Dancing with the Devil (Nikki & Michael 1)

"And it was the when I could have changed.” She hesitated, then turned to face him. “Everyone has some good in them. Sometimes all it takes is one person's belief to change the tide." He had an odd feeling she was talking more about herself than Monica. He wondered who had turned her tide. Jake?

She lifted her chin slightly. “None of this alters the fact I will not be left behind tomorrow." He scowled. Her tenacity annoyed the hell out of him, yet he couldn't help admiring her for it, either.

“You're a stubborn wench."

"I never claimed to be perfect, Michael. And nothing you can do or say will stop me from going with you."

"I can tie you up and lock you away,” he muttered.

"And I can use telekinesis to escape, then come after you." He ran a hand through his hair. “I'm only trying to keep you safe, Nikki.” Taking a sip of coffee, he watched her over the rim of the cup. If he couldn't stop her, he'd just have to find a way to keep her out of harm's way. And that wasn't going to be any easier than trying to talk her out of accompanying them. She shrugged and gave him a rueful smile. “I know. But I've been looking after myself for a long time now. I have to finish what I start."

In that, they were very much alike. He glanced at the front door, aware of Jake's approach. The door opened, and Jake peered around at them.

"It appears safe to enter,” he commented, doing so. “But it's hard to judge a winner here. The black looks are almost identical."

"Quit clowning around,” Nikki growled. “I'm going."

"Ah.” Jake glanced at Michael sympathetically. “She can be really difficult when it comes to doing something she doesn't want to do."

Michael smiled grimly. “I noticed."

"So, we stick to the daylight raid plan?” Jake moved over to his chair and sat down. Michael took another sip of coffee then nodded. “It's still the safest time to try to find Monica." Jake nodded and leaned forward, fishing through the mess in his desk. “Anyone for blackjack?” he said, producing a pack of cards.

"Just as long as you're prepared to lose your money, friend,” Michael replied with a light smile. Playing cards had to be better than sitting alone with his thoughts. He could do that anytime.

"Nikki?” Jake asked.

She shook her head and turned away, staring out the window again. Michael pulled a chair across to Jake's desk and tried to close himself off from the pain he could feel in her thoughts. But he had a notion it was not his night to win—in any way.

* * * *

Nikki crossed her arms and leaned wearily against a metal signpost. Jake and Michael were standing several yards in front of her, barely visible through the mist of rain. She wondered why Monica had chosen a train tunnel to hide in. There had to be more secure places about. And surely a child raised in opulent surroundings could never be comfortable with the dirt and constant noise inside the tunnel.

Not to mention the high probability of being seen, or even caught. The area was a well-known haunt for street kids. Her gang had often dared each other to race through the tunnels just as a train was due. She had no doubt kids still did today. Some brainless stunts never went out of fashion. And unless it had changed in the last ten years, there weren't many hiding holes inside. So why come here?

Maybe Michael was right. Maybe another trap waited for them. Yet she had no sense of the evil that came with Jasper's presence, only Monica. She wrapped her fingers around the locket. The metal pulsed lightly—a single beat every few minutes. Monica's heartbeat, she knew. Jake snapped the timetable closed. She walked across to the two of them. “What's the verdict?" He shrugged. “Near as we can figure, there's no train due for at least half an hour."

"I hope you're right. There's damn little room to move in there with a train going through." Jake grimaced and studied the sky. “It's not going to get much brighter. Not with all this rain."

"It won't matter. Monica will have no choice but to rest soon,” Michael said, studying the tunnel. “Are you certain Monica's inside, Nikki? No one else?"

She wondered if he could sense something that she could not. The locket pulsed in her hand, and heat washed over her skin. Heat and hunger. Monica's, not Jasper's.

"Oh yes,” she replied softly. “I'm certain."

Jake switched on the flashlight and walked towards the tunnel, becoming one with the gloom. An odd prickle ran across the back of her neck.

"It's not too late to turn back, Nikki."

Yes, it is. She gripped the barrel of the flashlight tighter and walked forward. Michael kept close, and she felt safer for it. Yet instinct warned it wasn't going to be enough to save her. She ignored the quick thrust of foreboding and watched the beam from Jake's flashlight dance across the darkness. Her own paled by comparison, barely piecing the gloom on either side. Maybe she should have stopped and bought some new batteries.

Their footsteps echoed though the silence. Would Monica hear them and flee? Would she even care?

The tunnel swung to the right, and the darkness fully encased them. Past escapades returned to haunt her, and she swung the light to the left. There had been a break in the wall near here, somewhere. She'd fled into it once in the face of an oncoming train.

Jake stopped so abruptly she almost ran into him.

"Hole in the wall,” he said, shifting his grip on the stake he held. “Wait here. I'll check it out." Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she watched him disappear. Though she couldn't sense anyone in the hole, it was better to be sure.