Page 15 of Envious Of Fire
“What are the conditions, Kyle? What did you agree to, on behalf of all of us here, without our fucking consent? What deal did you strike with the goddamned Devil?”
Despite Kyle’s confidence crumbling within, he keeps his face as light and reassuring as he can. So many years’ experience hiding partial truths make him an expert at smiling in the face of doom. “I think he only expects us to keep to ourselves, which is exactly what Elias and I plan to do. No more disturbances, no more viral videos. Everything’s fine.”
“You’re telling me Dracula was powerful enough to get rid of all traces of the video?” the chief presses.
Kyle wonders if Markadian would find it amusing or totally insulting to be referred to as Dracula. “Yep.”
“The video of your crazy ass almost draining the blood out of that man I’m keeping in a jail cell? The one Cade’s daughter recorded on her phone camera, putting herself in danger, too?”
The chief has seen it. He’s only grilling Kyle to make him feel more guilty than he already does. “Yep, showing the man robbing the pawn shop and holding your son at gunpoint before I came and saved the day, yes, that video, all gone.”
The chief takes a step forward, towering over Kyle. “You don’t think he wiped that video out of existence for a reason? It exposed you. It exposed your kind. Itthreatenshim.”
If only Kyle had the ability to stop clever, detective-wired minds from working so efficiently. “It’s gone now, so he—”
“He doesn’t want anyone to know about you. But he isn’t amoron. He knows everyone in this town is aware of exactly who you are.Whatyou are.”
“Well, yes, but he—”
“Andthat’sthe condition,” concludes the chief with a harsh snap of his fingers. “You’ll be left alone only if no one opens their mouth again. It’s not just you who’s sworn to secrecy. It’s every last fucking one of us here. We’re all in danger.”
“Sir, wait …”
“That’s fifty-odd people who heard your confession at the bar that night,” he fumes on. “Add to that the mayor, all the children who stayed home, anyone on the planet that might have been told, distant family members … for fuck’s sake, that’s a promise you just made that’simpossibleto keep.”
Cade comes around the desk, rushes to the chief’s side. “It’s a lot to take in, I know,” she says, “but please, stay calm, think it through. We all keep to ourselves here. Nothing will happen.”
“Nothing will happen …?” The chief’s eyes blaze with fury and disbelief as he turns upon Cade. “You’re just … You’re just as deluded as Kyle here.”
Cade steps back, hurt. “Juan.”
The chief turns his glare back onto Kyle. “You did this to our town, you remember that when all kinds of bad descend on us for sport. Can you even trust this Dracula fuck? He’ll pick us all off one by one until no mouths are left to spill any secrets. We’re fucking dead. No,” he says when Cade tries to reach for his arm. “Go ahead, have your party, celebrate my son’s final birthday.” He points a finger in Kyle’s face. “No one else here seems to want to hold you accountable for shit, let alone the lazy mayor himself, but I will. I will hold you to blame until my last breath.”
With that, Chief Rojas departs the office, for a moment letting in the sound of buoyant laughter and celebration as the door opens, then cutting it off with a slam.
Kyle stares at the door, heavyhearted. Despite everything hemight say in his own defense, what if the chief is right? Was the deal with Lord Markadian doomed from the start? Is he still caught in a game the Lord of Vegasyn is playing with his life and all the lives of Nowhere hanging in the balance?
Has Kyle been lying to himself?
“I swear,” mutters Cade flippantly. “He was fine with you last week, and now he’s your enemy again. Can the man make up his mind on whether he hates you or not? Hey, let’s forget this and grab a slice of pizza before the kids gobble it up.” She adds: “In truth, I got the Canadian bacon for myself.”
A moment later, Kyle is standing in a crowd of joyful faces, Elias by his side with a beer in hand, Jeremy and Layna sitting in front of a brightly decorated tray of cupcakes, half-snuggled together, Leland and Becks singing badly by the jukebox, an air of warm conversation and laughter filling the room. No one seems to have a heavy thought on their minds. They certainly don’t have heavy feelings in their hearts, Kyle senses. He is among his only family and friends in the world.
The only heaviness existing in the room is in his own heart. His own mind. All of these joyful faces … is this temporary? Is his presence here a constant threat to these innocent people he has come to love and care for?
“Want some dipping sauce for that last bit of crust?” offers Jeremy, sliding a tiny container in front of Kyle.
“Nah, too much garlic,” says Kyle with a shake of his head.
Everyone draws silent and looks his way.
Kyle blinks. “Uh, no, not like that. I just don’t like garlic.”
The silence persists a moment too long.
Then: “Me neither,” admits Cade with a scowl. Everyone laughs, relieved. The party resumes. Kyle stares down at the sliver of dry crust hanging from his greasy fingers.
3.
