Defying the Relic Hunter (Coletti Warlord Series Book 11)

by Gail Koger

  The General appeared next to us. “Easy. You’re archeologists working this registered find. The Bjarke warriors attacked you, you defended yourselves and what dead guy?”

  I did a doubletake. Huh? The dead guy was gone.

  The police cars skidded to a stop outside the parking lot and the officers deployed.

  This could get very messy. “I think they need a nap, don’t you Granny?”

  “They do seem agitated.” A thick cloud of glittering white fog engulfed them and when it cleared all the cops were down.

  Totally impressed, the General asked, “Can you teach Kizzy that?”

  “No, I cannot.” Granny stated and vanished.

  Quinn looked around. “Where did she go?”

  “Probably checking for any disturbances on the esoteric plane,” I replied.

  Xenia eyed the cops. “Anyone else curious why the SWAT team was paying us a visit?”

  “Let’s find out.” Poof! The General appeared next to the Sheriff. He knelt down and placed his hand on the cop’s head.

  Ethan linked with me and to my amazement, I was riding along as the General sorted through the cop’s mind. Whoa! Someone claiming to be General Jones had contacted the Sheriff. The imposter stated we were Earth First terrorists who had already released a hallucinogenic gas on Kanab. His orders were to stop us before we could unleash the gas again.

  I was both fascinated and creeped out by the Coletti interrogation techniques.

  “Someone very powerful is behind this,” Xenia said.

  “Or someone too stupid to live,” I interjected. “I mean, who willingly takes on Qa’a, General Jones and Zarek?”

  “Kizzy has a valid point,” Quinn agreed.

  “Does the Bjarke mercenary guild even know how many warriors they’ve lost?” Ethan asked.

  Something dark and predatory moved in the General’s eyes. “Let’s find out.” The guys teleported away.

  “How long did it take you to learn to teleport?”

  Xenia scrunched up her nose. “About a week, but Quinn insisted on linking with me until he was certain I wouldn’t end up in a wall.”

  “I can’t wait until I can teleport everywhere. I want some chocolate. Poof! I’m at Cerreta’s candy shop. If I’m in the mood for a taco. Presto! I’m at Hilberto’s. Ethan pisses me off, I pull a Houdini.”

  Xenia laughed. “It does come in handy.”

  “You betcha it will.” I surveyed the unconscious cops. “What are we going to do with the Sheriff and his men?”

  Xenia picked up a modified laser rifle. “They’ll probably mind wipe them and send them home.”

  “Who’s doing the mind wipes?”

  A sleek black shuttle landed in the parking lot. The ramp lowered and two deadly looking Coletti warriors walked out.

  “They are,” Xenia answered and waved at them. “The bigger warrior is Wulf. He’s mated to Yakira, another Jones. The other one is Lothel and he’s mated to Ziyad.”

  Both studied me for a long moment like I was an interesting, but odd specimen.

  I took an instinctive step back. “Remind me to never piss them off.”

  Xenia snorted. “Pissing off any Coletti is never a good idea.”

  “True.”

  The General, Quinn and Ethan appeared next to the warriors.

  Who was this mysterious mastermind and what was he or it after? I knew one way or another, all our questions will soon be answered.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The shuttle took us back to Central Command’s Phoenix base. The General confiscated the jade snake and snapped, “War room. Ten minutes.”

  Ethan and Quinn gave him the fist-on-chest salute.

  The General teleported away.

  “Do I have time to go to the restroom before the meeting?”

  Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. “Females aren’t allowed to attend a war council.”

  “What?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t you need my input on the things that go bump in the night?”

  “It’s not necessary,” Quinn inserted.

  “Really? You’re now experts on the subject?”

  Xenia grabbed my arm. “Forget it. Us lowly females aren’t permitted to have an opinion.”

  “Gee and I guess they don’t want my help with the angry ghosts either.”

  Ethan totally ignored my comment. “This meeting will take a couple of hours. Why don’t you and Xenia go to the mess hall. They are serving enchiladas today.”

  “Gosh, I’m all atwitter.”

  Ethan let out a long breath. “I don’t make the rules.”

  “Nor do you try to change them,” I countered.

  “Uncle Saul’s working on it, ok?”

  “Whatever.”

  Xenia hooked her arm with mine. “Let’s go. Let them plan their battle strategy without us. They will regret it later.”

  “Don’t leave the base,” Quinn ordered.

  I gave him the one-finger salute.

  “Enough Kizzy,” Ethan admonished.

  I saluted him too.

  We stormed out the door and marched down the hallway.

  “Their stupid rules make me so angry,” Xenia snarled. “I’m as much as a warrior as they are.”

  “Yes, you are. We are woman. Hear us roar!”

  Xenia broke into her funky chicken dance. “No one’s going to keep us down.”

  “We are strong.”

  Xenia pranced around two startled soldiers. “We are invincible.”

  “We are women,” we shouted in unison and walked into the mess hall.

  People gawked at us.

  I let out an ill-tempered growl. “What are you staring at?”

  “Haven’t you heard a female sing before,” Xenia added, her eyes glowing brightly.

  The cafeteria rapidly emptied out.

  “Wusses.” I took one look at the poor excuse for Mexican food and shook my head. “I’m not eating that.”

  “It looks like someone hurled,” Xenia said.

  “Exactly.” I checked my bracelet. “There’s a Hilberto’s 2.1 miles away.”

  Xenia looped an arm around me and poof! We appeared in Hilberto’s.

  This shop was painted a glow-in-the-dark red. The interior walls were covered with awful velvet paintings of dogs playing pool, weird looking space creatures and Elvis. The Mariachi music was the same.

  Xenia examined the menu and told the elderly Hispanic cashier, “I’ll take the taco special with a beer, please.”

  He rang it up. “Eleven credits.”

  Xenia swiped her bracelet.

  He handed her a bowl of chips and turned his attention to me. “Have you decided yet?”

  “I want the green chili enchiladas with a side of beans and a large iced-tea,” I said.

  The cashier typed my order into an old computer. “That comes to nine credits.”

  I swiped my bracelet across the scanner. “Thanks.” I took the bowl of chips he held out and headed for the table Xenia had claimed.

  “You were told to stay on the base,” Ethan sniped in my head.

  “And people in Hell want ice water, but we don’t always get what we want.”

  “Kizzy,” Ethan growled.

  I growled back, “Ethan.”

  “After you eat, you’re to return to the base immediately.”

  “Whatever.”

  “You and I are going to have a long talk about the rules.”

  “Rules are made to be broken,” I retorted.

  “Kizzy.”

  “Ethan.” Grinning, I sat down next to Xenia. Ethan’s aggravation was growing by leaps and bounds.

  “At the first sign of trouble have Xenia teleport you back to the base.”

  “Gee, I would have never thought of that.” The waiter placed our food on the table.

  “Kizzy,” he chided.

  “Don’t you have a battle to plan, Ethan? I don’t want to interfere with all your manly pursuits.”

  With a snarl,
Ethan broke our link.

  Xenia rolled her eyes. “Males.”

  “All that testosterone corrodes their tiny, little brains.”

  “Isn’t that the truth,” Xenia agreed, adding hot sauce to her tacos.

  No breakfast or lunch made me a very hungry girl. I practically inhaled my food. If I kept missing meals, I might even lose some weight. Yeah, who was I kidding. I examined the menu. Hmmm. Did I go with my favorite fried ice cream or try the sopaipillas or the churros?

  “Holy Goddess!” Xenia vanished.

  I glanced out the front window. Xenia appeared in the middle of the busy street, grabbed a small girl in a princess dress and teleported away. Its brakes squalling, a semi-truck skidded to a stop. My heart pounded in my chest. “Holy Mary Mother of God, another twenty seconds and they would have been roadkill.”

  Holding the little girl tightly to her chest, Xenia reappeared in the restaurant and took a shuddering breath.

  “That was too damned close,” I cried.

  “I know.” Xenia sat the little girl on a table. “Are you hurt?”

  The little girl shook her head.

  I stared at her in astonishment. “Ella?”

  Ella’s head snapped up. “Kizzy!” She hurled herself at me. “Kizzy.”

  I staggered back a step and wrapped my arms around her. “Where’s your daddy?”

  “He lost.”

  “Don’t worry sweetie, we’ll find him.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.” I crossed my heart. “Are you hungry?”

  A big smile lit up Ella’s face. “Me want fried ice cream. Please.”

  “Chocolate sauce or raspberry?”

  Ella giggled. “Chocolate! Lots of chocolate.”

  “A girl after my own heart,” Xenia said and headed for the cashier.

  “Where was the last place you saw your daddy?”

  “At the store.”

  “Which store?”

  Ella shrugged. “You come me birthday party? Me five.” She held up four fingers.

  “Five? Wow. Where’s your daddy holding the party?”

  “At the park.”

  “Which park?”

  Ella clapped her hands. “It got birdies!”

  Well, that didn’t help. A lot of parks had birds.

  Xenia place the fried ice cream on the table and sat Ella in a chair. “I got you extra chocolate sauce.”

  Ella gave her a gap tooth smile and dug in.

  Xenia linked with me. “Who’s her father?”

  “Dixon Deeter, the head of a local biker gang.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “How did you meet him?”

  “Ella had been kidnapped. I rescued her and to show his gratitude Dixon made me a member of his gang.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Oh yeah. I even got a gang tattoo.”

  “That I’ve got to see.”

  I flashed her a mental picture of the tattoo.

  Xenia burst out laughing. “You have a screaming skull on your hip?”

  “I do.”

  “What did Ethan say about it?”

  “Nothing.”

  There a short, disbelieving silence, then Xenia cried, “Nothing?”

  “My uncle had plenty to say about it, but Ethan? Not a word.”

  “Maybe he didn’t notice it,” Xenia said.

  “Aw, c’mon. It’s huge.”

  “It must be the mating fog.”

  I parroted incredulously, “Mating fog? What the hell is mating fog?”

  “It’s when a warrior catches his mate and all he has on his mind is sex. Lots and lots of sex.”

  “And all those raging hormones shorted out his good sense,” I added indignantly.

  “Exactly.”

  “You find my daddy?”

  My eyes widened in horror. Ella had chocolate smeared everywhere. “Let’s get you cleaned up and then we’ll go look for him, ok?”

  “Kay.”

  I escorted Ella into the restroom and washed the chocolate off her face, hands and princess dress. “Good as new.”

  She hopped up and down. “Need pee-pee.”

  “Of course, you do.” I opened a stall door and helped her on the toilet. She promptly fell off. Crap. I plopped her back on the seat and this time kept a firm grip on her. “Go pee-pee.”

  Ella was suddenly fascinated by the toilet paper and started unrolling it.

  “No! Stop that.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes. “Wanna go home.”

  “First we have to find your daddy.”

  “A large number of bikers just pulled up,” Xenia advised.

  “Do they have screaming skulls on their jackets?”

  “They do.”

  “I’ll be right out.” I handed Ella a wad of toilet paper. “Wipe. Your daddy’s here.”

  “Daddy!” She bolted off the toilet.

  I managed to grab her. “Wait! You have to wash your hands.”

  “Daddy!” Ella shrieked. “I want my daddy.”

  “A big dude with a shaved head and tattoos is heading your way,” Xenia warned. “Want me to take him out?”

  “No. I’ll deal with him.” I tussled with Ella, managed to pull her panties up and stick her hands under the faucet.

  “I want my daddy.”

  The door banged open and Dixon charged in.

  “Whoa! Ella’s fine, but you need to watch her better. She almost got run over by a semi-truck.”

  The anger drained from Dixon’s hard face.

  Ella held out her arms. “Daddy.”

  Dixon scooped her up. “You ok?”

  “I got losted. Xenia gave me a ride and chocolate.”

  His cold gaze fixed on me. “The silver-haired elf out front is Xenia?”

  “She is.”

  “They come to party?”

  “Sure Princess.” Dixon kissed Ella’s head.

  “Thanks for the invite, but we really need to get back to the base,” I said.

  Dixon eyed my ownership band. “You didn’t have my permission to get hitched.”

  “I’m an adult. I don’t need your permission and it’s a done deal.”

  “I put my mark on you before the Coletti did.”

  I threw my hands up in disgust. Testosterone was the bane of the universe. “And?”

  Dixon’s face hardened. “You’re still a member of my club.”

  “I never asked to be a member.”

  “You saved Ella’s life.”

  “A simple thank you would have been sufficient,” I replied.

  Dixon grumbled an obscenity. “Please come to Ella’s party. It means a lot to her.”

  “Pleese,” Ella begged.

  “Ok, fine, we’ll come for a bit, but don’t be surprised if some angry Coletti warriors show up.”

  A lazy smile played at Dixon’s mouth. “We can handle them.”

  “I said, don’t touch me,” Xenia yelled.

  Glass shattered.

  I ran into the dining room. Through the broken front window, I watched a biker built like a tank pick himself off the sidewalk. Three scowling men were closing in on Xenia. “Y’all got a death wish? Back off. She’s a Berserker and her mate’s even worse.”

  “Enough! The Elf’s a friend of the club,” Dixon barked.

  “Sorry boss,” the older biker said.

  I pointed at the window. “And you’re paying for that mister.”

  “Baxter will,” Dixon agreed.

  Xenia held out her hand. “It’s time for us to leave.”

  “I sorta promised we would attend Ella’s birthday party.”

  “Have you lost your mind?” Xenia squawked.

  “Probably.”

  “Pleese Xenia,” Ella begged with big, sad eyes.

  “I would be honored to attend your birthday party,” Xenia said. “Our males are not going to be happy.”

  I grinned at her. “I know.”

  “Kizzy can ride with me and the Elf with Baxter,” Dixon a
nnounced.

  I held up my hand. “Not a good idea. We can transport ourselves, just tell me which park the party is being held at.”

  “Encanto Park,” Dixon said.

  “We’ll meet you there.”

  “Don’t disappoint the kid.”

  I smiled, showing a lot of teeth. “Wouldn’t think of it and tell Baxter to get his ass in here and pay for that window.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Dixon walked out and said something to Baxter.

  The unhappy biker gave us the one-fingered salute.

  I waved back all friendly like. He wanted to fight I’d introduce him to Granny.

  Totally unconcerned, Xenia checked her bracelet. “There’s a toy store close by.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Encanto Park is a beautiful oasis in the middle of downtown Phoenix; complete with a tranquil lagoon and an amusement park for children. On the Enchanted Island kids can ride the carousel, a train or take paddle boats out on the water.

  Dixon and his gang had taken over the island. Most sensible folks kept their distance. I spotted Ella and six other children on the miniature train as it circled the island.

  We placed our presents on a table covered in gaily wrapped packages and grabbed a beer out of a cooler. “We’ll probably have to stay until Ella opens her presents.”

  Xenia grimaced. “Or until Baxter provokes another fight.”

  “And we both know he will.”

  “Testosterone should be outlawed,” Xenia commented.

  “Ain’t that the truth.”

  “What are you doing at Encanto Park?” Ethan suddenly growled in my head.

  “We’re attending a birthday party?”

  Ethan shot back, “Whose?”

  “Ella Dixon.”

  “The little girl you rescued from the pervert?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “Is her father there?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes.”

  Poof! Ethan appeared in front of me. “Have you lost your mind? The Bjarke are actively hunting you.”

  “I doubt they’ll look for us here.”

  “You don’t know that,” Ethan snapped.

  Dixon ambled over to us. “Is there a problem?”

  “No, he’s always this cranky,” I replied.

  Ethan’s eyes went flat. “Stay out of this, Dixon. It’s none of your business.”