by C. J. Hill
A portly, middle-aged man dressed in nobleman clothes sat behind a large desk. He had sharp eyes, graying brown hair that brushed against his shoulders, and an overgrown, bushy beard. Tori wondered if the beard was period accurate, or whether he just didn’t like to shave.
A hulkingly tall man in regular clothes stood in the corner of the room, arms folded, watching her. Probably Rudolpho’s security. The dark jacket he wore on his sizable chest undoubtedly hid a firearm.
Tori stepped into the room, automatically surveying it for tactical information. It was medium-sized with a window on the back wall. No other doors besides the one she’d come in. The window faced the forest, not the festival grounds. If she had to fly out of it, at least she wouldn’t be videotaped by tourists in the process.
A tapestry depicting a unicorn hung on one wall. Two crossed swords and a heraldry shield hung on the other. Green opaque curtains blocked the view but not the sunlight. Which meant Tori couldn’t destroy the overhead light to get the advantage of fighting in the dark with night vision.
The shopkeeper who’d taken Tori to the room followed her in, locked the door, and leaned against the wall. If things went badly, Tori would have three men to take care of, and at least one of them was armed. Could she bribe them all? She hoped so, because her watch only shot one dart. There hadn’t been room for more than that. Bess and Jesse were supposed to be around to help with crowd control.
Tori made her way to a chair that sat in front of the desk, ignoring Rudolpho’s penetrating stare. Several different magnifying glasses lay on the desk, along with a lamp and a long, black box. The keypad on the box told her it was a safe.
Rudolpho leaned back in his chair, revealing an oversized stomach. “You’re younger than my usual clients.”
“Thank you,” she said, as though it was a compliment and not a statement of suspicion. “I do what I can to keep up my appearance. That’s one of the reasons I’m interested in dragon scales. I have it on good authority that taking powdered scale promotes long life.”
Rudolpho steepled his fingers, a pose of confidence. “Quite true, although grinding them isn’t an easy task.” His gaze went over Tori again. “I’m always curious to learn how people find out about my business. Who should I thank for referring you?”
She didn’t hesitate with her rehearsed answer. “I met a man in DC’s Chinatown who spoke highly of you—an artifact dealer named Lee.” When Rudolpho showed no recognition of the name, Tori shrugged. “He may not have given me his real name. Some of his artifacts weren’t exactly legal.”
Rudolpho smiled though she wasn’t sure if he believed her or whether the smile was because he found her story amusingly easy to see through. He gestured at her purse. “Before I show you a scale, I need to make sure you have sufficient cash. The price is five thousand dollars. No refunds.”
She opened her purse, wondering how far away the other Slayers were from the building. It would have been nice if Dr. B was issuing instructions through her earpiece, but he remained quiet. For the most part, Dr. B let the Slayers run ops themselves and intervened only when he had information to add.
Tori took out a stack of hundred-dollar bills, one containing five thousand dollars, and fanned the bills out on the desk. “Can I see a scale now?” All of this would be a lot of effort for nothing if the scale turned out to be fake.
Rudolpho eyed the money then pushed a few buttons on his safe’s keypad. The top unlatched, he flipped it open, and revealed a blue dragon scale. It was about the size of Tori’s palm, the bright blue bleeding into purple at the tip. He picked up the scale, laid it on the desk, then handed her a jeweler’s magnifying glass.
He didn’t have to bother. She’d recognized the scale as soon as she saw it: one of Kiha’s. On Halloween, the Slayers had killed that dragon in a deserted part of the Catskill Mountains. The sight of the scale made Tori gulp, made the memory come back in searing force—the fear as she fled through the trees from Overdrake and his dragon, the bullets and fire.
Had one of Overdrake’s cleanup crew cut off some of Kiha’s scales before disposing of her? The scale looked smaller than the ones she’d seen on the dragon’s torso and chest. Perhaps it had come from some small area—around her claws or from her face.
Tori took the magnifying glass and held it to her eye to examine the scale. Dr. B had said scales were made up of small, interlocking parts. Under magnification, this scale appeared to be made of blue crystals, like an exotic sapphire. How odd that something so beautiful belonged to such a deadly creature.
She ran a finger across the scale. It was as smooth as polished stone. She hadn’t expected that. Funny, she’d fought two dragons—been torched, bludgeoned by wings, and even connected with a dragon’s mind—but she’d never run her fingers over a scale until now.
She set the jeweler’s glass down. “Looks authentic.” The words were for the Slayers listening on her earpiece. The trail here was real; one they could follow. And Rudolpho would lead the Slayers to Overdrake, whether he wanted to or not.
Chapter 6
Tori picked up the scale and let the weight of it press into her fingers. It was heavier than she imagined, more substantial. “Where did you get this?”
Rudolpho gave her an indulgent look, as if she were a child who’d asked for the moon. “My suppliers are private. I’m sure you understand how these things work.”
“Of course.” Tori placed the scale back on the desk and pulled the second stack of hundreds from her purse. “Ten thousand. You see, I’m more interested in finding your supplier than I am in buying the scale.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, unmoved by the money in her hand. “A good dealer never reveals his sources. That would mean creating competition for myself.”
“How about fifteen thousand? I have friends here with more cash.”
Rudolpho squinted at her in disbelief. “Fifteen grand? You have that much money to spend?”
“I have a deep interest in dragons.” She shrugged and fluttered her hand in an attempt of nonchalance. “If you sell scales, you’ve got to expect that people will want to see the dragon.”
Rudolpho stroked the end of his beard, watching her. “There’s nothing left to see. Dragons are extinct. That’s why their scales are so valuable.” He spoke easily enough, expecting her to believe his words.
“Are you sure they’re extinct?” she asked.
He made a huffing noise to let her know the topic wasn’t worth discussing. “Do you want to buy the scale or not?”
He might not be one of Overdrake’s men after all, but he had to know someone who was. That scale was real, and it must have come from Kiha. Tori pushed the stack of money toward him. “I want to know the dragons’ location.”
Without another word, Rudolpho picked up the scale, tucked it back into the safe, and shut the lid with unmistakable finality. “I’m afraid I can’t help you. My sources aren’t for sale.” He sent the shopkeeper a look that said, I’m through. Take care of her.
The shopkeeper stepped away from the wall toward Tori. “I’ll show you out. You and your friends are not to bother Mr. Rudolpho again.” No accent this time. His words came out low and firm.
In Tori’s earpiece, Jesse said, “The other Slayers are almost here. Which room are you in? Back, front? Left, right?”
The room was in the back of the building, but Tori wasn’t sure whether he was asking for directions based on facing the front of the building or facing the rear.
“Back . . . to bargaining,” Tori said, not leaving her chair. “I don’t know what the right price is, or what’s left to negotiate. But how does twenty thousand sound?”
Rudolpho let out a small laugh and waved her away. “I was willing to believe someone your age could come up with five grand—although trust me, I check for counterfeit bills. Your problem is that you stretched your credibility too far. You don’t really have ten thousand, let alone twenty. Go find someone else to hustle, and stop wasting my time.”
> “Check the bills,” Tori said, gesturing to money. “Check them all.”
Rudolpho shook his head. “I’ve got real customers to worry about.” To the shopkeeper, he said, “See her outside.”
Really? Tori thought. You’re turning me down because I don’t look rich enough? The other Slayers were going to think that was hilarious.
She slid the money into her purse, slung it over her shoulder, and stood. “You’re making a mistake.”
The shopkeeper took hold of Tori’s arm, more than willing to drag her from the room. As he peered at her, his eyes focused on her ear, and his hand tightened on her arm. “What’s that?”
Oh no. If he could see her earpiece, then Tori’s wig no longer covered it. He knew she was wired. This was about to get very bad.
Jesse and Bess were too far away to help. Tori would have to take care of this herself. Three against one. Well, that was just a normal day at Slayer practice.
The shopkeeper reached for her ear. She yanked him forward, sending him tumbling onto the desk. The security guard stepped from the corner and headed her way, reaching into his jacket for his gun. That left her no choice. Rudolpho might be the target, but she had to take out the guard. She aimed her watch at his neck and pushed the release button.
The man flinched, slapped the dart from his neck, then went for his gun again. The drug wouldn’t take full effect for at least a minute, probably longer with his body mass. Until then, she’d have to dodge bullets.
The shopkeeper straightened, pushing himself away from the desk. With one leap, she placed herself behind him. Hopefully the security guy wouldn’t shoot his own man to get at her.
Rudolpho glared at her from the desk but didn’t join the fight. He obviously thought she didn’t stand a chance against his men, that she was about to be subdued.
The shopkeeper turned and lunged at her, bending at the waist. No good. She was losing her shield. She dropped to a squat and used the man’s momentum to flip him over her shoulder and into the back wall.
The thud and groan behind her told her he wouldn’t be a threat for a few seconds, but she still had two men to deal with, one of them armed. Time to improve her odds. The code word for requesting backup was “crowd.” Tori was about to say it, then remembered they’d changed the word after Dirk’s betrayal. What had they switched it to?
The security guard leveled his gun at her. No time to think about code words. “Uh,” was all she got out before she sprang sideways, half leaping, half flying toward the nearest wall. A pop sounded from the gun, and a bullet whizzed by her shoulder. Too close. Even with a silencer, the noise still sounded loud in the small room.
“T-bird?” Jesse asked, using her code name. “What was that noise?”
She was concentrating too hard to answer. She pushed off the wall to the desk and grabbed the safe. It probably weighed fifty pounds, but felt like nothing in her hands. In one smooth motion, she flung it at the security guard.
Jesse spoke in her earpiece again. “What’s going on? Are you still in the building?”
The safe hit the guard in the chest and he flew backward, arms flung out to his sides, and smacked the wall with a thud. She hoped he would drop the gun, but as he slid to the floor, he kept hold of it. That was dedication to the job. Who said you couldn’t hire good help anymore?
It would take him a moment to aim at her again. Rudolpho was still sitting at his desk, gaping at her in open-mouthed shock. She ignored him. The shopkeeper was coming up behind her, panting out determined breaths.
She ran to the nearest wall, took three steps up it, and grabbed the hanging tapestry. As she flipped back down to the floor, the wall hanging ripped away. She flung it at the security guard, covering him in the woven hunt scene. That should keep him from shooting for half a minute. How many seconds were left before he passed out? Ten? Twenty? What if the tranquilizer didn’t completely work on someone his size?
“Not crowd!” she said into her mic. “You know what I mean.”
She dashed to the next wall, took two steps up it, and kicked the shield from its spot. She caught it on the way back down and spun around to face the shopkeeper. He kept a wary distance now that he’d seen that she was dangerous. She’d meant to fling the shield into him, but waited when something metallic flashed in his hand. As he raised his arm, she realized what he held—a pair of ninja stars.
Seriously? Only at a place where people got all geeky about weapons would someone be armed with ninja stars.
As the stars whizzed toward her, she lifted the shield, blocking them. They thunked harmlessly into the metal and pinged to the floor.
Rudolpho had been rifling through a desk drawer, now he came toward her, a stun gun in hand.
“‘Not crowd’?” Jesse repeated in her ear. He obviously didn’t know what she meant. “Beta, has T-bird come back out of the room?”
“No,” Bess said.
Before Rudolpho could use the stun gun, Tori kicked at his hand. Her long skirt tangled around her legs, and a rip sounded as her foot connected with his arm. Stupid dress. Say what you wanted about Wonder Woman’s skimpy crime-fighting outfit; at least the thing never tripped her during a kick.
The weapon flew from Rudolpho’s grip and slid under his desk. He swore and stepped backward, shaking his hand in pain.
“Go in,” Jesse told Bess. “Something’s wrong.” It would take them a couple minutes to get inside and then figure out which room she was in.
Rudolpho looked over Tori’s shoulder, where the security guard was trying to get the tapestry off himself. “Shoot her!”
The man hadn’t passed out yet? Tori flung the shield toward the shopkeeper and lunged at Rudolpho. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him in front of her and held him there.
“Wait, don’t shoot!” Rudolpho called.
The security guard unsteadily got to his feet, swaying as he stood. His eyes were glassy, his hands wavering as he tried to focus.
The shopkeeper rushed at Tori, probably meaning to knock her down and break her grip on Rudolpho.
Fine. Right before the shopkeeper plunged into her, she let go of Rudolpho and stepped back. The shopkeeper slammed into his boss and sent him sprawling against the wall. She grabbed the shopkeeper by the arms, pinned them behind his back, and spun him around. New guy as a shield, but basically the same situation.
“Shoot her!” Rudolpho rasped from his spot on the floor. “She’s robbing us!”
“Don’t shoot!” the shopkeeper called in disbelief.
That was the thing about employee loyalty: Sometimes it only went one way.
Tori never found out which instruction the guard would have obeyed, because the drug finally took effect. His head lolled, and he toppled forward. The sound of his crash to the floor was almost as loud as the sound of the door splintering from its hinges behind her.
Bess stepped into the room, arm raised, and hand on her watch, ready to shoot a tranquilizer dart. Her gaze flew between Tori holding the shopkeeper, and Rudolpho, now cowering on the floor.
“Situation?” Bess asked.
“Shoot the guy by the wall,” Tori said. “Subtlety didn’t work out so well.”
Rudolpho raised his hands in protest. “No!” he croaked. “I’ll tell you what you want!”
Bess swung her arm in Rudolpho’s direction and shot. The dart penetrated his cheek, making him grimace. He wiped at it wildly. “Why did you do that?”
The shopkeeper stopped struggling in Tori’s grip, suddenly fearful. “I don’t know anything about his contacts,” he stammered. “Rudolpho was the only one who met with the guy.”
Tori didn’t release him.
Bess addressed Rudolpho. “You have sixty seconds to tell us where you got the scale, or we’ll have to haul you out of here and get the information from you in a different way.”
“Don’t make us do that, Rudolpho,” Tori added sweetly. “I’ve got a busy day as it is.”
Rudolpho raised his hands in surrender. “I do
n’t know where the scale came from,” he said in a shaky voice. “But I’ll tell you what I know. My contact is Connor. He lives in Huntersville. We always exchange goods at the post office, but I had him followed once, so I know he lives on Grassy Creek Drive. Brick house with black shutters. A two-story. I can get you the address. It’s in my phone.” Still raising his hands, he got to his feet.
“Stay where you are,” Bess said. “I’ll get your phone.”
Jesse’s voice came over Tori’s earpiece. “I’m heading up the stairs.” He was letting her know so she wouldn’t mistake him for one of Rudolpho’s men.
“It’s in the . . .” Rudolpho slumped back to the floor. He blinked at the desk blankly, and his fingers made strokes at the air.
Tori didn’t hear Jesse come up the stairs. Her first indication he’d arrived was the shopkeeper flinching in her grasp. Then she saw a tiny dart sticking out of the back of the man’s neck. Jesse had shot him.
“I don’t know anything about this Connor guy,” the shopkeeper sputtered, indignant. “Why are you drugging me?”
“No one is going to hurt you,” Tori assured him. She shook her head at Jesse. “I can’t believe you took that shot. You could have hit me.”
“Not with my aim. Some of us don’t skip out of practice.” Jesse sent her a meaningful look as he walked into the room. His gaze ran over her, checking for injuries, and then he glanced back at the stairs. “The others are keeping the sales clerk busy, but someone is bound to come up here before long. We’ve got to hurry.”
As if in answer, a scratching noise came from the window.
“What’s that?” the shopkeeper asked. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t know,” Tori said, holding onto him more loosely now. “I missed the planning meeting. Want to lie down?”
Everything she said felt odd. For the last few minutes, roughing up unsuspecting merchants, she’d felt like the villain. The shopkeeper didn’t answer. He was gawking at the window and the outline of a person floating outside.
Jesse pushed aside the curtains and opened the window. Ryker hovered outside, standing in the sunshine against a backdrop of fall trees. His arms were full of knight armor, a shiny leg sticking out one way, an arm piece poking out another. He handed some of them to Jesse and flew in with the rest. Jesse strode over to Rudolpho, lifted the man’s head, and put the helmet on him.
