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Rome

Gathering everyone around the table, I asked Kerry to play the recording of the conversation with Kasparian.

We listened to it together for the first time, the kid’s phone on the table and the volume cranked.

“I feel so bad for your friend.” Gigi was in tears by the end of it.

“He’s not my friend,” Kerry replied, “but, yeah. I do, too.”

“Who’s the girl you asked about?” Jax asked. “The one the necromancer killed?”

“Zoe was one of our teammates,” I explained.

“She was a bibliothecary and had the blessing of transmutation. Anyway, about a year and a half ago, she started dating a guy we knew was into something Diabolical. We tried to tell her, but that didn’t go so well.

It pushed her further away from us. Six months later, she returned from a date as a zombie. ”

“She tried to kill me,” Chance said. “Even though I know it wasn’t her in that body anymore, it was still … disturbing.”

“You had to destroy her?” Mira laid a hand on my arm.

I nodded and looked away.

It had been one of the worst days of my life.

“Yeah, he did,” Chance said. “No coming back from zombie-ness. At least, not that I’ve ever heard.”

“I talked to Zoe’s boyfriend at The Box.

” Kerry looked at Chance. “He said the black magician, named Khaydari, ordered him to date Zoe. He didn’t say how Khaydari found her.

Anyway, she tailored a few small animals into living ones for them, but refused when they wanted to try it with a dead human.

She threatened to report them to the Council, so Khaydari zombified her. ”

The others began throwing out theories when Mira’s voice broke through the chatter.

“What else, Kerry?”

I frowned and looked at Kerry’s face. Oh, yeah, the kid was definitely holding something back.

“Nothing,” he muttered.

“What did the apprentice tell you that you don’t want to tell us?” I groused.

“Nothing,” he insisted.

“What is it?” Gigi knelt next to him and turned on the ole puppy dog eyes.

I snorted.

No way he’ll hold out against that. Complete cave coming up.

“He convinced her to steal a book for Khaydari,” he said.

“And?” Gigi encouraged him.

“The apprentice didn’t know what it was about, but he didn’t think the wardens recovered it. He said it didn’t come up during the trial.”

“And?”

He squirmed for a moment, then let it all out in a rush.

“She stole the book from the Vault.”

“From the Vault ?” I repeated. “That’s impossible.”

“And it’s still missing?” Jax asked.

“Far as I know. Travis is investigating, though,” Kerry said. “I talked to John after breakfast and they’re on it. And they’re finding out about the college the Hublers went to.”

“Did Kas ever tell you which school his daughter attended?” Gigi asked.

“I didn’t even know he had a daughter until last night.” Kerry shrugged.

“How does this all tie together?” Mira looked from me to Kerry. “Or are we trying to force puzzle pieces to fit when they really don’t?

“No way to tell yet.” Chance shook his head. “Gathering information is the easy part. It’s synthesizing it that sucks.”

“I’d like to make sure justice was done for Zoe,” I said after a minute, “but it’ll keep until we wrap up this business with Hubler. It might divide our attention too much and cause us to miss something.”

“Nah, if Kerry found a lead right here in New York, we should follow it,” Jax disagreed.

“Our mission was over when we destroyed those Hellhounds in North Carolina. Helping Clem with Amanda was off the books and it’s led us further and further afield.

Now we’re hip-deep in a mystery that isn’t really ours to solve. There’s no mission to derail.”

“Except the one to get Gemma back.” Kerry’s eyes started to light up, but Jax smoothed it over fast.

“That’s a given. I meant Council-sanctioned mission.”

“There is a connection to Hubler and the Alchemists.” Chance raised his eyebrows as he looked at me. “Maybe Kerry’s contacts will know more.”

“Yeah, that’s what Kas said.” Kerry nodded. “And if you have a chance to lay a ghost, trust me, you should take it.”

“All right. We’ll start there tomorrow after Chance and Chessie take off.”

“We could use a few provisions.” Gigi reached for the notepad on the table. “If someone would like to go shopping, I’ll make a list.”

“I’ll go,” Mira volunteered.

“Me, too.” I smiled at her. “I need to stretch my legs.”

And spend some alone time with my lady.

#

Chance

“So, Chance, Chessie will be here soon and there are a few things you need to know.”

“Okay, shoot.” I leaned back against the kitchen counter and gave Kerry my full attention.

“Shoot what?” Kerry’s forehead wrinkled up. “I don’t use guns. They’re too loud. Even humans can hear them sometimes. And bullets don’t always take things down. Not like a nice sharp blade. Whoosh! ” he mimed the action. “Right through the throat.”

“Shoot means go ahead,” Jax said as he played with his phone at the table.

Kerry glanced at him, seemed to decide something, then cut his eyes over at me.

“I called the garage where I stored my ride and asked them to get it ready to pick up today. I want you and Chessie to use it. That way, we won’t leave any kind of paper trail for anyone to sniff out. But I’m kinda attached to it, so I got a coupla rules.”

In hindsight, I should have asked some questions at that point.

“One,” he went on, “no scratches or dents or anything. Like, park away from everyone else or something. And, two, make sure you turn the alarm on when you park.”

“Sounds easy enough.” I smiled. “I think I can handle it.”

“Is it legal?” Jax looked up from his phone. “Like, if they get a speeding ticket or something, they aren’t gonna get arrested for having a stolen vehicle or something, are they?”

“’Course not!” Kerry flipped him off. “We’ll get you burners, too. Make sure you keep your Sanctuary phones off so no one can track you.”

“Burners?” I tilted my head.

“Where have you been, Chance? Under a rock?” Jax laughed. “It’s a pay-as-you-go phone.”

“Oh. Sure.”

“There are rules for Chessie, too.” Kerry wasn’t done yet. “Number one, she’s like my little sister. You will protect her, even if it kills you.”

“You don’t even need to tell me that.” I held up both hands.

“Rule number two, do not comment on her eyes if you see them. She knows what they look like. She doesn’t need to be hassled about it.”

“She wears sunglasses all the time, even inside.” Gigi came around the corner and draped herself over Jax’s shoulders. “That should help you from getting weirded out.”

“I acclimate to weird pretty quick,” I assured them all.

“Three, don’t take it personally if she doesn’t talk to you. She’s shy around most people. She’s not stuck up or doing it to be mean.”

“Understood. I’m a nice guy. Really. Once she gets to know me, she’ll relax.”

“And that brings me to number four.” His eyes flashed blue with power. “If you have sex with her, I will cut you open from your balls to your chin.”

My jaw dropped.

“Masterfully handled, caveman,” Jax laughed.

“Forgive him, Chance,” Gigi said. “He’s new to the whole big brother thing. Plus, he has no filter, so he can’t be anything but blunt.”

I scowled at him, but didn’t dignify his comment with a response. I headed over to the couch, picked up the remote and sifted through channels until I found a basketball game.

A little later, the front door opened, and Rome and Mira came in with the supplies. As we all helped unpack the bags, Gigi’s phone rang and she chatted for a few seconds.

“Chessie’s here,” she said after hanging up. “She’s getting off the elevator. John couldn’t stay. He and Tara finally have an appointment to talk with Amanda.”

Kerry hustled over to the door and opened it right as a knock sounded. I had a glimpse of a short blonde wearing bright-red, heart-shaped sunglasses that hid most of her face.

“Hey. Let me get this.” Kerry picked up her duffel bag. “Gah! This weighs a ton! What did you pack? Rocks?”

“I didn’t know what I might need,” she said. “I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.”

He waved her into the apartment and closed the door.

“Hey, Chessie,” Gigi came over, dragging Mira behind her, and I lost sight of her again. “Mira, this is Franchesca Catt. Chessie, this is Mira Kuz-something-Russian. She’s an artificer.”

“Kuznetsova.” Mira shook Chessie’s hand.

“Anyway,” Gigi went on, “we have a suite of rooms. This is the living room, dining room there, and kitchen straight ahead. Boys’ room is on the left, girls’ room on the right. Come on, we’ll show you ours.”

Gigi towed both girls with her, and Kerry followed with Chessie’s bag. He was back in a few seconds without it.

“Why didn’t you introduce her to Rome and me?” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.

A rare animosity roused in me. I wanted to poke at him, ask him if he thought I’d jump her bones right there and then, but I squashed it. For one, his hold on his temper was too tenuous. And two, he’d only warned me off in an effort to protect a girl he saw as a little sister.

“Was I supposed to?” His eyes widened as he looked at me. “I didn’t know.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Jax waved one hand. “Gigi will take care of it when they come back.”

#

Mira

“Well?” Gigi demanded. “Did you look at him?”

“Yes.” Chessie’s mouth pulled down. “I hardly had to use my power. Can’t you tell how close to the edge he is?”

“What? No! He’s been really calm, hasn’t he, Mira?”

“Calm like the eye of a hurricane is calm,” Chessie snorted before I could answer.

Gigi’s face fell and she blew out a heavy sigh.

“It’s not your fault.” Reaching over, I patted her shoulder. “We’ve all been doing everything we can to help him.”

“Has he been eating?”

Gigi and I both shook our heads.

“Has he been sleeping?”

I shrugged. How would I know?

“Jax said not really.” Gigi twisted a curl around her index finger.

“You need an emergency plan, you know that, right?” Chessie asked.