“Yeah. Nothing like a case of magic blue balls to get the blood pumping.” He gave her a one-armed hug. “I’m sorry you have to go through this so much. Believe me, if I could give this stuff away, you’d have it.”
“No, thanks. I like being normal.”
“Babe, you are anything but normal.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Yeah.” He grinned and rubbed her arm. “It is.”
They rounded a curve and found the ruined sedan on the shoulder, its crumpled hood nosed against a tree. Broken glass, plastic fragments and snarled bits of metal sprayed across the pavement. The driver’s side door lay on the ground in front of the car, hinges torn and twisted, its window and mirror completely shattered.
In fact, every bit of glass on the car had been reduced to pieces.
Trying to ignore the stone weight in her gut, Jazz leaned the poker against the side of the sedan and crawled carefully into the driver’s seat. She grabbed the wheel to steady herself, and felt the tacky residue of what had to be her blood. She’d definitely hit it hard. At least she’d remembered that right.
The coiled charger cord was still plugged into the lighter socket. With the last faint light dying outside, she couldn’t make out much else beyond shadows. She picked the cord up, already knowing from the non-weight that the phone wasn’t attached any more, even before she saw the bare jack. It must’ve slid down on the floor somewhere. She hoped.
“Donatti,” she called. “You have a flashlight in here?”
“Glove box. There should be a few of those packages of mini-donuts there, too.”
She glanced back at him. “You’re thinking about food? Now?”
“Hey, I haven’t eaten since yesterday. I’m starving.”
Her stomach rumbled suddenly, as though the idea of starving had kicked off a protest in there somewhere. She hadn’t even thought about eating until he mentioned it. Practically salivating, she reached over, popped the compartment open and felt inside. It was empty.
“Fuck!”
“What, right now?”
“Can it, Donatti.” She forced a giggle into a snort. There he went again, making her laugh when she wanted to cry. She backed out and brushed at the debris clinging to her jeans. “There’s nothing in there. The box wasn’t damaged in the crash, but the stuff’s gone.”
“Oh. That kind of ‘fuck’.” Frowning, he circled the sedan and stared at the trunk. “See if this’ll pop?”
She reached down and pulled the release. There was a heavy clunking sproing, and the trunk eased open a crack.
Donatti wrenched it open and swore. “Okay, our bags are gone, too. So’s the jack and tyre iron. And my gear. Damn it, I’m getting sick of re-buying that pick set.”
“Gear? You’re supposed to be retired.”
“I am. I just. . like to practice. Keep the skills up.”
She folded her arms. “How can you practise stealing?”
“You still drive.”
“That’s different. And you didn’t answer the question.”
There was a hollow thump, and Seth appeared on the buckled roof of the car. “Are we having a lover’s spat?” he said. “By all means, don’t let me interrupt.”
Jazz backed slowly towards Donatti, keeping the poker hidden behind her back. Hopefully he’d keep his mouth shut about the weapon. “We still ignoring him?” she said when she reached him.
“No. Where’s our shit, mountain man?”
Seth gave an exaggerated shrug. “Could be anywhere,” he said. “Lots of wild animals around here. Scavengers. Bears, wolves. . foxes.”
“Uh-huh. Every fox needs a cellphone, right?”
“Is that what you’re trying to find?” Grinning, Seth leaped lightly to the ground. “I thought you might be looking for that interesting little set of tools in the black case. Thief.”
“Ex-thief,” Donatti said. “Retirement’s great. You should think about retiring from the psycho racket.”
“Oh, I’m not crazy.” Seth’s gaze fastened on Jazz, and dizziness washed through her. “It gets so cold on the mountain at night.” He moved toward them, not sparing Donatti a second glance. “Come with me, Jazz. I’ll keep you warm. We’ll embrace in front of a roaring fire, you and me. Forever.” In the near-dark, he seemed to glow.
Lip curled, Jazz brought the poker around and swung it full-force against his skull. He dropped like a rock. “Embrace that, asshole,” she said.
Donatti coughed. “Whoa. Nice one, babe. Not exactly what I had in mind, but that’ll work.”
“What did you have in mind, insulting him to death?” She lowered the poker, ran a hand through her hair. “Besides, he was going to change. And probably try to kill you again.” All the djinn started glowing right before they transformed.
He grinned. “My hero.”
“Shut up.”
“Right.” He glanced down at Seth, who hadn’t moved. It looked like he wasn’t even breathing — but he was far from dead. Eventually he’d come around and heal himself. And then he’d be really angry. “Guess we’d better get going before he wakes up,” Donatti said.
“Uh-huh. And what’s the plan now? We can’t reach Ian, and it’s fifty miles to anything.”
“Not exactly. There’s one place we can get to.”
It took a few seconds to sink in. “You can’t be serious.”
“Easiest way to catch a fox is in its den.”
She opened her mouth, closed it. “That might actually be a smart idea.”
“Yeah. It’s gotta be a fluke. Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.”
Damn it, why did he have to be so frigging cute? As much as she bashed his constant, often ridiculous jokes, nobody ever made her laugh like he did. For the first time, she actually wished they had made it to the cabin — because right now, she’d be dragging him to the bedroom. If they made it that far. “Okay,” she said. “But there’s two problems. One, I can barely see you now, and it’s going to be pitch black in a few minutes. Don’t know about you, but my night vision’s shot.”
He cleared his throat. “Well, maybe I can do that flame-ball thing Ian does.”
I doubt it. Since saying that wouldn’t exactly boost his confidence, she opted for a cheerful tone that fell flat. “Can’t hurt to try.”
He fell silent. Probably trying to concentrate. After a minute, there was a dim glow that brightened steadily — not floating over his hands, where Ian usually formed a light, but coming from the front end of the wrecked car.
Brow furrowed, she circled around and looked. The intact left headlight burned at full strength, cutting a path through the darkness ahead.
Donatti came up behind her. “Guess my magic’s a little more modern than Ian’s.”
“Hey, it’s a light.” She grinned at him. “Think you can keep it going if I take it out?”
“I hope so.”
She crouched to take a look. It was an older car, with a one-piece headlamp instead of a halogen bulb and lens. It’d provide a more focused light than a bare bulb, but it might be a bitch getting it out. “You don’t happen to have a dime, do you?”
He reached in a pocket, came out with a handful of coins and pinched a dime free. “Change from the donuts,” he said. “Which I didn’t even get to eat.”
She took it and started on the first screw. “If we get out of this, I’ll make you some donuts.”
“You can make donuts? With ingredients and stuff?” There was something that suspiciously resembled awe in his voice. “Oh my God, I love you.”
“I make a mean funnel cake, too.”
“You’re killing me. I’m going to drown in my own drool.”
She managed to get all four screws out, and pulled the metal frame loose. The hood was already open a few feet, so she reached inside and yanked the plug free from the back of the headlamp. The light still shone. If she didn’t know it was magic, she would’ve freaked a little. “Here,” she said, handing it to Donatti. “All right. How long do you think he’ll be out?”