Blue gripped the back of her chair and let the silence settle. “Leaving is a personal choice. You’ll get a memory wipe, and maybe you think that’s better than remembering what happened. Niko could have given you better advice than me, but if Viktor has to do this, you should be a part of it. Even if you decide to stay. Niko would want us all there, you know? It seems disrespectful to turn our backs on him. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life, not saying goodbye. Closure is about getting that last touch, that last hug, saying your final words and getting that last farewell. It’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do, so you need to dig deep and find that courage. What if his spirit is able to see us and you’re not there? That’s a shitty thing to do to a friend.”
Gem averted her eyes. “Maybe.”
“Just so you know, I’m pissed at whatever caused this, pissed that it happened to a guy like Niko.” She leaned back. “I don’t want this any more than you do. He deserves a second chance, so do me a favor and find a way to wake him up. But if you can’t, don’t take off. We all need to be here. It’ll be the hardest damn thing, but who knows? Maybe Niko will have some parting words for us when he crosses over. I’m sure Wyatt will interpret.” Blue stood up and set the chair back in the corner. “Can you do me a favor and leave us alone?”
Gem bit her quivering lip as she picked her skates up off the floor and padded across the room.
Blue sat on the edge of the bed and rested her hand on Niko’s. “Hey, amigo. It’s your partner in crime.”
Chapter 6
Gem waltzed into Pawn of the Dead on a mission. Five days had flown by since Viktor had given her an extension, and she had exhausted all efforts to find a solution. She’d searched her entire collection for any reference to a similar occurrence, anything that might lead her to a cure. Viktor didn’t want her casting another spell, but as the days dwindled, the red book became her only chance. The companion book she’d used to decode some of the words only had so many translated passages, and she had deciphered them all. The language was more complex than she could have ever imagined. Translating the entire book wasn’t a priority. All she needed was one spell, just one spell that could undo this mess. She preferred it to be something innocuous that wouldn’t hurt anyone else.
Pawn of the Dead was bustling with customers. Some were perusing the cases in search of jewelry. Others were searching for that rare find. Usually Keystone did their relic hunting in the middle of the week when business was slow. Immortals flocked to pawnshops in search of antiques from their past, be it personal or something representing a favorite era they’d lived in. Time had a way of making people nostalgic, and they filled their homes with historical artifacts and memorabilia. There were always a few in search of legal weapons, but pawnshops made a lot of their money by selling illegal goods under the table.
Gem approached the long display counter on the right and leaned over it, her feet rising in the air behind her. “Hey, Cosmo!”
Despite his gruff demeanor, Gem tried to remain cordial to the shop owner. While the rest of the team searched for illegal items, Gem had always negotiated a fair price for his books.
Cosmo lifted a large serrated knife from the case and handed it to a customer while providing him with a brief history about the previous owner. Cosmo was a scruffy-looking guy with blond dreadlocks who looked like he belonged in a postapocalyptic world. He had an eclectic style, always wearing beaded necklaces, shells, and stones from Mother Earth. Contrary to his approachable looks, he had the temperamental attitude of a billy goat.
“Cosmo, I need to talk to you,” Gem said. “It’s important.”
When the customer lost interest, Cosmo flicked a glance in her direction before putting away the knife. Then he turned around and shuffled through some papers on another counter.
Annoyed, Gem sidled over to the spot directly in front of him. “I need to ask you something.”
“Busy,” he replied.
“I’m not here to collect weapons. It’s about a book.”
“Still busy.”
Claude appeared out of nowhere. He leaned over the counter and grabbed a fistful of Cosmo’s faded yellow shirt. “You better get unbusy and help this female.”
Cosmo wrested his shirt free and gave Claude a black look. “Touch me again, Chitah, and I’ll ban you forever.”
When Claude placed his palms on the counter, it made his shoulders look immense. “I’d like to see you try.”
Cosmo was all talk. Even though he owned this place, he didn’t have the authority to ban Keystone members. Sometimes Gem wished that men weren’t always posturing. They were like gorillas beating their chests and swinging their arms, all to prove their dominance.
Keeping her cool, she slid a piece of paper across the counter. “I need to ask you about a purchase we made a few weeks ago. Here’s the receipt.”
Cosmo straightened his shirt, which had a palm tree printed over the breast, and turned the paper around with his index finger. “What about it?”
“The books listed at the bottom, do you know if there were any more in that collection?”
He stared at the slip of paper. “Maybe. I doubt it. I get a few bibliophiles who like to add to their collections. But they’re picky about the condition, so anything subpar I toss. Were they old?”
“Yes,” she said with derision. “I wasn’t aware that you sold Dan Brown.”
He snatched the paper and delivered a cold stare. “I suppose you want to go in the back and look for yourself.”
She raised her chin. “Don’t mind if I do.”
The rubber soles on her silver platform sneakers squeaked against the floor when she turned to follow him. Cosmo led them to the back hall and swung right, toward the storage room. When he opened the door, a musty smell wafted out.
If an immortal died and didn’t have friends or companions to handle their estate, their belongings wound up in places like this. Their entire life was packed up in unmarked boxes and scattered between pawnshops and junkyards. Cosmo and his crew sorted through all the boxes to distinguish valuables from junk. The storage room was the first place Gem always came during their inspections because she got dibs on items he hadn’t put up for sale yet. Historical books weren’t easy to procure, and since Cosmo didn’t realize their value, she always got them at a reasonable price.
Moths fluttered near the overhead lights in the tall ceiling. Instead of searching the shelves in the back where he organized his goods, Cosmo veered left to a pile of boxes near the wall. She wrinkled her nose when he kicked one out of the way and the overpowering smell of mothballs was unleashed from an open flap. Cosmo muttered a curse word as he rummaged through them, then he finally shoved a box in her direction.
“You can look through these,” he said. “That’s all that’s left from that day, but it’s mixed up with other stuff I got that same week. I don’t know if they came from the same owner as whatever books you bought.” He flashed all ten fingers at her. “Ten minutes. And don’t touch anything else.” He left, slamming the door behind him.
“He’s a prick,” Claude said matter-of-factly.