Collision Course, page 20
Bev’s lashes rose, and her gaze met mine. I sucked in a sharp breath at the unnaturally bright green glow that had taken over her brown eyes. Those disturbing orbs drifted down until they were focused on my hands resting on my knees. “Well now.”
I looked down, but everything looked normal to me. “What?”
“It seems you’ve recently been in contact with something very, very nasty.” Her tone matched the seriousness in her expression. “It’s almost gone, which tells me you are not the intended target.”
Everything in me stilled, and my grip on my power slipped. How in the hell could I pick up anything? I’m a Prism.
Bev sucked in a breath, and her eyes narrowed. “That’s interesting.”
I reclaimed my magical grip, yanking my Prism back in line. “What is?”
Before she could answer, Zev stepped in behind Bev, careful not to breach the chalked lines of the circle. “Can you tell when she picked it up?”
Her attention went back to my hands, and she frowned. “If I was to go by how faded it is, I’d say within the month, but based off that little blip you just had, it’s probably closer to a week.” Her gaze came to mine. “I’d bet your magic has been keeping the worst of it off of you.”
If she was right, I didn’t want to know what a full-on infection entailed. “Can you remove it?”
She went back to studying whatever it was she could see. “Yes.”
“Wait,” Lena said as she dropped to a crouch outside the circle. “I want to unravel it with you.”
Bev nodded, picked up the chalk sitting next to her hip, and leaned over to draw a second, smaller circle that remained linked to the main one. Then she handed the chalk to Lena, who quickly drew out a series of interlocking runes inside the smaller circle then sat down, creating the last point of a triangle.
A burst of gold flecked with red surrounded Lena, and the moment it touched Bev’s green lines, an invisible punch of air rocked me back. My power bucked in response, but I held it in check. Magic poured into the circle until the pressure was almost smothering. Then something shifted, and the pressure took a huge leap back. It didn’t disappear, because although I couldn’t see anything, I could feel it, like blunt fingernails being dragged down my arms then twisting around my wrists and hands.
An “ow” escaped on a hiss. I caught Zev’s sharp look but shook my head. It was uncomfortable but bearable.
Lena’s attention dropped to my hands, so now both women were staring intently at the same area. “Oh wow, I never would’ve seen that.” She sounded impressed.
Bev made a soft hum, and after a long moment, the scratching sensation eased. “There now, we should be able to—”
“Stop!” Lena raised her hand, palm forward, and leaned in. “See that?” She pointed at something only the two of them could see.
Bev’s gaze went to whatever Lena was pointing out. “Is that a signature?”
“Damn skippy, it is,” Lena muttered. Her eyes narrowed. “Hang on. I think I’ve seen this before.” She looked to Bev. “Can you hold this for me? Just for a minute?”
“Sure, but work quick. It’s starting to dissipate.”
“Evan, can you get me a piece of paper and something to write with?”
He grabbed an envelope and pen off the counter and handed both to Lena. She quickly drew something. “Okay, got it, Bev.” She handed it back to Evan, who looked at it and frowned. “Right, let’s get this off of her.”
Together, the two women fell quiet, but I could feel magic shifting between them and then around me. They exchanged a few cryptic comments, but eventually, Lena sat back. “Okay, I think that should do it. What do you think?”
Bev’s head tilted as she studied whatever hex they were working on. “I think we’re good.” She fell quiet for what felt like forever, then finally, the invisible presence curled around my wrists fell away. Bev looked up and smiled at me. “All clear.”
I shook out my hands as the power that swam through the interlocked circles slowly receded. Bev’s eyes resumed their normal brown color while the reddish gold of Lena’s power faded to nothing. Bev brushed one of the chalk lines, breaking the circle. As the magical energy dissolved, the air in the condo lightened.
After Bev stood up, stretched, then stepped outside those lines, I finally relaxed my hold on my Prism. Like a disgruntled child, it slid into place and sulked. Yep, definitely has its own annoying personality.
Zev offered me a hand. I took it and let him help me to my feet. My movements were stiff, as if I’d been sitting for hours. I checked the clock. The whole thing had taken less than half an hour.
Lena stood with Evan, their heads bent over the sketch on the envelope. Bev joined them, and Lena shifted the paper so the other woman could see it. “Does this look familiar to you?”
Bev took the paper. “I’m surprised you got any of it, it was so faded.” She studied the sketch and went to shake her head, but then she stopped and frowned. “Wait.” She looked at Lena, her eyes wide with worry. “That part there”—she traced over it—“is that what I think it is?”
“I don’t know, but if it is, it’s bad news.” Lena’s tone was grim.
Zev headed over, and I hobbled along. He held out his hand to Bev. “May I?”
She handed over the sketch. I got closer so I could see what the fuss was about, not that I would be much help.
“What is that?” The lines on the paper didn’t look like any sigils I’d ever seen.
“It’s a personalized rune,” Lena said. “Most casts utilize certain sigils in specific patterns. That”—she pointed at the paper—“is part of a magical signature that adds a unique glyph to a rune.” She dropped her hand. “At least I think it is.”
“And?”
“And…” Lena leaned into Evan, who held her close. “If it’s who I think it is, it would explain how you managed to get tagged by a curse when you normally wouldn’t.” She looked at Bev. “Would you agree?”
Bev looked a little pale around the edges, and her voice held a slight tremor. “If it’s him, then yes, that would explain it.”
Considering how freaked the two women looked, that might not be the good news it sounded like. “Do you want to share with the class?”
It wasn’t Lena who answered. It was Zev. “The Heretic Key.”
I turned to him, totally lost. “Who is the Heretic Key?”
“That’s the million-dollar question,” Evan joined in. “No one knows for sure, but rumors abound. He’s a high-level Key who sells his services through the dark web.”
“He’s been tied to a number of deaths, most connected to prominent Families.” Zev handed the envelope back to Lena. “If Rory got tagged with his work, how is it you two managed to break it so easily?”
Lena and Bev exchanged a long look, then Bev offered, “Truthfully, I don’t know. Maybe it was because Rory wasn’t the intended target?”
“More like it was just because she’s Rory,” Lena said. “Her Prism would’ve kicked in, keeping the worst of it off of her.”
That made sense to me, but it didn’t stop the quiver of unease that ran through me. I inched closer to Zev, who looked down at me. I managed a half-hearted shrug. “That tracks.”
A cellphone trilled somewhere. Bev moved to her bag on the island, while everyone else automatically reached for their pockets.
“It’s mine!” Bev held her phone aloft like she’d won a prize, then blushed when we all looked at her. “Sorry.” She dropped her hand, swiped her screen, then looked up. “Apologies, but I have to go. One of my other clients is in a bit of a bind.”
“Of course,” I said. “Thank you for coming by at the last minute.”
Lena joined me, and together, we walked Bev to the door.
“Like I told Lena, I was happy to help.” Bev’s smile was a little wan, probably because she wanted to get clear of whatever mess we were tangled in.
Not that I could blame her.
“And we appreciate it,” Lena added. She unlocked our door and held it open. “Again, if you ever need a return favor, please call me.”
Bev nodded, her smile tight as she dashed out the door. Behind us I heard the guys dragging our dining table back into place. Lena and I watched as she waited for the elevator, then we gave her a wave when it arrived, and she stepped inside. Only when she was safely on her way down did we go back in and close the door.
Zev and Evan were at the table, the envelope lying between them.
Lena and I headed over to join them. “Anyone have any idea how we track down the Heretic person?”
Lena put her elbows on the table, propped her chin in her hands, and gave Evan wide eyes.
“Don’t look at me, woman,” Evan said. “This dick nozzle has managed to evade Council Hunters for years. Not sure what makes you think I can find him if they can’t.”
Lena opened her mouth to respond, but Zev got there first. “Because this time, he left someone alive.”
For a moment, I didn’t get it, then I did. “Max.” Zev inclined his head, but when Evan and Lena still looked confused, I added, “If the Heretic person works off the dark web, that means there has to be some sort of communication, right? Like an email or a contract or something?”
Evan sat back, his arms crossed over his chest, and his brow furrowed. “It’s not like ordering DoorDash, Rory.”
“But there will be something, right?” I asked. “We know the curse was aimed at Max—”
“Or Devon,” Zev said.
“Or Devon,” I added. “It had to be tied to those damn glasses. So we have the object, a window of opportunity, and potential targets. Shouldn’t that get you something?”
Evan looked at Lena, who tilted her head. He stared down at his feet without saying anything for a long moment. Then he shook his head and rubbed his face. When he dropped his hands, he leaned forward and, in a cautious tone, warned, “All right. I’ll see what I can do, but no promises.”
Twenty-Five
Zev and I had finally fallen into bed somewhere after three o’clock, both of us taking advantage of a now-quiet Sunday before we officially kicked off our work week. Thankfully, whatever Lena and Bev had done had worked beautifully, because I managed to get a solid eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. After lunch, Zev and I played board games with Lena and Evan until Zev had to take off around seven. All in all, it was just what the doctor ordered—a quiet day without any wise-guy rodents, vengeful ghosts, or killer curses. When my alarm went off bright and early Monday morning, I was ready for my work week.
Lena and I bustled around the kitchen as we poured to-go mugs and gathered keys, phones, and other necessities before heading out the door. We rode the elevator down to the garage, where we stood by our cars, comparing calendars.
“Call me if Evan comes up with anything this morning,” Lena said as she juggled her drink, phone, and keys with practiced dexterity. “I can always shift my afternoon around if I need to.”
“Why?”
“You’re seriously asking me that?”
“Um, yeah?”
She dropped her chin so she could look at me over the top of her sunglasses. “Because you on your own is just asking for trouble.”
I rolled my eyes behind my lenses, opened my door, ducked down, and set my drink in the modified console. “Whatever.”
“Not ‘whatever,’” she shot back. “Need I remind you that every time you go poking around by yourself, things get dicey?”
Okay, she might have a teensy-weensy point there. I backed out and turned to her. “Fine, if Evan finds something, I’ll tag you.” I held up my hand as she opened her mouth. “And if you’re tied up, I’ll ask Zev.”
She considered me for a moment before giving in with a huff. “Fine.” She opened her door. “No going solo, Rory. Promise.”
My intentions were good when I made an X mark over my heart. “Promise.”
“Good.” She got one leg into her car before she added, “Watch yourself, girl.”
“Always.”
With that, we got into our cars and headed out to earn our respective paychecks.
It was a quarter past nine when I finally pulled into the loading zone at Dueñas Park to pick up Zev from his office. That my dark and deadly boyfriend had an actual office tended to make my brain hurt, but even I had to admit, for a workspace, it was the shit. He had a leather couch, a big-ass TV screen that doubled as a monitor, and a killer coffee setup. I’d discovered it when we were stuck spending hours watching surveillance recordings while chasing down a demented scientist.
Fun times.
Since I was running a little behind, I had texted him my ETA. So now, idling in a spot guaranteed to piss someone off, I followed up with a quick I’m here. Hopefully, Zev would get to me before enforcement did. The last thing I needed was a parking ticket. Thankfully, it was only a minute or so before I saw him push through the glass doors and jog over to where I was parked.
He pulled open the door and dropped into the passenger seat. After he did a few contortions to get his legs in, he closed the door and dragged his seatbelt on. “Next time, we’re taking my SUV.”
I checked my mirrors and pulled out. “Just shift the seat back.”
There was some rustling. “It’s all the way back, and I still feel like my knees are up by my ears. This car was made for midgets.”
“This car is a classic,” I said but couldn’t help my smirk. “Not all of us can be lean, mean fighting machines, babe.”
He snorted. “Well, us lean, mean fighting machines do not appreciate being twisted into pretzels.”
“I’m sure you’ll survive.” I stopped at a red light and angled my phone toward him. “Can you put Rebecca’s address in for me?”
“Did you get your runs done this morning?” he asked as he typed in the address.
“Yep, a nice uncomplicated pickup and drop-off.” The GPS piped up, and I hit my blinker for the upcoming left. “Unfortunately, there was a four-car accident on the freeway. Backed traffic up for miles. I had to take surface streets, which is why I was running late.”
“Five minutes isn’t late,” he teased.
“You say toe-ma-toe, I say toe-may-toe,” I sang and caught his grin out of the corner of my eye.
The GPS took us out of downtown Phoenix and out toward Rebecca’s place. We chit-chatted for a few minutes before he finally asked, “Anything from Evan?”
“Not yet, but I know he started searching last night after he left our place, because Lena said he was texting her until she shut down at midnight.” I paused then asked, “Do you really think he’s going to be able to find something?” Even with all his skills, which were impressively vast, digging through the dark web couldn’t be easy, not even for an electro mage.
Zev took a second before answering, and when he did, he picked his words carefully. “I think, if the Heretic is behind this, then he fucked up with Max.”
“It’s not like Max is in any shape to identify him,” I pointed out.
“But he’s still breathing,” he said. I must not have looked convinced, because he continued. “Typically, a contract requires at least half the payment up front, the other half when the contract is completed. The fact that Max is breathing means the contract should still be open.”
“So what? The Heretic will try again?”
“My guess, yeah, especially if it means taking Max out underneath the nose of a Council member.”
“That’s why you called Christina at four in the morning.”
“That’s why,” he agreed. “If Evan can find the contract, we might get lucky and take out both the Heretic and whoever hired him.”
The intensity in Zev’s voice made me pause. “What’s your deal with this guy?”
A mix of anger and contempt heated the air between us. “He’s an arrogant parasite that needs to be eradicated.”
I slid Zev a look. “You’ve hunted him.”
“Yeah, but he’s a slippery little shit and a pain in my ass,” he bit out. “Got close last time, but somehow, he slithered away.”
And clearly, Zev took it as a personal affront. “Well, maybe we’ll get lucky.” It was lame, but it was the best I could up with.
He didn’t say anything, and I left him to brood. It wasn’t like I could offer much comfort. Zev was a hell of a hunter. He had to be to hold his position with the Cordova Family. Unfortunately, no matter how good anyone was at something, there was always someone else out there with a bit more skill or luck.
It took a bit, but he finally managed to shake off his dark mood by the time I turned in to Rebecca’s subdivision. Situated between the Salt River and South Mountain Park, it was a modest neighborhood built in what had once been farmland. While a few fields remained, over the last ten-plus years, most had been replaced by planned developments. What it wasn’t was what I’d expected from someone who ran with Max and Devon’s moneyed crowd.
“Is this the right address?” I asked as I pulled up in front of a single-level, two-car-garage home done in white stucco with dark-tan trim. A sleek silver Acura was parked in the drive, but nothing shared that this was the home of a woman who could afford to throw mad money around, say like twenty grand, at Max’s pipe dream.
“So it says,” Zev said.
I parked on the street in front, and we got out and headed up the short walk to the door. Zev hit the doorbell, and the resulting chime brought the sound of movement.
The door opened, and a barefoot but exhausted-looking Rebecca stood in the doorway. Her gaze hit Zev first, and she managed a polite yet wan smile. “Mr. Aslanov?” Her reddened eyes ringed by dark circles fell on me, and her smile turned a little more real. “Rory, nice to see you again.”
