Soon they were chasing back the way they’d come.
“Darius, a bit of help here,” Holly said, as quietly as possible.
“Ah, yes, apologies. Was pulling up the monitor with the museum plans and comparing it to your location. Ok, looks like you’ve got a stairwell up a flight to reach another floor, that should take you to a balcony. So keep heading in the direction you’re going for now.”
“And what will we do on this balcony, Darius?” Charly asked, managing to sound skeptical despite being short of breath.
“Let’s just get you to that balcony, and then we can plan your next move.”
“Easy for you to say, you’re not about to get a baton up your ass,” Charly said, referring to the club the nightwatchman was waving at them.
“That sounds like a great time, Charly, I do that regularly.”
“I’m going to pretend I have no idea what you mean,” Charly said.
“At least it’s a club and not an aether gun,” Holly pointed out.
“Right. I don’t do aether guns,” Darius said. “Right! Right! Not left! Right, you fools! Guys, come on. Follow my directions.”
“I thought you were agreeing,” Holly said. “About the club and not an aether gun.”
“We all thought that,” Odeon said. “Left looked more promising and seemed the natural choice.”
“Well, it’s not. Dead end. Finally following my directions. OK, now up the stairwell on your left.”
“See, Darius? How hard was that? Those directions were clear and helpful,” Charly said, taking the stairs two at a time in front of Holly.
“Now right again,” Darius said as they crested the stairs.
They came into a room featuring a vast collection of sculptures displayed on pedestals with track lights shining down on them.
“Geez, is that all the rich elites are good for? Collecting stupid trinkets?” Charly asked.
“To be fair, Charly, they also enjoy parties. At your club,” Odeon pointed out, stopping beside Holly and Charly and surveying the room.
“Go straight. Through those glass doors at the far end. See them? They’re covered by a curtain.”
“Hey!” The guard called from behind them. He huffed and puffed up the stairs. They couldn’t see him yet. An alarm suddenly went off.
“Guess he finally called it in,” Charly said.
“Darius, turn that off!” Holly cried.
“One thing at a time, Drake. Been taking care of your asses.”
The three of them broke for the windows at the far side of the room. Holly’s heart raced. A hundred fears flooded her mind as they ran to their exit.
“This better not be barred shut or something,” Holly said.
“It’s not. When I scouted the place, I checked,” Darius said. “Trust me, Drake. This should have been our exit plan all along.”
Holly threw the curtain panel aside and Charly opened the French doors. The three of them spilled onto a balcony surrounded by a gaudy balustrade with thick stone balusters. Cold snow flurries blasted into the room, large flakes plastering their faces and clinging to their eyelashes. Holly traipsed across the layer of snow covering the balcony floor.
“Now what, Darius? We’re trapped up here.”
They were on the second level, without a rope to lower themselves, a fire exit, or even an option to jump across the alley to the building across from them. Holly searched for another option, streetlamps in the alley illuminating their surroundings. The city was aglow with reflected light from the curtains of falling snow and low-hanging clouds.
Charly sighed loudly. “Geez, D, nice job getting us stuck.”
The alarm turned off in the building. In the sudden quiet, Holly could hear the approach of the out-of-breath guard, shouting at them to stop. His ineffective guarding suggested that those who employed him never suspected he’d be needed. That, or they didn’t care too much about items getting stolen.
Maybe that was one of the big secrets about the Centaus. Maybe they loved the game as much as possessing the treasures.
“That’s taken care of, the alarm. And you’re welcome.”
Holly heard a sound like cracking knuckles and knew that Darius was reveling in his glory for getting the alarm turned off.
“Celebrate later, Darius, and tell us what you had planned next.”
Odeon shut the doors. But it would only have a momentary impact on their pursuer. He’d know where they were, from the snow that had blown into the room.
“Look down, Drake. There’s a massive snowbank in the alley. Land in it,” Darius ordered.
Charly guffawed. “Oh come on, D, you’re joking.”
“It’s somewhere between soft and icy. The new snow should have made it softer. I checked it a few days ago. Now, jump. You don’t have much time.”
It was jump, or have to physically take out the guard.
Holly aimed, balanced one gloved hand on the balustrade, and vaulted over it.
2
Holly groaned and climbed out of the snowbank seconds before Odeon landed in it. He was followed immediately by Charly. Their arms and legs stuck out of the mound like snowmen tree limbs.
“That was close,” Holly observed as Odeon began climbing out.
“We couldn’t wait. The guard was opening the balcony doors.” Odeon rolled out of the pile of snow, which was almost two times taller than Holly. He’d removed the tube with the painting in it for his jump, holding it above himself to protect it as he’d landed. As he shook clumps of snow from his body, he returned the painting to his back.
Holly limped away, her steps amplifying the pain in her shoulder and hip.
“I think I landed on a boulder. Or at least a block of ice,” she muttered.
“Don’t boob, Drake. Just be grateful you didn’t have to take out that guard. Now, get to the east end of the alley,” Darius ordered.
“I don’t like your tone, son.” Holly squinted toward the opening in the alley, but saw nothing special about that one. A street light illuminated the area. Autos swished by, turning the snow to slush.
“I’m with Hols, Darius. You turn into a major asshole when you’re in charge.” Charly joined Holly, patting the snow off her clothes. The exercise was pointless, as the gusting, falling snow simply replaced what she dusted off.
“Hey!” The guard shouted from above them. “Get back here! Hey! You!”
Holly looked up. The light from the museum acted as a backlight giving the man’s face ghastly contours. She grinned and waved, then did a little bow. There was no way he knew who she was. A mere shadow. A figure dressed in black with a smart-ass attitude who’d just outrun him and dared to bow like her performance was worthy of such a thing.
“You at the end of the alley? I don’t think so! Hurry!” Darius repeated into the comms, startling Holly.
Holly took off at a run. The others followed her. She winced, but defied the minor aches and pains screaming at her to stop and rest. She leapt over smaller banks of snow and discarded crates and boxes. Sirens began in the distance.
“Think that’s for us?”
“Count on it, Charly,” Odeon responded between breaths.
“I’m with Odeon. Even if it’s not, let’s pretend it is and get out of here, fast.”
They dodged random crates and containers of refuse, leaving a trail of footprints through the thickening blanket of fresh snow, the squeal of sirens prodding them like the lick of a whip. Just as they neared the end of the alley, a beautiful auto sporting a Neptune blue paint job and orange flames screeched to a halt at the opening.
“Get in. Quick.” Darius’s arm hung out the window. His standard tweed driving cap threw a shadow over his eyes from the yellow light above the alley opening. He looked as unruffled as ever and the jaunty angle of the hat sent a rebellious tremor through Holly.
“Within inches of our lives and you’ve been out here having a vacation,” Holly remarked with the shake of her head.
“That’s righ
t, Drake. A total vacation. There’s a hot tub where the trunk normally would be.” He jerked his thumb back toward the rear of the car. He stared at them, a challenge in the set of his jaw. When Holly and the others didn’t jump quite fast enough, Darius turned up the heat. “Quick! We still have to get Shiro.”
“Oh shit, Shiro!” Charly yelped and leapt into the backseat.
Holly got into the front, pushing aside Darius’s portable rig.
“Careful, Drake. That’s expensive gear. Close the computer before you move it around.”
“Sorry. Why isn’t it packed up?” She closed it and set it on her lap.
“Thanks,” Darius said, noticing how she handled it carefully.
The moment Odeon slammed the backseat passenger door shut, the Lapsong Mirage roared away, flinging them backwards into their seats, nearly giving Holly whiplash.
“Damn,” Darius said almost immediately, glancing in the rearview mirror.
“What?” Holly asked, turning to see what had prompted the curse. Flashing lights flickered across the veils of falling snow behind her and reflected off the green jade of the buildings lining the street. Two police autos raced after them, gaining on them immediately.
“This is what we get for having such a killer auto—no one could mistake the Mirage for any other vehicle on the streets. We’re going to have to lose the cops and come back for Shiro.” Charly leaned forward, putting her hands on the back of the front bench seat.
“Come back for me? Come back for me?” Shiro’s voice came over the comms sounding alarmed, repeating the phrase and managing to take it up another octave. “All my work sacrificing myself for you and you’re going to ditch me. I shan’t forget this.”
“Oh please, Shir,” Charly laughed.
“We’re not leaving you behind, Shiro,” Holly said before Charly could give any more orders. “Darius will just go around a block and we’ll swing past the front of the museum for you. So be ready for that. We’re not going to lose the cops right now, but we can give you time to be ready for the pick up.”
“What I’m wondering is, how’d they know we were in this car?” Charly asked.
Holly jumped slightly. Charly’s voice was surprisingly close to her. She glanced over her shoulder. “Ixion’s ghost, Charly, put your seatbelt on. We’re screaming through the slick roads of the city and you’re not even strapped in.”
“The guard must have seen us get into the Mirage,” Odeon said softly.
“Fine. But you’re not my mother, you know?” Charly sat back and gave an exasperated sigh like wearing a seatbelt during a high speed chase was a serious burden.
“OK everyone, things are a bit tense here, we all just need to cool out,” Darius said, spinning the wheel hard as he sped around the corner of an intersection. “Drake, I just want to point out how it seems that we once again find ourselves in a high speed chase through the city. Isn’t this fun?”
They had been in another high speed chase recently. It was beginning to be a pattern. She shrugged nonchalantly. “The stakes have never been higher, Darius. This time we’ve added some wild cards. Snow. Slick roads. And cops.”
“Good thing I’ve been taking care of the Mirage. Just replaced her tires.” He leaned forward and patted the dashboard like a loving parent.
“How much longer till you chaps get here?” Shiro asked, speaking quietly, almost like he was trying to talk without anyone seeing his lips move. “I can only hold off these dimwits a few more minutes. They’re closing in—two of them, and neither is the pretty woman I was trying impress.”
“I thought it was ‘just a job.’” Holly turned around in her seat, checking on the gap between the Mirage and the cops. They hadn’t put any distance between them. She faced forward. “Keep pushing it, Darius. The cops are still too close.”
“I know, Drake.”
Still, he increased their speed.
“Sometimes I mix work and my personal life. It is a benefit of working for myself, Ms. Drake,” Shiro said. “Ixion’s third husband, they’ve pulled out their tasers. Please hurry, chaps.”
“Stay strong, Shiro. I’ll do a countdown for you,” Odeon answered. “But, if it were me, I would have run. Made my own escape. Why not try that? Maybe that’s just me.”
“Is that a challenge, you insufferable Yasoan?”
“Remember, Odeon, Shiro took off his trousers. Remember that juicy tidbit? We don’t want him to get hypothermia.” Darius spun the wheel. “Hold onto your booties!”
Odeon chuckled softly, which caused Shiro to let out an indignant sound they all heard over the comms.
The Mirage careened around another corner, nearly sliding into a vehicle occupying the lane next to them. Horns blared and Holly smashed against the door as the forces acted on her.
At the peak of their arc before they straightened out, everything shifted into slow motion. Danger loomed like a scythe-bearing specter as the Mirage fishtailed. The moment they nearly collided with the nearest vehicle, Holly turned her head, glancing at the passengers in the other car to see if they saw the accident that was inches from happening.
She came face to face with a familiar person, though they were still just a nameless entity. A human male, wearing a white jacket with a red, black, and white crest that was just visible in the window above the door. This specific face was contorted into a snarl of rage. He shook a fist at Holly.
Holly groaned. “Great! Just what we need!”
“What?” Charly shouted as the passengers of the Mirage suddenly cried out at once, like they were on a carnival ride.
“The Cocks! We nearly just crashed into an auto full of Cocks,” Holly cried. “Can you believe that?”
Darius laughed. “What are the odds?” He jerked the steering wheel and pulled the Mirage out of a wobbly turn and pounded on the aether pedal. They jerked forward once more, feeling pushed back into their seats.
“Two minutes, Shiro,” Odeon said. “Where are you? Did you run from the building?”
“Why would The Cocks be here?” Charly asked.
“You’re still calling them The Cocks, Drake?” Darius asked, hunching over the wheel. “Got to concentrate. Don’t want to hit a pedestrian or a patch of black ice. But all this talk of cocks distracts me.”
“So mature, Darius,” Holly scolded.
“I know. As mature as the person who named them.” He grinned, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Yes, well, I’m calling them The Cocks because that’s their name.” Holly struggled to come up with a good response. He had a point.
“The name you gave them. Hold onto your cocks!” Darius cried again, taking another turn.
“I resent the implication that I have a cock,” Charly shouted above their involuntary cries during the hard turn.
“Same here!” Holly hunched toward her door, gripping the handle to anchor herself.
“Odeon, didn’t mind, did you, pal?” Darius said.
The sirens hadn’t abated. Holly risked a glance behind them once the turn was complete. She swore. “The Cocks are following us now, too.”
“Thirty seconds, Shiro.” Odeon ignored Darius’s attempt at male camaraderie. “Where are you? In front of the museum? At the entrance?”
“Yes, and I haven’t had a chance to put my trousers back on, so I thank you all to not mention that fact.”
Darius slowed to a stop in front of the museum. “We have exactly ten seconds to stop. Shiro. Make it quick!”
A figure appeared suddenly at the doors, racing across the snowy sidewalk, its arms full of a ragged bundle. Shiro was not only without pants, he was also shoeless, sockless, and hatless. He pranced on his tiptoes like he was running across hot coals. Or a snowy, frozen ground. Charly threw her door open and their crewmate rolled into the backseat.
Darius didn’t hesitate, punching the pedal and shooting forward. The motion slammed the door shut automatically. “Sorry Shiro, no time to waste. We’ve got a flock of police on our tail plus a bevy of mor
ons known as The Cocks.”
“No apologies needed. Just get us to safety, Darius.” Shiro let out a long sigh.
Holly turned to look at their crewmate. His face was lit by the exterior lights of the museum facade. He met Holly’s gaze and nodded, dropping the bundle he’d been carrying onto the floor. His legs were totally exposed without the pile of clothes covering them. Holly arched to glance at the bundle at his feet, noting that his lionhead cane was there. Shiro’s hair was tousled and his expression ruffled. Despite looking worse for wear, he flashed a smile at Holly.
“Good work, Shiro,” she said, a twinge of guilt twisting through her. The job had been a bit of a disaster. That was her fault.
“Where to now?” Darius asked, speeding through traffic, as the snow flew, lighting up like stars in their headlights.
3
“Lose the police and The Cocks first, then we can discuss,” Holly answered. “Our original plan hadn’t included having the police or The Cocks on our tail.”
“What I wouldn’t give—” Darius began.
“Nope,” Holly cut him off. “Don’t even go there.”
“Why not?” Darius asked. “A bit of humor would take the edge off.”
Shiro and Charly chuckled in the back seat.
“You think you can handle losing them?” Holly asked, keeping the subject on course.
“Oh yes. I’ve got this, Drake.”
“Good, now let me think.” Holly took stock of what they’d done. They weren’t out of the woods yet. Still, it was time to start planning the next move, and Darius needed to know where to go now.
Shiro cleared his throat. “Am I correct in thinking that you chaps got the painting?”
“Hell yeah, we got it.” Darius turned on his blinker and swerved across four lanes of traffic to take them in a totally new direction. “‘They got it. But it was a ‘we’ thing. Couldn’t have done it without me and you, boy.”
“Yes, you boys did a lot, didn’t you? Couldn’t have done it without you. Looking good, Shir, by the way,” Charly said, appreciatively. “You should always work in your underwear.”
The Colossus Collection : A Space Opera Adventure (Books 1-7 + Bonus Material) Page 127
