Highborn. Part 7

Numbers aside, Chicago was a huge city-it had to be more than coincidence that had put Brynna so near another nephilim so soon, that had conspired all the events in her oh-so-short time on Earth to lead her to this grubby, gang-riddled tenement house. One nephilim had died just inches from her, and yet here was another, close enough for her to ... what?

Protect.

Could she have found her road to redemption? She had no idea, and since G.o.d didn't talk to her anymore, the only thing Brynna could do was try.

Another hour pa.s.sed, then two, and she was beginning to think that the test of her first night would pa.s.s without giving her the ability to prove herself.

Finally, a sound made Brynna lift her head. Hurrying up the darkened sidewalk to the building's entrance was a woman dressed in jeans and a grease-splattered s.h.i.+rt. Brynna could smell her from here. Hot oil, cheap meat, eggs, and more-a waitress like the one at that restaurant near the police station, coming home from her s.h.i.+ft. If she was lucky, she had enough in her purse to pay the electric bill and buy a few groceries. She also smelled like fear, and rightfully so, because she was being followed.

Brynna was out of her apartment in seconds. She met the woman at the front entrance and pulled her through the door. The waitress gasped in surprise when Brynna yanked her backward and stepped in front of her just as a guy with greasy dark hair and dirty hands grabbed at the air where the woman's head had just been. He flailed at nothing for a moment, then tried again. Brynna slapped his hand away. "Get lost," she snarled. "Go rob someone else."

"Get out of my way, puta, puta," the man hissed. "I want to talk to my wife."

Brynna's eyebrows rose and she glanced behind her. The woman, pet.i.te and middle-aged, had probably once been pretty, but a hard life had taken that from her. The network of scars along her left jaw and the fresh swelling and splits in her bottom lip didn't help. "N-No, Lujano. You go away." Her eyes were so wide with terror that the whites showed all the way around her black irises. "The police say you cannot talk to me anymore. The judge said so, too-they will arrest you!"

Lujano laughed softly. "Well, they are not here now, are they, mi bonita mi bonita?" His eyes were small and mean as they pa.s.sed dismissively over Brynna, then trained again on the woman behind her. "Get your a.s.s over here, Rosamar."

Rosamar shook her head. To Brynna, the movement looked like the tremor of a petrified bird. "No," she said again. "I have filed divorce papers. I-"

Lujano's laugh was harsher this time. "Pendeja, there will be no divorce. there will be no divorce. Ever. Ever. We are going to have a talk about that." We are going to have a talk about that."

"This is getting old," Brynna cut in. Her palm flashed forward and she shoved Lujano hard enough to make him stumble back a good six feet. He made a guttural warning sound at her and Brynna's eyes briefly glowed a scarlet warning. "Go away." "Go away."

Lujano didn't notice. "I don't think so," he spat. He dragged something out of his pocket and pointed it at Brynna. "Get the f.u.c.k out of my way. I have business with my wife."

Brynna saw the barest gleam of light reflect off dirty metal-a gun of some kind, smaller than the weapon the nephilim killer used, but at this close range, potentially just as deadly. She was really getting tired of having these d.a.m.ned things pointed at her. Even so, she didn't back up. Behind her, Rosamar made a tiny choking sound in her throat.

Before Brynna could say anything, she felt the woman's shaking fingers tug at her sleeve. "Let me go to him," she said in a small voice. "Or he will will hurt you." She paused, then said in a whisper only Brynna could hear, "I should know." Louder, she said, "If I let you in, you will let her go, Lujano?" hurt you." She paused, then said in a whisper only Brynna could hear, "I should know." Louder, she said, "If I let you in, you will let her go, Lujano?"

Lujano had crept forward until Brynna could see the battered old revolver in his hand. He shrugged and waved the gun carelessly to one side. "I give a s.h.i.+t-I don't even know her."

Rosamar moved, trying to step around Brynna, and Brynna looked back at her in disbelief. Had she heard correctly? This beaten human woman was willing to sacrifice herself for Brynna's sake? A stranger whom she'd never even seen before a minute ago? The concept was almost incomprehensible, and while Brynna couldn't see the future, it wasn't difficult to imagine what the next few hours would hold for Rosamar if she did. Brynna doubted even Rosamar realized the true danger, how far gone her husband was-there was a sheen in Lujano's eyes that Brynna recognized from a hundred thousand other men whose souls had been just as black as his was tonight.

She s.h.i.+fted her weight before Rosamar could slip in front of her, trapping the waitress behind her. Rosamar sucked in a breath. "I'm not usually a generous person," Brynna told Lujano in an icy voice, "but I'll give you one last chance to take off."

Lujano's wavering gun steadied and fixed on the center of Brynna's chest. "Is this where I'm supposed to ask 'Or what?' Well, not this time, b.i.t.c.h. You-"

Brynna's left hand was a streak in the night, far too fast for Lujano's eyes to track. A spurt of hot yellow-red light severed the darkness the instant her fingers closed over his hand and gripped it; a second later the palm of her right hand slapped over his mouth, holding in the scream that would have rippled out.

"Shhhhhh," Brynna said gently. Lujano went rigid, writhing upright like a man fighting to free himself from the molten embrace of fiery clothes. "You go on home and think about changing the direction of your life, Lujano. And leave Rosamar alone-she doesn't want to see you again. Ever. Ever."

Brynna let her right hand drop and Lujano's eyes bulged as his wild, agony-filled eyes rolled in their sockets. His lips were burned and blackened, sealing his screams inside; the noises he made were more like frantic, nonstop grunts. Brynna pushed him and the man almost went to his knees, then righted himself and careened away.

"Don't worry," she called after him. "Your mouth will be fine in a couple of hours." She paused, then added, "Too bad about your hand, though."

But he was already out of range, cradling one hand in the other and running crookedly along the sidewalk as fast as he could. Brynna watched impa.s.sively as he disappeared down the street, leaving behind only a single, tiny spot of cooling, liquefied metal on the cracked sidewalk.

Nine.

Sitting in the Nickel and Dime Diner, Eran Redmond poked half-heartedly at the french fries on his plate. He'd eaten a couple, but the grit of the place had finally gotten to him. Now he couldn't focus on the food past the stained edge of his plate-what if this was some kind of food residue rather than age discoloration? It was ridiculous-he knew knew it-but still, there it was. He hadn't set foot in this restaurant for years because the place was just too grubby for his tastes. His throat closed up every time he thought about chewing one of these limp, greasy chunks of potato. It figured that Brynna Malak would want to meet here. it-but still, there it was. He hadn't set foot in this restaurant for years because the place was just too grubby for his tastes. His throat closed up every time he thought about chewing one of these limp, greasy chunks of potato. It figured that Brynna Malak would want to meet here.

When, Eran wondered as he waited, had things started to weird out with her?

If he was going to be honest, there was no "started to" about it. She'd been bizarre right from the start, all the way back when he'd introduced her to old man Kim. That f.u.c.ked-up telepathic party she'd had with the daughter's scarf should have been warning enough, but then Brynna had decided on her own to dig a little deeper into the girl's disappearance. It was incredible that she had found Cho at all, and now it was demons and witch doctors and claims of burned-up bodies that Brynna couldn't prove had ever existed. She'd been shot right in front of him-okay, she'd actually taken taken a bullet for him-but blown off the injuries and apparently healed just fine without ever seeing a doctor. All of that ended up with Brynna working herself so deeply into Eran's thoughts that he was having a hard time concentrating on things, other really a bullet for him-but blown off the injuries and apparently healed just fine without ever seeing a doctor. All of that ended up with Brynna working herself so deeply into Eran's thoughts that he was having a hard time concentrating on things, other really important important things. things.

Like two more sniper killings.

Both of these had been women, and the latest victim had kicked the killer's tally up to eight. The city was in an uproar and the media was feeding off the paranoia like leeches on an open wound. No one was safe from the accusations and blame throwing permeating all levels of the department. Every time Eran turned around, he saw a reporter hounding one of his superiors; while he was just like the next guy in that he wanted to make more money, this was one time Eran was glad that there were plenty of people at his job who had higher pay grades. Those poor souls were the media targets, the saps whose names appeared in the papers, the nightly newscasts, and in a hundred scathing Internet editorials every day.

Had he not decided to pa.s.s on that last sergeant's exam, Eran would've been right there in the bull's-eye. As it was, the s.h.i.+t was still rolling downhill; he expected it to start flying at him soon enough. It would be the same question that ran in the papers every day in one form or another- Why hasn't the killer been caught?

-but he didn't know how to answer it.

As for Brynna, Eran couldn't shake the feeling that she knew something about it. He didn't think she knew the killer's ident.i.ty, but there was ... something something there. He just couldn't pinpoint exactly what that there. He just couldn't pinpoint exactly what that something something was. was.

And there was Brynna herself. He would absolutely not give in to the notion that his interest in her was anything remotely s.e.xual. Yeah, she was an oddly attractive woman. Not exactly beautiful but compelling, compelling, hard to resist. So what? Eran had pa.s.sed on piles of hard-to-resist things in his time on the force, freebies that were a whole lot easier to take advantage of than a headstrong and uncooperative woman. Things that started small, like a newspaper, a pack of gum, or a bottle of booze, but could easily end up big, moving into ma.s.sages, jewelry, prost.i.tutes, cocaine, and outright bribe money. He'd had the best and worst of offers cross his path, and he wasn't above enjoying the smallest of the stuff. But he was smart enough to avoid the career killers-his honesty helped that-and he could definitely turn a cold shoulder to a little irrational attraction. hard to resist. So what? Eran had pa.s.sed on piles of hard-to-resist things in his time on the force, freebies that were a whole lot easier to take advantage of than a headstrong and uncooperative woman. Things that started small, like a newspaper, a pack of gum, or a bottle of booze, but could easily end up big, moving into ma.s.sages, jewelry, prost.i.tutes, cocaine, and outright bribe money. He'd had the best and worst of offers cross his path, and he wasn't above enjoying the smallest of the stuff. But he was smart enough to avoid the career killers-his honesty helped that-and he could definitely turn a cold shoulder to a little irrational attraction.

The tabletop vibrated and Eran looked up as Brynna slid into the booth across from him. She didn't smile, and that was fine with Eran; there was something off about that expression on her pale, shadow-riddled face. It always ended up dark somehow, sinister-it just didn't fit.

"How are you?" he asked, and meant it. The last time he'd seen her, she'd had two bullet wounds that would have taken even the toughest cop off his feet. Now she looked almost the same as the first time he'd met her in Walgreens-better, in fact. Although her injuries should have taken weeks to heal, the never-explained burns along one arm had faded to little more than faint, pink blotches. There were a couple of other healing wounds, but Eran could tell that soon they'd be no more than memories. Was it the same with the two gunshot holes beneath the freshly washed, dark blue CPD T-s.h.i.+rt?

"Good."

He waited but she didn't say anything more. He fought his automatic urge to pry, to demand if she'd seen a doctor-he doubted it. Instead, he asked, "So why did you want to meet me here? Did you remember something else about that guy you saw through the window at Walgreens?"

She looked at him blankly, then shook her head. He should have realized that hope was too farfetched. "I still have your business card," she said. She pulled it from her back pocket and placed it on the table between them. "You said to get in touch if I wanted to work as a translator for you."

Eran pushed a lock of hair around on his forehead, then carefully smoothed it back down. "Yeah, I did. But not for me. There's only so much I can do out of pocket. I know you could get something at a few of the legal places around the loop, government or private." He leaned back and studied her. "But you need identification, Brynna. A driver's license, at least. And a social security number. I told you that before."

She nodded. "I have them."

Eran's eyebrows rose as Brynna reached into her pocket a second time, then dropped two items on the tabletop. He couldn't help picking them up. The social security card was crumpled along the edges and worn from being shoved into a pocket. The driver's license was the same-ragged at the edges, scratched along the surface of the plastic. According to this, she'd turned thirty last year, born on the thirteenth of November. It had the same Georgia address she had given him the day he'd arrested her. Eran's experienced eye thought the paper and the laminated surface of the license looked a little too new, that the creases and scratches had probably been put there intentionally. If he ran these numbers, would they come back as fake IDs? Probably.

He put the cards back on the table. "I thought you said you didn't drive."

"I don't. But I never said I didn't have a license."

"And you said you'd never really worked."

"But not that I didn't actually have a social security card."

Eran made an exasperated sound. "Brynna-"

"This is what you asked for." She looked at him steadily, and Eran could imagine the rest of her unspoken words, which were probably in the scope of Take it or leave it. Take it or leave it.

"Fine," he said abruptly. He shouldn't, but Eran knew he was going to look the other way on this one. There was a danger that it would come back and bite him in the a.s.s, but if she worked as an independent consultant, the risk might be minimal. He could always plead ignorance, although that wouldn't sit well with his chief. "I'll put out some feelers." He gave her a stern look. "Essentially you're going to be self-employed. You'll need a permanent address-"

"I have one."

"-and some business clothes." That, at least, got a reaction, even if it was only a quickly concealed look of dismay. Surely she had more clothes than a single pair of jeans and his extra cop s.h.i.+rt. "But don't worry about that yet," he added. "Let's see if we can find you a couple of jobs first." He paused and chewed the inside of one cheek momentarily. Should he ask? He had to-the concept was still making him slightly crazy. He tried to keep his voice casual, matter-of-fact. "Is there any language I should tell them you can't do?"

"No."

Such a simple answer, such an unbelievable ability. Time would tell if she came through or if he ended up with a rep tarnished by his gullibility. Yeah, she'd stepped up with the Spanish and Korean, but every every other language? It just couldn't be true. other language? It just couldn't be true.

Could it?

Eran forced his thoughts in another direction. "So you're living somewhere." When Brynna nodded, he took out his notebook and pushed it and a pen across the table. "Address," he instructed. "And phone number."

She leaned over the notebook and carefully wrote out a number and street name. Her writing was slow and laborious, the final product almost archaic-looking. He purposely didn't look from it to the signatures on the ID cards. "I don't have a phone," she said. When he scowled, she added quickly, "I'll get one, though. After I've worked a bit."

"It should be a cell phone," he said, although he wondered how he was going to pull this off without one right now. "So you can have it with you all the time. What's your zip code?" Her expression said she had no idea. "Find out. The companies you work for will want to know."

She nodded, then glanced at his now-cold french fries. "Are you going to eat those?"

"No."

Her hand hovered over his plate. "Do you mind?"

"Go ahead."

Christ, he thought as he watched her scarf down the food. he thought as he watched her scarf down the food. This is all screwed-up. This is all screwed-up. She had no clothes, no business cards, no telephone number, and, from the looks of it, not even any money for food. The address she'd written down was in such a c.r.a.ppy neighborhood that she'd be better off using a post office box. How the h.e.l.l was she going to pa.s.s as a professional? This was never going to fly unless she had some help. She had no clothes, no business cards, no telephone number, and, from the looks of it, not even any money for food. The address she'd written down was in such a c.r.a.ppy neighborhood that she'd be better off using a post office box. How the h.e.l.l was she going to pa.s.s as a professional? This was never going to fly unless she had some help.

I can't believe I'm going to do this.

He knew better. He really did.

Eran slid out of the booth as Brynna swallowed the last of the fries. "Come with me," he said. "We've got some stuff to do."

"ALL RIGHT," ERAN SAID. "I'll start asking around first thing Monday. With your skills, I'm pretty sure I'll have something for you by Tuesday morning."

He and Brynna were standing in front of a Sprint store downtown, and Brynna was examining the cell phone he'd just bought her. It was small, red-for whatever reason, Eran felt that suited her better than silver-and had put him on the hook for a two-year contract. Hanging from Brynna's arm were three shopping bags from their visit to the Marshalls store over on Michigan Avenue. The pile of clothes inside-everything from business attire to a purse, stockings, and undergarments-had set him back almost five hundred bucks. It was as though she'd been living in a vacuum-he'd had to help her pick out every single thing, even the bras. He'd print some kind of business card for her on his computer when he got home, meet up, and give her a handful before she went to her first job.

"This is a phone that takes pictures?" Brynna asked. "It's so small."

"Please tell me I didn't just waste a bunch of money and time on you," Eran said. He felt like a tuning fork that had been hit too hard, shaking inside from stress and uncertainty. "I will be really p.i.s.sed if I go through all this and you don't show up."

She gave him a look of genuine surprise, as if the thought had never occurred to her. It was sincere, or at least that's what Eran told himself. "Why wouldn't I?"

Eran shrugged, hoping he didn't look too helpless. Did he really think she'd book? No, but he also had a hard time explaining to himself why he'd gone so far out on a limb for this woman. And he didn't want to think about what his partner or the other cops at the station would say if they found out he'd just financed a new life setup for a nearly homeless crime witness. There wasn't a single thing that served as justification for it, and dozens of others that screamed he shouldn't have. "Let's grab a bite to eat, then I'll drive you home," was all he finally said.

When Brynna's face brightened momentarily before sliding back into her normal, neutral expression, Eran realized with a start that it was nearing six o'clock, and while he'd had a good breakfast, the french fries she'd eaten earlier had probably been her only meal today. It was still fairly early, so Eran managed to get a table at Bella Bacino's Italian Bistro & Pizzeria. Half an hour later, Brynna was diving into a plate of pasta with artichokes and broccoli and he had a plate of frutti del mare frutti del mare in front of him. She seemed to enjoy her food, but when she kept eyeing his, Eran finally offered her some. in front of him. She seemed to enjoy her food, but when she kept eyeing his, Eran finally offered her some.

"It's not meat," he reminded her when she pulled back from the fork he wanted to hand her. He hadn't forgotten her adamant statement to the waitress when they'd ordered. "It's seafood. Fish."

"Oh, I'll eat that," she said. She tried a bit of linguini and a shrimp, then nodded. "Very good sauce. And I haven't had shrimp since ..." Her voice faded out.

"When?" Eran prompted.

Brynna looked away. "Really too long ago to remember." She glanced at the tables around them, then at the window at the front of the restaurant. The sun had set and the soft lights inside made the darkness beyond the gla.s.s even more severe. There were patio tables filled with people in front of Bella Bacino's, but the glare of lights off the gla.s.s kept them from seeing the patrons.

They finished their meal in silence. Like many of the smaller upscale downtown restaurants, the atmosphere was busy and the noise level almost too loud for conversation. Not quite comfortable but not quite awkward-more an opportunity to learn to tolerate each other's company. Brynna seemed at ease with him but not with her surroundings, almost as if she were waiting for something, or someone, to happen. She checked the entrance and the window regularly and looked at the door to the kitchen every time one of the waitstaff came or went through it. to happen. She checked the entrance and the window regularly and looked at the door to the kitchen every time one of the waitstaff came or went through it.

Eran studied her, trying not to be obvious about it, but she always seemed to catch him doing it; his scrutiny didn't appear to bother her at all, as if she were used to being looked at, measured, perhaps even judged.

Brynna's face was too angular to be called beautiful, and the shadows under her eyes and in the hollows of her cheekbones hinted at a harshness that was off-putting rather than mysterious. Eran found it strange that while her makeup-free skin was nearly bone white, her cheeks always held a tinge of deep pink, like she'd just come in from a long, hot run. Her hairstyle reminded him of the jagged, slept-in look popular with teenagers nowadays. While businesses had become more accepting of trendy styles, he still made a mental note to stop by a drugstore and buy her a brush and a few toiletries before he took her home. Christ, it was as though he'd adopted a seductive homeless person.

Eran gave himself a mental punch. Seductive-where had that that come from? He was normally such a grounded guy, but if he was going to be honest with himself, he come from? He was normally such a grounded guy, but if he was going to be honest with himself, he was was drawn to her, even though he was fighting it. No big surprise there-he was a man, and a cop, and both were, in his opinion, always h.o.r.n.y. As long as he kept it under control, things would be fine. And never mind that "under control" was going to be a really contentious subject if his partner found out how deep in his pockets he'd gone for this woman. drawn to her, even though he was fighting it. No big surprise there-he was a man, and a cop, and both were, in his opinion, always h.o.r.n.y. As long as he kept it under control, things would be fine. And never mind that "under control" was going to be a really contentious subject if his partner found out how deep in his pockets he'd gone for this woman.

They declined dessert and Eran paid the check. Outside it was another hot and humid night. There was a breeze but it only picked up moisture from the river across Wacker Drive and made Eran more uncomfortable on the walk to where he'd parked the car. Although he had sweat building beneath his s.h.i.+rt, the sticky air didn't appear to bother Brynna at all. Oddly enough, he could tell that being in the open air did did. She glanced this way and that, constantly checking behind them as they walked, even scanning the sky as if she thought something was going to drop on their heads.

"What's wrong?" Eran finally asked. Being with her for the last two blocks had made him feel like he was walking down the street with a skittish animal. "You're acting like a bird with a cat outside its cage."

"I don't like being out in the open," she said. "Especially at night. It's too vulnerable."

He looked at her in surprise and caught a flash of dismay on her face, as if she'd blurted out a secret without meaning to. Interesting-he'd definitely have to file this in his mental follow-up folder. "Here's the car," he said instead of commenting. When he unlocked the door to his black Galant, she slid onto the front seat with visible relief. Eran had no doubt that the tinted windows helped. Thinking back, he realized he'd never been around her at night. What was in her past that brought out this kind of fear? Whatever it was, he felt sure she wouldn't talk about it.

They made a fifteen-minute stop at a Walmart where Eran spent another fifty bucks on stuff like toothpaste, shampoo and soap, a hairbrush, all chosen by him because Brynna just stood next to him in the aisles with that I-have-no-idea expression Eran was learning to recognize. He threw in a couple of cans of soup and some chips as an afterthought, realizing she probably didn't have any food in her apartment. He didn't like to admit it, but she seemed so naive about everything that he sometimes wondered if she hadn't spent most of her life in an inst.i.tution. He'd missed his one valid chance, but one of these days he'd find an excuse to get her fingerprints and run them through the computer system.

"In case you haven't been reading the paper, there were two more shootings this week," Eran told Brynna as he drove her home. "Same gun. Two women who didn't even know each other. One was a twenty-two-year-old cas.h.i.+er at a Brown's Chicken, the other worked at a neighborhood video store." He glanced sideways at her but she didn't say anything. "She was only thirty-five. None of the victims knew each other. It just seems random." He pressed his lips together when she stayed silent. "By the way, Cook County Hospital-your area, in case you don't know-got a really bizarre case earlier this week. A couple of beat cops brought a guy in with some kind of metal object melted into his hand. Picked him up not far from here, as a matter of fact." He paused, then looked over at her. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Me?"

Had he imagined it, or had a sardonic smile ghosted across her mouth? Yeah, he was pretty sure it had. Still, he couldn't imagine how she could be involved in something like that. The station had been ringing with the story all week, how nothing could be done for the guy but amputation. Eran knew more than a few people at the hospital-all the detectives did-and a phone call had verified the whole freakish thing. While the ER doctors had speculated that the object was a gun, the patient himself wasn't talking. Eran's friend had told him the guy had second-degree burns on his mouth and that his lips had to be lasered apart and propped open so they wouldn't fuse together again as they healed.

Eran let the topic drop, and as he pulled up in front of Brynna's place, he cringed inwardly-even in the dark, the building was more of a rat hole than he expected. He wasn't sure he ever wanted to see it during the daytime. "Let me help you take this stuff in," he said, opening his door as she got out of the car.

"No, thanks." She opened the back door and leaned in. "You've done more than enough already," she said as she gathered up the bags. By the time she closed the door and stood, Eran was standing outside the driver's side. "Thanks," she added. "Really."

"Sure. You have your phone?"

"Right here."

"I'll call you as soon as I get something."

Brynna nodded but didn't say anything else as she turned and hurried up the walkway. Even here, maybe more so, she sent the night sky a couple of apprehensive looks. As Eran watched the dark, dirty building swallow Brynna's figure, he wondered again what could frighten this strange and incredible woman so much.

Ten.