The man behind the bar glared at me. “You’re late!”
“Sorry, Mr. Bumstead,” I called back as I pulled off my coat and hung it on a hook beside the door. “Traffic was murder and-“
“And I don’t want to hear about it,” he growled as he stabbed a finger at a door that led out front. “The customers are waiting for the show they already paid for.”
“On it, Mr. Bumstead.”
I snatched up a mic from atop one of the speakers and hurried out onto the tiny stage. The eyes of two dozen people fell on me. Many of them didn’t look happy.
I smiled and bowed my head to them. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! I’m Rose Larkin, and I’m so glad to be in front of you tonight. I’m a little late, so I’ll be singing an extra song for you tonight. It’s a new song, too, so I hope you enjoy it.” Thank God Tim gave me that song!
Some of the ire fell from their faces. I opened my mouth, and the whole world faded into the background. There was only me and the music.
By the time I finished my set, the hour was late and I was exhausted. It wasn’t easy belting out some of Tim’s original stuff for three hours. Tim considered my voice, but not Bumstead.
“Thank you for listening, everyone!” I called out as I walked backward toward stage left. “I’ll see you here on Monday night!”
“Don’t forget the fish!” Bumstead hissed at me.
I sighed, but kept my smile plastered to my face. “And don’t forget to try the fish! It’s fishtastic!”
I hopped off the stage and scooted around the back of the bar. Bumstead scowled at me. “I’m going to dock your pay if you forget that ad one more time.”
I snatched my coat from the hook and frowned at him. “You can’t do that.”
“Then don’t forget the ad again,” he growled as he stabbed a finger at the side exit. “Now get out of here.”
I was only too glad to step out into the late-night gloom. A moon shone above me as I slipped on my coat. “Maybe I should get a new gig. . .”
A rustling noise from the shadows deeper in the alley made me pause. I froze and squinted at the darkness. “Is someone there?” A can rattled, and my blood boiled. “Come on, Tim, I’m tired and just want to go-” My words caught in my throat as a shadow stood up from behind the trash can.
It wasn’t Tim.
Chapter 2
I stumbled back and fumbled in my pocket for my pepper spray. The person leaped at me with the fluid motion of a snake and grabbed my wrist, yanking my hand from my pocket. I cried out, but not from his harsh hold. Something in his hand had pierced my skin, and I felt the barb sink deep into my flesh.
That gave me an idea. I swung down and sank my teeth into his arm. His skin was rubbery and dry, but my chompers did the trick. He cried out and released me. I stumbled back, and he clutched his wounded arm.
“You damn wench!” he snapped as his eyes seemed to glow a bright yellow in the dim light. “I’ll get you for that!”
The man blocked the way back into the pub, so I swung toward the mouth of the alley. The way was open. I darted toward those hope-filled streetlights, my feet pounding across the broken concrete.
I’d only made it a couple of yards when my head began to swim. The world around me lost focus, blurring into dull shades of grays and blacks. My feet tripped over the uneven ground and I fell forward, catching myself with my hands. I heard a crunch of the debris and raised my eyes.
A tall shadow stood over me, but it wasn’t the slithery man who had grabbed me. This man knelt on the balls of his heels, so we were nearly face to face. His handsome features didn’t match the cold darkness in his eyes. The man was attired in a plain leather coat, a white blouse, and slimming black pants. He sported slicked-back black hair and a winning smile that had a strange, eerie darkness at the corners.
“That weakening sensation you are feeling is the poison of my friend here running through your veins.” My heart skipped a beat, and the man chuckled. “Panicking will only increase the spread. You may as well give in to the effects. There’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
I’ve always hated it when someone told me I couldn’t do anything. I gritted my teeth and swiped my hand at the man, intending to connect a slap on his cute cheek. He leaned back out of my reach and I lost my balance, tumbling forward onto my side.
The man stood, and the hulking shadow of his friend came up behind me. The world began to fade into black as I heard their voices echo in my ears.
“You sure this is the one?” The deep, gravely baritone voice made me shudder.
“Has the witch’s magic led us astray yet?”
“No, but I don’t trust her. She’s not one of us.”
