I barked out a laugh. “What makes you think I would want it? What makes you think the rest of the Family would have me? That’s ridiculous.”
Olivia shook her head. “Would you rather see it go to Courtney? Or Karolyn? Or maybe you think Marie is qualified?”
My Aunt Courtney and I were oil and water, and my cousins were air-heads. One of the slightly weird things about my family was the lack of men. My father was the only male child of his generation, and no males that I knew of had been born since from any of the descendants of Oliver Findlay and Genevieve Benoit, the founders of the dynasty. My Granduncle Richard had died the same day my father did. Granduncle George and my grandmother ran Findlay, but they wouldn’t live forever.
But one thing I did know. If I made a bid for my inheritance, I wouldn’t last the year. Assassinations were common among the Magi, and there were too many people in the Family who wanted the wealth and the power, neither of which I cared about.
A stray thought crossed my mind. “I was told yesterday that Moncrieff is an ally of Akiyama.” Courtney was married to the brother of the Moncrieff Family head.
Grandmother batted her eyes at me. “And if you spent some more time around here, and paid even a little attention to what’s going on in the world, you would have known that before yesterday. Don’t think George is unaware of Moncrieff’s affiliations. Dani, I spoke to Frank Novak this morning. He’s hearing the same rumblings we are. Some of the smaller Families are building a coalition with the idea that combining their money and power will allow them to challenge the Ten.”
“Smaller, like members of the Hundred?”
“Yes, and smaller Families still. After all, why should we, the Families who worked our asses off, sacrificed, and fought the demons to a standstill, be entitled to what we’ve earned? Dani, it looks like it’s going to get ugly. Maybe a war, with various factions of the Magi all jockeying for position.”
“The demons will love that.”
“Wouldn’t they, though? And don’t think all of the Magi are above allying with demons. Frank agrees with George and me. This won’t be an overt, out-in-the-open shooting war. It’s going to be a quiet, nasty one. And we need your skills. Dani, your grandfather and father were the foremost magiteks of their day, and you’ve inherited all their talent.”
“What about Kirsten?”
“She’ll have all the protection we can give. I’ll publicly state my patronage. I’m not asking you to change your living arrangements, but there may be times that we ask the two of you to shelter here.”
Having one of the Ten Families as a patron would do wonders for Kirsten’s business, and it would also provide an extra layer of protection for her. Most thieves and street mages wanted as little to do with the Ten as possible.
“And you want me to do what?”
“Magitek. Munitions, defenses, transportation. And your skills as an investigator are something Osiris and I value. I’m not going to ask you to get involved in the mundane business-level magitek stuff, except maybe as a troubleshooter. We have people to do that, and I know how much it bores you. But your imagination, your creativity. We could use your design skills.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good.”
“I still have the investigation I’m working on, and yesterday made it personal. I’m not backing down until I find out who tried to kill me.”
She hesitated, then nodded. “Agreed. Do you want me to talk to Tom Whittaker?”
“No, I’ll do it.”
“What do you think of the Novak boy?” she asked, taking me by surprise.
I considered her question. “He’s sharper than I thought. Willing to learn, and doesn’t have a lot of ego. I actually think he’s kind of shy. Something of an introvert, unlike most mages. But he’s a good shot, and I kind of like him having my back. He’s definitely not a coward.”
“Interesting.”
I wondered what was interesting about what I’d said, and why she was interested in Mychal. I was also tempted to ask her if she knew what Courtney wanted, but decided not to. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. I took my leave of her and retraced my path through the servants’ stairs and out of the building.
About the time I reached my bike, my phone rang. It was Kirsten.
“There are two very large men here who say Osiris sent them.”
“I asked him to provide security for you. I’ll explain tonight.”
“But, what do I do with them?”
“Anything you want, except take their clothes off. After you give them a tour of the shop and the grounds, they’ll find places to hang out.”
“And when I close tonight?”
“Either they’ll accompany you home, or their replacements will.”
“Do I have to feed them?”
“Only if you want to, but I imagine they eat a lot.”
Chapter 29
When I reached the station, the first thing Novak did was hand me Johansson’s phone. I used a spell to unlock it and checked his messages. The last one was from Camille Cordero. I played it aloud.
“Martin! A couple of cops showed up at my office. What in the hell is going on?”
“Well, that pretty much implicates some of the people at her office,” I said. “Ask Whittaker to get a warrant and send in a team to turn the place upside down. I’m willing to bet Cordero wasn’t the only one making a little money on the side.”
I handed Novak the phone. “Check and see if there are more calls from that office or people who work there. Also anything between Johansson and Felspeth, and anything to or from Lucifer’s Lair.”
His face twisted into an expression of distaste. “The demon lord?”
“Yeah. Oh, and Fredo’s number, too.”
“I think we should just wiretap them all.”
“Ask Whittaker. I would be shocked if we don’t have a tap on Lucifer’s Lair already, and even more shocked if the demon uses a phone to conduct business. They’re technophobes, you know. We did have a tap on Fredo’s phones. You could check the recordings.”
“If the demon doesn’t use the phone, why…?”
“Because Johansson wasn’t a demon, and he was powerful enough to be disdainful even of a demon lord. He wouldn’t care about the demon’s sensibilities. Demons hire humans and vamps to take care of technology for them. Ashvial might have a human servant who answers the phone and puts it on speaker for him.”
Novak looked puzzled, but took the phone and wandered off.
That taken care of, I hopped on my cycle and headed to Kirsten’s shop to see about a charm.
I had only gone a block when a large SUV pulled out of a side street, tires screaming, and headed directly toward me. I goosed the throttle, and the bike leaped forward, but the SUV still caught my back tire. A normal motorcycle would have gone down, but the magitek gyroscopic stabilizer kept me upright. That still left the problem of not crashing into something.
By the time I got the bike under control and slowed to a stop, the SUV was gone. I dismounted to check the bike and found that the back rim was bent. Not a lot, but too much to ride. My legs were a little shaky, too. That ‘accident’ was a little too close for comfort. I took a deep breath and looked around. It didn’t seem as though anyone out on the street had noticed the incident. Someone wanted me dead. The question was, who? And why? I turned around and pushed the bike back to the police station, constantly looking over my shoulder for anyone else who might want to take a shot at me.
I parked the bike next to where my police-issue car was parked, pulled out a tool kit, and removed the bike’s rear wheel. I threw it in the trunk of the car, jumped in, and drove over to my friendly local motorcycle store. I left the wheel there and proceeded on to Kirsten’s.
When I entered the shop, a large man wearing a black leather jacket was sitting on a small couch near the door. He looked up from the magazine he was reading, nodded to me, and went back to his magazine. I recognized him as one of Osiris’s men.
Kirsten looked up from where she was helping a customer, saw it was me, and returned her attention to the customer. I wandered over to the guy on the couch and sat down.
“Someone just tried to kill me,” I muttered. “Tried to run over me on my bike.”
“I’ve heard that you inspire that kind of reaction,” he said in a low voice, not even raising his eyes from the article on the new fashion trends in bathing suits. “Was the bike hurt?”
“Bent the back rim.”
That got his attention, and he turned to me. “Shit. That’s a nice ride.”
“Thank you, I think. More worried about the bike than about me?”
“You’re not bleeding.”
“You really know the way to a girl’s heart. I’ll remember to commend your sympathetic attitude to Osiris.”
He grinned, showing an impressive number of teeth. “Thank you. I’m sure it will help on my next performance evaluation.”
“Dani.”
“Yeah, I know. Arnold, or Arnie if we get friendly.” Nice smile. He was large, as Kirsten had said. Well over six feet, and broad as the doorway. Dark hair and tanned skin, pretty brown eyes, and somewhat nice to look at. I decided my admonition to Kirsten hadn’t been out of line.
“Where’s your partner?”
“Out back, on the roof next to the greenhouse. Probably sleeping.”
“That doesn’t sound very professional.”
“He has an alarm spell set. No one’s going to get past him. I’ll go relieve him in another couple of hours. He’ll get upset if I have all the fun.”
Kirsten finished with her customer and wandered over to where we were sitting. I noticed that Arnold didn’t even pretend to be uninterested.
“You two know each other?” Kirsten asked.
“We do now,” I said. “I was just complimenting him on his professional demeanor.”
Her eyes darted back and forth between Arnold and me. “So, do we know what I’m being protected against?”
I turned to Arnold and raised an eyebrow.
“Nasty people who might want to hurt you, kidnap you, or damage your property,” he said. “You really should consider whether you’re associating with the right people. Nice girl like you, hanging out with a cop.”
Kirsten laughed. “Ah, what a dull life I could live if only I listened to my mother.”
“Speaking of your mother,” I said, “did you talk to her?”
“I did indeed. Come on back. Arnie, watch the store and call me if a customer comes in.”
We left Arnold to his magazine, and she led me to her workshop.
“This is the charm.” She held up a delicate golden heart on a chain. “It should block enthrallment and coercion.” I slipped the chain over my head and let the charm slide down between my breasts.
“And this, is the backup.” She held up a perfume spritzer. “Mom helped me with this, and I think it’s exactly what you need. It’s a combination of two different potions. One is designed to nullify a demon’s influence, and the other is a demon attractant. Mixing the two is a little tricky, but I got it right, and they merged properly the second time I tried.”
“An attractant and a nullifier?”
“Yeah. The nullifier cancels out any magik he tries to use on you. A null-magik spell, if you like. The attractant is like a pheromone, but it’s magik and acts a little differently. You will have problems with demons following you around when you use it, so I’d suggest only putting it on when you’re around Ashvial.”
“And if he’s a little too attracted? Even Arnold isn’t physically a match for Ashvial.”
She made a moue and glowered at me. “I checked, and I’m all out of have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too spells this week. You either want the demon attracted to you and not using his brain, or you don’t.”
“No antidote or way to cancel the spell?”
“A shower will work. It’s water soluble. Maybe if you get real sweaty, but by that time, it’ll probably be too late.”
“Don’t go there. Not using his brain?”
“It basically turns a demon into a high-school boy. All hormones and no brain. But it doesn’t enhance his aggressiveness.”
“You don’t need to enhance a demon’s aggressiveness.” And to my knowledge, none of the demon genders understood the concept of rape. Actually, the normal way they had sex was a lot like forceable rape.
She gave me a sly smile. “And I made this for you.” It was a heavy gold ring, free of decoration except for a single dimple on the surface. “It’s basically useless to anyone but a magitek, because it doesn’t have a physical activating mechanism,” she said. “If you do activate it, it will spray the small amount of demonbane inside. Range is about three feet. It won’t fend off a room full of demons, but it should discourage one. If you use it, you’ll have to bring it back so I can recharge it.”
I slipped it on my right ring finger, and it fit perfectly.
“You’re wonderful,” I said.
“Yes, I know. I’ve also had experience with men getting a little too excited.” She turned serious. “Dani, what’s going on?”
I stopped and thought about it. “Olivia and Osiris told me that there’s a lot of tension between the Families right now, and it seems I managed to stumble into the middle of it. Evidently someone thinks Johansson’s scandal can be controlled by taking me out.”
“Well, damn. You be careful, okay?”
As we walked back toward the front of the shop, I said, “You wouldn’t happen to have something like that attractant that works on human men, do you?”
“Pheromones, and you don’t need any. Your problems with men are all in your head.”
“The ones I want are never attracted to me.”
“As soon as a man is attracted to you, you panic and push them away. You make up some excuse as to why he isn’t suitable, and that’s the end of it.”
We had come within earshot of the front room, so I couldn’t argue with her anymore. What she’d said was so unfair, but we’d had the argument before, and she always had to be right.
“When are your shifts?” I asked Arnold.
“Tim and I will pick her up at your house in the mornings and escort her down here. Linda and Simone will be here in a couple of hours, and they’ll stay with her through the evening. Jorge and Linette will take over at night. We gave her a pager, and if anything goes wrong, it will send a signal to Osiris.”
“Let me see it,” I said, turning to Kirsten. She pulled it out of her pocket. It was a magitek device I had made, and it was impervious to electronic jamming. If it was broken, it would send that signal to Osiris with its last gasp.
“One of you ride a bike?” I asked. Kirsten owned a van through her business, but a motorcycle I had built was her personal ride.
“One of us on every shift,” Arnold replied. “Part of why we were picked. The other one is driving a Family car.” And I knew that car would be armored.
I nodded and turned to Kirsten. “I’ll see you at home. I think I’m going out tonight, but I’m not sure. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’ll come along if you want me to.”
I drew her into a hug. I wasn’t sure if I would let her go with me, considering the circumstances, but it felt good to know she always had my back.
Chapter 30
I drove back to the station to meet with Whittaker and Novak. I explained the spells Kirsten had whipped up for me, and we sought to devise a plan. Getting in to see Ashvial was only a first step, and I wasn’t sure what to do past the initial contact.
“I mean, what do I do? Ask him if he’s trafficking humans? Demons lie as much as lawyers. If I ask him what color the sky is, he might lie just to keep in practice.”
“Try an indirect approach,” Novak suggested. “Tell him you’re investigating Johansson’s death, and that we found records of business transactions between Johansson and him. Then ask if he knows anyone who might have a beef with Johansson.”
“Have either of you dealt extensively with demons?” I asked. “They are like lie detectors, especially one as strong as Ashvial. He’ll be able to hear my pulse, smell my sweat. And he doesn’t give a damn about our laws or societal norms. Killing me wouldn’t bother him at all. If you sent in a SWAT team to take over the place, he might just light it all on fire and stand there in the flames laughing at us.”
“Okay, what do you suggest?” Whittaker asked.
I slumped in my chair. “Hell, I don’t know. Ask him pretty-please to give Sarah Benning back and try to hold down the number of Family heads he kills?”
After another half an hour of fruitless discussion, Whittaker said, “Let’s try this. Go talk to him. Mychal, take some more men and wait outside for her. Cover all the exits. Danica, take the direct approach. Tell him that we’ve found connections between him and a ring trafficking humans. Don’t accuse him of being involved. Just tell him you’d appreciate any help he might provide in finding the Benning girl, and we would show that appreciation by turning our investigations in other directions. Got it?”
“Yeah.” It made sense. Although it irked me to give the demon a pass, we really couldn’t do much to him. We could imprison him if we managed to capture him, but it would only be an inconvenience to him. And God help us if he ever managed to break free. An execution would risk another war with his entire sept coming down on us. A demon lord wasn’t someone to trifle with.
I called Kirsten and told her I would be late and catch dinner before I went home. Novak and I gathered five mage cops who I knew wouldn’t be stupid enough to challenge a demon lord, and we all drove over to Lucifer’s Lair.
Magitek (The Rift Chronicles Book 1) Page 14
