Firefight in Darkness (22 page)

Chicago was a bustling metropolis the likes of which Blythe had never experienced. Sure, Los Angeles had hoards of people and tall buildings that glittered in the sun, but there was something much different about this city that set it so far apart from other places she’d been.

As they cruised around in a dingy yellow cab on their way to the hotel Jax had booked, Blythe simply pressed her nose to the window and gaped. One thing was for sure: Chicago was worlds away from the dry deserts of El Paso. So what had brought Bristol here, of all places?

Many of the buildings were a hundred years old or more, preserved in their most original state, built of limestone and granite. Paired with them were towering steel and glass structures that reflected the dense summer clouds that hung heavy in the late afternoon sky.

The streets were bustling with people of all walks of life, from the neat and trim businessman in a crisp suit just starting to wilt from the heat to the grungy homeless man begging for change on the street corner. She found herself fascinated by the ebb and flow of life that pulsated through the humid air, both out of necessity and need. Chicagoans, she decided, seemed hardnosed and tenacious, pushing through with what they had to keep the city moving. She couldn’t help but admire that.

“This place is great.” She proclaimed, sitting back in her seat and grinning at Jax.

He shrugged, his distaste for the city obvious as he stared irreverently out the window. “I’ve never been one for big cities.”

Because she understood him better now, she reached over and playfully punched his shoulder. “Cowboys don’t belong in big cities.”

With one eyebrow raised, he turned to look at her, unable to help the grin that curved his lips. “Neither do Fire Dryads, darlin’.”

Suddenly his phone began to ring. He lifted it out of his pocket and stared down at the caller ID before answering it.

“Hey, we just landed about thirty minutes ago. We’re taking a cab to the hotel.”

“
That’s good. We’re already here.”
Rian’s voice said.

Jax paused, unsure if he had heard his friend correctly. “You’re where?”

“
At the hotel. Capri and I just got here. We decided to drop in on you two, see if we can help.”

Blythe watched as he grinned ear to ear, something that still took her by surprise when she saw it. “Well, shit, son, I guess we’ll see you in a few minutes.”

With that, he hung up the phone and chuckled to himself, shaking his head. Blythe stared at him, eyebrows raised.

“Rian’s here?”

“He and Capri are at the hotel waiting for us.” He looked back out of the window, sincerely looking forward to some male company.

“Capri’s here too?” Blythe smiled then, her eyes lit with pleasure as she clapped her hands together excitedly. She suddenly leaned forward towards the cab driver, tapping on the plexi-glass partition that separated them. “How much longer?”

“Five minutes.” The man replied gruffly.

“Five minutes.” Blythe repeated to Jax as she sat back in her seat, tapping her hands on her knees, unable to sit still.

“I heard him just fine.” Jax told her, amused at how excited she was.

“Whatever cowboy, don’t ruin this for me.” She sent him a wink and a devious grin before turning to stare out the window once more, her heart soaring as they continued on to the hotel.

Five minutes later, they pulled up, and Rian and Capri were standing outside, hand in hand, patiently waiting. Blythe leapt out of the cab and rushed to Capri, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Oh, honey, I’ve missed you.” She sighed, breaking away to look at her friend. She scanned Capri up and down with a grin. “Don’t you just look adorable.”

Capri blushed, glancing down at the pale green skirt of her lace lined cotton dress. She had paired it with white strappy sandals and long strands of soft water pearls that hung around her slender neck.

“Rian bought it for me.” She smiled over at her boyfriend, who had begun to help Jax unload the taxi.

“That’s sweet.” Charmed, Blythe hugged her again for good measure. “How’s everyone? You guys bored without me?”

Capri shrugged, tucking a loose strand of her light blonde hair behind her ear. “It feels weird at home not having you there, but everything is alright I guess…Liam’s worried about you, I don’t think he trusts Jax enough yet. I keep telling him that Jax can take care of you, and that you can take care of yourself, but he worries anyway. I haven’t really seen your dad too much lately, if he comes to dinner he eats without speaking to anyone and then leaves, so I assume he’s worried about you too. Rohan and Serendipity are speaking again, I guess they’re trying to work things out. Nyxa’s been reclusive, so I haven’t seen much of her either.” She sighed, sadness in her eyes. “Things are just different without you there. Everyone seems so gloomy now…it’s like a dark cloud is hanging over all of us.”

“I’m sorry, honey.” Blythe hated seeing Capri upset, but there were bigger things at stake. “It won’t be long now. I think we’ll catch him here, and then I’ll come home, and everything will be right again.”

Capri smiled, looking sweet as spring.

“I hope so.”

Rian and Jax approached then, carrying the bags and grinning.

Rian nodded to Blythe, and so she nodded back, knowing he was usually more comfortable not speaking.

Jax led the way into the hotel and checked them all into their rooms. Out of convenience, and safety, he booked a double queen room for he and Blythe to share. It made perfect sense to her, but when Capri sent her a knowing look, she had to bite back a scowl. It wasn’t like that between them, she told herself as they rose in the elevator towards the fifth floor. She and Jax had a physical attraction thing going on, but that didn’t mean they were pursuing anything more than that. They weren’t a couple, and as far as she knew he had no feelings for her, at least none that he’d shown. And any feelings she had for him would just have to be squashed as soon as possible. She wasn’t going to let herself fall for him, especially since she knew she was dangerously close to doing so. El Paso had brought out something between them, and she knew it, but all of that was over now. Now they were in Chicago, and they needed to focus on finding Dante. End of story.

♦ ♦ ♦

They refrained from touching each other anymore than necessary as they joined Rian and Capri for dinner at the hotel restaurant. Blythe wasn’t sure, but she had a feeling that Jax felt as awkward as she did at having their friends be there, watching them like hawks, looking for any sign that they had a romance going on.

It was like they had to suddenly prove to themselves that what had happened between them in El Paso was nothing more than a slip up, a mistake that had nothing to do with actual feelings. It irritated her because she never lied to herself or denied her true emotions, but for some reason she found herself doing so now. She supposed she was acting out of self preservation.

It took all she had to push all thoughts of it out of her mind as they settled in at their table and ordered drinks.

“So Dante called my home last night, spoke with Blythe for a few minutes.” Jax jumped in, ready to get down to business. Rian’s eyes sharpened and Capri made a small, startled noise in her throat. Blythe couldn’t hide the irritation she felt from the memory.

“What did he say?” Rian asked, his eyes on Blythe now.

She rolled her shoulders, trying to keep her temper in check. “He asked me if I was wearing the stupid heirloom ring, and I not so politely told him no. Then he said something about how when this whole thing is over, I’ll know the truth. Whatever that means.” She thanked the waitress as her margarita arrived. “Anyway, so then he asks me if I know where the windy city is, and I asked him if that’s what they call Chicago, since we had just found out that he was most likely heading there. He sounded surprised that I knew already, so I know I caught him off guard. Then he said that he was drinking something called a Red Headed Slut in my honor. The bastard, I could kill him for that insinuation alone.” She clenched her teeth and met eyes with Rian, forcing herself to calm down. “So I told him that he’d be dead soon once I found him, and he laughed at me. The scumbag just laughed, and then he said that he loved my fiery side, and that I’d be eating my words soon enough.”

She took a hefty sip of her drink, needing something to settle the rage pulsing through her. When Capri reached over and held her hand, she felt most of it drain away.

“Don’t let him get to you, Blythe. That’s why he says hurtful things, he wants to upset you.” Capri reasoned, her soft gray eyes melancholy as they watched her.

“I know.” Squeezing her friend’s hand in her own, she faced Rian and Jax again. “So we know he’s here in Chicago, but the only other thing we have is a P.O. Box, whatever that is. What’s our next course of action?”

“Actually, maybe we do have something else.” Jax turned to Rian, his expression grave. “I told you about how my contact in El Paso saw Dante meeting with someone?” Rian nodded silently. “We think it may have been Brock.”

Capri gasped, cupping a hand over her mouth. Rian’s hand rubbed her knee under the table, comforting.

“Why do you think it was Brock?” He asked, keeping his voice level.

“Lucian said he’s been leaving Euphora a few times for the past week, and he didn’t know where he was going.” Blythe put in, sipping more of her drink to soothe her throat that had gone dry at the mention of her father. She hadn’t quite forgotten that little possibility, which had been nagging at the back of her mind ever since Jax had brought it up.

“It’s not him.” Rian sat back in his seat, keeping his eyes on Blythe. He knew she needed to hear the truth. “I’ve had the Enforcers monitoring him every time he leaves Euphora, for his safety and ours. He’s been going to Las Vegas and gambling. He hasn’t gone anywhere else.”

“That’s what he’s been doing?” Her heart ached a little that she had doubted him. “No, of course that’s what he’s been doing. It makes sense. He would never purposely seek out Dante, he wants nothing to do with him.”

Jax watched her closely as she dealt with the guilt and the shame. He felt sorry that he had been the one to ever put it in her mind to begin with.

“So if it couldn’t have been Brock, then who was it?” Jax asked Rian.

“Maybe it was that demon you came across yesterday who gave you the package.” Rian said, taking a swig of beer.

“No, I don’t think so.” Jax frowned, running a hand through his hair. “Why would he need to hide his appearance? Demons can change bodies so no one would recognize him regardless, so why the disguise?”

“So you think he was meeting with someone, or something else? A human, maybe?” Blythe asked, her brow furrowing in thought.

“Or someone else from Euphora. Or a crooked Enforcer.” At Rian’s impatient huff, Jax chuckled. “You know they exist, Rian, and have for centuries. Few and far between, but it happens. So where does this leave us?”

“Maybe we should start by figuring out exactly why Dante brought you here, to this city in particular.” Capri put in suddenly, blushing when everyone turned their attention to her.

“Well we’ve already decided that he’s taking us to the same places he and Bristol lived when he was growing up. Most likely because he knows these places, and feels comfortable here.” Blythe told her.

“Yes, but…well, maybe it’s not it at all, but…” Capri began, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Go on, baby.” Rian reassured her. She looked him in the eye and felt a bit more confident. “It’s just that, don’t you find it odd that he and Bristol lived in so many different cities? Maybe you two wouldn’t know, but Jax and I do. Human’s don’t tend to move around that much unless…well, unless they’re running from something.”

“Or someone.” Jax put in, nodding at her. “No, you’re exactly right, Capri. What other reason did Bristol have for moving from place to place, only leaving a P.O. Box as a forwarding address for her son’s school records. She must have been on the run.”

“But why?” One eyebrow arched, Blythe stared at the three of them. “Who would she be running from? No one from Euphora was after her, and my dad never cared to look for her. I just don’t understand it.”

“I guess there’s just something that we’re missing, some piece to the puzzle that we haven’t found yet.” Capri rested her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand as she sighed. Suddenly her eyes lit up, and she gaped at Blythe. “What about the gifts he’s been giving you? Don’t you think it’s strange that he’s so heavily focused on giving you Bristol’s most treasured possessions, and giving you a picture to show you how much you look like her? I think, in his mind, you are Bristol, and he’s trying to make you understand that.”

Her first reaction was to brush the thought away, but the sinking feeling in her gut convinced her otherwise. Capri was definitely on to something, and Dante’s adoring letters and gifts were certainly proof of his affection. But could it be that he wanted her to take the place of his dead mother?

“Well, he’s going to be disappointed because I’m not going to play this game with him. I’m not her, and I never will be her.” She spat, shifting to glare at Jax. “Let me guess, you think she’s right?”

He leaned back, sipping his beer as he watched her. He saw the heat in her eyes, that flare of temper. But beneath it he saw the devastation. She knew it was true, regardless of what he thought.

“I think she’s on to something.” He offered, keeping his eyes level with hers. “Dante is obsessed with you, that much we know. He’s given you priceless Fire Dryad heirlooms that one would imagine he’d want to keep for himself, but instead he passes them on to you. He gives you a picture of his mother, wearing the necklace, only a year younger than you are now. I think it’s quite possible that he does want to make you into Bristol.”

“But I’m not her!” Blythe shouted, causing people around them to stare. Jax put his hand on her arm, as much to calm her as to control her before she spun off on a wild tirade. She was staring at him, her eyes wide and desperate and furious all at once.

“None of us is questioning that, Blythe.” He said evenly, his other hand reaching out to cup her face, keeping his eyes on hers in an effort to steady her.