by Martha Carr
“Will do.”
Something or someone meowed.
Shay laughed. “Is that a cat or a girl? I can’t tell.”
“Um, gotta go. I’ll let you know about your symbols.” Peyton hung up.
Shay stared at her phone and shook her head. She could worry about what he was hiding later. It was probably more embarrassing than dangerous.
She’d find out soon enough. There was no way she was staying in Mexico for another day after that fucked-up encounter.
9
Shay ran up and down the new stairs she’d added to her obstacle course in Warehouse One, her breathing heavy. There was nothing that killed her jetlag quicker than a good workout. Lily was moving steadily just behind her, easily keeping up. Her movements were getting smoother, and she was less impetuous.
Shay was thinking her newest asset would be ready sooner, rather than later. But start out with something simple, if that even existed. The last job was supposed to be simple and it was anything but…
Shay still had no idea what she’d fought in Mexico, but she doubted it was just an elf. She wasn’t an expert on demons, but that was the obvious explanation.
Guess I should have called in a priest.
Lily let out a loud grunt and worked her way up the jumping bars. Shay was busy nimbly leaping onto a series of moving, narrow platforms, suspended from guide wires that could swing at the slightest touch. It was taking concentration and quick movements to make it through to the last one and grab onto the sliding pipe.
Lily made it to the top and grabbed onto the Tarzan rope, letting out a yell as she swung across a swath of the warehouse and came to land on a mat.
The tomb raider continued through the rest of the obstacle course, making it to her metal balance beam as she considered the implications of priests fighting demons.
The return of magic was making so many things confusing. Even if people on Earth had made a lot of incorrect assumptions about supernatural beings, it was hard to deny that the people in the past had been onto something. If demons were real, it wasn’t that crazy a thought that priests might use magic to deal with them.
Shay took a deep breath as she continued moving through the course to her new final obstacle. Changing things up helped keep her skills fresh, and she’d added it at the same time she’d added the stairs.
She jumped for a suspended bar and swung back and forth a few times to build momentum before leaping over to catch the edge of a wall. After pulling herself up, she climbed down the rope hanging on the other side.
The tomb raider chuckled. The stone still bothered her. She had no idea what it was, which meant she couldn’t even think about using or selling it, but it wasn’t like she could spend much time digging into it.
Mysteries with no clients didn’t pay. That shit could wait. “Come on, Lily, let’s go get pizza.”
Shay stepped out of her Spider into Warehouse Two, frowning. Almost all the cubicle walls that defined Peyton’s makeshift apartment were gone, which somehow made the entire room feel emptier. Lily came around and stood next to her, looking at the empty space.
“Was it something I said?”
It bothered her, and she wasn’t sure why. Peyton deserved his own place, even if she thought it was a horrible security risk. He needed to start having some semblance of a normal life again.
“Peyton?” she called.
He didn’t answer.
Shay went into the office and sat down at his computer to check what he’d been working on. The security system beeped, and one of the loading bay doors rose.
The lack of blaring alarms told her Peyton was arriving—or he might have been tortured into giving up the codes.
She pulled out her 9mm and stepped out of the office, hoping she wouldn’t have to kill anyone in here and be forced to abandon the building. “You hang back,” she said as Lily grabbed a tennis racket left behind by Peyton.
One of her black vans pulled in, Peyton at the wheel.
The researcher waited until the bay door closed and hurried out of the vehicle.
“Sorry I’m late.”
Shay eyed him. “Traffic that bad?”
“I’d like to say, ‘Hey, that’s LA for you,’ but not so much. It’s just that I’m on my fifth route to get here. Can’t make a beeline every day. Too much of a pattern, right? Security first.”
The tomb raider gave him an approving nod. Security was a mindset as much as it was a system or set of policies. That didn’t change the underlying problem, though.
“You’re gonna wear yourself out,” Shay observed. “Still think the apartment is worth it?”
Peyton laughed. “Says the woman who has her own place, but yeah, I do think it’s worth it. It makes me feel like an actual person rather than some weird hermit you keep in this warehouse. No offense, Lily. It’s like an initiation into Team Shay.”
“None, taken,” she said, holding up the tennis racket.
“I’ve got something to ask you, and I want you to be honest,” said Shay.
Peyton’s face tightened, and his gaze dropped.
Shay snickered and realized she still had her gun out. She holstered it. “Just being careful, but it’s nothing bad. I want to know what’s up with the meowing I keep hearing when I call you.”
He shrugged, a nervous look on his face. “I’ve got a cat. It’s not a big deal.”
“You’ve got a cat?”
“Yeah, Osiris. He was a stray, but now he’s mine. He’s a cat. It’s not like he can sell me out to my brother.”
“Maybe, but you never know anymore.”
Peyton rolled his eyes. “He’s just a cat, Shay, not some Oriceran or shape-changing magic user.”
“You needed an apartment so you could have a pet?”
Peyton shook his head. “No, I’ve brought him by here. Lily’s met him. Like I said, I want my own place. I’ve been decorating, and…” He sighed. “Besides, what if I meet someone? Where was I was supposed to bring them, here?”
“Meet someone?” Shay kept her face neutral even though she knew exactly what the man was getting at. Of all her sins, needling Peyton was minor.
“You know…a girl.”
Shay opened her mouth to probe deeper when a harsh alarm sounded from the office computer.
“What the hell is that?”
Peyton rushed toward the office. “Perfect! It’s here.”
“Here?”
“Yeah, my delivery.”
Shay’s hand drifted back toward her holster. “What the fuck is here? Who the fuck did you give this address to?”
“Does gun wielding happen a lot around here because if it does I need to get better prepared,” said Lily.
“Your weapons work is your weakest area,” said Peyton.
“Said the guy whose hand shakes when he holds one.”
Shay gritted her teeth. She’d gone from being sorry the place was empty to ready to take down Peyton.
He shrugged. “Relax, it’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal? How the fuck is it not a big deal?”
“It’s Purity Solutions.”
Shay blinked, now more confused than angry. “Huh?” She shook her head. “As in the cleaners and movers?”
Peyton grinned and bobbed his head. “Yep. Once you confirmed they were the real deal, I figured I could use them. I mean, after all, they come, they go, and they forget they were ever here. And they deliver.” He tapped on his computer, and the loading bay opened. The world’s most nondescript gray van pulled inside.
The tinted windows denied her a view of the drivers, and it took Shay some effort to keep her attention on the vehicle.
Magic, huh?
Shay sighed, still unsure if this was a good idea, let alone not a horrible one. “What are they delivering?”
“A pizza oven. The real thing.”
“Oh, sweet! Let me see,” said Lily.
Shay groaned. “I told you before. There’s a lot more to pizza than just
having a pizza oven.”
Two men in blue uniforms and short-brimmed hats stepped out of the vehicle and threw open the back. They extended a ramp.
“I don’t care if its Purity,” Shay bitched. “This is still stupid.”
The men ignored their argument as they rolled a dolly with a large stone oven off the van.
Peyton whistled. “You guys really do it all.”
They set the oven down near the wall, then returned to the van to grab boxes filled with tools and other supplies. Lily was already opening one of the boxes.
Shay took several deep breaths. Part of her wanted to point her gun straight at Peyton’s head, but he was right about Purity. If there was one company on the planet that could be trusted with the location of her warehouse, even temporarily, it was them. It wasn’t like they didn’t already know where she lived.
She waited for the men to finish their delivery and pull out of the warehouse before returning her baleful gaze to Peyton.
“We need to have another talk about security, Peyton.”
Peyton held up a finger. “Hold that thought.”
“Hold that thought? What the fuck?”
“Got an alert on my way here. I meant to mention it. Another quick job. Not any sort of ancient underwater crap or evil haunted Walmart. Just go to a place, sneak in, steal something, and sneak out. It’s a one-day thing.”
Shay could slap him around about security later. “What? Is this more boner magic?”
Peyton snorted. “Nope. Rich guy wants you to fly into Antarctica to grab some seeds from the seed vault.”
“Wait, I thought the big seed vault was in Norway?” asked Lily.
“You’ve been using my computer again when I’m not here. Talk about that later.” The researcher shook his head. “That’s the more famous and public one. This one is more low-key, probably because they built it on top of a place where certain groups have been storing magic plants for centuries—long before the truth of Oriceran came out. It used to be completely secret, but word got out and now they just try and keep tourists away. The facilities are top-notch, so it’s become another global seed vault even for non-magical stuff. They’ve also got a secret vault there for high-value seeds, and our client wants some specific ones.”
“Let me guess—are they magic beans?”
Peyton nodded. “Well, yeah.”
“It’s funny how some people in the past had a clue about magic, even as they were keeping things away from the rest of us.”
“Isn’t that always the way?”
“Because humans handle the idea of magic so well,” piped Lily.
“Worthy point. Tell me what they do. The beans? Grow a beanstalk that stretches to the sky?”
“Very funny.” Peyton shrugged. “He refused to get into too much detail, but he did warn that if you got them too warm you’d find out, and you’d also lose the rest of your payment. He offered some cryptic comment about pod people. I don’t know.”
Shay scratched her cheek. “Is this a job we should take?”
She surprised herself with the question.
Peyton blew out a breath. “I don’t know, but it’s a very nice payday for a small amount of work. The client’s already arranged a cover for you and access codes, and I’ve verified them. I mean, it’s not as easy as carrying around a suitcase of boner powder, but it pays a hell of a lot more. He’s also got a little artifact to beat some of the magical security that he’ll loan you.”
“And there are no strange evil magical penguins waiting for me down there or some shit like that?”
“Nope. Like I said, it’s not even a secret place anymore, not in the way it used to be. You’d be traveling down with a group of scientists who are doing research. People won’t have any reason to suspect you. Given the place’s history, a lot of people still run experiments—both magical and otherwise—that they don’t want to talk about.”
“You’re saying I can tell people to mind their own damned business and they will?”
“Yeah, basically.”
Shay shrugged. “I could hide a lot of weapons in a parka.”
“You won’t even need any. That’s how well set up this job is.”
“Just when I think I don’t need any guns or knives, some asshole shows up with a machine gun and takes me down.”
Peyton laughed. “Just saying, but that doesn’t change the fact that I already set up all your equipment in Warehouse Three. That was the other reason I was late.” He pointed at himself and smiled. “See? Efficient. I know what I’m doing.”
“Fuck it, at least this way I can say I’ve traveled to every continent.”
“Take me with you. Peyton’s already said this one’s easy. It’s in the middle of bumfuck nowhere and it’s icy. As in cold as a witch’s… Just in case, take me with you.”
She hesitated for a moment. Why the hell not? She was going to have to field test Lily eventually if this experiment was going to get any traction. Hell, would Brownstone take a teenager out in the field? No, probably not but Shay was going to give it a try. Different ideas of parenting.
“Get the gear you’ve been practicing packing. Give her an ear piece, Peyton. When I get back, there’s something I want to show you.” Shay pointed at Peyton
“What?
Shay took a deep breath. “Another warehouse.”
“You mean there’s another one?” Peyton’s eyes became saucers, like a kid learning Santa was real.
“You’ll see, and I think you’ll be pretty damn surprised.” Shay winked.
10
Shay and Lily kept to themselves as the large truck carrying the scientists made its way through the icy wasteland. Shay’s transport was at the head of a convoy of three carrying scientists and supplies. A few of the others had tried to talk to them on the plane from Argentina, but Shay staring at them in silence made them shut up. Now they didn’t bother trying.
She wasn’t worried. It wasn’t like anyone expected her or Lily to be chatty, since her cover was a botanist specializing in tropical plants who had been “forced” to go to Antarctica along with a junior assistant. One of Lily’s better talents was staring sullenly at strangers.
It was amazing how a few background details could make things less awkward.
The tomb raider admired Peyton’s thoroughness in establishing her cover identity in such a short time. The client’s information had helped, but the researcher’s aid shortened the job from days of prep to simple execution. Annoying deliveries aside, Peyton had proven more useful than she ever could have guessed when she’d decided to save him from the hit.
He’d been a good investment. Hopefully, Lily would turn out to be the same.
Hell, he was even turning into something approaching a good friend.
Shay stared out the window. The endless ice and snow unsettled her. This wasn’t a place she’d want to spend a lot of time, but fortunately, they wouldn’t need to.
The pilot would be refueling and inspecting his plane, with a planned take-off in about six hours. He expected and was prepared to take a few outgoing staff and deliveries when he departed. All Shay and Lily needed to do after recovering the beans was make it to the plane with a bullshit explanation about how her junior assistant left behind some critical equipment. Once they got back to Argentina, they could take a supersonic flight back to LA with ease.
An easy job, just like the magical Viagra. Shay grinned to herself.
Thirty minutes passed before they arrived at the cluster of low and rugged buildings comprising the World Seed Repository complex. The other scientists chatted among themselves as a huge metal door lifted. The convoy pulled into a garage filled with trucks, both wheeled and tracked, along with several snowmobiles.
The driver cleared his throat. “Welcome to the World Seed Repository. You’ll have to badge in one by one. Sorry, that’s the policy. The alarm goes off otherwise, and it’s a big headache for everyone involved,” he muttered under his breath. “You can leave your thi
ngs here for now.”
Everyone opened their doors and filed out of the vehicle. Shay waited until everyone else had gathered their things to step out and collect her backpack, nodding to Lily to follow her as Lily slipped on her own backpack.
The driver shook his head. “You don’t need to get that, Doctor.”
“I don’t go anywhere without my instruments.” Shay slipped the backpack over her shoulders.
Shay held her breath and fished out her fake badge. If Peyton or her client had screwed up, things might get messy. She didn’t plan to gun down a building full of scientists, but she was also in the middle of Antarctica. Escape might prove logistically more difficult than she was used to. She looked back at Lily to see if she was getting any divination, but the teenager shook her head. Nothing.
Yeah. Maybe I should be careful about taking jobs to the middle of nowhere?
She lifted the badge to the security pad…and the light turned green.
Huh. That was easier than I thought.
A maze of dull gray hallways confronted them on the other side of the door. She’d memorized their path, but could always grab the downloaded map off her phone if needed. Ten minutes of walking brought them to an elevator.
Shay tapped in the code for the Class-D magic vault and swiped her badge over the security pad. Lily stood with her back to her, keeping watch for anyone who might have gotten an idea to follow them.
The elevator chimed and rumbled down.
The job was so easy she felt like she should be whistling or humming. The elevator chimed again, and the doors opened into a darkened corridor lined with doors. They made their way halfway down to Vault 67-D.
A gray metal door blocked the entrance. A small computer screen sat to the side, and there was a keypad above the silver and black plaque identifying the door.
After Shay tapped in the code, the door buzzed and the bolt retracted. She spun the heavy metal wheel and pulled open the door. Metal shelves extended back about twenty feet, each holding black boxes with lids.