Keepers & Killers (The Alchemy Series) (2 page)

Some unknown time later, I squinted my eyes open. It was still dark. That surprised me, since I thought I'd be out for at least a solid ten. My stupid electronic clock was down to two digits left, one of which was the second hour, which read two. It couldn't be two in the afternoon because it was still dark. Could I have slept a full day away? I'd been exhausted. Running a wormhole always does that to me. I think it's the radiation we absorb in the process. Radiation isn't a big deal to us in certain doses, but it would fry our commuters if we didn't absorb it and shield them.

Then it hit me. Why was there no noise? In my particular trailer park, two in the afternoon was dead quiet; midnight
, on the other hand, was a rip roaring good time for all. What the hell was going on out there? I stumbled from the bed, alarmed, and threw on the first sort of clean pair of jeans I could find before heading outside.

Cement and cars. Rows and rows of expensive looking cars in every color of the rainbow greeted me. Gone was my blue sky and desert air. I had cement, more cars than any sane person needed and central air? Who air conditions their garage?

"I'm going to kill him," I said as I slipped on the flip flops I had left by the door.

Dodd, with the worst timing of anyone I knew, had the misfortune of being the first one I laid my eyes on. He was wearing a tank top and jeans looking like he was part of a construction crew and while he was directing several of Cormac
's guys into the garage with potted plants. "Oh hey! You're up," he greeted me in a jovial manner.

"Where is he?" I asked
, focused on the only thing I cared about at that moment.

"Do you like it? Since it
's Cormac's garage, it's really private. We thought you might like some shrubs to warm up the place," he said as he directed the guys to place a bush on either side of the doorway I stood in.

"Remove the bushes," I told the guys that had just placed them down. Unlike Dodd, they picked up quickly on my mood. They took their bushes and stepped back away from me.

"That's not nice, Jo. Don't scare the gardeners. They're just trying to make the place cozy for you," Dodd chided.

"Warm up all the cement? They
're going to die in here. It's an indoor garage!" Even as I said it, I wondered why I bothered. Let their plants die. I stormed out of the garage as he tried to explain that they were going to rotate them in and out and wasn't that just the most brilliant idea.

It took me all of five minutes to make it to
the top floor penthouse Cormac lived in. It didn't matter to me one bit if he wasn't there. I'd sit and wait. He'd have to come back at some point.

When the elevator doors slid open, Sumo wrestlers were standing guard like they sometimes did
; but that didn't mean anything. Their work habits had no rhyme or reason to me. I was starting to get the impression that they showed up when they felt like working and really served no purpose other than to look menacing. Anyone that had met Cormac in person wouldn't mess with him, well except for me. He could be one really scary guy. If I had a little more sense and a little less balls, I wouldn't mess with him either, but life makes you who you are and I don't see much of a reason to fight my nature.

People spend their lives in therapy to fight their natural inclinations. Day in and day out, not doing what they desire in the hopes of being this better, happier and more successful person. It just seems like an awful lot of work to do something that doesn
't come naturally. I'm not saying therapy is bad, it's just too much work for me. I'm more about embracing my broken self for all that she can be. And that included the girl who was about to have a smack down with her boss, who could kick her ass all the way down the Vegas Strip. Ugh, when had I started calling him my boss? It felt like it snuck up on me out of nowhere. I had to break that bad habit real quick.

I stormed down his hallway
; the various priceless paintings did nothing for my mood today, as I stared at the carved wooden door to his place. The handle was locked and I pounded on the door like a raving lunatic. I'd show him who's boss. I should have kept my key, instead of making some symbolic show of declaring my independence and leaving it in the middle of the table with a big note saying I didn't need it, on the day I'd moved out.

He took his time answering the door so Ben must not
have been around. He was another one of Cormac's quasi-servants. Ben was a lanky guy that liked to masquerade as a door man. He pissed me off too. He did anything Cormac wanted. They all did. That was enough to piss me off, stupid puppets.

"Jo, I
've been expecting you," he said when he opened the door.

Whether I wanted to or not, I always got a little flustered when I saw Cormac. The term
'tall, dark and handsome' probably originated with him, way back when he was born, whenever that might have been. He looked thirtyish but when his pale blue eyes roved over you, it felt as if he were ancient. They were intense. And when he did it like he was now, a slow, roving appraisal, I always felt a tingle shoot through me. I tried to swallow back the lump in my throat and speak.

"Cormac, I…"

"Lacey is here."

My words died as I watched him walk, dressed in his standard black slacks and white shirt that contrasted starkly to his tan skin and black hair, into his beige living room. He liked everything around him
to be beige. I didn't really get it. He was the least beige person I have ever met. I wondered if he thought hiding in his beige penthouse and wearing expensive clothing made who he really was less obvious. Someone should clue him in; it was like a panther stalking his prey in a snow field.

I walked in behind him
, already annoyed. Cormac had formed some sort of indefinable relationship with Lacey, who was also my best friend. Actually, she was my
only
friend, which is what elevated her status to 'best.' If you only had one donut, wouldn't it be the best donut there ever was?

"Hi Jo! Cormac said you might drop by. Want a glass of wine?" she offered from her seat on the couch. She must of spent hours fixing her bleached blond hair to get it that perfectly straight and smooth. Her little
blue dress rode up just high enough to show off enough firm thigh without looking too slutty and, unless she'd gotten some work done without telling me, she had doubled up on the push up bras. I watched Cormac settle down on the other side of the couch as she smiled from ear to ear, her red lipstick showing off her super white teeth.

Cormac had planned this well. I pretended my eyeballs had weights on them to stop myself from rolling them to the back of my head. Every time he pissed me off lately, Lacey wouldn
't be far from his side.

Instead of staring at the two of them, I
'd rather stare out at the beautiful expanse of Vegas that was displayed by the wall of glass. But I couldn't, I didn't want him to know I might miss this place, even a little.

They were ridiculous. The girl that played every man she knew was sitting there waiting for crumbs of attention. She said they were friends, but I could see in her big Bambi eyes how badly she wanted more. She might not if she knew everything I knew, but I hadn
't told her. It was something that plagued me daily. She had no idea who he was, or how ruthless he could be. She didn't know the casino was a front, used simply to disguise the energy pouring out of the wormhole in the basement. I couldn't tell her any of it. I'd signed a contract that might have some crazy ramifications if I did.

She also didn
't know how close and personal I'd been with Cormac. She was my donut, she wouldn't go near him if she knew. I hadn't told her that either, even though I could. I don't know why. I just hadn't. I tried to not think about it because it made me feel things that I didn't like or want.

"Why is my trailer in your garage?" I asked calmly
; I refused to drop the subject simply because Lacey was there. This had nothing to do with secret stuff. He wasn't going to manipulate this situation on me, not again.

"Oh that! Isn
't that nice? I mentioned to Cormac how you always leave the casino so late after you're done in the counting room. I didn't think it was safe, so he came up with that. Wasn't it sweet?"  She smiled again and sipped her wine. Lacey thought I was counting money in the basement since I wasn't good with customers. Confirming I sucked with people was a lot easier than telling her I could alter physics with my brain.

I stood, legs spread apart and arms crossed
, staring at them. "You did that for her?" I raised my eyebrows, daring him to lie to me.

Lacey, so buried in the vision of what she wanted him to be, missed my sarcasm and simply smiled
at him with an adoring look upon her face. I wanted to drag her off the couch and scream some sense into her.

"I listen to her," he said as he leaned back on the couch.

"Did you do this for her, Cormac? Is that what you are saying?" I took a step forward as I pointed in his direction.

"I didn
't want her to worry," he non-answered. His stare was intent and his voice a little softer when he continued. "I heard they were doing some rearranging at your development. I'd hate to see things floating all around and unsettled. This place is more secure for you." He put his feet up on the cocktail table and crossed his ankles.

"I want it moved back. Today." I punctuated the word today as I stabbed the air with my finger.

He said nothing, just stared at me at first. Seconds ticked by and I thought he wasn't even going to give me a response, but then he quirked an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

I couldn
't even think of a word that would satisfy the anger I felt for him right then and there.

"Jo, why are you being so rude to him? He did you a favor. Your development was a dump," Lacey said in
his defense as she set her wine glass down in front of her.

I turned back toward her. "Because it
's not his call."

"Fine. Cormac, maybe you should put it back if she doesn
't appreciate it." Her body language added
if she's going to be ungrateful,
as she leaned back against the couch.

I watched him. He didn
't even turn and acknowledge that she had spoken, just continued to stare at me as I stared back.

And then he said only one word, "No." He didn
't yell, simply shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. He'd just drawn a line in the sand. Worse, he'd practically dared me to cross it. I had to decide if I would.

I toed the line in my imagination but then I looked at Lacey. She
'd sensed something too, even through that thick coat of adoration. Her body language stiffened a bit as she got a hint that the man next to her wasn't a kitten but a lion. I knew what the ramifications of her knowing would be; another reason I wanted her as far from him as possible. I could handle this, she couldn't. I should have gotten us both out of here months ago, but back then, I had been more alarmed and concerned by what was going on around me than what was happening right next to me.

At the time, I
'd just discovered two things about a man I thought I'd killed. Firstly, he was alive, and secondly, he was a U.S. senator, and a powerful one at that. I'd already known the third thing: he was dangerous. What made him dangerous? He wasn't human, that was for sure. Anything that could make it out of a collapsing wormhole and not be crushed was bad news. He also hated me. I wasn't sure why. I hadn't thought to ask before I kicked his butt.

"Why do you keep playing with that nickel?" Lacey asked.

I looked down at my hand. I hadn't even realized I'd pulled the nickel I always carried out of my pocket. I felt the cool metal in my hand and tested its hardness with my finger. Nope, still nickel. I could open a huge wormhole but I couldn't do the simplest of the Alchemist tricks. Having a pile of gold would make life much simpler in the future.

"It
's lucky," I said to try and explain this weird habit I'd adopted.

"Why
's that?" Cormac asked, as his eyes silently mocked.

"Cormac, I swear you just like to rile her up," Lacey told him and as she playfully swatted at him.

I shook my head. I couldn't watch this for one more second. "I'll see you later." I mentally backed away from the line as I physically left the room.

He
'd played that hand well, knowing I wouldn't drag out this fight in front of Lacey. I wouldn't pull her any deeper into this gunfight. She couldn't take the bullets.

Chapter Two

"I know you
're there. You might as well walk with me," I yelled back to Buzz, who was following me and not very well. The guy was so bad at tailing I couldn't figure out if I was supposed to know he was there or if Cormac was delusional about his abilities. He'd tripped on the stairs chasing me out of the casino front doors, for Heaven's sake.