Before he could do anything, I took my own jerked step forward. “You’re going to lose, because you obviously can’t see the writing on the wall. Peter is coming for you. You’re a lot of things, aren’t you, Constantine? But you can’t fight Peter. He’s already creating his own private army. He’s got his own illusionists, too. You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you? They’re true. And you’re screwed. Unless, of course,” I looked right at him, “you trust me and follow my advice.”
He looked exasperated and as if he were about to laugh in my face, and yet, his bottom lip was stiff and white with fear. “The Xs wouldn’t be stupid enough to move against the Cruze.”
“You’re about to mention your plants in the police department, aren’t you?” I guessed.
It was a damn good guess because again Constantine’s eyes widened.
I shrugged. “Peter told me about them,” I said with a smile. “All of them,” I emphasized. “I’m aware of the fact that the police are putting together an operation to try to blast apart your drug shipment tomorrow at 8 o’clock. And I’m aware you’re going to use your numerous plants throughout the police department to derail that operation. Peter knows as well.”
Constantine shook his head. He could no longer hide his fear. It played across his every feature, tightening his cheeks and slackening his brow until his skin took on a sickly white hue. He also brought up a hand and clutched it around his jaw once more, this time allowing the fingers to linger as they bit hard into his chin. “You’re just messing with me—”
“You can check, you know.” I pointed at his phone. “I’m sure Josh and I can wait.”
I wouldn’t look at Josh. Even out of my peripheral vision. Because if I locked my gaze on the blood trickling softly from his nose once more, I’d lose it. And if I lost it – and dared to show my fear – Constantine would realize what I was up to.
So I stood there, my head tilted back, my hands in my pockets, despite the fact they still ached from my nasty magical burns.
Constantine finally caved, grabbed his phone, and started checking something. The more he checked, the paler he became. He looked like a freshly dug up corpse. By the time he was done and he stashed his phone once more, his lips had drooped open, revealing his clenched teeth. He looked right at me. “When did you start working for Peter?”
I shrugged. “When he approached me with an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“… And what exactly does he want?”
“What do you think he wants?” It was a deliberately searching question.
“That damn sorcerer of yours has probably already got the books and left,” Constantine spat through white lips.
So Peter wanted the books too, ha? That was a fact to file away for later.
I shrugged toward Josh. “Then you better give Peter something else worthwhile.”
Constantine narrowed his eyes. “Do you think I’m stupid?” There was an unstable quality to his tone now.
I had to try as hard as hell not to react to it. I couldn’t show fear – not a scrap of fear. Because if I showed it, he would know that all of this was a game. So I tilted my head up and shrugged. “We all know how Peter feels about Josh. But Josh is still one of the best. And we all know how Peter operates,” I added, even though I had no freaking clue, and I was making up every single word on the fly. “He doesn’t want to see Josh tortured. Torture doesn’t last. What Peter wants is to indenture Josh once more. And you’re really going to ruin that if you squeeze him to death with magical chains.”
Josh shifted a little. I almost looked at him. It would have ruined everything. But at the last moment, I tilted my head up and stared at Constantine as if I had blinkers on.
It was obvious Constantine was trying to figure something out. He was warring with himself. Sure, Constantine was obviously meant to be one of the best security professionals in the city, but it was just as obvious that he was terrified of Peter.
“So you’re telling me my only option is to give you Josh and let you go?” Constantine asked.
I… I couldn’t read his tone anymore. Though he’d been like an open book seconds before, that very same book had now slammed closed.
I made the mistake of swallowing.
And Constantine snapped.
He threw himself at me, and the next thing I knew, he secured an arm around my middle and hauled me to the ground. My body slammed into the concrete with a god-awful thump that reverberated through my skull and ribcage.
Josh screamed. “You bastard. You bastard, concentrate on me. Concentrate on me!”
Constantine had snapped. He locked his hands around my throat and started to squeeze.
I was suddenly reminded of everything I’d learned about him – that he’d been dishonorably discharged for beating up one of his commanding officers. I could see why – because as he locked his hands even harder around my throat, I felt his utter, uncontrollable rage. It seemed to vibrate through him, making his magic all the stronger. There was nothing I could do—
As soon as I thought that, I stopped. Some bastard might have his hands around my throat, but my finder magic was more powerful than ever, and it told me I was wrong. There was something I could do. Something—
“You bastard – you can’t kill her. You can’t kill her. Snap out of it. Attack me – attack me—”
Constantine wouldn’t listen.
I… I’d lost. I’d over gambled. At the end of the day, despite all my power, I was still so weak. Without the ability to produce real magic, I simply couldn’t defend myself.
I… just when I thought it was all over, and that Constantine would choke the life out of me, I swear I felt something. That tether. For a moment, I thought it was the new tether connecting me to Jason. You see, it was so powerful. But soon I realized it wasn’t.
It was Max. I knew where he was with the same power and accuracy I always did in my dreams. He was right outside the door. He’d somehow broken free of his restraints, and he was searching for me.
I couldn’t call to him. There was no way I could salvage the breath. There was one thing I could do – ask to be found. Max was not a locator. He simply found opportunities. Even if he was a locator – you couldn’t find what you didn’t know you should be looking for. That was the true limitation of this magic – the ability to know what you needed most.
But none of that stopped me. I reached out with every single part of my soul, begging Max to find me.
Josh kept screaming as black stars swamped my vision. I felt my body becoming weaker and weaker. But I held on. With my last scrap of hope, I held on.
Come on Max, I called in my heart.
I started to fall unconscious. But just before I could, the door opened. Max threw himself in, barreling into the room. He might not be an ordinary warlock, but that didn’t matter. He had the element of surprise, and he used it. He struck Constantine, wrapped an arm around his middle, and pulled the brute off me.
I sucked in a gasping, gagging breath just as both men hit the floor.
I jerked up.
Though opportunity magic was new to me, I suddenly got the impossible-to-ignore feeling that I had a tiny window to win this. A single opportunity that I could not give up.
My gaze sliced toward Constantine’s hand.
Our only chance was to free Josh.
And that signet ring could do it. It wasn’t just a ring, was it? It was somehow the root of Constantine’s power.
I didn’t wait. I threw myself forward just as Constantine started to attack Max. Constantine pulsed with power, bringing up a fist and slamming it into Max’s jaw. The single blow could easily have knocked Max out, but somehow Max held on, shifting backward but instantly pushing back into Constantine as he tried to wrestle the warlock.
“Run – Beth, run,” Josh blared, his pitching screams filling the room.
I ignored him. I took the opportunity. I skidded down to my knees, I pinned Constantine’s hand under my knee, and I wrenched his signet rin
g from his finger.
Constantine balked. He tried to latch a hand around my middle – but Max jerked forward desperately.
I pivoted on my butt and threw the ring to Josh. I was under no impression that Josh could catch it. But that wasn’t the point. I just knew that the ring would react to the spell holding Josh in place. And sure enough, it did. Just as Constantine managed to push Max back and lock an arm around my middle, the spell holding Josh in place cracked. I’d never heard anything like it. The sound ricocheted through the room, pounding against the walls. Instantly the chains holding Josh in place broke apart.
Josh wasted no time. He threw himself out of the shattered ring of magic and right at Constantine. By the time Josh reached Constantine, he was absolutely glowing with power.
Maybe on paper Constantine had equal power to Josh – but Josh had one thing going for him right now. Pure and righteous anger. He hailed into Constantine with punch after punch.
Max shifted over to me to pull me back, despite the fact he was bleeding from a massive cut above his eye. And at the same time, I leaned over to Max to pull him back, despite the fact I was still struggling to breathe. Our hands met, closed around one another, and held on tight as we shifted out of the way.
Josh showed his true incredible might as he dispatched Constantine easily. Then he hauled Constantine up and over to the chair. “Let’s see how you like this, shall we?” Josh spat.
The chair was no longer surrounded by impenetrable magical flame, and the chains had all but cracked. Yet as Josh dragged Constantine into the chair, he flicked his fingers to the side, and several chains reformed, instantly looking Constantine in place.
Constantine had blacked out long ago, so he couldn’t reply to Josh’s come back.
Then?
God, then it was technically over.
Despite the fact I could easily hold onto Max’s hand until the end of time, he helped me get to my feet, and he took several steps back. He tenderly checked the cut above his brow. Then he looked right at me.
I got there first. “Thank you for saving my life,” I said, the words shaking from my heart. They couldn’t be truer. I didn’t think I’d ever said anything with more certainty.
“I should be the one thanking you.” He had such a gentle quality to his gaze.
Just before I could melt into Max’s gaze, and preferably his arms too, Josh ruined the moment. He cleared his throat. “I guess I should thank you both. I was really getting tired of being squeezed to death in that chair. That being said – Beth, where the hell did you come from?”
“It’s a long story. But I… I sensed an opportunity and came in here.”
Josh looked at me askance. “You can’t sense opportunities.”
I didn’t reply.
Max didn’t react. I’d just told him I could now sense opportunities, and he looked as if he’d always known.
Josh stared right at me. “How did you know that stuff about Peter, anyway? How did you know he was the head of the Xs?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t. I made it up.”
Josh blinked hard. “Are you telling me your entire defense was nothing more than a ploy? I thought you were using your magic.”
I shrugged again.
I was suddenly aware of the fact that Max’s gaze was on me. He cleared his throat softly. “You were using your magic, Beth.”
His tender words sent a shot of emotion barreling through my stomach. I hooked a hand on my pant leg and tightened until I was scrunching the fabric hard. “What are you talking about?”
Max swallowed. He had that same haunted look he’d given me when I’d appeared in the room with Jason. “Your powers are extending. You’re starting to be able to find the truth.”
I stared at him with an open mouth. Then I shook my head hard. “That’s ridiculous. I didn’t use my powers. I just figured it out myself. It made sense – that’s all.” I was aware of the defensive quality of my tone. But I was also aware of the fact that it didn’t seem to be convincing anyone.
Josh was no longer looking at me. He was staring at Max with a pronounced frown. “What exactly is going on here?” I don’t think I’d ever heard such a defensive note to Josh’s tone.
Max didn’t get the chance to answer. The door opened.
I knew who it was before I turned to look at him.
Josh prepped for a fight, then his face about fell off his head. “Jason?” he spluttered.
“The one and only.”
“What are you doing here? What the hell does Internal Affairs have to do with this?”
“I’m here to save the day, which I’ve done. I’ve dispatched most of the Cruze Gang – or at least the ones stupid enough to attack me. I’ve also picked up an item of… interest,” he said discretely, obviously talking about the books. “I’ve even saved the man you arrived with.” Jason nodded at me.
“Frank?” Relief blasted through me. “Is he okay?”
“A little bruised. But that’s nothing compared to the man with him, a William Rankin, and a high-level bounty, if I’m not much mistaken.”
“Where’s Frank—” I began.
“Before you ask what’s going to happen to him, he’s already cut a deal with Internal Affairs. As for his bruises – time will heal those. Now, Josh McIntosh, to finish answering your original question, now all of that’s done, I’m here to pick up my fiancée,” Jason said smoothly.
Alarm darted hard down my back and sank into my chest. But at the same time, a pleasant rush of tingles rushed across my jaw and sank into my lips.
Josh made a face. Then he obviously caught Max’s expression. Max’s steady, controlled, apparently unaffected expression.
“What the hell is going on here?” Josh demanded.
Max stared at the wall. “The prophecy.” He could barely push his words out.
Josh opened his mouth. But then something obviously clicked. He swiveled his gaze to me, and I don’t think I’d ever seen Josh look at me so completely. It was, in fact, as if he was looking at me for the first time.
My heart shook. “Josh?” I asked.
Josh looked from Max, across to Jason, then over to me. “It’s you, ha, Beth? Well, I guess I should’ve seen that coming.”
I don’t think I’d ever felt this alarmed. Josh surrendering to this situation finally made it feel real. I couldn’t discount everything as being surreal or some stupid dream. I couldn’t pretend this was all a game.
Nobody said a word for a while. Max was the first to clear his throat. “We need to contact the police. I imagine there are still more members of the gang in these magical tunnels. They seem to have cast an infinity spell, and God knows how long these tunnels are and how far they penetrate through the city.”
“No need to call the police. I’ve got everything under control. You civilians,” Jason emphasized, “can leave it all up to me.”
God, Jason was an arrogant idiot.
I had about half a second to enjoy that thought, then he turned to me, and it was swept away in the tidal wave of feelings I always felt when he looked at me.
I shivered. I did a good job of hiding it, but dammit, it was still there.
“Well, I guess it’s all over,” Jason concluded. “Or is it just beginning?” He looked directly at me.
Me? I couldn’t look away.
Epilogue
I was lost. That didn’t mean I didn’t know where I was. I knew exactly where I was as I sat on one of the upstairs balconies. My legs were dangling through the wrought iron railing, my face pressed in against the bars as I stared at the city below through one open eye.
I didn’t have to repeat everything that had happened. To be honest, I think I’d lost track. My mind was abuzz, whirring and whirling as if it’d been replaced by a spinning top.
Technically, I should be proud. If it hadn’t been for me, the Cruze Gang would’ve brought in an enormous shipment of D 20. We’d taken down Constantine, and with the information Jason had given Internal Affa
irs, there was every chance that the police would finally be able to sniff out the Cruze plants in the warlock division. Hell, if things kept going like this, we might be able to blast apart the Cruze Gang altogether.
But therein lay the problem – Jason.
Just thinking about him made me smoosh my face harder into the iron until tiny little flakes of it transferred onto my skin.
Just before I could fall into my troubles, headfirst, and drown, I heard someone knock on my bedroom door. Though usually my bedroom was on ground level, I’d asked Josh to give me a balcony, and he’d agreed. To be honest, considering where Josh was right now, I imagined he would agree to anything.
Josh wasn’t just thankful that I’d saved him from Constantine – he was indebted. He was also walking on eggshells around me. Blame it on the fact I had a forgotten destiny that was unraveling around me and taking my sanity with it.
I took a deep sigh that reverberated through my chest. “Come,” I called.
“No, you come here,” Josh said, and before I could think that his bluster was back, he added a polite, “please.”
That was enough to get my attention. I frowned as I pushed up from the balcony bars. I strode into my carpeted room, across to the door, sighed, and opened it.
Josh was leaning in the doorway, looking the picture of the arrogant bounty hunter I’d met all those weeks ago in the testing office. His gaze, however, was different. His stare had an edge of sorrowful compassion in it. “He’s here to talk,” he said.
I stiffened, straightening as if someone had grabbed hold of me and yanked hard.
Before alarm could blow me apart as if I’d swallowed a mine, Josh leaned back and brought his hands up. “Not Jason – Max.”
I felt like crumbling. “What—” I began, intending to ask what he wanted.
I didn’t need to. It wasn’t simply my finder magic telling me the answer – I could put two and two together.
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