by C. T. Adams
He was whining before he even reached us, and Lelya was right. The soap was one of the “fresh scent” varieties and damned powerful, even if I’d still had a human nose.
“You didn’t tell me you were going to have heroes, Mr. G. It was a good hit! And I wouldn’t have missed the old lad…her, if I hadn’t gotten jumped.”
I shook my head and let my face go cold. “No excuses. The job is the job, and you know it. See? It’s not so easy playing with guns, is it? You’ve got to plan for stuff like this and be ready. You need training.”
His face fell and the burnt metal scent of frustration blended with the wet fog of sorrow. “Ah, man! I don’t get the gold, do I?”
Ivan was staring at the negotiations and shaking his massive head in disbelief. I waggled my hand for a moment and then decided. “Okay, you might have clipped the artery on the mom. And depending on the bullets you used, you might have still wounded the first mark through the hero.” I held out my hand. “I’ll give you half. Deal?”
He sighed and shook my hand. “Deal, I guess. Do I gotta go back to Carmine’s and hook up with Mr. Karasiuk again? He’s got it in for me.”
“No. I made a few calls.” I reached into my pocket and extracted the sum we’d agreed on. “Joey won’t be able to pull a trigger for a few months. You’ll be working with a new guy. He’s coming in special to train you.”
I’d scored some points when I made that call yesterday. Dad had still thought I was dead. I used a payphone just outside the city and called his boccie club. They’ve got a switchboard, so it’s a lot tougher to trace. I convinced him to fly back and stay for a while to train the kid. He’s pretty good, after all—he trained me. Carmine’s pretty happy with the deal, too. He’d get a fifth for poker for a time. My chair hadn’t been filled. I’ll probably still never see Dad again, but he understands. It’s how the game is played.
Scotty’s face brightened, and he looked like a regular kid again, instead of an assassin in training. “Cool! I’ve already got my bus ticket, about an hour from now. Can someone give me a lift?”
I glanced around the room. I really couldn’t leave. Lucas raised his head. “I’ll get him there.” He put an arm around the kid’s shoulders and tightened it until a light scent of fear rose from him. “I want to have a little chat about staying out of Chicago from now on.”
Fair enough—it saved me the trouble. I nodded and stepped sideways when little Alek rushed by with a replacement lamp shade.
I thought of something suddenly and sprinted after them as they stepped out of the building. “By the way, kid, how did you get in?” I’d almost forgotten to ask.
He turned his head and flipped the hair out of his eyes. “Laundry delivery, man. You ought to post a guard on the basement door. Your people unlocked it and left. The company driver got a bag from the truck and took it inside. The door stood wide open until they came back to get another one. It was easy.”
I gave Ivan a significant look before calling after Lucas’ retreating form. “Raven tell you about Emma, Lucas?”
The older man took a deep breath, let it out slow, and then closed his eyes for a second and nodded. “Yeah. We’ll talk later.”
I returned the nod. I turned back to go inside when a bright quad of headlights appeared out of the swirl of snow. The massive black beast of a vehicle stopped in front of the hotel. I realized what it was as soon as it came fully into view—a Hummer limo. They’re powerful, extremely surefooted in snow and ice, but ugly as sin.
I watched as Bobby jumped out of the driver’s seat and sprinted around the vehicle to open the doors. He was in full chauffeur’s gear, including the grey brimmed hat.
Sergei peeked out and I heard him yell backwards that guests were arriving. I stood off to the side, just guarding. I slipped my Taurus from the holster and held it loosely behind my back, watching for any movement on the street.
A slender Middle Eastern man stepped out of the Hummer. I could barely see him through the blinding red aura that blazed around him. It made my eyes hurt. He eyed the snowy sidewalk with disapproval. Yeah, I guess we should have shoveled the walk. I’d mention it to Lelya. Sergei certainly couldn’t handle a shovel and I didn’t know where they were.
The man had a thin, long face that frowned more often than smiled. He nodded to Bobby. “My thanks, Agent Mbutu, for your driving talents. I’m not often in snowy climates.” The words didn’t sound very thankful. They hissed and rolled angrily.
Bobby dropped his head slightly. Either he didn’t take offense, or he hid it well. “My pleasure, Councilman Al Narmer. I believe your rooms are ready and there is a buffet available for appetizers before dinner. Your bags will be brought up.” Sergei rushed out to bring a gold plated cart for the luggage before returning to the door.
The man nodded imperiously and stepped into the carpet of white. He shook his foot each time it sank into the snow. God forbid that his expensive pants might get wet. Still, he was a guest. I’d met worse. He barely glanced my way as he walked through the door that Sergei held open, but his entourage did. Eight similarly slender men with cold, cruel faces exited the Hummer behind the councilman. They stared at me long and hard, deciding whether I was a threat. I nodded my head and let my face drop into its mercenary best One of the olive-skinned men approached me. He didn’t glow as bright as his employer, but it was still impressive. He smelled of desert trees and brush. It was a sharp unpleasant smell.
“You’re Wolven? I don’t know you.”
I shook my head. “I’m part of Councilman Molotov’s security team. There are Wolven members inside.”
“I would have thought that our arrival would merit better security than a simple wolf guarding the entrance.”
I raised my brows. I thought about shooting him, just for fun. But it would probably be taken badly. I didn’t respond to the dig. I stared into his eyes and let the silence stretch until he started to shiver. He turned in a huff and walked back to his group. They entered the building, totally ignoring the pile of bags that Bobby was unloading from the rear of the limo. I walked up to him and could smell that he was seething.
“Great guys, Bobbo! Are they typical of the other council members?”
“Thank God, no! That’s Ahmad—he’s a king cobra, representing the snakes. He’s dangerous as hell, and don’t forget it.”
No wonder Bobby was deferential to the guy. “So he’s your representative on the council?”
Bobby removed the last bag from the trunk and loaded it on top of the others on the cart. He rolled his eyes. “Don’t remind me. But, he is good at his job for what it’s worth.”
He was just starting to move it toward the front door when Boris appeared at the entrance. He tugged at his uniform, which was stretched tight over his barrel chest. He was shaking his head and muttering under his breath.
“If our gracious Alpha did not insist on clean language, I would devise a proper curse for that…that kham.”
I knew enough Russian mat to know that it was a mild curse, calling a person rude or unmannered. I chuckled. “Yeah, I could think of a few choice phrases myself. I take it he’s being a pain in the ass?”
Boris tugged the cart through the slush. He glanced down. “I will call the children to remove the snow. But yes, Tony. He is, as you say, a pain in osiól. Already he has made demands: ‘My room is not clean enough.’ ‘Why am I placed on second floor, like a common beggar?’ ‘These mice look like laboratory culls. Can no one find healthy wild mice in this city?’ S’blood! He is…” He struggled to find an appropriate word, but eventually gave up and just threw up his hands.
Bobby snorted. “That’s Ahmad, all right. I’m surprised that someone hasn’t already killed him. Well, I better get this rig back to the airport. Someone else should be arriving soon.” He glanced around, looking for someone.
Boris gave Bobby a final clap on the back.
“You are lucky man! Everyone talks of the event.” Ah, man. I’d already heard the rumors. I had
hoped that nobody would mention it. I hate gossip.
He stared at Boris in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Yep, I was afraid of that! Nobody had bothered to tell him, and he’s been doing other stuff. That pisses me off. He has the right to know if he’s going to be a father. It’s his life, too.
I debated on whether to say anything more, but I didn’t get the chance. Boris’s voice lowered to a slightly less than shouting whisper. “You do not know yet, my friend? S’blood! No! This is wrong. You must make plans with Lady Asri and how can you do this without knowing?”
Bobby was staring at the big man frantically. The strong scent of fear and frustration beat at me across the short distance.
“C’mon, Boris. Spit it out.”
He stepped closer to Bobby and lowered his voice even more while I shook my head. Stuff like this is how people get a bullet in the brain. “I have overheard our lady Duchess and the councilman talking. They say that you must be on driving duty because if Nikoli finds out, you would suffer. And then my Maria, she saw Lady Asri staring at herself in the mirror and pressing on her stomach. Lady Asri has been crying much and speaks in harsh tones, even at Nikoli! It is clear, is it not, my friend?” He raised his eyebrows significantly and then made a big show out of zipping his fingers across his lips before turning and pushing his cart back to the entrance.
Bobby’s mouth opened slightly and his eyes darted from side to side. He looked down and a slow smile spread his lips. “Tony, do you really think Asri could be pregnant?” I shrugged.
He reached out to grab my shoulders but then stopped short like a dog on a rope. Good thing. I had no desire to see his latest escapade with the dragon. He lowered his hands but kept the smile. “If there’s even a chance, Tony! That’s…it’s…amazing! We’re both the last, Tony! If she could have children like even one of us…”
I raised my brows. “But we are talking about Asri, Bobby. God knows what her plans are. It could be significant that she hasn’t mentioned it to you.”
“It’s all the peppermint we’ve been wearing. Maybe she doesn’t even know!”
A sharp laugh erupted. “You’re not making sense, Bobby. Women know that shit about themselves.”
A noise made me turn. A sleek silver sedan was pulling up to the hotel. Bobby didn’t notice. “Well, I’ll just confront her! I mean, a child! It’ll be…”
“Interesting,” I completed. The sedan stopped and Bobby finally turned. The man who exited was as wide across as a building, but not more than 6′1.″ he barely had a glow about him. He was wearing a London Fog trench coat over a really expensively tailored grey wool suit. But his most striking features were his large nose under tiny little brown eyes. It made his face seem out of proportion. Bobby was struck dumb at his appearance, but finally recovered as the man walked up to him with raised brows.
“Chief Justice Wingate, sir! You drove yourself? Where are your guards?”
The man spoke with a thick, refined British accent. His voice boomed, even when he was trying to be quiet. He waved his hand airily. “I left them at the hotel. I grew weary of them fussing about.” He lowered his head as Bobby sputtered. “I can take care of myself, you know.”
“Oh, of course you can sir. It’s just that…”
“Chief Justice!” exclaimed Ivan, who was tearing out the door. “Where are John and Bruce?”
“I…oh, what is that phrase?” He raised his finger in the air and smiled. “Ah, yes! I ditched them, Ivan. I was in a bit of a rush to get here, and they were dallying.” He raised his nose and sniffed slightly. He sighed and smelled annoyed. “But I see I’m too late. Dash it! I had hoped to get here before Ahmad arrived. Has he killed any of the staff yet, Ivan?”
Ivan also sighed in a manner very similar to his employer. “Not yet, thankfully. He’s too busy berating them about the buffet.” He smiled and nudged the older man in the shoulder. “It’s excellent, by the way, sir! Venison with berries, wild pig and…” He winked. “The Duchess Olga’s famous borscht!”
The Chief Justice’s face absolutely glowed. “You mean that I will at last have a meal at a council meeting that doesn’t give me indigestion? A meal without thick French sauces and pastries everywhere? Heaven be praised!” He rubbed his hands together in anticipation and turned toward the door—and me. He nodded his head. “I see you’ve found our new seer, Ivan. Good job. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Joseph Giambrocco. While the council members are a bloody imperious lot, the seers are not. I am Charles. I would offer to shake your hand,” he said, and then looked suddenly serious, “But I don’t think either of us would enjoy it.”
After my recent experiences, I agreed. He seemed like a nice enough guy. It made me wonder why everyone was afraid of him. But then something occurred to me—hadn’t Bobby said that the Chief Justice rescinded my execution? Then why couldn’t he give Ivan my name? I furrowed my brow lightly. “No problem. Consider us shaked, Charles.”
He raised a finger. “But not stirred.” He laughed at his own joke. “Has anyone explained your new talents to you yet? We seers will be meeting with you when the others arrive.”
I nodded slightly and crossed my arms. “The second sight is seeing colored auras, right?” The seeing backwards—what was it, hindsight? That’s a little too strange for me to wrap my head around so far. Oh, and please call me Tony. Joseph was my father.”
He growled lightly, and it made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. “I’d rather you not muddy your present life with the past too much, but I suppose it will be all right. We did use Anthony for a middle name.” Yep, he knew me all right. Just another plan within a plan for me to discover.
He nodded. “Very well, Tony. Apparently someone has explained second sight to you—probably Lucas. His Second, Raphael, has the same gift. Good. Your other gift is very rare. There is only one other living seer who shares your talent. You have the ability to see the recent, as well as the ancient, past. Most likely, you will pick up images that are important to the person you are reading at that precise moment.”
Ah! Finally something made sense. Bobby was thinking about Asri—naturally, Lucas about why he was in Chicago, and Amber was experiencing a bit of déjà vu at the conference.
“So I’m not going to see planes crashing and people dying and stuff like that when I touch someone?” That was a huge relief.
The Chief Justice shook his head. “No. You’re quite fortunate, old boy. As seer gifts go, yours is distinctly less…messy. You will never get images off objects, because they don’t think or feel. But you will pick up strong images from people. It will be worse when that person is in a crisis. You will need to learn to control the images. That is why I have invited the other seer who shares your talent to this meeting.”
Bobby dropped the bag he was holding, and Ivan paled visibly before stammering. “Are you sure that was wise, sir?” Hot and sour soup and ammonia panic filled the air between the two of them enough to make me sneeze.
Charles raised his brows at the scents floating into his twitching nostrils. “It would be distinctly less wise to allow Tony to wander around untrained, Ivan. Wouldn’t you agree?” The words lowered to a dangerous growl. He glared at the large bear and then turned to the snake. “Bobby, would you please park my car? I circled, but couldn’t find the entrance to the garage. The keys are in it.”
Ivan shut his open jaw and nodded mutely. Bobby did the same.
“Good,” Charles said. “We’ll talk more later, Tony. But right now, I need to get inside and undo whatever damage Ahmad has caused.” With a brief nod of acknowledgement he passed inside, with Ivan at his heels. Bobby had gone to park the car.
I stayed where I was. Someone needed to watch the front. A sudden, strong north wind threatened to knock me over. I had to lean against the nearest light pole to remain standing. Soon, even the Hummer began to shake. I watched a whirlwind of snow appear a block away, and stared in fascination as it slowly moved toward me. The wind began
to howl and tear at my jacket. The whirlwind became a tornado and seemed to be lighted from within, like there was a beacon inside it. I heard faint voices over the wind. They grew louder as the swirling snow got closer.
“I suppose the food will be Russian?” I recognized the voice, but couldn’t quite place it. Pleasantly male and ever so slightly disdainful, with just a trace of a French accent.
I heard Lucas’s reply, even though I couldn’t see him through the blowing snow. “It’ll be a nice change from Fiona’s dishes, won’t it?”
There was a light, distinctly male laugh. “My sister is an adequate cook, I suppose. But I agree that her dishes are a bit heavy with sauces. You’d think the woman had never seen a vegetable. We are omnivores, after all. At least part of the time.”
The whirlwind lessened to reveal the older wolf, accompanied by a tall, slender blond man with a neatly trimmed blond goatee, who was wearing an ankle length white fox coat. I could barely see him through the intense white light that surrounded the pair. But I knew him! His face was plastered on billboards all over the country. He was Antoine Monier, a circus performer who had gone big time, like Siegfried and Roy. Now he traveled the country with his cats and entourage, entertaining for extravagant ticket prices. It would never have occurred to me that he was Sazi.
The wind lessened even more, and the thick braid of long hair settled against the coat.
“Oh, before I forget, Antoine,” Lucas said, “You’ll be acting as a seer for this meeting.”
Another burst of light made me close my eyes for a moment. My headache was getting worse. “Then who will represent the cats? I was not informed of this change, Lucas.”
“Fiona will represent the cats. I tried to reach you all last week, but you didn’t return my calls. You have an amended agenda in your room.”
