pegged me as one of the watered-down specimens that popped up every now and then. An interesting peculiarity, but nothing to get worked up over.
As long as they didn’t pay me much attention, I didn’t care.
Moving close to the vintage video game, I peered at the high score.
“Who holds the high score?”
He huffed out that put-upon sigh that the teenaged set perfected. It didn’t matter what their race was. “I do. Go away.”
Excellent. I could top that score. I used to do better than that. Way better. “Bet I can beat it.”
He snorted. “You wish.”
“Try me.”
With another derisive look, he said, “I would, but my dad doesn’t want me touching humans. He thinks I’ll catch it.”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “Cute, kid. Don’t worry. You’re not my style. I always wait until the fur comes in before I go chasing them. You’re no fun until then.”
A dull red flush settled over his face and he turned away from the game to glare at me. Ah, that’s better. He was looking at me now. Fishing out one of the bills Damon had used to lure me into this mess, I waved it at him. “Come on. One game. If you can beat me, this is yours.”
His eyes widened on the bill, then narrowed on my face before flicking to the man at my back. Nerves danced on his face and I thought, Please. Just one thing. Let one thing go my way…If I could get them to talk to me without Damon pulling that snarl-and-growl act, I’d feel like I was in control over something at least. Just then, I desperately needed it.
I beat the high score.
Much to the dismay of the boy and the amusement of his friends.
He sneered at me as I pushed the money back into my pocket. “I ain’t got any money, nugget,” he said as he flung his long, skinny body down on the couch a few feet away. “So you just wasted your time.”
I sat down on the coffee table a few feet away, holding his gaze. “Nah. I love Mortal Kombat. They made a movie out of the game, you know. Kind of sucked but had some fun actors in it. Lots of ass-kicking.”
“Humans like you don’t know shit about kicking ass.” He gave me another one of those sneers. I wondered if he had another expression.
Sighing, I said, “I’m looking for Doyle.”
He shot up off the couch. He didn’t make it a foot before Damon was there, shoving him back down. “You’re going to talk to her, Marcus,” he said quietly. “And you’re going to be nice about it.”
The kid went white.
Sighing, I rubbed my hands over my face. “I hate this job,” I muttered. Lowering my hands, I looked at the kid. “Marcus, is that your name?”
That familiar sneer started to spread over his face. I heard a growl coming from somewhere over my head and I swore. “For crying out loud…damn it, kid, if you want to glare at me, I don’t give a flying fuck. I just want to know about Doyle. He’s missing. And if you know much about him, you know he’s probably going to be in trouble if he’s not found soon.”
Marcus swallowed. “He ran away,” the kid said. “The spike was scaring him. Nobody…”
He stopped talking, shooting Damon a look as he suddenly crowded in over Marcus’s shoulder.
“You’re not helping, Damon,” I told him drily. Leaning forward, I touched the boy’s knee, drawing his gaze back to mine. “Ignore that jerk if you can. I’m trying my damnedest to do it, although it’s kind of hard.”
Something that might have been a smile danced in his eyes before it disappeared, gone all too quick.
“The spike was scaring him,” I prodded. “Did he run away? Was he trying to do something about it?”
Marcus shook his head. “You can’t stop the spiking,” he said. “All you can do is go with it. My brother went through it three years ago and it was hell. But Dad was with him, and both of them said they’ll be there with me when…”
He shrugged. “They’ll be there. Doyle was scared. And nobody cared.”
He flicked another look at Damon. For a second, the faintest glimmer of accusation lingered there. Then it was gone.
“Do you have any idea where he’d go?”
“Sometimes he talked about heading south. Down to the ‘glades.” Marcus smiled, a little sadly. “We always thought it would be fun, you know? Heading down there and doing a real hunt. Not this