"Athena paid him to kill you,” Quickfingers squeaked out in a rush. “She met him at Wright Park and paid him a hundred grand to ‘take you out,’ as she said."
"Athena hired him to kill me?” Jaz asked incredulously. It seemed impossible that it would ever go that far, that the Chief of the PAC would hire someone to kill one of her own agents. But that's what it sounded like.
She lifted her gaze out to the street and spotted a Harley sitting there that hadn't been there even a few minutes earlier. She leaned down and went through his jacket pockets, coming up with a set of keys. “I think I need to have a talk with my former boss,” she said.
"We can't just leave his body lying there,” Rio said. “If nothing else, it'll draw flies. And cops."
"Quickfingers can deal with it,” Jaz said, glancing over at the imp.
He nodded. “Will do, boss. I'll put it somewhere safe."
"Thanks, Quickfingers.” She walked over, picked up the sword case, and carried it to the back of the motorcycle. She turned the key and felt it roar to life beneath her. Electronic ignition. Nice. She laid the sword across the handlebars, engaged the clutch, and tapped it into gear with her toe. Her other hand curled around the throttle and she roared into the night.
Half a block away she snatched a passing thread and opened a transit tube between herself and the Shea Building. She hit the tube doing seventy-five, and leaped from the city street to the PAC headquarters in an instant.
* * * *
Screams filled her ears, even over the thunder of the Harley, as she rocketed down the hallway leading to Athena's office. She applied the brakes and sent the bike into a power slide, tearing a long section of carpet up behind her.
She killed the engine and slung one leg over, snatching the sword from the handlebars as she trotted toward Athena's door.
"Jaz!” Ben's throaty bellow drew her up short. She turned slowly, eyes narrowing, as the big blond man appeared at the other end of the hallway. “What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm going to have a chat with Athena. Stay out of it."
"I can't do that.” He kept walking, long strides eating the distance between them all too quickly.
She leveled the sword at him. “Back off, Ben."
He shook his head. “Don't do this. I know you and Athena have some problems, but this isn't—"
"Some problems?” Jaz gave a wordless growl. “She just sent someone to kill me, Ben. Quickfingers is hauling a body away as we speak."
"What? Are you sure?” He pulled up short, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Let's just say I got it from an unimpeachable source,” she shot back. “Now back the fuck off!"
Athena's office door swung open. The Amazonian immortal emerged slowly, hands raised. “No need to go off half-cocked,” she said. “We can work something out."
Jaz was in no mood to be placated. She reached out and laid the flat of the katana on Athena's shoulder. “We can work something out?” she repeated mockingly. “You sent a man after me—Avatar's dead. You made me kill an innocent man."
"Innocent? That's debatable. He took money to kill you."
Jaz shook her head furiously. “Yeah, he took money from you!"
"Is she telling the truth?” Ben asked. “You sent the monster hunter after her?"
Jaz nodded. “She did. I'm wondering if she knew he was an immortal."
"A what?"
"Apparently not. Well, he was. Just like you.” She wiggled the blade a little to remind Athena of the peril coiled viper-like on her shoulder. “He's now half past dead."
For the first time since she'd walked out of her office, Athena tensed. The blade sitting on her shoulder could kill her and the realization showed in her eyes. “We can talk about this, can't we?"
"I'm almost through talking, Athena. I'm not sure what there is left to say."
"Jasmine!” Shea's voice cut through the conversation like a hundred megawatt laser. “What are you doing?"
Ben stepped out of the squat immortal's path as he barreled past him. Jaz glanced over her shoulder and shifted her stance. “Stay back, Deryk. I swear I'll kill her."
"I didn't give you that to cut a swath through the immortal population,” he chuckled, shaking his head sadly. “Athena—she killed Thanatos. You probably knew him as Avatar. We all did. He was operating under the radar. We should've been able to figure it out."
"Thanatos is dead?” Athena sagged, catching herself with one hand against the door frame. “I didn't believe her. I didn't want to believe her."
"So it's true? You sent Avatar to kill her?"
Athena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I did. We've all been afraid of a rogue mage ... and the first one that pops up is so well-connected that we couldn't touch her? I couldn't live with that."
"Neither could Thanatos, apparently,” Shea remarked dryly.
"And where'd she get the crystal sword, Deryk? She could never have killed him without it."
"And she might well be dead herself.” Shea shook his head. “Thanatos tried to kill her. Apparently she's a little more resilient than any of us knew."
"How'd you find all this out?” Athena slowly lifted her hand and nudged the sword blade aside. She straightened and met Shea's gaze squarely as Jaz took a step back, lowering the sword slightly.
She could wait to see how this turned out. She was faster than Athena and she knew it. The woman had sacrificed speed for strength. If she tried anything, that sacrifice would cost her life.
"The imp might only obey her,” he said, with a nod toward Jaz, “but he trusts me. He didn't want things to get any worse than they already were."
Athena nodded. Then her eyes narrowed. “Where's Nemesis?"
"She's at the Coyote with Renee. That should be safe enough, don't you think?"
As if her safety is Athena's primary concern, Jaz thought. Why she's so insistent on playing matchmaker with those two, I'll never know. “I ought to take your head, Athena ... but I won't. This time. You play against me again and all bets are off."
Athena's jaw tightened. Despite the fact she was almost literally a hair's breadth from death, she still wanted to hang onto her pride.
"Ah, fuck it.” Rotating her wrist, Jaz drew the blade back and plunged it precisely an inch into Athena's left eye. She snapped the wrist back and tore the orb from its socket. She casually flung it over her shoulder.
Athena screamed, clutching at her face and staggering backward. “You bitch!"
"Yep. That would be me,” Jaz said with a smirk. “Don't worry. It'll heal. Take it from me. I know."
"No you don't,” Shea murmured in her ear. “You don't know. None of us do. That's a crystal weapon, remember? It might not grow back."
"Well, I guess we'll find out. I'm not kidding, Athena. You fuck with me again, and I'll make you pay more than you can imagine. Your eye will seem like nothing compared to what I'll take from you."
"You'd better watch your back,” Athena hissed as dark crimson poured through her fingers and down her forearm. “Avatar had a partner and he'll be out to complete the contract."
"Avatar had a partner? That's news to me.” Shea's voice held a note of something that sounded like ... concern.
"They call him The Ram."
Dead silence. Jaz shot a glance over her shoulder. Shea's face had gone ashen, something she took as a very bad sign. “What?"
"It's a play on words ... more or less. Kinda like the pseudonym Thanatos chose. When we fled our homeworld and he took on the aspect of the Reaper, he told us he would become the very avatar of Death, that which slew our world. We should have spotted the reference.
"The Ram is a nickname for the astrological sign of Aries."
Athena laughed, a little madly. “You may be good with that sort, Jaz, but you aren't good enough to take on the God of War."
"What are you talking about?"
"Ares,” Shea whispered. “This keeps getting better and better. Shit."
"What?�
�� She heard the note of panic in her own voice and hated it. If Shea looked this dismayed, it couldn't be good.
"I thought he'd found a way off this Earth,” the squat immortal muttered. He grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back to look her straight in the eyes. “You can't stay here."
"What do you mean I can't stay here? Where the fuck am I supposed to go?"
"We're going to have to figure that out. If Ares comes after you, I'm not even sure I can protect you."
"Why should you have to? Why should I be afraid of this guy? I'm no slouch when it comes to combat. Plus I'm a mage."
"I could very well be the best unarmed fighter that ever was,” Shea said, with no trace of false humility. “But Ares could beat me hands-down with any weapon known to man. And he isn't going to be afraid of your magic."
"But he's not invincible, is he? Not like you."
"No. Not like me. But he's a tough motherfucker. You have no idea. If I knew he had a crystal sword, I'd run from him."
"So why haven't we heard of him before now?” Ben asked. “Athena, we need to get you to a doctor."
"A doctor? Have you gone stupid? Don't be an ass.” She glared at him out of her remaining eye, then flicked her razor glare back to Jaz. “Better start running, bitch. Start now."
"You're coming dangerously close to making me regret sparing your life, Athena. Don't push your luck."
Her voice drew the Amazon up short. She fixed her single eye on Jaz and nodded once, curtly. “You win. But you'd better heed the advice you've been given. No one stands up to Ares for long—least of all a mortal girl."
Jaz smiled tightly. “I'll take my chances.” She spun on a heel, pushed past a startled Ben Dalmas, and marched back to the Harley. She reached over, turned the key, and fired the machine up. “Don't cry for me.” She cast a thread and leapt from the hallway, bike and all, leaving behind nothing but a cloud of noxious smoke and the echo of the motorcycle's engine dwindling into deep silence.
* * * *
Some distance away she brought the bike to a sudden halt as a massive shudder wracked her body. She killed the engine, threw down the kickstand, and staggered to a secluded doorway. She fell to her knees and washed the cracked stone steps with vomit.
She'd actually put out Athena's eye! The scene unreeled in her mind's eye like a video on constant replay, over and over again until she felt like screaming. Yeah, you're a tough chick, all right. What a fucking joke. I've got everyone fooled but myself.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and climbed slowly to her feet. I kill a child rapist and it doesn't bother me at all, but I kill someone who's trying to kill me and I start coming apart at the seams? I must be crazy.
The tell-tale whoosh of Quickfingers’ arrival jerked her head around. She found him standing several feet away, arms folded over his chest, huge eyes regarding her in an uncharacteristically somber manner. “You okay, boss?"
"Just peachy,” she grunted, swaying a little as she was overtaken by another wave of nausea. “What do you want, Quickfingers?"
"Just worried about you, boss."
"Nothing to worry about. Go ‘way."
"Uh-uh. Not until I get you home."
She snorted. “Yeah, home. Where some pissed off immortal is going to find me and try to carve me into cutlets. Sounds like a real good plan."
"You got a better one?"
"How about a vacation in Tahiti?"
"You serious? I'm sure I could arrange it."
"You know—I'm not even going to ask how. Never mind, Quickfingers. I somehow don't believe a tropical paradise is going to solve my problems."
"You might be surprised. You know ... sun, surf, momentary joy clad in revealing bathing suits..."
"Ugh. Go away, Quickfingers. Let me deal with this by myself for a while.” Yeah? And then what, genius?
He shook his head. “C'mon, boss. I'm not leaving you here in this alley with the stench of your own puke. You need some downtime.” Not giving her the chance to object, he grabbed her by the hand and teleported.
* * * *
The immortal called Ares strode purposely down the hallway, coming to Athena's office door and shouldering it open without a moment's hesitation. He stepped inside and came to an abrupt halt as he found himself facing Deryk Shea.
He topped the squat little man by at least a foot and a half, but there was no doubt that Shea was considerably wider at the shoulders, his short frame as thickly muscled as any human who'd ever lived. Ares nodded. “Deryk.” Unlike most immortals, he affected a bluntly clipped goatee and mustache that softened his strong features somewhat.
Shea smiled, though it never touched his eyes. “Ares. How good to see you."
In the background, invisible as always, Quickfingers watched this exchange with a wry grin of his own. The boss was safely ensconced on an uninhabited little island in the South Seas, comfortable in a little grass hut with little more than a couple dozen books to occupy her time. Meanwhile, he planned to make certain this big lug saw the folly of threatening her.
"Where is she, Deryk?” The big immortal's voice was harsh, his words bit off before they were fully formed in his mouth. He positively vibrated with anger.
"She who? Athena? I'm afraid she stepped out for a few minutes. I'd be perfectly willing to render whatever assistance I can, however."
"Don't be a smartass, Deryk. I'm not talking about Athena.” Ares's right hand curled into a white-knuckled fist.
"If you're referring to Jasmine Tashae, Ares, I'm here to tell you to leave her alone. She only did what any of us would have."
"That's not good enough, Deryk. She killed one of us and—"
"And what? You plan to make an example of her? Not going to happen.” Shea pushed himself out of Athena's chair. “You really don't want to make an issue of this."
"How the hell do you know what I want? Thanatos was my friend."
"Who took a job to kill someone for pay. A woman. That's a job even Morrigan wouldn't take, and you know it. That's why Athena didn't approach her about it—Morrigan doesn't kill women, does she? What the hell was Thanatos thinking? It's not as though he needed the money."
"I don't know. But you're just trying to confuse matters. We can't let some mortal kill one of us with impunity."
"Some mortal.” Deryk gave an explosive sigh. “You've fallen into the same trap that most of us have at one point or another. We're immortal, tough—damn near unkillable, in fact—and far more powerful than any ordinary human can imagine. But we're still human. We are what we are because of a strange twist of fate. That doesn't make us better than them, Ares. Just different."
"Still deceiving yourself, I see,” the bearded immortal grunted. “How can you compare the brief lives of these creatures to one of us, those who have seen twenty-five millennia come and go?"
"Because to do otherwise is to put oneself on the same level as Hades—or even the Centians. It's not a far reach from feeling superior to allowing it to corrupt you. Thanatos stepped over the line when he took that money to kill a mortal woman. In a way it's worse even than Morrigan—she's simply doing what she's always done. She's at least capable of choosing worthy targets."
"You're splitting hairs, Deryk."
"If you go after her, she might kill you, Ares."
Ares let out a deep, booming laugh. “Kill me? Some mortal upstart?"
"And one of the most talented mages I've ever met,” Shea told him. “She wields a crystal weapon, she's smart, and she's ruthless.
"You know she felt guilty for killing Thanatos, even though he was trying to kill her? Hard to believe, isn't it? Athena set him on her because she killed another mortal—a child rapist who'd finally killed his victim—and showed no remorse over it.
"But she killed a man while defending herself and she's having problems dealing with it. Doesn't that tell you something about her?"
"That she's a fool."
Deciding then and there he'd heard enough, Quickfingers mat
erialized. He hopped down from the bookshelf and landed on Athena's desk. He jabbed a forefinger at Ares. “You leave her alone, you big bully!"
Eyes widening, Ares stared down at the diminutive creature confronting him and let out a low chuckle. “What the hell is this?” he asked Shea.
"Your worst nightmare if you don't listen to me,” Quickfingers replied. His trademark grin was nowhere in evidence as he stalked across the desk and buried his finger in the big man's solar plexus. “She's a good person and she doesn't need the likes of you making her life more difficult than it already is."
"This, Ares, is Quickfingers. He's an imp. Jaz's personal servant."
"Not impressed.” He tried to swat the creature aside only to see his hand pass through without effect. “What the hell?"
"You do anything to hurt Jaz, buddy, and I'll see to it that your life becomes very interesting.” Having said his piece, the imp winked out.
Out, but not gone. He lingered invisibly, grinning into an oblivious room.
"What is that thing?” Ares asked, scowling deeply.
"That, my friend, was an imp. Quickfingers ... the first imp. Call him ... a magical construct—created solely by the woman you want to punish."
"She created that thing? How?"
"You're no more a mage than I am, Ares. Even if I knew enough to tell you, you wouldn't understand it any more than I would."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Now there's a good question. Hell if I know. But I do know one thing. I wouldn't want it pissed off at me."
"What could it do?” Ares snorted.
Shea smiled without humor. “I don't want to know."
No, he doesn't, Quickfingers thought, rubbing his hands together and grinning mischievously. Well, on to other tasks. No rest for the wicked, and all that. So many people, so little time.
He teleported to the next stop on his itinerary. What was Athena up to?
It was a woman's day out. Quickfingers followed Athena and Nemesis around town, silent and unobtrusive. Invisibility was so handy. They chattered like magpies, engrossed in whatever minutia that occupied the minds of human women in such situations, but he heard the silence of things unsaid in between their conversation.
Lady of Blades Page 13
