“So what?” said Corbisher.
“Look at the picture,” said Lorenz, his white smile widening.
It showed a middle-aged doctor and his middle-aged wife, both in good shape for their age, even though the doctor leaned on a cane. A thin-faced teenage boy with white hair stood next to them, smiling. Behind them was a young woman in a dress, her face turned with a scowl as if she was trying to get out of the photographer’s field of vision…
Corbisher surged to his feet, the shock rolling down his spine.
“Her,” he whispered.
“Yup,” said Lorenz.
The woman was unmistakably Katrina Stoker.
And now that Corbisher knew to look for it, he saw a family resemblance with the teenage boy. Her younger brother, perhaps? She had claimed to be married. Maybe the doctor and his wife were her in-laws.
But the picture proved that she had family.
And family meant leverage.
“Where did you find this?” said Corbisher, looking up from the paper.
“One of my team from the Wyoming operation found it,” said Lorenz. “I took a picture of Miss Stoker, sent it to my team, and they went to work doing image searches on the Internet. Our little Miss Stoker is very careful. There are no pictures of her on the Internet, and only partial matches on social media. But this…this is her. We found it archived on a Milwaukee news site.” He leaned closer. “Give me thirty thousand dollars, and I’ll find her.”
Corbisher hesitated. “Nicholas said to leave her alone.”
Lorenz sighed. “Nicholas is a great man, but he’s wrong about her and you know it. You know it as well as I do, Martin. The minute their deal is done, she’s going to turn on us, and she’ll bring the whole damned Inquisition down on our heads. And we’re so close to ultimate victory. You know Nicholas’s plan with the Sky Hammer will work. We’ll overthrow the High Queen, kill all the Elves and all the collaborators, and free mankind. It was all Nicholas’s vision, but even great men have their blind spots, and Katrina Stoker is Nicholas’s blind spot. He thinks he can control her, but what if he can’t? Everything will be ruined on the eve of total victory.”
Lorenz’s words were all too true. Nicholas was overconfident, and he was overconfident because Stoker had once been his lover. He thought he could deal with her, but Corbisher had his doubts. Corbisher’s doubts were so strong, in fact, that he had worked with Lorenz and Vass to arrange the hit at the Rocky Mountain Mile and then in Washington DC.
It was just as well they had used poor Vass as a courier.
And the mere fact that Stoker had survived both attacks proved how dangerous she was.
But Corbisher remembered Vass’s head exploding.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“Tell you what,” said Lorenz. “I’ll do all the work. Just give me thirty thousand dollars. If Nicholas asks, tell him it’s for more armaments. God knows we’ve spent enough on guns and bullets lately. I’ll go to Milwaukee, track down this,” he glanced at the article, “Dr. James Marney, and keep him and his associates under surveillance. I’ll find Stoker’s family, and the bitch herself might turn up. If she does, I’ll kill her quietly. Nicholas will never know what happened to her, and when she doesn’t turn up when he calls her, he’ll make his plans without her. But if can’t find her, I’ll take her family prisoner and bring them back to Las Vegas.” He grinned. “She’ll have a much more respectful tune once we start cutting pieces off her brother or her husband.”
Corbisher liked that thought.
He liked that thought a lot.
“I’m not sure,” he said.
“Hey, you know how Nicholas thinks, right?” said Lorenz. “He cares about results. If I kill Stoker, it will be our little secret. And if I bring back a few of her relatives… won’t Nicholas be pleased? If Nicholas wants to control her, her family will give him all the levers he will ever need to control her.”
Still Corbisher said nothing. Nicholas forgave almost anything except for betrayal, treachery, and insubordination. Corbisher had already crossed the line once, and only the fact that the Revolution needed his talents had kept him alive.
But if he crossed the line again…
“Hey,” said Lorenz. “Don’t worry. I’ll do all the work. You’ll have total deniability. I just need the money to pay the team to surveil the doctor and take Stoker’s relatives in. And don’t you want revenge? I know how she wrecked your life.”
“I do,” murmured Corbisher, the old anger flaring in him. Katrina Stoker had destroyed everything he had spent years building in Minneapolis. And to see her strutting around their bases, smirking that stupid smirk of hers, making her terrible jokes, and trading insults with everyone in sight…it enraged him.
“Come on,” said Lorenz. “If we have her family, we can make her do whatever we want. You can pay her back. Do whatever you like with her, and she can’t do anything but lie there and take it. Maybe even literally, if that’s what you want…”
Corbisher grimaced. “I don’t have any interest in Nicholas’s leftovers.” Victor Lorenz would sleep with any woman who had a pulse, but Corbisher had higher standards.
Lorenz grinned back. “Then we’ll take her to Venomhold and make her dance for the troops. Or we’ll let them take turns with her. Maybe if everything goes well, you’ll have all the time you need to pay her back.”
Corbisher thought of the slave women kept in Venomhold as rewards for the soldiers, gaunt and drug-addled, their eyes full of despair and pain.
He didn’t want to touch Katrina Stoker…but he would enjoy seeing her broken that thoroughly.
“All right,” said Corbisher. “You’ll have your money. But if Nicholas asks, you’re going to buy more armaments.”
Lorenz’s wide grin returned. “Martin, my friend, this is the best investment you’ll ever make. I guarantee it.”
###
Riordan MacCormac stopped on the sidewalk in the little town in Colorado and looked through the window, the snow falling around him.
The diner was nothing special, a little place off the freeway that catered to truckers and travelers. Riordan had visited a thousand such places during his travels.
Right now, he barely paid any attention to the diner.
Through the window he saw Nadia Moran sitting in a booth, sipping coffee and staring off into nothingness.
She did not look well.
Her face was tighter than it had been a year ago, her cheekbones sharper. Her gray eyes had sunken deeper into her head, and seemed to glitter with something like madness. She had lost more weight than was healthy, probably because she seemed unable to eat sufficiently and ate a limited selection of foods.
Something awful had happened to her. He knew her well enough to see the stark changes in her, and his heart screamed for him to help her.
But he didn’t have the right. She had broken up with him, and that was that.
Riordan was here for three reasons.
First, Russell had made him promise to help Nadia if he could.
Second, Riordan had taken the Family’s contract to kill Nicholas Connor. He didn’t know what Connor was planning, but he had seen enough to realize that Connor was attempting something dangerous. Something that might change the world for the worse.
Or maybe even destroy it.
Third, he had promised Nadia that if she ever became a monster, he would stop her.
She hadn’t become a monster. The relief flooded him.
But he still had to find a way to help her.
Riordan gathered himself, calming his furious emotions, and walked into the diner.
Nadia looked at him and smiled. “Hey, Rory. What took you so long?”
THE END
Thank you for reading CLOAK GAMES: HAMMER BREAK!
Nadia's next adveutre will be CLOAK GAMES: BLOOD CAST, coming in early 2018.
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Other books by the author
The Demonsouled Saga
MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK is a wandering knight, fearless in battle and masterful with a sword.
Yet he has a dark secret. He is Demonsouled, the son of the ancient and cruel Old Demon, and his tainted blood grants him superhuman strength and speed. Yet with the power comes terrible, inhuman rage, and Mazael must struggle to keep the fury from devouring him.
But he dare not turn aside from the strength of his blood, for he will need it to face terrible foes.
The priests of the San-keth plot and scheme in the shadows, pulling lords and kingdoms upon their strings. The serpent priests desire to overthrow the realms of men and enslave humanity. Unless Mazael stops them, they shall force all nations to bow before the serpent god.
The Malrag hordes are coming, vast armies of terrible, inhuman beasts, filled with a lust for cruelty and torment. The Malrags care nothing for conquest or treasure, only slaughter. And the human realms are ripe for the harvest. Only a warrior of Mazael’s power can hope to defeat them.
The Dominiar Order and the Justiciar Order were once noble and respected, dedicated to fighting the powers of dark magic. Now they are corrupt and cynical, and scheme only for power and glory. They will kill anyone who stands in their way.
To defeat these foes, Mazael will need all the strength of his Demonsouled blood.
Yet he faces a far more terrible foe.
For centuries the Old Demon has manipulated kings and lords. Now he shall seize the power of the Demonsouled for himself, and become the a god of torment and tyranny.
Unless Mazael can stop him.
Read Demonsouled for free. Mazael's adventures continue in Soul of Tyrants, Soul of Serpents, Soul of Dragons, Soul of Sorcery, Soul of Skulls, and Soul of Swords, along with the short stories The Wandering Knight, The Tournament Knight, and The Dragon's Shadow. Get the first three books bundled together in Demonsouled Omnibus One.
The Ghosts Series
Once CAINA AMALAS was the shy daughter of a minor nobleman, content to spend her days in her father’s library.
Then sorcery and murder and her mother’s treachery tore her life apart.
Now she is a nightfighter of the Ghosts, an elite agent of the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar. She is a master of disguise and infiltration, of stealth and the shadows.
And she will need all those skills to defend the Empire and stay alive.
Corrupt lords scheme and plot in the shadows, desiring to pull down the Emperor and rule the Empire for their own profit and glory. Slave traders lurk on the fringes of the Empire, ready to seize unwary commoners and sell them into servitude in distant lands. Yet both slave traders and cruel lords must beware the Ghosts.
The Magisterium, the Imperial brotherhood of sorcerers, believe themselves the rightful masters of the Empire. With their arcane sciences, they plan to overthrow the Empire and enslave the commoners, ruling all of mankind for their own benefit. Only the Ghosts stand in the path of their sinister plans.
And the Moroaica, the ancient sorceress of legend and terror, waits in the shadows, preparing to launch a war upon the gods themselves. She will make the gods pay for the suffering of mankind...even if she must destroy the world to do it.
Caina Amalas of the Ghosts opposes these mighty enemies, but the cost might be more than she can bear.
Read Child of the Ghosts for free. Caina's adventures continue in Ghost in the Flames, Ghost in the Blood, Ghost in the Storm, Ghost in the Stone, Ghost in the Forge, Ghost in the Ashes, Ghost in the Mask, and Ghost in the Surge, along with the short stories Ghost Aria, Ghost Claws, Ghost Omens, The Fall of Kyrace, Ghost Thorns, Ghost Undying, Ghost Light, and Ghost Dagger, and the prequel novels Blade of the Ghosts and Champion of the Ghosts. Get the first three books bundled together in The Ghosts Omnibus One.
The Ghost Exile Series
Caina Amalas was a nightfighter of the Ghosts, the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through her boldness and cunning saved the Empire and the world from sorcerous annihilation.
But the victory cost her everything.
Now she is exiled and alone in the city of Istarinmul, far from her home and friends. Yet a centuries-old darkness now stirs in Istarinmul, eager to devour the city and the world itself.
And Caina is the only one that stands in its way...
Read Ghost in the Cowl, Ghost in the Maze, Ghost in the Hunt, Ghost in the Razor, Ghost in the Inferno, Ghost in the Seal, Ghost in the Throne, Ghost in the Pact, and Ghost in the Winds along with the short stories Ghost Sword, Ghost Price, Ghost Relics, Ghost Keeper, Ghost Nails, Ghost Lock, Ghost Arts, Ghost Vigil, Ghost Mimic, and Ghost Vessel, and read the combined short stories in Exile of the Ghosts.
The Ghost Night Series
Caina Amalas was once a deadly Ghost nightfighter, a spy and agent of the Emperor of Nighmar. Now she only wishes to live quietly with her husband.
But civil war grips the Empire, and Caina's skills are needed against the cruel sorcerers of the malevolent Umbarian Order.
And Caina has a dangerous connection to the Umbarians.
For Caina's mother had many deadly secrets, secrets that might yet kill Caina herself...
Read Ghost in the Ring.
The Third Soul
RACHAELIS MORULAN is an Initiate of the Conclave, the powerful order of mighty mages. But to become a full Adept of the Conclave, she must first survive the Testing. Those who survive the Testing never speak of the trials they endured.
Those who fail the Testing are never seen again.
And now the Magisters of the Conclave have come to take Rachaelis to undertake the Testing. And there she shall face perils to both her body and her sanity.
And creatures that yearn to devour her soul.
If Rachaelis survives the Testing, she will face even more dangerous foes. The demons of the astral world watch the world of mortal men, desiring to rule it for themselves.
And some Adepts of the Conclave are eager to help them.
Read The Testing for free. Rachelis's trials continue in The Assassins, The Blood Shaman, The High Demon, The Burning Child, The Outlaw Adept, The Black Paladin, and The Tomb of Baligant. Read the entire series in The Third Soul Omnibus One and The Third Soul Omnibus Two.
The Frostborn Series
A thousand years ago, the last grandson of Arthur Pendragon led the survivors of Britain through a magical gate to a new world, a world of magic and high elves, of orcs and kobolds and stranger, darker creatures. Now the descendants of the exiles rule a mighty kingdom, peaceful and prosperous under the rule of the High King.
But a shadow threatens to devour the kingdom.
RIDMARK ARBAN was once a Swordbearer, a knight of renown. Now he is a branded outcast, stripped of his sword, and despised as a traitor.
But he alone sees the danger to come. The Frostborn shall return, and unless they are stopped, they will cover all the world in ice and a neverending winter.
CALLIANDE awakens in the darkness, her memories gone, and creatures of terrible power hunting her.
For she alone holds the secret that can save the world…or destroy it utterly.
The secret of the Frostborn.
Read Frostborn: The First Quest, followed by Frostborn: The Gray Knight, Frostborn: The Eightfold Knife, Frostborn: The Undying Wizard, Frostborn: The Master Thief, Frostborn: The Iron Tower, Frostborn: The Dark Warden, Frostborn: The Gorgon Spirit, Frostborn: The Broken Mage, Frostborn: The World Gate, Frostborn: The High Lords, Frostborn: The False King, Frostborn: The Dwarven Prince, Frostborn: Excalibur, Frostborn: The Dragon Knight, and Frostborn: The Shadow Prison, and the prequel novels Frostborn: The Knight Quests and Frostborn: The Bone Quest along with the short stories The Orc's Tale, The Mage's Tale, The Thief's Tale, The Assassin's Tale, The Paladins's Tale, The Knight's Tale, The Soldier's Tale, and The Soldier's Tale. Read the
first three books combined in Frostborn Omnibus One.
Sevenfold Sword
Ridmark Arban is the Shield Knight, the defender of the realm of Andomhaim.
The realm is at peace after a long and terrible war, but dark powers threaten other lands.
And when a mad elven wizard comes to the High King's court, Ridmark finds himself fighting not only for his own life, but for the lives of his family.
For the quest of the Seven Swords has begun...
Read Sevenfold Sword: Champion.
Mask of the Demonsouled Trilogy
MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK has prevailed over terrible foes and now rules the Grim Marches with firm justice. Yet ancient evils are stirring in the shadows, freed at last by Mazael's own hand. Unless Mazael fights with all his strength, the world will fall.
SIGALDRA is the last holdmistress of the Jutai nation, the final defender of her people. Now the darkness comes to devour the final remnant of Sigaldra's home and family. Even Sigaldra's courage may not be enough to turn aside the darkness.
Read Mask of Swords, Mask of Dragons, and Mask of Spells along with the short stories The Ransom Knight, The Bronze Knight, The Serpent Knight, and The Rune Knight.
The Tower of Endless Worlds
THOMAS WYCLIFFE just wants to finish his dissertation in peace and quiet. So when a man in a black robe appears in his closet, claiming to be the last of the Warlocks, Wycliffe figures it is a bad joke.
But he soon realizes the last of the Warlocks can give him power beyond imagining.
And all it will cost is his soul.
SIMON WESTER needs a job. Badly. So when a rich and powerful Senator offers him employment, he jumps at the chance. Sure, Simon expects to find some corruption, some shady deals.
Cloak Games: Hammer Break Page 24