by Sarah Fine
Asa walked toward us slowly and stepped into the glare of the headlights. His stride was unsteady and stilted but relentless as he approached us. “You have something of ours,” he said to Jack as Agent Urasov made a choking noise and blood trickled down her chin. “Give me Mattie and this will stop.”
Unaffected by the Strikon magic, Jack squared his shoulders and held Urasov with one arm as he began to reach for his waist. But before he had a chance to pull his weapon, Asa had raised a gun of his own. “Reza’s magic might not hurt you, but this will.”
“You won’t kill me.”
Asa’s lip curled. “You don’t have to be conscious to serve your purpose.”
Jack’s broad shoulders rippled with tension. “You’re twisted up, man. You know you don’t want to be doing this.”
Asa glanced from Jack toward the car, and though I was nestled in the back, it was like he knew exactly where I was, like he was looking right at me. “And you know it doesn’t matter,” he said in a flat voice. He glanced over his shoulder. “I’ve got this, Reza.”
“I’m just enjoying the show,” Reza said mildly, coming up to stand on Asa’s right.
Jack’s hand twitched toward his holstered gun again. A sharp crack split the air, and Jack stumbled backward with a grunt. He dropped Urasov and staggered against the door. I quickly hid the vial again and scooted forward. Determination strengthened my shaking hands as I threw myself out of the car and landed in a clumsy crouch next to Jack, who was clutching at his shoulder. As Reza grinned at us, Asa started forward. I reached down and yanked Jack’s gun from its holster, half expecting to hear another shot, to feel the flash of pain that told me I was going down, too.
I jerked the weapon up and aimed it at Asa’s chest. The pain of being face-to-face with him, each of us aiming a deadly weapon at the other, was so profound that it stole my breath.
“Hands off,” Asa said, his lips barely moving.
“I wouldn’t dream of interfering.” Reza chuckled. “I love this too much,” he said quietly. “It’s so poignant.”
Asa simply stood there, his gun on me.
My finger curled around the trigger. “Don’t think I won’t shoot you,” I said in a strained voice, tears starting in my eyes.
Asa gave me a sly smile that was strangely at odds with the rest of him, which seemed to radiate agony. “That’s exactly what I think, baby.”
“Don’t call me that,” I whispered.
He tilted his head, as if listening to the chorus of screams that still echoed up and down the surrounding blocks. “Stop it,” he said quietly.
Reza shrugged. “Just finishing up.”
Crumpled next to Jack, Urasov made another choked noise. Her fingers twitched.
Jack moaned. “Mattie, don’t let them take you.”
I moved to the side, placing myself between him and Asa. “I won’t.”
Asa let out a quiet laugh. “I told you that you wouldn’t be able to stop me.”
“I’m not helpless.”
His mouth twitched, but it didn’t look like amusement. It looked like it hurt. “You can make this easy, or you can make it very hard, Mattie. But you can’t stop it.”
I tensed my muscles to steady the gun as tears streaked down my face. “I can try, though.”
I pulled the trigger.
Asa smiled. “Safety’s on,” he murmured.
When I pulled the weapon back to look at it, he stepped forward and kicked it from my hands. I cried out as he grabbed me and wrenched me to my feet.
“Such drama,” Reza said breezily.
“The conduit needs a pressure bandage,” Asa replied.
“Ah.” Reza smoothly kicked the gun farther away from Jack, who had been trying to reach it. “No wonder he isn’t affected by my magic.”
Jack groaned as Reza planted an elegant patent leather shoe on his chest. Reza smiled. “There are other ways to hurt him, though.” He raised his head and looked at me. “You understand that, don’t you, Mattie?” He pointed down at Agent Urasov’s body. Her eyes were wide and blank now. A ghastly reflection of the pain that had stopped her heart. “And if you don’t play nicely, this will be how you end your night.”
Jack let out a strangled moan as Reza pressed his weight into the Headsman’s shoulder, grinding his heel against Jack’s wound as Asa moved closer, keeping his weapon aimed at Jack. “We’re taking him with us,” Asa said. “He’ll be useful.”
“That was not our plan,” said Reza.
“But it is my plan,” said Asa. “Let me know if you want to argue with my track record.”
Reza let out an exaggerated sigh, though he wore an amused smile. “I think it is time for us to make our exit. We need to complete our transaction and move on.”
Asa glanced over his shoulder. “Keenan?”
Reza rolled his eyes. “Gone. Saved his own skin.”
“You think you’ve won,” Jack said, pain splintering his voice.
“Because we have,” said Reza. He turned and motioned to a few burly-looking guys who came forward with eyes only for Jack. “Turns out we have an extra passenger. Get him into the van.”
Asa pulled me against his back, and I felt the damp warmth of his sweaty body. “Let’s go, Mattie. We’ll get this over with.”
“The Headsmen have the mosaic,” I blurted as Brindle’s henchmen lifted Jack roughly from the ground. “If you want it back, you’d better be careful with him.”
“Got it from Brindle’s suite tonight,” Jack said. “Sorry to put a dent in your plans, but there’s not gonna be any transaction tonight. Your boss is still out of luck.”
“Speaking of your track record.” Reza looked at Asa. “This went exactly as you said it would. Frank will be so pleased.”
My stomach dropped as Asa gave him a tight smile. “Oh God, what did you do?”
Asa turned his hollow-cheeked grimace on me. Sweat trickled into the grimy bandage around his neck, just above the dark shadow of the collar that kept him prisoner. He looked like a monster.
“The Headsmen didn’t steal the panel,” he said. “They stole a replica, something to keep them busy while Myron stole the pages and got you clear of Volodya. And when they try to unpack it, they’re gonna get a little surprise.”
Reza grinned at me and Jack and flared his fingers. “A little present from us to them. Agent Keenan will feel the kiss of my magic one way or the other. And then he will know the power of original magic when Frank unleashes it on him. We have the real panel, and tonight, Mattie, you will give us its secrets.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
After a long ride out of the city, we ended up at an abandoned airport miles from any other sign of civilization. It looked like it might once have been a military facility. Most of the runways appeared cracked and weedy, but as we zipped by, I saw one that looked smooth and well maintained. One hangar was lit up bright, too, and the massive door slid open as we approached, revealing a sleek little private plane, a few shiny black cars, and a small herd of Frank Brindle’s agents and staff.
Our van pulled to a stop, and Asa and Reza hustled me and Jack, who was weak with loss of blood, onto the blacktop. Brindle himself, so fat and smug looking, was seated at a massive steel table in front of us. His people had set up an office of sorts for him, complete with an oriental rug and an electric fireplace to keep the boss warm.
“Ah, hello again,” Brindle said to Jack as several henchmen rushed forward to grab the conduit. Brindle looked delighted, as if an old friend had dropped by for tea. “I never expected to see you like this, Jack.” He nodded at Asa. “Excellent acquisition.”
“Take him to the back room and secure him,” Reza instructed. “And have Dr. Julian take a look at that shoulder.”
“Don’t bother,” Jack said, sounding exhausted and pained. “I’m not gonna help you.”
“Commendably brave,” called Frank, still sitting at the table. He took a sip of wine and smiled as a plate of chicken was placed in front of h
im. “But I always get what I want. Right, Asa?”
All that followed was silence as Asa stared at the man. I looked up at my former partner, trying to read his blank expression. But then Frank leaned forward, his eyes intent on Asa. “Right?”
Asa let out a stifled moan, and his eyes fell half-shut. “Yes, Mr. Brindle,” he said quietly.
“More of that later—you did well for us tonight.”
“Yes, Mr. Brindle,” Asa said again, and the look on his face tore at my heart. His eyes were suddenly shiny—I swear, I could see the war inside him. The need for more of Brindle’s addictive Ekstazo magic, probably the very magic that ran through his collar and directly into his body, versus his need to be free.
I put my hand on his arm, and he yanked it away with a snarl. Brindle laughed. “He’s mine now, Ms. Carver. You hold very limited charms for him. He only wants one thing from you, and that is the precious magic you’ve kept safe for us. We’re very grateful for that, and we’ll be grateful when you and Mr. Okafor here deliver it into our hands.”
A chill zipped down my back, and they dragged Jack away. He seemed too thrashed to have noticed his cover had been blown. I glanced at Asa. “You told him who Jack really was,” I whispered, my throat tightening. “It wasn’t an accident you got both of us tonight.”
“I knew he’d probably given you a way to call for backup, so it was just a matter of tracking Myron,” Asa said, staring at a point just over Frank’s left shoulder.
“Asa can’t lie to me, Mattie,” Frank said. “It’s part of the Knedas magic we feed into his system every day. No lies, no escape, complete obedience. He’ll give me a truthful answer for any question I ask.” He grinned. “And I have asked him a lot of questions. I know him better than you do.”
“You’re the most evil man I’ve ever met,” I said, my voice breaking as Asa turned his face away from me, keeping me from seeing his eyes.
Brindle feigned a look of sorrow. “I’m simply a businessman, Mattie. I don’t hurt anyone unnecessarily.”
I grimaced. “Right. That’s what this asshole is for.” I jerked my thumb at Reza and was awarded with a jolt of bone-rattling agony that nearly took my feet out from under me. I leaned forward for a moment and braced my palms against my thighs, once again feeling the little vial of Theresa’s magic beneath the fabric of my dress.
“Reza,” Brindle said, his voice gently chiding. “Don’t be petty.”
I straightened back up. Reza put his hands up and gave his boss a charming smile. “A momentary lapse of control.”
“Asshole,” I hissed again from between clenched teeth.
“Please take our Mattie to the back room. Asa, prepare her for the transaction.”
“I don’t need him,” I snapped.
“Asa, I need you to protect my asset,” said Frank. “Do whatever you have to.”
“Yes, Mr. Brindle,” Asa replied, his hand slipping into his pocket. “I know how to take care of her.” He took my arm and led me away, and I let him, because throwing a fit was a waste of energy, and trying to use his mother’s magic on him was, too. It was me against Frank, Reza, and Asa, plus a whole horde of agents.
My mind whirled with things I might say to him to try to convince him to help me, to save Jack, but as he pulled me through the hangar, ignoring the narrow-eyed stares of Brindle’s other agents, I felt so far away from him. I couldn’t help but think back to that moment on the road, when I aimed a gun at his chest and pulled the trigger. He’d known it wouldn’t go off, but I hadn’t. I’d been willing to kill him, even though I’d known it would kill me, too. He felt that gone to me. Gone to himself.
Reza followed us, looking relaxed and confident. When he saw me glaring, he said, “I’m really going to enjoy watching this, Mattie. You two have such a fraught dynamic.”
Asa’s fingers were digging into my arm, but I wasn’t going to give Reza the satisfaction of whimpering. At the back of the hangar we reached a door, which opened to a large room stacked with boxes and metal shelves housing what looked like spare parts and tools. Several of these shelves had been pushed against the walls, leaving a space in the center of the room large enough to accommodate a large safe with a digital keypad and a long steel table.
There were ropes tied to the four table legs, spread across the table’s surface. My feet stuttered to a halt. I couldn’t get them to keep moving forward. Asa tugged on me, then turned to me. “I don’t want to hurt you, Mattie.”
“I do,” Reza murmured.
“But you won’t,” Asa snapped. “Until I tell you to.”
“Fair enough.”
He pulled me toward the table. “You know what to do.”
He wasn’t looking at me. I wanted to believe the tremble in his hands was emotional, but it was probably the shakiness brought on by all the magic swamping his system. I climbed onto the table. I needed to save my strength for when I really needed it.
I raised my arms over my head. A flash of surprise showed on his face before it slid beneath his blank, dead-eyed expression yet again. “Did you think I was going to kick and scream?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“You can control my body, Asa. But you can’t control me. I’m not going to give Frank this magic.”
His eyes closed briefly. “If that’s how you want to do it.” Without looking at me, he tied the ropes to my wrists. I half expected him to tell Reza to work his pain magic on me, but instead, he reached into his pocket, pulled out what looked like a little G.I. Joe action figure, and placed it on top of the metal safe.
“What’s that?”
“You’re gonna find out if you don’t cooperate.”
I tore my eyes from the toy, not wanting to ponder the kind of torture he planned to inflict. Whatever it was, I had to weather it and hold on to what was important. Instead of looking at him again, I stared at the high ceiling and listened to my heart drumming in my ears as he secured my ankles. Feeling his skin brush mine was the most poignant kind of torture, but with Reza watching, I stayed still as a corpse and used all I had learned from Keenan to conceal the chaos inside my heart. I needed to accept that the Asa I had known was dead, even though I still wanted to save whatever was left, for his sake. It didn’t make it any easier, though. It didn’t stop the waves of want and wish from breaking on my shore.
When Asa was finished tying me down, he pulled out his phone and sent a text. Looking pleased with himself, Reza leaned against the safe with his arms gracefully folded. I shivered in the cold, still air of the room and waited in silence until I heard a door open and the sound of someone being dragged across the floor. Two guys held Jack by the arms. His shoulder had been bandaged, but his brown skin was ashy and shined with sweat despite the cold. He was trembling and seemed unable to get his feet beneath him.
The two goons came to a stop at the edge of the table. “Where do you want him?”
“He can sit next to the table. Bring over a chair and tie him to it,” Asa said, walking over to the safe and punching in a code.
Jack let out a low chuckle. “Hey. Asshole. You aren’t gonna get anything out of me.”
“Pain is a great motivator.”
“And I’m trained to deal with it.” He looked right at Reza and spat on the ground.
Asa opened the safe and pulled out the mosaic panel. “Everyone has a limit.”
Jack raised his head and gave him a weary smile. “This is more important than my life.”
Asa turned to me. “We’ll see.” He beckoned to the goons. “Get it done.”
One of them struggled to hold up Jack’s weight as the other dragged over a chair, along with more rope, which they wound around Jack’s chest and tied so tight it made him groan. Then Asa yanked Jack’s wounded arm onto the table. I gritted my teeth as Jack screamed.
Reza stood by the safe, his smile widening with Jack’s agony.
“Hey,” Jack said softly. “Look at me. Don’t look at that asshole.” When I obeyed, he murmured, “It’s gonna
be okay.”
I let out a tear-stained laugh. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”
His expression turned serious. There were lines of strain around his mouth and along his broad forehead. “You know what I have to do, don’t you?”
“Yeah. And I’m not going to—”
My words cut off as Asa pressed a gun to Jack’s temple.
Jack went very still, his jaw clenched. “What are you going to do, Asa? Kill the conduit? How’s that going to work out for you?”
Asa smiled and looked at me. “If you let the magic go, Mattie, it’ll flow through him. He can refuse to pull it out of you, but he can’t deny the magic. His body will conduct it into the panel.”
“Mattie, no,” Jack said, his voice steady despite the cold steel leaving an indentation in his skin. “Don’t fall for this. If I’m dead, he loses.”
I looked up at Asa. “I won’t do it.”
Asa’s finger snaked over the trigger as he glanced at Reza. “I don’t play, Mattie. You know that. One way or the other, the magic comes out of you tonight.”
“Without a conduit?” Jack asked.
Asa leaned down slowly. A drop of sweat fell from his chin and hit the table between Jack and me. The circles under his eyes were dark bruises in his chalky face, and he was trembling, too, almost as badly as Jack. He spoke softly, almost lovingly. “You don’t think I have a backup? Come on now. I thought you knew who I was.”
“I know who you are,” I said, needing him to look into my eyes. “I know who you are, Asa. And I know you don’t want to do this.”
He let out an agonized chuckle. “Oh, Mattie.” He straightened and glared at the bead of sweat on the table. “How about this?” He stepped back, aimed, and shot Jack in his other shoulder.
I screamed, and so did Jack, his head thrown back, his mouth wide and tears streaming down his face. But Asa just stood there, his eyes intent on Jack’s wound. He lowered his weapon and walked over to the captive Headsman—and pressed his thumb into the hole he’d left. Jack cried out again, writhing. Reza moaned with pleasure.
“How about now?” Asa said to me. “Up for it?”
