just as nice as a real person. This woman confused the hell out of me.
That seemed to make Bobby and Tai feel better, and so it was all arranged. I watched the guys go with a small sigh. Food would have been good, but Tai promised to bring me something. I swear, if he came back with tofu, I was gonna kick him in the shin. I gestured for Gretchen to lead the way. “After you.”
On rapidly clicking heels, she lead me through a ton of identical buildings that looked like airplane hangars —“Soundstages,” she told me—the streets teeming with costumed extras, stagehands, camera people, makeup artists, various and sundry machinery, and the occasional golf cart rocketing through as people scattered from its path. Several times, Gretchen saw someone she knew, waving and calling out as we passed.
“So, where are we going?”
“Oh, Barry wants to meet me at some soundstage down here somewhere. Something he wants to show me.” She frowned a little in annoyance. “Normally, he pitches me new scripts in his office. Not sure what’s so important that we had to come all the way out here.”
Something cold slithered down my spine. I’d learned to pay attention. “This isn’t normal procedure?”
“No. Why?” She walked on a few paces before she realized I’d stopped in my tracks. “What’s wrong?”
“Did you speak to him? Personally?”
“No, he left a message with Dante while I was in the shower. Why?”
Nothing was wrong that I could see. We were still in sight of other people, though a few blocks back. None of them were paying any sort of attention to us. The street ahead of us was mostly empty, most of the soundstages at this end of the lot not in use for the day apparently. No danger, no threat.
The goose bumps on my arms said otherwise. “Come on.” I reached to take her by the elbow, prepared to drag her if I had to. “We’re going back for Bobby and Tai.”
“What? Why?” She didn’t exactly balk, but teetering around on those spindly high heels wasn’t going to make us good time.
I was debating just throwing her over my shoulder when a cool breeze ruffled my hair, smelling of freshly turned earth.
“What?”
Too late. A shadowy figure filled the door, the silhouette broad shouldered and hulking. I shoved Gretchen behind me, backing slowly away. “What is going on? Who…?” We both fell into puzzled silence when a Roman centurion stepped from the door.
No shit. A Roman centurion. Dressed in full battle gear, plumed helmet and all. An extra, maybe, escaped from a movie set? My finely honed danger sense said no, the goose bumps prickling up and down my arms like needles.
He lumbered toward us, not unsteady precisely, but like he was unused to where his feet belonged. His face was…odd, somehow, beneath his helm. Plain was the best word I could come up with. There were no scars, no dimples, no pimples, no stubble. Just smooth and blank, like his eyes. There was nothing behind those eyes. No emotion, good or bad. No soul. No life.
I was so caught up in analyzing the oddities, I almost missed the short sword he had in his right hand. When he raised it to strike at me, I damn well noticed. No movie prop, that. I recognized live steel when I saw it.
It was a clumsy overhand strike. Whoever he was, he wasn’t a swordsman. A weapon of convenience, then. It was nothing to catch him by the wrist, halting the downward sweep before it landed. It jarred me to my shoulders. The dude was strong.
Gripping his wrist tightly, I aimed a kick for his gut below the breastplate, yanking him into it for some extra flavor. My teeth clacked together when it landed, and sharp pain shot through my leg. Felt like I’d kicked a block of marble, and it was a wonder my ankle didn’t shatter.
The centurion didn’t even grunt, merely shifting his weight to swing at me with his free hand. He clubbed it down on my shoulder, and only the fact that I was already dropping to one knee saved me from a broken collarbone. Still, it was gonna bruise like a bitch. My fingers tingled in protest. I rolled to the side even as he was lifting a foot to stomp me flat, and aimed a kick at the side of his knee.
On any human, that would have folded the joint in a way nature never meant it to go, dropping him like a stone. As it was, I’m not sure he even noticed. Dodging another stomp, my roll brought me up behind him, and I launched a hard kick at the back of his unprotected thigh with the same result. I’m not sure he even felt it, for all the reaction I got. No grunt, no gasp, no sound at all.
His back was covered in the plate armor, and while I’m sure it wasn’t authentic, it still served its purpose, shielding him from most unarmed attacks. As I rolled up to my feet again, I crouched low, letting his sweeping arm go whooshing over my head. I saw an open spot, just under the arm, and jabbed hard there. Immediately, I felt the telltale signs of swelling in my knuckles as they bruised dark purple.
The thing wasn’t fast, thankfully, and as long as I kept on the move, it couldn’t quite get a bead on me. Sure, that kept me out of harm’s way, but it wasn’t going to end this fight any faster. I did one more roll, putting myself behind him yet again.
Lumbering in a circle seemed to confound him for a moment, and by the time he had me in his sights again, I was on my feet. I grabbed Gretchen’s hand, giving her a yank to get her moving. “Run!” I couldn’t fight this, whatever it was. Not unarmed. I could only hope, as clumsy as he appeared, that we could outrun him.
The centurion stood between us and the occupied soundstages, so we had no choice but to dart down one of the deserted streets, Gretchen’s heels leaving a ratta-tat-tat trail that a deaf man could follow. I glanced back once, and sure enough, he was following us. He was also picking up speed, like he’d finally figured out what to do with his legs.
I will give the girl credit. She can freakin’ run in stilettos. And not once did she stop to ask stupid questions like “What was that?” or “What’s going on?”
We tried doors as we passed them, hoping to find people or, in my case, a weapon I could use. Everything on this end was locked, and I could see the wall of the lot coming up ahead of us. I didn’t look back again, but the thud-thud of the centurion’s steps was gaining on us.
