The dark voice returned. “Listen to your man. It’s the smart choice.”
“It’s the only choice,” the second voice urged.
Jennie felt rage welling inside of her. She had a problem with bullies, and there was only one way to deal with them.
She slipped around the corner and crouched behind a dumpster. She peeked over the top and saw a handful of specters with dark eyes and wicked grins gathered around two specters who were impaled against the wall on long ghostly halberds. The spikes held them suspended just out of reach of each other.
George looked more agonized by the woman’s injuries than his own. “We have to, Sally. I don’t want to see you in any more pain—”
Sally cried out once more as he spoke when the specter holding the halberd pinning Sally twisted the spike.
“Sally!”
Jennie had had enough of watching. Remaining behind the dumpster, she closed her eyes and concentrated on seeking the nearest specter. A thin tendril of energy snaked from her and worked its way toward a specter whose evil grin stretched from ear to ear.
“Say the words,” the ringleader of the group demanded. A twisted-looking man in a leather jacket with hair slicked back against his scalp. “Say them.”
“In the name of Her Majesty…” George began, his words quivering as he struggled to speak, “Queen Victoria…”
Sally sobbed. “George, no!”
“I swear to…”
“Hey, what the—”
Jennie latched onto the nearest specter and forced control of his body. She felt him stiffen under her power, confused and dazed as he froze in place.
“Er, Julian?”
“Not now,” the specter in the leather jacket replied, staring hungrily at the man against the wall.
“Definitely now,” the specter insisted. “I can’t move.”
Julian tore his eyes away from George and glared at the specter Jennie was controlling, just in time for her to shove him with her energy and send him bowling into the others.
Julian stepped out of the way, just in time. The specter holding Sally to the wall, however, was knocked onto his side. The halberd came out of Sally’s stomach and she dropped to the floor, clutching the wound with both hands.
“Run!” George shouted. “Sally, run!”
If Sally heard his desperate pleas, she didn’t react.
Julian, however, stormed over to the specter Jennie had controlled and stamped on his face. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“I…It wasn’t me!” He protested through mouthfuls of blood.
Jennie took the opportunity to step out from behind the dumpster and draw the Big Bitch. She aimed at the specter holding George against the wall and loosed a shot before anyone could react.
The blast was magnified by the enclosed walls. The specter’s face disappeared, and his grip on the halberd was lost.
George fell to the floor, pulling the halberd out of his chest before he landed. He coughed and wheezed, then crawled over to Sally, who remained quiet and huddled in a ball.
Julian whirled around and growled at the woman standing in the alley with a gun aimed in his direction. “Rogue, I assume?”
“Asshole Number Three, I assume?” she replied.
Julian raised an eyebrow.
Jennie rolled her eyes. “You know? I haven’t got time to explain references to everyone whose arse I’m about to kick. Read a book, people!” Jennie gripped the Big Bitch with both hands. “Now, how about you all back the fuck up and leave these two alone before I shrink you down to size like I did with your friend?”
Julian eyed the Big Bitch. “Impressive. Rare to see a mortal wield a weapon that can hurt specters.”
“It can do more than that,” Jennie promised. “If you swallow the bullets, you gain immortality. Want to try?”
Julian sneered at her. “Your wit is just as fast as they say.”
“Who’s they?” Jennie asked, feigning interest. “What else do they say about me?”
“They say you’re not someone to fuck with,” he told her, stalling for time. “That picking a fight with you is death, and no mortal comes close to your abilities in combat. They say you eat the dead and spit out their remains. They say you never sleep, and once you’ve locked your sights on your target, there’s nothing that can stand in your way.”
Jennie tilted her head. “Aww, sweetie. Who knew you could be so kind?” She paused and touched her chin. “And what do you think about my legacy?”
Julian’s eyes grew dark. “I think it’s all bullshit, and you just haven’t met your match yet.”
“You do, do you?” Jennie asked.
Julian nodded. “Every mortal can be killed. Your reputation is based on nothing more than luck and rumor. Myths induced by your own words designed to strike fear into the heart of your enemies.”
Jennie smiled sweetly. “Is that so?”
Baxter stepped out from behind the wall and held up a hand. “I’ll be honest, guys. I wouldn’t underestimate her. She kinda preys off of people’s naivety.”
The other specters stirred at Baxter’s arrival.
“Another neutral to convert to our cause?” Julian asked. “When we’re done with her, we’ll come for you. Don’t you worry.”
“Oh, I’m not,” Baxter assured him. “I just wanted to give you fair warning since you’re outnumbered.”
Chapter Forty
Lenox Hill, New York City
Julian was fast. Faster than any specter Jennie had come across for a while.
By the time she’d pulled the Big Bitch’s trigger, Julian was gone. The bullet tore through the air and took a chunk out of the brickwork behind him.
Jennie whirled around, trying to take aim, but all she could see was a ghostly blur.
“Baxter, cover me—”
Jennie grunted in pain as something slammed into her side. Julian cackled. As she steadied herself, he slammed into her other side.
The specters came at them, several of them with daggers, and one with an ancient revolver. Baxter charged over and used his wrench to knock away any specters who came their way.
Jennie worked to focus on the attack but kept getting bashed from side-to-side.
“I told you so!” Julian cried loudly, his voice trailing behind wherever he sped. “You ain’t never met a specter like me, darling.”
Another crash caused Jennie to stumble and almost fall.
“What’ll the queen say when I’m the one to take out Rogue, the spectral assassin?” Julian crowed triumphantly. “The traitor to the crown. The mortal who turned her back on her community, and for what? A little bit of freedom and to jerk off the Spectral Plane?
Jennie’s brow creased as she focused on trying to connect with Julian. He was fast, but could he outrun her power?
“Oh, yes. We know all about you,” Julian continued. He sped past and smacked Jennie in the nose, causing a spray of blood to erupt. “Worthington told us everything. Your lack of an oath. Your U-turn on your allegiance. You know what we call traitors who turn their backs on their kind?”
“Lucky?” Jennie shot back. Further replies were cut off when Julian shoved her back.
Baxter caught her before she could fall, his wrench in one hand as the others advanced.
“There’s that wit again!” Julian cried. “When will it ever end? Oh, that’s right. When I finally stop your heart from beating.”
Jennie took another blow and fell to all fours. She pulled Baxter down with her and whispered in his ear. “Take down the others. I’ve got this.”
Baxter’s eyes glanced around uncertainly. “Are you sure?”
“Trust me,” Jennie told him. “Have I ever led you astray?”
Baxter made up his mind at that moment and rose to his feet. The wind whipped past him as Julian sprinted nearby. He ignored the specter, choosing instead to focus on his henchmen.
He was surprised to find himself facing the pointy end of a halberd. He followed it
s length and saw the smug-looking specter on the other end of it.
Baxter bashed the halberd aside with his heavy wrench and grabbed the handle. Compared to the other specter, he was Hercules.
He raised the halberd above his head, but the specter refused to let go and came with it. His legs dangled in the air as Baxter reared back and hurled the halberd like a javelin. The specter and the halberd disappeared through the brick wall and into the house behind.
The other specters were quick to take his place, and now he was up against three specters. Two of them had knives, and the other had a pistol aimed at his face. He ducked just before the shot was fired, but a searing heat burned in his calf as a knife sliced through it.
“Son-of-a…” Baxter grunted, his eyes blazing as the spectral equivalent of adrenaline spurred him on. He towered over the specter who had cut him and wrestled the knife from his hands by snapping his forearm.
“Watch out!” a voice cried.
Instead of making Baxter cautious, the cry drew his attention. He turned and saw George standing on his feet, doubled over as his stomach slowly knitted itself back together. He held the halberd that had kept him aloft pointed directly at the specter with the pistol.
Too late, the shot was fired. Baxter heard the air warble around the bullet a split second before it scraped his face, opening a small gash on his cheekbone.
The specter fired again, and the next bullet caught Baxter’s shoulder.
Distracted from the pointy object coming at his throat, the specter with the gun’s eyes grew wide as he excitedly kept pulling the trigger. Baxter threw himself to the ground in time to avoid three more bullets intended for his face when George charged unevenly forward and pinned the specter against the wall by his neck.
“Doesn’t feel so good, does it?” George demanded.
The specter gurgled in response.
While Baxter was busy demolishing the other specters, Jennie was focused on just one thing.
Catch the fish, Jennie. It’s all about patience. You can’t hook a trout without tickling its stomach.
Another smack to the back of the head. This one was more painful than the last. Julian was right; he certainly was gifted among specters.
But he’s never met me. He doesn’t know the—
She was shoved to the right. Jennie lay on her side, eyes closed, her face peaceful.
Power I’ve been blessed with. He doesn’t know—
He kicked her lower back.
I’ve been doing this for dozens of years. If they gave doctorates in—
Julian jumped on her midriff and exploded with laughter.
Ass-kicking, I’d have several. Now I just need to—
It was then that Julian made his fatal mistake. Still shaking with laughter, he stopped in front of Jennie.
He placed his hands on his knees and crouched in front of her, his face inches from hers. “What did I tell you, Rogue? Your run had to end sometime, didn’t it? All it took was my run to end yours—”
“Gotcha!” Jennie kicked Julian’s legs out from underneath him. In the same movement, she sprang to her feet, lightning fast.
Julian gazed at Jennie in confusion. One second, she’d been helpless on the ground; the next, he was the one on the ground, with her standing above him.
Jennie shook a finger at him. “Fishing is all about the long game. Every fish is stupid enough to take the bait eventually.”
She stamped on his face. Julian groaned in pain as he pushed himself to his feet and tried to sprint away from her.
Jennie was ready. She had already latched onto his energy and started absorbing his power, so she was able to wield it against him. Her perception of time slowed as she ran, giving Baxter the appearance of being frozen in water. Julian was getting away, his face turned from entertained to furious.
It was her turn to have some fun.
Jennie sped out of the alley and down the street. Julian followed without hesitation, his speed equal to hers. She could hear him grunting and mumbling behind her, and the smile grew on her face.
Turning the corner, she leapt over cars, taking them in one swift bound as though she were hopping rocks in a babbling brook. Movement was effortless. To live with this power would be incredible. Just think how much she could accomplish.
“You’d best keep running,” Julian called after her. “Because the second you stop, you die.”
“Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you.” Jennie left a trail of giggles behind her as they turned again and found themselves speeding along a wide road.
The traffic was busier here. Jennie wove gracefully through it. Her slaloming gave Julian a slight chance to catch up, but that was deliberate. She wanted him close enough to feel like he’d won.
She took a left at the next junction, then a hard right. She turned back on herself and returned down the street, wind whipping past her face.
Julian cried out in frustration as he lost the ground he’d made and fell farther behind.
It’s time.
Jennie tore back through the city with the specter in tow. The irony of it was, Julian didn’t realize he was powering her. If he trailed too far behind or overtook her, she would instantly lose her connection and return to normal speed, a mortal walking at a mortal’s pace.
Jennie fumbled for the pocket on her thigh. It was more difficult than usual to withdraw the vial she wanted, given how rapidly her legs were pumping.
Buildings blurred by as Jennie took a right. Another quick right, and she was back in the alley. Baxter was staring at the face of the specter George had just impaled. His face was creasing into disgust at a much slower rate than Jennie was processing.
Jennie hurled the vial at the ground the moment she entered the alley. She sprinted between the brick walls and circled back until she was back at the entrance.
Where Julian lay on the ground, out cold.
Jennie released his power and leaned on the invisible wall that had sprouted from the glass shards on the ground. Time resumed its normal pace. “I guess he didn’t see that coming.”
Baxter turned and saw Jennie and Julian at the mouth of the alley. His eyes darted back to where she’d been lying on the ground—what had only been seconds ago to him.
“What did you—”
“It’s the same with every runner,” Jennie told him as she knelt beside Julian. “Sooner or later, they all hit a wall. Now, help me restrain this guy, will you?”
Times Square, New York City
Carolyn couldn’t explain it except to say her Spidey-sense was tingling as she and Feng Mian worked their way down busy streets in pursuit of the group.
The specters were somewhere nearby; she could feel it. From the minute she saw them in the Square, something had connected her to them.
Couples walked arm in arm along the sidewalk. Tourists flashed their cameras everywhere they went in the city. The bars and theaters were full. Carolyn allowed herself a moment to smile and appreciate it all. New York really was home.
“This way,” she muttered, directing Feng Mian down a side street. They were halfway down the street when they heard whispering from a narrow alley to their left.
“So, we just wait here?”
“That’s what they said. Find a place to stake out and keep an eye on the city.”
“From here? We can’t see shit from down here.”
“No, not from here, dumbass. Up there.”
“Oh…”
Carolyn poked her head around the corner and saw the group staring at the side of the building. One of them had already jumped up with one foot on each of the two walls and begun to scale her way to the top.
“What is it with the boss and heights?” A dumpy woman with a sour look on her face complained. “At least HQ has stairs.”
A man with a trilby hat and a greased mustache scoffed. “Like, fifteen hundred of them. At least this ascension will be over in a matter of seconds.”
The dumpy woman shook her head. “I
can’t climb this.”
“Then stay on stakeout at the bottom,” the female specter who was halfway up the climb called back. “Your choice.”
The dumpy woman looked longingly at the top of the building. Resigning herself to trying, she muttered, then placed both feet against one wall and her back on the other.
Carolyn ducked out of the way when a specter appeared through the brick wall seven stories up as though they were leaning out of an open window. “Hey, I found a shortcut.”
“Perfect,” the dumpy woman replied, allowing herself to fall to her ass before walking through the wall beside her.
Carolyn and Feng Mian ducked back out of the way and looked for alternative routes to the roof. Feng Mian spotted a fire escape and assisted Carolyn up the first rung. The pair soon found themselves climbing the ledge to the roof.
The roofs were a strange mixture of heights, but at least they were flat. Many had jutting, square brick chimneys that made easy cover for Carolyn and Feng Mian as they worked their way as close as they could get to the group, who were all so engrossed in watching the street that they didn’t even think to check right behind them.
The lead specter—a woman in a camo-print tank top and black cargo pants—scanned the square.
“They’re alert,” Dumpy remarked.
“Of course they are,” the leader snapped. “They know we’re out there. They know the queen is onto them. Wouldn’t you be aware if you knew a faction as big as Russia or China was going to fuck you up?”
“That’s a slight exaggeration,” Dumpy countered. “We’re not that big.”
“We’re still bigger than them,” Camo replied. “And we don’t deal well with traitors. You know I’ve been sworn to the crown for over twenty years? Never once crossed my mind to seek out a new path. Everything I needed was in the paranormal court on the other side of death.”
“Twenty years?” Trilby smirked. “That’s cute.”
Camo scowled. “Sure, you might have been dead longer, but who’s been given instruction to lead this group? Me. I actually know how to lead reconnaissance. So, less sarcasm, thank you, and more focusing.”
Rogue, Renegade And Rebel (In Her Paranormal Majesty’s Secret Service Book 1) Page 32