Jasmine wanted to ask again who this Jemaine was and how everyone seemed to know him but thought better of it.

  “I kept a little for myself,” he told the others. “I gave my employer some, too. I was curious, all right? So, sue me. Like you wouldn’t be curious to get your hands on the same substance that was turning useless goons into replicas of Captain fucking America.”

  Jasmine glared at Eddy but remained silent as Qadir slowly reached forward and grabbed the glass bong. He held it in front of his eyes while muttering beneath his breath.

  Jasmine watched him intently. The hairs rose on her arms and the back of her neck as the Nest darkened for a minute, and a gentle flicker of flame flared behind Qadir’s eyes.

  The world outside went silent, and the red substance inside the glass bubbled, if only momentarily. Qadir set the pipe down, and everything returned to its normal hue and volume.

  Jasmine’s hackles were raised now.

  Qadir gave a thoughtful nod. “You are right. This is a necromantic concoction. From my estimation, and I would have to do further experimentation to confirm this, it appears to be some sort of hepatophage.”

  Eddy rolled his eyes, “English, Poindexter.”

  Qadir kept his gaze fixed on the pipe. “It’s a liver-eater, essentially a blood drinker of some kind. Hepatophages are typically found in the blood of a few supernatural creatures. It appears they alchemically treated this substance to provide short-term boosts to physical abilities.” A small grin grew on his face. “It’s impressive. I’ll give them that. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this.”

  “Bottom line…it’s a drug?” Jasmine asked.

  Qadir nudged the pipe toward Jasmine, but she didn’t pick it up.

  “In a sense, it would most certainly have the properties of a drug. A substance like this would be highly addictive psychologically, perhaps, but also physically. Who doesn’t want to feel healthy and at their best throughout the day?

  “What you must know is that hepatophages are parasitic to their very essence. I would guess that anything that this substance gives, it would want back. After the initial enhancements, those who took it would feel shriveled and reduced, a husk of their former selves. It wouldn’t take long before a user became dependent and would rely on having to dose themselves regularly with this…Crim, did you call it?”

  Eddy nodded.

  Qadir continued. “Falling into a cycle of highs and crashes, repeatedly, until it reduces them to nothing but bone. Those guys who attacked me the other night? That’s nothing compared to what a substance like this could do to someone.”

  “So, that’s why they were after you?” Eddy asked. “To produce more of this stuff.”

  Qadir shrugged. “I can only guess. Although, I’ll be honest. This is my first time encountering such a substance. I guess I have one of those faces people flock toward when they want bad shit.” He offered a weak grin.

  Jasmine couldn’t argue with him. “I mean, anyone in a high-collared trench coat who stands in the street staring at a building in the middle of the night like a friggin’ stalker is bound to pull some attention. Maybe you want to think about cardigans, or a letterman jacket, something to help you blend in.”

  Eddy, Jasmine, and Qadir chuckled.

  Ivan removed himself from the situation and busied himself around the bar.

  “Whatever they thought, I’d rather they leave me alone,” Qadir stated. “I’ve got my own business to attend to.”

  “Well, perhaps this is where our junctions intersect,” Jasmine stated. “You have a problem. I have a problem. Perhaps we can work out a way to help each other.”

  Qadir offered a warm smile. “That’s what I hoped you would say. Your father—”

  “Not that,” Jasmine interjected. “We have a vermin problem, and for some reason, these vermin seem drawn to you. My prediction is that as long as you continue stalking through the night as you are, looking for your answers, you’re going to encounter more of these assholes.

  “Perhaps we can work together to clear them out. We need them gone. You need them gone. Seems like a perfect match, don’t you think?”

  She didn’t say the rest of what she was thinking, that perhaps falling down this line of inquiry might offer her some glimpse into a solution for her problem with Deshawne. Perhaps those scumbags were connected with her killer, or perhaps falling into a circle of assholes, like atoms drawn toward a nucleus, she would stumble across the information she needed to unlock the path ahead.

  Qadir stared at her for a long moment. Jasmine wondered if the man could read her thoughts.

  Eventually, Qadir turned to his drink before holding it up and draining its contents. “My focus is your father. My focus is my tutor.”

  “No.” Jasmine stated, no longer asking the question but giving the command. “You’re here. You will stay with us until we’ve handled this gangster situation. You will be all the safer to continue your investigation. I will be safer to continue mine. It’s as simple as that. Once we finish, we part ways. Got it?”

  Qadir gave her a slow, measured look. “Got it.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Meetings

  “Well, come on then. Off your asses and go.” Jasmine pushed away from the bar and rose to her feet.

  Qadir looked up at her in disbelief. “I’m sorry?”

  “We made a deal. Now let’s get on with it.” Jasmine’s head spun at the notion of finally being able to move forward and take some action. They had a lead. They finally had somewhere to go.

  Eddy scoffed. “You’re kidding, aren’t you? Qadir’s beat up and bruised, and you’re…”

  “I’m what?” Jasmine snapped. “Ready to get to the bottom of this shit and protect not only the Nest, but myself and Ivan and you and apparently Qadir, since it seems that we’re all fucking magnets to these twats.”

  Qadir shook his head, still clearly battered and bruised, he looked in a less than optimal state to fight.

  “Come on,” Jasmine encouraged.

  “You don’t even know where to go,” Qadir stated. “We have no idea where those guys came from. All we know is that they were outside this place, they attacked me, and you saved my life.” He flashed a weak smile. “Thank you for that.”

  Jasmine turned her attention to Eddy. “I don’t, but he does.”

  “I do?” Eddy asked in fake surprise.

  “Don’t give me that,” Jasmine replied. “You said it yourself. You’re linked. Your client put you up to finding these people. He knows something, at least enough to get us on the path to finding the rest of them. Where can we find the hornet that’s gonna lead us back to the nest?”

  Eddy rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m going to have to plead the Fifth.”

  Jasmine clenched her fists. “If that’s the path you choose, I’m going to have to find a way to open your mouth.”

  She didn’t need to produce her bone claws. Eddy looked between Ivan and Qadir as if looking for help, then lowered his eyes hesitantly. “I can tell you what I know, but it isn’t much. New operations like this, they’re slippery. They switch locations a lot. They rarely have a main base of operations, at least not until they establish themselves and form a solid bubble of protection.”

  “Just tell me what you know.” Her fingers drummed on the bar top.

  Eddy sighed. “You’re gonna want to find Harvey’s.”

  “Harvey’s?” Jasmine replied. “I said give me a place, not a name. I need to know who this person is and where they are.”

  “He’s not person,” Ivan grunted, adding his signature minimum to the conversation. “It’s premium car dealer, about eight blocks from here. They sell latest electric cars.” He huffed, making his opinion on electric cars clear.

  Eddy glanced down, impressed. “Ivan, I didn’t know you were so knowledgeable.”

  Ivan remained silent in response.

  “He’s right,” Eddy continued. “On the outside, Harvey’s appears to be a depot to buy luxury cars, but it has a basement system that often gets used as a kind of gangster retreat. Assholes pay a set fee and get to rent the space for their deeds.”

  “You say this place is about eight blocks over?” Jasmine asked.

  Eddy nodded. He reached into his pocket for his cell phone and tapped the screen. He laid it down on the countertop face up and turned it toward Jasmine, showing a small red pin on the map that marked the destination and the corresponding blue pin where they were.

  Ivan raised his eyebrow. “I thought phone was broken.”

  Eddy chose to talk past that comment. “At this time of night, there won’t be anyone standing guard. They have a string of CCTV cameras, but I know from experience that the people monitoring them spend more time staring at their wall calendars of half-naked women than they do focusing on the job at hand.”

  “That’s all we need.” Jasmine grabbed Qadir by the back of his collar and dragged him to his feet. “Come with me, lover boy.”

  “This isn’t a good idea,” Qadir protested as they met the chilly night.

  Jasmine looked either way up the street, ignoring his protests. “Where did you park?”

  “What do you mean?” Qadir replied.

  “Don’t give me that shit,” Jasmine stated. “You told me yourself you followed ghosts, apparently, across the country to find me here. Where did you park?”

  Qadir opened his mouth but stopped at a look from Jasmine. “Just around the corner.”

  Jasmine held out her hand. “Keys.”

  “It’s my car,” Qadir protested.

  “You’re in no fit state to drive.” She beckoned. “Come on.”

  “Well, what does that say about my state to fight?” he shot back but followed Jasmine as she walked up the street and around the corner.

  The street was empty except for a few cars. She tilted her head toward a beefy black Suburban. “Am I right in guessing that’s yours?”

  Qadir nodded. Typical. Predictable.

  She thumbed the key fob and the headlights flashed. Qadir hesitated. Jasmine grabbed his arm and pushed him ahead of her, directly into the passenger seat. She climbed into the driver’s side and adjusted the seat. She gripped the wheel with a look of excitement. “Oh, this is gonna be fun.”

  Saliva pooled in her mouth at the thought of what could happen next. Her stomach growled as her nose remembered the smell of blood.

  “This isn’t a good idea,” Qadir replied. “There’s so much you don’t know.”

  “I don’t need to know. All those fuckers need to know is that their face is about to meet my fist unless they give me answers.”

  She turned the key, and the vehicle roared into life. She shifted into drive and slammed her foot down on the accelerator. The wheels skidded and screeched, burning rubber and leaving long black marks as the back rooster-tailed with smoke, and she shot off down the street.

  She kept the map that Eddy had shown her In her head. The rage that had coursed through her ever since her awakening reached its peak as the red mist descended. She grinned as she drove and wasn’t aware that she wasn’t blinking.

  “Please, Jasmine. Reconsider your options. This is neither smart nor wise.”

  “Not for them,” Jasmine shot back. “They’re about to feel the immortal wrath of Jasmine Vironsis.”

  “Immortal?” Qadir raised an eyebrow. He pressed himself into the back of his seat, legs straight as if braced while Jasmine drifted around the corner, narrowly avoiding the only car they’d encountered thus far.

  “Immortal, yes. A truth I’ve been refusing to face. They might have their Crim. They might have their enhancers.

  “A man tried to kill me a few weeks ago. He riddled my body with silver, the ultimate poison for the supernatural. Here I am alive and kicking with adrenaline coursing through me, able to take a punch and deal back an even stronger blow. I’m a machine, Qadir. I am more Were than I’ve ever been in my life.”

  Qadir gasped as they rounded another corner at breakneck speed. He looked at the speedometer and turned back to the window.

  “You have to be careful, Jasmine. Revenants often develop feelings of invulnerability, but you are dangerously misled. Your condition does not lend to immortality. You too are vulnerable under the right circumstances. Although…” He nodded. “You are admittedly a unique case.”

  For the first time, Jasmine looked away from the road and turned her attention to Qadir. “How so?”

  He twitched as Jasmine ran through a red light, straight onto the next street. “Every revenant ever studied has been, well…human. But not you. You’re a werewolf, and being a werewolf has afforded you some unique benefits. You are only nearly invulnerable, and that ‘nearly’ is more than an important distinction to bear in mind.”

  Jasmine grinned and returned her attention to the road. “You say that, but nothing’s done the job so far, despite numerous attempts to take me out of the equation.”

  Qadir grimaced. “That’s because you haven’t faced concentrated, targeted effort. The people you’ve dealt with are simpletons, nothing like their bosses or those living atop that hierarchy.

  “The fact is, most of this fighting has been sloppy, lacking precision. People unaware of your gift, of your talents, who aren’t also aware of your weaknesses. But being nearly invulnerable isn’t omnipotent, and if they capture you, even these crude men will have time to start…how do I say this? Getting creative. At least until they find that ‘nearly.’ Once they do…”

  “What?” Jasmine asked.

  Qadir considered this, relaxing only briefly. “Even Superman has his kryptonite, Jasmine.”

  Jasmine growled. A thrill ran through her body at the screech of the back tires. “Fine. I won’t let anyone take me captive. Easy enough.”

  Qadir scoffed. “Hardly. That still doesn’t mean they won’t kill me in the process.” He looked her up and down, eyes narrowed as he fell into contemplation. “I mean, there’s even a question of if a shot to the head would be enough to end you, considering your condition.”

  Jasmine slammed on the brakes.

  Qadir rocked forward. His head almost hit the dashboard. Had it not been for his seat belt, it might have. “Easy, tiger.”

  Jasmine spoke breathily. “I know I’m going to hate this, but you’ve mentioned ‘my condition’ and the word ‘revenant’ enough times that you’ve piqued my curiosity. So, spill. You know the answer. What the fuck happened to me?”

  “You said it yourself, Jasmine. You’re a werewolf.”

  “No!” Jasmine beat her hands on the steering wheel. Phantom heartbeats raced inside her chest cavity. “Tell me, and be honest.”

  Qadir turned in his seat. His bruised face was darker in the SUV's cab. “Well, you said it yourself. You got shot multiple times with silver bullets.”

  “Yes?” Jasmine waited expectantly.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Qadir nudged.

  Jasmine didn’t like where this was going, but she couldn’t pull away.

  Qadir continued. “Jasmine...you died. You should be dead.”

  The words hit her like a shovel to the face. The truth that she’d avoided accepting because of its enormity and impossibility. Those who have died and have arisen again. They were…

  Well, people didn’t rise, did they? Weres didn’t rise…

  She had heard tales of creatures rising from the dead, mindless, flesh-hungry zombies staggering around with their senses slowed, their movements jerky and uneven.

  That wasn’t Jasmine. She had full control of her faculties. She had the semblance of her Were powers, even if she couldn’t work out how to reactivate them.

  Her world swirled in front of her face. She felt a little dizzy and lightheaded as a car passed them. The man inside shook his fist as he curved around Jasmine and Qadir parked in the middle of the road.

  She drew a long breath. Her arms braced straight against the steering wheel, and her back pressed into the seat.

  “Okay…okay… There it is. That’s harder to hear than I thought it would be, but honestly, I’m not surprised by it.” Her eyes gleamed as she met Qadir’s concerned stare. “What does it mean for me? What does it mean for who I am? What am I?”

  “Well, you came back as a revenant.”

  Jasmine frowned and turned her head to the side.

  Qadir explained, “Revenants are what layman might call a… Please understand that I don’t like this term, but for the sake of making things easy, let’s say it. Zombie.”

  Jasmine put her hand to her mouth. When she turned back to the road, she glimpsed her reflection in the rearview mirror, her pale skin staring back at her like a specter.

  “Damn. I’m a zombie,” she muttered.

  Qadir lifted a finger. “Again, I’m not one hundred percent a fan of that term.”

  “You don’t fucking like it?” Jasmine cried. “Try being one! All this time I’ve fought off a thirst to eat flesh or blood. I’ve lost all sense of taste for ordinary food. I can barely sleep. I look like Skeletor with a black wig on. Not only that but…”

  “Again, you are unique.” Qadir continued as if Jasmine hadn’t spoken. His tone was scientific as if analyzing the specimen before him. “The remarkable thing about you, Jasmine, is that it seems that your werewolf nature has kept your mind and body intact.”

  “Oh, great,” Jasmine returned sarcastically. After a beat, she calmed. “What’s so strange about that?”

  “I’ve never known a case like this before in history. No revenant has ever maintained that connection between mind and body.” He looked uncertainly at Jasmine. “In the case of most zombies, the body remains, but the mind is gone.”

  Jasmine turned her attention back to the road, deciding she could further capitalize on her confusion and anger, feeling the need to take it out on someone. “Lucky me.”

  They fell into an uneasy silence as Jasmine eased back to a relatively sane speed. She slowed down on the approach as they passed the last remaining block, and Harvey’s garage came into sight. Large chrome letters the size of small houses decorated the top of the premium garage.

  Outside, under intense spotlights, were some of the latest cars the city had to offer, a giant lightning bolt indicating the electric technology of these premium vehicles.