“Sparky’s luck with women is shit. At least he’s okay now. I’d like to punch that bitch in the...” She trailed off and spit in the dirt at her feet. “Let’s go.”
Lindsay was surprised to hear that Kristan felt the same way he did—or maybe he wasn’t. Kristan hadn’t shied away from giving every bit of help needed to put Noah back together. Lindsay had obviously misjudged her. Worse, he’d known he was doing it—letting himself be distracted by his own jealousy over Dane.
“I’m sorry,” he said finally. He waved off her questioning look and she let it go. She was right, they had to get going. Patches was expecting them. Besides, actions were better than apologies for something she hadn’t even known was going on in his head. He followed her out of the yard.
The little coffee bar in the basement under the Apollo 11 was busier than it had been last time. Kristan led him through the mix to where Patches was perched on the edge of the stage.
“Here you go,” Kristan said, gesturing at Lindsay. “Special delivery. All your jailbreak needs in one place.” She dropped her backpack on the stage and allowed a moment to give Patches a hug. “I’m gonna eat someone’s soul if I don’t get a coffee. You want one?”
It took Lindsay a moment—and Kristan turning to stare pointedly at him—to realize that last was directed at him. “Please, yes. Thank you.”
“Blond,” Kristan muttered. With a snort and a roll of her eyes, she disappeared behind a pair of matched slabs of beef wearing Apollo 11 T-shirts.
“Thanks for coming,” Patches said warmly. She looked like some kind of bohemian deity with her odd skin and clothes and the way people—literally—seemed willing to put her on a pedestal. “I’ll show you what I need from you. One of the children I’ve been keeping an eye on has been dropped into the local juvenile detention and the way people are disappearing, I can’t take any chances.”
“Tell me what you need.” Lindsay owed her and Rajan both and, after how Rajan had helped Noah, he’d do almost anything to repay the debt.
“You suggested that you could provide illusions.” Patches took a map from one of her bouncers and offered it to Lindsay. “You’ll see there that we’ve identified the cell where he’s being held. However, it would be safest if we removed him from the yard during the mandatory outdoor period. I have people who can do the physical work. All we need is a distraction to draw most of the guards.”
The exercise yard was backed by the detention center on two sides. A parking lot was laid out on the third side and a side street ran along the fourth. The two open sides were protected by an eight-foot-high concrete wall and twelve feet of chain link with a four-strand barbed-wire barrier on top. It would be difficult to get in and out, but Lindsay could see where it would be possible, with the right people.
“I can do that.” But he could do more. “It would be safer if I made sure no one sees any of you. And the boy, once you have him.”
“They have an extensive camera surveillance system.” Patches leaned over to tap the blue markings.
“Sadly, it’s more for legal ass-covering than to keep the kids from getting out.” The pale blue arcs must have indicated the camera coverage area, but that didn’t matter.
“I can handle it. If I cover the entire complex, there won’t be anyone to see.” As long as the guards watching the feed were in the same complex, there wouldn’t be any problems.
“You’re sure?” Patches looked at the map, then at Lindsay. “There are several hundred people to deal with. The distraction would be fine. Not that I’m saying no. It’s just...” She spread both hands expressively. “I would rather be safe than sorry.”
“He can do it.” Kristan sounded exceedingly sour. “There’s a reason he’s got his own harem.” She came up beside Lindsay and nudged him with her elbow so he’d take his coffee. “That doesn’t include me, thank God. No offense, but I’m allergic to perfection.”
“I’m not—” Lindsay stopped and stared at Kristan for a moment. “Harem?”
He took the coffee, shaking off the surprise, and turned back to Patches. “She’s right, though. I can do it. I didn’t explain before, when you asked what I could pay. It’s not always safe. But I can make certain no one gets caught.” Never again. Lindsay didn’t let himself continue with the thought. He would find Dane.
And, today, Lindsay would make sure what happened to him didn’t happen to this boy.
“Harem,” Kristan muttered under her breath before she took another sip of coffee. It was a welcome distraction from the memories welling up in the back of his mind.
“If you can keep them from seeing us.” Patches looked thoughtful, and she tweaked the map out of Lindsay’s hands. “Then all we have to do is get someone up and over, and back with the kid. How much can you...” She looked up at Lindsay from under her strangely shiny lashes. “Could you let... Can you do it on one person as well?”
“It’s only gonna get bigger.” Kristan’s voice drifted up from behind Lindsay as she flung herself into a chair.
“The prisoners and guards, and a separate illusion over this one person?” Lindsay asked, to clarify.
“Well, he doesn’t know we’re trying to get him out. And he is still a child. I don’t want him to be alarmed.” Patches cast a worried glance up into the shadows. When Lindsay tracked her gaze, he found himself looking at something—someone—who was almost indistinguishable from the shadows except for a flicker of pale green eyes. Possibly more than two eyes.
This wasn’t the time to get nervous about exposing the scope of his magic. If he was going to get Patches and her friends in and out of the detention center in one piece, they’d all know what he could do, anyway. “I can put him to sleep, if you’d like.”
He glanced at Kristan over his shoulder, raising his eyebrows. Bigger?
“It’s not just your awesome power that’s a commodity,” Kristan said under her breath. It was like having a very sarcastic little devil on his shoulder.
Lindsay shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t have a harem, still wasn’t entirely sure how he’d ended up with Dane and Noah both. Between him and Kristan, Lindsay knew which was the more attractive, and it certainly wasn’t him.
“We’ll go with that. That makes it easier on us.” Patches gave Kristan a sweet smile. “I can always count on this one to come through. We’ll be ready to go in a few minutes.” She moved to hop off the stage and one of the huge bouncers was right there to take her hand and help her down.
Lindsay watched her walk away before turning his attention to Kristan. “I’m not— It’s not like that, you know.”
“Like what?” She was the picture of limpid-eyed innocence for all of three seconds, then she laughed.
“Not like you’re building a harem of ridiculously hot men? I think the old man must have had a very naughty mind.” She waggled her eyebrows at him. At least she’d keep him from getting too full of himself.
Lindsay nearly choked on his coffee. “I do not want to think about Cyrus thinking about my sex life.
Really.”
“Oh, please.” Kristan shook her head. “Everyone’s got to get their fun somewhere. And as for the harem thing, well...even if you’re not putting one together, you’re going to get plenty of volunteers sooner than later. I don’t have to know any of this old-ways shit to see that one coming.”
“I’m not...” Lindsay sighed. “I don’t see why.” Kristan was everything he wasn’t. Beautiful, full of color and life, she exuded sexuality even when she wasn’t using her magic. He knew Dane’s affections were real, but that didn’t mean he understood why Dane had chosen him. Or Noah.
“As soon as people know even a little of what you can do, you’ll have them falling over themselves to be near you,” Kristan said with a little shrug. “You could have anyone you wanted anyway, but this is less work.”