Halfway to the bar I heard Jay call my name again, much closer this time, and then he grabbed my elbow. Fear for him almost made me bite his head off, but the look of anguish on his face stopped me. I crossed my arms instead.
“Why did she leave?” he asked. His expectant expression told me he knew the answer.
“She saw, Jay.”
He shut his eyes, stricken. “I didn’t mean for that to happen. Marna is, like, way out of my league, you know? I never expected... I just wasn’t thinking.” He rubbed his forehead.
Everyone cheated, according to Ginger. She’d even prophesied that Jay would.
“We’re not even going out, officially,” Jay responded to my silent thoughts. “I’m still single!”
“We’ll talk later,” I repeated, and nodded toward the deejay booth, signaling him to get back to work. I left him standing there. It was the coldest I’d ever been to him.
If the beginning of the night was this bad, I didn’t want to see the end of it.
The spirit jumped ahead of me, knowing I was going to the bar. I stopped, struck with an idea, and the demon came back to me. I wasn’t supposed to know I was being watched tonight. Maybe I could play dumb with the thing and get some information. According to the other Neph, the whisperers could be cunning and ruthless in their jobs, but they were ultimately self-serving. They followed orders from the Dukes halfheartedly and couldn’t care less about what the Neph were up to. They were slippery suckers who couldn’t be trusted.
I sent my thought to the spirit. “Why are you following me? I’m trying to work and you keep distracting me. Did my father send you?”
The sound of its cackle rattled my soul. “I don’t have to answer to you,” it said in such a juvenile way that a tiny bit of my fear toward it dissipated. I realized then that the second demon spy had gone.
“I see the other spirit abandoned you,” I goaded. “It’s probably out doing something fun now. Without you. What will it take to make you leave me alone and let me get back to work?”
The smile that stretched across its face was a nasty one. I expected to see maggots climbing out of that cadaverous crack.
“Give me a show,” the demon demanded. My heart boomed.
“You’re on.”
I moved with purpose through the crowd, craning my neck as I searched the crowd. Raucous cheering struck me on the right, where a crowd had circled around something. I went toward it, wondering if maybe Blake was showing off some new gizmo. I got to the edge of the group and stuck my head between two guys.
Kopano was at a table with several humans, playing cards, and a sizable pile of dough sat in front of him. He’d taken off his chocolate-colored suit jacket, loosened his gold-flecked tie, and rolled his white sleeves to his elbows. So Kope was a gambling man?
“Whoa,” I whispered, unable to contain it.
“This guy’s incredible,” the guy on my right said.
“What are they playing?” I asked.
“Blackjack. He hasn’t lost yet. Must be one of those genius card readers or something. But the dude next to him’s getting mad.”
Kopano showed his cards with a no-nonsense face, and everyone in the crowd cheered as if watching a magician’s magic trick. The spirit circled the table, seeming to grow excited as money exchanged hands and one of the guys at the table stood up, shouting about cheating. Others eagerly stepped up to argue who would play next. A tall girl in a short dress rubbed Kopano’s shoulder, but when he looked up it was my eye he caught and held. My heart rate went rapid-fire and I cleared my throat, backing out of the crowd.
I’d taken only a few steps away when I heard a crunching thunk and shouts erupting behind me. I was shoved from behind as the swarm of people heaved. A fight had broken out at the poker table. Kopano! I stood on tiptoe, trying see him. On the other side of the frenzied crowd I spotted him walking away unscathed from the chaos with his brown dress jacket over his shoulder, head down.
I moved when hotel security flocked to the area.
My heart was still beating fast as I looked around the massive ballroom brimming with life. Jolts of apprehension zapped my belly at the sight of each short-haired boy, but I was thankful none of them was Kaidan. I shook my head, staving off wonderings of where he might be.
Another throng of people had formed around the dance floor. Curious, I grabbed a nearby chair and stood on it. Apprehension filled me about what I’d see, but it was only Blake break-dancing in the center of the open space. And that boy could dance. He was pulling off better moves than I’d seen on prime-time dance shows. Anyone would envy his ability. Other guys would also be envying the number of girls he’d be pulling in after this stunt. The whisperer swooped next to me, making my breath hitch.