Demon Hunting In a Dive Bar (36 page)

“You tell on Jay, and I’ll tell your mama you said a bad word,” Annie said.

Darlene’s face reddened. “I never did. You made that up.”

“Prove it,” Annie said.

“No one’s going to tell on anyone,” Beck said firmly. “Everybody in the truck. We’re going home.”

“What about Killer?” Jay’s mouth trembled. “We can’t leave him here.”

Crap, she’d forgotten about the lizard.

Jay read the answer in her expression. His mouth trembled. “He’s dead, isn’t he, Becky?”

“I’m afraid so, Jay. I’m sorry.”

“It’s your fault, Bubba,” Darlene said. “You shouldn’t have brought your dumb old lizard to the park.”

Annie jumped to Jay’s defense, and she and Darlene started arguing again. Beck was in the process of wrangling the squabbling kids into the truck, when the old Ford screeched up.

Toby jumped out, looking half-wild. “It’s gone, Becky. The son of a bitch burned it down.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The
bar,
” Toby said. “Grease fire. Earl Skinner broke in through a window, turned the deep fat fryer on high, and left it. Junior saw the whole thing. It’s gone. All of it.”

Beck blinked at him in shock. The column of dark smoke and the agitated wail of the fire trucks had been the
bar
?

“I don’t believe it.” She sagged against the side of the truck. “What about the alarm system and Conall’s protective spells?”

“Earl got around them somehow,” Toby said. “He’s good at breaking into things. That’s his talent.”

Correction:
was
his talent. Earl had broken into Trey’s safe and into the bar, and he’d opened the djeval flaskke and released Haggy. Bet that was one jar Pandora Earl wished he’d never opened.

“You wait until I get my hands on him,” Toby fumed. “I’ll make him wish he was never born.”

“Earl’s dead,” Beck said.

“What?” Toby said. “How?”

Jay stuck his head out the truck door. “I think the dragon ate him.”

“Bub-bah,”
Darlene wailed. “There’s no such thing as dragons. I’m telling Mom.”

The bickering erupted once more. Good grief, it was
The Song That Never Ends
.

Beck shut the truck door, muting the noise. “Stop back by Brenda and Jason’s and we’ll talk about things over supper. There’s a ton of food left.”

Toby looked slightly cheered at the prospect of leftovers. “You talking turkey and dressing?”

“Yep.”

“Giblet gravy and rice?”

“Yep,” Beck said. “Plenty of that, too.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Toby turned his head as a car sped past. “There goes that brother of yours. Reckon what he’s up to?”

“No telling.”

What
would
Evan do now that he was free? Where would he go? Would she ever see him again? Probably not; not after the way she’d left things. Did she even want to?

Too many questions with no answers; she’d think about it later.

“Does Verbena know about the bar?” she asked Toby.

“Yeah, she and Hank drove up right after I got there. She was hopping mad at Earl, ’cause her new clothes got burned up.”

“Tell her not to worry,” Beck said. “We’ll get her some more clothes. Tell Verbena she can stay at my house tonight. Ask her to feed Mr. Cat for me.”

“Sure,” Toby said. “I’ll take her there myself. I’ve got a key.”

Conall and Duncan were putting the finishing touches on the cleanup when the police arrived. Officer Dan Curtis got out of his patrol car and strolled up to them. Beck recognized him from the paper.

“Old Man Willis called the station with some crazy story about a dragon in the park.” The officer shook his head. “That old geezer must be smoking wacky weed in his pipe.” He gave Beck a squinty eyed look. “I smell smoke. You folks been grilling? That’s a fire hazard. There’s a drought, you know.”

“We haven’t been grilling,” Beck said. “We brought the kids to play in the park.”

“Huh,” Officer Curtis said, looking around.

A few moments ago, the park had been a smoking ruin. There was a circle of dead grass where Haggy had died. Beck would be surprised if anything ever grew there again. One of the swing sets was upside down, a slide was wilted and crooked from Haggy’s furnace breath, and the monkey bars looked
wrong
. Apparently, the Dalvahni info bank was a bit sketchy when it came to playground equipment.

“You probably smell the smoke from the fire,” Beck said. “I heard the sirens earlier.”

“Yeah, could be,” Officer Curtis said. “Dispatch said somebody torched that bar on the river. Beck’s, I think was the name.” He adjusted his hat. “Never been there m’self. Heard tell it was rough—a real dive. You know the place?”

“Yeah, I know it.”

That “dive” had been her childhood home and her livelihood. Later, she would grieve about it and worry what to do next. But, right now, she was too numb.

“That right?” Officer Curtis said, with a touch of censure. “Well, you won’t be going there no more. The fire trucks got lost trying to find the place. By the time they got there, the building was gone.” He turned back for his car. “Park closes in half an hour. Don’t hang around too long. The boogedy woogedies come out after dark.”

T
he next morning, the back door slammed and someone tramped into Brenda and Jason’s kitchen.

“Becky? Kids?” Jason hollered. “I’m home.”

“In here, Daddy,” Beck said.

She rolled off the pallet and crawled out of the makeshift tent she and the girls had made using Brenda’s dining chairs, a bedspread, two quilts, and a butt load of safety pins.

Her father walked into the den. “Rise and shine, sleepyheads.”

“What time is it?” Beck got to her feet, sandy eyed from lack of sleep. Conall had built a fire in Jason’s metal fire pit and they’d stayed up late roasting marshmallows and hot dogs, and telling stories.

“Almost seven.”

“How’s Brenda doing?”

“Fretting and complaining, which means she’s on the mend,” Daddy said. “I saw Toby’s truck on the street.”

“Yeah, he came back for leftovers and ended up spending the night. We built a fire and Toby told the kids the story about the Howling Hag of Catman Road. You remember that one?”

Daddy chuckled. “Sure do. Toby used to scare you silly with it. What about Evan? Did he stay too?”

“Evan took off yesterday afternoon. I think he left town.”

“So soon? We were just getting to know him.”

No you weren’t, Beck thought with a twinge of sadness.
He doesn’t even know himself.

“I think he had some things to work out.”

“But, he’s coming back, right?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t say.”

“You okay with that, chickpea?” Daddy asked. “You look upset.”

Of course, she was upset. She and Evan had parted on bad terms. Part of her grieved to think she might never see him again, but Evan had more issues than
National Geographic,
and she had Annie to think of now. Bottom line, Beck didn’t trust Evan. But it wasn’t something she wanted to talk about with Jason. It was too complicated. Daddy was doing his best to be open minded, but he had his limits. How did you explain to your oh-so-normal father that his long lost son ran around with demons and played with dead things? You didn’t.

Conall would understand. Okay, maybe he wouldn’t understand. He’d never had a twin, he was overprotective as hell, and he didn’t like Evan worth a damn, but she could talk to him about it and he would listen.

And he wouldn’t think she was off her rocker or go all bug-eyed at the mention of magic, because
he
was magic.

In more ways than one, she thought, shivering with delight at the memory of the hot and heady good-night kiss he’d given her a few hours earlier.

“Becky?” her father said, frowning in concern.

“Sorry,” Beck said. “I’m not awake yet and I’m a little stiff from sleeping on the floor. The girls and I decided to let the guys rough it in the backyard.”

“You call that roughing it? Fanciest tent I ever saw.”

“What?”

Beck looked out the French doors and into the backyard. A black and red striped pavilion sat on the yellowing autumn grass. Flags fluttered from the peaked top. It was something straight out of King Arthur, large enough to sleep several armored knights. The bright cloth parted and Conall strode out, looking every inch the hard muscled warrior, albeit a modern one in jeans and a short sleeve tee shirt. His arms and feet were bare in spite of the chill—the outdoor thermometer hanging next to the birdfeeder read 40 degrees.

Beck caught a glimpse inside the tent before the flaps closed, and it was
plush,
with a table and chairs, a glowing brazier, several cots, and soft bedding. Oh, yeah, the men folk had really suffered.

Conall turned his head and looked straight at her, as if sensing her regard. The expression on his lean face was positively wolfish, and just like that, she was hot and bothered.

Jeez, she really needed to get a grip. She was in a hormonal haze, and her daddy was standing two feet away.

She took a calming breath and willed her raging libido to cut it out
now.
She and her inner slut were still having a come to Jesus, when Conall materialized in the den and yanked her into his arms. He smelled of wood smoke and some kind of spicy scent, and he radiated heat like a furnace.

“I missed you,” he said, nuzzling her neck.

“I missed you, too.” Putting the palms of her hands flat against his chest, she smiled up at him. “Daddy’s here.”

Conall turned to face him, keeping one arm draped possessively around her. “Well met, Jason. How fares your lady wife?”

“Better, thank you,” Daddy said, making a visible effort to control his shock at Conall’s sudden appearance. Beck made a mental note to remind Conall that people didn’t teleport in Hannah. “Came home to pick up a few things and check on the kids. I sure appreciate y’all looking after things for me.”

“Nonsense,” Conall said. “Rebekah and I have enjoyed ourselves immensely. We built a fire and toasted marshmallows. You are familiar with this confection?”

“Uh, sure,” Daddy said. “I’m more of a circus peanut man, myself.”

“Circus peanuts?” Conall looked intrigued. “Do you skewer and roast them, as well?”

“Nah, you just open the bag and eat ’em.”

“It is different with marshmallows,” Conall confided. “There is more challenge to the thing. The trick is to caramelize the outer skin whilst retaining the molten sweetness at the center. I sacrificed six to the flames ere I mastered the art of it.”

“You don’t say?” Daddy said.

Toby came inside. “Morning, Jase. Did Becky tell you about the fire?”

“What fire?”

“That turkey buzzard Earl Skinner burned down the bar.”

Daddy’s face went slack with shock. “What?”

“Yep, nothing left,” Toby said. “Total loss.”

Beck left Toby to explain things and slipped into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She scraped her hair into a pony tail and went into the kitchen to start the coffee. When she reentered the den a few minutes later with a tray and cups, Toby was finishing his tale of woe.

“—and then the little sneak went and got himself killed,” Toby was saying. “I don’t even get the satisfaction of ripping him a new one.”

Daddy accepted a cup of coffee from Beck. “That’s terrible news about the fire. Y’all going to rebuild?”

“Yes.” Beck studied the steaming contents of her mug. “But not right away, and maybe not another bar.”

“Say what?” Toby yelped in surprise.

“I was thinking maybe we’d open a restaurant,” Beck said. The words tumbled out, surprising her. But as soon as she said them, they felt
right
. The idea had been there for a while, she realized, percolating in the back of her mind. She was tired of wrassling drunks and cleaning up vomit and soured beer. “If Hank agrees to stay, that is, and I think he will. He seems smitten with Verbena. What do you think, Tobes?”

He rubbed his jaw, looking thoughtful. “I don’t right know. What if we can’t prove Earl started the fire? If we can’t collect on the insurance, we’re screwed.”

“That will not be a problem,” Conall said. “I will be your backer.”

“No, you won’t,” Beck said. “How many times do I have to tell you I don’t want your money?”

“As often as you like,” Conall said calmly. “Nevertheless, you shall have it.”

“Sounds like a man who knows his own mind.” Her father set his cup on the tray. “Guess I’d better grab a shower and head back to the hospital. Brenda’s sister’s staying with the kids today. Doc says Brenda can come home tomorrow.”

Annie and Darlene crawled out of the makeshift tent.

“I don’t want Aunt Terri.” Darlene’s face puckered. “I want Annie and Beck and Conall to stay with us.”

“They need to get home, shug,” Daddy said. “Mr. Dalvahni and your big sister have things to do.”

Big sister; Beck decided she liked the sound of that. All this time, she’d been avoiding her norm family because she was afraid they wouldn’t accept her, that she wouldn’t fit in. Maybe it was time she gave them a chance.

Beck smiled at her little sister. “He’s right. We have to go. But, we’ll see you again, real soon. I promise.”

“Tomorrow?”

“We’ll see.”

Darlene groaned. “That means no.”

Beck laughed. “Okay, tomorrow. I promise.”

Conall cleared his throat. “I would like to make an announcement. Rebekah and I are to be wed.”

“Well, I’ll be doggoned,” Daddy said. “Hear that, Toby? Becky’s getting married.”

“Huh.” Toby crossed his arms on his chest. “I don’t recollect nobody asking my permission. What about you, Jase?”

“No, now that you mention it, I don’t.”

A warm feeling bloomed inside of Beck. “I didn’t know I needed permission.”

“Course you do,” Toby said. “You may be grown, but you’ll always be my baby girl.” He gave Conall a measuring look. “So, when did you propose?”

“It wounds my masculine pride to admit it, but I did not do the asking.”

“Popped the question herself, did she?” Toby grinned. “Can’t say as I’m surprised. Becky’s always had a mind of her own.”

“Indubitably,” Conall said. “Although I believe the correct term in this realm is ‘bossy.’ I dared not refuse her.”

“Me?” Beck gasped in outrage. “You’ve got a nerve.”

Conall pulled her into his arms. “You know I love you madly.”

“Huh,” Beck said. “Don’t think that’s going to get you off the hook.”

He smiled down at her. “Termagant.”

“Termagant, is it?” She thumped him on his chest. “You’re gonna pay for that one too. Big time.”

“Promise?” Conall said, and kissed her.

“Ew,” Darlene said. “They’re smooching.”

“They do it all the time,” Annie said. “Grownups are weird.”