Thirteen
Page 94
Jaz glanced at Adam.
Adam put his arm around my waist. “I want what she wants.”
“So cool the games, okay?” I said. “That pump on your side means you’re stuck following the script. You might as well make the best of it. Don’t blow your chance to get out of here with Hope.”
He should have been smart enough to know I was bull-shitting about Hope. But she was his blind spot. Or maybe he just found it easy to believe we’d let an acquaintance be taken against her will if it benefited us. He certainly would.
Adam and I put on the guards’ uniforms. They were army surplus, with name tags. Then I cast glamour spells on us.
“I don’t think that worked,” Jaz said when we were done. “You still look the same to me.”
“Because you expect to see us,” I said. “The others will expect to see the guards.”
He rolled his eyes, smirking slightly at such substandard camouflage powers. I pushed him toward the door to the bunker.
Despite what I’d said to Jaz, I wasn’t completely convinced that the glamour spell had worked. The test came quickly. The stairs led down to a secured entrance guarded by two more young men. Jaz pulled Scott’s cheerful-condescending routine. They barely looked at us, but they did look, which proved that we passed.
We expected them to say something about us leaving our posts. But Clay had said that these were just kids. More like hall monitors than trained guards. He was right. They let us through without comment.
We did, however, hit a snag of another kind—the “hall monitor” just inside the secured doors.
“I’m going to have to call Giles,” she said. “No one’s allowed past without a card.” She glowered at us. “You guys know the rules.”
“It’s a surprise, gorgeous,” Jaz said. He gave her his lazy, sexy Jaz smile, which I’m sure would have worked a lot better if he didn’t look like Gordon Scott, late fifties, pot belly and jowls.
Adam tried charm, too, but his “guy” was about nineteen, chubby, with acne. My “guy” was much cuter, so I tried a sexy smile, but probably looked like I had indigestion.
Damn it. We’d been so close. Now we needed to take all three out before anyone called for help.
I glanced at Adam. He nodded. We could do this. He motioned for me to focus on the girl while he took the guards behind him. I started whispering a binding—
“Hey, Nina,” someone said as the door behind the girl opened. “Do you know—?”
Two guys walked in, a young woman behind them. They stopped when they saw Scott.
“Mr. Scott,” one of the guys said. “Damn, Giles is going to be happy to see you. Does he know you’re coming?”
“No, it’s supposed to be a surprise,” Jaz said. “But this young lady seems intent on spoiling it.”
“I just passed Giles back there.” He turned to the hall monitor. “Want me to take them?”
“I …” She sighed and adjusted her name tag. “I guess so.” There was no way we could take down six people before someone raised the alarm. So on to plan B it was. At least we were inside.
As we started to follow the newcomers, one of them turned to Adam and me.
“We can take it from here, guys,” he said.
Jaz hesitated, then sighed softly, as if we’d spoiled his fun. “Actually, kids, I kind of like having bodyguards. Got lots of enemies, you know. Some folks might not be too happy to see me back.”
They shrugged a “suit yourself.” We took one step and an alarm blipped. The hall monitor jumped in front of us.
“You know the rules,” she said. “No guns inside.” We surrendered our weapons. Then we went inside.
The smell told me this was definitely the same compound where they’d held me captive. When I’d gone down this hall before, though, I’d been blindfolded. Now I took my first good look. My parents had reported that the place wasn’t that big. Just a large central meeting room and a half dozen small side rooms. Yet I’d remembered a very long walk from my cell to that meeting room. As I looked around, I realized it really was just a meeting room ringed by a corridor. In other words, they’d led me around that perimeter a few times so I’d get the impression I was in a much bigger place.
Giles stepped from a doorway. I froze. But his gaze passed right over me and settled on Jaz. Emotions flickered over his face. Negative, mostly. He might have needed Scott, but Giles didn’t like needing anyone, especially not a conceited mortal necromancer who responded to his summons if and when he pleased. The anger lasted only a second, though, before Giles found an appropriate expression of delight.
“Gordon, my friend,” he said. “You’ve come at last.”
“You didn’t really think I’d miss the big show, did you? Not when I’m going to play such a critical role.” Jaz rubbed his hands together. “Summoning Lucifer himself. I cannot wait.”
A flash in Giles’s eyes suggested he couldn’t wait either—for Lucifer to flay Scott for his impertinence. It made his smile turn real as he walked over and clapped Scott on the back.
“We’re all eager,” Giles said. “And we really do need to get this show on the road.”
“Can I see the girl?” Jaz said.
That was not part of the plan, but I knew he’d ask. Giles took us down the hall and unlocked a door. When we got inside, I was surprised to see Hope just lying on a bed, eyes open, no sign of restraints. When Jaz walked over and stroked her hair, she stiffened almost imperceptibly and closed her eyes.
“Yes, she’s a beautiful young woman,” Giles said. “And I know you like pretty girls, Gordon. But this one is off your list.”
Jaz chuckled. “Pregnant women don’t really do it for me. Particularly when their daddy could turn me inside out.”
Giles paused, as if relishing the image. Jaz continued stroking Hope’s hair, his gaze fixed on her.
“Is she sedated?” Jaz asked.
“No, it wore off hours ago, but she just lies there. Her husband was killed when we picked her up. She seems to be taking it badly. One would think the daughter of Lucifer would have a little more fight in her but …” Giles shrugged. “I’m not complaining.”
Adam put his arm around my waist. “I want what she wants.”
“So cool the games, okay?” I said. “That pump on your side means you’re stuck following the script. You might as well make the best of it. Don’t blow your chance to get out of here with Hope.”
He should have been smart enough to know I was bull-shitting about Hope. But she was his blind spot. Or maybe he just found it easy to believe we’d let an acquaintance be taken against her will if it benefited us. He certainly would.
Adam and I put on the guards’ uniforms. They were army surplus, with name tags. Then I cast glamour spells on us.
“I don’t think that worked,” Jaz said when we were done. “You still look the same to me.”
“Because you expect to see us,” I said. “The others will expect to see the guards.”
He rolled his eyes, smirking slightly at such substandard camouflage powers. I pushed him toward the door to the bunker.
Despite what I’d said to Jaz, I wasn’t completely convinced that the glamour spell had worked. The test came quickly. The stairs led down to a secured entrance guarded by two more young men. Jaz pulled Scott’s cheerful-condescending routine. They barely looked at us, but they did look, which proved that we passed.
We expected them to say something about us leaving our posts. But Clay had said that these were just kids. More like hall monitors than trained guards. He was right. They let us through without comment.
We did, however, hit a snag of another kind—the “hall monitor” just inside the secured doors.
“I’m going to have to call Giles,” she said. “No one’s allowed past without a card.” She glowered at us. “You guys know the rules.”
“It’s a surprise, gorgeous,” Jaz said. He gave her his lazy, sexy Jaz smile, which I’m sure would have worked a lot better if he didn’t look like Gordon Scott, late fifties, pot belly and jowls.
Adam tried charm, too, but his “guy” was about nineteen, chubby, with acne. My “guy” was much cuter, so I tried a sexy smile, but probably looked like I had indigestion.
Damn it. We’d been so close. Now we needed to take all three out before anyone called for help.
I glanced at Adam. He nodded. We could do this. He motioned for me to focus on the girl while he took the guards behind him. I started whispering a binding—
“Hey, Nina,” someone said as the door behind the girl opened. “Do you know—?”
Two guys walked in, a young woman behind them. They stopped when they saw Scott.
“Mr. Scott,” one of the guys said. “Damn, Giles is going to be happy to see you. Does he know you’re coming?”
“No, it’s supposed to be a surprise,” Jaz said. “But this young lady seems intent on spoiling it.”
“I just passed Giles back there.” He turned to the hall monitor. “Want me to take them?”
“I …” She sighed and adjusted her name tag. “I guess so.” There was no way we could take down six people before someone raised the alarm. So on to plan B it was. At least we were inside.
As we started to follow the newcomers, one of them turned to Adam and me.
“We can take it from here, guys,” he said.
Jaz hesitated, then sighed softly, as if we’d spoiled his fun. “Actually, kids, I kind of like having bodyguards. Got lots of enemies, you know. Some folks might not be too happy to see me back.”
They shrugged a “suit yourself.” We took one step and an alarm blipped. The hall monitor jumped in front of us.
“You know the rules,” she said. “No guns inside.” We surrendered our weapons. Then we went inside.
The smell told me this was definitely the same compound where they’d held me captive. When I’d gone down this hall before, though, I’d been blindfolded. Now I took my first good look. My parents had reported that the place wasn’t that big. Just a large central meeting room and a half dozen small side rooms. Yet I’d remembered a very long walk from my cell to that meeting room. As I looked around, I realized it really was just a meeting room ringed by a corridor. In other words, they’d led me around that perimeter a few times so I’d get the impression I was in a much bigger place.
Giles stepped from a doorway. I froze. But his gaze passed right over me and settled on Jaz. Emotions flickered over his face. Negative, mostly. He might have needed Scott, but Giles didn’t like needing anyone, especially not a conceited mortal necromancer who responded to his summons if and when he pleased. The anger lasted only a second, though, before Giles found an appropriate expression of delight.
“Gordon, my friend,” he said. “You’ve come at last.”
“You didn’t really think I’d miss the big show, did you? Not when I’m going to play such a critical role.” Jaz rubbed his hands together. “Summoning Lucifer himself. I cannot wait.”
A flash in Giles’s eyes suggested he couldn’t wait either—for Lucifer to flay Scott for his impertinence. It made his smile turn real as he walked over and clapped Scott on the back.
“We’re all eager,” Giles said. “And we really do need to get this show on the road.”
“Can I see the girl?” Jaz said.
That was not part of the plan, but I knew he’d ask. Giles took us down the hall and unlocked a door. When we got inside, I was surprised to see Hope just lying on a bed, eyes open, no sign of restraints. When Jaz walked over and stroked her hair, she stiffened almost imperceptibly and closed her eyes.
“Yes, she’s a beautiful young woman,” Giles said. “And I know you like pretty girls, Gordon. But this one is off your list.”
Jaz chuckled. “Pregnant women don’t really do it for me. Particularly when their daddy could turn me inside out.”
Giles paused, as if relishing the image. Jaz continued stroking Hope’s hair, his gaze fixed on her.
“Is she sedated?” Jaz asked.
“No, it wore off hours ago, but she just lies there. Her husband was killed when we picked her up. She seems to be taking it badly. One would think the daughter of Lucifer would have a little more fight in her but …” Giles shrugged. “I’m not complaining.”
