“Yeah, well. Circumstances called for it, and it isn’t because I’m trying to dick you,” Candy mumbled. “I’m going back to Maine and signing off with the bitch who hired me then flying home.” At least that’s how Candy hoped things would go. She looked at her watch. It would be dawn in a couple of hours, and she probably had four hours max before she needed to be in the air, headed far away.
“I thought you liked us, Candy.” Marduk narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Lenore is particularly distraught. She was sure she had a new member of the Goddess League. Not to mention the little problem of your new friend, Dani, who’s been kidnapped,” he snapped, all attempt at nicey-nice quickly dropping away.
Candy snorted. “I’m no superhero. You guys are gods. Who’s more likely to find her?” She wouldn’t tell him of the cluster-fuck coming down if she didn’t get out of their lives right the fuck now. “And you tell Lenore for me that I’m sorry, and thanks for the invite, but I’ve got things to do.”
“You can tell her yourself.” He pinned her with his deep black eyes.
“No. I can’t.” She didn’t flinch. “Don’t take me back if you know what’s good for you, Marduk.” Dammit. Candy was getting the same bossy vibe shit she got from Jake when he was about to slap orders on her ass.
“You should consider yourself incredibly lucky that Enlil can’t be visible without one of the Abelard’s.” Marduk changed his tactics, and Candy knew just what he was up to. Didn’t he get that the good guy, bad guy shit was old? “He was spitting mad that you took off. If he’d been able, he would have dragged your butt out of the car, wrestled you to the ground, thrown you in chains, and dragged your sorry self back to that rat-infested cell.”
Candy grunted, rewarding Marduk’s softening with politeness. “And Enlil has more balls than brains.” Funny, she might have relished a tussle with the blowhard. Huh. A good nickname for the god of wind.
“So, Candy,” Marduk switched to interrogation-lite. “What has you bolting the rabbit hole without saying goodbye?”
“NTKB,” Candy told him, and waited for the puzzlement that bloomed on his face. “That means ‘need to know basis.’ And it’s where you’re at. You definitely don’t need to know why I’m putting as much distance between me and your compound as humanly possible,” she tapped at the clock on the car dashboard, “before approximately zero-eight hundred.”
“Candy.” Marduk’s voice dropped to a warning register again. “Make some sense here, because one way or another, you are coming home with me. Everybody has been up for hours, pacing and waiting for news of either you or Huxley.”
“Hux hasn’t returned to the compound yet?” Candy drew in a sharp breath.
Marduk shook his head. “We haven’t heard a word from him.” His face grew grim. “Now turn the car around.” He pointed to a sign. “There’s an exit in two miles you can use.”
Candy would not comply—and even if she did, she’d just bang a U and cut across the median—but she didn’t relish a fight with Marduk. He measured the same height as Enlil, but he looked whiplash fast. She’d only gotten the drop on Enlil that first day because he was a little more muscle bound. The outcome of a battle with the thunder god would not be a sure thing.
“Are we going to fight, Marduk?” She sighed. It would be a shame. She really liked the big guy.
“I certainly hope so,” came a voice from the back seat. Great. The peanut gallery, Candy huffed. And Anshar looked positively gleeful. He turned to Dagon who also misted in. “You want to place a bet?”
“Depends,” Dagon said coolly. “My money will be on the girl. Who are you backing?”
“Damn. You spoil everything.” Anshar pouted. “I’m backing her for the win too.” He snapped his fingers. “How about we wager on how long it will take.”
“All right, you guys.” Marduk rolled his eyes and sighed, then placed an arm over the back of his seat to face the newcomers. “To what do we owe the honor of your presence?”
“We’re bored, Uncle Marduk,” Dagon wheedled, freaking Candy out with how well the god least known for humor could mimic a child’s whine.
“Yeah, god-daddy. Are we there, yet?” Anshar was also a natural.
“Will you two cut it out and let me get on with the business of letting Candy think she has a choice of whether or not to return with me?”
Her eyes went wide at that one. “Don’t flatter yourself, dickass,” she spluttered. “Nobody tells me what to do.”
“You see, Uncle Marduk?” Dagon still whined. “You’ve made the nice lady mad.” He and Anshar seemed to be having a ball, flashing back and forth from god to serpent, completely messing up Candy’s driving as she witnessed the fun in the back seat.
“Dagon,” Marduk groused. “Cut the crap, and what’s with the Uncle Marduk shit?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Dagon dropped the child voice and the scales, then poked Anshar in the shoulder. “You said it would take at least ten minutes before he’d notice. I win that one.”
“Damn, cousin. You always win.” Anshar danced a little green plastic army guy across the top of the front seat next to her, then Candy watched the odd little thing exchange hands.
Marduk grunted. “What happened to the carved one you guys always passed back and forth as kids?”
Dagon thrust a finger into Anshar’s chest. “Smartass bet it away to a complete stranger back in Merrymount over the question of a chamber pot.”
Candy opened her mouth to ask, but closed it, reconsidering. Marduk shook his head to move the duo along. “Tell me what your bet was. I’m running short on patience.” He sent a look to Candy that said he’d be getting to the problem with her shortly.
“It was over the use of the word ‘uncle’,” Dagon began.
“And the term ‘god-daddy’.” Anshar looked accusingly at Dagon. “Although I only got to use that one once.”
“Get to the point.” Marduk grimaced as Candy passed the exit where he wanted her to turn around. The next one was in five miles, and sure as shit he’d have something to say about it.
Anshar turned his hand palm up in Dagon’s direction, giving the dark god permission to fill Marduk in.
“It seems that while we’ve been preoccupied with all of the Nergal-Ereshkigal-Candy shit,” Dagon looked toward her, “—no offense—our ladies have been busy with something else.”
Anshar took over. “And since none of them were allowed to leave the compound, and Dani’s been so busy running around with Huxley and Minrella, they waited it out.”
“But they finally decided to ask for the witches’ help.” Dagon supplied.
“Stop dicking around, you two,” Marduk barked.
The miles ticked by, but the serpents in the back seat remained oblivious, receiving way too much gratification at Marduk’s expense. Any other time, the thunder god would certainly have figured things out. Candy smirked. She had.
“Hey,” Candy interrupted the rather amusing roast of Marduk. Her mind, unlike Marduk’s, multitasked at high speed. Something just occurred to her. “Why aren’t you guys in hiding? Won’t Beletseri feel your godness and come after you?” She grew confused at their cavalier public appearance.
All three of the gods turned grim faces toward hers, but Dagon answered, “Since Huxley disappeared from our heads, we figured our new strategy should be to try and lure either Nedu or Beletseri away to give Hux a better chance to do whatever he can, wherever he is.”
“Shit,” Candy bit out. “He’s completely off your grid.” She hadn’t expected that. Her eyes flitted to the sign up ahead that indicated an exit. Maybe the best thing she could do now, considering the fucked-up crap headed her way, would be to get back into Kenmore Square. The more people hunting in that vicinity the better, and the bad guys would end up with more on their plate than they could possibly imagine. She put her turn signal on.
“Candy?” Marduk questioned, clearly astounded when he realized her intent.
“Don’t say anything,” she grous
ed. “I’ll explain shit after Thing One and Thing Two are through messing with you.” She drove the car down the off ramp and found the turnaround that would lead her back to Boston.
“Well, that’s interesting,” Anshar said. Candy sighed. Now they all wondered what she was up to. “I guess we should put Marduk out of his misery so he can tune in to what kickass girl’s got going—”
“Okay, so,” Dagon cut in. “Apparently our ladies like to do things in packs.” He smirked at Marduk. “Both Lenore and Holly couldn’t wait any longer, and about an hour ago they both peed on a stick.”
Marduk started to smile.
“Yup. You guessed it. Plus signs all around. Meet Daddy One and Daddy Two.” Dagon took Candy’s line and twisted it to suit his purpose.
“Don’t you mean, Daddies Two and Three?” Marduk reminded him. He obviously liked his place as number one in all things. Candy snickered.
“Suck me,” Dagon ribbed. “Maybe one of us will have twins.”
“Better you than me.” Marduk poked back, and Candy suppressed a laugh at the sudden, panicked look on Anshar’s face.
“Shit. That could happen.” The all sky god stopped breathing well. “You prick,” he screeched at Dagon. “Couldn’t you let me get used to the idea of being a daddy first, before you blow my mind with other possibilities?”
“Like triplets or quadruplets?” Dagon jabbed some more.
Marduk just beamed at the two of them. “I guess congratulations are in order. You’ll both make great fathers,” he said it proudly then joked, “But hell, I sure hope a Chosen comes along who’s a schoolteacher. It looks like we’re going to need one at the compound.”
The four in the car sat for a while in a companionable and satisfied silence. Marduk clearly reveled in a rare, happy moment for the gods. He’d told her that, after centuries of stagnation, his house overflowed with life, and if they could just get their missing persons back, everyone might get fucking ecstatic.
Candy felt Marduk’s eyes on her. The time had come to tell him what was going on. It also looked like she’d have an audience in the back. The pair hadn’t budged. Fine. Let them all get pissed off. In the end, it wasn’t her fault. She hoped they’d see it the same way.
“So you pretty much know everything about me,” she started. “I’ve been very forthcoming with the fact I work in LA for the DEA.”
They knew nothing about her personally, and she’d keep it that way.
“Well, my boss, Jake Marsthall, is kind of a hard ass.” She glanced over at Marduk. “I think I may have implied a time or two that he’s a lot like you.”
A couple of snorting noises emerged from the back seat, but Candy continued.
“Anyway, he does everything by the book. Well, almost everything.” There had been a time or two where she’d known him to veer a little left of center. “And earlier this morning, I inadvertently set something in motion he’s required by regulations to act upon.”
“Well, don’t keep us hanging, babe. What’s this guy going to get up to?” Anshar leaned forward.
“When I got thrown in the water and my heart stopped, a chip I have implanted in me triggered an alert back in my office. Any agent whose signal cuts out, in other words, all vital signs are down for more than sixty seconds, is considered either at risk or dead.”
Candy let that sink in. “If there’s been some kind of mistake, there’s a number we can call and a code to punch in that lets everyone know we’re okay.” She took a deep breath. “But since my phone drowned along with me and Huxley’s wasn’t charged, I couldn’t assure anyone I was alive and kicking.”
Candy figured all of the gods were getting the picture.
“So my boss got the alert and contacted my team. Now they’re all on their way here to find my ass and haul it back to LA.”
Marduk fished around in his pocket. “Why didn’t you tell us this before? Here.” He thrust his phone at Candy. “Make the call and tell him that you’re fine.”
Candy rolled her eyes. “Don’t you think I already tried that?” she said dryly. “I called from the first payphone I found and told him I was alive and to call off the dogs. And do you know what he said?”
Her listeners in the car remained silent.
“He said, ‘protocol’,” she growled. When the gods didn’t look any wiser to her predicament, she kept spouting, “The asshole wouldn’t listen even though he knew it was fucking me. No. He’s going strictly by the book on this one, which means he’s headed here right the hell now.” She hit the car clock with the palm of her hand, making a loud slap. “By eight-fucking-AM, he and seven agents will be zooming in on my signal. Now do you see why I can’t go back to your home?”
Marduk quietly pondered all she’d said, and looked inordinately pleased that Candy wanted to protect them. “You know we can’t be found that easily,” he assured her.
“I found you.” She pursed her lips at the reminder.
“We let you in,” Marduk one-upped her on the reminding.
“Yeah, but you don’t know my boss. He won’t let it go. Ever. If he gets my signal, and I’m somewhere he can’t go, he’ll move heaven and earth to figure out why. And then he’ll get to me anyway.” There was no doubt at all in Candy’s way of thinking.
Marduk didn’t look sold, but that was neither here nor there. Right now, he probably wanted to know why she’d changed her mind and turned around.
“So why are we on our way back?” he queried.
Yup. She could read him.
“I have an idea.” Now she grinned. “I’m taking us into Kenmore Square. Chances are my team is headed into Logan since Boston was my last location. If you guys, with your god-energy shit, can get us picked up by the bad guys or we can find Huxley’s ditched car, my implant will lead my cavalry right to their door.” She sent an evilly satisfied smile toward Marduk. “And you do not want to be the bad guys when my posse is pissed.”
“I like it,” Dagon stated from the back seat. “We let ourselves get caught without a whimper, and Beletseri thinks she’s won. We all hang out to make sure the queen and our humans are safe, then the fucking DEA comes to the rescue and we win. Sounds simple.”
“I agree, but I’m still sending you two back to the compound.” Marduk’s voice brooked no argument. Dagon and Anshar went ballistic.
“What the fuck?”
“No freakin’ way.”
“That’s an order,” Marduk yelled over them. “You two have just found out you’re going to be fathers, and I’m not comforting any pregnant widows should anything happen to either of you.”
That shut them up.
“Send Enten to me as soon as you get back. He’s married, but he hasn’t procreated yet.”
Dagon shushed Anshar, who seemed about to argue, took his arm and they both misted out.
“And what about you?” Candy asked, eying the expectant daddy-to-be. “Tess doesn’t get the same consideration?”
“Tess knows I have to take charge.” Marduk gave a momentary twitch. His conscience probably wasn’t entirely clear on that one, but Candy watched him force it down. “Besides, it’s her brother who is at stake here. She’d want me to go in.”
“The odds will be pretty squared up.” Candy nodded. “You and Enten against Beletseri and Nedu.” Candy wasn’t sure if Marduk should have let the serpent twins go. Perhaps instead he should have reinforced their strength by adding the winter god, but what was done was done. “That is, of course, if you aren’t counting the fact that I’ll bust a few heads.” Candy shrugged. She’d join the fight. Odds never did have a lot to do with how she lived her life.
Twenty miles from Boston, Enten flashed into the back seat He instantly sent a chill over the interior. Candy smiled back at him. “You don’t mind if I turn up the heat a little, do you Mr. Freeze?”
He sent her a frosty smile. “Do whatever it takes,” he said amiably. “I got a quick rundown from Dagon, and I’m good to go,” he assured Marduk.
“That’s great. Candy pointed out that we may be a little outnumbered, but—”
“I beg to differ.” Nergal’s tall frame appeared, bent sideways to fit in her small back seat. “You didn’t for a moment think I would miss the fun.”
Chapter Twenty
Huxley’s eyes fluttered open and Dani leaned over him.
“Don’t try to move,” she cautioned, although her words were useless. Huxley was in some fucked up pain. He couldn’t have moved if he tried.
That’s when he detected the tears in her eyes and…shit. His time had run out. He almost smiled. The good doctor didn’t express emotion during a medical emergency. By showing him her fear, she’d given it away. He was terminal.
Hux raised one hand weakly to caress her swollen cheek. “I need to tell you something.” It hurt to talk, but it wouldn’t stop him. He’d played games with Dani for a long time, and pretty soon it would be too late to make amends.
“You shouldn’t talk.” She placed a hand over his lips and a single fat tear dropped onto his face.
He brushed her hand gently away and shook his head the slightest bit. “I need to tell you why I’ve been the way I have with you.”
She caught back a sob as he struggled to speak.
“Go ahead, my love.” She almost defied him with a heated look to deny her those words.
He smiled instead. “I like that.” He closed his eyes momentarily and drew on a reserve of strength.
“My past isn’t pretty, and it’s the reason I’ve tried to avoid you. I will never be good enough for you. You’re so smart and honorable and…clean”
She leaned in and brushed a kiss across his lips. “And you are the only person my heart has ever wanted,” she told him back, barely holding herself together. “I don’t need to hear about your past. The man I know in the present is the one I love. You’re strong and vibrant and caring, and nothing you could say about your past could make me think differently.”
“Just listen. Please,” Huxley stopped her. She deserved to hear it. Every single fucked up bit. His mind went back, way back to the beginning. “Ten years ago…”
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