”Besides, at this time of day, he probably had a good chance of finding the guy at home.
Henry had sent Achilles a file with the man’s name and address, along with some basic information about him, and Achilles—blessed with a good memory—had spent the flight reviewing and memorizing everything.Now he punched the address into the car’s navigation system and set out.
Traffic was light at this time of night, and since Achilles didn’t care about speed limits, it took less than twenty minutes before he parked in front of an old brick apartment complex on Southeast 30th.The street itself was fairly dark, all the parked cars empty.Achilles started shivering as soon as he got out of the car; living in Los Angeles, it was easy to forget that winter existed elsewhere.At least it wasn’t raining.
He tromped up a few concrete steps and found himself in a grassy courtyard that might be nice under other circumstances but currently felt forlorn.Apartment 7 was right in the middle of the building.Before knocking, Achilles paused to rehearse what he was going to say.
Dee Martell?I’ve got an offer you can’t refuse.No, that was a bad idea.
How aboutHere’s the chance of a lifetime!Nope.That made Achilles sound like a pyramid-scheme salesman.
I’m Agent Spanos from the Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs.I’d appreciate it if you’d hear me out for a few minutes.I’ve been told it’s really important.Okay.That would do, he supposed.
He took a deep breath and knocked.
Nobody answered.
He knocked again three times, harder each time, with no response.Then he took note of the sales circulars overflowing the little metal mailbox attached to the wall.And the fact that no lights were on inside.Most important, the back of his neck felt tingly, very much as it had right before the bear shifter attacked.
“Shit.”
Putting expediency above good sense, Achilles tried the knob… and the door opened.
He stepped inside to discover a coffee table with a half-empty glass of water, an open pizza box—the contents congealed—and a chipped plate holding a slice minus a few bites.A small pile of shoes, jackets, and other clothing lay on the floor to one side.There was a palpable sense that nobody was home.
Achilles had arrived too late.
CHAPTER4
The bench sat atop a rise along the edge of the beach.
“Sweetheart, you need to chill out,” said the pretty woman sitting next to Dee.“I’m half your size—do you really think I’m going to attack you?”
Dee took a few deep breaths and frowned at her.“Size doesn’t matter.”
She threw back her head and laughed, her long blonde hair resplendent in the sunshine.More than just pretty, she was stunning.She looked like someone in an advertisement, her skin glowing, her expensive blouse and skirt arranged just right, her teeth white and perfect.More than that, she looked like someone who spent her days shopping in boutiques, nibbling in twee cafés, browsing the arts section in bookshops, meandering down long sandy beaches like the one currently in view.
“You’re funny,” she said and patted his knee.“I like you.”
“No, you don’t, and you can stop pretending you do.I’m nowhere near your league.I can’t even buy tickets to your league.But you’ve dragged me all the way from Portland to San Diego, and you clearly want something from me.Also, you scare the shit out of me.”
Dee wasn’t normally this honest.But for the past three days his mind had been like a glitter-filled cloud.It was as if he’d been taking some really strong drugs, except he was sober as a judge.Which probably meant he’d finally fallen over the edge into insanity—not that he’d ever been all that far from the edge—and he didn’t understand what was going on.Maybe if he was straightforward, some of the confusion would untangle.
The woman, who’d said her name was Ashley Dunn, gave him an indulgent smile.“That’s sweet of you to say.And Itoldyou what I want.Some of your magic.”
“I don’t know what that means.Why did you bring me here?What the hell is going on?”
Gazing placidly out at the waves, she acted as if he hadn’t said a word.
Dee could have stood up and walked away.Theoretically.And yes, that would have left him stranded a thousand miles from home, but he’d been in worse predicaments.He would manage somehow.Yet he remained seated, just as he’d stuck with Ashley over the past days, believing she truly did have something to offer him.An opportunity he’d never have again.
He also believed that whatever that thing was, it would come at a steep price.
The sun felt good on Dee’s head and neck.Temps here were in the sixties, which wasn’t hot but was a lot warmer than back in Portland.And the water was pretty.He hadn’t spent a lot of time near the coast, which was a little puzzling because he liked the ocean.It was beautiful, mysterious, and potentially deadly.Which, now that he thought of it, also described Ashley.
Dee had been having a surprisingly good day right before she showed up.A real estate developer had bought a charm several weeks earlier in hopes of speeding up the city’s permitting process, and apparently he’d mentioned his success to a couple of buddies.One of them, a real estate agent trying to sell a mansion in the West Hills, had eagerly shelled out five hundred bucks for one of Dee’s charms.And on the very same day, another of his pals had paid a thousand dollars for a charm that would improve his kid’s score on the law school admission test.That gave Dee enough cash to cover the rent and even splurge on a large Italian Combo from the pizza place down the street.
