According to the intel, the target, one Griffen McCandles, tended to drink late and often. Quite regularly, he didn’t leave till closing, around two to four in the morning. A perfect time, minimizing threats and potential witnesses and casualties. This area was far too heavily patrolled for the assassin’s liking during the day and evening, but early morning the police presence should be reasonably lax.
The assassin almost smiled. In some ways this town was the worst and best environment for this kind of hit. Getting away with most scenarios would be difficult, but afterward…
A crowd to fade into, a city of roads to get lost on, and the chances of making the newspaper slim to none. Griffen McCandles would be reported as a surprisingly violent mugging, if he was reported at all. The police would know the truth, but no one would want the newspapers to frighten the tourists. Any investigation’s hands would be tied as a result, not that he was particularly worried about local cops.
If the target didn’t come to the pub tonight, tomorrow night the assassin would have to move to Plan B. The target’s home. Not only wasn’t there as accessible a vantage point, but it would make escape much more difficult. He would have to take the shot just as the target passed through the security gate. The timing would be bad, but it was worth it.
If the intel was wrong entirely, he would have to trace things back to the client himself. That would be much more work, with no payment for the hit. Still, one had a reputation to maintain.
Early or not, the assassin began his preparations. He had already cleaned and prepared himself at another site. The outfit was brand-new—well, actually bought years ago elsewhere and put aside, like all of his other “work clothes.” Easily disposed of if necessary, and a white shirt and a pair of blue shorts would make him into an entirely different person if he needed to strip. He pulled out his rifle, which he knew enough. Fired in a private range enough times to break it in. Also easily disposed of. He could leave it on-site or on the target’s body, and it would still give no help in tracking him down.
Just to be safe he broke it down, cleaned it, and reassembled it, setting it on a small table by the window. No balcony in this place. With a balcony, people tended to look up. Without one, they almost never did.
With that he settled in to wait, watching the street via a mirror aimed toward the window. It was enough to watch by, and he was good at waiting. A few hours without moving, a single shot, and he would be much richer. Well, two shots, both to the head. For some reason the contract insisted. As if one would not be enough? The assassin pondered this to pass the time.
“You present a real quandary for me,” a voice said behind him.
What the assassin did not do was jerk around in surprise. He was astonished he hadn’t heard anyone enter; he was 90 percent sure that was impossible. Impossible or not, if the speaker had wanted him dead, he would be dead. He was 99 percent sure of that.
He turned slowly and took in the plain-looking man before him, holding a pair of semiautomatic pistols. The grip on the pistols, and the cold gaze, identified him as another professional. Though his dress was far too stylish and noticeable. There was a low table between the two professionals.
“What sort of quandary?” the assassin asked.
“I have decided to thwart your client. You are my best opportunity, or at least preventing your hit is. And I see before me a professional of such quality that I know I can’t talk or bribe you out of a contract taken.”
“You talk too much, and I see no quandary. You should have shot me.”
George sighed, and the barrel of one pistol wavered a fraction of an inch. The assassin noted this but did not yet see how to turn it to his advantage.
“Yes, you are a professional, but I am a bit of an artist, you see. I haven’t hunted a… person of your quality in quite some time. I find taking such an easy shot distasteful,” said George.
“Then you are in the wrong line of work.”
“This is not my line of work. I am on vacation. Slumming as it were. Don’t take this the wrong way. I am well and truly impressed by you without seeing you take shot one, but I am used to much more dangerous opponents.”
The assassin said nothing. The eyes told it all. This man’s eyes said that he was relating simple truth. The assassin was mildly curious what sort of “opponents” he was used to, but didn’t care much. He was in this work for the money, not the sport.
George sighed again, and again the pistol dipped a moment. His left hand. His right must be dominant. The assassin was watching for any more weaknesses when the man surprised him.
George leaned forward, and tossed his left-hand weapon across the table halfway between the two. The right-hand weapon never wavered. The assassin kept his eyes on that gun, never once glancing to the one on the table.
“I have decided to be sporting. That is your weapon. I will leave this room, but not the building. You will not leave the building, not alive. Not unless you kill me first, understand?”
“And if I decide not to play your game?”
“Feel free to try to change the rules, but it is simple. You will not leave, or get your hit, until I am dead.”
The assassin had a quick mind and was good at percentages. He took this offer, this game, at face value. But he had no intention of following the other man’s lead.
“Why should I trust that weapon? Toss me the empty and keep the full so you can kill me with your conscience clear?”
He knew the answer, knew that this sportsman before him wouldn’t do such a thing. He mentally counted to ten and fought to keep his breathing regular. He wanted to hold his breath, hoping this ploy would work.
It did.
“Very well, take the other,” George said.
Carefully, oh so carefully, George moved toward the table. He reached down, blindly, keeping his piece trained on the assassin. Only when he had the other gun in his hand did he glance down. Just for an instant, his right-hand pistol drooped.
The assassin moved in that instant, kicking the table up, jarring George’s hands. A blade, long and sharp, was in the assassin’s hand. It cut through the tendons of George’s right wrist, as a hard blow struck his left.
Blood sprayed.
The assassin kept moving, using his momentum to drive George’s left wrist into the wall. The right-hand gun fell, the left hung loosely in George’s pinned hand.
The blade slashed across George’s stomach, then up and in.
The assassin held his opponent on the blade, not releasing the limp hand still holding a weapon. The stomach blow was a killing one, but a slow death. The assassin needed information.
“How did you find me? Who are you?”
He twisted the blade, George groaned. The smell of blood and worse filled the room.
“Ah! Ahn… oh! I say, you are good. Better than me if truth be told,” George said through pain-bared teeth.
Which seemed obvious to the assassin given their current situation.
“Answer!” said the assassin.
“Yo… Ah! Your contacts and middlemen aren’t nearly as professional as you. What with your rush job I managed to track down the person handling your booking. But to be fair, I had advance warning on who to look for.”
The assassin twisted the blade again, and George arched against the wall, closing his eyes, momentarily groaning. He seemed too coherent to the assassin; it unnerved him.
“Pity, really, I did try to play as fair as I could,” George said.
The assassin knew his business. Still, he only noticed that George’s right wrist had stopped bleeding an instant before the fist cracked against his jaw.
The assassin lost contact with his foe for a moment, then George simply vanished.
The cold weight of a pistol barrel dug into the back of the assassin’s skull. A blow to the back of his knees sent him kneeling to the floor.
“So much for sportsmanship,” George said.
The blade the assassin had left in George’s sternum sliced alo
ng his throat. His last thought, almost idle, was to wonder why George hadn’t shot him, now or earlier.
Too noisy.
Sixteen
Even though the Voodoo Museum was only a half block off Bourbon Street, very few tourists found it. It was far enough north of the main concentration of bars and souvenir shops that one did not come across it in a normal prowl down Bourbon Street, and even if one had a map and was looking for it, its frontage was nondescript enough that it was easy to overlook.
Most of the Quarter locals at least knew of its existence. If nothing else, it was only a half block from the Clover Grill, a favorite twenty-four-hour greasy spoon that people migrated toward when they needed a break from gumbo and red beans and rice, and felt the need for a plain old hamburger or maybe some waffles.
Griffen had passed the place dozens of times but had never ventured in. Now, pausing at the doorway, he found himself wishing he had yielded to his curiosity at least once. As it was, he knew little to nothing about voodoo, and so felt woefully unprepared for the upcoming meeting. Still, it seemed there was no avoiding it.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed through the door.
The room he entered looked to be a small living room and was sparsely decorated with a few paintings and a wooden rack holding various flyers and promotions for swamp tours. A young black man was sitting behind a wooden table reading a book and glanced up as Griffen entered.
“Are you here to make an appointment or just to view the exhibit?” he said, reaching for the cigar box that apparently served as his cash register.
“I was told that Estella wanted to see me,” Griffen said.
“Ah, yes.” The man nodded. “You would be Mr. McCandles. Go right back. Estella is expecting you.”
He indicated a curtained archway to his right, then rose and locked the main entrance, flipping over the CLOSED sign as he did so. He saw Griffen’s concerned look and smiled.
“Merely for privacy, I assure you,” he said.
Griffen was not completely assured but ducked through the curtained archway.
He found himself in a series of small rooms, again suggesting what was originally a residence rather than designed for commercial use. There were several glass cases scattered about, displaying what he guessed were magical items, and one corner seemed to be set up as some sort of altar.
“Back here, Mr. McCandles.”
He followed the voice and found himself in a small study. There were several chairs arranged in a half circle in front of a crudely carved wooden table covered by a colorful cloth, behind which sat a tall, slim woman.
“It was good of you to come, Mr. McCandles,” the woman said, rising and extending a hand. “My name is Estella. I wanted a chance to speak with you privately before the conclave.”
“Thank you for inviting me,” Griffen said, formally. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
He took one of the chairs facing her, which was surprisingly comfortable. In fact, the entire room was quite cozy, and Griffen found himself relaxing despite his earlier misgivings.
“I understand there have been some complaints that my group is not doing its part in preparing for the conclave,” Estella said, watching him closely.
“I’ve heard a few comments to that effect myself,” Griffen said, “though I heard it expressed more as disappointment than as complaints.”
“So it’s other people making those comments, not you,” Estella pressed.
“I can assure you, it’s not coming from me.” Griffen smiled.
“If nothing else, I don’t know enough about what should or shouldn’t be done to prepare for the conclave to try to complain or criticize anyone.”
Estella blinked at this easy admission of his ignorance.
“I guess that brings me to my next question,” she said.
“What makes you feel you’re qualified to moderate the conclave?”
“That’s even easier.” Griffen smiled. “I don’t. Think I’m qualified, that is. As a matter of fact, one of the things I wanted to tell you was that if you or your group object to my sitting in as moderator, I’ll gladly step down.”
Estella frowned.
“You make it sound like you don’t want the job.”
“Not only do I not want it,” Griffen said with a grimace, “I can’t imagine why anyone would want it. There’s too much that can go wrong with very little upside.”
“Of course, there’s the status,” Estella said, carefully.
“Then, too, it would be an ideal position for someone, say, who wanted to gain more influence over the various groups. Maybe even controlling influence.”
Griffen shook his head wearily.
“I’ve already had this conversation once with Slim,” he said. “I have absolutely no interest in organizing or gaining control of other groups. I have a gambling operation I’m trying to run. That’s it. I wouldn’t know what to do with any of these groups even if I were given control.”
“Are you sure you’re a dragon?” Estella said with a faint smile.
“As sure as I am of anything these days,” Griffen replied.
“Well, you sure don’t sound like one,” she said. “At least not like any dragon I’ve heard of. So if you don’t want to moderate the conclave, why are you doing it?”
“I was asked,” Griffen said. “Frankly, I couldn’t think of a way to say no.”
“And just who was it that asked you?”
“I don’t think it’s a big secret.” Griffen shrugged. “Rose asked me. Or maybe I should say her spirit.”
Estella leaned back in her chair.
“That’s what I heard,” she said. “If you don’t mind, could you describe her for me?”
“Well, she’s black, looks to be in her midthirties. Her hair is very thick, and she wears it long… halfway down her back. About six inches shorter than I am, and I noticed her hands have very long fingers.”
He hesitated, trying to put words to the picture in his mind, but Estella waved him to silence.
“That’s her, all right,” she said. “I was just having a little trouble believing it is all.”
“Why?” Griffen said, taken aback. “I thought that communicating with the spirits of the dead was one of the main beliefs of your group.”
“It is,” Estella said. “I just can’t figure out why she’s approaching you… without even a ritual… when I haven’t seen or heard from her since she died. I mean, I am the one who took over the temple and have been running it ever since.”
“I… I really don’t know,” Griffen said, a bit shaken. “If you’d like, I’ll ask her the next time she contacts me. Unfortunately, she seems to pick her own time and places. I’ve never been able to figure out how to initiate contact.”
“It’s no big thing,” Estella said. “It made me curious is all. I guess that answers the questions I had. You can count on the support of me and mine at the conclave. Oh, and, Mr. McCandles?”
Griffen cocked his head at her.
“Don’t be too quick to discount the usefulness of any of these groups. We may not be hotshot dragons, but we’re not exactly powerless, either.”
“Wait a minute,” Griffen said quickly. “I didn’t mean to speak poorly of your group or any of the others who will be at the conclave. When I said I wasn’t interested in trying to influence or control them, I only meant that I couldn’t see any way they would be of help to my gambling operation.”
“I’m just saying you should withhold judgment.” Estella smiled. “We just might surprise you.”
Seventeen
Early morning in the Quarter. The quiet time, the dead time. Garbage trucks had already been by to pick up the refuse of the night before. Most of the bars were closed, most of the music lowered to a dull murmur. Few tourists who came to New Orleans had the stamina to last the night. Locals drifting home from after-work downtime. Homeless, too tired to bother asking the occasional passersby for spare change. And a bare handful of people he
ading out to more conventional nine-to-five jobs. That was all that stirred at such an hour.
Val often found herself awake at this hour. Sometimes she just woke early and couldn’t get back to sleep. Today though, she hadn’t yet been to bed, and although she was a bit groggy, she felt way too wired to even think about sleeping. She had to be at work in three hours and, after a debate with herself, decided she’d rather push through her shift tired than try to grab an hour nap and then drag herself out of bed again.
Which left the problem of what to do with herself for the interim. If she hoped to make it through the dull stretch of afternoon bartending, she had better keep her energy up now. If she sank into the couch and flipped on the TV, chances were she’d crash and crash hard. She changed into loose sweats and running shoes and headed out the door. A run, a hot shower, and lots of coffee would see her through just fine.
It was a ghost town outside, which actually appealed to Val. There was no such thing as a “city that never sleeps” despite what ends up on tourism brochures. There wasn’t even anyone abroad who knew her well enough to wave to her, a rarity in the Quarter. She started running as soon as she was out of the apartment complex’s security gate.
Exercise had always been a good escape for Val. As her legs and arms began to pump, she found comfort in her own strength. The movements were automatic, muscle memory from years of training and working out. Her endorphins kicked in, and her physical body began to burn and buzz on its own natural high. While her body focused on the simple, her mind could run over the complex, as she slipped inside her own head more and more and let the outside world drift away.
Lately, she had been noticing how her body was changing. She was growing stronger, faster, without much increase in her exercise regime. In fact, she was having to push herself harder and longer just to get the same kind of tired exhilaration she used to get. The harder she worked, the stronger she grew, and the stronger she grew, the harder she had to work. She was beginning to wonder what limits there were to a dragon’s strength.
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