Phoenix King

by Miranda Martin

  The pickup at a sports arena, where there was more than enough of a chance to use the crowd for cover. Nothing.

  Drop-off of a heavy package in a really bad part of the city dome, at an address that was basically a dead end. I almost threw my hands up in the air when nothing came of that last one. It was just so perfect for an ambush!

  What did they want? Did I have to paint a target on my chest and handcuff my hands behind my back to get these guys to come back out? Draw them a map of when and where I'd be?

  "We just have to keep trying," Ashur said as we walked into my office building once again. "They didn't hit you on every job."

  "Maybe," I said, though I was starting to feel skeptical about the possibility of success with our current plan. It did seem as though they'd decided to pull back. Maybe Mr. Anonymous wasn't full of it after all.

  I opened the door to my office as Ashur stopped to check something on his watch, the faint beeping letting me know it probably wasn't anything urgent.

  But it did distract him as my eye fell on the discrepancy in my office. There wasn't much in there, so it wasn't hard to see any changes. I saw the thin sheet of paper right away. It stood out on my clean desk immediately, the pristine white of it telling me it wasn't the low-quality stuff either. Must have cost a pretty penny.

  I didn't have any time to read the folded piece of paper before Ashur would see it. So, stepping to the desk, I easily slipped it into my pocket and sat down in one continuous movement as Ashur stepped in a beat after me.

  We fell into our normal routine now. Both of us got to work across from each other, with the occasional back and forth as we went through emails and documents.

  The note was burning a hole in my pocket, but I waited until it looked like he was fully engrossed in something, a slight frown on his face, the tip of his thumb sliding along his full bottom lip as he was deep in thought. I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out the paper under the cover of the desk. I glanced down quickly.

  We have the baker. If you want him back alive, come to the address below at 1 a.m.

  Alone.

  No shadow.

  Underneath it, there was an address. My favorite area. The warehouses. I resisted the urge to crumple the flimsy bit of material.

  They'd been watching, and they really didn't like that Ashur had been sticking to me so closely. If they knew what he looked like, which they apparently did if they didn't want him around, it would be easy enough to spot him from even a block away. Not a lot of people looked like that after all.

  I cracked my knuckles as I read the note again.

  They'd made the wrong move if they did take Jacob, but I couldn't risk bringing Ashur. Not if they really had him and Jacob's life really was on the line. I couldn't tell Ashur about this. He'd never let me go alone.

  So, with a heavy heart, I pretended everything was fine.

  As we left the office.

  As we went back to my apartment.

  Had dinner.

  Went to bed.

  I put on a happy face, my conscience pricking me the whole time. I kept it all inside, right up until Ashur fell asleep. I waited until his breathing was steady and deep. Then I carefully slid out of bed and slipped into my pants and shoes.

  I hesitated at the bedroom doorway, turning back to see Ashur's relaxed face. It felt wrong to leave without telling him. The alternative was risking Jacob’s life.

  Pressing my lips together, I turned on silent feet and left my apartment.

  I couldn't take the risk now.

  I'd explain myself later and hope he'd understand.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The first thing I did after I left my apartment was head over to the hospital.

  Jacob had woken up, but they'd kept him there for observation a little longer. I knew the confinement was really getting to him. I visited him every day, and he seemed to be much stronger the last time. They were about to let him go home, which was great news.

  Well, until this happened.

  I clenched my jaw as I reached the well-lit hospital entrance, the Urgent Care area next to the door still crowded even at this time of night. With this many people, there was always a steady line to see the doctor. I went in past the crowd and straight to the elevator.

  As I pressed the button for the fifth floor, I pictured going into Jacob's room and finding him right there, as snappish as always because he hated being inactive.

  The doors opened.

  I walked over to Jacob's room, hoping and praying he'd be there safe and sound, but found only an empty bed. My stomach turned over. My foot hit something and I looked down. It was his watch. I stared at the slim piece of technology.

  He always had it on his wrist, just like I did. He was even more anal about it than I was, to be honest. I was guessing it was because timing had been such an important part of his previous line of work. He would never go anywhere without it. Not willingly. I knew that for a fact.

  Whoever took him didn't want him to have a means to communicate with the outside world.

  I picked it up and slipped it into my pocket.

  Then I walked quickly back out into the hall and over to the nurse's station for this floor. Pam was the nurse I usually spoke with, but she was nowhere to be seen when I arrived at the desk. A middle-aged woman with gray-streaked hair and a stern expression looked up when I stopped in front of her.

  "May I help you?" she asked, her face not warming at all as she regarded me with a suspicious eye.

  I glanced down at her nametag. Tiffany? Really? That was a mismatch if I ever saw one.

  "What happened to Jacob? In Room 586?" I demanded.

  She frowned at me. "I'm not at liberty to discuss—"

  "I'm his emergency contact," I interjected. "I have authority to ask the questions and get the answers. Now," I leaned in towards her. She leaned back a little before she caught herself, her eyes narrowing. Something told me she wasn't used to being the one intimidated. Tough. "Where. Is. He?"

  She glared at me. But she brought his records up on her computer screen and that was all I cared about. She frowned as she read it.

  That wasn't good.

  "He should be in his room. The doctor was supposed to come around to release him in another hour or so . . . you're sure he isn't there?"

  "His bed is empty," I said in a low voice. "Unless he's decided to hide in a coat closet for some reason, he isn't there. And that means you guys dropped the ball. Do you have security footage of this area?"

  She drew herself up to her full sitting height.

  "If you talk to law enforcement and go through the proper channels, I'm sure—"

  I turned and walked away. I wasn't going to waste time with this when I had another lead. An address to be exact. I wasn't supposed to be there for another hour, which meant now was a good time to do some quick recon. There were people still out at this time of night, so I wouldn't be completely conspicuous. I'd also made sure to wear dark clothing.

  The crowd got thinner and thinner the closer I got to the address. A block away, it was mostly ladies of the night, sweaty johns who were looking to get some, dealers with shifty eyes, and anyone else stupid enough to come into this area where even predators weren't safe.

  "This is my corner, sweetheart. Get lost."

  I looked over at the sneering voice. The woman looked like she was pushing forty, her face sporting lines both deep and fine, the bags under her eyes large enough that even the heaps of concealer she'd piled on wasn't enough to fully cover them. I would bet she was probably only in her mid-twenties. The tight, low-cut dress didn't do her softening middle any favors either. A fast life showed. I'd seen it happen again and again, to people I knew.

  The younger, newer crop didn't work the streets here. If they were smart, they marketed themselves as exclusive escorts and made much more money for much less risk. And got out of the business before it used them up completely, like it had with this woman.

  "I'm not working,"
I said, walking passed her. "Corner's yours."

  She muttered something under her breath that wasn't at all complimentary, but I ignored it. I had much more important things to worry about than what she thought of me.

  About a half a block from the address, I turned into an alley. It was occupied by a couple of thin men in loose clothes, but one look told me they weren't going to hassle me tonight. They were already enjoying their favorite ride, their eyes glazed, mouths slack as they looked over at me without interest.

  There weren't any fire escapes on either of the buildings, but there was a door leading into one of them. I didn't usually like to go inside places like this, but it didn't look like I had much of a choice. If I had more time, I might have taken it to look for a better point of entry, but I doubted there was one nearby. So I opened the door and kept a sharp eye out as I took in the dim interior.

  There were stairs a few yards in, and who knew what else between me and them, but I needed a higher vantage point, so in I went. Slipping my knives into my palms, I let the door close behind me. I paused to let my eyes adjust. Once they did, I noticed the few prone forms lined the edges of the hall. They weren't moving. I hoped they were only flying like their counterparts in the alley, but there was no telling unless I checked.

  And I wasn't going to do that. I learned a long time ago that you couldn't help someone who didn't want to be helped. That was a good way to get hurt for your troubles.

  So I stepped over them, making sure to keep an eye on them. This could easily be a ploy to lure people close. I was almost through when a hard hand closed around my ankle.

  "Bitch . . ." the man slurred from underneath me.

  When I tugged my foot away, he didn't have the strength to hold on. Letting his arm drop, he fell back into his stupor.

  What a catch.

  I reached the stairs. Taking them two at a time, I didn't look too closely at the landings I passed. If someone came after me, I'd deal with it. Otherwise, moving fast was my best option.

  At the top of the stairs, some helpful soul had already taken the roof-access door off its hinges and set it to the side, the chain lock still dangling from the door, useless. Convenient at least.

  I walked out onto the roof cautiously, glancing around. This wasn't the highest building in the vicinity, but it was high enough for me to get a good view of the building I was supposed to go to. The warehouses started a little farther down the street, the large, square buildings not pretty in any way, but built to maximize storage, at least at one point.

  Now, many of them were overrun by the not-so-savory elements of dome society. This far back, all I could see was that light was streaming out through a few windows, so there was electricity. Either these guys owned the building or had an understanding with someone who did. Building owners around here wouldn't take kindly to someone squatting and running up their electric bill. I couldn't make out any detail from here. I needed a closer look.

  I walked over to the edge of the building and judged the space between it and the one next to it. I could go back down and risk another stairwell in another unknown building. Or I could jump the distance.

  Did I want to?

  Nope.

  I glanced back at the open doorway, the pitch-black rectangle not at all welcoming. Muttering to myself about the idiocy of this, I climbed onto the ledge. I crouched and made sure not to look down. It was only a couple of yards.

  Easy.

  The addition of a possible fall onto concrete from this height definitely added some stakes I wasn't so comfortable with. Taking a deep breath, I centered myself. I could do this.

  Not giving myself any more time to think about it, I jumped, propelling myself with a hard thrust of my legs. I made it with room to spare, my boots hitting the concrete of the other building, the reverberation running through my body as I absorbed the impact. I definitely didn't want to do it again. So, of course, I had to do it again when the view from this building wasn't good enough either.

  "God damn it," I muttered, as I crouched down again, readying myself. "This is ridiculous . . ." I wasn't the person who usually did things like this. I planned. I checked things out, made sure the amount of money I was getting was worth the risk. And I wasn't getting paid at all for this.

  Damn it.

  I jumped before I could psych myself out about it too much. I grunted as I landed, feeling a twinge in my bad knee, but it held up okay, which was all I could really ask of it. I gave it a moment to recover and then kept to a crouch as I moved over to the edge of that rooftop.

  When I reached the short wall, I carefully peeked over it. The building was the next one over now. I had a good view. If they were smart, they'd have a lookout on the roof. It would have been even smarter to have them on every surrounding building, but I didn't think they had enough people to be spread so thin. The compromise would be to have someone on the roof of the actual building at least.

  I watched and waited, keeping my eyes unfocused so I'd pick up on movement faster.

  There.

  A man slowly paced the edge of the rooftop, his head swiveling from side to side as he walked the perimeter. I stayed still and his eyes passed right over me. It was dark and there was a lot of area to cover. If I didn't move while he was looking, he likely wouldn't spot me.

  The building I was on was a little shorter than the one I was looking at, which was actually helpful in this case. I had a good view of the windows a little down and to the left of me, near the ground floor or on it.

  A man was stationed at the window, light pouring out from behind him as his eyes watched the street below. The room he was in was large, but I could see it was walled off from the rest of the warehouse. I couldn't predict what the layout would be like inside—too many modifications had been made to a lot of the designs after they'd basically been left to the seedier elements in this area.

  I waited until their lookout was on the other side of the building, then I duck walked over to the left to get a better view. From here, I could see a good way into the room.

  Four men, though their faces weren't distinct from this far away. All on high alert. And someone lying on a couch to the side.

  My eyes froze on that figure. For one, he was wearing a hospital gown. Unless that had suddenly become the new trend and I'd completely missed it, that was someone taken from a hospital. For another, I'd know Jacob anywhere, even passed out and from far enough away that his features weren't completely clear. Or, he looked like he was passed out anyway. I couldn't be sure. Maybe he was playing at being unconscious in front of the other men? I hoped so. Otherwise they'd hurt him badly once again.

  That thought made my fingers curl back into fists at my sides. How was I going to get him out of there? Four men guarding, with Jacob out of commission. . . . They could easily use him to control me, and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I leaned forward a little, hoping to get a better look, or catch a glimpse of something, anything, that would be helpful.

  My heart froze in my chest as a large hand covered my mouth.

  I should have been more aware of my immediate surroundings.

  Shit.

  Chapter Twenty

  "Why did you come alone?"

  I went limp with relief at Ashur's low voice, closing my eyes for a second.

  He moved his hand only when he felt me relax.

  "They left me a note," I murmured, turning to see his unreadable face. "Told me to come alone. I was worried they might do something to Jacob if I didn't." I sighed. "I'm sorry." I searched his face. "How did you know?"

  "I heard you leave. So I followed you." He glanced at me. "We are going to have to have a talk about your constant need to hide things from me," he murmured, but his eyes returned to the large window as well. "Look at them. Either they're that stupid or they want you to see them."

  I didn't touch the “hiding things from him” statement. He was right. Maybe he'd forget and I could avoid that conversation later. . . . For now, I just nod
ded.

  His assessment of their visibility sounded about right to me too. Maybe they were being so obvious so I wouldn't doubt they had Jacob. I looked at the street below, searching for the entrance and any other exit points.

  "We're going to have to split up," Ashur finally said, coming to the same conclusion I had.

  "If I go in from the front,” I said, “you can go in from the side and get to Jacob."

  His mouth tightened, his eyes worried. "That does look like the best option," he said reluctantly. "Or I can call for backup and we take a safer approach."

  "No. I'm not going to take a chance with Jacob's life," I said firmly. "The only reason he's hurt is because of me in the first place. And that will take too much time in any case."

  He met my eyes, frustrated. "Why is it that you always have to be in danger?" he murmured.

  "I guess it just comes with the territory," I said, smiling slightly, apologetic. "I promise I'm not out looking for trouble."

  He rolled his shoulders, nodding. "I know you're not." He scanned the building across from us again. "All right. You'll have to wait for me to get into place first, okay?"

  I leaned in and kissed him softly, just a peck.

  "Thank you," I said just as softly. "For everything."

  "Hey, I'm racking up points left and right here," he replied with a slight smile. "And don't think I won't collect."

  Then he grabbed me by the back of the neck and gave me a much more thorough kiss, tongue and all. When he pulled back, I let out a breath.

  "Always when we can't do anything about it," I muttered accusingly.

  He grinned. Then he moved over to the side of the building where there was one fire escape, miraculously. I was happy I wouldn't have to go back down using an internal staircase. I waited until Ashur was down, keeping an eye out in case they did something that would change our plans. Everything was still the same by the time I figured Ashur would be down at street level again.

  Following his path, I stayed low. When I reached the street below, Ashur was nowhere to be found. I looked down at my watch to check my messages. I'd turned off any sounds and vibration.