Page 48 of Throwing Shade
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Laurent stopped so suddenlyinside the threshold that I smacked into his back.
“Out,” a massive Indo-Canadian man said, blocking our way.
I peeked past him and my mouth fell open.
We were in a speakeasy with gleaming burnished tables and curved leather banquettes. Sconce lamps hung in regular intervals on the dark gold brocade wallpaper, bouncing their light off the pressed tin tiles on the ceiling, while a chandelier made of dizzying twists of black metal hung over the bar at the far end of the room. A jazz band on a small stage played a raucous tune with whooping clarinets and a rumbling bass that would be a great soundtrack to make bathtub gin to.
“Now, now, mon ami,” Laurent said, really slathering on the French charm, “we agreed to let bygones be bygones.”
The other man shook his fist. “You killed my mother-in-law.”
“I killed a dybbuk, Vikram,” Laurent said, all pretense of good cheer gone. “Your mother-in-law didn’t exist by that point and you know it.”
“Tell that to my wife. She hasn’t stopped crying in a month.” Short brown fur broke out over the man’s skin. His ears turned stubby and round, and a snout protruded from his nose.
“Grizzly,” I squeaked. Growing up in northern British Columbia, we hadn’t been warned about stranger danger as much as we’d been warned about bears. Every kid knew the story of the boy who’d gotten his scalp ripped off in his own backyard and had to be flown to Vancouver for reconstructive surgery. I’d seen bears in our back garden. They were scary enough through a window, so being this close to one, even one that was still mostly human, caused the lizard part of my brain to scream “Run!”
Laurent briefly touched my shoulder, then got up in the other man’s face. “Step down, Bear. Kaia got drunk during the Danger Zone. On your watch.”
Vikram hung his head. The innately human movement alleviated some of my fear, and besides, now I was curious.
“Danger Zone?” I said. “What’s that?”
“Who are you?” Vikram said.
“No one,” Laurent said, miming for me to zip it.
Vikram shifted back. “Who have you dragged into your shit now, Wolf?” He turned to me. “The Danger Zone is what we call that time from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Dybbuks require lowered inhibitions to inhabit a body, so we’re not supposed to drink or get high during that time.” He scratched his chin. “I’ve heard other people call it the Dead Day, maybe that’s what you’re more familiar with.”
“That’s why Jude didn’t drink on Fridays when we went out,” I said. “She said it was because she had to wake up early and get to the studio.” She never drank, but I did, unwittingly putting myself in harm’s way. Innocence was bliss, but it also could have gotten me possessed, even if I’d never used my powers again.
I worried at my bottom lip. What other things was I missing out on knowing that could keep me safe?
“How did you not know this?” Vikram said. “Are you a Sap?”
Laurent glared at me, but not answering Vikram would be more suspicious.
“The more important question is why you allowed your mother-in-law to get drunk, knowing full well what could happen.” I wagged a finger at Vikram. “Shame on you.”
He threw his hands up. “Believe me, I tried. There was no arguing with the woman.” His expression turned sly. “Much like someone else I know.”
Laurent briefly closed his eyes. “Merde.”
“Want me to announce your presence?” Vikram bounced gleefully on his toes.
“Do it and I’ll gut you,” Laurent said. “Is she in the gallery?”
Vikram nodded, just as shouts came from the left side of the establishment.
I tried to see what was happening but Vikram was in my way.
“Let me talk to Harry and we’ll be gone,” Laurent said.
Vikram shrugged. “You know the way.”
Laurent strode off and I half-jogged to keep up.
