Chapter thirty
a game of snatch
D arragh and I sat on the cozy balcony of a two-story café. We overlooked the glassed-in veranda of a particularly splendid, and exquisitely expensive, restaurant. I’d jumped at the opportunity to go out with Darragh, but now, I saw the real reason we’d come. Marlowe sat on the veranda below, enjoying dinner with an elegant young woman. I scooched closer to the patio heater. The radiating heat did little to warm me against the cool November evening, and I shivered. Without letting Marlowe out of his sight, Darragh’s hand found mine. A lovely warmth flowed up my arm.
“How will Marlowe help us rescue Bowyn?”
“The Queen holds a special contempt for Marlowe.” Darragh scowled. “His powers of persuasion are unmatched in our time. Every time I’ve presented him to the Queen, he’s managed to escape. He’s made a mockery of her and her guardians.”
“Why hasn’ t anyone killed hi—”
Darragh ripped his eyes from Marlowe and glared at me.
Right . I’d stopped Darragh killing Marlowe the last time…right before Marlowe escaped.
Darragh turned back to Marlowe. “Just as well. I’ll have more bargaining power if he’s alive. I’ll lay Marlowe at the Queen’s feet in exchange for Bowyn’s life.” Our waitress returned with two hot chocolates, smothered in whipped cream and caramel. Darragh thanked them before returning a scowling gaze on Marlowe.
“What are his weaknesses?” I asked, licking whipped cream from the mug.
“He has a fondness for flattery and beautiful people.” Darragh took a drink, his eyes never leaving Marlowe.
“We could always ask Sasha to do your makeup again.”
We sat in silence.
“Actually, you know what…”
***
“We need your help.” I held my phone so Darragh could see Sasha on the screen. “We need you to persuade James Marlowe to come home with you.”
Sasha looked around nervously and moved somewhere private. He lowered his voice. “You’re really talking to me about kidnapping right now?” He blinked. “You want me to kidnap a man?”
“Actually, what you’ll be doing is luring .” I gestured to myself and Darragh. “We’re kidnapping.”
“The jury won’t care,” Sasha cried. “They’re not gonna convict you, or a good-looking boy like him. They won’t even have a trial; they’ll send me straight to prison.” Sasha shook his head. “No, ma’am.”
Darragh took the phone. “Marlowe doesn’t belong here. You’ll be saving countless lives. Please.” Darragh held the phone close, speaking directly to Sasha. “I need your help.”
Sasha’s face softened. “I don’t know.” His shoulders bunched. “This is insane…”
“I promise no one will know you had a hand in it.”
“What if—”
“I won’t let you get hurt,” Darragh promised. “I’ll keep you safe.” I rolled my eyes, but it did the trick. Sasha melted under his gaze.
“Say I help you, what am I getting in return? Other than a go straight to jail card?”
“A date with James Marlowe,” I said from behind Darragh.
Sasha started to argue, but snapped his mouth shut. He zoned in on Darragh. “I want a date with that boy you showed me. The one back home.”
“Who?” Darragh’s brows furrowed. “Oh.” He sneered. “Bowyn?”
“I don’t know.” Sasha shrugged. “The big boy.”
I grabbed the phone. “Don’t you have a boyfriend?”
Sasha licked his lips and set me with an annoyed stare. “No. If you were around, you’d know that—”
“Okay, I’m handing you back to Darragh now.” I shoved the phone back at Darragh.
Darragh bit his lip and smiled. “A date with Bowyn is a curse, and I can’t guarantee I can get him here, but if I do, I’ll introduce you.”
Sasha pursed his lips. “So, when is all this going down?”
“Tomorrow night. The big boy is in danger. We need Marlowe as soon as possible.”
Sasha rubbed his temples. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
***
The seductive click-clack of heels signaled Sasha’s arrival. Darragh let out a breathless, “Wow,” as she joined us in my kitchen.
“Yeah.” I sighed, not bothering to hide my envy. “I know.”
Sasha wore a shimmering copper dress. Slit to her navel, it covered only what was necessary. Her legs shone, reminding me of gorgeous people on billboards and magazines. Sasha tossed a section of sleek, black hair over her shoulder and motioned from her shoes to her head with her clutch.
“I should charge you for all this.”
My expression said, fair enough .
“Alright, let’s go over everything one more time,” Darragh began. “We’ll sit at the bar. Marlowe will arrive with a date and sit in his usual spot. When his date goes to the bathroom, I’ll intercept her. I’ll remind her of her alternative plans for the evening and introduce her to her oldest friend, Sasha. She’ll take Sasha back to Marlowe, apologize for having to leave, but suggest Marlowe and Sasha will get on.”
Darragh looked at Sasha expectantly.
A startled expression crossed Sasha’s face, like she was called on to give an answer in class. “I do whatever I can to get Marlowe out of the restaurant and away from the crowd?”
Darragh nodded and urged her on.
“I head back to Nelli’s—”
“Stop at the corner before the alley,” Darragh interrupted. “Three of the shops on that corner have cameras. Nell and I will meet you there and take Marlowe with us. If anyone asks you anything, tell them Marlowe ran into a friend and left with him.”
Easy enough.
I gave Sasha a spare key before we left. I’d asked her to watch Watney and my apartment for a few days. “Thank you for everything.” I said, as she slipped the key in her clutch.
Sasha wrapped me in a hug. “This is for all those times you covered for me when you didn’t have to.” She released me. “But if I go to court, I’m telling them this was your idea.”
***
At the bar, Sasha ordered a cocktail for herself and a rye and ginger for me. I’d barely taken a sip before Darragh nudged me. He jutted his chin to the door, where Marlowe and a woman chatted with the host. They followed the host to a table on the veranda.
“Hey isn’t that Braeleigh?” Sasha asked.
I squinted, trying to see the woman better. “Who?”
“Braxlee.”
I further scrunched my face in misunderstanding.
“Braelyn.” I had no idea who Sasha was talking about. “Breighleigh?” Sasha guessed again. The woman turned so I could see her better.
“Oh. Braxlynn,” I corrected.
Marlowe and Braxlynn took their seats. It wasn’t long before Braxlynn excused herself. Darragh slid from the chair and looked at Sasha. “Ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Sasha downed her cocktail and checked her breasts in the mirror behind the bar. She kissed each of my cheeks and left. Darragh stopped Braxlynn before the bathroom. His hand lingered on her arm while he introduced Sasha.
I turned to the bartender and held up my glass. “Can I have another?”
Darragh returned as the bartender slid my drink over. Across the restaurant, Braxlynn paraded Sasha in front of Marlowe. Braxlynn excused herself and Sasha took a seat. She peeked at Marlowe demurely from beneath her bangs.
“Let’s hope Sasha works her magic,” I said.
Darragh watched Sasha’s leg brush Marlowe beneath the table. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”
“Would you like a drink?”
Darragh shook his head. “I can’t let him get away again. Not this time.”
“Suit yourself.” I sipped my drink in silence. Darragh’s eyes never left Marlowe’s reflection in the mirror.
Across the restaurant, Sasha excused herself and headed to the bathroom.
“Can you ask her what’s taking so long?” Darragh said.
“Sure.” I slid off my seat. “I’ll be right back.”
In the bathroom, Sasha met my eyes in the mirror, fixing her lipstick.
“How’s it going?”
“Amazing.” Sasha fanned herself. “He is so charming.”
“Darragh’s getting grumpy. Are you having trouble persuading Marlowe to leave?”
“Oh, he was ready to go before the entrée, hunny.” Sasha smacked her lips, admiring the lipstick. “I’m just enjoying myself now.”
I laughed. “Well, I suppose we owe you that much.”
Sasha dropped the lipstick in her clutch. “Alright.” Her masculine voice popped back in. “Let’s do this, marines.”
“You got this.” I gave her a thumbs up as she disappeared through the door. I rejoined Darragh, across the restaurant, Marlowe and Sasha rose to leave.
“Let’s go,” Darragh muttered. We followed Sasha and Marlowe down the main street, giving them a wide berth. When they reached the corner, Darragh sped up and shouted, “Hey, I know you!”
Marlowe apologized to Sasha, “I’m sorry, my love, just another fan.” He froze when he saw Darragh. Marlowe’s gaze drifted to me. He smirked and said, “Hello, my darling.”
I stared at the pavement. Not today, Marlowe. Not today.
While I knew to protect myself, Sasha didn’t. With all the prep, we’d forgotten to warn her. Marlowe took Sasha’s slender hands and gazed into her eyes. “Do you see these two? If I’m to say, oh I don’t know, vanish? I want you to tell anyone and everyone that they’ve killed me, all right?”
“Uhhh…” Sasha turned two very alarmed blue eyes on me and Darragh.
Sasha’s eyes were brown.
She was wearing contacts.
I winked, hoping she understood. Turning back to Marlowe, Sasha said, “Sure thing, baby.” Marlowe pressed a firm kiss on Sasha’s lips. She giggled and fanned herself, which I didn’t believe was acting. The click-clack of Sasha’s heels rang out as she scurried away. Behind Marlowe’s back, she gave me a subtle thumbs-up.
Darragh grabbed Marlowe’s arm.
“Careful! This is merino,” Marlowe whined. Where Darragh’s fingers met the fabric of Marlowe’s suit, a tendril of smoke wafted away. “Oh, that’s nice!” Marlowe scoffed.
Back in my apartment, Darragh used an old pair of tights to tie Marlowe to a chair. “Do you have anything we can put over his eyes?”
I rummaged through the junk drawer in my kitchen and found a pair of rainbow sunglasses. Gigantic and awful, I’d gotten them at a pride parade with Sasha. Darragh put the sunglasses on Marlowe. He pillaged Marlowe’s pockets and pulled out the mirror that sent me back to Hiraeth.
“Excuse me, you brigand! That’s mine!”
Darragh shoved the mirror into his own pocket. “From the moment Bowyn was born, you have failed him. You abandoned him, and you’ve been absent when he’s needed you most. He is going to die if we don’t help him.” Putting a hand on either side of Marlowe, Darragh leaned forward so they were eye to eye. “You will come with us, and you will offer yourself to the Queen in exchange for your son’s life.”
“That’s an unfortunate turn of events…” Marlowe paused, deep in thought. He sighed heavily, readying to say something ve ry important.
The silence stretched on; Marlowe opened his mouth.
“I’m not going back.”
Darragh raised his fist. “You sonofabitch.”
I grabbed Darragh’s arm and dragged him aside. “What if we get him to help us?” The idea was so abhorrent to Darragh that only a garbled choke came out in response. “You said it yourself; his powers of persuasion are unmatched. An enemy of your enemy is your friend, right?”
Darragh’s jaw clenched, and his nostrils flared.
“And what happens to you after you trade him for Bowyn? Hm? You think the Queen’s just gonna let us walk free?”
That caught Darragh’s attention.
“If he helps us, we don’t turn him in, and he rescues his son. Win-win.”
Darragh turned to Marlowe. “Did you hear that?”
“I did.”
“And what do you say?”
“Eleanor, while I admire your diplomacy—I’d rather die here with my fans than face that tired old hag.” Marlowe pursed his lips and nodded once. “Bowyn will understand.”
Darragh opened his hand, and a ball of fire flickered to life. I snapped his hand shut, dousing the flame. “Why don’t you go cool off for a minute?” Fuming, Darragh stormed out of the apartment. Angry footfalls sounded on the metal stairs.
Marlowe’s pride sunglasses sparkled when he said, “My dear, you really can do better.”
I lay comfortably on the couch, reading Stolen Tongues when Darragh returned. He pointed at Marlowe. “What’s all this?” Marlowe, who’d fallen asleep in his chair, now wore a feather boa and a sparkling top hat.
Turning a page, I shrugged. “It matched.” Darragh collapsed beside me, and I tucked a thumb between the pages of my book .
“How can I make Marlowe go back if he doesn’t care about anything?” Darragh asked. “Normally when I present someone with death, or returning to Hiraeth, they happily accept the latter. Death doesn’t frighten him, and even if it did, we need him alive to rescue Bowyn…” Darragh let out a frustrated breath. “And now he knows that.”
“How’d you get him to go back the last time? Can’t you just force him?”
“If it were only him and me, I could bring him back, willing or not. But I won’t be able to focus entirely on him and bring you at the same time. If he struggles during the trip, he might fall out along the journey. Or he might push you out.”
“Could you make two trips?”
Darragh frowned. “It’s no easy task, especially carrying another person. It could take a day or two for me to gather enough strength for a second journey. I can’t leave Bowyn that long.” Darragh rubbed the back of his neck. I stared at the cover of my book, mulling over the problem.
“Marlowe cares about how he looks,” I said.
Darragh’s brows raised, and he met my eyes. He grabbed the front of my shirt and planted an excited kiss on my lips before leaping from the couch. Darragh snapped his fingers in Marlowe’s face. He jerked awake and blinked lazily through his big glasses. Darragh sat on the coffee table next to him. He raised his hand, and a thin blue flame travelled around it.
A single drop of sweat formed on Marlowe’s brow.
“What are you going to do with that?”
Darragh smiled in a funny you should ask sort of way. “I’m going to burn the skin from your face.” Marlowe’s eyes pinballed between Darragh and the fire. “Don’t worry.” Darragh laughed. “You won’t die.” He booped Marlowe on the nose.
Marlowe’s flesh sizzled and he squealed, “Not my face!”
“Yes, your face,” Darragh responded. “Your face, and then your neck.” Darragh trailed a finger down Marlowe’s throat, the skin bubbled and blistered. Darragh glanced down. “And anything else I might meet.” Darragh retracted his hand, and the azure flame pulsed in his palm. “Ready?”
Marlowe’s wide eyes locked on Darragh’s hand. “You wouldn’t.”
“I need you alive. I don’t need you pretty.” Darragh reached out, inching the flame toward Marlowe’s face—
“Alright!” Marlowe wailed. “I’ve had a change of heart!”
“I thought you might,” Darragh growled.
“I’ll help you!”
Darragh did not withdraw the flame. “Help us what?”
“I’ll help you save my son!”
Darragh shook his hand, dispelling the fire. He leaned in, meeting Marlowe’s panicked gaze. “If you struggle while we’re travelling, I will cut out your tongue and disfigure you so crudely, no one will ever recognize you. Do you understand?”
Marlowe bobbed his head.
Darragh untied him and we prepared to leave. I slipped on my shoes and gave Watney one last pet.
Since this adventure began, I couldn’t wait to get home. And yet, when Darragh had resolved to return to Hiraeth with Marlowe, the question of whether or not I would accompany them never came up. I didn’t have to fight to convince Darragh to bring me along, and he gave no indication he would leave me behind. It was as if, somewhere along the journey, our hearts had spoken to one another.
‘I’m coming with you.’
‘Of course you are.’
Standing before the door, Darragh asked, “Are you ready?”
“I am.”
Under the cover of darkness, we headed to the lake.