Page 7 of Dark Angel
“I’ll have the same.” Styles rubbed at a scar along his chin as TJ vanished back into the kitchen. “Like I said before, you need to drop theagentwhen you’re in town. It makes people nervous. Nervous people shoot first and ask questions later, if you get my meaning.”
Drawing in a deep breath and letting it come out through her nose, she waited for TJ to return from the kitchen and ordered a cup of coffee. “It’s nice to meet you TJ. You can call me Beth.” She handed him her credit card. “Put our meals on here.”
“Sure.” TJ looked at Styles and raised both eyebrows. “Why don’t you take a seat, Beth, and I’ll bring the coffee right over.”
“I like my back to the wall.” Styles led the way to a booth in the corner. “Thanks for the meal, but I prefer to pay when I’m with a woman.” He shrugged. “I have a reputation to uphold.”
Beth gave him a broad smile and snorted with laughter. “Oh, do you now? We might be dining in an Old West town, but this is the twenty-first century and, like it or not, I’m your equal. You can pay next time if your ego needs a boost.”
“Mac mentioned that you say it like it is.” Styles turned the salt cellar around in his fingertips. “I like people who are straight down the line. It makes life uncomplicated. I figure we’re gonna get along just fine.” He winked at her.
He actually winked at me.Beth bit back a reply and looked away as her dark side rose up and shimmered just under the surface. At that moment, she wanted to strangle him real slow.
SIX
“Mom, I’m going over to see Skylar.” Brooklyn Daniels stuffed the cookies into her mouth and washed them down with milk. “I’ll be back before dinner.”
“What about your homework?” Her mom walked into the kitchen, opened the freezer, and pulled out a frozen lasagna.
Brooklyn grinned. “We haven’t any, apart from studying for a quiz tomorrow. I can do that after dinner.” She looked up at her mother. “We’re going to pick wildflowers. There’s a bunch of them right behind Skylar’s house.”
“Okay.” Her mom looked at her watch. “Don’t make me come looking for you.”
Backing out of the door, Brooklyn snatched up two more cookies from the plate and headed for freedom. It was a cold, windy, sunny afternoon but the fresh air was wonderful after spending the afternoon sitting beside Tommy Higgins. He smelled and he kept kicking off his shoes and waving his stinky feet under the desk. He thought it was funny and so did the other boys. She ran along the sidewalk and met Skylar at her gate. She handed her a cookie. “I told my mom we were picking wildflowers behind your house.”
“We can’t tell anyone about the secret garden.” Skylar fell into step beside her. “If we tell, the Warlock won’t come back.”
Lifting her shoulders to her ears, Brooklyn shivered against the blast of cold wind whistling down from the Rocky Mountains. “He’ll be happy we brought him cookies, but I don’t have any beer.”
They made their way along the railroad track, stepping from one wooden crosstie to the other. Leaving the track where it disappeared through the tunnel in the mountain, they headed for the forest. They’d discovered the fairy grotto, a small clearing in the forest where the sun shone down on a patch of wildflowers during the summer, but the Warlock had only met them the previous day. They’d both spoken to him for ages online in the game chat room but didn’t really believe he existed for real. Seeing a man with a flowing cloak and long fair hair appear without a sound had scared them at first. He’d told them to leave his grotto because the Queen of the Fae would be arriving soon. He’d sat on a boulder, head in his hands, saying he was in trouble. Curious, Brooklyn had asked him why and he’d replied that he had nothing to give her because an elf had stolen his magic. She’d asked him what they could do and he’d asked for food and beer. He’d made them promise not to tell anyone they’d seen him or he’d be banished for speaking to humans. After giving their solemn promise, he’d bowed and disappeared into the trees.
Excited, Brooklyn led the way into the grotto and looked around but saw no one. She turned to Skylar. “He’s not here, we’re too late. He’s been banished.”
“The poor Warlock.” Skylar’s face dropped. “It’s our fault, we should have helped him yesterday.”
“You still can.” The Warlock emerged from the trees and smiled at them.
“We have cookies but no beer.” Skylar held up her cookie.
“That’s wonderful.” The Warlock bowed and looked her in the eye. “The fairy queen will see one of you. The other will be given a special magical power if she does exactly what I say.”
“I want to see the fairy queen.” Skylar held out her hand. “Give me your cookie. I’ll give both of them to her.”
Nodding, excitement shivered through Brooklyn. She would be given a special power. “Okay.”
“I must blindfold you first and tie your hands.” The Warlock stared at Skylar. “The fairies are frightened of humans.”
Hoping to catch a glimpse of the fairies, Brooklyn stared into the trees. As the Warlock blindfolded her friend, she looked at him. “What do you want me to do?”
“Drink this magic potion.” He pulled a small bottle from his pocket. “Drink it all and stand on this blanket.” He spread out a red blanket on the grass. “Don’t move. I’ll be back very soon.” He led Skylar away. “I have potion for you too. You can drink it when we get there.”
Lightheaded and sleepy, Brooklyn sat on the blanket. It seemed to be a long time before she heard the Warlock walking back through the trees. She looked at him and smiled. “Where’s Skylar?”
“The fairy queen is very pleased with her.” He moved onto the blanket and sat beside her. “Don’t worry… I’ve saved the best for you.”
SEVEN
After spending what was left of Monday afternoon visiting stores with suitable clothing and boots, Beth had returned to her apartment and made use of the washer and dryer. Wearing stiff unwashed jeans and shirts wasn’t going to happen. When her phone buzzed, she stared at it for a few moments before picking it up and reading the caller ID. “Yeah, I just got in, Styles. What’s the problem?”
