The Detective Inspectors (The Doorknob Society Saga Book 4)

by Fletcher, MJ

  “The feeling is mutual.” Jackson raised his Doorknob, tendrils of blue energy dripping from its edges.

  “Sic him, boy,” Nightshade commanded and the Gremlin came roaring out of the corner heading straight for Jackson. His face turned pure white and he froze from fear as the Gremlin slammed into him.

  “You can’t win, you’re surrounded,” Faith said confidently.

  I let her talk as I inched in closer, my whip working around the edges of her shield. It licked around behind her, caught her thigh and she jumped back.

  “There’s no way out of here for you or your friends.” Her eyes darted around the room and her confidence slipped as she saw her team falling one by one to my friends. But instead of fear in her eyes, I saw anger as she watched Slade kneeling over Jasper and using his wrench to finish putting a set of Impossible Engineer shackles around him that left him immobile.

  Declan was standing and throwing a final punch that knocked Hitch out cold. He wiped his brow and motioned for Slade to wrap him up as well.

  Jess spun her energy sword in a dazzling display of speed and knocked Mary’s Doorknob from her hand. She brought the blade across her neck and rested it directly against her throat.

  “I give up,” Mary choked out her surrender.

  “Heel boy,” Nightshade ordered nonchalantly as the Gremlin reared back and sat beside him licking its massive row of teeth covered in blood. Jackson was twisting and moaning on the ground cradling his arm that looked like it had been run over by a lawn mower.

  “This isn’t fair; you’ll never get out of here alive.” Faith gritted her teeth and stared at me with burning anger.

  I smiled and leaned in close enough so only she could hear me. “Who says I want to get out alive?”

  Faith’s eyes turned wide as saucers as she glared at me as if suddenly realizing just how serious the situation had become. You’re insane,” she whispered.

  “No, I’m finally clear on what I need to do... and you are standing in my way.” I launched myself into the air and spun around, my whip turning in tight circles. I used my own momentum to bring it down and shattered her shields in an explosion of light.

  “I... I... I....”

  She stumbled as I snapped my whip striking her with such force that it lifted her off the ground, whirled her through the air and finally smacked her down on the floor with a thud, leaving her to lay motionless.

  “Is she dead?” Mary whimpered staring down at Faith.

  “Do I look like I care?” I walked toward her and she trembled violently as I got closer. Slade and Declan’s eyes rounded as I passed them.

  “Please don’t hurt me,” Mary whimpered.

  “Hurt you, you mean like how you and your friends have hurt me and my friends?” I leaned in closer and her whole body quaked. “Tell me why the hell should I have any sympathy for you?”

  I stood and turned away for a moment to see Slade kneeling down beside Faith and checking her. He then turned her over and pulled out a set of manacles attaching them to her. I knew I hadn’t killed her; I had controlled my whip just enough to knock her for a loop. But it was Mary who would to be ready to give me any information I needed after seeing what I had done to Faith.

  “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Mary cried dropping her chin and averting my eyes. Her hands slid through her hair, and she grabbed at the back of her neck and squeezed with such force that her knuckles went white. I knew that feeling.

  I pulled my energy whip back into my Doorknob and activated a portal. Beside me a line of blue energy separated space and time and I reached into my own pocket dimension. My hand slid over the case Rosalita had given me, and I flipped the latches and opened it, my fingers curling around the edges of the Looking Glass. I took it out and turned the handle to the correct combination and watched as its surface changed and shimmered finally settling on what looked like an ordinary mirror. I held it up to Mary and immediately saw the halo around her head.

  “Damn it,” I exclaimed.

  “What?” Declan asked, but I ignored him and walked over to Faith. I kicked her leg and she moaned, her eyes fluttering open. She looked up at me and I could see the fear in her eyes.

  “Where is it?” I demanded.

  “What?” She gulped.

  “The Forget Me Not you used on Mary.” Her eyes darted over to Mary who was staring at us in disbelief. I knew the emotions running through her right now. I remembered when I had realized I had been betrayed as well.

  “I don’t know what you mean.” She smiled snidely.

  I leaned down so close to her face that our noses were nearly touching. “Where, is it?”

  “Kiss my ass.”

  That was it, I pulled back and punched her square in the face. Her head snapped back and she let out a short laugh.

  “You’re going to pay for that.” She spit out a line of blood across my combat boots.

  I raised my fist again. “Where is it?”

  She swallowed hard, realizing I wouldn’t stop until I got my answer. “My inside pocket.”

  I searched her pockets till my hand wrapped around a small globe that hummed with power and I pulled it out. I turned it over in my hand and reached out with my senses. It had been active for months that much I could tell, though I wasn’t sure who had created it. The signature was unfamiliar.

  I lifted it up high above my head and brought it down smashing it into the ground. A ring of energy shot out from it in all directions. It washed over each of us, Mary moaned and shuddered. I raised my foot above the remains of the Forget Me Not and brought my heel down on it. The satisfying sound of metal crunching echoed around the room.

  “You bitch!” Mary was racing across the room, her hands outstretched toward Faith who struggled to move but the Impossible Engineer manacles held her in place. I grabbed Mary’s arm as she was about to pass me and pulled her just short of getting her hands on Faith. She kicked out with her feet trying to reach her. Faith shimmied away, doing her best not to get hit.

  “You were weak just like the rest of them.” Faith laughed.

  “You were supposed to be my friend!” Mary yelled.

  “Stop,” I said calmly, yanking Mary away from Faith. Her eyes were weary and rimmed with tears “I know how you feel.”

  Mary finally faced me, her tears starting to fall as she threw her arms around me. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Chloe. She had me under that damn thing for months. I didn’t want to do any of it.”

  “It’s okay.” I patted her on the back, though felt uncomfortable doing so. I was never good with emotions and least of all crying. It wasn’t something I knew how to deal with. But at least I could empathize with how Mary felt. The betrayal I felt when I learned that Faith had done the same to me had been heartbreaking.

  “We don’t have time for little Miss Tears.” Nightshade interrupted and I shot him a look that I hoped conveyed how much I wanted to punch him. He shrugged and rolled his eyes.

  “Sorry.” Mary pulled away wiping her eyes.

  “It’s okay,” I assured her. ”Do you know why we’re here?”

  She nodded. “Yes, you’re after your friend Edgar.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  She nodded again. “Yes, they’re holding him in the tower. None of us except Faith was allowed up there. We had to stay on the lower levels and guard the people that hadn’t joined the First Kind.”

  “HVO members?” Declan asked.

  “Yes, and some of the prisoners who refused to help us.”

  Declan rubbed his hands together, and I could see an idea forming in his mind. “Chloe, if I can get to those HVO members they might be able to help us?”

  “How many?” I asked Mary.

  “About forty last count, though the numbers are dwindling since they’re using Forget Me Nots to turn them.”

  “Chloe, please?” Declan grasped my wrists and squeezed. He pulled me close to him and I saw the plea in his eyes. He needed to help his people.

&n
bsp; It wasn’t part of the plan. We needed to grab Edgar and get out fast while locking down the dimension behind us, or behind my friends at least. But how could I lock innocent people away if we had a chance to save them? This was going wrong fast and I knew I was about to make one of my typical stupid moves.

  “This is not a good idea.” Nightshade stepped up to cast his opinion.

  “Those are my people,” Declan countered releasing my hand and stepping away from me.

  “But not the mission, we’re here for Edgar and to end the threat,” Nightshade reminded.

  “You can’t seriously be saying we should leave them here?” Declan asked incredulously.

  “How do you propose we get them out?” Nightshade asked. “Do we simply walk past the guards and say excuse me can we have all the prisoners.”

  “That’s not my plan,” Declan snapped.

  “Well, Goldilocks, what’s your plan then?”

  “Do you have a problem with me Nightshade?” Declan stepped up in Nightshade’s face.

  “I have a problem with anyone willing to risk my friends,” Nightshade said with a crick of his neck. “And at the moment that’s you.”

  “From what I know you’re not exactly the most trustworthy man around here.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “Well, if you’re so sure of that why don’t you make a move?” Nightshade grinned and Declan’s hand moved toward his Silver Star hanging from his belt. The Gremlin was standing behind Nightshade and let out a low rumbling growl.

  “That’s enough the both of you.” I pushed Nightshade back and he chuckled.

  “You’ve got crappy taste in men, Masters.” He winked at me.

  “You’re right I do.” I smiled back at him and he looked on confused. The joke wasn’t lost on Jess who let out a laugh.

  “There might be a way to get the people out without much risk,” Mary said softly from behind us.

  “How?” I asked turning to her.

  “We have to snatch the person in charge of the cell level. He has access to opening all the cells at the same time.”

  “You know where he is?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  Chapter 31

  Status: I run into an old enemy

  “What about her?” Nightshade asked pointing to Faith.

  “We finish her,” I said stepping toward her. She raised her head defiantly.

  “What are you doing?” Declan asked.

  “I’m not leaving this bitch behind to hurt someone I care about.”

  “Chloe, I understand how you must feel—”

  I cut him off before he could finish the sentence. “Do you really Declan?” I turned to him, my heart pounding and my fists clenched. “Do you know what it’s like to trust someone and have them betray you in every way possible, to have them control you and try to destroy every aspect of your life?”

  “You can’t murder her?”

  “This isn’t murder.”

  “Then what is it?” he asked.

  “Justice,” Nightshade said.

  “The HVO is responsible for carrying out justice among the Old Kind,” Delcan reminded.

  “Good thing this bitch isn’t Old Kind then, she’s First Kind.” Nightshade took his Skeleton Key out.

  Declan quickly stepped between him and Faith. “I won’t stand by while a prisoner is killed.”

  “Get him out of my way, Masters.” Nightshade didn’t flinch.

  I had to admit to myself that I agreed with him. I wanted to see Faith dead, as long as she was alive she was a threat. This is what Gavin had meant when he asked me if I would be able to do what was needed.

  “Chloe, I’m asking you not to do this.” Declan raised his hands showing he had no intentions of going for his Silver Star. I think if he had, Nightshade would have taken his shot.

  “Yes, Chloe, please save me.” Faith smiled at me and I wanted to punch the smug smile off her face.

  I suppose some rational part of me popped up, which was a startling revelation to me that I could actually be rational and I could almost see my dad smiling. “We don’t have time for this now. If our plan succeeds she’ll be as good as dead anyway.” I turned to Nightshade and placed my hand gently on his wrist. He lowered his Key and stepped back.

  “Let me lock her away then, put her in some dimension where she won’t be able to escape from.” Nightshade smiled in Faith’s direction and her eyes widened. I could sense the fear that Nightshade had just put in her head.

  “It won’t work, not from Storm Reach. The HVO blocks would stop you from opening anything like that,” Declan countered.

  “Fine, you’d better hope you’re right,” Nightshade said as he walked away.

  “Yes, Chloe, you had better hope you’re right.” Faith sneered at me.

  “You better pray I’m not.” I grinned. “Otherwise you’re going to be wishing I had killed you. Get her out of my sight.”

  Declan stashed Faith and the rest of her team in an adjoining room, shackling them with his HVO abilities, and then we began our way to the tower. Mary took the lead, avoiding guard posts and guiding us through the labyrinth that was Storm Reach. Once at the base of the Tower, we moved up and through the interconnected stairs heading ever upward. Thunder shattered the silence every few moments almost as if warning us not to go any further. I could see why the HVO used this place as a prison, the constant sound and fury from outside was unnerving.

  We stopped in a hallway leading into the control room for the cell level. Jess and I took the lead position with Mary beside us. Behind us were Nightshade, Declan, and Slade all ready to attack. The Gremlin sat on its haunches beside them, its long tongue licking its mouth as if it knew we were about to start trouble.

  “You’re sure there aren’t any alarms?” I asked Mary one last time.

  “I’m sure. One of the first things they did was disconnect the alarm system since they didn’t think we would need it. It’s been deactivated for the entire complex. They felt that two guards were sufficient to protect their boss.”

  “We ready?” Jess tightened her grip on her Skeleton Key.

  “Remember, we do this fast; we’ve already wasted too much time,” I warned and they all nodded. I took a deep breath and activated my Doorknob.

  I rushed into the room spinning my whip around, not giving the one guard time to engage me. The whip cracked across his back and he dropped motionless to the ground.

  Jess’ hand glowed with crimson energy as she brought a right hook around and took out the other guard before he could get out of his chair.

  The room was circular with an oblong desk in the middle covered in levers and knobs. The man in charge sat behind it, his glare drilling a hole into me and his mouth in a perpetual frown.

  “You,” he sneered and I cracked my whip at my side at the sight of the familiar face.

  “Hello, Mr. Jordan.” I circled around the control table as Jordan pushed away from it. He had been the head of the Doorknob Society when I had first learned about them. He’d been responsible for my father being kicked out of DS and had generally made my life hell. I’d gotten him kicked off the Council and removed from DS when I proved he’d been lying and deceiving everyone. I figured he had something to do with the First Kind.

  “You ruined my life!” he shouted, his Doorknob sliding into his hand.

  “Really now?” I smiled sweetly and he snorted, activating his Doorknob. Declan moved to the panel as we circled one another. He clicked buttons and turned levers working to open the cell doors. Mr. Jordan didn’t seem to care at all. He was entirely focused on me and revenge.

  “I’m going to make you pay for what you did to me,” Jordan yelled as he jumped forward, his Doorknob forming into a double bladed axe.

  I side stepped him easily avoiding the blow, and twirled my whip, cracking it inches in front of him. He stumbled back away from it.

  “You’re the one who r
uined your own life, Jordan.”

  “No, you did this to me.” He waved his hand in the air. “I’m stuck in this forsaken place when once I had everything. You and your damn family took it all from me.”

  He moved in again swinging wildly. I flicked my whip easily knocking his feeble strike aside. He had no fighting skills, I could easily take him. But I was giving the others time to open the cells, and since Mr. Jordan felt like talking, I figured this might be a good time to get some information.

  “How long were you working for the First Kind, traitor?”

  “Traitor? I was attempting to save the Doorknob Society by working with the First Kind. They promised not to destroy us, but your father wouldn’t cooperate and give me the damn Artifact. If he had simply done what I had asked, then none of this would have happened. Now because of you and your family the Old Kind will be destroyed!”

  He attacked like a madman again and I easily averted his senseless strikes as I slowly backed up to get closer to where Declan was working on the lever. It took him only a few minutes more and then he hit the lever. The door leading into the cell block swung open and I stepped through. Jordan, so filled with rage that he paid no attention to his actions, followed after me.

  The long row of cells stretched down the hallway. Every few feet sat a new metal door minus knobs or handles. A set of gears rose out of the floor and attached to the hinges of each door. At the end of the hallway was a massive window that faced out of the Tower. Lightning struck just outside the window illuminating the cell doors and the tiny slots on each. Eyes peered through the narrow openings, watching as Jordan followed me toward the end of the hall.

  “You never cared about the Society, Jordan, only your own power.”

  “You still don’t get it do you?” He shook his head as if he didn’t believe it himself. “They’ve already won, they are everywhere, they control everything. He has beaten us!” His eyes grew wide and his labored breathing turned to gasps.

  “Who?” I asked anxious to learn the name of the man who was behind the upheaval of the Societies and who had ruined so many lives.

  “You still don’t see it do you?” He gave a half-hearted laugh as he lowered his weapon and his shoulders drooped as if he was no longer able to carry the burden.