Aftermath (11 page)

I sighed when they didn’t answer.

“Fine. I’ll go get the damn key.”

#

I’d taken Rachelle along to help convince Rala it wasn’t just me that needed her but she was less than pleased to find out what we wanted her to do.

“Are you people suicidal?” She glared at all of us in turn. “Have you forgotten what happened the last time we did this?”

“For the record, I was against this,” I told her.

She snorted at me, then turned back to Rahim. “Do you guys seriously want to do this?”

He nodded. “Not by choice, Rala, but there is a good likelihood that this portal is connected to the recent troubles we’ve run across. We don’t intend to go inside but I feel it pertinent to take a quick look in hopes of learning something. Anything.”

Rala raised her hands and dropped into a squat. “If you’re sure about this, whatever…”

While she’d given in there was no mistaking her displeasure at having to open the portal once more. To be honest, I felt exactly the same way. The place had been nothing but grief and I couldn’t imagine us finding out anything that would help but Rala didn’t waste any time getting started.

After having her try a million times to open the portal using the book she had become a pro, the spell ingrained in her memory. The singsong passages spilled from her without hesitation, and I felt the cold chill of the weird magic washing over me just as it had the last time she’d done it. I shuddered in remembrance but without Azrael inside my skull to manipulate things I felt we could handle the guardians and get this over with quickly. There was only my agenda this time.

Sure enough, not a few minutes later the dimensional wall separating us from God’s trash dump began to split open. Rahim powered up alongside me and we both instinctively moved between the opening portal and everyone else. My heart thrummed in my chest as we waited. The guardians between the worlds might be vicious and powerful but ready as we were I didn’t suspect we’d have too many issues taking them out long enough that we could get a look inside the realm without getting our heads bitten off.

“That’s good,” I called out as soon as the portal was about the size of a decent flat screen TV. Rala eased back on the spell, keeping just enough juice to keep the gate from closing on us. Rahim and I waited. Then waited some more, and then a bit longer yet nothing leapt out at us. Only the barest whiff of smoke met us between worlds.

“I’m not sure if this bodes well or otherwise,” Rahim said, breaking the awkward silence that had settled over us.

“This is us we’re talking about, Rahim,” I answered and walked over where I could see through the portal to the other side, peeking carefully. “Anyone up for a barbecue?”

Rahim moved beside me and groaned at what he saw.

The prison realm burned.

Black smoke billowed into the sky and obscured much of the view. The giant trees that had seemed to reach up forever the last time we were there were shriveled and charred, wilted under the heat. I couldn’t see the great mountains in the background, either because of the angle, the smoke, or the combination thereof so I had no clue what part of the realm I was eyeballing. The flames had died down at some point or been contained and there were only a few spots that flashed with angry reds and oranges. Still, the place looked like California in the summer minus the fleeing tourists.

“I wonder what caused all this,” Rahim mused.

“I’m guessing it has something to do with a certain masked guy and his legion of newly-release flunkies.”

“Seems quite likely, but
why
?”

“That’s the billion dollar question, ain’t it? Why have they done any of the things they’ve done?”

“Can you see anyone?” Rachelle asked.

I shook my head. “Can’t see much of anything but smoke and dead and dying foliage. Whoever torched this place did a good job, and I’d guess it was real recent too judging by the smell of it.”

We stood there a few more minutes trying to pick something—anything—out of the whirling gray and black but there was simply nothing to be seen without sticking our heads inside the portal or opening it wider. Neither seemed prudent given what we knew lay on the other side.

“Go ahead and shut it down, please,” I said to Rala, not bothering to look back. She’d do it or she wouldn’t but the odds were better she would if I made it a request rather than an order. She wasted no time, imploring the portal to close by winding down her chant. It did a few seconds later.

“Well, that got us nowhere. Too bad we didn’t bring hot dogs or marshmallows. We could have had ourselves a good old-fashioned—” I didn’t get to finish my sentence as Mike’s telepathic voice set my brain to ringing.

“Poe sent a message. Shaw’s under attack!”

My first instinct was to shrug and say good riddance, but I swallowed that reaction back and sighed.

“Lead the way, oh disembodied voice of bad tidings.”

And off we went.

#

There’s a certain satisfaction of rolling up on the aftermath of a fight that didn’t involve me getting my face kicked in. It was even more enjoyable since Shaw and her goons had. We arrived to find all of them licking their wounds but all the bad guys—a subjective term, I admit—were gone.

“What happened,” I asked.

Shaw was on her feet but barely. Her face was several shades darker on one side than the other, a massive bruise enveloping her cheek and squeezing an eye shut. It didn’t seem to impact her ability to glare at me.

“Our masked assailant arrived with his entourage to take down yet another of our installations.”

I glanced about, realizing how un-nuked the place looked. Compared to the battered and beat down cast of characters assembled the place looked pristine. “Seems you kept them from detonating another bomb.”

Grace wiped blood from her swollen lip and looked away, anger etched across her features but there was something else there too. She looked…frustrated, maybe? Styg did his usual around me and kept to himself. He didn’t look all that beat up but he wasn’t a front line fighter. He and Kit tended to stick to the back ranks and both appeared a little haggard but not broken. Thud on the other hand looked as if he’d taken on Godzilla and been used as a suppository.

“You’ve got a little something…” I pointed to his face and let my finger wind its way down to his feet, “there-ish.”

Whoever he’d faced off with hadn’t done his face any favors. Great welts bubbled across the surface of his skin, blacks and blues and yellows running rampant. Blood oozed from a few of them but it was more like he’d been the victim of a blanket party, his entire body beaten to hell.

“Ha-fucking-ha, Triggaltheron,” he said. “I’d like to see you take on that damn big bastard. He has fists the size of televisions.”

“The giant was here?”

Shaw nodded. “He and the others; all of them.”

“There’s a prison located nearby?” Rahim asked.

“There is,” Shaw pointed into the distance, “but we kept them from it.”

Once more I glanced around, not seeing anything resembling a victory except for the lack of a fiery boom. “Not that I doubt your impeachable honesty but this doesn’t look like much of a win to me.”

“Then what would you call it, asshole?” Kit asked, sneering at me. “The place isn’t radioactive, is it?”

“Just your breath, sweetheart.” I raised my arms and gestured to the scene of the battle. “Masked boy and all his cronies show up, throw you a beating and then just run off?”

“What part of
we beat them
are you not getting, numb nuts?” Thud asked.

“The part where an army of supernaturals, two of which—at the very least—are way the hell out of your league show up, fight you, get defeated, and disappear without leaving any of their cannon fodder behind or manage to detonate a nuke, which coincidentally, only takes a few seconds as we’ve seen firsthand.” I’d kicked the asses of all of the DSI on my own and, despite the group’s toughness, the old man the masked guy freed was even more powerful than I was, not to mention the fire giant. There was no way the DSI won out that easily.

“Did any of the Nephilim come with them?” Rahim asked, catching on to what I was laying down.

Shaw growled at the challenge but her eyes lowered for a moment as she searched her memory. “Yes, there were a number of them who stood right…” her voice drifted off, her gaze moving toward where I presumed the Nephilim had been during the fight. She exhaled through her nose and I could have sworn I saw wisps of smoke waft out. “None of them carried anything.” The realization seemed to take the wind from her sails. “They stood back while the inner circle came after us. Why would they do that?” For the first time ever she seemed lost, out of her element. I didn’t know whether to applaud or feel sorry for her.

“A distraction perhaps?” Rachelle said, tossing the idea out there.

“To what purpose?” Shaw asked, staring off at the prison. It remained out of sight and seemingly untouched.

“Maybe the Army paid them to kick your asses,” I said, pretty much confirming my status as Asshole of the Month. Shaw glared at me. “You know, the guys you’re no longer working for. You remember them, right? General Worth and all the guys with the advanced weaponry and armor. The ones who chased us away from Chicago at gun point all because you are now
persona non grata
?”

She snarled at me. “You know nothing.”

“I know a whole lot more than Jon Snow does princess. You were already in the shit with the government after I riled up the Covenant of Dusk to hit back at you but I hadn’t realized just how deep you’d sunk. Our little confrontation with Worth has made it damn clear that all you have left in your deck are the jokers.” I gestured toward her people.

“Be careful, Trigg. There is still the matter of your daughter.” And in that instant the old Shaw was back.

My cheeks warmed. “It’s you who needs to be careful bandying around threats to my kid, Shaw. Scarlett and Katon are more than capable of protecting my little girl. Besides, it’s not like you can track them down without your assets in place. Even if you whisper in the ear of the Covenant they won’t find them now.” I came forward and stood directly in front of her, meeting her cold gaze with my scorching one. “You’ve still got me by the balls but your grip is slipping. Leave my daughter out of your plans or you’ll find out just how far I’m willing to go to ensure Abigail’s safety. I don’t mind being the bad guy.”

Rachelle laid a hand on my arm and eased me back. “We were discussing the possible reason behind this attack upon your people, Shaw. Let’s get back to that.”

Shaw kept her gaze locked on mine for a few moments before finally letting it slide to Rachelle. “I don’t know why they would attack us and yet not attempt regarding the prison. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Rather than continue to instigate shit, I backed off to give Shaw room. I’d made my point and didn’t need to hammer it home any further.

“Nor to us,” Rahim said, gaze still locked on the prison. “I know you are in dire straits with your superiors but have you heard of any other of the prisons being attacked? Chicago?”

She shook her head. “I’ve heard nothing through my sources still loyal to me. The other prisons stand unmolested.”

“So masked boy and his cowboys just decided to come out and ride your rodeo for no reason?”

“We’ve established there must be a reason, Trigg, but what it is remains—”

“Hey!” Thud said, looking about. “Where’s fancy pants?”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Poe,” both Thud and Mike said at the same time, one in my ears and the other in my head.

I glanced about as if I’d suddenly expected to see him now when I hadn’t before. He was nowhere to be found, just like Thud had realized.

“Poe was right here with us,” Shaw said. “I ordered him to call you right when our assailants arrived.”

“I think we have our answer as to what the masked avenger came looking for,” I said.

“What would they want with
him
?” Shaw sounded offended that they’d taken Poe rather than her.

I shrugged. “Way to make it about you, sweetheart. Maybe they know he’ll spill the beans on you and yours since he clearly doesn’t like the way you operate. Can say that I blame him.”

“Poe knows nothing of value,” she answered, a sneer slipping into place. “After his recent
indiscretions
I made certain of that.”

“They must want him for something,” I countered but before I could continue, Mike bullhorned my brain again.

“I’ve Marcus D’anatello reaching out for you.”

I raised a finger and tapped my temple. “Be right back. I need to take this.” Shaw stared at me blank-eyed as I walked away from the group. Once I was far enough away that I wouldn’t have to try and think quietly I told Mike to patch him through.

“He’s gone, Trigg!” Marcus said through the telepathic link. My heart jumped at hearing his words.

“Uh, what do you mean?” I whispered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
How the hell could he know already?
I wondered, my stomach tying itself in knots. I wasn’t looking forward to explaining all this to him when I didn’t have a clue myself. “I’m sure it will be all right, man.”

“What? Are you fucking insane?” he screamed. “You need to get here now!”

I groaned. “Fine. Be right there.” Maybe he knew something we didn’t. As soon as the connection broke I went back over to the others. “I might have a clue. Be back shortly.”

Before anyone could argue, I teleported to Old Town.

Chapter Ten

Turned out Marcus hadn’t been talking about Poe at all.

He paced back and forth across the asphalt and probably wished he hadn’t given up drinking recently. “Who the fuck could have done
this
?”

I had a pretty good idea. Instead of telling him though, I just shrugged and made like I had no clue. It was easier to lie. Wasn’t like he really wanted to know anyway. He’d pulled his head out of his ass—as much as he was capable of—but the cracks in his exterior were still pretty obvious. There wasn’t any point in taking the hammer to him by telling him everything that was going on, especially not considering what had just happened with Poe.