Stormrage by Skye Knizley Read Free Book Online

he said in a clear, strong voice. "You might find what you are looking for there."
    "Thank you, Mr. Wilson," Levac said. "Thank you very much."
    Raven smiled and pulled another fifty from her purse. She slipped both through the gap in the door. "Get something to eat, Wilson. I'll see you later," she said.
    Wilson nodded once and closed the door, shooting the bolts as Raven and Levac trotted down the stairs and headed back toward the Shelby.
    "Thanks, Rupe," Raven said.
    "For what?" Levac asked.
    Raven smiled and said , "For being a damn good detective. For being you."
    Levac smiled bac k, "you're welcome, Ray. That's what partners are for."
    The pair continued down the lane to where the Shelby waited. They slipped inside and, as Raven brought the engine to life, Levac asked, "So, we going to go shake some trees near Club Purgatory? It should be full dark by then."
    “ That's the plan," Raven replied. "Just hope some fruit falls out, so far we got nothing, not even a head."
     
    * * *

Chapter Three
                 
    A deep, cloudless night had fallen and the hovering, overcast clouds had sunk until the city's tallest buildings vanished into them. The gas lamps that ringed Old Town and the warehouses beyond were being lit by young men carrying torches on narrow poles and even in the chilly weather, party-going young people were entering Old Town for a night of excitement, many dressed in either Victorian style or, as was far too often the case with younger women wearing just enough to skirt the city's decency laws.
    Several new businesses had opened in Old Town over the last few weeks. Club Purgatory, the Old Curiosity Shoppe and Marie's Curiosities were still there, as they'd always been, but they had been joined by a new magic shop called The Chamber of Secrets, a Victorian style tavern strangely named The Lost Room and a Scottish restaurant called Isle of Night. The Chamber of Secrets sold those things that tourists loved so much; fake wands, love potions that were mainly sports drink mixed with soda water and other such nonsense. The Lost Room, a well decorated and expensive eatery and bar, was a vampire-run business for those who had no interest in or more taste than the blood fest that was Club Purgatory. Last, but not least, the freshly opened Isle of Night was a reasonably priced restaurant that served everything Scottish, including Cullen Skink, a thick fish soup, clootie dumplings and of course haggis, which they insisted was a beautiful dish.
    Raven left the Shelby outside Isle of Night and handed the valet a folded bill.
    "Just leave it there," she said. "It's fine with MacLeod."
    She and Levac walked down the cobbled sidewalk, both huddling in their coats as they made their way down the lane toward Club Purgatory. Raven stared angrily at the converted warehouse. Vampires and lycans both used it as a hangout and a way to, against Valentina's laws, turn innocents. It had also been one of the main sources of Thirst back when she'd been in narc and she had beaten the door down on more than one occasion. The large neon sign sparked and crackled in the night, an effect that never failed to shock and amuse tourists. Raven just thought it was stupid, but had to admit the blood-red sign against the black background made the place noticeable. It was still early, but a line was already forming outside, waiting until the doors opened at 9:00p.m. Club Purgatory, no matter how much Raven hated it, was still the place to be for a supernatural thrill.
    The two detectives continued past the old warehouse and deeper into the back-alleys of Old Town, pushing through iron gates that creaked like something out of a Vincent Price movie and skirting the steam-belching drains that dotted the lane. Here, the buildings were even older and less restored than the businesses that framed the courtyard. Many of the Victorian houses still served as residences for those who owned residences or worked in the area. Gas lights flickered