Montague & Strong Detective Novels Box Set: Montague & Strong Detective Novels Books, 1 through 3 (Montague & Strong Case Files)

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  A low growl rumbled from the backseat.

  “Peaches,” I said. “I don’t think he likes to be called ‘the creature.’”

  “Fine, Peaches has some interesting qualities that I think will be useful. Wait, what did you say about containing?”

  “Yeah, stronger runes for containing anyone who comes to the office without an invitation. Why?”

  “If you were Chaos and needed to contain someone powerful, supernatural, how would you do it?” Monty asked.

  “You mean if I were an old god and needed to stop Charon from doing his job without anyone else noticing?” I asked.

  “Chaos is a lesser god,” Monty said. “He’s powerful but not on the same level as, say, Hades for example. He would need to put the Ferryman somewhere secure.”

  “But how?” I asked. “You don’t just roll up in a van, toss Charon in the back, and drive to a supernatural black site.”

  “No, you kill a sorcerer where you’d want Charon to show up and then trap him there.”

  “That would mean that Chaos knew the Ferryman was taking sorcerer souls or whatever it is sorcerers have when they die,” I said. “It means Hades has a leak. Unless Chaos and Hades are working together.”

  “Unlikely,” Monty said, rubbing his chin. “Hades said Charon had been tasked with sorcerer deaths. We need to know who else knew about that.”

  I got off on the next exit at Canal Street and jumped back on the Westside Highway heading downtown.

  “What are you doing?” Monty asked. “Where are we going?”

  “No time like the present,” I said. “Let’s go ask him.”

  “If we’re right and Chaos knew about the Ferryman’s new assignment, he would have to find a place to detain him, somewhere secure,” Monty said.

  “The only place that would be strong enough to hold a being like Charon is—” I started.

  “Haven,” Monty finished.

  “Shit, this complicates everything,” I said.

  “It means Roxanne was a target. As a Director, she would know who was placed in the detention wing.”

  “Chaos needed her out of the way before she noticed and spoke to you. We need to get to Haven.”

  I turned off the exit and headed down the street. One World Plaza was two blocks away. A low growl rose from the back seat.

  “Monty, stop molesting the dog,” I said. “He doesn’t like you much.”

  “I haven’t even looked at the creature. Much less touch it.”

  The growl became louder and I pulled over to see what was irritating Peaches.

  “You must have done something; he doesn’t growl at me. We’re bonded, remember?” I said with a smile as I got out of the car. “Did you cast one of those itching spells at him?”

  “Of course, I want him to lose his mind in the car while you’re doing what you call driving so we can have a collision and all die in a fiery crash,” Monty replied. “Obviously my life is too dull and needs some excitement.”

  I was in the back seat searching next to Peaches when he barked and tried to destroy my left eardrum. I staggered out of the car, rubbing my ear.

  “A little warning next time would be great,” I said as thunder filled the night and the top of One World Plaza exploded. I looked up and saw the ten floors occupied by Terra Sur Global were on fire.

  TWENTY-THREE

  I PRESSED THE speed dial for Ramirez. He picked up after the second ring.

  “Bad news,” I said.

  “Every time you call it’s bad news. What is it this time?”

  “You have a situation,” I said, looking up at the inferno. “It’s not terrorists, so NYTF needs to be lead on this. Any development on MoMA?”

  “I don’t have your inventory yet,” he said. “The museum is trying to hold the NYTF liable for the damages. You can imagine how well that’s going.”

  “You need to get downtown now. One New York Plaza.”

  “And where are you?” he asked.

  “Same place. Bring firetrucks and ambulances.”

  “Why am I not surprised? Shit, on my way,” he said and hung up.

  I ran to the lobby entrance but it was empty. I tried the door and it opened. There was no one behind the reception desk and none of the security was present. Debris littered the lobby and most of the windows were shattered. Monty walked up behind me.

  “What are you looking for?” Monty asked. “There’s no one here. Procedure would have them evacuate the building in case of something like this.”

  We stood next to the massive reception desk. The waiting area was destroyed. I could see small fires starting in several parts of the lobby.

  “This was Chaos,” I said. “I can feel it; he’s close.”

  “I agree, but would he be insane enough to be in the lobby of the building he just exploded?” Monty said. “Only a psychopathic megalomaniac bent on destruction would behave in that manner.”

  “That would be offensive if it weren’t true,” a voice said from behind us. “Hello, gentlemen.”

  Chaos.

  “Where’s Roxanne?” Monty said and flung a bright red orb of fire at him.

  Chaos caught the orb and held it floating before him. He wore a white trench coat with a charcoal gray suit underneath. His hair was considerably longer since our last conversation. His eyes still did the creepy glowing thing. I saw the Infinite Amulet around his neck. Its gold face reflected the growing fires around us.

  “I’d say a fireball in the face is rather rude,” Chaos said, bouncing the orb in his hand. “Wouldn’t you agree, Tristan?”

  Judging from the surprise on Monty’s face this was not normal. Chaos made a fist around the orb and it grew. I could feel the heat it gave off as I backed up into the large reception desk.

  “Bloody hells,” whispered Monty. “This would be a good time to run, Simon.”

  “Run where?” I answered. “Besides, we need that amulet.”

  “Here, let me give this back to you,” Chaos said and released the orb of blue flame. It floated in front of him, bobbing in the air like a lazy bubble. He dropped his hand and flicked the orb back at us.

  Monty made a gesture with his hands as I jumped back over the desk. There was a muffled explosion and Monty bounced off the wall and landed on the floor next to me, bruised and bloody.

  “That didn’t work,” he groaned as he sat up. “He’s a lot stronger than I imagined.”

  “No kidding,” I hissed. “What gave it away—stopping the orb and playing catch with it, or making your mini inferno into a little ball of hell?”

  “If you do as I ask, Tristan, I promise to kill her fast,” Chaos said. “She won’t suffer—much.”

  I drew Grim Whisper and stood, taking aim at his center mass, and emptied the magazine. I managed to put some excellent holes in his suit before I ducked behind the desk again.

  “Runed ammunition?” Chaos said with a chuckle. “You’re going to need more firepower than that.”

  “I left my RPG in my other jacket,” I said, really wishing I had one as I looked at Monty. “We need to get an RPG with runed rockets.”

  “What do you say, Tristan?” Chaos asked, getting closer as I heard his feet crunch glass. “I’m really here for you. Exploding Hades and his building was just a pleasant distraction.”

  “While that offer sounds tempting, I think I’ll pass,” Monty yelled in response. He traced runes as he looked at me. “This spell will obliterate the entire lobby and everything in it.”

  “Including him?” I asked, pointing behind me at Chaos. “Tell me this plan includes him.”

  “That’s the plan,” Monty said. “When I say, you head for that window”— he pointed down the desk to a window at the far end that was shattered by debris—“and don’t look back.”

  “Where will you be?” I said.

  “Right behind you,” he answered. “Go!”

  I ran down the length of the desk and made it to the window. I turned to see Monty stand up, raise his
arm above his head, and cast the spell. Hundreds of black orbs escaped his hand and flew off in every direction. Chaos threw up a shield and ran at him.

  Monty made no move to join me so I did the only sensible thing. I pressed the large bead on the mala and ran back in. Monty saw me and shook his head as he brought his arm down. The last thing I saw was Chaos crashing into Monty, and then everything went white.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  “WE MAY NEED to tranquilize that thing,” a voice said in the distance. “We can’t get close to the body. What kind of breed is that anyway? Looks like some sort of hellhound.”

  I cracked open a bruised eye to see Peaches standing over me in full ‘tear you to shreds’ mode. He straddled my body and gave off a low rumble that resembled a jackhammer.

  “Good dog,” I said, petting him behind the ears. He looked at me for a few seconds as if assessing my general health. He seemed satisfied with my state of near death and stepped over me. He moved a few inches to my side and sat on his haunches. I saw Ramirez talking to some of the other NYTF officers and motioned for him to get closer. He approached me cautiously, keeping an eye on Peaches.

  “When did you get—I want to say a dog, but that animal hardly qualifies,” he said. “What is that?”

  “Monty,” I said, looking at the destroyed lobby. “Monty is in there.”

  I tried to stand up but the ground tilted under me. Ramirez put a hand on my shoulder and quickly removed it as Peaches growled to let him know it was bad idea to touch me.

  We were across the street from One World Plaza. The building was a nightmare. The lobby was gutted, with fires blazing everywhere. The top floors were also in flames and debris was falling all around the building.

  “We haven’t found him yet,” Ramirez said, his voice grim. “Once the fire is under control we’ll go in, I promise.”

  I pushed him away and stood shakily. Peaches walked next to me as I limped across the street. I stood near one of the blown-out windows of the lobby.

  “Strong!” Ramirez yelled. “You can’t go in there!”

  “Hell I can’t. Peaches, stay,” I said and pressed the mala.

  Nothing happened.

  I pressed it again and nothing. No shield appeared. I got as close as possible to the fire. Two firefighters were running in my direction, most likely to ‘escort’ me to a safe distance. I stepped even closer.

  I leaned against a column to regain my balance and pressed the mark. The world grew out of focus and I entered the lobby. The fire was raging mostly near the desk and the far walls. I managed to keep my distance from the flames and walked around. I saw no sign of Monty or Chaos. I walked back to where Peaches was sitting and time snapped back to its normal flow.

  “We need to get you out of here now, sir, it’s not safe,” one of the firefighters said as he approached. “Please, come with me.”

  Ramirez walked up and grabbed my arm.

  “I got him,” he said to the firefighter and showed him his badge. “He’s with me.”

  “Keep him away from the 3D zone,” the firefighter said. “I don’t know how many deaths we have. I don’t want to add another.”

  “I got it,” Ramirez said and pulled me to one of the ambulances on the scene He got the attention of one of the EMTs. “Check him out. He was near the explosion.”

  Ramirez waited nearby with Peaches, watching me as the EMT examined me. He stepped away when some NYTF investigators called him over.

  “Don’t leave without speaking to me,” he said as he walked. “I mean it.”

  I nodded and waited for him to walk off before gathering my things.

  The EMT gave me a onceover. I knew what he would find—nothing. My body was dealing with the effects of the explosion and repairing any damage. The look on the EMT’s face was a mixture of fascination and revulsion as cuts closed and my skin returned to normal.

  “What the hell are you?” he whispered, moving away from me. “You’re not normal.”

  “Cursed is the word you’re looking for,” I said and jumped out of the ambulance. “Peaches, let’s go.”

  I began walking to the Goat, with Peaches staying close. Ramirez caught up with me.

  “Where are you going?” he asked with urgency. “Monty still hasn’t been found.”

  “He’s not in there,” I said. “You won’t find any bodies in the lobby. I don’t know about the top floors, though.”

  “How can you be sure? They haven’t even put out the fire.”

  “The entity that attacked the building took him,” I said.

  “The entity? Who is it? Give me something,” Ramirez said, and grabbed my arm. “Why would some entity take Tristan?”

  “It was Chaos,” I said. “Chaos took him.”

  Ramirez gave me a look of confusion. “What do you mean Chaos took him?”

  “The god, Chaos—that is the entity that took him,” I said and put my thumb on the driver’s side door handle. “That’s what we’re facing.”

  Ramirez looked at the Goat as it did its clanging and unlocking. I opened the back door and Peaches jumped inside and settled on the back seat.

  “Coño, Simon,” Ramirez said and exhaled. “What are you going to do? You two are some of the toughest bastards I know, but going up against a god is way out of the NYTF’s league.”

  “I know,” I said, getting into the Goat. “I’m going to get some help and then I’m getting Monty back.”

  TWENTY-FIVE

  THERE WAS ONLY one way I would get Chaos’s attention. I needed to free the Ferryman, which meant breaking into Haven’s detention center. Breaking out of a supernatural detention center is usually impossible.

  The facilities were covered in redundant failsafes. I knew most of them used siphoning runes similar to what shutdown Monty in Hades’s office. That prevented a supernatural assault. Sorcerers and high-level magic-users were stationed throughout the center. Some of them, like Roxanne, held positions in the center and could be called on in a moment’s notice.

  The only thing I had working in my favor was that I was breaking in, not out. Also, I doubted that the Ferryman would be on any registry of prisoners. It meant Chaos had someone on the inside helping him. It also meant that Charon would be kept away from the general population. In solitary or something similar.

  I needed The Hack.

  I drove back to the Moscow and left the car idling as I entered with Peaches. Andrei took several steps back when he saw him.

  “Ad sobaka! Helldog!” he said as he backed away.

  Peaches stayed next to me and ignored him. I was focused on getting upstairs and getting equipped so I didn’t pay Andrei much attention.

  “Andrei,” I said, “don’t piss him off. He’s a good dog—not a helldog, but he could probably rip off your arm. His name is Peaches.”

  “Peaches?” he asked, confused. “Like fruit?”

  “Just not as sweet,” I said. “Leave the car in front. I’ll be right down.”

  “Fifteen minutes, then garage,” he said, keeping an eye on Peaches.

  That was ten minutes longer than usual. I would have to get Andrei something special for his birthday—maybe a slab of meat from the Rump.

  I nodded as I headed for the stairs. I wasn’t worried about Peaches because the Moscow was an animal-friendly building. Although if Olga saw him, she might consider changing the policy.

  I approached the door to our office and punched in the code. The door unlocked with a click. I stayed outside because I knew Georgianna was still inside and probably a little twitchy after the Unfriendlies earlier visit.

  “Georgianna, it’s me,” I said and looked down at Peaches. “And a guest.”

  “Open the door slowly,” she said.

  I heard the slide on a gun as I pushed the door open. Georgianna stood several feet back with one of the hand-cannons aimed at the door.

  “Where did you get that?” I asked.

  “Let me see your hand,” she said. “Now.”

  I
raised my right hand and looked down at the growling Peaches, who had moved into a ‘pounce and destroy’ pose when he saw a large weapon was pointed at me.

  “Easy, boy,” I whispered, and touched his head. “She’s a friend.”

  “The other hand,” she said, waving the cannon. “And turn it around.”

  I lifted my left hand and turned it around so that the palm faced me. A look of relief filled her face.

  “It’s you,” she said and lowered the gun. Peaches sat up and remained still.

  “Last time I checked,” I said. “How did you know it was me? I could have been in disguise.”

  “As yourself? Your mark…it shimmers,” she said. “Like a rainbow.”

  I looked at the endless knot but it looked plain to me. “Really? I don’t see it.”

  She nodded.

  “Where did you get that?” I asked warily.

  “From one of the vampires in the kitchen,” she said and put it on the table next to the sofa. “It’s okay, Yama. It’s really Simon.”

  From behind the door, I sensed Yama silently glide away. He carried a large staff called a bo. I recognized it from my practice with Master Yat. They were usually one or two inches thick.

  The one he carried must have been the industrial Yama version. It looked about four inches thick and was covered in runes. He gave me a short nod and walked back to the kitchen to continue the cleanup.

  “Good to see you up and about,” I said. “Have a good nap?”

  A grunt was my only reply. Yama—the master of eloquence.

  “I’m guessing he wasn’t holding that when the Unfriendlies dropped in for a visit,” I said, looking at the bo.

  I entered the space with Peaches next to me. Michiko’s crew had done their work. I couldn’t see any damage and the place looked great. Except for the dead vampire bodies. I would have to call Allen to remove them.

  “Who?” she said. “You mean Colin?”

  I nodded as I headed to my office. She padded noiselessly behind me. “I saw the Claddagh symbol,” I said. “But they didn’t seem too friendly.”

  “Oh, he’s beautiful!” she exclaimed as she crouched to rub Peaches behind the ears. “Is he yours?”