Mike looked to Lacey and back to the men. Jack flicked his wrist and the chain flowed out again, pooling on the floor.
“Gentlemen,” said Mike, and he spread his hands. “Let’s be reasonable.”
“Who the fuck are you and what do you want?” demanded the man who had first spoken. He was a small Hispanic, and didn’t have a gun. He wore jeans and a plain red t-shirt.
“I’m Grimaulkin. This is my partner Steel. We’re looking for Lazarus.”
“He ain’t here.”
“I know that now. You’re Tomas?”
The Hispanic flicked a glance at Lacey. Mike moved so that the wall was at his back. “Yeah,” said man. “I’m Tomas.”
“Tell your goons to put the guns down and we’ll talk.”
Tomas made a downward motion with his hand. The men lowered their weapons. Lacey walked over to Tomas. She had her arms open, as if to hug him.
Tomas slapped her. “Shut up.” He grabbed her by the pony tail and threw her hard against the wall. Mike heard a bone crunch. Mike winced. The woman grunted and slowly turned around. Her nose was out of joint, and there was a tiny bit of black blood at the base of it.
“Childer,” said Tomas. “Sometimes they don’t know when to shut the fuck up.”
“Right,” said Mike, risking a glance at the woman, who wiped her nose and tried to rearrange it so that it wasn’t as badly out of whack.
“I was told to kill you if you found us,” said Tomas. “Tell me why I shouldn’t.”
“Because if you do, everything here will go up in flames, except me.”
Tomas looked Mike up and down. “I believe you.”
“As well you should.”
“You’re a bruja.”
Mike grinned. “That, I am.”
“So am I, but not what you think.” He motioned to the men and said something in Spanish. The men turned from him and walked a few feet down the corridor and gathered there. Tomas took the few steps that separated him from Mike. “What do you want with Lazarus?”
“He sounds like an old acquaintance,” said Mike, putting his hands behind his back.
“I doubt you want to renew an old friendship. You wouldn’t come here for that.”
“You got me,”
“He ain’t here anyway. He went on a business trip.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who would?”
“No one. He comes and goes as he pleases.”
“Tell me,” he said slowly, “Is he bald?”
“Yes,” said Tomas, tilting his head.
“He has a preference for leather? Rides a motorcycle?”
“Sometimes,” said Tomas, cautious.
“And he’s a daywalker?”
He shook his head slowly.
Mike only nodded. “He’s the man I’m thinking of. Who’s Shelly?”
Tomas glanced at Lacey, who looked down at the floor. Tomas said to Mike, “I don’t need to tell you.”
“No, I suppose you don’t. Look,” Mike leaned forward. “You’re not who I want. I want Lazarus and I want the questionite ring that was stolen from my companion.”
“I don’t know anything about a questionite ring.”
The man was lying, Mike could tell by how quickly he answered with that statement. Mike knew he ran into a brick wall now and he didn’t have the patience to ask his way around to find the answers. Lacey was the weak link. If he could get her alone, he knew he could find out what he needed.
Mike held up his hands at his waist. “Then I guess I’m done here.”
“If we see you again,” said Tomas, “we will have to kill you.”
“Because Lazarus said so?”
Tomas went silent. Mike snorted. “We’ll find out own way out,” he said, and turned his back on Tomas. He went over to Jack. “I’ve found ouw what I needed,” he said when he got him on the other side of the door, “But that girl? We need her.”
“Okay,” said Jack, glancing back at the door.
