Chapter 15
So this was it, ha? Time for my first real job.
It hadn’t sunk in yet. What I was here to do. The nerves, however? Oh, they were sinking in fine. They chased right through my stomach, up my back, and hard into my jaw until my teeth clattered in my skull.
“Just relax,” Vali said. Or maybe it wasn’t Vali. As I shifted in my seat and surreptitiously shot him a look out of the corner of my eye, I realized his expression was too soft.
It had to be Franklin.
Not for the first time, I wondered how the hell this worked. How could a man be two different people? Okay, he wasn’t a man – he was technically a god. But seriously, how did it work? And what decided when he would switch? Did he get to decide? Or was it other people?
The more I learned about Vali, the more intensely curious I became. And as was always the case with me, that curiosity was the only thing that could fight against my nerves.
“You will follow my lead,” he said for about the tenth time.
With a hand flattened on my stomach so my gurgling, bubbling, nervous gut didn’t rumble too loudly, I managed a nod.
“No matter what happens—” he began.
“I won’t take off my bangles. Got it.”
Well, at least I hope I had it. There was still so much I had to learn. But I wasn’t exactly going to be offered the opportunity to calm down and figure this world out.
No, I would just have to continue at breakneck pace.
It didn’t take too much longer for our car to pull up along the curb.
The first thing I noticed were the other cars, if you could call them that. They were about as far away from ordinary cars as gold was from tin. Some of them were so fancy, I didn’t even recognize their makes. Everything from Bentleys to Rolls-Royces to Ferraris were arranged along the street.
Though I’d worked plenty of high-class functions, this would be the first time I’d ever attended one as a guest. Still, at least my work experience gave me a modicum of familiarity. I’d seen the guests at these kind of gigs; I knew exactly how they acted. Picked at the canapés and wine, laughed at the wealthiest man’s jokes, and kissed ass whenever they could.
Vali paused to look at me, and I could feel his gaze along the back of my neck. Though I’d been turned to the window, staring at the street outside, slowly I shifted and met his stare. “… What?”
“Don’t disappoint me,” Vali said.
And I was pretty sure it was Vali. That hard expression was back.
Great.
I didn’t wait for him to open the door for me – fat chance. I shifted forward and fumbled with the door handle, realizing too late I was still wearing my seatbelt. Swearing softly under my breath, I gathered the coordination to get out of the car. Then I stood there on the pavement and sunk my top teeth into my bottom lip.
A new rush of nerves was growing in my gut, and it wasn’t just at the sight of the other guests.
And the cold? It was back. First nothing more than a grain in the center of my chest – with every second, it grew as if a freezing cold ocean had replaced my blood.
I felt Franklin’s gaze on me once more, searching, questioning.
He didn’t say anything, though, just inclined his head forward, ticking it toward the building.
I wasn’t a stranger to wearing heels, I wore them all the time when I was waitressing. But right now, I was finding it so goddamn difficult to hold my balance. Every pockmark in the pavement felt like a great big hole.
Franklin didn’t give me a chance to pause and catch my breath, he motioned me on with a flick of his hand. Drawing close, I heard his gravelly voice right by my ear. “You follow my lead and never leave my side. Understand?”
I offered a tight nod. I understood. As to whether I could comply? We’d just have to see.
…
Hank Chaplin
He pulled the gold fob watch from his pocket and slowly twisted it around his hand until the watch slammed into his palm and he caught it. It was his go-to move whenever he was intimidating a man, and it always worked without fail.
Barney, bleeding from a massive gash in his head, shifted back in his chair. But there was nothing he could do to fight against the magical ropes that bound him. Hank had paid a whopping half a million for them, after all. He’d bought them from his contacts in the Russian mafia. And while they’d once tried to swindle him, after he’d broken a few skulls, they’d learned their lesson.
It was time for Barney to learn his.
Slowly, making sure Barney could see every muscle in Hank’s neck, he leaned down and inclined his neck from side-to-side as if he were looking for witnesses. “We’re all alone now, Barney. So it’s time you fessed up and told me where the box is.” Hank’s voice dropped as low as a rumble of thunder.
Barney simply stared back, blood still pouring from that deep gash in his brow and stinging his eyes. He blinked wildly, shifting his head as he tried to jerk the blood from his gaze. But with his hands tied, there was nothing he could do.
Slowly, Hank let his lips curl up into a smile. Or at least a grimace. “I kind of liked you, Barney. You always kept to your own patch. So, why, oh why, did you have to steal that box back from me? Does this have something to do with that bastard, Larry McGregor?”
Barney winced. Hank just chuckled. “You know he works for Vali now?”
“What?” Barney’s face slackened.
“Sure. Haven’t you heard Larry’s already sold you out? Went to the competition squealing for protection. That means that asshole Vali is going to know every single one of your crimes by the end of tonight. How do you think that will work out for you, Barney?”
Barney couldn’t answer.
Hank chuckled. He also leaned forward and locked a hand on Barney’s shoulder. The move was convivial, yet his shoulder locked in case he needed convivial to turn into violent real fast.
Barney stared into Hank’s eyes and gulped, his throat pushing hard against his tight collar. “Larry got a deal with Vali. How?” his face crumpled in confusion and fear, the blood still dripping down the side of his face and splashing over his rumpled collar. “I got rid of those two agents in my store.”
“Turns out there was a third waiting right outside,” Hank said through a stiff smile.
“Wait, you mean Lilly? She’s not an agent; she works for Larry, one of his waitresses. I saw her only a couple of days ago.”
Hank frowned. “Then it looks like this Lilly must have done something real bad to come to Vali’s attention so soon. Speaking of which,” Hank leaned in and locked a hand on Barney’s shoulder again, making the move real slow and real intimidating, “if you don’t want me to add to my own considerable list of crimes,” he let out a ringing chuckle, “then I suggest you tell me where the box is.”
“Fine. Last I knew, Larry took it back to Vali. Happy?”
Hank’s face stiffened. It felt like someone had injected ice into his veins. “Happy? Quite the contrary.” He displayed just how unhappy he was by wrapping the fob chain around his knuckles and slamming his fist into Barney’s face.
The old man jerked back, head shunting to the side with a sickening crunch. More blood dripped from a fresh gash over his cheek. With wide pulsing eyes, he stared back at Hank. “Look, I told you what I know. There’s nothing I can do to get that box back. It’s in Vali’s hands now, and not even you can go up against him.”
Hank took the opportunity to tilt his head back and laugh. “I reckon I’ll come up with something. You see, Barney, I want that box.”
“You’re mad. You won’t be able to use its power,” Barney stuttered under his breath.
Hank’s eyes widened in interest. “So you know what it is, then?”
“The box of the gods,” Barney supplied through a croaky breath.
Hank nodded in agreement. “Box of the gods. If you can wield it, you can access the true magic of the divine.” Hank released his hand from Barney’s shoulder, took a step
back, and brought his arms up wide like a narrator making a point. “There’s a lot a man can achieve with a box like that.”
“You think Vali is gonna roll over and let you do what you want with that thing?”
“No, I think Franklin Saunders is going to roll over and die, and Vali will have to find a new avenue into this world. And that, that will take time, giving me enough time to figure out how to use that box. And you, Barney? You’re gonna help me.”
“There’s no fucking way,” Barney began.
“There’s every fucking way.” Hank leaned in again, latching two hands on Barney’s shoulders, staring meaningfully into his gaze. He let a slow smile spread across his face, his canines glistening. “You help or you die. Now, you’re going to tell me everything you know about that box. And maybe, maybe I’ll stop rearranging your face for fun. What do you think?”
Barney paused, but the pause didn’t last. The old man had clearly been around long enough to know there was no way out of this deal. He nodded slowly.
Hank shifted back, smiled, turned on his foot, and walked out the door. He had a party to attend.
…
Lilly White
I felt entirely exposed, worse than a doll on a mantelpiece. I was like a specimen scientists were gathering around. It wasn’t the dress. It wasn’t the makeup. And god knows it wasn’t my face.
It was Franklin Saunders. I – a total unknown – had walked in beside him. I could see them all – all the guests huddling together, whispering, questioning who the heck I could be. I imagined most of them were just curious about the new woman hanging off the arm of the city’s most eligible bachelor. The rest – who knew about magic – would be wondering where the hell Megan was.
I used every trick I knew to keep my expression even. I had to draw on all my training as a waitress not to let the stress get to me. I followed along after Franklin, my steps ungainly, my knees wobbly, but my smile never shifting from my face.
When a waiter automatically offered me a drink, I lurched out a hand to grab it, happy for anything that could steady my nerves.
Franklin cleared his throat. “She’ll be sticking to water tonight,” he said directly.
“I will?” I questioned as the confused waiter walked off.
“You will,” Franklin said. “I need you on the ball. Remember, you stick by my side—”
“And I follow your every order,” I finished as I brought a hand up and momentarily pinched the bridge of my nose.
Every few seconds, Franklin’s eagle eyes scanned the room, and I could tell who he was looking for: Hank Chaplin.
I scanned the room, too, eager to catch sight of him and yet scared at the same time.
I didn’t have a strong stomach, and whenever the news reported some grisly murder or heinous crime, I always turned it off. Yet I couldn’t stop my imagination as it painted horrible picture after horrible picture.
The dress I was wearing had long sleeves, and they covered my bangles completely. Though I couldn’t see them, every now and then they grabbed hold of my attention. I became aware of just how cold they were as they sat against my flesh. I longed to take them off, curious to see what would happen, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to do that here. Not only would Vali take it as an opportunity to smite me from heaven, but I’d probably end up turning the entire function and every guest into ice.
When this was over, if this was ever over, I was going to have to start asking some real questions and not giving up until I got some real answers. What the hell kind of magic did I have? And when, if ever, would I learn how to control it?
To be honest, everything became a bit of a blur as Vali waited for Hank to arrive. I stood there, trying to ignore everyone’s stares and the muttered comments. I stood there and wondered how the hell this would all go down. When Vali spotted Hank what would happen? Would the lights suddenly blink out? Would a storm cover the moon and stars? Would they just take their fight out into the parking lot? I was so far out of my depth here.
Just as I felt my breath become shallow and a new shot of nerves sank hard into my stomach, Vali shifted my way. He’d been talking to an older couple by my side, but now he turned to face me. He looked into my eyes, and I saw Franklin Saunders. The smallest, gentlest smile pressed across his lips. “It will be fine,” he said in the kind of voice that told you he would do everything he could to make it fine.
This hall was packed. Yet, as he spoke to me, I knew his voice wouldn’t carry. He was a god, after all.
I blinked back my confusion. “How can you be so sure? Look, I know this is kind of late, but I don’t think I’m up to—”
He reached a hand out and gently clasped my shoulder. It was an unusual move for a man who spent most of his time growling at me. An unusual and yet supremely comforting move. It was so easy to sink into his warm grasp and that look in his soulful eyes. So easy, that without me realizing it, my breath regulated.
“Remember why you’re here,” he said softly.
I waited for him to tell me I was here because I was working off my heinous crimes, but he didn’t.
“You’re here to protect people,” he said instead.
“Protect people?” Suddenly I felt something – the same charge of courage I’d experienced when I’d seen John Lambert strangling that man. The same charge of courage I’d experienced around Megan earlier this evening. And that courage was enough to keep me whole as Saunders took a step back.
He turned on his foot, and he must have seen something, because I watched his appreciable back stiffen. Though my breath had been easy seconds before, now it tightened and locked hard in my throat.
“Stay here,” Franklin said under his breath, his voice barely carrying as he took a stiff step forward and wended his way through the crowd.
I watched him go. With a prickle of nerves, I realized I was alone. I felt everyone’s gazes on the back of my neck. I shifted uncomfortably from foot-to-foot. If I’d had a glass of wine to clutch, I would have suddenly held it so hard I would have broken the glass.
I watched Franklin until he disappeared from sight. My nerves grew until I heard a soft, sudden voice by my ear. “And what’s your name, then?” someone asked.
I whirled on my foot, so surprised I almost stumbled backward.
I’d done my homework before I’d come to the function. I’d looked Hank Chaplain up on my phone. And right now he was standing behind me, one hand pressed into his pocket, a gold watch trailing from it. He was in a ludicrously expensive suit, and from the look of his slicked down hair to his precisely manicured nails, I could tell his appearance was just as expensive as his clothes. He was clearly a man who cared about his image.
He smiled at me. And though, on the surface, it was a charming move, my stomach sank through the floor.
“What’s your name?” he repeated once more.
I was completely thrown. Rather than think of a suitable lie, I stuttered out, “Lilly White,” immediately regretting it as a strange look flickered through Hank’s gaze.
“You don’t say? Lilly White, ha? Used to be a waitress for Larry McGregor up until a couple of days ago, ha?”
I paled. “How do you know that?”
Hank chuckled. “Where’s Megan?” he suddenly changed the subject, shifting his head, his neck muscles stiffening as his hard gaze darted through the crowd.
For the first time, I swallowed my fear as a flicker of anger ignited in my gut. “She’s not here.”
Hank returned his attention to me, his frown growing more pronounced. “You telling me Franklin only brought you to this party?”
I didn’t answer.
That smile slipped further across his cheeks. “That’s unusual. He wouldn’t bring a green-eared rookie unless he was confident of her powers. Tell me, Lilly White, what exactly can you do?”
I took a step back, realizing I was drastically underequipped for this situation. I also searched the crowd, praying for Franklin to return. But when I didn’t answer, H
ank took a step toward me. He pulled his fob watch from his pocket, checked it, and then took yet another step toward me.
There were a lot of people packed into this room, and there wasn’t that far I could go to get away from him.
His gaze darted down my figure, and the exact quality behind it made me want to gag. As his eyes locked on the slight bumps protruding from underneath the sleeves of my dress, I watched him stiffen. Without warning, he shifted forward, grabbed my wrist, and pulled up my sleeve, revealing my bangles.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I said in a tight, low voice. I was ready to scream if I had to.
Hank just smiled. “Now, what do we have here? He’s brought you along, but he’s got you locked up. I wonder what that means?” He clamped his hand all the way around my bangle.
Before I could shove back, call for help, or stamp on his toe with my heel, I heard a rumble by my side. Somebody leaned in and broke Hank’s grip. That somebody was Franklin.
I caught sight of the side of his face, and deep within his gaze, I saw a flicker of Vali. And Vali wasn’t happy. Vali shifted around, using his large, broad-shouldered form to block me from view.
I took a tight, relieved breath and made no attempt to dart out from behind his long shadow.
“What’s the matter, Franklin Saunders, not enjoying the party?” Hank drawled, that same awful smile still pressed across his lips.
Franklin appeared to take several seconds to come to a decision. “No, I can’t say I am. Something’s come up, please excuse us.” He turned sharply on his foot and nodded me forward with a jerked move of his head.
When I stood there, stock still, still surprised, he reached out and latched that same warm, reassuring hand on my shoulder. Gently, he turned me around and pushed me forward.
Hank chuckled behind us.
When we were suitably out of earshot, I turned to Franklin. “What’s going on? Are you abandoning the job?”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” he replied as he kept his head inclined to the side, his attention still locked on Hank.
I shifted and saw Hank hadn’t moved. All he’d done was pull that gold fob watch from his pocket as he took a sip of his wine and twisted the watch around and around his hands. It was a practiced, unnerving move.
I returned my attention to Franklin. He reached out a hand and pushed me a little harder in the back, obviously wanting me to hurry up.
“But what’s going on? I thought this job is important? I thought we only had one chance to get Hank Chaplin?”
“Keep your voice down,” Vali warned in a low tone. “And none of that matters. We’re abandoning the mission,”
“Why?”
“Because Hank Chaplin is now targeting you.”
My stomach sank low, so freaking low I could feel it clunk through my legs. My mouth became so dry I could barely swallow. But before my breath could become shallow, Franklin slipped his hand further down my shoulder. His lingering, warm touch was enough to focus my attention.
“Surely it doesn’t matter if he’s targeting me? Surely there’s some way to finish this job?”
“No. We’re abandoning it,” Franklin said in a clear tone. “I see now this was a mistake,” he muttered to himself. “I shouldn’t have brought you out in public,” he added in a lower voice.
What the heck did that mean?
Franklin expertly wended his way through the crowd. I stayed a step behind him. Considering his massive form, he was like an icebreaker, and I found an easy path in his wake. By the time we made it out of the function hall and into the relatively abandoned corridor beyond, my heart was pulsing hard in my chest, hammering at my throat, vibrating in my jaw.
Yes, I was completely new to this world. Yes, I didn’t want to be here. Yes, I didn’t think I was guilty of the crimes Vali had punished me for. But no, I didn’t leave. Because like it or not, I felt some kind of responsibility to stop Hank Chaplin. It was a completely new and distracting thought for me, and yet one that couldn’t distract me for long. For as we walked down the corridor and I began to realize it was strangely quiet, Franklin stopped dead.
I practically saw the hackles rise along his back as his neck stiffened and his head darted to the left. The skin around his eyes tightened, and his cheeks became drawn and slack. “Try anything,” he suddenly warned the silence, “and you will pay for your crimes.”
I heard light, lilting laughter, and instantly I recognized it. Though I’d only just met the man, Hank was now seared into my memory.
Unconsciously, I took a step closer to Vali.
I heard footsteps. Hank appeared, hands stowed in his pockets. He came to a stop, and yet somehow I continued to hear the footsteps. They echoed all around us, almost as if an invisible army was taking up position all around the walls. And hey, maybe one was, because Franklin paled further.
“Nice of you to drop in, Vali,” Hank said through a sneer. “Even nicer for you to bring me a present.” He gestured my way.
Vali didn’t move a muscle, just let his lips twitch back. “She is no present for you, sinner. It’s time for you to pay for your crimes.”
Hank tipped his head all the way back and laughed so riotously, I thought he would lose his head. He continued to twist that fob watch around and around in his hand. The thump as it hit his open palm felt like a drumbeat or a clock ticking down.
“You’ve got some nerve showing up here without Megan. Where is she, anyway?” Hank’s tone took on a nasty, cold quality, and I watched Vali’s chest stiffen.
“You will pay for your crimes,” Vali said once more, tone lower than I’d ever heard it.
“Maybe. But you ain’t gonna make me pay, and I sure as hell ain’t gonna pay today.” With that, Hank shoved his hand to the side. I watched as one of those magical circles appeared in front of his fingertips. He didn’t pause; he simply selected one of the twisting symbols. In an instant, a sword formed in his hands. I’d seen John Lambert form a similar sword last night, but with a single glance, I knew this sword was far, far more powerful.
Vali obviously appreciated that, too, because he took a jerked step back, shouldering me out of the way.
“Come on.” Hank opened his arms wide, hefting the sword easily as if it weighed nothing more than a feather. “Where’s the fun in this? Where’s the old Franklin Saunders?” His voice rumbled on the word old and had an effect on Franklin.
Up until now, I’d thought there was nothing that could unsettle Franklin, because he wasn’t a man; he was a god. And yet, as his cheeks stiffened and a flicker of rage blasted through his gaze, I began to question that conclusion.
Suddenly Hank darted forward. Just as he did, I felt a rush of something behind me. Instinctively, I dropped to my knees, jerking out of the way just in time as a hand formed right behind my shoulder. A second later, I watched a human being appear. In fact, I recognized the brute. He was one of the goons I’d fought outside Barney’s pawnshop. One of the goons Larry had shot, to be precise. And as the guy flicked me a sneering smile, I realized he wanted revenge.
I jerked back.
“Lilly,” Franklin snapped in a clear voice as he brought his hand up and let a sword appear in his grip, “take your bangles off.” His order was easy, certain, and as he spoke, it brought me a measure of much-needed calm. Enough calm that I dodged back out of reach of the goon and latched a hand on my bangles. Last night, it had been easy to take them off; there was a lock in the middle of the metal. But right now, as I jammed my thumb into it, nothing happened. They wouldn’t open.
I heard a dull click, and as I jammed my thumb harder into the lock, I felt a charge of something escape over the metal and bite into my skin. I yelped.
Hank laughed. “What? You think I didn’t take the opportunity to cast a spell on those locks? Think I’m a complete idiot, Vali?” Hank asked, tone dark.
Franklin didn’t respond. Instead, he lurched forward, that sword held stiffly in his grip. I’d never seen anything like it. It w
asn’t made of metal, but rather of blistering, burning light. As he wielded it, it sent arcs of power out like blasts from a sonic wave. While it caught several of the goons behind Hank, Hank was too quick. He darted to the side, hefting his own sword in defense.
I tried desperately to unlock my bangles, grabbing them, trying to wrench them from my wrists. But the more I fought against them, the more they fought back, sending pulse after pulse of power biting into my arms until they felt numb like they would drop off.
“Lilly, get out of here,” Vali commanded. Not Franklin – Vali. The tone was too strong, his words too punchy as they echoed through the hall.
I wanted to stay, but couldn’t. I found myself compelled as I shifted hard on my foot and began running in the other direction. Problem was, I didn’t get very far. The goon from earlier today – the guy who’d punched me against the lamppost – was right behind me, and he was quicker. He may have been massive, like a polar bear pressed into a black suit, but it didn’t matter. He was as agile as a gymnast.
As he shoved forward, he put on a burst of speed, and grabbed me by the arm. He wrenched me around, and I lost balance on my heels, twisting to the side and falling hard on my ankle. I let out a half scream, but it couldn’t carry far; the goon pressed forward and locked a hand around my throat. His hand was so large, his grip so wide, he practically garroted me.
As my choking splutters filled the air, I heard Franklin stop.
Hank laughed again. “You should have brought Megan,” he said, voice dipping low. “It would have been a heck of a lot more fun. Now, unless you want your pretty new witch to die, I suggest you give up.”
I knew what Vali would do – knew what he had to do – sacrifice me. This case was bigger than my life. So why did he shoot me one sorrowful look and let the sword drop from his hands? Why did he let Hank give a snicker then dart forward and knock him on the back of the head? There was a sickening crunch as Franklin fell to his knees. Blood poured down from a wound in the back of his head. He had a single moment to make eye contact with me, then he dropped. Out cold.
I screamed. Then I watched Hank take an easy step backward. Swinging his sword over his shoulder, he smiled at me, reached out a hand, and latched it over my arm. Instantly, a cold, dense, darting sensation spread out from his touch.
I started to lose consciousness. The last thing I did was stare past Hank’s awful sneer as I desperately attempted to catch sight of Franklin to confirm he was okay. His body was still, blood trickling down from the wound in the back of his neck. And me? I was falling into the coldest, darkest sleep I would ever have.