by Ken Lange
I blink. “Sean’s no longer with the NOPD?”
Riggs chuckles. “What, didn’t anyone tell you? You’re slipping, Warden.” With a flick of his thumb, he unsnaps his holster. “Keep your hands where I can see them and move slowly over to me.”
As I step toward him, I point at one of the skulls at my feet. “Might want to take this down a notch. These guys were killed with a high-powered rifle, and as you can plainly see, I’m fresh out of those.”
He snorts. “I bet we’ll find exactly what we need if we search the area.”
I’m sure he didn’t mean that the way it sounded, because if it did, he plans on framing me. I frown. “Okay, how about you back that shit up and take a good look at these guys? They smell like they’ve been decomposing for days—”
“Shut up, Warden, and get your ass over here before I shoot you.” Snickering, he says, “You’re a lot of things, but I very much doubt you’re bulletproof.”
At the moment, he might be correct. Even if he isn’t, it’d hurt like hell.
I sigh. “Fine. But you’re going to look like a complete moron when this comes out in the wash.”
Riggs pulls his weapon and levels it at my head. “You coming?”
The new tissue around my injured ribs objects as I roll my shoulders. “Yeah.” I hobble over to the gate and scrape some wraith guts off my boot. “I’m here. Now what?”
He pulls a pair of cuffs off his waist and slaps them around my wrists. “Goddamn, you’re a fucking mess.” Glancing over at his cruiser, he sighs. “I just got this thing and you’re going to fuck it up.” His expression turns resigned. “It’s a small price to pay to get your ass off the streets, though.” He opens the door and gestures inside. “Get in and keep quiet. I’ve got to make a call.”
A few rough shoves later, I’m in the backseat. I’m not sure the cheap vinyl is worth all this whining, but it is new, as is the car. I turn and take my first good, hard look at the guy. While his uniform resembles standard NOPD, it’s slightly different. Starting with the fact that it’s made of something more substantial than thin polyester.
What did he say? Those of us in Special Crimes? I’m guessing that’s the new division people have been talking about. Great, just what I need: an entire department trying to pin shit on me.
I glance down. My cuffs are standard issue. At least there’s that.
Outside the window, Riggs is on the phone. I can’t make out what he’s saying, but by the smug look on his face, it’s definitely not going to be good for me. A minute later, a black Suburban drives up and parks in front of the cruiser. The door pops open, and it’s none other than Bryan Hotard.
What’s this asshole doing here?
He waddles over and taps on the glass. “Comfortable, Warden?”
I smirk. “Absolutely. I’ve got AC and everything.” Huffing out a laugh, I say, “Call me crazy, but I could’ve sworn the NOPD fired you for being a useless prick.”
He sneers. “Fuck you. I know you were the one behind it.”
I shrug. “Doesn’t make you any less of a prick. Why are you here?”
He grins and waves Riggs over. “Here, put these on him.” Hotard hands Riggs some enchanted cuffs.
Riggs frowns. “He’s already got a set of bracelets. What’s so special about these?”
Hotard grins. “How will you explain that yours are missing?”
Riggs shakes his head. “No, man. I said I’d call, but we’ve got him.” He gestures out behind him. “Look at that shit. There’s no way he’s going to get away with this…not this time, not with Special Crimes involved.”
Hotard slams the flat of his hand against the big man’s chest. “You idiot. Someone will let him skate. The only way to ensure he’ll pay for what he’s done is to turn him over to me. Got it?”
Riggs frowns. “No, I don’t think so.” He straightens up and folds his arms. “Sorry to have called you, man. I totally misread the situation. If you want to ice him, do it on your own time. Hell, I won’t even chase after you. But you’re not going to use me to do your dirty work.”
Okay, I hadn’t expected that. I guess there are some lines Riggs won’t cross.
Hotard steps toward Riggs and reaches for his pistol. “I should—”
The roar of several engines cuts through the night, and he freezes.
Hotard regains his senses and scurries back to his vehicle. “Idiot. Now it’s too late.”
A second later, he tears around the parked cruiser, leaving Riggs standing there with his mouth hanging open. Closing it, he looks down at me. “I’ll see you rot for your crimes, but I won’t have a hand in murdering you.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
He cuts his eyes at me and frowns. “Don’t thank me, I didn’t do it for you.” Running his hand over the top of his head, he sighs. “I’m not an assassin…but given how connected he is, going against Hotard will probably cost me my job.”
“If you get into shit, give me a call. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
Riggs snorts. “Right.”
I close my eyes for a moment. “Have you ever seen me break my word?”
He grimaces. “No.”
Giving him a curt nod, I say, “Call me. I’ll handle it.”
Grumbling, he shakes his head. “Sure, man. I’ll do that… Asshole.”
I’m not sure if that’s meant for me or Hotard, but Riggs clearly isn’t happy. Not that I really care. Right now, I’ve got a crap-ton of other problems.
Two armored SUVs pull up on either side of the cruiser and park. Rick Craven is the first man out and he immediately stalks toward me.
Riggs moves to stand in the way. “You need to stop right there.”
Several members of the Ulfr Hunn pile out behind Rick. I motion toward the graveyard and yell, “Don’t worry about me. Your man’s in front of the mausoleum just past the crossroads.”
Riggs slams his fist against the roof. “Shut up, Warden.” He holds his hands out to the men heading into the cemetery. “Stop. This is a crime scene.”
Rick steps up close to the man then thuds the back of his hand against Riggs’s chest. “Don’t play games with me, son. You’ll lose.”
Riggs puffs out his chest. “Careful or you’ll wind up next to your boss.”
Rick folds his arms. “If this is an official crime scene, where are your friends?” Before Riggs can say anything, he flicks up a finger. “Don’t even try it. I know you haven’t called this in. In fact, you haven’t even spoken to anyone at the station for over an hour. Is there a reason for that?”
Blood rushes to Riggs’s cheeks. “There is.”
Rick presses the issue. “Care to enlighten me?”
Indignation coats his tone. “I’ve been busy questioning the suspect.”
Rick grimaces. “That’s for real cops, not flunkies like you.”
Riggs, towering over the much shorter man, stares down at his head. “Don’t push me.”
Captain Baptist sidles into view, and I glance out the rear window to see his vehicle sitting next to the SUV. He gives Rick a hard look and points toward the cemetery. “I’ve got this. Go tend to your man.”
Fury dances through Rick’s eyes. “I’ll be back for Viktor shortly.”
Baptist nods. “As I said, I’ll handle it.”
Rick turns and takes off at a brisk pace to catch up with the others.
Baptist points at the car. “Get him out of there.”
Riggs shakes his head. “You don’t have the authority to make that happen.”
Baptist smiles. “But I do. Now, we can go about this quietly, or we can inform your new superiors that you were tampering with my crime scene. Your choice.”
Riggs hesitates but finally gives in and walks over to open the door. “Get out. It looks like the UCD has it from here.”
I smile and hold my wrists out. “Do you mind?”
He removes the shackles. “One day, Warden, you’ll get yours.”
I lock
my gaze onto his and nod. “That’s something we can agree on.”
He turns, pops the door, and slips into the seat. “I’ll be seeing you two very soon.”
I wave. “Remember what I said.”
In response, he slams the door. It takes him a few tries but he’s able to extricate his cruiser from between the SUVs.
Once he’s gone, Baptist thumbs over at the graveyard. “This is a complete and utter shit show. What in the hell happened here?”
I rub my hand over my face and suppress a growl. “To explain it properly, we’re going to need to sit down and have a long conversation.”
He frowns. “How about the short version then?”
I grimace. “Bakulu is trying to kill me with these weird-ass wraiths. Oh yeah, and the loa and the wraiths are related.”
He leans against Rick’s SUV. “I have to say, you do find a way to piss off the most interesting people.”
“It’s a talent.” Lowering my voice, I say, “Hey, on a side note, we really do need to have a long conversation, and soon.”
He glances over at the men carrying their fallen comrade out of the cemetery. “Okay…may I ask what about?”
My gaze hits the pavement. “You can ask, but it’s not something to be discussed in the open.”
Baptist nods. “I see. After we wrap this up, I’ve got some time to kill. Will that work for you?”
I check my watch. “Sure, that’ll be fine.”
A crime scene van pulls up, and Pete gets out and walks over. “What’s on deck today?”
I gesture at the remains. “You’re going to love it.”
He arches an eyebrow. “You’re kidding, right?”
This really is going to make the man’s day. “Not even a little bit.”
Pete glances between me and the cemetery. “Are you sure? What about this freaking mess could make me even remotely happy?”
Nudging him with my elbow, I grin. “Trust me.” By the look on his face, he clearly doesn’t. “Fine.” I gesture at the nearest corpse. “I’d like to present to you the not-quite-right wraiths…or their remains, anyway.”
The color drains from his face as he turns to stare at the nearest puddle of goo. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”
“Sure. They’re some sort of half-baked version of the wraith.” I wave off his questions. “Look, if I knew more, I’d tell you.” Pointing at a section of cement he’s focused on, I say, “That is, or was, some sort of mist creature.” I gesture at the holes in my pants. “One of them skewered me, and injected me with a toxin to boot. So be very careful with it. Before you ask how they were killed, I don’t know, but I’m sure Rick does.”
Rick gives me a questioning look. “What makes you say that?”
I pause. “You guys didn’t do this?”
He shakes his head. “Nope.”
I heard his answer, but it doesn’t make any sense. “Wait…are you sure?”
Rick’s expression blanks for a half second then his tone turns slightly condescending. “Ah, yeah. We were fifteen minutes out to start with. Not to mention we had no real reason to mobilize until his vitals went offline.”
I fold my arms and lean against the fender. “Maybe it was Justine…”
Rick shakes his head. “No, she was at the front desk when we were leaving.” He gestures at the dead. “I thought you’d done all this.”
I chew on my lower lip. “I got a couple of them, but they had me outgunned and surrounded.” Pointing across the street, I say, “Most of this chaos was created by someone using a sniper rifle. Someone fast and exceptionally accurate. That’s why I thought it was you guys. There must’ve been two dozen shots in the space of thirty seconds or less.”
He blinks. “And they hit every mark?”
I nod. “Yeah, it was impressive as hell.”
He runs his hand over his bald head. “All right…I’ll have my guys search the cemetery across the street for spent casings.”
I hold out my hand to stop him. “Let Baptist and his people do that. You and your team focus on the fallen.”
He nods and clasps me on the shoulder. “We’ll hold the ceremony in the morning. You’ll be there?”
Like I’d miss it. “Yeah, I will.”
He gestures at the vehicles. “Time to go.”
Rick climbs into the passenger seat and waves.
As the two SUVs pull off into the night, I watch until the taillights get lost in traffic. It’s been a shit day. Normally, the only one who pays for my outings is me. Honestly, up until tonight, the Ulfr Hunn have had the safest job known to man. Logically, I know that this is what he signed up for, but it’s still hard to accept that this man died for no other reason than that he was here to protect me.
Tearing my gaze off the street, I turn to Baptist. “I’ll wait for you guys to finish up then we can go to my office for that conversation.”
He smiles. “Sounds like a plan.”
Pete seems to have a little extra pep in his step as he bags the remains of the mutant wraiths. He’s careful to scrape up all the ash he can. A lot of the stuff is sticking to the asphalt due to all the gore, which is lucky, since the winds have been picking up for the last half hour. There’s a storm coming, and I’m not entirely sure it has anything to do with the actual weather.
Chapter 5
It’s a good two and a half hours before we finally wind up at my office. When Baptist and I walk into the lobby, I gesture at the nearest stairwell. “I’m on the third floor.”
He chuckles. “It never ceases to amuse me that you’ve got a thing about elevators.”
Arching an eyebrow, I ask, “Why?”
Baptist’s grin widens. “Most folks would have the issue with facing down a dozen wraiths and…what did you call them? Mist things?”
I give him a dismissive wave. “That’s totally different. One’s work, and the other’s a metal deathtrap.”
Justine walks up. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks it’s weird.” She gives me a disapproving once-over. “You do plan on changing before sitting on anything, right?”
Glancing down at myself, I sigh. “I guess that would be a good idea.”
She nods. “It really would. Want me to send some clothes up to the office?”
I shake my head. “No, there should be some in the cabinet.” Leaning in, I give her a kiss on the cheek. “Does this mean you’re over being mad at me?”
A sad smile crosses her face. “Honey, I wasn’t mad. Just worried.”
I frown. “Ah, yeah, sorry about that.”
She bites her lip. “I’m not the one you owe an apology.”
There’s no disputing that. “I’ll tend to that in the morning during the service.”
Her gaze flicks down to the floor. “I’ll be there.” Pausing, she asks, “Will you be long?”
“No idea.” Thumbing over at Baptist, I say, “We’re about to have that conversation.”
She glances between us. “About the—”
I quickly raise my hand to stop her. “Yes.”
She winces. “Oh, ah…okay. Want me to send up liquor?”
I laugh. “I’ve got an entire bar in there.”
Justine nods. “Uh huh. That may not be enough.”
Baptist lets out a nervous laugh. “Whatever he’s got to say cannot be that bad.”
Genuine amusement dances in her eyes. “You say that now.” She pauses and winks at the captain. “Have Viktor call if you change your mind.”
He snorts. “I will.”
She walks to the elevators, and I turn to Baptist. “Ready?”
He shrugs. “I thought I was.”
I pat him on the back. “Unfortunately, you don’t have an option when it comes to this conversation. I gave someone my word that we’d talk, and whether that’s tonight or some other day…it will happen.”
He sighs and waves me ahead. “All right then, let’s do this.”
Three flights later, we’re in my office.
> After closing the door, I gesture at the bar. “Pour yourself a drink and take a seat while I slip into something less bloody.”
I’m not sure if the several changes of clothes in my bathroom says I’m good at planning or prone to being covered in blood.
When I step back into the main room, Baptist is patiently waiting for me on the sofa. He waves me over. “I guess we should get to it. The suspense is killing me.”
I sit in the chair across from him. “There’s really no way to ease into this, so I’m going to just go for it.”
The corners of his mouth twitch downward. “Okay…”
I gesture at myself. “I’m the Star Born. Pleasure to meet you.”
His expression darkens. “That’s not funny.”
I close my eyes and lean back in my chair before opening them again. “It’s not a joke. I really am the Star Born. Or at least that’s what I’m told by Hustahli and a few others.”
He sits there for a long moment before getting to his feet and walking over to the bar. “I’m going to have that drink now.”
He finds the vodka, pours himself a healthy glassful, and downs it. After pouring himself another, he gestures around the room. “All things considered, it makes sense. I mean, I really shouldn’t be surprised, but…”
Smiling, I say, “But I don’t have the wow factor?”
He wobbles his hand back and forth. “You’ve got plenty of wow factor. I was just expecting someone less you and more…I don’t know…messianic.”
That makes me laugh. “Well, for once, I’m happy to disappoint.” I move over to the bar and pour myself a whiskey. “Want to tell me why a domovoi is looking for me?”
He blinks several times in a row. “Ah…I’m here to help you. Not that I’m sure how to manage that, other than keeping you out of jail.” He leans forward and rubs his forehead. “My mother spent her life looking for you, I picked up her cause after she was gone…and all this time you’ve been right in front of us. How the hell did I miss that?”
I push the bottle toward him. “If it helps, I didn’t know until late last year. And even now, I’ve got no real idea what it means or why it’s important.”
Baptist sighs. “It’s complicated and I need to reread the ancient texts to be more precise, but I’ll tell you what I know. You are the now, the one that is. As such, you’re supposed to help forge a new future. When the time comes, your successor will take your place as the rightful ruler to create something even brighter.”
