Free Empire of Lies by Andrew Klavan Page B

my head at Serena. It was her call now. How was she going to play it?
    She hesitated. I held up one finger. Then I held up two. At three, I would call the cops.
    "Yeah," Serena said quickly. She spoke to the kid, but her eyes stayed on me. She really was afraid. "It's okay. He's a friend of my mom's."
    The dark-skinned kid tarried another second, giving me another threatening once-over. But he'd done his bit. He was eager to get back out on the dance floor.
    "All right," he said. He swaggered away. Good for him.
    I took Serena by the arm. "Let's go."
    "Just a minute!"
    "No, now." I moved her toward the door.
    "All right. All right." She snaked her arm free angrily. "The fuck!"
    I was glad to get out of there, glad for the fresh air, but glad for the quiet more than anything else. That music is an idiot's delight: The best thing about it is when it stops.
    Side by side, we walked to the corner. Serena could barely keep straight. She kept wobbling on her low heels, bumping into me. Her head seemed balanced precariously on her neck. Her eyelids were getting heavy. I guess the open air was making her even drunker.
    When we crossed the street, I took her arm again. Now she was too woozy to pull away. We reached my Mustang parked at the curb. She leaned against it as I got the door open. She looked like she would've tumbled right down to the gutter cobblestones without the car's support.
    I got her into the passenger seat. Went around to the driver's side. As I went, I pulled my cell phone from its holster. I dialed Lauren's number. Her phone rang and rang. No answer. I bit back a curse. It was eleven o'clock at night. Where the hell was she? Finally, her answering machine picked up.
    There was no hello or anything, just Lauren's voice, curt and harsh. "Leave a message for Lauren or Serena after the beep."
    After the beep, I said, "I've got her. Call me back." Then I snapped the phone to my belt again.
    I got behind the Mustang's wheel. Started up the engine. Serena sat blinking and nodding next to me, her mouth gaping like a fish mouth.
    "Put your seat belt on," I told her.
    She blinked some more and turned to the shoulder belt, stared at it as if she wondered what it was. After a while, she pawed at it. To hell with that. I leaned across her, pulled it out and over her, stuck it into the latch by her seat. I could smell her perfume, close to her like that. One of those fruity little-girl perfumes I'd smelled before. Christ, she was just a child. She should've been home, in her room, finishing her homework or giggling on the phone about who liked whom. I shoved the car into gear, cursing Lauren in my mind. Where the hell was she?
    As I pulled the Mustang away from the curb, Serena snapped straight, trying to focus.
    "No ... No ... I can't ... I don't wanna..."
    "Yeah, well..."
    "No. Can't. Back there. Mom's—"
    "You have to, Serena."
    "...find me..."
    "How'd I find you? It was easy."
    "No ... no..." Her chin sank toward her chest as she shook her head. "They'll ... find me..."
    "What?"
    She started to fade again, tilting forward against the seat belt. Then I guess the world must've started spinning around on her because she sat up fast and jacked her eyes wide open.
    "I just ... I gotta..."
    I sighed.
    She went on muttering. "I ... just get me some ... some coffee, something..."
    "You don't need any coffee. The night's over."
    "No, really, listen..." She had to fight off unconsciousness again. "Just gotta get a little straight, okay, then ... I'll give you head."
    "You'll what?"
    "You let me go, okay? I'll give you head if you let me go."
    I laughed. You've got to laugh. The way people treat themselves, the shenanigans they get up to. "You're not giving me head," I said, laughing.
    Serena looked at me, confused. She tried to smile and keep her eyes open at the same time. It didn't look easy. "No. Really. Just need ... some coffee."
    "Yeah, just take it easy, sweetheart. I'm taking you home. Then you can work it out with your