Free Burned by J.A. Cipriano Page A

this particular laundromat over the course of the last few days. I wasn’t quite sure how much time my family had left, but I was betting it wasn’t a lot, especially if Baal really didn’t have them. That meant they might be on their way to getting disposed of, if they hadn’t been disposed of already. I had to hurry.
    Ricky rolled her eyes at me. “Did you learn anything from Baal?” Ricky asked, leaning her head on my shoulder as she did so. “You have that ‘I’ve got a really bad plan’ gleam in your bloodshot eyes.”
    “Yes, actually. He said he doesn’t have my family. Apparently, one of his minions did have them, but they don’t now. He might be lying about that, but either way I’m going to find said minion and break his kneecaps.” I smiled. “Which is good because I’m particularly good at breaking kneecaps. I find a nine iron works surprisingly well.”
    “When in doubt, break stuff. I like the way you think,” Ricky said, a sinister smile spreading across her lips. We walked back into the laundromat. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been unconscious or dealing with Baal, but it must have been a while because the old guy was gone and his dryer was no longer running. Maybe I could get some new clothes after all. Then again, what would be the point? I’d just get them wrecked, and I’d waste time.
    “So where do we find this minion?” Danton asked, not having taken one step toward us. Instead, he hung back by the bathroom like he was afraid to step into the room and be discovered. It seemed weird because who the hell was going to come looking for a demon hunter here? The fashion police?
    “I don’t know.” I let out a long sigh. “I remember a guy from some flashes of memory, but otherwise, I have no idea. I was figuring on stopping by Jack’s bar and seeing if the vamp could maybe look into my mind and see if he’d recognize the guy. I’m not sure if that’s a real vampire power, but it was in Vampire Diaries, and as far as I’m concerned, that shit is canon.”
    “Bad idea,” Danton said, glancing away from me as he said it. “Just because Jack doesn’t eat people often, doesn’t mean he’s trustworthy.”
    “Yeah, well, Jack also helped me save Sera from Van after she’d been kidnapped.” I pointed one finger accusingly at him. “All you’ve done is brain me with a steel chair.”
    “And save you from a werewolf harbinger,” he added, still not looking at me. “And a helicopter full of zombies.”
    “Fuck a helicopter. I punched a helicopter out of the sky with my bare hand.” I curled my right hand into a fist and waved it in front of me. “Unless you start being more useful than the guy who installs turn signals on police cars, I’m going to end our partnership.”
    “Mac, calm down,” Ricky said, her nails biting into my arm even through the tough fabric of my bulletproof trench coat. It felt like my arm was trapped in a vice. “I’m sure Danton isn’t totally useless.”
    “Ricky,” Danton said, ignoring my outburst and walking over to us. “Do you think you would recognize the people from Mac’s memory if you saw them? Because if you can, we might be able to figure out who that Cursed is. I have some ideas, but admittedly, Baal isn’t as selective as some other demons. I can think of several of his Cursed who live within this state.” He waved his hand dismissively before continuing. “Not that I’m opposed to visiting each of them until we find out who has your family, but that will take a while, and each one we get will make the others flee like rats.”
    “If he’s been around in the last year or so, I might be able to recognize him.” Ricky gave me a hopeful look. “If not, I can probably sketch him out. I’m no police sketch artist, but I’m fairly handy with a pencil and paper.”
    “What does it matter? How can Ricky see someone from my memories?” I asked, glancing from her to Danton. “If you haven’t noticed most memories exist