Black Legacy (Black Opals 1)
Frankie stilled her fast-beating heart and watched as the woman passed her by and headed towards the side of the building next to the massive arena. The barely concealed ass walked with an assurance that tugged at her, and she quickly ran to catch up to the stranger.
“Do you know Dekkar James?”
The woman kept walking, but held her hand up, the middle finger extended fully. Frankie shook her head, wondering what kind of sign it was. Somehow she didn’t think it was a friendly greeting.
“Not gonna happen.”
The woman’s voice drifted back at her, and deep in the pit of her stomach Frankie knew her one chance of getting to Dekkar James in time was fast slipping away.
“Hey, I’m talking to you.”
She used her most authoritative voice, exhaling softly when the woman paused. “Look, I’ll do anything, but I have to see him, and it can’t wait.”
The woman stopped, turned back around, and Frankie sensed a keen intelligence beneath the garish façade. Silence stretched between them, long, measured, and then the woman crooked her fingers towards her, indicating she follow.
“You have a look he might be into. Dekkar’s an old friend of mine. Just keep your mouth shut and don’t make me regret bringing you along. Got it?”
Frankie smiled widely as she fell into step beside the tattooed goddess.
“And wipe that silly-ass grin from your face, or he’ll send you packing the moment he lays eyes on you.”
She calmed her emotions and remained quiet while she followed the woman back towards the alley where she’d come. A taxi was hailed and it was all she could do to not to whoop in excitement as she settled her ass into the dark interior of a New York City taxi cab. The stale air and ripped leather did nothing to dampen her spirits, and she fought to keep the smile from reappearing.
Christ, this beat riding around in an air streamer any day.
The woman sat down beside her and Frankie tried to ignore the pointed stare as the woman’s eyes drilled right through her.
“What’s your name?”
“Frankie.”
“Mine’s Cat. Where you from?”
She uttered the first thing that came to mind, wincing inwardly as she answered. “I’m from…a galaxy far, far away.”
“Fuck, everyone’s a comedian these days. Just don’t use that line on Dekkar. If you do, I promise he’ll run far, far away as fast as he can.”
The taxi came to a quick halt and tattoo lady looked expectantly at Frankie. “You can at least pay for the cab.”
“Oh sure, sorry.” Frankie dug into her sack, grabbed some more paper units and handed them to the driver before following Cat through a brightly painted red door, on the side of a dark, cavernous looking building.
“Hey, Paulie.”
A large man allowed Cat to pass, but stopped her from advancing. “She’s with me, a little present for Dekkar.”
Puffy, waterless eyes shifted between the two women. He then grunted before stepping back to allow them both access to the inner sanctum.
Frankie breathed a sigh of relief and followed Cat up two flights of stairs. The sound of voices echoed down from above their heads, and she began to feel anxious as they climbed higher. She was in good shape but even her breathing was elevated by the time they reached their destination.
A hazy cloud of smoke greeted them as they gained the last step. It brought with it an overwhelming balloon of perfume, stale body odor and illicit substances trying to filter their way out. Frankie was instantly on alert, her eyes scanning the people present, looking for danger.
There were several groups milling about. It was an eclectic bunch ranging from the heavily tattooed and menacing, to the young and silly.
She didn’t see anyone suspicious, nobody that screamed New Order at her, and she relaxed somewhat.
Frankie’s heart was still beating heavily deep inside her chest. The adrenalin that fueled her limbs made her feel slightly dizzy as she followed Cat past both curious and hostile stares.
They stopped in front of another closed door. Behind this one, loud music could be heard, as well as the voices of a large number of individuals.