Mercy for the Fallen (44 page)

Penny’s head wobbled, but it worked, and she turned to look back at her.  “What do you think?  She already left with that guy.”

Damn
.  “Okay, well, it was nice of you to invite us, but I don’t think we’re up for any parties tonight.  Thank you.”  Cady put a note of finality in her voice, not quite rude, but making it clear she had no intention of letting her friend leave with him.

“But… Claudio said…”

“I’d be more worried about what
Justin
had to say about this.”  Cady gave her a pointed look.  “Remember Justin?”

“Justin…” Penny blinked, almost as though she didn’t remember her own fiancée.

“Yep, time to go.”  Cady grabbed hold of Penny’s elbow, only to have it pulled from her grasp as Claudio held firm to her friend’s arm.  “I’m not playing tug-o-Penny with you, dude.  Let go or I’ll scream bloody murder.”

“In this place, who would care?” He chuckled, his voice all soft and silky, but somehow penetrating the din without any trouble.  “Join us.  I promise it will be a night you would not soon forget.”  With his free hand he reached for hers, bringing it to his lips. 

Cady felt the invitation down to her toes, and instead of telling him exactly what he could do with his slimy suggestion, she nodded, held captive by those dark eyes.  He smiled, and she wanted nothing more than to see him smile again.  Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, poised to say yes, when she was jostled from behind, something cold, wet and sticky spilling over her side.  Letting out a yelp, Cady turned in time to see a girl with frizzy orange hair shrug her shoulders in apology.

“Oopsie,” she grinned sloppily before tottering away on platform heels.  

It was better than a bucket of cold water for cooling her jets, and Cady shook her head to clear it.  Was she seriously contemplating leaving with this guy and Penny for a night of…
ick
!  Maybe he’d used some kind of hypnotism on her?  She wasn’t about to stick around and find out.             

“Now, ladies, if I may suggest…” Claudio started to say, but Cady ignored him, grabbing onto Penny with a jerky tug, pulling her free of his grasp. 

“Let’s go, Penny,” she insisted, looking anywhere but at the guy.  Penny objected weakly, but Cady had no trouble dragging her out of the club, sucking in a shaky breath once they reached the relatively fresher night air outside.  Without stopping, she pulled her down the block, knowing they’d never get a cab in that area of town, but at least the busses were still running.  Darting a look over her shoulder, she half expected to find Claudio following them, but apart from a short line of people still trying to get into the busy club, the street was empty. 

“What’s going on?” Penny blinked, rubbing her arms against the cooler temperature, which was probably still over seventy-five degrees.  “Where’s my sweater?”

Cady laughed, nerves and relief lending a touch of hysteria to her giggle.  “Where’s your sweater?  That’s all you have to say to me right now?” 

“Well… I…”  Slowing to a stop, Penny placed a hand over her heart, her forehead crumpling as she puzzled through the mental fog. 

“Come on, we have to keep moving.”  Cady propelled her forward.  It was one of the unspoken rules of the street.  Keep moving, keep your head down, don’t make eye contact.  Especially given the weirdness they’d just experienced.  Her thoughts went back to her neighbor, the cop.  How had he known that there was more to Claudio than met the eye? 

“Did I almost just go home with a random guy?”  Penny’s already tinny voice squeaked into a higher register as the magnitude of her actions sank in. 

“Yep,” Cady nodded, pulling her across the street.  “You and me both.”

“Oh my God…”

“It’s alright, Penny, you didn’t do it.”

“Yes, but I…”

“Let’s just get out of here and we can talk about it later.”  Cady gave her another subtle tug and this time Penny allowed herself to be led.  “Do you want to go grab a cup of coffee?”

“No, I want to go home.”

It wasn’t Cady’s first choice, they lived in opposite directions and she’d rather not be alone just yet, but she nodded, understanding her friend’s desire to feel safe at home.  Luck was with them, and Penny’s bus appeared at the end of the street as they reached the stop.  “Here comes your bus.  Will you be okay getting home from here, or do you want me to come with you?”

“No, I’ll be fine.”  The words tumbled out too fast, and Cady wondered if her friend was trying to convince herself.  “I think I just need to lie down for a bit.  I feel so strange.”

That didn’t sound so good.  “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with?”

“No, don’t be silly,” Penny smiled weakly.  “It’s not all that late, I’ll get home just fine.”

She started to sound more like her old self, and Cady didn’t really want to ride clear to the other side of town and back.  “Okay, but call me when you get home so I’ll know you made it there alright.”

“Sure, of course I will.”  The bus stopped with a squeal of the brakes, the doors opening with a hiss.  “Goodnight, Cady.  Thank you.”

“No worries.  Remember to call me, okay?”

Penny nodded, hurrying up the steps to flash her bus pass at the driver who barely glanced at it.  Crossing the street, Cady studied the schedule posted under the number for her bus.  Weighing the time against the probability of it actually showing up on time, she decided to hoof it, glad she’d worn comfortable walking shoes.  Besides, she didn’t want to stand around waiting, it made her feel more like a target.  

Usually walking home at night didn’t bother her all that much.  It drove her brother, Ian, nuts whenever she did it alone, but damned if she was going to sit at home every night off because he had to work.  As long as she carried less than twenty dollars on her, getting mugged wasn’t that big of a deal. 

The spilled drink on her shirt felt clammy now, smelling unpleasantly of sickly sweet cranberries and hard alcohol.  Feeling somewhat exposed with her bare shoulders and arms in the brief tank top, she unwound her hair from the knots on the side of her head, letting it spill down her back. 

Her hair was the one thing Cady was vain about.  She never cut it, and it hung just past the top of her jeans, even with a bit of curl in it from the tightly wound knots she’d twisted it into.  When she was a little girl, she’d loved the story of Beauty and the Beast.  Not a princess, but an ordinary girl who gladly traded her life to save her father’s, and found love in the strangest of places. 

In the well worn pages of her book, Beauty had long, flowing, crimson hair and vivid green eyes, and her beloved father had always teased her that perhaps she was a descendent of Beauty’s.  Cady’s eyes were more brown than green on most days, but she imagined her hair was similar, especially when she treated it with henna.  In the sunlight it glowed with red fire, but at night, it darkened to rich mahogany, as it was now.  The cloak of hair offered her some measure of protection against the night, and Cady felt more comfortable with it down. 

Hurried steps carried her past the entrance to Inferno again as she headed for home, and Cady darted another look in the club’s direction, but there was no sign of Claudio.  Ready to dismiss thoughts of the disturbing man, her mind turned to her neighbor, and she wished she’d thought to ask him his name.  The mailbox next to hers said D. Brown in faded pencil, but it could have been years out of date for all she knew.  It was strange that she’d never talked to him before, too.  Not that she was all that friendly with most of the people in her building, but he did live next door, and she knew the names of the residents of the other two apartments on their floor. 

Crossing the street again, she turned the corner, breathing shallowly through her mouth as she stepped past an alley that reeked of urine and worse.  There were dark shapes huddled there, but Cady didn’t look.  If she looked, she would see.  If she saw, she might stop.  And if she stopped… you never knew if you’d escape the encounter with a dollar less in your pocket or end up in the hospital.  In the daytime, she tried to spare a buck or two when she could, but at night it was best to keep moving. 

A quick glance at the time showed that if she could make three blocks in the next three minutes, she stood a good chance of catching a bus that would take her the rest of the way home in one shot. 
Easy as pie…

Easy, except when the figure of a man stepped out from the doorway of a noodle shop, completely blocking her path.  Especially when she recognized Claudio’s inviting smile.  “What lovely hair you have.”  His eyes glittered in the green neon light, casting his features with an unhealthy pallor. 

“Oh, balls…”

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The Company of Shadows
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