by J. P. Rice
Octavius of the Tainted Blood flexed his fingers and I could tell he was fighting away the urge to attack me. He curled his fat fingers into a fist and shook it in front of his chest as he said gruffly, “Only one person will get the last laugh.”
Ignoring his threat, Titania and I stormed out of the house and jumped into my dinged-up Jeep Wrangler. At least the battered vehicle started right up. I stood up the spear in front of the passenger seat and nestled it against the center console.
Since the wolves had messed up my ride, I decided to return the favor. I turfed his front lawn, spitting a chunky stream of soggy soil against the front of his house.
“Get some of that, fooker,” I screamed out the window and honked the horn. I straightened out the Jeep, and we cruised down the winding driveway.
A minute later, we were out on the open road, Titania screaming in excitement and pumping her tiny fist. “Woo hoo. We are two bad bitches.”
I pulled out of the wolves’ driveway and worried that they would have someone follow me. Titania went into the back and kept watch while I drove. Ten minutes went by, and she hadn’t detected anything suspicious.
“Why don’t you come back up here,” I said and flicked on the interior light as we pulled onto a bridge.
As I held the wheel steady with my left hand, I grabbed the spear and took a good long look at it. It had all the right little markings that I remembered. We stopped at a red light on the bridge and I looked at it much closer.
I opened my window and hung my arm out. I shifted the three-foot spear in my hand and swung my arm over the hood, tossing it into the Allegheny River.
“Why’d you do that?” Titania asked, incredulous.
“It was a fake. A decent one, but it wasn’t real.” I closed my window, and the light turned green.
I’d just made the situation with Octavius a hundred times worse. For nothing. Add another faction to the list. I was feeling safer after my meeting with Zeus, but now I had to watch my back for wolves. It was like a game of Whack-a-mole, as soon as I hammered one problem into the ground, another sprouted out of nowhere.
Admittedly, I’d caused this problem because of my infatuation with the spear. It hadn’t just popped up out of nowhere. I felt it was my duty to return the artifact to Lugh.
Who sold Octavius the fake?
Dammit. I thought I had secured half of the spear and made the deal with Arawn null and void. But I was right back at square one.
I had valuable information about Arawn coming to Pittsburgh. But it was a big city, not to mention the surrounding areas. Visions of the destruction that Arawn and Maeve could achieve with the spear in their possession made my head spin.
The deal to reattach the spear was going down soon, and I needed to stop it. I knew what resource I had to check on.
Chapter 18
Owen greeted me at the door and whisked me inside his house and out of the cold. Dressed in his normal suit and tie, he led me into his living room and gestured for me to take a seat on the black leather couch.
“Would you like a drink?” he offered, playing the perfect host.
I was too excited about his intriguing phone call from earlier so I sat down without taking off my coat. “No. I want to see this footage that you’re talking about. Can you give me a hint what it’s about?”
He was acting strange and avoiding eye contact. He stared into his touch pad and said, “I believe it’s best if you watch it for yourself. I don’t think you’d believe me.”
My curiosity shot through the roof. Why was Owen being so coy about the Cat Cam footage? He also seemed nervous, which was strange for my dear old friend.
He tapped the touch screen a few times and an image appeared on the flat-screen TV hanging on the wall across from the couch. It was Tyr dressed in all black. I didn’t recognize the dark location, but it was certainly the God of War. Tyr’s name wasn’t on the list Owen and I had made up. My feline friend had apparently gone rogue.
“Where is this?” I wanted to know.
Owen answered, “This is the Stone Tree. It’s the bookstore he has a share in.”
Tyr walked up to a register and pressed a few buttons on the electronic keypad. The drawer popped open and Tyr swiped the cash from inside, stuffing it into his back pocket. He pulled out a cell phone and swiped the screen a few times.
He put the phone to his ear and began pacing. “Loki. It’s me. Just wanted to let you know that the plan is a full go. Arawn and Maeve will be here on Saturday. As soon as the deal is done, I’ll bring the briefcase to you. Unless you want to come here and get it.”
That lying piece of shit. He was playing me the entire time. The flames of rage fanned through my body and I slid out of my jacket to avoid overheating.
“Don’t worry, Loki. Everything’s taken care of. The only weird part is that Arawn asked me to bring my girlfriend to the deal. I’m guessing he wanted to make sure I wasn’t pulling a fast one. Little does he know I couldn’t care less if something happened to her.” He laughed, and the fact that he was showcasing his callousness fired me up even more.
Owen put his hand on the back on my neck and gently massaged my tense muscles. “I’m sorry a lovely creature such as yourself had to see that Loki’s hand is planted firmly inside Tyr’s anus.”
I gave him a weird look.
Owen’s eyes shifted from bright yellow to a soft orange. It was how he blushed. He stammered, “I didn’t mean to imply consensual sexual deviancy amongst two amorous adults. I merely meant Loki is the grand puppeteer, pulling the strings from afar.” He tugged on the collar of his white dress shirt and pointed to the TV.
Tyr spoke in an annoyed monotone, “I know you need that item to kill Odin. That’s why I made the deal for it. This whole thing would have been much easier if you hadn’t broken the spear in half.”
Tyr paused for a few moments and said, “I know it’s up to us to shake it up. You’re worried, Loki. I don’t like when my friend is like this.”
Tyr shook his head, moved the phone to his other ear and continued pacing. “I totally understand that you have a lot riding on this. So do I. I want to be back in the pantheon so bad I can taste it. Getting to kill Fenrir is just a bonus. Unless you are going back on your word.”
Tyr stopped for a moment. “But you won’t need Fenrir for Ragnarok because Odin will already be dead.”
He went back to pacing. “All right. Just relax. I won’t mention it again until we take care of Odin.”
Tyr rolled his eyes and shook his head. “No, Loki. Nobody is onto our plan.”
Tyr listened for about ten seconds and asked, “Who?”
He continued, “Oh, please. I’ve got Junipher wrapped around my little finger. She hasn’t a clue as to what is going on. All you need to do is relax. That would serve you best.”
That fooking jerk. I was going to kill him. I was going to stab his pretty face off with the dullest knife I could find. Or perhaps with a spork. No, I wanted to wrap my bare hands around his grubby throat and not let go until the Morrigan came to collect his soul. Then, I’d watch as her crows pecked at his eyes. “I think I’ve seen enough. And I’ll take you up on that drink offer too.”
Owen disappeared into the kitchen, and as I listened to glass bottles clanging together, I sat there in shock. I couldn’t believe someone I trusted the most in this world had betrayed me. Tyr was dead to me. In fact, I wanted to kill him myself.
Owen came back into the room with my Sazerac in his extended arm. I swiped it from him, spilling some from the overfilled glass. I downed about half of it and leaned back, lost on what to do.
“What should we do?” Owen asked, unintentionally taunting me.
All I could focus on was revenge on Tyr. “I don’t know yet. I’m so mad my thoughts will be tainted. I can’t believe that jerk.”
Owen reached behind me and scratched my back with his soothing claws. “Yes, well, I usually love being correct, but not at the expense of your feelings. At least no
w we know where the deal is going down and when. Tyr confirms the time and location later in that conversation.”
“The problem is Tyr will have a small army backing him and Arawn and Maeve will have the same. I can’t just crash the deal and steal both halves of the spear,” I said and chased the thought with a gulp of my drink.
“Perhaps you could follow Maeve and Arawn after they obtain the spear. If we caught them in a moment of vulnerability, we could strike then,” Owen suggested, his friendly touch moving to my lower back.
My drink wasn’t calming me down at all and I set the glass on the coffee table in front of me. “Not a bad idea. My worry is after they obtain the spear, they will ramp up security. I might need to go home and take a nap to clear my head before I figure this out.”
“I’m willing to help in any manner required,” my friend pledged.
“I know, that’s why I lo...” the word got caught in my throat. I’d never said that word to anyone other than my father since Darabond had disappeared. I wasn’t in love with Owen, but the word had come out almost naturally. “That’s why I love you,” I finished the sentence.
It felt like someone had lifted a huge weight from my shoulders. Owen’s Cheshire grin told me that he appreciated the words. I just hoped he wouldn’t take it the wrong way. After being burned by Tyr, I wasn’t trying to get close to any man.
Owen removed his hand from my back and I tucked my arms back into the sleeves of my jacket. He stood up and said, “Yes, well, I know you do. Most people would have left my body in that silo in Seattle. You risked your life to get me out of there. And after your stay in the Lair of Justice, no one would have blamed you if you had taken a portal straight back to Pittsburgh.”
Perhaps I wasn’t as terrible as everyone painted me. “You would have done it for me. Talking about that trip reminds me. I have some measurements for you on a very special job. I need you to put something together for our new friend.”
“I’m all ears,” he said with a grin.
Chapter 19
As I drove home, Zeus’s offer echoed inside my head. I could get enough muscle from him to crash the deal and steal the spear. Blunt force trauma was my specialty.
When I got home and cooled down, I realized that messy plan might not work. It sure would be fun, and at this point, it was my only option. I decided to watch a movie to clear my head. I grabbed the box of microwave popcorn from the cabinet and ripped it open.
My phone rang in my pocket. I threw the popcorn aside and plucked out my cell. In my angered state, I swiped the screen trying to answer the call, but it took me to my pictures for some reason. And, of course, it was the picture of Tyr’s girlfriend.
I went to press the delete button when an idea hit me. Hmmm. Arawn had instructed Tyr to bring his girl along for the deal. I could use her picture on my phone to shift and look exactly like her. I already had the annoying voice down too.
I grabbed a bag of popcorn out of the box, tossed it in the microwave and set the timer. How could I get rid of his girlfriend so that I could take her place and join him in attending the deal? I would need someone to detain her on the day of the deal.
The popcorn started popping, and it matched the kernels of thought blooming in my head. If I could shift into Luna, I had a few other resources at my disposal to upend the deal. A plan started to take shape in my head of how I could eventually return the spear to Lugh.
I would need some help from my friends. My true friends. Tyr’s betrayal caused me to question whom I could really count on. Jonathan was out, and so was Octavius. I had to go with the friends who’d never let me down before and hope for the best.
Using my thumb and forefinger, I pried open the skin on my wrist to expose the raven’s eye. I held my finger over the eye until the warmth caused it to turn bright red, sending the signal to the Morrigan.
I didn’t know when she would respond, so I grabbed my phone and dialed up Owen. He didn’t answer, so I left a brief message that I would need his assistance. My confidence grew by the nanosecond.
That left the third prong of my attack to set up. This would be the difficult part. I had to ask someone I didn’t trust completely for help. Not to mention I had been an asshole to him. I would have to swallow my pride and make the call.
Chapter 20
I opened my front door and let Mike Merlino in. The young man gave me a leery look as he entered, which I’d expected. I led him into the quaint kitchen comprised of a rectangular oak table with a few skylights above it, a silver stove, a fridge, a double sink and a hanging rack for pots and pans that I still needed to buy.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” I asked.
“Is it poisoned? I’d really like to know why you want to work together suddenly. But I’m game for a cup of joe, sans the poison,” he said, looking around my kitchen.
I grabbed a mug out of the cabinet. “After some detective work, I’ve figured out what is going on with Lugh’s Spear.”
“Then, of course, I’m willing to help.” He leaned back against my sink.
I poured some coffee into the mug with an image of Mjölnir on it and handed it to Mike. I pointed and said, “Spoons are in that drawer and sugar is on the counter. Do you need any cream?”
“Nope. Black as night is good with me. So what’s the deal?” he asked, extracting a spoon from the drawer and going for the sugar.
“Basically, we need to kidnap somebody so I can shift and look like her to disrupt the deal for the spear.” As the words spilled out of my mouth, the brazenness of the plan really took permanent shape. It had sounded much more innocent in my head.
Mike set his cup on the counter and rinsed his spoon. He picked up the washcloth and said, “Kidnapping a woman, huh? What kind of guy do you think I am?”
“It is for the greater good,” I pleaded, hoping to appeal to his honorable side.
“Do you have any dish soap?”
“It’s under the sink. What do you need dish soap for?” I wanted to know.
“I wanted to wash my spoon and set it on your drying rack,” he said, grabbing the cabinet door.
His casual approach was driving me crazy. I wanted an answer now. “Just rinse it and put it over there. I really need you on this. I’ll help you take her away and you’ll really just be storing her for a few hours until we release her again. I wouldn’t even call it a kidnapping, really.”
He smirked from behind the coffee mug and blew on the hot liquid. “Storing a body doesn’t sound much better. You can dance around it all you want. It’s still a kidnapping.”
I didn’t need a lecture from Peach Fuzz. “Well, if you aren’t willing to help, chug the rest of your coffee and don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.”
He took a sip of the black gold and smiled. “Relax for a sweet second. If you want me to help, you better start getting much more specific than you have been. I need to make sure my life isn’t being put in danger by this plan. I’m not letting you toss me a ticking time bomb.”
“Why don’t we sit down?” I offered, gesturing to my stained oak table.
Over a couple of cups of coffee, I told Mike my entire plan. Normally, I’d hold out some details, but I couldn’t chance this wizard turning me down. So I spilled the whole can of beans.
After I finished my spiel, he stared at me blankly. I couldn’t gauge his reaction, so I asked, “What do you think?”
He tossed his head from side to side in indecision. “Sounds like a solid plan. It’s nice to have friends that you can use in a situation like that. You probably know this, but you should run through the entire plan in your head. Then assume at every turn things will go wrong. You should have about thirty thousand backup contingencies ready to go too.”
“Don’t worry. I’m pretty quick on my toes. What did you think of the napping plan?” I was trying to make it sound less sinister, but couldn’t tell if it was working.
Mike leaned forward, set his elbows on the table and steepled his f
ingers in front of his mouth. “If you are positive she will be there, and you help me get her to my house, I think I can do you a solid.”
“Oh, what, you’ve never abducted a woman before,” I joked, and he shrugged his shoulders and turned away shyly.
Still staring at my stove on his right, he scratched his neck. “Funny you mention that. It’s kind of how I met my girl. Not my proudest moment, and I’m sure this won’t be a crowning achievement either, but I’ll help you so that you can get Lugh’s Spear back to its rightful owner.”
My chest heaved in and out in relief. “Thank you. I’ll make sure the Gods know you were involved in this.”
He waved an open hand in front of his chest. “Stop right there. I’d rather you didn’t tell them about my involvement with this plan. It doesn’t really cast me in the best light.”
I pantomimed that I was locking my lips and throwing away the key. “Then my lips shall remain sealed. When I talk about that part, your name will not be revealed. I’ll make up something, don’t worry.”
He lifted his right eyebrow inquisitively. “Are you sure it’s the real thing?”
For the first time, I questioned it. I hadn’t seen either half of the spear. I could feel its presence when I was standing outside Arawn’s office in Seattle, but I’d never seen Tyr’s half of the spear. Could it be another fake like the one at Octavius’s house?
“Don’t worry, I’m sure it is real,” I lied to him.
With the plan set, now it was time to execute it. First up, kidnapping Luna. Then onward to the deal. I had a few friends helping me, but I was going into the storm alone. I just needed to visit one more person before putting everything into motion.