“We sing, too,” Dinah said.
I rolled my eyes. “This is your house, so do what you want. Watch me kill them, get off on it. I don’t care.”
“Cold. Very cold. What did your father take from you?” Killian hadn’t moved from the couch.
I didn’t answer him. I set my bags on the coffee table and pawed through until I found the clothes I was looking for—ripped jeans, a tube top and a light pink coat.
I laid them out, and then started gathering what I was going to need for this hit. Weapons for the most part and ammo. A set of knives. Explosives and their timers—primarily C4. Flash bangs. Ropes. Gas masks.
“What are the ropes for?” Killian leaned over. “You think you’re going to have time to torture someone?”
I shrugged. “Possibly.”
He leaned over my bag. “Ah, a pack of gag jam, spider’s bolt, bit boom, smarm, and blinding. Classic tools of a thief who dabbles in magic.” He pulled the five packs out. “You know how to use these?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Then may I make a suggestion?”
I waved a hand at him. “Go ahead.”
“Don’t take anything but the gag jam with you. It’s easiest to handle, and the only one you’d want to use as a normal, the rest have a kickback that could hurt you.” He unscrewed the small plastic container and something swirled in it. “Its base is sugar. Mixed with wax and a touch of magic, you put some of this on a person’s mouth and they aren’t talking for days. Nose and mouth . . .”
I held my hand out and took the jar from him. “Thanks.” The word almost stuck in my throat. I pushed the rest of the magical stuff to the side.
Killian didn’t ask who was supposed to be handling this since I obviously didn’t have a clue.
He sat back. In the shadows of the room, he was hard to read. Then again, I couldn’t be sure what he gave me before in terms of readability was even true. How much of a master was he over his facial expressions? Hard to say.
Abe hadn’t moved from the floor.
“Your dog is well trained?”
“Very. I don’t suggest touching him.”
Killian stood and Abe stood with him, placing himself between us. The Irish gangster let out a low laugh. “He don’t be trusting me.”
“Because I don’t trust you.” I kept at my bag, laying things out. Checking my ammo. Checking everything I would need as if Killian weren’t there.
“Ah, that isn’t very nice. I thought we were being friendly.”
I slammed the weapon in my hand onto the glass table, cracking it, my stress levels peaking. “Why are you here, Killian? Want a kiss goodbye? I am not the one you want to fuck with on any level.” The words snapped out of me in a torrent. “Romano is too good for death. I’m going to pull apart what he loves most, piece by piece. This is one piece of that. There will be others. You want him gone, you can keep helping me.”
He stood straighter. “His sin against you must have been great.”
“Like no other.” I didn’t take my eyes from him, the tension rising to a heady top. “I have to get ready. So, unless you are coming into the studio with me, I suggest you fuck off and stay out of my way.”
He took a step, then another. “Too bad. I’d have liked to see how you perform in the sack. A woman who can make Barron stand up to me? You must be something special.”
My eyebrows shot up, both at his words and his change of conversation. “Barron stood up to you?”
Killian grinned. “Told me to keep my hands off you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Tell me he didn’t threaten you at least?”
“Nah, his balls don’t be that big.” Killian was still grinning, obviously enjoying this tête-à-tête.
“Barron . . .” I shook my head and stared into my bag. Mostly so I didn’t have to look at Killian. “Barron is in love with a ghost.”
“Aye, that’s my thought, too. You aren’t the way he remembers, but he wants to love you still. You aren’t what I remember being told you were either, though.”
“You think I’m weaker now?” I couldn’t help the question, or the snapping heat it was delivered with.
He shook his head. “No. No, I think whatever happened to you, it’s made you more dangerous.”
I stood, waiting for more words, my back to him. Not afraid of the gangster when so many others would be. There was a moment when he stood, and took a step toward me, and the air between us crackled once more. Would he draw on me, or worse, try and use whatever magic he had to put a spell on me? I didn’t think so . . . I was his best hope for taking down a man who had plagued his life for years.
“Good luck . . . Phoenix.”
My shoulders tightened but I said nothing. Quiet filled the room, quiet except for Abe’s displeasure of this man who had sat in the dark and irritated the shit out of me.
There was no sound of boots on the floor, or the push and pull of a door opening and slowly closing. Killian, for all his size, was a quiet bastard.
Only when Abe stopped his low rumbling growl was I sure the Irish gangster had left.
I let out a slow breath. He put me on edge, and I knew I intrigued him, which was dangerous in and of itself. Even as it was, taking the small help from Killian put me in his debt. An unspoken cost that would come knocking on my door at some point.
But I wasn’t lying when I said I would need all the help I could get. I was still familiarizing myself with the world I’d run from. With Killian, at least I knew what I was getting into. I knew where I stood.
Letting out a sigh, I went through the equipment I needed. Without Simon, I had to make changes on the fly. I’d go in at midnight to “pick up” the guard. From there, the flash bang and I’d knock the guard out, take his key cards, and head in.
I bounced the jar of gag jam in my hand. This might come in handy indeed.
Next I ran a hand over the small explosives. As per Barron’s written instructions, they would go sky high, a new brand of big bang that was still being tested. That made me nervous. Still being tested meant there were hitches and hiccups. I tucked four of the new C4 bombs inside a compartmentalized backpack. I made sure they were packed tightly, with lots of layers between them and the rest of my gear.
For the rest of my weapons, I kept it simple. Two handguns besides Dinah and Eleanor, matching knives, several smoke grenades, a mask for myself and a great contraption Barron had that would work for Abe if we got caught in the fire that was likely going to ensue. I didn’t bother with the bigger guns; the bombs would do most the work.
I ran a fingertip over the schematics I’d snagged from the guard house. A simple outline of the building and the floors. Two levels above ground, three below. Unusual, and similar enough to the Lounge that I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the same designer. There were little red dots here and there that I thought might be guard points. If they were, I counted fifteen, not including Jim at the front gate.
There would be a mix of abnormals and normals. How many, though? I had no way to know, but if I’d been able to do recon this wouldn’t be an issue. Idiot Simon.
I went over possible entrance and exit points while I waited for the time to pass. I picked two of each, a primary and a backup.
I forced myself to eat, and then the clock finally said eleven thirty. I dressed first in my skin-tight black suit and weapons, and then over it I put on my ripped jeans, pink top, and slip of a shawl. I didn’t bother with the flak jacket Barron had put in without asking me. His assumption was that anyone would be able to see me.
I did put Abe’s flak jacket on, tightening it over his chest and neck. “Let’s keep us both alive, okay?”
He woofed and bounced, picking up on my excitement.
I rolled my shoulders and closed my eyes.
There was no fear in me.
I had nothing left to fear of death.
My heartbeat slowed as I brought up the image of Justin and Bear, together, in my mind. Smiling at me. Loving
me. Loving me despite what I was. A shudder slid down my spine, turning the emotions into a pure sense of purpose.
I put all my gear into a single pack, zipped it up, and tucked it inside the back door of the house. While I hoped I wouldn’t have to make a run for it, the reality was there was going to be smoke, fire, bullets, chaos, magic of all kinds, and death everywhere by the time I was done if I had my way.
Having done as much as I could to prepare both the assault on the studio and my escape, I snapped my fingers at Abe. “Let’s go, buddy. We’ve got work to do.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
I pulled the car up to the guard house at the side of the gate and sidled out, my hands behind my back holding a flash bang. A tiny thing, one wouldn’t expect much from it. Flash bangs, though, put on a hell of a show. I already had my ear plugs and Abe’s in.
I smiled up at the guard . . . what was his name? Jim, damn it, I almost panned on his name. “I know I’m a bit early, Jim, but . . . I’m excited.”
I didn’t have to fake the way my heart beat far too fast, the way my breath caught. The rush of a job was better than sex in some ways, and on more occasions than I’d care to admit, far more enjoyable.
Jim took one step out of the guard house, his eyes traveling up and down my body several times in quick succession. “We are going to have some fun tonight.”
“Fun like fireworks, Jim.” I grinned up at him, he grinned back, and I flicked the flash bang forward, releasing the handle as I did.
The flash bang hit the inside of the guard house and exploded with a roar that would make any momma proud. The concussion slammed into my chest and I stumbled back, going to one knee. I kept my eyes glued to Jim as he spun around, pulled his gun and headed into the smoke. Had he not seen me toss it?
Damn.
I’d give him that, he was braver than most hourly wage guards. Then again, I suspected he hadn’t found this job at the local rent-a-cop. And he was an abnormal, which meant he believed he was special, and less likely to die in shit like this.
I followed him, stepping into the smoke that filled the tiny space until I had my bare hand against his back.
“Get out, woman!” He coughed around the words.
I held my breath, found Jim, and pistol-whipped him with Dinah across the back of the head.
“Weeeeee!” Dinah screeched.
He grunted, went to the floor like a lump of potatoes. A three-hundred-pound sack of lumpy potatoes.
“Abe!” I yelled for him and he rushed in, belly to the floor. “Nimm.” Take it.
He hesitated and I pointed again, repeating the command. The flash bang had him rattled. Finally, he grabbed Jim’s leg and together we pulled him out of the smoke.
Several more guards ran toward us from inside the fenced perimeter. A reaction I’d banked on.
I frisked Jim at high speed, taking a card and set of keys from his waist and slipping them inside my shirt before I stood up. “Hey, he’s hurt! Help me, please!”
I coughed and motioned for Abe to stick to my leg. We stepped away from Jim as the other guards came through the large gate. Three guards, all three of them abnormal.
Dressed in ratty clothes, jeans, torn leather and vinyl jackets, two of them held larger than needed guns for a simple guard job. AK-47s were not what I’d call typical guard weaponry. I took a few more steps to the side, and they barely looked at me.
The moment slowed as I pulled Eleanor out first, my left hand diving to my lower back and coming out with her, closely followed by my right hand bringing Dinah back to the game. I aimed at thug number one’s chest, and squeezed the trigger as I let out a breath, aimed and squeezed at thug number two as I breathed in. Thug number three dived at me, tackling me around the waist.
We hit the pavement so hard the wind was knocked out of me. I clung to Dinah and Eleanor, but the abnormal had my arms pinned to the side. As I stared at him, his mouth expanded, teeth filling it like some sort of crocodile. He snapped his mouth at me. I had no air to call to Abe to help me.
My lungs burned and I kicked my legs up, slamming them into his back while I twisted my upper body. The teeth snapped again, reared back and raced forward right at my face.
With all I had, I jerked to the side. I saved my face, but not my shoulder. The same side Mary-Ellen had hammered.
His teeth sunk deeply into me, tearing through flesh. I needed my arm intact for this.
“Abe!” I had my breath back despite the pain flying through me. “Fass!”
Abe hesitated, whining, and I screamed for him. “Fass!”
Right when the bones began to grind, Abe shot forward, latching onto the abnormal’s arm and freeing my hand that held Eleanor. I had her up and the trigger squeezed before the abnormal so much as growled at Abe.
The abnormal flopped backward and I sat up. My shoulder was bleeding and the skin on the back of my head had split against the cement.
“Shit.” I forced myself to my feet, stepped over the bodies, and scooped up a walkie-talkie attached to the hip of thug number one.
“Abe,” I called him to me and rubbed his head. “Good boy.”
I clipped the walkie-talkie to the front pocket of my jeans and walked through the partially open gate. I jogged up the driveway sheltered with trees in the dark of the night, knowing cameras would be watching even now. Not truly caring, even though I knew it was going to make this a hell of a lot harder than if Simon had stuck around to work with me and helped to flick the cameras off as he’d said he could.
I scanned the thin bush as I jogged, but saw nothing. Was it possible that Simon had managed to take some of the surveillance out? I shook my head. He had nothing with him as far as I knew—no equipment to make it happen.
But he was an abnormal and had tricks up his sleeve that I was sure he kept from me. Hell, I’d not told him everything either.
My jaw ticked as I kept my body moving at a quick pace, Abe trotting beside me.
I could see the edges of the building clearer with each step, the lights around it lighting up the parking lot like it was the middle of the day. A few vehicles were parked outside, and there was activity. I slowed and stepped to the side, sliding into the shadows just as my walkie-talkie squawked.
“Billy boy, what’s going on up front.”
I deepened my voice as much as I could. “False alarm.”
“Get your ass up here. We’re expecting that bitch any time now.”
My eyebrows shot up as I depressed the button to talk and gave a noncommittal grunt.
I put the walkie-talkie back on my pocket. That fucker, Simon . . . he had turned me in then? That was all it could be. Son of a bitch . . . I shook my head. They were expecting me, but not right that second.
Hard and fast, that was going to be the only way to go in now. There would be no finesse.
“Abe,” I crouched to him. “Fuss.”
He licked my nose and I gave him a tight, fast hug, feeling death at my back, watching. Mine, or theirs, I never was sure until the job was over. My body was already aching, especially my shoulder, but I couldn’t stop now.
I stood up. Four men were out front. Two at a vehicle having a smoke, one at the main door, one looked like he was grabbing his crotch. Had to pee, did he?
Moving fast, I slid through the thin bush toward the far edge that the full-bladder man was headed for. He would make a good shield against the others. I did not need any more injuries.
I made it to the section of bush only seconds before he did. He unzipped, flipped his dick out and started to pee.
“Boo,” I whispered and he jumped and tried to get his dick in and a gun out at the same time, managing to do neither.
I slid around behind him and wrapped my arm around his neck as I pressed Dinah to his temple. “Shhh. No talking now.”
I turned him around and pushed him ahead of me. “Move it. And try to act normal. I might let you live.”
He was shaking as he walked with his dick bouncing against the fr
ont of his jeans. One of the other guys saw him and started to laugh, not seeing me behind his friend.
I stepped out to the side and shot the laugher in the head, the silencer doing its job at keeping the noise to nothing more than a pop.
Still, the others were trained to know the sound of a silenced gun.
They knew that noise as well as I did.
Their guns were not silenced as they shot at me, and hit their friend. He bobbed and jumped where he was with each bullet that sliced through him. I waited until he began to slump before I opened fire on the other two idiots.
I picked the first one off with a single shot.
The other ducked behind the truck they’d been leaning on. I bolted forward, dropping to my knees as I reached the front end of the vehicle. I grimaced as my knees took the brunt of the fall, but I held my breath. Abe whined softly beside me, trembling, ready to dart forward or run away, I wasn’t sure. This was pushing him to the edge of his training.
I held two fingers at Abe, as if flashing him the peace sign. Not yet. I didn’t want him to move yet.
His breathing slowed and we waited.
The sound of feet on the pavement. I lowered to my belly, seeing the guy’s legs. I squeezed off a round, nailing him just above the ankle. The sound of the bone cracking was louder than the gunshot itself. The guy screamed as he fell to the ground, one hand going for the wound.
“Fass!” I gave Abe the command and though he hesitated again, he did race around the truck. He’d go for the gun hand first.
The guy screamed a second time as Abe latched onto his left hand and began to shake. I stood and stepped around the truck. “Hold.”
Abe went still, his teeth still buried deeply in the forearm flesh. The man looked up at me, his face twisted up with pain. “Bitch.”
“As if sweet talking will save you now,” I said.
His body jerked just once as Dinah’s bullet slammed between his eyes. I ran my hands over his body, checking for anything useful.
Fury of a Phoenix (The Nix Series Book 1) Page 25