Demon's Doorway Read online

"How much? To kidnap a defenseless boy?"

  "Five hundred thousand. Half up front, half when done."

  Jack shook his head, laughing. "I make that legally in eight hours. Pathetic. So many other ways to get custody of a child from an ex-wife."

  "Like what?"

  "Kill the ex-wife. No ex-wife, no custody hearing."

  Stan paused for a moment, studying the psychotic man leaning against a tree. He knew now that Jack had done more terrible things than he could ever dream of. Jack's attitude wasn't a tough-guy act.

  And bullets didn't bother him.

  "While we're hunting for oil, tell me, where's the boy? Tommy? Bobby? Ah, Robbie. Where's Robbie?"

  "You don't even know the kid's name?"

  "Nope. Don't care, really. I don't know Robbie, don't give a shit about him. But my daughter wants him home, safe, so they can play. I'll kill anyone that gets in my way from making that happen. Now, if I have to repeat myself again, I'll maim you. Where's—?"

  The phone in Jack's pocket started ringing. Stan made the mistake in thinking that Jack was momentarily distracted. He dropped the shovel and tried to run. Jack casually kicked Stan in the knee as he ran for the car, knocking one foot into the other. Stan fell to the ground. Jack grabbed the crowbar and pounded Stan's leg. He screamed with every strike, trying to crawl away. Jack spun the crowbar and buried the claw end into Stan's calf.

  The kidnapper's eyes shot out of his head as he howled in pain. He looked up at Jack, tears forming. The angle reminded him once again of when he was a child, cowering from his father in the dining room.

  The caller ID brought a smile to Jack's face.

  "I searched you…" Stan muttered. "For a phone."

  Jack smirked. Mortals were easy to fool.

  He held the phone to his ear.

  "Victoria, hi. Is this important? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

  "Help! Please, help!" Stan shouted.

  Jack lowered the phone and drew his leg back. He kicked Stan in the temple, and the woods were once again filled with relative quiet as he moaned.

  "What the hell is going on over there?" Victoria asked.

  "Not much. I'm just getting ready to kill someone."

  "Does he deserve it?"

  "Yeah."

  "Okay, then. Yes, this is important."

  "What's up?"

  "What are your plans for tomorrow?"

  "That depends on how the rest of my day goes." He looked down at Stan as he held his head. "Doesn't it, Captain?"

  "There's a wedding tomorrow I'd like you to come to."

  "A wedding? Tomorrow? What dickhead gets married on a Thursday?"

  "A friend of mine. It's the anniversary of when they met when they were kids."

  Jack frowned. "That might be the dumbest thing I've heard in my life."

  "I think it's sweet."

  "Whatever. Why do you want me there? You have someone you want killed?"

  "Christ, Jack, no. It's time you met him."

  He gripped the phone tighter. "The witch? He'll be there?"

  "Yeah. He'll be staying with me."

  "I don't know if I'm ready yet."

  "I'm not saying anything has to happen. Magic can stay off the table. Just bring Tiffany and Erica. Have a good time."

  "Erica won't be able to get away from work. I could bring Tiffany, show her the city."

  "Do they know yet? About you?"

  "Tiffany knows bits and pieces, even if she doesn't see the whole picture. Erica, I've been able to keep in the dark so far. They're both smart, though. So, you're right, this meeting has to happen eventually."

  "Okay, you'll be there?"

  Jack let out a sigh. Plans started floating through his mind.

  "Yeah. I'm in West Virginia right now. I'll catch a short flight, and have Erica put Tiffany on a plane."

  "Great. I'll see you tomorrow, then. And Jack…behave, okay?"

  "Tiffany will be with me. I always behave around her."

  "No, you don't."

  Victoria hung up, and Jack let the phone hang at his side. Stan was almost an afterthought now, bleeding on the grass. Jack still had a job to finish. He hated leaving things undone.

  "Okay, Captain," Jack said, hovering over him. "I've got some business I have to do, and then it's travel, travel, travel. I thought I had all day to have fun with you, but I've got less time than I thought. Funny, isn't it? A two-hundred-year-old guy that doesn't sleep, suddenly pressed for time. Anyway, I need to find Robbie, and I need to find him now. Tell me where he is, or I'll torture you. The things your father did to you? It'll look like recess."

  "I'll…take you to him."

  "Very smart choice."

  CHAPTER 4

  Kevin didn't know what the noise was that pulled him from his dream. Taylor Swift asking for a dance was interrupted by a screeching sound. He awoke in what felt like a sea of strangeness. Unfamiliar bed, rock-like pillow, confined room, completely dark. His thoughts finally cleared enough to remember he was in a hotel room.

  The phone was ringing next to him.

  "Hello?"

  "Mr. Mishnar? Miss Victoria is on the phone for you."

  "Uh, okay."

  There was a brief pause before an unnaturally chipper voice greeted him.

  "Kevin? Are you awake?"

  "I am now. What time is it?"

  "Six a.m."

  He made an incomprehensible grumble and ran a hand through his hair. "Why couldn't I stay at your place again?"

  "I told you. It's a surprise."

  "Great. How are you even awake this early?"

  "I've got some things with the reception I have to do. And, to be honest…I'm excited. It's a wedding, and I'm a woman."

  Things happened so fast in packing and riding with Victoria to Baltimore. He'd been in town less than a day, and it dawned on him he really had no idea of what the plan was. It was a surprise Victoria even put him up in a hotel.

  "Uh, so, you're coming to pick me up?"

  "No. I'm so sorry, but I won't have time. A limo will come get you at ten."

  "A limousine?"

  "Yeah. You've ridden in one before, right? For Prom?"

  "Nope."

  "Oh, wow. It's gonna be new for you right off the bat. You don't have to worry about a thing. He'll take you right to the church, and you and I will drive together back to my house for the reception."

  Kevin felt a lump in his throat. The gravity of what he agreed to landed right on his head. He'd have to dress in awkward, uncomfortable clothes, try to blend in with a crowd of people he didn't know. He only knew two people, Victoria and Alex, and he'd only met Alex one time. He'd have to try not to look like an out-of-place witch, something he'd been having trouble with lately.

  He tried to think about something besides the wedding.

  "This guy you want me to meet, he'll be there today?"

  "We'll run into him sometime, yeah. I have to warn you about him. He's a little…off."

  He laughed. "Aren't we all?"

  "Him more than most. But don't worry, we'll have fun today."

  "If you say so."

  "Bring all your stuff to the limo. You won't be going back to the hotel tonight. And stop at the front desk on the way out. There's something there for you."

  Kevin felt like he should be taking notes. "Holy crap. Is there anything else?"

  "That will do it. I'll see you at the church."

  They hung up. Kevin once again looked at the strange surroundings. He never traveled anywhere, never stayed at a hotel. His family never went on vacations growing up. After his adopted parents died in a plane crash it was all he and his sister could do just to get by. Traveling was out of the question.

  So why was he in Baltimore, out of his element?

  Boredom, plain and simple. Kevin knew he had no friends. He didn't know what to do with his life. What could a witch do? According to Victoria, anything. That's why everyone was so scared of them. That's why Victoria herself t
ried to kill him when they first met.

  If they were so powerful, why did he feel so pathetic?

  He pushed open the curtains and took in downtown Baltimore. It was certainly large, intimidating. The streets weren't too crowded, but he imagined they'd be full in a few hours. It was nothing like Walton. Traffic lights as far as the eye could see, one-way streets, buildings upon buildings.

  "What did you get yourself in to?" he muttered aloud.

  He wondered if he read his spell-book, and thought of Alex's wings, maybe some kind of spell would pop in his head that would let him get back to Walton. That's how his magic worked. He'd learned about many spells and potions from his family's history, but there were still plenty more out there. Inspiration would come at the weirdest times. Taking a shower, sitting at work, watching TV. Sometimes, the spell came to him all at once. Other times, it came in chunks. An ingredient here, and ingredient there.

  He pulled his spell-book out of his travel bag and sat at the desk near the window. It comforted him simply to have the book nearby. It was old, weathered, looked like it belonged in a museum. The tome brought a smile to his face. Family that he'd never met read it, wrote in it. He even added new spells himself, in the language that only a witch could understand. Not only did the spell-book offer magical concoctions, but history. His biological grandfather once killed two werewolves by himself. His grand-uncle was the first witch to create an invisibility potion in under ten ingredients. His great-great-grandmother was witness to one of the first spells done outside a cauldron.

  "What do you say?" he said, running a finger along the cover of the book. "Can you get me back home?"

  To his surprise, he felt something trying to form in his mind. His eyes brightened as he flipped on the lamp and grabbed the pen and notepad.

  Chili powder. Olive oil.

  That was all, at least for the time being.

  "Great," he said. "Maybe I need to dump chili and olive oil into a pair of red slippers."

  He slept for another hour. It only took forty-five minutes to shower and get ready. Kevin gave himself one last look in the mirror. He hadn't worked out since graduating high school, but still looked like he wouldn't be out of place in the weight room. His dress shirt was passable, if a little tight around the collar. He undid the top button, and gave his reflection a nod. His face still had those dimples he hated, but he wasn't an ugly beast. He didn't care about what a church full of strangers thought of him, but he didn't want to embarrass Victoria.

  Kevin sighed at his coat, laying across the bed. It was ugly and torn in a few places. It looked terrible, but it was the only coat he could find at the time with plenty of pockets on the inside. He used to carry the witch necessities in a backpack, but a coat was much easier to manage.

  There were a few people in the lobby, entering and exiting the hotel. A woman sat behind the main desk, on a phone call. She hung up as she saw Kevin approaching, giving him a bright smile.

  "Hi," he said. "What's fun to do around here?"

  "You mean besides trying not to get shot?"

  His eyes widened. He could only imagine the look on his face, and the woman laughed.

  "I'm just joking. Baltimore's not that bad. There's the aquarium, the Inner Harbor, museums, the zoo, plenty to see and do."

  "Uh…I was told to ask for something at the front desk. I'm Kevin Mishnar."

  She searched under her desk for a moment, and pulled out something wrapped in plastic. Clothes of some kind.

  "This is for you. Left by a Victoria. Oooh, someone likes you."

  "She's probably just a little too old for me. Thank you."

  He followed the signs to the dining hall. Families and business travelers were enjoying their complimentary breakfast, watching morning TV. The smell of waffles and biscuits pulled at him, but he decided he'd eat later at the reception. He set his suitcase and raggedy coat down and tore into the plastic of Victoria's mysterious package.

  Kevin's jaw hung open. Even if he wasn't alone, he'd be speechless.

  It was a new trench-coat. Long, about to his knees, and charcoal gray. He laughed aloud as he admired it, drawing looks from the others around him. It wasn't until he checked the inside, and saw the six pockets on each side, did he realize the coat was custom-made.

  "Wow."

  Checking the time, he had just under an hour before the limo would arrive. He couldn't get the smile off his face as he moved the contents of his old coat to the new one.

  He was a minute into the process when he realized exactly what he was doing.

  "Mommy, what's that man holding?"

  He glanced at the tiny voice to his right, several tables away. A family of four watched him as he held a vial of frog legs in his hand. He smiled sheepishly before stashing them away. They probably thought he was an eccentric drug dealer.

  The next vial slipped through his fingers.

  He watched in what seemed like slow motion as it fell to the floor and shattered. Bat teeth scattered across the dining hall floor. The adults looked stunned, curious, horrified. The children simply laughed.

  Kevin clenched his eyes shut. He was thankful it wasn't one of his sleep potions. Still, he could feel the heat in his cheeks as the whispers started around him.

  "Are those teeth?"

  "What's this kid's deal?"

  "Should we call someone?"

  He squatted and gathered his teeth.

  "Don't worry, everybody," he called. "I'm a science geek. Don't freak out."

  The diners didn't seem convinced.

  "You're the most powerful thing out there," he muttered, doing his best to copy Victoria's accent and tone. "But that still won't stop you from looking like an idiot."

  Kevin decided to wait for the limo outside. He threw his old coat away, and felt surprisingly good in his new one. It felt reassuring to have some of his potion ingredients close to him. He knew it was silly. His mundane, boring life seldom required the use of an invisibility potion, or a feather that could defy gravity.

  Still, he was a witch. His mentor Martha told him there were things a witch should never be without.

  The limo pulled up sharply at ten. Kevin stepped forward, but then stopped awkwardly. What if it wasn't his limo? He addressed the immaculate driver.

  "Hi. I'm Kevin. Are you here for me?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Cool. I just have the one suitcase. Want me to put it in the back?"

  "I can handle that for you."

  "Oh, it's no big deal. There ain't no reason for you to be carrying around my stuff."

  The driver smiled. "Is this your first time in a limo?"

  "Yeah."

  "Don't worry. You just climb in the back here. I'll take care of the rest."

  Kevin couldn't help but feel important as they drove through the city streets. Nice shirt, cool coat, new laptop, the back of the limo all to himself, a vial of year-old cow piss in his pocket. The streets were busy now. People jogged on the sidewalk, businessmen talked on their phones. Cars were packed at every intersection.

  They drove for another twenty minutes before they hit another part of the city. The tall buildings disappeared, replaced by more housing. The houses looked similar, and Kevin finally felt more comfortable. It was starting to feel like Walton.

  The limo stopped in front of a church. Kevin studied the few people making their way inside as the driver let him out. Of course, he knew none of them. The driver retrieved his suitcase.

  "Here you go, sir."

  Kevin's breath hitched when he realized the only money in his wallet was the hundred dollar bill he earned the other night. He had some money in the bank, but that wouldn't do for a tip now.

  "Oh, man," he said, feeling his wallet. "I don't have any small bills on me."

  The driver waved away his concern. "You're fine, sir. Miss Victoria took very good care of me."

  "Miss Victoria. I bet she loves being called that."

  "She says it makes her feel old."

 
A man approached Kevin and smiled as he stepped into the church. He gave Kevin's suitcase an odd glance.

  "Hello. Are you with the bride or groom?"

  "The groom, I guess. Although we don't know each other very well. I'm actually with this woman, Victoria."

  The man looked confused, and said nothing. He didn't step aside, didn't lead Kevin to a seat. Anxiety settled in Kevin's gut. What if he got kicked out of a wedding before he even got in?

  "Hold on!" a voice called. "He's with me."

  The usher stepped away, and Victoria ran up to meet him. Kevin could only imagine how many heads were turning, how many women she was making jealous. She was beautiful in a white dress, minimal makeup and her red hair flowing behind her shoulders. To be youthful forever certainly had its advantages. She trotted in high heels as easily as if she were barefoot.

  Victoria was smiling, but then her nose twitched. She closed her eyes and frowned before smiling again.

  "Let's put your suitcase in the corner," she said. "Where everyone's hanging their coats. Speaking of coats, now you finally look good."

  "Hey, I always look good. I just had an ugly coat."

  She lowered her voice. "And you already put all your witch crap in it."

  "Hey, you never know when someone at a wedding will need a love potion. Thank you, seriously."

  She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed him.

  It only took a moment to recognize it was an interracial wedding. Any chance of there being wedding drama was dismissed when Kevin felt the mood of the church. Everyone was laughing, smiling, sharing stories, telling each other how much they loved Alex and Cindy. Some women were already crying. There were a lot of people present, but Alex's side of the church was noticeably smaller. His friends and family took up only one pew, or rather the half of two of them, while Cindy's took up her entire side.

  Victoria introduced Kevin to a bunch of people he'd never remember. The only one he'd remember was Alex's mother, who looked nothing like him. He sat next to Victoria and simply waved and smiled, trying his best not to look completely uncomfortable.

  There was some noise in the crowd, and everyone turned to see Alex making his way up the aisle. He wore a tuxedo and a grin. Some of Cindy's family stood up as he walked by for a handshake or a hug, and Alex happily obliged.