Into the Wild Dark

CHAPTER 25 - JACK

Ch. 25: Jack's Tour

September 7 | Day

I fell asleep beside Mal. Late in the night, the bed depressed and groaned from the weight of Sunny's body depositing next to us. He laid a hesitant hand upon my hip to see if I was awake. I didn't stir. I stayed with the rhythmic breathing of sleep, eyes closed, and sank deeper into comfort with the minute relaxation of his fingertips. When his arm wove around me and rested completely, I drifted back to dreamland.

A way had been made. Knowledge that the three of us were important details in a broader design had sprung from Sunny's magnificent brain. Suddenly, the Oracle's prophecy made sense. Haley's message to find the right allies and defeat my enemy hadn't applied to Zyr Ravani. Sunny, Mal, and I were supposed to unite to take down Cyprian, a far worse hazard than a poorly trained detective. The vampire was a threat against humanity.

To defang him, we needed to further get to know and trust each other. I needed to learn what my Supernatural friends were. I kept this in mind the next morning at breakfast. Wind rifled my hair from the open bay windows, and the hushed lapping of waves against the hull of the houseboat reminded us we were in uncharted waters. I tapped a flute of champagne and orange juice to Mal's. Sunny's glass made it a trio.

"Bé salamati!" The lawyer uttered a Farsi toast.

"Ba-salama-tee!" We parroted her.

Smiling, I leaned against the cushioned bench of the breakfast nook. "So now that breaking my spirit is off the table, we have a lot of free time on our hands," I stated.

"What do you want to do with it?" Sunny asked warily.

A lusty glint in his eyes confessed he was thinking, I was thinking something decidedly more gratifying than what I actually had in mind. I laughed in amusement. After the night's hijinks, he couldn't stop picturing us in bed together? The feeling was mutual. Delicious memories of being inside Mal's body made me squirm, clearing my throat.

"What's stopping us from walking right off the Lina?" I asked.

"Uh, being surrounded by water?"

"I meant let's ditch this rig. From what I hear about Overlay City, I've barely tipped the paranormal iceberg. You're telling me the place exists, hidden in plain sight, over New Orleans? I want to see."

Mal considered it. "Darcy probably thinks we're halfway to your capitulation. He was counting on Sunny's martial arts prowess to prod you to madness. He wouldn't risk showing up and interrupting the process. I say we're safe to fly the coup. What do you think, Sunny?"

"I'm in the same boat as Jack–literally and figuratively. Since I made it here a month ago, I haven't had time to explore. If you think we can sneak out and get back before Darcy realizes we're gone, let's go for it."

"There's tons to show you guys," she exclaimed. "I can take you to the art gallery where Ava has her work."

"Wait, Darcy allows her to show her work?" Sunny asked in surprise. I quirked an eyebrow at the question but then thought about how the vampire operated. Cyprian kept those closest to him on the shortest leash. The billionaire couldn't afford anyone escaping his control.

"How else would we explain our extravagance to the rest of the world? Law is my cover, and art is Ava's, aside from what she does as my paralegal. Darcy doesn't want people to guess at how we live like queens in this economy."

"He's a bona fide mob boss." I chuckled uncomfortably.

"When you combine that with his Supernatural abilities, you understand why nobody fucks with him. Look, I'm not gonna lie to you." She tossed her hair and got serious. "We're in dangerous territory going up against him. However, I firmly believe that if anyone can stop him, it's the three of us."