Demon's Bane

Chapter 9

       Chapter 9

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 “So, was this, or was this not a complete bust?”

          They were outside of the alley, walking down the main, well-lit street where Stark seemed to have regained some of his smart-mouthed humor. 

          Great, Jana thought sarcastically.  After turning up virtually nothing from the only source she had, she wasn’t really in the mood to have it rubbed in. 

          Score one for Burke James—Jana zero. 

          “I mean, did you find out anything to help you with your plot of fantastic revenge?”  Stark was in his element.  Apparently, mocking her current life’s goal was becoming his favorite pastime. 

          “Nope,” Jana muttered.  “But it’s a start.”

          “Hey…”  Stark seemed to realize that his jokes had hit a sore spot, because he pulled her to a stop by the end of her sweatshirt.  “Hey, kiddo.  I didn’t mean to be an ass.  It’s just that…”  He tilted his head to peer up at the dark night sky and bit his bottom lip.  “That creepy voodoo stuff brings out the worst in me.  I get the hebbie jebbies.”

          “Oh really?”  Jana couldn’t help but snigger.  “I guess all your sayings come straight out of the fifties—along with that stupid old jacket.”

          She crossed her arms over her chest and pushed her way past, but she couldn’t hide the playful smirk that lifted the corners of her mouth.  It had been a really, really long time since she'd been able to horse around without something sharp pressed against her throat--maybe never.

          “Ouch,” Stark said.  Jana peeked over her shoulder to see him slap a hand dramatically over his chest.  “My Grandma used to say that.” 

          “Oh what?  Along with ‘golly gee?’” 

Stark grinned mischievously.  “What can I say?  I’m old school.”  He shrugged and tweaked the battered leather sleeves of his jacket.  “And by the way, this baby isn’t old—it’s vintage.”

Jana laughed for real.  It felt good, and for the second time today she found herself forgetting everything about werewolves and murder and the big bad shadows on her trail.  Everything but what kind of smart-assed remark she could come up with next. 

“If that’s vintage, then so all that crap in Bastien’s place.”  She grinned at the thought of those dusty old bottles and mysterious boxes.  “Try wearing that stuff, and you’ll truly be vintage.”

“Touché Gemma my dear,” Stark said with a grand bow.  “Touché.” 

He stood back to his full height and picked up his speed until he was beside her.  Once again, he reached for the corner of her jacket sleeve and pulled her along like a puppy on a leash. 

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”  He looked down on her with a wink, and Jana fought the urge to grit her teeth as she considered kicking him in the shins just to pull her arm away.

But she was hungry too…and Stark was the one with all the money after all. 

If playing along with his little game a while longer was what it took to get fed again, well, she had nothing left to lose.  Burke James would be long gone whether she picked up his trail now, or not. 

          “That’s the spirit.” 

          Jana blinked to find Stark watching her smugly, as if he’d known all along that had nothing better to do.  “I know a great hamburger joint down this way.”

          His fingers were sure as they wrapped around hers, confident that she wouldn’t pull away. 

          “If we hurry, we might be able to make it before closing…”

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          Stark’s ‘great burger joint’ turned out to be another shady building in the corner of an alley a few blocks into the bad part of town.  Once again, he went in by himself and Jana was forced to wait in a nearby alley, kicking her feet into the concrete as she considered skipping out for the umpteenth time.

          Even with the mouthwatering scent a nearby grill making her dizzy, the thought of leaving was beginning to seem better and better. 

          After all, she needed to find a place to sleep, and the longer she stayed with Stark well… 

Waking up unconscious in his apartment was one thing, but there was no way in hell she’d willingly stay the night. 

          Data—ghost or not—would skin her alive. 

          It didn’t matter, that her body ached for a real bed and the warmth of Stark’s cozy apartment.  Chances were, she’d probably have to sleep in the sewers again—maybe even out in the open. 

With demons and who-knew what else on her trail, she couldn’t afford to enclose herself in again. 

Either way, she was in for a fun night…

          “But, I’m used to it,” she sighed out loud, leaning against the brick wall of the alley.  It was small and narrow and covered in about an inch of lose garbage, reminding her of the chase with the demon.

          She could only hope that whoever was after her had lost her scent in the city.  Thinking of the cut on her hip, she knew that another midnight rendezvous with the paranormal might not end well.

          For her. 

          With a bored sigh, she crossed her arms and stared at the grimy wall of the opposite building. 

          For some reason, Data’s old words ran through her mind—some silly saying he used to say when they had no place to stay, which was pretty often.  Most nights they either ended up camping in Data’s station wagon or curling up in an alley or sewer, and whenever she’d complain or drag her feet the old man would just sigh and say; “A hunter takes what he can get and saves what he can.  Even two cents can save your ass if you’re in a bind one day.”

          At the time, the words hadn’t made sense—they still didn’t.  But the second part of it…the part about the two cents, that made a ball of hurt coil in her chest, because whether by coincidence or not, two cents was all Data had on him when he…

          “Stop it,” Jana told herself forcefully, blinking back any stupid tears she could feel burning behind her eyes.  “He’s dead.  It’s over.”

          But saying the words out loud didn’t make it hurt any less.

          As if they were controlling themselves her eyes drifted down to her boots, where the two, tiny pennies scavenged from Data’s wallet were tucked beneath her feet. 

          “Hmph,” she scoffed.  “If only the old man had left two hundred dollars, instead of two damn pennies, I might not be in this mess…”

It certainly would have made a dent in tracking down Burke James and his furry buddies, that's for damn sure.  

         “Or," she added harshly.  "Too bad two cents can’t buy me a damn hotel room.”

At that moment, a rumble of thunder cut through the noise of nearby traffic along with a scatter of rain drops.   The heavy droplets pitter-pattered against a metal fire escape nearby—almost too loudly to hear the dark voice that came from the shadows.

“Two cents can buy you a lot of things Jana,” the voice declared.  “Too bad it can’t buy you your life.”