An hour later, James was pulling into a spot at the far end of the crowded mall parking lot. Just like the other day, it had been murder trying to get in. Cars lined up and crept slowly through the lot, drivers fighting each other over parking spots as they blocked in the person who was currently trying to get out of the spot they fought over. James didn’t think Bradley would go into the shop and start killing people while he found a parking space, but he didn’t know that for sure. So instead, he parked first.

“Listen, keep things calm,” James said. “I don’t know what kind of power this guy has or how he has it. But he killed two people and tried to kill three others at least. So don’t fuck around with him.”

“I’m a professional,” Bradley said, sliding an amulet over his neck.

“I know,” James said as he hooked a blessed pin onto his coat. “But still.”

“Fine.”

A moment later, James was confident that they had every protection they possibly could have on their bodies. He walked into Delinsky’s and immediately, his confidence wavered. It was exactly the same as it had been. Christmas carols sang cheerfully in the lightly scented air and he felt extremely angry and very poor standing here in the doorway.

He glanced over at Bradley, who was looking around the store with feigned polite interest. He looked like he fit right in, like he wouldn’t go pale at the price tags here. James had seen his apartment and knew Bradley wasn’t any wealthier than he was. But he looked like he belonged in this world.

This world sucks, James reminded himself. It’s full of rich people making themselves richer at the expense of their employees. And maybe some of those employees had had enough and turned to murder.

James looked toward the row of registers and saw no Jeremy, but the woman from the other day was there. She was ringing someone out, her hair hanging in her face. As she looked up for the next customer, she saw James. Even from here, he could see her eyes widen. She looked to her left and James followed her gaze to see Jeremy standing by a rack of Christmas dresses.

Something hot flashed in James’s face as he looked at Jeremy. Before he quite realized what he was doing, he was walking over to him. After the car ride, he was aching again, and feeling it just made him angrier.

Jeremy looked over and James saw a flash of panic mingled with anger as James approached him. He went to say something, but then James had him by his collar, grabbing handfuls of his shirt and steering him toward the gleaming gold wall behind him.

“Surprised to see me, asshole?” James snapped as he shoved Jeremy against the wall.

“What the–” Jeremy started to say, but James cut him off.

“It didn’t work,” he said. “Whatever you did, it didn’t work. But you nearly killed my best friend. What the fuck did you do?”

“Nothing,” Jeremy said.

His tone was sneering, but James could see the fear in his eyes. “Get your hands off me,” Jeremy snapped.

Right. James had just attacked an employee. He knew why, and Jeremy clearly knew why, but anyone who saw them wouldn’t. They’d assume James wanted a refund or something. Thankfully, nobody seemed to be looking except the woman at the register, who seemed terrified. James let go of Jeremy.

“You tried to kill us,” he said.

“You can’t prove that,” Jeremy snapped.

“Sure we can,” Bradley said from where he’d apparently materialized beside James. “Come on.”

He nudged James painfully in the side and started to walk away. James turned with him, then looked over his shoulder at Jeremy.

“You’re lucky,” he said. “But you can’t stay lucky forever.”

Jeremy laughed bitterly. “Yeah, lucky,” he said. “Fuck off.”

He stormed away and Bradley stopped and jabbed James again. “Let’s go,” he snapped.

He walked out of the store with an air of dignity that James had never actually seen work in context before. James followed after him, trying to ignore the stares from customers.

“Wow,” Bradley said as soon as they were out the door.

“Don’t start,” James warned him.

“Bradley, don’t do anything stupid. Bradley, be professional,” Bradley continued, adjusting his scarf as they walked. “Bradley, don’t assault the cashier.”

“He nearly killed Amelia,” James retorted, face burning in the cold air.

“Besides, maybe he’s not the one we need to talk to,” Bradley said.

“What do you mean?”

“While you were busy manhandling that guy, did you happen to notice the woman who clearly knew exactly what was going on?” Bradley asked him as they walked back to the car.

An SUV passed at an alarming speed and Bradley flipped off the driver as he turned to James with an eyebrow raised.

“That young woman,” James said. “She was there the other day, too. Do you think maybe they’re working together?”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking,” Bradley said. “And if he’s not going to talk to us, neither is she. But they’re scared.”

“Let’s bring this to the Foundation,” James said. “Maybe they’ll have some connection here that we can’t access.”

They got into the car a moment later and James tried not to think about the way the sky looked the same today as it had the other day when he and Amelia had been here. Heavy clouds that promised snow and ice on the road ahead, whether the forecast had called for it or not. They weren’t going to drive the same route back. Instead, they’d just get on the highway and keep all of their protections on until they got into the safety of Headquarters.

“We should ask the Delinskys for access to their employees,” James said, turning out of the lot. “Not that it’ll get us far, but-”

Someone ran out in front of the car and he stopped short, inches from hitting them.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” he screamed as he put the car in park and got out.

It was the young woman from Delinsky’s. She was out of breath and hadn’t stopped to put on a coat. The name tag on her striped shirt read JANIS.

“Leave us alone,” she demanded.

“Are you insane?” James snapped. “I almost hit you.”

“I mean it,” Janis said, voice trembling. “Just stop. Or next time you might not survive.”

“So it was you,” Bradley said, voice low on the other side of the car. “How’d you do it?”

“I didn’t do anything!”

“Right.”

“Listen, they aren’t good people,” Janis said. She was young, she couldn’t have been any older than twenty-three, if that. “They hurt people, good people. And you should be careful if you don’t want to get hurt with them.”

“What do you know?” James asked. “Come on, you know this is wrong. Tell us everything and we can help keep you safe.”

The woman shook her head. “No,” she said. “I didn’t do anything. Neither did Jeremy.”

“So, someone did it for you?” Bradley asked.

The woman was silent. “Right,” James said. “Who was it? Did you hire someone?”

“I don’t have to tell you anything.”

James sighed. “Listen,” he said. “Of course they suck. We all know that. But you don’t get to play judge, jury, and executioner.”

“What, and they can?”

“What do you mean?”

“They mess with people’s lives and don’t give a shit about the consequences,” the woman said. “So you know what? Maybe they should be scared for once.”

Before James could say anything else, she darted away, back toward the safety of the mall. Bradley went to chase her, but James shook his head. “Forget it,” he said. “She’s not going to say anything else.”

“Did she really think that would work?” Bradley asked.

James shrugged. “I mean, maybe?” he said. “Neither of them seem like criminal masterminds. But if they hired someone, that could bring an extra layer of trouble into this mess.”

They got back into the car and James started driving again. “Do you think the Foundation would have information on, like, curse casters for hire?” he asked Bradley.

“Maybe,” Bradley said. “But I don’t know if they’d have any official contact information. That seems like something they’d tried to suppress rather than collaborate with.”

“My Uncle Tommy said he might have some contacts who could help with curses,” James said, slowing down and pausing before a stop sign.

Bradley turned to him. “Excuse me?”

“I said my Uncle Tommy might be able to help us.”

“Your Uncle Tommy,” Bradley repeated slowly.

“What?” James replied defensively. “Just if the Foundation doesn’t have options, maybe we can talk to him.”

“I’m sure the Foundation would love that.”

“Well, maybe they should give us the resources we need. It’s not like there’s not a solution here.”

“Want to toss a curse and murder our higher-ups?” Bradley asked.

James turned to him. “Jesus Christ,” he said. “Where did that come from?”

“That’s what those two are doing with the Delinskys,” Bradley said. “Underpaid, overworked, under-supported. Sound familiar?”

“Are you saying that maybe they have a point?” James asked.

“Not that they should murder people,” Bradley said. “But the anger was familiar, wasn’t it?”

“This isn’t Robin,” James said. “But it’s damn similar, huh?”

“They’re not trying to get better support though,” Bradley said. “They just want revenge.”

The joke was almost out of James’s mouth, but now wasn’t the time. Sure, some days he wanted revenge. But he’d never considered murder. That was too fucking far. “What do you think?” he asked. “Should we talk to Uncle Tommy?”

Bradley looked at him for a long moment. “Let’s start with our actual workplace first,” he said, voice dripping with condescension, “Then we’ll decide on Uncle Tommy measures from there.”

James nodded and resisted the urge to push Bradley out of the car.

---

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER 16