Mom glanced over at the crowd and he ducked down. Just being here was a violation of his promise to stay put. Zach knew she wanted him safe, but he had to take the blame for whatever rampage James was on. He took the card, knowing there would be consequences. He figured he would be the one to pay. Not an innocent bystander.
“I’m sorry, Agnes,” he whispered, ignoring the sidelong glances. “I’ll find the bastard, stop him for good—shit—”
He pulled his baseball cap down, shading his face. Mom kept looking over in his direction, as if she knew he lurked, breaking a promise he didn’t want to make. He breathed a sigh when she walked over to talk to the cops. Now he could sneak back to Annie’s, and she wouldn’t know he even left—
Fingers clamped over his arm, and the touch sent pain searing through him. “I need you to find something for me, seeker.” Zach doubled, the cap falling off as his legs buckled with the need to obey the request. James followed him down to the sidewalk, putting himself between Zach and the crowd. “I know you took the card, you stupid child. I want it back. And I will keep telling you to find it until I have it back in my hand.” His fingers dug in when Zach clutched the cement, the doubled request clawing through him. “Where is it?”
“You need to—stop.” He gasped out the words, pain tearing at him. “I can’t think.”
“Stand up. Now.” James grabbed him around the waist, hauled him up, all charm gone. He looked horrible, his nose bruised and swollen where Simon punched him. The coroner arrived, capturing the crowd’s interest. The distraction gave James an opening to drag Zach away without witnesses. “Walk.” He held up a long, narrow-bladed knife. “You attract attention, the poor sap who responds will end up like Madam Serena.”
“I’ll take you—to the card.” He fought for breath. “Just—stop telling me to find it.”
James smiled, sending a chill through him. “Find a seeker’s weakness, and you control them. Aunt Rachel told me all about your kind. I never thought I’d meet one. You are something of a legend, since you have to be a fallen angel to qualify.”
Zach closed his eyes. Part of him already knew, but hearing James say it drove despair through the pain. Stumbling, he held on to the supporting arm as James dragged him around the corner. Straight into Simon.
“Going somewhere?”
“I’ll hurt him!” James growled at Simon and pressed the tip of the knife into Zach’s right side. Pain exploded through him, clearing his head. Zach felt the power vibrating through the blade, power that could hurt the deck, maybe destroy it. He realized it was the only reason the deck hadn’t consumed James. If he survived this, maybe he could—“I’ll tear him apart inch by inch, and even your precious Jinn won’t be able to put him back together.” Fear poured off James, fear that hadn’t been there before Simon appeared.
Mom stepped out from behind Simon. “What do you want, James?”
Her calm voice set him off. “You know what I want!” Zach felt the knife shift, and the blade slid in deeper. Agony dropped him, only the arm around his waist holding him up. Mom lunged forward; Simon caught her, pulled her back. “Good choice, priest. Bring the card to your shop, and I will let him go, relatively unharmed. You have twenty minutes. Any longer, and you won’t even find the body parts.”
“You would not dare.” Mom’s voice came out a low, goose bump-raising snarl. Zach had never heard her sound like that before.
James smiled at her. “How about a demonstration of my absolute sincerity?” He inched the knife in, obviously enjoying himself. Zach couldn’t take in a breath to scream; he clawed at the blade, feeling it slice his fingers. James let go of the hilt long enough to slap his hand away, and pushed the blade in farther to punish him.
It worked. All Zach could feel was the steel in his side, hot pain spreading through him. The blade felt alive, its power brushing against his, testing. It took all his shredding focus to take in a breath.
Mom’s angry growl brought his head up. Simon tightened his grip as she lunged at them again.
“He’s hurting my son—damn it, let me go!”
“No.”
Zach opened his eyes long enough to see the anguish flash across Simon’s face.
She struggled like a wildcat. The part of Zach not fighting to stay conscious was impressed. “Damn you, let me—”
“I know what he is,” James said. Mom stilled, panic flashing in her silver-edged blue eyes. “Threaten me, and I will keep telling him to find the card until the need tears him up from the inside out. I won’t need the knife to finish him.”