Talk. His anger vibrated against her skin even as she stepped away from him. This was so not the way shed wanted the evening to go.
Lex smiled. He hadnt moved once. Only a tease there, aye? Aint meaning harm by it.
Damn him, that whole fucking thing had been a ploy, a game to see what it would take to make Terrible mad. Information Lex could use, a weakness he could exploitas if he needed another one of those.
She hadnt figured out a way to neutralize the sigil carved into Terribles chest, and she couldnt risk just slicing the skin off even if she could stomach the idea. For all she knew, that sigil, the one whose very presence was testimony to her crimeskilling a psychopomp hawk coming to claim his soul, and using her knife to make the sigil itselfwas all that actually kept him alive.
She didnt regret it. Never could regret it; if she hadnt done it hed be dead. But she did wish to hell it hadnt made him so vulnerable. Passing out in the presence of dark magic was not a good thing, especially not when Lex knew about it.
Lex indicated one of her lumpy chairs, waving his hand as if he were lord of the manor or something. Aint you wanting to have you a sit-down?
Talk.
Aw, cmon now, Terrible, aint needing to get all fratchy, aye? Lets us have a real chatter, friendly-like. True thing.
Terrible didnt move. This was not going to go well; Chess knew that, of course, but that stupid hope would never go away, even though she knew how useless it was.
Lex paused for a second, then shrugged. Guessing I aint gotta give you the knowledge whos in charge my side now, aye?
When Terrible didnt reply, he continued. I gots me-self some plans, I do. Changes coming, if you dig me.
Great. Why didnt he just threaten Terrible outright? Despite what some people thoughtdespite what he himself thoughtTerrible wasnt stupid. Especially not about shit like this.
She glanced over at him, watching him pull a cigarette from the pocket of his bowling shirt and light it with his black steel lighter. The six-inch flame cast a faint glow that told her maybe turning on some lights would be a good idea. The sun wouldnt set for another hour or two, no, but it felt dark in there. Dark like Terribles anger, dark like the world. Dark like the emptiness inside her.
Big changes. Aint having no more game-plays, I aint.
Smoke drifted into the air in a thin, curling stream, hiding part of Terribles face behind it, hiding his expression and thoughts in a fragrant, ever-moving veil.
Chess knew what he was thinking anyway; she could still feel it throbbing in the air.
Lex lifted his beer. The smirk had left his face, at least. Aye, seein you dig. Could use me someone worth trusting, gimme the help-out. Someone make heself more on the money side than he getting now, guessing. Like bein a partner, takin he own piece.
Oh no. No, he couldnt be saying that, could he? How in the hell could he honestly think Terrible would go to work for himwith him?
Terrible looked as if he had the same thought. His eyes narrowed; his head tilted to the left. Waiting. Watching, that dead-eye glare like a snake about to strike.
Thinkin you come on over, do you work for me, aye? What you do now, only my side. With me. Make it all worth up, I will.
No.
Aw, now, why aint you giving it a thought, leastaways? Make Tulip happy, aint you thinkin? Us not tryna make each others dead, be a cheer-up for her.
Just what she wanted. Bring her into the discussion. Remind Terrible that shed betrayed him, that while hed thought something was starting between themwhile something was starting between themshed been running off to spend long sweaty nights in Lexs bed.
Not that Terrible would or could ever forget, but still.
All knowing nobody beats you, aye? Need me a man like that, make things tight up. Needs a brain, too, which you know you got. You name me a price. True thing, Terrible. Makes me happy, makes you happy, makes Tulip happy. Aint that the juice?
No.
Lexs expression didnt change. He stubbed out his smoke, took another swig from his beer, and set it on the table. You have you a think on it, aye? Aint needing the answer on the now, you gimme the tell on the morrow.
Terrible shrugged. Answer aint changin.
Aye? Whynt you get the thoughts, anyway, we chatter again. Lex stood up and started toward the door. Chess and Terrible moved back a few steps into the kitchen so he could get past, but he stopped a foot or so away from them. Almostbut not quitetoo close.
Oughta give one more thing the mentions here. You aint wanna come on with me means I get on finding one who will, dig, get me a steel-man of my owns. Aint sure Downside got size enough for two, aye? Rather not be fighting you causen of Tulip, but got plans, I do, an I aint losing em.
Chess closed her eyes. Fuck. This couldnt be happening. There was no way she was standing in her own kitchen, listening to Lex threaten Terrible while Terribles hand twitched on the back of her neck and anger rolled off him in thick waves.
When she opened her eyes again, Lex stood by the door. On the laters, Tulip. Give you a ring-up, I will.
What was she supposed to say? Great? Awesome, you do that? She managed to raise her hand in a weak sort of wave before the door closed behind him, leaving Chess alone with Terrible and his rage.
She didnt want to look at him. The thought of what she might see in his eyes scared her, and that made her even angrier because she wasnt supposed to be scared of him, and that scared her even more, and four Cepts had totally not been enough. Shed have to grab another one. Immediately. Five was pushing it, but not beyond the boundary of acceptable.
But first time to pay the piper, or take her punishment, or whatever the hell. She glanced up at him, found him staring at the door like he expected it to fly back open and reveal Lex with a loaded gun.
Hey, Im sorry, she managed. I didnt He was waiting here when I got home, and he said he wanted to talk to you, he wanted me to ask you to talk to him. He didnt tell me why or what he wanted.
His hand left her neck, leaving her skin cold and oddly light, missing its warm weight. She watched him pull his bottle of bourbon out of the cabinet and down a couple of swigs. Watched him grab a beer out of the fridge, stride past her to the couchthe other side from where Lex had satand chase the shots with almost half the bottle. Shit. Of course he drankwho the fuck didnt?but not like that, not usually. Not like he was trying to drown something out, forget it, get rid of it, hide it under an ocean of booze until no one even knew it had been there.
Not like well, not like her.
What was she supposed to do? Shed already apologized. Shed explained. He wasnt responding. Damn it, she wasnt good at this, didnt have any experience with this. Shed never even dated someone for more than a single night, at least not before Lex came along, and theyd never really gotten mad at each other because their relationship didnt matter enough to bother getting mad over. So what the hell was her reaction supposed to be?
Whatever it was, she guessed standing there staring at him wasnt it. She dug in her bag for another pill and forced it down without water while she sat next to him. Not touching himthat might not be a good ideabut close to him, so the heat from his leg brushed against hers.
Whatever it was, she guessed standing there staring at him wasnt it. She dug in her bag for another pill and forced it down without water while she sat next to him. Not touching himthat might not be a good ideabut close to him, so the heat from his leg brushed against hers.
So I know that probably wasnt what you wanted to deal with right when you walked
He got the truth?
What?
He lit another cigarette off the butt of the first one. His eyes stayed focused on the stained-glass window. He got the truth. That what youre wanting? Me with him?
Whatno, no, I mean, I wouldnt ask you to do that.
Even as she said it, a sneaky, selfish part of her wondered if it was entirely true. Oh, who was she kidding? Pretty much all of her was sneaky and selfish, but it was still just a small part of her that wondered.
She couldnt ask Terrible to do that. Not ever. But she couldnt deny it would be so much easier. For Terrible to stop hating Lex, to stop gritting his teeth and clenching his fists every time Lexs name came upwhich wasnt oftenand to not get mad if she wanted to get something to eat with Lex. To not get mad when she went shopping or whatever with Lexs sister BlueBeulah, actually, but she preferred Blue, and in that Chess supposed she didnt blame herwho had become her friend, weird as that was.
Even weirder was how she was more willing to give up Lex than Blue, if she really thought about it. It was kind of cool having a female friend, even if they didnt do girlie-type things. No manicures or pink cocktails, and no chatting about sexat least, not on Chesss part. Blue was more open, but then Blue was dating some married guy so didnt have anyone else to talk to about him. But it was well, it was fun. She couldnt help it. It was.
Chess didnt want to think about it, didnt want to dream about it, but she couldnt help the images that bounced through her head in the few seconds before she managed to shut them down. The four of them hanging out at Lexs place, drinking beer on her roof, her not feeling guilty and shitty anymore when Lex called or she went somewhere with Blue. Terrible could just smile and give her a kiss and tell her to have fun
Right, sure. And then they could all go for a frolic in the sparkly diamond rain.
Besides, the thought of Lex and Terrible together all the timethat would never work. Could never work. Even without the whole business rivalry, Terrible hated Lex. Hated Lex because of her, hated Lex because he knew shed been leaving him after an evening of hanging outafter many evenings of hanging outand heading over to Lexs place to spend the night in his bed. Shed betrayed him with Lex, over and over again, and even if she could expect him to put his loyalty to Bump aside she knew he couldnt possibly ever forget that.
Hell, even if he tried, Lex wouldnt let him, would he?
Terrible watched her, watched her tight so she felt like she couldnt escape. She wanted to rest her head against his shoulder, wrap her arms around him, but something told her she should hang back. No. I dont want that.
His eyes searched hers. Aye?
Aye. She smiled.
He smiled back, a brief flash of a smile across his face before his mouth twisted down again. He aint lyin on havin plans. Two street men dead in the last week, dig. Right onna corners, just left there.
Lex killed them?
Aint can see who else done it. Watchers said dudes pull theyselves up in a car, jump out, stab em up an take off again. Aint even dipped them pockets, dig.
Shit. So what are you guys doing?
Do what we gotta, aye? Aint can have that shit. Wonder on he not sayin on it, but guessing he aint with you here.
Or he didnt mention it because he wants you to work with him.
Terrible shrugged and leaned forward to stub out his smoke. As he did, his glance fell on her arm. Whats on there?
Huh? Oh. Damn, shed almost managed to forget about the Darnells. Remember my case, the people who broke the mirrors? I busted them today. They werent very happy about it.
They hit you?
Yeah. Well, they had a witch there who tried to kill me, then they had a gun, but it was fine. Im fine, no biggie.
He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. How about you, how was your day?
She could practically see him trying to decide if it was worth pushing or not; thankfully, he didnt. Even better, he lifted her arm and kissed the smudgy dark spot forming there, sending a shiver down her spine.
Hey. She reached up to trail her fingers down his thick sideburns, unable to keep herself from grinning. I might have a few more bruises, too.
His eyebrows rose, his own smile transforming his face the way she loved so much. Aye? Where?
Oh, all over. Its really bad. There are tons of them.
He shook his head. Damn. Thinkin you oughta show me, aye? Sos I can be all certain you aint hurt much.
I think youre right. She grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and lifted it off, shivering harder when his warm hands found her bare skin, reached behind her to unfasten her bra and slip that off, too. I definitely need your help.
Love wasnt one emotion, she didnt think. It was a combination of a whole bunch of them, and each one had a slightly different formula. Like how if she mixed black powder with an equal amount of blood salt and powdered cats skull, shed have a nice little hex-shield that would bounce curses back to the caster, but the same ingredients in different proportions would induce people to admit the truth if it got on their skin.
Love was like that, and the formulas were always changing. It never sat still and let her get used to it; she didnt feel as if she ever quite had her balance.
And there was the formula changing again, going from light and warm to tingly and hot. Hot and getting hotter when his mouth took hers, his fingertips on her jaw and then sliding into her hair. His body urged hers back, so she lay on the couch with his warm solid weight above her and her hands already finding bare skin under his shirt, spreading her fingers apart as wide as she could so she could feel more of him at once.
He took his time, inching his palm up her rib cage to barely skim her breast, sliding it down over the curve of her hip and thigh. His teeth caught her tongue and held it for a second, just long enough to send a flash of heat through her entire body. Still he didnt speed up, but that heat did, racing through her, screaming it was going so fast, and she felt as if she glowed in the ever-darker room as the sun set over Downside.
Then Terrible stopped, and she realized it wasnt her body screamingwell, her body was screaming, like it always did when he touched her, but the sound she heard wasnt her body. Wasnt her voice. It was a voice of terror, a voice of pain and despair, and it sent a shiver that had nothing to do with sex or love or anything even remotely pleasant up her spine.
It was coming from the street outside, and more voices joined it every second.
Chapter Three
You must always be ready.
Debunking: A Practical Guide, by Elder Morgenstern
Quite a crowd had gathered by the time Chess and Terrible burst through the tall, heavy wooden doors of her building, down the steps and across the patch of scrub grass and pebbles to the street, where dozens of backs obscured her view of whatever was happening.