He moved over toward Rodney. In response, Rodney growled.
“Chill out, pal,” Pecker said. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to check out your ink.”
“Goblins,” Rodney spat, looking as though he was itching to go into wolf form. “Scum.”
“Not fond of us, eh?” Pecker said, running his eyes over Rodney’s arm. “Well, that’s too bad.”
I cleared my throat and gave Pecker a look. “Do you mind if we get back to our interrogation?”
“Yeah, yeah, of course. Just pretend I’m not here.”
As if that were even remotely possible. The fact was that Pecker had a tendency to take over a room, even when he wasn’t saying a word. It was just his demeanor.
Reaper didn’t seem to mind, but it bugged me something fierce. I preferred to be left alone to do my job. Any distractions made things difficult. Pecker was definitely a distraction.
“Anyway,” I said, trying to get back into the rhythm of the questioning, “you admit that you are part of Lucien Bane’s gang?”
Rodney shifted in his seat, keeping his eye on our friendly goblin.
“I’m not really part of anyone’s gang, lady. I needed some cash, just like a lot of the guys, and putting a quick scare into another den of wolves is a quick buck. Do it all the time. But this time it just turned sour.”
“This is interesting,” mumbled Pecker. “The way the—”
“Quiet, please,” I admonished him.
“Hmmm? Oh, right. Sorry. It’s just that I’ve never seen this particular configuration before.” He pulled out a pair of spectacles and put them on. “What happens when you touch these two gears at the same time?”
“No, don’t do th—” yelled out Rodney an instant before he melted.
Reaper and I just stared at the spot where Rodney had been sitting a moment before. Then, as one, we slowly turned to stare at Pecker.
He looked back at us with his jaw hanging open.
“Oops.”
Chapter 19
We left Pecker to clean up the goop, and headed off to see Dr. Hale. Our hope was that she’d been able to save the guy that Reaper had set aflame.
I nearly lost my breakfast when I saw the poor dude’s face.
Charred wasn’t the word for it. The guy looked like he’d been slow roasted in a barbecue pit for thirty days. Seriously, Reaper’s fireballs were not standard issue.
My partner took off his hat and held it reverently to his chest.
“What’s the prognosis, Doc?” I asked as she raised her head grimly at us.
She pushed up her round-rimmed glasses and grunted.
“He’s maybe got three or four hours to live,” she said. “These burns are unlike any I’ve ever seen before. What happened to him?”
I flicked a thumb at my partner. “Reaper’s not a fan of guns. Thinks they’re too violent.”
Dr. Hale furrowed her brow at me as Reaper turned to give me a dirty look.
“What?” I said. “It’s true.”
“Can he hear us?” Reaper asked the doctor after a moment. “We need to ask him some questions.”
“Your guess is as good as mine, Officer Payne,” she answered. “Even if he can, though, he’s not going to be able to reply.”
“I see. Well, we need to know what he knows. I can learn that, but it’s going to require that I see into his thoughts.” Reaper was staring at the deep-fried guy as he spoke. “It will be even more painful for him than what he’s feeling now, but he’ll die faster.”
Pecker walked into the room and stepped right up to the patient as if seeing a burned guy was nothing to him.
I grabbed our little goblin technician by his shoulder.
“If you press any buttons that melt him, Pecker,” I warned, “I swear I’ll kick you in the neck.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Promise?”
I grimaced in response.
“Don’t worry, Piper,” he said, shaking my hand away, “I’m not one to make the same mistake twice.”
I scoffed at that. “Says the guy who keeps asking me out even though he knows damn well I’ll refuse.”
“Ah, but that’s not a mistake,” he countered. “That’s known as chipping away.”
He started his study of the tattoo, which was fortunately not burned during Reaper’s attack. This time Pecker was taking pictures of the thing and even had one of those lights with him that he used for drawing and removing tattoos. Whatever he was doing, I could only hope it’d prove to help us stop Keller from tinkering with our abilities.
“What’s your plan, Reap?” I asked, peeling my eyes away from Pecker’s scanner. “I’m guessing some kind of reaper voodoo?”
“It’s not voodoo,” he replied so seriously that it made me instantly question if voodoo were real. “One of the things that we as reapers are tasked with is taking the energy of the dead into the Vortex. During that process, the memories of the deceased are brought forth and added to the collective.”
“The…” I blinked. “Huh?”
“What I’m able to do is act as middleman during this and see what his memories are for the past few weeks,” he continued without addressing my question. “That will give us a picture of things…hopefully. But there’s a very good chance that he’ll die when I do it, seeing that he’s already very close to leaving this world.”
“Ah,” I said, feeling very anxious over this newfound knowledge regarding my partner’s capabilities. “But, wait a second here. Won’t the actual reapers get pissed at you for doing that? You’re not supposed to kill people, Reap.”
He motioned toward the burned wolf dude.
“It seems as though I already have, Piper.”
I frowned and sighed. “You know what I mean. I’m talking about you using your special reaper-skills to do it.”
“It’s a valid point,” he acquiesced, “but I have been left with a good many of my powers, and I do not use them unless warranted. This man is suffering and will not survive. We need information in order to stave off the death of many others. I will not be killing him any more than I already have.” He glanced back at the guy. “If anything, I’m doing him a kindness.”
That was a difficult point to argue.
Pecker had backed away by now and I motioned for Dr. Hale to move back as well.
Reaper stepped over and put his hand on the dude’s head. It made me imagine the feeling of putting my hand on a head-sized toasted marshmallow.
Gag.
The room grew suddenly cold and dark. It was as if we’d just entered a place that was beyond this world. A dungeon of dankness, if you will. On the one hand, it felt dreary and desolate; on the other hand, it was calm and relaxing.
It felt like…home.
Another presence entered the room. I desperately searched for it, but it wasn’t immediately visible.
A quick glance at the doctor and Pecker told me that they weren’t sensing any of this at all. Or, if they were, they sure hid it well. They just watched as Reaper did whatever the hell it was he was doing.
Whispering voices echoed in my head. I couldn’t understand a word they said, but somehow they didn’t frighten me.
The realization that the voices and the scene didn’t freak me out…kind of freaked me out.
The burned wolf suddenly sat up with his eyes wide, releasing a silent scream. I saw a white light pass from him through Reaper and then into another form. It was almost an exact duplicate of the guy, but made of light instead of flesh and bones. Then I saw the person whom I’d felt enter the room earlier.
It was a reaper.
I blinked and shook my head just as the image dissipated and the room returned to normal.
Reaper put his hands on the gurney while breathing raggedly.
The heart monitor Dr. Hale had connected to the guy went to one long tone. She shut it off and slowly pulled the blanket up over his face.
“What the fuck just happened?” I asked. “Was I the only one who just saw t
hat?”
“Nope,” said Pecker. “That was pretty intense. It did not look like a fun way to die.”
“No,” agreed Dr. Hale, “but I would wager it was better than what would have happened over the next few hours.”
“Did you get anything from that blood sample I sent down earlier?” I asked her.
“Nothing special,” she replied. "Just a werewolf."
Shit. I was hoping we’d have some type of raven situation like we’d had with Gallien Cross and Jax, the guys that Reaper and I dealt with on our first mission together. Okay, so everyone else called the ravens “vampire zombies,” which in hindsight was probably more apropos, but I preferred my nickname.
Reaper pushed away from the table and said, “We should go now, Piper.”
I wanted to argue, but he looked pretty wiped out. So instead, I took him by the arm and guided him to the elevator.
Chapter 20
Reaper was pretty quiet during our trip back topside. I wanted to push the topic of what had just happened in Dr. Hale’s office, but he was clearly distraught over it.
In fact, he was essentially just going through the motions as we got to the portal, set the destination back near Fisherman’s Wharf, and hit the button.
There was still plenty of night left when we arrived, which meant there was still time for Bane and his band of wolves to cause trouble. I don’t care how arrogant a pack leader gets, they’re not stupid enough to run amuck during the day. It just doesn’t happen.
“Are you tracking anything, Reap?”
“Hmmm?” He looked up. “Oh. Sorry.” I saw his eyes dim slightly through the side of his shades. “No, it’s clear.”
We continued walking toward the Wharf, though I can’t say why. There was nothing there earlier and I doubted there’d be anything around now. Maybe more homeless or drunks or stragglers, but Bane’s crew wouldn’t be there. Still, maybe something got left behind. Last time we’d checked, we were still doing a lot of looking over our shoulders.
It could be that Bane was done for the night or just plain done for good. He had his shot and failed. Then again, he had made it clear to the three wolves at The Wharf Inn that they’d better not fail him again.
But he had to know we would be better prepared for him now.
“Reap,” I said slowly, “I know you’re still new to being a Retriever, but if you’re going to continue down this road you’re going to have to come to terms with the fact that people are going to die by your hand.”
“I know.”
“How many of those ravens did you wipe out before?” I added rhetorically. “You didn’t feel this way about them.”
“They were essentially dead already,” he whispered, “and even then…”
He trailed off and I stopped walking.
“Maybe this just isn’t for you, Reap,” I pointed out. “You don’t want to carry a gun, and you’ve no doubt lost your stomach for throwing fireballs now. What are you going to give up next?”
I didn’t want to lay into him too hard, but being a cop wasn’t easy. You fought when you had to and sometimes you killed bad guys. That was the gig.
“I don’t know,” he remarked.
The fact was that I really didn’t need him to kill…or even injure. My commissions sheet was proof that I was quite good at doing that all on my own. Besides, I was the one who didn’t want a partner in the first place, right?
“Okay,” I said as a plan formed. “I think I’ve got an idea here.”
“What’s that?”
“We’ve already established that you’re great with information gathering and such, right?”
“Yes.”
“We also know that using a gun isn’t exactly your cup of tea.” He didn’t reply. “But you have other abilities that I’d kill for.” I winced. “Sorry, bad choice of words. You have the ability to scan, you can stun people, you have that shield thing you do, you can erase memories.” I looked up and pointed at him. “I know, only in emergencies, but it could happen. You also have the skill to suck memories out, which I have some definite questions about.”
“I can’t share the specifics of how that’s done with you, Piper,” he stated.
“You will eventually,” I said, waving a dismissive hand at him. “You’re also really good at picking up dudes in bars, and you look great in a sailor’s outfit.”
He cracked a smile at that.
“One of your jokes?” he said.
“Hmmm?” I replied, smiling back. “Oh yeah, sure. I was totally joking just then.”
“Sarcasm.”
“You’re catching on.”
“So what are you…” He stopped and spun his head toward the Wharf. “Someone is coming. It’s a wolf.”
I pulled out my gun.
He put a hand out to stop me.
“She’s alone.”
So he could sense gender too? I followed the direction of his eyes and saw a young woman approaching us with her hands in the air. Clearly she knew we were here.
“Does she have a bomb on her or something, Reap?” I asked, thinking he may not have considered that point. “A single wolf could still blow us up and, immortal or not, it would take some doing to get all of our body parts reconnected and working again.”
“She does not have any explosive devices on her person, Piper,” he replied evenly.
“You can sense that, too?”
“No. I just have a gut feeling.”
“Swell.”
The woman approached and said, “I mean you no harm. I’m here because I have information about what’s been going on.”
I thumbed my revolver. Reaper may trust this lady, but that didn’t mean I did.
“Go on,” I said dubiously.
“My name is Susan and I was there…” She swallowed and looked pained. “I was there,” she continued with some effort, “as Lucien Bane twisted the minds of the wolves. He’s insane. He thinks he is a direct descendant of Thor.”
“Where is he?” I questioned. “I have a Death Nail in this gun that would certainly like to compete with his hammer.”
“What?” said Reaper, looking at me.
“What, what?”
“I’m a reaper and even I know that was a pathetic line.”
I frowned at him.
“He’s right,” agreed Susan. “That wasn’t very good.”
“Fuck you,” I replied, and then gave Reaper the stink-eye. “And fuck you, too.”
Okay, granted, it was a lame line, but some people said I made reference to violating a guy’s nuts too often, so I was trying to branch out a little.
“Anyway,” I snarled, “where is Bane?”
“Alcatraz,” she replied, looking over her shoulder. “He’s been there every night for weeks, working on his plans. Tonight was just the tip of the iceberg. More is coming.”
Alcatraz? Honestly, I should have seen that coming. What better place for a bad guy to hang out, after all?
Reaper glanced past Susan.
“More wolves are heading this way,” he announced. “They are about two minutes from here, I would guess.”
“They’re after me,” Susan said with a look of dread. “I must go.”
She took off, morphing into her wolf form and rushing up the street.
We slid back into the shadows and waited for the wolves. They’d likely pick up our scent, but by then there’d be Death Nails piercing flesh like a downpour of razor-sharp rain.
Chapter 21
They’re closing in,” Reaper said. “We should see them about…now.”
He pointed up ahead at the line of werewolves bolting after Susan. We had moved back far enough that we wouldn’t be in their line of sight, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t catch wind of us. That was one thing about wolves, they had a serious sense of smell.
I had my gun up, loaded with Nails and ready to take them on. Even Reaper had his arm set, though I had a feeling he was going to stick with stunning them. That was fine with m
e. In fact, though I was loath to admit it, I was seriously considering asking Pecker to hook up some stun rounds that I could use in a different gun. It’d be nice for getting full commissions, that was for sure. If he could get them to be the size of tiny pellets, that’d prove pretty damn useful. He’d probably have to bring a mage or a wizard in on building them, but I never cared to know the particulars. From my perspective, as long as the tech worked, it was all good. But this could be one of those requests that was impossible to do.
Couldn’t hurt to ask, though.
Then again, I would have to endure more of his lecherous behavior. Okay, so maybe that was too strong of a word for it. If I were being honest, I’d probably admit I’d be more annoyed if he suddenly stopped hitting on me. Not that I was ever going to give in or anything, but it was nice to be desired…even by a goblin.
“Ready?” I asked Reaper as the wolves closed in.
He nodded and aimed.
The beasts flew past us like sprinters trying to win the 100-meter dash in the Olympics. They didn’t even pause.
“What just happened?” I asked aloud.
“I don’t know,” he replied while scanning. “None of them are stopping, though.”
I jogged up to the main street and saw them speeding away. Obviously, Susan was a bigger threat to them than us. Considering how she’d just spilled the beans regarding Bane’s location, I supposed that made sense.
“Let’s go,” I called out as I took off after them. “Maybe we can help save Susan from their attack.”
“We could have done that more easily if we had just attacked them back there,” he replied as he caught up to me. “I could have at least stunned a few of them.”
“True, but we were expecting them to stop. Or I did, anyway.”
“So did I.”
We were running as fast as we could, but keeping up with wolves wasn’t exactly a snap. In bursts, sure, but marathons? No.
“How far is she ahead of them?” I asked as my stamina started to wane.
“Not very. In fact, she’s slowing.”
Bane's Edge: A Piper & Payne Supernatural Novel, #2 (Netherworld Paranormal Police Department) Page 7