by Martha Carr
“There’s a half-off sale on loud suits at the mall?”
Peyton shook his head. “I wish. Nope. I’ve got the identification on the phone. It belongs to Hollingsworth Retrieval Specialists.”
Shay frowned. “I’ve heard of them. They’re based out of England. They aren’t known for being ruthless assholes or anything, but they are known for being damned reckless.”
“I’ll say. They got themselves blown up. That’s pretty reckless.”
The tomb raider chuckled. “Yeah. This isn’t the first time they’ve lost a team on a job.” She frowned. “Though I wonder why their name wasn’t more public on this one. They don’t usually hide when they are on a job. Find anything else that might be useful?”
“I’ve already copied the data off the phone, but they’ve got good operational security. They received calls from numbers associated with their company, but there’s not a lot stored on the phone. I’m surprised they’d be so careful about everything else and then just call from an easily-traceable number.”
Shay snorted. “Like I said, they don’t usually hide. They don’t have to. Not every tomb raider is a former killer who faked her death and helped a hacker fake his, and not everyone has to be as careful about hiding their identities as we are.”
“Good point.”
“Looks like the job’s back on. I’ll let the Professor know we’ve got a lead and see how he wants to play this.”
Shay expected several different responses, but not the one she actually received.
“Just stop looking, Miz Carson.”
She pulled her phone back to stare at it for a second before putting it back to her ear. “Huh? Did you just tell me to stop looking?”
“I did. I think you should abort this job, and since I’m the one paying you can pretty much consider that an order.” He chuckled. “If you want to recover it yourself, that’s fine, but I won’t pay for it.”
“But I’ve got a lead. I thought this carving was a big deal. You seemed hell-bent on getting it fast before.”
“It was indeed a big deal at the time I hired you. It’s no longer something worthy of attention. For various reasons, I’m no longer interested in the modulator. You can keep all the money I’ve already paid you.”
Shay gritted her teeth. “It doesn’t have to go down this way. I can still find it, Professor.”
Smite-Williams let out a merry laugh. “Oh, don’t worry, Miz Carson. I’ve got something else I’m more interested in acquiring soon, and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have looking for it. I’m just working out a few more of the details before I ask you to commit. I’ll be in touch soon, Miz Carson.”
“You’re sure about the carving?”
“Quite. I’ll even help you out by letting you know pursuing it would be a waste of your time, even if you desire an artifact for your private collection.”
Shay took a deep breath. “Understood.”
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few things to take care of.” He hung up.
Probably a few beers to take care of. More than a few.
The Professor wasn’t pissed and wanted to hire her again, which meant she didn’t have to worry about another hit to her reputation. But between the carving and the magic beans, that was two recent jobs she hadn’t completed after a string of complete successes.
Pride, more than concern, ruled her now. It wasn’t good enough to be a mere tomb raider. She wanted to be the person clients thought of when they even said the word.
Damn it. I’d still go after it, but he made it sound like it’s lost its power.
Smite-Williams might have been wrong when he’d said it was still in existence. After the crater she’d witnessed in Japan, she wouldn’t be surprised if the artifact were nothing but ash in the Hokkaido wind. That didn’t make her feel any better.
Danger was easy to deal with. Disappointment was harder to swallow.
Shay snickered and shook her head. She needed to pull her head out of her ass. She was going to have to learn to be Zen about tomb raiding if she were going to last.
This is a bad idea. This is the worst fucking idea he’s ever had. I shouldn’t be feeding into his ridiculous male ego. Some things are not meant to be trifled with just because a man convinces himself he’s tough enough to handle it.
Shay paced as Peyton’s stupid grin kept growing. Lily had finally come out of the office and was cautiously sitting nearby on the edge of a chair, waiting to see what magic came out of the oven.
Peyton stood in front of his pizza oven, his apron splotched with both fresh stains and darker ones that looked days old.
Scorch marks covered the front of his oven.
“Just how much pizza did you make when I was gone?” Shay inquired. “Or were you just throwing grenades around here for fun? New game with Lily maybe?”
Peyton snatched his paddle from the table and slipped it under his latest creation. “Just a little here and there. I bought the oven to use it. It’s not a decoration.” He set the pizza on a tray. “I’ll admit that you were right—making good pizza is about a lot more than just the oven. I’m humble enough to accept that.”
“Oh, you think?” Shay rolled her eyes. “So wise. I kneel before your great sagacity.”
Lily was chewing on the end of her sleeve, doing her best imitation of bored but Shay already knew better. She was dying to get into it with Peyton.
Peyton raised his index finger. “But I’ve had time to practice, you see. Now I understand my proportions, flavor profile, temperatures, and toppings.” He nodded as if he were trying to convince himself as much as her. “And I’ve improved. I’ve been focusing on the sauce. I think that’s key.
“I shopped around to get just the right tomatoes. It’s all about proper acid balance and the soil. I had to hit up few different farmer’s markets to find what I wanted, but it’ll all be worth it once you taste this fine pie. You’ll regret ever doubting me.”
“That’s good to hear.” Shay nodded approvingly. “I’ll even say it sounds like you’ve finally bought a clue. There may be some small hope for you to make something that isn’t totally disgusting.” She held her thumb and forefinger together. “Just a tiny amount.”
“Get ready to be as impressed as you ever have been by the actions of a single man.”
Shay laughed.
Peyton sliced the pizza and set a piece on a plate. He handed it to Shay, an eager and expectant look on his face.
He did say he had been practicing. How bad could it be?
Shay took a bite and swallowed hard. She walked to the garbage can, tossed in the slice, and marched toward her Fiat with a grimace on her face.
What the fuck was that, anti-pizza?
“If you’re going out for pizza, I want pepperoni on mine,” Peyton yelled.
She shook her head as she threw open the driver door. Behind her, she heard Lily let out a laugh and Shay felt a smile grow across her face. Damn, it’s not easy raising a teenager, even in a makeshift trade school.
The would-be pizza maker poured himself a glass of cabernet.
“Hey, at least the wine’s good.” Lily let out another laugh and said, “Pour me a glass.”
“No!” yelled Shay.
Shay slammed the door and started her car. The wine was probably vinegar. The pizza had certainly tasted like it.
A few days later, Shay leaned against the wall of Warehouse Two with her arms crossed and a huge frown on her face. The night before had been good. Damned good. After not seeing Brownstone for a while, she’d gone out to dinner at a decent place with the man, his idea to repay her for her keeping an eye on Alison. It almost had the feeling of a date, at least on her end.
Brownstone had been as clueless as ever, and Shay decided to not worry about it. She respected the man, and he respected her. That was enough for now, even if she was willing to admit she might like to try for something more.
That’s on him. I’m not gonna chase him like some lonely teen
. I still don’t how much of this is about him not noticing me.
But this morning it had all come crashing down on her. Her previous life hadn’t involved her having to manage anyone, so the concept of dealing with an assistant who was late was novel in an annoying way. Lily looked up amused from where she sat, waiting to see what Shay would do next.
“Threatening to shoot him probably won’t motivate him in the way you want,” she said with a smirk.
Shay tapped her fingers against her arms. She could burn down Peyton’s new place when he wasn’t there and make it look like an accident. That might force him back into the warehouse with Lily, but it wouldn’t last.
Shay shook her head. That kind of thinking was too much of the old Killer Shay, and not enough kinder, gentler Tomb Raider Shay. At least, kinder and gentler in the sense she’d only break your knees instead of killing you if she had a choice.
Peyton was a great assistant in many ways, and he had useful skills, even if making pizza wasn’t among them. A touch more professionalism wouldn’t hurt, though. She needed to figure out how to instill it in him without ruining his creativity and motivation.
The loading bay door slid up and Peyton drove a van inside. He threw open the door and rushed over her. “Sorry I’m late. I was just trying a new strategy to evade tails.”
“Oh? And what’s that? You drive the longest, most-complicated route possible?”
Peyton shook his head. “It’s this technique where I use a random number generator to decide if I’m going to go left or right at Hillhurst Avenue, so that changes the entire rest of my route. Then I use it at a different intersection, like Tallmadge and Finley, and that changes things. It’s kind of a nested thing. I randomly determine which intersection to change course.”
“Uh-huh, and I should care because…”
He threw his hands in the air. “Because it always ends up being a roundabout way from my place to here, but since so many key parts of it are random it’s not like anyone could learn my route. It’s all but perfect because even I don’t know what route I’m going to take.”
Shay just glared at the man, more annoyed by his tardiness than impressed by his technique, even if she could see the advantages.
She nodded toward the office. “Your computer has been going nuts with alerts. I was gonna look at it, but I kept thinking that some other person should be here to do that.”
“I offered,” Lily raised her good arm in the air.
“Some guy who is supposed to be my research assistant and computer specialist is supposed to do it.”
“Oh, yeah. I know. I have it hooked up to my phone so I can check from anywhere.”
“But you won’t work from home?”
Peyton shrugged. “I said I don’t like to work from home, but don’t worry, the point is I have you covered 24/7.”
“Something I also mentioned. Just sayin’,” said Lily. She bit into a cold Pop-Tart, shrugging her shoulders.
“Oh cinnamon, snap. That was mine, wasn’t it,” said Peyton. “No bigs. I can share.”
“Okay. What’s the big alert?”
“A new job. Since the Professor still hasn’t contacted you about the next job, I’ve been poking around a little looking for work.” Peyton gestured toward the door. “I figure, you know, it’s time to get back out there again. Back on the horse, regain that momentum, and all that.”
Shay rolled her eyes. “I don’t need a pep talk, especially from you.”
“I’m not saying you do, but I also think you’re a little pissy still about Antarctica and Hokkaido.”
Shay shot her most murderous glare at Peyton. He needed to shut his mouth before she shut it for him.
Peyton held up his hand. “Okay, let’s just forget about that. The point is, there’s a new job, and you didn’t mention not taking any new ones. Or am I wrong?”
“No, I didn’t.” Shay softened her expression. “I’m listening. Tell me about the job.”
He waited a few seconds before continuing, “It’s in Edirne, Turkey. There’s an ancient stone there. Two feet by one foot.”
“Please tell me it’s not filled with mysterious symbols we don’t understand. There’s only so much of that I can take right now.”
Peyton shook his head. “Nope. This isn’t a mystery, it’s just good old-fashioned magic. Well, sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“It’s magic, but also like the manual to magic. It’s got an inscription in ancient Hittite that’s the beginning of a spell to extend life. Not sure if the stone is necessary for the magic, but it is supposed to have some magic power.”
Shay nodded. “It always comes back to immortality.”
“Yeah, according to my research, there are several of these stones all over the world, all with inscriptions, all different ancient languages, all part of the same spell.”
“Huh. That’s different,” said Lily.
“Yep. There are rumored to be nine. No one has ever found them all, and the few that have been found have gone missing again through the years. Only that one in Hittite and another in ancient Chinese have been verified to still exist in the last hundred years.” Peyton pointed toward his computer. “The stone in Turkey has been missing since 1938, but now it’s been found again.”
Shay crossed her arms. “And you’re sure the stone’s there?”
“Everything suggests it is, and the client is willing to pay a lot of money for you to recover it. He specifically was looking to hire you. Well, Aletheia.” Peyton shrugged. “He wants someone with experience working with dangerous artifacts, but he claims all you need to do to prevent the stone from exhibiting any magic power is to seal it in an airtight bag. The archaeologists who found it won’t move it because they’re concerned about dangers.”
Yeah, like artifacts blowing a crater into a hillside.
“I’ll make sure to bring a bag.” She frowned. “You mentioned a specific city. I’m not an expert on Turkish geography. Is this some necropolis in the middle of nowhere?”
“Nope, it’s a living, if ancient, city. The stone’s actually in a recently-unearthed burial mound on the edge.”
“Does anyone else know about it?”
Lily opened her mouth to say something as Shay held up her hand. “I wasn’t going to ask if I could come along. Only have the one wing,” she said, waving her cast. “I was going to ask Peyton if I could help him.”
Peyton gave a crooked smile, and gave her a nod. “I can find enough to keep you busy.”
“Now that we have that settled, I’ll ask again. Does anyone else know about it?”
Peyton shook his head. “Nope. Best I can tell, the stone was uncovered in the last few days. The client seemed very interested in getting it away from the city as soon as possible. Basically, if you’re not willing to commit to recovery within the next seventy-two hours, there’s no deal.”
Shay laughed. “Eager beaver. Maybe that shit explodes after a few days.”
A little tension lined Peyton’s face. “Now for the bad news.”
“Bad news? It does explode?”
“I don’t know about that, but my research found a lot of unusual deaths associated with people who’ve found these stones. Not just deaths, violent deaths.”
“A curse?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know. Mangled bodies, though. Many hacked into pieces.”
“Sounds less like a curse and more like someone took them out.”
“Maybe, but if you just grab it, I’m sure it won’t be a big deal. I hope.” Peyton clapped once. “You know what? What am I worried about? You can handle a few thugs. I’m sure it’ll be an easy jo—”
The tomb raider cut him off with a glare. There were no such things as easy jobs, just jobs that had more opportunity to turn into clusterfucks. She’d known that even as a killer, and she’d let herself forget until the snow bitch had shown up and stolen her damned magic beans.
Shay gestured at Peyton. “You just got done telling me about
hacked-up and mangled bodies.”
“Yeah, but those were all people who didn’t know about actual magic like you. You’ll be ready if anything weird happens, and if it’s just thugs, you can take them down. You’ll be prepared. You’ve killed a lot of people…and, well, things.” Peyton shrugged. “The client is willing to pay a lot of money, including a huge deposit. Maybe it won’t be easy or maybe it will, but I think it’s a good job.”
“Yeah, it sounds like a good job, and it’s good to hear that my rep wasn’t hurt too badly by Antarctica.”
“See? No one blames you for getting iced.” Peyton shot a stupid grin at Lily who mouthed, run. “A vision?” he asked.
Shay pulled out her gun.
Peyton blinked. “What are you doing?”
“Checking to see if it’s loaded.”
“Fair enough. Let’s change the subject.”
Lily let out a whoop of laughter and ran over to Shay, wrapping her arms around her in a hug. Teenagers, thought Shay, startled, hugging her back as she held the gun away from her.
18
Later that evening, Shay strolled into Warehouse Four, humming. Peyton’s information checked out on initial review, but she wanted to hit her library sources to see if she could find out anything else. Her gut told her there was something else to this stone and the life spell she should know about, if only because of the elaborate separation of the incantation into nine different sections.
That suggested someone wanted to preserve the magic but didn’t want anyone using it. Given how old the two known stones were, that was an impressive feat and might indicate Oriceran involvement.
From what Shay had seen, magic was a lot like most technologies. No one wanted to give up the power to manipulate reality once they’d achieved it, even if it caused a lot of problems.
Shay moved through the stacks toward a small section on Hittite history. The ancient Anatolian people might not have anything to do with the creation of the artifact, but it was a good place to start.
The tomb raider let out a sigh. It was a narrow slice of books in the huge personal library, but that section happened to be at the top of one of her wall shelves.