Chapter 11
“ W e will find him again,” Wylen said confidently. “Come on.”
Without really waiting for us, the fae started to push through the slow-moving crowd like he had every right to nudge people out of his way. Surprisingly, most of them complied, but I did notice a few not-so-friendly glares tossed in his direction.
Tris held my hand as we followed behind Wylen.
While we made our way to the far side of the building, we passed three more fight rings.
I only saw what was happening in one of them, and the two people inside kept blinking in and out of existence, making it difficult for either one to land a punch. “Are those fae?” I asked Wylen.
He shook his head in disgust. “Of a sort.” Saying nothing else, he continued forward. With his height, he could see over the top of most people’s heads. I kind of hated him for that. “Over here.”
Wylen found the break in the crowds, which took us to an area with makeshift walls and what looked to be a bunch of offices or rooms. Following the whole north end of the building, these additions seemed somewhat out of place with the wide-open spaces of the fighting zones.
But when we reached a spot with a counter and a flashing neon sign that said ‘Place Your Bets,’ it made a little more sense.
This area was the brain of the operations, and hopefully, where we would find Razi.
Walking up to the counter, Wylen flashed a smile at a redheaded woman sitting behind a glass wall.
She instantly sat up straighter and stuck her well-endowed chest out to accentuate the cleavage.
With glowing, smooth skin, round eyes that should have been too large for her face, and the slight points at the tips of her ears, she looked otherworldly, like that woman we’d encountered outside.
And when she smiled, I swore I heard a beautiful song drifting around us like a fog.
Several harmonizing voices soothed my soul, and it made me want to close my eyes and float away with her.
“We need to speak to Razi,” Wylen said sharply, snapping me out of my trance.
The woman’s smile dropped. “Who?”
“Razi.”
“Sorry, don’t know who you’re talking about.”
Tris dropped my hand and nudged Wylen out of the way. Showing the woman his note, he flashed her a grin and said, “I’m here to claim my winnings. Plus, Razi gave this to me.”
Eyeing up Tris like he was a piece of chocolate cake, she finally leaned to the side to read the note he’d shoved through the little opening in the glass.
She made some kind of noise and cleared her throat.
Pulling out the drawer beneath her, she counted the bills to pay Tris.
When she slid the pile of cash his way, she tried to dismiss us. But Tris was not having it.
“And Razi?”
“Excuse me?”
“Give them a break, Anita.” Razi had somehow snuck up beside us, and all three of us jumped in surprise.
The man’s face seemed to widen again as he laughed at our expense.
But then his gaze fell on Wylen, and something in his eyes changed.
Maybe they actually changed color…it was kind of hard to tell.
But whatever had caught Razi’s attention had definitely made the man adjust his demeanor.
A whistle danced across his lips. “Look at yo u.” He circled Wylen as the fae made sure he was always facing the small, yet scary, man.
“I’ll invest in troll boy, but you…I would just buy you outright. ”
“What?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Razi grinned but kept his focus on Wylen. “A specimen like you would make me millions,” he mused, still fantasizing over the fae. “Interested?”
“I cannot stay,” Wylen said with a small nod. It wasn’t a decline per se, and I wondered if perhaps Wylen enjoyed the idea of beating someone as much as I suspected Tris did. The thought made me shiver.
“That is too bad,” Razi said with a shrug. He then focused on Tris. “Come to discuss my offer?”
I snapped my head to the left to stare at Tris. He gave me a weird look that I could only interpret as coy. “Maybe.”
Clearing my throat, I stepped in front of Razi. “We need to talk to you. It’s about the missing fae.”
Wylen made a small noise and Tris let out a sigh, but I ignored them. I was tired of being in this place, and it was time to get some answers.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Razi said.
“Is there some place we can talk?” When I noticed that I was losing Razi’s attention, I grabbed his arm and said, “Please. It’s important.”
No one moved as Razi eyed my grip. I felt Tris and Wylen’s eyes glued to us, but I refused to let go. “Sure, pretty lady. We can talk.”
When I dropped my hand, Razi winked at Anita and gestured for us to follow him.
We only walked a few feet when he opened a metal door on the left and ushered us in.
The room was larger than I would have thought, with a light tube that would have given this space some natural illumination during the day.
A large oak desk sat diagonally in one corner, and a small seating area had been arranged on the other side of the room.
Razi lowered himself into one of the leather chairs, and the three of us followed suit. Sitting in a circle, I kind of liked the way no one person seemed to be in charge. “So, Miss…”
“Sosie.”
“So, Miss Sosie. What is this about the missing fae?”
I pulled out my notebook and grabbed the photo of Gil I’d borrowed from my mom. “Do you know this man?”
Razi leaned forward slowly, eyeing me up in a way that felt predatory.
Not in a sexual way, but in an “I want to eat you for dinner” kind of way.
When he finally focused on the picture, he smiled.
“Gillanders Earvin Buchanan. One of my best investments.” Handing the picture back to me, he asked, “How is ol’ Gil doing? ”
“He’s missing,” I said curtly.
“And what does that have to do with me?”
I sighed and leaned back into the comfy seat. Sometimes I found that when I acted like I wasn’t so anxious about getting information, people talked more. “I’ve been hired by his family to track him down. He’s been missing for weeks.”
“Gil has a family?”
With a shrug, I tried to pull off nonchalance. “In a manner of speaking.”
Razi must have found that response interesting because he chuckled and then turned his attention to Wylen. “Are you his family?”
“I am not,” Wylen replied without offering any more information.
Razi looked toward Tris but seemed to dismiss any kind of question he may have had. Pulling his attention back to me, he said, “I haven’t seen him in a while.”
“What about the festival? At your place in the country? I have it on good authority that he may have attended.”
Razi let out a full laugh and mimicked my move by leaning back in his chair and resting both arms out to the side. “Well, aren’t you something?” he mused.
“Gil isn’t the first fae to go missing.”
That seemed to sober the troll. “Really?” When I nodded, he again looked at Wylen. “And this is why you have come?”
“Yes.”
“Well then.” Razi stood and started to pace the room. I didn’t like that he would sometimes end up behind me, so I kept turning in my chair so I could see him at all times. “How many?”
“Ten,” Wylen answered.
“Ten! And I’m just hearing about this now?
” Annoyed, he pushed a button on top of his desk and then leaned against the large wooden structure so that he could see the door.
A few moments later, there was a knock, and another small man with much longer hair and a much bigger nose stuck his head inside.
Razi said something to him in a language I’d never heard before, and the man nodded as he left.
Razi continued to pace, all of us watching him now, until finally he settled back into his chair. “You know,” he told me. “The fae are a bunch of bastards.”
Tris choked down a laugh, and Wylen sat up higher in his seat. “I can see that,” I said, much to Tris’s and Razi’s amusement. I didn’t look to see Wylen’s reaction.
“They are arrogant and spoiled and…tall,” Razi growled. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I will work with one in the ring any day, but outside of here,” he waved his hands around to take in the whole building, “they are a bunch of assholes.”
“Right there with you, man,” Tris agreed. I shot him a glare. He shrugged and gave me a wink.
“Did you have a mystical festival on your property a few weeks ago?” I asked Razi, trying to get some answers.
He leaned forward, elbows on knees and hands clasped together. “I did.”
“And do you know if Gil attended?”
“I do not.”
“Do you have a list of attendees?”
“I might.”
“Can I please see it? ”
Razi half-smiled, half-glared at me. He slowly pulled out a comm phone from his back pocket, chuckling to himself. “Is she always like this?”
Both Tris and Wylen said, “Yes,” at the same time.
I ignored them and instead waited as patiently as possible while Razi kept tapping his screen. A full minute later, he finally spoke. “Yes. Gil attended the festival.” Putting his phone away, he sat there in silence.
I was losing patience. “That’s it?”
“Why are you so interested?” He was studying me like prey again.
“I told you. I was hired by his family?—”
Razi suddenly bolted out of his chair and was crouching in front of me before I even had a chance to scream. “No. That’s not it.” He leaned into my face…and licked my cheek.
“Whoa!” Tris jumped up, ready to fight. “Get away from her!”
But Razi had already returned to his chair.
Smacking his lips together, he continued to act like he was chewing on something.
Had he bitten me? I brushed my hand against my face, but it came back free of blood.
A little wet from his slobber, which totally grossed me out, but at least he hadn’t bitten me.
“What are you?” he asked.
“I’m a journalist.”
Shaking his head, Razi chuckled to himself.
“No wonder I couldn’t stop.” He smiled up at Tris, who was still standing, and gestured for him to sit back down.
Wylen hadn’t moved, but his shoulders were pushed back, and he looked ready to pounce if needed.
As Tris lowered himself, Razi licked his lips one more time. “How do you know Gil?”
“I…” Looking toward Tris and Wylen for guidance, it was only Wylen who gave me a slight nod of his head. “Gil is my father.”
“Yes,” Razi breathed. “That is what I suspected.” He turned his body to face Wylen better. “Do you have the same ability?”
“I do not. ”
“But you have something?” Razi questioned him with a slight sense of awe mixed with disappointment. “Of course you do.”
Wylen stayed silent, and I had a feeling that was a very wise move.
“If you want to find your father, you should talk to others like you.” Razi’s attention was waning, and I had a feeling I wouldn’t get much more out of him.
“Gil has more children?” I didn’t like the jealousy I felt brewing inside.
“I don’t know. Maybe.” He glared at Wylen. “The fae like to show up and spread their seed.”
Tris giggled, and I glared at him. Wylen still didn’t move or comment.
“Where can I find them?”
Razi sighed. “You’re the journalist. You figure it out.
” His words were dismissive, but when he turned to look at me again, he rolled his eyes.
“Check out the crystal shops and the new-age stores. They’re usually run by some kind of halflings.
” He suddenly snapped his lips together and shook his head. “You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
Instead of answering me directly, he said, “Gil must have been more powerful than I realized.”
Someone knocked on the door, and Razi stood.
We followed him, even though I was still stuck on his words.
Was it my persuasion ability he was talking about?
“You should go home,” he said to Wylen. “And you should call me,” he added for Tris.
“I have a feeling this place would be a good fit for you.”
I wanted to say no way, but it wasn’t my business. Tris was a grown man, and if he wanted to get involved with illegal fighting, then…who was I kidding? I needed to talk him out of it right away.
“I hope you find what you need, Miss Sosie.” Razi grabbed my hand and kissed the top of it. A very gentlemanly thing to do for a man who seemed far from a gentleman. Just then, the door opened, and the same man gestured for us to leave.
Wylen led the way, and Tris followed behind me. The loudness of the fighting pierced my ears as I hadn’t realized how soundproof Razi’s office must have been. “My head hurts,” I said to no one in particular.
“Let’s go home.” Tris wrapped his arm across my lower back and started to follow Wylen back through the crowd. As the sound of slaps and punches, kicks and cracks filled the din, I kept my gaze down and away from all the chaos. I didn’t need to see any more fighting and death tonight.
I just needed a shower, a glass of wine, and a dreamless sleep to take me away from this new world I’d been thrown into. And in the morning, I would deal with the faeries and the trolls and the underground fighting ring in New Rothwick.