The Lazarus Codex Boxed Set 2

by E. A. Copen

  “I need to update Pony anyway.” I shrugged and lifted the cup. “Whatever lady friend he had over last night should’ve cleared out by now.”

  Emma flipped the omelet like a pro before serving half of it up on a plate to me. “Eat.”

  We ate in silence.

  Afterward, while Emma spent an eternity in the bathroom doing hair, makeup, and other girl things, I used her phone to call and check in with Remy. Leah picked up. “Frieder residence, Leah speaking.”

  “Heya, Leah.” I winced and waited for her to hang up on me. Usually, that’s about when she would. Leah didn’t like me, mostly because whenever I called, it was for Nate. He often came back with new scratches and bruises after our outing. Leah was a worrywart who liked their calm, quiet, non-dangerous life. I was a threat to that.

  But she didn’t hang up this time, which was good. Maybe we were getting somewhere.

  “Mr. Kerrigan. Nate’s not here. They asked him to stay for a double due to the power outage.”

  “Everything good there?” I asked. “Remy’s not being any trouble?”

  “Oh, she’s a dream.” Leah’s voice changed, dropping into that lovely coo women used when talking about babies and kittens. “Sarah’s got her and Jessica in the living room for some tummy time. Ate like a champ.”

  “Good.” Now came the hard part. “Did Nate tell you I caught a case?”

  “No, he didn’t.” The image her voice conjured was of her speaking through clenched teeth.

  Oh, boy. Sorry, Nate. “Yeah, and I’m going to have to leave town for a while today. I don’t know when I’ll be back. If you want, I’ll come pick her up and take her back to Pony’s.”

  The phone creaked. “Lazarus, you still have another twenty-four hours before you’re supposed to pick her up. I have Pony’s number, and Sarah’s here. Nate has some vacation time if I need him. You go do what you need to do, but I have to wonder if you running off to be the hero all the time is good for your daughter.”

  My gut sank. She said it nice enough, but it was a scolding, no two ways about it.

  “She needs stability,” she continued. “She needs you.”

  Leah wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t know. I felt bad asking her to watch Remy any extra time, but I felt even worse knowing I might not come back from this. It still felt like I didn’t have a choice, so I was going to do it, but this had to end. I had a daughter to raise.

  “I know,” I said my voice tight. “I’m trying.”

  Leah sighed. “I know you’re trying. For all your faults, the one thing I know you’re not is a deadbeat dad. Remy is happy and healthy. I just want her to stay that way. Anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “Even if I need Nate to be my getaway driver again?”

  “Goodbye, Laz.” She hung up.

  “Ready?” Emma said from behind me.

  I turned around.

  She’d put on a pair of baggy camo pants, combat boots, and a form-fitting black t-shirt. A gun belt displayed prominently at her hip announced to any bad guys she was armed and ready. Open carry was legal in Louisiana, and I guess it was open season for idiots. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail. If she was wearing makeup, it was subtle. Decked out in all that combat gear, she was even hotter than in the dress from last night.

  I grinned. “Damn, Rambo. Algiers isn’t that bad yet.”

  “Ha. I’m not worried about the locals. It’s the visiting team I’m concerned about.” She grabbed her leather jacket from a chair and slung it over her shoulder. “First impressions count in a fight. As the only non-magical human there, I’ve got an image to project.”

  My cell vibrated in my hand. A number I hadn’t seen in a long time danced across the screen. I held up a finger to Emma and answered the call. “Lazarus Kerrigan, necromancer at your service. How can I help?”

  “Laz? It’s Darius. I need your help.”

  Darius was a local thug who’d hustled me for cash after I tried to help him. When that didn’t work, he decided to help me take out a goddess. I’d promised him capital to get a porn studio off the ground but failed to deliver. We’d had a falling out after that, and he cut a deal with Morningstar who fronted the cash. We hadn’t spoken since. I’d just assumed his venture took off and things miraculously worked in his favor.

  “Last time we spoke, Darius, you told me we were through.”

  “What? Look, man, this ain’t the time. Nikki’s missing.”

  I racked my brain, trying to put a face to that name. “And Nikki is?”

  “My kid sister, man!”

  It all came back to me. When he’d asked me to front him the cash, he’d yelled up the stairs at her about the loud music. I’d never actually met her. As much as I wanted to help him, if only to smooth out our rocky relationship, my hands were already full. “Listen, Darius. I don’t handle missing persons. You need to call the cops.”

  “You’re shitting me!” He growled. “Fuck the police.”

  Emma crossed her arms. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”

  I turned my back to her. “I’m serious. Whatever trouble she’s in, they’re her best chance.”

  “I can pay,” he offered.

  “It’s not about the money. You want to help Nikki? That’s the best way to find missing people.”

  “The police can’t help with this.” Darius’ voice cracked. “Morningstar has her.”

  I lowered my voice. Emma didn’t know Morningstar was making deals with half the people in town, and if she found out, she’d be a lot more worried than she was. “What do you mean he has her? I thought you two worked out a deal?”

  He sighed. “We did. It’s just taking a little longer than I thought to make bank. I might’ve missed a few payments.”

  “Dammit, Darius.”

  “It’s cool. He won’t hurt her. He knows if he hurts a single hair on her head, you’ll kill him.”

  I realized I was clenching my jaw so tight it hurt and forced myself to relax. “And where would he get that idea?”

  Darius was quiet for a minute. “I might’ve just gotten off the phone with him and told him we were pals.”

  I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “Darius, you moron. I just signed on to help his ass!”

  “That’s perfect! You’ll be close to Nikki then! Convince him to give me another week and that Nikki has nothing to do with this. Make him let her go, and I’ll pay him back in full. Please, man. She’s all I got.”

  I considered it. The deal I’d struck with Morningstar didn’t say I couldn’t kick his ass, except if I did, we might get disqualified, which would be as good as losing. Our deal would be void, and Emma would lose her soul. The only thing I could do to convince Morningstar would be to talk at him, and I knew exactly how that’d go. He’d want to make another deal. I didn’t have anything left to offer him. But I couldn’t just leave an innocent girl in Morningstar’s hands, not when I’d be right there to do something about it. There had to be a way.

  “I’ll do what I can,” I told Darius. “But you’ve got to stop making deals with that snake, you hear me?

  “Right. Absolutely. Never again.”

  “I need you to e-mail me Nikki’s latest picture and tell me everything you know.”

  Darius agreed to tell me everything, and even agreed to double my normal fee. I felt bad about taking money from a guy who had financial woes until I thought of Remy. I’d put it in her college fund and not lose a wink of sleep.

  It took about ten more minutes to get the info I needed from Darius, which I jotted down on some scrap paper Emma provided. When I was finished, I hung up and waited for him to send me an e-mail. I got it just a few seconds later and opened the attachment. The image that popped up on my screen made my eyebrows go up. If he hadn’t told me she was twenty, I wouldn’t have believed it. She was in a pleated gray plaid skirt, a white shirt, knotted high, and a red ball cap turned sideways. The look on her face she’d chew me up and spit me out and didn’t
need big brother to come to her rescue.

  “What?” Emma asked.

  “Nothing.” I turned off the screen before she could see. The less she got involved, the better. Morningstar would be keeping Nikki close, which meant she’d probably be at the games as a spectator. “Looks like you’re not going to be the only non-magical human there after all.”

  Chapter Nine

  Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in late August of 2005 and changed the city forever. The neighborhood I’d grown up in had been destroyed, but Pony’s shabby, two-bedroom bungalow stayed standing. That’s because he’d layered enough protective spells on the place to rival Fort Knox. It didn’t look like much from the outside, with its worn, cracked driveway and patchy roof, but it was more a home to me than any other place I’d ever lived.

  Our taxi pulled into the empty driveway, and I opened the door to dart for the house, dressed in nothing but the poor-fitting sweats. It didn’t look like Pony was home—his beat-up Volkswagen bug was gone—so at least I wouldn’t have to explain my odd choice of attire. I didn’t have the house key on me though so I grabbed the spare from the fake rock and pushed open the door only to stop dead in my tracks.

  Oh, he was home all right, and he wasn’t alone. He had one of the regular girls from Karma in the kitchen with him, the busty redhead with a cute nose but bad dental work. Ruby, I think her stage name was. She sat at the table with a coffee cup in her hand, wearing one of my t-shirts. Ruby waved to me. Pony didn’t even look up from the eggs he was stirring in the pan.

  “Oh, for crying out loud!” I exclaimed. “My limited edition original Star Wars poster t-shirt? Is nothing sacred? Tell me you weren’t in my room.”

  Pony shrugged his bare shoulders. “Technically, it’s my room. My house, my room.”

  I bit my tongue to keep from falling into the familiar argument.

  Pony twisted to eye me. He adjusted his glasses. “I’d ask you how your date went, but considering you’re wearing her pants and showing up half-naked, I’d say it went pretty damn well.”

  “Not exactly.” I shut the door behind me. No, I’d royally fucked things up, but what else was new?

  “Shame. I like this one. Sit a spell. Have some eggs.” He pointed to the kitchen table with the egg covered spoon. “Ruby, you mind giving my boy back his shirt? I’m sure we can find you something else to wear until the laundry’s done.”

  Ruby started to take the shirt off.

  “No, keep it,” I grumbled and trudged for the back of the house. “I’m just here to get my staff and a change of clothes.”

  I went into my bedroom, closing and locking the door behind me. If I’d been ten years younger, I would have kicked on the stereo and turned the music up to drown out whatever conversation was going on behind me. The house was small and the walls thin enough that it was the only way to get a moment of privacy.

  My bed was tucked against the far wall. Purple, fuzzy handcuffs were still attached to the bedpost. Though they hadn’t seen use in years, I kept them there just in case. Since they were silver, they were dual use. Cuff a monster or a kinky chick. Either way, win for me. The bed itself was much more boring, covered in rumpled blankets and sheets. I couldn’t remember the last time I made the damn thing.

  Remy’s crib sat pushed against the wall on the left, making the room even smaller. With the piles of unopened diapers, toys, and parenting books lying around, it was painfully obvious that we were running out of space. Yeah, nobody was coming home with me anytime soon.

  Faded posters for bands that hadn’t been popular since the early 2000s hung on the walls. Dusty old video game consoles lined the shelves. If it weren’t for all the baby stuff, I’d feel like I was seventeen again every time I walked through the door.

  I sighed and went digging for some mostly clean clothes. Remy and me needed to get out on our own. Pony needed his space and we needed ours. Something was going to have to change, and soon.

  Dressed in comfortable slacks and an old Metallica t-shirt that wasn’t too faded, I grabbed my staff from the corner and made my exit.

  Pony stood outside my door. He grunted. “Work?”

  I leaned to the side to find Ruby had gone from the table. She must’ve taken her eggs to go. “Morningstar strong-armed me into fighting in a tournament for the next Namer of Famine. Either he wins—which is bad—or he gets Emma’s soul. Also bad.”

  His eyes widened. “Shit, boy. You get in more trouble than a hog in a ham factory.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know. I’ve also somehow got to rescue Darius’ sister who he’s holding hostage.”

  Pony sighed and walked me to the door. “You got all your shit in order in case you die on me?”

  “I got it all notarized last week. Copy of my will’s in the lockbox under my bed.” I pulled the door open and paused. “Listen, if I don’t come back, make sure Remy stays out of this.”

  “This?” He frowned, waiting for me to elaborate.

  “You know.” I wiggled my staff and gestured widely. “The supernatural. Magic. All of it. Keep her away from it. She needs to have normal kid problems.”

  “You know that ain’t gonna happen, Laz.” Pony’s tone was gentle. “Her mamma was a fae princess and her daddy’s one of the Four Horsemen. She’s in it neck-deep, and she can’t even crawl yet.”

  I knew he was right, even if my heart ached every time I thought about it. “Just keep her away from the real monsters as much as you can.”

  Pony nodded and held the door for me while I walked out.

  ***

  Twenty minutes later, the cab dropped Emma and me off in front of an abandoned warehouse just outside city limits. A plastic bag tumbled down the street behind us. Nothing else moved.

  “Are you sure we’re in the right place?” I asked.

  Emma checked the slip of paper in her hand. “This is the right address. Maybe we should just go inside?”

  Walking into the creepy abandoned building potentially booby-trapped by gods and other Horsemen without a welcoming party? No thanks. Didn’t seem like we had any other options though, so I took the lead. At the door, I extended a hand, checking for wards. None jumped out at me, so I pushed open the heavy metal door. It creaked. I poked my head in.

  Inside was a big open space with a concrete floor. Bits of graffiti marked the walls. Old water stains of varying darkness marked the place as a flood hazard, but that was no surprise. We weren’t far from the swamp. A couple of platforms on wheels rusted against the far wall, and rusty metal beams stretched from floor to a ceiling that looked like a wire cage. In short, it was just an ordinary empty warehouse.

  “Looks okay to me.” I shrugged and held the door open for Emma. “Ladies first.”

  Emma sighed, rolled her eyes, and charged through the open door.

  That’s why chivalry’s dead. Nobody appreciates it anymore.

  I went through the door after her and paused to let my eyes adjust to the dimmer light. No monsters jumped out at me, so I strode forward a few paces to stand with Emma. “I think I’ve seen this movie. Whatever you do, don’t yell ‘hello’.”

  She gave me a glare and started forward. “There has to be someone…”

  Emma trailed off as we stepped through an invisible barrier that took us out of the warehouse and onto a bustling concourse full of people. Sun warmed the back of my head. The air smelled like sand, sweat, and warm honey.

  Ahead loomed a massive coliseum that would’ve put the one in Rome to shame. It stretched so high the top was lost in clouds. Constructed of what looked like one solid chunk of rough-hewn stone, it was easily bigger than the Superdome and twice as grand.

  I turned to look behind us and just saw more crowds. We’d passed into another one of those weird micro-dimension things. I’d encountered them before, once in the house of the Roman goddess Vesta, and once when I attended the Black Bazaar. Neither venture had gone well for me.

  “There you two are.” Morningstar’s voice cut throu
gh the dull roar of voices around us. He broke away from a small crowd of people to stride toward us. “I was beginning to worry I’d have to send someone to get you.”

  I tightened my grip on my staff at the sight of his smug smile. When he extended a hand to Emma for a handshake, I swatted it aside with my staff and then stepped in, just in case he tried again. “Nice try, but I’m wise to that move. Don’t touch him, Emma. He has powers activated through touch.”

  I didn’t know precisely what he could do, but Khaleda had told me the last time we’d worked together that I shouldn’t let him touch me. If anyone knew anything about Archons, it’d be her.

  He sneered at me and shook his injured hand. “Wherever did you pick up that useful tidbit of information?”

  “None of your concern. Keep your hands to yourself, blondie.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me and gave me a warning look.

  I returned it with equal ferocity. Morningstar was the first to look away. Score one for the home team.

  “In any case, the others are already here. We need to get you two signed in and settled in.” He turned and waved for us to follow.

  We navigated the meandering crowds in their suits, fancy dresses, and jewelry, following Morningstar toward the coliseum. On the way, I picked out some familiar faces from the party the night before. I didn’t see Haru or Freya, but I had no doubt they were there somewhere.

  The bulk of the crowd flowed toward an entrance marked by a green triangle. Morningstar led us toward the one marked with a red square. A woman stood behind the podium, her dark hair pulled into a no-nonsense bun. Deep burgundy colored her full lips and dramatic wings of eyeliner accented full lashes. She wore a plain white button-up and a pencil skirt and made it look good.

  I blinked. “Persephone?”

  She looked up from the podium. Her eyes lit with recognition and her mouth turned up. “Lazarus?”

  “In the flesh.”