Page 15 of Queen of Darkness
“Be well, Decan,” I said, wondering if I’d ever see him again.
The Broker’s right-hand man retreated down the hallway, leaving me to contemplate the bar. Neutral territory. The queen herself had said she wasn’t going to make a move on me here. That she would wait for me to leave to attack.
So, how the hell do I turn that information to my advantage?
Starting with whatever was on the second floor that Decan wanted me to find seemed like the best option. I took a deep breath and stepped out into the bar, letting the full effect of the noise wash over me. I stuck to the edges, seeking the nearest set of stairs that would take me up a level.
“What is it that you wanted me to see?” I said to myself as I climbed the stairs, conscious of the number of eyes on me.
I couldfeelit. The entire bar knew who I was. Knew that I was untouchable. Conversations dulled or stopped entirely as I passed. Full tables of people glanced at me over the rim of their drinks, trying to be surreptitious and failing. All I needed now was a spotlight on me to complete the feeling of being center stage.
Reaching the second floor, I endured more of the same. Some openly stared at me, while others quickly looked away if they caught my eye. Purses and bags filled empty chairs at tables, indicating that I wasn’t welcome at any of them. I’d been thoroughly ostracized.
Will this be my life from now on?I wondered as I started up the steps to the second floor, trying to seek out what Decan’s hint meant. Was the queen’s agent up here? Or maybe there was a secret exit she wasn’t monitoring?
I glanced over the balcony railing to the main floor. Numerous eyes were averted, returning to their drinks or conversation partners. Rolling my eyes, I hung back from the edge, deciding to stick to the shadows.
What the hell had Decan been trying to tell me by saying the second-floor drinks were better? My eyes scanned the room as I walked, but I didn’t note anything out of place. Everything seemed normal, and–
Hello, what do we have here?
A solitary figure ahead caught my eye. Hunched over, with a hood on, they sat at a table against the outer wall of the circular floor. Keeping very much to themselves.Notthe ordinary for an establishment like this.
I refrained from making a beeline to them. Instead, I continued on, trying to act like they didn’t draw my attention. I stepped up to the bar, catching the bartender's attention, and ordered a water, which drew a sour look. Using the bar as a backrest, I swept my gaze across the room, not paying anyone special attention.
As if sensing my gaze, he looked up slightly.
I nearly gasped at the familiar taut face, brown eyes, and nose that had been broken at least once before without quite healing properly.
Steeling myself, I walked over to them and sat down.
“Fred?” I hissed under my breath. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Hello, Jo,” came the baritone. “How are you?”
“Um, been better,” I said with a tense laugh. “But you know how it goes sometimes.”
“I do.” He looked at me, concern in his eyes. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here. Alone.”
The reference was pointed. He wanted to know where Aaron was.
“Didn’t have much choice,” I explained. “My options are slightly limited right now.”
“That can happen,” he says.
“What about you? How are you? Is everything okay? I haven’t seen you in weeks. Not since you ran off in the Underworld, pursued by those hellhounds or whatever.”
Fred shrugged. “I told you I’d have to lay low for a bit until things calmed down.”
“So, things are calm?”
“They were,” he said, smiling to take the sting off his next words, “until you sat down.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“At least now I can thank you. For what you did, helping Aaron and me find Fenrir.”
