Page 6 of Capture of Capricorn (The Thirteenth Zodiac #3)
The woman who’d been arguing with the voice in the speaker—her dark eyes flashing and her tone spitting with attitude—hit the floor fast and hard. Capricorn would have caught her if he’d not been manacled.
Yes, manacled. Like some kind of dangerous patient, he’d been strapped to a bed. Couldn’t really blame them. After all, a Zodiac Warrior was worth like a dozen regular men.
He craned to see the woman drooling on the floor but no sign of blood, although she’d probably wake with some bruises.
The door opened, and a man with graying hair, wearing a suit, entered, along with two men in uniform.
The suit pointed. “Put her in her cell. Apparently, someone needs to reflect on her attitude again.”
The soldiers grabbed hold of the woman and literally dragged her out of the room.
When the man in the suit glanced at Capricorn, Capricorn arched a brow. “Do you shock all your employees?”
“Only the rude ones, and she’s not an actual employee but rather someone we acquired due to her skillset and the fact she stumbled upon the final relic.” Speaking of which, it rested on Capricorn’s belly still. So close, and yet he couldn’t touch it and run.
“One does not simply stumble across them,” Capricorn pointed out.
“She did. Bought at an estate sale of all things.” The man grimaced. “It would explain why we couldn’t find it.”
“Who are you?” Capricorn asked.
“I am Adam Crius, owner and CEO of Cetus.”
“Ah, the devil himself.”
Adam smirked. “I prefer to term myself a revolutionary.”
“Pretty sure you’re not the first dick with delusions of grandeur who thinks he can kidnap and intimidate people.”
“You forgot the part where I execute those who no longer serve a purpose.”
Damn. The guy didn’t even deny his cold side. “I don’t suppose you’ll be a good villain and launch into a monologue explaining how your fucked-up childhood led to you having to murder and steal as part of some manifesto that only crazies would understand.”
Laughter burst out of the man. “Sorry to disappoint. Normal childhood. Loved by my parents. Good grades. Popular amongst my peers. I graduated college with a degree in climate science and worked for many years for nonprofit groups until I founded Cetus.”
“And used it as a cover for your dastardly activities.”
“Initially, no. I truly did want to make a difference, and it was in investigating unusual phenomena and trying to find the correlation between those events and the climate that I discovered the world had some secrets.”
“Such as?” Capricorn prodded.
“That the monsters in storybooks did exist and there were warriors whose sole task was to fight them. As to how I found out, in investigating a swamp that suddenly began taking lives, I happened to see a bright streak of light, and when I blinked, a man suddenly appeared, bearing a sword. He fought a creature of nightmare that rose from the bog, a battle that didn’t last long.
And when it was done, the man grabbed hold of the creature and, in another blinding flash, disappeared. ”
“You saw a Zodiac Warrior.” Capricorn knew it happened, despite their precautions.
“I did, although at the time I lacked a name. But that incident led me to searching, seeking out who and what he was. What I discovered…” The man shook his head. “Let’s just say my mind was blown.”
“So where do the artifacts come into it?”
“I have Olivia to thank for that.” Leo’s daughter, who had spent her early years with the enemy after her mother absconded with her. “She’s the one who told me to seek them out.”
“You used a child.”
“Barely. She was too young to really properly inform us. Although, she’d been getting better at guiding our movements when she was unfortunately lost.”
“You mean reunited with her dad.”
“Which, in retrospect, Olivia obviously maneuvered.”
“She played you.” Capricorn snickered. “How’d it feel to be outsmarted by a little kid?”
Adam shrugged. “Mistakes happen. When she’s returned to us, we will take better precautions. With my wife gone, Olivia should be more amenable.”
“Wait, when you say wife…”
“Was the woman you knew as Kylie.”
“You’re the dude who forced her to have a kid with Leo?” The story had shocked them to the core. What husband did that to this wife?
“Hardly forced. Once I explained what meticulous years of research revealed about the Zodiac Warriors, Kylie understood the end goal. We needed a child of certain abilities, and so she volunteered to produce a child with a Zodiac warrior. Olivia proved to be more than I could have hoped for. A seer of the future. Someone who guided me toward a greater destiny. Of course, once she returns, there will be a stern discussion and penalty for her having misled us.”
“I doubt Leo’s going to hand her over, and you’ll never find her.”
Dude smirked. “I already know where Olivia is. The Tower of Babylon. Fascinating structure with magical properties. Kylie claimed it might be sentient. I can’t wait to make it my new headquarters.”
“Like fuck is that happening.”
“Who will stop me? And before you mention the other warriors, remember I’ve been researching your kind. Learning how to nullify your powers.”
Doubtful, but Capricorn wouldn’t bother debating it since there was a bigger reason invaders never succeeded. “You can try, but you’ll fail. Tower don’t like strangers.”
“It is not a mind reader, or else Kylie would have never been allowed inside.”
His counter led to Capricorn huffing, “Tower made a mistake thinking it could trust Leo’s wife, but you won’t get the same benefit. You’ll never find it or get close.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I will get inside, after all, the tower’s purpose is to serve the Zodiac.”
“Exactly. You’re not one of us meaning Tower will repel any attempt to infiltrate.”
Adam plucked the orb from Capricorn’s belly. “That’s where you’re wrong. Once I unlock this relic, I’ll have all the permission I need to enter.”
“Wait, you think that metal football is going to make you one of us?” Capricorn snorted. “Dude, not even close. The constellations choose who will represent them.”
“The twelve that are active might work that way, but the thirteenth has been locked away, and I mean to free it.”
With that ominous announcement, Adam left and Capricorn understood Sage’s concern for the future. What kind of damage could a man like Adam Crius do if he had the power of the stars to call upon?