“Who’s Jamey?”
“Detective St. James,” said Stensby. “Reece’s sister. She was a detective on the force. And see, I’m not stupid. I know an anonymous benefactor isn’t just going to pay me to distract Jamey, they’re going to want more, and if I say no, then I’m going to have a little accident somewhere, someday. Dirty money always comes with strings, and that’s why I’m going to Mexico tonight, before those strings attach. But I had to do something about Reece before I left, because if half of what Keith says is true, then the whole city is in danger.”
Alex tilted his head. “What did you do to this other empath?”
“Car sabotage,” Stensby said proudly. “Nothing that could be traced back to me.”
“I see.” Alex took his hand off of Stensby. “I’m going to need your phone.”
“I will give you anything you want,” Stensby promised, handing over the phone.
“Yeah,” said Alex, narrowing his eyes. “You will.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
From:[REDACTED]
To:[REDACTED]
Subject:Re: McFeely’s
Yes, I’m aware of the existence of McFeely’s. No, there are no real empaths working there. Yes, impersonating an empath is a crime.
In the past, however, McFeely’s has proved useful when it comes to entertaining certain clientele. In the present, at least one of their employees is a person of interest.
The club should be left alone, for the moment.
Reece was halfwaythrough his second Shirley Temple and considering a third when Diesel joined him at the bar. He stayed standing, and up close Reece could now see that the smile he was offering was hedged with a tiredness that hadn’t been there in November. “How you doing, kiddo?”
“Ben makes the best drinks,” Reece said. “What’s wrong?”
Diesel startled. “That obvious?”
“Real empath,” Reece reminded him, pointing to himself with one hand as he pulled a maraschino cherry off the ice by the stem with the other. Ben had added several extra cherries, because he was the best bartender in Seattle. “I can listen. I know I talk constantly and I’m super annoying, but I can be a good listener.” He bit the cherry off the stem. “I’d love to listen, honestly. It’s—been a while since I got to be an empath like that.”
“If you like to listen, you really should work here.” Diesel clapped him on the back. “And you’re not even close to annoying. Trust me.”
Not a lie. It was a brief touch through layers of clothes, and months ago Reece wouldn’t have picked anything up. Now, though, he caught a flash of something—compassion, maybe, sweet as the cherry in his mouth.
And instead of being able to enjoy it, Reece’s stomach soured with guilt. Diesel had no idea an empath had just read his emotions without consent. Just one more reason Reece shouldn’t be around normal people, even ones as nice as the staff at McFeely’s.
Diesel gestured toward the other side of the warehouse. “I need to keep an eye on the cameras for a bit. Want to join me? It’s quieter.”
Reece squished his guilt down best he could, picked up his drink, and followed Diesel. More people had joined the dance floor until it took up most of the room, and there wasn’t a way through without crossing it. Reece wove his way through the crowd of dancers, gaze darting right and left under flashing lights. The music was good but louder now, especially under the speakers over the dance floor.
Someone bumped into him from behind, and Reece got another distant flash: euphoria over despair, someone dancing, maybe drunk, trying to forget how bad things were. He gritted his teeth and tried to focus. It was pretty easy to keep his eyes on a guy Grayson’s height in a pair of bunny ears.
They went through a doorway and into the hall, and then Diesel led the way down the hall. They passed a brightly colored sign that saidWellness Room—Staff Only Please, Thank You for Understanding!It was covered in smiley faces and stickers.
Diesel stopped at the next door and opened it, revealing a closet-sized space with three flat-screen TVs. The big bouncer who had let Reece in earlier was lounging in one of the room’s two oversized office chairs, watching the screens.
“Thanks, Rocky, I got it,” Diesel said.
Rocky flashed them a peace sign and stood, adjusting his bunny ears as he stepped out and closed the door behind him.
“He looks tough,” Reece said.
“Tough as nails,” Diesel agreed. “He’s also got a huge crush on Ben.”
