by Rainy Kaye
“What the fuck you doing, kid?” Lyle's voice is in my ear. His warm dragon breath touches my neck, the side of my face.
The dizziness falls away. I shove and twist with more force, but his hold tightens. He's good. He knew exactly how to incapacitate me.
“Did you think you were gonna slit my throat, kid?”
I'm still facing forward, down the hallway, but I catch glimpses of him off to the side. Hovering just behind me. Leaning in to whisper in my ear.
“I have rooms for things like you,” he says, and I can hear the sneer.
My stomach churns. Not because I'm afraid—I refuse to be intimidated by this troglodyte —but for Kalila. She lives like this.
The thought makes me angry and hopeless at the same time.
He shoves me face-first into the wall. “And when I'm done listening to your screams, I'll track down that hot little fuck-doll you follow around.”
I push back, hard, then slam my sole into his knee. He jerks away without letting go. I slam again, and again. His grip weakens. I twist one arm free and swing my elbow behind me, into his mouth. His other hands lets go. I turn as he brings up his arm to shield his face.
Except he's not shielding his face.
He touches the ring and growls out, “Fahim.”
The air moves, like steam. Like smoke.
Then Fahim is there. Right between me and Lyle.
“Fahim, bring Dimitri to the chamber,” Lyle says. “This I wish.”
Fahim gives me a look. I know that look. It says, “Sorry, bro.”
I stumble back and bump into the wall. From behind Fahim, Lyle looks satisfied. He's certain Fahim will solve all his problems in the next few minutes.
I, however, have no desire to take the exclusive tour of the dungeon.
I turn and bolt. Fahim reaches out, misses. He launches after me, his footsteps crashing behind me. I enter onto the balcony, the front door below. If I leave now, Lyle will never give me another chance to sneak up on him. Kalila will never get away.
I U-turn, powering straight toward Fahim. He halts, then lunges for me. I feel bad for what I'm about to do. Honestly. But it has to be done. As I reach him, I grab his shoulders and ram my knee just under his chest bone. He crumples. I didn't hit lower; we can still be pals.
Lyle looks up. I strike him in the gut. He grabs my wrist, twists me around. His arm clamps my throat. He uses the other to apply pressure.
Yeah, like I've never been in a chokehold before.
I reach up and grab his wrist with one hand and his elbow with the other. My throat tightens. I shove his arm and throw myself back. He stumbles a few steps. I twist his arm, forcing him down. My foot connects with his side, over and over. He wheezes, flailing but not getting far. I keep kicking until he drops.
With his arm behind his back, I yank off the rings and bolt down the hallway again. Fahim catches the back of my jacket. I struggle out of it and keep running. He's right behind me.
I glance down at the rings in my hand. Three of them. Only one is a golden jinn ring.
He had summoned Fahim. That means Kalila's ring is missing.
God dammit!
I clench my fist, and race across the balcony and down the next hallway. Bedrooms, libraries, bathrooms. An indoor-freakin-garden. Kalila's ring could be anywhere. He probably put it in a wall safe behind a picture. Hell, he could have placed it in a friggin' ashtray on a table, and I still wouldn't be able to find it. Not before Fahim squeezes my skull like a ball of Play-Doh.
Why would he take off her ring, and not Fahim's? Did he know I was coming? Pitting me against Fahim makes more sense than Kalila. She's a ruthless killer, but Lyle doesn't want me dead. He wants me restrained. Fahim is the better choice of his jinn.
But if Lyle knew I was coming, then why not just attack as soon as I entered the mansion? This is too cat-and-mouse for someone with so much at stake.
Unless he didn't know. I never saw his right hand in the bed, because it was under the blanket. Maybe he wasn't wearing Fahim's ring. Maybe he grabbed it when he saw me sneaking out of his bedroom. If that's true, then the other ring was nearby too—in his bedroom.
I do another one-eighty to face Fahim. He's lumbering after me. The dude can take a hit.
His scowl relaxes. I'm not sure why, but no time to think about it. I cram the ring into my pocket and charge after him. He sticks out his arm. I duck under and around him. My footing slips. I hit the wall, ricochet off, and barrel toward the master suite.
Lyle blocks the entrance. I don't slow down, just tense up and throw my shoulder into him.
Maybe I should take up playing football.
He falls back, then swings at the side of my head. I put up my arm, elbow bent. Blocked. The impact knocks me off balance. I stumble to the side, and I reach for the nightstand to catch my fall. He moves in. I yank the nightstand from the wall and swing it across the floor toward him. It topples over, the lamp crashing against the ground.
Lyle kicks the nightstand out of his way. His eyes narrow on me.
Where is Kalila's ring? It wasn't on this nightstand. Checking the other one before Lyle is on top of me is going to be tricky.
I back up, never breaking my gaze on him.
He wouldn't have left the rings out in the open. Too risky. They would be tucked away safe, but accessible.
I keep backing up. My legs bump into the bed.
Safe but accessible.
I reach behind me and wedge my hand between the mattress and frame.
Lyle leaps at me. My back hits the mattress, and all thousand pounds of him crushes my ribs. I jerk around to free my arms. His hands go to my throat. I dig my fingers into his face and shove. He rolls off me, his hands grasping onto my wrist.
I bear down with one had as my other hand moves along the edge of the mattress again. Something cold touches my finger. Metal. I fish it out, then yank my claw out of his mug with a little twist. He yells, swiping at his eyes, then staggers after me. I make my way for the balcony again. Lyle is gasping and spluttering over the sound of his footsteps behind me. Guess he's not used to getting what he gives.
I round the corner. Fahim is blocking the stairwell leading to the front door. He turns his head toward me like he's the Predator picking up heat signatures. Those stairs are my only way out. The other hallway is a dead end at the library.
I could try to rush him, but I will either bounce off his brick wall of a chest, or he will dodge and I'll tumble down the stairs. Neither option is particularly productive.
There is one other alternative.
I really hate my life sometimes.
Without slowing, I barrel toward the side of the balcony and push myself over the railing like it's a fence. I drop through the air for a couple of seconds. Then shattering erupts around me as I collide with the glass archway. My skin lights up with prickles of hot pain. My body jars when I hit the floor in a crouch, my teeth snapping together. I rock on my feet.
Somewhere behind me, more thumping and yelling.
I take off, my brain scrambling to remember what we're doing.
Oh, yeah. Trying not to visit the dungeon.
I shove open the front doors and aim for the gate. Fahim arcs around to cut me off. I skid as I veer to the right. Frantic splashing is followed by my shoes growing heavier. I vaguely register I'm running through the outdoor water fountain. When I hit the jets, my skin prickles with the splinters of agony all over again.
My soles slip as I step onto grass. I tense to catch my balance, keep running. My brain is still kind of floating around, not entirely coherent. The fall must have knocked something loose.
The side of the mansion opens to the back deck over a pond. The boards rattle under me as I dart across it. I shove Kalila's ring into my pocket. I'm preparing to do something. Not sure what yet.
I glance back. Fahim is so close, he could just tackle me. I wouldn't have a fighting chance.
The deck ends. I take a deep breath and plunge into the pond, d
ropping straight down. At least the water is warmer than the river. And not trying to bash my head open like a coconut.
I twist around. Through the water, I make out Fahim swimming toward me.
Kalila could show up and save the day again any time now.
His hand latches my arm. I beat my fist into his shoulder. He pulls me in, wrestling to hold me still as I struggle to get away. His hand clutches the back of my hair. My head jerks around.
He's pointing at one o'clock. I catch his gaze and a few bubbles escape my mouth. I'm running out of air.
His grip on me releases, and I kick toward the direction he had pointed. He doesn't trail me. I swim harder, thankful for the weightlessness. All the BASE jumping without a parachute is catching up with me.
The pond narrows, and a rock wall comes into view. God, I hope Fahim wasn't being a dick. Not like I have any choice but take a chance. My ribs are fighting to inhale fresh air.
I shoot to the surface and suck in a long breath. When I open my eyes, I'm staring straight up at the lit roof of a rock cave. I scramble up to the dry floor and steady on my feet before turning around. The cave is nestled behind short waterfalls and tall palms, mostly shielded from the main house. To the side stands a small pier.
So Lyle likes to pretend he's a sailor.
I swivel back around and take in the cave. It has a solid cement floor, with an unoccupied liquor bar to one side and a billiard table to the other. In the far wall is a carved-out couch piled with cushions, capped on either side by stalagmite shaped to be used as end tables. Next to the couch is an archway leading into a field.
Looks like I owe Fahim a beer.
In less than five minutes I'm across the field, over the fence, and circled around to the road. When I find the parking lot and my car, Shadi and his truck are already gone. He is supposed to be picking up Kalila.
I slide behind the steering wheel, dripping puddles on the upholstery, and pull out onto the road. Time to rendezvous at the pottery shop.
***
The front window of the pottery shop has been replaced since the sniping incident. The interior is unlit and the place looks locked up, so I drive around to the back of the shopping center. There are no other vehicles, but the back door is open. Eileena and Syd must have arrived already. They are probably keeping quiet in the office.
The window AC has been replaced too. I should charge Eileena for security assessments on her buildings. They all failed.
I grab my phone off the passenger seat and cross the lot to the back door. No lights are on anywhere inside, as far as I can tell.
I push my wet hair off my face and knock on the jamb. “Honey, I'm home.”
No answer.
“Syd?”
Nothing.
I pat the wall to the side of the door and flip on the light switch. The kiln room is how I last saw it, minus a smashed clay pot and blood.
My shoes squish as I cross the kiln room to the office. I push open the door and peer inside. No one.
I text Syd, Where are you guys?
Then I stroll to out of the kiln room, into the hallway and down to the shop, flipping on lights as I go. Might as well liven up the place.
The shop has been put back together. Some of the shelves are a little less full than before, but otherwise, no one would suspect what went down here. I meander through the path, not really paying attention to vases or pots or ashtrays. Just killing time and trying to ignore how cold my wet clothes are becoming.
I unlock the side door and enter the cafe. The cleanup crew has been through here too. I continue to flip on lights as I head toward the back, calling for Syd again. More silence.
I glance at my phone. No reply. I probably should have found out Eileena's number too. I'll give them an hour, then head to the house. Hopefully Eileena hasn't tried something stupid, like badgering Syd about why I'm not bowing down to a hum in my head anymore. Syd was just looking for an excuse to lay out Eileena. I don't want to miss that show.
Funny how Eileena has never scared me. Being locked up in her basement wasn't a vacation, but she just doesn't have it in her to be like Karl. Or Lyle. That's why I can give her Kalila's ring. Well, and Fahim's. Looks like I'm handing over our resident Sheik Daivari too.
If she figures out how to transfer the master bond, she will boss them around to no end. I haven't forgotten what a green-faced witch she was when I worked for Karl, but she didn't have a “chamber” for jinn, either.
A thud from the front of the cafe interrupts my thoughts. I peer around the corner, reminiscent of my first time here. Two men are standing next to the open cafe front door.
I duck down.
Shit, shit, shit.
They head for the the side door leading into the pottery shop. I spring to my feet and dive down the hallway, turning into the dish room.
My sole squeaks. Loudly.
One of the men shouts, “Back there!”
Time to party.
I shove my phone into one of my pants pockets and scan the racks on either side for anything to use as a weapon. No knives are hanging around. That would be too easy. The cookie sheets are big, but probably not effective for self-defense. Spatulas, cake pans, lots of useless bakeware.
The two men round the corner, forced single file. I yank out one of the racks of dishes and shove it toward them. It sways and then crashes over. The room fills with eardrum-rupturing clattering.
With each step back, I shove out another rack. The man in front brings up his arms in defense, then pushes forward. The other man stays right behind him.
Another rack. Then another.
Then my back touches the wall, and I'm out of racks.
Did not think this through.
The men aren't armed. I step up on the rack on the ground and charge toward them. The man in the lead jumps back, into his cohort. I stumble over the racks and pots and dishes. Then I push up onto the counter, over the industrial dishwasher, and drop to the other side, like the dish room just became a platform game.
I take off with speed only the fear of being murdered can spark. The men shout and fumble after me, pans banging around as they try to dislodge their feet from the rubble.
I burst through the side cafe door, into the pottery shop. The whole time cursing Eileena's name.
The bitch set me up.
Syd might actually be in danger.
When will I stop expecting shit to go right?
I knock over pottery racks and send rows of vases to the ground as I run. Anything to buy a few seconds. My entire life always hangs on those few damn seconds.
I make a hard turn into the office. My legs stop so fast I nearly face plant the floor.
Shadi and Kalila are standing just inside the back door.
Shadi juts his chin. “Problem?”
“Uh, yeah,” I say, wet hair in my face again. “We have visitors.”
From nowhere, Kalila whips out a sharp and pointy knife in each hand. She glances up at Shadi. He nods toward the door.
She stalks forward, and I wouldn't doubt she's a shape-shifting jaguar. I turn to watch as she prowls out of the kiln room door and disappears into the hall.
There's a short cry of surprise, and it's not from her. That's it. No hurried footsteps, no clamoring or crashing.
She returns with blood dripping off her fingers and sliding down both blades.
I can't blink.
Shadi locks on my gaze in what appears to be a challenge.
“Quite a catch,” I say.
He lowers his sight to Kalila and smiles. I'm pretty sure it's the same smile I have when Syd is being adorably fuckable.
Well, then.
My sight drifts behind him to one of the kilns. Everything I didn't know I was trying to figure out comes together. If I were a cartoon, a light bulb would appear over my head.
I push past Shadi and pull open the kiln. Inside are the baked dishes, still waiting to be removed and painted. Without a second thought, I produce the rings from
my pocket, drop them into one of the dishes, and slam the door shut. I crank that dial as far as it will go and press the “on” button. A small light turns red.
I turn around, but Shadi and Kalila have already left. I'll catch up with them when I see how well this plan works out.
Instead, I grab my phone and text Syd again.
Syd, We got ambushed. Let me know you're okay.
She replies back, We're fine, but the dance school called Eileena a few minutes ago. They were attacked too.
I stare at my phone. Eileena knew where I was going, so she didn't have any reason to send people to the academy. Plus, staging a call about it is pretty elaborate for someone who isn't secretive about her plans.
Lyle is onto us. He's figured out Eileena is in with me and Syd.
I don't know how to handle these whack jobs. They have the connections, the money, the drive. The only advantage I have is being one of the good guys, and I'm still not even sure I am one.
I text Syd, Are you guys coming?
A moment later, my phone chimes with her reply: Be there in less than thirty.
I slink to the office and sit on the desk to wait. Before long, car doors slam in the back parking lot. I peek out of the office window. Syd and Eileena are unloading from the car. With a sigh of relief, I hop down from the desk and hurry out of the office.
Syd rushes inside and wraps her arms around my neck. “What are we going to do?”
“I don't know,” I say, looking up at Eileena as she enters the room. “How do we get rid of Lyle?”
She gives a thoughtful frown and messes with the sleeves of her dress. “If we only had a jinn. . .”
“I'm not doing it,” I say.
“Of course I didn't mean you,” she says in a tone like that's exactly what she had meant, “but all of the JiNet masters are protected from each other's jinn.”
My shoulders slump. “So not only can't Kalila or Fahim go after Lyle, neither can Shadi or Anwar?”
Behind me, a man says, “None of them.”
I spin around. Lyle is standing in the doorway leading to the front shop.
He slogs toward me. “You think I'm as stupid as Karl Walker?”
My brain slams on the brake.
I catch a glimpse of Eileena fleeing out the back door.