Page 35 of Shadow Dreaming

“Why would you do that?”

“I just do what my superiors tell me,” he said.

“So Jiles Smithson put you up to kidnapping Penelope. Did he tell you why? Who did you assign to do the work?”

“No, he did not, and no one that matters. They were merely intermediaries. They delivered her to an agreed on transfer point, where Jiles’s crew took over. As I said, I don’t know where she is, and my part in the operation is over.” Terrance was sounding more and more truthful, and that scared me.

I forced myself to take a deep breath. A moment later, my nails began to recede to normal. “Where does Smithson live?”

“I don’t know his exact address, but he lives somewhere in north Seattle,” Terrance said.

I turned to the others. “We need to find him. And what do we do about Terrance, here?” Part of me wanted to eliminate him, but that didn’t fully set right.

“Don’t play with me. I know you’re going to kill me—” he started to say.

Dante cut him off. “No, we’re not. At least, not now. However, we can’t chance you telling Smithson that you snitched, even though he’d probably wipe the floor with you.”

I turned to Dante. “What do we do now?”

I’d expected that Terrance would know more than he did, and that after some minor roughing up, he would spit out her location. I hadn’t expected him to be as low on the ladder as he seemed to be. And I certainly wasn’t expecting to here that Brim Fire had infiltrated the Crystal Court.

“I can help out,” Orik said. “I have a friend who has a friend…who has a convenient safe room. We hold him there until we get Penn back.”

Terrance was sweating, now. “If I disappear?—”

“People disappear every day,” I said. “We can’t trust the police would keep you behind bars. So, it’s up to us, until we get her back, and then we’ll figure out what to do. Remember, if you snitch on us to the cops, you implicate yourself in a kidnapping. If you tell your buddies, we spread the word that you’re a snitch. You know what happens to snitches, don’t you?”

He paled, then let out a breath. “Yeah, I know. I’m fucked, aren’t I?”

“Hey, you’re alive and, if you don’t screw it up, you’ll stay alive. If you make waves, if you cause problems afterward, I’ll let my demon out to play with your bones. Got it?” I glowered at him.

Terrance finally nodded. “All right. I don’t know where Jiles lives, but he shouldn’t be too hard for you to find.”

I suddenly remembered Murdoch’s glimpse of Penn. “Does he own a restaurant by any chance?”

Terrance looked confused, but nodded. “He does. An Italian restaurant over on the east side. I don’t remember what the name is, though. I’ve never eaten there.”

“Okay, Orik. Terrance, give me your keys—don’t worry, we won’t hurt your car. We need to stash it somewhere.” I paused, then added, “Are you married? Do you live with anybody? And, don’t lie. You know we can find out if you’re telling the truth.”

He paled again. “No, but I have a dog. Please, she’ll starve if I’m not home?—”

“We’ll make sure she’s well taken care of,” Dante said. He opened Terrance’s wallet. “Is this your current address?” he asked, looking at Terrance’s license.

Terrance nodded. “My dog’s name is Coco. She likes kibble.” He looked like he was going to cry. “Please, be good to her.”

I thought how even the bad guys could have feelings. It made justice hard, at times. “She’ll be fine and I give you my word, she’ll be treated with love and care,” I said. “We’ll try to get her back to you after this is all over.”

I paused, then added, “You can bet that most of my demon kin wouldn’t go this far for an enemy. You might want to think over your allegiances. If you decide to change your mind about your loyalties, we can help you get away. You still have time to make the right choice, Terrance. Brim Fire has brainwashed you. You have no clue the danger you’re playing with. The demons don’t give a crap about your lives and they won’t reward you for helping them.”

He said nothing, but I had the feeling he was thinking it over.

CHAPTER TEN

After we reached the so I could pick up my car, Duran and I left Orik and Dante to deal with stowing our unwelcome captive away. We headed for Terrance’s apartment. Sure enough, Coco was there—a little shiatzu. She was a wriggly thing, and I scooped her up, thinking how afraid Terrance had been when he begged us to take care of her.

“You didn’t ask for this, little mutt,” I whispered. I didn’t know how to take care of a dog, but I knew who did. I called Sophia and told her what had happened. “Do you have the space to take in a foster?” I asked.

She sighed. “Yes, I can do that.”

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